Watching Marcus work with casual efficiency, everyone remained frozen in stunned silence. Even Volibear, normally the most volatile of the Freljordian demigods, allowed the lightning crackling between his claws to dissipate.
The Relentless Storm despised humans with every fiber of his ancient being, but he wasn't a mindless beast. He could sense the power radiating from Marcus like heat from a forge—and what he felt defied comprehension.
If the combined might of all three demigods was like a vast lake, then the energy emanating from this mysterious figure felt like standing before an entire ocean. This ice-wielding stranger possessed power so overwhelming that his mere presence could transform this region into a forbidden zone that even the hardiest Freljordian warriors would fear to enter.
Marcus paid no attention to their shocked reactions. His entire focus remained locked on the two Void Watchers before him—one still trapped in ice, the other recently smashed back into the reformed iceberg.
Ignoring the frozen creature for the moment, Marcus raised his hand with deliberate care and slowly closed his fingers around the Void Watcher embedded in the icy prison.
BOOM!!!
At his gesture, the entire iceberg exploded into countless fragments. The Void Watcher, still dazed from its violent impact, found itself seized by a massive hand composed of living frost.
Without hesitation, Marcus summoned void energy—not the corrupted purple variant that these creatures wielded, but something far more primal and pure. The original void power streamed from his palm toward the helplessly trapped monster.
After witnessing the type of energy Marcus commanded, everyone fell into uncomfortable silence. There was something disturbingly familiar about this power, something that reminded them of the very thing they'd been fighting against.
While they wrestled with this disturbing realization, Marcus continued his work. Waves of void energy enveloped both the frost hand and its captive, the raw power of creation and destruction swirling together in patterns that hurt to look at directly.
As the void energy intensified, the frost hand began cracking and crumbling away piece by piece. The Void Watcher found itself suspended in mid-air, held prisoner by forces it couldn't comprehend, slowly shrinking as the energy continued to gather around it.
Its twisted, alien form began to change—the chaotic jumble of eyes, teeth, and impossible geometry gradually reshaping itself into something more recognizable. Within moments, the creature had been transformed into a towering humanoid figure, its entire body encased in strange, metallic material that gleamed like polished armor.
"What is that?" someone whispered.
The sight sent chills down everyone's spines, despite their natural resistance to Freljord's brutal cold. The manic, reality-warping Void Watcher had been transformed into what looked like a metallic sculpture—and somehow, that seemed even more terrifying than its original form.
"Who is he?" The question echoed in every mind present. "How can such a powerful being exist in our world?"
They were all seasoned warriors, legendary figures in their own right, yet Marcus's methods left them feeling like children watching forces beyond their understanding. None of them had imagined that void corruption could be dealt with so... efficiently.
After the first Void Watcher completed its transformation into what he privately termed a "Void Angel," Marcus extended a single finger and fired an incredibly thin beam of void energy at the metallic figure. Though the beam was barely visible, its intensity made everyone present squint against its brilliance.
The moment the energy touched the transformed creature, something truly shocking occurred.
The Void Watcher—now refined into a living sculpture by Marcus's power—suddenly came to life. The Void Angel appeared to be a faceless humanoid figure, but writhing wings of the same strange metal had sprouted from its back, giving it an appearance that was both magnificent and deeply unsettling.
"It's alive!" Tryndamere growled, immediately raising his sword.
Everyone began gathering their power once again, ready to prevent this new threat from escaping. They'd seen what a single Void Watcher could do—this enhanced version could become everyone's nightmare if it reached populated areas.
However, before anyone could launch an attack, they watched in amazement as the Void Angel flew directly toward Marcus. Strange harmonies began emanating from the creature's form, filling the air with what sounded almost like music—if music could carry the promise of death.
This was the Void Angel's song, a melody that existed somewhere between beauty and horror.
The moment the supernatural music reached them, both Ashe and Tryndamere—being merely human despite their legendary status—fell into a trance-like state. Their eyes glazed over as visions filled their minds: their people living in prosperity, children laughing in safety, the endless cycle of survival and joy that defined Freljordian life.
Without conscious thought, both warriors dropped their weapons and began walking toward the Void Angel with dreamy smiles, completely oblivious to the cliff edge just steps away.
"There's something wrong with that song!" Ryze shouted, magical runes blazing to life across his weathered body. Surrounded by protective inscriptions that had taken him centuries to master, he managed to block the Void Angel's deadly serenade.
The demigods reacted with similar speed. Ornn, Volibear, and Anivia all possessed ancient authority—power that predated most forms of magic and corruption. While this authority couldn't guarantee victory against entities like the Void Watchers or Marcus, it did provide protection against many supernatural hazards.
The Void Angel's song washed harmlessly over their divine essence like waves against stone. Even Lissandra managed to protect herself, surrounding her position with barriers of black ice that muffled the creature's influence.
After securing his own safety, Ryze immediately turned his attention to Ashe and Tryndamere, who were now dangerously close to the cliff's edge.
"Damn it!" he cursed, firing several magical symbols from his outstretched hand.
The arcane letters swirled together, constructing a complex teleportation array. Just as the two legendary warriors stepped off solid ground, a massive portal opened beneath them.
THUD!
Both figures tumbled through the magical gateway and landed heavily on the snow-covered ground beside Ryze. The painful impact shocked them back to awareness, their glazed expressions clearing as consciousness returned.
Looking back at where they'd been standing moments before, both warriors felt their blood run cold. If the ancient mage hadn't intervened, they would have walked straight to their deaths without even realizing the danger.
"Thank you," Ashe said quietly, her usual composure shaken by how easily she'd been manipulated.
While the others dealt with the Void Angel's supernatural influence, the creature itself approached Marcus and immediately prostrated itself in submission.
Marcus wasn't surprised by this display of loyalty. After all, he'd created this being himself—it was only natural that it would recognize him as its master.
After examining his first successful creation for several moments, Marcus turned his attention to the still-frozen Void Watcher. Now he just needed to transform this second specimen using the same process.
The conversion proceeded much more quickly this time. Partly because Marcus had gained experience from the first attempt, but mostly because the frozen Void Watcher had lost all ability to resist. The creature could only remain motionless as void energy reshaped it into another metallic angel.
"I wasn't expecting my first official crew members to be Void Angels," Marcus mused, studying the two transformed beings with scientific interest. "I thought it would be the Kryptonian army that Will has been cultivating."
The metallic figures standing before him could provide valuable assistance in his various projects. At minimum, they would handle tasks that were beneath his personal attention, freeing him to focus on more important research.
These Void Angels weren't invincible—their power had clear limitations. However, so few beings existed who could output attacks beyond their defensive thresholds that Marcus saw no immediate need to upgrade their capabilities. Their current strength would be sufficient for most situations he anticipated.
Watching the two Void Angels flanking Marcus like obedient guardians, everyone present maintained their silence. They could all sense that these metallic beings were significantly more powerful than the original Void Watchers had been.
"Well, that's finally resolved," Marcus said with satisfaction. "Though I must admit, I'm impressed by the turnout. I wasn't expecting such a distinguished audience."
His gaze swept over the assembled heroes and demigods, taking in their various expressions of wariness, confusion, and barely contained hostility.
It was truly fascinating to see so many powerful individuals gathered in one place. Every person present wielded abilities that far exceeded anything he'd encountered in Zaun. Even Vander and the others, who represented the strongest fighters in the undercity, were roughly comparable only to Ashe and Tryndamere.
As for Lissandra, Ryze, and the three demigods—despite their complicated relationships with each other—they represented levels of power that Zaun's residents couldn't hope to match.
"Your abilities are quite impressive," Marcus said, slowly descending to ground level with his Void Angels in tow.
The moment his feet touched the earth, intricate ice crystals began spreading outward in complex patterns. This was the result of his enhanced Frost abilities—power born from the fusion of energy manipulation and reality alteration. What they were witnessing was merely the overflow from his presence, not even a conscious display of strength.
"I have a request," Marcus continued, his voice carrying a tone of polite curiosity. "Would you mind demonstrating your strongest abilities for me?"
The casual nature of his request caught everyone off-guard. They'd expected threats, demands, or at minimum some explanation for his actions. Instead, he sounded like a scholar asking for academic demonstrations.
Seeing their hesitation, Marcus chuckled with genuine amusement.
"I'm simply curious about your power," he explained. "And don't worry about causing any damage to the surrounding area."
Without warning, he reached out and touched one of his Void Angels. Bone-white energy immediately spread from the creature's form, and in the blink of an eye, the ice-covered landscape around them vanished completely.
They now stood in a realm of absolute nothingness—an empty void that stretched endlessly in all directions.
"Welcome to the Void Angel's inner dimensional space," Marcus announced. "No matter how much destruction you cause here, it won't affect the outside world in the slightest. Please, show me what you're truly capable of."
Though Marcus's frost-armored form showed no facial expressions, everyone could hear the genuine interest in his voice as he waited for their demonstrations.
RUMBLE...
Thunder crashed overhead as Volibear suddenly charged toward Marcus, his massive form wreathed in lightning.
"I am Volibear!" the demigod roared, his voice shaking the dimensional space around them. "The Relentless Storm! The Thousand-Pierced Bear!"
Despite his bear-like appearance, Volibear moved like living thunder itself, crackling energy trailing behind him as he closed the distance. The inner space trembled under the force of his divine fury, providing everyone with a clear demonstration of why he was considered one of Freljord's most dangerous entities.
At the peak of his charge, Volibear leaped skyward and brought both massive paws down with mountain-breaking force. Lightning from the void above coalesced into a gigantic bear-shaped avatar that attacked in perfect synchronization with its divine counterpart.
The display was so overwhelming that Ashe and Tryndamere could only watch in awe, feeling like mortals witnessing the end of the world.
BOOM!
Marcus responded by lightly tapping his foot against the ground. A massive pillar of crystal-clear ice erupted upward, easily intercepting Volibear's devastating assault while simultaneously absorbing the demigod's lightning-based power for Marcus's own use.
"Excellent," Marcus nodded approvingly. "Quite impressive indeed."
With a casual palm strike against the ice pillar, the entire formation shattered and vanished as if it had never existed. The impact sent Volibear tumbling backward to rejoin the group, panting heavily and looking distinctly disheveled.
Seeing how easily the legendary Volibear had been handled, the others exchanged meaningful glances. Everyone except Tryndamere and Ashe immediately began preparing their most powerful attacks.
It wasn't that the two humans were being defiant—they simply understood their limitations. If Volibear, a genuine demigod, couldn't make any meaningful impact in direct combat, what hope did mere mortals have of doing better?
Even Tryndamere, who prided himself on his nearly supernatural rage and resilience, possessed enough self-awareness to recognize when he was completely outclassed.
The remaining fighters unleashed their full power without reservation. Ashe drew the Avarosa Bow to its absolute limit and fired arrows crafted from pure magical ice. Ryze slammed his tome with both hands, releasing a torrent of arcane energy that would have leveled mountains. The demigods Ornn and Anivia both erupted with the full force of their ancient authority.
Ornn's body became wreathed in flames so intense they seemed to burn reality itself. From within the inferno, a massive ram composed of living fire charged toward Marcus with unstoppable momentum.
Anivia spread her magnificent wings and transformed the dimensional space around them, calling forth a blizzard of ice boulders the size of buildings that plummeted toward their target with devastating force.
Marcus remained perfectly calm throughout the multi-pronged assault.
Ice crystals beneath his feet grew rapidly upward, intercepting Ashe's magical arrows with ease. The projectiles contained the power of true ice bloodline abilities, but when faced with Marcus's enhanced Frost powers, such energy proved utterly inadequate.
The crystal arrows shattered on contact, prompting Ashe to lower her bow in resignation. She'd already realized that her attacks couldn't even scratch this mysterious figure.
Ornn's flaming ram charged forward next, its divine fire hot enough to melt mountains. Marcus responded by raising a single finger and firing a narrow beam of blue energy.
The moment his attack connected with the fire construct, the flames began freezing solid despite their supernatural heat. Within seconds, Ornn's divine manifestation had been turned into an elaborate ice sculpture.
Looking up at the building-sized ice boulders plummeting toward him, Marcus released a spherical barrier of frost and snow with himself at the center. Not only did the massive projectiles fail to penetrate his defenses, but the rapidly expanding shield actually pushed all of Anivia's attacks away before they could make contact.
The Cryophoenix's assault proved no more effective than the others, giving everyone a clear demonstration of just how vast the power gap truly was.
Finally, Ryze and Lissandra's combined assault reached him—arcane torrents mixed with fragments of black ice, creating a storm of magical destruction that should have been capable of leveling entire cities.
Crack, crack, crack...
The storm-like barrage struck Marcus's frost shield and immediately began freezing solid. By the time their attacks reached his position, the entire magical assault had been transformed into an elaborate sculpture of frozen energy.
"Very impressive abilities," Marcus said with genuine appreciation, snapping his fingers to dismiss his defensive barrier.
He now possessed samples of everyone's power, adding their unique capabilities to his ever-growing collection of abilities.
After absorbing all their attacks, Marcus turned his attention specifically to Ryze—or rather, to the rune scroll the ancient mage carried on his back.
"I'd be interested in seeing what's contained within that scroll," Marcus said conversationally. "Its power far exceeds your own magical abilities."
Ryze instinctively reached back to touch the precious burden he'd carried for centuries. He wasn't surprised that Marcus had detected the World Runes' presence—someone with this level of power would naturally be sensitive to such artifacts.
But he had no intention of revealing them willingly. These runes contained forces that could reshape continents if misused. Even with the best intentions, their power was simply too dangerous to display casually.
"Please don't be concerned," Marcus continued, sensing the mage's reluctance. "This dimensional space is remarkably durable—your scroll won't be able to break anything here. I'm simply curious to observe their properties."