“Theoretically,”
Lin En’s voice rang out clearly and calmly outside the Thermobaric Art cage.
“As long as it’s a living thing, I can kill it.”
Twenty-four Pressure Spheres exuding a destructive aura floated silently around Magis.
Magis straightened his scarred back, his blood-red eyes fixed on Lin En.
His question was almost a bet on the last dignity and future of the Dark Elves.
“Then what do you need?”
Lin En’s response, however, was not an arrogant promise, but the rigor of a scientist.
“I need comprehensive intelligence on the Flesh Broodmother. Only then can I formulate my strike plan.”
As the first step to show sincerity, Lin En raised his hand and snapped his fingers crisply.
The twenty-four Pressure Spheres, enough to vaporize this entire underground space, silently dissipated into the air.
This precise control over energy, retracting at will, was far more intimidating than detonating them.
The cage was lifted.
Magis could finally stand straight.
He strode up to Lin En, extending his callused and scarred hand.
With the oldest Duelist’s Salute of the Dark Elves, he spoke solemnly.
“Magis, Warchief of the Dark Elves, is willing to wager the remnant future of my race to walk with you.”
Lin En grasped his hand in a simple reply.
“Lin En. Glad to cooperate.”
Under Magis’s lead, Lin En’s group arrived at a more central stone chamber of the Enders.
It was extremely simple, with bare walls.
Only one wall held a huge map drawn with special crystal powder, depicting the terrain deep within the Forest.
At the very center, a vast area was painted with a forbidden black and marked with scarlet runes as “Forbidden Zone”.
Magis walked to the map, pointing at the large black void as he began to explain their real predicament.
“For a thousand years, the Broodmother’s devouring instinct has turned the land within dozens of miles around it into a barren wasteland. Soil, rock, the free energy in the air… all living things have been assimilated and absorbed by it.”
His voice was as heavy as a mountain.
Elena, who had been silent, also stepped forward.
She continued Magis’s words, revealing the extreme containment measures they had taken.
“To stop its infinite expansion, we had to create a barrier hungrier than it.”
“We used our tribe’s holy relic, the Isolated Remains, and set up a massive Barrier of Isolation covering the entire Forbidden Zone — we call it the Withering Veil.”
She looked at Lin En with an extremely complex gaze, explaining each word deliberately.
“The Withering Veil actively devours all life force that approaches it. Whether bird or beast, even ourselves, the moment we step inside, our life energy is drained to dust. It creates a standoff against the Broodmother’s devouring, forming a life vacuum that seals it completely inside.”
She gave a bitter smile, uttering the final desperate fact.
“This is the only way. But it also means we ourselves cannot cross the death zone we created with our own hands.”
This truth, like a basin of icy water, doused the flames of hope that had just been kindled.
Elaine and Fiona felt a chill run down their spines.
So, the first obstacle they faced was not the Flesh Broodmother, but the indiscriminate barrier set by the Dark Elves themselves—a defense even they could not overcome!
The stone chamber fell into a deathly silence.
If they could not reach their target, all tactics were empty talk.
Yet, in the face of this millennium-deep deadlock that even the Dark Elves could not solve, Lin En’s expression remained as calm as a still well.
He merely listened quietly, then, under everyone’s desperate gaze, slowly raised his right hand.
The next moment, an earth-shattering scene unfolded.
No incantation, no prayer, no use of holy emblems or artifacts.
In the palm of Lin En’s hand, a mass of gentle, warm, and flawless pure white light appeared out of thin air.
The aura of this light was completely different from the isolating power revered by the Dark Elves, or the wild fire element Lin En had always used.
It brimmed with purification and order—a power beyond doubt…
Divine Light Magic!
“!!!”
All the Dark Elves present, including Magis and Elena, recoiled half a step as if they had seen a ghost in broad daylight, their faces filled with utter disbelief.
Fiona’s beautiful eyes also widened, her mouth slightly open in speechlessness.
“Holy Light!”
The kingdom’s Royal Alchemist, Elaine, was the first to cry out in shock, his voice distorted by extreme astonishment.
“Lord Lin En, this is a miracle of the Holy Light Church! Are you… are you a Priest of the Church?!”
Lin En looked at the docile sphere of light in his palm and replied casually.
“I’m not a follower of any deity. Faith is merely a means to guide and focus energy, not its source.”
“Holy Light, like fire, is a fundamental form of energy in the universe, with its own unique frequency and wave patterns.”
He paused, then uttered words that could shake the foundations of the world.
“I simply… analyzed it, and then learned how to use it.”
“Analyzed… the magic of faith?”
Elaine muttered in a daze, then an unprecedented brilliance exploded in his aged eyes.
He trembled with excitement, stepping forward regardless of etiquette.
The look he gave Lin En had shifted from respect and awe to a near-fanatical reverence.
“To analyze all things, understand all things, utilize all things!”
He nearly shouted out his shock.
“Lord Lin En! This… this is completely aligned with the core philosophy of the truth we Alchemists have sought all our lives! You are not using magic, you are interpreting the truth of this world!”
“To witness this scene with my own eyes, my journey is without regret!”
Lin En’s display, along with his understated explanation, was like a bolt of creation, shattering the chains on everyone’s minds.
It not only solved the biggest technical problem at hand, but on a deeper level, completely conquered the team.
The atmosphere in the chamber transformed from despair to one of feverish hope and reverence.
The tactical discussion could finally continue.
Magis was the first to recover.
He stared at the Holy Light in Lin En’s hand, his voice trembling with excitement.
“Can the power of your Holy Light open a path through the Withering Veil for us?”
“Yes.”
Lin En nodded, giving a definite answer.
“I can unfold a Holy Light Field to neutralize the devouring effect of the Withering Veil, creating a safe passage about ten meters in radius.
However, the power of Holy Light conflicts with your faith in the Lord of Boundaries, and anti-magic weapons will lose effect.”
“I understand.”
Magis pondered for a moment, then nodded.
Elena stood to the side, looking at Lin En.
For the first time, the thousand years of sorrow and wariness in her obsidian eyes was replaced by something called “hope”.
Lin En’s gaze sharpened like a blade as he looked at the blank Forbidden Zone in the center of the map.
“Tell me everything about the Flesh Broodmother. Its physical form, energy characteristics, defensive mechanisms, attack methods, and most importantly, what you consider its deadliest weakness and greatest strength.”
Magis spoke first, his voice filled with the fatigue and hatred from a millennium of struggle against the monster.
“Physical form… it has no fixed shape. It’s a mass of constantly writhing, proliferating living flesh, spreading across the heart of the Forbidden Zone. Its regeneration is nearly infinite, directly linked to the energy of the land.”
He picked up the ominous Isolated Remains, adding:
“This is our only countermeasure. It can emit Decaying Power to temporarily cut its energy connection within a small area, weakening its regeneration.”
“But the threat on the physical level is far less terrifying than the spiritual.”
Elena took over, her face pale and her voice trembling.
“The Broodmother’s greatest weapon is the Mental Power Field covering the entire Forbidden Zone. It invades your mind directly, creating the most realistic illusions and awakening your deepest fears.”
“It can even weave illusions of bliss to tempt you into surrendering, willingly becoming a part of it. Countless determined clansmen have smiled as they walked into destruction—driven mad or by ecstasy.”
The chamber fell into dead silence.
Even the bravest Enders warriors showed deep dread on their faces.
Such an intangible enemy was far more terrifying than any monster of flesh.
Lin En frowned slightly, rapidly assessing the threat level of this new variable.
“Mental attacks… are indeed the highest priority threat. Any physical power is meaningless before a shattered mind.”
“Resisting this spiritual pollution is the mission our High Priestesses have inherited for generations!”
She declared solemnly, her voice not loud, but striking everyone in the heart.
“Lord Lin En, please allow me to bear this responsibility. Once we enter the Forbidden Zone, I will raise the Sanctuary Veil to create a spiritual refuge for the entire team. As long as I draw breath, the will of the Broodmother cannot reach you!”
This voluntary declaration was filled with self-sacrifice.
“Very well, Lady Elena.”
Lin En nodded solemnly, the core of the entire operation plan instantly becoming clear.
“With your Sanctuary Veil as the shield of our minds, we can focus on solving the other problems.”
He turned to Magis.
“Chief Magis, your Isolated Remains are a decisive factor. When I’m ready to launch the final attack, you must create a Decaying Power window for me at all costs. You will be the spear that breaks its last defense.”
“Lord Elaine,”
He addressed the Alchemical Grandmaster.
“You are responsible for monitoring our life status and handling all emergencies. You are our final line of life defense.”
“Fiona, and all you warriors,”
His gaze swept over everyone.
“You are the solid barrier protecting our core team. Eliminate all secondary threats and clear the main assault path.”