[First Individual Battle: Stinger of War vs Charging Vale!]
The 11th season of the Pro Alliance was about to start.
And now, for its first battle, Stinger of War and Charging Vale were to clash in a blockbuster battle, making the hype of the first ga rise to the roof.
The Warstar Pro Alliance stage was set, the atmosphere charged with anticipation. The individual battles were crucial, each one worth a point, and the opening match was clearly going to be a clash of titans.
Caster, the promising young player now controlling the Battle God Avatar, Stinger of War. Vs Harvey, the seasoned captain of Lionheart Legacy, wielding his trusted battle companion, Charging Vale, a Paladin.
The arena map loaded.
[Arena Location: The Radiant Bastion!]
The Radiant Bastion, a battlefield designed for tactical skirmishes; open plazas flanked by narrow corridors, ideal for both spellcasters and tanky warriors.
And then, the countdown started.
3..., 2..., 1. Now!
Caster moved first.
While this ga ant a lot to a lot of fans, fans of the English eSports scene, it also ant a lot to the young controller, Caster.
Caster had a lot to prove this ga. Afterall, the task of filling the void left by Noah Harrington, the living legend was big boots to fill.
He wanted to prove to the whole world with his first ga in Cyber Squad and the Battle God Avatar that he was ready to take on the world, that he was ready to beco the new figurehead and main man of the Pro Alliance.
He wanted to prove that he was worthy of the Battle God.
Whoosh!
Stinger of War blurred into action, his combat robes flaring as arcane sigils ford at his fingertips.
A barrage of Aether lances materialized in the air as Caster activated a Combat Mage skill before hurtling toward Harvey like spectral javelins.
The experienced captain stood his ground.
His Paladin’s shield shone with divine radiance as he raised it, activating Blessing of the Sentinel, a defensive aura that fortified his resistance against magic.
The lances struck, flashes of blue light scattering across his armor, but the Paladin barely flinched.
"Classic Caster," the comntators noted. "He plays aggressive from the get-go, trying to establish tempo".
"Just like Lionheart’s style, the Knight charge style!"
Harvey was unshaken.
Amid the lance strikes, he charged forward, his longsword wreathed in golden flas.
{Radiant Slash=}
A crescent of divine energy erupted towards Stinger of War.
Caster smirked, weaving Warp Step, the Combat Mage teleportation spell as he vanished just before the attack connected.
He reappeared on a higher platform, already conjuring a new spell...
{Aether Chain=}
Golden chains of crackling arcane energy quickly shot toward Harvey, aiming to bind him in place.
Harvey did not evade. Instead, he slamd his sword into the ground, then...
KABOOM!
{Judgent Field=}
A holy shockwave pulsed outward, shattering the Aether Chains before they could wrap around him.
For a brief mont, behind his monitor, Caster’s smile faltered.
Harvey closed the distance in an instant. His blade ca down in a devastating Smite, forcing Caster to blink away at the last second.
The pressure was mounting.
The audience could tell, Harvey’s Paladin wasn’t just tanking, he was dictating the flow of the battle.
’Dammit!’ Caster raged in his mind.
’Even with Stinger of War, I’m not dominating?!’
’Unacceptable!’
Caster raged, but his mind was able to stay clear of distractions.
Afterall, his talent was not just for show. He earned Cyber Squad manager’s attention for a reason; he was a true professional player.
Despite how much he hated it and it wounded his pride, Caster switched tactics on the spot.
His hands moved in a blur, Arcane Resonance activated, another Combat Mage skill.
Stinger of War’s next spell ca instantly.
{Mana Surge=}
A burst of raw energy detonated around him, launching him back while sending shockwaves at Harvey.
Harvey held his ground.
That was his mistake.
A second spell was already woven, this ti an Awakened level Combat Mage skill...
{Aether Nova=}
BOOM!
An explosion of violet fire erupted from the ground, engulfing the Paladin in cascading flas.
For the first ti, Harvey took true damage.
His health bar flickered dangerously; he had lost 20% HP in a single exchange!
The crowd roared, hailing the Battle God.
Caster grinned. "I’ve got you".
Or so he thought.
...
Birmingham City, England...
In the room where Benjamin, Caleb, and Genevieve sat, focused on the television as they watched a familiar Avatar clash against a familiar rival, feeling lancholy and slight indignity, Benjamin realized it first.
"That bastard’s still got it!"
Genevieve sighed. "I hate sneaky players like him the most".
"It’s called experience". Caleb said with all seriousness. "It’s the only thing that can’t be quantitatively calculated in Warstar, and it’s the reason why Caster will lose in this battle".
...
"Battle God!" "Battle God!" "Battle God!"
It was a Cyber Squad ho ga, played in their ho stadium.
That was why as Caster started dominating, they roared, cheering on the Battle God at the top of their lungs.
None of them expected the situation to change suddenly though, not even Caster himself.
Caster used Aether Nova, an extrely powerful Awakened level Combat Mage skill that ate through Harvey’s HP, but Harvey expected it.
This was why as soon as Caster used it, he improvised, using the explosion of violet fire as a veil even as he took damage.
"...!" Caster realized it too late.
Through the flas, a golden glow pulsed.
Harvey activated Divine Aegis, an Awakened level Paladin skill, a powerful skill that granted temporary invulnerability buff.
Caster’s eyes widened. "No way".
Harvey’s figure rushed forward, shield leading, sword trailing with righteous fury as he slamd into the Combat Mage.
{Divine Thrust=}
An Awakened level offensive Paladin skill!
Caster was not the only one with offensive Awakened level skills.
Awakened level skills were all extrely hard and expensive to learn, this was because of the crazy effects and incredible damage that they could cause.
But in the pro scene, they’re not so prominent.
This is because the input required to use an Awakened level skill is always high, aning it is impractical to use it fluidly mid-fight. The ability to use an Awakened level skill mid-fight fluidly and smoothly is sothing that separates the God-level players from regular pro players.
Using an Awakened skill required crazy APM.
Caster did it with Aether Nova, proving his skill and APM. Harvey couldn’t do it, he was not young anymore, and so he improvised.
Using the flas of Caster’s skill as a veil, and hiding in it, he had the ti to rapidly type the input for 2 Awakened level Paladin skills.
BAM!
The paladin’s sword pierced through the flas and struck Stinger of War directly; a stunning blow!
Stinger of War’s HP experienced a drastic drop.
The entire arena gasped.
Caster was locked in place, temporarily immobilized.
Harvey did not hesitate. His sword glead once more, another Awakened level Paladin skill, then...
{Judgent Strike=}
KABOOM!
A pillar of holy light engulfed Stinger of War.
[HP: 0%]
------
The familiar victory screen appeared, then the referee’s voice bood.
"Winner of the first individual battle, Harvey!"
The away Lionheart Legacy fans exploded with cheers.
The cara panned to Cyber Squad’s bench. Isabella’s expression was grim, Chrollo crossed his arms. As for Caster, he shook his head, extrely disappointed, barely hiding the simring rage in his eyes.
On the comntators’ desk, the analysts broke it down.
"Caster had the tempo early on, but Harvey’s discipline and clutch decision-making won him the fight".
"This is why he’s the captain of Lionheart Legacy. He never panics".
With Lionheart Legacy leading 1-0, the stage was set for the next individual battle. Before that...
In Lionheart Legacy’s gaming booth, as soon as the cara panned away from them, Harvey focused on his teammates, a smirk on his face.
"Facing that bastard account is always a pain, but this ti, I finally found a weakness in it. The weakness is its controller!" He grinned.
"Caster, his situation is just like a smallti businessman who suddenly got a multi-million dollars deal".
"First, hell beco arrogant and conceited, feeling on top of the world".
"Then, he’ll beco desperate to perform and prove himself".
"Caster is now in that second phase. I’ve fought with him before, the boy is good but right now, he’s not in the best state of mind".
"He’s too eager to dominate, and too arrogant to play normally, only set on dominating just because he’s now controlling the Avatar called the Battle God".
Harvey smiled coldly. "He’s underestimating the ga".
"This is his weakness, and we’ll take advantage of it".
"I believe Caster is a ntally resilient boy. With ti, he’ll realize this weakness and adjusts as he suffers more defeat but today, let’s take advantage of it and win against Cyber Squad".
"Yes captain!"
On the bench, as the 2nd Cyber Squad player stepped up, Caster simred in rage, never taking his eyes off the opposition player booth.
’How? Just how?!’
’How did I lose with Stinger of War?!’
’He definitely cheated, right!’
’Yes, he cheated!’
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