Season 4: Chapter 171. The Clash of the Peaks (2)

The Volcano skill erupted, turning the Great Arcade into a sea of fire. Villagers screamed and scattered in panic.

“L-Lord! Take down Shrimp, quickly... Huh?” Radish Servant turned to Almond to order a snipe.

Before he could finish, Black Pepper shot into the sky. A dark sphere instantly engulfed both her and Almond as she used her Avenger skill. From the outside, the two simply vanished after being swallowed by an alternate space.

“D-Dammit! My lord!?” Radish Servant’s eyes bulged in disbelief.

The one they relied on, their Guardian, had disappeared.

BOOM!

Meanwhile, the Lava Shaman finished casting his skill and flooded the plaza with lava.

“W-Wait! I’m... Help! You can’t kill me like this! I need a proper execution, dammit!”

Tied to the stage, Zelo thrashed and kicked to break free. No one could reach him. Even the Knights were too panicked to think straight.

“What

is

that thing!?”

“How did it trap the Lord so easily!?”

Their protector and godlike leader, Almond, had disappeared with a flash.

“

Wahahahahaha!

That’s called vengeance!” Shrimp’s booming, theatrical voice echoed across the burning plaza. “Under the authority of Team Rocket! All shall kneel! We demand only one thing!”

— It’s Pikachu time!

— Let’s go, Team Rocket!!

— LMAO this is gold.

BOOOOM!

The Volcano roared one last time.

Shrimp pointed dramatically toward the stage. “Release Martyr Zelo!”

“Stop them!!” Radish Servant shouted back, regaining his senses.

The Knights drew their swords and charged through the heat toward the stage.

As they closed in, Team Rocket started laughing hysterically. “

Kyaahahahahaha!

”

“W-What the?! Why are their swords purple!?

Kyaahahaha!

”

“What...?” The Knights faltered, confused.

Their opponents’ blades shimmered with a strange, violet hue.

— Hahaha!

— That’s so unfair, LOL

— Is that the Adamantium glow!?

— Bruh. Self-esteem dropping fast.

“D-Dammit...”

“I almost wanna hide my sword.” Even the brave Maid Black Tea hesitated.

‘The Lord is gone. Our weapons are weaker...’

Weapon tiers were everything in

Survival Craft

, and Adamantium was nearly god-tier. While the Knights built political order and structure, they’d neglected raw combat power.

The truth was simple.

‘We relied too much on the Guardian.’

They had assumed Almond could handle any invasion on his own. No one expected him to vanish, but one man didn’t stop.

Fwoosh!

“For the Knights!!”

Claaang!

An Obsidian sword clashed against an Adamantium one, sending sparks flying.

[ForeverAlone]

It was Lackey ForeverAlone, the loner knight.

“G-Gi-Chan!? Are you insane!?” Salt stumbled back, stunned.

“Shut up! I’ll hold you off until the Lord returns! Once he’s back, you’re all finished!”

“You think Almond is coming back!? Black Pepper won’t let him!”

“The Lord always returns! He

always

does!”

Clang! Clash!

Even against the superior metal, Lackey ForeverAlone’s speed and sharp reflexes pushed Salt back. It was symbolic.

— Wait, he’s winning??

— So much for Adamantium supremacy, LOL

— Old reflexes can’t save you now.

— That man is fighting on pure faith.

Inspired by his courage, another ally joined the charge.

“

RAAAAAHHH!!

”

From behind, a giant bear crashed into Team Rocket’s formation.

[Pepperoni]

It was a member of the Nonghyup Union.

“N-Nonghyup!?”

Everyone froze at the sight of the farmer faction entering the fray.

Pepperoni growled in mid-charge. “Temporary alliance, Knights!”

— Let’s gooo!

— Power Rangers line delivery!

— This is it, lmao

“

ROOOAAARR!!

”

Pepperoni rampaged through Team Rocket’s lines, scattering their formation.

Thud! Wham!

Several members went flying like rag dolls.

“Stop right there!” Shrimp responded immediately.

[Magma Beam]

RUMBLEEEE...!

A blazing torrent of molten fire shot straight toward the charging bear.

“Huh?”

BOOM!

Something burst up from the ground, blocking the beam.

[Great Tree Creation]

A massive, half-melted tree stood firm as the smoke cleared. The magma scorched through its bark, but didn’t break it.

“What the hell is this now!?”

“Long time no see, Shrimp bro.”

[Green Tea]

The Druid of the forest, Green Tea, had joined the fight.

— Hahaha!

— Hisashiburida

— This is an anime now, huh.

His druid magic flowed on.

Wooooong!

[Vine Restraint]

Shhhk!

Thick vines erupted beneath Shrimp’s feet, wrapping around him tightly.

“

W-Whoa!?

”

Team Rocket panicked.

“Two special classes!?”

“What the hell is this!?”

They hadn’t trained a second Lava Shaman because they couldn’t afford to. Everyone’s Miner levels had been dedicated to harvesting Adamantium.

“There weren’t classes like this in the Knights!”

They had underestimated Cheese and knew nothing of the Nonghyup Union’s powers.

“I-I can’t break free!” Shrimp slashed wildly, hacking at the vines, but it was too late.

Shing!

“Now! Everyone, charge!!” Radish Servant shouted.

“

WAAAAAAAAAA!!!”

The Knights, once hesitant, now charged as one. At the front stood Lackey ForeverAlone, backed by the two Druids who had shaken the entire battlefield.

“Wipe them out!!”

Clang!

Kang!

Swords clashed in every direction as both sides collided. Radish Servant and Potato Servant joined the fray, swinging their swords in the front lines.

Boom! Boom!

The battlefield thundered. Behind them, the Bards drummed harder than ever across the Great Arcade.

[Attack Power +20%]

[Movement Speed +30%]

Maid Black Tea charged straight at Parsley, the strongest of Team Rocket.

Clang!

“Sorry, but Team Rocket is only fun when it gets blown to bits!”

KAAANG!

Even though Parsley possessed a higher-tier weapon, she found herself being pushed back.

She trembled furiously as she tried to reach her opponent. “You really think you’re a Knight now!? Look at yourself. You’re just the dictator’s dog!”

“They say it’s better to be the Lord’s dog than a slave!”

“Wake up, Cha-Young!”

— Oh my god HAHAHA

— She really said that??

— LMAOOO the drama.

It was useless.

Maid Black Tea’s eyes gleamed with unshakable madness. “Cha-Young? Who’s that? I’m Maid Black Tea.”

“You’re insane...”

— HAHAHAHAHAHA

— She’s gone full cultist.

— The Lord’s grace, everyone.

Parsley glanced at Shrimp and signaled subtly. “They’re all crazy. Start

it

.”

“Got it. Time for

that

.” Shrimp nodded.

The timing was perfect as everyone tangled together. No one could retreat.

He slammed a hand against the ground. “Domain Expansion: Magma Field!”

— HAHAHAHAHA

— He’s really feeling himself now.

— Shrimp is in full anime mode.

— Bro is cooking, literally

[Lava Zone]

Gloooop.

The ground beneath Team Rocket began to glow red, melting into molten magma.

“What!?”

The Cheese Village fighters froze in a panic.

“You lunatic! Are you trying to kill your own team too!?” Radish Servant yelled in disbelief.

They had surrounded Shrimp precisely to limit his casting, but he’d gone and dropped an area nuke anyway.

“

Wahahahahaha!

You think we’re scared of fire? Look!” He lifted his foot proudly. “This gleaming sand-colored armor is Adamantium!”

Fwoooosh!

As the Magma Field spread, flames erupted across the plaza. Everyone in the zone began to feel the heat.

“

Gaaaaaah!

”

“D-Dammit!”

Then, Radish Servant saw it. “Huh...?”

Only Team Rocket stood unharmed. Their feet glowed faintly red, but that was it.

[Fire Immunity]

[Heat Resistance]

Shrimp smirked. “Adamantium can only be mined at the very bottom of magma pits. Those who fall the furthest... are the ones who rise again. We are immune to fire, Lackey Radish

.

”

— Holy hell.

— He rehearsed that speech, didn’t he?

— So dramatic, lol

— Shrimp built different

Crack.

Radish Servant clenched his teeth and kicked off the ground.

“It’s Radish

Servant

!!!”

THUD!

He vaulted high into the air, sword raised toward Shrimp.

— Whoa!!

— Let’s go!!

— Insane reflexes!

‘Even if I burn, I still have time.’

Fire didn’t kill instantly, but drained HP slowly. He only needed a few seconds. If he could strike Shrimp down before dying, the tide would turn without the Lava Shaman.

‘I see it.’

His eyes sharpened, locking onto a weak point in the Adamantium armor.

“DIE!!!”

***

Meanwhile, Zelo watched helplessly from the execution stage, still tightly bound. “H-Hey! You can’t just leave me here like this!!”

His words carried a hidden meaning.

‘My view count is dropping!’

When the execution started, he’d been breaking records. Now? His live views were bleeding out fast. The focus had shifted from his execution to Team Rocket’s grand rescue. Worse yet, he remained tied up doing nothing.

— HAHAHAHAHA

— He can’t even die properly.

— Tragic, but hilarious, lol

— He’s so done.

His loyal fans found it funny, but casual viewers didn’t care. They wanted chaos, action, and explosions.

“Mr. Zelo.” A whisper came from behind. “I’ll get you out.”

It was Choco Shroom.

“C-ChocoShroom!? H-How did you...”

“Who do you think brought Team Rocket here?”

“What...?”

— Wait, it was her??

— Plot twist!!

𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

— Bro, that’s love.

“My savior... coming to ruin my stream.”

“Excuse me?”

“Ah, nothing. Thank you, ChocoShroom. I can’t believe you’d sell out the country to save me.”

“Country? Please. It’s not a country. It’s a dictatorship.”

“Yeah, it is.”

Zelo froze.

That last, “Yeah,” hadn’t come from him.

“Right? I’d trade this entire place away to be with you, Mr. Zel... Wait.”

Doom!

A massive shadow loomed above them.

ChocoShroom slowly gazed up.

“

KYAAAAAA!!

” she shrieked and fell back.

[Almond]

Almond had appeared out of nowhere from the opposite side of the fortress.

— WHAT THE?!

— HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

— HE’S BACKKKK.

— Viewer count skyrocketing!!

— Absolute content god!!

At the sudden reappearance of Almond, Zelo stared at his viewership climbing again and whispered, “My savior... the one who came to ruin my life, but saved the stream...”

— HAHAHAHAHAHA

— He revived the stream!

— “The God of Viewer Count” himself!

— Peak entertainment, lmao