The shockwaves from Dominion Order's victory didn't fade overnight. Across the globe, fans rewatched replays, slowed down clips of Vyr's flawless Benedetta dashes, Airi's bursting combo chains, and Raihan's miraculous repositioning and timing. Influencers flooded their feeds with frame-by-frame breakdowns. Pro analysts recalculated tier lists. Tournament predictors revised their bracket expectations. Opposing teams across regions didn't just notice—
they locked in.
Vyr, though, remained silent.
His mind was already elsewhere.
---
Inside the Room
AscendX's internal control room, once just a monitoring dashboard for performance and marketing KPIs, had become a war hub. Echo—his silent inner voice, now integrated into every layer of their system—flagged emergent risks: scrim spikes from rival teams, new hero pairings, aggressive early game data from previously defensive squads.
"Everyone's waking up now," Vyr muttered, scrolling through detailed post-match datasets. Red boxes flashed around names—Titan Forge, Wild Fang, Apex Blood, Runeveil—all showing massive surges in scrim wins, lane pressure efficiency, and draft flexibility.
"They're adapting," he said, turning to the squad. "We set the pace. Now they'll chase us down."
Zee leaned back in his chair, watching a screen scroll through global ban rates. "Lunox and Yu Zhong are being hard-banned now. Benedetta's already hitting 53% ban across four ranks."
Rakus tapped the side of his headset. "That's our top trio gone. Time to dive deep. Pull something weird. They won't expect it."
Airi cracked her knuckles. "Let them chase. Give me two days—I'll remaster another mid that breaks flow."
Raihan, ever the silent killer, raised an eyebrow. "And Cassian?"
Vyr didn't blink. "He'll come prepared. But so will I."
---
Elsewhere – Apex Blood's Bootcamp, Malaysia
The air was heavy with tension as their analysts scrubbed through Dominion Order's latest matches.
"They don't rotate like normal teams. They flow. It's like they're connected," said their captain.
Their coach nodded. "That's Echo. It's not just a support system—it's synchronized cognition. Like a hive mind."
"So we unplug the hive."
"We'll throw tempo traps. Overload their lanes. Force Vyr to split. Without cohesion, they're just five players."
---
Runeveil Headquarters, Poland
Darkened screens lit up with VOD footage.
Their EXP laner stared at Vyr's plays. "He's not trying to outplay. He's trying to control space. Every dash, every flank… he's building an arena for his team."
Their coach paused the screen. "He's not the carry. He's the stage manager. Remove the stage—collapse the play."
---
São Paulo – Wild Fang's Strategy Meeting
Laughter echoed as Airi's triple kill replayed for the tenth time.
"Okay, okay," their mage grinned. "She's cracked. Ban Lunox. I'm not taking that heat."
The coach scratched his chin. "Their synergy's too clean. Ban the glue, not the blades. Target the roles that create freedom."
"Vyr, then?"
"No," he said. "Raihan. And Zee. Shut down their ends. The sword falls apart if the handle snaps."
---
Back in Germany – Rooftop of the Hotel
Vyr stood atop the hotel's rooftop terrace, eyes tracing the glow of distant trains and moving headlights.
Echo surfaced, not as a sound, but as a thought, sharp and clear.
"We shook the tower. Now they'll rebuild it above us."
"Then we keep climbing," Vyr whispered.
Footsteps behind him. Airi stepped out, hair tied back, hoodie slung loose around her frame.
"You always think three steps ahead?" she asked.
"More, if I can," he replied, half-smiling.
She leaned on the railing beside him. "Just don't forget. You're not just the mind. You're part of the blade now."
He looked over the city one last time. Below them, screens glowed in scrim rooms across the globe. Coaches shouted. Players practiced. Drafts were theorycrafted.
Dominion Order had sent shockwaves.
The ocean now rippled with response.
The storm they awakened… was just the beginning.