Chapter 410: Seal, The End of the War

It knew. It had known all along.

The power held by the Elven race, and the cautious fighting style of that old Elf—these were all glaringly obvious clues.

It was well aware that this old fellow intended to completely burn his own life force, trading it for vast natural power to form a powerful seal, temporarily trapping them.

The Gnome Emperor had guessed this, which was precisely why it hadn’t chosen to gather all its power at the first moment.

Instead, it deliberately split its forces, holding off the two in front of it while letting its external power reap the remaining humans and elves.

It just hadn’t expected that, with its power dispersed, its subordinates—even with the Dark Tide’s enhancement—would still be utterly outmatched.

So it had no choice but to gather its external forces, creating a second “Legendary-Level” combatant.

Originally, everything was going smoothly. Those humans and elves were nearly powerless to resist. If it continued like this, killing these strong individuals would allow the Dark Tide to gorge itself on a huge meal of “nourishment,” then it could complete the final consolidation of power. Even if that old man in front of it burned his life force, he wouldn’t be able to trap it!

But at that critical moment, an incredibly powerful Holy Light force had suddenly erupted…

This Holy Light power had actually appeared before.

Its extreme purity had immediately caught the Gnome Emperor’s attention, but it soon discovered that its wielder wasn’t very strong. In fact, he was pathetically weak, with a very low level, not even reaching the Heroic Realm.

So it didn’t pay it any mind, just silently noted it and planned to kill him later when convenient.

But who could have guessed that someone below the Heroic Realm could unleash such terrifying Holy Light power?!

This was far beyond the Gnome Emperor’s expectations and completely threw its original plan into chaos.

But it happened so suddenly, and by now, it was too late to stop it. It could only watch helplessly as Lin Mo gathered all that Holy Light power into a single strike, instantly purifying most of that Legendary-Level Dark Tide force.

As Lin Mo had anticipated, the remaining power couldn’t even maintain the Heroic Realm peak level, let alone Legendary…

“Damn it, damn it!”

The Gnome Emperor roared in fury, but it could only hurriedly recall the remaining energy, lest that detestable human erase even that.

What it didn’t know was that strike had been Lin Mo’s everything. All the Holy Light power within his body had been unleashed in that single moment. He had no more means to directly eliminate the Dark Tide.

And its decision to recall the remaining Dark Tide power actually played right into the Elven High Priest’s hands. So, as it recalled its power, the High Priest—who had been lying dormant, never going all out—hesitated no longer. A gleam flashed in his eyes, and in the next instant, his once stooped frame suddenly straightened. His entire complexion seemed to age backward by centuries, brimming with vitality.

But the elves around him understood that this was him beginning to burn what remained of his life, making a desperate last stand.

The power the Gnome Emperor had recalled wasn’t much. For it now, the boost it provided was negligible. In contrast, after burning his life’s origin, the High Priest had returned to his peak state, a massive increase in power compared to before.

Thus, in no time, the battle’s momentum shifted dramatically. Under the High Priest’s relentless assault, the Gnome Emperor was almost completely suppressed, having no room to fight back.

Soon, its body was covered in wounds, and its aura weakened significantly.

If the fight continued like this, it wouldn’t be long before a victor emerged.

It would be killed, and the Dark Tide would be sealed…

But how could it accept such an outcome?

After scheming for so long, paying such a heavy price, to it, this had long become a war it couldn’t afford to lose.

By now, there was no turning back.

If that was the case…

A look of ruthless resolve appeared on the Gnome Emperor’s face: “Damned humans and elves, you’ve forced my hand!”

The next moment, it raised its hand high, muttering incantations in a language they couldn’t understand.

What was this bastard planning now?

Lin Mo frowned. Could it really still have a trick up its sleeve at this point?

The Elven High Priest naturally wouldn’t let it pull any tricks and immediately attacked, but his strike was blocked by a shield formed from the Dark Tide.

Although the battle was currently tipping in his favor, taking down the enemy quickly was still no easy task.

And in that brief window, the Gnome Emperor had already completed what it wanted.

There was no earth-shattering commotion, no massive energy fluctuations. It seemed like nothing had happened at all.

But was that really the case?

No one believed that the Gnome Emperor’s actions just now were mere posturing.

“Look over there!”

Someone quickly spotted the anomaly, pointing at the goblins nearby and exclaiming in surprise, “What are those goblins doing?”

At this, everyone’s attention shifted from the Gnome Emperor to the surrounding goblins.

Because the battlefield was already chaotic, no one had noticed until now that the goblins had stopped attacking them—they were now attacking their own kind.

In short, the goblins had begun to slaughter each other!

“This…”

Seeing this, many people were dumbfounded, unable to comprehend why.

Had all these goblins gone mad? Or was it the Gnome Emperor who had lost its mind… Why would they suddenly start killing each other?

But Lin Mo immediately understood the problem.

The Gnome Emperor was trying to create mass death this way, using it to replenish the Dark Tide!

“This guy is utterly insane!”

The Holy Son of the Church nearby had apparently figured it out as well and couldn’t help but curse aloud.

But he had to admit, this was a nearly unsolvable move.

What could they do in the face of such chaos?

So many goblins were killing each other—even committing suicide. There was no way to stop them. Even if they killed these goblins themselves, the result would be the same.

As for protective magic, there were still billions of goblins left. Covering such an enormous scale was impossible, and protective magic was meant to guard against external attacks anyway. Since these goblins were now harming themselves, protective magic was useless.

It seemed they could only watch it all unfold.

Now, their only hope was for the High Priest to end the fight quickly.

The Elven High Priest was clearly aware of this as well, so his attacks became even more ferocious, each move carrying a suicidal intensity.

But even after burning his life’s origin, while his strength far surpassed the Gnome Emperor’s, it still wasn’t enough to utterly crush it. And as the number of goblin deaths increased, the Dark Tide’s power was constantly being replenished, narrowing the gap between them.

At this point, the Royal Astrologer of the Roxez Empire was no longer able to assist him.

He couldn’t afford to hesitate any longer!

Even if doing it now would drastically shorten the seal’s duration, he had to grit his teeth and try.

And so, the Elven High Priest, who had been in the midst of a relentless assault, suddenly stopped his movements and took a deep breath.

He slowly descended to the ground, clasping his hands before his chest. A vibrant green radiance spread outward—pure, life-filled natural energy that extended like the roots of plants, rapidly expanding in all directions.

Seeing this, the Gnome Emperor, who had been reveling in the gradually reversing situation, was filled with terror. “Old man, how dare you?!”

The Elven High Priest paid him no heed. Or rather, his consciousness had begun to fade.

He had completely burned his life’s origin, converting it into the purest natural force. Countless tree trunks, formed from this natural energy, erupted from the ground, firmly trapping the Gnome Emperor within.

“No… No!!!”

The Gnome Emperor roared, exploding all the Dark Tide power it had gathered, desperately trying to break free.

The surging Dark Tide relentlessly battered the surrounding natural energy, causing the trees formed from it to sway precariously. The High Priest’s face grew paler and paler.

“Don’t even think about it!”

Just then, the Holy Son of the Holy Light Church struck again, releasing all the Holy Light power within him without reservation.

Although much of it had been spent building and maintaining the barrier, the Holy Son’s own strength was immense, leaving a still considerable amount of Holy Light power. With this help, the seal’s construction became smooth once more.

“This thing… this thing… Don’t think you can trap me! Break!”

The Gnome Emperor’s roar grew even more hysterical. It still hadn’t given up, struggling incessantly. It released the Dark Tide power completely, plunging the interior of the seal into total darkness, making it impossible to see what was happening.

What was going on in there?

The onlookers all furrowed their brows, wanting to help but unable to do anything, forced to wait helplessly for the final outcome.

The Elven High Priest’s body had not moved for a long time.

His form was slowly enveloped by countless branches and vines, gradually disappearing from sight.

And before them, the seal was taking shape faster and faster.

“No—!!! Damned humans and elves, remember this—I will return!”

The Gnome Emperor’s final roar came from within the seal, its last words. Then, the entire world fell into silence.

A massive, green seal stood there, filled with lush vegetation. At its center was a pitch-black “sphere.”

“Is it over?”

Someone asked, uncertain.

“I don’t know… Maybe?”

At the same time, Princess Velesia and her mother, the Elven Queen, came to stand beside the seal.

At its edge, a solitary tree stood tall and majestic.

“High Priest…”

Princess Velesia’s face was streaked with tears, her body trembling slightly. Beside her, the Queen bit her lip hard, pressing it white.

This elder, so respected within the clan, who had watched over them since they were born, was gone.

His life had passed away in the greatest act of salvation and protection.

Countless elves arrived one after another, and even the human powerhouses bowed deeply, offering their silent tribute.

The Royal Astrologer of the Roxez Empire also bowed in respect, then spoke: “While I understand your feelings, now is not the time to be lost in grief.”

He looked around. After the Gnome Emperor and the Dark Tide it commanded had been sealed together, the gnomes and goblins had broken free from its control.

Having lost their leader, they fell into utter chaos, their will to fight completely gone, and they began to flee in all directions.

This was manageable. After all, the war had gone on for so long that they no longer had the strength to pursue and kill these goblins and gnomes.

Although cleanup and punitive expeditions would follow, that was a matter for later.

The immediate problem was that the goblins which had been killing each other under the Gnome Emperor’s command and influence had already generated a significant amount of Dark Tide residue. This residue, originally controlled and attracted by the Gnome Emperor, would have flowed toward him.

But with the Gnome Emperor and his Dark Tide power sealed, this residue had nowhere to go. It began to spread and aggregate randomly, affecting many more goblins—and even some gnomes—creating pockets of localized chaos.

Moreover, the “command” the Gnome Emperor had issued wasn’t limited to a small area nearby; it had targeted all goblins. The resulting Dark Tide residue was considerable. If gathered, it could likely form a threat at least at the Heroic Realm peak level, or possibly even higher.

So they had to hurry up and complete the cleanup, stabilizing the situation.

In the rear, the fighting was still ongoing. After the goblin army fell into chaos, although most were fleeing, their sheer numbers meant they couldn’t evacuate all at once. On the front lines, the situation remained chaotic and dangerous.

If they let their guard down now, in this final stage of the war, they would only add unnecessary losses.

So everyone rushed back, especially the commanders. Duke Danlo, the supreme commander, found himself buried in work once again.

Lin Mo couldn’t rest either. While other strong individuals could help contain the scattered Dark Tide power, they couldn’t eliminate it.

The job of purification fell to him, the Holy Son of the Church, and Princess Lily.

There was still a long stretch of busy work ahead.

Of course, Lin Mo hadn’t forgotten one important thing. His “game” with Nuolun wasn’t over yet. They still had one last “chance encounter” to go.