24 China vs Australia: Knight vs Elementalist

This chapter is dedicated to @Yukino_FuuKa

Misty Rain fans howled themselves hoarse, screaming the praises of Chu Yunxiu. Pointing to the screen, they yelled at anyone close enough to hear.

"That's our captain! That's our captain! Can you see our Misty Rain Captain? Can you see? Open your eyes and see!"

The Chinese fans in the stands were not silent either. "First match, perfect victory! Do you still think you can win? This World Cup is ours. Go back home! You can't beat us! We are the champions," they screamed to the fans of opposing countries.

The excitement was high at the start of the match but now it had reached fever-pitch. And it was truly surprising that Chu Yunxiu would be the one to elicit such a reaction from the crowd. Her style of playing mostly appealed to the strategists who prefer steady and calm playing rather than powerful and explosive plays that regular fans preferred.

But today, everyone was satisfied.

"A fitting way to start the World Cup. Chu Yunxiu has dispatched her opponent, taking no damage as she did. Well, I don't think we could have asked for a better start, really," Pan Lin said. "The fans are beside themselves with joy and though, Chu Yunxiu cannot hear the praises right now, I'm sure the team will communicate them to her later on. The defeated player is leaving the booth now."

The lights shone on Australia's Elementalist player as he exited the booth and the crowd applauded respectfully as he made his way back to his seat. The next player rose to welcome him halfway with a handshake and a brief hug.

"Well done. You did well."

The Elementalist smiled weakly. Nothing about his performance could be described as doing well but it was a normal thing to say after losing. "Thank you. Watch out. She's not a pushover."

The next player nodded, smiling mischievously. "Don't worry. I'll handle it," he said and walked up to the stage.

The Chinese players watched the interaction from the other side and frowned.

"That's the Knight player, isn't it?" Wang Jiexi asked.

"Yes," Su Mucheng replied.

The so-called natural enemies of the Elementalists. Knights had high defense, high health, and low attack. Elementalists had low defense, low health, and high attack.

The high attack of Elementalist was greatly reduced in the face of the Knight's shield and heavy armour. While the low attack of a Knight could do more-than-expected damage to the Elementalist due to their cloth armour. Spectators and players alike had begun to notice the same thing. The next player was a Knight.

The Australians that had quietly endured the taunts of the Chinese began to hit back. "Can your Elementalist survive? Our Knight player is coming up. Get ready to taste defeat."

"We'll see about that," the Chinese threw back but were secretly anxious. Do your best, Chu Yunxiu.

The pro player group chat buzzed with reactions and analysis of the first match as well as thoughts on the current match up.

"In Glory, there is no such thing as a weak class or a class that is weaker than the other. There might be seeming advantages but the truth is that there is no advantage that cannot be countered," Han Wenqing typed into the chat.

A train of nodding emojis followed the statement. It was something they all knew. That was why all classes were more or less equally favoured by players. If some class was truly stronger than the others, then everyone, from the casual players to the professional players, would all play the same classes and the weaker classes would fade into obscurity.

No time for further analysis. The character loaded and the match began. The Knight player began swimming at once. He had no idea where the Chu Yunxiu was but he had a hunch she would not give up the land. It was too much of an advantage for her.

Another disadvantage was the weight of his character. As a Knight, he wore the heaviest armour of all the 24 Glory characters. And as such, he was among the slowest moving characters, and his movement was slowed even further in the water.

But he had a plan. He would direct his Knight to swim close to the surface of the water, scout her position on the island, circle to the back, and strike. His Knight dealt low amounts of damage but if he used Heroic Leap, then he could deal damage and stun her as well.

Then a barrage of blows would follow. She had Silver equipment so he knew that the stun would not last long but it would be enough for him to land one or two blows on the Elementalist.

The flow of the battle would be determined by him.

Laughing happily, he put the plan into action, swimming vigorously to the small island. When he arrived, he could see Windy Rain roaming about from one edge of the island to the other. He smiled and proceeded to circle round the back of Windy Rain.

He arrived at the best location and was about to set the target for Heroic Leap when he realized that Windy Rain had disappeared from his view.

Oh, no. this was bad. Find her, find her. He spun around, trying to catch a glimpse of his opponent when the water around him fizzled and crackled.

What was this?

Li Yibo answered that question for the viewers. "Piercing Lightning. As we've seen in the last match, this skill has a hidden electrocution effect that can be triggered in water. This effect increases the damage count of the skill."

"But the Knight should have known that. Why was he not on guard against the skill?"

"He probably thought that she would not be able to track his location in the water. But as we all can see the Knight's armour is so heavy, it left ripples in the water allowing Chu Yunxiu to track him, enter the water, cast, and attack."

The Australian understood the issue more than the commentators. The precious seconds he spent searching for her were enough for her to cast the skill. But it was fine. She had struck the first blow but there was no need to panic.

She was climbing unto the land now. So, Heroic Leap! His Knight Yellow Circle leaped out of the water and unto the land. His armour weighed him down but he was able to get to the land before she did. He landed and the shockwave forced Windy Rain back and dealt damage but Chu Yunxiu was not worried about that. They were now on opposite sides of the island's longer side.

Yellow Circle was charging. He was obviously more skilled than the last player. Windy rain pointed his staff and drew four Ice Lines to halt the progress of the Knight. The ice lines were not long enough to completely cover the width of the island but it was enough to pause the advance of the Knight.

He had to go around or wait for the spell to disperse. Considering how long Ice Line lasted, the choice was obvious. Go around.

Yellow circle curved around the edges of the ice line. Chu Yunxiu did not wait for him to reach her before she activated Mobile Cast. She skipped backward and cast Raging Flames.

Charge through! He activated Charge and ran through the flames. Chu Yunxiu dashed backward to the very edge of the island to escape the attack.

You want fierce? I'll show you fierce, he thought haughtily, laughing as he watched her fall into the water.

Yellow Circle lowered his shield and he felt his heart skip. Where was she? For the second time in the match, he asked himself the same question. He got his answer very soon. A staff was raised from the midst of the sea.

Lightning Hell. Yellow Circle was struck six times and sent back into the pillar of flames he'd just escaped. He was stunned. What was happening? How did she target the Lightning Hell so accurately from inside the water? Was the fall intentional?

He watched his health drop and shook off all thoughts. He needed to focus. His opponent had 94% health left while he had 83%. He had to close the gap and win this battle.

He adjusted Yellow Circle's position and looked at his opponent. She had the superior hand speed and equipment but he had the superior skill. He would win this match.

He repeatedly tapped his keyboard and Roared at her. She would have to hit him to dispel the effects of Roar.

"But isn't that the goal? This is not PvE. This is PvP. Chu Yunxiu actually wants to hit him," Pan Lin asked.

Li Yibo was confused as well. "Maybe he wants to activate Maelstrom Counterattack."

Chu Yunxiu had the same line of thinking. Maelstrom Counterattack would reflect the skill to her but…

Windy Rain raised his staff, looking very much like a shaman praying for rain, and cast Absolute Zero. Yellow Circle stopped moving, frozen.

The crowd ohhed and ahhed, enjoying the show but not completely understanding the intricacies while the pros nodded and clapped their appreciation of Chu Yunxiu's talent.

Maelstrom Counterattack would reflect the skill back but Absolute Zero did not shoot out of a staff or a spear or a sword. It simply engulfed the target from all sides, sending them into a freezing hell. It counted as an attack so it could dispel Roar's effects but it could not be absorbed and reflected by Maelstrom Counterattack.

Zhao Yuzhe watched the match with a bad taste in his mouth. Chu Yunxiu had taken no damage from Maelstrom Counterattack. If he was in that situation, he doubted he could pull off the same results. He hated to admit it but his experience with the Elementalist class was inferior to Chu Yunxiu's.

One day he would surpass her, he swore viciously in his mind.

Yellow Circle had more important concerns. Windy Rain had started the bombardment of spells. Blizzard, Magic Shackles, Fire Storm. Chu Yunxiu cast the most damaging of spells, especially for his Knight.

The high health he was so proud of whittled down rapidly. He glared at his screen, tapping viciously. He should not be in this position. He was more skilled than she was and he wanted to scream it.

He waited patiently. He would bid his time and soon the opportunity presented itself. An opening. He dashed forward and a spectacular Fire Bird was summoned for him.

The match was decided. Before he died, however, he managed to deal some additional damage reducing her health a little more. Nevertheless, Chu Yunxiu took China into the third round with 75% health, and considering the damage she had done with the 25% of her health, it was 75% too much.

China 2 Australia 0

Question: What is Team Tiny Herb's Xubin nickname?