Void Beetle Evolution Guide

Therefore, after eliminating Brand, Kai'Sa had no objection to Syndra taking the shard. Because it was a fragment of a sorcery rune, she couldn't use it anyway.

This limitation can only be overcome if all five runes can be gathered and balanced against each other to form a dynamic equilibrium.

The runic magic Ryze unleashed when ending the Darkin War was achieved by balancing the five runes. He used runic projection, so it didn't matter if he only had some rune fragments instead of the Enlightenment Stone.

“I see.” Nami seemed thoughtful, while Cassiopeia’s gaze was intense. This meant that the two giants had been excluded, and everyone else had a chance to obtain this source of power.

As expected, Kai'Sa glanced at the group and asked with a serious expression, "Who wants to try using this rune to establish causality? Let me make it clear first, those with weak wills are very likely to be seduced by the rune, so it's not without risk."

The pursuit of power is ingrained in everyone's instincts; the only difference lies in whether one can rationally assess risks and restrain desires.

Nami and Cassiopeia were the most eager, both vying to try. Portyl and Katarina, on the other hand, were more restrained, worried about the risks. Sephiroth, however, was indifferent; she'd only go if no one else tried.

Ultimately, Kai'Sa gave the opportunity to Nami. Nami's belief in saving her people was evident to all, and she herself said that the Merfolk and the Celestial Spirits had been on good terms for generations. Having a promise meant being bound by karma, making it easier to be pulled by the threads of fate.

And so, Nami obtained the Overlord Stone. She also went through an adjustment period; for a moment, her entire head seemed to catch fire, her long hair burning with strange black flames, which gradually faded after a while.

She felt her perception amplified to the extreme. Centered on the rune she was holding, Nami was astonished to see thousands of flickering "flames" suddenly appear within a radius of a hundred miles.

Hatred, betrayal, deception, jealousy, rage... countless cold and dark evil thoughts, yet burning like flames that sear the soul, flickered before Nami's eyes like eerie blue phosphorescent lights drifting in a cemetery at night.

As long as she focuses her attention there, she can overcome the many obstacles of towering mountains and directly glimpse the burning malice contained in those "flames".

Nami even had a strange premonition that if she just reached out and gently flicked it, she could make these cold, poisonous flames instantly surge, burning away all the host's rationality and turning those souls, which were originally only light gray, into an inky black ten times darker than charcoal!

Chapter 587 Laluen and Leona

Is this the power of the World Runes...?

Through her connection with the Domination rune and by using its "eyes" to observe the world, Nami vaguely understood why Kai'Sa said that using this thing could make things happen in the direction she wanted.

She saw not only negative emotions, but also distinct colors for each emotion and desire. These colors were not physical colors like red, orange, yellow, and green, but rather wondrous hues that transcended the naked eye and the spectrum, accessible only to the soul.

Those joyful and positive emotions appear pure and intense in color, while those dark and obsessive flames appear murky and dull in color.

Like Kai'Sa before me, while possessing astonishing "brightness," she also possesses an incredibly "profound" dark side. Light and darkness are clearly defined, yet constantly and frantically tearing at each other. Among a sea of ​​gray souls, she can be easily identified at a glance. (The rest of the text appears to be nonsensical and unrelated to the preceding sentences.)

Warmth, kindness, and compassion were genuine qualities she displayed towards herself, but her hidden side—coldness, ruthlessness, hatred, and guilt—was equally real.

Nami found it hard to imagine how these almost completely opposing emotions could forcefully squeeze into the same person's soul without diminishing each other. Kaisa must have had a life trajectory far more complex than she could have imagined.

The flames of the others were generally dim, but Syndra's were the deepest, like a smoldering ember releasing scorching malice.

These self-important women are filled with all sorts of arrogance and ambition, and it is quite inconceivable that they can advance and retreat together, because there is a more powerful being pressing down on them.

In addition, Nami saw many red threads extending from each person's body, weaving together a complex web of relationships under an invisible hand, or extending into the distance.

Through these threads of fate, she can trace their past and deduce their life trajectories. Similarly, she can influence and alter their life paths by manipulating these threads.

This must be what they call cause and effect, right? Such incredible power, Nami thought to herself. After becoming familiar with the power of the Domination rune, she began to carefully count the red threads on her body, trying to find the connection between her and the Lunar Spirit.

However, she searched for everyone she had any connection with, but she couldn't find the Moon Spirit anywhere, as if she had been blinded by the heavens.

“No…” After several unsuccessful attempts, Nami gave up: “No matter how I look, I just can’t find Celestial Spirit. It seems like she deliberately hid herself using some method.”

“Let me do it.” Cassiopeia smiled and reached out to take the Overmind Stone from Nami’s hand.

Cassiopeia's method was more ingenious. She didn't know where the Moon Spirit was, but she knew that Larune was on the moon in the Spirit Realm, which was precise information that Syndra had just revealed.

So she set out to establish a connection with Laluon. Although this was very difficult for two people who were far apart and had no connection whatsoever, it was still more reliable than blindly searching for the deliberately hidden Luna.

Before long, the group of people who were waiting for good news saw golden light shining from the top of Mount Targon, and a bright beam of sunlight shone out.

"The sun has already risen?" Nami asked in a daze.

“That doesn’t make sense. There’s still at least an hour until sunrise.” Kasha frowned, her expression turning serious. “Could it be…”

Before the words were even finished, Mount Targon seemed to transform into a defensive tower, and a dazzling, white-hot beam of light shot down from the summit, crashing onto the beach in front of them.

As the smoke and light dissipated, a lone figure slowly rose from the charred, cratered edge of the glass.

The man was surrounded by flames, like the dawn breaking through the darkness. He wore gilded armor with intricate patterns, its style magnificent and dazzling. His chestnut hair cascaded down from a golden headband, and his heavy shield and longsword shone with the light of the sun.

"Those who should come don't, and those who shouldn't come have come," Kasha muttered, already preparing to engage the enemy.

That's right! The newcomer is none other than Leona, the Sun Goddess and the nemesis of the Lunar Celestial!

……

Located beyond the veil, the Guihai Maru Temple is as desolate as the Moon's Guanghan Palace. The sky here is always unchangingly dark, yet not truly dark. The moon and stars are fixed on the distant celestial canvas, casting a flood of desolate starlight upon the empty temple.

The temple was built on a rugged mountain ridge, and to allow for a direct view of the stars and moon, no walls or roofs were constructed. The stone pillars on both sides of the cliff were carved into the shape of crescent moons, and many arcs and circles were etched on them, which looked like the trajectory of some kind of celestial body, but most of them were incomplete and their meaning was puzzling.

A long stone staircase extends from the back of the temple, at the end of which is an open-air altar. On the altar is a pool of water, and Larun, dressed in the robes of a moon ring priestess, kneels beside the pool, observing the stars through the reflection on the water's surface.

When Laluen first arrived, she was amazed by the beautiful scenery, but after staying there for a while, she began to feel a profound sense of silence. Only through the changing phases of the moon and the occasional twinkling of the stars could she sense the passage of time and feel that she was still alive.

And this living is also a lonely living.

Although the moon cannot move, it is accompanied by so many stars. Larun is burdened with a mission, yet she is trapped alone in this temple.

The only things in the temple that still carried the scent of the mortal world were the remains of several priestesses of the Moon Ring, which offered her no solace but instead constantly revealed her ultimate fate.

—A solitary vigil, until the end of one's life.

Suddenly, ripples appeared on the pool, and the image of Mount Targon appeared in the mirror. On the beach of the west coast, Larun witnessed the arrival of the Sun Spirits, who seemed to have gone to deal with the invaders who had invaded the sacred mountain.

Laruen is essentially a satellite placed in the sky by the Lunari. Her duty is to constantly monitor the movements of the Solari and help the Lunari hide and evade pursuit.

Recently, Laluon has been paying more attention to the newly born Sun and Moon Star Spirits.

On one hand, she needs to be wary of the Protoss's major moves, such as preventing a large-scale purge of the remnants of the Lunar Cult. On the other hand, she also needs to guide the Protoss back to the family as soon as possible and lead the cult towards revival.

Regardless, Larun will watch the entire battle; gathering intelligence on the Protoss is also an important part of the process.

Even in the spiritual realm, the location of Guihai Maru Temple is extremely secluded. It is shrouded in mysterious power from the astral plane, so much so that even celestial spirits cannot detect it from afar.

Chapter 588 Fate and Soul

"Who goes there?" Leona faced the group of strangers alone, without the slightest fear or hesitation, and questioned them with unwavering authority. (The rest of the text appears to be unrelated and possibly machine-generated gibberish.)

She is the guardian of this land, the patron saint of the Sun Cult, and should rightfully expel all forms of light except sunlight.

And that's why she came here; the red glow of a planet in the night sky caught Leona's attention. Even if it wasn't the moonlight she was looking for, she couldn't allow it to shine so openly around Mount Targon.

As the Valkyrie's golden eyes swept over them, everyone felt the temperature rise several degrees in an instant, and the sweltering heat dispelled the coolness of the early morning.

"Cassiopeia, look what you've done!" Kai'Sa glared at the femme fatale, telling her to quickly retract the runes and stop exposing them to outsiders.

However, Cassiopeia wore a wicked, triumphant smile, as if she had anticipated that Leona would be drawn to them. She put away the runes, then walked up to the group and began negotiating with Leona.

“We came with the Tidecaller, intending to exchange the Deep Sea Pearl and the Moon Spirit for Moonstones to suppress the dark monsters at the bottom of the abyss.” Without any consultation, Cassiopeia laid out Nami’s intentions in their entirety, without altering a single word.

"Are you crazy?! You speak without thinking!" Katarina, her blood boiling, forcefully pulled her sister back. Even the innocent Nami was stunned. Could she really say something like this to a Celestial Spirit? Wouldn't it incur their hostility?

"So, you're in cahoots with Diana?" Leona asked, drawing her longsword from the weapon slot beneath the sharp edge of her shield with a defensive air.

"Yes, the trade between the Tidecaller and the Moon Spirit has a long history, dating back over a thousand years. We are the Moon Spirit's most steadfast supporters. Could you please tell us where she is? The monsters are rioting, and the Merfolk desperately need Moonstones to suppress them, otherwise they may face extinction."

To everyone's astonishment, Cassiopeia not only didn't avoid the issue, but went even further, exaggerating the situation. She even brought up things like the Merfolk being fans of the Celestial Spirits. Nami had no idea their relationship was that close.

"Oh no, oh no, will the Star Spirit of the Sun rush to the bottom of the sea and slaughter my people? Or will it simply use the sun to evaporate the sea, and all the sea creatures will suffer..." Nami's little brain instantly thought of the worst-case scenario, and smoke began to rise from the top of her head.

Kaisa also felt that the joke had gone too far and wanted to go over and elbow Cassiopeia unconscious, but was stopped by Wild Hunt's words.

“Cassiopeia is a smart woman. She wouldn’t act so recklessly. She must have her reasons for doing this. Let’s just wait and see.”

Upon hearing this, Kasha also felt that Cassiopeia's unusual behavior suggested she was plotting something, and thus she suppressed her excitement.

“Unfortunately, that traitor has fled to a place no one can find. If you wish to find her, you may come up the mountain with me.” Leona flexed her fingers, gripping the leather-wrapped gauntlet of her longsword tightly.

After hearing Cassiopeia's explanation, she had already mentally categorized these outsiders as heretics. Since she couldn't find Diana, she might as well take these people back to report; perhaps she could even extract some information from them.

"Wait... what do you want to do?!" Seeing Leona's fighting spirit, Cassiopeia pretended to be surprised, acting as if she was slow to realize what was going on.

"Swords have no eyes, surrender now, lest you be harmed." The Heavenly Blade was drawn, its golden blade pointing at the group.

……

At this moment, in the Guihai Maru Temple, Laluen saw the course of events through the pool and realized that this was not an insignificant conflict; she could not remain uninvolved.

"No, these people are cooperating with the Moon Spirits. I can't just stand by and watch them be harmed by the Sun Spirits. We must find a way to help them through this crisis, and then recruit them into our sect!"

“Brother, our friends far away are in danger. Please go to the west coast immediately to rescue them.” Without hesitation, Laluen contacted Aphelios.

Located in the spiritual realm, the Temple of Laluen amplifies her power, but if she wants to project that power into the real world, she still needs to find something to focus on.

The medium Aphelios found for her was a strange flower that bloomed only underwater. These flowers contained a deadly poison, but a potion could be extracted from them that would allow the power of the night to open its doors to him.

After drinking the essence of the night, intense pain will overwhelm all of Ephelios's senses. The pain will engulf his throat, rendering him speechless, and he will become numb to all other sensations.

The only sound that comes from beyond the veil becomes exceptionally clear, and Laruen uses the poison flowing in Aphelios's blood as a medium to transmit sound and power to him.

……

Less than two hours before sunrise, a lone Valkyrie stood on the beach, her light as dazzling as the dawn, facing off against several suspicious outsiders with swords drawn, the atmosphere tense and fraught with danger.

"You're too kind, even inviting us to the temple. But we won't trouble you. If you don't know the whereabouts of the Moon Spirit, just let us go find it ourselves."

Faced with Leona's assertiveness, Cassiopeia started to joke around, appearing as if she regretted revealing her intentions and was trying to salvage the situation. However, in her heart, she was actually quite confident.

Everyone is a puppet of fate; once the threads of fate are woven, things will only develop in the direction she desires.

By manipulating possibilities, Cassiopeia turned chance into inevitability, and Larun and Leona, unaware of her intentions, became actors who took turns appearing in her script.

Her seemingly unguarded words were actually meant to reinforce the cause and effect. After attracting their attention, she still needed to plant the seeds of cause before she could reap the result.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Only by revealing their intentions will Leona consider them enemies, and only then will Larune help them find the Lunar Spirit.

The Domination keystone is indeed not suitable for Nami. You need to use your brain to make good use of this rune, and from this point of view, she is indeed more suitable.

Kasha's understanding of this red gem is far too superficial; it controls not only cause and effect, but a much grander destiny.

Those emotions and desires represent a person's entire inner self, which can actually be summarized as the "soul".

With this soul-piercing power, the Dominator Keystone is in no way inferior to other rune keystones in terms of combat strength.

She merely stirred the flames slightly, and Leona's heart ignited a fierce fighting spirit, yearning to burn these people to death with her purging fire.

“If you have something to say, tell the priests.”

Chapter 589 One-Man Show

With a flick of her sword, Leona transformed into a golden blade and charged into the enemy ranks. Cassiopeia, at the forefront, felt an immense force and was sent flying backward, only to be caught by Sephiroth with difficulty.

"Wow, this woman is not only fast, but also quite strong." Sephie's hands went numb. Even with the power of the dragon, she could still feel numbness in her hands, which shows how monstrous these Protoss are.

Cassiopeia stood up, coughing up blood. Her chest caved in, her delicate features contorted in pain as she stared intently ahead. The golden light reflected in her pupils faded, and the Celestial Spirit of the Sun appeared, shield in front, longsword behind.

Leona only used her shield to strike; if she had used her sword instead, Cassiopeia's chest would have been pierced and melted by now.

Katarina's eyes were bloodshot with rage. She drew her twin swords, ready to exchange a few blows with the Valkyrie, but her defiant sister stopped her, her voice like a broken bellows, "Don't worry about it. I was just letting her have her way."

"You can still talk so arrogantly after taking my shield bash. It seems you're not as simple as you think." Leona put away her contempt.

She gripped the leather-bound hilt of her sword tightly, the surging energy like a bound flame yearning for release. Leona pressed it into her body, letting it slowly flow into her flesh and blood.

In contrast, Cassiopeia also unleashed another form, with chaotic mist emanating from her body, accompanied by lewd laughter, before she vanished.

"A demon?!" Countless phantoms appeared and disappeared in the mist. Leona turned around and looked around for Cassiopeia's whereabouts, her voice tinged with surprise and doubt.

Demons also lurk on Mount Targon, among which the Suspicious Demon Kemp feeds on doubt. It likes to secretly drain the power of its targets, causing them to fall into self-doubt. And when the target truly feels that it has become weaker, it will appear and kill the target.

Currently, Suspicion has been defeated by the War Celestials, but the appearance of demonic power makes Leona even more convinced that the people in front of her are evil people who deserve to be killed. She must use the power of the sun to burn these demonic servants into bones and ashes.

She raised her longsword high, and the surging light dispelled the mist, exposing the flowing shadows to the sunlight. The sharp whip at the end transformed into a giant pair of scissors, ready to sever them.

"Fight to the bitter end!" A dazzling halo enveloped Leona, forming a shield like a total solar eclipse, firmly blocking the scissor attack.

The shield emitted a scorching light, and the demon enveloping it felt an excruciating heat, howling as it shrank back behind an armored behemoth, merging with it.

Even with its body hunched over, the humanoid behemoth was over three meters tall, its muscles bulging like an iron tower, exuding a suffocating sense of oppression, with shadowy flames burning on its horns. Its thick forepaws reached behind it and pulled out its segmented long tail, transforming it into a weapon that could be both soft and hard—soft like a whip, hard like a giant sword.

The others scattered, needing to leave space around them to wield such massive weapons and maintain rhythmic movement in combat. An invisible fear spread, and Leona inexplicably felt that something was amiss.

Unlike the Moonstone, the light emitted by the Star Spirit of the Blazing Sun did not have a restraining effect on the void. Cassiopeia, beneath her armor, let out a howl from another dimension and charged forward, brandishing her greatsword.

Leona let the heat within her flow into her blood, feeling the ancient celestial spirits merging their essence more completely with hers, their senses connected, granting her the perception of another world.

The world slowed down in her eyes; she could see the heartbeat of each enemy blazing like fire, and hear the torrent of blood roaring like thunder. Their bodies seemed to be enveloped in bloodthirsty red flames.

Cassiopeia leaped forward, her greatsword slamming into Leona's shield like the fist of a boulder titan. The force of the blow instantly deformed the shield, unleashing a burst of light as dazzling as dawn.

The instant the shield rebounded, Leona roared and thrust her longsword forward. Golden light extending from the blade pierced the night and penetrated the dark clouds. Then she swung it upwards, intending to cut it in two.

Riding the humanoid behemoth, Cassiopeia possessed an agility completely disproportionate to her size. As she dodged the attack, she spun around and swung her whip sword, the serrated blade lashing and slicing at Leona's back.

The indestructible halo of the eclipse blocked the attack. The Zenith Blade swung back, but the opponent, disregarding the burns, grabbed the blade and threw him and the sword into the sea.