The Mountain Gate's Destruction

Irelia left after speaking, leaving me somewhat bewildered. I definitely still needed to visit the Order of the Shadow, but this war... how long would it last? Should I just ignore it?

I couldn't find an answer even late into the night. In the end, I decided to return to the Wind Sword Sect to confess my crimes to Suma.

I set off before dawn, without telling anyone. Ever since Swain's sneak attack on the allied rear, people had been leaving every day. My departure wouldn't attract any attention.

The Wind Sword Sect wasn't far from Sunon, and after learning the Wind Riding Technique, my travel speed was incredible. I reached the foot of the mountain in just one day.

At that moment, I saw someone lying by the roadside, covered in blood. Upon closer inspection, it looked like one of my fellow disciples.

"What happened? Why are you so badly injured lying here?"

"Yasuo, don't go back! The Noxians ambushed us. I was the only one who escaped. Now..."

Before he could finish, I left, accelerating towards the mountain, a sense of foreboding filling my heart...

Having studied Wind Force, I was very familiar with the mountain terrain here and quickly reached the dojo halfway up the mountain.

There were quite a few bloodstains on the dojo. The Wind Sword Sect already had very few people, and I had seen several bodies of disciples along the way. It seemed that apart from the one who escaped, no one else had managed to leave this place.

Not far from the dojo was a shrine for ancestors. The shrine door was tightly shut, and a group of Noxian soldiers were gathered outside. I let out a roar and charged forward, hoping to distract them.

Seeing that there were still survivors, they immediately surrounded me. With the Gale Sword Technique, I killed one, then a group!

This time, I didn't hold back like before. I unleashed my ultimate skill without reservation, even using Wind Force alone to cut through their throats without my blade.

I could hear fighting inside the shrine. The only one who could have lasted this long was likely Suma. Thinking this, my heart grew more anxious. My movements became faster, my attacks more ruthless, and the Gale Sword grew sharper with every use!

In a short while, I had killed them all. At the same time, silence fell within the shrine.

I pushed open the door and saw Suma slowly fall. The sound of his sword slipping from his grasp and clattering to the ground was particularly jarring. The moment I saw the enemy, a surge of intense love and hatred welled up within me, a feeling I had never experienced before.

My premonition had come true. This person was Riven.

My head buzzed. I raised my sword several times, only to stop myself. But Riven had no such reservations and charged at me.

The moment our weapons clashed, my hand went numb from the impact, which calmed me considerably. I gathered my Wind Force again and focused on the fight.

Over the past few years, apart from growing taller, Riven had changed very little. Her neat short hair, dark skin, and strong muscles were exactly the same as before. However, her eyes had become incredibly cold, showing not a trace of lingering emotion.

Her movements were as clean and sharp as her short hair. The greatsword in her hand was heavy and powerful, capable of both offense and defense. The occasional bursts of immense power forced me to retreat a few steps!

After a brief exchange, I recognized a familiar shadow in her movements. Both her footwork and her techniques were similar to those of Masters Li, Su, Ying, Yu, and Zhun from the Tam training grounds. It was indeed they who had taught Riven martial arts, no wonder her strength was so terrifying!

I increased my strength and speed again. Although I was no longer Zhao Xin, the essence of what I had learned remained, so I wasn't caught off guard and could handle the situation with relative ease.

At the same time, I unleashed the mysteries of the Wind Riding Technique, using Wind Force to entangle her greatsword and restrict her movements, then looking for an opportunity to strike. However, I couldn't bring myself to hurt her.

Riven had clearly worked hard. Her foundation was already excellent, and she had only refrained from pursuing martial arts because of my warning. Now, her true nature was unleashed, combined with the immense power of her greatsword, she actually broke free from the entanglement of Wind Force!

As her strength increased, I slowly began to fall into a disadvantage!

Did we have to fight to the death today? So be it. You killed Suma with your own hands, and the grievances will forever weigh on my heart!

I hesitated no longer and unleashed my full potential, my every movement filled with killing intent. Her defense became incredibly difficult, and she could only block with the broad side of her sword, yet she was still forced to retreat, all the way to the wall, with nowhere left to go.

At this moment, Riven held her sword sideways to protect her chest, and I pressed against it with my Gale Sword, pinning her in place. I continuously increased the force, and the two swords produced a grating sound. Dust fell from above, and I even felt the wall about to collapse.

Suddenly, she pushed her sword forward, shoving me back. Her greatsword was surprisingly enveloped in Wind Force, just like my Gale Sword! Then, the patterns on it cracked open, and she violently swung it at me. Blade of the Exile, devastating and unstoppable!

At such close range, I had no room to dodge, and this sword energy was incredibly sharp. If I was hit, I would surely die!

Almost instinctively, I used Laurent's Mind Blade. I didn't know if this technique would work against sword energy, but I had to try.

It turned out to be a stroke of luck. The moment I used Laurent's Mind Blade, the Wind Force didn't disappear but merged perfectly with it, forming a wall of wind in front of me that blocked Riven's sword energy.

I narrowly escaped death, but she had no further moves. Her greatsword slipped from her grasp and fell to the ground. Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth, and with a few clinks, two silver coins fell from her person. She quickly picked them up and clutched them in her hand.

"I lost. Kill me and avenge your fallen friends."

I gathered all my Wind Force onto the tip of my sword. The howling wind seemed capable of cutting through anything. After a long build-up, I thrust it down fiercely. Riven had already closed her eyes, preparing to meet her death.

I didn't stab her, but her greatsword beside her. With my full-strength attack, the greatsword shattered into countless pieces.

"Why didn't you listen to my warning and chose to wield a weapon?"

Hearing my words, Riven's head snapped up. Tears streamed down her expressionless face.

"Zhao Xin... Brother?" she asked cautiously.

"Zhao Xin died and was resurrected. I inherited his memories. Now, my name is Yasuo. You still haven't answered me, why did you take up arms and participate in the war?"

"I wanted to avenge you! I wanted to fulfill your unfulfilled wish and help Darius. I... I've already fallen too deep." Riven's voice grew lower as she slowly sank into self-reproach.

It turned out that some things, no matter the process, the outcome would remain unchanged.

"Did Tam have Li, Su, Ying, Yu, and Zhun teach you martial arts?"

"No, I sought them out myself."

Riven told me what happened after the coup