"Alright, let's thank Mr. Duke for bringing us such a wonderful demonstration!"
Heimerdinger stood up from his seat, applauding Duke's brilliant performance, and everyone rose, giving the talented young man the warmest applause.
"Now, let's welcome the next contestant, Jayce Talis and his partner—Viktor, a pair of passionate and creative young men!"
Heimerdinger glanced at the information in his hand, a lingering worry in his eyes: was it truly right to introduce magic into Piltover?
He knew better than anyone the consequences if the power of magic was abused.
Jayce had already pushed his device onto the stage with a small cart, but Viktor, leaning on his cane, seemed somewhat lost in thought. Having experienced the convenience of the Exoskeleton, returning to his frail body made him feel a sense of loss and contrast.
Wearing the Exoskeleton, he felt omnipotent, capable of perfectly overcoming his former broken and imperfect self, but now, having taken off the Exoskeleton and picked up his cane again, he felt a profound sense of inner loss.
Looking at Duke in the audience, Viktor's eyes flickered with envy and longing. The other party could push pure machinery to such a level; his talent was unprecedented.
What about him?
He was attracted by Jayce, which led to the advent of Hextech, but current Hextech was still just a concept, a prototype. It would require a long period of research to develop.
He still had to drag this body to do experiments and research.
"If technology could be completely integrated with the human body, then would I be able to escape this broken body?"
A rebellious thought emerged in Viktor's mind, startling even himself. It wasn't that no one had implanted technology before, but that was for assistive purposes, prosthetics to help them live better lives.
What would happen if humans and technology were directly integrated?
At this moment, in Viktor's heart, besides anxiety and annoyance, there was also a deep curiosity, curious about what would happen if his prediction came true.
"Viktor, Viktor, Viktor..."
Jayce's call brought Viktor back to reality. Jayce looked at him worriedly: "Are you alright? You seem a bit down."
"I'm fine, Jayce. It's just that after experiencing Duke's Exoskeleton, a new idea sparked in my mind!"
"Don't get distracted, partner. I can help you with new ideas, but right now the most important thing is to prove our research, to prove the future of Hextech!"
"Okay, Jayce!"
Viktor stood beside the cart, and Jayce cleared his throat. The spotlight overhead enveloped him, making his handsome and tall figure appear even more extraordinary.
"Hello everyone, I am Jayce Talis. I believe you are not strangers to me, after all, you have all seen me at the Council Building!"
A self-deprecating remark significantly narrowed the distance between Jayce and everyone else. Jayce cleared his throat: "Someone who has made mistakes, and even nearly caused a great disaster, should not be standing here!"
"But I once said that my research was about to make a breakthrough."
"And now, I want to tell you, I can proudly tell you!"
"Piltover is about to usher in a new era, a brand new chapter!"
Jayce dramatically pulled off the cloth covering the cart, revealing the rune base beneath, and declared loudly: "Hextech, using the power of technology to control magic, making the mysterious and unpredictable power of magic available to us!"
"This is my research!"
"Today, everyone will witness the prelude to a new era!"
The lights fell again, illuminating the runic base on the cart and Viktor. Viktor smiled shyly and took out the Hextech Gem he had prepared in advance.
The Hextech Gem was placed in a box, filled with soft velvet, and in the center was the Hextech Gem, shimmering with blue light.
At this moment, the Hextech Gem trembled slightly, and a blue arc of light flashed across its surface.
Camille's expression also changed slightly. The moment she saw the Hextech Gem, the hextech original crystal that replaced her heart seemed to become restless.
The moment Duke saw the Hextech Gem, he smacked his lips, and the sour taste in his mouth began to spread again. He had seven or eight of these things in his inventory, and when they were activated, the overflowing magical energy would make him feel particularly nauseous.
But even before it was activated, the Hextech Gem was affecting him.
This is the awkward part for those in the awakening period of their magical talent; they always experience some discomfort due to magical stimulation.
"Through our research, we have discovered that the energy contained within the Hextech Gem can be guided out through a specific rune set, allowing us to control it!"
Viktor picked up the Hextech Gem and embedded it in the center of the runic base. The runic base resembled a birdcage, with the Hextech Gem's placement point in the center, and iron plates engraved with runes inside.
Crack!
When the Hextech Gem was installed, a flash of light burst forth. Jayce and Viktor exchanged glances, somewhat confused by this change, but for the sake of their research, they still began the experiment demonstration.
After Jayce turned on the switch, the Hextech Gem's energy was drawn out, connecting the entire base through two conduits under the base. At the same time, strands of electricity flickered on the base, and the base instantly unfolded, attaching to the base, with the Hextech Gem floating directly in the air.
A magical aura instantly permeated the entire theater.
"Ugh!"
Duke, covering his mouth, forcefully suppressed the sour, rancid taste in his mouth, his eyes slightly narrowed. His magical talent was about to awaken, and any magical stimulation would cause a strong reaction.
"Now, witness the miracle!"
Jayce, increasing the energy output, stared intently at the runic base. The internal structure began to rotate, guiding the runic energy, and at the same time, the runes began to be filled with magic, emitting light.
Buzz buzz buzz buzz...
The rapidly rotating runic base erupted with powerful magical fluctuations, and everyone's eyes showed shock. Compared to Duke's Clockwork Exoskeleton, which developed machinery to its extreme, the Hextech Gem's demonstration was even more exciting.
Behind him, Camille felt the restlessness of the "heart" in her chest even more clearly now. The magic released by the Hextech Gem began to resonate with her hextech original crystal.
"No!"
Duke suddenly opened his eyes wide and threw Orianna beside him backward. Having keenly detected the magical changes, a strong sense of danger arose in his heart.
It was like being in a room with fierce beasts like tigers and lions.
As Orianna was thrown backward, she felt herself caught in a soft embrace. Looking back at Duke, he had already leaped onto the stage.
"Duke!"
"Stop the experiment immediately! There's a problem with the magical fluctuations; if you continue, it will explode!!"
Duke's magical talent allowed him to detect the magical changes, but everyone else present was somewhat bewildered. Doubt also arose in Heimerdinger's eyes. As a Yordle, he was equally sensitive to magic, and the energy fluctuations released by the Hextech Gem were now somewhat chaotic and violent.
It was as if it couldn't wait to embrace something.
"Stop the experiment?"
In his confusion, Jayce did not heed Duke's advice; instead, he subconsciously increased the energy parameters.
"Don't worry, this is just a normal reaction. When we get to the next part, you'll discover that Hextech's…." Before Jayce could finish speaking, Duke punched him away, then grabbed Viktor and threw him towards the audience.
He pulled out the qingniao amulet from his neck and shouted, "Janna, I need your help!"
The qingniao amulet in his hand trembled slightly, and his call reached Janna's ears. Janna, who was clearing the haze, looked in the direction of Blue Lavender Manor.
"That's Ferros's territory. Did Duke get into some trouble?"
Janna, moving with the wind, transformed into a gale that swept away the haze while also rapidly heading towards Blue Lavender Manor.
"Why are you interfering with my experiment?"
Jayce got up from the ground, his eyes filled with anger. Duke directly yelled at him, "Shut up, you idiot! There's a powerful magic source here interfering with your Hextech Gem. Can't you feel the magic going into a Rampage?"
As Duke spoke, the runic base suddenly erupted with powerful magic fluctuations. Camille's brows furrowed slightly. The hextech original crystal in her chest was humming, and the magic it released caused the veins around her eyes to glow blue, and her eyes also turned blue.
"Is it because of me?"
Camille, touching her chest, quickly got up and walked outside. She shouldn't have been there, but her curiosity about Duke and her leisure led her to watch the experiment.
Unexpectedly, her hextech original crystal resonated with the Hextech Gem's magic, causing the Hextech Gem's magic to go into a Rampage.
In the original plot, Jayce's success was correct, but Camille was not personally present when he demonstrated the experiment. After all, Silco had just taken control of the Undercity and Black Alley at that time.
Camille was supposed to go to the Undercity to inspect and assess Silco, to see if he would threaten Ferros's control over Piltover.
To maintain the status of Ferros as the first family, this was Camille's duty and mission.
But now, everything was disrupted by Duke. Vi and Jinx, who should have been separated, were not. Silco fled to Noxus, Vander still controlled Black Alley, and Camille did not leave Blue Lavender Manor because Silco controlled Black Alley; instead, she came to observe the ceremony.
A series of events influenced each other in the dark, creating a butterfly effect that showed its Terrify power.
"That's right, Duke is correct. Everyone, evacuate the venue immediately! Jayce's Hextech Gem is starting to go into a Rampage!"
Professor Heimerdinger could no longer suppress the Terrify in his heart. He slammed his hand on the table and stood up, causing everyone to be in an uproar.
"Professor Heimerdinger, please give me a chance. I can definitely…" Jayce was still unwilling to give up. At that moment, the magic fluctuations erupted, solidifying into a ring of blue light that impacted outwards, sweeping Duke and Jayce directly away.
Duke's mouth was filled with a sour taste, and Jayce's eyes held a hint of confusion. Why did an experiment that had gone so smoothly before go wrong today?
Which part went wrong?
Why did Duke know my experiment had a problem?
Why is all of this happening?
Before landing, Duke adjusted his body's center of gravity and landed steadily on the ground. Having received the Gun Kata inheritance, he took time every day to train himself, and his skills were much stronger than before.
As for Jayce, he wasn't in the mood to deal with him right now. He said to the judging panel and the council, "Evacuate, now!!"
"Otherwise…"
The next second, a pillar of light erupted from the runic base, piercing through the dome of the theater.