The Ring Spirit Envoys Assemble

They were two girls he had never seen before. At that moment, they were kneeling before Li Lin, respectfully bowing their heads.

"Miu'erkasi, the fifth of the Seven Ring Spirit Envoys, reports for duty. It's been a long time, Your Majesty."

A young girl in pristine white armor knelt on the ground, a longsword almost as large as herself in her hand. Her crimson cloak billowed in the wind, its color mingling with her fiery red hair. Her handsome, refined face appeared exceptionally serious, radiating a heroic aura. Her posture was perfect, like a sculpture carved from stone. Although kneeling, she gave no impression of subservience; anyone could sense the pride and conviction she possessed from her posture. Her deep brown eyes stared unblinkingly at the ground, without the slightest wavering or doubt.

"The seventh of the Seven Ring Spirit Envoys — Fate's Protection, Beika reporting for duty. Master, it seems I am the last to respond to your summons."

Another girl, dressed in the same maid outfit as Suoxiate and Yi Aier, adjusted her glasses and spoke in a calm tone. Her shoulder-length sky-blue hair swayed slightly with her movement. Even so, her quiet and elegant face remained expressionless, as cold as a block of ice that would never melt. Even with her master, whom she had waited a thousand years for, appearing before her, the maid seemed completely unresponsive, as if she didn't care at all.

"It's been a long time."

Li Lin was equally unconcerned about the two men's differing attitudes. As the creator and owner of the Seven Ring Spirit Envoys, he was naturally well aware of the characteristics of his weapons, and therefore did not expect any touching reunion between him and the two men. Besides, there was no time for that now.

Li Lin waved his hand, and the two girls immediately stood up and walked to the side. Then, Li Lin slowly walked up to Kaite and stared at his wide-eyed expression of surprise.

"Surprised? I knew it would be like this."

Li Lin didn't waste any words. He glanced at Angela, who understood and released her foot, then kicked Kaite hard in the ribs. With a muffled groan and a crisp cracking sound, Kaite was kicked into the air by Angela, then immobilized by magical power. Walast turned his head away, unable to bear the cruel scene before him. The others trembled involuntarily, as if the kick had landed on them.

You possess something you shouldn't have.

As he spoke, Li Lin placed his hand on Kaite's chest.

"I'm taking it back now. Sweet dreams."

As Li Lin spoke, Kaite felt a powerful pull emanating from the center of his palm. The strange force seemed to suck in his soul, forcibly pulling it from his body. The pain was indescribable, because it had nothing to do with the strength of the human body; the soul itself is a fragile thing. Under the influence of this terrifying magical power, Kaite's soul, like an icicle illuminated by the sun, began to melt slowly, heading towards its inevitable end.

Even so, Kaite gritted his teeth. Although his resistance was almost futile, Kaite did not give up. He refused to make a sound and show his pain and vulnerability. With broken ribs and his soul destroyed, the only thing Kaite could do in the face of such pain was to keep going and not let his soul succumb to the evil mage before him.

However, Li Lin had no interest in this. He didn't want to conquer the paladin's soul, nor did he want to make him kneel at his feet. These things were meaningless. At the moment, the most important thing was to immediately absorb the Power of Manipulation and make it his own.

The young paladin's face grew paler and paler, his breathing weaker and weaker. The light in his eyes began to dim, while at the same time, the white light on Li Lin's palm grew stronger and stronger, slowly merging into the mage's body and returning to its original position. The primordial Magic Tattoo lit up, storing the Power of Manipulation within, awaiting the user's command.

Finally, the last ray of light entered Li Lin's body, and after that, the faint light on Li Lin's body slowly disappeared.

"Nailed it."

Li Lin casually tossed the young paladin, now completely useless and weakened from the power-stealing, to the ground, then turned and opened a portal.

"Let's go home."

With that, he stepped through the door.

Seeing Li Lin leave, the two Weapon Spirit followed without hesitation. Only Angela remained standing on the field, watching the crowd with a cold, wicked smile. Then, she spoke.

"Listen well, you lowly wretch. You have escaped this calamity today because of your master's forgiveness, not because of luck. Praise your master's kindness with grateful hearts."

As she spoke, Angela stretched out one foot and stepped on Kaite's head.

"Look closely, you piece of trash were destined to suffer the same fate as him."

Then, Angela stomped down hard.

"Smack!"

The young paladin's head exploded and shattered under the immense pressure. Angela then turned around, surveying the entire scene with an arrogant and triumphant gaze before laughing loudly and walking into the portal. The undead creatures, one by one, vanished again in the light of the crimson pentagram, never to be seen again.

It's all over.

Walast sighed, staring blankly at the blood-soaked arena before him. On the field, the headless, wounded corpse looked so pitiful and tragic. That young man, who had the talent to become a strong and brave paladin, had his life so easily taken away, without even a sliver of hope or possibility of survival.

I hope my choice is correct.

Gazing at the eyeball that had flown in front of him, Walast seemed to see the young paladin's resentment and questions before his death.

However, he had no time to mourn his students, because at that very moment, a voice rang out again.

"Walast Paladin!"

Walast turned his head and saw the same ashen face of the priest from before.

"Because of your foolish choices and decisions, we have lost the best opportunity to eliminate the rulers of the Magic Empire. Now, let's see how you explain this to the Temple! Guards, seize the Walast and await the Temple's judgment!"

Li Lin paid no attention to how Walast was treated afterward. For him, nothing was more exciting than the fact that all Seven Ring Spirit Envoys were finally gathered. Moreover, on this trip, Li Lin not only obtained his last two lost weapons but also finally mastered the use of Power of Manipulation, understanding how Magic Controller controlled Weapon Spirit. After all, Li Lin had always been the rightful master of the Seven Ring Spirit Envoys, and weapons like Nia bore his soul imprint. Therefore, even with Power of Manipulation, Li Lin couldn't understand how Magic Controller forced Weapon Spirit to serve him. In his battle with the young paladin, Li Lin finally mastered the core and fundamental techniques and understood the operating mode and direction of Power of Manipulation. Furthermore, Kaite possessed considerable Power of Manipulation. After absorbing Kate's power, Li Lin estimated that he already possessed half, or most, of the Power of Manipulation. Therefore, even if the savior possessed the remaining Power of Manipulation, he would definitely not be Li Lin's match.

Of course, that's true in theory, but not in reality. Just like Kaite, although he had never trained and was unaware of the Power of Manipulation within him, the power he possessed was indeed greater than that of Li Lin. Even under these circumstances, Li Lin could still use the depletion of the opponent's mental energy to force them to weaken their control over the Power of Manipulation in order to achieve his own goals. Therefore, he should naturally be wary of someone repeating the same trick on him in the future.

However, these were all minor matters to Li Lin. The most important thing was that with the return of Miu'erkasi and Beika, the Ringwraith City finally regained its full functionality.

Originally, this city was a city within a city, where Li Lin and the Seven Ring Spirit Envoys resided. It could be considered an autonomous city within the Capital of the Magic Empire. The fortresses of the thirteen Arcane Mage were all like this, and the system of the Capital of the Magic Empire was independent of these thirteen cities. Therefore, for the Arcane Mage, their own cities naturally had to have their own unique characteristics.

Just like the Ringwraith City.

The central tower area, shared by Li Lin and Nia, houses a vast collection of magical knowledge, books, and historical records. It also serves as a place for mages to study and exchange ideas. The first district, managed by Suoxiate, is the daily living area for servants and commoners within the Ringwraith City. The second district, managed by Yi Aier, is used for weapons development and research, as well as as mobile artillery platforms for repelling foreign invasions. The third district, managed by Kalin, is an aerial field used for planting and growing crops. The fifth district, managed by Anna, serves the dual function of a secret special forces unit and a cemetery.

The fourth and sixth districts, managed by Miu'erkasi and Beika, are of paramount importance to Ringwraith City. Miu'erkasi's fourth district, the "Training Grounds," is a place specifically used for training the army, while Beika's sixth district, the "King's Shield," is the strongest barrier for external defense.

In other words, with the return of the last two weapons, Ringwraith City finally became an aerial fortress that combined offense and defense and would never fall.

After that, Li Lin learned from Miu'erkasi and Beika what had happened to them.

As the God of Light had said, Holy Wrath was originally placed within his Temple. However, later, the followers of the God of Justice attacked the Temple, and since no one could take it with them, the Holy Wrath was stored in a secret area by the bishop of the Temple of Light, awaiting its future return. They left and never returned. Miu'erkasi herself was also unable to leave that sacred chamber, and could only quietly await the return of her master. Centuries later, a priest of the God of Justice discovered the Temple on the verge of destruction and saw the Weapon Spirit within. However, due to the inherent aura of the Temple of Light, the priest mistook it for the Temple of the God of Justice, and thus he stayed to guard the sacred weapon.

Beika's appearance was even more of a coincidence. In fact, unlike other races, the God of Dwarves doesn't have only one racial god. According to the rules of the dwarven pantheon, any dwarf who makes a great contribution to their race will have their soul become a god after death. Although dwarves have very long lifespans, only a dozen or so dwarves have become dwarven gods, which has led to internal chaos. When the God of Justice attacked, the God of Dwarves considered resisting, but some gods believed that the God of Justice attacked them because of the Weapon Spirit that Li Lin had entrusted to them. While they couldn't betray him, it was only natural to keep potentially dangerous things away from their place. Thus, amidst the chaos of the war, several God of Dwarves secretly took the Fate's Protection away from the dwarven dungeon behind the backs of the other God of Dwarves. Then, sensing the aura of Holy Wrath, the gods cast it into the Temple of Light. This Temple happened to be the very place previously guarded by the priest of the God of Justice. From then on, the Fate's Protection, along with Holy Wrath, slumbered within the Temple of Light for hundreds of years. Because the Temple was located in a remote Temple, it was gradually forgotten after the priest's death. Although tomb raiders did attempt to steal the two weapons from the dilapidated Temple, the Seven Ring Spirit Envoys' automatic defense system ensured their deaths, until the arrival of Kaite and her companions, who possessed the Power of Manipulation the weapons, brought them back to light. Clearly, Kaite initially mistook the Fate's Protection and Holy Wrath for divine artifacts sealed away by the God of Justice; however, the reality was far from that.

Of course, Li Lin quickly told them about the Power of Manipulation. Miu'erkasi and Beika were much calmer than the others when Li Lin told them about it. After all, they were also victims of this power and had personally experienced its strength to some extent.

And only then did the seven Weapon Spirit that Li Lin had created finally return to his side.

Sitting on the throne, gazing at the girls around him, Li Lin was overwhelmed with mixed feelings.

Creating magical Weapon Spirit is inherently a risky undertaking. Moreover, the creation of the Seven Ring Spirit Envoys is even more dangerous. To imbue them with independent personalities and souls, Li Lin even went so far as to infuse his own power into the seven weapons during the creation process, giving them a soul and life as close to reality as possible. The power possessed by the Seven Ring Spirit Envoys was originally a product of Li Lin's own power. It was precisely because of creating the Seven Ring Spirit Envoys that Li Lin's power plummeted from the top of the thirteen Arcane Mage the very bottom. Yet, even so, no one dared to underestimate his power.

Because the very existence of the Seven Ring Spirit Envoys is already impossible to ignore.

The manager of unlimited knowledge.

The first of the Seven Ring Spirit Envoys, the Eternal Library, Nia.

The Manipulator of the dreamlike illusion.

The second of the Seven Ring Spirit Envoys, Suoxiate the Infinite Corridor.

The possessor of destructive power.

The third of the Seven Ring Spirit Envoys, the Hymn of Destruction, Yi Aier.

The embodiment of nature.

Kalin, the fourth of the Seven Ring Spirit Envoys, the Tear of the Meteor.

The holder of battle glory.

The fifth of the Seven Ring Spirit Envoys, Holy Wrath, Miu'erkasi.

The advocate of eternal death.

The sixth of the Seven Ring Spirit Envoys, the Gloomy Curse, Antanaxisi.

The guardian that will never perish.

The seventh of the Seven Ring Spirit Envoys, Fate's Protection, Beika.

The weapons, created with the most powerful energy of Arcane Mage and possessing unparalleled strength, have finally all returned.

Even standing before the throne, Miu'erkasi remained serious and earnest. Unlike the other Ring Spirit Envoy, this Weapon Spirit, who appeared as a knight, seemed to have inherited the knight's serious and unsmiling style.

"So that's how it is. No wonder I couldn't break free from those restraints no matter what I did."

"I once mistakenly thought that the boy was Your Majesty's reincarnation, but it doesn't seem so. That power is indeed strange and strong, and it's something to be very careful about."

"Now that we are back, please give your orders, Master."

Beika, standing beside Yi Aier, remained completely expressionless. If Suoxiate, one of the three maids, always wore a professional smile, then Beika was utterly devoid of any emotion. Whether serious, sad, angry, in pain, or happy, these expressions seemed to be completely immune to this maid who held the title of "strongest shield."

"The other Ring Spirit Envoy are already at work; we don't want to be idle."

"Certainly."

Li Lin wasn't surprised by Beika's request; after all, he hadn't retrieved his weapon just to have tea and catch up.

"Your work will continue to be assigned by Suoxiate, is that alright?"

"I see."

Upon hearing Li Lin's answer, Beika extended her finger and gently pushed up her glasses. After answering, she shut her mouth and didn't say another word.

As for Miu'erkasi...

Li Lin shifted his gaze to the young female knight, his brows furrowing slightly.

"You have a more important task. Come with me."

The "training ground" managed by Miu'erkasi was, in fact, a fortified city the size of a small town, but at this moment it was filled with a dark mass of people—who might not even be considered human.

"Ah, Master, it's done."

Standing atop the tower, Angela watched Li Lin approach and waved to the two of them with a smug smile.

"That's all you wanted, right?"

Looking out, on the vast training ground, tens of thousands of undead stood motionless, staring at the ground before them. Beside each undead was a warhorse. Of course, judging from the blackened bodies and slightly red eyes of the horses, these warhorses had long since become dead undead creatures.

The Temple suffered heavy losses in the war against the Federation, but for Angela, it was a significant boost in manpower. Although many paladins died at the hands of humans, many others perished after being attacked by Ghoul, becoming part of the undead army. Upon Li Lin's return, he demanded that Angela gather these undead who had once been knights, and even asked Angela to find a batch of similar warhorses. Of course, for Angela, this was merely a minor matter.

"But then again, Master."

Angela glanced at the serious-looking, ramrod-straight female knight standing behind Li Lin and pouted.

What do you need these things for? What's the purpose of them?

"Certainly."

Li Lin nodded as he spoke.

"A legion can't consist of only infantry, can it? Now, I think it's time to establish a cavalry unit."

"Cavalry?"

Hearing this, Angela narrowed her eyes and glanced at Miu'erkasi.

"You mean you want this woman to lead these undead creatures? Putting everything else aside, even if I hand over command to her, these undead creatures have absolutely no intelligence, you know? Forget about giving orders, they probably can't even understand spoken language."

"If they were ordinary undead creatures, I naturally wouldn't want to make such an attempt, but they are knights..."

At this point, Li Lin paused, then looked at Miu'erkasi had been silent since the beginning.

"Can you do it?"

"I will obey Your Majesty's orders. Although I cannot guarantee absolute success, I am willing to give it a try!"

In response to Li Lin's words, Miu'er clenched her right fist and pounded it heavily on her chest. Then, she walked to the balcony, gazed at the dark, overwhelming army of undead before her, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. Afterward, Miu'erkasi opened her eyes again.

"Um?"

Just then, Angela, who was watching the girl's back, raised an eyebrow. Just now, she had keenly sensed that Miu'erkasi's aura had suddenly changed. If the young knight before gave people a sense of composure and maturity, then now she was like a longsword that had been drawn from its sheath, spirited and full of sharpness!

"Stand at attention!"

At Miu'erkasi's loud command, the undead creatures, who had previously stood on the ground merely out of instinct, suddenly seemed to gain consciousness. They abruptly straightened their bodies and stood upright on the ground. They raised their rotting heads, puffed out their chests, and their legs, consisting only of rotten flesh and bones, were pressed tightly together. In that instant, the entire formation's morale changed.

"Mount up!"

With Miu'erkasi's second command, the dark mass of undead soldiers immediately sprang into action, leaping onto their horses with a precision and speed beyond human comprehension and firmly gripping the reins.

"That's really strange..."

Of all the astonished, Angela was the most surprised. She knew best what was going on with the undead creatures she had created. While these creatures were knights in life, after death they were nothing more than a group of vengeful spirits, devoid of intelligence and judgment, mere pawns acting on instinct and Angela's commands. Yet, even though Angela could still sense that she held control over these undead creatures, and was quite certain that they still lacked intelligence, they were performing actions that only intelligent beings would do. This undeniably surprised and intrigued Angela.

"That's not surprising at all."

Li Lin shrugged.

"Although they are dead, their bodies still remember the knights' training, their bodies still remember the feelings of battle. These things are not so easily erased. As for Miu'erkasi, if she were facing ordinary undead creatures, it might not have much effect, but now..."

At this point, Li Lin's lips curled into a smug smile.

Indeed, even the Seven Ring Spirit Envoys couldn't directly wrest control of the undead from Angela's grasp, but Miu'erkasi could control the "knights" among them. As the Knight's Sword, Li Lin had endowed Miu'erkasi with this function when she was created, and in later battles, Miu'erkasi herself comprehended the essence of the Knight's Heart. As the strongest knight among the Seven Ring Spirit Envoys, Miu'erkasi could forcibly control a squad of knights to serve her. Of course, if the opponents were human, the power would be greatly reduced. But now, Miu'erkasi was facing a group of undead creatures who had lost their souls and would offer no resistance, and it was precisely because of this that her ability displayed such an effect.

"His Majesty."

At that moment, Miu'erkasi turned around and lowered her head.

"I'm sorry, this is all I can do right now. I'll need more time to become proficient..."

"Approximately how long will it take?"

Li Lin asked the question, and Miu'erkasi answered without hesitation.

It will take at least half a month.

"Very well, I'll give you half a month."

Upon hearing this, Li Lin nodded and gave the order.

"In two weeks, I need to see a squad of Death Knights ready to charge into battle! Understand?"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Just as Miu'erkasi finished answering Li Lin's command, she suddenly felt someone pat her shoulder. When she turned around, she saw Angela's small face with a strange smile, looking at the girl knight in front of her.

"Then, I look forward to you training these puppies into qualified death knights, won't you? Don't betray your master's good intentions, Thassarian?"

Who is Thassarian?

Before Miu'erkasi could process the question, Li Lin reached out and tapped the little guy on the head.

"Angela, you've worked so hard these past few days, enduring so much. It wasn't easy for you. So, here's your reward."

"Oh?"

Upon hearing this, Angela's eyes lit up.

"Master, the reward is..."

"Now that we've regained two-thirds of our Power of Manipulation, we no longer need prisoners. Their existence is meaningless. I'll give you half a month to kill everyone within the Federation's borders. Any problems?"

"Don't worry, Master."

Upon hearing Li Lin's order, Angela's eyes blazed with a fierce red light. She lightly licked her fingers and revealed a cruel yet triumphant smile.

"I assure you, in half a month, there will be no living person left on this land."