Hardened by battle, Vayne's instincts had long since been fully sharpened on the line between life and death.
But inside the Great City, the situation that should have stabilized was becoming even more chaotic.
"Everyone, don't panic... As long as I find that hero and have him swing the hammer..."
Poppy was doing her best to kill every monster that surged out of the endless Black Mist, right until her stamina reached its limit.
But the hero she had been searching for had not come to help at this moment.
...
"How are we supposed to kill this thing?"
Caleb was still thinking, while Vayne beside him had already fired several crossbow bolts in succession.
Whether it was the small crossbow strapped to her arm or the enormous crossbow carried on her back, neither had much effect when they struck the dragon scales.
Gwen strode forward. Covered in Hallowed Mist, she almost ignored the scorching dragon breath and ran cheerfully toward the front.
Caleb... really wanted to quit this awful team right now.
"At this rate, we'll be scratching at her forever."
Caleb looked at Shyvana, who was catching her breath, and rushed forward without hesitation.
One blade of light and one Youmuu's Wraithblade. Caleb did not hesitate much before charging ahead.
Although Zeri and Jinx's bullets whistled past from behind him, Caleb was not worried about getting shot in the rear.
After all, the two of them were pretty good shots, and to him, they were companions he could truly trust.
As for the Sentinels of Light... Caleb trusted Gwen at most, for the sake of the fragment of Isolde's soul inside her.
As for Senna... Caleb had an immature idea.
The idea was far too shocking, but Caleb believed this was something the Ruination, which had waited for a thousand years, could also wait for.
"I'll pin her down!"
Vayne also rushed forward with Caleb, her steps light and quick.
"I..."
Caleb started to speak, then stopped himself.
After all, Vayne's previous contributions as a monster hunter were not insignificant. At a time when everyone could be useful, Caleb did not want to argue too much.
Caleb brushed past Gwen and suddenly emerged from the Hallowed Mist.
Shyvana had been about to breathe out a second blast of dragonfire, but a burst of wind slammed her head straight upward.
After that burst of wind came countless slashes.
Caleb's two blades cut rapidly across her body. There was no technique to it. He was only trying to heavily injure her.
"Wouldn't it be better if you just turned back into human form?"
As Caleb swung his blades, he remembered the miserable state she had been in when she was nailed to the wall.
"Maybe I should find you somewhere safe to stay."
Caleb's Twin Cities did not place many restrictions on species. As long as someone was not a demon like Tahm Kench, even Darkin like Yaanogel and Aatrox could be received by the Twin Cities, provided they did not damage the city.
Demacia was different. Those born with magic were called "mages" and treated like prisoners.
Ironically, the children of nobles did not have to worry about this. They could even secretly use magic in battle.
That was probably why Demacia, a young nation only on its fourth generation of rulers, felt so lifeless from top to bottom.
Joy belonged only to those whose lives had long since been fulfilled, not to ordinary people who were merely seeking peace.
The disasters that should come would not decrease by even one, while meaningless calamities would only increase.
At that instant, Caleb crossed his two blades without hesitation, preparing to rush forward.
"Flawless Duet!"
The blades moved with his heart, and his body followed the blades.
Vayne's crossbow bolt was still one step too slow. A cross-shaped wound was added to Shyvana's body.
When the smoke dispersed, only the woman lying on the ground remained.
The woman was also covered in wounds, but the wound on her chest was even more shocking.
Even her scales had failed to protect her vitals. At that moment, blood was flowing steadily from the wound.
Vayne raised her hand crossbow, planning to fire another shot into Shyvana's heart.
But Caleb kicked her aside without the slightest politeness.
"Did you beat her? Who said you get to finish her off?"
Caleb had disliked her for a long time. Ever since reading her backstory, he had been so disgusted that he had not logged into the game for several days.
In the game itself, he already had to be tortured by that long-range top laner. Then he read her story and had to be tortured again.
Caleb had truly looked down on Demacia and this bunch of hypocrites for a long time.
He wondered where Sylas was right now, and whether there might be some kind of turning point.
"Drag her to the Twin Cities later. Throw her to Singed."
Caleb thought for a moment, then continued.
"Remember, have him heal her. He can inspect her from the outside, that's enough. Don't let him dissect her. She'll be useful."
"Got it."
Jinx had originally wanted to drag the Ruined person on the ground away by herself, only to discover that Shyvana's scales had gotten stuck against the ground.
"Zeri."
Caleb gave an order, and Zeri walked forward reluctantly.
Although most Zaunite kids did not lack strength, dragging someone around was still hard labor, and they even had to drag her all the way to Zaun.
Zeri used firearms, so she was not actually that strong.
But Caleb looked at the huge gun Zeri was holding, then at Lucian's dark expression...
Forget it. He felt more at ease using his own people.
When they returned from headquarters to the Twin Cities, Warwick was lying on the new research table Singed had replaced, his expression very peaceful.
"Are you sure he's still alive?"
Caleb looked at Warwick's chest. The rise and fall was barely visible, and only those chemtech chemicals were still circulating. Caleb could not help feeling a little worried.
"Relax. He is very healthy right now. Compared to when he first arrived, he has already undergone a qualitative leap."
Caleb rarely came to Singed's laboratory. Even after Singed had gained benefits and renovated the place, continuing his alchemical fire business with Noxus, Caleb had continued turning a blind eye.
"I heard Heimerdinger and the people you assigned made something incredible."
A rare trace of dissatisfaction could be heard in Singed's voice. "Why didn't you consider me?"
Hearing him volunteer himself, Caleb could not help breaking out in a bit of cold sweat.
Compared to a yordle like Heimerdinger, who had lived for three hundred years, Singed's talent was far more astonishing.
"There's a project this time that you may be interested in."
Of course, Caleb knew that to a scholar obsessed with science, nothing was more exciting than inventing something unprecedented.
"But the condition is that you have to save her first. Also, use those alchemical fuel reserves of yours."
Last time, Caleb had discovered that alchemical fire seemed to have a special effect against the monsters surging out of the Black Mist.
He did not know what the principle behind it was, but who cared? As long as it worked, that was enough.
Perhaps because of the Sentinels of Light, the pressure of the Black Mist's attack on Demacia was still very heavy.
In contrast, the Twin Cities were only covered in Black Mist, while the number of monsters wandering the city was only a handful.
With the local Sentinels of Light, those things were still easy enough to deal with.
Not to mention the existence of Mecha Malphite. The Twin Cities could not be said to have no pressure at all, but it was practically negligible.
To Caleb, for the next few days, the Twin Cities, his own base of operations, were actually not something he needed to worry about.
Unless Viego chose this place as the site of the final battle?
But no matter how he thought about it, that would not happen, right.
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