最后的君临 The Final Reign

作者：Michael Yichao

一只举起的拳头。一阵死灵能量涌现。在他身前，最后一座高塔的塔尖开始成形，漆黑的烟正丝丝渗进黑铁里。莫德凯撒凝视着自己的领地，心中泛起邪恶的傲意。

A raised fist. A surge of necromantic power. Before him, the final spire of the final tower takes form, inky smoke coalescing into black iron. Mordekaiser gazes upon his domain with dark pride.

米特纳·拉琛——他的冥界，终于建成了。

Mitna Rachnun, his Afterworld, is complete.

曾几何时，他就站在这里，一个面临彻底湮灭的凡人灵魂。而现在，他亲手铸造的王国就在眼前铺展。

Once, he stood in this very place, a mortal soul faced with the emptiness of oblivion. Now, a kingdom stretches before him, forged through his works.

他心满意足地走下山，迈向自己的堡垒。脚下的每一块石头，都出自他手。城垛和壁垒，也都是残忍的魔法与钢铁的意志所塑造。

He strides down the path toward his fortress, reveling in the satisfaction of his work. Each stone underfoot, his doing. The battlements and ramparts, all shaped from cruel magic and iron will.

曾经空无一物之地，莫德凯撒创造了他自己的世界——一个所有灵魂都将永远盘踞、永不消散的国度。

Where there was nothing, Mordekaiser forged his own reality—a realm where all souls will soon dwell in eternity, never to fade.

萨恩·乌祖尔眨着眼睛四处环顾。疑虑重重，脑海空空。

Sahn-Uzal blinked and looked around. Uncertain, his mind blank.

我死了。

I am dead.

这个念头掠过，如风里的一声低语。他渐渐理解现实的时候，某一个瞬间，一股悲伤涌上心头，随即散去。隆隆的笑声从腹中升起，流经全身，淹过他的胸腔，瀑布一般倾泻而出。

The thought flitted by, a whisper on the wind. As the truth of it sank in, for just a moment, a fleeting sadness flooded his heart. Then laughter welled up, a rumble from his gut that washed over his entire body, overflowed from his chest, and poured out in a rumbling cascade.

很好。

Good.

萨恩·乌祖尔望向远处，寻找通往骸骨大殿的大道，寻找前来恭迎他步入永恒的侍从。想到即将会与所有伟大的征服者前辈们见面，他越来越兴奋了。

Sahn-Uzal scanned the distance for the grand gateway of souls that would lead to the famed Hall of Bones. Searched for the attendants who would carry him triumphant into the eternal. Savored his growing excitement to meet the great conquerors who came before him.可目之所及，除了雾气别无他物。Yet there was nothing but fog, as far as he could see.萨恩·乌祖尔向前跨出一步——惊讶地看向脚下。沙子——粗糙的沙砾在脚下游弋。远方传来杂乱的话音，但微弱得听不出词句。

Sahn-Uzal took a step forward—then looked down, surprised. Fine sand—a coarse grit—shifted underfoot. In the distance, discordant voices rustled, too quiet to make out the words.

不合道理。

This makes no sense.

他大步走向荒原，决心寻找真相。

He struck out across the wasteland, determined to find the truth.时间流逝，难以计数。Time passed, untold.困惑集结成疑虑。疑虑引燃了激愤。激愤燃起了狂怒。

Confusion melted into disbelief. Disbelief kindled anger. Anger flared into fury.

没有。

Nothing.

什么都没有。

There is nothing.干燥的沙海无限地延伸。冷漠的话音一直低语，抓挠着他的心智，令他烦躁欲狂。雾气始终如一——一件永恒笼罩一切的尸衣。The dessicated sands extended endlessly. The relentless voices whispered on, a maddening itch in the back of his mind. The fog never abated, an eternal haze that hovered, a shroud over all.祭司们骗了他吗？还是说他们都是伪先知，一群耍嘴皮的蠢材，宣扬空洞的迷信。又或者，是先祖们的审判犯了一个可怕的错误，才没有将他接纳进入大殿？Had the priests lied? Or were they false prophets, prattling fools proclaiming hollow superstitions? Or had the ancestors made a grotesque error of judgement, and not welcomed him into the great halls?这些疑问曾经啃噬着他的心。但已经无所谓了。萨恩·乌祖尔明白，什么都无所谓了，只有眼前逼人的事实——这里空无一物。一片辽阔的虚无，没有奖赏，没有承诺。These questions gnawed at him, at first. But they did not matter. Sahn-Uzal realized that now. Nothing mattered but the present, pressing truth—there was nothing here. A vast emptiness, devoid of reward. Devoid of promise.他慢慢地接受了现实。绝望的阴影跟随在萨恩·乌祖尔身后，饥渴地想要吞噬他。As this truth percolated through him, the shadow of despair stalked Sahn-Uzal, hungry to consume him.但他可是萨恩·乌祖尔，荒野征服者，部落之主。他建立起了空前伟大的帝国。一生之中他凭借自己的意志和野心克服了所有艰难。死亡也不会例外。

But he was Sahn-Uzal. Conqueror of the wildlands. Master of the tribes. He had built an empire where there was none. In life, he had overcome all odds and conquered despair through will and ambition. Death would be no different.

如果死者的世界没有我志在必得的国度……我就亲自建立。

If death does not hold the kingdoms I was promised… I will forge them myself.

莫德凯撒走过城内的铁闸。这是在不朽堡垒——他生前的王位所在，兴建完毕之后才打造的。他走过大道，进入了大殿。

Mordekaiser walks beneath the inner portcullis, fashioned after that of the Immortal Bastion, his mortal seat of power. He walks through the entryway and into the great hall.

眼前耸立着他的王座。

Before him, his throne looms.

无尽的嘈杂声响在他身边围绕，灵魂的哭号此起彼伏，汇成一曲邪恶的痛苦合唱。而莫德凯撒仿佛没有听见——好比是营地里金属敲击的声音，或是行军途中靴子踩在沙砾上——稀松平常，根本没有资格引起他的注意。

All around, in constant cacophony, the endless wailing of souls rises and falls, an unholy chorus of anguish. Yet Mordekaiser does not hear them—or rather, hears them as one might hear the clang of metal in a war camp, or the sound of boots on gravel during a forced march—common sounds, unnoteworthy in their banality.

毕竟，够格的灵魂都已经在大殿中待命，谁也不敢说话。

After all, the worthy souls stand at attention along the hall, and none of them dare speak.

本来就应该是这样的。

All is as it should be.

莫德凯撒走向自己的王座。

Mordekaiser steps toward his throne.

秘典安详地漂浮在基座上方，完好无损。四周到处是飞溅的血迹，显得格格不入。

The arcane tome floated above the pedestal, serene and untouched. A strange contrast to all of the blood spilled around it.最后一个活着的法师，眉毛上浸透了鲜血。他颤巍巍地抬起一只手。微小的火苗在他指尖跳动——最后一次施法，最后一次绝望的努力。The last surviving mage raised a feeble hand, blood trickling from his brow. Small licks of fire danced between his fingers—a final spell, one last, desperate attempt.莫德凯撒不禁大感有趣：“凡人啊，这魔法只会将你吞噬。你宝贵的书也保不住。”Mordekaiser spoke, bemused. “Such magics would consume you, mortal. And your precious book as well.”法师艰难地吐出几个字：“我不重要。只要不让你拿走秘典。”The mage spat his words. “I don’t matter. Nothing matters but stopping you from obtaining it.”一团高热的蓝火从法师指尖爆发，吞没了高大的铁铠冥魂。热量顺着法师的手臂上窜，不断啃食他的血肉。但是法师死死咬紧牙关，还在坚持。A gout of fire, burning blue with heat, burst from the mage’s hands. It engulfed the Iron Revenant towering above him. Scorching energy raced up the arms of the mage, the backlash of the spell splitting his own flesh. Still, the mage pressed on, teeth cracking as he gritted them defiantly.莫德凯撒向前一步，漆黑的铁甲挡住了火焰，没有触及秘典。他手中人人闻之胆寒的钉锤夜陨，飞快地闪着绿光。火焰烧裂了岩石，也将其他法师的尸体一并销熔。但是莫德凯撒丝毫无动于衷。Mordekaiser stepped forward, a spirit encased in a suit of dark iron armor, shielding the tome from the flames. In his hands, Nightfall, his infamous mace, pulsed an ephemeral green. The heat from the fire cracked the stone and melted the flesh of the other, already dead mages. But Mordekaiser stood stoic against the onslaught.终于耗尽了体力的法师，跪在了地上。身体残破，呼吸浅快。他口中仍然在念着弱不可闻的祷词，祈求更大的法力。Finally spent, his body broken, the mage collapsed to his knees, his ragged breath resolving in a whispered prayer for his power to be enough.如果莫德凯撒仍有血肉的身体，他肯定会笑起来：“信念不足。”If Mordekaiser still had a body of flesh, he would have smiled. “Lacking in conviction.”莫德凯撒走近，法师忍住没有发出呻吟。他斜眼看着冥魂，干裂的嗓子发出声音。The mage stifled a sob as Mordekaiser approached. He squinted up at the specter and spoke through a throat dry and cracked.“你得不到你想要的！一头残暴的野兽永远也不可能理解精神秘典还有——”“You will not find what you seek! A brutish monster could never understand the secrets of the Tome of Spirits and—”钉锤挥动。一声脆响。A swing of the mace. A satisfying crash.又一股血流汇入了房间中的血泊。又一个法师——第十三名——倒在了地上。Another surge of blood joined the sticky pools coagulating in the room. Another broken mage—the thirteenth—fell still on the floor.莫德凯撒笑声如雷。Mordekaiser laughed.“你错以为，残忍意味着愚蠢。”“You mistake brutality for ignorance.”他望着遍地尸体的房间，用不可描述的亡者语言念起了一串文字。He gazed around the room at the corpses and whispered a verse in the unspoken tongue of the dead.生者悲愁Pitiful struggle褪下血肉Freed from flesh尽归我有You are all mineHe tapped Nightfall on the ground. It glowed brighter, almost seemed to breathe—as thirteen points of light rose from the broken bodies, then sank into the earth.他把夜陨点在地上。钉锤上的光更亮了，仿佛是在呼吸。十三个光点从尸体上升起，然后没入了大地。Mordekaiser turned his attention back to the book, still floating in its place, ahum with spirit magic. Another piece of knowledge for his plans. Another treasure in his conquest.莫德凯撒重新将目光投向秘典。秘典仍然漂浮在原地，精神魔法在其中低吟。又是一段他计划里所需要的知识。又是一个战利品。He stepped forward to collect his prize.

他走上前，收取自己的奖赏。

The throne looms before him. Its back of sheer iron pillars extends upward and tapers to vicious points. Ochnun script, angular and sharp, runs around the throne’s dais. The everpresent whispering is almost a roar here, incessant and desperate. Mordekaiser rests a hand on the armrest, taking pride in his work. This piece subsumed more souls in its creation than any other single part in his fortress. The wails emanating from it are music to him.

王座高耸在他眼前。铁铸的椅背陡峭地向上伸展，化成尖刺指向天空。王座的基台上刻满了欧琛语形状尖锐的字符。无时不在的低语此时变得近乎咆哮，歇斯底里，不见断绝。莫德凯撒一手按在扶手上，高傲地欣赏起自己的作品。在他的堡垒里，王座吸收了最多的灵魂，其中透出的哀嚎在他听来有如音乐般悦耳。

With a thought, Mordekaiser calls Nightfall to his hands. With a swing, he obliterates the throne.

莫德凯撒似乎想起了什么。他召来了夜陨。一击之下，王座粉身碎骨。

A squall of a hundred souls echoes in the great hall as they are released from the throne, dissipating into oblivion. Mordekaiser watches them vanish with grim satisfaction.

上百个灵魂被释放出来，呼啸着在大殿中涡旋，然后渐渐消散。莫德凯撒看着它们归于虚无，心底一阵残忍的快意。

Thrones are for mortals encumbered by flesh and human exhaustion. He… is now far more.

只有被血肉之躯和生老病死拖累的凡人，才需要王座。而他……远不止如此。

He steps atop the twisted iron and looks back across his great hall. His generals, souls that were worthy to die at his own hand when he last walked the physical realm, stand at attention. None so much as flinch in response. None will move without his direct command.

他踏上一地狼藉的废铁，目光越过了宏伟的大殿。在他生前有资格被他亲手杀死的将领，如今正在待命。人人毫无瑟缩，没有他的命令便纹丝不动。

Now, his kingdom is truly ready.

现在，他的王国已经蓄势待发。

Mordekaiser strides out of the great hall, toward the heart of his fortress, the centerpiece of his power and his machinations. Toward the relic that ties Mitna Rachnun to the mortal realm. Toward the place that gives the secret heart of the Immortal Bastion its true purpose.

莫德凯撒迈出大殿，走向堡垒深处的心脏，也是他的力量与智慧的核心。走向那处将米特纳·拉琛与凡人的领域联结在一起的遗迹。走向那个不朽堡垒真正的目的所在的秘密核心。

In his first life, he thought himself a great conqueror, befitting the eternal halls of his faith. How small, how petty, how mortal his ambitions were then! But where others accepted death as the end, he used it forge the beginning of his true conquest. And now… he can hear and understand every whisper of this realm with stark clarity. Now, the magic of death itself courses through him. Now, he holds the arcane secrets gathered over a second lifetime, wrested from the hidden and unknown places of the world. Few other beings can claim the mastery of spirit, death, and mortal magics that he holds. He will wield them to shape all realms to his iron will.

在他生前，他自认为是一个伟大的征服者，奋斗终生就是为了踏入永恒的大殿。多么渺小、可悲、只属于凡人的野心！但是在其他人木然接受死亡作为最终结局的地方，他将其变成了自己真正远征的起点。而现在，他能清楚地分辨这里回荡着的每一声低语，不带一点杂音。如今，死亡的魔法流淌在他的体内。如今，他在死后从世界各个隐秘角落搜刮而来的奥秘也尽在他掌握之中。少有人能像他一样，同时拥有冥界、精神领域和凡人世界的魔力。他将把每一个位面的世界都以自己的钢铁意志重塑。

The time has come to return to the world of the living. All the souls of Runeterra await.

是时候重返生者的世界了。符文之地的所有灵魂正引颈期盼。

Mordekaiser raises Nightfall in one hand.

莫德凯撒一手举起夜陨。

And so, his final reign begins.

他的君临就此开始。