Zoe's words left Azir and Xerath even more confused. The method of ascension they knew was granted by the Star Spirits to the Valkyrie Setaka, using the Sun Disc to extract the power of the sun. How did it become a matter of stealing the power of some star-bound entity? Moreover, what kind of mighty being would have the power to forge so many divine warriors simply by siphoning off its strength? After all, during the peak of the Shuriman Empire before the Void Wars, there were over a thousand ascended beings. Even the Star Spirits themselves could hardly have shaped so many celestial warriors with their own powers.
Li Lin keenly noticed the confusion on Azir and Xerath's faces. Before Zoe could speak again, he quickly interjected, "Have Your Majesty and the Grand Scholar ever heard of the tale of the Star Forge Dragon King?"
The "Gessen" people, under the guidance of the Star Spirits, climbed to the summit of the Great God's Peak, offering a cursed crown created by the Star Spirits to the "Creator God" who had formed most of the planets from the beginning of the cosmos. The mortals didn't understand what they had done, nor could they comprehend the true power of Aurelion Sol.
Li Lin observed the slight change in Nasus' expression and the gleam in Azir's eyes, and could tell that neither of them knew of the name he mentioned. It made sense—how could the Star Spirits allow humanity to record and pass down their dark history? Li Lin's expression shifted to one of seriousness as he continued, "He created the miraculous stars, laying down his magnificent grace across the endless and barren universe."
Though Li Lin had learned from his past mistake and refrained from mentioning Aurelion Sol by name, in case he caught a fleeting glance from him and felt that terrifying, century-long tension in just a moment, both Azir and Nasus understood the implication. The Celestial Dragon King was exactly as his title suggested…
"A creator god… The glorious divine warriors drew their power from such a magnificent being?" Nasus muttered in a daze.
In contrast to Nasus' confusion, Azir remained much calmer. The golden flames in his eyes flickered faster. He glanced briefly at Zoe, who had made a silly face at him, before fixing his gaze back on Li Lin. "Is this true?"
"Why would you think otherwise?" Zoe interjected with a frown, as if assuming the role of Sol. "My Star Spirit kin insulted him. It was you who presented him with the cursed crown, stole his power, and forged your warriors from it.
I swore to protect my space puppy, to break his curse and return his strength, so my views align with his. You ascended beings are nothing more than a bunch of thieves, a pack of burglars!"
Zoe's words were sharp, and though Li Lin thought about intervening, he refrained. Azir trusted him, but when it came to ascension, they might have disagreements, even possibly dismissing his warnings. After all, an emperor who rules over such a vast empire must have a certain level of arrogance. If Azir had no opinions of his own, he would never have been able to lead the once-glorious Shuriman Empire into what was called its post-peak era. However, from Zoe's perspective, especially since she was closely familiar with Aurelion Sol, this was an entirely different matter.
"We didn't know of this," Azir's voice was heavy, and after a brief pause, he asked, "How is the Celestial Dragon King now?"
Children's tempers flare and fade quickly. Azir's demeanor remained polite, even lowering his stance slightly. Zoe's tone softened in turn. "If he can boast and speak grandly, then he must be in pretty good condition." She floated cross-legged in the air, tapping her fresh lips with her left hand, her brow furrowed as she thought for a moment. "However, he did tell me that once he's freed from his seal, his first move will be to destroy every Star Spirit except for me, then take the Rune Lands and set an example by reducing this barren, lifeless shell of a planet to ashes. A permanent warning to all star-bound beings."
Upon hearing this, Li Lin didn't react much, but Azir clearly grew tense, and Nasus was even more anxious. Though Zoe's tone was light, as if she had no care in the world, her words were far from false. Both celestial beings could tell that. A creator god capable of forging stars had plans to destroy this planet… before such a being, even the Void's threat seemed insignificant.
Zoe continued, giving Azir and Nasus a slight relief, "But, well, the space puppy is still thinking it over. It's just a plan for now, nothing set in stone yet."
"Now that we know, we should find a way to remedy this," Nasus said. "This power was not something we sought out, and we don't even know how it might harm him. What's more, it's been so long since we've cooperated with the Star Spirits... At the very least, we need to show the Celestial Dragon King our sincerity."
Without the Rune Lands, the Shuriman Empire would cease to exist. When it came to the planet's future, Nasus wanted to sever the ties between ascended beings and the Star Spirits to avoid being seen as their "puppets" or "tools." Though Aurelion Sol had already thought of them in that way...
"But you can't just return the power," Li Lin said firmly. "The ascended are still very necessary. You will be the last line of defense against the Void on Runeterra."
Azir did not respond to his words.
"But if we fend off the Void, what happens when the now unsealed Celestial Dragon King comes to destroy us?" Nasus' crimson gaze shifted toward Zoe, whose indifferent attitude didn't seem to help matters.
"Don't look at me," Zoe said with a huff. "Even though Li Lin is here on this planet, I can always take him with me." She turned her face away and hummed a random tune.
Li Lin slowly extended his hand to gently stroke Zoe's face, his voice soft as he called her name, "Zoe..."
Her heartbeat quickened uncontrollably. She knew what he meant, but she couldn't resist the gentle touch and tone.
"Alright, alright, fine!" Zoe said with an exaggerated gesture, shaking her little head like a rattle. "I did beg the space puppy not to destroy the Rune Lands, because this is Li Lin's second home."
Li Lin blinked in surprise. "You actually mentioned me to him? When was that?"
"Hehe~~ I was worried about you," she said with a playful tone. "It was when I was passing by to deliver messages to the Star Spirits. I ran into the space puppy and played with him until today, right up until you called for me."
Ah, now I know why you came so quickly today... Li Lin sighed and rubbed his forehead.
"Don't worry. The space puppy is still quite interested in you. A while ago, when I mentioned you to him, he looked toward the Rune Lands and saw the 'sun' blooming."
That sun wasn't created by stealing his power, and it had no relation to his own magic.
It just so happened that, at that moment, you were battling with an ascended being and defeated them. I took the opportunity to say that sun was your handiwork, and the space puppy... um?"
As Zoe continued, her confidence faltered, and she trailed off.
Li Lin initially thought that Zoe lacked the confidence because she believed she had taken credit for creating the "sun." "That 'sun' was indeed created by me. There's no need for you to feel guilty about mentioning it to Him."
Zoe awkwardly laughed. "Well, that's not the reason~~"
"Actually, the space dog wanted to meet you."
Li Lin: "???"
"…This…" Even Azir was caught off guard, sharply inhaling and tilting his spear-staff. Nasus wasn't any better, his red eyes wide in shock, unable to say a word, his mouth hanging open in disbelief. Zoe carefully observed Li Lin's expression and, seeing no signs of anger, she let out a sigh of relief.
"Well, it's not just that you created the 'sun,' you also represent the hope of two worlds. During his travels through the cosmos, he had never encountered someone as special as you, so he's very interested in meeting you."
"When?" Li Lin instinctively asked.
"The space dog can lose focus for hundreds or even thousands of years. He doesn't really have the concept of 'time,' so it just depends on when you're available."
Li Lin's nose twitched as a warm, not too dry breeze entered his lungs, slightly easing the pounding of his heart and the anxious tension in his chest. If it weren't for the looming threat of the Void, with the technology he currently had, he could easily navigate the cosmos and lead humanity to expand into other star systems.
But still, having an omniscient, omnipotent creator god wanting to meet him wasn't the same as when Lady Gray had approached him right after his arrival—this felt way more daunting. To say he wasn't nervous would be a lie.
"Alright, either way, the issue with the celestial warriors will be resolved sooner or later." Nasus, seeing Li Lin glance toward Zoe, immediately called out, "Li Lin, don't act impulsively."
"This is something we need to discuss carefully," Azir added. "This concerns the future of Runeterra."
Li Lin nodded. "I understand." Even though Aurelion Sol wanted to meet him, his actions involved the entire world of Runeterra. Ultimately, this wasn't something he or even Azir could decide on their own.
The issue with the Celestial Dragon King could be delayed, but the establishment of the League of Legends needed to be brought to the agenda sooner. Li Lin thought for a moment and quickly settled on his next course of action.
His gaze shifted again to Zoe, who had somehow conjured an ice cream cone out of nowhere. "Actually, I called you here today because there's something important." He pointed to the enormous sword still hovering in the air, held by Azir's flowing sands. "Can you remove the seal on the Darkin weapon?"
"Of course~~ if that's what you want," Zoe said, quickly finishing the rapidly melting ice cream and licking the cream off her fingers. "But I'll need the medium that was used to seal it... I think it's called…" She pouted, brow furrowed, trying to remember the name.
"The Ascended Valkyrie's Crescent Blade, Chalikar," Nasus interjected.
Zoe's eyes lit up. "Ah, right! That's it!"
"Chalikar is currently Sivir's weapon. She's in the city. I'll summon her."
Azir raised his left hand, and countless grains of sand flowed through his golden armor, merging with his flesh. But Zoe quickly interrupted.
"I've already sensed Chalikar's presence. No need for that." She snapped her fingers, and a portal appeared beside her.
In the next instant, a confused Sivir, wearing no armor, stumbled out from the portal, nearly tripping. Using her excellent warrior skills, she quickly recovered, rolling to regain her balance and drawing Chalikar from her back with a wary stance.
When she saw the familiar faces around her, Sivir froze. "Li Lin, Azir, Nasus? What are you all doing here…? Wait, why did I suddenly end up here?"
Before she could process it, Zoe raised her hand again with a playful expression. Sivir felt her right hand suddenly empty, and Chalikar had appeared in the hands of the strange-looking young girl with mismatched eyes standing beside Li Lin.
"Hey! That's mine! Give it back!" Sivir shouted angrily at Zoe. If she weren't surrounded by familiar faces, she would've already charged in to reclaim it without hesitation.
Azir cast a calming spell on her. "Calm down, Sivir. We're just borrowing it for a moment."
Feeling the fury within her settle, Sivir shot Azir a glare. "If you wanted to borrow Chalikar, you could have told me beforehand. I'm not unwilling to lend it!"
After getting used to Azir's usual behavior, Sivir had become increasingly casual around him. He, on the other hand, didn't mind and even enjoyed her attitude. Nasus, having witnessed Azir's behavior with his own children, wasn't surprised by this.
"Step back a little," Zoe instructed the group.
As Azir used sand to push them back several dozen meters, Sivir, still confused, asked Li Lin, "Who is she? What are you planning to do with that sword that reeks of blood?"
"Her name is Zoe, the current host of the Twilight Star Spirit. As for the rest of it, you'll see."
"Tch, if you don't want to say, then don't. So mysterious..."
Before she could finish, Chalikar suddenly grew far larger than its original size, towering over Sivir herself. Yet Zoe, despite her small frame and delicate arms, easily lifted the immense weapon.
Then, Zoe slammed Chalikar's blade into the sands with a heavy thud.
Although no sound came from the strike, a silent shockwave resonated through everyone's soul, even causing the earth beneath them to tremble slightly. The clear, cloudless blue sky suddenly shifted, blazing with the brilliant light of a newborn star.
At the same time, the Sun Disc, which had previously been under Azir's control, began to move on its own, shining with a golden light resembling the sun. Under its radiance, a layer of silvery white light appeared on the surface of the Darkin Blade, cold and merciless, mirroring the Sun Disc.
"That which the moon shattered, the sun shall rebuild!"
With a soft, feminine command, a beam of light shot down from the heavens, striking the ground and rushing into the Sun Disc.
To the astonishment of all present, the Sun Disc reflected the beam of light onto Chalikar's blade, causing the Darkin sword to be pulled toward it. In the blink of an eye, the point struck the core of the blade—where the sword's hilt and blade joined, pulsing like a heart.
A loud, metallic crack reverberated through the air, and a deep, triumphant laugh echoed across the sky: "Ha ha ha… I, Aatrox, am finally free!"
(End of Chapter)
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