The Villainess VTuber Tears People Apart

Blood droplets splattered on my face.

Despite being a game, the depiction of blood was quite realistic. Was it because I had completed the adult verification during registration?

As I subconsciously licked my lips, a metallic taste spread across my tongue.

“Urgh, ugh… Where on earth….”

The man grimaced as he gripped his greatsword.

Even though I had severely slashed his back, he still hadn’t died. I had intended to take him down in a single blow.

He probably had higher stats than me.

The man in front of me must have arrived at the boss room later than I did and fought his way here by defeating the mobs along the way. That difference in growth was evident.

And one more thing.

“You’re a Paladin.”

I spoke in a gentle voice, but the man had no reaction.

Paladin was a character representing the Labyrinthos series.

He had been in a position almost equivalent to the protagonist in the previous installment, and it seemed like he played the main character in this work as well.

And I, Laura Iris, was the Villainous Noblewoman known by the alias “The Noble Villainess.”

As a Villainous Noblewoman, it was only natural that I had quite a few clashes with the protagonist’s party.

As such, I knew the Paladin very well.

How many times have I faced the Paladin over the past ten years?

“Haaah!”

The man, resembling a Paladin, exhaled deeply and swung his greatsword.

Compared to the “Original Paladin,” his swordsmanship was simplistic.

It seemed like the player paired against me wasn’t very skilled, probably because they were a newbie like me.

“Still, I can’t afford to get hit.”

The Paladin I knew was a brute with immense strength. He was the kind of guy who could take down a dragon with a single strike.

It would be the same in this work.

Without any armor, if I took that sword blow head-on, I’d be crushed for sure.

Thus, the fight against the Paladin always came down to how to dodge his sword.

I lowered my stance and closed in.

“Huh?”

The Paladin looked surprised as I advanced instead of retreating.

A greatsword was, by nature, large and long. It also weighed a lot.

So while it could deliver immense destructive power if the attack landed, the risk was equally great if it missed.

Distance.

Dodging the greatsword by a hair’s breadth, I was already closing the gap considerably. Now, how would he respond?

From the Paladin’s perspective, it would be very difficult to counter. After all, he had just swung his greatsword once, and it would be too heavy to swing it again right away.

In the first place, a greatsword wasn’t advantageous in close combat.

It was a weapon meant to overwhelm with its superior reach, so once that distance was lost, it was nothing more than a hunk of scrap metal.

Therefore, the Paladin had no choice but to resort to other methods.

He lifted his right foot to deliver a kick.

*—Swoosh!*

“Aaargh!”

But what went flying was the Paladin’s foot.

That’s because my sword had sliced through his ankle.

The kick was too obvious.

Given that he had already allowed me to close the distance, the Paladin’s response options were limited. He could shoulder tackle, backstep, or kick.

Among those, the likelihood of a kick was the highest.

Having gripped the greatsword tightly with both hands, his arms were hard to use, so his thought process would’ve been to use his legs somehow.

“Is it because he’s a beginner?”

He must have had little combat experience. That’s why his thought process had been so predictable.

Of course, that didn’t mean I planned to let my guard down. Even with one leg lost, the Paladin still had one attack left.

After all, I didn’t have any armor. So if the Paladin somehow managed to drive that greatsword into me, I would die from it.

In reality, the Paladin wasn’t giving up yet.

I could see it in his eyes. The will to land a hit, no matter what, was clearly reflected in them.

That’s why I stepped back.

I could win if I pressed the attack. But there was a 1% chance that I might lose.

So, if I were to pursue a perfect victory, the right move here was to widen the distance again.

With one leg destroyed, the Paladin had lost his mobility.

He was practically no better than a scarecrow now.

So, I circled around behind the Paladin and aimed for his back.

“Oh, shit! This game is f**king crappy!”

Oh my, such praise. It seemed the opponent was a hot-tempered user.

Without his foot, the Paladin had a hard time turning around.

In other words, he had no means of defending his back, so I took his arm.

—Thud!

His arm fell to the ground, and the greatsword that had been the Paladin’s trademark clattered to the floor.

I could have aimed for his neck, but unlike me, the Paladin had been looting on his way here, so his stats were still high. Considering the possibility that he wouldn’t die in one hit, I deliberately targeted his weapon first.

Now, the Paladin had lost not only his mobility but also his means of attack.

All that was left for the Paladin… was perhaps just his teeth.

If he could manage to sink his teeth into my neck, well, maybe he could still win.

But of course, I had no intention of giving him the chance.

I threw away the one-handed sword I was holding and picked up the greatsword that had fallen (which had belonged to the Paladin).

“You’re too much of a beginner to even put up a fight.”

Muttering to myself, I swung the greatsword down at the Paladin.

***

“What… the hell is that?”

Rion, who had been watching, unconsciously held her breath.

She knew Laura was good at games, but she had thought that was limited to PC games.

After all, the required skill sets were different. PC games could be controlled with just a mouse and keyboard.

In contrast, VR games involve using the entire body.

Of course, what was moving there wasn’t Laura’s actual body. It was just a well-made avatar.

So even if a person wasn’t physically fit, they could move decently in a VR game. The game system provided various aids.

But even so, to be good at VR games, a basic understanding of body mechanics was necessary.

How to throw a punch more effectively.

How to swing a sword more efficiently.

That kind of realization wasn’t something that could be achieved by merely running simulations in one’s mind.

You had to physically move and experience it to understand.

So, even if someone was outstanding in PC games, it wasn’t easy to become a dominant force in VR games overnight.

“But what on earth is she…?”

Rion reflected on the past three years.

The three years she had spent living with Laura. …To be honest, she was undoubtedly lazy.

She dumped all the household chores on Rion, often slept in late, claiming that noble ladies never woke up early, didn’t have a job, spent all day lounging at home, playing PC games in her room all day, and needed to hold tea parties a few times a week to be satisfied.

She wasn’t someone who went to the gym either.

And yet, she never gained weight and managed her figure well.

‘…I’m so damn envious.’

So Rion had thought it was impossible for Laura to be physically adept.

She didn’t believe she could handle combat well, especially one that required physical involvement.

…That’s what she had thought.

Though her opponent was a beginner, Laura’s movements were reminiscent of a veteran.

“….”

There was a certain “feeling” to it.

Of course, compared to Laura, Rion’s gaming skills weren’t that impressive.

So Rion, not being an expert, had no intention of commenting on Laura’s skills, nor did she even plan to.

It was just a strange inkling.

Rion felt as if she was standing at a crossroads of fate.

And sure enough.

♪♬♩♪♬♪

At times like this, timing was always impeccable.

Rion picked up her ringing phone.

【Boss】

The four-letter word on the phone screen.

Rion answered the call.

“Hello.”

[Rion, I’m sorry to bother you so late.]

“It’s okay. I’m in the industry too, you know.”

People in this industry had late mornings and late nights. So late that it wasn’t uncommon for someone to only go to bed at 6 a.m.

Compared to them, Rion led a relatively regular life, but it seemed the boss, who managed everything, was still working at this late hour.

[I heard you want to quit.]

“…Yes.”

[Why is that?]

“Because I realized I don’t have talent.”

As she uttered those words, Rion unconsciously glanced at the monitor.

On the screen, Laura was preparing for the next match.

[Talent, huh. Rion, I don’t think talent is everything in this industry. If you stick it out long enough, somehow, things work out. Just like your seniors.]

“In my opinion, being able to stick it out is also a talent.”

[You’re not wrong. …Are you really planning to quit? Your fans will be very disappointed.]

“Fans….”

Rion’s voice trembled involuntarily.

The moment she heard the word “fans,” she felt like something was choking her.

It was as if she had suddenly become a sinner.

It felt like a weight had been placed under her chin, causing her to lower her head involuntarily.

Being loved was undoubtedly a blessing, but

Sometimes it could be a curse.

Only those who were truly deserving of love could bear that curse.

Or perhaps only those with a talent like iron men.

***

After trying a few more one-on-one matches, I got a rough idea.

There were three main strategies to use in duels.

“Farm and get stronger,” “Ignore everything and just kill the boss,” and “Just go after the other player.”

Of course, depending on the character, new strategies could emerge, and some strategies’ strengths might be enhanced, or their weaknesses reduced.

I quite liked it.

It wasn’t just a game where you clashed purely based on physicality; you had to use your brain to some extent.

So, there was a clear satisfaction when you won by outsmarting your opponent.

“If one-on-one is already like this, the 6v6 battles must be on another level.”

I’d heard that Labyrinthos’s main content was a 6v6 battle mode called “Gate Assault Mode.”

So, I wanted to try out “Gate Assault Mode” as well.

“But I’ve been winning too easily, so I haven’t even gotten to use my skills.”

Maybe it was because I was still a newbie. My rating was set too low, so I could win just by hitting them with basic attacks.

Thanks to that, I hadn’t fully grasped my character yet.

Of course, I had ten years of experience living as Laura Iris. So, I already had a rough idea of what each character’s playstyle was like.

But I shouldn’t put blind faith in my “ten years” of experience.

There would surely be characters whose performance had changed with this new work. If I didn’t know the differences, I’d end up getting hurt later on.

Especially in 6v6 battles, teamwork was crucial.

In that case, I needed to at least know what skills each character had.

“I should force myself to use my skills.”

And I should also carefully observe what skills the opponent used. It was a shame I didn’t get to see any of the Paladin’s skills in the first fight.

With those thoughts, I queued up again.

Unaware of what was happening outside the game.