Chapter 356: Death of Ku Shuo
"How, how could it be..." Master Kushuo's eyes were bloodshot.
He never expected that the ugly black catfish could be so terrifying.
Seven masters were crushed by Tam alone, the Shadow followers rebelled, and the Brotherhood killers were beaten by the Kinkou, Shadow, and Vastaya without any resistance.
It was originally a trap set for Irelia, but now it has become his death.
Master Ku Shuo was filled with despair and even lost his last bit of will to fight.
The opposite is:
Irelia has regained herself, completely free of hesitation and confusion.
"Ionia, your spirit will never fade!" The girl silently chanted the slogan that has inspired her to fight till now.
The powerful force bestowed by the soul of Ionia on this lucky girl poured out from her seemingly fragile body like an unstoppable invisible torrent.
Dozens of blades suspended around her were trembling violently in this invisible torrent, and slowly stretched out from behind her like arrows ready to be shot.
Finally, Irelia's mind moved: "Vanguard Blade!"
Instantly, cold light flashed, and sharp blades broke through the air. Dozens of blades tore through the air, making a sharp whistle, and in an instant, the speed exceeded the sound waves. Before the whistle reached Master Ku Shuo's ears, he had already pierced through his bloated and twisted shadow body.
"Ah!" Master Ku Shuo cried out in pain.
The rain of blades flashing with dazzling white light instantly penetrated his chest, which was surging with dark shadows, and pierced out from his back.
This blow, which would be fatal to an ordinary person, failed to kill Master Ku Shuo, who had now fallen into the state of being as corrupt as an evil spirit.
But this is just the beginning.
After piercing through the chest, the dozens of sword blades did not scatter on the ground.
They were like the spiritual flying swords of the sword immortal in the legend. Their flying trajectories changed flexibly according to Irelia's will, and they scattered in an instant, turning into a suspended sword formation that surrounded Master Ku Shuo.
And at this moment: "Blade impact!"
Irelia seemed to have turned into a flying sword, flying into the air at lightning speed, and finally broke through the air and rushed into the sword blade.
There was a flash of cold light, and the two people passed each other.
"Ah!!!" Master Ku Shuo's left arm fell off, and the surging dark shadows around him also dissipated a lot.
His eyes turned red and he wanted to fight back.
But it was all in vain.
Irelia alone can easily suppress it, not to mention that she is accompanied by Zed, Shen, Yi, Yongen and Yasuo.
There was no suspense in this battle, it was just a one-sided crushing victory.
So, not long after...
The Brotherhood killers either died or surrendered.
Six of the seven masters have "disappeared out of thin air", leaving only Qingxia, who was beaten to the ground by Tam.
And Master Kushuo had already been defeated miserably by Irelia and the others. His giant shadow body had become shriveled and withered as the dark power dissipated.
He fell to the ground helplessly, waiting for his impending death.
"Father." Shen Jujian stood in front of Ku Shuo with a complicated look in his eyes.
"Master." Jie looked at him deeply, his expression full of emotion.
Irelia did not kill Kushuo directly. She was very tactful and left the final blow to the master Kushuo to the two brothers. It was up to them to kill him or not.
However, Jie and Shen were slow to give an answer.
The air is somewhat oppressive.
Until Tam came over with a round belly and burping.
Perhaps because he had enjoyed his meal to his heart's content, Tam did not seem impatient.
He pointed at Kushuo politely and asked, "Hey, can I have this?"
Shen, Jie: "..."
"No!" Master Ku Shuo's pupils were covered with black mist and his expression was distorted with fear.
Seeing Tam's bloody mouth approaching, he begged in panic: "Shen, my child, do you really want to feed your father to this monster?"
"It's okay, I can choose not to eat you." Tam interrupted him.
He even said to Shen and Zed considerately, "Anyway, what I really like to eat is the soul. I can leave the body to you guys, and build a tomb for it or something."
Shen, Jie: "..."
“Be careful! Jie!” Master Kushuo said while struggling: “I am your father, your master…”
"Father." Shen sighed deeply: "This is the last time I will call you father."
He looked at the shadow energy that had not yet dissipated in Master Ku Shuo's eyes, and saw his ugly hysterical and cowardly appearance, and finally became completely disappointed: "My father is the guardian of balance, and you... are just a slave of the shadow."
“No! No!” Master Kushuo went crazy: “I didn’t… I didn’t! I didn’t betray Balance! Everything I did was for Balance and for Ionia!”
"Really?" Tam came closer with a grin.
It touched Ku Shuo's forehead with the tip of its tongue and said, "Your soul is now exposed to me without any defense."
"Tsk tsk..." Tam smacked his lips, savoring the food carefully. "You are truly incredible, Ku. I'm afraid that the 'snacks' I've eaten in the past ten thousand years are not as many as the ones you've killed in the past two years!"
This is not an exaggeration. Tam is more concerned with quality than quantity when eating, and when he encounters prey, he likes to spend a lot of time cultivating it. After all the choosiness and hassles, he can only eat a few in a year.
If we really talk about "cannibalism", any alchemist baron in Zaun is better at "cannibalism" than this ancient demon.
As the leader of the infamous Navoli Brotherhood and one of the most powerful warlords in Ionia, Master Kushuo is obviously no less capable of "eating people".
"Ku Shuo, you should think about it carefully--"
"Do you want me to tell your son, your fellow disciples, and your younger disciples here what you, the highly respected leader of the Balance and the Eye of Twilight, have done specifically in the past two years?"
"I..." Master Kushuo choked.
Tam's move, which was comparable to "publishing web browsing history", actually dispelled a lot of the black fog in his eyes.
"Save some dignity for yourself, and for the Order of the Balance." Kenan came over with a sigh: "Ku said."
Kennen looked at Akali and the younger generation of the Order of the Balance who were present like Akali.
"The children are all here." Kenan advised: "Kushuo, don't forget that you are still their teacher."
Master Ku Shuo was silent for a while and finally stopped struggling.
The black mist in his eyes gradually dissipated, and tears quietly wet his eyes.
"Master Shen?" Tam looked at Shen tentatively, waiting for his final answer.
Finally, Shen spoke: "Souls corrupted by the shadow will turn into evil spirits after death."
His answer is self-evident.
The best fate for evil spirits is to die under the soul blade of Twilight Eye;
Or, before this fallen soul becomes an evil spirit, it will be swallowed by Tam.
"If we seek a balance, we must take necessary actions... We must judge the situation and sacrifice one thing to save the others."
Shen silently recited the "Commandment of the Balance" that his father taught him word by word when he was a child, and forced himself not to look at Ku Shuo.
Jhin, Kennen, Meimu, Akali, and other followers of the Order of the Balance all looked at Master Kushuo with complicated eyes, bidding farewell to the former leader of the Order.
Finally, Tam stuck out his tongue.
The tip of the tongue gently brushed across Ku Shuo's forehead, and like the soul-catching rope of the messenger from hell, it snatched away Ku Shuo's twisted and corrupted soul.
Ku Shuo's soul was eventually silently annihilated in Tam's huge mouth.
And his body slowly closed its eyes and died peacefully.
The king's ambitions and the pile of bones are now only echoed:
"Hiccup~"
…
Ku Shuo died, the Brotherhood killer was defeated, and six masters including Ravi also died in the giant mouth.
There is only one person left on the Brotherhood side who has not been dealt with, Qingxia.
Master Qingxia had been injured by Tam before, but he had recovered some of his strength and staggered to his feet.
Seeing Ku Shuo dead, he sighed softly and took the initiative to walk towards Tam.
"What do you want to do?" Tam looked at him warily: "Baldy, do you want to fight again?"
"No." Master Qingxia answered calmly: "I just came here to die."
"Go away!" Tam avoided him with disgust: "If you want to die, go find someone else. You are so disgusting!"
Master Qingxia was left aside by Tam, and Jie, Yi and others knew that this guy was in a special situation and was not the kind of greedy and corrupt person, so they were unwilling to kill him.
Everyone looked at Irelia.
Master Qingxia is her subordinate. How to deal with this traitor of the resistance army depends on Irelia's intention.
"I..." Irelia hesitated again.
"Don't hesitate." Master Qingxia taught her instead: "Irelia, you are the leader, do what you should do."
"I am fighting for my own beliefs. I have no regrets and I don't need pity."
Irelia remained silent.
This disappointed Master Qingxia: "You are still so indecisive, Irelia!"
"Someone as naive and indecisive as you can't be a good leader." Master Qingxia seemed to want to die. He cursed: "A leader is someone who can make the right decision amid opposition."
"Whether you insist on returning to tradition or taking some other path, there will always be opponents. If you can't bear to kill even traitors, how can you continue on your path?!"
"You're right, Master Qingxia!" Irelia seemed to have made up her mind and suddenly answered solemnly: "I'm not a qualified leader - that's why I need your assistance!"
"You..." Master Qingxia was stunned at first: "You still want me to live?"
"Yes!" Irelia nodded solemnly: "Not only do I want you to live, but I also want you to continue to be my assistant."
"But I have betrayed you, Irelia." Qingxia reminded .
"Even so, I still need you." Irelia gritted her teeth: "Because apart from you, I can't find any other comrades in the resistance."
In addition to Master Qingxia, the Gale Sect, Ravi and other six masters, there are 24 masters from different sects and families in the top leadership of the resistance army.
They did not betray Irelia, they are not traitors.
But although they were not traitors, they could no longer be considered her comrades.
The masters only want to build the resistance into the second Brotherhood and Ionia into the second Noxus. No one is willing to continue dreaming with Irelia.
"But I am not your comrade either." Qing Xia said, "I do not agree with your ideals. Even if you forgive my betrayal, I cannot help you pursue your unrealistic ideals."
"I know!" Irelia's eyes were firm.
She said: "I have realized that returning to the traditional path is not feasible. So now I want to try a new path."
As she spoke, Irelia looked at Master Yi and the leaders present:
"Most of the masters and seniors of the resistance army will not walk this path with me."
"I'm afraid the only one who is willing to accompany me is you, Master Qingxia ."
"I..." Master Qingxia had a complicated expression.
He also looked at the leaders present and said, "Their path is not easy."
Irelia's mere desire to return to tradition has already caused much dissatisfaction within the resistance;
If she tried to learn the Leader's tactics in Ionia, the masters would probably not only be dissatisfied, but would rebel.
"So what?" Irelia extended her hand to him. "Master Qingxia, you also said that the path of the Wind Leader is just 'difficult to walk', not impossible."
Yes, in fact, after listening to the debate between Ku Shuo and Leader, Master Qingxia had already realized:
With the support of the masses, the blessing of the goddess, and the unity of faith, the path of a leader may not necessarily be blocked.
"If they object, let them object!" Irelia figured it out: "Just like what Master Qingxia said..."
There was no longer any confusion in her eyes: "A leader is someone who can make the right decision amid opposition."
"If they don't follow me, I'll follow the leader!"
"This..." Master Qingxia looked surprised.
He didn't seem to expect that he could see such a resolute and decisive side in this naive girl.
Qingxia thought for a long time, and finally smiled with relief: "You have finally grown up, Irelia."
…
Here, Master Qingxia agreed to make amends for his crime and continue to assist Irelia and try a new path.
On the other hand, Luo also yearns for the leader's beliefs.
Shortly after the battle ended, he pulled out his copy of "A Brief Account of Janna's Thoughts" from his pocket and walked towards the leaders with great anticipation, like a newcomer to a fan club.
"Wait, don't get too close!" Xia stopped him at the last moment.
"What's wrong, dear?" Luo was still a little confused.
Didn't Xia support him in contacting the Leader before? Why doesn't she even let him have a word now?
"Luo, haven't you realized it yet?" Xia stood in front of Luo vigilantly, staring at Tam: "This fat catfish is clearly a demon!"
He is extremely powerful, has an evil aura, and eats human souls. Tam just revealed in his own words that he has lived for at least 10,000 years.
This is clearly a demon, and a terrifying ancient demon at that!
Ordinary people staying with such creatures are like mice and cats in the same cage.
Even though Tam showed no ill will towards them, Xia instinctively felt fear and discomfort.
"Luo, don't think about the Leader..." Xia pulled her boyfriend and wanted to run away: "The Leader can mix with this kind of ancient demon, I'm afraid he is not a good person!"
"Hey, how do you talk like that?" Before the leaders could even open their mouths to defend themselves, Tam started cursing first.
He rudely blocked Xia and Luo's way, pointed at Xia's nose and asked:
"Explain to me, why am I not a good person?"
"Huh?" Xia was slightly stunned.
Is there any need to explain this? Of course it’s because…
"Because I am a devil?" Tam seemed to have caught some key words, and his mouth started firing like a submachine gun.
"Can't demons be good people? I'm so nice to you, how come you feel in danger?"
"Little girl, this is a very bad racial stereotype!"
"Demons are also intelligent life forms. We may be of different races, skin colors, cultures, habits, and diets, but our souls and wisdom are the same. Whether or not to be a good person, to do good deeds, is entirely up to me to choose."
"We leaders believe in equality for all and the unity of all intelligent life. If you blatantly engage in racial discrimination like you do, you will be punished in our place!"
Xia, Luo: "..."
Just like Yasuo before, they were completely stunned by Tam's combination of punches.
Unlike Yasuo, the Vastayan, who have always been discriminated against and excluded by humans, feel more subtle about this accusation.
In the past, it was Xia and Rakan who angrily accused humans of discriminating against them.
Now, a catfish accuses them of discriminating against demons?
"This..." Luo looked at Master Yi and the others in shock: "You leaders are all equal, even demons are included?"
"Uh..." In fact, Master Yi also felt that something was not right.
But Goddess Janna said that we should unite all intelligent life in Runeterra...the lives of demons are also lives, aren't they?
"Yes." So Master Yi replied: "As long as the devil is willing to coexist peacefully with everyone, he is a 'human' like us."
"What about the Vastaya?" Luo asked.
"Of course." Master Yi said, "In the eyes of the Leader, all intelligent beings have equal status."
In fact, the Twin Cities had already stopped racial discrimination long before the arrival of the Leader.
After all, the population of Zaun and Piltover is mostly immigrants. These immigrants come from all over the world, from various countries and different races, and can be said to be of all races and species.
If there is discrimination based on bloodline and race, then the people of the Twin Cities will be discriminating against themselves.
So there is no racial discrimination in the Twin Cities.
They only discriminate against Zaun people and outsiders - in the final analysis, it is poverty that they discriminate against, not bloodline.
After the arrival of the Leader, the Twin Cities version has evolved from racial equality and gender equality to equality for all.
It’s just that the game version of Ionia is too backward, which is why this kind of racial discrimination based on bloodline exists.
"Did you see that, Xia?" Luo smiled and looked at his girlfriend excitedly: "In the land of the Wind Leader, even demons can coexist with humans on an equal footing."
"The equality we Vastayans pursue may be achieved through these leaders..."
"No!" Xia is not as naive and romantic as Luo.
Something about equality of all people beyond race, the great unity of all intelligent life... She doesn't believe in such stories that deceive children!
"Humans have deceived us so many times, why do you still trust them?"
"Heh, I see..." Xia looked at all the humans present with great distrust: "They are only talking about unity and friendship now because they need us to help them deal with the Noxians."
"Once the Noxians are defeated and a 'new enemy' is needed, it will be our turn as Vastayans to 'sacrifice'!"
Although Xia has not read the "Short Account", she does not know the theory summarized by Levi that the reactionary ruling class used racial oppression to divert internal contradictions.
But even without theory, the humans of Ionia have been doing this in practice for nearly ten thousand years.
As long as there are too many people and not enough land, humans will come and beat up the Vastaya and grab some land.
Fortunately, the Way of Balance provided indirect protection, so the Ionians dared only to nibble on small-scale attacks instead of launching large-scale wars...
Otherwise, the Vastaya people probably would not have survived these long ten thousand years and would have been killed to extinction by the greedy and evil humans.
"How dare you trust such a human?" Xia asked Luo, "We Vastayans are born with a different appearance from humans, and our overall strength is weaker than humans."
“If they say they don’t discriminate, does that mean they really don’t discriminate against you?”
Xia's concerns were correct.
When conflicts accumulate to the point where they need to find a place to vent, "difference" and "weakness" are enough reasons for the extinction of a race.
What's more, the Vastaya are so different and so weak compared to humans.
"You worry too much, Chief Xia!" At this time, Master Yi stood up.
He firmly said: What unites the leaders is faith, not blood, race or any other external identity. "
"We never rely on differences in appearance to distinguish between you and me."
"It doesn't matter if you have wings or a fox tail, as long as you share the same beliefs as us, you will be our most trusted comrade."
"Faith?" Xia said disdainfully: "Can something in the brain be more intuitive and obvious than something on the body, and can it give people a greater sense of belonging?"
"Of course!" Master Yi nodded: "Because our faith is visible and tangible."
As he spoke, he secretly performed a magical spell.
As the breeze blew, the threads of faith of everyone present were revealed.
Whether it's Yi who came from Wuji, or Jie from the Shadow Sect, or Akali from the Balance... these people of different backgrounds and identities all showed their common thread of faith.
"What is this?" Xia was still a little hesitant.
"This is our belief, the only identity recognition of a leader," Yi said.
A faith that can be materialized?
"This..." Xia opened her mouth slightly. She immediately realized what this meant.
But...is this true? Could this scene she saw be a play performed by the leader?
After all, it was just the materialization of a line. A trick of this level could be recreated by any magician.
Xia is not a leader either, and she cannot tell whether the thread of faith in front of her is Janna's magic or human magic.
She was thinking about this.
But her good boyfriend Luo suddenly patted her shoulder excitedly as if he had discovered some treasure:
"My dear, look—"
“I have one too!”
