77 Traits: Monolith's Protection

While Ascended are powerful, there are still differences in strength among Ascended. In this situation, a powerful Ascended can kill a demigod, while a weak Ascended can be killed by an army of humans.

Of course, this legion also includes powerful warriors, fighters, mages, and assassins.

While the strength among the Ascended is uncertain, one thing is certain.

That was the Monolith Fortress built by the ancient Ascended mage Ne'Zuk, who poured all the power and wisdom of the entire nation of Ixialia its construction. In its heyday, it could not only rival demigods, but it could also easily crush them to the ground and give them a sound beating.

Given the level of creation in Runeterra, a complete Monolith Fortress should be the closest weapon of war to the realm of the True God.

Now, although the Monolith Fortress has crumbled, leaving only Malphite, as its core, capable of movement and possessing consciousness, there is no doubt that Malphite's power still surpasses that of an ordinary demigod.

The wait wasn't long; Malphite's silence lasted only about ten minutes. A moment later, as the stone wall began to shift and change once more, the enormous face reappeared in Yuan Chen and the others' sight.

"I'm done with my work, let's talk."

Malphite's voice was calm and powerful, like a boulder being rubbed together—no, he was a boulder being rubbed together.

"What are you doing here, Malphite?" Yuan Chen asked. "What happened here that brought you here?"

"The stones here have been tainted," Malphite said calmly. Although his voice sounded very calm and gentle to him, it felt like it was deafening to Yuan Chen and the others.

"Earth Axiom lurks filthy and restless alien creatures. While there is a unique beauty to this place, it is rife with chaos. Continuing to disrupt this place will only attract those filthy things."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Chen asked, "Then do you still remember what you really are?"

"I...I can't remember," Malphite said in a low voice.

"I was once part of a whole... well, a small fragment of a great whole. A servant of order searching for a purpose. There is too much chaos in this world for me to remember it all. More often than not, people call me Malphite Rock..."

"That's what they call a bad stone... I'm not a bad stone, so I'm Malphite. A particularly bad stone."

While Malphite possesses intelligence, its level is clearly not very high. At least, although he can engage in normal communication, Malphite acts more on instinct. As he himself says, he is a servant of order seeking out his target.

Now, it's clear that Malphite is more used to answering questions when asked.

So Yuan Chen simply asked, "What were you busy with just now?"

"Some filthy, chaotic creatures... well, they're called 'the Void'..."

"The Void? Isn't that beneath the southern desert?" Qiyana asked in surprise, "Why would it appear here?"

"I don't know," Malphite replied. "Perhaps they used to be, but now they traverse beneath the earth's crust, weaving a vast net beneath people's feet, like the roots of a poisonous tree."

Upon hearing Malphite's words, a serious look appeared in Qiyana's eyes.

Malphite said it was quite clear: the Void Creature might have already left the Lost Icathia Desert and were instead traveling in places unseen by people, right beneath their feet.

The people of the Valoran Continent may not understand the terror of the Void, but Ixialia faced Void directly. In the records that have been passed down, the Void is the enemy of the entire world.

Sensing the seriousness on Qiyana's face, Malphite smiled gently and reassured her:

"Don't worry... I've trapped them inside my body and crushed them. But there will be more like them here, so don't dig anymore."

Upon hearing this, before Yuan Chen could say anything, the tunnel foreman Hewitt, nodded quickly, his face filled with fear as he stared at the dome above, where rubble was falling continuously with Malphite's laughter.

Even if the Chem-Baron himself came, he wouldn't swing his pickaxe again!

After a moment of silence, Malphite turned his gaze to Yuan Chen. His yellow eyes held a hint of doubt as he asked, "You... have a familiar aura about you. Are you my master? Have you seen him before?"

"I've met you before, your name is Ne'Zuk, right?"

"Yes, may I ask where you saw him? I'm looking for him; perhaps this will lead me to my mission..."

"He's busy with very important matters right now and can't come here," Yuan Chen shook his head and said, "But I know about your mission."

What is it?

"Defeat the Void," Yuan Chen said. "Exterminate all Void Creature, leave none alive, drive them back to their own world, and expel them all without exception."

"... Yes, that's my mission."

There was another brief silence, then Malphite nodded in deep agreement. Immediately afterwards, the massive head began to rub against the tunnel once more, as if turning around to head towards where he had awakened and to fulfill his mission.

Yuan Chen immediately stopped him. "Don't do that! Your power has already been depleted. If you really want to complete your mission, why not retrieve your scattered body parts? Then, your master will fight alongside you!"

Upon hearing this, Malphite remained silent for a moment, then nodded in agreement.

Under normal circumstances, Malphite wouldn't obey others like this. But Malphite could sense the presence of his master within this tiny human being before him...

And the little girl with silver-gray hair beside him... she seemed to be a descendant of the master? Or perhaps of some bloodline?

Because he was merely a fragment and had been tainted by the Void, Malphite's wisdom was quite limited. Therefore, Malphite didn't delve into the details, but simply nodded after a brief silence and said:

"You're right, I should make myself whole... Right now, I'm too insignificant. Sigh..."

As he spoke, Malphite let out a long sigh, seemingly filled with resentment towards his current situation.

Looking at Malphite, which was ten meters wide and twenty meters high, and which was still not fully visible even under these circumstances, even Yuan Chen couldn't help but raise his eyebrows.

But thinking about it carefully, it makes sense. In its full state, the Monolith Fortress form of Malphite is comparable in size to the Yishuaoken.

A single impact could cause irreversible damage to the continental shelf; the impact alone could kill countless demigods.

The reason Yuan Chen was unwilling to reveal Ne'Zuk's existence was quite simple—

Although Malphite is kind-hearted, even somewhat naive, one thing is undeniable: he is Malphite 'Ne'Zuk creation.

To be precise, it was the most terrifying weapon of war in the history of Runeterra, created with the assistance of the Shurima Empire and a group of Ascended scholars led by Ne'Zuk.

In this situation, things were alright while the empire still existed, and the Ascended were willing to accept the guidance and commands of the Golden Blood, that is, the Emperor of Shurima. But in the Great Collapse, all the high-ranking Shurima Empire turned into dust, and the Ascended, having lost the guidance of the Golden Blood, succumbed to desire and became Dark Descendant.

He earned the reputation of a "Ne'Zuk" in history, and even in Ixialia's historical records, he was described as "exceptionally arrogant".

Even if there's at least a one percent chance, Yuan Chen would never attempt to hand over the Dark Descendant Crystal that seals Ne'Zuk to Malphite.

Dark Descendant can parasitize not only humans and beasts, but also any life form with a spirit body, if necessary.

For example, in Yuan Chen's memory, there was a Dark Descendant was sealed in Bandle City and chose to parasitize the sacred tree in the Yordle realm.

If Ne'Zuk successfully parasitizes Malphite, Ne'Zuk will be reborn in an instant and possess even more terrifying power than before—the original Monolith Fortress required more than a dozen Ascended to control simultaneously.

Judging from Malphite's current state... well, it's a bit difficult to get him to refuse the fusion command from the Creator.

After a long silence, Malphite said, "I can sense... many fragments of myself lie beneath this land, and I must retrieve them."

"Men who carry the scent of their master, please raise your hands."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Chen was slightly taken aback, and then raised his right hand.

Looking at Yuan Chen's palm, Malphite's rocky face began to tremble violently between his brows, and a crack appeared after a moment. Through the boundless darkness, Yuan Chen could vaguely see a gem shining.

Bite!

With a crisp sound, a glittering gem struck the back of Yuan Chen's hand.

There was only a slight heat, and then a strange mountain-shaped emblem appeared on the back of his hand.

Yuan Chen didn't try to use the Scout Skill on Malphite —because this simpleton, who only knew how to follow his instincts, was very likely to launch an attack subconsciously if he sensed malice.

The hundreds-of-meters-tall rock monster launched a counterattack instinctively, especially in such a narrow mine... Yuan Chen didn't want to die.

But if it's for personal release, then there's no problem.

Trait: Monolith's Protection

Quality: Excellent (Damaged)

Effect: A blessing from the core of the Monolith Fortress that gave birth to intelligence. Due to damage to the original body, the blessing level has been reduced to (Excellent). The effect is enhanced earth element resistance, and the ability to travel underground by consuming mana. Activating the emblem on the back of the hand allows the user to send their own signal and coordinates to the Monolith Fortress and engage in simple communication.

"I'm going to find more of myself," Malphite said.

"The chaos beneath this land is growing ever stronger... I need to become more powerful. You are a friend of your master; if needed, summon me, Malphite will help you smash through the enemy."

"Yes, please let me know if there is any news about the master."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Chen nodded vigorously:

"I will, I promise."