"Father hasn't returned yet. How could I possibly fall here?!"
With Pride fueling his heart like a roaring engine, a violent surge of power erupted within him. It blasted Hecarim backward in an instant.
Hecarim staggered back a few steps, shaking his head. The massive halberd in his hands shifted slightly in his grip. Seizing the rear end of the weapon, he swung forward, its edge gleaming like flowing fire, burning relentlessly, endlessly.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
A terrifying aura surged from Hecarim's body, enveloping Pride in a suffocating pressure. Simultaneously, wave after wave of fear clawed at his mind, trying to anchor itself deep within his soul.
Ghosts began to materialize in the air, countless spirits who had met grisly ends: beheadings, shattered bodies, or being torn apart by countless blades.
These were all vengeful souls slain by Hecarim in life... and in undeath.
They howled toward Pride, pleading for this steel-clad beast to join their ranks.
Hecarim's W – Spirit of Dread!
Unfortunately for them, Pride was an artificial lifeform, inherently incapable of understanding what fear even meant. Born of war and destruction, he was free from the psychological weaknesses of mankind. He existed to kill. To destroy.
As flames coiled and flared across Hecarim's body, he reared up once more, his forelegs pounding down toward Pride with crushing force.
Hecarim's E – Devastating Charge!
But as the Shadow of War came charging at him, Pride didn't even consider dodging. The crystal embedded in his armor fissured and flared, unleashing a torrent of violent flame, propelling him forward like a living missile.
"I will fight to the death!!"
His roar echoed across the entire Pickpocket Square. Camille, hearing it, quickly retreated, her hookshots anchoring to the ground as she zipped around, evasive and graceful.
The armor covering her body now bore spiderweb-like cracks, marks left by Hecarim's brutal weapon. Though it was coated with adamantine, it had been no match for Hecarim's iron legion charge. Her ultimate had been shattered in a single blow, followed by a devastating strike to the chest.
Her internal organs still ached. This was the worst injury she'd suffered in 80 years.
"I wonder how Duke is holding up..."
She glanced toward the outskirts of the battlefield. There, she spotted the towering bone spires of Thresh's Death Sentence Prison. Its sickly green glow pierced the gloom, hard to ignore.
"That's…"
Just then, a massive hammer slammed into her chest, sending her hurtling through the air.
As she spun away, Camille quickly stabilized herself. Her bladed legs stabbed into the wooden boards below, carving deep gashes as she skidded to a stop.
No sooner had she stood than her instincts screamed, countless ghostly hands surged from the black mist behind her, grasping for her. If they caught her, she would be dragged into the realm of the dead.
Splash!
The sudden sound of rushing water snapped her attention. A vortex had formed behind her, and from it leapt a stout figure.
It was Tahm Kench.
Taking the full brunt of the ghostly assault with his thick skin, he shouted:
"Boss! You better give me a vacation after this!"
"Fine, just shut up already!"
From Tahm's wide-open maw leapt Duke, followed closely by Lucian. Tahm had first swallowed Duke, then, taking advantage of Thresh's momentary lapse, swallowed Lucian too and brought them both here.
"Where are we?" Lucian asked, gripping his relic pistols tightly and scanning the eerie surroundings with unease.
"The Sentinel of Light?"
Camille's voice drew Lucian's attention. He raised his gun in reflex, releasing a streak of searing light that tore through the black mist, then nodded to her.
"Good to see you, ma'am."
"Save the formalities, young ranger. Focus on the fight for now."
After their brief exchange, Camille turned to Duke. "How are you holding up?"
"Honestly? Not great."
Duke gave a helpless shrug. "My super-electromagnetic cannon and photon rifle, worth over 100,000 gold each, got obliterated. Walle's wrecked too. Needs a full overhaul."
"As long as you're alive, the rest is just scrap metal."
"Still got some fight left?"
At Camille's question, Duke scratched his head with a bitter smile. "At this point... I've got no choice but to play my final card."
She raised an eyebrow. Duke clicked his tongue. "I really didn't want to use this."
"But it can't be helped now."
He deftly sidestepped another ghostly hand erupting from the ground, then shouted across the battlefield:
"Pride!"
Currently holding Hecarim at bay, Pride glanced over, his red eyes flickering.
"Father!"
"Initiate third form!"
Duke shed his gray coat and rolled up his sleeves, utterly unfazed by the death knights encircling him.
He moved with relaxed elegance, like a man taking a leisurely stroll.
"Let's..."
He spread his arms wide, blue light flaring from his eyes as his body began to levitate. His immense soul energy poured outward, illuminating the black mist like a beacon, drawing swarms of vengeful spirits toward him.
"...become true Pride!"
Pride bellowed with glee after trading a final blow with Hecarim.
"ROAR!!"
Dark-gold light poured from the seams in his armor, resonating with the blue glow around Duke.
Duke had always said Pride had three forms:
First Form: Vehicle Mode , A supreme steed with unparalleled speed.
Second Form: Battle Mode , A terrifying tyrannosaurus that spews destructive breath and ion blades.
Third Form: Original Sin Mode , The ultimate evolution. A form that wielded the power to defy the world itself.
But Duke never used it lightly. Aside from its apocalyptic power, there was another, deeper danger...
In this form, Pride's soul could potentially consume Duke, and his personality would begin to shift.
Only when absolutely necessary would he use it.
And now... was the time.
"ROOOAAAR!!"
Pride's body split into countless pieces, armor plates and core components spiraling into the air. They assembled into the form of a majestic tyrant dragon, which roared and dove straight toward Duke.
Duke's soul began to resonate as the dragon collided with him, lightning splitting the sky above.
BOOM!!
In the span of a single breath, all the scattered components affixed themselves to Duke's body. The energy of the Hextech primal crystal surged as a massive crystal cocoon formed around him.
Inside it, a shadowy figure began to take shape.
"Your lives are your curse," Hecarim declared coldly. At his command, the death knights dissolved into spectral images and charged forward alongside him.
The Shadow of War blitzed across the field with a force no one could follow, his halberd raised high.
"I bring you salvation, embrace death!"
He slammed into the crystal cocoon,
, and in the next instant, a glowing dark-gold hand shot out, grabbing him by the throat.
"Who gave you permission to face me?"
"You worm."
The cocoon shattered into glittering fragments, revealing a towering figure with the head of a dragon.
It was the Original Sin: Pride, standing proud and magnificent, golden eyes gleaming as he unleashed a torrent of searing flame.
Duke's voice and Pride's overlapped, laced with disdain and dominance:
"Pathetic insect."
BOOM!
Hecarim was smashed into the ground, sent crashing through the wooden boards into a collapsed shack.
From above, Original Sin Pride looked down on him with contempt.
"You are nothing but dust beneath my feet."
"Why does it feel like the boss isn't himself anymore...?" Graves muttered. Twisted Fate, face pale, dared not look, just sensing the leaking magic made him nauseous.
"Maybe it's some trump card we don't know about."
Twisted Fate let out a breath as Duke took control of the battlefield.
"All cards are only revealed at the end."
"Despair."
Hecarim unleashed his aura of dread once more, but Pride looked at him with the same contemptuous eyes.
Inside Pride, Duke's gaze had gone unfocused. The fusion process had begun. Their souls were merging.
And the longer it continued, the more Pride's soul would devour Duke's... altering his mind.
Why? Because to Duke, Pride's soul was a vintage wine, rich, intoxicating, and irresistible.
BOOM!
Hecarim launched another charge from the black mist, halberd swinging.
"I said, "
Original Sin Pride stepped forward, seized his throat again, and loomed tall over him.
"Kneel!"
In the next second,
Hecarim's forelegs buckled under the overwhelming force, and he was forced to his knees.
"You have only one purpose," Pride growled.
Plunging his other hand into Hecarim's chest, he channeled Hextech crystal energy. Crystals sprouted along the seams of Hecarim's armor, spreading rapidly until he was turned to stone.
"And that is to exhaust your pathetic existence pleasing me, "
"You worm."
End of chapter...
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