The King’s Avatar

Stolord, Cloud Piercer. 

Both characters moved swiftly. No delay, no hesitation, no conversation. The two looked like they weren't even thinking, putting all their focus into just moving their characters. 

Focus. Maximum speed. The two characters appeared in each other's sights after 16 seconds. 

Boom boom boom! 

Open fire! 

This was the maximum range of Stolord's Kaleidescope Parasol in gun form. At max range, the power of ranged attacks were limited. Thus, many ranged characters would not open fire as soon as they were within their attack range.

But Ye Xiu was up against Glory's number one long-range attacker, and still chose to use this exact method. 

Everyone thought that at this long range, Zhou Zekai wouldn't break a sweat dodging with Cloud Piercer. But at the same time, Cloud Piercer also raised his dual pistols, and flames licked both gun muzzles. 

Bang bang bang bang! 

Gunshots rang out like rain. 

Stolord's attack range was only a tiny bit longer than that of Cloud Piercer's. After all, the Launchers' super long attack range was from their skill "Artillery Mastery," and Stolord didn't possess this skill. The tiny range difference disappeared in the blink of an eye, and Zhou Zekai unexpectedly had Cloud Piercer to start attacking too.

At that moment, he was also at his character's maximum attack range. 

The two characters started from this longest range possible and followed up by just charging forward. Stolord, the character who showed his true power at close range, rushed forward. Cloud Piercer, the character whose true power was displayed at a distance, also unexpectedly rushed forward.

It felt like they were driving two race cars playing chicken: the rules were that whoever braked first would lose. 

This match was not a battle of skill. Or awareness. Or experience. 

This was a battle of fighting spirit!

To meet your enemy in a narrow alley and courageously advance without half a step backwards, that kind of fighting spirit!

Samsara needed to display this kind of spirit.

They put their best players in the group arena's first and second spots. Sun Xiang had already lost. At this time, if Zhou Zekai had even slightly hesitated or shown weakness, it would heavily impact on Samsara's morale and fighting spirit.

Therefore, Zhou Zekai decided to fight resolutely and decisively. He wanted the whole team to carry his fighting spirit. He wanted to take this match in one fell swoop.

What about on Demeter's side? 

Many people felt that it was not necessary for Ye Xiu to do this. 

Because if you sound your war-drums once, you will give your troops' courage. If you sound your war-drums twice, you will sap your troops' courage. If you sound your war-drums thrice, you will make your troops' courage disappear**. 

If Zhou Zekai was so intent on forcing a fight, shouldn't you just avoid him? Slow the pace of the match and bring it to a deadlock. Completely diffuse his attacking intentions. This would sap the wind right out of their sails. Without this fighting spirit, the weakness in Samsara's player order choice would be blasted wide open, and their group arena would fall into a deep disadvantage.

But the normally calm Ye Xiu did not choose to do this. He also seemed like he was in a hurry when he had Stolord charge out aggressively into the fray. 

The reason was actually very simple. It was only because his opponent was Zhou Zekai! 

Slow down the pace and bring it to a deadlock? 

In theory that sounded easy. But Zhou Zekai was the best of the best in Glory when it came to offensive play. If he chose to come at you like this, who dared claim they could slow down or stalemate him? 

Nobody dared. 

Therefore, Ye Xiu simply gave off a fighting spirit that didn't lose to Zhou Zekai's. He carried the same attitude and charged forward aggressively.

Even though the outcome of the match was already decided, Ye Xiu could at least make sure he didn't lose in spirit. Losing a character is fine, but he wouldn't lose in fighting spirit. If the so called "smart" way to play were ever to be countered by Zhou Zekai, then he would lose his character and seem to have a weaker spirit, which would be worse.

Ye Xiu's choice for a direct confrontation seemed obtuse and impulsive. But in reality, it was the most stable play available. 

Bang bang bang bang… 

Gunshots rang out endlessly. As Stolord got closer, the variety of attacks he could unleash became greater. Of all the low-level skills from the 24 classes, those that were in range were thrown out without pause. 

Shuriken!

A flick of his hand and the Ninja's flying projectile shot out.

Cloud Piercer's feet did not pause. His body simply tilted and the Shuriken grazed by his chest. His right arm was still raised up, and his Wildfire continued to spit flames. 

Bang bang. 

A bullet flew by. 

Stolord dodged to the side, avoiding the bullet and sending out a palm. 

Qi Bullet! 

This low level Qi Master skill was not instant, but the cast time was miniscule. Ye Xiu seized this small gap and had Stolord use Qi Bullet.

The concentrated qi went directly for Cloud Piercer's face. This move was very reminiscent of Fang Rui's dirty Qi Master playstyle; it was a trick he loved to use. Maybe it was because Fang Rui was part of Team Demeter, but Samsara seemed to have kept special attention to small tricks like these. Zhou Zekai seemingly didn't even acknowledge the Qi Bullet.

Cloud Piercer continued sprinting forward, and the qi was flung behind his head in an instant.

Hit!

There was no doubt it was a hit.

The qi hit Cloud Piercer's face and dispersed.

But so what?

It had zero effect on Cloud Piercer's posture. The obstruction of Zhou Zekai's field of view was minimized by him. During this moment of blindness, he used his memory of Stolord's position and his deductive skills to predict his position and never stopped attacking. He didn't give Ye Xiu any window of opportunity during this tiny moment.

Bang bang bang!

More bullets flew. Stolord looked like he was forced to dodge horizontally; his body was like a jumping salmon in mid-air, and the bullets whizzed past.

Zhou Zekai quickly readjusted. The gun muzzles realigned and quickly found the airborne Stolord.

Stolord went poof. A Shadow Clone!

Roundhouse Kick.

Cloud Piercer's leg flew out. At the same time, his arms crossed over and his pistols continued firing wildly: Random Firing!

Bullets sprayed out frantically in every direction. Ye Xiu used Shadow Clone Technique to get closer, but was immediately sent further again by the strong gale of bullets from Random Firing; but not before he sent out a flash of sword light and left a sword wound on Cloud Piercer.

Zhou Zekai couldn't care less. After he ascertained Stolord's position, he immediately concentrated Random Firing in that direction, and the attack's intensity immediately multiplied.

Shadow Steps!

Stolord had just given Cloud Piercer a cut and took advantage of this skill, and afterimages spread out. However, the Random Firing that was just concentrated spread out once again. The four Stolord afterimages were all hit. Zhou Zekai bluntly used this method to tell which of the four afterimages was real.

Collapsing Mountain!

It didn't matter which one was real or fake; Stolord had already jumped out with another skill.

Too close!

Zhou Zekai figured out the true body quickly, but of all the attacks Stolord sent his way, could not dodge this one.

Knee Strike!

In the end, Cloud Piercer managed to squeeze out this low level skill to compete with Collapsing Mountain. In terms of attack priority, Knee Strike could not compete with Collapsing Mountain. He still ended up receiving a chop to his face. Such a direct hit meant that the damage dealt was far more than that of Knee Strike too.

But Knee Strike had a very important skill: the character would gain Super Armor when using it. So even though Cloud Piercer received a square hit to his face, his posture did not move. In the next moment, the muzzles of his dual pistols were practically pressed against Stolord's head.

Bang bang bang bang...

Flames spurt out from the gun muzzles, and Stolord's head exploded in blood. But at the same time, sword light in the shape of a cross lit up Cloud Piercer's chest, and blood in the shape of a cross burst out.

The two characters moved away from each other. They had no choice: the momentum from being hit forced them back.

But the two characters were still attacking. As long as their opponent was within their attack range, they would not hesitate in the slightest.

Bullets continued to punch blood out of Stolord's body, and sword light continued to carve blood out of Cloud Piercer's body.

Besides blood there was only more blood. The blood flew out like rain...

When the rain stopped, Stolord fell. After all, he only started with 13% health.

Cloud Piercer remained standing, but he still had both guns trained on Stolord in his ending pose, as if Stolord would suddenly spring back up alive.

He lost 11% of his health.. He lost slightly less than Stolord, but this slight difference wasn't worth arguing over. It couldn't really prove if one of them played better.

Because it was really too short, too fast.

By 16 seconds, the characters met. 

By 26 seconds, the match was over. 

From the first shot that Stolord fired, to the moment he fell, the battle lasted no more than ten seconds. 

Ten seconds to decide victory!