Void Beetle Evolution Guide

"Then you'd better finish quickly. I can already sense the stirring underground. As soon as the surface thaws, a great battle will break out." Syndra cast a meaningful glance and set a countdown for Kai'Sa.

"Don't worry, it won't be long." As layers of carapace covered her helmet, Kai'Sa's back bulged and writhed, and she spread her elytra and roared as she flew toward the Nest Messenger.

The hundred-meter distance passed in the blink of an eye, but the enemy did not sit idly by and let Kasha get closer. She stretched out her slender arm, and Kasha immediately felt herself being bound by an invisible force.

Chapter 694 Fossils Turn to Sand, Shifting Thousands of Miles

The pillar of light that pierced the sky suddenly fell, like an invisible giant hand that held Kai'Sa firmly in mid-air—the pressure of the void seeped into her skin along the pillar of light, drilling straight into the gaps in her living skin and armor, clearly trying to replicate the trick of the past and drag her back into that pale purple sea that devours everything.

At this moment, there was no panic in Kassa's eyes. Countless battles that had brushed with death had already forged a power into her very bones. She let out a muffled groan, and the muscles in her back suddenly tensed up. Purple arcs of electricity exploded along the patterns on her elytra, crackling with a resolute determination to tear apart her restraints.

The invisible oppression was blasted open by this brute force, and Kai'Sa, propelled by the electric arc, shot out like an arrow. Her sharp blade of light was aimed at the Nest Messenger, and her guilt for wanting to free her childhood playmate from suffering was transformed into murderous intent at this moment.

The monstrous body of the Nest Messenger shuddered violently, and six bizarre missiles suddenly emerged. The front end of each missile was a bloodshot eyeball with void energy surging in the iris, and the rear end dragged a sticky optic nerve bundle, twisting in the air like a dying tadpole in a nauseating arc.

As soon as they separated from the mother's body, all the eyeballs turned to Kasha, their pupils reflecting her image, and they pounced on her, dragging their nerve bundles along them.

Kaisa clenched her fists, her rage unwavering, and instead activated a time-space acceleration technique.

The light and shadow around her suddenly lengthened, and the speed of everything around her slowed down. The eyeballs seemed to be suspended in mid-air, as if the whole world had been put on slow motion.

Kasha narrowly missed the edge of an eyeball; sticky nerve bundles almost wrapped around her elytra, but their vision couldn't keep up with her speed, and she broke free of all locks in an instant.

Her movements were swift and decisive; each turn was precise, navigating the gaps in the missiles, all in order to reach the body that had trapped her dead friend in this world via the shortest path.

As the slow-motion world resumed its flow, Kai'Sa's fist blade had already plunged deep into the chest of the Nest Messenger. The crisp sound of the blade tip piercing the void's armor held the resolute determination to shatter the past.

Without a single unnecessary movement, without the slightest hesitation, it was as if this strike had been rehearsed a thousand times in her mind, solely to completely sever that memory steeped in regret. "You sing, I have; you're busy; Lin Zai Zai, are you not here?"

The Nest Messenger's body convulsed violently, and the power that allowed it to float instantly dissipated, leaving only Kai'Sa's fist blades hanging it in mid-air.

Its shriveled, lipless mouth moved with difficulty, squeezing out broken syllables from its throat, hoarse with the throes of death: "The...Empress...has been...watching you...run...while...there's still time..."

Kai'Sa's heart skipped a beat. There was a faint, soft quality in that voice, not belonging to a Void monster. It was just like that night many years ago, when Uma caught up with her from behind, wanting to go with her to investigate the whereabouts of the sacrifice.

For a fleeting moment, she almost believed that the consciousness of that poor little girl still lingered within the monster's body, desperately trying to warn her.

But the next second, the turbid waves of the pale purple sea, the fear of being sacrificed, and the empty gaze after her memories were taken away all flooded into her mind. She closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, only a cold determination remained.

Uma was just an ordinary little girl, a pitiful person unable to resist, and it was entirely possible that her memories would be devoured by Bervis. Miracles are never so cheap; this was merely a dying trick by the Void Monster to gain her sympathy.

Kai'Sa twisted her wrist sharply, her fist blade churning violently within the core of the Nest Messenger, fluorescent purple liquid dripping down its blade. Then she released her grip, watching the lifeless shell plummet from the sky, her long-suppressed whisper carried on the wind—a farewell to the past, and a resolute determination for revenge.

"Uma, rest in peace. I will avenge you."

The dull sound of grinding boulders rolled out from deep within the rock strata, like an ancient beast gnawing at the earth's sinews and bones.

Syndra stood high in the sky, her body surrounded by a runic halo that radiated a purple magical glow, exuding an oppressive aura that controlled the heavens and earth, easily drawing upon elemental power capable of overturning cities.

The entire city below succumbed to her will, the earth and rocks crumbled into fine sand, and the stone walls and domes that once symbolized civilization were pushed down and flattened one by one like fragile building blocks built by a child, and finally kneaded into a huge sand table that she could manipulate at will.

The city's foundation first cracked under the strain, with fissures spreading like spider webs across the streets and alleys. Then, as if all its sinews had been removed, it softened into a flowing sea of ​​sand. Even the underground waterways burst under the pressure of the sand, and the splashing water was instantly swallowed up by the quicksand.

Amidst the deafening roar, rows of houses shook, tilted, and sank, the billowing dust obscuring the sky and turning the light in the air a dim yellow. Only the runic halo surrounding Syndra shone brightly in the chaos.

At this moment, even as a goddess wielding magic and a natural disaster reshaping the landscape single-handedly, she declared the demise of a city with a mere wave of her hand. Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, Bervis was simply a dead city.

"With a flick of the wrist, civilization can be reduced to dust. Such immense power..." Even Azir, who once held the reins of the Shurima Empire and was accustomed to the miracles of the Ascended and the torrents of magic, couldn't help but grasp the golden staff sword and sigh repeatedly.

He could swallow a city with sand, but he couldn't dismantle it so thoroughly. Syndra's methods were so masterful that even the resurrected Shurima emperor had to admire her.

Just as the sandstorm raged and the dust settled, a rift suddenly appeared in the sky. Without any warning, a gigantic, disc-shaped phantom, far larger than a city, silently emerged above the clouds.

At first, it was just a few streaks of gilded light, so delicate they seemed fragile and could shatter at the slightest touch, barely outlining a circular shape. But soon, a massive amount of golden light poured down from the crack, like molten gold being poured onto the phantom.

The radiating patterns along the edge of the disc, and even the ancient runes engraved within them, gradually became clear under the golden light. Every inch of its formation was accompanied by a heart-pounding energy fluctuation, as if a scorching warmth filled the air.

The disc was no longer a thin, illusory image, but rather like an ancient sun that had been awakened, carrying the brilliance of the rising sun, gradually breaking free from the shackles of the void, spreading a breathtaking sense of holiness across the sky, and gradually becoming complete.

Azir was once again stunned; Katarina had actually brought the Sun Disk from the Oasis of Dawn. The sheer number of hidden talents within his own ranks made even this Ascended God-Emperor feel ashamed.

Thinking about it from the other side, just what kind of terrifying existence is Bernis that even a team with such power feels insecure and tries every means to bring him over?

Chapter 695 The Pale Purple Sea

The answer Azir sought was gradually revealed as the sand sea sank. When the entire elevated surface was completely crushed into quicksand by Syndra, the sand sea, which had been suspended in mid-air, instantly lost its support and fell into the pale purple sea below with a deafening roar.

The sky, filled with billowing sand, transformed into a golden canopy that obscured visibility, allowing only fleeting glimpses of sinister figures emerging from the falling sand. As the sand settled like sand from an hourglass, the grotesque creatures hidden beneath were gradually revealed to the sunlight.

An unimaginably enormous crater lay beneath their feet. While the sea of ​​sand covered the pale purple sea with a thick blanket, the latter was clearly much larger and more expansive. Something could be seen emitting faint, fragmented light at the edge of the shifting sands. It was as if someone had scattered fragments of stars at the edge of an abyss, luring them to peer into the horrors hidden beneath.

A bizarre thick carpet formed by mutated coral polyps, grasses emitting scattered light, kelp swaying without water, stitched remains growing into trees with drooping, eerie limbs, and pearlescent structures; fragmented ruins reconstruct the appearance of buildings, but not a single matching gap can be found, as if they were forcibly poured and built against all rules.

Everywhere you look, there are upside-down Shurima-style buildings, with glowing, strange objects of various shapes swirling around the edges of doors and windows. The debris scattered on the ground rearranges into unrecognizable, bizarre shapes, its structure constantly shifting, as if trying to reassemble into the form of a living being or the outline of a human.

These things are everywhere in the giant pit, as dense as coral reefs on the seabed. The entire pit is like a writhing, pulsating living hell, reflecting a sinister phosphorescence under the sunlight.

“This is… the Pale Purple Sea.” Azir hovered in mid-air, his gilded armor gleaming coldly in the dim light, his fingertips unconsciously tracing the eagle pattern on his scepter.

He was once the emperor of Shurima, witnessing the rise and fall of countless cities, but he had never seen such living ruins. The depth and width of the Pale Purple Sea far surpassed that of the Dawn Oasis; describing it as a "sea" was no exaggeration.

But he clearly remembered that this was merely the product of Bervis devouring a small seaside town, while Dawn Oasis was the capital of Shurima, the heart of a thousand-year-old civilization, and its prosperity was far beyond that of a small town.

If Bervis were to devour the Dawn Oasis, he couldn't imagine what it would look like. Perhaps colossal beasts would carry the shattered city on their backs, while their prized sun disk would be embedded like a mirror into the roadside monuments. Those familiar streets would be covered with stitched-together remains, becoming hunting grounds for void creatures.

"What's the point of them doing this?" The four ascended beings accompanying them stared in disbelief at the scene before them. The enemies they had encountered in the Void War would never do something so pointless in its killing, yet these creations before them were completely negating their understanding. What benefit could there be in assembling the remnants of human civilization into something else entirely?

“Even if you know there’s no possibility of reconciliation, all you need to know is that they want to replace us.” Kasha flew back to the Royal Palace, where the previously pervasive smoke and dust had been covered with a layer of fine sand on the deck.

As if to verify Kai'Sa's response, a tidal wave of buzzing began to rise from all directions, like countless wings vibrating inside the abdomen. Monsters lurking beneath the city sprang out like a pot of boiling water, like countless cockroaches scurrying wildly out of the sewers after the drain plug has been removed—a scene that would absolutely drive anyone with trypophobia crazy.

The subsidence of the sand sea would be a catastrophe for ordinary people, but it was of no consequence to the void creatures. Countless monsters surged out from beneath the sand sea, from the ruins of buildings, and from the pale purple surface of the sea, flying into the sky.

The first thing Kaisa saw was a ferocious-looking flying insect with hooked, sickle-like forelimbs, its flight accompanied by a roar as it rapidly ascended to the sky as a vanguard. There was also a firefly-like creature, its swollen abdomen acting like a glowing air sac, generating buoyancy and slowly rising with its long, tongue-like mouthparts. But the largest group was a swarm of millions of Void Remoras, evolved from the ones she had seen before. They possessed hard, segmented carapaces like scavengers, and their spiky fins had become more voluptuous. When unfurled, they resembled ribbons studded with diamonds, a strangely magnificent spectacle amidst their ferocity. This purple torrent of millions of fish dyed half the sky an unusual color.

However, this is only a small fraction of the countless flying void creatures. Many more void monsters will appear one after another, with various shapes and types, a dazzling array that is hard to look away from.

All the familiar faces made their appearance: a giant starfish with bulging eyes, each eye swirling wildly, capturing every movement in the air; flying jellyfish with their dense, forest-like tentacles, their bodies swirling with corrosive poisonous mist, emitting a pulsating light that appeared and disappeared in the shadows; and a thousand-limbed slug crawling across the ruins, its countless slender limbs trailing glistening slime, leaving winding trails on the remnants while howling incessantly.

There were also alien insects resembling siege cannons, their segmented, gigantic bellies bulging as if about to burst, churning with scalding plasma that cast flickering light on the patterns on their shells. The nozzles aimed at the spaceship were slowly contracting, as if about to unleash a torrent of energy capable of melting metal; giant worms were devouring the sand sea, their mandibles, filled with sharp teeth, like meat grinders. (The last sentence appears to be unrelated and possibly a fragment from another text.)

The sheer number and variety of species gave Kasha the illusion that she was fighting against an entire harmonious and perfectly integrated ecosystem.

"They're charging!" Before Kasha could find Bervis among the many monsters, the flying monsters had already formed a swarm and rushed forward.

Both ships activated their protective shields one after the other. Azir's ship had its own shield, while the Royal Palace could only rely on Syndra's force field for protection. The dense swarms of insectoid larvae crashed into the shields like giant waves, causing the entire ship to shake violently. The Royal Palace's already dilapidated chimneys creaked even louder.

The plasma cannons blasted upwards indiscriminately at the protective shield, instantly melting countless flying insects in their path into the foul-smelling black smoke. The already precarious shield immediately developed cracks, and the shockwaves from the explosions seeped into the cracks, causing great distress to the ascendants and nearly overturning the parallel Royal Palace, sending it plunging downwards.

"If we can't hold out, launch a counterattack immediately!" Syndra used magic to lift the falling spaceship back up. The plasma cannon streaked across the sky like a shooting star. Even she dared not remain in mid-air as a sitting duck any longer, and began to move against the surging insect swarm at full speed. Her field of view could protect against the insect swarm's offensive, but it was not very effective against energy weapons.

Chapter 696 Fierce Counterattack

The enemy's offensive was too swift; even Kai'Sa began to doubt whether her decision to directly tear up the ground was a mistake. Otherwise, how could they withstand such immense defensive pressure? The density of the insect swarm was so great that she felt she would be instantly torn to shreds if she went out.

Under Azir's control, the solar disk emitted a dazzling light, and surging beams of light pierced through the swarm of insects. Sharp teeth, claws, and eyes eager for slaughter were all bathed in the beams of light and instantly evaporated, leaving only charred black lines.

Wherever Azir pointed his staff, the beam of light shone, but he could only barely defend himself against the swarm of insects around him, and could no longer care about the safety of Kai'Sa and the others.

Katarina summoned countless weapons using the Precision Foundation, unleashing a torrent of steel that felled many remoras. But against an endless horde of enemies, this single-target kill rate was utterly inadequate. Her previous success underwater was due to the narrow tunnel, but now they were in the vast sky, surrounded on all sides; the pressure was on a completely different level.

This made her somewhat impatient. Most of the problems that couldn't be solved weren't because the rune wasn't powerful enough, but because the user's imagination couldn't unleash its full potential. She had to think carefully about how to live up to the Wild Hunt's expectations and make good use of the rune in her hand.

Looking at the radiant sun disk in the distance, the most powerful creation bestowed upon humanity by the giant god, she suddenly wondered why she couldn't simply replicate it multiple times. The subconscious assumption that multiple copies couldn't coexist because the target was too powerful was shackled by this conventional wisdom.

On second thought, it didn't seem necessary to go through all that trouble. The intricate runes govern the laws of creation; since they couldn't be used directly to strengthen herself, why not use them to strengthen existing creations?

Katarina then activated her runes, channeling her power into the Sun Disc. The golden runes and the golden disc complemented each other perfectly, and Azir immediately felt his control over the Sun Disc being taken away by an irresistible force. However, the light he feared did not dissipate; instead, it was amplified many times over, radiating intense brilliance.

Like a solar flare, the beam of light blasted into the swarm of insects and radiated outwards, engulfing everything in its intense light. However, the flare failed to penetrate the pale purple sea. The raging tide of countless monsters formed a barrier with their bodies, preventing the flare from exploding prematurely in mid-air.

The shockwave exploded horizontally, forming a halo of light. The heat of millions of suns instantly melted the carapace, and the hideous flesh rapidly evaporated under the intense light. The entire sky was shrouded in blinding brilliance, and the resulting foehn winds caused billowing steam to rise from the nearby sea.

As the light gradually faded, the Ascended Ones, being forged from sunlight, were not only unharmed by the intense light, but also experienced a surge of powerful energy within them. Meanwhile, the Royal Palace, protected by runes, also weathered the shockwave unscathed. The pressure from the insect swarm lessened considerably, and the number of enemies in the sky decreased by more than half.

The Wild Hunt immediately seized the opportunity to unleash his army of queen whales, with hundreds of giant whales pouring out to compete for air superiority with the remaining remora swarm.

A large number of cruising remoras poured out of the chaotic and densely packed bomb bay. Although both are called Void Remoras, there are still considerable differences between the two. Because the Wild Hunt's fish can be carried on the Mother of the Nest, they have weakened their thick carapace and fluorescent fins that enhance flight capabilities, in exchange for the ability to fire plasma.

Cruiser remoras are relatively weaker in close-quarters dogfights, but they have the advantage of long-range firepower. Their evolutionary direction is towards killing targets more efficiently, rather than devouring their enemies; this is the biggest difference in their evolutionary logic.

The two storms clashed and fought fiercely. As soon as they engaged, a series of gnawing sounds rang out, with purple flashes appearing and disappearing within them, indicating a very intense battle.

A shooting star streaked across the sky, and a barrage of plasma slammed into the surface of the solar disk, causing it to tremble. Azir, looking down at the living cannons below, realized they had set their sights on Shurima's most prized possession—something he could not tolerate.

He released control of the solar disk, putting it into automatic defense mode. In this mode, any attempt to attack the disk would be detected, and a beam of light would be fired to detonate it prematurely. (The last two lines appear to be unrelated and possibly machine-generated text.)

Then Azir raised his arms and shouted, using the power of ascension to lift himself off the deck, his brown cloak and deep red ribbons with gold trim dancing wildly in the wind. The Celestial Warriors looked up at the God-Emperor clad in golden eagle armor, his eyes shining like the rising sun, a delicate emerald inlaid in the center of his breastplate drinking in the sunlight.

Azir thrust his scepter towards the sky, the tip of the spear flashing with golden light, blindingly bright. Hot winds rose from the sea of ​​sand below, the grains coalescing into tall, imposing warriors clad in armor similar in style to their master, but entirely composed of yellow sand. They wielded spears, their blades adorned not only with the sand that formed their bodies but also with shimmering glitter.

Sand soldiers burst forth from the earth, bringing with them the stench of decay from deep beneath, raising clouds of dry dust like bones and rags unearthed by the wind as it swept across the dunes. They marched in rows, like walls of sand billowing in the wind, advancing side by side towards the edge of the desert, each step filled with murderous intent.

Hundreds of thousands of warriors advanced in unison, yellow sand constantly pouring from their armor. Their steps were perfectly synchronized, a feat no human soldier could match. These mindless, soulless warriors charged fiercely towards the enemy, their advance not particularly fast, but more than enough to keep up with the cumbersome, living cannons.

They surrounded the living cannon and stabbed its swollen sides with spears. These ruthless warriors knew no fear. Even when the splashed plasma melted their bodies, they did not retreat even a step, and another warrior would immediately fill the gap.

The Zerg roared and leaped up, its steel spearheads piercing its body repeatedly, preventing it from retaliating against the enemy. Unable to withstand the Sand Soldiers' onslaught, it could only call for reinforcements from other units.

As the void monsters in the deep pit gradually coalesced into a swarm that assaulted the army, all the remaining three-dimensional ascendants, except for Horaz, the spellcaster, unleashed their forms and leaped fearlessly from the sky. Their massive bodies plunged into the sea of ​​sand, stirring up waterfalls of sand. They stood like small mountains among their soldiers, each step covering more than ten meters, rushing towards the front line.

The crew on the Royal Palace watched this scene unfold, but did not immediately launch an attack. Kasha was still searching for Bervis's location, and if they rashly dispersed without knowing his whereabouts, she worried that he might suddenly appear and pick them off one by one.

Chapter 697 The Ascended

Naafili and Aatrox charged into the battlefield, wielding their massive weapons, each strike killing dozens of monsters. The monsters were shattered into pieces by the blades, or trampled mercilessly, gushing venomous blood into the air, severed limbs flying backward, spinning like skipping stones. Broken remains followed closely behind, hurled into the air like grains of sand.

The small monsters that were fighting the sand soldiers could not stop the giants' advance at all. Their sharp teeth and claws could only tear flesh and blood, but could not penetrate the armor of the Celestial Warriors and their steel-like skin. The only advantage of these cannon fodder was that they would not be scared out of their wits by the roar of the Ascended.

Aatrox let out a piercing battle cry. He was incredibly noisy in battle, constantly spewing trash talk to vent his hatred for the Void and to provoke the Celestial warriors fighting alongside him. He leaped into the air, spun around, and slammed his greatsword heavily into the swarm of insects. The burst of sword energy shattered the ground and the monsters together, and the debris fell like rain of blood.

Nayafili, not to be outdone, spun her dagger, slicing through chitinous carapaces, and enemies in her path fell like harvested wheat. She weaved and darted through the swarm of insects, catching the returning dagger and transforming into an unstoppable whirlwind of steel, sweeping across the battlefield like a storm, leaving only the trail she left behind to confirm her presence. In a flash, the monsters' limbs disintegrated one after another, some sliced ​​into pieces, others shrunken in place.

As an archer, Verus also came to the front lines to find the best shooting angle. His longbow was drawn to its fullest extent, the bow humming excitedly at the limits of its material. One, three, five arrows—more and more arrows were loaded onto the bowstring, ready to be released, shooting out in a fan shape. The arrows were fired at an angle parallel to the monsters, stringing all enemies within range into a single line.

Horaz was tasked with protecting Azir. Her magnetic spells would capture any Void creatures that tried to approach Azir, then unleash a beam of light to shatter them while they were immobilized. Red lightning struck from the sky, static electricity causing sand to float in mid-air, which she manipulated to create a thunderous tornado that swept into the swarm of insects. Those monsters caught in the tornado fell to the ground as corpses, their carapaces covered in frosty wounds, their hearts pierced by electric current.

While searching for Bervis's trail, Kai'Sa also observed the performance of these Celestial Warriors. They were indeed incredibly efficient killing machines; the fact that the Void War had driven them mad meant that the war was far more brutal than what they were experiencing now. Or perhaps, they were currently slaughtering cannon fodder, using them to wear down their strength, while the truly threatening enemies were still waiting in the wings?

Kai'Sa's guess was quickly confirmed. She saw a gigantic, terrifying creature collapse under Aatrox's slashing blows, but it was not completely dead. Black pus oozed from its torn wounds.

The scattered pieces of corpses crawled toward it, and it sucked up the blood flowing from the smaller monsters with its limbs, devouring their essence. The web of light and the writhing matter stitched its flesh together, like a weaver mending a tattered blanket.

Its massive torso convulsed, its wounded flesh regenerating, new limbs sprouting from its body, and its former weaknesses becoming even stronger. Tentacles burning with black flames emerged from its irreparable wounds, crackling like whips striking the ground. Its very presence distorted the air, and black smoke from the dissolving rocks beneath it billowed out.

This was even more powerful than the Darkin's vampiric abilities. A lash grazed Aatrox's knee, shattering a portion of his armor, which dissipated into a wisp of black smoke. Even the most ancient and unchanging things would be decomposed by such forces.

A moment of carelessness can be fatal.

A torrent of carapace, claws, and raging fury instantly engulfed Aatrox. The shadow of a giant jellyfish loomed over the sky, leaving him no escape. A death worm, many times larger than the giant, crawled out from beneath his feet, its gaping maw snapping at him. (The last two lines appear to be unrelated and possibly machine-generated text.)

The worm's esophagus was filled with densely packed teeth that rotated and contracted like rollers, instantly leaving deep marks on Aatrox's armor, and his knees, which were not protected by armor, were immediately torn open.

Black blood flowed down, landing on the blood-sucking tubes attracted by the scent of blood, hissing as it melted the monster's tongue into charcoal. Aatrox was fortunate enough to be spat out by the monster, but his situation didn't improve much; countless monsters surrounded him, clawing and biting. The Stitches used its tentacles to wrap him up, then slammed him to the ground and whipped him wildly.

The other ascendants were attacked simultaneously, and there was no time to rush to their aid. Nayafili was entangled by a group of starfish monsters with incredibly resilient bodies; any cuts would quickly heal under the pressure of their muscles. Nayafili's intuition told him that the bulging eyeball was its weak point, but finding that weak point was not so easy.

Starfish can retract their eyeballs into their bodies and move them to any location, untouchable even when her blade is completely submerged. They can also share vision, allowing Nayafili to detect and respond to any attack or escape attempt. Their attack method involves turning over their wrinkled fleshy walls, with tumor-like protrusions spraying a strange fluid that emits a repulsive stench; once attached, it is difficult to escape.

Varus and Horaz were held back by the distant Sickle Centipedes. These long worms could fire lasers from beyond their range, and their speed was so great that once locked on, they were difficult to dodge. The Sickle Centipedes' fire control lock-on had a delay, which could be avoided by using high-speed maneuvers to break the lock-on. However, they did not have Kai'Sa's speed, so they could only shrink their size and hide behind cover. Once they showed themselves, they would be met with concentrated fire.

Watching the hideous monster drag the Ascended into a predicament, Kai'Sa felt a furnace-like heat coursing through her body. This was definitely a premeditated attack; mindless Void creatures couldn't coordinate like this. They needed a leader to control them, and that must be Bervis.

In any case, simply waiting like this isn't a solution. If Piervis continues to observe them from the shadows without showing up, are they just going to wait indefinitely? Such indifferent observation will only discourage the reinforcements.

Kasha gestured to the others behind her, then jumped off the deck of the Royal Palace first. She decided to take it one step at a time, focusing on her surroundings during the battle. She spread her arms and leaped, not deploying her elytra, but waiting until just before landing to unleash the plasma missiles she had been holding back.

Chapter 698 Kaisa Enters the Scene

A barrage of missiles blasted through the swarm of insects, creating a landing area. Kai'Sa, using the recoil from the launch, performed a backflip, landing steadily on her tiptoes instead of falling into the carnage. She fired repeatedly with alternating palm strikes, each strike killing a void monster. The scorching plasma bullets brought death to her enemies; smaller ones were instantly blasted into pulp and minced meat. (The last sentence appears to be unrelated and possibly a fragment from another context.)

Having cleared the monsters blocking her path, Kai'Sa rushed towards Aatrox's aid. The heat-dissipating plates on her outer thighs springed open, giving her a catapulting leap, her movements accompanied by a sonic boom. She climbed directly onto the stitched monster's back, aimed her palms at one of its mouths, and, despite the horrifying stench, unleashed purple flames into it.

A gnawing pain shot through her skin, and Kai'Sa sensed the attack intent of the distant scythe centipede. Instead of dodging, she intensified the eruption of flames from her palms, and a pod on her shoulder fired a volley of missiles. These missiles lacked targeting and locking capabilities; they simply hovered and collided between Kai'Sa and the monster, using the resulting explosion cloud to intercept all beams aimed at her.

She not only hadn't forgotten any of the experience she gained from surviving underground, but she had also integrated and developed it to a new level. Without an unparalleled familiarity with the characteristics of void creatures, it would be impossible to conceive of such imaginative maneuvers.

A continuous stream of purple fire poured into the monster's mouth until it overflowed. Before the monster exploded, Kai'Sa jumped back to create distance, watching as it was blown into a bloody mess. Her skin and armor automatically absorbed the energy released when it died.

As the swarm of insects closed in, Kai'Sa leaped, twisted, and rolled to dodge the attack, unleashing more flames from her hands to draw a purple ring around her. This ring also encircled Aatrox. The flames forced the monster back, giving the Celestial warrior within the ring a chance to breathe. He stared in astonishment at the Void Hunter who had rescued him from the swarm, completely unable to comprehend how such a small body could unleash such immense power.

“It seems that flames they create themselves are most effective against them,” Aatrox said with a wry smile.

Kasha turned her head to look at him; the Celestial Warrior was panting amidst the wreckage. His leg was broken, and his left arm hung limply at his side, shattered from shoulder to wrist. He tried to prop himself up with his other hand, but a searing pain shot through the broken part of his spine. The Ascended drank deeply of the sunlight; given time, his body could heal, but he had no time.

The battlefield was teeming with the Void Queen's spies. Kai'Sa knew that casting runes here would trigger information gathering and analysis, and with Bervis's terrifying intellect, he could devise tens of thousands of countermeasures in an instant. Yet, she chose to heal Aatrox. The Celestial Warrior's injuries were so severe that abandoning him would mean being overwhelmed by the insect swarm. It would be a great pity for him to perish so soon after his divine body had been rebuilt.

Runes are less effective on the Ascended's Lightforged Body form. Kai'Sa thinks Aatrox in Darkin form seems stronger, as he can devour flesh and blood to raise his potential. However, each situation needs to be analyzed individually. Flesh and blood are definitely at a disadvantage against Void creatures, and there are no living corpses on this battlefield for Darkin to absorb. On the contrary, the Ascended have the Sun Disc's blessing, so it's hard to say who is stronger.