CHAPTER 526 - Execution
Swain had never encountered LeBlanc in person—not even her deceptive doppelgängers. By exposing his parents' betrayal of the empire, Swain climbed into the ranks of the nobility and became a military commander.
His sharp mind, honed since childhood, proved invaluable on the battlefield, enabling him to pacify the western borders and gain widespread acclaim. Yet, he had no inkling that he was merely a pawn in the machinations of the Black Rose, orchestrated by the Pale Lady to manipulate the unruly Darkwill.
When Darkwill ordered an eastern campaign into Ionian lands, Swain led his troops into battle, setting traps for the Navori resistance.
However, the sudden withdrawal of supporting battalions left him isolated. His kneecap was shattered, and his left arm severed by the Blade Dancer's knives. Lying helpless at the heart of the battlefield, Swain locked eyes with a raven bearing crimson eyes. It was then he truly understood.
The familiar dark power, the demon Raum, who feasts on secrets, had been watching him all along. While the demon sought to consume him, Swain turned the tables, uncovering Raum's true name and subjugating it.
Through this pact, Swain unearthed the secrets of the Black Rose and the Pale Lady, identifying them as threats to his ambitions.
LeBlanc, for her part, considered Swain a rare adversary, one not seen in a thousand years—a man who, against all odds, escaped her meticulously calculated schemes, only to later overthrow the old monarchy overnight and establish a new regime.
"Swain..." LeBlanc gritted her teeth, her piercing gaze brimming with cold hatred. She had been captured at one of her clandestine Black Rose hideouts. For days, LeBlanc had sensed she was being watched but could find no trace of the threat through her magical senses. Today, that vigilance failed her.
Dozens of drones materialized from their cloaked invisibility, launching sedative energy rounds that caught her off guard. Rendered defenseless, she was quickly outfitted with anti-magic restraints by advancing mechanical soldiers. Moments later, Darius and Draven led the Trifarix warriors in storming the hideout, ultimately escorting LeBlanc in a petricite-reinforced prison carriage.
It didn't take long for LeBlanc to piece together what had transpired. She shot a sidelong glance at Li Lin before fixing her gaze back on Swain. Her frustration and fury morphed into a sneering smirk. "So, this is it? The Grand General of Noxus stoops to relying on external forces to bring order to Noxus?"
"Spare me your feeble attempts at manipulation, Pale Lady. Your tricks are outdated." Swain withdrew his hand and offered a mocking smile. "How does it feel to be a prisoner now?"
"You think you've won?" LeBlanc's lips curled into a sardonic smile. "Don't celebrate too soon."
"If you're counting on one of your deceptive clones to save you, I suggest you abandon that thought," Li Lin interjected casually.
LeBlanc's icy stare shifted to the young man standing beside Swain. "Li Lin, you're helping a man destined to be devoured by a demon? Only the Black Rose can address the crises this world will face in the future!"
"Save it," Li Lin replied with a dismissive wave. "Your so-called 'world crisis' is limited to Mordekaiser and his army of the dead. What lies ahead is a threat a thousand times more terrifying."
LeBlanc paused, momentarily bewildered by Li Lin's cryptic words.
"You Black Rose schemers excel only at fomenting chaos within humanity, exhausting our strength. In your quest to find the means to counter Mordekaiser, you've plunged all of Runeterra into the quagmire of war. But have you ever considered the looming threat of the Void?"
"The Void..." At the mention of that name, LeBlanc's expression flickered with unease.
It was understandable for Swain, previously uninformed about the Void, to lack concern. But for someone like LeBlanc—an "old witch" who had lived for over a millennium and secretly controlled Noxus—the Void was a name that resonated like thunder.
The accounts of Shurima's Ascended battling monstrous entities emerging from the depths of Icathia were not fabrications or mere tales spun by an obscure writer from Piltover. These were events rooted in truth.
During the millennia of the 9000s, the three Iceborn sisters of Freljord nearly unleashed the Watchers from beyond the Void, an event that could have obliterated the entire world. Yet the Void has remained dormant for thousands of years, its threat far from imminent. If Li Lin hadn't brought it up today, LeBlanc might have forgotten about it entirely.
"And what makes you think the threat of the Void outweighs that of Mordekaiser?" she challenged. "Don't forget, the Ascended once managed to completely seal the Void!"
Li Lin scoffed, casually summoning a drone cloaked in optical camouflage to project a recording of his battle against the Void. In just a few minutes of carefully edited footage, the entire breathtaking and perilous clash was vividly displayed.
LeBlanc was left speechless, a rare occurrence for the Pale Lady. Fear crept into her heart as she realized just how far this man—someone she had barely regarded in the past—had risen to a level comparable to that of a god. What kind of monstrous prodigy was he?
"You've brought too much instability to Noxus, LeBlanc. Before founding the League of Legends, I had already considered how to deal with you." Li Lin's expression remained neutral, his tone devoid of emotion. "I need a strong and stable Noxus. I need a peaceful world—not one plagued by constant skirmishes between nations, perpetuating endless war and turmoil. These only sap our strength, leaving us unprepared for the true calamity to come."
"So, as the source of so much chaos, could I kindly ask you to die, Pale Lady?"
***
In a secret underground sewer beneath the eastern side of the Immortal Bastion, a living fountain of blood surged forward, rapidly assembling into the shape of a young man. His long hair hung disheveled, and he wore a blood-red robe trimmed with gold and double rows of buttons. Though composed and elegant in appearance, his breathing was heavy, and his face betrayed tension. Suspended blood gathered in the hands of Vladimir, encased in his sharp metallic gauntlets.
He was furious.
Earlier that day, he had been enjoying a sumptuous feast of blood wine with his disciples in the Crimson Circle when a group of mechanical beings, seemingly crafted entirely from metal and devoid of any blood, had stormed in.
Within moments, they slaughtered everyone in the room. These constructs, resembling Hextech machines, had completely countered his blood-based magic. If it hadn't been for his blood pool technique and his ability to escape through water streams, Vladimir would have perished in his own sanctuary.
"Damn it, damn it! Those accursed things…" Vladimir attempted to contact the Pale Lady through magic, but for some reason, all her projections had gone silent.
"What the hell is going on with LeBlanc? Piltover's creations have infiltrated right into our doorstep, and she's vanished at a time like this?" A terrible thought began to form in his mind.
"Could she have been killed? Her strength is comparable to mine, and she has countless elusive doppelgangers. If even she couldn't defeat this enemy…"
The more Vladimir pondered this, the deeper his dread grew.
"Damn it. I can't rely on her anymore. I need to lay low for now…"
Before he could act on his escape plan, a hulking figure—entirely different from the mechanical constructs and drones—suddenly appeared before him.
Vladimir barely had time to react before a blast of gamma laser illuminated the dim sewer in a blinding white light, making it impossible to even open his eyes.
He didn't even have the chance to scream. The beam pierced through the vampire's skull, extinguishing all consciousness in an instant. His crimson eyes grew dull and unfocused before completely losing their luster.
The blood that had formed his body reverted to liquid, collapsing into a lifeless pool within seconds.
Li Lin, having just received word from the AI about Vladimir's escape, had swiftly locked onto his location and acted decisively.
"Go keep LeBlanc company in the afterlife," he said coldly.
(End of Chapter)
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