Genius Chapter 166: Wrath of the Beasts

Chapter 166: Wrath of the Beasts

Translated by Karai of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Addis

The mistake made by the Xiāoyáo team led to their defeat in the 5v5 match, making the outcome of the 2v2 extremely crucial. Since the first three rounds had not consumed much time, the fourth round of 2v2 was still held in the morning. In the venue, the team leaders from both sides were making their picks. When the Advertising team’s Momo chose the warrior Bitter Melon, the Xiāoyáo team revealed their first pick, which was a physical swordsman. In the second round of picks, both sides selected a summoner and an assassin.

Advertising team: warrior, summoner. Xiaoyao team: physical swordsman, assassin.

The livestream chat saw the draft results, and the expressions of the two commentators and the two guests became a bit subtle. The camera focused on the final match of both teams. The Xiāoyáo team’s two leaders were discussing strategies with serious expressions, while the Advertising team members, except for the array master summoner standing, were lounging around on the ground, relaxed and showing no signs of tension.

When switching to the starting area, the Xiāoyáo team’s physical swordsman and assassin stood in a disciplined manner, exuding a formidable presence. In contrast, the Advertising team’s burly warrior and petite summoner seemed more like they were out for a stroll than preparing for a fight.

[Grandpa and grandson??] 

[Why does our BitterMelon look old? He’s just a bit into health stuff, but he’s still a handsome young guy! At most, he’s an uncle and nephew!] 

[Is someone from the Fruit Guild around? Your guild master is so mysterious, tell us more!] 

[The top tank and the second summoner? They seem so lacking in combat power.] 

[There’s no respect for the elderly and young in the arena!]

“A tank-type warrior and a magic summoner… it barely counts as a combat magic lineup. The physical swordsman and assassin have very strong assault capabilities. Given the current lineup, this summoner will be targeted throughout the match,” SkilfulEmptyHand continued to analyze, “Neither side has a healer, so the key to victory will be reducing the opponent’s numbers first. How well the Advertising team’s warrior can protect their summoner will be crucial.”

FirstUnderHeaven was silent for a moment, “The Advertising team might not necessarily be at a disadvantage… you don’t know anything about Bitter Melon’s defense.”

“I had watched a few matches before, and he really can take hits. It seems he is the top tank warrior in Celestial Horizon,” SkilfulEmptyHand said, looking at FirstUnderHeaven with confusion. He had reviewed Bitter Melon’s profile before the commentary. A tank was still a tank; without a healer, they could still be worn down. On the other hand, the Advertising team had less output due to the lack of a healer, and FireworksAndLanterns, with two high-DPS players, might not necessarily have an advantage. “No matter how tanky, a tank still lacks output capability…”

[BitterMelon… Oh my, I’m already starting to feel tired.] 

[What does that mean? I didn’t watch the previous matches. Is this BitterMelon very strong?]

[Yes, you have no idea how strong he is.] 

[A tank-type character lacks output, right? Two DPS characters can easily take down the summoner, and then they just need to wear down the remaining tank. He’s not a healer.]

[Yeah, and the XiaoYao team also has an assassin, which should make it easy to take out the summoner.]

During the countdown to the match start, the live broadcast was very lively with a large number of viewers. Some viewers thought that the tank warrior-summoner combination was naturally at a disadvantage against the damage-dealing team, while others were just there for entertainment. However, 2v2 matches usually followed a few patterns: either both sides healed and wore each other down or the damage-dealing team went for a quick victory, generally lacking dramatic twists.

It was only when they noticed that summoner FireworksAndLanterns had just started and deployed the damage-reducing Black Tortoise that things began to get interesting.

[Wait? Did they deploy Black Tortoise so quickly?] 

[Isn’t that a waste of skill? The summoning time will run out soon, and Black Tortoise will disappear. Isn’t that wasting mana?]

[Oh, I didn’t realize until now, none of these four have a mana recovery profession.]

[Wait a minute?]

At this moment, the summoned creature Black Tortoise stood in front of BitterMelon, and the warrior BitterMelon casually mounted Black Tortoise in front of the live broadcast. As the air wall disappeared, everyone saw a somewhat comical scene: the small-sized summoner was leading the damage-reducing Black Tortoise while the warrior BitterMelon followed behind, running forward.

Live chat: ???

SkilfulEmptyHand looked down at the electronic screen and noticed the detailed information about [Milk Mixed with Bitter Melon], then saw an important detail he had never noticed before: the movement speed of this warrior was actually 0???

“Let me give a brief introduction to the lineup for the new viewers who might not be familiar. First, we have the XiaoYao team’s lineup: the first is the physical swordsman, a fast sword flow. You saw his performance in the second round of the match; he is a physical swordsman with strong assault and support capabilities. Then there is his teammate, the assassin, one of the top ten assassins on the leaderboard, an explosive-type assassin with top-level ambush and maneuvering abilities, previously ranked third in the wild faction kill list. In simple terms, this lineup is the XiaoYao team’s most damage-dealing setup—fast attack speed, strong kill capability, and well-suited to taking down a summoner. But…”

FirstUnderHeaven continued expressionlessly, “Their opponents are the warrior BitterMelon and the summoner FireworksAndLanterns.”

FireworksAndLanterns had once been the top summoner, renowned for multi-line attacks, and could handle a 1v2 situation with ease. As for BitterMelon, the tank-type warrior, his defense was three times that of the top warrior CloudTraveller, and his health was the highest in Celestial Horizon. He was the top tank, with a movement speed that had once been reduced to a negative number, but the current data showed it as 0.

[???] 

[For those who are unfamiliar, you might want to look up “summoner turtle vehicle”—there’s a surprise!] 

[The turtle vehicle is the most stylish mount in Celestial Horizon.]

The commentary continued, but the arena had already fully commenced. The XiaoYao team’s assassin vanished from the viewers’ sight by going invisible, while the physical swordsman quickly left after pausing at the pillar and headed straight for the main hall.

Meanwhile, the most stylish turtle vehicle was pulling FireworksAndLanterns, and after entering the side hall, they quickly recorded the animals on the load-bearing pillar’s sconces. FireworksAndLanterns then proceeded with BitterMelon, as if pulling a heavy burden of life.

“I never noticed before, but now that I look, Little Firework’s legs are really short,” ClearWind remarked to Apple. “Didn’t you suggest he change his body type?”

“We did suggest it, but he said a shorter body type had its advantages,” Apple hesitated, “It’s fine. The body type doesn’t affect movement speed, it just looks a bit slower.”

But the slowness wasn’t momentary. By the time the physical swordsman reached the center of the main hall, FireworksAndLanterns had only just appeared at the entrance. Upon meeting, FireworksAndLanterns quickly summoned three companion beasts. Thanks to Black Tortoise’s damage reduction, he only lost 5% of his health from a surprise attack by the physical swordsman. After creating some distance, he swiftly maintained it and deployed the slow Zephyr Hawk, immediately controlling the physical swordsman.

At this moment, the hidden assassin ruthlessly launched a full-state ambush on FireworksAndLanterns, directly shattering the summoner’s damage reduction line. A Giant Mountain Shield enveloped BitterMelon and FireworksAndLanterns, blocking the assassin’s series of ultimate skills, leaving the summoner unharmed.

[What on earth! What is this Giant Mountain Shield?!] 

[A Giant Mountain Shield that can withstand the assassin’s ultimate skills…] 

[Not only that, but the shield hasn’t even broken yet.]

BitterMelon continued his actions, holding the Giant Mountain Shield in front of FireworksAndLanterns, absorbing the strong attacks from the dual violent DPS, and buying time for summoning. The tank-type warrior’s protective ability was fully highlighted at this moment. The defensive bonus from the Giant Mountain Shield completely absorbed the two ultimate skills from the assassin, withstanding the initial fierce assault.

What was initially thought to be a one-sided situation suddenly became evenly matched.

SkilfulEmptyHand remarked, “This is too strong.”

“The protection ability of the tank is impressive. Players who are skilled at playing tanks are not weak at all,” CloudTraveller said with a slight smile, looking at BitterMelon on the field. “The physical swordsman and assassin want to make a strong kill, but it’s not their chance yet.”

BitterMelon was not someone who enjoyed PvP. He had initially created the tank-type warrior just to hold his ground in dungeons. He wasn’t very competitive, kept a regular gaming schedule, and played games purely for leisure. Unlike the youth who were immersed in global gaming, he didn’t have much of a competitive streak.

When CloudTraveller first met him, BitterMelon had just established Fruit Platter. He was building the small guild bit by bit with friends he met in the game. As a helpful big brother in the guild, he always prioritized the guild and friends, fulfilling their needs without fail. Later, as Veiled Cloud Sanctuary and Fruit Platter grew closer, they began to play games together, tackle dungeons, and pursue exploration quests, eventually making BitterMelon the vice-tank in CloudTraveller’s main team.

It was undeniable that in CloudTraveller’s impression, the person most suited to be a vice-tank was always BitterMelon. He provided immense reassurance and made dungeon runs worry-free. He didn’t steal aggro but maintained it steadily and was always a pillar of support during chaotic situations. It was impossible to say he lacked skill; it was just that his operational details were often hidden within his slower pace.

So, when such a person developed a sense of competitiveness and a desire to protect something, trying to break through his defense and kill him became an extremely difficult task.

The Giant Mountain Shield at the start of the match gave FireworksAndLanterns a chance to breathe.

The targeted summoner had no way to exert its power, but the protected summoner was free to unleash its abilities. The number of summoned creatures on the field increased from three to five, forming an attack zone. The person who was restricted was the physical swordsman, who had no choice but to retreat and buy time for the assassin to recover, opting to first eliminate the more threatening summoned creatures.

“Empty’s so annoying; he’s going after my summoned creatures,” FireworksAndLanterns complained.

Just as FireworksAndLanterns was about to run away, BitterMelon pulled him back, saying earnestly, “Slow down, don’t run too far.”

ClearWind advised, “Little Firework, it’s a recuperation match; focus on fighting. Don’t get too involved in the skirmishes.”

ScarletFruit added, “Yes, exactly. They’re trying to lure you into attacking; just stay behind Big Brother BitterMelon and focus on sneaking attacks. Use your summoned creatures to lure them.”

Su Mo’s gaze was fixed on the field. He noticed the positioning of the physical swordsman and suddenly said, “It looks like the XianYao team has discovered some of the mechanics.”

Yu Zhen responded, “The physical swordsman is lingering around the Vicinity coordinate. They’re trying to prevent FireworksAndLanterns from reaching the high ground.”

Lying on the ground, Watermelon asked, “What does that mean?”

“This match is going to be tough,” Su Mo quickly analyzed. “Originally, we could have used the summoner to ambush the opponents from high ground, but if the enemy has guessed the high ground coordinates, it becomes much harder for the ranged character to get there.”

The summoner had the advantage in a stable output environment, but the issue now was with the physical swordsman and the assassin. The physical swordsman had strong assault capabilities, and the assassin was highly stealthy. FireworksAndLanterns was temporarily safe beside BitterMelon, but if he left the protection zone, BitterMelon wouldn’t be able to provide timely support, and FireworksAndLanterns would be at risk of being killed.

As expected, when the glass bricks rose, the physical swordsman charged in immediately to try to drive away FireworksAndLanterns. Fortunately, BitterMelon blocked him in time, and the narrow glass bricks saw three people standing on them.

Seeing this, Su Mo was basically certain that BrokenOracle and HaiTang had discovered the changes in the Glazed Palace’s mechanics, so they became extremely cautious with their positioning in this match.

It was going to be difficult; FireworksAndLanterns couldn’t seize the high ground.

But it wasn’t necessarily impossible to win; after all, good things often require effort.

[Can skills still be used under these conditions?]

[The bricks are too small; casting actions have become problematic!] 

[The physical swordsman can still fight.]

“My goodness, three people are standing on the same glass brick, and we see the physical swordsman trying to pass through BitterMelon to attack FireworksAndLanterns!” shouted SkilfulEmptyHand. “The summoner’s beasts can’t be placed!”

FirstEmptyHand noticed the physical swordsman’s positioning. “The physical swordsman is standing on the edge of the glass brick. His balance is exceptional, and he’s using the empty space on the side to strike. In contrast, with limited space, FireworksAndLanterns’ summoner beasts couldn’t be placed on the same brick, leaving him to passively take damage.”

The physical swordsman’s ability was exceptionally strong. He utilized the natural sword mastery of the Mountainless Blade Sect to maintain balance on the narrow glass bricks while ambushing the summoner. He exploited the disadvantage of the summoner’s need for a surface area to place summoner beasts. Although FireworksAndLanterns could place summoner beasts, the cautious area on the glass bricks wasn’t sufficient. If he tried to place the beasts, they would instantly fall to the lower glass bricks due to the lack of a landing spot.

Placing flying-type summoner beasts was also difficult because their casting time was longer. The physical swordsman’s fast sword flow attack speed was so high that it would interrupt the lengthy casting.

The purpose of the Xiaoyao team was obvious: to force FireworksAndLanterns off the high ground.

[They actually managed to stalemate!] 

[FireworksAndLanterns is so strong; he’s managed to evade attacks multiple times without losing any health.] 

[I didn’t expect that three people could stand on one brick.] 

[The fact that three people can stand there must be because FireworksAndLanterns has a small build…] 

[That seems to make sense.]

“Let me down if you can. It’s so embarrassing,” FireworksAndLanterns said while dodging, “If you have the skill, face me head-on.”

BitterMelon replied, “Having ambition is a good thing.”

The two continued to debate, refusing to leave the brick, and managed to hold their ground for the full 3 minutes.

The arena had calmed down. BitterMelon continued to guard FireworksAndLanterns, and once again activated the Giant Mountain Shield to block the assassin’s ambush. Although the Giant Mountain Shield had a long cooldown, the extended time during the glazed bricks’ changes provided a buffer. As long as the assassin dared to attempt a sneak attack, BitterMelon could defend against it.

The intense battle continued, and the audience suddenly noticed a problem. Despite the fierce fighting, the health bars barely dropped! Both FireworksAndLanterns and the physical swordsman and assassin still had high health—FireworksAndLanterns had 75%, and the physical swordsman and assassin each had 70%. Especially after the second round of glass bricks, FireworksAndLanterns’ health didn’t decrease at all. The battle was visually appealing, but the health bars just wouldn’t budge!

[All these powerful moves, and the damage is so low???] 

[BitterMelon is incredibly resilient; this is the first time I’ve seen an assassin fail to steal someone.] 

[With the Giant Mountain Shield, BitterMelon’s high health makes the shield thick.] 

[Isn’t it time for the mage to take advantage?]

Once stable output was achieved, FireworksAndLanterns seized the opportunity to start dealing damage. The opposing team had no shield protection, so his attacks began to wear down their health. The summoner’s terrifying multi-line operational ability started to shine. White Tiger and other summoned beasts were deployed. When the physical swordsman aimed to kill the summoned beasts, FireworksAndLanterns did not hesitate to use other summoned beasts for strong control and attacks, focusing on stability and continuously reducing the opponent’s health.

The advertising team’s members were extremely relaxed outside, giving instructions.

[Attack left, the assassin must be on the right.] 

[Little Firework is doing great, wearing them down.] 

[Anyone can drain health, it’s a matter of who can drain more.]

[Take it slow, take it slow.] 

[Steady, steady, take out one at a time.]

The physical swordsman naturally wouldn’t give FireworksAndLanterns a chance. He used a knockback move to send FireworksAndLanterns flying. But the next moment, FireworksAndLanterns grabbed onto Black Tortoise’s shell. With the damage reduction line pulling BitterMelon along, he swiftly pulled himself back. The Black Tortoise’s damage reduction line would pull anyone it was connected to, and while it was initially used to pull BitterMelon, it could now be used to pull the summoner.

The small and agile summoner stayed hidden behind the warrior, never straying away.

The live stream audience was stunned, observing the physical swordsman and summoner with their clear height difference. They had seen resilient characters before, but never so resilient; they had seen agile characters, but never this agile.

[You managed to use a damage reduction skill like this?] 

[I’m stunned. Do you have to kill the turtle before you can deal with the knockback?] 

[A tactic?] 

[What do you call this? Turtle-wear-down strategy?] 

[So that’s how it is? The tank absorbs damage, and the summoner deals the damage.] 

[These two are incredibly sticky, aren’t they?]

“At this rate, FireworksAndLanterns will soon be able to wear down the physical swordsman!” SkilfulEmptyHand didn’t expect these two standing still and dealing damage could be so effective. “The physical swordsman’s health is at 40%!”

Unable to drive FireworksAndLanterns away, the disadvantage began to show. Under the summoner’s relentless assault, the physical swordsman’s health started to drop. When the physical swordsman’s health was close to 40%, FireworksAndLanterns saw a green light appear, and soon after, the health of both the physical swordsman and the assassin rose by 30%.

SkilfulEmptyHand said, “Huh? It looks like they can still fight!”

The Advertising team, thinking victory was in hand: “???”

ClearWind exclaimed, “What the heck, a healer?”

Apple asked, “They brought a healer?!”

Watermelon sat up and said, “How insecure are they about themselves? The marksman has a healer, and even the physical swordsman brought one???”

FireworksAndLanterns said, “This is ridiculous! How do they suddenly have a healing pet? Isn’t it hard for offensive professions to get healing types?”

“It seems like it’s the physical swordsman’s…” Bitter Melon responded, “I was always focused on watching his partner, I didn’t expect he had a healing pet himself.”

FireworksAndLanterns asked, “What do we do now?”

Yu Zhen, feeling a bit helpless, simply said, “It’s going to be tough.”

Su Mo paused for a moment, then said, “We’ll just have to drag it out.”

Cantaloupe said, “No worries, let’s drag it out. Maybe after two hours, we’ll win by default! It’s a relaxed match, just play casually.”

In the arena, FireworksAndLanterns suddenly said, “It’s rare to get this chance, can I go all out? Not sure if we can win.”

ClearWind responded, “Of course, it’s a laid-back match, we’re here to have fun, so go for it.”

Watermelon chimed in, “I agree, just play however you want.”

With all his teammates in agreement, FireworksAndLanterns said, “Guys, I want to try a skill.”

Hearing this, Su Mo paused and suddenly thought of something, “Sure, do you need my help?”

FireworksAndLanterns, excited, replied, “Just keep an eye on the positions for me, especially the elevation order.”

In the livestream chat:

[Wait, I have a bad feeling about this.]

[Same here…]

The combination of a healer-backed physical swordsman and assassin, along with the seemingly invincible tank warrior and summoner… What followed was a 15-minute-long war of attrition, with both sides whittling down each other’s resources. By the end, both teams were nearly out of mana, yet the match still hadn’t been decided. What seemed like a match that could’ve ended quickly turned into a drawn-out endurance battle, with no clear progress visible to the naked eye.

“The physical swordsman knocked the summoner into the air, and the summoner flew back. The assassin knocked him up again, and now the summoner has activated his marten skill…” SkilfulEmptyHand’s commentary grew weary. After fifteen minutes of repeating the same updates, even he was getting tired. He decided to switch perspectives to the sidelines. “Alright, let’s check on the sidelines. It seems the two commanders from the Xiaoyao team are still discussing strategies, while the other teammates appear to be brainstorming ideas. Looks like they might have a new plan to break this endless stalemate…”

CloudTraveller suddenly said, “Wait, switch back to the summoner.”

When the camera cut back to the arena, they immediately noticed a new detail.

Amid the shifting glass tiles, FireworksAndLanterns had summoned eight creatures.

FirstUnderHeaven quickly responded, “Rewind the playback.”

The replay rolled back to a minute earlier when FireworksAndLanterns had just summoned six creatures.

As the former number one summoner, FireworksAndLanterns’ control skills were undeniable. Before Momo came onto the scene, he had set the record for most summoned creatures in a match, controlling up to seven. Though Momo later broke that record, now FireworksAndLanterns seemed to have a chance to surpass it again.

During the time when the physical swordsman was entangling him, casting skills became incredibly difficult, especially with their mana running low. They had to carefully calculate when to use their skills. Fortunately, one of FireworksAndLanterns’ summoned creatures had a mana regeneration ability. Originally, he had planned to use a high-burst skill pet, but in the end, he opted for the mana-replenishing Kongyu.

Kongyu gave him a breather, but FireworksAndLanterns didn’t stop there. He chose to continue summoning. The shifting glazed tiles offered no real chance for a counterattack, especially under the constant harassment from the physical swordsman. As they stood on the narrow glazed bricks, a few summoned creatures fell, scattering across the various tiles. What initially seemed like a mistake became a deliberate strategy as he summoned more creatures.

When FireworksAndLanterns reached the ninth summoned creature and continued trying to summon more, the issue became obvious to everyone.

Any player familiar with summoners knew this was no small matter. The summoner’s bestiary could contain 15 creatures, but once nine were summoned, it unlocked the grandmaster skill of the Summoner Sect, [Wrath of the Beasts].

Midnight Bell sat up straight, realizing the danger. “This is bad.”

CloudTraveller said, “FireworksAndLanterns is trying to use the summoner’s grandmaster skill.”

[No way! How can that be cast here?]

[The assassin is still down there! FireworksAndLanterns’ summoned creatures will definitely be killed before the skill can be cast!]

[This is way too risky!]

Wrath of the Beasts could be activated when a summoner had more than nine summoned creatures. It sacrificed all the summoned creatures, dealing massive damage to all enemy units within the area of the summoned creatures. The more creatures sacrificed, the greater the damage. However, the skill’s effectiveness was limited by the range of the summoned creatures.

The creatures scattered across the glazed bricks were not easy to kill, but they were evenly distributed around the glazed brick where FireworksAndLanterns stood. The physical swordsman, positioned at a higher point, couldn’t easily reach and kill the summoned creatures, while the hidden assassin was forced to reveal himself, immediately rushing towards the creatures to try and eliminate them.

But FireworksAndLanterns wasn’t easy to handle. As a summoner, controlling the creatures was his most important task. Knowing the risk of his creatures being killed, he was constantly on alert for the assassin’s moves. The moment he noticed his creatures taking damage, he swiftly adjusted their positions.

To do this, he completely stopped avoiding the physical swordsman’s attacks, focusing entirely on controlling the summoned creatures on the battlefield.

[He adjusted the summoned creatures.]

[He didn’t dodge the damage; the physical swordsman is attacking him.]

SkilfulEmptyHand exclaimed in shock, “He gave up moving! BitterMelon’s Mountain Shield isn’t ready yet—he’s going to die.” FirstUnderHeaven added, “That’s insane.”

Just as the glass bricks finished shifting, FireworksAndLanterns controlled his summoned creatures for one final regroup and immediately activated the grandmaster skill.

All nine summoned creatures detonated simultaneously, and he compressed the damage within a tight area. The physical swordsman recklessly unleashed his ultimate, and the assassin had nowhere to escape.

[[Glazed Palace] Player FireworksAndLanterns killed Player Liuliuliu!]
[[Glazed Palace] Player Air killed Player FireworksAndLanterns!]

Liuliuliu apologized, “Sorry, I couldn’t kill him.”

“FireworksAndLanterns is no weakling. He deliberately held off using his skills for this long, clearly setting up for this,” said BrokenOracle, visibly shaken as he watched the summoner’s death. “The trade wasn’t a loss; we didn’t lose this fight.”

Lying on the ground, the fallen FireworksAndLanterns said, “That felt great! But I calculated my health—how did the physical swordsman still manage to kill me?”

He had planned to keep playing after unleashing his skill.

“The physical swordsman must have triggered a burst skill at the last moment,” Su Mo said with a smile. “But we didn’t lose out—it’s not easy to unleash a grandmaster skill.”
ClearWind cheered, “Little Firework! Strong!”
Apple couldn’t help but add, “You directly killed the assassin! You must have adjusted the explosion range at the last second, right? Impressive!”
Cantaloupe said, “Just being able to pull off a grandmaster skill is amazing! We didn’t lose out on this round!”

In such a short time, FireworksAndLanterns managed an extreme operation, turning it into a one-for-one trade.

With both the assassin and summoner dead, the remaining fighters were BitterMelon and the physical swordsman.

After the initial shock, everyone realized the problem—how were they going to fight now? A shield-bearing warrior against a healing-supported physical swordsman! What they thought would be a long stalemate at the start turned into a real endurance battle now that both teams had lost a member.

The physical swordsman had a healing pet, and BitterMelon, the warrior, had a passive self-healing skill.

“The warrior’s passive healing was pretty weak—it barely restored any health, and under normal circumstances, it wouldn’t last long. It was essentially a useless skill. But BitterMelon was different. The physical swordsman couldn’t cut him down fast enough, so when the time came, BitterMelon’s passive healing would kick in. Twenty minutes passed, and neither had claimed victory.

By the end, the physical swordsman had run out of mana, and so had BitterMelon, so they both started resorting to basic attacks.

“Alright, BitterMelon has slashed again, and no health has been lost,” SkilfulEmptyHand said, sounding exhausted. He had the camera operator switch the view to the sidelines once again. “Let’s look outside. The members of Xiaoyao Clan are chatting, likely still discussing tactics. The outcome of this match is still undecided, and from the looks of it, it might actually drag on for two hours.”

[This is the first time I’ve felt such despair.]

[The shock from FireworksAndLanterns thirty minutes ago is now pure hopelessness.]

[Am I the only one curious about the summoner and the assassin? They’ve been lying on the ground for ages.]

[They’ll probably keep lying there. They can’t log out, or they forfeit.]

[It’s tough—corpse-camping arena, anyone?]

[What if this never ends?]

“If this really drags on for two hours, the final result will come down to the battle summary data. So now the focus has shifted to which side has better stats, as that could determine the winner. It seems like Xiaoyao Clan is discussing tactics for their physical swordsman,” SkilfulEmptyHand said, before switching the camera again. “Now, let’s look at the Advertising team’s side. We can see…” His words abruptly stopped.

FirstUnderHeaven finished the sentence for him, “The Advertising team is playing cards.”

The livestream’s perspective switched to the Advertising team’s corner on the Peak of Debate. Except for the two team leaders still standing, the other six players had formed two tables and started playing cards. The card tables looked completely out of place on the Peak of Debate, and when the camera zoomed in, it caught a close-up of ScarletFruit’s excited face as they threw down their cards.

CloudTraveller tried to smooth things over, saying, “That’s definitely their style.”

The audience was speechless.

SkilfulEmptyHand, who had been commentating for years, encountered this scene for the first time. He paused for a moment, then raised his hand to signal to the smart camera, “Is the director there? Please switch the camera back to the match, let’s continue watching.”

In the end, the match really dragged on to the two-hour time limit for a score-based conclusion. Most viewers had left the stream, only returning as the match approached its conclusion. It was the first time in the arena’s history that a match reached the two-hour limit. The resulting battle stats were incredibly complex—the Advertising team led in damage received, while Xiaoyao Clan had the higher damage dealt…

In the end, Xiaoyao Clan won by a narrow margin.

The victory was hard-fought, and the physical swordsman looked dazed, quickly pulling up the assassin teammate before leaving immediately.

“Little Firework, wake up, we lost.” BitterMelon walked over to FireworksAndLanterns, who had been lying down for more than an hour, and pulled him up. “Rest up, we’ve got another match in the afternoon.”

FireworksAndLanterns murmured a few responses, glancing over at the physical swordsman and assassin, who were hurriedly rushing to the teleportation area. He looked at BitterMelon, puzzled, “Why are they running so fast after winning?”

ScarletFruit paused and said, “If I had to slash at Boss BitterMelon for an hour, I’d never want to play this game again for the rest of my life.”