"Quickstep! Haha, you showed that guy! Let's see if he dares to challenge us again!"
The friends surrounded Quickstep, praising her generously. Her battle wasn't overly difficult. There was not much glory to be had. But if one asked Hotpot to name one member of GalanTen whom they disliked, it would definitely be Henragon. Thus, Quickstep's win could be seen as a way to vent their dissatisfaction.
"Well fought…"
Henragon turned out not to be a sore loser as he shook hands with Quickstep. Well, at least this was what everyone thought. Luckily, no one could read the chat in which SpireX urged Henragon to do so.
The two teams faced off again. GalanTen had a short discussion before offering something to Hotpot. They would forfeit the last battle if Hotpot agreed to wait until CUwUty's ultimate skill was off cooldown.
[Silver Blade: What should we do?]
[Quickstep: If we fight, we can't waste our own ultimate skills.]
[Cyclone: To be sure we can only let Mirage fight.]
Liam shrugged his shoulders. If CUwUty had her ultimate skill available, he might be interested. But against a handicapped opponent he didn't feel much excitement.
Yet the friends still put some importance on this match. It could be said that the entire server was paying attention. Winning this match was great for one's reputation. The fact that CUwUty had used her ultimate skill was Hotpot's advantage, something they shouldn't give up easily. Thus, Liam was persuaded by his friends to fight the battle.
After a minute Liam and CUwUty stood opposite each other on a sandy beach. The ocean waves flowed gently, carrying the fresh air onto the island. The countdown reached zero and the battle started.
Both fighters moved explosively. CUwUty waved her whip, sending sawblade-like flowers after Liam. The latter retreated but not without conjuring a shadowy figure which clung to the opponent's back. Liam delayed for a few seconds until the sawblades lost their momentum. Suddenly he disappeared, switching places with the shadowy figure.
Instantly the sand burst open, blasted in all directions. Vines erupted from the ground, trying to bind Liam.
But the veteran had already made his move. The sky turned black, and Liam fell out of the darkness like a nightmarish beast. He crashed into the ground, dealing damage and applying Dark Marks. His swords stabbed forward like poisonous snakes. CUwUty managed to dodge but Liam chased her without skipping a beat. A cross, white and black, cut through the air. The timing was perfect. CUwUty couldn't escape it.
From the start Liam put a lot of pressure on CUwUty. His movements were quick and precise, a feast for the audience. And yet he had to admit that CUwUty was a skilled opponent. At one point the tall wood elf even manged to bait Liam with the placement of her steps. Liam attacked confidently from the right, but CUwUty used a flash step to catch him off guard, striking Liam from the back.
Liam received some damage and CUwUty healed herself. It almost looked as if she had taken the upper hand. She chained her skills, trying to turn the pressure on Liam. However, CUwUty wasn't the only one proficient in flash step. Liam used the same move to avoid his opponent's web of whip shadows, taking back the initiative.
For a while it seemed as if CUwUty had a chance. Her performance made everyone recognize her skills. However, soon the situation turned. When Liam managed to stack five Dark Mars and triggered them, his opponent's resistances were shredded. His damage started to overwhelm CUwUty.
Liam increased his concentration by a notch. Each of his movements was with purpose, striking viciously. A few times he even dismissed dodging in favour of attacking. He was not afraid to trade injury for injury. This was the confidence coming from having more damage. And yet while doing so he was still able to judge his opponent's movements. He avoided every skill dealing wood damage as this would allow CUwUty to recover some HP.
CUwUty had never faced such an opponent before. It was as if Liam knew each of her skills better than her. He recognized skills, judged their danger, and reacted appropriately. It was as if the player she fought was controlled by C personally.
Liam's fans cheered excitedly. Many of them started following him after the federation tournament. Yet they were often disappointed as Liam seldom fought other players and even if he did, no one could bring out his full skills. But today CUwUty turned out to be a worthy opponent. Everyone could tell that Liam was taking the fight seriously, concentration radiating from his eyes.
There was no magical turnaround. Without her ultimate skill CUwUty was at a disadvantage from the start. Of course, Liam also didn't activate his own [Chaotic Tempest]. It was unnecessary. He suppressed his opponent and eventually reduced her HP to zero while still retaining half of his own HP, emerging as the obvious winner.
"The number one in the federation. You deserve your reputation."
CUwUty let out a sigh, followed by a bright smile. She graciously shook Liam's hand. As he wanted to pull back, she still held on, asking cutely:
"Would it be possible to get some private lessons from you? There are not many people who are able to teach me."
The words weren't transmitted to the audience, but they were able to watch the scene. Cyclone frowned. Why were those two holding hands for such a long time? She glanced towards Silver Blade but didn't notice a change in the tank's expression.
Liam was taken aback, hesitating for a moment before coming up with an answer.
"Ehm… sure. Let your mangers inform the guild and we can figure something out."
Afterwards Liam communicated with C and was sent out of the arena, escaping the awkward situation. CUwUty chuckled and left as well.
The crowd outside had already grown to its limits as C continued opening multiple instances. As soon as Liam appeared, deafening cheers erupted. The federation's number one player was a symbol of pride for the server. Finally, the fans were able to see him in action again. The battle did not disappoint. Ironically, despite losing to Liam, CUwUty's reputation had improved as well. Many people were amazed that their comparatively small server could produce such talented players.
Some people tried to speak some words of caution. Their own server was improving, but were others standing still? Who knew how much the likes of Apollo or Pride had improved since the last tournament.
Yet these people were drowned out by the excitement. Everyone stared at the front of the arena, where GalanTen and Hotpot gathered. Finally, it was time. The team battles were about to start.
There was not much left to discuss. Both teams knew the rules. Twenty players. Two teams. Best of three. Use of mounts permitted during the latter matches. Ultimate skills were not reset after a battle, which added a tactical layer.
This time Cyclone took the lead to create the match. Everyone joined and a few moments later they found themselves facing off in the arena.
"I hope you can keep up with us.", taunted Cyclone with a grin.
"You think too highly of yourselves. As if no one is able to catch up with you.", growled Henragon.
"Well, perhaps someone can. But it surely won't be you."
"Tsk. We will wipe the floor with you."
The trash talk continued for a bit, causing the atmosphere among the audience to boil. Finally, the battle commenced. The arena transformed. Terrifying heat assaulted the players as they found themselves amidst a lake of lava. Large rocks provided some solid ground to stand on. The two largest rocks accommodated one team each. The countdown reached zero and the match officially started.
Both teams took positions, their faces marred with frowns. The terrain disrupted their plans. The teams were separated by a thin stream of lava, which could be jumped across. But whoever did so would be open to attacks from their enemies. Who dared to make the first move?
The lava boiled, mirroring the atmosphere. A large bubble formed and suddenly burst. It was like a shot signalling the start of a race. Movement came in the players. Gege and Bloody Edge disappeared into stealth. Hotpot took a defensive position, which came as a surprise to many in the audience. However, the friends had already discussed it. Their goal was to gather information about their opponents. In the first battle win or lose were open to chance.
SpireX noticed his opponents' moves and was able to guess some of their thoughts. However, as the team issuing the challenge GalanTen couldn't cower, or their reputation would really go down the drain. They had to make their moves. It would be best to catch Hotpot off guard and secure a win in the first match.
"Menace!"
"On it, boss!"
Menace, a young human woman wearing robes reminiscent of a student of Svebrial Academy, waved the wand in her hand. The frightening heat instantly rose by another level.