Standing in the middle of the viewing platform, I held the Oath of Silence, controlling the protective formation I set up before. Using Authorities of Origin and Void, I expanded space inside it, creating a false Bubble World to act as the battlefield.
Kayle and Morgana were surprised by the changes around them, but with their focus on each other, they simply ignored them. Feng was also inside, acting as a referee for the duel, ready to step in if needed.
-"As expected of you, Yue. To create such a solid small realm on a whim."
-"It's one of my fields of study. You can start when you want, Feng."
-"Good. You heard him, you two, you can go all out. Just don't kill each other."
Two winged women nodded and started gathering their power. Feng flew further away, finding a great spot overlooking the battlefield. The calm continued for a few more breaths of time, being finally disturbed by Morgana.
She extended her hand forward, creating purple chains that flew toward Kayle, who flew high into the air in an effort to avoid them. Ascending beyond the clouds, she took on her ascendant form, her wings turning golden and two swords manifesting in her hands.
Seeing her sister not taking it easy, Morgana changed her focus from trying to bind Kayle to directly fighting her. Using her own celestial power, she scorched the earth around her, making purple fire erupt from every crevice in the surroundings.
With the swing of Kayle's sword, countless blades made from the light started raining down, forcing Morgana to dodge the onslaught. Flying near the ground, she used purple fire to shoot at Kayle, trying to prevent her from attacking.
This proved ineffective, as every fireball would be either intercepted by the falling blade or cleaved by Kayle herself. Seeing that, Morgana stopped avoiding Kayle's attacks and created a shield that blacked every upcoming blade.
In response, Kayle rushed at her sister, unleashing golden fire at the barrier with every swing of her sword. Morgana kept her ground, sustaining the shield while trying to attack using purple fire from the surroundings.
The battle continued like that for a few minutes until Kayle was finally able to break through the shield, slashing at Morgana, who had taken out her sword to block. As close combat was not to her advantage, she continued to parry attacks from Kayle while trying to create distance between them.
Morgana tried to use her chains once again, but was unable to trap her sister, only slow her down. With Kayle on her heels, Morgana started flying around, trying to burn her pursuer with fire while avoiding slashes sent in her direction.
Two of them continued their cat-and-mouse play for the next hour, turning the whole world inside the barrier into uninhabitable ruin. They exhausted most of their powers but were unable to defeat each other.
-"You two, it's enough."-Feng stepped between the two sisters.-"There is no point in continuing this fight."
-"Lady Feng, I must confront my sister."
-"I have to agree with Kayle on this."
-"Then prove the other wrong with your actions, not by running away from your responsibilities."-I appeared next to Feng.
The sisters looked at me, waiting to explain my words.
-"From what I see, you are not opposites but rather have a different understanding of the same aspect. Fighting wouldn't change your view on justice."
They nodded, agreeing with my statement.
-"Then show that your idea is better than the other. You don't hate each other, so don't act against each other. In the end, you wish to see justice prevail, so work for it."
-"Good."
-"I can agree to that."
-"Then I suggest you start with mage rebellion here in Demacia. Civil war will only bring suffering to civilians, creating greater hatred. You two are from this land, called Protectors by people. Ascertain that their beliefs are not misplaced."
Two of them were well aware of what was taking place in Demacia yet never moved to stop the chaos. I returned outside, leaving them alone with their thoughts.
As their fight ended, I slowly started to dismantle the formation, restoring the arena to its previous state. The sisters also came to the viewing platform. Two of them decided to listen to my advice and are now talking with Jarvan about the situation of the rebellion.
-"I will help you defend from these attacks."
-"Then I go find mages who don't wish for war."
-"I'm thankful for your assistance, Protectors."
-"But how can we end the rebellion and better the opinion about mages at the same time?"
-"This is something I don't know, Shyvana."
-"Easy, create a hero who is a mage but is liked by people."
-"Lord Yue? But where can we find such a person?"
-"Sister."
-"Garen? You mean Luxanna?"
-"Yes. I don't know if she will agree."
-"We have to ask her."
Deciding this was a good moment to leave, we excused ourselves and teleported back to Ionia. Karma asked us to visit her before our return to Hold, saying that she wanted to discuss something with me.
Arriving near the city that we defended on the first day, we were stunned as it again found itself under siege.
-"Is it just me or those Ionians like to be attacked?"
-"Those are Noxians."
-"Now we know why Noxus had such a strange atmosphere during our visit."
-"Master, what will we do?"
-"While not official, I consider Ionia our ally. Irelia is in trouble there. Let's go and help her."
-"Yes!"
Jingliu stayed with me while the rest of my Guards rushed to help the defenders. I stayed on the hill, looking over the battlefield.
Seeing the situation in Ionia, I contacted Nobu to organize the deployment of our Knights, and she passed her order for Ei to quickly prepare. In six hours, Xianzhou is to be ready for the transfer.
⌊ There! Prey!⌉
⌊ Yes, dear Wolf.~⌉
⌊ Fox! Let us hunt!⌉
~"Go."
Wolf jumped from my shadow, galloping forward, quickly overtaking the girls and being first to join the combat. Wherever he passed, a trail of the dead would be left.
Wolf's target, a giant man wielding the axe, was confronting Irelia. She had a problem keeping up with him. If not for Karma's help, she would be killed by him.
Some more people from Inonia joined the combat along with the girls. Their arrival turned the tide of battle, forcing opponents to retreat. Sadly, Ionian forces were too small to pursue Noxians, allowing them safe withdrawal.
The only person left fighting was Wolf, who kept his target on the field, tormenting him bite by bite. The scene he created was disturbing enough to make even experienced warriors and assains feel ill.
~"Haha! Struggle with all you have!"
I walked with Jingliu to where Karma was standing, looking at retreating Noxians.
-"It seems you won't be able to rest."
-"Sigh. I can't understand why they can't live in peace."
-"Greed and ambition."
As both Ionian champions and my Guards gathered near us, I turned to Wolf, who was still playing with the target."
~"Wolf, enough."
~"Don't be a killjoy, Fox!"
Shaking my head, I used Path of Nihility to wipe out the Wolf's target.
~"Thief! That was mine!"
~"You can hunt later, Wolf. Now, return."
Begrudgingly, Wolf returned to my shadow. As calm returned to the surroundings, we now could start talking about what was going on.
-"Can you explain what had taken place this past week, Karma?"
-"Just before the mist incident, a mage once sealed in Ionia escaped her bindings, destroying Noxian fortress during the process. Since then, Noxus prepared for a second invasion, and seeing that we were weakened by the mist, they decided to attack."
-"Just as I thought. So, what are your plans?"
-"We will defend, of course."
-"Then what?"
-"..."
-"You seem to have something on your mind, Yue."
-"Establish official relation between my force and Ionia."
-"We won't bow to anyone."
-"You are?"
-"Kennen, one of the leaders of Kinkou Order."
-"I don't want to strip you of your autonomy. For now, we want to establish positive relations to help with Hold future plans."
-"Kennen, you can bellive Yue."
-"Lady Karma? Why do you believe this outsider?"
-"He is Spirit of World."
-"This..."
-"How about you call those who claim leadership of Ionia? We can discuss things then."
-"Good, Kennen, can you call Shen here?"
-"I'll rush for him."
-"Akali, you've met Zed once, right? Can you pass on what happened here and ask him to appear?"
-"OK."
-"Irelia, you bring representatives of elders here."
-"As you order."
-"Yasuo, during your travels, you encountered some Vastayan tribes. Can you locate some of thier leaders and ask them to call here?"
-"I will try."
-"Yue, would you mind helping with your teleportation?"
-"Leave the transportation to me."
-"Then let's meet her next morning."
Everybody agreed to Karma's initiative, and we all started doing our tasks.
In Hold, I contacted Ningguang about the matter, but as she was busy, Tingyun and Ayaka were to help me during negotiations. In my office, two girls sat on the sofa with tea prepared by Rin in front of them.
-"Sorry for calling you so suddenly."
-"No problem. I'm happy to spend some more time with you."
Ayaka nodded in agreement.
-"You already have some understanding about Ionia, but if you have some questions, feel free to ask them."
-"Lord Yue, can you explain what lady Karma is?"
-"Karma is a reincarnating being that would retain past memories, that would awaken after some time in her new incarnation. Her current incarnation name is Darha."
-"Reincarnation... How does it work?"
-"This depends on the world you are in."
-"Hmm..."
-"Yue, what do you want to achieve?"
-"Formal alliance with Ionia."
-"You don't want to vassalize them?"
-"No, freedom is too important to them. We don't plan to take over that world in the near future, so there is no need to rush."
-"Then it will be easy to find common ground."
-"Lord Yue..."
-"Just call me Yue, Ayaka."
-"Yue... Can you tell something more about Orders in Ionia?"
-"There are four major forces that can called that. Two pacifist, Shojin and Kinkou, as well as two militaristic, Order of Shadow and Navori Brotherhood."
-"Pacifists vs militarists."
-"Exactly. Their individual strength is not bad, but the numbers are rather small."
-"Thank you."
-"How about you tell us some stories from Runeterra?"
-"I don't mind."
We talked the rest of the evening, and after breakfast the next morning, I teleported them to my avatar in Ionia. The meeting place was prepared yesterday, and as all the representatives had already arrived, we decided to start.
-"Then let's start with quick introductions."-Karma spoke as a moderator of the meeting.
-"Yue, leader of Hold. Next to me are Tingyun and Kamisato Ayaka, who act as representatives."
Two of them bowed slightly in greeting.
-"Shen, Kinkou Order."
-"Lee Sin, Shojin Order."
-"Zed, Shadow Order."
-"Xayah, Vastaya."
This continued until all representatives introduced themselves.
-"Then can you explain why we gathered here."-Spoke one of the representatives.
-"You should be aware that Noxus has begun their next invasion."
-"Of course, but we defeated them once. There is no need to make a fuss out of it."
-"You are far away from the battlefield, so you don't care, but my people are dying daily!"
The whole discussion soon turned into chaos, as almost all elders cared only for their village and not Ionia as a whole. I found this amusing. Even in the face of danger, those people can't see beyond their local interests.
Karma tried to make them focus on the main subject, but the elders didn't listen to her and continued their needles bickering. Leaders of four orders looked disappointed, especially members of the Navori Brotherhood.
-"Ehem. How about we decide those matters between ourselves?"
-"We should have taken away their power long ago."
-"While I don't agree with you, Zed, in the current situation, we don't have much choice."
-"Good that you are not so stubborn as before, Shen."
-"But can you even defeat Noxians?"
-"You don't have to worry about our strength, Xayah of the Vastaya."
-"How do you plan to keep Ionia safe?"-Asked the blind monk.
-"We will transfer one of our Knights Orders to push Noxians out of Ionia. After achieving victory, we will retreat, keeping only the transfer base under our direct control for ease of future contact."-Ayaka explained our plan of action.
-"This won't be free for us, right?"-Zed looked at me.
-"For now, we only seek to establish an official relation between the forces. In the future, we wish for knowledge exchange and things like that."
-"We won't sell secrets to outsiders."
-"We may have offers that you will want to consider."
-"For example?"
-"To restore the God-Willow."
-"Can you do this?"
I nodded and made my Deer Battle spirit appear. When they felt the aura it emanated, none questioned my strength anymore.
-"When I heard that the Eternal Hunters follow your will, I thought that messenger was joking. Now I can understand that your power is beyond what I understand."
-"Returning to the subject, our forces are on board with establishing relations with you, but for Ionia as a whole, it may prove hard."
-"Well, I don't really care about the people of Ionia, but the Ionia itself. Karma, what is your opinion?"
-"I want Ionia to be under your protection."
-"Then that's all I need, won't you agree?"
-"Indeed. Avatar of Ionia has spoken."
As we reached a consensus between the forces, we once again looked at the elders below, still engaged in an argument. Deciding that trying to talk to them was a waste of time, we left them be.
-"After the matter of Noxus is resolved, we will sit and decide on more detailed cooperation."
-"This is agreeable. We will be able to understand each other more then."
-"Then I'll ask you to act as our eyes and guides in Ionia while our Knight will act as the main fighting force."
-"How long will it take for your people to arrive here?"
-"They are already here."
As I spoke, a giant space gate opened outside the Runeterra, allowing Xianzhou to emerge. It approached near Runetarra, letting out Starskiffs full of our Knights. Makoto and Ei arrived first, walking to me and saluting.
The show of force we made silenced noisy elders. It also stunned representatives of the forces. They quickly returned to normal but became much more respectful in front of us.
-"Thunder Knights are ready for deployment."
-"Good, you will cooperate with local forces. I'll leave this operation to you."
-"We'll take care of everything."
Ei nodded, agreeing with her sister.
-"Lady Makoto, allow me to assist you during this time."
-"Oh? I'll happily accept your assistance, Ayaka."
-"This, how powerful is your organization?"-Asked Xayah, looking in at Xianzhou high above.
-"I can tell you that Xianzhou is part of Hexafleet."
My answer left the Vastaya speechless.
-"I'll go around and restore spiritual beings that were harmed in Ionia. Makoto and Ei will be in charge from now, so you can ask any questions you may have to them."
-"Yue, take me with you. I'll show you the places."
-"Your assistance would be much appreciated, Karma."
Leaving only Sakura, I teleported the rest of my Guards back to Hold. Then, under Karma's lead, three of us started visiting places that needed restoring in Ionia, making this land indebted to us.