Ye Qiu Falls for the Trap Again

The halftime break ended, and the team match began. The chosen map was the Bazaar, a standard map. 

At the start of the match, Chu Yunxiu softly pleaded, "Please, everyone, let me be a bit selfish today."

"No worries," Li Hua said with a smile. "We all know that Captain Chu is not doing this for herself but for the team. If we keep letting outsiders interfere, Team Misty Rain will never become a top team."

"Support Captain Chu!" the other team members echoed.

Chu Yunxiu's eyes became slightly misty. The support and protection from her teammates moved her. After taking a few deep breaths to steady her emotions, she commanded, "Team Excellent Era will most likely use a poke strategy, so we need Dark Forest to hold off Mu mu, I mean Su Mucheng. As long as we cut off the connection between Dancing Rain and One Autumn Leaf's screen cannon, I'll take over the match from there!"

"What?" Li Hua laughed teasingly, "Isn't Su Mucheng your good friend? Are you really going to be ruthless?"

"We agreed that on the battlefield, we are opponents, not sisters. Giving it our all is the true respect for each other," Chu Yunxiu smiled.

...

"Alright, we see both teams quickly converging towards the centre of the map. Team Misty Rain's formation looks like a defensive strategy centred around Windy Rain," Li Yibo commented.

"But Team Excellent Era is puzzling. They've put He Ming, the Elementalist, on the bench and are starting with Shen Jian. Clearly, they've abandoned the poke strategy... Moreover, where is Liu Hao going? He's once again leaving the main group," Pan Lin said in confusion.

The audience found this scene familiar. In the first match against Team Tyranny, Liu Hao also left the group alone, targeting the Priest and cutting off Team Tyranny's retreat, securing the victory with the poke strategy.

Does Liu Hao intend to target the Priest again this time? But the situation is entirely different now. Last time, Team Tyranny's Priest was unprotected, allowing for a solo kill. However, Team Misty Rain is playing a defensive strategy, giving Liu Hao no chance to target the Priest and possibly getting himself focused by Misty Rain instead.

"Liu Hao wants to target the Priest again? That's extremely risky!" a spectator said.

"If he wants to target the Priest, he'll need to fight one against five."

"Liu Hao is truly audacious, attempting a one-against-five!"

...

The audience cheered. In the past, Liu Hao would have been harshly criticised for leaving the team alone. But now, he had built his reputation, proving his skill to the audience. Whatever he decided to do on the battlefield, the audience, even if they didn't understand, temporarily supported his actions.

Team Misty Rain's starting lineup included an Elementalist, a Striker, a Ninja, an Exorcist, and a Priest.

Both teams gathered in the centre of the map, with characters visible to each other, except for Total Darkness and Dark Forest.

Chu Yunxiu's sharp eyes spotted Shen Jian in Team Excellent Era's formation, and she was shocked, "Excellent Era didn't start with the Elementalist; they switched to a Striker. They aren't using the poke strategy!"

Chu Yunxiu realised this and wanted to change tactics, but was a step too late.

Li Hua noticed a defensive gap in Team Excellent Era's formation, a direct path to Dancing Rain. He couldn't help but shout, "Excellent Era has a flaw, watch my position!"

With that, Dark Forest charged forward.

Seeing this, Chu Yunxiu felt like swearing. She thought, what's the rush? Even though we have a strategy, there's no need to implement it so hastily. Couldn't you wait a few more seconds to observe the situation?

"That flaw is a trap! It's deliberately exposed by Excellent Era!" Chu Yunxiu urgently shouted.

Li Hua realised this, not because of Chu Yunxiu's warning, but because a Striker, Shen Jian, suddenly appeared before him!

"What the heck, where did he come from? Shouldn't he be on the bench? And switching to a Striker, Excellent Era isn't using the poke strategy?" Li Hua quickly said.

Shen Jian couldn't help but laugh, "The boss is the boss, baiting him with a flaw, and he really fell for it!"

"Stop flattering, start the plan!" Liu Hao ordered, "Ye Qiu, it's your turn to perform!"

"Listening to your commands, I'm not used to it," Ye Qiu sighed, but his hands didn't slow down. With Shen Jian providing rear protection, he had no worries.

Shen Jian's offensive capability wasn't strong, but his defensive ability was outstanding. Dark Forest, having infiltrated Excellent Era's territory, couldn't break through the defence in a short time, and retreating would delay the battle plan.

Liu Hao merely exposed a flaw, trapping one of Misty Rain's key players.

Chu Yunxiu watched as One Autumn Leaf charged towards them. For a moment, she couldn't comprehend. Did Ye Qiu not see they were in a defensive formation? Charging in like that, what did he plan to do? A full-scale attack? Wasn't that suicide?

Dragon Breaks the Ranks!

One Autumn Leaf's spear bore dragon patterns, and with a loud dragon roar, the spear tip aimed at Feng Xiangming's Exorcist.

Feng Xiangming, a professional Exorcist player with the ID Chaosbringer, had the task of blocking all incoming enemies.

Soulguard! Chaosbringer swung the giant scythe, simultaneously throwing an Ice Talisman. Two attacks were aimed at One Autumn Leaf, but One Autumn Leaf seemed oblivious, continuing to charge towards Misty Rain's formation.

Feng Xiangming widened his eyes, "Is he crazy? That's a suicide charge!"

"Ye Qiu isn't crazy!" Chu Yunxiu suddenly understood, "Ye Qiu and I have the same goal: to showcase our skills!"

Windward Rain began chanting a spell, Blizzard.

Chu Yunxiu's timing was impeccable. As Blizzard enveloped One Autumn Leaf, she cast another spell, Flame Impact.

Blizzard was an area-of-effect skill with strong slowing effects. As One Autumn Leaf's speed decreased due to Blizzard, the pre-aimed Flame Impact hit directly at One Autumn Leaf's feet.

At the same time, Chaosbringer's combo and Ice Talisman's ice spikes closed in on One Autumn Leaf, seemingly unavoidable...

However, Ye Qiu suddenly moved the mouse in a semi-circle, cancelling Dragon Breaks the Ranks, and had One Autumn Leaf jump right into the triggering Flame Impact. The fire column pushed One Autumn Leaf into the air, and the jump combined with Flame Impact's launch effect, allowing One Autumn Leaf to evade the incoming scythe and ice spikes.

Moreover, the impact pushed One Autumn Leaf out of Blizzard's area of effect!

All the spectators were in awe. What did Ye Qiu just do? He used the opponent's skills to manoeuvre!

One Autumn Leaf charged solo into Misty Rain's formation!

Magnificent! Simply magnificent!

"Regroup for defence!" Chu Yunxiu shouted.

Though Ye Qiu had breached Misty Rain's formation, their defence was not yet broken. One Autumn Leaf was now a trapped beast!

"Liu Hao, it's your turn!" Ye Qiu shouted.

But the expected Demonic Swordsman's skills didn't arrive. Ye Qiu was momentarily stunned. Where was Liu Hao? Where was Darkness Without Light?

"Where is he?" Ye Qiu shouted again.

"Don't rush; you haven't broken Misty Rain's defence yet. You've only penetrated their formation," Liu Hao, hidden in the shadows, leisurely replied.

"You set me up again!" Ye Qiu seemed to realise something. Liu Hao should have appeared to cooperate with him and tear through Misty Rain's defence, but did he not show up when he was supposed to?

"How could that be? Didn't I say from the beginning that you would break through the defence of Misty Rain, and I would then single-handedly cut through Windy Rain? Your task isn't done yet, so how could I jump out now?"

"I couldn't possibly break through Misty Rain's defence alone. Even you couldn't break through Misty Rain's defence by yourself!" Ye Qiu said. Rushing into Smoke Rain's formation to assist you was your plan. I've already done everything I could!"

Liu Hao laughed, "No, you can still push your limits. You can handle a one-versus-three; believe in yourself. Remember? Battle Mage has a divine skill called Fighter's Will! Ye Qiu, activate it, and you'll be the brightest star on the battlefield!"

"You're crazy!" Ye Qiu frowned. "You want me to fight one versus three and activate Fighter's Will? Even if I do, without your help, I still can't win and will die anyway!"

"I remember the finals of the first season. Didn't you also activate Fighter's Will in a one-versus-three scenario? And you won in the end. Why can't you do it now?" Liu Hao chuckled softly. You were the first to show the seventh-level Fighter's Will in an official match. No one has done it since. Now's a great chance to recreate that iconic moment. Don't miss it!"

Ye Qiu was stunned. Liu Hao had been deceiving him from the start, making him face the three members of Misty Rain alone. He had naively believed Liu Hao's lies again...

Sure enough, this despicable guy wouldn't reveal his plan entirely!

What was Liu Hao's goal? Just to screw him over? To please Tao Xuan? But what good would that do for Liu Hao, who had already fallen out with Tao Xuan... Wait a minute; Ye Qiu suddenly realised Liu Hao's true intention.

What does Liu Hao seek? Spectacle and extremity! Now, facing three opponents, he must activate the seventh-level Fighter's Will to have any chance of survival. Liu Hao wanted him to perform spectacular moves!

Could it be that Liu Hao was actually looking out for him?!! Ye Qiu realised Liu Hao was pushing him to abandon the so-called "safe tactics" in favour of the most extreme plays!

Just like the seventh-level Fighter's Will back then, just like Dragon Rising Head back then!

Liu Hao glanced at Ye Qiu. Although Ye Qiu was wearing a mask and hat, hiding his expression, the sharp gleam in his eyes told Liu Hao that Ye Qiu understood everything.

"It seems you know my intention," Liu Hao said calmly. "So, what do you think?"

"Not much." Ye Qiu actually wanted to be angry, but he couldn't. He had to manoeuvre among the three encircling him, plus Misty Rain's healer, making it a four-person siege. A slight mistake could mean instant death.

"Listen, Ye Qiu, the current league is a commercial league. The audience wants to see not just victories but extreme spectacles! If you don't make it flashy, the audience will think you're old and can't pull off those moves anymore! Think about your recent plays. Even in this soundproof booth, I could hear the audience's gasps!"

"Matches shouldn't be played this way! The risk is too high. We have better strategies to ensure victory. Should we increase the risk of losing just for the spectacle?"

"To me, there are only two outcomes in a match: win or lose, always fifty-fifty. So I won't agree with your so-called higher success rate strategy for the sake of safety." Liu Hao sneered. "If you don't want to show off, it's your fault for being kicked out by Tao Xuan! But I'm different. If I don't show off, I'll never escape Tao Xuan's control!"

Ye Qiu was silent for a moment, then said, "Maybe you're right, but I still can't agree."

"Who cares? You're already caught in my plan. You have no choice but to show off Fighter's Will, shock the audience, and then die so I can clean up the battlefield!" Liu Hao revealed his ultimate scheme.

Indeed, he still wanted to screw Ye Qiu over, but before that, he would help Ye Qiu. All the fans wondered if Ye Qiu was old and couldn't show off anymore. Now, Ye Qiu could use his moves to prove to everyone that he wasn't old and could still perform 120-hit combos and unleash the seventh-level Fighter's Will in an official match!

At this moment, Ye Qiu's adrenaline surged. He had fallen into Liu Hao's trap, and Liu Hao wouldn't support him. Now, he was like a trapped beast in a cave, struggling in vain.

40-hit combo!

It broke, but no problem, try again!

62-hit combo!

Broke again!

One Autumn Leaf had only 52% HP left. That's no problem; there's still a chance. Try again!

75-hit combo!

Record-breaking, there's a chance!

93-hit combo!

108-hit combo!

117-hit combo!

118-hit combo!

119-hit combo!

120-hit combo!

"Success! Ye God has once again activated the seventh-level Fighter's Will!" An unknown audience member shouted first, and the whole crowd was ignited.

"This is a historic moment. Since One Autumn Leaf first activated the seventh-level Fighter's Will in the first season finals, today in the eighth season, fourth round, the match between Excellent Era and Misty Rain, One Autumn Leaf has activated the seventh-level Fighter's Will for the second time!" Pan Lin exclaimed.

Many fans at the scene were moved to tears, and even Misty Rain's fans started clapping. At this moment, everyone was happy for the return of the Battle God One Autumn Leaf, except for one person.

At Excellent Era Club, Tao Xuan stared at the live broadcast with a grim face, gritting his teeth, "Well done, Liu Hao. If you insist on helping Ye Qiu, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

Tao Xuan called Cui Li and announced, "From now on, Liu Hao is unable to participate in the upcoming matches due to illness. Let him rest!"

Cui Li was stunned. Was Liu Hao sick? This guy exercised every day and was as strong as an ox. How could he be ill? But as Tao's lackey, Cui Li instantly understood his boss's meaning and asked, "Boss, how long will Liu Hao be sick?"

"Until the summer transfer window, when Sun Xiang joins Excellent Era!" Tao Xuan replied coldly. "Liu Hao has become disobedient, but I can't kick him out. He's too strong. He has to stay in Excellent Era to help win the championship. Sun Xiang needs a championship to be crowned..."

(End of this chapter)

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