Chapter 141

An avalanche occurred... The ground collapsed, and the snowdrifts that had accumulated over the years all fell into the deep pit and disappeared without a trace.

It was like a sword cleaving open an abyss.

The world returned to its deathly silence.

Aatrox sheathed his greatsword again, his terrifying eyes scanning his surroundings.

He seems to have gone a bit astray... not because he was chasing after someone, but because those ridiculous mortals kept mentioning that there seemed to be something here that could save them during their escape.

Aspects? False god? Perhaps neither.

Perhaps this is just a scam—a so-called "trap".

Okay, okay... he willingly fell for it.

He hoped this would bring him even the slightest thrill of battle—he had already made sure those mortals were fully prepared.

With that thought in mind, he continued walking in the direction the mortals were trying to guide him.

In truth, he didn't hold out much hope; after all, how strong could a mortal's power really be?

He has always believed this.

Until... he suddenly sensed a familiar energy.

A shared force...

Absolutely right... that's the aura of Ascended...

That is...

"Rhaast..."

Chapter Twenty-Five: The Darkin Stage, Come and Join the Faction!

The Winter's Claw Tribe had a less than harmonious day.

After Sejuani formally issued the challenge and Kalkia accepted it, a chilling atmosphere permeated the entire tribe.

A mother-daughter duel is absolutely forbidden and unthinkable in the traditions of Freljord —it is almost tantamount to violating tradition and morality, an absolutely "wicked act" that should be condemned and reviled under any circumstances.

If this had happened a decade or two ago, Kalkia finger; the moment Sejuani issued her challenge, Gorgia would have been tied up by her tribe and sent to the dungeon to reflect on her actions.

But the Winter's Claw is different now.

Not to mention that most people harbored resentment towards Kalkia for a long time, at least Sejuani's confidants supported this move—they were all warriors of the Winter's Claw, and did not need the Frost Priests's ridiculous witchcraft to heal their wounds, so naturally they would not be manipulated like the other old, weak, sick, and disabled members of their tribe.

They could see it... just as Sejuani had said, those Frost Priests were a slow poison from the Winter's Claw, sucking their blood and harming the tribe.

Kalkia, however, obeyed the Frost Priests without question, as if... as if they were the Warmother of this tribe.

Sejuani, however, is different.

Sejuani is both powerful and courageous, and has demonstrated exceptional leadership in several operations, even easily conquering Noxus warships.

It's no exaggeration to say that she reclaimed at least half of the tribe's food for nearly two months.

Clearly, she is more qualified to be Warmother.

When faced with the life-or-death situation of the entire tribe, those so-called traditions... rules, after all, are man-made.

Sejuani's confidants chose to believe her.

On this day, the Winter's Claw split into almost three factions.

The first faction was naturally the conservatives, led by Kalkia, whose main supporters were the Frost Priests and most of the ordinary people in the tribe; the second faction was the "reactionary faction," led by Sejuani, with fewer supporters, mostly her confidants; the third faction was the "spectators," who chose to remain silent during this great upheaval—most of them were also warriors or Iceborn.

In this way, even if Sejuani's supporters are not in the majority, at least not a large number of people will jump out to stop her.

But before the final duel, she had one more important thing to do—deal with those damned Frost Priests.

As night fell, she led Chen Ce and Ashe swaggered towards a few large houses in a corner of the tribe.

At that moment, several Frost Priests were still inside the house talking about something... seemingly some sinister plan, whispering amongst themselves. Until the door was violently kicked open by Sejuani.

A loud crash interrupted their conversation.

The Frost Priests all looked at the three of them simultaneously, their eyes revealing a hint of surprise, but not fear.

"Oh, our great challenger has arrived." One of them gave a flamboyant bow, but his tone was utterly devoid of respect. "Why don't you get some rest before the sun rises tomorrow?"

"Do you know why I'm here?" Sejuani scoffed, sweeping her contemptuous gaze over the crowd. "The era of the Kalkia is over, and it's time for you bunch of scum to finish your jobs."

"That sounds like really bad news." Another Frost Priests also revealed a mocking smile.

Even though they all saw the two people behind Sejuani —the woman was Ashe, whom they knew, the Avarosa's Inheritance, whom they had once been ordered to eliminate.

As for the other man... I don't know much about him, but I've heard a bit about him. He seems to be with Ashe, an outsider, and very powerful.

They already knew what had happened to the Avarosan Tribe —nearly a hundred Frost Priests had been brutally murdered. They knew, of course, that tonight wouldn't be easy, that they might even lose their lives... but they weren't afraid.

For Lady of Ice and Darkness... For the great Frostguard leader...

They looked at the outsider.

And the latter also went to them.

"I need you all to pass on a message for me," Chen Ce stepped forward slowly, his kind appearance making him seem harmless. "It's for the Lissandra."

"If possible, we might be able to pass on your message," the leading Frost Priests said with a light laugh.

"Hmm. Just tell her that I want the Winter's Claw Tribe too, and please don't do things that make everyone unhappy in the future."

"You're being very arrogant... Outsiders have never occupied Freljord in thousands of years."

"This is not occupation, this is cooperation."

"Just like those Noxus 'cooperation'? Heh, I guess you might be a Noxus too? You really are."

"Maybe." Chen Ce shrugged indifferently. "Anyway, give them my message—let's set off tonight."

"Tonight? No, no, no, tomorrow—maybe later. If your performance satisfies me, I will certainly pass on your message." The Frost Priests smiled indifferently. "But now, we need to rest. Please leave."

"Hmm...this isn't good." Chen Ce shook his head slightly. "I didn't discuss anything with you. This is...an order? Perhaps you can understand it that way."

"As for commands, I—we—only obey one of the greatest beings. You know who that is."

"That's coercion then." Chen Ce calmly placed his hand on the hilt of the sword at his waist.

In an instant, several Frost Priests struck first.

Various terrifying spells simultaneously bombarded Chen Ce, and the intense energy fluctuations and flying ice crystal fragments almost caused the entire room to explode.

A loud bang shattered the silence of the night, waking countless tribesmen from their sleep.

But when the smoke and dust cleared, Chen Ce stood there unharmed.

Having stacked up his Heartsteel for so long, his "health points" have long since surpassed the realm of ordinary people.

Such a weak and ineffective attack had no effect on him.

"Is this your magic show? It looks pretty good." Chen Ce lightly patted the debris off his clothes; the torn clothing on his abdomen revealed intact skin. "The massage wasn't quite strong enough."

This horrifying scene caused the leading Frost Priests to narrow his eyes, and beads of cold sweat began to appear on his forehead.

But he still did not beg for mercy or agree to Chen Ce's demands—he had already resolved to give his life for the Frostguard.

"This is your last chance—go and relay my words to the Lissandra." Chen Ce took another half step forward, his smiling expression revealing a terrifying sense of oppression.

"No..." The Frost Priests's lips trembled, but he was still resisting—he was still secretly accumulating magical energy.

Then he felt a sharp pain.

The half-accumulated magical energy exploded on the ground.

Because his right hand, which was gathering energy, fell to the ground.

"I will show no mercy to people like you." Chen Ce's sword was stained with blood as he kicked away the severed arm at his feet.

He grabbed the Frost Priests by the neck with one hand, using superhuman strength to lift the priest's feet off the ground.

"Alright, it's not impossible for you to set off again tomorrow... on the condition that I break all your hands and lock you up—to prevent you from making any underhanded moves during tomorrow's duel."

Ultimately, the reason for demanding that these Frost Priests get out of Winter's Claw by tonight is to prevent them from doing anything to the Kalkia —just as it happened in the original timeline.

As long as they are still here, they could use all sorts of unpredictable methods to kill Kalkia and ruin Sejuani's reputation.

Chen Ce waited quietly for a reply.

To his surprise, these Frost Priests actually possessed this kind of backbone—

"Whatever... you..." The Frost Priests, almost suffocating, revealed a morbid smile; her increasingly hoarse voice sounded like the most vicious curse of a dying man against his enemy.

"We... won't... leave..."

"We want to... witness... death..."

"Death... is... about to... come..."

"Just then..."

"Tomorrow...!"

The weather was rather bad at noon the next day; a continuous drizzle mixed with fine snow fell from the gray clouds, making people feel gloomy.

But this did not dampen the commotion within the Winter's Claw Tribe.

Kalkia polished her spear, the mithril tip reflecting her fierce face. She strode through the crowd, walking into the center of the clearing amidst the murmurs of conversation.

The snow here had been cleared away long ago, and the yellow earth buried beneath it was so firm. This was where she would hold her duel.

She turned her gaze straight ahead, and another woman walked over, surrounded by her tribespeople—so young, so dazzling.

Her daughter, Sejuani.

Just as spirited and energetic as she was in her youth.

But... ambition and strength are two different things.

A tragic product of a political marriage, destined from birth to be a useless piece of trash.

"Sejuani, are you ready to be beaten to a pulp?"

Kalkia's tall, muscular body was even more terrifying than that of a troll.

Sejuani was already very tall, but when she looked at Sejuani, she still looked down at her—with a contemptuous, superior gaze.

"Ah... my daughter, you share my blood, yet you are as frail as an outsider... you shame me so much."

"Your blood flows in my veins, and that as well makes me ashamed." Sejuani stepped into the center of the clearing, a massive chain mace in her hand. "But thankfully, I have transcended the limitations of this inferior bloodline—I am stronger than you, Kalkia."

"Heh... good-for-nothings never realize their own worth, and I have to remind you again and again."

"Talking is pointless."

Sejuani, too lazy to argue any further, quickly assumed a fighting stance.

Meanwhile, Kalkia openly prepared for battle—she still didn't take her daughter seriously.

But she'll understand soon enough.

The moment the battle officially began.

The two charged at each other at the same time, but Sejuani's speed and reaction were clearly faster.

The chain of the chain mace became entangled in the spear tip, and the powerful burst of force almost caused Kalkia to lose his grip on the spear, nearly causing him to drop it.

Sejuani seized the opportunity to close the distance, using her superior agility to overcome the disadvantage of her weapon's length. She rushed in front of Kalkia and delivered a full-force punch to his proud chin.

Thump! The loud, crisp sound of the strike was so clear.

"Damn it..." Kalkia, wincing in pain, quickly retreated, his eyes filled with disbelief and shock.

In her memory, Sejuani had always been a good-for-nothing who only knew how to ask her grandmother for help, and her figure was never strong enough... But why...?

"You haven't paid attention to me in too long, Mother," Sejuani said jokingly, using the term of address that was almost taboo to her. "I've been improving all these years, while you've lost your way for a man... You're too weak now."

"Shut up!" Enraged by the words, Kalkia charged forward without being properly prepared.

The result was predictable.

Sejuani once again used her chain mace to parry the spears, then freed one hand to deliver a powerful punch.

That was a beautiful straight punch.