Chen was completely thrown off by Swain.
Swain's mind also began to race. If Chen was truly working for LeBlanc, he would definitely hide it. But Chen not only didn't hide it but also told him about LeBlanc's infiltration.
Swain frowned slightly:
"Are you trying to show loyalty?"
"I'm coming clean; I had no choice. She took Powder, and Powder is more important to me than my own life. LeBlanc and I will never rest until one of us is dead!"
Chen continued to explain his thoughts:
"I'm pretending to help her to ensure Powder's safety, but in reality, I'm helping you. LeBlanc has always wanted to regain political power, so she wants me to be a spy."
"But I won't just help her; I'll harm her. I can give LeBlanc insignificant information, or even false information, causing her to miss opportunities and tilt the scales of victory in your favor! Not only that, but I can also tell you about LeBlanc and the Black Rose's movements!"
"I'm doing all of this for only one request: please help me get Powder back."
Chen's words were sincere.
Swain was now deep in thought. The number one enemy currently hindering the New Noxus was LeBlanc and the Black Rose. If Chen's words were all true, and this turncoat undercover agent was truly helping him, then his chances of success would be much higher.
The only question now was whether Chen was lying to him. Swain suddenly threw back his cloak, and a blood-red Demon Eye appeared before Chen.
Suddenly, all surrounding light vanished, and everything turned to darkness; Chen couldn't see his hand in front of his face.
Suddenly, a light appeared in the darkness—a blazing fire.
Chen leaned closer and saw a fiery red eyeball in the flames. This eye was completely different from a normal person's; it had a blood-red sclera and a vertical pupil filled with deep black.
"A Demon Eye?"
Chen frowned.
Just then, Swain's voice came:
"A Demon Eye can see the truth behind things, and it can also tell whether you're lying to me!"
Chen answered almost instantly:
"No!"
He wasn't lying to Swain; everything he told Swain was the truth. He genuinely wanted to help Swain. Helping LeBlanc brought him no benefit, and Chen detested that treacherous old hag.
If he helped Swain, it was possible that Swain's subordinates could truly rescue Powder, and perhaps he could even find the Grand General to complete his mission. For now, aligning with Swain held more significance.
The Demon Eye flew in front of Chen, circling him completely.
Chen felt a chill down his spine, as if his entire being had been seen through.
The next second, Chen was back in the room, with Swain still sitting opposite him. Swain smiled slightly:
"You passed the Demon Eye's test. I promise you, I will find a way to help you rescue Powder, but you must do everything you're supposed to do, without fail."
"Yes!"
Chen immediately agreed.
Swain also nodded and continued:
"Now you can tell me about LeBlanc and the Black Rose."
Now that Swain somewhat trusted him, Chen spoke directly:
"You must know more about the current situation of the Black Rose and LeBlanc than I do, but what I know is about the Black Rose's origins and the more severe hidden threat you foresaw in the distance."
"You know that too?"
Chen still exceeded Swain's imagination. Swain hadn't expected Chen to even know about the hidden threat to Noxus.
Chen continued:
"Actually, LeBlanc is also involved with this threat. LeBlanc was once his subordinate, but she betrayed him."
Swain's expression was grave; Chen was telling him things he didn't know yet.
In the previous era, before Noxus was founded, the brutal warlord Sahn-Uzal ravaged the northern lands.
Driven by dark beliefs, he purged all tribes and villages that stood in his way, forging his empire with blood and death.
As he lay dying, he was overjoyed, for he was certain that his deeds in life had earned him a place among the gods forever in the Bone Hall.
However, what awaited him after his death was not the glory of godhood or a magnificent hall.
Sahn-Uzal stood on a desolate, grey plain, with only chaotic Whispers echoing in his ears and ghostly mists clinging to his body. Occasionally, lost souls drifted by—tiny specters, vague in their nothingness.
Sahn-Uzal was furious. Had his faith always been a lie?
Or had his conquests in life not been enough to earn him the immortality he craved?
How could the void before him be the end of his life—though it seemed endless. He watched the weak souls gradually fade into the mist, then vanish into time.
But Sahn-Uzal refused to fade.
A will forged in fire and brutality allowed him to retain his consciousness.
After a long time, the once indistinct Whispers gradually coalesced into words he could almost understand—he finally realized it was Ochnun, a wicked language that belonged to no living thing.
A trick slowly emerged in his remaining consciousness. His Whisper began to penetrate the veil between different realms, promising his undefeated power to anyone who dared to listen.
He didn't wait long. A group of sorcerers heeded his call, deciding to bring him back to the world of the living. Without flesh and bone, he incited the sorcerers to seal his spirit into a suit of black iron plate armor, precisely like what he wore in life, gaining power that could defy mortals.
Thus, the merciless Iron Revenant was born.
The power-hungry sorcerers had originally hoped to use him as a weapon in their trivial wars. However, he executed all of them on the spot; their magic and weapons were useless against him.
In despair, they shouted his name, attempting to seal him again—but it was futile, for Sahn-Uzal no longer existed.
With a ethereal Whisper, he spoke his name in Ochnun: Mordekaiser.
He once again began his conquest of the mortal world. His ambition was still grand, and with the enhancement of necromancy, his power exceeded his own imagination.
Mordekaiser forged a brutal mace, Nightfall, from the souls of the sorcerers. This weapon, which commanded the dead, could control their resurrected undead.
To his enemies, Mordekaiser seemed only dedicated to slaughter and destruction. His cruel campaigns almost wiped out an entire generation.
But Mordekaiser's plan went far beyond that. He built the Immortal Bastion at the heart of his empire, which is now the capital of Noxus.
Many people thought it was just a symbol of power, but some discovered its secrets.
Mordekaiser craved all forbidden knowledge of souls and death, and to thoroughly understand the material realm… or any realm.
Tyranny only creates enemies. Eventually, a coalition of Noxian tribes, which was the predecessor of modern Noxus!
Coupled with the betrayal of a confidante, LeBlanc!
They eventually defeated the Iron Revenant. They severed the connection between Mordekaiser's soul and his armor, then sealed the empty shell in a secret place.
Mordekaiser was thus banished from the material realm. However, no one knew that this was precisely his plan, and a crucial step. Although power and trickery had brought him temporary glory, he knew that a greater Destiny awaited him than the Bone Hall.
In the once-empty wasteland, all the souls who had died under his tyrannical rule waited. Undead spirits, corrupted by dark sorcery, would not dissipate. The strongest among them became his devout immortal army, controlled by his will… and the weaker ones also had their tasks.
With these souls, Mordekaiser would build a new empire. They would become the bricks and mortar of the underworld empire.
A thousand years passed on Runeterra, and the Immortal Bastion also became the capital of Noxus.
"The danger you foresaw is Mordekaiser! And LeBlanc, she is also doing everything in her power to prevent Mordekaiser from returning to the world of the living!"