CHAPTER 709: FINAL ROUND: 1VS25 (I)

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The final round opened explosively.

Everybody seemed to have something to prove, and since it was taking place in the virtual world where there were no risks of dying, everybody aimed at each other’s throats mercilessly.

All sorts of fancy skills and techniques were on display. Every clash was intense, gritty, bloody, and messy.

Yet despite the cruelty of the participants being on full display, the audience was eating it all up. The fights were fast-paced and ruthless; it gets their blood pumping. Some of the more aggressive people even wished that they could join as well.

Paul and Lisa’s commentary on the side was making it worse, or better...depending on who you ask.

All of the participants fought with their lives on the line, except Cedric, who’s watching the broadcast up in the sky under the shade of a tall tree, munching on some nuts he got somewhere.

The organizers probably never considered that, without the possibility of losing to Cedric, at least in this part of the round, the rest of the participants could unleash more of their potential and strength.

They weren’t intimidated by the 2nd place at all, because his results weren’t really that outrageously distant from theirs. It couldn’t compare to the sheer gap between them and Cedric, which was crushing and extremely oppressive.

That, and the promise that they could team up against him in the final round, raised the stakes.

Whoever comes out on top of this round, the top 25, will get to fight Dawnbringer altogether. And if they could defeat him, then Dawnbringer’s score for the final round would be set to zero. That’s their hope of eliminating this fierce competitor...a chance to knock him down a peg.

And for geniuses who never really liked the idea that someone was better than them, how could they miss this chance?

Call it unfair or biased, but that’s how this works now. Dawnbringer himself doesn’t mind, so what could others say?

Despite lots of Immortals fighting each other all at the same time, the competition moved fast.

Within a few hours, hundreds of thousands of fights had already taken place, and by the end of the day, the top 25 was already taking shape.

The battles were truly fierce and intense. It’s filled with all sorts of twists and turns that made the audience cheer loudly and shocked.

There might be one contestant that has a win streak suddenly facing someone who defeated them easily, ending this luck right then and there. There might also be someone who’s been unlucky, losing all of the matches so far, suddenly ending up fighting someone who they could easily handle, turning their luck around.

These events gave the ranking a little bit of unpredictability, making it less static than one would expect.

But of course, the real strong ones don’t rely on luck to get their desired outcome.

People like Giant Axe Andrew, Winter, Jade Warlord, Pyroblast, Mrs. Caster, etc. They don’t need Lady Luck to smile favorably upon them to win their matches. They defeated their enemies with their strength and skills, which was more than enough to handle whatever comes their way.

Of course, some of these strong folks will eventually fight each other at some point. And when that happens, it all comes down to who’s stronger.

Just like this, three days have passed.

And those three days were thrilling for both the participants and the audience. It’s filled with nonstop fights to the death, and it truly highlighted the determination and will of the participants.

Alas, it has to end.

Everybody has completed their quota, and their placements have been determined. And with this, the top 25 has been determined.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we come to the final part of the final round," Paul announced. "It’s what everybody’s looking forward to: the final battle, the top 25 vs. Dawnbringer."

"We will give the top 25 an hour for deliberation. They can either spend it forming tactics to defeat Dawnbringer, or they could do nothing and improvise amidst the battle. How to spend it is up to them."

"Once this hour is up, the final battle will begin. The countdown starts now."

**

The top 25 have been summoned into a single room.

It made them feel strange because just a few hours ago, they had been at each other’s throats. Yet now, they’re forced to sit down together and discuss battle plans.

"So, how are we doing this?" someone asked. "I don’t really have any bright ideas or any grand plans I can contribute. I’ll just follow what you guys decide upon."

"Spoken like a true expert." Someone else sneered at his words.

"An expert? Oh, please. I’m not really all that special, and I know that. I barely made it to the 25th place, so I don’t have any pride to stand upon."

"I also am aware that even with all of us combined, our chances of victory against Dawnbringer were abysmal."

"Hey, did you just call us trash?"

"Oh, I wouldn’t dare." The 25th place denied the accusation. "Compared to the Dawnbringer, though..."

He didn’t need to finish that sentence because everybody gets it. And as much as they’d like to deny or refute that, they found themselves unable to say anything.

"Hey, so um...haha, hi! Umm, I’m in 20th place and a descendant of the Shaman Tribe."

"Those weirdos?"

"Rude. But not really incorrect," the 20th place responded. "But that’s not why I said that. Here’s the thing: I learned a nifty trick where I can boost the strength of my allies immensely at the cost of my own life."

"Oh? And does that work in the virtual world?"

"It does. Weirdly enough, the virtual world acknowledges it, and I can’t imagine it being different here. So, that’s essentially how I can contribute."

"By killing yourself as soon as the match starts?"

"Pretty much, yeah. I mean, I know I stood no chance against Dawnbringer in a melee fight even with you guys around. No offense, by the way. So, instead of sticking around doing nothing, I might as well go out with a bang and help you guys a ton."

"How much boost are we talking about here?"

"Between 50% and 75% of your total strength, I reckon. It’s not really static because everybody’s different."

"Yo, that’s not bad."

"Indeed. In fact, that’s so good that we might actually stand a chance."

With the initiative of the 20th place to offer his full support to others, the discussion of the top 25 became more harmonious.

Little by little, as they stated their specialties and abilities, their hope of actually defeating Dawnbringer was increasing with each passing minute.

Eventually, a loose but flexible battle tactic has been formed for them. It didn’t cover every possibility that could happen, and that’s fine. A perfect plan doesn’t exist anyway. Nobody could truly account for every possible variable that could happen once the battle starts. Having a general idea of what to do was good enough, especially with the limited time given to them.

By the end of it, the top 25 stood up in confidence, prepared for the final confrontation with Dawnbringer.

"Top 25! Are you ready for this?" Paul and Lisa suddenly appeared before them to ask this question.

With unified intent, the top 25 nodded, looking determined to meet the final boss of this round.

"Very well. Without any further ado, you will now be transferred to the battlefield. Brace yourselves."

That warning sounded ominous, but they all decisively ignored it. The transfer then began, and their visions blurred.

When they came to, they found themselves standing on a vast, desolate battlefield. It’s like they somehow ended up at the far end of the world, where all existence fades and life dies.

Then, they saw him...

No, actually, they felt his presence first, and that pointed them to where he was, allowing them to see him.

Dawnbringer was there, looking as calm and as peaceful as ever. At first glance, he doesn’t really seem like a guy who could inflict so much hurt on someone. If they hadn’t seen his performance during the first and second rounds, they’d probably believe this too.

But they know better. And that doesn’t really help.

Upon seeing them, Dawnbringer calmly stood up. That simple action of his made them alert. They readied themselves as if he were going to attack them right away, but their anticipation amounted to nothing because after standing, Dawnbringer did nothing else.

He simply stood there. One hand held his trusted sword while the other was folded behind him. His stance was tall and extremely confident.

And somehow, that exerted incredible pressure on the top 25. So much so that it shook the confidence they previously gathered in that room.

"Is everybody ready?" Lisa’s voice cut through the tension.

And for better or for worse, both Dawnbringer and the top 25 nodded.

"Awesome! Since that’s the case, I hereby announce that the final battle begins now!"

At Lisa’s signal, the top 25 immediately mobilized.

The 20th place, as per agreement, raised his dagger and said, "I’ll leave him to you guys, no pressure."

And he proceeded to stab his own skull, causing his body to explode in guts and gore. In exchange for his sacrifice, a warm flow of energy coursed through the remaining participants on the field.

Just like this, the beginning of the final battle started off quite explosively.