Mr. 5, slightly panicked, immediately pulls out his special .44 caliber 6-shot revolver. He opens the cylinder, breathes into it, closes it again, cocks the hammer, and instantly fires all six shots into the air against the incoming arrows.
“BREEZE BREATH BOMB!”
EXPLOSION SOUNDS
EXPLOSION SOUNDS
EXPLOSION SOUNDS
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EXPLOSION SOUNDS
Six deafening explosions erupt just above Mr. 5, sending shockwaves through the air. The villagers, players, and even Mr. 5's subordinates are momentarily frozen by the chaos, their senses overwhelmed.
Amid the destruction, one wobbly arrow, fired a second too late by Alex, somehow escapes the blast radius. It falls in a lazy arc, piercing Mr. 5’s sunglasses and embedding itself deep into his left eye.
You have dealt 17 x 3 = 51 damage to Mr. 5.
Alex can’t believe his luck as he sees the notification pop up. With 5 PHY, Mr. 5 should be dead from that shot alone. But instead, he remains standing, blood pouring from his eye. Roja was right—this guy's durability is off the charts. His unknown special skill has enhanced his survivability to absurd levels.
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!”
Mr. 5 lets out a bone-chilling scream.
“You lowly mercenaries! I will kill you and rip your bodies apart!”
He glares, his voice full of venom as he orders his subordinates:
“Millions, Billions! Take care of the villagers. If possible, take them in alive. If not, slaughter them. I’ll deal with these mercenary scum myself!”
The man is a walking bomb, and the group can only brace for the worst. Mr. 5 plucks a booger and, with a wicked grin, flicks it towards the southern palisade.
“NOSE FANCY CANNON!”
“DOWN!” Alex screams, pulling whoever’s close enough behind cover.
The explosion sends debris flying, splintering wood from the barricade as a few unlucky villagers are caught in the blast, flung back in pain.
But Mr. 5 isn’t done. “BREEZE BREATH BOMB!”
EXPLOSION SOUNDS
EXPLOSION SOUNDS
EXPLOSION SOUNDS
EXPLOSION SOUNDS
EXPLOSION SOUNDS
EXPLOSION SOUNDS
The barrage of explosions tears through the air again, reducing the remaining barricade to ash and smoke. Alex coughs, wiping dirt from his face as he tries to make sense of the chaos. The village militia is locked in battle with the Millions and Billions, but something feels off. The agents aren't killing indiscriminately, almost as if they’ve been ordered to take prisoners. Still, the villagers are holding the line, but it’s Mr. 5 who’s the real threat.
Through the thinning smoke, Mr. 5 steps forward, blood dripping from his damaged eye. He looks more like a demon now—furious, injured, but far from defeated.
“I’ll torture every single one of you until you beg for death!”
Again, he pulls out another booger, aiming directly at Alex’s group.
“NOSE FANCY CANNON!”
The group scrambles to dodge as the booger misses them by inches, exploding against a nearby house. The force of the blast sends Joe and Mike, who were standing closest, flying backward. Wood splinters and debris pierce their bodies before they crash to the ground, motionless.
Alex’s mind races. His thoughts are a blur. “That could’ve been me…” He feels his legs go weak. “Are they dead? What do we do?”
Thato’s voice snaps him back to reality.
“CALM DOWN! RETURN FIRE! SHOOT HIM!”
Alex, shaking off the shock, loads another arrow and fires. Perlah and even Eirini follow suit, their arrows whistling toward Mr. 5. He dodges with surprising agility, but Perlah's arrow grazes his arm, drawing blood.
“DAMN WITCH! YOU’LL PAY FOR THAT!”
Suddenly, Patricia pulls out her woodcutter’s axe and hurls it at Mr. 5 with all her strength. The heavy blade spins in the air, forcing him to dodge to the side, but Thato is already in front of him, swinging his own axe with full force.
Mr. 5 barely manages to evade, the axe only grazing his back. He turns just in time to see another volley of arrows coming his way, Alex, Perlah, and Eirini all firing in sync. Eirini’s arrow hits his lower leg, drawing a pained grunt.
But Mr. 5’s fury is far from spent.
“KICK BOMB!” he roars, delivering a brutal kick to Thato's chest.
EXPLOSION SOUND
Thato is sent flying backward despite holding out his arms to protect him, his fur gauntlets nearly burnt to ash, his hands blackened and charred from the blast, from the looks permanently crippled. He screams in agony.
Seeing Thato fall, Mr. 5 grins, relishing the pain he’s caused. Without missing a beat, he reloads his revolver and fires another “BREEZE BREATH BOMB,” sending explosions all around the group.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Alex somehow dodges the brunt of the blast, but Eirini, Perlah, and Patricia are blown off their feet, lying motionless on the ground. Breathing heavily, Alex checks his status.
Alex Kerber: Lvl 0
HP: 29/50, MP: 50/50
Frantically, he pulls out his [Quality Medicine] and drinks it down, feeling his wounds slowly begin to close.
[Quality Medicine]
Quality: White
Effect: Heals 20 HP over 5 minutes. Can be applied directly to wounds or ingested.
Note: Drugs are bad, but these might just save your life.
Mr. 5 locks eyes with Alex.
“I’m going to kill you, bastard,” he sneers. “And I’ll use the bounty on your head to buy a gravestone, just so I can piss on it.”
Despite everything, Alex laughs, his heart pounding in his chest. “Shut up, you one-eyed, nose-picking loser. You’re the one who’s going to die today!”
He draws his saber, charging at Mr. 5 to stop him from reloading or using another explosive booger.
[Solid Marine Saber]
Quality: Light Green
Type: Sword (Saber)
Required Stats: STR - 5, PHY - 4, AGI - 5
Durability: 40/40
Damage: 12-16
Effect: Solid Parry – Increases the chance to parry an attack by 5%.
Note: A solid saber, apparently stolen from a higher-ranking marine. Hopefully, it will serve you better than its previous two owners.
Alex slashes at Mr. 5, but the man dodges, grinning wickedly.
“Amateur… KICK BOMB!”
But before he can land the attack, he freezes, his body going rigid.
Roja suddenly appears behind Mr. 5, driving a dagger into his back. “AAAAAHHHH!” he screams, stumbling forward. Blood pours from his wounds. He’s covered in cuts and arrows, his left eye still useless. His robe is soaked in blood, making him look like a walking corpse.
But he’s not dead yet.
With a final burst of energy, Mr. 5 whips around and delivers a kick toward Roja. She barely dodges, rolling to the side, but the kick lands against the ground.
KABOOM!
“I’m immune to my own explosions, but you’re not!” Mr. 5 cackles as the blast throws Roja against a building.
He’s nearly delirious with rage now, his bloodshot eye scanning the battlefield. He reloads his revolver mid-sprint, breathing into the cylinder as he readies another "BREEZE BREATH BOMB."
“THIS IS IT! DIE!” he shouts, aiming at Alex.
Alex watches in horror as the revolver points at him. He braces for death, the world around him fading out. “At least I gave it my best shot”, he thinks, resigned to his fate.
But just as Mr. 5 pulls the trigger, a figure darts in front of Alex, Thato, moving faster than Alex has ever seen him.
EXPLOSION SOUNDS
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Six explosions tear through the air, but Alex remains unharmed. When the smoke clears, he sees Thato standing before him, his already crippled arms raised in a shield, his body now riddled with burns and wounds.
Thato, bloodied and barely standing, lets out a ragged breath. “Snap out of it, Alex... Kill this evil fucker... finish this madness.”
“THATO!!!” Alex screams, rushing to his side as Thato collapses.
Mr. 5, covered in blood, an arrow still lodged in his eye, laughs darkly. “What a hero. Pity it was all for nothing.”
With his revolver reloaded, Mr. 5 raises it, aiming directly at Alex, a cruel grin twisting his face. “Your turn, bastard. Say goodbye—”
But before Mr. 5 can pull the trigger, Alex explodes into motion, raw fury and desperation fueling his every move. His saber gleams in the air as he lunges forward.
“He’s too fast” Mr. 5’s grin falters as he tries to raise his gun. But Alex is already there, saber thrusting straight into Mr. 5’s chest. The blade sinks deep into flesh.
For a second, Mr. 5’s entire body stiffens, his remaining eye wide with shock. Blood pours from the wound, and a guttural sound escapes his lips.
“Y-you...”
Alex isn’t finished. With every ounce of rage and grief inside him, he rips the saber out and plunges it back in, over and over again.
“DIE! DIE, YOU MONSTER! YOU—FUCKING—DIE!”
Each word punctuates another stab, another slash. He’s wild, out of control. His strikes become frenzied, hacking and slashing at the man responsible for Thato’s death, for the pain they’ve all endured.
Mr. 5’s body hits the ground, blood pooling beneath him. But Alex doesn’t stop. His saber continues to rise and fall until he’s too exhausted to lift it anymore.
The battle is over, but Alex’s mind is still racing, his breath ragged. He looks down at Mr. 5’s lifeless body, and the reality begins to sink in.
“I... I did it,” he whispers, his hands trembling. He collapses to his knees beside Mr. 5, barely able to keep himself upright.
The noise of the battle around him fades into the background as he turns his gaze to Thato. His first friend in this world lies motionless, barely recognizable under the blood and burns. The tears Alex has been holding back finally spill over.
The village militia, emboldened by Mr. 5’s death, push back the remaining Baroque Works agents. The enemy forces, now leaderless and demoralized, retreat in panic, fleeing the village. The cheers of the villagers mix with the sounds of their enemies’ retreat, but Alex can’t hear any of it.
All he can do is kneel by Thato’s side.
Alex barely notices the notifications flashing before his eyes. His hands clutch at Thato’s burned body, and his vision blurs with tears.
“I’m so sorry, Thato...” His voice cracks, and for the first time, he allows himself to sob.
In the distance, he can hear the cheers of the surviving villagers as they celebrate their hard-fought victory, but all Alex feels is hollow. He finally won, but at what cost?
The Battle of Navalia:
Baroque Works:
85 Millions
17 Billions
Mr. 5
VS
Navalia Villagers & Mercenaries:
8 Players
107 Villagers
Winner: Navalia Villagers & Mercenaries
Casualties:
28 Millions
7 Billions
Mr. 5
3 Players (Mike, Joe, Thato)
27 Villagers