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

"Ato! It really is you!"

Riven showed a delighted expression, but it only lasted for a moment before she returned to normal, looking around at the surroundings.

...I should be thankful that LeBlanc doesn't know how to judge people and didn't turn Riven into an aristocrat and put her under her control.

Isn't Riven a person with simple goals?

Atto pointed outside, nodded slightly to her, and then casually left while the others were having dinner.

Riven understood what he meant, grabbed a piece of bread and wolfed it down, almost choking several times.

After quickly finishing her dinner, Riven gave a few brief instructions to her squad members and then slipped out of the military camp.

The two met near the carriage; they hadn't seen each other for three months since they set foot on Ionia.

"Haha, I knew it was you as soon as I saw your sword. Is the matter settled? How about staying in my squad and continuing to be my 'adjutant'?"

Riven patted the armor on Atto's shoulder forcefully; she was in a good mood to see Atto again.

"Take it easy, this armor is extremely precious, I'm reluctant to wear it myself. If you damage it, you'll have to pay me back!"

Riven immediately stopped what she was doing: "I...I can't afford to pay for it..."

Atto asked with a laugh, "What, you said you'd pay for my sword if you broke it, but now you can't even afford to pay for a suit of armor?"

“Hey, it’s because there’s a war going on.” Riven waved her hand. “The Empire can barely equip every soldier with spiked armor. There’s a limit, and you can’t buy it even if you have the money.”

"You know what? Before I saw you, the first thing I thought of was how you would eat, and you actually were eating this time! Hahahaha!" Ato teased.

"Who told you to come at dinner time? Besides, wartime requires more energy than regular training, so what's wrong with me eating more..."

As she spoke, Riven's voice grew softer and softer, as if having an amazing appetite was nothing to brag about.

"Your relationship is better than I thought."

A sudden voice interrupted their conversation, and Riven instantly became alert, gripping her sword hilt and looking in the direction of the voice.

Only then did she notice that there was a person sitting in the carriage.

"Ato, who is he? Was he here from the beginning?"

"You should know him; I brought him here."

Ato gestured for Riven to relax and led her to the carriage.

The figure removed his hood, and in the dim moonlight, Riven could see his face clearly.

"You are... General Swain?" Riven couldn't hide her surprise.

In this war, Swain and Emilestein held equal positions, both serving as commanders of the same legion.

They were responsible for different areas; Riven remembered that Swain's mission was to conquer the Holy Land of Ionia.

Why did he encounter Atto? What exactly happened in between?

When Swain removed the black robe that covered his body, even Riven couldn't help but gasp.

"General, where is your left arm?"

“Not just my left arm,” Swain patted his right leg. “Now I’m disabled.”

"This is impossible!" Riven couldn't believe it. While things were peaceful on her side, the battles on other battlefields were so intense.

What exactly happened to the other legion?

Both are commanders, but Amystein sits in the command center and his soldiers carry out his orders, so he doesn't have to do it himself!

“Ato, General Swain, he…”

"Can she be trusted?" Swain scrutinized Riven with his hawk-like eyes. After all, her weapon was a greatsword enchanted by LeBlanc. Who knew if she had been influenced by LeBlanc?

“Yes.” Ator nodded solemnly. “Don’t worry, I checked, there’s no mind-affecting magic in her greatsword. Besides, she’s my friend.”

"What are you talking about? I don't understand." Riven frowned.

Judging from their expressions, it seems like something big is about to happen.

Ato handed the initiative to Swain: "You, as someone who experienced it firsthand, should tell me that if you want to go back, you should convince Riven yourself."

Swain fell silent. In truth, he didn't fully trust either Ator or Riven, but if it weren't for Ator, he would have died on the battlefield long ago, and besides, he had no other choice.

He finally spoke: "The real enemy comes from within the empire."

"What?" The first sentence left Riven completely bewildered.

"The problem lies within the empire itself. If it isn't resolved quickly, the empire risks destruction."

This contradicts the views that Riven has held since childhood.

In her view, although Noxus waged wars a bit too frequently, it was still a good thing overall.

She had plenty of food and made her first friends there.

Swain continued, "I occupied the Holy Land of Presidium on Darkwell's orders."

"I heard that this place is very important to the Ionians, so I chose to stay here and demoralize the enemy."

Riven noticed that Swain no longer called her "Your Majesty," but instead addressed her by her first name.

"I'm asking you, did Amistan send you to search for magical artifacts that could grant immortality?"

Riven shook her head: "We didn't receive any such orders. Our superiors have been telling us to keep moving forward and not to do anything unnecessary."

“As expected.” Swain sighed. “When I first arrived on this land, I had four or five thousand soldiers at my disposal. By the time I reached Presidium, I only had seven hundred and four soldiers left.”

"How could this be?" Riven was utterly shocked; there were far more than that number in the makeshift camp behind her.

"I was the only one who received the mission to search for magical artifacts. I had to send troops to other places to dig for artifacts because Dukur told me that there were reinforcements, so I felt at ease sending troops."

Upon hearing this, Riven finally realized something was wrong: "Don't you know? The reinforcements were completely wiped out! By a mysterious Ionian powerhouse!"

Swain opened his mouth, then closed his eyes in pain.

This confirmed that the Immortal Fortress was plotting against him, and now he was almost certain of Ator's belief.

After another silence, Swain said in a low, hoarse voice, "My arm was also severed by a girl who had awakened her powers. If she hadn't saved me, I would have been killed by the rebels long ago."

"And... just because I'm to die! Seven hundred and four Imperial soldiers! Their sacrifice was meaningless!"

Swain had said enough. Seeing that Riven hadn't reacted for a while, Ator put his arm around her shoulder and said, "That's basically the situation."

Riven blinked, finally snapping out of the overwhelming amount of information.

"Would you like to come with me? To take Swain back to Noxus."

Instead of answering immediately, Riven asked, "Ato, is what General Swain said true?"

“I witnessed the whole process firsthand. There were many areas of woodland destroyed and a lot of land dug up along Swain’s march route.”

"When I arrived at the battlefield, Swain had already lost his arm and his right kneecap was shattered. I didn't get entangled with the rebels and took him directly away from the battlefield."