The floors of all arenas transford into a rocky canyon big enough for thirty people to stand next to each other. Lights flashed and Libra Legion and Galavant appeared simultaneously.
Before the fight even began one could already draw conjectures just from the postures of both teams. While Libra Legion looked focused but confident, Galavant showed solemn expressions as if facing a great enemy.
The audience was mostly on Libra Legion's side, but one could also hear cheers for Galavant. Many players hoped to witness a story of the underdog overcoming all odds, clinging victory, sweeping away all obstacles, and finally creating a beautiful victory as they take ho the championship.
But Libra Legion was determined not to let this happen. They didn't underestimate their opponent, got into position, and the match officially started.
Liam and his friends were sitting close to the floor of their respective arena, analysing the match seriously although not without a certain bias.
“asured Might always starts with a boost for everyone. His buffs are quite strong.”
“Yes. He’s known to like the role of a supportive tank.”
“His skills are pretty good. The way he blocked those five… solid movent. Not letting one attack go through.”
“Wow, this must an sothing coming from you, Mirage.”, joked Balm.
“It’s not like I don’t know how to praise others.”
“Expert, what do you think about ThisFiend?”, asked Cyclone while pointing at a tall female mage with short hair and a ferocious face. The woman had just dodged an attack and was now retaliating with a rapid barrage of spells.
“She’s alright. Her flash step was not well executed. You could see it in her face that she didn’t co out at the spot she aid for.”
“You… saw that? Are you sure?”
“Of course. Look, now she struggles to get her skills past the opposing tank. If she would’ve gotten a better angle, the others would be scrambling to dodge now.”
When Liam spoke, everyone listened with at least half an ear, keeping everything in mind. Especially Silent Acacia was always interested in battle analysis. He nodded in agreent with Liam while giving his own opinion:
“Honestly, I’m surprised at how well Galavant are holding on. Their strategy seems to be to hold Conter in place while trying to quickly take out at least one of his teammates, which seems to work quite well.”
Liam nodded but then he had to chuckle:
“I agree that their idea is not bad, but Conter is quite insidious.”
The others were taken aback. Final Fend, who knew his distant cousin the best, asked sceptically:
“Hey, Mirage, are you insulting my cousin? I don’t think anyone would ever call Conter insidious…”
“But it’s true. Conter’s class is Bloody Blademancer. I know for a fact that he has been holding back one important skill. He might be reluctant but if the match goes on like that, he will be forced to use it.”
Liam’s friends were intrigued. Just as they wanted to inquire further, a change occurred in the battle. Conter, who had been suffering from multiple stuns and aggro-drawing skills, suddenly erupted with a nacing blood-red light.
Instantly his status was cleansed of all effects. He abruptly turned around and slamd his two-handed sabre at the empty air behind himself.
Simultaneously Libra Legion’s assassin Fresh Air appeared out of thin air, her daggers clamping down on the seemingly empty air like the teeth of a ferocious predator.
The audience gasped in shock when a body was revealed. It was the thief belonging to Galavant. Under the joint attack of Conter and Fresh Air the man had no chance to escape and died on the spot.
With the first enemy down the montum was clearly in Libra Legion's favour.
Liam nodded his head like an elder praising the younger generation:
“Good old battle lust. Conter tid his skill well. But from now on other teams will be prepared for it.”
“I really didn't expect my cousin to hide so patiently...”.
Final Fend sighed staring at Conter, feeling that the man had changed since they last t.
“The last ti we t Conter was more than twelve years ago. At that ti, he had just embarked on the path towards a pro player. It would be strange if he hadn't learned a lot over the years.”, analysed Silver Blade. While following the match she also started to think about Hotpot's tactics and realized that there really wasn't much to speak off.
So far Hotpot simply overwheld all their opponents with pure strength. But should they et similarly powerful enemies in the future, Hotpot might begin to struggle.
Silver Blade glanced towards Liam. But before she brought up the topic with him, another thought hit her.
He clearly said multiple tis that we shouldn't be too reliant on him. Why am I looking for his advice again? No, I should also take the role of a leader! I'll think of so tactics for future battles. If everything fails, we can still count on Liam then...
With those thoughts in mind Silver Blade focused back on the battle in the arena. She watched carefully, trying to rember all subtleties.
Silver Blade managed to spot so small details. For example, how Conter threatened Galavant's mages with his eyes but attacked their hunter instead.
Or how everyone on Libra Legion kept moving between attacks, making it easier to react to their opponent's moves.
While watching, Silver Blade also began to share her findings with her friends. Silent Acacia, Quickstep, and Liam were pleasantly surprised, adding their own opinions.
Thus, the group learned a lot just from watching Libra Legion. Although most of Hotpot's mbers had heard about these theories before, they never had to internalize them. Only now that they competed at the highest level did they reach a point where every small detail could make a difference.
Silver Blade was almost disappointed when the match ended. However, as the finale progressed, she got to learn from many other top teams. Especially the matches of Kings and Queens and Ouroboros were a joy to watch.
But even TCTT proved their skills, advancing to the next round without much trouble, very much to Silent Acacia's displeasure.
Finally, the twelfth match began, and Hotpot faced off against Semi-Immortal. This ti, Silver Blade suggested to take the lead, which was approved by her friends.
Semi-Immortal followed a similar philosophy as Force of Nature with only a single mage, one healer, and eight lee fighters. Their tactics were rather obvious, seeking to quickly overwhelm their opponent's lees.
Faced with such a simple tactic, Silver Blade easily ca up with an idea. She employed her [Aura of the Sloth] as a powerful counter. When the match began Semi-Immortal found it difficult to force Hotpot into a lee combat. Before the two teams clashed for the first ti, Hotpot's ranged players had already unleashed several skills.
Semi-Immortal were forced to waste their skills just to close the distance. Only after a while did they develop a resistance against Silver Blade's aura. The two teams could finally fight for real. But by then Semi-Immortal was already injured and coupled with Hotpot's overwhelming power, the group of friends easily erged victorious.
However, the fight sparked a small controversy as Semi-Immortal complained about the 'disgusting' skill in an interview after the fight, leading to a battle among the fans.
Hotpot noticed this as well, but they didn't pay much attention. It was more important to focus on the tournant. After four more battles the first round of the finale was completed and the final sixteen were determined.
“Who's our opponent?”, asked Cyclone, studying the tournant tree always floating in the air.
“It's The Charm?”
“Really?!”
Bloody Edge's eyes lit up as the image of eight gorgeous won floated in his mind. The thief couldn't wait for the fight.
“Hey Edge, don't get swayed by our opponents!”, warned Fortune giving him a side-eye.
“Right, focus on the fight!”
“You too, Shield!”, said Balm. Radiant Shield was confused, receiving flak without saying anything.
“How about focusing on the enemy's skills instead of their appearance?”, said Silver Blade, annoyed.
“Ok. The Charm is strong but among the top sixteen they are definitely placing towards the lower end.”
“I agree. Our opponents are the likes of Kings of Queens, Libra Legion, and Ouroboros.”
“We might et one of those in the final match...”
“Nice, I'm ready! This will be our chance to prove ourselves in front of the entire federation!”
The friends continued to discuss as the tournant went on. The subsequent matches proved their analysis correct. While Kings and Queens, Libra Legion, and Ouroboros advanced convincingly, Hotpot crushed The Charm in their match, continuing to show the deanour of a champion.
Soon, the top eight got revealed. The weaker teams were finally eliminated. Now each match was a fight between the top. The atmosphere boiled as the upcoming matches were revealed.
Ouroboros against Five Heavens. Libra Legion against TCTT. Dominant against High Reign. And... Hotpot against Kings and Queens!
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