Chapter 502 - 502: Rift

"What place?"

"The Void Hive. It is the point of origin where the ancestors of all Voidborn were created, and it holds enormous significance within the Void. If you help me seize it, it will be equivalent to helping me take control of most of the Void. I can gradually wrest away the rest afterward."

Bel'Veth spoke with complete confidence. As long as she took control of the hive, the other regions would no longer pose much of a problem.

"But I don't know where the hive is. It has been hidden, and I need you to help me find it before the Watchers discover my existence."

"As for your second question, the Voidborn you encountered were specially created. During the last invasion of Runeterra, the Void suffered greatly at the hands of the Ascended. Although it inflicted terrible damage upon them as well, the experience taught the Watchers a new lesson."

"The Watchers imitated the Ascended and created a group of Void warriors. Through a special 'Void Disc,' they grant these warriors extraordinary power so they can fight the strongest beings in Runeterra. For now, however, they are still unable to reproduce warriors of that level on a large scale."

"These Void warriors are obstacles to my reclamation of the Void, and at the same time, they will become a tremendous threat to Runeterra in the future. That is why I said joining forces with me and disrupting the Watchers' plans is the most advantageous choice for you."

Bel'Veth looked at the two of them.

Kai'Sa was deeply shocked, and a chill ran through her.

Before this, she hadn't even known that beings like the Watchers existed within the Void, but now she could already imagine how terrifying they must be.

Combined with what she had seen from that horned monster, if creatures like that could ever be mass-produced, she didn't even dare imagine the consequences.

Luke had already more or less guessed the explanation Bel'Veth had given them. Still, it seemed the Void was growing impatient. They really did need to find a way to stop it as soon as possible.

Seeing that the two had thought things through, Bel'Veth continued.

"As for your third question, you do not need to trust me. Trust yourselves instead. One key is in your hands, while the other is in the possession of those powerful Void creations. The method of completely opening or closing the Void rifts is to combine the two keys and use them to open a passage."

"So the outcome is very simple. If they obtain the second key, the Void will descend upon Runeterra."

"If you possess both keys instead, you can reverse the process and completely close the Void rifts. During that time, I can wrest control of the Void from the Watchers. Even for me, dealing with the Watchers will require a very long time. As agreed, I will wait until after your deaths before searching for another way to enter Runeterra."

Bel'Veth openly laid out her entire plan before them, and she did indeed sound sincere.

Even Kai'Sa fell silent after hearing it.

After a brief moment of thought, Luke smiled faintly.

"It really does seem like there's no reason to refuse."

In his mind, Bel'Veth and the Watchers were both massive problems, but if he had to say which was worse, it was unquestionably the Watchers.

Helping Bel'Veth oppose the Watchers certainly carried the risk of creating an even greater threat down the road. But it would also buy Luke more time.

If they refused to help Bel'Veth, he suspected the Void would make its next move very soon.

Bel'Veth smiled as well.

"A wise choice."

As soon as she finished speaking, a purple crystal slowly descended from above.

"It will allow you to freely enter and leave the Void, though its lifespan is limited, so use it carefully. It will also allow you to contact me at any time."

Bel'Veth explained its function.

Luke raised a hand and caught the Void teleportation crystal, sensing the energy infused within it.

"Any other gifts?"

Even Bel'Veth seemed to find this human rather shameless. She looked at him calmly.

"I have little else worth giving."

She seemed to consider it for a moment before turning her gaze toward Kai'Sa. Purple energy surged within Bel'Veth's eyes.

Suddenly, Kai'Sa felt her skin tighten.

She quickly realized that it wasn't her actual skin, but the living Void carapace covering her body.

It had become unbelievably excited. Its emotions surged into her own, making her heart race as well. Then an enormous wave of energy flooded through her body, and Kai'Sa clearly felt the carapace undergoing a transformation.

It was almost as though it were evolving.

The sensation was so intoxicating that even she found herself momentarily lost in it.

She had experienced moments like this before, but never anything on this scale.

Before long, the evolution came to an end. Purple energy flickered across Kai'Sa's body.

At the same time, she felt a degree of power she had never experienced before. Even the living Void carapace had undergone numerous changes.

She immediately looked at Bel'Veth.

"What did you do to me?"

"Don't be alarmed. I upgraded your armor."

Bel'Veth regarded her calmly, as though what she had done was barely worth mentioning.

"Enough that you won't die quite so easily in the battles ahead."

"Upgraded..."

Kai'Sa was secretly stunned.

Even without testing her new strength, she could tell that she was now several levels stronger than she had been only moments earlier.

Her entire body was overflowing with power.

So this was Bel'Veth?

She could accomplish something like this so casually?

Luke immediately became much more interested. He pulled out the Void Riftblade.

"What about this thing? It was made by the Void too. Can you casually bump it up a few levels while you're at it?"

Even Bel'Veth felt that this human was pushing his luck.

She looked at him evenly.

"The amount of energy it requires is enormous. For something that functions as a key, strengthening it serves no meaningful purpose. With your current strength, you do not require such an enhancement anyway."

Although Luke had concealed his aura, her instincts told her that he was unquestionably powerful.

Besides, he had already slaughtered the horned monster they had sent after him.

"Fine. Guess that's it, then."

Luke sounded somewhat disappointed.

He had been hoping to squeeze out a few free benefits while he had the chance.

"The rest is up to you. To prevent the Watchers from discovering me, I will only intervene when absolutely necessary. If you fail, I will conceal myself and wait for another helper."

Bel'Veth spoke coldly as she retreated.

Suddenly, her body began expanding at tremendous speed, transforming into another form entirely.

She spread a pair of wings nearly sixty feet across. Her true head was vicious and horrifying, its four eyes mysterious and cold. Her body resembled a massive, lightning-fast monster, and every gleaming tooth in her maw was as large as an adult human's head.

Bel'Veth gave Luke and Kai'Sa one final glance.

Without another word, she flew away at tremendous speed and disappeared in an instant.

Luke could still sense her presence nearby, but he paid it no mind. Instead, he took out the Void teleportation crystal and activated its power.

The crystal immediately released a beam of purple light.

Space in front of them seemed to be sliced open, forming a rift connected to Runeterra.

Luke and Kai'Sa stepped into it without hesitation.

The next second, the rift closed.

In the distance, Bel'Veth silently watched the entire scene.

Even after everything had returned to stillness, she continued staring at the place where the rift had vanished.

At first, the only helper she had intended to seek out was Kai'Sa.

Luke's sudden appearance had changed that.

He was a human even she had failed to anticipate, and there was something mysterious about the aura surrounding him.

But that didn't matter.

In Bel'Veth's eyes, no matter how unusual Luke might be, he was still ultimately just a human.

She didn't give him much further thought.

Once their transaction was complete, she would honor their agreement and wait until Luke and Kai'Sa were dead.

At that point, everything in Runeterra would be destroyed.

And from that destruction, a newly reborn Void would emerge.

Right now, Bel'Veth possessed unparalleled confidence.

She firmly believed that day would inevitably arrive.

But would it really?

At the same time, during the brief instant in which the rift opened and closed, the Prophet of the Void suddenly opened his eyes atop an altar.

He whispered, "The presence of a rift. They've found a way to escape. By now, they've probably already returned to Runeterra."

He couldn't divine anything involving that human, so this was merely a guess.

Even so, he was almost certain that he was right.

The rift had appeared for such a brief period that it could only have been deliberately opened to allow someone to pass through.

A Void warrior waiting nearby asked in confusion, "Prophet, who opened the rift?"

They had deliberately avoided opening any more rifts in order to locate that human and prevent him from taking advantage of one to escape.

Yet now a rift had appeared anyway.

"I cannot foresee it, but his escape is already a fact. Recall all warriors. The plan has changed."

The Prophet of the Void rose to his feet.

How the rift had appeared was no longer important.

What mattered was that his plan had failed.

He had expended an enormous amount of energy to forcibly drag that human into the Void, yet the man had still managed to escape.

"Yes."

The Void warrior immediately accepted the order and sent out a signal recalling everyone.

Another Void warrior, much larger than the first and possessing the head of a tiger, asked, "Prophet, what is our next plan? Without the other key, we..."

"It does not matter. Our ultimate objective has always been to free the Watchers from their prison. The key's only purpose for us was to absorb Runeterra's energy. We simply need to find another way to accomplish the same thing."

The Prophet of the Void spoke calmly.

As long as all of the Watchers were released, they would be able to bring about Runeterra's end even without the key.

He continued, "Next, we will directly seize the power from Shurima's planetary core. It contains tremendous energy and may be enough to break the restraints. But doing so will inevitably trigger a major battle."

"For the Void, we are willing to sacrifice everything."

"Heh. I've been itching for a fight!"

"Exactly. I want to see just how powerful those people in Runeterra really are."

Voices rang out one after another as strangely shaped Void warriors returned, excitement blazing in every pair of eyes.

Ever since the day they were created, they had been waiting for this moment.

At last, they would set foot in Runeterra!

One of the more cautious Void warriors asked, "Prophet, why don't we secretly recover the key before proceeding with the next stage of the plan? We only need to wait until the two keys resonate again, don't we?"

Originally, they had possessed two keys.

One connected to the Spirit Realm and had deliberately been nurtured in Ionia because the Spirit Realm there possessed the most unusual resonance.

But they had never expected a human to suddenly seize it.

They had avoided making excessive contact with Ionia's Spirit Realm so as not to attract the attention of the powerful beings dwelling there, and that caution had ultimately allowed this unforeseen problem to occur.

The other key had been nurtured in Icathia and connected to the material realm.

The two keys could sense each other.

The Prophet of the Void had been able to forcibly pull that human into the Void precisely by using the resonance between them.

Of course, doing so had consumed a great deal of energy.

All they needed to do was wait until that energy recovered, and they would once again be able to locate the human.

There seemed to be no reason to rush.

"I have a strange feeling."

The Prophet of the Void looked at the warrior and spoke calmly.

"We must resolve this matter as quickly as possible. The longer we delay, the more circumstances unfavorable to us will arise."

Ever since that human appeared, his ability to divine the future had stopped working properly.

Throughout his entire life, his prophecies had always proven accurate.

Not once had they failed him.

Later, he had witnessed every side of mortal existence. He had seen humanity's deceit and scheming, its violence, malice, and endless struggle for advantage.

It was a painful, never-ending cycle.

Like a curse.

Even his prophecies had been unable to break that curse.

Gradually, emptiness consumed him.

Then, driven by his desire for enlightenment, he traveled to Icathia.

There, he suddenly glimpsed Runeterra's future.

He saw the end of all suffering.

He saw the future.

Only the Void could bring it about.

He had been granted a sacred mission.

Using his own abilities, he had devoted himself to hastening the arrival of that day.

But recently, his divinations had stopped answering him.

There was only blankness.

Nothing meaningful at all.

And now he had a strange premonition.

If they did not accelerate their plans, the obstacles standing in their path would only multiply.

"Are you questioning the Prophet, Houwu?"

"Every decision the Prophet makes is correct. He is the one chosen by the Watchers."

"All you need to do is follow the Prophet!"

The strangely shaped Void warriors turned toward Houwu one after another.

Some shouted coldly, some were furious, while others reprimanded him outright.

Yet every voice carried the same fanatical faith in the Prophet of the Void.

It seemed that if the Prophet ordered them to die, they would do so without hesitation.

Houwu immediately dropped to one knee.

"I would never dare. I merely had doubts. Thank you for answering them, Prophet. Once we enter Runeterra, I volunteer to lead the first charge."

"It is fine. Rise."

The Prophet of the Void gave him only a faint glance before turning toward all the Void warriors.

"Our primary objective is to seize the planetary core. Everything else is secondary. Once the plan succeeds, return to the Void immediately. Do not become drawn into prolonged battle."

"This is not yet the time for us to openly wage war against them. However, you may use this opportunity to test Runeterra's strength."

The Void warriors immediately answered in unison.

Every one of their auras surged violently, unable to conceal their excitement.

The Prophet of the Void said nothing more.

He raised both hands and began chanting an incantation.

Purple light flashed.

Space itself seemed to be cut apart.

In an instant, a Void rift connecting directly to Runeterra appeared.

The Void warriors immediately rushed into it, unable to contain their eagerness any longer.