The Ups and Downs of Life

Just as Kled had quelled several scattered forces in the south and was about to lead his troops to punish Darkwill, Swain and Darius arrived.

Whether it was Swain's exceptional eloquence or Kled's change of heart, he actually agreed to the ceasefire proposal, but the contest would still take place.

Just like his previous match against Dukao, Darius suffered another crushing defeat, but he still earned Kled's respect because he slashed Kled's arm.

Speaking of that battle, both of them still felt lingering fear, summarizing it in one simple sentence: a fear that transcended death.

I was very surprised. It's undeniable that Darius indeed very powerful, but the gap between him and Kled is still very obvious. How did he manage to wound Kled? And at less than twenty years old.

Darius's explanation was simple: Kled showed mercy.

In short, they accomplished their mission more easily than expected, and Dukao led them to an audience with Emperor Brawn, attributing all the credit to the two of them.

Darius was a war orphan, nothing much to say about him. When the emperor met Swain, he recognized him at a glance—this was the child of the Swain family who had helped him ascend the throne!

Swain flattered. He hadn't expected that the emperor, who was so busy with state affairs, would still remember him after only meeting him once a few years ago.

The emperor was also very pleased. He had not expected that the Swain family would once again help him stabilize his throne, and he rewarded the two men handsomely.

From then on, the situation in Noxus stabilized. The North was held by the old commander and the Flame Legion, while the South was conquered by Kled. As for the vast central region, it was conquered by Darkwill and Dukao together.

Working together, they continuously expanded Noxus's territory. Swain and Darius also received dedicated training from Dukao, becoming outstanding players among their peers and even throughout Noxus.

Looking at the thriving Noxus, Swain filled with excitement, feeling that his ambitions would soon be realized.

However, just as the internal hostile forces were about to be wiped out, an unexpected event occurred in the north:

A severe snowstorm struck Freljord, making survival difficult for many tribes. Under the leadership of Winter's Claw, they joined forces to invade Noxus and have already plundered many places.

The Flame Legion could not stop these reckless northern tribes and requested reinforcements from the Emperor. Darkwill ordered Dukao to lead the troops there.

Swain and Darius were filled with mixed emotions of sorrow and joy. The attack on Noxus saddened and angered them, but the thought of reuniting with their old leader and Rappor filled them with joy and excitement.

But to their surprise, they only met Rappor and not the old commander, because he had been killed in action!

Although the old commander was old, he was fierce and always took the lead in battle. But he was old and his strength was no longer enough, and he eventually died on the battlefield.

The new commander of the Flame Legion was Rappor, and Darius and Swain only then learned that their close friend's full name was Rappor Darkwill, the old commander's nephew and the emperor's younger brother.

Swain great pain. The old commander had been a great help to him, but he had never been able to see him again, or even to reveal his identity to him.

Rappor didn't seem to care much. He said he hoped to be like his uncle in the future: to fight for Noxus his whole life and die on the battlefield.

His words jolted Swain awake. Yes, he was so intelligent; how could he have overlooked the fact that such an end for the old commander was already a great honor for a soldier?

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With their pain subsiding, they threw themselves wholeheartedly into the current war, more seriously than in any previous battle.

This war was different from previous ones; it was initiated by the northern tribes, whose survival was threatened, forcing them to desperately plunder elsewhere.

In this way, Noxus may seem to be on the defensive, but in fact, it has taken the initiative. As long as it defends well, the enemy will be defeated without a fight.

Swain devised a defensive plan based on the current situation, which Dukao supplemented. Rappor and Darius immediately followed through, arranging everything methodically.

After a long winter of holding out, the northern tribes finally retreated. War and famine had caused them countless deaths and injuries, making it impossible for them to launch an effective attack on Noxus again.

Rappor also won the hearts of the people because of this battle, and of course he knew that he was able to achieve such results entirely thanks to Swain's help.

Darkwill's side also went very smoothly. He was valiant and decisive, eliminating the last few powerful forces and allowing Noxus to achieve initial unification.

At this point, Dukao began to consider retiring. He had found two more capable successors than himself, and he could confidently entrust the army to them.

However, he did not say it explicitly, but instead delegated more and more tasks to Swain and Darius, while he retreated behind the scenes to focus on training assassins loyal to the Empire.

Later, Swain was wounded in battle. Having not been home for many years, he decided to return to recuperate, only to unexpectedly discover that his parents and the Black Rose had intricate connections.

Noxus's favorable situation was hard-won, and Swain certainly wouldn't watch his and his predecessors' hard work be ruined.

He revealed his parents to Emperor Brawn, and from then on, he was the only one left in the Swain family.

After returning to the army, he found Darius and wept bitterly. From childhood to adulthood, he had only cried once before, when his old commander died.

Darius didn't comfort him; instead, he told him even more painful news: Dukao had become a walking corpse!

The two had no time to be shocked; they immediately conspired to kill Dukao and returned to the Immortal Fortress to plead guilty. Emperor Brawn did not blame them; instead, he granted Darius's plan to conquer Demacia.

Everything is strange, but we can't figure out what's wrong. Is the Black Rose about to wreak havoc on the regime again?

Swain warned Emperor Brawn to be wary of the organization, and the emperor agreed, ordering a purge of the suspicious mages. However, after staying at the Immortal Fortress for a while, Swain realized that the situation was not so simple, and that it was very likely that even the emperor had been controlled like Dukao!

Of course, the truth has now come to light: LeBlanc was the one who secretly plotted and orchestrated all of this, but no one knew it at the time.

With Darius's defeat and Swain's failed campaign against Ionia, both were dismissed.

At this moment, Swain great pain. He couldn't understand whether everything he had done was just a wedding dress for the Black Rose. For the first time since he was old enough to understand, he began to waver.

The person who helped him resolve his inner conflict was his longtime best friend, Darius.

To be precise, it was a decision Darius made: to overthrow Darkwill and establish his own regime!