Chapter 18: Showdown (5)

"The match is starting."

It wasn't clear who had spoken, but everyone stopped in their chatting, and turned to pay attention to the stage. And in the stands, Blue Rain's area had been quiet the whole time. Even the ever-talkative Huang Shaotian spoke extraordinarily little today, wearing an expression of unhappiness.

Fang Shijing sat next to him. Seeing Huang Shaotian, he felt another wave of dissatisfaction at Wei Chen. This guy, after Blue Rain's season ended in the first round, had brought the whole team out for a meal. And then, with a "I'm leaving," he actually left just like that, once and for all, completely vanishing. By the time Blue Rain officially announced the news of Wei Chen's retirement, the man himself was long gone from Blue Rain.

Phone shut down. QQ messages ignored. Swoksaar's account card was securely left with the team, and then he disappeared from the human world.

It's just retirement! Do you really need to be like this?

When he thought about this, Fang Shijing really did feel a stab of anger. They'd been friends for so many years, and then he'd just vanished without even saying goodbye?

But in his heart, he did understand Wei Chen's feelings. He knew that Wei Chen had done this because he loved Blue Rain too much. He had to heartlessly cut off all contact. Or else, he probably feared that his resolution would waver, and he would go back on the decision that he had hardened his heart to make.

But so what if you change your mind?

So what if you go back on your decision?

With your moral integrity, would doing something like that really be hard for you?

Upon thinking of the pain Wei Chen must have felt in making this decision, his resolution in severing all contact with his departure, Fang Shijing felt his heart hurt as well. As for the rest of the team, most of them were alright. Only Huang Shaotian had spent several days raging, and afterward, he sunk into this rare, depressive silence.

Fang Shijing worried about him. This kid, he wouldn't have any psychological problems, would he? He felt helpless, and he once again cursed Wei Chen for passing the entirety of Blue Rain to him without any word of warning. He'd actually left a letter with the club, and the club was respecting his final suggestions. Fang Shijing was now Blue Rain's new captain. As for Blue Rain's roster next season, Wei Chen wrote to allow Fang Shijing to "decide, as appropriate."

Decide what?

Decide whether to allow these two kids to register for professional matches next season?

Damnit Wei Chen, did you know that after leaving like that, this talkative kid now treats silence as golden? What should I do?

Fang Shijing looked at Huang Shaotian. He was worried, but he couldn't just let things continue like this.

"Shaotian!" Finally, he opened his mouth and called his name.

But at that moment, Huang Shaotian suddenly jumped up. As the team competition began, he stood upright on his seat and hollered, "Old man, you can go die in peace! I'll take revenge for you!"

Everyone nearby turned to stare at him, but Huang Shaotian had already hopped back into his seat.

"Study closely," he commanded Yu Wenzhou, who was sitting on his other side. "Figure out how to kill them."

But Yu Wenzhou only shook his head. "Not enough strength. Without solving that basic problem, no amount of study will do anything."

"Who are you saying doesn't have enough strength?" Huang Shaotian glared at him.

"You. Me." As he spoke, Yu Wenzhou glanced at Fang Shijing.

"Hey, don't look at me!" said Fang Shijing. "The future is up to you."

"Exactly! It has to be in the future," said Yu Wenzhou.

"The future..." Huang Shaotian murmured. He really wasn't as arrogant as his trash talk made him seem. After all, he had lost to Wei Chen in practice matches countless times, and, in turn, seen Wei Chen harshly defeated in these professional battles.

Not strong enough.

This was the unforgiving reality, dangling bloody in front of him for a long time now. Huang Shaotian stood out in a crowd of rookies, but that didn't mean that he was ready to stand on that stage and fight on equal footing with the Battle God, with the King of Fighting.

"One year," Huang Shaotian, suddenly.

"What?" Beside him, Fang Shijing hadn't heard clearly. The team competition had already begun, and the supporters of both sides were already competing in their cheering.

"Give me one more year." The youth looked at the stage below, at the two teams of strong players already in the thick of battle. "After a year, we'll fight. Then we'll see who comes out the victor."

Fang Shijing nodded emphatically. "Alright, one year." He looked at Huang Shaotian, then looked at Yu Wenzhou. After one year, where would these two youths lead Blue Rain? No matter where Wei Chen was now, he hoped he could see this.

This, is the future that you hoped for Blue Rain, isn't it?

Fang Shijing's thoughts had already drifted toward the next year. Meanwhile, the battle onstage was turning white-hot.

Surprisingly, in this ultimate match of the season, Excellent Era and Tyranny didn't use any strategy based on the map. They simply used brute force to directly meet at the center of the map, and then fought a short-term 5v5, changing and playing on the spot as necessary. This truly didn't feel like a professional level battle. It was like a 5v5 in the in-game Glory Arena. Two teams of Glory players pulled together at the last minute wouldn't make any preparations beforehand or discuss any strategic cooperation, of course. They would just directly meet in the center of the map, and then use skill to decide all.

No one would have thought that this finals match would also be determined by this kind of method!

Everyone was stunned, wondering whether the teams had some later move, but the players on the field knew very clearly, there was no later move, there were no plans. This battle's victory would be determined through the most primitive and barbaric methods.

Because these methods were the ones with which they were most familiar. Because these methods were the least strange to them. Even the opponents that stood before them now made them feel that they had returned to those old days of brawling in the game.

Team Excellent Era, represented by the Excellent Dynasty Guild in-game. Ye Qiu led them, and with the various well-known experts, created this professional team.

Team Tyranny, represented by the Tyrannical Ambition Guild in-game. Han Wenqing led them, all experts from the guild as well.

Starting from the game, they came to know each other.

Starting from the game, they were always opponents.

Running dungeons, stealing bosses, wild PK, Arena matches.

Just like this, they walked along this road. They were opponents, and at the same time they were friends.

And now, the finals, the highest-level stage of Glory, these two teams met. Their fights against each other one on one in the individual battles reminded them of the eventful years spent in-game, back in the day. And they quickly realized: they wouldn't have too many more chances to meet like this anymore.

Two years. In only two years, they watched the rapid progression of the Glory Professional Alliance. Raising rookies, signing contracts and transfers, these systems were quickly being perfected, and the various teams were using more and more professional ways to expand themselves. It would be very difficult to do the same thing that was done in the beginning, relying on close friends to create a roster.

And so, this might be the last time they'd have this kind of collision.

No one could predict which among them would last in this survival-of-the-fittest environment of this developing professional competition, and no one could be sure that in the future, they would stand across from or alongside the same people.

So, let us use this highest stage to remember and commemorate the past!

They didn't need to communicate or greet each other. With a tacit understanding, these two teams used their fastest speed to meet, and fight.

This is what they did in-game. Time was valuable, and so they were as swift as the wind, as fierce as the fire. As gentle as the forest, as unshakable as the mountain? Of course that wouldn't work, the time card was burning through!

Chaotic fighting.

For the professional circle, it was a chaotic fight that deviated from all routine.

But it was joyful, sincere.

However, even though this were the case, some conventions still needed to be followed. For example, even though they adhered to the rapid style of in-game battles, no one talked about leaving behind a healer. That would simply be too crude, too lacking in technical content. Putting aside the question of professionalism for now, the important thing was that that would feel like a very noobish way of fighting.

So, both sides brought a healer, and played this chaotic battle.

Even as they fought, the match chat channel wasn't empty. When they'd played in-game before, they'd happily yell and curse at each other through voice chat even as they fought. The professional matches didn't open voice chat, requiring players to type, apparently so that all of the details could be displayed to the audience. Even though this would waste a lot of time, it seemed that some words had to be said no matter what.

"Mercy you **, didn't you learn that move from me?" Scolding words were tossed about, using the nicknames they'd called each other starting from their days in-game. "Mercy" was an abbreviation for Excellent Era's Elementalist Merciless Magic. In game, of course they all called each other by their online names; they hadn't known each other's real names.

"****, this ** was a prototype invented by our boss."

"Prototype your **, can't you just admit that you stole it?"

"Admit your head, you **."

"***."

"******."

In an instant, countless "***" flew through the chat. On this professional stage, the censoring of dirty words was naturally much stronger than it was in game. The players on both teams were too excited, forgetting the rules and restrictions in the middle of cursing, and all sorts of "***" were freely tossed out. The audience had to play fill in the blank, which was all kinds of painful.

Just like that, the competition continued in this crazy state.

Falling, characters were falling nonstop.

Cursing, as long as there was still a sliver of health of left, the curses were nonstop.

Finally, in a sea of dumbfounded stares, the competition became a little calmer, because at last only a few were left onstage.

Tyranny, Han Wenqing's Desert Dust.

Excellent Era, Ye Qiu's One Autumn Leaf; Wu Xuefeng's Qi Breaker.

And at this time, only five minutes had passed since the start of the team competition. The most important battle of the entire year would end in just over five minutes.

Two against one.

From the situation, the outcome seemed clear. But after Desert Dust had solo swept the dual-core of Hundred Blossoms, the audience no longer dared to make conclusions so easily.

But the players on field didn't feel this way.

"Look, this here is the difference between us." One Autumn Leaf said in the chat.

A message with no ***, a rare sight indeed.

"You lack a strong helper by your side," One Autumn Leaf continued to talk.

The crowd was in an uproar. After that chaotic battle ended, you only have one extra person remaining, and you're already claiming that the opponent doesn't have a good helper? None of the Tyranny players with Han Wenqing were weak, they were all good players that had already earned fame in game.

"How about transferring to our Excellent Era, I'll help you out!" One Autumn Leaf said.

Another uproar. This is the finals, and you're actually publicly trying to kick down the wall? Is there anyone overseeing this?

But then again, this invitation was really quite moving! This was an olive branch extended from the champion team! If this happened, One Autumn Leaf and Desert Dust would team up? Fuck, this image is too powerful, I can't even think about it!

Seeing the message, the audience was already letting their imaginations run wild, but Desert Dust had already replied, extremely concise.

"Go away!"

An extremely simple and straightforward rejection. This allowed all of the Tyranny supporters to let out a sigh of relief.

"Then die!" One Autumn Leaf shouted as he charged forward, Qi Breaker close behind.

Desert Dust didn't retreat, and went right up to them.

Would they witness another miracle of a 1v2?

Some people anticipated this, but... no.

Ye Xiu wasn't Sun Zheping, nor was Wu Xuefeng Zhang Jiale.

The coordination between the two of them wasn't as beautiful as Blood and Blossoms, but it was more straightforward, natural, and practical. Sometimes people couldn't even recognize that it was a coordination.

How fast had Desert Dust taken care of the Hundred Blossoms' dual-core? One Autumn Leaf and Qi Breaker took care of Desert Dust in even less time. In the blink of an eye, Desert Dust had already fallen.

"If I couldn't even deal with you like this, wouldn't you look down on me?" One Autumn Leaf said, as the system declared their victory. The word "GLORY" flew out as though breaking through the screen. This was the most brilliant "GLORY" of this year, but it took a while for people to recover from the daze of this method of deciding victory. This finals match, people didn't know what angle they should evaluate it from. It was coarse and simple, but it revealed true, sincere feelings.

This seemed like a farewell to the past. From here on out, everyone here would officially walk on the true, professional path.

They competed for the championship, competed for victory, competed again and again for the showdown that belonged to them.

T/N: The shortening nickname "Mercy" (发情, fā qíng) used for Merciless Magic (法不容情, fǎ bù róng qíng) actually means "in heat," as in, animals going in heat. Classic gamer trash talk.