Void Beetle Evolution Guide

She flew southeast and within half a day she saw huge footprints. To be precise, they were bird-like claw marks, starkly appearing on the desert, stretching to the horizon.

"Why are they claw marks? What is Naganeka's true form again?" A sense of unease suddenly rose in Portil's heart, and he couldn't help but ask.

“It should be related to snakes, but she was sealed inside a ballista,” Wild Hunt replied after a moment’s thought.

"But these look like bird claw marks. If she can fly, wouldn't I be in serious trouble?"

Portil has already witnessed the power of the Darkin. If even the only advantage of flight is lost, what's the point of tracking them? They should stay as far away as possible, otherwise they'll be lambs to the slaughter.

"It's possible, but such a long string of footprints suggests that even if she had wings, she wouldn't be good at flying. Let's wait and see; I won't force you if I'm not sure."

With the Wild Hunt's assurance, Portil steadied herself and set off again. As night quietly enveloped the land and the stars twinkled, she finally spotted Naganek's trail in the distance.

Unlike the other Darkin, Naganekia is the only one in the Wild Hunt, besides Aatrox, whose name is somewhat recognizable among this group of background Darkin, because she attended a meeting known in later generations as the Twilight of the Gods and left some records.

During that meeting, Tayanari took out Charikar, the weapon of the ascended Queen Setaka, intending to use this divine weapon to command the lords, unify the Darkin who ruled over various regions, end the war, and usher in peace.

Little did he know that this was all a conspiracy orchestrated by the Protoss in secret. He was captured and killed by the Twilight Protoss disguised as his handmaiden, and he personally destroyed his brothers and sisters.

Of the ten Darkin, some died and others were wounded, with only three managing to escape, one of whom was Naganeka. (The remaining text appears to be gibberish and unrelated to the initial statement.)

These Darkin ascended bodies were directly destroyed by Charichar's power, without even the chance to be sealed into Darkin weapons, and completely disappeared from the world.

Although Naganekah managed to escape, she was severely injured and ultimately could not escape being defeated by the Protoss, becoming one of the first Darkin to be sealed into weapons.

However, contrary to Wild Hunt's expectations, Naganek's appearance at this time had little to do with snakes; instead, it resembled a strange bird like a griffin.

She was entirely black, covered in raven-like feathers, had no wings, and her limbs were sharp like eagle claws. Her thick muscles were exposed to the air as she ran back and forth across the desert, leaving a trail of claw marks.

Her head was covered by a layer of sturdy, pale gold bone plates that extended backward into a neatly edged fan-shaped crown. Her beak was sharp, and her eyes were red, giving her an extremely ferocious appearance.

On its back is a huge crossbow connected to its spine, with sharp bone arrows ready in the barrel. A long tail trails behind the crossbow, which occasionally sweeps away the footprints left behind.

However, as a Darkin, there were very few beings who could threaten her, so she didn't care much about concealing her whereabouts, and would just glance at things casually when she remembered.

Upon seeing Naganek's appearance from afar, Portil breathed a sigh of relief. The bad news was that it really was a bird; the good news was that it didn't have wings.

“Regarding Naga Neka’s appearance, I do recall…” Wild Hunt explained, “She was initially discovered in the eastern plains of Noxus, which was a farm. So it’s highly likely that she took over a wild animal like a free-range chicken as her host, which is why she looks like this.”

"Free-range chicken...this is too casual." Portil was speechless. It was rare to encounter a Darkin who didn't care about face and was willing to accept any ingredient that could be found anywhere.

However, as soon as she finished speaking, she felt a murderous aura lock onto her.

Naganek suddenly stopped, turned around abruptly, lowered his head, and aimed the crossbow on his back at her. The sharp arrows gleamed coldly in the night sky.

This scene immediately reminded her of the time not long ago when Anaka aimed a spear at her.

"Not good!" She immediately flapped her wings and rose in altitude. Just as she reacted, an arrow shot out, tearing through the air with a sharp whistling sound.

Unable to dodge in time, Portil could only resort to his old trick: transforming into human form to reduce his size, hoping he wouldn't be so unlucky as to be hit.

The Wild Hunt didn't make a move in the end, because the arrow luckily grazed past Portil and disappeared into the night sky.

“Don’t turn back,” Wild Hunt said to Portil.

He caught her just as Portil was about to fall to the ground. The giant claw appeared strategically, hiding behind a sand dune and blocking Naganeka's view.

After placing Portil back on the ground, the Wild Hunt quietly observed him for a moment longer.

Unlike Anaka, Naganeka did not rush forward the instant the arrow was released, giving the enemy no chance to catch their breath.

She remained in place, on guard, the crossbow on her back already reloaded, her scarlet eyes fixed on the sand dune.

"Don't move. She's watching us. She'll be gone in a second if she shows her face," Wild Hunt warned.

Portil looked distressed. Perhaps because they were all Celestial Warriors in their previous lives, these Darkin all gave her a strong sense of oppression. Tracking them was a really tough job.

About ten minutes later, Naganeka finally released the lock, turned around and continued heading towards Icathia.

Portil poked his head out from behind the dune, crossed his arms with a resentful look on his face, and said, "Now look what's happened. The ballistae on her back aren't just for show. If I keep following her, I'll be shot sooner or later."

She wanted the Wild Hunt to back down and proceed with the backup plan, but the Wild Hunt didn't think so.

"Let's continue following in human form. Although we'll still leave footprints in the sand when we're invisible, it's much more concealed than when we're in human form."

"Ugh, wouldn't that be exhausting?!" Portil complained dejectedly.

Obviously, to catch up with Naganek on foot, she would need to use her armor to enhance her ability to run non-stop. Even if the armor could continuously replenish her stamina, the thought of running across the desert for an entire day without rest was exhausting.

This made her miss the days when Kai'Sa was around. If Kai'Sa were here, this task would never have fallen to her.

“Go after them. As long as you keep Naganeka in sight, I will reward you handsomely.”

Wild Hunt slapped Portil's pert buttocks, then casually kneaded her round, white breasts. Portil's heart fluttered, recalling that passionate night on the cliffs of the Howling Abyss. Only then did she feel motivated and start running.

Once upon a time, in order to escape the clutches of the mad hunter, she too was violated and manipulated by him, her human body being used to desperately search for a way to survive on the frozen lake.

Now, for the sake of excitement, she can temporarily disregard danger ahead.

Chapter 363 The Ambush of the Earth-Hiding Beast

For the next three days, Portil continued to chase Naganeka, gradually venturing deeper into the desert and arriving at the territory of the Void Burrowing Beasts.

After Kai'Sa and the Wild Hunt eliminated Queen Rek'Sai, the oppression from the top of the food chain disappeared.

Without the constraints of apex predators, more and more mature individuals gradually emerged in the Exeede population.

These adults will attack and devour each other, eventually emerging as a king through a process akin to raising poisonous insects.

This king either had to establish himself before the other kings completely devoured and annexed the territory Rek'Sai had occupied during his lifetime, or he would become food for the more powerful kings.

A war will eventually break out among the kings, and from it a new queen will be born to rule this vast desert once more.

The sheer size of Naganeka, operating on the surface, inevitably attracted the attention of the underground monsters, drawing all the nearby burrowing beasts and creating a monster horde.

Wild Hunt and Kai'Sa had encountered beast tides before when they were together, but the scale of this beast tide was beyond their imagination.

The earth began to tremble, and countless dorsal fins emerged from beneath the sandy seabed, like dense fangs sprouting from the ground, swarming towards the Darkin ahead. All the earth-burrowing beasts within a hundred miles were attracted, their numbers roughly estimated to exceed ten thousand—a terrifying scale even he had never encountered before.

"My God... what are all these things?!"

Portil stared wide-eyed as she stood on the sand dune, where she saw countless strange purple dorsal fins still emerging from the sea of ​​sand.

This gave her a sense of déjà vu, a feeling she had never seen before, just like the chilling feeling she had when Lissandra first brought her to the army of slaves, an instinctive unease from the bottom of her heart.

"Don't move. They use vibrations to locate their prey. The slightest movement will trigger their attack." Wild Hunt's voice rang out softly, like a lover embracing you from behind and gently blowing a breeze past your ear.

Portil experienced a moment of blissful intoxication; she admitted it felt wonderful. But as more and more dorsal fins emerged, some brushing past her feet, a chill ran down her spine—how could she possibly remain still?

As they moved, the pressure they exerted on the surrounding sand created a undulating sensation that reached Botil's feet. She stood frozen in place, watching her feet sink deeper and deeper into the sand, the feeling of being buried filling her with panic.

Even more terrifying, she didn't even know what these monsters looked like.

The unknown is the most terrifying fear. The thought of being attacked at any moment made Potil tremble instinctively, unable to bear the fear. In the end, he chose to transform back into a dragon and take off, immediately leaving the perilous desert.

The instant she took off, countless demons simultaneously leaped out from beneath the sand sea, their powerful forelimbs waving. Their mouths, filled with drooling, needle-like teeth, made terrifying sounds as they snapped and clenched their teeth.

These creatures have no concept of size difference. No matter how many times larger the target is than itself, as long as it is alive, they will bite it without hesitation.

Portil roared and kicked wildly with her hind legs, swatting away the Exes who tried to attack her. Even the slightest touch sent chills down her spine.

She breathed icy air down her feet, freezing the faceless, hideous monsters into ice sculptures. This formed a layer of ice beneath her feet that could temporarily slow the Sha Clan's leap from the sand sea, while simultaneously using the recoil from her breath to accelerate her ascent.

After ascending to a safe altitude, Pottier looked down at the chaotic and turbulent Sha Clan with lingering fear.

She had never seen such bizarre creatures before; these monsters were a strange combination of sword-like limbs, drooling fangs, and chitinous shells.

The ribs protrude outwards, as if the skeleton is wrapped around the flesh of the back. The high-rising spine grows straight bone spurs, and pulsating purple light shines through the gaps in the skeleton.

Its chest, abdomen, and limbs are completely covered by carapace. It has no tail, but it possesses animal joints.

Some crawl like crouching wild beasts, while others stand on their hind limbs like dinosaurs, but none of them have eyes. The only thing they have is a dorsal fin, which is the organ they use to sense vibrations.

"How can the underground of Shurima be filled with this stuff?!" Portil complained to the Wild Hunt, having no idea what she was about to face.

"You're a dragon, calm down. I've even killed their queen, these grunts are nothing." The Wild Hunt's calm voice echoed in Portil's mind, and he remained unmoved.

"Humans are afraid of insects, so why can't dragons be afraid of void beasts? It's not like you're standing there making sarcastic remarks." Portil was furious and embarrassed. After waiting a while and seeing that the monsters were no longer a threat to him, he asked angrily, "Their queen... compared to the Darkin in front of us, who is stronger?"

"The Queen is still much more powerful."

Even if Wild Hunt and Kai'Sa team up again to deal with Rek'Sai now, they can't guarantee a victory.

Back then, they used the siege ballistae brought by Cassiopeia to wear it down, and finally attracted the Sand Devourer Shamok to severely injure Rex before they could barely eliminate it.

It combines favorable timing, location, and human factors, and is not something that can be easily replicated.

As for the Dark Ones, if there are only one or two, they won't put that much pressure on him.

Speaking of the Darkin, Naganekia also noticed the strangeness around her. She quickened her pace, abandoning her will to fight, attempting to escape before the Sha could surround her.

However, from high above, Portil saw countless dorsal fins circling along Naganek's inevitable path. These Exys constantly stirred the sand sea, making the gaps between the sand grains extremely loose, thus forming a huge quicksand vortex, just waiting for the Darkin to plunge headlong into this deadly trap.

Unfortunately, Naganek's host was a chicken, and with all four legs on the ground, her vision was very low. If it were a humanoid host standing upright, she might have been able to see the terrifying danger lurking behind the sand dunes.

For a fleeting moment, Portil even considered speaking up to warn his enemies to stop running. Compared to these ravenous Void Beasts, even the Darkin seemed much more rational and kind.

Naganekia eventually ran towards the sand dune ahead, but the moment she crossed the dune and saw the vortex in front of her, it was too late.

She twisted her body in mid-air, trying to fly directly over the vortex, but was eventually pulled down by gravity and crashed heavily into the vortex.

The massive body crashed into a giant wave of sand, and the Sha Clan members who had been waiting for a long time took advantage of the wave to break through it, swarming onto Naganeka and devouring her flesh.

The giant's lament echoed across the desert. (The poem continues: "Plum blossoms, plum groves, you empty, your grove, are you there, are you not here...")

Chapter 364 Naganeka's Plea for Help

Naga Neka ran at full speed, but in the end, she was unable to break through the encirclement before it closed in. She lost her footing and fell into a vortex of sand, where she was frantically devoured by tens of thousands of burrowing beasts, and foul-smelling blood gushed from her wounds.

These burrowing beasts varied in size, from as small as hyenas to as large as bulls. They clung tightly to the Darkborn with only their thick forelimbs and sharp claws, then used their large mouths filled with fangs to wag their tails and tear off large chunks of flesh from the latter, which they then devoured.

Even though these chunks of meat were forcibly smeared from corpses by the Darkin using blood magic and exuded a rotten, foul odor, they still ate them without hesitation.

Naganekia fought back with all her might, killing dozens of burrowing beasts with a single claw. However, the number of monsters was endless. After struggling for a few moments, she was overwhelmed by the tidal wave of attacks and her body was covered with a shroud woven from insects.

The Darkin's wails echoed through the desert. Portil, suppressing his nausea, flew towards Naganeka's head, wanting to see if she was still in danger of being saved.

"Dragon! Save me!" Noticing that Portil was approaching, Naganeka cried out even louder, her countless pains turning into cries for help, as if she had found a lifeline.

Portil felt that Naganeka was grasping at straws, actually asking him, the victim she had almost shot to death, for help. He was being merciful by not kicking her while she was down.

She initially didn't want to pay attention, but the Wild Hunt suggested at this moment: "Why not take advantage of the situation? If you can get some information out of her, you won't have to keep following her deeper into Icathia."

Portil thought this made a lot of sense. They hadn't even entered Icathia yet and they were already encountering a beast tide of this scale. Who knew what kind of terrifying Void Beasts they would encounter in that forbidden zone of life? Gathering intelligence and leaving as soon as possible was the safest course of action.

"Dragon! Save me first, don't stand idly by anymore!! We can resolve any conflicts later!!" Naganekia screamed incessantly as she rolled around, using her mangled forelimbs to pry open the demons' faces, revealing a scarlet eye.

"When you shot that arrow at me not long ago, why didn't you think of today? And you still have the nerve to ask me for help?!" Portil's eyes flashed with cruelty and mockery, but he remained unmoved, hovering above the Darkin's head.

"That's just human nature. If you found yourself being followed, could you resist taking action? And now that you're here, doesn't that confirm that you were following me?"

"Heh, you're still speaking so logically even in this dangerous situation. Looks like you're not too panicked." Portil snorted coldly, exhaling frosty breath: "In my opinion, this is probably a deliberate opening you created to lure me into saving you, and then take over my body the moment I touch you."

Naganekia trembled violently: "Was my fear fake? Can't you feel it?! It's boiling inside me!!"

"Aren't you an immortal Darkin? The destruction of your physical body is nothing to you, is it?"

"I don't want to turn back into a weapon without a body and be abandoned underground again. What's the difference between that and being dead?!"

Naga Neka roared hysterically, a silent stillness enveloping them. Darkin blood magic couldn't directly affect void creatures; their bodies simply lacked flesh to extract.

After a while, Portil spoke, "I can save you, but only after your body has been completely devoured and you've reverted to being a Darkin weapon. Before that, you have to answer a few questions for me."

Naga Neka narrowed her eyes. She knew that the other party was wary of her, and that once she turned back into a Darkin weapon, she would no longer be able to make contact, thus reducing the threat considerably.

In this situation, Portil was her only hope, and she had no choice but to compromise. "I can answer your question, and you… you'd better keep your promise. Otherwise, I will curse you for eternity, and the other Darkin will avenge me!"

As she spoke, a burrowing beast climbed onto her head, its fangs plunging into her scarlet eyes, thick blood spurting several meters high.

"Why did you Darkborn awaken at the same time and all gather in Icathia?" Portil asked.

“It was Aatrox who awakened us. He told us to go to Icathia, saying he had something very important to tell us.” Without her eyes, Naganeka could concentrate better on listening to Portil’s voice, even though all she could hear were the roars and gnawing sounds of monsters.

"What is he planning? Why does he need so many Darkin?"

“You’ll only know once you get it.” Naganeka keenly sensed Portil’s needs and bargained, “If you’re very curious, I can blind you first and make you my life carrier. That way, the other Darkin will take pity on you and let you listen in, out of respect for me.”

"Hmph, still being stubborn! Do you think what you've said counts as useful information? If you're just trying to fob me off, don't blame me for not saving you."

"I can guess to some extent what Aatrox is planning." At this moment, Naga Neka's flesh had been completely devoured, exposing her bare skeleton. She had little time left to speak, so she hurriedly said, "Although I was among the first Darkin to be sealed away, those wretched Twilight Protoss did not separate us immediately."

“She laid us out one by one on the weapon rack, examining us with a smug look, as if we were trophies. Can you imagine dozens of Darkin being thrown into a crowded space, screaming in agony because they couldn’t accept that they had become weapons? That kind of humiliation is worse than just digging a hole and burying us all alive, rather than being trapped in a dark cage and unable to even understand ourselves!”

"..." The scene described by Naganekia in her painful and weathered voice silenced the Wild Hunt; it was yet another story he had never heard of before.

"We were more united than ever before, calling each other brothers and sisters again, because we all wanted to kill that damned Protoss. But thanks to her, before we were banished to various parts of the world to be sealed away, we had a chance to communicate with each other and learn the whole story. And it was then that I learned that there were several traitors among the Darkin."

"These traitors secretly colluded with the Twilight Protoss, sacrificing their own kind for the sake of so-called peace. Tayanari, who caused my imprisonment, was one of them. But it seems the Protoss betrayed him, stripping him of his divine power and turning him into a lowly human who had his heart and lungs ripped out before he died, right? Hmph, even as a human, the sins he committed before cannot be erased. The reckoning that is due will come, and none of them will escape!"