CHAPTER 164 - It's a pleasure to meet you

More than ten minutes ago, within the underground passage.

Kaisa was carrying the core parts she had peeled off from the Void creatures, heading back to her temporary base, preparing to rest for two days before continuing her monster hunting. 

However, to her surprise, just as she cautiously passed through two tunnels, she suddenly heard the angry roars of several Void creatures.

And these cries, she had never heard before.

"Fear...? But how can these mindless creatures have such emotions?" 

Kaisa felt a sting from her second skin, understanding the meaning behind these cries.

She thought for a moment, dug a hole in the ground with the sharp chitinous claws on her hand, buried the Void creature's core, and made a mark.

Anyway, she was very familiar with this underground space, just remembering where she buried this core was enough.

Afterwards, Kaisa followed the direction of the Void creature's roar.

Normally, most of the Void creatures without energy and flesh consumption should be in a state similar to "sleep", staying in the core area of the Void rifts.

She needed to see what had happened to these creatures and why they had suddenly gone mad.

However, just as Kaisa stealthily approached, seven very restless and varied-looking Void bugs rushed straight towards her position.

Although she had survived in the underground Void for three years, she had never seen such a situation, and she panicked for a moment.

When Kaisa initiated the attack, she regretted to find out that these bugs were not targeting her, but she was blocking their way.

If she had restrained her panic and stayed still, they wouldn't have paid attention to her.

So, while attacking and fleeing in panic for several minutes, Kaisa ran into the tunnel where Li Lin and Kassadin were located, mistaking them and the floating robots for Voidlings...

But before she could fully enter her "Supercharge" state and prepare to fight the "Voidlings" to the death, she was stunned by the familiar words.

The man with the right arm that made her second skin feel terrified suddenly disappeared from his original position and appeared behind her.

"In battle, hesitation is a big taboo! If you don't want to die, don't just stand there!" 

The familiar voice...

Memories of her father always caught her off guard like this.

With slightly moist eyes, Kaisa sighed softly, comforting herself in her heart

"But he's already dead, Kaisa, you can't keep living in the past..."

After a brief moment of daze, she immediately reacted, quickly turning around and unleashing the energy from her cheek pouches, launching several scorching missiles at the last Void creature.

Under the remote firepower suppression of Li Lin and the storm robots, as well as Kassadin's Netherblade shooting through, the remaining Voidling was annihilated in a series of explosions.

After eliminating the immediate threat, Kaisa breathed a sigh of relief, retracted the energy from her shoulder pouches, then turned her gaze to Kassadin first.

Before she could say anything, Kassadin, who had already been filled with doubts, asked first, "Who are you? How did you end up in a place like this? And what about the...Void on you?"

"Don't worry, one question at a time."

Kaisa was also too long since she had seen a living person, so she was a little excited.

Seeing Li Lin also approaching, she unfolded her helmet made of Void-infused living tissue, revealing her original face.

"First of all, like you, I'm also human, not a Void monster. My name is Kaisa..."

"Wait... You?!" 

With the assistance of night vision, Kassadin saw her face clearly, widened his eyes, and froze on the spot.

Apart from three symmetric double purple streaks on her cheeks and forehead, her originally deep blue eyes turned purple, and the pronunciation of her name was slightly different...

This girl, she was completely the same as her daughter after she grew up!

Kassadin's eyes instantly became blurred with tears.

He retracted his Netherblade, and his visibly trembling right hand reached up into the air.

Kaisa raised her eyebrows, subconsciously took a step back, not understanding the middle-aged man's intentions.

"Kai... Kaisa... is it you?"

Kassadin's voice choked up.

Wait a minute... How did he know my original name?!

Kaisa took a sharp breath, a completely uncertain thought emerging in her mind.

"Fat... Father?" She called out with an extremely low voice, full of uncertainty.

"Oh, yes! Kaisa, it's me... I'm Kassadin!"

Kassadin controlled the power armor to open the helmet, revealing his face that had experienced many years of vicissitudes.

Kaisa couldn't help reaching out to half-cover her gaping mouth, tears instantly fell from the side of her face.

She could hardly believe that her father, the beloved father she thought had died in the hands of the Void, would actually appear in this place...

Her father's appearance had changed quite a bit from her memories.

In addition to the deeper marks left by years on his face, his temples and semi-long hair were already mixed with black and white, no longer the pitch-black and sleek short hair he used to have.

"Is this... for real? Dad... you're actually alive?!"

Kassadin, who was silently crying, pulled the crying Kaisa into his arms, constantly kissing her bushy hair.

Li Lin also opened his face mask, silently watching the reunion of the father and daughter, being infected by their emotions, his eyes faintly swirling with tears.

He moved a little away from the two of them, giving them enough space, and took on the responsibility of guarding, so as not to have any Voidlings take advantage of the situation and launch a sneak attack at this time.

Kassadin and Kaisa cuddled each other for a long time, until their tears almost dried up, and they could no longer cry, they finally separated, sitting on the side of the tunnel, leaning against the earthen wall, and telling each other about their experiences over the years.

On a certain day three years ago, Kaisa and her friends discovered a group of goats fenced in by those strange and talkative strangers bought from the nomadic tribes.

She had heard her mother say that these goats were meant for "sacrifice," that is, tribute, so she followed her friends and used the dagger given to her by Kassadin when she was eight years old to cut the rope and release them.

It was this unintentional action that later led to unimaginable events...

The earth trembled, the searing flash illuminated the sky, and a giant purple maw that seemed to lead to the depths of the earth tore through the bedrock, swallowing the entire village, along with everyone in it.

Afterwards, Kaisa, who found herself trapped underground, could still hear the cries of other survivors.

As time passed, she discovered that she was the only one left alive.

Just as Kaisa felt hopeless, she noticed a purple light drawing her deeper underground.

Along the way, she scavenged for scraps of food to stave off hunger, occasionally finding scattered water pouches or even rotting fruits, her favorite peaches...

These remnants from the collapsed village sustained her through the most difficult times.

But ultimately, as Kaisa descended further into the depths following the purple light, her heart once again filled with fear.

It was a vast cave illuminated by sinister purple "lights," teeming with large, grotesque "creatures."

It was her first encounter with the Void.

The commotion caused by Kaisa inadvertently alerted a creature roughly the same size as she was at the time.

It opened its mouth, filled with needle-like spikes, and lunged at her, aiming to swallow her whole.

Kaisa fiercely resisted using the dagger given to her by Kassadin, although the blade had already shattered, luckily piercing the creature's softer core.

Both of them tumbled from a steep slope deeper into the earth, and when Kaisa regained consciousness, she found the creature's strange outer skin attached to her own...

In the following three years, Kaisa struggled to survive underground, her Void-infested skin growing with her and rapidly covering most of her body, becoming her second skin.

In several subsequent battles, she suddenly discovered that her second skin could devour those monsters to evolve, giving her a clear plan:

Fight with all her might, survive, and then find her way home...

These beliefs have sustained her until now.

"It's all my fault, I'm sorry... I caused the death of everyone..." Kaisa continued to sob.

Since the terrifying incident, she had been feeling guilty, believing that the deaths of her parents, elders in the village, and her friends were all because of her.

Although later, Kaisa discovered that the Void's nature was to devour, and even if she hadn't done so, those monsters would still have been awakened by the cultists, who deserved to die for sacrificing their village people...

He comforted Kaisa first, then gritted his teeth.

Kaisa sniffed twice, suddenly remembering something. If Dad is alive, then... what about Mom?

"By the way, Dad, did you find any other survivors in the village back then?"

Kassadin fell silent for a moment, understanding his daughter's thoughts very well, and guessed what Kaisa really wanted to ask.

"Sorry... I didn't find any survivors or even bodies."

"That's it..."

Kaisa lowered her eyelids, a hint of loneliness and disappointment flashing in her deep purple eyes.

However, she had already changed her mindset.

Learning that her father was still alive today, she was already extremely surprised and content.

Kaisa shook her head, suppressing her mixed emotions.

Then, she looked towards Li Lin, who was standing nearby, examining the Void creature's body.

"Dad, who is he...?"

"Oh, I forgot to introduce you."

Kassadin stood up and, taking Kaisa with him, walked over to Li Lin.

Hearing the footsteps of the two approaching, Li Lin paused his work and looked up at them.

"This is Li Lin, a well-known Hextech craftsman from the Piltover Council's prominent family, he's my benefactor."

Kassadin's face showed a hint of smile, a sharp contrast to his previous gloomy appearance.

"I met him at the Last Drop Tavern in Zaun. When he heard about my experience, he offered to help... The powered armor we wear is his invention."

Kaisa had heard Kassadin talk a lot about Piltover's Hextech technology, so she was quite familiar with it.

But she had never seen this type of powered armor before.

So, this seemingly similar living skin like mine is actually a product of Hextech technology from Piltover.

Kaisa looked at Li Lin with a hint of curiosity in her eyes, "Hello, Mr. Li Lin, I'm Kai'Sa... No, Kaisa."

She had heard her father mention the handshake customs of Piltover, so she extended her right hand properly.

But seeing the Void carapace on her hand, she was worried it might scare Li Lin, feeling anxious like a startled deer trying to withdraw her hand.

However, before Kaisa could retract her hand, Li Lin, who had already noticed her worried expression, reached out and shook her hand.

"Nice to meet you, Kaisa."

He paused for a moment, showing a friendly smile, "It's a pleasure to meet you"

(End of this chapter)

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