The clock crossed twenty-four minutes.
The number glowed in the corner of every screen, silent and merciless.
Twenty-four minutes was where hope usually died.
Not because the game said so, but because people did. Crowds decided what they believed in by then. Casters softened their voices. Analysts stopped talking about possibilities and started talking about inevitabilities.
Wings Gaming was supposed to be inevitable by now.
They were not.
Bad Dragons regrouped near the river, five heroes standing shoulder to shoulder like they owned the map. Anti-Mage blinked forward again, slashing illusions, forcing Wings Gaming to show themselves.
Invoker floated behind him, calm, calculating, undefeated in this tournament so far. Lion hovered near the back, finger twitching, ready to stun anyone who dared step too close.
The Headmaster's voice cut through the arena.
"This is where discipline closes games. Engineering will not hesitate."
Mr. Kim did not answer immediately.
His eyes were locked on the minimap.
"They are hesitating," he said finally. "They just do not know it yet."
Inside the booth, Wings Gaming could feel the pressure compressing inward.
JP's fingers hovered over his abilities, unused, waiting. TZ's leg bounced uncontrollably beneath the desk. NS leaned forward, elbows planted, eyes darting between cooldowns and creep waves.
XH sat still.
Too still.
His heartbeat was loud in his ears. Each thud echoed with a question he did not want to ask yet.
How much are you willing to lose?
Outside the booth, the girls felt it too.
June's chest tightened as she watched Anti-Mage shred another wave effortlessly.
"He's getting too big," she whispered.
Kitty nodded. "That's why they're not committing."
Thoon laughed from two rows back. "They're scared."
June turned slowly.
"No," she said. "They're thinking."
SRM scoffed. "Thinking does not kill towers."
Kitty's gaze never left the screen. "It does if you're patient enough."
Twenty-six minutes.
Bad Dragons smoked.
The map darkened.
The crowd leaned forward in unison.
Inside the booth, Andrew snapped his notebook shut.
"They're coming high ground," he said. "This is the test."
Wings Gaming retreated deeper into base formation. Towers stood like exhausted sentries, cracked but unbroken.
Invoker's spells flew first.
Chaos erupted.
TZ blinked forward, Black Hole ready, but hesitated.
Too early and they die.
Too late and they die anyway.
Anti-Mage blinked in aggressively, burning mana, daring them to respond.
NS inhaled sharply. "Now or never."
TZ pulled the trigger.
Black Hole caught three.
Not four.
Not enough.
The crowd gasped as Bad Dragons barely escaped full disaster. Lion stunned TZ the moment the spell ended. Anti-Mage re-engaged, slicing through Enigma's remaining health.
TZ fell.
The scoreboard ticked.
21–4.
The arena roared.
The Headmaster's voice sharpened. "There it is. The opening."
Mr. Kim clenched his jaw. "And the answer."
Wings Gaming pulled back again, battered but alive.
High ground still held.
Barely.
Inside the booth, silence fell.
No one spoke for several seconds.
JP broke it first. "We can't keep doing this."
NS nodded slowly. "They're learning our timing."
Andrew reopened his notebook, flipping to the last page.
"There's one line left," he said quietly.
XH looked at him.
Andrew met his gaze. "All-in."
The word hung between them.
Outside, June's breathing quickened. She did not know why, but something inside her screamed that the next few minutes would matter more than the last twenty-six.
Kitty felt it too. Her hands curled into fists.
Inside the booth, XH leaned back for the first time all game.
"All-in how," he asked.
Andrew turned the notebook so they could all see.
Numbers. Items. Gold values.
JP's eyes widened. "You're serious."
NS swallowed. "That's… everything."
TZ stared. "If we do that and fail, it's over."
Andrew nodded. "Yes."
Silence again.
XH closed his eyes.
Images flashed behind his lids. Not the game. Not the arena.
Kitty's calm gaze.
June's shaking hands.
The way both of them had believed without asking for proof.
He opened his eyes.
"How much gold do we need," he asked.
Andrew did the math. "Everything."
JP laughed once, short and humorless. "Figures."
NS straightened in his chair. "If we do this, we do it clean."
TZ nodded. "No hesitation."
XH's cursor hovered over his inventory.
Outside the booth, the crowd sensed something shifting.
Whispers spread.
"Why aren't they moving?"
"What are they waiting for?"
Mr. Kim leaned toward his mic. "This is where legends decide whether they want to be remembered."
The Headmaster scoffed lightly. "Or forgotten."
Bad Dragons grouped again.
Invoker stepped forward, confident.
Anti-Mage followed.
Lion lingered behind.
The push was coming.
Inside the booth, XH spoke quietly.
"Sell."
JP froze for half a second.
Then clicked.
Items vanished.
Gold transferred.
TZ sold next.
Then NS.
Then Andrew nodded at HS, who had been silent until now.
HS hesitated.
His hands shook.
"I'm in," he said, voice tight.
He sold everything but boots.
The gold pooled.
XH watched the number climb.
The audience gasped as the inventory icons disappeared one by one.
"What are they doing?" someone shouted.
June's heart pounded violently. "They're giving it all to him."
Kitty whispered, "They're trusting him."
XH bought the first item.
A Divine Rapier.
The crowd screamed.
Mr. Kim's voice rose. "That is an all-in item. If he dies, it drops. If the enemy picks it up, the game ends."
The Headmaster stood slowly. "Madness."
XH bought the second.
The third.
Three Divine Rapiers.
The arena lost control.
People stood. Shouted. Some covered their mouths. Others laughed hysterically.
"This is insane!"
"They're throwing!"
"They're gambling everything!"
Inside the booth, XH's hands felt light.
Too light.
JP leaned close. "If you fall…"
XH nodded. "I know."
NS placed a hand on XH's shoulder.
"We win together," he said. "Or we end it together."
Outside, June could not breathe.
Tears blurred her vision.
She pressed her palms together, whispering words she did not remember learning.
Kitty did not pray.
She stared at XH through the glass, unblinking.
Bad Dragons did not notice at first.
Then Anti-Mage paused.
Invoker's player leaned forward, eyes narrowing.
"Why is Sven glowing like that," someone muttered on the caster desk.
Mr. Kim's voice dropped to a whisper. "Because this is no longer a game about advantage."
The Headmaster's smile faded.
Inside the booth, JP hovered over his ultimate.
TZ adjusted his seat.
NS cracked his neck.
Andrew pointed at the minimap.
"Portal is ready," he said. "Bottom lane. Third tower."
XH gripped his mouse.
The rain outside the arena intensified, drumming against the roof, unheard by anyone inside.
June squeezed Kitty's hand.
Kitty squeezed back.
Inside the booth, XH spoke one last time before the move.
"If this works," he said quietly, "remember this moment."
NS nodded. "Already burned in."
The cursor moved.
Pit Lord's portal indicator appeared.
The countdown began.
And somewhere deep in the arena, every single person felt it.
The game was about to stop being fair.
And start being unforgettable.