Perfect World [EN]: Chapter 454

456.

Overhead, a vibrant, holographic event poster caught the eyes of passersby. It fluttered up and down, left and right, heightening anticipation for the day’s matches.

Soon, gladiators shouldering sports bags emerged from a flying bus in front of the Lima City Colosseum’s staff entrance. Leading the way was Clark, coach of the Avonade team. Following the coaches, Beom-seok stepped out to cheers from the gathered fans.

‘Heh heh, quite a crowd.’

Beom-seok waved in response to the cheers as he strolled along the marble path. The other team gladiators following behind also generously acknowledged the fans’ support.

They briefly dropped off their luggage and held a quick strategy meeting in the gladiator waiting room before heading to the dugout.

Wow! Wow!

The Avonade region spectators, filling the stadium, were already engaged in a fierce cheering battle even before the matches began. Their intention was to demoralize their opponents, the Kazvin team, from the start.

The Kazvin team was primarily composed of gladiators from Volcano Fires, who had placed 8th in the previous World League season. Although they had never beaten Gods Knights, they were still a World League team. Naturally, Avonade fans couldn’t help but see them as formidable competitors.

Clark, entering the dugout, called out to everyone.

“I want everyone to give it their all in today’s match. You all know why!”

“Yes!”

Beom-seok and all the gladiators responded loudly. They were well aware of the importance of today’s match. Losing to the Kazvin team today would greatly increase the chances of dropping to 2nd place in the group, which would mean facing the 1st place team from Group H in the round of 16. To secure an easier schedule, winning today was essential.

“Good! Now, take a moment to rest and deeply review today’s strategy in your minds.”

Clark, sitting in the coach’s seat, calmly surveyed the stadium before becoming lost in thought.

Having been a top-tier gladiator in the World League in the past, he had never once set foot on the World Cup stage. Avonade had always been a backwater in the professional gladiator scene, and he lacked the support of strong teammates.

Always harboring a sense of regret, he readily accepted the Avonade Association’s offer to coach the national team. He aimed to fulfill the dream he couldn’t achieve as an active gladiator in his role as coach. However, his challenge soon ran into a significant obstacle.

He had put in every effort to get the national team to the World Cup finals, but the physical limitations were insurmountable. It was never easy to beat competitive teams composed of world-class gladiators with lower-level gladiators.

Just as he was feeling disappointed, a major turning point arrived in his life. That was the event of Dragon Knights advancing to the Central League. Although they were only a lower-ranked team, the fact that more than 16 teams participating in the World Cup finals were from the Central League was definitely encouraging.

‘And then that guy appeared.’

Gods Knights, who emerged like a comet, brought great joy to Clark. The presence of an outstanding gladiator named Beom-seok, as well as the recruitment of promising gladiators, allowed them to climb endlessly, and now they had become an undeniable force in the World League stage, where only the best gathered.

Thanks to this, Clark was able to assemble a national team with formidable gladiators, and he was able to stand in this position today.

But humans are truly fickle. As soon as his dream of stepping onto the World Cup stage was realized, a new ambition immediately sprouted in his mind.

That was to win the World Cup. Of course, he would give up if it was impossible, but the possibility was making his heart pound fiercely.

With the current strength and the terrain of this Lima City Colosseum, they could easily defeat the world’s leading teams.

‘Alright. Let’s give it a shot. This kind of opportunity doesn’t come easily.’

Clark, clenching both fists, stood up. Seeing the gladiator roster on the electronic display board, he knew that the match would begin soon. He personally went to the dugout entrance and encouraged the gladiators heading into the entrance tunnel.

“Alright, everyone, don’t be nervous. Just show your skills. Then we’ll win.”

Beom-seok, glancing at Clark, tilted his head as he walked out the door. He was showing behavior unlike his usual self. At other times, he would have struck all sorts of poses and asserted his authority, but today he was acting so excited, as if he had caught some spring fever.

‘Well, I guess people can have good days sometimes.’

Standing in the entrance tunnel, Beom-seok lined up the gladiators who would be participating in the first round, reassuring them. Perhaps excited by the fact that they were standing in a global competition, his gladiators were chattering away in high spirits.

Of course, it was better than being nervous, but it was better to bring them to their senses. Today was the first day of the World Cup finals, and the local fans had high expectations.

They needed to win and repay their support.

As soon as the broadcast signal was given, Beom-seok entered the stadium with everyone.

“Fight well! Avonade! You must win!”

“If you just do as you always do, you can win! The Kazvin team is nothing!”

The constant cheers, along with the drumbeats of the Avonade United Gladiator fans, spread throughout the stadium. And as Beom-seok and the Avonade representative gladiators entered the central forest, the cheers reached their peak. They were well aware of what that forest meant to them.

Although Liza was absent, somewhat diminishing their power, the jungle warfare led by Beom-seok and Tiela was a new trademark of victory. Since the addition of the forest terrain to this Lima City Colosseum, Gods Knights had never lost.

– Peeep!

With the whistle signaling the start of the match, Beom-seok led all the gladiators and dashed across the central city terrain. His plan was to launch a blitzkrieg from the start and lead the first round to victory.

“Alright! Let’s take them down in one go!”

Beom-seok closely followed Gladiator No. 6, who was equipped with a sword and shield. The Kazvin team gladiators had not yet managed to escape the forest due to the obstacles of the trees. Unlike the Avonade team gladiators, they had extremely poor adaptability to the forest.

Just as Beom-seok was about to leave the forest, he saw the disorganized formation of the Kazvin team and shouted in an excited voice.

“Alright! Now’s the time! Let’s rush them all at once before the Kazvin team can reorganize their formation!”

Beom-seok kicked the shield of Gladiator No. 6, who was just turning around, and used the momentum to swing his sword with all his might at the face of Gladiator No. 9 next to him. The bewildered woman raised her sword to block, but she staggered backward after being struck hard on the shield by Oskar’s greatsword, which was charging in.

Taking advantage of this gap, Rapine, with Beom-seok’s support, charged her shoulder into the shield of Gladiator No. 1, who was positioned in the center.

With a thud, Gladiators No. 2 and No. 4, standing in front of Gladiator No. 1, who was being pushed back, held up their shields. As the leader was being attacked, they, who were in the rear, stepped forward to defend. However, thanks to this, the already fractured formation of the Kazvin team was becoming a complete mess.

Because they, who should have been standing in the back, came forward, there was not enough space for the other gladiators to position themselves. Of course, they could switch and reorganize their formation, but this was impossible due to the Avonade gladiators who continued to join the attack.

Now was the time to block the attacking opponents rather than solidify the formation. As a result, the first round match between Avonade and Kazvin was developing into a fierce battle from the start.

“No! We have to stop them! Everyone, 힘을 내!” [힘을 내 (Himeul Nae) is a Korean phrase meaning ” 힘을 내!”]

The voice of Gladiator No. 1 was drowned out by the sounds of colliding weapons and the cheers of the fans. In a chaotic situation, all the leader could do was encourage them, but she was unable to do even that. Gladiator No. 1 grimaced, her expression visible through the face shield, as she surveyed the battle situation.

‘At this rate, we’re going to lose this match. We have to get out of this situation as soon as possible.’

The situation was extremely favorable for Avonade. The Kazvin team gladiators were bewildered by the initial surprise attack, while the Avonade gladiators were taking advantage of the momentum and unilaterally pushing forward based on their outstanding skills.

Fortunately, everyone was holding their swords and shields to form a battle line, otherwise they would have already collapsed in disarray. But that was all. This kind of endurance could not continue throughout the first round.

If even one person were to be defeated, the numerical disadvantage would further drive the team into crisis.

“Alright! This is it!”

Beom-seok, shouting loudly, grabbed the wrist of Gladiator No. 9, who was holding her sword, and threw her over his shoulder with one hand. She rolled on the ground and tried to recover her shield to deflect Beom-seok’s subsequent attacks, but she could not continue to block his attacks while lying down. Soon, she lost her shield to Beom-seok’s kick and allowed the tip of his katana to pierce her abdomen.

After confirming that Gladiator No. 9 was gradually stiffening, Beom-seok joined forces with Oskar, who was fighting next to him, and rushed towards Gladiator No. 6.

– Oh, this is very unfortunate for the Kazvin team. They were caught off guard by Avonade’s initial surprise attack and are being thoroughly defeated without even being able to form a battle line. If this continues, they will really have no chance.

– That’s right. It’s very difficult to rebuild a formation once a melee has broken out.

Then they have to overwhelm the opponent’s gladiators with individual skills, but in fact, the Kazvin team is inferior in strength to the Avonade team. The fact that one person has already been defeated by Gladiator Oh Beom-seok is an example of this. Kazvin must avoid melee at all costs because they don’t have a gladiator who can stop him.

The announcer nodded calmly at the commentator’s explanation.

– Yes. That’s right. If Gladiator Oh Beom-seok is allowed to run rampant, the match is as good as over. Moreover, Avonade also has Tiela. Although it’s not a forest terrain battle right now, she has been gradually demonstrating her power in flatland battles recently, hasn’t she?

– Yes. Tiela suffered the humiliation of being pushed out of the S-class gladiators due to her poor ranking in the previous away games, but she has recently been gradually showing her potential in battles on other terrains. Thanks to this, her away game ranking has also entered the top 30, and although it’s at the end, she has rejoined the S-class gladiators. She really is a reliable gladiator resource for the Avonade team.

At that moment, Tiela forcefully struck Gladiator No. 10’s face with the handle of her sword and then thrust her sword straight into her chest. Then, together with Kazela, she drove Gladiator No. 14 forward, gradually advancing past the center. She was aiming for Gladiator No. 1, the leader.

She was currently being protected by Gladiators No. 2 and No. 4 in the rear, but she thought it was worth targeting her in this chaotic situation.

Clang. Clang. Clash! Clash!

Under the continuous attacks, Gladiator No. 6 could not withstand Oskar’s greatsword and knelt down. While frantically blocking Beom-seok’s sword with her shield and one-handed sword, the heavy sword flew towards her head and struck her directly.

Already three people had been defeated. Gladiator No. 1, who was watching the situation from the back, fidgeted anxiously. At this rate, they would have no choice but to give up the first round.

She tapped the backs of the rear guards and said quietly.

“Alright. We’re going to attack Avonade’s leader. You know what that means, right?”

Gladiators No. 2 and No. 4 looked at her with understanding. The only way to reverse the situation now was to capture Agelia, who was crouching in the back of the opponent’s formation. It would be impossible to catch her easily because she had quick legs, but she thought it was much better than waiting for the situation to reverse itself.

At this moment, as if sensing their intentions, the tip of a long spear struck Gladiator No. 2’s shield. Nikita, who was in the rear to protect Agelia, had fired a non-standard spear. In response, Gladiator No. 2 straightened the shield that had been pushed back and began to move in a large circle. She was going to capture Agelia.

However, they had no choice but to stop after moving only a few steps. Tiela, who had come to target Gladiator No. 1, was blocking their path.

“Where are you going! You can’t escape from here!”

With a shout, Tiela launched a fierce sword attack towards Gladiator No. 4. In response, Gladiators No. 2 and No. 1 joined forces to support her, but they had no choice but to retreat due to Beom-seok and Oskar, who were newly joining the attack. And surrounded by the Avonade gladiators who were gathering quickly, they were in a position where they could not move at all.

In the meantime, most of their colleagues had been defeated and were incapacitated.

‘This, this means our defeat in today’s match.’

Gladiator No. 1 closed her eyes tightly as the opposing team’s gladiators tightened their grip. She was aware that today’s match was practically over here.

If they lost this first round, Kazvin would have to win at least one victory to win. Of course, there would be a glimmer of hope if the flatland battle continued like this time, but Avonade was not stupid.

There was no reason to take risks and fight on flat ground when they could easily win by crouching in the forest and waiting. Then the Kazvin team would have to enter the forest to win, and they would become Beom-seok’s prey.

Gladiator No. 1, biting her lip tightly, rushed towards Tiela. She could not accept the defeat of the first round as it was. But soon, she was struck in the back of the head by Beom-seok’s sword, which was approaching from behind, and collapsed miserably on the bare ground.

============================ Author’s Notes ============================

Sigh, we drew in the soccer match against Uzbekistan. As someone who wanted a win even though it was an away game, I’m a little disappointed. Sigh.

Well, everyone, have a great day. I’ll see you all again tomorrow.