Game Three ended, but the arena did not calm down.
It vibrated.
People were still standing. Some were crying openly. Some were laughing like they had survived something personal. The chant had not fully died, only fractured into smaller echoes that bounced between concrete and glass.
"Win!!! Win!! Win!!..."
Inside the Wings Gaming booth, no one spoke for several seconds.
XH rested his hands on his thighs, palms open, breathing slow, as if afraid that if he moved too fast the moment would shatter. His fingers were still trembling. Not from fear anymore, but from release.
NS leaned back in his chair and laughed softly. "That felt illegal."
JP wiped his face with his sleeve. "I couldn't hear myself think."
TZ looked at XH, eyes sharp with something like pride. "You didn't flinch."
HS adjusted his headset quietly. "They will ban Terrorblade."
Andrew, standing behind them, nodded. "Of course they will."
Across the arena, Bad Dragons were no longer smiling.
Their carry slammed his mouse down and stood up briefly, pacing behind his chair. Their coach leaned in, whispering urgently. They were not panicking, but the confidence they had carried into Game Three had cracked.
On the caster desk, Mr. Kim was still smiling, the kind of smile that came from witnessing belief turn into momentum.
"That," he said into the mic, "is what happens when a team refuses to accept the ending written for them."
Beside him, the Headmaster adjusted his tie and cleared his throat. "Engineering underestimated them."
Mr. Kim turned slightly. "You mean you underestimated them."
The Headmaster's lips pressed into a thin smile. He did not answer.
In the cheer section, Kitty finally exhaled. She had not realized she had been holding her breath until her chest ached. June stood beside her, cheeks wet, eyes still locked on the booth where XH sat.
Cherry whispered, "That was insane."
NC nodded. "He looked different."
Kitty did not look away. "He always does when it matters."
June wiped her face quickly, embarrassed by her tears but unwilling to regret them. "They can't lose now."
Kitty's voice was steady. "They won't."
Draft Phase: The Ban That Changes Everything
Game Four loomed like a judgment.
Bad Dragons did not hesitate.
Terrorblade was banned instantly.
The crowd reacted with a loud collective sound, half disappointment, half expectation.
Mr. Kim commented calmly. "As expected. Bad Dragons remove the threat."
The Headmaster nodded. "That is smart. Force adaptation."
Mr. Kim replied, "Adaptation is where Wings Gaming thrives."
Inside the booth, XH stared at the ban screen without reacting.
JP muttered, "There it is."
TZ cracked his knuckles. "They think they clipped his wings."
NS glanced at XH. "You good."
XH nodded. "I've got options."
Andrew leaned forward. "We pivot. Aggressive farming. Split pressure. We force Anti Mage timing."
JP raised an eyebrow. "Anti Mage into pressure comp."
Andrew nodded. "Exactly."
The pick locked in.
Anti Mage for XH.
A murmur rolled through the crowd.
Engineering fans smiled again.
Thoon laughed openly. "That hero needs time."
HTN added, "Time they won't get."
June's stomach twisted. "They're mocking him."
Kitty whispered, "Let them."
Wings Gaming continued drafting.
Shadow Fiend for NS.
The moment it locked in, something shifted.
Mr. Kim's voice lifted slightly. "That is bold."
The Headmaster leaned forward. "Shadow Fiend is feast or famine."
Mr. Kim smiled. "And NS has been hungry all tournament."
Bad Dragons drafted aggressively again, confident, suffocating, built to end games before Anti Mage could breathe.
When the draft ended, the tension in the arena thickened.
This game would not be forgiving.
Game Four Begins: Pressure Without Mercy
The horn sounded.
Bad Dragons moved immediately.
Rotations came early. Vision invaded deep. They hunted Anti Mage before he could settle into rhythm.
XH blinked away once. Twice. Barely escaped.
JP cursed softly. "They are everywhere."
NS focused mid, trading hits with precision, stacking souls carefully, quietly building power.
TZ disrupted side lanes, forcing reactions, buying seconds.
HS warded like his life depended on it.
But pressure mounted.
By minute ten, Bad Dragons had taken two outer Defense Towers.
The gold difference climbed.
The crowd leaned forward again, sensing momentum shift.
Mr. Kim tried to keep optimism alive. "Wings Gaming is bleeding, but Anti Mage scales."
The Headmaster replied calmly. "If he survives."
Kill score tilted.
Engineering fans began chanting again.
"Bad Dragons. Bad Dragons."
June's chest tightened. She clasped her hands together, fingers interlaced so tightly her knuckles turned pale.
Kitty noticed.
She said nothing.
She simply shifted closer, letting her shoulder touch June's lightly, grounding her.
Bad Dragons forced a fight near the river.
They caught JP.
Then HS.
TZ barely escaped.
The kill score flashed brighter, crueler.
Mr. Kim's voice lowered. "This is dangerous."
The Headmaster nodded. "This is reality."
Inside the booth, XH stayed silent, farming where he could, dodging where he must, counting seconds, calculating risk.
NS's Shadow Fiend was quietly becoming something terrifying.
Stacks built.
Souls accumulated.
He said nothing, but his posture changed.
Andrew noticed. "NS is ready."
NS responded simply. "Wait."
The Moment Before Collapse
At twenty minutes, Bad Dragons grouped for what looked like the deciding push.
They marched toward the high ground with confidence sharpened by advantage.
Engineering fans stood again, phones raised.
June's breath hitched.
Her vision blurred at the edges.
She did not want to cry again.
But fear does not ask permission.
She bowed her head slightly, hands clasped, lips moving in a prayer she had not spoken since childhood.
"Please," she whispered. "Please win."
Beside her, Kitty closed her eyes for a brief second.
Not in prayer.
In belief.
Inside the booth, NS glanced up.
Just for a moment.
Through the glass, through the chaos, he saw Kitty.
Not cheering.
Not shouting.
Just standing still, eyes closed, hands folded like the world depended on it.
Something tightened in his chest.
He exhaled slowly.
Then he spoke.
"Now."
Shadow Fiend Ascends
NS initiated with precision that silenced the arena.
Perfect positioning.
Perfect timing.
Shadow Fiend surged forward, spells landing clean, devastating.
One enemy fell.
Then another.
The crowd gasped.
Mr. Kim's voice jumped. "Shadow Fiend is tearing through them."
The Headmaster leaned closer. "Engineering needs to disengage."
But Bad Dragons did not.
They overcommitted.
NS moved like he was everywhere at once.
Abilities chained.
Cooldowns abused.
He outplayed one hero.
Then another.
Then another.
Bodies dropped.
The kill feed exploded.
Quadra Kill.
The arena lost control.
Students screamed.
Engineering fans went silent.
XH saw the opening.
Anti Mage blinked forward.
He did not hesitate.
He joined the chaos, blades flashing, mana draining, movement precise.
Together, Shadow Fiend and Anti Mage became a storm.
They chased.
They punished.
They did not let Bad Dragons breathe.
Another fight erupted near mid.
NS initiated again.
XH followed instantly.
Their coordination felt instinctive, unspoken.
Enemy heroes fell one by one.
The kill feed lit up again.
Team Wipe.
The arena erupted.
Mr. Kim was shouting now. "This is unbelievable. Wings Gaming has flipped the map."
The Headmaster's voice was strained. "Engineering miscalculated."
Mr. Kim replied sharply. "Engineering underestimated belief."
Wings Gaming did not celebrate.
They pushed.
Defense Towers fell.
Mid lane opened.
Bad Dragons respawned, desperate, disorganized.
They tried to defend the throne.
They failed.
NS and XH moved together.
Shadow Fiend cleared space.
Anti Mage shredded structures.
The throne's health dropped fast.
Engineering fans screamed in panic now.
The chant reversed.
"Win. Win. Win."
Kitty and June grabbed each other without thinking.
June laughed through tears. "They did it."
Kitty whispered, voice steady. "They are doing it."
The throne exploded.
WINGS GAMING WIN GAME FOUR.
The series was tied.
2 to 2.
Inside the booth, NS leaned back, breathing hard.
XH removed his headset slowly.
Their eyes met.
No words were needed.
They had shared the weight.
They had carried each other.
Outside, rain began tapping lightly against the arena windows.
Soft at first.
Almost unnoticed.
But steady.
And somewhere between the echoes of victory and the gathering storm, Wings Gaming prepared for the final game.
The one that would decide everything.