Meanwhile, Ryze successfully led his team to the former location of the Waters of Life.
The Black Mist was exceptionally dense here, but it couldn't obstruct their path. Every wraith they encountered along the way had been eliminated.
Just as they reached the entrance to the Waters of Life, a figure slowly materialized from the churning Black Mist.
"Ryze, my old friend. It's been such a long time."
A skeletal specter appeared, carrying a lantern and a scythe. A faint trace of nostalgia flickered in his eyes, where spectral flames burned, as he looked at Ryze.
Ryze stopped in his tracks. Looking at the broad mage's robes draped over the specter's body, a fragment of memory suddenly flashed through his mind.
He remembered a name.
"Grael."
"I'm so glad you remember me. After all these years, I've actually missed you quite a bit."
Thresh let out a burst of laughter.
"Since we're such old friends, could you let us through? I've got something to take care of inside."
Ryze managed a smile and spoke in a friendly tone.
The reason he remembered Grael was that the two of them had once conspired to steal the Waters of Life.
What Ryze hadn't expected was that Grael would still be here after all these years, apparently having become a rather high-ranking gatekeeper.
"Unfortunately, I cannot allow you to take another step forward," Thresh replied calmly. "Are you planning to sneak in and steal another drink?"
"Not this time. Unfortunately for you, I have to get inside."
Ryze raised his hand, and rune magic immediately surged around him.
Behind him, Poppy, Vi, Zed, and several Sentinels of Light also prepared for battle.
"And here I was hoping we could spend some time catching up."
Thresh sighed softly and swung his lantern.
Several powerful figures emerged from the Black Mist.
They were the souls of powerful individuals he had once imprisoned. Now, having merged with the Black Mist, they had acquired new strength.
They would be perfect for carrying out the Ruined King's orders.
Protect the Waters of Life.
Meanwhile, Morgana, Illaoi, and the others arrived at the underground structures that had once existed beneath the Blessed Isles.
"I think I can sense something familiar nearby."
Ahri walked along a long stone-paved corridor, examining the craftsmanship surrounding her.
She discovered that the Blessed Isles had already achieved a considerable level of technological development a thousand years ago.
There were elevators and even doors that opened automatically when someone approached.
And her sunstone served as the key.
This place had undoubtedly once been inhabited by members of her own kind. The deeper she ventured, the stronger that strange feeling of familiarity became.
Eventually, the group arrived before a massive stone door.
Ahri inserted her sunstone into the keyhole beside the entrance, but nothing happened.
She closed her eyes and concentrated for a moment.
"There's some kind of magical restriction here. I might need a little time."
It was like a combination lock. She needed to decipher the correct sequence before she could open the door.
Just then, rolling waves of Black Mist suddenly surged toward them from the surrounding corridors.
The ground beneath their feet began trembling continuously.
A towering, terrifying knight emerged from the darkness, mounted on an enormous warhorse that resembled a chimera. He carried a massive black scythe across his body, its blade wreathed in pale green flames.
A host of fierce undead warriors surrounded him, following as he charged toward the group.
Hecarim, the Shadow of War!
Illaoi had encountered him once before, and so had Morgana.
He should have died beneath Luke's sword on the borders of Demacia. Apparently, the Black Mist had brought him back to life.
"We'll hold him off. Focus on opening that door."
Illaoi spoke calmly.
Sarah, Sona, and Wukong drew their weapons and prepared for battle.
"Got it!"
Ahri immediately nodded and focused her consciousness entirely on the sunstone.
Through their Secret Keys, the three teams learned that all of them had encountered enemies.
Meanwhile, outside the Shadow Isles, the Black Mist suddenly began expanding rapidly, rolling across the ocean at a speed that defied all reason.
Just as everyone had predicted, its objectives were clear.
It was heading straight toward the locations of Isolde's soul fragments.
On the battlefield where Luke and Viego were fighting, their clash had become particularly fierce. Both had unleashed their full strength from the very beginning.
Luke had released his demonic power and rune energy, gaining the advantage in raw strength and continuously suppressing Viego.
Terrifying power descended upon the Ruined King, tearing his body apart and destroying him within the Black Mist.
Yet in the very next instant, his body reformed inside the darkness.
There wasn't even a wound to be seen.
Only the look in his eyes had changed.
"You are powerful, but nowhere near powerful enough to stop me!"
Viego raised the Blade of the Ruined King.
The sword resonated with his soul, commanding the Black Mist to attack Luke.
"Kill me a thousand times, ten thousand times, and I shall be reborn as long as the Black Mist endures! This endless darkness is my boundless, infinite grief. No one can prevent my reunion with Isolde!"
His fury reverberated throughout the Black Mist.
The darkness became even more violent and powerful as it rushed toward Luke, swallowing him completely in an instant.
But in the next moment, an even greater surge of energy erupted from Luke's body, scattering the Black Mist around him.
His furrowed brows revealed just how troublesome Viego had become.
"The power of a hopeless romantic really is terrifying."
Luke couldn't help drawing a sharp breath.
Viego was different from ordinary wraiths.
He was the true master of the Black Mist. As long as the mist survived, he could never truly die.
And because the Black Mist had been born from a curse, it would never dissipate unless that curse was broken.
Under these circumstances, Viego was practically invincible.
Luke could clearly sense that his opponent's strength was growing with every passing moment.
The relic weapons that terrified ordinary wraiths held no fear for Viego. Even when rune energy destroyed him over and over again, he could simply regenerate within the Black Mist.
What an absolute nightmare!
Luke's long-standing concerns had been completely justified.
With such an absurdly powerful advantage, Viego could probably conquer all of Runeterra without much difficulty if he wanted to.
Luke still had plenty of energy remaining, but if things continued like this, he would inevitably be the one exhausted to death.
For now, he could only hope that Ryze and Morgana would bring him good news.
Until then, he would do everything in his power to keep Viego occupied.
"You are strong. I acknowledge your strength."
Viego looked at Luke and pointed the Blade of the Ruined King toward him.
"Swear your loyalty to me, and I shall personally appoint you as one of my highest ministers. You will stand beneath only two people and above countless thousands. This is the only opportunity you will ever receive. Consider your answer carefully."
Luke hovered in the air and smiled at him.
"I'll give you a choice too. Kill yourself right now, and I'll make sure your death isn't too painful. Being obsessed with love never ends well. It's time to turn back."
"So that is your answer."
Viego looked slightly disappointed.
"Then let us continue. I shall show you how meaningless your struggles truly are. I will mercilessly crush whatever faint hope remains within you."
His figure flashed.
He suddenly appeared above Luke's head and brought the Blade of the Ruined King crashing down.
His speed had increased considerably since their previous exchange.
Luke raised his swords once more, and the two immediately resumed their battle.
Thunderous explosions erupted throughout the Black Mist as their fierce clash continuously shook the earth.
At the Waters of Life, Ryze released a surge of electrical energy from his fingertips, piercing straight through Thresh's body.
Powerful magic erupted inside the specter.
Thresh let out a miserable scream, his lantern falling to the ground as his body gradually disintegrated.
Ryze was panting heavily.
Seeing the surrounding Black Mist begin to retreat, he said, "Time to see what's inside."
The group entered the ancient temple containing the Waters of Life.
However, they discovered that the spring had long since dried up.
Worse still, a black, deathly aura continuously seeped from the place where its waters had once flowed.
"This is where the curse of the Ruination began."
Ryze started walking around, carefully examining everything.
He stepped into the empty spring basin.
Only the dried-up pool remained, but a hole that appeared to have been pierced by a sword was particularly conspicuous.
Black vapor continuously spilled from it.
Ryze approached, dispersed the dark energy, and placed his hand against the opening.
In an instant, a series of images flashed through his mind.
A young man carried the body of a dead woman into the Waters of Life, which brimmed with vibrant energy.
The spring repeatedly attempted to restore the woman's life.
Gradually, color returned to her pale skin.
The man saw hope.
But in the next instant, something unexpected happened.
The woman's soul seemed to be forcibly torn from her body.
The Waters of Life began churning as though they were boiling.
Their original purpose had been to heal all wounds.
Yet the moment they came into contact with the corpse, they had become contaminated.
What was boiling within the spring was the deathly energy of the woman.
Her soul let out an agonized scream.
The man watched in confusion and desperation, completely at a loss for what to do.
The woman's soul turned toward him.
She stared at the man who had brought her such unimaginable suffering and, having lost all reason, lunged at him.
She reached for the royal blade resting in the pool, seized it, and violently drove it through his chest.
Blood poured from the wound, quickly staining the Waters of Life red.
Yet the man merely gazed affectionately at the woman's soul.
Weakly raising his hand, he caressed her face.
His royal blade had always been an exceptionally unusual weapon, born within the Spirit Realm.
Now, after piercing its master and drinking his blood, it too underwent a transformation.
The Waters of Life became a pool of blood.
Two corpses lay submerged within it.
The deathly energy corrupted the blade, while the sword itself had pierced the man's heart.
At that moment, the curse known as love was born.
Ryze withdrew his hand and straightened up.
He finally understood how everything had begun.
"If we can recover some of the Waters of Life and return them to this basin, now that it's clean, perhaps we can awaken its healing properties again. That should allow it to counteract the deathly energy."
Ryze began analyzing the situation aloud, believing it to be a viable solution.
Although the spring itself had dried up, a faint trace of energy still existed deep underground.
It had never completely disappeared.
Ryze discovered that the energy came from a network of roots.
They seemed to belong to an immensely powerful tree spirit that was protecting the last remaining patch of pure land.
However, even with that discovery, restoring the Waters of Life remained impossible.
The spring had dried up long ago.
After so many years, where in the world were they supposed to find more of its water?
"If it's the Waters of Life you need, we might actually have some."
Ahri's voice suddenly sounded in Ryze's ear.
He froze.
"Are you sure? We're talking about the Waters of Life."
"I'm sure," Ahri replied confidently. "I've also discovered a way to weaken Viego. His curse originates from his obsessive love for the queen. Love is all he has left because he's forgotten everything else, which is why his obsession has become so extreme. If we can restore his memories, we should indirectly weaken the power of that love."
She continued, "We've also encountered Yorick, the Shepherd of Souls. He's been safeguarding a sunstone orb containing Viego's sealed memories, as well as a bottle of water from the Waters of Life."
On her side, Illaoi and Morgana had already defeated Hecarim.
Although Viego's power might eventually resurrect him again, it certainly wouldn't happen immediately.
After hearing her explanation, Ryze couldn't help exclaiming, "That's wonderful! Where are you now? I'll teleport over."
Once he learned the group's location, he immediately cast a spell.
A powerful teleportation circle appeared, and Ryze soon transported himself and his companions to Ahri's position.
"Our objectives are clear now. We'll divide into two teams again. One team will take the water back to the spring and restore the Waters of Life."
"The other will awaken Viego's memories."
After briefly explaining the assignments, Ryze quickly divided everyone into two groups.
Without hesitation, he activated his magic.
The markings covering his body lit up, and his eyes glowed a brilliant blue.
Two teleportation circles appeared beneath the groups.
Powerful magical energy surged, and everyone was transported away.
Ryze brought Yorick back to the Waters of Life.
He actually knew Yorick, although they had only met once.
Back on the Blessed Isles, Yorick had belonged to another order. He had been notoriously reclusive and always preferred to act alone.
Yorick also remembered Ryze when he saw him.
He had remained on the Shadow Isles for many years, using his unusual abilities to evade the Black Mist's detection while secretly searching for a way to lift its curse right under Viego's nose.
In the past, every member of his order had been given a small enchanted vial containing a few drops of water from the Waters of Life.
When the Black Mist erupted, every member carrying one of those vials was cursed by the water inside.
The water had remained connected to its original spring.
But Yorick had been able to resist the corruption.
He had successfully protected the last few drops of the Waters of Life remaining in the world.
And those drops would now become everyone's hope.
Back at the spring, Ryze used his magic to cleanse the surrounding area of all deathly energy.
He also established a magical formation to prevent any outside interference.
Taking the vial from Yorick, he solemnly approached the spring's source.
He removed the stopper and carefully let a single drop fall.
The crystal-clear water descended through the air, landed in the spring, and immediately disappeared without a sound.
A long while passed.
Nothing happened.
It was as though the drop had simply vanished into nothingness.
Ryze took a deep breath and concentrated before allowing a second drop to fall.
Still nothing.
Only two drops remained in the vial.
Each time, he deliberately waited several seconds before proceeding.
He had once drunk from the Waters of Life himself.
He knew that even if a drop landed on dry soil, it would never simply dissolve and disappear.
With only two drops remaining, even Ryze couldn't help growing nervous.
He released another.
Still, there was no response.
Only one drop remained.
If they failed to revive the Waters of Life with this final drop, they would have no options left.
Ryze did not hesitate.
He poured the last drop into the spring.
Everything fell silent.
It seemed as though nothing had happened at all.
"Could it really be impossible?"
Ryze stood there in a daze.
Just then, he suddenly heard the sound of flowing water.
A thin trickle of water abruptly emerged from the spring, followed by several more.
However, the water wasn't clear.
It looked as though someone had poured black ink into it.
"It worked!"
Delight appeared in Ryze's eyes.
He quickly led everyone back a short distance and watched as more tiny streams of water continued flowing from the spring.
Although the water looked filthy, he knew that this was their only way to restore the Waters of Life.
The reason for its discoloration was simple.
The curse of the Black Mist had not yet been broken.
Viego still existed.
Meanwhile, Ahri and the others were teleported to Luke's location.
Lux had already learned about the situation through her Secret Key.
A determined expression appeared on her face.
"Follow me! I'll clear a path!"
She swung her staff.
Brilliant beams of light immediately shot toward the Black Mist.
As she increased the power of her magic, a dazzling pillar of light pierced straight through the darkness.
Its radiance forcibly carved a passage through the thick Black Mist.
Everyone hurried forward.
Following the sounds of battle, they quickly located Luke.
He was still fighting Viego with everything he had.
The Black Mist's power had grown increasingly formidable, and its attacks were now comparable to those fueled by rune energy.
At that moment, Viego suddenly sensed something.
His expression darkened.
"Useless fool. Thresh, I gave you far too much credit."
He hadn't expected Thresh to be defeated so quickly.
He could now barely sense the source of the Black Mist within the Waters of Life.
Worse still, he could feel an energy he utterly despised rising from deep underground.
It was gradually weakening him.
Luke immediately seized the opportunity and unleashed his full strength.
He released the power of the Demon of Doubt, Camphor, enveloping Viego in it.
In an instant, Viego felt his emotions sink into boundless negativity.
He suddenly lost every desire he had ever possessed.
His body and mind were overwhelmed by exhaustion.
"Now, Ahri!"
Everyone noticed the change in Viego's condition.
Ahri immediately seized the opportunity.
Closing her eyes, she released all her magical energy.
Her mental power descended upon Viego in an instant.
The sunstone began spinning rapidly around her as streams of memories flooded into her mind.
Like a transmission, those memories simultaneously poured into Viego's consciousness.
"No! Get away!"
Viego felt an excruciating pain erupt inside his head.
The agony immediately dispelled his negative emotions, causing him to roar furiously.
But he was already powerless to prevent the lost memories from returning.
They surged into his mind like an unstoppable flood.
His head felt as though it were about to split apart, as if someone were tearing his brain apart nerve by nerve.
He began feeling his strength continuously diminishing, while the pain in his head spread throughout his entire body.
"So what if you do this? If I cannot reclaim my beloved, what meaning does this world have left?"
He threw back his head and roared.
Madness shone in his eyes as the power throughout his body suddenly erupted with renewed ferocity.
It was even stronger than before.
He lowered his head.
His dark green eyes burned with insane obsession, while cracks began spreading across his body, radiating indescribable agony.
An enormous torrent of Black Mist erupted from the triangular hole in his chest, sweeping across everything around him.
"No one! No one can stop me!"
Gripping the Blade of the Ruined King, Viego endured the excruciating pain and charged toward Luke.
Luke unleashed every last ounce of his strength.
At the same moment, Illaoi and Morgana joined the battle.
"Nagakabouros!"
Illaoi shouted.
Several enormous tentacles suddenly emerged from the ground and slammed toward Viego.
Morgana spread her angelic wings and flew toward Luke, joining him in battle against the Ruined King.
Lux also swung her staff, releasing dazzling beams of light.
Even when those beams merely landed near Viego, they exerted considerable power against him.
Meanwhile, Ahri continued pouring Viego's memories into his mind.
The battle erupted with renewed intensity!
Viego fought several opponents single-handedly.
He summoned enormous quantities of Black Mist, which surged forward like thick tentacles, each carrying tremendous power as they attacked the group.
The raging darkness reduced everything around them to ruins.
Throughout the battle, Viego's body was torn apart repeatedly.
Yet he simply refused to fall.
His body reassembled itself time and again.
And with each reconstruction, more cracks appeared across his flesh.
Every single one represented his suffering.
His pain continued increasing without any apparent limit.
At this moment, it felt as though countless ants were gnawing at his heart, as though innumerable blades were slicing it open and tearing away chunks of bloody flesh.
It felt as though his heart were being roasted over an open flame, then repeatedly crushed with tremendous force.
Pain.
Such unbearable pain!
Viego's suffering radiated outward from his body.
Even the Black Mist seemed to feel his agony, and everyone nearby experienced a stabbing pain deep within their hearts.
Pain!
Agonizing pain!
"But what does a little pain like this matter?!"
Viego roared.
His dark green eyes burned with boundless madness and obsession as he swung the Blade of the Ruined King again and again.
The Black Mist filled heaven and earth, spiraling across the sky and shaking with the force of thunder and lightning.
Back at the Waters of Life, the spring's revival encountered resistance because of the sheer force of Viego's will.
Its recovery gradually slowed to a halt.
Ryze was astonished.
Just how powerful did someone's will have to be to suppress the Waters of Life itself?
"My love! Isolde, wait for me! I will see you again!"
Viego's figure teleported through the Black Mist like a ghost.
He seemed capable of suppressing Luke and the others all by himself.
A little pain meant nothing to him.
Hadn't he already endured enough suffering over these past thousand years?
The greatest suffering of all was being unable to see the woman he loved!
"He's terrifying."
Luke once again found himself astonished by the power of a man completely consumed by love.
He had already expended a considerable amount of energy, yet Viego only seemed to grow fiercer as the battle continued.
They had even discovered a way to counter him, but it still hadn't produced the results they needed.
Viego had already recovered many memories of his mortal life.
He even remembered that Isolde herself had killed him.
But so what?
"What in this world could ever stand between me and my love for Isolde? Not even heaven and earth can separate us in life and death!"
Viego's handsome features had become horribly distorted.
His suffering was intensifying with every passing moment.
It wasn't increasing gradually.
It was multiplying at a terrifying rate.
His pain had already surpassed anything words could possibly describe.
It was the ultimate agony.
The true curse.
No one should have been capable of enduring such limitless torment of both body and soul.
Yet Viego endured it through sheer force of will.
It hurt so much.
Ten times, a hundred times more painful than dying and being resurrected over and over again.
He had long since reached the absolute limit of what he could endure.
Yet his longing for Isolde always managed to suppress the agony ravaging his body and soul.
Isolde!
Why?!
Why are you still hiding from me?!
Viego couldn't understand why Isolde continued refusing to appear before him.
And so his battle would never cease.
He would keep fighting.
Forever.
Forever...
It hurt.
God, it hurt so much.
Ahri could even sense Viego's soul weeping and screaming in agony.
His heart had long since shattered.
Merely looking at him made her entire body ache so terribly that she could barely breathe.
She couldn't imagine what kind of suffering Viego was enduring at this moment.
Even more unimaginable was how he could possibly continue enduring it.
Viego died again.
His body was completely destroyed.
Yet the Black Mist did not disappear.
This time, however, his body reformed much more slowly.
He was already suffering so terribly that he could scarcely bear to live.
Only the obsession within his heart kept him desperately struggling onward.
But even now, the thought of giving up had never crossed his mind.
"Isolde..."
He murmured her name.
At that very moment, beams of light suddenly erupted from Senna, Gwen, and the Maiden of the Mist beside Yorick.
Simultaneously, throughout Runeterra, the soul fragments attached to various objects separated from their vessels.
They shot toward the Shadow Isles at tremendous speed.
In the blink of an eye, the fragments reunited.
High in the air, they condensed into the spectral form of a beautiful woman.
It was Isolde.
She had finally appeared.
Her eyes gazed upon Viego with heartbreaking tenderness, and two tears slipped down her cheeks.
"Why must you be so foolish...?"
She floated toward him and gathered him into her arms like a child.
"Why... why can't you just let go?"
"You've finally agreed to see me, Isolde."
At that moment, the joy in Viego's heart surpassed every ounce of suffering he had endured.
Light returned to his lifeless eyes.
"I died long ago. Why can't you allow me to find peace? We should never have met again."
Tears continued spilling from Isolde's eyes.
All she wanted was to find release.
More than anything, she didn't want to watch the man she loved fall into an irredeemable curse because of her.
Yet she had underestimated the depth of Viego's love.
She had never imagined that he would hurt so many people for her sake.
"Death cannot stop me from longing for you. It cannot separate us."
Viego spoke with unwavering determination.
His eyes grew moist as he tightly grasped Isolde's hand, unwilling to ever release it again.
"I love you. My love will never die."
"I love you too."
Isolde began crying again.
Her tears fell onto Viego's face, seeming to carry a trace of warmth.
And through them, Viego could sense her sorrow.
"But I loved you until my very last moment. Isn't that enough?"
"No!"
Viego's emotions finally slipped out of control.
Tears streamed down his face.
"You promised to love me for ten thousand years! Not a minute less, not a single second less! And I will love you for even longer than that!"
"No lovers in this world can remain together forever without separation or death."
Isolde lowered her eyes and spoke sadly.
"I'm sorry. I can't keep that promise anymore."
"I'll make sure you can."
Viego rose from her embrace.
He summoned the power of the Black Mist and seized her hand.
"I'll drag all of Runeterra into the Black Mist! I'll rebuild our kingdom! When that happens, you and I will still be king and queen, and we'll never be separated again!"
"But... I don't think I'll live to see that day..."
Isolde's whisper sounded beside his ear.
Viego suddenly noticed that the hand he was holding had become almost completely insubstantial.
It seemed ready to vanish at any moment.
He didn't dare look.
Yet he couldn't stop himself.
Isolde's body was rapidly becoming transparent, showing unmistakable signs that she was about to disappear from the world.
This was her soul.
If even her soul disappeared, there would never be any possibility of bringing her back.
Everything he had done would lose all meaning!
"No! Isolde!"
Viego frantically embraced her.
But no matter how desperately he used his power, he couldn't prevent Isolde from fading away.
Her body continued becoming increasingly transparent.
Isolde embraced him in return.
Resting her head against his shoulder, she whispered into his ear.
"Come with me, Viego. I'm sure we'll find each other in the next world."
As she held him, she could feel the suffering he was enduring.
Fresh tears spilled from her eyes.
The warm droplets dampened Viego's neck, allowing him to feel her love and understand what she truly wanted.
He suddenly broke down completely.
Through uncontrollable sobs, he shouted, "I'll find a way to keep you here! I swear I will...!"
"It hurts, doesn't it?"
Isolde reached out and gently brushed her hand across the wound in his chest.
That was the source of Viego's suffering.
"It does. It hurts so much. But nothing hurts more than being unable to see you."
Like a helpless child, Viego clung tightly to Isolde, tears streaming down his face.
He could only watch her body gradually become transparent.
He was utterly powerless to stop it.
The pain he felt at this moment surpassed everything else.
"You've seen me now. I love you, and because I love you, I don't want you to keep suffering like this."
Isolde held Viego tenderly.
It was as though her heart were expressing a thousand years of longing.
"It's time for us to go, Viego."
"Okay..."
Viego suddenly stopped struggling.
All he wanted was to hold Isolde tightly and savor the feeling of having her in his arms.
He was willing to listen to her.
He would leave with her.
Perhaps they would meet again in another world.
No.
Not perhaps.
They definitely would.
As Viego's state of mind changed, the surrounding Black Mist seemed to become less dense.
It gradually began to recede.
Viego closed his eyes.
A trail of tears slipped down his cheeks as he recalled the memories that had been awakened earlier.
Time seemed to flow backward.
The scenery around him shifted continuously.
He returned to that day.
The capital of the Kingdom of Camavor.
Viego had once again sneaked out of the royal palace and was wandering aimlessly through the streets.
To prevent anyone from recognizing him, he had changed into a set of cheap clothes borrowed from a servant.
He walked along streets whose scenery he had already seen countless times.
He was bored out of his mind.
Even so, he considered this far more comfortable than remaining in the palace, listening to those annoying old men drone on endlessly while dealing with one government matter after another.
Where should he go today?
As Viego pondered the question, a sweet, affectionate couple walked past him.
He regarded them with disdain.
He was someone who felt extreme indifference toward relationships.
In fact, he believed himself naturally cold-blooded.
To him, every kind of affection in the world was equally meaningless, including familial love and romance.
That was why, even at the funerals of his father and elder brother, he hadn't experienced the slightest trace of sadness or grief.
He had been far more interested in going back to bed.
Yet somehow, despite all that, he had ended up becoming king.
He disliked the position.
His former life had been infinitely freer and more comfortable.
Whoever wanted to manage the kingdom was welcome to do so.
What did any of it have to do with him?
He believed he would probably never fall in love with anyone throughout his entire life.
And perhaps that wouldn't be such a bad thing.
Then, one afternoon, beside a fountain in a public square, he met a girl.
She had long brown hair and wore a simple work apron typical of the lower classes.
Her delicate features were completely free of makeup.
She was very beautiful, especially when she smiled.
Her bright eyes sparkled with life.
For a girl from such humble circumstances to possess such natural beauty was rather remarkable.
However, Viego had seen plenty of beautiful women before.
Her appearance alone did little to stir his heart.
Having nothing better to do, he sat down on the edge of the fountain, hoping to pass the time.
The girl was crouching nearby.
She held some leftover breadcrumbs in her hand and was feeding several pigeons, watching them with smiling eyes.
There was something unusual about her smile.
Something inexplicably captivating.
Viego couldn't resist looking at her once.
Then twice.
Then a third time.
He hadn't even noticed how blatantly he was staring.
His gaze had become rather intrusive, and the girl had already noticed.
She suddenly raised her head, meeting Viego's eyes just as he glanced at her again.
A triumphant smile appeared on her face, as though she'd caught him red-handed.
Then she frowned sternly.
"Even if you keep staring at me like that, I'm not sharing these breadcrumbs with you."
Viego froze for a moment before scoffing.
"They're just breadcrumbs. Who would want them?"
"Then why do you keep looking?"
The girl tilted her head inquisitively.
Viego was momentarily speechless.
Only then did he realize just how obvious his staring had been.
"Oh, fine, fine. I'm not stingy. Since you obviously want to feed them so badly, I'll share a little."
The girl stood up and walked over to Viego.
Then, without the slightest hesitation, she took his hand and generously poured the remaining breadcrumbs into it.
Truthfully, Viego's immediate reaction was disgust.
But looking into the girl's sparkling eyes, he restrained himself from throwing away the filthy crumbs.
They were simply incomparable to the food he ate at the palace.
"What are you standing around for? The pigeons are waiting for you! Go ahead and feed them."
Seeing him staring blankly, the girl urged him on.
"Oh."
Viego snapped out of his thoughts.
He opened his hand and simply waited for the pigeons to approach.
The girl gave him a suspicious look.
"Is this your first time feeding pigeons? You're sitting so high up, and your hand's way back there. Do you actually want to feed them? Watch me. First, you crouch down. Then you hold your hand flat, close to the ground."
She demonstrated for him.
Viego wasn't particularly interested in feeding pigeons.
Nevertheless, for some inexplicable reason, he crouched down and copied her movements, spreading his palm open.
Soon, pigeons began gathering around him.
He instinctively started pulling his hand back.
But when he noticed the girl's stern gaze, he stopped himself.
The pigeons pecked at the breadcrumbs in his palm, eating one morsel after another.
"Well?"
The girl looked at him expectantly.
"Doesn't it tickle your hand? Isn't it fun?"
Viego thought the whole activity was incredibly boring.
Yet beneath the expectant gaze of those bright eyes, he found himself nodding.
"It's... kind of interesting."
"Right? Feeding pigeons is so much fun!"
The girl smiled and crouched beside him, watching the birds eagerly devour their food.
"Besides, whenever I watch them eat, I get this feeling that life is flourishing. That everything's full of energy and hope."
"Right..."
Viego had absolutely no idea how to respond.
He certainly couldn't feel anything like that.
But the pigeons were clearly enjoying themselves.
Two of them were pecking his palm hard enough to hurt.
"Oh, by the way, I work at the tailor shop over there. My name's Isolde. If you ever want some beautiful custom-made clothes, you can come find me."
Isolde blinked at Viego and smiled.
"What's your name? I don't think I've seen you around here before."
Her smile was as dazzling as the sun.
Viego glanced toward the tailor shop in the distance before making up an explanation.
"I just moved here recently. My name's Viego."
Viego was actually his nickname.
His full royal name was an extraordinarily long string of names.
So long, in fact, that he couldn't be bothered reciting it.
He much preferred Viego.
"I see! I can introduce you to the neighbors if you'd like."
Isolde spoke enthusiastically.
"I might just be an ordinary seamstress, but there's practically nobody within several streets who doesn't know me."
She sounded rather proud of herself.
It was quite adorable.
Viego remembered clearly how the rest of that afternoon had passed.
Despite Isolde's apparent popularity, business at the tailor shop seemed rather poor.
With nothing much to do, she spent the entire afternoon watching pigeons and chatting with him.
As a result, Viego ended up spending the whole afternoon trapped beside that fountain.
By the time he sneaked back into the palace, it was already dark.
Fortunately, those irritating old men hadn't discovered his absence, and nobody dared question where he had been.
That night, as Viego lay in his enormous bed, he found himself completely unable to forget the girl he had met that afternoon.
It got so ridiculous that he even dreamed about her.
So, the following afternoon, he returned to that fountain.
He met the girl again.
He fed the pigeons with her again.
And they talked about even more things.
He figured this was simply one of the few activities capable of relieving his boredom.
But gradually, without even realizing it, he actually began enjoying the task of feeding pigeons.
For several days, this routine continued.
Viego immersed himself in an activity that wasn't particularly exciting, yet somehow fascinated him.
He and Isolde became friends.
The number of subjects they discussed grew with each passing day.
Her lively, cheerful personality seemed to be affecting him, a man who had never been interested in anything.
Then, one day, he accidentally cut his arm while sneaking out of the palace.
He initially intended to turn around and return home.
But in the end, he endured the pain, hastily bandaged the wound, and headed toward the fountain.
As usual, Isolde was there feeding the pigeons.
A gentle breeze swept past, stirring her beautiful hair.
The scene looked like a magnificent painting.
Watching her from a distance, Viego couldn't help stopping in his tracks.
As though sensing his presence, Isolde raised her head.
She spotted him immediately and smiled.
"You're here! Come on over. I saved you some breadcrumbs."
Viego approached and took the breadcrumbs from her hand.
But Isolde suddenly caught hold of his arm.
"What happened to your arm?"
She looked up at him, her eyes becoming serious.
"Nothing. I scraped it earlier. I've already bandaged it."
Viego answered casually.
He hadn't expected her to notice so quickly.
"That won't do. Let me see how bad it is."
Isolde pulled him over to sit beside her.
Then she rolled up the sleeve covering his injured arm and discovered that the wound had indeed received only the most basic treatment imaginable.
A helpless expression appeared in her eyes.
"What's the difference between this and leaving it unbandaged? Wait here for me. You can feed the pigeons while I'm gone."
She stood up and hurried away.
Viego remained sitting there, watching her retreating figure.
Before long, Isolde returned with some medical supplies and a bottle of medicinal solution.
She gently took Viego's arm and carefully removed his makeshift bandage.
Then, with the same meticulous care, she began treating his wound.
"This might hurt a little. Try to bear with it."
As she spoke, her eyes remained fixed on the injury, her movements careful and gentle.
Looking into her earnest eyes, Viego suddenly felt his heart begin pounding.
Thump.
Thump.
For a moment, he couldn't understand what this feeling was.
But soon, realization dawned on him.
The instant Isolde finished treating the wound, he quickly withdrew his arm and stood up.
"Hey! I'm not quite finished yet. What are you doing?"
Isolde looked at him in confusion.
"I've got something to take care of. I need to go."
With that, Viego turned and walked away without looking back, leaving Isolde thoroughly puzzled.
However, he didn't actually leave.
Instead, he hid around a nearby corner and secretly looked back at Isolde, who was still standing there in a daze.
After thinking for a moment, he stepped out from his hiding place and returned.
Isolde looked at him.
"Finished your business already?"
Viego nodded.
"It wasn't anything important. I'll deal with it later."
"Let me look at your wound again. I wasn't finished treating it."
Seeing him sit down, Isolde reached for his arm.
But Viego pulled away and deliberately moved a little farther from her.
A question mark might as well have appeared above Isolde's head.
"Well, if you're embarrassed, I guess I'll leave it alone."
She remained as cheerful and open as ever, immediately returning to teasing the pigeons.
Viego simply watched her.
Yet somehow, this moment felt incredibly meaningful.
That night, after returning to the palace, he dreamed about Isolde again.
He dreamed of her captivating smile.
When Viego awoke, he finally realized something.
He seemed to have fallen in love with her.
He tried his best to behave normally, continuing to visit Isolde day after day.
But the more he learned about her, the more his love overflowed.
Whenever he caught her familiar scent, his heart would begin racing uncontrollably.
Then, one day, everything suddenly changed.
Viego discovered Isolde sitting dejectedly beside the fountain.
For once, there weren't any pigeons gathered around her.
"Why aren't you feeding the pigeons today?"
He asked curiously.
Seeing him arrive, Isolde forced a smile.
"The economy hasn't been doing well lately. The tailor shop hasn't had customers in ages. Nobody can afford to order new clothes anymore."
"How could that happen?"
Viego was genuinely confused.
In his experience, tailoring was the kind of business where a single commission could support a shop for quite some time.
That was also why Isolde had always been able to save a few breadcrumbs for the pigeons.
Besides, this was the capital!
How could people possibly be unable to afford clothes?
"Looks like you don't know anything about what's happening in the kingdom."
Isolde sighed.
"Disasters have been striking one region after another, and corrupt officials are running everything. Just a couple of days ago, taxes went up again."
"Shops and ordinary people are getting hit especially hard. Businesses that can't afford the taxes are closing left and right. And apparently, our new king doesn't bother governing at all. He simply ignores everything."
Viego listened quietly before suddenly asking, "What do you think of this new king?"
"Well, I've never met him, so I can't really judge him personally. But I've heard he neglects his duties and allows corrupt officials to squeeze money out of ordinary people."
Isolde shook her head.
"People in Camavor are suffering terribly because of it. And this is the capital! I've heard that outside the city, there are plenty of people who can't even afford enough food to fill their stomachs."
She sighed again.
Her usually cheerful face was filled with worry.
"So... do you hate him?"
Viego couldn't resist asking.
A trace of nervousness appeared in his eyes.
He cared deeply about her answer.
"I wouldn't say I hate him. He is our king, after all."
Isolde considered the question.
"I'm just disappointed in him. I've heard he's very young. He could have done so much better."
Throughout that entire afternoon, Viego barely saw Isolde smile.
He suddenly realized that many things he considered utterly insignificant could place a crushing burden on ordinary people like her.
He never had to worry about clothing or food.
Forget breadcrumbs. Sometimes he would take a single bite of an expensive loaf of bread and throw the rest away.
That evening, after returning to the palace, he entered the royal administrative office for the first time.
He believed there was still time for him to change.
But when he saw the mountain of government documents piled on the desk, his scalp tingled and he nearly stopped breathing.
He couldn't even endure half an hour before giving up.
That night, he couldn't sleep at all.
Isolde's words kept echoing through his mind.
He didn't know what to do.
He was too ashamed to face her.
And so he hid inside the palace for several days, avoiding everything.
Eventually, however, he could no longer suppress his longing for Isolde.
He left the palace and hurried toward the fountain.
But she wasn't there.
Afterward, he learned from the tailor shop that Isolde had fallen ill.
The shop had been unable to pay its workers for a long time.
Isolde had been saving every penny she could and cutting back on food.
But her body could only endure so much.
Eventually, she had collapsed from illness.
For someone from the lower classes, falling seriously ill could mean never recovering.
Fortunately for Isolde, she had met Viego.
Without hesitation, Viego brought her back to the palace and ordered the kingdom's finest physicians to treat her.
When Isolde awoke in bed, she discovered herself inside an extravagantly luxurious room.
Even the blanket covering her body was something she might never have been able to afford in her entire lifetime.
Then she saw Viego.
Only then did she realize that the young man who had been feeding pigeons with her all this time was actually the king of the country.
In truth, she had fallen in love with this somewhat foolish-looking young man quite some time ago.
But the moment she discovered his royal identity, she lost her courage.
When Viego solemnly proposed marriage, Isolde refused.
That changed only after he spoke from his heart.
"I'm someone who has never been interested in anything. So the rumors you've heard are true. I neglect the government, allow corrupt officials to exploit the people, and turn a blind eye to everything. Calling me a terrible king wouldn't be unfair."
"But then I met you."
"You showed me that life can actually be wonderful. Even something as simple as feeding pigeons can bring happiness."
"I don't want to destroy all of that with my own hands. So please, give me a chance. I want to start over."
"But there are so many things I can't do well on my own. That's why I hope you'll stay by my side."
Viego spoke with complete sincerity.
In the end, Isolde accepted his proposal.
An ordinary seamstress from the lower classes married the reigning king.
To many people, it was an unbelievable rise from poverty to the very pinnacle of society.
Others believed Isolde had merely captured the king's heart with her beauty.
They resented their new queen.
But Isolde didn't care about those opinions.
She only knew that she loved Viego.
And Viego loved her in return.
He quickly demonstrated that love through his actions, silencing the rumors.
Anyone who dared slander the queen would face severe punishment.
And that was only the first step in Viego's efforts to express his love.
He disregarded the tradition forbidding the queen from interfering in politics and granted Isolde authority over government affairs.
With her assistance, they governed the kingdom together.
Before long, the country that had previously been sliding into decline began showing signs of recovery under their joint leadership.
Isolde's reputation rose rapidly.
And Viego's love for her deepened with every passing day.
He remained the same man who regarded everything in the world with indifference.
Everything except Isolde.
Politics, the throne, achievements, reputation, money, and power meant nothing to him.
They were all things he could take or leave.
Every effort he made was simply intended to make Isolde happy.
As long as she was happy, everything he did was worthwhile.
Viego wanted to give Isolde the finest things the world had to offer.
He wanted her to become the happiest woman alive.
If she asked him for the stars in the sky, he would undoubtedly find some way to pluck them down for her.
Marriage had not diminished his love for Isolde in the slightest.
Instead, that love intensified day and night until he was completely consumed by it.
Isolde's happiness was his happiness.
But just when their lives were overflowing with joy, a carefully orchestrated conspiracy destroyed everything.
One of Viego's distant royal uncles joined forces with several corrupt officials who had previously held power.
They plotted to remove him from the throne.
Yet their conspiracy ended up involving the innocent Isolde.
Completely unaware of the danger, she drank a cup of poisoned wine.
And just like that, she collapsed in Viego's arms.
At that moment, Viego felt as though his entire world had fallen apart.
His heart shattered completely.
He brutally slaughtered everyone involved in the conspiracy.
Not a single person was spared, not even the servants in their households.
For Isolde's sake, he disregarded the kingdom's recently improving economy and insisted on launching wars against other lands.
He plundered their territories in search of the finest doctors and medicines.
Through those wars, Camavor actually became an even more powerful empire.
Its military strength continued growing.
The wealth seized from other countries also stimulated its economy, and Viego's reputation reached unprecedented heights.
But Viego couldn't have cared less about his reputation.
All he wanted was for his Isolde to live.
That was the entirety of his desire.
He would gladly sacrifice everything he possessed to achieve it.
"Why? Why would heaven treat me this way? All I wanted was to spend the rest of my life with you. That was my only wish. Is that really so much to ask?"
Viego returned to the present.
Looking at Isolde, whose body had become almost completely transparent, he shed tears of anguish.
All he had ever wanted was something so simple.
"It's not too much... Please don't cry."
Isolde gently caressed his face.
Her voice was tender.
"From the moment you proposed to me, I became the happiest woman in the world. Even after death, whether a thousand years pass or ten thousand, I'll still be the happiest."
Tears poured down Viego's face.
He truly felt that he had failed Isolde.
He hadn't managed to give her all the happiness and beauty she deserved.
But he genuinely couldn't have done anything more.
"Even after death, whether a thousand years pass or ten thousand, I will continue loving you until the end of time."
He embraced Isolde tightly.
At that moment, both their bodies began turning transparent.
The surrounding Black Mist steadily dissipated.
For an instant, it seemed as though they had returned to that fountain, smiling as they fed the greedy pigeons together.
Wasn't that happiness?
As the Black Mist retreated, everyone realized that Viego had finally given up.
Victory was within their grasp.
Luke gazed at the couple in the sky.
In his heart, he no longer thought of Viego as a hopeless romantic.
At this moment, the man deserved to be called a champion of true love.
"How touching. What a beautiful love story. Unfortunately, I can't let the two of you disappear just like that. Otherwise, how would my plan succeed?"
Suddenly, an unexpected voice rang out from the sky.
A lantern abruptly lit up with a cold, eerie glow.
It immediately sucked the souls of Isolde and Viego inside.
The lantern appeared to be held by an invisible hand.
Gradually, a body materialized around it, a skeletal figure dressed in mage's robes.
Thresh!
His appearance was so sudden that nobody had time to react.
Not even Luke.
Despite possessing Aura Lock, he hadn't detected Thresh's arrival at all.
"Weren't you already dead?"
Ryze hurried over from the distance and asked in disbelief.
He was certain he had killed Grael.
Yet Thresh was clearly standing right in front of him.
"I certainly died. But you can't stop me from coming back to life, can you?"
Thresh chuckled.
His lantern suddenly began emitting an enormous suction force, drawing in all the surrounding Black Mist.
Even the wraiths within the mist were sucked inside.
"I've spent over a thousand years preparing for this day. If I wanted to pull something off right under your noses, how could I possibly manage it without dying at least once?"
His voice was lighthearted, and he sounded thoroughly delighted.
Every time the lantern absorbed another soul, he felt his strength increase.
At the same time, he could sense his body gradually being reconstructed.
A body!
A physical body!
After a thousand years, he was finally about to possess a body of his own.
One far more powerful than before.
A body like that of a god!
"What a devious bastard. Did you have a hand in creating the curse of the Black Mist too?"
Ryze glared at Thresh.
He raised his hand and unleashed a powerful surge of rune energy, but the lantern's power intercepted it.
Having absorbed Viego and Isolde, the lantern had completely evolved into an incredibly powerful divine artifact.
It now possessed tremendous strength, enough to construct an extraordinarily powerful body for Thresh.
"That happened a thousand years ago. What's the point of dwelling on it now? We should appreciate the present instead, don't you think?"
Thresh spoke casually.
Flesh gradually appeared over his skeletal face.
Before long, he had transformed into a man wearing a sinister smile.
"Speaking of which, I really should thank you. You dealt with Viego so easily that you've saved me a great deal of trouble."
"As a reward, I'll pick out particularly nice places for all of you inside my lantern."
He reveled in the incomparable power flowing through his body.
He felt the breeze brushing across his cheeks.
He could feel warmth.
An overwhelming sense of delight filled his heart.
It felt incredible!
Having a physical body again!
Possessing such tremendous power!
It was absolutely wonderful!
"You've got to be kidding me. What a sneaky bastard."
Luke charged toward Thresh with everything he had.
Rune energy erupted from his body.
Yet even with that power, he couldn't break through the lantern's defenses.
Everyone joined forces and attacked together.
The result was exactly the same.
"It's useless. Every soul consumed by the Black Mist over the past thousand years will become part of my power."
Thresh calmly looked down at everyone and raised his lantern.
"From this moment forward, I am the true master of the Black Mist. The opening chapter of Runeterra's destruction will be written by my own hand."
In an instant, the lantern unleashed an unimaginably terrifying surge of Black Mist.
The darkness that had just been completely absorbed immediately returned, filling the sky from horizon to horizon.
High above them, the Black Mist formed a massive, spiraling black vortex.
From its center, a tornado of darkness descended.
Countless wraiths protruded from its surface, clawing desperately as they tried to escape.
It resembled an enormous tower of corpses and bones connecting heaven and earth.
The sight was utterly shocking.
It truly looked as though the end of the world had arrived.
Luke genuinely hadn't expected an old schemer like Thresh to have been lurking in the shadows all this time.
And an even bigger problem was that Thresh already knew all their trump cards.
Most importantly, the weaknesses they had discovered in Viego were completely useless against him.
There was no telling how powerful Thresh had become.
Merely standing in the air, the overwhelming pressure radiating from him was enough to make Luke feel an enormous burden.
In terms of sheer presence, Thresh was now even more terrifying than the Watchers of the Void.
"You have two choices. Die peacefully, or die struggling."
Thresh spread his arms delightedly, generously presenting everyone with their options.
Their response was an enormous pillar of light.
It shone with magnificent brilliance, resembling a beacon of salvation amid the apocalypse.
Thresh blocked it effortlessly before lowering his gaze.
Lux stood with her staff in hand, her pretty face tilted upward as she glared at him.
"Quit acting so smug! Luke's gonna beat the crap out of you!"
Luke: "..."
Look, Blondie.
I'm really glad you've got so much faith in me.
But I'm pretty damn nervous myself right now.
Luke wasn't feeling particularly confident either.
Everyone knew that Thresh grew stronger by absorbing souls.
So exactly how many souls had he just absorbed?
Or rather, how many wraiths had the Black Mist devoured over the past thousand years?
Did anyone have the balls to count them all?
And on top of that, this bastard had swallowed the champion of true love and his wife!
Of course he had.
Just Luke's luck.
At this point, Luke had no choice but to bite the bullet and step forward.
His mind raced as he desperately searched for a solution.
"I admire your optimism. Unfortunately, even if his strength doubled, he still wouldn't be my match."
Thresh smiled faintly, his eyes filled with contempt.
"Since you've made your choice, let us bring everything to an end."
As soon as he finished speaking, countless wraiths charged toward the group in a frenzy.
The spectacle was even more terrifying than when Viego had controlled the Black Mist.
Ghostly knights led armies in furious charges.
Enormous, dangerous sea monsters emerged from the darkness.
Countless malevolent spirits wailed as they descended upon the living.
But most importantly, two particular figures appeared among the wraiths.
The Ruined King, wearing his cross-shaped crown.
And his wife.
Both were enveloped in Black Mist.
Unlike before, their eyes now contained no emotion whatsoever.
They resembled puppets being controlled by someone else as they charged toward the group.
Their strength was far beyond that of ordinary wraiths.
After all, they had once been the masters of the Black Mist.
The battle erupted.
Luke found himself being attacked simultaneously by the husband and wife.
He could still hold them off.
But the truly troublesome opponent was Thresh, who was floating overhead, casually testing the movements of his newly acquired body.
He was the real problem.
Unless they killed Thresh, it wouldn't matter if they destroyed the other wraiths a thousand times.
They would simply continue resurrecting within the Black Mist.
Ryze and the others weren't faring particularly well either.
Each had been occupied by powerful individual wraiths.
What gave Ryze an even bigger headache was the discovery that some of these undead were the souls of powerful mages who had once lived on the Blessed Isles.
Those mages had mastered ancient arcane magic.
Some of them might not have been any weaker than Ryze himself.
He hadn't expected Thresh to have imprisoned their souls as well.
Ryze understood the situation with absolute clarity.
If they failed to stop Thresh now, Runeterra might genuinely be approaching its destruction.
The Black Mist was simply too unnatural.
Although the Waters of Life had been restored, it was only a matter of time before the Black Mist corrupted the spring again if things continued like this.
"I never wanted to do this. But if we don't, Runeterra itself may be unable to withstand what's coming."
Ryze's voice suddenly sounded inside Luke's mind.
He was communicating through magical telepathy.
"Under the circumstances, I think we have no choice but to take the risk."
"Purple Dome, this isn't the time to be cryptic!"
Realizing Ryze still had a trump card, Luke immediately became excited.
"I brought every rune I've collected with me. But I can't wield so many runes simultaneously. Their combined power would destroy me instantly."
Ryze looked toward Luke.
"There's something I don't understand. How are you able to control runes so effortlessly?"
He had already discovered that Luke possessed several runes.
However, because of Luke's unusual circumstances, he hadn't attempted to reclaim them.
What interested him more was why the runes seemed to have absolutely no adverse effects on Luke.
After all, Ryze had once had a disciple who was completely overtaken by rune energy merely from touching it.
The disciple had instantly become a puppet of the runes, capable of nothing but destruction and devastation.
As for Ryze himself, years of contact with the runes had gradually allowed his body to resist their energy and temptations.
Using one or two at a time was manageable.
But if he tried to wield several simultaneously, his body would undoubtedly collapse.
He would also lose himself in the power the runes promised.
Luke, however, seemed to have none of these concerns.
Ryze couldn't imagine what would happen if every rune were gathered within a single person.
Perhaps the world would be destroyed.
Just as he and his master had foreseen countless times before, the world might perish beneath the destructive power of the runes.
But if they refused to take this chance, they would be powerless to stop Thresh.
Runeterra's destruction would merely become a matter of time.
Faced with those two possibilities, Ryze chose to place his faith in Luke.
"Enough talking. Hand them over."
Luke extended his hand without hesitation.
Ryze looked at him.
"Think carefully. I don't know whether you'll be able to withstand this much power."
Luke smiled.
"Do we have a better option?"
Ryze hesitated no longer.
He activated his magic and released the runes he had spent a thousand years searching for.
One after another, they surged toward Luke.
Indeed.
They had no better choice.
All the runes converged on Luke, simultaneously awakening the four rune fragments already within his body.
They began rotating rapidly around him.
Terrifying energy erupted from them, enveloping him completely in an instant.
An enormous pillar of energy shot into the sky.
Thresh turned his gaze toward the spectacle.
He immediately realized that something beyond his control was happening.
An uneasy feeling stirred within him.
He decisively launched an attack, sending a devastating surge of power toward Luke.
"Old friend, why don't we catch up a little?"
Ryze stepped in front of Luke and forced a smile as he unleashed his arcane magic.
"I'm really not in the mood for a reunion right now."
Thresh glared darkly at Ryze, who was blocking his path.
He swung his scythe.
The weapon instantly shattered Ryze's magical defenses and sent him flying.
"We haven't seen each other in so many years, and you're not even going to hold back a little?"
While hurtling backward through the air, Ryze rapidly cast another spell.
A teleportation spell brought him straight back to his original position, and he unleashed a barrage of powerful magic toward Thresh.
At that very moment, he sensed a terrifying fluctuation of energy behind him.
Every hair on his body seemed to tremble.
Even the surrounding wraiths sensed the horrifying power of the runes.
Their bodies began shaking one after another.
At that moment, the four fragments within Luke were merging with all the runes Ryze had brought, transforming into complete runes.
In the blink of an eye, five complete runes emerged.
Their pure energy flooded Luke's body, expanding relentlessly with every passing instant.
Precision!
Domination!
Sorcery!
Resolve!
Inspiration!
The five primordial World Runes, born at the very creation of Runeterra!
They represented the purest magical energy in existence.
The origin of all magic.
They possessed supreme, unparalleled power!
And now, these five complete runes had finally been reunited.
All five poured into Luke's body.
The energy contained within any single rune was enough to instantly reduce tens of thousands of people to ashes and bring a mighty empire crashing down.
For thousands of years, countless individuals had pursued this power.
No one knew how many corpses lay buried beneath the history of each rune.
And now, all five had gathered within a single person.
By all rights, Luke's body should have exploded instantly.
This was the greatest gamble he had ever taken.
Faced with the world-ending threat posed by Thresh, he had been forced to make this choice.
Yet at that very moment, Luke felt absolutely nothing unusual.
He didn't even feel as though the energy within his body had expanded excessively.
Instead, he gradually began experiencing an extraordinary sensation of comfort.
It felt as though his very soul were about to ascend to a higher state of existence.
An indescribable beauty.
An indescribable pleasure.
A feeling of ultimate contentment that words could never capture.
Power.
Endless, inexhaustible power.
Yet Luke felt no particular excitement at the emergence of this tremendous strength.
It was as ordinary as sitting in his courtyard and drinking a cup of hot tea.
Simple and uneventful.
Yet profoundly fulfilling.
It was like a gentle ray of sunlight falling naturally from the distant horizon, bathing him in soothing warmth.
Like slowly descending from an altitude of thirty thousand feet at a speed so gentle he seemed almost motionless.
Like watching all life gradually awaken in a world inhabited by him alone.
Suddenly, countless scenes flashed before Luke's eyes.
The birth of Runeterra.
The origins of life.
The origins of magic.
The beginning of all things, their development, and their present existence.
Thousands upon thousands of years, almost ten thousand years of history, passed before his eyes in an instant.
Throughout that experience, his power gradually grew until it was completely full.
"The World Runes are mine to command."
Luke opened his eyes.
The enormous pillar of energy stretching into the heavens dissipated.
His body was enveloped in a strangely colored radiance, emanating an aura of absolute purity.
His calm eyes resembled those of a god descending into the mortal world.
The energy surrounding him was simple and unassuming, as though he had returned to the purest, most fundamental state of existence.
This was completely different from what Ryze had imagined.
He had expected the runes' energy to erupt violently, filling heaven and earth and destroying everything.
Yet the result was unexpectedly... peaceful?
Or perhaps these runes had simply been perfectly compatible with Luke from the very beginning.
Whatever the explanation, there was no doubt that Luke had completely adapted to the power of all five World Runes.
And there he stood.
Looking at Luke's unusually aloof expression, Ryze began wondering whether his personality had been affected as well.
In the next instant, Luke used Blink to appear directly in front of Thresh.
He raised his hand and unleashed a terrifying surge of energy, sending Thresh flying.
"You were talking pretty damn loudly a minute ago, weren't you? Huh? Here's your choice. Kill yourself right here, or I'll beat you to death."
Luke casually released a little rune energy.
The surrounding Black Mist instantly retreated.
Powerful ghostly knights, enormous sea monsters, and every other undead creature were reduced to ashes with a flick of his fingers.
Ryze was speechless for a moment.
Apparently, his personality hadn't changed either.
This was unmistakably the same Luke as always.
"You've merely acquired a little power. Don't get too arrogant."
Thresh stabilized himself in midair and glared at Luke.
He immediately unleashed a terrifying torrent of Black Mist, sending it straight toward him.
Luke stood motionless.
He neither dodged nor defended himself.
He simply allowed the Black Mist to strike his body.
Yet he suffered absolutely no damage.
The protective energy field generated by the World Runes around his body was already sufficient to withstand even the most powerful attacks.
Luke casually brushed himself off as though removing a little dust.
Then he looked at Thresh and flashed a toothy grin.
"Just watch me beat the crap out of you."
As soon as he spoke, he vanished from his original position.
Thresh discovered that he couldn't track Luke's movements at all.
He couldn't even predict where Luke would appear next.
By the time he reacted, a terrifying blast of rune energy had already struck him.
He plummeted toward the ground and crashed into a deep crater.
He couldn't believe it.
The power he had been so proud of just moments ago was utterly pathetic before Luke.
"Who do you think I am?! I am the Lord of the Undead, who has absorbed countless souls!"
Thresh shot out of the crater and unleashed every ounce of his strength toward Luke.
But in the very next instant, terrifying rune energy surged forward like an enormous beast.
It devoured every attack Thresh launched and continued advancing without slowing down.
Nothing could stop it.
Lux excitedly raised her arm and cheered.
"Get him!"
Her eyes sparkled.
She had believed in Luke ever since they were kids!
The enormous beast of rune energy swallowed Thresh and smashed down onto the ocean.
BOOM!
An earth-shattering explosion rang out.
An enormous crater, hundreds of feet across, appeared directly in the sea.
Thresh lay at its center.
His newly acquired body had been struck by the rune energy, leaving him in an utterly miserable state.
"Impossible! This isn't how it's supposed to be! This isn't how it's supposed to be! I'm supposed to be the king of this world!"
Thresh roared furiously.
The overwhelming reversal of his circumstances had completely shattered his composure.
Only moments ago, he had been reveling in his unparalleled power.
Now, everything had been crushed so effortlessly.
He raised his lantern.
High above, the enormous black vortex spiraling across the sky began moving toward Luke under his control.
It resembled a terrifying beast that filled heaven and earth.
Luke's body looked impossibly small before it.
"It's time to end this farce."
Luke calmly gazed at the enormous black vortex looming overhead.
Then he raised his hand.
RUMBLE!
Thunder and lightning erupted across the sky.
Violent bolts of electricity raced through the Black Mist as a dense series of thunderclaps echoed across the heavens.
The enormous vortex visibly began changing color.
An even more powerful surge of rune energy was taking control of it.
Lightning bolts resembling enormous dragons spiraled downward around the tornado.
Gradually, the entire vortex transformed into a terrifying phenomenon composed entirely of pure rune energy.
Brilliantly colored rune energy spread across the entire sky.
Heaven and earth changed color.
Violent winds and torrential rain appeared without warning, only to stop just as suddenly.
The weather fluctuated endlessly, as though the four seasons were rapidly passing while the sun and moon revolved overhead.
Day and night repeatedly exchanged places.
Everyone's vision was completely dominated by the horrifying spectacle.
For an instant, it seemed as though the heavens themselves were about to collapse.
Ryze stared at the scene.
This was the apocalypse he had foreseen.
Anyone who witnessed such a spectacle could feel only one thing.
Despair.
Absolute despair.
Thresh, for example, could scarcely believe that his Black Mist had been suppressed so effortlessly.
Was this the power of the World Runes?
He watched the terrifying mass of rune energy descending toward him.
Overwhelmed by despair, he abandoned every thought of survival.
Dodge?
Where could he possibly flee from an attack like this?
BOOOOOOM!
An earth-shattering explosion erupted, as though the entire world had blown apart.
Everyone felt the ground trembling violently beneath them.
Mountains across the Shadow Isles began collapsing, while nearby islands sank into the depths of the ocean.
The power of this single attack was enough to destroy heaven and earth.
Even the seemingly bottomless ocean was blasted open, revealing an enormous abyss.
A vast section of the sea now contained an indescribably enormous crater.
Seawater poured down into it like countless waterfalls.
Everyone who witnessed the attack was too shocked to speak.
But once it was over, the energy filling heaven and earth gradually dissipated.
And along with that energy, the Black Mist that had once existed everywhere began disappearing.
In an instant, the world seemed to regain its former peace.
"Is it over?"
Lux felt the ground continue shaking beneath her feet for quite some time before it finally settled.
Seeing sunlight streaming down from above, she couldn't help asking the question.
"It's over."
Luke's response sounded beside her.
He calmly gazed across the ocean.
"Everything is over."
The crisis of the Shadow Isles had finally come to an end.
He was absolutely certain that Thresh was completely, irreversibly dead.
Even the divine artifact that had once been his lantern had been annihilated without leaving so much as a speck of ash.
The threats posed by the Void and the Shadow Isles had both been eliminated from Runeterra.
Meanwhile, the runes within Luke's body had fallen dormant once again, just as they had in the past.
There wasn't the slightest sign of them going out of control.
All five World Runes seemed unusually well-behaved inside him.
Luke didn't understand why this was happening.
But regardless of the explanation, everything was finally over.
The enormous burden that had weighed upon his shoulders for so long finally disappeared.
"I knew you could do it!"
Lux excitedly threw herself at him.
She clung to his body like a kitten and affectionately nuzzled his neck.
"We're going home!"
Luke supported her with one hand and burst into laughter.
"We're going home!"
Lux raised her arm and cheered.
Her radiant face was filled with an innocent, flawless smile.
(The End)
// The Completion Notes will be posted after this chapter!