[TS] Obsessed Gamer: The Ultimate Return – Chapter 405

Outside is the force field.

In front are the enemies.

There’s no way out.

Only forward.

“It’s coming.”

The long, protracted battle is nearing its climax.

Even though I just scored a solo kill during a reckless skirmish, I don’t feel too regretful.

Thanks to that, I’ve significantly drained the enemy’s resources.

“I’d have preferred to win, but it’s not absolutely necessary.”

Winning through a dazzling physical battle head-on is the virtue of top laners.

The jungler’s virtue is the meticulous planning that starts from the moment the game begins.

Even if it costs my life, I’d gladly risk it to seize victory in the final moments.

Even if we may lose Baron, if we can claim a decisive team fight victory, the game can end right there.

“Rainbow probably realized this was a trap but had no choice.”

If he had timidly engaged in a trade with Akali, Rainbow would have simply been waiting for a chance until Sudden Death.

Once Sudden Death begins, the side that wins at that moment carries the victory, regardless of kill scores.

That’s why a life-or-death gamble was made.

Or rather, it’s not even a gamble: if Rainbow had concealed his true intentions like I did, he would have likely been the one to perish.

A situation crafted by forcing him to waste what he had.

Now, it’s all about the final showdown.

*

As Rainbow Ryu Jin-hyuk gazed at the encroaching force field from all directions, he looked down at what was in his hands.

[R – Not Ready]

[Flash – Not Ready]

[Ignite – Not Ready]

He still had the items drawn from the kill, but unfortunately, there was nothing else.

“…I really knew it would come to this.”

Rainbow certainly didn’t overlook this situation.

In fact, because he understood it better than anyone, he pressed Outlaw fiercely, trying to force him out.

“You’ll die if you don’t back off.”

“Don’t pull any tricks on me.”

It was something along those lines.

But regrettably, Outlaw was not someone who would fall for such a bluff, and despite the unfavorable circumstances, he decided to engage.

Not a simple bluff, but a genuine approach.

Facing that bold and reckless charge, Rainbow had no choice but to respond.

There was no option left.

Had he not truly responded at that moment, the game would have already been over.

“Was the moment I got the first kill the moment the game ended?”

If Rainbow had scored the first kill, the outcome would have been drastically different.

However, in the first skirmish, Rainbow lost, and that snowball effect had brought things this far.

The force field was getting closer.

Now Rainbow could no longer hide within the turrets.

“Still, I have to give it a shot.”

There was nowhere left to retreat.

If there was a place to go, it was only forward.

Had this been Summoner’s Rift, I wouldn’t have made such a foolish move to engage in an unfavorable fight, but where Rainbow currently stood felt like the Coliseum.

A Coliseum where one must die to end the fight.

As Akali began to step out, Sylas greeted her with pokes using Q, as if he had been waiting for that moment.

If Sylas entered just like this, there was no way Akali could avoid using skills, but Sylas was cautious.

Until the very last moment, he wouldn’t allow for any variables.

“…Indeed.”

Outlaw was that kind of person.

Colder than anyone else, and intolerant of mistakes.

“Let’s do this.”

Akali charged in.

Without her ultimate, Akali’s rush was neither sharp nor threatening, but Rainbow tried to unleash every possible damage, activating all his passives as he used his skills.

“Is he not allowing even this?”

In a 1v1 scenario, the key to Akali’s combo relies heavily on the use of passives.

Yet Outlaw moved in and out freely, closing and then widening the distance to completely block Rainbow’s attacks in order to prevent him from utilizing his passives.

If both the ultimate and Ignite were available, the damage would have surely been enough to take down Sylas.

But right now, that wasn’t the case.

The damage from Akali, unable to use her passives fully, was inadequate to bring Sylas to death.

Wham!

Outlaw’s skill distribution was impeccable.

With not a single waste, he stole Akali’s ultimate up close while triggering his passives three times with just that ultimate.

Once during the steal.

First hit of Akali’s ultimate.

Second hit of Akali’s ultimate.

This showcased a flawless distribution of using one ultimate to trigger the passive three times.

Rainbow’s Akali fought back with all her might.

Depending on the perspective, it might have seemed like she reduced Sylas’s health significantly.

At least, it was true until Sylas’s W connected right after Akali narrowed the distance using her ultimate and E, right before Sylas’s health shot back up.

“…”

Sylas inherently gains increased healing when using W at low health.

That’s why Ignite is essential when facing Sylas.

Now, their health situations had reached a level where fighting was practically impossible.

Having just healed up, Sylas wasn’t in a hurry, nor was he slow, as he steadily pressured Akali in the shrinking force field.

Facing imminent death, Rainbow checked his skill cooldowns.

He still had quite a while until he could use Q, and both W and E were still on cooldown.

“Is this it?”

There was no room for a response.

There was nowhere left to retreat.

What lay behind was only death in the name of the force field.

“…No.”

From the beginning, he had no intention to retreat.

Rather than clumsily burning to death in the force field, he would face his end with dignity.

Rainbow stood his ground until the last moment.

He dodged every skill, trying to hit his own.

Only, all of those actions turned out to be meaningless.

At last, Rainbow’s Akali fell to Sylas’s chains, and one word appeared before his eyes.

[Defeat]

The moment the winner of the Legends of League All-Star Event’s 1v1 Tournament was being decided.

*

[“With Rainbow falling, Outlaw claims the throne of the All-Star Event!”]

[“Amazing, Outlaw! You really defeated Rainbow!”]

In the shock of the result, Li Zhi-Xuan could only remain silent.

“….”

As expected.

Akali, who had neither Ignite nor ultimate, could do nothing against Sylas, who had both.

Meanwhile, trying to stretch out time using the closing force field as a smokescreen was all he could do.

Akali wasn’t a champion with unpredictable variables like Poppy or Gragas, so merely stalling wouldn’t lead to a victory.

“I really… won.”

One might say it had been foreseen from the moment the first kill was made, but the problem was that the opponent was Rainbow.

Who is Rainbow?

Two-time Red Cup champion, the very person Li Zhi-Xuan yearned to surpass more than anyone!

Yet now, the rookie of the top league, Outlaw, had directly defeated Rainbow.

And that, in the mid-lane where Rainbow could be seen as the king.

“I knew he was good, but… this is a different caliber.”

I had long known that Outlaw was exceptional as a jungler.

However, I learned for the first time that the player Outlaw himself was special in this opportunity.

“Rainbow has been thoroughly defeated.”

In terms of psychological warfare and combat skill.

In every aspect, Outlaw claimed victory.

“Outlaw…”

Thus, I became even more convinced.

With Outlaw by my side, I could not only surpass Rainbow’s accomplishments but possibly achieve much more.

“I must recruit him somehow. But how?”

Sadly, the conclusion was nonexistent.

Currently, Outlaw was a key player in leading a team, and recruiting someone in such a position from another team was certainly no easy task.

In fact, it wouldn’t be too much to say it was impossible.

“Outlaw…”

Li Zhi-Xuan’s gaze lingered on Outlaw, who was beyond the screen.

*

[Victory]

I won.

I really beat that Rainbow.

“….”

My fingertips were trembling slightly.

I hadn’t realized while playing the game, but I seem to have been quite nervous about this match.

-Woooooah───!!

As soon as I took off my noise-canceling headset, cheers from the audience flooded through the booth like a tidal wave.

-Outlaw! Outlaw! Outlaw!

As I basked in the cheers momentarily, I snapped back to reality at a staff member’s signal and stood up.