CHAPTER 154 - Clash of the Gods

Nasus struck first.

Despite being in his massive ascended form, his speed did not diminish in the slightest; if anything, it seemed even faster than his normal state.

Pressing the axe handle against his arm, the giant, razor-sharp blade refracted dazzling sunlight, slicing through the air with a piercing sound, instantly landing on Xerath.

Unable to dodge, Xerath was flung hundreds of meters away, tumbling in the sand, finally crashing into a flowing river, sending up a column of water that soaked the nearby earth into mud.

Seizing the opportunity, Nasus pursued, his figure flashing forward, reaching Xerath in less than a second.

As his massive body descended, the earth trembled, and a fierce sandstorm surged around him, every iron-like grain scraping against Xerath as he rose.

"Is that all you've got?" Xerath scoffed, seemingly unaffected by the recent attack.

Swiftly dodging Nasus' full-force axe swing, Xerath then surged forward, his limbs crackling with dazzling electric arcs reminiscent of sunlight.

Compared to his massive ascended form, Xerath's ethereal body was only slightly larger than that of a normal human.

Yet, this seemingly frail form of his directly challenged Nasus, pushing against his chest and sending him flying back towards the city of Vekaura.

Burned by the electric light, Nasus couldn't help but howl in pain, reaching out to grab Xerath, only to be repelled by his arcane energy.

Endless arcane magic, infused with dark power, emanated from Xerath, corroding Nasus's dark skin, leaving behind terrifying cracks and wounds.

"Wither!"

Gritting his teeth, Nasus unleashed magic that instantly withered flesh and soul, causing agony to Xerath's core spirit.

"Aaargh!" Xerath screamed in pain and fury.

The purifying power dispersed Nasus' magic, and Xerath spread his arms, the arcane flames on his chest suddenly soaring, unleashing a barrage of arcane comet projectiles that covered several hundred square meters around Nasus.

The western half of Vekaura, along with numerous buildings, was engulfed by aimlessly launched blue-white arcane spheres, falling like meteors before being swallowed by the swirling yellow sand carried by the raging winds.

Nasus tried to heal his wounds with his power, but he couldn't withstand Xerath's onslaught.

With a burning pulse of arcane energy from Xerath's arms, Nasus couldn't dodge and was struck in the legs by the detonated arcane energy flames on the ground.

Nasus could barely endure the tearing pain, struggling to keep himself from collapsing and being covered by Xerath's relentless firepower.

Then, Nasus clenched his teeth, using his left hand to summon a purple-black starry magic, sending a burning beam rising from under Xerath's feet.

"Ha! Burn!"

Xerath roared madly, as if engulfed by the flames of a thousand suns, causing him to temporarily cease his continuous barrage of spells.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Nasus quickly rose to his feet, his ascended form's injuries healing in the blink of an eye.

He continued to swing his giant axe, smashing Xerath away like a baseball bat.

"You won't find Azir's bloodline; I've hidden them away."

"He won't be able to hide forever!" Xerath's roar came from afar, stirring up the vast yellow sand. "I will find them and erase this meaningless bloodline completely!"

"I will resist to the end."

Nasus ran forward with large strides, each step covering hundreds of meters.

He wanted to close the distance with Xerath, but this cunning and powerful ancient mage didn't give him any chance.

Dark arcane magic mixed with massive ascended power surged around Xerath's body. Before Nasus could approach, dozens of impact orbs were thrown at him one after another.

Nasus swung his core gem-cracked axe, his hands turning into remnants, instantly dispersing forty or fifty arcane orbs.

But Xerath's energy was almost infinite.

He continued to throw out energy orbs the size of boulders with his left hand, lightning flashes with his right hand, and the arcane comet on his chest continued to cover Nasus's body in just a moment.

"I am beyond the mundane world! Do you really think your weak magic can defeat me?!"

"Ah! Ah! Ah!"

With the pouring of hundreds and thousands of waves of arcane magic, Nasus was almost powerless to resist.

Xerath, brimming with energy, swung out one last blazing beam, piercing Nasus's chest as he half-knelt to the ground, then collapsed weakly.

Not enough...

Far from enough...

When I fought Xerath together with Renekton last time, it was the peak of our brotherhood.

But now, after a millennium of decline and silence, I am nothing but a shadow of my past glory...

Nasus struggled to rise.

But Xerath had already cast a spell, manipulating the stones in the distant ruins of Vekaura to form a giant rock with a diameter of dozens of meters, which heavily smashed Nasus's battered body, completely crushing his last ounce of strength.

"Too weak! Much too weak! After a thousand years, I didn't expect your strength to be less than half of what it used to be!"

Xerath laughed heartily, floating slowly to Nasus's face, looking down on him.

At this moment, most of Nasus' bones, as hard as obsidian, were shattered. His left hand hung weakly to the ground, his left leg crushed up to his abdomen by the recent arcane energy, and the broken spine on his back caused excruciating pain as if scorched by the sun.

"You've fallen too deep, Nasus."

Blue-white magical flames dripped continuously from Xerath's fingertips.

"If it weren't for what you did to me, I might still have pitied you... In this long wandering and lost years, your spirit, like your brother Renekton's, has completely collapsed."

"Being destroyed is better than being faithless." Nasus spat out blood, coldly snorting, "Even with divine power bestowed upon you, you still can't change your identity, Xerath. You're a traitor, a slave, and even your name was given to you by Azir!"

Feeling Xerath's rising anger, Nasus momentarily forgot the pain in his body, feeling an incomparable satisfaction.

"Heh, you're wrong, Nasus." Xerath fell silent for a long time, then laughed, "I am no longer a slave. Azir's final command was to absolve me of my slavery and restore my freedom."

As soon as these words were spoken, Nasus' eyes, flickering with black-purple flames, widened in disbelief.

"It's impossible! Why did Azir pardon you? Why do you still betray him?"

"He's just a fool. His grace came too late."

Nasus groaned weakly, using magic to repair his body.

But Xerath easily sensed his intentions and increased the force on the boulder.

Nasus endured the crushing pain in his body, suddenly remembering how Xerath liked to boast about his achievements in front of others.

Just a little more time to delay would be enough. I can already sense Azir's magical aura...

"What will you do when I'm dead? Kill Azir and become the emperor of Shurima? Just like a few days ago when you sent bandits to recruit me?"

He shook his head, "I can't imagine what Shurima, ruled by you, will eventually become..."

"While I have imagined thousands of ways for your death, I won't kill you." Xerath's voice was indifferent, then he slowly ascended.

"The Butcher of the Sands will get what he deserves. He will tear your flesh and devour you with his sharp claws and teeth, and I will surely watch this wonderful scene..."

As he spoke, he lowered his head and glanced at Nasus, suddenly sensing something unusual.

He's too calm, this isn't like his usual style...

The cunning Xerath immediately flew away from Nasus, but was hit again by Nasus's long-prepared "Wither."

"It's too late, Xerath, too late..."

Xerath was shocked and angry again, his core chest once again corroded by the star magic cast by Nasus, freezing in mid-air.

At the same time, a scorching magical flame, like the sun, fell from the sky, directly hitting Xerath who had just escaped, causing him to fly away from Nasus, leaving his side.

And the boulder on Nasus lost Xerath's control, and one by one it returned to its original form, turning into scattered rubble.

A hint of joy flashed in Nasus's eyes. After quickly repairing his body, he hurriedly got up, knelt to the west, and crossed his hands across his chest.

"King Azir, I respectfully welcome your arrival!"

(End of this chapter)

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