Glory [e-sports] - Chapter 268

Translated by 🎏 Edited by apricot, @babyybluebear

“Oh my god, what was that thing Xie He did at the end? Is that how you’re supposed to play the Void Mage’s other form?!”

The Void Mage’s ultimate ability was called Void Transformation. The official description of the move was that the earl would become one with the void, activating all void marks within range, and nuking all surrounding targets.

Since its release, countless players had studied the ability. The conclusion they reached was that, while tricky to pull off, it was capable of dealing high AoE damage and therefore, perfect for use in skirmishes.

However, Xie He’s Void Transformation broke the meta.

Nobody knew how he had done it. It seemed like he had stacked countless marks onto himself and impressively managed to execute Demonic Bog at the same time which had reflected his own ultimate back to him!

When the marks activated, the reflected damage became a shield instead.

This combo lowered Lu Feng’s attack damage while Void Transformation also dealt damage to the Bloodthirsty Warrior.

And thus…

He survived, but Lu Feng was killed.

The crowd stirred as everyone was left stupefied.

The commentators spewed a whole bunch of commentary, but even when they were through, they still looked somewhat stunned.

However, it wasn’t up to them to decide whether such a move was within the realm of possibility. The fact was that Xie He had managed it. No matter if it was actually part of the game dev or just a leftover bug, Xie He had indeed propelled this new talent to unprecedented heights.

If Void Mage had such a strong self-preservation effect, then it was an immensely valuable talent.

It was able to disable, disrupt, and even endure heavy damage whilst taking enemies down with him.

If properly used, this would definitely rise to the top of the mid lane tier list!

Of course…

The difficulty of copying him was a bit high.

Let alone the ultimate, most players could barely even utilise the crowd control of the Void Mage’s first ability properly. While the disruptive nature of the second ability was within their reach, pro players would still be able to avoid it with ease after getting used to it. The displacement of the third ability could be linked to the second ability with extraordinary efficacy. However, that was mainly because it was still new. Once players were familiar with it, its effect would also be halved. Lastly, the ultimate was previously assumed to be a no-frills ability for skirmishes; who knew that it could be stacked and used in such a way!

While the stadium audience were still transfixed on the competition, the fans in the livestream noticed a certain social media post by a well-known Glory game developer.

This game dev was the brain behind the Void Mage. The post was short and sweet: EVE.xiehe is amazing.

This simple one-liner was shared and commented on by tens of thousands of people.

The game dev didn’t elaborate, but it was enough that he had posted at all.

It wasn’t a system bug but an ability within the upper limits of the Void Mage’s potential. It was theoretically possible, but it was also almost impossible for casual players to replicate!

“I really did witness history being made…” The commenter who had casually made a quip when seeing Xie He select the Void Mage before was bewildered.

He wasn’t around for the dawn of Thousand Cloud Layers, but he had managed to catch the absolute counter-offensive of the Void Mage.

No wonder Xie He was Glory’s Mage God!

When Yuan Ze and Kim Sung-hyun returned, Gary was so excited that his words were all over the place. His clumsy northwestern accent became so garbled that it was incomprehensible even to the little Chinese guru, Proud Flower Kim.

Kim Sung-hyun: “Speak English.”

Gary hurriedly repeated himself, giving them a recap of Xie He’s spectacular clutch.

Yuan Ze’s dark eyes brightened.

Kim Sung-hyun looked over at Yuan Ze and said in a low voice, “Don’t assume what you don’t know.” In other words, mind your own business.

Anyone who had played the game knew how much the minions would power up after the thirty minute mark.

Xie He’s health was dangerously low after killing Lu Feng. He switched out an item to don the vampiric cape in his inventory and began forcibly clearing minion waves. He placed priority on the mid and bottom towers, but he was unable to defend all three lanes on his own and the minions overwhelmed the base tower on the top lane.

When FTW revived, the whole team unhesitatingly rushed to the Hurricane Dragon that had freshly spawned.

This was a late-game objective. FTW had an edge in visibility on this front, warding key areas in advance, preparing for when EVE came over.

If EVE did come over, they would engage.

If EVE didn’t come, slaying the Hurricane Dragon would boost the stats of FTW so much that they could push the top lane!

It was yet another unbelievable scene, and the situation was slowly dawning on the fans watching the livestream. “Is it really heading towards a clean sweep?”

“Is FTW that OP?”

“If they achieve a clean sweep, I’ll bet on FTW winning the world championship cup this year!”

“??? I am not dreaming, am I?”

“Granny, your beloved team has hope of becoming world champions!”

The international audiences were also dumbfounded, especially those who followed the European league.

“What’s up with EVE this year?”

“To be fair, EVE already had a big problem last year.”

“I propose that Xie He transfers out. EVE has no chance of winning a championship in this lifetime if he’s around.”

“Screw off. Don’t you have eyes to see how well EVE has performed in the last two years? If it weren’t for Xie He clutching it, even second place would have been out of their reach.”

“So what? Second place is still within the top four teams in the world, so why are they getting pwned by FTW, a team with two rookies in their line-up?!”

“Think back to three years ago. FTW was also a new team with rookies then, but they still pwned the shit out of the whole world, please.”

“This team is jinxed!”

“I’m neither a fan nor an anti, but the third game tonight has renewed my respect for EVE.”

After all, even in the event that they lost, this team would never be the same again.

After being aced, the five FTW members became more cautious.

The Void Mage did indeed have some tricks up its sleeve. Xie He had dug so deep into this talent’s abilities that they had been taken completely by surprise.

Knowledge was key in a competition. While the skill of pro players was certainly important, so was adaptability. Information gathering was a matter of logistics, but it could also decide the outcome of a match.

Just like the Spirit Mage previously and the Void Mage currently.

A lot of times, the crux was the element of surprise.

The player using a new talent had to dedicate time getting familiar with the controls. Likewise, opponents had to dedicate time to analysing how to counter it.

If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.

Having faced it once already, FTW would not allow the Void Mage to create a second opportunity.

Lu Feng and Wei Xiao took on different targets, one kept an eye on Xie He while the other began gunning for Dunn.

Were EVE’s two carries to fall, this game would be more than half won.

CC and Smith were following the same strat. Kill Ning Zhehan and Yue Wenle in an attempt to snap off FTW’s left and right shoulders!

The team fight that broke out over the Hurricane Dragon was locked in an exciting impasse!

However, the final outcome was jaw-dropping…

At less than half health, the dragon began roaring non-stop. Both sides kept a tight watch on its health bar, wary that the dragon might be stolen from right under their nose.

In spite of the raging battle, everyone’s attention was divided because of the dragon.

The Hurricane Dragon was so crucial that whichever side took it down would be able to taste victory.

Because of the terrain, Yue Wenle had many opportunities to attack from the fringe. CC and Smith were able to reach the Immortal Warlock but were unable to hit the nimble Storm Hunter.

Wei Xiao was displaced elsewhere by Xie He and failed to kill Dunn.

Brother Cai was barely able to hold out under Dunn’s onslaught.

“I can’t last!” Brother Cai’s heals weren’t limitless; he was running out of mana!

Ning Zhehan’s Thousand Cloud Layers came down, but he was dispatched by the Berserker duo whilst Wei Xiao hacked down CC!

It was still hard to predict how this would turn out when the teams had traded a life for a life, especially when considering that anyone who entered the late-game Gold Hunter’s range would be impaled.

Xie He intended to capitalise on this by making full use of his displacement ability. Anyone who was tossed into Dunn’s range would be swept away with ease.

The head-on fight became a tug-of-war. FTW, who had burnt through their abilities, was at the risk of being wiped by the Gold Hunter.

What should they do?

Wei Xiao inspected the mini map, and the gears in his head turned quickly.

Right then, Lu Feng spoke up. “The dragon.”

Wei Xiao’s eyes lit up as he instantly caught on. “Old Yue, come with me!”

He had barely completed his sentence before the Storm Hunter was flying on a rainstorm to the rear side of the dragon pit.

EVE instantly understood where he was heading to. Smith was willing to lay down his life if it meant stopping Yue Wenle.

However, the Bloodthirsty Warrior’s longsword rammed into the ground, shocking the three people from EVE.

One man can hold out against ten thousand. Close confronted three foes alone, blocking their way.

The audience were nervous. “W-W-Will that work??”

“The Great Demon King needs to learn some chill! How can a Blood Warrior withstand that much damage?”

“Check out the player inventory. Close cleared out the items with damage modifiers for defensive items.”

“Supreme damage immunity and resurrection armour? What is Close planning to do?”

“Look at the dragon pit!”

That was Close’s objective. Relinquish all ability to dole out damage and kill his targets – trading his life for his teammates’ protection!

When this scene appeared on the holographic projection, the audience were so engrossed in watching that the whole stadium was silent.

The staunch figure was solemn and stirring, yet also brimmed with a sense of hope and faith.

It was the lone general, the arrogant king who no longer dominated the battlefield using his own power, but instead put his own life on the line to shield his teammates and create an opportunity for them!

The damage output from Wei Xiao and Yue Wenle was staggering.

Brother Cai’s scalp tingled as he healed his captain until his nerves were exhausted, his fingers were shaking, and his back was covered in cold sweat.

EVE.xiehe killed Close.

FTW.Quiet has slain the Hurricane Dragon!

The simultaneous system announcements sparked off a celebration in the stadium.

The Great Demon King fell, but FTW was still standing!

Having seized the dragon buff, Wei Xiao, Yue Wenle, and Bai Cai returned to optimal condition and their ability cooldowns reduced. When they hurtled towards the three on EVE whose abilities were on cooldown…

The battle was over!

Brother Cai died as a martyr while Wei Xiao and Yue Wenle charged up the top lane to the base, besieging the inhibitor before the minions had even arrived.

Super minions arrived, and within the span of five short seconds that seemed to go on forever, EVE’s crystal shattered.

Victory!

FTW had marched into the World Tournament Finals!

Cheers and applause erupted in the stadium.

Fans following the livestream also clenched their fists, excitedly pounding on their keyboards.

There were a handful of people off-stage who were disappointed by the loss.

Echo’s eyelashes fluttered down. The blood flowing back into her chest magnified the sound of her own heartbeat.

– I want to win the championship.

The corners of Echo’s lips curved, and she blew out a small breath. “You have time.”

Dread not defeat but a lack of conviction to win.

The match concluded.

The clean sweep surprised everyone, yet it also seemed right.

It was a wake-up call that EVE had sorely needed in the past two years.

To stop is to step back.

In life, one could only press on relentlessly.

The lens panned over to EVE’s player area. Xie He was sitting in his gaming chair, numbly looking at the dimmed screen.

It ended?

It ended…

His thin lips moved, quietly uttering two words. “I’m sorry.”

Smith, CC, and Dunn all gave a start.

EVE’s captain, the eldest of them and the Elemental Shaman who had protected all of them in the canyon, took off his headset. He hugged Xie He and said hoarsely, “You have gone above and beyond.”

So, don’t be so hard on yourself.

@babyybluebear: This chapter is proudly brought to you by the strict chasing of this editor to make the translator work on our vacay 😛