CHAPTER 491 - Taking This Step Means the End of the World

Bel'Veth was located at the southernmost end of the Shurima continent, southeast of the Valley of Songs, just over a hundred kilometers from the Void-corrupted land of Icathia. The name "Bel'Veth " originated from an ancient Shuriman tribe's legend and roughly translates to "God of Annihilation." According to the legend, this was a cold, emotionless deity who erased everything in its path, replacing it with itself. Though the true meaning of "Bel'Veth " has long been forgotten, ironically, it now perfectly fits the essence of the word. Perhaps the Void Empress, upon devouring this city-state, learned the meaning of the name and adopted it as her own.

That region still belonged to the Conqueror's Sea, a vast sea bordering the Guardian's Sea, separated only by the Icathian Peninsula. With the blessing of the Starforged Dragon King, Azir's power had grown even stronger. By midday, he led everyone across the desert, using the sand to swiftly reach the outskirts of Valley of Songs. Though traveling to Bel'Veth was roughly the same distance as to Nerimazeth, the difficulty lay in crossing the southern mountains, which required far more divine power than crossing the barren plains on the other side. However, with the help of the Sun Disc, the divine power of the god-warriors was nearly limitless, so there was no need to worry about the consumption of magic.

The shifting sands soon surrounded the mountains below, and in the far distance, the ruins of a city near the coast came into view. 

"That land and sea have been completely consumed by the Void," Azir said, without looking back. He pointed at the holographic map projected by Li Lin's drone, his spear-like scepter indicating the scene.

Once a thriving metropolis, Bel'Veth had been a large port town in Shurima. At the empire's peak, it was home to thousands of humans, Vastaya, and the sand giants from Icathia. But now, it was nothing but a pale purple ruin. Everything was reduced to dust and ash, leaving only a bottomless pit that gleamed with an eerie light. Fragments of debris reassembled into unrecognizable, strange shapes, with clear structures resembling fluid, as though attempting to form the shape of a creature—not a human, nor any known living being from Runeterra.

"The Void energy here is far stronger than that of Icathia," Kassadin remarked. "And it's all active."

Varus gripped his crystal longbow tightly, his teeth clenched. "No mercy… They've sealed their own fate the moment they were born." Despite the ascended power that had neutralized the Void's influence over him, his hatred for the Void was palpable.

"Brother…" Valeeva stepped forward and took his right hand, bringing a sense of calm to the anger rising in him. Before facing the enemy, Varus needed to stay composed.

"No wonder it dares to call itself the Void Empress. It really is something," Rhaast sneered. "But with the energy escaping from the Bel'Veth ruins, we don't even need all of us here. We can obliterate it right now."

"Don't be careless, Rhaast. You always say that. Do you remember who saved your life on the Void battlefield?" At Aatrox's warning, Rhaast smirked sheepishly and fell silent.

"Even if the Void here seems weak, we still need to give it our all," Aatrox continued, his voice serious. "The Void Wars taught us that."

"Aatrox is right. We must go all in to prevent future problems," Azir added, glancing at the kneeling Nasus, who was using animal entrails to form a magic circle and attempting to divine the future with star magic. But soon, the starry sky he had created suddenly shifted, the stars misaligned, disrupting the rhythm of his astrology. Before he could make adjustments, the formation collapsed, and the divination failed—just like Azir's sand divination earlier that morning.

Nasus shook his head as he stood. As long as the future of Li Lin and Runeterra was involved, any form of future-scrying magic seemed to fail.

"It looks like we'll have to rely on ourselves completely," Azir sighed, though his tone was resolute. Divination was merely a tool; as an emperor, he didn't need it to chart his course.

Caitlyn, standing nearby, became visibly anxious. "So, what do we do next?"

Even someone as decisive as Caitlyn, who was usually calm in the face of danger in Piltover, felt nervous when confronting such entities, far beyond ordinary people or even god-warriors. Li Lin had initially hoped Caitlyn wouldn't participate in the battle, and Kassadin had the same concern. But since Caitlyn was close to Kai'Sa and Kassadin was her father, Li Lin had reluctantly accepted their involvement.

When Caitlyn asked her question, everyone's gaze turned to Li Lin in unison.

"You're not planning to venture into the Void with Kai'Sa, are you?" Caitlyn's voice was urgent. "That's far too dangerous."

"Since we have enough power, there's no need to compromise with the Void Empress," said Janna, who had remained silent until now, her form shifting into human shape. "These filthy corruptions must be eradicated!" Atreus' voice carried the might of the Star Aspect, deep yet full of power. 

Kai'Sa and Morgana, who shared a deep bond of understanding, only exchanged a glance, remaining silent. From Morgana's expression, it was clear they did not approve of Li Lin taking such a risk. 

"I know, do you really think I'm that foolish?" Li Lin forced a bitter smile, glancing at the nervous expression of Kai'Sa beside him, her lips pale and tense. "My original plan was to have Kai'Sa and me visit the outskirts of the Bel'Veth Ruins, to hear what that entity had to say. But that was before your brave celestial warriors returned."

He paused for a moment, his gaze sweeping over the group, taking in their expressions. "As for now..." Li Lin continued, a smile curling on his lips. He raised his hand, and countless bolts of intense blue-white energy tore through the space around them. The next moment, an even more shocking scene unfolded before their eyes—far more awe-inspiring than Azir's tens of thousands of sand warriors or the various beasts that had come before.

Massive, several dozen meters long, spacecraft began emerging from the rift, floating in the sky. Surrounding each one were innumerable micro drones and storm robots. Not only that, countless battlefield mechs were scattered across the valley and the peaks, all suspended just a step above the ground using anti-gravity technology. At the far end, massive war machines and warlords in the form of giant aircraft remained stationary.

Then, two even larger mechanical dragons, towering and awe-inspiring, flew out of a greater space rift. As one of the dragons unfurled its underbelly armor, transforming into planetary drill vehicles, hypersonic jets, and armored war tanks, dozens of colossal mechs descended and hovered in mid-air.

Caitlyn, Kai'Sa, and Kassadin stared, eyes wide in disbelief. They knew Li Lin had a mechanical army, but they had not expected its scale to be so extravagant. The Winged Sisters, already mentally prepared, were also left dumbfounded. Atreus, on the other hand, could hardly believe his eyes. He had initially thought Li Lin's mechanical army was just a few construction bots to fight alongside him. Now, seeing this, he couldn't help but laugh at his previous naive assumptions. Even the Ascended Warriors couldn't help but gasp in astonishment, finding it hard to imagine that such mechanical creations, filled with the power of the sun, had been crafted by Li Lin, a mere mortal.

This scene was even more stunning than the stone fortress the once-great Nezuk had built, which was as large as an entire city. Only Zoe, as usual, remained unfazed by the spectacle.

Nasus, sharp-eyed, noticed a battlefield mech resembling his own. Turning to Li Lin, his face clouded with curiosity, he asked, "Is that...?"

"My apologies for the disrespect," Li Lin said, acknowledging the resemblance. "I modeled the mechs after you and General Aatrox. The battlefield mech resembling you is part of my elite unit, and it also has the ability to grow larger." Li Lin pointed at the flying Batalon sword warplanes. "As for the ones resembling General Aatrox, they are large mechs with transformation abilities."

"Hey, you brat, how come you made mechs in the likeness of both the Grandmaster and Aatrox, but none for me?" Valeeva teased.

"Forgive me, but your form and weapons may not be suitable for mass-production mechs," Li Lin teased back. "Though, like Xerath, you could erase your own form and let me transform you into a mech."

Just as Rhaast was about to retort, Aatrox shot him a look that immediately caused him to swallow his words and sulk.

The tension in the air lightened a little as the pre-battle atmosphere grew more relaxed.

"Alright, let's stop fooling around," Azir's scepter, the spear of sovereignty, struck the sand-covered ground with an unanticipated crisp sound. His voice, rich with imperial dignity, interrupted. "You can exchange pleasantries after we defeat the Void. Now, back to business." His gaze turned back to Li Lin. "I recall that when you faced Xerath, you used the power of the sun. If you can still wield it, why not use it to test the waters first?"

On the upgraded Starfall space station, Li Lin had already reloaded five nuclear fusion missiles. One of them was ready to be launched. 

"That's exactly my intention," Li Lin replied as he issued a command to the AI, instructing it to adjust the orbit of the Starfall satellite and prepare to launch a nuclear missile at the Bel'Veth Ruins. 

But just as he was about to proceed, the Void energy in the ruins erupted violently. A sea of pale purple mist began pouring from the earth, spreading across the area for dozens of kilometers. A false sun, formed of pure purple, slowly rose, obscuring the natural orange-yellow sunlight. From within the haze, countless Void-infected creatures—devil fish, rays, and bizarre forms—spouted out, some towering hundreds of meters tall, their numbers rivaling Li Lin's mechanical army.

Soon, a grotesque entity with a body swollen to several dozen meters appeared at the edge of the purple sea, hovering near the peak where Li Lin and the others stood. Surrounding this entity were innumerable Void spirits, floating protectively around their Empress. Bizarre, eye-covered tentacles, each with its own independent consciousness, lashed out from its form, only to retract back into its body under the Empress' control.

"You'd better think this through," a voice boomed, coming from the center of the purple sea. It distorted the air, twisting reality itself, blending with the sounds of countless voices—old and young, men and women. "Taking this step will bring the end of the world." 

(End of Chapter)

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