Rebooting the Arena

Chapter 73: Simulation Battles

After days of grueling practice focused on beast management tactics, Kai decided it was time to take things a step further. The team had honed their skills against waves of summoned creatures in controlled training environments, but they needed to simulate real matches under the same kind of pressure they'd face against the Crimson Reapers. To push Phoenix Reborn to the next level, Kai organized a series of scrimmages—simulation battles designed to test their ability to adapt and execute their new strategies under the chaos of combat.

The training hall had been transformed into a fully immersive arena, using high-level Ancient Arena Online (AAO) AI to simulate beast-heavy tactics that mimicked the strategies used by teams like the Crimson Reapers. The AI-controlled enemies were programmed to summon waves of creatures, utilizing the same patterns and pressure tactics that had overwhelmed Phoenix Reborn before. This time, however, Kai wanted the team to feel the full weight of a competitive battle—the speed, the intensity, the unpredictable shifts in momentum.

Kai, standing at the front of the team, looked at the projections of the beasts on the battlefield as they awaited the first scrimmage. "These simulations will be as close to the real thing as possible," Kai said, their voice firm. "Expect constant pressure. We'll have to adjust quickly, focus on positioning, and manage our resources. This isn't just about surviving—we need to come out on top."

Tariq, already brimming with energy, slammed his shield into the ground with confidence. "Let's get started. The sooner we get into this, the faster we'll be ready for the real match."

The first simulation battle began with a familiar roar—AI-summoned wolves and bears charged toward the team, followed closely by boars crashing through the forest. Summoners, hidden at the back of the enemy formation, channeled energy to continuously spawn new creatures. The simulation was relentless, designed to recreate the fast-paced, high-pressure environment of a beastmastery team like the Crimson Reapers.

Tariq, at the front as always, braced for the impact of the first wave. His Ironclad Resolve activated, his shield glowing with energy as the creatures slammed into him. "I've got the first wave! They're coming in strong, but I can hold them here."

He raised his shield again, blocking a powerful strike from a charging boar before sending out a shockwave with Earthshaker, stunning the nearby beasts and creating a brief opening.

Lena, standing behind him, quickly followed up with her Glacial Prison, freezing a group of wolves in place. The beasts snarled and snapped, trapped within the thick ice. "They're locked down, but we need to hit them now before more arrive!"

She activated Arcane Surge, rapidly casting Chain Lightning to bounce between the frozen creatures, stunning them further and dealing heavy damage.

But the simulation wasn't going to make it easy. The AI summoners sent in more waves of beasts, and Phoenix Reborn was forced to react quickly. Alex kept the team healed with Guardian's Grace, casting healing zones to restore health as the creatures relentlessly attacked. "Stay within the healing zones!" Alex shouted, his voice calm but insistent. "I'm keeping the damage under control, but we can't get spread out."

Kai and Nina had already slipped into stealth, using their mobility to cut through the chaos and target the summoners at the back. Kai blinked across the battlefield with Phantom Dance, appearing behind one of the AI summoners and landing a series of precise, critical strikes. The summoner fell, but the pressure didn't let up.

"Nina, there's still two more summoners left!" Kai called out as another wave of creatures emerged from the forest.

Without a word, Nina moved like a shadow, using Spectral Step to phase through the battlefield undetected. She reached the next summoner, her Venom Wraith blades glowing with poison as she struck with lethal precision. The summoner collapsed, but the third summoner had already unleashed another group of boars.

As the battle raged on, the team began to feel the weight of the constant pressure. Tariq was holding the frontline, but the sheer number of beasts started to push him back. "I'm getting overwhelmed here!" Tariq shouted as the boars crashed into his shield. "Lena, I need more crowd control!"

Lena, who had been casting Elemental Cataclysm to clear out the earlier waves, realized she needed to react faster. "On it!" She quickly cast Glacial Prison again, freezing the boars in place, then unleashed Ice Barrage to slow their movement and buy Tariq the time he needed to reposition.

"They're frozen!" Lena called out. "Tariq, push forward while they're locked down!"

Tariq, seeing the opening, activated Fortress Unbreakable, his defenses boosted to near-impenetrable levels as he charged forward. The aura around him glowed, increasing the team's defensive stats and allowing them to push the frozen beasts back. "We're holding the line! Let's finish them off!"

As the final wave of beasts began to fall, Nina appeared from the shadows, having taken out the last summoner. "Summoners are down," she said quietly. "No more waves coming."

Alex, still maintaining the team's health, nodded in approval. "We've held them off this time, but the damage almost got out of hand. We need to anticipate the waves better next round."

Kai, breathing hard but proud of their team's performance, gathered everyone together. "Good work. But Alex is right—we need to be faster next time. If the waves hit us before we can take out the summoners, it's going to get messy. Let's run it again and focus on anticipating where the next waves will come from. Lena, your timing is improving, but we need to lock them down before they reach Tariq."

The team ran several more simulation battles, each one designed to test different aspects of their strategy. They practiced dealing with larger waves of beasts, refining how they used crowd control and AoE to neutralize the summoned creatures. Lena learned to cast her spells with even more precision, freezing key areas of the battlefield and slowing the beasts before they could reach the frontlines. Tariq worked on his positioning, learning to funnel the creatures into choke points where they could be more easily controlled.

In one particularly intense simulation, the AI summoners sent in an even larger wave of beasts, and Phoenix Reborn was forced to adapt on the fly. Kai and Nina worked together to eliminate the summoners faster, while Alex focused on keeping the team's health stable during the chaos.

Tariq, now fully in sync with the team, held the frontline with unshakable determination. "I've got them funneled! They can't get through!" His Earthshaker ability stunned the creatures as they tried to break through his defenses, giving Lena the chance to unleash Elemental Cataclysm, wiping out the majority of the wave in a massive storm of elemental fury.

"They're down," Lena said, her voice calm but focused. "Keep pushing—we can clear the last of them now."

By the end of the day, the team had run through multiple scrimmages, each one pushing them to adapt faster and react under pressure. Phoenix Reborn had become more efficient, more coordinated, and more confident in their ability to handle the beastmastery tactics they'd once struggled with.

In the final debriefing, Kai addressed the team, their voice filled with pride but also a sense of urgency. "We've made serious progress. We're faster, stronger, and better prepared to handle teams like the Crimson Reapers. But we can't get comfortable. The real match is going to be even more intense than these simulations. We need to be ready for anything."

Tariq, still standing strong after hours of training, grinned. "I'm ready for the real thing. Let them throw everything they've got at us."

Lena, adjusting her staff, nodded. "We're in control now. The creatures won't overwhelm us again."

Alex, his calm voice steady as always, added, "We've refined our strategy, and we're anticipating the damage. We'll be able to hold our ground."

Nina, quiet but focused, simply said, "We'll win."

With their simulation battles behind them, Phoenix Reborn had adapted to the pressure of facing beast-heavy teams. They had refined their crowd control and AoE strategies, learned to anticipate incoming waves, and sharpened their ability to neutralize summoners before the creatures could flood the battlefield. Now, they were ready for the real challenge—the rematch against the Crimson Reapers.

Phoenix Reborn sharpened their skills through intense simulation battles, focusing on countering beast-based tactics with crowd control and AoE strategies. As the team adapted under pressure, they became more efficient and confident, ready to face the real challenge of the Crimson Reapers in their upcoming rematch.

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