After finding his former follower Styraatu, Aatrox didn't linger in the Twin Cities. He immediately used a portal to return to Shurima to prepare for releasing her from her seal.
Unlike Varus, who had once been consumed by the frenzy of vengeance and lost his sense of reason, Styraatu's involvement in the Void War was tempered by her role as a mage. She rarely ventured deep into the battlefield, leaving her relatively less affected. Even during the Darkin Uprising, Styraatu, compared to most of the other Darkin, was considered more rational. If she could be unsealed and undergo a second Ascension, her mastery over flame elemental magic would undoubtedly make her a formidable ally—not only for Shurima but for the entirety of the League of Legends.
After dealing with the unexpected incidents in Freljord and Zaun, a year and a half of relative peace followed across Runeterra. As the League of Legends continued to grow, minor "incidents" were quickly resolved.
In Ionia, under the subtle guidance of Li Lin, Shen accidentally discovered his long-thought-dead father, Kusho, in the highlands of Zhyun Province. To Shen's shock, his father had mastered shadow magic. Despite being discovered, Kusho was neither surprised nor panicked; instead, he attempted to recruit Shen and the now-revived Kinkou Order into the Navori Brotherhood to seize control of Ionia—and possibly even the League of Legends itself.
Kusho had changed. He was no longer the revered Twilight Eye Shen remembered. The realization that his father had been corrupted by shadow magic was devastating, and during their confrontation, Kusho—now devoid of humanity—attempted to kill his own son. However, Zed, who had caught wind of the situation, arrived just in time to stop him.
With the timeline altered and events happening earlier than expected, the less-experienced Shen and Zed were no match for Kusho, who wielded the enhanced powers of the Shadow Tear. Fortunately, Li Lin arrived to assist them, ultimately defeating the former leader of the Kinkou Order, who had been consumed by shadow magic.
It was only then that Shen finally uncovered the truth behind the massacre of the Kinkou Order by Zed. The entire tragedy had been orchestrated by Kusho, who sought to secretly prepare Ionia against Noxus. Yet, under the influence of the Shadow Tear, Kusho lost sight of his original intentions.
In the aftermath, the united forces of the Kinkou Order and the Shadow Order dismantled the Navori Brotherhood, restoring the Kinkou Order's leadership in Ionia. Kusho was dead, and Zed, uninterested in power struggles, focused instead on training Kayn as his successor to prepare for the eventual return of the Void.
Meanwhile, the issue of religious conflict persisted in Targon. The Solari Church remained authoritarian and isolated, refusing to engage with the outside world beyond the borders of Mount Targon. Even Pantheon's human host, Atreus, was no longer recognized as a "War God" after the fall of the celestial war constellation.
In recent months, Li Lin attempted to approach Leona, the Radiant Dawn, with whom he had crossed paths during the battle against Xerath. Despite her awareness of the Solari Church's extremism, Leona refused to involve him or the League in its internal affairs. As a being infused with the power of the Solari Celestial, Leona had long shed her mortal form, spending decades—if not centuries—under the influence of the Church's doctrines.
While Leona acknowledged the Solari's deviation from their original purpose, she still trusted the current leadership to resolve their issues without outside interference. Disheartened but preoccupied with other matters, Li Lin temporarily shelved plans to involve Zoe or escalate the situation on Mount Targon.
Elsewhere, pinpointing the last-known locations of the Darkin through the miniaturized map of Runeterra led to interesting discoveries. In Demacia, the Fortis family possessed a shield passed down through generations. The shield, as it turned out, belonged to Joraal, one of Aatrox's most trusted followers, known for his unparalleled mastery of defensive magic.
Additional leads on living Darkin weapons were uncovered in Bilgewater's seas, Ionia's Barhl Province, and the northern mountains of Targon. However, mechanical soldiers and Ascended beings were still scanning for further details with no confirmed results.
Beyond Runeterra, construction on the fourth phase of the Star Fortress in outer space was nearing completion. Initially scheduled to finish over six months ago, progress had been delayed due to the reassignment of mechanical workers to fortify defenses across various nations. Fortunately, this had little overall impact.
---
Inside Piltover's administrative headquarters, Li Lin sat in his office reviewing data compiled by the AI over recent days.
As of now, gene-enhancement technology had been available to the public for some time, with all registered citizens in the Twin Cities eligible to receive their first-stage enhancement serum free of charge. Li Lin's transformative contributions to Piltover and Zaun garnered overwhelming public support. Coupled with testimonials from those who had already undergone enhancements, nearly the entire population had participated in the orderly distribution process within a week.
Lines of projected data scrolled rapidly before Li Lin's eyes. To an ordinary person, it was a blur, but his supercomputer-like brain effortlessly processed the information.
"The pilot program in the Twin Cities has gone smoothly," he mused. "If Jarvan III and Swain cooperate, expanding the program to Demacia and Noxus should be feasible."
He sipped his tea and leaned back in his chair, stretching lazily.
"If no unexpected issues arise in those nations, we can move on to piloting the program in Shurima, then expand to Ionia, Freljord, and Bilgewater."
[The first stage of enhancement must be completed before progressing to the second stage. Based on my calculations, a minimum two-year interval is necessary to maintain societal stability.]
"That's too slow," Li Lin muttered, stroking his smooth chin thoughtfully. "If we follow your timeline, it'll take five years to prepare for the third stage of enhancement. We don't have that kind of time."
[Accelerating the process will lead to social unrest and unforeseeable consequences,] the AI warned after a brief pause. [An alternative would be selecting a group of non-magic users for specialized superhuman enhancements. These individuals would be loyal to you and wouldn't threaten societal stability—similar to the strategy employed by the God-Emperor.]
"Oh?" Li Lin raised an eyebrow. "What has Azir been up to recently?"
[As you predicted, the great Creator God, the Star Forger, has bestowed his power once again. The Ascension Ritual is no longer flawed and no longer requires candidates to meet strict qualifications.]
[This morning, the God-Emperor issued a decree to resume the Ascension process. The Sun Priests are now scouring the nation for virtuous and talented individuals to undergo the ritual. It's only a matter of time before the League of Legends is officially notified.]
"They've already decided to restart the Ascension process…" Li Lin murmured, an inexplicable sense of urgency creeping over him.
The past year had not been kind to Lissandra, who struggled to maintain the seals holding back the Watchers. During the last new moon, she foretold the stirring of the Watchers, who had once breached the material realm. Even if they could be forced into dormancy for another decade, Shurima would never again see the glory of a thousand Ascended warriors. And the Void War of the past never even involved the Watchers themselves.
Drawing a sharp breath, Li Lin exhaled heavily, trying to dispel the tension weighing on his chest.
It was all moving too slowly.
Dark clouds loomed heavy, signaling the calm before the storm. How far off could the tempest truly be?
(End of Chapter)
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