Disclaimer: I don't own anything apart from the words I write and the characters that i create. Credit goes to the original creator of the SAO Universe.

POV: Karen

After I finished talking with Kazuma, I walk Mamoru, Kazuto, Asuna, Haruka, and Madoka a little bit before the match starts, hoping that Kazuto and Asuna have Team Unity that I can use in this match and for a bit casual conversation when it comes to Haruka and Madoka.

"Karen, best of luck, Kazuma's team is nothing to laugh at. Though you may have it a little easy with Airi gone, although I am horrified about what happened." Kazuto says seriously.

"I'm aware, but we've actually agreed upon a friendly match with no summoned monsters. That'll make things a little fair. It's the least I can do considering what happened." I say though I get a notice from outside of Alfheim almost immediately

"Get out! A man named Vusago broke in and is trying to find you all!"

"Grr...Damn it!" I say angrily. For god's sake, when is Laughing Coffin going to stop?! First they attacked me and my friends outside Grandum in Alfheim, that park yesterday, and now Vusago actually is bold enough to attack a hospital that is under heavy guard? I can only give one single positive to this guy: He is persistent, and when it comes to things I like this, I hate persistence.

"What's wrong?" Haruka asks nervously, obviously scared of my sudden outburst.

"Vusago is up to his nasty tricks. Kazuto, tell the others to log out! And tell Kazuma to try to delay the match for-!" I say, with me planning to immediately log out after finishing my sentence though my connection to Alfheim got forcibly severed by someone.

After getting forcibly dragged out of the virtual world, I see my AmuSphere on the bedside table and I see the leader of this particular group of the VR Crime Division: Lieutenant Nichiren Amano by my bed. "My apologies Koizumi, but considering the circumstances, I can't let you remain in the virtual world."

After he says this, I hear gunshots out in the hallway. Nichiren rushes out of the room, and in mild fear I grab a Shinai and a Beretta M9 for last resort cases I keep near my bed for safety's sake, and I rush outside to see what the hell is going on to find a group of ten fighting the security guards here in the hospital.

"What's going on here?!" I ask in obvious fear.

"These armed individuals began shooting up the place. I presume they were after you all, so we're holding the line here to keep you all safe." Nichiren says in a calm tone. Perhaps his time in the American Armed Forces helped make him calm during situations like this.

"Did any of them make it to Katsuo or the others?!" I ask worriedly, praying that none of these damn bastards got to them, since they'd most likely be dead if that's the case.

"No, this is the only way to reach your friends. We're keeping them back, and we already called for reinforcements from the nearby guard station that should be here soon."

"Good to hear." I say, firing a few warning shots from behind a makeshift barricade after I finished talking, feeling more than a tiny bit fearful of actually shooting one of these ten, even though they're trying to kill me.

"Koizumi, you can't afford to be hesitant here, you need to shoot to kill!" Nichiren growls angrily toward me.

"I've never killed someone for real using weapons like these! You can't expect me to suddenly do something I've never done before!" I snarl angrily toward Nichiren in kind to his own angry response. I have no damn idea what allows soldiers to kill so casually, but that is one thing I do not want ever.

However, I try to steel my heart to prepare for the next wave of attacks when Katsuo and the others arrive from their rooms after five minutes pass, though six of the fifteen guards were killed in the crossfire. I heard from Nichiren that there's at least a hundred people from LC attacking this hospital. They're spread out, but a majority are here, presumably trying to kill us while we were in Alfheim.

"Karen, what's going on? I got a notice about this building entering crisis mode!" Katsuo says seriously.

"Laughing Coffin's members launched a full assault on this place. We're pinned down until reinforcements arrive." I say seriously.

"I see...Hand me that Beretta, I'm a better shot and we need everyone we have." Katsuo says calmly.

"Go ahead." I say quietly, not wanting to bear ending the life of someone, even if they are evil. I lightly toss the Beretta to Katsuo, who uses it immediately to end the life of three of the LC members, to my shock.

Real Life Standard Time: [12:15] May 7th 2026

We've been fighting off LC's assault for about a half hour now, and we've thinned the 'horde' to forty but their full attention is on us, and we're down to only seven people: Myself, Katsuo, Sylvia, Kana, Hikaru, Nichiren, and one other guard.

"Nichiren...when are those reinforcements going to get here?!" I ask angrily.

"They're on their way, we just need to hold out." Nichiren says, his calm attitude starting to piss me off slightly.

"Look, if they don't get here soon, we're not going to make it! Especially since we're running out of ammo!" Katsuo growls angrily, shooting at three more members of Laughing Coffin.

"Lieutenant Amano, we're outside the building. Give the word and we'll secure the site." a familiar voice says through Nichiren's walkie talkie.

"About time! Get everyone in here immediately! We're down to seven, if you don't hurry your goddamn asses, we'll be killed too!" Nichiren snarls angrily.

"Y-Yes sir!" The voice says, obviously freaked out based on the tone I heard.

"Good news, reinforcements have finally arrived. If we just hold out for a few more minutes, we'll end the lives of these damn annoyances." Nichiren says proudly.

Real Life Standard Time: [12:30] May 7th 2026

The Japanese Virtual Crimes Division were apparently the ones who came to Nichiren's response, with Mamoru at the lead of this new group who came to reinforce Nichiren's now practically defunct team since all but two members got killed fighting Laughing Coffin. Only one person is alive from this LC horde: Vusago. I suspect that LC is keeping some people in reserve in case this operation failed, especially since I didn't notice Kanemoto or Shinkawa, or as I knew them in Aincrad: XaXa and Johnny Black. Katsuo returned the Beretta to me, and I notice there is only one round left in the clip. I guess I'll need to refill it later in case something happens.

"Give up Vusago, your peons from Laughing Coffin are all dead or apprehended." Mamoru says with a scowl.

"Not a chance!" Vusago growls angrily, drawing a pistol.

I react on the spur of the moment and, without thinking, fire the Beretta which ends up going straight through Vusago's chest, causing him to collapse, but not before his eyes widen in apparent surprise from how I, the least combat experienced member of Senryaku, aside from Kana a little, killed a rather powerful criminal leader. His blood spreads out across the floor as everyone stares at me in shock.

"I...I just..." I say, my voice cracking as I fall to my knees. Almost immediately I start to gag from how I actually killed someone by my own hand though I try to hold it back as much as I can "Someone...please get me a bucket…"

"Karen, it'll be okay, you did it to help us." Katsuo says, trying to comfort me over the fact I committed homicide, justifiable or not. Though he hears my second half rather quickly thankfully "Oh dear lord." Katsuo then quickly dashes off somewhere

"...This is the second time I took a life intentionally...I thought it was bad enough with Hisae..." I mutter very weakly. Taking lives is something I've never been good with, but I feel nauseous killing someone with real weapons like this. I felt like utter and complete crap when I killed Hisae two years ago with my spear, but I guess I subconsciously hid the full brunt of the situation behind the fact it was a game to prevent myself from breaking down, though I did appreciate Hikaru quickly snapping me out of it then.

"Karen, if it's any condolence, killing Vusago may have been for the best. He's too crafty, we couldn't risk merely arresting him." Mamoru says bluntly, though I quickly see Katsuo returning with a bucket and places it in front of me

"Thanks Katsuo...everyone, look away a little bit." I weakly say and thankfully, I see everyone save Sylvia look away, though she's holding my hair back behind my head "Thanks."

I've been trying to hold back the urge to outright vomit until that bucket got here, with me losing control when it got here and go all-out for what feels like hours. The smell of blood certainly hasn't been helping, though thankfully, by the time I finished, I notice that Vusago's body has been moved and the blood cleaned up.

"You okay kid?" Nichiren asks me as he pats my back

"Urk...I feel like crap but...I guess." I mumble, with my throat feeling outright uncomfortable from all the vomiting "But please don't do that...I think I'd end up vomiting again if you do." I once again mumble weakly, with Nichiren backing off as I say this.

"You guys ought to get back to Alfheim. Yamura, Taka, make sure that Koizumi and the others are brought back to peak condition. Lieutenant Nakasone, send some of your men to the entrance, reinforce it. Spread everyone else around here. Don't let anyone reach their rooms."

"Understood. Men, spread out."

After the people from the VR Crime Division begin spreading out, Mamoru walks with us toward our room.

"You guys are kinda lucky, Kazuma was able to convince the supervisor of the tournament to delay the match because of Team Viper causing frequent trouble after Kazuto told them what was going on."

"Got it. Katsuo, Karen, Kana, let's get back to Alfheim. We can't let everyone down." Sylvia says, trying to be optimistic.

"Hm...your ability to remain optimistic in even the darkest situations baffles me Sylvia, but you're right. Let's get back." Katsuo says with a smile.