Chapter 145
Yes, it started spinning—spinning around.
The Darkin Blade fell, striking the spinning scythe handle precisely.
Ding--! The sharp sound signaled that Rhaast still had a glimmer of hope for survival.
He didn't even need to control the movement of his arms; he could focus entirely on circulating blood magic as before—his hands would move on their own.
"Huh?" Even Aatrox didn't expect that his brutal sword strike would be blocked by the opponent—the constantly spinning giant scythe even forced him back half a step.
It was in this half-step gap that Rhaast succeeded.
The lost blood regrouped under the control of blood magic, and the broken muscles, skin, nerves, and bones were all reconnected.
At the same time, a muffled voice, like someone half-asleep, echoed in his mind, "[Since you've borrowed my body, make good use of my skills...]"
[With my strength, no matter how many or how powerful my skills, I cannot stop Aatrox's sword...]
But you are different...
"Ah... mortals..." Rhaast stood up again, a surprised smile spreading across his face.
"I acknowledge you... you are indeed qualified..."
As soon as he finished speaking, his figure vanished.
By the time Aatrox sensed him again, the sharp, giant scythe was already inches away.
[Deceive]
"Aatrox!!" Rhaast, now invisible and teleporting, swung his Darkin Scythe with all his might, and the attack finally struck Aatrox perfectly.
Aatrox's hand snapped instantly.
He raised an eyebrow in displeasure, preparing to switch hands and retaliate with his sword.
But just then, something unexpected flew over—an arrow.
Arrows made of ice crystals.
Bang! The ice crystal arrow shattered immediately upon hitting its target. Although the terrifyingly low temperature couldn't freeze Aatrox into an ice sculpture, it could slow down all his movements to some extent.
Both movement and attacks were slower.
Rhaast looked in the direction the arrows had come from and saw a human girl giving him a thumbs-up while looking surprised.
"Your woman has been a great help to us... but she seems quite surprised that you've become like this, hehe..."
[Let's explain later...] Chen Ce's voice came again.
"That's how it should be!" Rhaast swung his scythe again.
Previously, he was no match for Aatrox in speed, but now, thanks to the slowing effect of the Ice Crystal Arrows, they are almost evenly matched.
With the added assistance of Chen Ce's various skills, he gradually gained the upper hand.
Aatrox became increasingly passive as the fight progressed, and his wounds worsened—although this cheaply cobbled-together body wouldn't harm the real him even if it rotted away, the inconvenience it caused was undeniable.
If his physical body is gone, he won't be able to deal with Rhaast with just a moving sword.
Time ticked by, and the battle grew increasingly intense.
Rhaast's immense strength, the strange abilities of that mortal body, the cunning ice arrows constantly being fired from afar... all sorts of unfavorable factors made Aatrox increasingly uncomfortable.
But this also made him increasingly agitated.
Finally, in his extreme rage, the flesh and bones on his back began to shift.
It creaked.
It's like something is growing out of it.
Seeing this, Rhaast, who had originally planned to slowly wear down his opponent, suddenly became anxious.
He began to attack Aatrox more aggressively, even at the cost of taking some damage himself.
But he still couldn't stop Aatrox.
Before he could chop Aatrox into mincemeat, something popped out from the latter's back.
After repeated attacks, Aatrox finally managed to break through the limitations of that thing.
That is...
A pair of wings.
A pair of demon wings.
"World Ender--!"
Thump--!
An extreme energy erupted as the wings grew, instantly filling an area of several thousand meters with an aura of despair.
In an instant, everyone except Rhaast stopped.
Ashe, who was providing support by shooting arrows from afar, suddenly felt an extreme despair, followed by extreme fear that made her unable to even hold onto her bow.
Not only her, but even the Winter's Claw who had already fled far away all showed expressions of despair, and then knelt down on the ground.
"You did very well... Rhaast..."
The enormous figure slowly straightened up, its demonic wings spreading out to both sides almost blotting out the sky.
"You've successfully reminded me of the humiliation of the past... these tattered, decaying wings... they constantly remind me of my current ugliness..."
"Damn it..." Rhaast narrowed his eyes, no longer daring to attack rashly—he was all too familiar with this aura.
An aura of world-destroying destruction.
An aura that even the Void itself felt fear towards...
I never imagined that Aatrox could achieve this level of performance...
"I underestimated him... I thought he could no longer spread those wings that symbolized the Ascended..."
So, are you going to back down...?
"No, mortal... you've misunderstood me..."
I think so too...
"What I mean is..." Rhaast gripped the Darkin Scythe with both hands, his wary eyes revealing boundless fighting spirit.
"The one I've always wanted to kill... is someone as powerful as Aatrox!!!"
"Rhaast--!!" Aatrox, in his World Ender state, launched a sprint.
The speed is ridiculously fast.
Rhaast showed no sign of backing down and charged forward at full speed.
"Aatrox--!!"
Chapter Twenty-Eight: Rhaast, you deserve to die!
Without a doubt, Chen Ce had encountered the most formidable opponent of his life.
In Aatrox World Ender state... if placed millions of years ago, he would be the strongest being second only to the Ascended Queen Setaka; if placed now, he would be a top-tier powerhouse with few rivals throughout Runeterra.
Even though Aatrox has lost his physical body and is no longer at his peak, his terrifying power is still enough to make him look down on all existence.
The "gods" atop Mount Targon... those high and mighty Aspects are like lambs to the slaughter before Aatrox.
In contrast, Rhaast, who was once Ascended and is now Darkin, appears much weaker.
He didn't have Aatrox's magnificent achievements of slaying gods, nor did he single-handedly charge into the Void to wreak havoc. He didn't even have any particularly outstanding performances during the Darkin's reign...
He was like an ordinary person among the Ascended.
An ordinary, unremarkable person.
He should have died like most Ascended in that all-consuming Void War... but he survived by sheer luck.
He survived the subsequent Darkin War, the Aspects schemes... all by sheer luck.
He even became the second Darkin to awaken after Aatrox.
All of this seemed to be reminding him...
He is the one who is most qualified!
All who dare to defy his dignity shall die!
Even Aatrox wouldn't work!
Let's cause another huge scene!
"Aatrox--!!"
Rhaast charged straight at the "monster" that was also charging towards him.
His opponent was significantly faster than him.
Needless to say, in terms of strength...
Fortunately, just as they were about to clash, his hand holding the scythe moved on its own again—the same movement as before, as if it were muscle memory.
[Counter Strike]
Clang! Aatrox's murderous sword strike was successfully blocked by the scythe handle. The feeling of having the strength to strike but not being able to, like punching cotton, made Aatrox feel extremely disgusted.
But he does more than just stab.
Besides thrusting straight, a sword can also slash horizontally and vertically.
"Come! Fight me!"
Aatrox flapped his wings, rapidly rising upwards to dodge the Darkin Scythe while simultaneously bringing the blade down heavily.
Such speed was still beyond Rhaast's reaction time, leaving him no choice but to raise the giant scythe above his head to block.
Thump--!
The giant scythe could withstand the blow, but Chen Ce's physical body couldn't quite take it.
Crack! The sound of bones breaking rang out, Rhaast instantly felt his arms about to give way.
He dared not continue to fight head-on and immediately used Chen Ce's skill to create distance.
Aatrox relentlessly pursued him, and immediately seized the opportunity to plunge his giant scythe into the ground.
As Aatrox drew near, the giant scythe was suddenly pulled from the ground.
Boom--!
A large area of land directly in front of the scythe was lifted up, and the explosive energy, like an earthquake, instantly blasted Aatrox into the air.
Before Rhaast could press his advantage, Aatrox swung his sword while airborne.
A strange stream of Darkin energy shot from the blade, heading straight for the ground.
Then, the earth was torn apart.
That energy was like a nimble, living thing, tearing the earth apart while simultaneously attacking Rhaast from underground.
The violent impact broke Rhaast's left leg, and a terrible pull almost rendered him immobile.
"Infernal Chains ..." Rhaast immediately recognized what this terrifying energy was.
Without hesitation, he immediately rushed off in one direction.
He had to escape the dragging Infernal Chains...
Otherwise, things will go very badly...
"Why are you trying to run away again, my good brother?" Aatrox's teasing voice suddenly came.
Rhaast's hair stood on end, and he immediately turned around to block.
Aatrox was much faster than him.
The third strike of the Darkin Blade unleashed a terrifying force that tore half a mountain apart like a finely crafted yet fragile block.
Rhaast was powerless to withstand this attack.
Even though Chen Ce managed to mitigate some of the damage with [Meditation], the force still completely severed his hands.