Lars vs. Nash

[Let's go, yooooo!] Lars stood face-to-face with his opponent without fleeing.

[Heh, you want these hands? Then, let's go!] Nash charged forth and thrust his lance. However, it didn't reach.

[No try, dude. But, no dice!] Lars fired while backpedaling out of the Lancer's reach.

BAM! A headshot, straight in the Lancer's mug! It didn't guarantee a critical hit like Gunslinger's headshots, but it was still cool!

[Damn!] Nash cursed internally. [Looks like I gotta get closer. Like, WAY closer]

Instead of trying to hit the Trickshooter from maximum range, Nash ceased attacking and charged at Gunz like a bull.

Against ranged opponents, the most important thing was to get as close as humanly possible. Gotta stick to these cheaters like super glue.

Nash was the faster runner, so he had no problem closing the distance. He bolted forth in zigzags, taking sharp turns to juke incoming shots. He was like a raging storm, dodging bullets flying his way!

At least, that was the image painted in his head. In practice, his zigzagging didn't do Jack shit. Gunz landed each and every shot without failure.

In fact, the jukes didn't even slow down the shots. Gunz fired nonstop as if dude had an aimbot installed.

To make things worse, Gunz's attacks packed a serious punch. The guy built lots of early-game damage, and he was temporarily empowered by Attention Grabber, his passive.

[Damn, are ya gonna whiff something or what!?] Nash ranted.

Despite all the juking efforts, not a single shot missed Nash. All that hard work was a total waste of time. Nash was like a clown tripping over his own feet.

[This is starting to get a little dangerous.] Nash glanced at his HP bar. Only 60% left. [Not exactly the conditions I imagined starting with, but no problem!]

After eating tons of damage, Nash finally reached the Trickshooter. From here on out, it gonna be a one-sided massacre!

"Nash, you might want to retreat," Raymond advised.

"Pft, retreat?" Nash thrust his lance without even stopping to think.

WHAM! It was a clean hit, right through the Trickshooter's shoulder. Ez 10% HP deleted.

Nash only had to deliver a couple more hits and their HPs will be even. [Let's go let's go LET'S GOOOOOO!]

"Listen," Raymond insisted. "His ult will come out of cooldown any second now."

"Heh, don't you know? Dead men tell no tales!" Nash thrust his lance again. Another hit! He was on a roll! [I got this one in the bag!]

"This dude is wild!" Lars exclaimed. No matter how hard he tried to juke the incoming thrusts, everything connected without fail. This StormMonster was one heck of a duelist!

But, that's okay. Losing some HP was no problem. Because every time Lars got stabbed, he also fired back at his opponent.

The Lancer was already down to 40% HP, and Trickshow just came out of cooldown. It was showtime! [Time to rock n' roll, yoooo!]

"It's time for a trick show!"

"Heh, here it comes!" Nash grinned. [I dunno why cap is quaking in his boots over this. Shooter's ult is no biggie. I mean, it basically gives the guy cooldown reduction for a while, that's all. I still gonna win ez from close range- eh!?]

Vanished. Gone. Disappeared. The opponent was nowhere in sight!

"What the-!? Where did he go!?" Nash looked around in panic. One moment, he was swinging hard at the guy. Then, the Trickshooter vanished.

[But, where to!?] Nash checked in all directions. Not up ahead, not on the left, and not on the right either.

[Did this mad lad just slide by me!?] That was the only logical option. Out of all the tricks Gunz could possibly pull, the absolute mad lad went ahead and slid underneath Nash's swing!

"Doncha mess with me, ya- geh!?" Nash jolted. A bullet dug into his shoulder as soon as he turned around. And, it hurt like heck, too! Was it another bouncing shot!? Tons of HP vanished in a blink of an eye. REEEEEEE!

"You little...!" Nash thurst his lance at the sliding aimbot machine. "Take that, asshat!"

"Nope!" Lars canceled into another slide, this time going sideways. It was a sharp 90 degrees turn to the left.

"What the heck!?" Nash's thurst completely missed its target. [You flippin' slide spammer! Go to Disneyland if you wanna slide so much!]

BAM! A gunshot exploded. It was another Trickshot in the middle of a Trickslide!

But, it wasn't aimed at Nash. Instead, it headed toward a wall on the far left. Was this shot gonna rebound and hit Nash? Nah, no way-

"Geh! For real!?" Nash jumped. The bullet bounced off the wall smacked Nash straight in the torso! Unbelievable!

That Gunz dude was something else. His hit rate was a magical 100%. Nash was already down to 30% HP.

"Ya gotta be shitting me...!" Nash gritted his teeth. What the hell was going on here!?

His opponent was just using Trickshow, that's all. Nash has fought that shit a bunch of times before. It was nothing special. Right, it [shouldn't have been] anything special.

And yet, the way Gunz was using this ult made it look like the most broken thing in the game.

"Dammit! I'mma get yo ass!" Nash thurst his spear again. But, it only pierced through empty air. Gunz slid aside in the last split-second.

This wasn't real. That guy was like a raging typhoon. He zigzagged all over the place at sonic speed, yet he also sniped Nash perfectly without missing a single shot.

BAM! Another bullet flew toward the wall. And, it ultimately gonna find its way to Nash, right? In that case...!

"You ain't gonna get me!" Nash rolled in Gunz's direction!

[He reacted to it!?] Lars gasped as his bullet bounced off the wall and completely whiffed the target. [My aim was on point, I'm sure of that. That Storm dude just reacted to it. Sick, yo!]

It was awesome! This was the kinda stuff he wanted to experience on the competitive stage!

Even as Lars was going all-out with his strongest weapon, there were still opponents who could survive through this bullet hell. Mad respect, yo!

And, things only got spicier. StormMonster didn't [just] dodge the shot. He rolled straight at Lars and thrust his spear!

"Crap!" Lars couldn't dodge this one. He went for Trickslide as usual, but he was just a split second too late.

The spear tore through his skull, an injury that'd definitely be fatal in real life. Thankfully, here it only counted as a normal hit.

Still, a hit from a Lancer was no joke. Each strike erased 10% off Lars's HP. By now, he was already down to 40% HP. Meanwhile, his opponent was clinging on to life with 25% HP.

Lars had the life lead, but his Trickshow was about to end. There was only enough time for one last shot.

[I'll be in deep trouble if I don't finish him here and now.] Lars gulped. A big grin naturally formed on his face in response to the challenge. These life-and-death situations were the best!

[From this range, dude gonna wreck me if we fight fair.] Lars's robust experience was doing all the thinking for him. He trusted his gut on this one.

Despite how strong of a duelist he was, there was a good chance he'll lose to StomMonster under these circumstances. Therefore, he had to end it with the next move!

Unfortunately, damage from a single bouncing Trickshot won't cut it. StormMonster dodged the previous shot, so now Lars had to land two bouncing Trickshots to kill the guy.

However, that'd require firing two shots. There wasn't enough time to pull that off.

But, wasn't there a way to deliver that amount of damage with a single shot? Why, of course there was!

[Double bounce, here we go!!!] That was the only way. Thanks to all the shooting, Lars has warmed up enough by now. It was time to unleash the secret tech!

BAM! The bullet traveled toward a wall.

"Dang, gotta dodge...!" Nash sidestepped blindly, without any idea where the bullet gonna come from. He just knew he had to move, or else he'd be a sitting duck.

The bullet bounced off the wall and headed toward its target.

"Ha! Ya missed by a mile, bro!" Nash laughed. That bullet was way off. [Bruh must be salty as fuck because I dodged his previous shot. Ez wins!]

Gunz was a worthy opponent, so too bad he fudged up at the very end. This was his last chance to turn the tables on Nash, but it didn't work out. Welp, now Nash just gotta seize the momentum and charge in-

BAM! A bullet pierced through his back. It didn't deal the usual double damage of previous Trickshots. No, this one dealt... quadruple damage! It deleted all of Nash's HP in an instant!

"Ya gotta be shittin' me!" Nash yelled, gasped, and laughed all at once. "This guy just double bounced my ass!"

By now, it became clear why Raymond warned Nash so many times about Gunz's ult. That thing was something else. Nash has never fought anything like it before. That ult was some broken-ass OP bullshit right there! #NerfTrickshooter

Not to mention, Gunz himself was a demon wearing human flesh. Nash prided himself as the "monster" until now, but he was like a small puppy compared to Gunz. That guy was legit bonkers!

[Is he seriously a middle schooler!?] Nash didn't buy it. [Ain't nobody plays at that level in middle school! It's a sham!]

Nevertheless, that unbelievable reality was right in front of him. Nash was lying wasted on the ground while Gunz was celebrating victory.

"Heck, yeah! Goteem!" Lars pumped a fist.

The fight came down to the wire, but he pulled through it with that double bounce. This kill should throw a wrench in the enemy's momentum. It changed the situation from a miserably 2v4 into a reasonable 2v3. The enemy no longer dominated-"

A white ball of light appeared on the scene. Oh no. Nonono. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

"Stand up." Rio cast Arise on Nash.

"Oh, you were here!?" Nash didn't even notice He was too absorbed in that heated fight. "Hell yeah, baby! Let's goooooooo!"

"No way!" Lars shuddered. The corpse in front of him raised up like a zombie. When did that Cleric get in here!? [Nooooooooo! My kill!]

"Retreat," Yuel said.

"Yeah, on it!" Lars turned his back to the enemy and fled the scene.

The Lancer revived with only 30% HP, so dude was still very much killable. But, Lars didn't have any dangerous skills to fire off. As such, a 1v1 was out of the question.

Not to mention, the Cleric was here too, so it was practically a 1v2. Lars had no choice but to resort to a tactical retreat.

"Oh, ya think you can run away from me?" Nash locked his lips. "Come here, my guy! Don't worry, I only gonna FREAKIN' DESTROY YOU!"

Nash became the predator again. He could feel the blood surging through his veins.

Thump. Thump. His entire body throbbed in excitement. The world around him slowed down.

Nash was the one and only StormMonster. As a predator, he became the fastest being in the world! None shall escape the terror of his might!

[He already caught up!?] Lars flinched when a spear dug through his back. "That dude is like Sonic, yo!"

[It's not just speed.] Yuel thought. [This guy also got optimal movement.]

Lars wasn't great at escaping, so he made unnecessary moves which slowed him down ever so slightly. Everybody made mistakes like that when running, especially during tense situations.

But, not this Lancer. He chased his prey with optimal movements. Taking the shortest turns, not overstepping in any direction, and constantly monitoring the movements of the target ahead of him.

StormMonster wasn't just fast in terms of sheer movement speed. His chasing technique was an art in its own right. He was a decent player in general, but his chasing technique was on a whole different level.

"You mustn't attempt to outrun the Storm Chaser!" Vincent warned. "There's no escape from his reality-bending chasing powers!"

"Wut? Ya tellin' me to stand and fight?" Lars cracked a dry laugh. "I'm dying over here, dude!" He was already down to 20% HP. WHAM! Correction, now it was 10% HP. One more hit and he gonna sleep with the fishies!

"It doesn't seem like you're going to make it out alive," Yuel concluded. "You probably want to turn around and get a few hits on the guy before dying"

"Dang it! Yeah, you're right." Lars grumped. He was supposed to be invincible with Trickshooter. Ain't nobody could take on him! He was the top dog!

Alas, the competitive stage wasn't that easy. There were strong dudes all over the place.

[Okay then.] Lars turned around and fired at the Lancer. [I just gotta wreck ya real hard and prove I'm the strongest here too. Let's go!]

"Oh? You dare?" Nash sneered. The bullet drilled into his body, but it wasn't a big deal.

With this ballsy move, Gunz sealed his fate. Nash's next attack gonna decide it! He thrust his spear- [No, wait!] He stopped himself at the last moment.

[Dodged!] Lars rolled aside right after firing at StormMonster. A spear attack was coming for sure, so he had to dodge.

The plan was simple. After the opponent whiffs, Lars will have another chance to shoot. He had no idea what gonna happen after that, but at least, his this next shot was basically guaranteed- STAB.

"Eh...?" Lars blinked in confusion. A spear impaled him through the torso as soon as he recovered from the roll. "No way! He reacted to it!?"

"Awwwww, yeah! Git ded, boi!" Nash laughed like a madman. He totally saw that Dodge Roll and reacted to it like a champ!

『You have killed an enemy!』

"Yes! Fuckin' finally!" Nash pumped a fist. "Thanks for that save, bro."

"No problem." Rio nodded.

"Man, this made me sweat," Nash admitted. "Don't remember the last time I had to work this hard when chasing."

"He was pretty strong, right?" Jaiden smiled.

"Yeah, he damn was." Nash nodded. "But, I'm way better! Clapped that bruh ez!"

"Sure, sure." Jaiden rolled his eyes. Still, he had to hand it to Nash. This was a huge achievement. With this victory, Nash proved that Gunz was only human. Even when he was playing Trickshooter, it was still possible to topple the guy.

It was great news. With the combined powers of Jaiden's crew, they surpassed even the godlike beast! From now on, no matter what else the enemy brings to the table, Taurus will prevail for sure!

"Dang it!" Lars hung his head. "I should've spammed Trickslides to escape."

"Perhaps." Yuel couldn't say for sure.

StormMonster's chasing technique was unparalleled. It was unclear whether anybody could ever hope to escape from that predator's clutches. As such, staying to fight wasn't that bad of a choice. It even worked out well... until the Cleric showed up.

[Lars would've won if I was there to support him.] Yuel thought.

There was no question that Renegade, StormMonster, and Laplace were strong adversaries. Even Lars, with his Trickshooter, couldn't overpower them.

However, it'd be an entirely different story if Yuel was there to support the wild beast. Together, they could surely outwit the unbeatable trio! But, for that, they needed permission from their stubborn captain.

[That'll have to wait until next game.] Yuel sighed. [This round is pretty much over.]

With Lars's death, the situation became a 1v5. The enemy took the Mid Turret and Mid Golem in one swift push.

Yuel returned to base to defend, and Vincent joined him shortly. However, the two of them couldn't fend off a five-man army. The enemy seized full control of the game's flow at this point.

『DEFEAT』

For the second time in a row, Stratus suffered a clean defeat. Even Lars's Trickshooter wasn't enough to turn things around.

Will Stratus be able to mount a comeback in the fifth and final game...?