Both sides’ characters were imported and appeared at their respective respawn points on the map.
Lin Xiao was sitting in the spectator stand, and when the broadcast switched to the teams’ equipment, he swept a glance, and his eyes showed a bit of surprise.
You Jing noticed his expression and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Lin Xiao frowned and said, “This ACE team is truly built by Devin in his personal style. Apart from the priest, the other two are fully equipped for attack. With this lineup, if Apocalypse can’t secure an early kill, it might be difficult for them.”
After a pause, he asked: “Do you know the priest player on the ACE team?”
You Jing thought for a moment and commented objectively, “He is not weaker than me.”
Lin Xiao did not expect such a high evaluation and fell silent, then shifted his focus back to the field. There was a faint excitement in his eyes.
The ACE team that Devin created, was worthy of being the winner of several consecutive World Championships. It was perfect from start to finish like a finely crafted work of art.
Whether it was the overall strength of the team or the individual qualities of the players, from offensive to defensive capabilities, every aspect seemed to be flawless.
If it weren’t for the schedule, Lin Xiao would have wished that it was his Black Rose team that played against the ACE team at that moment. After all, meeting such a formidable opponent should be really exciting!
On the screen, contestants had met in the center of the map, instantly sparking an intense clash.
Song Lan chose to launch an aggressive attack at the first moment, and in an instant, he was entangled with Sung Yuri’s shadow swordsman. He executed one combo after another, but each one was accurately countered. Such a strong suppression felt pretty uncomfortable, and his gaze closely locked onto every move of his opponent. Suddenly, a swift sword technique swept across, forcing Sung Yuri to leap back and fall into Chen Rifa’s gunner‘s shooting range.
In no time at all, the dense firepower engulfed the figure of the shadow swordsman in mere tenths of a second. However, what followed was a beam of holy light descending from above that immediately raised his declining blood level.
“This won’t work! Their priest‘s healing output is too high!” Chen Rifa complained on the voice channel, “They’re stacking pure healing in a 3v3 match; it’s so damn annoying!”
“Then make it impossible for him to use his skills!” Song Lan gritted his teeth, gave up pressing Sung Yuri step by step, and decisively rushed toward Park Zhiyin’s priest.
“Be careful of their assassin,” Xing Shihan reminded him.
Gan Yucheng’s assassin has not appeared since the fight broke out. It was obvious that he was lurking somewhere around, ready to strike after confirming his target.
Seeing the opponent’s professional combination, the members of the Apocalypse team felt their vulnerable position and were undoubtedly under a tremendous amount of pressure.
Sung Yuri didn’t give Song Lan a chance to reach behind the priest and kill him. As soon as his blood was replenished, he withdrew from the gunman’s range of fire and headed straight for the Apocalypse team’s priest at the back.
The tactic of surrounding Wei to save Zhao1A stratagem based on historical facts, where instead of meeting an attack head-on, one attacks or appears to attack a place valued by the aggressor so that they will retreat to defend it. had an excellent result. Xing Shihan was unable to cope alone with the overwhelming oppression. Under the relentless pressure of the shadow swordsman, he kept retreating step by step, about to completely lose contact with his teammates in front. In the end, Song Lan had no choice but to come back for defense.
Chen Rifa’s guns continuously swept toward Sung Yuri’s shadow swordsman. However, the opponent’s movements were too tricky. Without the cooperation of teammates, the hit rate was pitifully low until Song Lan joined the battle again and finally recovered some damage.
But this gave Park Zhiyin’s priest another chance to catch his breath. He swiftly engaged Ghost Sprint and used a powerful skill to bring Sung Yuri’s shadow swordsman back above the safety line.
“Fuck!” Song Lan couldn’t help swearing. The other people in the battle room didn’t look too good either.
Even if they were now in a three-against-two situation, they still could not gain any advantage. Once the opponent’s assassin seized the opportunity to join the battle, it would likely become a one-sided situation sooner or later.
When they encountered the ACE team last year, they were already very strong, but not to this extent.
Such a disparity.
Since joining the tournaments, it was the first time they deeply felt such disparity between them and other teams.
In the League, everyone was like a boat rowing against the current – if you do not advance, you will retreat.
They didn’t understand so far why their captain, who already had such impressive strength, still trained so hard. But now they felt they truly understood the profound meaning behind his lectures.
Finally, Gan Yucheng’s assassin appeared in front of Xing Shihan’s priest at a tricky time.
One hit kill!
Facing the assassin‘s signature skill, Xing Shihan quickly put up a defensive shield, narrowly avoiding being killed instantly. But, just when he breathed a sigh of relief, he glimpsed a figure suddenly approaching him.
“Be careful!” Song Lan’s voice came through the voice channel, but the last sound was completely cut off before it could be finished.
Sung Yuri acted decisive and accurate, without unnecessary movements. It seemed as if he had already foreseen that his teammate would not be able to succeed in one go, so he decisively came forward and delivered a clean and neat finishing blow.
Was this a lack of trust in his teammate, or just being cautious? Or perhaps it was part of their perfect tacit cooperation? Xing Shihan was no longer in the mood for thinking. He could only stare blankly at his dimming screen.
Turning around, he could see on his teammate’s computer screen that, within moments, Song Lan seized the opportunity and took out the assassin.
In the current situation, 2V2, they had the same number of people, but the other side still had their priest.
In the end, they lost. The Apocalypse team lost another 2 points in the small team match.
The current score was 3:2 with the ACE team leading.
The score difference may be minimal, but in the battlefield of the semi-finals, every point could be crucial.
When Song Lan came off the field, he was a little afraid to look into Yan Duzhou’s eyes. In this small team match, they were dominated from beginning to end, making their loss pretty embarrassing.
“Do you understand the difference between you and your opponent?” Yan Duzhou’s voice came calmly and steadily.
Feeling his eyes getting slightly moist, Song Lan gritted his teeth and nodded heavily.
A hand touched his head, and although there was no blame in his tone, every word hit his heart: “If you understood the difference, make up for it.”
Song Lan’s body shivered at these words. He slowly raised his head, locked eyes with Yan Duzhou for a moment, and firmly replied: “I will!”
Yan Duzhou smiled and raised his head, looking at the score on the big screen, with a thoughtful expression. After a moment, he said: “In this final team match, let’s all work hard together.”
No one responded to these words, and their expressions turned even more gloomy.
The final team match.
What does “final” mean?
Was it the final match of the semi-finals, or the final match of this tournament, or…the final match with Captain Yan on the field?
No one wanted this kind of “final”.
We must win! We must win for sure!
Almost every member of the Apocalypse team had these words resounding in their hearts.
The ACE team was strong, but in the e-sports arena, there will never be an unbeatable powerhouse! The difference was only one point, the situation was not desperate. They still had a chance!
During the intermission, not a single member of the Apocalypse left their seats. They sat with their eyes closed, and their concentrated frowns seemed to be brewing the spirit to give it all in one last attempt.
As a result, the atmosphere in the player area became particularly solemn and tense.
As the audience observed this scene, the noise in the venue gradually subsided.
Watching the scene on the big screen, Lin Xiao couldn’t help but feel a little emotional: “It seems that Old Yan’s decision to retire has really put a lot of pressure on their players…”
For e-sports players, sometimes such pressure is a good thing and can stimulate potentials that are not usually discovered, but sometimes, this kind of pressure may be the final straw that breaks the camel’s back.
And now, whether the mood of the Apocalypse team members was a good thing or a bad thing will remain to be seen when they step onto the stage.
After a short break, the team competition finally started, and the lineups of both teams were announced on the big screen.
The Apocalypse team was represented by Yan Duzhou’s black mage, Song Lan’s shadow swordsman, Qiu Zhiyuan’s tomahawk fighter, Luo Wei’s demon hunter, and Xing Shihan’s priest. For the ACE team, the players were: Sung Yuri’s shadow swordsman, Park Xinyang’s magic swordsman, Gan Yucheng’s assassin, Ahn Jung-Cheol’s ghost priest, and Park Zhiyin’s priest.
Amid cheers from the crowd, the contestants took the stage. After entering the battle room to adjust their equipment, they were ready to sound the horn for the final battle, and after the map selection ended, the final map appeared in front of everyone.
Lost Desert City. A map that allowed all professions to use their capabilities in a balanced mode.
The introduction of all contestants has been now completed, and the team competition has officially begun!
