RinoZ
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Chapter 1165 - Leave it on the Pitch
🕑 Added 2023-05-18 02:16:37 +0000 UTCI’d intended to score on every offence, but the damn ball is too soft. When I flex my legs and get ready to dash, my mandibles tense up and I crush the stupid thing in an instant! Isn’t this supposed to be solid rock? Is there cheating involved? Has someone given me a hollow ball?!
Whatever. It’s not like they beat me when I’m playing defence. My mind-constructs have picked out the ten ants on the field from the Vestibule and I can read their streams of will in real time.
Gweheheh.
A fake ball? Don’t make me laugh! Make a million of the things, it won’t matter!
~~~
“Well, the Eldest did promise us a game unlike any we’ve had before,” Leonidant remarked dryly.
“Even I didn’t expect they would throw away two straight turns of offence,” Solant mused. “I’d predicted the Eldest would attempt to crush us, trying to score every time they had the chance, and shutting us out, for the most dominant victory possible. In some ways, this is even more intimidating. If the Eldest throws every offence they have, except the last, and shuts us out to win 1-0 at the last moment, it’ll be an entirely different statement.”
“We won’t let that happen though.”
“Of course not. One play and we’ve already confirmed a few things. First, the Eldest is taking us lightly, and that gives us a chance. Second, they really can detect our thoughts and intentions. The decoy ball was completely ignored.”
“So that means….”
“Indeed. Even our thoughts need to be layered in deception….”
~~~
[It’s time for the Endless to start their second turn on offence. Very short rounds in this match so far. I do hope we get to see some extended play, but right now it doesn’t seem likely.]
“If the Great One can smash any play as quickly as they did the first time, then I expect we may be in for an extremely short round. If any team was going to devise a counter measure, then it's this team in front of us right now, the Endless.”
[I absolutely agree. As expected, they’ve adopted a completely different formation as they break out of the huddle. There’s never been a team to change up their approach as much as this one, it’s almost stranger if we saw them go with the spear once again.]
“I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw a different look from this team in every one of the ten rounds. Solant is positioned close to the front in centre, mages tight in behind with soldiers anchoring the formation and scouts out wide. This is almost a traditional look from the Endless, not something we’re used to seeing. Perhaps they intend to play wide, as you suggested they should?”
[It appears they might. The Eldest is sitting a little higher up the pitch this time and… here we go!
A rapid charge from the Eldest as they rush down the pitch, it’s insanely fast but at least we can see them this time! Mages brace, defensive wall is going up. The Soldiers lower their heads and OHHHHHHHH!]
ROAAAAAARRRRR!
“The Eldest has smashed through as if they weren’t even there. The stone flies and the crowd is shielded from the debris! What a hit. WHAT a hit. Absolutely chitin-crunching!”
[The soldiers appear down for the count as the Eldest barrels through. Solant looks like an aphid in front of the gigantic ant and she clutches the ball… OR DOES SHE? The pass, WHEN DID SHE PASS?]
“Who has the ball? I can’t even… LEONIDANT! She’s free! She’s running free down the left side of the pitch, totally unmarked… well of course she is, there’s only one opponent!”
[The Eldest turns, one clack of the mandibles… have they given up, are they unable to catchup? Leonidant is streaking to the touch line!]
RUMBLE!
“No you don’t young one! The Eldest has conjured a wall of stone in front of the touch line. Even from that position in the middle of the pitch, it’s no problem at all! The Endless mages can’t contest at all!”
[Leonidant is trying to scale the wall, you aren’t allowed to completely obstruct the touch line, but… it’s no use! The Eldest is extending the wall further into the pitch, Leonidant is running straight towards them!]
CRUNCH!
“And just like that, it’s over! The Eldest has dashed in and seized the ball, crushing it to pieces! What a play, what a round!”
[It is high drama here at the Stadium and the crowd is absolutely loving it, Peter. At first, the Eldest on the attack, crushing the enemy line like it wasn’t even there, but somehow, they lost track of the ball!]
“A brilliant play, yet again, from the Endless, Solant executing a pass under pressure, as their own defensive wall was being destroyed, absolutely flawlessly. A fantastic run from Leonidant, perfect balance, perfect speed, but it simply didn’t matter. Not only the largest, not only the strongest, the Eldest dominates the mana game as well, raising a defensive wall of their own in seconds. Without support to break through, Leonidant had nowhere to go and fell straight into the waiting mandibles of the Eldest.”
[Absolutely stunning scenes here and we are only getting started. The Eldest will be back on offence in a few short moments, taking hold of the ball as we speak and situating themself in the centre of their own zone.]
“So far, the Eldest has destroyed their own ball two out of two rounds of offence. They only get ten. Do you think they’ll break it for nine rounds straight and then attempt to score on the last?”
[I wouldn’t think so. The Eldest is known to send a strong message, but has a spirit of fair play. I think we’ll see proper attacking play from them in this round.]
“An exciting prospect. I still have chills from that last crunching charge. With a frontline of only two soldiers, it really seems like the Endless are going to struggle to prevent the Eldest from running straight through them.”
[I see your point, but it really wouldn’t matter if they fielded ten soldiers. If they’re going to stop this offence, then they need to produce something special.]
“Here we go. Ohhhhh, interesting! The Great One is taking steps to reinforce the ball, clearly anticipating a magic based attack and interference on the ball itself! They must have doubled, no tripled the size and density of that ball!”
[Modifying the ball to that extent is illegal, as I’m sure you know. The Eldest hasn’t changed the ball itself, but created a hollow protective shell around it. A few flexes of the mandibles to check their work and we are off!]
Comments
RinoZ
if they were to do that, he would know they were going to do something different, but not what that would be.
alt31415
But then Anthony would pick up on "Okay, think really strongly about doing something else" right before that, right?
David Burchfield
Make a plan where they don't know who has the decoy ball themselves.
Nathan Quitugua
She could think REALLY strongly about doing one thing and then do the exact opposite at the last minute.
alt31415
Probably their ever-weakening core.
alt31415
Haha, leave it to Anthony to accidentally crush the ball immediately. That said, I do wonder how Solant plans to 'layer her own thoughts in deception'? Like, wouldn't Anthony pick up on her trying to do that in the first place?
Gopard
Thanks for the chapter!
Gopard
Yeah, you know I was thinking if Anthony can't go fast without crushish the ball why not go slow? Imagine he crushes 9 Balls and then just slowly walks over the with his mana-control just obliteration any attempts to stop him! :) They would see it as the absolute DISRESPECT! ;)
Gonvas
RinoZ already explained that Anthony being a female was meant to be a joke but people took it too seriously. Then, he said what I wrote above.
Gonvas
What about them? It doesn't change what I said.
Thunderhoof
"monster don't have sex" The Mother Tree: The Queen:
Gonvas
@Isiah Monsters don't have sex, so Anthony can't be a male or female from a biological perspective. He sees himself as male and that's it.
Icharris
I’m not sure how widely that is known. I mean certainly it’s not a secret he’s hiding. But the ants have never really seemed to show any interest in this tidbit. Never had another ant asking him questions about his past. So really not sure if this is a commonly known fact or not amongst their society, especially in these higher strata’s
Nathan Quitugua
Nah, the council are aware of Anthony's reincarnated status. He admitted it to them back when they first took roklu i think. Or at least they strongly suspect and its one of those "i cant confirm nor deny" things
themanthat staresatstripes
I stop binging the wondering inn because of these last few chapters… thank you
TheRaptorOfHermes
Go solant! boo anthony
Xx xX
if i recall only the other reincarnated know that Anthony used to be human
Isiah Debarros
Its cuz they all have the general impression that he used to be human but as an ant his biological female. Like all the others in the colony. Like when they first become super intelligent, they referred to him as her. But as they learn more about him. And then eventually figure out that he been reincarnated they changed the way the call him
Wensber
I recall the ball needs to be held when you score or it counts as being dropped.
Moonspike
Honestly, I thought he would have to pick the ball up with his antenna.
Peter Cigáň
Well They are technically gender bender. As he is now female ant. And colony knows that he was not always ant.
Thunderhoof
Sometimes I get confused when they address Anthony as "they/them"
elkress
What is stopping anthony from creating a 100 decoys and then launching them all on the opposite wall?
Drew Lim
Man, I need more chapters 🤣 more more more more more
