Chapter 553: Semifinal

On the day the second semifinal match began, it started raining in Li Yue, the temperature dropped several degrees, and one could start feeling the chill of autumn.

But the air inside the Olympic Stadium was thick with oppressive heat and tension.

Yesterday VG swept Flash Wolves 3-0, already securing a finals spot.

And today.

KT versus G2.

The winner of this match will face VG in the final to contend for this year's MSI championship.

Before the match, all media dubbed it the 'Proof Battle'—KT needed to prove it wasn't a choker on the big stage, G2 needed to prove it remained a world-top team even after Firrrrrre, both sides were fired up, neither willing to back down.

The course of the match was more brutal than anyone had anticipated.

In game one, KT unveiled a strange composition—top lane Xiao Yu Ren, jungle Lee Sin, mid Syndra, bot lane Ashe+Jhin—while G2 stuck to a very stable dual-core protect-the-carry system, trying to replicate the scene from the opening match of the group stage and run KT into the ground.

But KT was no longer the same KT from that day; today's KT showed no hint of complacency or carelessness, and in pursuit of its first international tournament trophy in team history, KT gave its all in every game today.

Score picked Lee Sin, yet unusually he was active early on, frantically ganking mid four times within ten minutes—two attempts came up empty, one was a flash, and one killed Perkz's Zed—while Mata's roaming was perfectly timed, always appearing mid when Jankos tried to help Perkz regain footing.

Neither the mid nor top lane could break the stalemate through lane strength alone.

At thirty-six minutes, with an over‑8,000 gold lead, KT again assaulted G2's high ground; Pawn, hiding in the shadows beneath the high ground, used a weak side‑step to stun two G2 players.

Zven and Mithy were instantly killed, and G2's teamfight collapsed.

At thirty-seven minutes, G2's base exploded.

1-0.

In game two, G2 fought with their backs to the wall.

Tanna banned Syndra and picked Jayce, then still gave Perkz Zed in the first rotation; KT's last pick locked in Jayce and Ashe.

In the second rotation, G2 revealed their last two picks, locking in Prince and Braum.

KT's coach, frustrated, returned to the lounge and slapped his own face three times.

With a no‑mobility dual core facing Prince, Braum, and Zed, KT realized they could hardly teamfight with G2, so they started playing split‑push, trying to rely on former world‑class top laner Smeb's strong individual skill to break the stalemate—but G2's engage was simply too strong; Jankos kept diving in like a dragon, piercing KT's front line, and in a twenty‑six‑minute teamfight G2 posted a clean 0‑for‑3, then took Baron to seal the win.

1-1.

In game three, KT returned the favor.

KT's first pick was Braum—Smeb's signature champion, the one he almost exclusively played when Braum was niche before worlds.

Expect's Shen was shredded by Smeb, Score repeatedly dove top lane, smashed through, and together with Braum kept invading G2's jungle.

Around eighteen minutes, G2's mid‑jungle‑support tried to collapse two players in the jungle, but Smeb countered and killed them both; although G2 eventually took down Smeb, KT's top‑jungle turned it into a 1‑for‑3, after which the game's outcome was all but decided.

2-1.

Game four.

G2 had been backed into a corner. After taking the stage, Perkz sat with his eyes closed for a few minutes, no one knowing what he was thinking.

Then he opened his eyes and said in team voice chat:

"Give me Ahri."

Tanna blinked, then said:

"Ahri is banned."

Perkz felt embarrassed and finally locked in Lu Xi An.

Mid laner Lu Xi An made his professional debut; he was first shown by WE's mid laner Xi Ye at the end of the LPL spring regular season, later appearing in other regions' playoffs, but if we limit the scope to international tournaments, this is Lu Xi An's first appearance on the mid lane.

Although he didn't get his confident Ahri, in this game Perkz played his best MSI match yet—landing a flash on Pawn's Ryze at level three, solo‑killing at six, again at eight minutes…

In the final teamfight Perkz earned his first ever MSI pentakill—not a gift from teammates but a pure outplay—and two words describe his performance in this match: 'dragon‑like'.

2-2.

Game five, the decider.

The crowd roared frenziedly.

The whole venue was like oil left to dry‑fry for a few minutes, hot enough to smoke.

G2 fans all rose to their feet, their voices hoarse from shouting.

KT fans, however, were unusually quiet; the camera caught a Korean youth wearing a KT cap, palms pressed together against his forehead, tense expression, mouth opening and closing as if praying.

The intensity of this BO5 surpassed anyone's imagination, and the official broadcast chat of every major region lit up with the same line:

【This is the final!】

In G2's locker room, everyone hurried to hold a meeting; Tanna drew and erased on the tactic board over and over.

At one moment, Tanna stared into Perkz's eyes—bloodshot yet blazing, revealing an abnormal excitement.

Then Tanna lowered her gaze to look at Perkz's right hand.

That hand trembled slightly.

Perkz usually trains hard, his physique is excellent, his wrist has no issues, and his condition is better than most pros.

But in the previous game he overdid the mechanics.

Lu Xi An is inherently a champion that demands frantic mechanics; normally that's fine, but today he had already played four games straight, and in the high‑pressure MSI semifinal requiring extreme focus, after three straight games he suddenly picked a champion with sky‑high mechanical demands—while Perkz, who as a mage normally doesn't need such intense input, went ahead and mashed the keys even harder, making wrist trouble inevitable.

——Although this is only temporary.

There's no doubt the impact on the upcoming match will be huge.

But Tanna said nothing.

It wasn't that she desperately wanted to lead the team to an MSI final; she knew that if she spoke up, Perkz would feel more pressure and the effect would be worse.

An hour later, the score on the big screen froze.

3-2.