Chapter 90
Because the situation is somewhat different today.
According to scout reports, the Noxus army is assembling on a massive scale, with dozens of warbands rushing in from different locations, an unprecedented display of power.
But that's not even the most baffling part.
What's most puzzling is that the Noxus legions that assembled seemed to be in a great hurry, and they didn't even bring much food or water. Some of the infantry and support personnel who couldn't keep up with the main force were simply abandoned by them.
This looks like a do-or-die, desperate battle.
Given this situation, Irelia wasn't exactly afraid, but a cautious approach was still necessary—at least she couldn't just send troops to besiege one Noxus military camp after another as she had done before.
"Perhaps they are making a final stand."
Inside the tent, Irelia drew three red marks on the map, then turned to look at Karma beside her.
"This is dangerous, but it's also a golden opportunity for us—maybe we can solve this once and for all."
"Um...yes." Karma initially wanted to advise the other party to be more cautious, but after thinking for a long time, she couldn't figure out what kind of conspiracy Noxus could have.
Almost all the warbands have been mobilized; what other conspiracy could there be?
Could it be that they could suddenly deploy another legion to launch a surprise attack on the Resistance Army?
If they really had that ability, they would have done it already.
"The war, which has lasted for nearly three years, is finally coming to an end..." Karma took a deep breath, and when she closed her eyes, all she could see were the horrific scenes she had witnessed.
"The fall of Fae'lor Island has already put the Noxus Grand Master on edge; they can no longer sit idly by." Irelia tapped the quill in her hand, appearing somewhat excited.
"It's not right for them to gather in the front, but Chen Ce will just happen to come from the direction of Fae'lor Island, which will allow us to encircle them... It's simply perfect."
It sounds absurd that one person and one army could surround another army, but those in the know understand that it is true.
To be precise, Chen Ce is not alone—he has already received help from a super strong person, and that person has proven their strength with the feat of "conquering Fae'lor Island in one day".
"The dawn of victory is just around the corner!"
Irelia put down her quill and instead gripped the flag leaning against the table.
"Pass on my order: summon the three legion commanders and assemble all the Resistance Army!"
Chapter Ninety-Nine: The Führer Could Not Be Satisfied with Footed Socks!
Without the oppression of the Noxus, the Fae'lor Island enjoyed a long-awaited peace and tranquility. A festive atmosphere filled the streets and alleys, and it seemed only a matter of time before the Spirit of Ionia awakened on this island.
The island gradually regained the vitality of its First Lands, while the few heroes who had made it all possible left without a trace, concealing their achievements and fame.
Needless to say, Ahri would follow Chen Ce wherever he went, no matter what the destination was.
Although Lillia's starting point was different from Ahri's, and her intentions weren't as strong, her choice was still the same—since she had nothing else to do, following Chen Ce would allow her to "observe the popular humans of the First Lands," which suited her perfectly.
As for Syndra...
Um...
In her own words, "Hmph, who wants to follow you? I'm just using you to restore my magic power. Once your magic power is restored, you'll be useless."
Or, to put it another way, "I'll leave once my magic is fully restored, so you won't restrict my freedom."
Chen Ce laughed and agreed with such remarks, while Ahri, without ever showing any mercy, retorted on the spot, "Why don't you just say you'll leave after you give birth to the child?"
I haven't heard them arguing since they boarded the ship.
The Wuju stretched from the port of Fae'lor Island all the way to the west of the First Lands of Veli.
To protect himself, Chen Ce remained silent, only speaking to Lillia was always full of curiosity whenever such things happened, and expounding on principles, from Newton's First Law to the scientific spirit in the discovery of quantum mechanics.
The four of them traveled for several days, bickering and arguing all the way.
Their journey was much faster than before, from the inland areas to Fae'lor Island —with Syndra's help, all the luggage could float in the air and "walk on its own," and everyone was free of any burden, naturally increasing their speed considerably.
Chen Ce walked at the front with a relaxed air. While Syndra and Ahri were arguing, he could secretly ride on Lillia's back for a while. The super strong push-back feeling, even stronger than a sports car, and the soft, smooth feel of her even made him hum a little tune.
"You carry the load, I'll lead the horse~"
"Welcoming the sunrise, bidding farewell to the sunset~"
"By overcoming obstacles, one can pave the way to great achievements."
These relaxed days lasted for several days.
Until they saw a familiar flag on a plain—flags all over the hillsides.
Countless cavalrymen charged in the same direction. The well-trained army moved in unison and swiftly, and each synchronized step caused the earth to tremble slightly, like a series of weak earthquakes.
With Syndra's help, Chen Ce slowly floated into the sky. As far as the eye could see, there were only dark heads and iron armor reflecting the sunlight. The wheels of the carriage left tracks on the ground, which were then trampled into footprints symbolizing the trampling of war by the boots that followed.
The sounds of bugles and war drums wove together a melody praising war, echoing across the plains and lingering in our ears. The glint of swords and the clash of armor and shields added lyrics and notes to this strange tune, sending chills down the spines of all who saw and heard it.
The Noxus army is the most terrifying army in the world.
Their iron hooves trampled from the far north to the southernmost point of the world, creating one bloody feat after another in the long history of Runeterra.
This empire, originally established by Black Mage and barbarians who seized power, grew strong amidst bloodshed and death.
Their belligerence was unmatched and unstoppable by any nation.
They were savage, insane, and fearless of death.
Only absolute power can subdue them.
Clearly, Ionia, with its provinces not yet fully united and internal conflicts raging, does not possess such overwhelming absolute power.
Ionia might be able to hold out, or even drive out all the Noxus invaders, but Ionia doesn't have the ability to crush Noxus.
However... this magnificent land always seems to nurture some extraordinary beings.
Those extraordinary beings do not need strong leadership or followers; they are an invincible army on their own.
For example, the most representative one is --
Syndra.
"Those are the Noxians you mentioned earlier, the Noxus, right?"
A beautiful girl wearing footed socks stretched out a hand toward the horizon, her beautiful purple eyes revealing deep disdain.
"They numbered in large numbers, but none of them were strong. They looked like a bunch of laughable insects, cowardly huddling together for warmth."
Before Chen Ce could respond, she chuckled mockingly, "Only the weak band together for warmth... It's laughable that Ionia was nearly wiped out by this group of weaklings."
Chen Ce smiled awkwardly, not daring to agree.
Ahri, meanwhile, crossed her arms and looked to the other side with a disgruntled expression—she was very uncomfortable with Syndra's "Versailles," but there was nothing she could do about it.
They certainly have the authority to say such things.
"Should I take action against them?" Syndra asked again. "Are they your targets?"
"You could say that," Chen Ce nodded. "Thank you for your help."
"It's no trouble at all, just a small favor," Syndra said, raising her hands in a gesture that was hard to decipher as either humility or arrogance.
The next moment, a torrent of dark energy poured out from her body, and several Dark Sphere appeared out of thin air, swirling around her like stars orbiting the sun.
But just as she was about to attack the Noxus army, Chen Ce suddenly stopped her:
"Wait a minute, I have something to tell you..."
"What?" Syndra looked down at Chen Ce, her queenly aura just a step away from stepping on him.
"I'd like to ask you to get closer before you attack," Chen Ce replied, "And try to control your magic power and don't attack with full force. If your magic power gets out of control, I'll take you to the Death Realm to blast the tin men for fun."
"Why?" Syndra frowned in confusion.
"Because... well... that's a long story."
As Chen Ce spoke, he reached out his hand to the girl in mid-air.
"Anyway, can you grant my request first?"
Syndra glanced at the Noxus soldiers who swarmed like ants, then at the hand that was being extended toward her.
After hesitating for a moment, she still lowered her floating height slowly with a proud expression.
"I'll approve this time."
"You mean you promised to do as I said?" Chen Ce asked again to confirm.
"That's true on the one hand, but on the other hand..."
Syndra descended to eye level with the other person, then gracefully extended her small hand, placing it on theirs like a noble queen.
"I approve of you holding my hand."
The Noxus Ninth and Sixteenth Infantry Regiments and the Capital Eleventh Cavalry Regiment have joined forces and are advancing in the same direction.
Beneath the banners that covered the hillsides were even more Noxus soldiers. Several chapter commanders sat in the same carriage discussing their views on the future situation, their various loud voices mingling together.
Perhaps the soldiers under their command were confident about this "joint attack," but several regimental commanders were not so optimistic—their views were surprisingly consistent.
They had far more information than ordinary soldiers, and naturally knew what the situation was like in the capital city, far away across the sea—the Grand Commander had gone mad and was disregarding casualties and costs, but he was completely unaware of the situation at the front.
With the fall of Fae'lor Island, the legion located in the inland region of the First Lands was cut off from supplies, which didn't look good at all.
With no supplies from the rear and the Ionia Resistance Army at the front with high morale, this seemed like a war with no future.
Several regimental commanders couldn't help but sigh.
But what annoyed them even more was yet to come—
Accompanied by a burst of angry curses, the army, which should have been advancing at full speed regardless of everything, gradually slowed down until it came to a complete stop.
"What's all this commotion about now? You think you have too much energy?" The commander of the 9th Infantry Regiment, sporting a thick beard, leaned out the window and pointed in the direction of the disturbance, unleashing a torrent of abuse. "Drag all the troublemakers out and lock them up! Send them to the royal arena after the war!"
Several Noxus soldiers standing beside the carriage immediately went to investigate.
Soon, one of the infantrymen came running back, panting and with a look of terror on his face.
"Reporting, sir... the troublemakers can't be delayed any longer...!"
"What do you mean you can't delay? You can't even relay my orders?!" The infantry regimental commander was so angry that he got out of the vehicle and kicked a soldier.
But the latter still didn't run back, only continuing in a trembling voice, "But... but the troublemakers are Ionia..."
"Ionia? Why don't you gather others and slaughter them all?!"
"They summoned... they gathered..."
"They've gathered troops, yet they still cause trouble? How many soldiers do they have?"
"No, no army..."
"What? No army? How many people are there?"
"Just... just..." The soldier swallowed nervously, then shakily held up a few fingers.
"Four... four people..."
"Huh?" The infantry regimental commander was taken aback.
Before he could get angry and curse the other party as trash or do anything else, a terrifying loud noise suddenly came from ahead.
Then, the ground beneath their feet trembled.
Dozens of soldiers at the front of the army were suddenly thrown into the air.
"What happened?" The infantry commander scrambled back into the carriage.
The other regimental commanders, however, got off the vehicle fully armed.
"Four people... I'm afraid it's the four powerful enemies who caused the fall of Fae'lor Island." One of the regimental commanders tried to look towards the front of the army, his expression somewhat cautious—but that was all.
"But there's no need to be too nervous. If they come, we'll make sure they don't leave alive."
"Yes," another knowledgeable commander echoed, "There are only a little over a thousand soldiers on Fae'lor Island, while we have more than three thousand here. The flat terrain is also in our favor, so there's no need to be afraid of them."
"Let's launch a full-scale attack. Eliminating these four ahead of time would be extremely beneficial for us—if we let them survive the final battle, they could likely play an even more terrifying role under the protection of the other Resistance Army."
"That's true. Their isolation and helplessness present us with our best opportunity; waiting on the battlefield would only make it harder to kill them."