After bidding farewell to Aatrox, Li Lin and Zoe strolled down the Golden Avenue, the main thoroughfare of Sun City, both lost in thought. With his mind enhanced and aided by the list of Darkin provided by Nasus and Aatrox's tales, many fragmented memories he had once known but forgotten began to coalesce. These recollections revealed significant details, especially regarding the catalyst that ended the Darkin War—the Darkin Assembly, orchestrated by Tayanari under the manipulation of Myisha.
That assembly, held in the grand market of Nerimazeth, later reshaped into a circular coliseum by Tayanari's magic, brought together nine Darkin and their nine armies, nearly ten thousand mortal soldiers in total. Among them were familiar figures such as Naganeka, the toxic and hypnotic Zuretan deity, and Varieva, the snake-headed Darkin and an old acquaintance alongside the Verus sisters. The other Darkin Li Lin recalled were:
Cerbotaru, the wolf-headed Darkin and the strongest participant in the assembly, whose army ventured as far as the western continents across the Sea of Conquerors. He was once considered the most likely to end the infighting.
Gigantus, the bull-headed Darkin, infamous for his volatile temper and unmatched speed, with no deity able to rival his swiftness.
Syphax, the fish-headed Darkin known for his agility and leadership of the Golden Legion in battles against the Void along the eastern coast of Icathia and its abyssal trenches. Unlike others, he maintained his sanity throughout.
Ennakei, the tiger-headed Darkin who ascended alongside Tayanari to godhood and saved him once during the Darkin War, though they eventually clashed in battle.
Sabeka and Sabek, the raven-headed Darkin twins adept at divination. However, gazing into the abyss during the Void War shattered their minds and corrupted their divine forms beyond repair.
Using the celestial magic Myisha taught him, Tayanari employed Chalikar to summon the power of the sun and moon, unleashing the "Moonlight Cascade," which instantly killed four Darkin—including himself, as he lost his godhood and became mortal. Those who foresaw the danger fled, including Naganeka, Cerbotaru, and Varieva, though all three were sealed away by the war's end.
Aatrox claimed he could summon Naganeka and Rhaast to his cause. Varus, too, could likely convince Varieva to rejoin the Empire. Adding Renekton, who was currently being purified within the Soulstone Sarcophagus, meant there were at least eight surviving Darkin Li Lin could account for.
"Eight," Li Lin mused. "If we manage to gather them all, that should suffice. If not, there's always Gaboga, the War Behemoth, and Battlecast Xerath."
"And if we construct Battlecast Aatrox, Battlecast Zero, and Battlecast Dragon, that's three more. With Azir, Nasus, Aatrox, and Malphite, we might just scrape by."
Glancing at his wealth tab, Li Lin noted he had 5,230 orange essence left. While skill points were not an issue, unlocking Battlecast Aatrox would cost 1,000 orange essence, and Battlecast Zero and Battlecast Dragon required 1,500 and 2,000 respectively, leaving him with just over 500. Additionally, Battlecast Zero required the prior completion of the Battlecast series, with only Aatrox remaining, while Dragon depended on Zero's completion.
For now, other matters awaited his attention, so skill upgrades would have to wait. Returning to the present, Li Lin and Zoe had already exited Shurima's gates.
"Darling, are we heading back to Piltover now?" Zoe asked, clinging to his arm, her shimmering heterochromatic eyes gazing up at his profile. "And don't forget, you still owe me a few dates!"
"Of course I haven't forgotten. But you're the one who kept disappearing," Li Lin teased, pinching her cheek. "That said, I have something else to deal with first. It'll take a few days."
"Hmmph." Zoe let out an indignant hum, clearly dissatisfied with his answer, though she didn't argue further. "Fine. As long as I'm with you, I don't care where we go."
However, she couldn't help but notice the faint smile playing on Li Lin's lips and the peculiar glint in his eyes, filling her with unease.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked, touching her face. "Do I have cream on my cheek or something?"
"I was just wondering how to break it to you," Li Lin chuckled. "We're heading to Mount Targon."
"That's fine, I guess... Wait!" Zoe abruptly stopped, her gaze shooting skyward. Where the constellation of War had once shone brightly, a gaping void now loomed.
Her smile froze, shifting to shock and then confusion. "Pantheon... Pantheon is gone?"
"I was just about to tell you," Li Lin replied. "Aatrox fought Pantheon along Mount Targon's ridge today and drove his blade through its chest. I saved the mortal host, but the War Aspect itself has perished."
"So that's why Pantheon wanted me to find the Seer..." Zoe murmured, lowering her gaze. Yet, despite the gravity of the revelation, Li Lin noted no panic or worry in her demeanor.
Suddenly, she raised her head, her momentary hesitation replaced with excitement. "Does this mean I don't have to deliver Pantheon's messages anymore?!"
"Uh… theoretically, yes?" Li Lin replied, uncertain about the intricacies of celestial matters.
"That's amazing!"
Zoe ignored the people around them and leapt into his arms, planting a kiss on his cheek with a loud smack.
"I finally get to spend more time with you now!"
Li Lin caught her, supporting her legs and back with both hands. "At least for the next few days before we head back to Piltover, you should think about how to explain this to Caitlyn."
"Well, about that… hehe~~" Zoe grinned mischievously, a sly glint in her eyes. "We'll use that idea I told you about back in the Kingdom of Boredom."
Li Lin froze, recalling her ridiculous suggestion from that time. His mouth twitched. "You really think that'll work?"
"Well, you don't have a better idea, do you?"
After departing from Sun City, Li Lin showed Zoe the coordinates near Atreus's location, prompting her to open a portal.
Meanwhile, on the highland plains, far from the Rakkorian settlements, stood a quiet farmhouse...
Atreus was in the yard chopping firewood, while in the dimly lit kitchen illuminated by candlelight, an elderly woman with a somewhat sprightly demeanor was busy at a self-made earthen oven.
His attention wasn't on chopping wood at all, making him inefficient. His gaze frequently shifted toward the drafty window, focusing on the slightly stooped back of the elderly woman.
Lula—time had flown by, and she was now one foot in the grave.
Atreus sighed.
He felt fortunate that Lula hadn't passed away or moved elsewhere over the decades and still lived on the same farm.
What dispelled the complex emotions within him was her acceptance of him, without harboring much resentment over the events of the past.
Of course, Atreus could see that Lula was merely suppressing her grief, trying to distract herself by keeping busy.
Much had changed over the past thirty years.
As he was lost in thought, a metallic sourness filled his mouth, and a circular golden light suddenly lit up outside the fence of the farmhouse.
Atreus frowned as he looked over, gripping the axe tightly and taking a defensive stance.
Inside, Lula also noticed the anomaly and immediately stopped her work, her gaze scanning the window.
"Atreus!" Lula shouted. "Wait for me—I'll get Pylas's sword!"
Magic was common among the Mount Targon lineage, but for ordinary Rakkorians, it was something incredibly dangerous.
That was because it signified the arrival of the Rakkoraks from the Solari Order.
Since the Solari Order and the Lunari Order split apart due to differing beliefs decades ago, the Rakkorak militant had been hunting down worshippers of the moon, whom they deemed heretics.
To this day, the Solari saw almost everyone as heretics. If they suspected someone of being a follower of the Lunari, they would kill without hesitation.
Of course, apart from the Solari, some barbarian raiding parties also included individuals who could wield magic.
Recently, a group of such barbarians had been threatening northern Rakkorian settlements, including Lula's farm.
At first, they thought the golden light circle was some sort of spell cast by the barbarians—until Atreus saw the figures of Li Lin and a somewhat familiar-looking girl.
"Li Lin?"
The tension in Atreus's body dissipated instantly, replaced by a joyful smile.
Hearing the commotion outside, Lula, who had just stepped into the hallway, poked her head out of the window. Her slightly clouded eyes scanned Li Lin and the girl radiating a peculiar aura.
"Atreus, do you know them?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"This is Li Lin, the one who saved me, and as for the one next to him…"
"I'm Zoe!" Zoe waved at Atreus. "You might not remember me, but I'm the Twilight Aspect~~"
A memory of Zoe's face flashed through Atreus's mind, though his previous conversation had been with Pantheon, the War Aspect.
"Uh…" Atreus's excitement froze on his face, unsure of how to respond.
After being possessed by the War Aspect and regaining his body, he now held an unusually poor opinion of the Celestials.
If not for Li Lin's apparent closeness with Zoe, he might have warned him to stay away from Celestials.
At that moment, Lula left the hallway and stepped out the front door. "Since they're your friends, why haven't you let them in yet?"
She spoke in a reproachful tone to Atreus, then turned to look at Li Lin and Zoe again.
"My farmhouse doesn't welcome strange warriors, but since you're Atreus's friends, guests are always welcome. Come in and warm yourselves with a cup of mead!"
(End of Chapter)
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