Chapter 177: Four-Man Pursuit!

Tumble, Night Hunter, Silver Bolts, Condemn…

To the last breath, Vayne continued to attack, dealing as much damage as she possibly could in that final moment!

At last, a ray of light streaked through, exploding against her chest.

Vayne’s coat flew open, her hair streaming through the air as she toppled backwards, disappearing into the snow-white fog.

Ezreal watched her fall. He’d basically just showed up at the last moment to deal her the final blow, but he didn’t feel the slightest bit of guilt over it.

Using Ezreal to take Vayne on in a solo duel during the late game was the definition of pointlessness. Shallow Dream wouldn’t be who she was if she could lose in such a match-up!

Yu Luocheng had no allusions of being invincible. Even when he’d stood at the top of the DOTA community, he’d recognized that everyone had their specialties. Being able to make the most of their individual strengths in order to help their team find victory, that was the only way to go!

How did LOL become so popular? What makes it both so loved and so hated?

It’s because it represents a quintessential truth in life, from which no one is exempted. And so, in our glory, arrogance, and pretentions, we slowly learn to find perspective, patience, and wisdom.

We say that these games aren’t real, but are they not being played by every kind of person in society ? ¹

***

Looking upon Vayne’s fallen form, hearing her last breath leave her, Luocheng was finally able to smile.

He could feel warm blood coursing through his veins, his heart buoyed by a sense of jubilant accomplishment that would be hard to find out in the chaotic, maddening real world.

Truly, there were no words to describe these emotions.

“Ace!”

After Ryze finished off Sona, who’d never stood a chance, red team secured their own team fight victory. Three kills for five, with Ryze and Ezreal as the only people still standing. It had been a hard-fought victory, with both sides proceeding neck-and-neck throughout the whole game.

Vayne’s perfect record of zero deaths had been broken at last, lifting the crushing weight of despair from Luocheng’s team.

“We won a fight! Yeah!” Xiao Bei was grinning from ear to ear.

Yu Luocheng didn’t consider himself to be unbeatable, but that was how Xiao Bei saw him. No one was better than him, and no one could stand against him when he had control of the game… besides that person—absolutely no one!

Qianqian’s smile was dazzling. Seeing Luocheng’s unexpected smile had her all aflutter. It made her feel irresistibly drawn towards him. Perhaps, yes… once they were alone together, perhaps she’d let him have another kiss? Qianqian thought about it in secret.

Eventually, she came to a decision: If he won this game, she’d give him a quick peck on the cheek, just to tide over his insatiable urges for a moment.

***

Winning a team fight in the late game was a huge step towards winning the whole round. High-level champions took forever to respawn.

Two towers fell in quick succession, and now the enemy base had been broken open through Mid lane. Taking the Inhibitor Tower was of particular importance, because once it went down, breaking the Inhibitor behind it wouldn’t have to wait for another team fight victory—a single champion falling would be enough.

Or, if you were careless, you could simply lose it anytime.

If they won the next team fight, this game would basically be in the bag. Luocheng had faith in himself, in his team!

The economic difference swung back in their favor, albeit not by that much.

It all came down to which side could win the next team fight.

Everyone on red team had returned to action. In the final moments before the situation reset, Luocheng had easily secured that Inhibitor tower, as well as both Red and Blue buffs.

Back at base, he got himself a ‘Last Whisper’, and then bounded back out into the field . ¹

At this stage of the game, either you struck whichever objectives the enemy left unguarded, or else you stuck close to your team. When pushing a lane, at most you might clear off one wave of minions, and then it’s time to hurry back to your teammates. Being caught and killed would undermine whatever advantages you’ve managed to gain, and could even lead straight to GG!

There was a simple reason behind why he was only getting Last Whisper now: He had no interest in wasting his skills on Shen, that hunk of meat and leather. To optimize his assassin play-style, he’d first gone for Infinity Edge.

Infinity Edge had been serving him well so far, greatly enhancing his burst-damage capability. Along with Muramana, he’d easily taken down Orianna.

Once the blue team had regrouped, no one had any buffs on them, but they were just in time for the Dragon, so everyone hurried over to the Dragon pit. While Luocheng was returning to base, they would try to claw back some of the gold difference.

(Translator’s Note: Some confusion in the original here, over which team is doing what, but I’ve tried to sort it out.)

Luocheng observed Zyra’s position. She had four hundred saved up, and was just now making for Baron Nashor. The whole way, she encountered no enemy wards—not even in the Baron pit itself.

The enemy Support hadn’t rushed over to ward Baron immediately upon respawning?

Sensing opportunity, Ezreal shot towards the Baron pit, typing into the chat bar, “Steal the Baron! Zyra, Jarvan, distract them at Mid. The rest of us will take Baron!”

As Luocheng sent this message to the team, everyone was on their way to the Dragon too. As expert players one and all, they immediately understood that if the enemy team didn’t respond quickly enough, they actually could take Baron Nashor for themselves while their opponents were busy on the other side of the map!

With airtight teamwork, Zyra and Jarvan headed for the Dragon, making a big show of wanting to contest the objective, but dawdling about while waiting for the rest of their team to arrive.

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The truth was that no one would be coming, but by doing this, they hoped to fool the enemy into thinking that the whole team was currently headed their way.

With all the gear they had, slaying the Dragon was but the work of a moment. As the two players from red team closed in, Lee Sin performed an extravagant flourish, using Smite to finish off the Dragon just before Jarvan got within reach of it.

Seeing Lee Sin expend his Smite, Jarvan could have laughed out loud!

They’d as good as given up Baron, now: Without Smite, even if they rushed over there now, they’d still have no hope of stealing it away . ¹

“I think they’ve noticed,” Qianqian remarked.

Their opponents weren’t novices, either. They could naturally see through certain ruses. Sensing something amiss, the Support champion immediately activated ‘Shurelya’s Reverie’, and they raced towards the Baron pit with all haste.

Jarvan and Zyra were already on the way there, hurrying to regroup with the rest of their team.

The blue team players were cunning. Now that they knew that the Baron Nashor was in the process of being taken, they overtook Jarvan and Zyra to cut them off. Even if the red team managed to slay the Baron Nashor, they wouldn’t be allowed to get away with their lives!

It was a canny move. Even if Luocheng’s team had seized control of the Baron pit, if these two champions could be held back here, the rest of the team would be outnumbered in the pit!

It was too great a distance for Jarvan and Zyra to run. Now, there was no way for them to join up with their team. They could only watch in chagrin as the enemy team surrounded the Baron pit.

Jarvan was beginning to panic. As tanky as he was, it should be possible for him to charge the enemy formation and break the siege… but the three champions down in the pit were taking quite a lot of damage from the Baron!

Ryze had only half his health left, and Riven was much the same. Ezreal had taken some damage as well. If a team fight began while they were in this condition, defeat would be all but assured. Riven, Ryze, and Ezreal were their main damage-dealers!

Klung! Klung! Klung!

The ‘danger’ ping was ringing non-stop in the Baron pit. Once the three of them were done ravishing the Baron Nashor, there would be five bloodthirsty lummoxes waiting outside for them!

Lee Sin fired off a ‘Sonic Wave’, finding a hit onto Ryze, which was swiftly followed with a flying kick. Then he slammed both palms into the ground for a ‘Tempest’ and ‘Cripple’ combo, simultaneously Slowing down all three foes!

Lin Dong’s face fell. “Oh no, they’re done for!”

“It’s hopeless. We’re about to get Aced. ” ¹

All their DPS champions were already half dead. They were headed straight for a complete and terrible defeat!

Striking down the Baron, Luocheng withdrew across the river, retreating into the enemy’s side of the jungle.

Ryze and Riven also responded well. Seeing that their enemies were closing in on all sides, they immediately broke and fled in separate directions.

Lunging and somersaulting, Riven fled towards the enemy’s side of the Top lane. Ryze Flashed away before Lee Sin could knock him about with a ‘Dragon’s Rage’, running for the tri-bush to the north.

It was easy to see that they all had the finely honed instincts of grizzled veterans. Scattering wide at the drop of a hat, they fled with a speed that almost gave them flight, no confusion at all as each found their own escape route.

Even if the enemy wanted to give chase, there was no way to catch all three of them.

Ezreal was quick and nimble. Even as he wound through the jungle, he flung attacks in the face of his pursuing enemies.

Chasing Riven was also an ultimately futile endeavor. A highly agile champion herself, there weren’t many who could keep up with her when she was determined to get away.

Ryze was the most vulnerable of the three, but the minion waves were moving in their favor along the Top lane. If they continued to chase after Ryze, that meant Ezreal and Riven could simply return to base in the meanwhile, and then meet up with Ryze at their nearest tower to defeat any further pursuit—a feat easily accomplished with a Homeguard enhancement.

***

All of a sudden, it had become a game of hide-and-seek in the jungle.

Ezreal made for the enemy’s Blue buff, passing through on his way towards the middle lane. He was taking this roundabout route so that he wouldn’t bump into Riven, and end up getting locked down together with her.

Riven was already leading their minions down the lane, as though she intended to bring down a tower before anyone could catch and kill her.

They had to keep the enemy team occupied by any means possible, or else their own towers might be in danger.

As Riven walked through the rubble of the enemy’s first-tier tower along the Top lane, she looked back to see just how many were coming after her.

What the—surely they were underestimating this dame, here!

Riven was miffed to see that there was just one enemy champion in pursuit. It was Vayne!

Perhaps Vayne thought too highly of her own abilities. Riven was at least her equal, one-on-one. Either one of them could very well prevail against the other!

Speaking of which, if only Vayne had come this way, then who were the others going after?

Panning her view briefly across the map, she found to her shock that everyone else was going after Ezreal!

They were all being sped up via Orianna’s ‘Dissonance’ and Sona’s ‘Song of Celerity’. Lee Sin was leap-frogging ahead via wards and jungle creeps. Shen was using his Shadow Dash to pass directly through the terrain.

… What sort of grudge did they all have against him?

Riven placed a hand over her heart, silently offering her condolences to Ezreal.

It had to be said that Ezreal had been playing spectacularly well. Considering the astounding skill of the player behind the enemy Vayne, if not for the flawless gameplay of their own Ezreal, they’d have lost this game long ago.

Sending four people to do him in… Ezreal might as well be Teemo!