Former Hero Streamer – Chapter 75

How many times have we exchanged blows?

The difference in weapon classes makes it hard to bring the fight to a quick end.

—Boom!

As I missed the head, I felt as if the massive Great Sword of Rebellion had sliced through the floating strands of hair instead.

No, some of them must’ve been severed based on the blade’s trajectory.

The resolute will to win reached me, making me realize Friede shouldn’t be taken lightly.

“Tsk!”

The distance was widened, and her tongue-clicking seemed laced with complaints about missing that strike.

In her hands, the blade glimmered sharply—much like the Crescent Blade used by the bow fighters—adding more strength to her grip on Lantert’s Self Sword.

The more delicate and fragile the weapon seemed, the more its intent could be deadly.

It wouldn’t be easy to grasp the true nature of this weapon just with a casual approach.

‘I’m going in first.’

—Thud!

Once I made up my mind, my body followed naturally.

With that, I lunged at the warrior, who swung their heavy blade towards me in an effort to pierce through.

Facing that crushing steel strike, I tilted my Self Sword upward.

—Creak!

The clash of our two swords was less intense than expected, the Great Sword of Rebellion flowing like water instead.

Even while aiming to pierce down, the warrior seemed slightly bewildered.

Had they removed their helmet, they might have sported quite the unpleasant expression.

Friede’s skill in letting her weapon flow so effortlessly certainly made me doubt if such gameplay could translate into the real world.

Amidst the awe from the warrior, the situation was dire.

As Friede’s movements became clear, our blades passed each other, the sounds of clashing ringing in my ears.

I dashed in closer, making a quick thrust with my weak attack as I reached the distance.

—Swish!

Thin but sharp, the cut left a light wound.

It wasn’t deep.

After all, making such reckless moves against the Great Sword’s onslaught would be enough to overload my stamina.

‘Normally, I should have hit harder!’

There’s still a chance.

At that moment, I noticed the muscles in the warrior’s arms, gripping the spear tightly, bulging.

‘For now…’

This much was enough.

Surely, my weak thrust must have made its mark, yet the movements were far from stiff.

Clear traces of heavy strikes.

But the source of that aggression wasn’t the weapon.

‘Here they come.’

Through the golden visor of the helmet, I could see determination in Friede’s eyes.

—Boom!

The muscular figure clad in the oriental warrior’s armor approached like a bulldozer, ready to crush everything.

‘I’ve been waiting.’

In this moment, her body moved rigidly, like a marionette, as if programmed.

Before clashing with the opponent, she executed an evasive backstep at the last possible moment.

As my headbutt aimed only at the empty air, I crouched down swiftly to prepare for a strike.

Even though I had reduced my rigidity with strength, such large movements could easily create openings.

The response to this, from the backstep to everything until now, was indeed the combat skill of this weapon—

—Lantert’s successive strikes.

The blade of Lantert’s Self Sword emitted a shining light.

* * *

“Ah, it’s over.”

The first set has been decided.

Lotus said casually, as if she had lost interest in watching the match.

Soon, she began humming a tune, plucking flowers from the table to smell their fragrance.

This brawl wasn’t going as smoothly as I had thought.

From the perspective of Lotus, who would soon face the winner, what could be deemed a troubling issue?

Only Friede was on her mind; that was the only concern.

Some might wonder why this was a troubling thought, but for her, it was hugely significant.

Her desire to face Friede at full power kept growing stronger.

“Isn’t it fascinating? A bit troubling too.”

The imposition of a two-weapon limit, as I heard through my manager, sounded reasonable enough.

Though she didn’t get to swing the Broken Greatsword, I thought this was sufficient.

Lotus hoped that Friede would use the Broken Greatsword at least once during the match and taste defeat just once.

After all, the participants of this tournament were no pushovers.

She wanted them to realize how tough it was to break through with such a weapon.

However, things were slowly becoming peculiar.

‘From the start, the Broken Greatsword was out of consideration.’

Was it merely the thought that fighting with such a weapon was a lost cause from the beginning?

If so, I could accept that. It would be a satisfactory outcome.

But what if the situation were the opposite?

If she was…

‘If she’s saving the Broken Greatsword…’

Tap,

Lotus’s slender, white finger plucked a petal from a flower.

Then another…

“Maybe she’ll use the Broken Greatsword?”

And yet another…

“Or will she choose not to use it?”

And a fourth…

“Or will she fall before that?”

Uplifted.

It’s tragic to imagine that beautiful, strong figure being beaten unceremoniously.

Just thinking about it felt like it tainted the purity of my heart, causing Lotus’s forehead to twist in agony.

Was it because she forced herself? The deep wrinkles looked no different from those drawn from horror.

If her fans saw her like this—the so-called Goddess of E-sports—they might faint from shock.

Perhaps she’d end up as a meme of her humiliation.

But that wasn’t what mattered.

“Friede… Aren’t you older than me?”

Why do you place so much importance on the Broken Greatsword?

Is playing with that weapon really more important than dueling with me?

As Lotus’s desperate question echoed in her heart, Friede simply smiled kindly and walked away.

Initially, I felt fond of Friede’s overwhelming skill and beauty.

But her stubbornness regarding the Broken Greatsword stirred jealousy within me.

Even when I pushed for a rule change in the tournament…

‘What if she chooses that weapon in the finals…’

Love could turn into hatred.

As the second set began, Lotus, having composed her emotions, resumed watching the match.

* * *

The second set followed the same rules as before.

To think she could react so perfectly under those circumstances—most seasoned experts would have gotten caught up in the pattern by now.

‘Well done, truly.’

Could the rumors be true?

Though she had just reached the Challenger rank, people spoke of her potential being comparable to that of Lotus or Warden.

It didn’t seem like mere exaggeration.

So, I opted for the same pick.

It may not have been a mirror match, but if I couldn’t best Friede while wielding this weapon, I’d face nothing but ineptitude afterward.

The match started with the warrior’s charge.

And with Friede responding with full speed, a glimmer of surprise crossed his eyes.

‘Huh? What was that?’

Are we really engaging in an all-out brawl?

Suspicion crept in as I focused intently on Friede, swinging a weak attack.

If she was aiming for a parry, I was always prepared to cancel at any moment.

But…

—Clang,

With a clear metallic sound, Friede elegantly parried with her rapier, just as before.

It was truly astonishing how she could manage such fluidity with that slender blade.

However, I wouldn’t go down easy.

Not wanting a repeat of last time, I added a tempo break while applying pressure with my weak spinning strike.

Finally, as Friede’s advance slowed, the warrior let out a sigh of relief.

That exquisite flowing style was remarkable, but perhaps just this time, her steps would be slowed.

—Hoo!

She lightly let the Great Sword of Rebellion flow upward in a sideways arc.

Friede’s new style suddenly curled in on itself, swiftly diving in as her blade glinted.

Following her determined horizontal slash, the blade maneuvered by Friede deviated, slicing the rapier effortlessly as if to reclaim it, then continued with a flurry of thrusts.

What she achieved in just a single breath was beyond mere combat skill—it was a successive onslaught.

‘So fast!’

A chill ran down the warrior’s spine.

Her thigh bore the marks of rapid gashes, blood oozing from the holes.

“Now where do you think you’re going?”

Not one to hastily use the Iron Mountain Cut again, the warrior quickly dropped to one knee.

At that moment, Friede seemed to release her coiled tension, as her body spun and leaped into the air.

With her rapier spinning along with her, she savagely attacked the warrior’s form.

—Splat!

Blood burst forth, piercing through armor.

As she positioned the Great Sword to split the air beneath her landing, it seemed to rise with the intent to cleave in two, but her action was quicker.

—Thud!

‘Of all times!’

I silently screamed in despair.

The blade of her rapier had penetrated delicately into his flank.

Even the strongest could no longer bear it, and rigidity set in.

Landing gracefully, Friede’s rapier was drawn back as her stance coiled like a taut bowstring.

And then…

—Boom!

A forceful impact that seemed unimaginable for a rapier!

The slicing strike delivered just before he regained his composure echoed through, sending the warrior’s health bar into a relentless frenzy.

‘Damn!’

It felt like the world faded to red, as if my vision were shrouded in a blood haze.

The so-called “red health” phenomenon had him gritting his teeth.

As always, when faced with a crisis, he prioritized dodging over fighting back, quickly leaping back.

Worried she might pursue him, he hastily executed an uppercut with his spear, but Friede merely stood there, watching blankly—which felt like mockery.

At that moment, he spotted something strange from Friede.

Slowly, her finger began pointing toward the warrior, performing a teasing gesture.

Is this…?

‘A taunt?’

It could be viewed as unsportsmanlike, certainly.

Though it was far better than blatantly lying on the ground, in the context of a competition, this was out of the question.

“Heh!”

I couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity of it all.

What an overly obvious ploy!

If I fell for it, it was clear she would respond with a parry and unleash a counterattack reflexively.

‘If I had known I’d get caught in such a ploy…’

“Nice call!”

Ohhhh!

It truly was the charge of a general.

Her nerves couldn’t possibly overlook such an obvious taunt.

Like a déjà vu from the start of the set, Friede charged at the warrior.

The Great Sword of Rebellion unleashed a penetrating strike at her target.

With the spear’s tip locked in, it represented the pinnacle of piercing!

As viewers and commentators held their breaths, together with Lotus…

—Flash!

Before everyone could blink, the outcome was decided.

The breastplate may have held, but Friede’s rapier—as nimble as a stiletto—pierced the warrior’s heart, radiating its fierce light.

* * *

Deep gouges marred the chest plate.

The final blow was undoubtedly sharp and decisive.

Had it been just a fraction deeper, I would have been the one to fall.

Normally, my heart should have savored the thrill of a narrow victory…

“Sigh.”

Unfortunately, I felt the exact opposite.

A sour note slipped between my lips.

What is this feeling?

I won, but it feels like I’ve lost!

“If only my chest had been smaller, it would have been a perfect game…”

In a childish fit, I kicked a pebble on the ground.

“Dang it!”

I lost because of my chest!

Even though I won, I felt wronged!

I was aggrieved!

This should be void!

Yet, I still won, right?

“…Huh?”