The Great One

Kayle once again stood in front of me, his armor and body pierced by Meriel, but no blood flowed out, only Golden Light filled the sky!

The light was even more dazzling than Meriel's, so bright that she had to shield her eyes. Then, something incredible happened: Kayle beheaded her!

Upon seeing this, Angel immediately fled. Raphael was fighting Morgana and couldn't break free in time. She used Dark Power to knock him to the ground, where he struggled in pain!

How did these sisters suddenly become so powerful? Just as I was wondering, someone walked over, holding a magic book that emitted a purplish-red light.

This grimoire is the Morellonomicon that Karthus previously possessed, and I am even more familiar with its owner— Ryze!

He walked slowly towards us, removed his large hat, and then used eerie magic to kill the struggling Raphael, turning him into a dried-up corpse. I couldn't help but shudder at the sight.

Without a doubt, Ryze was the one who helped kill Meriel earlier. How powerful was this angel, so utterly vulnerable before him?

Moreover, he was ruthless and decisive, as if he harbored a deep-seated hatred!

I used to be happy to see him, but now I have mixed feelings.

Ever since I heard Aatrox's words, I've suspected that he is "that That Great One," but since he often saves me, I don't know how to ask him.

Let's start with the current matter. "Archmage, may I understand that you killed two angels effortlessly?"

"It's all thanks to you guys breaking through their defenses, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to succeed so easily, cough cough..."

"What deep-seated hatred do you have for the angels? To be honest, the way you killed them was rather cruel."

"It's nothing. These obsessive and powerful beings deserve to die. They can't recognize the preciousness of other lives, cough cough..."

After speaking, Ryze coughed violently again and spat out a mouthful of blood. He already looked exhausted, and now he appeared even weaker.

"You seem very weak, and your internal energy is chaotic?"

"The magic I just used consumed too much energy, and I'm still not able to fully utilize the power of all the runes, including this grimoire."

"Have you collected the Dark Rune yet? I sensed that you used dark energy when you killed the angel."

"Yes." Ryze said, looking at me intently, as if waiting for me to ask him a question.

"You lied to me. You were just using me to collect World Rune, weren't you? You know Aatrox, and you've been working with him for years. You're the one who released all the Vastaya!"

"I have no good explanation for this, but you should understand that my enemy is not you."

"While it might be presumptuous of me to say this, I'd like you to explain. I want to know your thoughts, after all, the rise of the Vastaya is a disaster."

"I'm afraid it's not possible today. I need to find a place to rest. We can talk again next time we meet."

After finishing his sentence, Ryze walked away wearily, completely disregarding my feelings and making no attempt to defend himself against me, as if he knew I wouldn't lay a hand on him.

Now that I finally know who that That Great One is, I feel terrible. Many people advised me to be careful of Ryze, but because I knew him before, I never paid attention. I never expected that he would stir up so much trouble!

Judging from his actions in killing angels, Ryze clearly harbors deep hatred for these powerful beings. However, he also unleashed the Vastaya to slaughter ordinary people. So, what is his stance?

Can I still trust him? I don't have a definite answer in my heart, and I hope he can tell me next time we meet.

With Ryze's help, Kayle personally killed Meriel, venting her anger, but she was also stabbed, and her wound was healing very slowly.

Morgana fared much better; she didn't engage in direct combat, instead relying on ranged magic attacks, which severely depleted her resources but didn't result in direct damage.

Illaoi was the most seriously injured in this incident; she lost both arms. She should have been devastated, but instead, she was cheerful and didn't seem to care at all.

"That mage is so powerful, Yasuo! But it seems like there's been some misunderstanding between you two?"

"Shouldn't you be most concerned about your severed arm?"

"It's alright. As long as I'm alive, these missing limbs can grow back."

"So that's how it is!"

I was feeling quite upset, but hearing what she said made me feel much better. I also told her about Ryze.

Illaoi didn't voice her opinion because she couldn't determine Ryze's purpose or what he was protecting based on what she knew so far.

In short, we survived this time entirely thanks to his timely appearance and the elimination of a powerful enemy. I believe that after Meriel's death, the other angels will no longer dare to plot against us.

Another positive thing is that I've unlocked the power of the War Aspect. Bard initially said it could only be mastered through astronomy, but it seems that's not the case now.

He is Creator Aspect, and may gain many insights from stargazing, but as War Aspect, I still have to rely on fighting with all my might and endless rage.

Two days later, Kayle's injuries had almost healed, and we headed to Ionia together. With the two of them, dealing with the Vastaya would be much easier!

When I returned to Northrend, Irelia was receiving guests, who were envoys from the Phiros Family, who brought Ionia their latest invention— the Hextech Sphere.

This multifaceted sphere is the same one Camille showed me before. It was jointly developed by Jace and Viktor. It's like a miniature reconnaissance device that can communicate with other places that have multifaceted spheres at any time, ensuring timely communication.

The messenger said that they had created seven multifaceted spheres on Camille's orders, to be given to the Seven Kings of the Light Organization, and that they should all be delivered now.

They then opened the multifaceted sphere and began teaching us how to use it. Like other Hextech Creations, it was simple and easy to understand, allowing us to contact one party individually or everyone simultaneously, much like a conference call.

I wasn't surprised by these Hextech creations, but the relatively primitive Ionia were quite astonished. They could only stare at them, not daring to touch them, appearing rather uneasy.

When I pressed the contact button for all regions, I found that all regions except Shurima remained connected, which was incredibly convenient!

The situation in each region is similar to when I left, but we are struggling to keep up with the relentless attacks of the Vastaya. We cannot outlast the Vastaya in a war of attrition.

Darius suggested that the battle lines in each region should be contracted as much as possible, so that the fighting force would be relatively concentrated, Vastaya would also gather together because of the same destination. Then we can concentrate our firepower and eliminate them one by one!

Of course, if we are not strong enough, we will also be concentrated and wiped out, which would be tantamount to declaring a decisive battle.