Chapter 45: Ling Kong’s Delay! The Male Widow! His Akshan Soars Through the Sky! [6.5K Words!]

“He’s swinging back again! From such a unique angle!”

“YE’s player shows remarkable mastery over Akshan’s E skill—clearly a lot of practice behind this. This must be EDG’s secret weapon!”

“The bottom lane was double-killed, yet Aphelios and Lulu still managed to soak tower shots, completely overturning the lane’s dynamics!”

“This impact is far more significant than a gank on the top lane with a teleporting Vladimir!”

The tense commentary booth erupted in sharp excitement the moment the kill landed.

Anyone watching would have thought this play impossible.

Yet Ye Bo exploited two cunning swing angles on Akshan’s grappling hook, striking twice with his crossbow to force the kill!

“Damn, Bo! So stylish!” Mekio burst out, exclaiming in national pride, “This champ is slick!”

“The enemy ADC must be stunned—I’m stunned too, haha,” Viper laughed in fluent Chinese.

Akshan’s E is notoriously difficult to execute, evident even to those unfamiliar with the champion.

Every wall in Summoner’s Rift has its own dedicated Akshan spot, where the length of the rope affects the angle and distance of the dash.

This is the second aspect where proficiency makes all the difference.

Just thinking about it, Ye Bo wondered how many days and nights old Deng Bo must have trained to reach such mastery without the Trial Grounds mode.

From another perspective… this also counts as investing gold in oneself.

Seems about right!

“Nice, nice, nice!” Top laner Jie Jie shouted with full enthusiasm.

“Sorry about this round—didn’t expect Leaguers to come so aggressively this early,” SaintGun sounded a bit guilty, lamenting an old teammate’s ruthless ambush.

“No worries, not your fault. It’s hero matchups,” Ye Bo comforted, “But it’s fine—our mid-jungle duo counters theirs too!”

“This round is on me and Jie Jie!”

Even though Iceborn Top counters Vladimir, his mechanics define him as a scaling champion with high mana demands early on—pressuring the lane but rarely securing kills.

Thus, this kill mainly granted Iceborn a laning advantage.

But the bottom lane kill was a different story.

After respawning, Aphelios and Lulu held the upper hand, and as long as neither made positioning errors, lane control had effectively reversed.

More crucially was the mid lane.

At four minutes and 4-0, Akshan’s combat prowess was terrifying.

Even if Sejuani wanted to help mid, he’d have to weigh the risk of being counter-killed. In a 2v2 mid-jungle duel, he stood no chance.

Angle was under immense pressure, even clearing minions felt nerve-wracking.

Akshan’s W grants stealth when hugging walls; even with true sight wards in both brush areas, they had to be wary of Akshan sneaking in for close range.

This forced Twisted Fate to hesitate using his Red Card for wave clear—he had to save W to quickly pull Yellow Card for escape if caught off guard.

This meant relying solely on basic attacks and Q to clear waves!

How fast could that be?

Meanwhile, Twisted Fate was locked in a tense mind game mid lane, unaware of two shadows moving swiftly toward their location…

“Akshan immediately bought Boots of Swiftness, activated W to approach the lane… but then turned into the river! What’s he up to?”

Xika watched Akshan’s movement. Although he reached the lane, he didn’t linger, instead diving straight into the river.

Troll followed closely behind—their intent was clear.

“How do they know where Sejuani is?” Sun Yalong of Banyun was about to ask, but then remembered the mark on Sejuani’s status bar.

“Oh right, the ‘Villain’ mark reveals footsteps! Sejuani’s mark hasn’t faded!”

“Whoa! The richest player is a cloud user—he wasn’t prepared!”

Akshan’s W skill, “Heroic Charge,” marks enemies who kill nearby allies as “Villains” for 60 seconds.

Most players think this skill merely allows reviving allies killed by the Villain.

But it also enables enemy tracking.

When Akshan reached mid lane, the detection range nearly covered both jungle camps, immediately revealing Sejuani’s position via the yellow trail on the ground.

Sofm wasn’t oblivious to this either.

Under normal circumstances, if Akshan went missing for long and bore the Villain mark himself, he’d be cautious.

But Akshan’s economy was so explosive he immediately bought Boots of Swiftness upon returning.

With “Relentless Hunter” stacked thrice and the W movement speed bonus toward Villains (+80), Akshan’s speed was absurdly high!

The enemy just killed their bottom lane and recalled—not expecting Akshan to reach the jungle so quickly for a chase.

“There! Jie Jie, it’s on you!”

Akshan smelled Sejuani near the three wolves, and together with Troll, dashed over the wall with explosive fruit.

Sejuani, just finishing the three wolves, jumped in fright!

Fortunately, Sofm had started the three wolves with an EQ over the wall, and the cooldown had refreshed. He decisively abandoned the camp and used EQ toward mid lane.

But an ice pillar suddenly erupted — bang! — knocking Sejuani out of the air and leaving him bruised.

Sejuani’s EQ combo can be interrupted mid-air by crowd control skills like Thresh’s Flay, but it requires near-perfect timing with a low success rate.

Too early, and it misses; too late, and you get controlled upon landing.

Troll was different.

Troll needed no reaction time—he just had to cast E after seeing Sejuani’s EQ, instantly placing the ice pillar in the path, naturally blocking him.

Akshan followed up with a basic attack to lock the target, then swung his short-range E in a half-circle, maximizing damage!

“Holy crap, that damage! Akshan bought Boots of Swiftness and still dishes out this much?”

Xika shouted in amazement.

“Akshan’s E at full charge does this much damage! A skill this hard to fully charge wouldn’t be played without it,” Sun Yalong began to show off his knowledge.

“This round’s for SaintGun’s revenge—you got the ice wall, I got the ice pillar!”

“You’re the only one who can block, huh!”

Twisted Fate wanted to help but seeing Sejuani blocked and doomed, quickly pushed the minion wave instead.

This set the stage for mid lane’s fate.

Because mid constantly feared Akshan’s ambush, the wave never pushed, allowing Akshan to seize this opportunity.

Akshan secured the kill, earning an extra 100 gold from the Villain mark.

He also took the lingering red buff.

“Done, done. Angela’s done for now, this might be his last push,” Xika boasted, patting his belly, “Akshan’s fat and flying high!”

“Hey! What’s he doing now?”

“Wha… what!?”

Akshan had no intention of leaving the jungle.

Ye Bo spotted Twisted Fate stepping outside the tower to breathe and push the wave.

He sidestepped behind the tower, adjusted his position, then fired a hook beneath the tower.

Only one angle was possible.

The shadow whistle rose again, passing through the narrow gap between the two mid towers.

With a perfect circular swing matching the tower’s firing arc, he bypassed it, taking only one tower shot!

Before landing, he unleashed four E shots, followed by a kick and AQQA combo.

Two triple-ring passives triggered instantly!

Angel was cautious, retreating immediately after pushing the wave. Regardless, the opponents couldn’t arrive in time.

He didn’t expect this…

That the enemy would brazenly fly out from behind him!

And only took one tower hit!

A few more tower hits, and Twisted Fate might have turned the tables with a counter-kill.

Twisted Fate tried to escape back to tower, but after the final E damage, his health was insufficient against a 6-0 Akshan.

Double kill.

Akshan’s score reached 6-0.

Such combined growth and economy in one player marked a turning point.

“Damn, ruthless! I love it!”

“Right? Whose tower is this? How can you play like this?”

“This champ in my grandpa’s hands feels different from any Akshan I’ve seen—so agile, like a spirit snake!”

“Your grandpa’s good then. Got it, YE fans are the ‘Calabash Brothers,’ huh?”

Angel: “Guys, no way I’m playing this round.”

“Last round Zoe’s MVP was stolen; now this 6-0 at five minutes? Black! Talk!”

Within a minute, the situation rapidly shifted.

WBG’s once-clear advantage suddenly felt like death was looming.

Their bottom lane advantage reversed; mid-jungle both fell, and the whole lower half of the map was lost.

Akshan’s true strengths unleashed!

At five minutes, holding mid and bottom dominance, EDG secured the dragon.

“This Akshan plays like Evelynn… basically a male Widowmaker!” Wang Duoduo remarked.

“Push the wave, then vanish from the map. When he disappears, all four lanes on WBG feel immense pressure!”

“If Rift Herald is secured, freeing mid lane, Akshan’s threat will multiply!”

Why did Ye Bo buy Boots of Swiftness so early?

Not just to chase Sejuani.

Akshan’s W stealth requires hugging walls continuously, with no more than two seconds away from a wall.

Thus, high movement speed is vital to maintain stealth crossing mid lane and river.

If stealth is maintained, control wards cannot detect Akshan’s movements.

Only true wards at key points can provide vision.

But one person can only place one true ward.

Mid lane, the map’s center, connects two jungle areas and both side lanes, with more than five critical entrances to guard.

Each time, you must guess!

More importantly, even if wards spot Akshan, he can just clear the wave and walk away with basic attacks—no major cost.

For WBG, each true ward costs 75 gold.

Early game, it’s impossible to carry multiple true wards constantly, replacing one after another.

Otherwise, just clearing wards alone would create a gold gap.

The biggest problem was Akshan’s early explosion, forcing Twisted Fate out of lane control and making ganks impossible—otherwise, with his ultimate support, they might have fought back.

WBG knew if they lost the jungle, a fully unleashed Akshan would be terrifying.

At seven minutes, Sofm had an idea.

“Akshan’s Flash syncs with yours, right? We need to catch him before the Rift Herald fight—that’s our chance.”

“Yeah, but Troll’s missing. Without Troll, I’ll Flash-Stun!” Angel replied.

“Troll should still be top,” Theshy had played Iceborn well, using lane advantage to distract Jie Jie.

“Then let’s go! No need to force kills, just blow the Flash!” Sofm headed mid.

EDG had Lulu; if Akshan had Flash at the eight-minute Rift Herald fight, killing him would be tough.

Without Flash or wall-dash, Sejuani could find a chance to Flash in with a devastating combo, supported by Iceborn and Miss Fortune’s double AoE ultimates—maybe turning the fight around!

Though Sofm was alone, his plan was clear.

Given their disadvantage, this was likely their best shot at winning the eight-minute fight.

Sejuani warded near the lane brush, confirming no vision, then EQ comboed over the wall to position and wait for cooldown.

“All set!”

Angel prepared.

Akshan kept a steady 700-yard distance from Twisted Fate, ensuring he couldn’t be hit by a Yellow Card immediately.

Ye Bo knew his advantage sufficed; now he needed to maintain pressure and intimidation, avoiding unnecessary risks.

Just as the wave neared its end…

Twisted Fate pretended to push normally.

He opened W to select a card.

When the first card spun to Red, he didn’t instantly cast, hesitating.

Ye Bo anticipated this, instantly sensing danger.

After a brief delay, Twisted Fate switched to Yellow Card.

Simultaneously, he flashed forward!

Sejuani emerged from the brush!

Yellow Card locked on midair.

Akshan seemed unable to save his Flash; otherwise, Sejuani would follow up with EQ combo, locking him down.

Anyone would expect this.

But Akshan had another trick against Twisted Fate.

Ye Bo’s “preparedness” wasn’t just keeping distance.

Twisted Fate’s W counts as a basic attack, with cast range and projectile speed equal to a normal attack.

Twisted Fate’s attack projectile speed is 1500 units—near the bottom tier in the league.

Akshan immediately fired his hook toward the wall behind him as Twisted Fate flashed.

The hook flew at 1500 units per second, swinging in a large arc back toward the tower.

The Yellow Card chased—chased—chased!

It felt like it was just an inch away—but never caught up!

“Vãi lồn!” Sofm cursed in Vietnamese, frustrated.

Akshan’s swing neared the tower; if the Yellow Card landed after he touched down, Twisted Fate wouldn’t have the Flash to escape again.

Sofm flashed in decisively, EQ combo to interrupt, ensuring the plan went ahead.

Ye Bo flashed into the tower for safety.

At equal speed, the Yellow Card struck.

“Damn! Flash to poke you!”

“No worries, you poke me, I poke back—just pressure!”

“But the Rift Herald fight’s coming—maybe there’s more to this! Watch out, Ye Wen!”

DeYunSe didn’t grasp Sofm’s true intent, thinking it was just desperation from constant jungle pressure.

At eight minutes.

“WBG won’t let the Rift Herald go; their comp’s strong here, but they must kill Akshan!” Sun Yalong analyzed.

“Hard to do. Akshan isn’t dumb—he just sticks near the ADC. With Lulu’s protection, how can he die?”

Xika rolled his eyes.

“But the bot lane gap’s small; WBG has combos—Iceborn’s terrain presence is strong!”

Everyone knew this fight was crucial.

If EDG used Rift Herald to break mid, WBG’s jungle would be lost, increasing gank pressure top and bot infinitely!

An Akshan who stealthily roams the jungle can’t be stopped even with ten true wards!

But EDG knew this fight wasn’t easy.

Not because Akshan lacked Flash.

Even with Flash, their AoE damage was limited in this terrain.

More importantly, Aphelios and Vladimir, their main carries, were weak here!

EDG’s comp wasn’t inferior—they just peaked differently.

Without Akshan’s advantage, they wouldn’t contest Rift Herald.

But if secured, the win would be nearly locked.

Ye Bo had a sudden inspiration—a move unused so far.

“Guys, no time to explain, I have an idea!”

“Wait, watch my position!”

“OK!”

At the Rift entrance, Ice Phoenix held favorable terrain as WBG searched for an engage.

Suddenly, Akshan fired his hook toward the dragon pit edge.

Then, he charged alone in a bizarre, aggressive style!

“Holy crap, he’s crazy?” Theshy shouted, fingers flying, “I’ll block for him!”

“No Flash!”

Iceborn placed a precise ice wall behind Akshan.

At the same moment, Sejuani and Titan acted in sync—one flashed in with Q, the other EQR combo directly!

They aimed to lock and kill Akshan before backup arrived.

“!?”

“??????”

Next moment, all eyes widened.

Akshan flashed midair before landing—a delayed hexflash mid-E!

E’s airborne charge allows a hexflash at the end, freezing the cast to relocate instantly.

Titan, Sejuani, Iceborn, Twisted Fate—all their crowd controls had obvious windups.

Ye Bo had ample reaction time.

There was no real danger!

Akshan flashed behind the wall as the ice wall appeared.

Titan’s anchor hooked the ice wall itself.

Sejuani’s EQR, forced out early, targeted the ground, splashing water everywhere.

No! This ultimate trapped both Sejuani and Titan inside!

Originally a trap for their own Miss Fortune and Iceborn, it became their grave!

“Gotcha!!!”

“Kill kill kill!”

Aphelios unleashed his ultimate; Vladimir spread blood tides forward; Akshan safely output behind the wall!

“Help, help!”

“Open the door! Open the door!”

“Sold out! Stop saving, just sell!”

WBG’s command descended into chaos.

Iceborn and Miss Fortune tried to ult for backup.

Troll seized the chance, flashing deep into the fight, shielding Iceborn from fire and interrupting ultimates!

“I held them!”

“Nice, Jie Jie!”

Though Troll died, his impact was crucial.

The trapped duo was instantly focused down.

Akshan refreshed his hook, killed Iceborn, and revived Troll.

The ice wall and ice pillar—Freljord’s crafted defenses—became Akshan’s best chase tools.

“What kind of play was that!” Sun Yalong slammed the table.

“WBG tries to run, but where? Akshan’s flying in the river!”

“Wow, this guy always has flashy tricks,” Xika shook his head grinning, “Such sick hook technique!”

“Game over! Miss Fortune and Twisted Fate can’t escape—Akshan kills Miss Fortune like squishing a chick, and Twisted Fate’s Yellow Card is just scratching!”

Sun Yalong declared the match’s fate: “WBG’s done for!”

A seemingly risky but perfectly controlled fishing play led to WBG losing both jungle and support first.

The ensuing team fight crushed all resistance, turning into a 1-for-5 victory.

Akshan’s continuously refreshed E led to a spectacular jungle adventure.

“Super three-dimensional mobility device!!!”

“I’m super! Shangguan Wan’er!”

“EDG’s mid lane brought an Indian player—his Akshan’s flying in the sky!”

“This Akshan’s E usage is a perfectionist’s dream!”

“Who’s flying on the zipline? Me!”

“Seriously, no one’s laughing at WBG’s suffocating coordination? Titan flashing to hook the ice wall? That’s godlike! Are you guys Yuyu now?”

EDG’s strategic goals were fully realized.

After taking the Rift, all five pushed mid tower, freeing Akshan completely.

Because WBG lost jungle control, their mid-jungle duo was utterly powerless, becoming a no-go zone.

EDG’s aggressive mid-jungle combo truly turned Akshan into a male Widowmaker—his intimidation grew even more terrifying!

Steadily advancing, they nearly suffocated the enemy’s breathing space.

At 20 minutes, the gold gap hit 8,000.

At 22 minutes, EDG took Baron, pressuring WBG’s inhibitors.

With solid triple carry play, Aphelios took over damage duties from Akshan, and Vladimir showed strong fighting power.

Their growth only solidified their advantage.

Damage numbers were on different levels.

At 26 minutes, EDG stormed forward, finally destroying the enemy’s Nexus with super minions pushing all lanes.