Chapter 97
It was like a small island in the middle of a lake floating into the sky.
"Let's start with a slightly larger small stone this time..."
"What is this... where am I... a ghost... no... no...!"
The roars, as if they were about to see Krystal, filled the air, but Chen Ce paid no attention.
Let alone a mere ordinary Black Mage, even LeBlanc lost her sanity the first time she entered the Death Realm. If he didn't go crazy, who would?
In this Death Realm, perhaps only certain groups of people are unaffected by the influence of consciousness.
Either possess absolute power like Syndra, or have the protection of the Spirit Realm energy like Kindred and the evolved Ahri.
"Stop yelling, stop yelling! It's not me who's going to die, it's you who's going to die."
Chen Ce slapped the Black Mage across the face, the force so strong it swelled the mage's mouth.
It became quiet.
He dragged the other person along without any hesitation through the Death Realm, and the terrifying death energy was gradually drawing closer.
Yes, Mordekaiser's energy.
But... it's clear that this time the approach is much slower than before.
The lord of the Death Realm was probably observing something cautiously... after all, he'd been beaten up by Syndra several times already.
Finally, after a moment of hesitation, the approaching speed of the death energy suddenly increased.
Clearly, he was certain Syndra was gone.
"Thief...! I will kill you... a thousand times over...!"
Thick fog rolled in, carrying with it the wails of ghosts and an intense aura of death.
Faced with such power, Chen Ce had no means of countermeasure.
But he remained calm and stood still.
"I know you're in a hurry, but don't rush, Mordekaiser."
"I didn't bring Syndra this time because I don't want to fight you anymore."
"I think..."
"I'll make a deal with you."
With that, Chen Ce forcefully threw the Black Mage in his hand into the thick fog.
It landed right at Mordekaiser's feet.
"The reward is your most beloved undead spirit and its energy—consider it repayment for the energy you stole before."
Chapter 104 Mordekaiser: Mordecai has drifted through half his life, never encountering a wise ruler...
Mordekaiser watched the frail human writhing and groaning at his feet, waves of death energy emanating from the gaps in the green-glowing armor.
But he didn't rush to take this ridiculous life.
He slowly raised his head and looked at another damned human—the thief who had stolen his power and repeatedly caused him trouble by relying on others.
"A mere human soul dares to presume to make up for what you stole from me... Do you think that's possible, thief?"
"Of course not." The tiny human standing opposite him— Chen Ce —shrugged indifferently. "This is just a small gift, or rather, a little proof."
Upon hearing this, Mordekaiser remained silent for a moment.
A moment later, a hoarse yet loud laugh erupted from within the massive armor.
"Ridiculous... Ridiculous! You—a cowardly, despicable, and wretched thief—how dare you make a deal with me? I am the Lord of the Death Realm, the ruler of the dead, the creator of the Immortal Bastion, the supreme being who slaughtered an entire era, I am... Mordekaiser!"
This almost boastful self-introduction didn't intimidate Chen Ce; instead, it made him find it somewhat laughable. "Well said, then how come you can't beat Syndra?"
"..." The metal bump instantly fell silent.
Perhaps he was thinking of how to argue, but Chen Ce was too lazy to listen. "This deal is entirely beneficial to both of us. I advise you to do it—no, I should say... this is a notice, you must make a deal with me."
"Are you threatening me?" A blinding green light erupted again from the gaps in Mordekaiser's armor, and endless death energy surged towards him like a tidal wave.
Even though there were obvious cracks in his armor.
"You cowardly human, how dare you threaten me? Threaten the Lord of the Death Realm?"
Faced with this surging death energy, Chen Ce showed no sign of panic, only calmly nodding. "Yes, I'm threatening you."
What gives you the right?
"With Syndra," Chen Ce smiled. "If you don't make a deal with me, I'll bring Syndra here every day to beat you up, making your armor break 365 times a year. I'll drive you crazy if I can't kill you—you don't want your armor to be repaired every day, do you, Mordekaiser?"
"..." Mordekaiser fell silent once again.
Seeing this, Chen Ce immediately pressed his advantage. "Not only Syndra, but if I'm in a good mood later, I might bring others in for a sightseeing tour, so everyone can see how easily the so-called Lord of the Death Realm is defeated—at that time, even the undead who die later probably won't submit to you so easily."
"You wouldn't want your hard-earned Death Realm Empire to be in constant chaos, would you? Otherwise, all your efforts over thousands of years would be for nothing."
"If you don't cooperate with me, you'll be in endless trouble; if you cooperate with me, everyone will benefit."
"So why would you miss the right option just to vent your anger or show off your strength for a moment?"
"You're a smart man, Mordekaiser. Don't let anger cloud your judgment."
After he finished speaking, the thick fog thickened even more, and the aura of death emanating from Mordekaiser grew stronger—like a harbinger of rage.
But he neither made a move nor uttered a word.
Several minutes later, that terrifying energy gradually dissipated.
"That woman... I've figured out her fighting style... If she comes again, I'll definitely not lose to her...!"
"Yes, I believe you." The other party's words sounded like a rejection of the deal, but Chen Ce knew the truth was quite the opposite.
If Mordekaiser truly didn't want to cooperate, he wouldn't have used words but rather Nightfall.
"But I believe you would wisely choose the benefits over the trouble, right?" Of course, you still have to save face and not directly call the other person out.
"There are no eternal enemies, only eternal interests... I understood this principle when I was still alive." Mordekaiser took a step forward with imposing presence, his massive body appearing like a mythical Titan compared to the humans before him.
Then, he gently waved the Nightfall in his hand.
Smack--!
After a terrifying sound, the Black Mage, whose sanity had been reduced to zero, died completely, and his pitiful soul was permanently imprisoned in the Death Realm by Mordekaiser's Nightfall.
"But... mortal, you should understand that such a small benefit is not enough to satisfy the esteemed Lord of the Death Realm."
"Of course." Chen Ce nodded in agreement, then added, "If one Noxus soul isn't enough for you, then how about more souls?"
"More? Dozens? Hundreds? Or thousands?" Mordekaiser asked, a hint of interest in his voice.
"I want more." Chen Ce shook his head, then smiled and held up five fingers. "If you can manage it, it's fifty thousand."
"Fifty thousand?" This number surprised Mordekaiser somewhat.
Although he slaughtered almost an entire generation, 50,000 is still a significant number—to keep in mind that thousands of years ago, he might have only slaughtered 20,000 to 30,000 people in an entire country.
It seems that the population size thousands of years ago was truly not on the same scale as it is now...
"Fifty thousand living souls... that's quite a number, but how will you bring them to me?" Mordekaiser was, after all, the supreme ruler of a certain era. While the number fifty thousand might tempt him somewhat, it didn't make him overly excited.
He even mocked the other party, saying, "I know your abilities, thief... You can only bring one person into the Death Realm at a time. Are you going to bring them to me 50,000 times? That's ridiculous."
"You're right, I can only bring one person at a time, but..." Chen Ce gave another warm smile—which only annoyed Mordekaiser more; he always knew that this expression meant trouble.
"Similarly, I can also take one person out each time."
Inside the safe house, dozens of Black Mage stared at each other, their bewildered and embarrassed faces reflected in the forbidden magic spells scattered on the floor.
No one knew where Chen Ce had gone—that cunning man had vanished into thin air right before their eyes, accompanied by another Black Mage.
But they still cannot evacuate the safe house.
Because Morse firmly believed that the man would reappear.
He simply couldn't believe that someone could disappear so inexplicably.
Even if it's magic, shouldn't it adhere to basic magical principles? How can someone just disappear with another person without warning?
Moreover, as far as he knew, Chen Ce had not mastered any profound magic at all.
He firmly believed that Chen Ce had simply used some special means to hide himself—perhaps he had concealed his physical body along with his aura—but he definitely hadn't left the safe house—and the magical spells surrounding the entire safe house didn't react at all.
In other words, as long as we wait patiently here, Chen Ce will definitely reappear.
Morse was convinced of this.
Of course, he has no choice but to believe it now—just now, he received some very bad news:
The silver-haired woman unleashed an unstoppable wave of terrifying destruction behind the Noxus army.
A kind of... super destructive power that is almost a natural disaster...
The Resistance Army retreated en masse, but the Noxus army was unable to escape that terrifying force...
The terrifying tremor, like an earthquake, even traveled from the rear of the Noxus army to the safe houses within the Resistance Army camp...
Right beneath my feet... that terrifying tremor... I could feel it clearly...
"Chen Ce wasn't lying... that woman really is..."
Morse paced back and forth in the safe house, his once calm face now covered in cold sweat.
"She really could destroy the entire Noxus army single-handedly... Right now, only Chen Ce... Only by capturing Chen Ce can we possibly force her to stop..."
"That damned woman... Celeste..."
"Star Dora... Star Dora..."
Syndra...?!
Morse suddenly realized something, and his eyes widened to their maximum size.
He suddenly realized... the so-called "Stardora" was actually Syndra... the terrifying being who destroyed the Spirit Willow more than thirty years ago...
That embodiment of hatred and rage... that representative of the violent power that reduced the temple on the Fae'lor Island to ruins...
"Damn it...!" Morse broke out in a cold sweat, which only strengthened his resolve to win over Chen Ce.
And reality did not disappoint him.
Just as the group of Black Mage were about to give up on casting the forbidden spell, a familiar energy suddenly appeared out of nowhere inside the safe house.
The aura of death... was the energy that erupted before Chen Ce disappeared.
"Quick! Get ready!" Morse immediately pointed in the direction from which the energy was coming and shouted the order.
Without hesitation, the group of Black Mage immediately began to prepare their strongest offensive techniques, waiting for that familiar figure to appear.
A moment later, the faint death energy transformed into wisps of black mist, and a blurry figure gradually appeared within the mist, drifting erratically.
Upon seeing this, the Black Mage immediately began bombarding the blurry figure with all their might, regardless of whether their companions would appear with Chen Ce.
The immense destructive force blasted the entire safe house into pieces almost instantly, with countless rubble and dust swirling upwards, making the black mist even more indistinct.
With such an attack, no matter how strong Chen Ce is, he would be crippled.
The Black Mage walked confidently toward the black mist.
At that very moment, they heard what sounded like... metallic clanging coming from within the black mist?
Then, the strange sound quickly drew closer.
A surge of immense death energy suddenly appeared, sweeping away all the smoke and dust that had been obstructing the view.
Then, a massive suit of pitch-black armor appeared.
"The world of the living... how familiar it is..."
The deep, hoarse voice rang out, and the group of Black Mage instantly felt as if their hearts were being choked—the extreme pressure and despair almost made it hard for them to breathe.
One of the Black Mage stared wide-eyed at the enormous creature emerging from the black mist, suddenly recalling some secrets recorded in an ancient book—secrets about the Noxian Empire before its founding.
Driven by both memory and fear, he struggled to utter the name that symbolized an era: