WARNING: This story contains mature elements such as manipulation, Non-Con, humiliation.
Chapter 19: Divinity and Firmament
Underworld, Central Cathedral, Floor 50, Great Hall—30th September, Year 380 in the Time of the Realm of Humanity
"Seventh day of the eleventh month, Eastern Gate. Ten Lords Assembly, which accounts for all ten different races… No, there are five inhuman races. Five for each, huh? Hmm…"
"That's incredibly large. In comparison to our fifty thousand troops, it might make sense that their ranks far outnumber us."
A teenager. A young man, no older than twenty, ruling an entire kingdom of humans.
It sounded like a joke. A poor one, perhaps, but a joke nonetheless. And yet, reality just seemed to have a way to just throw everything into the fire of nonsense. Because sitting before her right now, in this very moment, was exactly a teenager, who is indeed the ruler of this very empire.
Granted, he's not alone in such a task, having split the responsibility with the first pontifex, previously the Administrator, now simply going by Quinella. Still, she could only imagine just how difficult the job is for him, and still be unable to come close to understanding the weight of his duty.
She felt nothing but respect for that.
Her own people were left to countless different factions with different leaders, only recently unified under the rule of a bloodthirsty god who sought two humans—for what purpose, he's never said, but she could only dread the ends of it all. His tunnel vision will be his people's downfall, and for that, here she is now.
Working with the 'enemy' to defeat Lord Vector.
Kirito paused in his writing, and the Dark Knight took notice of this. He looked calmer than she might have thought he would, mostly curious.
"Lipia, we need a bit of your help. Run us through the entire army and their details, if you would," he requested, deciding to settle his quill down and keeping his attention on her.
Everyone were doing the same, but she did not allow it to render her nervous. She simply took some time to mull over his words, remembering the Ten Lords Assembly and the people that fought within each of those banners—their tools, their skills, their properties.
"I shall begin with the… inhuman ones, then," when granted a nod, she simply continued. "There are the Flatland Goblins and the Giants, both of which use one-handed large swords. The flatland's are extremely agile, and the giants lose speed in account to their devastating strength. Mountain Goblins, on the other hand, primarily use club weapons. Fast, durable, and dangerous in groups—"
"—The Ogres use crossbows and fight from a distance, but they are capable of close combat all the same. Orcs, too, are formidable foes, but I shouldn't be too worried about them. They're by chance the slowest group there is, dangerous in numbers," she silently muttered an apology towards the group.
"Hmm… Yeah, everything checks out with the info you've given us thus far. If we're ignoring the regular troops, only the leaders are concerns that we'll need to handle. That takes out the Commerce Guild as well, since all that they handle is just finances and rations, right?" When asked this, the woman nodded. "I see… Please continue."
"Yes. Onto the humans, there are the Dark Knights. We… are trained in swordsmanship, and «Sacred Arts», to an extent. Even then, we hold no candle to Dee Eye Ell and her mages, who are exceptionally talented in «Sacred Arts»," judging by the way her tone turned a little less friendly, he could only assume she wasn't a fan of her. "The Pugilists Guild, lead by Iskahn, are incredibly formidable. They live by the principle that their fists are stronger than any steel, and in several duels I've seen him participate in, he has not betrayed such a saying just yet."
"Ooh, he sounds strong! Let's fight him!"
"Yuuki, I doubt he'll fight you so much as he'll try to kill you…"
Ignoring that little banter, the Dark Knight continued. "The last one is the Assassins Guild. Admittedly, they have not been very… outward with their appearances and whatnot, so I can't say much on them."
"Well, if we're talking about assassins, I'm thinking dirty tactics, poison and knives," Sinon chirped in. "No doubt, we might need to be careful of that group the most. Who knows what they'll pull out of their sleeves when no one's watching them?"
"Good point. Even then, that's just the basic info that we can get, and we're not entirely sure how the battle will actually go down," Kirito sighs as he leans back into his seat. "If we've got such a large army like this, composed of so many different groups… If we're going for the lowest estimate, we're dealing with an army the number of a hundred thousand."
A hundred thousand. A sheer double of their own fifty thousand troops (and the number's probably still increasing throughout the weeks), and that has everyone going silent in trepidation immediately.
And that was his smallest estimation? That's bad. Extremely bad.
This is war. Such a notion felt so alien to many of them, effectively placing vices around the guts of many there. The promise of bloodshed, restless nights and battle did not help anyone whatsoever.
While he silently pondered on the situation at hand, the Dark Knight took a moment to divert her attention to the others. They knew the weight of the situation at hand, and to see such dread in the gazes of a few (namely Asuna and Vabel, surprisingly) must mean that they too had seen such horrors.
She was overthinking things, perhaps. The others knew the half-truth of their situation, but Kirito alone had lived through the days alongside them.
"So I suppose we've reached the end of today's discussions. Unless anyone else want to add something?" When asked of this, no one made a move to answer.
Truly, there wasn't anything else that she could really think of when it came to this, simply what she's told him should be all there is to it. Then again, knowing Lord Vector and his cunning right hand man, those two probably have even worse strategies cooked up in their heads. She wouldn't give them the benefit of the doubt in that department.
Well, not many people were there to add their input anyways. Deusolbert and Fanatio had excused themselves earlier to oversee the other knights' training, while Renri and Eldrie decided to run inspection on everything else; horses, wagons, rations and equipment that will be needed for the upcoming war.
It was truly impressive to see how everyone were already quick to get to work. Not like she underestimated them from the beginning, of course.
"Well… No use worrying about it anymore, I suppose. There's not much that any of us can do other than continue making our preparations. We'll need to send out a message for lockdown, however. Have everyone stay in their homes, for safety's sake," he mumbles to himself without much care, hand not stopping whatsoever. "One thing, though. Asuna, mind telling me about Edith's request?"
The one that she and everyone else forgot, but he opted to let that part slide.
She thought about it for a while, remembering how everyone froze up when it had been brought up. And it seems that he hadn't exactly forgotten it himself.
And yet, it managed to pull off the same effect; it gets everyone to freeze up in their seats, everyone that aren't the group of girls looking at them in curiosity. Certainly makes for an amusing sight, helped by how everyone had varying reactions.
Asuna was nervously fiddling with her hair, Premiere and her sister found the table interesting, Silica was shaking Lisbeth's arm (rather furiously, might they add), Yuuki was whistling a little tune and the others their own thing.
If they've already met her long ago, then that would mean that they literally had weeks to tell him about her request. The fact that it somehow slid their minds was… well, she could only imagine how shameful it would be if she neglected a duty of her own back home, and the same applies for them as well.
And they were looking genuinely guilty. But from the corner of her vision, she noticed how Kirito had to raise his hand to shield his lips—is he smirking? Well now, looks like someone's finding this amusing!
After some time, however, it was Asuna who spoke up, less confident than usual. "Ah… How do I put it? You remember how we told you that we met Edith-chan in Agna Village?" He nodded. "W-Well, at the time, Edith-chan asked us to ask you if she could become an Integrity Knight, and… ah, we're really sorry, Edith-chan! We didn't mean to forget!"
"Oh, don't worry about it! All of you are busy, after all, so it makes sense that you forgot," chuckled the girl as she waved off her friend's concerns. "Seriously, we've got something even bigger on our plate. We've a literal war we gotta' take care of, so something as trivial like this shouldn't matter."
"Hey now, don't say that. You want to be an Integrity Knight, yeah? So just say you want to," Medina tapped her little sister softly on the shoulder. "Plus, I saw you fight, and you're definitely amazing. Right, Lipia?"
"Indeed. I personally oversaw her training, Kirito, and I can safely say that she would make a great knight," she vouched for her friend not simply to make her happy, but because she truly saw talent in the young girl. Not a lot of people could fight really well, so it would do them well to have Edith fighting alongside them. "Will you not permit her to join your ranks?"
While Edith looked between her two friends, gratitude shining in her eyes, Kirito paused from his writing to look at the girl in question.
She definitely looks older than him. Or at least, he assumed she was. She seemed energetic, but that wasn't a bad things. That sword of hers, however, was a curious thing. He hadn't the opportunity to ask her what it is, but he's willing to bet a few coins that it's a «Divine Object».
So was Medina's weapon, he assumed. Hadn't the chance to see it in action, though he supposed he wouldn't need to worry about that, what with the upcoming fight.
"If both of you are vouching for her skills, then I've little to complain about. As it stands, having more help will be appreciated," he says this with a small hum, looking to the girl in question, who perked up. "Edith, are you certain about your decision to become an Integrity Knight? Just asking."
"S-Sir!" The girl missed the way he grimaced at the title, nor how everyone else just laughed at him. "It's been my dream since I was a little girl! I want to be able to serve you in the upcoming war! I wish to become an Integrity Knight!"
Well, there was nothing she's done or said to make him consider otherwise. He'd managed to get his hands on some information about the girl and her sister, and there's been no stain on their histories. No crime, no unusual report—they're clean, both of them are.
Well, Medina's technically a sellsword, which was interesting. So being a mercenary is an actual «Sacred Calling»? No, she might be the same case as Eugeo; she might have been something else, but somehow managed to accomplish that and chosen to become a mercenary.
Or it could just be him overthinking things as always. That's the most likely scenario, he believes.
"Alright then," he hides his smile at the sight of the girl's bright beaming grin behind his knuckle. "If you truly intend to become an Integrity Knight, then I shall personally test you tomorrow morning after breakfast. Bring your sword, and grab any armour you'll need from the weapons vault," he then turned his attention to the Dark Knight. "You, should get some better gear as well, Lipia. Alice, mind bringing them to the vault after this?"
"Of course. I would be happy to escort the three of you to the weapons vault, if you'd like," she smiled at the group, drawing smiles from them as well.
"We'd like that, yeah! Thanks, Alice," chirped the other girl, getting the blonde to chuckle. She then turned to the ravenette, bowing. "Thank you, Kirito! I won't let you down!"
"Hey, hey! We haven't even had the test yet, don't worry," he raised his arms in defense, a little overwhelmed by her genuine excitement.
"If that is all, I would like it if everyone could stay here for the night," her kind offer is met with surprised looks from everyone, Chudelkin especially looking like his eyes were going to burst. "We have countless bedrooms, and it would be too much trouble to send you back to the village. Will that be acceptable?"
"W-We don't want to trouble you though, Lady Quinella!" Ever the nervous wreck that she is, Silica's words only drew soft laughter from the woman.
"Please, worry not about those sort of things. This would only be right, after all the kilolu that you've travelled. It wouldn't sit well with me to send you back to your village after such a lengthy travel," her eyes shift towards one person in particular, but they're quick to focus on the little girl once more. "So?"
"If that's okay with you, then we would be happy to stay here," Vabel made a small bow, and everyone followed suit.
Kirito made eye contact with Eugeo, then snorted together, quickly realizing that they were going to be sharing a room.
Guess the academy days aren't fully behind them, are they?
Underworld, Central Cathedral, Floor 28—30th September, Year 380 in the Time of the Realm of Humanity
Contrary to initial assumptions of the cathedral, it wasn't just an empty, spacious tower with nothing within its space. After all, each of its hundred floors serve a specific purpose, and many of its floors do have fully furnished rooms for use. It is, after all, the main site of operations for the Human Realm's leaders and its Integrity Knights.
If it was an empty tower, it would probably be the most unsettling place to be in. Who would want to live inside a ghost tower?
Still, if there was one thing that the cathedral excelled at doing that other buildings could not, it was just one extremely simple fact.
This place was just massive.
"Yeeeaah! We get to sleep here!"
"Maaan, we should have just done this from the beginning. Would have saved us a lot of time!"
Ignoring both Yuuki's and Lisbeth's proclaims, though she does end up with a sigh being expelled from her lips, Asuna simply looks at her own room's door. "Odd. To be sleeping in the cathedral…"
"Yeah, well, you'll probably get used to it," she turns her gaze to the side, meeting Kirito's onyx eyes with her own chestnut irises. "I mean, I first slept in Rulid Village. Then Eugeo and I slept in a barn, and then we moved to the academy. And Lady Quinella was nice enough to let me stay here after I met here, so… I guess that's my little advantage."
"So you can say that you've had a taste of all the beds there is in this world?" She hums with a little jest in her tone. "Where would be the most comfortable place that you've stayed, then?"
"Hmm… I gotta' say, that's a pretty hard question, but I'll just say Rulid Village. Feels more like home than anywhere else thus far," he says with a shrug, grinning. "But don't worry about things, yeah? We're all close by, and this tower's stronger than anything you've ever seen, so the risk of us getting attacked is low."
"Suuure. Says the guy that accidentally destroyed the cathedral from inside," when Eugeo mentions that with a roll of the eyes, the girls immediately snap their heads towards the boy in question, who flinches in response.
"I-It was an accident! Kind of," lamely responded the boy. "There was a fight, some stuff happened… You know what? No. This isn't important. Go find your bedrooms."
Ignoring everyone's pleas and demands to know the whole story and pointedly ignoring the sharp look that Alice was shooting him, he continues onwards, wanting to find his bedroom and be done with this.
The rooms here are pretty large, and have two separate beds in the same room. Hence, everyone agreed to sleep in a pair; Asuna was pairing up with Yuuki, Lisbeth with Silica, Sinon with Leafa, and finally Premiere and Tia. Vabel decided to join Alice. The three girls that came here today were going to sleep together in one room, so he had to move another bed into their room.
Don't ask him which room he took that bed from, or what he did. Just know that the act was done, and that's it.
He, on the other hand, will probably be sleeping with Eugeo, and that's fine. He couldn't have asked for a better roommate than him—besides, everyone else is a girl, and he'd positively like to avoid going down that road!
Yes, the irony is clear. He slept with another woman against her choice, but… damn it. He has no excuse for that, does he?
"Yes, I know," she rolls her eyes at that, voice filled with a small sense of mirth. Then, she pokes him in the chest (more like drilling him), catching him by surprise. "But you, mister, should make sure to get some sleep, alright? You'd better not try to stay up late and do some work. For as important as the position you have, rest is every bit important."
Rest… Yeah, he agrees with the point she brought up. Plus, he's a sucker for a good night's sleep. Even so…
"Can't promise you on that one," he shook his head, already regretting his words. But also not really regretting it? It's complicated. "I'll probably force myself to take a quick nap, then I'm up for business. Gotta' do some quick revisions on all the strategies that I made with Bercouli, and plan out Edith's test for tomorrow. It's important that I'll start now, or else I'll get lazy and not do it at all."
He's a busy guy. She knew that much ever since she entered this world, learning straight from Edith's mouth that he had somehow become the ruler of this entire nation. Kirito, the same person who wasn't a people person and tended to avoid leading others. The one who sometimes blended in the shadows during boss battle discussions. Him!
She had used her no-nonsense-or-you'll-regret-it trick against him countless of times; back in 'SAO' and in all games since. It had always gotten him to relent to her whims, knowing that there was just no way he could ever win against her.
And she had thought that it would work against him again this time, but she had clearly underestimated him. He's changed.
Rather than backing down, unlike most instances when he'd just flinch and avert his gaze, he was the one to pull the rug from beneath her feet this time—his onyx eyes that peered into shadows deeper than the void steeled themselves as they stared back into her chestnut eyes, somehow keeping his eye contact with her throughout the entire time.
No one was present to witness the spectacle (or some weird stare-off, take your pick), but if they had, they would certainly attest to the fact that he certainly changed a lot.
Intimidation was a prime example of something he had never been capable of before. Well, perhaps a little bit, she supposed.
He managed to scare off most players, made that woman who almost killed Silica quiver in fear, and even scarred a few Salamanders (although, to be fair, he did technically use Spriggan magic to turn himself into a huge beast. Going so far as to eat them, she heard!). But never had she actually been on the receiving end of it.
Until today, it seems.
Even with her 'Vice Commander of KOB' persona activated, it did little to change his stance. It was a little long before the girl sighs, ultimately defeated. "It seems I can't change your mind, huh? Fine… Just, don't take too long?"
"Ehh… I guess I can try," he shrugs back, losing almost all of that aura as his smile comes back on. How does he do that? "Sleep well tonight, yeah? Goodnight."
He turns on his heels and moves down the corridor, hearing a soft 'Good night' from behind. It was a moment later before he hears the sound of the door being opened, followed shortly with it shutting.
Honestly, he would have liked it if it was dim inside, but that was hardly the case. The darkness of the world around them does not reach the insides of the cathedral, its corridors constantly illuminated by the lights on the wall 24/7. Plus, at this rate, some Integrity Knights are probably busying themselves with stuff, though he hoped they could get enough time to rest for themselves.
He enters his room, and the first thing he notices is how it felt a little too similar to their rooms back at the Sword Mastery Academy. A shared living room that was quite spacious, with its fair share of furniture and lush decorations—one could mistake it for an apartment-room-stylized hotel room. To the left and right, doors that would lead them to their personal bedrooms that had a bed (duh), a wardrobe and maybe other things.
Silently, he peeked into the room on the left, realizing that it was already dark. And honestly, he shouldn't be too surprised—or offended by the fact that Eugeo had decided to turn in early without waiting for him. He had been roped into training some kids back in the village. Kids who were a little too eager to learn how to fight. He's exhausted, so he deserves the rest.
Cynicism was put to the side in place of optimism. There was just absolutely no way that they were going to get roped into the war.
Too many preparations had been done, and he was fairly certain that nothing could possibly happen. He'll make sure of that.
'And so will everyone else,' he thought as he made for his own bedroom, taking a seat at the fairly-sized study and laying out some papers. He did say that he had work, and even if the bed to his left was tantalizing, he had to be strong. So, with a heavy heart and air sucked through gritted teeth, he got down to work.
With luck, he'll probably get an hour before Edith's test. And, judging by how excited she seemed, he'd definitely need the energy to be able to handle her for even a minute.
Underworld, Central Cathedral, Floor 28—1st October, Year 380 in the Time of the Realm of Humanity
"Aw man, aw man, aw man! I can't wait! I'm about to become an Integrity Knight!"
"Yes, Edith, we know. Darling, can you sit still for even a second? Your hair's not going to fix itself…"
Lipia chuckled in amusement as she watched the two sisters and their little interactions. Medina looked dead, both on the outside and the inside, what with having to get up really early. Having to deal with Edith's exuberance did not help her whatsoever, and she could only pity her whatnot, but it still made for an amusing sight.
She could be sure that having a sibling must be incredibly stressful, tiring, and having its fair share of headaches. Even so, she realized that she didn't particularly mind, as they looked happy with one another.
Ahh… What she would do to have a sister of her own.
"I swear, Edith, move again and I will—Gah!" The redhead had been all-too unprepared to accidentally fall backwards onto the bed and knock the back of her head into the wall. "Edith! What was that for?"
"I didn't do anything!" She sputtered out, looking a little too offended. Although, for her sake, it seemed like she hadn't tried anything at all. "Just do it faster, come on! I don't want to keep Lord Kirito waiting forever! Oops, I mean Kirito."
Still a little weird that he wasn't being regarded with a title, but they supposed it was alright if he personally asked for it.
When all of them were properly clothed and they were certain that they could finally get on with their day, the group of three left their shared bedroom, making their way to join the group of girls that were waiting a little ways off.
Oh, and plus one guy.
"Good morning, Edith-chan!"
"Morning, Yuuki!"
Those two get along a little too well, but Medina hardly minded. If it meant that someone could be there to have her attention on them for just a little while, then she was more than happy to let it go. Plus, Yuuki was genuinely happy with Edith, and so was she, so who's arguing?
"Good morning, everyone," greeted the Dark Knight with a little smile of her own. And she was internally happy to know that none of them seemed to be uneasy around her. "Where are we headed to?"
"Getting breakfast," answered Asuna, taking a moment to fix her hair a bit before speaking again. "At the Grand Dining Room, on the tenth floor. It's mostly for the apprentice nuns and the like, whereas an exclusive dining room is available for Integrity Knights. That one is on the ninety-fourth floor."
"Well, considering that the tenth floor is closer to where we are than ninety-four, I vouch for that."
"Same here!"
"Agreed."
So all of them are on the same page. Splendid. They can all take their leave and eat already.
"Wait a minute. Where's Kirito?" Leafa sought to ask, and that was enough to make everyone realize that the person in question was not among their groups.
When it was clear that there was no other black hair other than Vabel's, Premiere's and Lipia's, all eyes quickly turned to Eugeo, who flinched at suddenly being put on the spot.
"He's, umm… He left early to grab some breakfast of his own, then to quickly meet up with Lord Bercouli. Said that he needed help assigning Integrity Knights with certain tasks. Mostly training drills and the like," he recounted the words that his best friends had left him. "Oh. And he went to meet Lady Quinella to ask about Edith's knighting ceremony. They haven't decided on where they were going to do it."
"That so? Well, talk about busy," with a small huff, Lisbeth made a waving motion with her hand. "Well, whatever! Let's go get some food in our stomach!"
In unison, almost half of everyone's bellies rumbled, leaving them to laugh in equal amusement as embarrassment.
Underworld, Central Cathedral, Floor 50, Great Hall—1st October, Year 380 in the Time of the Realm of Humanity
Talking shouldn't be hard. Especially to someone he's gotten to know as one of his closest confidants, and perhaps someone even more. Admittedly, he's had… some difficulties in actually talking with other people, but he's improved.
For the life of him, however, he just wasn't ready to talk to her just yet. Not after everything that's happened.
Yes, it's cowardly of him. Quite childish too, perhaps, but he just wasn't ready.
Thankfully for him, however, it didn't have to be Quinella that he had to talk to. Her once-was-nemesis was here to help.
"Floor 80?" He said the words with a small blink, then pausing to think about what she said. "Huh… The Cloudtop Garden… I must admit, it is the best choice. Perhaps the only one there is."
"Indeed. Besides, I'm certain that the girls would love to pay the garden a visit. They hadn't the chance to before this, have they?" With a small chuckle, Cardinal put aside the papers that she had been dealing with earlier. Nothing too important, just reports from territories under the nobles' control. "I must say, however, I'm surprised that you're willing to actually assess her. That must have been a decision made on the spot, yes?"
"Y-Yeah, it was," he laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his head. "Given how we've already agreed on not doing the knighting ceremony the way you did, I just… said what I felt was the most appropriate. Was it a poor decision?"
"Possibly not. Seeing that yours did not involve sealing one's memories and implanting fake ones into their minds, it's far better of an idea than that of Quinella's," she sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.
Guess she wasn't going to let her live it down just yet.
As they've decided, the test will begin later on the eightieth floor, the Cloudtop Garden, where he and Eugeo had teamed up against Alice. Whether they won or not aside, he would personally test her and determine whether she deserved to be part of the Integrity Knights—which, with all the positive feedback that he's gotten from her two friends, is probably a very likely scenario.
Then, he'll leave the actual knighting ceremony to Quinella and Cardinal. It only felt fitting that the Human Realm's pontifex's are the ones to deal with this.
And once that was over with, he could see himself out and find whether there were other things that needed done. Things that he would be more suitable to handling, taking both his skills and position into consideration, of course.
"Anyways, Kirito," the boy quickly shifted his attention to the little girl, who took a small sip from her tea. "Might I ask if there's anything that needs to be done?"
"A lot, though I'll admit even I'm not sure what needs to be done," he admitted with a worried tone. "We don't have a lot of things working for us, do we? What we can do is just go out there to war. That's what really matters, and the enemy knows that. But there must be more that we can do…"
"I'm afraid not, Kirito. Underworld, despite being a simulated world with its fair share of fantasy and magic, is a relatively simple world. You won't find any fables or myths about a powerful god or magical sword anytime soon," she hummed as she watched his expression. "Although, knowing you, even more absurd things might happen…"
He had a retort prepared but fell short, realizing just how true that was.
Upstaging Quinella, in a way. Friends summoned from beyond this world. Enemies from beyond intending to kidnap his best friends.
No shortage of impossibilities, it seems.
"…Well, I suppose that's all there is to it then," he got up from his seat, scratching the back of his seat. "I'm off to the dining hall on the tenth floor. I haven't exactly told anyone when or where Edith's test is being held, so I may as well tell them now. Goddesses, I hope I don't get my butt kicked by her…"
"Knowing you, you'll be fine," chuckling softly, the small girl nodded her farewell as the boy took his leave. It was only after the two large doors shut did she turn her attention back to her cup of tea, staring into her reflection, wondering if she should add some sugar.
She shrugs and enjoys her warm tea.
Underworld, Central Cathedral, Floor 10, Grand Dining Room—1st October, Year 380 in the Time of the Realm of Humanity
Breakfast. Something that everyone are meant to look forward to when starting off the day. With good food, good company and a clear mind to focus on things, there was no doubt that the day would be as perfect any other.
Premiere hoped that everyone could start well off, and they certainly did, even if there were certain surprises here and there.
The tenth floor is indeed the Grand Dining Room, whereby everyone could come and get their food from, while Integrity Knights had their personal dining hall to eat at. And that luxury extended to them, generosity on Quinella's part considering the fact that they're her guests. And yet, even so, they refrained from taking advantage of her kindness, deciding that this was more than enough.
Plus, while it may have seemed like the dining hall here didn't sound exactly satisfying, it does have the word 'grand' in its name, so the food and service were probably going to be good.
Well, the service part will take a little time to get used to, however.
"Hrahh? What is it?"
"E-Eep!"
Silica had offered to be the one to talk to him, but quickly shut down out of fear for this towering man that is the head chef of this kitchen. He had the looks for it, the personality, and judging by the aromatic fragrances that were wafting in the air, was probably equally skilled.
But by the Goddesses, she would never wish to judge a man by his looks, but he was intimidating.
The sentiment was probably shared by all of them (except Eugeo, since he's been here before), as none of them dared to talk to the sturdy-looking chef. Large, muscly and stern-looking, with a long white beard that could almost be a sign of his own wisdom that's developed throughout the years. His apron was spotted with flour, his hands caked with a little bit of blood, and his own eyes sharp enough that they could cut steel.
"A-Ah, forgive us. We were hoping we could get some breakfast," asked Tia in her stead, walking over to the shorter girl and grabbing her shoulders, slowly moving her over to the rest of the girls. "We're… guests, of Lady Quinella's and Kirito's. Would that be too much to ask of you?"
"Ah, I know of yer' group," he looked past her shoulder, right at Eugeo, and gave a nod. "Kid."
"A-Ah, sir," he nodded back, though it looked weak in comparison.
"Well, fine. I'll get yer' some grub in a moment. Just give me a sec," he tells her, to which the silverette mutters out her thanks.
It took some times to make breakfast, especially for a large group such as theirs. Thirteen isn't exactly a small number, and they understood that. Even still, it seemed that the head chef didn't mind, so they supposed all they had to do was wait.
The girls made some small conversation with one another as they waited, while others chose to simply bask in the smells of good food around them. The meat, the fresh bread and the herbs—it all helped to whet their appetite, and it was very much appreciated.
The chef looked scary, but he probably had the skills to back up such looks.
"Is the food good here?" Lipia directed her question to the flaxen-haired boy, who was busy listening to the sounds of boiling water and shuffling feet from the kitchen.
"It is. Kirito and I get our food from here, mostly because we've never been too excited on trying out the Integrity Knights' personal kitchen on the ninety-fourth floor," nodded the boy. "Or we just didn't feel like trying it out before. Anyways, the head chef's a good man. A little… rough around the edges, but a good man. And he makes good food, I can promise you that."
"Probably not as good as Asuna's, but hey? We'll take what we can get!" Yuuki snickered, missing the eye roll from the older girl.
Fifteen minutes, or twenty. Give or take, Eugeo and Medina walked over to the counter to pick up their order. And from the looks of it, that was a lot of food!
Bowls of warm chicken soup, loaves of bread and an assortment of cheese. Not… exactly what they were expecting, but from the looks and smell of it, Eugeo's words were looking to be quite true.
"Alright, let's eat already. All the cutleries—thank you, Sinonon," the girl in question nodded back, seating herself to Asuna's right. She hummed as she looked to everyone and clapped her hands together, smiling. "Alright, let's eat!"
Everyone dug into their food at a relatively slow pace, not exactly wishing to rush through things. And hey, these may be simple food, but not enough to change the fact that everything tasted pretty good! This would definitely last them well into the evening until dinner.
The chicken soup had a thick broth to it and worked incredibly well with the bread. Three different types of cheese with different mellowness, taste and texture that made experimenting all the more worthwhile. Not something that most people would try to do out of fear, but everything just seemed to work.
Warm food, good company and pleasant conversation. Today's breakfast is a comfortable little thing.
It was halfway through their chatter that Lisbeth took notice of someone in the distance. "Oh, look who finally shows up. Mr-I'm-More-Responsible-Than-I-Look!"
"Please don't actually call me that. I just needed to check up on things with Lady Cardinal for a bit," he rolled his eyes at the title. Although, judging by her smirk and playful tone, she was just teasing him. Typical Lisbeth. "Anyways, I'm here to talk to Edith for a bit."
"Yeah?" She stopped eating immediately after, setting down her spoon.
"It's about your test. Half an hour from now, on floor eighty, Cloudtop Garden. And everyone's welcome to watch, by the way," when he said that, everyone looked excited, earning a small smirk from him. "Do you need anything?"
"Hmm… I don't think so. I guess basic armour would be nice," she says with a thoughtful tone. "How about you?"
"Well, this is it," he spreads his arms to his side. To be fair, his black coat was enchanted and his sword is forged from the branch that grew from the topmost part of the Gigas Cedar. Then again, her sword doesn't look so typical either; probably a «Divine Object» too. Probably. "Aaand, that's it. I'll just… go see if there's anything else that I'll need to do. So enjoy your breakfast."
"Not gonna' join us?" Medina asked, leaning forwards and resting her chin on her hand.
"I already ate, and there may just be something that I can do. For now, I'm gonna' see if there's anything that I need to do," he paused for a little while, his facial expression becoming blank. "I'm hoping there's something to do…"
Everyone looked to one another in concern before practically choosing to drag him down to the seat.
"W-Wait, what's—Let me go!"
"Just sit down, already! Jeez, you need to chill a bit. Chat with us, will ya'?"
Trying to find work when there aren't any. Talk about a little too hardworking. Or just work-crazy.
Underworld, Central Cathedral, Floor 80, Cloudtop Garden—1st October, Year 380 in the Time of the Realm of Humanity
With breakfast over and everyone more than refreshed, the group made their way to the eightieth floor, nothing but excitement and curiosity on full throttle now. Edith, in particular, looked ready to become a knight. It was going to be perfect!
All she had to do was fight Kirito, right? Definitely won't be easy, obviously, but she's been training really hard now! She's got this in the bag!
Still, couldn't she have better armour? She feels… underdressed.
"Pssh, what are ya' talking about? You look okay," her sister looked unamused, just staring at her with a cocked brow.
"Urgh, easy for you to say! You look well-protected, and stylish at the same time! The unfairness!" Pouting always worked, but it also always doesn't. She could never beat the redhead, who was sticking out her tongue at her. She reciprocated the act.
The Cloudtop Garden looked incredibly beautiful, and seemed to be a place of significance to Alice, who looked so comfortable leaning against the tree—it made sense, considering that this is where her sword, the Fragrant Olive Sword, is located. That tree she's leaning against? That is her sword.
Crazy, she knows!
Nonetheless, everyone were now seated there, the two pontifex's nowhere to be seen. Both were probably busy and would come over at a later time, but she didn't mind it. She's still got an audience, and there was no way she could actually embarrass herself in front of them!
The footsteps don't ring out across the space, but she can hear the shifting of grass and dirt as boots marched towards her. She gulps silently, suddenly feeling more nervous than she had been earlier.
"So, you good to go already?" He asked, kicking his boot into the ground to push his foot inside.
"U-Uhh… yeah! Yeah, I'm ready!" She nodded back, putting on a big smile in an attempt to mask her anxiety. "You?"
"I'll live," not… exactly the answer she was looking for. "Alright then. Draw your sword and take your stance."
Everyone nods as the village girl nods her head, drawing out Dark Slash Sword and pushing one feet behind the other, lifting her sword so the tip pointed down. She stares forwards with all the courage she could muster, not allowing herself to falter.
Kirito, as expected, relies on both Night Sky Sword and Ivory Apostle, body in a stance that left no room for opening. She gulped, seeing first-hand the difference between herself and a true swordsman—he looked like a coiled spring, ready to bounce at any given point, either to evade or to strike.
Great. She's getting pre-battle nerves. Calm down, Edith!
"Alright-y, then. We're here today to witness Edith Aegir's Integrity Knight Test with Lord Kirito," began Medina. "All of you shall fight on the count of three. Is that understood?" Two nods from the fighters gets her to repeat the gesture. "Very well. On three. One! Two!"
"Three!"
"Hmph!"
Edith was yelping by the time her opponent had filled her vision with his swords, black and white striking hard against her own blade—a knockback so strong sends her flying back, crashing into the ground and rolling across it with a groan. Her «Life» is erased only slightly.
Even so, she slowly pushes herself up to her feet, ignoring the slight aching in her body. Holy crap, how did he move so fast? That was… That was horribly done.
She was prepared to fight once more, until her opponent's voice called out.
"Edith," he calls out, getting her to tense a little. Everyone else watched as well, some even leaning forwards. He swings out his swords and turn around to face her properly, his face set in a serious look. "Do you understand why I'm testing you?"
"H-Huh?" Even with her vulnerable state, he doesn't look like he's about to move any time soon. So not a trick. "Umm… To see if I'm worthy of being an Integrity Knight?"
"And what dictates your worth? Simply your sword prowess? Your ability to win this fight against me?" He shakes his head, regarding her with a steeled gaze. "No. War is upon us, and we must steel our hearts for the battles ahead. No amount of smart sword swings will keep you alive if you're unwilling to fight for your life and others'. Hence, I shall see to it myself whether you are worthy of this responsibility."
He lifts one sword, cutting through the air like a whistle as the tip of Ivory Apostle—Lady Quinella's gift to him—points at her.
"In this test, fight like you mean it. Fight like I am your enemy. Not a soldier who wishes to surrender peacefully, but a soldier under Lord Vector's rule. Fight to kill me, because I will not hold back. I, alone, will deem your worth through your sword and spirit. Is that understood?"
"Urk…"
Fight to kill… It isn't exactly new, considering how she's already fought to slay beasts before. But that's just it; beasts. Some random monsters like wolves and the like, and not people capable of thought and emotions.
But… But she knew he was right. Becoming an Integrity Knight was not for the sake of popularity, but to give hope to others and protect others. She was going to become that sort of person.
If an enemy on the battlefield lays down their weapons and surrender, then there was no reason to continue to fight. But in the offset chance that they wouldn't let their spirits die, that they would be too stubborn to keep on fighting and spilling blood… it would be her duty to cut them down.
She takes a deep breath, thinks of the blood that would stain her sword, and nods. She rises back onto her feet and fixes her stance. "I'm ready. No more hesitation."
If she has to spill blood so that others can rest easy… then she would do so. She won't let anyone die. Not on her watch.
Her sister and her friends were all going to join this fight. She would be damned if she didn't fight alongside them as well.
"...Good. You understand that at least. We'll continue the test," if she's willing to do this, then who was he to deny her this chance? He lets out a breath, steadying himself. "Alright then, Edith… Here I come!"
Like an arrow, he shot forwards and launched himself at her with a «Double Circular»; the same tactic from earlier.
Much more prepared for this, she promptly sidesteps the attack rather than taking the hit, spinning on the spot and willing energy into her blade to attack her opponent.
Kirito moves much faster, however, ducking low and stopping himself to initiate a combo against her. She's able to move her arms fast enough to block each blow, but she isn't fast or strong enough to fully knock him back. Two swords are coming from every angle, and she has to do her best just to keep up.
Gritting her teeth, Edith manages to move backwards, causing him to stumble and fall forwards. Raising her sword above her head, she tries for an «Avalanche», but he counters her attack with a «Slant».
His other sword comes into her in the form of a «Horizontal», and she barely manages to dodge the attack, almost close to nicking her cheek.
'Damn..! I was prepared for him to be really fast, but he's quicker than I thought he is!' She parries one sword and dodges another, and it becomes a rinse-repeat style as she has to deal with his relentless assault. 'No good! Can't stay on the defensive forever!'
She deflects one attack and unleashes a fast «Cyclone», forcing him to raise both swords to block the attack. The force behind her attack pushes him back, and she quickly follows up by rushing towards him, closing the gap with her sword poised to stab.
"Not gonna' happen!" With a ferocious shout, he positions Ivory Apostle upon his shoulder and unleashes a «Vertical Arc». Hastily, she brings up her sword to deflect her attack, then has to dodge the second swing of his sword.
She quickly backsteps to put some distance between the two of them, panting a little. Compared to her, he looked much better for wear, despite having spent more energy in trying to attack her. 'Well, that's a true swordsman for you, I suppose.'
Obviously, she had no chance in winning against him in a match of strength. If she really wants to outwit him, it would have to be a match of speed and taking him by surprise. And she definitely can't let this battle stretch itself, because his stamina will definitely outlast hers.
With so many disadvantages, her victory is all but slim. It'll be hard, but she's gonna' try!
Sword in hand and breath expelled, Edith lunges at him once more, meeting his swords in a stalemate before she ducks beneath a horizontal swing of his black sword. Thrusting the pommel of her blade into his chest, she takes opportunity of his momentary daze—a mere one second relapse—to land a blow on him with a firm thrust of her blade.
A cut formed across his chest.
"Hrha!" He spins in place using a «Final Revolution», a means of getting her to back off from him. In fear of getting hit, she leaps away. 'She's doing pretty good. Time to up my game!'
The duo engage one another in a trade of blows yet again, fast swings of their sword that progressively turns into an onslaught of attacks from the boy while the girl's forced into absolute defense, unable to do anything other than to simply block and deflect as best as she could.
It doesn't help that she's getting increasingly tired. Movements growing sloppy, ideas running thin, her frustration building and he's using two swords. Everything is becoming exceptionally difficult!
If she's prepared to take on his «Vertical», it's his «Slant» that'll catch her off-guard. If she's blocked his «Uppercut», she takes a «Horizontal» to the side.
The difference between a one-handed sword user and a dual-bladed swordsman like Kirito was just too palpable. His ability to switch on the fly between one-handed sword style using two swords and his personal dual-blade style makes him all too unpredictable, and his exceptional mastery of the blade is enough to make others look like children in comparison.
This doesn't douse her spirit, however. She grits her teeth throughout the fight, tightens her grip over the handle of her sword and returns to the fight, intent on defeating her opponent. No matter the cost!
"Haaah!" A fast spin on her heels allows her to initiate a «Back Rush», catching him by surprise when she left her back suspiciously open for attack. Her blade strikes across his left arm and lands a flat blow on his wrist, disarming him of Ivory Apostle. "One sword down!"
"Tch..!" His left hand shakes a little and he balls it into a fist, ignoring the blade that's buried in the ground a few feet away. "Changes nothing!"
His left arm free of his beautiful rapier, he charges at her with a «Rage Spike», knocking her back with a surprisingly soft blow. It's a mere distraction, however, as he closes in once more, no weapon in hand.
But who's to say he really was weapon-less?
"What is—Whoa!"
"Kirito-kun, that's..!"
"Guh..!"
His clenched fist, bathed in fiery crimson, rockets upwards in an uppercut, knocking the air out of her system in an instance. It's a mere moment later before he spins around, slamming not his sword into her hip, but his leg itself in what was appropriately a roundhouse kick.
The attack knocks her flying back a fair distance, skidding across the ground like a ragdoll before she comes to a slow stop, panting as dirt and grass decorates her mess of a hair.
From the sidelines, everyone watch in unabated silence, utterly taken aback by what just happened. It's not every day that someone suddenly uses their body to fight in a swords fight. They'd have to be someone immensely crazy!
Kirito teetered along the lines of crazy, reckless, and masterful. And she had just fought someone like him.
The girl doesn't immediately pick herself up. She's on all fours, too exhausted to think of getting up now. Plus, the blows he dealt to her were enough to render some of the metal pieces of her armour useless, some bent inwards while some others were completely shattered.
He really didn't hold himself back at all.
"I got to say… You certainly have the knack for it, I'll give you that," he sighed out loud, walking over to retrieve his gifted blade. Her teeth gritted in irritation. "I've trained with and fought a lot of worthy swordsmen. Had the chance to train under some as well. From our match, I can tell that you gave it your all, and I felt your spirit… Edith, I've made my decision. You—"
His words are cut off involuntarily as a blade enters his vision, every single nerve in his body overclocking one another as reflexes take over and he brings up his sword to block.
Everyone at the side all gasp in shock at the sight, as crimson eyes burn with all the fire that a girl who dreams of becoming an Integrity Knight possesses.
She knew. She knew that she had no fighting chance. Not when people had been singing praises of the boy ever since his debut as their Second Ruler. A teenager, but not just any normal person, to have bested countless Integrity Knights and somehow befriended the first pontifex.
She lost. She understood that, the moment she raised her blade against him, she had already lost. After all, that first attack that took her by surprise already proved such—she had been wholly unprepared, and paid the price for it with an attack that felt powerful beyond anything that she's ever experienced.
The emotion. The weight. The sheer power.
She lost before the test even began. Had that been on the battlefield, she would have paid for her blunder with her own life. It wasn't good enough.
She's tired, weak, and all but certain of her loss. But she wouldn't go down so easily. Even if she had to return to Agna Village once more, she'd make sure to leave a mark.
With the remaining dredges of energy that she had left, far too exhausted after all that fighting (and she's only further awed by the fact that he looked so fine despite it all), she launches herself at him like a human missile, chanting the words that her mother had bestowed to her so long ago, when she told tales of her time when she herself was a knight who served her people.
"«Enhance… Armament»..!"
Dark Slash Sword ignited, in tandem with her own burning spirit as she rushed at her unaware opponent, knowing what his words are; she failed. But she can't let things end here! Not when she's trained all this time to fulfil her dream! Not when it's just in grasp!
She carried not just her own dream, but her mother's spirit, along with Medina and Lipia's belief in her. She'll win, no matter what!
Born from the deepest depths of a lake, the flower swallowed by unbroken shadows—this is her sword, and with it, the stubbornness to keep light out, swallowing everything and rendering everything out of sight.
With its ability to disobey such rules, it translated in her sword's ability to ignore any form of obstacle, and simply cut into the body of a living thing. And her sword thrust forwards, a phantom as it bypassed his raised sword's surface, and stabbing right into him.
It hadn't done enough as her blade pierced through his arm, drawing a sharp gasp from the boy. He does, however, drop his sword quickly enough to grab her by the shoulder to immobilize her. When she had expected him to knock her down or something, he simply keeps her in place.
Blood seeping from his fresh new wound, dripping to the ground. She was too shocked to process what just happened, and looking at him all but erased her earlier anger. Even with a blade in his arm, his expression isn't one of pain, but rather… amusement?
"Y-You… Okay, you got me with this one…" He chuckled weakly, even with the metal lodged in his arm. Even with everyone frantically rushing to their side. "I was gonna' say this earlier, but since you still needed to prove yourself… No doubt about it, you pass."
His words ring true in her ears and she's unable to prevent herself from gasping when she looks him in the eyes. Even trying to speak is difficult now as she feels awkward. "R-Really? Y-You mean it?"
"We need to do the ceremony first. And get this sword out of my arm, obviously," even with his soft laughter, it gets her to panic as she looks at her sword buried in her arm. But when he tightens his grip over her shoulder, it gets her to look at him once again, and the smile is filled with joy, easily removing all traces of fear. "Congratulations, Edith. I, Kirito, Second Head of the Human Realm, deem you worthy of becoming an Integrity Knight. Good job."
And just like that, even with all the chaos and laughing from the injured boy, everything to Edith felt amazing once more.
Author's Notes:
Hey guys, sorry for the late update. Is it late? I don't know. Feels that way.
Anyways, I need to make a quick apology. This is just my opinion, really, but I feel like this chapter isn't exactly the best one thus far, and I feel like it's partially intentional? I haven't done some writing for some time, and this chapter in particular is my little selfish way to get myself into the writing shtick again. Had some little real-life issues that have already been settled. They were dumb anyways, but hey? Now that that's over, it's back to the computer!
Because God knows I actually miss writing stories. It's been too long..!
Also, I forgot what Dark Slash Sword's origin is, so I apologize in advance if I got that wrong. But I do remember a lake. I think.
Anyways, better quality chapters and trying to finish this story as quickly and as properly as possible. This story at least deserves that, so thank you for reading and see ya' another time!
