The Villainess VTuber Rips People Apart-Chapter 173

Choi Gaho nodded.

"Normally, in ban-pick, it’s most efficient to ban what the opponent handles well and what we can’t handle. But if we can win without banning their signature character, that’s the best scenario."

But, if we lose even one round, we’ll ban the Paladin, Choi Gaho said.

While Gaho and I were finalizing the ban-picks, a duel was taking place on the screen.

[Kahaha! This is thrilling! Kahh!!]

Barubara was laughing while charging forward, even as he was taking hits.

[Hiiiii?! Oh, don’t come…!]

Barubara’s opponent was Gryphon’s 2nd-tier player, Shinomiya Yuki.

The character being played was a mage, and lightning and ice arrows were being shot from the staff.

Even while taking hits from those barrages, Barubara just kept charging forward.

The character Barubara was playing was a Barbarian.

It had the highest crowd control resistance among the Labyrinthos characters, and though its defense was low compared to other tankers, it had several traits that allowed it to endure with little health.

However, the Barbarian’s crowd control resistance wouldn’t last forever, and the time to lose it was approaching.

This is where the mind games came in.

Barubara closed the distance with crowd control resistance and defensive skills, but Shinomiya Yuki still had some CC abilities left.

If Shinomiya Yuki landed a CC ability, Barubara, who had lost both health and skills, would be overrun and killed.

But if Shinomiya Yuki missed the CC, Barubara would land his blows and finish the fight.

The choice for Shinomiya Yuki was──a prediction shot.

Instead of flying straight, Shinomiya Yuki fired a projectile that curved slightly.

Of course... Barubara just ran straight into it.

[Kahaha! Men go straight! Straight!]

[Kyaaak!]

Without a blink, as if he had no intention to dodge, Barubara just dashed forward.

Did they even know there was a mind game here? Could Shinomiya Yuki even recognize the skill shot had several layers of thought and experience behind it?

"...The courage to be hated is Barubara’s strength."

Choi Gaho tried to dress it up, but that was just reckless.

The proof was in Barubara’s words.

[Shinomiya Yuki! A strong opponent! Truly strong! Hahaha!]

It seemed like a compliment to Shinomiya Yuki, but by lifting Shinomiya Yuki up, Barubara was boosting his own triumph over him.

1st Round: Aurora Win

2nd Round: Hanabane Rui Win

3rd Round: Barubara Rian Win

We were winning.

Virtual YouTuber Gallery

[General] If Gryphon wins, free burgers

3:0 win = set

[Comments]

LOLSafe asset EvanLooking at how they’re playing, it’s clear they’re not winning with 3 big hits, they’re about to lose lolNo chance they win lolI bet they can’t even win arcade mode lol(Author) But they won?Arcade mode win though lolJust kiddingJust kiddingWhat the hell...

When you think of Son Nalim, you think of an icon of positivity.

Always high-energy, never broken by anything. Truly a mental monster, as people often say.

But, Son Nalim’s expression on the broadcast screen didn’t seem to reflect that positivity.

They only sent low-tier players lolThis isn’t a win even if they win...They got wrecked..Still earned 3 points~ Let’s have a drink~

In the three duels, Leviathan won all of them, so they earned 3 points.

And Gryphon won in arcade mode, so they also earned 3 points.

It was a 3:3 tie, but Leviathan sent Kirin, Mero, and Sora for arcade mode.

Each team’s 4-6 tier players must participate at least 10 times. They seemed to prioritize fulfilling that condition over winning.

"We’ll start with the ban-pick."

Gryphon’s owner Naive said that.

The duels and arcade mode were just preliminary rounds.

The Gate Capture mode, with 5 points at stake, was the true main dish.

Gryphon was the lowest-ranked team in the Fantasy League, so this Gate Capture mode was a must-win... Son Nalim thought.

"First... we’ll ban as planned. Dark Knight, Berserker, Puppeteer."

Naive said with a slightly unsure voice.

Dark Knight and Berserker were obviously for countering Laura. Puppeteer was to counter Rui.

Of course, there was still the Thief card left for Laura, but that was intentionally left open.

The Thief’s advantages were mainly two: the ability to steal an opponent’s weapon and the reset of cooldowns upon killing.

However, it was easy to counter. Against a character that didn’t carry similar weapons, Thief wouldn’t be very effective.

So, Son Nalim was guiding Laura into picking Thief, which would cause more trouble for her than if she picked something else.

As expected.

"You didn’t ban the Paladin?"

Shinomiya Yuki, Gryphon’s 2nd-tier player, tilted his head.

Leviathan had released the Paladin.

It was as if they were saying, "If you want to play the Paladin, go ahead."

You’re letting the Paladin through against Gryphon?Guess they’re not going for ThiefIs Paladin a counter to Thief?Thief needs to steal weapons, but Paladin’s weapon is just a stick lolWhat the hell is this

"Laura’s pick... is Alchemist."

Aurora showed the Alchemist’s portrait.

It seemed surprising, but not entirely.

To prepare for today’s match, Son Nalim had reviewed Laura’s past Labyrinthos plays, even ones on Anna’s channel.

Back then, Laura had taught Anna how to play Magic Engineer, Alchemist, and Magic Swordsman. One of them had just appeared now.

But I don’t get it.

Alchemist is closer to a support position, and Laura was supposed to be an invader.

Would an invader go Alchemist?

It’s like trying to jungle with a support character, like Sona or Senna in another game.

It wouldn’t go well, but Son Nalim decided to think positively.

The Alchemist doesn’t rely on a sword.

She’d felt that during Dungeon Seeker.

Had she learned fencing or something? The stab attacks she used back then were moves she’d definitely practiced many times.

So, Son Nalim didn’t want to give Laura a "sword-wielding character."

In other words, Laura’s pick of Alchemist meant her carry potential was restrained.

That was fortunate.

There wasn’t yet a character in Labyrinthos who used a rapier.

Maybe one would be added in the future.

"How about it, Nalim?"

"Give me the Paladin."

And so, Nalim picked the Paladin.

The Fantasy League broadcast was on Kaiser’s channel.

Each match had Kaiser as the caster, with one or two pro gamers helping with commentary.

Today, MadMask, the owner of Cerberus, was the commentator.

[The key observation point is the invaders from both teams. Especially Son Nalim’s play, it seems like it will directly affect the outcome of the match.]

MadMask’s voice was calm, unlike his nickname, and he explained the situation.

[This match is centered on Son Nalim. So far, she’s been playing well.]

[After setting the fire trap, she’s just walking around. Is that correct?]

[Yes. It’s standard for Paladins to skip neutral mobs. They don’t have dealing skills, so their hunting speed is low.]

Instead of dealing skills, the Paladin has the exploration skill Resonance and the escape skill Reignite.

So, the Paladin’s basic playstyle is to find the enemy team with Resonance and then escape during combat using Reignite.

[If we’re being blunt, you could say Paladins are a 'disturber' character, provoking the enemy to build up their ultimate gauge.]

Disturber lolHuh? She’s a combat-focused character!So, the ones I saw in the gallery were all Paladins?Even the old Paladin would probably agree with this

As MadMask explained, Son Nalim on screen was just moving around.

It might have looked like a casual walk, but each step was filled with precision.

[The direction is spot-on. She seems to have a good idea of where the enemy’s main force is. Looks like she’s studied the map quite well.]

[Son Nalim has been doing a lot of solo queue practice lately. She’s known for her intensive training.]

By focusing only on the match preparation, even skipping dance practice with Laura, Son Nalim was now much better at predicting enemy positions and movements than before.

So, using the exploration skill Resonance only once was enough.

"Resonance."

Son Nalim used the skill from a precise location.

The little dragon that always fluttered around the Paladin was controlled using Resonance.

The dragon was difficult to control and slow, but since it could fly, it had a wide field of view.

Looking down from the high altitude of the dragon’s perspective, Son Nalim spotted an Alchemist.

[Son Nalim has spotted Aurora. MadMask, what do you think?]

[Doesn’t it raise questions? How is the Alchemist going to escape? How many bombs does she have left?]

MadMask glanced at the map coldly.

[The Alchemist is a unique character. She turns skills into items and accumulates them. The strength of an Alchemist depends on how many items she’s stored.]

The Alchemist has item production skills, Bomb Making – Sun Moon Fire and Reagent Production – Wood Metal Water.

When the game starts, she can produce 3 bombs and 3 reagents, and as the cooldowns reset, she makes and stores more items.

Then, during combat, she releases those items. The number of items released changes the outcome of team fights. If she doesn’t release many, she’s weaker than other characters.

[So, she’s not suitable for invader roles. Every time she hunts neutral mobs, she has to use at least two items, and if that happens, she won’t have enough for the team fights later.]

Son Nalim had anticipated this and started calculating Aurora’s situation in her head.

If Laura hasn’t used any bombs or reagents, she’d probably have 8 of each by now.

But I can see traces of her hunting neutral mobs. It looks like she’s used at least three bombs and three reagents.

That leaves her with 5 bombs and reagents. Her ultimate gauge... is probably about 80% full.

Son Nalim, having completed her calculations, headed straight for Aurora’s location.

Quietly but swiftly.

[Son Nalim is heading toward Aurora. She might circle around to target the main force.]

[She plans to consume the Alchemist’s items. If you use up her items early, Aurora’s carry potential decreases in the later team fight.]

The ultimate plan was an ambush.

The Alchemist primarily fights by throwing items, so closing the distance stealthily was the best move.

Son Nalim took a wide detour, almost to the extreme.

Now, she was about 30 meters away from Laura, who was walking forward unaware, her back wide open.

‘Perfect...’

Believing she had the perfect opportunity, Son Nalim leaped forward.

"Do you know the best way to deceive someone?"

At that moment, Laura turned around with a sudden movement.

Their eyes met.

"The best way is to make them think they’re deceiving me."

Laura immediately threw a bomb.

Son Nalim had expected this, but didn’t anticipate it happening so quickly.

Still, it wasn’t entirely unexpected. Laura had an almost animal-like intuition.

Son Nalim gripped a wooden stick tightly.

One of the Alchemist’s weaknesses was that her items had to be thrown. So, sometimes people with baseball experience could knock away the bombs she threw.

Of course, Son Nalim had never played baseball, but she was a master rank player.

Precise posture.

Perfect timing.

She swung the wooden stick to knock the bomb away──.

"Sora."

Updat𝓮d from frёewebnoѵēl.com.

-Flash!

In that instant, Son Nalim’s vision flashed.

The timing was off, and Son Nalim failed to hit the bomb properly.

-BOOM!

The deafening explosion rang in her ears.

The intense light made her vision blur.

In the white-blinding haze, Son Nalim saw──a figure with a white hood.

"So that’s it..."

The Sacred Knight─Ayano Kouji Sora had been hiding and suddenly appeared. Son Nalim whispered quietly.

A double invader.

It was like a jungling strategy in an AOS game.