A Desperate Counterattack
Just as Aatrox swore before his ascension, he became a moth drawn to light and warmth. 🎉✌ 👻💲
Its enormous wings scattered Scale Powder all around, like a golden rain falling from the sky. Its Golden Armor gleamed in the sunlight, and the giant sword in its hand inspired awe.
In an instant, a large number of people around knelt down, shouting Aatrox's name as if they were worshipping a god.
Rebeca was incredibly excited, not only because of Aatrox's imposing figure, but also because he had survived!
Shetaka remained calm, merely smiling slightly, as if everything was within her expectations. At that moment, Rebeca felt that the two of them seemed quite well-matched.
Both possessed the bearing of kings and the Ascended Body.
Aatrox slowly flew down from the platform and returned to his normal form. His physical body had been rebuilt, and he looked like he did when he was young.
He knelt before Shetaka and kissed her hand tenderly. "For the ever-growing strength and perpetual prosperity of the Naremajet, I, Aatrox, today serve the Empress. War is noble, and so am I!"
"No, Aatrox, you don't need to serve me; we all serve the Sun God!"
After saying this, Shetaka helped him up, pulled his arm and raised it high to show everyone the glory of the strong!
Rebeca stood behind the two with great envy. She wished she could also become a glorious Celestial Warrior and be worshipped by many, especially the people of Ixtal.
After Aatrox ascended, he immediately volunteered for battle, wanting to break out of the city with Shetaka again to cover the soldiers' escape and seize supplies. Besides this, he had other plans:
The enemy is unaware of my ascension; perhaps this opportunity can be used to defeat them in one fell swoop!
The soldiers of Naremajet attacked again, this time with renewed confidence, believing they could achieve victory under the leadership of the two Celestial Warriors!
The operation was the same as before, with Shetaka and Aatrox providing cover from both flanks before the group launched their attack together.
The enemy made the same arrangement as before, sending agile warriors to contain Shetaka while concentrating their main force on Aatrox's side.
Aatrox ordered his men to feign a retreat, while he covered the rear alone to avoid harming his own men. The enemy, completely unprepared, quickly surrounded him.
Seeing a considerable number of enemies gathered around him, Aatrox laughed heartily, a rare occurrence for him. He then activated his Ascension form, illuminating the battlefield like a god descending from heaven!
Golden sword energies tore through the enemy formation. He crushed them with his massive body, slashed with his greatsword, and poisoned them with his Scale Powder, quickly shattering the enemy's encirclement.
He killed all the enemies who tried to resist, and his soldiers pursued the enemy in victory, finally capturing precious grain.
The breakout of Naremajet heralded the counterattack, with Shetaka and Aatrox leading their respective armies to defeat all the enemies surrounding them, and the ancient Naremajet heralded a new life.
This war left a deep impression on Rebeca. Although it was not particularly unique compared to later wars and was not large in scale, it had special significance.
From then on, Shetaka gradually reclaimed much of its lost territory and once again became the dominant force in the West.
She named the ritual that would empower her and Aatrox "Ascension," and personally worked with him to renovate the high platform and the Sun Disc, making them magnificent!
Once the domestic situation was stabilized, Shetaka began to hold those responsible accountable!
She issued an ultimatum to the surrounding tribes, demanding that all leaders who participated in the siege of Naremajet come forward to confess their crimes, while the rebels were to bring their families.
If you refuse, the army of Naremajet will breach the city and cause rivers of blood to flow!
Of course, the people would not surrender easily. They still possessed considerable strength and were even more united in the face of a common enemy, fighting with all their might against the army of Naremajet!
The subsequent war did not go smoothly. Although Shetaka and Aatrox were incredibly powerful, there were only two of them, making it difficult to cover so many areas. If only there were another strong warrior to protect their homeland.
In addition, due to years of war, the original batch of brave and capable soldiers gradually aged and became less effective against a united enemy.
At this point, some veterans began to request Shetaka to perform Ascension Ritual for them, as they wanted to continue fighting on the battlefield and were unwilling to accept old age and declining health.
Shetaka did not go against their wishes, but in the end, all of these veterans were burned by the sun until Rebeca successfully ascended.
Rebeca ascended to heaven in the tenth year since she arrived in Naremajet. She was forty years old then, less impulsive than in her youth, and more mature and composed.
She has never returned to Ixtal in all these years, because the warriors of Ixtal did not offer assistance when Naremajet was in its most perilous time, which violated the oath she took when she surrendered.
However, her homesickness was hard to suppress, especially for Ixtal and her only sister.
Aatrox saw all this, and during a rainy summer when marching was impossible, he took Rebeca with him to Ixtal.
The long journey and the pleasant traveler's pace took them two whole months, and it was during this time that Rebeca first expressed her love for Aatrox.
Over the years, she has made many contributions to the Naremajet and has a good relationship with Shetaka, but she has always refused to be promoted to general, only wanting to stay by Aatrox's side.
She knew that Aatrox was intentionally keeping his distance, and that his care for her was no different from that for his sister; he would even occasionally give her pointers on martial arts.
But in any case, she wanted to express her feelings, and she didn't care how Aatrox reacted, otherwise she wouldn't be able to say such things when she got old and her beauty faded.
Aatrox smiled and bluntly rejected Rebeca: he would not accept anyone's love; a warrior's romance is war, and a warrior's destiny is the battlefield.
Rebeca wasn't disappointed; after all, she hadn't had any hope, she just wanted to speak her mind.
"If you had to choose between Shetaka and battle, what would you choose?"
She had asked Aatrox more than once, but never received a response, which annoyed her.
Because she felt that Aatrox liked Shetaka, but he wouldn't admit it indirectly, always talking about his mission.
Jealousy welled up within her; she too longed for Aatrox's approval, his protection, and his companionship...
She may have gained it, but decades later, it will all vanish.
At that moment, an idea popped into Rebeca's mind: Ascension!
There's only one way to stay with Aatrox forever!
After their journey ended, the two returned to Naremajet, where Rebeca bravely voiced her thoughts.
Seeing the determination in her eyes, Shetaka knew he had no choice but to agree, so he chose a date to hold the Ascension Ritual!