Ex rank talent Awakening: 100\% Dodge rate-Chapter 43 - : NEMESIS VS ABYSS
Fourth day of the event. The semi-finals of the Guild Masters event, with only four guild masters left. Four guild masters, with two losing and two advancing to the next stage until one guild leader is announced the winner.
Nemesis of the Dark Star Guild—one that viewers have come to rally behind. His display and show of strength had been enough to awe both common people and players watching. First was his battle against Dan, where he wasn't hit, not even once. Then the second, and the most spectacular, was the one against Jacob. That was the battle that awed and won the masses' hearts. His control of spells, his confidence that was borderline arrogance, his ruthlessness in the end—it all captivated the audience. Well, he certainly didn't have the hero vibe that would inspire kids, but he did have the dominator vibe. Since the beginning of the event, he had been given quite a few nicknames—the Dominator, the Water God—but the nickname that struck a chord in people's hearts and had a long-lasting effect was the famous "Nemesis the Unhurt." This stemmed from the fact that he had never once been hit by an attack. Many believed he was the most likely to win the event.
Another contestant who wasn't exactly a children's hero, but was still seen as a cool and maniacal player by the masses, was Abyss. "The Undead King," as people referred to him, was no mistake but a true testament to his abilities. Commanding hundreds of undead like a king, giving orders while his undead minions tore his enemies to pieces, made people view him as the villain player. Well, his bad reputation for turning other players into undead and crippling their accounts only added fuel to the claim—not that Abyss would have minded, though. Although he was the least liked contender, with Nemesis following after him, he still had supporters—those who liked the dark and bad-guy persona, as well as realists who believed he would come out on top in the tournament. After all, fighting so many undead, it wouldn't be long before an opponent's stamina bottomed out, just like a certain player, Dual Blade. And targeting Abyss himself, while potentially rewarding, had been discovered to be extremely difficult.
Scarlett, the only woman in the top four, had a large fanbase, rivaled only by Kyle in terms of popularity. Although her quarter-final match was, well, quite the anti-climactic bout one would have hoped for, her first match was enough to leave a strong impression of her strength and abilities. "The War Goddess," as she was called, was strongly backed by fans to win the event.
Kyle—well-loved by many. First, he was extremely handsome. No one had seen Nemesis' face, so most assumed he was ugly, Abyss was considered average, and Kyle was super handsome. Plus, his charisma and presence naturally drew people toward him. He was another player fans were eager to see win.
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[Welcome to the Semi-Final Round]
[For the first time, the four competing players will have a designated audience stand, particularly created to accommodate them in recognition of their show of strength and abilities. The greater your strength, the greater the honor you receive in Apocalypse.]
[Selecting opponents randomly for players…]
[Nemesis of the Dark Star Guild vs. Abyss of the Abyss Guild]
[Kyle of the Golden Lion Guild vs. Scarlett of the Rose Guild]
[The players fighting in the first round will be teleported to the Arena of Neutrality soon, while the players in the second round will remain at their stand, spectating if they choose.]
"Hahahahaha! Finally, I get to face Nemesis. This is going to be one hell of a wonderful match if you ask me," Abyss said, laughing.
"Can you shut up?" Kyle said, finding Abyss's loud voice to be pretty annoying.
Standing up from his seat, Kyle walked over to Nemesis and extended his hand for a handshake. "You must be Nemesis. Glad to finally meet you. Your actions in Apocalypse have been mind-blowing and wonderful, leaving me chasing nothing but shadows," Kyle said, a smile on his face that could melt any lady's heart.
Retracting his hand after waiting for a handshake but not receiving one, he turned to Scarlett. "Oh, and Scarlett, your feats are no less impressive than Nemesis's. The way you two play, it almost seems like you know each other. Well, that's not my business to pry into, but I must say, I find your ability to make it this far respect-worthy. I hope I can put up a good challenge against you," Kyle said, the smile still on his face.
"Can you shut up already and go sit down? I hate annoying guys like you who act all nice only to stab people in the back," Abyss growled.
Kyle only smiled at Abyss's statement before returning to his seat.
---
"Did you see that? That smile on his face? God, I'd do anything to make Kyle mine," a random lady watching the event said out loud to her friends.
"And who does that masked weirdo think he is? Not even bothering to shake hands with Kyle? He should be honored to be in Kyle's presence," her friend complained.
"Right? Hey, is he talking to that ugly bitch who can't do without a mask?"
"Hey! Who the hell are you calling ugly? Don't you dare insult my queen!" a young man sitting some distance away from the girls overheard them and couldn't help but fight back.
"Queen, my foot! As if you've even seen her face. Unlike her, hiding behind a mask, my Kyle doesn't need to do that and still looks beautiful!" one of the girls defended, already daydreaming about Kyle.
"Please, sir, miss, this establishment does not condone arguments or any disturbances. Kindly remain quiet and avoid disrupting other patrons," a nearby waiter said politely, cutting off the argument before it escalated.
"Hmph," all parties scoffed before turning back to the TV broadcasting the event.
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[Players Nemesis and Abyss, get ready to be teleported in 10... 9... 8... 7... 6... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1... 0]
The system announced before teleporting both players to the arena.
Nemesis stood across from Abyss.
"So, allow me to ask you a question. Is it really true, or was what you said that day on the broadcast a lie?" Abyss asked the apathetic Nemesis.
"It's true. Believe it or not," Nemesis replied curtly.
'I should probably still hide my talent one last time and pretend to dodge. If I want to send the perfect message when facing Kyle in the final, this is the best way. Thank goodness I'll be facing him in the final—a spectacular way to send a message,' Nemesis thought.
His train of thought, however, was interrupted by Abyss's constant talking.
"Hello? Still there? I'm asking a question. Mind giving me an answer?" Abyss continued, not giving up.
"Any questions you have for me should come after the battle, not now," Nemesis said.
"Well, works for me. After beating you into submission, getting answers from you should be a lot easier," Abyss said arrogantly.
Nemesis stared at Abyss. "You know, people have died miserably for less against me," he warned, taking his sword from his inventory.
"Well, they were probably just too weak," Abyss said once more.
"Wake up from your slumber," he commanded, his undead rising at his call.
"Well, this is going to be fun. I'll enjoy watching my undead rip you to shreds."
"Well, they'll have to catch me first," Nemesis said, dashing toward Abyss.
Abyss's undead rushed toward Nemesis, encircling him the way they had against Dual Blade.
---
"Do you think he'll win? Nemesis, I mean," Kyle asked the otherwise silent Scarlett.
Of course, he got no response.
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"Tell me, are you always this quiet, or do you just hate talking to strangers? You know, even if we're going to fight, that doesn't mean we have to be enemies. You get what I mean, right?" Kyle tried again to get Scarlett to talk, but once more, all he received was silence.
'Hah, a toy of this magnitude is truly magnificent. Where has this toy been all my life? She'll be quite the fun one to play with. Can't wait to make her mine,' Kyle thought, the bright smile still on his face.
Scarlett, however, found it repulsive. After learning what Kyle had done to her and her brother in her last life, she couldn't help but feel anger rising within her. She wanted to rip Kyle apart. But there was still a part of her that wished it was all a joke—that the big brother Kyle she once knew was real and not a fake.
"You know, ignoring people isn't always a good thing. It has its downsides, if you ask me," Kyle said once more.
"Your mask... I can't help but notice that you, Nemesis, Odin, that crazy guy Shadow—so many guild masters wear masks. Is there a reason for it? A special tradition or something? Because I'm genuinely curious about it. What you look like, what Nemesis looks like... Yuck, I do not want to see what Odin looks like. But you... I'd love to see it—the beautiful face behind that mask. That would be quite the sight. Something I'm looking forward to seeing," Kyle said, still smiling.
Still no response from Scarlett, but he wasn't deterred. Instead, he found it amusing. For the first time, someone was ignoring him.
