Chapter 343

Lemira couldn’t help but snap back with a mix of annoyance and jest, “Thought you were flying solo? Forever alone, buddy!”

“Are you sure you wanna dig into this?” came the teasing reply.

Lemira stared at the message, a bit puzzled. What’s that supposed to mean?

Suddenly, the deafening roar of cheers filled her ears as everyone around her jumped to their feet. Amidst the chaos, Lemira found her thoughts crystal clear. Was this guy joking, or was he flirting with her?

“Lemira, the Reapers won! Get up, come see!” Janice excitedly pulled Lemira to her feet. Setting her phone aside, Lemira witnessed the triumphant moment.

The Reapers had won! In her past life, SkyBlaze had triumphed over them. Memories of the previous championship flooded back—Lemira, all alone in the crowd, watching Evelina celebrate with her brothers, basking in the glory of victory. Alone and powerless, everything she cherished had been taken from her, with no means of fighting back. But now, with the Reapers’ victory, SkyBlaze was down in the first round—this was how it was meant to be! She reveled in this outcome.

“The tradition continues, folks!” the announcer boomed as he took the stage. “Time for our random lucky audience member draw.”

Spotlights danced across the stadium, accompanied by the crowd’s cheers. Eventually, the light stopped on Lemira. She gasped in surprise, seeing her face appear on the giant screen. In the gaming world, Lemira was somewhat of a celebrity. Her appearance on the screen spurred a wave of cheers: “Lemon, Lemon!”

Lemira couldn’t help but grin bitterly as she made her way to the stage. The host exclaimed, “What a surprise! Our randomly chosen lucky audience member is none other than the streaming sensation, SweetLemon! And she was sitting in the regular seats, not even in VIP!”

Taking the microphone, Lemira responded, “I wanted to sit with my team from Orvin University. We’re all in this together!”

The team members from Orvin University couldn’t help but swell with pride.

The host continued, “SweetLemon, we all felt the sting of disappointment not seeing you in the finals. You’ve got the skills. Anything want to share?”

Lemira glanced towards the VIP section and locked eyes with Alaric. “No regrets,” she stated calmly. “This year, I needed to focus on my exams. There’s a time for everything, but next year, I’ll definitely be in the competition!”

Alaric felt as if he’d been slapped. He remembered pressuring Lemira to skip classes for competitions, never considering her need to prepare for exams. His face flushed with guilt. He hadn’t been a supportive brother.

On stage, the host turned to the Reapers players, “SweetLemon has thrown down the gauntlet. Do you think you can beat her next year?” Matthew, in his red team jersey, swaggered over, “Lemira, join us, and we’ll be unbeatable!”

The crowd erupted, but Alaric’s expression soured. He couldn’t stand the thought of Lemira joining the Reapers.

Evelina chimed in, “Asher, Lemira knows how much Alaric hates the Reapers. Wouldn’t her joining them be a slap in his face?”

Asher fumed, “She’s out of control.”

Lucian couldn’t stand it anymore, “It’s her choice which team to join.”

“But we have our own team. Our resources, our setup, it’s all top-notch. Yet she chooses them, our rivals. Are you really defending her?”

Lucian shot back, “Maybe if Alaric hadn’t pushed her too far, she wouldn’t have left our team.”

Alaric managed a grim smile, “You’re right, Asher. It’s my fault, not Lemira’s.” He felt the weight of his mistakes—he was the reason Lemira had drifted away.