Chapter 849: Opening Victory!

The audience burst into laughter.

Xiao Duan flashed the EDG team logo, a reference from last year's World Championships when EDG and AHQ were in the same group, and EDG secured their quarterfinal berth by literally stepping on AHQ's head.

There was no match for Group C today, so the EDG members stayed in the hotel to watch the livestream. Seeing Xiao Duan flash his own team's logo during AHQ's match, they naturally understood what he meant, and the LPL training room instantly filled with laughter and chatter.

In the backstage lounge, the RNG members felt a twinge of envy. Malaxiangguo, moved by the moment, laughed and cursed: "Damn Sanshao, if it weren't for him stirring trouble, our relationship with Jiao Shen would be much better. Damn it, I really want to kill him!"

Back then Sanshao provoked him, trying to drag Malaxiangguo into trouble, and Malaxiangguo even posted a Weibo dissing Sanshao. That's why Malaxiangguo later managed to add Liang Yan on WeChat.

G2 was the leader of Group C, so naturally they had no match today, but instead of staying at the hotel to watch the stream like EDG or hanging out backstage, they came to the venue and sat in the front-row VIP section. As the big screen showed Fanzi Ma alternately flashing the G2 and EDG logos, the G2 players were amused beyond words. Tang Anna could barely keep a straight face; she tried to stay composed, but the corners of her mouth twitched uncontrollably.

Xiao Duan felt pleased after teasing a bit.

But human joys and sorrows are not mutually understandable.

Even AHQ's support Albis stopped struggling, standing still in the spring water. From the camera view, his face also wore a mask of anguish, his hands with nowhere to go resting on the armrests, constantly gripping and releasing.

The other four AHQ players still soaking in the spring watched the screen as VG five surrounded the big crystal, each showing a different expression.

AN was brought down without doing anything, looking rather upset.

Westdoor lowered his head, making his expression unreadable.

Mountain leaned back in his chair, eyes closed, resting, while the chat teased him:

【Now you pray to the gods? Too late! And the strongest god in LoL is right over there—asking anyone else won't help!】

Top laner Ziv glanced at the mid laner, then at the jungler, his eyes seeming to want to kill, but then he lowered his head…

The LMS commentator was still wailing:

"Albis is hiding in the spring, afraid to come out! Nobody's paying him any mind anymore!"

"All of VG's damage is hitting the crystal!"

"It's about to be destroyed! It's about to be destroyed!"

AHQ's base health bar shrank at a visible pace—from full to half, then to a quarter, then down to just a tiny sliver.

At the very moment when only a single basic attack was needed to finish it, the first fallen little cannon revived.

AN maxed out his hand speed, performing a rocket jump that launched him into the sky, leaping out of the spring.

But he never came back down—

Boom!

The blue side's base crystal exploded with a bang.

Bluish‑white crystal shards flew outward with the blast's shockwave, scattering across the sky.

The match froze on that frame.

"It's over——!"

The LMS in‑game commentator Tommy let out a long, mournful wail, his voice filled with a poignant sorrow that moved the listeners.

"AN will never be able to land again……"

"How pitiful… he didn't do anything wrong……"

"VG is too brutal……"

"The opening match……"

【Opening match? This is clearly a public execution!】

【I can't take it anymore—this is as far as I'll watch this year's Worlds!】

In the LMS livestream, wails of grief spread everywhere.

As the audience's cheers rose, Guan Zeyuan's voice rang throughout the venue:

"Congratulations, VG!!!

"A complete domination from start to finish!!

"VG used a lineup that looked utterly unreasonable, yet they blew away AHQ—a super‑strong team made of the current patch's T0 iron triangle—and snatched the opening victory!"

Miller shouted passionately in response:

"Congratulations, VG! You took down AHQ easily in the opening match—gave LPL a great start!"

The livestream audience also went wild:

【VG is invincible!!!】

【This is the true S‑Worlds debut! So exhilarating!】

【During pick‑ban I was worried VG would throw with Ornn and Prince…… Sorry, I was hasty.】

【VG is deliberately toying with our emotions!】

【Too brutal, too brutal, too brutal!】

【Not enough, not enough, not enough! I want to see a pentakill! I want to see Jiao Shen show off his skills!】

【Jiao Shen's few moves were pretty slick, but they're so smooth you might not notice—still, his play this game was definitely more supportive; personally I still want to see him carry harder.】

【AHQ is at least a second seed from one of the major regions—how can they be this weak?】

【Apart from the Wolves, every other LMS team is a wildcard—none of them can compete.】

【Don't trash the provincial teams—they at least make it to Worlds every year.】

【Every year they reach the round of 16?】

The stage lights came up, and the five VG members took off their headsets and stood.

Xiao Duan leaned in to whisper something to Sima Laozei's ear, but the venue's noise drowned it out; Sima Laozei simply gave a cold stare, lowered his head, left his seat, and walked toward the blue side's player bench. As he passed behind, Fu Lan Duo yawned, rose, stretched luxuriously, and then hooked her arm around Sima Laozei's shoulder.

Liang Yan stood up, took a sip of water, put down the cup, and with a faint smile looked at Easyhoon.

The venue director immediately pointed the camera at Easyhoon for a close‑up of his face.

This middle‑aged mid laner who had been wildly roaming the dragon all game, tall and thin, wearing black‑rimmed glasses, smiled calmly with a refined demeanor—making it impossible to imagine that the frenzied Lu Xi An who had just been slaughtering everyone was actually being controlled by him.

After shaking hands and returning to pack up their gear, Zhu Xiaolong and Tabe came onto the stage.

Well played!

Zhu Xiaolong patted Easyhoon on the shoulder, his face full of a happy smile.

Easyhoon smiled shyly, scratched his head, glanced at Liang Yan, and said: "No, no, it's that this tactic is awesome; I'm just a enforcer..."

Everyone on VG knew in their hearts that, from the moment Liang Yan decided to allow Prince Galio, this opening match had turned into an exhibition staged to satisfy Liang Yan's curiosity. It's a pity AHQ truly had nothing substantial, leaving Liang Yan somewhat disappointed.

He hasn't even exerted himself yet.

Easyhoon cleared it all by himself.

But to those who pay attention, this match conveyed extraordinary information.

……

The on-site revelry hadn't ended yet, but backstage, the atmospheres in the various lounges differed: some were fervent, some anticipative, some solemn……

In the SKT lounge, after the AHQ base exploded, a group of people remained silent for quite a while.

"Ah…… VG this……" Bang wanted to speak but held back, afraid that speaking would boost others' morale and dampen his own prestige, so he swallowed the words.

Kkoma crossed his arms, brows slightly furrowed, deep in thought, muttering to himself:

"Allow Galio and Prince, ban early-game AD to force AHQ into a late-game lineup, then train the mid lane, relying on Lu Xi An to break through from the early game and ultimately crush the whole match……"

"This is absolutely not mere confidence, and it certainly isn't just for show……"

Having reasoned this far, Kkoma looked up at everyone and asked: "Any thoughts? Let's discuss."

Everyone looked at each other.

Then Faker spoke, his expression serious: "I think this match is worth our serious study."

"What to study?"