Chapter 26: So, You’re Invincible?

At the exact moment Tian’s position was fully exposed, Luo Ji decisively activated his off-cooldown summoner spell, Ghost. Jayce happened to be in his cannon form at that moment, and upon realizing that Gwen had suddenly gone "mad dog" mode, he instinctively fired his EQ combo.

Unfortunately...

Against a Gwen with her W skill active, Jayce’s cannon blast was completely absorbed before it could even land.

[Gwen is unaffected!]

"Damn it!"

Seeing the absurdly decisive movement from the opposing Gwen, Zoom felt his scalp tingle. What on earth was this rookie? He was as stable as a city wall when he needed to be patient, yet as decisive as a compulsive gambler when it was time to strike.

But there was no doubt: this Ghost-fueled gank was perfect. Zoom was positioned near the outer bottom turret, but that turret had been gone for ages. Running in a straight line made him an easy target. With that in mind, he bolted toward the bottom jungle.

But... it was useless.

Even with the extra movement speed from his boots, he couldn't outrun a Gwen who had popped her "speed hack." When he tried to weave through the brush to outplay her, he realized in despair that Gwen’s damage was either AoE or auto-attacks—he couldn't dodge the autos, and he couldn't escape the AoE.

It was a masterclass in: "Your mechanics are great, but my damage is unavoidable."

In a standard laning phase, he could have hammered her away and used the movement speed from Phase Rush to reach turret safety in a few steps. But the problem was that there was no turret here, no one to help him, and his Jayce simply couldn't escape Gwen’s "Rain of Pears" onslaught.

There was no mechanical outplay. Aside from using her W to dodge the initial EQ, Gwen soaked up almost all of Jayce’s subsequent damage—pure, gritty effort.

The Gwen of late Season 11 was not the waste of space she would become in later years. The original Gwen was a 1v5 machine upon release, and even after nerfs, she could still take on multiple opponents. It wasn't until Patch 12.13 that she was hit with comprehensive nerfs—all four skills and her passive were slashed repeatedly, suffering the same fate as the ancient Irelia before gradually fading into irrelevance.

But at least! At this moment, once Gwen survived her weak laning phase, she remained incredibly potent in the mid-to-late game.

When Gwen’s health bar dropped to a quarter, the invincible Jayce fell once more. He didn't even bother blowing his Flash; until the moment he collapsed, his eyes were brimming with tears, filled with regret over his own "feeding" performance.

Honestly, if this had been a team with long-standing synergy, he wouldn't have been caught in such a position. He had been too careless. Looking at the situation in mid, it was clear Gwen had seen the Viego’s position and coordinated with the Lucian’s intentionally "off-target" W...

Damn it!

This team had only been rebuilt for a few weeks, right? How did they develop this kind of chemistry? Do they play *Overcooked* together?

V5 Mebius killed TES Zoom.

A solo kill, successfully achieved!

[Slay!]
[Offer a salute to the birth of a King!]
[Zoom: Sorry Lord Mebius, I apologize for not being able to force you to use your full strength.]
[The ending fits the Tokusatsu script; those who don't believe in the light are all dead.]

Truly, LPL viewers found it hard to pin down what kind of top laner Luo Ji was. If you called him a team player, his ability to seize opportunities was off the charts—seeing the jungler show up from a mile away and immediately popping Ghost. But if you called him an aggressive player, he was unreasonably steady and cautious, always knowing how to support his teammates.

This archetype already surpassed GimGoon’s profile and was trending toward the Season 6 Looper.

"Li Xuanjun, you’re a dead man!!!"

Off-screen, Ah Bu gritted his teeth, grabbing Flandre and shaking him back and forth.

It was true. They weren't currently short on top laners. With the influence of the Season 11 championship, they had to let Flandre play out the year and milk the clout. But this was the team’s future, damn it! If they had signed him back then, combined with the rumors they’d heard about the substitute Fisher—who they planned to poach from Scout in a year or two—they would have had their future roster set.

"What does that have to do with me? I suggested him to you, and not just once."

"That was more than once? You should have insisted longer!"

"That wouldn't work. Being a simp is out of the meta. Before, you’d give up after three rejections; now, the meta has fast-forwarded to giving up after one. I still suggested it three times, and you completely ignored me. Don't blame me."

Flandre calmly took a sip of water. He had known all along how shocking it would be once a top laner like Luo Ji appeared on the LPL stage. An absolutely rational, team-oriented top laner was the championship puzzle piece every team craved.

But... he adjusted his glasses, watching Luo Ji on the screen with a contemplative look. If this was all he was capable of, then V5’s evaluation of Luo Ji was perhaps still too low.

On screen, the moment Gwen killed Jayce, Xiao Yan in mid lane successfully disengaged under the protection of Rookie and Karsa. But this sudden kill notification made TES feel like they were about to snap.

***

The one who had been engaged on was Knight. But why was it Zoom in the side lane who died?

A Stand attack?

"What’s the situation?"

"My bad. I should have positioned further back. The second he saw Viego, he popped Ghost and came straight for me. I couldn't outrun him."

Hearing Zoom’s apology, the members of TES didn't know what kind of expression to make. In reality, it wasn't just Zoom. The entire TES team had started Game 1 with a sense of contempt for V5. After all, they were a budget team with a rookie; they hadn't taken the opposition seriously at first.

And now... their faces were clearly stinging from the slap.

In the bottom lane, Gwen retreated into the shadows after killing Jayce, watching the situation in mid. If TES sent someone down to defend the tier-two turret, he would just recall and TP to join his team for Baron. If they didn't, he would seize the chance to take the turret himself.

At this moment, Tian, who was leading the team, felt as if a dashing, heroic figure was standing before him, arrogantly playing a "counter-espionage" maneuver:

"Make your choice, in the hell of pain and suffering!"

Even worse, he truly didn't know what to choose.

Eventually, TES chose to abandon the side lane. After all, they could still struggle if they gave up a side lane, but if they gave up Baron, it was truly game over.

"Dancing in front of so many people, even when there’s little hope left... Hagi-Tian... you guy..."

Karsa stared blankly at TES’s tactical choice. But he only paused for a moment. Soon, his mind was filled with the notifications of his teammates completing their core items.

Yes. Such a massive gold lead was enough for their carries to hit their three-item power spike faster than the opposition. Simply put, in the next team fight, their carries would have three items each against the enemy's two and a half.

This gold lead was perfect: high enough (over 5,000) to ensure their dominance, but low enough (under 10,000) to avoid triggering the "10k gold lead comeback" curse. No matter how you looked at it, it was rock solid.

In the next fight, Karsa even pulled off an incredibly unreasonable engage. He landed a random W on someone and then E’d in. With this lead, this timing, and his teammates' current gear, there was no need to worry about positioning.

Fighting was like that: when strength is equal, it’s like children brawling; when the gap is too wide, it’s a brutal execution.

"Is he always this brave?"

"Not really. He wasn't like this before you joined."

JackeyLove calmly replied to Tian’s complaint, though his eyes remained fixed on the area behind him. Since Xin Zhao had engaged, it meant the other half of the "dual-circle" system—Gwen—must be nearby. The most likely scenario was that she had successfully flanked them.

Alistar headbutted forward, but Viktor and Viego only threw out a few token skills, holding onto their key abilities. If the opposition made a coordination error, they had a chance to burst down the flanking Gwen alongside Jayce’s damage.

But...

While they were busy guarding their rear, Luo Ji’s Gwen appeared on the side flank out of nowhere. At the very moment the TES members were confused by his positioning, the front line saw the AE86 coming up the mountain again.

This 86—despite integrating the space of a Mazda, the power of a Sylphy, the soundproofing of a Fit, the handling of an ES, the fuel consumption of a Luxgen, the driver-assist of a Geek, and the price of an ATS—was the kind of car nobody would bother stealing even if left on the side of the road. But because of that, it was all the more cheap and durable.

Azir, drifting through the turn!

He didn't need to push people back, nor did he need to deal massive AoE damage; he only needed to reach the opponent and land one [Emperor's Divide]. Rookie had never felt that playing Azir in team fights could be this simple.

With one ultimate, he pushed three of TES’s members—top, mid, and bottom—back toward their own side. Gwen then stepped up at the perfect moment.

On the field, a bizarre formation appeared: TES’s front-line trio, TES’s side-flanking Viego, Gwen, the Emperor's Divide, Alistar, and V5’s front-line quartet.

Zhuo: "?"
Zhuo: "You all left with the Azir taxi."
Zhuo: "What about me?"
Zhuo: "I didn't get on! I didn't get on!!!"

At this moment, V5’s intentions were clear as day. Who the hell was going to play a 5v5 brawl with them? Even with a lead, the entire V5 team was terrifyingly steady. With both the "dual-circle" and Azir’s ultimate, wasn't it only logical to play a positional war and slowly erode the enemy?

Of course it was!

Intercepted by the double barrier of the Emperor’s Divide and Gwen’s W, TES dared not save their support. They had to忍痛 (painfully) abandon their teammate.

It wasn't that they didn't want to save him. It was about "prioritized saving," "stable saving," and "situational saving." Saving people required distinguishing between primary and secondary goals. They wanted it all, they needed it all, and they had to have it all. Since they were the only ones who could save the support, it clearly meant they were the only ones who could pull off a comeback. It wasn't that they weren't willing to sacrifice; it was just more cost-effective for them to stay alive!

Yeah. The entire TES team comforted themselves this way.

Until—

V5 Photic killed TES Zhuo.

The TES fans, the sky had fallen.

[GG!]
[V5 is so damn steady. Is this really how team fights can be played?]
[No issues there. The only front-liner was Alistar. Once he died and Viego was on the flank, the three in front were free for V5 to charge.]
[That damage—Alistar’s ult might as well not have been active. Let’s just say Poland in 1939 held out longer than he did.]

Truly, the TES members were completely numb. What kind of brains did this V5 team have? How could they execute such inhuman tactics?

Even... after killing the support, V5 didn't choose to group for Baron. Instead, they took the minion wave and prepared to charge up TES’s high ground, not even giving the opponent a chance for a miracle Baron fight.

"Do you think we’re being a bit too ruthless?"

Rookie was kind-hearted. He had never felt he played so heartlessly before, so he asked with some embarrassment.

"Ruthless?"

Luo Ji frowned and explained, "Brother Rookie, that’s where you’re wrong. I understand your thoughts—the idea that one should show mercy where possible. But in the old saying, there’s a line that comes before that: 'Invincible across the world, show mercy where you can.'"

"The meaning is that you must first be invincible, so that no one can beat you; only then can you choose to be merciful."

"So, the question is: do you think we are invincible now? Or rather, do you think *you* are invincible?"

The team was suddenly caught in Luo Ji’s logic. Rookie felt dizzy and mumbled to himself, "Am I invincible?"

Luo Ji: "Right, you are invincible."
Rookie: "No, I’m not invincible yet."
Luo Ji: "Then what do you think we should do to become invincible?"
Rookie (eyes growing brighter): "If we kill them, we’ll be invincible."
Luo Ji: "You’re a genius!"

He clapped his hands sharply. What a great comrade! V5 needed a mid-laner with the unwavering resolve of Brother Rookie. Afraid that Rookie might snap out of it, he struck while the iron was hot:

"Brother Rookie, trust me."

"The greatest respect you can show someone isn't holding back in a match; it’s going all out, making them worry that if they lift their blanket in their sleep, you’ll pop out."

"That is the true respect between men!"

Upon hearing this, Rookie took a deep breath, his expression becoming increasingly resolute.

The other three members of V5: ...
Oh no, has our big brother been brainwashed into idiocy?

After successfully brainwashing Rookie, and waiting for his W to come off cooldown, Luo Ji led the charge himself this time, just as the coach had instructed: "Come from the front, go to the objective, fear no sentry, and charge to break the line!"

[Ghost], activated once again!

"Here it comes, a charge from Mebius."

At this moment, the caster Jiejie, who had finally waited for the opportunity, spoke up hurriedly. Before coming to work, he never would have imagined his two partners would be such "old foxes"—one took [First Strike], the other [Lethal Tempo], while he was the only fool who took [Dark Harvest]. But that was fine; this rune was perfect for the late game.

And now, it was the late game!

"He’s activated Ghost again. From the start of the match to now, every single Ghost usage from Mebius has played a crucial role."

"In this wave, he’s charging in. And then? He’s tanking the damage and rushing toward TES’s top, mid, and bot carries. The Hallowed Mist is up—nice, the positioning of that mist is perfect."

"TES wants to fight back; they want to burst this Gwen down, but Mebius has Zhonya’s in his pocket!"

"TES has fallen for it!!!"

On the TES high ground, the moment Gwen’s Zhonya’s lit up, dodging the bulk of the damage from Jayce, Tristana, and Viktor, the three carries felt like they were suffocating.

It was so damn dirty!

This Gwen was just charging in to bait their skills, but faced with a Gwen who had popped her ultimate and Ghost, you couldn't outrun her, and you couldn't burst her down if you fought back.

That was what made it so disgusting. How could there be such a disgustingly clever rookie?!

After most of their skills were wasted, they were greeted by the gunfire from the Lucian-Nami combo. 5v3, with their top laner having forced out at least half of the enemy’s skills—to put it bluntly, at this point, you could scatter rice on the keyboard and a chicken could get the kills.

From beginning to end, Tian’s Viego could only watch from the sidelines. Yes, that was all he could do—watch.

With one charge, at the cost of Luo Ji and PPGOD tanking the turret to their deaths, they slaughtered all three of TES’s carries. After that, it was a one-sided push.

1:0.
V5 took the first victory, winning the game!