千年之刃 The Blade of Millennia

作者：Michael McCarthy

凯隐傲立在诺克斯托拉的影子中，周围横七竖八地躺着士兵的尸体。看着这充满讽刺意味的景象，他脸上露出了微笑。这些凯旋拱门由黝黑的石块搭建，最初的目的是为了炫耀诺克萨斯的力量，向途径门下的人灌输着恐惧，以获得人们的忠诚。然而现在，这座拱门却成了墓碑，标示出虚假的力量和盲目的自大，还象征着这群死去的战士被自己的恐惧所吞噬葬送。

Kayn stood confidently in the shadow of the noxtoraa, surrounded by dead soldiers, and smiled at the irony. These triumphal arches of dark stone were raised to honor the strength of Noxus—to instill fear and to demand fealty from all who passed beneath them. Now this one was a tombstone, a monument to false strength and arrogance, and a symbol of the fallen warriors’ own fear turned against them.

凯隐喜欢恐惧的味道。这是他的依赖，也是他的武器。正如他在影流教派的师兄弟精通武士刀和手里剑，凯隐精通的就是恐惧。

Kayn relished fear. He counted on it. It was a weapon, and as his brothers in the Order of the Shadow had mastered their katana and their shuriken, Kayn had mastered fear.

时隔多年，他再次踏上诺克萨斯的土地，在敌军将士即将遭人遗忘的尸首中，他感到了一丝不安。就像风暴来临前的压强悬在空中一样，渴求得到释放。

But as he felt Noxian soil beneath him for the first time in years, amid the enemy soldiers slain and soon to be forgotten, there was unease. It hung in the air like the pressure before a storm, begging to be released.

奈久里和凯隐同为影流教派的弟子。他将手中的刀反握，打算公事私事一起了结。凯隐有些惊讶——奈久里差点儿就完全藏住了声音中的颤抖：“想好了吗，兄弟？”

Nakuri, Kayn’s fellow acolyte of the Order, reversed the grip on his blade and prepared for a more personal fight. To his credit, he almost managed to hide the tremor in his voice. “What’s it going to be, brother?”

凯隐一言不发。他的双手松垮地垂在两边。他知道一切都在掌握之中。虽然如此，但他却有一种隐约的、似曾相识的感觉，似乎曾在梦中经历过这一切。这感觉一闪而过，旋即无影无踪。

Kayn said nothing. His hands rested empty at his sides. He knew he was in control. Even so, he felt a flickering sense of déjà vu, like something out of a dream. It came in a flash, and then was gone.

二人之间凭空升起一个声音——充满了黑暗和憎恨，回响着万千战场上的痛苦哀嚎，挑唆两个人开战。

A voice rose from the empty space between them—a dark and hateful voice that echoed with the pained cries of a thousand battlefields, daring each of them to act.

“谁才是够资格的人?”

“Who will prove worthy?”

劫召来了座下最强的弟子。

Zed had summoned his greatest student.

教派的探子已经证实了一个令人胆寒的传闻。宿敌诺克萨斯发现了一柄上古时期的暗裔巨镰，强大的力量堪比艾欧尼亚的任何魔法。镰刀的拐角处瞪着一只猩红的憎恨独眼，诱惑着那些强大的人类持其上阵搏杀。不过很显然，目前没有任何人有资格使用它。所有触碰过它的人，全都迅速而又痛苦地被它的恶意吞噬，所以现在它正被锁甲和粗布重重包裹，由一支马背兵团押送往不朽堡垒。

Spies of the Order had confirmed the disheartening rumors. The hated Noxians had discovered an ancient scythe of darkin origin, as powerful as any magic in Ionia. A single eye of crimson hate stared out from the heel of the blade, tempting the strongest of men to wield it in battle. Evidently, none had proved worthy. All who touched it were quickly and painfully consumed by its malevolence, so it had been wrapped in chainmail and sackcloth, and secured by a guarded caravan bound for the Immortal Bastion.

悉达·凯隐知道自己将会接受怎样的指令。这将是他的最终试炼。

Shieda Kayn knew what would be asked of him. This would be his final test.

他来到滨海城市芬多之后，逐渐意识到了此行的意义。深入敌人领土进行作战虽然鲁莽，但凯隐也不是什么谨慎的人。他的天赋无人能及，因此劫也不可能放心地将艾欧尼亚的命运交给别人，所以毫无疑问，凯隐命中注定要成就一番大事。

He had reached the outskirts of the coastal city of Vindor before he ever considered the journey’s significance. Taking the fight to the enemy in their own land was audacious. But so was Kayn. There was no other who could match his talents, none to whom Zed would entrust the fate of Ionia, and so there could be no doubt: Kayn was destined for greatness.

他在黄昏来临前就布置好了陷阱。夕阳渐低，马背兵团远远地出现在了视线可及的地方，在橘红色的天际扬起一缕烟尘——他有充裕的时间解决掉诺克斯托拉的三名卫兵。

He set his trap shortly before sunset. The approaching caravan was just visible in the distance, as wisps of dust rising into the orange sky—ample time to dispatch the three guards at the noxtoraa.

他悄无声息地在拱门长长的影子里移动，这时第一名卫兵开始在周围巡逻。凯隐唤出暗影魔法，走进了黑色的石墙，就像是开启了一道只对他一人开放的暗门。他看到两名卫兵的剪影，双手紧握着长枪。

He moved in silence across the archway’s lengthening shadow as the first guard paced out a patrol. Kayn summoned his shadow magic and stepped into the black stone wall as if it were a passage open only to him. He could see the guards in silhouette, grasping their pikes tightly with both hands.

他从阴影笼罩的高墙中突刺而出，徒手抽空了第二名卫兵的生命。还没等第三名卫兵做出反应，凯隐就化为了纯粹的黑暗，溶散在空气中，随后急速掠过石子路，在对手面前重新现形。只一眨眼，他就扳过了卫兵的头，轻而易举地拗断了他的脖子。

He lunged from the edifice cloaked in shadow, and snuffed the life from the second guard with his bare hands. Before the third could even react, Kayn dissolved into tendrils of pure darkness and darted across the cobbled road, reforming in front of his victim. In a flash, he wrenched the man’s head around, snapping his neck with ease.

第一个卫兵听到了尸体砸在地上的声音，转过来与凯隐打了个照面。

The first guard heard the bodies fall, lifeless and limp, and turned toward Kayn.

这位刺客露出了微笑，正在尽情地享受这一刻。“动都动不了了，对不对？”他一边嘶嘶地说，一边再次遁入诺克斯托拉的阴影中。“恐惧……”

The assassin smiled, taking time to relish the moment. “It paralyzes, does it not?” he hissed, slipping into the shade of the noxtoraa once more. “The fear...”

卫兵浑身发抖，他看到自己的影子涌了上来，变成了凯隐。

He rose from the quaking soldier’s own shadow.

“现在你应该跑了，诺克萨斯人。去告诉他们，你都看到了什么。”

“This is the part where you run, Noxian. Tell others what you witnessed here.”

卫兵丢掉了手中的长枪，向着芬多的方向夺路狂奔。但他没有跑远。

The soldier threw down his pike and sprinted for the safety of Vindor. He didn’t get far.

另一个身影出现了，奈久里身穿和凯隐相同的漆黑外褂，从诺克斯托拉的高墙后一跃而出，将武士刀刺入了那名逃兵的腹中。他与凯隐四目相对。“声势浩大的诺克萨斯之力，自欺欺人……”

Clad in robes every bit as dark as Kayn’s, Nakuri leapt from behind the noxtoraa and plunged his katana into the belly of the fleeing soldier. The other acolyte locked eyes with Kayn. “The vaunted strength of Noxus? Such delusion...”

“我早就知道你很冲动，兄弟，”凯隐狠狠地说。“但没想到你会这样。一路跟踪我这么久，就是为了沾我的光？”

“I knew you were impetuous, brother,” Kayn spat. “But this? Following me all this way, hoping to share in my glory?”

然而没时间给他说教，马背兵团靠近的声音已经近在耳边了。

There was no time for further admonishment. They could hear the caravan of soldiers approaching.

“奈久里，滚远点儿。我之后再跟你算账。如果你能活下来的话。”

“Get out of sight, Nakuri. I will deal with you later. If you survive.”

黄昏时分的长长阴影藏住了尸体，兵团几乎已经走到拱门正下方，才发现有异样。

The long shadows of twilight hid the bodies until the approaching soldiers were almost beneath the grand arch.

“停！”走在最前面的先锋大喊一声，抽出剑。“分散！警戒！”

“Hold!” the first outrider cried, drawing his sword. “Fan out! Now!”

马背兵们不解地纷纷跳下战马，于是凯隐第一次亲眼看到了他们运送的货物。和劫所说的一样——包裹在锁甲和粗布中，绑在一匹健硕的芬多沙驹的背上。

Confusion set in among the others as they left their horses and, for the first time, Kayn laid eyes on their cargo. It was just as Zed had described—wrapped in chainmail and sackcloth and strapped to the back of a sturdy Vindoran steed.

奈久里从不认为耐心是一种才能。他毫无谋划地冲向了距离自己最近的一名士兵。而凯隐总是会在挑选目标的时候仔细斟酌，所以他瞄准了先锋首领，让他倒在了自己的剑下。

Patience was a virtue that Nakuri did not possess, and he heedlessly dove for the nearest soldier. Kayn always selected his targets carefully, and so struck with precision at the lead outrider, felling him with his own sword.

他回头看向那匹芬多沙驹，但上面的镰刀竟然不见了。

He turned again to the Vindoran, but the scythe was gone.

不。他早已自断后路，没有了失败的余地。

No. He had come too far to fail.

“凯隐！”奈久里一边大喊，一边不停地斩杀着士兵。“身后！”

“Kayn!” Nakuri yelled as he cut down one soldier after another. “Behind you!”

一名诺克萨斯士兵绝望之下打开包裹，放出了武器。红色的独眼凶相毕露，散发着怪兽般的狂怒。那名士兵的双眼却失去了灵光，对着自己的战友们狠毒地挥舞手中的兵器。显然他已经无法控制自己，只徒劳地想要抛下手中的巨镰。

A desperate Noxian had freed the weapon, its red eye now revealed and glowing with inhuman rage. The soldier’s own eyes grew wide as he swung in vicious arcs at his own comrades. He was clearly not in control, trying in vain to release the scythe.

传闻是真的。

The rumors were true.

那名士兵的血肉之躯正在被暗裔的力量腐化，在剧痛之中扭成一团。凯隐再次唤起暗影魔法，扎进了那名诺克萨斯士兵的体内。在极短的一刹那，他看到了这不朽存在的眼中的世界，目睹了它上千年间制造出的痛苦，折磨、惨叫和哀嚎。这是轮回不灭的死亡。它是最纯粹的邪恶，必须将其阻止。

Calling again on his shadow magic, Kayn dove into the writhing Noxian’s darkin-corrupted flesh. For the briefest of moments, he saw through the eyes of this ageless being, witnessing millennia of inflicted pain and suffering, screams and lamentations. This thing was death reborn again and again. It was the purest evil, and it had to be stopped.

他从那名诺克萨斯士兵残余的身体中破膛而出——士兵的血肉早已扭曲成了鳞片森森的一团硬壳，现在被打碎成了无数黑色的碎片和晶尘。剩下的只有巨镰，它的独眼现在已经闭上了。凯隐伸出手去，而这时奈久里也处理掉了最后几名敌人。

He burst from what was left of the Noxian—the soldier’s flesh having warped into scales of hardened carapace that shattered into black shards and choking dust. All that remained was the scythe, its eye now closed. Kayn reached for it as Nakuri dispatched the last of their enemies.

“兄弟，停下！”他一边大喊，一边揩去武士刀上的血。“你在干什么？你看到它的能力了！必须摧毁它！”

“Brother, stop!” the acolyte cried, flicking blood from his katana. “What are you doing? You saw what it can do! It must be destroyed!”

凯隐看着他。“不。它是我的。”

Kayn faced him. “No. It is mine.”

两名影流弟子一步步靠近对方，谁都不肯后退。城市边境线的另一侧，警钟开始轰鸣。时间已经不多了。

The two of them drew up, neither willing to back down. Beyond the city boundaries, warning bells began to toll. The moment seemed to stretch out.

奈久里将手中的刀反握。“你想怎样，兄弟？”

Nakuri reversed the grip on his blade. “What’s it going to be, brother?”

这时，巨镰对凯隐说话了。这声音似乎只在他的脑海中回响，但奈久里瞪大的双眼说明，他也听到了。

The scythe spoke to Kayn, then. It seemed as if it was echoing in his mind, and yet the other acolyte’s widening eyes showed he had heard it too.

“谁才是够资格之人?”

“Who will prove worthy?”

凯隐唤出影手，抓住了那柄兵器，将其举上夜空，旋转着落入他恭候多时的掌中。他感觉这就是他身体的一部分，似乎他与它从未分开过，似乎他生来就在等候着它。他流利娴熟地挽了几个花儿，随后横刀指向奈久里的咽喉。

Kayn conjured fingers of darkness that snatched up the weapon, lifting it into the night and spinning it into his waiting hands. It felt like a part of him, like it had always been a part of him, as if he alone was born to wield it. He spun it with a comfortable flourish and leveled the blade toward Nakuri’s throat.

“放手做吧。”

“Do what you must.”