Reincarnated Avatar; I got 2 SSS-Rank Unique Skills
Chapter 182 - 11th Final of the Warstar RPG Champions League; Phoenix Rising vs Scarlet Rose [2]

Chapter 182: 11th Final of the Warstar RPG Champions League; Phoenix Rising vs Scarlet Rose [2]

DING!

The first individual battle was force stopped.

For a few seconds in Wembley Stadium, a wave of discontent rose until the fans focused on the score line of the game that was indicated on the 3-way holographic screen.

[Dain Ironvalor – 42% HP]

[Crimson Saint – 43% HP]

---<VICTORY>---

Silence.

A deafening silence descended on Wembley Stadium, until it was broken by the loud sounds of Scarlet Rose fans expressing their shock and joy with an explosion of noise.

BOOM!

Wembley Stadium erupted.

Even as the Scarlet Rose fans exploded, going haywire in joy, the stunned commentators also chipped into the fray.

"Wow!"

"What a battle!"

"Jonathan has done the incredible! The Crimson Saint has toppled Dain Ironvalor’s reign of terror and invincibility that has spanned an incredible period of 2 years!"

"For the first time in 2 years, Dain Ironvalor loses a 1v1 battle in the individual battle round!"

"Leave the result for a moment, and let’s focus on the battle itself".

"Bonkers! No one saw this coming!"

"What a performance from the Crimson Saint!"

"He’s pulled off the impossible!"

The commentators raved about the incredible feat that Jonathan achieved by defeating Gabriel’s Dain Ironvalor, but even the commentators didn’t understand the full nuances of that duel.

Only the spectating pro players understood what truly happened, including Gabriel himself and for a moment, Gabriel could not help directing another glance at his enemy as his Avatar evaporated into motes of light.

This time, it was a glance filled with a lot of meaning, a guarded look.

For the first time in this final, Gabriel truly understood what was at stake. He always knew what was at stake, but he didn’t know how determined his opponents were in claiming the 2nd Warstar RPG trophy in their history till now.

Scarlet Rose was ready to go any length to win.

Jonathan would kill to get his goal!

Gabriel finally realized it.

And as he looked at the Paladin one last time, staring at his full plate armor, the vermillion cloak billowing in the wind behind him, he felt a chill crawl down his spine.

That duel... Gabriel never saw it coming but he understood how he lost.

He was the better Avatar in the duel. He had higher APM, his skill was fresh and tyrannical, while he had almost just as much experience playing Warstar in the pro scene as Jonathan.

And yet, what separated the 2 Avatars, helping the Crimson Saint claim victory was the deviousness of its controller.

Jonathan knew that his fingers were not young anymore. Compared to the regular Warstar player, his APM would be terrifyingly fast but Dain Ironvalor’s controller was no regular player.

He was a skilled, experienced pro player; currently the best in the English Pro Alliance and the frontrunner for the MVP award this season.

And so, from the very beginning, he never tried to compete with Gabriel through sheer skill or APM. Rather, tonight, he leaned more on his deviousness than ever before to win.

Jonathan was weaker. He knew it. Gabriel knew it too so automatically, Gabriel had a superiority complex in the build up to the clash.

That was the core element of Jonathan’s devious plan.

If Jonathan wanted, he could have actually challenged Gabriel to a stand still for some time though the better Paladin would have won eventually.

And yet, he didn’t do that.

Instead of pushing for the victory, Jonathan employed a reverse psychology tactic. He let Gabriel feel superior, he let him bask in the moment.

And by playing his normal style, turning the battle into a long, slow-burn grind and yet still intense, Jonathan allowed Gabriel to establish and solidigy his superiority in the duel.

When you feel superior in war, there’s no reason to think about any other thing or another strategy. Afterall, if it ain’t bad, don’t fix it.

And Gabriel genuinely believed that he was winning, including every mundane spectator, including even some pro players.

Only a select few managed to see through his devious trick. By making Gabriel feel superior, the Phoenix Rising captain became so engrossed in dealing the next damage again and again so fervently that he failed to keep track of his own HP.

It was a mundane mistake you’ll never expect from the MVP candidate this season, and yet with Jonathan’s manipulation, it happened.

On the defensive, Jonathan played a perfectly tidy game, constantly on the defensive, retreating while lashing out on the counterattack occasionally.

Every move he made seemed desperate but it was deliberate and planned, all done to lure Gabriel deeper into the deceit.

And so, even Gabriel failed to notice it till it was too late. It was when the countdown sounded, indicating that the 10 minutes allocated for the individual battle was over did he realize his mistake.

Gabriel felt indignant but he felt more intimidated. ’This old bastard...’

After the first individual battle, this is how the score line of the final looked like.

[Phoenix Rising: 0 point]

[Scarlet Rose: 1 point]

Scarlet Rose was leading.

To Scarlet Rose fans, this was the thing in the world and their reaction to the lead reflected their excitement.

It was not only the fans who celebrated the victory. In the red player booth, the Scarlet Rose players also celebrated their captain excitedly, revealing that even them never expected this result.

The game continued.

For the next individual battle, just like in the semifinal, Chris stepped up with his Paladin and in response, Phoenix Rising sent out one of their Elementalists.

It was a crazy battle.

The Scarlet Rose youngster was pushed to his limits by the skilled and experienced Elementalist, testing his credentials as Crimson Saint’s heir.

Chris rose up to the occasion spectacularly.

It took him 7 minutes, it cost him over 80% of his HP, and yet the Paladin managed to do the crazy in the 2nd individual battle after his captain did the impossible against Dain Ironvalor.

---<VICTORY>---

Chris won.

[Phoenix Rising: 0 point]

[Scarlet Rose: 2 points]

BOOM!

Wembley Stadium erupted for the second time in mere 10 minutes.

If the first victory triggered an explosion at this stadium, what the second victory triggered was a supernova.

Wembley Stadium turned upside down.

"My God!"

"What is this?"

"What are we seeing?"

"Scarlet Rose is leading the reigning champions by 2 points to 0!"

"Can they actually do it?"

"Can they create an upset?!"

"Two trophies are on the line tonight!"

"Can they go all the way and win the final?!"

The atmosphere in Wembley already changed.

If before among the Phoenix Rising fans there was an air of arrogant confidence, a feeling like the result of this game was already set in stone from the beginning. Now, that feeling was strangled to death, replaced by a dire feeling of sudden desperation.

For the first time, the Phoenix Rising fans faced the reality that they could actually go on and lose the game... lose this final.

It was a big shock.

And to them, losing was unacceptable!

And so, the Phoenix Rising fans made their voices heard, raising a flood of noise in this stadium in a sudden onslaught of support for their team. They were now desperate to win, to make a comeback, and so they roared.

The game continued.

For the 3rd individual battle, Phoenix Rising sent out their Combat Mage while Scarlet Rose sent out their Blademaster.

It was a harrowing clash of steel.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

It was an intense, fast paced duel.

Both Avatars and their controllers were even, both engaged in a brutal head to head duel. In the end, the duel lasted for just 2 minutes.

At the end of 2 minutes, a Combat Mage was left standing, bloodied, at red health, barely clinging to life. And yet, he was the last man standing.

The individual battle round finally came to an end and Phoenix Rising managed to get 1 point in the end to their opponents’ 2 points.

In this final, one thing was already clear, the progression and outcome of this game could not be predicted at all. It was an unpredictable game.

It was still just the first round of t6he final clash, and yet, it already created unforgettable spectacles for the viewing fans.

The individual battle came to an end with Scarlet Rose leading. And without hesitation, the game moved on to the next round.

[SECOND ROUND: 3 VS 3 BATTLE RUSH]

[CHOOSE YOUR CHAMPIONS!]

After the individual battle, Phoenix Rising was rattled. But they were a championship team, something as mundane as a setback would not derail their entire momentum.

And yet, Gabriel learned from his mistakes, learning to fear and respect this Scarlet Rose side and their determination to win.

For the 3 vs 3 battle rush, Gabriel concluded on a trio led by his Dain Ironvalor, accompanied by the Warlock and then the Elementalist.

This was a proven Phoenix Rising strategy. Dain Ironvalor to lead the charge; and when dead, the Warlock picks up the slack, bombarding the enemies with debuffs and curses that would make encountering an Elementalist a nightmare.

Fueled by the weakness induced by the Warlock’s curses and debuffs, the Elementalist ends up being an unstoppable wall that could not be breached.

As for Scarlet Rose? Jonathan led with his Crimson Saint, taking the young Paladin and his Gunner along.

The 3 vs 3 battle rush was going to be a battle to the death.

A bloodbath.