Season 4: Chapter 215. Hellsteel vs. Relic (1)

Clack... Clack....

Inside a dark underground tunnel, a campfire burned brightly. The six disciples sat around it, scooping up a simple meal as they discussed what to do next. The core of the discussion circled back to something Almond had said earlier.

“We should return to Cheese Village.” He insisted on returning to Cheese Village. “We can gather more chakra there.”

They needed to collect chakra, but couldn’t just return without a plan.

Radish Servant said, “Looking at the server chat right now, things look completely insane. If we go back like this, won’t we just get executed for nothing?”

He had a point. They couldn’t defeat Zelu without a strategy. Despite gaining a new relic, Almond was still the Guardian. The other Knights would have to deal with Zelu, and that was impossible.

“More importantly... is it really right to bring this guy along?” Radish Servant poked Orange incredulously. “He’s from Paprika.”

Potato Servant chimed in, “That’s right! My lord! Who knows how he might change once we get there? Haven’t you always warned us to be careful around Orange? That he’s vicious, meticulous, and calculating. A truly dangerous bastard!”

— No way LMAOOOOO

— You can’t just say all that out loud, you psycho LOL

— Holy crap

— Potato Servant LOL

— Ahahaha

— Orange’s face LOL

‘W-Why do I have that kind of image?’

Orange froze, unable to say a word. All he felt was unfairness.

‘I wasn’t even the one who suggested going back!’

Returning to Cheese Village had been entirely Almond’s idea under the pretense of gathering Paprika’s chakra.

“W-Wait, everyone! Why do you think I’ll betray you? I’ve been on this adventure with you all this time! Haven’t I become a proper companion by now?! Huh?!” Orange poured out his grievances.

— Orange...

— Orange is right!

— Because he’s from Paprika

— Damn Cheese Village bastards

“My lord! Please say something!” Orange turned desperately toward Almond.

He had chosen the wrong person.

Almond’s hand shoved his massive face aside. “It’s fine. Even with the Orange risk, I still think we should return to Cheese Village.”

— LMAOOOOOOOO

— Hey LOL is he not even considered a person?

— LOL

— Orange risk LMAO

— Nice

— It’s not Hydra risk, but Orange risk LOL

“Why is that?” Radish Servant asked.

Almond opened the server chat window. “Some people are still waiting for us.”

The Saintess, leaning against a wall in the distance, stared straight at him. Perhaps she liked his answer.

“Don’t worry, Orange.”

“Yes?”

“I’ll keep you with me.”

“O... Oh.” Orange still felt baffled.

‘No, seriously. Why am I being treated like excess baggage?’

The Saintess finally said, “It would be best to return to Cheese Village if people are still waiting for you there.”

If people were waiting, then returning was the right choice.

***

Fwoosh!

Hellfire flared up in both of Zelu’s hands.

“But there are also those who wish you didn’t exist, Almond. If you wish to return...”

Every Alliance member drew their sword.

Shing!

Their weapons glowed blood-red.

“Prove it.” Zelu invoked his secret art.

[Hellfire]

Fwoooooosh!

Black flames surged forward like a wave. Behind them, the figures clad in crimson blood-armor charged.

“

Waaaaaaaahhh!!

”

— Damn...

— That looks way too strong

— What the hell?

— How do you even break through Hellsteel?!

Hellsteel was the highest grade mineral in existence. It couldn’t be melted by fire, and ordinary physical attacks could never pierce through. This army was effectively immortal.

‘They’re coming.’

Click.

Almond drew his bow and pulled it back.

[Bow of Hope]

Treeana’s relic possessed many abilities, but the core one was simple.

[Destructive power increases with viewership.]

— Weapon of capitalism LOL

— Chakra coefficient is insane

— Orange won’t deal damage, huh

— Nice

— Damn

— Official chakra scaling, holy crap LOL

The mechanism scaled with one’s viewership. With all of Cheese Village longing for him, Almond’s current viewership reached its peak.

[Current Viewers: 378,000]

Once again, it climbed toward a new record and continued rising, nearly equal to the Alliance leader Zelu.

“Kill them all!!”

“

Waaaaaaaahhh!!

”

The hellish army surged forward like a blood-soaked tide. Almond stood alone before them. Behind him stood the countless Cheese Village residents, but they lacked the power to fight. Still, they cheered him on.

“H-He’ll win! My lord will win!”

“Yeah! He wouldn’t have come without a plan!”

“My lord! Do it!!”

Almond couldn’t kill Cheese Village residents. He raised his bow as if aiming for Zelu, but changed targets the moment he released his arrow.

Someone noticed it. However, it was too late.

A straight line of violet radiance carved through their vision.

KWAHHHH!

[Vermilion Phoenix Runway]

Violet flames beat like wings and swept along the trajectory. Everything happened in an instant. An entire flank of the advancing hellish army collapsed, and all the Paprika soldiers vanished.

— ?

— Holy crap

— What the hell?LOL

— They all got one-shotted!

— No way!

— ??

— Huh????

The overwhelming power made Hellsteel seem meaningless, which made no sense. This was another property of Treeana’s relic.

[Ignores all Affinities]

It ignored all affinities like Hellsteel’s fire resistance, defense, and physical damage resistance. All of it was meaningless before Treeana’s relic. No one had ever witnessed power like this before.

Even Orange, watching from afar, gaped in shock. “W-What was that?! How is it that strong?!”

“Obviously, they cannot endure the power of my relic.”

“Why?”

“What do you think a viewership coefficient signifies, foolish disciple?”

Orange went silent.

“How can they oppose the very thing that allows them to exist?”

— Oh...

— Yeah, that’s just straight up the strongest weapon

— The fate of streamers who oppose viewers LOL

— Damn

— But the Cheese Village people are all alive because of the Guardian, right? LOL

— Whoa

“Th-Then, is my relic that strong too?” Orange asked excitedly.

The Saintesses snorted. “As if.”

She didn’t bother explaining why.

— Poor guy...

— Because he’s small-time...

— LOL

— Who even is this Saintess? she’s brutal LOL

— Ahahaha

***

With a single beat of violet wings, the infamous army of hell became ashes. Seeing it with their own eyes, the Cheese villagers couldn’t help but erupt into cheers.

“

Waaaaaaaahhh!!

”

—

Wow LOL

—

That’s insane

—

The hype is unreal

—

No way LOL

—

They all died???

—

What the hell? LOL

—

Paprika got wiped out...

Every Alliance member from Paprika had died. Because of the Dark Knight trait, only Black Pepper had survived.

“What kind of damage is that?!”

She had no idea about the damage scaling with viewership and naturally felt shocked.

The entire force of Paprika Dragonkin clad in Hellsteel had vanished in a single strike. She had survived purely because the Mark of the Avenger was attached to Almond.

“Huh?”

“

Hm?

”

Like Black Pepper, the surviving knights from Cheese Village also froze in mid-charge. The comrades who had been running beside them had burned away without even a scream. Anyone would have hesitated after that sight. Just because they stopped didn’t mean the hellfire Zelu had unleashed would stop.

Fwoooooosh!

It gnawed at the ground as it advanced toward the Cheese villagers.

“I-It’s... It’s coming!”

“What do we do?!”

Most of the villagers had no combat power. Hiding behind Almond and contributing to the viewership had been their best option so far. They had no way to deal with the oncoming hellfire other than asking Almond.

“M-My lord!? Can you still use the Black Turtle!?”

“I can’t.”

“O-Oh, you ca... Wait, what!?”

Almond’s Black Turtle skill had a long cooldown.

—

He says no LOL

—

Ahahaha

—

That damn nut

—

He said it so calmly, I thought he had it

—

Totally got tricked

“T-Then, should we r-run?!”

“No need for that~!”

Someone came charging from behind. She passed all the villagers and even overtook Almond.

“Just trust Lemon!”

Boom!

Lemon planted her massive shield forward.

[Shield of Friendship]

Her shield flared violet and spread out.

—

Nice

—

Let’s go

—

Shield of Friendship LOL what is this, Friend Shield?

—

Lemon!

—

Friend Shield is the best!

—

The legendary Five Knights...

KRAAAANG!

The hellfire crashed into the shield and split in two. It burned in a circular arc along the boundary protected by the violet sphere.

Pshhh!

Then, it vanished completely.

“T-The hellfire... disappeared?”

“Wasn’t it supposed to burn forever?”

“That’s crazy.”

—

Holy shit

—

That was insane

—

What about the Cheese villagers?

Even with the hellfire gone, other forces remained.

[Onion]

“We’re still alive! Charge! Kill the Lord!!”

“

Waaaaaaaahhh!!

”

“The vile dictator has returned! He must die!!”

The Knight Order’s former Lackeys and Scrubs charged forward in blood-red armor.

“Damn traitor bastards.”

“Shit. It’s the Knight fodder!”

“What do we do about them?”

Almond said, “I told you. My knights have already surrounded them.”

The traitor knights charged.

Whoosh!

Someone burst out from the left and right.

[SweetRadish]

[SweetPotato]

They wielded a sword and a staff, respectively.

[Sword of Conviction]

Radish Servant swung his blade. “Die, all of you bat-like bastards!”

KWAHHH!

A straight line of violet light split the ground, cutting the enemies cleanly in half.

[Staff of Loyalty]

“Hey, juniors...”

Whirl!

Potato Servant swung his staff and plunged into the divided formation.

Flash!

He vanished as if blinking, then reappeared on the opposite side. “Staff Flash.”

BOOMBOOMBOOM!

Everyone in his path flew into the air.

—

HOLY SHIT LOL

—

He actually used Staff + Flash

—

No way LOL

—

That’s insane

—

This guy’s weapon is literally called “Staff”

—

I’m dead LOL

—

What the hell?

“

Cough...!

”

“

Ugh!

”

“N-No!”

Despite their Hellsteel equipment, every bit of damage landed cleanly. In the end, the Hellsteel armor became nothing more than cumbersome baggage.

“G-Get up! Fight again! A-All of...”

Their formation had been split in the front and back. Half of them had been thrown into the air, crashed down, and lay unconscious. In this severely weakened state...

“We’re going in too~!”

Thududududud!

Lemon charged from the front as well. With her massive shield raised, she bulldozed forward.

The charging enemies faltered.

“D-Damn it!”

BOOOOM!

The following collision immediately tore apart the Alliance’s formation. Not just from the front to back, but also from the left and right. Even so, the Alliance still had far greater numbers. After all, the Knights only had five members.

“

Huff... huff...

Damn it. We don’t possess destructive power like the Lord.”

“That’s true...”

Since damage scaled with viewership, Potato Servant’s staff couldn’t easily reach Almond’s level.

“N-Now’s the time! Let’s go help too!”

“Yeah! We can fight as well!”

“We don’t even get paid if we die anyway!”

The Cheese villagers found the courage.

“

Waaaaaaaahhh!!

”

They all rushed forward.

“Damn it! Cut them all down!” Onion shouted with venom in his eyes.

“

Aaaaargh!

”

Slash!

Slash!

They mercilessly cut down some villagers.

“Air Blast!”

“Vine Bind!”

“

GRAAAH!

It’s a bear!”

Those with abilities still helped. Even the dead helped.

Wooooong...!

A brighter halo blazed behind Radish Servant, Potato Servant, and Lemon.

“My c-chakra... It’s filling up?”

“This can’t be...”

When a streamer died, their viewers immediately went to another streamer to continue watching the war.

“D-Don’t kill them! Don’t kill the weak ones! Leave the fodder alive!”

—

Fodder LMAOOOO

—

This is insane LOL

Onion realized it too late.

Radish Servant’s sword nearly split the earth.

KWAHHH!

The slaughter began.

“Onion Worker.”

Tap.

Someone stood behind him with a staff resting on his shoulder. “You still remember the pitch, right?”

—

LOOOOOOL

—

I can’t breathe LOL

—

Holy shit LOL

—

He’s done

—

Just kill me instead...

—

LMAOOOO

—

Professor Fletcher back in action

—

Is Onion Worker finally dying now???

—

Such a cruel villain... goodbye