Rebirth from the Cocoon

When Rebeca arrived in Naremajet, she found herself amidst a combined attack by various tribes. ♝☝ 🐒🍟

This situation is similar to that of Ixtal: its overwhelming power has made it a common threat to the surrounding forces, except that the scale of the war here is much larger and the duration is much longer.

Rebeca didn't care about any of that; all she wanted was to find Aatrox and defeat him: before it was to kill him, now it was just to defeat him.

When she finally found the challenge she had been longing for, she discovered that the once-imposing general had aged considerably, with gray hairs at his temples.

"Young lady, you're here again. Excuse me this time, I don't have time..."

No, you have time!

"Okay, let's begin!"

Aatrox did not refuse again and invited Rebeca to the training grounds to accept the challenge.

Even though Aatrox was born with extraordinary strength, he couldn't escape the passage of time. He grew old, and although his moves were still as good as ever, his strength and speed could no longer keep up.

Rebeca became increasingly distracted as the match progressed. She wondered what the point of the contest was anymore, and why the once invincible Aatrox had become like this.

What she didn't know was that Aatrox wasn't just defeated by time; he had accumulated too many hidden wounds during his years of battles, and now, in his fifties, these wounds were beginning to take their toll.

Even so, Aatrox still won, but before he could rest, news came from his soldiers: Shetaka had been defeated.

Just as Rebeca was feeling down, she suddenly noticed that Aatrox's expression had changed, and his brows were now radiating the youthful vigor he once possessed!

What could have made such a composed and experienced general so agitated? Was it that woman named Shetaka? Who was she?

Filled with doubt, Rebeca followed Aatrox to another military camp in Naremajet, where she met its leader, who was also the leader of Naremajet — Shetaka.

Rebeca was very surprised when she heard that the leader of Naremajet was a woman, as she was the only female among all the tribal leaders she knew.

So what kind of woman would Aatrox be willing to serve? Would she be very old? Graceful and elegant? Arrogant and domineering...?

Rebeca had thought of many adjectives, but she forgot them all the moment they met.

The man before him Shetaka, wore Dark Green and Gold Armor. Apart from having slightly fairer skin, he looked very much like him.

Same build, same facial features, same neat short hair, and the same youth.

Why would Aatrox submit to such a young woman? Was it because of her beauty? Her temperament? Or simply because of her bloodline?

Shetaka ignored Rebeca's presence and went straight to Aatrox about the current situation:

Now, the enemy is attacking from three directions simultaneously, outnumbering them by more than ten. The only option is to retreat to Naremajet's main city for a full-scale defense, waiting to exhaust the enemy before defeating them one by one...

Seeing Shetaka's composed command, Rebeca realized that although this woman looked to be about the same age as her, her military and administrative abilities were on a completely different level.

For the next six months or so, she helped Aatrox hold out in Naremajet while sending messages to the warriors of Ixtal to come and support them, but she received no response.

In fact, besides Ixtal, the Naremajet's army had conquered many other places, and seeing the current situation, they all chose to turn against them. Aatrox was already relieved that Ixtal did not take the opportunity to cause trouble.

After holding out for two whole years, Naremajet was starting to break down. Apart from Shetaka, who could break out with his powerful individual strength, no one else could leave.

To avoid a direct confrontation with Shetaka, the enemy forces were scattered in various locations, and anyone from the Naremajet who ventured out would be ambushed.

Seeing Aatrox grow more and more haggard each day, Rebeca's heart ached. At this rate, let alone fighting, his life probably wouldn't last much longer.

Finally, Shetaka had no choice but to concentrate all its forces and break out to the east, at least to find food and ensure its survival.

To counter the enemy's ambush, powerful warriors must provide cover on both flanks. Shetaka can hold one side, while the remaining strong generals, led by Aatrox, will cover the other.

The breakout went smoothly at first, but it wasn't long before Aatrox's forces couldn't hold out. To prevent this from happening, the enemy had destroyed countless fertile fields in the east, leaving the army with almost nothing from the campaign.

The army's morale plummeted after retreating back to Naremajet, and the civilians were on the verge of despair.

Aatrox felt deeply guilty about the failed breakout attempt. He felt he had let down the soldiers and people who had trusted him, as well as Shetaka.

At this point, Rebeca raised a question: Why Shetaka so powerful?

She barely eats, drinks, or sleeps, yet maintains abundant energy and formidable fighting power—she's practically a god!

After listening, Aatrox seemed to understand something and immediately went to find Shetaka, expressing his desire to become Celestial Warrior like her!

Shetaka's Divine Strength came from angels, but she herself was unaware of it, let alone how she obtained such great power.

However, there is no other way in this situation; we can only place our hopes on Divine Strength.

Shetaka carefully recalled his experience—the sand, the sunlight, the beetles—and thought he might be able to recreate the scene.

She ordered people to build a high platform on a hill in the city so that it would be closer to the sun and unobstructed. She also had the mages build a device to collect sunlight: the Sun Disc.

This way, the sunlight would be focused on an individual, but it seems unreliable. If someone were sent up there, wouldn't they be roasted to death?

Everyone had this question, but Aatrox was completely unconcerned. He often said that he had never met a worthy opponent in his life, and how he died was no longer important.

Shetaka hesitated at first. Sacrificing Aatrox in vain would greatly shake morale, and even the Naremajet would be unable to hold out.

But after a few days, she put aside her worries and decided to hold a ceremony. At the same time, she found several robed mages who volunteered to sacrifice themselves to help Aatrox.

Rebeca didn't know why Shetaka changed her mind, but I had a clue. It must have been Michela who gave her instructions, and these mages who could use ascension spells were the best proof of that!

Ignoring everyone's objections, Aatrox finally stepped onto the platform. He was completely naked, revealing the muscles he had honed through years of battle, his hair disheveled, and his expression indifferent.

As the sun approached its zenith, the mages began chanting incantations, and dazzling sunlight poured down upon Aatrox.

He showed no sign of pain; instead, he appeared arrogant and let out a passionate shout:

"Sun God, grant me the power of light and heat, and I will use this power to bring light to Shetaka, to Naremajet, and to all mankind!"