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

Late last night, families with small boats left Baru province under cover of darkness.

They did not attempt to seek help from the Wuji Sect.

A small number of out-of-province refugees who came to Baru province had only heard of the Wuji sect and thought they could provide them with protection.

The indigenous people living in Baru'o know best the indifferent nature of the swordsmen in the mountains, and they just want to leave.

To prevent people from accidentally entering the water, a fence has been erected between ships and land in the bay port north of Tiwaser.

When it was time for the ships to start operation, the port sailors were overwhelmed by the surging crowd before they could even open the barriers.

He was pushed into the water.

"I want to go to Presidium! I don't want to die! I can't die!"

"Get out of my way!"

"Child, hold on tight and don't let go! Kiefer? Kiefer, where did you go? Kiefer!"

The silence was instantly broken as everyone rushed toward the ships docked in the harbor.

A ship can only carry a limited number of people; this type of medium-sized sailboat can only carry a maximum of two to three hundred people at a time.

Upon seeing this, the captain immediately decided to raise the anchor.

When the anchor was fully pulled up, the decks, except for the area where the ship was to set sail, were packed with people.

The sailboat slowly sailed away from the harbor, and those who hadn't had time to board were also pushed into the water, struggling in the sea.

Those standing on the shore, seeing that the ship had left, began to curse the captain, who had returned to the Soul of Ionia.

Those who haven't boarded the ship still can't see the end of the line.

"Old man, things are not good."

Ato, standing on the rooftop, looked grave. He hadn't expected that the news of the start of the war would cause these people to break down so quickly.

“Heh, human. Little thing, what will you do?” Aatrox asked with interest.

“I…I don’t know. You gave me the power to kill, and you also gave me the ability to save people. But now, I can’t save them.”

"Ten or twenty ships wouldn't be enough to hold everyone here; only Noxian warships could..."

"Moreover, Presidium is not safe either; Noxus will soon advance there."

In his mental world, Aatrox stroked his chin, unusually lost in thought.

“Even without participating in the war, I can feel the changes in the war,” Aatrox said coldly. “The civilians have become cowardly.”

"Back then, under the pressure of the Ascended, the Icathians still found a way to resist us, and in a way, they succeeded."

Atuo looked back at the distant mountain peaks, where the Wuji Sect stood.

The mountain and the foot of the mountain have now become two different worlds.

“Master Yi was imprisoned on the mountain by his master. In fact, he had the ability to go down the mountain, but he just didn’t have the opportunity.”

"Old man, what do you think would happen if Master Yi saw this scene?"

A fighting spirit gleamed in Aatrox's eyes: "Shall we go, little brat? Teach his master what the way of the sword truly is?"

Ator shook his head: "Not yet. They'll never understand until the war reaches their mountains and they see Noxus's methods with their own eyes."

"This scene will also destroy Master Yi's mental doctrines. If he falls into confusion, it will be terrible. Ionia will lose a powerful combat force."

"You think highly of that kid?" Aatrox thought of the bearded swordsman standing in front of the mountain gate.

"Aside from you ascendants, he's practically reached the pinnacle of what mortals can achieve. But these commoners... damn it!"

Aatrox then asked, "Are you planning to just ignore these people?"

In just a short time, several people have died from the stampede, but they show no signs of stopping.

Seeing these people's foolish actions, a surge of inexplicable anger welled up in Atto's heart.

Why not resist? Why only think of seeking protection from others? Why show a completely different face during a crisis?

At this moment, anger overwhelmed everything, even his former social anxiety as a shut-in. He was furious at these ignorant commoners for their lack of resistance.

Ato coldly replied, "This will expose our secret. Are you sure you're okay with that?"

"When you have enough strength, you will not fear anything."

"it is good."

As everyone anxiously awaited the arrival of the next ship, they suddenly felt the air become thicker.

"What's going on? Is it going to rain?"

A drop of liquid fell on their face, and someone wiped it with their hand and found that it was red.

"is blood!"

Blood rained down in the area near the port!

The crowd panicked even more, but the next moment, an even stronger surge of blood energy rushed in, obstructing their breathing.

The port fell silent instantly.

"Fuck stop it!"

Atto didn't care whether they understood the swear words of his hometown or not.

Their breathing became easier again, and everyone subconsciously looked up. On the roof of a tavern, a figure shrouded in blood stood.

He raised his right hand high, and a huge phantom of a demonic sword appeared from his wrist, extending dozens of meters into the air.

Crimson blood rose from all directions, eventually converging at the location of the demonic sword.

This horrific scene escalated the unrest further, with the Tevasir pushing and shoving each other as they tried to flee the port.

Did I tell you to leave?

The phantom of the demonic sword slashed downwards, unleashing two beams of red sword energy that shattered all the glass on the entire street.

"what!"

People lay on the ground, screaming, clutching their heads, trembling, no longer trying to escape.

"stand up."

Everyone remained motionless.

"I told you to stand up! Don't you understand?!"

Two more sword energies were unleashed, and this time cracks appeared on all the buildings along the street.

The Tevasir stood up shakily, looking up at the demonic figure, but they were no longer as chaotic as before.

They had prayed to the Soul of Ionia countless times in their hearts, but no one came to save them.

"Look at yourselves, are you even Ionians?" Ator's voice was devoid of any emotion.

"If enemies invade our nascent land, then defeat them! Drive them away! And what are you doing!?"

"Where has your philosophy of balance gone? Where has your sect gone?"

"If the Wuji Cult doesn't protect you, will Presidium offer you protection?"

"Either pick up your weapons and drive the enemy away, or fucking kneel down and never be an Ionian again! Go serve the invaders tea and water!"

"Now, all of you get the hell home! Don't embarrass yourselves by crowding into this harbor!"

After saying that, Ato stuck his sword into the roof and sat there staring at everyone.

The Tevasir looked at each other, then at the ravaged streets, and like zombies, walked toward their homes.

Meanwhile, Aatrox was already grinning from ear to ear.

"Hahahaha~ Little thing, you were just acting like me!"

“Truly foolish.” Ato sighed. “Isolated for ten thousand years, yet still instilling the idea of ​​balance every day, it’s exactly the same as LeBlanc’s ‘everyone is a soldier’.”

Seeing the ignorant Ionians affected by "balance," coupled with the lingering influence of the cursed sword, Ator was able to roar out in front of so many people.

"Little one, I've wanted to ask you this for a long time: what exactly is this 'balance' they keep talking about?"