Viktor immediately understood what the gray powder meant. His pupils contracted as he stared at Singed, feeling for the first time as though the man before him were a complete stranger.
Singed looked back at Viktor and extended his invitation once more.
"Viktor, together, we can usher in a new age."
Viktor took half a step back and shook his head.
"You're following the wrong path. I cannot agree with these theories of yours."
"How can a path be right or wrong?" Singed heard the rejection in Viktor's voice, but did not become angry. He merely replied calmly, "As long as a path can take us to our destination, it is the correct one."
"As human beings, and as researchers, there must be a line we never cross."
Viktor shook his head again and spoke plainly.
"It appears this is where we part ways. I should never have come here tonight."
Disappointment appeared in Singed's eyes, and he sighed softly.
"I understand. You still harbor noble fantasies about the world. You have never experienced pain that cut into your very flesh. You have not realized how insignificant humanity is within the vast universe, nor have you experienced just how fragile life can be."
"The day you finally understand will be the day you awaken."
"And I can make that day arrive sooner."
As soon as those words left his mouth, Viktor's expression turned grave. He watched Singed cautiously.
Singed did not seem inclined to attack him. He simply turned away.
"Once you see the results of my experiment, you will understand."
He walked slowly toward a button and pressed it.
A mechanism immediately activated, revealing the laboratory's true scale to Viktor.
One wall after another descended, exposing dozens of experimental chambers. Every chamber was connected to the device holding the World Rune fragment in the center of the room. On the opposite side stood a separate chamber by itself.
Inside the chambers to the left were human beings, each of them unconscious.
Viktor's eyes widened in horror.
He had a dreadful idea of what was about to happen and took another step back.
"Life is insignificant and fragile, but when many lives are woven together, they become immensely powerful."
Singed gazed at the results of his work and continued slowly, "World Runes contain tremendous energy. If a mortal attempts to control one and borrow its power to accomplish something, the Rune will ultimately consume them."
"In my opinion, that happens because they lack sufficient payment. For a human to suddenly acquire power far beyond their natural limits, they must meet the requirements of false equivalent exchange."
"Nothing is more suitable as payment in an equivalent exchange than humanity itself. However, individual humans are too fragile, so I devised a form of deception."
Singed slowly produced a vial of purple liquid.
"Shimmer is one of the finest creations of my life. It can draw out the maximum potential hidden inside the human body, granting someone power beyond their normal limits for a short period."
"With it, a human life no longer resembles a tiny flame that can be extinguished by a single breath."
At that moment, a piercing alarm began to blare.
Red lights flashed throughout the laboratory.
Singed stopped what he was doing and looked toward the entrance, his eyes still perfectly calm.
"It appears I don't have much time left."
After muttering to himself, he turned toward Viktor.
"Tonight, I will take the final step of my experiment. Whether I succeed or fail will be decided now. You will bear witness to this moment."
"Whatever happens, there is no path left for me but forward."
He pressed another switch.
Viktor sensed what was about to happen and tried to rush forward to stop him.
"No!"
The next instant, purple mist began pouring into the dozens of experimental chambers, rapidly filling them.
The people who inhaled the Shimmer all regained consciousness. They pounded desperately against the chamber doors, producing one heavy impact after another, but their efforts were useless.
At the same time, the Rune device in the center of the room began operating.
Energy resembling crackling sparks surged from the World Rune fragment.
Real electricity also began flashing as the device ran at full power. The energy of the Rune spread through the connecting lines and flowed into every experimental chamber.
A deep hum shook the room.
Blinding light erupted like an explosion. A powerful Runic field expanded outward until the entire laboratory was flooded with energy.
Viktor was thrown backward and crashed onto the floor.
He saw Singed remove the bandages covering his face, revealing skin covered in burn scars. Then, without changing expression, Singed injected himself with a dose of Shimmer.
Purple fissures spread across his body.
Without the slightest hesitation, Singed stepped into the experimental chamber before him.
The chamber door sealed shut.
The energy overflowing from the Rune seemed to find a guiding force. It moved away from the dozens of captives, converged into a single stream, and surged toward Singed.
At that moment, the light of the World Rune fragment engulfed the entire laboratory. Powerful magical energy churned everywhere, boiling like water.
With a thunderous crash, Luke smashed through the laboratory door.
He had no time to pay attention to Viktor in the corner. He merely stared at the source of the brilliant light with a deep frown.
He was still one step too late.
After learning the situation from Janna, Luke had rushed here alone at full speed.
Even so, he had not arrived in time.
Luke did not hesitate. He immediately gathered Wind Intent and entered the Mana Burn state. The magic throughout his body burned rapidly, transforming into a new source of power.
He stepped forward and slashed.
Wind Intent coiled around his sword, releasing a terrifying surge of air. Fierce winds howled as Wind-Wielding Sword Intent swept across the laboratory. In the blink of an eye, a massive tornado charged toward the experimental chamber.
The tornado soon collided with the energy released by the World Rune fragment.
Boom!
An explosion erupted, followed by a series of chain reactions. Repeated blasts filled the entire laboratory with smoke and dust.
The shock wave lifted Luke off the ground, but he landed steadily on his feet. His expression became even more cautious as a bad feeling arose within him.
Even with his exceptional eyesight, he could not see through the smoke. All he could make out was the light of the Rune fragment, which remained visible no matter how much dust filled the air.
Suddenly, a hand reached out and firmly grasped the Rune fragment.
"It worked! It finally worked! I risked my life for this very moment!"
An ecstatic voice rang out as the smoke dispersed.
Green fissures had appeared across the hand Singed used to hold the Rune.
He seemed incapable of feeling pain. The fissures quickly spread over his entire body, and every crack appeared to contain immense Runic power.
The next instant, another brilliant burst of light erupted.
Even more energy exploded from Singed's body. Terrifying Runic power swirled around him like arcs of electricity, forming a dreadful field.
"So this is the power of a World Rune. How marvelous."
Singed's voice had grown even hoarser, but his words were filled with pleasure.
Seeing him, Luke could not help sighing.
"World Runes are out of your league. You can't handle them."
Singed looked at him with a faint, dismissive smile.
"I have already discovered how to control a World Rune. Once I find every Rune in the world, I will become invincible."
Luke, who had already seen through everything, chuckled.
"You're really talking out of your ass now."
Leaving everything else aside, if this man truly intended to pursue such a dangerous idea, it probably would not be long before a certain purple space tyrant came knocking on his door.
Perhaps noticing the contempt in Luke's eyes, Singed spoke calmly.
"Prince of Demacia, I had no desire to make you my enemy. At this moment, however, you seem to be the only person capable of helping me test the Rune's power."
As he spoke, he raised one hand.
Powerful Runic magic erupted from it and shot toward Luke like lightning.
Luke immediately dodged and spoke to Janna through his mind.
"This guy seems a little dangerous."
Inside the resting space, Janna immediately encouraged him.
"Don't be afraid. I've got you covered. You've been enhanced, now get in there!"
As soon as she finished speaking, a barrier of wind appeared around Luke. At the same time, he felt a surge of power flow into his body.
He pushed off the ground with the tip of his foot and instantly transformed into a blur. Powerful Sword Intent gathered around Snowglance as he brought the blade down upon Singed.
The sword cut through the air with a sharp hiss.
Wind surged around the Sword Intent as the attack descended like a flash of light.
Singed merely raised his hand and released the Rune's power, effortlessly blocking the strike.
The Runic energy seemed to have formed a protective field around his body. The power spilling from it alone was enough to stop Luke's attack.
Singed had undoubtedly developed the Rune's power far more effectively than Eldred had.
Luke did not give up.
He steadied his breathing and focused his mind, then unleashed several more slashes in the blink of an eye. Every strike contained his full strength, and the Sword Intent spreading from them even destroyed the nearby structures.
With every attack, the stacks of Conqueror rapidly increased.
In moments, they reached their maximum.
Even Singed's expression shifted slightly as he reassessed the prince before him.
He could clearly sense Luke's strength rising continuously at a terrifying speed.
Even the barrier formed from Runic energy was beginning to struggle against his attacks.
Singed's expression turned cold. He raised one hand and released a powerful blast of energy.
An explosion thundered through the laboratory.
Luke sensed it in advance and immediately withdrew, opening the distance between them.
Lux and the others arrived at that moment. They quickly examined the situation, then looked toward Luke and saw the grave expression on his face.
For Vi, Seraphine, Jinx, Orianna, and the others, this was the first time they had ever seen Luke look so serious.
They immediately understood the severity of the situation.
"Singed!"
A furious roar erupted.
Vander charged toward Singed like a mad beast, his entire body radiating murderous intent.
Singed calmly glanced at him and merely raised one hand.
A surge of Runic energy burst forth and froze Vander in midair.
"To me, you are nothing more than a failed experiment. Still, I should thank you for buying me two days."
With a casual flick of Singed's hand, Vander was sent flying backward. He smashed into a wall and vanished beneath a pile of shattered stone.
If the werewolf had not drawn everyone's attention over the last two days, it would have been difficult for Singed to gather so many experimental subjects without being noticed.
Seeing this, Jinx immediately raised her minigun and pulled the trigger without hesitation.
Bullets poured out like rain.
Singed neither moved nor dodged. He raised his hand and stopped every bullet in midair.
Then he spread his fingers.
All the bullets immediately reversed direction and shot back toward them.
Lux swung her staff and formed a barrier, blocking every round.
"At the risk of stating the obvious, is that thing in his hand a World Rune?"
She remembered it well. Eldred had produced an identical Rune when he caused trouble in the capital.
Luke nodded.
"That's the situation. The power of a World Rune is extremely dangerous, so all of you need to be careful. His strength is still rising."
He could sense Singed's aura becoming increasingly powerful.
At first, Singed had not completely absorbed the Rune's power. More precisely, he was gradually adapting to it as time passed.
If he were allowed to gain complete control over the fragment, his current strength might double again.
After hearing Luke's warning, Vi and the others immediately understood that this was not a battle in which they could intervene.
World Runes were things that existed only in legends, yet one had now appeared before their eyes.
As they watched Singed wrapped in Runic energy and radiating overwhelming pressure, they finally understood how terrifying that power truly was.
Viktor climbed to his feet in the corner and reached the same conclusion.
He had never imagined that Singed would sacrifice more than a dozen living people. That meant the man had probably crossed his moral boundary long ago.
"Viktor, some boundaries are foolish and absurd. Once you cross them, you will discover an entirely new world."
Singed glanced toward Viktor in the corner and spoke calmly.
"Don't listen to his garbage!"
Lux spat the words with a serious expression.
Magic surged through her entire body as she swung her staff without restraint.
A blinding pillar of light immediately erupted from its tip and raced toward Singed.
Singed raised his hand and caught the beam.
However, that was only the beginning.
Lux increased the power of her magic, and her golden hair began floating around her.
The pillar of light instantly doubled in thickness. Brilliant light magic illuminated the entire laboratory, while powerful waves of air rolled outward from both sides of the beam.
The sheer force of the spell pushed Singed back one step.
Surprise appeared in his previously calm eyes as he felt the Runic energy around him begin to fluctuate.
It was all because of Lux's terrifying light magic.
He refused to believe that her magical reserves were limitless, so he began concentrating the Rune's energy.
The next instant, golden light shone from both of Lux's eyes.
Dense magic enveloped her entire body until she resembled a small figure made of gold, and she pushed her magical output to its absolute limit.
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