The Rupture of Two Cities

BZZZZT!!!

The blue and red light met and merged, a sonic boom ringing through the entire city. A shockwave swept out from the point of impact, racing across half the city in an instant.

Bodies along its path were flung into the air involuntarily; windows shattered into dust; even walls showed cracks and fissures.

Only when the shockwave reached the Noxus Embassy did it vanish without a trace, neutralized by a Water Curtain that rose abruptly from the ground.

Ryan stood atop the roof, blue magical light radiating from his body. He smiled and turned to offer praise:

"This is the true potential of Hextech. The world will change because of it."

"Your foresight is unmatched."

Katarina stood guard at his side, glancing sidelong at the spectacle of blue and red splitting the sky. A hint of respect flickered in her eyes.

Whoever had crafted a weapon of such staggering power deserved to be remembered by all.

"Let us enjoy today's closing act. I am exceptionally eager to see the two of them part ways under Heimerdinger's witness."

Elsewhere in Piltover, whether it was Heimerdinger manning his advanced turrets or Jayce cleaning up the battlefield, both of them changed expression the moment they saw the blue light flooding the sky. They rushed toward the source at full speed.

At the site of the former Kiramman Manor.

The sky's strange phenomenon had vanished, but the manor's ruins had been completely erased. Under the impact of shells and lightning, even the dust had been swept away.

Yet Viktor, standing directly beneath the blast's epicenter, had not suffered a single scratch.

"Is Hextech's power still not even a fraction of magic's?"

Viktor sighed and shook his head, tightening the windbreaker wrapped around his body.

The Anti-Magic Cloak he had borrowed from Ryan easily shielded him from the residual shockwave.

Ignoring the Enforcers and Councilor Kiramman who had been blasted aside, he slowly stepped forward, stepping over the heavily wounded and dead Enforcers as he made his way toward the nearby Boundary Bridge.

By the time his figure had nearly disappeared from sight, not a single Enforcer dared to step forward. Only two with lighter injuries turned and ran in the opposite direction.

The distance to the Boundary Bridge was not far, but with Viktor's pace, it took him nearly ten minutes to reach it.

He walked slowly, showing no fear of danger. From the way he occasionally glanced back, it was clear he was waiting for someone.

His monocle had long been removed; even the hood that had covered his head was pulled down. He walked boldly through the streets of Piltover, showing his true face.

On the other side, at the highest point near the Boundary Bridge, a flash of magical light appeared, and Ryan and Katarina materialized there.

They watched in silence as Viktor stepped onto the Boundary Bridge, walking step by step toward Zaun.

ZZZAP!

A blue energy sphere suddenly shot from afar toward Viktor at the bridge's edge, but it was effortlessly shattered by a beam fired from his mechanical claw.

"You're too slow, Councilor Talis."

Viktor showed no surprise. He turned his head calmly, his gaze locking onto the tall figure wielding a hammer.

His eyes swept over the hammer in Jayce's hand, and he couldn't help but shake his head slightly:

"How ironic. The same man who said the technology wasn't mature enough is now the one bringing a half-finished weapon to a fight. Aren't you afraid that Hex Gemstone will explode? Your hammer hasn't even been forged yet."

"Viktor! Why?! Do you know how many Enforcers died tonight?"

Jayce clenched the hammer in his hand, the veins on the back of his hand standing out clearly, as if to display his fury.

"Yes, quite a few died. But do you know how many Zaunites died on this bridge back then?"

Viktor looked at Jayce's righteous expression and suddenly burst into laughter, a laugh filled with weariness.

"We both know what happened back then. If the Zaunites hadn't charged the bridge, they wouldn't have died. But the people tonight—all of them died because of you!" Jayce said coldly.

"HAHAHAHA."

Viktor laughed heartily, a laugh tinged with profound sorrow. He looked at the short new figure that had appeared beside Jayce, his voice carrying a note of grief:

"Since Teacher Heimerdinger is here too, why don't you ask him—if they hadn't charged the bridge, how would they have died???"

When he spoke the last word, a hint of ferocity crept onto his face.

Did these two not know the conditions in Zaun? Rivers filled with poison gas and filth. If they didn't carve out a path to survival, they could only wait for death.

And Piltover sat atop Zaun, not only refusing to solve Zaun's problems but actively suppressing its development.

If his inventions had been put to use sooner, how many fewer Zaunites would have died?

Heimerdinger had witnessed Zaun's birth firsthand. His eyelids drooped, and sorrow was written on his face:

"Zaun's birth was a mistake. We simply didn't want that mistake to repeat itself in Piltover. Viktor, you were my finest student. Why did you do this?"

"Yes, a mistake."

Viktor shook his head in self-mockery, his gaze drifting toward the moonlit Piltover behind them. His voice was calm:

"Teacher Heimerdinger, you are my teacher on the path of science. But unfortunately, you are not human. You cannot understand what a few short decades mean to a human being. You cannot understand the pain of watching your homeland suffer disaster. You cannot understand the sorrow of seeing your closest friend stand by and do nothing."

"Viktor, we need time. Many things have to be taken one step at a time. Piltover will have a bright future," Jayce couldn't help but say.

CLANK!

The mechanical claw behind Viktor spread open. The sight made Jayce nervously raise his hammer, while Heimerdinger merely let out a sigh, his face filled with grief.

"Jayce, I wish you the fulfillment of your ideals, that you may guard Piltover's brightest tomorrow. But the hammer in your hand is at least a finished product."

Even at this moment, Viktor offered his sincere blessing to his dear friend with a smile.

Then, under the horrified gazes of Jayce and Heimerdinger, the mechanical arm fired a ray straight down at the ground.

The beam swept precisely across the bridge pillar between Viktor and Jayce—the Boundary Bridge spanning the Upper and Lower Cities, a bridge that had stood for two hundred years. Under the watchful eyes of its very creator, Heimerdinger, it snapped in two from the middle.

Viktor's indifferent gaze fixed on Jayce and Heimerdinger across the river. With a hoarse, weak voice, he declared loudly:

"From this day forward, Zaun secedes from Piltover. There will be no more Upper and Lower Cities—only Zaun!!!"

Boom!

His voice, mingled with the crash of the Boundary Bridge plunging into the water, seared itself deep into the eyes of all who witnessed this scene.

Whether it was the Piltoverans on the opposite bank or the Zaunites gathered here watching, the collapse of this century-old bridge planted an unnamed seed in every heart.

Having done this, Viktor strode firmly into the darkness of Zaun.

"Viktor!"

Jayce's voice made him halt his steps, but he did not turn back.

Standing on the opposite shore, Jayce declared with unwavering resolve:

"I will prove to you that you are wrong!"

Hearing this, Viktor's face remained expressionless. He no longer paused in his stride, his figure melting into the darkness, leaving behind for all a frail yet resolute silhouette.