IRAJAS Chapter 140

The game officially began, and both sides entered the ban-pick phase.

DT had been in Korea for so long. Due to various reasons, they hadn’t been able to arrange a single scrim with YK, so they were mutually unaware of each other’s details.

YK’s draft looked very confident, almost throwing out all the strong mid-laners and focusing heavily on the jungle position.

“They want to disrupt our mid-jungle synergy,” Xiao Shengjing reminded Lin Lan, “Be careful in mid-lane.”

YK daring to draft like this indicated that they only regarded Xiao Shengjing as their opponent and didn’t pay much attention to Lin Lan.

This move made Lin Lan a bit unhappy; he snorted but didn’t say anything.

Both sides quickly selected champions. Due to many jungle bans and the opponent snatching Zac, Xiao Shengjing was forced to reluctantly play Elise.

Elise is a jungle champion with six abilities, using her R skill to switch between two forms and rapidly execute six abilities, making her extremely powerful in early-game damage.

However, Elise also has a significant drawback: lack of coordination. Once she’s led around by the nose by the opponents, she becomes very passive.

It was also Xiao Shengjing’s reluctant choice.

As the game progressed, Xiao Shengjing attempted ganks in both mid and bot lanes but failed to achieve significant results.

On the contrary, the enemy Zac successfully forced the flashes of Lin Lan and Jiang Xu, putting both mid and top lanes on the defensive.

Lin Lan tightened his grip on the mouse, already sensing that this game was being dictated by the opponents. Although Kuien was playing a utility champion in this game, the pressure he exerted on Lin Lan was no less than that of a damage dealer.

Kuien at his peak was truly formidable.

Lin Lan tensed his nerves, bringing out his best form.

He maneuvered through the smoke, continually using Q and A to sneak damage onto the opponents. Due to his unpredictable angles of attack, Kuien fell victim twice to Lin Lan’s tactics.

But soon, Kuien adjusted. With precise positioning, he pressured Lin Lan to retreat, reclaiming the advantageous position.

Forced to give ground, Lin Lan found himself back at square one with Kuien. Reflecting on their recent engagements, Lin Lan suddenly realized he was slightly behind.

What’s going on? How did I suddenly find myself at a disadvantage without realizing it?

Lin Lan swung the sickle in his hand, watching Kuien’s flawless positioning without any openings. He couldn’t help but sigh. Kuien’s understanding of this game was too profound, unlike any opponent he had faced before.

He even had a faint feeling that Kuien’s level of understanding must be higher than his own, and there must be details that he hadn’t noticed leading to this disadvantage.

But why exactly was this happening?

He couldn’t comprehend it because he wasn’t at that level of understanding, so Kuien could see things that he couldn’t.

Lin Lan, almost entranced, sought answers. For a moment, he forgot this was a competition. He used his E skill to dash forward, completed his Q and A quickly, and swiftly turned back. Yet Kuien seemed to have anticipated this, swiftly responding with an EQ combo, even tagging him with W. If Lin Lan hadn’t reacted quickly with his E retreat, he would have taken a full combo of damage.

Prediction, it was prediction!

But what exactly was Kuien basing his predictions on?

Lin Lan was undeterred. Once again, he hid in the smoke to force Kuien to adjust his position. As he raised his sickle and locked eyes with Kuien’s icy gaze, he almost glimpsed into Kuien’s realm for a moment. But suddenly, a red circle appeared under his feet, interrupting his thoughts.

It was Zac. YK’s jungle was here.

Lin Lan cursed inwardly. Without hesitation, he used his E skill to escape the control range in a forward direction, flashing to create distance and survive.

This decisive flash saved Lin Lan’s skin. After the flash, his palms were sweating cold.

During the recent skirmishes, he distinctly felt Kuien’s maneuvers constantly baiting him into traps. If he hadn’t suddenly reacted at the critical moment, he would have been a goner.

How did Kuien manage it? What kind of world did he see? Had he already opened that gate?

Lin Lan stared at his health bar, unwilling to accept defeat but forced to abandon the fight.

He pressed the B key to recall right where he stood. The two consecutive flashes had cost him a lot of initiative, and his expression grew increasingly solemn.

The commentators on the domestic broadcast sensed trouble, but one of them remained steadfast, “I believe Kiner won’t be defeated so easily!”

Watching the game, Qi Mo frowned deeply, just as nervous as he used to be when he competed on stage. “YK’s tactics are taking effect. They’re targeting Xiao Shengjing, just to isolate Lin Lan. If Lin Lan can’t find a breakthrough, this game will continue to be suppressed…”

Suppressed. This word had rarely been associated with Lin Lan before.

But Qi Mo could clearly feel it: Lin Lan was being suppressed by the opponents.

As early as the semifinals, he had realized that Kuien was completely different from other players. It was as if Kuien had opened a door to another world, entering the realm of top-tier players.

What he saw, what he sensed, what he could predict—on some level, it was all different from theirs.

Thinking of this, Qi Mo’s eyes dimmed.

Indeed, gods couldn’t be defeated by mortals.

On the large screen, the intense battle played out. Jiang Jin’s team fights were executed beautifully, and Lin Lan’s damage output was at its peak, almost killing YK’s jungler. The team fights seemed to favor them, but with Kuien’s intervention, DT’s situation suddenly went awry. Always falling just short, always!

Clearly, there were so many low-health enemies on the opposing team. Yet, their positioning was just right, making everything feel off. Ultimately, Lin Lan had to flash in with his ultimate to take down the enemy AD, slightly turning the tide.

However, this small advantage wasn’t enough for DT to breathe easy because Kuien was playing Ryze, a late-game magic machine gun. For DT, this slight advantage was no different from being at a disadvantage.

The game seemed to fracture, with the advantage continuously shifting towards YK. Despite Lin Lan’s utmost efforts to prevent it, he couldn’t stop the enemy’s steady advance.

Under intense pressure, Lin Lan felt unprecedentedly exhausted.

This was just the first game, yet he felt as if he were already sweating profusely, droplets sliding down his cheeks…

“Lin Lan, Lin Lan…” Xiao Shengjing’s voice through the headset forcibly pulled him back. “Watch your right side.”

Right side? Was it Zac? Lin Lan gripped his mouse, trying to dodge. But at that moment, both his body and the mouse felt incredibly heavy, time stretching infinitely.

He struggled to use his E skill to escape Zac’s control range. But the next second, blue runes lit up behind him, blocking his path.

It was Kuien’s ultimate!

“Swoosh swoosh”, two flashes over the wall lit up simultaneously. Kuien controlled Lin Lan right where he landed, delivering a combo that took him down on the spot.

How could this happen? How could he appear in that exact spot? How could he even predict this flash?

What kind of game did Kuien see in his eyes?

In the black-and-white moment on the screen, Lin Lan felt his heart wrenching painfully.

Suddenly, echoing in his mind was what Qi Mo had said: “Gods cannot be defeated.”

That sentence felt like the final straw crushing Lin Lan. He felt suffocated, struggling to breathe, suppressed by a nightmare-like voice.

The venue erupted into a tumultuous roar, Korean fans cheering for YK.

Lin Lan’s escape maneuver just now was already perfect. But no one expected Kuien to predict this flash over the wall and successfully take down Lin Lan’s life!

The domestic commentators looked distressed, “Kuien’s flash was too divine. How do you even counter that? It’s impossible…”

Lin Lan died, Xu Shengwei was underdeveloped, and Xiao Shengjing and Jiang Xu were utility champions unable to turn the tide of battle.

As they watched the opponents take down two high-ground towers in succession, fans’ hearts tightened, desperately hoping for Lin Lan to respawn quickly.

On the broadcast, Lin Lan’s furrowed brow showed genuine anger. Upon respawning, he raised his sickle high, and leaped from halfway across the screen to the enemy AD’s side with a speed barely perceptible to the naked eye, swiftly taking down the enemy’s head and using Golden Body to evade damage on the spot.

This kill boosted DT’s morale significantly. They quickly launched a counterattack, gaining momentum. But despite their advantage, they couldn’t secure kills against the enemy. Under Kuien’s high-frequency output, they were forced to retreat step by step, and even the resurrected Lin Lan fell tragically to Kuien.

At this point, Kuien had accumulated six kills, unstoppable in damage output. Although DT stalled YK’s push, it was akin to a dying struggle.

The remaining three members of the opposing team turned to secure the Elder Dragon, then with the Elder Dragon buff, they attacked DT’s last high ground tower after waiting for the AD to respawn.

Once this tower fell, the super minions from all three lanes would torment DT to their demise.

At this point, Lin Lan had also revived. This team fight was unavoidable, and the opponents’ accelerated minions with the Elder Dragon buff quickly reduced the high-ground tower to a sliver of health.

If it were any other team, they might have considered giving up and letting the opponents slowly finish the job.

But DT was different.

Lin Lan kept looking for his opening. He seized the opportunity to use his ultimate to dive into the backline, instantly taking down the enemy AD carry. Then, he swiftly disappeared into the smoke, continuously using his skills to sneak in damage with precision.

One slash, two slashes, three slashes… Using his Golden Body to evade crucial skills, he executed a combo that swiftly eliminated the enemy support…

Lin Lan was practically facing off against three opponents alone, but it wasn’t enough. Kuien’s damage was already enough for him to handle four opponents single-handedly.

Knowing Lin Lan had survival skills, Kuien simply ignored him, using his ultimate to burst through to the enemy backline with the jungler, unleashing a fierce onslaught of damage.

Xu Shengwei was the first to fall, followed by Xiao Shengjing, Jiang Xu, and Jiang Jin.

As Lin Lan, covered in blood and unable to finish off all of Kuien’s teammates despite his bloody efforts, looked around at the carnage, he finally saw the gap between himself and Kuien.

It was as if there was a long, divine ladder, infinitely widening the distance between him and Kuien.

It was a height that others couldn’t see, yet it could plunge him into despair. It was a silent oppression, a force capable of crushing him.

For a moment, the mouse in his hand felt as heavy as a thousand pounds. Despite using all his strength, he couldn’t move it an inch.

Looking back at Kuien’s cold, ruthless gaze, blue runes descended upon him once more. Blood splattered, silence fell, and the screen before him faded into black and white once again…

DT lost.

They lost without any ability to fight back.

The crowd erupted into noise, but there was no longer the familiar Chinese language.

When Lin Lan took off his headphones, he wondered if his fans who had traveled thousands of miles overseas to watch his match would be disappointed by this outcome.

Perhaps what the haters said was true—maybe he was only born at the right time. Faced with Kuien at his peak, he never stood a chance…

There was a buzzing sense of distortion in his mind. Lin Lan lowered his head and exerted all his strength to place the headphones on the table.

As he turned dejectedly, he suddenly heard a faint, familiar voice: “Lin Lan, come on! Go DT!”

In a foreign land, amidst unintelligible commentary, hearing that familiar voice touched Lin Lan’s heart.

He looked up and Xiao Shengjing happened to be patting his shoulder from behind. “It’s okay. It’s only the first game.”

“Yeah, just the first game.”

“My hands are just warming up…”

Lin Lan knew they were consoling themselves. He joked, “Yeah, my hands are just getting warmed up too.”

“Hahaha, let’s crush them next game.”

“Alright, let’s crush them next game.”

But can gods really be defeated?

Lin Lan didn’t know.

---