After a night of wild, unhinged revelry, Faen woke up and brought Lulu and the others back out onto the streets of Bilgewater.
With the Harrowing officially over, Bilgewater had already kicked off its three-day carnival. As supply ships arrived at the port, an endless array of goods allowed the people of Bilgewater to relax completely and leisurely enjoy the joyous atmosphere following the massive battle.
For the people of Bilgewater, repelling the Harrowing was a festival far grander than New Year's. Or rather, much like Christmas in the West, it was Bilgewater's very own, unique "Spring Festival."
However, having already completed a full night of wild partying himself, Faen didn't have much desire to join in their festivities. After all, in Faen's perception, their joy had already seamlessly merged into his own domain. Right now, what he needed to do was completely eradicate the Curse of the Ruination from its very roots.
Without lingering too long, after briefly soaking in the festive atmosphere of Bilgewater, Faen gathered his focus. Taking Lulu and Tristana—who had both chugged down an entire bellyful of hot mushroom cream soup first thing in the morning—he left Bilgewater. Following the intel obtained from Bandle City, they headed straight toward the Shadow Isles to find Vex.
Perhaps because the Harrowing was forced to end prematurely? Before Faen's small boat even got close to the Shadow Isles, just as they were approaching the perimeter, the thick fog over the sea grew increasingly dense.
And as they drew slightly closer to the main landmass of the Shadow Isles, Faen could clearly smell the sharp stench of rot and decay.
Relying on the immense mass of his spiritual realm, combined with the wondrous magic of Yordles, Faen didn't have to expend much effort to reach the island's hinterlands. But as Faen pressed forward, the scenery before him grew increasingly bizarre and twisted.
Gnarled, twisted trees were tangled with broken iron chains, upon which hung long-rotted suits of armor.
The ground was cracked with countless fissures, oozing black, ruined sap that nourished patches of foul-smelling purple fungi.
In the distance, the wandering souls were no longer scattered, aimless phantoms. They were bound by invisible forces, thrashing and shrieking in mid-air as pale blue soul motes were continuously siphoned deep into the heart of the island—this was Viego plundering souls to nourish his Ruined Kingdom.
Almost the exact second Faen set foot on the Shadow Isles, Viego—located within the Shadow Isles, or more accurately, deep within the Royal Palace of Helia—sensed his arrival.
Realizing that the intruder was the exact same person who had permanently slain Hecarim the night before, a flash of pure fury ignited in Viego's eyes. Accompanied by a surging storm of Ruination power, he materialized in the plaza outside. Staring coldly at Faen, he sneered:
"I had already left. I didn't expect you to actually dare chase after me, and even set foot on the Shadow Isles!"
"I had no choice." Hearing Viego's words, Faen merely shrugged, then said with an utterly nonchalant expression: "After all, if I don't kill you, my precious darlings won't be able to service me with peace of mind~"
Hearing Faen's words, Viego was slightly confused. But without wasting any more breath, he coldly huffed, tightly gripped the Blade of the Ruined King, and said icily:
"Outsider, you seek death!"
Before his voice even faded, Viego's figure shot forward, enveloped in black mist. He swung his greatsword in a wide arc, the cyan-black energy of the Ruination tearing through the air.
The ground shattered; dried bones were ground to dust.
Faen didn't take a single step back. He simply closed his right hand into a half-fist, and several torrents of cyan water shot out violently from around him. With a sharp SWISH, they wove together to form a shield, forcefully catching the attack head-on. The energy wave crashed into the water shield and dissipated instantly.
"It looks like you haven't received that buff yet~" Feeling the force behind the strike, a look of relaxation and absolute ease flashed through Faen's eyes.
The Curse of the Ruination hadn't just existed for a day or two. The reason the third Harrowing Sarah experienced managed to sweep across more than half of Runeterra was entirely due to the bizarre chemical reaction between the polluted Life Rune and Vex's Gloom magic.
This was also exactly why Faen never dared to underestimate Yordles—although Vex herself wasn't exceptionally powerful, her unique Gloom magic possessed an incredibly high compatibility with the corrupted Life Rune. Once combined, they could produce an immensely violent and terrifying reaction.
While similar situations weren't exceedingly common among other Yordles, they definitely weren't rare either. For instance, Poppy—ever since obtaining the sacred hammer, she had never once tasted defeat.
But Faen had absolutely no intention of wasting breath talking to Viego, nor did he harbor any desire for a fair, one-on-one duel.
Mmm... Truth be told, in a strict one-on-one, although he absolutely wasn't afraid of Viego, the bizarre, twisted power of the Life Rune was genuinely quite a headache to deal with. So, Faen simply threw open the gates to his spiritual realm.
This made Viego freeze slightly in surprise.
Immediately following this, dozens of Dark Spheres flew out in rapid succession, raining down exactly like a torrential storm. The heavy, relentless impacts caught Viego completely off guard, blasting him into a blur that crashed violently into the Royal Palace of Helia, instantly leveling a massive swath of ruins.
"To actually need my help... it seems my darling Teacher Daddy has encountered quite a thorny problem~"
Accompanied by a leisurely voice, Syndra, sporting a massive, bulging pregnant belly, floated out unhurriedly.
Having entered the stable period of her pregnancy, the heavily pregnant Syndra exuded an aura of profound, loving maternity from head to toe. Floating there, all traces of her former hostility and sharp edges were gone, replaced by the gentle warmth of a loving mother and an innate, effortless softness.
Having prepared early for nursing her child, her delicate, smooth breasts—though currently constrained in a bra—were so massive and plump that just the exposed cleavage could rival Sona's. Clearly, the daughter growing inside Syndra's belly absolutely wouldn't have to worry about going hungry.
Of course, even if Syndra didn't have her own milk, there were always nutritional supplements from Faen. In fact, Faen's nutritional supplements were so abundant, the baby probably wouldn't even get much of a chance to drink her mother's milk anyway.
Following right behind Syndra, Soraka walked out unhurriedly.
Similar to Syndra, Soraka also sported a plump, pregnant belly. However, unlike Syndra, who absolutely loved showing off and bragging to the other girls, although Soraka had proactively gotten pregnant at Faen's request, she didn't have much desire to show it off. She merely waited quietly for the birth, gently soothing the daughter in her womb while devoutly servicing Faen.
Now, having been summoned by Faen, Soraka also arrived at the Shadow Isles.
Looking at this ravaged, corrupted land, a look of deep sorrow and nostalgia surfaced in Soraka's eyes.
Back then, she had guided Kalista to the Shadow Isles. Although her intention was to secure a better future and prevent the risks of the World Runes from continuously accumulating, there was undeniably no escaping the fact that her actions ultimately contributed to the desolation seen today.
Thinking this, Soraka raised her head, channeling countless streams of life energy directly into Faen, herself, and the myriad of girls following out behind them.
Feeling the endless, surging power erupting from within his body, a bright, radiant smile appeared on Faen's face.
Meeting Viego's gaze of sheer disbelief, Faen said calmly: "Girls, crush him!"
Hearing this, Viego seemed to want to say something. But before he could even stabilize his footing, Syndra raised her hand, and a torrential blast of dark energy tore through the air, transforming into a long river of absolute destruction that instantly shattered the dense fog.
Right behind it, Faen's surging waters, Nilah's whip-blade, and even Darha's Mantra-empowered celestial light—who had answered the summons upon request—blasted out in perfect unison.
BOOM!!!
Without the slightest ability to resist, the massive torrent formed by the myriad of energies slammed ruthlessly into the Ruination shield. The dark purple shield shattered inch by inch exactly like fragile glass.
A look of pure terror had just flashed through Viego's eyes when a water dragon pierced cleanly through his body. His mist armor cracked and shattered, and the power of the Ruination collapsed entirely like a receding tide.
"Impossible..."
Viego let out a shrill, agonizing scream as his body disintegrated completely under the tearing force of the water currents. The light motes of the souls he had plundered broke free from their bonds and scattered in all directions. Faen retracted his hand, and the water dragon dissipated. With merely a casual wave of his hand, the remaining black mist of the Ruination was entirely washed away by the flowing water, erased into absolute nothingness.
"Alright, crisis averted~"
Faen nodded in deep satisfaction.
Beside him, Syndra casually scanned their surroundings for a couple of seconds, then hummed softly, "It's rare for you to call me out to help you fight. You'd better 'thank' me properly later~"
Faen chuckled. He then shifted his gaze toward the area where Vex resided not too far away, and said: "I actually know of an excellent spot for a wild party."