First, take down the Sword Demon, then save Runeterra.

Ato gave Draven a brief explanation of Darkin and blood magic.

"That damned count has been lying to me for so long! I should be the one to treat him to the next banquet! I'll give him a taste of my throwing axes!" Draven roared.

"Let's not alert them yet," Swain stopped Draven.

"Black Rose doesn't know that Mr. Ator also possesses blood magic. Draven, don't contact Vladimir recently."

“Even if he invites me, I won’t go!” Draven shrugged. “Who knows if he’s trying to possess my body!”

Atto couldn't help but burst into laughter.

It's bizarre to think that Vladimir would have Draven's face; the body he found was young and healthy, and the face was good enough to be a TV star.

"What's so funny? My body is stronger than any Ermac on the steppe! Vladimir is practically an old man now!"

Swain shook his head: "As long as there is no action, let's leave Count Vladimir alone for now."

He told Ator, "Your Hextech power ship will arrive at the port tomorrow. It uses the latest technology from Piltover. If it goes at full speed, it will reach Ionia in five days."

Ato breathed a sigh of relief; the powerboat had finally arrived before Riven's accident.

"Is it powered by Hextech crystals?" Atto asked.

"That's right. Those scientists said that a single Hextech crystal is enough to keep it afloat for a month, and then you can just replace it with a crystal that has run out of energy."

"Hey, wait a minute, what do you need a boat for? Weren't you going to stay here and join the rebellion?" Draven had no idea that Ator needed a boat.

“Go to Ionia and bring back the Valkyrie of Noxus,” Swain explained.

Draven paused, then smiled with interest: "Wow, it seems our rebellion squad is quite lively. Even the Valkyries from the Amistan Legion are coming?"

"Let's wait and see." Ato had been keeping an eye on Riven's condition; the bloodstains showed that Riven hadn't been injured in the past few days.

If the "special mission" involved alchemical weapons, Riven, despite escaping unscathed thanks to the protection of runes, was severely injured.

Nothing's happened for so long, could it really be a "special mission" unrelated to alchemical weapons? Fortunately, Ator can now set off for Ionia at any time.

“Tomorrow I will try to bring Mr. Atto to the lower levels of the Immortal Fortress as well. That’s all for today.” Swain concluded the day’s meeting of treason.

Back in his room, Aatrox finally had the chance to inquire about Vladimir's connection to the Darkin.

“I don’t know who his Darkin master is either. All I know is that his legion’s banner bears a fierce, curved scythe. Do you know his Darkin master?”

Aatrox thought about it carefully, but finally shook his head: "Although Rhaast's weapon is a sickle, his banner is not a sickle."

"I don't recognize all the Celestial Warriors; perhaps they're subordinates of one of my brothers. How did Vladimir treat his Darkin master?"

Ato curled his lip: "He's no good. He betrayed his master when the Protoss were besieging him and dealt his master a fatal blow."

"On another note, how come his master could be killed by Vladimir and the Protoss, but it's so difficult to kill you?"

“Because the effects of ascension are different,” Aatrox sighed. “Currently, there are only two perfect ascendants: the Empress and myself.”

“Azir, the descendant of the Queen, originally had the opportunity to become the third, but he was consumed by the fire of the sun and his soul was scattered.”

"I envy that Darkborn brother. It's better to be killed early than to be sealed in a sword and never see the light of day like me."

“I was once proud of my perfect ascension, but now it has become my shackles.”

Aatrox had a thought, but ultimately decided not to tell Aatrox that Azir might still be alive. He wanted to wait until they got to Shurima to tell him.

"Old man, do you think Charikar could possibly kill you?"

"The Queen's artifact?" Aatrox stroked his chin. "It can kill some stronger Darkin, such as Tayanari and Sephiroth."

“Tayanali invited me to that party, but I refused because my ambitions were growing. I heard that they were later killed by Charikar.”

"The Queen said that there is no weapon in the world that can kill her, not even Charikar, so it should be unable to kill me either."

"I see." Ato nodded slightly, now having a completely new understanding of the distribution of power among the Darkborn.

After daybreak, Ato changed into standard armor and followed Swain to the Immortal Fortress.

"Here it comes again, that unpleasant aura of death." Aatrox felt uneasy.

"Bear with it for a bit. If we can get down there, we'll have an extra free thug. If not, we'll just have to use Shadow Cloak."

The guards at the lower entrance did not stop Swain; he had been coming every day recently, and the guards on duty all knew him.

But Ator still couldn't get in.

"Alright, I'm leaving." Ato spread his hands, pretending to leave, but in fact, after leaving the guard's sight, he disappeared into the shadows of the grass and trees.

"The last time I used this tactic was when I rescued hostages in Presidium, and Swain became the victim..."

The morning sunlight was blocked by the Immortal Fortress, casting large shadows on the ground.

Using Shadow Cloak to bypass the guards, Ator slipped through the door leading underground and reappeared on the spiral staircase, quickly catching up with Swain ahead.

“Amazing magic, is this the power of the Darkin?” Swain asked.

"No, this is something I secretly learned from the Ionians; it works very well in certain situations. Let's go find Sion as soon as possible; the powership will arrive around noon." Ator deliberately changed the subject.

The one who rescued the hostages was Master Ji of the Wuji Sect, not me, Atuo!

The lower level was dimly lit, and the walls were scattered with stone carvings, adding to the sense of grandeur.

After descending the spiral staircase, you arrive at a place where all kinds of knowledge are stored.

At a glance, Atto saw a room locked by iron bars directly in front of him, inside which was a huge stone coffin.

"Is Sion in here?"

Ator stepped forward. Outside the room, there was an explanatory text: "Sion, the Hand of Noxus, died in Noxus Year 886."

"The dates look quite consistent. Old man, can you tell anything from this?"

After a moment, Aatrox said, "There are traces of both dark magic and blood magic. Dark magic prevented his body from decaying, while blood magic provided him with power."

"How much blood energy would it take to get him moving?"

Previously, I absorbed a Noxian squad in Atorium in Ionia, and their health is currently quite high.

"One person's worth of blood and energy is enough, but if you want him to keep fighting, you have to keep replenishing it."