Shadow Flames dealt primarily dark element damage, with supporting fire element damage. However, no one would focus on the damage for Warlock skills. The control skills, and status effects inflicted by Warlocks were the most uncomfortable to deal with.
Shadow Flames was no different. Apart from the first wave of health this skill seared off, it would inflict a six second long Flames effect, a damaging status that did damage every two seconds. This status damage also interrupted chants. The Wave Swords of Spellblades were instant, but Wave Formations were chanted. With Shadow Flames, a Spellblade's rhythm would be heavily disrupted.
But when was this Shadow Flame unleashed?
Everyone was so focused on Halis' Wave Swords and Wave Formations that no one ever noticed.
Xiang Yuanwei was also shocked, suddenly afraid of being too reckless. But if he didn't charge, Wei Chen wouldn't let this chance go. An explosion of Curse Arrows shot out from the flower bush, clearly having been charged for a long time.
Shadow Flame didn't affect the character's movement, so Xiang Yuanwei hurriedly had Halis dodge, hoping to throw his own attack back as he did, but that was when he realized that, out of all the instant cast Wave Swords, only Waltzing Wave Sword was available.
Waltzing Wave Sword, as the name implied, didn't strike in a straight line. In a team competition, it could often create unexpected effects, but right now it was a 1v1 fight with just a single target. No matter what arc the attack made, the destination was the same. Apart from being able to use it to ambush others in specific situations, Waltzing Wave Sword would just be giving the opponent ample time to dodge when fighting face to face.
However, apart from this Sword, the other Wave Sword skills were all in cooldown.
Xiang Yuanwei immediately realized that he had most likely fell into a rather terrifying trap. His Wave Sword skills were almost all on cooldown, and his Wave Formations were under restriction from Shadow Flames. These six seconds were purposefully created by his opponent, so how could the other let him go so easily?
Even as he struggled with himself for this split second, Waltzing Wave Sword was still sent out. With the attack, flowers and grass flew everywhere, and it left a clear arc across the ground. If you couldn't dodge that, then you really didn't have any right to stand on this stage. Xiang Yuanwei really had no choice. He didn't have the time to adjust himself, so he could only strike back like that to give his opponent a little pressure, even if it was miniscule.
And then, retreat...
Xiang Yuanwei hurriedly had Halis back away, wanting to get some distance. He knew that danger could come from anywhere around him. His opponent didn't just hide his character, but used such a simple action to lure him into action and strategically beat him down.
Sly old fox!
Xiang Yuanwei commented on Wei Chen as he had his character escape. Speaking of which, he had thought that his opponent would be Ye Xiu and his head was filled with the strange ever-changing style of the Unspecialized! Yet he had ended up meeting a Warlock, and an endlessly shameless Warlock, too.
Halis was continuously moving backwards and Xiang Yuanwei didn't dare have his character turn. He still had to keep an eye on what this shameless Warlock would do to try and disrupt him. Yet, what was most surprising, was that the other didn't do anything. The flora was completely silent, as if Windward Formation had suddenly disappeared.
What was this about?
After jumping back twice again, Xiang Yuanwei had Halis stop his retreat, confused.
The audience wanted to cry.
Xiang Yuanwei couldn't see what Windward Formation was doing in the bushes, but they could! Windward Formation, this shameless Warlock, was currently flat on the ground, charging up a spell. Players familiar with with Warlock class immediately recognized the endlessly gathering energy. Death's Door, this was the Warlock's level 70 ultimate, Death's Door!
Using the cover from the terrain as well as a psychological understanding of his opponent, Wei Chen fearlessly and directly started chanting a time and mana consuming skill, Death's Door.
"Attack already!!!"
Many members of the audience was already shouting desperately, even the members of Miracle, Xiang Yuanwei's teammates, had stood up, fists clenched.
However, Xiang Yuanwei had his Halis carefully, cautiously observe his surroundings as he inched forwards towards the bushes Windward Formation was hiding in, sword raised.
Caution was good, but caution at a time like this just made the audience so desperate they wanted to curse.
It was only until the bushes Windward Formation was hiding in were no longer sufficient to cover up the miasma gathering at the tip of Death's Hand that Xiang Yuanwei realized something was wrong. If he still didn't know what this was by then, then he couldn't be called a pro player at all.
Run?
Too late!
Death's Door had a very wide area of effect, in addition, Windward Formation was a Warlock with a terrifying attack range. This Death's Door wouldn't give him any chance to run.
He'd have to go for it!
Xiang Yuanwei was quick at coming to a decision. If he couldn't run, then he would advance and find a way to interrupt the skill. Death's Door was a skill that had to be maintained even after being activated. They could be interrupted any time from when they began chanting to the end of the skill.
GO!!!
The audience roared as one. They all felt that at this distance, with the Spellblade's attack range, there really wasn't anything to be afraid of.
Xiang Yuanwei thought the same.
Halis charged forwards, magic pulsing around his blade.
Attack!
The short sword swung out!
Boom!
A thunderous noise that seemed to pierce dimensions boomed.
A black, spinning door that led to another world rotated slowly, set up directly in front of Halis.
Holy crap!!
Countless audience members fell out of their seats.
This Death's Door was actually placed between the two.
This way, if Xiang Yuanwei had realized what was happening and turned to run like a noob, then he might really be able to run out of Death's Door's range.
However, he was a pro player, and his experience told him that running was impossible, so he tried to close in to interrupt and ran directly into the door of death.
The Death's Door was probably delighted and surprised. It probably never had such easy prey before in its life. Its miasma tentacles barely stretched out of the door and were already at Halis' shoulders.
Xiang Yuanwei didn't even have the time to attempt a dodge before he was caught by the tentacles of miasma. Then, he was easily pulled into the door.
Death's Door came quickly and left quickly, too. In a 1v1, Death's Door was primarily focused on damage. As for its control abilities, Warlocks had to continuously maintain Death's Door so even if they trapped their target, they couldn't send out other attacks.
However, Death's Door's attack, coming from another, demonic dimension, wasn't anything easy to deal with. Apart from the damage, the target would be thrown about and disoriented.
Chaotic Rain, Hexagram Prison, Grasping Phantoms...
Wei Chen very calmly, with a not all that fast hand speed, sent out the skills he had long since prepared one by one.
Halis was inflicted with countless negative status effects. He was sometimes confused, sometimes bound, sometimes controlled, sometimes imprisoned...
Wei Chen had a very good rhythm to his attacks. If a veteran like him couldn't even control his own rhythm, then there was no point in him continuing to fight on the pro scene. No matter how experienced, he wouldn't be able to utilize it.
Xiang Yuanwei refused to give up, but his struggles never managed to turn the tides. Halis still fell in the end.
Wei Chen won and Xiang Yuanwei left the stage, depressed.
His heart was filled with what ifs. If he did this… if he only did that...
However, there were no ifs in competition. These ifs could all be turned into experience and help the player grow.
Wei Chen was naturally delighted when he came back. He took the boos from the audience as cheers, walking as if he was ten years younger.
"What other result could you expect with me at the helm?" After returning to the bench, he accepted everyone's praises and complemented himself without any semblance of modesty.
"Amazing!" Ye Xiu didn't even send him one word of mockery.
"What's up today? How come you're being so nice to each other?" Chen Guo was surprised. It was downright unnatural that Ye Xiu and Wei Chen didn't mock each other.
"Hahaha…" Ye Xiu chucked, but didn't explain.
Hearing these praises, Wei Chen took his fill of boasting and, when he had enough, he shook his head. "I'm going to go to the bathroom."
"Hm?"
Gazing at his retreating form, everyone was stunned. Something like that was something everyone should've dealt with before the match! Only one individual battle had gone by, it hadn't been long.
"He… didn't win as easily as it might seem," Ye Xiu suddenly said.
"Ah?" Chen Guo was confused.
"He didn't say a single taunt for the entire match," Ye Xiu sighed.
Chen Guo continued to be stunned. Gazing at Wei Chen's retreating figure, Chen Guo felt as though she saw a well-hidden exhaustion in his form, despite the arrogance he had came off stage with.
As for over here...
"I'm going up, then!" Su Mucheng stood. She was the second player to go up on Happy's side.
"Good luck," everyone said.
"It's Su Mucheng." Over at Miracle, the unlucky three looked to their former teammate's name, flashing across the screen, and then saw Su Mucheng walk towards the stage.
"Leave it to me." Wang Ze seemed very confident. He had been arranged in the individual competition and had hoped to be set against Su Mucheng.
"Good luck, the time to prove yourself has come!" He Ming said to Wang Ze.
When Wang Ze was in Excellent Era, he couldn't count as a core player. Pros in his position all had the desire to prove themselves.
However, Excellent Era was no longer here, and he didn't have to fight for his position in the team anymore. Instead, he had to prove himself to the entire pro circle. The All-Star level ex-teammate of his, Su Mucheng, was the best opponent he could ask for.
It was because this sort of clash gave people something to talk about and was very eye-catching.
"I have an ace up my sleeve!" Wang Ze went up, full of confidence.