Void Beetle Evolution Guide

Kaisa breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, as the extreme Darkin were not the majority.

However, with Aatrox instigating war, these Darkin may be forced to the sidelines, since humanity has completely lost trust in the Darkin race, seeing them as neither good nor bad.

Everything must be put to an end before Aatrox makes a scene.

"You can leave now."

On the ruins, the Destroyer issued an order to leave. Several Darkin looked at each other, or shook their heads, and were about to turn away in silence when an arrow shot straight toward Aatrox in the air.

Aatrox easily caught the arrow, his anger blazing as he looked eastward, his magically formed echo questioning, "Varus, what do you mean by this?"

Chapter 375: Dark Descent Gathering (3)

The dilapidated spire sang a lament in the winds blowing from a distant land, and on the broken base, the huge stone statue had long since lost its torso, leaving only two legs standing in place.

Varus, summoned by Aatrox, emerged from behind the statue and stood before the Darkin.

He was shirtless, with a red scarf wrapped around his neck, and his white hair was tied back. He was pale and inhumanly beautiful, and there was no obvious darkinization above his waist, which was somewhat similar to Kayn's situation.

Perhaps powerful bows don't need easily broken bowstrings; the Darkin Bow in Varus's hands also has no bowstring.

The bow trembled in his hands, as if announcing to everyone the origin of the arrow.

"The traitors have arrived in Icathia, and here you are fighting amongst yourselves. My brothers and sisters, when will you ever truly unite?" Varus, though only the size of a normal human, questioned the fallen gods.

“We’ve reached a consensus on Zolani.” Aatrox broke the arrow in his hand and casually tossed it into the ruins.

This Darkin who drew his bow may not be the strongest among them, but he is certainly the most cold-blooded and aloof.

Because his homeland was destroyed in the Void War, he harbored deep resentment and sought revenge against Icathia and the Void, even if it meant becoming a tool for them.

During the Darkin Wars, the Darkin repeatedly sent him into battle, allowing him to use his crystal longbow to assassinate enemy commanders and heroes, making it easier for the Darkin to wipe out the mortal legions.

In his heart, there was no longer any pity for humanity; only endless killing could quell the hatred in his heart.

"Consensus? All I hear is your arguing. Aatrox, you paranoid and stubborn madman, we came here because of you, and how have you repaid us? You impose your delusions on us! You completely disregard the Darkin's current situation!"

For some reason, Varus seemed unusually angry, which was not in line with his usual indifferent demeanor.

"You should take complete control of this body before you talk to me."

Aatrox keenly noticed that there were still two human souls tearing each other apart inside Varus's body, but he didn't bother with them.

But this can also be interpreted as him not considering the imperfect Varus as a member of the Darkin.

Varus was even more enraged by this contempt. Annihilation was imminent, and the Darkin had failed to learn from history, continuing to be hostile to one another.

There are indeed two human souls inside Verus's body. Is it because he doesn't want to eliminate them and take control of the body? Of course not, it's just that he can't do it for the time being.

Valmor and Kay were a perfect couple in Ionia. Kay was fatally wounded during Noxus's invasion of the First Lands. The heartbroken Valmor carried him into the temple that sealed Varus, hoping that the forbidden magic in the well could save Kay's life.

This was tantamount to offering oneself to a tiger; both were corrupted by the released Darkin power. Their bodies disintegrated and then intertwined to form a new shell.

No one could have imagined that true love between lovers could withstand the hatred of the Dark Ones.

Within this imperfect body, the spirits of humans and Darkin rise and fall, each briefly gaining the upper hand before being overwhelmed by the other.

Currently, Varus has more control over this body. He has been committing killings for the past few years, and each act of violence makes the souls of two mortals scream. Perhaps in a few more years, he will be able to silence these two people forever.

"Varus, you said Zolani has arrived in Icathia, where is she?"

No one cared about Varus's inner rage. Taroosh raised his halberd and questioned him in a commanding tone, still treating him as a tool to be used at every request. It seemed that if Varus simply gave an affirmative answer, he would rush out and kill the traitor.

Varus responded with silence. He simply pulled a folding fan from behind him and threw it heavily among the Darkin.

“This is…” Naganeka from Zurita slid forward, bent down to examine the folding fan on the ground, and opened many hypnotic eyes on her face. The other Darkin also turned their gazes to her as she bent down close to the folding fan, stuck out her tongue and flipped it up and down, tasting the aura of death on it.

"This is the celestial substance that imprisons us... the death of a Darkborn..."

"Who died?" The other Darkin also crowded around in confusion.

“Blay,” Varus cried out in anguish, “he’s dead, killed by Zolani.”

The answer from Varus caused a great stir, and the Darkin whispered in disbelief.

They had just witnessed Aatrox going mad because he couldn't self-destruct, and now they were being told that Darkin had died tragically. This dramatic turn of events was truly incomprehensible.

"Zorani? How did she do that?!" Aatrox charged down, his huge hand on Varus's shoulder, shaking him violently, his emotions completely out of control.

“He died because of you, and you don’t even grieve for his death. Aatrox, how could you become like this?” Varus pushed Aatrox’s hand away, his handsome features twisted into a shape of rage.

Realizing that even the most cold-hearted Varus among them had become more humane than himself, Aatrox took a half-step back, clenched his fists in a daze, and whispered, "There's no turning back now. The only way is to kill that traitor and avenge my fallen comrades."

Verus was disappointed by the answer, but he didn't want to make any more accusations. He composed himself and began to recount what he had witnessed.

“Brai, Zolani. They were sealed in Ionia just like me. The only difference is that I awoke earlier and came to Shurima to find you several years ago…”

There are currently four Darkin in Ionia, making it the region with the largest number of Darkin. Varus is sealed in the Temple of Pallas, Zoranny is in the Sword Tomb of Mist, and Bryn is guarded by the Order of the Kinkou. The remaining one, Rhaast, was actually unearthed in Noxus and then taken back to Ionia by Kayn.

“I sensed Zolani’s rebirth and came to Icathia to ambush her ahead of time. Although Zolani does not have the support of her own kind, she has loyal human believers who have been waiting for their goddess to return for thousands of years.”

"The faceless goddess statue in Zoran was destroyed by Aatrox." Varus's words reminded Kai'Sa of Zoran, who was unaware that it had been completely annihilated and the restored Zoran goddess statue had been utterly destroyed.

Although Zoranny is infamous among the Darkin as a traitor who betrayed her own kind, she is a goddess of righteousness who sacrifices even her own family within the human camp. Moreover, she is the daughter of the Healers, a staunch anti-war advocate, and has won the favor of the mortals.

The best stonemasons in all of Shurima spontaneously gathered in the remote place of Zoran to repair her idol, willingly enduring the hardship of having to rely on external rations for even food.

From this, we can see how high Zoranny the Ascended is in the eyes of mortals, almost on par with Nasus Renekton.

Chapter 376 Darkborn Gathering (Part 4)

Verus recounted how he followed the believers to the east coast of Icathia to set up an ambush, and there he met Zolani, who had crossed the sea.

He was eager to settle scores with the traitors and avenge his fellow Darkin. He drew his bow and nocked an arrow, but Zolani keenly noticed him, and the two Darkins then engaged in a standoff for three days and three nights.

Varus was no match for Zoranny. Her human hosts were full of potential, making her even stronger than before she was sealed away, and all of her followers practiced blood magic, each of whom posed a considerable threat to him.

In contrast, Varus only had two souls in his body that were dragging him down. Not only were they not helpful at all, they also frequently interfered with him. If he relied on his killer instincts, he probably wouldn't have lasted that long.

Ultimately, however, Varus was cornered. His followers subdued him, and he watched helplessly as Zoranny took his bow and used blood magic to drain its power.

This action horrified him. He hadn't expected Zolani's blood magic to have reached such a high level. Her research on blood magic surpassed that of any of the Darkin, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call her the progenitor.

She could even bypass the extraterrestrial meteorite iron forged into weapons and directly extract the Darkin power sealed within! This directly shattered the fundamental logic that Darkins cannot be completely killed!

At the critical moment, Bolai arrived just in time and fought Zolani, rescuing Varus from her clutches.

Varus wanted to help Blay, but the weakening of the Darkin power caused his body to be controlled by two mortal souls once again.

When he regained control and tried to go back to help Bu Lai, he found that he had been completely absorbed by Zolani, leaving only an iron fan that had lost its spirit.

"Zorani is here to wipe us all out! The roles of hunter and prey have been reversed. She can kill us, but we can't kill her! And yet you're all fighting amongst yourselves here!"

Varus's accusations silenced the gods, who now held a new view of Zoranny; this hunt was no longer a risk-free revelry.

“Verus, I’m sorry about what happened to you and Blay. But rest assured, we will definitely kill the traitor and use her blood to fuel our vengeance.”

Seeing Aatrox fall silent with his head down, Stellata floated up and said a few words on his behalf. She had once been a beautiful musician who admired the invincible general.

“I won’t let her succeed. I will crush her plans with my own hands.” Aatrox gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, raised his head, and swept his burning fury across the Darkin around him.

Excluding herself, there were already ten Darkin present. Their side outnumbered Zolani, but many of them might not be able to gain the upper hand against Zolani in a one-on-one fight.

Thus, Aatrox, as a general and the leader tacitly approved by the gods, issued his first command to his Darkin brethren after a thousand years.

“The traitors are coming on strong, and their influence is growing stronger. I don’t want to see any of you die at Zolani’s hands, having your power stolen and used to strengthen her.” Aatrox paused for a moment, then continued, “I don’t care what personal grudges you may have. From now on, you must pair up and support each other. Only by leveraging your numbers can you ensure that this tragedy doesn’t happen again.”

"This..." The Darkborn murmured, no one had expected that they would have to act with others.

For most Darkin, it would be very awkward to expect the proud and arrogant Darkin to depend on others.

Unless they are twins like Shabeca and Shabek, or brothers like Nasus and Renekton, they can help each other without any reservations and exert a force greater than the sum of its parts.

"Aatrox, have you lost your mind? I can defeat Zoranny all by myself, and you want me to team up with someone else?!" The arrogant Tarouch was extremely dissatisfied with this farcical order, which was a sign of doubt about his strength. Relying on others was worse than death for him.

“This is an order, there is no room for negotiation,” Aatrox rejected on the spot.

"Huh?! And what about you? There are eleven of us. Someone has to act alone. Why can't it be me?" Tarouch laughed angrily, questioning him in retort.

"General, I am willing to be your strongest support!" (The last two lines appear to be random characters and do not translate directly.)

Before Aatrox could answer, Jorah declared his desire to fight him again. Then Ibarros and Styratul also expressed their willingness to follow Aatrox, their personal charisma honed since their Ascended days still proving effective.

"The strongest person will act alone. If any of you disagree, then let's settle this with weapons. If you defeat me or kill a Protoss, I will allow you to act alone."

Aatrox spoke up, his unwavering stance effectively dismissing any idea of ​​joining him. He harbored the same arrogance as Tarouch, believing that teaming up would only hold him back.

"Outrageous!" Tarouch roared, smashing the earth with his halberd. Even in his prime, he couldn't defeat Aatrox, let alone now. He pointed his halberd at the crowd, cursing, "Even with a piece of trash like me, I can still crush Zolani! Anyone who joins my team, you don't need to do anything, just witness how I trample Zolani under my feet!"

The Darkin are all tough as nails; such an insult would naturally deter any of them from joining his team.

They all started looking for teammates, afraid of ending up alone and being forced to team up with this arrogant idiot.

This sudden change left the Wild Hunt stunned. It was as childish as a teacher assigning students to do group work, and it felt strangely incongruous when it happened to the Darkin.

However, to balance safety and efficiency, pairing up in two teams is indeed the safest approach.

Nayafili had assumed Naganekia would team up with him, given that the two had come together and Nayafili was quite strong; she seemed like a good teammate. However, Naganekia went directly to Varus instead.

“Veluth, I know you’ve been searching for your sister, Varieva.”

"You know anything about her?"

"Varieva and I both participated in Twilight of the Gods, escaped together, and are both serpent-headed gods. It's normal for us to have some interactions in private, right?"

"Yes...that's true. If you know where she is, please tell me."

"Of course, let's form a team first, and then we'll talk about the details later."

Nayafili watched as the two of them teamed up, feeling abandoned. He let out a few low growls to vent his jealousy, then turned to find his own teammates.

Her chosen teammate was Horaz from Mount Targon. Horaz's words and actions gave her the feeling of thoughtfulness, and perhaps she could convince him to acknowledge her pack intelligence.

"Horaz, how about we team up? I'll engage in close combat, and you can deliver a decisive blow from afar. Besides, my main body has already shattered into dozens of pieces, so even if Zoranny wants to extract my power, it will take her a lot of effort."

“Agreed, that’s an impeccable combination.” Horaz, with the magnet levitating in his hand, agreed without hesitation.

Subsequently, Jorush and Ibarros, two of Aatrox's most loyal subordinates, formed a team.

Another pairing is Balculus and Styrato, a tree spirit and a fire spirit, both with numerous eyes, making them quite a good match in some respects.

Tarouch watched helplessly as everyone else found teammates. He had only himself to blame; after saying those things, no one would choose him, even though he was genuinely quite skilled.

In the end, he had no choice but to team up with Anaka, who was also alone. Neither of them would give in to the other, and they started arguing even before they were officially a team.

"Why is it you again?" Tarouch had come to Icathia with Anaka and now he was going to team up with her again, so he complained without thinking.

"Don't forget who rescued you in Freljord. When are you going to repay the favor you owe me?" Anaka was a proud and arrogant female warrior who didn't hold back and exposed his shortcomings in public.

"I already told you, all you have to do when I go to kill Zorani is watch!" Tarouch said angrily, but was met with Anakka's disdain.

"Ha. Do you think I need to? I could say that to myself."

"Stop arguing! Now that we've chosen our teammates, let's split up and search for that traitor. To ensure Blai rests in peace, we can't let her leave Icathia alive... Only by tearing her to pieces can I vent my hatred!"

Aatrox took to the air again, silencing all discordant sounds.

With swords pointed eastward, a hunt is about to begin.

However, at that moment, Varus keenly noticed that the dust kicked up by Aatrox's wings formed a ghostly silhouette somewhere on the ruins.

Although it was only for a moment, he still noticed it.

"Who's there? Show yourself!"

He immediately drew his Darkborn Bow, and a deadly arrow shot towards the seemingly empty space.

Chapter 377 Exposure

As Varus aimed his arrow at Kai'Sa, her Void Armor trembled violently, countless tiny hooks digging into her flesh as if emitting a silent scream.

The warning made Kaisa instinctively bend down. Amidst the piercing sound of the arrow cutting through the air, a fiery red arrow narrowly missed her head, piercing through the ruins behind her and burning a perfectly round hole in it.

"what's the situation?"

Kasha didn't understand how she had been exposed. She had been squatting in the same spot without moving, so she shouldn't have been exposed now since she hadn't been exposed before.

She had done her best to remain hidden; if she was still discovered, it could only be said that she was extremely unlucky.

She stopped thinking about things she couldn't understand and, before her invisibility was broken, Kai'Sa quietly slipped away in a direction far from the Darkin.

She moved cautiously, carefully choosing even her landing spot. Verus realized that she was indeed a fluke, and he couldn't pinpoint her location as he delayed firing his second arrow.

But soon, the stinging pain from her skin made Kai'Sa realize that things weren't so simple.

"Run faster! Stratholme has already pointed his weapon at you," Wild Hunt, acting as Kai'Sa's eyes and ears, urgently warned.

"Who is Styrat?" With so many Darkin, Kai'Sa couldn't tell who was who or what weapons they used.