Chapter Three: The Future Is Never Free

Crimson Tide banned Lin's three best heroes, then gave Tang Ce his signature Razor Beast. The casters called it a welcome ceremony. Livestream chat called for a ten-minute surrender. Coach Jiang chose Shadow Hound for Lin. The map loaded, and ten trees of light bloomed. Professional futures were noisier than scrims. Seven near-equal routes extended from Tang Ce, dividing anew at each junction. Lin forced himself to track only the brightest three. "Level two: possible blue start," he called. Chen Du invaded for vision. Crimson's support showed himself to drive Chen away, but the direction of his retreat brightened one thread beneath Tang. "Level three. Blue start, then my red."