Wuju Swordsmanship

Irelia saw me walking toward her, her face full of resentment:

"Not long after you left, the Noxians launched an attack. We fought them off as usual, harrying them while landing heavy blows, but this time Swain brought a monster. It was enormous, and its attacks were fierce... Most importantly, it was impossible to kill!"

"An unkillable monster?"

At Irelia's description, I thought of Sion, the first Hand of Noxus. I wondered if it was him.

"That's right. With the monster leading them, the Noxians soon broke through our defenses. On top of that, word kept coming in from the rear that many people's homes had been attacked. Morale fell apart, and we had no choice but to retreat inland."

"Where are you planning to retreat to?"

"Prexian. I'm going there to regroup. We defeated Swain there last time, and this time I'll make him suffer the same fate! Why have you come back? Didn't you return to the Wind Sword Sect?"

"The Wind Sword Sect is gone. I'm the only one left."

Riven lowered her head in guilt, while Irelia stared in shock. "What? The Wind Sword Sect is gone? Then Elder Suma..."

"My master has passed away. I'll carry on his wish and protect this land. Come on. What's done is done; grieving now won't help."

Irelia still couldn't believe it, but seeing that I didn't want to talk about it, she asked no more. Riven's expression turned resolute.

"I'm responsible for this sin, and now I have to atone for it. You two go gather the troops. Zhao Xin and I will stop the other Noxians attacking the rear. I know where they went."

"You said you're going with who?!" Irelia cried, staring intently at Riven.

Just then, I remembered that Zhao Xin was also a Shepherd, and that he and Riven had been comrades in the battle ten years ago. They seemed to have been close. I hurried to explain.

"Don't misunderstand, Irelia. The Zhao Xin she means isn't the one we know. She mistook me for him because I look so much like him. Like she said, you should go gather the troops. We'll take care of what's behind us!"

"Right. They've already chosen a new Shepherd. How could Zhao Xin still be alive?" Irelia gave us two horses and left. If I hadn't mistaken it, there was a trace of tears at the corner of her eye.

I reminded Riven again. "Don't call me Zhao Xin anymore. My name is Yasuo now. From now on, use that name whether anyone else is around or not!"

"I'll remember, Yasuo!"

Riven took a map from her clothes. It showed three routes, which she told me belonged to three raiding parties.

The topmost party was the one she had led, and it had already been wiped out. The other two were led by Talon and Katarina. Talon's party was closest to us.

That left me confused. Talon had once tried to avenge Noxus's invasion by assassinating Swain alone. After failing and being captured, he learned the truth and decided to help overthrow the Noxian emperor. That was a kind of revenge in its own way. So why had he turned around and attacked his own homeland?

Katarina had also hated Darius and Swain with all her heart, doing everything she could to kill them. Why was she serving them now?

Riven didn't know what had happened and couldn't answer my questions. There was no time to lose, so we set off at once, following the markings on the map.

Over the next few days, we found several small sects that had been massacred. Following the traces of battle, we eventually reached a solitary peak. The fresh bloodstains showed that Talon's party was on the mountain!

As we climbed the winding path, I noticed that the buildings were laid out much like those of the Wind Sword Sect. It seemed to be another ancient sect, though its mountain wasn't as steep.

Halfway up the mountain, we came to a training ground where I spotted a group of Noxian soldiers surrounding an elderly, white-haired man.

The old man was covered in blood, and a pile of Noxian corpses lay around him. It seemed the soldiers had paid dearly to defeat him.

I hurried forward and stopped them. When the old man saw me use the Wind Sword Sect's techniques, he immediately looked relieved.

The Noxian soldiers were delighted too, because they recognized Riven. The Blood Warrior was an elite Noxian and an idol to the soldiers.

They had been struggling to defeat the old man, so when they saw Riven, it was like seeing their savior. But they soon realized that Riven's blade was pointed at them!

One of them stepped forward and asked in confusion, "Sergeant Riven, weren't you here to help us? Why are you standing with the people of Ionia?"

Riven didn't answer. She simply said sternly, "Leave. I'll spare your lives." Then she glanced back at me, seeming to seek my approval.

I didn't mind Riven showing them mercy. It meant she hadn't become bloodthirsty—or perhaps she had changed after meeting me. I nodded to her.

The Noxian soldiers didn't understand. "You're protecting the enemy? Have you betrayed Noxus?"

"I've always fought as I saw fit. I've never been loyal to Noxus, so how could I betray it? I'll say it again: leave now, or don't blame me for what happens!"

The soldiers paid her no heed. Noxus's iron laws had drilled one thing into them: never retreat on the battlefield, no matter how powerful the enemy!

As the tension reached its peak, a nimble figure raced toward us. Riven had said Talon was leading this party. I'd wondered why he wasn't here, and now he had finally appeared.

"Is this really wise, Riven?"

"Talon, the truth is, this man..."

Riven knew that Talon and I had once faced life and death together. If she told him who I was, we might be able to avoid a fight, but I stopped her.

I'd already laid my cards on the table with Swain, even telling him LeBlanc's identity, and still I hadn't prevented the war. Revealing myself to Talon might resolve this immediate conflict, but it wouldn't affect the overall course of the war.

Besides, I didn't want Zhao Xin's memory to live on in more people's hearts. He was dead. Let the dead rest in peace.

Seeing me wave her off, Riven changed her words. "The truth is, I... fell in love with him, so I changed my mind. If you don't want to come into conflict with me, then go back and tell Lord Swain that I won't serve him anymore."

Talon looked surprised at the broken sword in Riven's hand. "You fell in love? I'm curious what kind of charm he has to make our ruthless Blood Warrior change her ways. Was it because he broke your sword?"

"Yes. He's powerful—powerful enough to make me fall for him. I might not lose to you in a one-on-one fight, and if we join forces, you won't stand a chance!"

"Then let me die by your swords!" Talon said, readying himself to fight.

I didn't want things to come to this. I could kill these soldiers without hesitation, but I couldn't bring myself to fight Talon. After all, he had once saved my life.

Did I really have to reveal who I was as Zhao Xin? Just as I hesitated, a blur of motion swept toward us.

The newcomer was also a swordsman, lean and incredibly quick. He drifted down like the wind in front of the old man, bowed, and said respectfully:

"Master, your disciple Yi has returned!"