VTuber RP Is Not a Concept - Chapter 93

In the early days of streaming, I sometimes intentionally avoided this topic. But I knew it was a story I would eventually tell. It would be better to speak directly and prevent misunderstandings when a natural opportunity arose.

[Graduate Student Pia donated 1,000 Jellies!]
[Gasp… I hope I didn’t ask something too deep? You don’t have to answer if it makes you uncomfortable!]

– Tact…
– The question isn’t deep, the answer is…
– What do you expect when you plant landmines after saying we can ask anything!
– Uh oh, I forgot the story was a little dark.
– To be fair, it’s a blatantly bleak setting.

“Don’t worry. It was just a simple question. I wouldn’t have brought it up if it was something I couldn’t handle.”

Beyond my closed eyelids, the flames of the past blazed fiercely.

“The invasion of the Elf Forest happened when I was 14 years old. Flames engulfed the trees as they burned. The lush greenery surrounding the forest turned into red ash and scattered. Along with the sound of bark cracking, the scorching heat pressed down on the air. The smell of blood mixed with the hot smoke stung my nose… I started to suffocate, and my vision blurred.”

– This time it’s a vivid fire experience…
– Did she really experience this?
– At 7, she almost froze to death, and now it’s the opposite?
– She’s been through everything…

“Far away, I could see smoke rising from the World Tree in the center of the forest. It was a truly shocking sight. To elves, the Elven Forest is a safe place protected by the World Tree’s barrier. The fact that even the World Tree was burning felt like a terrible omen.”

I now know how such a thing was possible.

“High-ranking Demons each have unique powers. Noskarr’s power is rift and corrosion. He infiltrated the surface of the barrier with rifts and decayed the structure itself from within.”

Of course, at the time, there was no time to analyze the cause of the barrier’s collapse. Just surviving amidst the smoke and screams was overwhelming enough.

“Yes. Just to survive… More than the mission to protect the forest, I think only the thought that I had to draw my bow filled my mind. That I had to, so I could live. So, I was able to aim my bow without wavering.”

For the first time, an arrow aimed at an enemy, not prey. I described the sight of it piercing the Demon’s eye and the chilling sensation that sent shivers down my spine.

– So this is the Demon first kill.
– It’s kind of brutal that a 14-year-old killed a humanoid opponent.
– Better not mess with her when she raises her spirit bow.
– But she’s pretty good at incorporating clichés, right? lol
– Yeah… Like the first kill reaction.

The arrow, piercing the Demon’s forehead accurately, lodged deep inside, and its body fell backward.

How many have I killed? I didn’t know. I just took a short breath. I was still alive. But I had no more arrows to shoot.

The Demons kept coming.

That’s when it happened.

Among the piles of fallen elves, I found one who was still breathing.

A familiar face, about my age. But pale. The fighting around us was still fierce.

“It was natural since there weren’t many elves our age, but I knew him. It was Barues.”

– Who?
– Probably a member of the purification ritual group.
– Right… One of the names she mentioned in the 24-hour broadcast.
– How do you remember all this? Are there really people who delve this deep into her stories?
– FYI: Leah’s storytelling style, which leaves room for speculation and interpretation, attracts a niche fanbase.
– Aren’t you that niche fan?
– There really are all sorts of people in the world…

I hesitated for a moment. If I wasted time taking care of him, we might be caught by the Demons. But… if I left him like this, he was done for.

My deliberation was short. Supporting Barues’s body, I crouched between the fallen trees.

A strong wind blew, and small spirits brushed past my skin.

The spirits were reacting.

“Right now, keep us hidden.”

– ??
– Suddenly Elvish?
– It’s not Elvish, it’s gibberish~
– I don’t know what she’s saying, but the atmosphere is there.

“That was the spirit language. I asked them to hide us.”

The flow of the wind changed. The flow of sound distorted, and I felt the Demons heading elsewhere.

For a brief moment, I was alone with the collapsed Barues.

“I carefully lowered myself to the ground. He was breathing, but shallowly and unsteadily. Lacking any proper healing methods, I could only try to stop the bleeding from the large wound in his side.”

Suddenly, Barues slowly opened his eyes. His hazy pupils, reflecting the red flames, focused on me.

“It’s you…”

Recognizing me, he spoke with trembling, blood-stained lips.

“I… haven’t apologized yet…”

Was he one of the elves who hadn’t apologized? But that didn’t feel important at all now.

“It’s okay, that’s all in the past.”

A pale hand reached out slightly towards me.

“Sor…ry… I wanted… to hear…”

But before it could reach, his strength gave out, and it fell to the ground.

Rustle.

A Demon’s shadow emerged, splitting the flames. A large spear glistened, dripping with blood. The spirits couldn’t distract the Demons for long.

The Demon’s rough breathing echoed in my ears. I tried to draw my bowstring, but it was already empty. My fingertips traced the empty bowstring.

I felt the sensation of Barues’s cooling body stiffening.

At that moment, a Demon swung its large spear.

I dodged instinctively, raising my bow –

Fwoosh…

The wind that brushed against my skin. The small flames that danced with the fire. They flickered at my fingertips. A transparent energy momentarily clung to my fingertips.

I immediately drew the bow. And shot a non-existent arrow. In an instant, with the sensation of the bowstring being drawn, a transparent form traced the trajectory of an arrow and appeared.

An arrow without form or weight.

But it was intertwined with a powerful flow of spirit energy.

The Demon’s eyes widened, but it was too late.

The transparent arrow released from my fingertips pierced the Demon’s chest precisely.

Thud.

Its massive body collapsed.

“Until now, imbuing arrows with energy and shooting them was all I could do. This was the first time I created an arrow made of pure spirit energy.”

– Whoa.
– Leahmon~ Evolution!!
– I think relying on power-ups in times of crisis is a bit of a cheap plot device…
– It’s fine as long as it’s cool.

As some Pia pointed out, I often experienced unexpected surges of power in moments of crisis, allowing me to survive. Survival instincts? Adrenaline rush? I could give those as reasons, but…

Thinking about it now, this expression was the most accurate.

It was my destiny.

“Shooting arrows with only spirit energy isn’t always good. It’s powerful, but it drains me quickly. As I fought through the Demons, my stamina quickly depleted.”

I caught my breath. The fighting was sporadic. Elves were resisting here and there, but the Demon ranks remained unbroken.

And at some point —

I felt an intense magical energy.

I realized the battlefield was gradually converging on one point. Instinctively, I turned my gaze towards it.

“…Father?”

A group of elves was visible in the distance. Among them, I saw a familiar silhouette. He, along with other elders, was facing a single being.

Noskarr.

A massive body composed of shimmering, dark blue darkness.

Someone who exuded a suffocating pressure even from afar.

Boom! Bang! Bang!

Sparks from their clash scattered in all directions, a fierce magical battle where trees were uprooted by the mere flow of magic.

There was no opening to intervene.

Then, Noskarr unleashed a burst of power.

“Uwaaagh!”

“Ugh…!”

The elders’ bodies contorted as they were forcibly flung into the air. Some screamed as they crashed into rocks, others lost consciousness and collapsed.

There were some elves who barely managed to hold on. In my sight, I saw only one elf among them.

He was holding a staff, trying to maintain his magic. But his fingertips were already turning black.

Corrosion was spreading.

And the next moment –

“Futile struggles.”

Noskarr raised his hand.

It split open.

A deep fissure appeared in my father’s chest. In an instant, the gap widened, and his flesh and bones scattered as if corroding.

No blood flowed. Looking down at his chest, my father let out a short breath.

“Ah…”

And then, he collapsed.

“……!”

My mind went blank.

I have to shoot now. But that thought didn’t come.

My body reacted first. Instinctively, I ran towards him.

Under the cracked mask, with streams of blood flowing from the eyeholes, a low chuckle escaped.

“Foolish child.”

He slightly raised his hand, and space distorted once more.

Thud!

The air pressed down. My body was forcibly stopped.

My breath caught, and my limbs stiffened.

“Kghhhh…”

Under his control over space, even the groaning elders couldn’t move rashly.

Noskarr slowly walked towards me.