The Villainess VTuber Rips People Apart

[Virtual VTuber Gallery]

[Live Broadcast] Louis Participation - Isn’t that Anna?

(Screenshot of the stream)

The enemy Arcane Engineer’s ID is V_ShirokiAnna.
Isn't that Anna?

[Comments]

• It’s definitely Anna, lol.
• Why is Anna there? Lolol
• Anna’s always been a fan of Louis.
  • (Author) Really?
  • She’s mentioned Louis on her streams occasionally.
  • Also, there’s never been an overlap with Louis’s streams before.
• Anna’s like a super famous Louis cartel member, but the new viewers are flooding in, lol.
• But isn't that the guy with the memorized build?
  • (Author) ? What are you talking about?

[General] The guy with the memorized build is that notorious low-level bully

(Screenshot from Choi Chang-young's stream)

(Screenshot from Louis’s stream)

Our commander got totally destroyed by that bastard.

[Comments]

• What’s the story?
  • (Author) The guy’s known as “Glory of the Ducal House” <- notorious low-level bully.
• Go to the Labyrinth Gallery.
• Why are you discussing Labyrinth Gallery drama here?
• Who cares.

[General] That ‘bastard’ was a Louis fanboy? Lolol

And he’s part of Louis’s cartel? Lolol
That’s hilarious, lololololol.

[Comments]

• What’s worse is that even the martial artist left, lolol.
  • (Author) What a troll, lol.
  • “Winning the match is less important than Louis-chan winning~”
  • Louis’s cartel is seriously loyal, lol.
• When someone like that joins the stream, it’s so boring, lol.
  • (Author) For real, lol.

[General] Stop trolling in participation streams

As if it wasn’t enough that you’re the only one with a Korean name, drawing all the attention, now you’re doing these lame trolling stunts—people from other countries are going to trash-talk us.

Even overseas VTubers occasionally check the gallery. Lowering the gallery’s reputation does no one any good.

Especially since Louis once sent a New Year’s card to a fan from here, you should be careful.

[Comments]

• What’s this about a New Year’s card?
  • (Author) Louis used to be super strict with fan management in the early days.
  • She sent a New Year’s card to a Korean fan???
  • (Author) Yep.
  • (Author) There were even proof shots posted in the gallery.
  • Wow…
• Of all people, why mess with Louis?
• The gallery’s reputation is already trash; making it worse isn’t a big deal, right?
  • (Author) The issue is that it could lower the perception of Korean fans even more.
  • (Author) These little things can lead to anti-Korean sentiment and potentially get Korean content banned.
  • Oh, I didn’t realize that was a problem.

[Live Broadcast] Louis Participation - But if we just take down the boss like this, won't it be over?

Why is Louis chasing them down?

[Comments]

• True.
• They could just ignore and take down the boss, right?
• Can't try it because the Arcane Engineer’s still alive.
  • (Author) Why not?
  • If the Arcane Engineer pops their ult, the boss's location will be revealed.
  • Then when Louis tries to take down the boss, the Arcane Engineer could ambush.
  • (Author) Even if they ambush, won’t Louis win?
  • It’s riskier to be ambushed during the boss fight than to chase them down and secure victory.
  • If a team fight is inevitable, it’s better to go with the latter.
  • (Author) Oh, I see.

[In elementary school, I used to jump rope during every break.]
[It wasn’t that I liked jump rope. I was just an outcast in the class.]
[It was hard to stay in the classroom, so I pretended to practice jump rope.]

Anna’s reason for becoming Louis’s fan was trivial. Those three sentences were the beginning of everything.

A VTuber with 400,000 subscribers, Hanabane Louis.
In truth, she’s an outcast.

You can tell just by listening to her talk. She has flaws in her personality and lacks social skills.

That’s probably why Anna liked her.

She’s not perfect, but she’s a hard worker, and someday, she’ll find happiness.

What kind of ending would that be?

Curious about that, Anna became one of Louis’s viewers.

Tap, tap.

Footsteps.
Anna quietly held her breath.

As she peeked from behind a pillar, she saw the enemy team approaching from afar.

‘Just as Sensei predicted, they’re coming after me…’

When she abandoned the martial artist, she thought, What kind of person would do that? But seeing everything unfold as predicted, she realized they were indeed good at the game.@@novelbin@@

Most of the sewer map consists of one-way paths.

And where Anna was hiding was one of the few places not included in those “most.” It was the place where all the sewage gathered, the widest area in the sewer map.

That’s why they had sacrificed the martial artist.
The Arcane Engineer was at a disadvantage in a cramped map, so they needed time to move to a more spacious area.

‘But it’s still a disadvantage…’

On the opposing team, the Cavalier, Dual Swordsman, and Beast Tamer advanced forward. Meanwhile, Louis, playing the Enchanter, Bard, and Puppeteer, subtly retreated.

They were definitely wary of her.
They knew the Arcane Engineer had the advantage in a wide area.

Click, click.

In the vast chamber, the sound of leisurely footsteps echoed loudly.

Emerging from the shadows was black armor. And a sword with a blood-red blade.

The Dark Knight.

Laura stood alone before the enemies.

Bang!

As Laura revealed herself, the enemies moved into action.

The first to charge was the Cavalier. Using superior mobility, they rushed toward Laura. They attempted to pin Laura down with a crowd control attack, but a wall suddenly erupted from the ground beneath them.

Crash!

The Cavalier collided with the <Wall of Lamentation> and was sent flying. Seizing the opportunity, the Beast Tamer, riding a giant wolf, charged from the opposite direction.

But Laura dodged the snapping jaws with a smirk.

Waiting for her on the other side was the Dual Swordsman, already swinging their swords.

Clang!

Laura parried one of the swords, lowered her stance, and slid under the wolf's legs. The wolf became an impromptu shield, blocking the Dual Swordsman’s follow-up attack.

…She’s fighting so well.

Despite being outnumbered three to one, she wasn’t being pushed back. It even seemed like Laura was the one exerting pressure.

Perhaps feeling they couldn’t let things continue like this, the enemies unleashed their skills, intensifying their assault. The Enchanter enchanted the Dual Swordsman’s swords with magic, and the Bard played music that boosted their team’s mobility even further.

And then, Louis, who had been observing, brought out her puppet.

The Cavalier, Beast Tamer, Dual Swordsman, and now the puppet—four of them in total. With buffs applied, even Laura began to suffer from minor hits.

“You’re a monster….”

The Dual Swordsman, fighting Laura, muttered.
Laura’s armor bore some marks, but none were significant. She had purposely taken only minor attacks.

On the other hand, the Dual Swordsman, who had clashed blades with Laura several times, seemed to be bleeding more heavily.

“Killed a few neutral mobs, and you can endure this…?”

They were all shocked.

But Laura simply smiled silently.

“Fortunately, the enemy doesn’t have a team with strong crowd control. So I should be able to hold out for a while by myself.”
“One or two… If I do well, I can take down up to three on my own.”

Anna recalled what Laura had said earlier.

“But I can’t take them all down.”
“They’re not stupid. The Dark Knight is good at mud fights with area debuffs, but it lacks killing power.”
“So you’ll have to finish it.”

“Begin, Anna.”

Laura’s voice came through the Discord voice chat.

As her eyes flashed red, the surroundings plunged into darkness.

The Dark Knight’s ultimate, <Devouring Darkness>.

Its effects were as follows:

For a set duration, the Dark Knight creates an area of darkness around themselves.
All targets, including the Dark Knight, caught in the darkness are inflicted with the “Dark Vision” debuff and take damage over time.
However, the Dark Knight does not take damage over time, and all of their healing effects are amplified during the ultimate’s duration.

‘The value of this ultimate is truly immense.’

Not a hand or foot could be seen.
In fact, nothing at all was visible.

It was the epitome of a mud fight.

There was a reason they were called “Dark” Knights.

“…<Unboxing>.”

Anna activated her ultimate.

For just 10 seconds, Anna touched the realm of the gods.

“Once I use my ultimate, everyone will be on guard for you.”
“So don’t shoot.”

Anna moved silently.

The enemies already knew that the Dark Knight’s ultimate could be countered by the Arcane Engineer’s ultimate.

In this pitch-black situation, Anna, who had activated <Unboxing>, was the only one unimpeded by the darkness. So the enemies were undoubtedly prepared for her support fire.

But instead of shooting, Anna entered the battlefield.

She moved forward.

This wasn’t typical behavior for a long-range dealer.
Which meant no one could predict Anna’s actions.

Thus, the Enchanter couldn’t have imagined that the Arcane Engineer would approach them.

Bang!

A short gunshot rang out.

A point-blank headshot.
The Enchanter couldn’t grasp what had happened, even in the moment of their death.

And why would they? They had retreated with Louis to avoid the Arcane Engineer.
The last thing they expected was for the Arcane Engineer to sneak up and kill them at close range.

‘…From here, it’s uncertain.’

Ten seconds had passed, and the duration of <Unboxing> ended.

Once again, darkness shrouded her vision, and Anna was left in the dark.

For humans, the unknown always brings fear.

Knowledge brings comfort, or sometimes, regret.

Click.

With a slightly trembling hand, Anna aimed her gun.

She pointed it in the direction she felt was right, but she couldn’t be sure what was at the end of her aim.

Maybe Louis was waiting there, or perhaps she was targeting the Bard who had been with Louis.
Or maybe there was nothing at all.

There might be nothing to gain from knowing.
Knowing could only lead to regret.

But what could she do?
She had already learned too much.

Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat!

Anna fired her gun.

As the magazine emptied, the Dark Knight’s ultimate seemed to end. The darkness lifted, and the horrifying scene gradually came into view.

“Cough….”

The Puppeteer—Louis—had taken a bullet to the stomach.

Beside Louis, who was coughing up blood, the Bard was trapped in <Bind>.

Louis had likely tried to respond to the ambush with <Bind>.
But unable to pinpoint Anna’s location, she had cast <Bind> in the wrong direction.

And this was the result.

Anna knew about Louis, but Louis knew nothing about Anna.

Of course.
Viewers always know a lot about VTubers.
But VTubers rarely know much about their viewers.

“I’ve been a fan for a long time.”

Anna pressed the muzzle of her gun against Louis’s forehead.

I wanted to know your happiness.
I wanted to know your ending.

But while I know you, you don’t know me.

The fact that I should remain just an observer.
That I wouldn’t be part of the ending you create.

Maybe it’s been bothering me for a long time.

Perhaps that’s why I’ve gone to such lengths to meet you.

“I admire you very much… So please die.”

Bang!

Anna pulled the trigger.

If fear is in the unknown, and comfort comes from knowledge,
Then being recognized is undoubtedly a joy.

Hanabane Louis collapsed, now just a corpse.

As she looked down at those eyes, which had been staring at her in shock,
As she gazed at the eyes that now reflected her image,
Somehow, a smile began to creep onto her face.