CHAPTER 169 - Evolution: Killer Instinct

Just a few minutes ago.

In the dim tunnel illuminated by a purple sinister light, Nasus, in his godlike form, continued his descent into the depths of the earth.

Surrounded by the same purple glow, spirits, more agile and ferocious than those on the periphery, surged towards him in wave after wave. However, they couldn't breach the ten-meter radius around him, all torn apart by the grains of sand swirling in the black magic.

Nasus paid no attention to these insects devoid of any sense of fear. His eyes, flickering with burning black and purple flames, stared straight ahead, hundreds of meters away.

There, the bedrock of the earth seemed to have been torn open, with countless geysers forming sharp spikes tightly encircling a membrane that emitted an even more sinister light. It pulsed like a heart, its beats seemingly piercing through flesh, reaching straight into the soul.

However, prolonged staring made it appear as a giant, abyssal eye, as if capable of sucking one's soul into it, never to escape.

Nasus halted his steps, squinting slightly.

An evil light, akin to that in a nightmare, emanated from another dimension extending from underground, dissolving everything in its path.

A sour taste filled his mouth as he heard the sounds of battle behind him, sensing the familiar power of fellow god-warriors.

"Horok..." Nasus muttered softly, then took a deep breath. "Cycle of life and death... it's time for me to close this void rift."

The long-handled battle axe in Nasus' hand spun flexibly, and a magical circle of blue-purple flames, covering an area of ​​at least several dozen meters in radius, suddenly appeared under his feet.

In the blink of an eye, the hundreds of spirits gathered around him were incinerated by the magical flames.

At the same time, his left hand rose above his head, and the withered magic almost instantly spread beyond the magic circle, controlling most of the spirits outside the circle.

"Turn to dust!" Nasus's voice was hoarse and deep.

In just a heartbeat, there were no more endless swarms of insects around him, all reduced to ashes along with the ancient star-magic.

After dealing with these annoying insects, Nasus continued to advance slowly, crossing hundreds of meters in a matter of seconds.

When he was within reach of the void rift, just a heartbeat away, he stopped.

Nasus could hear indistinct murmurs ringing in his ears...

But to be precise, it seemed to be echoing directly in his mind, as if the entire world was continuously emitting piercing screams of horror and terror.

This wasn't Nasus's first encounter with the void. He had once gone to the frontlines of Icathia under the leadership of the First Empress, Setaka, and faced off against those even more terrifying corrupted behemoths.

This slight influence was insignificant to him.

Nasus clenched the handle of his battle axe with his right claw, the star-magic within him brewing and reaching its peak in an instant, attaching to his obsidian-like body, forming a close-fitting magic barrier.

With this protection, the void whispers that could easily affect the mind immediately dissipated by half.

However, despite being prepared for everything, Nasus still did not strike, but remained vigilant, scanning his surroundings.

Just before he had delved into this core area, he could still sense a terrifying spirit lurking here.

But now, apart from the bare rock walls, the void rift in front of him, and the scattered insects that had lost their ability to move but still had not completely lost their breath, there was nothing else.

Nasus's heart sank, and a bad thought surfaced in his mind:

This was a stealthy monster...

On the frontlines of Icathia, the god-warriors were most troubled by this type of spirit.

They were several times faster in action than regular spirits, could blend into the environment, and shielded most magical perceptions.

Only those seasoned melee ascendants with honed instincts could gain the upper hand in fighting against them...

Nasus gritted his teeth, never expecting such an unexpected turn of events. "Indeed, what that young man and the girl said was right."

His sturdy claws tightened on the salt-encrusted soil and rocks beneath his feet, gripping the axe handle with both hands, assuming a defensive stance, prepared for any possible attack at any moment.

Just as Nasus turned his head, a whistling sound broke through the air from his blind spot.

In less than a breath's time, it reached his ears.

Relying on his instinct and muscle memory from battles, Nasus abruptly swung his battle axe with one hand to his side.

"Hiss!"

A mutated mantis, at least ten meters in size, emitted a piercing scream as Nasus smashed its body's outer shell on one side, sending it flying out and crashing into a deep pit dozens of meters away.

Nasus looked closely and saw that this giant mantis had only one purple eye without eyeballs, with its chitinous body covered in tumors and writhing tendrils, and its mouthparts protruding with densely packed needle-like teeth. Green corrosive liquid constantly oozed from its mouth.

The lone eye of the mantis moved irregularly, and a hot purple light quickly injected into its body from the depths of the void rift, swiftly repairing its shattered shell and a few broken tentacles.

Immediately after, the mantis roared at Nasus, its decayed wings vibrating the air like rotten flesh, creating a fierce wind.

However, compared to the desert storm swirling around Nasus, this wind that could easily strip flesh from bones seemed soft and powerless.

Nasus snorted coldly, quickly raising his left hand to aim at the nearby void creature, once again employing his withered magic.

The black-purple magic instantly covered the twisted body of the mantis, causing it to struggle violently but remain immobilized.

"Hiss! Hiss!"

The mantis spewed out a puddle of viscous liquid from its mouth, enough to corrode the earth's crust. Nasus' heart skipped a beat as he tried to dodge.

However, this confined space restricted his godly body too much, leaving him with no vast distance to evade.

Nasus narrowly dodged most of the corrosive acid, but some still splattered onto his arm, sizzling as it ate into his flesh.

"Roar!" He let out a furious roar.

In a flash, Nasus appeared before the Mantis, his axe gathering magical energy around its shattered gem, raised high above his head.

Several tentacles, resembling those of an octopus, writhed rapidly, forming a purple barrier.

However, for Nasus, who had judged countless souls, this posed no problem at all.

In the next heartbeat, his axe, crafted from extraterrestrial metal, pierced through the void barrier created by the tentacles, smashing down heavily and severing them in the process.

With the Mantis's final howl, the axe blade pierced its carapace, shattering its ethereal core.

The massive body collapsed, Nasus stepping onto it, his hand exerting a slight force to retrieve his axe, using magic to cleanse it from the corrosive fluid.

"Filthy souls," he spat, then turned his gaze towards the core of the void in this area.

In truth, the best way to deal with the void in battle was to seal its source, which meant closing the void rifts.

Nasus flashed back to the pulsating void nest; it had birthed many corrupted creatures, rendering this place completely lifeless.

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, gathering magic throughout his body onto his axe.

Then, with a sudden fierce opening of his eyes, he exerted all his strength, swinging his axe towards the heart of the void.

The Star-Magic clashed with the void's pale membrane, emitting a glass-shattering sound.

Nasus' movements were almost too fast to follow, his axe imbued with magic striking the void membrane repeatedly.

After a few moments, cracks appeared on the surface of the void core, extending outward like a spider's web.

With his final, powerful blow, the protective layer of the void shattered, spreading a scorching, flickering purple light.

Quickly, Nasus enveloped the void's power with his own magic, dissipating it completely.

Immediately, he performed several sealing rituals, locking away all the void energy beneath the earth's crust and infusing it with a large amount of magic.

With everything done, Nasus breathed a sigh of relief.

With time, the void in this area would be completely eradicated...

The sand within him dispersed outward, and he soon returned to his normal size.

It was then that a series of rapid, heavy footsteps approached from behind.

Nasus turned around, seeing Li Lin, Kassadin, Kaisa, and Sivir descending into this core area from the steep slope of the tunnel.

Behind them, followed by 13 storm automatons.

Nasus was slightly surprised, "How did so many mechanical devices suddenly appear?"

"Cough..." Li Lin cleared his throat, quickly changing the subject, "Grand Master, is everything resolved?"

He had purchased 10 air combat machines from the Essence Store, almost completely clearing the peripheral voidlings.

Kassadin, Kaisa, and Sivir had all asked the same question just now, but he had brushed them off.

Nasus seemed to sense that Li Lin didn't want to explain further, so he shook his head slightly and skipped over it.

"I have sealed the more stubborn void forces here. In just a few years, they should dissipate completely."

He paused for a moment, sighing, "However, this area will never return to its state before being invaded by the void."

Kassadin and Kaisa exchanged a glance, a hint of melancholy visible beneath their metal and carapace masks.

Li Lin fell silent for a moment, suddenly remembering something, "By the way, Grand Master, where is the corpse of the void 'leader' you killed?"

Since Kaisa currently only had "Void Seeker," "Icathian Rain," and "Supercharge" skills, and not yet her ultimate.

Considering she had been here for ten years in her original timeline, Li Lin was certain she would obtain "Killer Instinct" from one of the voidlings here.

This leader of the void was the most likely candidate...

Nasus gestured to the cliffside beside the cave, raising an eyebrow slightly, "Why do you ask?"

"I can evolve my abilities by devouring powerful voidlings." Kaisa interjected, "It's been a long time since the last evolution of my exoskeleton. If I could absorb this powerful 'leader,' I should be able to evolve again."

She followed Nasus's direction and saw a giant mantis, her eyes immediately lighting up.

"This voidling is more powerful than any I've encountered before!" 

(End of this chapter)