Chapter 642 - 605: Encounter with the UK Round Table Knights
Time flies in a cycle of reaping and harvesting, and by 17:00 sharp, the time for the second match has arrived.
—— China Region Announcement: "Hero World Cup" individual international elimination round two of the playoffs has begun, wishing contestants good luck in their matches.
—— System Prompt: Congratulations! You have successfully logged into the World Battle Network System.
—— System Prompt: Your current combined military strength is as follows, please select the forces you wish to deploy...
...
Time to start the match again, huh? Should big brother change formation? Pssht, change what formation? If I change formation, wouldn’t that make it look like the number one God Slayer in the world is scared of someone else? I gotta believe that the Demon Child Sea, made up of level 1 strategic troops, is invincible—a one-size-fits-all strategy. No more talking, sending in the same crew to fight again.
—— System Prompt: Your hero deployment and troop selection are complete; you are about to connect to the World Battle Network battlefield, scene is switching, please wait patiently...
—— System Prompt: You have entered the battleground, Death Swamp, and your opponent is the European Union Zone’s British player "Bedivere"!
—— System Prompt: You have earned the achievement "MVP Terminator" bonus, your troop Attack +5, Defense +5, Life +5, Damage +1, Personal Life +100, Morale +1, Luck +1.
As the scene transitions, Da Fei appears amid swirling black fog and marshes filled with mud pits. His legs are already half sunk into the mud, and the bubbling water around him clearly indicates that stepping on it means sinking and meeting your doom.
Oh my god, it’s the Death Swamp! The legendary death trap that’s said to be on par with quicksand and lava as the three greatest pitfall terrains! Those bubbling spots are just the visible pitfalls, but the real killers are those invisible mud pits which leave no trace — where swallowed corpses can’t be found and thus can’t be resurrected!
This terrain is damn tricky, isn’t it? But, when big brother is having a tough time, it doesn’t mean the opponent has it easy either!
Da Fei quickly looks up to check out the British bloke on the opposite side of the battlefield, and in that instant, his eyes are blinded by the brilliance — Angels! Several white-winged angels with golden-edged white capes, silvery white breastplates, and golden-edged robe skirts float above the archer troops!
Oh my goodness, the Human Race’s level 7 troop, Angels! At a stage where most players can only recruit level 4 troops through reputation, these angels couldn’t have been recruited in the city through normal means — they could only be acquired through quests or by gathering in the wild.
In the game, there are four common female troop types: Flower Demons, Banshees, Beastman Female Shamans, and Angels. Flower Demons cannot go to battle, Banshee designs have been censored, Beastman Female Shamans are too wild, but Angels, embodying both power and nobility, enjoy an overwhelmingly popular reputation. It can be said that the reason why the Human Race has the largest player base in the world is all thanks to the Angels!
Da Fei, a man so obsessed with Flower Demons, obsessed with the uncensored version of Banshees, how could he not be obsessed with Angels? Okay, so Da Fei loves all beauties. But the thought that the first person to obtain Angels is this British bloke and not the world’s most badass himself, made Da Fei gnash his teeth and feel utterly uncomfortable.
Wait, that Angel’s weapon isn’t a Flame Sword but a long Flame Gun — this is no ordinary Angel!
Of course, this isn’t an ordinary Angel, and this player named Bedivere certainly isn’t just some British bloke — he’s one of the "Twelve Knights of the Round Table" from the British Royal Ark Team, one of the world’s top professional players.
At this moment, the number of viewers in Da Fei’s battleground reached the 200,000 limit in an instant, and all the spectators were shocked and blown away when they saw Da Fei’s opponent was a Round Table Knight from the British Team.
At the U.S. Supernova Team Command Center, Fortson’s expression is grim as he immediately makes a transatlantic call: "Prince, are you watching the match?"
On the phone: "What do you think?"
Fortson gravely speaks: "Why not go all out?"
Prince George VIII sighs: "Who knew we’d run into Da Fei so early? But even if we knew we’d encounter Da Fei, we would have still held back, after all, the French and Germans are more troublesome to deal with."
Fortson shakes his head and sighs: "Your ace player is in a tricky spot. On such a swamp terrain where units could sink and reduce in number at any moment, his crossbowmen can’t form an effective shooting formation, and what’s worse, there’s no way they can stand against the opponent’s secret archers with their extreme range. And your Blazing Angel Corps are too few in number to launch a solo assault, no — in fact, they can’t even approach the Demon Child Sea. What’s your decision?"
Prince George VIII laughs heartily: "Old friend, you’ll have a way, right?"
Fortson speaks with gravity: "There is one way, but it requires cooperation from this teammate of yours and may even call for a sacrifice."
Prince George VIII expresses surprise: "Is it necessary?"
Fortson nods: "It’s necessary! I’ve always held the belief that customers don’t need fairness, but at the very least, they should feel fairness on the surface. Right now, 200,000 people around the world are watching this match, and this battleground only has hidden BOSSes, no hidden maps, and we don’t have much room to maneuver."
George VIII laughed, "Well, we actually don’t need to prove anything with this match. If our ally feels the challenge due to our team member’s defeat and becomes more united, then his sacrifice is valuable."
Fortson sneered, "It’s even more valuable. Now, send your team members to the great lake in the distance and gather the rare herbs there. Then, surprise awaits."
George VIII replied, "No problem."
After hanging up the phone, George VIII chuckled, "Americans will be Americans, their own interests come before even the best of friends! But, to be friends with an American, you must have the strength too..."
...
Now, Da Fei had a clear view of the surrounding situation and the opponent’s formation. In terms of forces, Da Fei still had an absolute suppression due to several times the number of troops. Regarding the counter of different unit types, whether it was their peculiar angels or heroes, none seemed likely to be a match for the Demon Child Sea. In short, as long as Elena was in formation, Da Fei feared no one.
Now the only trouble was this damn terrain, which seemed to put the side with more troops at a disadvantage when taking the initiative to attack. Okay, since I have no experience with swamp battles, I’ll not react rashly and see how the opposition deals with it. At the same time, Da Fei also felt the need to develop a Swamp Army. If I had a giant lizard, a snake-necked dragon, a multi-headed snake, etc., I’d charge straight in with a frontal assault.
Just then, the British players’ troops retreated and started moving rapidly towards the far end of the map. This caught Da Fei by surprise. What are they doing? Trying to lure me into a chase?
Meanwhile, watching a few of the enemy’s archers slip into a quagmire and disappear in bubbles, Da Fei couldn’t help but laugh. Losing soldiers before the battle even starts? Even if we drag it out till the match ends, I still win, right?
I’m not going to chase. I’ll just watch you struggle. I reckon a terrain like the swamp probably won’t have any hidden maps like underground tunnels, nor is it likely to have the minerals I desperately need. Anyway, I’ll keep an eye on the match with a small window while I’m busy chopping wood.
...
At this moment, the world’s number one God Slayer is indifferent since the start of the match, and now the globally renowned professional player and the British team’s Round Table Knights chose to avoid battle, which left the 200,000 spectators confused for a time.
Of course, to the discerning eye, it was clear that the disparity in forces was enormous, the restraint of unit types severe, and the terrain extremely unfavorable. The Round Table Knights could not possibly defeat Da Fei head-on—so, have they given up?
No, they were happily gathering mushrooms on the battlefield!
In a moment, the audience was in an uproar! Did he know he was doomed to lose, so he’s trying to earn a little extra on the battlefield? There could be no other explanation, and the disdain of the audience outside the arena grew. But, of course, the mushrooms that professional players stoop to pick are not ordinary mushrooms; this is the privilege only for those qualified to participate in international competitions. Envy indeed!
Now, the Round Table Knights, having lost some troops along the way to gather mushrooms, made it to the side of Swamp Lake, where there were even more mushrooms along the lake shore!
Suddenly, the audience marvelled. Professional players are indeed professionals, able to maximize profits even in a losing battle.
Just as he was happily picking more mushrooms, ripples stirred in the lake, and a huge shadow emerged from the waters—a monster from the battlefield!
As the bored audience anticipated some excitement with various mindsets, the mushroom-picking knight immediately sensed it, didn’t say a word, and ran back the way he’d come.
—Boom! The lake erupted with a roar, and a huge six-headed snake emerged thrashing from the water!
The Swamp King, the multi-headed snake, stunned the entire audience!
As the six-headed snake lashed its six massive necks and churned the muddy water with noisy splashes, like a tank, it pursued the knights’ force. The knights immediately cast Swift Movement Technique and fled in panic—no, a very orderly retreat. Although many had been lost to the mire on the journey, none fell victim to the pitfalls on their return, having memorized every treacherous spot.
And that’s not all. Even with Swift Movement Technique, it seemed impossible to evade the Swamp King’s pursuit in this terrain. However, as the six-headed snake almost caught up, the knights would deliberately have a few Crossbow Archers shoot it with arrows and then run off, perfectly distracting it and covering the main force’s escape.
Professionals indeed, they truly are professionals!
Now, the Round Table Knights, leading their troops, were about to return to the battleground where they had just faced off with Da Fei. All the viewers understood; he was luring the BOSS to bombard Da Fei. This is the tactical literacy and strength of a professional player! The entire audience was amazed, now fully expecting the knights to succeed in directing the BOSS to attack Da Fei!
And of course, the knights had a way!
At this very moment, while Da Fei was addicted to chopping trees in the Black Forest, he suddenly noticed new activity in the match window. Rushing to check, he was shocked, his jaw dropping to the ground!
What the hell, a relative of the hydra? I’ve only ever used BOSSes to harm others; who would have thought that today, karma would come so swiftly, with someone using this tactic against me? Had I known, I would have launched a full assault at the start of the battle!
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