The highly anticipated grand finals have arrived as scheduled. Officials erected a huge board at the entrance of the venue, displaying the roles of all the legendary players of the League so far, making the already scorching summer day even more passionate and exciting.
Lin Xiao saw at first sight the figure in the most prominent position on the board. It was none other than “Old Ghost“, the ghost priest he had used back then. He was truly someone that everyone could remember, even after all these years. His name remained etched in the annals of the League and could not be ignored.
Lin Xiao’s eyes flickered slightly as he subconsciously reached into his pocket, only to find it empty. He snapped back to reality and forced a smile to cover up his embarrassment. It was already the grand final day; of course, he couldn’t still be running around with a pack of cigarettes in hand.
Looking back, Shen Changyu was obviously not in such a sightseeing mood as he was. The night before, he was still working hard to finalize the final lineup. At this time, he seemed to have not slept well because of nervousness, and the two black bags under his eyes made him look a little haggard.
“Do your best, Vice Captain Shen!” Lin Xiao patted his shoulder and could only comfort him like this.
Usually, this kind of last-moment move was unwise, but today’s situation was special, and he had to be more cautious. After all, the person he faced today was Yan Duzhou. This man knew him too well, just like he also knew him. Trying to figure out each other’s moves was like a chess game. The final setup of the players will undoubtedly have a crucial impact on the outcome.
Lin Xiao massaged his temples. He didn’t know if it was because he hadn’t experienced such enthusiasm for so long. Why had he never felt before that the noise in the competition venue was giving him a headache?
Of course, he would never admit that it was because he had too few fans back then.
To be honest, if he only had a few fans, tsk, what about the others?
“The grand final is starting now…” Lin Xiao felt a bit nostalgic. The magnificent stage was completely different from the past, and the passionate fans were no longer the same. The only thing that hadn’t changed was that old opponent, completely dedicated to e-sports.
He heard a voice behind him, still with the same question as the day before: “Are you nervous?”
This time, Lin Xiao looked back at him and said with a smile: “No.”
Indeed, since they have already reached this point, what’s there to talk about being nervous or not? There’s only one word left – fight!
“Let’s do it.” With these words, You Jing took the first step onto the stage.
As both teams came on stage to shake hands and greet each other, the commentators Mao Dou and Xu Qingli introduced the teams’ members in detail, one by one. Each player received enthusiastic applause from the fans in the stadium. The atmosphere of the entire venue reached a new climax.
Compared to the Black Rose team, which had many new faces, this year’s Apocalypse team was still the same as the last season. This was not the first time they had entered the finals, so they displayed the demeanor of seasoned veterans in front of the camera, behaving extremely appropriately and politely.
After shaking hands with the opponents one by one, when he arrived in front of Yan Duzhou, Lin Xiao looked up and said with a smile: “We finally meet.”
The nearby staff seemed a bit stunned. Although there were countless actions of teasing and putting pressure on each other during regular matches, most of them were experienced veteran players playing psychological warfare against newcomers. Of course, there were also some arrogant newcomers who showed off with a few words against their seniors, but this was limited to other players.
Who was Yan Duzhou? Although he was never in the habit of talking nonsense to others, this was probably the first time he had been poked like this by a fledgling rookie!
Indeed, in this situation, the staff would only think of Lin Xiao as an “arrogant rookie player.” A slightly excited curiosity followed – how will Yan Duzhou respond to such an ignorant junior?
“Yes, we meet at last.”
Yan Duzhou’s words caused the staff to stagger again and almost fall.
Was this… sarcasm? But no matter how you looked at his tone or expression, it felt like the King of Hell’s response was sincere?
At this moment, these two people clearly had no extra thoughts to spare on other people’s feelings. Their hands firmly grasped each other’s as countless words became unnecessary, only leaving an unspoken understanding.
Yan Duzhou’s eyes showed a rare smile.
Regardless of the outcome of today’s match between the two teams, this year’s World League should be very interesting.
“Do you know Captain Yan?” You Jing asked casually when they were off the stage.
“No, this is the first time we’ve spoken!” Lin Xiao denied without hesitation.
“Oh,” Yu Jing responded and didn’t say anything else.
At this point, the list of players for individual competitions was displayed on the big screen.
This year’s season had reached this point, and finally, the grand final between the Black Rose team and the Apocalypse team officially kicked off. The shouts from the crowd became even more deafening, to the point where even the commentators’ voices were completely drowned.
In the first individual competition, Xiao Li from the Black Rose faced Song Lan from the Apocalypse team.
Among these two, one was recognized as the best rookie in the previous season, and the other was a highly anticipated super rookie this season. The road to victory is a narrow one. On the stage of the finals, who would take the lead first? The whole place was buzzing with discussion once again.
The battle finally began amidst great anticipation, with both players being of the daring and aggressive type, showcasing strong explosive power shortly after the start.
The greatest advantage of this type of player was their straightforwardness and efficiency, which was why they were more popular among audiences compared to sneaky players. This match did not disappoint either. From the beginning, both sides unanimously chose to attack head-on, quickly engaging in a fierce battle that was visually stunning and thrilling.
It was rare for a battle to immediately descend into such a high-paced clash. The audience naturally enjoyed it, but at the same time, it greatly increased the difficulty for the commentators. After just five minutes of seamless fighting, the two official commentators were already deeply exhausted. They continued analyzing with dry mouths, fearing that they might miss any exciting moves if they let their guard down even for a moment.
One was a magic swordsman and the other was a shadow swordsman. They both used swords, but they were completely different in terms of skill design and combat style. According to the original official settings, the magic swordsman should have the advantage in the competition between the two characters. However, Song Lan was in excellent condition today, attacking fiercely while steadily controlling every detail. Although it was a high-tempo battle, seven minutes into the fight, he keenly grasped a loophole in Xiao Li’s operation and gained the upper hand in one move.
Could he turn the tide? The hearts of all Black Rose fans instantly rose in their throats, as they watched every move on the field with bated breath. However, they never got to see Xiao Li’s swordsman get another chance.
Defeat. The Black Rose team lost a point in the first match of the individual rounds.
When Xiao Li came out of the battle room, there was no trace of his usual willfulness on his face. Sweat trickled down his cheeks as he returned to his seat with tightly pursed lips. He clenched his uniform so much that it seemed like it would embed into his palm.
“Sorry.” Under the gaze of everyone, after a long time, he finally said one word.
“Go get some rest.” You Jing handed over a bottle of water without saying anything more.
But this non-accusatory attitude made Xiao Li feel even more uncomfortable. Perhaps because everything had gone too smoothly for him along the way, he had hardly experienced such painful failure before. Even previous mistakes could be attributed to a lack of experience. But today was different. The opponent was similar to him in style and there were no schemes or calculations involved; it was a real showdown where winners and losers were clear-cut.
In an event as important as the Final, any point lost could be fatal.
He still has a long way to go… Xiao Li had this kind of personal experience for the first time.
The lights in the venue felt particularly dazzling. He closed his eyes tightly and stood up suddenly: “I’m going to the restroom.”
“Just in time, I’m going too.” Almost at the same time, Liu Zeshen stood up and silently followed him out.
“It’s getting difficult…” Xu Yichen glanced in the direction they were heading and took a deep breath. “The pressure is really high.”
Originally, there was great hope for Xiao Li’s point. No one expected the Apocalypse team to actually put Song Lan, their key player, in the first match. With this arrangement, it could be said that the following match was a must-win.
Just as he was thinking about it, a hand suddenly reached out and shook him, pulling him back to reality. When he turned around, he saw Xu Yiming smiling at him: “Don’t feel pressured. We are the number one duo in the Black Rose team. Don’t embarrass me. If you win this point, I’ll treat you to skewers tonight!”
Xu Yichen was speechless.
Who cares about your skewers, and what the hell is with that “duo”? It sounds like a team of third-tier starlets!
Xu Yichen took a deep breath, stood up from his seat, and looked up to see the players’ names in the second round of the individual competition – Xu Yichen from the Black Rose team vs. Qiu Zhiyuan from the Apocalypse team.
That girl who played as an exceptionally fierce axe warrior? Xu Yichen sighed again: “The pressure is so high…”
