Genius Archer’s Streaming - Chapter 826

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Genius Archer’s Streaming Season 3 Episode 296
96. The Beginning of the End (3)
“Charrrrrrrge!!”
Clop clop! Clop clop!
Coffee and Bread advanced side by side at the vanguard, executing what would be their final charge.
China’s imperial palace lay directly before us.
The cannon fire from moments ago had even cleared a path.
The formation of all mounted soldiers shifted beneath those two.
Whoooosh…!
As she rode, Bread extended the Commander’s blade forward, and white light erupted from her sword’s tip.
That light soon became a long corridor, stretching all the way to the palace entrance.
It was a way of precisely showing where they needed to charge.
Joseon’s infantry pushed their shields forward with all their might to clear the path, driving back the enemies. Those whose weapons had shattered from prolonged combat blocked with their very bodies.
“Push through!”
“Ahhhhh!”
“Crazy! Move! Get out of the way!”
The infantry tangled chaotically, rolling across the dirt ground. Yet the path remained intact.
Thud thud thud thud thud…!
Joseon’s cavalry swept across that corridor in an instant.
The expressions of the Chinese infantry turned ashen in that moment.
“No… this can’t be!”
Their faces became the picture of despair.
“Let’s go!”
Hope and anticipation swelled in the eyes of Joseon’s forces.
But then─
“Kraaahhhhh!”
Someone let out a monstrous roar, swinging an enormous weapon.
──Crash!
Joseon’s cavalry rear guard fell from their mounts.
He had been pursuing them from behind Joseon’s cavalry.
[Guan Yu]
Guan Yu and his cavalry caught up to Joseon’s forces at tremendous speed, striking at their tail.
“…Wh, what!?”
“Stop them! Stop them!”
Now the positions of Chinese and Joseon infantry reversed.
Joseon, who had tried to open the path, now tried to close it. China, who had tried to close it, now tried to open it.
“Pull!”
“P, pull!”
Those who had been pushing each other now began a tug of war.
As the direction of force suddenly reversed, they tangled and fell, and long spears thrust downward toward the ground.
Splurt!
Dark blood streamed across the dirt ground.
In the end, the path opened equally for everyone.
“T-They’re coming! Guan Yu’s cavalry!”
Guan Yu, who held the vanguard, and his elite forces pursued from behind Joseon’s cavalry units, cutting down everything in their path.
Though their numbers were far fewer, their horses moved faster than Joseon’s third-tier mounts, and their armor was sturdier and sharper.
Above all, they were skilled.
Slash!
“Ugh, gaaah!”
“Damn!”
Two more soldiers fell to his blade.
At this rate, I might have to wait for reinforcements before advancing further.
Bread, who was running at the front, deliberated.
‘No matter how favorable the situation is, if we keep dragging this out, the game becomes unpredictable.’
Games that dragged on only to flip in the end.
I’d seen it happen more than once or twice.
‘Guan Yu… attacking from behind of all places.’
I’d expected someone to block from the front, but I hadn’t anticipated him catching up from behind and striking.
When attacked from behind, it becomes extremely difficult for cavalry to respond.
From the front, you can just pass through while swinging your blade, but from behind, you can’t do that.
Since the enemy’s horses are faster, we’re forced to flee while taking hits to our backs.
By the time we reach the palace, my cavalry will be significantly depleted.
Youbi continues to employ a cunning strategy to the very end.
‘What do I do.’
My cavalry unit was dying off one by one.
On top of that, the massive cannon mounted on the palace was now targeting her.
Boom──
The cannonball exploded in front of her, forcing her to change direction.
The entire cavalry unit’s speed decreased.
Then more of my soldiers were cut down by Guan Yu’s cavalry behind us.
“Aaaaaargh!”
Slash!
Another soldier fell as the horse reared.
Bread was confused.
[Advance]
The order remained just those two words.
I had to decide for myself.
‘I don’t know what might be waiting inside the palace…’
Bread glanced behind her.
Maratang, Mok-i, and the elite members of the Inspection Unit were right behind her.
She paused to calculate the odds in her mind.
Then the command came down.
[Dispatch a small contingent of Mounted Archers to the rear]
It wasn’t a direct order on what to do, but rather a reference point for her judgment.
Still, she nodded as if she understood something.
She had grasped why Cookie hadn’t canceled the entry command.
“Maratang! Mok-i! Porter! Seoja Kim!”
She suddenly called out the names of four people.
All four were elite soldiers positioned directly behind her.
“Everyone except you! Turn around and counterattack!!”
“!”
Whiiiish──!
She, along with Coffee and all the cavalry units under his command, wheeled around in unison.
“I’m counting on you.”
Maratang, passing by in an instant, gave a barely perceptible nod.
What contingency measures had been prepared inside the palace was unknowable.
Cookie didn’t know, and even Bread on the ground couldn’t have sensed it.
First, these four would advance as the vanguard and assess the situation.
After that, the rest would deal with Guan Yu’s cavalry and re-enter the palace.
‘If that’s even possible.’
Of course, dealing with Guan Yu’s cavalry was the prerequisite.
It might not be possible.
They might have to wait for reinforcements.
In that case, those four could die inside the palace, but even so, this was the best judgment she could make.
Shing!
Bread drew his curved sword and shouted to his troops.
“You leeches clinging to our tail! Kill every last one of them!!”
“Waaaaaaaah!”
The soldiers, who had been helplessly fleeing, collided head-on with Guan Yu’s cavalry with a battle cry.
Crash!
Naturally, Guan Yu’s cavalry held overwhelming momentum in the initial collision.
The difference in force between horses that had been charging in one direction and those that suddenly changed course.
In the first clash, the Joseon forces mostly tumbled backward.
Roars erupted from the Chinese spectator section.
“Waaaaaaaah!”
“Zha yo!”
But from that moment on, the real battle began.
Shhwaaaack──
Bread, now back in the vanguard position, slit the throat of one Chinese cavalry soldier in a single stroke.
“──Get up and fight!!”
The Swordsmen who fell from their horses quickly got back up and swung their blades.
Horses are immune to ranged attacks, but they’re vulnerable to close combat.
Neeeeiiiigh…!
The plodding Swordsmen rushing from below neutralize the Enemy Cavalry’s horses.
The first row of Chinese Cavalry collapses along with the tumult.
“Waaaaaah!”
“Great! Korea! Nation!”
The roar of the Korean audience erupts.
In that moment, whoosh—
Only Guan Yu’s horse mysteriously weaves past the Swordsmen, severing their necks alone.
—Shhwaaack!
He draws his crescent blade long, grips the end, and wields it with tremendous reach.
“Gack…!”
“Ugh!”
“Insane!?”
This was an attack only possible in a game—utilizing the game’s judgment mechanics to their absolute limit with precision.
In reality, it would be difficult to generate proper force swinging it that way, but here the cutting judgment barely registers.
Fwubububub!
Thanks to that, Guan Yu effectively wielded the longest weapon of all.
Whoooosh—
The great circular space created by him and his crescent blade becomes a forbidden zone no one can breach.
Yet someone stepped into that space.
—Claaang!
“!”
It was Bread’s saber. She carved through the gap and blocked with her blade.
Cling-clang-clang…!
The balance of power between the crescent blade and saber wavers fiercely, sparks flying.
The distance gradually closes.
She draws another weapon from her waist—the Commander’s sword.
Thrust!
“!”
Guan Yu, caught off guard by the unexpected dual-blade attack, takes a hit to his shoulder and retreats.
Bread quickly pursues.
With the distance closed, Guan Yu with his long weapon is at a disadvantage.
An enormous roar erupts from the Korean audience.
“Waaaaaaaaaaaaa!!”
But only for a moment—Guan Yu’s upper body leans back sharply, then rotates powerfully back around, swinging his crescent blade.
Claaang!
“!”
Weighty force is channeled through.
This time, I wasn’t gripping it long like before.
‘It’s different, isn’t it?’
Somewhere along the way, my grip had shortened.
Bread, who had been maintaining the offensive, now had to defend against Guan Yu’s attacks.
Clang!
Clang!
Her horse gradually retreated backward.
Eventually, the distance between them widened again.
After that, Guan Yu immediately twisted the blade of his halberd and switched to a thrust.
“!”
It was a surprise thrust.
Bread couldn’t respond in time.
But then—
“Hraaaaah!”
Someone blocked in front of her and sent sparks flying with a clash.
──Clang!
“A temporary alliance. You mutt.”
“….”
It was Coffee.
‘This bastard?’
They were naturally allies, but we’d rarely actually fought together before.
Even though we shared blood as siblings, it was rare for us to do anything together.
We were always nearby each other, yet we’d rarely done anything as a pair.
At this, Bread muttered curtly.
“We were always allies. You idiot.”
“Ah… right.”
The two split left and right, launching a pincer attack on Guan Yu.
Two curved sabers and two commander’s blades began to drive him back.
Clang!
Clang!
Once the two Assistant Commanders joined in, Guan Yu’s stance noticeably shifted to defense.
His horse continued moving backward, focused on receiving their attacks.
The retreat was unmistakable.
Yet he didn’t collapse.
“What the hell is this guy!?”
“Right?”
At this point, the complexions of Joseon’s two Assistant Commanders darkened.
The battle was dragging on longer than expected.
Coffee in particular was growing troubled.
‘Bread should have finished this in a two-on-one by now.’
Coffee himself might not know it, but Bread is a swordsman capable of serving as the leader of the Inspection Unit.
Considering that she teaches Almond swordsmanship, it was obvious who the true first of Joseon was between Maratang and Bread.
Yet Guan Yu does not fall behind.
Rather, on the contrary—
“Ugh!”
—Whoosh!
He even weaves in attacks that could be fatal.
Guan Yu was not this strong from the beginning.
‘That bastard. What’s this—he keeps getting stronger.’
The longer the fight continued, the more his intensity rose.
His face grew increasingly flushed and his breathing became ragged, and the speed at which he swung his blade accelerated.
He’s the type whose concentration rises as the battle progresses.
But since it’s been evenly matched until now, things will only get harder from here on.
‘He’s not ranked 3rd Place for nothing.’
Coffee acknowledged it.
The enemies were stronger than us.
We had to win using the advantages we currently possess.
Namely, the overwhelming numbers pouring forth from our resources.
He surveyed his surroundings.
He was trying to identify the position of the reinforcements.
‘When will they arrive.’
He was the type who retreated when he had no other method.
But Bread was different.
“Haaaaaah!”
Clang!
As if she had finally ignited, she continued charging with the momentum to drag Guan Yu out of the capsule and beat him to death.
Clang!
‘Is she really going to keep this up!?’
Clang!
Coffee shifted his approach, now subtly obstructing Guan Yu’s sword path while supporting Bread.
With that, things improved slightly.
‘Pushed back…? He’s being pushed back!’
Guan Yu retreats again.
Bread’s blade strikes directly at his chest.
Thud!
[Health 36%]
His health dropped.
‘One more solid hit.’
One more proper strike and he dies.
But Guan Yu changes his grip again.
‘Shorter still?’
He grasped the very center of the crescent blade’s shaft, wielding both ends as if handling two separate weapons.
Whoosh! Whoom!
With the shaft he threatened Coffee, with the blade he threatened Bread.
‘What is this.’
Though my reach had shortened, my skilled horsemanship and dazzling dual attacks made my assault patterns far more varied.
What had been wide sweeps attacking only left and right now erupted from all four directions, and it became difficult to distinguish whether it was shaft or blade.
“Ugh!”
Bread began sliding backward.
Coffee couldn’t even approach.
‘I… I don’t understand… huh?’
That was when it happened.
Someone approaching came into view at the edge of Coffee’s vision.
“Hah…”
As if making a grave decision, he exhaled once and put force into the foot he’d planted on the stirrup.
“I’m going in!”
“Don’t you dare try anything. This—”
Even as Bread said this, he glanced sideways toward him, curious about what he was doing.
“!?”
He was shocked.
Whoosh—
He leaped into the air.
Jumping up from his horse, he hurled his body toward Guan Yu’s mount.
Bread let out a gasp.
“You, you fool!”
Guan Yu would never fall for such a thing.
His crescent blade swung with the intent to cleave him in two.
Coffee raised his sword to block as best he could.
But one suspended in air without ground beneath his feet has no strength.
Crash!
Though he blocked with his blade, that single strike sent him completely out of the battlefield.
He flew far away.
But Guan Yu was not one to end it there.
He immediately pursued and brought his crescent blade down once more.
Bread tried to intercept, but all these movements happened far too quickly.
Whoooosh…!
Coffee dies.
‘What…?’
Joseon loses one Assistant Commander.
‘At this moment?’
From Bread’s perspective, everything unfolded with agonizing slowness.
My mind went blank.
We were almost there.
Here? Now?
Then I saw it.
Between Coffee being mercilessly sent flying and Guan Yu rushing in for the kill, figures on horseback appeared in the distance.
Grrrrrrgh…!
The vanguard of that cavalry unit had their bowstring drawn, aiming precisely at this location.
Behind his gleaming arrow, an even more radiant visage caught my eye.
‘Almond!’
Almond and his mounted archers were pursuing from behind, targeting Guan Yu.
And then, his bowstring released.
Twaaang──!
The arrow left his hand.
It flew with perfect accuracy toward Guan Yu—directly at his eyes.

* * *
One week later.
On this day, Almond’s channel uploaded the tenth episode of the fake national team series.
[Fake National Team ep.10 The Beginning of the End]

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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