Author Notes: Another month. Another update. I hope to keep this up for a while longer.

I'm glad my first update for 2019 was well received. Hopefully, I will be able to continue on this streak throughout 2019. I will also do my best to provide consistent releases for "The Kirita Chronicles" as well.

While I know some of you have mixed feelings of Wan Shotto, I'm glad that most of you like her character. I wanted her to be someone who could be a villain, but she clearly has a moral code. As showcased in her flashback, she took care of children, and she had a boyfriend that she cared about. That's why she has a soft spot for children.

I hope you all enjoy this new chapter and please leave a review.

/

The Kirita Chronicles

Story Arc IV: Forging Connections

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Apologies and Tensions

/

Sorry means a lot

But it might not mean enough

Tensions will exist

/

After ensuring the cleanup crew had taken the thieves into custody, Wan Shotto stayed true to her word and escorted the children back to the church belonging to the Argo Network. The children were remaining awkwardly silent as they walked side-by-side with their savior. They weren't sure whether or not they should say anything or not. Haru was about to say something, but the words were caught in his throat, and he decided against it.

Thankfully, Wan Shotto decided to break the silence, "You know. I'm surprised little kids like you are members of the Argo Network. What are you all supposed to be? Child spies or something?"

Haru repeated his earlier answer, "No. Argo-san didn't find us. Sasha-san did."

"Could you tell me more about this Sasha?" Wan Shotto inquired, "I'd be most interested in knowing who she is."

The little girl player identified as Alicia replied, "After the Death Game was announced, we were all wandering the streets. We didn't know what to do, but Sasha-san founds us, and she took us in."

"Hmph." Wan Shotto nodded her head as she remarked, "It sounds like this Sasha is a 'Good Samaritan'."

The younger boy identified as Niko asked, "What's that?'

"…" Wan Shotto bit her lip as she walked. She crossed her arms as she answered, "Something a lot of people are better off not being."

Niko continued walking by Wan Shotto's side as he asked, "Why?"

"Because …" Wan Shotto looked toward the boy as she replied, "... doing too many 'good deeds' will end up costing you too much."

"But …" Niko attempted to protest.

"She's not wrong." Haru spoked up, "Sasha-san did get in trouble before Argo-san came to help …"

"I see." Wan Shotto grinned as she spoked, "Let me guess. He made her a deal, and he helped her out of her financial woes."

Haru looked at Wan Shotto as he uneasily answered, "I guess …"

Wan Shotto shrugged her shoulders as she remarked, "I rest my case. Anyway, you're all technically members of the Argo Network, right?"

Haru repeated himself, "I guess …"

"You see." Wan Shotto replied with satisfaction, "That's all I wanted to know."

Niko then asked, "Have you been to the church before?"

Wan Shotto continued walking as she answered, "Not exactly, but I know where it is."

Alicia decided to speak up again, "Thank you again for saving us and getting our stuff back."

"…" Wan Shotto stopped walking and the three children she was escorting stopped as well. Wan Shotto crossed her arms as she told the girl, "I already said that you don't have to thank me. The criminals were members of my guild. They're my responsibility."

"But …" Alicia protested, "I still want to thank you."

"…" Wan Shotto waved it off as she reluctantly replied, "If you insist, you're welcome."

Before Wan Shotto could begin walking again, Niko asked, "How did you get our stiff back again? You said you made a bet?"

Wan Shotto raised her foot, but she stopped. She turned to Niko and told him, "Yes. When I challenged them to a duel, I made a wager with them. I offered them something if they beat me. They took the bait, and I won. Nothing more."

Alicia then asked, "What did you bet?"

"As I said before, it's nothing any of you would want to know," Wan Shotto pointed at the girl as she sternly stated, "especially you. Let's get going." She then continued walking before any of the children could ask her any follow-up questions.

/

Unaware of the situation outside of the Church, two players of the Argo Network, Ai and Yuudai were in the kitchen. Yuudai was checking the cupboard while Ai was going over their food supplies on the table. Ai was counting each one before then noticing something.

Ai held up her clipboard and remarked, "Looks like the kids must've been helping themselves to some of the cookies."

Yuudai shrugged his shoulders and sighed, "What do you expect? They just love desert."

"We're going to need to keep these things under lock and key." Ai put her hands on her waist as she said, "We can't let them think they can have it whenever they want."

"I don't think they'll get fat in this world from eating a few extra cookies." Yuudai casually remarked.

Ai stepped towards Yuudai and entered his comfort zone as she got closer. Her face was rather close to his which caused him to back away when she said, "That's not the point!"

"Okay … Okay …" Yuudai stepped away, "You made your point …"

Ai backed away and gleefully said, "Glad you understand."

Before they could return to what they were doing, they both overheard Sasha say out loud, "Those three should've been back by now …"

Ai said in an unsurprised tone, "Looks like Sasha is worried about something."

Yuudai casually replied, "Probably one of the kids running late again."

Ai looked at Yuudai and told him, "Go over to her."

"But …" Yuudai weakly attempted to protest, "But I went last time …"

Ai tilted her head, "So?"

"…" Yuudai sighed, "Fine." Yuudai reluctantly walked over to Sasha and asked, "Hey, Sasha … Is everything okay?"

"No!" Sasha looked over to Yuudai and told him, "Haru, Niko, and Alicia haven't come back yet! You haven't see them have you?"

"Not since breakfast." Yuudai said, "But it isn't that late yet, right?"

"…" Sasha sighed as she put her hand on her forehead.

"Well … I guess they are a little late …" Yuudai scratched the back of his head as he suggested, "Have you tried using the map to locate them? You should be able to see them, right?"

"Oh … I forgot about that …" Sasha activated the map and her eyes widened, "Oh …" Sasha put her hand on her chest in relief, "Speak of the devil. It looks like they're almost here."

"Heh." Yuudai chuckled, "I guess we didn't have anything to worry about."

"Oh no." Sasha stated, "They're still going to get an earful." Sasha turned when she heard a knocking on the door.

Yuudai stated, "They must be really nervous. I wonder if they forgot they could just open the door."

Sasha spoke as she walked toward the door, "They can try acting scared all they want." Sasha pulled the door open as she began to speak, "It's about time y-" When Sasha opened the door, her words got stuck in her throat. Her eyes were wide open as she looked out the door.

This reaction was not exclusive to Sasha. Yuudai's jaw hung open as he just stared at Wan Shotto. He was left staring into space. Ai remained silent as she saw who was on the other side of the door as well.

Standing in front of them was one of the top players of the Aincrad Liberation Front, Wan Shotto. They may never have met, but her description was well known. They all knew who she was upon first glancing at her eyepatch. However, despite this she did not appear to be 'dangerous' at that moment. Instead, she appeared solemn.

Wan Shotto did not take a step toward them. Instead, she remained standing looking at them with a face that was neither smiling nor frowning. Despite how fearful they felt, they didn't sense any hostility radiating from her. Wan Shotto motioned to the children around her as she said, "I take it that these 'Rugrats' belong to you?"

"Um …" Sasha hesitantly replied, "… Yes."

"Then I have come to the right place." Wan Shotto bowed her head as she informed the Argo Network players, "I've come to return your children and offer my most sincere apologies."

"What …?" Sasha felt completely dumbfounded by what she was witnessing.

Wan Shotto raised her head as she said, "We have bit to discuss. May I have your permission to come in?"

"…" Sasha stood there unsure of what was happening.

/

Date: The Following Day

Location: Sword Art Online – Sixth Floor

Akio and Kirita were surrounded. While they had most of their equipment, they were lacking their usual weapons. The only things they had to fight with were their bare hands. Both Kirita and Akio were standing back-to-back in fighting positon. Kirita was wearing her mask while Akio wasn't wearing his. Their legs were loose and their feet were bouncing back and forth on the ground as they waited for their opponents to make the first move.

Akio grimaced, "I can't believe we're fighting like this …"

"Don't complain, Akio." Kirita grin as she told him, "This'll be good practice."

As one of their opponents made their first move, Kirita shouted as she rushed out, "I got the big guy."

When they separated, Kirita and Akio were handling two opponents each. Kirita's opponents was one of a medium build who was slightly taller than her and a larger man who towered over Kirita. Despite the height difference, her mind refused to let herself become overwhelmed by their daunting size.

The smaller of the two swung at her, but she easily dodged underneath him. She then jumped and uppercut him in the jaw. Her fist lifted her opponent into the air and forced his face upward to the sky before he'd fall flat on his back. This allowed Kirita to focus on her much larger opponent.

Similar to the other combatant, he swung at her, but she easily dodged it. However, he followed up with a kick, Kirita quickly held up both arms in front of her body to block. The force of the kick sent her feet skidding across the ground, but she remained standing.

The large opponent charged at her. Kirita jumped and rolled out of the way. She then briefly positioned her feet as if she was about to start running track. Kirita bolted from her position and charged at her opponent.

Kirita's opponent punched in her direction, and she dodged and moved her body to his side where he was wide open. Energy manifested in Kirita's fist, and she gave her opponent a one, two punch on his side which caused him to bend over. This gave Kirita an opportunity that she literally jumped on as she leaped and grabbed her opponent's head with her legs. She quickly used her own body as leverage. Her opponent lost balance and his feet lifted off the ground as she forced his body to flip over before landing on the ground back first.

The large opponent was down for the count. Kirita saw that her first opponent was getting up. She ran as quickly as she could. By the time her opponent noticed her approach, Kirita had jumped in the air and kicked out her foot. He couldn't react before her foot made contact with his face. When the sole of Kirita's boot made contact with his face, it felt as if his face would be crushed before he was sent flying and skidded on his back like a hockey puck.

That wasn't enough to finish him. However, before he could get up, Kirita was already there. Kirita put out her knee as she rolled on top of her opponent. When her knee landed on top of his chest, he could feel Kirita's knee blade hit him with full force which caused all the air in his lungs to be expelled. All of her weight was concentrated in that hit, and it felt as if his chest was about to cave in. Even though the attack was only for a moment, it delivered enough pain and agony that his health bar decreased substantially. He couldn't take anymore punishment after that attack, and he passed out as well.

Kirita looked up to see Akio was doing, and he was handling himself fairly well. Both of his opponents were having difficulty keep up with him. If Akio landed the perfect punch, it would be over. However, an opponent Akio knocked down was getting up, which caused Kirita to rush to Akio's side. She had energy manifest in her legs which caused her speed to be enhanced, and she could feel her hair lift up and the air hit into her face. She was able to cut the gap between them to almost nothing in a few seconds.

"Heyah!" Akio cried out when he punched out his opponent. His opponent went flying and landed on his back. His head fell to the side, and he was down for the count.

Unfortunately, Akio didn't have time to be proud. A shiver crawled up his spine. When he looked over his shoulder, he saw the other opponent he knocked out earlier charging at him. He launched his fist at Akio only for it to be stopped by Kirita. She had stretched out her hand and caught the fist in her palm. Her fingers tightly encircled the player's fist. The man's fist felt like it was melting in Kirita's palm as she glared at him. He was a deer in her headlights.

"Thanks, Kirita." Akio said as he turned around.

Kirita pushed away the man's fist. As the man was forced back, energy began to swirly around both Akio and Kirita's hands. They both launched their attack on the player simultaneously. The player felt as if his chest has been hit by a car when their attacks connected which sent him flying across the field before making a crash landing on the ground that caused him to roll like a tumbleweed before coasting to a stop.

With their final opponent defeated, Kirita and Akio received the notification. They had won the duel.

Clap! Clap!

"Bravo! Encore!" The duo turned to see Argo enthusiastically clapping his hands while he was walking to them with a less enthusiastic Delano in tow with his arms crossed. Argo proudly proclaimed, "I see it wasn't a waste to help you two get the martial arts ability."

"Hmm … Thanks …" Akio awkwardly replied.

"Oh!" Argo clapped his hands together as he said, "It was my pleasure."

"That was an impressive display of power." Delano spoke up, "Although, it looks like you have more to improve upon than Kirita, Akio."

"Yes, sir." Akio lower his head

"Still though," Delano then remarked, "You two were in synch, but you could effectively fight separate from each other. Not an easy feat to pull off. That being said," Delano looked over to Akio's defeated opponents who turned out to be Johnny Black and XaXa, "The skill of my guild members leave a bit to be desired."

"Damn, Kirita." Gorobei was rubbing his chest while Kikuchiyo was rubbing his head as Gorobei spoke up, "I thought you were tough with your sword, but …"

Argo gleefully told finished the sentence, "She still completely owned the both of you without it. She made it painfully clear."

"Ugh …" Kikuchiyo groaned before saying, "I have to say it Kirita-san … You were amazing …"

"Thanks." Kirita nudged Akio's arm as she said, "But don't sell Akio short. He did pretty well."

Akio remarked, "I needed you to save my ass again.

"Hey." Kirita patted his back, "Come on. It's just a learning experience. Just try to work on it."

Akio replied, "Yeah … I know …"

Argo stated, "Just be glad you guys were able to win without using any weapons."

"You know …" Akio smiled as he said, "It was pretty fun to do things like this. It was a nice change."

"Yeah …" Kirita held out her hand, "It did feel a little weird not holding my sword though."

"You think it feels weird?" Gorobei looked like he was ready to keel over, "Good grief … Man you were merciless."

"Me?" Kirita playfully said as she innocently pointed to herself. "Why would you think little me is like that?"

"Are you serious?" Gorobei put his hand on his chest, "I thought you were gonna crush me with that knee of yours."

"Heh." Kirita scratched the back of her head as she sheepish replied, "Sorry about that …

"With how you handled us," Kikuchiyo said with a hint of dread, "I'd hate to see how you'd treat your enemies."

Kirita cheekily pointed out, "Well you weren't my friend during the fight." She grinned as she pointed at him, "I can't exactly go easy on you, Kikuchiyo. You could crush me if I don't go all out."

"There you have it, Kikuchiyo. There you have it." Argo gleefully said, "Kirita's a real, true friend who won't go easy on you just because you're a lower level."

"A true friend …?" Kikuchiyo said in a dumbfounded tone that followed with a laugh at his expense.

Argo then stood next to and nudged a mildly amused Delano, "They certainly get along, don't they?"

"Yeah …" Delano said as he still had his arms crossed, "It's kind fun to watch."

"Well you don't have to put it like that." Argo said in mock dismay.

"Hmm." Delano shrugged.

"But seriously," Argo's tone changed when he said, "I'm a little surprised you didn't require Kirita to duel you in exchange for the exhibition match."

Delano stated, "I'm not going to make her duel me every time I'd do her favor, especially if it helps me as well. I figured I'd cut her a break this time."

"Really?" Argo sarcastically remarked, "How generous of you."

Delano put his hands on his hips as he firmly stated, "It certainly was and don't you forget it."

"Speaking of generous," Argo stated, "I appreciate that you let Gorobei handle the fire arrows."

Delano took a breath before replying, "I'm just supporting the most qualified candidate. Nothing more. Nothing less. As far as I'm concerned, there is no glory to seek if you're dead."

"Hmmm …" Argo seemed fairly impressed as he remarked, "Well put. I don't think I could've said it better myself."

"You couldn't." Delano said with a grin. Argo merely chuckled in response.

Argo then walked up to Kirita who was still speaking with Gorobei and Kikuchiyo, "I have to say that you're skills with hand-to-hand is certainly proving itself. Glad you were able to get some actual practice."

"I know right." Kirita held up her hands, "I know we can use these skills, but it's not always easy to test it out without being in serious danger."

"Right." Argo looked to Akio as he pointed out, "I don't think any of us have forgotten about the 'turtle' incident."

Akio sheepishly scratched the back of his head as he awkwardly replied, "Yeah …"

Argo then nudged Akio as he gleefully said, "All the more reason you two should be grateful that Delano and I had some guild members to donate."

"Donate?" Gorobei asked in dismay, "That's what this is called?"

Kikuchiyo continued to rub his head as he remarked, "More like sacrificed."

Argo shrugged as he said, "It's not my fault you two don't practice your hand-to-hand more often. Like Kirita-san said, it's a learning experience."

Gorobei replied, "I think I learned that I should really stick to archery."

"Maybe you should, but I don't think that's what you should be getting out of this." Argo interjected. When he had the Samurai Brothers' attention he remarked, "It's not like either of you were bad, per se. Kirita-san is simply at a different level than either of you."

"Yeah …tell me about it." Kikuchiyo cracked his neck as he said, "I felt like I was her personal punching bag or something."

Gorobei crossed his arms as he remarked, "Let's just be glad she's on our side."

As Argo 'chatted' with his disgruntled guild members, Delano approached Kirita and Akio on his own. "Congratulations on your win. You earned it." Delano held out his hand as he then added, "You two are proving to be quite adept at fighting."

Both Kirita and Akio took their turns shaking his hand as they both said, "Thank you very much."

"No." Delano held up his hand and shook his head, "I should also thank you for making it clear to me that the training of some of my guild members are sorely lacking. As far as I'm concerned, this little exhibition was mutually beneficial. I'll be sure to get started after we clear this floor."

"Um …" Kirita stepped forward as she said, "Try not to be too hard on them. Okay?"

Delano shook his head, "No promises."

/

Delano walked over to see Johnny Black and XaXa were still on the ground. XaXa had been knocked out by Akio while Johnny Black had the honor or being punched by both Akio and Kirita simultaneously.

"All right you two." Delano pulled the two of them off the ground and had them kneel on the ground as he paced in front of them. "That display showed that you're sorely lacking in your hand-to-hand training. Most likely that means the others are lacking as well."

Johnny Black bowed his head, "I'm very sorry for our loss, Delano-sama."

"I'm sorry as well …" XaXa lowered his head, "We did our best, but we've never used hand-to-hand in an actual battle."

Delano stopped pacing and crossed his arms as he said, "I'm fully aware of that. Which is why we need to correct that." He then asked, "Do you remember my fight with Kirita-san? The first fight that you saw?"

Both players responded, "Yes."

"During that fight, we had to not only use our weapons, but our fists, too." Delano held out his fist as it glowed with energy. "The two of us were about the same level." Delano loudly hit his chest plate with his fist as he pointed out, "My armor was one of the reason I won that fight. If I didn't have my armor on, and I wasn't as good at hand-to-hand, that fight could've ended the other way around."

"…" Neither XaXa nor Johnny Black had anything to say and remained perfectly silent.

"We're not always going to have our weapons." Delano reminded them, "My spear was broken during that fight. If I had to fight someone else after that, I wouldn't have been able to pull the same trick I did with Kirita a second time. You need to keep your options open when you can't use your weapons anymore."

XaXa reluctantly admitted, "Hard to argue with that logic."

Delano stepped towards XaXa as he sternly said, "You shouldn't be able to argue with it at all."

"No, sir …" XaXa shook his head, "I shouldn't …"

"I promise to keep that in mind, Delano-sama." Johnny Black stated.

"Good." Delano grinned, "Because starting after the boss fight, you and the other guild members are going to start extra training with me."

"…" Both XaXa and Johnny Black dreaded what was to come, but neither said a word in protest.

/

As Kirita and Akio were walking toward a restaurant to get something to eat, they heard a voice calling out to them, "Hey, Kirita-san! Akio-san!"

The duo looked to see it was Arya approaching them. Kirita greeted her, "Hey, Arya."

Arya excitedly said, "You two did an awesome job in that exhibition fight!"

"You saw that?" Kirita thought back to what happened as she pointed out, "I didn't see you."

"That's because I watched from far." Arya uneasily said, "You know … With Delano-sama and Argo-san watching, I figured I'd be better off keeping my distance."

"Can't say I blame you." Akio remarked.

Kirita then offered, "Akio-san and I were about to get some lunch. You want to come with us?"

"Oh …" Arya glanced at the both of them before closing her eyes and putting her hands up, "Thanks but no thanks. I got other plans. Sorry."

"That's too bad." Kirita said, "Maybe next time."

"Sure. Next time." Arya made her exit with, "See you next time."

"She was off in a hurry." Kirita remarked.

"I'm sure she's got something else to take care of." Akio then said, "I don't think we need to worry about her."

"Probably not." Kirita said as they continued to walk in the village.

/

Kirita and Akio returned to the same restaurant that they had visited the previous day. As soon as they entered, Kirita greeted the portly NPC, "Hello, Arnold." Kirita held out two fingers with a grin, "Table for two again."

"…" Akio once again watched silently as Kirita spoke to the NPC.

"Right this way," Arnold motioned for them to follow him. He let them sit at the same table they ate at the other day.

It didn't take long for Kirita and Akio to decide what they would have for lunch. Thanks to the convenience of Sword Art Online, they had their food ready in almost no time. While Kirita was enthusiastically eating her food, Akio was taking his time.

When Akio looked down at the soup, he couldn't help but breathe in and allow the 'aroma' of the food to move through his nostrils. The 'smell' of this soup seemed completely on point with what he could remember from the real world. Even the soup felt as realistic as possible. When he touched the side, it caused his fingers to feel the heat radiating it form it which forced him to retreat. As soon as he touched it, he knew that if he attempted to hold onto the sides, it would cause him to cry out in pain.

Akio placed his spoon and withdrew a small amount of it and held it close to his face. Instinctively, he lightly blew on it. When his breath hit the soup, he could see the ripples in it before then deciding to put it in his mouth. As much as he liked the flavor of it, he knew that if he attempted to drink the soup without letting it cool down, he'd burn his throat.

After eating the first spoonful, Akio looked down at this soup again. He remained staring at it until he heard something that caused his ears to perk.

"Hey, Akio." Kirita called out to him from across the table. "Are you going to eat that, or are you gonna have a staring contest with your soup?"

"I'm just …" Akio hesitantly said, "Just thinking about a few things while the soup cools off."

"Like what?" Kirita rhetorically asked, "Is it about Wan Shotto?"

"Not just her … it's just …" Akio looked down at the soup again as he told Kirita, "This soup …" He attempted to explain, "It looks real, but it's not. When I eat it, it's not going to feed my real body. Just this virtual body, right?"

"Well … yeah …" Kirita didn't seem entirely sure where Akio was going with this.

Akio stared at the soup. He couldn't help but marvel as he said, "It's just that soup looks feels and even tales like the real thing. If I didn't know this was the virtual world, I'd think this was the real deal."

"This place is real …" Kirita quickly corrected herself when she elicited a strange look from Akio, "in a manner of speaking." Kirita put a hand on her chest as she clarified, "I'd like to think of my virtual body as being my second body."

Akio asked his own rhetorical question, "But eating this won't fill my real body's stomach, right?"

Kirita merely answered, "It shouldn't."

"That's what I mean. I mean look at this." Akio held out a spoonful of the soup as he remarked, "It's kinda scary how they got so many of the details down to a tee. How were they able to pull this off?"

"Hmm …" Kirita looked at the spoon as a thought crossed her mind. "It is kind a funny that what're saying remind me of a scene from that classic America movie, the Matrix."

"Huh?" Akio raised an eyebrow.

Kirita explained, "It's a movie where the opposite is true. Our 'real world' is the virtual world while the post-apocalyptic world filled with killer robot monsters is real. There is a scene with a character eating steak in the 'virtual world' who said almost everything you just said. He talked about how 'The Matrix' or the 'virtual world' would tell him how the steak is chewy and delicious even though it isn't real."

"Hmm …" Akio titled head before something clicked, "Hey! I remember that movie!" Akio sounded excited as he recalled, "My dad let my sister and me watch that movie a couple of years ago. It was kinda confusing, but it was really cool. Was that the movie with the crazy rooftop jumping and bullet dodging?"

Kirita snapped her fingers and pointed at Akio as she happily replied, "That's the one."

"That movie was a lot of fun." Akio happily recalled, "I remember watching it again the next day. Then I watched it again after that. My father was afraid I would get hooked."

"I know I did." Kirita speculated, "I wonder if Kayaba got any ideas about learning skills instantly from the 'I know kung-fu' scene."

Akio shrugged his shoulders, "Who knows? Maybe."

"Oh well …" Kirita said one more comment before returning to her meal, "It really is a shame they didn't make any more after the first and 'only' installment."

"Yeah it's too …" Akio paused, "Wait a minute! Didn't they make a tri-"

"No." Kirita calmly interrupted Akio.

"… I think they did." Akio felt hesitant to point out, "I remember the fans making a big thing about …"

"Akio." Kirita grinned as she 'calmly' told him in a stern tone, "There were 'no' other installments. Not 'one' sequel."

"…" Akio remained awkwardly silent for a few moments before replying, "Okay …"

"Good. Now that we agree on that let's talk about another movie." Kirita then asked, "Did you ever see 'Ghost in the Shell'? I heard that movie actually inspired 'The Matrix'."

/

The duo would talk for a while before they were joined by a 'rat' who was familiar to the both of them. Argo gleefully asked them, "Celebrating your little victory?

Kirita asked, "Are you saying we shouldn't?"

Argo shook his head, "Not at all. Sometimes I'm just curious about what you guys do when I'm not around." Argo put his hands on his waist as he said, "So much of your time does seem to revolve around me after all."

Akio leaned back on his seat as he crossed his arms and sarcastically remarked, "Well aren't you modest."

Argo put his hand on his chest as he replied, "I truly am aren't I, but I digress. I received an interesting message from Sasha earlier today that I've been meaning to bring up."

As soon as she heard that, Kirita asked, "What happened? Is she okay?"

"She's fine." Argo stated, "However, I've found out that rumors regarding stronger players pressuring weaker players into handing over all their belongings was very true. The children Sasha looks after learned that firsthand."

Kirita got up from her seat as she loudly asked, "Are they okay?!"

Akio simultaneously got out of seat and inquired, "What happened?!"

Argo held up his hand as he calmly told them, "One at a time." He then suggested, "How about we sit down, so we don't cause a scene." Argo motioned to several people in the restaurant looking in their direction, "A bigger scene."

"…" Both Kirita and Akio took their seat while Argo pulled up an empty seat.

After Argo sat down, he told Kirita, "First of all, they are okay." He then looked to Akio, "Second, it turns out some of the children were being picked on by a few bad apples in the Aincrad Liberation Front. However, these bad apples were apprehend by another member of the Army. She dispatched the 'offending members' with ease and returned the children to safety, and I'm sure you can guess who this player is."

Akio flatly said, "No …"

"Oh yes." Argo grinned, "She happens to be our old friend, 'Wan Shotto'."

"…" Kirita and Akio remained silent as they looked at Argo.

"You heard right." Argo put his hand on the table, "Our good friend, Wan Shotto, helped us out."

"Did she set that up?" Akio asked.

Argo immediately answered, "I 'highly' doubt it."

Akio then inquired, "How would you know?"

"According to the kids, those Army pricks weren't exactly on the best of terms with her." Argo activated his menu as he said, "Sasha sent me a message with quite a few details about what happened."

/

The day before Wan Shotto delivered the child players to the front door of the church belonging to the Argo network. Sasha was at a complete loss regarding what was going on. The same Wan Shotto who threatened and extorted Akio was standing in front of her. She was offering an apology with several of the children in tow no less. To say Sasha was having difficult time comprehending this situation would be putting it mildly.

Alicia spoke up, "Please let her in, Big Sis."

Niko also spoke up, "She saved us from those other players."

Haru then said, "We would've lost everything if it wasn't for her."

Sasha looked at the children she could see in their faces that they weren't being coerced. They were serious. She then glanced at Wan Shotto as she hesitantly asked, "You … saved them?"

Wan Shotto nodded, "Yes."

"Then …" Sasha lightly bowed her head, "You have my gratitude for helping them …"

"No." Wan Shotto held up her hand and shook her head as she firmly stated, "There's no need for gratitude. Not this time."

"Oh …?" Sasha felt more dumbfounded than before.

Wan Shotto crossed her arms as she told Sasha, "As I told your children, the ones who attacked them were members of my guild. I made sure their detestable behavior would not go unpunished."

"You're guild attacked them?" Sasha asked.

"I can assure you that what they did was completely on their own accord." Wan Shotto then stated, "I made sure the culprits were apprehended, and they will face punishment for their transgressions."

Haru then said, "She hogtied them, and she even put apples in their mouths."

"…" Sasha was taken aback by that.

"Once again," Wan Shotto bowed her head again, "I apologize for the trouble that my guild inflicted upon these children. They did nothing to deserve such deplorable treatment."

"Well … I understand what you're saying, but I still appreciate what you did." Sasha then said, "Not too many people would be willing to own up to whether or not their organization has corrupt members or not … I um …" Sasha's eyes widened as she attempted to backpedal, "I didn't mean to …"

Wan Shotto shook her head, "You're not wrong. The Aincrad Liberation Front is too big for its own good. Corruption is merely an inevitability. That being said, I swear I am not here as an enemy. If you don't mind, I would rather discuss this matter in a more private setting."

"…" Sasha looked at Wan Shotto for a moment. The children remained silent on the sidelines as they waited to see what Sasha would say. Sasha closed her eyes as she inhaled then opened them as she exhaled. She looked in Wan Shotto's direction as she reluctantly complied, "Fine. We can talk, but let's make this quick."

Wan Shotto nodded her head, "Of course."

/

When they were inside a private room, Wan Shotto officially introduced herself, "My name is Wan Shotto, but I suppose you already knew my name."

Sasha solemnly replied, "Yes."

"Don't worry." Wan Shotto assured Sasha again, "I'm not here to harm or threaten anyone. I honestly came here to return those children to you."

"…" Sasha remained silent.

"If you're thinking that I ordered those men to harm those children," Wan Shotto sternly warned the subleader, "I would advise you to put that idea out of your head."

Sasha asked, "What do you want?"

"I came here to talk to apologize, but," Wan Shotto then said, "I'd like to talk business, too."

Sasha replied, "Argo isn't here right now."

"So I see, but you should suffice." Wan Shotto leaned on the seat as she said, "You are the sub-leader of this guild are you not? Or do you need Argo to hold your hand and have him do all the work?"

"No …" Sasha replied, "If its business you wish to discuss, then I would be fine discussing such matters with you."

Wan Shotto grinned as she said, "That's more like it."

Sasha inquired, "Would you like something to drink or something to eat?"

"Now that's much more professional." Wan Shotto then answered, "I would like some green tea please."

"We should have some." Sasha walked towards the door as she told Wan Shotto, "Give me a minute to prepare it."

Wan Shotto leaned back as she said, "I can wait."

/

Similar to Akio, Wan Shotto enjoyed the aroma this virtual green tea had to offer. As she blew on the tea, she told Sasha, "I was honestly surprised that these children were in league with the Argo Network."

"Well …" Sasha corrected Wan Shotto, "I wouldn't say 'in league', but we do take care of them here."

"So I see." Wan Shotto then gave Sasha a reality check as she put the tea cup down, "Hate to break it to you, but no one besides me would care about that."

Sasha was taken aback by this. "What?"

"Let's put it like this." Wan Shotto left the green tea on the coffee table as she pointed out, "The fact they're even here is all people need to know. As far as they're concerned, these kids are members of the Argo Network. If they attacked here, those kids would be fair game."

Sasha began to say, "You're not …"

Wan Shotto sternly shut her down, "I'm giving you a warning. A 'very' fair warning," Wan Shotto leaned closer, "I'd suggest you don't take it lightly."

"…" Sasha didn't have much to say in response.

"Listen." Wan Shotto said once again as she leaned back, "I have no conflict with the Argo Network nor do I intend to start one. If we had one, I'm not interested in taking children as hostages or bullying them into handing over everything they've got. While I don't endorse it, I'm afraid the rule of law you knew in the real world doesn't exist here." Wan Shotto sternly warned Sasha, "You've got to teach those kids how to fight. Running away isn't always gonna cut it. Speed isn't gonna do them any good if they get cut off like they did."

"…" Sasha admitted, "Sounds kinda similar to what Argo told me."

"Not surprising." Wan Shotto stated, "Your leader seems like an intelligent person."

Sasha nodded, "He is."

"There are some things I would like to discuss with him personally." Wan Shotto stated.

"I don't mind arranging something, but he's not available." Sasha stated, "He's taking care of other business."

"A busy man. That's also not surprising." Wan Shotto cheekily said, "I suppose he has to be to keep this business running while also fighting in the higher floors I assume. He needs to keep his information fresh after all."

"…" Sasha couldn't bring herself to say a word.

Wan Shotto grinned as she stated, "I can respect that. I'm sure you can as well."

"I …" Sasha hesitantly replied, "Yes. I do."

"On that note," Wan Shotto commented, "I honestly have to say I'm impressed by all the children you're taking responsibility for. When you let me in, I noticed you had a few others here and there."

"…" Sasha briefly looked away as she reluctantly replied, "I've had some experience dealing with some pretty troublesome kids."

Wan Shotto smiled as she told Sasha, "Well you can join the club."

Sasha looked at Wan Shotto as she inquired, "You've taken care of children?"

"That used to be my job. I worked at a daycare before," Wan Shotto pointed at her eyepatch, "This happened."

"Oh …" Sasha could feel herself shiver at the thought.

Wan Shotto put her hands on her knees as she said, "Can't say I blame them. I've frightened myself. It looks a lot worse without the eyepatch."

"…" Sasha didn't say anything.

"Anyway, try not to blame yourself about what happened today. That wasn't on you. You've got a lot of kids to deal with, and a lot of things can happen in Sword Art Online." When Sasha didn't say anything in response, Wan Shotto took her hands off her knees and stood up, "Well on that grim note, I think I will call it a day." Wan Shotto began to walk towards the door as she said, "I'll be back. There are some other things I would like to talk about next time, but I'll leave it for then."

"…" Sasha knew she needed to say something else before Wan Shotto left. As Wan Shotto was about to touch the doorknob, Sasha stood up as she called out, "Hold on!"

"Hmm?" Wan Shotto's hand moved away from the doorknob as she turned around to face Sasha.

"Tell me …" Sasha asked, "What do you want with Akio-san? What do you want him to do for you?"

"I take it that you're friends with Akio and Kirita-chan, correct?" Wan Shotto rhetorically asked.

"Yes." Sasha replied.

"Glad to see you're honest. That takes courage in this instance." Wan Shotto sounded sincere before she then said, "Regardless, I hate to tell you this, but one thing doesn't have to do with the other. I am sorry for how my guild members treated your children and I will see to it that they receive the maximum punishment. However, I am under no obligations to divulge secrets. I w-"

"Akio is my friend!" Sasha loudly proclaimed as she stamped her foot on the floor. "I accept your apology, but I will not tolerate you exploiting my friend like that!"

"Loyalty, huh?" Wan Shotto crossed her arms as she grinned. "I can respect that."

"I don't give a damn if you respect that or not!" Sasha began to say, "I'm not going to …"

"What can you do?!" Wan Shotto sharply asked as she took a step forward.

"!" This caused Sasha's head to move back. The previous bark she had dissipated at the sight of Wan Shotto staring at her.

Wan Shotto pointed out, "You can't do anything to stop me even if you tried. You're not strong enough to do anything." Wan Shotto was piercing Sasha with her one eye.

Sasha found herself off balance as she felt herself forced to take a seat. Sasha was not sitting in her usual posture. She needed to take a breath.

When Wan Shotto saw this she said in an amused tone, "That's better." Wan Shotto turned around to open the door. Before she did, Wan Shotto told Sasha, "By the way, I can promise you that I will not tolerate any of my guild members harassing your children or even your guild in general. If something like this happens again, do not hesitate to use my name. That's all." With that, Wan Shotto made her exit.

Wan Shotto's voice sounded sincere despite sounding threatening mere moments beforehand. It was as if Wan Shotto had a switch and her tone could be changed drastically by hitting it. That idea may not have been far from the truth.

After Wan Shotto left the room, Sasha was left sitting by herself in that room. It took a while for her to gather her thoughts and send Argo a message. She compiled as much detail as she could.

/

After providing the gist of what Sasha had sent him, Kirita couldn't help but ask, "What is she after?"

Argo shrugged, "Not a clue. For all we know, she could want a favor from me like she wants from Akio, but I guess that's a question for another day." Argo advised the duo, "You two should try enjoying the rest of your day off and get some rest. We have a boss battle to win tomorrow. Gorobei can't be the MVP without some strong supporting players.

"Supporting players, huh?" Akio mockingly replied.

"You are this time," Argo remarked with a snap and a wink, "so be ready."

Kirita assured Argo, "We'll be ready."

/

In Wan Shotto's personal chambers, the cries of the tormented could be heard filling the air. They were the three players that Wan Shotto had caught shaking down the child players. All of them had been tied down to chairs as if they were about to face the electric chair.

"Gah …" The blond player identified as Hebi was completely dumbfounded as he cried in pain while being tied to his chair, "… Why are you doing this?"

Wan Shotto mocked the player, "You obviously weren't playing attention or maybe you're just pretending so you can buy time. Either way, I don't feel like going over it with you." Wan Shotto proceeded to punch the blond player in the face again.

The blond player could feel the full brunt of Wan Shotto's punch. Even thought it was for a second, the four knuckles buried them into his cheek so deeply, it felt as if they would leave an indentation on his face. Every subsequent punch felt like that as well.

"Gah …" Hebi cried out once again.

After delivering a series of punches, Wan Shotto appeared to be distracted. Wan Shotto had received a notification. Kira ordered her to return to the Aincrad Liberation Front Headquarters immediately.

Wan Shotto narrowed her eye when she remarked, "Well aren't you lucky." Wan Shotto patted Hebi's shoulder as she told him, "Sorry to cut this short, but it would appear that I've been recalled back to HQ. Do you mind if we continue this another time?"

Hebi slowly said, "You … bitch …"

"You do mind? Don't worry. There'll be plenty more to come," Wan Shotto pinched his nose and pulled it before then slapping him in the face as she joyfully told him, "especially for you."

Hebi thoughtlessly said, "You're insane …"

Wan Shotto petted Hebi's cheek as she reminded him, "You're the one who accepted my challenge even though I had just beaten the crap out of you a minute earlier. And that's not insane. Try to think on that while I'm out."

Before Wan Shotto left, her fist was covered in energy before she smashed the blond player's face again. The player's head dropped down. He was unconscious. Wan Shotto received a notification regarding her 'Victory', but she dismissed it as she left the room. "Least I could do. Good night."

Wan Shotto walked to the exit and her subordinate Snow was waiting for her. She ordered him, "No one enters or leaves until I return." She pointed at him, "Got it!"

Snow stood up straight and put his hand over his chest as he replied, "Yes, ma'am!" Wan Shotto appeared satisfied as she walked away.

/

As soon as Wan Shotto walked into the meeting room, she noticed there was only Kira and PoH with a rather impatient Kira sitting behind the table and PoH standing behind her. When Wan Shotto walked in, she happily said, "Hello, Kira. What would be the honor of this summons may I ask."

"Hmph." Kira did not appear amused as she said, "I've heard you had several of our fellow guild members arrested. Explain yourself."

"Actually," Wan Shotto stated, "I was actually going to give you a report on that."

"Oh?" Kira raised an eyebrow, "Then pre-tell what would be on this report?'

Wan Shotto stated, "All three of them were thieves that were forcing children to give them all their money and equipment. I caught them in the act and apprehended them. After I defeated them, I had the thieves arrested and detained. I escorted the children back to their home." Wan Shotto grinned as she pounded her fist into her palm which caused her knuckles to crack. "Afterwards, I began to administer immediate discipline on them."

Kira tapped her finger on the table as she inquired, "Without my consent?"

Wan Shotto merely stated, "Since I discovered their behavior, it was up to me to decide the proper actions at the time. You were busy elsewhere."

"Hmph." Kira then asked, "You didn't think a simple message would've sufficed?"

"I thought taking the initiative would've been more prudent." Wan Shotto remained calm as she told Kira, "I can assure you that I was going to inform you of my recommendation to expel these individuals from our guild and put out a blacklist regarding them to other guilds."

"Hmm …" Kira leaned back before replying, "From now on, if guild members are committing such acts, you are to inform me immediately. No excuses."

Wan Shotto bowed her head slightly, "Very well. I will make sure to do that from now on."

"For now," Kira stood up from her seat as she stated, "We will table the topic regarding those guild members expulsion for a later date. We have a more immediate topic to discuss."

"Oh?" Wan Shotto raised an eyebrow, "And that would be?"

Kira stated, "The next boss fight is about to begin."

"Oh, really?" Wan Shotto merely replied, "I wasn't informed about that."

Kira put both her hands on the table as she said through gritted teeth, "Neither was I. That was until about an hour ago. One of our scouts saw a number of smaller guilds mobilized to challenge the boss. The main one being the Conquerors."

"The Conquerors?" Wan Shotto stated, "They're strong, but they shouldn't be enough. They must've formed alliances."

"They have." Kira stated, "The scout says they not only teamed up with the Argo Network, but with another guild that calls itself, 'The Knights'."

"The Knights?" Wan Shotto seemed rather amused as she pointed out, "That's an interesting name."

"How so?" PoH asked.

Wan Shotto smirked as she said, "Because didn't Diabel call himself a 'Knight'?"

"That's not the issue here!" Kira pounded both her hands on the table as she said, "They're about to begin the sixth boss battle. Why do you think that is?"

"Well … If I had to guess," Wan Shotto stated, "they're pulling this stunt to prove to everyone in Sword Art Online that we aren't needed to beat bosses."

Kira slammed her fists on the table again as she proclaimed, "That's exactly what's going on!"

Wan Shotto asked, "And that would be bad?"

"Yes! We are the Aincrad Liberation Front!" Kira pointed out, "We can't exactly live up to that name if we're on the sidelines while other guilds fight in our place. We'll be a laughing stock."

Wan Shotto then stated, "We don't have to fight every battle."

"Maybe not, but we can't afford to make this a habit." Kira declared, "We can't let these smaller guilds get the better of us."

Wan Shotto casually remarked, "I hate to say it, but they probably will get away with it this time. Even if we left …"

Kira leaned forward on the table as she said, "You think I don't already know that?!"

PoH merely said in a deep voice, "Kira."

Kira closed her eyes and sighed. "That's why we're going to make sure this doesn't happen on the seventh floor."

Wan Shotto said, "In that case, I'll be sure to get my men ready."

"Yes." Kira sat behind the table again as she said, "Make sure you do that."

Wan Shotto stated, "I'll send a message out immediately. I'll rendezvous with you at the Square in front of the Teleport gate in about an hour or so?"

Kira actually seemed amused by this as she said, "It's like you can read my mind."

"It's a gift." Wan Shotto said as she left the room.

After Wan Shotto closed the door behind her, PoH said, "I'm surprised you didn't try going harder on her for taking matters into her own hands."

"It was necessary." Kira waved it off as she replied, "We can't exactly have players who are caught doing something like that go unpunished." PoH seemed rather pleased before he then heard Kira ask, "Is the other part of the intel correct?"

PoH stated, "I believe so. The scouts also found a player they believe to be the Beater is among them. She was wearing a mask and primarily being accompanied by a boy around her age."

"Hmph." Kira bitterly said, "Should've figured she'd helped pull something like this to undermine us. If they manage to defeat the boss, we'll be ready to cut them off at the seventh floor when the gate opens.

/

Meanwhile at the same time on the sixth floor, the players led by Delano were approaching the boss room. When the players opened the door, they were greeted by the sight of the boss. The spider stared at them with its hundreds of eyes. It stood tall on its hairy legs and the mandibles appeared to becoming watery at the mere sight of its potential prey.

Kirita felt her body shiver at the sight of this. She questioned whether or not she would be able to properly hold a bow, and she wasn't the only one who felt this way.

Delano didn't need to look at the other players to know what was going on. Instead, he raised his spear along with his voice as he shouted, "Everyone! Remembers the plan! Stick to it and we will win! We will win without losing a single one of our ranks! Everyone! Get in positons and fight!"

All the players replied, "Yeah!"

The sixth boss battle began.

/

Omake:

Kirita: "We actually got a fight scene in this chapter. That was nice."

Akio: "You know some of those fight moves really reminded me of something."

Kirita: "The Yakuza series."

Akio: "Yakuza series?"

Kirita: "Yeah. It's this fun video game series generally found on Sony consoles. The author really likes that series, and decided to use some moves from that game in both the previous chapter and this chapter."

Akio: "Huh? Well that explains a lot."

/

Author Notes: What did you guys think of this update? Next time the chapter will begin with the boss battle. We will get right into the heat of the action, so it will take place in the middle of the battle. I didn't plan on starting the boss battle in this chapter, but I did have some choices to make when it came to the content of this chapter.

There were a few other scenes that were planned for this chapter, and I even wrote different versions for some of the scenes before I made the final cut. However, I had to make a final decision regarding the said scenes. I felt some of them were probably better off in a later chapter. Likewise, the Matrix joke scene was originally going to happen in the previous scene, but I decided it would be better for this chapter.

What did you think of that Matrix joke? I got the idea from the 'Fandom Discontinuity' page on TV Tropes. The illustration shows how while some people recognize the sequels to the original Matrix exist, there are plenty of people who refuse to acknowledge them. While my opinions of the Matrix sequels are more mixed, I do think there were a few wasted opportunities.

Personally, I believe the Matrix could've been better off being a four part story rather than a two-part trilogy. The second movie might've benefited from being another standalone adventure building up Neo more along with foreshadowing the Agent Smith plotline rather than trying to go for a plot to try to end the war in the second movie. We hear of some of Neo's exploits between the first and second film, but it would've been cooler to have actually seen some of Neo's adventures. Obviously we can't see them all, but even seeing one or two of them probably would've been sufficient. That probably would've improved the overall quality of the series. Unfortunately, we are only left with 'what ifs'.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. It won't be too long until the next chapter either. Until then, please be sure to leave a review, and I will see you next time.