Ato

"You..." The Furious Greatsword seemed to calm down. "Which old friend from back then are you? Xafix, Xuyuyan, or Tayanali?"

The man thought for a moment. "If I said I was Rhaast, would you believe me?"

"Rhaast? Hahahahahaha~" The greatsword let out a strange laugh. "You can be anyone, but you'll never be that fool who only knows how to talk."

The man spread his hands. "It's hard to explain how I got here. Originally, I had no name here, but who told me to wake up and see a Darkin Weapon sealing Aatrox's soul?"

"Since that's the case, then I shall be called Ato."

"No matter who you are, even if you defeated me once in a battle of wills, I will never become your weapon! I am the holy Celestial Warrior! The end of the world!"

Facing the greatsword's stubborn attitude, Ato didn't care. He lowered his head and whispered, "Then, what if I said that if you become my weapon, I'll tell you how to kill yourself?"

His voice was too low. Sarah, standing nearby, strained her ears but couldn't hear the rest.

The noisy greatsword suddenly fell silent.

He suddenly felt like an actor performing an Ancient Opera on stage, and this man was an audience member who had seen the entire story. He was familiar with all the plot points, and he had no secrets in front of him.

Moreover, the words "kill yourself" held an unparalleled allure for the greatsword. He had been striving for this for over a thousand years.

"Look at yourself now, absorbing flesh and blood just to piece together a body. What's the difference between that appearance and a Demon? It's just a crude imitation of the Celestial Body."

"Your glory and dignity were long lost in that dark and endless struggle. Celestial Warrior? You were worthy of the title when protecting the mortals of Shurima from the Void, but now, you are not."

Ato didn't care if these words had any effect on the greatsword. He said to Sarah, "Miss Sarah, please allow me to call you by your name—isn't a given name more flavorful than a cold nickname? This guy has finally quieted down."

"Perhaps I heard something I shouldn't have?"

Sarah appeared calm, but her heart was in turmoil. The greatsword before her was beyond her understanding, and Ato, as its wielder, was someone she couldn't possibly contend with.

Sarah put away her gun, indicating she didn't want to fight.

She hadn't understood most of the conversation, but whether it was by chance or not, Ato's sudden appearance had indeed helped her escape her predicament.

Furthermore, he was definitely not from Bilgewater, let alone affiliated with the Iron Hook Gang. Just by looking at him, she could tell—not a single tattoo on his body, and his features were relatively soft.

"Of course not, Miss Sarah. If you wish to leave, please feel free."

Ato recalled the gentlemanly behavior he had seen in his previous life and imitated them.

Ever since he transmigrated to Runeterra, he had been in a state of extreme excitement, directly immersing himself in the role of a game character.

"I've never seen a talking sword before. Can you make my gun talk too?" Sarah said, half-jokingly.

"I've disappointed you again, Miss Sarah. I don't think there are talking guns in the world, but there are talking scythes, or daggers. If you happen to encounter one, it's best to stay far away from them. A sincere suggestion." Ato smiled.

"I will." Sarah returned a charming smile. "Then..."

"Captain! Are you alright?" More than a dozen pirates rushed in from outside the door. The leader was strong and had a full beard.

Upon seeing Sarah was unharmed, they turned their guns towards Ato, their hearts tightening.

The appearance of the greatsword could only be described as terrifying, and the stranger was undoubtedly a very dangerous individual.

Fear appeared in every pirate's heart, but even so, they did not retreat, because their captain and the man were only four or five meters apart!

The arrival of the crew made Sarah's heart clench. Although the aura of Bilgewater's strongest bounty hunter was dazzling, she understood better than anyone that danger could strike at any moment.

Her hunter's intuition, forged in a life of licking blood from the tip of a blade, was screaming a warning: Ato was dangerous. She didn't want her crew to be annihilated.

"I'm fine, Raven. No need to be nervous. Put your guns down first."

Facing her crew, Sarah suppressed her unease and spoke with a commanding tone.

"Actually, he just helped me once."

Sarah turned and rejoined the group, the short distance feeling like an arduous journey.

Ato had not yet shown any aggression, but she believed that if Raven and the others provoked him, her crew would have a hard time leaving the tavern alive. Their numerical advantage would be meaningless.

"We can leave now, Mr. Ato, right?" Sarah had at least learned the man's name from their conversation. "Or do you have any conditions?"

"Remember to take the door with you. I have some things to discuss with this fellow." Ato glanced at the greatsword, which had been silent for a long time. "Perhaps we will meet again soon, Miss Sarah."

"Farewell, then." Sarah smiled and waved her hand. "Let's go."

Sarah and her group left, not forgetting to close the tavern door, even though it had a large hole in it.

"Captain, who exactly is he..."

Raven was still shaken. He even felt that today he had witnessed the birth of Bilgewater's fifth terrifying legend—a mysterious man carrying a giant demonic sword.

"As First Mate, learning to stay calm is your first lesson."

Sarah felt a little guilty, but quickly masked it and strode towards the "Siren," docked at the Slaughter Docks.

Sarah and the others were gone, and Ato scratched his head, continuing to stare at Aatrox's greatsword.

The tavern was in ruins. Not a single living sailor could be seen, only overturned tables and chairs everywhere. This Small Outpost, belonging to Gangplank, had been reduced to ashes.

Ato found a relatively intact chair and quietly waited for the greatsword's answer.

At this point, Ato could completely ignore Aatrox's will and use the Darkin's power freely. This was the nature of a Darkin Weapon.

Once a Celestial Warrior, now only a soul residing within the Darkin Weapon, if he failed in his struggle against the host's will, he would lose control of himself.

Two days ago, shortly after Ato transmigrated to Runeterra, there was nothing around but the sea.

Only in a corner of the beach stood a demonic sword he was all too familiar with. Without hesitation, he stepped forward, grasped the hilt, and entered the demonic sword's mental space.

Ato did not wish to recall the process of consciousness struggle. The pain of the demonic sword striking his body was still vivid. Just one step away, and he would have become the demonic sword's puppet.

But Ato still decided to respect Aatrox's wishes.

Before coming to Runeterra, he hadn't communicated with anyone else for a long time.

The only companions he had each day were game characters, all virtual characters created by others, but he liked them.

"How can you prove you have a way to kill me?"

A hoarse voice emanated from the sword. Aatrox broke the silence first.

He was not a bloodthirsty demon king, but rather tormented by eternal loneliness during hundreds of years of sealing. Unable to end himself, even after absorbing humans who touched the demonic sword and successfully escaping, he could not change his will to die.