Void Beetle Evolution Guide

It might be hard for others to imagine how a model student could associate with a disrespectful troublemaker, but it was precisely Diana's courage to question authority and her clear-headed debating skills that attracted Leona in class, leading to their friendship starting with a small note, then moving to an envelope secretly placed under the table, and finally to a secret date at a holiday celebration.

To outsiders, these two people are the most incompatible, yet they secretly forge the deepest bond. This pure love is enough to melt even the Wild Hunt; it feels warm and comforting even to a corpse.

It's nice for girls to stick together, but it's not fun if he can't join in.

However, the Wild Hunt has little interest in disrupting lesbian relationships. He'd much rather help the two overcome all obstacles and achieve their happy ending.

Amidst universal opposition, only his protection would provide the space to embrace this love.

Then he could use this favor to take both Protoss under his wing, forming a more stable love triangle.

This is one of the reasons why he initially chose to approach Diana first; with this relationship between the two, Leona would eventually fall into his fold.

On the cliffside path, the scimitar and the longsword were locked in a stalemate, but as Leona's momentum continued to rise, Diana gradually fell into a disadvantageous position.

"Shouldn't we make a move?" Nami asked anxiously as she approached Kai'Sa. Tidehunter and Moon were allies who had shared hardships; she couldn't just watch Diana fall like this.

"Diana already said that, so just watch." Kasha crossed her arms, showing no intention of making a move, and the others followed her lead.

The Wild Hunt is still with Diana, so there's nothing to worry about. She knows the Wild Hunt's tactics well; they simply wait for Diana to fall into a slump and then seize the opportunity to merge with her. She's seen this move countless times.

Furthermore, Kai'Sa intentionally delayed the battle, allowing more Solari to arrive. Meanwhile, the Lunari could follow the trail to Diana. A conflict was inevitable, and the more intense the conflict, the more likely it was to draw Kayle down.

On the mountain path, Diana once again blocked Leona's attack, but the sweltering heat had already caused her forehead to be covered in sweat, smudged her dark eyeshadow.

Diana knew she had lost when Luna's charge failed to land a single blow. She couldn't hold out for long; Leona's blade, having gathered enough energy from the sunlight, erupted with a blinding golden light that scorched her eyes.

Taking advantage of Diana's blindness, Leona bent her knees and pulled in her stomach, roared and took a step forward, shoving her shield and smashing it hard into Diana's chest!

As if struck by a comet, Diana was thrown away by the immense force and rolled down the slope.

Nami quickly summoned a wave to lift her up, and the fountain cushioned the impact, gently lowering her down.

As the waves subsided, Diana knelt on one knee, the tip of the knife against the ground, her chin propped up by the hilt, stubbornly refusing to bow her head.

She squinted at the dazzling Leona, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. Her moon-forged breastplate was broken and peeling away, revealing a rough lining that could not be repaired because it was no longer under the moonlight.

"Diana, I told you you can't beat me under the sun, why won't you listen?" Leona exhaled a breath of hot air, using her willpower to suppress the spirit within her that wanted to burn Diana to ashes.

At the last second, she used her shield to push Diana away, intending to make her fall off the cliff so she could escape. Unexpectedly, Nami's good intentions backfired; she caught Diana before she fell.

After coughing up a mouthful of blood that had choked her throat, Diana expelled the pent-up air from her lungs and gritted her teeth as she responded to Leona.

"Why can you only see the sun's rays? The sun gives us the light to see all things, but the priests don't want us to see the true nature of some things. I never deny the sun's greatness; I only hope to be treated fairly. But the dogmatic doctrine has driven me to the brink of destruction. Leona, we can't go back. I have nowhere to retreat. If I'm going to die either way, then I'm willing to die for my faith."

Anger filled Diana's chest, and the celestial spirit within her amplified this anger, which she then embraced.

She stood up, bracing herself against her curved sword, and plunged the tip of the blade heavily into the ground, unleashing a terrifying shockwave of moonlight. A moon shadow suddenly appeared, its pulling force indiscriminately drawing everyone towards the center of the magic circle!

The tides always follow the moon. Nami's Tidecaller staff suddenly pointed at Diana at the center of the array, pulling her towards it. Syndra used her telekinesis to envelop everyone around her, resisting the moon's gravity. The opposing R'horak squad, however, didn't receive such treatment; their feet lightened, and they were pulled towards the array.

Leona wouldn't allow Diana to lose control and make another mistake. She delved into the depths of her subconscious, awakening the immense power of the world beyond the peaks. She gazed at the sunlight projected onto her sword and stretched out a hand towards the blazing sun.

She then knelt down on one knee and slammed her fist into the ground.

boom--

The sun's fire descended from the sky!

Chapter 596 The Serenity of the Crescent Moon

The sun's fire crashed down, completely obscuring the light emanating from the magic circle beneath Diana's feet.

The dazzling light filled the field of vision, and all people and things were submerged in the light. Even with my eyes closed, I could still feel the light piercing my iris through my eyelids.

As the light gradually faded, Kai'Sa opened her eyes.

She saw Diana lying unconscious on the ground, surrounded by the sun's fire. The flames scorched the ground around her, turning it black, while a pale energy shield enveloped her, protecting her from the intense heat.

The gaze shifted, and dark clouds obscured the sun. Leona, who had been in a dominant position, had collapsed without anyone noticing. Her shoulder armor was shattered, revealing a bizarre gunshot wound. A beam of moonlight shone through the circular wound, connecting to a higher mountain peak.

Kasha followed the moonlight and saw a man with short black hair and a purple crescent tattoo on his right eye on a floating island. He was aiming a magical weapon at Leona. The weapon was long and slender, resembling a sniper rifle, and the moonlight was emanating from its muzzle.

"He arrived unexpectedly quickly... Aphelios."

Wild Hunt's warning made Kai'Sa's eyes narrow. The Lunari had indeed sent someone, and someone of considerable influence. Not only that, but he had also been lurking in the shadows, waiting for his opportunity to severely injure Leona in one fell swoop.

The celestial magic of Mount Targon turned the boulder into a floating island in the air, creating an excellent sniping vantage point. Seeing Leona pay the price for her carelessness, collapsing to the ground, Aphelios tossed away the Azure Jade he was holding.

The moment the Azure Jade left his hand, it gradually dissipated, transforming into a ray of moonlight that returned to the other side of the curtain, hidden within the ancient temple in the realm of the spirit. At the same time, another weapon quietly appeared in Aphelios's hand—the Fallen Light.

A simple thrust unleashed its power, spraying out several black orbs in succession. At this moment, Aphelios's martial arts and Lalune's magic intertwined perfectly, like the conjunction of the moon.

Black orbs adhered to the floating island beneath their feet, securing it at its four corners. The other orbs fell into the battlefield below, where the Burners' weapons burned even brighter in the darkness emanating from the falling light.

The black orb that Zhuiming spews out is different from Syndra's dark orb. The former is another manifestation of lunar energy, while the latter is pure negative energy. If the two collide, they will annihilate each other.

The samurai rescued by Leona shouted an alarm and turned to fight, only to find that they were all bound in place by black orbs.

The force of the falling light dragged the floating island downwards, but Aphelios was not satisfied with the speed of the fall. He spat out several dark orbs in succession, then leaped up and slammed heavily onto the floating island, accelerating the fall and causing it to crash into the Rahorak squad.

Terrified, they could only watch helplessly as the massive boulder crashed into their lines, flattening and crushing the flesh beneath their armor.

Runeterra has two moons, one in the physical realm and the other in the spiritual realm. Born at the moment when the two moons overlapped, Aphelios's body was naturally as strong as the rock on the moon's surface. With exceptional agility, he leaped at the instant a boulder hit the ground, using a roll to absorb the impact.

Aphelios, blessed with destiny, could not disappoint. He tirelessly wielded his mysterious moonstone weapons, enduring blood and sweat in his training, all so that others would pay the same price in defending their faith. In terms of the intensity of their training, the Rahorak soldiers were far inferior to him.

Upon landing, he switched his heavy cannonball to another weapon, the short scythe-like spear, Soul Severing. The survivors quickly spread out on the open ground, striking Aphelios fiercely with their lava spears.

The crescent-shaped pistol emitted a beam of light, and the power of the crescent moon instantly severed the warriors' spears, allowing Aphelios to escape a fatal pincer attack.

While weaving through the gaps in the attacks, Aphelios continued to use his Soul Slash to reap the bloodied, fragile necks until he was out of danger.

Two warriors did not attack Aphelios; they were already beside Leona when he entered the battlefield. They carried the heavily wounded Leona from both sides and fled the battlefield with their guiding light.

Aphelios was ruthless and taciturn, and his actions were as ruthless as those of the Solari against the Lunari. He would not allow any heretic to escape; mercy to his enemies was cruelty to himself.

His eyes were unusually cold as he reached out and grabbed another weapon that had just appeared in mid-air—a ring-bladed folding mirror. It was as if someone had told him that the weapon would appear out of thin air through the curtain.

The jet-black leather gloves clung tightly to his fingers, holding the folding mirror firmly between his thumb and forefinger. With a slight flick of his right hand, the ring blade instantly split into four, leaving a piece of the ring blade between each of Aphelios's fingers.

He flicked his right hand again, and the folding mirror flew out of his hand. The four ring blades, however, only shot out in an arc, soaring through the air and easily slicing open the necks of the last two Rahoraks.

Without support, Leona collapsed again. Then, the Moonstone Ring Blade twisted and spun, flying towards Aphelios, who caught it with one hand and tossed it back into his spiritual realm.

In just a few seconds, the battle was over. (The rest of the text appears to be gibberish and unrelated to the main topic.)

After eliminating all the Rahora, Aphelios gave Kai'Sa a cold glance before walking alone toward Leona, who lay motionless on the ground.

The sun's fire was extinguished by his approach, and the pale shield around her had vanished.

"How terrifying! He killed so many of his own kind." Nami cowered in fear, terrified by Aphelios's cold-blooded cruelty. She had never thought of killing anyone since she came ashore.

When the merfolk encounter a drowning human, they often kindly use the tide to push the drowning person ashore, and they also approach humans with a friendly attitude.

"The human world is full of struggle, unlike the harmonious world of you mermaids. If you can't adapt, go back to the sea."

Kai'Sa's answer made Nami mutter, noticing that Aphelios had pulled out a dagger, and the latter immediately yelled, "Wait, what is he going to do?!"

“Diana won’t allow you to do this. Are you trying to go against the Lunar Cult?” Kai’Sa interrupted, Aphelios’ actions clearly indicating his intention to eliminate the biggest threat to the Lunar Cult right here.

Aphelios turned to look at Kai'Sa, his gaze cold and thoughtful, but his hand did not stop, and the dagger decisively plunged into Leona's chest, who immediately let out a painful groan.

"careful!"

A faint female voice, audible only to Ephelios, rang in his ears. When he came to his senses, a fist slammed heavily into his face.

This was a lightning-fast punch that no technique could dodge. In the brief moment of being sent flying backward, Aphelios's head buzzed, and Kai'Sa's roar echoed in his ears:

"You bastard, did the Nightbloom not only poison you and make you mute, but also deaf?!"

Chapter 597 Night-Blooming Flower Poison

Kai'Sa punched Aphelios away. No matter how serious the conflict between the two sects was, it was none of her business. All she knew was that the Wild Hunt needed these Protoss to achieve their goals.

Aphelios gritted his teeth and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. Being able to withstand a punch from Kai'Sa proved that his physical abilities were quite extraordinary.

Seeing that he did not stand up, Kassa turned her gaze to Leona's chest, where a dagger was stuck, deeply embedded in her heart.

If it were a normal person, they would probably have died instantly from such injuries. But Leona's Celestial Body made her life incredibly tenacious; her chest was still rising and falling slightly, and hot blood was oozing from her wounds.

Kasha crouched down, deliberately not blocking the sunlight shining on her.

Recklessly pulling out the dagger would cause massive bleeding, so Kai'Sa first used runes to suppress her surging blood, then swiftly pulled out the dagger and injected the life force into the wound.

Her injuries began to heal, but within those wounds, Kasha also discovered a strange poison that had spread throughout her body with the blood pumped from her heart.

Even though her wounds had healed, Leona's complexion hadn't returned to its usual rosy hue—the gunshot wound to her shoulder showed no signs of healing, and the pain on her face was even more intense than before. Accompanied by painful groans, cold sweat kept seeping from her forehead.

"Diana, it hurts...it hurts so much..."

"This shouldn't be happening. The sun has shone on me, the wounds have healed, and the effects of the moonstone weapon have dissipated. Why is there still no sign of improvement?"

Kai'Sa was puzzled. She stared at Aphelios, who was gritting his teeth, when suddenly she thought of something and grabbed the seemingly ordinary dagger.

The Crescent Moon Cult's weapons are designed for elegance, delicacy, and easy concealment; these weapons are all made of fluorescent stone. However, this dagger is not fluorescent, as if its sharpness is obscured by something.

Recalling the pain on Leona's face, Kai'Sa immediately guessed what Aphelios had done with the dagger.

"You actually poisoned the dagger!"

“It’s still flower poison,” Wild Hunt added.

The Night-Blooming Flower absorbs the essence of moonlight and blooms only beneath the water's surface. These rare flowers are highly poisonous; ingestion will cause excruciating pain throughout the body.

Intense pain doesn't kill, it only causes unbearable suffering. However, the essence of night in the flower poison is extremely effective against the blazing sun spirit, and the power of the moon wreaks havoc within her body, which is why Leona is constantly in so much pain.

Kai'Sa attempted to use the Foundation Stone to detoxify Leona, but because the flower poison contained lunar power, ordinary methods were largely ineffective. She considered using blood transfusions to replace Leona's entire blood supply, but the Wild Hunt stopped her.

It wasn't that this method was unworkable, but rather that the Wild Hunt had other plans. Since Aphelios's appearance had disrupted his plans, he would simply go with the flow and find another way to gain the trust of the Sun, Moon, and Star Spirits.

Diana slowly awoke behind her. She saw that all the warriors were dead and Leona was injured and lying on the ground. She rushed over immediately without even caring about the Moon Silver Blade that had been left on the ground.

"What happened?" she asked.

Kasha briefly recounted what had happened to her, and Diana asked anxiously, "Is there an antidote for this poison?"

“You’ll have to ask him.” Kai’Sa glanced at Aphelios, who had already stood up and was wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand.

Seeing Diana staring at him, he coldly shook his head, indicating that there was no cure.

In an attempt to experience the power of the night, Aphelios drank a potion made from the Nightbloom flower. He gained the power of the night, but the excruciating pain also caused him to lose his ability to speak forever.

If there had been an antidote, he probably would have taken it himself. But there wasn't, and he didn't need it.

He was a loner, and all he needed was his twin sister to keep him company. He also needed the flower poison as a medium to let Laluen, who was far away, sense his presence.

"Is there really no way to save her? Even the Sunfire Cult's archives don't mention this flower at all..." Diana pulled Leona into her arms, holding her hand tightly. Seeing her beloved suffer was like a knife to her heart.

"Now that things have come to this, we have no choice but to try our luck with Soraka." Just then, a voice that sounded like a devil's whisper suddenly rang in his mind.

"Who?" Diana was startled, then realized from the vibrating shell at her waist that it was the Wild Hunt that Kassa had mentioned speaking to her.

That said, the sphere was not destroyed by the solar flare summoned by Leona.

"Haven't you heard of an astral being who lives between the stars and the earth? That place is on the road to the summit."

“No, the path to the summit is unpredictable, and no one can choose the path they choose to climb…” Diana shook her head: “But I heard from the Sun Cult that there is a horned demon on the mountain, and climbers should stay far away if they encounter it.”

"Has the Solari become so fanatical that they can't even tolerate Soraka's starlight?" Wild Hunt chuckled disdainfully, wondering if there was also constant infighting within the Titans. He explained, "That's not a demon, but a celestial being who descended to earth, one of the Titans you worship."

For millennia, the legend of the Starchildren has permeated every inch of Runeterra.

In some Freljord tribes, songs still sang of a wanderer from afar, a horned healer who soothed frostbite in the coldest winter.

Beneath the deep ravines of Zaun, tales circulate of a lilac-skinned healer who purifies those afflicted by the poison of alchemical smog.

In the turbulent land of Ionia, the oldest Vastashaire myth recounts a prophet who could speak directly with the stars and summon starlight to heal the wounded and scorch those who harmed the nascent land.

"A colossus, is that it..." Diana gasped. As a Protoss, she knew better than anyone that a colossus could not simply break through the boundaries to come into this world.

They needed a physical body as a vessel to bear the power of the heavens, which is why the Star Spirits came into being.

"The Child of the Stars, she is both a prophet and a healer. If even she cannot heal you, then I can only advise you to give up."

"How could I possibly give up!" Diana's eyes lit up with hope, her mind solely focused on taking Leona up the mountain for treatment, unaware that she had already fallen into the Wild Hunt's trap.

"If we encounter any obstacles from the Solari on the road, leave them to us," Kai'Sa assured Diana, echoing Wild Hunt's words. Diana felt a warm current flow through her heart.

"Thank you." She began to remove Leona's armor, wanting to make things easier for the latter and make it easier to carry her up the mountain later. (The last two lines appear to be unrelated and possibly machine-generated text.)

"It's alright. Helping you is also helping ourselves. Nami still needs the moonstone to seal the sea rift."

Kaisa waved her hand to indicate that it was alright, then walked up to Aphelios and said to him in a threatening tone, "You must know the shortcut up the mountain. If you don't want anything to happen to Larune, then you'd better lead the way."

A look of surprise flashed across Aphelios's face. Kai'Sa wasn't a member of the Lunari, so how did she know he had a sister? In his fear, his body nodded uncontrollably.

Chapter 598 Cold Wave Arrives