Returning to the Outside World

The Aspects unleash their power through stargazing, that is, by searching for patterns among the countless stars in the sky, and discovering themselves.

To be honest, in this matter, without the guidance and instruction of an old-timer like Bard, I feel it would have taken decades or even centuries to grasp the basics, and to truly master it would probably have taken over a thousand years.

As the name suggests, War Aspect are proficient in warfare and use war to guide Aspects.

The War Aspect are primarily focused on slaughter, and their initial power is mostly hidden in the largest and brightest star, making them easy to control.

As for the activation of deeper powers, one must understand them by observing the positions of the stars and the shapes they form, just like constellations.

For example, if the stars in a certain shape form a cross, I would start with this cross and think about things related to "ten". It could be a simple cross, the number ten, or even a crossroads.

This is just one pattern. After memorizing these possibilities, I'll connect it with other patterns. I'll stop when I get some inspiration.

Just remembering the stars is difficult enough, let alone the patterns, let alone connecting them.

In short, it's very abstract. Rather than a form of spiritual practice, it's more like a riddle or philosophical contemplation. Luckily, I don't have to sleep anymore, otherwise I'd probably dream about stars every night.

Bard said that the War Aspect are extremely powerful, Aspect Power includes not only their own strength, but also their ability to lead troops into battle and deploy forces.

No matter what he says, I've decided to give up. Otherwise, by the time I've mastered these abilities and left, Runeterra will probably have changed drastically.

There is no day or night on the Mount Targon, and the sense of time is not clear. After about ten days, I decided to leave.

After these days of exploration, my strength hasn't changed significantly, but my combat endurance has improved considerably.

Leona and Diana decided to stay. There wasn't a major threat in Runeterra yet, so they could use this time to improve themselves. If the disaster continued to spread, they would see how things went and help others.

I asked Bard how to leave, and he told me to just go down the mountain, and he would open a passage for us to get out.

"Thank you for your guidance these past few days. I will return to train diligently after the calamity in Runeterra is over!"

"What a pity. If you had stayed a few more days, you would have figured out how to get in and out of here."

"It's alright. There are stars outside too. I can fight alongside everyone during the day and study the Aspect Power at night."

"That won't be so easy. You'll still feel tired and hungry once you're outside, just not as much as before."

"Uh... actually, I feel a bit awkward not eating, drinking, or sleeping like this. Anyway, I have to go now. Thank you again."

"Alright, since you've made up your mind, then leave."

Bard waved to me, and the Little Wood Spirit behind him made a series of sounds, as if they were saying goodbye.

Zoe's attitude has changed quite a bit these past few days. She used to say she would break off all ties with me if I became War Aspect, but it seems she still has deep feelings for Pantheon and is now extending that affection to him.

Leona and Diana were very grateful for my visit, and they said they would study hard to become qualified Aspects.

And so, our journey to Mount Targon officially came to an end. Varus and I rushed down the mountain, eager to leave!

I hadn't noticed it when I was climbing up, but now that I'm falling, I realize how high the Mount Targon is. It's probably already in outer space, which is why there's no distinction between day and night, and the stars are always twinkling.

We returned to the foot of the mountain at dawn. Many people, freed from the curse of reincarnation, were working in the fields. They had now rediscovered themselves and could choose to live the way they liked.

As soon as we landed, we saw a circular tunnel in front of us. It seemed that this was the portal that Bard had created. Varus and I went straight in.

After a strange sensation, I found myself on the sea, just like before entering Mount Targon:

"Finally back. I wonder how things are now."

"Should we... go back to Ionia?" Varus hesitated, and I knew he was worried about Azir and the others.

"Let's go check out Garden City first. If it hasn't been destroyed, I think nothing unexpected happened."

"Okay, let's go!"

We returned to the Garden City and found everything was fine; the scenery was still as beautiful as ever, except that there was no wind today, and the water was as calm as a mirror.

It seems there's no fighting here. We planned to say goodbye to Azir and leave, but we couldn't find them at our previous lodgings.

Since that's the case, let's go check out Sun City. If there's no one there either, we'll have to go back to Ionia first. We set off again, but we met a few people on the way.

Azir, Renekton, Nasus, and Oken were standing opposite a large sand waterfall, seemingly looking at something. We quickly landed.

"Your Majesty, what are you looking at?"

"Lord Varus? Weren't you going to search for the gods?"

"We went to Mount Targon and found the gods..."

Varus briefly recounted our experiences over the past few days, but he didn't mention that I had become Aspects; I had told him not to tell anyone before we left Mount Targon.

I don't want people to look at me differently in the future. Even if I say I don't care, I'll definitely feel awkward inside.

Renekton's eyes widened. "You really saw gods! That's incredible, and you even learned about the origins of the Ascended! Amazing!"

Oken's reaction was similar. "This is amazing! Thinking back to how I wrongly accused the Yasuo brothers, I was so stupid!"

Azir also sighed a few times, but Nasus remained calm. I think he probably knew some of the truth, but just didn't want to say it before.

Varus continued the previous topic, "What are you doing, Your Majesty? It seems you're looking for something?"

"We're looking for Xerath. After these days of investigation, I'm certain he's in the sandfall, but we don't know how to get down, so we can only wait up there."

"That's perfect, let me go down and take a look!"

"That's great, but be careful in the dangerous environment of the sandfall. If you spot him, it's best to lure him out; he's not easy to deal with alone!"

Don't worry!

Varus spread his wings and flew down, and we waited upstairs. Just then, Oken came up to me and nudged me with his arm.

"Brother Yasuo, I've always seen you riding on Lord Varus. How do you do that? This is the first time I've ever seen someone ride on Ascended being!"

"Uh, maybe it's because we're on good terms, don't mind."

"I don't mind, I'm just a little curious."

As we were talking, a violent energy fluctuation suddenly came from below!