Chapter 498: Post-War Settlement of the Undead
The storm swept across the world, swallowing up all darkness and evil.
Mordekaiser struggled hard, but it was of no avail.
"No!" He roared angrily and unwillingly, but his voice was quickly drowned out by the whistling turbulence.
Those countless powerful air currents containing vast divine power were like the sharpest blades and the toughest ropes. They bound him tightly, cutting and devouring his body like a meat grinder.
In the last moment before his soul collapsed, Modkaiser finally recalled the cold and angry eyes he saw before the march.
"Die, tyrant!" Amid the howling storm, it seemed that millions of people were shouting at him.
But this time, he couldn't laugh anymore.
After a while... until the sky was clear and the air was bright, the storm finally subsided.
Mordekaiser's soul completely dissipated in the storm, leaving only an empty iron armor.
The black fog of death that permeated the sea and the city gradually disappeared with the fall of the King of the Underworld.
The dozen or so dimensional passages distributed around the world, opened by Modkaiser's evil magic, also slowly closed after his death.
The boundary between the underworld and the mortal world was re-established, and no more undead souls poured into the mortal world .
The millions of souls left in the underworld all disappeared with the wind at this moment.
Most of them
But this is not a tragedy, but the relief they have always dreamed of.
Mitna Lachen is the hell of the dead. Except for a very small number of people who are obsessed with it, no one is willing to live here.
Then, the souls of the dead took the initiative to jump into the wind of the underworld in the joy of freedom, and dissipated in the wind with relieved laughter.
And in Runeterra, the undead who had already entered the mortal world also completely broke free from Mordekaiser's slavery at this moment.
They were no longer bound by Mordekaiser's orders, nor were they forced to charge forward.
The Twin Cities, Shurima, Demacia, Noxus, Ionia... the undead armies spread all over the world quickly stopped at this moment.
"Mordekaiser is dead!" Goddess Janna waved her staff lightly and returned the concentrated divine power to everyone.
Leaders all over the world heard the goddess' call at this moment: "We——"
“Victory!”
…
Meanwhile, Zaun.
The undead that had been pouring into the city uncontrollably like a flood now stopped with the death of Modkaiser and the dissipation of the black fog of death.
"Montero, look! We are free!" Sean looked at his comrades beside him excitedly.
The leaders who sacrificed their lives in the past two years have spontaneously established dozens of underworld branches after their deaths.
Montero, a worker from Zaun, and Sean, a mage from Demacia, lead the Underworld Branch, which is one of them.
They were the first pioneers to wage the struggle in the underworld, and the first to reconnect with the goddess Janna.
And now, they have returned to the mortal world together under the control of Mordekaiser, and were fortunate enough not to die under the artillery fire of their comrades in the Twin Cities who were forced to defend themselves. In the end, they successfully broke free from their restraints and regained their freedom.
This is clearly something to celebrate.
"Sean..." Montero was not so excited.
He said calmly, "We should go now."
"Leave?" Sean was slightly stunned: "Where to?"
Montero didn't say much, but just pointed to the green belts on both sides of the road with his hand emitting a pale fluorescent light.
Because of the overwhelming deathly aura brought by the undead, all the flowers, plants and trees have withered and died, and there is no trace of life to be seen anywhere.
Even the lifeless cement pavement, concrete buildings, road signs, cars... everything around them was tainted with the strong breath of the dead because of the influx of these undead.
This coastal urban area has in fact become a polluted dead city.
The withering of plants and trees is a minor matter. If a living person walks around here, even if he doesn't die, he will probably be weakened by the "radiation".
"Hmm..." Sean finally responded.
The undead are creatures that should not exist in the material world, and they all carry with them, to a greater or lesser extent, the evil aura of death magic left behind by Modkaiser.
Their very existence is a threat to mortal life.
Therefore, even if these leaders of the underworld have regained their freedom and remained in the mortal world, it does not mean that they can return to normal life in the mortal world like the living.
"Zaan is so beautiful now." Montero looked ahead at the brightly lit city with satisfaction.
This is his home, where he once fought.
This place used to be a hell no less terrible than Mitna Lachen. But now, everything has changed.
"When I died, Zaun had just been liberated. How could there be so many new apartment buildings and wide roads in Zaun at that time...even the workers' apartments were filled with beautiful cars?"
"Tsk tsk..." the former Zaun worker sighed, "The people of Zaun now live just like the people of Piltover in the past."
"It's a pity that I died early."
Montero's words sounded a little lonely, but his mouth always had a relieved and optimistic smile.
"Let's go, Sean." He turned and walked towards the sea. "Our comrades in the mortal world have worked hard to build Zaun into what it is today. We must not destroy it again."
"Yeah." Sean nodded with mixed feelings.
It was time for them to leave. But after leaving Zaun, where should they go?
They are like walking sources of radiation, bringing only death and destruction wherever they go.
The material world does not welcome them, and they do not want to turn the world they love into a lifeless place.
"Perhaps..." Sean tried to think: "We can open the Well of Souls in the Immortal Fortress and then return to the underworld from the Well of Souls?"
The dozen or so dimensional passages opened by Mordekaiser have all been closed, but the Well of Souls, which serves as a permanent bridge between the underworld and the mortal world, remains sealed deep in the Immortal Fortress.
Through the Well of Souls, they can return to the underworld, back to where they belong.
"That doesn't seem necessary." Montero said, "Sean, you have to know that even among us leaders, few can survive in the underworld for a long time."
"Even if we go back, we still have to face the deadly wind of the underworld."
Among these millions of undead leaders, it would be good if only 1% could survive after returning to the underworld.
The endless blowing of the underworld wind is an eternal torture for the dead. No one likes this kind of eternal life.
Only torture awaits them in the underworld, and the mortal world does not welcome the existence of the dead.
"So, I think..." Montero led the dead souls towards the sea, looking back reluctantly: "Perhaps, it is time for us to say goodbye to this world forever."
"Montero! You..." Sean instinctively wanted to dissuade him.
But Montero said nonchalantly: "We are all dead already, and dead people should behave like dead people."
"What awaits us in the underworld is only dissipation and torture. Even if we stay in the mortal world, we will not be able to contribute to the Wind Leader. We can only become a burden that destroys the environment and drags down everyone."
"It would be better to die early if you live like this!"
Sean listened to a moment of silence.
But he still said firmly: "No, Montero, our lives still have meaning."
“Perhaps most of the undead cannot survive in the underworld, but you, me, and those most determined leaders can still survive in the underworld with our own strength!”
“So, I still want to live…”
"I know," Montero said. "You want to live and see the day when a harmonious society is built."
This is Sean's obsession.
"But I'm not as persistent as you." Montero laughed.
He had endured the torture of the wind of the underworld and insisted on not dissipating it because he was still worried about the future of the Leader. He was worried that the newly emerged Leader would not be able to gain a foothold in the mortal world and would fail at the last moment.
Later, Montero received the news that the Leader had won a complete victory in Runeterra, and his obsession was satisfied.
Now that the demon Modkaiser has been slain and the undead have won their final victory, Montero no longer has any reason to continue to survive.
"I believe that the Great Harmony Society can be built, and I believe that our comrades in the mortal world will be able to take over and complete the task from us - I don't need to see it with my own eyes to be sure of it."
“It would be pointless if I couldn’t contribute to this process and could only be a spectator year after year.”
Montero said with a smile: "If you can't help others while watching them work, you might as well get rid of it sooner."
“No…” Sean shook his head: “We can help, Montero.”
"Oh?" Montero looked at him in confusion.
"We can find a way to study necromancy and the spells that can transform Mithnarachne."
"Mordekaiser will find a way to build an immortal fortress in the empty netherworld wasteland;"
"I think as long as we persevere, we will be able to research a way to transform the underworld, and eventually transform that barren hell into a paradise after death for all mankind!"
That's a crazy idea.
If the underworld can really be transformed into an existence like Bandle City, then human beings can collectively achieve spiritual ascension and leap into the Janna-dominated, universal society.
But even the brilliant Mordekaiser failed to turn the wasteland into a paradise. Sean is just a second-rate wizard. How can he have the ability to realize such a grand ambition?
"But I'm not alone." Sean looked at Montero sincerely: "I have you by my side, and you guys, and my comrades who will go to the underworld from generation to generation."
"As long as we can hold on and not dissolve, we will have eternal life and eternal time. If we all work together, how can we say that this is impossible to achieve?"
"But I'm just a worker." Montero questioned, "I can't help you with your magic research even if I survive."
"No, Montero." Sean encouraged, "Magic can be learned. As long as you are willing to spend time studying, you will be able to help sooner or later."
"This..." Montero was infected by the crazy and romantic ideal light in Sean's eyes.
With this grand goal, survival seems to have meaning again.
Even if this goal seems so far away and so unrealistic.
"Okay!" Montero finally raised his head: "Sean, then I will accompany you back to the underworld and study with you!"
"Yeah!" The two found a new goal and they vowed to continue fighting.
only……
"Oh, if only we could stay in this world without endangering the living." After deciding to live well, Montero couldn't help but lament the harsh living environment in the underworld.
That place is still a purgatory. Although Montero has survived for two years , he is not sure how long he can hold out under the attack of the wind of the underworld.
Before, he didn't want to live forever.
Now that he found that life had meaning, he was reluctant to die so soon.
But the dead are not welcome in this world, and if they do not return to the underworld and remain in this material realm, they will only continue to cause harm to the people and things around them.
There may be millions of undead stranded in the mortal world. Which land can accommodate such a large number of "radiation sources" and tolerate their existence?
"It would be great if there was a place in Runeterra where we undead could live for a long time without posing a threat to humans and the natural environment..." Montero was sighing.
"Uh, wait..." Sean and he both looked up suddenly.
The two who had just been discussing how to struggle to survive in the underworld and how to pursue their ideals while suffering suddenly realized...
In Runeland, it seems that there really is a place that is not afraid of pollution and can accommodate dead people.
…
Three days later, Shadow Isles.
This was once an island with a highly developed civilization.
However, more than a thousand years ago, an unprecedented magical disaster tore apart the barrier between the material and spiritual realms, causing the two to merge.
Today, a malevolent Black Mist perpetually lingers over the archipelago, and the land itself is tainted by a foul sorcery. Any mortal who dares to set foot on these bleak shores will have their life force slowly stolen away, attracting the insatiable, predatory spirits of the dead.
Every year on the Haunted Night, as the undead black fog spreads, the bloodthirsty undead will follow the footsteps of the black fog and launch a nightmarish invasion of distant lands.
Of course... that's all in the past.
At this moment, after the painful lessons of the past two Soul-Eating Nights, the undead of the Shadow Isles have been "educated" by the leaders guarding Bilgewater and turned into harmless otakus.
Shadow of War, Mr. Hecarim, is one of them.
He was a bloodthirsty general when he was alive. After his death, he and his mount merged into a ghostly evil spirit in the shape of a centaur.
Over the past thousand years, Hecarim's greatest hobby after his death was to lead his undead army north to Bigand on the night of the Haunted Night every year to launch a brutal and joyful massacre.
The Soul-Eating Night is like the New Year to him. He can kill to his heart's content and have fun every time.
But all this changed during the Haunted Night last year.
At that time, just like in the past, he took advantage of the black fog of the Soul-Eating Night and excitedly rushed towards Bilgewater.
As a result, they ran head-on into the naval fleet of the Leader that was supporting Ionia, and were blown to pieces.
His teammate Thresh was blown to pieces on the spot. Seeing that the situation was not good, he turned around and ran away, and finally escaped intact.
This year's Haunting was even worse.
The strength of the Wind Leaders is stronger than last year. In the past, it was the Undead that attacked the city, but this year, the Wind Leaders drove boats and chased the Undead all over the sea.
Fortunately, Hecarim had four horse legs and ran fast enough when he turned, otherwise he would have died there.
His soul was severely damaged as a result of this battle, and has only just recovered now.
"No, I'm never going to that damn place again!"
Even though more than three months had passed, Hecarim couldn't help but sigh in his heart when he recalled the tragic scene of this year's Hallowed Night.
Whenever I think of the humiliation of being chased around the sea by a bunch of lousy fishermen as a dignified Shadow of War...
He reluctantly and helplessly decided that he would never invade the territory of Hong Kong again.
He will stay in this Shadow Island from now on and never go out for the rest of his life.
Anyway, the Shadow Island is a wasteland for humans. If he hides here and doesn't go out, can the Wind Leader still break in?
Hecarim was thinking this...
"Hey? Why is it dawn now?" He raised his head with a confused look on his face.
The sky, which had been shrouded in black fog for a thousand years, actually brightened up.
However, what lit up was not bright sunshine, but a pale fluorescent light...
An endless sea of undead souls suspended in the sky, controlled by the wind.
Hecarim: "???"
For the first time in a thousand years, he looked as if he had seen a ghost.
