Reincarnated Avatar; I got 2 SSS-Rank Unique Skills
Chapter 165 - 4 months

Chapter 165: 4 months

[Promotion Tournament:]

[Final:]

[Iron Dominion vs Echelon]

>Date: Sunday, 5:00pm<

After the semifinal game on Thursday, Nightshroud brutally eliminated from the tournament by Echelon, the final matchup was set.

From the 300+ teams that registered for the Promotion Tournament this year, only 2 were left standing, the best of the best.

Echelon’s victory over Nightshroud created a storm in the eSport community in England. Echelon was not just any club; it was a club led by God Noah.

...The Battle God.

The Battle God title was more synonymous with Stinger of War, Noah’s first main Warstar Avatar rather than himself. But still, he was the one who controlled the Avatar, he created the account and forged the legend himself.

Last season, talks of him and his crew being too old for the pro scene were greatly exaggerated.

Now? Noah and his crew were determined to come out of retirement.

A lot more spectators were attracted to the tournament this year, and it was partly because of Echelon. Afterall, a lot of people wanted to see God Noah in action with his new Lord Doom Avatar.

Not just him. Before retirement, everyone of his cohort, from Aria to Genevieve were recognized superstars of the English Pro Alliance.

A lot of these people came to see them, not just to see them but to gauge them.

Did they really have what it takes to fight back from retirement?

Do they still have what it takes to take on the rigors of the Pro Alliance?

Afterall, Noah and his crew’s situation was not the first in the history of the English Pro Alliance.

They were not the first who retired a season prior and decided to come out of retirement. Rather, there were multiple scenarios preceding that, it was just that none of them never went quite well.

A whole season outside of the Pro Alliance has its way of affecting pro players, leaving them weary and less sharp.

Their combat instincts that had been honed through years become dulled.

This was why it was almost impossible for a retired pro player to revitalize his career. But Noah and his friends were different though.

They were not regular pro players of the English Pro Alliance. They were the best of the best, the cream of the crop.

So, if anyone could do it, coming out of retirement to thrive, it had to be them, right?

No one knew for certain.

And that was why so many fans followed the promotion tournament this year, focusing on Echelon games. Cyber Squad may be on not too familiar terms with their legend, but the club fans still spectated Noah and the others’ games.

The challenge in the promotion tournament could not compare to the best of the Pro Alliance, but still, it was a slightly accurate measure of skill.

And the result of the test?

So far, Echelon passed with flying colors. If anything, armed with SSS-Rank unique skills and weapons now, this cohort of pro players seemed even deadlier than ever before now.

When it came to Benjamin and Caleb, most especially Benjamin, the oldest of the cohort, it was clear that his APM was no longer as fast as his peak.

He was already in a period of sharp decline, but still, he was good.

Besides, with his SS-Rank unique skill, he was still a menace on the arena.

Watching them on the arena, it gave the fans who still clung to nostalgia hope. Maybe, just maybe they could actually pull it off.

Maybe they could win the Promotion Tournament after all.

And maybe, they still had 1 more season of the Pro Alliance in them.

None of them believed that this team of aging players had what it took to get to the World Championship though.

Echelon, Lord Doom especially may have caused a lot of storm in the 11th server and in the Heavenly Domain now, but to many fans in England’s eSports circles, there was a new King of England eSports now.

Lord Doom may be deadly, even more so with his SSS-Rank unique skills and weapon but to many, he was already dethroned.

Gabriel, Dain Ironvalor was the new King of England.

To them, he was their biggest chance of winning their first World Championship.

Despite this sentiment though, a lot of fans silently supported Echelon, wishing for them to win over Iron Dominion and secure the final spot to the English Pro Alliance for the next season.

After their semifinal game, they had 2 days before Sunday to prepare.

It was more than enough time to relax.

...

The air inside the Echelon club building was warm with quite energy.

Screens glowed with tactical replays from the semifinals, showing frame-by-frame breakdowns of Echelon’s dominance. But none of that mattered right now.

The five of them were gathered in the lounge; Aria, Benjamin, Caleb, and Genevieve, with a monitor connected to a Warstar console directly facing them.

They sat around a low table cluttered with empty cups and energy drink cans, the tension of battle giving way to reflection.

The walls were decorated with old photos, trophies from their past lives, memories of Cyber Squad, memories they had been forced to abandon.

Nightingale did a lot of interior decoration recently.

Aria leaned back with a rare smile on her face. "I still can’t believe that snake Shadeweaver fell for the oldest feint in the book".

Shadeweaver was Nightshroud’s captain, the only old player and veteran among the talented young players of the enigmatic team.

Benjamin grinned. "Don’t act like you weren’t bait. You were the bait".

"Shut it," Aria muttered, smirking anyway.

Caleb adjusted his glasses, deadpan. "Four months ago, we were jobless legends with burnt-out avatars. Now, we’re a game away from a pro comeback".

Remembering something, Benjamin grimaced. "I still remember when you guys came to find me the first time, you guys..."

"You were gambling". Genevieve looked at him in disdain.

"That, well," he coughed awkwardly.

Hearing them, Aria smirked. "I never thought I’ll come back from retirement". She leaned back on her chair with a wistful smile. "After those bastards pushed us to the wall, I got angry, and so I gave up".

"That’s why I started dating Gabriel". She said, suddenly blushing in shame.

"You know, I started dating him just to vent my anger at Gabriel".

The others silently stared at her.

"What? I was angry, everything happened because he and his team beat us in that final".

"You’re right". Caleb nodded seriously.

Aria looked at him. "You... ahh... nevermind". She stared at the wall.

Benjamin chuckled slightly, making Aria glare daggers at him.

Genevieve exhaled softly, folding her arms. "Feels like a dream honestly. But it still doesn’t feel... complete".

That’s when the doors opened.

Nightingale walked in; black overcoat, gloved hands, and the kind of aura that silenced every room he entered.

They looked at him with complicated expressions.

Nightingale..., well, he’s been their boss, their fixer, and their shadow. The one who refused to accept their forced exile, and the one who helped them rise again under new names, from the ashes of betrayal.

He looked at them each in turn, his eyes sharp beneath golden hair.

"You’ve done well," he said simply.

No one replied. The silence was too thick. There was something in his voice, a certain weight that was uncharacteristic of him.

The others perked up, looking at him.

Then, he finally said it. "I’ve made progress, about Noah’s body".

The room froze.

On the monitor, Lord Doom’s expression didn’t change having been listening in since, but the silence around him deepened.

Nightingale stepped forward and placed a tablet on the table.

A holographic image flared to life showing schematics, data strings, bio-readings, and encrypted logs.

"I tracked a series of off-grid lab transactions- private neural link experiments tied to the Warstar project, funded by the same shell corp that was part of the group pushing for Noah’s retirement in the media".

"Three months ago, I intercepted a security log from a facility east of New Avalon". He tapped a string of numbers. "It’s encrypted, but the code matches Noah’s last known neural ID".

Genevieve gasped.

Caleb muttered. "You mean..."

"Yeah," Nightingale confirmed. "They didn’t just shut him down, they kept him. His body’s still alive. Cryostasis". He sighed. "It’s possibly linked into a prototype AI-learning matrix. I don’t know why, not yet, but now I know where".

He turned to the monitor, looking at Lord Doom, eyes burning.

"I promised you I’d try my best, right?" He grinned.

"Well, now I swear to you, I’m going to get you out of that damn pod".

Noah’s voice came low, steady, like the calm before a supernova. Those close to him could tell that it hid complicated emotions though.

"Then we win the finals, without me". He said. "They won’t allow me to play in the finals without being physically present".

"So win it for me, and after that..."

He looked around, feeling slightly melancholic. "We find my body, and I return to the real world".

"Finally". He added.

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