LOL: What does it mean to torture players?

RNG's formation collapsed completely under EDG's focused fire!
Gala's Jinx was instantly killed the moment she was controlled. Without their core damage dealer, RNG was like a team whose backbone had been removed, and their defeat was swift and devastating!
Ultimately, EDG achieved a perfect 1-for-4 trade at the cost of losing a Lillia, securing the second dragon and extending their economic advantage to nearly 5,000 gold.

Meanwhile, Su Mo's top lane mage took advantage of this time to slowly push down RNG's second top lane tower.

“My bad, my bad,” Gala’s voice was full of regret in RNG’s team voice chat. “I got hooked. I shouldn’t have given him that angle.”

"It's not your fault, Meiko's hook was just too amazing." Captain Ming immediately comforted him, but his own voice trembled slightly. "Don't give up, we still have a chance. They also have a squishy lineup. As long as we can find an opportunity to kill Viper, we can come back!"

However, it's easier said than done.

Holding a huge advantage, EDG began to demonstrate their breathtaking operational capabilities.

Instead of rushing forward, they used their vision advantage to gradually erode RNG's jungle resources, snowballing their advantage.

Su Mo's mage became a nightmare that RNG couldn't handle. He solo-pushed the bottom lane, and his spell power had stacked up to a terrifying number.

Xiaohu's Yone was terrified not only to go into lane, but even to sniff out experience under the tower.

At the 22-minute mark, EDG began to gather in the mid lane, preparing to take advantage of their minion wave advantage and attack RNG's second mid lane tower.

Viper's Aphelios, protected by his teammates, switched to Infernal and used his long range to continuously whittle down the tower's health.

RNG is in a dilemma.

"We can't let them fall any further!" jungler Wei's voice was filled with anxiety. "If the mid-lane second tower falls, our high ground will be completely exposed! We have to find a way to defend it!"

"How do we defend? That little mage is pushing the bottom lane, and we're one man down." Cryin's Twisted Fate looked at the little mage on the minimap, who was constantly approaching the bottom lane high ground, and felt a chill run down his spine.

Just then, a resolute glint flashed in Captain Ming's eyes.

"Sell the tower! Let's gank Viper!" His voice boomed in the voice chat like thunder. "This is our only chance! Wei, Cryin, listen to my command! We'll pretend to defend mid, then flank from the side and burst down Aphelios!"

This is a decision that puts everything on the line!

Use a mid-lane second tower to trade for the life of the enemy's core ADC!

"Understood!" The RNG members instantly reached a consensus.

On the front lines, Xiaohu's Yone and Gala's Jinx pretended to clear the wave, while Ming's Ryle, Wei's Udyr, and Cryin's Twisted Fate silently disappeared into the fog of war, circling around to the rear of EDG's formation from the narrow passage next to F6!
During EDG's team voice chat, Meiko immediately sensed something was wrong.

"They've disappeared! Watch out! Viper, pull back! They might be trying to flank us!"

However, RNG's actions were too fast and too sudden!
Just as Viper took a step back, Cryin's Twisted Fate activated his ultimate ability, Fate!
But his goal wasn't to fly to Viper's face, but to place a deadly ward in the bushes behind EDG!

Immediately afterwards, Ming's Riel, like a beast bursting out of the darkness, flashed and then used W [Armored Charge] to precisely strike Viper!

"We've made it!" Ming roared excitedly in RNG's voice chat!

Wei's Udyr activated Bear Form, flashed in, and slapped Viper, who had just landed, into a daze!
Control chain, perfectly connected!

"Kill him instantly! Kill him instantly!"

Viper didn't even have time to use Flash or Heal before his health bar was instantly emptied!

RNG.Gala (Jinx) kills EDG.Viper (Aphelios)

Gala's Jinx easily pocketed the 1,000 dollar bounty!

"Beautiful! RNG pulled off an incredible flanking maneuver!" In the commentary booth, Wawa excitedly stood up from his seat. "They traded a mid-lane second turret for EDG's most fed ADC! Gala's Jinx got a huge bounty, and RNG's economy has instantly caught up significantly! The suspense of the match is back!"

After losing Viper, EDG had no choice but to retreat across the board.

RNG successfully defended their crumbling mid lane and also secured the newly spawned third dragon.

The situation took a dramatic turn in just a dozen seconds!

“My bad, my bad,” Viper slammed his hand on the table in frustration in the EDG lounge. “I should have been further back.”

"It's alright, it's not a big problem." Su Mo's voice remained calm, without any emotional fluctuation. "They've used all their skills on you, so the rest of us still have the advantage. Stay calm, don't rush, fight them slowly. My hero gets stronger the later the game goes."

Su Mo's words acted as a reassurance, calming his somewhat panicked teammates back down to earth.

Yes, they also have an unstoppable late-game carry – an evil little mage who already has Rabadon's Deathcap and Zhonya's Hourglass, with spell power approaching 1000!
The game entered a brief stalemate.

After successfully catching and killing Viper, RNG's morale soared, and they began to take the initiative, constantly looking for opportunities using Twisted Fate's ultimate.

EDG, on the other hand, tightened their defenses, setting up vision around the mid lane and jungle, and played extremely cautiously.

At the 26-minute mark, both sides began to gather near Xiaolong's river, setting up vision and engaging in a final tug-of-war.

The air seemed to freeze as tens of thousands of spectators held their breath, awaiting the final team battle that would determine the champion.

At this very moment, RNG resorted to their old tricks again!

Cryin's card has once again activated its ultimate ability, [Fate]!
This time, his target is still Viper, the player that RNG fears!

A golden halo lit up behind EDG's formation, signaling the imminent arrival of the card!

"Here we go again! It's Twisted Fate flanking again!" Miller spoke at breakneck speed. "Viper's position is extremely dangerous! Meiko's Thresh immediately provided a lantern, can Viper escape?!"

Viper reacted incredibly fast, instantly lighting the lantern the moment he saw the card's ultimate ability.

However, RNG's determination far exceeded everyone's expectations!
Just as Viper was flying towards Thresh, Ming's Riel used Flash followed by his ultimate [Magnetic Storm], forcefully pulling both Viper and Thresh down from mid-air!
"My God! What kind of move is that?!" Wawa was completely stunned. "Ming interrupted Thresh's lantern with his ultimate! Viper is caught out!"

Wei's Udyr and Xiaohu's Yone were like two fierce tigers, pouncing straight at the controlled Viper!

"It's over!"

All EDG fans felt their hearts sink to the bottom.

Viper seems to be facing another annihilation!
However, at this critical moment, the little guy in EDG's lineup, who had been ignored by everyone but exuded a terrifying aura at all times, made a move!

Upon seeing the card fly away, Su Mo did not choose to protect Viper.

His gaze was fixed on RNG's backline—Gala's Jinx, who was also left unprotected!

“You guys kill Viper,” Su Mo’s voice rang out in the team voice chat, “Then I’ll go kill your ADC.”

flash!

Su Mo's mage, to everyone's surprise, used Flash to bypass RNG's front line and appear right in front of Gala!
QR flies directly there.

Gala's Jinx didn't even have time to react before her health bar evaporated instantly!

He then activated his E skill, [Distortion]!
A huge purple cage descended from the sky, perfectly framing Cryin's card inside!
Immediately afterwards, W skill [Dark Matter] descended from the sky, the active effect of Everfrost was activated, and Q skill [Dark Ritual] was unleashed!
The card was also reduced to low health!

"Huh?!" Gala exclaimed incredulously in RNG's voice chat. He never dreamed that this little mage would come and kill him in such a decisive way.

In the main battle, although Viper was eventually killed by RNG's focused fire, he still managed to deal all his damage before dying, and together with Scout's Viktor, they crippled all of RNG's front line.

In an instant, the battlefield turned into a 4v4 endgame!

Having lost their two core players, the two teams had no choice but to retreat.

"One for one! Another one for one ADC!" Miller's voice was completely hoarse. "Mo has traded kills with RNG's most crucial damage dealer! This team fight is now a draw!"

Both teams' ADCs died, with a countdown timer lasting forty seconds.

The remaining team members could only hold each other back near the dragon pit, and no one dared to easily engage the dragon.

So everyone tacitly agreed to return to town to resupply.

Time passed by minute by minute.

As both teams' ADCs were about to respawn, the second and final decisive battle finally began!
This time, neither side used any fancy tactics; it was just the most primitive and bloody head-on collision!

Xiaohu's Yone activated his ultimate ability and charged into EDG's backline!
Jiejie's Lillia cast a hypnotic spell, putting RNG's front line to sleep!
Scout's Viktor unleashed a death ray, while Viper's Aphelios switched to Soulbreaker and unleashed a crazy lifesteal attack!

The battle was extremely intense!
In the end, amidst the chaos, Su Mo's little mage survived to the end thanks to the perfect avoidance of Zhonya's Hourglass!
He looked at the wounded enemies before him, one by one, like a grim reaper reaping the battlefield.

Q, a human head.

Q, another kill.

ACE! Team wiped out!
When the huge “ACE” logo appeared on the screen, the entire Hongqiao Tiandi Performing Arts Center erupted in cheers!
Seeing RNG wiped out, EDG immediately headed to the mid lane and pushed forward.

The match ended quickly.

"They won! EDG won!" Miller could no longer contain his emotions, and he jumped up from his seat, roaring with all his might, "After such a dramatic fourth game, EDG has the last laugh! Let's congratulate EDG for defeating RNG with a score of 3:1 and winning the 2021 LPL Spring Split Championship!"

In the center of the stage, golden rain fell from the sky.

Su Mo slowly took off his headphones, looked at the huge "VICTORY" logo on the screen, and let out a long sigh of relief.

He stood up and hugged his teammates who rushed up to him tightly.

Jiejie, Meiko, Scout, Viper, Saint Gun Bro... young and excited faces smiled like children in the golden rain.

At this moment, all the pressure, all the doubts, and all the sweat have turned into the sweetest fruit.

They are the champions!

Golden rain is the color of victory.

Amidst a shower of golden sequins, the EDG players embraced tightly, surrounding the figure who had just led them to create a miracle.

Su Mo was being supported by Jiejie and Viper on either side, almost with his feet off the ground, a helpless yet indulgent smile on his face.

All I could hear were my teammates' incoherent shouts, the deafening cheers from the crowd, and the repeated chants of "EDG" echoing throughout the venue.

The world championship trophy is certainly heavy, but this LPL Silver Dragon Cup is equally significant for these young men fighting on home soil.

"We are the champions!!" Jiejie shouted until her voice was hoarse, her eyes red, whether from sweat or tears, it was hard to tell.

Saint Gun stood aside, looking at the trophy so close to him, then at Su Mo surrounded by his teammates. His eyes no longer held the confusion and self-doubt of before, but instead showed a heartfelt respect and gratitude.

He knew that without Su Mo, he might still be trapped in the shadow of that failure.

The staff brought the giant silver dragon cup onto the stage.

"Come on, everyone, let's lift him up together!"

As the team's veteran captain and pillar of strength, Meiko and Su Mo took the lead and went up.

"Three, two, one!"

The group exchanged glances and simultaneously exerted force, lifting the heavy silver dragon cup high into the air!

"We are the champions—!!!"

At that moment, all the lights focused on this spot, and all the cameras were aimed at it.

The golden rain fell even harder, illuminating the young figures on the stage as if they were gods.

After the awards ceremony ended, Su Mo, who won the Finals MVP, was unsurprisingly invited to the interview area.

The host was none other than Yu Shuang, a familiar face. Today, she wore a gold dress that complemented the Silver Dragon Cup, and her smile was brighter than ever before.

"Alright, let's give another round of applause to welcome the 2021 LPL Spring Split champions, EDG! And our FMVP of this year's finals—Mo!"

The applause of the audience was thunderous.

"Congratulations to EDG, and congratulations to Mo!" Yu Shuang's voice was filled with genuine joy. "First of all, I'd like to ask, what were you thinking when you lifted the trophy?"

Su Mo took the microphone, pondered for a moment, and answered seriously, "I'm thinking about what to have for dinner. After all, we said we'd finish after three games, but it dragged on to the fourth, and I'm a little hungry."

"Pfft-"

This answer instantly eased the tense atmosphere, and Yu Shuang and the audience burst into laughter.

"You can't seem to put food aside!" Yu Shuang laughed heartily, then composed herself and continued, "Let's get serious. What were you thinking when you picked Veigar for top lane in the fourth game?"

"It was kind of a spur-of-the-moment idea," Su Mo said frankly. "I mainly saw that the other team had Twisted Fate. They like to fly, so I picked a hero, drew a circle on the ground, and made them fly down and unable to escape."

“Well, we saw that even when the game was deadlocked, and Viper was targeted twice in a row, your command remained very calm,” Yu Shuang’s eyes were full of curiosity. “What made you make the extreme decision to flash and cut the AD in that situation? Weren’t you afraid you wouldn’t be able to get back?”

"Of course I'm scared, how could I not be?" Su Mo smiled, then changed the subject, "But in a competition, someone always has to step up. Viper is our core player, it's normal for them to want to kill him. But they forgot that in EDG, everyone can be a core player. They can kill our ADC, and I can kill their ADC. It's fair."

At the end of the interview, Yu Shuang asked the question everyone was concerned about: "Having won the Spring Split championship, you've also successfully secured your ticket to Iceland for the MSI Mid-Season Invitational. What are your expectations for the upcoming international tournaments?"

Su Mo's gaze, through the lens, seemed to see into a much farther distance.

The laziness and casualness on his face quietly faded away, replaced by an unprecedented seriousness.

"To paraphrase a legendary player, Clearlove, we are already studying our MSI opponents and preparing to march toward the championship."

...(End of chapter)