A Perilous Convergence

"The ceremony begins."

Li Lin didn't say much. After confirming that everyone was in place, he spoke, and the atmosphere in the hall immediately became serious.

Beika stood quietly in front of the strange weapon. Then she clasped her hands together and opened them forward. With this movement, powerful barriers spread outward from Beika, forming three barriers that enveloped the weapon, the mages, and the tower itself. She was responsible for the overall protection, and in this respect, no one in the entire Ringwraith City could do it better Beika.

Once he was certain that Beika was ready, Li Lin stretched out his hands. The Eternal Library had returned to its usual form, lying quietly between his hands. After Beika's three layers of protection were fully deployed, Li Lin began to chant softly. Accompanied by the magical runes on his body, magical power began to emerge. They transformed into chains of runes, spreading along Beika's three layers of protection, pressing down on them like restraining a wild beast. In an instant, the entire hall shimmered with light, golden magical power illuminating everyone's eyes. The air was filled with an unprecedentedly strong magical aura. Even the originally silent weapons seemed to sense the magical power emanating from the air and emitted a faint glow.

"Your Majesty, it's your turn."

Li Lin maintained the barrier and gave the command to the Elf Queen without turning his head.

Upon hearing Li Lin's words, the Elf Queen slowly floated to the weapon's front. Of course, most mages bowed their heads in respect before this naked queen, but some mages didn't care at all—since the Elf Queen herself didn't mind running around naked in the streets, why should they bother? Besides, most of the mages here were female, so there was no need to worry about anything. Of course, whether they felt envy, jealousy, or hatred was another matter.

The Elf Queen paid no heed to the mages' gazes. She stared at the black weapon before her, a weapon that blended ferocity with elegance, her expression complex. From the Elf Queen's perspective, she didn't want this weapon, created with malice by the elves, to continue existing in the world. The thought that beneath the elves' peaceful and gentle hearts lay tyranny and a strong desire for domination made the Elf Queen extremely uncomfortable. She didn't even want to see this thing; ideally, she wished it would disappear forever. And now, she was forced to help the mages complete this weapon?

However, the queen is the queen; she quickly adjusted her mindset and then reached out her hand.

No one saw what kind of power the Elf Queen wielded, but everyone present felt a warm breeze brush past them, instantly filling them with indescribable comfort and joy. The warm air current lingered around them, bringing them a completely new experience. Almost everyone's expression softened considerably, except for Angela, who stood there unmoved, though her gaze towards the Elf Queen held a hint of disdain.

Although no one could clearly see the physical form of the power wielded by the Elf Queen, it manifested itself in another way—lush green grass and flowers sprouted from the once hard and smooth floor! In an environment devoid of soil, these lives, which shouldn't exist, had actually taken root and sprouted?!

Not only that, but even that menacing, seemingly dangerous structure was now tinged with a bright green. Tender green grass and flowers silently emerged from its metallic shell, swaying in the wind, as if representing the ultimate limit of life force. Even in the most unbearable places, it could continue to survive. Everyone was stunned by this bizarre scene; it represented the ultimate limit of natural power and life force, reaching an unimaginable level. In the blink of an eye, the originally pitch-black, enormous weapon was completely covered by grass and vines, resembling a giant rock deep in the forest.

Everything is ready.

Li Lin maintained the protective shield in front of him, then winked at Yi Aier. Afterward, the little maid stepped forward and released the power she had been suppressing.

Unlike the forces of nature, this time no one felt any change. The air was still air, and there was nothing unusual. However, as Yi Aier moved, a bright light flashed from the ground.

This was not a sacred light, nor the radiance of the sun. On the contrary, it was like the light reflected from swords and steel—cold, devoid of any emotion, and without any effect. It was like an illusion that never existed yet was always there, appearing and disappearing under the little maid's manipulation, entering the first layer of protective shield.

Li Lin and Beika's expressions simultaneously turned grave. They both sensed that, faced with Yi Aier's power, the Queen's life force instinctively detected its enemy, as if encountering a natural foe—an irresistible hostility. In just an instant, the life force of nature nearly doubled in strength. This sudden outburst even startled the Elf Queen who was controlling this power. She hurriedly withdrew the power in her hands and tried to continue controlling the outburst of life force. However, faced with that bright, unpredictable light, the power of nature seemed to be severely stimulated. The grass on the ground began to grow wildly, and the vines and flowers began to grow larger and larger. The power of nature had changed from gentle to the prelude to an explosive outburst.

At that moment, the power wielded by Yi Aier finally clashed head-on with the forces of nature!

Everyone stared wide-eyed in astonishment at the scene before them, a sight they had never even dreamed of. (And - Picture - Book)

The tender green grass and flowers were frozen in time! Their originally colorful surfaces were now as if plated with steel, transforming into a steel-like existence. These naturally growing plants now seemed like lifelike sculptures. Although imprisoned by unnatural forces, the life force was clearly unwilling to give up, and so the people witnessed an even more bizarre scene.

Those plants, now made of steel, are still growing slowly, like a life trapped in a cocoon, desperately hoping for rebirth.

However, this did not stop the erosion of the power. At this moment, Li Lin and Beika's expressions were extremely serious. It was precisely because they had simultaneously suppressed the effects of these two forces that they had exhibited such an anomaly. Otherwise, if they hadn't created this narrow, impenetrable protective shield, the powers of Yi Aier and the Elf Queen would never have interacted, like like the poles of a magnet meeting—they would never have touched. Li Lin began to wave his fingers, drawing beautiful magical symbols in the void. With this action, the magical chains that enveloped and pressed against the protective shield began to move slowly, using this movement to counteract and consume the excess power radiating from it, and to ensure that these two completely opposite energies could combine in this twisted way.

However, it wouldn't explode.

The time was neither long nor short; the ethereal light enveloped all life, transforming them all into steel. The life force diminished considerably, but they clearly did not cease to grow. With the aid of the life force, these creatures, now transformed into steel bodies, swayed "softly," as if they were merely replacing the tender grass and flowers, unchanged in the slightest.

However, their power ended there, after all, the other side was equally powerful.

"Gabriel!"

Finally, the two sides found a balance in the process of suppressing each other, although this balance was very fragile. But Li Lin had no intention of waiting any longer.

Upon hearing Li Lin's command, Gabriel's expression hardened, and then she extended her hand as well.

A sacred aura transformed into rolling clouds within the protective shield. From within, one could clearly feel the power it contained—the power that humanity sacrificed everything for, the power that humanity gave up for its beliefs, the ultimate result of humanity's will and goals in pursuit of the most beautiful things in the world. It transcends humanity, representing humanity's eternal pursuit and its eternal yearning. It protects all things and transmits eternal justice and happiness to all aspects of the world.

If the natural power of the Elf Goddess allows people to feel the power of life, then the divine power released by the archangel allows people to feel the most beautiful existence in this world, something they protect, fight for, and would never regret sacrificing for.

The addition of divine power did not change the course of the battle. Neither natural nor unnatural forces were enemies of divine power, so it easily merged into both. Of course, this did not mean that its goals would change.

Then, before Li Lin could speak, Angela, who had been eager to try, took the initiative.

The instant she sneered, the hall, previously illuminated by various lights, suddenly went dark. It was as if a drop of indelible ink had been smeared on the center of every light source, causing everyone's heart to tighten.

This is blatant malice.

If Gabriel's power brought holiness to people, then Angela undoubtedly displayed the most terrifying evil in the world before everyone. It was naked malice, without the slightest disguise, like a huge beast standing in front of you, revealing its sharp teeth and drooling, blood-red maw. The power of darkness, evil, and death eagerly joined the battle and immediately played a crucial role in changing the entire situation.

Yi Aier's power indiscriminately embraced the darkness, but divine power could not coexist with evil. It withdrew from the realm of metallic power, turning instead to the forces of nature, which also sensed the threat of death and took countermeasures. Thus, the situation changed once more. The spinning chains accelerated, emitting a chilling, low sound. Dark, sinister evil energy intertwined with the steel, forming a new alliance. On the other side, the forces of nature merged with the divine aura, beginning to resist and fight against this new alliance.

The two sides were now evenly matched again, but the other mages had already sensed that things were becoming increasingly dangerous. Beika's previously expressionless face was now growing increasingly tense; she even bit her lower lip tightly, and the light on her protective shield intensified. Li Lin also frowned. Divinity and life, death and steel—neither side would tolerate the other's existence. It was precisely for this reason that Li Lin had chosen this order. After all, the power of nature and divinity was inherently gentle, while the power of death and darkness was inherently violent. If the little guy were to deal with it first, there was no guarantee that this powerful dark force wouldn't run rampant like a wild horse, making things even more troublesome.

This was the purest power, an absolute rebellion between rules. Following Li Lin's command, the other mages also began to unleash the power they possessed. However, their actions seemed more like adding fuel to the mutual suppression of these four forces. When an elven mage unleashed elemental power to aid the forces of nature, a necromancer would unleash the power of the dead to strengthen the darkness. When powerful positive energy became an accomplice to divine power, the power to manipulate inorganic matter would quietly flow through their steel bodies.

To use a somewhat inappropriate analogy, both are like virgins desperately resisting rape, trying every means to prevent the other from entering their bodies and becoming one with them. However, both are shackled, which means that their actions will inevitably reach a balance at some point and eventually merge.

However, the binding force must be strong enough.

Li Lin had already flipped through hundreds of pages of the Eternal Library, from which he retrieved spells that were rarely used to neutralize the scattered primal forces and prevent them from affecting the surrounding mages. After such a long period of confrontation, these four forces had shed their original impurities, becoming purer and more destructive. Once they erupted, they would have a very strong impact on those around them, and could even change their thoughts and souls!

Almost all the mages had joined in, including Kelisi. At this moment, she had begun to take charge of repairing the third layer of the protective shield, using the spells she remembered to deal with the gradually expanding loopholes and problems on the shield.

That's really good.

Watching Kelisi diligently casting spells, Li Lin felt a sense of relief. Clearly, although she was only a mid-level mage, her skillful techniques could compensate for her lack of power. Aside from a few initial problems caused by unfamiliarity, Kelisi was now handling most issues smoothly. She would seize the perfect moment to cast spells, patching up any gaps, patiently waiting for opportunities, and learning to judge which areas didn't need immediate repair and which were extremely dangerous.

The Magic Empire has a worthy successor...

It was only then that Li Lin realized for the first time that he was filled with a feeling of great satisfaction.

That once-great country, though destroyed, can be recreated by the mages as long as they remain.

And this is precisely Li Lin's hope.

At this moment, the condensation of power reached its most crucial stage.

Beika stretched out her hands and slowly pressed forward, while the protective shield enveloping those primal forces grew smaller and smaller. As the space shrank, the energy concentration naturally increased, and the danger also increased.

"Now!"

Finally, as the four forces interacted and once again maintained a delicate and strange balance, Li Lin made his move.

The magic chains spun faster and faster, and grew smaller and smaller, contracting together with the protective shield and firmly binding the force.

Now is the crucial moment, the moment to demonstrate the strength of the four!

Frankly, this is one of the reasons why Li Lin didn't restore the weapon, and it's also the reason why the elven mages couldn't complete it. They needed to find several people who possessed pure energy, but with opposite attributes, to complete the final task. Before that, unless there was Arcane Mage- level defense, suppressing the pressure between these pure forces and forcing them to fuse was extremely difficult. It could even be said that it was as difficult and dangerous as getting two men to get each other pregnant at the same time—although that analogy feels equally bad.

If it weren't for the presence of Yi Aier, Nia, Beika, and Angela, and the fact that Gabriel and the Elf Queen were his allies and friends, then even with its immense power, this weapon would ultimately be nothing more than a piece of trash.

Now, they seemed to be sulking. The Elf Queen and Yi Aier were somewhat better off; they had already accepted that their power was merely a "foundation," a battlefield set up to confuse and resist other forces. Gabriel and Angela, however, were clearly not so relaxed. Gabriel's expression was solemn, and he clenched his teeth. Anjiela, on the other hand, revealed a cold and mocking smile, embodying evil and death. Soon, these four forces grew increasingly concentrated under the power of the protective shield, and the weapon that served as its vessel began to tremble violently. Such a high-density, intense clash of pure primordial power centered on it would have turned the weapon to dust before it even solidified if it weren't composed of the finest magical artifacts.

Li Lin's hands were slowly coming together, while the Eternal Library emanated a strong magical glow in the center of his palms. Finally, Li Lin gritted his teeth, unleashed all his power, and forcefully clasped his hands together!