Arcane: The Gods Want Me to Pick a Route

Chapter 228: Secrets of Ancient Times

If Volibear truly set his mind on running, then no god could stop him, even with his strength diminished as it was now.

So even though Lissandra was unwilling to accept it, her tall figure standing in the air and radiating bitter cold, all she could do was stare darkly at the fleeing mass of lightning-shadow that was Volibear.

Her sharp fangs bit into her lip, and in the end, Lissandra let out a helpless sigh.

"What are you sighing for? Didn’t we win?" Logan asked, glancing at her in confusion when he heard it.

After chasing Volibear for a while, Ahri had somehow returned to Logan’s side without him even noticing. She flew beside him now, curiously looking at Lissandra. Her little face peeking through her white hair was full of wariness as she watched Lissandra with obvious caution.

Mm... this woman was a bit stronger than she was, but if they really fought, then Ahri had plenty of trump cards of her own.

It was not as if she would truly be afraid of her.

Because battle was not some simple comparison of numbers. It was not like one side having 100 and the other side having 95 meant the one with 95 would definitely lose. There were too many factors involved—fighting spirit, mental state, environment, and even matchup compatibility between the two sides.

Hearing Logan’s question, Lissandra answered in a low voice, "If we missed this chance, then killing him later..."

She trailed off and sighed again.

Lissandra was genuinely frustrated, because this really had been her best chance to kill Volibear. There would never be another opportunity like this. Volibear would never brazenly show himself again like he had this time. In the future, if he sensed several divine auras anywhere near him, he would probably start thinking about escape immediately.

Logan looked at the dejected Lissandra with some exasperation, feeling like she was thinking too far ahead.

Did she really intend to kill Volibear?

After grasping the power of divine law, Logan had come to realize something. His own divine law had been born from Spirit Blossom. In Runeterra, it could be called an entirely new path, one that had never existed before and would never exist again. In the future, Logan alone would be able to wield it.

But at the same time, Spirit Blossom had also been born from the other side of Runeterra. Spirit Blossom and Runeterra were not separate things. The material realm and the spirit realm were both Runeterra—just two sides of the same leaf.

So when Kinl died, Logan had sensed Runeterra’s emotions. If even Ionia could give birth to spirit gods with self-awareness, then how much more so could Runeterra itself?

The phenomenon that appeared when Kinl died was proof enough.

Runeterra had grieved for Kinl’s death.

The Seal Sister’s voice sounded from nearby. "Impossible, Lissandra. If you truly intended to kill Volibear, I won’t even start with whether Runeterra itself would stop you. Let’s talk first about how you planned to face Ornn afterward."

"Ornn? Didn’t he and Volibear have a falling-out?" White the Snow Fox asked after hearing that. Tilting her head up, she deliberately avoided Ahri’s burning gaze.

Which was fair enough.

From Ahri’s point of view, White the Snow Fox was one of her own. Both of them were pretty, adorable white foxes. Sure, Ahri’s fox form was slimmer and more elegant, while White looked fluffier and rounder, with longer fur—but that was fine. This was the first time Ahri had ever met another fox, and one almost as strong as herself at that.

But from White’s perspective?

Heh. Ahri was absolutely not her kind.

"A falling-out?" The Seal Sister revealed a look that seemed to say far more than the words themselves.

"Fine, fine, I know you’re close with Ornn. Go on, then—what exactly is going on between Ornn and Volibear now?" White said, sounding slightly annoyed at the expression on the Seal Sister’s face.

Lissandra also turned to look at the Seal Sister, waiting for her answer.

Among the ancient gods of the Freljord, it was common knowledge that the Seal Sister had a good relationship with Ornn. After all, when Ornn had carved out the Freljord with his hammer, it was the Seal Sister who had led the waters of the Ice Sea inland to flood it. The collision of burning heat and bitter cold was what had turned the land into the frozen wasteland it was today.

The Seal Sister did not hide anything. She said plainly, "Ornn... isn’t what you all think. He looks heartless and cold, but in truth, his heart is just like his exterior. Hotter and warmer than anyone else’s."

"He’s simply bad at expressing himself. He doesn’t like to use words or actions to show his emotions. Whether he’s happy or sad, he always hides it and deals with it alone."

She paused, then asked, "Tell me—why did Ornn and Volibear fight in the first place?"

"I remember it being because of humans," White said, lifting her little head.

Then suddenly, a spark of happiness appeared in her eyes.

Mm. It had been such a long time since she had been out like this. Because of Volibear’s actions, she had come here fully prepared to die. At the time, she had been one fox facing three ancient gods. There had been no chance of survival.

And yet now, not only had she survived, she had met old friends again and was standing here talking.

"Yes. Because of humans. When Ornn refused to make weapons for him, Volibear unilaterally declared that he and Ornn were done. But Ornn never took it seriously, because he knew both his brother and his sister had terrible tempers.

"Anivia once mischievously burned down Ornn’s home, and Volibear had always argued with him too. But it was only when Volibear destroyed Hearth-Home that Ornn flew into a rage and fought him," the Seal Sister said, revealing one of the ancient secrets of the Freljord as the oldest god present.

White listened with obvious interest. Lissandra did too.

How long had Ornn lived?

No one knew.

But one thing was certain.

Ornn had been the first lifeform born from Runeterra itself. After him came Volibear and Anivia. For a very long time, they had been the only three gods in the world, and because of that, they had helped one another and been especially close.

Logan listened seriously as well. He already knew this story in broad terms. It was all there in the background lore of the Freljord’s three gods—Anivia accidentally burning down Ornn’s home, Ornn and Volibear fighting, and all the rest.

But he had only ever known the rough outline.

The way the Seal Sister told it made it far more detailed and interesting.

Ahri was listening too. Everyone present was older than her, so she was simply enjoying the story.

As for Tristana...

Well, the gunner had run off to play in the snow again. She was even chasing after a moose now, happily rampaging around on her own.

The Seal Sister continued in her soft voice, "All of you think that fight ended in a draw. On the surface, that’s true. But in reality... Ornn softened at the end."

"If the battle had truly continued, Ornn might have been badly wounded, but Volibear would have died. Ornn never even brought out the weapons he was proudest of. He fought with nothing but his hammer. He never intended to truly kill Volibear. He only wanted to teach him a lesson."

Her expression grew more complicated.

"He cared deeply for humans, yes. But how could he not also care for his younger brother?"

"Ornn was full of guilt toward the people of Hearth-Home. Those humans, whose average lifespan didn’t even reach sixty years—that amount of time, to Ornn, was less than the length of a nap. But they still made him feel guilt and remorse. He couldn’t face Hearth-Home anymore. Because he couldn’t truly bring himself to kill Volibear, he chose instead to hide away and live with that guilt and remorse."

She looked at Lissandra and added, "So in the situation just now, if Volibear had not run and instead chosen to fight to the death, then yes, we really could have killed him. But the consequence would have been facing an enraged Ornn. And his temper... Lissandra, I think you understand it well enough. You’ve dealt with him before, haven’t you?"

Lissandra nodded, her expression equally complicated. She took a deep breath and let it out.

"I understand now," she said to the Seal Sister.

The Seal Sister’s point was simple.

Some things simply could not be done.

Volibear was indeed their enemy, but he was not an enemy who could be killed.

He was the second life ever born from Runeterra, deeply beloved by the world itself. If he truly died, Runeterra would change because of it.

Without Volibear, the law of thunder would lose its master. The endless lightning that followed would strike everything beneath the heavens, and all living things would suffer for it.

Kinl and Volibear were not remotely comparable.

The latter was loved by Runeterra itself, and he also had an unimaginably powerful older brother.

Ornn was the strongest god in all of Runeterra.

No exceptions.

And unlike Volibear, Ornn had not been tainted, corrupted, or severely weakened by injuries. If that monster truly lost his temper, then even if Anivia revived and their side gathered nearly ten gods, they still would not be able to endure Ornn’s wrath.

After hearing the Seal Sister out, Logan looked at Lissandra, who had returned to her normal size and her white-haired female form, and said with an amused smile, "All right, Lissandra. Stop sulking. Leaving Volibear alive is useful too."

Lissandra turned toward Logan and looked ready to say something, but then she closed her mouth again and lifted her face, her pale eyes turning toward the sky.

Then Janna and Riven returned, with a man built like a bear following behind Janna.

That was Udyr.

More interestingly, a black-and-red greatsword floated beside him. Looking at it, Logan saw that near the hilt there was a single red eye peering around.

Ha. So Udyr really had taken care of Aatrox.

Lissandra looked at the returning gods, her gaze lingering a moment longer on Riven before she turned back to Logan and asked, "What did you mean just now?"

"Lissandra, Volibear is important to us. In the future, we’re going to have many enemies. No matter how much of a bastard Volibear is, he’s still a god of Runeterra.

"And as his old enemy, you know what kind of temperament he has. He would never help outsiders attack Runeterra. Mm... now that I’ve said that, you should understand what I mean, right?" Logan said with a smile.

From the very beginning, Logan had never truly planned to kill Volibear.

After all, even among the celestials, Volibear’s combat strength would rank among the truly powerful. Runeterra was going to need Volibear in the future.

And what the Seal Sister had just said only confirmed it for Logan.

Volibear was, in a sense, one of Runeterra’s strongest bodyguards.

He, Ornn, and Anivia were powerful gods born from Runeterra itself to protect it. They were Runeterra’s own native gods—not corrupted creatures, not invaders like the celestials, and not gods made by borrowing Aurelion Sol’s power like the Ascended.

The Ascended were a separate matter. During the Void War, Setaka and the Ascended host under her command had already proven themselves. They fought for Runeterra. They fought for the glory of Shurima. Yes, as Darkin they now ravaged and destroyed Runeterra, but that did not erase what they had once done.

The celestials, though?

Out of ten of those bastards, eight were rotten to the core. If Logan got his hands on them, beating them up on sight would be perfectly justified.

So as Logan continued to grow stronger in the future, as the relationships between Runeterra’s nations eased and they became more tightly connected, and as the Twin Cities’ technology even started trying to reach into space...

Then perhaps that would be the moment when war finally broke out between Runeterra and the heavens.

And Volibear?

Well, Logan figured that when the time came, if they sent a bunch of humans out to flatter him and "worship" him, then maybe his blood would rush to his head and he’d volunteer himself as the first vanguard charging into battle.

Volibear was infuriating as an enemy, because he was powerful and domineering.

But as a teammate?

Who wouldn’t want a hulking, battle-mad powerhouse of an ally shouting about rolling thunder before dropping to all fours and charging into the enemy headfirst with that spike-headed bulk of his?

"That makes sense." Lissandra’s eyes brightened a little. She understood now.

When the Void invaded in the future, could Volibear really refuse to contribute?

At that point, they could just throw that oversized bear straight into the Void and let him fight there.

That would be a wonderful arrangement.

"And there’s one more thing I want to say."

Logan smiled at Lissandra, then turned to White the Snow Fox and the Seal Sister.

White narrowed her eyes at him. "What are you trying to do...?"

Lissandra looked at Logan too.

She had never underestimated him, because Logan knew more hidden truths than she did. But even so, she still had to admit that she had underestimated him badly. The three gods he had brought with him were not native gods of Runeterra, and yet... they listened to him.

And Logan had said before that if the Void truly erupted, then in the future he could summon more than twenty gods...

If every one of them was that strong...

Lissandra fell silent.

She did not dare imagine it.

If Logan could truly do something like that, then saying Runeterra belonged to him would not even be much of an exaggeration.

"What do the two of you plan to do in the future?" Logan asked.

"I don’t know. I want to wander around and look at things. Even though the old agreement was torn apart, I’ll still listen to Anivia. So I’ll just... see what there is to see. I’ve slept long enough," White said after thinking it over.

The Seal Sister said, "I’ll probably return to the northern sea. I like the Freljord too, but the situation there is complicated. The ancient gods there are always watching the Freljord. I need to protect the Freljordians who sail out onto those waters."

Logan bent down and looked at White the Snow Fox with a smile.

"In that case, I have a proposal. Hear me out."

White nodded.

"I want you and the Seal Sister to work for me. When Anivia appears in the future, just tell her I asked you to do it. When the time comes, I’ll tell Anivia that the age of the Three Sisters has returned. Ashe, Sejuani, and Lissandra will build an entirely new Freljord, and I want you and the Seal Sister to serve as the sacred totems of its new tribes.

"This new Freljord won’t throw away its traditions. Human tribes need faith, and you need human faith too. That’s good for both sides, isn’t it?"

White’s eyes lit up immediately.

The Seal Sister, meanwhile, fell into thought.

Lissandra opened her mouth, wanting to say something. She had not actually agreed to any of this, had she?

But when she saw Logan smiling at White the Snow Fox, she chose silence instead.

Since she had already decided to trust Logan and believe he could handle the Void, then she would simply go along with him.

"Go on, then. Tell me how you plan to do it," White said, not agreeing at once but asking him to explain.

The smile faded from Logan’s face, replaced by seriousness.

Then he said:

"If we want to build a brand-new Freljord, the first thing we need to do is drag out all the ones hiding in the shadows. We can’t let them pop back up later to cause trouble. Besides, they were the ones who started this war. Since they answered Volibear’s call, and now they’ve lost, then naturally they should pay the price.

"You know, back in my hometown of Zaun, there’s a saying. War can break out whenever it wants—but when the sound of war stops, that’s something decided by the victors.

"Right now, we’re the victors. They’re the losers. They think hiding means it’s over? No chance. I’m not that kind. So I’m going to drag every one of them out and make them sign agreements with their divine law power, help humanity, and choose major tribes to protect as guardian gods."

As Logan spoke, the seriousness on his face gradually vanished, replaced by a grin he could no longer hide.

"So I need you and the Seal Sister to lead the way for us. Every ancient god you know and hate—I want to round them all up, beat them down one by one, and force them to sign."

White’s eyes lit up even brighter.

And what Logan had just said left both Lissandra and the Seal Sister with complicated expressions.

Capture gods.

Force them to sign agreements.

No one had dared imagine such a thing, not even in the height of the Three Sisters’ era.

And yet now, an outsider, the weakest person present in terms of direct strength—a human—had said it aloud.

Worse, he was even trying to rope the native ancient gods of the Freljord into doing it with him.

Still smiling, Logan stretched out a hand toward White the Snow Fox and said, "That’s the punishment for the losers."

And White?

Her beautiful eyes shone brighter and brighter, and one little paw lifted on its own toward Logan’s palm.

They clicked instantly.

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