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The first in Team Everlasting’s line up was their Warlock. In the last round, he had been the the player sent out in the third individual competition and ended up losing badly with a disadvantage in cast range against Windward Formation. After a week, everyone had composed themselves and Windward Formation, the one who had left a scar on his heart last round, had already gone up the individual competition. The last bits of worry in his mind faded, and he brought his Warlock, Leopold, confidently into the arena.

For Team Happy, the first one to fight in the group arena was Tang Rou and her Battle Mage, Soft Mist.

The preparation Team Everlasting had done in the past week was, first and foremost, analyze the reason why they had suffered defeat in the first round.

There was a method to this. Analyzing their defeat was with the goal of obtaining victory in the next round; it was to energize their team. When they analyzed the reason for their defeat, they had to find a way to solve that problem as well.

In their eyes, they had underestimated Team Happy’s strength. Though they had prepared, but both the skills and the equipment of Team Happy were far beyond what they had originally estimated. Especially how some information was useless, like the info they had on One Inch Ash, who had managed to crush one of their team members.

What defeat brought them was priceless experience. In their battle against Team Everlasting, Team Happy was no longer able to wipe the floor with Team Everlasting like they had with their challengers. In a high-end exchange like this, Team Happy’s performance and skill was far more evident.

After their week of preparations, Team Everlasting felt like they finally had an in-depth understanding of themselves and their enemies.

It was through these adjustments that Team Everlasting didn’t fall into despair at the gap between scores. They had to close the gap and retained their competitive spirit.

Now, the individual competition was over. They had lost a point, so this meant that they could, at most, tie with Happy. However, this start was enough to boost their morale.

Soft Mist?　Seeing the character on Team Happy’s side, Team Everlasting’s Warlock quietly ran over everything they had dug up regarding Soft Mist in this week.

Passionate, ferocious, abnormally aggressive, a definite offensive character with technical skill that wouldn’t lose to any pro player. However, it was clear from the details that Soft Mist wasn’t a veteran at the game. So, although she had the hard mechanics down, she wasn’t so familiar with other techniques. Her style relied on using her mechanics to overwhelm her opponent, but she didn’t have much awareness for the situation of the match.　On Team Everlasting’s tactical notes, that was the analysis they had given to Soft Mist. Of course, there were parts about the player behind the character, but since they didn’t know Soft Mist’s real name, they used her character name. As for Soft Mist’s equipment, it also shocked Team Everlasting to the core. They could only get a vague idea of the Silver equipment from one match, but the other Orange equipment she wore had already been thoroughly analyzed. This information was also jotted down clearly in their tactical notes.

Team Everlasting’s Warlock knew how he should deal with Soft Mist.

After the three second countdown, the group arena officially began and both characters spawned into the map. Though Happy had the home field advantage, it didn’t really mean much since they had newbies like Tang Rou and Steamed Bun. There probably wasn’t a map that Tang Rou and Steamed Bun would know better than Everlasting’s players.

Steamed Bun’s map had been chosen as the Ring, because any other map and they might be handing the map advantage over to their opponents.

Everyone thought that this choice of Team Happy’s was giving up their advantage, but in reality it prevented them from being put at a disadvantage.　

However, since the group arena only used one map, Team Happy would struggle to take into account both their extremes. So, Team Happy chose Red Flower Pavilion for the group arena. It had some special terrain, but it was definitely not complicated.

After the match began, Soft Mist and Leopold were placed into two opposing corners of the map. In the very center stood the pavilion and around it, red flower petals danced distractingly through the air.

Yet, who would bother to pay attention to the scenery in such an important match? As soon as the match began, both characters started charging towards the center, where the pavilion stood.

Tang Rou, as always, wanted to go head to head in the most direct manner with her opponent. For someone like her, the Ring was a great map. As for Team Everlasting’s player, he might look like he was charging fiercely towards the center, but his mind was as calm as the surface of a mirror. He wasn’t planning on having a direct exchange with Soft Mist; that was something he knew not to do from their analysis.

In an offensive exchange, Soft Mist would only become fiercer no matter if she had the advantage or not. So, against Soft Mist, Team Everlasting had three words: drag it out.

Intentionally dragging it out, both the length of the match and the contents, from the smallest of actions, and finally completely neutralizing Soft Mist.

This was another tactic they had come up with in their tactical notes after their week of prep, written under all the analysis on Soft Mist. If they didn’t execute it, then wouldn’t that be a waste all their efforts this past week?

So, when the characters came into the proximity where Leopold could cast, Leopold stopped his movements decisively.

His casting range wasn’t as far as Windward Formation’s, true, but against a Battle Mage, it was more than enough. This was an exchange between a ranged class and a melee class. Wu Chen’s victory in the first Individual Competition was a prime example of this sort of exchange. Team Everlasting planned to use this same method of taking control of the pace of the match to defeat Soft Mist.　Curse Arrows!　It seemed to early to fire a low stage skill like that, but this was all a part of the tactic that Team Everlasting was using. The dark ball of light hadn’t been charged much before streaking over, splitting into a row of a few black arrows. Yet, at this distance, Soft Mist easily sidestepped.

Whereas he had been charging just as fiercely as Soft Mist before, Leopold immediately started retreating after the skill had been cast. Whichever direction Soft Mist charged, he would retreat in the same direction.

Tang Rou wasn’t too surprised. When a ranged character faced a melee character, they would often kite around them like this. She had enough experience to know that.

No hesitation, Dragon Breaks the Ranks!

This powerful Battle Mage skill had become a way to increase movement speed under Tang Rou’s control. Soft Mist sprinted, spear in hand, instantly closing in like expected. However, just as Dragon Breaks the Ranks ended, hexagram lights flashed and a Hexagram Prison was released under Soft Mist’s feet.　Team Everlasting was a professional team. After analyzing Tang Rou’s simple and direct playstyle, her use of Dragon Breaks the Ranks to gap close on her opponent was within their expectations. Seeing Soft Mist raise her spear, Everlasting’s Warlock was clear on what he had to do. Where Soft Mist’s Dragon Breaks the Ranks would take her, under the circumstances, was something that was naturally noted down in their tactical notes.

Hexagram Prison had begun casting the moment Tang Rou raised her spear to charge.

As Dragon Breaks the Ranks arrived, the skill was unleashed. It was as if the two sides had planned it. The rising pillars of light instantly trapped Soft Mist within.

A skill like Hexagram Prison was mostly used as a zoning method and rarely struck a direct hit. If someone was really hit by a skill like that, then they would be in big trouble.

Without hesitating, Leopold immediately began to cast a powerful skill, summoning Death’s Door. Soft Mist couldn’t possibly escape while encaged by Hexagram Prison. She could only look on helplessly when the dark energy from Death’s Door caught her.　Corrosion Curse, Soul Strike, Soul Slice, Soul Devourer, Surrender Life...

A string of skills activated in quick succession with a hint of vengance. In the first round, Leopold had gotten the same treatment from Windward Formation after being caught by Death’s Door. Now, this combo of offensive skills had been reenacted on Soft Mist by Leopold.

As Death’s Door ended, a storm of Chaotic Rain was summoned.

Warlocks focused on control and Leopold showed off that trait spectacularly in this match. Chaotic Rain fell from the heavens and Soft Mist couldn’t escape, having just been released by Death’s Door. She immediately fell into confusion, losing control of her actions. Leopold continued to fling all sorts of spells, holding the advantage tightly in his hand. The Soft Mist that had managed to break through to the third player of Team Everlasting was now completely helpless.

The audience’s chat instantly became more active.

Not many of the faceslappers returned to watch this match, but there were still some. They were very discreet though, very cautious, not daring to be too openly mocking and afraid that their words would be shoved back into their faces. Yet, in this match between Soft Mist and Leopold, the Warlock was able to display his talents beautifully, stably maintaining the upper hand. The faceslappers had been holding back for a long time. When they saw the Chaotic Rain masterfully link with the previous skills, giving Soft Mist no chance of escape, they couldn’t endure it anymore and erupted!

”Nicely done! A flawless victory!” Someone predicted.

”This is more like it! This is more like it!” Someone madly expressed their impatience to see such a scene.

”Don’t give her any openings! Wipe her out!”

”Well played! Continue this! One versus three!”

It was clear that their eruption wasn’t too crazy. At the very least, no one could clearly tell them apart from Team Everlasting’s fans with their wording.　

Tang Rou was, of course, rather depressed at the current situation. From the Hexagram Prison onwards, her mechanical skill and hand speed became meaningless. She had no way of dealing with the situation at hand. Even now, under the Chaotic Rain, she was still completely helpless.