Arcane: Begging for Help in a Parallel Universe!

The sound of interlocking gears clicking in rhythm echoed faintly as the kinetic energy from the drive valve transferred to Link's legs.

With each stride, he felt the exoskeleton armor propelling him forward.

The scenery before him rapidly closed in while the corners of his vision blurred, everything moving past in streaks.

In an instant, a shimmer soldier vanished from everyone's sight, replaced by a thunderous collision resembling a speeding carriage crashing into a pedestrian.

Caitlyn, who had just chambered a round in her rifle, froze in place.

What had just happened?

How could that mysterious individual move so fast? And the strength displayed—was it even humanly possible?

In a blink, one shimmer soldier had been smashed headfirst into a wall.

Was such strength achievable by any human?

"Caitlyn!"

A sharp call snapped her out of her daze. She raised her rifle and fired at the shimmer soldiers.

Gunfire erupted, sending bullets screaming through the air. On impact, the high-strength glass visors of the shimmer soldiers' diving suits shattered into sparks.

These suits, designed to endure deep-sea pressures, were incredibly durable, which was why shimmer soldiers adopted them as external armor.

Yet, the piercing screams from within revealed the agony of their inhabitants, immersed in high-concentration shimmer serum.

The serum that gave them terrifying speed and power also led to grotesque mutations and complete mental degradation.

Their nerves, constantly scorched by the serum, left them in a state of perpetual pain and fury.

The best way to relieve their torment was to unleash their rage.

Shimmer soldiers, their arms replaced with jagged blades, charged at the enforcers with ferocious speed and agility.

In mere seconds, chaos erupted.

The air filled with the cacophony of rusty blades slicing through air, the roar of gunfire, and anguished cries.

The most daunting among them was a monstrous mutant—twice the size of an average shimmer soldier, standing nearly three meters tall.

Encased in an imposing diving suit, this giant resembled the deep-sea legends of the Guardian's Sea: a massive figure wielding an anchor, dragging greedy merchants who failed to pay their tithe to the depths.

But this shimmer mutant lacked an anchor.

"Disgusting." Link wiped the blood and flesh from his gloves. One shimmer soldier was now embedded in a wall, his shattered helmet exposing a grotesquely deformed face.

Blood, bone fragments, brain matter, and shimmer serum painted a ghastly yet hauntingly beautiful mural.

Link scanned the battlefield, assessing the chaos.

The shimmer soldiers overwhelmed the enforcers. Their enhanced speed and power made them nearly unbeatable in close combat.

Even with his warning, the enforcers struggled. Their flesh and bone could hardly withstand the bioengineered monstrosities.

To counter such alchemical creations, they needed equal technology:

Hextech.

Or the clockwork advancements Link had been developing.

Taking a deep breath, Link lowered himself, adopting a runner's stance.

The exoskeleton suit responded instantly, its drive valves engaging with a surge of energy. The suit clung to him tightly, coiling like a compressed spring.

As his foot slammed down, the floor tiles cracked beneath him, spiderweb fissures spreading outward.

In a blink, Link closed the gap. His right fist shot forward, hydraulic mechanisms driving the strike.

Boom!

The shimmer soldier's reinforced helmet shattered, the impact obliterating their head. The grotesque sensation of crushing flesh, bones snapping like brittle candy, rippled through Link's fist.

One punch, one kill.

Without missing a beat, Link launched toward the next target.

Wherever he went, blood splattered in grotesque arcs, painting a macabre masterpiece on the ground.

Watching this, Caitlyn lowered her rifle in astonishment.

"How does he do that? Is it the armor?"

"Caitlyn, who is this guy?" Vi shouted, glancing at the carnage. "How are shimmer soldiers dropping like flies around him?"

"I don't know, but he seemed to know about the alchemical barons' plan before it happened," Caitlyn replied, her eyes fixed on the blur of motion.

This figure's speed made it almost impossible to track, and his strength—unrivaled.

Was he using Ionia's mystical arts? Or some arcane secret of Noxus?

But Caitlyn sensed his power came from the peculiar armor he wore.

Was it Hextech?

If so, why had no one ever heard of such a craftsman before?

Link didn't pause to explain. After finishing the last shimmer soldier, he turned to face the three-meter-tall mutant looming over him.

The monstrosity cast a massive shadow, its hulking figure surrounded by twisted corpses.

Even with Link's assistance, the enforcers had barely been able to slow it down.

Observing the mutant's diving suit, Link's gaze lingered on the shimmer serum circulation system.

Its sheer size required immense amounts of serum. Destroying the mutant's head in one blow seemed the only solution.

Dodging a massive claw, Link leapt into the air, twisting mid-flight to evade a crushing strike.

The mutant's mechanical arm smashed into the ground, shattering tiles.

Landing gracefully, Link used the embedded arm as a springboard, propelling himself upward.

With gears whirring at maximum speed, he grabbed the mutant's harness, twisting his body into a spinning motion.

The three-meter giant, now a mere puppet in Link's grip, slammed into the ground headfirst.

The helmet shattered, spilling serum and brain matter across the floor.

Releasing his grip, Link landed as steam vented from his overheating exoskeleton.

The enforcers stared in awe.

At that moment, Jayce arrived, his Hextech hammer at the ready.

"Where are the attackers?" Jayce asked, only to see the lifeless mutant.

"It's... over already?"

The sight stunned him.

Link turned, glancing briefly at Jayce and his hammer. A sour taste filled his mouth, and he snorted, "You're too slow."

Without another word, Link dashed away, disappearing into the night.

Jayce watched him go, then looked at his hammer and the battlefield.

Lowering his weapon, he let out a bitter laugh.

"Yes, I guess I was too late."