The banquet officially began. People in cloaks and masks drifted through the different halls—tall, short, fat, thin, every shape imaginable—and Logan's group was among them.
Under Logan's lead, they made their way into the music hall.
Poli had said the ballroom was the hottest spot at a masquerade banquet, but how could Logan not come watch the real excitement happening right now?
Logan hadn't come to Noxus to dance. He came to build a relationship with Swain. If possible, he wanted the Twin Cities to trade for Noxus's runesteel forging methods—so their technological level could climb another step.
They already had an example of magic fused with science: Hextech. So Noxus's pride—its runic craft—might be usable too. Even if runesteel itself couldn't be applied directly later, Noxians' accumulated experience in how they used runes would absolutely be valuable to the Twin Cities' scientists.
Because the essence of Hextech gemstones was carving runes inside them, then using that to draw in the magical energy of Runeterra.
It wasn't all that different in principle.
And there was another reason: Logan wanted to talk with Swain. He hoped to cooperate with him—together, to block LeBlanc's plans.
Whether it was Azir or Xerath, those were enemies the Twin Cities couldn't handle right now. But if they could stall for a few years, Logan might actually reach a level where Azir and Xerath became manageable. And Heimerdinger's Hextech T-Rex was already showing progress—by then, whatever the professor built might become a secret weapon for the Twin Cities.
"I see Poli," Mel whispered as she moved close behind Logan, rising onto her toes. "He's over there."
Logan followed her hint and spotted Poli sitting in a corner of the music hall, half-hidden behind a bead curtain. He lounged openly on a sofa. Behind him stood a line of masked attendants.
Only a sliver of their faces showed; the rest of their bodies were swallowed by shadow. A row of silver masks hovered behind Poli like a cold, identical chorus—an unsettling sight.
And the woman who'd felt "off" to Logan earlier was there too—standing behind Poli, third from the left.
"Should we go over?" Mel asked.
As soon as Silco told her Logan's suspicion, Mel's first reaction hadn't been shock—it was more like: of course.
Swain had just pulled political power back into his hands, and the Black Rose immediately followed up with a banquet—inviting mostly lesser nobles, and even outsiders from beyond Noxus. The hostility between the Black Rose and Swain was obvious, and if possible, Mel hoped it wouldn't end up tearing Noxus apart.
She understood her position now. She was Mel Medarda of Piltover, not "Mel of Noxus."
But kind-hearted as she was, she still had complicated feelings toward Noxus.
It was her homeland. Of course she didn't want it to sink into deeper chaos.
"No need," Logan said with a small smile. "Watching from here is the same. If we get too close, you'll get caught in the blast."
Beside him, Jinx kept bouncing in place. Logan held her hand, but she still wasn't behaving—she swayed with the music, chin lifted. One free hand sat on her hip beneath the cloak. Under the butterfly mask, her mouth curled upward, her eyes bright.
Noxian music was always intense—aggressive, blood-pumping.
Even in a "high society" banquet, they used war-drum rhythms as accompaniment. It was hard not to move with it.
Logan scanned the hall—and found what he wanted.
He found Katarina.
She wore a blue cloak, standing just outside Poli's curtain. Her hands were hidden beneath her cloak, and she slowly turned in place, swaying with the beat. She blended into the crowd so well she looked completely unremarkable.
Still swaying, Katarina drifted closer… and slipped through the bead curtain.
No one noticed. The guests inside carried on with their own business, and Katarina drew nearer and nearer to Poli.
Silco and Mel watched too.
Only Jayce and Jinx didn't—those two were genuinely enjoying the banquet, actually eating and drinking and having fun.
Logan's eyesight was far sharper than normal. The moment Katarina's swaying suddenly stopped—when she was still several meters from Poli—Logan narrowed his eyes.
And then—
Her tense body exploded into motion.
Katarina sprang forward like a cat, twisting mid-lunge and knocking someone aside. Her right hand, hidden beneath the cloak the whole time, snapped free—
A flash of silver.
Her curved short blade swept for Poli's throat.
"So it really is exactly like you said…" Silco muttered reflexively.
But as soon as the words left his mouth, his lips twitched.
Because the assassin missed.
Behind Marquis Poli, a dark red jointed limb shot out, blocking the strike. At the same time, a seductive figure "uncoiled" from behind the sofa—long legs twisting in an impossible pose as she slid into the light, one leg propped up under her own chin like she was casually resting on it.
She wore a black off-shoulder outfit. Her skin was snow-pale. Black gloves covered her arms, fading into a dark red gradient at the fingers.
A red mask hid her face. A gleaming gold collar circled her neck, and earrings glinted at both ears.
As she stepped in front of Poli, the jointed limbs retracted and curled around her back and abdomen.
"…"
Silco stared, stunned.
Logan had been right. That woman wasn't human.
She looked like a spider made into a woman.
Jinx and Jayce finally turned toward the disturbance, both of them loud and confused, staring at Poli's corner like they'd missed the start of a show.
Inside the curtain, several guests fled the moment Katarina's assassination failed.
But behind Poli, the "attendants" remained—silent, lined up in place.
Logan watched the woman with amused interest, and a name surfaced in his mind.
Right—Katarina worked for Swain.
And this one… was LeBlanc's.
Her name was Elise.
The Spider Queen—Elise.
But… did the timeline even match up?
Did Elise already have Vilemaw's power at this point?
Logan rubbed his chin, thinking as he stared ahead.
Inside the curtain—
Katarina's cloak had been knocked loose, exposing her true face. For a split second she was clearly shaken by Elise's form, but she recovered immediately, clashing with Elise in a blur.
Katarina wore a mask similar to Logan's, covering the upper left half of her face. After flicking her exposed right eye toward Poli's position, she snapped into motion—dropping into a deep backbend to evade a spider-leg thrust at her face.
As she rose, she surged forward with a rune-etched dagger, driving Elise back against a white pillar.
Katarina stabbed straight in.
Elise only tilted her head slightly, lifting her chin with elegant disdain. The blade skimmed past her cheek.
Katarina reacted instantly—twisting her forearm, dragging the edge to cut Elise's throat—
But two spider legs snapped up and blocked the dagger.
Behind Elise's red mask, crimson eyes fixed on Katarina with icy menace.
Then Elise's mask shifted—
And several small gray spiders crawled out from beneath it and from behind her body, launching themselves at Katarina.
Katarina jerked her dagger up, batting the spiders out of the air. Her long legs—boots with short heels peeking beneath her dress—kicked hard off the floor as she flipped backward, spinning to shake the spiders off. Even as she did, she shot another glance toward Poli's position.
In the next instant, Elise raised both hands.
Dense spider silk shot out, threads pulled by the twitch of her fingers, flying straight for Katarina.
"!"
Katarina slashed the webs apart.
As Elise pounced, Katarina moved like a dancer—light, fluid, and deadly—her dagger snapping out. But Elise wasn't slower in the slightest.
Her spider legs stabbed into the floor, and her body became even more flexible than Katarina's. With the legs acting like springs and anchors, Elise twisted into angles that shouldn't have been possible, evading Katarina's thrown blade.
At the same time, Elise yanked the silk, pulling herself closer.
More small spiders dove at Katarina.
Two spider legs merged into a single thrust toward Katarina's core—
Katarina slammed one dagger into the floor through the red carpet. Then she reached out, palm pressing against Elise's shoulder, using the force to swing her body upside down through the air—appearing behind Elise in a reversed arc.
Elise spun immediately.
Behind the mask, her scarlet pupils flashed with a predator's delight. She lunged at the midair Katarina, fingers clawing toward Katarina's face.
"Heh."
Katarina gave a contemptuous breath—
And vanished.
Space folded.
She reappeared behind Elise again—Shunpo—dagger in hand, body inverted. Her long legs scissored through the air in a smooth circle as she ripped the dagger out of the floor.
She spun—once, twice, three times—her tied-up red hair gleaming under the lights, beautiful and lethal.
A sharp glint flashed in her eye.
She landed, shifted to the side, raised both hands—
And slashed her twin blades across a spot beside her.
Rip—
Blood sprayed.
Poli clutched his throat with both hands, eyes wide with confusion, then collapsed forward with a heavy thud.
The instant Poli fell, a shriek tore through the hall.
"Everyone, step back."
Logan raised his hand, shielding Silco and Jinx. The wind surged under his control, forming a barrier against the sudden explosion of webbing.
"Sp-Sp—That's a huge spider!" Jinx yelped excitedly behind him, both hands gripping Logan's outstretched arm as she stared up at the ceiling.
The ceiling was already covered in webbing.
And there, clinging upside down, was a massive, horrifying spider—its many eyes all locked on Katarina, filled with cruelty and venom.
Katarina's assassination had succeeded. As she turned, she saw the giant spider too.
And in response, her beautiful face only tugged into a faint smile.
The target was dead. Now she just needed to report back.
Fighting that spider?
That wasn't even on her list.
It was obvious from the way she'd fought just now—she'd been tracking the target's position the entire time. That was why she lured Elise into her trap, turned the tables with her movement, and killed Poli while Elise wasn't paying attention.
"See you next time." Katarina's voice was light.
Then her body flickered and she bolted out of the curtain.
But when she saw a group still standing there—heads tilted, watching—her eyes shifted slightly. Other than the "attendants," she hadn't expected anyone to stay in the hall.
Still, she had no intention of investigating.
Getting out was what mattered.
Yet just as she was about to pass them, a black-haired young man wearing the same style of mask as hers lifted his hand and pointed behind her.
"Are you sure you just killed the real Marquis Poli?"
"…?"
Katarina stopped mid-run and stared at him.
"You killed the wrong one," Logan said evenly. "That wasn't the real Marquis Poli. That was just a decoy."
He extended his arm, pointing into the line of attendants.
"The one you want… is right there."
As Logan's finger landed on him, Srilan's eyes flashed with panic.
At the same time, the giant spider—still screaming earlier instead of chasing Katarina out—also turned its gaze toward Logan, multiple eyes burning with rage.
"Who are you?" the enormous spider demanded—speaking in a human voice.
Katarina reacted instantly.
Right—this thing was supposed to be protecting the target. If the target had truly died, why hadn't it chased her out? Why was it just screaming inside?
Following Logan's cue, Katarina spotted Srilan hiding among the attendants.
She narrowed her eyes, then turned back to Logan.
Black hair. Dark eyes.
Swain's intel had mentioned someone like this.
So Katarina tested him cautiously. "Logan of Zaun?"
Logan nodded. "Yeah."
"This doesn't involve you," Katarina said, drawing a deep breath, curiosity sharp in her tone.
She wasn't thinking about running anymore. Katarina didn't believe she could beat that spider monster—but since its attention clearly wasn't on her right now, she chose to stay.
Maybe…
Maybe she could use Logan to kill the real Poli.
As she spoke, the giant spider dropped down, shifting back into human form as she landed in front of Srilan—spider legs still arched behind her.
Elise placed one hand on her hip. Her pale, flawless face—small and exquisitely beautiful—was expressionless.
She said coldly, "Councilor Logan, have you forgotten who invited you to Noxus?"
"I think I'd enjoy working with Swain a lot more than working with the Black Rose," Logan replied, smiling as he stepped forward to face Elise.
Elise's voice turned even colder. "Isn't your reach a little too long? This isn't Zaun."
But she didn't advance.
Stories about Logan had already spread across Valoran.
This Zaunite… was powerful.
"My reach can go even farther," Logan said calmly. "Want to test it?"
He raised his hand.
Wind visibly gathered around it, coiling tighter and tighter until it formed a blade of air.
Logan looked at Elise without blinking. "Or you can have LeBlanc come out and talk to me. Maybe then I'll reconsider."
Then Logan's smile faded, and his voice turned sharp.
"Elise—you're just Vilemaw's slave. You're not worth talking to."
"!!!"
Elise's expression cracked.
Fear flared across her pale face as she stared at Logan in shock.
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