The Slumbering Darkborn

"Don't worry, he's regained his sanity now." Ato knew what Lissandra was worried about.

"The bodies of Celestial Warriors are indestructible, but their spirits are not as unbreakable."

"Every Celestial Warrior who fought the Void monsters was corrupted by the Void, experiencing mental problems, but none of them showed it."

"The Empress died in battle, and her descendants inherited the throne. The empire continued to operate for several hundred more years."

"Until the last emperor, Azir, was betrayed by his closest friend and died during the Ascension Ritual. The royal bloodline of the empire was severed, and the corrupted Celestial Warriors could no longer suppress their ambitions."

"They divided the empire's territory. Their bodies were no longer filled with radiance, but became dark and bloodthirsty, and were called 'Ascended' by others. This period of division lasted for several hundred more years, until the Aspect of Mount Targon finally intervened and ended that dark era."

After listening to the history of the distant land, Lissandra momentarily forgot to consider the terms of the trade.

"This is the cause and effect of the Icathian War. There are very few records of the specific battles, and the Ascended are unwilling to mention them."

"What I want to say is that the combat power of Celestial Warriors is beyond doubt. If that number of monsters were released in Freljord, even if three Demigods and your three sisters acted together, could you win this war?" Ato seized the opportunity to add fuel to the fire.

"Far from enough... Freljord would be destroyed because of it." Lissandra had to admit this fact.

Ato chose to trade with Lissandra because he was worried about Freljord, which was closest to the Void. With the great enemy at the gates, they were still fighting amongst themselves, with factions rising and falling, consuming their strength.

Once the Watchers broke free from their seals, this would be the first line of defense.

"I need to know how many Celestial Warriors you can send."

Ato glanced at Aatrox, who hesitated before speaking, "After the fall of the Ancient Shurima Empire, there were no more Celestial Warriors."

"Now, we are Ascended. Compared to when the empire still existed, our strength has declined, including mine."

"This is unavoidable. After all, you once saved this world." Lissandra expressed her understanding.

"I held the position of the empire's supreme General, with authority second only to Empress Setheka."

"So I was not fighting alone. Many people acted according to my orders. They were both my subordinates and my brothers."

"They are all dead, dead in that war. Less than half survived, and they all became Ascended later..." Aatrox's tone was filled with obvious dejection.

"But even after becoming Ascended, their loyalty to me has been tempered by thousands of years. They will still obey my orders and await my awakening."

Lissandra couldn't help but look forward, "So, how many reinforcements can you dispatch?"

"My brothers who are sleeping in Freljord... I can only sense one."

"...What?" Lissandra's expression froze, and disappointment surged through her.

Before Lissandra could change her mind, Ato explained, "For the thousand years since he broke free from his seal, he has traveled almost the entire world."

"And the Ascended scattered around the world who still obey him do not exceed ten. The other Ascended are either missing or not Aatrox's friends. This is the maximum force we can mobilize."

"When facing Void creatures, no matter how many ordinary people there are, they will only become nourishment to create more monsters. Only Darkin with powerful individual combat strength can fight against Void creatures."

"Moreover, the Void has not completely broken free from its seal yet. You should be very clear about the investigation results from previous years; it is in a state where 'the seal shows signs of weakening but can still be maintained'."

"We will awaken the Darkin sleeping in Freljord to replace your Iceborn in monitoring the seal. If a small number of monsters leak out, she can also easily deal with them."

"And when the seal completely fails, we will come to Freljord with all our forces."

"This is all the support we can provide. What do you think now?" Ato let out a long breath. I never realized I had the ability to analyze pros and cons!

Lissandra slowly stood up, the True Ice base reappearing beneath her feet. She rested her chin on her hand, pacing in the sacrificial hall.

I've said all I can... The current situation, the state of the seal must be putting a lot of pressure on her.

With the help of a Darkin, it would be solving her biggest problem. She would most likely agree to my deal! Ato was confident.

Fifteen minutes later, just as Ato finished counting Lissandra's twenty-fourth circuit around the hall, he received Lissandra's final decision.

"I agree to the deal. But I have one condition: immediately awaken the Darkin sleeping in Freljord. I want to observe her state and ensure she doesn't pose a threat to us."

During their conversation, Lissandra had learned that the Darkin seemed to be female.

"No problem." Ato slung the greatsword over his shoulder. "Pleasure doing business with you."

On the way to Frost Guard Fortress, Aatrox finally sensed a familiar aura in the mountain range not far from the fortress. Ato thus finalized the specific details of the deal.

Everyone walked out of the fortress. Lissandra briefly explained the deal with Ato to her subordinate Iceborn and selected a few to accompany her to the site of the Darkin's awakening, including the old Priest Loraka.

"Tell me the general direction."

Is she going to use a special method for rapid movement? Ato's mind raced, and he didn't hide anything. "South of the fortress, the first mountain range you encounter."

"Don't make any unnecessary moves." Lissandra's arms turned a deep blue as she waved them in the cold wind.

"Freeze!"

A biting chill spread beneath Ato's and the others' feet. A layer of True Ice formed under them, and slender ice shards extended outwards like bone claws.

Lissandra changed her hand seals, and a dense cold mist filled the air, obscuring their vision. In the next instant, the mist dissipated, and they found themselves near the target mountain range.

"So fast? Mage teleportation is always enviable... Why can't warriors learn teleportation?" Ato grumbled inwardly.

"We can begin." Lissandra nodded to Ato.

"Wait a moment." Ato then looked at the Iceborn. "No matter what you see, believe that everything is under control. Don't overreact. This is what your Matriarch promised me."

"...We shall obey the Matriarch's will." Loraka and the others were confused, but since Lissandra agreed, they had no objections.

Ato closed his eyes, calming his slightly agitated emotions. He drew the Demonic Sword of the Dark with his right hand. With a thought, he restored the demonic sword to its terrifying original appearance.

"Frost above, is that the embodiment of a demon?"

If Ato hadn't reminded them, Loraka and the others might have instinctively retaliated.

Ato activated the demonic sword's abilities, and a bloody aura erupted. Aatrox's voice echoed throughout the entire mountain range.

"Anaakca... Anaakca... Anaakca..."