A Swordsman’s Stream

Chapter 94

JustOneCoin.

He noticed that it was past 7 o’clock, and he had already decided how to handle Sichuan. Yet, he continued to keep Sojun’s streaming on one side.

He felt he had to.

He was curious about what exactly Sojun was aiming for as he interacted leisurely.

‘How will this play out?’

Would Breach attack Wanshan to secure their rear?

In that case, he would end up losing Sichuan, which would be back to square one.

Losing Sichuan was practically a given.

‘If only they had increased the number of rankers who could play in Sichuan and defended it…’

Yesterday.

In the event the Demonic Cult had opted to defend Sichuan instead of Wanshan by investing more resources there, things could have gotten troublesome.

They would have been effectively holding a siege.

If they couldn’t reclaim it within a day and the Demonic Cult managed to hold the region, they would find themselves dragged around by the Demonic Cult.

They could end up wasting a day.

Or even two days.

Eventually, they might lose Wanshan and find themselves reconnected.

However, today, with no additional rankers coming in and Sichuan surrounded, the outcome seemed undeniable.

“Even now, they’re telling people not to defend on the stream.”

Apparently, quite a number of people were following Sojun.

These weren’t just the ordinary users, numbering in the hundreds of thousands, but there were many heavy users who played at least four games every single day without fail.

These users, having enough numbers, found themselves matched with similarly skilled players, thus unable to accumulate many Reputation Points through consecutive victories.

Nonetheless, they were potentially a large and dangerous force if they decided to band together, as their absolute numbers eclipsed those of rankers.

‘Hmm.’

Amidst the spreading sense of unease coursing through him.

-Did the Demonic Cult appear?
-Looks like they’re aiming to reclaim Wanshan. Four people.

The messages popped up, and JustOneCoin’s attention was drawn to them.

Approximately four people had gone.

The reason being, they were contemplating whether, should they see a chance to defend Wanshan, they should proceed to do so.

When the enemy launched an attack, usually, there were two approaches to deal with it.

Either be matched with the enemy or catch another match once they finished.

The former brought greater benefits if they won.

The latter was akin to simply going with the odds.

This time, they chose the former because Wanshan wasn’t necessarily a region they had to secure, so if they won, they could weaken or extinguish the Demonic Cult’s force, and if they lost, so be it.

-Demonic Cult and Unorthodox Faction clashing at a key point.
-One round just finished at Sichuan, preparing for the next match.
-Check the marked places at Jiangxi and Anhui.

‘The Unorthodox Faction needs to be kept in check.’

The Unorthodox Faction, having gained significantly from fishing in troubled waters, presently stood as the unparalleled first place.

Thus, assistance from the Demonic Cult was needed.

Toppling the first place with the combined might of the second and third ranks is an ancient tradition on Earth!

However, there seemed to be a peculiar persistence in the Demonic Cult’s focus on targeting the Orthodox Faction.

Or rather, it felt like they kept prodding it.

‘As if intent on exhausting as much power as possible…’

As time passed, JustOneCoin began to feel the sensation intensifying while those who kept playing games were wrapping up their second matches when he finally spoke up in the chat room.

-Guys, let’s save some of our strength here.

He chose to watch a bit longer.

Then,

“Oh? What are they doing?”

He began to observe peculiar things.

By examining those red markers in the regions bordering the Unorthodox Faction and Demonic Cult, he noticed that game names kept disappearing before matches were made.

“Damn it.”

They could cancel a match.

But both the Demonic Cult and the Unorthodox Faction were doing the same thing.

“Ah!”

He rushed to share this discovery. It was urgent.

If the Demonic Cult and Unorthodox Faction were joining forces, there was no need to even guess what their target was.

The remaining power was only the Orthodox Faction!

“What are they thinking, really!”

A scenario where two joined hands to target one was unlikely to emerge.

The reason? Ultimately, the goal wasn’t to make one party come last but to ensure their faction’s victory.

Moreover, the short duration served as a hindrance to maintaining an alliance.

For maintaining an alliance one had to suitably divvy up the spoils gained while charging a major power without letting it concentrate on any single side, lacking the time to handle it so precisely.

There were 10 days remaining for them to act, and if their opponent betrayed them, they would be left with no choice but to give away the victory.

Making them come in second.

An utterly meaningless second place.

Once, the Demonic Cult’s old room title was “2nd Place Please”, but even they didn’t aim for second.

They would rather come last!

Everyone knew how they frequently ended up doing that.

That was ironically the reason why Demonic Cult users were somewhat popular.

Wouldn’t people rather prefer someone naive yet romantic compared to someone conniving and smart?

Of course, that didn’t mean they weren’t ridiculed.

Anyway…

“Is the Demonic Cult out of its mind?”

Trying to target them in such circumstances?

If the Orthodox Faction vanished here, the Unorthodox Faction would begin from an overwhelmingly advantageous position.

In that case, how many regions did the Demonic Cult have to snatch from the Unorthodox Faction in order to win?

Especially if the regions were numerous, the 14 members couldn’t be effectively dispersed like they saw yesterday, putting the Demonic Cult at a further disadvantage.

Yet they attempted to strike them down.

“Is it really a question of bad blood?”

It didn’t seem like that though.

Moreover…

“What makes the Unorthodox Faction so confident that the Demonic Cult will attack us…”

Ah.

Seeing how the Demonic Cult kept probing the Orthodox Faction, they must have reached a definite belief.

These guys were serious!

They were genuinely determined to take down the Orthodox Faction!

Because when the Demonic Cult attacked the Orthodox Faction, it not only depleted the power of the Orthodox but also their own.

The Unorthodox Faction could still betray them here.

‘It would be best if they did that.’

If that happened, it would mean overcoming a crisis from the Orthodox Faction’s perspective, and the Demonic Cult might face a crisis significant enough to push them out of the race.

‘Would those Unorthodox bastards spare us?’

And it felt like there was something more than just this.

-It’s a relief we discovered it now…
-Why are Demonic Cult guys like this, have they fallen into inner demons?
-The reason why Demonic Arts are dangerous…
-Fortunately, our proud Orthodox comrades attacking Sichuan have stopped playing
-… They vanished.

Suddenly, all the lights on the map extinguished.

A now calm Battlefield.

Like the tranquility in the sky just before a storm rages.

The Orthodox Faction’s chat room likewise froze.

A quietness permeated.

And while those in the Orthodox Faction were tense and alert,

-Streamer-nim lol is also insanely talking about everyday stuff lol
-No seriously, how was someone like that an outcast??? Can’t believe guys wouldn’t go crazy for such a personality lol
-Still, probably much more popular with girls, unlike us…
-You’re banned
-Wait. Guys, check the Battlefield map
-Oh??

“Haha. Looks like everyone’s gone to rest?”

Sojun, engaged with the viewers, chuckled meaningfully.

『Unorthodox Warriors』

-Some Orthodox guys just now seem to have realized? They’ve withdrawn from matching to save their strength.
-It was fun collaborating with the Demonic Cult today
-This Isn’t the Martial World 〈– Couldn’t cancel and got matched in the game LOL
-Veteran warrior couldn’t cancel the match lol
-Well then, shall we go?
-A bit awkward since the Demonic Cult made this happen, but should we betray?
-That’s fine, but wouldn’t taking the Orthodox Faction’s base be more satisfying? lololol
-Agreed
-lolol
-We’re just normally engaging on the Battlefield but look so evil?
-Well, yeah. We are the Unorthodox Faction?
-Shall we then?
-Let’s go

Red spots began to appear on the map again.

Naturally, they were in the territory of the Orthodox Faction.

* * *

-Oh
-Unorthodox Faction versus Orthodox Faction total war lol
-What’s going on? What’s happening?
-Why are there only two red spots!!!
-Demonic Cult! You collaborated with the Unorthodox Faction! The betrayal is real!

Sojun watched the map with keen interest again. It seemed more fun to spectate.

“Everyone, the Demonic Cult will make their move soon.”

The Unorthodox Faction started attacking two places, including one similar to Sichuan, only needing one more region to reach the stronghold of the Orthodox Faction.

Calm.

Even if the Orthodox rallied well, at least one place was bound to be breached.

Sojun began explaining to the viewers what was happening.

Someone would soon summarize this in the community, but many seemed eager to know immediately.

-So, the Orthodox Faction is doomed now? lol
-Oh
-Let’s gang up!
-Unorthodox Faction, let’s not betray each other

『’Elder’ has donated 100,000 won!』
『Did you know? All Demonic Cult strategies are devised by the Heavenly Demon. Today too, he improvised it because the antics of the Orthodox Faction were unsightly!』

When did he say it was unsightly?

Both the strategy and…

It felt oddly connected.

-lolol
-Is this mental and martial prowess combined?
-Orthodox Faction definitely looked unsightly lol

『’By the way’ has donated 30,000 won!』
『If the Demonic Cult and Unorthodox Faction combine their power, wouldn’t they be unstoppable by the Orthodox Faction????』

-Have you seen this Battlefield one or two days only? lol
-There are no friends here, right?
-Joining forces is hard, after all

Right.

By tomorrow, the Unorthodox Faction might betray them if they think the attack on the Orthodox Faction brings more losses.

For instance, if the Orthodox, stubborn or not, tries to get close to the headquarters for a day and then decides to start capturing the regions of the Unorthodox Faction?

When the Orthodox’s headquarters gets looted, the regions they occupied turn into no man’s land.

In that scenario, with the Demonic Cult possibly turning traitor again, the Unorthodox Faction would halt their attack.

Even if they could trust them again, what would the Unorthodox Faction gain by aligning with their plans?

‘That’s why a bigger bait is necessary.’

To summarize the current situation.

Yesterday and today, they exhausted the Orthodox Faction’s resources and made a pre-payment to the Unorthodox Faction, and the Unorthodox Faction had sent a reply to accept it.

In second-hand transactions, pre-payment usually doesn’t favor the buyer.

By tomorrow, the other party might vanish or, when the package arrives, a brick could be waiting inside.

Thus, it’s important to remind the seller that completing the transaction is beneficial, even when pre-payment is received.

They would have grasped the rough picture at this stage anyway.

“For now, it’s about showing possibilities.”

Keeping a metaphorical knife to the Orthodox Faction’s throat to prevent them from doing anything rash.

Allowing the Unorthodox Faction to gaze upon the same board as them.

In that sense, they weren’t safe yet.

‘Time has flown by.’

While discussing, time flew by in the blink of an eye.

-What possibilities?
-Defend Sichuan now
-If they throw everything at Sichuan now, they might succeed in defense!
-We are waiting, master!
-Give us your order!

Defend what?

“No, let’s attack. Toward Shanxi.”

Reaching just in front of Hebei should light a fire under them.