NOVEL NEXT Chapter 247: Match 4, Day 2
3 hours earlier, England obliterated Argentina in the most dominant performance of the World Cup so far, and now, it was China's turn.
[Location: Jade Phoenix Arena, Suzhou, China]
[Match 4 – Day 2]
[Fixture: Portugal vs China]
150,000 fans packed the stadium, roaring like dragons.
Like usual, the event started with the opening ceremony. And the star performer of the night was Jay Chou, a Chinese musical icon.
Jay Chou stood on a raised lotus platform as the arena transformed into an interactive digital pagoda.
With thunder rolling through holographic skies, he opened with a remixed orchestral version of "Fearless," merging ancient guzheng melodies with trap beats and electric violin.
When the beat dropped, dragons of light spiraled through the night sky and real flames erupted behind the stage.
"On this stage, we meet the thunder of tomorrow… and the rain of yesterday!"
And just like that, the arena dimmed.
The players entered.
The war began.
[LOADING…]
[FIRST ROUND: INDIVIDUAL BATTLE]
[China – Autumn Rain (Blademaster) vs Portugal – Estrella (Spellblade)]
[Map: Halls of Falling Leaves – A courtyard under a thousand golden trees. Wind constantly shifts fallen leaves and vision.]
As soon as Autumn Rain entered the arena…
BOOM!
The Jade Phoenix Arena in Suzhou, China, exploded, tens of thousands of fans screaming at the top of their lungs.
They loved him, and they rooted for him.
They wanted him to crush the Spellblade.
He was the biggest superstar of the World Cup.
Not just fans watched this game. Hidden among the audience were other superstars, pros, disguised, here to watch their greatest threat to winning the World Cup trophy in action.
Autumn Rain did not rush. He walked in slow, each footstep soundless. His sword, Crimson Petal, shimmered like brushed silk.
Estralla entered with composure, cloaked in arcane armor. Her Spellblade class was fierce, capable of both melee and magic fusion.
She struck first, "Arcblade Cascade", twin blades arcing out in glittering energy waves. But she hit nothing.
Autumn Rain vanished.
In a split second, he reappeared behind her, silent as the breeze, slashing once with "Falling Bloom Style". It was not a skill, it was a trick, a player-learned ability through practice and experience of the Blademaster class.
Three strikes landed before her guard even rose.
She parried on the fourth, but by then, she was bleeding, HP drained like a tap in those 3 devastating attacks.
Estrella fought hard, unleashing "Starflame Collapse", forcing Autumn Rain into retreat.
But Meng Wu Ya's calm never broke. He dashed past the starflames, his blade dissolving into eight afterimages mid-air.
"Falling Petals, Scattered Heart".
Another trick.
This time, she didn't survive it.
Her HP dropped to zero before the animation finished.
---<VICTORY>---
[China: 1 point]
[Portugal: 0 point]
For a few seconds, the stadium was silent, still stunned by the manner in which the Blademaster won, but then…
BOOM!
It exploded, Sword God chants filling the arena.
The second individual battle was between Sky Tyrant, Wei Long's Berserker Avatar and Portugal's Silva the Brave, a Paladin.
The map is Crimson Chainyard, a brutal pit arena filled with rusted chains and broken statues.
Silva was a fortress. A shielded wall, known for taking hits and outlasting even the fiercest players.
But Wei Long?
He was a storm in human form.
The battle began with Silva casting "Bastion of Saints", reducing damage taken.
Wei Long? He just smiled, slammed his weapon, Bloodcrescent, a twin axe greathammer into the ground, and roared.
His Berserker stacks increased.
He dashed in, crashing into Silva's shield with relentless fury. Every blow sparked light. Every strike threatened to crack eternity.
Silva countered with "Hammer of Reprieve", knocking Wei Long down.
The commentator ignited. "He's got him! He, wait, wait! He's…!"
It was too late.
Wei Long laughed mid-fall as his Avatar erupted in flames.
"Blood of Rebirth!"
A Berserker skill that trades 40% current HP for +60% damage and 20% lifesteal with each attack.
It sealed the Paladin's fate.
By the third blow after that move, Silva's HP bar was literally deleted.
---<VICTORY>---
[China: 2 points]
[Portugal: 0 point]
The third individual battle was between China's Inkshade, a Warlock, and Portugal's Mara Lune, a Necromancer.
The map is Graveglass Sanctum, an abandoned cathedral of crystal bones and moonlight fog.
The third battle was the spookiest.
Inkshade cast "Blinding Hexglyphs", trapping terrain with explosion triggers, while Mara summoned bone minions and Wraith Sisters.
They danced around death, two casters threading spell circles and curses.
But Inkshade had the upper hand, for a while. Against the run of play, one of the Wraith Sisters caught the Warlock offguard, silencing her long enough to end her HP before she could escape the Wraith's bind.
---<VICTORY>---
[China: 2 points]
[Portugal: 1 point]
An upset.
And just like that, China's hopes of getting a flawless victory like USA and England were destroyed.
The Chinese fans were irked, but they could do nothing about it.
The 3 vs 3 battle rush started.
Like expected, Meng Wu Ya led his team comprising Wei Long's Sky Tyrant and Inkshade into battle again.
As for team Portugal, Silva the Brave, the Paladin who was also the captain, led his team comprising Estrella and Mara Lune into battle.
The first clash was between the 2 captains.
Rematch.
This time, Silva prepared better, eager and ambitious enough to dream of revenge. He tanked hit after hit, controlling the arena with positional skills.
But Autumn Rain was timeless. The Blademaster moved like he was dancing, he struck like he was chopping wood; effortless, free as a bird.
Like a painter, he drew acres with his blade.
Even as Silva went defensive, Autumn Rain's precision outlasted him.
In the end, the Paladin died again, and it was not even close.
Autumn Rain had 62% HP left.
The second clash was between Autumn Rain and Mara Lune.
The moment she summoned undead wolves, Autumn Rain stepped backward, tilted his head, and unleashed "Crimson Waltz", a rotating chain attack that cleared minions in a flash.
Mara tried to chain cast, but Autumn Rain used "Petal Veil" to blink through her defenses and slash her from behind.
It seemed too easy for the Blademaster.
Once again, he won.
Autumn Rain went against Estrella next.
Exhausted and wounded, Meng Wu Ya stood tall.
Estrella knew this was her only chance. She cast "Stardust Reaper" immediately, a burst combo designed to finish weakened opponents.
But Autumn Rain parried the first three hits, rolled past the fourth, and activated "Echo Bloom".
He rewound 3 seconds of battle time, his HP restored to 37%.
With his SSS-Rank unique skill, Autumn Rain was a menace.
Just when the Spellblade thought she had him, he turned it around and with deadly precision, he ended the battle.
Estrella fell before she even knew he'd moved.
[China: 5 points]
[Portugal: 1 point]
China won the 3 vs 3 battle rush, but that was not the focal point. Just like Noah, Meng Wu Ya became only the 2nd player to complete a flawless 3v1 in the Warstar World Cup.
[LOADING…]
[THIRD ROUND: TEAM BATTLE]
[Map: Jadefire Vale – A floating forest battlefield lit by moonfire lantern, shifting bridges, and hidden sigils.]
Portugal actually stood a chance now.
Afterall, if they could lock in and play the game of their lives, turn the game on its head against the favourites and win, they would have orchestrated the biggest upset in Warstar history.
And yet, it didn't happen.
As soon as the battle started, Inkshade set the pace, warping terrain with cursed zones. Wei Long charged with devastating brute force, drawing agro.
Meng Wu Ya circled the flanks, never in the same place twice.
Portugal made one final stand, Silva and Estrella defending their Necromancer while she raised undead dragons. For a moment, the tide turned.
But Wei Long leapt into the dragon's mouth on purpose, and exploded from inside with "Berserker's Howl: Infernal Wake".
The shockwave knocked everyone down, a mistake against a team that lethal, precise, and technically sound.
They never stood a chance in the first place.
Meng Wu Ya swept in, leading his teammates. He was silent as snow, and struck the final blow on Mara.
A few minutes later, the team battle came to an end.
---<VICTORY>---
[China: 10 points]
[Portugal: 1 point]
The post-match scenes were crazy.
The Chinese crowd erupted. Fireworks. Cherry blossom petals rained from the sky. Meng Wu Ya bowed, hands calmly behind his back, face serene.
His fangirls loved that posture.
"Autumn Rain falls for none," the commentator raved like a fangirl.
Portugal's players, though beaten, clapped. They had witnessed something historic, and they respected their opponent's superiority.
'Better go all the way to win this thing'.