Arcane: Twin Cities Mechanic

On the God Emperor's throne, which was lifted by a golden ring and flowing sands, floating over twenty meters above the ground, Azir swung his spear-staff. The red ribbons on his body fluttered in the wind as he delivered an inspiring pre-campaign speech to his golden army.

His voice was deep and commanding, with the authority of an emperor. Every word he spoke seemed to carry a certain magic, compelling those who heard it to bow in reverence.

In this western campaign, they would face not only the powerful ancient mage but also numerous followers who were "willing" to give everything for him.

According to the scouts' reports, Xerath had at least gathered over ten thousand followers, each one with varying degrees of enhancements, far beyond the capabilities of ordinary humans.

By using an ancient magic technique to create obelisks, Xerath and his followers could be empowered by the energy of the earth veins, much like ascendants who grow stronger under the light of the sun's disc.

When the time comes, Azir would have to fight Xerath with all his might, but his sand soldiers would be ineffective, and his enhanced subordinates would need corresponding soldiers to handle them.

The golden legion and the golden guard had several sand callers blessed by Azir himself, able to manipulate sand grains. All of them had climbed onto war chariots formed from flowing sand, prepared for battle.

When Azir's rousing speech ended, the golden army let out a unified battle cry of "Long live Shurima! Long live the God Emperor!" and began their march toward the west, heading for the Sun City. The entire army moved in perfect unison, not even raising a speck of dust.

Sivir had originally wanted to join the campaign, but Azir firmly refused her, stating that as the last royal bloodline, she must not fulfill Xerath's wish by going to the western campaign. Though Li Lin had managed to upgrade her original Project Genesis Battle Armor to nano armor in a short amount of time, a single power armor was no match for the gods.

At least in Sun City, she still had the protection of the Sun Disc.

After careful consideration, Sivir abandoned her unrealistic desire and stood on the Ascenscion Altar, watching the army depart.

The army would pass through Sai Faraj, an endless plain that was hot and arid, with hundreds of square kilometers completely uninhabited. Even with the Life River flowing through this sandy land again, it would take only a year to change very little.

However, with the Sand Emperor personally leading the charge, the water from the Dawn Oasis could be harnessed along the way to support the golden legion and even help open new river paths in Sai Faraj to improve the environment and climate.

Li Lin personally piloted the Titan Beast and, along with the AI-controlled Gaboga, entered optical camouflage mode, trailing behind the army. 

The other five warlords were already positioned several hundred kilometers from Nerimazeth in the Great Desert, with their weapon systems prepared.

Inside the Titan Beast's internal cabin, Azir and Nasus stared at the 3D projections Li Lin summoned. It showed footage captured by drones of the area around Nerimazeth.

Towering black and blue obelisks rose from the yellow sands, drawing energy from the earth veins. A massive amount of blue electrical arcs and magical lights bathed the surroundings in blue.

The followers of Xerath, their bodies twisted into unnatural energy forms, wielded staffs and continuously shot blue magical lightning to increase the efficiency of the obelisks.

"Damn traitor!" Azir couldn't help but curse. "This is draining Shurima's future!"

"Has Xerath been using the obelisks to enhance himself for the past year?" Nasus frowned. "If so, his current power is far beyond what we faced before."

"According to the scans, these obelisks are scattered over a thousand kilometers around Nerimazeth, totaling 237 of them. The magical energy they collect will be continuously supplied to Nerimazeth."

Li Lin gestured to adjust the view, showing other obelisks. Almost every one had dozens of Xerath's followers maintaining the energy flow, all captured by the drones Li Lin had sent to scout.

Besides these, the drones also picked up strange humanoid "creatures" with unusual appearances, many of which were unnaturally large.

Rather than calling them creatures, it was more fitting to describe them as "arcane energy entities."

Some of them still had their flesh and blood intact, but their heads had been replaced with a helmeted mass of blue flames. Others, much like the species from the deserts, resembled Vastaya, but their eyes glowed with an unnatural light, signaling that they had lost their minds.

Even more disturbing were the beings whose bodies, except for golden and bronze armor or other attire, had entirely transformed into high-energy arcane energy, crackling with lightning in sync with the obelisks' magic.

"The nearest obelisk is located near the bend of the Life River, 189 kilometers northwest of us, around Saikhal. It's positioned 25 kilometers directly south of the city."

Li Lin reported the precise location of one obelisk.

"Saikhal?" Nasus's eyes glowed red. He uttered the city's name with a note of concern, feeling a twinge in his chest.

Saikhal was Xerath's birthplace, and after his rise from a slave boy to a prince, it had quickly grown from a small village with just a few huts to a bustling city capable of housing thousands. 

However, after the Battle of Vekaura, this city—where Azir's mother had been born—was half-destroyed by Xerath. In a fit of rage a year ago, Azir had sworn to destroy it as a warning. 

But after several diplomatic efforts by the Grand Scholars, Azir had been persuaded to hold off on his campaign, and the matter had been forgotten… until now. 

Now, Saikhal was directly in the path of their march. Nasus, preoccupied with Rekton's matters, had forgotten to evacuate the city's residents in time.

"If Azir truly brings down divine punishment to destroy this city, then it would result in the deaths of tens of thousands of people. Moreover, it would cause a great negative impact on his reputation, which has always been known for its 'benevolence.'

"Your Majesty..."

Before Nasus could finish, Azir waved his hand, cutting him off. "I know what you're thinking, Nasus."

His tone was calm, yet his authority was undeniable, and with just those words, Nasus fell silent.

After a brief pause, Azir continued, "Our main objective now is Xerath. He already knows we are coming, and heading to Secahal would be a waste of time."

In the image projected by Li Lin earlier, Azir had noticed a sand mage casting 'Sand Sorcery,' surrounded by numerous towering Xerath followers with glowing blue eyes.

They were already preparing to resist the Shuriman forces.

"We must destroy the obelisks first," Li Lin said. "I can handle the obelisks outside of Nerimazeth. My five medium-sized mechs are already deployed and have locked onto their locations. We can destroy all of the outside obelisks right now."

Azir shook his head. "Not so fast. We've only covered a third of the journey. Doing that will make Xerath aware of your strength and put him on alert."

"You are our trump card. It's best not to reveal yourself until we are truly facing Xerath."

"We will dismantle Xerath's obelisks one by one but avoid destroying others. This will make him let his guard down," Nasus added. "Once the battle begins, you can send in your mechanized forces to destroy them, catching Xerath off guard."

Li Lin frowned, recalling Xerath's cunning and strategic nature. "Won't this raise his suspicions?"

"This time, I'm pulling out all the stops. I have a full force of ten thousand Golden Warriors and the Golden Guard accompanying me. Not to mention myself, the Archmage, and Malphite... Even if Xerath has some doubts, he will have to face us," Azir said with a cold grunt, jabbing his pointed staff into the ground, where it made a muffled sound as it struck the ornate carpet.

After a brief pause, he continued, "I'll use magic to accelerate our march. Li Lin, keep an eye on things. Knowing Xerath's nature, he will likely send some sacrificial squads to intercept us. I'll handle them. You don't need to lift a finger."

"I understand."

With the plan set, Azir and Nasus left the Titan's docking bay. One landed on the Divine Emperor's platform, manipulating the sands, while the other boarded a majestic floating war vehicle. They faced forward, ready.

With Azir controlling the sands, their army's march quickened significantly.

They cleared the obelisks along the way and fought off Xerath's probing squads. As the day neared sunset, they stopped and made camp on the desert plains, just a few dozen kilometers from Nerimazeth.

Azir narrowed his eyes, his long-suppressed anger yet to be unleashed. Suddenly, Li Lin appeared at his side, suggesting, "Your Majesty, let me hit him with a gigaton cannon shot from the satellite."

(End of Chapter)

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