Chapter 194: Taking Advantage
Translator: Abyssruler Editor: Lucas
This was the Immortal Barbarians' style - adaptability. They had mastered the art of timing.
Frankly speaking, the team from the Norton Star had the right idea. Against such an adaptable opponent, the solution would be to use st.u.r.dy formations and discipline to gradually wear their opponent out.
The Milky Way Galaxy liked the Norton fighters as their mechanical teamwork was flawless. If they defended a position, they would not budge from it. Their stubborn resistance would gradually wear out their opponents and place them under stress, and this would ultimately lead to victory for the Norton fighters.
Yuan Long could not help but watch. One was a person who defeated him and the other was Ella, his old opponent when he was at the Andromeda IG selection. Not many people knew that the person controlling Virbius was a female. Both of them were selected for the Andromeda IG trials. The one controlling Virbius was not the original owner of the account, Ella had borrowed it from him. Ella was always eager to be first and thus had informed him to come and have a look.
Frankly speaking, that battle had affected Yuan Long deeply. He took a whole week to recover from the shock. He kept thinking of what had happened to himself. During the battle, he felt like he had been possessed by a demon and was being controlled by his opponents. Was this Earth's witchcraft?
It was obviously impossible... someone who could suppress another person's spirit only existed in legends.
Ella's explosive ability was used to lure Skeleton out. She did not believe that he would decline.
Ella rarely played CT, mainly because there was no challenge in it. However, she was still the idol of many Immortal Barbarian Kings----G.o.ddess Ella.
Naturally, a G.o.ddess' demands must be satisfied, much less something so minor.
Why else were they so confident? A person who had defeated Yuan Long should not be taken lightly.
In the face of Ella's provocation, Yuan Long merely smiled. Ella, who had inherited the lineage of the immortal tribes and also fully integrated her human capabilities, was indeed a master. Ella and Yuan Long were different only in terms of styles.
In a one-on-one battle, Yuan Long felt that the odds would not be in his favor. His opponent had a strange style and would be difficult to counter. But if it was a team battle, that would be a different story.
Yuan Long would not take a girl's provocation too seriously. In Yuan Long's eyes, this was going to be a battle of only two or three bouts. What he really wanted to see was Skeleton's reaction.
This battle was of great importance as the reputation of the entire Earth Region was at stake. Bubbly Foam and Young Deer were both very cautious, but in different ways. Bubbly Foam was encouraging, while Young Deer played the role of the villain.
It has to be said that Deer G.o.d's philosophy was pretty reasonable. He could always find an angle to apply pressure to Skeleton.
In the past, he racked his brain to force Skeleton into a difficult position. This time, Young Deer once again forced Skeleton to make a choice. Of course, all of this was done for the benefit of Earth.
It was eight 'o'clock when the contestants entered the hall where the battle would take place. Prince and the others had played major games before, but they were not confident about this battle. This could be their chance for redemption. However, if they once again made mistakes in their piloting, it would end catastrophically.
Honestly speaking, they felt that it would have been better if Skeleton used the Holy Paladin Type M mech. He might have bit off more than he could chew with his current selection. Besides, the Holy Paladin Type M was an advanced version of the WarG.o.d No.1 mech. That mech would have offered a similar playstyle for Skeleton. But there was no point in saying anything now.
"Alright, the contestants have all entered the battlefield. Let the mech selection begin! This is a blind draft, so there will be no banning of the mecha. Everyone will be able to play to their strengths. May the strongest emerge victorious," Young Deer said. "The opponents seem to be taking advantage of this."
Bragging Simon declined to pick the mid lane. He took a look at his team's situation and picked "Thorn Star". This was a mobile fighter scout.
Prince confirmed his selection of the War Emperor Type V with the Electric Halberd. This was his best combination. Alas, he did not have to chance to utilize its full potential in the previous battle as he had been totally suppressed.
Hammer chose the Gold Guardian with the Hammer Auxiliary System. As a professional support player, Hammer actually performed better than the others in the previous battle. Unfortunately, the Gold Guardian could only deliver a normal performance output and could also be eventually destroyed if its teammates could not provide it with timely help.
Truth picked the Tyrannosaurus Rex. It was by far the best beast-type mech of Earth. It was cla.s.sified as a heavy tank-type, but as it was also a beast-type, so its movements were better than the average tank-type mech's.
The mecha that the Earth team selected was a little unique. Each of them had made a small sacrifice for the team. Both Bragging Simon and Truth used unconventional mecha, this ensured that the team was balanced. Both had made way for someone else to pick the mid lane.
From a certain point of view, the Earth team's selections were the most balanced. Since ancient times, the people of Earth had firmly believed that only through balance would they achieve victory.
But....most were destroyed in the end.
There was no hesitation from their opponents, they selected the exact same lineup.
The mid lane was taken by Virbius's Jungle Scamper Type-M. Two of its other teammates were combat-type mecha, while the remaining two had selected scout-type mecha. This ensured that their lineup possessed mobility.
As of now, everyone's focus was on Skeleton, who had the last pick. It was not because he was a big wig, but rather because he had the lowest CT score, also known as the "position without rights."
Young Deer shook his fist and muttered something under his breath. No one knew what he said. w.a.n.g Zheng picked the WarG.o.d No.1 without any hesitation.
Tsk, why would he have picked the Hercules? Student w.a.n.g was not stupid. The Hercules was good in melee combat, but it would be beaten to a pulp when it came to ranged combat.
The selection of the WarG.o.d. No.1 caused some of them to let out a sigh of relief, but at the same time caused the others to be worried.
Skeleton's choice of the WarG.o.d No.1 showed that he was confident, but....everyone else still had their doubts.
Skeleton, Bragging Simon, as well as their friends were all feeling the immense pressure. They could not afford another loss.
"Skeleton, do you have any tactic in mind? We will do anything as long as it helps us win!" Prince said.
Their goal for partic.i.p.ating was to win. They were not doing this for personal benefit, but for the glory of the Earth region. Otherwise, they might as well be subst.i.tuted. It did not matter if they won or lost, they were not the only Kings in the Earth region.
"We will follow your previous tactic," w.a.n.g Zheng said.
The four others were stunned. Was he being serious? Wouldn't they end up dead?
Since Skeleton was the main force of their effort, they naturally deferred to him. But in fact, they had studied the situation and could not think of an alternative way.
They could not afford to allow their opponents to shoot at them. This was a critical issue, so they just could not afford it. The Immortal Barbarians were too adaptable, they were also highly accurate at long ranges. If they were to fight the Immortal Barbarians head on in a ranged battle, their own forces would definitely get destroyed.
"It looks like our Skeleton G.o.d is full of confidence. This is a good thing, I will smash the windows in your house if you lose. Ladies and gentlemen, next up is the selection of the battleground," Young Deer said. He was still calm and collected even in such an occasion.
"The guy on the other team likes to push his own limits."
"Is this Skeleton guy really that good? He actually picked the WarG.o.d No.1 against the Immortal Barbarians. Is he trying to be cool?"
"Would you want him to pick the Hercules instead?!"
Bubbly Foam smiled and said, "The number of viewers watching the VIP live broadcast is over 16 million, and many of them are friends from beyond Earth. We, as the hosts, should see some of the hottest comments coming from our celestial friends. In fact, some of them are quite well-written."
Bubble Foam couldn't continue.
The sky of the Earth was totally black!
The cows were flying!
Why were the cows flying?!
Little Skeleton was trying to change the winds by blowing with his mouth!
Bubbly Foam did not answer, but Old Deer had read out this paragraph.
The Skeleton Corps could not endure this any longer. What rubbis.h.!.+ Did the Immortal Barbarian Star even have cows? Did they even know what cows looked like? Someone please give this idiot an encyclopedia!
"Let me do a pre-match interview. The fans of the Immortal Barbarians are quite unfriendly!" Old Deer said.
"This is a time for the contestants to prepare themselves mentally, so an interview right now would not be a good idea."
"It is fine, he would reject my invite if he did not want not be interviewed. Look…..it connected.
Young Deer laughed. Why would the invite be accepted after what Young Deer had said?
"Contestant Skeleton, this battle is of great importance. What do you have to say about this?"
Everyone held their breaths. It actually connected. He must have something he wanted to say.
"If you can land a shot, I will count it as your win," w.a.n.g Zheng said bluntly.
"Very well, everyone heard what you just said! Student Skeleton is full of confidence. If Skeleton is not hit by a single shot in this entire battle, then I will do something that everyone loves!"
Everyone was very clear on what they would love to do to Deer G.o.d.
Countless people screamed like babies. At the end of it all, a black pot was still black. Old Deer was from Earth, so he would naturally side with Earth.
But Skeleton's words had strongly provoked his opponents. How dare he brag like that, given Earth's low standing. Were they courting their own deaths?"
But a brittle mech like the WarG.o.d No.1 would be instantly destroyed in a single direct hit. Even a glancing shot would damage it badly. This was just too absurd. Did he not know the power of the Lightning Javelin?
This type of mech was unpopular not because it was weak, but rather because not many could grasp its medium distance throwing technology. But the Immortal Barbarians were different, their ancestors were the pioneers of this technology. This ability flowed through their veins and their genetic memories.
Of course, a proficient user like Ella was also a rare sight.
Map: The Roar of Ice and Fire
This was a famously cruel map. This wilderness map was less often used in team battles. There was no shelter and it tested a pilot's ability to operate his or her mech. The Immortal Barbarians had originally not intended to pick this map, but given how arrogant their opponent was, they decided to teach him a lesson.
It was possible to use mobility as a form of shelter. Skeleton had displayed this ability before, and he was a veteran of many battles. This was the most effective use of the environment, and it would result in additional combat effectiveness. But since he was so arrogant, his opponents decided to give no quarter.
Prince and the others were stunned. They understood Skeleton's intentions. Skeleton had wanted to provoke his opponents and draw all their attention on to him so that his teammates would then be able to utilize their potential.
At the same time, this agitated his opponents. Before, everyone displayed some respect towards each other and battlefields were picked at random. But this time, his opponents directly picked the battlefield.
w.a.n.g Zheng was not too concerned. It would be best if his mech had cover when it moved, but it was also fine if it did not, as the opponents too did not have any cover. It was not as if he alone did not have the benefit of cover.
They could not have tunnel vision while switching between offense and defense. As long as they had a solid offense, the pressure on their defense would be reduced.
The question was, how were they going to increase their offensive power?!
This sort of map was very simple, it tested the pilot's mechanical skills as well as their understanding of the mech. One would immediately fire their weapon while pressing the a.s.sault. They had to do so regardless if they hit or not. There was no chance to retreat. The moment one side's momentum was broken, that team would surely be destroyed.