By now, Sivir finally understood what they had been "plotting." Ever since the influence of Li Lin's suggestion to "read more books," she had returned to the Sun City, where she occasionally visited the grand library to peruse books that caught her interest. The problems surrounding Ascended beings and those who failed their Ascension, like Baccai, were among her favorite topics. She also learned a bit about the Darkin warriors, a collection of materials recently compiled by Nasus after sending people to gather and organize ancient folk texts.
"You actually released a Darkin..." Sivir murmured in disbelief, gazing at Aatrox, whose essence was pouring out of the bloody greatsword. However, Li Lin, Azir, and Nasus paid little attention to her and instead focused all their attention on Aatrox, preparing to act at a moment's notice.
The Darkin that had been sealed within the weapon had long lost its Ascended form, and now only the soul essence remained. Due to the Void's corruption, Aatrox's soul was tainted with a deep, purplish-red rot. The bulging purple veins, which had once been inflicted by the Void's creatures, spread out in a spiderweb pattern from his chest, especially along his neck and cheeks, where the Void's distortion was most pronounced.
Nasus narrowed his eyes, realizing that this was the very source of his years of research—the root of the uncontrollable anger and madness that plagued the Ascended. Their souls had been tainted by the Void. Even now, the corruption continued to spread, irreversible and slowly consuming them. It was only a matter of time before their souls were completely eaten away.
For Aatrox, though he didn't know why he had suddenly been released from his seal, he felt a familiar presence—familiar enough to abandon all thoughts and charge forward with his greatsword toward death.
"Impostor!" His gaze flickered with purple light as his eyes widened with boundless murderous intent. Despite being in his essence form, Aatrox could still harness some of his residual Ascended power. Just as he prepared to grab his long-time companion—the weapon that felt like a part of his body—he found it unusually heavy, as though he could not lift it.
It was the same familiar force. He had just recently fought against the master of this force, which was not magic, but something else. Aatrox suddenly turned his head, searching for the source of this strange "gravity" that had affected his sword.
However, what caught his eye was not Li Lin, but Nasus, the grand scholar, and the figure standing beside him—dressed in eagle armor and wielding a pointed spear-staff. Even though the Void and his seal had caused Aatrox to forget much, including his former glory, Nasus and this unique set of armor remained etched deeply in his mind.
"Azir..." The flames of Aatrox's fury dimmed substantially.
"Aatrox, the God Emperor is here. Hurry up and pay your respects to your Emperor!" Azir pointed his spear-staff at him, his tone carrying the weight of imperial authority. In that instant, Aatrox could feel the sands of the desert itself turning against him. If he did not respond, the yellow sand beneath his feet would swiftly pierce his essence, reducing him to dust.
"No... this can't be!" Aatrox muttered in disbelief, tightening his grip on his greatsword. His phantom face twisted with a mix of confusion, hesitation, and fear. "This must be an illusion from the Twilight Star Spirit, or perhaps it's the Void... Azir fell during the Ascension ceremony years ago!"
"Since you think your eyes deceive you, why don't you look up?" Nasus' voice rang out. Without thinking, Aatrox raised his gaze and covered half of his face with his hand. What he saw suspended in the sky—the Sun Disc, glowing with the light of the sun—looked holy beyond compare.
Aatrox had long known that the Sun Disc had been restored to the heart of the Shurima Desert, for its brilliance shone upon every Ascended warrior, even those corrupted by the Void and sealed by Star Spirit magic. What he hadn't expected was that it was Azir, now revived in his divine form, who had awakened the Shurima Empire that had slept for thousands of years. For a moment, Aatrox was unable to accept the truth.
Zoe suddenly flashed back to Li Lin's side and handed the now-shrunken Chalicar, which was in its normal state, back to the dazed Sivir.
"Hmph, I was the one who broke your seal, and yet you still hate me so much," Zoe said, putting her thumb to her temple and spreading her palm, sticking out her tongue at Aatrox in a playful gesture, making the face she often used to tease Soraka. "Ungrateful wretch. If I had known you'd be like this, I wouldn't have helped you, even if Li Lin begged me."
She returned to Li Lin's embrace, saying words she didn't mean.
"...You!" Aatrox's fury flared once again at Zoe's teasing, though it was mixed with confusion. The Twilight Star Spirit before him was clearly not Myisha, nor did she carry the same deceitful and sinister air. Instead, there was a childish innocence and naivety to her, a stark contrast to what he had expected. Myisha had sealed him away, but now, a young girl of the Twilight Star Spirit had rescued him—how utterly ironic.
Aatrox was filled with frustration. "I know you harbor a deep hatred for the Twilight Star Spirit, but Zoe is not Myisha. Even though she is fused with the Twilight Star Spirit, she has always acted according to her own will. You don't have to be so hostile toward her."
Aatrox turned his gaze toward the speaker, Li Lin, realizing that he was the one who had taken away his ability to wield his weapon. He understood that it was Li Lin who had controlled those two colossal machines, pushing him back into the form of a weapon.
"You are...?"
"My name is Li Lin, the ruler of Twin Cities," Li Lin introduced himself. "You can think of it simply as, the former Oshra Va'Zaun is now under my control."
Azir glanced at the young man beside him in surprise but said nothing. He hadn't even fully reclaimed Shurima yet and had no time to focus on matters beyond the continent. Furthermore, now that Li Lin had control over Va'Zaun, he had no intentions of regaining the former trade hub of that fallen empire.
"So, all of this was your arrangement?" Aatrox noted the expression of Nasus and spoke in a low voice. He didn't know how to describe his current feelings—elation from the release of his pain, fury at seeing the Twilight Star Spirit, embarrassment and guilt from Azir's surprise, and regret over the things he had done in the past.
Li Lin didn't answer directly, but instead shifted the topic. "The Void threat is once again approaching. We need the Divine Warriors. Now that the God Emperor has returned, you should rekindle your old faith and swear loyalty to Azir once more."
"And this will be your chance to atone for your sins—the sins that led to the suffering of two continents' people."
The Void had returned… Aatrox fell into a long silence. In the past, he had found no way to destroy the seal on his weapon, unable to choose death amid his torment, so he sought to destroy the world, perhaps even welcoming the Void's embrace, thinking it might offer him release. But now, the seal on him had been undone by the new host of the Twilight Star Spirit. Azir, once adored, had returned as a divine being and rebuilt the Shurima Empire in this endless desert.
Under the holy light of the Sun Disc, after thinking it through, Aatrox sighed deeply. "Before today, I always acted in darkness, but I could never let go of my past pride and principles." He glanced at his translucent, soul-like body, a bitter expression on his face. "But in this current state, my power is still weaker than the body I had when I was sealed, even when enhanced by blood magic. I don't know how to atone for my sins."
"Remodeling your body? That's simple." The group's attention all turned to Zoe, who looked rather pleased with herself. "But, you'll need to apologize first!" she said, pointing at Aatrox with a teasing expression, clearly indicating that she wouldn't help unless he said "sorry."
Li Lin, who knew Zoe's personality well, helplessly shrugged. Given her attitude, even his persuasion likely wouldn't work. The best approach now would be to start with the proud Aatrox.
Before Li Lin, Azir, or Nasus could say anything, Aatrox surprisingly responded without hesitation, "Sorry, I was wrong to try and kill you earlier. I mistook you for Myisha, who is controlled by the Twilight Star Spirit."
Aatrox was not one to refuse to adapt. Although he was noble, before the fall of Shurima, he had always been humble, whether dealing with his fellow ascended or mortals. Those who willingly followed him, both the Ascended and the mortal soldiers, admired not only his valor in battle and wisdom as a leader but also his attitude toward life. Since he had made a mistake, admitting it was no trouble. Besides, the girl before him had been the one to break his seal, effectively saving his life.
"Good, I can feel your sincerity now," Zoe said with a wide grin, her face lighting up.
"So, what will you do next? To remodel his Ascended body, you'll need the power of the Celestial Dragon King, right?" Azir asked.
"No worries. If it's me, he won't mind. After all, I used his power when I broke your seal earlier," Zoe said with a confident smile. She casually pointed toward the Sun Disc above them.
With a surge of distinctly different astral magic, a grand beam of golden light, slightly different from before, shot down from the sky and into the Sun Disc. Then, under Zoe's guidance, this shifting beam of gold aimed at Aatrox, enveloping his spirit in an increasingly blinding radiance.
In just a few seconds, when the light faded, a new divine being stood before them—one with wings of golden light, reminiscent of dawn, armor gleaming, and a figure similar to a winged, armored rodent.
The long-lost Ascended power surged beneath the obsidian flesh, and Aatrox nearly wept in gratitude—if only he were still capable of such emotions.
He then solemnly looked at Azir, knelt on one knee, placed his hands across his chest, and lowered his proud head.
"I, Aatrox... I bow before the God Emperor."
(End of Chapter)
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