The body of Bel'Veth completely dissipated, and the faint purple sea was thoroughly purified through the combined efforts of Azir, Nasus, Valeenva, Varus, and the Winged Sisters. The source of the Void in this area had been dealt with, and the voidlings it created all perished naturally, unable to stir up any more chaos. However, the once-plains, now transformed into a bay, still had the sea water contaminated by the Void, which would take some time to clear.
Aatrox and Rhaast had returned to their regular size and found a nearby area to rest on a small hill that had not been vaporized. Meanwhile, Li Lin stood near the spot where Bel'Veth had disappeared, his Overlord Zero mech still standing there, affected by the World Rune's influence and warped beyond recognition.
Zoe emerged from a distant portal and peeked her head into the cockpit, glancing at Li Lin, who was still lost in thought. She waved at him, "Hey, darling, you okay?"
"Yeah… I'm fine," Li Lin exhaled heavily, feeling deeply frustrated. Though defeating Bel'Veth should have been cause for celebration, the system's notification had sent his mood plummeting.
Before defeating Bel'Veth, his level was 98, but after defeating it, he should have reached level 108, a 10-level increase. However, the system played a trick on him: his current level cap was stuck at 100, and only by advancing to the "Mechanical Creator" class could he continue leveling up. The higher the level, the harder it was to level up, which meant he had effectively lost 8 levels worth of experience—an enormous loss!
As if that wasn't bad enough, the two legendary blueprints he received for defeating Bel'Veth, "Great Void Beam" and "Void Engine," weren't usable. Both were heavily tied to the Void, and with his current abilities and technology, he was barely capable of protecting himself from its corruption. How could he dare equip his mech with devices that harnessed the Void? While the idea of using magic to counter magic had crossed his mind, he certainly wasn't ready to freely manipulate the Void. To top it off, the system had even thoughtfully labeled these blueprints as "extremely dangerous," a warning that had never appeared before, not even on items in the Precious Essence Shop.
After working so hard to defeat a Void-preceding mini-boss, the rewards were unusable, and his level-up progress was restricted. At least the 250,000 blue essence and 25,000 orange essence provided some small consolation.
The connection between the Infinite Mech and Overlord Zero was severed, and Li Lin quickly sealed the World Rune back into its containment box. The mecha, which had mutated due to the World Rune, was now unusable, so Li Lin planned to leave it behind and detonate it when he left the area to avoid any accidental destruction later.
Before Li Lin could even take a moment to gather himself, two figures lunged at him—Caitlyn and Kai'Sa, who had just arrived via teleportation.
"Whoa, slow down!" Li Lin, his armor retracted, floated in the air, held up only by magnetism. Zoe, perhaps a little jealous, pouted and let out a dissatisfied hum before flashing over to his side and hugging him tightly.
Fortunately, Kassadin hadn't teleported yet; otherwise, he'd have witnessed the scene of Li Lin surrounded by women. Li Lin helplessly shook his head and decided not to dwell on it any longer. Using his magnetic power, he moved backward, and the four of them entered the cockpit through the hatch and landed smoothly.
Caitlyn and Kai'Sa had returned to their normal clothing, as it allowed them to better feel Li Lin's warmth. They had no idea that Li Lin had been the main force behind the victory over Bel'Veth.
"Li Lin…" Kai'Sa whispered, her voice thick with emotion, her eyes red.
Beside her, Caitlyn's azure eyes were also glistening with unshed tears. It wasn't just because she had been worried about him earlier, but also from the excitement and joy of seeing him defeat Bel'Veth.
"What's going on with you two? You won the fight, yet you're acting like this? We're all fine, why are you crying?" Li Lin reached out and gently wiped away the tears from the corners of Caitlyn and Kai'Sa's eyes. Then, without hesitation, he placed a bold kiss on their cheeks. Kai'Sa's small face instantly turned bright red, like a ripe apple, though she didn't resist too much.
Ever since he had shared his feelings with Caitlyn, Li Lin had become a lot bolder compared to before. He even dared to tease Kai'Sa in front of Caitlyn now. Of course, if he had done this in the past, Caitlyn might have dragged him off to the training ground for some "practice," where he wouldn't be allowed to fight back. But today was different. They had worked together, overcoming many hardships, to defeat the Void Queen, who had once controlled Kai'Sa with the "Void Skin." Caitlyn had no intention of holding it against him.
However, Zoe was not as pleased. She pouted and protested, "No! Li Lin, you're being biased. I want one too!"
Li Lin chuckled and turned to kiss her cheek as well. But Zoe, still acting like a child, wanted to take it further. With her cherry-red lips slightly parted, she wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned in. Li Lin quickly placed his finger on her lips to stop her.
"Hold on, no more pushing your luck right now."
Just as Zoe looked like she was about to protest, Li Lin's gaze shifted to the window. Kassadin, clad in his "Void Walker" armor, had just arrived via teleportation.
Seeing her father, Kai'Sa quickly pulled away from Li Lin and stretched out her slightly cold hand, hoping to cool her flushed face. But she didn't realize that in front of the person who knew her best, her attempt to hide her embarrassment was obvious—like a "look but don't touch" moment.
"Cough, cough…" Kassadin cleared his throat and glanced quickly at the four of them in the cockpit. It seemed he realized his timing wasn't ideal. In truth, he had intentionally delayed his arrival to give them space. But worried about Li Lin, he hadn't followed the AI's suggestion and had come anyway. Fortunately, the mask covering his face kept his embarrassed expression hidden.
"Li Lin, are you alright? You're not hurt anywhere, are you?"
"I'm perfectly fine, don't worry about me." Li Lin smiled lightly, pausing for a moment before walking to the cockpit door and looking down.
Azir, Nasus, Varus, and Valeeva had already flown to the small platform, where Atreus and the Winged Sisters had arrived early. Yet, there was no sign of Janna.
Among them, Janna had been the one to use the power of faith in the battle. Not only had she continuously provided wind protection for everyone, but she had also summoned storms to fight against Bel'Veth' relentless downpour of void energy. The faith of the people of the twin cities had granted her strength, but with a population of only a few hundred thousand, their collective faith couldn't last forever. After such an intense battle, her divine power had been greatly depleted, leaving her physically and mentally exhausted. She had informed Li Lin in advance and, with a final whisper, faded into the wind to rest.
Li Lin nodded to the women, then exchanged a glance with Kassadin. He donned his battle armor once more and flew toward the area where the ascended beings were.
"Li Lin!" Azir's deep, booming voice rang out with joy. "You're the real hero of this battle!"
"Hahaha… Who would have thought that we ascended ones couldn't compare to you, a mere mortal?" laughed Rhaast.
"You're impressive," Atreus said, a small smile appearing on his face as he genuinely complimented Li Lin. "Even in the past, during the Void War in Ixtal, your contributions would have far surpassed most of the ascended ones."
Even the normally taciturn Vel'Koz and the once-shy Valeeva threw him approving glances.
"This isn't just my credit," Li Lin shook his head and looked up, glancing over the faces of the celestial beings. "Without all of your help, I never could have defeated the Void Queen."
"Heh, still humble as always," Nasus chuckled kindly, like a wise elder. "But know this—without you, their seals would never have been broken, and we could never have reached the agreement with that great being. We wouldn't have the strengthened divinity and ascended bodies we have now."
Rhaast waved his hand dismissively, "Stop being so modest. It's yours, it's yours. We're not going to take your credit."
Upon hearing their conversation, Zoe immediately raised her hand, eager to share the glory. "Don't forget my contribution!"
"Yes, Twilight Star Aspect, you played your part too. We haven't forgotten," Azir said with a smile, no longer carrying the deep hatred he once held for Zoe, the Twilight Star Aspect.
"Who would've thought the Void was this terrifying?" Caitlyn remarked, her voice still filled with residual fear as she exchanged a look with her sister.
"At least we defeated that thing," Morgana said quietly.
Atreus took off his helmet and approached Li Lin with a somewhat awkward expression on his face. "I'm sorry I wasn't of much help."
"We've seen your contribution, Atreus," Azir said before Li Lin could speak, grinning.
Atreus looked surprised. "If it weren't for your final blow piercing Bel'Veth's core, we wouldn't have won so easily," added Atreus.
"Yes, Atreus, this battle was a victory thanks to everyone's efforts," Li Lin said, extending his right hand in a fist. Atreus understood the gesture and fist-bumped him in return, his frustration melting away.
As the group gathered, Azir, with his golden eyes, scanned the surroundings and glanced at the setting sun. Unknowingly, they had been fighting Bel'Veth for nearly half the day.
"Since the Void here has been dealt with, I think we should return to the City of the Sun and host a celebration feast for a few days and nights!"
(End of Chapter)
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