Shaar's eyes went wide. On his old face, there was nothing but terror and confusion. He had absolutely no idea what was happening in front of him.
How had a sword that could speak suddenly appeared, and a man flying in the sky, holy shit, wait, he was flying in the sky?!
Too many things had happened in an instant, and even this seasoned desert adventurer couldn't make sense of it all for a moment.
His mouth hanging open, old Shaar then saw the young man in the sky extend a hand. The dark greatsword embedded in the sand pulled itself free and flew upward into his grasp.
Holding the sword in one hand as casually as if it weighed nothing, he swung downward once.
Whoosh!
The scarf wrapped around Shaar's face fluttered wildly, and he felt his hair whip around. Then, all at once, the Xer'Sai, those sightless creatures that had been growling moments before, let out a chorus of screams.
What rang out beside him was the sound of bugs being crushed. Starting with the first Xer'Sai near Shaar, it happened like a line of falling dominoes, every Xer'Sai that had burst out of the sand exploded into clouds of purple blood in the blink of an eye.
The hot, rancid blood of the Xer'Sai splattered across Shaar's face, and that finally shocked him back to his senses.
He dropped to his knees, pressed his palms together, and bowed toward the sky. Behind him, the surviving sandfolk, including the young man who had broken down earlier, copied his movements and began worshiping the black-haired young man in the air.
"Don't bow," Logan said quickly when he saw what Shaar was doing.
He was not used to being worshiped. Zaunites had always been rough and defiant by nature, and Logan, who liked to think of himself as a real Zaunite, naturally couldn't stand seeing people kneel to him.
Back when Janna had shown a miracle and appeared before the people of Zaun, Silco's first reaction had not been to kneel to her. He had gone straight to holding her accountable, condemning her for doing nothing about Zaun's condition, and he had lectured her hard for it.
If he hadn't later learned that Janna had her own difficulties, Silco absolutely would have kept going.
That was how it worked in Zaun. A so-called god only counted if you actually helped people. If you helped me, then fine, I'd acknowledge you, then you were a god. But if you couldn't help me and still called yourself a god while exploiting me, then you were a devil, and something Zaunites would kill.
But even though Logan told them not to kneel, it was obvious Shaar and the others were in no state to listen.
Seeing that, Logan felt a little helpless.
He looked off in one direction and saw Taliyah and Jax hurrying over. Jinx was out in front, sitting on the ground with her legs folded to one side and peering through a pair of binoculars.
Logan closed his eyes and spread his senses into the earth below. The Xer'Sai were still rushing through the sand, and dozens of them were lunging upward, attacking the kneeling sandfolk.
The Xer'Sai had no vision, but they could sense vibrations. The organs around where their eyes should have been worked almost like radar, making up for that through sound waves.
So the act of kneeling had given them a target, and creatures with no intelligence to speak of naturally attacked the sandfolk.
Did anyone expect the deaths of their broodmates to frighten them into retreat?
Of course not.
It would only make them more frenzied.
And Logan had no intention of showing mercy to these disgusting things. He had known from the very beginning that the Void would only ever be his enemy. There was no such thing as making peace with it. So Logan raised his hand and swung again.
He lifted Aatrox high, and a green light appeared across the blood-red blade. It was bright and vivid, green as living jade. With one sweeping slash, that green glow turned into flowing sword-light, passed straight through Shaar and the sandfolk, and sank deep into the sand below. In the next instant, the trembling, surging desert surface fell silent.
A sword that cut the soul, this was the Wuju Style!
"..."
"How was that swing?" Logan asked with a smile, looking down at Aatrox when he noticed the sword had gone quiet after all that grumbling.
The eye on the blood-red greatsword rolled upward. Aatrox snorted and said, "Not bad. It had a little of my old brilliance."
That slash really had been impressive. Since it struck directly at the soul, even Aatrox in his Ascended days could have been wounded by swordsmanship like that if he were careless.
And on top of that, they were killing Void creatures. If there was anything Aatrox hated most in this world, the first would naturally be the Aspect of Twilight that had sealed him and reduced him to his current state. The second would be the creatures of the Void.
So even proud, arrogant Aatrox, who almost never praised anyone, gave Logan rare praise.
Logan just smiled at Aatrox's prickly pride and chose not to tease him any further.
By the time Logan descended from the sky, Taliyah and the others had already arrived.
The little sparrow hurried over to Shaar the moment she stopped using her magic and reached out to help the older man up. Respecting elders and caring for the young, Taliyah really was a good girl.
"Everyone, get up. Stop kneeling," Logan said gently once he came to Shaar's side.
With Taliyah helping him to his feet, Shaar looked at Logan and asked in a trembling voice, "Are you... a god?"
Logan shook his head. "I'm not a god. If you want the truth, I'm just a traveler who came to Shurima to take care of something."
"But you can fly," Shaar said, unconvinced.
He could fly, and with one sword swing he had wiped out a whole pack of Xer'Sai. If that wasn't a god, then what was?
"There are plenty of people who can fly. I just happen to be one of them. Take a good look at me. Do I look anything like a god?" Logan said with a laugh.
Any mage who had some grasp of wind magic could manage flight once they were strong enough. Did that make them gods?
Hell no. Drop Garen's giant sword on them and they'd quiet down fast enough.
Only after hearing Logan say that did Shaar finally dare look at him properly. Then, as if he had recognized him, he asked carefully, "Are you Zaun's ruler?"
Logan nodded. He was not surprised at being recognized. Instead, he asked, "I have a question for you."
"Please ask, sir," Shaar said quickly.
Logan asked, "This place is infamous. The people around here all know it's dangerous, somewhere they shouldn't come. But you still dared to lead a caravan through it, so I'll assume you're a very experienced adventurer. My question is this, do you know Rek'Sai?"
At that, Shaar immediately said, "You mean the biggest Xer'Sai? If it's that one, then I know a little."
"Go on."
"As you said, there are very few adventurers in all of Shurima who can lead a caravan through the Bone Sea, and I'm one of them. If not for the lack of experience among the people traveling with me this time, and if everyone had followed my methods, it honestly wouldn't have been that dangerous. As for Rek'Sai, I saw her the last time I crossed the Bone Sea."
The Bone Sea. After thinking about it, Logan realized that was probably what the locals called this place.
Shaar continued, "At the time, we were just about to leave the Bone Sea and enter the region near Zirima. But right as we were about to get out, the earth behind us collapsed. An enormous pit opened up, and from it emerged a monstrous beast several times larger than an ordinary Xer'Sai. I recognized it instantly. It was Rek'Sai, the queen of the Xer'Sai brood."
"It seemed to be tunneling through the underground world beneath Shurima, and that caused the collapse. The caravan I was leading panicked. The commotion drew its attention, and it charged straight toward us. I immediately ordered my men to stab the horses carrying the goods. The horses bolted in every direction. We abandoned most of the cargo and the mounts, and that was the only reason we survived."
Shaar seemed to think of something then, and a little color came into his face. Looking at Logan, he continued, "I can't confirm the full extent of its territory. From what I know, they've shown up across much of Shurima. In the earliest days, they only appeared in the Bone Sea. But in recent years, there have also been sightings in Sai Faraj, Zuretta, and even Kalamanda."
"But one thing I can be certain of is that the Bone Sea must be their nest. If you're looking for Rek'Sai, then looking here is your best bet."
After hearing that, Logan nodded and turned to Taliyah.
"Teacher, I can only find the road," Taliyah said at once, shaking her head. There was no way she could track down something like Rek'Sai. Just being able to keep them moving in the right direction already felt impressive enough to her.
Then Logan looked at Jax.
Jax tilted his head up and stared at the sky.
What kind of joke was this? He had not been back to Shurima in centuries. Did they really expect him to find Rek'Sai?
At that point, Jax might as well just stick his head into the endless sand and start digging holes.
"Um..." old Shaar suddenly said. He seemed to hesitate over something, then when Logan looked at him, he clenched his teeth as if he had finally made up his mind.
"Zaun's ruler, I can help you find Rek'Sai."
When old Shaar said that, the words practically came out through gritted teeth.
His fists clenched tight. He didn't fully understand why he was doing this, but... he knew this was the best chance he would ever have.
He really was an experienced adventurer, one of the few who could make a living on the Bone Sea. But he also knew that as long as the Xer'Sai remained there, the place would never know peace.
A horse could stumble. He could not succeed every time. All it would take was one mistake, and he would lose his life and become food for the Xer'Sai.
And now... Zaun's ruler had come to Shurima and was specifically hunting Rek'Sai. After thinking it over again and again, Shaar decided not to let this chance slip away.
Even if it was dangerous.
Logan looked at him and said, "You know that decision could cost you your life?"
"I know. But I don't have another choice," Shaar said seriously.
Behind him, the sandfolk who had come with him seemed to realize what he intended to do. One after another, they looked at him with complicated expressions, but there was admiration in their eyes.
"How exactly do you not have a choice?" Jax said coldly. He walked to Logan's side, looked at Shaar, and said, "You can take your people and your goods and leave right now. No one here would blame you. This has nothing to do with you."
"How could this possibly have nothing to do with me? Sir, I'm Shuriman. The Bone Sea has buried countless Shurimans. And now that there's a chance to change that, of course I won't let it pass me by."
Shaar let out a bitter laugh, then looked at Jax and continued, "Besides, I'm already sixty-one years old. Not many people in Shurima live to be my age. I've already lived long enough."
"If you've lived long enough, does that mean you want to be eaten by Void creatures? If you want to die, there are plenty of ways to do it. Wouldn't it be easier to go home and just lie down waiting for death?" Jax's voice turned even colder.
Logan looked at Jax in confusion. He had no idea why Jax was suddenly so irritated.
Then, in the very next instant, Aatrox burst into laughter inside Logan's mind and gave him the answer.
Aatrox laughed wildly, his voice full of pride and delight.
"Hah! Saijax, you bastard, you're jealous! Jealous of the Shuriman Empire!"
"Logan, he's jealous! He's jealous that Shurimans can have this kind of spirit of sacrifice!"
Logan understood at once. Of course, Jax was Icathian, and Icathia and Shurima... had always been bitter enemies.
Logan understood what Shaar meant too, and in a moment like this, seeing Shaar act this way, Jax was naturally going to have complicated feelings about it.
One side's hero was the other side's enemy.
As long as nations and peoples still existed, that saying would never be wrong. At least, that was how Jax saw it.
"That's true. But I want my death to mean something," old Shaar said seriously.
The cloth around his face slipped loose, revealing his old features. His clouded eyes looked at Logan, and he bowed slightly before speaking in a deep voice. "Zaun's ruler, please allow me to travel with you."
"..." Jax fell silent and turned away, offering no more cutting remarks.
Yes, he hated Shurimans. But at the same time, he respected people like Shaar who were willing to sacrifice themselves for a greater cause.
After all, Icathia no longer existed.
"No, Uncle Shaar, it's all of us traveling together."
A voice rose from behind him. Shaar turned around and saw the other sandfolk stepping forward, each of them wearing the expression of someone prepared to die.
"If you really can wipe out the Xer'Sai of the Bone Sea, then all of us are willing to give our lives for it," a middle-aged man said.
Shaar was moved by that, and after a moment, he made his decision. Turning back to Logan, he took the lead and said, "Please allow us to come with you. We'll draw Rek'Sai out for you."
"Rek'Sai is different from ordinary Xer'Sai. She has some intelligence. If so many of her brood suddenly disappear, and someone as strong as you is here, then even if I told you how to lure her out, she'd stay wary and refuse to appear."
Taking one more step forward, Shaar said seriously, "But if we're the bait, that's different."
Looking at Shaar, Logan felt a little emotional. Who said the people of Shurima were just a scattered mass now?
Beside Logan, Taliyah's face was flushed red. Her small fists were clenched tight. If there had been a Xer'Sai in front of her right then, she would have thrown herself at it and killed it on the spot.
She was Shuriman. Naturally, she felt this more deeply than Logan did.
The only one present who was not moved by Shaar was Jinx.
The sun was brutal. Jinxie herself wasn't hot, but the light was blinding, so she had put her sunglasses back on and was standing there by herself, staring blankly with her mouth open.
"I understand. I accept."
"Thank you, Zaun's ruler."
A bright smile spread across Shaar's wrinkled face. His eyes were full of joy.
"But I think you've all misunderstood something. If you help me, I guarantee there won't be even the slightest danger. In the name of Zaun's ruler, I give you my word, I'll be responsible for your safety. I promise that not one of you will lose your life because of this."
Before they set out, Logan said that to Shaar and the others with a smile.
He lifted a hand and pointed at Jax, grinning as he said, "This one here is Jax. The Rek'Sai you're all terrified of, in his eyes she's probably just... a goat that knows how to ram people. So don't worry. He and I will protect all of you."
Shaar immediately looked at Jax. He did not doubt Logan's words in the slightest and did not think Logan was just trying to comfort him.
Because just looking at Jax made a person feel safe. Really, genuinely safe.
But when Shaar looked over, he saw Jax turn his back to him, snort coldly, and start walking away from them.
"Uh..." Shaar stood there with his mouth open, having no idea how he had offended this great man.
"Haha, he's already agreed. As for why he looks so unhappy, well... that's a long story, and not one you need to know." Logan patted Shaar on the shoulder.
"Let's go."
"Let's find Rek'Sai."
"Taliyah."
"Yes, Teacher."
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