Chapter 35: Kassadin’s Unstoppable Entrance, Masterful Play, and the Crowd Left Dumbfounded

"EDG is forcing a fight!"

"The RNG bot lane duo is getting a bit greedy here."

"Can they get away?"

Wawa and Miller provided rapid-fire commentary on the unfolding scene, though their tone betrayed little optimism. EDG’s offensive was sudden, and judging by the placement of Kassadin’s Teleport, it was clearly a premeditated ambush.

The chat was no longer in the mood for jokes, eyes glued to the screen. In-game, Uzi looked at the EDG mid-lane tier-one turret, which was left with only a sliver of health, his eyes filled with frustration.

"Get out!" Ming’s voice was even more urgent.

But it was already too late. The "Shadow Isles" combo’s initiation was nearly flawless. Kalista kept repositioning with her passive. The "spirit ball" flew toward Caitlyn, forcing out her Flash. The moment Thresh landed, he flashed and used a reverse Flay, catching Caitlyn’s E mid-animation and canceling it.

"He interrupted it!"

The sight sent a chill through the viewers. Wawa’s voice spiked, "Caitlyn has been caught, and Kalista is still kiting..."

"Kassadin! Look at Kassadin!"

The camera shifted to reveal Kassadin landing from his Teleport. He was encased in a thick white shield. Indeed, the moment he landed, Shen’s ultimate had been cast simultaneously. Chen Yan had a singular focus: Caitlyn.

*Riftwalk!*

Kassadin’s form flickered as he appeared right next to the sheriff.

*Auto-W-E-Q!*

Every ability was fired in a heartbeat. The next moment, Caitlyn’s health bar vanished entirely; she had been instantly deleted.

"EDG, Chen Yan has slain RNG, Uzi."

The system kill notification rang out.

"Huh?" Uzi stared at the black-and-white screen, dazed.

"Uzi was one-shot!"

"Kassadin, what kind of damage is that?"

Wawa and Miller were equally stunned in the broadcast booth. They hadn't focused much on Kassadin, yet somehow, he had reached such a terrifying state of growth. The live audience erupted in an uproar. In the chat, many were spamming the phrase "just a guy on the side of the road." This meme had originated from one of Chen Yan’s streams, but now, it was being applied to Uzi.

The death of their carry shook Ming, who immediately burned his Flash just to escape.

"Heh, trying to run?"

Chen Yan followed behind Karma. As soon as his ultimate came off cooldown, he jumped right next to her. Mouse’s Shen landed an E-Flash, locking Karma down. Without suspense, Chen Yan secured another kill.

"Double kill."

The arena went silent for a moment before erupting into thunderous cheers. Although RNG had a larger fanbase, EDG’s brilliant play deserved the applause. In esports, popularity might be a bonus, but strength is the only eternal constant.

However, the battle didn't end with the fall of RNG’s bot lane. Ryze and Camille arrived late, but with their core damage dealer dead, they had no intention of continuing and retreated. This left Mlxg in a difficult spot. In truth, he had been the first to rotate, but he had run into Clearlove’s Sejuani along the way, and the two had become entangled in a stalemate. Now that the outcome of the mid-lane skirmish was decided, the Gragas could only watch as EDG turned their attention toward him.

"EDG, Chen Yan has slain RNG, Mlxg."

"This..." Wawa and Miller’s pupils constricted. Kassadin had walked away from a single teamfight with three kills. "This Kassadin... he’s becoming unstoppable."

In the RNG back-room lounge, Coach Feng furrowed his brows. This result was unexpected; he had thought RNG would sweep through and take the series 3-1. Now, things were looking ominous.

"Uzi was greedy," the analyst remarked. "He pushed too deep and gave them an opening."

Feng disagreed. "It’s that they found the perfect opportunity."

The two arrived at different conclusions. Feng had already regained his composure, explaining, "They hadn't engaged before not just because they were waiting for cooldowns, but because they were waiting for this exact moment. They waited for our players to lower their guard, waiting until the mid turret was at a sliver of health—that is when player vigilance is at its lowest."

The explanation left everyone in the room silent. If EDG was truly that meticulous, then RNG had no room to complain about losing that fight. Feng’s expression remained grim. EDG’s macro tempo was comparable to the LCK—suffocating. And yet, they hadn't been this terrifying in the first two games.

"Could it be because of him?" Feng’s gaze drifted toward EDG’s rookie mid-laner, lost in thought.

...

Compared to RNG, the mood in the EDG lounge was jubilant.

"That Kassadin engage was invincible!" Nofe said with a grin. How could they lose with a Kassadin this fed?

"Stay steady, we can't get happy too early," Ah Bu said, fearing the "jinx."

Nofe looked at Ah Bu, speechless. *Your smile is wider than an AK, and you're telling us not to get happy too early?*

...

The fans were the happiest of all. If the previous games had left them in despair, this one gave them hope.

"Damn, if we have such a ruthless mid-laner, why wasn't he starting sooner?"

"Management is eating trash."

"I always said Chen Yan was a beast."

"Get lost, have you no shame? I saw you spamming the chat calling him a trash streamer earlier."

The chat was chaotic. The EDG voice comms were even messier, filled with the excited shouts of the teammates.

"Kassadin is godlike!"

"Our mid is truly carrying!"

"We’ve got this!"

The teammates were the most shocked and thrilled. Before the match, they never imagined Chen Yan could suppress Xiaohu, nor that he could lead the team to victory. This current lead felt like a dream.

"Don't get happy too early, the game isn't over yet," Chen Yan said, his emotions remaining stable.

EDG had an advantage, sure, but it wasn't enough. The team composition was essentially a single-carry setup. Despite how well his Kassadin was doing, if he were focused down a few times, it would be useless. In short, their margin for error remained low. Therefore, they had to keep expanding their lead. Only when the advantage was so large that the opponent couldn't fight back would it be time to pop the champagne.

Clearlove, mature and steady, was the first to calm down. After Chen Yan proved himself, he no longer cared about losing the shot-calling duties and instead took the initiative to say, "Everyone listen to Xiao Yan."

His teammates felt a bit of disdain for Clearlove’s fickle loyalty, and the chat lamented the veteran's life—one "father" leaves, and another arrives.

...

Following this, Chen Yan returned to a farming rhythm. He knew RNG might target him, so until Shen had his ultimate back, he didn't push side lanes aggressively, never crossing the river. Even so, his growth remained stellar.

By the seventeen-minute mark, Kassadin had finished two items: Mercury’s Treads, Rod of Ages, and Lich Bane. At this stage, while everyone else was generally sitting on one item, a two-item Kassadin possessed both survivability and burst damage. In terms of levels, he was at the top of the board at Level 13. While he hadn't reached his ultimate form at Level 16, a Kassadin with a rank-two ultimate already possessed the mobility and combat power of a monster.

The RNG players looked at him, feeling helpless, until... Kassadin began to push aggressively.

At that moment, the entire RNG team surged with energy.

"Catch the Kassadin!"