Heroes Return

Upon hearing the other person's words, Lin Jie suddenly asked, "Speaking of which, you probably also came here recklessly without permission, right? Captain Justice probably won't agree to you coming, will they?"

“I got permission, you know! After all, I’m here to take those students back. What if you, this vicious bastard, hurt them?” Angela gave Lin Jie a sly smile. “So, as the principal, I had no choice but to come myself.”

"Hey, the reason these students know my location and my identity is probably because you, the principal, leaked it, right? At least in the current situation, I don't think anyone would want to announce to the whole world that I'm a zero, right? It's definitely you who leaked it."

Upon hearing Lin Jie's words, Angela suddenly showed a surprised expression. Looking at Lin Jie, she was momentarily speechless: "Wait! Are you really Lin Jie? Could it be that you're not actually Lin Jie?"

"Hey! What's with that expression?" Lin Jie was naturally annoyed by Angela's shocked look.

"Sorry, I was just a little surprised. After all, it's once again amazing how clearly you see things," Angela couldn't help but say. "So you have such strong analytical skills too?"

"Hey! Can you please stop making it sound like I'm an idiot?!" Lin Jie couldn't help but complain after hearing Angela's words. "Do I really look that bad at analyzing things?"

"Well, I don't think anyone would consider you a good analyst, right? I always feel like you're the type whose body acts before their brain," Angela said to Lin Jie with a smile, covering her mouth.

“Um… that seems to be true…” Hearing his words, Lin Jie couldn’t help but think about it: “But even if the brain is not as fast as the body, it doesn’t mean that the brain is not good at analysis! I often analyze the enemy’s situation after I take down those criminals.”

"Don't you think the order is wrong?" Angela said helplessly, hearing Lin Jie's serious thought. "Shouldn't we analyze the enemy first, then try to capture him?"

"Don't worry about the details." Lin Jie shook his head. "Alright, tell me, why did you come to see me? To persuade me to give up?"

“Of course not.” Hearing Lin Jie’s direct question, Angela stepped in front of him: “I’m willing to support you! Although I can’t help you much, I don’t intend to oppose you! If you succeed, no consequences will shake my attitude towards you. If you fail, I will hire the best lawyers and go through the best channels to find a way to bail you out.”

"Ugh?"

Hearing his words, Lin Jie was somewhat surprised. However, the next second, Angela kissed him on the cheek: "I'm serious! Besides, I'm not a hero, so I won't challenge you for so-called justice. I'll always support you."

After saying all this, before Lin Jie could react, Angela had already run away. Finally, under Lin Jie's gaze, a transport plane left the desert area.

Meanwhile, in the lobby of the Hero Association headquarters, a large number of heroes had gathered to watch Lin Jie fight the students. Although the image clarity was somewhat reduced and the sound could not be captured due to electromagnetic interference, everyone could still see the battle before them.

"Kuhoho, this is interesting. It seems my thinking was a bit wrong." Looking at the screen, Alice couldn't help but laugh. "Maybe I was wrong. This Zero might not be invincible. It seems he still has weaknesses."

"What did you say?" Upon hearing Alice's words, the Master of Miracles couldn't help but show a surprised expression. "What aspect exactly? Zero's weakness? Are you sure?"

"I'm sorry, we can't be sure right now," Alice replied simply. "But we should be able to confirm it after we fight the people from the Magic Academy, right? Kuhuhu, if this weakness is real, then we do have a chance to defeat Zero."

"What exactly did you see?" Torus couldn't help but ask.

“Indeed, as heroes, your way of thinking and methods of seeing things seem to be fixed. Heroes like that will have a hard time dealing with those special criminals.” Alice suddenly said to everyone present with a smile, then her gaze turned to the Master of Miracles beside her: “I think I need to learn something about magic from you.”

"About magic?" The Master of Miracles was puzzled upon hearing his words.

"Kuhuhu, also, I wonder if you could contact the floating islands? I seem to need to confirm some things with them." Just as the Master of Miracles was wondering, Alice spoke again. At the same time, his gaze returned to Zero in the desert: "Then, let me witness your fighting prowess."

Chapter 16

As everyone left, the mages in various costumes in the distance finally began to move. Right in front of Lin Jie, the sand began to rise continuously, and one after another, huge sand monsters appeared in front of Lin Jie, trying to slam into him without warning.

At that very moment, the black mist enveloped Lin Jie once again, and a black longsword appeared in Lin Jie's hand. At that very moment, a sand giant slammed its enormous hand down towards Ling.

As a massive sandstorm erupted, Zero's figure vanished from everyone's sight. At that very moment, a mage from the Magic Academy forcefully slammed his staff into the ground, and twelve enormous, hundred-meter-tall rhomboid crystals appeared around what Lin Jie called the desert.

These crystals were filled with mysterious and profound magical runes.

As the crystalline runes slowly rose, dozens of robed figures immediately moved from all directions towards Zero's location. In that instant, communication and recording in the sky were severed once more. The entire space in the desert where Zero was located was distorting at an alarming rate; the sky turned black, and a massive vortex swirled above. The sun, moon, and stars vanished, and the scenery in Zero's area underwent another dramatic change. Space itself was completely sealed off at that moment.

In that instant, Zero sensed the surrounding space being separated from the real world, and Zero himself seemed to be forcibly connected to this space by some force. The Mage's Guild seemed to intend to use the power of endless space to permanently lock Zero within this isolated space, and then permanently exile this isolated space into the endless void. And those twelve crystals were undoubtedly the medium that forcibly linked Zero to this space.

As the surrounding space shifted, so did the massive, giant-slaying hand. A crimson sword light pierced the sky in that instant. Zero's figure reappeared in mid-air.

"This spatial separation seems to require some time, so destroying these crystals should be enough." Looking at the crystals in the distance, Lin Jie couldn't help but say, "It's a really straightforward sealing method. But it seems the Magic Academy would have to pay a considerable price to create these things. Oh well, I don't have to pay for it anyway, why think so much?"

"Do you think we'll let you break the seal so easily?" A person dressed as a mage suddenly spoke to Zero. "This time, we'll keep you here and never let you escape."

"Hey! Won't you all be sealed away together too?" Lin Jie asked, somewhat surprised, looking at the mages.

"To stop what you're about to do, this sacrifice is worthwhile for us," the mage said to Lin Jie with a smile. Almost simultaneously, a rose appeared in his hand. As the rose petals unfurled, enormous golems covered in flowers appeared before Lin Jie. These golems were all made of petals, each with a skull made of petals: "As a mage skilled in summoning, I'm confident I can hold you off."

His words had barely left his mouth when the mage's gaze froze. Right before his eyes, all of his summoned puppets had been utterly destroyed. Approximately five seconds after their appearance, just after the master had finished his boastful lines, Zero had completely obliterated the puppets.

"Are you sure?" Zero's voice suddenly rang out, almost mockingly.

“Even if I can’t do it alone, there are dozens of equally powerful mages here.” Hearing Zero’s question, the man swallowed hard before finally speaking to Zero.

At that very moment, Zero charged straight at the person in front of him. However, the next second, time seemed to change across the entire battlefield. Zero, who was originally moving at an extremely fast speed, suddenly became very slow.

The reason is quite simple: another mage's magic has been unleashed. For a moment, time within Zero's radius was stretched out indefinitely. This caused Zero's speed to slow down, and at the same time, all the other mages began to unleash their spells towards Zero.

On the ground, all sorts of magical creatures were summoned. In the sky, countless owls, their bodies wreathed in various elements, began to take flight, but they did not directly attack Zero. Because the space in question affected more than just Zero.

Defensive magic began to be erected around them, and a large number of offensive spells were prepared immediately. The ground was folded in half, and for a moment, both above and below, it was all desert. Space was stretched continuously, and a maze-like space was completely constructed in that instant, and countless dark clouds imbued with elemental magic appeared around Zero.

"Weakening Spell", "Polymorph Spell", "Aging Spell", "Dark Curse", "Vacuum Spell"...

One weakening or cursing spell after another was cast, all aimed at the same spot immediately. Zero appeared there precisely at the instant the time extension ended.

Just as the mages had predicted, Zero did indeed appear there. However, the instant the time magic ended was accompanied by a mage's scream. The rose-wielding mage screamed as Zero punched him away. Zero was also within the extended time zone. Although the mages had cast many protective spells, no one had expected Zero's punch to be so powerful.

All magical defenses were instantly destroyed, and Zero appeared where everyone else was. All the spells struck Zero simultaneously. However, the next second they saw a blood-red sword light, and beneath it, all the spells vanished instantly.

A mage rushed to Zero's side instantly, his entire body enveloped in powerful and mystical magical runes. His rune-covered fist hurtled towards Zero. However, when he truly reached Zero, his fist hesitated to strike. The explosive power he had accumulated over a long period of time simply wouldn't land in this attack. Faced with Zero's terrifying aura, he could barely breathe.

"I...all this time...have those monsters been facing this?...You...you're the monster, aren't you?" the mage said to Zero in shock, but the next second Zero's fist was already slamming towards him.

"A melee mage?" Zero casually remarked, but in that instant, space and time in Zero's area were stretched once more. This time, the mage beside Zero was no longer in that space. A mage teleported directly to his side and pulled him back.

However, the instant the two mages disappeared, Zero's eyes simultaneously turned to the two mages in front of him. In the instant the two mages flashed away into the distance, Zero had already rushed out of the area where time had been stretched at a speed of several times.

"This is impossible! I should have slowed down his time by a thousand times!!" a mage's shocked voice rang out.

Amidst the gasps of shock, Zero appeared beside the two mages who had vanished in a flash. In the blink of an eye, both mages were felled by Zero. In that instant, a weapon appeared in Zero's hand. The Ten Directions Annihilation Weapon had appeared in Zero's hand without anyone noticing.

"I thought you guys had gotten faster, but it turns out it's the control that's slowed down? But it doesn't matter, I just need to make myself faster." With the moment the spacetime annihilation occurred, time in Zero's region was stretched once again. However, at the very instant that spacetime in Zero's region was stretched, that region appeared directly on the other side, and Zero appeared beside the magician.

"What a convenient tool," Zero remarked casually, reaching out to grab the mage. At the same time, the surrounding summoned beasts swarmed towards Zero.

However, the next second, all the magicians could see was this scene.

It was a sight of a crimson sword light slashing through the air. Amidst all the summoned creatures, a blood-red sword light was unleashed, piercing through every monster present in the blink of an eye. Simultaneously, as the Ten Directions Annihilation Blade in Zero's hand lit up, the previously folded space instantly returned to normal; the stretched or labyrinthine spaces were also restored to their original state. In an instant, the entire space returned to its original appearance.

In an instant, all the mages were exposed before Zero. Their original goal was merely to hold Zero back, but now, under the destruction of the Ten Directions Space, they were all revealed in their true forms. And right before Zero, his sword was once again withdrawn.

There were no more summoned beasts in front of him, only a mage staring at him in shock.

With a scream from the mage, her robes ripped open, revealing a stunning figure to Lin Jie. It was a beautiful female mage.

Unfortunately, Zero didn't appreciate these benefits at all. All around him, twelve magic crystals were constantly approaching, resembling twelve monuments.

Under Zero's sword energy, one of the rhombus-shaped magic crystals was already covered with terrifying cracks.

Outside the space, a magician spat out a mouthful of blood. However, he showed no intention of stopping his magic.

Within the space, all the mages stared in terror at Zero. Less than ten minutes had passed since the start of the battle, and in those few minutes, Zero had single-handedly eliminated four high-level mages. A chilling fear gripped the hearts of all the mages. Although their fighting spirit remained undiminished, under Zero's gaze, their bodies trembled involuntarily.

Chapter 17

Lin Jie's gaze fell upon the mages in the distance, yet he remained remarkably calm. He understood why these people were willing to risk their lives to completely seal him away; after all, compared to the Hero Association, what Lin Jie was doing had a far greater impact on them.

Unlike the descent of the gods, which is a divine intervention, the Magic Academy can be preserved as long as it agrees to the gods' demands, and the mages will not disappear. However, if what Lin Jie is doing succeeds, then all magic in the world will decline, and the only possibility awaiting the mages will be their complete annihilation.

Perhaps the mages present won't immediately disappear due to the impending cataclysm, but as time passes, the new generation of mages will vanish completely. The remaining mages will also find it difficult to enhance their power, and perhaps hundreds or thousands of years later, at the moment the last mage dies, magic will completely disappear from this world.

That was a future that filled one with despair no matter how one thought about it. The Magic Society, which had been reborn from a hopeless future a hundred years ago, naturally did not want to face that hopeless future again.

In fact, a hundred years ago, due to the magical catastrophe, the entire Magic Academy could only find no more than ten people with the potential to become magicians, and the number of suitable candidates was decreasing. In fact, the latest Magic Academy only had three academies.

It wasn't until the Dawn of Light incident a century ago that the number of people suited for magic began to increase significantly. It was precisely because of this that those reclusive mages who were previously immersed in their own research began to truly notice the importance of inheritance.

Lin Jie could naturally understand the reasons behind this, so he didn't feel much desire to fight these mages. Ultimately, these people were the most direct victims of Lin Jie's actions.

Watching the mages tremble before him due to the aura of silence, Lin Jie calmly raised the Immortal Slaughtering Sword in his hand: "If you don't intend to continue stopping me, I'll go destroy those crystals."

Having said that, Lin Jie pointed to one of the crystals. In the next instant, countless magical vines rose from the ground and coiled around Zero's body. On the other side, a giant serpent formed from flowing water also pounced on Zero immediately.

However, the next second, all the vines around Zero withered, and the red light of the Immortal Slayer began to flicker.

"Calm down. You promised me you wouldn't kill anyone in this battle." Looking at the slightly trembling Immortal Slayer Sword, Lin and the others simply patted the blade lightly. This action caused the red light on the Immortal Slayer Sword to fade.

The giant snake naturally wouldn't give Lin Jie time to waste. While Ling was calming the Immortal Slaughtering Sword, it had already bitten at him. However, just after the giant snake swallowed Ling, a large amount of black energy emerged from its belly.

With a deafening roar, the giant water serpent exploded. However, when Zero reappeared, a magic circle had appeared beneath his feet.

"Life Link!!" A magical rune suddenly appeared on a mage's body. Zero also developed the same rune at that moment. Looking at the magical rune on his body, Lin Jie couldn't help but show a puzzled expression. However, just as Lin Jie was wondering, the mage who had used the magic had already plunged a dagger into his heart.

Instantly, Lin Jie felt as if his chest had been pierced by something.

However, when the mage pierced his own chest, he was shocked to find that he hadn't died! His life should have been connected to Zero, sharing the pain of his heart being pierced. After all, this was one of the higher-level spells of the Magic Academy, and the "Notification" was a forbidden technique primarily aimed at mutual destruction.

"Sigh, do you really think this kind of damage can kill me? Luckily, your magic worked. Otherwise, you would be dead." Spitting out a mouthful of blood, Lin Jie was already in front of the mage: "It's not a good habit to casually try to take someone down with you."

"..." Upon seeing Lin Jie's appearance, the person was too shocked to speak. At the same time, Lin Jie snatched the dagger from her hand and casually threw it on the ground. After noticing that the other person's chest was healing, Lin Jie then struck her on the head.

The spell was broken, and the magician collapsed in the desert.

"Meteor Spell!" A massive magic circle appeared in the sky, and from within it, a huge meteorite fell from the heavens to the ground. The meteorite struck Lin Jie directly, while two black-robed mages on the other side simultaneously unleashed spells upon him.

'Soul Extraction!' The green beam shot directly towards Zero. However, just as Zero was about to dodge, a huge sand giant appeared beside him, and from several other directions, metal walls covered in spikes and poison rose from the ground, blocking Zero's escape routes.

Upon seeing this, Lin Jie flew straight up towards the top of the wall. However, just as he flew over the iron wall, two medieval-style mages dressed in armor leaped in front of Lin Jie. A knight's sword radiating golden light and a knight's lance burning with magical runes simultaneously slashed down at Lin Jie. The mages in their magical armor roared angrily.

In the brief skies above, Zero exchanged a few blows with two people. Then, Zero directly knocked both of them down from the sky. Their armor shattered, and their weapons were sent flying. At that moment, a mage transformed into darkness and flew towards Zero, seemingly intending to stop everything from happening. Zero didn't even use his sword; he simply reached out and precisely pulled the mage out of the black mist.

The two mages' 'Soul Extraction' attacks on the ground directly struck Lin Jie. Green light began to gradually spread across Zero's entire body, but the next second, the two mages attempting to extract Zero's soul simultaneously felt a sword's cry. Instantly, they fell straight down as if pierced by a sword. Under the sword's intent, no will seemed able to truly affect Zero's body. Several other mages attempting to cast curses on Zero experienced the same reaction in the distance.

They began setting up their curses the moment Zero engaged with the others, but these curses failed miserably. Using curses of ghosts and spirits, similar to black magic, the dark power was shattered to pieces the moment it approached Zero's sword intent and power. As for curses of fate and luck, none of them worked. The reason was simple: Zero's power and realm were too strong! Even a god couldn't influence someone with such power, let alone these magicians.

They all collapsed the moment the spell was cast.

The same applied to the magicians who used weakening curses or various spells to target Zero; all their spells lost their effectiveness in the face of Zero's overwhelming power. Almost instantly, a sword light appeared before them, and all their spells were shattered by this light.

Sometimes, the simplest and most direct level of power is the strongest. And Zero possesses many simple and direct levels in swordsmanship, including the level of 'one sword breaks all laws'.

Almost no magical attack can escape Zero's sword.

He then threw the captured mage to the ground and slashed his sword down at the massive meteorite in the sky. Such a huge meteorite was cleaved in two by Zero's single strike.

However, just after being split in two by Zero and falling to the ground, the two halves of the meteorite simultaneously transformed into two giants burning with flames, which punched Zero down.

On the ground, a magic crystal in a mage's hand lit up at the same time. The surrounding space changed instantly; a bright moon appeared in the sky, the surrounding desert turned into grassland, the unicorn was looking at the zero in the sky, and even the meteor giant disappeared.

Even so, Zero still managed to unleash two sword strikes out of thin air. Instantly, two loud explosions erupted in the air.

The mage who witnessed this scene was utterly shocked. Logically, he should have been unable to see the two meteor giants anymore. But this wasn't the end. After dealing with the two meteor giants, Zero flew directly towards a unicorn on the ground and punched it squarely.