Huya, Nuanyang's livestream.
The public chat was jubilant and buzzing with excitement!
"Haha, as expected of the great Nuanyang! He barely lifted a finger and took out Exalted Emperor's jungler and laner!"
"Zimo's a beast too! No wonder his Ma Chao is known for boosting accounts in the league. He smoothly recalled his spear and stabbed with it, skewering little Xiao Qiao to death while barely losing any health! Hahaha."
"Three down right before the dragon fight, tsk, tsk, tsk! Exalted Emperor, oh Exalted Emperor, this is the will of heaven. With Nuanyang, a former Strongest Overlord, holding the fort, your dream of reaching 100 stars with a perfect win rate and MVP record is about to go up in smoke!"
Nuanyang's Yao recalled to base and replenished his health, then immediately sent a signal. "Head for the Dark Tyrant. Let's focus fire and smack that dragon down!"
"Captain Nuan, should I go take a look at the Overlord?"
At the spot where the mid-lane minions met, Zimo's Ma Chao cleared the wave while keeping an eye on the Overlord pit. "Why do I get the feeling Exalted Emperor might take a risky gamble and boldly trade dragons with us?"
"Don't worry about him!"
Nuanyang bared his vicious fangs. "If he wants to fight it, let him. We'll burst down the Dark Tyrant, then head over and take the Shadow Overlord off his hands!"
"OK!"
Zimo's Ma Chao cleared the mid wave and dashed toward the Dark Tyrant pit.
Nuanyang, Zimo, and the others began focusing their attacks on the Dark Tyrant.
At that very moment.
Nuanyang, who had been frustrated all game, found his rising smile harder to suppress than an AK.
He had to admit that Exalted Emperor was the most troublesome solo queue King player he had encountered in his nine-year professional career. The other man's Marco Polo this match was as difficult to deal with as his good brother Yinuo at his peak!
Even if his 2020 self, who had earned the title of [Strongest Overlord], had come, it would have taken some effort to defeat him!
Yet, just like in the 2020 World Champion Cup final, when he had led TS to a reverse sweep against DYG after losing three games, personally putting an end to the God of Shouyue, [Jiucheng]!
Now he was going to personally put an end to an Overlord-level solo queue King who had climbed to Legendary 100 Stars using marksman heroes, with a perfect win rate and an all-MVP record!
How alike their fates were!
"Exalted Emperor, if you have to blame someone, blame yourself for provoking someone you shouldn't have!"
The smiling face of his good brother Yinuo appeared in Nuanyang's mind.
At that year's World Champion Cup, [Mid-lane Overlord] Jiucheng, then on DYG, had used Baili Shouyue to beat TS so badly they couldn't hold their heads up, winning three games in a row!
Viewers and fellow pros alike believed TS was certain to lose and that Jiucheng would receive the first FMVP skin for a marksman hero!
Only his good brother Yinuo had firmly believed that TS would win, that he, Nuanyang, could win!
The first FMVP skin for a marksman hero had to belong to Yinuo!
Before that day came, he would crush every KPL pro who could threaten Yinuo!
Holding fast to that conviction, he created the miracle of a reverse sweep after losing three games!
And now, the expert player Exalted Emperor had burst onto the scene. Not only did he show signs of threatening Yinuo's position as [Strongest Overlord], he had even boasted that he would crush Yinuo at the Overlord Feast in August!
Then he, the strongest Overlord jungler from five years ago, wouldn't mind giving everything he had to utterly destroy him!
In the game, the Dark Tyrant's health was plummeting!
"I can't laugh, not yet!"
Nuanyang pressed his lips together, suppressing his excitement. He only had to wait another nine seconds and take down the Dark Tyrant, and he could pop the halftime champagne and celebrate their victory early!
Suddenly!
Right then.
A wolf's howl rang out across the entire canyon!
It was the sound of Radiance: Howl activating!
In the mid-lane river, Marco Polo came racing in with a speed-boost bar above his head! Behind him was Su Lie, clutching his stone pillar and charging his ultimate!
Nuanyang's pupils shook, and he roared, "Scatter!"
But in the next second, the Dark Tyrant threw back its head and screeched, raised its thick front hooves, and slammed them down. Ma Chao, Yao, Mai Shiranui, Meng Ya, and Mozi, both inside and outside the dragon pit, were all knocked into the air!
"I'll send you off a thousand miles away!"
Exalted Emperor's Marco used his second skill and Flash, then followed up with his ultimate to spin into the dragon pit, spraying a frenzied barrage of yellow bullets in every direction!
"Move, damn it, move!"
Terrified, Nuanyang desperately dragged his skill-casting wheel. But just as he finally landed and broke free of the Dark Tyrant's knock-up, white frost suddenly appeared in the dragon pit. Exalted Emperor's Marco had activated Frost Impact!
In an instant!
Nuanyang, Zimo, and all five of them were frozen!
"Sweep Across the Army!"
Su Lie's ultimate arrived late, but it arrived!
The stone pillar smashed into the dragon pit, and a powerful shockwave swept across the entire area in an instant!
Nuanyang, Zimo, and all five of them flew into the air in perfect formation. Meng Ya and Mai, with their fragile health bars, were left critically low!
Exalted Emperor's Marco completed the full damage of his ultimate!
"Your-team-has-reclaimed-the-crucial-kill!" (Your team has slain the crucial dragon!)
The thrilling multikill announcements rang out!
"Marco Polo defeated Yao!"
"Marco Polo defeated Ma Chao!"
"Double-Kill!" (Double kill)
"Triple-Kill!" (Triple kill)
"Quadra-Kill!" (Quadra kill)
"Penta-Kill!" (Pentakill)
A magnificent, domineering team-wipe announcement followed!
"Ace!" (Team wipe)
Exalted Emperor's Marco Polo claimed a pentakill!
The chat in Nuanyang's livestream exploded!
"What the fuck? A heaven-defying pentakill!"
"Is he human? Is this fucking Exalted Emperor human?"
"Oh my god! Exalted Emperor's Marco used his second skill and Flash into his ultimate, and combined with Su Lie's world-destroying ultimate, God Nuan's entire side just evaporated!"
"Exalted Emperor seized that opportunity at exactly the right moment. The Dark Tyrant knocked the great Nuanyang and his team into the air at just the right time. Even if a whole group of King Title greats had been there, they'd all have met their end together in that dragon pit!"
"I thought Exalted Emperor would trade dragons, but who would've guessed he'd smash the pots and sink the boats, staking everything on a two-versus-five with Su Lie! And he fucking pulled it off!"
"That said, Exalted Emperor's Marco and Su Lie were of one mind. That perfect teamwork was insanely cool, guys!"
Nuanyang's lips had turned blue, and his shoulders trembled uncontrollably. His mind was completely blank, and he had lost the ability to think!
"Captain Nuan~~~" In the team voice channel, Zimo called out with a tremor, pulling Nuanyang back to reality. "I'm afraid we're going to lose this one!"
"No... we won't lose!"
Nuanyang forced a smile.
But his hands, shaking like sieves, betrayed him!
As a top KPL jungler, he had long anticipated that Exalted Emperor might take a desperate risk and come steal the dragon!
That was why he had told his teammates to group up: the moment Exalted Emperor showed himself, they would join forces and burst him down!
But for all his calculations, he hadn't anticipated that Exalted Emperor's goal wasn't to steal the Dark Tyrant and cut his losses, but to take the heads off all five of their shoulders!
A madman!
Exalted Emperor was a madman through and through!
A chill of fear shot from the soles of Nuanyang's feet to the crown of his head, awakening painful gaming memories buried for years.
Five years ago, another mad solo queue player like Exalted Emperor had dealt a crushing blow to his competitive spirit, and his skill had fallen from the dominant level of a Strongest Overlord to that of an ordinary Overlord!
He had lost hope of making a push for the King Title!
The news he least wanted to hear reached Nuanyang's ears.
"Captain Nuan, Exalted Emperor has already fought his way into our high ground!"