Chapter 187
He didn't care about any of it.
He only cared that the space in front of him was beginning to distort.
A deep voice followed:
"Noxus... welcomes your Emperor..."
Chapter 57 Demon Raum: Changing Masters!
The Immortal Bastion is in turmoil once again.
The fact that this fortress, which had never faced danger for thousands of years, was turbulent three times in just a few months was undoubtedly the most direct and contemptuous provocation against royal power.
The news caused an uproar throughout the capital.
People peered out of their windows, gazing at the towering castle, trying to find something unusual... They had heard that the current leader was not legitimate to succeed him and that the old nobles had been subjected to a bloody purge.
Perhaps his "karma" has come... perhaps?
Ordinary citizens are completely unaware of the undercurrents at the highest levels of government and mostly just watch the spectacle.
The soldiers in the capital were a different story.
The Trifarix Legion was newly formed, and these elite warriors, who were directly commanded by the Trifarix Council of three, were mostly loyal to Swain.
In the instant the commotion escalated, thousands of Trifarix warriors charged toward the Immortal Bastion.
A light drizzle fell from the gray sky, and the trembling reflections in the puddles accentuated the soldiers' anxious steps.
Hundreds... perhaps even thousands of Trifarix's elite troops have already arrived at the Immortal Bastion, where the sounds of fighting are very clear.
But...
It didn't seem to last very long.
The roars, screams, wails, and the clash of blades abruptly ceased at a certain moment.
People don't know exactly what happened there.
The Trifarix Legion stationed in the capital is desperately surging towards the center of the empire's power.
But just as they were about to arrive, the empire's military representatives appeared.
First they saw a giant axe, then a suit of heavy armor covered in sword marks... and the tall man, the general. He led his army to stand in the plaza outside the Immortal Bastion.
"Children of Noxus, halt!" The Hand of Noxus raised his massive axe, his voice booming with authority.
"Put away your weapons! Take your dragon lizards with you!"
Upon hearing this, the elite Trifarix Legion were both confused and anxious. "There's danger inside the Immortal Bastion!"
"Of course I know." Darius, the Hand of Noxus, slung his giant axe over his shoulder. "So, leave this to me!"
"The Grand Commander is in trouble, we should all go to his aid!" The leading centurion neither sheathed his weapon nor dismounted from the dragon lizard's back, looking as if he was about to overtake the enemy and continue charging towards the Immortal Bastion at any moment.
This somewhat angered Darius.
But that suited him perfectly.
Do you know what you're saying...?
Darius stepped forward slowly; his imposing figure, even without a horse, was not much shorter than the other man riding a dragon lizard.
He gripped the axe handle with one hand and pointed the massive axe, weighing several tens of kilograms, at the centurion's neck.
"Are you disobeying my orders... soldier?"
The centurion fell silent.
The elite Trifarix Legion behind him also fell silent.
Normally, they would certainly not dare to disobey Darius, one of the three members of the Trifarix Council, but now...
The Immortal Bastion was in danger, and Darius was stopping them—an act tantamount to treason that inevitably made them suspicious—especially since their true "boss" should be Swain.
Rather than the great general before them.
A tense atmosphere, reminiscent of a civil war, filled the air, and no foolish soldier dared to make the slightest noise at this time.
Darius continued to apply pressure, placing one hand on the dragon lizard's head.
The ferocious dragon lizard unusually lowered its head at this moment—as if in submission.
Darius brandished the Black Cleaver in his hand again.
Finally, the centurion felt an unprecedented fear under Darius's threatening gaze.
It's no exaggeration to say that Darius executed no fewer soldiers than his brother Draven killed... even if those were all damned deserters and cowards.
"I am very sorry, my respected General..." The centurion dismounted from the dragon lizard's back, kneeling respectfully as if swearing an oath of loyalty. "Your orders are paramount; no one will disobey your commands..."
"Even if you're a soldier of Swain?" Darius narrowed his eyes.
"Even so..." The centurion's voice began to tremble.
"Go back." Darius gave a cruel smile, then slapped the dragon lizard's head hard.
The war behemoth native to Noxus screamed and fled like a cowardly lizard.
"This place is now under my control, Darius, the Hand of Noxus!"
"Yes... yes!" The centurion left without looking back.
The other centurions also led their men back the way they came.
Darius hoisted the giant axe onto his shoulder again, his hearty laughter echoing loudly in the deathly silent square.
"My warriors! Hear my command, surround the Immortal Bastion!!"
Everyone saw it...
Whether it was the elite Trifarix stationed within the Immortal Bastion, or the ordinary fortress guards... everyone saw it...
A suit of jet-black armor... massive and imposing... faint green light emanated from the seams of the armor...
Two beams of light, like eyes, gleamed from the center of that heavy helmet... filled with murderous intent...
A hammer... charred bones... those are human bones...
Ghosts wander... a wail from hell...
"Immortal Bastion... do you still remember your master...?"
A colossal figure slowly emerged from the distorted portal of space.
The moment he entered the material realm, the aura of death enveloped all the living. The ruler of the Death Realm had arrived, seeking to reclaim what belonged to him from the world of the living.
"I am destiny... submit to me..."
The sound of the armored vehicles stomping on the ground was crisp and loud, like a sharp knife pressing on everyone's hearts... filling them with fear.
There is only one exception.
The mortal who made a deal with the devil.
Demons or ghosts, whose fear is greater?
"Saan Uzur..." Swain uttered Mordekaiser's former name, but perhaps it wasn't something he had found in the ancient texts himself—that demon knew all secrets. It would tell him the whole truth.
"You know me... or does it know me?" Mordekaiser turned to the mortal whose wingspan was no less than his own when spread. "Peeping at demons... you've stooped so low as to dance with mortals..."
As he spoke, he raised his hammer.
In an instant, the mortals surrounding him felt a sharp pain from the depths of their souls—the hammer was like a magnet, and their souls were like iron... it was drawing their souls away!
"I'm here to take back what's rightfully mine... and you, Raum... you're getting in my way..."
Mordekaiser's green-glowing "eyes" looked toward Swain —or rather, the wings behind Swain.
The terrifying power of the Death Realm immediately surged forth like a tidal wave.
Swain quickly stepped aside, and the demonic power shielded him from the corrupting influence of the Death Realm on the living.
Then, he waved his hand forward, and countless ravens burst through the windows from the outside, rushing towards Mordekaiser like madmen.
Thousands upon thousands of crows instantly filled the entire room, surrounding the massive Mordekaiser, before exploding into pools of bloody energy.
The fierce offensive affected the surrounding soldiers, and these fragile mortals were reduced to skeletons almost instantly.
Even Chen Ce would give them a wide berth without entering Darkin form.
But for Mordekaiser...
That's kind of ridiculous.
"I am a spirit of the dead... Do you really think you can suck my blood...?"
With a deep, hoarse voice filled with mockery, Mordekaiser swung his Nightfall with force.
Thud! The hammer slammed down, and even the Immortal Bastion forged from special stone could not withstand such force, shattering into pieces with a deafening roar.
Everyone fell downwards, Swain, taking advantage of his ability to fly, tried to launch an attack.
But his demonic power suddenly stopped working.
Or rather... the devil has its own ideas.
The demonic power he had pushed towards Mordekaiser retracted on its own, carrying him upwards once more.
A hoarse whisper echoed in his mind:
Mordekaiser cannot linger in the world of the living for long... avoiding battle is the best option...
Clearly, the spying demon has once again discovered the [truth].
This is its most powerful ability.
The truth that sees through everything.
"I see..." Upon learning of Mordekaiser's weakness, Swain's confidence soared, and he no longer dared to attack rashly.
He always preferred to outsmart the enemy rather than seize them by force.
This is also the fundamental reason why the spying demon would make a deal with him.
Let's avoid the limelight for now and exercise restraint!
Swain began a flanking maneuver.
Chen Ce, standing below, immediately realized that he was trying to stall for time—if nothing unexpected happened, it was because the demon Raum had told him about Mordekaiser's "weakness."
But... is that really the case?
This is the Immortal Bastion, Mordekaiser's happy old home, a place that all Black Mage fear most...
Why the fear?
The secret to Mordekaiser's connection to the material world lies within this fortress.
Here, he can stay for much longer than just a few seconds or tens of seconds...
"Why did you run away..." Mordekaiser let out a series of chilling laughs, and even the soldiers outside the Immortal Bastion felt the shadow of death loom over them.
The King of Noxus is coming back to settle scores.
"Come back... Raum..."
Mordekaiser clenched his fist, and a large green hand made of magic immediately formed beneath Swain's feet.
[Death's Grasp]
Chen Ce was almost killed by this thing back then.
Svett faced the same predicament at this time.
"Oh no...!" The power of the Death Realm gripped his ankles, snapped his wings, and forcibly pulled his demon-modified body back to normal.
The enormous human bone hammer was seamlessly joined together.
[Obliterate]
Thump--!
The hammer fell straight down, and even with Swain's desperate struggle, he couldn't completely dodge it.