Arcane: The Gods Want Me to Pick a Route-Chapter 165: Ahri’s Jealous Streak (EC)

Orianna asked where she was, and she asked Logan who Ahri was. She was genuinely curious about her situation, but she didn't show fear or anxiety.

Her ability to accept things—her mental toughness—was strong, and her emotions were unbelievably steady. Watching her, Logan couldn't help thinking… Orianna really did feel like a little grown-up.

Even steadier than Isha. And as for Jinx—Logan only thought Orianna was "stable" because Jinx existed as a comparison in the first place.

Did "stable" have anything to do with Jinx?

Obviously not. Zaun's little maniac ping-ponged between euphoric and furious—either hugging someone out of nowhere or blowing something up out of nowhere.

Meanwhile, after Orianna learned about Singed's current situation, she only looked sad and touched for a moment, quietly saying, "Dad must've worked so hard." Then she returned to normal like nothing happened and started chatting with Ahri.

The little fox was completely taken with Orianna too. She loved talking to her, and while she was at it, she started smiling sweetly and—behind Logan's back—began trash-talking Logan with Orianna.

Even gods have to follow basic manners. If you're going to talk behind someone's back, you don't do it to their face. That was a rule everyone knew.

Like when she whispered nasty things about Cassiopeia, Thresh, and Riven—she wouldn't say it right in front of them. She'd mutter it quietly when they weren't around, because she didn't want them hearing it either. Those three all had awful tempers, especially Riven—who would sling that giant blade over her shoulder and go looking for a fight at the drop of a hat.

A textbook Akana-type spirit. Still totally lost, doing nothing in the Spirit Blossom all day.

"Anyway, that's the situation," Logan said to Orianna. "Time flows differently between the two realms. So you'll need to wait here for a while. Once Singed arrives in Ionia, he'll come to me immediately."

After that, Logan looked at Ahri and asked, "But Ahri—when the time comes, what do Singed and I actually need to do?"

"Nothing," Ahri said, patting her fluffy chest with one paw. Her fur was snow-white with a faint blush of pink underneath, maybe just because of her skin tone. "Once Orianna's body gets to Ionia, I can handle it on my own. I won't even need Lamb and Wolf."

Then Ahri continued, matter-of-fact: "I'll just sneak Orianna's soul out. The Spirit Blossom's will won't notice. And even if it does, it can't stop me."

"So when the time comes, all you need to do is touch Orianna's body. I'll use you as the node and affect her in the material realm."

"This isn't Zaun—magic is dense in Ionia, the boundary between realms is thin, and you've gotten a little stronger. Right now you can barely handle me possessing you for ten, maybe fifteen seconds~"

Logan felt a little speechless.

A little stronger?

In Logan's mind, he was incomparably stronger than he'd been back when he fought the Darkin. But to Ahri, he'd merely gotten "a little stronger," and the only proof was that he could endure her possession a bit longer.

Still, that sparked his curiosity. He looked at Ahri and asked, "What if we're outside Ionia? Can you still possess me for ten or fifteen seconds?"

"Of course," Ahri said. "It's just not as convenient. If you're outside Ionia, you'll have to come in first, let me climb into your body, and then take me out with you."

Then Ahri narrowed her eyes like she'd caught something and folded her arms. "Logan. Are you trying to turn me into your hired muscle?"

Orianna's eyes lit up from the side. So Logan was friends with a god?

Logan cleared his throat. "Ahri, I'm just worried I'll run into something I can't handle. You're basically my only backup. If I'm really in trouble, you're the only one I can come to."

"What about that blue bird from Zaun?" Ahri gave him a sideways look.

"Janna's strength hasn't recovered yet," Logan said quickly. "There are a lot of things she can't help with right now."

Ahri's tone rose immediately. "Oh, really? So what you mean is—once her power comes back, you won't need me anymore? Is that it?"

"?"

Wait.

Why did that sound so passive-aggressive?

Ahri never acted like some lofty, untouchable god. She was gentle, thoughtful, kind—and once you got close, she showed her playful, mischievous side. So the way Logan interacted with her was never "god and believer."

He treated Lamb and Wolf completely differently from how he treated Ahri.

Someone might say Logan respected Kindred but didn't respect Ahri—like he was only comfortable being rude to his "own people."

But that wasn't it.

Because if Logan got something good, the first person he thought of giving it to was Ahri—not Kindred.

He favored Ahri more than the god he formally respected.

"I'll help you once, and you bring me a gift once," Ahri said after thinking it over. "And I get to make one small request."

She wasn't going to refuse Logan. Even if Logan had nothing to offer—if he couldn't bring anything from outside into the Spirit Blossom—Ahri still wouldn't refuse him.

Helping people was what she was born to do. Seeing someone become happier because of her help made her feel proud.

And besides… Logan wasn't a stranger to her anymore. He was a friend—and a close friend.

A friend who wasn't a bird or a beast.

When Logan wasn't in the Spirit Blossom, Ahri genuinely missed him.

So of course she didn't want him to die. If it ever came to a crisis, even if Logan didn't ask, the moment she sensed it, she'd do everything she could to help him.

"Go on," Logan said. "What's the request?"

He sat cross-legged on the cave floor, looking at Ahri.

The little fox bounced closer, hopping as she spoke. "When you get stronger—when you can handle my weight—I want to go out to your world and play~"

"That's it?"

"Yeah." Ahri tilted her head.

Logan laughed. He'd thought Ahri was going to ask for something outrageous. But this? Of course he could agree.

He immediately held out his hand toward her. "No problem. As long as it's within what I can carry, you can come out whenever you want."

Then, right after saying it, Logan asked, "Will it affect me?"

"Yeah," Ahri said honestly. "After the possession ends, you'll be weak for a while. You'll get noticeably weaker and need time to recover—maybe a few days, maybe half a month."

"But compared to exploding into pieces, that's obviously a much better outcome, right?"

Logan nodded. "Fair. A few days of weakness is nothing."

Ahri's possession and Janna's possession weren't the same.

Ahri was crossing from another world into the material realm. She wasn't a god of the material realm—this realm didn't naturally accept her, didn't naturally carry her.

So during possession, Logan was bearing Ahri's entire soul.

A powerful god's soul having side effects was completely normal.

Good thing he asked.

That way, if Ahri wanted to come out to "play," Logan could make sure it happened somewhere safe—like Zaun or Piltover, on his own turf—where Ahri could come out as much as she wanted.

Because when Logan was in Zaun, he could go months without needing to fight at all.

But that also made Logan think of something else.

If Ahri could possess him… then what about other gods?

Kindred. Cassiopeia. Riven—

Thresh could stay out of it. If possible, Logan wanted absolutely nothing to do with Thresh.

That guy was terrifying.

Still… the thought made Logan's blood heat up.

Could they also borrow his body and see the outside world?

In the future, when Logan faced stronger enemies and needed to call in backup… could he drag out the Spirit Blossom gods with him?

If that was possible… Logan didn't even dare imagine it.

In Runeterra, the demigods everyone knew about were only around a dozen, and they were scattered across the world.

As the cradle of human civilization, the Freljord had many—like the widely known Three Sisters, Ornn, Volibear, Anivia, and beyond that, Logan remembered there should be the Seal Sister, the Iron Boar, and maybe things like a Turtle God too.

Then there was Lissandra—whose power was absolutely top-tier among demigods, since she could actually trade blows with someone like Volibear.

Ahri definitely couldn't beat Ornn or Volibear, but in terms of numbers… maybe Logan's side really did have an advantage.

They couldn't match quality, but they could overwhelm with quantity.

Just one generation of the Spirit Blossom had nearly ten demigod-level beings, and that wasn't even counting the second generation.

The problem was… getting along with them.

Logan had been in Runeterra for a long time now, had entered the system plenty of times, but the only god he truly had a good relationship with was Ahri—plus Kindred, where things were neither warm nor cold.

As for enemies, he'd managed to make two: Cassiopeia and Thresh.

In other words… he still had to keep working at it.

Logan tapped his palm against Ahri's little paw, sealing their "contract," and they both smiled.

Then Logan checked the time, stood up, and said, "That's about it. I need to go."

He looked at Orianna and smiled. "Orianna, you probably won't be bored during this time."

Orianna nodded. Ahri said, "Leave her to me. I'll take her around and have fun."

"Good."

Logan selected End Landing.

White light swallowed him. The passage between realms opened fully—and in the instant Logan's body vanished from the Spirit Blossom, Ahri's eyes went wide.

"Oh no!"

"Crap!"

She slapped her paws together and blurted it out.

Orianna's spirit looked at her, confused, as Ahri lowered her head and muttered to herself.

"How did I forget Karma? This is bad, bad… What if she goes looking for trouble with Logan?"

"Um… every Karma has been kind. She probably won't mess with him… probably."

Ahri kept whispering.

If Ahri was the embodiment of the Spirit Blossom's will, then Karma was the Spirit of Ionia's guiding light within the spirit realm of the material world.

And the more Ahri thought about it, the more she felt Karma would come after Logan—because Logan's ability was a huge problem for the material realm. If anything went wrong, it could overturn the balance between the two realms entirely.

So if the current Karma was the type who didn't negotiate and acted decisively…

…she might just attack Logan on sight.

With that thought, Ahri shook, and with a soft pop, she transformed into a human right in front of Orianna.

Pink hair. A pretty face. A breathtaking figure. Big breasts. Long, flawless legs. One hand on her hip, the other holding up an orb.

Under Orianna's stunned gaze, Ahri bared her teeth and said:

"If it comes to it, I'll go out there and fight her myself!"

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