NOVEL NEXT Chapter 25: All hail streamer
Standing beside the massive sword was a tall, lean figure clad in black and red suit that had little armour giving a feeling of a seasoned warrior.
The newcomer's presence was overwhelming, his aura radiating strength and determination. The figure grasped the hilt of their weapon with ease, pulling the massive greatsword free from the ground as if it weighed nothing.
Ashley's eyes narrowed behind her mask, her whip coiling around her arm as she assessed the situation. "And who are you supposed to be?" she demanded, her tone sharp, though there was a trace of unease in her voice. "Another greatsword user...this is the second one,"
The armoured figure stepped forward, their voice deep and commanding. "Someone who doesn't take kindly to the Church of Inquisition spilling the blood of my viewers in Thimorian soil."
Mesuna managed to take a quick peek, her legs trembling as she struggled to stay upright. "Who are you…"
The newcomer spared her a brief glance, their voice softening slightly. "You've done enough. Rest now. "
Ashley's whip snapped sharply, drawing everyone's attention back to her. She took a defensive stance, her body tense and ready. "I don't know who you are, but interfering with us is a death sentence."
She didn't understand how this person knew they were from the church of inquisition, but it was her least care right now. If nobody leaves here alive, then she knew there won't be anyone to talk against their church and give evidences about what happened here.
The newcomer didn't respond immediately. Instead, he raised his greatsword, the blade catching the faint light as he pointed it toward Ashley. "The only death sentence here is yours. My viewers are watching me so I can't disappoint them."
Mesuna watched the exchange, her vision blurring as exhaustion began to take its toll. But despite the pain and fatigue, a flicker of hope ignited in her chest. She didn't know who this person was or why they had intervened, but one thing was certain—he had just shifted the balance of the fight.
One thing about this person confused her: why was he talking about viewers? Were there others watching this battle? It was honestly confusing for her to hear his strange way of talking and the things he said.
Ashley's stance shifted, her whip snapping once more as she prepared to face this new opponent. "Let's see if you can back up those words. Those who lack faith in our all knowing mother should be punished."
But she had one question about this newcomer. Who was he? And why did he look like he was constantly trying to appeal to someone? But it didn't take long for her to find answer to her question.
As so many people start to get there as if they are running searching for the last drop of water available on the land. Neither Ashely nor other mages understood how these people found their location but quickly realized it might have to do something with this newcomer.
"ZeroVeil! ZeroVeil! Our lord streamer will win."
"ZeroVeil! ZeroVeil!"
"Clap that bitch! Show her the strength of our streamer,"
Suddenly the crowd started to cheer and some of them even dared to enter the area, so they could touch their beloved streamer.
It didn't take long for the whole place to be engulfed in chaos and Ashely quickly realized this was not going according to their plans.
ZeroVeil had a slight grin on his face, but inside he was fuming with happiness, as he knew his plan worked.
"Ohhhh! Thank god, they showed up! I was about to run away if they didn't show up." He muttered to the voice inside his head, who was dying with laughter. "I'm glad my gamble paid off,"
"Haha! I knew you were entertaining, but to think you are this funny..." The woman was dying inside, but ZeroVeil couldn't help but think he was being turned into a tool of entertainment for this woman.
"I'm glad you're enjoying this...as a streamer nothing makes more happy," Muttering those words, ZeroVeil look at people running toward him and Ashley looking rather conflicted, but he knew he couldn't stop here. He had to make this more iconic and more memorable for his viewers.
He looked at his sister who was on the verge of collpasing, but his eyes quickly went to her sword which was slightly starting to get its runic power back.
He slowly walked toward Mesuna and looked at her with his masked face knowing she wouldn't be able to identify him because of how different he is and gave slight pat on her shoulder.
"Don't worry, brave lady! I...ZeroVeil will not allow anyone to harm Thimoria, as this is home to thousands of my subscribers. For that sake, I will use your weapon and make sure your bravery will be rewarded," He muttered those words, and slowly wrapped his hand around the hilt of the greatsword that was lying next to Mesuna's bloody hand.
To everyone watching—the crowd cheering his name and Ashley glaring daggers at him—it must have seemed like he was a paragon of strength and confidence, ready to crush his enemies.
Internally, however, it was a completely different story.
"Shit, why is this sword so heavy?!" ZeroVeil groaned internally, his masked face giving no hint of the panic that screamed inside his mind. "What the hell did my sister eat to swing this thing around so effortlessly?!"
The voice of the woman inside his head broke into laughter, her tone rich with amusement. "Oh, this is hilarious. The mighty ZeroVeil, dual-wielding greatswords and pretending to be a hero. You're killing me here!"
"I'm glad someone is enjoying this!" he snapped internally. "I can barely lift my own sword, let alone hers! How does anyone fight with two of these?!"
"Figure it out, streamer. Your viewers are watching!" the woman teased.
"If you're done laughing can you do something to help me? Otherwise I would end up laughing stock for these people. I can't lift these two any longer," He asked from the woman, who sighed and opened up the new system that looked exactly like ZeroVeil's streamstone, but with few added features.
Name: Dilhan Ven Londor
Streamer Name: ZeroVeil
Sex: Male
Age: 21
Class: Arcana (#$@#)
Subscribers: 5000
Stream Level: 5
Fan points: 500
Parameters+
Vitality (VIT) : 12
Attunement (ATT): 10
Endurance (END): 12
Strength (STR) : 11
Dexterity (DEX) : 10
Resistance (RES) : 8
Intelligence (INT) : 8
Faith (FTH) : 9
Equipped Spells: None
"Put all your fan points into strength for now. You can one hand both of them even though you will not be able to swing them even one time. But at least you can lift them," The woman advice, as she explained that every 100 points will be one point for him to add to his status.
He did exactly what she asked from him, and looked at the parameters once again, as his fan points went back to zero.
Parameters+
Vitality (VIT) : 12
Attunement (ATT): 10
Endurance (END): 12
Strength (STR) : 16
Dexterity (DEX) : 10
Resistance (RES) : 8
Intelligence (INT) : 8
Faith (FTH) : 9
ZeroVeil forced a grin under his mask, looking every bit the calm and collected warrior he pretended to be. With a dramatic flourish, he raised both greatswords—Mesuna's rune-covered blade in his left hand and his own oversized weapon in his right. His arms shook ever so slightly under the weight, but the crowd was too far away to notice. The cheering only grew louder as people chanted his name.
"ZeroVeil! ZeroVeil!"
"That's my hero! Look he is holding those giant slab of iron like they are feathers."
"How is he doing that? I'm twice his size but it is a challenge lift one greatsword like that,"
Ashley, still standing a short distance away, narrowed her eyes. Her whip coiled around her arm like a snake, and her stance shifted as she prepared for what was to come. Despite the cheering crowd, her focus remained entirely on ZeroVeil. "Another greatsword user," she muttered. "What is it with Thimoria and these oversized weapons?"
ZeroVeil turned his head slightly toward Mesuna, giving her a nod as though to say he was ready to finish what she started. His voice boomed with confidence—well, false confidence—his showmanship now in full swing, but that was only for the people watching him.
"This is insane!" he screamed internally. "I'm going to throw my back out! I think my arms are about to pop off!"
Meanwhile, Ashley turned her gaze toward the old man behind her. "The operation is over," she said sharply. "We're leaving."
The old man's face twisted in anger and panic. "We can't leave now!" he barked. "We're too close to completing the plan. If we retreat, everything will—"
Ashley cut him off, her voice laced with authority. "Will you take responsibility for the chaos that's brewing here? Look around you!" She gestured toward the crowd of people gathering closer, cheering loudly. "If I stay here any longer, I'll have to massacre every single person in this square, and that's not what the all-knowing mother would want. There are humans here, too."
The old man grumbled, clearly reluctant, but he knew she was right. After a moment, he turned to the other mages. "We're retreating. Begin the teleportation spell."
Ashley didn't lower her whip until she saw the glow of teleportation magic enveloping her allies. She glanced back at ZeroVeil one last time, her masked face unreadable. "You got lucky today, streamer," she said coldly. "But this isn't over. We'll meet again."
With that, she disappeared into the glowing magic, leaving ZeroVeil standing in the square, both swords still in his hands.
The crowd erupted into cheers, rushing forward to surround ZeroVeil. People shouted his name, their faces glowing with admiration and gratitude. Guards arrived shortly after, trying to push the crowd back and regain order, but the chaos only grew.
ZeroVeil, still smiling despite the searing pain in his arms, raised one of the swords high. "People of Thimoria!" he called out, his voice booming. "This is not the time to celebrate. Every second we waste here, our fellow Thimorians are in danger. Help each other. Protect our home!"
His words sent a ripple through the crowd, and many of them nodded, rushing off to assist with the aftermath of the attack. Satisfied, ZeroVeil turned back to Mesuna, kneeling beside her. He placed her greatsword gently by her side, patting it fondly.
"This is a fine weapon," he said softly. "It's no wonder you wield it so well."
Mesuna stared at him, her exhaustion fading slightly as a newfound admiration glimmered in her eyes. "Who… are you?" she managed to ask, her voice weak but steady.
ZeroVeil grinned beneath his mask, rising to his feet. "Just a streamer trying to protect his subscribers."
And with that, he turned and bolted, disappearing into the chaos before anyone else could stop him.