Chapter 144

The bones are stretching, the muscles are growing, and hard carapaces are piercing the skin and protruding from the body surface...

Ah... the feeling of freedom...

Having regained control of his body, Rhaast gripped his giant scythe tightly, skillfully twirling it in a flourish; his weapon danced gracefully like his beloved.

"Now..."

"Only Rhaast remains..."

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Aatrox: Dame--!

Ashe and Sejuani led their tribesmen away.

That terrifying "Icefield Demon" didn't chase after us... Now we just need to let our people run on their own.

Ashe immediately rushed back and took the Frost Crystal Longbow from her back on a small hillside.

Her eyesight was excellent; she could see everything happening over there, even from a kilometer away—she saw Chen Ce being knocked down.

Almost in an instant.

That terrifying Icefield Demon... that enormous dark red greatsword...

Just once... just once...

Chen Ce's hand was severed... blood gushed out...

"How is it?" Sejuani followed her up the hillside, but she could only see two tiny black dots in the white light.

"It's terrible..." Ashe's voice was extremely anxious, and even her lips were trembling slightly. "Chen Ce... his hand was cut off by that Icefield Demon..."

"Huh?" Sejuani's eyes widened in disbelief, but she still couldn't see anything.

Both of them were very worried.

I was also quite surprised.

After all... during their time with Chen Ce repeatedly demonstrated extremely powerful strength, and even nearly a hundred Frost Priests were like cats and dogs in front of him, posing no threat whatsoever.

In their minds, he was practically invincible.

This seemingly invincible being... had his arm severed in a single exchange...?

This is just too much...

Incredible...

"We can't stand idly by any longer..." Ashe frowned and drew back the bowstring, several ice crystal arrows appearing out of thin air. "We have to help him, or his life will be in danger..."

"I agree with you this time." Sejuani also tightened the bowstring—an ordinary leather longbow.

"You're using this? Can it even shoot that far?"

"We have to give it a try."

"Hmm... okay."

"Don't act like I'm useless." Sejuani shrugged, nocked an arrow, and then turned to look down the hillside.

That strong Drüvask boar is rushing towards us at high speed.

Several wooden buckets were tied to its body.

"You'll have to help me out later, my former best friend..."

The feeling of regaining his freedom filled Rhaast with immense joy.

He slowly squatted down and picked up the severed arm from the ground.

Then insert it directly back into the torn wound.

In just a moment, the torn and twisted muscles rapidly regenerated under the influence of blood magic, reconnecting the severed arms like thin ropes.

Then, he slightly twisted his still slightly deviated arm.

The bones that should have been broken instantly snapped back together, and all the incredibly delicate nerves were completely healed.

I gave it a quick try... Hmm, not bad, quite sensitive.

"Ah... the feeling of freedom... how wonderful..."

Rhaast opened his arms and took a deep breath, as if in a special ceremony to congratulate the rebirth of the Ascended.

Not far in front of him, Aatrox, who had been knocked to the ground by the scythe, also got up again.

This "strongest Darkin" also revealed a twisted smile.

"Rhaast... my former brother, you finally understand... I'm so glad to see the real you."

"Yes, Aatrox ..." Rhaast slung the giant scythe over his shoulder. "We are all the same kind of people... Perhaps we don't need to fight anymore."

"You mean we should sit down and have a proper chat? Relive those glorious years?" Aatrox chuckled mockingly, the Darkin Blade never leaving his hand.

But Rhaast didn't mind. "You've solved this troublesome mortal problem for me, you've helped me regain my freedom... We can wreak havoc again, Aatrox! Let's rule this world once more and turn everything upside down!"

"That sounds amazing," Aatrox continued to laugh, his laughter hoarse and arrogant.

Seeing this, Rhaast walked over with delight—his scythe remained on his shoulder rather than in his hand, indicating that he had no intention of fighting.

It all seemed like a carefully orchestrated scam.

The whole thing about borrowing power, seeking revenge on Aatrox, or being able to easily cut off Aatrox's head by temporarily taking over his body... it's all a lie.

All for this moment.

In order to get rid of Chen Ce's "Death Realm threat".

In order to once again rule the world with his former comrades.

Aatrox, however, seemed to have seen through everything all along.

The two Darkin grew closer.

"This body is truly excellent, my brother," Rhaast said with a smile, extending his hand. "It's a worthy physique... Perhaps I can lend it to you sometime in the future."

"No, I don't particularly like mortal bodies." Aatrox shook his head disdainfully. "They're too weak... as pathetic as maggots in a sewer. They only dishonor my supreme power."

"Ha, that's true." Rhaast laughed and stretched out his hand.

Aatrox laughed and prepared to shake hands with him.

Then...

Puff--!

A flash of cold light, and Aatrox's outstretched right arm snapped instantly.

It's that sickle.

That Darkin Scythe, which, like the Darkin Blade, can "auto-attack".

Rhaast hadn't just slung the scythe over his shoulder to signify a "ceasefire," but also to prepare for a slash at the fastest speed and best angle—a powerful, semi-circular arc, a perfect strike.

In an instant, Aatrox let out a piercing scream, his eyes filled with anger, surprise, and bewilderment as he looked at his former comrade.

"All's fair in war, my brother," Rhaast burst into laughter. "Did you really think I'd shake hands with you and make peace? So many years have passed, and you're still as reckless as ever. Ha ha ha... You're ridiculous, Aatrox."

As he spoke, he walked straight forward, intending to take advantage of the other person's illness to kill him.

"No... you've become even more cowardly, Aatrox... you would never have been so timid before—not even the most desperate death could break your spirit. But now... millions of years have passed, and you've become a coward who bullies the weak and fears the strong?"

He raised his giant scythe high toward Aatrox's head and other hand—at this angle, both the head and arm would be severed.

Aatrox retreated repeatedly, his eyes filled with terror.

But Rhaast swung his giant scythe without any mercy.

He had already glimpsed the dawn of victory.

He wanted to kill this once powerful, now cowardly megalomaniac.

He wanted to avenge his dignity and prove that his sickle wasn't just for harvesting wheat.

He wants to prove that he is the strongest in the world!

The strongest— the Ascended!

Rhaast laughed as he swung his scythe, feeling victory was already in his grasp.

Until he caught a glimpse of Aatrox's slightly curved lips.

That was in...

Laugh?

Clang--!

The moment the scythe fell, the expected sensation of flesh being slashed did not come; instead, a loud metallic clang erupted.

Rhaast instantly felt his entire arm go numb—this was Chen Ce's physical body, not a puppet body pieced together from flesh and blood like Aatrox's; the pain was real and tangible.

Then look at Aatrox, that arrogant paranoiac...

He laughed loudly and swung the giant sword.

Puff--!

This time, it really was the sound of flesh being torn apart.

But it's my own.

Whoosh--!

An overwhelming force struck, Rhaast's body was instantly severed at the waist.

There's no doubt that Aatrox intended to do this from the beginning—he was toying with his opponent.

He deliberately pretended to be tricked, deliberately had a hand cut off, deliberately gave people a glimmer of hope... and then used absolute speed and power to carry out a "counterattack".

"Ha→ha→ha→ha↗!" Aatrox's laughter was full of sarcasm. "Rhaast, you're still so ridiculous! Your self-proclaimed cleverness is just like Shaco's stage play! Ha→ha↗ha↑!"

"Damn it..." Rhaast cursed under his breath, and hurriedly used blood magic to try to stitch his body back together, which had been broken into two pieces.

Aatrox drew his sword again right in front of him.

Thud! The Darkin Blade pierced down heavily, pinning Rhaast's lower body to the ground.

"Hmm... I didn't mean to tease you, Rhaast. This was just..." Aatrox gently pushed the hilt of his sword, and the sharp blade instantly severed the two legs on the ground.

"This is merely my way of showing respect, Rhaast —you and I were once of the same race, and killing you outright would be too undignified for you."

"I know...I've always known... You valued dignity above all else, Rhaast."

"You're never willing to be second to anyone; you're always looking for an opportunity to prove you're the strongest..."

"Is that so, Rhaast?"

Rhaast remained silent in the face of Aatrox's taunts.

He was still trying his best to use blood magic to repair his body.

He is not afraid of death—and cannot be killed—but this body is not immortal.

Once his head is chopped off, Chen Ce is finished.

He certainly wanted Chen Ce to die sooner, but he wanted to kill Aatrox first—and that body was his only advantage and a chance to turn the tide.

"Stop struggling, my brother...have some dignity." Aatrox drew his greatsword and raised it above his head. "I will let you die honorably as a warrior—I have no intention of being your enemy, I simply wish to annihilate all existence."

"..." Rhaast continued to guide the blood flow, and it was about to bring the upper and lower body together.

Aatrox's sword fell noticeably faster.

Rhaast was at his wit's end.

But his host doesn't think so.

"Deathbringer Stance—!" Aatrox's greatsword slashed down heavily.

Just as Rhaast was about to be decapitated, his hand holding the Darkin Scythe suddenly moved on its own—not by his conscious control.

It's like... a kind of muscle memory.

Instead of attacking its opponent, the giant scythe began to spin in a bizarre manner.