Zeph healed up at the base and returned to lane.

It’s payback time, bitch. Zeph psyched himself up for the absolute massacre he was about to commit. He ain't gonna pull any stops while the Viking's ult was down.

And so, Zeph fearlessly charged into enemy territory. He slammed his axes on the bowmen, then hacked away at them with swift swings. And, as for the Viking? Dude couldn't do shit about any of this.

Well, he can always try. Zeph grinned and lifted his chin. Yeah, he can try. That is, if he got a death wish.

But no, the Viking didn’t lift a finger about any of this. The guy at least knew how to respect Berserker’s superior strength.

He's definitely mad, I can sense it. Vincent thought.

That bold overextension from DragonMaster was like him sending a message. This Berserker proclaimed he feared no man, and especially not Vincent’s Viking. It was tempting to deliver retribution on this cocky opponent, but Vincent decided against it.

I'll play it safe until he makes his big move. Vincent carefully observed the enemy's Rage meter, which was displayed where the MP gauge would normally be.

Since Vincent triggered DragonMaster's Berserk transformation last time, the guy had to start working toward 80% Rage from merely 20%. That'll take him more than one minion wave, especially when he also wanted to apply pressure with Barbarian Slam that cost Rage.

Unfortunately, the meter filled up quickly. In the next wave, the Berserker will be ready to unleash his full strength.

"I suspect things will go down in the next wave," Vincent shared his observations. 

"I agree," Yuel said. "He'll open an attack as soon as he can, but you have to act oblivious about it. Let him do this thing, make him think he is in control." 

"Oh, so you wish for me to feign incompetence?" Vincent smiled mischievously. That was the kind of unorthodox tactics he enjoyed from Chessmaster. "Very well. I shall show him the greatest performance of the decade! Luke, can you get here in time for the next wave?" 

"Yeah, no problem," Luke said. "So, I wait for him to go berserk, and then I roll in?"

"Yes, that's the plan," Yuel nodded.

"Alrighty, sounds dope. Let's do it!" 

During the next wave, it happened. DragonMaster broke past 80% Rage. It was showtime.

"RWAAAAH!" the Berserker roared. His veins popped and his muscles burst. He transformed into a red Hulk and he was mad, very mad. He was going to rend Vincent asunder!

"You're hella dead, chump!" Zeph roared. You gonna pay back for last time, with interest! It looks you didn't even see this coming. Idiot! You're through!

Even though Vincent knew it was coming, he didn't take any obvious precautions against this development. Why? Because that was the role Yuel cast him to play. Vincent was supposed to play the clueless, inexperienced opponent who had no idea about his enemy's intentions.

Dios mio! He caught me! Vincent acted like a shocked fool, but this development was exactly what he was waiting for. "Luke, the stage is set!" 

"Let's goooooo!" Luke rolled into the lane and activated Honorable Duel.

"Wha-!?" Zeph exclaimed. "Shit! A gank!? What's with this timing!?" 

The two enemies pincered Zeph. They hacked and slashed him while he couldn't control himself his Berserker.

Thankfully, the taunt only lasted for a few moments. Berserk mode reduced the durations of all CC by 50%, so he was back in control in no time. Yeah, get that lame CC outta here! Lemme fight!

But, even as control returned to him, what was the next move? It was a 1v2 situation. The enemy surrounded him from opposite sides and their timing was impeccable.

It's like they planned the entire damn thing. Zeph felt an invisible force suffocating him. It's like he was underwater, where each of his moves was slow and predictable. But, who was predicting them? Who was coming up with these counters?

Chessmaster. It had to be that cheeky bastard, the guy who read Zeph like a book at every turn. It was that way when they fought on lane, and it was still the same even now. It felt as Chessmaster wrapped a rope around Zeph's neck and was slowly but surely tightening it, choking Zeph to death.

Can I win this 1v2? Nah, who am I kidding? Zeph backpedaled from his opponents.

Berserk mode was strong but it wasn't that strong. If the Jungler was at least a squishy, then Zeph could quickly stomp that guy and get him out of the picture. But, against a Knight? Fat chance.

So, looks like I gotta make a break for it. Zeph gritted his teeth. What a stupid situation. He has finally built up enough Rage to go Berserk and murder that Viking bastard, but instead he had run away like some wuss. Damn it!

Can I even escape from these guys? Well, it should be fine, right? Zeph tried to reassure himself. I got the speed and I can leap too. I just gotta watch out for the Viking’s axe-

WHISH! An axe came flying right at him!

Shit! I gotta dod- It was too late. The axe plunged itself into his chest and remained stuck in there.

It was over. The enemy has marked Zeph as the prey. There was no escape anymore. The moment Zeph creates any distance from his enemies, the Viking will blink in and throw Zeph all the way back. This fuckin’ game...

So, what options did Zeph even have in this situation? Die while running away, or die while fighting. Such amazing options. 10/10 game.

“Hey, Zeph!” Nash called out. “Don’t worry, I’m on my way over there!”

“That’d sound way more reassuring if you weren’t half a map away...”

“Haha, soz! Just try keeping them busy until I get there.”

“Easier said than done!” Zeph stepped backward to evade the Knights’ slash, but that only put him in ideal range to get hacked by the Viking’s axe.

This 1v2 was impossible. The two bastards were running all over him.

“Yeah, I don’t think I gonna make it...”

“Then, at least deal enough damage before dying,” Rio mumbled such heartless words. That little bastard was always a cold mofo. But, he was right.

“Damn, looks like I got no choice.” Zeph clicked his tongue. “Okay, I’mma go out with a bang then!”

Zeph swung his first axe, then his second axe. Swift and accurate strikes!

Well, they weren't that accurate, but it was hard to miss the target in Berserk mode. These swings were so wild, they had an AoE property. Ain’t nobody gonna sidestepping that shit!

"Whoa, this guy is actually fighting!" Luke exclaimed. “Looks like he's locked on ya.”

“Indeed, so it seems.” Vincent attempted to sidestep the incoming slash to no avail. The swing arcs were simply too wide. So, instead of wasting time trying to dodge, it was more beneficial to strike back and kill the Berserker as quickly as possible.

“It appears he has chosen death,” Vincent said. “Let’s close on him and smite him down!”

“I like the sound of that.” Luke also gave up on spacing out the rampaging madman. Instead, he charged in and delivered as many hits as possible.

As a Knight, Luke’s damage output wasn’t anything to write home about, especially not when he was lagging behind by two levels. Nevertheless, his strikes were good enough to supplement Vincent’s attacks.

The two of them pincered DragonMaster tightly, blocking him from fleeing or even stepping in any direction. However, they got a little too eager and DragonMaster noticed that.

“Heh, idiots! You’re too close!” Zeph jumped high into the air, then came down crashing on the two scrubs. “Take that, bastards! I’mma destroy you!”

Savage Leap was one of the few leap abilities in the game which allowed the caster to jump in place. It was a hella cool tech, perfect for when enemies closely surrounded him.

Zeph crashed hard on his foes. So hard, that he totally floored them. The crash stunned them for a second, so Zeph got a free follow-up hit on them.

I probably gonna die, but I’m taking you fuckers with me! Zeph promised. Even if I don’t finish you off, Nash gonna come here to clean up. You’re through!

The enemy flinched in front of Zeph’s overbearing fighting spirit.

“Dang, this guy is tough.” Luke grinned. “But, we got his ass! Toss him!”

“On it!” Vincent grabbed the Berserker and hurled the guy to the ground.

Vincent has been saving Takedown all this time in case DragonMaster will decide to flee, but the guy chose honorable death instead. As such, Takedown was going to be the finishing blow against the rampaging madman!

WHAM! Vincent slammed DragonMaster into the ground!

While the prey was staggering on the ground, Vincent and Luke mercilessly assaulted the guy. It was over.

『An enemy has been killed!』

『FIRST BLOOD!』

"Haha, goteem!" Luke pumped a fist. He took the kill this time because he was underleveled and really needed that extra exp and gold.

"Marvelous performance." Vincent nodded. "Thank you kindly for the gank. I’ve finally seized control of Top Lane thanks to your help!"

But, he celebrated too soon. The next moment, a blood-chilling yell resounded.

"GAE BOLG!" The enemy Lancer was here!? But, where!? Nobody saw the guy rotating at all!

I don't see anybody! Vincent glanced at the jungle entrance on his left, then at the entrance on the right. But there was nothing, no Lancer in sight.

Then, where did that load sound cue come from!?

"Whoa! It's from above!" Luke rolled aside.

"Above? Oh!" Vincent finally laid his eyes on the elusive enemy.

It was no simple Gae Bolg casting. The enemy first leaped high into the air with Lunge, then cast Gae Blog from midair!

I must dodge- It was too late. Vincent has just started pushing the spacebar, but the attack was already here.

"Git dead, bruh!" Nash accelerated toward the ground like a meteor. VROOOM! He crashed into the Viking!

"Agh! Soldiers, I've been shot!" Vincent dramatically threw himself backward, as if he received the impact of the crash in the flesh.

『You have been killed!』

"Such a devastating might." Vincent nodded with respect. The enemy masterfully set up that entire situation.

It was all planned. The Berserker stood his ground and fought until the last moment, piling up as much damage as possible on Vincent. Then, the Lancer swept in to clean things up. In other words, the enemy traded a kill for a kill.

Or, was it more than just that...?

"Don't ya relax just yet!" Nash grinned. He has just finished devouring one helpless prey, but there was one more tasty snack right in front of him!

The Knight was at 60% HP after taking on Zeph’s Berserk mode, during which Berserker's swings were wild as heck. They could even hit multiple enemies at once like an AoE attack. So, even though it looked like Zeph focused his attacks on the Viking, his wide swings roughed up the Knight as well in the process.

“Awesome work, Zeph!” Nash sung praises. “I can get a double kill here thanks to ya!”

“Always welcome.” Zeph smiled wryly.

In the end, despite his determination to play a more active role in this game, he ended up setting the stage for somebody else again. But, it didn’t feel too bad. Even though Nash will be the one scoring the kills, that entire situation was only made possible thanks to Zeph’s combat skills and perseverance. So, despite how it looked, Zeph actually contributed toward initiating the teams’ momentum this game! He did a thing!

“Are ya ready!?” Nash spread the Knight with crazed eyes. “You’re going down, bruh!”

"So, I'm next?" Luke chuckled nervously. "Alrighty then. Guys, I'mma foot it! That guy is onto me!" 

"Yes, that's reasonable." Yuel closely followed the situation while he was recalling to base.

The enemy countered strongly with that gank. StormMonster managed to salvage that losing position and even turned it around winning one. As expected, things won't ever go smoothly against such a formidable team.

Can Luke even get away here? Yuel frowned. After all, it’s StormMonster we’re talking about. Chasing enemies seems to be his forte.

Vincent even dubbed the guy "Storm Chaser", a predator who never let his prey escape, no matter the circumstances. To make things worse, this gank caught Luke overextending deep into enemy territory, so he had a long run ahead of him. And, the situation was only turning from bad to worse by the moment...

"Ya ain't getting away, dawg!" Nash activated Sprint, a utility skill he bought exactly for moments like this. Ain’t nobody gonna get away him! He'll chase his prey to the ends of the earth! He will catch them, he will hit them, and he will kill them. Such was the job of a horror movie monster.

"Come on, stay a while!" Nash swept his lance.

"He already caught up!?" Luke exclaimed. Bruh, what the actual heck!? Dude was like twenty meters away just a moment ago!

To make things worse, the Lancer’s Sweep struck true. That attack was devastating for situations like this. The damage was just okay, but it applied a pretty heavy slowdown. This ain't good. Ain't good at all!

The enemy was breathing down his neck. Luke sensed the cold touch of death reaching toward him from behind. Soon, very soon, death will claim him.

WHISH. WHISH. A thrust. Another thrust. The Lancer impaled Luke from behind without rest. The guy wasn't falling behind in the slightest.

Damn, I gotta juke some of those! Luke sidestepped in the middle of the run. WHISH! The Lance still hit him!

"No way! Then, how about this...!" A sidestep in the opposite direction! WHISH. Another hit.

Jukes ain't working! Luke ranted internally. Bruh is unjukeable!

To make things worse, each attack hit like a truck. Despite being a bruiser, Luke’s defense wasn’t up to pa because he was lagging behind in level and build.

Heh, this is legit bad. Luke produced a dry laugh. He might actually git dead here.

The guy chasing him deserved to be called a “monster”, just like the nickname. Luke felt like he was cast into a horror movie, and not as one of the victims who survive to the end.

His HP already dropped to 30% and there was still a fair distance until he reaches the Turret. “There is no escape.” Every cell in his body screamed so. “You’ll die to this monster. You can’t get away.”

Yeah, this is just like Vince said. Luke gulped as he recalled Vincent’s analysis.

This dude, StormMonster, was a legit headhunter. Bruh didn’t let any target slip through his fingers. Luke has already experienced a little of that brutality last game, but now it was crystal clear: there was no escaping alive from StormMonster.

I can’t juke him and I can’t outrun him. My roll is down. My ult is down. I got nothing. Luke reasoned. It was a hopeless situation. He was dead meat.

“Hey, Yuel,” Luke called out. “Soz, I can’t get away from this guy.”

“I see.” Yuel frowned. It was unfortunate, but it couldn’t be helped. StormMonster has already established a reputation as somebody whose chasing ability was unrivaled. Nobody could escape from the claws of that predator.

No, actually, there was one person who made it out alive. Just once, he successfully threw a wrench in StormMonster’s flawless chasing today. It was Lars.

But, how did Lars achieve it? He didn’t do it by running away. Instead, he turned around and mounted a counterattack on his pursuer.

If I take Vincent’s analysis at face value, then StormMonster plays better from the position of a pursuer. Yuel reasoned. In that case, what about his skill in a normal fight? He’s definitely skilled, but he didn’t come across as intimidating. Luke can probably give him a fair fight.

Luke was hanging by a thread at 30% HP, while his pursuer was safely sitting on 80%. Under these circumstances, it was unreasonable to expect Luke to win a duel here. However, he might draw the fight out long enough for backup to arrive.

It was a wild hypothesis. For any of this to come even remotely close to working, Yuel had to fully rely on Vincent’s shady analysis. In other words, StormMonster’s skill level had to be vastly different between his “fighting mode” and “chasing mode”.

All of this was dubious at best, but there were no other bright ideas. It was a sink or swim situation!

“Luke, you’re right,” Yuel said. “You probably won’t be able to get away from him. So, just turn around and fight.”

“Wut?” Luke blinked.

“Turn around and fight him. I’m rotating over there.”

“Bruh, you say ‘fight’, but I’m almost dead over here!” Luke jumped as a lance pierced him yet again. Only 23% HP left now. About four more hits and he’ll be dead meat. Yippers!

“Maybe you can’t get away from him,” Yuel said. “But, you might be able to stall him by fighting him.”

“Oh, I see!” Vincent made noise. “Brilliant idea! You seek to weaken the Storm Chaser by removing him from the position of a ‘chaser’! That way, you’ll seal away his special powers!”

“Yeah, something like that.” Yuel shuddered as he agreed with something so nonsensical, but that was really the gist of his plan.

“Okay, I think I get it!” Luke turned around and charged forth at his foe. “Basically, ya saying this guy is a god when he chases people, but he’s no big deal when he fights, right? Okay, let’s test this theory!”

THAT convinced him? Yuel made a face. As usual, Vincent and Luke’s brains worked in mysterious ways.

Still, the plan was successfully set in motion. Now, Luke just had to try and survive until Yuel makes it to the scene...