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

"Sivir's ascension..." Ato couldn't help but feel excited. There were too few ascendants in this era, only Nasus, Renekton, and the Emperor himself.

More than three thousand years ago, the Shurima Empire's hundreds of Ascended, along with Queen Setaka, barely managed to defeat the Void army. If the Void were to launch a full-scale invasion tomorrow, who would stop them?

After Aatrox and his followers fell to the Darkin, their strength was far less than before.

Moreover, most of the Darkin died in that dark and hopeless struggle. The only dozen or so weapons that remain are those that the Protoss cannot kill, but can only seal.

Azir laughed and said, "This is the first ascension ceremony held since the empire was rebuilt. It cannot be without the presence of the Grand General and all the warriors of the empire."

Ator nodded and said in the mental world, "Old things, all of you come out. This is a major event for Shurima, and you need to witness it with your own eyes."

As soon as he finished speaking, the figures of Aatrox, Balcock, Tarrosh, Jorah, and Varus appeared one after another, their corrupted bodies becoming holy again under the blessing of the power of transformation.

The Ascended Brothers had already arrived and returned to Shurima after the black fog dissipated.

In addition, the Darkin Harpoon Ibarros found in Bilgewater and the Darkin Ballista Naganeka buried underground in Noxus are also there.

Looking at it this way, the new Shurima Empire is indeed taking shape. Just the dozen or so Darkin standing there exude an extraordinary aura.

This doesn't even include the dagger Naafiri, who is wandering somewhere unknown; the scythe Rhaast, who is far away in Ionia; and the spear Anaca, who guards the Arctic Abyss.

Even Ixtal sent people, and Atto spotted Qiyana in the crowd, curiously observing the disc and the Darkin.

The general rarely smiled: "It is my honor to witness the ascension of such an outstanding junior of the empire. Your Majesty, I heard that you speak highly of her?"

Azir said, "The fact that I was able to gain the Empress's approval with my mortal body speaks volumes. General, as you know, before I ascended to heaven, the Grand Scholar always took charge of the Chalichar court."

Aatrox hummed in agreement: "That's true. Artifacts have their pride. Mortals who wield them will suffer a backlash. Since Sivir has gained the artifact's approval, her ascension effect should be quite good."

Atto glanced at the sky; it was cloudless and clear.

"When does the ascension ceremony begin? Why haven't we seen Sivir appear?"

Nasus explained, “At noon, it’s our tradition. At this moment, the disk is closest to the sun, making it easier to receive the energy of the sun’s fire when ascending.”

“I see… What about Sivir?” Ato suddenly realized. It was still morning, and the ceremony should be over by the end of the day. He still needed to go to Freljord to find Nera.

"Hehe, since we've decided to let her ascend, she can't appear in front of the public before the ceremony begins; that's also a tradition."

Ato scratched his head. "No wonder it's a thousand-year-old empire; they certainly have a lot of rules..."

Let's discuss supporting Noxus with Azir after the ceremony.

Just then, the sun priest below, clad in a golden robe, moved.

With a long shout from the leader, they raised their scepters, gazed devoutly at the sky, and began to dance an ancient dance.

The priest is praying for the sun's blessing, hoping that the ascension process will go smoothly.

As Ator watched the dance, his thoughts wandered, imagining what Sivir would look like after ascending to heaven—what kind of animal would she be?

The truly powerful Ascended beings of the Shurima Empire always gave him a sense of déjà vu, as if they were very similar to the gods in ancient Egyptian mythology.

For example, Azir's eagle appearance is based on Ra, the supreme god in mythology and the sun god.

Nasus is the more well-known jackal Anubis.

Even Renekton can be traced back to him; he is the crocodile-looking god Subek.

What will Sivir look like? Actually, Ato has some guesses.

The essence of the Sunfire is not actually to infuse the energy of this star into mortal bodies; otherwise, Aatrox and the other Darkin wouldn't have been so difficult to kill.

Unlike the planet Runeterra, it is a creation of Aurelion Sol, and there is a connection between them. It is more like an amplifier, drawing energy from Aurelion Sol somewhere in the heavens and creating Ascended beings through the disc.

To that person, this energy is like the death of an ordinary red blood cell in the human body; there is no feeling whatsoever.

But the humiliation inflicted by the Protoss was real. A dignified creator god, allowing tiny insects to drain energy from his body, and he couldn't even refuse, otherwise the crown on his head would draw power and blast the stars he created into pieces.

The priest's dance continued, as the sun gradually approached overhead.

Seeing that it was almost time, Nasus stood up and went to the center below the sun disk. The priests left in an orderly manner, lined up in neat rows, and stood on both sides with serious expressions.

The ceremony should naturally be hosted by a highly respected Grand Secretary.

He coughed lightly, and the noisy scene instantly quieted down, with everyone's eyes focused on the majestic Jackal Ascendant on the stage.

"Welcome everyone to witness the first ascension ceremony in three thousand years for the Shurima Empire!"

"The person about to ascend to the high platform is the only princess of the Imperial Family, the high priestess of the Sun Cult, and the goddess who brings light in the darkness—Miss Sivir."

"Her will is as firm as the sands and as unyielding as the mountains; she is the pearl of the desert and the glory of Shurima!"

"Today, Sivir embarks on the path of ascension, becoming an immortal legend. May the power of ascension grant her even greater strength, and may her light forever illuminate this desert!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a figure who looked like a god descending to earth emerged from the golden ascension hall behind him, surrounded by a group of stunningly beautiful maids.

The golden robes shimmered under the sun and against the backdrop of the desert, each line seemingly etched with the glorious history of Shurima.

The cloak flutters in the wind like a flag in the desert, symbolizing an indomitable will and the inheritance of glory.

Every step she took was treading on sacred runes, as if the earth itself was cheering for her; her very existence was like a bridge connecting heaven and earth.

Sivir walked alone onto the circular stone platform, her body slowly rising until she stood before the sun disk suspended in mid-air, her eyes filled with determination.

"This is the path I chose, and I have no regrets."

Nasus stared intently at the sky, his gaze sharp, focusing all his attention on assessing the sun's position.

Everyone held their breath, waiting for that moment to arrive.