Yasuo's Arrogant Heart

To Li Ke, Elder Souma was a deeply respected elder. It was only because Souma had taken him in that he had been able to grow up in Ionia without worries.

But Li Ke clearly remembered that Elder Souma had not died peacefully of old age. He had met a violent death, killed by the power of wind. And at the time, everyone in Ionia knew that only Yasuo and Elder Souma could wield the power of wind.

Thus, when Yasuo had wanted to join the war that day, he was identified as the murderer. Elder Souma's disciples all set out to hunt Yasuo down. Unable to clear his name and unwilling to die bearing such disgrace, Yasuo had no choice but to kill all his fellow disciples.

In the end, he had even killed his own brother, Yone.

Of the entire Wind Technique school, he had been the only survivor.

But Li Ke, who had loved playing Yasuo back on Earth, naturally knew that Yasuo was not the killer. The real culprit had actually been Elder Souma himself.

That was right, Elder Souma himself.

It had truly been a tragedy. Riven, betrayed by the Noxians, had chosen to leave Noxus. She had wanted Elder Souma to break away all her past and glory—her runic sword—so that she could cast aside the past and begin a new life.

Then Elder Souma had tried to use the Wind Technique to sever the sword in her hands, but tragedy struck.

The runic sword exploded. Violent wind elements, carrying fragments of the blade, pierced through Elder Souma's throat. Distraught and believing that she had brought disaster upon someone yet again, Riven fled, while Yasuo became her scapegoat.

In this matter, Riven was at fault, and Yasuo was at fault too.

But before that cruel outcome...

Whose fault it was no longer mattered, because everyone had been wrong.

"But this future won't happen again."

Clenching the sword in his hand, Li Ke silently resolved that he had to stop Yasuo from sneaking away—or protect Elder Souma when he broke the runic sword.

What he had not expected was that just as he made that decision, Elder Souma suddenly appeared at the door to his room.

"Li Ke, you look much better."

Elder Souma slowly walked into Li Ke's room. Seeing Li Ke's rosy cheeks, he was slightly surprised by how quickly Li Ke had recovered.

"Thank you for your concern, Elder. This disciple has mostly recovered."

Li Ke lowered his head slightly in salute. He had always held profound respect for this teacher. Souma nodded. It was a good thing that Li Ke was spirited again, and he could send Li Ke somewhere safe sooner.

"Good. Then at dawn tomorrow, help me deliver a letter to Shon-Xan. A village there has been troubled by a magical beast. You and Yone will go there and eliminate it. Afterward, remain there for a while and make sure the village won't suffer any more magical beast attacks before returning. Also, keep this scroll safe."

As Elder Souma spoke, he placed a scroll and a letter before Li Ke.

Li Ke froze. He had just said that he did not want Elder Souma to die in that tragedy, and now Elder Souma wanted to send him away. Honestly, it caught him completely off guard.

"Elder..."

He wanted to say something, but Elder Souma waved his hand, telling Li Ke not to speak.

"That's settled. Rest early as well. You'll be traveling tomorrow."

After saying that, Elder Souma left Li Ke's room without giving him any chance to respond, leaving Li Ke utterly bewildered. He stared blankly at the letter and scroll on the table.

In Ionian society, if you did not want to die of embarrassment, you had to obey your master's orders unless you had completed your training.

Li Ke currently had no legitimate reason to refuse this mission, but he was also afraid that Elder Souma would die while he was away. After only a moment's thought, though, he came up with a solution that could satisfy both sides.

A spoiler.

"I'll just say I have the power of prophecy. That wouldn't be too outrageous a reason in Ionia."

Just as he made that decision, someone who looked like a villain walked into Li Ke's room, clearly displeased by the sight of him.

"Teacher actually gave you the mission instead of me. What a joke... If it were me, I wouldn't need Yone at all. I could handle it alone! And I wouldn't have to stay there like an idiot, waiting to see whether more magical beasts showed up!"

Yasuo, his face full of displeasure, began to sneer. He was deeply dissatisfied with Elder Souma's refusal to let him join the war. In his view, everyone in their dojo aside from Li Ke was a master swordsman. Even Li Ke was only held back by his frail body.

Did they not train in swordsmanship every day precisely to fight on the battlefield?

Elder Souma's worries for them were completely unnecessary!

Why?

Because he was a genius! He could overcome every difficulty!

Was there anything in this world that Yasuo could not do?

Li Ke did not feel like paying him any attention. Yasuo had never been beaten down by society yet, so this was simply how he was. He was only one step away from shouting that heaven came first, earth came second, and he ranked third.

Li Ke had long since grown used to it after all these years.

But Yasuo did not see it that way. He looked at the scroll and letter on the table, then at the medicine bowl beside Li Ke's desk, and a smile appeared on his face.

"Still, since I can't go to war, hunting beasts isn't bad either. How about it, Li Ke? Why not let me take this job?"

He had long wanted to venture out into the world. If Elder Souma had not stopped him, he felt that he would have become famous throughout the land long ago.

Since Elder Souma would not let him go to the battlefield, then he would make a name for himself another way!

"This is the Elder's mission for me, but..."

Li Ke wanted to tactfully say that he could let Yasuo have it. That way, he could stay by Elder Souma's side and ensure that Souma survived his fatal trial.

At the very least, he would not be doing something else while guarding Elder Souma—or even running off somewhere else.

Even if it affected the speed at which he could use and study dreams to grow stronger, there were things one should do and things one should not. Compared to temporary strength, he cared more about Elder Souma, who had shown him kindness.

However, Yasuo did not think that way. He did not wait for Li Ke to finish speaking before drawing his sword and slashing toward Li Ke's shoulder.

He was absolutely confident that he could sever a strand of Li Ke's hair without harming even the slightest bit of Li Ke's skin.

He only wanted to scare Li Ke.

"So, are you giving it to me or not?!"

Sharp sword energy rushed toward him. Li Ke's pupils suddenly widened, and his body moved on instinct as he drew his sword.

A crisp clang rang through the room as the edges of the two swords collided. Yasuo's sword tip pressed against the edge of Li Ke's twin-bladed sword, firmly stopping its blade above Li Ke's fluttering hair.

"How is that possible?!"

Yasuo's eyes widened as he stared in disbelief at Li Ke, who had steadily received his strike. Though that slash had only been meant to frighten Li Ke, based on Li Ke's usual performance, there was no way he should have been able to block it!

Li Ke struggled slightly to hold Yasuo's blade at bay, but excitement rose uncontrollably in his heart. In the past, his strength had been no match for Yasuo's. Forget blocking an attack—he could not even react. Before Yasuo, he had not possessed the slightest ability to resist.

But then, he caught the smell of alcohol coming from Yasuo.

This was bad.

Li Ke narrowed his eyes. Invisible qi began to coil around his body, strengthening it.

"Interesting!"

Laughing loudly, Yasuo pulled back his sword. His blood began to boil, and he started acting without restraint. Seeing Li Ke become vigilant, he shouted, gripped his sword with both hands, and charged at Li Ke once more.

"Come! Let's spar!"