Season 2. Chapter 135: Veteran vs. Newbie (3)
OrangeKing was puzzled at first. Why would Almond run away from the veteran knight who kept taunting him? Shortly afterward, someone suddenly stood up and shouted.
"No! What's this?!"
The player hurled a bow and quiver at Almond.
“Mom! When I grow up! I want to be Almond!”
“N-No way! Is he part of the nut squad!? What loyalty!! But what’s he saying!?”
The casters couldn’t properly hear because they were spectating from far away.
— What the heck? lol
— Nut squad... I'll remember you!
— What did he say?
Some viewers thought they heard it, but others missed it.
"Can't we replay that?" OrangeKing asked, but there was no time.
Almond immediately turned around and pulled the bowstring. He released an arrow almost instantly after briefly aiming.
"Almond is shooting on horseback!"
The veteran knight blocked it effortlessly, but OrangeKing appreciated the accuracy. Had it not been blocked, it would have pierced his throat.
"Almond turned around to shoot and hit that accurately?!"
Kimchi Warrior also praised the shot.
"Yes, the veteran knight blocking it was inevitable, but Almond’s accuracy was impressive considering he was on horseback!"
"Right! Ah... we just received a report that the veteran knight Salamanka is ranked within the top 200."
"Oh, he’s quite skilled."
"Being in the top 200 means you could also face off in the national competition, right?"
"It’s highly likely."
Despite facing a ranked opponent in the top 200, Almond continued riding and shot another arrow.
OrangeKing was speechless as the next arrow veered sharply and made a hissing sound.
The knight blocked the front, but the arrow curved to his left and pierced his elbow joint.
"He hit!? While riding, Almond shot a curve shot and hit the knight!"
The knight's arm drooped and he dropped his shield.
"His shield!"
Without the shield, the knight was at a disadvantage against arrows.
"The veteran knight speeds up during this critical moment!"
The veteran knight almost closed the distance and raised his sword when an arrow pierced his horse's eye through the only exposed part of its headgear.
"This time it's the horse! It got hit!"
Although the horse didn't die, it reared up and threw the knight off balance. His sword swing missed and the distance between them widened even further.
"They're widening the gap!"
Almond rapidly increased the distance in a straight line. Then, he suddenly turned to the left and shot an arrow.
Clang!
The knight deflected it with his gauntlet, but Almond didn't care and kept riding and shooting. Another arrow ended up getting blocked.
However...
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Almond kept firing more arrows.
"Almond! What's this!? He's rapidly firing them off!"
At some point, Almond started circling the knight in a counterclockwise direction while firing arrows relentlessly. He wanted to overwhelm the knight with the need to block.
"If the arrows don't stick? Then keep firing them!"
— Spinning top strategy;
— Rapid fire is Almond’s style;
— The knight seems totally flustered.
The knight could only desperately deflect the arrows until a certain point. Once the distance widened, it was absurd to catch up while blocking all the arrows, especially with the opponent circling and shooting from all directions.
"Finally! He got hit! In the ribs!"
Once a gap opened, arrows continuously hit their mark.
"Arrows are coming from all sides!"
Moving and shooting constantly changed the origin of the arrows, creating a significant challenge for the knight. That wasn't the end.
"Some of them are even coming in curves!"
Some arrows also curved as they flew.
Almond’s constantly changing position and the arrows from multiple directions varied moment by moment. For the knight, there was too much to consider.
Thunk! Thwack!
More arrows pierced his body.
"He keeps getting hit!"
The knight's horse exhausted its stamina and collapsed. The knight also fell off. Even if he still had his horse, he couldn't approach any closer. The chance to catch up to Almond had disappeared.
[HP: 35%]
His health had dropped below half and the arrows didn't stop coming. The knight tried to cover his only vital area around his neck, but...
"Again! He’s hit!"
Thud! Thunk!
Almond targeted everywhere, but the knight’s neck.
[HP: 14%]
The knight’s health continued to plummet. No matter how high his ranged defense was, being hit like this would lead to death.
"It's a disaster! Is this a veteran knight or a veteran punching bag?"
— LOL
— Hedgehog strategy;
— ??? "Did you know? People die when they're pierced by arrows."
— "Please, finish me..."
Now, shielding his neck became meaningless for the knight. Getting hit anywhere would mean death with just one more strike.
"The only variable now is the number of arrows."
"Right. Since Almond isn’t officially an archer, he doesn't have infinite arrows."
"We can't see how many arrows are left from here. Will the knight wait until the arrows run out or..."
The knight chose not to wait for the arrows to deplete. He tightly gripped his sword and threw it at Almond.
"Ugh! I can't stand it anymore! I refuse to live as a punching bag! Taste my throw of rage as a last-ditch effort!"
"Ah, he couldn't hold back," the commentator said as the knight's sword flew with considerable accuracy toward Almond.
However, as if he had been waiting for this moment, Almond fired three arrows in quick succession.
Clang!
Two arrows collided with the sword, knocking it out of the air and causing a shower of sparks. Those arrows blocked the sword. The remaining one—
Whoosh!
It went straight for the knight, who was staring in dismay.
Thunk!
OrangeKing stood up and shouted with an uppercut, "Goal!!!"
The veteran knight slowly collapsed.
— Wow!
— Applause!
— Why do I feel sorry for Salamanka...?
— That was intense.
— He finally got him, wow.
Thud...
Almond caught his breath as the veteran knight slowly fell.
"Ha... Ha..."
He finally felt a sense of relief.
— This is insane.
— He did it.
— I'm dizzy (literally dizzy from spinning around, it really makes you dizzy, lol).
— Spinning and shooting, lol.
— Madman. Madman.
Riding and shooting required tremendous concentration. It felt similar to playing with LIL’s Flashy Blade regarding the level of focus needed, especially since Civil Empire didn't have the same level of aim assist as LIL.
Almond needed a moment to catch his breath, but the battlefield was no place for rest.
Clip-clop! Clip-clop!
Seizing the moment of his exhaustion, someone charged at Almond.
"Dieee!"
Whether he was seeking vengeance for the veteran knight or on another mission from Brr, this enemy foolishly charged straight at Almond.
Almond reflexively reached into his quiver, only to find...
'Nothing?'
He had no arrows left. Not being an archer meant he had a limited number of arrows to shoot and he used up his last arrow to take down the veteran knight.
'I wasn't counting.'
Only now did Almond realize that defeating the veteran knight had been pure luck. He had been shooting recklessly and forgot to count his arrows.
'Damn.'
The shadow of a sword loomed over him.
Almond's first thought was to dodge, but then─
Whoosh!
A spear flew in from behind.
Thunk!
It embedded deeply into the heart of the charging cavalryman, whose corpse was flung far away.
"Waaaaaal Nuuuuuut!"
The one who killed the attacker was a man screaming from behind.
[Walnutty]
It was Walnutty.
— Crazy Nut lol
— Is this Jensen lol
— I'll remember you!!!
— A hopeful stream sniper episode
— I believed in you! Walnutty!!
He had thrown a spear from far away and protected Almond. Along with his shout, all of BornToB's forces started rushing forward.
"Chargeee!!!"
Numerous spearmen ran past Almond toward the enemy cavalry. Almond watched the scene in a daze.
'This is...'
The tide had turned. With the death of the veteran knight, the enemy completely lost their momentum while his allies were fully energized.
"Kill them!"
"Shake in fear, you losers! Mwahaha!!!"
Like being swept away by a wave, the allied forces swiftly defeated the enemies.
'I also...'
Almond felt he should join the charge. He had no weapon, so he dismounted and picked up a spear before rushing forward. A multitude of troops ran with him side by side.
"Waaaaaa!!!"
The battle cry from BornToB's camp covered the entire battlefield. Their morale skyrocketed beyond the heavens. That increase in morale translated directly into combat efficiency and was what set Civil Empire apart from typical RTS games.
The units here were all individual players. In other words, there were incalculable variables at play because people performed these actions.
Now, all these variables were in favor of BornToB's forces. The momentum continued to swing in their favor as they decimated Brr's forces.
Eventually…
[The enemy commander has surrendered!]
Brr ultimately surrendered.
OrangeKing shouted joyfully after the enemy's surrender.
"Ah~~~! Victory! Victoryyyy!"
"It was truly a great match."
Kimchi Warrior seemed particularly moved by this game too.
"Right?! Even Kimchi acknowledges it! This match was truly something special, everyone!”
— Agree
— Compared to the easy win earlier, this is top tier
— Stream sniper got defeated lol
— Almond! Almond! Almond!
— Professor Oak: It has been revealed that Aalmond is an evolved form of Almond!
While the chat bustled with Almond and his fans in a festive mood, one place felt like a funeral.
'Should I check the group chat?'
It was the stream snipers' group chat.
Kimchi Warrior slyly smiled as he glanced at the chat, anticipating what they might say. At some point, he started to enjoy this process.