TCWSITD – Chapter 23

Chapter 23 – Top-Tier Tug-of-War

As the game progressed, viewers grew increasingly confused.

Despite Lin Jiang’s team holding advantages in all three lanes, with the carries farming well and a four-kill lead over the enemy, their overall gold was only even with their opponents.

The barrage finally spotted the problem.

[This jungler is a huge problem.]

[Lost one dragon, had another stolen. Doesn’t matter how well the lanes play—he drags the whole game down.]

[Lin Jiang’s fast rotations used to mask the jungler’s flaws, but now that he’s playing a late-game mid lane champion, the jungler’s flaws are exposed.]

[Was just about to praise Song Zhixu for improving, and bam—jungler fumbles the bag.]

[Jungler’s just sightseeing at this point.]

[This tempo? Absolute comedy.]

There’s a saying in the league: “A good jungler might not be able to carry all three lanes, but a bad jungler will definitely drag the whole game down.”

In the earlier matches, Lin Jiang had been doing everything he could to minimize A’Deng’s presence, preventing opponents from spotting their weak link. But this time, ZOG zeroed in on OT’s weakness right from the first game.

ZOG’s commander clearly knew what they were doing.

Lin Jiang took a deep breath. “A’Deng, don’t panic. Give me ten more minutes—I’ll carry us to win.”

This round, he was playing Azir, the Emperor of the Sands—a classic late-game champion.

In the early-game, he was clunky and slow to roam. By mid-game, he began to show a bit of damage, acting as a stabilizing force.

But in the late-game, this champion would undergo a qualitative leap, commanding his sand soldiers to dominate the battlefield.

But… ten minutes?

A’Deng instinctively checked the game timer—only fifteen minutes had passed. Lin Jiang planned to carry them to victory with Azir by the 25-minute mark?!

At that stage, Azir’s damage output would be nowhere near enough!

In voice comms, the expressions of all four teammates shifted.

ZOG’s commander, their jungler, was sharp and methodical—every decision precisely calculated, exploiting timing gaps to seize control and claw back advantages. Soon, they grouped up and pushed down Lin Jiang’s mid-tier one turret.

Yet Lin Jiang remained unshaken. On the big screen, his composure was unbreakable, as if victory was already in his grasp.

He moved to the ruins of the fallen turret, and activated Azir’s passive, raising a Sun Disc[mfn]Sun Discs – is a special structure that Azir can summon using his passive ability that allows him to summon a temporary, powerful turret-like structure at the location of a destroyed allied or enemy turret outside the enemy’s base.[/mfn] in the middle lane to replace the destroyed turret and stop ZOG’s push.

At that moment, Lin Jiang stood alone—just barely clinging to farm under the crumbling circle of sand.

ZOG’s commander saw blood. “Force a kill on Lin Jiang.”

As long as Lin Jiang was killed, they could secure the third dragon.

Soul Point.

The air turned sharp. The atmosphere shifted like a storm was coming. The map was still, but murder was already in motion.

ZOG’s jungler Flashed onto Lin Jiang, looking to initiate. But the moment he landed, Lin Jiang instantly cast his E[mfn]Shifting Sands (E) – it allows Azir to dash a short distance to a targeted Sand Soldier, dealing magic damage, briefly knocking up enemies in his path and grants Azir a shield upon activation[/mfn], drifting like a phantom chariot behind ZOG’s double carries.

Perfect positioning.

ZOG’s jungler shouted, “No—this is bad!”

But it was already too late.

Amid the smoke and chaos of the battlefield, a calm and composed voice seemed to echo from the very summit of the Rift:

“I am Shurima’s dawn—!”

A command followed: “Forward!”

The impregnable wall of Emperor’s Divide[mfn]Emperor’s Divide (R) – ultimate ability that summons a wall of sand soldiers that charges forward, dealing magic damage and knocking back enemies. After the charge, the soldiers form an impassable wall for enemies, but allies can freely pass through.[/mfn] slammed ZOG’s double carries directly into turret range, where they were struck down and relentlessly assaulted by desert soldiers. The moment they landed, both were left with only half their health!

And the Emperor’s Divide didn’t vanish—it remained, steadfast and immovable, like a fortress!

Lin Jiang’s positioning was flawless. The angle between the wall and turret formed a narrow wedge—a deadly choke point—trapping ZOG’s carries completely inside the turret’s hitbox.

After pulling off that godlike play, Lin Jiang instantly activated Stopwatch, entering 2.5 seconds of invulnerability.

ZOG’s mid laner, realizing he was about to die without accomplishing anything, triggered gasps from the audience—and then:

Bang! Bang!

Two Flashes landed. ZOG’s double carries, both at low HP, escaped!

They both still had Flash?!

So after all that incredible play from Lin Jiang, he ended up with nothing?

Everyone watching felt a deep sense of pity for Lin Jiang

Even the commentators lamented, “What a shame—he initiated so well, but no one followed up!”

But let’s not forget—this is a five-player game.

And Lin Jiang was never playing alone.

A dark purple figure flashed in. Upon landing, it unleashed Icathian Rain[mfn]Kai’Sa’s signature ability; a skill shot that launches a volley of missiles at nearby enemies.[/mfn], claiming the enemy mid laner’s life in an instant.

Shen Ju’s fingers danced across the keyboard, his weapon blazing with speed. Every shot landed with ruthless precision, cutting straight to the enemy’s core.

After all, Kai’Sa was one of the highest burst-damage AD carries—and she was Shen Ju’s signature champion.

With a flick of his wrist, Shen Ju cast Void Seeker[mfn]Void Seeker (W) – ability that fires a void blast that damages the first enemy hit, applies two stacks of her passive, Plasma, and reveals the target.[/mfn] and struck the enemy AD’s weak point. He then used his E[mfn]Supercharge (E) – provides Kai’Sa with increased movement speed and attack speed, allowing her to reposition, chase, or kite enemies effectively.[/mfn] to close the distance. Before the enemy could react, four rapid-fire attacks detonated the Plasma stacks.

Double Kill!

Everything happened too fast.

In under two seconds, the tides had completely turned!

At first, Lin Jiang had pulled off an insane play and pushed back both enemy carries—but everyone assumed no one could follow up.

But at the final second of his passive timer, Shen Ju dashed across the terrain to Lin Jiang’s side and finished off ZOG’s double carries for him!

On the big screen, Shen Ju’s eyes were ice-cold, filled with an unprecedented focus.

The tide had turned. The outcome was now decided.

Only the enemy jungler remained. Shen Ju didn’t engage head-on. Instead, he chose to kite while attacking, creating distance as he moved.

Just as Lin Jiang’s 2.5-second invulnerability ended, he got back up and summoned his sand soldiers, dealing massive damage. Together with Shen Ju, they secured a third kill.

Triple Kill!

The commentators went wild. “sgod! It had to be sgod! Of course it’s his Kai’Sa!! I mean seriously—who else could’ve done that?!”

“Shen Ju—!” The cheers from the audience practically blew the roof off.

The game timer hit 20 minutes—just as Baron Nashor spawned.

“Captain, Baron or dragon?”

“Baron.”

A’Deng was stunned into silence. Since when did we play this aggressively?!

OT secured Baron, and their gold instantly swung to a 4,000 lead. Lin Jiang led his teammates in a full-on assault, pushing straight to the enemy’s high ground.

Everyone thought Lin Jiang was about to force a decisive teamfight—but instead, after taking the mid inhibitor, he backed off, giving ZOG a chance to breathe.

Why would Lin Jiang give them time?

ZOG’s commander was completely thrown off. He couldn’t make sense of it.

Not only had Lin Jiang walked away—they hadn’t even taken the dragon.

Should ZOG go for it?

If they did, they might walk into Lin Jiang’s trap.

But if they don’t, with Lin Jiang’s Azir scaling into the late-game, ZOG would be staring death in the face.

ZOG’s jungler gritted his teeth. “I’ll try to steal. Don’t follow me.”

He arrived at the dragon pit and found that the enemy hadn’t started the dragon. As he nervously began taking it, he couldn’t help but wonder what exactly was Lin Jiang planning?

Just then, OT’s bot lane and jungler—all three of them—teleported behind ZOG’s backline.

ZOG’s jungler steeled himself, prepared to die if it meant securing the dragon.

But the next moment—

Two Teleports lit up simultaneously!

It was Lin Jiang and Song Zhixu!

They actually teleported straight onto the enemy’s high ground!

At first, ZOG thought it was just a simple teleport. They knew three of OT’s players were still in their jungle and couldn’t arrive in time, so their guard was down.

But the next second, the teleport ended, and Lin Jiang and Song Zhixu appeared simultaneously!

Lin Jiang executed a flawless drift followed by Flash, directly pushing all four ZOG members back in unison.

Song Zhixu followed up with a Flash and locked onto the enemy’s AD carry, unleashing a flurry of attacks that sent him straight to the underworld!

The remaining three weren’t under immediate threat of death, but the distance they were pushed back just so happened to fall right into the range of Shen Ju’s ultimate.

“Prey marked.”

Kai’Sa triggered her ultimate ability, Killer Instinct[mfn]Killer Instinct (R) – allows her to dash a short distance to a nearby enemy champion that she has recently damaged with her passive, Plasma. Upon landing, she gains a temporary shield that scales with both attack damage (AD) and ability power (AP)[/mfn], from the shadows. Kai’Sa surged forward in an instant, unleashing a torrential downpour of attacks, securing the enemy mid laner’s life.

Again, the same bold entrance, the same lethal combo.

With the kill secured, Shen Ju surged into Overdrive. Flashing to evade the enemy top laner’s crowd control, he put space between them, weaving frantically as he unleashed a relentless barrage of attacks.

In under three seconds, Shen Ju alone had reduced the enemy top laner and support to critical health. By the time they tried to retreat, it was too late. Lin Jiang led his sand soldiers to finish them off.

Within ten seconds, all four ZOG members were dead!

Only the jungler remained, but even if he rushed back, death was certain!

Helpless, he watched Lin Jiang and his team charge forward with merciless fury, destroying their Nexus at the 25-minute mark!

Game over.

ZOG’s jungler slumped weakly in his chair.

He suddenly realized something.

Lin Jiang hadn’t picked Azir to stall for the late-game. He’d planned to dominate the mid-game all along, relying on his impeccable engages and Shen Ju’s ultimate to wipe them all out.

And the third dragon—ZOG’s Soul Point—was a trap set by Lin Jiang from the very beginning!

His eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at Lin Jiang.

Had he really grown this strong in just three months?

After winning the game, Lin Jiang finally smiled.

Before the game started, he had already said, “ZOG’s strategy is indeed impressive, but don’t forget—their mechanics simply can’t keep up with their macro play.”

During both of Lin Jiang’s pushes against the enemy double carries, they’d had chances to Flash away, but the gap in skill between both sides was so enormous that Lin Jiang was able to set up perfect teamfights repeatedly.

While ZOG was busy searching for OT’s weaknesses, Lin Jiang had been studying theirs.

And this time, it was clear—victory belonged to him.

He stood up and took off his headset, smiling as he bumped fists with his teammates, his presence on camera exuding effortless confidence and composure.

In that moment, even the lights shining on him couldn’t match how dazzling he was.

Shen Ju couldn’t take his eyes off him—not until Lin Jiang walked over, bumped fists with him, and pulled him into a friendly hug.

Only then did Shen Ju finally turn away, visibly uneasy.

Fans screamed from below the stage—

“Ahhh! Our Lin Jiang was finally back!”

The mid laner with the highest win-rate in LPL history—Lin Jiang, a.k.a. river!

When the post-game stats were displayed, Lin Jiang’s damage output was nearly on par with Shen Ju’s. In stark contrast, the opposing mid laner only dealt 6,200 damage.

Only half of Lin Jiang’s damage output.

And Lin Jiang was playing a late-game champion, no less!

The barrage exploded again.

It might’ve just been a regular-season game, but the clash between OT and ZOG was so exciting, it sparked intense discussion among the audience.

ZOG wasn’t a traditionally weak team. Their strengths were obvious—but so were their weaknesses. Many strong teams had to tread carefully against them.

Yet OT—a team often written off as flawed and unreliable—delivered a near-perfect performance against ZOG!

[Ahhh who can understand this feeling! Those two shoves from Azir—straight into my heart!]

[River’s plays here absolutely deserve a spot in the highlight reel.]

[This is the first time I’ve seen Azir have this much impact in the mid-game.]

[I really thought it would drag into the late-game. I was worried OT would fall into ZOG’s trap—but OT was playing 4D chess.]

[Don’t celebrate yet, it’s only 1:0.]

That’s right, OT hadn’t won the match yet.

ZOG was infamous for comebacks, reverse sweeps, and turning hopeless matches around. Even top teams found them difficult to deal with.

Could Lin Jiang really lead OT to victory?

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