Legends of Runeterra

Chapter 1089 Faker is still climbing to the top, his childish skills are so terrifying

We lined up on a gentle slope, the shattered remains of the city wall behind us. For over a thousand years, since the arrival of the Sun Queen, we have not been allowed to recycle the rubble or rebuild the city wall; the ruins force us to remember that defeat in ancient times.

But now, our army of stonemasons, laborers, and sorcerers are using magically driven capstan machinery to neatly stack the huge blocks of freshly mined granite.

I am filled with pride as the walls rise. Icathia is basking in the glory of its rebirth before my eyes.

Even more shocking was the army straddling the main road into the city. Ten thousand soldiers, men and women alike, clad in boiled leather armor, armed with axes, javelins, and spears. In the days following the uprising, the forges worked tirelessly, producing swords, shields, and arrowheads. But time was limited. Before we could fully arm our troops, the Sun Emperor's wrath was upon us, and the army immediately marched eastward.

I'd seen images of ancient Icathian armies in forbidden texts—brave warriors arrayed in rows of gold and silver—and though we were only a shadow of those ancient armies, we were no less heroic. Two thousand Claw Riders were deployed on each flank, their scaly mounts splayed with feathers, their clawed hooves stamping the ground impatiently. Fifteen feet in front of us, a thousand archers knelt on the ground, their blue-feathered arrows lodged in the soft earth.

Three deep infantry phalanxes are our main force, like a fortress of courage, ready to resist the enemies who have oppressed us for generations.

Behind our lines, mages cast earth and stone magic. Crackling energy clouded the air. The Shurimans would undoubtedly bring their own mage force, but we had magic of our own to counter it.

“I’ve never seen so many soldiers,” I said.

Colgrim shrugged. "No one has seen it, not even in our generation."

“Don’t be too complacent,” Saijax said. “The Sun Emperor has five armies, and the smallest of them has three times our size.”

I tried to imagine this kind of force, but I had no idea. "How could we defeat an army like that?" I asked.

Saijax didn't answer me. Instead, he led Kohari to the designated location, stopping before a massive, stepped granite structure. A forest of wooden stakes, impaled with Shuriman corpses, stood at its base. A flock of scavenger birds circled overhead. Atop the structure, a tent of crimson and indigo silk was erected. Inside, it was unclear what lay within. A group of robed priests surrounded the tent, each wielding a staff made of star iron, drawing intricate patterns in the air.

I didn't know what they were doing, but I could hear a constant buzzing sound, like a nest of worms trying to crawl into my brain.

The tent swayed like a mirage, and my eyes began to water, forcing me to look away. My teeth seemed to loosen in their sockets, and my mouth tasted like sour milk. I retched and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, only to find a few spots of blood on my hand. I was startled.

"What's that?" I asked. "What's in there?"

Saijax shrugged. "It's said to be a new weapon. Discovered deep underground by sorcerers after the Saabera earthquake."

"What kind of weapon?"

"Does it matter?" Colgrim said. "They say this thing can wipe out those gold-clad shit-eaters from the world. And those gods, too. Any number of deaths is enough."

The sun was almost at its zenith now, but a shiver ran down my spine. My mouth suddenly felt dry. My fingertips tingled.

Is this fear? Maybe.

Or maybe, just maybe, it was a sign. Something was going to happen.

An hour later, the Shurima army arrived.

I had never seen such an army, never imagined so many could gather together. Dust billowed, covering the sky like a gathering storm, ready to sweep away the mortal realm.

Then, amidst the dust, I saw the bronze spears of Shuriman warriors. Everywhere I looked, I saw soldiers. They advanced, a wall of men holding golden banners, their sundisc totems gleaming in the midday sun.

At the top of the gentle slope, we saw wave after wave of enemy troops coming into view, hundreds of thousands of undefeated warriors, their ancestors having conquered the known world. Golden mounts and riders guarded their flanks, while hundreds of floating chariots led the way. Heavy carriages the size of three-masted galleys were loaded with strange war machines, rapidly spinning spheres surrounded by beads of fire and lightning, resembling navigational astrolabes. Around the machines walked a group of robed priests, wielding torches and staffs, each accompanied by a retinue of blind slaves.

At the center of the army were the god-warriors.

My mind had forgotten everything else—the blood, the horror, the fear. Only the image of the god-warrior remained before me, and it would haunt me for the rest of my life.

I saw nine of them, towering like a mountain among the soldiers under my command. Their appearance and bodies were a horrifying hybrid of human and animal, the likes of which had never existed in the world, nor should they ever exist. They were clad in bronze and jade armor, giants all of them. Unbelievable monsters.

Their leader turned to look at us. Her skin was pale and smooth, like ivory. A golden helmet carved in the shape of a lion mercifully hid her face from us, but I could still feel the power of her fierce gaze as it swept across our position.

Wherever he looked, a wave of fear was set off.

Our army was dwarfed by the sheer size of the enemy, on the verge of collapse before a single arrow was fired. Our brave leaders raised steady shouts, holding their formation in the nick of time, but even I could hear the fear in their voices.

I felt the same uncontrollable urge to empty my bladder. But I forced it back. I'm Kohari. I couldn't pee my pants on my first combat mission.

Even so, my hands were covered in cold sweat and I felt a dull pain in my chest.

I want to run. I have to run.

There is no possibility for us to engage such a force.

"These bastards are pretty big," Colgrim said, and a nervous laugh spread through our ranks. My fear eased a little.

“They may seem like gods,” Saijax’s voice boomed far. “But they are mortal. They bleed, and they die.”

I drew strength from his words, but I wondered if he knew how wrong he was.