Twin Cities: I am the man of many myths

Chapter 222 Li Ke's Insights, Ahri, Kindred, and Thresh's Worries
"OMG!"

Janna stared wide-eyed at Lissandra, who was now fully engaged in battle with Volibear. The witch was no longer elegant; instead, she was fighting Volibear head-on, and the magic within her body seemed to flow down from the sky like a celestial river, instantly turning into a frozen river beneath the white phantom.

Freljord is indeed a frigid land, but under Lissandra's power, the chill in the entire north has intensified.

Volibear's massive head lunged forward, its enormous maw roaring as it swallowed the glacier before it. Horrifying noises emanated from its head as the glacier and lightning collided within Volibear's gaping maw, creating a sound that made everything seem somewhat eerie.

"So, what should I do now?"

Janna couldn't participate in such a battle at all; she even had difficulty getting close. Therefore, it wasn't until now that Janna realized that the witch and Volibear hadn't used their full strength earlier.

Furthermore, Lissandra's previous conversation with Volibear made Janna realize that these two were "old friends" from ancient times, and that Janna, as a modern deity, seemed to be no match for them in terms of age or strength.

Thinking about this, Janna began to feel somewhat helpless.

She has truly been working hard to become stronger. After Li Ke made the two cities cooperate, under the restoration plan of the gods carried out by Hilko and Lena Tower, the two cities provided an enormous amount of faith power to Ganatti.

Furthermore, thanks to the promotion by the two cities, the surrounding coastal towns also came to know about Janna, the benevolent and gentle wind goddess.

Therefore, most people who rely on the sea for their livelihood are willing to believe in Janna, since they don't need to give anything precious in return.

All you need to do is make a bluebird wooden plaque, spend some time praying to it every day, and you'll receive divine protection. This exchange isn't a bad deal, so even if Gana is fake, a lie created by the Twin Cities, this faith can still bring you some sense of security.

Therefore, Jinx always says that she is getting fat and sleepy, and is a sleepy bird, but Janna is also very aggrieved!

She gained weight because she absorbed too much faith power. Before it was completely transformed, that faith power would manifest as her "physical body" along with Janna, because Janna is a deity of faith, and she was born from human faith.

In a sense, Janna is a spiritual creation, a spirit of nature, and she has no concept of a physical body.

This is why, despite being a deity, Janna possesses the ability to travel to other places at will, because every gust of wind, every wind element in Runeterra, can become Janna's vessel.

She dozed off because she was working hard every day to convert a large amount of faith power, which required a great deal of energy.

Even so, the enemies that Li Ke faces are becoming increasingly powerful.

If someone like Volibear could gain the faith of half of Runeterra's population and be given time, Janna is confident she could surpass Volibear in the future. That's the power of faith in a god.

To put it simply, Janna's potential is extremely high. She is the only deity in Runeterra who was truly born from human faith. The way she absorbs the power of faith and the limits she has are simply incomparable to other deities.

Ancient gods like Nagakabolos, Volibear, and Ironboar also absorb the power of faith, but the effect of absorbing the power of faith to strengthen themselves is very limited. Unlike Janna, who can become as strong as the amount of faith she absorbs.

But it was still too slow, and it still couldn't help Li Ke.

Thinking of this, Janna glanced again at the battlefield between Volibear and Lissandra. The two veteran gods had stopped exchanging words and taunts and instead engaged in a thorough and complete battle.

Just as Lissandra said, she went all out in the fight, not caring about her injuries. The energy she unleashed was no weaker than Volibear's, and even showed a tendency to subtly suppress Volibear.

But after watching for a while, Janna realized that it was because Volibear seemed unable to unleash his true power for some reason. The magic he unleashed would rebound after reaching a certain level, and would weaken for a few seconds.

"."

Forget it, let's go help Li Ke.

Since I can't participate in this battle, I'll go check on Li Ke. He must still need me, right?

With a thought, Janna's body vanished from the bear-man's territory.

"Witch, your helper has escaped!"

"What's wrong, Volibear? You would never have said something like that in battle before. It must be unpleasant to have all sorts of distracting thoughts and voices in your head while your injuries haven't fully healed, right?"

Lissandra responded to Volibear's words with a hoarse and indifferent tone.

The massive, icy claws pierced Volibear's arm, pulling out large chunks of flesh along with them.

"Hahaha, Lissandra, I admit you've become stronger, and you're not the same person you were when I blinded you. But this battle isn't over yet. Besides, it's not because you've become stronger that you can stand before me and fight me, but because I'm injured!"

Volibear burst into laughter, then declared, "The return of the Ancient Path is unstoppable. Even if you manage to stop me here, what about the other gods? You should know that the gods who have been dissatisfied with humanity over the years are not just the gods of the Ancient Path!"

"The North Sea, the lava caves, the creatures lurking beneath the surface—they've long wanted to overthrow human rule in Freljord!"

Humans, a race that Volibear both loves and hates. Volibear is warlike by nature, ambitious, and loves to be praised and admired. For Volibear, human praise and faith are the most wonderful things in the world. He enjoys being served by humans and being held in a high position.

But at the same time, human beliefs can change at any time. Their lives are too short, and they can change their beliefs at any moment because of one thing. This is what Volibear hates. He hates human disloyalty!
In that case, the best outcome would be to rule over all humans, build a new Freljord, and transform them into bear-men!

This is the great Thunder Roar! No, it is no longer Thunder Roar; now it is the Undying Thunder!
This is a blessing bestowed upon humanity by the mighty, undying thunder!

Lissandra remained silent, but charged towards Volibear once more.

On the frozen sea—

Janna appeared above the bear-man tribe, and a hint of anger flashed in her eyes as she looked at the wounded Rick.

"Li Ke, let me help—"

Raising her delicate hand and brandishing her staff, Janna was about to unleash her wind blades to slaughter all the bear-men.

If she can't beat Volibear, does that mean she can't even beat these bear-men monsters?
That is of course impossible!

But upon hearing Janna's words, Rick, whose face was half black and who was blind in one eye, raised his head and squeezed out a hoarse voice: "Don't make a move, Janna, let me handle this by myself."

“Leave you alone? Look at your current situation! If Jinx finds out, she’ll hate me!” Janna said quickly.

The divine pressure deterred the bear-men from attacking Rick, and they stared blankly at Janna in the sky.

They stared in horror at the strange deity who had appeared, then at the human whose body was so emaciated that not a single inch of flesh was intact.

Are they monsters?

No, this human is the monster!

To date, he has killed more than a hundred bear-men!

The bears continued to attack him, causing him serious injuries. But he seemed indestructible; no matter how badly he was injured, he could get up and continue fighting.

The bear-men who believe in Volibear are warlike, but even the most warlike will feel fear when faced with a human they cannot kill, while hundreds of their own brethren die.

“It’s alright, Janna, you know my situation.”

Seeing that the bear-men dared not move under Janna's pressure, Rick began to inhale deeply and smiled at Janna. However, this smile made Janna's heart tighten, because half of Rick's face had been pierced by lightning by the bear-man priest, exposing the tooth bone that was no longer covered by the flesh of his lips.

“I won’t die, you know that very well,” Li Ke emphasized.

Janna looked at Rick in silence: "."

"How's Lissandra doing?" Rick simply sat down on the ground to rest, and casually asked Janna.

Li Ke had heard Lissandra's earlier announcement, and he found it somewhat amusing.

Lissandra, that turtle that's been hiding for millennia, has finally stopped hiding her head.
If you don't know the lore of Riot Games, you'll only know that Lissandra had a relationship with the Void, lost to Volibear, and is a demigod.

However, if you understand the backstory and deduce the clues, you will find that Lissandra is the real old silver coin.
She lay dormant in the shadows for nearly ten thousand years, was granted power by the Void Watchers, and, through Anivia's intervention, created Dark Ice, a power unique to herself and beyond Anivia's control.
Even disregarding the Void and the spiritual realm, this person's strength would definitely place her in the top ten in Runeterra.

This is why Li Ke believes Ahri can't beat Lissandra.

Because Li Ke didn't appreciate her efforts, Janna was a little angry, so she said to Li Ke in a bad mood, "She's not holding back anymore, she's fighting that bear right now."

"Can she beat him?"

"It's hard to say, but at least we won't lose," Janna said after thinking for a moment.

Volibear was unable to unleash his true power for some unknown reason, but Janna had no idea whether he would actually unleash his full potential in the face of a life-or-death crisis.

"Absurd!" Hearing Janna's words, a bear-man mustered his courage and stepped forward, roaring, "How can Valhal be..."

"puff--"

Blood gushed from the bear-man's neck. Janna narrowed her eyes and withdrew her hand.

"Did I give you permission to speak?" she said haughtily, staring directly at the bear-man, before resuming her killing of him.

Upon seeing this, Li Ke shook his head, quickly stood up, and said, "That's enough."

Janna is trying to find an excuse to help him kill the bear-men, but that won't work.

Li Ke had to do it himself.

"Let me do it, Janna, let me do it by myself."

“If I fail and die here, you will be responsible for dealing with these bear-men,” Rick said to Janna, and also to the bear-men.

Janna looked at Rick, pursed her lips, and finally nodded.

And Li Ke smiled at her again.

Then, with his sword in one hand, he looked at the trembling bear-man and walked over step by step again.

With each step he took, Li Ke was thinking about the same thing—

Just a little bit more, just a tiny bit more!
In the midst of the life-or-death struggle, Li Ke felt as if he had grasped something.

His soul strength has been increasing, and Li Ke has been getting stronger. But as his strength has grown, Li Ke has also gained a deeper understanding of Runeterra.

Moreover, he had also heard about the power of the laws from Lissandra.

Therefore, Li Ke felt that what he was trying to capture might be the power of laws.

Having mastered the power of the laws, he was no longer limited to relying solely on the strength of his soul to increase his physical strength.

And it was just one step away, really just one step away!
His understanding of the wind had deepened; he could even vaguely see things he couldn't see before. He could see the veins throbbing in the bear-men's fur, the blood vessels in their pupils, and the magic flowing through their bodies.
However, this state only lasted for a moment, which troubled Li Ke.

Is it because he hasn't accumulated enough experience, or is it because the so-called life-or-death crisis is useless to Li Ke?
People gain some insights when they face life and death; Sejuani, Ashe, and Udyr are all examples of this.

But the life-and-death situations they experienced were truly life-and-death. The Iceborn constantly risked their lives to control the True Ice, and Udyr, who controlled the Beast Spirits and borrowed power from the gods, was even more dangerous.

And what about Li Ke?

He possesses the Spirit Blossom, a system space, and the protection of Ahri and Kindred.
Li Ke never felt that the Soul Lotus cheat was weak. Because of the Soul Lotus, Li Ke became one of the most outstanding humans in less than a few years. To put it another way, if Li Ke's experience were placed in a fantasy novel, his rapid growth in strength and leveling up would be impossible without several hundred chapters.

However, precisely because of the protection of the Spirit Lotus gods, Li Ke's growth process lacked stimulation.

He was not afraid of death, but not being afraid of death doesn't seem to be a good thing.
Forget it, there's no point in thinking about it.

Now, what Li Ke needs to do is to recreate that state and then do everything he can to capture it.

Take control of it.

Li Ke charged into the bear-men's camp once again.

"."

Time passed slowly, and during this time, Janna almost couldn't resist making a move several times.

As a result, later on, Janna simply watched silently as Rick continued to get injured.

By the time dawn broke, the bear-men's corpses lay in rows on the icy sea.

Li Ke eventually ran out of energy.

Looking at the nearly one hundred remaining bear-men, Li Ke's lips moved, and he helplessly lay down on the ice. The vitality in his body dissipated little by little, but his condition was still a little lacking.

He just experienced that state again.

Time seemed to slow down, limbs became stronger, blood boiled and burned, and the heartbeat was strong and beautiful, but that state still passed.

"Jana, I'm counting on you from now on," Rick said slowly before closing his eyes.

Janna sighed, stretched out her hand, and trapped all the bear-men in an instant.

But just as Janna was about to compress the wind ring and turn all the bearmen into dust, she let out a soft exclamation and looked at Rick's still-present body.

"what's the situation?"

Janna moved closer to Rick, feeling curious.

Didn't Li Ke disappear and go to another world the last time?
But why is he still here right now?
Just then, Janna heard a faint "thump".

That was the sound of Li Ke's heart beating.

"Huh? You're back so soon?" Janna exclaimed in surprise.

-----

My mind was clear, and apart from feeling a little weak, I didn't experience any other discomfort.

Li Ke opened his eyes and found himself under a blue sky and white clouds.

A beautiful pink lotus flower is blooming, with three tiny bubbles in the center.

Li Ke walked closer and looked at the three small bubbles. Then, Li Ke's expression became strange.

The three bubbles represent three chibi-style characters.

A tiny fox pouting and blowing a little heart out of its paws, a cute and elegant sheep spirit standing straight with a smile, and a mischievous wolf spirit surrounding it.

The last one is a tiny purple Thresh wearing a demon mask, carrying a crying lantern, and dozing off.

"what's the situation?"

Li Ke tentatively reached out to touch the bubble.

The next second, a system pop-up window appeared.

[Spirit Blossom Ahri sensed your condition and is worried about you. She's jumping around Lotus Valley, asking why you didn't ask me for help.]

[Spirit Blossom Kindred sensed your condition and felt helpless. Lamb is laying out an ice coffin, and Wolf is running around searching for Soul Fruit.]

Thresh, sensing your condition within Spirit Blossom, weeps in anguish and is attempting to break free of Spirit Blossom to find you with his spiritual power. He says he will never let you die.

After looking at the three small bubbles, which represented the statuses of Ahri, Kindred, and Thresh respectively, Li Ke finished reading.

No, it's not surprising that Ahri and Kindred would worry about him, given their high level of favorability.

but
What exactly is wrong with you?
Are you fucking relentless?

No, we only met once back then, right?

So many years have passed!

Why are you still thinking about me?

Li Ke couldn't hold back any longer and cursed under his breath:
"No way, Thresh, what the hell are you trying to do?!"

(End of this chapter)