Child of Destiny

Staring at a certain helmet silently lying in the corner of his office, he continued to reminisce about his younger days when he was still young, adventurous, and full of fervor.

He was only able to regain his composure after quite some time before shaking his head. He bitterly smiled before raising his advanced watch and clicking a few names to send a group message with them.

[That game seemed to have undergone the first most crucial update. It will not take that long before it reaches the promised time.]

He looked at the names for quite some time before sighing once again.

Looking at the sky outside his window for another time, he went silent with no one knowing what was in his mind.

***

It was that time within the game once again.

People gathered for another time to watch the second match between the Empyrean Talons and God’s Paradise at the Grand Finals of the United Cup.

The live stand was already fully packed before the match even officially started. They were already standing there excitedly for more than an hour or two, unable to hide their expectations for the upcoming match.

The live broadcast was already being flooded with hundreds of millions of online viewers all around the world. It was even increasing continuously without slowing down.

Some of the players even halted their current progression within the game, dropping all the quests, missions, explorations, raids, or any other businesses they had just to watch this match.

Most of them even gathered in some pubs, inns, or restaurants within the game to watch the broadcast together, having a better atmosphere.

Watching alone might be for others, but it still felt different to have others with the same mindset to watch such a peak battle within the virtual world.

Even some of the famous lone wolves gathered in these pubs just for the atmosphere.

This was a very important match since it would most likely determine the outcome of the United Cup. The time when the top elite teams among all elites would emerge at the peak of the virtual world.

In the previous season, it was God’s Paradise that had claimed the championship against the overpowered lineup of the Titan Guild.

Everyone wanted to see if God’s Paradise would be able to turn the situation around in this match. With such a huge disadvantage, a lot of people were hoping that they would turn this around so that the plot of this tournament would become even more interesting.

The 9 to 1 score was quite difficult to turn, but there should still be some hope, especially that they had the home advantage this time around.

It would be even more interesting if they managed to earn themselves the same 9 to 1 score, putting everything at an even state.

With such a tie, then there would be a forced tie breaker, which would require another match that would be a bonus for every fan.

Moreover, this bonus round would have no home advantage for either team since the map would be chosen randomly by the system. The same for the rules and the battle formats.

Either situation was good, but it would be much harder to achieve than what was shown on the surface. After all, the Empyrean Talons would not be giving them that much chance for a comeback. They were not foolish enough to lose such a huge advantage.

That was not unless God’s Paradise had a very powerful trump card that could fully turn the situation around.

…

During the final few hours before the match, the rules and format that God’s Paradise had chosen had finally reached the Empyrean Talons.

It was as per the rules of the tournament, which also happened during the entire playoffs.

“As expected, they have chosen the modified format,” said Cloe after receiving the notice.

The entire Empyrean Talons were currently gathered within their private virtual space, making their final preparations before the match.

“A two-versus-two for the first round and the second format for the Group Battle,” she mumbled before adding. I understand why they have chosen that format for the first round. Given the available data that both sides have, they indeed have a high chance of winning either the first round or the second round.”

“But aren’t they a bit too confident about the second round. Our side has the slight advantage when it comes to individual strength,” she added with a slight frown.

“They must likely be saving something for this situation,” said Arthur, trying to sound a bit smart. “I wonder what card they have right now.”

Leonard rolled his eyes before turning to Shin, asking whisperingly. “What do you think, Shin Bro? I feel that those guys are plotting something.”

“That’s obvious!” Shin chuckled before asking everyone. “Have you guys heard any news about the other members of their adventurer team?”

“Those guys with decent standing like their main combatants,” he added to clarify which people he was talking about.

Diablo, who was responsible for gathering information, thought for a moment before saying. “The ‘mad alchemist’ and the ‘twin star’ have never been seen anywhere. They seem to have never logged in the game for quite some time now.”

“They same for their main tank,” he added after recalling all the information that he had gotten from his different information channels.

Leonard, who was quite close to Mister Jiang, also nodded. “The same for my side. It is what we have learned from other channels as well.”

“Maybe they have some important matters in the real world or something?” guessed Owen.

“Well, there is not much of a difference if the twin stars or their main tank are present since we can just deal with them with our lineup,” said Alucard before quickly adding. “It is the ‘mad alchemist’ who is a problem. That crazy guy is strange and weird, which also somehow becomes his main strength.”

“I’ve heard about that guy as well,” said Ithilien before quickly adding. “There are even rumors that their team commander, Martial God Ashura, is incapable of fully controlling him.”

“He is always out of his mind. A truly insane person. A complete lunatic,” nodded Arthur with a tone full of familiarity.

He then turned to Shin as he asked. “Do you think that those guys are finally back?”

“That is what I suspect. After all, those guys will not propose such formats for this match, particularly the Group Competition,” nodded Shin, voicing out his thoughts.

“If they put Mad Alchemist as one of the combatants in the Group Battle, then I think even Alucard and Diablo will be having a hard time dealing with him,” he added with full seriousness.

Alucard and Diablo frowned slightly when they heard those words, but they did not refute them because they were fully aware that they were not confident that they could take on that crazy guy in a one-on-one battle.

Shin then turned to everyone as he added. “And have you guys not noticed the format for the Team Competition? They have chosen a full seven-versus-seven format.”

“Eh!?”

“Huh?”

“For real!?”

The group was taken aback when they heard those words. They swiftly opened a virtual screen before looking at the notice given tby he system about the rules of the upcoming match.

“Eh!? It’s real! They have chosen a full-on seven-man lineup for the Team Competition!” Arthur exaggerated it a bit, but it was clear that he had never read the rules and format of the match from the very beginning.

“I forgot the rules for the grand finals. It is more flexible and a bit special when it comes to round formats,” said Cloe.

“In exchange for that, the map advantage for the Team Competition will return to us,” added Arthur.

As someone who regularly participated in such events, he was quite familiar with the rules. But he was too lazy to do it all the time since he preferred enjoying the match and always being in the spotlight.

Unexpected developments like this were what he loved the most, as they added drama and spice to the match, making him feel more like a protagonist.

Adding that Shin and Cloe were on the team, he did not have to think about these complicated things since it would only tire him.

The corner of Shin’s mouth twitched when he heard those words before giving his showoff brother a sharp glare.

“Now, we are in a tricky situation,” started Shin as he looked at everyone. “It’s just good that the third round, the Team Competition, still gives 5 points despite being a seven-versus-seven battle.”

“What arrangement do you think is the most ideal for these formats?” asked Cloe.

Shin thought for a moment before turning to Archimedes and Daulla. “I think it is time for the two of you to finally showcase your abilities.”

The two paused for a moment before nodding their heads heavily.

They had few appearances in this entire tournament, so they could not fully showcase their talents and abilities. This format just happened to be their chance to show everyone that they were not some freeloaders in the team.

Shin then turned to the rest and continued. “Chaotic Luck, Akailu, and Alucard will be representing us in the Group Battle.”

“Chaos will be the vanguard while Akailu goes second,” he paused for a moment before looking at Alucard, and continued. “You will be the anchor.”

Alucard nodded along with a wide grin on his face. This was just like what he wanted.

Then Shin continued. “We will keep the members from the last match’s competition along with Owen’s addition.”

Arthur then suddenly started smirking as he looked at the members, who were called first for the first two rounds. “You guys can take it easy. It is fine to lose the first two rounds since we can win the Team Competition anyway.”

The team knew that he was only saying that to relieve the burden and pressure for Archimedes, Daulla, and Chaotic Luck, who were not used to the pressure of such a huge competition.

But the way he worded it was a bit too much, which earned him collective curses from the entire team.

Regardless, this eased up the atmosphere, achieving his initial goal.

……