"Execute him!"
The forceful order rang out, and the execution blade flashing with cold light was about to swing down.
At that critical moment, with a hum, a beam of magic suddenly flashed up from the surrounding crowd.
In the blink of an eye, magic gathered above the execution platform like a surging bolt of thunder, then smashed down.
With a deafening boom, the execution platform violently exploded, sending smoke and dust spraying into the sky.
This sudden change startled everyone, and alarm appeared on every face.
Before they could recover, several figures quickly darted out from the crowd and rushed into the smoke.
"Someone's breaking him out!"
The guards at the execution grounds swiftly reacted. No one knew who shouted, but at once, all of them rushed into the smoke as well.
Yet the next second, they seemed to be blasted back out by a tremendous force.
A gale roared, scattering the smoke. As the smoke dispersed, several figures gradually appeared within it.
Among them, Sylas was still kneeling on the ground, while several people were removing the shackles on his hands and feet.
The judge and executioner had fallen to one side, their chests still rising and falling. Clearly, they had only lost consciousness.
"Demacia has oppressed us mages for far too long. When there is nothing left to endure, we endure no more! Compatriots, the time has come to rise up and resist. Overthrow Demacian tyranny and return freedom to mages!"
A female mage raised her staff high. Divine light flashed in her eyes, and her clear voice rang throughout the entire area.
"Overthrow Demacian tyranny! Return freedom to mages!"
Below the platform, countless responses rang out in an instant.
One mage after another no longer hid themselves and began shouting loudly.
"What's going on?"
"Run!"
"Run!"
"These mages are starting trouble!"
This sudden scene threw the crowd into chaos. People scrambled over one another to flee outside the execution grounds.
As the civilians dispersed, the figures of the mages became increasingly clear. There were well over a hundred of them, no fewer than three hundred.
"Sylas, these are our mage compatriots. Now, join us and raise the banner of resistance!"
The woman looked at Sylas and reached out her hand, her eyes serious and solemn as she extended the invitation.
"Liliana."
Sylas looked at the somewhat familiar face of the woman before him, raised his hand, and placed it in hers. Borrowing her strength, he stood up and could not help saying, "You've changed a lot."
He looked around and moved his aching arms. The pair of petricite chains remained on his hands. That was because he himself did not want to remove them.
At this moment, Sylas could not help taking a deep breath. Looking at the terrified people fleeing in all directions, he raised his head and let his whole body bathe in the sunlight. He only felt as if all the blood in his body was about to boil.
His heart beat with excitement.
Even though the air was mixed with a bit of smoke and dust, it still felt so wonderful.
The feeling of freedom was truly good.
"That's right. It's time we made our voices heard for ourselves."
Sylas walked down from the execution platform step by step, but his gaze caught sight of the royal carriage slowly leaving in the distance.
The corner of his mouth could not help curving into a smile.
Prince, wait for me. I'll come find you.
But not now.
"We need more compatriots. Follow me."
Sylas looked around the area once more, then passed through the crowd and walked toward the prison.
The mage ranks followed behind him in unison. With such a large display of force, the few scattered guards around them did not dare step forward for a while.
"We still have more compatriots. It's time to tell them the good news that you have regained your freedom."
Liliana followed behind Sylas and raised her staff. A beam of magic shot from the staff.
In the sky, with a boom, it exploded into a magnificent purple ring of light like fireworks, clearly visible even in broad daylight.
Sylas looked at her with slight surprise and asked, "How many mages have you gathered?"
"Over two thousand in total, spread throughout the capital, all waiting for this signal. Now that the time is ripe, we should rise up and resist!"
Liliana answered directly, her tone serious.
"Good."
Sylas nodded slightly, his gaze flickering.
With the fighting power of mages, gathering over two thousand mages was already an extremely significant force.
Once such a force gathered together, it was at least comparable to an elite army of ten thousand.
And once they added what came next...
At that moment, the group had arrived at the prison.
The warden had run away extremely quickly, leaving only some prison guards behind to intercept them. However, in front of the large group of mages, they were no match at all.
After a few spells, all of them were blasted away.
"Go. Rescue all our compatriots!"
Sylas gave the order.
At once, a dozen or so mages rushed into the dungeon. Before long, many ragged mages were freed from the dungeon.
They instinctively gathered around Sylas, treating him as their center, their eyes following his lead.
"From now on, the days when mages suffer will never return. Now, prepare to welcome our new Demacia!"
Sylas looked at the dungeon when no one else came out, then raised both hands. With a hum, purple beams of magic suddenly spread out.
They formed a mighty storm of thunder and smashed down toward the dungeon.
Amid rumbling booms, the dungeon that had imprisoned countless mages collapsed into ruins.
Seeing such direct and violent magic, many mages could not help feeling shocked.
Some of the quicker ones raised their staffs and shouted his name.
"Sylas!"
"Sylas!"
"Sylas!"
Amid the responses of hundreds of mages, the corner of Sylas's mouth curved into a smile, and his gaze flickered. "Now, it's time to teach the boss of this city a lesson."
His target was extremely clear. He directly led the mage forces and rushed straight toward the palace.
At the same time, following Liliana's signal spell, mages in the capital's North Street, southern district, East Street, western district, central district, and every other street responded at almost the exact same moment.
In this central city of Demacia, a vast amount of magic suddenly erupted in an instant.
The mages' uprising made the civilians on the streets flee in terror, both shocked and afraid.
Meanwhile, guard squads quickly began confronting the mages.
However, the mages were far too well prepared this time. Before long, they broke through the guards' defenses, allowing the riot to spread completely throughout the capital.
In the capital's southern district.
After the signal flare exploded in the sky, the mages lying in ambush here quickly rose up and gathered together at incredible speed.
They caught the guards on the street completely off guard.
They advanced all the way toward the palace, wanting to reunite with the main force.
However, in front of the route their group was taking, a slender and tall figure slowly walked out. Her movements were light and effortless, carrying absolute balance and extreme confidence. Her features were sharp and elegant, noble to the core, with several crimson streaks hidden among her dark hair.
She held a long, slender blade in her hand, and her blue eyes looked at the mage group opposite her with a hint of interest.
The mages were surprised that she was blocking their path, but soon, someone recognized her identity.
"It's Fiora!"
"Fiora, the Grand Duelist of House Laurent!"
Fiora was currently famous throughout Demacia, so naturally, she was not hard to recognize.
And the genius swordswoman ranked first on the Sword Hall board was enough to prove her powerful strength.
After recognizing her, several timid mages began to think of retreating.
"So what if she's Fiora? Don't be afraid. She's alone! We have so many people!"
The leading mage shouted loudly, raised his staff, and fired a spell straight at her.
Fiora dodged lightly. The next second, she began running at extreme speed, piercing toward the leading mage like a streak of cold light.
The flash of her blade lasted only an instant, and that mage had already fallen to the ground.
The next second, all the mages who reacted launched attacks at her in unison.
Fiora dodged through the barrage of magic.
Although she had fought countless swordsmen, this was her first time fighting mages, so naturally, she was quite interested.
However, even for her, facing such a large number of mages at once made victory difficult, and handling them was quite exhausting.
Of course, she had not come alone.
The next second, dozens of members of House Laurent arrived, leading a large group of guards.
At the other end, on East Street.
"Captain, it looks like something's happened!"
Diadoro glanced up at the sky. That thing like fireworks was clearly magic.
No matter what, he still had at least that much discernment.
Garen had seen it too, as had the other members of the squad.
While several of them were still wondering what was going on, a loud boom suddenly rang out from the street, instantly drawing their attention.
They saw groups of mages in several places raising their staffs and wantonly destroying the surrounding buildings.
"What kind of day is today?"
Diadoro rubbed his eyes, suspecting that he was seeing things. It was one thing to see magic in the capital, but now he was seeing a whole crowd of mages openly causing destruction.
What were those Mageseekers even doing?
"No matter what kind of day it is, stop them!"
Garen gave the order and had already charged toward those mages himself. "Rodion, go quickly and tell the guards to hold the western exit. Also call for reinforcements. Everyone else, hold them off with me first."
"Yes!"
Rodion flipped onto his horse and galloped away.
Garen and the others rushed forward. His gaze flickered, but for some reason, he thought of what His Highness had said to him last night.
It seemed he had already anticipated this.
In the western district.
The western district was a relatively wealthy commercial district, so there were quite a few pedestrians on the streets.
Master Sona's concert had just ended today. The people walking out of the music hall were still immersed in the incomparably beautiful music and were discussing it.
"That piece just now was incredible."
"Yeah. It felt like my soul had been cleansed."
"As expected of Master Sona. Every time I hear her play, I feel something different."
Bang!
A sudden explosion in the sky caught people's attention. They had only just looked up.
The next second, a group of mages suddenly erupted into action. Several spells surged out with swooshing sounds, and magical energy instantly filled every corner of the street.
The concert hall's doors were smashed, the glass of clothing stores was shattered, and even the roadside fruit stalls could not escape.
The riot instantly caused panic.
"What happened?"
"What's going on?"
"What are these mages doing?"
"Help!"
People scattered and fled. The street, which had been incomparably harmonious just a second ago, instantly turned into chaos.
The guards reacted quickly and soon gathered into formation, intercepting the mage forces from the front.
"Fight them!"
"Attack them!"
"Charge toward the palace!"
"They're no match for us! Attack together!"
The mages shouted one after another, and waves of magic poured toward the soldiers.
The sturdy formation was soon scattered. The combined power of hundreds of mages was far too strong, and it had come too suddenly, making it nearly impossible to stop.
Ding!
Just then, a musical note suddenly floated out. Even amid such a chaotic scene, it was still exceptionally clear.
All at once, it drew everyone's attention.
At the entrance of the concert hall, Sona was sitting there in a light, sheer performance dress, her stunningly beautiful face calm and serene.
On her lap was the Etwahl. The next second, she raised her delicate hand and swept it across the strings.
It was as if a wondrous wave of light spread from the Etwahl, accompanied by the sound of beautiful music.
Some mages uncontrollably threw away their staffs and involuntarily began dancing, their expressions filled with terror.
They felt as if a mysterious power had taken control of their bodies.
"What's happening?"
"What am I doing?"
"Stop dancing!"
More and more people began dancing. Anyone who saw this scene would find it deeply eerie. Twisted figures were forced to dance, like stiff performances by marionettes.
The mages felt fear and dread from the bottom of their hearts.
The battle had not even truly begun, and half of the mages had already thrown away their weapons.
The remaining half reacted and realized that Sona must be behind it.
"Interrupt her music!"
"Magic! She's a mage too!"
"Damn it! Don't let her keep playing!"
Several spells immediately attacked Sona.
Sona's expression did not change. She remained as dignified, quiet, and beautiful as before. She only lifted her fair hand lightly and shifted a few notes, instantly stopping those spells in midair.
The next second, the surrounding civilians and soldiers also reacted.
Without a doubt, Sona was also a mage.
But she was standing on their side.
"Protect Sona!"
"Everyone else, charge with me!"
An officer loudly gave the order and took the lead without hesitation. A portion of the troops split off and formed a protective ring around Sona.
On another street.
There was also a group of mages moving together, constantly attacking every building they saw as if venting all the pressure in their hearts.
The civilians on the street fled in panic, afraid of being caught in the chaos.
"Don't be afraid! I'm here!"
Suddenly, a clear shout rang out. Under the sunlight, a tiny figure raised her hammer high and came forward against the light.
Her shadow under the sun looked so tall.
Seeing the mage causing the biggest commotion, she said nothing and smashed him with her hammer.
The mage had just raised his barrier when the blow directly shattered it and sent the mage flying.
Behind her, hundreds of well-equipped soldiers with impressive momentum followed closely behind and charged toward the mages.
Such situations were taking place all over the capital's streets. As the knights and soldiers reacted, the suppression of the mages also began.
North Street was the closest street to the central district of the capital, and it was the capital's bustling downtown area, so there were also quite a few people there.
The Church of the Illuminators.
"Lux, look."
Kahina patted Lux's shoulder and pointed at the sky.
Lux looked up and saw the firework-like thing, then froze for a moment. "Magic?"
"Yes."
Before Kahina could finish speaking, a booming explosion came from the distance, startling her.
"What's going on?"
"Let's go out and look."
The two exchanged glances and immediately ran outside the church.
When they left the church, they discovered that outside had already descended into chaos. People were fleeing in all directions, while organized mage forces advanced like an army. All kinds of spells flew everywhere, constantly causing destruction. In the blink of an eye, smoke had already risen across the street.
"The mages have gone crazy!"
"Where are the Mageseekers? Where are they at a time like this?"
"My house! My house! I'm five years into the mortgage!"
"Damn it, where are the guards?"
"Somebody save me!"
The terrified, worried, frightened, and panicked voices of civilians rang out nonstop. People fled everywhere across the street, and everything had fallen into disorder.
Some people fell to the ground and stared wide-eyed, full of fear as they watched the mage forces slowly approach.
The mage force before them was second only in number to the main mage army attacking the palace. Its strength could be called extremely powerful, and the scale of destruction it caused was not small.
The current situation did not allow Kahina and Lux much time to think. Without a word, Kahina drew the longsword at her waist and charged out.
She had already passed Demacia's knight assessment. As a knight, standing before the people when danger came was her duty.
At this moment, Lux looked at the rioting mages in disbelief. After seeing Kahina charge out, she followed as well.
Right now, she did not understand why the mages had suddenly gone berserk when everything had been fine.
But things had happened too suddenly. There was no time to think deeply.
She saw Kahina and the knights and guards who had rushed over begin clashing head-on with the mage forces.
For a moment, she did not know whether she should use magic.
"Protect everyone's safety and suppress these mages!"
The cavalry captain loudly gave the order and led the charge toward the mage forces.
However, the strength that a force of at least three hundred mages could unleash was naturally not to be underestimated.
"Crush them together!"
The leading mage looked at the charging troops, snorted coldly, and released a spell.
The next second, all kinds of magic poured out. With overwhelming speed, they blasted the guard formation apart in the blink of an eye. Although no one died, the gap in combat strength was obvious at a glance.
Seeing this scene, the civilians felt despair at that moment.
"A bunch of useless trash! With strength like that, you dare block our way?"
The leading mage snorted coldly again. "Compatriots, follow me to the palace and reunite with the main force!"
"To the palace!"
In an instant, the mages responded one after another.
The scattered troops gathered again and stood once more in front of the road. They knew they were overestimating themselves, but they still did not run.
"Get rid of them first!"
The leading mage raised his staff high. Just as another beam of magic was about to shoot out,
"Stop!"
Lux knew she could not keep hesitating. Even with countless people watching, she still let out a clear shout.
The next second, a dazzling beam of light bloomed from the staff she took out, forming a golden ripple that spread outward in every direction in an instant.
Everyone illuminated by this golden ripple felt a wondrous protective power.
"Lux?"
Kahina looked at the glow radiating from her body and immediately turned toward Lux.
At the same time, everyone's gaze gathered on Lux.
Even the mage forces stopped moving. All of them could feel the power of the caster from that spell just now.
Holding a staff, Lux walked forward. Her golden hair drifted in the wind, her beautiful face full of resolve, her eyes flashing with divine light. Ripples of light magic lingered around her body, giving her a powerful aura like a goddess, stunning the entire scene at once.
And this action undoubtedly exposed her identity as a mage completely before everyone.
"Miss Crownguard?!"
The cavalry captain was utterly shocked. His eyes widened as he looked at Lux, who seemed like a divine maiden before him, his voice filled with disbelief.
He could feel the gentle power shining over him, but he could not believe that it had actually come from the girl before him.
She was the cherished jewel of House Crownguard.
"Miss Crownguard is actually a mage?"
"This..."
"I can't imagine it."
Shocked discussions also came from various places.
The people on this street often saw the golden-haired girl from the Church of the Illuminators. Almost no one could resist her brilliant smile.
Miss Crownguard was a beautiful sight on this street. Adults and children alike loved her pure kindness and innocent cheerfulness.
Yet today, they had suddenly learned that she was a mage.
Mage was a word every Demacian would rather keep far away from.
For a moment, some people's feelings became complicated.
But very soon, many people stopped struggling with it.
So what if Miss Crownguard was a mage?
The one who had cast magic to protect them just now was her.
Just because she was a mage, did that mean the girl whose smile was so beautiful and could give people strength for an entire day was no longer herself?
At this moment, Lux had already prepared herself to face all kinds of voices. She had once imagined what people's attitudes would be like when her identity as a mage was completely exposed.
Perhaps there would be curses and disgust.
Or perhaps not.
She did not want to see that happen. She did not want to be hated by people.
But the more afraid she was, the more she had to face it. And there would always be a day when she had to face it.
The moment she released the magic within her, Lux suddenly discovered that perhaps it was not so impossible to accept.
At least in this moment, she did not regret doing it.
Facts proved that no one would let down a kindhearted little blonde.
At this moment, the cavalry captain reacted. He immediately knelt on one knee before her. "Miss Crownguard, the cavalry regiment has a total of four hundred forty-seven men awaiting your command. Please give the order."
The name Crownguard itself was a symbol of noble status. Lux was definitely the person with the greatest authority here right now.
Seeing the cavalry captain's attitude, Lux first froze for a moment. Then she saw the other guards also standing by in place, waiting for her command.
No one showed strange looks because she was a mage.
When her identity as a mage was no longer her shackle, Lux suddenly felt as if the whole world had become clearer.
It was as if something had clicked open.
Her thoughts suddenly became clear, and the magic flowing through her body became even smoother, actively surging within her.
This feeling was truly good.
At this moment, she regretted her decision even less.
Coming back to herself, Lux immediately ordered, "Reform ranks and intercept them!"
"Yes!"
A response rang out.
The troops quickly began reorganizing, and more and more arriving guards joined in. The formation lined up neatly on the street, forming a defensive line.
Holding her staff, Lux walked to the very front of the formation and met the mages' eyes. "It's not too late to surrender now."
"Surrender? Are you kidding me? Things have already reached this point, and you want us to surrender?"
Hearing this, the leading mage let out a disdainful sneer. "Little blonde girl, the Crownguard name can't command us. I'd like to ask you instead. You're also a mage, yet now you're standing among those who oppress mages. What exactly do you think you're doing? Right, you're the high and mighty Miss Crownguard. Why would you ever need to worry about the magic in your body? You traitor to mages."
"Traitor!"
"Traitor to mages!"
"Traitor!"
Behind him, the mages shouted loudly.
Lux's heart was not shaken. Her expression remained unchanged as she looked at the other side. "It is precisely because I'm also a mage that I don't want to see you trap yourselves. Your rebellion cannot succeed. Surrender. As a fellow mage, I can guarantee you a chance to atone afterward."
"Hahaha!"
The leading mage laughed loudly, looking at her with contempt in his tone. "Do you know how long we've waited for this day? Now you think you can make us surrender with just one sentence? On what grounds? On the grounds that you're a..."
Before he could finish speaking, a dazzling beam of magic shot straight toward him and blasted him away on the spot, leaving him unconscious on the ground.
Lux blew the smoke from her staff, her little face full of displeasure. "On the grounds that my fists are harder. You won't listen when I talk nicely, so you insist on a fight, huh?"
She had absolutely no need to hide or hold back anymore, so naturally, she would not indulge other people's bad habits.
If she was pushed too far, she could just call her big brother, though things had not reached that point yet.
The people around her had not quite reacted to Miss Crownguard's sudden shift in attitude.
Lux said seriously, "I can see it now. Talking nicely won't work. We have to beat them into obedience first. So, take them down!"
After she said that, she directly flung out another spell. A dazzling ball of light flew toward the mage force, its momentum quite frightening.
For a moment, none of the opposing mages dared face it head-on, and they all dodged aside.
Every mage present could sense that this Miss Crownguard was definitely a rather powerful mage.
However, they had still underestimated her.
Lux cast spells as if there were no cooldown at all. Beams of light burst from her staff one after another as she completely let loose, moving freely and doing as she pleased.
In the blink of an eye, the beams pierced through several mages and directly bound them in place.
Then, after several more spells came down in succession, several more mages lay unconscious on the ground.
Lux's powerful performance also filled the guard forces with strength, and without another word, they launched a charge.
Their bodies were covered by a layer of prismatic barrier, and the power of light made them fearless.
Kahina took the lead and performed especially well, displaying impressive combat power.
However, over three hundred mages were not a disorganized mob after all. They soon adjusted their mindset and quickly launched a counterattack.
Just like that, both sides clashed into a melee.
But very soon, a new group joined the battle.
While the two sides were fighting fiercely, several spells suddenly came flying in and smashed into the mage forces.
This unexpected attack shattered dozens of mages on the spot, leaving everyone unable to react.
"What's going on?"
"Who's randomly casting magic?"
"Damn it, which bastard betrayed us in the middle of battle?"
"Damn it, there's a traitor among us!"
The mages were extremely furious, but they soon discovered that the ones casting spells to attack them were not their own people.
Instead, it was another group of mages coming from afar.
"Aunt Frey!"
When Lux saw the person leading them, her eyes immediately lit up.
"We came to reinforce you."
Frey gave Lux a gentle smile after seeing her. In her hand, she held an Icebone Blade that looked very dangerous.
Behind her was a group of mages from the mage camp led by Julie. Although there were only a dozen or so of them, their fighting power was not simple.
That was because behind them followed over a hundred of Luke's personal soldiers.
All of them had received the support of magical inscriptions in advance, and their weapons had also uniformly undergone enchantment.
Although Klan's enchantments and Emmaline's inscriptions had currently only reached a basic level, they could already provide a certain degree of improvement.
Seeing the new reinforcements arrive, the mage force only felt the situation becoming increasingly difficult.
Among them, a mage questioned them loudly in confusion. "You're clearly mages too, so why do you choose to stand on the side that oppresses mages? Why help tyrants do evil? Haven't we suffered enough?"
"Exactly! You are disgraces to mages!"
"Demacia treats us like this, and you can't see it?"
"How laughable. When we rise up to resist, you choose to stand with the enemy!"
More and more voices of contempt, anger, and confusion rang out from the mage forces, condemning Lux, Frey, Julie, and the other mages.
At this moment, Lux could not speak. She knew why these mages were fighting right now.
So apart from her instinctive reaction earlier, what she actually felt more of inside was confusion.
After a long period of oppression, the mages had finally erupted. They fought for their own freedom, and there was nothing wrong with that in itself.
She was also a mage. If she did not have the identity of Crownguard, perhaps at this moment, she would have been one of them.
On one side was the country she loved. On the other were mage compatriots who shared the same identity as her.
Lux was caught in a difficult choice.
For a moment, she did not know what kind of treatment the mages would face afterward if she stood up and ended this rebellion.
After what had happened today, would things become even worse than before?
Seeing Lux lower her gaze, Frey placed a hand on her shoulder and looked toward the opposing mages. "I understand how all of you feel right now. So I believe that your courage in resisting oppression is correct."
"However, precisely because of that, I do not want to see you used by those with ulterior motives. After today, the truth will come to light. His Highness Luke guarantees that all mages will receive justice. Those willing to believe me, please stop resisting stubbornly."
As her words fell, Lux raised her head and suddenly understood why Frey had been able to lead Julie and the others here so quickly.
That guy Luke... had he predicted this in advance?
At this moment, after Frey's words fell, some of the mages on the opposing side began to hesitate.
Seeing their expressions, Lux immediately said, "I, Luxanna Crownguard, guarantee here in front of everyone as witness, if you surrender now, I promise that afterward, I will see justice done for you. I promise that no good person will be wronged, and no bad person will be let go!"
Her voice was firm, clear, and powerful.
After it fell, it completely broke through a portion of the mages' mental defenses.
"I don't want to fight anymore."
"Our opponent is Demacia, after all."
"Is what you said true?"
Some mages threw down the staffs in their hands and left the group.
As the remaining mages watched them leave, their resolve also began to waver. Just as they were becoming shaken, some mages showed fierce expressions.
"Are you kidding me?"
"We're rebelling right now!"
"Has there ever been anyone who rebelled and then got off lightly?"
"You bunch of idiots, being played by these nobles like this!"
"She's the high and mighty Miss Crownguard. Even if she's a mage, she won't receive any punishment. But what about us? We don't have a choice at all!"
"In the current situation, our only option is to fight them with everything we have!"
Amid roars of unwillingness, anger, and self-encouragement, the remaining mages launched their resistance once more.
The battle was on the verge of erupting again.
In this short span of time, mages were rising up all across the capital. Riots broke out and were suppressed. Riots broke out and were suppressed.
Many mage groups were intercepted by preparations made ahead of time before they could even begin causing destruction.
Yet even under these circumstances, the capital was still thrown into chaos.
The sudden mage riot meant that today, the capital was no longer as harmonious as it had been in the past.
The clouds in the sky scattered faster, and the sunlight fell a little dimmer, painting a scene as if the weather itself was about to change.
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