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

The commotion at Flamewave Tavern had already attracted the attention of passersby, but conflicts between two gangs were commonplace in Bilgewater.

There is no law or order here; strength is the only way to survive.

"The solution is simple: find a power stronger than you and destroy you."

Atrox lay casually on the ground and uttered the answer that Atrox desperately needed to know.

Aatrox was taken aback, seemingly not quite understanding, and instinctively asked, "Isn't this what I've been doing all along?"

"Not exactly the same. You've been wasting your time for the past thousand years. To truly destroy you, the power required must be at least on the same level as the source of your power. And there is no such person in Runeterra."

"My source of power... is the solar disk?"

“About a thousand years ago, shortly after you awoke, you fought a pair of angel sisters.”

"That's right, it's in the western part of Valoran."

Aatrox was no longer surprised that Aatrox knew things that only he knew.

"I attacked a newly established human city with servants conjured from blood magic. Those two—no, they weren't human. I remember that feeling; they possessed celestial power..."

When the Protoss were mentioned, Aatrox clearly felt a bit of resentment.

"They are already the strongest you have ever encountered, aren't they?"

The giant sword fell silent once more. It wandered about, creating numerous terrifying events in order to lure powerful individuals into fighting it.

But almost all of the “strong” ultimately died by the Darkin sword, a process that Aatrox repeated for a thousand years.

"I lost that battle, and my hastily assembled body was shattered. I thought I was about to die, but they were powerless against my true self. They simply threw me into the distance, and the eternal torment continued."

Atto cautioned, "At that time, they had not fully awakened the power of the Protoss. Even if they had, the level of power was still insufficient. The Protoss of Mount Targon are not true Protoss."

The giant sword was suddenly startled: "What? You're saying... Maisha isn't a Protoss?"

Ator knew the reason for his surprise and quickly explained, "She is a Twilight Protoss from your generation, a mortal who inherited the power of the Protoss."

“True Protoss have no physical form; they reside far beyond the world, observing mortals and passing on their power to the chosen ones. Maisha was a mortal chosen by the true form of the Twilight Protoss.”

When Ator uttered that almost taboo title, the frequency of the red light flashing on the surface of the greatsword noticeably increased.

"The power of the Protoss has been passed down, and its level has decreased. However, the power source of the Sun Disk is something that even the Protoss cannot match."

"As for why the Shurima Empire obtained the Sun Disc, there are special reasons. In short, neither the Protoss of Mount Targon nor the demigods of Freljord can completely destroy you."

The red light from the giant sword gradually subsided.

Aatrox fought for the Shurima Empire for thousands of years, and in his long life, he also learned many ancient secrets.

Within minutes, he learned an important piece of information from Ator, and he no longer doubted its authenticity.

“You should know,” Aatrox asked seriously, “that power surpasses Mount Targon.”

Ator sat up abruptly, pointing a finger at the greatsword leaning against the pillar: "Three kinds."

......

Bilgewater is a large port city comprised of several islands, at the highest point of which stands a luxurious manor, the residence of Planck, the ruler of Bilgewater.

A bedroom in the center of the manor, decorated with an air of luxury.

Unlike other pirates, Planck's latest bounty poster was displayed on the wall, with an astronomical bounty below, and a large basket of fresh fruit was placed on the oak table.

Planck crossed his legs, peeled an orange with a sharp knife in his hand, but his eyes remained fixed on his bounty poster, a strong sense of self-satisfaction welling up within him.

A knock sounded, and a thin man wearing an eye patch walked in.

"Captain, Shaq and the crew under the second mate's command are missing."

"Did I let you in, Andrew, my first mate?" Planck, who was lost in his own world, was interrupted. He straightened up and looked at the first mate of the "Fear" with a hint of cruelty in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Captain, something strange has happened. Half a day ago, Shaq told me that he had found traces of Miss Fortune."

"She was at our stronghold, Flamewave Tavern, in Grey Harbor. Miss Fortune ambushed us, and we have a large number of men. Under normal circumstances, Shaq should have brought her head to the captain by now, but there has been no news so far."

"I took some men to check it out, and something was wrong there."

“Hmm?” Planck frowned. “Then tell me, what do you mean by ‘something’s not right’?”

"There were only overturned tables and chairs at the scene. There was no blood. Shaq and the others stationed at the Flame Wave Tavern have all disappeared and cannot be contacted at all."

"Hmph, that Sarah, one day I'll make her a victim of my blade."

Planck's expression twisted, and he viciously sliced ​​off half of the orange in his hand.

"Captain, do you mean Sarah discovered our base and then ambushed our men?"

"In Bilgewater right now, who else besides her has the ability and the guts to go against me?"

"Give the order to continue searching for Miss Unlucky's whereabouts, and report to me immediately upon discovery."

“This Shaq wanted to wait until he caught her before he could claim credit with me, and he paid for it with his life. I don’t want to see that happen again.”

“Yes, Captain,” Andrew replied, bowing his head.

Stepping out of Planck's bedroom, Andrew still felt that something was amiss.

"So many people, even if Miss Misfortune ate them all, why is there no blood?"

He shook his head; let the captain ponder these profound questions.

......

Ato swaggered down the streets of Piraeus, and no one dared to approach him within a ten-meter radius.

The Darkin Blade hovered half a finger's width behind Ator.

After Aatrox told him about the three powers that could destroy him, he absorbed the corpse left behind by Miss Fortune and left the Flamewave Tavern before Andrew's men arrived.

Piraeus, as the second largest trading post in Runeterra after Piltover, is often visited by all sorts of strange people, including royal nobles, mages, and even Yordles.

A man with a distinctly Eastern appearance was followed by a terrifyingly large sword. Even the most worldly-wise residents of Bi Hong had never seen anything like it.

Ato spent the whole night wandering around Port Piraeus, and the corners of his mouth were turned up all night.

He loves the fantasy world of swords and magic.

As the sun shone into Bilgewater, he arrived at the slaughter docks.

This is the distribution center for seafood in Piraeus. The smell of Leviathan and various kinds of fish is overwhelming. Because useless organs of seafood are often discarded, it has become a paradise for dock rats.

These large rats have sharp teeth, and if someone staggers out of a tavern and has a hangover there at night, the dock rats wouldn't mind occasionally tasting human flesh.