CHAPTER 236: PLAYOFF SEMIFINAL; SCARLET ROSE VS STEEL DOMINION

[Quarterfinal One: Scarlet Rose vs Steel Dominion]

[Scarlet Rose: 8 points]

[Steel Dominion: 3 points]

...

[Quarterfinal Two: Cyber Squad vs Juggernaut]

[Cyber Squad: 9 points]

[Juggernaut: 1 point]

2 days of intense, exciting Warstar games, and at the end of it, 2 pro clubs progressed to the next round of the playoffs, while 2 clubs were eliminated.

After having one of their most impressive seasons in recent years, Juggernaut and Steel Dominion’s journey ended in the first round of the playoffs.

And after playing a record-breaking campaign all season, Scarlet Rose and Cyber Squad took their success one step further, progressing to the semifinal of the playoffs.

With the conclusion of the quarterfinals, the draw of the semifinals was also concluded, giving Warstar fans the blockbuster matchups that they’ve been clamoring for since the playoffs started.

[Warstar RPG Playoffs:]

[Semifinal fixtures:]

[Semifinal One: Phoenix Rising vs Scarlet Rose]

[Semifinal Two: Echelon vs Cyber Squad]

This was not just any playoffs semifinal, it was a semifinal featuring the top 4 teams that have been involved in a rivalry all season.

It was a semifinal featuring the best 4 clubs this season.

It was also a semifinal with a lot of history.

Phoenix Rising vs Scarlet Rose was last season’s Warstar RPG Champions League final all over again. It was a rematch of the epic match were Phoenix Rising got their 4th Warstar RPG Champions league trophy.

As for Echelon vs Cyber Squad, it was a game with a lot of history to both club’s fanbases.

For Cyber Squad fans, they would be facing their OG Captain, God Noah in the first high-stakes game since giving him a befitting farewell in their stadium.

For Echelon fans, it was payback time for their captain.

Everyone knew of how Cyber Squad forced Noah and his friends into retirement. Now, Echelon fans wanted to rub it on their opponents faces, making them know just how big of a stupid decision they made.

All these reasons and more turned the semifinal into an all-time classic.

In the 4 days building up to the first epic semifinal clash, social media went haywire as fans of the English Pro Alliance discussed non-stop about the 2 potentially season-deciding games for the 4 clubs involved.

Time moved fast.

And like the rolling pages of a book, D-day was here.

It was a Tuesday evening in Old Trafford, Football Club Manchester United’s home stadium. That was the venue for the first semifinal clash of the playoffs.

2 hours before the main event was to start, Old Trafford was already close to being filled to the brim as fans in Scarlet Rose’s crimson and Phoenix Rising’s yellow and dark green, being their colors this season took to the stadium.

Even before the main battle started, the fans were already battling among themselves as they held nothing back in the psychological warfare.

Phoenix Rising’s fans paraded a gigantic banner of their captain’s Avatar, Dain Ironvalor depicted as a giant, complete with his shield and longsword.

He towered before a second party, being team Scarlet Rose’s Avatars. All 7 Avatars stared up at the gigantic Paladin, cowering in fear, horror evident in their eyes.

Their message was clear: their captain would destroy Scarlet Rose again.

Scarlet Rose fans?

Theirs was even more extreme. With Jonathan leading the wave on social media, riling them on, the fans in crimson took it a step further.

They unfurled banners filled with profanities and curse words, even going as far as depicting Phoenix Rising as a prostitute that their club was about to ravage.

It was crazy.

By the time the players entered the stadium around 6:00pm, the tension between both clubs was palpable, past history triggering bad blood between them.

Jonathan never wanted to win any game as much as he wanted to win today.

Gabriel? Alongside his teammates, he was calm, leading the bunch with stale, focused eyes after dozens of hours of training, and tactical drilling in preparation for tonight’s clash.

After losing 10-0 against Echelon, Gabriel changed. The way he carried himself, the way he trained, the way he drilled his team, it all changed.

Everything was more serious in Phoenix Rising’s club building after that humbling game.

In the end, he couldn’t achieve his objective, snatching the league from Echelon’s grasp.

And now, all his attention focused on the Warstar RPG Champions League.

To Gabriel, it was not a debate, winning was the only option.

’I must make it back to the Warstar World Cup!’

’I must get my revenge against Meng Yu Wa!’

If he could not even dominate his domestic league, he had no business challenging Meng Yu Wa. This was why Gabriel took his training extra serious now.

And finally, the moment of truth was here.

It started.

[LOADING...]

[FIRST ROUND: INDIVIDUAL BATTLE]

Gabriel came out first to represent his team for the individual battle round. Everyone expected Jonathan to come out to personally avenge his team’s defeat last year in the final, but Jonathan didn’t do that.

Instead, he sent Chris to go fight Gabriel.

Jonathan was not like Noah. He already accepted long ago that his APM was no longer as fast. He was declining, his fingers were getting old.

This was why he leaned even more on using his brain and shameless trashtalking in recent years to win games.

Against this iteration of Gabriel though, he knew that it would not work.

Jonathan wanted to win, he wanted to win so bad, and that was why he didn’t enter this game ignorant and arrogant. He did his research, and he knew; if he played against Gabriel today, he would lose.

Gabriel was in perfect shape, mentally and physically. That loss against Echelon truly pushed him to go beyond his limits.

This was why he sent Chris first. Only Chris could challenge Gabriel in this Scarlet Rose team.

Even at that, Jonathan knew the outcome of the battle already. He knew how motivated and hyped Gabriel was though he would not show it. He wanted Chris’s youthful energy and skill to push Gabriel all the way, testing his limits, and leaving him fatigued at the end. It was part of his strategy.

Heck, it was the core of his strategy.

The battle started, and it followed the script that Jonathan wrote.

Dain Ironvalor was unstoppable.

There was no mistake in Gabriel’s movements. Every move, every skill activation, everything he did was perfect and effortless, leaving no loopholes for his opponent to exploit.

Against any other opponent, he would have lost in a minute.

But warned extensively by his captain, Chris expected to play against a perfect opponent. And the only way to play a perfect opponent and not suffer a humiliating defeat is to be perfect yourself.

Chris played a perfect game.

But it was not enough.

The battle went on for 6 minutes, 18 seconds; 6 minutes of non-stop action, fast-paced, scintillating battle.

---VICTORY---

[Phoenix Rising: 1 point]

[Scarlet Rose: 0 point]

Chris lost, but at the end, he was left smiling behind his monitor.

This was because his mission was complete.

Chris played his best game all season against Gabriel tonight. And in so doing, he managed to push the enemy captain to his very limits.

Chris’s fingers ached after that epic duel. No matter how good Gabriel was, and no matter how much experience he had, his fingers must be aching too.

Jonathan represented Scarlet Rose for the second individual battle and won against Phoenix Rising. Phoenix Rising won the final individual battle, leaving the overall clash tight and unpredictable.

[Phoenix Rising: 2 points]

[Scarlet Rose: 1 point]

The tension in the stadium was palpable.

For neutral fans, they felt like they were in heaven as the game provided one of the most epic clash all season to feast their eyes.

Phoenix Rising won the individual battle round, but it was close.

Jonathan’s plan?

He wanted Gabriel to also play the 3 vs 3 battle rush. He even went as far as taunting his opponent to play him in the 3 vs 3 battle rush if he had the guts. But if there was something Gabriel learned after playing against God Noah and losing in such humiliating fashion, it was how to deal with rage-baiting.

Like Chris thought, yes, Gabriel’s fingers ached after that epic individual battle. If he entered the 3 vs 3 battle rush, his presence may help his team win, but in the grand scheme of things, it was a stupid decision.

Gabriel ignored Jonathan’s rage-bait, avoiding the 3 vs 3 battle rush, as he left the responsibility to his teammates, focusing on recovering before the most important team battle.

His teammates did a good job, but against an irked Jonathan and his team, they didn’t manage to get the win.

Scarlet Rose won.

---VICTORY---

[Phoenix Rising: 2 points]

[Scarlet Rose: 4 points]

Scarlet Rose was leading now, but it was still tight.

Besides, it didn’t matter. The team battle would decide this epic semifinal clash. They had the halftime break, and 10 minutes later, they were back.

The deciding team battle was about to start.

It was a game of history, training, and determination.

A game of aura for aura.

[LOADING...]