Prologue: The Duel Determines The Fate

November 7th, 2024
75th Floor Boss Room

"DUEL!"

It appears in my mind as Kirito starts to swung his right sword against Heathcliff. But Heathcliff manage to block it with his shield. The sprays of sparks from their weapons were lit for a second.

This is the duel that determines the humanity of all players that trapped in the death game, SAO, a.k.a. Sword Art Online.

Sword Art Online is the first Virtual Reality Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (VRMMORPG) genre that created by Argus, they also introduced NerveGear as a form of controller for the game. It transfers our consciousness into the game, the game felt realistic on their graphics, much better is that this game are using parts of our brain and the five senses to replicate as they are alive in this world. I considered this game as a birthday gift for my upcoming birthday. The game service started in November 6, 2022, approximately 10 000 players are having their enthusiasm on the game, the first thing that I done is practicing the mechanism, luckily I'm easily adapted to this game and starts to befriend 2 players named Kirito and Klein. Things starts to gone south as the log out button disappear in the supposed system menu. As we forced teleport to the Town of Beginnings, the large avatar wearing the red robe identified himself as Kayaba Akihiko, the SAO creator. The absence of log out function is part of the game feature, and if you die in-game, you die in real life too. The way to kill is emitting high power microwaves to destroy the brain when we die or force log out in real life. The players are also humans themselves, we can adapt to the survival and carry on while facing any hardships in their lives.

Klein is a SAO survivor who looks older than us. He had spiky reddish hair, with a red bandana on. He also had a hooked nose and a slight beard on his cheeks and chin. He is looking like wandering samurai or a bandit. Seems like he watches many samurai theme movies and video games a lot. He wear red robes and black armor resembling those of a samurai including a katana, along with his guild members who is actually his real life friends. He created a guild called Fuurinkazan, I asked him the meaning in kanji, and I saw the words in Chinese that only my race could recognize, it is Wind, Forest, Fire, Mountain. He said is a reference of the Sun Tsu "The Art of War", I was shocked that they like to read them as a form of tactics for in-game. In Chinese, I pronounced it Sun Tsu Bin Fa, Bin means soldier while Fa means a way or solution.

Kirito is a teenage boy with an appearance of slightly long black hair a delicate face that easily mistaken as a girl. Kirito is one of the solo players in the death game, SAO. He is well known as "The Black Swordsman", who recognized by his signature black theme loadout. He is also one of the solo players, Assault Team, and the worst category type which is hated by the community in the game, Beaters.

Beater is a portmanteau of the words Beta Tester and Cheater. Beaters are the players who used their knowledge in the beta to advance in the game faster for their selfish needs. In fact, he sacrificed his reputation in order to reduce the SAO community's discrimination against beta testers. The sacrifice Kirito make only some players would know its true purpose. The players are I, Asuna and Agil.

Asuna is one of the survivors who managed to survived all the way to 75th floor, she has has long, orange-brownish chestnut hair and hazel eyes. She is the sub-leader of the guild called Knights of Blood Oath, in short KOB. She have a nickname called The Flash based on her agility skills on her rapier. She is also married to Kirito as his in-game wife. Quite romantic of them, aren't they?

Agil is a massive and bulky bald man with a brown goatee and brown eyes. He also has two silver earrings on his left ear. He has a shop in 50th floor as a merchant. He seems like a materialistic person who care about the profit he makes, in fact he used all up his currency in order to help the mid-level players to improve the Assault Team's strength. I even donate some of my currencies and materials in order to support his cause with a guise of just getting privilege benefits from the store.

Heathcliff, in fact is Kayaba Akihiko has been disguised as the guild leader in KOB, to support the players to complete the game. In fact, I'm really surprised on his planning when he said he would be revealed as the last boss in Aincrad when the front lines manage to clear 95th floor. During the last duel between Kirito and Heathcliff in the colosseum, I could see the speed of Heathcliff's shield was moving in spontaneous pace which is really impossible. Even Heathcliff wins the duel that time, I could see him quite mad almost felt like 'You forced me to do this', which the emotion supposed to be happy for winning duel which contradicts the supposed emotions.

Kayaba proposed the deal to Kirito, the deal is if Kirito manage beat him for this duel, he would let the players included myself free from this death game.

I have been lying down in an awkward position with my front chest laid on the ground because all the players except Kirito and Kayaba have been paralyzed, the most fatal status ailment that is triggered by the system command from Kayaba himself.

I couldn't do anything as they clashing swords against each other and hope Kirito to win this duel as the winning could free everyone from this death game.

Also, another ridiculous request was called from Kirito. "I don't plan to go down easily. But if I die, could you prevent Asuna from committing suicide, even if only for a short period?"

This request really angers me as he actually wants to make sure she lives on.

'Damn it, Kirito! You want Asuna having depression of losing you for the rest of her life?!'

Despite hearing Asuna's crying pleas of retracting his request but he ignores her.

They have been exchanging their attacks during this duel, all the players have witness the best and gambling duel in their entire life. It since like Kayaba have an incredible accuracy with his shield, and so far as I remember that Kirito must not use any Sword Skills as the post-motion delay after the activation could be fatal only if the enemy is able to block all the attacks from the Sword Skills.

Another reason for that is since the game creator Kayaba is in duel so he have an bigger advantage in duel due to he created the Sword Skills include the Unique ones such as Kirito's Dual Wielding and Heathcliff's Holy Sword. If he created Sword Skills, it means he know where are the Sword Skills will going to land the hits on.

The duel is going to be disaster when I saw Kirito is activating his Dual Wielding Sword Skill. As he activates the Sword Skill, I could see Kayaba smug over something, it seems like Kirito is going to lose and killed by him after the Sword Skill is casted. He has been waiting for Kirito to use the Sword Skill for his advantage. After Sword Skill has been casted, as Kayaba deflect Kirito's last blow he is going to attack him with his right sword.

Suddenly, I have detected an unknown presence of the glitching during the duel. Fortunately for Kirito, Kayaba back away after the deflection then Kirito starts to attack Kayaba with another Sword Skill, [Starburst Stream],the unique dual wielding skill that used during the 74th floor boss fight, in high pace. This is in a suspicious situation when the Kayaba who have the strong sense of timing and attacks starts to stagger while he is trying to defend with his sword and shield. As Kirito about to approach the end of Sword Skill with downward X-slash and upward X-slash, Kirito manage to break his defense and he lost his balance and time to defend himself, the last hit has been made by Kirito by making a forward thrust with his left sword against Kayaba. The presence of glitch comes again as Kirito defeat Kayaba with his last hit. It seems like the players are engrossed on the duel that they aren't detect the presence of unusual phenomenon.

"Is it….over?"

After Kayaba has been defeated, the players are free from paralysis. Asuna quickly embraces Kirito with a hug towards his back.

"Kirito-kun!"

"Asuna…"

She replies to him while she is crying.

"Idiot! Idiot! Idiot! Thank goodness, Kirito-kun…"

"Sorry, Asuna… But… I survived."

"I'm glad… Kirito-kun…"

"Where is Kayaba… I mean Heathcliff?"

Asuna shakes her head and reply.

"I don't know. But I can't see commander anywhere."

"I see… Did I defeated him?"

Then, Klein and I are joining their conversation.

"Hey! You did it Kirno-ji!"

He cheered with his nickname created by Klein himself. Kirito is very tired to reply that he stay silent.

"What's with you? You should be satisfied, and you defeated him!"

He bumped him as a cheering form.

The Assault Team are cheering with their heart out for winning the duel so that the players can free from the death game. But the unusual phenomenon makes me feel uneasy, I don't want to keep my hypes up as the more hype I have, the bigger the disappointment I have.

"I see... So I really defeated him."

"Kirito-kun... I'm glad."

"Asuna..."

Then, Klein wants to stop them for eye contact on each other as he is felt an awkward in this situation. In fact, he is very alone with no luck on finding any love interests. The Assault Team starts to tease couple and it lead them to an embarrassment between them. I couldn't help but smirk at them of their embarrassment. But it still won't soothes me down of the unusual phenomenon that I sensed.

"Hey, when we will going home to our real world?"

"When..."

The silent is making the Assault Team fear of the promise that Kayaba make.

"You beat Heathcliff, didn't you, we are supposed to be get of here right?"

"Heathcliff... No, Kayaba did said he would let all players all of this death game once I defeated him."

Asuna nodded as a confirm as the witness of the promise that Kayaba make.

"But... nothing happened. I have a bad feeling about this."

"Why we still here? Did Heathcliff is breaking his promise?"

I decided to break my silence by replying.

"I believe Kayaba's words, but... something doesn't right about the moves Kayaba makes, I also have detect a presence of the glitching effect, and Heathcliff supposed to have chance to kill Kirito but it interrupts the game and the duel."

The Assault Team included Kirito, Asuna, and Klein is looking at me in a fear emotion to think that I'm making curse on them. I hold my hands up slowly as a defence and added.

"All I said is just something I said in my mind, I also want to get out of this death game as you guys do and I have no reason to trick everyone. I'm sorry that I say those vibes, but if you guys think that I try to scare or curse all of you, you guys can use me as a punching bag for saying these unhopeful words."

The Assault Team are making their decisions for accept my apology but I don't blame them, the desire want to escape are screaming out from their hearts, I regret that I saying the certain possibility that would cursing them.

The answer is on hold when Agil rush to the Assault Team and tell the news.

"Everyone! The door that towards to the upper floor has opened! Are we going through it?"

Asuna and Klein called his name in a worried emotion.

""Kirito...""

"If the game is not coming to the end, I guess we've no choice but to keep going. Onwards everyone! To the 76th floor!"

Every player in the Assault Team complies with the Beater's orders and walk up to the 76th floor. I'm blaming myself for saying those cursed words even though I'm not supposed to say those negative vibes to bring them down.

'I better retire myself from the Assault Team since I've said those negative vibes, rather than staying in the team and treat like I didn't say those words, it would be unfair for me to get away for saying these negative vibes.'

The cursed words that I have said is going to exist as me and the Assault Team arrived the 76th floor.