"This is incredible!"
Staring at the forest rising before his eyes, Duke was filled with astonishment.
Though he had encountered Antimagic Stone more than once before, this was his first time seeing an Antimagic Forest.
The stones were refined products — extracted and processed from the trees of this very place.
But here, the forest preserved the original, untouched form of that material.
Before Duke stood a grove of towering, pale giants — trees more than a hundred meters tall, each so thick that ten men joining hands couldn't encircle them.
Their bark was an ivory white, etched with countless intersecting scars.
From the ground up, their trunks narrowed like ivory towers, and at the very top, their crowns shimmered with golden leaves.
An endless carpet of fallen leaves blanketed the ground like a path of gold — each leaf clinging to the earth as though magnetized, refusing to be swept away.
"This is the Antimagic Forest," Fiora said, standing at the edge of the grove. "It's the birthplace of every Antimagic Stone. Do you want to go in and have a look?"
Her hand rested lightly on the hilt of her sword, her eyes gleaming with an emotion Duke couldn't quite read.
He didn't answer, but he could feel her intent.
This woman… she wanted him to go in — anticipation burning quietly beneath her calm exterior.
Instead, Duke's gaze drifted toward a golden leaf dancing in the air.
A sudden gust from above shook the canopy, and that single leaf broke free, plummeting straight down.
The leaves here didn't drift like normal ones — they fell like blades of iron, cutting through the air with frightening speed.
Duke narrowed his eyes, watching as the leaf struck another on the ground.
Clink!
The crisp metallic note rang out, and the fallen leaf bounced several meters away — landing neatly at Duke's feet.
"How interesting…"
Bending down, he picked it up — and instantly felt a sharp, stinging pain in his fingertips.
The leaf was draining his mana.
Not much, but enough to make his skin prickle like it had been pierced by needles.
Suppressing the discomfort, Duke lifted it carefully. It was far heavier than he'd expected — like a slab of solid iron.
After weighing it in his palm, he guessed it was over ten catties — no wonder it had fallen straight down instead of floating.
Its edge was razor-sharp, serrated like a saw.
A leaf like this, dropped from a hundred meters, would hit with terrifying force.
If anyone happened to be standing underneath, it'd be no different from being struck by a blade.
Even standing at the outer rim of the forest, Duke could feel a creeping dread — as though something deep within wanted to swallow him whole.
The Antimagic Forest suppressed and devoured all magic.
Anything that made direct contact — wood, leaf, or soil — would drain mana from the living.
The silence was suffocating.
No birdsong, no insects.
If someone lost their bearings inside, they might never come back out.
For an ordinary person, it would be psychological terror.
But for a mage… it would mean certain death.
Duke flipped the leaf over in his palm, his Origin Energy flowing faintly through it — and surprisingly, the leaf didn't absorb it.
An idea flickered in his mind.
Dense texture. Sharp edges. Heavy enough to pierce armor.
Perfect for use against spellcasters — one strike per leaf.
"Your Grace, are you still planning to go in?" Fiora asked, though her tone sounded more like she was urging him on than asking.
Duke gave her a sidelong glance, then stooped to gather more leaves.
"Help me pick some up first. We'll head in afterward."
Fiora hesitated briefly, then complied. Whatever she had been thinking, she'd have to wait.
After gathering over a hundred leaves, Duke finally stopped. That would be plenty — and if he ever ran out, he could always come back.
Stretching lazily, he glanced toward the forest's depths, then at the solemn-faced Fiora, and smiled helplessly.
"What is it, Your Grace?" she asked.
"Nothing," he said with a chuckle. "Come on, let's take a walk inside. You've been itching to go for a while, haven't you?"
Without waiting for her response, Duke strode into the forest — toward the place said to be Ryze's hidden vault of the World Runes.
He had no intention of stealing them; anyone who tried would die before realizing how.
It was said the vault lay beneath a massive, throne-shaped stump somewhere within, marked by the remnants of an ancient tree.
But without the proper key, even finding it would mean nothing.
As Duke pondered the old rumors, he and Fiora ventured deep into the Antimagic Forest — a place few dared to tread.
Golden leaves blanketed the ground, undisturbed by any footprints.
Shing!
The hiss of steel sliding from its sheath broke the silence.
Duke blinked and turned. "Are you serious right now?"
"I want to face you one last time before you leave Demacia," Fiora said, raising her sword before her chest. "Here, without magic. Only true strength."
"…Wait," Duke said, crossing his arms, half-baffled. "When did you come up with this?"
"Just now. You're leaving soon — I have to reclaim the honor I lost to you."
Her voice was calm, but her eyes burned with conviction. "Otherwise, I'll never find peace."
Duke sighed, shaking his head. "You really are stubborn."
"I just want to fight you once more — fair and square!"
"What goes on in that head of yours…" Duke muttered helplessly. "Fine, fine. If you insist on fighting, then let's fight."
He lifted one finger. "But if you lose, you'll owe me something."
"I'm ready," Fiora said.
Before her words had even faded, she vanished.
Duke's eyes narrowed. His hands turned over, fingers slipping into the trigger rings.
Clang!
Steel met steel. Fiora's blade struck — only to bend under the force of his defense.
Snap!
The sword broke, a fifth of the blade shattering away.
Undeterred, Fiora slid low and struck again, her movements sharp and serpentine — swift, precise, deadly.
But Duke moved as if he could see behind him.
He twisted, leapt, and met her thrust with a precise blow — his fist striking the sword's edge, shattering it completely before his palm pressed against her chest, sending her flying.
She crashed hard into one of the pale trees.
Thud!
A single golden leaf, loosened from above, fell toward the back of her neck — but Duke flickered forward, catching it before it could strike.
The edge cut his palm, drawing a thin line of blood that dripped onto Fiora's shoulder.
He ignored the wound. "Still want to continue?"
Fiora bit her lip, trembling. Then she turned away from him, bowing slightly.
"I concede… You may deliver your punishment."
Duke hesitated, studying her. Then, with a small sigh, he placed his hand lightly against her back — a symbolic gesture more than anything.
The moment stretched, charged with unspoken emotion.
Afterward, the two shared a silent understanding — a moment left unspoken, a bond neither would explain to anyone else.
Later that night, a tent stood quietly under the pale trees of the Antimagic Forest.
The golden leaves above rustled faintly, colliding with each other in the wind — their crystalline chime masking the sounds that followed beneath.
End of chapter....
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