NOVEL NEXT Chapter 251: Road to champions [2]
Anthony Hales went wild immediately after the gong sounded.
"They've done it! Against all odds, England are headed to the Warstar World Cup Final for the first time in history!"
"Can we do it?!"
"Can we go all the way?"
"Who'll be our final opponents?"
Well, that question was to be answered tomorrow. Fans waited in anticipation, speculating while also endlessly discussing the result of today's game.
It was still a shocker that Japan didn't make it to the final of the 2nd edition of the Warstar World Cup.
The big question was, could USA pull off an upset too?
…
Time moved fast, and like an accelerated reality, it was D-day already.
[WARSTAR WORLD CUP SEMIFINAL]
[China vs USA]
[Venue: Dragon's Halo Arena, Shanghai]
The Dragon's Halo Arena, the colossal floating coliseum over Shanghai's skyline throbbed with unmatched intensity.
Crimson dragon banners fluttered like war standards, while thousands of American flags waved defiantly across the blue-lit away stands.
On one side stood the undisputed kings of Warstar, China, the reigning world champions.
On the other, USA, the fearless underdogs who were gradually establishing themselves as firm challengers, high-octane risk takers with a flair for unpredictability and the impossible.
They blitzed Germany to get to the semifinals, and here they were, facing the ultimate test in the reigning world champions.
The main commentator for the night, Yukio Ren started.
"Destiny stares down the barrel of rebellion. One team marches toward legacy. The other fights to defy it".
[LOADING…]
[FIRST ROUND: INDIVIDUAL BATTLE]
[China - Autumn Rain (Blademaster) vs USA – Robert Gunslinger (Launcher)]
[Arena: Cradle of Storms – A circular floating isle surrounded by perpetual typhoons.]
Like in most elite pro games, it was captain vs captain for the first individual battle round. The game that would set the tempo for the rest of the game.
Dallas's Robert Gunslinger hovered, lightning coiling around his Launcher-wielding arms like serpents. His smirk was pure American bravado.
Autumn Rain stood like a phantom beneath the storm, cloak swirling as though untouched by wind. His twin blades hummed in rhythm with the rain.
And it started.
BAM!
Robert Gunslinger hurled a Tri-Ring Cyclone Blast, creating a 3-layered artificial wind barrier, aiming to trap Autumn Rain.
But the Blademaster walked right through it using "Step of the Hollow Leaf", a self-created Blademaster trick that the best Blademaster in the world invented.
With it, he bypassed movement friction entirely.
No wasted motion. He was literally reading four moves ahead.
Gunslinger unleashed a Tempest Blast, a brutal zoning blast with razor winds and thunder spheres accompanying it.
Autumn Rain sheathed his swords. Then… Flashstep.
BZZZ!
He split into four afterimages.
Sparks flew. One slash grazed the Launcher's left arm as the Blademaster finally closed the distance. A second briefly shattered his Launcher.
It would take a few seconds for the weapon to self-repair.
The Launcher froze.
'Oh sh*t!'
It was too late.
Meng Wu Ya was not one to let up such a glorious opportunity that he painstakingly sought for himself.
{Silent Waltz: Final Autumn=}
An Awakened level Blademaster skill. The Blademaster was ruthless.
Eight strikes landed in under a second. Autumn Rain followed it up with a barrage of other attacks and skills, when Gunslinger finally repaired his Launcher.
But by then, it was already too late.
The HP difference was too vast now.
In the next 30 seconds, Autumn Rain hunted the Launcher like a war hound, and blitzed him to death.
Robert Gunslinger crashed into the platform.
---<VICTORY>---
[China: 1 point]
[USA: 0 point]
For the second individual battle round, China's infamous Berserker controller, Wei Long went up next against USA's Gunner.
It was one of the most violent matches in the tournament.
The Gunner's bullet-time reflexes versus Wei Long's unstoppable rage paved the way to one of the most exciting clashes of the World Cup.
He slowed Wei Long down, delayed his frenzy, but he couldn't stop it.
At Fury Level 3, Wei Long broke through the zone of fire and unleashed hell on his enemy.
{Crimson Spiral Reaping=}
An Awakened level attack Berserker skill; a spinning axe-combo that deals devastating damage in seconds.
The Berserker tore through the Gunner, literally.
The Gunner fell.
---<VICTORY>---
[China: 2 points]
[USA: 1 points]
For the first time all season, USA experienced the feeling of being the underdog, including the helplessness and despair that came with it.
For the third individual battle, China's Li Ying, their Elementalist controller went up against USA's Kimura Leiko, the Warlock- Black Requiem.
And this time, USA finally turned the tables.
Leiko summoned a Choral Doom Field, staggering Li Ying's mana rhythm. With her Void Familiars and Soul Hooks, she grounded the Elementalist completely.
["Don't underestimate a cursed melody."] She still had the time to type just before the Elementalist fell down dead.
---<VICTORY>---
[China: 2 points]
[USA: 1 point]
Game on. Or so USA thought.
The 3 vs 3 battle rush was fire.
Meng Wu Ya sat this one out. China's best player sat it out, but they still had a fearsome lineup of Wei Long, Jiang Shen, their Mechanic, and Li Ying, all core team China players.
USA's lineup comprised Dallas Rayne, the USA captain, Kimura Leiko, and Rico Deville, a Summoner.
It was chaos.
Dallas was young and prideful. And unlike Takehi who managed to recover from his defeat against Noah yesterday, Dallas never quite recovered after such a humiliating loss against Meng Wu Ya.
This was why he didn't anchor the 3 vs 3 battle rush.
Wei Long started and eliminated Rico Deville but was immediately collapsed on by Kimura Leiko, who used his legion of summons to nullify the Berserker's charge.
And then, Jiang Shen. He entered and turned the tide by deploying Autonomous Flame Turrets.
Li Ying followed up with a Midair Lightning Cage, obliterating his opponent in no time. It was a beef-filled and intense clash.
Robert Gunslinger, Dallas entered for USA next, but the young and usually boisterous captain now subdued failed to take down the Elementalist.
Li Ying won, and in extension… China won.
---<VICTORY>---
[China: 5 points]
[USA: 1 point]
Luckily, there was halftime after the 3 vs 3 battle rush, the much needed break for Dallas to retreat and get his head back in the game.
Dallas did just that before the team battle started.
[LOADING…]
[THIRD ROUND: TEAM BATTLE]
[Arena: Heaven's Cage – A floating arena split into moving platforms, chained by lightning, surrounded by mirrored skies.]
China's starting X comprised Meng Wu Ya's Blademaster, Wei Long's Berserker, Li Ying's Elementalist, Jiang Shen's Mechanic, and Xu Min, the Cleric. The subs were Zhao Lin and Hua Mei, a Hunter, and a Psychic.
USA's starting X comprised their captain, Dallas's Robert Gunslinger, Kimura Leiko's Warlock, Blake's Monk, Jayden's Elementalist, and Maria's Cleric. The substitutes were Rico's Summoner, and Jin Park's Knight.
The battle started.
For the first 2 minutes, it was mayhem.
USA opened aggressively, the Elementalist and a locked in Robert Gunslinger going on a rampage, laying down massive pressure the USA style.
Meng Wu Ya and Wei Long were pushed back.
That was until Xu Min used an Awakened level Cleric skill, dropping a full-field cleanse and stopping Kimura's AOE hex field.
By the 4th minute of the clash, Li Ying was isolated by Blake's chain-lock, and then eliminated. 5v4, advantage USA for a few seconds.
The Americans fought like their lives depended on it.
But the Chinese were steady, calm. Jiang Shen and Wei Long retaliated with a Mechanic-Berserker Sync Combo.
{Axe Protocol: Guillotine Drive=}
Blake's Monk was eliminated.
By the 7th minute of the clash, Kimura used her Wraith Puppet Chain to disable Jiang's turret network. Meanwhile, Meng Wu Ya dueled Robert Gunslinger in a stunning repeat of the initial clash, this time on a collapsing platform.
It was brutal and even more intense this time around.
By the 9th minute, it was a 3v3 on the battlefield.
China's Meng Wu Ya, Wei Long, and Xu Min taking on Robert Gunslinger, Jayden's Elementalist, and Kimura's Warlock.
Jayden hit Maelstrom Heart, knocking all three back.
Kumra activated Black Hymn Crescendo, a multi-layered fear hex, but Xu Min cast Divine Bell, negating it in full.
The Chinese Cleric always seemed one step ahead.
By then, the advantage was just barely enough, but that was all the maverick Blademaster needed to finish his work.
Meng Wu Ya killed off Jayden's Elementalist. Kimura trades blows with Xu Min, the Cleric just biding time.
Robert Gunslinger and Autumn Rain died off at some point during the epic duel, both taking each other out of the equation.
Now, it was up to their teammates.
The final decisive moments of this clash was between Wei Long's Bersekrer at 12% HP, and Kimura's Warlock at 17% HP.
The Warlock tried to kite.
The Berserker? Limping, injured, baited her to attack.
And then he threw his axe; not at her, but at his own position.
BOOM!
The knockback closed the gap between them.
["You can't run from a monster already bleeding."] Wei Long typed.
It was too late to react.
Final slam. Final roar.
BAM!
Then…
---<VICTORY>---
[China: 10 points]
[USA: 1 points]
"It's real!" The commentator screamed even as the stadium exploded. "China are going BACK to the FINAL!"
In a way, it felt like retribution.
Just after humiliating Germany in the quarterfinals, USA suffered their greatest defeat in the World Cup against the reigning champions, china.
And with that, the die was cast.
The World Cup final was set… England vs China, Lord Doom vs Autumn Rain, the Reigning Kings vs the Rising Gods.