Void Beetle Evolution Guide

"Mortals call us Celestial Warriors. Some fools, after hearing too much flattery, think they are omnipotent gods, indulging in the fantasy of their invincibility, and slaughtering mortals like livestock. Perhaps that's how it seems from a mortal's perspective, but now you and I are nothing more than writhing flesh and blood. The difference lies in whose blood magic is more powerful." (Mei Youxiang, Mei Meiyongkong, Ni Lin Zaizai, Mei...)

Zolani raised her hand gripping the chains, displaying her strength in a scathing retort, "Regardless of your Darkin physique, you are no match for me in this respect. I have a hundred ways to deal with you all. If I hadn't been caught off guard, all of you combined wouldn't have been able to defeat me!"

Blood magic has never been exclusive to Darkin. While this form of sorcery may have been first used by Darkin, it has never been their sole domain. With sufficient magical skill, even mortals can easily kill Darkin.

Vladimir of the Black Rose is a good example.

He once served as a hostage to a Darkin master, using the blood magic bestowed upon him by the Darkin to deliver a fatal blow when the master was on the verge of death, absorbing enough energy to become an existence beyond the limits of mortals.

If the Darkin had taught him blood magic without reservation, and if he had a full understanding of the strength of both sides, he might not have waited until his Darkin master was on the verge of death before making his move; instead, he might have become the cause of his master's near death himself.

Chapter 390 Devouring and Metamorphosis

"Isn't blood magic an innate ability of Darkin? Why is there a hierarchy?" Kasha asked, puzzled by Zorani's words.

Wild Hunt neither denied it nor entirely agreed.

Those who don't know much about the Darkin might think that blood magic is an evil form of sorcery awakened by the Darkin after being influenced by the Void.

In fact, the void did not affect their power; this kind of sorcery already existed long before the Darkin were sealed away.

After being reborn, Darkin will instinctively collect flesh and blood to create a body for themselves, using blood magic.

But this is like cooking. Some people can just stir-fry a couple of dishes to fill their stomachs, while others spend a lot of energy studying how to make the dishes taste good. They are naturally not on the same level.

First and foremost, it should be clear that Darkin exists in two forms.

First, before being sealed away, he went mad due to the impact of the Void Wars and the sudden destruction of Shurima, losing the support of his faith.

At this time, their ascended bodies had not yet been destroyed, and they were still considered Ascended. The term Darkborn refers more to them as a fallen race of the sun.

Secondly, after being sealed into a weapon, it creates a physical body for itself through possession, devouring, and killing.

In this state, they are complete murderers and madmen who must constantly plunder flesh and blood to maintain their physical stability; they are true dark bloodlines.

In the first state, blood magic is not an essential ability for Darkin.

While the lack of energy replenishment from the Sun Disc would indeed cause their ascended bodies to gradually weaken or even perish, even learning blood magic could not improve this situation.

No ascendant would ever use blood magic to fight each other. They learned blood magic simply to maintain their terrifying rule over mortals and suppress any thoughts of resistance.

Brainwashing is too troublesome. Nothing can make mortal slaves feel the terror of the Darkin more directly than creating flesh and blood, mutating blood, and so on.

The second state of learning blood magic is the underlying logic that Zoranny set up for the Darkin beforehand.

If there are no weaknesses, then create them. Blood magic has no effect on ascended bodies, so she will join forces with the Protoss to destroy their divine bodies and force them to replace them with flesh and blood bodies, thus bringing them under her control.

Therefore, while all Darkin possess basic blood magic, not every Darkin can use it skillfully. It's like how everyone can type, but few can code.

As Wild Hunt explained the significance of blood magic to the Darkin to Kai'Sa, the battle situation continued to change.

Although Zoranny managed to hold off Aatrox thanks to Bolai, the addition of Naafili and Horaz still put considerable pressure on her.

The two worked together, with Nayafili leading the pack of dogs in close combat. Due to their large numbers and agility, each Bloodhound's attack tore a chunk of flesh from her enormous body.

Horaz hovered in the distance, the celestial magnet he was dragging aimed at her, and the single eye on the magnet would occasionally shoot out laser lightning, causing her to cry out in pain.

Tarouch was being held back by Anaka, and with the siege, she had to juggle controlling two other bodies, leaving her no time to spare.

To make matters worse, Balkux’s massive figure appeared on the horizon, accompanied by a Styrat… almost everyone was present except for the four Darkin, including Varus.

The situation was getting increasingly unfavorable, and the preparations were still too insufficient. Seeing that she had no chance of turning the tide, Zolani decided to retreat according to plan.

However, before she left, she wanted to give them a taste of their own medicine and leave them with a lesson they could never forget.

"Tarlushi, come back here!" At Zoranny's command, Tarlushi abandoned his fight with Anakka.

He used his halberd to desperately deflect the spears, disregarding the fact that his back would be exposed to the enemy and he would be stabbed, but he still wanted to go back to support Zolani. Anaka simply couldn't stop him from dying.

Tarush let out a helpless roar, watching as his body flew back against his will, while simultaneously gathering lightning in his halberd and hurling it at Nayafili.

The halberd sank into the hand-shaped altar, and dazzling crimson lightning burst forth from the palm, instantly forcing Nayafili, who was besieging Zolani, to retreat.

Nayafili controlled the pack of dogs to scatter in all directions, dozens of heads looking up at the sky, not baring their teeth in rage, but casting pitying glances in unison.

"Kill me!" Tarouch roared and screamed at Nayafili with the only vocal cord that wasn't being controlled, but it was too late. Zorani had already pulled out the Bloodthirst Halberd and gripped it tightly with both hands.

"I promise you, your mission will end here."

Zolani bypassed Nayafili to answer, her body covered in wounds as she gripped her halberd tightly, as if trying to crush it. Blood-red runes appeared on her arms. A stream of bloody tears flowed from the halberd's single eye, forming countless blood lines that ran upstream along the skin of Zolani's arms.

"Oh no, she's going to absorb Tarush's power!" Even the usually calm and wise Horaz panicked.

Nayafili felt a chill run down his spine and immediately called for his pack of dogs to pounce and tear Zolani apart. The chains, however, were faster; they wrapped Zolani up like a cocoon, keeping Nayafili out of reach.

The dogs tried to bite and cut with daggers, but they couldn't open it. Horaz fired lasers, but they couldn't break Zoranny's sacrificial ritual either.

These chains were also part of the Darkin weapons, made of celestial meteorite iron that mortal forces could not destroy. They could only anxiously watch and sense Zoranny's aura rising steadily and growing stronger through the gaps in the chain links.

Correspondingly, Tarouch, who was in the air, fell to the ground, gradually becoming listless and exuding a strong aura of death.

"Damn it... I told you to kill me sooner, why didn't anyone listen to me..." He roared in despair, but the words were cut short as he breathed his last. (The last part is a nonsensical string of characters and doesn't translate directly.)

As if all its blood and energy had been drained, its massive body gradually shrank, and its chest had long since sunken in.

Tarouch's eyes lost all color, while Zorani underwent a transformation.

The steel cocoon formed by the chains rattled as they were pulled apart one by one, and the Darkin public enemy reappeared in everyone's sight.

She was covered in a layer of dark red, form-fitting armor with a rock-like texture, and a pair of claw-like bone wings appeared on her back. Her long dress had been transformed into battle armor, and her image had undergone a complete transformation.

"The feeling of becoming stronger is wonderful." Zolani, who always had a cold face, wore a wild and arrogant smile, as if her temperament had been influenced by Tarouch.

She threw the halberd in her hand off the altar. The darkin weapon that carried Tarush's will had now turned into a pile of scrap metal. In its place, the scythe in her hand became even more crimson and even began to glow with blood.

Chapter 391 Escape and Suspicion

"Damn it! Another Darkin has died because of you, Zolani, you are utterly wicked!"

A dangerous aura emanated from Zolani, and Nayafili instinctively bared his teeth and shouted at her before a series of thick, pillar-like chains came crashing down, blasting the spot where she stood to smithereens.

Horaz's ranged attacks could no longer affect her. The pair of bone wings behind Zolani wrapped around her like intertwined fingers, protecting her and firmly blocking the laser lightning.

Surprisingly, Zolani did not rush to settle scores and get back all the humiliation she had suffered.

Seeing that Balcux and Styrato were almost there, she did not linger in the fight, but instead took to the air.

"That's enough for today. Leave your lives for me, I'll come back for them next time." With that, he transformed into a bolt of lightning-fast crimson light and shot towards the two of them.

Even after becoming stronger, Zoranny was still unable to withstand the combined attack of several Darkin. She knew that a prolonged battle would inevitably lead to defeat, and she absorbed Tarouch in order to concentrate her strength to break through the encirclement.

"Trying to escape? Did you ask me first?" Aatrox roared, and a chain burning with flames caught up from behind, wrapping around Zolani's neck and abruptly stopping her, almost tearing her head off as she sped forward.

Zolani turned her head and saw that she had just been too busy to control the Blood Dragon Bry, who was already tightly bound by Aatrox's Chains of Fiery Inferno and could no longer buy her time.

She was being dragged back by Aatrox with iron chains, the flames burning on them greedily licking her flesh. Not only had she become stronger, but Aatrox was also constantly recalling his past combat techniques.

She gripped the chain with her other hand and wrestled with it. A surge of thunderous power rushed forward, forcing back the flames and creating crackling sounds. The two were locked in a stalemate, and the atmosphere was extremely tense.

But for Zolani, every second she dragged on was like letting her opponent pull her into danger. (The last two lines appear to be random characters and do not translate directly.)

She shrieked as countless chains grew wildly behind her, plunging heavily into the ground like anchors, constantly tightening and pulling the fiery chains toward Zolani.

Seeing this, Nayafili and Horaz immediately focused their attacks on the chains. But before she could cut the chains, Aatrox loosened them on her own.

Looking back, a blood-stained spear pierced Aatrox's chest. The sharp barbs writhed near his heart, forcing the Darkin swordsman to loosen the chains binding Zolane and grip the spear shaft tightly with both hands.

The battlefield fell into dead silence. No one expected Anaka to turn against them at this moment. To be honest, even she herself didn't expect it.

Previously, everything seemed normal to her, and she disregarded Tarouch's warnings, believing she was neither controlled nor could be. But when the blood magic took effect, she realized how terribly wrong she had been.

She could clearly feel every muscle losing control, watching her arm lift the spear against her will, like watching this betrayal through thick glass, unable to stop it—a feeling that was exceptionally despairing.

"Kill me... quick!" She finally understood why Tarouch had frantically ordered others to kill him before he died, and now even she began to despise this body.

Nayafili and Horaz immediately abandoned Zolani and turned back to help Aatrox, unaware that they had fallen right into Zolani's trap.

She silently grinned as she watched Nayafili tackle Anaka to the ground. Once the two had Anaka under control, Zolani lightly snapped her fingers.

Cracks instantly covered Anaka's body, bursting with intense light, as if enormous energy was hidden beneath every inch of her skin.

The flesh and blood body exploded completely, and amidst the roar, a torrential downpour of scarlet blood, carrying tiny fragments of bone and flesh, stained the gray-white earth red.

"Oh no, she's running towards Shurima." Seeing Zolani laughing and walking away under the cover of Blood Explosion, Kai'Sa couldn't sit still any longer and tried to stop her, but Wild Hunt held her down.

"Aatrox and the others have stopped chasing her, how are you going to stop her?"

Kai'Sa turned her head and saw that Aatrox and the other two had all been hit by the explosion to varying degrees. They were covered in wounds and blood, like demons who had just crawled out of a pool of blood from hell, and they would not recover for a while.

She then looked at Zolane, who charged straight at Balcux and Styrato. The two tried to stop her, but were cut by her scythe in the ensuing struggle.

Zolani didn't linger, giving the two a taste of their power before continuing her westward escape. Once she crossed Icathia, she would be back in Shurima.

"But if the battle isn't resolved in Icathia, how many people will be affected?" Kasa was frantic as she watched Zolane's figure gradually disappear into the horizon. It was still possible to catch up now.

"Both sides will eventually have to decide a winner. No matter who wins, those Darkin will bring death to the world. We need to keep them in check and wait until the endgame is over before you step in to finish them off. Otherwise, it won't matter which side you help."

“But…” Kasha was extremely conflicted. As a goddess of vengeance, Zoranny would certainly not hesitate to raise her sword against mortals in order to accumulate power and kill all the Darkin.

On the other side, within the Darkin Alliance, although there were some people one could talk to, their leader, Aatrox, was an absolute destroyer of the world.

Neither side was friendly, but she couldn't intervene to mediate and weaken both sides equally.

Once she appears clad in Void Armor, it's not impossible that the two sworn enemies might join forces to eliminate this lone wolf first.

After all, the transformation of Ascended into Darkin was largely due to the Void destroying their sanity and triggering the madness and bestiality inherent in their nature.

"No buts, let's activate the backup plan directly and hope that the emperor can keep these Dark Ones in check."

Kasha didn't know how much authority the emperor's words still carried, but for now, this was all she could do.

"Damn it, we're all infected!"

Horaz reached out and wiped the blood from her face. As a Darkin who craved flesh and blood, she did not absorb the blood into her body, but instead treated it as poison and shook it off.

She had realized that Zolani used blood as a medium to cast spells on them, and anyone injured in her hands could be controlled.

Moreover, Zolani was very patient, waiting for the right moment to seize control of her body, making her impossible to defend against.

Horaz looked at Aatrox, whose chest was pierced by a spear, and couldn't help but think that he might suddenly turn against them like Anaka, and that none of them could defeat him. His body involuntarily took a few steps back.

At that moment, she realized that she could no longer trust anyone.

Chapter 392 Collapse of Trust

Horaz and Naafiri worked together to pull the spear from Aatrox's body. The excruciating pain forced the Darkin swordsman to his knees, where he had to lean on his sword to stay upright, but it was far from enough to kill him.

He remained silent, his clenched fists suppressing his rage at Zolani's escape. Although furious, he needed to calmly consider what had gone wrong and how to resolve it. Otherwise, he would be manipulated by Zolani again.

The other Darkin arrived one after another. Seeing the horrific battlefield, the dead Tarush, and the silent Aatrox, they could only whisper among themselves, creating an extremely oppressive atmosphere.

Reason told Horaz she had to step forward, so she looked around and observed the expressions of the Darkin before breaking the silence.

"Fellow countrymen, I regret to announce that I will be temporarily withdrawing from the alliance."

"What do you mean, Horaz?" some of the Darkin who were still unclear about the situation asked in confusion.

"I'll explain it once. Those who don't believe me can check with Nayafili," Horaz said, using a magically created echo, then paused to make sure everyone could fully understand her words.

“We fought Zoranny before this. She absorbed Tarush’s power and became even stronger. She then used Anakka’s body to self-destruct and injure us. Now, Naafiri, Aatrox, and later Balkux and Styratul have all fought Zoranny and have been injured to varying degrees.”

"Zolani's blood magic is far superior to mine. I can't be 100% sure if Zolani is controlling our people by creating wounds, but if that's the case, we've all become potential threats. Anyone could suddenly turn against us under her control and turn their blades against their own people. Forgive my bluntness, but for everyone's safety, let's disband here... Anyway, I'm definitely leaving before the problem is resolved."

The crowd erupted in uproar. Nayafili immediately retorted, "Horaz, have you gone mad? To disband over an uncertain outcome? Zolani has devoured two Darkin in a row. Her individual strength is now arguably the strongest among us. Spreading out would only make it easier for her to defeat us one by one."

Horaz wasn't angry at Nayafili's accusations. "I already said I was temporarily leaving the league. I've found a solution: get a completely new body. Only in this way can we avoid falling into Zolanie's control."

"You're making things difficult for us. Do you think our collective energy will also be contaminated by her blood?" Stellatu spoke with the sound of fire spirits battling. Her body and Balkux's body were not made of flesh and blood, and were even stronger than flesh and blood. They were not something that could be discarded so easily.

“Blai’s host was a being from the spiritual realm, and you have all seen his fate.”

"..."

Horaz's logic was impeccable, and the Darkin's silence was like congealed scabs. Horaz's question, "Who can guarantee they won't become the next Anaka?", was like a poisoned dagger stabbing into everyone's heart.

Nobody wants to be stabbed in the back. Distrust and suspicion grow wildly in the midst of suspicion. These Darkin were not very willing to act in teams in the first place, and it was Aatrox who forced them to come together.

Thinking of this, everyone's eyes gradually focused on Aatrox again, as if waiting for him to make a decision, and Aatrox, who knew this very well, slowly straightened up.

“A cracked jar can’t hold water anymore.” He stroked the healing wound on his chest, his hoarse voice ragged like sand as he gasped for breath. “Just like Horaz said, it’s much better to have a different body than to be treated like a puppet.”

"Aatrox, have you thought this through?" Naafiri growled. She had finally seen the Darkin unite for a common goal, and now they were about to break up.

"Judging from the situation, I'm likely to be the next one to be controlled. If they continue to stay with me, I might pose a greater threat than Zolani herself."

Aatrox chuckled self-deprecatingly, and Jorah immediately stepped forward, saying firmly, "General, let me be your shield; I will stand with you through thick and thin!"

“No need. I’m used to being alone. You should trust someone more.” Aatrox nodded, using the back of his hand to separate Jorah, then gradually clenching his fist. (The last sentence appears to be unrelated and possibly a fragment from another text.)