Chapter 87

Epilogue: World Championship

As the first round began, the online discussions had already reached a fever pitch.

They had never seen such a lineup and match-up before, only having a vague sense that both teams were pulling out all the stops.

“I have a feeling this will be a match that no one can understand.

“The changes that QILIN and VIT made in their key picks are definitely based on the post match analysis of the last game of this year’s Asian Region and China’s Domestic Competition,” the commentator’s sharp and steady insights were constantly updating. “But the subtle changes they’ve made also mean it won’t be as simple as recreating that game. The CH team from China has clearly given QILIN some new ideas.”

The match began.

The opposing ADC was Fire God, slightly weaker in damage but with high mobility. Spring God, needless to say, was also a high-speed champion. In the first round, neither side took the standard lanes.

Both teams, all five members, converged directly on the mid lane.

“Mid lane vision contest,” a bombshell opening that even the commentators didn’t expect, “both teams instantly accelerated to the mid lane to contest the initial vision.”

Rong Yi, leading with Gale, was the first to reach the river bush, where the enemy’s five-man formation was revealed like a magnified image. Silver Hook, born ready to shoot, had the ability to move when hitting a target, gaining a 0.2 second speed boost and a one-second slow effect. He reached the bush first. In his vision, the enemy mid laner Ronin appeared alone under the tower, while the Support, Spring God, was probing from the other bush. Only the audience with a god’s-eye view knew that although it seemed like only Rong Yi was there, the entire five-man squad was actually lying in ambush behind him.

On the other side, it seemed like just Ronin and Spring God, the conventional mid laner and support, were scouting for vision, but the rest of their team was ready to strike at any moment. Ronin and Spring God’s movements were extremely cautious, almost shielding each other step by step. They were well aware of Silver Hook’s control effects, meaning no matter what, they wouldn’t let their mid laner be touched.

In the end, Rong Yi was the first to make a move. With a swift shot, he pinned down Spring God.

The fierce battle erupted immediately. Rong Yi maneuvered closer to the enemy turret, feeling the slowdown and pull after his skill hit. QILIN didn’t hesitate. Rong Yi revealed himself and attacked directly, but at the same time, he Flashed, canceling the skill animation, bypassed Spring God, and pinned Ronin, dragging him back.

VIT’s four players had surged forward by now. Ronin was dragged towards Rong Yi and instantly Flashed to reposition. Meanwhile, Rong Yi was knocked down to a third of his health by the remaining three QILIN players.

With no Flash left, Rong Yi headed straight for his Jungle without looking back.

He knew he couldn’t escape; this First Blood was a necessary sacrifice.

Sure enough, after taking a few steps back, the enemy’s Yin brazenly crossed the line and finished him off.

Grey Cat’s recall skill wasn’t used on Rong Yi as it wouldn’t have made a difference.

At the same time, the second kill occurred. Spring God was pinned under the turret by the remaining VIT players, while Xiao Yin’s Di safely secured the enemy’s blue buff before retreating to farm in his own Jungle.

“First Blood was drawn in the seventh second of the match, initiating the first team fight.”

The commentator rewound the footage. In the domestic broadcast room, Lin Yi continued his commentary.

“QILIN was very cautious. Spring God aimed to completely block Ronin behind him, preventing Silver Hook from landing a shot. However, Captain Rong used his Flash to create an opportunity to initiate and gain vision. His target was clear: he wanted to hit the enemy mid laner.”

“Supports can be sacrificed, but if the mid laner is hit by a skill, the others can’t stay hidden. Behind Captain Rong were Hydralisk and Wu Daogu. With Empress’s initial song healing and Wu Daogu’s ability to pin enemies, Ronin had to Flash or die. That’s why we saw QILIN’s Ronin Flash away without hesitation.”

“Next, QILIN’s four players surrounded Rong Yi. VIT knew Rong Yi couldn’t survive, so Xiao Yin immediately transitioned, invading QILIN’s Jungle to secure a blue buff. Meanwhile, Hydralisk and Grey Cat firmly held the mid lane vision.”

“In this mid lane team fight, VIT successfully contested vision but at the cost of First Blood and Captain Rong’s death.”

“As for QILIN, they lost a Support, their mid laner had to use Flash, and they also lost a blue buff.”

“It’s fair to say that every move from both sides is extremely detailed, and the tactical intentions of both teams have been fully realized.”

“We’re familiar with VIT. They rarely take such a direct and aggressive approach to securing early vision. Similarly, QILIN’s strategy is unusual they often prefer counter-Jungle tactics this season. Today’s opening and Yin’s aggressive pursuit, I think it can be understood as…”

Lin Yi paused, synchronizing with the foreign commentator.

“QILIN is targeting the mid lane.”

No one had done it this season; no one dared to, to the point that this tactic was almost forgotten.

Others couldn’t target VIT’s mid lane, but they could.

Others abandoned this tactical play, but they didn’t have to.

This is the confidence and courage of a team that’s been World Champion for three consecutive years.

“No matter what, Easy is the bridge that must be cut off,” the foreign commentator remarked in real-time. “His mid lane dominance is terrifying, and his reaction and decisiveness far exceed everyone’s expectations.”

“It’s rare to see a player with such fast reflexes. When QILIN’s mid lane and Support couldn’t react, he had already used a Flash to turn the situation around. This is a remarkable level of reaction and execution.”

“So here, it’s hard to say Spring God made a mistake on QILIN’s side. It’s just that Easy’s Silver Hook was too precise. Easy as a player is simply unpredictable.”

As the game progressed, the tactical intentions of both sides became clearer.

During Rong Yi’s respawn time, everyone else returned to their positions. Grey Cat followed Xiao Yin, guarding their Jungle.

They didn’t opt for counter-Jungling because they couldn’t locate Yin’s position. From the god’s-eye view, Yin was constantly roaming and lurking at the border of both Jungles, collecting all the resources outside VIT’s vision.

“The enemy’s Yin is targeting the mid lane.”

Everyone on VIT saw the enemy Jungler’s gold count wildly jumping on the scoreboard. The numbers were oddly fluctuating, not from consistent lane farming or Jungling, but from irregular and unpredictable sources.

Rong Yi said, “During the gold distribution phase, break down the equipment you need to buy into several smaller items or potions and control wards, so we can’t estimate the enemy’s approximate location based on their gold count. QILIN is really impressive.”

This was a genuine compliment from him.

In his understanding, this is the level and quality that a world-class team should have. It’s not just a tactic but an optimal habit.

The significance of this habit lies in its ability to determine life and death at critical moments. For instance, the Jungler always uses Smite last, and the core carry never face-checks a bush. It sounds simple, but it’s actually very difficult to consistently execute.

Humans are different from machines; they have their own habits and choices.

VIT is infinitely close to being machine-like, so they can also understand another team that is similarly close to being machine-like.

Before QILIN, they had never faced players of such caliber.

“But.”

Rong Yi said, “They are in the mid lane. The timing and positioning are uncertain.”

Xiao Yin nodded slightly.

“The Mage’s gold income is very slow. The enemy Jungler has been constantly moving and lurking between the mid lane and the Jungle. He’s funneling resources to the Jungler.”

“Does mid lane need help?” Grey Cat asked.

“Mid lane doesn’t need it,” Xiao Yin answered in place of Rong Yi, decisively. “We’ll push the bottom lane first.” As he finished speaking, Rong Yi arrived at the lane.

The enemy mid laner and Jungler were very mysterious. After a moment’s thought, Rong Yi hooked towards his Blue Buff Area without vision, pulling the blue buff out of its aggro range.

In Rong Yi’s vision, he couldn’t see the buff’s position or health, but only the audience knew that QILIN’s Jungler, Yin, was there taking the blue buff.

With that hook, Rong Yi interrupted the blue buff, wasting Yin’s four seconds.

His thinking was very clear. Yin’s gold hadn’t increased for a few seconds, so he was likely taking the double buffs. There were four possible positions, and hooking any of them that he could check without vision would reveal the enemy’s movements based on whether he hit something or not.

The audience was about to explode.

“He knows Yin is there. What kind of perspective is this? Are they going to team fight?”

At the same time, Yin stayed in place without moving.

A few seconds later, when no one came, Yin confirmed that Rong Yi didn’t have vision on him.

But he couldn’t continue taking the buff there.

Rong Yi’s action of checking the buff was a very clear warning. The Silver Hook could scout at any time, and if Yin were to take the blue buff and get caught by Rong Yi’s second hook, he would essentially be giving away his position.

Yin left the Blue Buff Area and hid in the nearest bush under Rong Yi’s turret.

The audience watching the screen was breaking out in a cold sweat.

It was too thrilling.

Both sides were absolutely rational and absolutely calm.

Rong Yi’s unpredictable hook was godlike, and the enemy Jungler Yin being able to guess that Rong Yi actually didn’t have vision on him was also godlike.

This is the clash of top-tier players.

If you want to gain vision, you have to pay a price.

Another minion wave arrived, and Rong Yi was farming under his turret, but QILIN had already made their move.

This was a critical moment. Everyone had reached level four, but Rong Yi and Spring God were not yet at level four.

A small skirmish broke out almost simultaneously.

In the bottom lane, Xiao Yin and Hydralisk were pressing hard against the ADC, Fire God. In the mid lane, while Ronin and Yin were diving to kill Rong Yi’s Empress, Fire God had already died in place. Spring God, not having leveled up, couldn’t protect him and was also doomed. In the bottom lane, Xiao Yin secured a Double Kill.

Rong Yi reacted extremely quickly; Ronin had hard crowd control, and Yin could cut off his escape route. Once surrounded, there was absolutely no chance of escaping. So, he had to do everything possible before his imminent death.

Flash was ready, and Rong Yi chose the strategy that maximized his survival time. Instead of retreating into his own vision’s depth like most would when surrounded, he advanced, leaving the mid turret’s range, and forced Ronin’s mid laner into a face-off.

Yin’s strength lay in his long-range ultimate, which meant his killing power was stronger than his laning power.

By moving forward, Rong Yi completely stepped out of Yin’s vision range, even though he had no idea that someone was hiding in the nearby bush.

With low economy, Rong Yi used his three-segment Silver Hook to pull and control Ronin, while Xiao Yin left the bottom lane, and Hydralisk continued to farm resources and push the turret. Wu Daogu, in the top lane, hid his vision and rushed towards the mid lane.

There was no time left. VIT’s entire team was using Rong Yi’s life to force Yin to reveal himself.

Yin revealed himself, landing the first segment of his ultimate accurately on the controlled Rong Yi, securing his second kill. At the same time, Wu Daogu and Xiao Yin arrived. QILIN, not willing to risk a counterattack, had to retreat quickly.

Rong Yi died again, but once more, he managed to protect VIT’s crucial vision points.

From the audience’s perspective, this was a battle that was almost impossible to fully understand. People died, yet it seemed like the balance of power hadn’t shifted. The team fight happened, but neither side appeared to have a clear upper hand.

So far, VIT and QILIN were still evenly matched, with the total gold difference staying within 100.

The match had already reached the fifteenth minute.

No one had disconnected.

This peak-level confrontation was, in a way, a test of mental and physical endurance. Both teams were playing perfectly; it was a matter of who could maintain their composure and stamina longer.

At the twentieth minute, Yin and the mid laner Ronin targeted the mid lane again.

“Very, very clear intention to gank mid lane; I don’t think anyone needs to explain this,” commented one of the casters, perspiring with excitement. “They are dead set on focusing Easy, directly sending two top-tier carries to shut down Rong Yi.”

“If VIT abandons this lane, Memory Key isn’t a protective champion by nature. Xiao Yin and the Empress are playing very aggressively in the bottom lane, breaking through the turret. In the World Championship, most teams play conservatively, and such intense confrontations are rare.”

Rong Yi died for the third time, and at the same time, VIT’s mid turret was pushed to half health. Hydralisk took down the first turret in the bottom lane. Two champions were noticeably getting stronger in both teams: Yin, who had killed Rong Yi three times and consumed all the mid lane resources, and Hydralisk’s Empress, whose damage was ramping up.

This marked a critical juncture.

QILIN’s focus on the mid lane didn’t mean they would allow Hydralisk’s Empress to grow unchecked. Yin’s long-range ultimate was perfect for this situation. At the twenty-third minute, with Hydralisk’s health down to half, Yin directly turret-dived, landing near Hydralisk and nearly succeeding in the assassination.

With the help of Memory Key, Hydralisk survived Yin’s first strike, but his health bar was almost depleted. Yin’s ultimate effect had taken hold, and the second strike was imminent. Everyone thought Hydralisk was doomed.

A heavy gunshot rang out, and a gleaming Silver Hook shot through the air, entangling the enemy Yin tightly.

Rong Yi laughed into his mic and said, “Come on, come kill me.”

“You focus on me, and I’ll focus on you.”

Capturing Yin right in front of him and Xiao Yin was both a display of confidence and a risky move.

“Didn’t see that coming, did you?” Rong Yi whistled lightly.

Hydralisk escaped.

For the fourth time, Rong Yi was killed, making his score 0-4. Yet, Yin’s rhythm was disrupted by this interference.

He could guess Hydralisk’s general position, but he couldn’t retreat unscathed. Xiao Yin had revealed a clear vision path moving from the Mid Lane to the bottom.

This was true vision, deliberately exposed to him.

The message was clear: if you dare to go for Hydralisk, know that you won’t make it out alive.

If you dare to go for Hydralisk, all the Jungle resources radiating from the Mid Lane upwards will be his.

The enemy Yin chose to retreat.

This was just one of countless negotiations and tactical plays within the match.

Outside, the commentators and live analysts were breaking out in cold sweats.

The duration of this first game had already exceeded everyone’s expectations, breaking QILIN’s own record for match length in the World Championship. While long games are common, with some reaching sixty minutes, the longest in League history being ninety minutes, followed by seventy minutes, professional matches rarely go this long.

For professional teams, a sixty-minute game is already very rare. The high density of resource exchanges and tactical clashes usually push the game towards a conclusion, from levels to map resources, forcing one side to close in on the other.

This game had already lasted forty minutes, with both sides still locked in a tight struggle.

Rong Yi had been continuously targeted, severely limiting Mid Lane mobility. QILIN started to adopt a strategy of avoidance in the bottom lane, with the Jungler giving up some resources to the ADC.

The late game for the Empress was approaching, and their advantage period was ending. Choosing to avoid fights at this critical moment was a tactic to control Hydralisk.

Even domestically, fans who were usually at odds found it hard not to acknowledge the fairness of this intense match.

Rong Yi had been in a continuous 1v2, facing off against a World-Class Mid laner and Jungler.

He wasn’t just taking the hits passively; he was a blade that would rather break than bend, fighting with an all-or-nothing resolve. Whenever the duo came for him, he used all his might to trade for vision and to protect Jungle resources. If either the enemy Mid laner or Jungler tried to leave, he would chase them down with Gale, never letting go.

At the thirty-seventh minute and the fifty-fourth minute, QILIN’s attempts to flank the bottom lane with their Mid laner and Jungler were both thwarted by Rong Yi.

He was like an unstoppable, ferocious blade with a clear target.

“He’s hunting for Yin, he’s hunting for Yin.”

Easy’s partner was the most skilled Yin player to date. Easy knew exactly how to counter Yin’s full-blind effect, which put Silver Hook at a disadvantage because his flying gun could scout vision, but Silver Hook himself could stay out of Yin’s sight.

The arena was filled with screams.

The match reached sixty minutes, and finally, QILIN made a noticeable mistake.

At sixty minutes, with everyone’s equipment fully upgraded, buffs and dragons became far more crucial than in the early game. Yin was in the Blue Buff Area when Rong Yi first scouted him. Ronin wasn’t far, so Yin decisively used his ultimate to chase, while Rong Yi used Gale to kite. Unnoticed, Yin had gone too deep into the Blue Buff Area, and Rong Yi immediately counter-attacked.

He hooked Yin, and Xiao Yin Flashed in to secure the kill.

Simultaneously, QILIN’s Mid laner decided to retreat, but another unavoidable event occurred. With this death, Xiao Yin took the enemy’s Blue Buff, which should have been contested, but instead, Rong Yi got it.

Silver Hook and Ronin both relied on blue buffs.

Now, with only one person left to focus on Rong Yi, and Ronin lacking sustain, Rong Yi decisively counter-attacked. At the same time, Wu Daogu came down from the Top Lane, completing the encirclement and forcing Ronin to flee towards the bottom Jungle, right into Rong Yi’s path.

Ronin realized there was no way out and unleashed all his skills on Rong Yi, dropping his health by a third before dying. Rong Yi then returned to base.

This play had everyone in the arena screaming with excitement, and even the commentators were thrilled.

A full sixty minutes had passed.

This was the first disconnect in the game for either team.

And one disconnect could very well determine the outcome of the match.

Rong Yi returned to base to recover, and the enemy Yin had just respawned.

Both teams reestablished their vision.

The dynamic nature of vision information is inevitable. One recall can reset all existing information.

At that moment, a second instance of incredible synchronization occurred between the teams.

Lane swap.

“Lane swap,” Rong Yi’s voice came through the mic. His hand muscles were starting to shake from the high-frequency operations. On the other side, QILIN’s Mid laner also initiated a lane swap.

But they swapped incorrectly.

The commentator on the other side got excited.

“They guessed wrong, they guessed wrong! QILIN thought Rong Yi would swap lanes with Wu Daogu, moving to the Top Lane for some rest and resource gathering, so they went straight to the Top Lane. But it was Xiao Yin who went Top.”

“The bottom lane swapped with Easy. Hydralisk went to the Mid Lane.”

No one expected this because both bottom towers had fallen, leaving only one high ground tower, which was extremely dangerous.

But Rong Yi chose the most dangerous path.

As Hydralisk appeared in the Mid Lane, Wu Daogu and Xiao Yin proactively sought out enemies, triggering a team fight in the Top Lane. Rong Yi, with Grey Cat’s Memory Key, ambushed the ADC in the bottom lane.

Fire God was very fast, but against Silver Hook’s hard crowd control, he had no chance. He was pulled back with a shot, used Flash to escape, but the Memory Key rewound him back to Rong Yi, taking another shot.

One wrong guess led to a chain reaction like a collapsing dam. QILIN’s Mid laner and Jungler couldn’t return in time, and their ADC died in the bottom lane.

The bottom lane only had one tower left before reaching the high ground.

Hydralisk stood firm in the Mid Lane, blocking QILIN’s retreat. Rong Yi and Grey Cat had already started taking down the tower.

Memory Key brought a Mage to siege the tower.

It was absurd but highly effective.

Thanks to the rewind mechanism, they had already taken down a third of the tower’s health before the minion wave arrived. Once the minion wave reached, the high ground was breached almost instantly.

People outside were on the verge of fainting. Everyone jumped up and screamed, and the commentators were banging on their desks, shouting.

QILIN’s high ground was breached. Their Jungler was rushing back, but it was likely too late. Yin had just exhausted his triple ultimate, and Silver Hook was skillfully dodging his abilities and controlling him. Both Memory Key and Silver Hook were hitting the tower. In a split second, they sold their Equipment and bought three ADC weapons each.

A Mage and a Support switching to AD items.

In just three seconds.

The base’s health bar quickly dropped to zero, and the battlefield fell silent.

The word “Victory” appeared in front of everyone on VIT.

In the final showdown, VIT took the first game against the three-time consecutive champions, QILIN.

1:0

A battle that crowned them legends.