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

The officials of various ranks on the three gray-white stone pillars of the Immortal Fortress had long since left, and the books sealed beneath them, along with the coffin containing Sain's remains, had been moved as well.

A ten-kilometer radius was designated as a buffer zone to prevent Mordekaiser and millions of undead from spawning directly in front of them. Buildings within this area had to be strategically abandoned and treated as ruins.

LeBlanc has to create a clone every day to return and investigate the movements of the Underworld, and even then, it takes immense courage for her to do so.

Fifteen kilometers west of the gray-white stone pillar, a horse-drawn carriage carrying more than ten thousand sect disciples stopped on this street.

The entire city was deserted, and the Trifalli Council was too embarrassed to arrange for Ionians to live in private residences, but places like hotels could be forcibly requisitioned using wartime procedures.

About 100 kilometers further west is the new Immortal Fortress built along the river. If the defenses are breached, the tireless army of the undead can arrive in two or three days.

Building a new city in a more distant location would indeed extend the timeframe, but if the Immortal Fortress defenses fall, no matter how far the location is, it will be meaningless, as millions of undead are enough to reach every corner of Valoran.

In addition, most people were traveling with their families, carrying large bags and small packages, and not all families had horse-drawn carriages or could buy boat tickets.

The three cult leaders and Councilor Trifal stepped off the carriage. Their disciples were led by soldiers to hotels for accommodation, while they followed the councilor into an unmanned upscale restaurant, which had now been converted into a temporary office for the parliament.

“I really like the restaurant’s special tea,” Swain said as he walked. “Unfortunately, their manager was quick to pack up and ship all the stock early, so there’s not much to serve you all.”

“If we can get through this, I’d be happy to taste it,” Jie replied coldly. “Now is not the time to discuss this; let’s skip the formalities. You said we can’t mention the Lord of the Underworld’s true name, and we do have some thoughts on that…”

Swain walked into a lavishly decorated and soundproofed room: "Sit down and talk."

No one paid attention to the seating order; they got straight to the point.

Jie continued, "It's the first time I've heard that the true name of the Lord of the Underworld cannot be mentioned, but the other two leaders and I are quite familiar with it."

“There is a special kind of spirit in Ionia called the Azakana. They wear masks and like to lure out the deepest darkness in a person’s heart before devouring them.”

“Yazakana is usually hard to spot, and it’s very troublesome even for us. Who doesn’t have a past they don’t want to face? It’s not that they’re without weaknesses, but that’s their true name. Once you call out their true name, their abilities will be nullified.”

"But over the years, those who encounter the Azakana have faced near-death experiences. Some individuals have devoured enough humans to gain the opportunity to evolve. If successful, their name is no longer a weakness; instead, it will trace back to them, exposing everything! Fortunately, neither I nor anyone else has ever encountered one. This evolved Azakana is merely a legend, so we believe the identity of the Lord of the Underworld is..."

Swain and Ator exchanged a glance. The three leaders knew more than they had imagined. They had guessed the truth from just one sentence, without even needing to explain the hierarchy of demons.

“The evolved Azakana? The situation may be worse than we think.” Swain sighed. “We call them ‘demons.’ The Azakana that the Ionians saw were probably just a difference in name. The Lord of the Underworld is on a higher level. We suspect that they are one of the primordial demons. There are only ten in the entire world, representing a kind of emotion in the world. Even if they are not, they should be closely related.”

Aside from Master Yi, who had been spoiled by Ato in advance, the two leaders looked at each other in bewilderment. They only understood the evolution of Azakana, so what was going on with going higher?

Shen frowned and said, "Leaving aside the undead army for now, the Lord of the Underworld will probably require Karma to come in person, but she cannot leave the continent of Ionia."

Swain's expression turned serious: "Our enemy is only an army of millions of undead. The Lord of the Underworld will be dealt with by others."

Seeing the two leaders' skeptical expressions, he pointed to the person beside him and said, "We should thank Councilor Ato. He invited a true demigod to fight the Lord of the Underworld. That demigod's strength is no weaker than your Eternal Temple's Karma. Don't ask me how I know about the Eternal Temple. It's not difficult for me to get any information I want."

Shen and Zed suddenly stood up, glaring angrily, not because the other party knew of Karma's existence, but because in their hearts, even if Karma did not stand at the top of the world, she could not be casually compared to any "demigod".

"You two, please be patient."

The speaker was none other than Master Yi. The two leaders, forgetting their anger, looked at him in surprise.

“What Lord Swain said is all true. We must acknowledge the power of demigods, for I have witnessed it with my own eyes.”

Jie's expression changed. He remembered that Master Yi had been away from the sect for a while, and his cheap disciple, who was swinging a scythe around, had gone looking for trouble. Could it be that during that time, Yi had met a demigod?

"Alright, let's assume for now that a demigod can contend with the Lord of the Underworld." He trusted the character of the Wuji Cult Master. "But it still doesn't make sense. If a demigod is so strong, why not just let him deal with the army of the undead as well?"

Ato tapped the table lightly, reminding him, "Don't think of demigods as the same as humans; they're not the same kind of beings after all. That one looks down on the weak and is only interested in opponents strong enough. Taking action against a weak undead would be an insult to him. Demigods are capricious; be careful not to anger him."

Shen and Zed had nothing to say and sat back down. The enemy had already dealt with the Lord of the Underworld, just as Swain had said; the enemy only had a few million undead soldiers.

Yi gripped the sword hilt, hesitated slightly, but still spoke up: "You two need not have any more doubts. Do you still remember Master Dolan?"

Shen nodded: "How could I forget? Before the war, Master Dolan was the foremost blacksmith in Ionia. It's said that you had to wait at least fifty years to get one of his works. He had the deepest ties with your Wuji Cult, it's a pity..."

After saying that, he looked coldly at Swain, and Doran died from Noxus's alchemical weapon.

“This was a gift from Master Dolan’s master.” Yi placed the “Berserker Blade” on the wooden table and slightly unsheathed it. “Please take a look, both of you.”

The fiery red divine sword was noble and dazzling. Shen and Zed's spirituality told them that this was a true divine weapon, incomparable even to Doran's best work; the level was completely different.