Reincarnated Avatar; I got 2 SSS-Rank Unique Skills
Chapter 228: Matchday 38 [2]

Chapter 228: Matchday 38 [2]

Matchday 38 of the 12th season of the English Pro Alliance.

Just like it already started in Bristol City, in other parts of England, the 9 other stadiums hosting the final games of the season, their respective games also already started as the clubs dug in for one final show of the season.

And this time, the focus was in London... The Grid, Cyber Squad’s home stadium.

[English Pro Alliance:]

[Matchday 38:]

[Cyber Squad vs Pendragon Esports]

[Time: 6:00pm]

A day before D-day...

At Cyber Squad’s headquarters in East London, the atmosphere was eerily serene.

The halls glowed faintly with ambient blue light, curved screens playing muted matchday previews, and floor tiles lit up as players passed by, like walking through a motherboard.

Inside the team room, the air was crisp with artificial chill, the players bathed in a quiet hum of focus.

Caster, the team’s icy captain and Stinger of War’s controller stood at the window of the highest floor, staring out at the skyline. He didn’t speak much. This season, he rarely needed to.

On the couch, Mina, their lightning-fast Blademaster controller munched calmly on jelly beans, watching a stream of Pendragon’s previous matches in quadruple speed.

"Pendragon’s going for flash and flair again. Knight-themed drama queens, honestly," she muttered, grinning.

The assistant captain, Isabella, floated between screens and players like a ghost in the machine, repeating their motto softly.

"No tilt. No rush. Cold logic wins".

Cyber Squad weren’t title contenders this year, they had no hope of making it to 1st position to clinch the league title, and they already secured playoff qualification, which made this game more of a formality for them.

They shouldn’t take it serious, but still, they took it serious.

They did it for their fans.

They did it for glory.

A win today would cement how legendary of a season they had despite the fact that they won’t be winning the league title alongside it.

The objective was simple: Go out there, play, and win.

That evening, Pendragon’s team bus cruised into East London amid grey skies and colder stares. The vibe inside the vehicle was anything but relaxed.

The players were in full ceremonial attire; black and gold tracksuits embossed with the dragon insignia. Sir Percival, their outspoken captain muttered under his breath while clenching and unclenching his fists.

"They’re all tech and ice. No heart in that team, not since God Noah left. Caster may be good, but not as good as God Noah".

"We’ll show them real fire".

Their Paladin Controller, the iconic Saint Lance, let out a shaky breath, clearly tense.

Pendragon Esport was not really in the race for playoff qualification, but if they won today, they would stay ahead of their archrivals in mid table.

And to their fans, staying ahead of their rivals in the table at the end of the season meant the whole world.

As fans supporting a mid-table club, that was their aspiration.

And the outcome of Matchday 38 would determine if they were successful or not.

It was desperation. And they knew it.

...

The next day...

The Grid was unlike any other stadium in the league.

An architectural masterpiece, it looked less like a sports venue and more like a digital fortress.

The outer walls flickered with code, displaying real-time data: stats, the English Pro Alliance league table, heatmaps from previous matches.

When the players entered the tunnel, their bios and win rates scrolled across the LEDs like system diagnostics.

The stadium lights dimmed.

The announcer’s voice rang out like a sleek AI.

"It’s Matchday 38 of the English Pro Alliance, and here at the Grid, Cyber Squad will be taking on Pendragon Esports".

"As reported by our man behind the tech, all systems nominal".

As the Cyber Squad players emerged out of the tunnel, a chorus of fans in glowing visors and pulsing LED shirts began chanting in rhythm.

"ONE CODE! ONE SQUAD!"

"ONE CODE! ONE SQUAD!"

Their fans were the loudest, but that was not the most terrifying aspect by which they dwarfed all the efforts of the traveling away Pendragon supporters.

Rather, it was their synchronized, terrifyingly precise chants, creating a wave of light and sound that rippled across the stands like data being transmitted.

Then came Pendragon.

As the away team walked out, they were greeted with an ocean of icy silence. No booing. No jeering. Just... digital indifference.

It was as if the crowd had already processed them; analyzed, indexed, and deemed them not a threat.

It almost felt insulting.

Sir Percival looked up at the silent, blinking stadium banners.

"This place gives me the creeps," he muttered, unable to hold himself.

Cyber Squad’s players were already in position, standing like statues, unreadable, but full of unshakable resolve.

The match hadn’t started, but you could already feel it.

Pendragon was burning up, trying to believe.

Cyber Squad? They were frozen steel, shaken by nothing, instead already calculating their victory.

This wasn’t just a match.

It was logic versus legend, precision versus passion.

And the final system check was complete.

Let the game begin.

[LOADING...]

[FIRST ROUND: INDIVIDUAL BATTLE]

Just like expected, Caster took the stage with Stinger of War, representing Cyber Squad for the first individual battle.

As soon as the familiar and iconic Avatar appeared on the arena, The Grid exploded with noise.

BOOM!

"Stinger... of War!"

"Stinger... of War!" They sang.

They waited for Pendragon Esports to bring out their representative.

At first, Pendragon Esports’ captain wanted to play a pragmatic and exceedingly calculative game, trying his best to get a point in the individual battle round before exceeding their limits to claim the victory in the team battle.

But as soon as this guy arrived at The Grid, all his confidence and ambition evaporated like they were never there to begin with.

It didn’t take him too long.

He realized. ’We can’t win’.

This was why this captain scrapped his highly pragmatic strategy, deciding to enjoy himself instead as he came out with his Avatar to clash against the legendary Avatar, Stinger of War.

FIGHT!

The battle started.

It was a classic; Battle Mage vs Paladin.

As soon as Sir Percival decided to let go of all his ambitions and goals to simply enjoy himself, the shackles holding him back shattered, and this captain played his best game against Caster.

Due to the intensity of the duel between the two captain Avatars, for a moment, Cyber Squad fans felt like it was Dain Ironvalor on the arena and not Sir Percival.

Comparing any Paladin in the league to Dain Ironvalor, that was the biggest complement that a Paladin Avatar and its controller could get.

Sir Percival exceeded his limits, pushing Caster to the deep end, but in the end, sheer quality and skill prevailed.

Caster won, by a tinier margin than he imagined.

Sir Percival fell with Stinger of War at 21% HP.

No one saw this coming at the beginning of this duel.

And that, ladies, and gentlemen, set the stage for a Cyber Squad rout through the individual battles and 3 vs 3 battle rush.

For the 2nd individual battle, Isabella took the stage with her Paladin Avatar and she showed no mercy, ripping her opponent apart ruthlessly.

Hers was an even more thorough victory than what Caster did.

With the momentum already on Cyber Squad’s side, Pendragon Esports had no hope of entering the game anymore. And it happened just like that, the final Cyber Squad Avatar also going on to rip his opponent apart.

And with that, they progressed to the 3 vs 3 battle rush.

In the 3 vs 3 battle rush, Caster crushed Pendragon Esports’ heart further as he went on to almost complete a ruthless 3v1 against his opponents.

Stinger of War eventually died with the last Pendragon Esports Avatar hovering at just 34% HP.

Isabella entered the stage next to represent Cyber Squad, and trust her, she ripped her opponent apart in less than a minute.

And just like that, Cyber Squad claimed a clean sweep of the individual battle round and the 3 vs 3 battle rush.

The scoreline on the 3-way holographic screen updated itself.

---<VICTORY>---

[Cyber Squad: 5 points]

[Pendragon Esports: 0 point]

Pendragon Esports was not just losing, they were already well on their way towards a humiliating flawless 10-0 loss in the final matchday of the season.

It would require a miracle in the team battle to salvage this situation.

The commentators took over during the little break.

"Emily Baek, can you tell us more about the main event in Bristol City? I hear that Echelon is now leading with a 5-0 scoreline".

"Yes, Derek, just like Cyber Squad, Echelon have unstoppable momentum and are well on their way to ripping their opponents apart".

"They now also have a commanding 5-0 lead in Bristol City".

"God Noah represented Club Echelon for the first individual battle round like usual, a duel that’s already making rounds on social media".

"In that epic duel, God Noah broke another record of the English Pro Alliance, setting the record for the fastest ever professional win".

"Lord Doom blitzed his opponent to death in the first individual battle within just 20 seconds!"