A Web of Mist

The Kinkou hesitated, only gradually leaving after Shen waved them away. Before long, only a few of us remained in the courtyard, which suddenly felt much more spacious.

"Can you let go of me now, Senior Brother?"

Kennen released Shen when he heard him speak, then glared at him sternly, seemingly ready to hear his explanation. At that moment, a barely perceptible smile appeared at the corner of Shen's mouth.

Was he up to something? I was just about to warn them when I suddenly saw a blade pierce Kennen's back. The one who struck him was none other than Akali!

The battle had ended quickly, and no one had given us any trouble, so neither Poppy nor I had paid attention to Akali's movements. Now she had stabbed Kennen in the heart with her dagger, making him lose his strength in an instant. Shen immediately plunged Soul Blade into him.

"Shen, you!"

"Don't worry, Senior Brother. I'm not like Zed. He could kill our father with his own hands, but I would never kill you. Still, I have to keep you in line so we can make amends."

It had all happened so suddenly that I hurriedly grabbed Akali to stop her from hurting Kennen again.

It seemed the ritual hadn't been meant to cleanse their souls at all. It was mind control. Shen had waited until none of us were watching Akali, then manipulated her into attacking!

The light in Kennen's eyes gradually faded. Only then did I notice that Akali's eyes had dimmed, too. Could it be because of Soul Blade?

Poppy charged at Shen, swinging her huge hammer. The two of them clashed, and I was about to go help when I saw the three Kinkou guardians who had just left return.

They surrounded me and kept me busy. Tianshu and Haishi seemed fairly normal, but Li's eyes had also grown dim.

So I was right. Shen had controlled her, too. Those dull, lifeless eyes were proof enough!

These were all top fighters of the Kinkou Order, and facing them at the same time was no easy feat. Akali was also keeping a close eye on me, ready to strike at any moment. Afraid of hurting her, I could only fight desperately on the defensive.

Poppy was doing much better. She fought bravely, hammer in hand, and soon had Shen completely on the back foot. He could only dodge with his nimble movements.

I was hoping she'd come to my rescue when a hoarse laugh suddenly rang out nearby. The sound was awful.

"Keheh... Cough, cough, cough. I've already enjoyed a brief moment of pleasure before the curtain rises, but this tiresome performance has failed to move me. And now, it's time for you all to take your final bow."

Those melodramatic lines, that hoarse voice, that puppet-like body, and that ugly gun—it could only be Jhin!

What was he doing here? Had Shen captured him earlier, only for him to escape in the chaos? But all that gear didn't look like the belongings of someone who'd been imprisoned.

Whatever the reason, we were his main targets.

Jhin raised Whisper and aimed at Poppy. He accompanied every shot with a line, making the scene look rather flashy, but his bullets couldn't pierce the Yordle's thick hide and did no real damage. Poppy was also being very careful of his binding magic, dodging each time before the smoke could form a cage.

That eased the pressure on Shen considerably. He took the chance to launch a signal flare, and the Kinkou scattered around the area soon gathered back together. Shen himself withdrew from the fight and focused on "baptizing" Kennen.

We couldn't keep holding out much longer. If Shen managed to control Kennen, there'd be no saving him—and both Poppy and I would be done for!

"We have to retreat, Poppy! We can't beat them anymore!"

"You go on ahead. I'll try again! Don't worry, they can't hurt me!"

Poppy didn't want to abandon Kennen and kept fighting bravely. But if I ran off by myself, what would that make me? Hadn't I said I wanted to be her friend?

I steeled myself and decided to fight alongside her to the end!

At some point, my left arm was slashed. At some other point, a sword pierced my right leg. I was losing more and more blood, but I'd killed plenty of them, too. I wasn't going to show them the mercy Kennen had.

Little by little, Poppy went from fighting alone to protecting me as she fought. I'd chosen to stay, only to become a burden to her. Thankfully, Shen still hadn't managed to control Kennen, or the outcome would have been decided already.

No! I couldn't keep fighting so miserably. If I couldn't escape, I might as well die fighting here. That way, Poppy could still get away on her own!

With that thought, I stopped caring about my wounds and launched a frenzied attack without defending myself at all...

I pushed everything to the limit: the swordsmanship Fiora had taught me, the techniques I'd learned in the Dauntless Vanguard Legion, and the skills I'd honed in the arena. Wherever the light of my spear flashed, one or two people fell.

Then I suddenly felt as if my strength were endless. I couldn't feel the slightest pain. Was this a final burst of strength before death? Why else would I feel nothing?

As I fought for my life, a group of shadowy figures suddenly rushed into the crowd. Moving with incredible speed, they attacked the Kinkou and freed us in an instant. One of them charged toward Shen and interrupted the ritual he was using to control Kennen, then scooped Kennen up and carried him away.

"Run!" Zed's voice rang out from above.

When Poppy saw that Kennen had been rescued, she stopped fighting. Her small frame hoisted me up, and she dashed away. The other members of the Shadow Order left with us. They had arrived in a flash and vanished just as quickly.

We ran for quite a while. When I felt I couldn't hold on any longer, Poppy finally set me down. We were in a spacious cave, with the steady drip, drip of water echoing all around us.

"You lot, guard the cave entrance. If anyone from the Kinkou Order comes after us, lead them away. I'm going to treat my senior brother. Whatever you do, don't let them find this place!"

"Yes!" At Zed's command, several of them immediately split up and headed out.

Once Shen's control was gone, Kennen quickly regained consciousness. His injuries weren't a threat to him. Though he'd been stabbed in the heart, Yordles didn't have hearts. That spot was simply where their power was controlled.

My injuries, by comparison, were far more serious. I didn't seem to have any fatal wounds, but there wasn't a single part of me that wasn't hurt. My desperate attack in the final moments had caused my wounds to join together, making me look as if I'd been skinned alive. Zed had to work hard to stop the bleeding.

After everything that had happened, I truly had no idea who the good guys were anymore. Not long ago, I'd hated Zed, and now he'd saved me. Shen had seemed so courteous at first, but now... he'd turned into this.

"Thank you," I managed to say.

"You don't need to thank me. I saved you because you helped my senior brother."

Zed's tone was still cold. Just as Kennen had said, he was a proud man.

Kennen had mostly recovered by then. He stared at Zed. "Why did you leave the Kinkou Order? Did you really kill Sifang?"

"I didn't leave the Kinkou Order, and I didn't kill my father!"

Faced with the questions, Zed told us the truth about what had happened back then.