TCWSITD – Chapter 32.2

Chapter 32.2 – The Final Battle

Even before the game started, fans were already heartbroken—

[Why pick this? What if a counterpick ended up being countered instead?]

[My Jiang’s popularity just started rising, now he’s a tool again.]

[Wuwuwu, A’Jiang is always sacrificing for the team.]

[But somehow, I feel Shen Ju is worth it.]

From the livestream’s perspective, Shen Ju’s gaze was sharp, his eyes filled with an unprecedented focus.

From the moment Lin Jiang locked in Vladimir, this was no longer just his own game—it was the whole team’s pride on the line.

Meanwhile, Ah Cai was still ranting in his stream: “Putting all their hopes on that Dog Shen? Has Lin Jiang lost his mind? If Dog Shen doesn’t feed in this game, I’ll write my name backwards!”

Amid fierce discussions, both sides entered the game.

SNG’s original plan was to focus on the bot lane and ensure Aphelios’ development, but since Lin Jiang had the audacity to make such a champion pick, they had no choice but to shift their target.

Galio walked up to lane and threw out a Q[mfn]Winds of War (Q) – allows him to launch two gusts of wind that deal magic damage and slow enemies.[/mfn], forcing Lin Jiang to retreat.

Lin Jiang took some damage, but healed a bit by killing minions with Q[mfn]Transfusion (Q) – allows Vladimir to drain an enemy’s life force, dealing damage and healing himself. After casting Q, Vladimir gains a stack of Crimson Rush. At two stacks, he gains a speed boost and his next Q will deal increased damage and heal for more.[/mfn]. Vladimir is very weak before Level 3 and must be careful about enemy engages.

Just as Lin Jiang raised his hand to last-hit, Jarvan IV suddenly EQ-Flashed out of the brush, knocking him away!

A Level 2 gank mid!

As expected of SNG’s God Huan!

He and Lin Jiang had a deep-seated rivalry. Whenever Lin Jiang played mid, he would always gank at Level 2!

Bang, bang! Two Flashes went off simultaneously.

Jarvan’s EQ-Flash was lightning-fast, especially when executed from the Fog of War[mfn]Fog of War – refers to the areas of the map that are not visible to a player due to a lack of vision. It’s a mechanic that creates uncertainty and requires players to scout and gather information to make strategic decisions. The fog of war is visually represented as a dark shroud over the map.[/mfn]—only players with peak reflexes could react in time.

Lin Jiang had already anticipated that the enemy would come for him, so he remained hyper-focused. The moment the opponent appeared, he decisively Flashed to dodge.

With years of experience battling with God Huan, he knew the enemy would come for him and wouldn’t miss. Similarly, the enemy knew he would also Flash.

He intended to trade flashes to create an advantage for mid lane.

The commentator analyzed, “Without his flash, Vampire’s lane control just got a lot tougher. He’s going to have to give up this wave.”

Lin Jiang understood his predicament clearly—there was no way to fight back—and decided to concede the minion wave.

Galio eagerly clenched his fists and unleashed another Q skill. Instead of retreating, Lin Jiang stepped forward. Just as his red bar filled, a red-empowered Q[mfn]Transfusion (Q) – becomes empowered after being cast twice. The empowered Q deals increased magic damage and heals for a greater amount, including a percentage of the target’s missing health. It also grants a short burst of movement speed upon activation.[/mfn] restored two bars of health.

Wait, he actually healed himself?

Galio knew Lin Jiang would be harder to kill once he hit Level 3. Seizing the advantage, he rushed in, activating his W[mfn]Shield of Durand (W) – allows him to enter a defensive stance, gaining damage reduction and a magic shield. By recasting it, or after the duration ends, he can taunt nearby enemies, dealing magic damage.[/mfn] to taunt Lin Jiang, landing a full-powered Q[mfn]Decimating Smash (Q) – when fully-charged (powered), deals increased damage based on the charge time and distance traveled. When Galio channels his Q, he creates two windblasts that converge into a tornado, dealing damage as they travel and then lingering for a short time as a persistent tornado.[/mfn].

Lin Jiang couldn’t fight back, his health plummeting dangerously low. Just as Galio moved in for the finishing hammer strike…

Lin Jiang’s E[mfn]Tides of Blood (E) – allows Vladimir to charge up and release a wave of blood, dealing damage to nearby enemies. It also heals him based on the damage dealt. To use it effectively, players often utilize a quick cast or smart cast setting to make the release of the ability faster.[/mfn] skill exploded at the last second, allowing him to respond with a red-empowered Q that restored his health again.

Galio froze.

Why was Lin Jiang’s health still fluctuating so much?

He hesitated—should he chase? But if he pushed forward recklessly, Lin Jiang could easily team up with the turret to turn the tables. Yet holding back felt just as bitter, having already wasted his flash.

While he was hesitating, Lin Jiang fearlessly activated his E skill again, wanting to explode on him once more.

Fine. If he wanted to fight, they’d fight to the end!

Galio feigned retreat, letting Lin Jiang land a few basic attacks before retaliating with a full-powered Q the moment it came off cooldown.

But just as the attack was about to land, Lin Jiang suddenly activated his W[mfn]Sanguine Pool (W) – allows him to become untargetable for a short duration by sinking into a pool of blood. While in the pool, he becomes untargetable and gains a speed boost, but also deals damage to enemies within the pool’s radius and heals himself.[/mfn], sidestepping the Q and detonating a full-powered E, followed by another red-empowered Q that drained a massive chunk of health!

Galio’s shock was palpable—Lin Jiang was out for blood!

He immediately turned to flee, but the sight of Lin Jiang relentlessly draining his own health was too tempting—it gave the illusion that one last hit would secure the kill.

Between Galio and Vladimir, who was stronger in the early-game?

He was certain it was him.

“I must destroy you—”

Galio activated his Shield of Duran, his hulking frame locking Lin Jiang in place. Just as Lin Jiang seemed doomed…

BOOM!

The blood ring erupted, pushing Galio’s health to the brink. At the same time, Lin Jiang snatched two nearly dead minions.

A golden light surged from Lin Jiang as he instantly reached Level 3!

And with it came… Sanguine Pool[mfn]Sanguine Pool (W) – allows him to become untargetable for a short duration by sinking into a pool of blood. While in the pool, he becomes untargetable and gains a speed boost, but also deals damage to enemies within the pool’s radius and heals himself.[/mfn]—the ultimate secret of Vladimir.

Lin Jiang transformed into a pool of blood on the spot, dodging all of Galio’s skills while persistently sticking close to him.

Galio’s expression changed drastically as he realized he had lost the advantage. Without looking back, he fled toward his turret.

Lin Jiang followed closely behind, emerging from his blood pool and landing a red-empowered Q.

Galio’s HP dropped to 100!

Lin Jiang stayed calm and triggered Tides of Blood just as Galio was about to slip away. With a sharp bang, he unleashed it, grabbing the kill—and didn’t even glance back as he walked away.

First Blood!

With his own health critically low, Lin Jiang moved toward the bot lane. The enemy jungler God Huan, chased him relentlessly across the map. But in the end, Lin Jiang escaped safely thanks to A’Deng and Zhou Wen’s timely rescue.

The crowd was stunned: Wait, what?

The vampire actually turned the tables and killed Galio?

Everyone knew Galio was a mid lane counter to Vladimir—his passive increased magic resistance, making him a nightmare for all mid lane mages.

Yet Lin Jiang turned it around and killed him?

The commentator gasped. “Galio really messed up here. He should’ve retreated the moment he took damage from the tower, but his hesitation let Vladimir dish out a ton of damage.”

Looking at the bigger picture, the biggest mistake Galio made was letting his killing intent take over.

No matter how weak Vladimir might be, the one playing him was still Lin Jiang!

Watching the live broadcast from the KUG base, Zeng Yuan sighed and shook his head. Why did people always underestimate Lin Jiang? He was a cunning old fox with nine tails.

Ever since SNG switched up their strategy, they had already walked right into Lin Jiang’s trap.

First, Lin Jiang is an experienced mid laner who understands the junglers of various teams well, knowing when to fake weakness and when to strike.

Second, Vladimir was an incredibly hard champion to kill. Galio’s recklessness only played right into Lin Jiang’s hands.

The mid lane was Lin Jiang’s grand chessboard. Every weakness, every advantage, every critical decision had been meticulously planned long before the game began…

Targeting Lin Jiang meant stepping right into his trap.

Through Zeng Yuan’s eyes, the entire game seemed magnified to an extreme—looking at Lin Jiang from a neutral, observer’s viewpoint, he was just a solid, well-rounded mid laner.

But seen through the eyes of his opponents? Lin Jiang was something else entirely—

He was an unkillable monster.

Every time SNG’s jungler God Huan encountered Lin Jiang, he became reckless. He simply couldn’t understand what kind of magic Lin Jiang possessed that allowed him to escape death time and time again.

Was there really some divine force protecting him?

Just as God Huan was about to return to mid lane, his team’s mid laner suddenly realized, “Why are we focusing on Lin Jiang? Wasn’t our original strategy to target the bot lane? If Lin Jiang wants to farm, let him. Let’s see if he can develop faster than our tactics.”

Right. Their initial goal had been the bot lane.

It was Lin Jiang who kept provoking, making them unwilling to give up.

Although God Huan still couldn’t bring himself to leave Lin Jiang alone, rationally he knew he should focus more on the bot lane.

Down in the bot lane, Shen Ju had been developing perfectly for a while when A’Deng’s voice suddenly came through the headset. “Jarvan’s coming to bot.”

If Jarvan IV was coming to the bottom lane…

…then he probably wasn’t coming alone.

Sure enough, the enemy support struck decisively, and Jarvan IV unleashed his signature EQ[mfn]It involves using Jarvan’s Demacian Standard (E) and Dragon Strike (Q) skills to knock up an enemy. The standard is placed on the ground, and the subsequent Dragon Strike (Q) will travel through it, knocking up anyone caught in the path.[/mfn] combo.

Shen Ju was forced to use his ultimate. The moment he landed, Jarvan IV dropped his Cataclysm[mfn]Cataclysm (R) – Jarvan IV’s ultimate ability; a targeted dash that creates a temporary circular arena around the target, trapping them and potentially damaging nearby enemies.[/mfn]. Then, the telltale marker of Hero’s Entrance[mfn]Hero’s Entrance (R) – Galio’s ultimate ability; allows Galio to designate an allied champion’s location as his landing spot, granting a magic shield to himself and nearby allies. After a delay, Galio then crashes down, knocking up nearby enemies.[/mfn] lit up around them.

Here it comes! The unstoppable combo of Jarvan IV and Galio!

With a loud crash, Shen Ju barely managed to pull off a reverse hook.

Just as he was about to be locked down, he suddenly Flashed, changing the hook’s trajectory, and snaring both the enemy jungler and the landing Galio.

Galio landed and knocked Shen Ju into the air.

But Shen Ju’s feathers[mfn]Featherstorm (R) – Xayah’s ultimate ability; when activated, she leaps into the air, becoming untargetable and invulnerable for a brief duration. While airborne, she hurls a storm of blades in a cone, each dealing damage and leaving a feather upon landing. Xayah can move while airborne during this ability. She can also recall these feathers with Bladecaller (her E ability) for additional damage and a potential root if multiple feathers hit the same target.[/mfn] swirled wildly, binding both the Jarvan IV and Galio in midair!

The crowd erupted: “!!!”

Everyone had forgotten—while Galio and the Jarvan IV’s ultimates were indeed unstoppable, they also had one fatal flaw!

That is, while they trap the enemy, they also trap themselves!

As the feathers rained down, they were perfectly rooted in place. Jarvan IV couldn’t cancel his ultimate, and the terrain walls still blocked the bot lane duo’s follow-up damage.

Zhou Wen flew to Shen Ju’s side, shielding him as the two retreated safely.

This was a play the commentators hadn’t anticipated at all. One exclaimed in awe, “sgod had countered Jarvan IV and Galio’s ultimate combo! What can SNG do now? Their signature duo hasn’t even had a chance to shine yet!”

The crowd went wild.

On screen, Lin Jiang and Shen Ju were like two immortal beasts — untouchable, unbreakable.

It was as if they were born for these moments, always able to claw back from the brink and turn disaster into brilliance.

With such a devastating double-core, how could anyone claim OT had a low ceiling?

In the break room, Duren jumped up in excitement, shouting over and over: “There’s hope! There’s hope…!”

After the Spring Split ended, both he and the big boss had assumed OT’s journey would stop there.

But then Lin Jiang showed up—quietly leading and turned the tide, lifting OT from rock bottom to resurgence.

Something warm slid down his face. Thinking it was sweat, he wiped it away, only to realize they were tears of joy.

It had been so hard. Watching a match had actually made him cry.

Meanwhile, in the top lane, Song Zhixu was silently holding his own against the enemy K’Sante.

The commentators marveled, “metoo’s Ornn is truly something else. He can drag any top laner into a farm fest with him!”

The enemy had picked K’Sante specifically to dominate him, yet Song Zhixu managed to go even in the 1v1 without any help, even occasionally baiting K’Sante under tower.

[LMAO our Brother Zhixu- has finally become a proper top laner.]

[As long as he doesn’t feed, Brother Lin and Brother Shen will carry him to victory.]

[Don’t you think Song Zhixu has improved a lot? He’s like a completely different player from Spring Split.]

[Seriously, how did he do it?]

They didn’t know what kind of formidable figure stood behind Song Zhixu, nor did they understand the meaning behind the “300, 500” he posted daily on Weibo.

They didn’t know that behind countless sparring sessions, the opponent Song Zhixu had been facing—was the man who stood at the peak of the league—

Lin Jiang.

Seeing K’Sante activate his ultimate, Song Zhixu realized his opportunity had finally arrived.

Just as he had practiced countless times, the moment the enemy raised his hand to cast the ultimate, Song Zhixu flashed to change the angle, causing the ultimate move that was supposed to hit the thin wall—

—straight into the turret!

After activating his ultimate, K’Sante enters his empowered state, which while boosting his damage, also brings a fatal debuff—

—it strips away his resistance.

K’Sante was instantly dragged to the other side of the turret by Song Zhixu. Under the combined assault of the turret and Song Zhixu, he died just one step short of escaping the turret’s range.

Song Zhixu solo-killed his opponent!

“Nice!” Fang Luxing couldn’t contain his excitement, his hand trembling as he adjusted his glasses. “Song Zhixu’s Flash was perfect! Even a slight misplacement would’ve ruined it!”

Duren rubbed his eyes, unsure whether Song Zhixu had simply gotten lucky or if he was truly this powerful.

Up on stage, Song Zhixu grew more confident with each play. When he pulled off the near-impossible maneuver of dragging the enemy back under the turret, he suddenly realized his opponents weren’t as strong as he had feared.

He finally understood the meaning behind Lin Jiang’s words: Only when your opponents grow stronger will you grow stronger yourself!

In the field of esports, he had always been plagued by self-doubt. But now that he had glimpsed the heights he could reach, he could no longer bear the chill at the foot of the mountain.

Perhaps he could keep climbing this path. Until the day he could stand shoulder to shoulder with Lin Jiang.

Song Zhixu’s solo kill alleviated immense pressure from OT. Lin Jiang now had more room to develop, and Shen Ju in the bot lane no longer had to worry about K’Sante teleporting down for a dive.

After 25 minutes of grueling tug-of-war, Lin Jiang finally made it past his critical period.

Vladimir was a champion who, if left unchecked, could single-handedly wipe out an entire team.

The hunt had officially begun!

Both teams grouped at mid lane, neither side giving an inch. During a skirmish around the dragon, Aphelios made one wrong step—and was instantly killed by Lin Jiang’s red-empowered Q followed by an EW-Flash combo[mfn]Tides of Blood (E) and Sanguine Pool (W) – this combo allows Vladimir to deliver a burst of damage while simultaneously applying a slow, making it harder for the enemy to escape or retaliate.[/mfn].

The sheer damage scared SNG. The remaining four members scattered in disarray, surrendering the dragon without a fight.

OT secured their third dragon and pushed down two turrets. During the Baron fight, K’Sante seized an opportunity to ult Shen Ju over the pit wall.

But Shen Ju had his ultimate, Flash, and Heal ready. He kited K’Sante for a full half-minute, and by the time K’Sante turned back to his team, Lin Jiang had already dived into the fray with his pool, exploding in their midst.

It was chaos.

From the very beginning, it had all gone off the rails.

They underestimated Shen Ju’s steadiness, and also Lin Jiang’s scaling.

In the 30-minute-long battle, Shen Ju hadn’t made a single reckless move, and Lin Jiang hadn’t made a single mistake. With Baron buff in hand, they pushed straight to the high ground and ended the game in one decisive push.

In the final moments, In the final moment of the game, Aphelios desperately tossed out his ultimate, a last-ditch struggle. But before his animation could even finish, Lin Jiang’s QE combo erased him from existence.

This marked the fifth time Aphelios had died to Lin Jiang in this game.

The commentators couldn’t bear to watch. “Vladimir is just too fed. There’s nothing Aphelios can do. He’s just an AD!”

If there was one reason SNG lost this game, it was the moment they underestimated Lin Jiang’s Vladimir.

If you fail to shut down Vladimir in the early-game, he’ll shut you down in the late-game.

After the game, Ah Cai’s stream was flooded with question marks from viewers. He had confidently claimed that if Shen Ju didn’t feed, he’d write his name backward.

As it turned out, Shen Ju didn’t feed at all. His performance was unbelievably steady the entire game.

Ah Cai was so nervous he wiped sweat off his brow. No matter how he tried to explain, the barrage kept pressing him for an answer.

His neck flushed red from frustration as he started rambling nonsense. “This game, he clearly couldn’t handle the laning phase, so he didn’t dare play aggressively, right? Let’s see the next game. He’ll definitely mess up then.”

The match quickly moved to the second game.

After switching sides, OT took the blue side this time, giving them the first pick.

In theory, OT should have had the advantage.

But who knew SNG would release three strong champions in a row? For every one OT picked, SNG took two, forcibly snatching away OT’s advantage.

This game was exceptionally tough. Lin Jiang’s forehead was drenched in sweat, but he didn’t dare wipe it, afraid it would disrupt his rhythm.

Outer turrets fell, the dragon was lost, second turrets crumbled, and Baron was taken.

Then, all three high ground turrets were destroyed. SNG charged at their gates with overwhelming momentum, while OT defended desperately, dragging out the fight for at least ten minutes.

The commentators exclaimed in awe, “OT still hasn’t given up! They’re still holding on!”

At this moment, whether they were fans or not, everyone was moved by their tenacity. The final wave of minions pushed into the high ground.

Despite being 10,000-gold behind, Lin Jiang led his team into a flawless team fight!

Everyone executed their roles perfectly, and Shen Ju poured everything into his damage output.

But unfortunately, there was no miracle this time.

SNG had only one person left. He slowly pushed through with super minions, destroying their Nexus and tying the score.

After two games, OT had already cemented themselves in people’s minds as a team on the same level with SNG. No one could predict who would ultimately win.

Old Mao admitted in his stream, “OT’s individual skill levels are indeed inconsistent, but their strength lies in their team fighting. Don’t underestimate the other three—they might seem useless, but when it’s time to step up, every single one of them knows how to find positions.
And this is a team fight-heavy game, so there’s a possibility that SNG might lose…”

Many fans thought Old Mao was biased toward OT.

By the time the third game began, OT adopted SNG’s strategy from the previous game. For every champion SNG picked, OT took two.

With both team compositions locked in and their strength levels balanced, the game now hinged on individual skill.

Lin Jiang calmly adjusted his headset and said, “Now’s the time to prove whether you deserve a spot at Worlds.”

His words sent ripples through the team.

Song Zhixu, A’Deng, Zhou Wen, and even Shen Ju—all four of their expressions shifted.

None of them had ever been to Worlds.

None had stood on that grand stage.

LPL was the peak they cannot climb over and the deep well they cannot jump out of.

It would be a lie to say that they don’t feel inferior. In the field of esports, results mean everything.

If there really was a chance…

…who wouldn’t want to go out and see the world?

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