Chapter 563: For Our Brothers and Sisters (1/2)
“Okay!”
Our helmets in hand, we walked to the equipment on the battle stage and scanned our irises to confirm our identity. As our data appeared beneath the match format and offline match rules on the big display, Warsky Alliance’s team of six also walked up the stage to register their identities. A while later, all twelve of our IDs were displayed on the screen.
Gui Guzi walked up to the screen and pressed a couple of virtual buttons. Warsky also chose to randomize the player selection for the 1v1 matches and confirmed Farewell Song and Lin Bing Dou Zhe for the 2v2 match.
A few seconds later, the match list appeared as followed—
(1v1) 1st Round: Gui Guzi versus Farewell Song
(1v1) 2nd Round: Warsky versus High Fighting Spirits
(1v1) 3rd Round: October Rain versus Eighteen Steeds of You and Yun
(1v1) 4th Round: Beiming Xue versus Laughing At The Heavens
(1v1) 5th Round: Chaos Moon versus Lin Bing Dou Zhe
(1v1) 6th Round: Hundred Battler versus Broken Halberd Sinks Into Sand
(2v2) Seventh and Final Round: Broken Halberd Sinks Into Sand & Beiming Xue versus Farewell Song & Lin Bing Dou Zhe
……
Warsky raised an eyebrow as he stared at the big display. Then, he let out a sudden chuckle. “Hmph. This is hardly a hopeless battle, isn’t it?”
October Rain nodded before smiling at me. “Lu Chen, it looks like you’re matched up against our Hundred Battler, hehe. Amazing luck, isn’t it…”
I gritted my teeth. Someone who read the story of Tian Ji’s Horse Racing before would know that it was a terrible idea to pit your best player against the enemy’s worst player. I was hoping to encounter Farewell Song, Lin Bing Dou Zhe, or Warsky as these three had the highest individual skill of the six, and I had a good chance of winning against all of them. However, my opponent was the weakest of the six, Hundred Battler, instead. It was a clear waste of a golden opportunity.
……
Warsky walked up to the host and took the mic from her. Then, he looked at the audience and said with a smile, “Since this is a friendly match, there’s gotta be something on the stake, don’t you agree?”
The audience voiced their agreement loudly. The more interesting a match, the more expectation it generated. Naturally, the audience wanted the bet to be as big as possible because it made the match so much more exciting and fun.
Gui Guzi raised his eyebrows and asked, “Do you have a stake in mind, Warsky?”
Warsky laughed loudly before answering, “This is a fight between civilized people, so it wouldn’t be right to involve money in it. How about we bet a promise?”
“What promise?” I asked.
“Hmm…”
I hesitated. This was a promise that involved the interest of the entire guild. To be honest, I didn’t think that I was qualified to make a decision at all.
A bit of disdain peeked out of Warsky’s eyes as he said with a smile, “What’s the matter? Can’t the Little Heavenly King and the vice leader of Ancient Sword Dreaming Souls make such a simple decision?”
Enraged by his provocation, Gui Guzi grabbed my shoulder and declared, “Boss Broken Halberd, there’s no need to hesitate! We’ll definitely win this match!”
Chaos Moon also chimed in. “Yeah, you don’t think we’ll actually lose to them, do you? There’s nothing to be afraid of!”
I sucked in a deep breath and nodded. “Alright, if that is everyone’s wish, then I accept this bet. I promise that Ancient Sword Dreaming Souls will not contest the next territory to appear in Sky City if we lose!”
“Very well!”
Warsky spread his arms wide. “A man's word is his bond, and I sincerely wish that Lu Chen, the CGL Hall of Famer, will honor his promise. Now, let’s get into the game and give it our all!”
……
The stand-off was incredibly tense. It was no exaggeration to say that Gui Guzi, High Fighting Spirits, and Eighteen Steeds of You and Yun were one step away from engaging Warsky Alliance in a brawl. After all, they had just signed a contract with ASUS, and on the day of the opening ceremony, Warsky Alliance showed up like a bunch of gangsters and challenged them to a fight. How could they possibly face their sponsors if they lost this match? It was no wonder they were pissed off.
Gui Guzi’s fists were clenched as he entered Battle Room A. On his way, Farewell Song turned around to shoot a lazy smile at him before saying, “Gui Guzi, you are the number one knight of Ancient Sword Dreaming Souls, aren’t you? Very well, everyone says that magic knights are the natural counter of assassins, and today I’m gonna score one for my brethren and tell the world that that misconception is patently false!”
Gui Guzi replied darkly, “You can talk all you want, but the truth will only be known after the fight!”
“Heh, very well!”
With that, Farewell Song walked away and entered Battle Room B with his helmet. The big screen started displaying what was going on at the battle rooms, and beneath the stage countless people were pointing their cameras at it. Obviously, ASUS had invited a lot of media people to commemorate the opening of their e-sports club, so I fully expected this to enter the headlines no matter what the final result might be. It only added to the importance to the match.
On the screen, Gui Guzi and Farewell Song’s avatar could be seen walking into the arena. The timer started counting downward—
3!
2!
1!