Judging by the two contestants’ ability, this match ought to be an interesting one. It would be like the test between the sharpest knife and the sturdiest shield.
The first match's map was called "Crusade."
The two acted as if they had followed a script: GoRush started with his classical aggression formation while Wang Tong started with his signature turtle formation.
Both players were successful in scouting out their opponent's position on the map. GoRush quickly sent waves after waves of units at his opponent.
Wang Tong did not let GoRush's harassment affect him, as he defended his base while carrying out his strategy on his own terms. He could discern clearly which wave of attack was a feint, and which was the real deal. Therefore, GoRush was not able to gain any advantage during the early period of the match. Frustrated, GoRush unleashed the strongest move he knew as he lined up all the forces he got in front of Wang Tong's defense line.
This had always been his killing blow to enemy fleets thanks to his insane AMP ability.
The engagement started right away. In a blink of an eye, GoRush's AMP soared up to an insane amount of 550, as everyone wandered if he was on steroids. His hand moved so fast over the command dashboard that one could almost see steam rise from the back of his hand. His fleet lined up neatly and attack orders were lucid and clear, as if straight out from a textbook.
However, only ten seconds later, the tide of the battle turned.
"This is... INCREDIBLE! While faced with the devastating blows from GoRush, Wang Tong's defense has stopped the invading armada cold! This is a perfect defense! With only less than 20% losses, Wang Tong has made the aggressor pay with over 70% of his forces. GoRush is retreating. He has retreated his force! OMG! Wang Tong... Wang Tong's AMP has reached 570, even more than GoRush. I think that's our new record everyone! 570!"
There he was, the Turtle King in all his glory.
GoRush didn't bother putting up a fight with his remaining forces; instead, he typed in "gg." He conceded that he was not the very best at the later stage of the match, and therefore, his chance of winning after failing the initial rush was close to none.
GoRush gathered himself and was ready for the second round. At the beginning of the second round, instead of using two-base opening, GoRush used only one base, which allowed him to start his harassment even earlier.
He was convinced that the longer he waited until his first unit was out, the more prepared Wang Tong's defenses would be.
The two both sent out the scouts early on, hoping to shed some light on their opponent's opening tactics. However, the two scout units crossed the path, and started an engagement. So small and insignificant was the scout unit, that most player wouldn't want to waste their precious AMP on it. However, Wang Tong had controlled the small-sized unit, and even used the "positioning" technique that was usually used on larger units. The smaller the unit, the harder it was to apply the "positioning" technique. However, Wang Tong had successfully blocked the path of his enemy's scout numerous times, and eventually drained the scouts’ life bar to zero.
GoRush had never encountered such an opponent in any of his previous matches. Although he only lost a scout unit, he felt humiliated, and he knew that the damage of losing a scout in the very beginning of the game might seem small, but it would propagate to an obvious disadvantage later on.
As blood rushed into his brain, GoRush lost him coolness and decided that since the harm had already been done, he might as well attack all out then and there.
Karl couldn't help but laugh at the Ivantian, "He could lie all he wanted to, but it is not going to change the reality that he sucks."
Zhou Sisi shook her head and conceded that one should always be careful and remain calm while fight against Wang Tong. She doubted GoRush would win this round, since he had made a critical mistake from the very beginning and lost his sense of reason. Wang Tong's scout loitered around GoRush's base and fled whenever GoRush sent his units to chase after it.
A knot of fire was burning brighter inside GoRush's belly by the second.
As a top player among the Ivantians, GoRush was able to hold back his anger until he had finally amassed a sizable fleet. However, when he pushed his fleet to Wang Tong's base, the formidable defense made him want to cry.
Even the Ivantians sitting in the audience's seat felt embarrassed and wanted to leave their seats. Go Rush's glaring oversight of technical finesse was a disgrace to his title as one of the strongest among Ivantians.
GoRush's heart sank. However, it was already too late, so he sent his force to their doom.
In a few minutes, Wang Tong had annihilated GoRush's force while only sustaining minor damages.
The entire round lasted only ten minutes, and it had changed the score to two to zero.
The Ivantian audiences lamented over GoRush's lack of wits, since he had played to his opponent's strength by attacking blindly.
GoRush curled up into a ball in utter frustration and confusion. He wanted to change his tactics, but Wang Tong had forced him to veer back to the old track using his superior micro control. He conceded that even if he were able to last until the end of the match, he would still be threatened by the clone technique. With everything working against him, he wondered what he should do next. No matter how hard he picked at his brain, he could not come up with a solution to his conundrum.
The referee didn't give him too much time to ponder as he announced the start of the third round. His mind went blank, and the voice of his coach shouting at him next to him sounded like a blurry hum.
On the big screen, everyone saw GoRush's panicking, as uncertainty and nervousness was etched onto his face.
The battle started, and GoRush used the only method he could think of at the time: double base rush. Although it seemed like his typical opening, many experts and top fleet commanders could sense that GoRush had turned on autopilot, and was no longer invested in the match.
As the match progressed, GoRush's moves became increasingly more mechanical, and the delay in his reaction was palpable. He seemed to lack even the most basic foresight to the flow of the battle.
Wang Tong started his game with the same old turtle defense and waited patiently for his opponent to knock on the gate.
Zhou Sisi shook her head. Although GoRush had been rude before the match, she still felt slight sympathy for him after seeing Wang Tong shatter his confidence.
In the first two rounds, Wang Tong had teased out GoRush's best abilities, and then went on to completely obliterate the Ivantian's self-confidence.
In the third round, having lost all his hope, GoRush just wanted to match to end. GoRush mechanically pushed out his fleet, but the fleet was ambushed by Wang Tong.
A few minutes later, GoRush conceded defeat.
After the battle, GoRush felt he was hollowed out. Unlike Paris who had lost her match against Flash because of Flash's incredible ability, he had lost the battle because of he had lost his will to carry on.
GoRush plunged himself into the restroom and refused any interviews.
Although Wang Tong's defense didn't shine because his opponent was too weak, more people started to regard him as the King of Cheapness, the Turtle King.
It was very rare for anyone who possessed the same AMP skills, such as Bisu, to focus on defense, as it seemed to be a waste of incredible AMP.
The two earthlings' ascension to the final four meant that at least one of them would show up in the last match. In other words, the earthlings would finally, for the first time in history, compete with different factions on the final stage of fleet combat.
Flash, the perfect commander and Wang Tong, the Turtle King, they would both consider it an honor to fight against each other. However, since they were not seeded in the same group, they were more than happy to show the entire world their strength and prove that they were worthy of the tittle of the champion.
Who would be able to stop the two?
The answer was "no one." They were both one of a kind and the best of the best.