The Day the Broken Blade is Reforged

And those full, fair, long legs... were slipping out from beneath the covers without the slightest concealment.

"Please don't stare at me like that..."

Irelia's pretty face had been flushed since early morning. It was, at least, a decent omen.

"Ahem... right... good morning, Miss Irelia..." Chen Ce hurriedly looked away and began gathering the equipment they might need today.

The instant he turned his back, a rustling sound came from behind him.

Irelia was getting dressed—or perhaps changing clothes.

A moment later, her slightly shy voice came through. "All right... let's go inspect the surrounding area."

"Mm." Chen Ce turned around and saw that the girl had already changed into her silver light armor.

She looked every bit the heroic warrior.

For the next two days, Chen Ce and Irelia surveyed the terrain and set traps.

First was the narrowest stretch of Dragonspine Canyon. That would most likely be where they faced the Noxian Legion.

They needed to do more than thoroughly study the terrain. They also had to place rocks and carve up the ground where appropriate, reducing the available space as much as possible. That way, the number of Noxian soldiers able to pass through at once would be effectively limited, easing the pressure they would have to bear.

They also needed to position rolling boulders along the cliffs in advance. That was another method they could use against the enemy.

When fighting few against many, they could only make greater use of the terrain.

Two people against more than a hundred fully armed Noxian soldiers had almost no chance if they were surrounded. No matter how capable Irelia was, it would be difficult for her to face a hundred people at once without any supplies.

Human stamina was limited in the end.

Reality was not a movie. There were no protagonists who never grew tired.

The two spent an entire day preparing for battle, and they did not even rest at night—they took turns resting and working.

The second day was much the same: scouting the terrain, setting traps, planning the map, and allocating resources. But they finished earlier than on the first day.

Because after one more night, those damned Noxians would arrive.

They needed to rest quickly, restore their strength, and prepare for tomorrow's vicious battle.

That night, they did not even dare light a fire, lest Noxian scouts discover their trail.

They packed up the tent and restored everything around them before resting side by side atop the canyon.

The bright moonlight fell across Irelia's fair, lovely face, highlighting the exhaustion between her brows.

Chen Ce looked at the girl's beautiful profile and wanted to say something flattering, but he was so tired that he could not even speak.

The wind atop the canyon was strong at night, and the chill of early winter had quietly settled in.

Without the shelter of their tent, they could only huddle closer together, trying to warm each other with their faint body heat.

Before they knew it, their hands had even touched.

Yet neither of them pulled away.

The atmosphere was a little intimate.

Until a sudden, faint sound shattered the tranquil, beautiful mood.

"Someone..." Irelia warned softly as she looked toward the other end of the valley. "I hear footsteps... very light, but there's more than one person..."

"Mm, I hear them too..." Chen Ce nodded. His body, relaxed only half a second ago, instantly tensed, his explosive muscles like a cheetah waiting to pounce on its prey.

They both withdrew their hands at the same time, and both felt a pang of regret.

"Be careful. I heard metal clashing... They probably aren't villagers from nearby..."

Irelia crawled forward and looked down. Her sapphire-bright eyes could somehow make out things even in the darkness.

"Armor... and crossbows... They aren't soldiers native to Ionia..."

"Then they're Noxian soldiers, right..." Chen Ce slowly reached for the spear he had placed beside him beforehand. The feel of a weapon in his hand immediately put him more at ease.

"What do we do? Attack...?"

"Wait a little longer..." Irelia made a stopping gesture and continued observing the situation below.

Those Noxian soldiers were heading up the canyon... but thankfully, not toward them. They were moving toward the canyon diagonally opposite.

"There aren't many of them, but they're spread out very widely... Don't act rashly yet..."

"Mm..." Chen Ce responded quietly, then crawled forward and cautiously poked his head out.

Their luck was good. The moonlight happened to shine over there.

About... twenty Noxian soldiers. All of them were crossbowmen.

This did not match the intelligence...

The intelligence had said that "in three days, a small Noxian Legion would escort a Secret Squad, numbering around 130 to 150 people." Yet this group of Noxian soldiers had the wrong numbers, the wrong timing, and no wagons or anything else accompanying them...

"They seem to be planning an ambush here..." Irelia made another discovery beside him. "They're hiding... Chen Ce, help me remember their positions..."

"Okay..." Chen Ce memorized them one by one in the direction the girl indicated.

Very soon, the hidden Noxian soldiers fell silent.

Chen Ce and Irelia did not dare act rashly either. After memorizing the soldiers' hiding places, they continued lying in wait.

Time passed second by second.

Neither of them even dared breathe too loudly.

Ten minutes, half an hour, one hour, three hours...

Several hours passed, and all of Dragonspine Canyon was as silent as a massive natural graveyard.

At last, dawn broke through the mountains, and the morning sun slowly rose.

Though she had not slept all night, Irelia continued staring intently at the corners where the Noxian crossbowmen were hiding.

"The situation has changed. There may be a vicious battle later..." she warned softly. "When the fighting starts, make sure you stay close to me..."

"Okay..." Chen Ce nodded, feeling the body he had kept still all night stiffen until it went numb.

The sun rose higher and higher.

The two of them grew more and more tense.

And that unease was magnified to its peak at noon—they saw a... no, a cluster of black dots at the entrance to the canyon.

It was the "Noxian Secret Squad and the small legion escorting it" mentioned in the intelligence.

More than a hundred people, fully armed.

There were infantry, cavalry, swordsmen, spearmen... and several wagons carrying who knew what.

Irelia narrowed her beautiful eyes, and the dozens of blade fragments hidden at her waist gradually unfolded with the movement of her fingers.

She intended to make her move.

"Listen, Chen Ce..." she said quietly one last time. "I'll go first... Watch what I do. Once I'm exposed, immediately release the boulders... When chaos breaks out below, we'll work together to take out the crossbowmen hiding atop the canyon first..."

"Okay..." Chen Ce nodded in agreement.

The next moment, the dozens of blade fragments behind Irelia all spread out, then fused into a massive blade that carried her charging down into the canyon.

In less than a breath, the two Noxian cavalrymen at the front had their chests pierced through by the blade.

The once-silent canyon instantly erupted.

Seeing that, Chen Ce immediately used his spear to knock several small stones beside him into the air.

In an instant, dozens of huge boulders they had prepared in advance all tumbled into the canyon.

Wails and battle cries blended into one.

With his spear in hand, Chen Ce rushed at top speed toward the nearest "hiding spot"—where two Noxian crossbowmen stared in shock.

A forward thrust, a sweeping strike, an upward slash.

Two still-beating hearts hung from the sharp spearhead.

Two bolts came flying from behind. Chen Ce, prepared in advance, immediately ducked to evade them, while stealing a glance in Irelia's direction.

But that single glance made his breath catch.

It was not that Irelia was in trouble. It was that he saw someone he should not have seen.

A girl... not much older than Irelia.

Short silver hair, green shoulder guards, and in her hands, a huge, intact...

Black Stone Rune Blade.

Chen Ce recognized her.

"Riven...!"

"Retreat!"

An anxious shout echoed through the canyon.

Irelia knew it was Chen Ce's voice.

But she did not understand why Chen Ce was telling her to retreat, nor could she retreat—she was currently fighting several Noxian soldiers.

With the fallen rocks blocking the way, this already narrow stretch of canyon could only allow three or four people through at once. This was the best time to intercept them.

"Retreat—!" Chen Ce continued shouting.

"This is our only chance!" Irelia shouted back, swiftly finishing off the Noxian soldiers before her.

Then, she raced up the canyon by stepping on her blades and the fallen rocks, preparing to meet up with Chen Ce first and eliminate the crossbowmen hiding above—an open attack was easy to evade, but an arrow from the shadows was hard to guard against.

"Hold on a little longer!"

Irelia soon reached halfway up the canyon.

But just as she was about to meet up with Chen Ce, a powerful wave of magic energy suddenly struck from behind. Every hair on her body stood on end, and the sixth sense forged through years of battle told her that it was enough to kill her.

She spun around at once, commanding every blade fragment to circle around her and form an impenetrable Blade Wall.

Clang—! That violent magical energy struck her blade fragments head-on, producing a deafening crash like metal colliding.

When the dust settled, she focused her eyes and saw a woman with short silver hair, gripping a Black Stone Rune Greatsword, glaring at her.

"You dare intercept the army of mighty Noxus alone? You—deserve to die!"

"..." Irelia silently rearranged her blade fragments, her expression turning grave.

That strike just now... Though she had blocked it perfectly, several bleeding cuts had still appeared on her arms—as though they had been sliced open by blades.

Blades of wind.

This woman... was strong.

"It's too late to run now," said the woman holding the Runic Blade, raising her head arrogantly. "I respect your courage and strength, but today, you must die by my hand."

At those words, Irelia's gaze sharpened, and her breathing gradually steadied in rhythm with Blade Mastery.

"That depends on whether you have what it takes, Noxian invader."

"Heh, then let's find out!" Energy gathered within the Runic Blade in the woman's hand, and another fierce attack was already poised to strike.

Irelia glanced toward Chen Ce and gave him a reassuring smile before preparing to attack as well.

"I'll leave that side to you."

Clang—!

Splat—!

The sounds of metal colliding and flesh tearing intertwined, echoing endlessly through the canyon.

Relying on the indestructible Doran's Spear and the unmatched Three Talon Strike, Chen Ce had slain no fewer than fifteen crossbowmen.