The Emperor Ascends
Nasus recounted our encounter to Renekton, who lowered his proud head and apologized to me, but still refused to believe that Aatrox would break his vow. ♛🍮 ☟🐯
After all, he was as beloved as the Ascended Empress, and devoted himself to protecting the peace of the royal family. He was an object of admiration for all those Ascended. How could such a person break his oath?
Like Renekton, Azir refused to believe it. The teachings passed down through generations told him that he could always trust Aatrox, even if the whole world betrayed him.
Are you sure, Yasuo?
"I'm sorry to tell you this. I've also entered the illusion and know how important Aatrox was to the Shurima Empire, but the fact is, he fell, transforming from Celestial Warrior into Vastaya."
Azir was very surprised to learn that I had entered the illusion, because since ancient times only Ascended have been able to wander in it, and it was specially prepared for Ascended, who could learn about the history of the empire and awaken the Ascended Power.
However, seeing Nasus nod, he no longer doubted the matter and then asked about the reason for Aatrox's fall:
"Why would Lord Aatrox break his oath?"
"Because you failed to ascend, everyone believes that the royal bloodline has been severed. The Ascended swore allegiance to the royal bloodline have no one to serve, and their arrogance has led to a chaotic war."
"A free-for-all? You mean other Ascended besides Aatrox have fallen?"
"Yes, all the Ascended survived the Void War fell. The root cause was that their minds were corrupted by the Void. The extinction of the royal bloodline was merely the trigger."
"Vastaya? You mean those big guys are Ascended beings?"
Kled suddenly chimed in, seemingly aware of the Vastaya's existence. This was understandable, given that he had been in Runeterra for over eight hundred years and must have witnessed that chaotic war.
"Yes, the Vastaya are all Ascended beings; they see only destruction."
"Damn it, how do you know so much? I've been in this world for over eight hundred years, and I know almost nothing about Shurima."
"As a professional explorer, I have a wealth of experience. By the way, didn't you experience that chaotic battle?"
"When I arrived here, the war was basically over, and I was upset about it for a long time. But I did see a big guy, the Vastaya you mentioned. He was sealed away by a lot of people, but I've forgotten exactly where."
Azir finally stopped doubting what I said. Actually, he hadn't really doubted it from the beginning, but traditional ideas had bound him, making him say it unconsciously.
"I believe in you, Yasuo. Since you can even enter the illusionary realm exclusive to Ascended, it's not surprising that you know some secrets. Now that I'm back, could you take us to find Lord Aatrox? I want to speak with him."
"I'm sorry, I don't know where he is. All I know is what I just said."
"Alright, let's put that aside for now. Please, both of you, perform the Ascension Ritual for me!"
Azir didn't give up on his idea; he insisted on ascending and asked Nasus and Renekton to help him.
Seeing his determination, Nasus agreed, "Your Majesty, I granted your request for ascension because you had become an exceptionally skilled mage. Now, a thousand years have passed, and I hope you will not disappoint me!"
"The empire was built a thousand years ago, destroyed in my hands, and now another thousand years have passed, and I will revive it!"
The Ascension Ritual will be held at noon, so this is a good time to prepare.
The ceremony was very complex, and there were officials and priests in Ancient Shurima who were specifically responsible for the Ascension Ritual, but Nasus had already learned about it from various ancient texts.
His fingers glowed with Golden Light, as if dipped in golden ink, as he wrote and drew symbols on the ground that we couldn't understand. It took him a long time to finish writing them all by himself.
Next, all we need to do is find a few bronze mirrors and a few priests. But while bronze mirrors are easy to find, where can we find priests?
First, the priest needs to be able to chant incantations. Of course, this can be taught to them temporarily, but the priest must ultimately sacrifice himself. I've seen this more than once in the illusion.
In Shurima today, would anyone be willing to do that?
After Nasus revealed these things, Azir thought for a moment and said, "I have thousands of soldiers I can sacrifice, but I need you to teach me the spell."
Nasus didn't understand what he meant, and then Azir summoned sand soldiers. Except for the lack of flesh and blood, the sand soldiers were no different from real people!
Nasus taught Azir the incantation needed for the Ascension Ritual. It took nearly an hour to recite just once, but Azir didn't need to memorize it. He could simply transmit it to the Sand Soldiers through his consciousness, which was very convenient!
I took on the task of finding the bronze mirror. Building a good relationship with them will be very helpful in the future.
I walked a short distance south and came across a group of merchants riding huge animals, traveling slowly.
When they heard I wanted to buy mirrors, they brought out a whole bunch—big ones, small ones, square ones, round ones, you name it—it was practically a mobile department store.
Nasus told me to buy six, but I was worried some wouldn't work, so I bought dozens. If the caravan hadn't refused to sell to me at the end, I would have bought them all!
The sun was already almost halfway up the sky when I returned just in time. Azir manipulated the sand soldiers to pick up the mirror and began chanting a spell.
For safety's sake, the rest of us stayed far away, except for the Nasus brothers who watched from below the stage. They couldn't attend the ceremony last time, so they were determined to be there to protect the ceremony this time!
Soon, the Solar Energy slowly gathered on the disc and then dispersed onto the surrounding mirrors. The sand soldiers stood motionless, chanting incantations without any emotion.
After a while, when the sun was at its zenith, the energy that had been accumulating for so long poured down and poured into Azir, making the platform instantly shine brightly!
Riven and the others were dumbfounded, clearly shocked by the sight. Sivir's ascension hadn't involved this ceremony, and everyone was too busy escaping to see it clearly.
Seeing the complete ascension process now is truly awe-inspiring!
I was also quite shocked, because what I saw in the illusion was very different from what I saw in reality; at least the sensory stimulation was unprecedented.
After an unknown amount of time, by the time the sun had shifted, the energy outpouring hadn't stopped, and Nasus and Renekton were starting to panic.
Throughout the empire's millennia of existence, numerous Ascension Ritual have been held, but never before has an ascension lasted this long!
Azir knelt beneath the Sun Disc, unable to rise; his expression was pained, but he could only stubbornly persevere.
The Sand Soldiers were under Azir's control, but over time he lost the energy to control them and could only let them shatter and disappear.
According to what I saw in the illusion, the ritual should have ended after the surrounding priests disappeared, but the light in front of me did not diminish at all!