The Viper's Kiss (Part One)

On the scorching sands of Shurima, several Ascended beings were born. Led by the Ascended Queen Setaka, they conquered far and wide, establishing the ancient and magnificent Shurima Empire. «-(¯`v´¯)-« »-(¯`v´¯)-»

During the Empire's existence, the Ascended were known as Celestial Warrior; they were noble, majestic, and inviolable.

Ascended were all human before, and their emotions and personalities are just as diverse as those of humans.

Some are masculine, some are feminine, some are full of heroic spirit, and some are taciturn.

Iloza was the fourth of the Ascended. She was born beneath the Sun Disc of Naremajet, with a human head and a snake's body, and was fierce and ruthless.

Iloza did not have a happy childhood. He always dressed up as a girl and was ridiculed by other children. Even his parents took him to see a doctor many times.

Medical conditions in Shurima were very rudimentary at that time, and doctors were often wizards. As a result, Iloza only received some linguistic guidance and was sometimes abused by wizards under the guise of examining her body.

Until one day, during an examination, Iloza blinded the wizard, and no one dared to treat him anymore.

"Don't touch a girl's body casually, or you'll pay the price with blindness!" Iloza thought to herself.

Without human friends, Iloza can play with various small animals, but her animal friends are also quite unique, being reptiles like snakes and scorpions.

Iloza especially loved watching snakes crawl; they seemed like graceful dancers swaying their hips.

The moment a snake hunts is Iloza's favorite scene; they strike swiftly, piercing their prey's body with their venomous fangs until the prey twitches its leg and dies.

To observe her companions more closely, Iloza often brought them home, which always alarmed her mother and scolded her father.

Then they would kill the reptiles in front of Iloza and throw them into the burning fire.

On one occasion, Iloza brought back a highly venomous black-bellied snake and put it in a grain sack. Her mother, unaware of the danger, was bitten on the arm and died despite attempts to save her.

She never knew how Iloza brought these things back, because he was never bitten, even though he always played with them.

The grieving father beat Iloza severely, broke her hands, and left her to die on the streets of Naremajet.

He firmly believed that Iloza was the devil's child and that continuing to stay at home would only bring disaster.

Iloza became a scavenger, searching for food with her feet and gnawing on it with her mouth. Despite having no hands, she stubbornly survived.

Later, he met a kind-hearted sorcerer who not only healed his hands but also taught him a hypnotic technique that allowed him to control the reptiles.

Using this ability, Iloza began a life of street performing until she was noticed by military authorities and became an interrogator.

At that time, Naremajet had just defeated the siege of the surrounding tribes and survived the most difficult period. Many enemy spies had infiltrated every corner, and it was urgent to capture them for interrogation.

Iloza demonstrated exceptional talent in this area, applying her ability to hypnotize reptiles to humans, sometimes resorting to cruel methods, which was normal for interrogation work.

Iloza was never sick, but when she was forty, her health suddenly began to decline, and she was even on the verge of death.

By this time, there wasn't much interrogation work left for him to handle. He felt he had become too idle and had lost his targets for torture, so he was punished by fate.

So Iloza turned his attention to the battlefield, where he could deal with his enemies at will, but before that, he needed a healthy body.

Based on his past merits, Iloza was qualified to ascend, but no one had any hope for him. Only a handful of people attended the ascension ceremony, and Rebeca, who had just returned from an expedition, also participated in the ceremony.

He proved to be the chosen one; when the powerful Solar Energy poured into Iloza, he felt no pain.

It wasn't that his flesh was particularly tough; it was just that he always mistook pain for pleasure.

Iloza stood on the high platform, watching her lower body transform into a snake, while the muscles in her upper body, which had been withered, slowly began to swell.

Immediately afterwards, a pair of venomous fangs sprouted from his upper jaw, his eyes turned into golden vertical pupils, and surging power filled his entire body!

This was exactly what he had always dreamed of; how could he not be incredibly excited!

When Iloza landed back on the ground, Rebeca happily went to greet her. The moment they met eyes, she felt a freezing force, and all the ordinary people around her were petrified.

Iloza quickly transformed back into her normal form; she couldn't yet control the Ascended Power well and needed guidance from her senior.

Iloza returning to her normal form, Ilosa experienced a second joy. She was different from before; her skin had become fair, and her figure was as graceful as a beauty from the northern desert.

He not only got his beloved snake shape, but also the appearance he had always dreamed of; it was simply the most wonderful dream.

Rebeca didn't know Iloza before, but she affectionately called her "little sister" and they hugged each other warmly.

This was the most harmonious moment of their lives. When Rebeca learned from the officer that Iloza was a man, she got goosebumps.

But that's a story for later. Rebeca put a lot of effort into guiding this newly born Ascended, helping him master the Ascended Power.

Military guidance was provided by Aatrox, who was campaigning in the south and was struggling to manage the overall situation when Iloza arrived.

The two Ascended's powerful abilities quickly destroyed the enemy's position. Iloza's golden eyes had a very large killing range, while Aatrox's were much more efficient.

Once he had mastered the basics of marching, Aatrox simply handed over the southern battlefield entirely to him.

Iloza thrives on the battlefield, ruthlessly slaughtering her enemies. Her golden eyes and snake venom strike fear into the hearts of all.

The battlefields where Iloza usually roam are very clean, with almost no blood, flesh, or corpses, because the enemies are petrified and eventually dissipate with the wind.

If he were only cruel to the enemy, that would be one thing, but he was equally harsh on his soldiers. Not only did he kill those who hesitated to advance, but he also killed those who were slow to charge, along with the enemy.

Soon, news of Iloza's cruelty reached Shetaka's ears, and she found time to see him and give him a good scolding.

The Ascended Empress's reprimand did have some effect; she was the ruler of Naremajet and an object of worship for many, including Iloza.

Finally, he swore allegiance to Shetaka, completing the most important ritual for Ascended.