1369 Who’s the MVP?

Liu Hao was killed?

Once everyone realized that this was true, they were all stunned.

That was absurd! Lin Feng was still holding on after being ganged up on for so long, but Liu Hao's Absent Sun had been crushed by Su Mucheng on her own?

No one had expected that the 1v1 duels would be the first to end, so in this time, no matter if it was the live broadcast or the audience's attention, they were all focused on Lin Feng and Luo Ji's 1v2s.

Lin Feng was forced into a 1v2, while Luo Ji had the initiative for his 1v2. This indirect face off between the two seemed to be coming to an end with Concealed Light's mana running out, but no one had ever expected that the 1v1 on the other side would see a result first.

How did Su Mucheng destroy Liu Hao so quickly?

The battle was tense and the live broadcast couldn't possibly replay that section. Everyone could only watch dumbly, as the battle raged on.

With Su Mucheng's Dancing Rain back, she helped Fang Rui and Mo Fan turn their battle into a 3v1 even as she sent some firepower support towards Luo Ji's side of things. The situation immediately turned, and soon enough, the face off ended with Doubtful Demon's death. Instantly, the 5v5 situation became a 5v3, and Wind Howl's Cleric hadn't even managed to rush over yet.

It was over.

That was what everyone was thinking. Wind Howl had lost two people at once, so man to man wasn't an option anymore. Fight as a team? Could Wind Howl beat Happy with a number disadvantage? Even if Happy didn't have Ye Xiu, they had proven their strength as a team in the three consecutive rounds of Ye Xiu-less team competitions. A team that could fight Thunderclap's to the bitter end, who dared underestimate them?

They were going to lose...

A lifeless silence engulfed Wind Howl's home stadium.

This loss was a crisis for Wind Howl. With this result, they might fall to the same number of points as Hundred Blossoms, meaning that they'd both have to fight for that extra boost in points in the last round. With the tiebreaker in their favor, Wind Howl wasn't afraid of tying in points, but if they had even a one point disadvantage, then they'll be kicked out of the playoffs.

"How is Hundred Blossoms doing against Tyranny?" Li Yibo asked after this problem for all those who were curious.

"Er, it's still ongoing." Pan Lin looked over the information sent over from the other stadium.

"Ah!" Pan Lin suddenly cried out after looking more closely at the contents, "They're in the lead. Team Hundred Blossoms is currently in the lead in terms of numbers. They managed to get the advantage in numbers in their home game."

An advantage in numbers was generally how team competitions were judged while ongoing. If the other side couldn't mitigate this imbalance in time, then the final result would be exactly what they didn't want to see.

"If Hundred Blossoms wins, then they'll be tied with Wind Howl in the final round," Li Yibo noted.

"The match between 301 Degrees and Seaside is about to end. 301 Degrees should be able to win without much trouble," Pan Lin continued.

"Then 301 Degrees will be 2 points ahead of Hundred Blossoms and Wind Howl," Li Yibo concluded. "And the other matches?"

"Thunderclap currently has the advantage in numbers as well," Pan Lin replied.

"It seems like they really do have a chance to beat Samsara!" Li Yibo's tone was filled with admiration.

"If so, then Happy and Thunderclap will both have a 7 point advantage in the last round," Pan Lin said.

"But they still shouldn't let down their guard! Especially Happy, their opponent for the last round is 301 Degrees. 301 Degrees only has a 2 point lead. They'd definitely go all out in the last round. If Happy really does slip up and lose by a little too much, and if Hundred Blossoms and Wind Howl manage to win big, they might be left behind!" Li Yibo said.

"The… the chances of that are a little too low…" Pan Lin said.

"Ha. It's true that there are a lot of requirements to meet, but Happy really can't let down their guard. In contrast, Thunderclap's last opponent is Miracle. I think they're completely in the safe zone now," Li Yibo said.

The two's discussion was already on the next round, not giving any attention to the ongoing match. In their eyes, Wind Howl, down two people, had no way of turning the tides. The match was already at its end.

However, Wind Howl clearly didn't want to give up. After a moment of silence, the in-venue audience exploded with cheers and shouts of encouragement. On the field, Tang Hao and Zhao Yuzhe weren't the kind of people who gave up when they fell behind. They were still giving it their all, trying to use their skill to overturn the match.

However, Happy had become cautious, their entire team drawing back, heading towards the support zones and clearly aiming to switch in their healer. With Wind Howl's disadvantage in numbers, they couldn't stop Happy's retreat even with their Cleric's arrival.

Yet, once they arrived at the support zones, Happy didn't directly switch their players, they first set a trap. When Wind Howl arrived in their relentless pursuit, they were struck full force by Concealed Light's final Elemental Beast King Formation.

The requirements for activating the Elemental Beast King Formation was to have all four summon beasts on the field and standing in the required positions. After activation, the four summon beast's combative ability would dramatically increase. Thunder Eagle and Young Wyvern's thunderbolts and fireballs shot out like bullets from a machine gun. The chill that spread when Frost Wolf opened its maws and howled spread a layer of frost across the field. Spirit Cat, originally very agile, had its speed raised another level, it's form darting from one place to the next leaving broken after images behind.

Being able to control such powerful summons was a delight for any Summoner, but this delight wouldn't continue on forever. The powered up four summon beasts still had health and could be killed, and their active time would be calculated according to the active time of the Elemental Beast King Formation. When the skill ended, the four summon beasts would all disappear. In addition, during the time the Elemental Beast King Formation was active, the summoning of the four summon beasts were deactivated. They couldn't be resummoned.

Luo Ji, an underestimated rookie Summoner, had become the star of this show. It was only after the Elemental Beast King Formation ended that An Wenyi and Little Cold Hands were switched in. Happy then fought steadily while Wind Howl's Tang Hao and Zhao Yuzhe, unwilling to give up, continued to struggle. But their struggles were futile.

"Alright, now Wind Howl's last character, Tang Hao's Demon Subduer, has fallen. In the end, Wind Howl still lost this team competition," Commentator Pan Lin announced.

"With that, the results of this match are 4 to 6, Happy with a total of 244 points, while Wind Howl had 237. The two teams will enter the last round of the regular season with a seven point difference," Li Yibo said.

"Coach Li, what do you think about this match?" Pan Lin asked.

The match had finished and the results were out, meaning that Li Yibo was much freer to comment as he wished, "Hm, well, although Ye Xiu didn't fight, they clearly made ample preparations for this battle. Their strategy was executed very well, and a great counter to Wind Howl's playstyle. They managed to grasp the initiative from the very start."

"Indeed. Team Happy's Luo Ji was the greatest surprise and delight of the match. It was truly unexpected, but also a very reasonable coincidence," Pan Lin agreed.

"That's right. On the other hand, for Wind Howl, neglecting to consider Luo Ji was a fatal mistake they made at the very beginning. No matter what kind of player the opponent is, just the fact that there was a Summoner meant that Wind Howl should utilize the appropriate countermeasures. Though Wind Howl only knew of Happy's player switch when the match was about to begin, they should have adjusted accordingly, but they didn't. They didn't even think to counter Luo Ji's Summoner until halfway through, and afterwards, they didn't execute that counter well either," Li Yibo analysed.

"Despite that, Wind Howl actually still had a chance, right?" Pan Lin asked.

"Yes. Even if Luo Ji's Summoner dismantled their man to man playstyle, this dismantling came at a huge cost to Luo Ji. Using their willpower and individual abilities, they might not have been able to break through Luo Ji's summon creature wall, but they could deplete Concealed Light's mana. Unfortunately, that's when a major problem appeared. I believe everyone noticed this," Li Yibo said.

"Liu Hao, right?" Pan Lin questioned.

"Yes. Just as Wind Howl's entire team was holding on, waiting for Concealed Light's mana to be completely depleted, Liu Hao fell to Su Mucheng. This is another immense surprise in this match. In reality, Wind Howl's eventual loss was because of this one event. If it wasn't for this, then even with Happy's arrangements, Wind Howl would still have a chance. However, Liu Hao's defeat pretty much killed all of Wind Howl's hopes," Li Yibo explained.

"Uh huh. We still have some time left so, next, let's look back at what really happened and how Liu Hao was killed so quickly by Su Mucheng." As Pan Lin talked, the shot in the broadcast switched to Dancing Rain's barrage against Absent Sun.

As the battle raged, Pan Lin and Li Yibo waited to comment, and the blasts of the Launcher's cannon resounded in the audience's ears.

"Su Mucheng's style is very resolute this time. What do you think, Coach Li?" Pan Lin finally spoke up.

"Yes, we've never seen such resolution from her. Su Mucheng accurately grasped the match point. Look, she had completely stopped the wide range support she'd usually provide in matches, focusing all her attention on Liu Hao's Absent Sun. Her performance is impeccable and Liu Hao was completely suppressed. He was completely helpless, and she crushed him, otherwise how else would he have died so fast? Over there, Lin Feng's Thief fighting 1v3, then 1v2, had managed to hold on for longer!" Li Yibo commented.

"Liu Hao's performance definitely wasn't the best this time!" Pan Lin exclaimed.

"Indeed. Being steamrolled like that in a team competition, never mind in a match like this, in any match, it would definitely break the balance of the situation," Li Yibo said.

"Su Mucheng's performance was truly exceptional," Pan Lin sighed in admiration.

"I agree! She's given this match a dilemma, and I'm curious about it as well. Will the MVP of the match be given to Luo Ji or Su Mucheng?" Li Yibo wondered aloud.

"I think it'll probably go to Su Mucheng. After all, it was her exceptional performance that allowed them to grasp the match point and ascertain Happy's victory. Otherwise, with just Luo Ji's playstyle, the way the match would go would still be uncertain!" Pan Lin explained.

"However, Luo Ji played a crucial role in breaking the balance on the field as well. In addition, he's a rookie that hasn't played many matches. I think the Alliance will take that into account, too, so I think it'll be Luo Ji," Li Yibo countered.

"Then, Coach Li, let's make a bet. Whoever loses has to treat the other to a midnight snack, yeah?" Pan Lin joked. This clearly wasn't anything harmful.

"Alright then. The statistical data should be announced soon," Li Yibo played along.

"Let's use this time to take a look at the other matches," Pan Lin suggested.