15: Chapter 15 Glory Belongs to France!

When "FGO" swept across Youxing Network with overwhelming force, its single-day revenue broke through the 100 million mark, and its reputation became legendary, the high-and-mighty traditional gaming giants of Blue Star finally could no longer sit still.

The first to bear the brunt was the giant that occupied half of the parallel world's gaming market—Tianpeng Interactive Entertainment.

In the executive conference room of Tianpeng Interactive Entertainment, the atmosphere was depressingly tense.

"Who can tell me where this 'Chaldea Studio' that I've never even heard of popped out from?!"

The boss slammed the outrageous revenue report of "FGO" onto the table, his face livid. "One month! Only one month after launch! And it has sucked away more than half of the online player base of our 'Immortal VR'!"

The chief planners below looked at each other, wiping cold sweat as they reported:

"Boss, this game uses a 3D tower defense gameplay called 'Cost Limit.' Players are now obsessed with this kind of strategic troop deployment, and they aren't really buying into our fully automatic monster-grinding VIP stat-based games anymore..."

"Since tower defense makes money, then copy it for me!"

The boss's eyes turned ruthless as he slapped the table. "Rip off all their 'Vanguard,' 'Defender,' and 'High Ground' mechanics! Outsource the art immediately, spend money to buy the most expensive special effects! Start the project right now!"

The chief planner swallowed hard:

"Boss, for this kind of 3D holographic game, even if we use existing underlying code, it will take at least a month to prepare for internal testing just to create all the models and special effects..."

"Then work overtime! If 996 isn't enough, then do 007!"

The big boss sneered. "In one month, I want to see our competing product, 'gods and demons defense line,' go live! I want to use Tianpeng Interactive Entertainment's top-tier marketing and first-charge bonuses to snatch this cake back with interest!"

...

However, the Blue Star players, completely immersed in the world of "FGO," knew nothing about all this.

At this very moment, the major streaming rooms on Youxing Network and player forums had their hearts tightly gripped by the plot direction of [First Singularity: Hundred Years' War of the Evil Dragons].

In this parallel world, players were accustomed to plots as thin as paper, where things were black and white, like "righteous heroes crusade against evil demon kings."

In their eyes, NPCs were just tools for issuing quests.

But "FGO" forcibly smashed heavy history, mythical tragedies, and those flesh-and-blood "Servants" onto their retinas.

In the Shark Stream Room, the story-focused streamer "A-Dai" had been battling continuously for over a dozen hours.

In the VR perspective, she was following Jeanne dArc, along with the Queen of France, Marie Antoinette, and the musician Mozart, whom she had met along the way, as they struggled toward Orléans.

"Guys, I'm really liking Queen Marie more and more."

A-Dai watched Marie walking in front, wearing a gorgeous Rococo gown, maintaining her elegance and bright smile even amidst the flames of war, and couldn't help but exclaim, "Although she's only a four-star, she is really so gentle."

The chat was filled with agreement:

"Indeed, this is what a true noble young lady is!"

"By comparison, that blackened Dragon Witch who kills randomly is practically a lunatic!"

However, just as A-Dai and her viewers were sighing in admiration, an extremely terrifying dragon roar suddenly came from the sky.

A gale blew, and several enormous wyverns dove down from the clouds, directly cutting off everyone's path!

From the backs of the wyverns, a cold man wearing an executioner's trench coat and holding a giant guillotine blade jumped down.

That was the Berserker-class Servant summoned by Jeanne dArc—the executioner, Charles-Henri Sanson.

He was also the executioner who, in real history, personally sent Queen Marie to the guillotine!

"Oh no! We're surrounded!"

A-Dai was shocked and immediately prepared to deploy Servants to engage in tower defense combat.

But the system popped up a glaring red box: [Special Story Battle, Servant deployment restricted!]

In the VR scene, facing the tidal wave of wyverns and the executioner who had once killed her with his own hands, Queen Marie, who had always seemed somewhat weak and innocent, slowly walked to the very front of everyone at this moment.

"You go first, head to Orléans. I will hold them off here."

Marie's voice was still gentle, but it carried an unquestionable determination.

"No! You'll die! How can you possibly hold off so many dragons by yourself!" A-Dai shouted anxiously in VR.

Marie turned her head, and a smile brighter than the sun bloomed on her beautiful face. "It's okay, Master. I am the Queen of France."

Sanson dragged the heavy guillotine blade, roaring with crimson eyes: "Marie! Don't you hate them?! The people of this country betrayed you! They insulted you, tortured you, and in the end, it was I who personally severed your neck! Why do you still protect them?! "

The executioner's hysterical questioning was also the question held by the millions of viewers in the stream. That's right, you were sent to the guillotine by the people of this country, why would you still sacrifice yourself for them?!

But in the eyes of all the stunned players, Marie shook her head gently. "I do not hate them. Because I am their Queen. Even if they do not love me, I still love them deeply, and I love this land deeply."

A passionate, tragic symphony ("Shining Illusion") that gave people goosebumps suddenly erupted at this moment!

Marie lifted her gorgeous skirt and faced the sky full of wyverns all by herself. An extremely dazzling light erupted from her body; it was the final, most beautiful swan song of a Servant!

"May the light forever shine upon the glory of France—" "[Guillotine Breaker]!"

Boom—! With the release of the Noble Phantasm's true name, the entire VR view was filled with endless, brilliant crystals! A glass palace, gorgeous to the extreme, rose from the sea of fire, sweeping all the wyverns and the executioner into a dreamlike barrier!

But after releasing this super-spec Noble Phantasm, Marie's petite body began to shatter like glass, turning into golden spirit particles.

At the final moment of her dissipation, she turned her head, looked at A-Dai and Jeanne dArc, and left behind the purest smile in the world: "Well then, goodbye." "Vive la France (Long live France)..."

The light dispersed, the wyverns were completely annihilated, and that Queen who loved to smile and liked to say "Vive la France" never returned.

In the stream, there was a deathly silence. Two seconds later, A-Dai's tears gushed out like a bursting dam, and she sobbed uncontrollably in the stream. "Wuwuwu... Marie! My Marie!" "Damn developers! Why did you write the plot like this! She was such a good person!"