Void Beetle Evolution Guide

At the Wild Hunt's command, the Nest Mother appeared out of nowhere, unleashing a barrage of fire. Scorching plasma detonated in a chain reaction throughout the city, billowing out black smoke reeking of foot odor.

Dozens of enormous egg cases were dropped onto the ground. The Destroyer destroyed them with all its might, only to find that they were already empty shells, leaving behind only a dark, smoking hole.

Immediately afterward, a cracking sound came from behind. The hydra beetles that burst out of the ground destroyed the obelisk with their scythe-like forelimbs. These magical nodes were the Wild Hunt's true targets; without an energy supply, the golems were no different from dead.

As the Narimars were crumbling, Xerath shoved the berserk Renekton off him, took to the air in a disheveled state, and shouted, "Zolani, what are you waiting for? Why aren't you attacking?"

Upon hearing the call, Zolani slowly emerged from the blood altar, exuding the aura of a powerful figure making a grand entrance.

"My foolish compatriots, you never learn your lesson." Zolani looked at the blood-soaked Darkin and sneered, "Those living people sent to the battlefield are all blood bait that I have concocted with witchcraft. If you don't want to fall into my control, you can still disintegrate now."

Upon hearing this, the expressions of several Darkin fighting on the front lines changed drastically, and even Aatrox was affected.

To advance, they had to kill the enemies in their path, and the humans mixed in were easily absorbed, making it impossible to defend against. Only ranged attackers like Horazverus escaped the attack.

"She might be trying to turn us against each other, making us suspicious of one another!" Seeing that her side had a significant advantage, Anaka was naturally unwilling to commit suicide on the spot.

But the seeds of suspicion had been sown, and the Darkin began to become hesitant and timid, keeping their distance and no longer willing to fight side by side.

"Hahahaha, brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!" Xerath, amused by how Zolani's words had made the Darkin shrink back, let out a shriek like fire spirits clashing.

His laughter was extremely grating to Anaka, and eager to prove her innocence, she immediately assumed a starting position, shouldered her spear, and sprinted towards Zolani on the altar at full speed.

"Someone always has to take the lead. Since you all cowered, don't blame me for taking the lead all by myself!"

Chapter 439 Each Displays Their Unique Abilities

The stench of putrid blood had lingered over the battlefield for days, and a bloodthirsty hunger surged in the dried veins of the Darkin. If they didn't replenish their strength through battle in time, their bodies would decay rapidly like withered wood, which was why they had fallen into Zoranny's trap once again.

Anaka's crimson eyes blazed with fury as she gripped her spear and charged toward the blood altar. She had had enough of Zolani, that treacherous villain who had been plotting against her from behind, and wished she could cut her down immediately.

With a spear on her shoulder, each step she took was accompanied by the cracking and growth of the glacier, lifting her higher and higher. Finally, with a powerful push, she leaped across the hundred-meter battlefield and thrust herself at Zolani.

Zolani stood atop the altar, like a demon god who controlled life and death. A chilling smile played on her lips. As Anaka approached, she swooped down like a ghost, her scythe flashing with a bloody light. The spear lashed out against her, its blade clanging and clashing.

An immense force surged through her, and Anaka felt her arms suddenly lighten. The next second, her hands, along with her spear, were severed from her, with black, foul-smelling blood flowing from the cuts.

“I don’t even need to use blood magic to deal with you.” Zolani looked down at Anaka with a scythe in hand, a wicked smile on her face, as if Anaka were nothing more than an ant waiting to be slaughtered, her expression full of the arrogance of a victor.

"This power... you actually devoured Bulai too?!" Anaka glared at Zolani, her eyes filled with shock and resentment, unable to believe that she had been defeated so easily.

“You’re next.” Chains wrapped around Anaka’s neck, and Zorani dragged her, along with the Darkin spear, onto the altar.

"I'll go save her." Seeing yet another Darkin fall into Zoranny's control, Aatrox knew he couldn't let things continue like this. Otherwise, Zoranny's power would grow infinitely, and even he wouldn't be a match for her.

"I'll hold Zolani off. You all go help the Grand Scholar and end the battle as soon as possible!" After giving the order, he dashed away like an arrow.

But before he had flown very far, a steel shield, like a giant wall, blocked his way.

Aatrox's eyes narrowed, and he demanded, "Jora, are you sure you want to do this?"

He asked the question, but the other person, standing behind the shield, choked back a terrified reply: "General! This is not my intention! She has me under her control! I didn't want to stop you!!"

Just as Aatrox was about to say something, a sharp harpoon shot straight at his head from the side. He reacted with lightning speed, grabbing the harpoon with his backhand. Even though his palm was cut open and bleeding profusely, he didn't let go, using his bones to jam the harpoon and stop it from getting any closer.

“Ibarros, even you—” Aatrox snapped angrily, his voice filled with disappointment and rage.

Ibarros retorted loudly, "It was all Zolani's doing! She won't let you through!"

Aatrox roared, forcefully throwing the harpoon aside, and then kicked out hard, sending the burly Ibarros staggering back several steps.

Jorah had already closed in and smashed Aatrox's head with his shield, leaving him bleeding profusely.

He spread his wings and soared into the sky, gripping his greatsword and shouting at the two men, "If you dare to stop me again, don't blame me for disregarding our past relationship and cutting you both down!"

These two Darkin can't fly, so he can shake them off if he flies high enough. Aatrox's real concern is that they might interfere while he's fighting Zoranny, hence this warning.

Although he knew it would probably be of little use, both of them were extremely loyal Darkin, and he still hoped to use this method to awaken their loyalty to fight against Zolani's control.

A piercing howl approached, and Aatrox saw Naafiel rolling towards him like a sea urchin, and immediately felt a sense of unease.

To his surprise, Nayafili crashed directly into Jolar's shield, knocking him back several steps. He bounced off the shield and landed as a pack of ferocious dogs.

"I'll hold them off for you, you go deal with Zolani!" Nayafili roared. At this point, it didn't matter who won the first prize; she just wanted to win this war.

Although surprised that Nayafili hadn't fallen into Zolani's control, the situation was urgent and he didn't have time to think. He seized the opportunity, broke through Joral's shield wall, and soared into the sky like an eagle, swooping down towards the Blood Altar.

"Can you do it?" Horaz asked Naiafili. Styratu and Balcux had gone to help the Nasus brothers, and she planned to join them to completely crush Xerath.

"Add me to the mix!" Varus acted decisively, throwing out the Chains of Corruption to entangle the controlled Jollal and Ibarros. Nayafili transformed into a rolling ball again and slammed into them, the sharp blades and powerful impact sending the two Darkin flying and losing their armor.

Horaz seemed to have discovered a pattern: Darkin with multiple hosts couldn't be controlled by Zoranny's blood magic, which was definitely good news. [The rest of the text appears to be unrelated and possibly spam/advertisement.]

To ensure everyone could contribute to the best of their ability, she decisively changed her strategy: "Let me and Naganek take care of them, you two go help Aatrox."

Having said that, she raised the one-eyed lodestone high, and the sky darkened.

Behind the clouds, the towering silhouette of Mount Targon loomed in and out of sight. Moments later, crimson lightning struck from the summit, instantly staining the sky blood-red.

The lightning struck the battlefield, but instead of exploding, it embedded itself deeply into the earth like a giant wedge, forming a sturdy cage that trapped Joral and Ibarros within.

The two tried to break free, but as soon as their weapons touched the cage, they were repelled by a strong paralyzing sensation, and were unable to escape for a time.

Horaz was once sealed on Mount Targon. While atop the mountain, she observed the starry sky through her single eye of magnetism, gaining the mystical power to communicate with the heavens. Nerimager is located not far at the foot of Mount Targon, within the domain of her power.

Originally, she was a strong contender for the top honor, but now, in order to completely defeat Zolani, she is willing to step back and stay behind the scenes to ensure that nothing goes wrong.

On the other side, Zoranny planted Anakka's spear in the center of the altar, about to carry out an evil takeover ritual.

Sensing a powerful aura approaching, he turned around and saw Aatrox plummeting towards the Blood Altar like a crimson meteor.

“Haunting me.” She muttered angrily, and with a wave of her hand, chains instantly rose, hoisting the armless Anaka up and holding her in front of her.

This time, Aatrox showed no mercy. His greatsword, imbued with boundless rage and power, slashed down fiercely. The controlled person couldn't end their own life; by doing so, he was actually helping Anaka find release, and he believed she wouldn't blame him.

The blood altar, shaped like hands supporting something, came to life with his powerful slash. With a deafening roar, the giant hands clasped together, trapping Aatrox within, and a cloud of crimson blood mist erupted from within.

Chapter 440 Bloody Battle

A cloud of blood mist exploded from the giant palms formed by the blood altar. Nayafili, who came to provide support, was stunned. Even someone as powerful as Aatrox had fallen into Zolani's trap and was easily crushed.

The other Darkin also sensed something and looked towards the Blood Altar, all finding it hard to believe that Aatrox had fallen.

"What a pity, I was hoping to have a proper exchange of blows with you."

Zolani floated in the air, uttering words of regret, but her hands were manipulating the altar, crushing the corpse in her palms, and she could barely suppress the smile on her lips.

This blood altar was a trap she had prepared specifically for Aatrox, because she knew that once the war started, Aatrox would definitely come looking for trouble with her, and as long as she stood in the trap, he would inevitably fall into it.

The Blood Altar can accelerate the transformation. Once she has absorbed Aatrox, the most powerful of the Darkin, the remaining Darkin will be no threat.

Just as she was imagining herself dominating the battlefield, a powerful heartbeat suddenly rang out across the battlefield, echoing in everyone's ears. Like a pulse against the eardrums, each beat struck a nerve.

Zolani's face visibly darkened. She clasped her hands together and manipulated the blood altar to crush the object in her palms even more violently.

However, this approach did not weaken the sound of the heartbeat; instead, it made the throbbing stronger and stronger, like the thunder of war drums, causing the blood in every living creature's veins to surge.

Zolani gritted her teeth, and soon she could no longer suppress Aatrox. The giant hand was slowly pried open, and a bloody, mangled figure fell out from it.

Everyone turned their gazes to Aatrox, only to see that his ravaged body had two heads. Besides the one that originally belonged to him, the other broken and crooked head clearly belonged to Anaka.

Their flesh and blood were intertwined, constantly writhing and contracting, coalescing into a denser and stronger muscle tissue... From a distance, it looked as if Anaka's head was being sucked into Aatrox's body little by little, like melting butter, making him even more powerful.

"He's absorbing Anaca!" Nayafili's pack of dogs howled in unison, their cries filled with terror.

"Damn it, when did you learn that?!" Zolani was furious. Absorbing her own kind was supposed to be her exclusive skill.

Aatrox did not respond. He slowly rose, leaning on his living greatsword. Blood seeped into his body, and his wounds healed rapidly. Anaka had been completely absorbed into his body, ultimately forging a powerful and muscular physique.

Blood-red tendrils wrapped around her arms as Zoranny attempted to control Aatrox, who, having absorbed Anaka's flesh and blood, should theoretically be corrupted as well. However, she discovered that things were not as she thought; Aatrox had definitely mastered the ability to devour his own kind, thus breaking her magic.

She gripped Anaca's spear tightly. Aatrox had only absorbed Anaca's flesh and blood, but the weapon contained Anaca's consciousness. She didn't believe Aatrox could absorb the source of power through a Darkin weapon, and even if he could, he wouldn't do it, because that would be tantamount to killing her with his own hands.

In the blink of an eye, Aatrox's figure went from motionless to an indistinct afterimage. He leaped into the air, his greatsword slashing out a long, blood-red arc.

Zolani's pupils contracted as she darted backward to dodge the sword energy, gripping her spear with both hands and launching a counterattack.

Instead of parrying with his greatsword, Aatrox reached out and grabbed the spearhead. Zoranny saw through his intention to take the spear, twisted it sharply, and ripped Aatrox's hand to shreds, using the opportunity to pull the spear away and create distance.

The two faced off for a while. Zoranny then unleashed a rain of icy blades with her spear, before turning and flanking Aatrox, avoiding a direct confrontation, and speeding towards Horaz in the distance.

Absorbing the spear's power will take some time; she needs to rescue Jollar and Ibarros, who have fallen under her control, first to buy time for her next evolution.

Aatrox saw through her intentions and decisively flapped its wings to chase after her, biting her tightly and refusing to let go.

On the other side of the battlefield, the fighting was also in full swing.

The brothers weren't about to sit idly by and watch Xerath enjoy the show. The hatred they had accumulated over thousands of years made their attacks even more frenzied than those of the Darkin. Their ruthless, life-risking fighting style put Xerath under even greater pressure than before.

Driven to desperation, Xerath charged at Nasus, his crackling limbs unleashing scorching beams of light. The flames seared Nasus, causing him to roar involuntarily, and then the two collided, enveloped in devastating energy.

The two seemed to be on completely different levels. Xerath was a light, floating energy body, only the size of Nasus in his normal state. In contrast, Nasus, whose obsidian body was as tall as an iron tower, was sent flying by Xerath's direct impact.

He charged at Nasus like a human bomb, and despite Nasus's best efforts, he couldn't stop him and was thrown into the crater in the center of the dilapidated theater like a rag doll.

Arcane fire erupted from Xerath's chest, scattering aimlessly. Renekton pounced on him from behind, using the chains severed from his body to strangle him, dragging him back underground.

With the crescent-shaped axe pressed against his chest, slicing back and forth, Xerath's sarcophagus armor was quickly stripped to shreds by the crocodile god. Then, he went berserk and bit into Xerath's arcane core.

A scorching white beam of light suddenly shot out from Xerath's chest, striking Renekton's chest. The powerful heat melted a circular hole in his chest.

He groaned, staggered back a few steps, and swayed precariously. Immediately afterward, Xerath unleashed another wave of powerful magical orbs, this time striking Renekton squarely in the heart.

The unbearable pain forced Renekton to his knees; his body was covered in wounds from which fine golden sand oozed.

Renekton could single-handedly take down an entire army of mortals, but Xerath was no ordinary enemy. He was an Ascended who had stolen the power of the sun god and also mastered the essence of dark magic.

Nasus swiftly struck with his axe, unleashing the power of withered energy to save Renekton. Xerath was filled with pain and rage, the flames in his heart flaring, but showing no sign of dimming.

Xerath ignored them, focused on taking care of one of them first, and instead mounted Renekton's chest, plunging his lightning-forged claws into its heart.

A fierce melody pierced his mind, causing Xerath to let out a painful scream. Balkux manipulated the roots to burst forth from the earth, tightly binding Xerath, separating him from Renekton, and lifting him into the sky.

Stellar frantically plucked the Darkin harp, sparks flying as they landed on the dry tree roots, and the spreading fire reduced Xerath to ashes.

Nasus once again raised his long-handled battle axe, adding fuel to the fire for Xerath. The purple flames scorched Xerath's soul, which seemed to be swallowed up by the heat of a million suns.

Even in the face of such an attack, Xerath easily broke through the encirclement.

A magical shockwave erupted, and Xerath broke free of his restraints, soaring into the air like a rocket. He stretched his arms behind his back, unleashing dazzling spells time and again, forcing the others to flee in disarray.

A bolt of lightning struck right in front of Kai'Sa, leaving a charred, smoking crater. The flash briefly illuminated the clouds, and in that instant, she thought she saw a figure flash by above them.

Chapter 441 Secret Weapon

The lightning flashed and disappeared in an instant, and the figure on the cloud peak vanished as well.

Kasha wasn't sure if she had misread the situation, but she believed the war shouldn't drag on too long, or things might change.

After ascending, Xerath had almost no fatal weaknesses. As a pure energy body combining the power of ascension and evil sorcery, he was ethereal and invisible, and it was difficult for any physical means to harm him.

This is also the main reason why the two brothers were never able to defeat him.

Pure energy beings also have a serious problem: the natural loss of energy under normal conditions. If nothing is done, Xerath's power will continue to weaken.

However, Xerath was never worried about this problem, because Nasus and Renekton had already told him the solution.

When he stole the power of ascension, his two brothers, whom he had lured away from the mountain, dragged him back with a magical stone coffin and stuffed him into it without saying a word.

It was around that time that Xerath realized that as long as there was a container, the energy would not be lost. So he turned the sarcophagus and chains into his armor to prevent the natural loss of energy.

Renekton knew this, which is why he chose to fight Xerath to the death and relentlessly destroy his armor.

Xerath had a solution: the entire puppet army in the city was made up of the same structure, so he could immediately replace it once the armor was damaged.

Seeing that their attacks were ineffective, Kai'Sa charged straight at Xerath, traversing the battlefield amidst the rain of fire. Xerath, still being held back by Nasus and the others, was completely unaware of Kai'Sa's approach and was pulled back to the ground by her tightly bound silk threads.

The void threads made of negative energy could effectively bind Xerath, but they couldn't last long. The energy within him was simply too immense, and it wouldn't be long before he broke through the restrictions.

Kai'Sa created an opportunity, but the group couldn't capitalize on it to inflict serious damage on Xerath, turning the battle into a protracted stalemate, which made her extremely anxious.

"What about your preparations? You used to explain your defeat to Xerath by saying you were in a hurry and didn't have time to prepare. Don't tell me it'll be the same this time?" Kai'Sa approached Nasus and questioned him rapidly, her dissatisfaction evident in her words.

“I brought an ancient hourglass that can freeze everything within a hundred meters radius, thus sealing Xerath…” Nasus hesitated, as if he had something difficult to say.

"Then why don't you use it? You clearly had so many chances!"

“It’s not that simple.” Nasus shook his head. “Once the hourglass is activated, the user will be sealed away because they won’t have time to escape. I didn’t tell Renekton about this because I was afraid he would trade one for one with Xerath… I’m sorry, I can’t let my brother suffer again like this.”

"So you're planning to do it yourself? But you haven't made up your mind yet?"

"..."

Nasus remained silent, but Kai'Sa could see the hesitation in his heart. Perhaps what he feared was not the sacrifice itself, but the inability to keep his promise to stand by his brothers through thick and thin.

"Speed ​​is of the essence in war. There's no time for hesitation on the battlefield. Give me that thing! I'm going to deal with Xerath!"

Kai'Sa reached out for something, and Nasus looked at her with a complicated expression. He, who had been leading armies in battle thousands of years ago, was unexpectedly being taught a lesson by a little girl. (The last two lines appear to be unrelated and possibly machine-generated text.)