CHAPTER 219: RIVALRY [11]

The rivalry between the top clubs of the English Pro Alliance hit a new peak on matchday 26.

The rivalry hit a new crescendo.

It was absolute cinema at Stanford Bridge.

---VICTORY---

Club Echelon won the 3 vs 3 battle rush and they didn’t just win it, they won it in stunning fashion, Aria and her Reckless Storm claiming a successful 3v1 against the reigning champions.

And yet again, this was a new record in the English Pro Alliance.

Never have the reigning champions of the English Pro Alliance faced a 3v1 humiliation in the 3 vs 3 battle rush. After all, they were supposed to be the strongest and most in form team in the league after just winning the Warstar RPG Champions League.

But tonight, that was not the case.

Tonight, Club Echelon shattered records.

And for the second consecutive game this season when the 2 big clubs in London clashed, Phoenix Rising and Echelon found themselves in a 5-0 situation where one of the two clubs was on the verge of suffering a humiliating flawless victory.

[Echelon: 5 points]

[Phoenix Rising: 0 point]

Both times, Phoenix Rising was the club that was on the verge of suffering a flawless victory.

After Aria’s dominant performance, Stanford Bridge was briefly stunned to silence, and then...

BOOM!

The stadium exploded.

"Sword Saint!" "Sword Saint!" "Sword Saint!"

They roared, chanting at the top of their lungs.

For the second time this season in this specific league fixture, Echelon was the club whose fans were loudest because their team was dominating proceedings in the blockbuster game.

Once again, Phoenix Rising were on the cusp of a humiliating defeat.

But this time, they weren’t taken off-guard.

They expected it. Gabriel expected it.

Of course, they were a big team with a winning mentality. Gabriel’s plan A for this game was for their team to claim a dominant win in Stanford Bridge, and for it to work, the anchor had to do his work in the individual battle round.

Gabriel and his Dain Ironvalor was Phoenix Rising’s anchor in the individual battle round. He was the one to go ahead and fight the first battle for his team.

He was the one to go ahead and fight against Lord Doom and its iconic controller, God Noah.

Gabriel trained extensively for the game, making sure that his fingers were in peak condition. He entered the game with exuberant energy, filled with determination that coursed through his veins like molten fire.

And yet, despite all that zeal, he couldn’t win.

Despite all that zeal, he lost.

He didn’t just lose. Lord Doom had more than 20% HP remaining.

The psychological effect of that defeat hit Gabriel hard, making him doubt himself for some time. But it was only for a time. As soon as the 3 vs 3 battle rush was about to start, Gabriel snapped out of it and switched strategies.

"Plan B". He conveyed to his team.

For the 3 vs 3 battle rush, they sent their substitute players to clash with Aria and wear her down. It played a big role in how she completed a 3v1 against a club of Phoenix Rising’s caliber.

But it was all part of Gabriel’s plan, and now...

[LOADING...]

[THIRD ROUND: TEAM BATTLE]

Both teams spawned into the arena, and then, all hell broke loose.

With their all offensive lineup of 2 Elementalists, a Paladin, a Warlock, and a Combat Mage, Phoenix Rising went all out on an all-out attacking raid from the beginning, taking the battle to their opponents.

Having rested for the 3 vs 3 battle round while Aria strained herself, Gabriel now led his team on an all-out fast-paced battle.

Noah expected this though having read Gabriel’s intentions already after the 3 vs 3 battle rush, and so, he also improvised.

Aria and her Reckless Storm were not part of Echelon’s starting V for the team battle, leaving the stadium shocked.

Noah allowed Aria to rest on the bench, a decision that stunned everybody, including Echelon supporters.

That decision resulted in the most intense team battle of the English Pro Alliance all season.

KABOOM!

They clashed and all hell broke loose.

From the onset, one thing was clear; Phoenix Rising were the superior team as their all-offensive lineup pressured their opponents.

If the rest of the season was a precedence, whenever Phoenix Rising went all out in attack like this, no one, no team could weather their offensive.

They were steamrolled, obliterated, destroyed.

But not Echelon.

BZZZ!

Lord Doom erupted, fighting at his peak potential as Aetherforge became a weapon of mass destruction in the hands of the pro player called the Godfather of Warstar.

On the night, Noah transformed Lord Doom into a menace.

The SSS-Rank weapon changed every few intervals, using the Avatar’s MP cleverly as it changed forms, unleashing skill after skill, high level skill after high level skill, and even Awakened level skills at some point.

Lord Doom singlehandedly halted the unstoppable Phoenix Rising momentum.

There was a myth that when Dain Ironvalor was in motion, no force made in Warstar could stop him.

Well, tonight, Lord Doom stopped him.

He didn’t just stop him, he stopped him with his army of teammates.

By temporarily halting the momentum of their opponents by going all out, Noah bought enough time for the others to step up their game.

And stepping up their game was exactly what they did.

Benjamin erupted, not just with skill, but with trashtalking.

He flooded the chat with naughty messages to mess with the Phoenix Rising players, even as his Elementalist competed against the 2 rivals on the opposition side, taking advantage of his unique skill to the full.

Not just him, Caleb also stepped up his game, devoting all his time and effort towards being a menace.

With Hell’s Key, he called forth a legion of Demons from Demon’s Tower that flooded the arena, stampeding towards the opposition.

And then the substitute who came in for Aria, the Combat Mage.

Under Noah’s tutelage, his protégé already grew enough to take part in a game this big. And now, Jeff stole his moment when he got it.

The Combat Mage fearlessly approached Dain Ironvalor as soon as the opposition team’s momentum stopped, bravely clashing with the best Paladin in the English Warstar scene, and he wasn’t losing, at least not immediately.

Jeff stood his ground against a legend of the English Pro Alliance. He stood his ground against Gabriel, he stood his ground against Dain Ironvalor.

This allowed Lord Doom to be the free man, taking on others.

Noah targeted the Combat Mage in the opposition team first.

With his teammates temporarily holding the fort, he had the freedom to move. And since the Combat Mage class was the Warstar class he was the most familiar with, he targeted the poor young man first.

BAM!

It was a fearsome clash, but it was one-sided.

Noah schooled his opponents, not just fighting as a Combat Mage with Aetherforge, but randomly switching the weapon’s forms to confuse his opponent.

One moment, he was a Berserker; the next he was an Assassin, the next he was Paladin, and the next he was a Combat Mage again.

He was a menace.

Noah killed the poor Combat Mage in 2 minutes.

But in that time, Phoenix Rising also got results as the combined assault of the 2 Elementalists finally managed to take Captain Batman out.

But Benjamin didn’t go quietly, he was too fiery to go quietly.

[WITNESS ME!!!] He typed in chat, then...

KABOOOM!

He detonated himself.

{Elemental Self-Implosion=}

It was a high level skill, and its effects were just as its name implied.

It allowed an Elementalist to trigger all the lifeforce remaining inside of him, ranging from his MP to his HP, everything, combining every energy together to trigger an extremely destructive elemental explosion.

And that was exactly what Benjamin did.

He didn’t manage to take anyone with him, but he managed to heavily damage both Elementalists.

That was the opening that Lord Doom needed.

BZZZ!

He moved across the battlefield like a mirage, quickly closing down one of the Elementalists but Dain Ironvalor disengaged from his opponent to stop the rampaging enemy.

As soon as the Paladin made the decision, Noah smiled.

By leaving the Combat Mage, Jeff didn’t even bother to pursue. Rather, he charged towards the unsuspecting Elementalists.

Jeff was close to death but he could still do something.

While Lord Doom and Dain Ironvalor clashed again, a near-death Combat Mage took one of the Elementalists to death with him.

The substitutes spawned, joining the intense battle, but by then it was already leaning towards Echelon’s favor.

2 more Avatars died, one each from both sides.

And then, the final substitutes.

Aria joined the battle.

At that moment, Gabriel knew...

’It’s over’.

The Blademaster charged into the chaotic battlefield, and then all hell broke loose once again in this epic battle.

The Sword Saint wreaked havoc.

A few minutes later...

---VICTORY---

[Echelon: 10 points]

[Phoenix Rising: 0 point]

"..."

"..."

".....!"