21

"Isn't this enthusiasm a bit excessive?"

Of course, thinking this way about a famous person makes me shameless, but there's nothing as entertaining as knocking someone down to the bottom.

The human mind is peculiar; the actions we criticize others for become immensely enjoyable when we do them ourselves.

'It's like the thrill of walking a tightrope.'

Pulling something like this during such an important game makes me utterly reckless.

I should shut everyone's mouths with a flawless victory.

Alright, I've let the suspense build long enough.

'Then…'

With a decisive three-straight victory, let's wrap this up and clock out early.

Standing from my seat, I felt myself grinning as I coated my lips in crimson like rouge, set by the game's unfiltered "Adult User Mode."

[Let us begin.]

With the GM's declaration, the second set commenced.

The opponent's weapon was the same as the first set—The Greatsword of Treachery.

It seemed they had no intention of making the first move.

In that case…

'I'll go first.'

But starting from the next set, it'll be your turn.

Without overexerting myself, I began walking steadily toward SUHO.

One step, two steps. The distance between us gradually closed.

Unlike the fast pace of the previous set, this was clearly different.

The arena's noisy clamor subsided, likely because the audience had caught on to the shift in pace and were now watching intently.

***

-Whoosh!

A massive weapon, resembling an electric pole, aimed for my legs.

'Wouldn't most people wielding such a weapon aim to crush their opponent's upper body?'

'This one lacks both romance and imagination.'

With light footwork that seemed to defy the laws of friction and inertia, I dodged and redirected my stance.

When the look of confusion spread across my opponent's face, I couldn't help but smile.

'It's the first time I've shown such movements and reaction speed.'

As I stepped out of the blade's trajectory, I canceled my stance and dashed forward to close the gap.

The opponent, likely startled by the unexpected response, scrambled to recover their spear's trajectory to block my incoming blade.

The shattered blade of my greatsword and the blunt spear shaft clashed.

-Clang!

It was a violent collision, not one that exuded any sense of careful calculation.

Without bothering to push away the obstruction, I let my blade slide along the shaft and thrust toward their neck.

The broken blade, slanted diagonally, pierced precisely between the gap in their neck armor.

The droplets of blood that scattered before my eyes shimmered like spring heatwaves.

I stepped forward three more paces, weaving side to side like a fluttering butterfly.

The opponent, realizing their disadvantage, mixed feints into their attacks, aiming for the openings I revealed.

The desperation to avoid a direct parry against my attacks was evident, but… 'What can I say?'

In less than a second, I deflected the feinting greatsword with my broken blade, lifting it upwards.

-Thud!

Just like in the first set—but now with reversed roles—the parry landed perfectly.

Though lacking the elegance of refined swordsmanship, my shattered greatsword plunged firmly into their chest.

***

This reversal, unlike the previous set, didn't evoke cheers but instead brought an exhilarating silence.

The bout had ended in a matter of exchanges, leaving the audience unsure of what had just occurred.

'Let them watch the replay, like elders analyzing a chess game.'

I thought to myself, knowing that this was just the beginning of the duel.

After all, the true essence of multi-round matches is a swift, decisive conclusion.

The arena, which had been full of ridicule and disrespect toward me, now buzzed with a different atmosphere.

Even Jiye, the live commentator, was left speechless, stunned by the sudden end to the match.

Having expected an exchange of swordplay, the audience had instead witnessed SUHO's decapitation and my clean parry marking the match's conclusion.

Looking at the match timer, Jiye gasped in astonishment.

"Twenty seconds…."

This was a stark contrast to the over-five-minute duration of the previous set.

Though, to be fair, the first set was essentially me toying with SUHO.

Throughout that long duration, I had blocked over a hundred of their attacks without fail.

The chat was ablaze, unable to process my movements rationally.

[What is this? What is this? What is this? What is this? What is this?]

[Is this Friede's true skill? My heart is swelling with awe!]

[What the hell is this reaction speed? Even in the first set, they had a 100% block rate.]

[SUHO should've created distance when retreating. Why was Friede suddenly right in front of them after they rolled away?]

[This… is protagonist-level reflexes.]

Jiye hesitated to agree, choosing instead to silently observe the situation.

It was best to avoid jumping to conclusions.

At that moment, a notification pinged in Jiye's inbox, causing her to swallow a rising groan.

"Everyone, I've just received an update. The GM has decided to continue the match as is."

Whether this was to prove Friede's innocence or to make a final ruling after all sets concluded remained unclear.

The chat exploded once more with speculation.

[What is this? A hack they couldn't detect?]

[No way. If it were hacks, the GM would've stopped the match by now.]

[What else could it be, you fools? It's Friede's raw skill. I believed in you, Friede!]

[Hacks would've left a trace. The GM proceeding with the match means Friede is clearly innocent.]

[If they were hacking, there's no way they could've gone undetected throughout that long first set.]

[At this point, it's academic consensus that Friede was just pretending to be average.]

'Pretending?'

"I've seen countless absurd speculative comments while broadcasting, but this kind of ridiculous chat is a first for me."

Not only is Friede's reputation on the line, but also the streaming career of a small-time streamer like Forming.

'Could an average person carry on like a persona-chasing maniac under such pressure?'

'Most people crumble under the weight of their own tasks, so why even try?'

"Still, don't you think this concept play is going too far? SUHO isn't just anyone—they're a Grandmaster on their main account, not an opponent to be taken lightly."

[That's true, even as the gatekeeper of Grandmaster, SUHO isn't some pushover.]

[But right now, they kind of are.]

[It's not that SUHO is weak, but Friede is absurdly strong.]

[Why is the GM doing nothing? Say something, dammit!]

[I swear, I feel like slamming nunchaku into that GM's shiny forehead.]

[Ah-byooot!]

[This is the future of Korea.]

[Are they ignoring the viewers' questions and running their private league blindly? Is this normal? My hands are trembling, and tears are forming in my eyes.]

Though the wording was crude, Jiye couldn't help but sympathize with the sentiment.

If only they could swiftly confirm whether hacks were involved, the situation would feel far less frustrating.

A small sigh escaped her lips, carried through the mic into the ears of viewers.

It was a rare slip-up for a professional streamer, and she tried to ignore the jesters gleefully shouting about "eargasms."

The confidence that Friede couldn't possibly lose through skill alone had long since vanished.

Since the first set loss, SUHO hadn't landed a single effective hit.

'How could they possibly win now?'

The realization hit like a ton of bricks: if they lose this match…

'Don't make me laugh!'

They denied it.

They had to deny it.

Otherwise, the faith that carried them this far would crumble.

'That lunatic! That cheating hacker!'

The anger fueled by consecutive defeats consumed SUHO's mind.

No—perhaps it was anxiety disguised as rage.

'Damn it! What is the GM doing?!'

Despite the opponent allegedly hacking, the GM took no action, an inexcusable dereliction of duty.

Cursing the GM incessantly, SUHO looked for an opening to counter Friede's attacks and swung their Greatsword of Treachery once more.

This wasn't a reckless attack—it was a series of quick strikes designed to minimize recovery time, making parries difficult.

While not powerful, they were fast and hard to counter.

With reduced recovery time, SUHO had the upper hand with their long weapon's range.

Friede's broken greatsword couldn't dream of matching the reach.

So far, things were going smoothly.

But SUHO didn't let their guard down.

'Stay sharp.'

Though they had just been cursing the GM moments ago, the GM's continued silence brought SUHO's worst fears to mind.

Losing here would ruin everything.

Instinctively, they understood this.

Sharpening their focus, they sought any opening in their opponent's defenses.

This fight was one they absolutely couldn't afford to lose.

Eyes darting left and right, SUHO frantically tracked Friede's movements, straining every sense to predict their actions.

'Please, let this work.'

There was no need for a flashy, decisive move from the front.

Engaging directly with that lunatic would only end in disaster.

All SUHO wanted was for their attacks to graze Friede, even just lightly.

If they could secure a stamina advantage through an endurance battle, they could win by timeout.

Having come this far, pride had long been discarded. Victory was the only goal.

Step by step, forward and back, left and right—SUHO moved fluidly, like a serpent stalking its prey.

Their movements were so seamless that they almost felt soundless.

Dodging one of Friede's probing attacks, SUHO suddenly found themselves facing a direct assault.

Friede had dashed straight toward them.

Instinctively, SUHO canceled their glaive's feint and immediately activated their combat skill, "Spinning Slash."

For a brief moment, SUHO saw Friede smirk.

'What's that supposed to mean? Are they mocking me for accusing them of hacking?'

That thought crossed their mind just as Friede vanished from their sight.

Gritting their teeth, SUHO realized it was a familiar tactic—quickly sidestepping to strike from behind, a common high-rank strategy.

Calmly recovering their glaive, SUHO swung it toward the direction Friede would appear.

The mighty swing shattered the ground and sent dirt and dust flying, but it only cut through empty air.

And then…

-Thud!

A sound shook SUHO to their core, twisting their expression in frustration.

Even the backstep had been a feint.

Friede, waiting at just the right spot for the weapon to swing past, countered with a parry.

Though broken, their greatsword had lost none of its sharpness.

The shattered blade pierced through SUHO's neck with deadly precision.

-Thump.

The battle ended, leaving the victor and the defeated clearly separated.

Friede stood tall as the winner, raising the blood-soaked, broken greatsword triumphantly.

Though rusty and shattered, the weapon appeared utterly unimpressive.

But at this moment, in this place, It shone brighter than any weapon in Soul Warfare.

[You're a hero, Friede!!!]

[I knew it all along!!!]

[Thank you!!!]

[Well done!!!]

[Welcome back!!]

That day, major Soul Warfare communities erupted in celebration of Friede's victory and their vindication.

They praised the hero's innocence.

Write Re