Caster desk.
The sudden push in tempo shocked everyone.
No one expected Syndra to be this decisive—flashing the instant Tahm Kench was knocked up and unloading her ultimate straight onto Jinx, ending the game in one clean wave.
"Rise of Kingdoms Bro was unbelievably decisive. He actually Flash–ulted straight away. I was still thinking about skipping Baron and pushing mid, wondering how they'd even get onto the high ground. Turns out my imagination was lacking—TES weren't just trying to take inhibitors, they were aiming to end the game in one go."
"I've seen this scene before in previous matches… Rise of Kingdoms Bro seems to really like this combo."
"It mainly comes down to how absurd the items were. Three items at twenty minutes—and such luxurious ones. No matter which ADC you swap in, no one can tank that ultimate."
"With no Stopwatch available, locking on and deleting the carry is genuinely the simplest approach. Just save the ultimate for the C position and that's enough."
"And besides Jinx, FPX honestly didn't have strong wave clear. Once she was deleted, there was really no suspense left."
"Overall, Azir getting crushed mid by Syndra was far too fatal. After that, the mid–jungle synergy between Tian and Rise of Kingdoms Bro completely took over the tempo."
"TES take the first game. Let's look forward to the second—will TES grow stronger and take a 2–0, or will FPX recover and pull one back?"
As both teams returned to their lounges, the casters and on-site officials voted for the MVP of the match.
There was no suspense.
It went to the Legendary Syndra.
The livestream chat continued to scroll wildly.
"I never would've imagined Rise of Kingdoms Bro playing other games all day but massacring people on the pro stage."
"This training buff seems to last way too long."
"I seriously have reason to suspect this guy's cheating. He's the first player to completely break my understanding."
"GodV Tang Sect mid now plays PUBG, Rise of Kingdoms Bro Ma Chao mid—at this rate he'll be playing invitationals next year."
"Hahaha, Ma Chao mid? He'd retire on the spot. Look at the stats—Rise of Kingdoms Bro's Ma Chao has never beaten Ma Mei."
"Stop slandering him. It's clearly Brand mid. Pop ult and start flipping ladles."
"Do you really think Rise of Kingdoms Bro doesn't work hard? He works harder than anyone. Ever seen the blade-training room at 3 p.m.? Rise of Kingdoms Bro sweating it out there, youth and passion flying—it's touching."
The chat was chaotic but strangely harmonious.
They lost…
Gori collapsed into his chair the moment he returned to the lounge, deeply unwilling to accept it.
He kept complaining to Clid—if not for the minions interfering, if his Azir had successfully hit level two first, he would've completely controlled mid lane tempo. Syndra would've been nothing.
Clid silently turned his head away, afraid he wouldn't be able to control himself if he looked at that face.
With that dogshit performance, I could rate you an S-tier war criminal.
And you dragged my jungle down with you.
If this were the LCK, I'd have slapped you already.
An 0–8–0 Azir.
The entire game without participating in a single kill.
Gori, still rambling, finally noticed something off about Clid.
"Bro, even though you didn't come help mid, I really didn't blame you. This wasn't your jungle's fault."
"Huh?" Clid dug at his ear, wondering if earwax was blocking his hearing.
"This game your jungle was actually ahead. If you'd come earlier to countergank—right when I was freezing the wave—TES's mid–jungle would've collapsed."
"Shut up, you damn mutt!"
Gori hurriedly grabbed the water cup beside him and took a sip.
Then he muttered quietly, "I already said I wasn't blaming you…"
…
On the other side, everyone on TES returned to the lounge, still not fully processing what had just happened.
"Holy shit, Bro Fan, your Syndra is insane! Sexy Syndra—black stockings really hit different. After these two Syndra games, no other team is ever letting this champ through." JackeyLove said excitedly.
Whenever he played on stage, JackeyLove entered the zone instantly.
The atmosphere was intoxicating—especially when chasing the enemy down. It felt like joy radiating from every pore.
"When my jungle got invaded early and I died, I thought things were going bad. Good thing Bro Fan stabilized mid, or I honestly wouldn't have known how to play the rest."
"Want some water? You barely lifted your cup in those twenty-plus minutes," Luo Sheng asked considerately.
"Sure, just not too cold."
Luo Sheng took long strides past Knight, grabbed a disposable cup from under the water dispenser, poured a cup, and handed it to Lin Fan.
"First game was excellent. Keep this state in game two and aim for a clean 2–0. That'll give us a three-game win streak."
From a god's-eye view, the entire team's operation felt far smoother.
Everyone knew exactly what to do next every second, applying constant pressure on FPX.
This was undeniably related to Lin Fan's presence, and it also showed that every position was putting in hard work—especially bot lane. Even though they got caught once, they still played out what they needed to, even taking two turret plates in lane.
Luo Sheng was very satisfied with the team's current condition.
So what if the pressure to reach playoffs was high?
Just don't lose a single game from here on out.
Listening to the laughter in the lounge, Knight felt deeply uncomfortable.
Two years ago, when JackeyLove first joined TES, the atmosphere had been just like this.
But now, he couldn't fit in anymore.
He was even sitting by the water dispenser—Luo Sheng didn't ask him to pour the water, instead doing it himself.
Even though they'd won, all of this was just an illusion.
As long as he didn't train and I did, an opportunity would eventually come.
"Alright, jokes aside. We need to take the next game seriously. FPX will definitely make big adjustments. We must stay fully focused and close this out. Winning is the best response to everyone." Luo Sheng grew serious as the break neared its end.
"No problem. We'll definitely play it right—no chances for them. Straight 2–0," JackeyLove said confidently, feeling everyone's form had fully returned.
At this point, even facing a red-hot V5 wouldn't be scary. Aren't they on a seven-win streak?
Let Old Song come try—Bro Fan will definitely smash him.
After ten minutes of rest, staff knocked on TES's lounge door, reminding them it was time to return to the stage.
TES and FPX players filed back to their seats. Neither team made any roster changes.
Lin Fan calmly put on his headset.
Four consecutive MVPs.
This spot was firmly his.
TL: If you want to read ahead by at least ten chapters, patreon.com/EdibleMapleSyrup