"And in response, the alien picks him up, snaps his neck, rips his head off, and kicks it like a fucking soccer ball. And then it kills everyone else. So I'm like, 'Wow, that was anticlimactic.'"

- Anonymous


Lisbeth emerged from her storage room. She placed a folded cloth on the counter, slowly unraveling the bundle to reveal Asuna's new sword. She glanced at her reflection on the blade as she made her final inspection, then raised her eyes toward her friend.

"I just finished polishing it this morning. Why don't you give it a try?"

Asuna nodded anxiously and grasped the sword in one hand. She turned around to give herself some space, inviting Lisbeth to step to her side and watch. After a few practice swings, she stopped to study the weapon up close.

"Thanks, Lisbeth! I think this is your best work yet."

Asuna was still facing away when Lisbeth made her move. The shopkeeper silently reached to her equipment belt and drew the Blade of Woe. Clutching the dagger underhand, her cheerful expression changed to an evil scowl. She raised her arm for the killing strike...

...and an identical weapon pierced her between the ribs.

The first thing to fill her mind was disbelief. Asuna had spun around so quickly that she never saw the attack coming. She didn't hear the knife swinging through the air. For the first few seconds, she didn't even notice how much it hurt. Yet there it was, sticking out of her blouse with Asuna's fist coiled around the hilt.

Asuna narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"I take it I'm the one you were supposed to kill."

Lisbeth blinked at the weapon a few more times before raising her eyes to Asuna. She could barely find her own voice.

"Why... ?"

Asuna answered with nothing more than a casual shrug.

"Isn't it obvious? I figured it out the moment I saw that dagger on your belt. He recruited both of us as Moderators and put us against each other to test us."

She tossed her new sword aside, now using both hands to twist the knife slowly.

"It's just like how he runs the rest of the game. Only the strongest deserve to survive."

Lisbeth's eyes grew damp. She couldn't understand how any of this was supposed to be fair.

"But I did exactly what he told me. I just wanted to protect Kirito..."

Asuna snickered out of the corner of her mouth.

"I guess you don't have to worry about that anymore. He's all mine now."

She withdrew the knife with a sharp tug, sending Lisbeth stumbling backward as she clutched her chest. She watched contently as the dying blacksmith dropped her own weapon and collapsed to shop's floor.

"It's a good thing I was able to do this before we ever got a chance to log off. It would've gotten messy if I stabbed you in the real world, and the last thing I need is someone trying to tell me I did something wrong just because I stopped some little skank from stealing my boyfriend."

Lisbeth's vision began to grow dark. She curled into a fetal position as her entire body flashed red. Her watery eyes slowly closed. All she could think about in her final moments was all the regret she felt for failing her beloved.

"Kirito... I'm... sorry..."

She painfully surrendered her final breath. Her avatar dissolved into a brief flash of digital light, along with the dagger.

Asuna smiled proudly to herself. She pressed her foot against the side of the counter, keeping her leg extended so she could slip her weapon back into the hidden scabbard in her stocking.

Just as she expected, the cloaked figure was waiting for her when she turned around again.

"Congratulations, Asuna. I have verified Lisbeth is the latest casualty in the SAO system. You are now my permanent Moderator."

She bowed her head politely.

"Do you have any more errands for me, Master Heathcliff?"

His face remained an ominous void, but there was a new kindness in his words. It was like a father praising his favorite daughter.

"Not just yet. I'm resetting your Blade back to its default values for the time being. I do hope you'll be clever enough to keep up your end of the bargain and find some peaceful way to convince Kirito to cease his foolishness."

"Don't worry about him. I'll keep him out of your way."

"And what if he still won't listen to you?"

Asuna lowered her voice to a chilling tone. Jealousy burned in her eyes as her mouth twisted into a greedy sneer.

"Then he'll wind up like Liz. He's better off dead than in the arms of some random slut who pretends she loves him."

The robed figure laughed softly.

"I couldn't ask for better commitment. I'm quite confident in you, Asuna."

He disappeared without saying another word.

Asuna knew he wasn't really gone. He would be watching her, making sure his minion always remembered her place. She was glad to have his support, and she wasn't going to make Lisbeth's mistake of putting Kirito first.

She picked her new sword up from the floor and quietly left the store.