The fame began. Both sides fiheir game-opening farming and everybody headed to their nes. Now, it became clear which pyer occupied whie, and...

  "Dang, that's not what I had in mind," Jaiden smiled wryly. As he deduced, Gunz was the one who picked Trickshooter. As, the legendary beast didn't grace them with his presen Bot. Instead, Gunz ying a Mid Carry, as odd as it was.

  "The heck are these dudes up to?" Nash ughed. "A marksman in Mid? Who the heck does that?"

  "Some pro teams py like that," Rio pointed out. "But, it's an old meta. It opur some years ago, then fell out of favor."

  "This thing opur? How the in the heck?" Nash couldn't his head around it.

  "It makes some sense, if you think about it," Jaiden said. "If you pick a marksman who clear minions fast, you pete with mages."

  "Hmm. Yeah, I guess you ," Nash agreed. "But, don't you always need a mage and stuff? That's the meta, man."

  "Do you even know why it's the meta?"

  "Eeeeeh,” Nash scratched his head. “Ya know, because that's how you make a strong team and all."

  So, he has no idea. Jaiden smiled wryly.

  "You need a mage for the magical damage," Rio expined. "If your team is all physical, the enemy go ham on physical defense."

  "Oh yeah, of course!" Nash nodded repeatedly. "I know all about dat stuff, ez. So, again, what the heck are they doing not pg a mage in Mid?"

  "They pce the mage elsewhere," Jaiden expined. "Looks like their mage is the Jungler."

  "Wut? Their Pyro is the Jungler!? That's some wild shit right there, haha!"

  "I agree, it’s a funny lineup," Jaiden turo Rio, a professor oopic. "Is Jungle Pyro viable?"

  "It's passable," Rio said. "It used to be more on back when Pyro was released in OP state, but it's still used by some teams today. Though, never by the highest-raeams."

  "So, it's poop," Nash snickered.

  "Well," Jaiden said. "If their Jungler knows how to pilot that Jungle Pyro, it might work out for him. Still, that's su awkward lihey picked. I wonder why."

  Even if Jungler Pyromancer was somewhat viable, why did Stratus even bother? It felt like a workaround for the sake of pig two marksmen. But, why did they even want two marksmen in the first pce? And, why didn’t they pce a stronger one in Bot? Why Gunz and Chessmaster weren't in Bot? Why, dang it!

  It's almost like somebody doesn't let them py Bot. Jaiden had a weird gut feeling. Maybe Gunz and Chessmaster actually wao py Bot, but somebody was in their way.

  Who could that culprit be? But of course, it had to be Beat, the so-called "captain" of their team. And, maybe that Bckhole dude was an aplice too. Thanks to these guys, Jaiden couldn’t fight his sworn rivals! It was a sad story.

  "Rio,” Jaiden called out. “Do you mind creating a 1v1 situation for me and their Carry?"

  "Whie of the Carries?"

  "Heh, right," Jaiden cracked a ugh. There were two options and Jaiden wao defeat both of them. However, oook priority over the ht now. "Their Ranger. I feel like she might be the reason Gunz isn't pying Bot, so I wanna make her realize she’s making a mistake."

  "I see," Rio wasn't too thrilled about this.

  There was a hint e in Jaiden's tone. His bias against girls eaking for him. Chasing revenge will only lead to his downfall. It wasn't healthy. heless...

  "Okay,” Rio said. “I'll see what I do about their Support.”

  "Thanks, man."

  "No problem," Rio smiled weakly, with a mixture of happiness and worry. He was gd to be of service to Jaiden. If there was anything Jaiden wanted and it was within Rio's powers to grant, Rio would do it without hesitation. Even if the request was a little misguided, Rio will heed it any day.

  Meanwhile, oher side of the ne, a simir discussion was taking pce.

  "Vince,” Kai called out. “Help me get some shots on their Cleric. I wanna drive him out of the ne so I fight their Slinger."

  "Are you sure about that?" Vi couldn't hide his worry. "Last time, things didly..." He couldn't bring himself to finish that sentence.

  "Huh? Are you saying I gonna lose?" Kai's face torted. "To remind you, st time I only lost because their Cryo froze me. And, that only happened because you didn't support me like you should've."

  "Right..." Vi still felt bad about that one. "Very well. If it’s a duel you desire, then it’s a duel you shall get. I will use every ouny power te that sort of situation."

  "Good." Kai nodded. "The's start by shooting on that Cleric while farming."

  "Isn't that a bit reckless? We'll find ourselves on the receiving end of their minions."

  "I thought you agreed to help?"

  "Well yes, that I did. However-"

  "So, shut up and do as I say."

  "Hah..." Vi was at a loss. How was he even supposed to retort here?

  This wasn’t Kai speaking to him right now. It was the vile goddess of hatred possessing her body. She was the maion of Kai’s Pheromone Buster. This parasite of hatred hasn't devoured all of Kai's sanity yet, but it was getting there.

  For now, Kai still possessed some of her reason. She could probably use her Rhythm Reader without any trouble for now, but it was just a question of time before evil corrupts her mind. Ohat happens, she'll lose her sense of self and will entrust herself to her destructive urges. It was a tragic tale.

  What could Vi do to prevent this disaster from happening? He owerless. There was no surefire method to persuade Kai.

  And, it certainly didn't help she pegged Vi as the reason she lost tade st time. That alone invalidated everything Vi had to say. Kai won't listen to the one responsible for her defeat. Therefore, Vi had no choibsp;

  "I shall ply with your request," Vi gave in. Now, he just had to pray for the best.

  Kai was a skilled duelist and she still had some of her reason intact. As long as she properly utilizes her Rhythm Beater, she might defeat Renegade. Vi had to believe that, or else supp Kai here would bee a total mispy from start to end.

  From what Vi could gather, there was nothing in particur that stood out abade’s skill as an individual pyer. He was undoubtedly the God les, the one who ahe Bermuda Triangle of Certain Doom. However, by himself, Renegade didn't stand out. He was a det pyer, nothing more.

  Therefore, if Kai challenges Renegade with her full ability, she should be able to topple this adversary. However, that's only provided Kai will be able to trol herself and will find a way to make her Rhythm Reader wainst Renegade.

  The st time they fought, her of these ditions was met. Will their fight be any different? Vi could only pray.

  "So, that's the pn," Kai expined. "We’ll poke the Cleritil he runs out of HP and leaves."

  "I'd say we're more likely to grind him out of MP first."

  "Either works. As long as he leaves the ’s good enough.”

  "Right," Vi nodded.

  For Cleric, who specialized in healing, MP ractically like aension of his HP. Cleric’s kit was retively weak, but the heals were on point. Especially, God’s Blessing was a quick spell, it healed HP in a burst, and it had a retively low cooldown. Its only downside was the fact it was mana hungry.

  Therefore, before they grind the Cleric out of HP, they'll have to grind the guy out of MP. It'll be quite the challenge.

  Vi didn't fully agree with this idea, but he had no choice but to follow Kai’s lead. So, this time, he had to make sure he won’t mess up. He'll do his absolute best t Kai closer to her target, even if the entire endeavht end in nothing but tragedy.

  "It's a bad idea," Yuel raised an obje after listening to the details of their pn. He was expeg Vio stop this madness, but it seemed like Vi was on board for some reason. Therefore, Yuel had to step in and sp some on seo those two.

  "If you py aggressively like that, you're only going to lose more HP than your oppos. The Cleric will outst you with his heals."

  "Then, what do you suggest, genius?" Kai gave him the evil eye.

  "To not do any of this nonsense, obviously," Yuel said pinly. "Why do you want to push for an early fight so hard? Take your time and build yer for the te-game. It'll beuch deadlier at that point."

  "And so will the Gunslinger," Kai pointed out. "We both got te-game csses, so it doesn't matter when I choose to fight him. The moment I get my ult, I'm good to go. It's eveer to fight him early, before he unlocks all six shots."

  "I agree with that,” Yuel said. “It'll be great if you get an opportunity to duel him during the mid-game, where Ranger is at its stro. But, putting yourself at risk to create that 1v1 opportunity is a whole different story, especially against well-anized oppos. This is going to turn into a repeat of the st game.”

  "Then, how about you e up with somethier?" Kai argued. "It's cute how you criticize my idea like that, but where's yours, huh?"

  "My idea is very simple: wait until the team-fighting phase."

  "That again?” Kai gritted her teeth. “I'm not waiting for shit. I'm taking dade the first ce I get!"

  "Trying too hard to for early fight will only py to their advantage. You'll be handing them opportunities on a silver ptter. Is that what you want?"

  “Actually, you know what? You’re right about that,” Kai agreed for once. “Even if we get their Support out of the picture, I’m sure their Jungler will e after me .”

  “Indeed,” Vi nodded with a meaningful smile. “Such is the nature of the Bermuda Triangle of Certain Doom.”

  “So, any suggestions?” Kai ighe nonsense and cut to the chase. “Keep in mind that, no matter what you say, I wanna have this 1v1 before team-fights begin. Because, once we get to that point in the game, it’ll be hard to find opportuo duel the guy. He’ll probably surround himself with bodyguards 24/7.”

  “Indeed, for that’s the famous Bermuda Triangle-”

  Yuel and Kai both muted the and tiheir discussion.

  “So, you’re not going to back down?” Yuel asked again.

  “No.”

  “No matter what?”

  “No matter what,” Kai insisted. “I have to 1v1 him. He’s looking down on me. I ’t stand that.”

  “Are you sure you’re not imagining things?”

  “No, it’s clear as day,” Kai ched her mouse. “He thinks I’m trash. He even told me that on stage.”

  “I see,” Yuel didn’t have any good retorts at hand. Was there anybody else who could vince Kai to ge her mind? “Lars, what do you think about this?”

  “Hm? Me?” Lars cocked his head, then fshed his teeth. “I say, Kai gotta shoot for it, yo! It ain’t cool when somebody is disrespeg ya like that. Gotta give 'em the business!”

  “Damn straight,” Kai nodded.

  I made a mistake. Yuel regretted this immediately. They were arguing so hard just before the game, but now they’re all buddy-buddy again. Well, shoot. Now, Kai will be even more stubborn. Sigh.

  In the end, Yuel couldn't think of any decisive argument. The girl wao 1v1 Renegade no matter what, the rest of the world could be damned.

  If I keep arguing, it’ll only create bad blood. Yuel bit his lips. His hands were tied here.

  Out of the two of them, Kai was the more emotional one. She'll be the first to snap and start rampaging like a blind berserker. She was already one push away from that, so it was best to not provoke her any further.

  She promised she'll win this time, so I'll let her hahings as she sees fit. Yuel cluded. If she loses while following her own pn, she'll have no choice but to let me and Lars py Bot.

  It was a disgusting line of thinking. A part of him probably wished to see Kai crash and burn this game. He didn’t openly exhibit his dissatisfa with Kai’s stubbornness like Lars did, but Yuel was also st a lot of angst on the i was like a tig bomb that could go off at any moment.

  As, the situation was as it was, with Kai pying Bot. Just because Yuel and Lars didn't get their desired spots, it didn't mean they had the right to throw this game. On the trary, they should do everything in their power to secure victory despite the harsh circumstances. Just one more victory and they'll wiire scrimmage. They had to push hard through this hurdle!

  I see Lars uands that. Yuel nodded in approval at Lars's strong performan Mid.

  For the first time today, Lars was holding the upper hand against his ne oppo. Nirvana has previously established himself as Lars’s equal in terms of skill, but Lars's Trickshooter had the power to overwrite that fact. With a Trickshooter in hand, Lars was a league above his rival.

  I also have to do my best with these iations. Yuel o himself.

  Opposing Kai any further will only cause a rift betweeherefore, Yuel will have to accept her pn for now. Kai will get to fight Renegade one-on-one, just as she wanted.

  As such, Yuel had to figure a way to elegantly arrange such a position. However, it won’t be easy, not against Renegade.

  The previous game taught them that Renegade often surrounded himself with his trusty bodyguards, Lapd StormMohat trio was like a team within a team. Their teamwork stood testament to how hard they traiogether and how much they trusted each other

  On top of that, even individually, each of them was rather impressive. Vi’s analysis of them went something like this:

  StormMonster had the "Storm Chaser" trait. He redator who could catch up to any fleeing target, even if it was a raging storm. His skill level increased across the board when he was on the chase. There was little to no ce of esg from him alive.

  on Vi’s exaggerated list, Lapce was ed as the "Phantom Approacher". He possessed the ability to approach oppos without being noticed. It sounded simir to Nia's "Vanishing Phantom", but it arently more restricted in its utility. heless, it was effective enough to catch Kai off guard st game, so it lenty dangerous.

  And finally Renegade, the one who earhe silliest and most bombastiiame out of them all, the "God les". Apparently, Renegade didn't possess any specific skills that stood out when he was alone. He was a skilled pyer, but that alone wouldn't cause Stratus that much trouble.

  What really set the guy apart was the way he ahe triangle he formed with StormMonster and Lapce. It always seemed like he was in the ter of it all, as the one who initiated the triangle’s pys and directed them. He was the leader of that trio, no doubt about it.

  Those three were a sistent threat. They WILL find a way to join forces and they WILL run over anybody who wasn't prepared to deal with their overwhelming teamwork.

  I have to separate them somehow. Yuel reached the obvious clusion. But, how? They seem to be well trained. we break their formation without me and Lars there?

  To get all the way to the king, Kai will have to sneak past his bodyguards. Lapce was stig to the king like a castled rook, so Kai had to take him out of the picture first.

  , there was StormMohe wildcard bishop who could cut through the juo deliver a timely gank. The only way to stop him from intervening was to block his best rotation routes toward Bot.

  Easier said than done. Yuel frowhere were many avaible routes spread throughout the ju was impossible to cover them all. Realistically, all they could do was to gamble on one of the jurances leading into Bot and block it off. With some educated guessing, it should be possible to pick the entraormMonster will go for.

  "Okay, I have a pn for you," Yuel said. "First, focus on driving the Cleric out of the ne."

  "Sounds like a promising start." Kai sidered Yuel carefully. She didn't fully believe the guy was on her side, not yet.

  "Ohe Cleric is out of the picture, the only problem is their Jungler," Yuel expined. "Luke, you’ll have to keep wat the jungle ohe duel begins."

  "So, I gonna stand there like a guardian dog?" Luke cracked a dry ugh. "Man, that's why we 't have hings. But alright, sure. Cerberus, rep for duty!"

  "You should keep watch around here." Yuel pinged above the juran the left side. "Also, we need a ward over here." Yuel pinged a little more to the right. "This is usually not the most ideal spot for a ward, but it'll warn you against ining ganks from the ter and the right side.”

  "I shall take care of pg the ward," Vi volunteered.

  "Good." Yuel nodded and cluded the expnation. “That's it. That’s the setup.”

  "Sounds good," Kai nodded. "You see? You e up with somethi if you try."

  "Somethi", you say. Yuel wore a difficult expression. He really tried his best to cover as many angles as possible for this problemati, but that didn't make the p" by any stretch of the imagination. It was more akin to a desperate attempt at postponing an impending disaster.

  The only "det" pn here would be for Kai to abandon the idea of challenging Renegade early. Unfortunately, that didn’t seem like an option. She was stubborn as a bull on this one.

  Yuel could only pray that his pn will go as smoothly as possible and will prevent a disaster like the one from the st game...

  DarkestCymore