Zeph healed up at the base auro ne.

  It’s payback time, bitch. Zeph psyched himself up for the absolute massacre he was about to it. He ain't gonna pull any stops while the Viking's ult was down.

  And so, Zeph fearlessly charged into eerritory. He smmed his axes on the bowmen, then hacked away at them with swift swings. And, as for the Viking? Dude couldn't do shit about any of this.

  Well, he always try. Zeph grinned and lifted his . Yeah, he try. That is, if he got a death wish.

  But no, the Viking didn’t lift a finger about any of this. The guy at least knew how to respect Berserker’s superior strength.

  He's definitely mad, I se. Vihought.

  That bold overextension fronMaster was like him sending a message. This Berserker procimed he feared no man, and especially not Vi’s Viking. It was tempting to deliver retribution on this cocky oppo, but Vi decided against it.

  I'll py it safe until he makes his big move. Vi carefully observed the enemy's Rage meter, which was dispyed where the MP gauge would normally be.

  Since Viriggered DragonMaster's Berserk transformation st time, the guy had to start w toward 8e from merely 20%. That'll take him more than one minion wave, especially when he also wao apply pressure with Barbarian Sm that ce.

  Unfortunately, the meter filled up quickly. In the wave, the Berserker will be ready to unleash his full strength.

  "I suspect things will go down in the wave," Vi shared his observations.

  "I agree," Yuel said. "He'll open an attack as soon as he , but you have to act oblivious about it. Let him do this thing, make him think he is in trol."

  "Oh, so you wish for me to feign inpetence?" Vi smiled mischievously. That was the kind of unorthodox tactics he enjoyed from Chessmaster. "Very well. I shall show him the greatest performance of the decade! Luke, you get here in time for the wave?"

  "Yeah, no problem," Luke said. "So, I wait for him to go berserk, and then I roll in?"

  "Yes, that's the pn," Yuel nodded.

  "Alrighty, sounds dope. Let's do it!"

  During the wave, it happened. DragonMaster broke past 8e. It was showtime.

  "RWAAAAH!" the Berserker roared. His veins popped and his muscles burst. He transformed into a red Hulk and he was mad, very mad. He was going to rend Vi asunder!

  "You're hel dead, chump!" Zeph roared. You gonna pay back for st time, with i! It looks you didn't evehis ing. Idiot! You're through!

  Even though Vi k was ing, he didn't take any obvious precautions against this development. Why? Because that was the role Yuel cast him to py. Vi was supposed to py the clueless, inexperienced oppo who had no idea about his enemy's iions.

  Dios mio! He caught me! Vi acted like a shocked fool, but this development was exactly what he was waiting for. "Luke, the stage is set!"

  "Let's goooooo!" Luke rolled into the ne and activated Honorable Duel.

  "Wha-!?" Zeph excimed. "Shit! A gank!? What's with this timing!?"

  The two enemies pincered Zeph. They hacked and sshed him while he couldn't trol himself his Berserker.

  Thankfully, the taunt only sted for a few moments. Berserk mode reduced the durations of all CC by 50%, so he was ba trol in no time. Yeah, get that me CC outta here! Lemme fight!

  But, even as trol returo him, what was the move? It was a 1v2 situation. The enemy surrounded him from opposite sides and their timing was impeccable.

  It's like they phe entire damn thing. Zeph felt an invisible force suffog him. It's like he was uer, where each of his moves was sloredictable. But, who redig them? Who was ing up with these ters?

  Chessmaster. It had to be that cheeky bastard, the guy who read Zeph like a book at every turn. It was that way when they fought on ne, and it was still the same even now. It felt as Chessmaster ed a rope around Zeph's ned was slowly but surely tightening it, chokio death.

  I win this 1v2? Nah, who am I kidding? Zeph backpedaled from his oppos.

  Berserk mode was strong but it wasn't that strong. If the Jungler was at least a squishy, then Zeph could quickly stomp that guy a him out of the picture. But, against a Knight? Fat ce.

  So, looks like I gotta make a break for it. Zeph gritted his teeth. What a stupid situation. He has finally built up enough Rage to go Berserk and murder that Viking bastard, but instead he had run away like some wuss. Damn it!

  I even escape from these guys? Well, it should be fine, right? Zeph tried to reassure himself. I got the speed and I leap too. I just gotta watch out for the Viking’s axe-

  WHISH! An axe came flying right at him!

  Shit! I gotta dod- It was too te. The axe pluself into his chest and remaiu there.

  It was over. The enemy has marked Zeph as the prey. There was no escape anymore. The moment Zeph creates any distance from his ehe Viking will blink in and throw Zeph all the way back. This fu’ game...

  So, tions did Zeph even have in this situation? Die while running away, or die while fighting. Such amazing options. 10/10 game.

  “Hey, Zeph!” Nash called out. “Don’t worry, I’m on my way over there!”

  “That’d sound way more reassuring if you weren’t half a map away...”

  “Haha, soz! Just try keeping them busy until I get there.”

  “Easier said than done!” Zeph stepped backward to evade the Knights’ ssh, but that only put him in ideal rao get hacked by the Viking’s axe.

  This 1v2 was impossible. The two bastards were running all over him.

  “Yeah, I don’t think I gonna make it...”

  “Then, at least deal enough damage before dying,” Rio mumbled such heartless words. That little bastard was always a ofo. But, he was right.

  “Damn, looks like I got no choice.” Zeph clicked his tongue. “Okay, I’mma go out with a bang then!”

  Zeph swung his first axe, then his sed axe. Swift and accurate strikes!

  Well, they weren't that accurate, but it was hard to miss the target in Berserk mode. These swings were so wild, they had an AoE property. Ain’t nobody gonna sidestepping that shit!

  "Whoa, this guy is actually fighting!" Luke excimed. “Looks like he's locked on ya.”

  “Indeed, so it seems.” Vi attempted to sidestep the ining ssh to no avail. The swing arcs were simply too wide. So, instead of wasting time trying to dodge, it was more beneficial to strike bad kill the Berserker as quickly as possible.

  “It appears he has choseh,” Vi said. “Let’s close on him and smite him down!”

  “I like the sound of that.” Luke also gave up on spag out the rampaging madman. Instead, he charged in and delivered as many hits as possible.

  As a Knight, Luke’s damage output wasn’t anything to write home about, especially not when he was gging behind by two levels. heless, his strikes were good enough to supplement Vi’s attacks.

  The two of them pincered DragonMaster tightly, blog him from fleeing or even stepping in any dire. However, they got a little too eager and DragonMaster noticed that.

  “Heh, idiots! You’re too close!” Zeph jumped high into the air, then came down crashing owo scrubs. “Take that, bastards! I’mma destroy you!”

  Savage Leap was one of the fe abilities in the game which allowed the caster to jump i was a hel cool tech, perfect for when enemies closely surrounded him.

  Zeph crashed hard on his foes. So hard, that he totally floored them. The crash stuhem for a sed, so Zeph got a free follow-up hit on them.

  I probably gonna die, but I’m taking you fuckers with me! Zeph promised. Even if I don’t finish you off, Nash gonna e here to up. You’re through!

  The enemy flinched in front of Zeph’s overbearing fighting spirit.

  “Dang, this guy is tough.” Luke grinned. “But, we got his ass! Toss him!”

  “On it!” Vi grabbed the Berserker and hurled the guy to the ground.

  Vi has been saving Takedown all this time in case DragonMaster will decide to flee, but the guy chose honorable death instead. As such, Takedown was going to be the finishing blow against the rampaging madman!

  WHAM! Vi smmed DragonMaster into the ground!

  While the prey was staggering on the ground, Vi and Luke mercilessly assaulted the guy. It was over.

  An enemy has been killed!

  FIRST BLOOD!

  "Haha, goteem!" Luke pumped a fist. He took the kill this time because he was underleveled and really hat extra exp and gold.

  "Marvelous performance." Vi nodded. "Thank you kindly for the gank. I’ve finally seized trol of Top Lahanks to your help!"

  But, he celebrated too soon. The moment, a blood-chilling yell resounded.

  "GAE BOLG!" The enemy Lancer was here!? But, where!? Nobody saw the guy rotating at all!

  I don't see anybody! Vi g the juran his left, then at the entran the right. But there was nothing, no Lancer in sight.

  Then, where did that load sound cue e from!?

  "Whoa! It's from above!" Luke rolled aside.

  "Above? Oh!" Vi finally id his eyes on the elusive enemy.

  It was no simple Gae Bolg casting. The enemy first leaped high into the air with Luhen cast Gae Blog from midair!

  I must dodge- It was too te. Vi has just started pushing the spacebar, but the attack was already here.

  "Git dead, bruh!" Nash accelerated toward the ground like a meteor. VROOOM! He crashed into the Viking!

  "Agh! Soldiers, I've been shot!" Vi dramatically threw himself backward, as if he received the impact of the crash in the flesh.

  You have been killed!

  "Such a devastating might." Vi nodded with respect. The enemy masterfully set up that euation.

  It he Berserker stood his ground and fought until the st moment, piling up as much damage as possible on Vi. Then, the Lancer swept in to things up. In other words, the eraded a kill for a kill.

  Or, was it more than just that...?

  "Don't ya rex just yet!" Nash grinned. He has just finished dev one helpless prey, but there was one more tasty snack right in front of him!

  The Knight was at 60% HP after taking on Zeph’s Berserk mode, during which Berserker's swings were wild as heck. They could even hit multiple e once like aack. So, even though it looked like Zeph focused his attacks on the Viking, his wide swings roughed up the Knight as well in the process.

  “Awesome work, Zeph!” Nash sung praises. “I get a double kill here thanks to ya!”

  “Always wele.” Zeph smiled wryly.

  In the end, despite his determination to py a more active role in this game, he ended up setting the stage for somebody else again. But, it didn’t feel too bad. Even though Nash will be the one sg the kills, that euation was only made possible thanks to Zeph’s bat skills and perseverance. So, despite how it looked, Zeph actually tributed toward initiating the teams’ momentum this game! He did a thing!

  “Are ya ready!?” Nash spread the Knight with crazed eyes. “Yoing down, bruh!”

  "So, I'm ?" Luke chuckled nervously. "Alrighty then. Guys, I'mma foot it! That guy is onto me!"

  "Yes, that's reasonable." Yuel closely followed the situation while he was recalling to base.

  The enemy tered strongly with that gank. StormMonster mao salvage that losing position and even tur around winning one. As expected, things won't ever go smoothly against such a formidable team.

  Luke eve away here? Yuel frowned. After all, it’s StormMonster we’re talking about. Chasing enemies seems to be his forte.

  Vi even dubbed the guy "Storm Chaser", a predator who never let his prey escape, no matter the circumstao make things worse, this gank caught Luke overextending deep into eerritory, so he had a long run ahead of him. And, the situation was only turning from bad to worse by the moment...

  "Ya ain't getting away, dawg!" Nash activated Sprint, a utility skill he bought exactly for moments like this. Ain’t nobody gon away him! He'll chase his prey to the ends of the earth! He will catch them, he will hit them, and he will kill them. Such was the job of a horror movie monster.

  "e on, stay a while!" Nash swept his nce.

  "He already caught up!?" Luke excimed. Bruh, what the actual heck!? Dude was like twenty meters away just a moment ago!

  To make things worse, the Lancer’s Sweep struck true. That attack was devastating for situations like this. The damage was just okay, but it applied a pretty heavy slowdown. This ain't good. Ain't good at all!

  The enemy was breathing down his neck. Luke sehe cold touch of death reag toward him from behind. Soon, very sooh will cim him.

  WHISH. WHISH. A thrust. Ahrust. The Lancer impaled Luke from behind without rest. The guy wasn't falling behind in the slightest.

  Damn, I gotta juke some of those! Luke sidestepped in the middle of the run. WHISH! The Laill hit him!

  "No way! Then, how about this...!" A sidestep in the opposite dire! WHISH. Another hit.

  Jukes ain't w! Luke ranted internally. Bruh is unjukeable!

  To make things worse, each attack hit like a truck. Despite being a bruiser, Luke’s defense wasn’t up to pa because he was gging behind in level and build.

  Heh, this is legit bad. Luke produced a dry ugh. He might actually git dead here.

  The guy chasing him deserved to be called a “monster”, just like the niame. Luke felt like he was cast into a horror movie, and not as one of the victims who survive to the end.

  His HP already dropped to 30% and there was still a fair distail he reaches the Turret. “There is no escape.” Every cell in his body screamed so. “You’ll die to this monster. You ’t get away.”

  Yeah, this is just like Vince said. Luke gulped as he recalled Vi’s analysis.

  This dude, StormMonster, was a legit headhunter. Bruh didn’t let any target slip through his fingers. Luke has already experienced a little of that brutality st game, but now it was crystal clear: there was no esg alive from StormMonster.

  I ’t juke him and I ’t outrun him. My roll is down. My ult is down. I got nothing. Luke reasoned. It eless situation. He was dead meat.

  “Hey, Yuel,” Luke called out. “Soz, I ’t get away from this guy.”

  “I see.” Yuel frowned. It was unfortunate, but it couldn’t be helped. StormMonster has already established a reputation as somebody whose chasing ability was unrivaled. Nobody could escape from the cws of that predator.

  No, actually, there was one person who made it out alive. Just once, he successfully threw a wren StormMonster’s fwless chasing today. It was Lars.

  But, how did Lars achieve it? He didn’t do it by running away. Instead, he turned around and mounted a teratta his pursuer.

  If I take Vi’s analysis at face value, then StormMonster pys better from the position of a pursuer. Yuel reasoned. In that case, what about his skill in a normal fight? He’s definitely skilled, but he didn’t e across as intimidating. Luke probably give him a fair fight.

  Luke was hanging by a thread at 30% HP, while his pursuer was safely sitting on 80%. Uhese circumstances, it was unreasoo expect Luke to win a duel here. However, he might draw the fight out long enough for backup to arrive.

  It was a wild hypothesis. For any of this to e eveely close t, Yuel had to fully rely on Vi’s shady analysis. In other words, StormMonster’s skill level had to be vastly differeween his “fighting mode” and “chasing mode”.

  All of this was dubious at best, but there were no other bright ideas. It was a sink or swim situation!

  “Luke, you’re right,” Yuel said. “You probably won’t be able to get away from him. So, just turn around and fight.”

  “Wut?” Luke blinked.

  “Turn around and fight him. I’m rotating over there.”

  “Bruh, you say ‘fight’, but I’m almost dead over here!” Luke jumped as a nce pierced him yet again. Only 23% HP left now. About four more hits and he’ll be dead meat. Yippers!

  “Maybe you ’t get away from him,” Yuel said. “But, you might be able to stall him by fighting him.”

  “Oh, I see!” Vi made noise. “Brilliant idea! You seek to weakeorm Chaser by removing him from the position of a ‘chaser’! That way, you’ll seal away his special powers!”

  “Yeah, something like that.” Yuel shuddered as he agreed with something so nonsensical, but that was really the gist of his pn.

  “Okay, I think I get it!” Luke turned around and charged forth at his foe. “Basically, ya saying this guy is a god when he chases people, but he’s no big deal when he fights, right? Okay, let’s test this theory!”

  THAT vinced him? Yuel made a face. As usual, Vi and Luke’s brains worked in mysterious ways.

  Still, the pn was successfully set in motion. Now, Luke just had to try and survive until Yuel makes it to the se...

  DarkestCymore