LOL: What does it mean to torture players?

Galio's health bar touched the kill threshold, the dragon's breath descended, and Faker fell!

"Double Kill!"

Zeus' Sion tried to block him, but Su Mo didn't even glance at him. The third part of his ultimate locked onto Lucian and Nami in the distance.

Five flying needles pierced through the two men with pinpoint accuracy.

Nami's health was already low, and she was instantly killed. Lucian used Flash, and Su Mo followed with Flash, landing a simple auto-attack.

The ancient dragon unleashed its fury once more.

Lucian, die!
"Quadra Kill!"

The vast dragon pit was now empty except for Zeus's Sion.

Zeus's hand gripping the mouse trembled violently. He stared at Gwen on the screen, standing atop four corpses, and a profound sense of despair overwhelmed him.

He didn't run, because he couldn't escape.

Su Mo turned around, and the four layers of passive scissors fell mercilessly.

Dragon's breath washes the ground.

"Penta Kill!"

Pentakill!!!

"Pentakill!! Dragon steal pentakill!!!" Guan Zeyuan jumped up on the commentary stage, grabbing his hair and screaming wildly, "One against five! What kind of monster is this!! Mozi's Gwent, in this desperate situation, was like a divine intervention, personally shattering T1's hopes of a comeback!!!"

Miller's face flushed red, and he stammered excitedly, "This is Mo!! You thought you'd found EDG's weakness? No! As long as he's alive, he'll always be in control of this game!!"

After a brief silence, cheers erupted from the stands, loud enough to shake the earth.

"Mo!!!"

"Mo!!!"

Chinese and foreign audiences stood up in unison, and countless people held their heads in their hands, unable to believe the miracle they had just witnessed.

On the battle table.

Faker took off his glasses, rubbed his dry eyes, and let out a long sigh. The legendary mid-laner of the league stared at the gray screen, a hint of helplessness in his eyes.

That damage calculation, that unwavering composure in the face of dire circumstances, has transcended the realm of humanity.

Zeus sat blankly in the chair.

The eighteen-year-old prodigy top laner felt his hands and feet go cold. Two games, one with Riven, one with Gwen. His pride and joy in skill and resilience seemed like child's toys in front of this man.

He looked up, across the stage, at EDG's battle zone. The man there was drinking water from his thermos, his expression as calm as if he had just finished off a few cannon minions.

The game lasts for 33 minutes.

With the Ancient Dragon buff, Gwen, along with her resurrected teammates, charged straight in.

Under T1's desperate gaze, the blue crystal nexus shattered with a deafening roar.

2 is better than 0!

EDG holds three match points, pushing T1 to the brink of elimination!

The dome of the Copper Box Stadium seemed about to be overturned by the sound waves.

"Mo! Mo! Mo!"

Not only LPL fans traveling to Europe, but even the local European audience stood up, chanting the same name at the top of their lungs. The pursuit of excellence in esports is ingrained in their very being; that incredible dragon steal and pentakill had completely won over this foreign arena.

In the commentary booth, Guan Zeyuan gulped down a large mouthful of water, trying to calm his wildly beating heart.

"That's insane. He defied the odds and turned his life around in a desperate situation. That's why he's a seven-time champion!"

Miller's voice was still hoarse: "T1 is facing a huge psychological test right now. Two games in a row have been taken over by the top laner in completely different ways. If it were a younger team, their mentality might have already been shattered."

The backstage lounge at T1 was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Zeus slumped onto the sofa, rubbing his cheeks vigorously with both hands, his fingertips trembling slightly. At eighteen years old, he had previously been hailed as a once-in-a-generation talent in the LCK, but these two BO5 matches today had shattered his pride.

Head coach Tom, his face ashen, paced back and forth in the room with his tactical board in hand.

"We can't drag this out any longer." Tom suddenly stopped and glanced at everyone. "In the first game, we tried to play early, but he tore us apart with his Riven's individual skill. In the second game, we picked Sion to withstand the pressure and drag the game into the late game, but he pulled out Gwen and 1v5 at 33 minutes. Our tactical positioning against Mo was wrong from the very beginning."

Faker sat in his gaming chair, took a sip of water, and although he looked tired, he remained calm.

"Sang-hyeok, what do you think?" Tom looked at the team's leader.

"We can't let him split push, but we can't just passively defend either." Faker pushed up his glasses. "What's scary about him is that no matter how bad the situation is, he's always looking for your weaknesses. We have to take the initiative in the third game and turn the top lane into a meat grinder."

Tom nodded emphatically, then turned to Zeus: "Zeus, lift your head! In game three, we're back on the blue side. I'll give you Aatrox. Oner will get Sejuani or Maokai. We're not going to play macro anymore, we'll just go for top-jungle duels! We'll throw all our resources into the top side of the map, and if we can shut him down just once, our momentum will take off!"

Zeus took a deep breath, a resounding flame of determination rekindling in his eyes: "Fine, give me the Sword Demon."

Unlike the somber atmosphere of the T1 lounge, the EDG backstage area was filled with a relaxed vibe.

"Brother Mo, I was completely stunned by that dragon steal with your scissors!" Ah Chen exclaimed excitedly, waving his arms and legs. "I was even ready to surrender in the fountain."

Su Mo placed the peripheral bag on the sofa, calmly unscrewed the thermos, only to find that the water inside was already gone.

Before he could get up to get some water, there was a gentle knock on the door of the lounge.

A female Chinese staff member from the event's official organization walked in, carrying a steaming cup of Earl Grey tea. She approached Su Mo with a somewhat awkward expression.

"Mo, this is from a lady wearing a black baseball cap and a mask in the hallway. She asked me to give this to you." The staff member lowered his voice. "She said the venue is well-air-conditioned and wanted you to have something hot to drink."

Su Mo was slightly taken aback, then reached out and took the paper cup. The warmth emanating from the cup warmed his fingertips.

"Thank you."

The staff member blushed and ran away.

Su Mo sat back on the sofa, and her phone vibrated in her pocket.

I opened WeChat and saw a message from Lin Xuan.

[Lin Xuan: Just now, all the foreign uncles around me were shouting your name like crazy. My heart was pounding! The black tea is hot, drink it quickly.]

Su Mo looked at the screen, a gentle smile appearing in his deep eyes. He typed with one hand, replying crisply and efficiently.

[Su Mo: Sit quietly in the audience and wait for me to finish get off work.]

After sending the message, he took a sip of black tea, the rich aroma of which dispelled the chill in the venue.

"Mozi, T1 will definitely go all out in the third game." Mingkai walked over with his notebook, looking serious. "They're on the blue side and have the first pick. You need to be prepared to be targeted."

"Let them be." Su Mo put down the paper cup, his eyes calm as still as an ancient well. "As long as they can afford the price."

After a short break, the deafening battle song resounded once again in the Copper Box Hall.

Both players returned to the stage.

"Welcome back! EDG currently holds three match points!" Guan Zeyuan exclaimed spiritedly. "T1 proactively chose the blue side this game. Let's jump straight into the draft phase of the third game!"

The large screen switches to the BP interface.

T1 is on the blue side, EDG is on the red side.

The first round of banning begins.

T1, without hesitation, immediately banned [Lingluo Doll - Gwen]. The shadow of that last game's dragon-stealing pentakill was still too great.

EDG countered by deactivating Vi, the Piltover Enforcer, thus blocking Oner's aggressive jungle engage.

T1's second pick is to ban Riven, the Exile.

EDG's second pick was to ban Jarvan IV, the Demacian Prince. T1's third pick was a highly targeted move, banning Fiora, the Grand Duelist!
"Three bans on the top lane!" Miller exclaimed. "T1 is determined to limit Mozi's champion pool. Three games in a row, they're giving all their respect to the top lane!"

EDG's third pick was to remove [Nine-Tailed Fox - Ahri].

Enter the first round of picking.

T1 floor instantly locks in Winter's Wrath - Sejuani.

"Sejuani! This is Oner's signature champion, and one of the strongest junglers in the early game with great top-jungle synergy!"

EDG's first and second floors immediately revealed [Za'an Fireworks - Zeli] and [Fairy Witch - Lulu].

"EDG directly picked the bot lane duo, Zeli and Lulu, which is an absolute guarantee for the late game."

The pressure is back on T1. On the second and third tiers, T1 has locked in [Jinx, the Loose Cannon] and [Tahm Kench, the River King]. This is T1's most confident backup bot lane combination.

On the third floor of EDG, Ah Chen selected [The Great Sage Equal to Heaven - Sun Wukong].

Enter the second round of banning.

As they are on the red side, EDG has the last counter pick, giving them a significant advantage in the second round of bans.

EDG's fourth pick was to ban Azir, the Emperor of the Sands.

T1's fourth move: Remove Xiao Yue's signature move, [Dark Sovereign - Syndra].

EDG's fifth pick was to ban [Silas, the Unshackled One].

T1's fifth pick was to continue targeting the mid lane and remove [Taliyah - Taliyah].

The second round of picking begins.

On the fourth floor of EDG, Xiao Yue locked onto [Annie, the Dark Child], providing stable control.

People are selected on floors 4 and 5 of T1.

Faker selected [Lissandra, the Frost Witch] on the fourth floor.

Immediately afterwards, the portrait on the fifth floor of T1 lit up.

A dark red greatsword, a furious roar.

[Aatrox, the Darkin Blademaster]! Locked on!

"Aatrox!! Zeus has picked the most dominant champion in the World Championship!" Guan Zeyuan raised his voice, "T1's lineup is complete! Sejuani and Lissandra's unstoppable engage, combined with Aatrox's entry, this lineup's fighting ability is simply maxed out! They're going to go head-to-head with EDG this game!"

All eyes, even the director's close-up shots, were fixed on the screen on the fifth floor of the red building.

EDG's counter-pick position.

"Mozi, the enemy team picked Aatrox, he's extremely strong in lane." Mingkai stood behind Su Mo, his brows furrowed. "Should we pick Jax to go all-in, or Kennen to kite and fight in team fights?"

Su Mo rested his chin on one hand, gently tapping the table with his index finger.

He glanced at the opposing team's lineup. Sejuani, Lissandra, and Aatrox—a muscular combination full of crowd control.

When fighting the Sword Demon, choosing a regular warrior will inevitably lead to tedious trading of blows and kiting.

In the match point game, he didn't want to waste time in this quagmire of a contest.

"Take the one that makes money," Su Mo said calmly.

Mingkai was stunned, his mind racing. A top laner who could make money? Gangplank?
"Which one?"

Su Mo gripped the mouse and typed two pinyin letters into the hero search bar.

An image of a figure with a wicked and arrogant smile, holding two axes, lights up.

Welcome to the Delai Alliance!

【The Glorious Executioner - Draven】!!!
locking!

Holy crap!!!

Guan Zeyuan's voice cracked on the commentary stage, and he almost fell off his chair.

Miller clutched his head in shock, his pupils dilating: "Draven?! Mozi, on the fifth floor of the red team, picked Draven to play top lane against Zeus's Aatrox?! What kind of absurd draft is this?!!"

Rita covered her red lips, her beautiful eyes filled with disbelief, which then turned into extreme excitement: "That's insane!! In the match point game of the MSI upper bracket semifinals, playing Draven in the top lane! This isn't just a counter, it's a blatant humiliation!!"

The entire Copper Box Stadium erupted instantly, with the boisterous noise from Chinese and foreign spectators nearly lifting the roof off.

T1 vs. Team.

Zeus's face instantly turned bright red when he saw the avatar with the two small mustaches locked onto him.

This is a condescending contempt.

"If he dares to pick Draven top lane, I'll gank him to death." Oner gritted his teeth. "Zeus, hold on to the first three levels, I'll come top after I finish my red buff."

Faker's brow furrowed deeply. Draven top lane completely shattered the tactical understanding of regular games. This extremely dangerous champion, once ganked and killed by the jungler, will be completely sidelined; but if he gets lane priority, the top lane becomes a one-sided slaughterhouse.

Game loading.

Welcome to Summoner's Rift!

The director was very understanding and immediately locked the camera on the top lane.

Su Mo's Draven bought a Doran's Blade and a health potion, and strode arrogantly towards the top road.

Level 1 is now online.

Zeus's Aatrox was very cautious, hiding behind melee minions and trying to harass Draven with the edge of his Q skill, Darkin Blade.

The moment the Sword Demon raised his hand, Su Mo moved.

There was no retreat.

Draven activated his Q skill, Spinning Axe, and his axe flashed through the air before slamming into Aatrox.

A knife!

Su Mo lightly clicked the floor with his mouse. Draven's movement was like a ghost. He not only caught the flying axe that bounced back, but also perfectly positioned himself in the blind spot of Aatrox's Q1 skill.

Then, the second cut! The third cut!

The basic attack with the spinning axe deals terrifying damage in the early game. The Sword Demon's health bar visibly dropped significantly.

Zeus was shocked and immediately used his E skill, Shadow Dash, to pull back.

But Su Mo wouldn't give up. He activated his W skill, Bloodthirst, which greatly increased his movement speed. He crossed the minion wave and pushed the Sword Demon right to the edge of the turret's attack range.

"That's brutal! The minion waves have barely met, and Aatrox is already losing experience!" Miller exclaimed. "That's the dominance of Draven top lane! Mozi's axe-catching movement is so smooth, it's like he's using a script!"

Two minutes and thirty seconds.

After Oner's Sejuani finished off the red buff and raptors, he abandoned the bottom half of the map and headed straight for the top lane with his chain hammer.

"I'm here! Stop him!" Oner shouted in the voice chat.

At this moment, Draven was positioned very deep, standing on the edge of the ruins of T1's top lane tower.

Sejuani emerged from the river bushes and used her Q ability, Arctic Assault, to charge directly at Draven!

Zeus's Aatrox also seized the opportunity, using Flash, Q2 followed by E, attempting to create a deadly control chain.

Faced with this deadly double-team, Su Mo's eyes remained as calm as ice.

"Here to pay the bill?"

The crisp sound of keyboard typing rang out. (End of Chapter)