Chapter 25 The General's Match

Long story short, after the "Middle Guard Battle," the score became 2-0. The following "Lieutenant General Battle" would be [Michael] versus [Weary Dream Returns].

By this match, everyone... including Weary Dream Returns himself, felt that the [Worthless Brigade] was finished.

From an outsider's point of view, they were likely to be swept, possibly without even reaching the Vice-General Battle. And analyzing from the players' own perspectives, even if they tied the score at 2-2, [Bi Laoshi] wouldn't be able to secure the match point in the final "General Battle."

However, this sense of "inevitability" didn't affect Weary Dream Returns' mentality or performance.

Transported to the battlefield, he didn't retreat or feel lost. He simply held the [Chonglou], standing tall with a clear mind, seeking only to fight.

[...Two...one...fight!]

The instant the countdown ended, Weary Dream Returns unleashed a surge of vast Dou Qi (fighting energy), breaking through obstacles and engulfing the enemy like a roaring mountain and a tsunami.

But Michael stood firm in the wild torrent of energy, not taking a single step back, completely unmoved.

Chi—

The halberd's edge rose, touching the whistling wind. Weary Dream Returns, unafraid of the powerful foe, charged with his halberd.

Michael spun around, meeting the attack with his bare hands, actually gripping the sweeping halberd shaft and stopping the opponent's attack.

"A prodigal son returning is indeed extraordinary," Michael said in a calm tone, even as he restrained his opponent's weapon. "But it seems… you're still somewhat lacking…"

"Hey, hey…" Weary Dream Returns replied, not showing much surprise. He just smiled and said, "What's with you talking like you know me so well?"

As he spoke, he increased the force in his wrist, urging on his divine strength!

"Hm?" In that split second, not only did Michael's expression change slightly, but he was also forced back a step.

"Speaking of which... is this the first time we've met? Who are you, brother? And... your team is so strong. Where did you guys come from?" While applying pressure, Weary Dream Returns also asked a few questions.

These questions weren't just his; they were also of great interest to the vast audience and other participants.

"Heh…" The next second, Michael actually smiled too, but he didn't answer Weary Dream Returns' questions. Instead, he continued, "Not bad…" He paused briefly, then said seriously, "Come, put in more effort. Let me see how much substance there is to your 'strength'."

"Hmph... Fine!" Weary Dream Returns assumed that the other party didn't want him to pry information out, so he provoked him. In that case, let's fight.

Therefore, he raised his fighting spirit again, urging on his divine strength further, continuing his attack with his halberd, pushing the killing move forward.

On Michael's side… after the previous contact, he already knew that Weary Dream Returns intended to fight this battle by "continuously raising his upper limits." Out of a sense of "duty," Michael decided to use slightly more power than his opponent to probe and observe further. Therefore, he immediately countered.

For a time, divine power and holy power… two extremes converged, venting and surging, boundless and shaking in all directions.

Although the two parties involved still seemed to have some room to maneuver, the battlefield could no longer withstand such powerful forces… In the blink of an eye, mountains shifted, land moved, rocks cracked, and boulders flew.

Under this sudden change, the two combatants had no choice but to leap up together, switching to aerial combat.

For Michael, who "naturally had wings," this was undoubtedly a good thing. He thought that in a place where he couldn't borrow strength, the opponent wouldn't be able to "urge on his divine power further."

But he was wrong…

Even in the air, Weary Dream Returns' soul intent could still generate a continuous stream of power from nothing, constantly breaking through the upper limits.

In that instant, Weary Dream Returns extended his arms, holding the halberd, borrowing the momentum of rotation and the power of divine strength, unleashing the move [Overturning Clouds, Ten Thousand Waves] at a brief, high-vantage point.

This was the first S-level skill in Thriller Paradise comprehended by a player, and also the ultimate move that Weary Dream Returns used to break through his inner shackles. Unleashed by the Weary Dream Returns of today, it was at an even higher level.

Boom—

The halberd's power soared, divine strength urged on, Dou Qi (fighting energy) was like a raging torrent, pouring down.

Seeing this, Michael quickly channeled his holy power, crossing his hands to block, but was still pushed towards the ground by the power of the move…

A crushing blow, overturning clouds and splitting the sea. The Cangyun Mountain range had just been shaken apart, and now it was hit by this heavy blow from the sky, causing it to disintegrate, leading to collapsing ground and appearing valleys, with countless rocks falling into the valley.

"It's not over yet!" And Weary Dream Returns' offensive didn't stop.

With his current strength, he could see that Michael, after receiving the attack, was far from being forced into a desperate situation… Therefore, he immediately stepped on those falling rocks, lunging back and forth, chasing after the falling enemy.

Taking advantage of Michael's unstable posture, Weary Dream Returns connected with the move [Cascading Moon, Seven Glories].

Halberd lights flashed, sharp edges killed coldly. The killing move, like a shadow, was exquisite, fast, dangerous, and outstanding.

But, with holy power present, it was still… ineffective!

Not only was it ineffective, but Weary Dream Returns' breath was the first to become disordered from continuously launching moves, while Michael still seemed very calm.

This round of aerial entanglement didn't last too long. When the two landed together and the attack and defense temporarily stopped, Michael spoke again, "I have a question I want to ask you now."

"Huh?" Weary Dream Returns was stunned for a moment, then laughed, "Heh... Sure, ask away. I could use a breather."

In his bones, he was still a proud person. Even if his opponent wasn't consciously giving him time to breathe, he didn't want to take advantage of it silently.

"Why do you want to team up with that non-candidate…" Michael blurted out half a sentence, but quickly realized that he shouldn't say certain words, so he changed his words, "... Why did you guys team up with [Bi Laoshi]? You should know, right... the impact his existence will have on you."

To outsiders, this statement would be interpreted with other meanings, but Weary Dream Returns understood the other party's original intention: "Oh? You even know about 'that matter'? Heh... It seems you really are strong enough to be at the 'data observation' level…" He paused, "However, I don't expect you to understand us. I can only answer you… for our Worthless Brigade, 'victory' isn't actually the 'most important' thing."

Weary Dream Returns' reply was indeed the intention of the entire team.

In the end, the [Worthless Brigade] wasn't a team that was too obsessed with victory. If they were, they would never have let Bi Laoshi join the team…

With Honghu's connections, would it be difficult to find a first-rate expert to make up the numbers? Taking a step back, with the strength of their existing members, what if they publicly recruited a member? Wouldn't the strong players who wanted to join be breaking their heads trying to get in?

One thing that most people didn't realize during this S3 was… in essence, the [Worthless Brigade] was actually a "casual team that didn't pursue achievements."

Their situation was probably like this – "Three or five good friends playing the same online game, seeing that the game is holding a competition, so they agreed to form a team together to participate"; this kind of thing is extremely common and normal among casual players. The only difference between the [Worthless Brigade] and them is that the members are all very strong… that's all.

After understanding this point, the matter of Bi Laoshi becomes easy to understand…

As casual players, our original motivation for playing games is often just to "have fun with friends"; however, many times, our purpose will change unconsciously…

The level, rank, equipment, and ranking of the game character, the weekly activity attendance rate, DKP points, etc., when we start to be obsessed with and lose ourselves in the wealth, status, and sense of superiority gained in the virtual world… the joy brought by the game is no longer the original taste.

Many years later, looking back, the once-popular game has long become a relic of the times, and the account that has been poured into a lot of effort is just a dust in the sealed database. Even the friends who once fought together in that virtual world have long since lost contact… In the end, only the memory of fighting together can be preserved, adding a bit of emotion.

The members of the [Worthless Brigade] are a group of people who still retain the "original motivation" of the game, a group of men who put the "process of fighting together" above the "result," a group of… "Worthless Uncles."

Although their personalities are different from each other, they can understand each other and get along well; they are the purest "players" – fighting with all their strength and enjoying the joys, sorrows, and joys of playing together, not acting out of utilitarianism, and even more not complaining to each other about things in the game.

Unfortunately, from the perspective of "candidates," there is no doubt… they are all unqualified.

Being content with the situation, being passionate and simple, self-salvation, and minding one's own business… these qualities, candidates can't not have, but they can't "just be like this."

"Okay…" After listening to Weary Dream Returns' answer, Michael looked into the latter's eyes for a few seconds, and continued, "It seems what you said is true…" As he spoke, he raised his head and said to the sky, "Then there is no need to observe the remaining two."

Weary Dream Returns didn't know what he was talking about, and the audience didn't know what he was talking about.

After he said that, he stood there silently waiting for a moment, and then, as if he had received some kind of "feedback," he nodded slightly and looked at Weary Dream Returns again.

"Huff…" At that moment, Michael took a long breath and said again, "In that case, 'our' 'mission' has come to an end." He paused briefly, looking at his opponent with a look that was very inconsistent with his appearance and age, almost "kind," and continued, "Finally, let me say something off-topic… Perhaps you don't quite understand what I'm talking about, but… I still want to tell you that I never regret betting on you… Over the past year, your growth has also proven that I didn't misjudge you. Of course, officially, my judgment is still… you are unqualified."

Weary Dream Returns really didn't understand Michael's words, but that was irrelevant, because when Michael finished speaking, he had already used a holy power far beyond Weary Dream Returns' current level, launching the move "Shore of Light," directly blasting Weary Dream Returns into nothing.

At this point, the [Worthless Brigade]'s S3 journey came to an end. Although they were swept out, judging from the process… they didn't lose unjustly, after all, their opponents were so strong that people wanted to report them.

In fact, the first thought that many people had after watching this match was to report them. Even some media outlets started drafting sensational articles about how the Gates of Heaven might be a cheating team before Weary Dream Returns' match was even over… Although none of these people had any evidence, they generally believed that based on the content recorded in the match replay, there was no need to explain anything more.

However, a baffling thing happened before these people stuck their faces out to be slapped…

In the early hours of this nineteenth day, before the match replay of this quarterfinal battle had even been generated, Michael, the captain of [Gates of Heaven], and his six teammates actually appeared in the still-open match live broadcast channel.

For the vast audience, this was definitely a moment that refreshed their worldview… This group of mysterious players, who had always been extremely low-key and hadn't communicated even half a word with the outside world, not only made a rare appearance outside the match, but also in this high-profile live broadcast.

From the live broadcast footage, the seven people were in a completely undecorated original conference room; although all seven people were in the frame, only Michael spoke as a representative…

His speech was very short. First, he thanked Dream Company for urgently approving their request to make a certain decision through this official platform. Then, he said a piece of news that made all players feel like they "must have heard it wrong" - [Gates of Heaven], forfeits.