"BOOM!"
A tremendous explosion suddenly rang out.
Malzahar calmed himself and came back to his senses, turning toward the source of the blast and Luke, who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.
"It's useless. No matter how powerful you are, you cannot break through a defense personally laid down by the Watchers."
He calmly continued forward.
Luke frowned slightly. His magical aura had locked onto the altar just now, but the instant he activated his ability, he had been repelled.
He raised his head slightly. With the power of the Void Riftblade, he could see a violet barrier standing roughly thirty meters outside the altar.
Not only could this barrier repel mana, it could also block magic entirely.
Luke immediately realized that even Spatial Shift had become useless.
He raised the Void Riftblade and swung it, wanting to see whether the weapon's power could break through the barrier.
A violet arc of sword energy roared forward and struck the barrier, yet produced no reaction whatsoever.
"Any spell or attack that touches this barrier will be instantly nullified. Even if those Aspects came here, they would be helpless against it. You seek to stop the Void with the strength of a mortal. In the end, that is nothing more than a foolish dream."
"Still, leaving you here would only become troublesome. You will serve as an offering for the Watchers' return."
Malzahar spoke indifferently before raising a hand.
One portal after another opened, and Void warriors emerged from them one by one, immediately charging toward Luke.
Luke watched the approaching Void warriors without changing expression. Wind seemed to gather beneath his feet as he shot forward, and battle erupted instantly.
These Void warriors were clearly much stronger. Whether attacking individually or coordinating with one another, they were exceptionally deadly.
But Luke, wielding the Void Riftblade, was even more terrifying.
The Void Riftblade possessed an innate advantage against creatures of the Void, and these Void warriors were no exception. Luke moved among their ranks like a streak of aurora.
The Void Riftblade could split apart at will, and in Luke's hands it was equally effective for offense and defense. Its transformations were endless and impossible to predict.
Luke swung the sword, only for countless fragments to scatter across the sky like falling cherry blossoms, unleashing a violent assault upon the Void warriors.
Points of violet light darted rapidly through the air, each carrying astonishing destructive power. Combined with Luke's Spatial Shift, the attacks were nearly impossible to guard against.
As the fragments flew at tremendous speed, Luke applied Spatial Shift directly to them.
Their destructive force remained unchanged, but their attacks arrived instantaneously.
Even the powerful Void warriors suffered greatly against this technique.
Watching from within the defensive barrier, Malzahar's eyes darkened.
Seeing Luke wield the Void Riftblade so naturally filled him with a growing sense of unease.
As long as the second key remained in this man's hands, it represented an unpredictable variable.
Malzahar had never even had the opportunity to properly study the second key. If something unforeseen happened because of it, the consequences could be disastrous.
It seemed he would have to personally eliminate this uncertainty.
There could be no risk whatsoever in this matter.
The barrier blocked all magic from within, so Malzahar stepped outside. Magic was already gathering in his hands as he prepared to attack Luke.
Suddenly, spatial fluctuations appeared beside him.
Malzahar immediately redirected the spell intended for Luke and fired it toward his side instead.
Another surge of magical energy came rushing toward him.
The two spells collided and canceled each other out.
"I've finally caught you."
Kassadin stared fixedly at Malzahar before Riftwalking forward and swinging his Nether Blade.
"Impressive patience. You were willing to stand by while your companion was surrounded?"
Malzahar's body had long since been strengthened by the Void. He swiftly evaded the strike while firing two violet beams toward Kassadin.
"He is strong. He doesn't need my help. You, however, are destined to die today."
Kassadin's voice was cold.
He swung the Nether Blade, cleaving apart the beams as he charged straight toward Malzahar.
His sword pierced Malzahar's body, but Kassadin immediately sensed something was wrong.
He Riftwalked away.
A violet orb exploded violently where he had just been standing.
The body he had pierced moments earlier was nothing more than an illusion.
The real Malzahar had already created distance and was casting another spell.
Kassadin tightened his grip on the rune and released its power in response.
The two became locked in combat, neither able to gain the upper hand for the moment.
Meanwhile, although Luke had slain Void warrior after Void warrior, fresh reinforcements continued emerging endlessly from the Void portals Malzahar had summoned.
The key above the altar had already risen into midair.
The process was now one-third complete.
There was not much time left.
And at precisely this moment, another immensely powerful presence approached.
A scarlet beam of blood-red light charged in from the distance, violent and unstoppable.
With a single sword strike during his charge, one of the Void warriors was destroyed.
"Trash. Stay out of my way."
Aatrox swept his vicious gaze across the surrounding Void warriors.
The oppressive aura radiating from him stunned even those warriors for an instant.
His eyes then shifted toward Luke, and a savage grin appeared on his face.
"Come! Our battle deserves a conclusion!"
"You're starting to feel like something I scraped off my boot."
Luke looked at Aatrox.
Aatrox appearing here was definitely not good news for him.
This bastard was practically obsessed with him by now. He genuinely wanted Luke's body.
"Dying by my hand is your destiny!" Aatrox completely ignored Luke's remark and pointed his greatsword at him. "Your flesh will become mine! Through it, I will bring an end to all things! You should consider it an honor to participate in that process!"
"I think I'll pass."
Luke exhaled.
"How about we retrieve the planetary core first? After that, you can fight me however you want. Sound good?"
"Enough talk!"
Aatrox's patience had long since reached its limit.
With a roar, he charged directly toward Luke, violent blood magic surging around him.
Luke knew there was no chance of reasoning with him.
This battle was unavoidable.
Without hesitation, Luke released both the demonic power and rune power within his body.
Ever since all the demonic powers inside him had fused into one, he had never truly used them.
The instant that power was unleashed, a terrifying, sinister aura enveloped his entire body.
Dark power condensed around him like a suit of armor. Then rune energy poured through it, spreading across the armor like arcane markings being engraved into its surface.
A pitch-black helmet covered his head.
The darkness churning behind him resembled a cloak, while both weapons in his hands were dyed completely black.
The two powers fused together, making Luke's aura even more terrifying.
He looked like a demon god descending upon the world.
Even Aatrox froze momentarily upon sensing Luke's transformation.
The next instant, Luke's attack was already upon him.
A tremendous force erupted.
Aatrox was sent flying backward like a broken kite before crashing into the barrier with a thunderous bang.
The strike was powerful enough to make even Aatrox feel pain.
Yet when that pain surged through him, excitement followed instead.
"Remarkable, human! Just how many more ways do you have to entertain me?"
He planted one foot against the barrier and violently pushed off.
Like a cannonball, he shot forward, bringing his scarlet greatsword down toward Luke with all his strength.
The next instant, however, Aatrox was sent flying again.
At the same time, a deep sword wound appeared across his body, scarlet blood spraying outward.
"Yes! This feeling! It has been far too long since I felt this kind of excitement!"
Aatrox roared while flying backward and released the restraints on his blood magic.
His full power erupted, and his aura surged sharply upward.
Seeing this, Luke immediately raised a hand.
Rune energy gathered.
"BOOM!"
A heaven-shaking bolt of lightning crashed down directly onto Aatrox.
The lightning was composed entirely of rune energy, and its power was astonishing.
Even the floor paved with Void stone trembled violently.
The attack also struck the Void barrier, yet despite the tremendous force, the barrier did not ripple in the slightest.
It seemed Malzahar had not been lying.
Any magic or attack that touched the barrier was immediately nullified.
He truly had prepared for everything.
But right now, Aatrox was still the more troublesome problem.
"The power of those runes alone is not enough to defeat me!"
Aatrox had taken the rune-powered Lightning Strike head-on, yet he appeared almost completely unharmed as he charged toward Luke again.
His aura was now violent and terrifying, as though his very blood were burning.
A pair of crimson wings had emerged from his back, radiating overwhelming pressure.
His strength had nearly doubled.
Moments ago, he had struggled to withstand even one of Luke's attacks.
Now the two could exchange blows head-on.
Luke knew this was Aatrox's true form.
World Ender.
As expected of one of the strongest Darkin, Aatrox possessed enough strength to give any great warrior in Runeterra a headache.
Even Luke in his current state had to fight with everything he had.
He increased the output of his rune power. Every strike thundered like a rolling storm, carrying terrifying force.
Aatrox swung his enormous sword.
Their clash caused the giant hall itself to shake, as though even this massive structure could barely withstand them.
Luke deliberately drew their battle toward the surrounding Void warriors.
Caught within the clash between the two, those Void warriors stood no chance at all.
At this moment, Aatrox felt his blood boiling.
It had truly been far too long since he had enjoyed a battle this much.
The more excited he became, the stronger he grew.
His greatsword crashed down, shaking the ground.
Suddenly, he sensed spatial magic enveloping him.
But thanks to his extraordinary battle instincts, Aatrox reacted the very instant Luke's Spatial Shift locked onto him.
With a furious roar, Aatrox resisted the technique.
This was the first time Spatial Shift had ever failed.
When Luke had used it against Sosu before, Sosu had not even been able to react.
Still, Luke was not discouraged by one failed attempt.
He immediately followed with another slash.
The sword appeared to cut through empty air.
Yet a wound suddenly opened across Aatrox's body.
Aatrox stared at the wound and immediately realized what had happened.
"Spatial magic."
His gaze turned toward Luke.
"I never imagined your understanding of spatial magic had reached such depths."
This human was genuinely beginning to surprise him.
Luke looked so young, yet possessed terrifying strength.
Even among the Ascended of ancient times, most had understood only the most superficial aspects of spatial magic.
Only the Aspect of Twilight had truly mastered it.
Yet this human before him was already capable of using space itself to deliver his sword strikes.
Extraordinary.
"So it really works."
Luke's thoughts stirred.
The idea had struck him spontaneously.
If Spatial Shift could move people and objects, then could it also move a slash?
His understanding of space had already become profound.
All he needed to do was calculate the necessary distortion of space and relocate the point where his attack landed.
He had not expected it to actually succeed.
So this was what you might call a Spatial Slash?
Luke felt it still needed more testing.
And Aatrox happened to be the perfect test subject.
Luke Blinked forward.
His body had yet to arrive, but his sword intent was already there.
As razor-sharp sword light descended, Aatrox swung his greatsword in response.
Both attacked each other with everything they had.
But now Aatrox had no choice but to remain constantly alert for Luke's elusive Spatial Slashes.
He quickly realized that Luke's earlier use of the technique had been clumsy.
It was like a child who had only just discovered a fascinating new toy.
Yet as their battle continued, Aatrox was astonished to discover that Luke was improving at a frightening speed.
His slashes grew increasingly refined.
They passed through space and descended from unexpected angles, becoming almost impossible to defend against.
The technique had limited range, but it was undeniably formidable.
Aatrox finally understood why Luke had become so powerful.
With talent like his, even during the age of the Ascended, he would have become a figure renowned throughout the world.
"If it were anyone else, they would probably already be dead beneath your sword. Human, you are strong. Never before have I acknowledged a human to this degree."
Aatrox swung his greatsword so quickly that afterimages appeared.
Despite the numerous wounds covering his body, and despite the Snowglance Blade steadily stealing away fragments of his strength, his aura only became more savage and terrifying.
This was Aatrox, the Darkin Blade.
Whether as an Ascended or as a Darkin, he had always stood among the mightiest beings alive.
If this had been Ibaaros or another Darkin, they would already have fallen beneath Luke's sword.
But Aatrox was different.
From the first day he could remember, he had held a sword and fought.
Fight.
Fight.
Fight without end.
One year, ten years, a hundred years.
His existence could almost be said to have been composed entirely of battle.
He had been born for combat, and he was destined to die fighting.
At the same time, Aatrox possessed extraordinary talent.
After every battle, he became even stronger.
Through endless combat, he had developed terrifying battle instincts.
Even when Luke's sword strikes traveled through space itself, Aatrox could still meet them head-on.
After repeated testing, Luke determined that Spatial Slash had a limited range.
He could not use Spatial Shift to extend its attacks indefinitely.
Its effective range appeared to be only around ten meters.
But that was already more than enough.
A sword strike capable of traveling through space anywhere within ten meters represented a qualitative transformation in his combat ability.
By now, their battle had become unimaginably fierce.
Luke wielded both demonic and rune power, while Aatrox was a terrifying Darkin.
The power possessed by either of them was astonishing.
Massive stone pillars throughout the Void Hive collapsed beneath the force of their battle, while the repeated collisions of their attacks devastated everything around them.
//Check out my P@tre0n for 30 extra chapters on all my fanfics //[email protected]/Razeil0810