The inner chamber.
Another group arrived, led by Garen, Lux, and Shyvana. By this point, the situation could be said to have become perfectly clear.
With Tourt and Josie executed on the spot, their subordinates had completely lost their will to fight and chosen to surrender.
In the end, only a Mageseeker force of fewer than a hundred remained.
Jarvan IV held his halberd and stared sternly at Eldred. "Lay down your weapons and surrender, Eldred. You have no chance of winning anymore!"
Eldred's gaze lingered on Tourt and Josie's corpses, and he could not help letting out a soft sigh. "I thought things would not come to this."
"What use is saying that now? Eldred, you have already stained Demacia's justice! Now prepare to face your judgment!"
Jarvan IV shouted loudly. Seeing that Eldred showed no intention of disarming, he raised his hand, signaling the soldiers to ready their arrows.
"I know it is already too late to say anything now." Eldred raised his head and looked toward Jarvan III. "In truth, no matter what happened, Your Majesty would never change your mind again, would you?"
Jarvan III did not deny it. He nodded. "Pardoning mages is the natural tide of the times. Even if the mages in the city had started a rebellion now, I still would not think the fault lay with them."
"Then sooner or later, things would have developed into what they are now."
As Eldred spoke, he slowly removed his mask, revealing his true face. It was the face of a man who looked to be in his fifties or sixties, with a white beard and hair already half white.
He raised the staff in his hand, and his voice gradually grew louder. "I devoted my entire life to the cause of suppressing magic. It was you who made me a Mageseeker back then, and now it is you who want me to cut myself away from it! That is already impossible. My life is tightly bound to it, inseparable from it. No matter who it is, no one should even dream of stopping me!"
Countless Mageseekers prepared to answer his call and fight to the death.
"Loose!"
Seeing this, Jarvan IV gave the order without hesitation.
In an instant, countless bowstrings twanged. A rain of arrows shot out, falling mercilessly toward the Mageseeker ranks.
Within the arrowstorm, one Mageseeker after another was pierced through and killed. However, the subordinates standing on Eldred's left and right released magical barriers, blocking the attacks for him.
One subordinate after another died, but Eldred's eyes remained extraordinarily calm, as if he had no emotion at all.
"In truth, the Mageseekers' research has always been making new progress. It is only that even I did not know, and had never dared to attempt, what would happen when these two powers were fused together."
An orange-yellow light lit up at the front end of Eldred's staff. It was a kind of energy that made people wary from sensing it alone.
Looking carefully, one could see that the claw-shaped tip of his staff was made of petricite.
And what truly released that energy was the thing sealed inside the petricite.
As cracks appeared in the petricite, the true form within was revealed. It was a glowing stone, shining like a gemstone.
As he spoke, Eldred loosened his Mageseeker cloak. Around his neck was a necklace, and tied to the bottom of that necklace was a pure white feather.
He tore the feather off directly and gripped it tightly in his hand. The next second, a flame suddenly ignited around his left hand.
But from the look of him, he did not seem to be in pain. That flame was likewise the manifestation of a powerful energy.
With two powers appearing at the same time, Eldred's face began to flush red. He muttered to himself, "If not for Number Zero, I could not control even one of these powers alone. Now, thanks to him, I can absorb both powers at the same time."
In the distance, Sylas frowned slightly when he heard this. He knew that Number Zero referred to him.
Clearly, Eldred had used his ability to research something.
To be honest, at this moment, he truly had a bad feeling.
He could observe the magic in things. Whether it was the glowing stone on that staff or that feather, both contained an immense amount of magic.
Luke was also frowning slightly at this moment as he studied the glowing stone on Eldred's staff.
That thing... why did it feel so much like a rune?
On Runeterra, there were treasures known as World Runes. Every World Rune contained pure and terrifying power.
In fact, many, many years ago, in the era before Demacia was founded, the World Runes had once caused a catastrophic war that had nearly destroyed Runeterra completely.
And now, something similar to a World Rune had appeared right before Luke's eyes.
Then what was the thing on the other side?
He recalled that feather-like object from just now, and a possibility flashed through his mind.
"Stop!"
At this moment, seeing what was happening, Jarvan IV charged forward without hesitation, then leapt high into the air and shouted.
The halberd in his hands flashed with golden light. This halberd was likewise a treasure passed down through the royal family, containing powerful energy and the might to split mountains and cleave the earth.
As a surge of great power emerged, a thunderous strike was about to fall.
However, the two streams of energy around Eldred had already erupted with a boom. One orange and one crimson, the two energies shot into the sky. Amid rumbling explosions, the ceiling of the inner chamber shattered and collapsed outright.
At the same time, that terrifying aura stirred up a huge gale, sweeping out in every direction.
Jarvan IV was forcibly blown away. Many people standing nearby even found it incomparably difficult to keep their footing.
That visibly overwhelming strength shocked everyone present.
At the same time, the greatsword in Garen's hand began to tremble, shaking constantly as though responding to something.
His expression could not help changing. He looked toward Eldred and murmured, "The Protector..."
"The Protector?"
Lux, standing beside him, heard this and realized a possibility. "That feather couldn't be the Winged Protector's feather, could it?"
According to legend, the Winged Protector possessed holy wings, like an angel, and each of her feathers contained her mighty power.
Garen's greatsword had once been blessed by the Protector, and now it was trembling strongly in response to the power of that feather. Did that not mean that the feather was one of the Winged Protector's feathers?
Everyone present showed expressions of disbelief.
Only Luke felt that this was almost certainly the case.
Eldred looked terrifying at this moment. Two powerful forces entered his body at the same time, causing his entire body to burn with orange-red, slightly golden magical energy. The temperature around him rose, and the air in the area became incomparably heavy. Many people felt it become difficult to breathe, and their hearts began to beat faster.
Before such direct and visible power, countless people felt utterly helpless.
Even Xin Zhao had never seen power this mighty before.
The moment the Winged Protector's power appeared, what rose in everyone's heart was a trembling sense that they could not possibly oppose it.
After all, this was the deity revered by nearly every Demacian.
The next second, with a whoosh, a pair of flame-like wings spread open behind Eldred. In that moment, supreme divine might fully revealed itself from his body.
His entire body left the ground and flew upward, his face delighted and excited as he immersed himself in that unparalleled power.
"At this moment, I am like a true god!"
He spread his arms, and his intoxicated voice resounded through the entire area. "Right now, I feel omnipotent. There is nothing I cannot do."
Lux moved closer to Luke at this moment. Looking at his furrowed brow, she whispered, "Why do I feel like he looks kind of powerful?"
"More than just powerful..."
Luke's tightly furrowed brow could not relax. The World Rune and the Winged Protector's wing, either one of these two on its own was already far from simple.
Now that the two had fused together, the power created by that fusion was something no normal person would dare imagine.
There were many soldiers present, but against Eldred as he was now, they were basically only good for being instantly killed.
This world was that cruel. Before true power, numbers were useless.
"I'll test how strong he is first."
As Luke spoke, he grabbed the little black dog beside him, who had been watching the show with great interest, and without another word, hurled it toward Eldred, who looked as if he had ascended.
"???"
The little black dog threw out three question marks in midair.
The next second, Eldred noticed it. Before it could even get within three feet of him, a powerful surge of energy blasted directly into the little black dog, sending it flying away like a shooting star.
A few faint barks came from the little black dog in midair. It felt like it was cursing very foully.
Eldred looked at this scene with some surprise. He raised his hand and examined it, a faintly puzzled look appearing in his eyes.
Under normal circumstances, that little black dog's fragile body should have been crushed outright by the power just now.
He had not expected it to survive.
"He isn't absurdly strong."
Luke had now verified the situation. Nocturne was living inside the little black dog. That guy seemed to have secretly recovered some power recently, but he was still far from his peak.
If Eldred could not instantly kill the little black dog in that state, it meant he was not ridiculously powerful.
But even so, Luke still had no way to deal with him.
Because even if he was not ridiculously powerful, he was still not someone the people here could handle.
At this moment, Eldred felt the mighty power surging within his body and no longer cared about the little black dog from earlier. He said coolly, "From this moment forth, I will unveil a new chapter for Demacia. The people and things of the old era will all be erased."
At this moment, he felt like an omnipotent god.
The next second, he raised his hand, and the first person he aimed at was Luke. "I will start with you, Second Prince."
"Haha, then I really should thank you."
Luke wanted to curse in his heart. He did not understand why these villains always targeted him first.
Was being handsome a sin?
He planned his escape in his mind, but soon realized that he probably could not run away.
Before Eldred could release the terrifying energy within him, the sound of chains rattling rang out first. A chain wrapped around his body, and the next second, it lit up with the same-colored glow. The power fused from the rune and feather flowed along the chain toward the other end.
Eldred stopped moving and turned to look at the chain's owner. "Number Zero... I had planned to kill you last."
The corner of Sylas's mouth curled into a disdainful smile. "My name is Sylas. Don't call me by that bullshit title. Still, this power really is wonderful."
As the power of the rune and feather poured into his body, Sylas truly sensed the immense magic contained within both.
If he kept absorbing it like this, he felt he could become the strongest.
"If everyone else gets to enjoy a turn, then it should be my turn too."
Sylas threw out the chain in his left hand, planning to absorb magic with both chains at once.
However, Eldred caught it in midair. He did not care at all that his power was being absorbed and said calmly, "The power to absorb magic, I have that too."
The next second, Sylas's expression changed slightly. He discovered that the power he had absorbed was being drawn back in reverse, and even faster.
He finally understood why Eldred had specifically mentioned him earlier.
This guy had actually obtained his ability to absorb magic.
"Now, do you still want to stop me?"
The corner of Eldred's mouth lifted pleasantly.
"I do have some self-awareness. You're glowing so much you're almost on fire. How could I possibly stop you alone?"
Sylas did not panic. He likewise smiled faintly. "But don't forget who you got that ability from. If you want to show off in front of the expert, you're still not quite there yet. Since I can't take your power away, I can still manage to make a little trouble for you."
As soon as he finished speaking, it was Eldred's expression that changed this time.
The stable magic in his body suddenly went out of control in that moment.
He immediately realized that Sylas had never intended to absorb his magic from the beginning, but rather to break the balance maintained between the rune and the feather.
Both were extremely powerful forces. It was because of the special nature of Sylas's ability that he could control those two powers within a stable range.
Now, these two powers had lost their balance, one strong and one weak, and they began to struggle inside his body.
Without stable control, he could no longer command those two powers.
If this continued, the two uncontrolled forces would rage violently inside his body, and his flesh would very likely be unable to endure it.
He immediately threw Sylas's chain aside, flapped his wings, and flew up, devoting himself fully to adjusting and stabilizing the magic.
"My fellow mages, this guy sees us as mortal enemies. It's time to teach him a lesson."
Seeing this, Sylas shouted loudly.
By this point, all the mages present already understood that Eldred was their true enemy.
Thus, in response to Sylas's call, every mage raised their staff, and all kinds of magic rushed toward Eldred as he tried to stabilize his power.
At first, several of his subordinates were still able to resist, but they were soon defeated.
However, to everyone's surprise, when all sorts of magic struck Eldred's body, none of it had any effect.
Eldred's outer clothing was destroyed, gradually revealing the pure gray-white clothing he wore underneath. Its texture looked as hard as armor, and multiple patterns were carved across it.
"It is useless."
At this moment, Eldred's cold, mocking voice rang out. "What I am wearing is an anti-magic shell that took two years of effort to create. It can cancel out half of all magic damage, and the remaining half becomes a source of power for me."
He already possessed Sylas's magical trait. Through the guidance of the patterns on the anti-magic shell, he could absorb at least half of the magical energy.
At this moment, he was invincible!
Continued attacks would only make him stronger and stronger.
As his words fell, everyone present could not help feeling a despair that came from the depths of their hearts.
Before that violent, terrifying power, they could not get close at all. Yet now, even magic had lost its effect.
Was there truly no way left?
"Everyone, retreat while you still can."
Jarvan III gave the order to withdraw with a heavy expression.
Even he felt that, at this moment, there was no solution left.
His heart was filled with regret. If he had known earlier that Eldred was secretly researching such a terrifying power, he would certainly have abolished the Mageseekers ahead of time.
But now, it was too late to say anything.
From the moment the rebellion began, what was happening now had been destined to occur.
At this moment, Luke also understood that from the instant he had flapped his butterfly wings, every direction events took had already left the scope of his foresight.
Who could have imagined that one small Mageseeker leader would actually possess both a World Rune and a feather of the Winged Protector?
Beside him, Yurna's eyes reflected the pair of wings behind Eldred. She slowly clenched her fists, as if making some kind of decision.
Just then, Lux stepped forward with a face full of determination. "If none of you have a way, then let me try."
Her small hand gripped her staff, which now lit up with a beautiful, dazzling glow.
Immediately after, she raised her staff, but what she aimed at was not Eldred. It was the blue sky.
The next second, as Lux's entire body shone with brilliant radiance and magic filled the surroundings, a dazzling beam of light shot into the sky, piercing straight through the clouds.
Garen, Jarvan III, Jarvan IV, Xin Zhao, and all the mages and soldiers could not help staring in slight bewilderment.
While they did not understand what Lux was doing, they also felt that in this moment, she truly was extremely radiant.
As the light gradually faded, the sky remained blue, with no movement at all.
Lux's body was no longer glowing either. Sensing the gazes around her, she could not help saying, "Don't look at me. I don't know whether it worked either. Anyway, pray!"
She tugged at Luke's sleeve, then clasped her hands together into fists. A devout, believer-like prayerful expression appeared on her beautiful face.
Something suddenly flashed through Luke's mind, and he copied her, putting his hands together and praying devoutly.
At this moment, violent winds roared over from Eldred's side. He had already stabilized the two powers inside his body again.
Then, the first person he set his eyes on was Sylas. He raised his hand, and a surge of powerful energy shot out.
Sylas brought both hands together and realized that he had no way to dodge. He could only force himself to resist head-on.
Yet in less than a second, he was blasted away, slammed heavily into a wall, spat blood, and fell unconscious.
"This farce should end now."
Eldred's expression became somewhat displeased, as if his mood had been ruined.
He flapped his wings and flew even higher, rising to a position at least thirty feet above the ground.
Immediately after, he raised both hands toward the surroundings. Terrifying energy gleamed in both of his hands, and the surging power roared like thunder.
The next second, a terrifying attack was about to be released.
Suddenly, the space above his head darkened. Like storm clouds sweeping in, a shadow descended over him.
Whoosh.
As the sound of something tearing through the air arrived, Eldred instinctively raised his head. His expression suddenly froze, and in his eyes, a tiny black shadow grew larger and larger, closer and closer.
His eyes widened. That black shadow was absurdly fast. It arrived almost in the blink of an eye.
By the time he realized what it was, it was already too late.
The black shadow seemed to have descended from thirty thousand feet in the sky, crashing down heavily.
Boom!
At that moment, an enormous gale surged up together with the sound. The ground shook violently, cracked open, and sent countless fissures spreading outward in every direction.
The surrounding walls collapsed with a crash, kicking up smoke and dust that filled the sky.
Countless coughs rang out, and everyone's expression was a little dazed. Only Lux and Luke's eyes lit up.
Everyone's gaze turned toward the smoke at the same time.
Within the haze, a pair of enormous stone wings spread open. Immediately after, a massive figure, appearing like a hero making his grand entrance, slowly stood up and towered there proudly.
"Do not fear! For if you ask why, it is because I am here!"
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