Chapter 122

"..."

"Don't think you can wear Mordekaiser down with your immortality, because he is immortal too—in this realm of the Death Realm, his immortality is even more exaggerated than that of you Darkin. To be honest, my companions have already shattered him countless times before."

"Shut up...!"

"Anger solves nothing; reason is the key to the right path."

"I told you... to shut up!!"

Enraged, Rhaast abandoned his perfect opportunity to hold off Mordekaiser and charged at Chen Ce instead.

His attack was fierce and fast, but the latter simply stood there smiling.

Because Mordekaiser moved.

"I never said you could leave..."

Mordekaiser used [Death's Grasp] again, forcefully pulling the giant scythe back.

Thump! Even without Nightfall, the Lord of the Death Realm's Riot Games was no weaker.

"You're so despicable...!" The treacherous mortal was right in front of him, but Rhaast just couldn't touch him.

He was dragged back by Mordekaiser and given a good beating.

He wouldn't die, nor would he feel any pain, but the exhaustion from the depletion of his magic and the humiliation of being brutally beaten still caused him immense suffering.

Chen Ce wasn't in a hurry to ask him any more questions; he simply squatted down quietly to the side and continued to watch the show.

In this Death Realm teeming with countless ghosts, Mordekaiser is essentially carrying a "blood fountain" with him, so the problem of energy depletion is nonexistent, and he can beat people up non-stop for twenty hours straight.

The question is how long Rhaast can endure this.

Being immortal is one thing, but being able to endure pain is another.

Chen Ce squatted on the ground and stared at it for a long time.

Ten minutes, half an hour, an hour...

Two hours, five hours...

Half a day had passed, and Mordekaiser's Riot Games were starting to deform from all the punching.

Rhaast finally couldn't take it anymore.

"Aatrox... take me to Aatrox...!"

"Finally agreed?" Chen Ce was a little pleased.

"I can lend you my power... but you have to lend me your body...!" Rhaast gritted his teeth as he was being beaten. "Give me a body that's good enough... and I'll kill them all...!"

Is this really true?

"Really...!"

"I hope you won't feel as frustrated in front of Aatrox as you do now."

Chen Ce smiled again, then stood up.

He cast [Deceive] and instantly appeared beside Mordekaiser.

Then, under Mordekaiser's extremely displeased gaze, Rhaast controlled the giant scythe and flew towards the only mortal among the three.

The handle of the giant scythe landed in Chen Ce's hands.

In an instant, a powerful stream of consciousness surged through Chen Ce's brain.

It seems this frustrated Darkin has some ulterior motives.

But Chen Ce had made ample mental preparations—he would never allow the already exhausted Rhaast to possess his body.

After a fierce battle of wits, he raised the giant scythe above his head and skillfully twirled it several times.

Just as he was preparing to accept this powerful force, Rhaast made a new move—or rather, this was his true purpose.

His "possession" just now was merely a smokescreen.

The purpose was to lower Chen Ce's guard.

In the instant their energies merged, he forcibly seized control of one arm, and then swung his giant scythe at Mordekaiser with all his might.

Clang--!

Another crisp metallic clang rang out.

But this time, Mordekaiser's [Indestructible Body] has developed a crack.

Boom! Mordekaiser's massive body was suddenly sent flying backward, crashing heavily to the ground. Spider-silk-like cracks began to spread across his dark iron armor.

Such power surprised not only Mordekaiser but also Chen Ce.

Only Rhaast laughed heartily.

"This is my power! The power of the Ascended! The power of the Darkin!"

This is the power of the Darkin who possess a physical body.

The true power that the Darkin should possess.

"..." Mordekaiser, whose defenses had been successfully breached, was momentarily stunned.

When he came to his senses, his overwhelming anger and resentment caused hordes of ghosts around him to wail.

Rhaast was still laughing, but Chen Ce had already sensed that something was wrong.

If he stayed any longer, Mordekaiser might kill him along with the others.

Collapse, withdraw, sell, and run!

"Realm of Death, activate!"

Darius delivered the documents to the manor as Chen Ce had requested.

But that's only one of the requirements.

Now, he has to get on with his second request.

He looked toward the Immortal Bastion, where some commotion had begun—unusual activity had arisen in the Immortal Bastion's vaults, and a large number of guards were now converging there.

His previous deliberate removal of guards will certainly be investigated.

But it's okay.

As long as Chen Ce can help him resolve the troubles in the north as promised... and deal with those barbarians from Freljord...

It was all worth it.

Now that Trifarix Council, no one has the right to tell him what to do.

All complaints and discontent will crumble when the good news arrives from the far north.

And Swain... if he has any doubts, he should first doubt himself.

Darius took a deep breath and walked out of the military camp.

Now he's going to find Swain... to buy time and create an opportunity for Chen Ce to escape.

Now is not the time to let Swain know everything.

The Raven's Eyes...

Their wings blotted out the empire's skies, their mournful cries brought unrest to Noxus...

"I hope you're right..."

Chapter Eleven: Syndra: The Last Massage?

The entire Immortal Bastion descended into chaos.

The sudden loud noise and energy fluctuations terrified the Black Mage; this was an unprecedented phenomenon in hundreds of years—some even suspected that the tyrannical Lord of Death had returned.

Chen Ce did not completely deny these speculations—although the current commotion was not caused by Mordekaiser would indeed return to his Immortal Bastion.

It's just that the time hasn't come yet.

Now is not the best time.

The secret vault contained many treasures. Chen Ce casually took some gold and silver with him and then used Deceive to escape the scene.

Leaving the Immortal Bastion, he strolled leisurely back, taking the opportunity to admire the hard-won scythe.

A giant scythe, once the weapon of Ascended, now rests quietly in his hands.

His crimson eye was still flashing; the humiliation of being brutally beaten by Mordekaiser had vanished in his final counterattack, leaving only the arrogant and ferocious aura of the Darkin.

"It will be a pleasure to cooperate with you from now on, Rhaast."

"..." The single eye at the corner of the scythe flashed, and after a moment of silence, a deep, hoarse voice entered his mind:

"I have no desire to cooperate with you, you despicable mortal..."

"But you need me to find Aatrox, don't you?" Chen Ce completely disregarded the other party's insults—or perhaps they were a fair assessment—and instead laughed. "Besides, you can't beat him without me."

"You underestimate the power of the Darkin... Above this shameful title lies the glorious Ascended...!"

"Aatrox was one of the strongest Ascended."

"I will prove everything with facts...!"

"It turns out you can't even beat Mordekaiser... I just hope you don't chicken out in front of Aatrox then."

"The Darkin know nothing of fear...!"

"That would be for the best." Chen Ce smiled again, then briefly sensed his own power.

Although he hasn't fully obtained Rhaast's power yet, once a [symbiotic relationship] is established, he will be able to obtain a portion of the Darkin energy.

This proportion is significantly higher than the amount stolen from Mordekaiser.

Such power... aside from a few beings comparable to gods, it can almost be said to be the absolute pinnacle of mortals.

"In short, it seems I can barely be considered a 'qualified' host."

"Heh..." Rhaast let out a disdainful laugh, then fell silent.

He did not deny this claim.

Because this statement is truly irrefutable.

Ultimately... although he was reluctant to admit it, Chen Ce was indeed the most powerful mortal he had encountered since regaining consciousness.

Based on his experience, Chen Ce's strength far exceeded that of normal humans—although he was still not as good as the great Ascended, he was still better than most Ascended before their ascension.

In the former Shuriman Empire, mortals were only fit to be servants of the Ascended, but this mortal was clearly different from those lowly servants.

Shuriman Empire back then couldn't find many mortals as powerful as this, let alone Runeterra now.

He is indeed qualified...

As night fell, Chen Ce sat in Darius's study as promised.

Darius arrived as promised from outside the door.

This area will also be undetectable by Swain's [Vision of Empire].

The Raven's Eyes could not see through the fog of the empire, nor could they discern the true face of the Hand of Noxus.

"I thought I had gone into the wrong room."

Darius walked to the desk, removed his armor, and glanced at the young man sitting casually.

"Perhaps I should knock on the door before I go in."

"Please allow me to apologize for my rude act of trespassing on private property." Chen Ce smiled and bowed. "But isn't that what assassins love to do most?"

"Heh." Darius let out a disdainful sound, then sat down across the desk in the same casual posture.

Seeing his expression, Chen Ce knew without guessing that the matter at the Immortal Bastion had been brought under control.

This ruthless general is a headache whether he's a superior or an enemy, but he's a reassuring teammate.

If he personally promises something, he will never fail to do it properly.