Intense Battle

Kennen thought Kled would give up, but the little fellow was dead set on his goal. His tone turned cold.

"You want me to just submit to Noxus? What else?"

"Old friend, you know how much I love fighting. I'm willing to give it up for your sake, so you could at least do me this favor, couldn't you?"

"If you insist on making the Kinkou Order submit to Noxus, then stop holding back. We haven't fought in years. You used to pester me to spar with you, even though I never wanted to. Now I accept your challenge!"

"No room for negotiation?"

"You want to conquer this place, and I want to protect it. There's no room for negotiation. But don't worry, I won't gang up on you. We'll settle this fairly!"

"Sigh, fine. I don't mind if we all jump in together. Just don't tell the Old Chieftain I started this fight when he asks later!"

Kennen and Kled unleashed astonishing auras at the same time. We all retreated to the side. Katarina hadn't said a word from beginning to end; she only stared at Riven with undisguised disdain.

Kennen's moves still crackled with thunder and lightning. Electricity coursed around the short sword in his hand, snapping and sparking. Even an ordinary shuriken became coated in electricity in his hands, leaving a charred mark when it struck a nearby tree.

Poppy had once told me that the Will of the Yordles that had brought Kled into being was battle itself, which made him an extraordinary fighter. Every move he made carried immense force.

I'd seen it for myself. During the coup, he'd cut down the Death Guard as easily as chopping vegetables.

Though they were friends, neither held back now that they were fighting. The woods in front of the temple suffered devastating damage. The ground was pitted, and rocks lay shattered. Even watching from the sidelines, we had to tread carefully.

Kennen's advantages were speed and range. He could use his incredible speed to attack Kled with electrified weapons. Last time, Shen had caught him off guard, and he hadn't been able to use his full strength. Now I could see just how terrifying he really was!

There was no need to elaborate on Kled. His immense strength and tough body kept him firmly on top. Even when Kennen hit him, all he did was cry out in pain; he suffered no real injuries.

It was as if neither of them could ever run out of strength. They fought for a long time without a winner. The will to fight might be ferocious, but the will of balance could not be violated!

"You're stronger than before, Kennen! Why not reconsider? Together, we could conquer this place!"

"Enough nonsense. Our wills are opposed, so we were never meant to pursue the same goal. If I asked you to help me protect the Kinkou Order, would you agree?"

"What the hell is balance? It's just the belief of one group of people. You conquer others' minds, and I conquer their way of life. We're no different!"

"I told you we couldn't pursue the same goal. After coming to this world, we each found our own purpose. That was when we could no longer be friends. What's the point of saying all this now?"

"Fine. If you're still this stubborn, don't blame me for showing no mercy!"

They talked as they fought, but in the end, they still couldn't agree.

By then, the sun was setting. Kled's curved blade remained deadly in his right hand, while his left pulled out a rope. It was jet black and gleamed like metal, yet it was soft. He gripped one end, while the other was tied into a loop like a lasso.

From noon until dusk, Kennen had gradually fallen behind. Now he was helpless against the rope. His electricity couldn't damage it or even knock it aside. Before long, it had looped around his head—and then wrapped up his whole body!

Watching Kennen struggle, Kled said, "Sorry, old friend. I'll let you go once I've conquered this temple."

The Kinkou disciples lying in ambush nearby all rushed out when they saw Kennen bound. Akali was especially furious. "Let the master go, or none of you will make it out of here alive!"

"Little girl, I don't want to slaughter innocents. This isn't my war; I'm only helping out. Besides, my old friend is here, so I've been making concession after concession for once. Otherwise, would any of you still be alive? I'm asking you to submit, not killing you or taking away your freedom. Why are you so stubborn?"

"Arrogant! Everyone, get ready. We're rescuing the master!"

"Xiao Li, don't be rash! You're no match for him! Hurry and find your master. See if he has a solution!" Kennen stopped Akali from throwing herself into a fight.

"Trying to run? Not a chance!"

Katarina, who'd been watching from the sidelines, finally spoke. She charged at the disciples trying to flee, intent on killing them.

It was time for us to help, too. We had no idea how long we could hold out against Kled, but we had to do what we could!

"Master Yi, stop Katarina. Riven and I will hold off Kled!"

"Count me in!" Akali said, unwilling to back down.

Almost as soon as I finished speaking, the Sword Saint charged in and engaged Katarina. Kled had been focused on Kennen the whole time, and only now noticed Riven.

"Little Riven, are you sure you're on the right side?"

"I'm sorry, General Kled. I have my reasons. We're enemies now."

"Fine, fine! Don't blame me for showing no mercy!"

Kled charged with his steel blade in hand. Even after fighting for most of the day, he still had plenty of energy. Only his clothes had been battered into a complete mess by Kennen.

I didn't dare let my guard down. I immediately gathered Wind Force around the Gale Sword. Riven held her broken sword, watching him intently, while Akali raised the Cross Scythe Alanta had passed down to her. She looked every bit a powerful warrior!

Fighting Kled gave people the false impression that he wasn't all that strong. His moves were plain, and he wasn't especially fast. Even his strength didn't seem that outrageous. But before long, I realized that wasn't true.

As our attacks clashed again and again, I felt my strength draining away at a strange rate. I was fighting with all my might, but it shouldn't have been running out this quickly!

I stole a glance at Riven and saw that she was also drenched in sweat. As for Akali, she was still young and already gasping for breath.

"Xiao Li, fall back for now. Until reinforcements arrive, Riven and I will hold him off!"

Akali knew that if she kept going, she'd only become a burden. Without another word, she waited for an opening and pulled away from the fight. She tried to help Kennen loosen his bonds, but found that she couldn't. The strange rope was too tough!

Kennen saw the predicament we were in and shouted, "Try to keep your contact with Kled to a minimum! He uses Uniform Strength. It doesn't feel tiring, but it drains you rapidly. Focus on your moves, and avoid clashing with him!"