The duel between Cato and Fiona tinued. Cato was holding the upper hand the entire fight, but...

  She's really pyihis time. ost found himself grumping.

  After recalling, Fiona soouro ne and tested it. But, thanks to Cato’s tinued harassment, the so-called “Esmeralda Strat”, Fiona lost a lot of HP once more.

  So, how did the girl respond? She simply recalled again, without trying any funny ideas like attag Cato. What a shame.

  In fact, Fioed this routihree times in a row without batting an eye. Her perseverance as a chess pyer was showing itself.

  My, you think you'll get your ce if you keep pying like this? Cato respected the fighting spirit, if nothing else.

  Even when faced with such a depressing situation, the strategist in Fiona must have been whispering to her: "As long as you preserve, you'll get your ce." That must have been the underlying belief that motivated her to keep goie Cato’s tinued harassment.

  What a tough nut to crack. iled wryly. This was both amusing and irritating at the same time. Every time Fioreated, there was a slight urge to chase the girl and smite her down. And, with each recall, that itch grew stronger and stronger.

  It's almost like she's turning the tables on me psychologically. Cato realized. Instead of being the aggravator, somehow he was the one who started feeling aggravated.

  Five times. Yes, five times Fiona endured Cato's bullying, retreated, and recalled to base. This was a miserable Duel in every sense of the word. There was her strength nor beauty to be found in how Fiona ducted herself.

  A, her method was effective. Her unyielding fighting spirit was as delightful as it was irritating.

  , do something. Cato ranted. Attack me. Hit me. Surely, you aren’t pnning to tinue like this the entire game, are you?

  His Golem erfectly healthy while Fiona’s already fell all the way down to 40%. As such, it was clear beyond a shadow of a doubt who was dominating the ruly, Cato was winning in every possible aspect. He even out-leveled his oppo.

  A, somehow, the situation almost looked even. It felt as if Fiona roperly matg Cato as an equal, as absurd as that sounded.

  But, I'm stronger! Cato procimed. Alright the's do it in the wave. Once I gear up, I'll be ready to kick that princess off the high horse.

  Cato forced Fiona to retreat once more. She ran past her Golem and disappeared around the er.

  As always, Fiona made sure to recall outside Cato’s field of view to keep him on his toes. It was a very textbook py.

  Eve was 90% firmed that a pyer was going to recall, it was always good to make the oppo question the remaining 10%. Anything that made the oppo doubt their data had a ce to affect the course of battle, no matter how small it was.

  But of course, I know she's going to recall. Cato ighat mild trickery and began recalling on the spot.

  Yes, he recalled right there, right in front of the eower's area. Why? Because he had nothing to worry about.

  The faster I recall, the faster I get back to was as simple as that. There was nobody for him to fear and there was o hide his as from an enemy who was on her way to recall. Therefore, ply went for the fastest and most effit recall.

  A magical aura surrounded his Vampire and ed him whole. The moment, he was ba his base, far away from the battlefield.

  Gearing up took less than a sed. Cato already pre-selected everything he was going to buy while he was recalling. The momeuro base, the system instantly granted him all the upgrades he requested. As such, he only had to spend but a couple of seds at the base to fully restore his MP.

  Alright, I'm ready to go. Cato left the base. Time to dial up my aggression a little. The end is nigh.

  Duel was a swingy mode where a single kill could decide the ech, but only if it happened during the mid-game or ter. As such, there were diminishiurns for killing Fiona during the early-game. It would have given Cato a further edge, but it wouldn’t have been enough to seal the deal oire game. As such, going for a frontal assault was an unnecessary risk at the time.

  But, now the situation was different. It was the mid-game, so killing Fiona would prove fatal.

  But first, let's make sure the wards are up and running. Cato stopped by the Wraith Camp on his side of the jungle and cleared it, then pced a ward nearby.

  After that, he headed downwards on the map, toward the Ogre Camp at the bottom.

  I’m not sure I want to waste any time clearing it right now. Cato thought on the way. But, I have to at least ward it. All this advantage I had in ne really made me warding, haha.

  Even in Duel mode, wards pyed their role. While different pyers had different opiniarding the wards’ overall importan Duel and how many of them should be pced, Cato firmly believed they were of utmost importance.

  Vision granted information, and information ower. Therefore, the more wards - the better.

  Therefore, even against a weaker oppo like Fiona, ade sure to buy wards whenever he recalled. It just so happehat he didn’t have mueed to recall thus far, seeing as Fiona didn’t bother terattag him at all.

  heless, at game start, Coto properly pced the two wards he was about to refresh. One ward near his Wraith Camp to spot ter-jungling and ganking attempts, and another ward he Ogre Camp that was a juicy objective for both sides to test.

  But, all of that happened a while ago. Eventually, his wards expired and vanished, but Cato had no opportunity to repce them until now.

  It was a little careless on his end, but it was alright. With how badly Fiona was gging behind, she didn't even have the ce tet the Ogre Camp... or did she?

  It’s... gone. He arrived at the Ogre Camp but the only thing to greet him was ay field. There was no sign of the big ogre nor his minions. All of them vanished without a trace.

  Did she take the red buff...? Cato asked a dumb question. I mean, of course she took it. Who else could do it? There aren't a pyers in this match. But, when did she...?

  Cato returned here as quickly as humanly possible. He spent minimal time at the base a straight to the Ogre Camp after clearing the Wraith Camp.

  Maybe she took it while I was clearing the Wraiths? No, she couldn't have do so quickly.

  In that case, when did Fiona steal this camp? There was only one logical possibility but it was hard to believe.

  Maybe she didn’t recall back then...? That was the only realistic sario Cato could think of. Back when Fio around the er to recall, maybe she decided against it in the end. It was that rare 10% ce of trickery.

  But, why wouldn't she recall? She was running low on HP. Cato knotted his brows. It made no se first, but then it struck him. In fact, it struck him so hard he couldn't help but facepalm.

  It's because she saw me recalling. Cato sighed. What a blunder.

  Fiona must've seen Cato recalling. But, how could she see him from around the er? It was elementary. She had a ward in ne, but not just any normal ward.

  The Golem. Cato grumped. I should’ve at least distance myself from it before recalling. What a mistake.

  A big reason why any tower was always su important objective was that it granted vision of its surroundings. It was like a perma ward on the hat came free of charge. What’s not to like, right?

  And, it was this “free ward” that Fiona used to peek at Cato’s as at the time, And, what she saarently prompted her to cel her Recall and go after the Ogre Camp instead.

  Did she even know the camp ? Cato wondered. He has been clearing that camp every now and then throughout the match because he had plenty of opportuo do so.

  As a result, there were many times when the Ogre Camp was on cooldown thanks to Cato's efforts. A, Fiona still went after that camp instead of recalling. Did she really just take a big gamble on a camp that might have been down?

  No, that doesn’t sound like her. Cato thought. She probably pced a ward there sometime earlier.

  That was the only logical clusion. Fiona wasn't the type of pyer to leave things to ce. She only followed game pns in which she had absolute fideherefore, surely a ward supplied her with the necessary information for making this py, no question about it.

  So, she reached the point where she knows how to take advantage of vision. iled wryly.

  What a bitter-sweet feeling. It was both fun and depressing to watch this girl's growth. She clearly advanced much faster than any other pyer her age. In just a few months, she was already at this level.

  That's where dedication and proper tut get you. Cato thought.

  Unlike most kids who picked Cssmancers for fun and giggles, Fiona got into it with a firm goal in mind: she wao learn how to pete at the highest level in this game. In fact, even before any of that, she first researched the petitive level of this “unknown video game” and made sure it lived up to her standards.

  As pompous as it sounded, nobody had the right to criticize Fiona for this attitude. For somebody who already peted in chess, running, volleyball, and piano, it only made seo be picky about adding another sport to the catalog. Even more so when a video game was involved, a medium not many people sidered a "real sport".

  But eventually, based oa Fiona gathered and thanks to a few pushes from Cato and Karen, Fiona ultimately decided to give the game a try. Though, surely, one of the greatest motivators was the fact Yuel pyed the game, even if the girl would never admit to that.

  Regardless, in the end, she picked up the game. But, her sights were directly set on the petitive se. She didn’t even bother with casually learning the game as any normal kid would.

  But then, how did she study the game? By hiring tutors, of course. The La family had money in spades, s a couple of tutors didn’t even sting their wallets.

  Among said tutors was the all-familiar Ruez. A school club coa the day, and a private tutor at night. Truly, a busy man he was.

  Apparently, there were a few other mentors as well. Fiona cimed it was best to get as many perspectives as possible on the game, as there was never one “correct” way to learn a sport.

  Among said mentors was also Esmeralda, who taught Cato and Matthew before. Though, apparently, that retionship didn’t st long. It seemed Fiona’s pystyle was inpatible with Esmeralda’s trickery. It was such a wasted opportunity for Fiona to pass on learning some of the greatest tricks avaible, but Cato wasn’t going to pin.

  Evidently, she’s already getting very strong. Cato thought. She had her reservations about the game at first, but now there’s no longer any question about it: she’s serious about the game. And, she’s getting good enough to make such strong pys.

  After stealing the Ogre Camp, it was obvious Fiona will try to mount a terattack of some sort. Her aggressive build supplemehe attack buff, turning her into a very dangerous pie this board.

  Given Fiona’s knack for strategy, it wasn’t a stretch to assume she has been waiting for this moment all along. The aggressive build she was quietly building was for this very moment!

  So, she's already at a level where she e up with such a game pn. iled wryly.

  Pying with a crete game pn in mind was one of the biggest differences between a veteran and a beginner. Newbies usually wi and did whatever they thought worked best for the situation at hand. Oher hand, experienced pyers had specifies of py which they practiced and researched in order to optimize their performance.

  And Fiona, despite the humble amount of experiender her belt, was already at a level where she had a firm grasp of how she was going to py. Truly, her growth as a petitive pyer was ever terrifying. It was always like that in every field she tried her hand in.

  As Cato was thinking about all that, a new minion wave arrived. As expected, Fiona greeted it with a red buff in hand.

  So, how is she going to utilize it? Cato was already brag himself for the worst. There’s no way she worked so hard to get the buff just for fun. She surely has a master pn.

  And indeed, Fiona La didn’t disappoint. Before the minion waves cshed in the middle of the ne, Fio forth to assault inions by herself.

  BAM! The Lionfolk crashed oire minion wave! The swordsmen and bowmen still haven’t parted ways, so they were just close enough to each other for Fiona’s Majestic Leap to hit all of them at once.

  That’s quite the damage. Cato frow the sight in front of him. His entire minion wave lost over half their HP from that sirike. Even with the buff, that’s a lot of damage. Just how much power did she build?

  Cato gnced over FIona’s upgraded build. Same as before, she ursuing offense more than defense. On top of that, she threw some det cooldowion into the mix. Her build resembled that of a Lionfolk desigo py Jungler, rather than one desigo py Top Laner.

  Is she autopiloting a Jungler build? Cato wondered. Or, did she research the two options and clude that a Jungler build was better than a Top build for Duel? Or, maybe, she believes it’s more effit against ME.

  There was no way to tell how deep the analysis of the La Princess ran. heless, there was one undeniable fact Cato learned from the many years he watched Fiona’s chess.

  Whenever Fiona ying fast and aggressive, it meant she felt fident about her moves because she researched them thhly. Therefore, the unfolding se vinced Cato beyond a shadow of a doubt: Fiona prepared for this specific matchup.

  “RAR!” the Lionfolk roared loudly as she nded in the middle of the enemy formation. It was a smooth skill cel from Majestic Leap into Mighty Roar. Fiona sure knew her stuff.

  With that said, this entire py was rather risky. Being the vanguard of the assault meant drawing the attention of enemy minions.

  The moment Fiona nded in the middle of the minion wave, the entire wave had its eyes ohe minions were more than ready to gang up on her and smite her down.

  But, the Mighty Roar threw a wren their pns. All of them lost tons of HP after her Majestic Leap, so that made them “inferior” pared to Fiona, who was healthy at 100% HP.

  As a result, her Superiority passive ki against them. It made Mighty Roar instill the entire minion wave with a sense of dread. Though the minions already raised their bdes and heir bows, a sudden sense of dread made them lower their arms and run away in terror.

  Cato’s terrified swordsmen thoughtlessly ran forward along the ne, heading straight into the enemy frontline. Meanwhile, the bowmen fled back toward the tower, but Fiona didn’t let them.

  Her sharp cws sshed through their flesh, making them drop one by one. In a matter of seds, Fiona wiped out Cato’s entire minion wave, before he even got a ce to lift a finger.

  My, that’s a strong line you prepared. iled wryly. Though he khe Ogre Buff was very dominant in Duel, he never faced a situation in which this buff single-handedly decided the ee of the ning.

  Fiona didn’t just get an Attack Power boost with that buff. She suppleme with clever pys and a strong build, which together allowed her to gain a free winning ticket here.

  By studying the numbers on all the involved factors, Fiona developed this unstoppable line of py. It couldn’t be tered the moment it was set in motion.

  I really took her lightly. iled from ear to ear. It looks like she really studied for this. Good, good~

  Finally, their positions have been reversed. Unlike in chess, where Cato was always the oo study pys that’ll ter Fiona, here she was the one who had to do homework in order to beat him.

  And of course, I’m much obliged to dismiss all that effort by crushing you. You know, just the way you’ve been doing to me for years. iled impishly. At long st, the ever-dominant queen was about to get a taste of her own poison!

  But, while Cato was busy thinking about such things, Fiona already made her move. Apparently, her exceptional line of py didn’t end with just eliminating inion wave. It went beyond that and transitioned... into an attack!?

  My, my, my! ped in his seat when he spotted a ball of fur rolling outward him. Right after Fiona fiaking care of the bowmen, she rolled straight toward him!

  F a battle in close-quarters? How crafty of you. Cato turned around by instinct. He knew all too well he won’t be able to handle a Lionfolk from point-bnk, especially not a lioness powered up by both the red buff and Mighty Roar.

  Fiona’s sudden attack was a bit reckless but it made perfect sense. inion wave was almost entirely go this point, so there was nobody to back him up. Meanwhile, Fiona’s army erfectly healthy, so they won’t hesitate to strike Cato down if he lifts as much as a finger on their queen.

  From every possible angle, Cato was the one losing here. Therefore, retreating was the only option. As, even that proved difficult against this deeply researched line of py...

  “RWAAAR!” “RWAAAAR!”

  Roars resounded all around the area. In a blink of an eye, tless lions surrouhe area! They were like poli f a blockage, and Cato found himself in the middle of it all.

  My, g me as well? iled wryly. Are you really going to reveal all your cards just like this?

  Cato stopped for a moment to sider his options. There was no point running any further because the lions blocked all escape routes.

  For many csses, being caged like this could prove fatal. But, not for Vampire.

  Cato could bust his way through by assaulting one of the lions, something any css out there could do. But, that’d take too long and would surely lead to his demise.

  Instead, Vampire had access to orusty escape tool that worked splendidly in situations like this. Except, it was his ult, which wasn’t meant to be spent on something small like this.

  But, things might get hairy if I don’t escape noondered. So, maybe I should- SLASH! A vicious terrupted his track of thought.

  “Ack!” ped. He spent but a moment to sider the situatiohe lioness was already breathing on his neck! She ruthlessly sshed his back, going for the kill!

  My, what a pain...! Cato rolled away. Everything she’s doing is so fast. There’s literally zero hesitation in all these pys. She definitely practiced this line.

  It was like fag Fiona in chess when she knew everything about the position at hand. Each of her moves was swift and decisive. Even grandmasters would sweat against this prodigy under such circumstances.

  SLASH! SLASH!

  Fiona moved in for the attack like a mae without a single doubt clouding her mind. For Cato, who was still rag his brain over his options, Fiona’s fident moves seemed lightning fast. The lioness was about to overwhelm him with her relentless offense...!

  The more time I spend here, the worse it’ll get. Cato cluded. “When in doubt, go for the easiest and fastest solution.” That’s what Coach always says, right?

  So, Cato turned off his brain. The more time he spent thinking about the optimal ter, the more opportunities he gave Fiona to attack. It was dangerous to give this lioness any momentum, so Cato had to cut her ht here and now.

  There goes my ult. Cato activated Night Hunt. He transformed into a giant bat and flew out of the lion prison.

  And so, Cato successfully escaped The Queen’s Dominion. Though he received some damage and burned his ult, that’s all Fiona’s reckless py mao achieve. Ultimately, the moment Cato decided he had to flee, he got away without any trouble. He was never in any grave dao speak of.

  So, what was the point of that entire fiasco? Fio as far as spending her ult for this py, yet it proved pointless in the end. A desperate attempt to turables, perhaps?

  At the time, Cato had no idea what the La Princess had in store for him...

  DarkestCymore