Everything returned to calm, and even the girl's cries of pain gradually grew hoarse and fell silent.
Vander looked up at the sky, his lips moving, and shouted, "Goddess, Li Ke, Li Ke!"
In the previous fight with Stelaratu, Li Ke suddenly grabbed him and then threw him away. Was it because he had already prepared for this?
But if it really comes down to sacrifice, shouldn't I be the one who should be sacrificed?!
Why Li Ke?
He's still young, he has a future, Zaun needs him, the Zaunite need him, Jinx needs him even more!
How could he!
Vander gritted his teeth, his fangs piercing his lower lip, blood flowing from them. His eyes were bloodshot as he stared at Janna, hoping Janna would tell him that Li Ke was still alive.
The goddess is omnipotent, right?
Janna shook her head, her eyes filled with complex emotions, and whispered, "I can no longer sense Li Ke's presence. His soul vanished along with Stelaratu."
"Li Ke sacrificed himself." Janna lowered her head.
The disappearance of the soul means that Li Ke is indeed no longer in this world.
The girl, who had been staring blankly at Janna, heard these words, closed her eyes, tilted her body, and fell forward from under the flying board, plummeting headfirst to the ground high in the sky.
"Jinx!"
Silco was different from the others. Vi, Vander, Ekko, and the Sump Enforcers were all watching Janna, hoping to hear news about Li Ke from Janna. They were waiting.
However, Silco had been keeping an eye on Jinx.
As Jinx landed on the ground, Silco let out a furious shout.
Vi reacted quickly, her face turning ashen as she stepped onto the hoverboard. Just as Jinx was about to touch the ground, she leaped off the hoverboard and caught Jinx around the waist in mid-air. Then, Vi used both hands to protect Jinx in her arms, rolling her around on the ground several times before she could lose some of the force.
Ekko and Silco also arrived at Vi's side.
"Jinx, you--"
"She's passed out." Vi interrupted Silco, looking up at Silco with a complicated expression.
Jinx remained motionless in Vi's arms.
"..." Silco closed his eyes and mouth, then simply waved his hand, signaling two the Sump enforcers to call Singed over.
At the start of the war against Stelaratu, Singed was taken away for protection by the Sump Enforcers.
Shortly after, Singed arrived. He was still unaware of what had happened until he heard from Ekko that Li Ke was dead. His pupils contracted sharply, and then he nodded with a complicated expression.
"Vi, let me take a look." Singed sighed, walked to Vi's side, squatted down, and reached out to lift Jinx's eyelids to observe her pupils.
After examining Jinx, Singed stood up, looked at the tense-faced Silco, shook his head, and said, "The greatest sorrow is a broken heart. She's having a mental breakdown; she's not physically injured, but that's the most troublesome part, because it's beyond my ability to treat."
"Unless she can get through this on her own, there's nothing anyone can do."
A group of people surrounded Jinx. As night Advent, Jinx woke up in Vi's arms, and her first words were—
Where is Li Ke?
No one answered Jinx, and Vi was avoiding Jinx's gaze.
Seeing this, Jinx smiled, but it was a very unpleasant smile.
There was no joy, no madness, none of the neuroticism she used to exhibit when laughing heartily. She simply struggled to get up from Wei's embrace, then said nothing and silently walked towards Zaun alone.
Jinx
Vander called out to her, but when she ignored him, he walked straight in front of Jinx, blocking her way. Then, Vander took something out of his pocket.
That's what Vander just discovered; it's what Li Ke stuffed into his pants when he threw him out.
His enormous trousers had pockets that could easily hold the object, and as soon as it was taken out, the lifeless Jinx suddenly lunged at Vander and snatched the object from his grasp.
Then, she knelt on the ground, clutching the blue hat with Cat Ears, and desperately stuffed the hat into her arms, burying her head in the ground.
The group watched Jinx silently. After she stood up, she didn't look at Vander, but simply hugged her hat tightly and walked back towards Zaun.
"Vi, follow her, but don't get too close. Make sure she's within your sight," Silco said to Vi, stopping Vander from following her.
His fingernails dug into his flesh, and Silco closed his eyes.
Vi didn't object or offer any opinions when given orders by Silco; instead, she nodded and jogged to catch up with Jinx.
After Vi and Jinx left, Silco sat on the ground and buried her head in her hands.
"You can't fall," Vander said as he walked to his side.
"I know, Vander, I just want to rest. I'll take care of everything when I get up," Silco whispered.
Just then, a group of people descended from the sky; it was Piltover.
Jayce, beaming with joy, stood on his flyboard, holding Mel in his arms.
Behind them were other council members, who, with the help of the Sump enforcers, had also arrived at the bottom of Zaun.
Hearing the noise, Silco looked up and saw Jayce.
"Is everything resolved?" Jayce breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing everyone present and said happily, "I was startled when I saw the white light, but the law enforcement officer in the Sump said it was safe, so I brought my men down to check it out."
"Hey, where's Li Ke?" Jayce suddenly noticed Li Ke's absence and asked.
"He died protecting Zaun," Silco said calmly.
Jayce was stunned, his mouth opened, but he couldn't say a word.
But behind him, Senators Hoskall and Saro showed expressions of delight.
The black-haired monster is dead?
Now, between Pi Zu and others.
But before Hoskall and Saro could even rejoice, with their own little schemes in mind, Silco stood up and walked step by step toward Jayce.
"Now, I am the Lord of Zaun."
Silco's tone was icy and filled with murderous intent as he coldly asked, "What do you want to say to me?"
Vander stood behind Silco, his usual mild-mannered demeanor now replaced by a cold expression. He understood what losing Li Ke meant for Zaun, but Li Ke had sacrificed himself to save his life.
Looking at it now, Vander suddenly understood why he had survived.
In order to prevent Zaun from falling behind in negotiations with Piltover.
"Wait, Silco, why are you doing this?" Jayce looked at Silco's face, his expression complicated. "And, Li Ke really dead?"
"He was so strong, how could he have died?"
Seeing that Silco and Vander remained silent, Jayce knew it was true. Then, he closed his eyes and spoke:
"From today onwards, Piltover will unconditionally sponsor Zaun and help Zaun rebuild their homes. Opening the floodgates is my decision, and all losses will be compensated and paid by the Talis family."
"Silco, I am also a member of the Zaun, please don't treat me like this."
He opened his eyes and spoke to Silco.
Mel stepped off the ground, raised his hand in agreement, and said softly, "The Medarda family is also willing to sponsor Zaun and contribute to peace between the two cities."
"Hoskall too, I've already built the docks for Zaun, and you'll be able to use them in a few days."
Seeing that several councilors had expressed their opinions, Saro also stood up and said that he would do his part for Zaun.
Silco nodded and lowered his eyes.
Zaun will not fall into depravity.