Morale Soared

When I returned to Sunon Temple, I walked inside with a heavy heart. There were many people there, including two I recognized:

Karma and Irelia.

I knew Karma was the Harbinger. It seemed she had taken the place of the Western Harbinger who had died last time.

As for Irelia, I remembered Elder Souma saying she was also a Shepherd and had made great contributions in the previous war. I just didn't know which Shepherd she was.

In Ionia, the Harbinger held the highest status, so I went to pay my respects to Karma first. She didn't know me, though, so Irelia hurriedly introduced me:

"Lady Harbinger, this is Yasuo, the disciple of the legendary Wind Master, Elder Souma. He killed many enemies in the last war, and now he's returned after ten years of training. I'm sure his strength has grown tremendously. He'll be a great help to us!"

Everyone's eyes turned to me. I simply couldn't bring myself to urge them to give up resistance. It wasn't that I was afraid; I just couldn't bear to let down their confidence and enthusiasm. It seemed I'd have to speak to them in private.

According to Buck, people were chosen for religious offices at the age of twelve. That meant Karma was only twenty-two now, still young and unable to take charge of the situation.

Irelia seemed to have earned more of everyone's trust, so I found a moment when no one else was around and quietly called out to her:

"Please wait, Lady Shepherd. There's something I'd like to discuss with you. Could I have a moment of your time?"

"You don't have to be so formal, Yasuo. Just call me Irelia like you used to. You've lost a lot of your arrogance over the years. You even sound so polite now. Elder Souma must have worked hard on you, haha. What is it?"

"I... I want to ask you to persuade everyone to give up resisting."

Irelia looked puzzled. "What did you say? You want everyone to give up resisting? Give up resisting what?"

"I want everyone to stop resisting the Noxian army. I've already met Swain. He promised that if we submit, he won't slaughter people indiscriminately."

Perhaps I hadn't put it very well. Even to my own ears, it sounded wrong—like a treacherous wretch who'd gone over to the enemy, trying to convince everyone else to surrender. I could only imagine how Irelia felt hearing it.

"Did I hear you right, Yasuo? You've lost not only your arrogance, but your backbone too? You said you met Swain. You haven't already surrendered, have you? To be honest, I'm angry, but I want to hear your explanation."

As a leader, Irelia displayed a bearing that inspired respect. I hurried to explain my thoughts.

"I see. I nearly misunderstood you. It was brave of you to go alone into the enemy camp to negotiate, but it was reckless. If Swain had tried to kill you, we would have lost a powerful ally. As for uniting with them, I don't think it's realistic. Ionia can't even unite internally, so how could we all submit to Noxus together?"

From either man's point of view, Swain and Irelia both had a point. They both hoped for peace, but their ideals differed: one was eager to unite everyone, while the other wanted to preserve the status quo.

"Then have you figured out how to deal with the Noxian army? I saw countless well-equipped, high-spirited soldiers in their camp. There's a limit to how many enemies skill alone can defeat. No one can fight endlessly."

"That doesn't sound like you, Yasuo. Before, you wouldn't have cared how many of them there were. You've matured a lot in ten years. To be honest, I don't have a plan either. I just hope everyone will stand together. After all, that's how we won last time. This time, everyone chose me as their leader, so we're more united than before."

Irelia was brimming with confidence. She had always been a beautiful woman with an Eastern air about her, and now that she had taken on the bearing of a leader, her extraordinary charisma radiated to those around her, drawing them together.

Looking at this woman, who was about my age, it was hard to imagine that the fate of all Ionia rested in her hands.

It seemed war was unavoidable. Though I supported Darius's ideas and had once thought of helping him seize power, I had never intended to join his campaign to unite the world. Besides, I had promised Souma I would protect this land. Things had come to this, so I had no choice but to become his enemy.

I'd assumed Swain wouldn't act until his army had finished assembling. But he sent a strike force around our defenses to attack the homes behind us, hoping to shake our resolve.

The tactic worked extremely well. The Ionian resistance was a hastily assembled force, with no discipline to bind it and no system of rewards or punishments.

People had gathered here not only because Irelia had inspired them, but also, and more importantly, to protect their homes. Now that their homes were under attack, how could they focus on the battle? In just three days, nearly half of them had left the front.

Swain was truly a seasoned strategist. He had identified the people's weakness and used one simple move to halve the allied forces.

Sometimes, seemingly ingenious strategies were less effective than simple ones like this. The key was understanding the opponent's mindset.

By the eve of battle, no one said it aloud, but everyone knew in their hearts: we had almost no chance of winning.

When the Noxian army arrived, Irelia gave one last rallying speech:

"The heavens have blessed these First Lands, allowing Ionia to remain peaceful and beautiful. But Noxus's invasion changed all that. Wherever they go, villages are razed, towns are burned, the land is ravaged, and the people are slaughtered. Now they've raised another unjust army. Though we are outnumbered, we must not let them cross this line! Ionia, stand strong!"

"Ionia, stand strong..."

Swain's Black Feather Legion was one of Noxus's most elite forces, every bit as formidable as the War Axe Legion led by Darius. Their Battle Mages were especially fearsome.

Last time, his magic troops had caused irreparable damage to the land here. This time, however, there was no sign of the mages—apart from Swain himself.

Our clash with them was completely different from the one in Demacia. Back then, the Dauntless Vanguard Legion and the War Axe Legion had been evenly matched, and the fighting had been fierce. The ground was soon soaked with blood.

This time, we didn't intend to fight them head-on. We used the terrain and obstacles we'd set up in advance to delay them. The alliance lacked discipline, but its members weren't a rabble. There were many who possessed extraordinary skills, and everyone used their abilities to hold off the enemy, making it impossible for them to advance.

During the first few days of the war, we suffered almost no casualties, while the Noxian army took some losses. More importantly, their aggression had been checked. Every step forward cost them in blood.

As the stalemate dragged on, our morale soared. They were forced to halt their attack.