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

Jax sighed and rubbed his forehead, saying, "If you hadn't said you wouldn't join my 'New Kaullie' until you saw the Void with your own eyes, I really wouldn't have wanted to bring you along..."

“You haven’t answered my question yet.” Fiona gazed curiously into the distance. “You said the void is evil, but that giant plate doesn’t look evil at all!”

“That’s not the void, that’s the Sun Disc of the Shurima Empire!” Jax said with a complicated tone. “I thought it would turn to dust forever, but it has been reborn.”

"Let's go take a look. We need to know why the Sun Disk was revived. It would be even better if some of the Ascended Ones were still alive."

Fiona stopped him: "Hey, wait a minute! What Shurima Empire, and Ascended Ones? You never told me about any of that!"

"Ascended beings can't possibly be stronger than you! Why do you value them so much?!"

"...You're right, he is indeed stronger than me. Back then, it took me the strength of an entire squad to kill a weaker, injured Ascended."

"Let's hurry up and go, there might still be people I know there." With that, Jax disappeared into the crowd of pilgrims.

Fiona froze on the spot: "What did he say? An Ascended being is stronger than this monster? Hey, wait for me!"

After a night of transmission, the area around the solar disk was like a popular tourist attraction during the National Day holiday. In addition to those who had been worshipping in the front row from the beginning, there was a steady stream of people coming here.

In the crowded throng, Fiona fully utilized her agility to easily catch up with Jax.

"This won't do. You can't see anyone on the disc at all. Come on up and hold on tight."

With that, Jax used his hand, which had only three fingers, to lift Fiona by the collar and, ignoring her protests, placed her on his broad shoulder.

"Hey, what do you want...?"

Before she could finish speaking, Jax's strong body leaped up amidst Fiona's gasp. She only had time to grab his hood and barely regain her balance.

His foot lightly touched the heads of the pilgrims, and despite his weight of several hundred kilograms, those touched felt only a slight sensation.

The sky seemed to darken for a moment, and then they saw a colossal object speeding forward through the crowd, with a screaming girl hanging on it.

Using this special "cutting in line" method, Jax quickly arrived at the front of the pilgrims, waving his lamp to blow away several pilgrims and reveal a small open space.

Boom!

Even the soft sand could hardly support his astonishing weight. Other pilgrims wanted to curse, but seeing the terrifying size of the newcomer, they could only wisely shut their mouths.

"Jax! What are you doing?!" Fiona roared as she landed.

He did not respond, but stared intently at the two noble figures in the center of the disc with his face covered by the multi-eyed mask.

"As expected, there's someone I recognize! The Jackal Ascended One is none other than Nasus, the Grand Scholar who disappeared three thousand years ago!"

"But I have no recollection of those who ascended to eagle form; none of those famous generals were in eagle form..."

Just as Jax was lost in thought, Azir spoke again in his ethereal voice: "People of Shurima, the Empire did indeed go down the wrong path three thousand years ago."

With just one sentence, all the whispers ceased. Those present were either astonished, unable to understand, or incredulous.

The Shurima Emperor, revered by thousands, surprisingly admitted his mistake in his second sentence!

“We retain the institution of slavery, which creates discord between friends of different social statuses.”

"We do not treat the Empire's vassals equally; only a few countries have the opportunity to ascend."

"But now I have been reborn! Those corrupt and stubborn systems no longer exist! What I will build is a completely new Shurima Empire!"

"There will be no more differences in status between people! Whether you are a merchant or an adventurer, you can become friends!"

"I will once again open the Sun Disc. Anyone who is loyal to the Empire and has made great contributions to the Empire, regardless of where you come from, will have the opportunity to ascend and become a Celestial Warrior!"

Azir's words shocked everyone; no one even spoke at first.

Then came an even more explosive cheer.

"Did I hear that right? Celestial Warriors! We swear to serve His Majesty to the death!"

"When I was a child, I heard the most legends of celestial warriors! It's a pity I don't have magical talent. After the ascension ceremony, I can also gain superhuman abilities!"

Only Ato curled his lip. He didn't believe that Azir would perform ascension ceremonies on people casually. However, in a time when everything was in ruins, it was very effective in winning people's hearts.

When a leader says you have a "chance" of promotion, it's mostly to keep you from leaving and to stabilize your position.

Azir is someone who has experienced betrayal. To expect him to grant ascension to ordinary people who have just met him and have ulterior motives is simply impossible.

Jax stood in the cheering crowd, as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world.

"The power of ascension seems interesting!" Fiona exclaimed, caught up in the atmosphere. "Big guy, you're so strong, you should have a good chance, right? Big guy, big guy?"

She looked up and saw that his body was trembling slightly.

"What—what a joke!"

Jax's angry voice echoed throughout the arena, drowning out the cheers of the pilgrims.

Everyone stared in surprise at the man at the front of the group, a man with a strong build and strange attire.

Atto was also drawn by the sound. He looked closely and easily spotted the owner of the voice.

"Is that Jax? And next to him, is that Fiona? What are they doing here?"

"I remember now, you were the little emperor before the empire fell!"

The reason for this name is that Jax lived in Icathia during the reign of Queen Setaka, making him at least five hundred years older than Azir.

Feeling Azir's gaze descending upon him, Jax was reminded once again of the eyes of those Ascended.

They looked at the Icathians like they were garbage.

Then, unexpectedly, no one, including Atto, could have predicted it.

Azir manipulated the sand and fell down with Nasus, landing in front of Jax.

After ascending, Azir's height exceeded that of a normal person, reaching about 2.5 meters.

Now, he and Jax are at the same level, their eyes almost level, neither of them looking up at the other.

Then Azir bowed slightly and knelt down.

"sorry."

Upon hearing this apology, which was three thousand years overdue, Jax's body trembled violently.

Don't you think it's too late to say all this now?

“I’m just doing what our ancestors were supposed to do.” Azir shook his head. “I’m truly sorry for the harm our ancestors caused you.”