FATAL ERROR: SYSTEM REBOOT
Chapter Ten: The Endless Dance of White and Black
A/N:
Aaaaaaand… we're back with a new chapter! This is the second part of a double release to make up for the lack of chapter eight, so I hope you like the fight in this second part!
This chapter might be a little short, seeing as it's just the fight and its aftereffects. Sorry about that, but it can't be helped, can it?
Well, see you at the bottom!
He materialized a different weapon, putting his «Bloody Blade» in storage in favor of a mini-boss drop, the curved sword known as the «Tyrant Slayer», along with a tower shield.
I gritted my teeth, recalling all the people he and his guild killed.
There were hundreds…
I looked down, my bangs covering the raging storm in my eyes. Suddenly, all was calm inside my head.
This isn't an in-game duel… it's a death match.
I tightened my grip on my sword, the «Phoenix StraightWing», and my dagger, the «Dracon StraightFang», tensing my muscles for combat.
That's right… and it's fine…
I looked up, and Yami flinched at the immense hate boiling just underneath the surface of my eyes.
'Cause I'm gonna kill him!
"HAAAAAAH!"
Within seconds, we were clashing with speeds faster than anyone else could match.
CLASH, CLASH, CLASH!
«INFINITY MOMENT: ACTIVE»
He slashed with his curved sword, and I parried with my dagger. I tried to slash with my sword, but he quickly blocked it with his shield. I slashed my dagger at his right arm, making a small scratch before he moved his sword to block.
His health barely moved down.
He's probably memorized all of the one-handed skills I use, and I don't have any dagger skills yet! I won't be able to use any skills against him! But that's fine! I trust in my own power!
I slashed at his shield with my dagger, moving it aside and using a spin attack to hit him with my sword. Of course, he blocked with his curved sword, but not before I landed a weak jab on his abdomen with my dagger.
"Rrgh!" Yami grunted, grimacing for the slightest of moments.
Still, his health moved down by less than two percent.
C'mon! I've gotta go faster!
"HA!"
I slashed at his head with my sword, but he ducked to dodge. He sent a jab at my head, but I parried it with my dagger. He staggered back, stunned briefly because of the parrying bonus. I ducked down below and slashed him twice in the legs, and his health dropped by three percent.
When he recovered from the stun, he sent a slash down at me. I evaded just in time, jumping back to distance us.
"Are you done holding back?" I asked, giving him a devilish glare.
"All right, fine. I'll show you my true power, but only if you let me change my equipment first."
"All right, I'll be waiting!"
He started to go through his menu, and I knew exactly what he was going to bring out. When he finished manipulating his inventory, he said, "Get ready!"
"I've been ready ever since I met you here!"
A double-bladed staff appeared, and he shouted, "«Weapon Modify: Center Split»!"
In the center of the handle, the staff broke in two, leaving Yami to wield… two longswords.
Exactly what he did before!
Once he had a good grip on his swords, we charged at each other, clashing in fractions of a second.
Not yet! I can still get faster! I can still get stronger! I CAN STILL INCREASE!
He slashed in a downward arc with his right sword, and I parried with my dagger. Just before the stun would've taken effect, he activated a three-hit skill with his left sword.
I activated a four-hit skill with my sword, blocking his skill. The last hit of my skill was a jab, but he caught it with his blades before it could reach me.
Big mistake!
I ducked, using my dagger to slash at his legs, losing him five percent off his HP. He let go of my sword, coming down in a double-downward strike. I blocked the strike by thrusting my blades outward, proceeding to head-butt his abdomen, and my «Martial Arts Skill» made the attack drain four percent from his health bar.
He staggered back, and I used the chance to rush at him and jab him in the solar plexus with my sword. His health bar went down by ten percent.
Then, before I could jump back, he slashed me in the abdomen, causing my HP to go down by one fourth.
What?!
I jumped back successfully, and he charged at me, quickly taking control of the battle.
He's just as fast as me! I have to… I HAVE TO BE FASTER!
«INFINITY MOMENT: OVERDRIVE»
I started to lose myself to the bloodlust, my vision slowly turning red. This time, however, I stayed conscious, allowing my deranged state to have control over my movements.
I'm gonna… I'm gonna kill him!
CLASH! CLASH! CLASHCLASHCLASHCLASHCLASH—
He landed a jab on my left cheek, and I landed a stab on his chest, dangerously close to his heart. My HP went down by three percent, and his went down by twelve percent.
"HA!" I screamed, the red polygons coming from his chest fueling my desire to kill.
I slashed down on Yami's head with my sword, and he blocked it with his swords in a cross. I tried to jab at his chest with my dagger, but he brought his swords down just in time to block, proceeding to jump out of the way of a slash to the neck.
I charged at him, knocking him to the ground before he landed. I brought my sword down on his head, but just like before, he blocked it with his swords in a cross. While he struggled to push my sword away, I slowly closed in, my dagger in reverse grip. When the dagger was just over his head, I plunged it down, stabbing him in the head and landing a critical hit.
His HP went down by eighteen percent, leaving him just under half life. When I saw his health bar dip into the yellow…
I went insane.
I kicked him in the gut, sending him flying back. When he landed, he rolled backwards into a standing position and charged at me. I started slashing wildly, landing small hits all over his body despite my lack of control. When he landed a hit on my abdomen, my HP went down by a considerable amount, but I couldn't see how much because of the red-tinted vision.
It went on like this for several minutes, with me constantly landing small hits, and Yami occasionally dealing considerable damage when he hit me.
Then, when I saw his health finally dip into the red, I made a wild jab for his heart with my sword. He did the same with his right sword, and then…
They both made contact simultaneously. We fell to the ground, drawing our swords out from each other's bodies.
The red faded from my vision, and I saw the red in Yami's HP bar reach the end, and finally… his health bar disappeared altogether.
"Thank you, Kirito…" Yami whispered.
"What?"
"After the «Assault Team» beat my guild, I did some reflecting… and I realized that what I had done was unforgivable. I felt sick, knowing that the people I killed were never coming back. Up until that point, I had believed that it was only a game, that I wasn't really killing them. But… after my sister died, I somehow knew that I would never see her again.
"I couldn't forgive myself. I wanted to die, but I couldn't bring myself to commit suicide… I was too much of a coward. That's why… I roamed the floors alone, trying to find you while you were soloing. No one knows where you solo, so I knew that I had almost no chance of finding you, but… I wanted…"
"No… this can't…"
"I wanted you to be the one to finally send me to the afterlife, where I could meet my sister once more. So… thank you, Kirito. I know you will clear the game for everyone. You can, and you will."
"Yami…"
"Goodbye… Kazuto Kirigaya."
And with that, he finally shattered into countless polygons, leaving behind the virtual world of Sword Art Online to see his sister.
I got up, rubbing the tears from my eyes.
Even though you killed all those people, you're still a human being. You still felt remorse… just like I do. I hated you for so long, without even bothering to try to see it from your perspective. I thought you weren't even human. But… you were.
"I hope you see your sister, Yami."
And with that, I ran. I ran from the cave, tears blurring my vision. I ran to the city, not stopping until I got to the «Warp Gate».
Voice cracking, with tears streaming down my face, I whispered, "Teleport: «Nara»."
A blue light engulfed me, and when it subsided, I found myself at the city just before the boss dungeon.
I saw a gathering of people where the boss meeting was designated to take place, with my guild at the center.
Well, this is it…
I dried my tears on my sleeve, walking towards the meeting.
A/N:
So, how was that for a fight?
Oh, and just to let you know, any grammar mistakes in the fight were purely intentional. I saw a few, so I wanted to point that out before someone else did.
And yeah, I know it's a little short, but like I said before, it was just the fight and its aftereffects.
Well, that's about it! Here's the disclaimer!
I don't own Sword Art Online or any of its adaptations!
See ya!
