Former Hero Streamer – Chapter 121

Arrows flew in from the central bridge across from me.

Just a second passed, and I could feel the whistling sound in my ears when Friede deflected the incoming arrow with the edge of her sword.

‘That’s already the fourth one…’


From what I could guess about their gear, it seemed to be a rapid-fire bow setup. Instead of a powerful great bow that pierces, they were outfitted for quick shots.

After deflecting the arrow and taking about six steps, I detected another volley slicing through the air from a distance.

This time, the unnerving whistling aimed for my legs, but I rolled to dodge and kept running forward.

If it seemed like they were only targeting me… was that just a delusion?

‘No.’


If arrows kept coming at this pace, there was no way I wouldn’t figure it out.

This wasn’t something I could dismiss as an illusion or some sort of overactive self-awareness.

They were genuinely fixating on Friede over there.

‘Why?’


Is the other side free to ignore me?

As I continued to run and reached a point where the long-distance fighter couldn’t shoot at me anymore, I finally understood the reason for this suppression.

Two figures blocked the way ahead. However, their grotesque gear was quite the unusual sight.

“Whoa, what is that?”


Rabbit ears perked up above the headset, and a sigh escaped my lips.

Anyone would have reacted the same way seeing the scene before me, not just Friede.

Heavy armor similar in size to Haldir, but the equipment they held looked like oversized shields designed to resemble a front door.

“A front door-sized shield….”

It was truly equipment for defense, made solely for defending, defending through, and making defense itself the focus.

Even their combat skills were all about maintaining a perfect defense, what you’d call a solid rock.

With both figures standing there, blocking the way with identical equipment, the scene beyond was entirely obscured, making the path feel claustrophobically tight.

[No way STK has come up with such a ridiculous strategy, right?]

[Is this… a people’s barrier?]

[The passage has disappeared? Did I hit a wall?]

[Uh… oh no]

The chaotic atmosphere was echoed in the chat.

It wasn’t as if there were no openings, but with the two blocking it, there was less space to worry about covering.

It technically counted as a perfect lockdown.

Was that why? Now I understood why the ominous blaster fire was concentrated.

To get here with such bulky gear, they’d have to restrain their own mobility.

‘Where…’


Let me test just how solid that is.

With my Holy Sword firmly in hand, I charged at Friede and swung hard.

After all, with such a heavy shield, there was no need to worry about parrying or counterattacking; this was a bold strike, throwing my body and stamina into the blow.

I swung the Holy Sword horizontally, deliberately to not allow the remaining one to respond, and collided it against the STK duo’s shield wall.

–BANG!

“…!”

Was this what it felt like to strike a bare ground with a sword?

Instead of bouncing back, Friede simply felt an odd push away from the impact.

The opponents merely held their ground, not taking any stance against Friede.

Her ears perked up slightly as my brows furrowed and her head shook in disbelief.

“How ridiculous.”

No matter how niche it was, it was a different situation from the despondent performance of a Broken Greatsword.

It was merely a weapon that catered to a specific taste, but it had a clear concept and performance.

If it were just one, maybe it could be penetrated, but with two of them, it would take an eternity.

[Sturdy as a turtle baby, am I right?]

[Hey, look at Friede’s stamina bar going down!]

[How do you break through that? Someone on their side has to make a move before Friede can parry or something!]

[They’re just shoving their shields in like a butt. I’m drooling over here.]

[From now on, STK’s S stands for ‘stupid’!]

[Yeah, go ahead, make the noise, you idiot! LOL]

[If they don’t let me in, so be it.]

The most combat-oriented STK taking a defensive strategy raised eyebrows among the viewers.

Hence the curious excitement bubbling up, when suddenly a scream pierced Friede’s voice team channel.

[“Aaaah! I can’t hold here!”]

[“No way! We’re getting wiped by both of them!”]

[“Block there! Cram together and stall the time!”]

‘What’s going on?’

A call echoed from the opposite maze. The first shout was from Gundar.

“What’s happening? Can someone brief me, please?”

[“Right now, Warden and Lotus are invading our maze! We can’t stop them! At this rate, everyone’s going to die!”]

Ah, I get it now.

It seems they’ve put in quite a bit of thought.

Blocking this side while they penetrate the other. Isn’t that a vertical structure?

‘Pretty clever moves.’

No time to waste here.

I’ve got to break through as soon as possible.

“I’ll break through here quickly too. If things get dicey, fall back and regroup. We can’t get wiped in a row like that.”

No time to lounge, as I raised the Holy Sword high, gathering energy towards the blade.

With each flicker, the light enveloping the sword grew larger.

But those two remained steadfast.

If they’d rushed to block me, they’d be instantly consumed by Friede’s combat power, so I’m sure their judgment was rational.

As the standoff continued, Friede raised her Holy Light Sword toward the sky, igniting the energy even hotter.

A colossal force spread from the sword blade to engulf the entire sword, spilling outward in all directions.

The massive light was about to pierce through even this gigantic wall, meeting the two who fancied themselves human shields, forcing them to rush back in panic.

[Moving like a turtle baby while rolling, how funny.]

[In reality, that’d wreck your back, LOL.]

[Wow, an ex-soldier, a warrior, how did they turn into this?]

[Those two are the crazy dog combo of STK, but with those outfits, it looks so odd.]

As the brilliance subsided, the STK duo scrambled to regain their footing.

Just as they arrived at the door of the passage to fix their shields onto the ground,

“Whoa?!”

“What’s going on?!”

The shock escaped both their lips. Though free of inertia, Friede approached nimbly, altering her steps randomly to dash right at them.

With each stride, it seemed like she leaped several meters, and soon she was using the wall of the passage to spring into the air, her golden mantle fluttering beautifully.

Was there a glitch in the graphics? Watching it made me dizzy, then, like a monstrous creature, the golden figure gracefully landed behind the two.

What now? Should I turn around to block?

No, more than that, if they start causing chaos inside…

While there’s a chance I could leave firmly blocked, I never imagined I would be overwhelmed like this.

“Hello there.”

The rabbit ears flicked gently, and Friede smiled brightly.

And….

“Well then, goodbye.”

With that, she simply walked right into the maze.

I got played.