On the Emperor's Avenue entirely paved with gold, Azir silently walked at the forefront.
Li Lin, Kassadin, and Sivir, who was being pulled by Li Lin, followed him from afar.
"Hey! Have you all gone mad?! Why don't we escape while we can?" Sivir shouted from a distance, looking at the majestic and imposing figure of the emperor with an eagle armor tens of meters away.
Her face was filled with anxiety.
Over two hours ago, after Sivir was revived by the water of life, Azir went to the inner hall of the ancient tomb sanctuary and obtained a magically linked golden scepter.
During the following time, Azir had been moving within the Sun City, using the celestial magic he had just acquired to reconstruct one building after another.
Sivir was initially very wary of this newly revived emperor. She thought about escaping quietly with Li Lin and Kassadin while he was busy.
She felt that this old guy, who had just been revived from the tomb, occasionally chanted ancient Shuriman language from the ancient times and talked to himself in the silent Yellow Sand City, was mentally abnormal.
Maybe, in a moment of madness, he might bury everything he had just built back into the ground...
Or perhaps, having revived himself with the magical spring water, he suddenly felt that she owed him and demanded repayment.
However, what surprised Sivir was that Li Lin actually rejected her proposal to leave.
Not only him, even Kassadin didn't want to leave either.
Just when Sivir was ready to give up and escape on her own, she was stopped by Li Lin.
Initially, Sivir resisted and almost had a falling out with Li Lin and Kassadin.
However, he rewarded her with a set of portable foldable power armor, only asking her to follow them in the Sun City for some time.
After careful consideration, Sivir reluctantly agreed.
There was no choice; that power armor was too powerful.
However, Li Lin didn't mention that Sivir's foldable power armor was far inferior to the ones he and Kassadin possessed...
"Why are you always thinking about running away?" Li Lin, who had already opened his mask, couldn't help but turn around and roll his eyes at Sivir. "You're of royal blood. Why are you so afraid of your ancestors?"
"Who knows if he is really my ancestor? The concept of imperial bloodline is too elusive and uncertain; there's no way to confirm it." Sivir refused to admit such things on the surface.
But in fact, she could clearly feel the connection between her and Azir's bloodlines. This was not something she could deceive anyone about.
Imperial bloodline... perhaps.
But what did that even mean? Would this guy make me the emperor?
Sivir sneered inwardly as she glanced at Azir in the distance.
For her, gold coins were the most important.
Li Lin understood Sivir quite well. Through her actions in her original timeline, he could roughly guess what she was thinking now.
"Sivir, it's your bloodline that revived Azir, and it's because of you that he can complete the ascension ritual... If we have to put it bluntly, he's probably thanking you. How could he possibly demand anything in return?" Li Lin, seeing through Sivir's thoughts, continued to persuade her.
Sivir, with a flickering gaze, averted her eyes, feeling guilty. "I... I didn't say such things..."
"Then why do you keep thinking about running away?"
Sivir hesitated, "..."
"You want gold, right? Look at the road beneath our feet." Li Lin took advantage of his victory and continued persuading, "This whole road is paved with gold. Is the Shuriman Empire lacking in gold?"
Sivir remained silent.
"Obviously, it's not lacking. Moreover, you have royal blood, you're Azir's descendant, a member of the royal family... If you stay, do you think you still need to worry about gold?"
Besides, there's someone outside who wants to sever Azir's bloodline. If he finds out about you, he will surely find ways to get rid of you.
Li Lin added silently in his mind.
Sivir opened her mouth, wanting to retort, but didn't know what to say.
But thinking about it carefully... what he just said seems to make sense.
Sivir lowered her head in silence for a moment, then immediately shook her head in a self-deprecating manner.
No!
How could you let yourself be brainwashed by such words, Sivir?
If I really am the so-called descendant of the emperor, and this old guy, who has been sleeping for thousands of years, confines me to the Sun City and doesn't let me leave, what should I do?
She subconsciously looked towards the forefront of the Emperor's Avenue, leading to the city's second-highest point and the palace with the most sunlight coverage from the sun disc.
In this city of silent desolation, there were only herself and Azir in that deep and grand palace...
The mere thought of those days ahead was enough to convey the difficulty they would face.
Sivir gritted her teeth, preparing to ask Li Lin and Kassadin one last time. If they refused to leave, she would rather abandon the power armor and depart from the imperial capital.
However, as she lifted her head, she was stunned by a scene in the distance.
Azir, with head held high and chest puffed out, struck a proud pose. Golden sand particles rose from the roadside rocks, flowing between his left claws, swiftly converging on both sides of the road, creating lifelike figures.
It was the manifestation of the Shuriman Empire's influence before the disaster, meticulously recreated by him using the power of an Ascended.
All the people made of dust, assembled on both sides of the Emperor's Avenue, gazed towards the hovering sun disc and the top of the temple. There, the royal family and the sun priests stood on the Ascension Platform, venerating the grand emperor's ascension ceremony.
However, soon, the excitement on everyone's faces turned into fear. People screamed and scattered in vain. An invisible wave of energy instantly annihilated them, turning them into dust and sand, swept away by the incoming strong winds.
At this moment, Li Lin, Kassadin, and Sivir, who were still in shock, keenly felt Azir's sorrow in the distance.
Azir didn't linger for too long; his figure became more resolute, his strides larger. Soon, he reached the base of the Ascension Platform.
"Let's wait for him here," Kassadin reminded in time. "Except for those of royal blood, the emperor's trusted people, and the sun priests, no one else can ascend the steps of the Ascension Platform."
Li Lin nodded, turning around to look at Sivir, who was still dumbfounded, staring at Azir and the image formed by the sand.
She, for the moment, had stopped thinking about escaping.
In the short time Li Lin turned around, Azir had already taken five steps in one, sprinting up the Ascension Steps at an astonishing speed.
The image beside him dispersed and reorganized, cyclically replicating everything that happened here thousands of years ago.
Finally, Azir reached the top of the Ascension Platform, surrounded by the last group of onlookers in a circular formation. His assistants, advisors, sun priest bishops, and his pregnant wife, along with his daughter and son, who had grown up. All of them held their heads high.
Below the steps, Li Lin and the others looked at Azir with heavy hearts. He collapsed and knelt on the ground, extending helpless hands, wanting to touch those family members he had painstakingly restored.
However, the next moment, they were obliterated by an invisible force, just like the subjects on both sides of the Emperor's Avenue...
After a moment of silence, Azir slowly stood up under the Ascension Shrine.
Everyone present could see that Azir, who had been human three thousand years ago, was being drawn by the power of ascension into the air.
However, at this moment, another figure made of sand suddenly appeared, attracting everyone's attention—Xerath.
His lips moved, uttering cryptic incantations. The next moment, Azir in mid-air was pulled by a dark arcane energy, forcibly thrown down from the Ascension Shrine, turning into ashes amid the endless fires of the sun and the magic of the celestial realms.
Immediately after, on the Ascension Platform, a group of elite Sun Warriors rushed towards Xerath, who was slowly ascending.
However, the power of ascension from the sun disc had already been injected into his body, reshaping his flesh and blood into a formless mass of arcane energy.
One who is not acknowledged will never achieve a perfect ascension posture.
As this immense starry energy was stolen by Xerath, the ruthless and uncontrollable energy aftermath instantly swept across the entire Shurima, disintegrating all the remnants made of yellow sand.
Azir took a sharp breath.
Even after becoming an ascendant, part of his emotions had been severed by the power of the celestial god.
But the blazing anger burning in his heart could still be heard in his voice, "Xerath!"
Azir's voice was majestic and hoarse.
He tightened the scepter in his hand, turned around, and looked in a direction. Through the sand beneath his feet, he could sense an evil arcane energy somewhere in the desert.
"Your sins are unforgivable!"
(End of this chapter)
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Azir recreated the scenes from the past, confirming that the one responsible for his failed ascension was none other than Xerath, whom he once trusted the most.
As the first rays of dawn illuminated Azir's golden eagle armor, he quickly steadied his breath and leaped from the Ascension Platform. The swirling yellow sand cradled his celestial body, slowing his descent.
More than ten seconds later, Azir landed gracefully in front of Li Lin, Kassadin, and Sivir.
His eyes, ablaze with golden magical flames, first looked at Sivir, briefly lingered on Kassadin, and finally focused on Li Lin, the apparent leader.
Li Lin's throat involuntarily moved as he swallowed.
Under the gaze of a god-like celestial warrior, claiming not to feel any pressure would be a blatant lie.
"An exquisite armor that allows an ordinary person to unleash extraordinary power," Azir remarked with a hint of nostalgia. "Is this your creation? It reminds me of another tech-savvy celestial warrior from Icathia..."
Hearing this, Li Lin immediately thought of a name—Tyrant Ne'Zuk
He was a great elemental mage from ixtal, well-versed in magical technology. After qualifying for ascension and becoming an Ascendant, Ne'Zuk conducted extensive research in the field of arcane technology.
Many intricate mechanisms in imperial tombs were designed under his supervision.
During the Void War, he developed a colossal floating fortress—Monolith—that could accommodate tens of thousands of great mages and other celestial warriors from Icathia. Its size was comparable to a city, floating from Icathia to Shurima, bringing down thunderstorms like divine punishment.
Under Ne'Zuk's leadership, Monolith battled the Void monsters near Icathia for several weeks. Countless elemental cannons obliterated mountains, leveling the terrain for layers, and the destructive magic and elemental spells were enough to wipe out a civilization, turning a continent into a distant memory.
Yet, even so, they failed to defeat the relentless onslaught of Void monsters.
Twisting and corrupting, the Void eventually consumed Monolith. Despite its self-healing capabilities and endless magic, it couldn't escape the fate of destruction.
Apart from Ne'Zuk, all other elemental mages, including celestial warriors, perished.
Realizing the futility of battling the Void, Ne'Zuk, abandoning the creed of celestial warriors, betrayed the Empire and fled for his life.
In simple terms, Ne'Zuk was an Ascendant who betrayed the Shuriman Empire...
Noticing Li Lin's somewhat fearful expression, Azir chuckled:
"It seems you've heard of that traitor. I don't mean anything by it; I'm just amazed that an ordinary human like you can master such exquisite craftsmanship."
With that said, his tone suddenly changed, "But... I'm curious about the celestial weapons you two possess."
Azir looked at Sivir's Shuriman Crossblade, then glanced at the gauntlet on Kassadin's right hand that stored the Void Reaver.
"Chalicar was buried by the Grand Magister in an undisclosed location when the ancestral Setaka died during the Void War. As for the Void Reaver of Horok, during my reign, he used it to slay numerous illusionists."
"I want to know, why do these two weapons end up in your hands?"
Azir's tone carried a hint of inquiry.
Damn, is he going to take away my Crossblade?
Seeing this, Sivir couldn't help but furrow her brows, gripping Chalicar tightly.
Kassadin, on the other hand, looked terrified, lowering his head, preparing to explain. However, Li Lin spoke up first:
"Your Majesty, forgive my boldness. You might not be aware of what happened after your long slumber..."
Li Lin respectfully bowed to Azir, maintaining a tone that was neither humble nor arrogant.
"Oh?" A flicker of flame danced in Azir's eyes. "Tell me, why does Sivir have Chalicar, a location known only to the Grand Magister, and why would Horok give his Void Reaver to an ordinary human?"
The invisible pressure of the king and celestial being on Azir made Li Lin somewhat breathless.
He took a deep breath, briefly narrating what he knew, events seldom recorded in the Rune Wars' history.
After the empire's demise, most surviving celestial warriors from the Void War lost their leadership without the emperor's guidance. Although they were immortal, their souls remained those of ordinary humans. Corrupted by the Void, they inevitably harbored mundane ambitions.
Without the constraints of the Shuriman Empire, these fallen Ascendants spent long years studying forbidden dark arts. Believing themselves to be the legitimate heirs of the empire, they fought and betrayed each other, revealing the brutal and bloody side of those corrupted by the Void.
The people scornfully called them the "Darkin," a cryptic curse in ancient Shuriman that roughly translated to "the Fallen."
In the Darkin War, some Darkin were ambushed to death, like Horok, who died at the hands of Ne'Zuk.
Another faction of Darkin, in a subsequent Darkin assembly, were manipulated and plotted against by a twilight celestial being named Myisha, empowered by the stars. Using Chalicar, she eliminated most Darkin present.
In the following years, Myisha taught humans how to use the weapons bestowed by the celestial beings on the first Ascendants to kill the Darkin. Those Darkin too powerful to be killed were sealed within their weapons...
After listening to Li Lin's account, Azir fell into a long silence.
As a celestial warrior, his eyes, enhanced by the magic of the star realm, could easily pierce through the souls of ordinary humans.
He could tell that Li Lin was not lying.
After the fall of the Shuriman Empire, the fallen Ascendants did indeed have a profound impact on the world.
As for Kassadin and Sivir behind Li Lin, they were even more shocked by the legend that was rarely recorded in the History.
Especially for Kassadin.
The curses of those celestial warriors, star magic, and such, he could reluctantly accept these claims as they were somewhat passed down in the records of Shurima.
But this Darkin legend, it was almost impossible to have complete records of it, yet Li Lin seemed to have a clear understanding of the beginning and end of the Darkin War.
Moreover, judging from Azir's reaction, what he said seemed to be true, not some oral legend he heard somewhere...
Kassadin felt a slight disturbance in his heart. The way Li Lin looked at him had changed.
This mysterious Ionian lad, how many secrets did he still hide?
Li Lin gave Azir a moment of contemplation, then continued, "The acquisition of the divine weapons by Kassadin and Sivir could be seen as a mere coincidence."
This statement was not false.
Sivir, commissioned to find Chalicar, happened upon it conveniently and claimed it for herself. Kassadin's situation was even more fortuitous. His expedition's initial goal was treasure, and the "Blade of the Abyss" was merely an additional item, later sold in Zaun.
If he hadn't been seeking a weapon to combat the Void, the Blade of the Abyss would still be sitting as a collectible in some alchemist's possession...
Azir found no fault in Li Lin's words.
Continuing, Li Lin said, "Moreover, Sivir is your descendant. Her ability to wield the Emperor's Chalicar signifies its acknowledgment of her. As for Kassadin..."
Li Lin glanced at him, "His homeland was devoured by the Void, and he seeks vengeance for his wife and daughter, using it to battle the Void..."
The Void...
At the mention of this term, the flames in Azir's eyes surged, "They have returned?!"
Kassadin couldn't hold back, interjecting with a sorrowful tone, "Yes, Your Majesty. A man named Malzahar, known as the 'Prophet,' brought the Void back from Icathia to Shurima.
"He tore open a Void rift in the Songhaven Valley, southeast of Shurima, devouring everyone in my village. I want to use this divine weapon, which once pierced the heart of the Void, to fight against them and avenge my family."
"Battling the Void is an undeniable duty for every divine warrior, but it doesn't require..."
Azir's words were cut short as he suddenly realized that there were almost no divine warriors left now. He sighed, changing his approach, "Using the weapons of divine warriors to fight the Void and avenge your family is a noble idea. However, don't let hatred blind your eyes.
"With just the Blade of the Abyss and the meager magical blessing on your armor, it's far from enough. You don't understand the terror of the Void.
"Even divine warriors couldn't avoid being corrupted by the Void. As an ordinary person like you, merely gazing into the abyss of the Void will consume you."
Kassadin expelled a heavy breath, "I appreciate Your Majesty's concern, but my decision is made. I will battle the Void until the very end, until its demise... and I have this."
He retrieved a box from his satchel, engraved with intricate runic symbols, containing something with a Void essence.
Azir narrowed his eyes, sensing the Void aura emanating from the box, "What is this... and where did you get it?!"
"It's a collection of a Zaun alchemist," Kassadin confessed. "I stole it."
Azir's gaze sharpened; he could feel the Void presence within.
"It's said to be a fragment from a monolith during the Void War. While most monoliths were consumed by the Void, this particular stone is unique. It maintains a special connection with the Void on my body... Holding it can prevent the fate of being consumed by the Void."
"But you don't know the consequences it might bring," Azir's tone was serious. "Anything associated with the Void will eventually lead you to be devoured by them."
"At that time, I will choose to do it at the cost of my life."
Azir silently stared into Kassadin's resolute eyes for a while.
"Very well... Since Horok is dead, rather than letting his weapon lie in the darkness, let it fulfill its final purpose."
He shook his head, turning his gaze back to Li Lin, "Now, let us discuss your matter."
Li Lin's face displayed a surprised expression, "... Me?"
(End of this chapter)
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