"That was fire! You absolutely destroyed them, Noah!" Atlas exclaimed, his voice a mix of awe and indignation. "Serves them right for banning me! What a waste of their battle card."
The announcement for the second round came swiftly, but the result was anticlimactic. Team IceWolf forfeited. Both of their members remained unconscious even after being granted the ten-minute recovery period.
The system's voice echoed once again, firm and final:
"Round 2: IceWolf forfeited. Winner: Apex. Points awarded to Apex."
Atlas crossed his arms, grinning smugly. "Guess they couldn't handle Apex after all. Talk about biting off more than they could chew."
I stayed silent, glancing at the now-empty arena. The forfeiture was expected—but it also reinforced one thing: Apex wasn't a team to be underestimated.
The next matches followed the same predictable pattern: one team after another forfeited.
It didn't take a genius to figure out why. By forfeiting before the point-betting phase, they avoided losing anything. For them, it was a calculated retreat—better to save their points than risk it all against us.
With every forfeit, the gap on the leaderboard widened, leaving Team Apex comfortably at the top of the Omega group standings.
Atlas smirked as the system updated the rankings on the holo-screen. "Looks like everyone's too scared to face us."
I shrugged, my expression neutral, though inside, I couldn't deny the satisfaction. "Or maybe they're smarter than IceWolf."
Either way, we were in the lead—and that was all that mattered.
After all the matches were finalized, it was time for the winners of each group to face off. For the final round, the match will be a two-on-two battle.
Omega's champion: Apex.
Alpha's champion: TopRanker.
As the holo-screen displayed the final matchup, murmurs swept through the crowd, buzzing with excitement. TopRanker's reputation preceded them.
One was an A-rank Illusionist with the additional talent of a Melee Fighter—a dangerous combination of deception and brute force.
The other, an A-rank Chronomancer, boasted a talent as a Rune Specialist, capable of manipulating time while enhancing their power with magical runes.
Atlas peered over at the holo-screen, his brow furrowing. "TopRanker, huh? They're no joke. That Chronomancer alone is gonna be a problem."
"They're strong, sure," I said, my voice calm. "But strength isn't everything."
Atlas glanced at me, and a slow grin spread across his face. "You've got something up your sleeve, don't you?"
I smirked. "Let's just say I don't plan on losing."
I pulled up their profiles using my Codebreaker, and as expected, their stats and abilities were impressive. It wasn't surprising they had dominated their group.
[CODEBREAKER]
TopRanker Profile
Name: Randy Snitch
Class: Illusionist
Rank: A
Level: Low (3 Nodes)
Talent: Melee Fighter
Ultimate Skill: Clone Strike. Combines physical melee attacks with illusionary clones, making it hard to discern the real attacker.
Name: Wanda Scorn
Class: Chronomancer
Rank: A
Level: Low (4 Nodes)
Talent: Rune Specialist
Ultimate Skill:
Runic Cascade: Summons an array of runes that enhance magic spells or disrupt enemy abilities.
Time Lock: Temporarily traps a target in stasis, rendering them immobile for a short period.
Their synergy was undeniable—Randy's illusions would create chaos on the battlefield, while Wanda's mastery of time and runes would dominate the flow of combat.
Atlas groaned audibly. "Ugh, they're stacked! That combo is brutal. How do we even counter that?"
I studied the profiles, the gears in my mind already turning. "They're not invincible. Illusions rely on perception, and time magic takes precision. Exploit their reliance on coordination, and they'll crumble."
Atlas gave me a sidelong glance. "You make it sound so simple."
"It will be," I said with a faint smirk. "For Apex."
The crowd's cheers grew louder as the arena began to shift and transform, preparing for the final showdown. Time to show TopRanker what Apex was truly capable of.
As both teams stepped into the arena, the tension was palpable. The air buzzed with anticipation from the spectators, and the massive holo-screen illuminated above, displaying both teams' names and points.
The familiar system chime rang out.
"Teams, place your bets."
Without hesitation, I tapped the interface and bet everything. All points.
Atlas glanced at me, raising an eyebrow. "All in again? You're consistent, I'll give you that."
I shrugged. "No point holding back."
On the holo-screen, TopRanker's points total also slid into the "all in" column.
"They're going for broke too," Atlas noted, a bit of nervousness creeping into his voice.
The crowd roared louder at the sight. Both teams betting everything meant this wasn't just a battle—it was a statement.
As the final seconds ticked down, the system flashed a notification:
"Battle cards available for use."
The screen remained unchanged. Neither team activated their cards.
Atlas leaned toward me. "Should we at least think about—"
"No," I cut him off. "We're not using them. We don't need them."
He sighed but nodded. "Fine, but if we lose, I'm blaming you."
The truth was, our team hadn't used battle cards once this entire tournament. Not because we didn't want to—but because we'd never been lucky enough to get one. Still, even if we had, I wouldn't rely on something like that.
Battle cards were crutches for teams that lacked true strategy and skill. And Team Apex wasn't about to lean on a crutch.
The arena shimmered with energy as the countdown began.
"Apex versus TopRank. Match starts in 10 seconds. Timer begins now."
The crowd roared with excitement, their cheers echoing across the massive stadium. On one side, Atlas and I stood ready, exuding calm confidence.
On the other side, Randy Snitch and Wanda Scorn looked every bit as formidable as their reputation suggested.
Atlas adjusted the Phantom Weaver, a sleek Mecha Sniper Rifle with glowing veins of ethereal energy coursing along its length. The weapon emitted a faint hum, its SS-rank quality almost tangible.
"Think they'll be tough?" Atlas asked, peering through the scope.
I smirked, summoning my drones. "Does it matter? We've got this."
"3... 2... 1... Battle Start!"
The moment the timer reached zero, Atlas activated his Stealth Mode, his figure vanishing into thin air.
The Phantom Weaver shimmered briefly in his grasp before blending seamlessly with the shadows. His black, liquid-metal armor pulsed faintly as it synchronized with his Shadow Assassin trait, making him virtually undetectable.