I hadn't expected this man to be the Sword Saint. He wore no strange mask, had an ordinary face, and gave off no aura at all. He seemed just like an ordinary person.
The Sword Saint greeted Teacher, then turned to Talon. "Were you the one who killed my brothers in arms?"
"They weren't worth my time. These soldiers were enough. You look like someone worth fighting."
"You've invaded Ionia twice. We should settle that score properly, but I don't care for bloodshed. Since both sides have suffered losses, I propose that we settle today's battle with a duel between the two of us. I don't want anything to happen to my master, and your men can live. What do you say?"
"Agreed. I accept your mercy."
Once they'd made their decision, we all stepped aside and cleared the dojo.
Talon held a short blade in each hand, while the Sword Saint gripped a slender sword. They stared each other down. As a leaf drifted past, they clashed.
Talon was an expert with blades. In his hands, every knife seemed to have a life of its own. He attacked with the short blade in his right hand while constantly tossing tiny throwing knives with his left. His unusual technique kept the knives spinning, and they always returned to his hand.
The Sword Saint dodged and counterattacked without leaving the slightest opening. He was cautious, yet still managed to strike with deadly precision. A duel between masters was a spectacular sight!
Before long, Talon had four throwing knives in his left hand, one between each pair of fingers. Meanwhile, the Sword Saint's single slender blade seemed to multiply into two, then three, then four. Of course, there was only one real blade; the rest were afterimages.
Judging by how easily they moved, neither of them was giving it their all. When one increased his strength, the other matched him. When one picked up speed, the other kept pace without the slightest hesitation.
Souma had once told me he'd fought a match against Master Cheng Li of the Wuju Swordsmanship. They'd been evenly matched, until Souma used the Gale Sword and narrowly won with one move. If even his swordsmanship could barely secure a victory, that showed just how formidable the Wuju Style was.
Seeing the Sword Saint use it in person was an eye-opener. The style looked restrained, as if every move stopped halfway, giving the impression of barely scratching the surface. But that made the attacks faster and harder to defend against.
Soon, Talon had seven throwing knives in play. Often, before one had returned, he'd already thrown another. The knives circled the Sword Saint, each one ready to pierce him at any moment.
As the number of knives grew, the Sword Saint pushed his speed to the limit. He stopped focusing on defense and launched more and more attacks. In this situation, offense was the best defense!
That was when I noticed the air around us was filled with killing intent. It came not only from Talon's throwing knives, but from the Sword Saint's sword energy as well. In the past, I wouldn't have sensed it. Now that I'd mastered the Wind Riding Technique, I was highly attuned to the movement of the wind.
Blades flashed and danger lurked everywhere. Talon didn't add any more knives, so seven seemed to be his limit. The Sword Saint also appeared unable to go any faster. His figure had grown so blurry that, to an onlooker, he was almost impossible to make out. Perhaps only the two fighters could see each other clearly.
At this rate, it wouldn't be long before one of them won. I gripped the Gale Sword tightly, hoping I could stop them from killing each other at the critical moment.
Talon was the first to use a deadly move. He'd lost his patience; even the patience drilled into him as an assassin had reached its limit.
He tore off his face covering, clenched the short blade between his teeth, and drew back all the throwing knives around him. Then he vanished, blade and all!
The Sword Saint vanished too. Seeing that Talon was ready to settle the matter once and for all, he'd been watching his every move with complete focus. The instant Talon disappeared, he unleashed his own signature technique.
In an instant, both men disappeared and then reappeared at the same time, having switched places. Their astonishing speed was breathtaking.
I watched without blinking, but I still couldn't see what had happened clearly. I'd barely even drawn the Gale Sword. They'd fought entirely on instinct!
"Yi won."
As soon as the old man finished speaking, Talon collapsed to the ground. His chest was slashed open, the cross-shaped wound deep enough to expose bone. His face covering was gone, while the Sword Saint had lost only a lock of hair.
Riven and I rushed forward at the same time. The soldiers around us thought we were taking the chance to kill Talon, and all drew their swords.
"Don't move! I won't hurt your captain."
I quickly began treating Talon's wounds. The old man came over, looking puzzled. "Is he Ionian?"
"Yes. Please, help him."
"Ah... All right."
The old man sighed and asked me to carry Talon inside. The remaining soldiers didn't know what to do, so I reminded them again:
"Go back. I told you I won't hurt him. Besides, you couldn't stop me even if you tried. Remember the kindness you were shown today, and don't commit any more killings."
Once we were inside, we treated Talon's wounds again. The Sword Saint's Wuju Style had damaged his heart meridian, and he was already half-conscious, sweat pouring from his forehead.
After a long effort, the old man finally saved Talon's life. Only then did he ask me, "I saw your sword stir the wind when you fought just now. Are you with the Wind Sword Sect?"
"I'm Yasuo, Elder Souma's last disciple."
"Elder Souma's disciple? A great teacher truly does make a great student. Just now, I felt an incredibly powerful aura from you—stronger than the one I sensed when I met your master."
"You flatter me, Master. I haven't asked your name."
"My name is Cheng Ren, and I'm an elder of the Wuju Swordsmanship. Many years ago, my younger brother, Cheng Li, and I visited Elder Souma. The two of them even crossed swords, and in the end, my brother lost to your master. Afterward, he trained even harder, neglecting food and sleep. Unfortunately, he died in the last war, and they never got a chance to duel again."
"I heard about that from my master. He said they'd fought to a draw, and he'd only gained a slight advantage thanks to the Gale Sword. When he heard that Master Cheng Li had died in battle, he was deeply saddened. He put the sword away and didn't take it out again until he passed it on to me not long ago. He hoped the two masters might cross swords again in the spirit realm."
"What?! Do you mean Elder Souma has returned to the embrace of the spirit?"
"A few days ago, the Wind Sword Sect was invaded by Noxian soldiers, just like this place. My master died in battle."
"I killed him."
Now that the subject had come up, Riven no longer tried to avoid it. She could face it bravely. It seemed that, like me, she had resolved to protect peace here.
Cheng Ren looked from Riven to me, utterly perplexed. He couldn't understand why I would stay with the person who had killed my master.
"You forgave the person who killed Elder Souma, and you're asking me to save the man who led an attack on the Wuju Swordsmanship. Is there some reason for this?"
"They can both turn over a new leaf and contribute to peace here. That's far better than killing them. This is Riven. She's already proven it through her actions. She's the one who brought me here to save people."
"Even in the face of deep hatred, you still hold to Ionia's ideals of peace. That's admirable. But I doubt this war will end easily. I hope your mercy won't lead to even greater sacrifices."
"I'll keep your words in mind!"
I hadn't set out to do good deeds. I'd always acted according to what I felt was right, and saving Talon was no exception. It was just hard to explain what had led me to do it.
At that moment, Riven reminded me, "According to the plan, Katarina has already advanced toward Prexian. We need to hurry and stop her."
"But Talon..."
While I hesitated, Cheng Ren said, "Go. I'll save this young man. Yi, go help Yasuo."
"Yes, Master!"
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