Li Lin had some experience dealing with Vel'Koz. Back when he and Kassadin explored Icathia to track Malzahar, they had encountered six Vel'Koz emerging from the depths near the outskirts of the Zilean Tower. Defeating them required using the orbital gigaton cannon of the Morning Star satellite, obliterating them in one devastating strike—efficient and effective.
This particular Vel'Koz, however, seemed weaker. Perhaps it had been guarding the World Rune for so long that it hadn't had the chance to consume knowledge or gain strength. Even so, Ryze was merely an Archmage—masterful in the arcane arts but still bound by human limitations.
The Vel'Koz attacked first but was quickly countered and eliminated by Ryze, proving it posed no real threat.
After the brief skirmish, Li Lin raised his arms as his armor entered overdrive. Without holding back, he unleashed a torrent of attacks, filling the dark cavern with the glow of gamma lasers and matter-disintegration cannons. In this overloaded state, his energy weapons became significantly more powerful, and with the armor's enchanted penetration properties, the Vel'Koz's energy barrier was utterly ineffective.
In mere seconds, the Vel'Koz disintegrated, leaving no trace behind. As the oppressive corruption in the air began to fade, Ryze, slightly dazed from the battle, gathered his composure. He didn't say much; after all, this wasn't the first time he had witnessed Li Lin's incredible technology.
From the mechanical army on Demacia's shores to the battle against Bel'Veth using the World Rune, Ryze had grown accustomed to Li Lin's remarkable capabilities. No matter what Li Lin accomplished now, it wouldn't easily shock him.
After securing the Domination Keystone Rune, [Dark Harvest], Ryze pulled out a strip of cloth from his satchel, carefully wrapped the rune, and sealed it in a scroll tied tightly with string to suppress the chaotic energy radiating from it.
Once Ryze finished his preparations, Li Lin asked, "Do you want to visit your old friend first, or should we return to Demacia to store the World Rune? Since I'm already suited up, I can teleport us there directly."
Ryze hesitated. He had always avoided relying too much on external tools, but the experience of wearing this advanced armor had shaken his resolve. Unlike arcane teleportation, which consumed an immense amount of mana, the mechanical suit didn't drain his energy and provided impressive mobility and defense.
Now that he had tried it, all he could think was, 'So worth it.'
Ryze's silence betrayed his inner conflict, and Li Lin, smiling knowingly, quickly understood what was going through his mind.
"Let's return the rune first. It won't take long anyway."
...
The two soon arrived in the underground chamber of Demacia's Petricite Forest, where they secured the Domination Rune within a sealing pillar embedded in the roots of the Petricite tree.
As the Dark Harvest Rune aligned itself with matching fragments, they fused seamlessly. Other nearby fragments hovered around it, indicating incompatibility.
Li Lin activated his *Data Mind*, and the updated attributes of the Domination Rune appeared in his mind:
[World Rune (Domination): Enhances burst damage and agility.]
[Ability Effects]
Electrocute
Dark Harvest: Zombie Ward, Ghost Poro, Eyeball Collection (Harvests life force to strengthen the user and manipulate corpses or spirits.)
[Other effects...]
The fragments related to Dark Harvest matched those Ryze had previously collected: Zombie Ward and Eyeball Collection from his past travels and Ghost Poro from Ionia. Together, they formed a complete Keystone Rune with immense power.
Similarly, Ryze had found the Electrocute Keystone Rune in Ionia, making it another complete and powerful addition with no room for further fusion.
At this point, only "Predator" and "Hail of Blades" were left to complete the Domination Rune system, along with a few scattered fragments. For the Precision Rune system, retrieving the rune from Ryze's friend, Yagu, would nearly complete that set.
The Sorcery Rune system already had all its Keystones but still lacked enhancement fragments.
That left the Inspiration Rune system as the primary focus.
Li Lin's thoughts wandered through the various Inspiration Rune names.
Many of them seemed tied to Hextech, which involved using technology to harness magic and replicate effects similar to World Rune fragments.
For instance, "Hextech Flashtraption" extended teleportation technology into a device much like the "Blink" function in his Project Genesis armor.
"Biscuit Delivery" likely tied into alchemy and portable healing devices, while "Minion Dematerializer" was perhaps a device for erasing specific targets.
"Perfect Timing," another Keystone Rune, was probably connected to chronotech innovations.
Compared to Li Lin's current technological advancements, these Hextech runes felt outdated. However, some runes, like "Celerity," "Transcendence," and "Magical Footwear," seemed connected to the Targon Peaks, while others, like "Future's Market" and "Time Warp Tonic," involved temporal manipulation.
Among the Keystones, "Kleptomancy" remained a mystery, but "Glacial Augment" and "Unsealed Spellbook" were almost certainly hidden somewhere, requiring Ryze's scroll to locate them.
After handling the Dark Harvest Rune, Li Lin turned to Ryze. "So, are we going to find your old friend, Yagu, next?"
Ryze shook his head. "Don't you have your own business to attend to? Something about the League of Legends?"
Li Lin raised an eyebrow. "How do you even know about that? You've been in the Freljord for over a month!"
Ryze smirked. "Back when I was in Noxus, I heard rumors that Swain had visited you. Word on the streets is he's planning to join the League of Legends and form an alliance with Demacia. The news even sparked protests in Noxus."
Li Lin frowned slightly. Swain wasn't the type to tolerate unrest that could threaten Noxus or his rule. This had to be another ploy by the Black Rose to destabilize his leadership.
LeBlanc and Vladimir would need to be dealt with soon. Their presence endangered not only Noxus but also the unified efforts of Runeterra against the Void.
"Well, I'll leave it to you then. I'm sure you can handle it," Li Lin said with a smile.
Ryze chuckled. "Of course, it's my responsibility. Though..."
He hesitated briefly, clearly conflicted. "This armor you gave me..."
"You can keep it, but it needs some modifications," Li Lin replied with a snap of his fingers. The sleek nano-armor Ryze wore shifted into a design blending a battle suit and cloak, perfectly matching his aesthetic.
"We'll call it, Project Genesis: Will."