-256- The sparrow flies against the wind

"Roar!"

Victor controlled the Hextech Drake flying over the sea, its lightning breath mercilessly engulfing the sea serpents below. Though much smaller than those sea serpents, no one underestimated its power; it was a true weapon.

Beside Linwin stood Taliyah, facing a tentacle swiping from Illaoi. Linwin was about to strike with his sword, but a burst of yellow light flashed.

A seemingly warm yet terrifying aura emanated as Jayce's Mercury Hammer suddenly released astonishing steam. It propelled Jayce high into the air, his silver uniform's various peculiar devices emitting blue light.

Empowered by defensive and propulsion mechanisms, Jayce swiftly flipped downward, smashing Illaoi with his Mercury Hammer. The hammer absorbed air within a five-meter radius, crackling with thunder as Jayce's strike descended upon Illaoi.

"Hah!"

Tentacles coiled above Illaoi's head, shattered by the Mercury Hammer. Seeing this, Jayce took in a deep breath.

A fully activated Mercury Hammer could easily shatter a small mountain!

But... These eerie tentacles, this strange woman, effortlessly thwarted them?

Jayce's lips twitched. Were all the foes Linwin faced such powerful monsters? Even Sion, the last time, was a formidable foe, and the energy within his colossal body even shocked singed.

Pressing the button on the handle, a lightning field appeared, shielding Jayce from the tentacles. He then twisted his waist, swinging the Mercury Hammer with force. The hammer's side erupted with astonishing yellow lightning.

Had Jayce not been protected by his specialized armor, the speed and force alone could have broken the arm of anyone swinging the hammer. However, with great power came great consequences.

The thunderous blow struck Illaoi's side heavily. Though Nagakabouros's tentacles timely shielded her, Jayce's tremendous force sent Illaoi and the tentacles flying.

"Linwin, why do you always encounter such monstrous foes?"

Illaoi, of her level, was already a monster. If you had seen Nagakabouros earlier, you'd have been terrified.

"How would I know."

Looking at Jayce standing ahead, Linwin glanced at the enforcers charging in all directions.

Sevika wielded her specially crafted Hextech Longsword, unlike standard Hextech weapons. Its notable feature was the ability to emit an extended blade of light. The alchemic weapon's color varied between dark yellow and crimson, giving Sevika's weapon a sinister yet slightly tempered appearance.

The Chief Enforcer of Zaun had never learned swordsmanship; all her skills came from street brawling. Facing these colossal sea creatures, conventional swordsmanship was ineffective, but a forty-meter crimson blade could make sea serpents hiss and scream with every strike.

Swordsmanship? It wasn't as practical as science!

Vi, on the other hand, wasn't as graceful as Sevika. Blunt weapons had slightly less impact on these massive creatures compared to sharp ones.

Vi's pair of Atlas Gauntlets thudded against the flesh of the massive sea serpents. She alternated between striking the serpent's head and leaping onto its neck to unleash a series of Zaunite Combat Fist techniques.

Overall, Vi's robust physique and superior equipment (Powder, of course, made sure that her sister have the best equipment!) allowed her to dispatch sea beasts at a pace surpassing Sevika's.

"Air support, assist us! The rest of you, apprehend those Bilgewater folks!"

Jayce ordered loudly, his Mercury Hammer transitioning from melee to ranged mode. With a beautiful design and a blue halo, Jayce flicked his wrist, and a peculiar blue portal appeared in front of the enforcers.

It was an Acceleration Gate!

Jayce wasn't a docile inventor; he was a hero of Piltover. Mr. Talis had become a hero in the eyes of Piltover not only for his inventions but also for his tremendous strength, courage, and outstanding intelligence. He single-handedly resisted Noxus's legions and defended Piltover's future.

Thus, Mr. Talis was a hero, a hero in the hearts of the people of Piltover.

Once lost in confusion, Jayce believed he wasn't worthy of being Piltover's hero. However, witnessing Linwin's countless reckless actions, Jayce accepted this title and found his path as a hero.

To safeguard what ordinary people couldn't, that's heroism!

"Jayce, those aren't Bilgewater folks; they're people from Buhru." Linwin leaped forward, standing beside Jayce, facing Illaoi together.

The expression on the truth bearer's face soured but quickly returned to normal.

Illaoi quickly regained her composure.

"Uh."

Jayce touched his face, confidently declaring, "Regardless of who they are, they attacked you, right?"

"That's correct."

"Then that's all that matters. They attacked you, and that makes them enemies of twin cities."

"Let's go together. You alone can't handle Illaoi, even though she's heavily injured now." Linwin patted Jayce's shoulder.

Jayce nodded, tightening his grip on the hammer, trusting Linwin unconditionally in matters of combat.

Thus, both charged towards Illaoi.

Victor stood behind, wanting to help, but he couldn't. The Hextech Drake and the airships had to restrain the sea creatures rushing towards Bilgewater. The Hextech Drake wasn't meant for solo combat; it was a killing machine.

Silco, aboard the airship, watched Twin Cities confront their external foes, pride gleaming in his eyes.

Dealing with such huge sea monsters previously required hundreds from Zaun, and even then, it came with great cost. Now, with Twin Cities' technology and the collective effort of enforcers, a giant sea serpent could be slain. This was something Silco couldn't have imagined before.

"Crush them."

With a wave of his hand, Silco calmly commanded.

Two hours later, those who had just flown out of Bilgewater returned.

And then, Sarah and Rafen witnessed an unforgettable scene.

The sea around Bilgewater was teeming with people—enforcers in blue and white battle gear, flying on Hextech hoverboards. Occasionally, the sea churned with the massive tails of sea serpents, but shielded by powerful barriers, no enforcers had suffered casualties yet, especially since their ability to fly rendered the sea creatures powerless.

And they have various specially crafted weapons in their hands, especially the Hextech harpoon guns used for whaling on the Hextech airship. When one hits a creature, it can paralyze it.

Human strength can actually gain an advantage when facing sea creatures?

Sarah rubbed her eyes, unable to believe everything she was seeing.

She couldn't see Nagakabouros anymore, and even the strongest human in Bilgewater, Illaoi, was being pushed back by Linwin and another man.

Before this, Sarah had been negotiating with Linwin on various terms, but now she realized that Graves was right; she was too naive.

Time passed bit by bit, and the battle between Bilgewater and Twin City became more intense. Slico stood on the airship, spiritedly observing everything happening below.

Twin City was indeed powerful. Now all forces were mobilized, equipped with the latest powerful weapons, and now they might even have the capabilities to invade Noxus.

But in Bilgewater, a place that Slico had previously overlooked, Twin City unexpectedly encountered a tough opponent.

Under the powerful magic and monster-summoning abilities of the Buhru people, the Hextech drake had stopped working. Large quantities of energy shield were brought back and thrown on the airship, and enforcers consumed new shield batteries to continue fighting. They also kept drinking alchemical potions to maintain their energy and face the enemy in the best condition.

"Linwin, what's the deal with this guy?" Jayce panted as he looked at Illaoi, who he thought he had beaten to death, and loudly asked Linwin next to him, "Can she come back to life even after being smashed into minced meat?"

Linwin looked at Jayce smashing Illaoi as if pounding mochi, and said speechlessly, "It's the blessing given to her by the god she believes in."

Nagakabouros is called the Sea God simply because of her appearance and the misunderstanding of her by the people of Bilgewater.

From Illaoi's address to her, Nagakabouros is the god of life and motion.

God of Life, ah...

"As long as her god is alive, she won't die; she will keep coming back to life."

The official descriptions of these demigods are inconsistent, ranging from the powerful like Ornn and Volibear, who changed the world's terrain with one battle, to the weak like Janna, though not the Janna of today.

And Nagakabouros's description is extremely scarce, but despite her designer being repeatedly slapped in the face, she still remains a demigod, and for a demigod, especially a god of life, resurrecting a believer doesn't seem excessive, right?

"Then what about our god?" Jayce asked again, "We came to help you because the goddess told Silco that you were in trouble fighting with the Buhru people."

Trouble...

Yes, it is indeed very troublesome.

If Jayce and the others had come later, then Linwin would have been forced to activate the power of the Ascendant again.

"Now, given the current situation, do you think their god hasn't come out yet? Right now, our god is fighting her in the sky."

"So, the giant bird I saw before was..." Jayce swallowed hard.

He stared blankly at Linwin, his eyes filled with disbelief.

That fat, nest-building goddess who always wanted to nest on Linwin's head, can actually transform into that kind of appearance?

That majestic bird, must be several hundred meters in size, right?

Looking at the expression on Jayce's face, Linwin suddenly patted Jayce's shoulder. "Now you know how powerful Janna is, right?"

"I thought she was just our mascot," Jayce said embarrassedly.

And as the two of them were tampering with Illaoi's "corpse," large chunks of stones fell from above and landed on Illaoi's body.

This situation arose because of the battle between the gods. Bilgewater was affected, and even just the aftermath caused Bilgewater to look like this now.

Not to mention the battle between Linwin and Illaoi, which also accelerated Bilgewater's decline.

And now, Jayce also exerted great force. In some ways, Jayce's Mercury Hammer should be very effective in demolishing buildings.

"Boom!"

Debris fell, and the upper area of Bilgewater started to crumble.

It looks like they're about to be smashed to death.

Linwin looked at this scene in front of him, sighed, but didn't do anything.

"Bilgewater is about to be gone," Jayce's eyes also showed a helpless look.

The twin cities really needs this island. It's really hard to contact the people of Ionia in the east. So they need a place to transit. Moreover, building a Hextech station on the sea? That's really unrealistic, not to mention the most troublesome sea monster attacks, just the cost alone is a big problem.

"If this plan failed, then it'll be all for nothing...." Jayce said as he smashed Illaoi.

"Well, if I hadn't come, then Graves and the enforcers would have been in danger," Linwin said, trying to stay strong, forcing a smile.

Desperate screams from above were piercing, and Linwin was about to save them. It was at this moment that the terrain at the edge of Bilgewater suddenly changed.

The earth and rocks in the middle of the cliff suddenly extended forward, as if the mountain suddenly reached out its hand, and the extended stone slabs firmly blocked several falling Bilgewater people.

Looking down in horror, the Bilgewater people saw a petite girl standing below, shaking her hands and gritting her teeth as she looked at them.

"Hah!"

Taliyah unleashed her earth magic, and the rocks shifted, saving the lives of these Bilgewater people.

"Master!"

Riding on a waveboard of earth, Taliyah quickly reached Linwin's side.

Earlier, she was fighting with giant sea serpents. Now, she sensed the crisis in Bilgewater.

She could hear the voices of the earth; Bilgewater was moaning.

This island is about to be destroyed.

From the voices of the stones, Taliyah heard moans, innocence, and the desire to be protected.

Bilgewater is innocent, the people of Bilgewater are innocent, and they are forced into this great war.

They have no way out and can only gather at the top, waiting for death in despair.

They believe in the bearded lady, but that god does not value them, and the Buhru people are hostile to them.

But kind-hearted Taliyah doesn't want this to happen; her magic is naturally powerful and born to save.

"I-I want to..." But when she reached Linwin, Taliyah didn't know how to speak.

How should she say it? That the people above are not the enemies of her master? That this island and the people who can summon monsters have nothing to do with each other?

Taliyah didn't know where to start.

Linwin looked at the little sparrow in front of him, stuttering. After thinking for a moment, he immediately guessed what the little sparrow was thinking.

His expression became extremely serious, and Linwin looked at Taliyah, with a hint of anticipation in his eyes.

If there was anyone who could save Bilgewater now, it would be Taliyah.

"Can you do it?"

Linwin reached out and pressed Taliyah's shoulder, while Jayce didn't have a chance to stop. He kept hammering Illaoi's body with his hammer, knowing that if he stopped, Illaoi would be as good as new.

"Taliyah, we need Bilgewater, and the people of Bilgewater are not enemies of the Twin Cities."

"If you can do it, then go ahead."

Taliyah looked up at Linwin, determination flashing in her amber eyes. Taliyah nodded vigorously and said loudly, "I can do it, I will definitely do it!"

"Then go, Taliyah, I believe in you."

The hand on her shoulder moved to her head, and Linwin rubbed the little sparrow's head vigorously.

Linwin's remaining magic power was also fully transferred to Taliyah.

"Huh?" Taliyah felt a gentle magical force entering her body.

"I have little magic left, I hope it can help you."

At this moment, Linwin suddenly missed Lux a bit. If Lux were here, with her monstrous magical power, she could definitely help Taliyah.

"I understand."

As Taliyah approached Linwin, the little sparrow closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and then jumped up forcefully.

She ran past Linwin, quickly reaching the dilapidated harbor.

The few remaining sandstones of Bilgewater coalesced under Taliyah's feet into a stone boat, carrying Taliyah onto the sea.

"Enforcers, protect her!"

Linwin waved his hand to command, to prevent Taliyah from being disturbed by sea monster while casting her spell.

It's worth mentioning that the numbers of sea monsters that the Guardian's Sea breed are terrifying.

On the sea, Taliyah stood on the small piece of stone she created.

With each step, Taliyah vigorously waved her hands, bending her body down significantly, her dark complexion turning flushed.

In Linwin's view, Taliyah's magic was continuously pressing down into the depths of the Guardian's Sea.

How deep is this sea?

And can Taliyah really summon the sandstone from the bottom of the sea?

When Taliyah approached Linwin stuttering, Linwin guessed Taliyah's thoughts.

During this time, she had been filling the sea for Zaun with Zevi, and she knew how to do it.

But, this isn't the sea around the Twin Cities; this sea is unfathomable.

Taliyah's small feet kept circling in place, her body getting lower and lower, and her sleeves flapped open, the strings of golden beads flying out in the gusts. The little sparrow didn't care about the beads now, but she knew she would regret it later.

In the distance above Bilgewater, Jack was pulling Sarah, and Miss Fortune looked puzzled at the girl on the sea, asking, "What is she doing?"

Jack certainly knew Taliyah. She was Linwin's apprentice and the one who's filling the sea around the twin cities. What she was doing now seemed familiar....

But before he could speak, on the side, Twisted Fate looked at Taliyah, who was emitting a torrent of magic, with an envious expression. He looked at Taliyah and whispered softly, "She's saving Bilgewater."

"?"

Sarah was about to ask in confusion, but suddenly, she felt dizzy.

Is the sea level rising?

Yes, the sea level is rising!

Miss Fortune looked at the sea ahead, where the sea level was clearly higher than the surrounding area.

Linwin also noticed the sea level rising.

Not only was the sea level rising, but Bilgewater was also rising.

At the same time, the sea serpent hiding in the seabed, avoiding the attacks of the enforcers, were also rising.

The Summoners of Buhru felt the information from their summons and looked at the girl standing on the sea in horror, bending down.

And at that moment, Taliyah's petite body straightened up.

Her face flushed, her amber eyes bulging outward, her teeth gnashing, her hands wide open like claws, as if tearing the air in front of her.

"Ahhhh!"

With a series of shouts from Taliyah, accompanied by her bending her waist down and then straightening it, seawater gushed out and rushed toward the sky. At first glance, it looked a bit like a miniature disaster created by Janna and Nagakabouros.

Several hundred-meter-long sea monsters were also lifted into the air, and the stunned enforcers quickly reacted, rushing up together with their teammates, they divided these sea monsters into several pieces.

Wet sandstone gathered in patches above Taliyah's head, then formed a huge bridge, a nearly kilometer-sized earth bridge!

Tons of sandstone were brought up from the seabed by Taliyah and quickly flew towards Bilgewater.

They arched under Bilgewater, like a huge disc holding Bilgewater.

The excess sandstone was covered with seawater on the flawed islands.

Taliyah aimed her hands at Bilgewater, one up and one down, then clenched her fists and forcefully struck them together.

The sandstone and Bilgewater merged together.

No more collapses or falls.

"Master, I did it!"

Gasping for breath, but still full of magic, Taliyah ran to Linwin, excitedly lifting her head to him.

Linwin smiled and nodded at Taliyah.

Taliyah, she wove the future of Bilgewater with her own hands.

And wove a tapestry for the Twin Cities.

She is a truly born warrior.