In the first three games, both sides had already used a large number of heroes. In the fourth game, they had to pay even more attention to the strategic maneuvering in the BP phase.
Coach Lin habitually opened his notebook, which recorded the heroes used and banned by ATB and Tianhuan in each game to avoid confusion.
The Mid-Jungle combinations ATB had used so far included Stealth Rogue + Illusionist, King of Fighters + Goddess of Destiny, and Yueying + Abyssal Lord, all of which were Wild Core paired with Mage Assassin playstyles.
Tianhuan, on the other hand, hadn't been able to pick a Wild Core and Mage Assassin in the previous three games.
ATB either banned the combinations Chi Shu and Ye Shaoyang commonly used or snatched them for themselves, forcing Ye Shaoyang to bring out a speed-boost Mid-laner in the second game and a warrior Mid-laner in the third game.
The fourth game was Tianhuan's match point.
What kind of lineup would they bring out? Audiences all over the world were looking forward to it.
In this game, Tianhuan was on the Red Side. ATB first banned [Stealth Rogue], still refusing to give Chi Shu a Wild Core. Tianhuan followed by banning [Light of Blessing], a tank support that could provide team shields and crowd control immunity; the existence of this support would prevent harvesting heroes from entering the fight.
ATB continued to ban [King of Fighters], still denying Chi Shu a Wild Core. Tianhuan banned the support [Time Traveler] to prevent ATB from playing a speed difference strategy.
In Phase 1 of selection, ATB decisively snatched the Top-laner [Rose Blade]. Currently, most of the strong Top-laners had been used. This Top-laner had strong backline-cutting ability and flexible mobility.
Giving it to Han Seung-woo to use would allow him to quickly harvest Tianhuan's backline in team fights, specifically deleting Cheng Xing.
Tianhuan picked Marksman [Blood Kin Princess] + Support [Blessed Priest] in slots 1 and 2.
This bot lane duo: the Marksman could lifesteal with her ultimate, and the Support could tether to a teammate, providing attack buffs, mana, speed, and healing—equivalent to a human accessory with strong single-target protection ability.
ATB decisively brought out a combo in slots 2 and 3—[Spirit Butterfly] + [Ninja]. This was a variant "Global Flow" system, pairing a control Mid-laner capable of global teleportation with a high-burst Jungler!
Domestic viewers seeing this expressed their worries one after another.
[ATB picking Global Flow, are they going to crush the jungle like crazy?]
[The macro level of Korean teams is still very strong; Tianhuan needs to be careful!]
[Didn't Tianhuan use Global Flow before? Why not pick it today? I remember Captain Chi's [Soul Reaper] plus Yangyang's [Spirit Butterfly], teleporting everywhere to drive the rhythm, could also win?]
[To the person above, after all, it's the World Tournament; Tianhuan might want to play it safe?]
Tianhuan picked Top-laner [Man of Steel] in slot 3.
This was a meat shield ranked in the top three for defense among all Top-laners. Old Qin choosing this tank was obviously to make up for the squishiness of Qu Jiang's support.
Yao Mu couldn't help saying, "Tianhuan still left Mid and Jungle for the P2 phase. Is the coach very confident in the Mid-Jungle hero pool? Not picking a jungler even after two Wild Cores were banned?"
Brother Dong said, "After all, most of Tianhuan's tactics revolve around Mid-Jungle. Picking too early might also lead to being targeted by the opponent in the P2 phase?"
Seeing Tianhuan actually didn't pick Mid-Jungle, ATB simply continued to ban Ye Shaoyang's mage assassins. [Abyssal Lord] was banned for four consecutive games, and [Goddess of Destiny] wasn't let through either. Tianhuan targeted ATB's marksman, banning [Meteor Arrow] and [Wind Elf], two strong marksmen the opponent hadn't used yet.
In Tianhuan's 4th slot, a surprising hero was selected: [Blood Lord]!
Yao Mu couldn't help saying, "This… Blood Lord is a trash-tier mage, rarely seen in ranked, and appearing for the first time in the league! His damage is very low, leaning more towards support."
Brother Dong said, "[Blood Lord]'s ultimate can create a vampiric domain, encircling teammates and enemies, causing enemies within the domain to continuously lose health while granting attack and crit bonuses to teammates within. He can also release a shield with health equal to his own to protect teammates; once the shield is released, his own defense drops to 0!"
Yao Mu said, "This hero is actually more like a support, usually requiring a 'life for a life' playstyle, so he is rarely used in the league. Plus, the domain ultimate is like a double-edged sword; encircling opponents also encircles teammates. If placed poorly, it sends teammates to their deaths, so he is even harder to see in random ranked matches."
Brother Dong wondered, "Since this mage was picked, it should be for Yangyang to use, right?"
Qu Jiang had already taken the pure support [Blessed Priest], so only Ye Shaoyang was suitable to use this mage.
ATB's coach frowned upon seeing this. He had a vague feeling of foreboding, but unfortunately, bans were over, and ATB had already picked their jungler, so they couldn't pick another jungler to break Tianhuan's system.
He hesitated for a moment and said, "Take [Machine Gun Hunter] and [Mechanical Expert] combo. Push towers and play macro, destroy their bot tower at maximum speed to establish an advantage!"
ATB finished picking heroes.
It was Tianhuan's turn for the last Counter pick.
The eyes of everyone in the world focused on Tianhuan's 5th slot, and Tianhuan didn't hesitate at all, instantly locking in a hero—
[Bloodstained Assassin]
The whole venue was in an uproar!
Yao Mu finally understood: "Tianhuan wants to protect the Wild Core and let Bloodstained Assassin harvest!"
Brother Dong said, "After many years, the Wild Core reappears in the World Tournament. Dreaming back to S6!"
Yao Mu's voice trembled with excitement: "In the Grand Finals of the S6 World Tournament, the then 18-year-old Chi Shu also brought out [Bloodstained Assassin]. Mid-laner God Ming didn't pick [Blood Lord] but [Holy Spirit Mage] to protect him. Unfortunately, the jungle was targeted too miserably in that match, and Tianhuan lost regretfully. Since then, the hero [Bloodstained Assassin] has rarely appeared on the field for Tianhuan!"
Brother Dong, who had commentated matches for many years, also sighed with emotion. "This hero is easily targeted in the early game and very unstable. Because his burst relies on reducing his own health to the minimum. With this self-harming burst, if the opportunity isn't seized accurately, he might be instantly deleted by the opponent the moment he enters. However, today, Yangyang picked [Blood Lord] to protect [Bloodstained Assassin]. The combination of these two heroes has never appeared on the field. It requires extremely strong macro view and coordination awareness, otherwise both will crash!"
Blood Lord's "Vampiric Domain" was a double-edged sword. If placed poorly, it trapped teammates and fed kills to the opponent instead. And the shield he gave teammates came at the cost of his own defense dropping to 0, making him prone to sudden death.
Bloodstained Assassin was likewise the most unstable Wild Core. The lower the health, the higher the damage. Self-harming to enter a bloodthirsty state, stacking damage with kills, becoming fiercer with each kill. Theoretically, his damage was highest at 1 HP, but an assassin with 1 HP entering the battlefield would die from any random basic attack.
Pairing these two unstable heroes together…
It was enough to show the Tianhuan coaching staff's confidence in Chi Shu and Ye Shaoyang.
Domestic fans spammed the screen excitedly—
[Wild Core reappears! The familiar Bloodstained Assassin is here!]
[Captain Chi's Bloodstained Assassin, simply the youth of many jungler players?]
[Those anti-fans clamoring about Chi Shu's declining form, open your eyes and look! It's not that he didn't dare to bring out Bloodstained Assassin; he just didn't have the opportunity!]
[Taking over as captain at 18, he indeed gave a lot for the team over these years. Yangyang truly understands him, accompanying him to practice the brand-new [Bloodstained Assassin] core lineup!]
[I will always believe in the coordination of the Sun-Moon duo. Theoretically, the most unstable Mid-Jungle synergy will definitely become the strongest killing weapon in their hands!]
[Old Qin, Brother Qu, Xiao Xing, and Captain Chi and Yangyang, charge for me!]
The bullet comments in the livestream room were like dense snowflakes, and the emotions of the domestic audience were thoroughly stirred up.
The regret of S6, the unwillingness of the China Region never winning a World Championship for so many years…
Lingered like a shadow over everyone's hearts.
At this moment, Tianhuan brought out the Wild Core system that lost the S6 Grand Finals again, going head-to-head with ATB's Global Flow macro lineup, as if proving the team's resilience to the whole world.
If they didn't kill the opponent, they would die suddenly themselves!
Succeed or die trying.
Tianhuan wanted to face difficulties head-on. Where they fell, they would stand up and counter-kill!
ATB's coach looked unhappy and instructed in a low voice, "Keep an eye on [Bloodstained Assassin]. Save control skills specifically for him; don't let him refresh his ultimate. In the early game, seize the time to crush Tianhuan's jungle. Marksman push down the bot lane at maximum speed, don't drag to the late game. In the late game, Blood Lord's shield has very high health and will be difficult to deal with. Understood?"
Everyone expressed: "Understood!"
On Tianhuan's side, Lin Feng didn't say much. He just smiled, extended both hands, and patted Chi Shu and Ye Shaoyang on the shoulders simultaneously. "This game, Yangyang commands, Chi Shu Wild Core. Play freely."
Ye Shaoyang looked back at Chi Shu, and Chi Shu happened to look at him too.
The two exchanged a glance. With just a simple look, they guessed what the other wanted to say.
——Add oil. Our dream, we realize it together.
The match began.
For ATB, this was a life-or-death battle. Once they lost, they would miss the championship. So, ATB played very aggressively at the start, grouping up as 4 to invade the Red Buff jungle.
[Bloodstained Assassin] didn't need Blue, but relied relatively heavily on the Red Buff.
Fortunately, Ye Shaoyang guessed the opponent would invade this game and marked a spot on the map directly: "Counter Red."
Chi Shu: "Received."
The two went to the opposite side to quickly take the Red Buff. ATB's invasion failed to catch Chi Shu.
They ran to the mid lane to snatch the river crab. Since Ye Shaoyang's [Blood Lord] had low damage early on, Choi Hyuk, with Park Won-seok's assistance, snatched the first river crab, gaining a slight advantage.
Chi Shu turned back to take Blue, and Choi Hyuk also buried his head in farming the jungle.
Both sides seemed to farm peacefully early on, but tension lingered in everyone's heart at the scene.
As the match progressed, Choi Hyuk reached Level 6 first. He indeed went to gank bot. Ye Shaoyang pressed the retreat alert: "Bot retreat."
Cheng Xing and Qu Jiang immediately retreated, letting the minion wave come.
Marksman [Blood Kin Princess] had very low damage early on, but Qu Jiang's support [Blessed Priest] could grant attack and speed buffs to teammates. With the support's help, Cheng Xing cleared minions extremely fast. Before Choi Hyuk appeared, he finished clearing a wave and retreated under the tower.
ATB's Mid, Jungle, Marksman, and Support tower-dived 4v2. Qu Jiang healed Cheng Xing at a critical moment, covering Cheng Xing's retreat, while he was killed by Choi Hyuk.
First Blood!
Choi Hyuk got First Blood, and thunderous applause erupted at the match venue.
After taking First Blood, the four ATB members quickly gathered at the Small Dragon and killed it at maximum speed. Another burst of applause and cheers at the scene.
In the audience seats, Old Nie couldn't help slapping his thigh upon seeing this. "ATB's tempo is too fast, isn't it!?"
Ming Sheng smiled and said, "After all, they are the Korean champion team; their strength is naturally very strong. The difference of one river crab meant Chi Shu couldn't hit Level 6 immediately. They seized this time difference perfectly and started snowballing."
A-Ning said optimistically, "Tianhuan's jungle didn't collapse. There's still hope, no rush."
Tianhuan's jungle resources were guarded by the joint efforts of Ye Shaoyang and Chi Shu.
However, ATB wouldn't let Chi Shu farm smoothly. In this game, the key point of Tianhuan's lineup was [Bloodstained Assassin]. If Chi Shu completed his three-item set, the threat to ATB would be too great.
Choi Hyuk said decisively, "Won-seok, open teleport at Level 6, crush their jungle directly!"
Park Won-seok, having been solo-killed by Ye Shaoyang in the last game, had long been holding back his anger. Hearing this, he nodded immediately. "I know. I'll hit Level 6 after clearing this wave."
To execute the Global Flow teleport system, both Mid and Jungle had to be above Level 6.
[Spirit Butterfly]'s tracking butterfly global teleport could instantly transport to a designated location and control the opponent. Coupled with the high burst of [Ninja] jungle, often one teleport could harvest a kill and disrupt the opponent's rhythm.
Breaking the opponent's rhythm twice consecutively would cause them to collapse completely.
ATB's plan was good, but Tianhuan had long guarded against this move. Ye Shaoyang stared closely at Park Won-seok's experience bar. The moment Park Won-seok was about to reach Level 6, he immediately said, "Mid Level 6, Chi Shu go home first."
Chi Shu naturally listened to Yangyang.
After quickly taking the Red Buff, he simply didn't touch the small jungle monsters and recalled directly.
So, when Park Won-seok hit Level 6 and opened his ultimate to check—
Chi Shu's [Bloodstained Assassin] was actually at the crystal!
He couldn't teleport to the opponent's crystal, could he?
When Park Won-seok opened his ultimate, his teammates also saw the positioning of Tianhuan's 5 members. Choi Hyuk was a bit speechless. "Their jungler went home very timely. Then kill bot!"
Park Won-seok decisively set the teleport point to the bot lane.
The moment Cheng Xing saw the transparent tracking butterfly appear on him, he vigilantly retreated with Qu Jiang. Both retreated under the tower. However, ATB's Park Won-seok instantly crossed most of the map to arrive near the tracking butterfly and controlled Cheng Xing. The Jungler, Marksman, and Support immediately followed up with damage, determined to kill them even under the tower!
Qu Jiang protected Cheng Xing and healed him. Cheng Xing flashed to escape with low health, and Qu Jiang was killed again.
Domestic fans instantly became restless—
[Brother Qu so miserable, killed twice!]
[Support sacrifices himself to protect teammates. Although Brother Qu died, Xiao Xing didn't die once.]
[As long as Blood Kin Princess farms up, late game damage is explosive. Xiao Xing and Brother Qu hold on!]
Yao Mu was also a bit worried seeing this. "Encountering the Global Flow teleport strategy is indeed relatively passive. After ATB's Park Won-seok ults, he can see the vision of all Tianhuan members and instantly teleport to control people. Tianhuan's Mid-Jungle needs travel time to support; this time difference is hard to resolve."
Brother Dong said, "Yes. When Tianhuan used the Global Flow system in the playoffs, the tempo was also very fast. To break the Global Flow teleport strategy, [Spirit Butterfly] must be killed."
Yao Mu said, "Unfortunately, Yangyang didn't pick a burst mage this game, so it's hard to solo-kill the opposing Park Won-seok like in the previous game. To kill ATB's Mid-laner, Captain Chi needs to act."
After coming out of the base, Chi Shu didn't go to kill the Mid-laner. He continued to bury his head in farming the Blue Buff area and even ran to the top lane to leech a wave of Old Qin's minions.
The match continued. Tianhuan's bot lane was ganked by Choi Hyuk twice in a row; the outer tower had only 30% health left.
ATB's Marksman and Support happened to be the Machine Gun duo with very fast tower pushing speed. The moment the next minion wave arrived, Choi Hyuk visited the bot lane again, creating a 3v2 situation.
Ye Shaoyang said decisively, "Give up the outer bot tower."
Cheng Xing obediently retreated, saving his life and giving up the outer tower.
——Your turret has been destroyed.
Hearing the system voice, enthusiastic applause erupted from the audience at the match venue. Fans shouted the slogan "ATB Victory," as if victory was in sight.
Once Tianhuan's outer bot tower fell, ATB could invade the lower jungle. At the same time, the bot lane would face great minion pressure. Once Tianhuan went to deal with the minion wave, they would be easily caught, adding frost to snow.
Brother Dong sighed and said, "Tianhuan has fallen into a disadvantage again."
Yao Mu said, "The bot lane was indeed targeted quite miserably; Qu Jiang died twice in a row. But fortunately, Xiao Xing's development wasn't affected too much, and the jungler's economy won't be too bad either."
Just as she finished speaking, ATB quickly cleared the second Small Dragon.
Towers, kills, Small Dragon—ATB led in all aspects. The team economy exceeded Tianhuan by a full 1000 gold.
With such a large economic advantage early on, ATB would definitely snowball through macro play next.
And Korean teams had very strong macro capabilities.
The audience stared anxiously at the screen.
Ye Shaoyang looked calm. He glanced at the timer in the upper right corner and said, "[Spirit Butterfly]'s teleport has 15 seconds CD. Chi Shu, prepare."
Chi Shu: "Understood."
The teleport ultimate had a very long cooldown.
In the first teleport just now, Park Won-seok wanted to kill Chi Shu, but Chi Shu happened to go home. He couldn't waste his ultimate, so he went to kill Cheng Xing bot.
Cheng Xing was protected by Qu Jiang, and in the end, they only killed Qu Jiang, a small profit.
For the second teleport, he still wanted to target Chi Shu. If Chi Shu cowardly went home again, they would simply crush the bot lane. Crushing the marksman position wouldn't be a loss for ATB either.
At this time, Choi Hyuk was taking Blue in the Blue Buff area. Park Won-seok prompted: "My ult is almost ready."
Choi Hyuk said, "Wait for me to take Blue, joining the fight immediately."
[Ninja] took the Blue Buff.
[Spirit Butterfly]'s ultimate cooldown recovered. Park Won-seok predicted Chi Shu should also be taking Blue at this time, so he directly activated his ultimate for global vision tracking, wanting to teleport over and catch Chi Shu off guard.
However, the instant he activated his ultimate, Ye Shaoyang suddenly flashed over and dropped an ultimate at his feet!
——[Blood Lord]'s ultimate, Vampiric Domain.
A large pool of red blood appeared on the ground. Park Won-seok was trapped in the domain and couldn't walk out. Ye Shaoyang was also trapped inside. Just then, Chi Shu, who had been hiding nearby within the domain range, suddenly activated his ultimate, reducing his own health to 1 HP, and then swung his sharp dagger at Park Won-seok.
Blood-colored blade light exploded before his eyes, and Park Won-seok died instantly!
A [Bloodstained Assassin] self-harmed to 1 HP only needed 0.1 seconds to kill a squishy.
Domestic viewers seeing this scene became excited one after another—
[Beautiful! This is called an instant delete! There's no one they can't kill when they join forces!]
[The Bloodstained Assassin that terrified the entire canyon back then, did you think it was a joke?]
[Yangyang's ultimate was placed very timely, exactly interrupting [Spirit Butterfly]'s teleport. Captain Chi's ultimate synchronized with Yangyang again, instantly deleting Park Won-seok. Park Won-seok must be doubting life today, right?]
Park Won-seok had just opened his ultimate and hadn't had time to teleport to control Chi Shu when he was trapped by Ye Shaoyang instead.
His ultimate went on cooldown, and ATB's rhythm was interrupted.
Choi Hyuk was a bit unhappy and frowned. "Push the bot tower, take the inner tower!"
ATB's bot lane duo grouped with Choi Hyuk to push the tower quickly. Cheng Xing and Qu Jiang, facing a 2v3, were forced to retreat.
Tianhuan's bot lane was pierced through, leaving only a solitary high ground tower.
Yao Mu said, "Although the Sun-Moon duo broke the opponent's rhythm in the mid lane, Tianhuan is still at a disadvantage. The minion disadvantage in the bot lane is too great. If this continues, ATB can use the minion wave to constantly apply pressure or steal towers directly."
Brother Dong said, "Yes, if [Spirit Butterfly] goes bot to steal the high ground, Tianhuan will have a hard time."
The match reached 15 minutes.
Ye Shaoyang glanced at the equipment panel. Tianhuan had a relatively large economic disadvantage this game. Cheng Xing was still a few hundred gold short of his core lifesteal item, and Chi Shu was also a few hundred short of his core crit item. He said decisively, "Xiao Xing take mid lane wave, Chi Shu take top lane."
The two quickly ran to top and mid to leech waves; Old Qin and Ye Shaoyang gave up their economy.
But Tianhuan's bot lane minion disadvantage had to be dealt with. Otherwise, once minions reached the high ground tower, the opposing Spirit Butterfly could teleport to steal the tower directly.
Ye Shaoyang said, "I'll go defend bot."
He boldly went to the bot lane alone to clear minions.
Seeing the isolated [Blood Lord] in vision, Choi Hyuk said, "Others push mid, I'll go delete him."
Choi Hyuk arrived at the bot lane. Ye Shaoyang was clearing minions slowly. The instant Choi Hyuk's Shadow Clone appeared in his peripheral vision, Ye Shaoyang decisively flashed into the grass and slipped away.
Choi Hyuk gritted his teeth: "…Runs really fast."
Meanwhile, ATB's Top, Mid, Marksman, and Support were grouping to push mid.
ATB's Support [Mechanical Expert] carried the [Disrupt] skill, allowing them to take towers without minions.
Top-laner [Rose Blade] pushed towers fast after stacking attack speed. Coupled with [Machine Gun Hunter]'s long-range bullets sweeping the tower, they demolished Tianhuan's mid lane defensive tower at flying speed in a 4v3.
Qu Jiang protected Chi Shu's retreat and was once again killed by the ATB crowd.
This was Qu Jiang's third death.
Domestic viewers couldn't help feeling heartache. Qu Jiang picking this kind of protective support was using his own life to protect core teammates, buying them time to survive and farm.
A former Mid-laner, he could now sell himself without hesitation to cover teammates' escape, all for the team—he believed that as long as his teammates survived, there was definitely a chance to turn the tables!
Yao Mu said worriedly, "ATB's macro play is very good. After demolishing bot, they demolished mid. Tianhuan has lost three defensive towers and fallen into a huge disadvantage. If this goes on, the jungle will fall too, right?"
Brother Dong said, "Tianhuan can only stall for time because the two carries haven't finished their core items yet."
Tianhuan was indeed stalling for time, stalling for farm.
ATB Mid-laner [Spirit Butterfly]'s ultimate was ready again. This time, Chi Shu didn't have time to go home. After Park Won-seok opened his ultimate, he saw Chi Shu's position with the tracking butterfly's vision—he was in the Blue Buff area.
Jungler Choi Hyuk happened to be near the mid lane and could rush over quickly.
Park Won-seok felt joy in his heart and said decisively, "Catch Chi Shu!"
Teleport activated. Park Won-seok appeared in the Blue Buff jungle. Just as he wanted to control Chi Shu, a burly man suddenly flashed over from the side bush—it was Tianhuan's Top-laner Qin Yizhu!
Old Qin knew Chi Shu would be caught and flashed directly to rescue.
Park Won-seok saw where Old Qin was when he ulted just now, but he judged that he and Choi Hyuk would arrive first to delete Chi Shu. Unexpectedly… Old Qin actually flashed to support?
Flashing to his death to support a teammate? Park Won-seok found it hard to understand this Top-laner's thinking.
Old Qin blocked key damage for Chi Shu and was killed by ATB's Mid-Jungle duo.
Chi Shu retreated quickly.
Choi Hyuk frowned. "Their Top-laner is dead, push top!"
Taking advantage of Old Qin's death timer, ATB quickly pushed down the outer top tower.
The match soon progressed to the late game.
At this point, Tianhuan's outer towers in top and mid lanes were gone, and the outer and inner towers in bot lane were also gone.
ATB led by 4 defensive towers, occupying an absolute advantage.
The coach sitting off-stage breathed a sigh of relief, a smile appearing on his face. "Good rhythm this game. Turn back to take Baron; one wave to push down the high ground and it's a sure win."
Choi Hyuk made the same decision: turn back to take the dragon.
Leading in towers, and the Baron had respawned; there was no reason not to take it.
Tianhuan's Top-laner was dead, and the bot lane minion pressure was huge. 4v5, they definitely wouldn't dare to come snatch the dragon.
While thinking this, Choi Hyuk quickly coordinated with teammates to hit the dragon, whittling the Baron's health down to about 20%.
Just then, a familiar figure suddenly appeared in vision—
Ye Shaoyang flashed into the dragon pit and placed an ultimate directly at the Baron's position!
Vampiric Domain!
Blood-colored water instantly spread underfoot. ATB's 5 members were all trapped by him in the Blood Lord's domain!
Ye Shaoyang's ultimate was placed exceptionally well, encircling all 5 members of ATB.
Cheng Xing wasn't in the domain, but his positioning allowed him to hit all of ATB. Qu Jiang tethered Cheng Xing with speed and attack buffs. Cheng Xing began moving and dealing damage frantically from above the dragon pit.
At this time, Cheng Xing had completed his core items. After activating his ultimate, the blood-colored sharp arrows shot out not only stacked "Bleed" on the opponents but also crit with every hit and healed him proportionally!
Although ATB's Marksman and Mid-laner could also hit Cheng Xing on the periphery, Cheng Xing lifestealed while fighting, keeping his health around 60%. Meanwhile, ATB's front line was crippled rapidly by Cheng Xing in the blink of an eye!
Ye Shaoyang followed up with a Q-E combo. The "continuous bleed" effect caused by the Vampiric Domain further lowered the opponents' health. ATB's 5 members were collectively low on health but trapped by the domain, unable to run out temporarily.
Seeing the domain time about to end, a young man wearing a black and red cape suddenly popped out from the grass, appearing in everyone's vision.
His whole body glowed with blood red light, health self-harmed to 1 HP. A touch from a minion could kill him.
However, a thick red shield appeared on him just in time.
Ye Shaoyang's [Blood Lord], at the cost of dropping his own defense to 0, converted his health into a shield, protecting the 1 HP Chi Shu!
To kill Chi Shu, one must break the shield on him first.
Simultaneously, Qu Jiang healed Cheng Xing, filling his 60% health to full.
ATB's Marksman killed Ye Shaoyang, whose defense was 0 inside the domain.
ATB's Mid-laner used skills to kill Qu Jiang, who was positioned forward.
But Cheng Xing and Chi Shu survived!
Cheng Xing continued to move and deal damage frantically, lowering the opponent's health. Chi Shu's [Bloodstained Assassin] entered a bloodthirsty state, burst power stacked to the max. The dagger in his hand glowed red, cleanly deleting Park Won-seok with one slash; following that, he turned back and deleted the low-health marksman Kim Chang-ho with another slash!
In bloodthirsty state, crit damage continued to stack after kills.
Displacement skills also refreshed immediately.
The [Bloodstained Assassin] who once made countless China region players tremble in fear was back!
He seemed to have killed until his eyes were red, yet he was exceptionally calm.
Chi Shu fixed his eyes on the next target, ATB's Top-laner Han Seung-woo!
Han Seung-woo was flashing from the flank to kill Cheng Xing. Before the blooming rose at the tip of his weapon could touch Cheng Xing, Chi Shu turned back with two slashes, instantly deleting the low-health Han Seung-woo.
——Triple Kill!
ATB lost 3 people. Choi Hyuk immediately told teammates to retreat. But Chi Shu turned and activated his displacement skill to catch up quickly. Hand raised, blade fell; Choi Hyuk also died under his sharp dagger.
——Quadra Kill!
The remaining Support [Mechanical Expert] had no damage output capability at all.
Cheng Xing and Chi Shu joined forces, quickly emptying his 30% health.
——Penta Kill!
The [Bloodstained Assassin] standing in the dragon pit harvested the battlefield, wiping out the opponent in one wave!
At this moment, he had only 1 HP.
But on his body, he carried the thick red shield Ye Shaoyang gave him before dying!
Many domestic viewers watching the livestream teared up; some fans even stood up and applauded excitedly.
For Ye Shaoyang, who found the best timing to flash and start the fight, controlling 5 opponents.
For Top-laner Old Qin who sacrificed himself to protect Chi Shu, and Support Qu Jiang who sacrificed himself to protect Xiao Xing.
For the teenager Cheng Xing, who remained calm in danger and assisted his master in lowering the opponents' health.
And for the 23-year-old veteran whose original intention remained unchanged, recreating the sharpness of the Wild Core, Tianhuan's third-generation captain Chi Shu!
Tianhuan deserved such applause!
At this moment, in front of countless computers, netizens in the China region screamed excitedly.
Many university dormitory buildings even erupted with deafening screams and applause.
18-year-old Chi Shu lost the World Tournament.
23-year-old Chi Shu, in a disadvantageous game, with a penta kill, turned the tide!
Yao Mu was moved to tears. "Penta Kill! 4v5, got a Penta Kill, ATB wiped out!"
Brother Dong choked up. "4v5, and still daring to initiate actively, this is Tianhuan! They knew this Baron absolutely could not be lost, and they indeed seized the opportunity!"
Yao Mu said, "Yangyang opened this fight too well. Flash ultimate, domain controlled ATB's 5 members, letting Captain Chi enter to complete the harvest! The Baron only had 20% health left anyway; Captain Chi took the Baron quickly!"
Brother Dong said, "Can they end it in one wave? The opponent's respawn time is 45 seconds… Unfortunately, Tianhuan has a minion disadvantage; one wave seems too late?"
"They decided to split up! The minion disadvantage in the bot lane is too great. Captain Chi goes home to defend the bot high ground; Xiao Xing pushes mid alone with minions. This is the safest way."
"That's right. Xiao Xing with max attack speed pushed all the way to the high ground tower with minions! Unfortunately, ATB's players revived. Xiao Xing retreated very timely."
Yao Mu said excitedly, "All of Tianhuan revived too! This Baron fight penta kill not only let Captain Chi lead the game in economy and complete a 6-god item build, but also snatched the Baron and pierced through ATB's mid lane. Huge profit! Next, as long as Tianhuan stabilizes and pushes the high ground with the Baron buff, there's hope to turn the tables!"
The opening disadvantage was pulled back by one team fight.
The reason e-sports competitions were full of variables was that until the last moment, no one dared to say they would definitely win. So what if ATB had a huge advantage early on? This team fight hurt them too much!
ATB realized the situation was bad and immediately organized a high ground defense.
The opponent got the Baron buff; attack and defense were all enhanced. Plus, there were three consecutive waves of rapid Baron minion pushes. If they couldn't hold now, it would be trouble.
ATB had fought many high ground defense battles and had rich experience.
Their 5 members split into three lanes. Han Seung-woo defended top, Choi Hyuk and Park Won-seok defended mid, and Kim Chang-ho and Jung Jae-min defended bot.
The first wave of Baron minions was quickly cleared by ATB splitting into three lanes. Tianhuan didn't rush to push. They went to the jungle to scour all resources, letting Cheng Xing complete his 6-god items, and Chi Shu even built a Resurrection Armor.
For the second wave of Baron minions, Tianhuan began to push all three lanes simultaneously.
Ye Shaoyang commanded the macro play calmly.
Grouping to push mid directly was hard. Push three lanes together, stripping your defensive towers until none are left!
Top lane, Old Qin pushed quickly.
Bot lane, Chi Shu pushed.
Mid lane, Ye Shaoyang, Cheng Xing, and Qu Jiang pushed the wave together.
The progress of the three minion waves was grasped very well.
Finally, the three lanes of Baron minions arrived under the high ground towers simultaneously!
ATB still wanted to split up to clear minions, but just then, Tianhuan suddenly converged. Everyone gathered mid. Ye Shaoyang flashed onto ATB's high ground and placed an ultimate domain directly under the defensive tower!
Defend then.
Defend while standing in my pool of blood.
The comprehensive health loss caused by the domain made ATB's Choi Hyuk and Park Won-seok suffer unspeakably.
Chi Shu said, "Leave it to me."
As soon as his voice fell, he self-harmed to 1 HP, rushed to Ye Shaoyang's side, and cleanly deleted Park Won-seok.
Cheng Xing exploded with hand speed to hit the tower from a distance, destroying the mid high ground tower in the blink of an eye.
Chi Shu entered the tower with low health and was killed by the combined efforts of Choi Hyuk and Kim Chang-ho who rushed over.
But Chi Shu had Resurrection Armor.
He died, and then he stood up again on the spot!
The moment he stood up, Ye Shaoyang timely threw a blood-colored shield on him.
[Bloodstained Assassin]'s damage was inversely proportional to his health. The [Bloodstained Assassin] who stood up with Resurrection Armor had very low health to begin with. With a few random basic attacks, he deleted the squishy marksman Kim Chang-ho!
Choi Hyuk wanted to go home to heal but was chased down and chopped to death by Chi Shu.
The penta kill in the Baron fight wasn't enough. In the high ground fight, with the help of Resurrection Armor and Ye Shaoyang's shield, Chi Shu killed 3 more ATB members, directly getting 8 kills, Legendary!
Brother Dong slapped his thigh in excitement. "Beautiful! Bloodstained Assassin with Baron buff is simply killing gods and buddhas in his way. This burst power is terrifying!"
Yao Mu had tears in her eyes. "Teammates yielded a lot of economy to him early on. Captain Chi's performance in the two key team fights didn't let his teammates down!"
Brother Dong said, "What is a Wild Core? Being able to slaughter the opposing carries in one wave—this is a true Wild Core!"
After killing, Chi Shu wasn't excited. He simply pinged: Attack enemy turret.
The witty Cheng Xing immediately switched to the top lane and pushed down the top high ground tower.
Following that, he sped up with Qu Jiang to run to the bot lane and pushed down the bot high ground tower.
Cheng Xing was telling everyone in this way: The Marksman only has towers in his eyes!
All 9 defensive towers in ATB's three lanes were pushed, leaving only the solitary crystal.
Marksman, Mid, and Jungle were all dead.
Top and Support were both low on health.
To make matters worse, the third wave of Baron minions was about to arrive under the high ground.
Ye Shaoyang said loudly, "Protect Xiao Xing with everything, push their crystal!"
Chi Shu charged over with low health and a shield. Old Qin protected Chi Shu as they rushed the crystal together. Han Seung-woo and Jung Jae-min healed up at the base and wanted to clear minions, but Chi Shu and Old Qin deliberately stood in the front, joining forces to protect the minion wave.
One Baron Captain minion wasn't cleared.
Qu Jiang tethered Cheng Xing, stacking attack speed to the max.
The [Blood Kin Princess] with ultimate active only had the enemy crystal in her eyes.
One arrow, two arrows, three arrows!
Cheng Xing felt his finger pressing the mouse trembling!
The crystal's health was quickly emptied, and the familiar explosion sound effect came to his ears.
——Victory!
——Won!
Chi Shu took off his headphones, turned around, and hugged Ye Shaoyang forcefully.
Ye Shaoyang smiled and hugged Chi Shu back.
Although both were smiling, there were tears in their smiling eyes.
ATB's strength could not be underestimated. This was the hardest disadvantageous game they had played.
Fortunately, they seized the opportunity. Ye Shaoyang initiated actively, assisting Chi Shu's [Bloodstained Assassin] to enter with low health and complete the harvest. A penta kill snatched the Baron and reversed the situation!
Ye Shaoyang relied on the three-lane macro with the Baron buff to successfully break through ATB's defense line.
Finally, not a single ATB defensive tower remained. Tianhuan pushed all of ATB's towers and crystal clean!
3:1, Tianhuan defeated ATB and took the championship.
World Champion!