The old woman beside them stared in a daze. "You... you..."
"Am I frightening?" Riven shook her head in dejection. Her powerful aura could not conceal her despairing wish to die. "Please go. I won't hurt you..."
"No, I mean..." The old woman shook her head too, then pointed at the wound on Riven's arm. "Your wound has reopened. You need to bandage it, child."
"Hm?" Riven froze.
The old woman had already taken a strip of cloth from the small bag she carried with her.
"This is cloth I use for making clothes... You'll have to make do with it for now, child."
"..." Riven stood stiffly in place, feeling the rough touch against her arm.
And... a warmth she hadn't felt in a long time.
"I... I'm from Noxus..." she repeated.
"I know. You already told me," the old woman replied.
"I've hurt this land... I've killed so many people..."
"I know. I know all of that... But you've changed, haven't you?" The old woman sighed too. "Don't say any more for now. Come with us. You hurt those Noxians, and they won't let you go."
"..." Riven remained silent, her body still stiff.
She didn't even know when she had started following the old woman away.
But... at that moment, she truly felt something different.
Something... she seemed never to have had before... a strange feeling... one that put her at ease...
Chen Ce watched Riven leave with an old woman—or rather, protect the old woman.
Not long ago, she had only obeyed Noxian orders, a heartless butcher who'd been like a killing machine for the empire. Now, in the blink of an eye, she had "awakened" and chosen to protect the very people she had once hurt. Such a drastic change seemed abrupt.
But Chen Ce knew there was a logic beneath that abruptness.
He recognized the old woman: Shava Konde, a plainhearted woman of utmost sincerity and kindness.
In the original timeline, she had taken in Riven after she lost her memory and treated her with genuine, deep affection, regarding her as her own daughter—even though she had known Riven was Noxian the first time they met.
Grandma Shava's children had all died in the war. She hated war, and she hated the invaders too, but in the end, she chose to forgive.
She understood that endless hatred would only lead to more deaths, leave more parents without their children, and stain this beautiful land with more blood... So she chose to forgive every enemy who had turned over a new leaf.
Her forgiveness wasn't a sign of weakness.
She still had the courage to fight, and she would always support the Resistance Army on the front lines, determined to drive every last invader out of Ionia.
In truth, her forgiveness was also a way of forgiving herself.
It was a mutual redemption.
Eternal hatred would only bring eternal bloodshed and death. Someone had to be the first to choose forgiveness.
And Shava Konde was a great woman, brave enough to take that first step.
Chen Ce respected her wishes.
Of course, that didn't mean he would forgive Riven on behalf of everyone just because Shava had.
There still had to be a trial, and the punishment still had to be carried out—whether by this village's judgment or the Resistance Army's; whether it meant a living sentence or the death penalty.
Still...
Perhaps Riven could find her own path to redemption.
She could start by protecting this village.
Saving others was also a way of saving herself.
Chapter 36: One Man Holds the Pass, Ten Thousand Cannot Break Through
This little village, home to barely a hundred people, had withstood the siege of over a thousand Noxian soldiers.
It was worthy of being the village that had nurtured three legendary swordsmen: Elder Souma, Yasuo, and Yone. Its martial strength was formidable.
The villagers weren't all swordsmen, nor was the whole population mobilized for war, but every household could produce one or two capable fighters. The village's average combat strength was terrifyingly high, even comparable to that of some elite Placidium Resistance Army squads.
But... the situation was still dire.
Noxus had far too many soldiers.
Though the swordsmen were stronger individually, they couldn't each take on a hundred enemies. Faced with such an overwhelming numerical disadvantage, they soon began to tire.
They had fought from dusk until late at night, and many swordsmen had already fallen beneath Noxian blades and axes.
Even Yasuo and Yone were beginning to tire of killing. They had been surrounded several times and nearly slain.
Those still strong enough to fight were probably just Chen Ce, Ahri, and...
The Exile Blade, Riven.
"Let me help you."
The burning houses lit up the silver-haired woman's calm face, reflecting the peace in her eyes.
Perhaps she had found her path—a road to redeeming herself and others.
It was a thorny path, and not an easy one to walk. She could lose her life at any moment, but she had no regrets.
"Have the women and children been settled?" Chen Ce didn't ask why she wanted to help him fight the Noxians. The answer to some questions was already obvious.
"Yes. They've been evacuated safely."
Riven walked over slowly, her broken greatsword dragging along the ground with a series of grating screeches.
She came to Chen Ce's side and faced the hundreds of Noxian soldiers in the darkness ahead—the comrades she had once fought beside.
"I'll help you drive them out... Please trust me this once."
"Don't ask for my trust with words. Earn it through your actions." Chen Ce shook his head, then glanced at the bandage on her right shoulder, where Yasuo had pierced her with his sword. "Did Grandma Shava bandage that for you?"
"Yes." Riven nodded. A rare hint of gentleness finally appeared in her eyes. "She's a very kind person..."
"Then I hope you won't betray that kindness."
"I won't."
"Shall you go first, or shall I?"
"I'll go."
Riven took a deep breath. The broken sword in her hand erupted with astonishing runic energy once more, coating her exhausted, weakened body in a sturdy shield of energy.
Countless flaming arrows flew toward her, but she didn't even try to dodge. They struck the shield and did no more than stir up ripples of green light.
Then she untied the cloth bundle from her back.
Numerous glowing metal fragments rose into the air and flew toward Riven. They hovered around the broken sword's tip, almost forming a complete greatsword—though wide gaps remained between the pieces.
The broken sword was reforged, but the knight was no more.
"Haah—!"
Riven rushed forward and swung at empty air.
The runic energy stored within the greatsword burst forth in its entirety. An unstoppable force tore open the night, and fierce winds swept toward the oncoming Noxian soldiers like countless invisible blades.
Boom—! Rocks shattered, blades were destroyed, and countless Noxian bodies flew through the air like kites with severed strings before crashing heavily to the ground, instantly losing consciousness.
"I'll hold this side." Riven stood directly in front of the village entrance. "The rest is up to you."
"No problem." Chen Ce nodded, then looked toward the Noxian Legion surging in from the other direction. There were more of them over there, but fewer Black Mages.
That suited him perfectly.
With Riven holding this side, he could charge the other without holding back.
"Where I stand, I fight to the death!"
The man and his spear charged into the crowd once more, and in an instant several more men were sent flying on the spearpoint.
At the same time, several more swordsmen were surrounded and eventually fell beneath a rain of blades.
This was a brutal war, one that had always been destined to pit a few against many.
As every second passed, the casualties grew more severe.
The bright moonlight shone upon the ground, illuminating a sea of corpses stretching beyond sight and the blood flowing through the fields and ditches.
Riven's side was gradually struggling to hold on too. Fortunately, Yasuo, Yone, and Ahri rushed over in time, barely managing to hold the line.
But Chen Ce was truly fighting alone. He had thought he could handle things on his own, so he had sent everyone else to reinforce Riven.
But he hadn't expected... the enemies to be endless.
For every ten he killed, another twenty came.
He had underestimated Emystan's resolve. That damned woman had probably gathered every soldier in the area.
This wasn't a probing attack, and Emystan wasn't underestimating her enemy in the slightest.
She had resolved to wipe out the village before the Placidium Resistance Army's reinforcements arrived.
No sacrifice was too great to achieve that.
She was ruthless, but not foolish. She wouldn't underestimate her opponents or grow arrogant. Once she made a decision, she would give it everything and maximize her chances of success.
Gradually, Chen Ce began to struggle too.
He was nearly out of Corrupting Potions, while the mass of black-clad soldiers stretched as far as the eye could see. No matter how many he killed, they just kept coming.
The Black Mage squad's attacks were growing more frequent too. Even Counter Strike couldn't completely block the damage from their magic...
When the moon hung directly overhead, Chen Ce was already covered in wounds.
His mana was completely depleted, and his strength was failing. If he kept fighting, he would eventually be surrounded and killed.
But he didn't give up.
At this critical moment, as he looked at the last sip of Corrupting Potion in his hand, a plan to drive back the enemy quietly took shape.
As he killed several Noxian soldiers in front of him, he secretly drank the last of the Corrupting Potion.
Before long, some of his mana and vitality had returned.
He charged into the crowd again, willing to take wounds as he slaughtered them in the most brutal way. Every Noxian he killed met a gruesome end: some had their hearts pierced, others had their heads or throats run through. Almost none were left in one piece.
"Come again!" Chen Ce plunged his spear into the ground, then began meditating in full view of hundreds of Noxian soldiers.
After a single breath, most of the wounds on his body rapidly healed before their eyes—the combined healing effects of Meditation and the Corrupting Potion.
The bizarre sight shook many of the Noxian soldiers.
But their commander was still shouting from the rear: "He's at the end of his rope! Don't let him frighten you!"
At that, Chen Ce chuckled. He reached out, pulled his spear from the ground, and hurled it straight at the Noxian commander.
The instant the spear flew, he charged forward too.
He snatched a weapon from a nearby soldier, then activated Counter Strike and plunged into the crowd. The skill, which let him ignore most physical attacks, made him unstoppable.
Thud—! The spear pierced the commander's chest, and Chen Ce reached him at that very moment.
He grabbed the shaft and heaved it upward. A still-beating heart was flung into the night sky, and the blood gushing from it splattered all over him.
"Even outnumbered, taking your head is as easy as lifting a finger!"
"If you're not afraid to die, come on! Fight me again!"
"I can fight you until dawn!"
"Your blood is my sustenance!"
His powerful roars carried across nearly the entire battlefield. The Noxian soldiers who had been eager to steal his kills now began to falter.
This man... wasn't exhausted at all...
How could he have so much stamina? How could he be such a monster...
Could it be... that he really could feed on human flesh and blood to restore his strength...
Out of the hundreds of Noxian soldiers, not a single one had high morale.
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