Solving the Problem

"You bastards!"

The Noxian was so bad that it was almost laughable. His speech sounded like Noxian mixed with a Piltover accent, which made the officer certain he'd learned the language from Piltover merchants.

But he didn't care about that now. All he cared about was why the soldiers he'd sent out hadn't made a sound.

By all rights, the Ionians should have started screaming by now...

But before he could issue an order, he saw Li Ke pick up a broken spear from the ground and hurl it at him.

"Die!"

Li Ke's face was twisted with rage, as if he were staring at his father's killer. The spear whistled through the air, its shrill howl enough to make anyone's blood run cold.

He didn't even try to block it with his shield. The instant his bodyguard stepped in front of him with a shield, the officer's danger sense kicked in, and he quickly rolled out of the way.

The result was just as he'd expected. His bodyguard stared in disbelief at the spear through his chest and the iron-plated shield it had pierced.

Idiot. Did you think an Ionian warrior's attack was something you could just block?

After cursing his bodyguard, the officer rose and grabbed a solid metal shield from the side, holding it in front of himself.

Against warriors like these, only heavy metal armor and shields forged entirely from metal could hold up.

Unfortunately, even in Noxus, soldiers equipped with such heavy metal armor and shields were exceedingly rare.

Knowing Li Ke was making a last stand, the officer had no intention of hunkering down to defend while his men brought the villagers over. Li Ke would fight to the death before then.

That might reduce his casualties, but it would also earn him a reputation as a coward. He meant to be a shrewd yet brave general; he couldn't afford to be known as a coward.

In Noxus, there were almost no commanders who couldn't lead a charge!

"Everyone! Advance! Don't give him any room to dodge!"

He picked up his axe, moved to the front of the formation, and advanced on Li Ke.

The spearmen would keep Li Ke pinned down. When Li Ke got close, the officer would use his axe to entangle his weapon or body, then chop off his head—or let someone else finish him off with a spear.

Still, he couldn't stop thinking about how his other troops hadn't made a sound.

But it didn't matter. He could kill Li Ke first and deal with that problem afterward!

"This is troublesome..."

Watching the spear formation draw closer, Li Ke's expression grew more and more solemn. He let go of his scabbard and picked up an intact spear instead.

Swords were good, but in this situation, a spear or lance was bound to be more useful.

He channeled his energy into the spear, slowly gathering strength as he prepared to throw it—piercing one enemy and charging into their formation, or breaking several spears.

That would give him an opening.

But if he couldn't pull it off...

Li Ke silently touched the sword at his side, wrapped in black cloth.

Then he'd have no choice but to use his premium weapon.

He'd planned to deal with them as an ordinary player, but if it came to that, there was no point pretending anymore.

Shen was taking too long, though. Did he really have to wait until Li Ke was almost dead before breaking his vows?

Li Ke glanced at the motionless room and sighed. He could still take down these dozen or so men by himself, but the cost would be high.

He'd end up with at least two more holes in his body, not to mention a dozen new scars.

That would hurt like hell.

"But a man must do what he believes is right."

He'd seen them. He'd be passing by. So why shouldn't he help?

His gaze, sharp from the very beginning, suddenly fixed on a Noxian soldier who had instinctively stepped back. Li Ke sprang into action.

He poured most of his recovered energy into the spear in his hand and hurled it straight at the man's chest without hesitation.

The spear shot through the air like lightning, piercing the iron-plated shield and carrying the young man down with it.

The spear formation wavered, and Li Ke unleashed the energy in his body once more, darting toward the enemy ranks like a ghost.

"Thrust!"

But the spearmen only had to shift their arms to change their aim. Though Li Ke altered his path as much as he could, a dozen spears still thrust toward him.

Their sharp tips were barbed. Even a shallow wound—or a snagged piece of clothing—could throw him off balance and send him tumbling to the ground, where they'd stab him to death.

So Li Ke didn't dare let his guard down. He burst forward again, slashing his blade diagonally downward to cut off two spearheads, then twisting aside to evade the first attack. But the motion threw him off balance. If he hadn't braced himself with one hand, he would have fallen flat on the ground.

Then a flash appeared before Li Ke's eyes. It was the tip of his blade.

Right. The fights Li Ke had faced had been far too overpowered, so Yone's sword was still...

Broken.

But the officer, gripping his massive axe, charged in behind his shield. He swung the axe down toward Li Ke's head as Li Ke changed direction again.

Normally, an ordinary person couldn't change direction a second time. That was exactly the moment the officer had been waiting for.

Lito, who had arrived long ago and watched his daughter and Shen rescue the villagers under Li Ke's direction while he faced the Noxians alone, let out a roar and joined the fight.

A streak of swordlight shot from beside him, flying toward the Noxian with the axe.

"Hmph! Is this what Souma taught you? Are you helpless against a formation like this, Yasuo?"

But at that moment, Li Ke unleashed the last of his energy. He slapped the ground, sending himself flying forward once more.

The long blade in his hand trembled. Like a cannonball, he crashed into the Noxian officer's arms. The quivering tip of the blade pierced through him. Li Ke had imbued the blade with Overdrive, and it easily pierced the solid iron shield and armor the officer had trusted so much.

The officer had waited for Li Ke to change direction and lose his ability to fight. But hadn't Li Ke been waiting for the commander to get greedy and charge in?

"You wretched bastard..."

The Noxian's broken Ionian emerged as he stared at Li Ke in despair. He couldn't believe anyone could summon such strength again from that impossible angle. Nor could he believe that a sword without a tip could still kill a man.

He'd guessed Li Ke had another trick up his sleeve. He just hadn't guessed Li Ke could actually kill him.

But then something happened that shocked him.

A fluent voice in Noxian reached his ears.

"You're the one who's going to die, you scum."

This man was downright underhanded!

That was the officer's final thought.