Chapter 285: Rebranding
“Absolutely unbelievable. Completely disrespectful to the spirit of the tournament.”
“Are they even taking this seriously? Or are they trying to act out some sort of lore-related play? I can assure you, something like that won’t do anything to stop Seraxus.”
“From this, to how he’s inadvertently told the world how to empower the sword of hatred, I can’t help but feel that Aegis is here just to make things worse.” Two VGN broadcasters were now shouting out down at the arena from atop their performance platform, elevated above the rest of the audience. Their voice amplification magic items ensured they were heard clearly over the boos roaring from the audience in Aegis’ direction.
Aegis ignored it all, marching out of the arena with his companions following closely behind him.
“Can’t believe they actually just forfeited…” Pyri sighed to herself, twiddling her fingers after fastening her staff to her back.
“They’re putting a lot of faith in us,” Lina said.
“Yeah…” Rakkan mumbled as he briefly glanced across the arena to watch the Schadenfreude players disappear through the door on the opposite site of the arena.
Hae-won positioned herself above Aegis's party's door out of the arena from the stands to shout down at them. “What the hell was that?” She was being prevented from entering the arena by the transparent blue magical wall that separated the audience in the stands from the actual arena down below, but this didn’t stop her from banging on it angrily and glaring down at Aegis’ group.
Aegis rolled his eyes at her. “It’s not like I told them to do that.”
“You’re not giving me a lot to work with here. Those guys are having a field day. How am I supposed to shoutcast a forfeit?” Hae-won yelled in annoyance. Aegis shook his head dismissively towards the VGN casters. “Forget about all that, those guys are not important. What happened to Yumily?”
“You’re not gonna believe it, but she joined Fanta-See.” A sly smirk grew across Hae-won’s face. “Thanks to yours truly.” She added, proudly pointing to herself.
“What?” Darkshot replied with wide eyes of disbelief.
“Seriously?” Pyri added.
“I meant, has she figured out a way to deal with the Sword of Hatred?” Aegis pressed her, as he saw himself running out of time to converse with Hae-won - the next match was starting soon.
“This guy…” Hae-won shook his head at him disappointedly. “WE have a plan. Don’t worry.”
“What do you mean, we?” Aegis raised his eyebrows.
“I’m helping her, of course. Since she’s part of the network now.”
“But you’re level 10.”
“Yeah, but you said levels don’t matter for this, right? Remember? When we were flying here on the dragon?”
“I did say that, but how are you helping Yumily? She’s an idol on her own, isn’t she?” He continued to look at her with raised eyebrows.
“I’ll have you know that before I was a broadcaster, my sister and I underwent idol training together. I was a bit of an idol myself. In my younger years.” Hae-won replied proudly while putting her hands on her waist.
Aegis gave her a look of disbelief, which immediately angered Hae-won. "Really?"
“Yes, really.” She huffed back at him in annoyance. “Don’t worry, we've got this handled.”
“You’re not making Yumily do anything weird, are you?” Darkshot asked Hae-won with the same disbelief Aegis had, annoying her further.
“I don’t wanna hear that from you idiots. Shut up and go to your waiting room.” Hae-won snapped at them angrily while motioning them to keep walking forward, into the door underneath her.
“She’s totally making her do something weird,” Aegis whispered to Darkshot as they complied, leading the others in through the door as it closed behind them. Once the doors shut with a grinding slam, they were left in the light of the mounted torches on the walls. They continued to illuminate them until they arrived in the waiting area, where the three screens displayed the arena.
“Do you really think Yumily’s going to be able to pull it off?” Lina asked Aegis as he took a seat on the bench in the waiting room beside her, the others doing the same shortly after.
“By now, I think Hae-won would’ve explained it and Yumily should understand how it works…” Aegis took a deep breath and leaned forward, watching as two doors in the arena opened and the next groups of competitors walked out. One of the groups was Seraxus’ party, and the other a party of PvP players hailing from Savringard, though not members of VGN or related to Makaroth’s guild in any way.
“You can’t remove an emotion from someone. It’s nearly impossible, especially on such a large scale. Everyone will always harbor hatred for Seraxus for the things he’s done.” Aegis explained.
Rakkan clenched his fists. “Damn right.”
“Then what use is it to even try? Yumily’s not gonna be able to pull off a miracle.” Darkshot replied.
“You’re forgetting how sim-boxes work. Aegis explained it already, right?” Pyri said.
“Well, kinda, I get how they work, but how does that help us?” Darkshot replied.
“Like I said before, a sim-box is reading our vital signs and predicting our current dominant emotion. Because our vital signs only output one pattern at a time, it can only predict that we’re feeling one thing at any given moment. Therefore, Yumily doesn’t need to remove hatred from everyone’s hearts, like she tried to do earlier by making people sympathetic…” Aegis explained.
Lina jumped in to explain the rest. “She just needs to make everyone feel a different emotion, more strongly than hatred. If she can do that, the game won’t empower the sword anymore, because it won’t feel the hatred coming from the players.”
“Will that work for the NPCs too, though?” Rakkan asked.
“Possibly. I mean, they are AI running on the same system. They may also be only outputting a single dominant emotion at a time, regarding how these Avatars work.” Aegis shrugged.
“How can you be sure it’s going to work like this? It seems a little iffy to throw Yumily out there to try and stop hatred with so little information on how these Avatars work…” Darkshot added while scratching his chin, pondering Aegis’ explanation.
“When I did my recent quest to save the Silver Dragon, I had to remove a fragment of fear from her body. It was feeding off my fear by scaring the hell out of me. When I beat it, I was still absolutely terrified, but at the same time, it did something that pissed me off. I got more angry than fearful. I was still afraid, but the game detected my anger over my fear, so the fragment lost its power.” Aegis said while looking at Darkshot.
“I see…” He nodded as if he understood, but still had a look of confusion on his face. “But you said it’s a lot easier to spread negative emotions than positive ones. How’s Yumily gonna beat Hatred with love, or happiness?”
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
“Well…” Aegis pondered for a moment.
“The first match of our quarter finals is about to begin, and the combatants are already entering the arena. Hailing from Puagas, the reigning champion and favorite of the tournament - the Avatar of Hatred and Warmaster Class player, SERAXUS!” The VGN broadcasters shouted. A mixture of cheers and boos erupted throughout the stadium.
Seraxus was strutting through the arena proudly, his solidified black wings of hatred lightly flapping in the air behind him. A dark, thick mist of black abyssal smoke was emitting from his body, primarily from his sword but also from his eyes, feet, and wings. It caused a darkened area of mist to permeate around him and his party, accentuating the ominous vibe that he and his companions were emitting. Hajax, Gambit, Zuon, and Sylvia all walked behind him with devilish grins on their faces. Their entire side of the arena slowly flooded with the black mist, covering the ground around them. They were blocked only by the blue wall of energy that separated them from their competitors until the match started.
Once he arrived at the edge of the waiting area for his party, he raised his sword into the air and let out a loud, enthusiastic roar, which was immediately echoed by all of his fans in the stands, while the NPCs and other players went silent.
“His opponent, a longstanding competitor in these gladiator tournaments, hailing from Savringard - Hector the Brave!” The announcers shouted as they drew the attention of the crowds to the side of the arena opposite to Seraxus. There, a large half-orc with much darker green skin than Seraxus was stomping forward, wielding a giant hammer on his back. Despite [Hector - Level 174]’s size, the hammer was still much bigger - almost cartoonishly so. Walking up behind him was a bow-wielding player, a staff user, a battlemaster, and a shield and scepter-wielding cleric class. All of them were above level 150 and had obtained their advanced classes, which caused Aegis to lean in more closely in anticipation of the match, as there was not a lot of gameplay footage yet of most advanced classes engaging in PvP.
“This is not the first time for these two teams to be clashing, and up until now, Hector’s party has never taken a win off of Seraxus’. It may be even harder now, given how ominous those newly obtained wings of Hatred look on Seraxus. At the very least, though, we can expect a good fight. At least better than the last match we watched.”
“That’s for sure.” The other broadcaster replied.
“The match will begin here shortly. Both of these competitors beat their previous opponents in a definitive 3-0, but we may be in for a very good show for this round.”
“Oh, you’re in for a good show, alright.” Hae-won’s voice suddenly overtook the broadcasters as she started strutting up onto the raised platform.
“Excuse me?” One of the broadcasters turned to her, startled. This exchange drew the eyes of nearly all audience members towards the raised platform - both in the arena and those watching live streams at home.
“You’re not permitted to be up here. By order of Daehyun, acting guild leader of Tarolas...”
“Where are the guards watching the stairs?” The two broadcasters glared at her.
Calikgos groaned as he stood up from his seat beside Makaroth, within the audience. “This bitch doesn’t learn.” He marched through the crowded stands towards the raised platform, already placing his hands on the hilts of his sheathed daggers. Makaroth said nothing, but eyed the scene unfolding atop the platform.
“Sorry, I put them to sleep.” A beautiful Yumily, wearing her large pink Kimono, said politely with a shy bow. Only, Yumily was not her name anymore. [Serenity - Level 180] was now floating above her head despite her appearance having not changed. As she said this, a floating pink flute followed along behind her. She stepped up onto the platform behind Hae-won, followed by Kenji, her dancers, and her drummer.
“You’re not a member of VGN anymore. You’re not permitted to be up here.”
“We’re just here to put on a show. We want to help stop the Sword of Hatred and save the island of Tarolas. Don’t tell me that Daehyun, the leading guild master of Tarolas, actually wants to protect Seraxus, does he?” Hae-won replied, speaking into her amplified staff. “Because that’d be terrible. To think that…” Hae-won hesitated as Calikgos, with incredible speed, appeared atop the platform behind the two VGN broadcasters. “After all Seraxus has done, Makaroth and Deahyun would actively be working to protect him. VGN or not, we should all work together to stop evil… isn’t that right?” Hae-won turned to the audience for approval.
“This event is turning out to be more trouble than it’s worth,” Calikgos mumbled under his breath before stomping forward. “All you Kalmoorians have succeeded in doing thus far is making the situation worse. Don’t pretend you’re on the side of justice. You’re just a bunch of kids making a chaotic mess.” Calikgos leaned into the voice amplifying staff of one of the broadcasters, so that all could hear his raspy voice. “Singing and dancing isn’t going to stop the Sword of Hatred, that’s stupid, naive, childish bullshit.”
“You saw, it worked a bit before, right? I was able to make his wings disappear!” Yumily pleaded her case, her voice amplified now by Hae-won’s staff.
“I also saw a big silver dragon and a holy artifact present. Both are just as likely to be the causes of his depleting power." Calikgos replied dismissively.
“Oh, come on, you’re not an idiot. It’s clear how these powers work. You know what we’re doing is going to help everyone.” Hae-won replied in frustration.
“We’ve already entertained you long enough. The match is about to start. Remove yourselves from the platform, or I will be forced to remove you myself.” Calikgos drew out his taggers, prompting Kenji to draw out his staff. “You’ll be dead before you can cast a spell,” Calikgos added as he eyed Kenji’s movements.
“Wait.” Makaroth’s voice suddenly boomed out as he appeared on the stage behind Calikgos and the two broadcasters. Hearing his voice, the crowds went deathly silent, and all eyes turned to him. He paused, feeling the sudden intense pressure from millions of viewers, and a small moment of silence fell over the arena.
“Ya’ll mind? We’re tryin’ to have a PvP tournament down here. Buncha bickerin’ morons actin’ like anything they do is gonna matter.” Seraxus shouted, breaking the silence. His words were followed by laughter from his party, and his fans scattered throughout the arena.
Makaroth briefly turned to glare down at Seraxus, then looked at Serenity, Hae-won, and Kenji, seeing the nervous expressions on their faces. He gently placed his hand on Calikgos’s shoulder to pull him back.
“Put your daggers away. She’s right. We’re on the same side.”
“She’s not a member of our network anymore, Makaroth.” Calikgos hissed.
“Does that really matter? The people of Tarolas are suffering. We should do anything we can to help put an end to this evil. Feng and Synopse are in a primed position to do exactly that. Really, we win no matter what, right? Why not let them try?” Makaroth said while motioning towards Serenity.
Hae-won could feel an odd tension rising in the air between Calikgos and Makaroth. The two glared at each other for a moment without speaking.
“Try whatever you idiots like. You ain't stoppin’ me.” Seraxus shouted up at them as the timer for the match to begin was announced by the robotic female voice of the game system.
“Match begins in 10… 9...”“I’m sorry, but I have to start now. If you are going to kill us, do it, but we’re going to try our best anyway.” Serenity said with a nervous, deep breath. After her declaration, she marched to the front of the raised platform with her 5 dancers, and Kenji began casting several spells with long incantations.
Calikgos stopped glaring at Makaroth and eyed the spells being cast by Kenji, determining their nature. He kept his hands tightly gripped on the hilts of his daggers.
“Let it go, they’re on our side,” Makaroth said, this time more firmly as he tightened his grip on Calikgos’ shoulder, as if to oppose his strength and prevent him from moving. Just as a test, Calikgos tried to wiggle his shoulder free of Makaroth’s grip and confirmed that Makaroth had much more strength on his game character than he did - Calikgos wouldn’t be able to break free easily and attack Serenity even if he tried.
“He’s helping us?” Darkshot asked as they watched the scene unfolding in the arena outside. Aegis and Pyri leaned forward, watching the three screens in front of them in their waiting area.
The question from Darkshot was directed at Aegis, but he ignored it in favor of clenching his fists and gritting his teeth.
“Hector. Please avoid confrontation for a moment. I promise to weaken him for you.” Serenity called out into the arena below, prompting Hector to look up at Serenity in confusion.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, allow me to introduce you to the new and remade Yumily, now known as Serenity. Please enjoy her debut performance!” Hae-won announced into her voice amplification staff. Following this, the sunlight entering the arena abruptly vanished. A black illusory dome appeared around the stadium, encapsulating it in darkness, making it very difficult to see anything.
There were still sources of light, such as scattered torches or glowing weapons from various players in attendance, but for the most part, the arena had become pitch black. A moment later, a bright light appeared around the stage where Serenity and her dancers were standing, and the pink glow of all of her instruments floating behind her drew the eyes of everyone.
“3… 2… 1…”Serenity unequipped her kimono, revealing what could only be described as a two-piece bikini of bright pink and white design. Her dancers did the same, wearing matching outfits that highlighted the feminine features of their female avatars. A moment after they did this, Kenji created a giant illusory version of Serenity and her dancers, making them much easier to see by everyone.
Almost immediately, the tension between Makaroth and Calikgos ended. Their jaws dropped as Makaroth released his grip on Calikgos’ shoulder, and Calikgos let go of his daggers - the two had front row seats to the now nearly naked Serenity and her dancers, as Serenity whipped her hands forward and began playing notes on her floating instruments, which boomed out across the darkened arena.