Chapter 11- The Dark Swordsman
"It's… Chrome Disaster!" Black Wolf said slowly.
"But how?!" Scarlet Rain exclaimed. "We should've had plenty of time in this world before he got here."
"Unless," Argent Flash let out a gasp, "he accelerated right when he got on the train!"
"Agh," Yellow Radio groaned as he was lifted into the air by the chrome avatar. "Deceit Fire Cracker!" The Yellow King soon disappeared in a puff of smoke before reappearing a few feet behind Chrome Disaster.
"I'll eat you alive!" Chrome Disaster swore as he turned around while darkness radiated from his mouth. "All of you!"
Chrome Disaster reached his left hand out towards a random Yellow Legion member and somehow pulled the Burst Linker towards him, much to the player's shock. He trapped the player in his left hand and roared as the player tried desperately to escape. Everyone watched as Chrome Disaster mercilessly bit off the player's head before consuming most of the avatar's body, killing him.
"This isn't a fight," Aqua Sniper said in disgust while Chrome Disaster went for another victim. "It's a massacre!"
"You blood-thirsty beast," Yellow Radio said as the chrome avatar made its way towards him. "Everyone retreat!" He summoned his staff and created a smoke cloud to allow him and his legion to escape.
"We have to stop him," Argent Flash said. "C'mon, Marth! Marth?"
The fencer and sniper turned towards the dual wielder and were shocked by the sight. Black Wolf was trembling with fear and was panting wildly.
"Marth, what's wrong?" Argent Flash said in concern.
Black Wolf dropped his swords, causing them to land with a clang, and held his head in his hands, which felt like it was throbbing. Memories were pouring through his mind, overwhelming his senses. He could see Tokyo in ruins as monsters invaded. There was a man with silver hair leading them. He had black armor, a crimson cape, and carried a wicked red sword in his right hand.
"Destroy everything!" the man ordered. "Leave no survivors!"
"N-no," Black Wolf said in a panic. "Stay away from me." Suddenly Black Wolf found himself kneeling on the ground and his body refused to move.
"Marth!" Argent Flash exclaimed in worry as she hurried to her downed comrade.
"What's happening to him?" Aqua Sniper questioned quickly. "He was fine just a moment ago."
Argent Flash groaned as she felt a flash of pain in her forehead, causing her to realize what happened. "Why now of all times?" she cursed before kneeling next to her friend, who didn't seem to notice her presence. "Seeing Chrome Disaster must have triggered one of Marth's missing memories, and if he's like this, it isn't a good one."
"Crap," Aqua Sniper replied. "That's not good. Chrome Disaster won't go down easy and Kirito won't respawn for another thirty minutes. Damn it all."
Chrome Disaster was heading towards a retreating Yellow Legion member when Black Lotus sprung into action and struck his chest with her arm-blades, slightly damaging him and forcing it on one knee, with it using its sword for support. Once she skidded to a halt, she turned towards the monster.
"You will go no farther," Black Lotus said with determination. Suddenly she felt a pang of pain in her chest, causing her to turn towards her protégé and gasped. "Marth! Are you okay?"
Somehow, hearing his guardian's voice made the pain in his head lessen, but his body remained frozen, refusing to obey his commands to rise up. "K-Kuroba," Black Wolf said slowly, fear etched in his tone before the trauma took him over again. His Core Crystal was constantly flashing.
"He's starting to go into Zero-Fill!" Argent Flash exclaimed. "Chrome Disaster triggered one of his bad memories and it's making him lose his will to fight."
"Not good," Black Lotus thought to herself. "Those memories must be bringing back all the trauma Marth went through in his past. I've got to do something before he zeroes out. He'll be an open target for Chrome Disaster if that happens."
Chrome Disaster got up before turning towards the Black King and snarled fiercely.
"Lotus, try talking to him!" Aqua Sniper shouted. "Hearing your voice brought him back for a moment. Maybe you can snap him out of it."
"It's worth a try," Black Lotus thought before saying, " 'When a Burst Linker loses their will to fight, they can't control their Duel Avatar.' When the little brat said that, she was right."
"Ngh," Black Wolf grunted as he slowly lifted his head towards his guardian.
"It's hard for me to admit this," Black Lotus confessed. "But I still regret what I did two years ago. Deep down, my insatiable appetite for violence and victory frightens me a great deal. But what I did pales to what you went through, Marth."
Black Wolf gasped as he saw a vision of himself in his SAO avatar standing before Aincrad, the floating castle of Sword Art Online.
"I know what you're going through," Black Lotus continued. "Those memories open wounds you never knew you had, but you must push forward, like I did. I know you hate your Dark Swordsman persona, but you have to remember all the lives you saved in Aincrad."
"But, even so," Black Wolf said in despair as he dug his hands into the dirt. "There are thousands of other people that I failed to save, all because I was too weak."
"Don't be an idiot!" Black Lotus shouted. "I won't let you demean yourself like that. You did something that thousands of people couldn't. You survived and lived. You're not weak and you're not alone! You said it yourself, we're more than just guardian and protégé, we're partners. Our bond is stronger than anything in this world." She turned towards Chrome Disaster and raised her right arm-blade. "You must have more faith in it!"
The Black King lunged her right arm-blade at Chrome Disaster, who parried with his large red sword. Chrome Disaster then countered by lunging his sword at her, but Black Lotus back flipped away, causing him to strike the ground instead. The attack caused rocks to fly at him, but he blocked them with his left arm. Black Lotus took advantage of the opening and struck his arm with her blades, injuring him slightly.
"Wow," Argent Flash said in awe. "Kuroba's holding her own against that thing. It's incredible."
"Yeah," Aqua Sniper agreed as they watched their Legion Master and the Armor of Catastrophe clash. "It's almost like she's truly enjoying it."
Black Lotus managed to injure Chrome Disaster's chest with her blades, unfortunately all the damage she was inflicting was healing itself.
"Damn it," she cursed.
Chrome Disaster charged at her, his sword poised to strike. The Black King moved to dodge, unfortunately she wasn't fast enough, and part of her skirt was damaged from his attack.
"Run, Kuroba!" Black Wolf exclaimed. "Get out of there!"
Chrome Disaster swung his sword down in an overhead maneuver, prompting Lotus to block with a cross-block. The impact from the blow created a shockwave and also forced the Black King onto one knee as she struggled to push back the blow.
"Running is not an option for me, Marth," Black Lotus said. "I've allowed the Yellow King to expose my ugly side in front of you. As your mentor and guardian, I have to take on this fight. Otherwise, I could never face you in the real world."
"But you can't beat him on your own!" Black Wolf argued. "Why would you put yourself at risk like this?!"
"For the same reason why you chose to fight in SAO," Black Lotus answered, causing her protégé to gasp in shock. "It's not about winning or losing. It's about fighting with all your might and never backing down!"
Black Wolf lowered his head in shame. "She's right. Back in SAO, whenever I fought, I never thought about winning or losing, I just focused on surviving and clearing the game. Besides my friends, nothing else mattered to me."
What will you do now? A voice questioned.
Suddenly Black Wolf found himself standing in a black void. "What the?" He then saw something shocking. It was himself, in his SAO avatar.
"She can't beat that thing alone," his doppelganger said. "Are you just going to stand by and watch?"
"N-no, but what can I do? I'm not the person I used to be back in Aincrad, and I'm not a hero!"
"You don't have to be a hero to fight for what matters to you," the SAO avatar stated. "All you need is the courage to take a stand."
Black Wolf lowered his head hesitantly. "But… what if I mess up? What if I just make things worse?"
"That didn't stop you back in Aincrad. Remember when you and Kirito fought Zelgius and Heathcliff on Floor 75? You guys knew that if you did there was a chance you both could die, but you did it anyway because you both knew it was the right thing to do. It's time to stop denying your past. You are the Dark Swordsman, and that will never change."
The black Duel Avatar stared at his right palm for a moment before balling it into a fist. "You're right," he said slowly. "I've never backed down from a fight, and I won't start now!"
His doppelganger cracked a smile before he reached his hand out to Black Wolf. The dual wielder hesitated for a moment before taking his hand, causing them to be consumed in a bright light.
Back in the Accelerated World, Argent Flash noticed a black aura surround Black Wolf as he reached for his swords.
"Marth?" she said slowly.
Black Wolf gritted his teeth as he forced himself to stand. "I… refuse… to stand by… and watch!"
Argent Flash and Aqua Sniper then gasped as they noticed Black Wolf's eyes change from blue to silver.
"What the?" Aqua Sniper said in confusion. "What's going on with Marth's eyes?"
Argent Flash didn't get a chance to answer as Black Wolf charged at Chrome Disaster with inhuman speed. In fact, she could've sworn she saw an effigy of her friend's SAO avatar appear around him as he moved. Black Wolf activated Vorpal Strike with Lunara, causing its blade to glow bloodred, and aimed for his chest. Chrome Disaster was forced to block it with his left arm, however, the Shadow Blade made a deep cut in his armor, causing him to howl in pain. This also distracted the Armor of Catastrophe long enough for Black Lotus to regain her footing and parry his sword away from her.
"Nice hit," Black Lotus commented as she and her protégé stood side-by-side. "So I take it you'll go down fighting?"
"If it comes to that, yeah," Black Wolf replied with a smirk.
The Black King gasped when she noticed his eyes change from silver to blue. "It can't be… How in the world could he have…?" She didn't get a chance to finish her thought as she immediately sensed danger as a flash of purple light lit up from the crater.
Out of pure instinct, Black Lotus pushed Black Wolf away before she was struck by a large purple laser.
"Kuroba!" Black Wolf shouted in worry.
When the laser died down, the Black King collapsed on the ground, prompting her protégé to hurry to her and cradle her in his arms; his swords lying next to him. Black Lotus was badly damaged, with her visor cracked, but she was still alive.
"Are you okay?" Black Wolf asked quickly.
"I-I'm alright. Wh-what about you?"
"I'm fine, thanks to you."
Meanwhile Argent Flash and Aqua Sniper turned to the Red King in rage.
"Why did you do that?!" Argent Flash shouted in anger. "Why did you fire at Marth and Kuroba?! You could've killed them! If you killed Black Lotus, she would've lost all her Burst Points!"
"So what," Scarlet Rain said slowly, catching the former Alfheim Warriors off-guard.
"I thought we were allies!" Aqua Sniper added. "Was that all a lie? Answer us!?"
"To a Burst Linker, all other Linkers are their enemies," Scarlet Rain explained. "And when you lose to an enemy, you lose points. Let your points run down to zero and you're banished forever. That's just how it goes."
"But we're not enemies!" Argent Flash argued. "We're…"
"We're what? Friends? You guys are so naïve it makes my stomach turn! Let me give you one last piece of advice. In the Accelerated World, there isn't a single person you can trust. Allies. Legion members. Friends. Even the whole Guardian-protégé bond is a total sham!" Scarlet Rain dismissed her fortress and began marching out of the crater, ignoring Argent Flash and Aqua Sniper.
Aqua Sniper silently readied her Hecate rifle to fire at the Red King, but Argent Flash stopped her.
"Wait, let's see what she wants to do first," the fencer said quietly.
Begrudgingly, the sniper stood down.
"Once I'm finished taking Chrome Disaster out," Scarlet Rain continued. "I'm coming for you all next. If you all want to avoid that fate, I suggest you start running right now, because the next time we meet, it'll be as enemies."
Scarlet Rain walked past Black Lotus and Black Wolf and headed towards Chrome Disaster, who was lying on the ground after getting hit by the fortress's laser. The Red King put her foot on the chrome avatar's chest and brought out her handgun to shoot him with the Judgement Blow.
"Is this really how Niko wants things?" Black Wolf questioned to himself. "Why? It doesn't make any sense."
"She's such a baby," Black Lotus spoke up, who had managed. "This is why I hate children."
Suddenly they heard a loud scream. Chrome Disaster had recovered and severed Scarlet Rain's right arm with his sword, which was the one with her handgun. He then grabbed her small body with his left hand and held her up. The Red King tried to break free, but Chrome Disaster was too strong for her.
"She didn't shoot," Black Wolf realized.
"No, because she was too busy brooding," Black Lotus explained. "More than anyone else here, that girl wants to be able to trust someone. She's unable to let go of a Burst Linker's last bond. It's clear to me now. Those two were guardian and protégé. Chrome Disaster, or rather Cherry Rook, was the Red King's guardian."
"I see."
Black Lotus let out a chuckle. "Well, aren't you gonna do something, Dark Swordsman? I'm fine. Go help Niko. She is our friend."
Black Wolf cracked a light smile. "You got it, partner." He set his guardian down gently before retrieving his swords and rising to his feet.
The dual wielder then charged at Chrome Disaster while activating Vorpal Strike with Lunara again.
"Sei!" Black Wolf exclaimed as he ran his right sword through Chrome Disaster's chest.
The Armor of Catastrophe screeched in pain before it let Scarlet Rain go. The blow also knocked it back a few feet.
"What are you doing?" the Red King questioned after landed flat on her back. "I told you to get lost."
Black Wolf noticed some dark energy from Chrome Disaster had gathered on Lunara, prompting him to flick it off with a single swing.
"Well I didn't listen," Black Wolf answered. "Like it or not, we are friends."
"Will you stop being so fucking naïve?!"
"Someone's got a potty mouth," a familiar voice said.
Black Wolf noticed Argent Flash and Aqua Sniper right beside him.
"You're the one being naïve, Niko," Aqua Sniper replied. "You're a King! Stop trying to avoid what needs to be done. At this point, Brain Burst is nothing more than a curse to your friend. You need to end him with the Judgement Blow, otherwise he'll keep attacking the other Burst Linkers."
"I'm guessing you two want to help too," the dual wielder theorized.
"You bet," Argent Flash replied as the trio watched Chrome Disaster pick itself up. "What's the plan?"
Black Wolf saw a notification revealing that a new power had unlocked, one that he was too familiar with.
"Asuna, Sinon, can you two distract that thing for ten seconds?"
"Sure," Aqua Sniper said as she switched to her bow and arrow. "Why?"
"There's no time to explain. When I give the word, I want you guys to get clear. Niko, once you get an opening, hit Disaster with the Judgement Blow."
The Red King slowly nodded as she retrieved her handgun. "Okay. But how the hell are you gonna hold off Chrome Disaster on your own? You're not as strong as Kuroba."
Black Wolf simply chuckled. "You'll just have to wait and see. You guys ready?"
The girls all got into fighting positions.
"Yeah."
Argent Flash and Aqua Sniper charged at Chrome Disaster, who roared in response. Meanwhile Scarlet Rain noticed Black Wolf close his eyes.
"What is he up to?" she wondered.
Chrome Disaster tried striking Argent Flash with his sword, but she was too fast and struck him with Star Splash, hitting weak points in his armor. The chrome avatar then tried to slash at her waist during her post motion delay, but Aqua Sniper stopped him with a fire arrow to the face.
"Not on my watch," the sniper said calmly.
Chrome Disaster snarled in anger and charged at the blue avatar, prompting Argent Flash to move to intercept with her rapier.
Meanwhile, a black aura had flared around Black Wolf once again, prompting him to open his eyes and move to join the fray. "All right, now!" Black Wolf exclaimed.
Argent Flash knocked Chrome Disaster's sword away by using Linear before moving to the side as Black Wolf moved right in front of the Armor of Catastrophe.
"Seyaa!" Black Wolf exclaimed as he used thirty percent of his special gauge to unleash Spinning Totality, causing him to do a complete spin while slashing his swords across Chrome Disaster's waist, leaving nasty gashes behind that radiated darkness. The special move also knocked Chrome Disaster back a few feet.
"Whoa," Scarlet Rain said in awe.
However, that's when the unexpected happened, as the black aura around Black Wolf intensified and his crystal flared to life before his appearance suddenly changed. His visor-helm disappeared, revealing his face, and his armor changed to a blackwyrm coat, black pants and fingerless gloves, along with a belt and boots that were the same color. His scabbards remained where they were on his back.
"What the?" Aqua Sniper said in shock. "What just…?"
"That appearance," Argent Flash spoke up, trying to fight off her disbelief. "That's Marth's SAO avatar! The Dark Swordsman!"
Black Lotus couldn't help but smile with pride for her protégé. "Go, Marth. I know you can defeat that thing."
"The Dark Swordsman?" the Red King questioned. "Are you saying that Wolf is the same guy who disappeared during the Demon War? But that's impossible."
"We'll explain later," Marth answered as his aura dissipated. His Core Crystal also stopped glowing. "Right now, you should get ready with that Judgement Blow."
"Uh, okay. But what exactly are you gonna do?"
As if to answer her question, Chrome Disaster charged at Marth and swung his red sword down at his head, only for the Dark Swordsman to block it with his swords. Marth let out a strained grunt before he knocked back his opponent's weapon. The duo then proceeded to clash blades at high speed, with neither one giving in. Chrome Disaster then swung at the dual-wielder's neck, only for the latter to push it back with his swords.
"Luckily this form also gives me the stats I had back in SAO," Marth thought as he fought. "Otherwise this might be going differently."
The Dark Swordsman swung Lunara at Chrome Disaster's left flank, but the chrome avatar blocked it with his left arm. Unfortunately, the blow was too strong and severed it off. Marth then checked and saw that his special gauge was now full.
"Now!" Marth thought before shouting, "Starburst Stream!" His special gauge reduced to twenty percent while his swords began glowing blue. He then proceeded to unleash the dual-wielding skill on his opponent, nearly destroying Disaster's armor. However, right before Marth performed the final hit, something strange happened.
"All I want… is to become stronger." The voice was that of a young boy. Since there was no one else in the area, Marth assumed it was Cherry Rook. Sure enough, a small avatar could be seen in the Armor of Catastrophe. "That's all. I can tell you feel the same way. You also want the power, don't you?"
"No way!" Marth exclaimed in anger. "You think you can be forgiven just because you wanted to get stronger? You chose to wear that armor and attacked all those Burst Linkers. You even tried to devour Niko, your own protégé! There's no excuse for that! Everyone wants to get stronger, but you did it in the wrong way!"
The Dark Swordsman tightened his grip on Solaris as his eyes became silver. "This ends now, Cherry Rook!" Marth plunged the golden blade into Cherry Rook's chest, the blue light intensifying, as if his very willpower was magnifying the skill's power. The swordsman let out a howl as a loud cracking sound could be heard coming from the armor as he pushed the golden blade in further.
Suddenly the armor exploded, knocking Marth into a fallen pillar before he landed on the ground flat on his stomach.
"Marth, are you okay?" Argent Flash exclaimed in worry as she hurried over to the Dark Swordsman.
The black-haired teen somehow managed to rise to his feet and nodded. His eyes were their normal color too. "Yeah, somehow."
"Is he finished?" Aqua Sniper questioned.
"Only one way to find out," Marth answered.
The trio headed to the small crater the explosion had created. There was no trace of the armor, only the rusted body of a small Duel Avatar.
"You did it, Black Wolf," Scarlet Rain said. "Now leave the rest to me."
The Red King entered the crater before holding her guardian with her stump of an arm while aiming her handgun at his chest. A loud gunshot soon followed as she struck him with the Judgement Blow, causing Cherry Rook's avatar to disappear.
"In the real world, Cherry and I don't know who our parents are," Scarlet Rain confessed. "We were both abandoned when we were little. The boarding school we go to is a school for orphaned kids just like us."
Marth gasped in disbelief as he sheathed his swords. "You're an orphan. I'm sorry."
"Please don't start," the Red King dismissed as she placed her remaining hand on the ground. "I hear that way too much as it is. I don't need your pity too. Anyway, because my personality is what it is, I had a hard time fitting in at school. I was always off in the corner, playing VR games alone. But three years ago, a boy who was a couple years older came up and talked to me. He was trying so hard to tell me something, his face turned had bright red. It was pretty funny.
"Then he asked if I wanted to play a game he thought I would like a whole lot more. When I became a Burst Linker, he taught me everything he knew so I could fit in. He even risked his life to protect me from harm. But it wasn't long before I caught up to him. And then passed his level. Before I knew it, I was level 9. And after that, I was made Legion Master. I became obsessed." Her voice then cracked. "I never once stopped to think about he may be going through, or if something was bothering him. We met in the real world every day at school. But I didn't even notice that he was acting strange. All he wanted… was to be my guardian forever. That's why he sought more power and was tempted by the Armor of Catastrophe. If only I had said something to him, but I didn't. I did nothing!"
It didn't take an expert to realize she was ready to burst into tears.
"Niko," Marth said slowly before kneeling beside the Red King and putting his hand on her left shoulder, catching her attention. "While it is true that Brain Burst is way more than just a game, there are other ways to meet people. Just like I know my guardian in real life, you know Cherry Rook there too. No matter what happens, you guys will always have that bond in the real world. Just… think of it as starting over."
"Marth's right," Argent Flash added as she and Aqua Sniper made their way into the crater. "Even though we're from different legions, we're friends in the real world, Niko."
"Wh-what?" Scarlet Rain said in surprise as she forced herself away from the dual wielder. "Yeah right. In your dreams! You guys could make good underlings, especially you, Wolf, but that's as far as you'd get."
"An underling to whom, I might ask?" asked a familiar voice.
The group turned around and saw none other than Graphite Edge, who was supporting Black Lotus. The metal avatar's armor was fully restored, and his swords were sheathed.
"Kirito! Kuroba!" Marth exclaimed in relief.
"Of course," Aqua Sniper realized. "The one-hour death penalty is over. It's good to have you back. You sure went out with a bang."
"Yeah, but you guys were doing awesome too," Graphite Edge replied. "Especially you, Marth. So, uh, how did you switch to your SAO avatar here?"
"Uh," Marth said nervously before he reverted back to Black Wolf. "I guess you could say… I accepted myself in a way."
Graphite Edge quickly caught on to what his friend was inferring. "You accepted your Dark Swordsman persona. Cool." He lowered his head in shame and muttered, "If only I could do the same with mine."
Black Lotus then hovered towards the Red King. "Well now, Scarlet Rain. I believe you have something you would like to say to me?"
To absolutely no surprise, Scarlet Rain just looked away and casually said, "My bad."
That irritated the Black King. "That's all?!" she exclaimed.
"Well, what do you expect?!" Scarlet Rain argued as she stood up to face her fellow level 9 Burst Linker. "At least I fought through the whole thing. You were the one lying there sleeping during most of it!"
"And just who's fault was that?!" Black Lotus rebuked as the former Alfheim Warriors gathered to the side.
"This is almost refreshing," Graphite Edge said as he folded his arms. "Makes it hard to believe we were in a dangerous battle earlier."
"Technically we were in a dangerous battle," Aqua Sniper said smugly. "You bit the dust right at the beginning."
Graphite Edge comically slumped in despair. "You don't have to rub it in!" he moaned, prompting his girlfriend to comfort him by patting his back.
Suddenly the night sky began to light up with sunlight before a large energy wave passed through, changing the city into a forest with large white stone ruins.
"What just happened?" Black Wolf questioned.
"Transition time," Black Lotus answered. "The elements that make up the Unlimited Neutral Field are chaotic. They change at fixed intervals. I know it's a sight to behold, but enough standing around. There are things we have to do."
"Like what?" Argent Flash questioned.
"Everyone, open up your status screens and check the item storage," the Black King instructed. "If the Armor of Catastrophe is in there, make sure you delete it."
The group all checked their armor storage and confirmed that the Enhanced Armament was gone.
"Thank God," Black Wolf said in relief. "Hopefully it'll stay gone this time."
"Let's hope so," Black Lotus agreed. "Now then, our mission is complete. I think we should go celebrate."
"Yeah," the others agreed.
The group then proceeded to head for the nearest leave-point.
Marth!
Black Wolf gasped in surprise and quickly turned around but didn't see anyone there. The voice sounded dark and full of hatred, but it also sounded very familiar to the dual wielder.
You cannot hide from me, the voice continued. I will have my revenge!
Black Wolf tried to track down the source of the voice, but he couldn't find anything that could have made it. However, that didn't put him at ease.
"Marth, are you okay?" Graphite Edge questioned.
Black Wolf looked around with a suspicious eye one more time before giving up. "It's nothing," he dismissed. "Just my mind playing tricks on me."
Graphite Edge simply shrugged before the duo caught up to the others.
"I know that voice," Black Wolf thought to himself. "But… where did I hear it from?"
The Next Day
Marth, his ALO version, was taking a nap in a tree in the park. He looked very peaceful until he heard a familiar voice say, "There you are, Marth!"
The Dark Swordsman opened his eyes and looked down, where he saw a familiar black-haired girl looking up at him. "Hey Kuroba. What brings you here?"
"I just wanted to say congratulations on defeating Chrome Disaster," the Black King answered. "Out of all the powers your Due; Avatar inherited, I never would have expected you to be able to change avatars inside Brain Burst."
Marth hopped down from the branch he was on and landed nimbly next to his guardian.
"Me neither," Marth confessed. "I was just acting on a whim."
Kuroba chuckled in amusement. "Well it certainly paid off. So… did you mean what you said? Did you really accept your past?"
The dual wielder switched to his SAO avatar and looked away. "Sort of. I mainly accepted my Dark Swordsman persona since it is a part of who I am. I guess you could call it my true self in a way. But…" Marth stared at his right palm, which was trembling. "That's only half of the trauma I endured thirty years ago. I don't think I'll ever be free of it."
Suddenly he felt a hand grab his and gave it a gentle squeeze. Marth looked up and saw his guardian smiling at him.
"I can't even begin to imagine the horrors you must have witnessed back then," Kuroba said. "You must have experienced so many hardships to be affected this severely. But know this. I will never leave you, no matter what happens. We'll do this… together."
Marth suddenly had a vision of a certain purple-haired Imp smiling at him.
"We'll do this together," she had said.
Marth could feel his heart ache in pain and hoped Kuroba didn't notice. Unfortunately for him, she did.
"Is something wrong?" she questioned.
"N-no, it's nothing," he lied. "Thanks."
Kuroba looked at her partner in suspicion but chose not to press further. "There's got to be a way to get Marth to fully open to me. It's not fair to him to close himself off like this."
"Anyway," Marth said as he reverted to his ALO form. "I think I'll only use my SAO avatar for emergencies only. Cyan Demon's allies are still out there looking for me. I'd rather not place a target on my back or on you and the others."
"I understand. So… feeling like training today?"
Marth simply smirked. "You've got it."
Later
Frank was back in his apartment. He had just finished a phone call with Rias, where she explained that she and his father had to spend another day out of town before they came back. After reassuring her that he'd be alright, Frank hung up.
He heard sounds coming from the living room, so he went to investigate. Not surprisingly, it was Yuniko playing one of his video games again.
"You're still here?" Frank questioned.
"Yeah, your parents are out of town for another day, so I'd thought I'd crash here one more time."
Frank let out a sigh, knowing he was stuck with her regardless of what he said. "I wonder though, can my SAO avatar handle the Red King?" He shook his head to dismiss the thought.
Yuniko paused the game she was playing to face the Black Wolf player. "I've notified the other Kings, including Yellow Radio, and told them that Disaster has been dealt with. I wanted to raise the point of Radio taking the armor in the first place, but I have no proof of it. I did also neglected to mention you being the Dark Swordsman."
"Thank you for that," Frank said sincerely. "I know it was asking a little much for you."
The Red King simply shrugged. "Eh, it was no big deal. But this is a little crazy. According to the textbooks, you, Kirito, Asuna and Sinon are from thirty years ago, yet you're all here now. Why is that?"
"It's… complicated. Anyway, how are things between you and Cherry Rook?"
"Well… it looks like he'll be moving next month," Yuniko answered. "It seems that somewhere out of the blue, some distant relatives came forward. They live in… Fukuoka."
"That's pretty far," Frank said.
"That's why he said he was in such a hurry," Yuniko continued. "His biggest fear was, if he moved, then the only way for us to connect would be through Brain Burst. But there aren't a whole lot of Burst Linkers outside of Tokyo, so he wanted to fight and raise his level while he was here. It was that hurry that led him to the armor. But in spite, or maybe even thanks to him losing Brain Burst, he's back to his old self again."
She gave the Aegis an honest smile. "He's just like he was when he first approached me. Which made me realize, even if he's not a Burst Linker now, and he still goes and moves to Fukuoka, our friendship is not over. There's a lot of other VR games we could play."
Frank nodded in agreement. "Yeah, there's tons of them. Although it's a shame Alfheim Online isn't one of them."
"Well if you know any others that are good, feel free to tell me! I want a game… he and I can play for a really long time."
"I'll try to see what I can find."
Yuniko realized that she forgot something and brought out a bag of cookies before handing them to Frank. "Here, it's… a thank you for what you and your legion did for me."
Frank's eyes widened in genuine disbelief. "Did you make these yourself?"
"What do you think? Of course, I did. If you don't want them, then give them back!"
"I didn't say that." Frank then helped himself to a cookie. "These are really good. Thanks, Niko."
Yuniko looked away in embarrassment and said, "It's nothing. Don't think too hard about it."
To be continued
And with that, the Chrome Disaster arc comes to an end. So, Marth has finally accepted his Dark Swordsman persona, but the question remains, will he be able to handle accepting the rest of his past (when he remembers it)? This answer to that… will come at a later date. Anyway, I'll see you guys next time!
Thor's Fury: One of Black Wolf's special moves. It requires forty percent of his special gauge in order to use. It summons a storm that lasts for three minutes and can get stronger at the cost of more of the special gauge. Its lightning damages those Black Wolf sees as his enemies and heals him. It also gives him a speed and attack increase as long as the storm is active.