Underground Observations

The Underworld, it sounds like a realm that only exists in myths and legends. But in Runeterra, it's actually very close to the mortal world, even beneath the Noxian capital, where tens of thousands of people live. An ancient emperor who lived for thousands of years refused to fade with time. Instead, he transformed his army and subjects into undead beings. They lay dormant underground for millennia, waiting for the day to recreate the glory of their former empire.

Ling Ying cautiously observed her surroundings, though all she could see was a sea of crimson. At the same time, she pondered why LeBlanc had pushed her into the Gate of the Underworld. Did she want to kill her? This was the first thought that crossed Ling Ying's mind, but she quickly dismissed it. If LeBlanc had simply wanted to kill her, she could have done so long ago, without wasting so much time and effort on everything that followed. Although they hadn't known each other for long, Ling Ying knew very well that LeBlanc's schemes were as unfathomable as her ever-changing faces. No matter how incredible her actions might seem, they were always for a purpose, never impulsive. However, Ling Ying couldn't see through LeBlanc's intentions for now. The only thing she was sure of was that LeBlanc must have an intricate connection to this Underworld kingdom.

"Forget it, no more thinking."

Ling Ying shook her head with a self-deprecating smile. At this moment, she was being swept along by a peculiar current, forced to move forward slowly, like being thrown into a vast, ceaseless river and carried by the flow. After an unknown amount of time drifting with the current, Ling Ying's vision suddenly opened up to a vast expanse of land, with a great river surging through it. By the river stood a city, a blood-red city. It had towering blood-red palaces and city walls that stretched as far as the eye could see, and a visually striking city wall that spanned the heavens and earth. The extremely high walls were lined with neat battlements and dotted with numerous watchtowers. Vaguely, she could see rows of metal armor arranged neatly atop them. Ling Ying knew these were the Soul Armors that Du Kkao had once summoned to the mortal realm. A rough count revealed more than several thousand Soul Armors on the city walls. It was worth remembering that just over a dozen of these had nearly broken through the Culligan Legion's formation before. If all these Soul Armors were unleashed... Ling Ying couldn't help but shiver at the thought. Her gaze gradually shifted from the top of the city walls down to the strangely colored land below. There, a vast expanse of dense black dots could be seen. Upon closer inspection, they turned out to be busy Undead. These Undead were different from those Ling Ying had seen before; they carried no weapons or armor, were either naked or draped in a few tattered rags. In their hands, they held broken hoes, shovels, and other farming tools. They mechanically swung their tools without pause, seemingly engaged in cultivation. As the current carried her closer to the city walls, Ling Ying noticed they weren't cultivating ordinary crops, but a type of red crystal. Its shape bore some resemblance to Soulstones, but with significant differences in detail. One group of Undead dug deep pits to bury small crystals, while another group dug out larger crystals like potatoes, piling them by the roadside to be loaded onto carts by tall Undead horses and taken into the city.

"Splash!"

Ling Ying fell into the great river she had seen earlier. It seemed the invisible current before was a tributary of this river. She splashed up a cloud of rust-colored water, attracting the attention of some of the cultivating Undead. They turned their faceless heads, looking around for a moment, but never lingered in Ling Ying's direction. Ling Ying breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that the aura of the Underworld LeBlanc had previously cast on her must still be effective.

Suddenly, a rapid bell chime rang out from the city walls. The massive iron main gate opened, and a whole line of Undead cavalry, exuding a chilling aura, charged out of the city, heading straight for the wilderness outside the walls without pause. Behind them followed tens of thousands of Nether Soldiers and large formations of Soul Armors. They maintained their charging formation, following the Undead cavalry in the same direction.

"This is? A war?"

Ling Ying curiously scanned the large contingent of Underworld troops rushing past her. An army of this scale was certainly not out for a stroll; only war could necessitate such a mobilization. The question was, this was the heartland of the Underworld army. Who were they fighting? What could possibly warrant such a formidable enemy? In Ling Ying's estimation, if this army were to be deployed to the mortal realm, even ten Culligan Legions wouldn't be enough to defeat them. Not to mention, Noxus didn't even have ten Culligan Legions.

Ling Ying thought, "Good thing the Underworld army was moving along the direction of the iron-colored river, allowing Ling Ying to effortlessly follow behind them and observe their march." After advancing for some time, Ling Ying suddenly sensed a familiar aura.

"This is...?"

Ling Ying looked strangely as the color of the wilderness along the riverbank gradually shifted from a uniform crimson to a deeper hue. As they ventured further, the land surprisingly took on a bizarre reddish-purple color. She looked up into the distance; the entire horizon was immersed in an eerie purple. A rift, like a giant eye, floated in the sky, pouring streams of purple energy onto the ground, spreading the purple color further across the land.

"The Void..."

Ling Ying's face was filled with disbelief.

"How could it... be here?"

As she was still in shock, the Underworld army approached the Void Rift. The Void on the other side reacted, and with a chilling rustling sound, countless Void Bugs emerged from the ground, forming a purple tide that surged towards the Underworld army. The first to engage the Void Bug tide were the Undead cavalry. With unified movements, they raised their lances and suddenly accelerated. A colossal wave of energy, imbued with astonishing power, began to form around them and continuously expanded until it enveloped all the Undead cavalry. They charged into the Void Bug tide like a sharp blade breaking through a formation, crushing every Void Bug beneath their hooves into dust.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh!"

The sound of arrows piercing the air erupted in waves. The Nether Soldiers in the rear drew their bows and loosed a sky-obscuring rain of arrows. Countless Void Bugs were riddled with holes before they could even reach their targets. Several volleys of arrows were fired before the Nether Soldier archers retreated to the rear, and the Soul Armors moved to the front lines. Wielding their maces or morning stars, they smashed the bugs into pulpy messes. The Underworld army's front line continued to advance. Just as Ling Ying felt the Underworld army had the advantage, roars echoed from behind the Void Bug tide, and numerous bizarre Void Creatures emerged from the ground. A Void Behemoth, tens of meters tall, with four pairs of giant scythes, shattered the Undead cavalry's formation charge with a single charge. Many Void Creatures resembling giant manta rays, with huge wings, glided low to the ground, spewing large amounts of sticky mucus onto the Nether Soldiers below, instantly turning many archers into ashes. Most terrifying were the several giant eyeballs with tentacles floating behind the Void Creatures. They suddenly fired several thick beams of particle energy, which shot straight through the battle lines and landed among the Underworld army. The purple particle beams, carrying world-destroying power, swept through the area. Even the tough Soul Armors were shattered into pieces by this attack. The Underworld army was defeated, the victory or defeat seeming to turn in an instant.

"This is... the power of the Void..."

Ling Ying stared blankly at the Void Behemoths chasing the Underworld army, contemplating in her mind whether she could survive if she encountered these creatures. She was so engrossed that she didn't notice the iron-colored river ahead had dried up due to the accumulation of Void creature remains, until the last ripple of the iron-gray water washed her onto a damp, purple riverbank, unable to carry her any further.

"Huh?"

Ling Ying lowered her head and ran her hand over the ground beneath her feet. A soft, non-earthy, but rather biomass-like texture was transmitted to her palm. It felt as if the ground beneath her was alive. However, this didn't make her feel uncomfortable. Instead, it gave her a sense of familiarity.

"No, no."

Ling Ying shook her head vigorously, casting aside the strange feeling. Then she stood up, looked around, and found herself in a purple **. The only changes in her vision were the distant Void Rift and the twisted, bizarre Void Rift offspring standing on the ground. She glanced behind her, confirming that the iron river could not take her back, and began to examine the rift before her.

"Perhaps that's a way out."

She thought this, because she was very sure she couldn't turn back, and even if she did, she couldn't escape this netherworld. The Void... was clearly more welcoming than this blood-red land. Moreover, she vaguely felt that something from within the Void Rift was pulling at her from deep within her body, like a bee drawn to a flower, and she couldn't help but want to go into that rift.

"Whatever, I'll die either way if I fail."

After hesitating for a moment, Ling Ying finally steeled her heart and charged towards the Void Rift.

"Caw!"

Before she could take two steps, a Void Bug suddenly burrowed out from under her feet. The half-human-sized creature sniffed around Ling Ying, circling her once before suddenly opening its claw blades and lunging at her. In a moment of desperation, Ling Ying casually raised the Duskblade she had just acquired. She swung it towards the Void Bug's head.

"Crack!"

The Duskblade's magnificent Crimson blade cut through the Void Bug's skull without resistance, separating its head from its body. The Void Creature's tenacious vitality allowed it to still struggle "energetically," but Ling Ying knew it was doomed. She looked at the Duskblade stained with blood. The curved blade trembled slightly, then suddenly emitted an invisible wave. The next second, Ling Ying was astonished to find her body disappearing from her sight.

"What is this?"

Ling Ying raised her hands and clenched her fists. Even though she couldn't see them, the feedback from her touch made it clear that she hadn't evaporated into thin air, but had merely vanished from sight.

"Can't see... invisibility?"

Ling Ying finally remembered something. She looked in the direction of the Duskblade in her hand, recalling Talon's bizarre invisibility during their past encounters, and then remembered the somewhat distant lore about the Duskblade in the League of Legends game.

"It's actually... Duskblade's passive! Invisibility!"

She had initially thought this item was just a slightly sharper short sword, but she never expected it to have an effect similar to its game counterpart. This not only invigorated Ling Ying but also gave her gaze towards the Void Rift a newfound confidence.