Chapter 1377: Grasp the Initiative
Translator: Nomyummi Editor: Nomyummi
Pan Lin and Li Yibo calmed their frayed nerves with an analysis of the current situation. On the field, Zhou Zekai’s Cloud Piercer had already loaded into the map. Zou Yuan once again charged forth heroically. Even against Glory’s Number One, he showed no fear and no intention of backing down at all.
The sound of gunshots didn’t stop.
Gunfire flashed from the two muzzles, bullets flying, carving trails into the air.
Zou Yuan had initiative, but Zhou Zekai was no slouch either. After seeing two rounds of Zou Yuan’s performance, Zhou Zekai had figured out how to deal with him.
Be faster!
Be more precise!
Zou Yuan’s Hundred Blossoms Style required the successive use of skills to overwhelm his opponent. His previous two opponents, one a Battle Mage and the other a Blade Master, were both melee fighters and gave the mid to long ranged Spitfire plenty of openings to use these skills. They had to charge head on into Zou Yuan’s Hundred Blossoms Style.
But it was different for Zhou Zekai.
His Sharpshooter had an attack range that didn’t lose to and could even overwhelm a Spitfire’s. From the moment they engaged, Zhou Zekai had Cloud Piercer maximize his firepower, not giving Zou Yuan a chance to build up his Hundred Blossoms Style.
Though the two characters were ranged fighters, they looked like two melee characters, entangled in a brawl. The bullets were a chain between them, the trails they carved through the air, connecting the two characters intimately.
Neither of them could back down even the slightest, attacking relentlessly, bullets flying, trying to see whose predictions were more precise, whose mechanics were more flawless.
Flowers of blood bloomed on Bright Blossoms’ body, signs of bullets disturbing his flesh.
Cloud Piercer would sway and stumble every now and then, knocked about by the effects of the grenades Bright Blossoms threw.
Both of them were doing their best to overcome this through their mechanics.
At a time like this, whoever stepped back, whoever hesitated, would fall behind.
The gunshots didn’t stop until one of the two characters fell.
Cloud Piercer. In the end, it was Cloud Piercer that stayed standing on the field. Zhou Zekai, in the end, was the one to claim victory, and prevented Zou Yuan from achieving a 1v3. However, this victory had cost him. Cloud Piercer still had 59 percent of his health remaining, having spent 41 percent of his health. As for Bright Blossoms, the amount of health he had at the start was also 41 percent. The two characters had managed to tie in the amount health they had spent.
Zou Yuan had really done the best he could. Against Samsara’s group arena, he was probably the one who had done the best in everyone that had tried this regular season.
We can’t waste the chance Zou Yuan has fought to give us!
Yu Feng stepped onto the stage with this resolve.
That guy who had done all he could had given up the position of core to him. Since he had accepted this responsibility, he couldn’t lose to that guy on the field! Otherwise, what right did he have to call himself their core?
“Come on!” Yu Feng yelled into the chat. After years of being sealed away, Blossoming Chaos, the once Number One Berserker, had finally returned to his throne with Yu Feng’s arrival at Hundred Blossoms and now charged fiercely up towards Glory’s current number one.
If he couldn’t even take out 59 percent health, then how could he face his fellow teammates?
Greatsword Blossoms Burial slashed forth.
Slashing forth, determined, through Cloud Piercer’s rain of bullets.
Would they win?
All the Hundred Blossoms fans were anxious, hoping like never before. Even if the one blocking their way was Zhou Zekai, a person who’d make people think “there’s no way we can win” reflexively when on the field.
Win! They had to win!
They absolutely must win!
Practically no one paid the details of their battle any mind; everyone’s focus was on the health of the two characters. This was the most alluring aspect of competition. Victory, it was victory, everything was to win. When victory and defeat were a hair’s breadth away, no one had the mind to care about what spectacular techniques were being used. Health, that was the clearest indicator of the line between victory and defeat, so everyone focused on the characters’ health. The changes in these two bars, representing the lifeforce of each character, were the clearest, most intense footnotes of the battle.
Whose health bar was depleting faster?
Whose health bar was depleting slower?
Cloud Piercer?
Blossoming Chaos?
The audience’s gazes flashed between the two, and occasionally, when the shot cut to one without the health bars, the audience practically had the mood to jump up and curse. The live broadcast knew that this was a moment of tension as well, and made sure that the health bars were clearly displayed, no matter what shot it was.
They’d win, right?
They wouldn’t lose again, right?
On the health bars, Cloud Piercer had only 5 percent of his health left, while Blossoming Chaos had 32 percent.
A very large advantage, but there was no relaxing until the very last minute.
Hurry and die already!
That was the only voice in the hearts of the Hundred Blossoms fans. Finally, greatsword Blossoms Burial struck down like a whirlwind, dealing the final blow in this battle. “We won!!!” Samsara’s home stadium erupted in cheers. Of course, this wasn’t that even the Samsara fans had been moved, it was just that the long-suppressed in-venue Hundred Blossoms fans exploded with emotion just as Blossoming Chaos finally killed Cloud Piercer.
“Oooooohhhhhhhhh!!!”
In that moment, the Hundred Blossom players on the player bench all jumped up like they were going crazy, as if they had already won the championship.
They had won. Under these trying circumstances, they had managed to win the group arena at Samsara’s home stadium.
“How are things going over there?” Immediately, someone asked after Wind Howl. Once this question was out in the open, the atmosphere tensed once more. If Wind Howl also won their group arena, then Hundred Blossoms would still be behind.
“Wind Howl…” Someone started looking up the match status, and then burst out in excitement, “They lost! Wind Howl lost to Tiny Herb in the group arena!”
“That means, right now, we…” “Have a one point lead!”
“Yesssss!!!!” The Hundred Blossoms players and the fans that came with them now all knew Wind Howl’s current status. Wind Howl had lost the group arena, so they currently only had three points. Meanwhile, Hundred Blossoms had won two individual matches and then the group arena, gaining four points and finally overtaking Wind Howl.
Though the match hadn’t completely finished yet, Hundred Blossoms had finally grasped the initiative. They didn’t need to act and plan around others anymore. So long as they did their best, so long as they won the following round as well, then they’ll have a hundred percent chance of entering the playoffs.
That unsteady feeling of knowing that even if they did everything they could to win they still might be knocked out by an opponent who was doing the same finally disappeared. Hundred Blossoms could finally put all their focus and hard work on the playoffs without caring about other teams.
“Hundred Blossoms’ dedication has finally allowed them to hold onto the initiative! Now, their fate is completely up to their own efforts. On the other hand, after being defeated by Tiny Herb in the group arena, Wind Howl’s survival will depend on how well their opponents do. Even if they manage to defeat Tiny Herb in the last round, their rival will have to lose to give them a chance,” Pan Lin said.
“Indeed. The last round, whoever loses the team competition will end their summer here,” Li Yibo agreed.
“Just one step away. That’s a very cruel result for anyone. But, there’s nothing to it. Today, one team must taste such a bitter end. Who will it be? 301 Degrees? Hundred Blossoms? Or Wind Howl?” Pan Lin’s words were no longer just commentating on this one match, but on three matches at once.
Hundred Blossoms and Wind Howl’s results had reached Happy and 301 Degrees as well. Chen Guo did a quick calculation with her fingers and delight appeared on her face.
“We’re in. We’re in the playoffs for sure now.” Chen Guo was excited, because now, their place in the playoffs was 100 percent certain. Happy would enter the playoffs and set out on the road to the championship.
“So it won’t matter even if we lose all our remaining battles?” Wei Chen asked.
“Yup.” Chen Guo nodded, but then added, “But everyone still has to do their best!”
“Of course. Who wants to walk into the playoffs with defeating hanging off of them?” Ye Xiu retorted.
“You don’t want to, but 301 Degrees wants to even less!” Wei Chen exclaimed. 301 Degrees had to win to ensure their place in the playoffs. Though they had won two individual matches and the group arena, they still had the danger of being knocked out of the playoffs if they lost their team competition. They had to do their absolute best in this last round of the regular season.
“Who cares about them?” Ye Xiu said, “They dared to win a consecutive four points off of us. We’ve got to teach them a lesson, right, Little Tang?”
“Definitely!” Tang Rou was still angrily waiting to venting her loss in the group arena!
“Alright then, let’s go! Let’s end the last round of the regular season with a bang,” Ye Xiu said.
“Best if they get eliminated because of it. That way we’ll be in their nightmares the entire summer, hahahaha,” Wei Chen laughed.
“Okay, let’s go and give them a nightmare!” Ye Xiu waved his hand, and Happy’s team competition lineup stood.
Ye Xiu, Su Mucheng, Fang Rui, Qiao Yifan, An Wenyi and sixth player Tang Rou. This was the most common lineup of Happy’s this regular season, and they would pull the curtain on Happy’s regular season this match. As for 301 Degrees, their players also stood after their captain, Yang Cong, gave them all a pep talk.
Yang Cong, Bai Shu, Gao Jie, Li Yihui, Sun Mingjing and then sixth player Qian Wenju was also their core lineup for the latter half of the regular season, after Bai Shu’s addition. It was with this formation that 301 Degrees managed to turn their situation around and become a powerhouse that charged towards the playoffs. In the latter half of the regular season, they had used this formation to defeat Blue Rain, Tiny Herb, and Tyranny. It was only because they lagged behind in the first half of the season that they were pulled into such an intense and anxious chase for the positions in the playoffs.
The people had all the reason to believe that if 301 Degrees could enter the playoffs, then they might get even further. They had already proven that they had the strength to compete with powerhouses in the regular season.
“Let’s win this!” 301 Degrees’ players cheered as the six core members entered the stage. After getting four points consecutively in the one on one matches, their morale was at an all time high.