Chapter 34: Liberation from Exile.
A battle against the ninja duo is as difficult as the name suggests… All of the moves they had were in complete sync. I was mustering some my stamina to coat my arrows with special effects… the skill's name is: Coating. I was faced against Nizuko while Tadaiku was against Yushika.
Taka and I were now back-to-back with each other… These players really do know how to push their opponents back. Taka and I didn't really train in teaming up all that much… Under that calm demeanor of his, there is an extremely rash person would just charge in the problem without any kind of plan… We were in a bad position here… The new update in using the environment as a weapon didn't help much either.
The forest around us gave of ominous auras, as we fought against the duo. It may seem quite difficult to achieve victory with Taka's weapon not in full strength, but I am sure that we will be victorious. Nizuko has long range capabilities like me… he had the knowledge of trajectory and range… He won't be an easy opponent, especially with that giant shuriken of his.
The opponent of Tadaiku on the other hand, has the ability to restrain her opponents by constricting them with her weapon of choice, Tantalizing Constrictor… which is a transforming katana able to bind and trap opponents. Battling with this player would give a hard battle as well… We were in a slight disadvantage, for we were beginning to struggle against them… Their attacks were just so relentless that I can't even aim my attacks properly against this cerulean haired boy…
My bow was about half in durability so I had to stay alert or else it will result to the destruction of my weapon. I figured out my skill in Archery by the time I was hiding in the shadows in Floor 25 and now, it is now mastered… My other skills are yet to be mastered but they're quite high… especially my Hiding and Tracking skills.
The tense atmosphere didn't make anything better… Fatigue and exhaustion filled inside me as I fought with him. His giant shuriken managed to scratch me numerous times, every time he hurls it… Red gashes were already all over my body… Even if it is just a scratch, it still manages to cut deep in me and deal more damage… Nizuko's shuriken was now heading towards him.
"You are beginning to weaken already, Archer? I anticipated you to be a dangerous opponent but it seems my anticipation didn't meet my expectations at all from you. You're just like all the other people we were against…" He caught his weapon with ease as he gave a small smirk, which was seen by only me. "The hotshot is not as good as the rumors say… you can never beat a shuriken with arrows…"
"I see that you are beginning to underestimate me, Nizuko… It's like what the rumors described; you really do get overconfidence once you think you cornered your opponent." I took a look at my HP bar after taunting him. Yellow zone already, huh? I should continue with this passive fighting until that moment kicks in. "Your teamwork with Yushika may be overwhelming, but never underestimate the trust I put on Taka…"
My comrade behind me; seems to have heard what I admitted. He gave a small grin due to the words he had just heard from my mouth. I gave a 'don't push it' look to make him not think of it in the wrong way, making him nod in agreement and starting yet another clash with Yushika. I'm confident that he already knew my plot on how to counter the ninja duo… He has the tendency to know exactly what I plan so it proves to be quite convenient and saves me the effort of explaining.
The plan needs us to have split-second timing and alertness for it to work. Switching will have a big role in it… My plan was for the both of us to Switch at the exact moment where Nizuko would throw his weapon. By doing so, Taka would be against him and I'll be faced with the woman. Taka would be able to catch the shuriken… I'm confident that he'll be able to do so since I know that he has an immense Strength stat!
There is a flaw in this plan though… If Yushika manages to hit Taka before we Switch, then our counterattack against them would have complications. Taka's a somewhat tanker so I guess he could take a hit. Anyway, that is not the concern here… If this plan fails in the first try, we cannot attempt to do it again… they'd probably get what we're plotting if we keep doing a repetitive action… Taka's a slightly agile player so I hope that slight would be enough for this plan to work…
He focuses in Dexterity, Strength and Vitality so he's pretty much a high damage dealing player with that weapon of his… His Agility stat is far inferior compered to mine but that was because tankers didn't really need speed, when using heavy weapons. His supreme mastery over Two-Handed weapons allowed him to wield that Zweihander of his… He usually has extremely high willpower but due to some circumstances, his willpower decreased and so, the power of his weapon decreased as well.
The environment around us had a strange aura around… this cannot be good… It seems like other people are fighting, not just us.
Nizuko took this to his advantage and charged at me while I was spacing out a bit. I was left unable to evade his blow but I managed to back away farther after parrying with my knife, hidden on my belt. I heard mumbles coming from him once I managed to avoid a fatal hit but Taka wasn't so lucky…
Yushika managed to stagger him and knock him down which astonished me! Tadaiku being knocked back? I never really did see something like this occur… He had such high defense so this event couldn't stop perking up my curiosity… (What action did she use to push him down like this? Not many people manage to do this to him…)
Nizuko was yet to hurl that weapon of his at me, one more time. Has he figured out that plan we were formulating or has he become more cautious and wary to prevent my attacks? He went berserk just moments ago with that shuriken of his but now… he looks a bit too passive… Changing of battle style has one reason, and that is… if you have a plan. I better continue being passive at the moment…
"I'll be finishing you off with last attack… Say your prayers, Sinon!" He spun his giant shuriken with his right hand and pulled it back with his left, resulting to a cerulean flash, glowing on his weapon… A skill?! "Rotating Razor!" He threw the shuriken right towards me… It was going all according to plan… As the weapon drew closer to me, its rotating blades grew longer.
"Switch!" I exclaimed, as the shuriken was just inches towards my neck. Before the blades could hit me, Taka managed to capture the blade with his own weapon, grabbing it in the process. When I switched, the words managed to surprise Yushika and so, I found a chance and caught her completely off-guard. I shot my arrows exactly at her joints, resulting to some silent cursing. "I told you, ninja duo… do not underestimate my trust on Taka… He may be rash and reckless but… I will still label him as my partner in this game!"
"N-Not bad… Archer…" Yushika pulled out the arrows that have pierced through her and began shooting a glare at me, with hate and animosity. "You thought you could just get away with it… Is that it? We are not called the ninja duo for granted! I'll show you… how truly painful our cooperation could be…"
Her last few words affected me. Anxiety built up in this battle now… not just tenseness and not just fatigue filled us all… Losing wasn't an option here or else it may result to either me or Taka dying. Letting that happen, is the number one thing which I will never allow to happen… Fights are hard but losing someone in the middle of one is even harder…
Yushika gave a smirk which was directed at Tadaiku, making me feel worrisome in the far corner of my mind. I kept my poker face on and aimed my arrows at her. She didn't feel threatened at all. She simply evaded my arrows and caught any arrows, about to hit her with her Constricting katana. She cackled and surged towards me which made me feel more cautious… I evaded numerous possible hits but dodging all would be impossible… She landed more hits than Nizuko but they were weaker, making my HP bar chipped away just a bit slower.
"No… I won't let you hurt, Tadaiku…" I hastily intercepted her with my arrow without even thinking… Is this how concern affects people? I must say… It seems to have affected me very much. I would have stayed in one area sniping with my Archery but she made me resort to close combat… What a rare set of actions I pulled of… "You cannot hurt him until you can get past me…" My arrow began flashing, to my confusion. I actually had a close range skill with arrows? I never really anticipated this from happening… how careless of me.
"A-A close range arrow skill?!" Everyone else had their eyes widened in surprise, once they processed what has just happened in my battle.
My arrow oozed off a slight light blue aura as I attempted to stab her with the arrow. She easily evaded and backed away. I didn't know what she was about to do but I heard her mutter a silent Switch which could be heard by Nizuko as well… I knew was going to happen next… and it's not going to be good…
The switch resulted to the switching of places once again. Yushika wrapped her weapon around Taka which made me gasp in horror. She squeezed him tight with her weapon, resulting to some gashes appearing and digital particles slowly dispersing. Even with his high defense, that weapon of destruction drained his HP surprisingly fast! Could it be one of those weapons that ignore armor and inflict a fixed base damage? Whatever it is… Taka's dying from the damage already… I have to stop her!
I aimed for the sword hand of Yushika. With my enhanced eyesight, I am able to have a father vision in my aim. I fired my arrow but it was quickly defected by a familiar metal blade… That Nizuko… This is just a low way of provoking me… Tricking me? Fine… Abandoning me? Go ahead… Doing something like that to my comrade? You have gotten too far… I will not allow an action like that to go unpunished… You will have to pay your respects to my bow…
"I'm warning you Nizuko… get… out… of… my… way!" I took out all of my arrows from my quiver and placed them all on my right hand, grabbing them. I then changed my trajectory to the sky… My next attack would not be as weak as all my previous ones… My bow shined a dazzling aqua color, before it was about to activate. "This is your last chance… Nizuko… tell Yushika to release Taka, or else I'll release one of my strongest skills to rain down upon you…"
Nizuko seems to have hesitated but he quickly shook his head and shot a look at me. "Like a threat like that would scare me! You're obviously bluffing…" He crossed his arms and threw his shuriken one more time. "You can't do it if I hit you first anyway!"
"I warned you…" I let go of my grip, making all of my arrows soar high into the sky. They all started shining a dazzling aqua color, as they started to rain down. "Now my arrows shall all show no smint of mercy towards you… This is… Skyward Rain…"
They were going all the way down, all aimed for Nizuko… This skill has the Lock-on effect so that won't assure his escape… He is not going to be able to dodge… Due to the Post-Motion stage, I had to take that hit from his shuriken, making my HP very late yellow now… It's all worth my energy just to see him defeated…
That's when… I saw a smirk spread across Yushika's face… like she wanted this to happen… Oh no… don't tell me they're planning to… make Taka a meat shield! I quickly regretted my activation of that skill as soon as Yushika used her weapon to move the binded Taka right above my actual target… T-Taka!
I couldn't intercept my skill with anything… The reload time of my arrows was 5 minutes so I couldn't even shoot another arrow… All I could do was watch, feeling completely useless as all my coated arrows landed on my comrade… This was complete torture to my eyes… his cries of fear as his HP slowly depleted… Even his high vitality couldn't handle it… G-Gomen Taka… I couldn't do anything… His HP was already dangerously low in yellow… It even hit red after a few seconds… That Emergency Healing of his only managed to heal a small chunk of HP…
"S-Shino…" He could barely speak, as I tried getting past Nizuko who was pushing me back now since I couldn't hurt him with anything… My dagger was gone and so I was defenseless… "A-Arigato for everything you did with me… I appreciate your company in those times… At least I died in your hands… and not theirs…" He smiled at me as his HP was just about to deplete.
Just before I tried to reach out to him, I felt some sort of fluid flow down from my eyes… Was I… crying? I can't blame myself… Losing a friend in front of your very eyes is really a rough sight… With my enhanced vision, I could see his HP bar go dangerously low… Yushika didn't bother constricting anymore; she just laid him near the ground and waited for the final blow… Taka's death is going to be soon and the fault is completely mine…
I didn't even want to watch anymore but I had to… He wanted me to take one last glimpse of him before he disperses and leaves this game… I looked at him with sorrow but some voices could be heard, somewhere in this forest. Who's there?!
"Oi! Let go of my friend!" A shadowy figure mysteriously appeared and took down Yushika and Nizuko with a single bash. He shielded Taka from the other stray arrows, using some kind of large shield. He pulled out an Emergency Healing Crystal which is a very rare crystal… It heals the user and makes him or her invulnerable for a few seconds to rest up… He used it on him, to my relief. "You think you can abuse my bro like this? Well then… the both of you are hereby under arrest…
"Z-Zero?!" Both of the ninjas winced in fear as he stepped a bit closer with rage all over his face… His mask was removed and his Shieldblade was currently in offense mode. "W-We thought you were back at Aincrad doing guild leader duties…"
"Be gone both of you… before I arrest the both of you for the rest of your gaming lives…" Since it was already outnumbered, the ninja duo made a strategic retreat, leaving all of us alone with Taka panting heavily. "Now… I hope Taka's alright… He is the most popular guy in my school so the women there would probably riot if they knew about this… take good care of my friend, Sinon…" He muttered with a small faint smirk.
His words weren't needed to make me rush to Taka's side and see if he's alright. This battle was now over and so, Kirito-san shouldn't worry about them being in his tail… All I can do now is tend to Taka and hope for the best…
Yes, the ninja duo managed to get away from me but this assassin shall not get by me… She seems more dangerous than the both of them. It was like she really did desire to go by her master's side, but I cannot afford to let her slide… Kirito-kun would be in big trouble if it manages to become 2-on-1… Like I said in Floor 83, I will not act as an extra weight of burden to Kirito… I will be aiding him in carrying his own burden from now on.
My rapier doesn't really allow parrying so all I could do is depend on my agility… My agility? I'm actually very fast in reflexes due to my high Agility stat and Dexterity stat. Kanami's speed was just as quick as mine, and so this battle lasted long…
Her weapon of choice is a Naginata and having her unoccupied hand used as an extra punch. She seems to have mastered the Martial Arts extra skill just like Kirito-kun and Koyero but she used it quite more often than they do. Her cat-like reflexes were enough to allow her to evade at the last second. Her battle style seems unorthodox and unpredictable… She would feint with her blade at first but after doing so, she quickly jabs me with her left hand.
Fortunately, she seems to be unknowledgeable of the strongest Martial Arts, if she did, then I'll be in big trouble. My Lambent Light was still in high durability, makes me feel safer but not too much. Her facial expression remained emotionless… like she just wanted to be rid from me for good and go back to her insane master… I won't be letting her pass though, she will be fighting me and leave the battle between those two alone… It must not be distracted by any third party or else the fight might become unstable and dangerous… to both the fighters and the third party…
"You really are beginningto piss me off, flash…" She called me the name some players label me as… The Flash. I got the title because of my amazing Linears but most people keep being all impressed about it; that it makes me feel like I'm claustrophobic. "All I really desire to do is to be with Husharu-sama, nothing else. All you do is prevent me from doing so and that makes me ticked off… I never knew that The Flash would be this annoying… Now I really want to defeat you and get this over with!"
It seems I was starting to infuriate the young assassin player… She looked probably a year or two younger than me but I cannot take that strength of hers for granted… Loosening up and becoming too passive could lead to defeat, so I continued my vigilance against her… I stood there trying my best not to give off any small opening for her, which infuriated her further. Her coolheaded aura in battle has been quickly replaced by this bloodthirsty mood of hers…
Her kendo-like armor was more than enough to know that she is a well-balanced player. Her moves appeared to be made by her original fighting style; I can commend her in that area. She seems to focus on the One-Handed and Martial Arts skills… Her agility was hard to comprehend, but a plan began formulating in my mind…
"I'm not trying to piss you off, you know…" I released a small sigh as I sidestepped to evade a close hit coming from Kanami. "I'm simply trying to stop you from intervening in their fight… Being two against one is just a low advantage… Also, why are you all even doing this?! Why do you all want Koyero that badly?! Why do you all think sacrificing a player's life is a good way for power?! You can't just take away the existence of a player for all those selfish reasons; that is just cruel."
"Too late… We already did get him… Power? Don't make me laugh! Husharu-sama doesn't need power! All he needs is a vessel… a vessel for Hybrid. With this, he will be able to overpower the clearers, and ultimately Kirito… Husharu-sama will be the hero… and I'll be by his side…" Kanami really did act possessive… "I refuse to believe the fact where Kirito would defeat Husharu-sama… He is now too strong for that Black Swordsman… Kayaba has just locked that skill but he didn't officially ban it all yet… With Hybrid, his stats combine with the victim so he is now too powerful for all of you…"
Her words began to annoy me in some way… She was too focused and obsessed in clearing the game that, she has gone insane… Insanity was swallowing her up but my plan should be sufficient to remove her from this trance and from her obsession with her master.
I don't know what kind of leader Husharu was but judging from his unit's obsession with him, He did numerous things to her… or he made her fall for him in such a way to make her love for him, reach to the extremes… This wasn't love… this was manipulation… Husharu, from what I heard, is a cold leader who only focuses in clearing the game. He took many of his comrades to be with him… He may act very considerate and understanding, but he is actually a power hungry manipulator of emotions…
"I won't let this manipulation control you any longer. Liberating you from this fantasy of yours is now my new objective…" I lunged towards her with my rapier but she parried it with her blade and almost landed a punch directed to my gut… I quickly retaliated and gave a twist to my rapier which resulted to a successful thrust, pierced through her unoccupied arm. "Forgive me for fighting you, Kanami… This will be the only way for me to wake you up from this obsession you have…"
"Manipulation? You really do intend in making me laugh, don't you Flash?" She cackled as she charged at me once more. It was like he did some kind of thing to her to make her act like this… but she refuses to think of that fact. "Pitying me won't even make you closer to defeating me, give me all you got…"
It's impossible now…
She's been pulled in…
The blades clashing with each other and players clashing their blades is the only thing left hanging… No conversation was shared in that battle currently… She just cannot accept it… It's already a futile attempt to make her out of it. She really is a tough nut to crack.
I prepared my Linear to attempt to stagger her for at least a few seconds, and it worked… just half of them hit though. As she tried to recover, I held my rapier in a vertical position, with its tip pointing at the ground. It shined a faint purple as the Pre-motion stage has been acquired. I lunged towards her and started my renewed, evolved version of Linear, and that's Penetrating Frenzy.
Each hit manages to give a damage bonus and my next attack lightning quick, so that means you really have to not let the first hit connect… I lung my rapier towards her and it connects to her sword arm. I continued this pace with pity in my mind… Her shrieks from those stings could be seen as her HP bar depleted faster and faster with each successful hit. I made her to late-yellow already but due to the long Post-motion time, I quickly backed away before it began rooting up.
She was already on her knees after my relentless thrusts but she somehow stood back up. The opportunity for her was already wide open and so, she started chaining some combos on me while I was in Post-motion. I regained my movement, once the time was now finished. I evaded her next hit and managed to stab her on the armor's weak spot… the joint part. She increased the distance between us after experiencing that hit. From my angle, she was barking up some curses as she gazed at me with such animosity.
"I-I can't lose to you… I must… prove my worth… to him… As his pivotal unit, I must finish the objective he has given to me… like my job with battling Mishoro… It was cut short when he retreated but I still defeated him… I-I just can't…" Fluid began flowing from her eyes, as it dispersed into particles later. She is very pitiful… It even made me feel sorrow with each time either her or my attacks connect. "I-I will not disappoint him any longer… I will not be the wink link of the main forces any longer! Husharu-sama will win and you can bet on it!" She regained some of her self-esteem, but looked broken and unable to fight.
"No… you're wrong in one thing… You are nowhere near weak, Kanami! You even forced to accumulate a plan for myself, just to catch up with you." I admitted which made her gasp in surprise, although with her cunning glare and motive still intact. She gazed at me, with mixed emotions going on. "You cannot say that for sure. Even with his stats combined with Koyero's, Kirito-kun will find a way to defeat Hybrid and return it to being a locked skill…"
Nothing else came after that… All I heard was a sword being sheathed and a small giggle coming from the corner of my ear… Is she… stopping?! She gave me a small smile once she finally understood what I meant… Yes, Husharu is being a completely different person now. He became extremely aggressive after what he accomplished and that action he pulled off is not right… His thirst for power will be his downfall… Kanami has finally seen what I meant by it…
Her former deep animosity against me has changed into understanding and consideration… It was like I was talking with a completely different person! Since she sheathed her weapon, I sheathed mine as well. I knew Aggression very well and I can see nothing coming from her anymore. I needed to help Kirito but it seems like I can't… I may become a reason for his defeat too… If Husharu manages to strike me down, Kirito may become berserk and rush to his death and I wouldn't want to be a cause for that…
"Asuna-san… I think we should liberate ourselves from this Exile already… If we don't do it in time, we'll be trapped in this floor until someone takes our place…" Kanami warned me, and to my surprise, she may be right… Exile cannot be some sort of decorative name… It must have an effect of some sort. "Husharu-sama and Kirito-san will be ok… For now… we must leave. The ninja duo, Kushimu, Sinon, Tadaiku, Zero and the other 5 have already left… There isn't much time for escape anymore… We must depart now!"
"Wait! What about Kirito then?! I have to warn him before I leave or else he might be the one to be trapped in here…" I rejected her idea of leaving this floor with Kirito having a proper warning. She bit her bottom lip as she gazed at me in anxiety. "I won't leave unless Kirito gets the proper—"
Without warning, she used some sort of clear crystal on me, and polygons began forming around me. I knew what this is… She's teleporting me back to Aincrad! I tried to rebuke her sudden action but it was too late… I felt myself being teleported along with her… She actually managed to use one of the extra skills… Forceful Teleportation. It's a skill that can be learned after clearing some sort of quest in Floor 17… Kirito-kun told me about it after discovering it from Argo, who told him about this new update.
To put things aside, I found myself in Floor 22 with Yui shaking me out of worry… How… did I get here? Kanami was nowhere to be found and the only one who was with me was our beloved in-game daughter Yui. I looked around and I really was with Yui only… No one else… This can't be just a dream! I need to know how I got here but I might as well ask Yui.
"Yui, what happened when I got here? Did I suddenly come out from nowhere or anything? Mama doesn't remember…" I ran my hand on her head, which earned a smile coming from her. "All I remember is the battle but other than that, everything else is a big blur…"
"Mama just appeared out of nowhere… A sudden flash appeared on your bed, so I checked it out… When, I managed to see, It was you Mama… I'm just as confused as you are…" Yui told me everything she knew so I'm now content… Kirito is still in trouble though… I do hope he's safe from that battle… "Where's Papa Kiito, Mama? You appeared but not Papa… as a game program, even I don't know where he is… Is he in a newly updated area? I haven't been updated… Sorry, Mama…"
I slowly caught her with a hug… I missed Yui… Because of all those days planning, I wasn't able to return to Floor 22 to visit her and stay… Thankfully, Lisbeth took care of her when I was away but that was only at nights… In mornings and afternoons, she gets taken cared by Wukure. The Azure Sky isn't as busy as Knights of the Blood but they still were. He usually takes care of her as I requested since Kirito's not here… When Kirito comes back, we'll be together.
Kirito-kun will not lose…
I was sprinting with a burst of speed as I made my way to the deep parts of the forest… The deeper I went, the darker it became… It was like this forest was some kind of evil area itself. I saw a red light coming from somewhere and so, I headed towards that taunting light that caught my eye. As I got there, I jumped out of the bushes and saw the insane player who was actually the mastermind of the chaos… leader of the Phantom guild, Husharu.
After catching sight of each other, we quickly started a duel and clashed (I can't just hit him immdeiately since he was just a normal green player due to Koyero)… It was like he wanted to fight in this atmosphere we were in… dense and ominous… His blade quickly managed to redirect itself to parry but I thought ahead and sidestepped. I saw my opportunity and gave a hit but he blocked it almost immediately. His power was overwhelming even with these gauntlets…
We quickly backed away from each other and started circling… Unlike Koyero, He was more analytic but power hungry… His weapon of choice seems to be mutual with his true personality… He seems like a nice player at first but once he gets you to do something incredibly difficult, he will backstab you and dispose of you once you're done…
These gauntlets which were loaned to me by Hozume really did have a huge contribution to the battle. Husharu's strength was greatly increased ever since he used that locked skill, Hybrid… He had a flaw in that skill in use though… When he switches his weapon into Koyero's Zweihander, it would take a split second for the request to be granted… I have a small time window and a large margin of error… that moment he switches will be my moment to deal major damage.
His mobility was adept… Koyero wasn't that speedy in the first place, to my relief… His immense strength and vitality was my problem now… My Elucidator managed to chip away a bit of his armor but his HP was just so high… It felt like I was against a boss already… His HP bar is only one but that defense of him; prevent me from doing any fatal blow… If only Sinon was here… she could have pinpointed the exact weak spot of his and attack there relentlessly with her arrows… Her high Dexterity allowed her to bestow numerous critical hits in different occasions.
I had a new skill which I managed to learn. It was a Dual Blades skill which I managed to learn, thanks to Argo. She somehow got hold of a Pre-motion action… I still have no idea how she got her hands on it though. It was an improved version of my Vorpal Strike… It is called, Vorpal Fang. To use it, my position has to be with my dual blades in a horizontal position, and away from my chest. After that, the system would do the rest and commence with the attack.
Like its predecessor, the blades will extend in range but instead of twice the length, it is now thrice the length. It also works on both blades to complete the fang. After that's done, the system will immediately take over and allow me to make a quick slice with both of my blades. It is a mid-range skill so I find it quite convenient. The Post-motion time is short (not as much as Linear though) and the cool down for the skill is 10 seconds but in exchange, the accuracy is just slightly bit less accurate than my other skills… My dexterity should be enough to hit him with it though.
Currently, the weapon he's fighting me with is the cursed blade Muramasa. It gets powered up every time it manages to give a cut to an opponent although if it doesn't hit, the blade will grow weaker in every stat until it gets to cut an opponent. This katana has numerous slightly jagged edges and its hilt is long. It is not so detailed but as an added pinch, it has blood stains covered on it, making it a bloody red weapon of destruction. It has no durability but if you don't fill it up with fights, it will break down within a week. It's a weapon that desires chaos and fights… it gets weaker the less you fight.
"Husharu… I didn't want to end it like this but your ambitions give me more than enough reasons to defeat you…" I clashed with him and we were in par with each other… With these gauntlets, I manage to catch up to his immense strength. If it weren't for these gauntlets, I might have been taken down by him with ease… "Stop this madness you're trying to accomplish! It has no good points but power… You did an indirect murder and that is unforgivable!"
"A murder? I did nothing of the sort! I am just taking what is rightfully mine… I am a virus that has been created ever since Koyero's brainwaves have been scanned… Due to that tragic accident he had, he lost half his sanity… It came back little by little gradually but… a quarter of his brain is still under probation every week…" He began giving a maniacal face as he looked at me with all that insanity coming from his mouth.
"Awkwardly his parents still allowed him to use the Nervegear… something that needs brainwaves… This became the foundation on how that error made in the scan made a second glitch account… A fixed one… one that is controlled by that one virus… me, Zerishu Husharu… the very first program made by Kayaba… the first one to be disposed of as well, after the beta…" He continued as he gritted his teeth in rage. "I managed to be one of the 10,000 players, after finding the broken mind of that one player… I must thank him for this body though… It feels very good to have a body…"
"A rogue game program eh? You're a program just like Kushimu and Yui but there is one thing you are missing to be fully like them… You lack respect to life! Kushimu didn't want to fight me but you somehow forced him to do so… All Yui wanted is to be with me and Asuna… She even protected us back then and got herself caught by the Cardinal…" I hardened my grip on my blades, as I started glaring. "I didn't want this to go on but you have forced me to use up my swordsmanship… You can never replace Koyero…"
He seems to have snapped once he heard the last few words I decided to use against him. The idea seems to have made him utterly reject everything I have said but all of them are true… A game program, even if turned to a virus, must not interfere with the game taking place… His motive was now clear to me… He wants to defeat Kayaba with his own eyes but his method is just wrong…
Before arriving to him while sprinting, Argo told me that the only way to return Koyero is to best him in combat. I don't know what would happen after he is defeated but judging from the corruption he made, Koyero's file just might absorb him instead…
This theory has never been tested yet though… His mind was set on revenge but he plans to use someone's life in the process and so, I cannot just ignore what is happening. As a gamer, I must stop him from committing an indirect PK…
Revenge? It is a slightly overused word but at this time… Now is not the time for such reasons… What would he even get from doing this? All he has right now is a captured player, a unique skill and the legendary cursed blade, Muramasa… This battle will be more than enough to test my resolve against him… From what I heard, his unique skill is called, Chaotic which makes use of the user's insanity for power… It doesn't have much of a skill tree but it really packs a punch… The continuous thirst for power really gets him going…
After clearing things up, I knew what to do now… I don't have to hold back any longer against this strong opponent of mine… Holding back now would just result to my defeat… I managed to get a good distance and so I decided to test out this new skill I learned the Pre-motion of thanks to the information Argo disclosed to me.
Due to the Pre-motion, I made my dual blades horizontal and away from my chest. It started making them emit an electric purple color. It then grew three times the size of my Elucidator and Dark Repulser. I closed my eyes as I felt the activation time ready… Husharu was now within my range so I swiftly made a double horizontal slice like scissors and managed to cut him severely with my two blades. Husharu twitched in surprise as his HP was now in half. I, on the other hand, was left with the slightly long Post-motion stage.
He saw this window of opportunity against me and charged in…
My defenses were low, it caused me to lose HP faster but I thought ahead and paid for some hard armor from Lisbeth and equipped it under my black leather armor. I made no mistake in changing up my armor… It really is needed against this hybrid powerhouse…
It caught him by surprise when some of his hits didn't damage me… He anticipated me to have low defense but I anticipated him to have immense power so I got myself some extremely hard and reliable armor from my most trusted blacksmith, Lisbeth (who offered to be my private blacksmith whenever I needed Smithing). The armor really did do the trick though. This hard but penetrable armor managed to keep me alive… (Thanks you Lisbeth…)
My opponent seems to have become pissed when I managed to get out of Post-motion with just minimal damage. I didn't back down even if he raised his blade… Here's my chance… I quickly went to one of my stances… Auto Equip should be taking place in a while… After a brief time, his blade slowly turned into that devastating Zweihander but I took this opportunity by hitting him with Dark Repulser, throwing it mid-air and equipping Equalizer.
I continued my pace by dealing extra damage with my first blade and multiplying Equalizer, throwing the extra one, up high. The process repeated until 15 blades were now suspended in the air. By using my brand new extra skill, Juggle it helps me use the complete potential of Equalizer. After 5 seconds of doing my complete combo, my multiplying blade returned to being one, then I quickly kept it in my inventory. I then caught my Dark Repulser.
That skill I pulled off is an addition to my previous skill. The name is Starburst Stream: The Infinite. It can pull of more of a combo than Starburst Stream although it can be risky while your opponent is in defense. His HP, from high-yellow turned into high-red.
"Tsk… H-How can you do such damages to someone like me?! I-I can't just be defeated without directing my revenge…" He started to become desperate, when he used a skill by pointing his Zweihander on the ground. After he did so, some sort of Phantom attacked me like a shadow but I easily countered and charged in. "N-No… please… I want to defeat Kayaba!" Despite his pleads, I continued sprinting towards him to give the last few attacks.
Before I was about to liberate Koyero from this so called virus, A light engulfed his body which made me back away cautiously until I figured out what Argo was actually talking about… A Hybrid cannot be prevented… but it can be reversed… I decided to check out Koyero's profile… He trusts me so much that he connected with me and gave me his profile and so, I can know if there is any changes within him or not…
I opened up my menu and checked Koyero's profile… My intuition and Argo's theory were all starting to come together now… Instead of Husharu absorbing the whole of Koyero, Koyero was the one who absorbed him… His unique skill, Phantom became something else, to my surprise. It became… Chaotic Phantom.
The body of an unconscious Koyero was laid on the ground… My mission is complete but not the quest… The quest to head to Floor 100 is still intact. I don't know what might happen to the Phantom guild but… Koyero now has the power of Husharu… For a peculiar reason, the stats weren't combined…
No matter…
I have Koyero back and my role in the Floor of Exile is now complete. It was a very hard journey but now I can finally return to Aincrad with my friends, Yui and Asuna…
I carried Koyero on my back but time was almost up! Just a few more seconds and I might be trapped in this disastrous floor… I pulled out a Clear Crystal from my pouch and raised it to the sky. White polygons started surrounding me, as I felt the system slowly teleporting me away from this nightmare, which has affected 4 guilds including us…
Slowly, I gained consciousness and appeared in Floor 22, with Koyero on my back… Welcome home, Koyero… As a friend, I know that you'll do the same for me. Now I have proven that I really find you as a valuable one… even with all those antics. Oh, and one more thing…
Sayonara… Floor of Exile…
End of Chapter 34
Next Chapter: Randomness is Back!