Chapter 167: Finals Kickoff!

November 6, 2022, the day of the finals has arrived.

As the footsteps of the finals draw ever closer, the various online hype campaigns during this period have reached their peak.

On the streets of San Francisco, relevant posters and news banners can be seen everywhere, along with many Asian spectators who have traveled from afar.

Riot Games is naturally overjoyed; a grand final featuring the two major regions of China and Korea has always been the scenario they most hoped to see, and at the pre-match press conference, they even declared loudly, "Our game is thriving!"

Major domestic forums are almost entirely filled with analysis and discussion threads, with everyone expressing their own views on this match.

【Asking because I don't know, what exactly is EDG's win rate?】

【What win rate? Ten percent! A fourth seed that almost didn't even make it out of the regional qualifiers wants to win the championship? That's very difficult.】

【? But they had never beaten T1 in the league before, and didn't they just kick them home this time? And that's T1, who are touted as invincible in S-series best-of-fives~~】

【Putting other things aside for now, this should be the most talked-about final in recent years, right?】

【Indeed, the defending champion versus the dark horse, the mid-laners are a peak matchup between two new-generation assassin kings, the bot-laners are the former top 3, the top-laners are both hero-incarnates who suddenly started popping off, and the junglers both love to steal dragons and get their dragons stolen.】

【I won't mention the others for now, but what is this about the two mid-laners being "new generation"? Does a two-year BLG veteran count as new generation? 0. 】

【Are you there? Two monthly tickets for the director to speed things up, it's urgent, I can't wait to see the mid-lane flowing with blood immediately! You love to talk trash, don't you!】

Midnight, local time.

The entrance to the Chase Center in San Francisco is brightly lit, illuminating the magnificent giant disc-shaped building and reflecting into the sky.

Waiting for the midnight bell to toll, the ultimate battle of the 2022 Summoner's Rift is about to arrive.

When the members of the EDG and DRX teams arrived at the entrance by bus, they were immediately met with cheers and stares from the surging crowd on the street, with countless camera flashes flickering incessantly.

The members of both teams also excitedly poked their heads out, waving to the crowds who had come for them.

"Old Ye, I got a shot! Look at our son, he's so handsome!"

"Be careful, cough cough, don't get spotted."

"Oh, it won't happen, there are so many people here. Quick, quick, quick, you help me take a remote photo together, what a precious moment, when we go back I'm going to frame it and hang it next to his middle school 'Three Good Student' certificate."

Just in the stands far away from the bus, a middle-aged man and woman whose movements were slightly stealthy were talking.

The man wore a mask and coughed lightly from time to time.

The woman, despite it being late at night, wore black sunglasses, though her expression looked excited in a way that didn't match her age.

In fact, on the day Ye Bo finished the semifinals and had a video call with them, Ye Ying and Ye Xiong had already arrived in New York, which is why they didn't turn on their cameras at the time to avoid exposure.

This suggestion was proposed by Ye Xiong.

On the surface, he didn't say anything, but he considered that he didn't want their presence at the live match to affect Ye Bo and add pressure to him, even by half a percent.

So the two of them quietly came to the scene by themselves.

However, in fact, the two had already taken leave before the semifinals.

But because the two elders knew nothing about this kind of offline tournament—the last time they watched a match, the manager personally hosted them on-site—they thought it would be like other performances where you could "buy tickets at the door."

For this, the innocent Ye Xiong was given a good lecture by Ye Ying for not doing his homework!

Fortunately, tickets for the finals were only released after the semifinals ended—this is also to decide ticketing information based on the two finalists.

The two couldn't ask Ye Bo for fear of exposure, so in the end, they could only seek help from domestic spectators who had also traveled from afar in a foreign land, and only then did they manage to grab two edge seats before the tickets were almost completely sold out.

During this time, an interesting thing happened.

When Ye Ying faced the two helpful and curious college students who asked, "Are you two also here to watch this match at your age?"

She subconsciously blurted out with pride: "I'm here to watch my son's match!"

Fortunately, the engineering-minded Ye Xiong had a clear head; thinking of Ye Bo's current popularity on the internet, he quickly stopped Ye Ying from saying his name.

This left the two college students, whose curiosity had been piqued, to make a bunch of guesses online.

So if it weren't for the fact that Ye Bo hadn't been browsing forums these past few days before the match and was focusing on preparation, he might have even stumbled upon some clues in the discussions.

Inside the venue.

Ye Bo and his teammates had already arrived at the player tunnel to wait.

Through the gap in the door, seeing the tens of thousands of packed seats in the arena, and watching the light boards held high and waved with their team's name and his own ID, even his breathing seemed to become much more rapid.

Since yesterday, he had been suppressing the surging emotions in his heart.

But when he truly arrived at this moment, at the edge of the stage, that feeling of excitement and agitation still felt like it was about to burst out of his chest.

"How is it, Master Ye? The feeling of the finals is really different, right?" Li Xuanjun said, looking at the other's rarely seen excitement with a smile.

"Yeah, there are really so many people!" Ye Bo's face was extremely flushed, and he felt a little breathless when he spoke.

"But it should be the same once we get into the match. Just like we said before the match, treat this as an ordinary game, the advantage is definitely with us!"

Ye Bo, who was in this kind of situation for the first time, actually turned around and comforted everyone, and everyone couldn't help but laugh.

But clearly.

This absolute confidence of Ye Bo was also the key source of the other few people's relaxed mindset today.

The stage spotlights suddenly dimmed.

Only the synchronized shouting of nearly twenty thousand spectators remained, heavily enveloping the center of the stage.

The countdown on the big screen appeared.

"Three, two, one!"

The moment the countdown ended, the synchronized wave of sound from the scene seemed to drown out the entire venue!

The Riot logo appeared and smashed the lens with a punch, as if it had also pierced through the barrier between reality and illusion, sounding the prelude to this legend!

Immediately after, a melodious and low symphonic sound came.

The dome suddenly seemed to crack open, and the rune matrix of virtual imaging technology emerged in the void, with twisting light bands weaving into the star trails of the League universe, exploding a sea of aurora on the ground stage!

The end of the path-warping jump was the center of the stage.

And when the light spots dissipated—the Summoner's Cup stood impressively in the center of the stage!

The theme song of this year, "Star Walkin'," played simultaneously, the impassioned drumbeats resonating like a heartbeat.

But just as everyone looked toward the end of the screen with anticipation, their vision went black!

The camera followed the singer Lil Nas X on the side of the stage.

A black man wearing a light girl-pink wig and a bizarre "magical girl" cosplay outfit appeared.

"This, this..." Ye Xiong, who was in the stands, had never seen such a spectacle and found it hard to accept for a moment.

"Oh, it's like this abroad, stay calm, stay calm~" Ye Ying, who surfed the internet a lot, was unfazed and even trendy enough to film this bizarre scene and send it to the group chat to share with her old friends.

And behind him, the majestic figure that appeared also seemed to echo him—that was the new hero 【Pride of Nazumah - K'Sante】 designed by Riot based on him.

This new hero had already been launched on the national server 2 days ago, and promoting it at the grand finals was also standard procedure.

Ye Bo heard that this was an ultimate "mechanic monster," but he had been preparing for the battle these past two days and had no time to study it.

Although the visual impact was intense for a moment.

However, as Riot's main business, every year's theme song can be considered a boutique.

Although Lil Nas X's styling was very abstract, as soon as the catchy accompaniment started, it immediately re-rendered the atmosphere of the whole venue, instantly bringing people into the main melody of the arena.

And every year's theme song seems to always be able to find a wonderful connection with the two final teams.

This year was no exception.

"They said I wouldn't make it out alive."

"That's why I gotta kill 'em every time."

"Gotta watch 'em bleed too."

When this melody appeared, Deft's figure also appeared simultaneously on the big screen at the scene.

Along with it were flashbacks of the years gone by.

Nine years of his career, as a member of Samsung Blue who debuted at his peak, he met his fellow origin Samsung White in the semifinals that year, and from then on, he never had even a single chance to get close to that trophy again.

For so many years, he has been constantly subjected to endless questioning, and these lyrics also seem to be telling his experience.

And as the notes gradually rose.

Another set of impassioned lyrics appeared, and the screen suddenly cut to scenes of Ye Bo's kills since his debut, as well as the roars and screams of commentators and onlookers.

"Why worship legends."

"When you know that you can join 'em."

"I'm headed to the stars, ready to go far."

Having walked to this point, Ye Bo had almost defeated every "legend" on the active competitive scene—in terms of facts, he no longer needed to worship anyone.

Without a doubt.

This grand final, for the ID 【YE】, was like the final test of a "carp leaping over the dragon gate."

With such a terrifying rookie-year performance, if he could receive the final certification of the Summoner's Rift, the ID YE would definitely be able to rank among historical discussions—and even be discussed as a legend himself.

As for the last part, especially for those who knew Ye Bo like his EDG teammates, it was simply like a tailor-made description.

Given his experiences and daily life.

He is absolutely worthy of "Life never ceases, moving forward never stops."

As the theme song reached its climax, the semi-transparent big screen in the center of the stage rose once again.

"I'm star walkin'!"

The major piano key at the end of the song maximized the epic feel, echoing in the ears of everyone in the venue.

The team logos of the sixteen teams mixed into a group in the air, a loud explosion sounded, and strong spotlights shone down on the steps.

The two sides of players, with the Summoner's Cup as the boundary, each occupied half of the screen!

The applause in the stands was continuous.

The bearded Western host immediately pulled his vocal cords to the max with full energy.

"Welcome to the 2022 League of Legends World Championship Finals!"

"After six weeks of duels, of the 24 teams that participated in the World Championship, only the final two teams of kings remain!"

"Next, let us first welcome the fourth-seed team that became the first in history to fight their way into the finals, a dark horse of the Canyon worthy of being recorded in the history books—DRX!"

The DRX players were highlighted by lights one by one, and as the host passed each person, he called out their ID in response.

"Top laner Kingen, jungler Pyosik, mid laner Zeka, and bot lane Deft and BeryL."

When it came to the bot lane duo, the cheers at the venue suddenly and noticeably rose, with audiences both domestic and abroad letting out an even higher level of support.

This was understandable; after all, the mid, top, and jungle of DRX were relatively unknown.

Deft, having had very few negative news stories over so many years, was considered one of the most pure players, attracting the love of many veteran players.

BeryL, meanwhile, gained favor through his raw skill and "contrast"; in three years of the World Championship, he had reached the final three times in a row, and his current record of one championship and one runner-up was enough to firmly sit at second in the history of the support position!

The host turned halfway around.

He took a deep breath before turning his microphone back on: "Next, let us invite the LPL Summer Split champions, the region's first seed, and the 2021 defending champions returning to this place—EDG!"

A noticeably higher volume of sound suddenly erupted at the venue.

"Top laner Flandre, jungler Jiejie, mid laner Ye."

The host was forced to stop when he reached this point.

The enthusiasm of the audience at the venue was simply beyond imagination, and the noise they created was deafening!

Ye Bo still faced the audience with a sunny smile, enthusiastically waving his hands toward all sides.

Having captured a large number of European and American viewers through his continuous brilliant performances in this World Championship, his popularity at this moment had already far exceeded that of the four teammates beside him, yet it only made people feel it was well-deserved!

After the commotion in the arena gradually subsided, the host continued the introduction.

"Bot lane Viper and Meiko!"

"Will DRX continue the dark horse myth of the fourth seed! Or will EDG successfully defend their title and become the third team in the league's history to achieve the great feat of two championships!"

"Today at the Chase Center, in the place that just witnessed the birth of another legendary championship not long ago, we will witness the birth of this Canyon legend together!"

"Audience friends, see you on Summoner's Rift!"

The players from both sides looked at each other across the stage.

After nodding to each other, Meiko and Deft smiled slightly at one another.

And just as everyone sat back down at the player stations to prepare.

The large screen in the venue changed from dark to bright, playing the pre-match promotional video for this grand final.

"From the first day I stepped onto this path, standing on this stage has always been my ultimate dream," Deft's gentle voiceover began: "But for this path, I spent nine years."

"Never winning the World Championship is my regret, and it is also my ultimate goal."

The screen began to flash through scenes of Deft's career losses one after another.

The losses of the previous nine years all seemed to be paving the way for this step.

Until the final scene, which arrived at the moment EDG lifted the trophy in '21.

"As for Deft, I think he is a very all-around player; whatever his teammates need him to do, he can do it well," Meiko said with a smile on the screen.

But then the tone shifted: "But I hope he understands, we have to win. Because, right now, we are opponents."

The remote exchange between the two was finished.

As the background music gradually became more impassioned, the screen moved to a new chapter, seemingly brewing some kind of emotion.

The voiceovers of the Roaring Emperor and Guan Zeyuan appeared in turns.

{This is EDG's second journey to the peak, and it may also be the final battle of Deft's career, yet standing in front of him now is his old home, EDG.

{Deft's final battle, and also Ye's first battle.

{One & Only, it is the only one in this life, it is the only chosen one.

"On the edge of life and death, Deft used Zeri for four consecutive games to send his old home KT to end their S12 season! And they ultimately became the last winners to charge into the World Championship!"

"The shocking comeback from 0-2 down! The miracle of the Blue Dragon continues!"

"Trailing 1: again, but DRX still did not give up; Kingen and Zeka swept through the T1 formation! No one could stop the figures of Aatrox and Akali!"

The images of all the DRX members flashed by.

Everyone stared at the screen, and finally, their gazes returned to Deft, speaking in unison.

"The last dance, we will assist him."

The background tone became increasingly dramatic.

The narrator's voice rose again.

"EDG is unstoppable! The ownership of the Silver Dragon Cup is signaling the return of the legendary era! That black and white knight team that ruled the region is back!"

"T1's group stage dominance curse was broken by them! Past final opponents DK could not stop their manic offensive! Even if only one person appeared, it was like ten thousand horses and a thousand troops!"

"The LCK first seed had its soul stolen by Sylas and lost its luster, without a shred of ability to resist; EDG is about to kill its way back to the throne of the peak!"

The screen was suddenly pulled to a high-altitude overlook.

In the center of the Golden Gate Bridge, a landmark of San Francisco, stood several upright figures.

The faces of the four EDG members appeared in turns.

Although everyone's posture was plain, it brought a silent sense of oppression to everyone in front of the screen—because everyone was wearing a championship ring on their hand, symbolizing the ultimate glory.

However, immediately after, everyone in front of the screen let out a scream!

Because the screen came to the last person.

That person's hand was empty.

But at this moment, one person after another in front was walking toward him.

As each person reached him, they took off the ring on their own finger, stretched out their hands, and forcefully put them onto the four fingers of the person in the middle.

This scene had a lot of room for interpretation.

And when ten palms gathered in the air.

A pair of palms filled with four championship rings stood horizontally in mid-air, occupying the center of the screen.

【Damn, I'm actually a bit teary-eyed.】

【It's really quite moving, "We assist him" and "He assists us," the storytelling is maxed out!】

【The last dance and the opening dance, they are both worth it.】

【Cruelty makes it precious, One & Only, this is the theme that fits the series best!】

【I'm so afraid that at this moment the screen will flash, all the lights will disappear, and a slightly chubby figure will suddenly jump out from the corner, grab the Summoner's Cup, stuff it into a bag, and quickly leave the scene. After a while, the lighting will be restored, and everyone will look at each other in confusion. Then an official staff member will come up, sweating profusely, to notify everyone—due to force majeure, this year's World Championship trophy has been lost yet again!】

【Damn the guy above! I was just about to cry!】

【All encounters are reunions after a long separation, all results were destined in the future, a nine-year dance? A ten-year dance!】

The starting members of both teams appeared on the embankment of the Golden Gate Bridge, standing in confrontation from top to bottom.

"The stage for the final chapter has been set."

"Let's dance."

The unison ending note fell, and the screen went dark again.

The Chase Center, which had just quieted down for a moment, was once again filled with noise, which also meant that this final battle of the year had officially begun!

(End of chapter)