Chapter 54: Clash of Titans
by Afuhfuihgs– The Ultimate Clash
1.
The Power of Disruption.
A force honed through profound cultivation,
designed to overwhelm opponents with qi techniques,
especially when facing martial masters of prestigious sects or elite imperial guards.
This power proved exceptionally effective even against the Ogre General.
It was supposed to be.
[“The Ninefold Demon Horse Reigns Over a World of Destruction A lone beast at the end of all things stands sovereign over the ashes of the world.”]
[“No matter how strong your suppressive power may be, your end will come before it dismantles the strength of this body!”]
The immense power accumulated over a lifetime by the strongest in the demon realm.
The Ogre General’s profound energy was no trivial thing
not something that could easily be scattered or subdued,
even with the suppressive might of anti-demonic energy.
With every three centimeters (one chi) the Silent Swordsman’s blade advanced,
three shockwaves erupted from the Ogre General’s body,
tearing apart the ground with clouds of dust,
buffeting all in its path with gale-force winds so fierce that merely standing was a struggle.
And following these shockwaves came a devastating punch,
imbued with monstrous strength that would knock any defender flat if not parried.
“Ahhh! I feel like my brain’s going to melt!”
“Me? A former leader of a raid group in Epic Fantasy? ”
“Getting booted from a sensory-link broadcast of the Silent Swordsman?”
“Give me your best raid record!”
“Level 550 Demon Legion Commander Mephisto.”
” Nightmare difficulty. Cleared with an S-rank.”
“What?! You cleared that and you’re getting wrecked here?”
“Three shockwaves per second how are we supposed to deal with that, !”
45 viewers left.
“Holy crap! Everyone run! The pattern just upgraded!”
“Why is his fist suddenly glowing?!”
“Don’t block it! You’ll die, sis! Dodge it!!!”
“That moron… couldn’t dodge and got disconnected from the link. ”
“Are you seriously managing your synchronization rate just to stay in first-person mode? Absolute respect.”
38 viewers left.
“Wait, hold up. Here comes a mental attack.”
“What the heck is that?”
“ Watch a few more get knocked out.”
“Say goodbye won’t see you far.”
“WHAT IS IT?! TELL ME, YOU !!!”
32 viewers left.
“With pain tolerance syncing down and mental disruptions hitting,
why does maintaining first-person view feel harder than an actual raid? Today’s stream is legendary.”
“Just proves how amazing the guy is.”
“All of you were top players in other games, right?”
“I hold the world record in 16LV Nightmare for rhythm games.”
“Rhythm games??? What the actual How are you surviving this with that background?”
“Every time shockwaves or heavy attacks come, I switch mental sync patterns like an 8-key rhythm game.”
Mad respect.
“Now I feel like I can’t win against this lunatic. ”
“I will never underestimate rhythm gamers again.”
27 viewers left.
The first-person sensory-link viewers dwindled rapidly.
This wasn’t something you’d see even on streams by top-tier physical gamers.
The difficulty was murderously high so extreme that no one could keep up except the streamer himself.
And this?
This was only the fourth stream of the Silent Swordsman’s journey.
“How did survival records fare for top-tier streamers again?”
“Speedmaster’s ultimate speed race had 33 survivors out of 120,000 participants. ”
“Most people got dizzy and dropped out from the sensory link. ”
“HealthMonster’s extreme weightlifting challenge had 7 survivors out of 80,000. ”
“Even as indirect viewers, we felt like our muscles were ripping apart. ”
“Dude was lifting rocks like he was Sisyphus.”
“Professor’s Epic Fantasy Tower of Magic 7th Circle promotion test stream had the highest survival rate only 3 out of 90,000 made it.”
” And those three survivors? All 6th Circle magicians. ”
“Why aren’t you mentioning the top record? The all-kill one?”
“Black?”
“Honestly, the all-time legend is Black, no doubt. The first and only all-kill record in Korea.”
“Let’s not go there; that’s on another level.”
“ Come on, we’ve got experience. We’re not going to let Silent Swordsman wipe us out like that.”
All the first-person sensory link survivors were top-tier rankers in popular games.
For these ranker-level viewers, there was a shared sense of pride:
either having fully completed a sensory link broadcast without disconnecting,
or surviving until the end of a brutally difficult sensory link.
The survival badges provided by VTuber platforms were considered the highest honors among viewers,
akin to military medals of valor.
“Honestly, it was surprising because he cleared hidden routes with such low specs in other fields.”
” The sensory link itself was bearable back then.”
“That’s because the Silent Swordsman wasn’t taking damage back then;
he was just overwhelming everything with sheer skill. ”
“Honestly, I’m in too much pain right now.”
” I’m trying to lower my sync rate for physical damage using the same tricks I used for mana shields, but the pain just doesn’t go away.”
” It feels like I’m taking defense-penetrating damage.”
“If it’s that painful, just give up already, you lunatic. ”
” The streamer’s fine, but the viewers are going to suffer permanent aftereffects.”
“This hurts? Seriously, it doesn’t hurt at all for me.”
“It’s less painful than when HealthMonster entered the deep-sea challenge at 4,500 meters.”
“Yeah, but this is like a real-life example of ‘a crow trying to match a crane and snapping its legs.’”
” You need to play as a tank and get used to taking hits, like me, to endure this.”
“That’s just ridiculous. Stop letting yourself get hit all the time.”
Outwardly, the viewers exchanged banter, teasing each other and laughing to keep up appearances.
But inwardly, most of the sensory link survivors felt entirely different:
‘It hurts so much. Just drop out, everyone, so I can get the last survivor badge.’
‘I gave up during the deep-sea challenge at 2,300 meters. Damn it, this is worse.’
‘Not even tanking hits as a frontline player hurt this bad. Please, everyone else die so I can be the last one standing.’
They clung on with sheer grit and determination, aiming to at least win the “Final 10” badge.
[Indeed, this must be what the great mountain spirit calls the unmatched resilience of humans.]
[I acknowledge your strength.]
[And so, I will stake everything on this one decisive move.]
[ Mortal, will you accept the culmination of 120 years of demonic energy in this single strike?]
The Silent Swordsman quietly raised his blade.
[Very well! Strongest of the human realm,
prepare to face the ultimate strike of the strongest from the demon realm!]
A tremendous concentration of demonic energy began to condense with lethal density,
centering on the right hand of the demon general, Bigtro.
Dust swirled around like a celestial nebula,
forming gravitational rings as an ominous light began to pulse.
Flash!
Flash!
Flare!
The light radiated in shades of crimson, orange, and yellow, growing ever more intense as its power amplified.
This was a strike that would vanish futilely if dodged,
but the idea of a short, decisive battle was exactly what the Silent Swordsman wanted.
Matching the condensing energy, she pushed her Pahae Gongnyeong to its peak.
“I feel it if I take that hit, I’m out of commission for a week. I’m bailing first.”
“Yo, isn’t this the kind of thing that leaves you with actual post-traumatic side effects if you take it head-on?”
“Just looking at it screams, ‘You’re screwed if you get hit,’ doesn’t it?”
“What’s up with this Spirit Bomb-level nonsense?”
“Are you seriously going to endure this? Is a badge worth risking your life? We’re all going to die at this rate!”
“Cool story, bro. You first, though. ”
“If you’re mad about it, try holding on.”
“Screw it. Fine! Let’s see this through to the bitter end!”
The sensory link survivors found themselves locked in a suffocating battle of pride.
This was a death race of endurance, with only massive post-trauma consequences waiting for those who persisted.
Fewer than 25 viewers remained linked,
trusting solely in the razor-sharp precision of the Silent Swordsman’s first-person sensory link,
truly believing that she would survive.
‘This crazy human is actually pulling off Shingeom Hapil!?’
‘Of course, she’s an Awakened. There’s no doubt about it this person is more than qualified to join the Royal Club!’
‘Is this how strong an Awakened who survived the Eastern Bloc Monster Wars and the Homeland Restoration Campaign can become?’
Among those remaining were legends in their own right:
- Lee Haechan, the first name in streamer swordsmanship, dubbed the “Nationalist Swordsman.”
- Elogio Sherry Nina, a 3rd-generation Royal Club Awakened.
- Speedmaster, the unparalleled streamer known for his peak reflexes.
The confrontation between the strongest of the strong was nearing its climactic finale.
‘Demonic energy is ultimately a form of mana. ‘
‘The only way to withstand the density of such highly compressed mana is to counter it with equally dense mana,’
thought Elogio Sherry Nina, focusing on the critical element mana density.
If the density of the Silent Swordsman’s blade were even slightly insufficient,
it would be impossible to withstand the blinding white sphere and the ghostly white hand that held it aloft.
‘To deflect that sphere, I need to strike the exact impact point perfectly.
It won’t explode, but if my blade falters, it’ll consume the sword and obliterate me,’ she thought.
The sphere roared with profound energy, pulsating dangerously.
Lee Haechan focused on the balance of force and the precision of impact, critical aspects of swordsmanship.
If the Silent Swordsman’s technique faltered even slightly missing the exact point of contact or,
misallocating power the sphere would devour the blade and likely her entire body,
or it could split open, unleashing a devastating explosion.
“This isn’t an attack you can counter with a simple Just Action. ”
“It requires Perfect Action to match a super-critical strike.”
Speedmaster thought about the demands of a Perfect Action.
Just as super-critical strikes rely on a minuscule strike zone between one one-hundredth and one one-thousandth of an ordinary critical zone ,
a Perfect Action demands an impossibly precise counterattack, almost beyond human capability.
Superhuman physical abilities.
An expanded sense of time.
For elite physical streamers, their trump cards allow them to conquer the seemingly insurmountable odds of one in a thousand.
But what about the Silent Swordsman?
Would her superhuman swordsmanship, showcased until now, be enough?
Could the extreme precision and reaction speed she had demonstrated rival the dominance of top-tier streamers?
It’s cominggggg!!!
“I’m out! I can’t do this!”
“AAAAAAHHHH!!!”
The sheer gravitational force of the concentrated demonic energy sphere caused the ground in its path to sink.
Against the destructive energy, the Silent Swordsman’s blade moved once, in a single horizontal sweep.
Slash.
Only the 20 remaining viewers who had not fled the death-defying chicken race could fully witness her feat.
As her sword swung in perfect harmony, a devastating strike was unleashed.
The attack Shingeom Hapil struck the core of the demonic energy sphere with pinpoint precision,
splitting the horizon beyond her vision in two.
In that frozen moment:
- “What the actual f—!”
- “Wait, there wasn’t any sign of rotation—”
- “Oh crap, I’m screwed!”
The deceptively slow-moving sphere revealed its true nature a whirlwind of unimaginable speed.
Screeeeee!!!
The fiercely rotating sphere unleashed torrents of demonic energy.
At point-blank range, it erupted with a shockwave far greater than anything before.
- “Mom, this isn’t fair… 11th place. ”
- “I’m a successful idiot. 10th place. RIP.”
Viewers linked to the first-person sensory feed were swept away one by one, like ghosts achieving release.
But at the center of this chaotic collision,
the Silent Swordsman’s body, slight and delicate, seemed ready to be flung like a soccer ball.
Her feet, however, dug into the marble floor with an unyielding resolve.
- “What is she, insane?!”
- “Why is the shockwave hitting us too?!”
- “Is this seriously her first game? What the hell?!”
Her counter ability, Pahae Gongnyeong, directed an opposing rotation against the sphere’s ferocious spin,
amplifying the clash with an immense counterforce that transcended speed itself.
[Ooooh! OOOOOHHHH!!!]
- “They’re both going to die!”
- “That crazy demon is wiping out all the viewers!”
- “This is just wrong! Aaaaaah!”
Instead of retreating, the demon general threw everything into a desperate mutual destruction gambit.
Even its protective energy was sacrificed, skin peeling away and blood pouring out,
as it fed power into the sphere for one final push.
Flash!
Even with closed eyes, the explosion blinded like a flashbang,
its lethal light overpowering the sensory link’s tolerance for mental damage.
Viewers who clung on until the last moment were obliterated, swept away by the blast.
The once vibrant chat dwindled to silence until a single message appeared in the first-person exclusive chatroom.
Speedmaster: “…”
She deflected it.
In the final moments before the explosion,
the clash between the newly injected energy and the existing power within the sphere destabilized its cohesion.
The slightest flaw a single vulnerability in a seemingly perfect move was detected by the Silent Swordsman.
Without hesitation, her blade struck true, sending the sphere hurtling toward the far wall of the palace.
Thunk!
The sphere slammed through the wall, leaving a circular hole with a radius exceeding 20 meters.
It sailed into the distant horizon, detonating in midair.
The sheer brilliance of the explosion lit up the sky, taking several moments before the light and fury began to subside.
“Is this how the game’s supposed to be played?” Nina asked in a daze.
“If it were, we’d all have to retire,” Lee Haechan replied wryly.
The 1st-person sensory link chatroom, once teeming with eager viewers,
now had only three survivors remaining witnesses to the clash of the strongest against the strongest.
[The strongest demon general of the realm of demons has fallen?]
[You are a monster.]
[Today, I can’t help but agree with Wendigo. Madam, are you truly human?]
[I had faith in you, Mother.]
The victor was the Silent Swordsman.
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