The battlefield on Ionia was nothing less than a blood bath. Warriors from both side would let out battle cries and slash at each other with blades that were coated in crimson. Mages would chant spells and blast each other with different colored aura that was flung around all across the large city where corpses would fall and flames danced across a majority of the tallest structures. Amidst the carnage that surfaced, a tall male would stroll along without a care in the world. As several eyes looked his way, they would move aside even if they had just been about to attack their enemy. They all knew better than to get in the way of the Noxian grand general known as Swain.
Trailing behind Swain and being pulled along against her will was the former trusted mage and now traitor-Leblanc. Narrowing her eyes intently, the female would try to pry free of Swain's grip but just as she feared his grip was firm and as solid as iron. "Damn it...Let me go you old bastard!" the female deceiver snaps and pushes along the male's arm but like she suspected, he wouldn't budge. Without as much as looking at her, Swain continued to drag her along the blood soaked battlefield, unconcerned with the soldiers that went after him since his own men always seemed to get in the way to defend him. "Unlike you, these men are actually loyal to me Leblanc. Do you wonder why that is?"
When the mage gave no answer, the general would stop walking and turn his head towards her as his cold hand reached over and lifted her chin. "It's because they respect me. They're intimidated by the thought of double crossing me because they understand what will happen if they do."
Gulping, Leblanc does her best to avoid the general's gaze though found it rather difficult to. By the time she glanced back up at him she saw the bitterness and hostility that his eyes showed. It was clear he had no good intentions with her once he dragged her back to Noxus.
For a moment there was silence (or rather, silence among the pair considering there was still an ongoing war right around them). Before another word could as much as be uttered, Swain paused and his gaze seemed to linger past Leblanc and towards the individual who was the self-proclaimed machine herald.
"I'll have to pay you back in full for the damage you've brought upon me. Let me start with your leg" Viktor snaps in anger, his eyes pulsating as his shoulder seemed to sizzle from the internal machinery that was malfunctioning-the sound of gears creaking as they struggled to turn. As Viktor aims his death ray at the grand general, he only hesitated for the instant that he thought perhaps he'd miss and hit Leblanc. But that fear was thrown out the window when his lover looked his way and nodded, it was clear as day that she wanted to be free of Swain's clutches and if need be she'd risk being hurt.
Damn, why did I fall for such a wild woman? Viktor scoffsand shakes his head as he fires off his death ray, the beam traveling towards Swain's left ankle. The blast however seems to be absorbed as the Noxian general pushed Leblanc aside and let her fall so he could extend his right hand which was glowing a crimson aura. With his hand extended, the blast would go into his hand as though nothing had happened and in that instant, Viktor took the chance to lunge forward with no tricks up his sleeve. He simply wanted to beat the shit out of Swain by any means necessary.
The machine herald was lucky enough to land a right straight across Swain's face before the general drew his hand forward and a bright red electricity zaps Viktor and knocks him off his feet, sending him several feet back. "Damn him!" Viktor groans in frustration as he slowly sits up and touches his chest that also began to sizzle and give off the faintest fragments of burnt metal. It was eminent that he wouldn't be unable to keep this up much longer and if he did, his fate would be sealed. Even so...
"Viktor! Are you alright?" Leblanc cries out as she got on her feet and ran to kneel beside the augmented male. With a heavy sigh, the machine-like male grunts and moves his hand away from his chest. "I'm fine, woman. Focus on the enemy before us."
Nodding her head, Leblanc turns her head towards Swain who was touching his face as though feeling the spot that he had been struck. "Are you satisfied now? You were able to land a single punch. Don't think it'll happen again, so in other words...you should accept your fate and allow me to destroy you. All your efforts will be in vein" Swain speaks sternly and looks at the pair with a cold stare that showed just how superior and mighty the man was, it was clear he wasn't all talk. With a heavy sigh, the female deceiver boldly gets to her feet and makes a fist. "Swain, I'm warning you...Touch my man again and I shall rain down every hell imaginable upon you. I won't rest until you suffer for your sins!"
Without moving a single muscle, the veteran general simply glances at Leblanc with a look of displeasure, almost as though he was disappointed in her word choice. "That's what you decide on? Please..." Swain raises his right hand that would glow crimson as he prepared to strike the woman where she stood. Shutting her eyes, she sighs and holds her breath. Deep down she was accepting that perhaps if she died, she could buy Viktor some time. Knowing him, he's too stubborn to run off if I got killed. I truly am a fool, even until my end...
There was a pause. A rather long pause actually-something was definitely not right. Opening her eyes slowly, Leblanc would realize she hadn't been struck. She lets out a sigh of relief before her eyes would adjust and she felt as though a cold hand was gripping her heart. The sight before her was far worse to her than death itself-Viktor had lunged forward and taken the blow directly which had torn open his metallic chest as he fell back with a grunt.
Swain clicks his tongue and straightens up, glancing at the machine herald who had gotten in the way. "How moving...a machine risked its life to save you. You truly are a master at manipulating others and getting your way Evaine."
Completely ignoring the words of Swain, Leblanc rushes over in a blind nervous wreck towards the man-not the machine-who had risked his life to save her just now. "Viktor! Viktor, oh heavens! What were you thinking doing something like that, fool? Do you realize what you've done!" the female began to yell at the top of her lungs in a mix of frustration, anger, but most of all undeniable pain. The machine herald couldn't even respond, all he could do was let out a faint chuckle though even his voice seemed off. The direct hit from Swain had hurt his mechanical parts to the point that even his voice recognition system had begun to malfunction. His glowing eyes would begin to flicker on and off, something that normally never happened. "You...worry too...much" the herald would manage to utter through his malfunctioning tone that made it difficult to understand.
Tears had began to flow down Leblanc's cheeks, unable to hold them back despite her history of being a heartless manipulative mage. Shutting her eyes tightly, the female deceiver would simply let the darkness from her shut eyes engulf her-begging internally that everything she was seeing was a dream. Yet regardless of how much she wanted to deny and refuse the truth-once her dried eyes opened, she could still see the machine herald in her arms with his torn and destroyed chest that sizzled and occasionally zapped small sparks from its faulty wires.
"I'll fix you! I...yes that's it! I can use my magic to help you and everything will be okay!" Leblanc would say quickly as she looked around for her staff eagerly that she knew was left somewhere. As her eyes scan the area desperately, she ignores the words of Viktor who seemed to be growing concerned for her despite his own injuries. "...Leblanc...stop it...there's no illusion...that can...fix this..."
Looking around desperately, the female deceiver finally lifts her eyes to see that Swain had taken it upon himself to grab her staff as he eyed it over casually as if it were some unsightly item. "Are you looking for this little toy, Evaine? You should know better than to rely on tools. Just as you've relied on that thing you're so desperate to fix. It's a machine. Let it go and perhaps I'll contain some extent of mercy to your punishment."
"Let him go?" Leblanc would whisper in a quiet and pained tone as her voice seemed to be caught in her throat as her eyes slowly turned to look at the dying herald in her grasp. The Noxian general would slowly approach as he nods his head and swiftly lays his hand on Leblanc's shoulder. "Correct. Let him go."
Is he stupid? How can I release the one who I've grown so close to in such little time? How can I let go of the man that I began to fall in love with the further we ventured together? How can I let go of the man who's proposing to me this very second? Wait...He's what?
Leblanc blinked several times over to ensure the sight before her was as plain as can be. And indeed it was. Her eyes weren't playing tricks on her and Swain wasn't crafty enough for illusion magic so the sight had to be real. Viktor had somehow managed through his declining strength, to reach into his side and extend out a small and frail ring. Though fragile, it clearly had been crafted with care and the detail on it was astounding enough that even in light of the horrid situation it seemed to glow.
"Now...? Why now of all times have you decided to do such a foolish act...?" the female would whisper, her voice hoarse as she held back tears and repeatedly shook her head, unable to process everything at that interval. Things were simply happening too fast and it wasn't fair how the man she had come to love was not only shutting down but was proposing in the process.
Viktor's eyes continued to flicker on and off as his hand trembled, his fingers occasionally twitching since they were malfunctioning. "I had...planned to do this...properly when...we escaped together...but it seems...that isn't going to...happen..." the herald managed to speak, almost forcing himself to do so since his voice box continued to glitch out and make his words sound fuzzy and disoriented. Leblanc immediately grips his hand in her own, hiding the ring in the process since she couldn't stare at it without breaking down. "Don't speak such nonsense! We will escape and get through this. You and I against this world...together!"
Behind the pair, the Noxian grand general couldn't help but begin to clap. Though he did so rather slowly, almost mocking their entire act. "A true deceiver you are, Leblanc. You've done well...better than I expected. This machine wishes to marry you of all things! Even I know how preposterous that is for a heap of metal to spout such nonsense."
"Shut your mouth..."
"Oh?" Swain raises an eyebrow, sneering in displeasure as he could see the hateful and dreaded eyes of his former ally. "What a scary look...but surely you don't intend to do something stupid like attack me. I have your staff, you can't use your illusions on me, woman."
Yet despite all odds being stacked against her, Leblanc slowly stood to her feet-her body facing Swain with no amount of fear hidden behind her eyes. Death which had been so close to wrapping its arms around her in a warm embrace...it simply didn't frighten her anymore. "You're already taking away the one thing I have left in this rotten world...the one man who accepted me for myself despite my many mistakes," as Leblanc spoke, she began to stride towards Swain whilst taking careful steps. Frowning in confusion, Swain could merely stand and clench his fist. He wouldn't allow a weaponless mage intimidate him, after all he was the all hailing and supreme ruler of Noxus. Thousands trembled at his feet and revered him as a godly figure whenever he took a step...so why was it that this woman wasn't afraid?
"Do you have a death wish or something?" Swain calls out sternly, his eyes cold and hard to show that he had no intentions of going easy on her. Mercy wasn't exactly Swain's strongest point. Despite hearing those words however, even Leblanc was hardly phased as she continued making her way towards the grand general without a hint of hesitation in her eyes. "You of all people Swain...I never thought I'd get the opportunity to call you a fool!" the female boasts as she would smile faintly which actually caught Swain off guard.
What madness is this? She's actually smiling? Has she gone mad perhaps? That was all the Noxian general could assume since the woman before him had no such weapon to raise a hand against him.
"If you think that magic is relied upon by creations such as wands and staffs-you have another thing coming. Real magic comes from the heart. The soul-" Leblanc snaps bitterly as she raises her right hand that slowly began to glow a violet aura. "No...it can't be-" Swain would utter in complete shock, gazing at the glowing hand with bewilderment. For someone who's never practiced spells through her hands and always relied on a weapon, how was it possible that she was so quickly adapting and learning as though it was nothing? It took years of practice and patience before even Swain could manage to gain the power he had earned and to see Leblanc do what took him years in mere seconds...that was enough to at least surprise someone.
Just before the general had the chance to raise his hand, Leblanc would fire her attack first which strikes the male in his right shoulder forcing him to stagger back. His own blast would be thrown off as a result and the crimson shock wave would spark off into the air. "Damn it-"
Using her advantage to level her momentum, Leblanc yells out and flicks her wrist to fire yet another blast that would hit Swain directly in his chest this time-knocking the superior and experienced general off his feet as he grunts. The instant Swain was off his feet, Leblanc quickly spins her head towards Viktor and rushes to his side, "Are you still there? Viktor, talk to me!"
With a chuckle, the mechanical male would shake his head and weakly turn his head to meet the gaze of his lover. "Did...I ever...tell you...that you're...beautiful?" the machine herald manages to speak, well assuming one knew he was speaking at all due to how forced and encrypted his voice had become to sound. Leblanc could only shake her head repeatedly as she fought back the urge to let her tears come flowing but found herself unable as she sniffles and droplets of water rained down onto the herald's mechanical body. "You're an idiot...you can't just propose to a woman and die like that! What am I supposed to tell the child when it grows up? What am I supposed to do alone, Viktor?"
For a long moment the mechanical male remained silent. In truth he had no words that would make the situation any better. He was dying...and soon he'd be gone for good. There was nothing, no illusion, that could extend his life any longer. Letting out a quiet chuckle, Viktor would reach for Leblanc's hand and unsurprisingly she took his hand and gripped it firmly. "You won't be alone, woman. In case you've forgotten...you're carrying for two" he reminds her and motions to her stomach-making his point about the fact that she was pregnant and had a child to care for.
"But I...Viktor, what can I do alone? How am I supposed to raise this child all by myself without you?" the deceiver pleads, hoping that somehow her words would reach through to the male and somehow magically heal him. "No need to worry. I'll take care of that problem myself-by eliminating you from the face of this world" Swain would speak bitterly as he had approached Leblanc from behind, his eyes cold and hardened. It was clear he didn't take kindly to the humiliation he had just been put through.
As she turns her head back towards the general, Leblanc felt herself freeze up. It was useless. No matter how fast she moved now, Swain had an advantage and wasn't about to waste it-she would die because she had ignored the most important rule of combat...always check to see if an enemy is truly dead.
Yet again, she found herself in no pain whatsoever. Her eyes were closed, accepting the embrace of what she assumed death would await. Then the fear struck her as she prayed that Viktor hadn't done what she thought he had. A iron grip clenched at her heart as she opened her eyes ever so slowly, knowing well that what hadn't wanted was a reality. A silent scream was caught in Leblanc's throat as she saw Viktor directly in front of her, having taken a direct hit to the face as one of his eyes had been completely shot off, sending bolts and wires flying in all directions.
What followed seemed to be in slow motion-Viktor who was shutting down completely would rush towards the stunned Swain who hadn't been expecting the crippled machine to have the strength to leap in at all. Grabbing onto the Noxian general with his remaining strength, the machine herald would force his chest against the him. The impact of the contact from their chests was enough to force a click from inside of Viktor as he turned his head slowly to give Leblanc a final stare with the half of his blown off face being what she saw instead of what should have been an eye.
"Never forget me, Evaine Leblanc. I am the machine herald, the almighty Viktor. Remember that"
Whether it was her imagination that she heard him say that, she had no time to process because what occurred next could only be explained as a massive storm that was emitted by a spark transmitting through Viktor's chest. A Chaos Storm that occurred if his life support was no longer active so in other words-a final explosive attack that would set off when he died. Swain would grit his teeth in anger, narrowing his eyes as he raises his hand coated in his crimson aura. "You think I'm going to allow this to stop me? You're more foolish than-" just as he began to boast, Leblanc would fire a blast at him, hitting him right in his face as he remained frozen in a daze as his mouth hung open. "What is...what was...how-?" Swain would utter before the Chaos Storm would erupt and land directly on the pair, destroying everything directly below them.
Even though she knew what was happening, Leblanc couldn't bear to watch the sight as she would look eye and shut her eyes tightly simply listening to the sound of the storm that erupted louder than anything she'd ever heard considering she was only several yards away from it. In that moment, it seemed as though time had frozen in place-going still; even the Noxian and Ionian troops seemed to stop in their tracks. Every head turned towards Leblanc, or rather the debris where the robe of Swain was all that remained, along with a singular raven feather that would float down onto it.
A good distance away, Leona and Ahri who had been fighting together would pause to turn towards the scene to see Leblanc on her knees. As their heads turned further ahead they saw the sight and the reason which it seemed the sorceress was mourning. "Do you think he's-" Ahri began to whisper before the red headed warrior shook her head to silence her friend. "...We mustn't speak now in her presence. Give her peace."
It would be several minutes before Leblanc had the courage to lift her head, to stare upon the sight where she knew her lover would be no more. Immediately upon gazing at the view, her eyes brim with tears as her lip trembled to hold still. She thought she'd be strong enough but the sight of Viktor's charred mechanical remains was simply too much. In a desperation she would crawl along the floor, her fingers digging into the dirt as she forced herself forward until she'd lay right over the torn, broken parts of the machine herald. Shutting her eyes tightly, the female would hold up the core of Viktor's chest piece up to her heart and firmly grasp it. A few tears would drip onto the dirt floor beneath her as she held back tears and let out a shaky sigh. "I'll never forget you, my dear herald-I swear it. Your children will know of your greatness. The name Viktor shall never die..."
Though she knew it was a bad time and that Leblanc was still hurt, Leona would sigh and raise her sword up for all to see as she called out with a high and mighty voice, "Heed me, warriors of Noxus and Ionia! Grand general Swain of the Noxian empire has fallen! Your ruler has been slain! Lay down your arms in surrender!"
Though no one initially did anything, one by one each and every one of the Noxian troops began to lay down their blades in surrender. With the defeat of Swain, it was clear that continuing the battle would serve no purpose. It was over just like that. And yet...
Leblanc would slowly lift her head and gaze upon the colored sky, her eyes shining to show how teary they had been moments ago. "You worked long and hard Viktor...You did good. Now its time for you to leave things to me...your wife" she would whisper softly and lower her eyes back down to her hand as she opens her palm to gaze upon the ring before lightly grasping it and sliding it into her finger. And just like that, time would start to move once again.