CHAPTER 234: PLAYOFF QUARTERFINAL; SCARLET ROSE VS STEEL DOMINION

[LOADING...]

[FIRST ROUND: INDIVIDUAL BATTLE]

BOOM!

The Etihad Stadium in Manchester exploded in a supernova of roars as the opposing fanbases welcomed their anchor Avatars to the arena for the first battle of the individual battle round.

It was a neutral ground, and so, both fanbases received equal quotas to fill around the stadium.

It was not 50/50 around the stadium though.

In the build-up to the game, having failed to meet up to buy the game tickets on time, thousands, if not tens of thousands of Scarlet Rose fans paid premium on underground channels to get the game tickets from fans who’ve already bought before... Steel Dominion fans.

This was why despite the fact that the first quarterfinal was played in neutral ground, the Scarlet Rose fanbase dominated with their number, crimson colors and banners covering almost 70% of the stadium.

It was not just their colors, their voices drowned those of Steel Dominion.

The advantage in terms of energy was already on Scarlet Rose’s favor.

As for the Avatars who came out?

Crimson Saint and Chris came out to represent Scarlet Rose. In response, Steel Dominion’s captain came out, a Blademaster controller.

The first clash started without much fanfare.

To Steel Dominion, it meant more though. The captain entered the first individual battle with only one goal in mind, to win.

If he could win the first individual battle, his club would have momentum, momentum that could become the catalyst that would push them all the way to topple the mighty Scarlet Rose.

Besides, like last season, this season’s playoff would be employing the new points format, eliminating the possibility of a draw in the playoffs.

As soon as the battle started, Crimson Saint charged forward.

The Blademaster didn’t cower, he also charged.

BAM!

It was a clash of the Bladewielders!

With his twins words, the Blademaster was a mirage.

Behind his monitor?

Tap! Tap! Tap!

Steel Dominion’s captain was a menace behind his monitor, causing a storm with the chaotic sound of his fingers hitting his keyboard.

Chris? Chris’s finger movement and sound was rhythmic, as if they followed a musical pattern.

On the pitch? Crimson Saint fought with dominance.

From the beginning of the battle to the end, Crimson Saint dealt the first damage, blocking his opponent’s high level skill with his shield, and from then on, Chris dictated the tempo of the game.

The Blademaster threatened to topple the Paladin multiple times, but solid as a rock, Chris blocked all the dangerous skills with frightening consistency.

The enemy captain approached the game with endless energy and passion, but Chris approached it with a relaxed, confident vibe.

To still dominate that way, he crushed his opponent psychologically.

And immediately after he won the psychological battle, his victory became set in stone. It was only a matter of time.

Crimson Saint won with 34% HP remaining.

Steel Dominion suffered a crushing blow in the first individual battle, a blow that hit their captain the most but he didn’t let it affect his full team.

Within just a few seconds after losing to Chris, Henry, Steel Dominion’s captain recovered and changed his strategy.

He changed his lineup for the remaining 2 individual battles, sending his 2 substitute players instead. He decided to preserve his team’s freshness to go all in for the 3 vs 3 battle rush.

With that decision, the result of the remaining 2 individual battles became set in stone.

After the Individual Battle round, this was what the scorecard looked like.

[Scarlet Rose: 3 points]

[Steel Dominion: 0 point]

But then, one of the most epic 3 vs 3 battle rounds in the English Pro Alliance this season took place next as Steel Dominion erupted.

Inserting himself, his vice-captain who controlled a Battle Mage, and his Paladin into the 3 vs 3 battle rush, Steel Dominion made a stunning comeback.

Sheer willpower was what made it possible, and some tactical genius.

Since Chris already anchored the individual battle, Jonathan decided to give him some rest, deciding to anchoring the 3 vs 3 battle rush himself.

Jonathan went first, but he didn’t go against Henry. Rather, he went against Steel Dominion’s third player, the Paladin.

Sending a Paladin against one of the best Paladin players in the history of the English Pro Alliance was gutsy, but the result proved Henry’s decision right.

Jonathan was supposed to be the shameless one with the grind playstyle, dealing little damage and dragging the battle out.

Well, guess what? Steel Dominion’s captain decided to become the Grind King against The Grind King in the playoff 3 vs 3 battle rush.

Having prepared himself for it, as soon as the game started, his fingers erupted, flying through his keyboard in a mirage.

In that moment, his hand just rested on his mouse. He never moved it.

And so, his Avatar never moved.

He didn’t charge, that was not his intention. Rather, he spent the first few seconds of the battle rooted in one spot, leaving Jonathan baffled.

But Jonathan was no longer baffled when he realized...

’It’s an Awakened level skill, this f*cker!’

But it was too late.

(Divine Judgement=}

KABOOM!

Jonathan managed to defend himself from the brunt of the damage, but that one attack still took 13% of his HP.

And so, the enemy became a Grind King against The Grind King.

The Paladin focused on defense, running around the arena after successfully dealing damage with his first attack.

Jonathan chased his opponent down to no avail. The shameless bastard refused to fight him, content with just running around.

It was disgraceful, but it was an effective tactic.

Besides, it mirrored Jonathan’s own infamous playstyle. That didn’t stop him from trolling him in chat though.

But the guy never responded, fully focused on kiting his opponent.

Jonathan cursed. He cursed so much that he attracted a yellow card from the game supervisor, but then, the guy didn’t get to use all the 20 minutes allocated to the 3 vs 3 battle rush.

He used 14 minutes, 27 seconds.

That was the time it took Jonathan to pin his opponent down.

The only reason why he succeeded was because, well, he was the original Grind King. He knew all the patterns and preferences required to play the style.

What took him so long was just how prepared his opponent was. He clearly studied hundreds of his games, learning his own preferences so much that he predicted some of his moves before he made them.

Jonathan cursed after finally killing his opponent with just 8% of his HP remaining, but inside, he felt solemn.

’These guys are prepared’.

Despite all that, Steel Dominion still lost the first clash. It didn’t feel like a clash to Jonathan though.

These guys did their homework a bit too thoroughly.

Winning wouldn’t be a work over like he thought.

Steel Dominion sent their vice-captain as their second representative for the 3 vs 3 battle rush. Jonathan tried to kite his opponent but with just 8% of his HP remaining, he couldn’t do much against the Battle Mage.

The Battle Mage won, and Scarlet Rose’s 2nd representative in the 3 vs 3 battle rush entered the arena... Chris.

Immediately, the Combat Mage charged forward, his battle lance glowing in a bright azure color.

Chris reacted quickly this time.

Clearly, they wanted to use the same tactic that they used against his captain, using an Awakened level skill early on to take a chunk of his HP.

Chris managed to interrupt the skill activation, making the fight level.

In a level fight, he destroyed his opponent.

Chris had 37% of his HP remaining, but it was Steel Dominion’s 3rd representative who turned the narrative around, Henry.

That night, Henry hit his peak.

He entered the flow state and presented his best performance all season.

Henry obliterated Chris with 33% HP, and with his remaining 67% HP, he completed a 2v1, destroying Scarlet Rose’s final representative in the 3 vs 3 battle rush, leaving the Etihad Stadium stunned.

---VICTORY---

[Scarlet Rose: 3 points]

[Steel Dominion: 3 points]

"GRANDMA’S PIMPLES! What did we just witness?"

"Damn! Henry exploded!"

"That was a Supernova!"

"And Scarlet Rose and Steel Dominion are level 3-3, who saw this coming? No one!"

"Can Steel Dominion do it?"

"Can they actually do it?"

The answer was no.

In the team battle, Henry carried the same form from the 3 vs 3 battle rush but against such a team with the likes of Chris and Jonathan, including the rest of Scarlet Rose’s core, they simply didn’t have the quality to win.

Against Henry, Jonathan used an insidious battle strategy, dragging him down and committing suicide alongside him before the Blademaster could cause too much damage to his teammates.

By taking Henry down with him, Jonathan gave Scarlet Rose the edge.

That was all they needed.

Chris and Crimson Saint led the team to a dominant victory against Steel Dominion in the team battle, riding on the momentum bought by their captain’s sacrifice.

The game ended in a Steel Dominion heartbreak.

---VICTORY---

[Scarlet Rose: 8 points]

[Steel Dominion: 3 points]

Scarlet Rose progressed, Steel Dominion were eliminated in their first outing of the playoff round.

It was a short but eventful journey for the players and their fanbase.