The Battle of the Arcane Mage

The carriage sped along the wide road, moving forward without regard for any obstacles. The old coachman brandished his whip, sternly commanding the four fat horses before him. He kept them moving forward diligently under the whip's whip, yet despite the carriage's rapid speed, there was not the slightest swaying—considering this, the old coachman's skill in controlling the horses was indeed remarkable.

Inside the carriage, Angela leisurely sipped the black tea brewed by Fina with her "Burning Hands," while Mina, her expression indifferent, forced herself to remain calm as she gazed out the window. There was no one else there. Neither Li Lin nor Nia were on the carriage.

"Miss Angela, is this really a good idea?"

Fina held the water glass in her hands, a faint flame moving and enveloping the edge of her palm. This trick, which could at least be considered an offensive spell, seemed equally effective when used for other purposes.

"Master, he..."

"It's none of our business to interfere with what our master wants to do."

Angela interrupted Fina as she sipped her hot tea.

"Just boil the water properly. Even the master needs to exert pressure sometimes... If it weren't for taking care of you two, I wouldn't want to stay in this awful place as a nanny. Listening to the screams and cries of humans being tortured by their masters is much more interesting."

A cold wind howled.

A cold wind, carrying fallen leaves, danced across the barren land, creating uniquely graceful curves. Li Lin held the spellbook in his hand, head bowed in silence. The aura of magic flickered around him, like a light bulb with an unpredictable, low power supply. He was waiting for a moment that was inevitable and bound to arrive, and he was preparing for it.

"Nia, what are the preparations?"

"As you wish, everything is ready, Li Lin."

A girl's beautiful, gentle voice rang out from the book, as melodious as a clear spring stream.

"Since your strength is not what it used to be, I have had to temporarily seal some of your power... Casting peak spells is now almost impossible."

"Dealing with these guys doesn't require using top-tier magic."

Li Lin's voice was full of confidence as he opened his eyes and gazed at the scenery before him.

"This can only be considered a warm-up at best, and I also need to review the fighting style I used when I was with you."

"Your words will definitely be fine."

Nia's words brought a rare smile of relief to Li Lin's face, as if they had returned to their first battle. As an Arcane Mage, Li Lin had once been very powerful, but he had deliberately relinquished his strength and begun to compensate for this deficiency with his intellect. Every kind of power has its own rules: loyalty, arrogance, ruthlessness, evil, kindness, and anger. Only those who hone these to their peak can obtain true power. It is a spirit of never giving up in the face of setbacks, and an extremely obsessive emotion.

Only those who never give up and never waver can destroy the world.

Saving the world is the same.

Back when Li Lin met the old man in Beacon City, he had already sensed the old man's hostility. Although the old man had tried to attack him at one point, he ultimately gave up the idea. He probably also realized Li Lin's power and knew that if a fight broke out, it would cause enormous damage to the entire city, regardless of the outcome. Li Lin naturally didn't care about these things, but the old mage had no choice but to do so. However, this didn't mean he wouldn't come looking for him later.

The "Eternal Library" began to radiate magical light, and Magic Power feedback began to emanate from its surroundings. As the wielder representing the most powerful magical force during Li Lin's prime, the "Eternal Library" possessed power that far exceeded anyone's imagination. In just a few seconds, it had already applied a total of nineteen protective measures to its wielder, covering everything from spatial interference to elemental immunity.

This function alone is enough to place it in the category of Quasi-God, but for Li Lin and Nia, this title is not a compliment, but an outright insult—after all, Li Lin has made quite a few of those things that the gods call "divine artifacts".

The air began to vibrate, and the space that repelled foreign objects emitted an unusual phenomenon resembling ripples on the surface of water. Then, led by the old mage, six people dressed in white mage robes emerged and surrounded Li Lin.

Hello, young man.

Gazing at the composed Li Lin before him, the old mage felt a pang of unease. Although he had brought five mages of mid-level or higher strength as a precaution, he still felt it wasn't enough when facing this man directly. While he had sensed the man's formidable nature when they met on the street, he hadn't expected him to exert such immense pressure—like a towering, impregnable fortress, making him almost impossible to attack.

"Hello, Master."

Li Lin looked down at the book in his hands, his expression unchanged.

"What do you need me for?"

"About that book you have..."

The old mage carefully considered his words, the atmosphere remaining unchanged. The reason he chose to retreat within the Beacon City instead of ordering an attack on this man was that he always sensed a hint of fear emanating from this seemingly harmless man. His deep-seated unease not only did not diminish, but intensified when he used divination magic to discover the man's whereabouts.

Years of survival experience had honed the old mage's fearlessness and detachment from retreat. Had it not been for the crucial book in the young man's hand, he would have preferred to let him go as if nothing had happened. But not now, not at this moment. A confluence of unavoidable circumstances left him with no choice or way out. Perhaps he should reflect on his past actions; if he hadn't worked so hard, he wouldn't have become a member of the Circle of Mages, and he wouldn't have come into contact with that damned secret. Being an ignorant intermediate mage, being bossed around by his superiors until death, would have been far better than this.

"Could I borrow it for a look?"

What if I say no?

Li Lin raised an eyebrow, his fingers lightly tracing the surface of the spellbook. The five gems inlaid in the four corners and the center shimmered in turn. This action caused the six white-robed mages to involuntarily take a step back. Protective incantations immediately formed in their minds, requiring only a single word to activate. However, they quickly realized that it was a completely harmless act, which caused their expressions to darken slightly.

"That's not something you should be using, young man."

The old monk took a deep breath to calm himself. The omnipresent pressure in the air was of indistinguishable origin, enough to drive even the most fragile mind to madness. This only strengthened the old monk's conviction that the item was genuine and not a counterfeit or a replica—he had been praying that this was the case.

Unfortunately, reality often falls short of expectations.

"Young man, you don't understand. You are holding a very dangerous weapon."

The old mage calmed himself, suspecting the young man was being manipulated by the magic book in his hand. Although he had heard of the book's power back when he was an apprentice mage, he had dismissed it as an exaggerated legend, a story fabricated by mages to boast of their power. But after becoming a full-fledged mage, even a high-ranking one, everything he learned and used clearly told him from the book that it wasn't some wildly fabricated tale; on the contrary, it was a veritable record of factual events.

"Our Mages' Association has always strived to collect, preserve, and monitor these dangerous items. It is our duty. What you possess poses an immeasurable threat to the world today..."

So what?

Li Lin interrupted the old mage, his slender fingers lightly tapping the edge of the spellbook with a deft touch, as if playing a piano or typing on a keyboard.

The world has always faced various threats, from existence to non-existence, and from non-existence to existence. That's the world. We can only grasp a small fraction of the threats. In fact, the more you know, the more you realize how ignorant you are... Unfortunately...

At this point, Li Lin sighed helplessly.

"I'm not here to have philosophical discussions with you."

A flash of magical light streaked past, remaining almost invisible until it expanded into an endless magical net, enveloping the surroundings.

"It's Isolation Barrier!!"

The old mage's figure blurred, then it seemed as if an invisible hand in the void grabbed him and pulled him back into a clear, solid form, completely erasing any possibility of him leaving. Faced with this unimaginable scene, the other mages quickly used their powers to respond, but they soon discovered that neither teleporting themselves away nor sending messages to the outside world was feasible. In the records of the Mages' Association, there was only one spell with this characteristic.

"That's right."

As Li Lin spoke, he opened the "Eternal Library" in his hand. The wave of Magic Power was instantly triggered and swept over them. All the mages felt as if they were butterflies in a storm, almost unable to accurately grasp and control their power.

"You cannot escape, nor can you send any message to the outside world... The only way is to defeat me."

Countless magical runes poured out of the book, combining into ancient, almost unrecognizable characters that enveloped Li Lin.

"Or die... Honestly, I suggest you choose the latter."

Li Lin gazed at the lifeless old mage before him and shared his opinion.