Pantheon's divinity quickly dissipated, transforming into a dazzling array of golden light, emanating from the mortal body pierced by Aatrox's Godslayer blade. The sky, once cloaked in the brilliant blackness of the starry void, vanished, returning to the bright, clear blue of daylight. The scorching rays of the sun poured down on Aatrox's body, yet he could not feel a trace of warmth—such was the drawback of the temporary body crafted through blood magic.
For reasons unknown, perhaps due to the remnants of the War Star Spirit's power, the consciousness of the man who had once been possessed by it began to awaken again within his fractured body. Atreus, a mortal named after a sun in the constellation of war, had once worshipped the God of War, only to be abandoned by his faith. Now, on the brink of death, he regained control of his body, his will the only thing holding him together.
Drawing back his divine form, Aatrox's body returned to its normal state, and he observed the changes in the mortal before him. A cruel smile curled on his lips, a mockery without sound. Atreus, aware that his life was quickly fading, fixed his steely, unyielding gaze on the dark entity before him beneath his golden helmet. With a defiant cough, he spat blood at Aatrox's face, but the dark being simply scoffed, drawing his massive sword with brutal force.
Blood poured from the gaping, monstrous wound as Atreus felt his life slipping away, his consciousness clouding. Desperately, he tried to grab the spear beside him, once filled with divine power, now devoid of it. Yet his numbed, frozen body could only cause his fingers to tremble slightly, unable to move even an inch.
"You're nothing but a worm," Aatrox sneered, looking down at the struggling mortal, completely dismissing him. The blood of the Star Spirit surged through him, filling him with unimaginable strength. His only goal now was to climb to the summit of the Mount Targon and face those who had betrayed him, including his own kin. If he were to die in battle… that would be the ultimate release.
Turning his gaze toward Mount Targon, Aatrox's eyes narrowed as he saw a pillar of orange-red light shooting into the heavens. "Colossus..." he muttered through clenched teeth. Before he could secure the sword on his back, Aatrox suddenly spun around, ignoring the now unconscious Atreus, and looked into the distance.
A strange power stirred in his senses. "The power of the Sun?" Aatrox murmured, planting his sword firmly into the earth and gripping its hilt with both hands, his face now solemn. Could it be Azir? No, that was impossible.
This "sun power" was nothing like the magic of the sun disk, it contained no magic at all. If anything, it was more like the "essence" of the sun itself, descending upon the runic land.
"This can't be..." Aatrox whispered, the shock evident in his voice. Moments ago, he had slain Pantheon's physical form with his Godslayer power, and Pantheon had uttered his final words. Now, Aatrox was left speechless in disbelief.
As the "solar presence" drew nearer, Aatrox momentarily abandoned his plan to ascend the Mount Targon. With a single motion, he withdrew his sword from the earth and held it in front of him, adopting a posture of both offense and defense. His eyes narrowed, fixed firmly on the horizon of the desert. Though he saw nothing, his sharp senses told him that large, non-living creatures were closing in rapidly.
"Steel... no, this isn't steel, nor starsteel. What kind of metal is this?" Aatrox thought for a second, a low grunt escaping his throat as madness flickered in his crimson eyes. "Hmph! No matter what scrap metal you are, if you're here for trouble, don't blame me for cutting you down, breaking you apart, and shredding you to pieces!"
With a powerful flap of his tattered wings, Aatrox used blood magic to lift his body into the sky, then shot off toward the empty direction. As he drew closer, Aatrox finally saw the anomaly. The massive beings in his perception were using a special method to refract all light, blending themselves with their surroundings and becoming nearly invisible.
He had encountered various forms of invisibility magic before—elemental magic, like that of water, and arcane spells could render one invisible. But those spells often left physical traces, such as subtle changes in body temperature or slight disruptions in the air. The enemy before him, however, was nearly undetectable, the only giveaway being the clear aura of the sun.
"Come! You foolish beings, I'll show you the darkness!" Aatrox raised his massive sword high, channeling blood magic into it, and cleaved the air before him, sending two huge sword energies, red and white, slashing forward in a swift, converging arc. The earth beneath him trembled as the sword energy tore through the landscape, sending dust into the sky.
Aatrox believed that this attack, empowered by his blood, would be enough to halt the approaching mechanical monsters. But in the next moment, something astounding occurred: a towering mechanical beast appeared, alongside another humanoid one, its right arm resembling a human's while the rest of its form was clearly more mechanical.
They were similar to the magical constructs created by the god-like figure Nezuk, but they were far larger and not powered by magical cores. The beast charged forward, suddenly accelerating and activating a non-magical energy shield that effortlessly blocked Aatrox's sword energy, suffering no damage whatsoever. Meanwhile, the humanoid figure tore through space, its right fist clenched and disappearing from view in an instant.
The distance between the two sides was still considerable, and Aatrox was momentarily stunned by the sight of the spatial rupture. He hesitated for a moment, thinking:
"Achieving this without magic? What kind of monster is this?!"
The next second, his sharp instincts caused his body to reflexively twist, but he was still a step too slow.
A massive fist emerged from a spatial rift behind him, brushing against half his body with a ferocious impact that generated an intense shockwave, sending him flying into the air.
[Aatrox's blood magic-constructed body integrity decreased by 17.63%.]
"Tsk, not bad reflexes; I actually missed."
Aatrox's opponents were none other than the Behemoth and the Gaboga, two mechas that had once battled the ancient sorcerer Xerath.
At this moment, Li Lin was piloting Geboga, a ranged mecha perfect for suppressing Aatrox, who was adept at melee combat but lacked proficiency in magic.
"If that punch had landed squarely, it would've taken a third of Aatrox's life bar at least."
Li Lin's scaled-down Rune Terra timeline confirmed Aatrox's position before his explosive battle with Pantheon.
Initially, Li Lin, who had just teleported to a corner of Mount Targon, hadn't expected to witness the fall of the Celestial Warrior firsthand.
However, as Pantheon's spear, like a meteor, pierced through the heavens, Li Lin lost interest in spectating. He quickly ordered the mechas to recalibrate their teleportation coordinates, ensuring they appeared outside the sensory range of Azir, the Desert Emperor.
Azir could manipulate sand with an extensive range of perception.
Without his immortal body, Aatrox wouldn't be able to detect the mechas at all.
As for Pantheon, Li Lin knew he would perish in his battle with the Darkin Blade and didn't even consider him a threat.
Next, Li Lin deployed several drones at the original location and immediately teleported to the Sun Disc city to find Azir, explaining the situation to him.
Once a leader among the Ascended, Aatrox had now fallen so far.
Azir, deeply pained, ordered the distant Grand Magister in Nashramae to temporarily delegate his duties and proceed to the northwestern corner of the Shuriman ruins of Nerimazeth.
By then, however, Aatrox had already slain Pantheon. Li Lin still needed to defeat Aatrox to unlock the Behemoth Blade mecha, so he naturally didn't plan to directly teleport Azir to the battlefield.
While waiting for Nasus to arrive at the capital via Nashramae's Great Library teleportation array, Li Lin explained that he would first stop Aatrox from massacring innocents. He then entered Geboga, ordering the AI to pilot the Behemoth, and teleported to the battlefield's edge.
Since the mischievous Twilight Aspect Myisha had sealed Aatrox into a weapon, he had endured centuries of torment.
His consciousness was trapped in eternal darkness, unable to breathe or move his body, even as he remained aware of his limbs.
Aatrox was the first Darkin to break free from his weapon's curse and regain freedom.
But he quickly realized his actions merely exchanged one prison for a slightly larger one. Escaping the seal or seeking death was futile.
Thus, Aatrox descended into madness.
If he could not destroy himself, he would drag the world into an apocalyptic war and embrace annihilation together.
Perhaps then, the blade imprisoning him would finally be destroyed.
Li Lin understood Aatrox's plight.
The crimes committed by the Darkin during their ascendancy made them unforgivable.
Yet, Myisha's cruel amusement had tortured them for centuries, leaving them with the chance to break free.
What should have been a single, definitive solution—using the Chalicar to erase their ascension powers and render them mortal—was avoided, leaving a lingering danger to Rune Terra.
Aatrox's desire for self-destruction was understandable. But dragging the world along with him? That was his burden alone.
"Accursed worm!"
Knocked away by Geboga's fist, Aatrox quickly regained balance, his face contorted in rage. Crimson fury burned in his eyes.
With the sound of shattering metal, Aatrox's body expanded to over 30 meters, activating the ascended form mimicked through his blood magic: Annihilation.
But before he could hoist his massive blade and charge toward the distant mechanical giant, his enormous weapon suddenly sank, dragging his body to the ground with a heavy crash, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Aatrox's body, forged of blood magic, appeared as black, metallic armor but was in fact pure flesh.
His sword, however, was made of star iron.
Inside Geboga, Li Lin utilized his magnetic manipulation abilities to dramatically increase the weight of Aatrox's blade, catching him off guard once again.
Though this wouldn't restrain him for long, Li Lin was merely testing his capabilities.
Without nuclear missiles, the Behemoth and Geboga might struggle against Xerath.
But against Aatrox, far from his peak and still partially sealed? Li Lin wasn't worried at all—he didn't even need orbital satellite weapons.
As Aatrox struggled to lift his sword, Geboga and the Behemoth unleashed their full firepower:
A torrent of quantum bombs, plasma energy blasts, matter-disintegration beams, and condensed particle lances rained down.
"Annihilation, huh? Let's see me annihilate you first!"
(End of Chapter)
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