"Whoa, this place is huge!" Yuuki exclaims.
Her first thought upon entering the Grand Library was that it was easily the largest place she had ever set foot in, let alone the largest library she had ever seen. Just standing inside of it made her feel as small as an ant and looking up at the large crystal chandelier attached to the ceiling, which looked to be skies above her, made her feel dizzy. There were bookshelves as far as the eye could see on every one of the seemingly countless floors of the library, all completely full with books.
"My reaction was pretty similar to yours when I first stepped into this place for the first time," Kirito says, chuckling slightly and scratching the nape of his neck.
"Yes yes, welcome to the Grand Library," Cardinal says. "Now, tell me who you are or I will kick you out immediately."
"Right! Um, Cardinal-san, this Konno Yuuki!" Kirito says. "Or as she is more popularly known, Zekken."
"Just call me Yuuki," Yuuki says, bending down to the small librarian's level and outstretching a hand for a handshake.
The Cardinal doesn't take the handshake and instead just looks pointedly at Yuuki.
"Kirito, what is your affiliation with this girl?" Cardinal asks.
"Oh, well," Kirito says, his face slightly red. "Um…"
"I'm his girlfriend," Yuuki says.
"Yeah," Kirito says. "That."
"Girlfriend?" Cardinal asks, raising an eyebrow. "I'm not familiar with that term."
"How are you not familiar with the term 'girlfriend'?" Yuuki asks. "You-"
"Yuuki, as of this time in the real world, I'm pretty sure the words 'boyfriend' and 'girlfriend' haven't been invented yet," Kirito says.
"That's inconvenient," Yuuki says. "Well, you say it then."
"Yuuki and I are, um…"
Kirito's face seemed to have gotten redder and seemed to have trouble speaking his next words.
"We do not have all day," Cardinal says, tapping her wrist with her staff and making a watch appear around it before looking down on it to check the time.
"Whatever you're going to say, hurry up and please say it!" Yuuki exclaims.
"Lovers!" Kirito finally shouts before lowering his voice again. "We're lovers."
"Oh," Yuuki says, her face also flushing red. "Well, don't say it so blatantly like that!"
"You're the one who told me to just say it!"
"Enough," Cardinal says. "Kirito, if you wish, she can stay. But if she gets in the way of our mission, then I will abandon her at a moment's notice."
"Yes, of course," Kirito says.
"Mission?" Yuuki says.
"I'll debrief you later," Kirito says.
"Alright then, do you mind telling me why you went to the trouble of breaking into the Cathedral again just to get a sword?" Cardinal asks.
"Ah, right!"
Kirito pulls out the bone-white sword strapped to his back. He then holds it out in front of him and traces out a purple S in the air with his finger. He then taps it, making a purple window appear.
"Whoooooooa, that's cool!" Yuuki chirps. "Kirito, you've got a lot to teach me later!"
On the window, the words "Elderfang Sword" were written at the top in a box. Also on the screen were the sword's durability (233367/233367) and priority level (47).
"It's more powerful than the Blue Rose Sword," Kirito says in slight awe.
"Are those stats good?" Yuuki asks.
"Very," Kirito says. "It's a divine weapon. A powerful divine weapon."
"Sounds mystical."
"Kirito, do you not already have a divine weapon?" Cardinal asks. "Why do you need another?"
Kirito pulls his black sword out of its sheath, the dark blade of it glinting under the light of the chandelier above.
"Of course it's a black sword, why do all of your swords have to be black?" Yuuki asks.
"What's wrong with having a black sword?" Kirito asks.
"How about lack of creativity for a better color?"
"Whatever. Anyways, my sword is also a divine weapon."
Kirito traces an S in the air right above his sword and taps it. The same purple window from before appears, though this time there was nothing in the name box. The durability and priority levels were also slightly lower than that of the Elderfang Sword.
"Is my sword a divine weapon?" Yuuki asks, pulling her sword out and holding out in front of Kirito. "Do your little thingie."
"It's not hard, Yuuki," Kirito says. "Just lift your finger over it and trace an S in the air. Then tap the S. Try it yourself."
Yuuki holds her finger out in front of her sword and traces an S in the air, just as Kirito had. A purple S appears hovering right over the sword. She then taps it as a screen suddenly appears, hovering right above the sword, making her jump slightly. The top box of it read "Zekken's Sword." Its durability read to be 29736/75689 and its priority level read to be 30.
"Eh?!" Yuuki asks. "My sword's already almost broken? But I barely used it!"
"Based on your sword's priority level, it's just a bit stronger than a normal sword," Kirito says. "You got into a fight with an Integrity Knight who was also most likely using a divine weapon. It's not a surprise that your sword got so damaged from just one fight."
"Kirito, we're getting off track," Cardinal says. "You can show your lover the ropes later. Why do you need this sword?"
"Right," Kirito says, blushing slightly at the word "lover".
He eases both his sword and the Elderfang sword into his hands. Yuuki, immediately recognizing his stance, gasps.
"Oooooh, he wants it to dual-wield!" Yuuki exclaims.
"Dual-wield?" Cardinal asks, acknowledging Yuuki for the first time.
"It's a skill of his that nobody really knows how he got," Yuuki explains. "He only really uses it when he wants to try his hardest at defeating someone. He becomes insanely fast and his use of Skill Connect goes off the charts. Not to mention, there are his dual-wield exclusive skills. With it, he's almost as good as I am!"
"Better than you actually," Kirito says.
"You wish."
"As clearly seen from our last duel."
"You surprised me that time!"
"So this dual-wielding skill of yours is your trump card," Cardinal cuts in.
"Yeah, pretty much," Kirito says.
"He's pretty insane with it," Yuuki says.
"I will want a demonstration later," Cardinal says. "In the meanwhile though, may I have the sword so I can examine its Perfect Weapon Control Art?"
"Oh yeah, sure," Kirito says, handing the sword to the librarian.
Cardinal nods and takes the sword before walking away. Kirito and Yuuki watch her walk away before turning to each other.
"Perfect Weapon Control Art?" Yuuki asks.
"It's complicated," Kirito says. "Where should we start?"
"First, tell me about divine weapons," Yuuki says. "That sounds interesting."
"Sure," Kirito says.
"But you still owe me something."
"Owe you something? What do I-"
Yuuki suddenly lunges forward. Kirito's eyes widen as he suddenly feels her lips press onto his.
It had been two years since Kirito had last kissed Yuuki. He almost forgot how soft and warm her lips felt on his and he soon succumbed to the warm feeling of bliss that was tingling all throughout his body. He closes his eyes and slowly lifts his arms to loop them around her waist as Yuuki cups his cheek with one hand.
After what felt like forever, the two of them parted. He opens his eyes first, keeping his arms around Yuuki's waist. The girl slowly opens her eyes, which must've also closed some time during the kiss. Kirito enjoys a few seconds to stare into her seemingly-infinite crimson red eyes.
"One more kiss?" Yuuki asks, her face flushed a deep red.
"I-I don't mind," Kirito replies with, his face feeling very hot. His face was probably just as red as Yuuki's
Yuuki goes in for another kiss and Kirito eagerly reciprocates, pressing his lips back onto Yuuki's. This kiss was deeper and lasted longer than the first one and Kirito soon lost himself in the kiss.
Yuuki was energetic in everything she did and she definitely made sure to not make kissing an exception.
Kirito felt that he could be there forever. Her embrace was so warm and comfortable and her lips were soft and sweet beyond compare. He felt like he was in his own personal heaven.
Yuuki would be the one to end the kiss, pushing lightly on Kirito's shoulder. The two of them part slightly, keeping their arms around one another and staring into each other's eyes. Eventually, Yuuki giggles slightly and unwinds her arms from around Kirito's neck.
"It's only been a week, but man do I miss that," Yuuki says.
"O-Only a week?" Kirito asks, confused.
"Oh yeah, forgot that it was two years for you," Yuuki says. "Alright, now that that's done, divine weapons?"
"Divine weapons, yeah," Kirito says, taking a deep breath to clear his head. "Where should I start?"
The sound of metal clanging rings throughout the Hall of Ghostly Light as Integrity Knight Fanatio Synthesis Two, the vice commander of the Integrity Knights, sparred with one of the Four Whirling Blades as the other three stood around them in a circle.
The vice commander swings her sword horizontally, a swing that Dakira Synthesis Twenty-Two easily blocks. Fanatio steps in and executes two quick swings and a stab. Dakira blocks the first two and dodges the final stab, but that leaves the Vice Commander an opening to elbow her apprentice on the side of her helmet.
Dakira falls to the ground, her sword clanging loudly as falls to the ground and bounces off of the marble floor of the Hall. The vice commander sheathes her sword and walks up to her apprentice, outstretching a hand to help the Integrity Knight up.
"You're getting better with each passing day," Fanatio says, looking around the Hall at each of the Whirling Blades. "So are the rest of you. Good job today."
"Thank you, my Lady," Dakira says, sheathing her sword and bowing to her vice commander. "I still cannot hope to ever match your skill."
"You'll get there," Fanatio says, patting Dakira's shoulder. "You're all dismissed."
The Four Whirling Blades all bow and walk out of the Hall.
When they leave, the vice commander takes off her helmet and sighs, wiping sweat off of her forehead with a purple handkerchief.
A month had passed since the intruders' attack on the Axiom Church. A month since the vice commander of the Integrity Knights had lost to a common swordsman. Ever since that day, Fanatio went through the fight over and over again in her head. What she could've done to get the upper hand in the battle and how she could've gotten one-up on her opponent.
But most of all, she tried to find a reason for why the intruder hadn't left her to die, bloodied and injured, on the Hall's floor after the fight. All she remembered was being blasted into the glass ceiling and then falling back to the floor, shards of colorful glass falling all around her. But then when she woke up, some time after one of the intruders had escaped and the other had been converted into an Integrity Knight, she found herself completely healed of all her injuries. The other Whirling Blades were all still frozen in the ice the to-be-Synthesis Thirty Two had trapped them in and Fanatio had to break them out, which meant nobody had entered the Hall after the battle and, of course, none of the Whirling Blades could've healed her either. That meant that the intruder had somehow healed her of all her life-threatening injuries, ones that Sacred Arts couldn't have possibly mended.
"Vice Commander," she hears her commander, Bercouli Synthesis One, call from behind her, snapping her out of her thoughts.
"Commander," Fanatio replies with, turning to him and bowing slightly.
"I see that you have finished with your training session," Bercouli says.
"Indeed," Fanatio says. "Are you in need of something?"
"Nothing, just wandering around and worrying for Little Alice and Eugeo," the commander says, sighing. "They're usually not gone this long on their missions."
"Well, they are both very strong Knights," Fanatio says.
She still didn't have the best thoughts on the newest addition to the Integrity Knights, but Bercouli had immediately started treating him like a son, just as he had with Alice. According to him, the boy had managed to even defeat the commander by freezing him in the Grand Bath on Floor 90 and nearly killing him. The vice commander had no doubts that Synthesis One could have defeated him in a direct fight, but she didn't refute his decision.
"You're right," Bercouli says. "Maybe I have no reason to worry. Well, since we have some time to burn, do you want to spar?"
"Sure," the vice commander says, drawing her sword.
Bercouli draws his own sword, a massive behemoth of a blade that slid out of its sheath with a shunk sound. Despite its size, he held it out in front of him with one arm as if it were just a normal sword.
Just as Fanatio is about to launch forward and throw the first attack, the small tapping of childrens' feet against the marble floor rings throughout the Hall, making the commander and vice commander turn to see two little girls enter the Hall and run towards them.
"Linel, Fizel, to what do we owe the pleasure?" Bercouli asks.
"New order from the Administrator Lady!" Fizel chirps, not stopping or even turning to acknowledge her commander and vice commander.
"We're to execute Synthesis Thirty and Thirty Two upon them arriving at the Central Cathedral," Linel says, following closely behind her companion.
Bercouli and Fanatio both just stare in shock at the two girls as they disappear behind the large double doors at the opposite end of the Hall. The commander decides to sheath his sword before he could drop it by accident in surprise.
"What in Stacia's name happened on that mission?" Bercouli asks after a minute of silence.
The Integrity Knight's vice commander had nothing to respond with but a shrug.
A/N: Kinda just a quick, short chapter to establish a base for future events. See y'all in the next chapter!