An agreement was reached, and Li Lin sent mechanical engineers to release Katarina and Talon, who had been locked away in the dungeon for months. He also removed the magic-dampening bands from their wrists.
After such a long period of imprisonment, Talon's spirit seemed relatively unharmed. Having grown up in the impoverished slums of Noxus, he had seen the darkest aspects of society. To survive, he had been forced to steal, kill, and fight, becoming extremely adaptable to his environment. A mere prison cage was nothing to him.
However, Katarina looked a bit worn out. Upon seeing her old acquaintances, Swain and Darius, she was so overcome with emotion that tears nearly spilled from her eyes. Though she had been raised as an assassin under her father's tutelage and always strove to attain the highest honor of the assassins—the "Sinister Blade"—she was still a child from a noble family. Having been separated from magic for so long, her resolve couldn't quite match Talon's.
Swain said little, but after exchanging pleasantries with Li Lin, he took them back to his warship. Then, he had his people arrange a meeting with Mel and Cassandra, offering a considerable toll fee in exchange for permission for Noxus to pass through Piltover's canals and head toward the Immortal Bastion via the Guardian's Sea.
With Noxus' matters settled, Li Lin returned to his busy work. Time passed quickly, and in no time, a month had gone by. Under Li Lin and Azir's supervision, the transformation of the Sun Disc was nearing completion.
Meanwhile, Aatrox returned from Ixtal, holding a pair of bloodstained, poison-coated serrated rings. These were the weapons of the Darkin Varus' sister, and like her brother, She possessed terrifying eyes that struck fear into other Ascended. They were also skilled in curses and venom—this was the serpentine darkin, Valeeva.
Aatrox had found his sister, but like him, she was in the form of a weapon. Varus, who had been meditating and enduring the prison's tortures, was devastated by the sight. He knew the torment of being sealed within a weapon, and he also understood that Aatrox, who had once fought alongside him as a comrade, shared that pain.
When Varus saw Valeeva for the first time, he begged Aatrox to convey his message to the God Emperor, requesting that the seal be broken on his sister, as she was his last remaining family. He was willing to pay any price.
Azir agreed, offering the same terms that had been given to Aatrox. Varus and his sister, Valeeva, could break their seals and even rebuild their Ascended forms. However, they would still be considered guilty and required to atone for their sins in the upcoming war against the Void.
When the Void's return was mentioned, Varus's eyes ignited with the flames of vengeance. His response was immediate and intense. It was because of the Void that Icathia had dared to challenge Shurima's authority, slaughtering surrounding villages, cities, and nations that refused to ally with Shurima. Varus' homeland had been destroyed in this very way.
Azir and Nasus couldn't help but sigh. Nasus had been a direct witness to the atrocities of Icathia and had heard of Varus' story. He had once been the epitome of loyalty and honor to the empire, guarding temples while his comrades left to defend surrounding villages. He had remained steadfast in his duty. After being invited to join the Ascended, Varus had become a prominent figure in Icathia, his arrows, like those of a celestial, soaring across the skies and making immense contributions.
Though Azir had not been born in that era, as a ruler, he had heard of the deeds of most of the Ascended, and Varus was one of the notable figures.
By the time the third-generation Sun Disc was completed, Azir, using sand, raised Varus and his sister, Valeeva, who held the crystal longbow and serrated rings, onto the Ascension altar. Accompanying them were Li Lin's mechanical engineers, who had spent a month searching for the last known location of the darkin scythe, Rhaast. They had finally unearthed it from the miniature rune lands.
The transformed Sun Disc possessed purifying properties against evil entities. Varus, whose flesh had been merged with blood magic, felt a sharp, burning pain as the Disc began to dissolve his power, unraveling him from the outside in.
Soon, he could no longer bear the purifying light and collapsed to his knees, the crystal longbow falling from his grasp. Azir used his sand to lift it along with the other two weapons.
As the blood magic was burned away by the Sun Disc's light, its corrosive effects were erased, but the damage it had done could not be reversed.
Freed from Varus's control, the two darkin hunters—Valmar and Kai—were completely liberated. Although their bodies and souls had fused beyond magical separation, they found solace in their shared soul bond and did not mind, as regaining their freedom was the best outcome.
After they were removed from the Ascension altar, Azir, following Li Lin's instructions, spoke the incantation to activate the Sun Disc. A golden beam shot upward from the top of the Disc, reaching beyond the heavens. Within moments, a response came.
The celestial energy began to pour into the Sun Disc in a steady stream. The golden beam reflected off the Disc, then bent sharply, consuming the three darkin weapons and dissolving the crimson aura around them.
In the blink of an eye, the metallic crackling sounds of three weapons reverberated through the city, shaking the Sun City of Azir with the power of their release.
The dazzling light reached high into the sky, drawing the attention of nearly all the citizens, who instinctively turned their gazes toward the Ascension altar beneath the Sun Disc.
As the light slowly faded, three familiar figures appeared before the crowd.
First, there was Varus, holding a crystal longbow, his form now resembling a toad with golden, holy skin.
Next, Valeeva appeared, holding a silver-white ring blade. She had a snake-like appearance, with scales covering her skin and armor, all glinting with silver-white hues.
Finally, Rhaast emerged, wielding a massive scythe. His appearance resembled a hamster with large horns, wearing white-gold armor similar to Aatrox's.
The return of these three near-perfect Ascended, now empowered by the divine strength of the Star Forged Dragon King, had corrected their previous flaws and significantly boosted their Ascended powers.
With the addition of these three, the Shuriman Empire now boasted seven Ascended warriors, including Renekton. This greatly improved their chances of victory in the upcoming battle against Bel'veth and the eventual arrival of the Void, three months from now.
As the trio descended from the sky, they each lowered their weapons, crossed their hands over their chests, and knelt, their left legs bent and right knees on the ground, to salute Azir, who had been lifted to the Ascension altar by the sands.
"Rhaast/Varus/Valeeva, bow before the God Emperor!" they said in unison.
(End of Chapter)
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