Reincarnated Avatar; I got 2 SSS-Rank Unique Skills
Chapter 224: Rivalry [16]

Chapter 224: Rivalry [16]

[English Pro Alliance League Table – Matchday 34]

1) Echelon – MP: 34; Points: 96

2) Scarlet Rose – MP: 34; Points: 93

3) Phoenix Rising – MP: 34; Points: 91

4) Cyber Squad – MP: 34; Points: 89

5) Juggernaut – MP: 34; Points: 80

By the end of matchday 34, the top 3 clubs in the English Pro Alliance table already crossed the 90-point tally, and the top 5 clubs already crossed the 80-point tally.

It was another new record in the English Pro Alliance.

It showed exactly what level the rivalry between the top clubs was able to ignite this season, showcasing peak Warstar to fans week in week out.

And now, it was Matchday 35.

The main event of matchday 35 was the blockbuster encounter between Scarlet Rose and Phoenix Rising.

After losing 10-0 against Echelon at the Stanford Bridge, Phoenix Rising became a changed club. Everything about them, their preparations towards games, their media approach, Gabriel changed everything.

And since then, Phoenix Rising returned to default settings.

They returned to being a force to be reckoned with.

Since that 10-0 loss, Phoenix Rising have not come close to losing a game, not even the game against Cyber Squad.

Though that came ended in a close 4-6 score line, there was never any point in the game when it felt like Phoenix Rising was at risk of losing control of the game. From beginning to the end, it was all in Gabriel’s control; the game followed the perfect script that he wrote.

Gabriel’s creed at this stage of the season was simple; zero risks.

He was pragmatic to the core, moving with ruthless decision making that made every game seem like a game of chess, rather than an RPG video game.

And he was the Chess Grandmaster pulling the strings.

And now, after tearing through Cyber Squad a few weeks ago, they faced a new challenge in Scarlet Rose at home.

...

England, Leeds, Crimson Arena.

[English Pro Alliance:]

[Matchday 35:]

[Scarlet Rose – Phoenix Rising]

[Venue: Crimson Arena]

Phoenix Rising’s team bus arrived in Leeds to much fanfare from fans of the Scarlet. Fans draped in scarlet robes and jerseys flooded the streets, booing, waving banners, and singing war chants as they escorted the opposition team bus into their city, leading them to the stadium.

The start of the game ended up being delayed a bit simply because so many Scarlet Rose fans flooded the streets, eager to escort the enemy team bus to their stadium while drowning them with hate chants that the bus took too much time on the road.

The traffic wardens overdid themselves this time or there would have been a stampede on the road due to the sheer population of fans flooding the streets.

And when the players entered the stadium, they sealed it, and then...

BOOM!

The chants, roars, and songs hit a crescendo.

"WE ARE... SCARLET ROSE...!"

"MATCHING TO... DOMINION...!"

When the Scarlet Rose anthem was played, the fans sang at the top of their lungs, literally bringing the roof of the stadium down with noise.

Being a Phoenix Rising player in this atmosphere was not an envious position at all. The Scarlet Rose fans held nothing back just to rattle their nerves.

Amid the noise though, stood Gabriel, a stoic expression planted on his face.

After that 10-0 loss, he was rarely expressive these days.

That trauma seemed to have ignited a part of this player that fans have never seen before, the serious, brutally determined Gabriel.

And in extension, it translated to the unstoppable Dain Ironvalor.

The players approached their respective player booths, and then, it started.

[LOADING...]

[FIRST ROUND: INDIVIDUAL BATTLE]

The first 2 players of the individual battle loaded into the stage.

For the visitors, Phoenix Rising, Dain Ironvalor entered the arena, left hand firmly holding his shield as his right hand wielded his lethal longsword.

As for who came out to face Dain Ironvalor?

Unlike what most Scarlet Rose fans expected and hoped for, Crimson Saint didn’t come out first, neither did Chris. Rather, it was the other, unassuming Paladin of the team that came out.

Jonathan decided to take the responsibility as captain and face Gabriel in battle. It was a rematch that fans have seen multiple times in the past few seasons of the English Pro Alliance, and yet, here it was again.

3..., 2..., 1!

FIGHT!

Both Paladins immediately exploded into action.

But Jonathan’s charge was just a feint. He pretended to rush forward before quickly turning around and tracking back, keeping his distance from Gabriel.

For a few seconds, the fans around the stadium were surprised and confused. But it took Gabriel only a second to understand what was happening.

The shameless streak in the old man struck again.

Jonathan literally did not care that he was in his home ground at this moment, in front of tens of thousands of his club’s supporters. He stuck to his shameless ways nonetheless, avoiding a frontal confrontation against Gabriel.

Instead, he decided to run, shamelessly.

He decided to run, bide his time, defend, and drag the battle out as long as possible in hopes of maybe stealing a decision win.

And if not, he would still be able to wear Gabriel’s patience thin.

The psychological warfare already started.

Gabriel groaned silently. He knew exactly what his opponent planned to do, but he could not avoid it. After all, Jonathan was just too good at what he did.

He may not be as good as trash talking as God Noah when Noah wanted, but in terms of shameless play, Jonathan took the trophy by a mile.

His Grind playstyle had been rated as the worst playstyle in the league for 10 straight seasons at this point, but it didn’t diminish Crimson Saint’s popularity in the slightest while he still controlled the God level Paladin Avatar.

Now, with a new Paladin Avatar, Jonathan stuck to his old ways.

In the end, the first individual battle lasted the full allocated 10 minutes.

Jonathan kited Gabriel till the last minute of the game, annoying the hell out of him. Somehow, Gabriel managed to remain calm at the end, not typing a single message in chat despite Jonathan’s constant provocation.

Behind his monitor though, his chest heaved up and down.

As soon as the battle ended, he briefly closed his eyes, calming his nerves at all the provocation since as the victory screen flashed.

---<VICTORY>---

[Scarlet Rose: 0 point]

[Phoenix Rising: 1 point]

Gabriel won, but at the expense of his mental sanity due to Jonathan’s shameless playstyle and provocation.

The second individual battle started, but Gabriel already gave up on it.

All he needed was that 1 point from the first individual battle.

The Scarlet Rose players kept on taunting him, asking for their best players, but Gabriel kept his teammates in check. He only sent reserve players to the 2nd and 3rd individual battle, explicitly directing them to avoid direct confrontation and drag the battle out as long as possible.

Gabriel wanted to give Jonathan a taste of his own medicine.

Fans were surprised, even the traveling away Phoenix Rising supporters. Their captain was not like this before, he had changed a lot.

Well, Gabriel’s plan worked. At the end of the individual battle, Jonathan’s face was left twitching behind his monitor as he stared at the screen.

"This bastard! You’ve got no respect for your seniors, huh?"

"The nerve to steal a strategy from my playbook!"

Well, Gabriel could not even hear him all the way from his player booth.

[Scarlet Rose: 2 points]

[Phoenix Rising: 1 point]

Scarlet Rose was leading now, but Jonathan didn’t feel like his team had the advantage at all. He could tell that he already fell into Gabriel’s tempo.

And so, to switch it up, Jonathan also gave up on the 3 vs 3 battle rush.

He could already tell that Gabriel intended to do to them what he did to Cyber Squad, saving their energy to push all in for the team battle.

And so, Jonathan also gave up on the 3 vs 3 battle rush, saving time to push all in for the team battle.

Jonathan was the one who first started the psychological ploy, intending to enter his opponent’s head, but unknown to him, Gabriel already entered his head. Gabriel predicted such a tactical reaction from Jonathan, which was the reason why he put his vice-captain in the 3 vs 3 battle rush, surprising Jonathan.

With their vice-captain leading the charge, Phoenix Rising got the momentum that they needed. They won the 3 vs 3 battle rush.

Jonathan snarled. "This bastard!"

[Scarlet Rose: 2 points]

[Phoenix Rising: 3 points]

And then, the epic team battle.

Both teams entered the arena with their best lineup.

No insidious strategies this time, the arena was too simple for big strategies.

No cunning, just pure, unadulterated Warstar battle.

BOOM!

It erupted.

The combo of Chris and Jonathan showed exactly what they were capable of, but Phoenix Rising’s all-out offensive team was literally indomitable.

With a stoic expression on his face throughout, Dain Ironvalor showed exactly what he was capable of when serious and in a high-stakes competition.

Gabriel completed a 3v1!

Such an iconic performance in the team battle shattered Scarlet Rose’s momentum, including their confidence.

Gabriel was already winning the psychological battle from the 3 vs 3 battle round, and with this epic performance, Scarlet Rose’s resistance crumbled completely.

Phoenix Rising won the battle at the Crimson Arena.

---<VICTORY>---

[Scarlet Rose: 2 points]

[Phoenix Rising: 8 points]

The score line told the truth of what happened on the pitch. Gabriel outthought Jonathan, outfought him.

He destroyed Scarlet Rose.

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