Dean's left hand and Riven's right hand gripped the same sword, completing this vengeful execution on behalf of Chengze and their fallen brothers and sisters from the Runic Swordsman Legion.
Clean and swift, Aimi Sitan's pleas, her spasms, her unwillingness... everything, including the sins she had committed in the past, came to an abrupt end at this moment.
Riven, releasing the sword hilt, felt a sense of relief—though her shoulders still felt heavy, at least for now, she had unburdened herself somewhat.
Dean, who also let go of the sword hilt, felt even heavier. He did not quickly collect the head as he had prepared to do, but instead looked up silently at the sky.
The moon was full.
"What's wrong?" Riven asked, seeing his expression, a little worried, "You seem uncomfortable?"
"I'm just a bit unwilling that a clue was cut off like that." Dean turned around and gently shook his head at Riven, "She should have known something about my past."
"...If that's the case, perhaps we didn't need to be so hasty." Riven was silent for a moment, then finally managed to say, "Sometimes, interrogation methods also have their necessity."
"But I can't trust her words." Dean shook his head again, "This feeling is truly awful, like a grand meal is laid out before me, but I can't eat it because I can't distinguish the poison within... it's terrible."
Riven blinked, taking a moment to understand Dean's meaning: "You mean, you can't distinguish between truth and falsehood?"
"Yes, not knowing what's true or false can also interfere with judgment." Dean nodded, "Before you arrived, she just glanced at me, didn't even take ten seconds, and fabricated a complete love story, with a beginning, middle, and end, and filled with many details."
"Exactly like the wares at a Noxian noble's banquet."
"Yes, so words from someone like that would only lead to internal strife for me." Dean nodded again, "Although I know it in my heart, after killing her, there's still a bit of unwillingness."
"It's alright." Riven reached out and put her arm on Dean's shoulder, "We can go to the Garden of Forgetting, you said it's a memory palace."
"..."
"If that Garden of Forgetting doesn't work, we can continue to other places." Riven continued, "People always leave their traces; we can go to Freljord, to Shurima, and we'll always find traces of your past."
"You're willing to come with me?" A hint of surprise finally appeared in Dean's purple eyes, "Even after the magic is dispelled?"
"Of course." Riven's tone was firm, "I thought we were already partners—and aren't I on your trust list?"
"I'm actually not very sure about the reliability of that list." Dean's lips finally curled upwards, but before he could form a smile, they instantly tensed, "Wait, maybe it's not reliable after all—look out!"
Upon hearing this, Riven immediately bent down and rolled, picking up the sword embryo from the ground.
But the anticipated attack did not come. When Riven looked up, she saw a dark figure standing in the moonlight, calmly watching Dean.
The ominous shadows flowing from the dark blade in his hand immediately reminded Riven of the Shadow Stream Assassins she had been dealing with earlier.
"Truly persistent ghosts."
"State your purpose, outsider." The dark figure completely ignored Riven, staring intently only at Dean, "Why are you here, why did you kill Aimi Sitan."
"Before questioning others, shouldn't you at least state your name first?" Dean raised an eyebrow, "You look like you're from the Shadow Order?"
"Shadow Order, Zed."
When Zed announced his name, the wind seemed to fall silent.
"That's interesting then. Your subordinates pursued me all the way here, and now you ask me who I am?" Dean scrutinized the black-clad assassin before him, "Or have you lost control of the Shadow Order internally?"
"I dislike flowery language." Zed slightly raised his chin, "And repulsive riddles."
"It seems the Shadow Order's problems are even more complex than I imagined." The seriousness completely faded from Dean's face, even revealing a hint of amused interest, "Mr. Zed, Shadow Order Assassins have been tirelessly trying to assassinate me since Weili, preventing the Black Rose from capturing me, and now you ask me who I am... This is truly hilarious."
Dean couldn't see Zed's expression beneath his mask, but from his exposed eyes, it was clear that Zed was thinking many things at this moment.
"I am just a pitiful exile." Dean continued, "As for eliminating Aimi Sitan, it was to avenge an old friend—Chengze, have you heard his name?"
"Ah, Chengze." Zed narrowed his eyes, "You had dealings with him?"
"Of course."
"That ship hijacking incident?"
"You heard about it?"
"Chengze was a good man, though he still adhered to some unnecessary rigid doctrines, but I always hoped he would join us." Zed seemed quite frank, "If that incident was indeed something you did with him... then at least before you offend the First Land, the Shadow Order will not be your trouble."
"That depends on your ability to rectify your internal affairs." Dean shrugged, "Also, a friendly reminder, when facing someone from the Black Rose, eyes are usually unreliable; Mirror Image is her favorite method."
"You don't need to worry about that." Zed was noncommittal, "You want the head?"
"Tomorrow is Chengze's seventh day of soul-calling."
Hearing Dean say this, Zed clearly understood his meaning, nodded silently, then turned and left without hesitation.
The mountain pass became quiet again, the night wind stirred, bringing with it groans from within the mountain hollow—the Shadow Order's battle had entered its final stages.
"He just left?" Riven looked around, but found nothing, "I thought there would be a tough fight."
"It seems my trust list is perfectly fine." Dean stroked his chin, "And the waters of Ionia are surprisingly deep; even the famous Shadow Order is in disarray internally."
"If so, isn't his guarantee an empty promise?"
"No, on the contrary, it's very effective." Dean shook his head, "A conspiracy is a conspiracy because when it's exposed to everyone, it automatically becomes ineffective."
Riven blinked, carefully chewing on Dean's words.
"After talking with him for a couple of minutes, I feel much better." Dean waved his hand, "Although I watched a clue get cut off, at least I dealt with a bunch of annoying flies—now I can finally dispel the magic with you."
Riven finally nodded.
"Let's go." Dean bent down and wrapped the head in his cloak, "If we leave now, we might even make it for breakfast at the Equilibrium Temple. I'm going to eat a lot!"
