A few minutes later both teams entered the arena.
"Hotpot! Ready to relinquish your number one title?"
"Pff. Maybe if you increase your team by a few dozen people. Someone must have organized that fancy armour for you, right? Call them if you want to have a chance!"
"Jealous?"
"As if!"
The two teams continued to bicker, perhaps as a way to cope with the tension. Both teams were eager for a victory. GalanTen as an organization actually didn't need the win that badly, but the players had their pride. They were the ones to challenge Hotpot, twice. If they lost here, how could they ever confidently face the public again?
And for Hotpot the stakes were self-explanatory. Their reputation could directly be translated into credits. More fame, more sponsor money.
"Team battle. Hotpot, GalanTen. Random terrain. Ready!"
Suddenly C's voice rang through the arena. The fighters' perception of the audience was cut off. The surroundings changed, transforming into a beautiful mountain valley with spring meadows and gurgling streams. It was almost too serene to serve as a battlefield.
The two teams fell silent, adjusting their minds. A countdown was started. Three, two, one… go!
Instantly twenty flying mounts were summoned. Excited, animalistic cries rang out. It was an eyeopener for the audience.
"It's Mirage's famous white fox! So beautiful!"
"I'm a fan of Radiant Shield's griffon! I aim to get a similar mount!"
"Haha, I like Silent Acacia's dog. It's a bit dorky but sooo cute!"
The audience immediately started discussing. At this point the average player was just approaching level 60. More and more guides appeared online on how to get one's hands on certain flying mounts. However, the likes of griffons, dragons, etc, were a rarity, only held by some extremely lucky players.
Hotpot's mounts were already largely known. Therefore, many spectators curiously turned towards GalanTen. And they were not disappointed.
With a clear cry a burning bird appeared next to Henragon, raising its head arrogantly, its two tails swaying in the wind. Occulus jumped on a white owl not much different from Fortune's. CUwUty summoned a lovely white deer exuding rich vitality, causing the flowers around it to bloom vividly. SpireX sat in what looked like a small bronze airplane, equipped with all kinds of weapons.
The large variety and majestic aura of the twenty mounts were an eyeopener for the audience.
But the players had no time to marvel. Although Hotpot would have loved to study their opponents' mounts for a while, GalanTen wasn't ignorant enough to give them the chance. Both teams jumped on their mounts and rushed towards the sky. The fresh mountain breeze tore on their clothes and hair, granting them a heroic appearance which stunned the audience.
Pictures of this scene would circulate for a long time. It was like the unofficial start of the flying mounts era. Even in the arena, fights involving flying mounts would overtake fights on the ground from here on out.
"Let's go!"
Radiant Shield took the lead this time. His majestic griffon let out a resounding roar as [Lion's Leap] was activated. The mount pounced through the air, targeting the enemy's melee players. He arrived in front of Greenhorn in almost an instant and swung his murderous claw. But Greenhorn was stable as always. With a light tilt he easily dodged the claw.
Never expecting much from this attack, Radiant Shield continued with his next skill. A tall shield appeared in front of this body, slamming into Greenhorn and BlackHorizon. SpireX and Gege, who were targeted as well, managed to dodge in time. The assassin immediately hid in stealth, sneaking up on Hotpot, becoming a constantly looming threat.
Suddenly, as if on cue, multiple lights erupted. Silent Acacia's Juvenile Celestial Dog activated [Light of Companionship], increasing the critical chance and damage of all allies. Their enemies revealed similar skills, either strengthening their teammates or weakening their enemies. Multiple effects overlapped and it was difficult to tell who came out on top.
Silver Blade and Henragon both activated their [Aura of the Sloth], slowing down the opponents. However, this wasn't incredibly potent against the fast flying mounts. But for Silver Blade it was just enough. She managed to weave past GalanTen's frontline, appearing amidst the enemy team. It was time to give the opponents a surprise.
[Unavoidable Bulwark]! A new skill which Hotpot hadn't revealed before! Silver Blade froze in place, her body radiating an indomitable aura.
"Aggro?!"
"What?"
Finally, GalanTen couldn't help but voice their surprise as Silver Blade didn't use her expected [Luring Barrier]. Due to the tank's clever positioning she managed to tie both mages to her. And even CUwUty was almost forced to attack the tank. Yet she managed to free herself by using a skill of her white deer flying mount.
A subdued, green light shimmered on the surface of its skin. Mount and rider were randomly teleported away, gaining temporary resistance to all negative status effects. However, CUwUty was not happy using such a precious skill only to escape from Silver Blade. At least now she was free to attack, ready to devastate Hotpot's ranks.
A similar situation played out elsewhere. Liam was once again targeted by Henragon.
"Let's see where you'll hide this time!"
The tank grinned brightly, staring at Hotpot's star. His eyes were burning. With a thought [Flaming Crown] was activated.
Liam observed every move of the tank. He was already waiting for the skill. The moment he noticed a stir in the mana, his gracious white fox trembled. White light overlapped. In a flash, nine clones of fox and rider came into existence, each incredibly lifelike and basically indiscernible.
GalanTen's members frowned. Liam didn't use this skill often. Thus, they had little data to analyse. During their preparation, as they could only watch it through screens, the clones all looked identical. They were unable to make out the real one. And now that they were able to see it in person, they had to admit… they still couldn't discover any differences. As long as Liam didn't attack, it was impossible to find the real body!
But this wasn't the worst of it all. Henragon stared at his skill, baffled. His [Flaming Crown] was on cooldown. Yet, thanks to his perfect timing, Liam was actually able to evade the skill!
"Stop Mirage!"
"Trying!"
Vavel suddenly appeared amidst Hotpot, relying on a speed boost from his mount. A hammer consisting of light was conjured in the air, sweeping a large area. But how could Liam get hit so easily? A few clones were swept away, but the real body easily escaped with a flash step. The only one hit by the hammer was Cyclone, who was already in the process of casting skills.
Thus, the situation after the initial exchange gradually became clear. The tanks of both teams confronted the enemies. On Hotpot's side Quickstep and Watchful Eye had their aggro captured by Henragon while on GalanTen's side only Occulus, SpireX, and CUwUty were free to move. It looked like Hotpot had taken the upper hand. SpireX frowned, pondering.
"Hehehe, here I come!"
CUwUty giggled, deliberately attracting attention. She waved her whip, targeting Quickstep and Watchful Eye. The two warriors were forced to dodge. Before CUwUty could continue, a white flash arrived in front of her. The wood elf's eyes lit up.
"My chance for a rematch? This time we both have no ultimate skills!"
"Sure.", answered Liam dryly, his sword already aiming for the neck of CUwUty deer mount, which took the form of a ray created from vines.
CUwUty didn't dodge. She waved her whip, sending a bunch of seeds in Liam's direction, which strongly clung to his body. They would absorb HP before returning to CUwUty, healing her. Both fighters exuded confidence. They barely dodged. It was a pure exchange of skills, aiming to overwhelm the enemy.
However, ultimately, they were not alone. Two powerful healers were on the battlefield, supporting their teams from behind.
Balm took a deep breath. Finally, it was time. Her ultimate skill [Blessing of Light] was activated. Out of nowhere celestial music began to play as brilliant light filled the surroundings. A star appeared out of nowhere, like a beacon of hope, a symbol of life. It hovered above Balm, shining its light upon her. All her skills had their cooldown reduced by 20 seconds and the probabilities of all her chance-based effects rose by 15%.
Battles had already broken out everywhere. Bloody Edge and Gege were caught in a nerve-racking duel. SpireX threatened Watchful Eye. Silver Blade was facing two mages. Radiant Shield was holding back the enemy's warriors. Everyone was slowly losing HP.
A wave of light spread from Balm, blessing the entire battlefield. Her allies all profited from a generous heal. Simultaneously Balm's passive triggered multiple times, strengthened by her ultimate skill, granting her teammates various buffs.
Bloody Edge was blessed by Balm and realised that he would be able to use one skill without it going on cooldown. His opponent's daggers chased relentlessly, willing to trade injury for injury. Bloody Edge learned from Bleary Mirage that Gege could trigger a potent stun after hitting her enemy thrice with lightning damage. Of course, Bloody Edge tried to avoid this.
Suddenly the male thief grinned. Red mist erupted from his body, filling a large area. It was his [Blood Mist] ability. All other skills were instantly suppressed. Gege's daggers, always engulfed in sparkling lightning, calmed down.