Hearing Syndra's words, Karma raised an eyebrow in slight surprise. Instinctively, Karma felt that this matter might not be so simple. Just as Syndra had said, Karma had inherited the root of the Spirit of Ionia, which granted her almost unsurpassable power within Ionia. However, correspondingly, due to the many restrictions imposed by Ionia itself, Karma could not truly and completely unleash that power.
Unless facing a massive crisis that threatened the very survival of all Ionia.
Syndra was different. The Darkness of Ionia that Syndra represented was only a part of the Spirit of Ionia, but because of its origins, Syndra suffered almost no negative side effects when releasing this power, nor was she bound by the restrictions of Ionia itself. Even if, in theory, Karma's power was the absolute strongest, considering the harsh sealing restrictions, practically speaking, in over ninety-five percent of situations, Syndra was the one who could unleash the most formidable power.
Precisely because of this, Karma had always wanted to secure Syndra's assistance as a powerful combatant. Both Syndra's raw power and what Syndra represented were indispensable components for rebuilding Ionia's faith and spiritual philosophy.
Although Syndra had dissipated a portion of the irrational hatred and resentment born from the Darkness of Ionia through the Dreaming Pool, she had only dissipated a portion. Inherently, she still harbored dissatisfaction toward Ionia.
Since both Syndra and Karma originated from the power of the Spirit of Ionia, if Karma agreed, completing a sensory sharing link between the two of them would not be difficult for Syndra.
Understanding this clearly, Karma remained silent for a moment before saying, "If this can help dissipate the hatred in your heart, then I am willing to accept the engraving of a sensory resonance mark. However, to prevent the magic from losing control, and to prevent anyone with ulterior motives from using the mark to influence my mind—thereby driving Ionia toward destruction and shattering its spirit—I must retain the ability to erase the mark."
"No problem." Hearing Karma's words, a smile of a successful scheme appeared on the corner of Syndra's mouth. She made no attempt to hide her malice, but she also spoke straightforwardly and decisively: "But equally, if you unilaterally erase the mark based solely on your personal likes and dislikes, without it affecting the entirety of Ionia, then I will immediately cease all assistance and initiate my revenge."
"No problem." Hearing this, Karma breathed a sigh of relief. If it was just about her personally, it didn't matter. According to the agreement, if Syndra tried to use the sensory resonance mark to make Karma perform outrageous acts, that would essentially also be a form of destroying Ionia's spirit, giving Karma the right to erase it.
In Karma's mind, Syndra simply wanted to use the mark to influence her, to drag her spirit toward the darkness as well. Having prepared for this, Karma was confident enough that she would not succumb to Syndra's mental bewitchment.
As the contract was completed, Syndra turned her gaze toward Faen, then licked her lips with wicked amusement. Although she didn't say anything, Faen had clearly realized Syndra's goal—or rather, he had guessed her goal the moment she demanded the sensory resonance mark.
Faen instinctively wanted to stop it, but the executive plan was vetoed by his "lower house" before it even began. It wasn't just a matter of "the little head controlling the big head"; possessing the essence of the Joy Demon, Faen found it very difficult to act against his instinctual need—which was to obtain and pursue pleasure. And because of this, the situation had developed to this point...
It was all Ashlesh's fault.
Having completed the sensory sharing link, Syndra wasn't in a hurry to test it out. As someone sharing the same origin as Karma, Syndra knew very well that past generations of Karma were all individuals of iron will. Since that was the case, although waiting would torture her as well, a certain degree of patience was necessary. If she truly couldn't bear it anymore, she could always quench her thirst with her mouth and backdoor, but Karma possessed no such methods for relief.
Watching the two complete the ritual, Faen said, "Since you've finished chatting, let's go deal with those Noxians."
Hearing Faen's words, Syndra nodded. A look of deep disgust surfaced in her eyes as she said, "Fine. The chaotic thoughts of those wretches clash completely with Ionia. I've been losing my patience with them for a while now."
Meanwhile, under Swain's orders, although many generals within the legion initially expressed confusion at the sudden command, once they learned what had happened on Fae'lor, they quickly realized the severity of the problem. Subsequently, the entire legion was mobilized at an astonishing speed.
A fully mobilized Noxian legion was terrifying. The promise of massive wealth, honor, titles, and official positions made the already fierce Noxian soldiers even more fearless of death. Unfortunately, just as they were charging forward unstoppably, before they could even touch the heart of Ionia—the Placidium—two figures filled with cold indifference appeared on their path of advance.
At first, no one believed these two solitary individuals posed any threat to the massive legion. The Noxian soldiers merely saw them as two pitiful wretches about to be slaughtered. Unlike the gentle Ionians, the battle-hardened Noxians knew very well that any fleeing peasant could pass on intelligence that might ruin their tactics. Especially now, during a forced march, they had no intention of leaving any prisoners.
However, upon noticing Syndra, some of the more lustful soldiers changed their minds. They figured that while they couldn't take prisoners, having some "entertainment" during the rest periods of their forced march wouldn't be a bad idea...
But regardless, it was necessary to strip them of all ability to resist. Yet, just as they were about to launch their attack, the young woman floating in mid-air raised her arm first.
This sudden movement instantly put the Noxian soldiers—who were feeling irritable and suppressed, hoping to use this opportunity to relieve some stress—on high alert.
Syndra had no intention of wasting words. In an instant, the Noxians' field of vision was filled with countless Dark Spheres descending like a torrential downpour.