Chapter 119

The flow of the match started in Saturn V’s favor.

They ran to the Control Point first, and thanks to that, they had secured their positions earlier than their opponents.

Super Sylph had to break through Saturn V’s defense, which had already finished its Preemptive Seizure, but it was proving to be quite difficult.

Among the Top Class teams, Saturn V was known as the strongest hexagonal team with the best offense-defense Balance.

Their style was different from aggressively-run teams like Kamui and Varuna GC, so once they started defending a position, they showed a more solid side.

“Super Sylph! They’re having a hard time breaking in!”

Unlike the Garden of the Gods, the Central Point of the Attica Temple had height.

A temple rising from the ground.

One had to climb the stairs to step onto the Control Point, and thick pillars surrounded the point, allowing one to avoid attacks by deliberately hiding their body.

Super Sylph, having arrived right near the Control Point, attempted a Breakthrough with Shin Aram’s Shield at the forefront.

Super Sylph followed behind Shin Aram, climbing the stairs.

But shock grenades poured down.

Shock grenades had reduced lethal power but were a Skill that pushed opponents back, effective for checking opponents with large hitboxes like Defenders.

Just as Shin Aram was about to fall backward from the successive impacts, the Attackers burst out from the left and right to break through the remaining distance.

Hwang Jua’s Acceleration Buff.

And with Double Acceleration, Seo Dami and Jung Yunseul attempted an Attack.

“Super Sylph! A bold Attack!”

“Will they succeed!”

Jung Yunseul was hit by a Headshot from the pouring bullets.

Saturn V’s shots were precise and sharp.

Even in the chaotic situation with a Smoke Screen deployed and attacks flying back and forth, they never wasted a single bullet.

Han Youngin was genuinely impressed by the enemies’ cold-headed brilliance amidst the Engagement.

Wasting no bullets meant less Mana consumption for reloading, which in turn meant they could invest the saved Mana into other Attack Skills.

They were friends who fought like robots, to the point where he thought this is how a machine would fight if it played the game.

As bullets rained down between them.

With a thunderclap that split the Battlefield, a Saturn V player’s Health Bar was chipped for the first time.

“A lightning-fast attack! Super Sylph’s Sniper pierces the Smoke Screen and lands a long-range Headshot!”

“It’s Park Chaerin. This player! Is surprisingly Super Sylph’s Coach!”

“A Coach playing as a player, isn’t this a first for the World Championship?”

While you could occasionally find player-coaches in the lower Leagues, it was undoubtedly a very special sight at the World Championship, where the world’s top-tier teams gathered.

And before that surprise could even fade, another bolt of lightning erupted from Park Chaerin’s fingertips.

-That’s Park Chaerin for you!

-Even in a different game, her sniping skills are still there!

Her long-time fans, who had been cheering for Park Chaerin even before she started playing UA, were overjoyed by her performance.

And riding the opportunity Park Chaerin had created, Seo Dami climbed the stairs and stepped onto the Control Point.

“Super Sylph! Finally steps on the Control Point!”

As players from both teams stepped on the point, Saturn V’s Point Gauge, which had been rising one-sidedly, was halted.

At the same time, Seo Dami’s eyes met with the enemy who was attacking her.

It was Saturn V’s Ace, Nina Cruz.

It was truly a fleeting moment.

Han Youngin infused the Earth Vein into Seo Dami’s body.

Usually, he would play the game himself and handle the Control, but this time, Seo Dami was playing directly, and he was only assisting with the Energy of the Ley Line.

The reason for structuring the positions this way was to give more liberal advice and instructions.

It was true that during a game, all one’s nerves were focused on Control, making it difficult to see the surrounding situation more accurately.

Hwang Jua’s Buff, and Seo Dami’s own Acceleration.

With the Power of the Ley Line activated on top of Double Acceleration, Seo Dami’s speed momentarily reached a level similar to having a Double Supporter cast a Buff on her.

<Saturn V is defending the point with two Attackers right now. No matter how good Nina Cruz is, she can’t keep up with this speed…!>

Han Youngin judged that Seo Dami would gain the upper hand in the Engagement.

Indeed, within the chaotically blooming Smoke Screen, Nina Cruz was doing her utmost to dodge Seo Dami’s attacks.

Just dodging was a struggle, and it seemed she had no opening to launch a Counterattack.

Surely… if the opponent had been an ordinary player, that would have been the case.

Kwajik- Sparks flew as something grazed past Seo Dami’s cheek.

It was a spark from a bullet hitting her Shield.

“Seo Dami! An incredible Reaction Speed!”

“She successfully defends against a shot fired at point-blank range with a small Shield!”

Both Seo Dami and Nina Cruz.

Were startled by each other’s Reaction Speed.

Nina Cruz had a “She blocked this?” look on her face.

Seo Dami had a “She counterattacks from here?” look on her face.

And Han Youngin, watching this scene unfold in his mind, marveled at the opponent’s play.

<When on earth did she set that up?>

The reason Nina Cruz, who had been focused on dodging, had almost blown Seo Dami’s head off was, as expected, thanks to the ‘Time Bullet’ Skill.

<Could it be… before she climbed the stairs?>

The time it took for Seo Dami to climb the stairs and start the Engagement was, at most, a little over a second.

It was only possible if she had set up the Skill before that and then entered the Engagement.

Was it truly an ability to see into the future?

If so, what were the limits of that time, and to what range did it apply?

While Han Youngin was making more detailed speculations about Nina Cruz’s ability, an impact came from the right, and Seo Dami’s body slammed into a pillar.

Saturn V’s Defender, Hailey Jones, had pushed Seo Dami back with her Shield.

Seo Dami was the only Super Sylph player who had reached the Control Point.

On the other hand, although one of Saturn V’s members had died from Park Chaerin’s snipe, four of them were still holding the point.

“Ah! Seo Dami is down! Super Sylph! Fails to recapture the Control Point!”

If this were the Korean League.

Seo Dami could have single-handedly shaken the enemy lines and destroyed the opposing team.

But this was the World Championship.

Against the strongest team in the world, fighting a one-versus-many Engagement to take the Control Point was too much even for Seo Dami.

Thus, the first Attack ended in failure, and Super Sylph retreated.

With two Attackers Retired, it was time to catch their breath and regroup.

The second Attack.

A single failed Point Capture didn’t mean the game was over one-sidedly.

Usually, it was much more common for the team that lost the initial fight to re-engage and recapture the point.

The reason was simple.

It was thanks to Respawn.

In the first Engagement between the two teams, the winner had to defend the point with depleted Stamina and Mana, but the team that was wiped out could re-engage with fully charged Stamina and Mana after respawning, giving them an advantage.

Seo Dami and Jung Yunseul respawned.

With full Mana, Super Sylph went on the Attack once more.

But just because they had an advantage didn’t mean they could be complacent.

The Point Gauge was steadily filling up even at this moment, so if they failed to recapture the point consecutively, it was common to see them lose the point and the Set to the opponent.

In particular, the fact that Super Sylph had been stationary for about 15 seconds in the Early Game was still having a negative effect on the flow.

In the second Attack, Super Sylph switched Jung Yunseul to a Supporter, attempting a triple Acceleration following a Double Buff.

With the Earth Vein Buff added to this, it was essentially a quadruple Acceleration.

“Super Sylph is attempting a Double Supporter strategy using Jung Yunseul, who was an Attacker.”

“Then does that mean more than half the players on this team can play Supporter?”

“That’s right. But isn’t the key proficiency?”

“Indeed, how proficient is Jung Yunseul as a Supporter, I wonder.”

In reality, switching positions to a Supporter to add more Buffs was a common occurrence in matches.

However, the point to note was proficiency.

Whether one could use Skills as skillfully as players who had mained Supporter for years was a completely different matter.

At this time, Han Youngin ordered Jung Yunseul not to reveal all of her Supporter skills.

For example, things like using the Purifying Lightning Bolt to pin down the enemy Dealer.

Until they met Kamui.

Han Youngin wanted to hold onto as many cards as possible, and Jung Yunseul faithfully stuck to her role of providing Buffs, supporting Seo Dami.

And so, Super Sylph once again climbed onto the Control Point and began the Engagement.

This time, far more members succeeded in stepping onto the point.

Thanks to Shin Aram’s defense, the players succeeded in climbing the stairs.

Firing shock grenades also required Mana.

Since they couldn’t be pushed back indefinitely, Super Sylph’s advantage was certain this time.

And so, another Close Battle unfolded.

Saturn V greeted the ascending Super Sylph by splitting left and right to form a Pincer Attack.

They made sure to fire from behind the pillars, not forgetting to be mindful of Park Chaerin’s sniping.

A fierce Engagement where dozens of bullets were exchanged in the blink of an eye.

Everyone had Acceleration active, so their Reaction Speed was terrifying.

“Hwang Jua is down!”

“Claire Snow is down too!”

Hwang Jua, who was in charge of the left side, went down.

Still, the fact that she took the enemy Supporter down with her before she died was a point worthy of praise.

On the opposite side, Seo Dami, who was facing the Defender, used a shock grenade to break the enemy’s Balance and didn’t miss the brief opening, thrusting her Lightsaber.

Saturn V’s Defender, Hailey Jones, couldn’t react to Seo Dami’s attack.

Quadruple Acceleration was a realm that no one but Kato Mikane could imitate.

As the Lightsaber pierced Hailey Jones’s side, coolly wiping out her Health Bar, the Spectator Seats stirred.

-Seo Da Mi-!!!

-Ah, General Seo! I believed in you!

-Again! Is it you! The great Dami!

-That Asian player is really different!

-Why isn’t Saturn marking Seo Dami?

-That team is just a Seo Dami one-trick pony!

-The reason for Korea’s improved international performance is probably because of that player.

A play that made even international fans marvel.

The moment she took down Hailey Jones, Seo Dami felt the hair on her head stand on end.

Perhaps this is what it would feel like to have your forehead in front of a Muzzle aimed by another person.

Simultaneously, Seo Dami ducked her upper body with superhuman Reaction Speed, entering an evasive maneuver.

Drrrk-! Bullets scraping over her head grazed past her.

It wasn’t a Time Bullet.

It was Nina Cruz launching a Counterattack with her pure, innate Physical ability.

-Nina!

-Finish her!!

-As long as Nina holds on, Saturn V is invincible!

However, even for Nina Cruz, it was too much to catch Seo Dami in her quadruple Acceleration state.

Seo Dami immediately launched a Counterattack toward Nina Cruz.

<What?!>

But, quite surprisingly.

This time too, Seo Dami’s attack ended in failure.

Just as she was about to counterattack, Nina Cruz used Blink to completely leave the Battle Line.

And the bullets left in that empty space fiercely flew toward Seo Dami’s vitals.

A Time Bullet that Nina Cruz had set up in advance had activated once again.

<That’s truly an insane Performance. She must have known Dami would cut down Hailey Jones and set up the Time Bullet in advance.>

And then a Blink.

If the battle went on like this, no matter how fast and good Seo Dami’s Instant Acceleration was, she wouldn’t be able to catch Nina Cruz.

‘Should I chase her…?’

<Don’t panic, let’s clear the point first. Point Capture is the priority right now.>

The probability of Nina Cruz, who had left the Battle Line once, re-entering the point was not very high.

She would be low on Mana.

Both Blink and Time Bullet consumed Mana, and since this was Saturn V’s second consecutive Attack defense, it was understandable that they would be running low on Mana.

And so, after a difficult battle, Super Sylph recaptured the Control Point of the Attica Temple for the first time.

The Point Gauge Saturn V had accumulated was at 72 percent.

The key now was how well they could defend the point without losing it.

“Phew. Super Sylph is better than I thought, huh?”

“I know, right.”

“Alright! Everyone focus! We just need to fill up 28 percent of the gauge and we’ve got this!”

“Okay, okay!”

Saturn V’s Ace, Nina Cruz.

She led her teammates, her blue twintails swaying.

Nina Cruz had used up almost all her Mana while defending the point, but seeing her teammates go down one by one, she chose to detonate a Bomb at her own feet to Respawn.

There was no reason to stay near the point alone with no Mana when they could just group up and Attack together.

And so, after reforming their Battle Line, Saturn V went on the Attack again.

But the air felt strange.

The first one to feel it was Nina Cruz.

The sky trembled, and the loud Cheer of the Spectators echoed throughout the Battlefield.

Domination Battle was the only Battlefield where the voices of the Spectators could reach the players.

It wasn’t clear, but for the Spectators to be this excited meant that something unusual was happening in this game.

‘What on earth is it?’

Just when not only Nina Cruz but all the other players felt something was off.

A Bomb flew in, and a sudden Engagement began.

“It’s an Ambush! Everyone, dodge!”

Nina Cruz shouted, but her voice was buried by the impact of the Bomb.

A move that defied common sense.

Super Sylph, who should have been defending the Control Point, plunged a dagger into Saturn V with a bold Attack.