Sixteenth Day of the Month of the Ash Tree, 2032.
1025 AST
The dining room of Asuna’s abode.
Having fully freshened up, Shiranami went downstairs in the kitchen to whip up some breakfast. As a fellow expert cook, Shiranami knew where Asuna stored everything necessary to cook so it really was just as simple as slapping together (what looked like) several delicious slices of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches; she also grilled up some (mystery) bacon. Just as she finished grilling the meat, the master of the house appeared at the stairwell, took a sniff, and beamed. “No wonder I smelled something good! You’re making some breakfast?”
“Yup,” she replied. “Is everyone else awake?”
“Mostly,” Asuna reported. “Kirito is getting ready, Yuna is in the bathroom and Nautilus is still zonked out.”
“Pfft” Ayanami scoffed. “I find it odd that Kirito woke up first.”
“True. Should I help?”
“No, I think I’m good. Anyways, we need to bring Kirito to see Heathcliff today.”
“Ah… Yeah, good point. I honestly hoped that that was a dream and as such, we had no need but nope, it’s reality.”
“Reality is a pain.”
“It’s quite ironic though.” A new voice entered into the conversation. The visage of Kirito appeared in the stairwell as he continued, “We’re in a game so this can’t be reality.”
“Haha, good point,” Shiranami giggled.
“Anyways, what’s this about me having to see Heath-what’s-his-name?”
“Heathcliff,” Asuna corrected. “Our commander wants to see you since we cleared the seventy-fourth floor without any prior strategy meetings and stuff.”
“Oh…”
Shiranami shrugged. “Yeah, I’m aware that it sucks especially with your baggage… That aside, I’ve been meaning to ask. What was that skill you first used?”
“Oh, that one? It’s called «Gale Slicer». I can use it in two ways; I can either rip outwards or slash inwards using both swords.”
“I see, I see,” she nodded. “But yes, we’re going to need to see the boss.”
“Before that, we need to eat,” he declared.
Another masculine voice echoed from the upstairs hallway. “Did someone say ‘food’?”
“Shaddup, Nautilus!” Kirito yelled back. “This is all my food!”
“Oh no you don’t! This food was made by the Second and Assistant Second of the KoB! You’re an outsider so butt off!” Nautilus argued as he ran down the stairs and took his seat at the table.
“Oh, but, Nautilus-kun, we are virtuous and we think it is right to share,” Shiranami teased. “Isn’t that right, Asuna?”
“Of course, Shira-chan,” she giggled in reply. “This food is for everyone who sits at this table.”
Nautilus sighed. “Alright, fine. If you, the Second, say so, I have neither the right nor the authority to tell you to stop.”
Shiranami chuckled before halting her laughter and once more, took the time to take in the view of the house’s living room. Her position in the kitchen with the cupboards and the sinks behind her and the counter and stoves in front of her allowed her a clear view of the stairwell Nautilus had just walked down; the stairwell was tucked away on the right side corner of the far end of the living room. The sliding glass doors that open outside to the backyard were directly across from where she was standing and was a meter away from the stairs. In the space between the stairs and the backyard access, there stood a table adorned by a vase of flowers as its centerpiece decor. The table could seat eight and two of its chairs were already occupied by perhaps the two hungriest boys in SAO. Suddenly, a new voice cut in from above. “Sorry! Am I late?”
Shiranami looked in the direction of the voice and relaxed further as she spotted a head of hair the shade of freshly brewed milk tea. “No, you’re not, Yuna,” she said. “We were just planning to eat breakfast.” Right on time too as Shiranami had also just finished cooking; holding two breakfast plates in each arm, she carried them to the table and internally sighed as she watched Kirito and Nautilus sitting opposite of the other and glaring. She turned to Asuna, seated at the head of the table, only to find her just shrugging; Shiranami responded by rolling her eyes and she took a seat next to Kirito while Yuna took sat next to Nautilus. With everyone finally seated, they all put their hands together in unison and declared the traditional pre-meal greeting, “Let’s eat!”
Of course—as expected, Kirito and Nautilus were the first to stuff their faces; the sheer speed at which they attacked their breakfast was frankly nauseating. With basically two entire sandwiches in his mouth, Kirito waffled, “Damn, dese are weally good!”
“Tawk or eat, pick wan, you mohron,” Nautilus scolded.
“Oy, you have no right to say anything either, Nautilus,” Shiranami snapped, seeing as he too was talking with a mouthful of food. She then turned to Kirito and her voice noticeably softened by several degrees as she smugly puffed out her chest. “Well, what did you expect? It was made by the hands of two people with completed cooking skills!”
“Uh-huh,” he mumbled, unable to form coherent words as his mouth was full to the brim with food.
“Jeez, ware awe your mwanners, Kiwito?!” Nautilus yelled, again, through a mouthful of food.
“Not like you have any manners yourself, Nautilus,” Asuna scolded. “That aside, we couldn’t tell you guys yesterday but since we’re all here, I can tell you now.”
Shiranami casually picked up her fork which she had just used earlier to daintily pierce a piece of bread for eating purposes and held it up as a pointer. “You, Kirito,” she began. “The commander wants to see you.”
Kirito continued eating for a bit. “Who, Heathcliff?”
“Yes,” Asuna confirmed. “He wants to see you, especially after we told him about your Unique Skill…”
Nautilus’s hand stopped as he was about to put another sandwich in his mouth. “Wait, hold up. Rewind,” he pleaded. “Kirito has a unique skill?”
Kirito sighed as he sat back in the chair and twirled around the fork between his index and middle fingers. “Alright, I’m confident I can trust you guys with this. My Unique Skill is called «Dual Blades». As its name suggests, it allows me to not only wield two swords at once but also allows me to use sword skills that utilize both swords at the same time. «Double Circular» and «Starburst Stream» skills are just a few of what I have in my skill inventory as a result of that skill.”
“I suppose that makes it similar to my Songstress,” Yuna pondered. “It’s more or less the same skill as Chant except incredibly more potent.”
“Yeah, something like that although not necessarily true since I use a different weapon system,” Kirito nodded. “Anyways, why does Heathcliff want to see me?”
“Well…” Asuna said, as she silently broke out in cold sweat and nervously glanced at Shiranami. She nodded at her to reveal the issue at hand, giving her silent encouragement. Clearing her throat, Asuna continued, “Heathcliff wants to talk to you with the ultimatum of inviting you to the guild.”
Kirito froze before immediately processing the statement and shaking his head. “Asuna, you know I don’t do guilds!”
“Yes, I know, I know,” she whined. “However, once the commander sets his mind on something, he wants it in its entirety.”
“Must I join? Is there any other way?”
“I don’t know, Kirito,” Shiranami said. “I just don’t know.”
This time, it was Nautilus who pointed a fork at Kirito. “Yo, what’s with you and your fear of guilds? Are you scared to be around people that much?”
“Hey, that’s rude!” Yuna scolded.
Kirito waved away the barbed comment. “It’s fine, Yuna. I suppose… it’s time for me to tell you guys…” Taking a deep breath, he began his story. “My fear of guilds originates from the first one I ever joined, the «Moonlit Black Cats». I, being a person who is not used when surrounded by people, lied about my level. I said I was level 20 like them when in reality, I was already going above level 40. I had a really great time with them; they were a closely knit group of friends that found it in themselves to include me in their clique. However, everything went south when one of the members, eager for treasure, barreled into a hidden room in a previously unexplored section of the Labyrinth; of course, the room was trapped and I had no choice but to show my strength to them… However, I think that lit a fire under all of them because they kept shunning me over time and going on adventures on their own, each more reckless than the last. I was honestly going to forget about them after we parted ways but I received news that they had disappeared… I ran as fast as I could to the «Monument of Life» to find their names… They were all… scratched out…” At that, Kirito began to silently weep, covering his face with his left hand. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be crying… I should be over this by now…”
The ensuing silence was enough to choke the life out of even the cherriest of individuals. Shiranami immediately went to hug Kirito. “It’s okay… You can cry, Kirito. I’m sure deep inside, your guildmates forgave you.”
“How…? How can you be so sure…?” Kirito mumbled.
“I can’t,” she replied gently. “I can only offer you strength…”
Yuna clapped her hands, nervously cutting through the gloom. “A-Anyways, why were you guys so late into the Labyrinth?”
“Late?” Kirito asked, silently thanking Yuna for her timely intervention. He has better things to do than wallow in regrets; in order to respect the time he spent with them—the good and the bad, he has to move forward.
Yuna ignored the boy’s comment and instead turned to Asuna. “Shira-chan told us that we were supposed to meet up with you guys in the Labyrinth at 1100? We couldn’t find you for several hours.”
“Ah…” she said. “Well, I did meet up with Kirito as scheduled: ten minutes past nine this morning. However, a certain disturbance involving myself and my bodyguard delayed us.”
Shiranami rolled her eyes. “Kuradeel-san?”
“Yes, him,” she confirmed. “I had difficulty shaking him off from his duties this morning. When I appeared out of the teleport gate in Kamdet on the seventy-fourth floor, he followed me. It even got to the point where Kirito had to duel him to get him to leave me alone.”
“Yeah, it was a First Strike duel in which I ended by breaking his weapon,” Kirito interjected. “I call the technique «Arms Blast» where I basically pinpoint the weakest point on a weapon and strike said weakness with a sword skill, thereby breaking it. He had tried attacking me with «Avalanche» but I easily sidestepped and struck his sword with «Sonic Leap».”
“Sounds really cool,” Nautilus said. His tone then softened in a rare show of apprehension as he asked, “That aside, are you seriously going to be fine, Kirito? I’m confident that explaining your circumstances to the Commander will allow him to reconsider adding you into our ranks.”
“No, it’s fine,” he insisted. “I’ll confront him myself and state it straight to his face.”
“Alright…” Everyone else finished their breakfast in silence. Asuna and Ayanami worked together to clear the plates used by them for their food and dropped them in the sink. Asuna did the washing while Ayanami went to create some bentos for lunch, just in case they go hunting on the seventy-fifth floor for the Labyrinth following their report to Heathcliff.
Kirito sang, “Make some more sandwiches for me, Shiranami!”
“Yeah, yeah,” she said, figuratively waving him off. She put together some sandwiches and put it all together in a basket that Asuna had put on the counter. “Keep it in your inventory.”
Asuna nodded and shoved the lunch into her inventory. “Alright, guys, heads up high and chests puffed out! We’re heading to the boss.”
»»————- ♡♡♡♡♡♡ ————-««
Suzaku was in the midst of traveling across the sixty-first floor, searching for a decent place where he could pawn off his gear. “Having Yoshiki do it would be a waste of time at the moment… That guy only accepts the craziest challenges.” Suzaku fondly recalled the time he brought the heart of a vampire to the blacksmith only for him to somehow turn it into his current sword. “… Yeah, probably not the best idea to call him for basic trades.”
“Ahaha, Yoshiki-san sure is strange,” Tohka giggled as she walked alongside her beloved. “You’re strange too for bringing him such weird materials.”
“Quality does not exist solely in the traditional, besides, I also know for a fact that you yourself probably got some crazy stuff from monster drops he would be giddy to use for his next artistic endeavor…”
“Aha, can’t deny that,” she replied, palming the hilt of «Sakurafubuki» which like Suzaku’s own weapon was made of wholly nonstandard materials; in the case of «Sakurafubuki», it was about fifty flower petals.
“Don't forget, we killed a giant flower monster for that sword,” Suzaku smiled gently, holding up his own weapon. “In a game like this, a weird origin is better than normal.”
“Coming from you, this game’s foremost connoisseur of wacky materials, it definitely has power…” Tohka looked ahead and spotted a group of familiar people leaving behind a rather sizable house. “Oh, is that…?”
“… Yeah, it is.” Freezing in place, Suzaku's grip on his sword tightened. Part of him wanted to vanish, though he knew that he couldn't ignore it forever.
The leader of the group looked their way and also froze at the sight of his friend. “… Shinya,” he began. “I—”
Sighing, Suzaku raised his hand as a creeping sense of irate annoyance filled him again. “I have things to hide too, yet I still told you and Asuna. I'm pretty angry that you didn't have the same faith in me. You wanna make it up? That skill and half health, no holds barred. Does that work for you, beater?"
“… I’ll take half health but not my skill,” Kirito replied, chewing his lips. “I want to hide that skill as much as I can so I can use it in key moments. It’s going to get harder from here and we’re already on the seventy-fifth floor.”
“Hiding that skill will just lead to more Korvatz, you do know that, right? You're the strongest one here; own up to that or retire.”
“I…” Kirito continued chewing his lips. After several moments, he heaved a sigh. “… Sorry, Asuna, Shiranami. I’ll deal with this first.”
“… Yeah, go ahead,” Asuna acquiesced, followed by an approving nod by Shiranami.
“Okay, let’s go, Shinya,” he said, resolving himself. “I’ll face you with it. Don’t go crying to your girlfriend when you lose, okay?”
“Hold anything back and I’ll kick your ass in the real world too.” Suzaku opened the map and began searching for the closest arena to hold their duel.
“Now, now, hold up a tad.” The voice came from above, specifically, a tree on the opposite side of the road. Hanging upside down on a branch, Argo the Rat quipped. “C’mon now, a duel this big hasta be shown to ev’ryone, ya know?”
Tohka recovered first. “Argo-san…”
“Wassup, Tohka-chii?”
“Er… nothing much?”
“You being here honestly doesn't surprise me. The real question is, how long were you stalking Asuna's home?” Suzaku quipped, regaining a bit of his sarcasm.
“Oi, oi, oi, saying that I’m stalking li’l Asuna is a bit rude,” she replied as she let go of the tree, spun around in the air, and landed on her feet. “Anyway, what I’m saying is this fight needs to be watched by lotsa people.”
“… I don’t think that’s really necessary,” Kirito began.
“I also don't think people know enough about me to care…” Suzaku remarked, turning more deadpan.
Argo waggled her fingers at the two. “Tsk, tsk, tsk, come on now, y’all pretty famous, ya know? And your good ol’ big sis over here likes making some money so when my ears picked up a duel between you two, I just had to jump in.”
After a brief moment, Suzaku turned to Kirito. “Are you still up for a real fight or are you turning shy?”
“Jokes on you, I’m used to fighting while being watched,” Kirito quipped. “If anything, I still find this unnecessary but…”
“… We’re in. Set the match, Argo.”
“A’ight, get to Collinia on Floor 75 ASAP,” she said gleefully. “I’ll take care of the rest, ‘kay?”
»»————- ♡♡♡♡♡♡ ————-««
Twenty minutes later.
The Colosseum of Collinia, 75th Floor.
“… She works way too fast, man.” As he stood on the packed dirt that served as the arena of the Colosseum, he looked upward and spotted some 500 players seated in the stands. He should’ve known that Argo the Rat would be up to no good but he secretly wished that she’d keep it simple this time around; clearly, that wasn’t going to be the case. Kirito sighed again as he stared in front of him where his friend stood six meters away. “I’ll send it…” He opened his menu and sent the duel request to him.
Suzaku laughed. “It’s really outrageous how incredibly quick she is when she sets her mind to things…” He turned his attention to the request window and hit accept. He was then prompted to choose the duel type. “As previously agreed, we’re going for Half Loss.” His attention was briefly taken by the First Strike and Total Loss options but the stakes for the former felt too low and the latter… was absolutely off the table. Even in his blindest rage, Suzaku would never swing his sword with the intention of killing his friend; that side of himself was exclusively reserved for PK’ers who took pleasure in ending other people’s lives.
The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
“Okay.” Kirito did not contest his decision as he watched the countdown begin. He took a deep breath as he felt a tingling in his skin. Duels were the only way two players can fight in a safe zone as they are constantly under the influence of the «Anti-Criminal Code Effect Area», a phrase often shortened to the «Area»; just for the duration of a duel, this «Area» effect is lifted for the two players in question. As Kirito exhaled, he reached for his beloved partner on his back and drew it, pointing the blade at his friend. “Let’s have a fun fight, yeah?”
Recognizing the lack of a second sword, Suzaku’s face quickly went from confused to annoyed as he pulled his hood up to hide himself fully. “No holding back, Beater.” Accepting the duel, the boy simply drew his black cross and held it aswept from his cloak. He'll be entering with a sword skill like usual, I have to shut down his attempts to overwhelm me. Even if it wasn’t truly a battle to the death, Suzaku never once treated this as a friendly battle; he fully intends to win and prove his friend wrong.
Kirito’s smile faded away as he adopted a serious expression himself. He’s probably thinking I’m starting with a sword skill… He’s right though, I’m starting with one. As the time reached thirty seconds, he slowly raised his sword over his back, his legs tensed for the forward charge. He had already tuned out all of the voices from the crowd as they cheered eagerly in anticipation of what would most likely be considered one of the most legendary duels to ever take place in SAO.
That’s… the stance for Sonic Leap. I see, he wants to cover the distance between us in one stroke. A smirk formed under his hooded face as he too entered the same stance as his friend, tightening his grip on his sword and digging his heels in. I can’t give him an inch, I can’t let him control the tempo. Hidden from sight, his free hand began to shift, readying for a counter attack with a Martial Arts skill should Kirito’s follow up be something predictable.
“Aaaaand they’ve already begun preparing!”
In the stands, Shiranami sat herself in what could be considered the equivalent of the emperor’s box; at her side were the closest friends of the two fighters in the stadium below. Argo had seated herself in the back, a giddy smile on her face as she basked in the afterglow of having finished her work. Shiranami glanced at her, silently giggled to herself, before bringing out her personal «Amplification Crystal», a unique crystal sourced from a certain quest on the eleventh floor. The cuboidal structure floated in front of her mouth and glowed purple. “You know me, you know them so let’s just skip the pleasantries and jump right into the action, yeah?”
“YEEEEAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!” A truly enthusiastic roar exploded from the crowd as five hundred players plus some NPC’s who clearly had nothing better to do began stomping their feet in rhythm in anticipation for the coming fight. The girls in the emperor’s box looked at each other and laughed. Asuna, Helen, Silica, and Nirrnir all had wry smiles on their faces while Tohka simply shrugged.
But I’m sure those two boys on the ground aren’t hearing anything we’re saying. Shiranami returned her attention to the two fighters as they glared each other down. From her perspective, she could tell that the only thing that existed for them at the moment is each other. Shiranami raised her voice once more and riled up the crowd who soon began joining her. “With that, let’s start counting down! Five, four, three, two, one—!”
The instant the timer hit zero, the two boys’ swords both glowed a vibrant forest green as they vanished from their starting positions to collide at the center. Shiranami almost gasped aloud at how perfectly symmetrical the two boys were; their positions were the mirror image of the other and their swords crossed utterly perpendicularly. To Shiranami, this was an image of sublime perfection. From Kirito’s perspective, it was really just a way to begin as he grinned and stared at his friend through their crossed blades. “Pretty nice greeting, right?”
“Shut up and fight.” Suzaku snapped back coldly, not hesitating to take the first move as his free hand suddenly glowed a pure violet while hidden under his black cloak— his hand swiftly thrusting forward into a palm strike as it quickly breached the cloak and went directly into Kirito’s stomach. This wasn’t meant to damage him—no, it was only meant to stagger and give him some breathing room. “Now actually try and hit me.” Venom filled Suzaku’s tone as he quickly dashed forward with a grin, closing the distance that had opened up between the two with his sharp strike, his black cloak snapping violently as he brought his blade down in an immediate follow up swing. For the uninitiated in the crowd, they merely saw the cloaked figure teleport.
Kirito grunted quietly as he received the first blow, shaving off three percent of his HP. Forced backward, he easily caught Suzaku’s overhead strike with an underhand swipe from his onyx blade. He then raised his left leg which glowed red and kicked upward, striking Suzaku’s chin. With that momentum, Kirito somersaulted backward and upon landing on his feet, thrust forward with his sword.
“Fast—oh, so fast!” Shiranami yelled, her first comment filled with excitement (She is definitely enjoying being a commentator, Argo thought. I should’ve bargained for a little more than just information on that quest (lol).). “After initially beginning with simultaneous activations of «Sonic Leap», the Shadow-Clad Raven immediately followed up with the one-hit Martial Arts skill «Ingetsu», landing a sharp strike on the Black Swordsman’s abdomen! Yet he only staggered slightly and perfectly countered with «Kigetsu», a rising kick, but wait—that’s not all! A forward thrust unleashed at the unguarded Raven! Will he weather through the attack?”
Suzaku felt the momentum he built up give way as the rising kick put him on his back foot, his HP decreasing by the same amount as Kirito as his eyes focused intensely on how Kirito moved. Not using Vorpal Strike? Stepping into the attack, Suzaku used the larger guard of his sword to block the thrust before raising his free hand and cloaking it a bright blue— his grip suddenly tightening around the blade but not losing an inch on his HP Gauge. This was «Skill Break», the main technique Suzaku used to get around the damage of an enemy weapon while getting them into awkward angles. Raising his hand, he used the power of the system and mixed it with his abnormally high strength stat to throw Kirito overhead and across the arena. “Use it!” he ordered, the throw giving Kirito the space needed.
Kirito neatly broke his fall against the dirt and rolled. While rolling, he summoned a small throwing knife which proceeded to immediately shine pure white before throwing it at his friend. The knife sliced through the air and struck Suzaku’s thigh despite the latter’s over-capability at intercepting thrown weapons. Kirito then smoothly returned to his feet and struck from below, a yellow glow emanating from his blade.
“Wow, wow, wow! I have never seen that before!” Shiranami squealed. “The Raven caught the blade and threw Kirito over his shoulder! From the looks of it, I do believe that that is the Martial Arts skill «Higan» but that is certainly a new way to use it! However, Kirito instantly struck back with the Blade Throwing skill «Sonic Strike» only to follow up with «Slant»! It’s been barely fifteen seconds yet they’ve already traded so many blows! How incredibly fast!”
Suzaku grit his teeth, feeling the blade strike his stomach and he immediately leaped back, retreating for a moment and letting his friend make the attack, focusing on counterattacking. Kazuto doesn't use poison skills, even with my resistance, I shouldn’t be willing to take so many hits. To deal real damage to each other, they need heavy hitter sword skills and these quick traded attacks wouldn't be enough. If I could disarm him— no, his strength is too high. He can keep up with me, he knows how I fight. After a brief moment of thought, Suzaku looked down to see his sword start to pulse gently in his palm.
I see, he’s already depending on the buff of his sword… is that why he specifically wanted Half Loss? Kirito clicked his tongue internally as he renewed his stance. He also probably thought to try disarming me but dismissed it because of my strength stat. In that case—! Kirito raised his sword and used «Vertical»; he wasn’t aiming it at anything in particular and instead struck the ground. Immediately, a dust cloud rose up and swallowed Kirito and Suzaku. Kirito equipped his second sword and charged at Suzaku through the dust; even with his vision blocked, he could tell where Suzaku was with his Searching skill and so could Suzaku. Quietly, Kirito said, “As long as this smokescreen stays up, I’ll fight you with both swords.”
I see, so that’s his plan… Well, I can still see them clearly with my own Searching skill so I guess that’s fine. Shiranami nodded as she understood Kirito’s intentions. This was the best that he was willing to compromise; if he has to take a hit to his reputation by hiding behind a dust cloud, so be it if that will give him the opportunity to fight his friend with all that he has. Shiranami cleared her throat as she declared, “Not to worry, everyone, my Searching skill is enough to keep you engaged! Kirito had thrown up a smokescreen with his sword skill but will that have any effect on Suzaku?” Shiranami then reached into her inventory and pulled out a small pin before using a skill to fire it at the dirt floor of the arena, throwing up a new cloud of dust; of course, she did it at an angle so that the crowd would confuse it as one of the two combatants kicking up a new smokescreen.
“Freaking coward…” Suzaku muttered, shifting his grip as he closed his eyes for a brief moment— only for Suzaku to suddenly vanish from Kirito’s detection for a brief moment, using his speed to make a direct attack. He just as quickly reappeared, though he was suddenly in front of his friend and bringing down his sword in a heavy thrust.
“Haha, as expected, even I lost you for a second there,” Kirito quipped as he raised his two swords for a cross block. His friend’s thrust was, as expected, extremely heavy. He silently gritted his teeth, bracing himself before stepping diagonally forward and directing his friend’s momentum past him.
As Suzaku’s momentum was thrown aside, the boy managed a swift recovery—his fingers leaving a small trail in the dirt as he fixed his position. “C’mon then, let’s see what you got!" As fast as he was tossed aside, he already was in motion for a follow-up attack. He can reliably attack and defend with Dual Blades; I can’t just overwhelm him the way I usually do… I have to really rip into him. With those thoughts in mind, he threw a swift barrage of slashes as the ferocity behind his every attack grew. Each swing hit harder and faster than the last, though his precision remained, similarly growing as he honed in on the openings that Kirito had. “I’ve been wondering something. Knowing you, you’ve maxed it out but do you have a ton of experience with using it to fight someone like me?”
“Ha, of course not,” he quipped. “I can count the number of people as good as you on one hand!” While yes, he was indeed inexperienced with using his skill against opponents of Suzaku’s caliber, what Kirito lacked in experience, he more than made up for with battle instinct. He rebuffed each and every one of Suzaku’s high-speed attacks, their three blades colliding to create showers of sparks. He then stepped back.
“Very nice, very nice!” Shiranami yelled, continuing her commentary. “I apologize for the dust cloud but I can guarantee you that the two gentlemen are constantly clashing! In a single burst of speed, Suzaku almost disappeared to deliver a single falling cut but that was expertly blocked by Kirito despite the great agility poured into the attack! This was followed by Kirito redirecting Suzaku’s momentum, forcing him to trip but of course, he very easily recovered and they are now exchanging a fierce volley of blows, however, Kirito disengaged! What is he planning—?” As she continued commentating, she unleashed yet another barrage of throwing darts, coupled with smoke bombs to help keep the smokescreen up.
“Just shut up, you stupid idol,” Suzaku muttered under his breath as his tone filled with venom, similarly stepping away as he took a moment to gauge his friend’s sudden and overwhelming difference in dexterity with his twin blades. Throw in feints, mix up the combo, just… do anything! The boy turned pale, trying his damndest to find some kind of inch against his opponent. Though the system wouldn’t allow it, he broke out in a cold sweat—momentarily losing his composure as he stiffened up, watching him closely. «Howling Octave», «Deadly Sins», «Vorpal Strike», he knows them all… he knows how to get around them all and I don't know the first thing about this skill! Suzaku grit his teeth as he internally became frustrated—for the first time in a long while, he was getting scared and angry. This is what he wanted and yet, he hated it; he hated that this was how he was allowed to face the new skill his friend had unlocked. “Let’s finish this, you damned coward!” Dashing in, the sword began to glow brightly as he gave his body over to the system.
«Howling Octave»… Kirito thought. Okay, in that case, I’ll finish this too. His step back was preparation for him to enter the pre-motion stance of one of his sword skills, the eight-part combo «Nightmare Rain». His right sword hanging limply yet held tightly at his side, his twin blades glowed orange as he thrust forward; at the same time, Suzaku’s sword, blazing the same subdued shade of orange as Kirito’s, thrust forward as well and both boys met swordtip with swordtip. Immediately, they retracted their blades and collided once more then twice more with a two-part slash with both swords from Kirito and twin thrusts from Suzaku; Kirito then rotated on his foot to deliver another slash but that too was expertly parried by Suzaku who proceeded to parry his follow-up strike. Suzaku slashed diagonally which Kirito deflected with his own thrust before meeting the follow-up rising cut with a diagonal slash with his left blade; taking a step forward, Kirito brought his right sword for a diagonal slash which collided with Suzaku’s final falling cut. Moments later, they flew apart from the force of their sword skills canceling each other out but Kirito managed a swipe with his left blade that cut deep enough to shave off three percent of Suzaku’s HP; Kirito’s own HP currently sat at around fifty-two.
“I do believe that is the finishing strike!” Shiranami yelled. “Both fighters—seeing as they are at a standstill—bet everything on a final sword skill, «Howling Octave»! It seems Kirito was just slightly faster with his final attack. The smoke is clearing now—let’s see the results of this intense duel!”
“You win, asshole… I must admit, it’s kinda entertaining seeing a new trick after 2 years.” The boy remarked, looking more frustrated as his hood fell off, revealing his angered expression that slowly softened. As a final show of pride, he refused to fall and instead stayed standing as he dusted off his clothes. “Next time, don’t hide from me. Save us this whole mess…” Suzaku stated, feeling more at peace as he fixed his hood up onto his head; he then jabbed his index finger in Kirito's direction. “Expect another match soon, without the crowd and Dual Blades from the start. You bet your ass I’m gonna win.” Regaining some friendliness in his tone, the boy stepped back—
As the results of the duel were officially announced by the system above the two duelists’ heads, the winner, Kirito, grabbed his friend’s wrist after having expertly shifted his second blade back to his inventory before the dust cloud settled earlier after his victory. “Now wait a minute.” Using his free right hand to operate the menu, he extracted three splash potions before throwing them at the ground beneath them. The glass bottles shattered as the contents within “vaporized”, giving the two an HP regeneration buff. “I know it probably won’t help but I did intend to reveal it during the raid meeting for the seventy-fifth floor… since I figured it’d almost certainly help in that fight considering how immensely the difficulty spikes with the quarterly bosses.”
“It wouldn’t stay hidden forever, anyway… Why didn’t you tell me? What, was I not worthy?” The boy asked, visible confusion as he tilted his head.
“I—” Kirito started but bit back the rest of the sentence. “I didn’t know what to say… To me, this skill is a reminder of my failure with them.”
“I too have something like that. That mask is a reminder of what I’ve done; what you’ve done matters but it doesn’t change what you have. Imagine if you didn’t use it and more people died against that giant goat-demon…”
Kirito could do nothing but hang his head in reply, chewing his lips. “—Anyway, I have to go. Asuna wants me to meet the Paladin; he apparently has finally decided to extend his recruiting efforts to me.”
“Aww, I wasn’t good enough for an invite?" Retaining a modicum of friendliness, Suzaku smiled and stepped back before returning to his more serious tone. “—Just think about what I said. Maybe I ain’t the best person to ask but you’re not just a solo player; that role falls to me. You’re the truly powerful one here and you need to use that strength or suffer the consequences for inaction. Just like with the ALF, just like them and maybe more in the future; we never know.”
Kirito laughed in response. “Nah, I’m sure he’ll hit you up at some point. … But yeah. I’m not alone anymore.” Smiling, Kirito held out his fist.
“Can’t keep running, Black Swordsman. Heathcliff is gonna drag you into the light.” He raised his fist in kind, smiling back as he set his fist against the other. “Hope you're ready for the attention.”
“Can it, Shadow-Clad Raven.”
“With Kirito as the victor, the two strongest of the Clearers reconcile! My, the latter half of the duel was a tad disappointing due to the smokescreen but I was captivated by their exceedingly capable movements? What say you, Asuna?”
Asuna, who had remained quiet the entire time, spoke up, “Indeed. I can back up whatever Shira-chan is saying; truly, both Kirito-kun and Suzaku-kun are the best that we can offer.”
“With that being said, this concludes today’s festivities! Everyone’s favorite, signing off!”
»»————- ♡♡♡♡♡♡ ————-««
Fifteen minutes later…
The main Teleport Gate Plaza of Granzam, the largest settlement on the fifty-fifth floor.
Five players manifested from the blue light of the teleport gate; while the temperature was regulated fairly well in SAO, today, it seemed to be strangely colder than usual. Shiranami stretched before crossing her arms and rubbing them with her opposing hands. “Ahh…” she sighed woefully. “It’s so cold… Makes me want to ignore the summoning, head back to the fifty-ninth floor, and take a nap in the meadow.”
Kirito, who appeared directly to her right, crossed his arms and nodded with his eyes closed as an understanding smirk crossed his lips. “Ah, of course you would have great taste in the selection of relaxing napping locations. In beautiful weather, it is the perfect place to just lay down and fall asleep. Asuna and I slept there together a few months ago.” He shot a knowing glance in Asuna’s direction.
In response, Asuna, who was standing slightly behind him to his left, reddened intensely before using both hands to hammer rapidly on his back. “Be quiet, be quiet, be quiet! No spilling the beans!”
“Okay, okay, I’m sorry!” he laughed at the light pounding on his back. “All jokes aside, aren’t we here for something else?”
“Mnngh, I’ll get back to you later…” Asuna pouted. “For now, let’s go.” She led the group out of the small rectangular area that was their landing point when teleporting from different floors and locations. They marched through the plaza, earning the stares of a great number of players who had gathered there for countless different purposes.
Said mumblings by onlooking players include:
“Hey… Isn’t that the Lightning Flash of the Knights of the Blood?”
“The Steadfast Sword and the White Lily too!”
“Hey, wait… It’s Aya-tan!”
“Our goddess!”
“Aya-chama, you’re the best!”
“Aya-chama, continue working hard!”
“That’s the Beater, Kirito, isn’t it?”
“What’s he doing with our goddesses?!”
“Hey, loser, don’t think for a second you’re worthy of their attention!”
“Yeah, get your loser ass out of there!”
Shiranami sighed as she glanced at Kirito, an apologetic expression forming on her face. Kirito only laughed quietly and shrugged in reply. “The attitude of the mid-tier players really gets on my nerves sometimes… All they think is that I’m here to look pretty.”
Asuna could do nothing but awkwardly comfort her. “There, there, Shira-chan. Just ignore them.”
“Easy for you to say…” she bemoaned. “You’re not the one on the receiving end of their praise. I mean, don’t get me wrong—I’m human too; I love being praised, however, at the same time, I’m human. I work hard in everything in my life to the point that my parents sometimes worry about my health yet these people think I was just one day suddenly able to do anything—I’m not a goddess.”
Kirito patted Shiranami on the back which immediately caused the volume of the uproar to explode. Speaking over the voices, he declared, “It doesn’t matter—so long as we know you work hard, that’s all you need.”
“Not the time for that,” Nautilus replied, rolling his eyes. “Although, yes, I do agree with Kirito. It is okay to ignore the masses; we know of your efforts and that’s enough. I, personally, do certainly enjoy how hard you push yourself although it does come at the cost of mild annoyance on my part and Yuna’s.”
“Ahaha… Sorry.”
“Don’t apologize, Shira-chan,” Yuna said as she hugged her. “We’re always here to help.”
Nautilus shot a piercing glare around him as he kept his palm on the pommel of his sword— named «Blackpearl»—so he is ready to draw it at any time in case any of these players were insane enough to try and get personal with them. He quickened his pace so that he walked beside Shiranami, sending the message that he was now acting as her bodyguard. “You can rest easy, Assistant Second. If any of these guys get close, I’ll smack them with my sword.”
“Thanks, Nautilus,” Ayanami said as she glanced in Kirito’s direction who was seemingly less on guard as Nautilus but was watching their surroundings too. This elicited a small giggle from her as she reveled in the feeling of being protected by the boy she loved. Nevertheless, they soon exited the teleport gate plaza without incident and marched into the streets where even the rising morning light had difficulty illuminating. The steel towers and buildings constructed in this labyrinthine city commanded a very deep and resounding foundation; the group wove through the corridors until they reached the portcullis that was the entrance to their guild’s headquarters.
“Sir Nautilus, Lady Yuna, and Lady Shiranami! Welcome back!” The two guards stationed on either side of the gate greeted them simultaneously and saluted before yelling to their colleagues inside to roll up the iron portcullis. Once it was safely out of the way, they stood at attention on opposite sides of the hallway and saluted once more—this time with naught a single sound.
Asuna walked in first and ordered, “At ease, gentlemen.” In lieu of a verbal reply, they stopped saluting and stiffly locked their arms at their sides. In a single file, Shiranami, Nautilus, Yuna, and finally, Kirito, walked inside the fortification. Asuna led them down the corridor and up the stairs just immediately past the common area which opened up on the left side. The stairs marched through the wall before breaking open into a large assembly room. “Commander, I’ve brought him.”
Kirito stepped forward, glancing at the commander before his gaze quickly wandered the room, inspecting it. Directly across from the stairwell and the oakwood double doors that he and the others had just come up from was the half-moon-shaped conference table. Behind the commander’s seat was a large standard signifying the guild, attached to the ceiling; two more hung to its left and right at around the two o’clock and ten o’clock positions. Further behind that was a semicircular floor-to-ceiling window that opened to a view of the «Steel City» only interrupted by two pillars at nine and three o’clock positions inscribed with the guild symbol. Above him, a crystal chandelier with six arms hangs proudly from the ceiling and below him, the masterfully engineered lapis lazuli tiling was interchanged with polished sandstone. After finishing his quick inspection, he returned his attention to the Paladin, who replied, “Ah. Good work, Asuna.”
Nautilus ambled to the nearby floor-to-ceiling window and leaned against it with Yuna in tow. Asuna and Shiranami remained in place as Kirito walked forward and posed. “So you’re Heathcliff, the Paladin?”
“And you’re Kirito, the Black Swordsman.” Heathcliff returned his greeting in the same way from his seat at the head of the table. “To be perfectly honest, you do not seem like much.”
“Really? The rumors undersell how commanding you actually are now that I’ve met you in person.”
“Why, thank you.”
“With all due respect, sir, I have been informed that you have specifically summoned me here for the reason of inviting me into this guild.”
“Yes, indeed, that is my intention. Aincrad needs a player like yourself. One that was able to essentially defeat the seventy-fourth floor boss on his own with a special Unique Skill.”
Kirito raised an eyebrow. “You already know?”
“Yes. Your friends behind you informed me of it.”
“Haa, I see… Well, I was going to reveal it to the general public soon anyway so I guess having it known earlier doesn’t necessarily matter.”
“I was going to apologize on behalf of my subordinates but it seems that there is no need to do so.”
“I trust them with the decision—if they think telling you was in their—and my—best interests, then I’ll accept it.”
Heathcliff laughed softly but heartily. “I can see why the Flash and the Songstress are so struck with you.”
““Wha—!?””
Immediately, the two girls tried to raise an objection but were cut off when Kirito declared, “Oh, I’m well aware of how lucky I am. I mean, they’re both truly beautiful—both inside and out.” This elicited nothing but an embarrassed chagrined moan from the two girls at how easily they were rendered unable to protest when complimented by the man they loved.
“I see you have a way with women as you do with swords.”
“I wouldn’t say that; I insist that I simply return the empathy I have been given twice over.”
“A righteous and upstanding man, I can very thoroughly see that. With that being the case, I’m sure a man such as yourself would not say no to my invitation.”
“… I assume there is no way that I can refuse?”
“You are very welcome to, however, I must insist that you join our ranks. It is for the benefit of us all.”
“What would the benefits be for me?”
“What would it need to convince you? Money? Rare items? Perhaps, those two flowers behind you?” For the second time, the two girls let out an incoherent squeak to which Heathcliff responded with a raised eyebrow. “What seems to be the problem? I am merely complimenting you both on your fantastical allure.”
Shiranami recovered first as she cleared her throat, brushing aside her disheveled locks to reveal her reddened face. “I know we can’t object due to our love for the man but I would still like to protest to being considered a trophy.”
Heathcliff held up his arms in surrender, a light smile on his face. “You know that I jest. On another note, I must insist again, Kirito. This world needs you. This world needs you to be the torch that provides the guiding light. Just name your price.”
Kirito crossed his arms as he thought for a moment before a smile crossed his face. “Well… I’ll be taking Asuna and Shiranami for myself but the one thing I really want is a duel with you.”
Asuna and Shiranami could do nothing but shrink back further in their embarrassment at Kirito’s compliment while Heathcliff raised an eyebrow. “Oh? How interesting.”
“I personally believe it is better to settle this with the sword rather than with the eloquence of words.”
“Yes, go on.”
“I shall set the terms. If I win, I will regretfully refuse your kind offer to join the guild,” he began. “However, if I lose—and I’m quite confident that I won’t even when fighting you—that will happen, I will accept your offer to join the guild but I must be a high-ranking member so I can remain with Asuna and the others.” Kirito glanced at Nautilus who rolled his eyes in response.
Heathcliff scratched his chin, deep in thought. “You drive a very hard bargain, Kirito.” He then turned to his chief financial officer, a fellow rather aged man named Daizen, and asked. “What are your thoughts on this?”
“I personally have taken a liking for these terms,” he stated. “I don’t see any problem with accepting them.”
“Alright, it has been set,” Heathcliff said but before he could continue, he was cut off by Shiranami.
“With all due respect, Commander, I would like to take responsibility for this duel,” she declared, marching forward with determination (albeit with a still red face). She stopped next to Kirito before jabbing a finger at him. “I’ll be the one to duel you, Kirito.”
Heathcliff’s eyebrow rose ever higher. “Oh? Why must you burden yourself so, Shiranami?”
“This is something that I would want to fight over,” she explained. “I have been wanting to test Kirito’s skills again. The First Strike duel I challenged him to two months ago resulted in my loss. However, this time, I won’t hold back. I will stake all my pride on defeating you.”
Kirito smiled playfully. “Are you sure, Shira-chan?”
“Don’t you call me that again!” she demanded. “I’ll have you know just how much I have improved!”
“Of course, of course, I’m well aware,” Kirito smiled, ruffling her hair. “But let me have this. I want to fight the Paladin.”
“Mou… You better duel me afterwards!”
“Yeah, sure.”
With a warm smile as he observed the playful bickering of the children, Heathcliff clapped once to silence the room and announced, “Let it be so. The duel is to take place tomorrow exactly two hours before noon. The conditions are as follows: Kirito’s victory will result in his refusal to join our guild, however, in the event that I am victorious, he will be integrated into our ranks and begin his tenure as a high-ranking officer. Is this correct, Kirito?”
Removing his hand from Shiranami’s head, he returned his attention to the holy knight. “Yes. I shall abide by these terms.”
“Very well,” Heathcliff continued. “Asuna, Shiranami, Nautilus, Yuna. You are hereby dismissed. Kirito, I will look forward to you joining our ranks.”
“No thanks to you, ‘Commander’,” he replied. Turning on his heels, Kirito led the vanguard as he marched through the double doors leading the other four players as the distant sounds of fate tick through the world.