"Crap!" Luke excimed. "They're ing at me hard! I told ya that'll happen, man!"

  "I didn't expect them to actually go for it," Yuel admitted. It seemed that he had to slightly adjust his evaluation of these two "defensive pyers"

  With that said, this development didn't actually ge anything of substance. Yuel’s pn already factored in this potential development, just in case.

  "I'm ing over there now,” Yuel said. “So, just try to not die right away."

  "Pft, easy for you to say, man. I think they're pnning tht-up blow me up!"

  "Go to the opposite juraer the Sorcerer pces two orbs. That'll buy you some time."

  "Yeah, sure, if I don't get caught but this dang Vampire first!"

  "I believe in you."

  Yuel was already halfway through the teleportation process, so he was going to arrive on the se soon enough. In the meantime, he rahe simution for this particur unlikely sario one more time.

  In this situation, I just focus on the Sorcerer. Yuel reminded himself.

  This wasn’t the most ideal development he envisioned, but it was fine. Yuel’s high-risk high-ren hadn’t fallen apart yet. The big payoff was still very much within reach.

  As, his partner in crime was nowhere near as optimistic about any of this.

  “Dang, I didn’t sign up for this, haha!” Luke tried to drown his ay with dry ughter, but it wasn’t very effective. These bois are going for the kill for real, I feel it in my bones! But, I ain’t gonna fall here, no way. The meme is gonna live on!

  Luke had e so far with his Dark Knight in this game. He had a very strong opening, a det first jungling phase, and to top it all - he delivered a devastating gank on Top that won Stratus a tower!

  This had all the criteria for an impressive snowball that’ll secure the team’s victory. But, to make it really happen, Luke had to push just a little further, to snowball just a little more. And, this strong attaid was the py that was going to make it happen.

  So, I’m sorry to inform ya, my dudes, but I ain’t allowed to die just yet! Luke waited for the eo pce the seagia Orb, and the the brakes and rolled in the opposite dire. Gotcha, bitch!

  Instead of tinuing his retreat toward Top Jungle like the enemy expected, Luke pulled a switcheroo just as Yuel instructed and made a dash for the opposite side, toward Bot Juhey ain’t gonna catch him alive, not today!

  The sudden ge of dires clearly caught the enemy off-guard. They never saw it ing!

  “Seriously?” Matthew sighed. “What a drag.”

  “My, what a slippery rat we got on our hands here~” iled but it was a cold, sful smile. e back here, will you?

  The sudden ge of dires didn’t only thwart Matthew’s Resonans. It also made Cato’s charge in Bat form pletely miss the intearget.

  The bat form had high speed, which was usually a blessing. However, at this very moment, it turned into a curse.

  It was impossible to hit the brakes on this skill, so Cato ended up charging ahead, right past the target that vanished.

  In order to make it bad assault Memer once again, Cato had to circle around in mid-air and do a 180. It was doable, but it’ll be a huge time-sink.

  Still, we have him ered. Cato thought. This is just a little hiccup, nothing more. He won’t be able to make it out alive by shooting for Bot Jungle, not from all the way over there. He’s only deying the iable.

  Cato and Matthew didn’t flutter. Though this development was sudden and ued, it was well within expectations.

  In the first pce, they wouldn’t have pushed so hard with an attack that could be thwarted so easily by such a simple terpy. So, they were prepared for a couple of terpys.

  “Got him.” Cato finally rammed into Memer, stunning the guy in pce.

  He reverted bato vampire form after the collision, then ed his arms around the victim and sunk his fangs into the puy’s neck... yes, right into that ironeck.

  Realistically, the Vampire’s teeth should've shattered from biting the dark metal so hard. However, this particur Vampire had no qualms about biting on literal iron as long as it meant seg his meal.

  “Your turn,” Cato said.

  “On it,” Matthew replied so, but he actually had to wait another 1.5 seds before summoning an additional Magia Orb. Until then, he could only fire basic attacks at the paralyzed Dark Knight.

  Okay, finally. Matthew summohe Magia Orb.

  Unlike before, there was no longer any point in summoning the Magia Orb he target, as Resonance Ignition wasn’t worth using with a single orb anyway.

  Instead, Matthew pced the new Magia ht in front of himself. The pn was to sm the orb hard and send it flying toward the target.

  And so, Matthew started activating Repelling Force, but then- ZOOM! An unusual sound pyed in the area.

  It sounded simir to Blink and Recall, but it didn’t seem to be either of those. No, this was... Teleport!

  “My, my, my...” Cato’s brow twitched.

  To call this an “ued development” would be an uatement. This Teleport came pletely out of left field.

  Then again, this does expin a few things. Cato realized. The DK didn’t e here only to proxy farm. He also wao pce this Checkpoint Ward as a surprise. If only I realized it sooner...

  The one eared out of thin air was her than Chessmaster, the Aqaumancer! And, knowing Yuel, he must have e here fully prepared.

  "Do you have aimation of how close their Aqua is to Overflow?" Cato had posed such a question to William just retly.

  Yuel’s overly aggressive approach to clearing minions in Bot almost looked like he was farming Overflow. However, at the time, Cato didn’t know what to make of it, so he ighat piece of information and moved on.

  But, as it turned out, it was a crucial hint toward the current situatio Cato failed to piece the puzzle together. It was a blunder of the highest degree.

  “Watch out, he probably has Overflow!” Cato shouted and unhahe Dark Knight immediately.

  The tables have turned. Cato and Matthew were no lohe predators here. The Aquamancer’s appearance demoted them into being mere prey. They had to retreat ASAP!

  But, it was too te. As expected, the eeleported here fully prepared. Yuel unleashed Tsunami right away! A gigantic wave washed across the entire ne!

  In this situation, the only way to fully dodge the obnoxiously wide AoE was by slipping into the Jungle. As, both Cato and Matthew were too far from the sides of the o retreat to safety.

  And so, they couldn’t do anything but allow the wave to sweep them away. Or at least, that would have been the case if Cato wasn’t pying Vampire.

  By retreating into the coffin, he could easily withstand the gigantic wave and nullify both the d the damage

  But, do I use it now? Or, is it better to wait until they start attag me? Cato hesitated for a moment.

  The entire development was so fast and ued that it threw his brain into disarray. He couldn’t help but sed-guess himself at every turn.

  As a result, by the time Cato reached a decision - it was already too te. The wave crashed into him at full speed, sweeping him toward the tower area. He missed his ce to pull a defensive card.

  Meanwhile, Matthew didn’t even have any defeions to speak of, so he was even more helpless against the big wave.

  The only escape tool he had on him was his Dodge Roll, but where could he even roll? Nowhere he tower area was safe. The tsunami came crashing oire area, washing away everything in its path.

  Truly, the two of them were hopeless in front of this natural disaster.

  My, this is definitely not a favorable position to be in. Cato felt sweat f on his forehead.

  He was trying to maintain his usual smile but his cheeks turiff. This was her a funny nor joyous situation. In fact, it was an absolute disaster!

  Depending on how the enemies coordiheir follow-up attacks, Cato and Matthew’s lives were as good as forfeited. And unfortunately, their oppos indeed followed up on the opening attack quite splendidly.

  While Cato and Matthew were still carried away by the wave, a thuorm formed around them. Bck clouds hovered over the giant wave and bolts of lightning rained owo of them. This natural disaster was growing more disastrous by the moment!

  That was the Eleancer usihuorm. She did so without any deys, as if on cue.

  Clearly, this entire py was anized in advance. And, the mastermind must have been her than Yuel.

  What a nasty check. Cato frowned. And they also got a Berserker, so this could easily turn into a mate. But, they ’t possibly be THAT anized, they?

  While the wave was sweeping Cato away, he couldn’t even properly examine his surroundings. As such, paranoia naturally invaded his brain.

  Was the Berserker charging up his sm at this very moment? If so, then it might be GG right there.

  But, surely that wasn’t the case, was it? After all, ing so many great pys in a row demanded near-perfect team coordination.

  Did the “weakest team in the region” possess the necessary skill to pull this off? The answer soon revealed itself when two big axes smmed into the ground, right before Cato and Matthew got the ce to roll away.

  To make things worse, judging by the damage and the impact, this sm was charged to its utmost limit. It delivered the most devastating version possible of the skill!

  … yes, of course, Yuel’s team do this much. Cato bit his lip. They’re no lohe dark horse of the region. I hate to admit it, but the Stratus here today is a... det team, I suppose.

  Even though it wasn't his iion per se, it seemed that Cato had been uimating Stratus this eime. He only thought about how the Leopards had to deliver an "absolute victory” in order to prove themselves as the reigning champions that everybody expected them to be.

  He believed that winning ar for the course and that the only challenge would be to win “vingly”. Irospect, it meant that he thought very little of Stratus’ strength as a whole.

  And, perhaps Cato wasn't the only one oeam with such preceptions.

  Part of the reason Sonya died in Top was her carelessness. It was an unthinkable turn of events for her under normal circumstances.

  Likewise, there was Ronald who carelessly approached the enemy side during the opening of the game despite numerous warnings. Then again, that brat had always been an idiot so maybe this wasn't the most ving example, but even Ronald usually had more on sehan that. He wouldn't have taken such a careless risk if he ying against a known powerhouse team.

  It looks like we reap what we sow. iled wryly as he watched his Vampire being helplessly ravaged by a barrage of lightning bolts and by a torrent of axe strikes.

  All Cato could do was watch. He couldn’t do a sihing about any of this due to the powerful stun of the fully charged Barbarian Sm. Indeed, he aying the piper for letting his guard down, just as Sonya did earlier.

  But, could anybody bme them, really? After all, they were fag Stratus, the team with the stigma of being the "weakest in the region".

  Even though they uood that this year's Stratus was nothing like before, it was heless difficult tet the stigma entirely. Even now, the Leopards still felt like their victory was more than assured.

  To make things worse, Stratus' picks were beyond questiohis time around. That hyper-aggressive p seemed as fragile as gss, bound to shatter into a million pieces at the slightest application of force.

  On top of that, there was the absurdest pick of them all - the Dark Knight, and a Juo boot. A meme among memes.

  So frankly, it was super hard to take Stratus seriously in the game. Ahis fragile hyper-aggressive team was overwhelming Cato and Matthew at the moment, and the Dark Knight memer was charging straight at them, with his dark bde ready and loaded...

  DarkestCymore