A barrage of material and energy projectiles rained down, more densely than raindrops, along with beams that fractured matter and concentrated particle spears. Even Nasus, in his divine form, was heavily wounded, let alone Aatrox, whose current body was nothing more than a pile of decayed flesh.
"I am Darkin! I do not die!" Aatrox's furious roar echoed as the relentless barrage of firepower completely engulfed a one-kilometer radius around him. Explosions followed one after another, turning the yellow sand into molten glass before annihilating it at the microscopic level. In less than five seconds, the earth sank several dozen meters, and more quicksand rushed inward like a tide, but the energy shockwaves continued to devour everything in their path.
[You have defeated the Darkin Blade Aatrox (Hero), leveled up by 2 levels, and gained 3000 Blue Essence, 3000 Orange Essence, and 50 skill points.]
[Congratulations! Your level has increased to Level 93!]
[... ]
As the system notifications faded in his mind, the AI's voice followed closely:
"Master, Aatrox's blood magic aura has disappeared."
Once the energy shockwaves dissipated, Li Lin heard the AI's alert and disconnected the connector attached to his body, transferring himself into the body of the Sky Beast. After a brief moment, he activated the energy barrier and piloted the mech toward the deep pit of quicksand. He placed massive, high-energy piercing drill tips on his colossal fists and casually plunged them into the quicksand. What emerged was Aatrox's "true form," no larger than the size of a palm, resembling a "toy sword."
Due to blood magic's inability to affect non-living entities and the Sky Beast's liquid metal shield, Aatrox, who was also weak in magic, couldn't channel his power through the blade, even with energy supply. He couldn't even begin to reshape his body, let alone harm Li Lin.
Gazing at the crimson, pulsating greatsword in his hand, Li Lin couldn't help but shake his head with a sigh. Aatrox, once a symbol of light and reason, held a high position among the Ascended. Now, he had fallen into such a grotesque form.
The corruption of the Void was one factor, as it mainly affected the Ascended's minds, continuously polluting their spirits. But the true cause of their fall into Darkin was the fall of Shurima. With the loss of their anchor, the Ascended were without faith, and the greed inherent in mortal souls inevitably surfaced. Even someone as noble as Aatrox couldn't escape the whirlpool that dragged all the gods into the abyss.
[According to the satellite energy index, Emperor Azir has reached the midsection of the Sai Faraj.]
Li Lin glanced at the holographic mini-map, noticing the yellow dot representing Azir had moved a considerable distance from Sun City, almost one-third of the way. An Ascended traveling at full speed moved incredibly fast, especially someone like Azir, who controlled sand. In the desert of Shurima, he could exert great combat power.
"Let the drones notify Azir that I've dealt with the Darkin, but..." Li Lin's gaze shifted westward, where another person still needed his help. "Let him return to Sun City first. Once I finish my business here, I'll head back."
Saying this, he stored Aatrox's greatsword in a prepared sealing chest and placed it in the Sky Beast's interior. Then, he ordered the AI to teleport Gaboga back to Piltover. Afterward, Li Lin flew towards the life signature faintly emitting astral magic, arriving soon by the unconscious Atreus's side.
The blood beneath the man had already coagulated and evaporated under the scorching sun. His upper body bore a terrifying wound, one that tore from his chest down to his abdomen, and through the ragged flesh, Li Lin could faintly see the weak pulse of his heart.
Vultures and scavenger birds circled above, waiting for Atreus to take his final breath so they could feast. Yet, despite the fatal wound, Atreus, in a state of shock and unconsciousness, still clenched his fist, unwilling to succumb to death.
Li Lin knew that Atreus would awaken in a few hours, able to drag his broken body back to the Rakkor tribe, where his brother's widow—who had climbed the great mountain with him—would save him.
"Data Mind" activated, and Li Lin lifted his visor, transferring Atreus's current body data into his mind.
[Name: Atreus (The Unyielding Spear)]
[Race: Rakkor]
[Class: Rakkor Military Order Warrior, Fourth Human Host of the War Star Spirit—Pantheon.]
[Health: 459/??? (↑↑↑)]
[Personal Status: Unyielding, Star Spirit Power (Residual), Astral Blessing (Residual), War Star Protection (Expired)...]
Li Lin was shocked to see that even in this fatal, near-death state, Atreus's body was slowly healing, his health steadily rising. This was the result of the residual War Star Spirit power, but it wasn't the main cause. After all, the star power left in him was minimal, not enough to heal even this level of injury. It was Atreus's indomitable will to resist death that played a key role. Furthermore, Aatrox's main target had been Pantheon himself, not Atreus. The damage to his body was minimal, allowing him to survive.
The gods are dead, but mortals endure.
However, with Li Lin's intervention, Atreus's fate had taken a different turn.
He couldn't drag his injured body to face the Darkin Aatrox, nor could he battle him as a mere mortal. In the end, he called upon the "Atreus" star from the War Constellation using sheer willpower, and with a single strike, severed the arm of the Blade of the Dark and cut off his connection to his true form. However, Atreus couldn't inherit the title of "Pantheon" and declare war on all Starborn, Ascended, and other excessively powerful beings—he only fought for mortals.
Li Lin and the AI had calculated many ways to counter this. The plan was simple: bring Atreus to the brink of death and then use his willpower to ignite the power of the War Star. In short, it meant beating Atreus within an inch of his life without killing him. Luckily, with Li Lin around, the wealth bar still had over 100,000 blue essence. Even if Atreus was on the verge of death, he could be revived with a "Holy Healing Potion" from the [Essence Shop].
Li Lin silently shook his head and extended his right index finger. The nanomachines at its tip rapidly shifted into a sharp needle. He slowly inserted the needle into Atreus' neck, where blood was still matted with wounds. The nanomachines streamed into his bloodstream, rapidly circulating through his body, healing the injuries as the mechanical cells transformed into flesh and blood. This was Li Lin's latest technology—nanomechanical repair, based on the principle of material conversion. Although his understanding of "material conversion" was still at a basic application level, it was enough to transform real-world substances into different forms. The AI couldn't analyze the quantum theory behind it, just as it could barely analyze the "bug-level" defensive force fields. However, the technology was in his hands, and time was running out, so Li Lin had no time to delve into its theory.
The consumption of the nanomaterial from the exoskeleton exceeded Li Lin's expectations. Reluctantly, he had the AI teleport more nanobots from the Piltover warehouse to replenish the supplies and continued repairing Atreus' battered body. After using more nanomaterial than would be needed for multiple strong adult men, Atreus' body was finally restored, with even the coagulated blood clots and stains completely cleared by the nanobots.
"Hey, wake up, don't sleep," Li Lin removed Atreus' Rakkor battle helmet, revealing his mohawk-style, spiky hair. He then gently patted the man's slightly gaunt face, which was covered with a dense beard.
"Ugh…" The man groaned, disoriented. His tightly closed eyes shifted, slowly opening a crack. Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing? These philosophical questions floated through Atreus' mind as he struggled to make sense of his surroundings. The blinding sunlight made him instinctively raise his hand to shield his eyes. Through the calloused fingers, weathered by battle, his vision slowly sharpened from a blur to clarity. He saw a strange face, one that didn't belong to the people of Lahorak.
"Who are you…?" Atreus rasped, his dry, cracked lips licking the air as he spoke. "Water… do you have water?"
Li Lin had already anticipated this moment. He handed Atreus a bottle of water that still carried a coolness, and then effortlessly pulled the man into a sitting position. Atreus looked at the bottle in his hand, feeling its chilling touch—something completely foreign to him. His confusion deepened as he looked up at Li Lin, who wore high-tech armor with only his head visible.
"What is this? Who are you…?"
"Aren't you thirsty?" Li Lin twisted the cap with two fingers. "This is bottled water from a Piltover shop. It's not entirely natural, but at least it's not polluted."
Atreus' head was still hazy, his memories fragmented. The only thing that remained clear was the image of a war star overtaking him and his battle with a Darkin being named Aatrox. Then, suddenly, Atreus' eyes widened. He forgot the water for a moment, looking down at his chest and feeling for the fatal wound. It was gone.
"Did you save me?" Atreus asked, looking up in astonishment, meeting Li Lin's gaze. "How did you do it?"
"Piltover's technology. I developed it myself," Li Lin replied calmly, glancing at the bottle in Atreus' hand. "You spilled some water."
Atreus froze for a moment, noticing the drops of water trickling down his fingers and onto his hand. He quickly licked a few drops before wiping them away. Due to the geographical conditions and altitude of the Giant's Peak mountain range, it was always snow-covered, with plenty of freshwater lakes and rivers. Water was not as scarce as it would be in the harsh climate of Shurima, but it was still precious to the Rakkor people and the Vastaaya Otter clan, who lived there. Freshwater often meant violent struggles between tribes and bandits.
"Thank you," Atreus said gratefully, eager to drink. But instead of gulping it down, he took a small sip to moisten his dry mouth. After a couple more sips to ease his sore throat, he returned the bottle to Li Lin, twisting the cap back on and fastening it to his belt.
"I'm Atreus, a native of the High Plateau Valley, a member of the Rakkor Military Corps…"
"Stop, stop. I know who you are, Atreus—or the host of the War Star," Li Lin interjected. People from Runeterra always seemed to introduce themselves with long titles or additional titles, and Li Lin was more eager to send Aatrox back to the Sun City than to listen to lengthy introductions.
"Uh…" Atreus awkwardly scratched his thick beard, hesitating as if unsure what to say next.
"I'm Li Lin, from the Kiramman family of Piltover," Li Lin quickly introduced himself.
"Li Lin, Li Lin…" Atreus repeated the name, his eyes distant. "Thank you for saving my life. Has the Darkin left?"
Afraid that Li Lin might not understand what had happened, Atreus added, "Actually… that was me. I fought with him and was defeated by him."
"I know," Li Lin raised an eyebrow and chuckled lightly. "I witnessed the whole battle."
Atreus' face showed a hint of confusion. "That Darkin…?"
"I already took care of him," Li Lin replied.
(End of Chapter)
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