2X2 Swords by Kirito'sDarkRepulser
A/N: Thanks for all the support I've been getting, the number of readers always surprises me.
A/N #2: No, I'm not quite dead yet. I've just been really busy. Sorry I've taken so long to update.
This is anything which needs to be emphasised
Thisis the name of an item or equipment
This is either change of setting, the name of a skill or the name of a monster
This is the naming of anything not mentioned above except players.
Stats Update
Ryuken: Level 30: 6000HP 22 STR, 24 AGI, 7 DEF, 7 VIT
Skills List
One-Handed Sword (Level 91)
Dual Blades (Level 207)
Sprint (Level 52)
Acrobatics (Level 23)
Detection (Level 30)
Tracking (Level 17)
Hiding (Level 25)
Acceleration (Level 123)
Dragon Sword Style (Level 57)
Chapter 10: Return
Time Skip: 1 month
We find our protagonist absolutely covered in sweat (if sweat even exists in SAO), hunched over with both his weapons stuck into the ground for support. It seems that Kayaba forgot to create a fatigue system for NPCs seeing that Ryu stood casually opposite him with the blade of his sword on his shoulder.
Learning yet another Extra Skill, Max often wonders if Kayaba intended for this or if he just happened to be lucky to receive all of them.
The Dragon Sword Style skills are admittedly hard to learn. After all, most ninja in the village (according to Ryu) spent a few years just learning the basics.
Somehow, in this one month, Max had learnt most of the skills in the style and today, he would be receiving his first task (which he would have to do tomorrow). In this one month, most of the village had been rebuilt leaving just a few more houses.
"Tomorrow, you task will be to defeat me in battle."
Wait, WHAT?!
"You will be allowed any weapons from the weapons storage room. Choose wisely. Excluding the katanas you wield right now, you will only be allowed one other weapon. I will see you tomorrow here at 6 in the morning."
Wow, I get to sleep in. Ryu makes me wake at 4:30 and sleep at 8. Of course, I don't have to do as he says, but I might as well since there is no harm from doing so. I've also discovered training with Ryu gives the same amount, if not more experience points than grinding monsters (assuming the front liners are still stuck on floor 9).
Unfortunately, that doesn't change the fact that the first task is pretty much impossible. Ryu is someone who has been training since early childhood while Ryuken's first training ever was the first few days of SAO. Big difference.
Time Skip: The Next Day
Ryuken POV (Writing in first person is a lot easier for me)
Let me make this clear: If Ryu was a player, his level may be somewhere close to 100 at this point. Also, all of the Dragon Sword Style techniques are 1 One-Handed Sword. No Dual Blades. Which while thinking about it, I realise that in truth, I probably don't stand a chance at all, considering he can fend off my 2 swords with 1.
I dash forward with my swords unsheathed. I jump and activate Flying Swallow. As expected, Ryu parries me and attempts to stab me. I deflect the sword at an angle just barely enough to make him miss without taking damage due to having the Boomerang Shuriken which I chose as my extra weapon.
I land and dash forward once again. Wolf Fang, Uppercut. Ryu was launched into the air. I smirked. I jumped. Izuna Drop. There, roughly 2% of his insanely high HP down. 98% to go.
35 minutes later
I panted. Hard. I know that Ryu will kill me if he defeats me. I have no choice. Ryu still has 87% of his HP left. I only have 13 HP. Not even 1%.
I crouch.
I howl.
My virtual body is struck by lightning.
I'm in the awakened state again.
Ryu looks slightly shocked. I check my HP again. To my surprise, it's 6000 again. So that's why I beat Kayaba Akihiko even though he had so much more HP.
I sprint forwards and barrage Ryu with my slashes and stabs.
All that I care about is doing one more hit.
To hurt him more than he hurts me (not that I feel any physical pain).
With a Double Circular, I manage to finally bring Ryu's HP to whatever amount that means a victory for me.
Wow… my first victory in a month.
"Good job. You've completed the first task. Now, there is a slight problem."
I raise an eyebrow.
"I don't actually know what the 2nd task is."
My jaw drops. I stare. The silence continues for a few seconds. I burst.
"WHAT?!"
Ryu looks at me innocently. I sigh.
"On the bright side, we can do more training…"
I decided to agree. There was nothing else I could choose. After all, I didn't even know how to get out of this special dungeon (if that is what this is).
Time skip: That night
I once again find myself panting as I am finally allowed to sleep. Even though it didn't need to be proven, I found out that without awakening, Ryu is still a LOT stronger than me.
I close my eyes and drift off to sleep.
Only for the eyes to flash open in the next instant due to a scream.
I knew that voice.
Ryu.
I leapt up and sprinted to dojo where the sound had originated from.
I saw Ryu kneeling with his sword on the ground, a fiend standing over him, about to deal the final blow.
As much as I hate to admit it, I am afraid. An enemy strong enough to make Ryu give up is pretty impressive. Despite this, I unleash Soaring Phoenix to counter the overhead strike.
Ryu looks at me with wide eyes. After all, it's almost impossible to tell whether I'm sleeping or I'm dead.
I decided to use my most recently acquired skill.
Blade Blitz .
Spinning around, I use both my swords to slash horizontally (in the same direction). Turning them 90 degrees, I use them both to uppercut the enemy. Finally, I use both blades to stab the enemy's stomach. This skill isn't actually particularly good but there is a bright side to it. After the execution of the skill, all attacks (sword skills or not), have the same buffs as a sword skill for the next 20 seconds.
This lead to 20 seconds of insane attacking. After I was done, the figure stood up and smirked. "Is this all you got?"
I looked at the HP.
I gawked for a whole 5 seconds.
There was no HP, only the purple signal which read Immortal Object.
Horizontal. In a flash, my HP dropped to 0 and I blacked out.
Somewhere in Aincrad
I wake up in a room which is completely white. In fact, it was so white I couldn't even tell how big the room is.
"It seems that I have a visitor"
I instantly backed into a wall which I didn't know existed. Someone or something was there.
"Do not be afraid, young one. I am not your enemy. I am only a spirit who has lived within the swords you wield for too long."
"This sounds WAYYY too cliché"
"It is the truth. The truth is, there are 3 versions of the Dragon Sword. The Evil Dark Dragon Sword (which was in Doku's possession until recently), the Original Dragon Sword (which is passed through the Dragon Lineage and in currently in the ownership of Ryu Hayabusa), and the Dragon Dual Blades (which is what I am currently sealed in)."
Somewhere in the midst of all the white, colour started appearing and the form of an elegant dragon shone in contrast.
"I can lend you my power for the rest of your life, but there is a condition ."
I sighed. "More clichés?"
"As long as I am your primary weapons, you are not allowed to un-equip me. Doing so will cause my durability to wear out to 0 and for me to shatter and disappear from your inventory. I must be equipped at all times. I will also grow stronger with more use"
"That's fine with me."
"Very well…"
I gasp as I wake up to find myself lying on the ground. The black figure once again standing over my mentor. He/she seems to have noticed me and altered the course of his/her attack towards me.
I froze.
I didn't know what to do.
I am about to die.
Suddenly, somewhere at the back of my head, a soft voice spoke out 'Phantom Sword'. Instantly, as if by magic, my Golden Ninja sword appeared to defend myself from the attack.
I somersault backwards and manage to stand on my feet again. I unsheathe both my blades and discover that they had indeed evolved. I made a mental note to appraise them later.
Back to the situation at hand, the figure had already recovered from the initial shock and was launching a Horizontal at me. As I expected, the phantom sword shielded me from the attack. I began my assault yet again.
A few minutes later
Despite the phantom sword shielding me from the majority of the damage, I found out that my HP was still slowly decreasing. On the other hand, the figure's non-existent HP seemed to finally be decreasing at an impossibly slow rate.
But I would fall first. My gut instincts told me so.
Suddenly, a black sphere appeared behind the figure and the figure exploded along with the sphere after being absorbed.
I heard a soft whisper "Forbidden Ninpo: Art of Hell's Void"
Immediately after, Ryu fell to the ground unconscious once again. But this time, I blacked out too.
An unknown amount of time later, Entrance to the Forest of Darkness
I opened my eyes and sunlight instantly streamed directly into them. Using one hand to block out the sunlight, I discovered that Ryu was lying right next to me. He seemed to have also just awakened.
Ryu began speaking again.
"It seems that I have been changed into an 'Assistant NPC'. According to the changes in my data, my new objective is to assist you in whatever quest you perform. I am sort of like a pet in that aspect. An extremely overpowered one though. It also seems that the system has changed my level to 26."
Wow… is Kayaba actually giving me free advantages or something?
Ironically, that was when the area surrounding me and Ryu was dyed red.
The Floating Red Cloak appeared once again. "It seems that I have given you too many powers. I have decided to take some of them away from you.
A series of rectangles appeared in front of me, each showing slightly different texts.
Warning: Golden Ninja Costume is now permanently equipped.
Warning: Golden Ninja Statistic Boosts are now disabled.
Warning: Anneal Blade x2 have been discarded
Warning: Sword Skill Acceleration has changed from an active to a dormant skill.
"That should be enough for now."
And with that, The Floating Red Cloak disappeared again.
"Well, that was anticlimactic as far as meetings with Kayaba Akihiko go…"
With that, we trotted back into the city of Floor 9.
A/N: Once again, I'm sorry I've taken so long to update.
A/N #2: Hopefully the next chapter will come out soon (on the bright side, I already have the rough storyline in my head for it)
Until next time,
Kirito'sDarkRepulser
