Arcane: The Gods Want Me to Pick a Route

After staring at it for a while, Logan still couldn’t figure out what exactly had happened to trigger such a massive change in Spirit Blossom.

But when he saw that whole stack of glowing friend slots in his divine friends list, he still couldn’t help laughing out loud.

"Why am I overthinking this? The Freljord matters more right now."

With that thought, Logan looked at his new title and new abilities.

He had just gotten a transformation skill that could temporarily strengthen him, but in Logan’s opinion, the truly absurd part of this title was the Spirit Blossom Guardian effect—

By spending Spirit Blossom points, Logan could, with a Spirit Blossom god’s consent, bring that god out of Spirit Blossom and into Runeterra.

That ability was strong.

Ridiculously, absurdly strong.

Wasn’t this exactly the backup-summoning brawl button Logan had been dreaming about all along?

And on top of that, this ability couldn’t have suited his current situation more perfectly.

As for what the Spirit Blossom core and the Spirit Blossom space would develop into next, how strong he actually was now, and all the other things worth researching... those could wait until later. Because right now, the only thing Logan needed to do was head into Spirit Blossom and bring Ahri and Kindred out to fight for him.

Recently, while in the Winter’s Claw and Avarosa’s territory, he had already gathered three emotion points. The places currently generating the most emotion value for him were his home, the Twin Cities, then Noxus, and then the Freljord.

Three emotion points...

One would be used to go in.

The other two would bring Ahri and Kindred out.

With two powerful gods fighting at his side, Logan felt that would help a lot.

Thinking that, Logan moved his lips and said:

"Descend."

The world in front of him changed.

Unlike before, there was no choice of landing point in the usual sense.

Instead, a series of interface panels appeared.

[Spirit Blossom Guardian, please choose where you wish to go—]

[Purple Prison Mountain, Stillwater Lake, Autumn Hollow Mountain, Soulmist Forest, Fallenleaf Mountain, Claw King Cavern...]

A whole list of possible descent points appeared before him, and at the same time Logan could sense which gods were at each point and what they were doing.

That surprised him.

Then he looked toward the destination with the most gods gathered there.

[Purple Prison Mountain]

"What the hell did Thresh do..."

A suspicion rose in Logan’s mind. He felt that the changes inside Spirit Blossom this time were probably connected to Thresh somehow.

Then, after glancing at the notice in the interface beside it, Logan’s lips curled upward.

[As the Guardian of the Spirit Blossom realm, you cannot be harmed by Spirit Blossom gods while within Spirit Blossom.]

[You may spend Spirit Blossom points to administer corresponding blessings or punishments to Spirit Blossom gods.]

There really were a lot of things to study now...

Still, after seeing that line about the Spirit Blossom gods being unable to harm him, Logan could now go in without any hesitation.

So he chose the destination.

[Descending to Purple Prison Mountain. Descent duration this time... unlimited. The Spirit Blossom Guardian may leave the Spirit Blossom space at any time.]

[Descent point acquired successfully. Good luck, great Spirit Blossom Guardian.]

A door appeared before Logan.

It was made of ancient wood, its frame covered in beautiful and strange patterns. At its center glowed a pink-white light, and at the very top bloomed a lovely lotus flower.

Logan stepped forward and walked through.

In the next instant, half his body emerged into the skies above Purple Prison Mountain.

The moment he entered the Spirit Blossom realm, Logan discovered that he could resonate with this world. It was almost as if... the realm itself would obey him.

But Logan didn’t know whether that was because of the system upgrade or because his own strength had grown.

After thinking about it, though, he decided it was probably the former.

Among the Spirit Blossom gods, only Ahri had ever been able to enter the Spirit Blossom core. The others couldn’t. And Logan himself had not yet reached the demigod level, so he felt that was the likelier explanation.

Then, just after entering the Spirit Blossom realm, Logan heard a seductive voice.

It was husky, magnetic, and laced with anger.

"Heh. You had something this wonderful and still didn’t tell us? As the guide of Spirit Blossom, you did something like this? Do you really think you’ve done right by us, Ahri? Don’t you know all of us want to get out?"

"I-I... that’s not what happened, Cassiopeia! I don’t even get enough time with him myself! Every time he comes in, he only stays for a little while, then he has to leave again! If you don’t believe me, ask Kindred!"

"That’s enough, Ahri. You can say whatever you want, but in the end, you just want to keep him all to yourself!"

"I really don’t! I-I already introduced him to Kindred, didn’t I?!"

The husky, seductive voice was about to continue, but the moment it got out a single "you," it suddenly turned sharp and cold.

"Who is it? Who dares spy on me? Get out here!"

Logan stepped forward.

In an instant, countless eyes landed on him, making his scalp tingle and his spine go weak. But Logan didn’t feel any sense of danger.

"It’s you—you finally decided to show yourself to me?!" Out of all the gathered gods, Thresh was the first to see Logan. His voice was full of greed as he immediately flew toward him.

But a pink-white flash crossed the air.

Ahri intercepted him.

Her beautiful, seductive face had turned fierce as she glared viciously at Thresh.

"Thresh, what are you trying to do?!"

At the same time, Kindred also appeared at Logan’s side. Wolf circled around Logan, while Lamb held her bow and stared coldly ahead.

But then a woman carrying a greatsword, barefoot, with half her face hidden behind white hair, stepped forward.

And along with her came another woman, gently fanning herself, malice glittering in her eyes.

The moment those two walked out, worry appeared in Wolf’s eyes, while Lamb said nothing and only tightened her grip on her spirit bow.

Damn it...

The Kanmei gods were one thing. Once they learned about Logan’s ability, greed had stirred in them too, but the gods of Kanmei could control themselves. They would not harm Logan out of simple selfish desire.

Otherwise, they wouldn’t be Kanmei gods in the first place.

To be Kanmei, the very first thing you had to know how to do was let go.

But the Akana faction was a completely different story.

Hadn’t Logan seen it already? Even that little deer who was usually timid, skittish, and always dressed so properly now looked at him with weak, fearful eyes glittering with excitement.

"You came... at the wrong time, Logan," Lamb whispered, standing protectively in front of him.

She wanted Logan to leave.

Because with just her and Ahri alone, there was no way they could stop all these people.

But what Lamb got in response was—

"No. I came at exactly the right time."

Then Logan’s voice rang out again.

"Everyone, let’s talk."

He patted Lamb’s slender shoulder, then stepped forward with a smile and looked at all the Spirit Blossom gods.

He knew what every one of them wanted.

And now, Logan could satisfy them perfectly.

The Freljord—

A hundred-meter beast appeared atop the mountains, its black fur gleaming beneath the morning light. Behind it flew a massive snow eagle, and on top of its head rested a white snake only a few meters long.

"Let’s go. The northern sea has started answering the call too. The blood shark and the giant whale are churning up the waves. Looks like they plan on making landfall in the Freljord."

Rilfen spoke in an ancient tongue, his voice brimming with excitement.

Jie flicked her tongue and said, "First come with me and wipe out the surrounding human settlements. Capture all the humans!"

"Jie’s right," Kinl said. "We’ve answered Volibear’s summons, but there’s no need for us to jump into that battle first thing. Better to wipe out the nearby humans while the witch can’t get away."

Rilfen thought it over and decided that Jie and Kinl were right.

He nodded and leaped forward, instantly appearing above a small town.

His enormous body descended, casting the town beneath a blanket of shadow, while Kinl spread his wings and circled overhead, blotting out half the sky above the settlement.

Kinl could see the fear in the humans’ eyes below.

That excited him.

These humans had already forgotten them, the old gods. They no longer sang their praises, no longer celebrated them.

But fear would bring all of that back.

Rilfen opened his huge maw, gathering black light inside it as he prepared to destroy the town.

The first step in rebuilding the Old Ways was to shatter human civilization and plunge the Freljord back into the chaos of ancient times. Only after that would come ruling humanity. As for how many humans had to die, Rilfen, Jie, and Kinl did not care in the slightest.

Humans bred too quickly.

Even if nine out of every ten humans were slaughtered, the remaining tenth would repopulate the world soon enough, given time.

But just as that black beam was about to strike the town, a sigh rang out.

And with that sigh, Rilfen’s huge muzzle was brushed by snow-white fur, and the black light he had been gathering dispersed.

A vicious look appeared in his eyes.

Meanwhile, Jie roared from atop his head, "White, you actually dare show yourself in front of me?!"

The little snake shot forward, slamming into a patch of space.

The air shattered, and a fox with unbelievably white fur, a little plump and soft-looking, appeared.

"You broke the agreement first. Of course I can appear."

The snow fox shielded the town, standing in front of the three gods, but there was helplessness in her eyes.

In a one-on-one fight, she might have managed.

But now there were three gods.

White couldn’t stop them. If she forced herself to protect the town, she would very likely die by their hands.

But she had promised Anivia.

And she had made a pact with Avarosa.

So she came.

And she had already prepared herself to die.

After smashing through space, the little snake immediately launched her strongest attack at the White Fox, opening her mouth and spewing endless poisonous mist.

Kinl dived from the sky, his enormous talons stabbing toward the fox, their tips glittering with terrifying freezing bursts.

And Rilfen slipped into the shadows, vanishing from sight as he waited for an opening.

But in that very moment, a green wind swept through, gathering all the poison into a giant sphere and trapping every last trace of Jie’s toxic mist inside it.

Kinl’s talons had not yet reached White when red lightning crackled through the air and struck them. A pale-haired young man with black wings stepped out of a portal nearby, his expression grave.

On the Ice Sea—

This sea was perilous beyond compare. As the waters nearest the Freljord, it naturally held countless powerful creatures. But after losing to the three gods of Ram, Bear, and Phoenix, none of them had dared set foot in the Freljord again.

But today, with Volibear tearing up the old pact and chaos spreading through the Freljord, several mighty beings in the northern sea—the forbidden zone of the Ice Sea—could no longer restrain themselves.

Humans were delicious.

The old gods of the Freljord couldn’t let go of humanity.

Naturally, the gods of the deep northern waters felt the same.

Three gigantic shadows flashed beneath the sea as they surged toward the Freljord, carrying waves and countless sea creatures with them. They intended to flood the Freljord with the northern sea and make the frozen continent part of their waters.

But when they reached the middle stretch of the Ice Sea, the three gods suddenly stopped.

A whale with a body over a thousand meters long rose from the surface and stared ahead, where a single sheet of ice sat motionless amid the waves.

A figure stood atop it.

The giant whale spoke in an ancient tongue.

"Seal Sister, you are an ancient god of the sea just as we are, yet you sided with the gods of the land. You helped the humans and the Freljord gods, and now you stand in front of us again. But since you already withdrew from the world, why involve yourself in this matter?"

The figure on the ice let out a sigh, her tone full of helplessness.

Up close, it was clear that standing there was a beautiful blonde woman in black robes.

The Seal Sister said, "I promised Avarosa I would not allow the deep-sea gods to attack the Freljord. I promised I would protect her people."

"Avarosa is dead! She died at Lissandra’s hands!" A bloody, violent aura rolled forward as another old god surfaced. It was a massive sea shark, its head covered in enormous spikes, with four pairs of eyes on either side of its face all staring at the Seal Sister.

Then an old god that resembled an octopus emerged as well, also staring at her coldly.

"Avarosa may be dead, but her will endures. Humanity is favored by Runeterra. You will not succeed," the Seal Sister said, shaking her head. Then she added, "Go back."

"Go back? You think you can stop the three of us by yourself?!" The blood shark opened its maw, a whirlpool swirling inside behind rows upon rows of teeth.

"Alone, I really can’t stop all three of you. I might even die," the Seal Sister said as she looked to one side. "So... you will come help me, won’t you?"

The three old gods frowned in confusion and followed her gaze.

A rainbow bridge appeared.

Stepping across it came a dark-skinned human woman. She wore ancient robes, had a green spirit dragon at her back, and held fans in both hands.

Seeing her appear, the Seal Sister let out a quiet breath of relief.

Two of the Three Sisters were gone. Anivia had vanished as well. On her own, the Seal Sister truly couldn’t hold back the three gods of the northern sea.

And White, her ally, was most likely busy holding back the gods of the Old Ways at this very moment. There was no way White could come help her, and White’s own situation was probably no better than hers.

Though the Seal Sister had no idea why this human powerhouse had come to the Freljord, she was still human, and that alone eased the Seal Sister’s mind.

But even as she thought that, worry returned to her eyes.

Even with a new god-level ally here to help, Lissandra’s side was still losing in numbers.

At that moment, counting the gods she could sense, Lissandra’s side had Lissandra herself, White, the Seal Sister, and Udyr—four in all. Add to that the three outsiders: a wind god, a human wielding demonic power, and the dark-skinned girl standing before her.

But what about the Old Ways?

Volibear, Kinl, Jie, Rilfen, the Iron Boar, the marten, the mountain elk, the stone tiger, and all the other old gods dissatisfied with humanity and the current order, any of whom might join Volibear at any moment...

Even without counting these three from the northern sea, the Old Ways already had a crushing numerical advantage.

Thinking that, the Seal Sister felt deeply helpless.

If only Ornn were willing to step in.

If he did, the three northern sea gods would never have dared show themselves, and the other restless creatures lurking in the dark would not have dared stir either.

Volibear had weakened because of his wounds, and Ornn was now the mightiest being in the Freljord. There were gaps even among ancient gods. In ages past, Volibear had killed more than a dozen gods.

And Ornn... was his brother.

But Ornn would not come.

His heart had been wounded too deeply. Even the Seal Sister had never imagined that a great god like Ornn, who had lived through endless ages, could be so hurt by humanity that he would sink into sorrow and never emerge.

"...Sigh."

Letting out a long breath, the Seal Sister raised her hand.

If no unexpected variable appeared, then the Freljord really was finished.

"How’s it feel, witch?"

"Shut up!"

In the land of the Ursine, Lissandra screamed as she clawed toward Volibear, anxiety plainly visible in her eyes.

Everything had completely slipped out of her control. Who could have imagined that because of one Darkin—Aatrox—more than a dozen old gods would end up emerging?

Lissandra had truly unleashed everything now, caring nothing for her own safety, and yes, she was suppressing Volibear.

Just judging by the fight itself, it was even, maybe even slightly in her favor.

But wounded or not, Volibear’s foundation was still what it was. Lissandra alone was nowhere near enough. Forget killing him—even defeating him was incredibly difficult.

Lissandra wasn’t the type to dump all responsibility onto Logan, a mere human. At this point, this matter no longer had anything to do with him.

But she felt torn.

More than that, she felt despair beginning to creep in.

Had she... chosen wrong again?

She could sense what was happening in the north sea—two gods fighting three. She could sense the situation in the south too—the Zaun god and another divine being were also fighting three.

She could sense Udyr’s situation as well. He too was battling a god.

But even so, there were still multiple gods left unopposed, answering Volibear’s call and heading toward human villages with their power laid bare.

It filled Lissandra with agony.

And just when she was truly on the verge of despair, just when she was about to believe once more that her decision had been wrong—

A vast and overwhelming law force suddenly filled the skies above the Freljord.

It was unfamiliar.

As far as Runeterra was concerned, it was power that did not belong to this world.

And then a playful voice rang out.

"Wow! So this is Runeterra? Hahaha, I really made it to Runeterra? Hahaha, I’m gonna go crazy! I’m gonna burn them all!"

"Tristana, don’t run around everywhere! You have to listen to Logan!"

"Riven, you too! Don’t go running off! You all promised Logan! You all signed the pact!"

"Hmph, nobody needs your nagging, Ahri."

Above the Freljord, immense spiritual power formed into a gigantic lotus gate. When the gate was pushed open, every god in the Freljord—including those in the northern sea—looked toward it.

And then they saw a black-haired young man walking at the front.

Behind him were three women.

Two had purplish skin. One was a tiny, adorable little girl with horns, bursting with excitement. The other had white hair covering part of her face, was barefoot, and carried a massive broken sword.

The last was fair-skinned, with a beautiful, seductive face, though she looked anxious as she grabbed one purple-skinned woman with each hand.

Lissandra looked up at the sky and froze.

She stared blankly at the black-haired young man.

And in her mind, his words echoed—

"Yes... I know a lot of gods. Right now I can only call in a few, but in the future, I’ll be able to call in over a dozen."

Wasn’t that supposed to be Logan bragging to her?

Wasn’t he just talking big?

No, wait—

How could he actually bring gods here?!

Every one of those three gods was incredibly powerful. Especially the fair-skinned one—Lissandra felt that woman wasn’t much weaker than she was.

And the other two purple-skinned ones were powerful as well. If they were placed among the old gods of the Freljord, they’d rank in at least the top eight.

Logan narrowed his eyes, sensing the auras from every direction.

Then he smiled, clapped his hands once, and his voice rang across the entire Freljord.

"Now then... it’s time for the Spirit Blossom gods to take the stage."

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