As Zaboru picked Invoker, Sakaki almost groaned out loud. This was a brand-new hero—and not just any hero, but one that was notoriously complex. Invoker had a total of ten different spells, and none of them were directly available. Instead, every single ability had to be created manually through combinations of elental orbs. There were three core elents—Quas for Q, Wex for W, and Exort for E—and each spell required precise combinations. For example, "Sun Strike" needed Exort, Exort, Exort, while Tornado required Wex, Wex, Quas.
Just thinking about it was already exhausting.
This wasn't a hero you could just "play." This was a hero you had to master.
In the current DotA scene, there wasn't even a single player who could be considered truly good with Invoker. At best, so players were decent—they could cast a few spells, maybe pull off basic combos—but nothing close to real mastery. Most people avoided the hero entirely because of how punishing it was to make mistakes.
And now… their boss had just picked it.
Sakaki felt his confidence drop slightly. At first, he was skeptical. Was this really a good idea? Picking such a complicated hero in a casual match—even for soone skilled—could easily backfire.
But then… he paused.
He rembered exactly who was sitting next to him.
Zaboru Renkonan.
The sa person who always seed to be several steps ahead in everything he did.
Slowly, Sakaki swallowed his doubt.
"…Right," he muttered under his breath, a small grin forming.
If it was him… then maybe this wasn't a risky pick at all.
Rikki, who had finally cald down a bit, leaned back in his chair and glanced at Zaboru with curiosity. "Damn, boss… you picked Invoker? You can actually play him?" he asked, half-impressed and half-doubtful.
Zaboru only chuckled, giving a small nod. "Well… sort of. Let's see how it goes," he replied casually, as if he had just picked a normal hero instead of one of the hardest in the ga.
That answer didn't really reassure anyone—but at the sa ti, it was Zaboru.
And sohow, that alone made it feel fine.
A few seconds later, the draft phase ended and both teams were locked in.
Kumogi – Offlane: Clockwerk (initiator, strong zoning and pick-off potential)
Rikki – Carry: Yurnero (Juggernaut, high damage and scaling carry)
Sakaki – Support: Rylai (Crystal Maiden, mana sustain and crowd control)
Sawada – Semi Support: Slardar (stun, vision, and armor reduction utility)
Zaboru – Mid: Invoker (high skill ceiling, versatile spellcaster)
As for the enemy lineup, it was no less threatening.
Offlane – Bristleback (durable tank with strong sustained damage)
Carry – Mortred (Phantom Assassin, high burst and late-ga threat)
Support – Thrall Disruptor (teamfight control and catch potential)
Mid – Storm Spirit (high mobility and aggressive mid presence)
Semi Support – Centaur Warrunner (initiator with strong engage and durability)
Both compositions were solid.
One side relied on coordination and spell execution…
The other on raw durability and explosive engagents.
The match was about to begin.
Then the match began , as Rikki is playing safe in farm lane accompanied by Sakaki , and Sawada , Rikki skills are not bad he can last hit pretty well and the enemy bristleback are as usual being pushed , anwhile Sakaki just focusing stacking Jungle creep in jungle and Zaboru beside him smile "You playing well Sakaki-san" Sakaki only grinned.
anwhile, Sakaki glanced at Zaboru's monitor—and froze. His eyes widened. "W…what!?" he stamred, completely flabbergasted.
On Zaboru's screen, everything moved at an almost inhuman speed. The cara snapped from lane to lane in under a second—top, mid, jungle, bottom—never staying in one place for more than a heartbeat. It wasn't random; it was precise. Every flick had purpose.
He was checking allied HP bars, enemy positioning, rune tirs, jungle stacks—all at once.
Hotkeys clicked in rapid succession. Zaboru cycled through teammates instantly, issuing pings, reading movents, predicting rotations—then snapping back to mid lane just in ti to perfectly deny another creep from Storm Spirit.
Denied.
Denied again.
Perfect timing.
Storm Spirit couldn't even step forward without losing control of the lane.
At the sa ti, Zaboru's minimap awareness was terrifying. Before any enemy icon even fully appeared, his cara had already shifted there—like he knew it was coming.
"B-boss… what are you doing…? Why is your screen like that…?" Sakaki asked, voice shaky.
Zaboru casually chuckled, still playing without missing a single input. "Hmm? It's nothing special… just map awareness."
Another flick.
He stacks a jungle camp using Forge Spirit—while last-hitting mid.
Another flick.
He checks bottom—pings danger—then instantly returns mid to deny again.
Another flick.
He queues a future Sun Strike location—before the fight even starts.
Sakaki swallowed hard.
This wasn't normal.
This wasn't even "high skill."
This felt like watching soone play the entire map at once.
"…This is insane…" he whispered under his breath, realizing that what he was looking at wasn't just good gaplay—
It was complete control.
Zaboru completely dominated the mid lane, controlling every creep, every movent, every inch of space. Then, at around the 4-minute mark, an opportunity appeared—the enemy Bristleback was overextended.
Sawada noticed it instantly. "Got him!" he muttered, moving without hesitation. He charged forward and landed a clean stun with his Slardar , Sakaki also attack with his Crystal Maiden.
Rikki followed up imdiately, attacking and dealing damage despite still being low level. The coordination was fast, instinctive—but Bristleback was still incredibly tough.
Even under pressure, he managed to survive truly unfair tank hero.
With only a sliver of health left, he turned and ran back toward his tower.
"Retreat, retreat! At least he's forced back to base," Sawada called out, deciding not to overcommit.
Rikki groaned in frustration. "Damn it… that was almost first blood!"
But then—
Zaboru smiled.
Without saying anything, his fingers moved.
E.
E.
E.
Invoker's orbs aligned perfectly—Exort, Exort, Exort, and with a calm voice Zaboru cast "Sun Strike." What made it terrifying wasn't the spell itself, but the timing behind it. Zaboru didn't place it where Bristleback was—he placed it where Bristleback would be. There was no vision, no confirmation, just pure prediction. On the screen, the glowing marker appeared far ahead of the fleeing enemy, sothing that would look completely random to anyone else, but not to Zaboru. A second passed, and then—boom. The Sun Strike landed exactly on Bristleback's path with perfect accuracy, a direct hit that instantly dropped the enemy. "First Blood!" the announcer echoed across the screen.
For a brief mont, silence filled the room before it was broken by pure disbelief. The Bakudan Boys were completely stunned. Sakaki's eyes widened as he muttered, "Holy… s*it…" while Rikki leaned forward with his mouth slightly open. Kumogi forgot to even blink, and Sawada just stared at the screen, trying to process what he had just witnessed. That wasn't luck.
As the ga continued, Zaboru kept complete control over the mid lane, to the point that even the enemy Storm Spirit was visibly frustrated and forced to play defensively. Every attempt to contest the lane was shut down—denies were perfectly tid, harass was constant, and positioning left no room for mistakes. At the sa ti, Zaboru wasn't just focused on mid; he was optimizing everything. He utilized his Forge Spirit not only for lane pressure but also to stack jungle creeps efficiently, preparing resources for later phases of the ga without ever leaving mid unattended. His managent of Bottle and courier usage was equally precise—he rotated resources seamlessly, ensuring his mana and health were always replenished at the exact monts needed, never wasting a second of efficiency.
By the ti the ga reached the 10-minute mark, the difference was already overwhelming. Zaboru's Invoker had secured solid farm, gained a clear level advantage, and completed key items ahead of schedule. He already had his boots and Blink Dagger online, a timing that was both aggressive and perfectly calculated. With mobility unlocked and spell potential fully accessible, his presence on the map was no longer limited to mid—it beca a constant threat everywhere. Every lane now had to consider him, because at any mont, he could appear, control the fight, and dictate the outco before the enemy even had ti to react.
Then at the 10-minute mark, the enemy Storm Spirit started a rotation for a gank, and at the sa ti the enemy Centaur moved to the top lane to assist Bristleback, creating a very dangerous situation. The timing couldn't have been worse—Sakaki had just returned to base, leaving Rikki exposed, and Rikki, as usual, didn't want to play it safe and kept pushing a little too far. Seeing the minimap and realizing what was about to happen, Sakaki imdiately reacted even though he was still at base, groaning in frustration. "Damn it, Rikki, this is exactly why you need to be careful… don't be greedy!" he shouted, knowing that even a second of hesitation could turn this into a disaster. The pressure on the top lane suddenly spiked, with multiple enemy heroes collapsing at once, and without proper positioning, Rikki could easily be caught and killed before any proper response could arrive.
Rikki groaned, "Damn it! The mid is here… and Centaur too!" His voice cracked slightly as pressure mounted. Sawada, already nearby with his Slardar, moved instantly, preparing to stun and buy ti. "Do you have ultimate?" he asked quickly, eyes locked on the fight. Rikki clenched his teeth. "No, I'm missing a bit of mana… I used Healing Ward earlier!" he replied, frustration clear in his tone. At that exact mont, Storm Spirit zipped in with his ultimate, targeting Sawada to disrupt any setup, while Centaur activated his ultimate, boosting both himself and Bristleback to charge forward at terrifying speed. The collapse was clean, coordinated, and deadly—Rikki was about to get caught.
But before they could land the finishing blows, Zaboru was already there.
In a single blink—literally—he appeared at the perfect position, as if he had been waiting for this exact mont. Without hesitation, he unleashed Tornado, catching all three—Bristleback, Storm Spirit, and Centaur—in a clean lift. There was no panic, no delay, just pure execution. As they were suspended mid-air, Zaboru had already prepared the next step. The mont Tornado duration ended, EMP detonated at the exact timing, draining their mana completely before they could even react. It wasn't just fast—it was perfectly calculated down to the last fraction of a second.
At the sa ti, Zaboru quickly passed a charge of his Bottle to Rikki, restoring just enough mana. Rikki's eyes lit up instantly. "Nice one, boss! I have ultimate now!" he shouted, his earlier panic completely replaced with excitent. Sawada followed up imdiately, activating his ultimate to reduce Storm Spirit's armor, setting up the perfect kill window. Without wasting even a fra, Rikki activated Omnislash. With the creep wave already cleared by prior damage, his slashes bounced cleanly between Storm Spirit and Centaur, maximizing damage efficiency. Storm Spirit dropped first, unable to escape without mana, while Centaur took heavy follow-up damage.
Zaboru didn't stop there. He placed Ice Wall with perfect positioning, cutting off escape routes and slowing both Bristleback and Centaur significantly, then instantly followed with Cold Snap on Centaur, locking him into constant mini-stuns. Every hit from Sawada and Rikki triggered additional damage, and within seconds, Centaur fell as well. "Double kill!" echoed for Rikki, who was now fully back in control of the fight. anwhile, Bristleback tried to escape, running desperately toward his tower, relying on his natural tankiness.
Zaboru, however, had already done everything needed. His mana was nearly depleted, and without hesitation, he teleported back to base—perfect resource discipline, no greed, no wasted movent. On the front line, Sawada re-applied his ultimate on Bristleback and landed another stun, allowing Rikki to continue chasing. But as expected, Bristleback was still absurdly durable. Even after everything, he survived with a sliver of health, barely making it back toward his tower. Still, with Slardar's ultimate applied, his position was fully revealed on the map, turning his escape into nothing more than a delayed death sentence because Zaboru sun strike are there.
The enemy Bristleback was smart—he didn't run in a straight line. Instead, he moved unpredictably, zigzagging left and right, cutting up and down across the lane as if trying to confuse any incoming skill. It was clear he knew a Sun Strike might be coming, and he was doing everything he could to avoid it, refusing to follow any readable pattern. But Zaboru only chuckled softly, eyes locked on the minimap and the last known movent. "Heh… you're a thousand years too early," he muttered calmly. Then, without hesitation, he placed the Sun Strike—not where Bristleback had been, but at a calculated point that accounted for his erratic movent, factoring speed, hesitation, and likely pathing into a single prediction. Even as Bristleback kept moving chaotically, changing direction at the last second, the timing was already sealed. A brief pause—and then the beam struck exactly where he stepped next. Direct hit. No escape. Bristleback fell instantly, unable to outplay sothing that had already anticipated him. The Bakudan Boys could only stare in awe, completely speechless at what they had just witnessed.
The enemy Bristleback imdiately typed in all chat, clearly frustrated: "It's definitely cheat! How can your Sun Strike be so precise?!" The accusation hung there, raw and emotional, the kind of reaction that ca from soone who had just been completely outplayed and couldn't accept it. Zaboru only chuckled quietly, his fingers still resting calmly on the keyboard. "Hehehehe," he replied, not even bothering to defend himself, his tone almost playful rather than aggressive. Then, without missing a beat, he added a light jab, "Damn, calling cheat already?"
The Bakudan Boys, however, weren't about to let it slide. The mont the enemy started complaining, they jumped in, the chat instantly turning chaotic. Rikki leaned forward with a grin, typing quickly, "Your A*s was never safe from the start, man," clearly enjoying the mont. Sakaki followed up right after, unable to resist, "Your hero might be hard… just like your damn life," his earlier tension completely gone as he got swept into the energy of the match.
Zaboru just laughed, genuinely amused. For him, this wasn't just about winning—it was fun. The pressure, the reactions, even the trash talk—it all added to the experience. anwhile, on the other side, the enemy team grew quieter, their earlier confidence fading, replaced with frustration as they realized they weren't just losing the ga—they were being completely controlled by soone operating on a different level.
Throughout the ga, Zaboru showcased just how absurd his mastery over Invoker truly was. It wasn't just chanical skill—it was complete domination on both micro and macro levels. Every spell was executed with precision, every movent had purpose, and every decision felt one step ahead of the enemy. He wasn't simply playing mid; he was influencing the entire map at all tis. His Invoker constantly rotated between lanes, setting up kills, saving teammates at critical monts, and turning losing fights into winning ones through perfect spell combinations and positioning.
There were multiple monts where he effectively played 1 versus 5—not because he ignored his team, but because he controlled fights so decisively that it felt like the enemy was playing against him alone. Tornado into EMP into Ice Wall into Cold Snap, layered perfectly with zero hesitation, left enemies unable to react. At the sa ti, he never forgot his role as a support for his teams and as initiator as well, providing vision through smart positioning, setting up kills with flawless timing, and always enabling Rikki and Sawada to shine in fights. He didn't steal the ga from them—he elevated them.
By the end of the match, the scoreboard only told part of the story: 30 assists, 12 kills, and 0 deaths. But numbers couldn't fully capture it. Zaboru wasn't just dominating—he was orchestrating the entire ga like a conductor, making everything look effortless. For him, this wasn't even a challenge.
It was just another easy ga.
After the first match, Sakaki's eyes lit up as he leaned forward in excitent. "BOSS! That was so cool! I didn't even know Invoker could be that strong!" he said, still replaying the monts in his head. Rikki let out a small sigh, though there was clear respect in his tone. "That's because it's our boss using it. If it were soone else, they wouldn't even co close," he replied, shaking his head as he tried to process what he had just witnessed. Kumogi burst into laughter, clearly energized by the montum. "Alright, enough talking! Let's queue again. If we keep this up, we're farming wins tonight," he said, already reaching for his mouse with renewed enthusiasm. Sawada chuckled softly, a rare smile appearing on his usually calm face. "Yeah… it feels like we're about to go on a serious win streak. With this level of control, it's not even about luck anymore," he added, his voice steady but impressed. Even the usual tension between them faded, replaced by a shared excitent—they all knew they had just experienced sothing extraordinary, far beyond a normal match, and now they wanted more.
Zaboru chuckled and nodded. "Alright, let's go," he said casually, as he prepared to queue for another ga.
To be continue
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