Luxana Crownguard, the light maiden of Demacia, was currently hiding in a secret chamber within the Crownguard family's castle. She listened to the piercing screams and clanging of metal coming from outside, her petite body trembling violently with fear.
Her brother, Garen, Demacia's strongest warrior, was defeated by the white banshee the moment the battle began, his fate unknown. And now, those cold, devilish soldiers have breached the defenses of Crownguard Castle.
"Miss Lux, quick! Go this way!" A loyal Crownguard family guard used his body to block the stone door of the secret chamber. From outside the stone door came terrifying sounds of energy cutting through it.
"No... I won't leave! I want to stay with you!" Lux's eyes glistened with tears. Although she was afraid, her innate pride as a member of the Crownguard family prevented her from escaping alone.
"Go!" the guard roared, blood already trickling from the corner of his mouth. "You are the future hope of Demacia! You cannot die here!"
Just then, with a loud "boom," the stone door, made of anti-magic stone and a meter thick, was smashed to pieces by an irresistible force.
Several soldiers from the Calamity Vanguard entered. Their deep blue, cold electronic eyes instantly locked onto Lux.
"Target confirmed, execute 'no-damage capture'." The lead soldier issued the order in a completely emotionless tone.
"Protect Miss Lux!" The remaining Crown Guards roared, raised their weapons, and charged forward.
However, their resistance was futile. Before the Calamity Vanguard's indestructible body, enhanced by Imperial technology, their weapons were like toys. In a single exchange, all the guards were pierced through the chest by energy spears and fell into pools of blood.
Lux screamed in terror, instinctively stretching out her hands, and a dazzling, uncontrollable golden light burst forth from her palms!
This light is the pure power of light magic that she has hidden for many years!
However, a semi-transparent energy shield instantly appeared on the bodies of those Calamity Vanguard soldiers. Lux's light magic, capable of melting steel, had no effect whatsoever when it struck the shield, as if it had vanished into thin air.
"High-purity light magic energy detected. Target value assessment upgraded to 'God-Emperor level tribute'." A series of data streams flashed in the soldier's electronic eyes.
The next second, a giant net made of energy and flashing with white arcs of electricity descended from the sky, firmly covering Lux's petite body.
Lux felt the magic within her being completely suppressed by a colder, more powerful force. She struggled and cried out, but it was all in vain. She could only watch helplessly as those cold soldiers, their hands and feet bound in shackles, took her away from the home where she had grown up, treating her like a rare animal.
As she was led out of the castle, she saw a sight she would never forget for the rest of her life.
The entire City of Light had been transformed into a sea of fire. Countless Demacian civilians were driven from their homes like livestock by the Vanguard of Calamity and gathered in the square.
All the women were separated.
Their gorgeous clothes were roughly torn off, leaving them only in their most intimate underwear. Then, they were sifted through by squads of Calamity Vanguard soldiers, who examined them like cargo.
"This one is nice, it has very fair skin, it could be kept as an 'ornamental pet'."
"This one's too old, worthless, get rid of her." As soon as a soldier finished speaking, his energy gun emitted a white light, and the Demacian woman, who was over fifty years old, turned to ashes in an instant.
"Mom!" a young girl cried out in anguish. But soon, she was grabbed by the hair by a soldier and roughly dragged into the line of "high-value individuals".
Women deemed "high-value," whether young girls or elegant ladies, were fitted with energy-suppressing collars and herded together like livestock with nose rings.
Their eyes were filled with fear, humiliation, and despair. They were once the white lilies of Demacia, the purest and noblest symbol of the country. Now, they had become "commodities" to be picked over and valued at will.
Lux was being escorted through this hell on earth. She saw her classmates, her neighbor's sister, and the noble ladies who had once smiled and greeted her at the celebration. Now, they were all, like her, lambs to the slaughter.
Their cries, their pleas, their curses mingled together, forming a desolate, apocalyptic dirge for Demacia.
Finally, Lux was brought before the white banshee—Irelia.
Irelia hovered silently in mid-air, her empty eyes scrutinizing the girl hailed as the "Light of Demacia".
“A very pure soul, very powerful potential.” Irelia commented in a tone devoid of any emotion, “You will become the most perfect ‘work of art’ offered to His Majesty the God-Emperor. You should… feel ‘honored’ for this.”
"You demon! My brother will never let you get away with this!" Lux roared with all her might.
"Your brother?" Irelia's lips curled into a cold, mocking smile. She waved her hand dismissively.
A water mirror made of energy appeared before Lux. Reflected in the water mirror was Garen's image.
He did not die.
He was bound in a humiliating manner to the collapsed hero statue in the center of Bright Square by dozens of thick chains that shimmered with energy runes. His body was covered with deep, bone-revealing wounds, and his once-proud armor was now tattered and torn to pieces.
Around him were thousands of captured, unarmed Demacian civilians.
Garrosh, the "Destroyer," carrying his massive battle axe, walked up to Garen.
“The Might of Demacia,” Garrosh’s modified, metallic voice rang out, “First Apostle, let me give you a ‘chance’.”
"Now, kneel down and swear allegiance to our great God-Emperor. For every kowtow you make, I will spare a Demacian civilian."
"Otherwise, you will watch with your own eyes as I, with this axe, cleave them in two, one by one, right before your eyes."
This was the most vicious and effective method of psychological destruction that Lin Feng had used on Irelia.
Now, Irelia has "bestowed" this despair upon the heroes of Demacia.
Garen's eyes, which had been somewhat unfocused due to blood loss, instantly turned blood red. He looked at the people whose eyes were filled with fear but still held a glimmer of hope for him, and then at the orc before him who resembled a demon god.
His heart, once filled with "glory" and "justice," was torn apart at this moment by unprecedented pain and struggle.
"No... Brother..." Lux cried out in despair as she looked at the scene in the water mirror.
Irelia ignored her cries. She simply watched quietly, like a master director, as she watched the drama of "collapse of faith" unfold before her, a drama she herself had orchestrated.
“See?” she said to Lux. “This is what happens to your ridiculous ‘justice.’ Before absolute power, all faith is nothing but a fragile toy to be crushed.”
She put away the water mirror, preventing Lux from seeing the even more brutal scenes that followed.
Because Lux, as the top-tier "tribute," needs her soul to remain as "pure" as possible.
"Put her, along with all the other 'S-rank tributes,' into the 'hibernation pods' and send them directly to the 'Crown of Nothingness,'" Irelia gave the final order.
After Irelia utterly trampled on Demacia's faith and dignity in the most brutal way, what followed was a systematic and frenzied plunder of resources targeting the entire nation.
Upon the "Throne of Calamity," Gaia's central core was operating at an unprecedented speed. It was transforming all the geographical, mineral, and ecological information of Demacia into a massive, three-dimensional resource distribution map.
“Report to the First Apostle,” Gaia’s voice rang out, “Demacia’s resource analysis complete. There are three main types of high-value resources: First, anti-magic stones. They are abundant and distributed in the Wailing Mountains and the Silver Mountains. This substance has extremely strong absorption and conduction properties for 'concept' energy, making it an excellent material for crafting high-level 'divine weapons' and 'law weapons'.”
"Second, human resources. The Demacian race has stable genes, robust physique, and high obedience. They are suitable as modified bodies for large-scale 'labor' and 'biological weapons'. Among them, female individuals have an average appearance evaluation level that is 17.3% higher than those of Ionia, making them extremely valuable 'renewable luxury goods'."
"Third, ecological resources. Demacia possesses vast primeval forests and pure water sources. Its unique flora and fauna contain abundant bioenergy, which can be used to extract high-purity 'life essence,' a nutritional supplement favored by the imperial high command."
Irelia looked at the report, her empty eyes devoid of any emotion.
"Pass on my orders." Her voice was as cold as a machine. "'Titan Heavy Armor' Balin, lead the engineering corps to the Howling Mountains. Activate the 'Planetary Crust Decomposer' to indiscriminately mine all anti-magic stone veins. I require that all anti-magic stones within 10,000 meters below the surface of Demacia be completely collected within three Imperial months."
"Yes, ma'am."
"'Shadow Apostle' Li Yao is in charge of the selection and allocation of 'human resources.' All captured Demacian men are divided into three categories based on their physical condition. First-class are sent to the 'Bio-modification Factory' to replenish the 'Cataclysmic Soldiers.' Second-class are sent to Hera-7 mining planet for high-intensity labor. Third-class are directly 'disposed of' as 'nutrients' for the ecosystem."
"Yes, ma'am."
"As for all the women's 'assets'..." Irelia paused, "They will be transported in batches according to their value. S-rank and above will be sent directly to His Majesty the God-Emperor's 'Crown of Nothingness.' A-rank will be awarded as a reward to the Imperial generals who have made meritorious contributions in this campaign. B-rank will be sent to the slave markets on the Empire's major trading planets for public auction. C-rank and below will be sent to the 'Entertainment' and 'Consumption' departments."
"Yes, ma'am."
With each command issued by Irelia, the entire Demacia region transformed into a massive, highly efficient slaughterhouse and processing plant.
The once majestic Howling Mountains are now covered by tens of thousands of Imperial mining machines, resembling giant beetles. These machines were dropped directly from the Throne of Calamity onto the ground. With their enormous, energy-glinting drills, they brutally tore the earth apart, devouring, decomposing, and purifying the anti-magic stone veins buried for millions of years, along with the surrounding mountains.
Mountains crumbled and the earth split open, smoke and dust obscuring the sun. The Wailing Mountains were razed to the ground at a visible speed. Countless rare and exotic creatures unique to Demacia, which inhabited the mountains, were crushed into mincemeat under the merciless iron hooves of the mining machines.
The captured Demacian men, on the other hand, faced their tragic fate.
They were stripped of their names, left only with a cold string of numbers branded on their wrists. They were crammed into crowded, foul-smelling transport ships like livestock.
Those deemed "first-class" were mostly soldiers of the Fearless Vanguard or physically strong young men. They were sent to a secret "bio-engineering factory" on an asteroid. Here, all their memories would be erased, and they would be injected with various violent and unstable genetic agents. Their flesh and blood would fuse with cold metal, ultimately transforming them into mindless, bloodthirsty new "Calamity Soldiers."
Most of the victims were ordinary men deemed "second-class." They were transported to the distant mining planet Hera-7, a planet perpetually shrouded in toxic gases and with an extremely harsh environment. Under the threat of whips and energy guns from Imperial overseers, they were forced to work over twenty hours a day in grueling mining operations. They received no rest, and their food consisted only of the most meager rations barely enough to sustain life. Here, the average lifespan of a healthy Demacian male was no more than three months. They would die from exhaustion, starvation, or radiation from the toxic ore. Their corpses would be carelessly tossed into massive smelting furnaces, becoming part of the planet's energy reserves.
As for those "third-class" soldiers who were old, weak, or severely wounded in battle, their fate was even more direct. They would be gathered together and then "evaporated" in large numbers by the Calamity Vanguard using energy weapons. Their flesh and blood would be transformed into basic organic matter, which would be sprayed onto the land that the Empire had cleared for the cultivation of fast-growing crops, becoming "nutrients."
For the empire, this was the most efficient and thorough "resource utilization".
While the men of Demacia endured hellish torment in every corner of the land, their wives, daughters, and sisters were sent to the heart of the empire as the highest-ranking "trophies."
Hera-7, the trading planet, a slave market that once gained fame for auctioning Ionian elves, is now once again in an uproar because of the arrival of "Demacian Widowmaker".
Unlike the natural and wild beauty of the Ionian elves, Demacian women are mostly well-educated, possessing an innate noble and elegant air. Their skin is like the finest white porcelain, and even when their eyes are filled with fear, they still carry a hint of unyielding, aristocratic pride.
This unique charisma held a fatal attraction for the powerful and wealthy who were already tired of the monotonous imperial life.
The auction was set up to be more grand than ever before.
Tens of thousands of carefully selected Demacian girls were imprisoned in individual, transparent energy cages. These cages, like a carousel, slowly hovered above the huge auction hall, allowing the buyers below to "enjoy" them from every angle.
They were all dressed in uniform, almost transparent, thin white silk "commodity clothing" that was filled with humiliation. Around their necks, they wore energy collars that shimmered with a faint light. If they disobeyed in the slightest, the collars would release intense electric currents, causing them excruciating pain.
"Distinguished guests!" the Imperial auctioneer proclaimed in his rousing voice, "Today, we bring you the finest 'collectibles' from our newly conquered world—Demacia! They are the white lilies of that stubborn kingdom! They are noble, they are pure, they are full of challenges! And now, they will become your most loyal and beautiful 'pets'!"
"Now, let's present our first item for today! Lot number: d-00001! A former apprentice priestess of the Temple of Light in Demacia! She possesses the purest faith and the most beautiful face! Her singing voice is like heavenly music! Starting bid: one million Imperial Credits!"
A blonde, blue-eyed girl with tear-streaked face was pushed to the center of the display stand. She stared in horror at the tens of thousands of greedy and lustful eyes below, her body trembling uncontrollably.
"One million one hundred thousand!"
"One million three hundred thousand!"
"I'll offer two million! Tonight, I'll fall asleep to her prayers!" A fat, wealthy merchant from the empire let out a lewd laugh.
Prices were driven up dramatically.
Ultimately, this once-holy priestess was "bought" for an exorbitant price. Chained and treated like merchandise, she was taken away by her new owner. What awaited her was an endless darkness that would defile her faith and her body.
The subsequent auctions were increasingly outrageous.
Former Demacian noblewoman, fiancée of a fearless vanguard officer, female scholar of the Royal Library... these women, once highly respected in Demacian society, have now become playthings that the imperial nobles are vying to seize.
Their resistance, their cries, their tears—these things, instead of evoking any sympathy from these buyers, only fueled their more intense and perverse desire for conquest.
"Taming" a noble Demacian white lily has become the newest and most fashionable "game" in the imperial high society.
This "feast" filled with sin and desire lasted for a full month. More than 100,000 of the most beautiful Demacian women were put up for sale, traded, and sent to dark prisons in every corner of the empire.
Irelia, as the creator of all this, merely watched it all indifferently through Gaia's remote monitoring.
In her eyes, these were simply the reasonable allocation of "assets".
Her gaze had already been set on the other side of the Valoran continent.
Noxus—a dark empire filled with iron will and the desire for conquest.
“Gaia,” she issued a new command, “the 'purification' work in Demacia is nearing its end. Move the 'Throne of Calamity' to the border of Noxus.”
“Your Majesty the Divine Emperor needs new and stronger ‘emotional memes’.”
"And war is the perfect breeding ground for all of this."
After the Empire had completely drained Demacia of its last remaining value, the land had become a veritable "dead zone." Mountains were leveled, forests were burned, water sources were polluted, and cities were reduced to ruins.
The "Throne of Calamity," this mobile doomsday fortress, slowly departed from the land it had destroyed, heading east towards the black continent filled with war and smoke.
Meanwhile, in the distant heart of the empire, within the "Crown of Nothingness," Lin Feng was admiring his latest "collection" with satisfaction.
Laksana Crownguard was neither killed nor put up for auction.
She was placed within a vast, transparent container made of pure energy. Her body was connected by countless delicate, shimmering energy tendrils. She was in an eternal, meticulously woven dream.
In this dream, she experiences the destruction of Demacia over and over again.
She would dream of herself, successfully using light magic to repel the invaders, save all the people, and become Demacia's greatest hero. Then, in her happiest moment, as she basks in the cheers of the people, Irelia's figure would reappear, tearing everything she had protected to shreds in an even more cruel way.
Hope, and despair.
These two extreme emotions were repeatedly and intensely stimulated within her soul. Each violent fluctuation of emotion generated an extremely pure, golden-purple "emotional energy." This energy was continuously extracted by the tentacles for Lin Feng to "taste."
For Lin Feng, this was the most exquisite and wonderful "art" in the universe.
"Truly a perfect 'work'." Lin Feng looked at the girl in the container, who was sometimes smiling and sometimes crying, and exclaimed in sincere admiration.
“Gaia,” he commanded, “inform Irelia. Noxus is a civilization that reveres strength. Their emotions are more direct and more violent. I don’t want to see another simple, crushing ‘purification’.”
"I want to see a real 'war'."
"I want to see what kind of magnificent new 'flower of despair' will be born when Noxus's proud 'power' is completely shattered in the face of an even greater 'power'."
"Command received."
---
Valoran, on the border of Noxus.
The "Throne of Calamity," like an ancient, ferocious beast, descended upon this land filled with the aura of iron and blood.
Irelia stood atop the throne, looking down at the heavily fortified Noxian fortress below, adorned with black battle banners.
She knew that a new and even bloodier "collection" was about to begin.
Her mission is never-ending.
She will lead her "Calamity Vanguard" to destroy world after world, conquer civilization after civilization, and spread the "purity" defined by Lin Feng to every corner of the universe.
The demonic sword in her hand emitted a cold, blood-craving hum.
She is the Empire's First Apostle.
She is the fallen witch who brought eternal night.
Her expedition has only just begun.
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