Chapter 128

With Kato Mikane’s fall, Kamui crumbled from the rear.

Round 1, a loss.

The spectators cheering for Kamui were completely frozen.

-Kato lost…?

-No way!

-Calm down! There’s no way Kato Mikane would lose!

-That’s right. She’ll show them in the next round.

-It was just bad luck, a momentary slip.

On the other hand, having defied expectations and scored first, the Super Sylph fans shot up to their feet, waving their arms.

-These crazy bastards!

-The Almighty Sylph!

-They won this?

-Did you see that Chain Attack just now? It was on another level!

-Are they really going to win? Super Sylph against Kamui?

-They won the psychological warfare from the start.

-The Nicaea Defending Team not placing any guards at the door and coming out to the center for a 5v5, that was ballsy.

-FR, this team’s strategies are so well-planned.

-General Seo!

-Just one more time!!!

As the stadium was split by the contrasting atmospheres, the Kamui fans comforted themselves, saying there was no way they would collapse like this.

The One-on-One Battlefield had a rule where you had to get two points ahead of your opponent by trading Offense and Defense to win.

In theory, if they traded one point each round, the match could go on indefinitely.

So, if they just got their heads straight, there were still plenty of chances for a comeback.

In fact, there were countless cases of teams making a successful comeback after losing the first round.

However, the atmosphere in the Kamui team’s Waiting Room, having taken a blow, was grim.

To make a comeback, all the players needed to be focused, but their core, their Leader, was staring blankly.

“That can’t be right…”

What on earth couldn’t be right?

Watching Kato Mikane mutter incomprehensibly, the players felt their insides burn.

They had followed her and played alongside her for years, but this was the first time they had seen her like this.

“Unni. We’re losing.”

“That can’t be right…”

“I said, we’re losing!”

Unable to watch any longer, Sasaki Sena grabbed Kato’s shoulders and shook her back and forth.

She was the Sub-Leader, the one who had played with Kato the longest on this team after Kato herself.

But despite her cry, the Leader’s departed spirit showed no signs of returning easily.

“Unni.”

Just then, the team’s sub-Attacker, Shimizu Misaki, called out to Sasaki Sena.

“I hate to admit it, Unni, but I think she’s broken.”

“……”

“Let’s hold on. And to hold on, we need to take the second round.”

The second round was Kamui’s defense turn.

Her idea was that if they dragged out the game as long as possible by trading blows, their Leader would come to her senses.

“Right. Let’s hold on for now.”

“Should we go with the standard?”

The standard for the Defending Team at Nicaea Research Lab was to move to the central cross-shaped passage and engage the enemy.

But there was one concern.

The case where the opponent aimed for an empty base and rushed in for an Attack.

With the development of Buff Skills, the era of the Double Supporter had dawned, allowing the Attacking Team to send an Attacker to the front of the data room in pretty good Condition.

In the past, bypassing the central passage and circling around the outskirts to Attack in time would completely drain the Attacking Team’s Mana, leaving them empty, but now they could enter an Engagement in a much better state.

The Attacking Team had two options, and the Defending Team had to guess one and respond.

In fact, due to this Meta trend, the Win Rate at Nicaea Research Lab had shown a significant advantage for the Attacking Team in just the past year.

‘We should have taken the first round.’

To think they would give up the Right of Attack so futilely.

The Kamui players found it regrettable, but they had to quickly forget what was past and move on.

Just as the Kamui players were once again vowing to make a comeback, the Super Sylph Waiting Room was visibly buzzing with excitement.

One more win, and the team would be victorious.

It would be South Korea’s first-ever advance to the Finals.

A moment where every win made history.

It would be stranger if they weren’t feeling anything, standing at the center of it all.

And amidst it all, Jung Yunseul, who was maintaining her composure, coolly predicted the course of the next round.

‘How will the opponent play?’

Now, Kamui had to choose between reinforcing their door defense to block a backdoor Rush or coming out to the central passage for a full Engagement.

‘According to the data Oppa gave me, Kamui will…’

They were more likely to defend the door than to play the standard.

Not all five of them defending the door, but just increasing the number of guards by one or two.

If they focused entirely on defending the door, they wouldn’t be able to keep up with the Attacking Team’s movement if the data location changed.

The reason for predicting that Kamui would focus on door defense was simple.

A backdoor Rush was a Strategy frequently used by relatively weaker teams against stronger ones.

And Kamui was the strongest team in the world.

In fact, teams that faced Kamui in the Japanese League had all, without exception, attempted a backdoor Rush at least once, so it was only natural for Kamui to solidify their door defense.

Just as she was thinking they could execute their plan as prepared, Seo Dami spoke in a small voice.

“Kato Mikane. Don’t you think she looked really flustered?”

“Yeah.”

“Do you think she thought she went a little too far…?”

“Maybe. It’s possible.”

It was obvious to Jung Yunseul as well.

The moment she mentioned being her Oppa’s avenger, the game had been drastically shaken.

It was undoubtedly proof that the opponent cared a lot about her Oppa.

Thanks to that, they had seized the momentum, but the fact that Kato Mikane was interested in Han Youngin didn’t make Jung Yunseul entirely happy.

‘If she was going to be shaken so easily, why did she make a promise to kill or be killed?’

She didn’t know the full story, but right now, winning the game was what mattered.

Steeling her resolve, Jung Yunseul whispered into Seo Dami’s ear.

“Oppa said your play just now was great. Let’s finish paying Kato back.”

“Okay.”

At those words, Seo Dami smiled with a hee.

It was the reaction of someone who would want to hear Han Youngin’s praise a hundred, a thousand times.

She had said it knowing that, to give her courage.

‘I do feel a little guilty.’

Constantly pretending to be her Oppa, who wasn’t there, pricked her conscience, but she thought he would understand when he found out later, since it was all for the team.

“Then let’s go with the plan.”

Shin Aram, who had been quietly managing her Mental, stood up and said.

The second round was about to start.

Unlike the two-minute break between Sets, the cooling-off time between Rounds was much shorter.

The players were given 45 seconds.

This time was given for tactical changes and position substitutions.

And at this moment, Shin Aram had changed her position to Supporter.

Moreover, she wasn’t the only one who had changed positions.

Even Park Chaerin had changed her Class to Supporter.

Adding Hwang Jua, that made a total of three Supporters.

Two Attackers and three Supporters.

Super Sylph’s original plan was to use an extreme Build of three Supporters to send not one, but two people to the front of the data room and attempt a backdoor Rush.

Having already won the first round, they had another chance even if it didn’t work.

There was no better opportunity to use such an extreme all-in Strategy.

This was the Strategy originally planned by Han Youngin.

However, Han Youngin, watching this situation from his hospital room, was letting out a scream.

“They have to change the strategy!”

“Sir, you need to calm down right now. You’ve just woken up, so it could strain your body.”

The doctor, forcing Han Youngin, who had suddenly burst out in anger, back onto the bed, repeatedly told him to calm down.

As he pushed the struggling Han Youngin down, the doctor was inwardly shocked.

‘My word. How is a patient this strong…?’

The strength he had just felt from Han Youngin was hard to believe came from someone who had been bedridden for a long time.

Wasn’t this a patient who had been lying still, unconscious?

The human body rapidly deteriorates if not used continuously.

Patients who had been unconscious for such a long time required months, or even years, of rehabilitation just to perform simple daily activities, but Han Youngin’s strength right now was no different from that of an ordinary person.

As the considerably surprised doctor was thinking that his rehabilitation would be quick, Han Youngin’s gaze remained fixed on the TV.

The all-in Strategy.

Watching the players change their positions to attempt a backdoor Rush, Han Youngin was frantic.

There was no need for that.

Kato Mikane’s Condition had already crumbled.

The reason was probably Jung Yunseul’s shout.

The words “Oppa’s avenger” had broken Kato.

Did she think he had died or something?

Anyway, it was surprising that she cared about him that much, but the game was more important right now.

‘Kato’s state is definitely not good. But will it last long?’

Han Youngin thought not.

From what he had seen while spending time with her, Kato was a player with a stronger mentality than one might think.

In the first place, without that kind of mentality, she couldn’t have claimed the title of the world’s strongest, even if she could use the Power of the Ley Line.

Therefore, Han Youngin believed that Kato would soon recover her Mental.

If so, what would happen to the game?

Super Sylph would inevitably be swept away by Kato unilaterally using the Ley Line Boost.

There was a high probability of a helpless picture like in the second Set.

So, if one were to predict such a situation.

In this round, Super Sylph shouldn’t go for an all-in Rush but should stick to a standard Build.

‘If it’s Sasaki Sena, she’ll put Kato Mikane on data room Guard.’

With the Leader’s Mental temporarily gone.

As the Sub-Leader, Sasaki Sena would likely make a judgment call to win, placing only Kato Mikane on door Guard and coming out for a central Engagement.

It would be a way to have the strongest player defend the base while also giving her time to collect her Mental.

But what would happen if they slammed a backdoor Rush into that?

It would result in a picture of Seo Dami and Jung Yunseul clashing with Kato Mikane at the door.

What if Kato came to her senses during this Engagement?

Super Sylph would never be able to take down Kato using the Power of the Ley Line in time.

Then some Kamui players would Rally back to the data room to provide Support, and there was a possibility that Super Sylph would be wiped out instead.

That’s why Han Youngin wanted them to engage in a standard central battle right now.

He wanted them to strike Kamui’s other players.

Even if Kato joined the central Offense and Defense, he felt this way they could inflict more damage.

Before Kato returned to her senses.

Take down as many enemy players as possible.

That way, even if Kato Mikane did come to her senses, it would be a one-versus-many situation, further reducing the risk.

‘It would be good if they could adjust the strategy according to the situation…’

As Han Youngin sighed with deep regret, there was a change in the Waiting Room.

With about ten seconds left before deployment, the players began to change their positions again.

Seo Dami and Jung Yunseul were Attackers.

And Hwang Jua was a Supporter.

Shin Aram a Defender, and Park Chaerin a Sniper.

Watching them switch to a standard composition, Han Youngin almost shed tears of emotion.

‘Yunseuli! I believed in you!’

I’m leaving the control tower to you in my absence.

Han Youngin was moved, confirming that his choice had not been wrong.

In this very moment, Jung Yunseul had thought the same thing as him.

And so, the second round of the final Set began.

If they won, they could end the match right here.

People briefly left the hospital room, and his teary-eyed father told his son he was glad he had woken up.

How many things must he have wanted to say to his son all this time?

But to his father who was speaking to him, Han Youngin replied, “Father. I’m really sorry, but just a moment. A little later.”

“This match right now. It’s really important.”

“Uh, huh…?”

As he said this, Han Youngin still couldn’t take his eyes off the TV.

Super Sylph rushed toward the center.

And so, the Engagement soon began.

“What on earth are they thinking! Kamui! Putting Kato Mikane on Guard!”

“They’re struggling! Super Sylph’s Attacker pair! Their Firepower is immense!”

-Fk, this is insane.

-Holy… they’re really gonna make something happen today;;

-DamiDami. Just one more time!

-Told you, right? If you don’t cheer for Super Sylph, you’re missing out on half of life.

-The Almighty Sylph! Go!

Seo Dami and Jung Yunseul.

Throughout the World Championship, the two players had consistently proven that their Level was worthy of the world stage.

And their synergy was like a perfect match, making it difficult for Shimizu Misaki to block them alone.

Super Sylph launched a two-pronged pincer, the same Strategy as in the first round.

Kamui deployed a TP Barrier to check the opponent from getting behind them, but the Barrier couldn’t be maintained indefinitely.

Due to Mana consumption, they couldn’t keep the Barrier up until the end of the game, and in the gap when the Barrier was taken down, Super Sylph fiercely pierced through.

Kamui was once again caught in a Pincer Attack from the front and back.

As Shimizu Misaki finally fell while trying to block the rear, the Supporter, Haruna, who had been fighting desperately with her lips pressed tight, shouted into her in-ear.

“Unni is a fool-! At this rate, we’ll have to do a dogeza when we return to Japan!”

Since all five opponents had rushed into the center, a Kato in normal Condition would have immediately come for Cover Fire.

But today’s Kato, with a screw loose, was fumbling around, not playing the game properly.

If someone saw her, they could say she was trolling to intentionally throw the game, and there would be no excuse.

“You said we’d win the championship twice together!!!”

With a desperate scream, Takahashi Haruna was down.

Five seconds later, the Sniper, Suzuki Rina, was also taken down.

At this absurd situation, the Kamui fans erupted in fury.

-This is rigged!

-Our team can’t be this shitty!

-I get it! Kato was a Zainichi!

-What?

-It doesn’t make sense otherwise!

-Korea poisoned Japan!

Now, the only Kamui player left in the center was the Defender, Sasaki Sena.

Enduring and defending all alone, she barely escaped the two-pronged attack and raised her Shield again.

But her Health Gauge was already critically low.

Super Sylph, having completely crushed Kamui’s main force, did not pursue Sasaki Sena.

Time was running out, and the data room location began to change.

The vertical blast doors of the central passage began to open.

The new objective was above their heads.

The top of the space station.

Watching Super Sylph prepare to advance to the upper level, Sasaki Sena bit her lip hard.

The tide had already turned.

Only two players remained, and her own Condition was already at rock bottom.

The only player who could fight properly was Kato Mikane, and even she still hadn’t fully come to her senses.

To think Kamui’s World Championship journey would end here.

Letting out a sigh unknowingly, Sasaki Sena opened the comms and spoke softly to her Leader.

“Unni. If this continues, we’re going to lose.”

-…….

“Are you okay with it ending like this?”

There was no reply, but Sasaki Sena continued to lead the conversation as if talking to herself.

“I still vividly remember when you asked me, ‘Want to play games together?’”

“I’ve never once regretted following you and playing games together. But not now. This performance… is not something we should have shown our fans.”

“You said your family was against it, right? You becoming a Pro Gamer. That’s why you were so happy when we won for the first time.”

“And even after last year’s Worlds, seeing you still talk about winning again and again, I thought we could keep moving forward…”

Sasaki Sena clenched her teeth as if the defeat was incredibly unfair.

“I got an Offer from Tianlong. To replace Liu Xuan. They said they’d pay me a much higher Annual Salary than I get now. It’s the same for the others. There isn’t a single one of us who hasn’t received good offers during the Re-signing Season. But everyone stayed because they like the team, because they trust and follow you.”

But today’s match was too much, Sasaki Sena lamented, now looking like she was about to cry.

“Will you really not regret it if it ends like this? Look at them. They’re already celebrating as if they’ve won. Say something.”

Finally unable to hold back, she let tears stream down her face, and watching her, the Kamui fans also wiped away their tears.

-Kato, you bastard…!

-Why are you making our Sena cry!

-Does doing well until now make it all okay?!

-Well, it does, but…

-Still, not today’s match!

-Boo. I hate Kato. I hate her.

-If you were going to be like this, you shouldn’t have been so good in the first place.

-Aah. Why are you doing this to us

-Damn it! Kato, you at least just swim back!

The Super Sylph players had now completely vanished from the center.

Just as Sasaki Sena and the fans, accepting defeat, lowered their heads, Kato answered for the first time.

“I’m sorry. But who did you say was laughing?”

Kato spoke directly, not through the comms.

Kato Mikane, who had just now arrived at the center, asked her again.

Who on earth was laughing.

Sasaki Sena had more she wanted to say to her, but she first answered her Leader’s question out of habit.

“Well, obviously, all of the opposing players…”

“Seo Dami too, and Jung Yunseul?”

“…Yes.”

“I see.”

Afterward, Kato said she was sorry and wrapped an arm around the Sub-Leader’s shoulder.

“Sorry. I’m so, so sorry. I’ll apologize again when I get back, so don’t go to another team. This team is screwed without you.”

At her apology, Sasaki Sena wore a dumbfounded expression, but she couldn’t help but ask.

“Where are you going?”

“I have to chase them. The game isn’t over yet.”

“What?”

Just as she was about to say it was too late to chase them, Kato vanished in an instant, leaping up toward the upper levels of the vertical passage.

A truly ferocious speed.

Watching Kato’s back as she flew farther and farther away, Sasaki Sena thought.

She didn’t know why, but for some reason, seeing her Leader’s back, it seemed she was extremely angry.

‘This isn’t right.’

Sasaki Sena picked up her dropped Shield and followed after her.

The game isn’t over until it’s over.

If you give up, you lose.

The Round wasn’t over yet.

And so, Kamui’s Last Attack began.