Unlike team Yunyue, team Siren was not on a floating raft. They were standing on the riverbank, right next to the line of green light floating on the river.
"Since flying skills and items are not allowed to be used, everything will happen on the river surface," Tao Ning continued. "So, the only way they could transport the item is by travelling down this river. Their movement and course of actions will be highly limited. Although it's the same for us, we don't have an item we need to protect.
We just have to attack them and prevent them from crossing this green line."
"Not to mention, we have two sirens with us," the gnome Berserker, Tang Xi, said, looking at the two sisters.
Their captain, Zhu Lian, and her younger sister, Zhu Jingyi, were both sirens. Under normal circumstances, Liao Jiayi, one of the main members of their team, would have been here instead of Zhu Jingyi. But Jiayi unexpectedly caught a cold and wasn't in any condition to log into the game and fight.
"I will definitely do my best to play my part to defeat Yunyue," Zhu Jingyi said with a clenched fist.
"Hey, we will all do our best," Tang Xi said in a teasing manner before her expression changed and became serious. "After all, we have to make that YUN pay the price of making our Captain cry."
"Don't let that be the reason why you want to defeat Yunyue," Zhu Lian said with a bit of admonition in her voice, finally speaking and looking at each of her members. "We're going to give our best because we believe in our own strength and teamwork. We are here to win on our own merits, not out of spite or resentment. Let's focus on our goal and show everyone what we're capable of."
"Of course, that's already a given," Tao Ning said, much more upbeat and determined.
"So, what's the plan?" Yin Meiyu, the team's elf Archer said.
Everyone looked at their captain. Zhu Lian laid out some points.
"The two new members of team Yunyue are either real players or pets. If it's the former, then we still have a way to deal with it. But if it's the latter, then we'll have real trouble on our hands. Because adding them to the kitsune means we will actually be facing eight individuals instead of just five. Good thing we can make up for that by using the advantages available to us.
"And one more thing, we have to find a way to seal Noctis' shadow traveling skill as soon as possible. Having him freely use that would dampen our strategy. Any ideas on how we could do that?"
"I have an item that might help. But there's a time limit on how long it can be used," Yin Meiyu said.
"I also have a skill that could help," Zhu Jingyi added. "But it requires a lot of MP and I have to control it all the time or it can be dispelled easily. Especially with Morganite on their team. I might not be able to do anything else if I use it."
"Then we will work something around that. And we will incorporate Meiyu's item into it," Zhu Lian said. "Now, let's make a solid plan."
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When the countdown to the start of the match reached '0', the raft team Yunyue was on started to move. Although it was called a 'raft', it was not exactly that. It was more of a huge plank that wouldn't sink and could move on its own.
To show how big it was, eight people could stand on it without worrying that they might not be able to move. This also showed just how wide and big the river they were on was. It stretched wide enough that its farthest banks were barely visible, with gentle currents indicating its considerable depth and breadth.
Just as Su Yuqi was about to use a skill to speed up the raft, the sky above them suddenly darkened. It wasn't just a simple dimming; the darkness completely obscured the sunlight. As if that weren't enough, it also began to rain.
Luo Yan raised his brow. "Oh, they're good."
It was obvious why the sky suddenly changed like this. There was no way the sunny weather had turned rainy for no reason. Someone from team Siren had made it this way. It's easy to see why—they wanted to prevent him from using his [Shadow Walk].
With this darkened sky, the shadows on the surface of the river were now gone. And with it gone, how else could he use [Shadow Walk]?
"Yuqi, is it possible to clear the sky?" Shen Ji Yun asked.
Su Yuqi looked at the sky. "This is a pretty big AoE skill. I could try to dispel it, but I'm sure whoever's doing it will just try again."
"It's fine. We can just proceed without my [Shadow Walk]," Luo Yan said. "Although it would be harder. But where's the fun if everything is easy?"
"I agree with that," Bai Ze said.
"Me too! Me too!" Eclipse excitedly said.
"Then, let's move," Shen Ji Yun said.
Su Yuqi used a skill to push their raft forward at a much faster speed. Since their destination was downriver, no matter how big the river was, there was no way they could go in the wrong direction.
The current positions of each member on the raft were as follows: Shen Ji Yun and Bai Ze at the front, Luo Jin and Luo Yan at the rear, the two dragons on each flank, and Su Yuqi and Eclipse at the center.
Everyone maintained a vigilant stance, ready to react to any threats. The front and rear positions provided a solid defense, while the powerful dragons protected the flanks. Su Yuqi and Eclipse at the center ensured a quick response, with Su Yuqi using magic and Eclipse employing illusions to protect the raft.
And this was how the match began.