Blades of Darkness

Chapter One: Eyes of Hatred

Author's Note

Some of you may be thinking, "Wait, isn't this someone else's story?" Well, you're right. This was indeed a story by a buddy of mine called, Insert New Name Here. However, after conversing with them, followed by some heavy negotiations, they agreed to let me adopt this story, so long as I made some edits to the first two chapters before continuing.

That said, I've made some substantial changes to the original story of this name, such as when certain events occur. You'll see what they all are in due time, so I won't spoil anything for you.

And another thing: though the main pairing will be Kirito/Argo, that will not be the only pairing in this fic. I won't say that that means just yet, however. Sorry!

Well, other than all that, I'd say I'm just about done explaining things here! I guess I'll see you at the ending note!

A nobody. That's what I am. No one would recognize me at first glance unless they've talked to me in person before, and no one who has really cares to anymore. Well, I guess that's not entirely true. I have one or two friends, though I often find myself questioning whether the feeling is mutual. After all, I'm a part of a hated breed in this game of life and death.

I'm a «Beater».

Actually, I was the first of the «Beaters». That epithet used to be reserved solely for me, and I liked it that way. Over time, however, it evolved into a term that was applied to all beta-testers who played solo. I always hated myself for that. For letting them share the hate that should be casted solely on me. But sadly, I could do nothing to ease their pain.

So I continued to fight alone on the front lines, doing my best to ignore the glares of hatred that were given to me by the other front-liners. The "normal" clearers. They hated me and all the other «Beaters» with a passion so great that it became policy amongst the front-liners to harass us at any given opportunity. It made me sick. But, yet again, I could do nothing to stop it.

Most of them don't even try to defend themselves when the "normal" players attack them, be it verbally or physically. It wasn't all that uncommon to see «Beaters» being attacked by assassins who had accepted a job to kill them. This either results in the «Beater» dying, or the assassin running away because their opponent was just too strong. Usually the latter, considering the ridiculously high level that most of us have.

But me? I'm not afraid to defend myself. I don't give a damn if people notice me and hate me. I move forward without fearing that someone will attack me at any moment. No one will even try, since everyone who can recognize me knows that I'm too powerful to tangle with. I'm not just a «Beater».

I'm the «Black Swordsman». The strongest of the «Beaters», and one of the only ones that has the nerve to fight on the front lines, where most of the hatred of the «Beaters» is gathered.

It's ironic, really. Because I don't care about others hating me, I've earned the respect of a few of the front-liners, not to mention most of my kind. And yet, the other «Beaters», who try as hard as they can to stay inconspicuous and avoid being harassed, are the ones who are hated on the most.

But I aim to change that. I don't know how yet, but I will.

You can count on it.

December 29th, 2023

Floor 50

Algade

As I walked through the streets of the fiftieth floor's main settlement, «Algade», I did my best to ignore the dirty looks I got from anyone in the area who wasn't an NPC. After all, this floor had just been unlocked, so the only players here were members of the clearing group, and they all knew me. I just had to act like their looks of hatred didn't faze me, and ignoring them was the best way to do so. On the off-chance that I met someone's eyes as they were looking at me angrily, I would just stare back with my usual emotionless mask.

This had become the norm ever since the incident on Christmas Eve. This marked the fifth day since then, and I hadn't met with any of my supposed friends since I parted with Klein. I had become more focused on clearing the game than ever before, and it showed in the way I mapped out the entire labyrinth of the forty-ninth floor. Since I knew that no one would take it from a «Beater» like me, I gave the data to one of the sub-leaders of the «Knights of the Blood» so that she could deliver it to the clearers.

That was two days ago. The forty-ninth floor was cleared the day after, and now, on December twenty-ninth, the fiftieth floor is already halfway explored. But I digress.

My current objective was to find a particular diner, the one that the game's most coveted information broker had told me we would meet at. She hadn't told me the reason for our meeting, but I figured that she just had some info on a powerful weapon or something. Not enough to really get me enthralled, but enough to pique my curiosity.

My eyes lit up for the faintest of moments as I turned a corner. I had finally found it; the diner that I had been searching the giant city over for was finally within a few steps. I had been searching for it for well over an hour, almost two, and now that I finally found it, I couldn't wait to go inside and give that damned info broker a piece of my mind for choosing such a hard-to-find place for our meeting.

Upon coming closer to the windows, I found the current subject of my annoyance sitting at the table right next to the window furthest from the door. All set to give her a nasty tongue-lashing, I walked over to the door, opening it and going in.

Immediately after I entered, I walked over to her table, an annoyed look plastered on my face. She looked up, flinching back when she saw my expression. I refrained from smirking in sick satisfaction. "You know that I spent the better part of two freaking hours searching for this place, right?"

She smiled, obviously enjoying seeing me angry now that she was over the initial shock. It was a rare sight, after all. "That's your fault for having terrible navigation skills. Besides, you could have used your «Tracking Skill» to look for me."

Her Cheshire cat grin after saying that matched her whisker marks perfectly, making her look more like a cat than she did her epithet, the «Rat». I almost smiled at how funny she looked because of it, but then I finally registered what she said.

At the realization that it really was my fault, I face-palmed. How did I not think of that? I thought angrily, looking through the hand on my face to see a snickering info broker. "And how exactly is this funny, Argo?"

The tone of my voice immediately caused her to cease her snickering, and she quickly changed the subject. "So, I assume you want to know why I called you here."

Right down to business as soon as she doesn't like where the conversation is heading, eh? Typical of her.

"No, I just thought we could talk about the nice, snowy weather we've been having— no shit, Argo," I replied, not willing to give up my anger just yet. "Of course I want to know why I'm here. So, what kind of info do you have for me?"

"We'll get to that," Argo said, looking at me with golden eyes that showed the slightest hint of… worry? No, that was impossible. There's no way she could have been worried about— "But Ki-bou, I'm seriously worried about you here. You've been leveling at a dangerous pace, and I know that if you keep soloing all the time, you'll end up dead one day."

"Stay alive… so you can see the end of this world and find out why it was created."

Sachi…

"Shut up…"

I looked Argo directly in the eyes, an angry look marring my features as those two words left my lips. She flinched back at the intensity of my expression. When I realized this, I took a moment to compose myself once more. "I'll survive. I'll see the end of this world. But I don't need anyone's help to do it."

"Listen to what you're saying, Ki-bou!" Argo shouted, catching the attention of what few players were in the diner. "The way you fight is almost suicidal! One day, you're going to get way in over your head, and you'll die!"

"Five days ago, I fought a flag mob that was almost as strong as a floor boss," I told her, making her eyes widen. Before she could say anything in retort, I continued, voice eerily calm. "And I beat it. It didn't even send me into the red. Not once. I'm pretty sure you know what I'm talking about.

"I soloed «Nicholas the Renegade», all for an item that, as it turns out, didn't even work."

Silence. I could see the realization in Argo's eyes, telling me that she was finally catching on as to why I was so determined to fight «Nicholas» that night.

"Do you really think I'd die to anything less than a floor boss?"

That was it. the whole point of my little speech, summed up in one sentence. I hadn't meant to reveal anything, but it looked like I unintentionally gave her a glimpse inside of my mind.

After she realized I was finished talking, Argo's tried her best to look unfazed by what I had accidentally shown her. "With your crazy attitude, you'll challenge a floor boss anyway!" she nearly shouted, eyes narrowed.

"I may be reckless, but I'm not a total idiot," I said, my eyes narrowing in turn. "I wouldn't challenge a floor boss by myself. I have to live until the end… so I can't do anything that would surely get me killed."

Argo sighed, looking at me with a sympathetic smile. One that I didn't deserve. "Something happened that night, didn't it?" she asked me, receiving nothing but silence in return. She sighed, realizing that she had struck a nerve with her remark, judging by my expression. "Well, whatever. You wanted to know why I called you here? I found some info on a one-handed sword on this floor. According to the quest, it's a sword that has unmatched fighting capacity. It's also a demonic drop, so you can expect it to have a crazy-high boost in Strength."

"Which also means that you would need to have a crazy-high Strength stat just to equip it," I said, looking at her with a more composed expression than before. "So, how would I go about getting this sword?"

"Someone's awful confident in their stats," Argo said, smiling smugly. "There's a quest on this floor that has you fight a flag mob, and it supposedly has two health bars. I'll give you the name of the quest and where to go, but only on one condition."

I looked at her with a cynical expression. "What is it?"

Please, just don't say what I think you're going to say…

"We party together for the quest," Argo said, her expression hardening. "Don't worry, I'll let you have the last attack. I use claws anyway, so it doesn't matter to me."

Damn it!

I began to weigh my options. I could decline and try to find the location of the quest myself, but knowing the size of «Algade», I figured that the fiftieth floor would be cleared before I found it. But if I partied with Argo, I would be putting another player in danger. Even if she was a beta-tester, she wasn't a part of the clearing group, and fighting wasn't a part of her profession as an info broker.

"What level are you?" I asked her. She knew that this would be the make-or-break question, and her eyes showed it.

"Check your friends list. My level will be there," she said, giving me a smirk as she pointed to my mouth. "But don't say it aloud."

I opened my menu, scrolling to my friends list and opening it. after looking a bit through the list, I clicked on her profile. When I saw her level, I nearly choked.

Level sixty-eight?! She's almost as high as me!

I sighed in resignation. "All right, you can come. Just…" I trailed off, not wanting to finish my sentence.

"Just what?" Argo asked me, an inquisitive expression on her face.

After several seconds of debate, I finally said what was on my mind. "Don't die."

She sighed at this, giving me the first genuine smile I had seen her give me since I got to the diner. "Don't worry about me, Ki-bou. I'll live. After all, I have to survive to sell you info!"

I laughed for the first time in months. And it was a real laugh, too, not one out of bitterness or self-loathing. "All right. Let's go, Argo."

After partying up, we left the diner. Argo led me straight to the city's «Teleport Gate», where she promptly warped us to a town near the «Valley of End», a dungeon that still hadn't been fully mapped out.

"The quest NPC is on the outskirts of the «Safe Area»," Argo told me, looking at me apprehensively. "Are you ready?"

"You're the one who looks nervous," I said, looking at her harshly for a moment before softening my gaze. I put my hands on her shoulders, softly saying, "I won't let you die, Argo."

"You're going to give people the wrong idea if you keep doing things like that," Argo said, a small smile tugging at her lips. Relieved to know that I had eased her nervousness, I sighed in contentment before her words sunk in.

"Things like what?" I queried, giving her a questioning look.

"Oh, nothing," she replied, walking further ahead. "C'mon! Let's go, Ki-bou!"

About ten minutes later, we found ourselves staring down a large, western-styled house on the outskirts of town. When I looked to my left, I could clearly see the entrance to the «Valley of End».

That's probably where the quest will take place, I thought, looking back to the house. Argo had already walked up to the front door, turning back to motion for me to follow. I did so, and we opened the door, walking inside.

The interior of the house was much like I expected it to be. Wooden walls of a chestnut color, a sofa to our right, and a reclining chair in which sat an elderly man wearing a robe. Upon closer inspection, I noticed that the man had a golden exclamation point over his head, signifying that he was the quest NPC that Argo had informed me of.

She motioned for me to talk to the old man, who had a grim expression on his face. I took a deep breath, then asked him, "Sir, what's wrong?"

The NPC looked up, his eyebrows wrinkling as his eyes widened. Apparently, he didn't notice us as we came in, a common trait amongst quest NPCs. Still, most of them were not programmed to emulate surprise when a real player talked to them, so it was certainly strange that this one did.

At long last, the elderly NPC began to speak. "Traveling warriors, I beseech you to hear my request."

"What is it?" I queried, looking at him with a hardened look.

"A demon has killed my son. I was informed of his death this morning," he said, looking down. "He was a strong warrior, and he had gone out hunting for our food. He went a little deeper into the valley to look for some fruit, and never came back. When one of the townsfolk went to look for my son, he found his sword lying next to a sleeping demon."

"What is your request?" I asked, a newfound eagerness in my voice as I imagined what the sword could look like.

"Destroy the demon that killed my son!" the old man shouted, looking at me with a fire in his eyes.

At this, a window appeared before me. I read its contents.

Quest: Take Revenge on the Valley Demon

Description: A demon has killed the son of one of the townspeople. Destroy this demon before it can bring any harm to others!

Accept?

Yes/No

I touched the button to accept the quest, prompting one last line from the quest NPC.

"Thank you! Be sure to bring my son's sword back to me."

Something about the way he told us to bring his son's sword to him didn't sit right with me. I couldn't place why, but for some reason, his saying that seemed… ominous.

As we walked out of the house, I decided to voice my thoughts. "Hey, Argo."

"What is it?" she asked me, casting me a side-glance.

"Did you get the same feeling I did when he told us to bring back the sword? Something was off with the way he said that."

"Yeah, I was wondering if you caught that," Argo said, giving me a smug smile that made me want to choke her. "But there's nothing we can do about it now. Let's just get the sword."

"Right."

Watching Argo weave through the mobs all around us, delivering swift blows with her claws that always seemed to inflict some kind of status condition to her opponents… it was like watching an elegant yet highly dangerous dancer. In no time flat, she had destroyed an entire pack of the «Zombie Wolves» we had been facing, without any help at all.

Man, she's incredible! And all she uses are those claws! I thought, watching as she kept on delivering strike after strike to all of the mobs around her with speed that rivaled my own.

"Ki-bou, what are you just sitting there for?" the object of my thoughts shouted, breaking me out of my trance.

"S-sorry!" I shouted, springing into action.

Looking around me, I found that I was completely surrounded by at least five of the «Zombie Wolves», and they were all closing in ever-so-slowly. Even so, I didn't feel a hint of fear. I had a few aces up my sleeve that I saved just for situations just like this.

I bent my knees, preparing to jump. I waited until I could see a yellow light coming from my sword, then leapt into the air.

«Lightning Fall»

When I came back down, I stabbed my blade into the ground. The resulting shockwave sent sparks of electricity in all directions, causing all of the «Zombie Wolves» around me to fly back and fall to the ground, paralyzed.

With step one out of the way, I got up, tearing my sword from the ground and running at the nearest enemy. With just a few slashes, it shattered into polygons, returning to the «Cardinal System» to await its AI reset and respawn.

I repeated this process on the rest of the «Zombie Wolves», not stopping until the entire field was clear of all mobs. After I finished, I heaved a sigh, turning to Argo. "You're amazing. You don't even look tired," I said, giving her a smile.

"Well, I put almost all of my stat points into AGI, so I can continuously perform attacks and skills without getting tired," she replied, waving her hand dismissively.

"I see," I said, not bothering to ask any of the thousand questions that remained in my mind after her statement. I knew that if I tried, she would only try to charge me for answers.

"So, it looks like the demon is probably up ahead," Argo said, pointing in front of us. Before I could ask her how she knew, she answered with, "It's the only part of this dungeon that we haven't mapped out."

"Well, then," I started, sheathing my sword for the moment. "Are you ready?"

"Always."

With that, we walked into the next area of the dungeon. We were ready for anything. We were going to get that sword, complete the quest, and—

"What the hell?"

The demon before us was not at all what we were expecting. Standing at least three times my own size, I couldn't think of anything more menacing. Its skin was coal-black, and its leathery wings stretched out to at least four meters. In its clawed right hand, it held a black sword that seemed to radiate a darkness that cast a shadow on darkness itself. I looked at its name and level, shuddering in fear as I did so.

«Level 88 NM: The Valley Demon»

— Die. We were going to die.

Author's Note

And we're back! So, how do you like my edits? I'd say they fix some things that my buddy Insert left wide open. You'll see what I mean in the next two chapters, I assure you.

Anyway, I'm going to have to apologize to you about this: unlike the original, this story is not accepting OCs. I plan on using a few that I've either crafted myself, or have gotten permission to use from other people on the site (primarily Insert New Name Here).

Well, other than all that, I hope you liked my revision! Let me stress that I did get permission to adopt this story; I didn't just randomly copy it.

Okay, it's disclaimer time!

I don't own the SAO light novels, any of their adaptations, or any of the characters, items, or other things I borrow from them. I'm way to poor for that to even be a possibility. Plus, I live in America, not Japan. Hopefully, that clears up any misunderstandings, Aniplex!

See you in the next chapter!