Child of Destiny

The first match between the Empyrean Talons and God’s Paradise reached a very high level, even surpassing most of what the people were expecting.

The scores at the end might have looked like there was a huge gap between the two teams, but it did not tell the whole story of the match. It was actually much closer than what the scores were showing everyone.

There might be some obvious gaps between the members of the two teams, particularly their key combatants. But it did not mean that the lineup of God’s Paradise was worse than Empyrean Talons.

Moreover, one of the main factors of the match was the maps that the Empyrean Talons had chosen. They were quite tricky to deal with, especially when their members had utilized their map advantages quite well, particularly in the Team Competition.

The next match between the two teams two days later would most likely be much more intense than this one, especially when God’s Paradise would be doing their best to turn the tide around. After all, the 9 to 1 score was such a huge gap that they had to catch up with.

A lot of analysts were saying that this match would most likely be decided by the chosen maps that God’s Paradise would be choosing. They would, without a doubt, choose the maps that they were most familiar with and utilize their unique features to the fullest.

During these next couple of days, a lot of people were already arguing online, particularly the fans of both sides.

All the online platforms were on fire due to these supports of the two teams, particularly the official website and forums of the game.

To further heighten the hype of the match, the organizers of the tournament were using a lot of marketing strategies. They had even commissioned Miss Bunny to produce another musical video that centered on the two teams.

The battle clips that Miss Bunny had used this time were not limited to the matches that the two teams had in the entire tournament. She had also used the most recent battles that the members of the two teams had within the game, particularly those battles that were incredibly stunning and crazy.

For the side of God’s Paradise, most of their clips were about their raids, particularly those from huge expeditions that they had. Most of their battles were about battles against absurdly strong monsters and hordes.

But that was not all, they also had some battles against in-game organizations and top guilds within the game.

One of the most noticeable ones was their battles against an underworld organization that no one had heard of yet, but possessed a very powerful might that could rival most of the powerhouse organizations within the game.

There were also their clashes against the elite members of the Corrupted Cults, which was one of the biggest events in the places where God’s Paradise went.

The highlight that they had in the battle clip was Ashura’s battle against some big shots of the Corrupted Cult, particularly a certain NPC that seemed to have at least a very important standing within the evil faction.

In the meantime, the side of Empyrean Talons focused more on their most recent achievements. This included their matches against top teams within the competitions, followed by their battles against huge organizations within the game, such as Corrupted Cult and Demonic Churches.

There was also their battle against some members of Pandemonium Descendants, particularly the Sweepers and some members of the so-called Pandemonium Troupe.

There were also some highlights about their battles against some powerful monsters and NPCs, which did not include many secrets. They obviously did not disclose those concerning some top-secret missions, such as the secrets of Frozen Kingdom, Demonic Portal, and Forgotten Temple.

There were also the signature battles that each member had against other players, particularly those famed battles of Shin. There were also his huge battles, especially the ones against Immortal and his ‘spawns’.

Coupled with Miss Bunny’s famous ‘Bunny Magic’, she gathered more attention once again and won herself a lot of appreciation and praise from everyone.

Her current fame had already far surpassed her previous peak, especially when she was working under True Sight Industries.

There were even rumors that the said entertainment company was already regretting their decision. There were even some insiders leaking that the higher-ups of the said company were trying their best to call her back.

Unfortunately, Miss Bunny had already found quite a lot of sponsors right now and did not need them any longer, especially when she was already under the Flying Dragon Corporation, which was one of the top corporations around the world.

Then there was also news about the entertainment company facing serious trouble that could even lead to their bankruptcy, which was immediately followed by another rumor that some bigger companies were trying to buy them out, annexing them.

Among these companies was the Green Life Enterprise of the Green Family, which was a hegemon when it came to the technological industry, particularly when it came to making the most advanced tools around the world and military weaponry and such.

They also had a close relationship with the Sun-Moon Continent, which was the home of the most advanced technology in the world.

Then there was the Generation Industries from the Silver Wing Continent, which quite confused everyone. The main headquarters of True Sight Industries was in the Soaring Continent, which was quite far from them.

No one knew what these guys were thinking when they announced that they wanted to buy True Sight Industries. However, the two companies were working on the same circle, so there was not much of a question about their decision.

Another major competitor was the Flying Dragon Corporation, which was under the Levina Family and had the great support of the Springfield Family. With the support of the two families, the influence that this corporation had was quite immense.

Adding the fact that their main operation centered around the Soaring Continent, their main influence was further enhanced.

The other companies attempting to acquire the True Sight Industries might not be as big and influential as these three, but they were not that inferior in terms of major sense.

Most of the people did not think too much about this since it was nothing but another struggle and money war between huge corporations. But for those who could see between the lines, they knew that this concerned more than what everyone sees from the surface.

This might be another ‘storm’ that was brewing within the game.

The fact that a number of huge corporations around the world paid a lot of attention to this ‘little’ entertainment company was more than what everyone was thinking.

…

Meanwhile, the Empyrean Talons and God’s Paradise did not concern themselves with this matter since they had a more important matter at hand.

The two teams would obviously not waste the time they had in their hands right now. They swiftly went to a last-minute training, further polishing themselves one last time.

They were also cooking up their respective preparations, particularly the methods about how they would suppress and counter their opposition.

God’s Paradise would most likely center their strategies around their home advantage while utilizing the information that they had gotten from the previous match.

Meanwhile, the Empyrean Talons would think of a way to deal with the trump cards that they had seen from the opposing side, particularly that Fallen Golden Immortal. That card alone was more than enough to make them wary of God’s Paradise.

Adding the fact that God’s Paradise had the advantage in terms of the map right now, particularly when it came to the battle methods and formats of the match.

This was what the Empyrean Talons were most worried about, especially when they knew that God’s Paradise would most likely cook something that would make it hard for them to counter.

Shin had to think about the arrangement of their lineup as well, especially when he was fully aware of the weaknesses of their team.

He also understood that the lineup for the next match would most likely decide the outcome of the match.

Shin was not worried about the individual strength of each of their members, particularly the key members and the main combatants. They should at least have a slight edge when it came to this area.

This gave him the impression that they would most likely get an advantage in Single Matches.

But that was only if God’s Paradise had chosen the standard format of the match. He was aware that there was still the other format, particularly the Dual Match for round one, which worried him quite a lot.

Given the current strength of their team, they would most likely be at a great disadvantage in this area.

He could pair Owen and Ithilien together for the first round if that happened, and then they could trust Alucard and Diablo for the Group Competition, ensuring a sure victory given their current high scores.

Even if God’s Paradise used the other format for the Group Competition, which would be a series of 1 vs. 1s until all the representatives for this round had lost or won, he could also put Akailu in the mix, securing the most standard lineup with the highest chance of victory.

But they had to sacrifice their lineup for the final round, which was the Team Competition.

Putting all these together, Shin could not help but have a slight frown.

“Should I ‘invite’ you again-…?” he mumbled, knowing that this was their greatest trump card.

Unfortunately, Uno immediately rejected him even before he could finish asking about it.

[Forget about it. I’m not interested in fighting such weaklings.]

Hearing that inside his head, Shin could not help but shake his head repeatedly and smile bitterly.

……