Day three, morning.
Chen helped Powder out of the room, preparing to go outside and see the scenery.
The other passengers on the ship looked at Chen and Powder with disdain, as their activities the previous day had been quite noticeable.
Two young girls, blushing, discussed in hushed, shy tones:
"He's handsome, and he barely stopped all day."
"Yes, yes, if only my lover had such ability."
"I really envy that girl."
"..."
Powder's hearing was sharp, and her face immediately turned red. She pinched the soft flesh at Chen's waist, then stood on tiptoe and whispered into his ear:
"It's all your fault! You couldn't control yourself. How are these people going to look at me now!"
Chen, however, said somewhat indifferently:
"Why do I feel like they're praising me? An entire day, you know. Most people don't have that kind of stamina."
"Hmph!"
Powder gave him a hard pinch and shyly whispered into Chen's ear:
"You made me... you made me faint... faint!"
Chen retorted righteously:
"My fault? I think it's your fault! Or should we go back and continue?"
Powder took half a step back, looking at Chen in fright:
"Rest a bit! Rest a bit..."
Chen was still considerate:
"Alright, we'll talk tonight."
"Huh?"
Powder tilted her head, looking at Chen.
Just then, a passenger shouted:
"Come quickly, there's someone fighting down there!"
Powder instinctively pulled her neck in and immediately changed the subject:
"Let's go, let's go see!"
It's human nature to enjoy a spectacle. Chen directly carried Powder on his back and ran to the very front of the airship's deck.
On a distant white bridge.
A burly man sat cross-legged on the bridge. He wore a purple robe, a purple hood, and a strange mask on his face, completely covering himself.
A powerful aura emanated from him, almost visible to the naked eye. It was even more terrifying than Darius's aura, which had experienced countless battlefields and was filled with the chill of bloodlust.
Most importantly, beside him, stood a streetlamp!
And opposite him was a group of Demacia soldiers.
Powder pointed at the sitting man and said to Chen excitedly:
"Chen! Look, there's another fool like you who likes to use a streetlamp as a weapon!"
Chen looked solemnly at the man on the distant bridge and swallowed:
"He's the original; I learned from him."
"What?"
Powder was a little confused.
That's right, the man on the bridge was none other than the King of One-on-One Duels in League of Legends, the strongest on the land of Runeterra, the Grandmaster-at-Arms — Jax!
At this moment, Jax took out his third hard-boiled egg. He lightly tapped the egg a few times on a pebble, then unhurriedly began to peel the shell, just in time to hear the warriors at the bridgehead deciding who would be his next opponent.
Chen took out his telescope and watched from afar:
"He loves hard-boiled eggs so much, it must be Jax."
Jax lifted a corner of his mask and took a bite of the egg.
He took a deep breath, tasting the sun-drenched crops swaying in the wind, and the freshly turned soil, stretching from vast farmlands to the horizon in every direction.
Jax sighed. The peaceful scene of Demacia before him made him feel a pang of nostalgia for a nation that no longer existed.
He shook off the chill of memory, for he knew that longing for Icathia would only distract him.
"Stand up and face me,"
A soldier approached. He was burly, with broad shoulders and thick arms, covered from head to toe in gleaming, polished iron armor. He held a double-edged hand-and-a-half sword.
Jax raised a finger and calmly finished his boiled egg. He licked his lips, then adjusted his mask, looking at the soldier's hand-and-a-half sword, and mocked:
"It looks like you could chop ironwood all day and still have enough energy for a tavern brawl."
"I won't waste words on you, monster."
The soldier replied, adopting the Martial Poise that everyone else had used.
Jax sighed in disappointment. It seemed the failures of the previous fifteen men had taught them nothing.
"Monster?"
Jax said, standing up with a slight stretch:
"I can show you a monster, but I fear your life won't be long enough to tell others what a true monster looks like."
He swung the lamp post a few times, relaxing the muscles in his shoulders.
"For Demacia!" the swordsman shouted, launching his attack.
This man was agile and strong enough to wield a sword with one hand, but unfortunately, his moves, like everyone else's, were unremarkable and tedious.
Jax dodged the first blow by sidestepping, ducked under the second, blocked the third, then spun into the swordsman's opening and elbowed the side of his helmet. The metal helmet dented, and the man grunted in pain, dropping to one knee.
Jax gave him some time to clear the ringing in his head. The man ripped off his helmet and threw it onto the bridge.
Blood smeared his cheek, but Jax was impressed that he controlled his anger.
Demacians were disciplined people, so he was pleased to see that tradition remained unchanged. The man took a steady breath, then attacked again.
A series of lightning-fast sword flashes came from all directions, mixed with sweeping slashes, sudden thrusts, and high-arching chops...
His lamp post spun continuously, deflecting the Demacian's sharp blade and delivering blunt or sharp counterattacks to the opponent's arms and legs.
All of the soldier's attacks were parried by Jax.
Powder, lying on Chen's back, also held a telescope. She was intimately familiar with the strange man's moves. She looked at the man beneath her and immediately understood, saying to Chen in surprise:
"It's just like your Counter Strike! He can block all attacks!"
But Chen's heart was filled with nothing but shock. A hint of longing appeared in his eyes:
"My Counter Strike only lasts two seconds, but for him, this is a passive ability."
The battle lasted several minutes, and Jax, without exception, blocked all of the soldier's attacks.
Powder was stunned again:
"What's a passive ability?"
Chen didn't answer, continuing to intently watch the battle on the bridge.
Jax shook his head, feeling that the soldier before him was still not up to par. He decided to end their fight.
Suddenly, Jax swayed to the left, hooked the lamp post around his opponent's legs, and brought him to the ground. He jabbed the man's abdomen with the post, forcing him to curl up, gasping in pain.
"Is that enough for now?"
Jax asked:
"I can switch hands if you want to end this faster."
From beginning to end, Jax had only used his left hand to fight. This wasn't just holding back; it was practically giving him a huge handicap, yet the soldier was still no match.
"Demacians would rather die than accept an enemy's pity!"
The warrior said, wobbling to his feet.
His unyielding facade was crumbling before Jax's mockery, and when he attacked again, his stance was nothing more than that of a undisciplined and untrained brute.
Jax squatted, dodging a fatal decapitating blow, then gripped the lamp post with one hand. He extended the lamp post under the man's sword, and with a flick of his wrist, the Demacian warrior's sword was disarmed and flung into the air.
Jax caught the sword with his other free hand.
"This little knife isn't bad."
Jax said, dazzlingly brandishing the longsword, looking every bit a Grandmaster-at-Arms:
"Lighter than it looks."
The Demacian drew a dagger and charged at him.
Jax shook his head at his foolishness.
He threw the sword off the bridge, then slid sideways, dodging a series of lightning-fast stabs. He squatted again, sidestepping a sweep, and caught a thunderous right hook with an open palm.
Then Jax nodded towards the river.
"Hope you can swim."
With that, Jax twisted his wrist, lifted the fully armored warrior off the ground, and flipped him over the bridge's railing. The man fell into the river, and Jax planted his lamp post on the cobblestone road.
"Who's next!"
An incredibly domineering roar echoed across the entire sky, so loud that even Chen on the airship could hear it.
Chen immediately felt his blood boil. He eagerly wanted to spar with Jax, even though he knew he absolutely couldn't defeat Jax right now.
Chen carried Powder towards their room:
"Powder, grab your gun, we're flying down there on the hoverboard right now!"
Powder, ever the curious one, continued to ask:
"Oh, are you going to fight that impostor?"
"Fight, yes, but I'm the impostor."
After saying that, Chen rushed into the room. They both grabbed their weapons, donned their hoverboards, and burst out.
Under the gaze of the guests on the airship, Chen, carrying Powder on his back, launched directly from the airship on his hoverboard.
Just as Chen was about to arrive, they noticed a woman dismounting from a gelding at the front of the bridge.
Her mount was covered in sweat, and her cloak was dusty, indicating a long, arduous journey. She wore a silver steel breastplate, and a long, slender rapier was sheathed at her hip.
"I'm next!"
The woman spoke before Chen.
She strode past the men at the bridgehead towards Jax.
Her movements were light and effortless, with perfect balance and extreme confidence.
Her features were sharp and aristocratic, with streaks of crimson hidden in her dark hair.
Her eyes were cold and merciless; only death could be perceived within them.
"Who are you?"
Jax's curiosity was greatly piqued.
"I am Fiora of the Laurent Family."
She said, drawing her weapon, a dueling saber with a perfectly honed blade that gleamed with cold light.
Chen looked at this impossibly cool woman, listening to her introduce herself, and stumbled, almost falling off his hoverboard. He squeezed out a few words:
"The Grand Duelist, Fiora!"
Fiora advanced step by step towards Jax, holding her blade before her:
"And this is my bridge."
Jax grinned behind his mask.
Finally, someone worthy of a fight had arrived!