The Rise of the Darkin

Aurelius?

I vaguely remember this name; I heard it in the Ascended Illusion before, but I can't quite place it.

Now, in addition to Ionia and Shurima, Vastaya have also begun to appear in Demacia, indicating that their activities cover a very wide area.

However, this also aligns with the prophecy of the Sage Tabor: light and darkness will overturn all living beings!

"Aurelius, yet another Ascended has lost his way."

"Oh? You know me?"

"Of course, I've fought against Bai Juen, Rhaast, Qilisi, Yerlanriel, and Dracula, and I've eliminated the latter two."

"Hahaha... That's great! I hate those guys too, but no matter how powerful you are, the Vastaya aren't so easily wiped out. We've survived the Void War and the Vastaya War to get to where we are now; even the gods don't dare to despise us!"

"I am a god, and now I despise you!"

"Oh, I remember now, you're War Aspect!"

"That's right, Pantheon, the War Aspect, once led humanity to annihilate you. Now, having defeated Yasuo, the Aspects, we will continue this cause!"

"But don't forget your own fate. Last time you were killed by Lord Aatrox, and this time will be no different!"

"Then I'll kill you first!"

I clashed with Sylas again, this time holding nothing back and going all out. I quickly forced them to reveal their Vastaya form: a crimson-black demon resembling a rooster!

In this form, Aurelius can still absorb Wind Element Strength, and his movements are exceptionally agile. It will probably take quite some time to defeat him!

However, things changed after Huo Su cleared away the surrounding foes. At this moment, she had transformed into an angry giant sheep, grabbed Aurelius's chain, and swung him up with brute force!

Losing his balance, Aurelius was unable to defend against my attack and was stabbed in the abdomen by my sword. Although the wound was not deep, it successfully pierced through his armor.

Previously, it was extremely difficult for me to pierce the Vastaya's crimson armor, but now I can do it with a single strike. This is the most direct manifestation of my increased strength.

After Aurelius was injured, he flapped his wings and flew low into the air. Even a startled rooster can take flight, though it can look rather comical.

"Today is just a warning to you; in the near future, darkness will overshadow the light of this world!"

After saying that, he fled north. Huo Su wanted to attack, but I stopped him. I didn't know if he had any accomplices over there. It would be too risky for just the two of us.

"Damn it, ugly and arrogant!" Huo Su returned to his normal form.

"Don't be angry. By the way, during your time training in the outside world, you've already been able to activate your giant sheep form at will. You've grown a lot!"

"Hehe, thanks to everyone's guidance, my father will be very happy to see my progress now."

"Speaking of Hearth-Home, I have a favor to ask of you."

"What's wrong? You don't want me to take you to Hearth-Home, do you?"

"That won't be necessary. I'd like you to call some help. With the strength of the People of Furnace Village, they should be able to deal with the Vastaya."

"Dealing with the Vastaya? Aren't we more than capable of doing that now?"

"I don't know how many Vastaya have resurrected now, but they used to have over a hundred members. Imagine what it would be like if all of them launched an attack on Runeterra at the same time?"

"Over a hundred Vastaya! No way? Fine, I believe you, Yasuo! I'll head back to Hearth-Home to find some help!"

"Wait, you Jergente; it'll be safer that way."

Huo Su was surprised but chose to trust me and wanted to go back immediately. I was worried about letting her go alone, since Sylas had fled towards Freljord.

Furthermore, the Vastaya's relationships are not friendly, yet Aurelius continues to address Aatrox as "Sir." Although it's unclear whether this refers to "that That Great One," he is at least a powerful figure behind the scenes, and must be dealt with carefully.

Back at the Axe Breaker Legion, I explained the situation to Jon and asked him to send more sentries to monitor the area and to avoid encountering enemies as much as possible, because ordinary soldiers could not defeat the Vastaya.

After giving my instructions Huo Su and I rushed back to the City of Light, only to find that Garen had already left. Fiora had called him away. Apparently, a powerful enemy had appeared on the eastern plains, and the Dauntless Vanguard had suffered heavy losses!

Without a moment's rest, we headed straight for the eastern plains, only to find a scene of utter devastation when we arrived.

The Dauntless Vanguard Legion suffered heavy casualties, and Gangda was also wounded. Garen was reinstated as the Dauntless Vanguard Great General.

Fiora looked preoccupied, lost in thought. "What's wrong? Is something on your mind?" she asked.

"It's Quinn. She's with the Vastaya."

I was shocked to hear this. Back when she was Leivo, she was killed by the Noxus army while saving me, and now she's been resurrected as Vastaya?

Garen didn't quite agree with this claim, "It's just speculation. Even if it really is Quinn, she's been resurrected and become an enemy. We can't let our emotions cloud our judgment."

Fiora didn't respond, but I knew she would act emotionally!

She is a master swordsman, calm and insightful in battle, but clumsy when it comes to matters of the heart.

If the Vastaya here really is Quinn, she'll definitely be at a disadvantage, so it's best to deal with other enemies.

After hearing what had happened, Huo Su called Jergente Hearth-Home. Apart from Garen staying here, we also returned to Silver City. Jarvan doesn't know about these things yet.

Before I could even speak upon arriving at the palace, Jarvan sighed heavily, "Ah, you're finally back, Yasuo."

"What's wrong? What's bothering you?"

"These are letters that have been delivered from various places in the past two days. Take a look for yourself."

I received the letters from Jarvan; there were four in total, from Noxus, Piltover, Shurima, and Freljord.

The letters all contained the same message: Vastaya attacks were occurring in various locations!

In other words, apart from Bilgewater, which had just been relieved of its crisis, the entire Runeterra was under attack by the Vastaya, who launched a full-scale offensive!

When I first saw these letters, I was a little taken aback, but I quickly calmed down.

In the past, people might not have been able to cope, but now everyone has been through a lot of training in Ionia and has rich combat experience, so they can all deal with the Vastaya on their own!

For now, let's focus on arranging Demacia's defenses, and then I'll give everyone a summary of the situation in other regions!

Because of Quinn, I suggested that Fiora go north, and I would go with her until the People of Furnace Village came to our aid.

The east will be left to Garen and Shvana, while Jarvan will remain in the capital for the time being to prevent the emergence of new Vastaya.

It seems that Demacia has many strong individuals, but not many who can stand up to the Vastaya. It would be best to find a few helpers.

If all else fails, we'll have to call Kayle and Morgana back. With their help, Demacia will surely be safe.