"Come on!"
Even Manaflow Band's recovery was staggering, but it still could not withstand the dried-out state Caleb fell into after using Arcane Comet a second time.
"This kid nearly drained all the arcane energy in the area..."
Aatrox's mouth split into a grin, revealing scarlet teeth.
It seemed he had not been wrong to trust him after all. He could avoid chopping Caleb into several pieces for now.
As the second comet descended, the ancient evil beast's single eye filled with despair.
The first one had already allowed the greatsword-wielding monster to suppress it completely and force it into a disadvantage.
And now another one was coming?
Where did he get so much strength?
Even it could not keep using that gaze capable of dissolving bodies.
Yet a comet with that level of power could be summoned again in such a short time?
What confused the evil beast even more was the shield around Caleb. It had actually blocked its attack.
And that tremendous movement speed, it had seen this human try to ride the wind before.
But now, the wind was being stirred up by the man himself.
The evil beast could not understand it. He was clearly so weak, so why?
Why could he unleash such overwhelming power?
The hatred filling its chest almost overflowed.
Once it realized its life had reached its end, only one thought remained in its mind.
Kill him!
Kill that tiny existence!
Even if its body and soul were destroyed, it would kill that human!
Humans really could not be trusted!
An unprecedented light flared in its single eye, passing through Aatrox's body as he tried to block it, then shooting straight toward Caleb.
But as Caleb watched the light approach, he did not move away. He stood where he was.
A little figure appeared from somewhere and immediately shielded Caleb.
Nullifying Orb triggered once more, and two surges of energy collided in midair.
When the light scattered, the little one he had summoned seemed to get shy and hid somewhere unknown.
Caleb stood up from the dust and fog.
That attack just now had indeed been powerful enough to melt the surrounding ice into some unknown substance.
Judging from that laser, Caleb felt this type of creature was very likely from the Void.
Then that made things even stranger. Why had these things been driven onto the sea to the north?
The islands across the sea were Ursine territory, and the Ursine and Volibear were doing nothing?
Caleb thought about it for a moment, then decided to temporarily seal away the ability inside him that could summon Aery.
Volibear might not be especially smart, but with his wild instincts, there had to be a deeper reason why he did not deal with this kind of Balestrider.
For the time being, Caleb could not fully trust him anymore.
As the "second son" among the three great demigods, Volibear was practically the embodiment of savagery and willfulness.
He seemed to correspond to the anger between heaven and earth.
But Caleb leaned more toward thinking that was just Volibear flattering himself.
No, he still had to ask Aatrox. Aatrox had lived through Shurima's long history, and he had survived as a Darkin for so many years.
His understanding of demigods had to be far deeper than Caleb's.
"How much do you know about demigods?"
Caleb watched the massive figure collapse, then turned to ask Aatrox.
Aatrox's form was enormous, easily more than ten meters tall.
After Caleb asked his question, he watched with his own eyes as Aatrox folded his wings and returned to a height of five meters.
"Just as I thought."
Caleb's theory had been proven.
Only when their muscles and energy were condensed would demigods and Ascended become shorter in stature.
However, that situation did not necessarily apply to everyone.
For example, Nasus and Renekton, because they shared one portion of Ascended power, instead had to actively activate that kind of ability.
And in constant battle, energy needed to be released outward at all times instead of condensed into a single mass.
That was why there would be a difference in body size before and after battle.
Thinking of that, Caleb remembered that mountain-sized shadow again.
"That was probably Volibear's released energy."
Volibear undoubtedly could not truly be as tall as an entire mountain. Caleb estimated that, like Aatrox, a dozen or so meters was probably his limit.
However, when it came to projecting energy outward, his ability could be called the strongest among the three demigods.
After all, among natural elements, lightning was far more violent than ice or earth.
"What are you muttering about?"
The Darkin Blade's temper was far more explosive than Yaanogel's, though it might also have been because he had not seen Azir.
"Nothing."
Caleb waved it off, still thinking through the problem.
What would be best to ask?
"By the way, is your self-healing ability really that strong?"
Caleb was a little curious. The abdomen that had originally been pierced through was now rapidly healing.
"That guy you brought with you, do you know why he's managed to survive disaster after disaster?"
Aatrox's smile was somewhat unsettling, and Caleb chewed over the meaning hidden within it.
No way!
Caleb's eyes widened violently. He already had a guess.
But that guess was far too bold. He still needed to wait for the other party to confirm it.
"That's right. I killed that great tusklord, the Iron Boar."
Aatrox's eyes were filled with disdain toward the demigod, and the longsword in his hand pulsed again and again.
"His soul attached itself to that poor man."
"Aren't you afraid he'll return?"
Listening to Aatrox's description, Caleb thought back to that night when Tryndamere said he had been swatted into a pile of corpses like a bug.
And what had Aatrox said before leaving with a smile?
"I only needed his body. If he fails to understand his place, I'll just kill him again."
Caleb shuddered.
Looking at it that way, if Zoe's name were brought up and Aatrox truly got the chance, he really would kill her a thousand times, wouldn't he?
"So, in order to weaken the Iron Boar's power, you slaughtered the entire tribe?"
Caleb frowned. Defeating a demigod was indeed a great feat, but whether that act was right still remained open to debate.
"Yes. And from another perspective, they deserved to die."
Aatrox's voice turned cold. Caleb had never heard the details of this side of the matter.
"They forged every bit of iron they had into great blades, then fought endlessly, destroying weaker tribes."
"They did not produce anything, yet took pride in that barbaric slaughter."
"When this land was still allied with Shurima, it was not this savage."
Caleb sank into long thought as well. He felt he could understand Aatrox's actions now.
"It still feels inappropriate."
It seemed Aatrox's pride as an Ascended remained. Although the Darkin War had been extremely chaotic, right now, they could become the greatest possible aid.
Caleb silently thought for a moment, then prepared to head east.
The main group was still waiting for him over there.
And yet Caleb felt the sense of security provided by that whole group was not remotely as reliable as what Aatrox alone could offer.
But without Azir's direct command, Caleb probably could not order Aatrox around either.
Still, Iceborn did have some power, and in negotiations spanning two or three tables, they could play a role too.
"I'm leaving, then. I'll contact you when I have time."
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