"Pride! Pride! Pride!"
Cheers rang through the world incessantly as Leo's Pride claimed another championship.
Just like the day before, a platform appeared with heroic figures made of light. Maycos enthusiastically sang praises on Leo's Pride.
A person among the guild members was gently grabbed by an invisible force and slowly lifted towards the platform. He put away the bow almost the size of a person which he held, as he rose gracefully.
Colourful leather armor adorned with stipes of cloth. A refined, gentle face half covered by his long, green hair. A tall figure with just the right number of muscles. This was the famous guild leader of Leo's Pride, Apollo, and incidentally the crush of countless young women.
Cyclone, Fortune, and even Melodious Edelweiss were no exception, looking at the slowly rising young man with dreamy eyes.
"Hah, if only we could have fought against him in the final match.", sighed Cyclone.
"A dream come true."
"What a pity. He could hit me with an arrow any time."
Liam looked around at all the dreamy eyed girls and jealous boys and couldn't help but chuckle. At least Serena showed only confusion and nothing else.
As he turned his head further, he also noticed Silver Blade with a relatively indifferent face. Liam raised his brows, asking jokingly:
"Aren't you interested in Apollo?"
"Hmm no. Apollo is alright but he's too... perfect.", answered Silver Blade with a shrug of her shoulders.
"Oh? What does that mean?"
"Apollo has been groomed as a successor of the Raghoff family ever since young. The Raghoffs are mostly politicians, and you can feel it from Apollo. Each word, each action seems deliberate. He will never show any fault. Really, just too perfect without any edges."
"Sounds like you know him?"
"Yeah, I've met him a few times when I visited the main family."
Multiple heads abruptly jerked towards Silver Blade. Cyclone had flames in her eyes, staring at her bestest friend intently. Her voice was almost hysteric:
"You know Apollo and NEVER mentioned it to me?!!"
Silver Blade ducked backwards as Cyclone looked like she might jump at her any second now.
"I guess it just never came up..."
"How??? This should be the first thing you tell anyone. The moment we met you should've said: 'Oh by the way, I know Apollo'!"
"That's not unreasonable.", agreed Fortune with a nod.
Other Dream Avenue members also decided to join the fun. A few girls nodded along.
"The guild leader is correct."
"Definitely."
"As an apology Silver Blade should introduce us all to Apollo."
Silver Blade looked dumbfounded as she was attacked from all sides. Suddenly a mumble sounded in everyone's ears:
"That guy is really not that great..."
All eyes fell on Final Fend. Noticing his envious expression laughter quickly spread through the guild. Finally, Apollo appeared in front of Maycos.
The duo, one refined and gentle, the other lively and cute, instantly attracted everyone's attention. The sighs of men and women rang out constantly.
Maycos held a brief speech before handing a bow bigger than herself to Apollo. She also stated that this wasn't the only reward, but the rest was directly sent to Leo's Pride's treasury.
The day ended under billowing cheers. When Dream Avenue left Crunaboul and browsed through the news they could only sigh. Reality was harsh. There was a single winner and an endless number of losers. Unfortunately Dream Avenue were one of them.
This fact wasn't easy to stomach for the guild which was used to an astronomical rise. But the local news station didn't write a single good word about Falva Star's guilds.
Only those like Red Branch, who believed in supporting the local players, tried to find some positive points, playing down the losses against the Big Five.
Watching Serena scroll through the various articles, Liam realized how she let her head hang low.
"Don't worry. I will win tomorrow!"
"Mhm! I know."
Seeing Serena's eyes devoid of doubt as she nodded, a large smile formed on Liam's face. No matter who stood in his way tomorrow, Liam was determined to take the championship and make his sister happy!
The night passed surprisingly without an invitation from Cyclone. When Liam entered the game the next day, he was instantly swarmed by the guild members.
Glorious Hotpot stood in the first row, looking at her idols with stars in her eyes.
"Mirage, Quickstep, Acacia, Cyclone! Good luck! I hope you'll be the top four!"
"We'll see..."
Cyclone's answer brought her a few strange glances from her friends. Usually, the young woman would confidently declare that first place was hers, but after yesterday's defeat her reaction was more subdued. The friends were sad to see her like this.
Hopefully Cyclone would cheer up again after Dream Avenue made some new achievements.
The guild members continued to wish each other good luck before entering the arena. Soon, the solo contest officially started. Millions of players were left, which now fought for one of the coveted spots in the top 32.
The competition was intense. Whoever was up against one of the star players lamented their fate.
After yesterday's success all eyes were on Leo's Pride. And their members didn't disappoint. Although they achieved a victory yesterday, it seemed they still wanted to make up for the failure during the team contest.
Pretty early into the day Cyclone unfortunately was matched with a hunter from Leo's Pride called Gettjo. Although Cyclone fought well, Gettjo was obviously prepared, having watched her battles before.
The hunter made sure not to get paralyzed, which eventually allowed him to emerge victorious.
Cyclone was sent back to the audience, looking dejected. Only the encouragement of her friends could somewhat cheer her up again.
Slowly voices rose sowing doubts about Hotpot. Maybe their victory in the team contest was but a fluke? Maybe Hotpot just met enemies which suited them? Maybe the Big Five simply didn't take the team contest seriously?
All of Dream Avenue frowned when those negative opinions reached their ears. They balled their fists, wishing for someone from Hotpot to win gloriously and shut everyone up.
Fortunately, just then a series of battles began through which Hotpot could prove their prowess.
First it was Quickstep who faced off against Gettjo. The hunter didn't dare to underestimate his opponent. He fought with all his might, but Quickstep still managed to cling to victory, eliminating Gettjo from the tournament.
Gettjo was the first member of Leo's Pride to be kicked out in the finals, causing a sensation, sparking discussions everywhere. The voices doubting Hotpot also grew quieter.
Not much later Liam produced a clean victory against a member of Human Faith. However, since the guild was known for their strength in big-scale battles, the match didn't garner much attention.
The opposite was true though an hour later when Silent Acacia entered the arena.
He stared at his opponent, taking a deep breath. It was a young woman about his age, playing as a demon. She had reddish skin, wearing a black leather armor. Noticing her opponent the woman's eyes lit up and she spoke with a smile:
"Acacia! So great to see you!"
"Red Tulip..."
Silent Acacia stared at the woman with mixed feelings. She was the one who succeeded him in TCTT. However, contrary to others she never spoke bad about him. Acacia didn't know if she had a hand in getting him kicked.
Although Red Tulip appeared innocent, she always had a good relationship with the team manager. Who knows how she spoke about him in private?
"Why are you so reserved?", asked Red Tulip, the corners of her lips drooping.
"You know why..."
"See, I understand you don't like TCTT. But there is no need to be like this towards me, right? We used to get along fine..."
Silent Acacia looked at the woman, sighing faintly. Just as he wanted to say more the scenery changed. The two combatants were brought into a thick forest with towering, red trees, majestic and ancient.
Both fighters adjusted their minds. The timer ticked to zero and the match started.
Instantly the two hunters reacted almost in sync. They ducked their bodies and hid behind the trees, which were wide enough to cover them against enemy attacks.
Silent Acacia didn't even dare to breath as he listened closely for any signs from Red Tulip. But all that reached his ears was the sound of insects and the wind ruffling the leaves.
Carefully leaning to the side, the hunter peaked around. Suddenly he spotted a reddish, demonic face. The two opponents found each other at the same time. Instantly they drew their bows, firing a probing arrow before hiding again.
Leaves were pierced and branches broken. Two thuds rang out and the arrows got stuck in some trunks. As if on cue both fighters darted towards another hiding spot, pressing their backs against tree trunks.
The audience watched with relish. They were amazed to find the almost identical moves from both hunters. It was as if they were taught in the same school...