Chapter 167
"If you don't want to die, come with me now." Lissandra walked towards Chen Ce.
But the latter seemed not to hear, and simply bent down to pick up the "shield" from the ground.
"Chen Ce." Lissandra frowned.
Chen Ce had already picked up the shield.
And he shouted again, "Please take a look at this first! The door to the Troll Treasury!"
Ornn remained silent for a moment.
Moments later, the earth shook violently.
A real earthquake.
Countless magma erupted, and even the supposedly unmelting and indestructible True Ice was forcibly shattered into countless pieces, with terrifying high temperatures instantly replacing the extreme low temperatures.
It was almost like roasting a person alive.
Boom--!!!
Another deafening explosion followed, even more terrifying than the previous one.
Then, everyone saw... that enormous figure.
Slightly shorter than Volibear in his thunderstorm form, but more than twice the size and width of Volibear.
If Volibear were a towering mountain, it would be a continuous mountain range.
His one muscular arm was as large as a city wall.
He had a pair of curved and powerful horns on his head, like those of a goat; he held an indestructible giant hammer in his hand, as if the entire continent were his forging ground; his angry eyes were hotter than gushing lava.
Chen Ce, still acting like a naive fool, continued to raise his shield and shout, "Your supposedly unbreakable secret vault door has been breached!"
"..." Ornn remained silent, but his breathing became rapid.
His breathing was unusual; it emitted not only gas but also burning flames.
He looked very angry.
"Let's get out of here now...!" Lissandra stood behind Chen Ce, tugging at his sleeve in a slightly panicked manner. "Before he makes a move... I can still hold him off for a bit, let's go...!"
Chen Ce still has not responded.
No matter how elegant Lissandra is, she feels like cursing right now.
If you anger this demigod, by the time the Icefield Demon catches up, all you'll see are a few charred skeletons...!
"If you want to know the solution, I can tell you," Chen Ce shouted, enduring the scorching heat, "But you have to do us a favor—help the entire Freljord! And even the whole world!"
Ornn still didn't reply.
He seemed to be thinking, hesitating, or perhaps trying to figure out how to vent his anger on these ignorant mortals.
An eerie silence permeated the empty mountaintop.
Until a loud explosion came from the valley below.
Boom--!
It looked like something was hit hard and sent flying, then crashed into and shattered countless rocks and trees.
Lissandra sensed it... and a wave of despair washed over her.
The next moment, a mangled corpse flew down from the valley and hurtled straight up the mountain.
Thud! The pile of rotten flesh landed on the mountaintop.
Along with it a sharp, giant scythe.
[Mortal... give me... flesh and blood... I haven't... lost...!]
Rhaast's weak and hoarse voice came through.
Chen Ce remained silent, holding his shield like a statue.
And Ornn finally made a new move besides remaining silent—he slightly rotated his wrist.
The giant hammer turned towards the foot of the mountain.
"Annoying people aren't welcome here..."
Chapter 43 It seems I'm really going to become Miss Zoe's dog.
An extremely terrifying aura continued to approach the mountaintop.
Chen Ce was all too familiar with that aura... the aura of the Darkin, just like Rhaast's.
It's just that it's much, much stronger than Rhaast.
Aatrox... the strongest of all the Ascended currently existing in Runeterra. His power is enough to crush fellow Darkin like Rhaast and Varus, and even inspires fear in the likes of Renekton and Nasus —who are far beyond his reach.
Even though Aatrox is no longer at his peak, and is not even a third as powerful as he once was... his strength is still enough to make him stand out in Runeterra.
There are very few beings that can rival it.
Chen Ce was no match for him, Rhaast was no match for him, Lissandra was no match for him either... Even Volibear, a demigod, was like a lamb to the slaughter in front of him.
But Chen Ce knew who could cure him.
The "goat" in front of us.
Ornn, the Flame of the Mountain, is the elder brother of all the demigods of Freljord.
His power was earth-shattering; the so-called moving mountains and filling seas was not even an adjective for him, much less a rhetorical device.
Moving mountains and filling seas in a physical sense.
He really can do it.
"Mortal..."
Ornn's voice was deep and resonant, like a steadfast mountain, or like lava hidden beneath a sinkhole—a hidden gem, imposing without being angry.
He was usually taciturn and rarely moved around, like a frail old man, but if someone angered him...
His true weapon is the wrath of the earth.
"I won't protect you; you're on your own... I'll only drive away some annoying people I don't want..."
The loud voice lingered in his ears, but it no longer had that deafening quality—it was loud enough, yet gentle enough. Chen Ce knew perfectly well what was going on.
He lowered his hand, which was holding the shield aloft, and then bowed deeply.
"You are the will of Freljord. May the furnace fire melt the ice."
"Hmph..." A burst of fiery breath erupted from Ornn's nostrils. His massive body began to move towards the edge of the mountaintop. "Don't follow me."
"As you wish." Chen Ce maintained his bowing posture while gesturing for Ashe and the others to move closer to him.
The battle that followed was beyond their control.
Aatrox, unable to sever his arm, and the brother of the gods... This level of battle requires at least Syndra's strength to tip the scales of victory.
They could certainly choose to play support, but that might displease this powerful demigod.
Unless Ornn is truly at a significant disadvantage, there's no need for him to intervene—which, of course, is impossible.
Without his "mobile health pack," Aatrox is no match for Ornn at this stage.
And Aatrox was completely unaware of all this...
"Cunning mortal! I've found you--!"
An angry roar came from halfway up the mountain and grew closer.
Without a doubt, Aatrox was flying upwards at breakneck speed—like a moth drawn to a flame.
In no time, a massive black shadow pierced through the clouds and reached the mountaintop.
It was Aatrox, a demon incarnate.
He folded his flapping wings and immediately spotted Chen Ce standing on the other side of the mountaintop—along with those few laughable, pathetic, and useless mortals.
He's ready to wreak havoc.
So he walked straight toward the group, about to cut the brown rock in front of him in half with a single sword stroke—he had no habit of taking detours.
He approached step by step, but he found that the mortals did not flee in fear.
Perhaps he knew he couldn't escape... Thinking this, the corners of his twisted mouth unconsciously turned up slightly.
He took the greatsword off his back, preparing to first cleave the giant rock in front of him before slaying the damned mortals.
But just as he drew his sword... the brown "giant rock" in front of him suddenly moved.
It was like... an earthquake.
Earthquake...?
Aatrox felt a little strange for a moment.
So he raised his head.
Then he saw a pair of horns.
It resembled his demon horns somewhat, but was far larger... in fact, just one of its horns was several times larger than his entire body.
His massive body, over four meters tall, appeared incredibly small in comparison to this "thing".
He was still somewhat confused about what the "thing" in front of him was.
Until the "earthquake" struck again...
Rumble...
The pile of brown "rocks" that looked like small mountains began to move... Extremely hot red fluid flowed between the "rock crevices".
A deep voice followed. "Get down... or, put me on the forging table..."
"Hmm?" Aatrox stared intently, finally able to make out the true form of this enormous creature in the blinding sunlight.
This is a... living creature.
A living creature as large as a mountain.
Its head resembled that of a foolish goat—especially those two thick horns, which looked utterly stupid. It also sported a long, thick beard, making it look exactly like one of those Shurima refugees who only knew how to hide in caves and steal from caravans—truly, incredibly stupid.
"Oh, let me see... is this a big goat?" Aatrox, who had shifted his attention away from Chen Ce, could sense the powerful aura of the behemoth before him, but he still fearlessly activated his taunt skill—he didn't take this stupid thing seriously at all.
The last foolish beast of that size is now lying on the other side waiting to die—or perhaps it is already dead. Its body has been chopped into a pile of rotten flesh.
"Your horns are way too long... and they're curled too. Do you know how ugly that is? Hmm... are you some kind of demigod? The guardian deity of this barren land? Oh, I see... this place is full of 'animal guardian deities,' isn't it?"
"..." Ornn made no response or move in the face of Aatrox's taunt.
The only thing that could express his inner thoughts at that moment was those "stupid ram horns" that Aatrox had mocked.
His horns first turned red, then became white-hot.
Aatrox remained unfazed, continuing his unbridled mockery, "Laughable demigod, do you know I have slain a true god? Before me, you cannot protect anyone!"
"I said, get down..." Ornn finally spoke—but it was also very likely his last words before he took action. He raised an arm with muscles as massive as a city, and the equally massive hammer began to radiate scorching heat.
"If I ever see you again... I'll beat you to a pulp..."
Anyone who heard this threat would understand that if Aatrox were smart enough, he should leave obediently and never come back.
But Aatrox loved fighting and bloodshed, and wasn't very smart—or rather, he was too arrogant.
He continued moving forward, his ever-angry, foul mouth opening once more.
But this time he couldn't say anything sarcastic.
The moment he opened his mouth, Ornn swung his hammer.
Thump--!!
Its unparalleled brute force surpasses even the endless snowstorms of Freljord.
Aatrox had enough speed and time to raise the Darkin Blade to parry, but the effect...
Maybe it's not that good.
Rumble...!