Chapter 1666: Don’t Cry, Lu Boyuan
Translator: Nomyummi Editor: Nomyummi
16%.
Lu Boyuan looked at the health remaining on Chaotic Cloudy Mountain.
There wasn’t much health left, but he couldn’t retreat. He knew what target Tang Rou was charging toward, and he was determined to strike at her head-on.
Chaotic Cloudy Mountain rushed forth. At the center of the canyon, the two characters met. Tang Rou’s style was always to charge without hesitation, and her common starting move was the powerful attack Dragon Breaks the Ranks.
Lu Boyuan had memorized all of this, and as soon as Soft Mist appeared in his view, he was already bracing himself. Chaotic Cloudy Mountain no longer traveled in a straight line, and instead began to advance in an unpredictable roundabout way, to prevent Soft Mist from breaking through with a single Dragon Breaks the Ranks.
It seemed like Tang Rou didn’t care about that much. Soft Mist’s movement was as straight as ever, but her camera view was tracking Chaotic Cloudy Mountain’s nonstop movement, keeping him in the center of her field of view.
He had chosen this kind of roundabout movement for two reasons. One was to prevent Tang Rou from using her normal method of Dragon Breaks the Ranks, and the other was that this was a common method of closing in on the opponent.
Compared to Gunners and other Mages, Battle Mages and Grapplers were both close-range attackers. But comparing a Battle Mage and a Grappler, there was still a difference in their attack ranges.
The attack range of a Grappler was basically the length of a character’s arms, within two units of distance. As for Battle Mages? Their attack range included not only the length of their arms but the length of their weapon. With that, their attack range could reach a max of five or even six units. So to Grapplers, Battle Mages were also long-range attackers. Breaking through that six-unit range to get to two units, completing the close-in, was a difficult problem to solve.
Grappler’s skills tended to focus on pure damage. Not including the skills of the other Fighter cla.s.ses, there was basically no way to restrict, control, or distract the opponent. Movement was the most realistic way.
Today, Lu Boyuan had chosen to put the skill Cloud Body on Chaotic Cloudy Mountain’s weapon. It strengthened his movement ability.
The two characters moved closer and closer, gradually nearing a distance of ten units.
Tang Rou had held back on Dragon Breaks the Ranks. Right now, with just a few more steps, she could directly initiate attack.
Lu Boyuan suddenly changed the rhythm of Chaotic Cloudy Mountain’s movement. Originally, he had been moving around 70% vertically and 30% horizontally. But with a sharp turn, his horizontal movement suddenly changed to 80%, and his vertical advance was only at 20%.
Instantly, the speed at which the two characters were approaching slowed down. Chaotic Cloudy Mountain, using a large horizontal movement, was swiftly moving to flank Soft Mist.
Ordinary gamers might not have been able to detect much, but in the eyes of the pros, this was an extremely old and clever way of using a rhythm change to create a time disparity.
Once Tang Rou had gotten accustomed to the approach speed of the opponent, if the opponent suddenly changed speed and direction, her reaction would be slowed by a half a beat or a beat.
When close-range cla.s.ses fought, they needed to take the initiative. One beat or half a beat, that was enough to separate who was faster and who was slower.
Lu Boyuan seized the initiative!
The angle of attack chosen after changing the rhythm was also chosen very well. Chaotic Cloudy Mountain cut into Soft Mist’s attack range, but Tang Rou’s field of view couldn’t keep up. She hastily spun, but she was too slow, Chaotic Cloudy Mountain was right next to her, but she couldn’t catch him in her sights. She was only off by that half-beat.
Take the lead first!
Chaotic Cloudy Mountain was already reaching a hand toward Soft Mist.
But a streak of red light suddenly swept across his waist!
Tyrant’s Destruction!
Soft Mist’s sight hadn’t arrived, but her attack had.
Just when Chaotic Cloudy Mountain was about to grab Soft Mist, he was sent flying by this Tyrant’s Destruction.
Slow by half a beat?
Yes, she was slow.
But this half-beat slow wasn’t because Tang Rou’s reaction was slow. It wasn’t because she had fallen into the trap laid by Lu Boyuan’s sudden change in rhythm.
She was slow by half a beat because she hadn’t used her vision to chase Chaotic Cloudy Mountain’s movement. She had instead opted to directly control Soft Mist to use an attack.
The control and launch of a Tyrant’s Destruction would always be a bit slower than turning one’s camera.
This was where the delay had come from.
But in the end, Chaotic Cloudy Mountain was sent flying.
Falling Flower Palm!
Soft Mist slid and forced a palm out, toward the flying Chaotic Cloudy Mountain. With a boom, the palm hit, sending Chaotic Cloudy Mountain flying out even faster, toward the canyon wall behind him. After the Falling Flower Palm hit, the Fire Chaser it generated shot toward him and exploded against him, swallowing him in a burst of red fire.
Chaotic Cloudy Mountain took even more damage. Soft Mist’s arms were already wreathed in the strength buff granted by the Fire Chaser, and Soft Mist charged forward, Dragon Breaks the Ranks!
Dancing Fire Flowing Flame was instantly in front of Chaotic Cloudy Mountain. Soft Mist didn’t reduce her momentum. Forward, continue forward.
Chaotic Cloudy Mountain’s back finally slammed against the canyon wall, sending a boom echoing through the canyon. It was clear how forceful the blow had been. But his path didn’t stop there – his body actually continued to sink into the mountain wall, leaving a hole into the stone.
Dancing Fire Flowing Flame had already completely penetrated Chaotic Cloudy Mountain’s body. Right now, she was extremely close to the other character, at a distance of only one unit. For a Grappler, this was the optimal attack distance.
But Chaotic Cloudy Mountain’s arms were stuck on both sides of his body, he had no way of lifting them. No matter how fast Lu Boyuan’s hand speed was, no matter how high his technique, no matter how strong his willpower, no matter how great his determination, he couldn’t.
His health reached zero. Chaotic Cloudy Mountain died.
Tyrant’s Destruction, Falling Flower Palm, Fire Chaser, Dragon Breaks the Ranks.
Four attacks surpa.s.sed the 16% damage needed to end the life of Lu Boyuan’s Chaotic Cloudy Mountain.
Victory was decided. The winner, Happy’s Tang Rou.
The stadium hadn’t even reacted yet. In the broadcast, Pan Lin and Li Yibo’s a.n.a.lysis of Lu Boyuan’s clever rhythm change came to an abrupt stop.
What more was there to a.n.a.lyze? Lu Boyuan’s Chaotic Cloudy Mountain was already dead. Victory was already announced.
No one had really expected Lu Boyuan to win with Chaotic Cloudy Mountain’s remaining 16% health, but this loss was a bit too quick and neat, wasn’t it?
The stadium was quiet for a while, until finally, the cheers and applause of Happy’s fans rose up from a corner of the stadium.
Samsara’s fans seemed to be at a loss. They didn’t know how they should respond to the cheers of the opposing fans. Tang Rou’s clean victory had left them speechless.
Happy’s cheers resounded in Samsara’s stadium for quite a while before finally being suppressed by the random noisemakers of Samsara’s fans. They could only take advantage of their numbers, because right now, they didn’t have any unified slogan to shout. They couldn’t stand up together and yell “don’t cry Lu Boyuan,” right?