"Lars, retreat," Yuel said.

"Hm? What's up?" Lars asked. "I'm wrecking this dude over here."

"The trio from Bot is probably rotating to Mid."

"Whoa, for real!?" Lars exclaimed. "Fine by me! Let them come! I'mma take them on! 1v3, no problem!" He wanted to say all that, but he knew these dudes meant business. They killed Kai and Luke like nothing. This ain’t good.

"Okay, I'm out!" Lars gave up on his hard-earned lane control and retreated to his Turret.

"Honestly,” Yuela admitted. “I almost want you to recall out of there."

"Say what? They'll take the tower if I leave!" 

"I know, but..." Yuel pursed his lips.

What was the best course of action here? There was no telling how the trio will choose to assault Mid.

Once they join hands with the Warlock, the situation will become a 1v4. Tower hugging will only get Lars so far against this fearsome group. If he doesn't recall now, he won't get another chance to get away once the action starts.

But, recalling meant serving Mid Turret on a silver platter to the enemy. Against four pushers, the tower will crumble within seconds. This was a tough call.

"Don't worry, dude." Lars flashed his teeth. "I'mma defend the tower no problem. I gonna become an unbreakable wall! The Great China Wall!"

If only this line was coming from somebody with a truly strong defense. Yuel sighed.

Then again, the goof's defensive skills have improved drastically over the past few months. Playing Mid forced him to handle defense on his own, he could no longer rely on Yuel to cover up for his recklessness.

That experience, combined with the frustration of losing to Ellen during the selection match, forced the aggressive beast to learn caution. Lars’s defense was still rough around the corners, but he could handle most regular attacks.

Unfortunately, the incoming attack was far from “regular”.

"Okay, let's go!" Jaiden and Co. invaded Mid from the jungle. Contrary to what the enemy was probably expecting, the trio didn't arrive on the lane as one pack.

Jaiden entered the lane through the front door and joined up with Raymond. Meanwhile, Nash and Rio circled behind the enemy tower. It was a pincer!

Jaiden and Raymond were the main attack force. Their job was to quickly clear enemy minions, then push their own army into enemy territory. This combination of marksman and mage was best suited for that role. They blasted through enemy minions within seconds.

Meanwhile, Nash and Rio assumed their positions behind the enemy Turret. Nash blocked the entrance to Top Jungle, whereas Rio blocked the path leading into Bot Jungle.

They left no route of escape for Gunz. They completely trapped their prey from all sides.

"Watch out!" Vincent called out. "This is the Bermuda Triangle of Certain Doom!"

"This formation again..." Yuel muttered.

The enemy’s formation looked like a standard pincer, but it was more elaborate than that. Drawing an imaginary line between Renegade, StormMonster, and Laplace would reveal a triangle formation, with Lars sealed in the middle. The trio surrounded him perfectly to leave no chance of escape. It was an unusually cunning line of attack.

Most of the time, when gankers pincered somebody near the tower, they only blocked the front and the back of the tower area. Their priority was to stop the target from retreating to the Golem.

It wasn’t a bad pincer tactic, but it left the sides of the lane completely open. So, while the enemy was busy blocking the route to the Golem, the pincered target could run to the sides of the lane and slip into the jungle.

However, Renegade's group sealed that option. They were aware that escaping into the jungle was Lars’s best chance of getting out of that situation, so they blocked off the jungle entrances before anything else.

To make things worse, they stationed the Lancer near Top Jungle. Yuel frowned. That was probably intentional.

If Lars had to make a break for it, heading to Top Jungle would be the better option. Yuel was still alive in Top, so he could rotate out of the lane to help.

But now, heading toward Top meant running into the Lancer. It was no longer a particle escape route.

Of course, there was always the option of simply ignoring the jungle and retreating straight to the Golem. After all, nobody was blocking the straight path along the lane.

However, that was actually the worst option of them all. If Lars tries to break through the middle, he'll find himself sandwiched between StormMonster and Laplace. They'll simply abandon their posts and intercept him together. His chances of escaping alive would be slim at best.

Is there nothing he can do!? Yuel gritted his teeth.

He thought, thought, and then thought some more. There were multiple escape plans Lars could attempt, but none of them sounded particularly reassuring. Yuel couldn't come up with a surefire way to deliver Lars out of that predicament.

This might be a checkmate. Yuel gritted his teeth. It was already too late. It was a position from which all of Lars’s moves will be forced moves.

It was only a question of time before the enemies corner Lars and finish him off. Yuel could only recommend the optimal moves he found for postponing the inevitable. But maybe, just maybe, if given enough time, Lars will be able to cause a miracle with his Trickshooter and escape this danger.

"Listen, your best bet is to retreat toward Bot Jungle." Yuel delivered his analysis.

"Heh, so it's already decided I gotta escape." Lars smiled wryly. He kinda figured that by now, but it was still frustrating to hear it directly like this.

These dudes are something else. Lars instinctively understood that even without diving into deep analysis like Yuel always did. Can I fight them off? Nah, no way. They gonna rek me real hard. I better scram. Bot Jungle it is! 

Lars turned his back to the Warlock and Gunslinger, who were partying on his lane. It was a shame he had to surrender his precious lane advantage like this, but there was no choice. He had to get to Bot Jungle.

A mere Cleric stood in his way. This dude won’t be a problem at all! Or, will he?

"He's coming to Bot," Rio informed everybody as he started shooting at Gunz. His Paralyzing Horror was on cooldown, so landing basic attacks was the most he could do to hinder Gunz. Everything depended on Nash's chasing ability.

"I'm on it!" Nash abandoned his spot near Top Jungle and opened a hunt. His target? None other than Gunz. He gonna nab dat boi and end the guy's whole career!

"Here you go." Rio cast Godspeed to buff Nash’s Movement Speed.

"Thanks, bro!" Nash flew into the jungle like a bullet. His movement speed was already higher than normal thanks to the Wind Blade in this build, but now he was even faster! I'm fast as fuck, boi! 

"Rio, follow him," Jaiden requested.

"Do I need to?" Rio tilted his head. “I thought I’d help with the push on Mid.”

“Yeah, you do that,” Nash said with a cocky grin stretched across his face. “I’mma catch up to Gunz no problem. Ain’t nobody escapes from me alive!”

"That’s usually true,” Jaiden agreed. “But, this is Gunz we're talking about. Better safe than sorry."

"Okay." Rio headed into Bot Jungle as well. He couldn’t possibly keep up with Nash’s running speed, but at least he’ll be nearby if something goes wrong.

Meanwhile, Nash was quickly closing on the fleeing target. Gunz had no chance of getting away.

He's catching up...! Lars’s smile twitched. The metallic footsteps behind him became louder and louder with every passing moment. A death truck was accelerating straight at him! It was both exciting and scary.

Okay. Lars took a deep breath to sort his thoughts. What's the rest of them are doing? He glanced at the mini-map.

The Warlock and Gunslinger were going ham on Lars’s defenseless lane. The Cleric was nowhere to be found, but it's not like that dude mattered anyway.

So, it’s only that Monster dude chasing me. Lars concluded. And, we're pretty far from Mid by now.

The dudes from Mid won't be able to rotate over here in time to help the Lancer if something happens. In other words, this was essentially a 1v1 situation. And, Lars would never lose in those!

"Change of plans!" Lars announced as he hit the brakes and turned around. "I'mma kill this dude real quick!" 

"Fine." Yuel wasn't too thrilled about taking such a risk here, but it’ll be a huge benefit for the team if Lars kills StormMonster. The team was losing on nearly all fronts at the moment, but this one kill could shift the momentum around. And, with Trickshooter at hand, Lars definitely could pull it off.

And so, the change of plans was approved. Lars ceased his fleeing and faced the predator head-on.

"Wow, wow!" Nash grinned. "You're approaching me!? That’s bad manners, man."

Nash was the monster here, and Gunz was supposed to be a helpless horror film victim. Bruh better learn his place in this food chain! 

"You wanna go? LET'S FUCKIN' GOOOOOO!" Nash leaped high into the air, then shot downwards like a meteor.

"Ya ain't catching me with that!" Lars rolled aside. 

"Heh, scrub! That's exactly what I wanted!" Nash never expected to actually land such a telegraphed Lunge. His true goal was to deliver the classic follow-up, the Sweep.

Nash swung his Lance in an arc soon after landing. Once this hit connects, it'll slow down the Trickshooter's movements. After that, poor lil’ Gunz won’t be able to get away no matter how hard he tries. It’ll become a melee fight, so Nash will destroy that bruh ez!

Classic Lancer. Lars smiled. Too classic for your own good, yo! He transitioned into a Trickslide as soon as he recovered from the Dodge Roll.

The enemy’s lance wasn't fast enough. The only thing it cut was Lars’s afterimage.

That was the end of the StormMonster’s strong offense, but only the beginning of Lars’s counterattack! He turned the momentum around by unleashing a Trickshot during the slide. The bullet bounced off a wall and dug straight into Nash's ribs!

"Gah! For real!?" Nash cursed. Not only did this guy dodge Nash's beautiful setup, but he also landed an immediate counter hit with a bouncing Trickshot!?

I'm sorry. Nash apologized. It was my bad. You’re no scrub, I see that now. Actually, you're pretty damn good. That's why I gonna enjoy kicking your ass!

Try me, dude! Lars could tell the Lancer had no intention of giving up. Awesome! Finally, another fight to the death!

What’s more, it was the long-awaited grudge match against StormMonster. But, this time, Lars was sporting a marksman. And, not just any marksman. It was Trickshooter, his best class!

Let’s go, yooooo! Lars had lots of pent-up frustration since the last game. It was time to unleash all of it on StormMonster!