The Mage from Noxus

"General Du Couteau, is she your chosen one?"

Inside a military tent steeped in a chilling atmosphere, amidst a group of battle-hardened soldiers clad in iron armor, two individuals stood out.

Ryan, who had just spoken, was one of them. Dressed in a blue and white suit, he looked nothing like a warrior on a battlefield; instead, he resembled a nobleman enjoying a leisurely outing.

He was currently scrutinizing the young woman who had entered the tent. She had wine-red hair and a shapely figure modestly covered by simple black leather armor, her icy cold face set with determination.

"Lord Meredith, Katarina was trained by my own hand. She is fully capable of completing this mission: infiltrating the enemy camp and assassinating Demetrius."

Du Couteau, seated at the head of the tent, was a stern-faced middle-aged man. His words carried an undeniable authority.

"As you wish, General Du Couteau."

Seeing Du Couteau's resolute attitude, Ryan bowed slightly and said no more.

This was a Noxian camp, and as Noxians, they never wasted time waiting for others to prove themselves.

He saw a blade-like resilience in the young woman named Katarina. Moreover, the scars on her fair skin were clear evidence of her strength and dedication.

It was a pity that this blade had just been sharpened; it was still too new, perhaps not yet comfortable to wield.

Watching her indignant departure, Ryan let out a leisurely sigh.

After the other generals left the tent, Du Couteau, facing Ryan who sat calmly in his spot, frowned:

"Lord Meredith, there are rumors circulating in the Immortal Bastion about your discerning eye for talent. Katarina is my most outstanding eldest daughter, hailed as a genius assassin destined to surpass me. I don't understand your concern."

"She is quite exceptional, but this is her first mission, isn't it?"

A faint smile played on Ryan's lips as he snapped his fingers with his right thumb and middle finger.

Suddenly.

Water flowed between him and Du Couteau, gathering into a mass before spreading out to form a mirror-like circle.

Ripples spread, like trying to see flowers in a mirror.

As the ripples expanded, an image appeared in the watery surface.

Within the water mirror, Katarina, with two sharp daggers strapped to her back, was like a shadow dancer, silently concealed in the tranquil night.

In less than fifteen minutes, she successfully infiltrated the enemy camp and stealthily moved towards the largest tent.

"Youth always brings its naive ideas, believing their strength is enough to kill the enemy commander, believing they can dictate the course of a war."

Ryan's smile remained composed, despite Du Couteau's ashen face.

Katarina's mission was simple: assassinate a minor enemy captain named Demetrius. Yet, she was sneaking towards the enemy commander's tent.

Under the cover of night, Katarina avoided numerous obstacles and leaped into the commander's tent. Her eyes, filled with derision, fixed on the sleeping enemy commander on the bed.

Ryan watched this scene with amusement. Youngsters, like newborn calves, always liked to be self-important. Why didn't they use their heads more?

Noxus would use any means to win a war, but if it was an assassination, why kill an ordinary minor captain instead of the highest-ranking commander of the army?

General Du Couteau's eldest daughter still had a long way to go.

Swish!

In the image displayed by the water mirror, Katarina covered the opponent's face with one hand, while with the other, she lightly drew a dagger across his neck. As the blade pierced the skin, the commander's eyes widened, and blood soaked the bedding. In mere seconds, he fell silent.

From the distant Noxian camp, Du Couteau witnessed everything, his expression growing even more grim:

"Lord Meredith, your judgment was correct."

"She wants to prove herself too much, to prove she has the strength to end a war with her own hands. But who would have thought that the enemy commander was incompetent, and Demetrius was the truly troublesome one?" Ryan shook his head slightly. "The key is, with her immature strength and clumsy stealth, there's no time left for her to assassinate Demetrius."

"Hmph, an idiot who ruined a perfect situation. What should have been a flawless end to the war has now created more trouble."

Du Couteau slammed his hands heavily on the water mirror, completely dispersing Katarina's triumphant face within it, his face filled with rage.

The change in assassination target had moved up the final battle.

"Before she left, I clearly reminded her of the importance and danger of this mission's target, but she turned out to be a reckless good-for-nothing."

With that, Du Couteau stood up and began to walk out of the tent.

"General Du Couteau, what do you intend to do?"

"Personally kill Demetrius, and then send that good-for-nothing on her way. Noxus has no need for failures." Du Couteau's steps did not falter, and a bone-chilling cold radiated from him.

He was Noxus's warmonger, his most outstanding talent not the art-like command of war, but that he himself was Noxus's sharpest assassin.

"We shouldn't be so harsh. No one is born a success. I believe her heart still belongs to Noxus. And you, General Du Couteau, perhaps you should also make a choice," Ryan said, still elegant like a nobleman, a faint smile gracing his lips.

Du Couteau's steps outside the tent paused slightly. He listened to the increasingly boisterous sounds outside the tent and coldly replied:

"Lord Meredith, I need some time."

"The Trifarix is willing to give you time. The next performance will be a token of our sincerity."

Ryan stood up and removed the white glove from his right hand, revealing a dark blue ring on his ring finger.

Buzz!

As Ryan twisted it, the ring suddenly glowed with a faint blue light. A massive magic circle rose from Ryan's center, intricately carved with various unknown runes.

The hem of his blue and white suit swayed in the wind. Ryan stood at the center of the magic circle, with the circle and runes swirling around him, like a monarch of the arcane.

Blue arcane light shot up from inside the tent, scattering across the sky.

Instantly, thunder and lightning crashed, and yellow raindrops began to fall from the sky.

These raindrops descended from the heavens, yet seemed to defy the laws of physics, surging towards an army groping in the dark to charge at Noxus's camp.

The army's leading general was a knight in silver-white heavy armor, mounted on a warhorse similarly clad in heavy barding. He was Shurima's hero—Demetrius.

Boom!

Thunder cracked again in the sky, and the yellow raindrops, like a waterfall, enveloped Shurima's army.

Shurima's soldiers were struck by the yellow raindrops one after another, letting out piercing screams. Large numbers of warriors fell, yet only Demetrius continued his fearless charge.

But the yellow rain had already corroded his flesh through the gaps in his armor. His face, hidden within his iron helmet, had been eroded to rot by the yellow raindrops, and his eyes were filled with sorrow. The hand gripping his knight's greatsword trembled.

Yet, even so, he sharply spurred his horse, maintaining his charging pace, intending to break into the Noxus formation, which was already arrayed for battle.

"Noxus!!! Die!!!"

With a determination to die, Demetrius charged alone into the Noxus camp, swinging his greatsword with all his might, striking down Noxus soldiers one by one.

At this moment, he was like a god of war, standing amidst thousands of troops, radiating his own light and heat.

The knight's horse had long since been speared down, but he still stood fighting amidst the surrounding soldiers, attempting to take down a few more enemies before his death.

Ryan stepped out of the tent, watching silently from the side, an undisguised admiration in his eyes:

"Demetrius, worthy of being called Noxus's opponent."

The blue light emanating from the ring on his hand diminished. Rain still fell from the sky, but it no longer carried the corrosive yellow hue from before.

Noxus respects all powerful opponents. Every individual who is not a coward is worthy of respect.

On the battlefield, Demetrius was still making his last stand, but Ryan had no intention of intervening.

Now was the stage for General Du Couteau to appear, to bring this sudden battle to an end, and to atone for the mistake his young daughter had made.

"Will Katarina be key to winning him over? My old superior, you've truly given me a challenge," Ryan sighed.

Thwick!

A sharp blade plunged into a gap in Demetrius's armor. It was General Du Couteau himself.

As Noxus's most powerful current assassin, he vanished like a ghost, reappeared, then vanished again.

Each time he reappeared, Demetrius would gain another wound.

Boom!

A thunderbolt struck from the sky, illuminating the already dim battlefield.

This time, it would be General Du Couteau's final appearance. He stood openly before Demetrius, and in his opponent's furious yet powerless gaze, he slowly plunged his longsword, which bore not a single speck of blood, into the other's neck.

General Du Couteau expressionlessly severed his opponent's head, held it aloft, and scanned the soldiers standing around:

"Noxus, is about to rise!"

The surrounding Noxus soldiers simultaneously raised their weapons with fervent expressions, shouting in unison:

"For Noxus!"