A Burning Desire for Revenge

I never expected Zoe's target for revenge to be Aatrox. If what she said is true, then she can be considered our ally.

Varus was unsettled upon hearing this name, after all, it was his predecessor and the master of Naremajet.

It's easy to see from the Ascension Illusion that, compared to Ascension to Empress Setaka, more people actually supported Aatrox, but they were all forced by him to swear allegiance to Empress Wu.

Of course, Varus knew very well that no matter how noble or glorious Aatrox had once been, he had now fallen into the Vastaya.

The more noble something was in the past, the more decadent it is now.

"My Lord God, may I hear about Aatrox?"

"I will never forget his hideous face!" Zoe recounted what happened many years ago:

The Aspects have little concept of time. Zoe couldn't remember exactly when Aatrox arrived at Mount Targon, but she remembered every detail of the great battle, because to her, the War Aspect Pantheon was a kind "big brother."

The previous generation of Twilight Aspect Myisha and War Aspect Pantheon once joined forces to help humanity fight against the Vastaya.

Myisha was responsible for teaching humans sealing techniques and sowing discord among the Vastaya, while Pantheon was responsible for leading humans to attack and seal them.

With the full support of the two Aspects, humanity achieved victory after victory, ultimately winning the Vastaya War and restoring peace to the Shurima Continent.

After his victory, Pantheon returned to Mount Targon, but Myisha did not return for a long time. It was not until Zoe appeared that he learned that Myisha had been killed in action.

Pantheon showed great care and attention to Zoe, a newcomer to the mountain, making her feel warm and comforted on the cold Mount Targon.

Zoe later learned about Pantheon and Myisha from the Guardian Aspect, realizing that he harbored deep feelings for the previous generation of Twilight Aspect and that she might just be a substitute.

However, Zoe didn't care. She believed that in the eternal passage of time, she could win Pantheon's favor, not as a Twilight Aspect, but as Zoe.

Since the end of the Darkin War, humanity has never faced a similar existential crisis. While other Aspects wander the boundless space, Zoe and Pantheon have been training on Mount Targon.

Over hundreds of years, Zoe grew from a clueless little kid into a qualified Twilight Aspect, and disguised herself as a mortal to help humanity several times. Pantheon never slacked off either, constantly honing his skills, until he met Aatrox.

Whenever someone from the outside world comes to Mount Targon, the Aspects can sense it, but in the past it was always mortals who would not attract the Aspects' attention. This time, however, it alerted Pantheon because he knew it was the aura of the Vastaya!

Panther hurriedly left the Mount Targon and ran downhill. Zoe followed, wanting to see what had happened. Soon they encountered a gigantic person with wings on his back.

His entire body was crimson, his face was ferocious, and the greatsword in his hand had terrifying barbs, making him look like a demon!

Pantheon certainly recognized Aatrox; he was the one who personally sealed the demon back then. He never expected to meet him on Mount Targon!

The brief reunion was followed by a long period of unsettled emotions, because Aatrox was holding a black stone, which Pantheon recognized at a glance as the long-lost Dark Rune!

This demon not only broke the seal, but also gained an unparalleled source of power!

Aatrox, who was about to leave, stopped abruptly when he saw Pantheon appear. He flapped his wings and stared at his nemesis on the mountain, letting out a series of cold laughs.

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The battle inevitably began. Pantheon, clad in pale gold armor, held a spear in one hand and a shield in the other, his focus unprecedented.

Aatrox placed the Dark Rune directly onto the greatsword, and the greatsword opened its mouth and swallowed the rune!

Zoe was startled by the sight, but she firmly believed that Pantheon could win; after all, he was War Aspect!

The battle lasted a full day; countless boulders were reduced to dust, and Aatrox was stabbed several times with deep, bone-revealing wounds, his left wing was also torn apart.

Pantheon fell, his armor shattered, his spear broken, and his shield clutched tightly in his hand, with only the handle remaining.

Aatrox approached the dying Pantheon and told him personally: I once slew a god, now it's your turn!

Without a doubt, Aatrox is Myisha's murderer!

Pantheon's eyes were bloodshot, but he could only grieve in silence; he had lost the ability to fight.

Zoe stood in front of Pantheon, disregarding her own safety, as powerless as a bird, and could only watch helplessly as Aatrox cleaved him in two, then grinned and left.

This kind of pain will never be forgotten, no matter how many years pass, not even by a god!

Zoe's account was very sincere, her large eyes brimming with tears, as if the events had just occurred recently...

It's now certain that Aatrox has taken the Dark Rune. If nothing unexpected happens, he is the demon who single-handedly destroyed the New Moon Cult, and he probably stole the Dark Rune from the New Moon Cult as well.

But why was he able to move freely between that false world? Did he know how to use the power of the Dark Rune? This cannot be determined solely from Zoe's account.

Another major question is: who founded the Solar Cult and New Moon Cult? Why are there two World Rune? And why didn't the Aspects on Mount Targon discover them?

Pantheon described the Dark Rune in Aatrox's hand with one word: long gone.

So that means the Dark Rune once existed and then disappeared. Similarly, the Light Rune should have been the same. We'd have to ask Zoe about this.

How much do you know about the origins of Light Rune and Dark Rune?

"You're interrogating a criminal?"

"I'm sorry, please don't mind my tone, but our enemies are united!"

"I once asked the oldest Creator Aspect, and he told me that these two runes originally belonged to an angel. Later, the angel left Mount Targon, and the runes disappeared. I thought they had been taken away, but I didn't expect them to still be here."

An angel? Is it Kayle or Morgana? I can't be sure, and I don't know if there are other angels in this world, but it has narrowed down the possibilities considerably.

Varus also had a question, "Aspects, do you know where the Ascended's power comes from? Is there a Sun God on Mount Targon?"

"Mount Targon only had Aspects and Angels. After the Angels left, only Aspects remained. I don't know anything about the Sun God. Alright, can you now hand over the Light Rune to me?"

"This..."

Varus looked at me, wanting to ask for my opinion, but I shook my head; I didn't want to hand it over to Zoe.