Chapter 14: Mercy, Please!

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation  Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

“Agh!” It was a cry of agony.

As Blitzcrank crumbled apart in defeat, another Critical Hit from Miss Fortune put paid to Xin Zhao’s short-lived victory.

“Double Kill!”

With Kha’Zix and Xin Zhao, that was another Double Kill for Miss Fortune!

“Ace!”

Everyone’s screens lit up with this word, this triumphant proclamation!

An entire team, massacred!

As a result of this last team fight, all five champions on the enemy team had been slain! Miss Fortune was the last one standing, and she still had plenty of health left!

The proud feminine figure stood tall upon the desolate battlefield, pointed heels treading upon the bodies that littered the ground. The view panned over to catch Miss Fortune’s self-assured smile.

Zhong Xiaoyun stared at the screen, his hands trembling.

8 Kills, 0 Deaths, 5 Assists!

Recalling how things had gone last week, his score had been 0 Kills and 8 Deaths!

Last time, he’d been playing like trash; this time, he was like unto a god.

And it was during a momentous match like this, with the glory of his class and the favor of a fair maiden on the line, that he was putting on this magnificent display. What a rush!

“Awesome!” a voice bellowed from the crowd.

“Zhong Xiaoyun, you’re way cool!” The class athlete Fang Xiaomei’s petite face was flushed red with excitement.

Zhong Xiaoyun rubbed his face. It was the first time a girl had ever complimented him in this way. He was about to burst with glee!

“Hahaha, what can I say? Those Class 3 losers are just a bunch of scrubs.” Wang Qin was smiling from ear to ear. “Oho, Zhong Xiaoyun—go get us a Tower.”

He had a thousand bucks riding on this game. Victory was everything!

In that last battle, they’d traded four deaths for five kills, but now their minions were advancing steadily on all fronts. With Miss Fortune spearheading one lane, and their troops surging down another, the enemy was about to lose at least two more Towers!

With those down, the third-tier Towers would be exposed. Yu Luocheng alerted Zhong Xiaoyun when the enemy champions respawned, and Zhong Xiaoyun prudently withdrew. Slipping into a secluded bush somewhere, Miss Fortune struck a stylish pose as she began Recalling back to the Fountain.

Zhong Xiaoyun was well aware that he owed all his success to Yu Luocheng’s flawless support, and didn’t hesitate to follow his lead.

If Yu Luocheng ordered him to run past the Tower and storm the enemy’s own base, Zhong Xiaoyun would obey without question!

***

Upon her return, Miss Fortune bought herself some new equipment.

Bloodthirster, Phantom Dancer, and Last Whisper ¹ . These three items had now been completed.

With all this gear, everyone had good reason to fear her!

Yu Luocheng was the last to respawn. He saw his teammates hunting for jungle creeps around their Red Buff—and on the map, Kha’zix was farming minions down in the Bottom lane!

“For Kha’Zix to be in Bot at a time like this, isn’t it an open invitation for us to go take Baron?” Yu Luocheng thought with delight.

Kha’Zix was the main damage dealer on the enemy team. If he was farming the Bottom lane, while all Yu Luocheng’s teammates were already in the vicinity of Baron Nashor. That meant the Baron was in for it!

Times like this, Yu Luocheng felt great sympathy for the Baron . ²

There was always some rowdy bunch of hooligans breaking into her place, intent on doing the most unspeakable things to her. In her hour of desperation, another group would show up to rescue her, driving away those abhorrent blackguards. But then, before she even had the chance to thank her valiant saviors, they’d toss aside their noble façade, and it would be their turn to have their way with her…

It was basically a game of ‘Let go of her—she’s mine!’ It was even worse when things went back and forth repeatedly.

Assuming the Baron Nashor was female, one might think of it as sort of a good thing, with a more open-minded perspective.

But what if the Baron was actually male?

Ah, forget this analogy then. It could only end in tears.

Summoners, have you ever stopped to consider the Baron’s feelings ? ³

***

All sense of pity notwithstanding, Baron Nashor had to be taken.

“Everyone with me, let’s go for Baron!” Yu Luocheng sped up with Overdrive, travelling swiftly to the Baron’s pit.

“Can we really kill it? What if the enemy shows up?” Zhao Kesong yammered nervously.

“What do you know? If Yu Luocheng tells you to do something, you get to it!” Wang Qin snapped in reply.

Zhong Xiaoyun was already Yu Luocheng’s faithful subordinate. Wang Qin, having clearly witnessed Yu Luocheng’s perfect control and judgment during the last team fight, felt he deserved some measure of authority.

Little by little, the team had come under Yu Luocheng’s command.

Placing down a Vision Ward ⁴ , it seemed the enemy hadn’t set even a single Ward to watch the Baron!

It looked like Kha’Zix was still gorging itself on minions down in the Bottom lane. Very well—no one would be coming to spare Baron Nashor from their savagery!

Miss Fortune’s staggering damage output allowed them to chew through the Baron’s health very quickly. They’d hardly lost any health by the time the Baron was successfully slain.

A golden ‘300’ floated over everyone’s heads, accompanied by the clink of gold. As well, their champions had now gained the Baron Buff.

That was when Graves appeared in the Middle lane, using his skills to clear off minions.

With no vision around the Baron’s pit, Graves had no idea that Yu Luocheng’s team had already claimed the Baron, and he continued farming with no inkling of the danger he was in.

“Follow me!” Yu Luocheng sped up with Overdrive once more, leading the team after him!

Freshly bolstered by the Baron’s demise, and now Graves had popped up, a lamb to the slaughter!

Ah, Graves. This is what you get.

***

On the other side, Feng Xiaoqing had Graves farming minions.

All this while, he hadn’t gotten a single kill. This was the pits.

His Creep Score was also terrible. Feng Xiaoqing looked at the next wave of minions coming down Mid, trying to decide whether or not to go for it.

“Feng Xiaoqing, regroup. I can’t see any of them on the map!” Noting Graves’ position, Lin Xu called out to him frantically.

“Okay.” That meant Feng Xiaoqing had to pass up on those minions, and back away. It was a depressing state of things: to be playing his best champion, Graves, and yet to be losing so badly that he didn’t even dare go out farming.

Whirr!

That was when a golden figure burst from the slanted bush near the first-tier Tower! A head taller than Graves, the entire metallic form coursing with electricity, it rushed in at him like a furious thunderstorm!

Blitzcrank!

With his short, stumpy legs, Graves had no hope whatsoever of getting away!

“E! Use your E! Flash away! Flash!” Noticing the imminent disaster in Mid, Lin Xu was climbing the walls in panic.

The mere sight of daddy Blitzcrank had Feng Xiaoqing wetting his pants, quivering fingers scrambling to perform a Flash-and-Dash.

This got him some distance away from Blitzcrank, and Feng Xiaoqing began to deflate a little with relief.

He was nearly all the way up the slope. There should be no way for Blitzcrank to catch up to him now!

Shing!

A red aura rose up around Blitzcrank!

Shurelya’s Reverie ⁵ had been activated, speeding up the entire team as they all gave chase!

With the speed boost, Blitzcrank seemed not so much to run as to fly, bringing his four teammates after him as they all bore down on Graves!

Rocket Grab! There was no way he could dodge it now!

Thick metal fingers caught hold of the waistband of Graves’ trousers. Mere inches away from cresting the high ground, he was yanked back down the slope once more!

“Demacia!”

“My blade is yours!”

Garen and Master Yi dashed in like a pair of rabid hounds, unleashing all their skills at once!

Annie and Miss Fortune, following behind, didn’t even get the chance to do anything before Graves was instantly snuffed out. It was even more brutal than that time with Xin Zhao in the Dragon’s pit!

Graves’ death threw the whole enemy team into chaos. Feng Xiaoqing himself was close to tears.

That made his twelfth death so far. Have some mercy, please!

Never mind twenty kills, now his last shred of dignity hung on whether he would be able to avoid getting killed twenty times!