Chapter 28: The story of the final match

This was a story from right after the finals match had ended.

I was practically slumped in my chair, completely spent.

No wonder—I’d had to push my brain to its limits, strategizing through the game with a greatsword build that I wasn’t even familiar with.

My brain, soaked in extreme concentration and tension, was throbbing with pain.

I was so drained, both physically and mentally, that I couldn’t even think of joining the excited cheers of my teammates in the voice chat ringing through my speakers.

While I was taking a short break,

The tournament’s broadcast, with its 10-minute delay to prevent players from map-hacking, caught my eye.

The broadcast camera was focused on me—the Saintess.

The trademark benevolent smile was nowhere to be seen.

Instead, my tightly pressed lips reflected my determination as I leapt over the Blue Team’s second defense line.

What followed was the caster’s voice filled with curiosity.

“Oh, what is this? The core hasn’t been revealed yet! They need to secure the second defense line first!”

“I think I understand. The Red Team is gathered up right now. Judging by the decision to bypass securing the defense line and press forward, it seems they believe this is their last chance.”

“And how does that relate to the Saintess’ current actions? She’s charging toward an undiscovered core location! Could it be… she’s leaving the defense line to her teammates and going for the core herself? Is this a show of trust in her teammates?”

“That must be it. Otherwise, there’s no explanation. Whether this will prove advantageous or disastrous remains to be seen… They could end up squandering a rare opportunity, but it’s certainly bold.”

“Still, can the team manage without the Saintess?”

“Personally, I think it’s going to be tough. For other reasons, too. The Blue Team immediately caught on to what the Saintess’ movement signifies. Three warriors and their troops are chasing her down.”

“She has no choice now! She has to run!”

“The Blue Team has been the best in this tournament at assessing the situation and eliminating variables. They’ve already gained the upper hand by taking down Yan, so they likely concluded that driving out the Saintess, the Red Team’s centerpiece, would solidify their advantage—even if it means conceding the second defense line.”

“Rather than defending the line and risking variables, they’ve decided to play it safe—even if it extends the game a bit. It’s a strategic choice to secure the win!”

“Indeed, there’s a skill gap between the two teams. Originally, the Red Team was considered stronger, but whether it was intentional or a mistake, the Berserker and Saintess swapped picks, putting the Red Team at a disadvantage.”

“It might have been a surprise strategy held until the end!”

“I’m not sure about that. In any case, the current situation forced them to break through with Yan’s power, so the Blue Team only needs to eliminate the Saintess once. The momentum is in the Blue Team’s favor. If they lose a 6v5 team fight because they ignored the Saintess, the game could end in one strike. So even if it makes the game longer, they’ve opted for a surefire method.”

“That level of insight is terrifying.”

Meanwhile, the tournament’s chatroom was ablaze, nearly overflowing with the sheer number of messages from the many viewers watching the finals.

[Run, noona!!!!!!]

[Get her!!!!!!!]

[Saintess thighs, oh yeah!]

[She’s kinda good.]

[Knows what they’re doing lol.]

[Greatsword Saintess backdoor lololol what is she thinking?]

[Backdoor? This isn’t even that—it’s just a blind charge lol.]

[The thought process is on another level lololol.]

[Is the Blue Team making the right call? If the second defense line doesn’t fall, the Saintess becomes useless, so why even bother chasing her?]

[It’s harder to lose a 6v5 while defending the line.]

[Blue Team might actually lose, though. They burned a lot of ultimates trying to take down Yan.]

[Hellfire was well-used, but…]

[Sangsong show! Sangsong show! Sangsong show! Sangsong show! Sangsong show! Sangsong show!]

[If something like Mohe’s Hundred Slash lands perfectly, who knows, right? lol]

[Even if they take a slight loss, removing variables is the right choice.]

[Does anyone know the NPC that spawns if the Blue Team’s second defense line breaks?]

[Adriana.]

[Ah, of all things, a mage.]

[For the Red Team, which lacks a mage, that’s basically a disaster.]

[Since they’ve already taken down Yan, the Blue Team actually benefits if their second defense line falls.]

[But if they lose the core in one go, the game’s over.]

[That’s why they’re chasing the Saintess right now, lol.]

[The Saintess is running well with that greatsword.]

[But isn’t this just… a bit too much?]

[What do you mean?]

[Um, well… oh… She looks pretty when she runs.]

[Just say it’s sexy, lol.]

[Her body’s way too suggestive.]

[Everything about her is provocative, lol.]

[Is she a genius at angering everyone, lol?]

[Wait, I think I’ve seen this in an AV before.]

[If she gets caught, is it just straight-up humiliation? lololololol.]

[Oh yeah.]

“Wow. What was that just now? Analyst Taejun, can you explain?”

“Uh, no, that’s insane. Oh, I’m sorry. I… I lost it. Oh. Oh. I apologize!”

“Pfft, we’re seeing a scholar swear. Viewers, please excuse him. You all know he’s not like this, right? That just shows how shocking it was.”

“Ah, my deepest apologies. It’s just… I’ve never seen anything like this in my life. I can hardly believe my eyes.”

“It’s just a parry, isn’t it?”

“Parrying with a greatsword is an advanced skill. The weapon’s base attack speed is as slow as a two-handed axe, making it hard to time the parry correctly.

Even if you do, most of the time, opponents just overpower you with raw weight and strength, so there’s little reward for the effort.

That’s why even veteran greatsword users don’t bother practicing parrying—it’s an incredibly rare technique. But doing it repeatedly…”

“Well, the Berserker was like that too. I don’t think we’ve seen the Berserker parry even once in this tournament. But the Saintess did it. Why?”

“It’s better to overpower and finish the fight instead of trying to parry, at least in one-on-one situations. The Saintess doesn’t have that luxury right now.

She’s surrounded not just by enemy players but also by their troops. Honestly, I expected her to burn her ultimate here… But, uh, how many is that now?”

“22, 23, 24 consecutive parries. Does she have eyes in the back of her head? She’s handling attacks from behind without issue!”

“Perfectly timed guards minimize stamina consumption.

Technically, the greatsword has a specific weapon combo that’s effective in situations like this.

According to the database, though, a user with zero greatsword experience shouldn’t be able to land those combo timings… Oh. Oh, she’s doing it.”

“Whirlwind! The signature move of the greatsword! The troops are being shredded!”

“This is turning into an iconic moment.”

[Damn it! I trusted you!! Damn it! I trusted you!! Damn it! I trusted you!! Damn it! I trusted you!! Damn it! I trusted you!! Damn it! I trusted you!!]

[Wasn’t this pick supposed to be a mistake? Was it actually the strategy all along??]

[She seemed lost at first, but she’s improving as the game progresses. Did a god possess her or something?]

[Who the hell tries to parry with a greatsword, lol?]

[Why? Is parrying not allowed with a greatsword? Genuinely asking.]

[It’s absurdly difficult and gives little reward, so no one even considers it.]

[If you don’t know, listen to the analyst’s explanation.]

[Even longsword users who rely on parrying often lose their heads after a single mistake, yet she’s done it over twenty times, lolol.]

[The achievement for successfully landing ten consecutive parries has a completion rate of less than 0.1% among all players, lol.]

[This is truly godlike control.]

[Holy crap, my sister is so freaking cool. She’s the best.]

[How do people even do that? Continuous parrying looks insanely stylish.]

[Don’t even think about it.]

[She’s so damn skilled. Holy crap, I’m losing it, lolol.]

[I hate the Saintess… I can already hear the flood of new parry mains spawning everywhere…]

[Oh, it’s spinning. It’s spinning.]

[“Whirlwind” is a type of motion used in Seolwolhwa.]

[Blender ON. Meat grinder ON.]

[“Would you like your meat ground into powder, sir?”]

[…041.]

[Whirlwind is insane.]

[It’s not Whirlwind; it’s Hurlwind.]

[Same difference.]

[This is the ultimate greatsword skill that weaklings can’t pull off. Did you see that?]

[Why are you so proud of it, lol?]

[She’s way too pretty to be called a macho man, lol.]

[The Saintess is truly a god of customization.]

“Observer 3 is showing another battlefield. Oh, the Red Team has finally captured the second defense line!”

“No casualties on either side. The Blue Team held on well despite being outnumbered three to five before retreating.

If Adriana joins them, even though the Red Team has more players, it should be no problem for the Blue Team to wipe out the weakened Red Team.”

“Wait a second. I haven’t seen the Berserker since earlier.”

“There’s no death record in the logs… Did the Observer miss it?

But that’s not the main point right now. What’s happening on the Saintess’s side?”

“She’s still holding out!”

“The three Blue Team members left at the second defense line put up a good fight, but in the end, the core has been exposed.

This is insane.

The opposing team still has three players and an orange-tier player.

The Saintess’s character should already be suffering from accumulated pain and reduced stamina, which slows reaction times.

Are you saying this is something a first-time greatsword user can pull off?”

“Taejun, your jaw’s going to drop off at this rate.”

“She’s even using the hilt…

Even aspiring pros wouldn’t be able to pull this off.”

“So this was the Red Team’s surprise card all along!”

“Maybe… but the Saintess is still standing, and now the core has been revealed.”

“Did the Blue Team’s decision to focus on driving out the Saintess backfire?”

“No way. The Saintess is simply pulling off incomprehensible plays.

The one silver lining for the Blue Team is that there are no casualties, and their three warriors are relatively unharmed.

But…”

“On the other hand, the Saintess is dying. Her HP bar and stamina are nearly empty. Is this the end?”

“…Well, if I had to guess, probably not.”

“Suddenly, the Saintess changes tactics! She sheaths her sword and starts running!

She’s heading straight for the core, pushing aside the warriors trying to block her!

She’s getting stabbed in the back, but she’s not dying!

She just keeps going! She has no health left, so how is she still alive?”

“Even if the world were ending, she’d survive for at least twenty seconds. A couple of stabs won’t kill her.”

“Come to think of it, she still has her ultimate skill left!”

[The Blue Team handled it cleanly. They fought well in a 3v5.]

[Where’s our Berserker? Where’s our Berserker? Where’s our Berserker? Where’s our Berserker?]

[Where did they go in the middle of a fight?]

[Adriana is here… Heuuuugh.]

[Adriana! Adriana! Adriana! Adriana! Adriana! Adriana! Adriana!]

[Why is everyone so obsessed with a 120-year-old grandma in the lore?]

[Because she’s pretty.]

[Is being pretty all that matters? lololol.]

[Of course it is.]

[Now I see why you guys are all fans of the Saintess.]

[Even if there’s a dude pretending to be a girl behind the character, you guys simp so hard just because the character is well-designed, you’d break your backs bowing.]

[?]

[?]

[?]

[?]

[What, lol? Did I hit a nerve?]

[lololololol you clown.]

[lololololololololol.]

[Just type “lol” and move on, lololololol.]

[20==]

[lolololololol.]

[Did that guy just crawl out of some mountain and get internet access for the first time in a month? lolololol.]

[Shh, don’t tell him.]

[What is it, you idiots?]