TCWSITD – Chapter 57

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Chapter 57 – Reverse Sweep

The match on stage was fierce, and the tension offstage was just as palpable.

In the break room, Duren couldn’t sit still any longer. He got up and stepped outside for a cigarette. Fang Luxing followed close behind. They had known each other for years and understood each other’s worries all too well.

“Why’d you stop watching? Afraid OT will lose?”

Duren nodded silently, taking a deep drag to steady his nerves.

When the opposing team reached match point in the third game, his heart had already started to ache. Now, watching this game, he felt like he couldn’t catch his breath. Suddenly, he couldn’t bear to watch anymore.

“Right now, OT isn’t just representing themselves—they’re representing the entire LPL. When they were down 0-2, I kept thinking about how the domestic audience would react to such a score?” Duren leaned against the railing with his head lowered, the flickering ember of his cigarette betraying his unease. “If I’m already feeling this awful, the five players on stage must be even more anxious, right?”

Fang Luxing didn’t know how to comfort him because he felt the same way.

In the suffocating silence, Li Qian’s nonchalant voice suddenly came from behind them.

“You really underestimate the power of this game.”

Li Qian had a cigarette dangling from his lips, his unremarkable appearance belied by an aura that was impossible to ignore. He spoke with calm certainty.

“If a player truly loves this game, the moment they enter the match, their mind clears of everything else. All they think about is how to defeat their opponent, how to coordinate with their teammates, how to turn the tables. Anxiety is only temporary for them. What matters in the end is the joy of the game itself.”

His tone left no room for doubt. Behind him, the screen showed Lin Jiang leading OT in an absolutely flawless team fight, instantly equalizing their previously disadvantaged gold lead.

“OT has no experience, no practice partners. They don’t even have a proper team to create a good training environment for them.”

“All they can do is stubbornly and clumsily fight their way through with sheer willpower.”

“Anxiety is nothing in the face of victory.”

Duren’s eyes remained fixed on the screen. The replay clearly showed WAG initiating an insane team fight, instantly killing Zhou Wen and ruthlessly crushing OT.

With a gold deficit, a numbers disadvantage, and poor positioning, if OT lost this fight, there would be almost no chance of a comeback.

And then, Lin Jiang made his move.

Using the team’s only positional advantage, he dove in with back-to-back strikes, landing right in the heart of the enemy formation. In seconds, he burst down their mid laner to a sliver of health before retreating and surviving.

It was this tiny opening that Zhang Mingying capitalized on.

Stealthily leaping down, like a dragonfly skimming the water, cleanly harvesting the kills without taking any damage. He instantly reversed the tide of battle!

Song Zhixu was the third to step up. Flashing forward, he slammed three opponents into the wall, delivering a perfect counterattack.

Then it was Shen Ju’s time to shine.

Without Zhou Wen’s protection, he fearlessly dashed into the fray with a whirlwind of attacks, shredding the enemy team to low health. With a clutch Flash to dodge the crucial crowd control, he continued to output damage while expertly utilizing vision control!

With their perfect coordination, they turned around what had been an overwhelmingly disadvantageous fight!

Even the professional European commentators couldn’t help but exclaim, “How did they manage to seize such an opportunity?”

His co-commentator sighed, “river’s like some kind of monster — he just never makes mistakes. And WAG… handed him the perfect opening.”

A double-carry that never falters, in a meta where damage is overflowing, it means they can always create miracles!

The domestic commentator shouted excitedly, “I think this deserves applause! OT just executed a textbook-perfect teamwork. We have a chance again!”

As long as OT has a chance, then LPL has a chance!

The spark has been reignited—and it’s bound to set the world ablaze!

After the team fight, OT secured Baron and pushed straight for the high ground, overtaking the enemy in gold.

Leading their minions up the high ground, they prepared for the final showdown. Amidst the intense back-and-forth of top-tier microplays, the enemy mid laner made another slight misstep in positioning—and Lin Jiang seized the opportunity.

Two swift steps, and this time, the opponent was instantly killed!

After this showdown, everyone finally understood just how strong Lin Jiang was. Even against another world-class mid laner, he made his opponent look like an average player.

WAG’s mid laner couldn’t help but smile bitterly, “He’s just too strong. Does he ever make a mistake?”

In this game, WAG had pulled out an unconventional bot lane, successfully suppressing Shen Ju early and securing a solid lead. By mid-game, they were convinced victory was within reach. Yet, one tiny mistake was all Lin Jiang needed to seize the moment and launch an unbelievable comeback.

OT surged forward and claimed the victory!

Just like that, the series was tied 2–2.

OT had won two games in a row. Their momentum, morale, and confidence was at an all-time high. Meanwhile, WAG had hit rock bottom, crushed under the weight of public opinion and mental pressure.

Many reverse sweeps began like this. The moment the score evened out, countless people had already foreseen WAG’s defeat.

[OT’s momentum is unstoppable. I think they have a real shot!]

[WAG has no more tricks up their sleeve.]

[Good news! Their strategies have all been cracked.]

[OT’s double-carries are truly orthodox. No matter how flashy the opponents play, they can always deliver stable output!]

[This is the spirit LPL should have.]

After the score was tied, Duren’s hands trembled with excitement. He burned his fingers while stubbing out a cigarette but didn’t even feel the pain. It wasn’t until the fifth game officially began that he briefly registered the sting.

“We should be able to win, right?”

“I think the chances are high. Lin Jiang and Shen Ju are in top form.”

Only Li Qian remained silent. Watching the game unfold on the screen, he couldn’t help but silently pray.

Hold on, you must hold on.

How much effort does it take to become a textbook double-carry?

Lin Jiang trained year-round without rest, starting the moment he opened his eyes and continuing until he closed them at night.

To build a solid foundation, he maintained the grueling training regimen expected of a traditional mid laner for four straight years. That’s what made him the unshakable “river” on stage.

But keeping this up drains enormous strength from his hands, which is why by the fifth game, he often feels worn out and unable to perform at full capacity.

And that was just the mid lane position.

As the AD, Shen Ju had to push himself even harder than Lin Jiang.

His unique movement style required four clicks per auto-attack. His sudden initiation style goes against natural human ergonomics. Plus, his insane damage output in teamfights, with hand speeds exceeding 500 APM, demands extremely strong hand explosive power…

Just imagining it made Li Qian acutely aware of the toll Shen Ju’s hands must be enduring.

He trusted Lin Jiang to persevere, drawing from his wealth of experience to find solutions. But what about Shen Ju? How much endurance did he have left to finish this game?

On screen, Shen Ju’s jump-attack faltered, an uncharacteristic misclick sent his auto-attack toward a minion instead.

Li Qian knew this was the unmistakable sign of fading hand strength—and it was only the beginning.

The domestic commentators hadn’t sensed the danger yet, still making excuses for Shen Ju. “The fifth game is always a bit nerve-wracking. It’s okay. If we keep calm, the advantage is still ours.”

Everyone pinned boundless hopes on them, but during the next dragon fight, Shen Ju was instantly killed and threw away their entire lead—a mistake only rookies would make.

In this damage-heavy meta, even a single misstep from either carry usually meant game over. This held true for OT as well.

At first, the audience remained forgiving, confident Shen Ju could recover given his skill.

Amid all the optimism, Shen Ju made another mistake, dying first again, causing them to lose the dragon fight.

Mistakes kept coming one after another—it was no longer just nervousness. Everyone clearly sensed something was wrong with Shen Ju.

On the broadcast screen, his brows were drawn tight, face pale. He kept wiping sweat from his face with his sleeve. When he reached for his water bottle, the camera caught his trembling hands.

Finally, realization dawned.

[Did Shen Ju’s hand injury flare up?]

[Ahhh he played Kalista two games in a row. His hand definitely couldn’t take it!]

[Fifth game already. His hands must be at their limit.]

[I’m begging you, Shen Ju, just one more fight!]

[SOS. This is match point — do or die!]

Life or death. Victory or defeat. It all comes down to this moment.

Shen Ju had been gritting his teeth and pushing through, his mental and physical stamina reaching their absolute limits. The match felt endless, every step taken stumbling and unsteady, as if the finish line would never come into sight…

But he had promised Lin Jiang.

He had promised to stand by him, to chase their dreams together and break the curse.

If he collapsed here, if he failed to endure, Lin Jiang would surely feel that this world was no different from the one before.

WAG had also noticed Shen Ju’s struggle. They had been targeting him relentlessly all game, exploiting his weakened state to make him their breakout point.

Once, twice, three times he took the initiative—Shen Ju was utterly exhausted. His fingers were trembling despite his desperate attempts to steady them. He kept telling himself: Just hold on, hold on, and victory will be ours…

But the WAG team on the other side were like cockroaches that wouldn’t die, clinging to the match with everything they had, fighting tooth and nail to snatch the last finals spot from them.

The Korean commentators delivered their professional analysis: “In the end, will OT hold on or will WAG stage a comeback?”

The script began to mirror their previous life, as if an invisible hand was restraining them. No matter how many godlike plays Lin Jiang pulled off, it still felt like they couldn’t stop the impending defeat.

Was fate truly irreversible?

Then what was the point of being reborn at all?

For the first time, Lin Jiang challenged fate itself. If he was allowed to live, then he would live… until the day he no longer wanted to.

Just as the team’s spirit hit rock bottom, his voice came through their headsets, calm and unwavering: “The second dragon is our last chance. Shen Ju, just hold on for this one fight. I’ll carry the rest.”

Seeing Lin Jiang rise up in defiance reignited hope in Shen Ju’s heart. He followed behind his teammates, keeping his arms as relaxed as possible, conserving his strength for the final strike.

WAG was tearing through the dragon at terrifying speed. Everyone thought OT had no chance. But just then, a teleport suddenly lit up behind them. OT was still going for it!

As the teleport landed, WAG was stunned.

They thought it was just Song Zhixu coming. What they didn’t expect was a double teleport—Song Zhixu and Lin Jiang, near-simultaneous, flawless timing.

Song Zhixu Flashed in first, and Lin Jiang followed without hesitation, instantly killing the enemy mid laner. In this grueling, do-or-die game, Lin Jiang alone had maintained the flawless mechanics of a top-tier player.

With the enemy mid laner gone in a blink, Shen Ju was free from threats!

Betting his entire career on this moment, he Flashed into the pit and unleashed a torrent of damage.

Just one second more, and he would’ve been instantly killed. But he kept jumping, kept attacking, his APM skyrocketed 400, 500, 600…

No one could keep up with Shen Ju’s hand speed anymore. All they saw were flashes of blades and shadows, and in the end, the ones standing to reap the rewards were Shen Ju and Lin Jiang!

The live audience went wild, and the commentators lost their minds. “OT’s double-carries are still alive! The minion wave has reached the high ground. We have a chance!”

Yes, OT had pulled off an unbelievable team fight, securing an opportunity for themselves and for the LPL…

Lin Jiang pushed the minion wave toward the high ground, staring at the enemy’s 50-second respawn timer. He knew victory was already his.

The fate that had once bound him turned out to be nothing more than this.

A weight lifted from Lin Jiang’s shoulders, and he could finally say those words. “We won.”

Shen Ju gave a quiet “Mm.”

“We won.”

He wiped the sweat from his face, his fingers too exhausted to move. In the final push, he had even turned on auto-attack mode.

The Nexus exploded.

Victory!

Lin Jiang hadn’t lied to him. Holding out for that last fight had brought them victory.

And Shen Ju had kept his promise to Lin Jiang, taking him to touch the highest honor.

Out there, the world was vast. And now, it was wide open to them.

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