Someone in the League, but it's the Taiwan Server System

"Go boss, go!" After landing the assist, Ahri went back to being a cheerleader on the sidelines.

It must be said, her assist was absolutely brilliant.

Chen Ce couldn't help but want to give her a raise.

"Well done!"

As the two swordsmen were forced to charge forward, he immediately cranked the rotation speed of his long spear to the limit.

The next moment, thud, thud!

Two strikes landed, leaving Yasuo and Yone's heads buzzing.

"Had enough?" After knocking them both dizzy, Chen Ce used his spear to nimbly flick the swords from their hands—Three Talon Strike, perfectly disarming all three blades.

Now, they were completely out of options.

"Now, can you listen to me properly?"

Today's update and bonus chapter will be posted tonight~

Chapter 31: Paying Respects to the Pale Lady

For a swordsman, having his blade knocked away means he has lost—lost completely.

Even saying things like "if the sword is in your heart, everything is a sword" is useless—if you can't win with a real sword, do you really expect to win by grabbing a random tree branch? That's just self-deception.

Just like now, the two swordsmen, Yasuo and Yone, knew they had thoroughly lost.

Yone looked at his twin blades lying in the distance and sighed silently—he was still feeling a bit dizzy.

That strike just now had nearly knocked him unconscious.

Yasuo was much the same.

However, given his personality, he seemed unwilling to admit the truth—

"Again! This time I will definitely cut your spear in half before you can disarm me!" he roared, clutching the large bump on his forehead.

"Enough..." Yone, also clutching the bump on his own head, tugged at him. "Any more and it would be impolite."

"..." Yasuo shut his mouth, looking indignant.

The two brothers sitting on the ground clutching their foreheads looked rather comical.

That blow had left them a bit dazed; right now, they looked like two brothers, different in temperament, who had just been disciplined by an adult.

Ahri couldn't help but laugh out loud at the sight of them sitting on the ground rubbing their heads.

Chen Ce was more composed: "I've already introduced myself, so I won't repeat it. Let's get down to business—the truth about Elder Souma's death."

"We are listening." Compared to before, Yone had become much more docile—given that the other party could easily kill him, questioning was meaningless.

Questioning is a "choice" for the strong against the weak, not a "request for knowledge" from the weak to the strong.

He could choose not to believe, but he had to listen.

Besides... as he had said before, he wasn't entirely filled with doubt and hostility; he just wanted to be cautious and confirm things further.

"Good." Chen Ce nodded with satisfaction, resisting the urge to say, I still prefer the way you looked when you were unruly.

"In short, I know who the real killer of Elder Souma is and where she is—it wasn't Yasuo, but a female knight from Noxus."

Hearing this, Yone instinctively wanted to ask, "How can you be sure?" but as soon as he saw the slightly oppressive look in the other's eyes, he consciously kept his mouth shut.

Chen Ce continued: "That Noxian female knight is named Riven. She is brave and skilled in battle, wielding a black stone runic blade personally bestowed upon her by the Noxian Emperor, Braum Darkwill. The energy contained within it is astonishing."

"When that black stone runic blade is pushed to its limit, the energy within can erupt in a form similar to a gale, with power so great it cuts through iron like mud and destroys everything in its path."

Hearing the words "gale," both Yasuo and Yone instinctively frowned, but they didn't interrupt Chen Ce's narrative.

"Not long ago, Riven was ordered to protect a warband passing through the contested Navori Province—she didn't know what that warband was carrying... and as it turned out, she was betrayed by the Empire."

"At Dragonspine Canyon, the leader of the Placidium Resistance Army, Irelia, and I intercepted that warband."

As he spoke, Chen Ce turned to look at Yasuo. "Yes, Dragonspine Canyon, the very battlefield you snuck away from the Elder to join that day. I imagine you must have seen the hundreds of Noxians who died miserably there."

"Back to the point... Riven was betrayed by the Empire at Dragonspine Canyon. The leader of that warband, Emystan, ignored her life and ignited a new type of chemical weapon that Noxus was desperate to test."

"The chemical flames erupting from the clay jars engulfed everyone in Dragonspine Canyon; even Irelia and I nearly lost our lives... Riven survived under the protection of her black stone runic blade."

"At the dawn after the flames died out, Riven, who had fainted from the chemical weapon, woke up. She realized she had been betrayed by the Empire."

"Amidst that sea of corpses, she suddenly realized how many evil deeds she had committed for the Empire over the years... She left Dragonspine Canyon in a daze, hoping to find someone who could shatter the runic blade in her hand for her—to shatter the Empire's commendation as a symbol of her complete break from them."

"And then... she headed toward a village."

Having said this, the whole matter was roughly clear.

Chen Ce looked again at the two stunned swordsman brothers.

"The moment the black stone runic blade was destroyed, the powerful energy contained within it poured out, killing the sword master who had destroyed the blade for Riven."

Hearing this, the hot-headed Yasuo finally couldn't help but stand up: "It was that damned Noxian who killed Elder Souma! Where is she now? I'm going to arrest her! I'm going to make everyone judge her!!"

"She's in the village," Chen Ce said bluntly. "I think I can take you to find her—I've met her."

"Then let's set off at once! No more waiting!" Yasuo urged.

Fortunately, Chen Ce was not the type to drag his feet. "That is precisely why I am here—let us depart."

"Go!" Yasuo was full of drive, the gloom that had shrouded his heart instantly dissipating.

But... Yone did not seem nearly as excited.

Because he knew... some things could never go back to the way they were.

From the moment Yasuo abandoned Yasuo, he had already lost his honor...

Even if he found the true culprit, he would still be unable to atone for the mistake he had committed...

"Samira has failed..."

Somewhere in Ionia, inside a dimly lit tent, the Noxian warband leader Emystan stared at a secret letter on her desk, lost in thought.

"Is this Ionian named Chen Ce truly so hard to kill? The poison gas couldn't finish him, the flames couldn't burn him, and now even Samira has failed to end him..."

"With such strength, how could he have remained unknown until now..."

"And then... Yasuo? To think Ionia still harbors someone capable of controlling the gale; this is nothing short of a disaster for the alchemical weapons of Zaun..."

"If the intelligence is correct, perhaps they really will reach some sort of agreement or partnership..."

"Hmm... this looks like quite a bit of trouble..."

Tap, tap-tap-tap, tap... The quill tapped rhythmically against the desk, the stimulant drink from Piltover reflecting Emystan's contemplative face.

"Intelligence... even with reports coming from within the Resistance Army, this matter does not seem so easy to resolve..."

"Perhaps I should have them do something... strike from within and without? Maybe..."

"Yes... it is time to petition the Pale Lady."

The quill stopped tapping, and Emystan pulled an envelope stamped with the seal of the Noxian Empire from her drawer.

[My respected Pale Lady, please forgive my incompetence and stupidity.]

[I have encountered some difficult problems on the front lines; please allow me to request your assistance.]

[The swordsman who has mastered the Way of the Wanderer may disrupt your plans. I believe the Empire needs to dispatch warriors of sufficient strength to crush them.]

[However, please be aware that the Resistance Army has already detected the presence of a traitor. We need a more meticulous plan—please grant me more time, and I will elaborate in a second letter. Perhaps a frontal assault is not the most appropriate approach.]

[If you could dispatch that warrior who once slew the King of Demacia to assist me, I would be eternally grateful and shall not fail my mission.]

[Additionally, please take note of the fleeing Samira. She has gone missing.]

[Respectfully, Emystan.]

Chapter 32: The Greatsword Shattered, The Knight Exiled

A broken blade.

What can a broken blade do? Riven did not know.

The fractured Black Stone Rune Blade was still etched with the language of Noxus. Those characters were bound to her, destined to exist with her forever, much like the flesh and bone of her own body—destined to belong to Noxus for all time.

Ever since the blade shattered, she had been wandering the lands of Ionia for a long time.

Her consciousness was so hazy, her thoughts so chaotic... she could not even remember what she had endured.

The only thing she would never forget was the fire that made her head feel as if it were splitting apart... those acrid scents, and the chemical flames filled with wails and curses.

She had escaped death; the betrayal of Noxus had not claimed her life.

Yet... sometimes she could not tell if Noxus had betrayed her, if she had betrayed Noxus, or if it was perhaps a mutual betrayal?

She did not understand. The broken blade in her hand could not give her the answer.

She could only continue to tread through the sticky, rotting mud of the wet season, wandering like a lost ghost across this land she had once harmed.

As the disgusting yellow mud splashed onto her ankles, she seemed to recall something else... events from the night she was betrayed.

She remembered searching frantically for someone who could shatter the greatsword, and then... then she found an old man.

The old man's voice was calm and peaceful. The atmosphere in his room of Meditation was heavy, weighted with thought and incense. He did not judge her, nor did he judge her burden.

Yes, yes... the old man had shattered the greatsword for her... she was grateful to him, but what happened after...?

A surge of powerful energy... a hurricane... a gale sharp as a blade...

Riven felt another splitting headache.

The rains of the wet season fell so frequently that they began again before her clothes had even dried.

She remained lost. She continued to wander, devoid of awareness.

When she looked up again to gaze at the scene before her, she saw a familiar sight:

It was a village. A village plunged into chaos.

It was like a form of guidance... a guidance like the Ouroboros of fate.

She had been here before. On that desperate, rainy night.

She heard sounds that made her silent heart grow tense, flustered, and bewildered once more:

"Have Elder Yasuo's remains been cleared away?"

After several days of travel, Chen Ce finally laid eyes on the village that had nurtured the Windswordsman.

At that time, the truth had yet to come to light. Yasuo dared not enter the village directly, and Yone, who had been ordered to apprehend him, remained outside with him.

Chen Ce entered the village alone, accompanied only by his "police dog," Ahri. If he wanted to find Riven's exact hiding spot in this village, Ahri's incredibly sensitive nose might save him a great deal of trouble.

The relentless rain of the wet season made the air feel thick and sticky, yet Ahri could still instantly pick up that unusual scent—a powerful energy that remained distinct even in its dilapidated state.

"Boss, this way!"

Ahri held an umbrella for Chen Ce while pointing the way, her delicate nose twitching from time to time; she truly resembled an obedient police dog.

"This Concubine can smell her... the scent of that blade is very obvious... This Concubine also smells the scent of farmland... Yes, this way."

The man and the fox searched through the village, their movements appearing somewhat suspicious—much like thieves looking to sneak into the village to make a quick fortune. Fortunately, due to the rainy season, this strange duo did not attract much attention.

Soon, Ahri led Chen Ce to a waterlogged field.

There, they saw a silver-haired woman sitting slumped on the ground, her eyes vacant.

She was filthy, her tattered clothes caked in mud, and many shocking wounds were visible on her exposed skin... She looked just like a scavenger who had been wandering for a long time.

Her messy silver hair, matted with rain and yellow mud, clung to her scalp and forehead. Her hollow eyes remained fixed on the ground, and dried blood that could not be washed away stained her nose and the corners of her mouth, leaving her in a wretched state.

At this moment, she possessed none of her former heroic spirit, as if the woman who had once stood before Irelia wielding a massive black stone runeblade was not her at all.

The broken greatsword lay by her feet, exuding a profound sense of degradation.