Caleb let out a long breath as he looked into the empty Hexgate.
Now that those Demacians had been dealt with, he could start thinking about going somewhere else.
As for the Void, they probably would not make any major moves in the short term.
At least, that was what Caleb hoped.
So the most important thing was still to go deep into the Black Mist and completely deal with Mordekaiser, that massive problem.
But it was not easy for the demigods of the Freljord to leave the lands where they had been born.
The lava and earth represented by Ornn, the storms and thunder represented by Volibear, those were all climates unique to the Freljord.
They were different from the monsoons represented by Janna, which covered the vast seas and allowed her to move freely to every corner of the world.
Basically, once those two demigods left that land, their strength would be greatly reduced.
But on the Shadow Isles, an isolated island surrounded entirely by sea, Janna's power would not be weakened much.
Add in Yuumi, the getaway cat who could always help him run, and Kai'Sa, who was already an Ascended, and their combat strength was not low.
But against Mordekaiser, a warlord who had existed for thousands of years, who knew what other cards he still had hidden?
Besides, if Caleb got dragged into that space, into the Realm of Death, and had to face Mordekaiser holding Nightfall, he was afraid he would not even last long enough to get out.
And without some kind of ability to break free, Caleb had no interest in fighting that great warlord one-on-one in a gray, murky world. Hard pass.
At the very least, someone had to interrupt the start of his move. Janna could barely do it, but it was nowhere near safe enough.
That was why Caleb was going to Ionia, to gather the remaining Darkin and investigate the Shadow Isles under safer conditions.
There, he would also take out the weapon he had collected from Viego, the Blade of the Ruined King.
When the time came, this matter had to be settled once and for all. Otherwise, the longer it dragged on, the more trouble it would bring. Caleb did not want to be attacked from both the Void and the Shadow Isles at the same time.
But this matter could not be rushed. After all, there was still some time left, and he wanted to see just how powerful Shyvana's mecha would be.
Yet after only a few days of staying there, a huge piece of news dispelled Caleb's plan to go to Ionia.
A city had suddenly appeared near the desolate lands around Icathia.
The news came from a long-distance transmission from the Sun Disc, delivered to Caleb through Janna.
Out of respect for Janna, many Shuriman sailors and fleets now also worshiped this goddess of wind.
Azir's main concern was that if he let all of Zaun see the message, for one thing, this kind of miracle would hit Yuumi too hard, and for another, the news would practically be revealed to the entire world.
So Azir decided to send the message to Janna above the sea of clouds, then have her deliver it to Caleb.
"A city in Icathia? I thought Icathia only had small villages left."
Even Kai'Sa, someone who had survived in the Void for so long, could not help standing up.
"Come to the Sun Disc quickly. Exploration is urgently needed."
After Janna relayed Azir's words, she turned into a breeze and vanished.
She still had to watch over those devout sailors, in case the sea monsters around Bilgewater started getting restless.
Recently, though, those sea monsters had been venturing out to hunt less and less often.
Before leaving, Janna briefly mentioned the state of the seas to Caleb, then departed under Kai'Sa's gaze, which was practically overflowing with jealousy.
"Let's go. Hexgate."
Caleb was somewhat helpless. Previously, he had used the Hexgate to send that group of people near Demacia's Great City. Now it was his turn.
In the deserts of Shurima, the once chaotic winds were gradually becoming orderly. It probably would not take long before the airship trade routes could be reopened.
But for now, Caleb still had no choice but to use the method that was hardest on the knees, airdropping.
When he opened his eyes from the haze, Caleb found Azir's figure still standing there in majestic silence.
Compared to before, he truly looked more like an emperor now.
Caleb did not waste words and went straight to the point.
"What exactly is going on with that city that suddenly appeared?"
His plan to go to Ionia had been ruined.
"We are not sure either. Sivir and Qiyana have already gone there to investigate the current situation first, while you will serve as the guarantee of strength."
During the period when the Black Mist had covered the entire world, Azir had already seen Caleb's rapidly increasing strength, but he did not comment on it.
What did another person's sudden surge in power have to do with him?
"Damn it... If we end up using a World Rune on this trip, is Ryze going to hate me to death?"
Caleb thought of Ryze, who was resting at the Firelights' camp. This time, one man, one woman, and one cat had come directly beneath the Sun Disc without notifying the bald blue man at all.
"He'll understand."
Yuumi bounced a little. A mysterious city appearing in the desert, what could be more exciting than that?
"So how are we getting there?"
Caleb raised a very meaningful question.
After all, Ryze was not here, so using Realm Warp to get there was impossible.
And he had never heard of the Sun Disc having teleportation functions.
"With her."
Azir tapped his staff lightly against the ground, and a slender figure walked out from the corner.
"Taliyah!"
Kai'Sa was delighted and stepped forward to give the girl a huge hug.
"Have you been well?"
Taliyah looked at Kai'Sa's nearly sacred body and could not help feeling happy.
When Kai'Sa had leaped into Rek'Sai's tunnels that time, Taliyah had thought it might become a farewell between life and death.
Now, seeing that the girl who had once fallen into the Void alone was living so well was a comfort to Taliyah, too.
"Make sure you hold on tight later."
Taliyah's smile was bright, but Caleb felt a chill run through him.
"Are you serious...?"
Three minutes later, as Caleb looked at Yuumi, who was a little dizzy beside him, and Kai'Sa, whose face showed a faint trace of discomfort, he finally understood why Taliyah had told them to hold on tight.
The stone wall Taliyah created rose and fell like waves. Only Taliyah, whose body was truly standing on the stone, moved like she was dancing, enjoying the high-speed movement.
But for the two people and one cat "riding" on it, the trip was extremely bumpy.
And this was not slow bumping. It was the kind of bumping that shook several times per second while continuously rushing forward.
Caleb felt like a cocktail shaker being violently rattled in a bartender's hands.
Thankfully, his body had improved a great deal after being strengthened. Otherwise, Caleb suspected he might have thrown up his last Thanksgiving dinner.
"Ugh, let me rest for a second..."
Rather than calling it bumping, it was more like a vibration that had finally stopped. Caleb leaned against the stone wall and began to question why he had ever come to this world.
Even after fighting the Void Watchers beneath the Abyss, Caleb had not been left panting like this.
"It can't be helped. You're not dancers," Taliyah said with a shrug, then waved toward two figures in the distance.
"Over here!"
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