Rewind With A Superstar System

Chapter 159: Abyss Vs Starfall (1)

<🎧 Song Recommendation: Lord Of Shadows by Griffin Tyler>

...

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the match you have all been waiting for!"

Timothy’s voice boomed over the main broadcast, addressing the fifty-two million viewers currently tuned in for the Semi-Final. It was a crazy amount of people, and also a world record, meaning this game was on track to becoming the most watched Esports game.

It went to show just how much massive hype was directed towards the match up.

"This is the Semi-Finals of the Global Siege Invitational!" Timothy continued, his excitement bleeding through the microphone.

"This is a grueling competition that began with fifty hopeful teams dropping into the map. Now, that number has been reduced to just four elite duos. And after today, there will be only two teams left standing to fight for the ultimate prize!"

"Without further ado, or time wasting, it’s time we introduce our first match of today," Max announced.

The massive digital screens behind the casters lit up with two distinct duo images on either side. On the right side, the screen showed a mashed-up graphic of Team Abyss. It featured Leviathan looking larger than life at one of his sold-out stadium concerts, hyping up a massive crowd. Right beside him was a clean, basic photo of K-Z0 holding a championship trophy with a serious expression.

On the left side of the screen, the image for Team Starfall appeared. It was a beautiful shot of Aura singing passionately at a live concert. Placed right next to her was a photo of Von sitting casually on small chair, strumming his guitar in the UM homecoming.

"On one side," Max hyped up the audience, "we have the undisputed king of the competitive scene pairing up with the thirteen-time Diamond-certified Canadian rapper, Leviathan, who isn’t new to the gaming scene at all. This is Team Abyss!"

Timothy took over seamlessly. "But on the other hand, we have the biggest wildcard success story you’ve heard! The groundbreaking, multiple award-winning singer and rapper, KingVon, teams up with the Platinum-certified pop sensation, Aura, for Team Starfall!"

"The map is called The Tech Campus," Max announced as the broadcast screen transitioned from the player graphics directly into the game engine.

The camera swept over a sleek corporate headquarters. Two multi-story glass office buildings faced each other, separated by a wide, open concrete plaza. These two buildings served as their respective Citadels.

"It’s a first to three point series!" Max shouted. "Let the games begin!"

Inside their private Thiscord call, Von and Aura were completely locked in.

"We stick to the plan," Von said, his fingers resting lightly on his keyboard. This match might require him to push his dexterity to its limits, and he was completely ready for it.

"Copy that," Aura replied from her end.

Round One began, and Starfall came out of the gate looking like absolute gaming gods.

Aura immediately purchased her usual infrared sniper scope. She used a grappling hook to launch herself all the way up to the highest communication tower on their side of the map.

Almost immediately, her thermal vision picked up two bright red heat signatures moving through the shadows of the central courtyard.

"Leviathan is pushing middle. K-Z0 is flanking the left."

"Appreciated," Von muttered.

Von moved like a ghost. He intercepted K-Z0 in the narrow left hallway, using the dark corners and shadows to his advantage. Before the world champion could even react or raise his weapon, Von dropped from a ceiling vent right behind him and secured the quick assassination with his dagger.

With K-Z0 down, Leviathan was left entirely exposed. Aura easily picked off the Canadian rapper from across the map the moment he revealed himself from behind a concrete pillar.

With the defenders eliminated, Von was allowed to stroll into their base and retrieve the core unhindered.

{OH MY GOD! IS THAT IT?!} Max screamed on the broadcast, practically jumping out of his seat.

{THAT WAS QUICK! TWO MINUTES IN AND STARFALL ALREADY HAS THE ADVANTAGE! IS THERE SOMETHING FOR ABYSS TO SALVAGE IN THE NEXT ROUND?!}

Unfortunately for Team Abyss, Round Two was an exact repeat.

Von and Aura completely outmaneuvered them again. This time, Aura hit an impossible wall-bang shot straight through a wooden barricade, taking out Leviathan early in the round.

With his partner dead, K-Z0 tried to fall back, but Von chased him deep into the basement. Von out-dueled the pro player in a pure, high-speed movement battle to secure the Core for a second time.

Almost sixty million viewers watching the match were absolutely losing their minds at that point.

{WE EXPECTED A FAIR FIGHT, BUT IT SEEMS LIKE ABYSS HAVE THROWN THIS GAME AWAY! FIVE MINUTES IN AND IT’S TWO TO NOTHING!}

Timothy felt the exact same hype and joined in the screaming.

{STARFALL IS SHOWING ABSOLUTELY NO MERCY AND ARE RUNNING AWAY TO THE FINALS! THE WORLD CHAMPION IS ON THE VERGE OF LOSING HIS FIRST COMPETITION IN TWO YEARS!}

Max shook his head in disbelief as they watched the instant replays. "But Timothy, what do you think is the problem today? Abyss have been so bad. It’s so unusual for them to play this poorly."

"I don’t know, Max," Timothy replied, looking genuinely confused at the analyst desk. "None of us know why they’re so bad tonight. And I’m pretty sure Starfall does not care about their excuses!"

But inside his dimly lit gaming room, Von didn’t celebrate the easy points. He frowned, staring closely at his monitor.

Something wasn’t right. He fully expected to win, but it wasn’t supposed to be this easy...

"Aura," Von called in a serious tone. "Be really careful in this third round. We have to win it at all costs."

"Got it."

Round Three began, and everyone in the lobby could already tell something was terribly wrong.

The moment the starting barrier dropped, a massive, deafening shockwave ripped through the entire map.

"My screen!" Aura gasped over the comms with a hint of panic in her voice. "Von, my scope is totally black! The cameras are down! I can’t see anything!"

"It’s an EMP," Von said immediately, letting out a pained sigh.

It was the Blackout Protocol. It was the most expensive tactical item in the game, costing a staggering 7,000 credits to purchase.

Since each player only received 2,500 credits per round in this competitive setting, the math suddenly clicked perfectly in Von’s head. It only made sense that Abyss had deliberately saved their entire credits, throwing the first two rounds on purpose, just to afford this item and pull off this dirty, match-flipping move.

With Aura completely blinded and unable to provide her usual overwatch, Von knew they were at a massive disadvantage.

In a slight panic, Von decided to push the pace. If Abyss’s plan was to attack under the cover of the EMP, his best goal was to rush their base and steal their core before they could get his.

Von sprinted out of his building and tossed his grapple hook in the direction of the usual tower he used to enter their zone.

But when his grappling hook crossed the open plaza and reached the enemy building, it didn’t latch onto the concrete walls. Instead, it was stopped mid-air. The metal hook bounced off and fell down, repelled by a massive, glowing blue energy shimmer that completely covered the Abyss building.

"Damn it," Von cursed out loud.

He recognized the culprit immediately. It was an Aegis Dome. It was a high-tier defensive barrier that was virtually impenetrable from attacks.

The only way to get rid of it was by physically walking right through the energy field and striking the generator from the inside to destroy it completely.

Abyss had locked down their own Core into an absolute fortress, making it impossible to steal quickly.

Before Von could even process his next move, his headset crackled to life.

"Von, our Core is in danger!"