LOL: I just turned 18, let me fight back and be reborn

Chapter 394 Sword Demon King? Who is the real Sword Demon King!
The battle in the jungle has come to an end.

However, both mid laners had set off earlier. Although Blade of the Ruined King gained a slight advantage after affecting the minion wave, he failed to push directly under the tower, and ultimately both sides inevitably suffered some losses.

Upon resurrection, Zeka decisively teleported to the mid lane, using his body to block the tower's front line.

If the Ruined King returns to mid immediately, he will be in poor condition and will be suppressed for a period of time. If he returns to base first and then uses TP, he will lose some minions, allowing Sylas to make up for the losses from the previous support.

The top lane, however, was pushed forward by Aatrox before his roam, and at this moment, the minion wave was completely pushing towards V5's side.

V5 quickly made a tactical change.

"V5 is sending Blade of the Ruined King to the top lane?" Roaring Emperor keenly noticed the movement, glanced at the minion wave, and immediately realized something: "Wow, even a champion like Renekton is giving Blade of the Ruined King some farm!?"

“Just like I said, that’s Flandre’s style of play,” Niu Guli shrugged and went on to offer a more in-depth analysis.

"But V5's lane swap was brilliant. It allowed the better-performing Renekton to go mid and lane against Sylas who had teleported out, while Blade of the Ruined King went up to lane against Aatrox who also hadn't teleported out. This effectively saved them an extra teleport. V5's lane rotation was clearly much more skillful."

The Roaring Emperor, not daring to let the other side continue to undermine their team, quickly interjected, "Um, Nuguri, Aatrox against Blade of the Ruined King should be an easy matchup, right?"

Upon hearing this question...

Niu Guli suddenly fell silent and did not answer.

On the player bench, Kingen was also a little surprised to see the Ruined King come up, but he immediately canceled his recall.

The director's view was focused on the top lane.

The Renekton clearly has a huge advantage against Sylas, and the mid-lane matchup is a foregone conclusion. However, the matchup between Aatrox and the King of Losers is too uncommon, and no one knows what the laning situation will be like.

Kingen was completely focused, his expression more serious than ever before—after all, last year, he almost had a chance to defy fate and save the team, but he lost to Ye Bo by just one move.

To this day, he still harbors resentment over that scene!

The two sides pulled each other out of the gap between the lanes.

Aatrox took the initiative, seizing the opportunity when Blademaster was trying to last-hit a creep, and proactively used his Q [Darkin Blade] to its maximum range to test the opponent's movement habits.

Aatrox's three-part Q attacks range from far to near. While the first part has the lowest coverage and damage, its casting range is the longest at 625 yards, longer than the attack range of most melee heroes.
However, the Ruined King is an exception.

Blade of the Ruined King's Q skill also has a range of 600 yards, which is 25 yards shorter than Aatrox's, but it has the advantage of a longer cast time.

Just as the Sword Demon raised his sword, the Ruined King immediately countered with a thrust of his own sword, the [Ruined King Sword].

But this was entirely within Kingen's expectations.

If Aatrox's first Q hits, the brief knock-up effect prevents the opponent from moving. The 400-yard range of the second Q, combined with the 250-yard impact range of his E skill, allows him to follow up the first Q with an EQ combo.

In other words, if a single Q hits without using E, then a second Q hit will almost always hit the "sword's edge"!
In fact, experienced Aatrox players would never easily use their 12-second cooldown E skill on Q1 in the early game, since Q1 has the lowest damage and even if it hits the first part, it is easy for the second part to be disengaged, making it extremely inefficient.

but.

Just as the King of Ruin thrust out his sword, he simultaneously lifted his foot slightly backward and moved half a step.

The Darkin sword, which had a brief casting delay, crashed down, seemingly within arm's reach.

But he narrowly missed it by turning his head!

Not only that, after Blade of the Ruined King dodged a Q, he immediately moved forward, seemingly about to continue pressing down—Kingen focused his eyes and feigned a second Q, then used his E skill "Delayed Dash" to close the distance and engage in a tug-of-war just as the second Q was about to be unleashed!
The Ruined King can simultaneously use his W to pull forward!

Interestingly, the distances of Aatrox's E and Blade of the Ruined King's W dashes are exactly the same.

The area that Aatrox's dash QE could have pulled was precisely the area that Blade of the Ruined King dodged with a dash to the heart.

The two seemed to be heading towards a synchronized close-quarters encounter!
The Ruined King's W attack briefly stuns the enemy at close range, and a thick black mist blooms beneath his feet. He then thrusts his twin swords forward, and the attack speed bonus and Conqueror buff stack up wildly within the vast scorched earth!
The Sword Demon has already missed two sword strikes; it's clear he can't win by simply standing and fighting.

However, Kingen's execution was meticulous. He first used his passive skill, Death Slash, to get close to the enemy and then used his W skill, Evil Chains, to hit them at close range before finishing them off with Q3.

To escape the range of [Fiery Chains], the only option is to immediately "move laterally" and move out along the shortest diameter in the middle to avoid being pulled back. However, Aatrox can lock onto a fixed lateral movement, land his Q3 to hit the target, and then use the brief knock-up to slow down the opponent's movement while pulling them back with W!

This is the direction!

Upon seeing the direction Blademaster was heading, Aatrox decisively slammed down his central sword.

But then Kingen's pupils suddenly contracted.

It was because the Desolate King had once again moved his feet forward in an incredibly strange way, taking a slight half-step upward.

Twist it again past the center point of Q3!
This half-step delay was successfully offset by the acceleration effect added by [Vast Scorched Earth], and he was not successfully pulled back when he stepped out of the range at the last moment when the Fiery Chains took effect!

Even as the Ruined King accelerated across the vast scorched earth, he continued his pursuit!

This was just the first encounter.

Kingen's expression under the camera already looked a little off.

Niu Guli on stage was also at fault.

Niu Guli's expression was clearly one of utter shock: "YE's Aatrox... How come he seems to know so much about Aatrox? He's never picked mid-lane Aatrox in his career, has he?!"

"How can you tell?" P asked in confusion. "It's because he dodged the sword's edge. It doesn't seem that difficult. It looks more like Kingen didn't place it properly."

Niu Guli couldn't help but glance at him with the look of someone looking at an idiot and complain out loud.

"Can't you see that YE clearly guessed how Kingen was going to release the skill with three consecutive Qs?"

"He anticipates every move by half a step ahead! Otherwise, how could he possibly get out!"

Niu Guli didn't know if this person was truly blinded by hatred or genuinely unable to see the truth.

If you're talking about Kingen's other champions, like Gnar in the last game who messed up a play, that's understandable.

But these are their most amazing underwear!
As a top laner, Nuguri is very clear about Kingen's understanding of Aatrox.

In the quarterfinals of S12 last year, EDG discovered the secret that Danny had hidden, and found out that Nuguri actually "didn't know how to play" Aatrox, thus gaining a huge advantage in the draft phase.

Aatrox is a hero who looks simple and has almost no "combos," with only an EQ combo.

But the true Sword Demon should be described as embodying the principle of "simplicity is the ultimate sophistication".

All the damage from the skill set comes from the three-hit Q — in reality, whether you get hit by one more Q or one less, or by one more or one less sword strike, the damage will be drastically different!
Because the damage of {Edge Blade} is double that of {the rest of the area}.

So to put it simply: Aatrox's Q looks like 3 hits, but it should actually be 6 hits → hitting the sword edge counts as 2 hits, hitting other areas counts as 1 hit, and missing completely is equivalent to missing 6 skills!
Not to mention that all three Q attacks are AOE damage!

However, each of Aatrox's Q skills has an incredibly noticeable cast delay and range indicator. Mastering the rhythm of the pre-cast animation, controlling the skill distance, and predicting the opponent's movement and mentality are all details and experience required for every strike!

Aatrox is not only easy to learn but difficult to master, but he is also the champion that top laners are most likely to have a significant gap between their skill level and actual skill level!

Kingen's strength in playing Aatrox lies in his profound understanding of the delay in the sword's edge and his mastery of the rhythm of the delayed Q skill, which seems to be a natural talent.

These are actually very difficult to "practice" to achieve.

At least Niu Guli tried, and failed.

Therefore, when he saw the trade of blows in the top lane, especially when he saw Blade of the Ruined King making preemptive moves as if he "guessed" the opponent's intentions, he was almost 100% certain that Ye Bo had a deep understanding of Aatrox.

—That cannot be achieved by relying on "reaction" alone; it must also require a very deep understanding of the hero!
That's certainly true.

Although Ye Bo has never picked Aatrox for mid lane in a match, he and Mr. Aatrox are really close.
Although Kingen also sensed something was wrong, he didn't see it as clearly as the bystanders.

Or perhaps he simply wouldn't admit to himself that the other person's understanding of the Sword Demon was comparable to, or even superior to, his own.
Five minutes have passed.

Although he suffered a major defeat in the early jungle skirmishes, the Blind Man took the opportunity to run to his own bottom red buff area and feast on leftovers during the opponent's attack gaps. After reaching level three, he barely had the confidence to maneuver in the jungle.

V5 can directly swap the top and mid lanes. With a big crocodile in the mid lane, the threat of the dragon fight is too strong!

HLE can only allow the jungler Lee Sin to try to steal the dragon.

However, the momentum of V5's four players gathering together suggests that they are not just aiming to take down a small dragon.

At the same time, the director's perspective suddenly cut abruptly.

"Why are they still fighting in the top lane? Neither of their top laners have recalled yet! When did Sylas come up here?!"

"No way! If Sylas goes top this wave, and the bot lane gets killed while trying to steal the dragon, the HLE bot lane duo will be tower-dived and bullied by four people!"

Just as the broadcast was focused on the dragon pit where a fight was about to break out, the top lane suddenly became fraught with danger. No one expected Zeka to suddenly run to the top lane during this crucial moment in the bottom lane!
It's important to understand that Lee Sin's attempt to steal the dragon is likely a one-way trip. If Sylas were present, they might have had a chance to fight head-on. Even if Lee Sin dies, V5's four players wouldn't dare to directly dive the tower.

But when Sylas went to the top lane, the situation changed.

"HLE might be planning to kill Blademaster first, then have Aatrox recall and use Teleport to save him, but that's too risky!"

"The prerequisite is that I have to be able to kill the Ruined King!"

Both Aatrox and Blademaster were not in good health, and knowing that the main forces of both sides were in the bottom half of the map, neither of them wanted to return to base first.

But Ye Bo had already sensed something was wrong.

Because he noticed a change in the sword demon's footsteps—or more accurately, he sensed "killing intent."

The positioning you use to deplete resources is different from the positioning you use to kill enemies.

The Sword Demon missed his first Q, and tried to create another opening.

But unexpectedly, the Ruined King immediately cast [Scorched Earth] and made a move to retreat!

Seeing this, HLE's top and mid laners became anxious. After all, Sylas's roaming came at a considerable cost, and if it didn't yield results, it would be a huge loss!
"Stay a moment, stay a moment!" Zeka shouted urgently.

Urged on, Kingen didn't have time to think much. He used his second Q to EQ flash and charge in, flipping and slashing in mid-air.
However, this reckless action was full of flaws.

The greatsword's speed and slowness techniques were discovered.

With a backhand thrust of the [Ruined King Sword], a dense, decaying mist of [Pain Piercing the Heavens] immediately surged from beneath his feet.

"What kind of move is this?!"

"Is that an R-flash!?"

Aatrox flashed and rolled to land his Darkin Blade after Q2, but ended up hitting nothing!

more specifically.

The Sword Demon seems to have deliberately "slammed" into the vortex of excruciating pain!

The next instant, Blade of the Ruined King flashed away from his original position and returned to attack, slashing down the King's Sword from high above and triggering the dual blade mark of his Q skill → at the same time increasing the execution damage of his ultimate by one threshold!
{The Blade of the Ruined King's R is considered a basic attack, and can trigger the dual blade marks applied by Q and W.}
Kingen's heart skipped a beat, and he could only put up a final resistance, retaliating by unleashing a Q3 at the elusive Blademaster in an attempt to trade damage.

However, Aatrox's Q3 has a casting delay, while Blade of the Ruined King's R doesn't.

The fallen King of Ruin once again drew his W at point-blank range, piercing the heart, but missed the center of the third Darkin Blade attack.

Within just two seconds.

Throughout the entire sequence, the Ruined King seemed to be performing a "Dance of Broken Wings" in the air, first using R-Flash to leap back and dodge Q2, then landing and using his other hand to dodge Q3.

The sudden counterattack was dazzling!

"They're in a panic! Why is the Sword Demon the first to fall to the ground?!"

"Fortunately, Aatrox dealt the final damage before dying. Blademaster is very weak, Sylas must kill Blademaster!"

Zeka was in a hurry—but the 'Ruined Sword Demon' who had completed the possession had temporarily disappeared from his sight!
After possessing the body, the 'Ruined Sword Demon' immediately disappeared into the black mist, while Sylas, worried that the opponent would return to the tower, could only stride into the black mist.

But someone from within the black mist was the first to draw their sword!
Sylas dodged Aatrox's Q1 with a stealthy dash, but couldn't dodge the hidden W Chains of Inferno.

Zeka wanted to ignore it and directly throw out E2 to grab the position where Aatrox was hiding in the fog, but Aatrox's Q2 was slowly slashed out at an angle. Sylas had just taken off when he was shot down in mid-air at the perfect moment!
"Can't they even kill this?!"

Sylas, who was knocked away, was slowed down. Seeing that the fiery chains were about to tighten, he used a flash to break out of the circle and try to force his way in.

But the distance has shortened by two steps!
Fortunately, Sylas could still use his Q skill to slow down the enemy, and the weakened Aatrox instantly entered the range.

Zeka frantically pressed WWWWW and finally unleashed [Kingslayer Thrust]!
The Sword Demon slammed down his Q3 in the face—but if the Sylas with maxed W could hit him in the face, the damage should be enough to kill him instantly!

can.

The Kingslayer Thrust only deals damage and lifesteal if it "hits" the target.

"No!!" Kingen shouted to his best friend over the voice chat.

The next moment, the Sword Demon's body tumbled in mid-air and took three steps backward, preventing the Kingslayer Thrust from piercing the Sword Demon's body "in the first instant".

Normally, when they were face-to-face, Sylas's W, which he could cast almost instantly, could not be interrupted by Aatrox's Q3, which has a casting delay.

The problem lies in the location where the [Chain of Inferno] was cast; it just happened to slow down Sylas!

—When Sylas flashed out of W's range, he couldn't get close to Aatrox. He only managed to reach the 200-yard W casting range by relying on the slow effect of Q. Therefore, W has a short 10-minute cast time.

The air seemed to freeze for a moment.

Everyone seemed to vaguely see that just before Sylas's palm was about to touch the Sword Demon's body, the sword blade in the air struck first, causing the prisoner's body to take off from the spot.

Silas was shot down twice in mid-air!
"What kind of speed control is this?!"

Niu Guli, standing on the commentary platform, was shocked, his pupils dilating drastically. He leaned on the platform and let out a startled cry.

Simply because he could see more crucial details!

The Q3 that Aatrox pulls out must be interrupted in mid-air by using his E skill at the very end of the wave. Only then can the first half of the E skill strike the center point of Q3 to interrupt it, and the second half of the E skill then move Aatrox back to create distance and buy time.

If Sylas is a step ahead, he will land at the same time as Aatrox, and Kingslayer will be used before Q3 to secure the kill!

If you're even a fraction slower, Q3 will land first before Aatrox moves backward, allowing Kingslayer's Thrust to hit a fraction of a second earlier and secure the kill!

"How could this happen!" The Roaring Emperor's voice seemed to carry a hint of despair.

"Sylas has absolutely no chance of killing him now. YE, this Aatrox is really acting strangely!!"

Although the bullet comments don't reveal that many details.

But the previous incredible comeback was already stunning enough.

[Holy crap, Master Ye's Sword Demon proficiency is really off! When did he secretly practice this?!]

[It's a pity it's a global ban/pick phase now, otherwise Master Ye would definitely pick a mid-lane Aatrox and teach the other team how to play Aatrox!]

[↑That's as if we didn't teach anything this time~]

This scene reminds me of the Forbidden City at the river peak in last year's finals. Back then, Ras was half a step ahead, and now Aatrox is a cut above the rest—and they were both played by the same person!

[If the positions of Aatrox and Aatrox had been switched last year, would they have been able to win that game?]

[The Sword Demon King? Tell me, who is the true Sword Demon King!]

Although only one player died in the top lane, it dealt a significant blow to HLE's morale.

Canyon, who originally wanted to contest for the dragon, decided to give up and save his skills for a desperate last stand.

On the contrary, the morale of the V5 players was high. The good news of the 1v2 in the top lane made everyone's blood boil, and even Beryl was a little excited.

"We can force them to stay! We can force them to trade for Draven!"

Jayce's speed boost provided a chasing opportunity, and Renekton directly and forcefully blocked the enemy's retreat, seemingly intending to surround and overtake the next tower.

Clearly, given V5's current fighting strength, even if there are three opponents under their tower, they still have a chance to overpower Draven.

As long as we can kill Draven first, even if it ends in a 1-for-1 trade, it's definitely worth it to reduce the opponent's stacks.

However, Ye Bo switched screens to take a look at the bottom lane.

Especially after glancing at Draven's passive stacks, he immediately spoke up to stop him.

"Don't rush, don't rush, don't force the switch, just use the Dragon's Fury to switch to Flash!"

"Have him add a few more layers, there's no rush."

After calming down, Beryl realized that there were certain risks involved in a direct confrontation, such as being the first to be killed by Draven in a 1-for-1 exchange, or being the one who gets killed multiple times.

Given their current advantages, there's really no need for them to take any risks; they've already made a lot of money this time.

However, Ye Bo seemed to have other ideas.
(End of this chapter)