Chapter 121
Fortunately, Chen Ce was prepared – he had anticipated that the Darkin wouldn't be so easy to talk to.
He swiftly drew his sword and swept it horizontally, using [Wind Wall] to block the first wave of attacks, then immediately used [Deceive] to escape into the distance and dodge the second wave of attacks.
Then he whistled.
Rhaast didn't understand what this meant.
But someone in the distant black fog understood.
This was something they had agreed upon as early as yesterday.
[As a condition for bringing you into the Immortal Bastion, you must help me eliminate one more person.]
[I already helped you trap a ridiculous Noxus...]
[This is an additional condition—if you refuse, you can kill the previous person as well, and our deal will be terminated.]
[A despicable and shameless mortal...]
[Just tell me if you're going to do it or not. You'll be very interested in this opponent.]
[Who...]
[The Darkin, who ruled Runeterra a generation before you.]
[Darkin...]
[Vladimir, who betrayed you, learned blood magic from the Darkin, LeBlanc likely learned some from them as well... In a way, they're practically your enemies. Besides, I know you enjoy the thrill of fighting strong opponents.]
[I'm increasingly wanting to kill you, you despicable mortal...]
[So, that means we had a pleasant collaboration?]
[Time...]
[Tomorrow.]
[Permit...]
"The Darkin..."
A hoarse voice rang out, accompanied by a dull metallic clang. Thick fog began to gather and approach, and the intense aura of death instantly filled the entire Death Realm.
The massive suit of iron armor drew closer.
"Warrior of the gods... your gods cannot protect you, for I have come..."
Within the material realm, the oppressive atmosphere in Noxus's capital remained unchanged.
But today, the Immortal Bastion seems a little off.
There seemed to be a surge of energy emanating from within the Immortal Bastion.
The energy fluctuation wasn't very strong, and it didn't cause any real harm to anyone, but...
Some Black Mage felt a strong sense of unease.
They sensed it more or less... it was energy from the Death Realm.
And Mordekaiser, the evil tyrant who slaughtered an entire era and personally built Immortal Bastion, is currently in the Death Realm...
Some Black Mage speculate that Mordekaiser will soon make a comeback.
But Swain didn't think so.
He didn't believe that the tyrant would return to earth at this time—if Mordekaiser could do that, he would have already returned to earth to reclaim his Immortal Bastion.
He discovered something through the Raven's Eyes... about the secret vault of the Immortal Bastion.
The guards on duty today seem a bit off—their numbers, density, and shift changes are all somewhat unusual.
He quickly realized something.
So he closed one eye.
Meanwhile, a raven on the other side of the capital opened its eyes.
Then he saw... it was Darius.
Darius held a document in his hand... a proclamation regarding the formation of the Trifarix Legion.
That masked man... the fox mask... it's definitely him...
"So it wasn't him who caused it after all...?"
Chapter Ten: Now only Rhaast remains!
Mordekaiser drew near.
Now back to his peak condition, he was nearly four meters tall. His jet-black iron armor glowed with a ghostly green light, and countless ghostly spirits swirled around it, howling and screaming through the gaps in the armor, like pitiful beings imprisoned.
Every step he takes leaves a deep footprint in the desolate realm of the Death Realm, and all the dead must kneel and worship before him like servants, begging for forgiveness amidst endless torment and suffering.
Finally, he stopped and looked down at the mortals before him.
And... a sickle.
"What did you bring in..." His voice was low and hoarse, like the scraping sound of metal. "A scythe... the Darkin you mentioned, a scythe?"
"Obviously, yes." Chen Ce nodded with a smile, then consciously took a few steps back. "His name is Rhaast, he was once a glorious Ascended, and he made many contributions in the Void War. Now he is a true Darkin."
"Doesn't seem powerful enough..." Mordekaiser shook his head, a hint of disappointment in his voice. "Is this the being that ruled Runeterra for an entire era before me...? So disappointing."
"Don't speak too confidently, we'll only know after the fight." Chen Ce maintained a "neutral" attitude and retreated quite a distance—the battle between these two at this level was extremely terrifying, and it wouldn't be good if he were accidentally caught in the crossfire.
"How am I supposed to fight him with just a scythe?" Mordekaiser scoffed again.
But at that moment, the giant scythe that had remained silent all along moved— Rhaast was not the kind of person who liked to endure.
As a proud Ascended, he couldn't even tolerate the contempt of Aatrox, a fellow Ascended, so how could he possibly tolerate the mockery of a bunch of broken metal lumps?
"And what are you...?"
Rhaast's voice wasn't loud, but it seemed even more hoarse and terrifying than Mordekaiser's.
"A suit of armor? Made of iron? Excuse my rudeness, but you look... too cheap."
Upon hearing this, Mordekaiser slowly turned around.
Then, he suddenly swung the Nightfall in his hand.
Thump--!
It moved so fast that only a blur could be seen, yet its power was enough to make the earth tremble.
Rhaast's giant scythe was sent flying hundreds of meters away in an instant, and even the crimson eye attached to the corner of the scythe blade was deformed by the impact.
"A noisy weakling... Is this what the Darkin?" Mordekaiser continued his sarcasm at the opportune moment.
But this time he couldn't mock them as easily as before.
Enraged, Rhaast maneuvered his scythe and returned in the blink of an eye.
Clang! The sound of the scythe striking the iron armor was both crisp and loud.
Boom... Mordekaiser's massive body was also blasted away and knocked down.
However, compared to the hundreds of meters that Rhaast had just flown, the ten meters or so that he was forced back seemed insignificant.
Chen Ce stood in a safe position and silently watched everything unfold, having already made up his mind.
Rhaast is no match for Mordekaiser at present.
Although Mordekaiser's performance has been lackluster so far, it's not because he's weak, but because Syndra is just too strong.
No matter what, he can be considered a Tier 1 powerhouse in Runeterra.
Looking at Rhaast, he wasn't particularly outstanding even when he was still Ascended. Now, having fallen into the Darkin and been sealed within a weapon, he has lost his physical body, so his power is naturally greatly diminished.
In addition, the Death Realm is also Mordekaiser's domain.
In addition, he had just absorbed countless Noxus souls not long ago...
With this shift in power, Rhaast was naturally no match for Mordekaiser.
If they have a body, you can at least touch them; if they don't, you'll just get completely beaten up.
"Your blood magic... you taught it to Vladimir..."
Mordekaiser casually brushed the dust off his clothes and walked back towards Rhaast, as if the attack had been nothing more than a tickle to him.
"Someone as frail as you... could actually rule an entire era..."
Enraged by Mordekaiser's taunts, Rhaast charged forward, wielding his scythe, regardless of whether his attack would be effective.
His Darkin energy wielded the giant scythe with the fluidity of a perfect warrior.
Unfortunately, Mordekaiser was far more powerful than him.
The tyrannical lord of the Death Realm simply clenched his fist in the air, and a terrifying giant hand made of the Death Realm energy appeared on the ground—pointing directly at the scythe.
Snap! The handle of the giant scythe was seized.
Mordekaiser swung his mace with all his might, smashing it forward with the [Obliterate].
Thump--!
This time the force was much greater than before.
This Empower slammed Rhaast directly into the ground.
The latter tried to retaliate, but Mordekaiser's [Indestructible] blocked the scythe's cut almost unscathed.
"So this is the Darkin... Nothing special, nothing special..."
Mordekaiser slammed his hammer into the ground again and again, almost turning it into a one-sided crushing defeat.
"If I had appeared an era earlier, how could you Darkin have ruled over Runeterra...?"
Mordekaiser tasted victory for the first time in a long time—after being blasted to pieces by Syndra countless times, he was finally able to crush a being with a sufficiently resounding reputation to regain his confidence.
Hammer after hammer, he vowed to smash that damned scythe to pieces.
Unfortunately... the Darkin cannot die.
Their weapons were also virtually indestructible.
Just when Mordekaiser thought he was about to create a crack, Rhaast suddenly launched a counterattack—he couldn't damage Mordekaiser's [Indestructible Body], but he could shatter Mordekaiser's Nightfall.
Clang--!
The moment the hammer fell again, Rhaast changed the direction of his scythe.
The narrowing point of the Nightfall landed precisely on the scythe.
Although Mordekaiser had reinforced this mace countless times, it was still made from the bones of some human Black Mage, and its hardness was nowhere near that of the weapons of the Ascended.
With a crisp sound, a crack appeared at the narrowing point in the middle of the Nightfall.
Then, Rhaast launched a fierce attack on the crack.
Finally, the terrible hammer broke in two.
Rhaast seized the opportunity and sprinted with all his might the moment Mordekaiser revealed an opening, barely managing to escape from the pit that was several meters deep.
Immediately afterwards, he used all his strength to wrap the scythe around Mordekaiser's head—although he still couldn't cut it off, he could at least restrict the opponent's movements to some extent.
Such a brilliant counterattack even surprised Chen Ce, who was watching from the sidelines.
As expected of Ascended has lived for countless centuries, his combat experience far surpasses that of Mordekaiser, who "only knows how to bully mortals."
However, this advantage in skill cannot compensate for the difference in their strength.
He could only buy himself some time.
Now is the perfect time for Chen Ce to extend an olive branch once again:
"How are you feeling, Rhaast?"
"..." Rhaast did not respond, perhaps because the stalemate with Mordekaiser had exhausted him, but more likely because he simply did not want to answer the question.
If Mordekaiser is the person he most wants to kill right now, then Chen Ce's name must be second in line.
However, Chen Ce didn't care what he thought, "Now you have two choices—first, continue the stalemate with Mordekaiser and suffer Mordekaiser's endless torment in eternal life; second, let's go find Aatrox together, and I'll beat him up for you."