Do you think we can really keep searching like this?
In the far north of Freljord, on a mountain range near the northern tundra, a young Avarosa warrior was crunching an energy bar in his mouth while using a telescope to scan his surroundings.
I must say, this thing is really useful. I got it from Zaun. Having it is like having a telescope. If we had this earlier, Avarosa wouldn't have needed so many people to set up borders. We could have just built two tall outposts and had people on them use telescopes to observe the surroundings.
Now, he's using a telescope to search for the mission assigned to him: to find a humanoid creature larger than a polar bear with horns.
"Stop talking nonsense. The Warmother has already arrived at the front line. If you slack off again and affect the Warmother, I won't let you off the hook." The middle-aged soldier next to him sneered.
"I wasn't slacking off, I'm just a little unaccustomed to it. I... I didn't expect we'd actually become allies with the Winter's Claw." The young warrior muttered, earning a glare from the older warrior. Seeing this, he quickly fell silent and looked into the distance.
A long column was seen marching through the forest. The young soldier squinted and saw the scene at the front.
The outsider, whom Ashe and Sejuani treated as honored guests, was riding a tall moose. Behind him was a blue-haired girl who was holding his waist, her fluffy blue head nodding slightly, as if she were sleeping.
Beside Mr. Li Ke were Sejuani and Ashe, one on his left and one on his right, the two Warmother seemingly conversing with Mr. Li Ke.
"Although Lissandra can't help, Flara and Relna will be there to assist us, which is a good thing."
"According to Tryndamere, Aatrox was active in this area a few months ago. So I think there are only two possibilities now: either Aatrox is still in this area, or Aatrox has gone south."
"Specifically, we still need to check if there's a barbarian uprising nearby, and to check the situation of the nearby clans."
In the forest, Li Ke whispered to the two Warmother beside him.
Ashe nodded and rode a white wolf. Some distance behind her, dressed as a ranger, was Tryndamere, also riding a wolf.
Sejuani, to Li Ke's left, spoke up, "Why can't she make a move? If she does, that Aatrox you mentioned wouldn't stand a chance against her, would he?"
"Hmm," Li Ke thought for a moment after hearing Sejuani's words.
For Ascended, the Darkin do not become stronger, but weaker.
To be corrupted by the Void and become Darkin is a curse.
Among them, Aatrox is the most outstanding of the weakened Ascended. He was one of the top kings during his Ascended period. Apart from the Ascended Queen Setaka, Aatrox was arguably the number one Ascended. It is known that there are rumors on the Internet that the designers said that Aatrox during his Ascended period could go toe-to-toe with Ornn.
As for the truth, whether the designer really said such a thing, Li Ke doesn't know, but at least Li Ke can deduce one thing from it, which is that, as netizens also know, Aatrox in his Darkin form is weaker, and at this stage he is no match for Ornn.
As for why Aatrox became so much weaker after becoming Darkin, it's because he wasn't proficient in blood magic and didn't have a good body or host, Aatrox greatly reduced his strength. However, even so, he was still very powerful.
In this comparison, Lissandra might actually be able to defeat Aatrox.
As for why Lissandra didn't make a move...
"There's no other way. If Lissandra makes a move, it will trigger a riot in Freljord," Li Ke said after thinking for a moment.
Sejuani thought for a moment, opened her mouth, and hesitantly uttered a few words: "Is it because of Volibear?"
"Yeah, Lissandra can't make a move. If she does, Volibear will most likely come out." Li Ke nodded, but after a moment, Li Ke gasped and gritted his teeth, saying, "But why do I feel like even if Lissandra doesn't make a move, Volibear will still come out eventually?"
This isn't just Li Ke making things up.
Volibear is a warmonger. In the official character design, Volibear is a somewhat goofy, vain, warlike, and rigid Demigod.
Needless to say, Volibear is very concerned about saving face. Because of human praise and faith, he helped humans kill many Demigod and made great contributions to giving humans a place in the world. Moreover, it is clearly stated in the official records that Volibear liked humans to believe in him, praise him, and remember him.
It goes without saying that he's warlike; back in the day, Volibear in Freljord was either fighting or on his way to fight.
Therefore, if the campaign against Aatrox becomes too large-scale, it's perfectly normal for Volibear to step in.
Li Ke stroked his chin, but the thought that Lissandra would also be present Li Ke feel much more at ease.
As he was thinking, Li Ke heard a noise.
Looking around, they discovered that two Avarosa scouts had come.
"Warmother!"
The two rushed to Ashe's side and greeted her respectfully.
"What did you find?" Ashe nodded and asked softly.
One of the scouts quickly reported, "An hour ahead, we discovered a small, destroyed clan. Dozens of corpses were piled up in the central square. The situation is exactly as Lord Tryndamere described."
Behind Ashe, Tryndamere's breathing quickened, and he began to pant heavily.
Another scout added, "The bloodstains at the scene haven't changed color yet, and the blood squeezed between the bodies is still warm."
This sentence contains a lot of information.
Ashe looked at Li Ke, her gaze serious. "It seems we didn't come to the wrong place. The Aatrox you mentioned is indeed still in Freljord, and nearby."
Li Ke nodded and said, "Have all your men come back. Don't let them scatter. I don't underestimate Avarosa and the warriors of Winter's Claw, but that guy is not someone you can handle."
Ashe and Sejuani both nodded.
Over the past two days, Li Ke told the two of them a lot about Aatrox. Even the proud Sejuani clearly understood Aatrox's power, and naturally she wouldn't risk the lives of her subordinates.
"Narrow down the search area and keep moving!"
Ashe raised her ice bow high and shouted.
"Yes!"
The Ice Stone Clan is a small clan with only a few decades of history. Despite its short history and small size, the Ice Stone Clan has managed to thrive in northern Freljord.
The reason is that the Ice Stone Clan possesses excellent fishing and hunting skills. They live near a glacier, and fish are Ice Stone Clan main food throughout the year. When the river freezes, they can use their ancestral techniques to fish and hunt on the ice.
This winter, the Ice Stone Clan had a good harvest.
Naya Beaver is a member of the Ice Stone Clan, and as the daughter of the clan's Warmother, Naya was designated as the clan's next Warmother when she was very young.
In winter, the ice on the glacier is as hard as iron. The Ice Stone Clan had prepared fish early and hung them on racks. In the extreme cold, there was no need to worry about the food spoiling. As a result, rows of fish were laid out, which made Naya smile.
"Naya, good afternoon!"
The Boss from the tribe greeted Naya with a happy smile.
How could he not feel happy? The northern clans suffered greatly from the persecution of the Winter's Claw, but the Ice Stone Clan, hidden in the forest and living with the frozen river, had no need to worry about the Winter's Claw.
Winter's Claw wouldn't come here; the place is too remote, and most importantly, there are no wolves or wild beasts around, making large-scale hunting impossible.
This is bad news for the Winter's Claw, but good news for the Ice Stone Clan, as the entire clan consists of only about thirty people. If there were wolves or wild beasts around, it would greatly threaten the clan's safety.
Therefore, the clan members had to praise their Warmother's wisdom, which enabled the Ice Stone Clan to survive well.
Naya smiled and nodded to the Boss.
"Naya, will you be performing at the celebration tonight?"
"No way, I'm a little Warmother," Naya replied, wrinkling her little nose.
She is only thirteen years old this year, and the elders in the tribe all treat her like a child, but she hopes that she can grow up as soon as possible and become a true Warmother.
Like her mother, Roldo the Beaver, she became a respected figure in the clan.
"How could this happen!"
"Hurry up and prepare the firewood, we're going to have a celebration tonight!" Naya said, blushing, seeing the Boss's groaning complaints.
She doesn't want to perform; the more she performs, the more people treat her like a child!
Hmph, she doesn't want that kind of life!
The clan was bustling with activity. As darkness fell and night approached, a huge bonfire was set up in the central square. The mother walked through the clan, accompanied by the clan's warriors.
Eleven warriors, dressed in thick protective gear, followed behind Roldo, laughing heartily and engaging in friendly conversation with each member of their tribe.
"Ignition!"
As the Warmother's voice faded, Naya, the Little Warmother, took a torch, stepped forward, and threw the torch into the woodpile.
"Boom!"
Flames spewed forth, the temperature soared, and under the warm, yellow light, the people of the Ice Stone Clan gathered together.
They skewered the fish, then approached the sandy area in front of the fire and arranged the skewered fish in a row around the fire, waiting for them to cook.
Naya sat down with a smile on her round face, leaning against her mother.
That year, the Ice Stone tribe survived the winter well; no one died in the winter, nor on the way to find food.
That's great!
Under the warm firelight, Naya, who had been busy all day, hugged her knees and couldn't help but doze off.
She seemed to be really falling asleep, but in her hazy state, Naya suddenly heard a noisy sound.
She groggily raised her head and looked toward the place where the support was being given, only to see that her mother had already led the soldiers there.
Naya yawned, but the next second, a gust of wind blew up the campfire, accompanied by a voice that was saying something incomprehensible.
He babbled out a string of words in a hoarse, unpleasant voice, like a demon crawling out of hell.
"Run!"
The mother screamed, "Take the elderly and children and run!"
Naya woke up instantly and stood up abruptly. Just as she stood up, a figure flew past her.
Roldo Beaver's tall body swept past Naya, crashing into a rock. He landed with a muffled groan. Naya looked over and saw that her mother's left arm had been severed, and a large amount of blood was flowing out, slowly moving towards a certain spot.
"Mother!" Naya shouted.
"Run, Naya, run!" Naya was answered by her mother's roar. The warriors of the Ice Stone Clan rushed towards a corner of the forest. The next moment, two warriors were split in two, and several others were also sent flying.
Upon seeing this, Naya's body began to tremble.
Is it a wild animal?
No. Even if the warriors of the Ice Stone Clan are not strong enough, and have not mastered the use of True Ice, and cannot become Iceborn, they are still valiant warriors.
They could fight bears and wolves; were they mammoths?
No, mammoths wouldn't appear in forests! They only appear high on ice fields!
With her teeth chattering, Naya saw a tall figure emerge from the forest.
The figure was taller than the trees, its body pitch black and blood red. Its exposed body had no skin, and the flowing flesh was terrifying. The blood of the soldiers on the ground rushed towards the figure and climbed up its body, making it appear even larger.
"#@￥&%"
The devil's voice rang out, and a gigantic figure emerged from the forest.
Naya's gaze gradually glazed over as she stared blankly at the figure, which was over four meters tall and wielded a dark greatsword as large as a small hill. The figure appeared human, yet possessed a pair of curved horns resembling those of a demon.
He walked step by step toward Roldo's position, his evil eyes filled with the predatory gaze of a hunter eyeing its prey.
"Evil, a demon! A demon!" Naya snapped out of her daze, looked at the monster approaching her mother, and then quickly scrambled towards her mother.
"Run! Naya, don't come any closer!" Roldo cried out in alarm when he saw Naya's movements.
"No, Mother, let's go together, let's go together!" Naya shouted.
Compared to that enormous figure, Naya looked like a tiny insect. She ran to her mother's side, trying her best to help her up and leave with her.
But she was powerless to help. Her mother had lost all her strength. A sliver of ice magic had kept her from bleeding to death, but moving was impossible.
The monster also saw Naya. It glanced at Naya, then raised its greatsword and slammed it down heavily towards Naya and Roldo.
"@#@￥@"
Beneath his garbled chatter, his wicked eyes were filled with disdain and cruelty.
Let's go!
With the last of her strength, Roldo tried to push Naya away, and Naya was indeed pushed. But then, Naya got up again, stood in front of Roldo, closed her eyes and opened her arms.
"No!" Roldo cried out in anguish.
Naya trembled as she faced death.
The entire Icefield Clan was thrown into chaos. Amidst screams of agony, the clan, which had been peaceful during the day, now resembled a living hell.
But just as the monster's giant sword was about to strike Naya's head and crush her into a pulp, three beams of light suddenly flashed and emerged from another corner of the forest.
Two blue beams of light, and one green beam of light.
In an instant, a green light appeared in front of Naya.
"When!"
"Boom!"
With a deafening roar, a fierce wind arose, and a broadsword gleaming with green light was shattered by a dark greatsword. The green figure flew backward, and another sword appeared in its hand.
With one hand gripping the sword, he thrust it downwards towards the ground, the longsword splitting the frozen earth and leaving long marks, while his other hand protected the large and small Warmother of the Ice Stone Clan.
"Call out!"
Blue magical ice crystal arrows, accompanied by shackles, flew in and struck the horned monster heavily, causing a blue hue to appear on its body. Shattered ice covered its body, forcing it to take two steps back, but then its body shuddered, and the ice shattered.
"@#@￥!" A look of surprise Flash in the giant monster's eyes as it looked at the figures protecting Roldo and her daughter. The next moment, that surprise turned into fanaticism.
His black hair was covered in dew and frost, and Li Ke's right hand trembled as he flicked his wrist. He tilted his head to look at the monster in front of him.
"What are you mumbling about?"
Li Ke steadied himself, his longsword swaying slightly. "Good evening, Aatrox."