A Collision of Hearts and Heroes

Chapter 16

Clarissa's POV

Pursue

Nakailang matches din kami sa ibang team bago nangyari ang hinihintay ko. Semi-finals na nang magkalaban kami. Our turn arrived to compete against Gasper's team, and we proceeded to step onto the stage in unison with them. As soon as we settled down, the initiation of the matchmaking process promptly ensued. Naghalo-halo ang nararamdaman ko ngayon. I yearn for this moment so much, yet an unexpected anxious sensation has arisen. My heart pumps with rapid beats.

They did not ban Kagura, so I was free to use her. First pick ang kalaban at marksman ang una nilang ni-switch. It was Gasper, and he uses Brody. The hero he uses is a meta, but I don't care. Kahit anong marksman pa ang dalhin niya ay hindi ako matatakot.

"Switch ba or what?" I asked them.

I am S1, and if we want to secure a hero, we need to switch it. But I don't think so since we banned Fanny. First pick kasi ang kalaban kaya ban kaagad 'yon. I'm aware that Lyle has expertise in Assassins, and it's widely acknowledged here that given the opportunity, they would likely choose Fanny.

"Ikaw nalang po. Secure n'yo na po hero n'yo." Francis told me.

"Faramis-"

Hindi na natapos ni Justin ang pagsa-suggest dahil nag-lock kaagad ako ng Kagura. I can feel their disapproval that they failed to conceal. I know that Kagura is not as powerful as the other meta mages within tournaments. Still, I want to prove here that sometimes winning is not defined by the meta status of a hero, but by the skills and mastery in the hands of a player wielding that hero.

"Kaya 'yan!" Aiden spoke, attempting to foster a constructive outlook in us.

The game began, and I efficiently gathered all the creeps to rapidly advance my level. The side lanes are doing well too. Three minutes na pero wala pa ring first blood. Both teams are being cautious. Faramis ang kalaban ko sa lane at mahirap siyang katapat dahil ang bilis lang niyang mabuhay kapag napatay. I'm aware of that, so I'm extra careful. I already knew what to do before picking Kagura, and I had it all under control.

We find a good positioning upon the Turtle's respawn. At that moment, I was uncertain if Harry could secure it because he was up against Lyle in retribution. I'm not degrading Harry's capabilities here, but I have observed Lyle's gameplay before. Magaling silang pareho ngunit masasabi kong mas lamang si Lyle kaysa kay Harry pagdating sa retribution.

"Turtle na ba or hero?" Francis asked.

No one answered but we all understood the assignment. Our tank (Francis) initiated, and we followed. I positioned my hero behind my allies since I was a mage. I purposely didn't use my ultimate yet because I know Gasper will help his allies. Nasa bandang gold lane ang Turtle kaya malamang ay pupunta iyon dito. Medyo nagipit 'yong mga kakampi ko dahil sa ulti ni Faramis na agad-agad mag-resurrect ang kakampi kapag napatay. He is already done using it, so now it seems like we needed to retreat-lalo na no'ng dumating ang hero ni Gasper at pinagfi-free hit ang mga kakampi ko. Upon seeing that, I made an unexpected entry.

"Likod lang po," Harry told me.

I did not listen to him. I threw Kagura's first skill to Gasper's hero, followed by the ultimate, and then second skill. Pagka burst ng payong ni Kagura ay napatay ang hero ni Gasper. It was my first blood. I got the first blood and it was Gasper's hero I took down. Concealed by my mask, a smirk played on my lips.

"Wow!" I heard Aiden mumbled.

Despite having low HP, we opted to attack the Turtle after Lyle and their mage retreated. Nagtangka pang bumalik si Lyle pero zi-no-zone namin siya ng roam. He will only retreat, but went back once again.