The Truth Revealed

Noxus's invasion shattered Ionia's peace. Kusuo had remained on the fence about whether to join the fight, but Zed had insisted they resist.

The two had argued over it several times, never reaching an agreement. Then, during one particularly heated dispute, a sealing formation suddenly appeared and trapped them both.

The formation was rigged with attack traps. Black poisonous mists surged through it, mingling with blazing flames. Trapped inside the shrine, they couldn't escape. Kusuo used every ounce of his strength to shove Zed out of the formation, but he himself perished in the flames.

Shen rushed in just then. Seeing Zed surrounded by black smoke and his father burned beyond recognition, he attacked without a word.

At this, Zed said with a pained expression, "Shen thought I'd killed him and fought me to the death. I had no choice but to leave."

Kennen sighed. "Sigh... Why didn't you ask me for help? Instead, you kept avoiding me."

"At the time, only my father and I were there. I couldn't escape suspicion. I knew you believed me, and that was exactly why I couldn't ask you for help."

"Why?"

"With your short temper, supporting me would undoubtedly have split the order apart. So I decided to leave on my own and come back to you once the investigation was complete. Unfortunately, I never found any clues. But..."

"But what?"

"But I truly founded the Shadow Order because I believed in it. Over the years, as I traveled, I developed my own understanding of the balance. Father was too conservative, and too compassionate. Once Noxus shattered this land's peace, compassion became meaningless. We had to fight fire with fire!"

"That's your choice. I won't interfere. But your stubbornness blinded Shen with hatred, and his actions have strayed from the right path."

"How can you blame me for his straying from the path? What did I do wrong? He was the one who accused me without knowing the facts from the start. If he's become so obsessed, it only shows he never understood the balance and has disappointed you after all your guidance."

"Sigh. Perhaps there was something wrong with the way I taught you. These past years must have been hard on you."

Kennen sighed again. Then Zed added, "I killed Alanta with my own hands."

The atmosphere, which had just begun to soften, instantly turned icy. Kennen demanded, "Why?"

"When I killed her, I didn't think about why. Now I think it was..."

"My pride." "Your pride." They spoke at the same time.

After a moment of silence, Zed continued, "Someone else had claimed her heart and body. Even now, I don't know who it was. She wouldn't even see me."

"So you couldn't have her, and you killed her?"

"Yes! So neither her heart nor her body mattered. The only reason was my pride. I couldn't let the person I loved treat me that way. If that was how things were, then I would end her life with my own hands."

"You're not only proud, you're foolish. I watched you both grow up. I know better than anyone that Alanta loved you!"

"Impossible. I confessed to her many times, and she rejected me every time. Even if she rejected me for the sake of the order, why would she have someone else's child?"

"That's why she kept hiding from you and wouldn't see you! She didn't want to hurt you!"

"Heh. Hurt me?" Zed's emotions grew agitated, and his voice rose. "Alanta once said she wouldn't accept me because it would hold back the order. Back then, I thought about leaving. I never imagined she'd leave the order first, and in such a quiet, unnoticed way. That hurt me more than anything!"

"Sigh. Your short lives have been consumed by love and hatred. Alanta told me she was sorry for what she'd done to you, but she never told me why. I think that guilt was what made her willing to die at your hands. Otherwise, you couldn't have killed her. I don't know how strong you are now, but you're certainly no match for the Fist of Shadow!"

"Even so, I don't regret killing her. No reason left unspoken could ever change my mind!"

Zed's body trembled uncontrollably. It was clear that he was wavering inside, even though he still refused to admit he was wrong.

"Your reason for killing Alanta isn't enough to make me forgive you. Once I've dealt with Shen, I'll settle the score with you."

"Deal with him? It's true. We should settle things."

At some point, Shen had appeared at the cave entrance. He had changed into a tight-fitting outfit, holding a Soul Blade in one hand and a steel sword in the other. He looked like a killer without a shred of feeling. Three guardians and Jhin stood beside him.

At first, I'd wondered why Jhin had shown up. Now it seemed they were in league. He was holding several severed heads—the very people Zed had sent to guard the cave entrance not long ago.

Kennen looked troubled when he saw Jhin. After a moment, he said, "You're... Jhin?"

"Senior Brother, your memory's still sharp. You remember me after all these years."

Jhin finally spoke like a normal person, but what he said made him seem even more abnormal. He'd actually called Kennen "Senior Brother"!

It wasn't just me. Shen and Zed looked just as surprised. It seemed that something unknown had happened at some point in history.

Kennen furrowed his brow. "Why are you still alive? Weren't you..."

"That's right. You expelled me from the Kinkou Order, and then my enemies killed me."

"Then why are you still alive, and why haven't you aged at all?"

Poppy added, "He's a dark mage from ancient Demacia. He's been around for more than three hundred years. Not long ago, he was preying on children in Yanglin Village. Looks like he used some secret method to extend his life."

Kennen was furious when he heard that. "Were you behind all the vicious crimes against children over the years?"

"Yes, I did it all. Their untainted bodies, their fragrant blood, their terrified cries, those moments of despair... It was the most beautiful art. You and Master enjoyed plenty of it too, hahahaha..."

"You!" Kennen trembled with rage. A bolt of lightning shot straight at Jhin's face, but Shen blocked it with his Soul Blade.

"Senior Brother, don't be hasty."

"Shen! It doesn't matter if you hate Zed, me, or Master, but there's no forgiving you for joining forces with someone like him!"

"I'm not a child anymore. I have my own reasons for what I do!"

There was nothing more to say. Kennen attacked at once, aiming straight for Jhin.

Shen ordered everyone else to fight, then charged at Zed. The three guardians and Poppy clashed.

My injuries were too severe for me to help them. All I could do was hide in a corner and try not to get in their way.

The cavern was spacious enough that it didn't hinder the fight at all. The slippery floor didn't cause any trouble either. After all, these people were all experts!

Tianshu, Haishi, and Li were young, but the fact that they'd risen to become guardians of the Kinkou Order proved they were strong. My earlier fight with them had already shown as much.

They were evenly matched with Poppy, while Shen even had the upper hand. He wielded his steel sword with great skill, and his Soul Blade was even more powerful!

Kennen had Jhin outmatched, but Jhin was very agile. With all his troublesome magic, he wouldn't be defeated anytime soon.

After they'd fought fiercely for a while, Zed was the first to unleash a killing move: the technique he'd used to kill Alanta—Chains of Shadow.

Several shadows suddenly appeared on the battlefield, each bearing an identical pose to Zed's. They instantly surrounded Shen, then attacked all at once. No one could have dodged them all!

But Shen didn't dodge. He flung his steel sword aside, plunged his Soul Blade into his own chest, clasped his hands together, and shouted, "Mercy Soul Fall!"

By then, Zed's attack had already landed. The sharp blades pierced Shen's body in an instant, but he didn't bleed and fall like Alanta. Instead, he blurred and began to glow purple. His body had turned intangible!

Zed's attacks had no effect. The technique had also drained him badly, leaving him unable to defend himself against Shen's attack. Even when Shen struck him, his intangibility prevented any damage.

Most terrifying of all, the purple light radiating from Mercy Soul Fall strengthened the three guardians. They had begun to lose ground against Poppy, but with that power bolstering them, the fight was even again!

Kennen still hadn't won his fight, but Shen had already gripped Zed by the throat. "It's over!"

Shen tightened his wrist. Zed's head drooped. While Kennen was distracted, Jhin caught him in a binding spell, and Poppy had no choice but to retreat and protect me.

"A perfect ending. We won."

"We?"

Shen shot Jhin a cold look, then plunged his steel sword into Jhin's chest. With a crack, Jhin's body split apart like a wooden board.

"Hahahaha... Art is worth suffering for. One day, my genius will surely be understood. And you..." Before Jhin could finish, Shen chopped off his head. But Jhin's body was still fake, and losing his head didn't stop him from speaking:

"Fine, I'll tell you the truth. Our master, your father, Master Kusuo, wasn't killed by Zed. It was all arranged by me, the great director. Hahahaha... Now, art will bloom once more!"

Jhin's body exploded just like it had the last time. Shen grabbed Kennen and fled. Poppy used her tiny body to shield me, but I was already gravely injured and couldn't withstand the blast. My consciousness began to fade...