The Limelight is Meant to Be Stepped Into

Donna summoned someone, and she had Jinx ride on Vana's back with her, while Li Ke rode with the warrior on a giant moose towards the destination.

Not all the warriors of the Winter's Claw tribe were mobilized; many remained in the tribe to protect the elderly and children.

"They came from the bay fjord to the east!"

Li Ke heard a Winter's Claw warrior shout loudly ahead. This was a middle-aged man wearing only a simple fur coat, his chest bare, with large tattoos on his bare chest, and two strange charcoal-black lines etched on his resolute face.

"Those sons of bitches somehow got here, silently and suddenly appearing on our territory. But Warmother, they didn't attack us. Our people are currently in a standoff with them."

The man rode up to Sejuani on his frost wolf and shouted.

"Hmm." Sejuani nodded, raising her chin and pursing her thin lips as she looked up at the mountains. "Let's get there first."

After saying that, Sejuani rode her Bristle to the front, with the rest of the group following behind, riding their mounts towards the mountains.

A dozen minutes later--

Under the starlight and moonlight, torches illuminated the white tundra. About four hundred warriors from the Winter's Claw had arrived, more than half of whom rode wild beasts, while the rest were warriors who had been originally assigned here as the "defense line".

They carried spears or longbows, all looking ahead warily with solemn expressions. But when the crowd parted and a figure appeared, their expressions immediately changed.

Upon seeing Sejuani sitting atop the Bristle, arms crossed and eyes half-closed, the warriors of Winter's Claw seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, their bodies instantly relaxing.

"Are you sure it's Frostguard?" Sejuani was at the very front, with Li Ke just two body lengths behind Sejuani and Udyr a little in front of him.

Jinx was right next to Sejuani, curiously peering into the distant forest. But in the Freljord night, the bright moon and evening stars couldn't illuminate the woods, and given the distance, Jinx couldn't see anything.

The reason she was next to Sejuani was because Donna was there.

"Yes, Warmother, it's confirmed that they are the Frostguard, but they don't seem to be here to ambush us," a warrior said as he approached Sejuani.

As he spoke, a slightly confused expression appeared on his face, because just twenty minutes earlier, as one of the warriors guarding the valley, he was also the first to discover the movement in the distant forest. After sounding the alarm, he and his people went to the front line, questioning the intruders while blocking the Frostguard.

Then he received a strange answer, because the Frostguard, who were usually focused on destruction and annihilation, actually said they had come to Winter's Claw to find someone? They didn't intend to be enemies with Winter's Claw this time.

But when did these guys become so good at negotiating?!

"What do you mean?" Sejuani was taken aback. She had already gripped the chains of her True Ice weapon, ready for a fierce battle.

Sejuani is a conqueror. On her path to becoming queen, she aims to conquer not only the Avarosan Tribe, which is controlled by Ashe, but also the Sejuani clan, which has existed since ancient times and whose existence is now unknown. She has taken action to achieve this, engaging in several battles with the Frostguard.

Although she failed to gain any advantage each time and suffered a crushing defeat, Sejuani was not discouraged. Instead, she gained the power of the Ursine. She had a conversation with the Ursine priest some time ago, in which Sejuani hoped to use the power of the great War Bear Spirit to conquer the town controlled by the Frostguard.

But Udyr ultimately intervened and sabotaged the deal.

"They're asking us for someone," the warrior replied, adding, "Saying that they're outsiders who came to the tribe today, on the orders of their king."

"An outsider?" Sejuani squinted at Jinx beside her.

"It's a man." The soldier noticed Sejuani's gaze and quickly said, glancing behind Sejuani.

Sejuani turned her Bristle to look at the black-haired youth sitting on the moose, who had a helpless expression on his face.

"What have you done? Why would the Frostguard send Frostguard to find you?" Sejuani said coldly.

Donna, who was standing next to her, was also stunned. She stared blankly at Li Ke and gripped the reins tightly.

Donna wasn't stupid. From the warrior's words and the sudden appearance of the Frostguard, Donna gleaned a message: if Li Ke really did have dealings with the Frostguard, then she had truly brought a great danger back to the tribe.

"I have no connection whatsoever with the Frostguard," Li Ke said, shaking his head as he looked at Sejuani.

With a wry smile, Li Ke reached up and touched his hair, brushing away the ice shards that had clung to it from his run. Then he said to Sejuani, "But I think they really did come for me."

"Heh, I remember you told me you're from Zaunite and this is your first time in Freljord. But if it's your first time here, why are you involved with the Frostguard?" Sejuani asked seriously.

"You seem to have misunderstood, Sejuani. I don't know them. In fact, they know me," Li Ke said, pointing to his face.

From the moment he entered Freljord, Li Ke had actually guessed that Lissandra would notice him.

After all, according to the official description, Lissandra possesses a strange ability to Dreamwalking. This ability was not given to her by Anivia, nor by the Void, but rather it was an ability that Lissandra developed herself in the long darkness after losing her sight in the battle with Volibear. She can even make contact with the Void because of this ability to Dreamwalking.

In the official "Dream Thief" short story, Lissandra's ability is described indirectly. In her Dreamwalking state, Lissandra is omnipresent. She can freely enter other people's dreams to steal their memories, and can even interfere with them in their dreams, or even kill them in their sleep.

Add to that Lissandra's age and her insomnia, and over the millennia, Lissandra has been a living library, her mind holding countless secrets of Runeterra.

Looking back now, it's highly likely that Lissandra also found out about Li Ke's battle with Nagakabouros in Bilgewater and the commotion he created by capturing LeBlanc in Noxus.

But why didn't Lissandra enter his Dreamwalking? Was it because of the distance? Or because of Janna? Or perhaps because Li Ke carries the marks of Ahri and Kindred?

In any case, Li Ke did not deceive Sejuani.

He was a victim too.

Sejuani looked at Li Ke in silence, clearly not trusting what Li Ke was saying.

But the next moment, Li Ke spoke up, "I'll go with you and see what's going on, Sejuani. I'll prove I didn't lie to you."

"Alright." Sejuani broke her silence. She raised her arm, pointed forward, and said, "Go, tell them I want to see their leader and have him come out to see me."

"Yes, Warmother." The warrior nodded, then mounted his mount and galloped towards the distant forest.

A few minutes later, the soldier returned and said, "Warmother, their leader has agreed."

"Everyone, wait here." Sejuani nodded, then looked at Udyr, Udyr nodded back.

Donna was also chosen because she was responsible for taking Jinx there.

Therefore, led by Sejuani, the six of them headed to the heart of the tundra.

The warriors of Winter's Claw remained where they were, awaiting Sejuani's orders.

Upon reaching the heart of the tundra, they found a human and a non-human creature already standing there.

A figure clad in jet-black armor, wearing an ice crystal helmet, with a pair of sapphire blue eyes peering out from within the helmet, looked toward Li Ke.

The other person didn't look at Sejuani, but looked directly at Li Ke.

Sejuani noticed this as well, which displeased her greatly, causing her to furrow her brows.

The other creature was a non-human being who, despite being hunched over, was over three meters tall. He carried a huge ice crystal pillar, had an ugly face, an enormous nose the size of a human head, fiery red hair that was swept upwards, and bright, glowing blue eyes like a pair of lanterns, which were staring at Li Ke and his companions.

Li Ke looked at him and recognized him at a glance.

Trundle, the Trundle King.

Indeed, in the lore, Trundle's rise to become the Troll King was largely due to Lissandra's guidance. Could his relationship with Lissandra be somewhat like that of Lissandra's subordinate?

So it's not surprising that he's here now.

"Frostguard, what's your name?" Sejuani, holding the reins, rode her Bristle to the other side. She glanced at Trundle warily, and as she got closer, Sejuani could even smell the stench emanating from Trundle's Kog'Maw with her breath.

The opponent was a troll, a non-human creature in Freljord, similar to the Yeti. These creatures might not be as powerful as the extinct Yeti, but they were still extremely strong, as could be seen from their overwhelming height.

Bristle was already enormous enough, but even riding on its Bristle, Sejuani had to look up at Trundle, who was one of the tallest trolls.

"Commander of the Frostguard, Relna Ura," the hooded figure said softly. Her voice was hoarse, sounding like a woman's. A few strands of white hair peeked out from under her helmet, whipped by the biting wind. Her sapphire blue eyes met Sejuani's, and Relna Ura did not flinch in the face of Sejuani's imposing presence.

After she finished speaking, she took a step forward, looked up at Sejuani, and said in a low voice, "Under the orders of the Lissandra's Eye, I have come to Winter's Claw to take him away." Relna pointed at Li Ke.

Upon hearing this, Sejuani sneered, lifting the chains with one hand. The True Ice at the end of the chains swayed and trembled, emitting a faint blue light in the darkness. Sejuani's voice was icy. "Since when did it become your place to tell the Winter's Claw what to do?"

"You are powerful, Sejuani. I am no match for you, but before my master, you are not worthy," Relna said calmly.

Behind her, the sword she carried also emitted a faint blue light; it was also a True Ice weapon.

She reached her hand, covered in black heavy armor, behind her back and drew a blue broadsword. The sword was larger than Sejuani's weapon, made entirely of True Ice, with a simple, rough, yet wild hilt.

Regarding True Ice, some say it is a magical ice crystal that has existed since the birth of Freljord, but a more widely accepted theory is that True Ice is a weapon bestowed upon the Iceborn by the benevolent ice phoenix Anivia.

Regardless of which version is correct, True Ice is not a magical artifact that mortals can use. True Ice possesses the ability to freeze everything and also has the attributes of never melting and being indestructible. At least, that's what people in Freljord say.

If Li Ke were to say it, True Ice would be melted and destroyed; after all, the restless Void beneath the Howling Abyss has already proven this.

"Are you provoking me?" Sejuani pointed her weapon at Relna.

As Sejuani moved, the previously silent behemoth suddenly roared.

Amidst the roar and the stench of blood, Li Ke couldn't help but frown, while Jinx even gagged, quickly covering her mouth and nose, then looking at Trundle with disgust.

"Humans, submit, or die." Trundle pointed the enormous True Ice in his hand at Sejuani, its Giant Mouth jaws revealing protruding teeth, each as sharp as a human Riot Games.

He straightened up, took a ferocious step forward, shielding Relna beneath him, his lantern-like eyes fixed on Sejuani.

Sejuani sneered, looking up at Trundle. "Troll, this is none of your business. Or are you looking for death? I've killed plenty of guys bigger than you."

"Roar!" Trundle roared, raising his stick high, ready to smash it down on Sejuani.

"Wait a minute!" Relna called out.

Trundle stopped moving. Trolls are all stupid and brainless, but Trundle is different. He is a troll with a brain. He knows who gave him everything, and he also knows that the little man beneath him is that person's Confidant. Therefore, Trundle is willing to listen to the little man.

"Sejuani, he's nothing more than an outsider to you, insignificant, isn't he? Give him to me, my lord, Frostguard will never again invade the territory of the Winter's Claw." Relna said solemnly, planting her sword horizontally in the ground. "I promise."

"No." Sejuani shook her head, looking at Relna with a smile. "I won't give him to you."

Hey, hey, hey, when Relna came to ask for him, she didn't even know Li Ke's name, which made Sejuani believe Li Ke's words.

Lissandra must have seen something again, or perhaps there's some secret about Li Ke that Lissandra fears, which is why she sent people here. Just like herself and Ashe, Sejuani and Ashe were also hunted by the Frostguard. The Frostguard killed her and Ashe to help Lissandra cover up a part of her past.

Li Ke is the one who will bring countless food supplies to the Winter's Claw, so Sejuani would never hand Li Ke over under any circumstances. Furthermore, even if Li Ke couldn't bring food to the Winter's Claw 'Winter's Claw, once Li Ke joined them, he would be under her protection. To hand over one's own person to the enemy?

Sejuani won't lose face.

In the crowd, Udyr opened his eyes beneath his disheveled hair. He agreed with Sejuani's decision, and now, he was going to help his daughter.

Because Sejuani has no chance of winning against two opponents at once; that troll alone would be enough to give Sejuani a hard time. So, Relna can handle Sejuani, while he can deal with the troll.

Thinking of this, Udyr prepared to act, but just as he clenched his Riot Games, ready to call upon the beast spirit to empower him, Udyr suddenly turned to look at his side.

"Hey, I've been wanting to ask you this since just now. Lissandra asked you to come and take me away, and you kept telling Sejuani to give me to you guys, but didn't you even ask the person in question for her opinion?" Li Ke got off the moose and walked to Sejuani's side with a sullen face.

Lissandra is a problem, but Li Ke is not afraid of Lissandra.

If a real fight were to break out, let's set aside the fact that Lissandra might not actually dare to come out, since she has many enemies in Freljord, Volibear alone would be enough to give Lissandra a hard time. Furthermore, Lissandra also has to guard the Void, constantly deepening the seal on Void.

Not to mention, even if Lissandra were to free up her hands, Li Ke wouldn't be afraid of Lissandra.

Lissandra is indeed very powerful; Li Ke guessed she was at least a top-ten Demigod in Runeterra. However, Ahri is definitely no worse than Lissandra, and on his side, there's also Janna, LeBlanc, Swain can help.

Therefore, Li Ke is not afraid of Lissandra. Since he is not afraid, why should he have to go and see Lissandra if she wants to?

Don't be silly, Li Ke is not the same Li Ke as a year ago. After his trip to Ionia and Noxus, Li Ke's horizons have broadened, and he has confirmed one thing: he is very strong, really very strong.

Demigod are the pinnacle of Runeterra. Subtracting the year of slumber, how long has Li Ke used Soul Blossom? It's only natural that he can only flee from Demigod; it would be strange if he could actually defeat Demigod.

However, aside from a few monsters, Li Ke can fight almost anything below the level of Demigod.

Li Ke believes he can definitely beat superhuman champions like Garen and Xin Zhao.

Even if Garen Xin Zhao are strong and break through human limits, they still haven't become true superhuman beings.

Li Ke, however, has already stepped into the same field as LeBlanc.

"Now is not the time for you to show off, go back." Sejuani saw Li Ke coming over and a hint of admiration appeared in her eyes. She appreciated Li Ke's fearlessness of the Frostguard, but she then told Li Ke to go back.

"Are you trying to make me avoid this limelight?"

"But Sejuani, the limelight is meant to be seen, not hidden," Li Ke said with a smile.

To avoid his coat getting torn in a fight, Li Ke took it off and tossed it to Jinx.

Xiao Jin nimbly leaned halfway out from on Vana's body, grabbed the flying clothes, and then shouted to Li Ke, "Li Ke Rick!"

Li Ke smiled at Jinx.

"What you said is true, I like it." Sejuani stared blankly at Li Ke, a rare smile appearing on her cold face. She looked at Li Ke and continued, "But Li Ke, this isn't a battle someone like you can participate in. You outsiders are all too weak."

"Weak?"

Li Ke was taken aback, glanced at Donna, and then, while smiling, raised his hands.

"Oh right, Donna didn't tell you."

"Actually, Sejuani, you don't need to worry about me, because I'm very good at fighting."

After Li Ke finished speaking, he raised his hands and clenched them into fists, then slammed them together.

"Bang--!!!"

"Buzz!!!"

With a loud crash, the tundra beneath Li Ke's feet shattered. He then looked up at Trundle and said, "I'll take the big one, and you can have the woman."

"How about it?"

In an instant, at the heart of the tundra, the expressions on everyone's faces varied.

Jinx excitedly grabbed Li Ke's clothes with one hand and wrapped her other arm around Donna's waist. She loved watching Li Ke fight because she thought Li Ke super cool and handsome every time Li Ke fought!

This is her man!

Udyr, with an "I knew it" look on his face, gave Li Ke a meaningful look.

Donna looked embarrassed. She had forgotten to tell Warmother about Li Ke. After all, there were very few people in the entire Winter's Claw who could hold down the Drüvask Boar with one hand.

Sejuani's icy blue pupils contracted, and then she smiled.

She answered Li Ke's question with her actions.

"Bristle, let's go!"