Chapter 441: Open the door and release Zeras
The next day, early morning.
After resettling the displaced villagers and discussing an action plan, Levi and his companions finally set out again.
But they did not continue north to return to Zaun, but went west through the vast desert and arrived at the center of the desert.
The capital of the Shurima Empire is located in this deadly land surrounded by endless yellow sand.
The ancient Shurimans used the power of the sun disk to build the miraculous Dawn Oasis in this forbidden zone of life, and used it as the water supply hub for the entire Shurima. Through a water conservancy network formed by canals and natural water systems, they irrigated the entire desert.
Thus, the desert was transformed into fertile fields, cities were built in the Gobi Desert, the empire prospered, and life flourished.
But all this came to an end 3,000 years ago.
The wizard Xerath designed to interrupt the ascension ceremony . The uncontrolled released stellar power instantly destroyed the shining capital and also destroyed the source of life for the empire, the sun disk.
Shurima, which had already been severely damaged by the Void War, collapsed from then on.
The once prosperous capital of the empire was reduced to ruins and forever buried in endless yellow sand.
Until today…
“Shurima.” Nasus returned to this sad place. “I am back.”
When he came back, he saw only a vast expanse of yellow sand.
After 3,000 years of baptism, even the ruins of the city, with only broken bricks and tiles left, were buried under thick yellow sand.
The once vibrant and flourishing scene is still before our eyes.
But now, only the half-broken sun disk can still, with its majestic shape, struggle to emerge from the yellow sand, telling future generations about the glory of Shurima in the past.
"Levi, can you... really revive the Shurima Empire?"
Although Levi had already given his guarantee during the discussion last night, at this moment, Nasus still felt it was a dreamlike and unreal thing.
He has been dreaming about this for 3,000 years, and now it is actually going to come true?
"We are all here now. We will soon find out whether it is true or not." Levi said with a smile.
Then he added: "I will help you rebuild the Shurima Empire, as long as you follow the agreement and convince Azir to cooperate with us to fight against the Void."
“Naturally.” Nasus replied with a complicated tone.
The restoration cooperation agreement reached with Levi always gave him the subtle illusion of surrendering to the enemy and becoming a puppet guide.
But Nasus also knew that Levi's move was an open conspiracy and he did not force him to do anything.
The Windleader needs a strategic buffer with Icathia, and the reborn Shurima Empire needs to face the threat of void forces in the south. The cooperation between the two sides is mutually beneficial and a necessary measure to deal with the void invasion.
only……
"Are you really so confident that you can conquer the empire you resurrected with your own hands in the future?" Nasus asked with concern.
Nasus could see that Levi was doing this not only to find allies to fight the Void together, but also to rebuild the Sun Disc, restore the water network, and solve the future development problems of Shurima;
He also wanted Azir to help integrate the chaotic and broken Shurima Desert and re-establish order in this chaotic land.
The slave tribe is too backward, so we should start with some feudalism and wait for the leader to grow stronger before taking over the whole thing.
Nasus understood Levi's intention.
When the Shurima Empire expanded to its limit, it also used this method of supporting its allies to stabilize the situation and help with the transition.
But the unspoken contempt for the Shurima Empire implied by this policy still made Nasus feel very uncomfortable.
"I'm just stating the facts," Levi replied calmly.
"First, although the Void invasion has changed Shurima's main contradiction into a survival contradiction between humans and Void creatures, the temporary change of the main contradiction does not mean that Shurima's class contradictions have disappeared out of thin air."
"This contradiction cannot be resolved by you and your empire. Only we, the Leaders, can resolve it."
Therefore, as long as Azir wants to continue to be the emperor, the Windleader and Shurima will eventually stand on opposite sides.
Levi did not hide his intentions, and Nasus could see it clearly.
"Secondly, Mr. Nasus, I want you to understand one thing:"
"Even if the Shurima Empire is resurrected, it will never be able to regain its former strength."
The power of the Shurima Empire does not lie in the fact that it is called an "Empire", but because this empire has a legion of ascended beings.
In other words, there were dozens or even hundreds of god-warriors as powerful as Nasus in Shurima back then .
And now?
Azir and Nasus, not counting Nasus' crazy brother who will soon see the light of day, this so-called Shurima Empire has only two Ascended ones.
The rebuilt solar disk can theoretically mass- produce Ascendants;
But in reality, ascension has never been an easy thing.
Because the ascension ceremony is extremely dangerous, the probability of success is extremely low.
Even in ancient Shurima, only those whose lives were about to end would attempt it.
Nasus was seriously ill and about to die that year. With the mentality of "I won the immortal life, but I lost the immortal board", he underwent the ascension ceremony before his death.
Therefore, the Sun Disc cannot actually create Ascendants at will.
Otherwise, in the original world line, Azir would not have been hiding in the depths of the desert and entertaining himself 10 years after his resurrection, and was unable to even recapture the Noxian colony on the north shore.
"Can an empire with only two ascenders still be the empire of the past?" Levi said the heartbreaking words in a calm tone.
"Mr. Nasus, although it may sound harsh, I still want to advise you..."
"The best future for the Shurima Empire is to peacefully accept change."
"As a Grand Secretary of the Empire, if you still care about the people of Shurima, you should persuade Azir to understand and learn Janna's theory and take the initiative to accept the change—"
"As long as he is willing to seek progress, turn his back on others and surrender with courtesy, he can still retain his position as the leader of the Shurima branch."
“……”Nasus remained silent.
If someone had told him 3,000 years ago that Janna wanted to take Emperor Azir as her younger brother, and that he was her younger brother's younger brother...
Then he would definitely bring the arrogant ascenders to capture this ignorant "little girl" and hang her up to beat her.
But now...
"If you really have feelings for the empire, then we can also retain the honorary title of the Shurima royal family."
As he spoke, due to the great united front value of Azir and others, Levi also offered additional preferential conditions:
"Then you can let Sivir succeed to the throne." He looked at Sivir who was following him and said, "She is not only the leader, but also the only surviving offspring of Azir. She is also the master chosen by Charikar, your child of prophecy."
"She can serve as both the Emperor of Shurima and the President of the Shurima Leaders Association."
"This..." Nasus really fell into deep thought.
Although he was reluctant to admit it, his reason told him that Levi's proposal was the best option for the Shurimans.
While he was thinking, the group had slowly arrived at their destination.
"Is this the emperor's tomb?" Levi asked him.
“Yes.” Nasus nodded. Even though there was only a stretch of sand before everyone’s eyes, he could identify every place in the city.
"The Emperor's Tomb is built right below the sun disk. I can't possibly be mistaken."
This is Shurima's greatest tomb, its crypt encircled by an impenetrable barrier.
3000 years ago, he personally sealed his brother Renekton and the sinner Xerath who destroyed Shurima in this Tomb of the Kings.
3000 years later, he returned here again.
"Do you really want to open it?" Levi asked meaningfully at this time.
“No.” Nasus shook his head with a complicated expression: “That seal… it’s not the time to open it yet.”
Yes, although Levi specifically asked to come to the Tomb of the Kings, he did not intend to actually open the tomb.
Because in the Tomb of the King, those who are sealed are Xerath and Renekton.
Azir isn't actually in there.
He was instantly blown to ashes by the out-of-control star energy and didn't even have the chance to be buried.
It’s just that the Emperor’s Tomb is right below the sun disk, and Azir’s “ashes” were just buried in this land.
In the original world line, Sivir did not resurrect Azir after entering the tomb.
She was at the entrance to the tomb, standing outside the seal, when she was stabbed in the back by Cassiopeia - her blood soaked into the earth, and then Azir was resurrected.
so……
“If the facts are as you predicted,” Nasus sighed, “then the necessary condition for resurrecting Azir is just to inject Sivir’s ascended blood into this land.”
In other words, to resurrect Azir, there is no need to open the Tomb of the Kings.
Just bring Sivir to the entrance of the tomb and stand outside the seal to let her bleed.
Therefore, there is no need to release Xerath and Renekton who are sealed in the Tomb of the King.
"But, do you really not want to open this seal?" Levi asked Nasus for his opinion for the last time.
Nasus's younger brother, Renekton, has been imprisoned in there for 3,000 years.
"If you want to save your loved ones, I can understand that," Levi said.
“……”Nasus was silent for a while.
He knew that once the Emperor's Tomb was opened, the seal of Xerath would be lifted.
This sinner stole Azir's Ascension power. Therefore, even he and Renekton could not eradicate Xerath, who transformed from a human into an undead witch spirit.
If this evil and ambitious man were to be brought to light, the newly born Shurima Empire would probably have no peace.
The biggest problem is not Xerath, but his younger brother Renekton.
Levi has used his "power of prophecy" to reveal Renekton's current situation to Nasus.
This once brave and heroic god-warrior, who sacrificed himself to seal Xerath, has been bewitched by Xerath's witchcraft and turned into a madman in the 3,000 years of darkness and despair.
Renekton now hates Nasus extremely, and believes that Nasus was jealous of his military exploits and deliberately sealed him and Xerath together underground.
Although, it was he who took the initiative to ask Nasus to let his brother seal himself and Xerath together.
In short, Renekton has gone completely crazy.
Once he is released, not only will he not help the reborn Shurima, but he may also irrationally turn against Nasus.
"Not the time, not yet the time..." Nasus lowered his ears guiltily.
The pain of sealing his brother with his own hands has tormented him for 3000 years. Renekton's madness and depravity made him feel even more guilty.
But he still did not forget his responsibilities.
“The seal still needs to remain in place.” Nasus said with determination, “We will wait until the situation in Shurima is completely stabilized before we bring Renekton out.”
"Okay." Levi nodded and waved his hand to summon a gust of wind.
The storm swept across the land, and soon blew away the heavy yellow sand covering the emperor's tomb.
This once magnificent mausoleum is now only a collapsed and dilapidated ruin.
"Death is coming!" Nasus stopped Levi's rough "demolition" style excavation.
He transformed into a giant tens of meters tall, then bent down, and like a child picking up his favorite toys, he carefully picked up the collapsed walls and stone pillars, and gently put them aside.
Finally, the ruined emperor's tomb was cleared out.
The gate of this magnificent tomb has thus reappeared in the world.
“It’s right here.” Nasus looked at the seal on the door that he had set with his own hands. “The key to open it is…”
He turned to look at Shiver and the Charikar in her hand.
This is the key.
But now is not the time to use the key.
“Sivir.” Nasus resisted the urge to open the seal and rescue his brother. “Do what you should do.”
"Hmm..." Sivir nodded, but her movements were a little hesitant.
She was not worried about disturbing her ancestors.
In her eyes, this ancestor who was separated by 3,000 years was nothing more than an underground ATM that she could borrow money from at any time by going to the other's tomb.
only……
"Is this really possible?" Sivir was a little confused about the details of the plan. "If I stab myself here, will Azir be resurrected?"
This is still a small problem.
The big problem is that Levi's requirement for her is to stab herself so severely that she can't move after lying down.
"This..." Levi was also a little helpless: "This is what the 'prophecy' I saw said."
Azir was blown to pieces when the sun disc exploded.
Now he was just a pile of "living" ashes buried underground. It was only by relying on the half-baked power of ascension that he could barely survive in the form of "ashes" and sleep.
In the original world line, although Sivir's blood awakened Azir, Azir was still very weak after recovering his body.
It was he who used the last bit of his divine power to heal Sivir and leave a chance of survival to his descendants. It was because of this "selfless act" that he moved the Gods, completed the unfinished ascension ceremony that year, and received the infusion of the sun's immortal light.
Although Levi didn't know who this "God" was, whether it was the Star-Forging Dragon King who was watching all this in the universe...
But since the story of the original world line developed in this way, he could only follow suit and let Sivir act according to the script.
Otherwise, even if Azir was resurrected, he would not be able to complete the ascension ceremony and rebuild the sun disc.
Then what’s the point of Levi resurrecting such a defective ascender?
so……
"I can only ask you for help, Comrade Sivir." Levi said a little embarrassedly.
His plan is to completely copy the plot of the original world line.
They will all hide later and pretend not to be there.
Then he let Sivir stab himself and seriously injured himself, lying on the ground, waiting for Azir to rescue him.
This plan is obviously a bit risky. Sivir needs to actually go to the gates of hell to restore the story to its original state.
"But don't worry, Comrade Xiweier." Levi said, "We will always be watching from the dark. If you are really in trouble, I will definitely come out to help you."
"With Janna's Resurrection Monsoon here, you will definitely not die."
"Hmm..." Sivir thought about it seriously again.
In fact, this request was acceptable to her.
After all, she had experienced countless life-threatening crises during her years as a mercenary.
For her, getting seriously injured was as common as drinking water.
She is not afraid of pain, but...
"Add more money, definitely." Levi predicted her thoughts.
Moreover, based on Shiver's efforts and contributions, this reward was what she deserved.
"Okay." Xiweier finally made up her mind.
Even if we don't consider the leader's ideals, just from the perspective of a mercenary, the reward is worth the blow.
So Sivir took out the dagger, found the right position, and without changing her expression, slowly stabbed towards the exposed flat belly.
"Let's go first." Levi was about to take Nasus and others to hide.
The tip of Sivir's knife had already penetrated just an inch. Blood gushed out from her cut wound and slowly dripped onto the ground along the blade.
And just at this moment...
"Boom--" Suddenly, there was a whistling sound from the sky caused by a huge object flying at high speed.
"What?" Levi and others looked up in surprise.
Along with the tsunami-like sound, a giant flying fish emitting a strange purple light came roaring from the southern skyline like a rocket.
For a moment, the sky and the earth changed color, and the wind and sand vibrated.
The purple flying fish stopped over the abandoned ancient capital.
A familiar figure slowly emerged from the purple halo inside the body of this void beast.
"Malzahar?" Everyone's face changed.
Little Kesha, who followed Levi for safety, was so frightened by the scene that she hid behind her father.
"We meet again, Daughter of the Void!" Malzahar sneered.
“And…” His eyes, which glowed with a strange purple light, swept coldly over everyone, and finally fixed on Levi and the blue bird Janna on his shoulder: “The goddess of the wind leader.”
"Oh no!" Levi's heart sank.
He was not afraid of Malzahar's appearance. If it was just Malzahar, he and Nasus could handle it.
But, that fish...
Is that an ordinary void creature?
Levi immediately had a very bad feeling in his heart, and then, just as he worried...
The flying fish in the sky that covered the entire sky like Kunpeng soon turned into a tall and slender human figure in a light purple halo.
"Belvius!" Levi's hair stood on end: "It's Belvis!"
The Void Queen Belvis actually took action personally!
With Janna's current strength, can she deal with this ultimate void creature?
Even if Nasus is added, will it be enough?
"..."The rare look of nervousness on the dog's head said it all.
The terrifying aura emanating from Belvis made Nasus feel a huge pressure.
"Run!" Levi made an immediate decision.
Let's put the matter of reviving the Shurima Empire aside for now. If they don't run away, they will probably be swallowed by the void.
So he rode the storm, protected Sivir, Kai'Sa and others and planned to escape.
But at this moment...
“Wait!” Nasus stopped him. “The enemy is well prepared. We may not be able to escape.”
"What should I do?" Levi still wanted to run.
Running away is better than not running away, and there is more hope.
Now Tam is on a passive strike, skipping work without bringing his "mobile phone" or replying to messages. He doesn't dare to stay here and take the risk.
It doesn't matter if he dies, but Janna can't die here.
If Janna died, the Wind Leader would suffer a severe blow.
Although people's beliefs will eventually give rise to a new "Goddess Janna", the twists and turns in this process will bring much pain and chaos to Runeland.
“I have a plan!” Nasus said, “Someone can help us.”
"Who?" Levi was slightly stunned.
Azir? Even if this guy is resurrected, he is still a half-dead scum. It's good that he is not swallowed by the void... um...
"Wait." Levi knew who Nasus was talking about.
The void is the enemy of life. In front of the void, any creature that is not the void can be its friend. So...
He shouted to Sivir, "Put your charikar on the door--"
"Open the door and release Zeratul!"
