Valorant: I Am Still the World's Best

— Sunday, August 27, 2023.

The California afternoon sun was a bit dazzling, making the crowd of people outside the KIA Forum look like jumping pixels.

For all viewers following the Los Angeles Championship, the tight schedule and dramatic matches over the past few days have kept everyone on the edge of their seats.

Outside the venue, cosplayers in outlandish costumes mingled with fans wearing various team uniforms, creating a bizarre and surreal scene.

Old Bingtang and his friends were also caught in the crowd, wearing brand-new EDG black and red team jerseys, with the huge team logo on the back burning hot in the sunlight.

"I have something to tell you guys. Xiaoming told me yesterday that there were no practice matches we could schedule and he wanted to treat us to a meal," Lao Bingtang said. "But I think the schedule for the last three days is too tight. Every extra minute of preparation time could make a difference in the outcome, so I declined on your behalf."

"No problem." Ye Yusheng nodded in agreement, "There's plenty of time for a get-together later, a little extra time won't make a difference!"

While chatting, they lined up to have their tickets checked, entered the venue, and took their seats.

It's worth mentioning that during the ticket check, a black security guard glanced at their EDG team jerseys and handed them several light sticks that emitted a silver-white light.

PRX fans, on the other hand, used pink light sticks as cheering sticks.

"PRX has so many fans?"

Old Candy carefully observed the distribution of the lights on the light sticks and was somewhat surprised.

Inside the venue, the number of fans on both sides was roughly equal.

The vast majority of EDG supporters are Chinese, either working, studying, or traveling here; foreigners make up only a small minority.

The vast majority of PRX supporters are foreigners, with Southeast Asians being a minority.

"That's normal." Ye Yusheng explained to her, "PRX's playstyle is very entertaining, and they are a regular at the World Championships. They always perform well in every international tournament... Although the results are often disappointing and they haven't won the championship, they have gained a group of loyal fans around the world."

As if to embody this phrase, cheers of "Let's GO PaperRex!" echoed throughout the venue!

EDG supporters were not to be outdone, and one of their leaders immediately shouted back in Chinese:

"EDG, fighting!!"

The atmosphere was already tense even before the match started.

Not just offline.

Online, netizens are also restless.

"If EDG wins the championship, I'll quit coaching for a year on the spot! I'm making this a pledge!"

"If EDG wins, I'm going to confess to my crush of three years, my academic advisor, tomorrow!"

"I wore my PRX jersey today and deliberately ordered a Wallace's drink, and now I have diarrhea. Guys, did I do the right thing?"

All sorts of fancy wishing and fulfillment posts are popping up everywhere, and their popularity is alarmingly high.

In public opinion, FPS games seem to have always been a weak point for Chinese people.

But now, a CN FPS team has made it to the world finals, attracting even casual viewers who never play FPS games, who come to watch the spectacle while munching on sunflower seeds.

The surge in new player registrations on the Chinese server these past few days has made Tencent's Valorant project team grin from ear to ear.

Suddenly, all the lights in the stadium went out.

As darkness fell, millions of light sticks in the audience were remotely activated, and a sea of ​​fluorescent light, interwoven with pink and silver, ignited the entire space in an instant.

"Buzz—!"

A spotlight suddenly slammed into the center of the stage.

The Global Championship Trophy, symbolizing the highest honor in Valorant in 2023, slowly rose amidst gasps of amazement, its gilded body reflecting a dazzling halo of light.

Next, the team showcased their highly acclaimed stage design.

The original singers of the three champion theme songs, "Die For You," "Fire Again," and "Ticking Away," all made appearances to warm up the atmosphere for the competition!

The AR effects, built with huge sums of money, spread wildly in the sky above the venue. After a rapid countdown from the virtual blaster, it exploded with a bang!

The light devoured everything, and the entire world was dyed into the extreme black and white.

As the melody of "Ticking Away" reached its climax, the large screen at the venue suddenly lit up, and a highlight reel of the championship match began to play.

The first scene shows EDG vs GIA in the key city of Origin. Raven, wielding the Flying General, weaves through a hail of bullets. Gunshots ring out, men fall, and the ACE's kill announcement resounds through the sky.

It was this scene that made countless people remember this young man who suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

Immediately following was Something's headshot combo, turning 180 degrees.

Zmjjkk's Dark Steed Instantly Picks the Mirror.

Jinggg's Bomb Girl risked everything to secure a pentakill.

Qiuqiu and Zhang Zhao achieved a double five-kill.

The dv4v1 repeatedly came back to the rescue in the endgame.

Numerous images flashed by.

Finally, there's Su Ming's righteous 1v5 battle at the Hermitage.

The scene on the screen froze as the music played, and the camera zoomed in to give a close-up of the massive gun, Singularity Justice, exuding murderous intent.

"hiss……"

Among the PRX fans in the audience, someone gasped.

Sweating profusely is a given.

"What does it mean that the fist is frozen here?"

Fans of the recently eliminated EG team were particularly distraught.

In the past few days, this clip of justice 1v5 has appeared frequently on various self-media platforms, and people have been getting PTSD from watching it.

The scene then shifts to the pre-match promotional video for the finals.

First up was Jingg, gazing shyly at the Statue of Liberty. He looked at the camera and said softly, "Because of Singapore's conscription policy, this might be my last World Championship. I want to give my fans the best performance possible!"

Teammates f0rsakeN and Mindfreak stepped forward and stood on either side of him, gazing into the distance with him.

f0rsakeN's voice slowly rose:

"We will present Jingg with a championship as the best farewell gift!"

"Fighting for their brothers, no one can stop PRX!"

In the background, the excited voices of the North American commentators could be heard as PRX defeated Fnc and EG in succession.

— Jinggg's last dance, PRX returning from hell.

This is the reason why they cannot afford to lose.

Camera angle change.

Qiuqiu stood in front of the mirror, dressed in a suit and tie, and said calmly, "Because I come from a single-parent family, I want to achieve good results and prove to my family that I can support this family on my own!"

Zheng Yongkang's voice rang out: "I initially embarked on the path of e-sports because of my brother, who once also dreamed of playing e-sports."

The tall, bespectacled boy smiled broadly at the camera.

"zmjj" was the account name my brother used. He added "kk" to the end, forming a seemingly meaningless garbled ID called Zmjjkk.

"I want to carry on my brother's esports dream, and I want to prove that Chinese FPS games are just as good as anyone else's!"

Family, responsibility, and dreams.

This is the reason why they cannot afford to lose.

The next second, the voice of the North American female host rang out.

"Raven once said that PRX could beat EDG only because he wasn't there."

Something appears in the frame, being interviewed.

"And he certainly lived up to that promise, crushing you all in the group stage. Now, facing EDG and Raven again, what are your thoughts?"

Something shrugged and spread his hands, giving a forced, helpless smile: "PRX defeated EDG twice, eliminating them from the competition, while EDG only won once... And we're still standing on this stage, not out yet!"

"The outcome is far from decided!"

"Today, I will prove to everyone who the best Jetwind user in the world is!"

The screen went black.

Two seconds later, a slightly amused voice rang out.

"Could you ask me that question again?"

Raven appeared in the frame, sitting in a chair with a slight smile on his lips.

The female host was taken aback for a moment, then smiled knowingly.

"Many people believe you are fully qualified to compete for the title of 'World's Greatest Duelist'..."

Do you agree with this statement?

The moment the words were spoken, the noisy atmosphere suddenly stopped.

Everyone seemed to have anticipated that answer.

Su Ming certainly did not disappoint.

"certainly."

The eighteen-year-old boy smiled confidently, raised his hand, and held up one index finger, symbolizing '1'.

"I am the strongest."

He paused for two seconds, as if to make sure the whole world could hear the announcement, and then repeated it in English.

"I am the best!"