[Zaun Broadcasting Network, By order of the Zaun City Council, the following statement was released:]
[The authorities of Piltover have ignored repeated warnings from Zaun. For nearly two centuries, they've brazenly exploited and oppressed working people, persecuted countless citizens of Zaun, and shown no signs of changing their ways. They mock the desire for progress, laugh at calls for justice, and have earned the anger of the people.]
[With our patience finally exhausted, the Zaun government, with the blessing of Goddess of the Wind Janna herself, launches a war of liberation against Piltover.]
[This war aims to free the downtrodden masses crushed by Piltover's greed, to bring real change to their corrupt system, and to spread the light of true progress across Zaun and Piltover.]
[Any nation on Runeterra that tries to stop Zaun's war of liberation, through trade deals, military support, or any other means, will be seen as declaring war on both Zaun and Janna. Consider yourselves warned!]
The very next morning, every communication device manufactured in Zaun was broadcasting this explosive declaration across all public channels throughout Runeterra.
In recent years, as communication technology and advanced explosives had spread across the continent, the once-forgotten underground city of Zaun had gradually become known to the world. They'd stepped onto the grand stage, finally earning the right to play in the big leagues.
---
In the marble halls of Demacia's royal court, the nobles were in heated debate over breakfast.
"What does Zaun think it's doing? If we trade with Piltover, that counts as declaring war on them?"
"This is completely insane! Even those savage Noxians wouldn't talk to Demacia like this. Who do these sewer rats think they are?"
"Exactly! Zaun's acting like we don't even exist."
"It's not just us they're insulting. Look at how arrogant they're being, like none of the major powers matter to them at all."
The Demacian court was in complete uproar. Most nobles felt deeply insulted by the audacious declaration. When had the proud Kingdom of Demacia, Noxus' greatest rival, ever been so openly disrespected by a mere city-state?
"Your Majesty, this declaration came out of nowhere. How should we respond? They even mentioned Janna by name... Could this actually be divine will at work?"
One minister voiced the concern many others secretly shared.
If Zaun hadn't completely lost its mind, they would never openly challenge the entire world without good reason.
And surely Zaun hadn't gone insane, otherwise how could they have invented those communication networks, or developed those terrifying explosive weapons that had everyone on edge?
If they weren't mad, then such a sudden aggressive move could very well mean they had divine backing.
Everyone knew the real reason Camille's assault on Zaun had failed years ago: Janna's direct intervention.
Demacia itself stood under the protection of Kayle, the Winged Protector, and the royal family still maintained secret rituals capable of calling on divine aid in times of crisis.
They understood all too well how absolutely terrifying it could be when a god decided to get directly involved in mortal affairs.
"We'll wait and see what happens. Noxus will test Zaun's strength for us."
King Jarvan III smiled slightly. With hot-headed Noxus inevitably charging ahead, there was no need for Demacia to risk discovering whether Zaun truly had divine protection.
"Your Majesty shows great wisdom!"
---
A plain, unmarked carriage pulled up before an unremarkable noble estate in the heart of Noxus' capital city.
A young man in an expensive blood-red formal suit stepped down from the vehicle, his face unnaturally pale even for someone of obvious noble breeding. He glanced up at the afternoon sun before slowly walking through the estate's iron gates.
This was Vladimir, the Crimson Reaper, master of hemomancy and blood magic, student of ancient Darkin powers, and second-in-command of the Black Rose.
Though Noxus as an empire was only a few centuries old, this ancient creature had been alive far longer than the nation itself, accumulating power and knowledge across multiple human lifetimes.
The estate he now visited belonged to the true leader of the Black Rose. She was known by many names: the Pale Lady, LeBlanc, the Deceiver, all referred to the same impossibly ancient and mysterious being.
She was an entity even older and more enigmatic than Vladimir himself, someone who never appeared in her true form, always operating through magical duplicates and illusions. No one alive knew her real name, and no one had ever seen her actual face.
The Noxian Empire itself had been founded through her manipulation of the Noxii tribe centuries ago. The real center of imperial power wasn't located in the crumbling Immortal Bastion, but here, in the hands of the Pale Lady and her network of agents.
The Black Rose, her personal creation, spread like a vast web throughout the empire's government and military. It allowed her to remain hidden in the shadows while manipulating the entire nation according to her designs.
"So what do you make of Zaun's declaration?" Vladimir asked as he settled into a comfortable chair near the fireplace.
He and the Pale Lady sat across from each other like old friends having afternoon tea. To any casual observer, they would appear to be nothing more than two wealthy young nobles enjoying refined conversation in an elegantly appointed sitting room.
"Seems like Zaun's already gotten word about Swain's defeat," the Pale Lady replied softly, pouring tea from an ornate silver service. "Otherwise they never would've picked this exact moment to make their move."
Zaun's most important ally within the Noxian government had been Swain himself. With his apparent fall from grace, they no longer had any real protection or support within the imperial court.
And she knew perfectly well how many Noxian warlords had been eyeing Zaun's advanced weapons technology, just waiting for an opportunity to seize those innovations for themselves.
Camille wouldn't show Zaun any mercy either, given their history of conflict.
So rather than waiting around to be crushed by their enemies, Zaun had chosen to gamble everything on a bold first strike, seizing Piltover before Noxus could even react to the changing political situation.
"Swain... always was a tricky opponent to deal with," Vladimir murmured as he accepted the delicate teacup she offered him.
"Indeed. Very tricky. If he hadn't been so dependent on Darkwill, he might've been able to match wits with us for years longer."
"For a mere mortal human, lasting as long as he did against us is actually quite impressive."
The Pale Lady sipped her tea thoughtfully. In all her centuries of existence, she had rarely encountered someone as challenging as Jericho Swain.
As just a human being, he had somehow managed to force his way onto their level of the game and actually hold his own for several moves against her cunning.
What was truly shocking to her, she had discovered that even as the supposed "Grandmaster of Noxian Politics," she couldn't easily outmaneuver him in direct confrontation.
It was almost insulting to her pride.
"Is he actually dead this time?" Vladimir asked with curiosity.
He too had developed respect for Swain over the years of their conflict.
Back when the Black Rose had been openly supporting Darkwill, that ambitious general had been full of revolutionary fervor, refusing to be just another chess piece, even going so far as to plot the overthrow of their entire organization.
The Black Rose had played along with his rebellion at first, deliberately leaving clues for Swain to discover about their operations.
They'd sacrificed some expendable agents, retreated deeper into Noxus' shadows, and assumed they were manipulating both Darkwill and Swain like amateur players.
They had expected Swain to become useless afterward, like so many other tools they had used and discarded over the centuries, simply fading away into irrelevance.
But Swain's natural talents had proven far more exceptional than they'd anticipated. Every impossible mission designed to eliminate him had not only failed, but somehow enhanced his reputation and influence.
As immortal beings who had manipulated empires for over a millennium, both Vladimir and LeBlanc had seriously underestimated him. In their perspective, Swain had never seemed like a threat worthy of their full attention.
By the time they realized their mistake, he had already risen through his brilliant victories to become one of Noxus' most celebrated commanders.
Destroying him through political maneuvering alone had become nearly impossible at that point.
Even with the Black Rose's complete control over Emperor Darkwill, it had required years of careful scheming and tremendous resources to finally bring him down.
In Vladimir's fifteen centuries of life, Swain's brilliance ranked among the top three mortal minds he had ever encountered.
If not for the limitations of his human lifespan, Swain could have even contended for the very top.