『An ally has been killed!』
LegendaryMemer crumbled to ashes, leaving nothing behind. However, the Absolute Duo was not done yet. Next, they turned their eyes on the one and only InfomrationBlackhole!
Y-You challenging moi!? Vincent tried to convince himself that everything will be alright, but he struggled to do so.
The Absolute Duo was powerful, dangerously so. Vincent understood that better than anybody as the Arbiter of Talents.
Even though they were but a pair, the duo's threat level almost rivaled The Bermuda Triangle of Certain Doom! Indeed, they were frightening opponents who had to be avoided at all costs.
The only way for Stratus to combat this powerful pair was to bring more numbers to the fight. They had to make it a 4v2, or at least a 3v2, situation, such was Chessmaster's conclusion after prolonged research.
Indeed, this sounded like a solid theory, one that unfortunately Vincent had no way of testing out at the moment. After all, he was all alone here, with two monsters hot on his trail! And, they were getting dangerously close, too!
Challenger chased Vincent directly, whereas Winner rotated around the jungle and showed up ahead of Vincent, blocking the best escape route available. It was such masterful teamwork!
As Vincent's preferred retreat route was blocked, he now had to slow down and change course. However, in this situation, slowing down had critical consequences.
WHISH! An axe lodged itself into Vincent's back! As expected, Challenger caught up to him in a heartbeat. And so, Vincent found himself in a pincer.
B-But, I shall not lose heart! Vincent insisted. Even as the monster keeps striking me, I shall not yield!!!
WHISH! WHISH! WHISH! Axes whacked Vincent from behind as he ran, but he paid them no heed. After all, these attacks were as harmless as a buzzing fly! At least, that's what he convinced himself to think in order to keep his courage afloat.
With that said, there was no arguing with the fact that the Berserker was much faster than Vincent in Berserk mode. As such, competing against Challenger in a race was suicidal in this case.
Then, I shall roll! Vincent activated Dodge Roll just as he went around a corner. This should create sufficient distance between himself and his pursuers.
Alas, it was futile as his pursuer responded immediately with Savage Leap. Challenger leapt over a jungle wall and crashed right at Vincent's new location! BAM!
S-Such magnificent execution! Vincent couldn't help but sing praises even amidst this fatal situation. It's as if the man has encountered hundreds, perhaps thousands, of scenarios such as this. As a result, Challenger has learned all the best ways to respond to a dodgy roll like this.
Truly, Challenger was a dangerous beast, especially now that the Berserk mode was amplifying his bestial strength tenfold. If Winner had joined the assault as well, then Vincent would have been dead a long time ago.
Fortunately, there's no sign of Winner. He probably cannot keep up with this race. Vincent sighed in relief after drawing this valuable piece of information from the Akashic Records.
Even though Winner showed up earlier to block off Vincent's path, the man stood quite a distance away from Vincent's actual position. As such, it would've been difficult for Winner to catch up from there. The entire point of that play was to slow Vincent down and block off his shortest route back home.
In short, Vincent had a substantial lead on Winner. As such, it was nigh impossible for that Viking to catch up and pile extra damage on Vincent.
Thus, my survival is all but guaranteed. Vincent reassured himself.
After the Dodge Roll, Challenger had caught up to Vincent in a matter of seconds and was already unleashing a barrage of axe attacks on Vincent's back. Even so, Vincent was convinced he'll make it out alive. His HP was dropping lower and lower, but not at a particularly alarming pace.
By running some quick, rough math on all the available information, Vincent estimated that he should be able to survive this onslaught. And, he was correct. Indeed, he safely reached his tower area alive.
Though, perhaps "safely" is a bit of an exaggeration here. Vincent corrected his own narrative. I'm very much at death's door, so I wouldn't call the current situation "safe" by any stretch of the imagination.
With just 30% HP left, a tower dive from Challenger would be very scary for him right now. But fortunately, that beast wasn't hungry enough to go to such lengths. Challenger properly stopped outside the tower area without coming in.
But, was this really because he gave up on the offense? Or, was he simply biding his time until his accomplice shows up!?
"Vincent, you better recall now," Yuel said. "They might dive in once they regroup."
"Yes, my thoughts exactly!" Vincent retreated behind his tower and started the recalling process.
Challenger didn't dare to invade alone considering all the risks. But, if he were to team up with Winner, then the two of them will dive in for the kill for sure.
I know that for a fact, for I have seen the Absolute Duo commit such war crimes before! As such, Vincent hurried to take an early leave. And, as expected, Winner showed up shortly, but it was too late at that point.
"Dang, bro. He already recalled." Ronald shook his head. "Like, seriously, who would normally choose to recall so quickly in a situation like this???"
"Anybody who did their homework on us," William said. "It was a good call."
"Yep, it sure was. So, what now? We can't exactly push yet."
"Yes, there's nothing to push anymore because a certain somebody decided to join my fight instead of pushing a defenseless lane."
"Hey, I helped secure that kill on the DK, though!"
"Which probably doesn't even matter overall," William said. "That DK was practically done for the moment I ruined his plans."
"Hey, you never know, bro," Ronald insisted. "They could always pull something super unexpected next. I mean, you saw how these guys roll. These bruhs are crazy."
"Hmph. I suppose." William shrugged.
In the end, the duo couldn't capitalize on this golden opportunity in order to push. There were no allied minions nearby to tank the tower, so any attempt to push right now would be extremely shot-lived and dangerous.
Instead, the brothers ventured into the enemy jungle and stole the wolves and ogres. After that, they went their separate ways.
Overall, their gains weren't as big as William hoped, but this was satisfactory.
This game is a wrap. William concluded. But, was he correct? Or, was Stratus going to surprise them once again, as they had done many times before...?
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