Winning Her Over

The Ascended were the Celestial Warriors whom the Shurima Empire had prided itself on in ancient times.

It was no exaggeration to say that every Celestial Warrior who became Ascended was a great hero who left a glorious mark on the history of the Shurima Empire.

Through the blessing of the legendary Sun Disc, these warriors gained power from the sun. Their bodies and minds surpassed their former limits, and on the battlefield they could transform into beings as huge as mountains.

With a casual swing of their weapons, they could mow down enemy armies like fields of wheat...

In that age, humanity was still primitive, and the Shurima Empire was the only jewel on the Runeterran Continent. The kings of Valoran traveled countless miles just to witness Shurima's splendor...

Though a cataclysm had reduced the Shurima Empire to dust, and even the mighty Sun Disc had been lost, the tales of the Ascended had not ended. They had flowed down through the long river of history.

They had clashed in battle as fallen beings, and even ruled the world for a time, bringing endless upheaval and calamity to Runeterra.

And there was no need to mention the chosen of Mount Targon. The chosen were those who had successfully climbed to the summit of Mount Targon, earned the approval of the immortal Aspects, and gained Heavenly Power.

They were the immortal Aspects' agents on the ground. It was said that the Shurima Empire had been founded under the Aspects' guidance, and the power they wielded was boundless...

Across the vast cosmos, power from the stars could let them effortlessly annihilate a mountain, or even an entire range...

And now, he had once had the chance to stand alongside them...

Knowing what the flame in his hand represented, Mordas couldn't help swallowing. As he stared at the fire, his leonine face was filled with humanlike disbelief—

He knew the flame was a precious magical material, but he had never imagined that a simple, unintentional act of saving someone could earn him such a gift...

But Mordas quickly collected himself. He looked at Yuan Chen beside him and asked with some difficulty, "I... am I worthy of this?"

"..." Yuan Chen looked at Mordas's face in silence for a moment, then shook his head. "You already know the answer, don't you?"

"...Yeah." Mordas gave a helpless smile, but the feeling soon passed, replaced by a broad-minded acceptance.

"If I really had the talent... even if it were only a little, using it seven times in a row should have been enough to awaken it, right?

"Since I can only use it as a Magic Item, I guess I still have a long way to go before I can become a hero."

As he spoke, Mordas shrugged.

"Looks like the great Azure Guardian Dragon was wrong about me. I'm just an ordinary... Meat-toothed Beast."

Hearing Mordas's words, Yuan Chen raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"I have to say, your reaction surprises me."

"Haha!" Mordas laughed easily. "I'm just an utterly ordinary Meat-toothed Beast... If I really had extraordinary talent, I wouldn't have spent so long wandering at the foot of Mount Targon before finally leaving in disgrace."

Hearing Mordas's self-deprecating words, Yuan Chen looked at the Meat-toothed Beast before him, his gaze growing complicated...

"Being able to accept your own ordinariness and face it, while still holding on to your ideals and beliefs—that in itself is extraordinary."

"Huh?"

Mordas froze, then scratched his shaggy head sheepishly and laughed. "Haha, I'm honored to hear such praise from a prophet!"

"There are many extraordinary people, but few become heroes." Yuan Chen nodded. "The one who becomes a hero could very well be you."

Mordas nodded at Yuan Chen's words. After a moment of silence, he looked at the jar in his hand, conflict and hesitation showing in his eyes. Then he tossed it straight to Yuan Chen.

Yuan Chen looked surprised. "What are you..."

"In my hands, it can't reach its full potential... I know the saying, 'A man is not guilty, but his jade brings trouble.'" Mordas looked at Yuan Chen.

"You're a prophet. You can see who has what it takes to become the Dawn Bringer... My goodness, that title sounds so noble. A messenger who brings dawn, hope, and salvation."

"I'll give it to you... but you have to promise me one thing."

Yuan Chen didn't hesitate. He nodded at once. "Tell me. As long as I can do it, I won't refuse."

"If the Carnivore Beast Tribe ever faces a crisis, I hope you'll help us at any cost." Mordas looked at Yuan Chen, still showing some reluctance, but he didn't waver in his decision.

"I believe you want to make Runeterra a better place, just like the great wanderer Ryze of legend...

"But I can't see all the hardships the future holds the way you can, as a prophet. I'm an ordinary person. All I want is to protect my tribe from the disasters to come."

At Mordas's request, Yuan Chen nodded without the slightest hesitation. Then, after a moment of silence, he solemnly declared:

"I swear by the Spirit of Ionia that I will honor our agreement. Every Dawn Bringer born through my actions will protect your tribe by contract, and will lend aid in any just war or conflict."

Hearing Yuan Chen's words, Mordas breathed a sigh of relief—

Though he had never been to Ionia, he knew its traditions.

The Spirit of Ionia truly existed. When an Ionian swore by the Spirit of Ionia, it served as both witness and binding obligation.

If they broke such an oath, the one who had sworn it would never again earn the Spirit of Ionia's approval or protection. The Spirit might even punish them directly.

And in Ionia, where harmony was revered, anyone rejected by the Spirit of Ionia would find all Ionians turning against them.

For someone like Yuan Chen, who had been born and raised in Ionia, breaking his oath would mean being spurned by all his people. He would never be able to return home, condemned to permanent exile.

"All right, then it's settled!" Mordas shook his head briskly, his mane swaying gently in the night breeze.

"I saved those children once, and this gift saved me seven times! No matter how I look at it, I've already gained more than enough. And now I've secured a promise from you, a prophet—haha, turns out doing good deeds really pays!"

Mordas stroked the mane on his chin, sounding rather pleased with himself.

Listening to Mordas, Yuan Chen suddenly understood why the young Meatfang Hunters were willing to accept Mordas's orders and leadership, even though they thought they were stronger and more qualified to be chief.

Mordas was an idealist, but not a pure one. He knew when to keep his feet on the ground, and when to stand by his convictions.

"So, what do we do next?" Mordas lifted his chin toward Yuan Chen.

"About the Dragon Hunt. You can have this flame that can suppress dragons. You're a prophet, so you must have a way to kill one, right?"

"Of course. And now we have even more options."

Holding the jar and looking at the azure flame inside, Yuan Chen's eyes brimmed with confidence—

Before, even with the Meat-toothed Beasts' help, Yuan Chen had only been thirty percent confident about the Dragon Hunt. Now, he was at least sixty percent confident!

"Then what do we do?"

"Use this flame."

"Huh?"

Mordas froze, then asked hesitantly, "This flame? Are you sure? We're only hunting an Elemental Drake... All right, Elemental Drakes are powerful, especially in a jungle full of elements like Ixialia.

"But this could make someone into a Celestial Warrior! You're using it just to hunt a dragon..."

"Those things don't conflict."

Yuan Chen looked at the flame in his hand.

"To become a Dawn Bringer, someone worthy has to activate the power of this flame... just as you did before. And as it happens, I know someone who is worthy."

As he spoke, Yuan Chen put the jar away, a confident look appearing in his eyes.

Seeing this, Mordas nodded and stood up without hesitation. "Then I'll get some rest. Looks like we'll be moving camp tomorrow, if nothing goes wrong. I hope the Dragon Hunt doesn't encounter any unnecessary complications..."

The night passed without incident.

The next day, under Mordas's direction, the Meat-toothed Beasts in the camp began packing up.

They took down the tents and piled them onto carts. They moved the assembled war machines, while destroying traps and fortifications built into the ground that couldn't be transported.

Mordas had clearly been preparing for this hunt for a long time. At the very least, the massive arrowheads the Meat-toothed Beasts had taken apart showed no sign of corner-cutting.

The barrels upon barrels of Hunting Poison and high-powered explosives also proved that Mordas wasn't some brute who only knew how to fight with cold weapons.

"Where did you get these ballistae?" Yuan Chen asked, rubbing his chin as he stood nearby.

"The other equipment is one thing... but judging by the craftsmanship, the Carnivore Beast Tribe shouldn't be able to make ballistae like these, should they?"

"I had a merchant smuggle them in. Top-quality Noxian goods." Mordas didn't try to hide it. He rolled his shoulders as he spoke.

"Otherwise, how do you think I managed to use those seven flares before? I was gathering enough prey so I could get my hands on some good equipment."

"Enough talk. We're setting out now, heading to that... uh, village you mentioned. What about you?"

Mordas looked at Yuan Chen.

Yuan Chen looked toward the jungle. "I'm going to find some help."

After their conversation, the two went their separate ways for the time being.

Unlike the hunters from the Meat-toothed Beast settlement, Yuan Chen didn't have to worry about transporting supplies for the Dragon Hunt. He wielded his machete and raced through the jungle alone. Following the route he'd taken on the way there, it didn't take long for him to return to Nedeli's cave.

That's right. The one Yuan Chen had meant was Nedeli.

In the Worldview of the Dawn Bringer skin universe, Riven and Yasuo represented order and chaos respectively. Their deaths in their duel hadn't ended the struggle between order and chaos.

On the contrary, after they died, their power gave rise to new Dawn Bringers and Night Bringers.

Thus, in the Worldview of the Dawn Night skin universe, Riven and Yasuo represented the gods of order and chaos respectively. And among the first Dawn Bringers to appear was Nedeli.

Though she was Nedeli from another parallel Worldview, there was no denying that, as the counterpart of someone from another world, she was indeed qualified to become a Dawn Bringer.

With that in mind, Yuan Chen went straight through the cave and into Nedeli's bedroom—

Uh, it was just a slightly tidier cave. He looked up and called, "Nedeli... huh?"

As soon as he entered, Yuan Chen saw Nedeli lying on the bed, stretching her neck and laboriously moving her head over a basin of water, then carefully lapping at it.

Mm, both her arms had been broken, so this was the only way Nedeli could drink.

When Nedeli saw Yuan Chen arrive, she couldn't help twitching the corners of her mouth. Then she simply lay back down and said irritably, "Why are you back so soon? Did they kick you out? Why didn't they kill you?"

Yuan Chen shrugged. "That's a bit harsh."

As he spoke, he waved his hand. The water in the bowl rippled, then turned into a ball of water that floated in front of Nedeli.

Nedeli didn't stand on ceremony. She sucked at it at once—it was much more refreshing than lapping up water one drop at a time.

"Is it possible that I convinced them to work with me in just one day?"

Nedeli fell silent. Then she furrowed her brows gravely. "Are you really planning to join that suicide mission? Have you gone mad? It's an Elemental Drake! And in the elemental jungle of Ixialia, no less!"

"I'm not mad. I have plenty of confidence," Yuan Chen explained calmly. "And now I'm confident I can raise our chances of success to over eighty percent."

"How?" Nedeli looked at Yuan Chen with some scorn, clearly thinking he was getting ahead of himself.

"You."

"Me?" Nedeli was taken aback, then couldn't help laughing. "You're not saying you want me to join this operation too, are you?"

"Exactly."

"Dream on." Nedeli refused without hesitation.

"Even if I die, I won't leave this place! Don't forget, you're the one who broke my arms!"