The King's Avatar

They’d only been attacking for a short while now, only three attacks had been used, but the beautiful rural scenery had already gained a broken wall with a gaping hole, and an inferno of flames, and a rising mushroom cloud.

The sunset, the quiet evening beauty, was gone in an instant. The sight of Lin Jingyan’s Dark Thunder pathetically crawling out of the thick smoke only added more tragedy to the setting.

But not all was lost. Dancing Rain continued to follow him with her attacks, and Dark Thunder had to jump this way and that to try and hide. Not long after, the map scenery was destroyed even further. This setting was beautiful, but the Launcher was a force of destruction upon this map. And this was a map that Su Mucheng liked…

Lin Jingyan didn’t even have the strength to complain right now. He was at far too much of a disadvantageous situation right now, and as he looked around, he couldn’t find a single suitable place where he could hide and catch his breath. In the face of a Launcher’s firepower, everything on this map might as well be non-existent.

What a weak little village!

This was the only lament Lin Jingyan had left.

Was he going to just lose like this?

There was no way for Lin Jingyan not to think like this. If he lost, the media, the reporters, the commentators, the players, countless people, would they all once again start pointing at his old age?

Do I need your gossip? I know my own condition better than anyone else. Old age? Yeah, right! I’m not even thirty yet, okay?

Lin Jingyan had a very gentle and warm personality. In the face of all sorts of provocative questions, he generally wouldn’t have any sort of aggressive response. But no response didn’t mean that he didn’t have any opinions. Lin Jingyan felt that he was still fine, that he could still fight.

But could he really still fight, or… or was he just unsatisfied, and motivating himself to make this sort of assertion? Sometimes Lin Jingyan himself was unclear, but he still believed in the feelings he had during a match.

This match was extremely difficult. But this was absolutely not because of his age.

On this map, Su Mucheng’s offense was extremely coherent. All of the map’s features could be used to help her attack. And Lin Jingyan wasn’t very familiar with this map. But even if he were, it wouldn’t have helped much. By now, the features had basically all been destroyed.

It was definitely because of that kid Fang Rui, Lin Jingyan could guess. But this sort of ”selling out” was very logical, and while in Tyranny he had also given lots of reports about Fang Rui, possibly even more than what Fang Rui had revealed about him. After all, he had watched Fang Rui as he grew up, all the way from when he was a baby rookie switching classes and finally settling on a Thief. More could be seen when looking down as opposed to looking up.

Was there really nothing he could use to change this situation?

Lin Jingyan hadn’t given up yet. He used the Glory knowledge he had accumulated over eight years.

Thick smoke, thick smoke, thick smoke…

Thick smoke covered the areas the Launcher had destroyed.

And then, the wind direction on this map…

Lin Jingyan studied his surroundings. Behind him, the Launcher’s cannon shots were loud as Su Mucheng chased him closely.

Lin Jingyan hadDark Thunder duck through a cloud of smoke. It was much like the effect of a Smoke Bullet; once Dark Thunder entered, he couldn’t be seen.

Su Mucheng immediately adjusted Dancing Rain’s position.

Over here, a line at 2 o’clock… Lin Jingyan calculated, and continued to move Dark Thunder.

Still nothing?

Su Mucheng had Dancing Ran increase the angle,, but Dark Thunder was still nowhere to be seen.

Next, I can walk over here… this wall was half-exploded, a bit low, if I duck down… no, I’ll be exposed. Too bad I don’t have the Gunner’s Slide Kick! Alright, I’ll have to be a bit wasteful…

In a place where there was no target at all, Dark Thunder suddenly used a Tyrannical Chain Punch.

This skill was used to press an opponent onto the ground and flatten them. Naturally, there was a forward charge movement to throw the person. With this throwing animation, Dark Thunder passed over the wall as as though he were crawling.

Then over here…

Lin Jingyan continued his careful calculations.

Su Mucheng was surprised to realize she’d lost Dark Thunder’s position.

He just vanished right from under her eyes? Su Mucheng didn’t know where he was, so she could only look around randomly.

The audience had the greatest clue. The omniscient view of the battle showed them that Dark Thunder was currently circling around to the back. But the path he chose to get there, how come Su Mucheng couldn’t discover him? Even though the screen displayed Su Mucheng’s camera view, you needed to be able to visualize on your own to understand what was going on here.

Under his patient persistence, Lin Jingyan finally succeeded in circling around.

The audience let out some gasps. Even the home fans were feeling a little moved. And the Tyranny fans were shouting and cheering like crazy, as though they had just won a grand prize.

But even if he had successfully circled around, Lin Jingyan still had a ways to go! Even if he managed a beautiful sneak attack, that didn’t necessarily mean he could close the gap between himself and Su Mucheng for good.

He had spent too long being attacked in the beginning! Lin Jingyan understood this clearly. This opportunity now had been difficult to come by, so he treasured it. Carefully and silently, he moved Dark Thunder forward.

Powerful Knee Attack!

Lin Jingyan finally launched his offensive. Dark Thunder, who had vanished from Su Mucheng’s eyes for so long, suddenly appeared, but he was already behind Dancing Rain’s body. The knee hit right at the center of Dancing Rain’s back. After that attack finished, he followed with a Brick, knocking Dancing Rain dizzy.

Combo start!

One hit, two hits, three hits…

The system’s combo counter jumped upward as Lin Jingyan fought meticulously. The veteran maintained the precision and accuracy of his controls. Although his hand speed had slowed, it was now more stable.

To directly take down an opponent with one system-counted combo attack was very unlikely. A pro player might be able to do it when fighting an ordinary player, but in an equal fight, there was no way to play so gorgeously.

So, false combos were created. When chaining attacks together, the usefulness of false combos couldn’t be disregarded.

Lin Jingyan’s ability to execute false combos was also quite significant. The true combo had already been interrupted twice, but with a precise false combo attack linked on, he was able to continue attacking.

Slap, Uppercut, Sand Toss, Tiger Flips the Mountain, then toss a Molotov Cocktail…

Lin Jingyan continuously adjusted his attack method.

.

But in the gap between the Sand Toss and the Tiger Flips the Mountain, Dancing Rain suddenly fired a shot.

The powerful recoil changed Dancing Rain’s position in the air. But the Tiger Flips the Mountain also came very quickly, and the swinging arm headed toward Dancing Rain in midair.

A grenade flew from Dancing Rain’s hand.

Lin Jingyan ignored it. He wouldn’t give up his currently ongoing offensive just to dodge this attack.

Tiger Flips the Mountain must stop her!

Lin Jingyan grit his teeth. With a swipe of his mouse, Dark Thunder’s hands advanced swiftly.

Boom!

The light of the grenade swallowed Dark Thunder whole.

He missed… In the end, the Tiger Flips the Mountain hit nothing but air. The grenade hit Dark Thunder, and Dancing Rain’s next attack landed as well, beginning the counterattack.

Lin Jingyan felt a twinge of sadness in his heart.

He hadn’t been able to stop it?

If this was before…

Yes, to be suppressed by Su Mucheng at the start of the match wasn’t because of his age. But this time, he failed with this Tiger Flips the Mountain, precisely because his reaction time and his speed were falling…

Uppercut, Sand Toss, then Tiger Flips the Mountain… Had he already fallen to the point where he would leave an opening with this combo?

To realize one’s inability during a live match was truly a heartbreaking thing. Especially this kind of inability, in an area that couldn’t be improved further. If he couldn’t do this now, he would never be able to do it again. This is what the passing years brought; no one could turn back time.

Dark Thunder was once again beaten down.

Lin Jingyan, discovering that his ability was slipping, found his attention divided. He was unable to take back the initiative. In the first battle of the individual round, Su Mucheng won.

The stadium was filled with applause.

The scattered fans could still come together at this time to show their enthusiasm.

Su Mucheng came offstage and waved to greet the audience.

Lin Jingyan came offstage and smiled bitterly.

This time, if he was criticized again, he truly had no rebuttal.

Was he really starting to falter? Lin Jingyan lifted his head to look at the scoreboard in the stadium. Tyranny: 0. Happy: 1.

It was just one point.

The difference wasn’t so large!

It was still early! Lin Jingyan’s thoughts suddenly cleared. If there was an opening in this combo, then in the future he’d just have to pay attention to it, that’s all. How could he fill this opening, what effect would this opening have when fighting the various classes, would he need to warn his teammates to cover and coordinate in a team battle…

After they went back home, he would just have to study this!

As Lin Jingyan thought to himself, he returned to the player area.

”Your positioning was pretty good.” Zhang Jiale praised him.

”Haha!” Lin Jingyan laughed. It was true, that bit of positioning was pretty good. He had lost some things, but gained some things as well. Perhaps he could no longer accomplish the Uppercut - Sand Toss - Tiger Flips the Mountain, but he could still accomplish this kind of clever positioning.

”Now, watch me!” Zhang Jiale gave Lin Jingyan a thumbs up, and Lin Jingyan responded in kind.

The second battle of the individual round.

Tyranny: Zhang Jiale, using the Spitfire Dazzling Hundred Blossoms.

Happy: Ye Xiu, using the unspecialized Lord Grim.

”Oh hey, it’s you,” Zhang Jiale said, as they shook hands before the battle.

”Scared? Kneel before me!” said Ye Xiu.

”We’ll see who’s kneeling in a bit,” said Zhang Jiale.

”Such irrational confidence.” Ye Xiu shook his head and sighed.

Zhang Jiale was a mighty God, what was so irrational about being confident? Ye Xiu’s mockery was baseless.

”Fuck..” In the end, Zhang Jiale just cursed bitterly. Because he was clear that in a 1v1, his chances of winning were indeed not very high.

His Hundred Blossoms style relied on confusing the opponent and hiding himself. But Ye Xiu was the Glory Textbook, and his skill at playing a Spitfire himself was quite high. Compared to others, he could see through the skill composition of Zhang Jiale’s Hundred Blossoms style, and then find the secret door to unravel it all.

There was a reason, after all, that Ye Xiu had been able to break through Blood and Blossoms by himself all those years ago.

But the past was the past, and now was now.

Without having fought, who knew the outcome?

Zhang Jiale shrugged his shoulders and entered the player booth.

Second battle of the individual round, begin!