As a deity worshipped by the Buhru people, Nagakabouros possessed a clear understanding of its own limitations and capabilities.
Its power was indeed formidable, but only when measured against the inhabitants of Runeterra. Marcus represented something entirely different. The sea beast god could distinctly sense the terrifying waves of energy emanating from his being.
This was overwhelming force drawn from the Void itself. As a primal beast deity, Nagakabouros instinctively avoided contact with Void energies—and upon encountering Marcus, it understood that avoidance was no longer an option.
Seeing such diplomatic wisdom from the ancient god, Marcus felt genuinely pleased.
"Do you wish to become stronger?" he asked directly.
Since the deity was being so reasonable, Marcus saw no need to simply force it into serving as a sea monster summon for his armor. A willing partnership would prove far more beneficial.
Do you wish to become stronger?
Nagakabouros fell into contemplative silence. Of course it desired greater power, but facing Marcus left it uncertain about his true intentions. What did this overwhelming being from the Void actually want?
"Come with me, and I will help enhance your capabilities," Marcus offered with casual confidence.
Faced with such temptation, the sea beast god found itself genuinely conflicted. Increased strength had always been among its primary goals.
"If I accompany you, what will become of my faithful followers?" Nagakabouros asked with obvious concern.
"Your believers?" Marcus chuckled with understanding. "Your followers will naturally remain under your care. I'll establish an anchor point here that allows you to respond to their prayers at any time."
After all, Nagakabouros was a god that accepted offerings and worship. It maintained a mutually beneficial relationship with its devotees that provided strength to both parties.
Now a new path stretched before the ancient deity. It could not only gain enhanced power from Marcus but also maintain its current spiritual responsibilities.
"Very well, supreme being. I am willing to follow you..."
With that acceptance, Marcus smiled with deep satisfaction. Nagakabouros had agreed to his proposal, which meant the power of his Hydroid [Tidal Surge] configuration would be dramatically strengthened. He needed only to fuse it with a suitable dimensional plane to promote this armor to Prime [Sacred Equipment Level].
"A wise choice indeed!"
Marcus nodded approvingly as a fragment of Void power flowed from his hand into Nagakabouros's spiritual essence.
The moment the sea beast god merged with Void energy, the golden statue in Illaoi's grip erupted with blinding radiance.
"What's happening?" Sarah demanded.
Everyone watched in amazement as the statue underwent dramatic transformation. Its tentacles became more slender while countless menacing bone spurs emerged along their length, making the idol appear far more majestic and terrifying than before.
But the statue wasn't the only thing changing. Illaoi herself, who held the transformed artifact, was experiencing equally dramatic alterations.
The traditional tattoos covering her body began glowing with eerie green light as the inked designs seemed to transform into actual tentacles that writhed and moved across her skin.
"My god, what's happening to her?" the onlookers exclaimed in alarm.
Illaoi's changes frightened them considerably, sparking genuine worry among the observers. The Buhru people weren't a weak nation by any measure. Their strength exceeded that of most Bilgewater residents by significant margins.
Even Gangplank, who had dominated the port for decades, had maintained friendly relations with the Buhru people and pursued romantic connections with their priestess.
Compared to the others' shock, Illaoi remained completely calm. She understood exactly what was causing the dramatic enhancement of her abilities.
"Your power has increased tremendously," she observed with wonder.
"The being before you granted me a portion of his strength," Nagakabouros replied in low, resonant tones. "You need no longer fear invasion by powerful enemies."
The fusion process with Void power had required considerable energy, but considering the resulting capabilities, the cost was entirely acceptable.
Hearing this explanation from her deity, Illaoi's mind reeled with the implications.
"The power he bestowed actually affects gods themselves," she realized with growing awe. "How fortunate that I chose not to oppose him."
When she had first arrived, Illaoi had been prepared to eliminate what she perceived as a potential threat. After receiving her god's revelation, she understood how utterly ridiculous that notion had been.
After several minutes, Illaoi finally opened her eyes. Faint green light flickered within her pupils, and her strength had grown exponentially.
"Illaoi, what exactly just happened to you?" Sarah asked with obvious concern as she approached.
All of the priestess's tattoos had briefly transformed into writhing tentacles, making her appear monstrous at first glance.
"I'm perfectly fine," Illaoi assured her. "My strength has simply been enhanced significantly."
As she spoke, she looked toward Marcus with profound gratitude. Without his generous gift of divine power, her capabilities would never have improved so dramatically.
"Well, I've come to bid you farewell," Marcus announced. "The doors of Zaun remain always open to you."
With those words, he produced several distinctive badges and distributed them to the group. These represented his personal identification tokens—if they ever traveled to Zaun, the badges would facilitate immediate meetings with Vander and other city leaders.
After everyone had received their badges, Marcus waved his hand and dissolved into thick mist that dissipated before their eyes. In the final moment before the fog vanished completely, two streams of light fell upon Sarah's twin pistols, causing the previously ordinary-looking weapons to emit a subtle magical glow.
"What is this..." Sarah wondered aloud.
"A blessing from that lord," Illaoi explained with certainty. "I believe your pistols will now demonstrate some remarkable abilities."
While Bilgewater Port didn't actively reject magic, most spellcasters avoided the lawless settlement. It was perfectly understandable that the locals wouldn't recognize enchanted weapons when they saw them.
However, the Buhru people maintained different traditions. They possessed their own survival methods and combat techniques passed down through generations.
Although the Buhru appeared similar to Bilgewater's residents, their cultural knowledge differed significantly. Their failure to immediately recognize blessed weapons was entirely comprehensible.
Still, Illaoi felt a twinge of envy. Her own weapon was the golden statue itself—she wielded the idol specifically to strengthen her connection with Nagakabouros.
But now, the statue no longer provided adequate enhancement for her evolved capabilities. The current artifact could offer nothing beyond its considerable weight.
"The lord's blessing?" Sarah repeated thoughtfully.
Looking toward where Marcus had vanished, she nodded slowly in acceptance.
She understood that she and Marcus existed on completely different levels of power, especially after witnessing him ride the Night of Lost Souls to the Shadow Isles and return unharmed. His true identity was clearly extraordinary.
She felt genuinely honored to receive Marcus's blessing, particularly knowing it would enhance her beloved pistols' effectiveness.
Zaun - Several Days Earlier
"What do those streams of light in the sky represent?" Vander asked with obvious concern.
He and Silco sat in their council chamber, both men frowning as they contemplated the supernatural phenomena they'd recently witnessed. The dramatic changes in the heavens had worried them considerably.
Zaun was finally prospering—if some new disaster struck now, wouldn't they have to rebuild everything from scratch?
For this reason, both leaders had deployed numerous patrols around the Hextech Crystal Towers over the past few days, hoping to prevent anyone from exploiting the chaos to sabotage their defensive installations.
SWOOSH~
Just as they deliberated, thick fog rolled through the room. Under both men's watchful gaze, Marcus emerged from the swirling mist.
"Hey, what's wrong with you two? Why do you look so troubled?" he asked with genuine curiosity.
Seeing Marcus's return, both leaders breathed sighs of tremendous relief.
With Marcus back, they no longer needed to worry about Zaun's security.
"It's like this," Vander explained. "Numerous streams of light appeared in the sky not long ago. We were concerned that hostile mages might be planning an attack, so we've been developing countermeasures."
Hearing this explanation, Marcus raised an eyebrow with understanding.
"Are you referring to lights that traveled in that direction?" he asked, pointing toward the Shadow Isles.
Marcus observed both men quietly, waiting for confirmation.
Neither disappointed him. After seeing the direction of his gesture, they began nodding emphatically.
"Ah, I understand what you witnessed," Marcus said, settling into a comfortable chair. "Those light streams were actually soul fragments scattered across the world. I was summoning broken spirits back to their origin."
"That was you?" both men asked in surprise, their anxiety immediately evaporating.
Knowing Marcus was responsible meant it wasn't the action of hostile mages—they could finally stop worrying.
"Indeed, it was me. But I think your response was entirely appropriate," Marcus continued with approval. "Zaun's development relies on the Hextech Crystal network, so you must protect those towers at all costs. This represents responsibility to yourselves and your people. After all, I won't always be here to help guard the city."
Marcus was planning his departure. He had obtained all the power he required, and now the most important task was upgrading his armor configurations for promotion.
Besides, it wasn't as though he could never return. He could revisit this place whenever circumstances required, so he preferred to prioritize armor advancement over extended residence.
"You mean... you're planning to leave?" Vander asked with growing concern.
"Yes, I'll be departing in a few days. As long as you continue developing normally, Zaun will face no serious problems."
Hearing Marcus's personal confirmation, both men fell silent with obvious disappointment.
While they had always known Marcus wouldn't remain permanently, they hadn't expected this day to arrive so quickly. Zaun had only just begun to prosper, and already Marcus was preparing to leave.
"Hehe, looking at your expressions, you lack confidence, don't you?" Marcus teased gently.
"How could that be possible?" Vander protested. "You've helped us tremendously. We simply need to protect Zaun and ensure its continued growth. Of course we have confidence!"
They were simply reluctant to see him go. After all, Marcus had been the catalyst for Zaun's transformation, and they remained deeply grateful for everything he'd accomplished.
"Don't worry—I'll return to visit from time to time," Marcus reassured them. "As long as you manage Zaun competently, you'll see me again."
"Oh, and I'll leave you some specialized equipment. With these tools, you won't need to fear even hostile mages."
He had no intention of returning to find ruins where a thriving city once stood. He would provide select individuals with special weapons to guard both the Hextech Crystal Towers and Zaun itself.
"Thank you..." both men said in unison, their gratitude evident in every word.
They felt profound appreciation for everything Marcus continued to do for their people.
Several Days Later
Marcus gathered everyone together for his farewell. He was ready to depart, and the cases before him contained the specialized weapons he'd crafted to protect Zaun.
"These are spiritual weapons, designed specifically for the combat techniques you've mastered," he explained, patting the nearest case. "However, I hope you'll never need to use them."
Vi and the others hung their heads as if fighting back tears.
"What's with all of you? It's not as though I'm never coming back," Marcus said with amused exasperation. "I'm just leaving temporarily. Why do you all look like I'm about to die?"
His comment made Ekko laugh despite his sadness. They were reluctant to see Marcus leave, but his words lightened the somber mood considerably.
"I expect you won't become complacent after my departure," Marcus warned with mock severity. "When I return, I'll conduct comprehensive examinations. Anyone who fails will experience genuine hell."
Everyone shivered at this threat, their melancholy completely forgotten.
Seeing that the group had returned to their usual spirits, Marcus spoke his final words.
"Until we meet again."
The moment he finished speaking, Marcus dissolved into thick fog and vanished instantly. Jinx and Ekko waved their hands curiously through the mist but found nothing substantial within the vapor.
"From now on, we can only rely on ourselves!" Silco and Vander declared, looking at each other with determination.
They would ensure Zaun continued developing and becoming better with each passing day.
Abandoned Farm - Noxus
Marcus emerged from swirling fog into a desolate agricultural area. He was indeed leaving Runeterra, but before his departure, he planned to collect several additional power sources.
His eyes blazed with Void energy as everything within the abandoned farm became visible to his enhanced perception.
"Scarecrow Fiddlesticks," he called out mockingly. "As a demon, you have remarkably poor taste—hiding here and pretending to be an ordinary scarecrow."
Without warning, Marcus extended his hand toward the crow-covered scarecrow standing motionless in the field's center.
Void power erupted from his palm, expanding continuously as it reached toward the deceptive figure and transforming into an enormous spectral hand.
"Surrender your power!" Marcus commanded.
Faced with the approaching Void appendage, Fiddlesticks abandoned its motionless deception. The crows covering its form took flight in a massive cloud that darkened the sky.
Harsh cries echoed overhead as Fiddlesticks swung its spectral scythe with desperate force, attempting to destroy the giant Void hand before it could make contact.
The threat posed by that approaching appendage was too great—the fear demon had to resist with everything it possessed.
Countless crows and the supernatural scythe struck the Void hand with devastating impact. In the next instant, the fear-spreading crows melted within the spectral grasp while the scythe found itself unable to advance further, quickly corroding into scattered fragments.
"I claim the power of the Fear Demon!" Marcus declared.
Fiddlesticks couldn't withstand even a moment of pressure before being slammed to the ground by the giant hand. A stream of dark energy was extracted from its scarecrow body, forming a black orb that flew into Marcus's waiting palm.
"Now it's your turn," Marcus announced, his gaze piercing through solid earth to perceive the river systems that spread throughout Runeterra.
Within those waterways, a massive catfish with an enormous mouth appeared in his supernatural vision.
"Greed Demon Tahm Kench, the River King—you'll surrender your power as well."
The moment he finished speaking, the giant Void hand smashed through Fiddlesticks' remains and plunged toward the distant river.
Marcus had encountered Tahm during his time at Bilgewater Port. This greedy creature claimed that no one could find him while acting without any attempt at concealment.
If Marcus hadn't been rushing to reach the Shadow Isles at the time, this demon's power would have been his long ago.
Tahm Kench had just finished sampling some delicious mortal corruption when he suddenly felt his heart tremble with inexplicable dread. Before he could determine what was happening, the giant Void hand suppressed him completely, rapidly draining his demonic essence.