Li Lin had already accumulated substantial experience dealing with the Void.
The massive, dozens-of-meters-long and several-meters-thick void tentacles belonged to a corrupted deep-sea octopus—a member of the sea monster race. However, compared to the Void Empress he once confronted, this creature, which had lost all sentience and retained only a primal instinct to devour, was no match even for the "small fry" summoned by Bel'Veth.
Li Lin's battle armor quickly synchronized with the neural network of his Overlord mech. The energy shield was activated first, deflecting the tentacles of a sea monster that had been evolving for countless centuries.
Next, the mech's left hand gripped one of the tentacle tips while the right arm deployed its kinetic wrist blade. With a decisive slash, Li Lin effortlessly severed the Void-chitin-covered appendage—armor that regular blades and even standard kinetic weapons couldn't penetrate.
A material projection cannon fired, its endless stream of bullets piercing through ocean currents and striking the sea monster. In just a second or two, thousands of rounds tore into the creature dragged from the shadows, turning it into a lifeless husk.
Nami, witnessing it all, was left in awe. Even the most senior mages of the Marai couldn't wield magic that approached even a fraction of such destructive power.
Facing a giant sea monster of pure malice was no small threat to her people. What Nami didn't know, however, was that Li Lin had been holding back. He was wary that stronger energy weapons might evaporate the surrounding seawater and trigger tsunamis. If not for such concerns, utilizing a material disintegration cannon or gamma ray beam would have ended the battle even faster.
'If things continue like this, even without the Moonstone, Li Lin could probably help us eliminate the Void's threat once and for all…' Nami's thoughts raced.
Li Lin, however, paid little attention to the naïve young mermaid at his side. He continued piloting the mech deeper into the ocean. They had reached the seabed just a few hundred meters away, though it was not the deepest point yet.
At depths nearing 10,000 meters, only sea monsters or certain magical creatures could thrive. Ordinary life had long ceased to exist here.
The skeletal remains of colossal beasts lay scattered across the sandy seabed, each rivaling the towering bone structures Li Lin had once seen in the Shuriman city of Nashramae. The twisted, writhing shadows lurking in the corners were not truly alive but were aberrations—creatures mutated and corrupted by the Void.
Under the mech's scanning systems, no creature could remain hidden. However, the death of the "apex predator" earlier had instilled an instinctive fear in these corrupted monsters. They didn't dare launch an attack.
Even so, countless murky eyes—glowing with sinister purple light—fixed on the Overlord mech with malevolent intent.
For now, these creatures posed no real threat to the mission. Li Lin had no intention of engaging them directly. Instead, he commanded his AI to dispatch a specialized deep-sea combat unit to the area.
The Void could not be left unchecked. Eliminating these creatures would not only prevent them from consuming other lifeforms and fueling the Void's growth but also reduce some of the burden during the inevitable battle when the Watchers finally arrived.
As a hyperspace portal unfurled across the seabed, thousands of deep-sea mechs surged forth, immediately beginning their purge of the Void monsters. Meanwhile, the Overlord mech descended the final few hundred meters, reaching the Conqueror's Sea floor.
[Current Depth: 10,684.99 meters.]
The AI reported the mech's depth as Li Lin stood at the edge of a "cliff," gazing toward the life-forbidden depths of the Abyss.
Like the Howling Abyss in the Freljord, another "cliff" lay at the bottom, reaching depths impossible to fathom. Legends from the Frostguard suggested such places connected directly to another dimension.
Reality proved this to be true. Whether it was Icathia, the Howling Abyss, or the Conqueror's Sea where Li Lin and Nami now stood, all these locations had been infiltrated by the Void. They served as gateways to the plane of nonexistence—a dimension parallel to reality.
The Watchers had been lurking beyond the veil for millennia. Betrayed by Lissandra and released by the Icathians, they had yet to physically re-enter the material realm. Instead, they sent Voidborn creations to gather intelligence and prepare for their eventual invasion.
The next Void incursion would mark their arrival in Runeterra.
"Li Lin, over there!" Nami's trembling hand pointed toward the direction of the Void. Her voice quaked with fear.
As the Tidecaller of her tribe, Nami wielded the magic staff once carried by her mother. She had ventured to this place before.
But in the Abyss, light served only as a lure. Before she even reached the Void's depths, she was attacked by Void creatures. To save herself, she was forced to abandon her staff.
Guided by her senses, she had pressed onward. Yet the endless darkness made it impossible for her to comprehend the horrors around her.
Now, with the mech's scans and projections revealing the area's true form, Nami finally saw the realm she had once traversed.
Countless black-purple chitinous cysts jutted from the Abyss like tumors, spreading over every surface. Even the rocks hadn't escaped the corruption.
Writhing, twisting tendrils, covered with glowing, eerie eyes, grew like seaweed from the infected rocks and the corpses of long-dead sea creatures. Just one glance at these monstrous growths could drive an unprepared mind to madness.
"So… this is the Void's true face…"
'If I had known the Void was like this, would I have still chosen to become the Tidecaller?'
For a fleeting moment, Nami doubted herself. The memories of her mother, her tribe, and Rasho being consumed by darkness played vividly in her mind.
Her hesitation didn't last long. Shaking her head, she quickly reaffirmed her resolve.
Her people needed her. She wouldn't let a moment of weakness defeat her.
Besides, with the League of Legends' councilor, Li Lin, by her side, she believed that the threat here would eventually be vanquished.
While Nami was lost in thought, the Overlord mech compressed to its smallest size, cutting through the Void-corrupted cysts blocking its path. Then it leapt into the Abyss.
Darkness engulfed everything. Beyond the mech's sensors and projections, only a faint purple glow shone below. As the mech descended further, the light grew brighter.
Finally, a thin, translucent membrane of energy came into view on the mech's screen. Surrounded by jagged cysts, it resembled a giant, pulsating eye. It was a Void rift.
Though not as powerful as Bel'Veth's presence, this rift's energy far exceeded that of the chasm where Kai'Sa had spent three years.
Corruption radiated from the rift's faintly pink-purple barrier, drawing in anything that ventured near. It devoured all life, fueling the creation of new Voidborn.
The countless interwoven skeletons scattered across the area were proof to the rift's horrifying nature.
Li Lin's expression darkened.
The Void activity in this region far surpassed his expectations.
Had the Void been this active when it consumed Kassadin and Kai'Sa's village, Kai'Sa would have stood no chance. Her soul and body would have been instantly corrupted and devoured, becoming sustenance for the Watchers or Bel'Veth.
The Void had awakened.
If the Moonstone's power was entirely lost, the Void could break free within months, unleashing untold devastation.
Unlike land-based incursions, an awakened Void in the depths of the sea would create disasters far more catastrophic than what Icathia once endured.
"Li Lin, watch out! That's it!"
Nami's urgent voice snapped him from his thoughts.
"That's where the last Tidecaller of my tribe fell. I nearly became one of those monsters myself, lured by that purple light!"
(End of Chapter)
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