First, take down the Sword Demon, then save Runeterra.

Three Noxian warships, each capable of carrying 5,000 people, will arrive in Ionia in a week, but this time not for invasion, but to welcome greater hope.

Ator's initial plan was for each of the three major sects to travel on a separate ship. The largest sect, the Equilibrium Sect, had only four thousand people, which was more than enough with the accompanying soldiers. Moreover, they had always been at odds with the Shadow Stream Sect and had often clashed with them, so they had no choice but to travel on separate ships.

The following day, after arranging their departure, Yi and Atuo left the Wuji Sect and visited the other two sect leaders.

Riven wanted to go with them, but she couldn't resist the enthusiasm of the Wuji disciples. Once they heard that she was a strong person comparable to their master, they lined up to ask her for guidance, so she had to stay in the sect.

No means of transportation could match Yi's agility. Ato frantically flapped his wings in the air and used several short teleports to barely keep up.

Finally, they arrived at the Shadow Order, shrouded in mist and clouds. This mountain range is the best feng shui location in all of Ionia, comparable only to the Holy Land of Presidium. It originally belonged to the Order of the Balance, but was occupied by the Shadow Order during the war.

Before the magnificent mountain gate, Ato retracted his blood wings and said, slightly out of breath, "You little brat, once you unleash your ultimate move, you don't care about anyone. You got here in less than an hour. Do you usually travel this fast?"

Yi stroked his goatee and laughed, "After all, besides swordsmanship, the only thing I'm most confident in is my speed. After obtaining Lord Orn's divine sword, my understanding of nature has improved, and I just broke through by chance."

With that speed left... is that even acceptable? There are hardly any players in the entire league who can outrun you...

The sect's gates slowly opened, and Zed, the Master of Shadows, walked in front without a helmet, followed by Kayn, who was slouching and carrying a scythe.

Laast opened his eyes, glanced at the scabbard behind Aatrox, and didn't greet him.

He had already learned about the Underworld from Kayn and would be going to Noxus with him. There would be plenty of opportunities to communicate afterward, and he couldn't help but look forward to it.

"Welcome, Master Yi." Jie reached out and shook hands with the former. "You've already heard news of a large ship so quickly? Heh, my Shadow Stream has over 3,500 disciples. It's no easy feat for us to fight across thousands of miles."

Yi introduced, "I dare not accept such praise. Master Zed, this is the friend I mentioned, Master Atto, who is also a master swordsman. He knows the leader of Noxus, and the other party agreed to send three warships. We have seen those large ships before, which can carry thousands of people without any problem. But this time, there are no invaders on board, but they are here to pick us up."

Jie paused for a moment, then sighed.

He was one of the people who hated Noxus the most. While other Ionians were bound by the doctrine of balance, he and Irelia awakened almost simultaneously, rose up in rebellion, and inspired more and more people to join the resistance.

"Noxus ships... Well, that makes sense. They're the ones who caused this trouble. I won't ask them for compensation, but sending a ship to pick us up is their basic obligation."

Faced with the humorous darts player, Atto suppressed the urge to laugh and said, "I'm afraid we can't offer much. To accommodate the five million people in the capital, the construction of a new large city has nearly collapsed the economy. Even if we can overcome this crisis, it will take many years to recover to what it was before."

Zed snorted coldly: "Noxian money is useless to us. We are only here to protect the First Land. Karma described the power of the Lord of the Underworld. Five million people. I was worried about what would happen to the ordinary people. Now that we have built a new city to house them, Zed doesn't need Noxus to do anything more."

"Have your disciples prepare as soon as possible." Yi nodded. "We'll meet at the West Sea Wharf."

The two left Shadowstream and conveyed the same message to the Order of Balance.

A week passed in the blink of an eye. During this time, Ato and Swain kept in touch, checking on the movements in the underworld every day.

However, the information LeBlanc conveyed was very vague, and it seemed uncertain what Mordekaiser was doing.

Ator believed she wasn't lying. LeBlanc could hide countless things, but on the issue of the Underworld, her interests aligned with everyone else's.

If the Tin Man were to descend into the real world, she would be the first one to come knocking on her door and settle scores.

On this day, the three major religious sects gathered at the West Sea Wharf in Navoli Province. The massive procession of over 10,000 people attracted countless stares.

The three groups have distinct characteristics: the Wuji Sect wears silver-white Taoist robes, the Yingliu Sect wears dark red armor, and the Junheng Sect wears cyan training clothes.

They lined up neatly, each occupying a section, awaiting the arrival of the Noxian warships.

"Hey, Master, what's going on? The three largest sects in Ionia are all here. Does this mean there's another dangerous enemy comparable to the Black Mist from last time?" someone couldn't help but ask.

Although Karma dealt with the black fog on her own, the Ionians still felt a lingering fear whenever they thought of those terrifying undead.

The Wuji disciple being questioned replied vaguely, "More or less. The enemy is still the undead, but we need to go to the invaders' territory because the battlefield is there."

"The land of invaders?!"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a clear ship's horn sounded from the sea, followed by three dark figures appearing; the Noxian warships were about to arrive.

The coastline suddenly stirred, the sound of ship horns evoking unpleasant memories. Seven years ago, invaders had set foot on Ionia in the same way, and most people thought the Second War was about to begin, so they screamed and fled inland.

Atto stood at the front of the group, shaking his head helplessly. It was better for the ordinary people of Ionia to be unaware of the underworld; sometimes ignorance is bliss.

Zed glanced at the draft of the three warships from afar, confirming that they were not fully loaded with soldiers and supplies, before he was completely relieved. Noxus was indeed not here to invade.

Yi walked up to the two leaders and reminded them, "The other side has shown sincerity. Let's each take a ship, not interfere with each other, not clash with the soldiers, and certainly not seize the warships."

"Hmph, as long as they don't provoke me." A shadow fell over Zed's head, and the next moment, the iconic mask of the Shadow Master appeared out of thin air, covering his face. "Why invade? The Shadow has no interest in a tool used to invade other countries."

Shinya chimed in, "I only care whether those who disrupt the balance are punished."

"That's good then." Yi nodded with satisfaction, then returned to his disciples to give them his final instructions.

On the high seas, two giant warships came to a stop, with only one slowly approaching.

The pier is small, barely big enough to accommodate one warship.

When this steel behemoth docked, the disciples of the three major sects were all shocked by its exaggerated size.

It is over 200 meters long, with the part above the sea reaching the height of a ten-story building. It is covered in bright red paint, and the smokestack at the stern emits thick black smoke.

As the bridge docked with the ground, a strong man wearing spiked armor and a red cloak stepped down first.

He had a rugged face and a scar near his eye.

Darius came in person.