Eldredge's scream echoed through the street, and Zhao Xin frowned.
"So noisy!"
He looked around and his gaze fell on a fruit stand. He grabbed a thorny, strange fruit, walked up to Eldredge, and shoved it directly into his mouth.
"Mmmph! Mmmph! Mmmph!"
The screams turned into muffled whimpers. The thorns pierced Eldredge's lips and tongue, and blood trickled down the corners of his mouth.
A few Mage Seekers tried to help, but Ge swung his Greatsword and knocked them to the ground.
"Let's go, to the Royal Palace."
Zhao Xin grabbed Eldredge by the collar and dragged him toward the Royal City, leaving a trail of blood on the ground.
Passing residents wanted to flee but couldn't help their curiosity. They hid in the shadows, quietly watching the confrontation between these nobles.
"Good heavens, isn't that Lord Eldredge?" a merchant whispered.
A woman covered her mouth, confused: "But aren't those Prince, and Knight Commander Garen? How could they..."
The man next to her quickly stopped her: "Shh, be quiet, don't talk nonsense."
A little boy ran onto the street, pointing at Eldredge and shouting: "Look! That bad-handed Mage Seeker got beaten!"
His mother quickly pulled him back, looked around in terror, and, seeing no one was paying attention, rushed home and shut the door.
Ge held the little girl, who was no longer trembling and was looking at him curiously.
"What's your name?" Ge asked.
"My name is Luna..." the girl whispered. "You... aren't you here to arrest me?"
"Don't worry, no one will ever come to arrest you again."
The trio soon arrived at the entrance of the Royal Palace. Fully armed Guards stood on both sides of the tall archway. Seeing them approach, the Guards looked puzzled.
"Prince? Knight Commander Garen? Steward Zhao Xin?" A Guard took off his helmet and rubbed his eyes. "But... but shouldn't you all be inside?"
He looked at the Royal Palace behind him, then at the three people in front, his face full of confusion. Suddenly, he noticed Eldredge being dragged by Zhao Xin and was violently startled.
The Guard drew his Sword: "They're impostors! Sound the alarm!"
Before he could finish, Zhao Xin struck like lightning, hitting the back of his neck. The Guard rolled his eyes and collapsed.
The remaining Guards immediately drew their swords, but Zhao Xin was faster. Before they could react, they were knocked to the ground.
The three pushed open the Royal Palace doors and walked into the Council Hall.
Inside the hall, Jarvan III sat on the Throne, with Prince Jarvan IV standing beside him. Garen and his Parents, along with Demacia's Nobles and Generals, were engaged in a fierce discussion.
The sound of the doors opening drew everyone's attention to the entrance. Jarvan III looked angry, displeased at the interruption.
"Who dares to trespass—" His voice cut off abruptly as he recognized the faces of the intruders.
Shock spread across everyone's faces.
Immediately after, they saw Eldredge, bloodied and being dragged by Zhao Xin.
"Mages!" a Minister exclaimed. "They must be Mages!"
But this idea was immediately denied.
"Impossible," an elderly General shook his head. "This is the Royal Palace, built with Anti-Magic Stone. The strongest Mage cannot cast spells here."
The Ministers' gazes swept over the trio; shock slowly turned into suspicion.
"They must be masked impostors! Guards! Arrest them!"
The Guards quickly lined up, ready for a fight.
"Take them down!" Jarvan III ordered.
The Guards drew their swords and aggressively charged towards Ge and the other two.
Cheng Yaowen raised his hand, and a thick Earth Wall rose from the ground, blocking the Guards outside.
The Council Hall instantly descended into chaos.
"Mages!"
"How is this possible? Doesn't the Royal Palace have Anti-Magic Stone? How can they use Magic?"
"This is impossible!"
Garen drew his Greatsword, his eyes resolute. His duty as the Commander of the Dauntless Vanguard meant he never feared anything, and especially not now in the Royal Palace. He had to protect the King.
"Garen, stop!" Jarvan III sharply commanded.
Garen paused, looking at the King, his face full of confusion.
Jarvan III's expression was grave: "We cannot deal with those who can use Magic while surrounded by Anti-Magic Stone."
"When I was young, I once encountered a hooded Mage in the Anti-Magic Forest," Jarvan III slowly recounted. "He was still able to use Teleportation Magic in a forest full of Anti-Magic Stone."
"At the time, he was fighting an Elemental Dragon... No, rather than fighting, it was a one-sided annihilation."
"That Mage casually threw a Magic Missile and blasted the Elemental Dragon to pieces."
(Ryze: I don't know, I had just finished collecting Runes that day when I saw a Dragon flying toward where I kept the Runes. He must have been confused by the Rune Power, so I gave him a Magic Missile to help him clear his head.)
Jarvan III composed himself and looked at the three: "May I ask who you Mage Lords are? Where are you from? And what is your purpose in coming to Demacia?"
Jarvan III's tone was respectful, but Ge still sensed the wariness in his eyes.
Evidently, he subconsciously believed that the arrival of Mages in Demacia could only mean trouble.
This was normal, given how Demacia had been persecuting Mages for so many years.
Ge, Cheng Yaowen, and Zhao Xin exchanged a knowing glance and simultaneously activated the "Skin" Ian had prepared for them.
In an instant, a dazzling light erupted in the hall, causing everyone to instinctively close their eyes.
When the light dissipated, people slowly opened their eyes, and the sight before them left them stunned, their mouths agape.
Standing before them were no longer three suspicious intruders, but three Gods.
The Divine Power and Power of Faith radiating from the trio made everyone present involuntarily want to kneel.
"Is this... a God?" someone muttered, their voice trembling.
Ge looked at everyone's reaction and thought, 'The Boss's Skin combined with the Power of Faith is too effective.'
"My name is Ge," he said, pointing to the two behind him. "This is Zhao Xin, and this is Cheng Yaowen. We are the... you... from a Parallel Universe."
As soon as the words fell, the entire Council Hall was silent. Jarvan III and the Nobles exchanged bewildered looks. No one doubted the truth of this statement.
In the face of absolute power, any lie would be meaningless.
Ge and Garen made eye contact. Two almost identical faces, yet two completely different temperaments.
Garen's eyes flashed with eagerness. He saw the future he longed for.
'If I could also possess this kind of power...' Garen clenched his fists. 'I could protect the people of Demacia.'
Ge's gaze went past Garen and fell upon the blonde girl behind him.
Lux was looking at him with bright, curious eyes, her gaze filled with excitement.
'My Brother's Parallel Universe version is also a Mage!' Lux thought happily to herself.
Ge sensed a powerful Energy surging within Lux—Magic Power. He raised an eyebrow slightly.
'This girl's Magic Power is infinitely stronger than Luna's...' Ge mused silently. 'Strange, how come she hasn't been arrested by the Mage Seekers despite having such powerful Magic Power?'
A chilling thought flashed through his mind: 'Could it be that Demacia's Magic ban applies only to the common folk?'