NOVEL NEXT Chapter 248: Global reactions
The quarterfinal of the 2nd Warstar World Cup was an explosive one, even more incredible than the 1st World Cup in USA.
After such a breathtaking end to the quarterfinals, the Warstar community exploded with reactions, commentary, and anticipation across the globe. Not just players, both participants and non-participants, pundits, fans, literally everyone had something to say about the epic quarterfinals.
…
WARSTAR GLOBAL STUDIO (New York Broadcast)
Host: Eleanor Drake.
Panel: Marcus Wu (China), Nathan Wilder (UK), Gabriela Cruz (Portugal), Junpei Honda (Japan).
Eleanor Drake started the conversation.
"Ladies and gentlemen, what… a… quarterfinals! Every match had fireworks, but the defending champions China? They reminded the world exactly why they wear the crown".
Marcus Wu started the analytical breakdown, chipping into the conversation. "People keep trying to write off Meng Wu Ya as a relic of a golden era. But this man? He's the standard".
"His performance today wasn't just elite, it was transcendent. The way he manipulated that battlefield in the 3 vs 3 battle round was surgical".
Gabriela Cruz, representing Portugal, who was visibly emotional also chipped in. "We came prepared. We trained like monsters. But Autumn Rain… that monster, he plays in silence, and kills in poetry".
"I hate saying this, but we were outclassed".
"Japan's win over France was also incredible," Junpei Honda chipped in. "But watching China felt like watching art. I'm scared, but also inspired".
"If the quarterfinals are like this, I wonder how intense the semifinals will be".
Nathan Wilder finally chipped in. "All eyes on England now. At the beginning of the season, we all thought Phoenix Rising would be representing us again, but here we have Echelon. And they're absolutely killing it so far".
"I still think Lord Doom is saving something monstrous. Don't blink".
…
The social media reactions were extra crazy.
*#AutumnRain trending NO. 1 globally.
["He doesn't fight. He dances."] - @BladeGod.
["Bro casually rewound time and erased three avatars like they were bugs. Crazy!"] - @SummonKingCaleb.
*Clips of Wei Long's berserker explosion viral on TikTok.
["This man punched a dragon in the throat and exploded, wtf."]
*European fans in mourning after Portugal and France exit.
["It was supposed to be our era. Now it's their funeral."]
*Japan's Ghost of Tsushima gets standing ovations across Tokyo streets as avid Japanese fans celebrate their captain's brilliance on the big stage.
*Portugal memes flooding Twitter.
["We lost but we didn't get 6-0'd so technically we're better than Germany, Argentina, and France (OG emoji=)"]
There was also the post-match player reactions.
When Meng Wu Ya was successfully blocked by the media, he had a few words to say.
"This is only the wind before the storm. The rain has yet to fall".
Wei Long also had a few words to say alongside his captain.
"I'm not here to inherit a legacy. I'm here to burn my own into the sky". The unruly youngster said with a grin on his face.
Apart from the Chinese players, Portugal's Estrella also had a word or two for the media.
"I dodged death. He dodged me dodging death".
The exact identity of the 'He' she referred to became a mystery that triggered even more fan debates on social media.
After the game, Noah addressed his fans via stream.
"Told y'all," he said with a mischievous grin on his face. "The old men of China don't play like the rest of us. They play as if they've already won and are just painting the memory. Wait till they meet us".
Amid all the banter and explosive reactions, the official semifinal draw was finally announced.
"With the top 4 nations set, the semifinals of the Warstar RPG World Cup will take place in 2 days in Beijing and Hangzhou".
[SEMIFINAL FIXTURES:]
[Semifinal 1 – The Battle of Titans]
[England vs Japan]
[Venue: Imperial Flame Pavilion, Beijing]
[Time: 5:00PM CST]
The theme was…
["The Ghost versus the Godfather. Samurai steel against war-forged Aether."]
…
[Semifinal 2 – Legacy vs Rising Inferno]
[China vs USA]
[Venue: Skyward Colosseum, Hangzhou]
[Time: 8:30PM CST]
The theme was…
["The dynasty seeks a fifth star. The Americans want to steal their sky."]
The die was cast.
The wait time? 2 days.
And fans waited, while bantering, speculating, placing bets, all in anticipation of the epic semifinal battles that were promised in 2 days.
…
The night before the semifinal…
In a private compound on the outskirts of Beijing, reserved for the English Warstar Delegation.
The dusk hung heavy in the air like a velvet curtain drawn over Beijing's skyline, the city buzzing far beyond the secluded villa that housed the English National Team, the powerhouse led by Noah.
They had been silent most of the evening, not because they lacked words, but because they felt the weight of what lay ahead.
Inside a spacious lounge lit with low amber lights and lined with holographic battle replays, the atmosphere was dense with focus.
At the center of the room, a circular holomap projected the Imperial Flame Pavilion, the colossal arena chosen for tomorrow's battle. Every contour of the battlefield shimmered in red-orange hues.
Noah stood in front of the display, arms crossed, face more serious than usual.
"We're facing a team with surgical precision. This isn't a brute-force match, it's chess. And you're not just playing kings and queens...,"
"You're fighting samurai".
Benjamin stifled a laugh. Noah glared at him.
He pointed to the flickering silhouette of Japan's lineup, especially the glowing outline of Ghost of Tsushima, the Paladin Avatar of Japan's captain.
"The Ghost, my guess is he's going to try and isolate me, take the vanguard, and let the rest fold around him like a vice".
"But we don't play by the book," He tapped the table. "We burn it".
The tactical prep continued, Noah giving the opportunity for the others to make their opinions known.
Caleb, arms folded, zoomed in on replays of Japan's Thief and Elementalist, muttering about rotation patterns and cooldown delays.
Genevieve scribbled down new healing pattern sequences, adjusting for the possibility of Japan's disruption-style control.
Benjamin, of course, wore a banana-print shirt while sipping bubble tea and throwing out jokes that masked his genius.
Of course, Genevieve glared at him every single time.
Aria leaned against the wall, twirling her Warstar console card, blade-sharp gaze fixed on Ghost of Tsushima's animation replay.
"I want to PK him," she muttered, eyes blazing with competitive fire.
Noah, seated quietly, said little after his initial talk, but his expression was lethal serenity.
He studied frame data of the Ghost's shield counter and visual lag indicators from the Japan team's duels. Every second mattered.
After hours of prep, the team finally sat around the long dinner table, sharing a light meal.
Laugher echoed as Benjamin teased Aria's habit of rage-quitting practice duels, and Genevieve rolled her eyes after yet another "Lord Doom is secretly a robot" theory.
Even Nightingale cracked a smile when Caleb accused him of rehearsing his post-match press quotes in the shower.
"It's not about speeches," Nightingale replied with a smirk. "It's about ending theirs".
Later, Noah stood alone on the balcony, the Beijing night stretching endlessly before him. The stars hung heavy.
Aria joined him, leaning beside the railing.
"You ever think… it's all too much? Too big?"
Noah chuckled faintly. "Only when I forget why we're doing it".
"And why are we?"
Noah looked at her, then he smiled. "Because we're not done yet".
Behind them, the team laughed again. The lights from the villa spilled onto the patio, golden and warm.
Before they all retired for the night, Nightingale gathered them in the living room one last time.
"Tomorrow isn't about proving anything. You've already done that. It's about reminding the world that England is not just here to compete".
"We're here to win".
With that, they retired for the night.
As the team slipped into sleep, across the world, millions of fans waited with bated breaths.
For the warriors of England, it was the last calm before the Imperial Flame Pavilion erupted into a symphony of blades, lightning, willpower, and steel.