Ignite the Sex Pistols

by Aurum79

After the tragedy that was SAO and the adventure that was Vento Aureo, most would assume that the lives of these characters would end peacefully. But things don't work out as intended. There's a killer running amok inside another video game, one that disrupts the peace our heroes have worked to build. The fate of this story rests on the shoulders of an unlikely band of misfits.

6. Chapter 6: What Makes Us Different

27

I don't know much about how SIMPing works, but if I write multiple paragraphs about Jolyne Kujo, does that count?

Jolyne Kujo is, in my opinion, the best female protagonist in action anime. And note that I say protagonist. There are a lot of great female main characters in action anime, like Nami and Robin in One Piece, Rukia in Bleach, and even Asuna (but only in the first season). But I've hardly seen any action anime that focus on a female lead protagonist. By that, I mean that the entire story is centered (or at least started with) around a character. So while you could say that Akame from Akame Ga Kill and Yuno from Future Diary are main characters, they aren't the protagonist because the story does not focus on or immediately introduce them as the main hero. And I don't think spinoffs count because they are only side stories to the main plot of the series.

And if I remember correctly, even in this day and age, while there are a lot of female led stories, there are not many action anime that have a female as the protagonist. I can think of Ai Ohto from Wonder Egg Priority as the only recent one. But other than that, I can think of a handful of action anime that have a female lead protagonist, and all have been great (with the exception of the second half of Wonder Egg Priority). These include Motoko Kusanagi from Ghost in a Shell, Ryuko Matoi from Kill La Kill, Maka Albarn from Soul Eater, and . . . . . uh . . . . .

Does Sailor Moon count?

What I'm basically trying to say is that, among the few female protagonists in action anime, Jolyne has gotta be one of the best. She's got so much personality, a tragic backstory that's both realistic and fresh for the genre of tragic backstories, a sad and complicated yet emotionally invested relationship with her father, to whom of which was a previous hero/protagonist in the JoJo series, a unique and original ability, and one of the BEST DRESSED WOMEN IN ANIME HISTORY. I don't joke with that last part. She's literally a Gucci model. There's a reason why Araki made a crossover with Gucci and why Rohan and Jolyne were at the forefront of it.

I could go on and on about Jolyne's amazingness, but others have already done a much better job than I have at explaining her beauty. So for now, let's get back to the story. And of course . . .

I do not own either of these stories. Sword Art Online was written by Reki Kawahara and JoJo's Bizarre Adventure was written by Hirohiko Araki.

Episode 6: What Makes Us Different

Cannolo Murolo. Born: ? Height: ? Why?: The man has a paranoid personality and cares not to share much information about himself. Age: 32. Current Position: Somewhere in Tokyo.

"I'm leaving the team?"

They were in a small apartment building, with Doppio sitting on the floor next to a table while Giorno sat on a couch just a few feet away. On either side of him was Sheila E. and Cannolo, relaxing and yet keeping an eye on Doppio.

The pink-haired man was saddened by the recent reveal that he would be cut from the mission with Mista, but completely understood why. After hearing what happened while he was away inside of the game, he knew he could no longer hide from her. In order to prevent any more chaos from hurting other people, he knew that he finally had to confront her. And while she probably wouldn't be very happy to see him, he would have to muster up his courage in order to calm her.

His other daughter.

"Fugo will replace you on the mission," Giorno explained. "And don't worry, I've requested that Josuke and his friends may assist you at any time. Feel free to call upon them if you ever need help."

"I . . . I understand, sir," Doppio stuttered. While the man respected Giorno for all that he had done for him, as well as knowing that what Giorno was doing made the most sense, Doppio was still worried about what would happen to Mista and the others after his departure.

And Giorno could tell this as well. "Mista is one of the strongest men I've ever met," Giorno claimed, "and he's one of only two of my original team who survived the worst this organization had to offer. Even if he had to do this mission solo, I'd bet it all that he could do it without a problem."

Doppio nodded, completely understanding. Giorno had known Mista the longest in their group, with the exception of Fugo, so of course he trusted him in carrying out the mission. Doppio sighed. What was he thinking? Did he hesitate on trusting Giorno's guidance? But if so, he vowed never to do so again.

"Let's forget about the mission for now," Giorno said. "Did you have a chance to talk with her?"

Doppio nodded. "She's . . . a little uneasy around my presence. Her and her . . . boyfriend? I think that's what he is? Anyways, she's as violent and dangerous as we expected. Like father, like daughter, I guess." Doppio rubbed his head in embarrassment. "And the incident at the school is being cleared up. There's been a lot of casualties, sadly, but the mass majority of students are still alive. And the terrorist responsible is being searched for right now."

"Good," Giorno said. "I know all of this falls outside our own country, but since a family member is involved, I think it's fair that we investigate this. By the way, where are Mista and Fugo?"

"Oh, Mista and Fugo are with the other girl," Doppio claimed. "I believe they were tutoring her about using her Stand."

. . .

"I don't know about this, guys . . ."

When she first met him, Asada Shino could barely believe her eyes. She even checked to make sure that she wasn't wearing an Amusphere at the time! The man was exactly what he looked like inside GGO, with the exception of a color swap in his clothing. His hat, his clothes, and even the sidearm that she could see at the side of his hip (to which he quickly hid after Shino started to have a panic attack). And now that she saw both men standing next to each other, Shino believed she was looking at models who just got off the runway but decided to keep their outfits on. It was a truly stunning sight to see. Especially considering it was December and the cold was setting in. And while the two men refused to accept any kind of coat, Shino swore that she saw them shiver every once and a while.

The three Stand Users were currently hanging around a playground in a quieter part of the city. There was no one around them, either kids playing in the jungle gyms or parents watching over them. Though, the weather was not solely to blame for that. The group had specifically chosen to meet here due to the fact that playgrounds were becoming a thing of the past in Japan. With most kids now only interacting via games and the internet, such places like playgrounds were being abandoned and left to rot away. It explained the corroding paint on the swing sets, the untrimmed and wild shrubs which surrounded the playground, and the numerous weeds that now outnumbered the shrubs.

But while unfortunate for the playground, the spot was perfect for where the group wanted to meet up. With free time on her hands, Shino decided to give Fugo a call about learning more about her Stand. She thought it would be good practice to have in case she might need it during the tournament. And she was in for a surprise too when she found out that Mista had decided to tag along with Fugo, with the man looking just like how he was in the game! And it was there that Shino told Mista about her past, about her incident, and her fear of Rocket Queen. Asada didn't know exactly why she revealed the truth to Mista, whether she assumed that Fugo already told him or that he was another Stand User. But even so, she felt a large weight being lifted off of her shoulders as Mista understood her situation. And then he asked her to bring Rocket Queen out.

"If that's all true," Mista assumed, "why don't you bring her out now? You can summon her in the game just fine."

"But that's just the game!" Shino claimed. "And while I know Rocket Queen is real, I just feel more secure knowing that my Stand isn't actually hurting anyone for real. But whenever I bring her out here, it just feels like she could snap at someone whenever!"

"This might make a lot of sense," Fugo deduced. "Stands are the manifestation of the fighting spirit. It would make sense for you to be comfortable around your Stand when you're fighting."

"If that's the case . . ." Mista said, a gleam in his eye and a smirk crossing his face. "We just gotta make it so that Shino feels threatened, right?"

"W-what are you . . .?" And before Shino could finish her sentence, she was swarmed by Mista's Sex Pistols, who began to tug at her hair, tickle her, and pull at her clothes. Shino could barely keep her composure with the tiny Stands surrounding her, though feeling less like she was being attacked by an enemy and more like she was being swarmed by gnats.

"F-Fugo-" Asada cried between giggles. "H-Help me!"

"There's nothing I can do in this situation," Fugo claimed, scratching his head. "If I were to intervene, things could get a lot worse."

"Summon your courage and bring out your Stand!" Mista yelled to her. "Imagine you're in a life and death scenario!"

"There's no way I could imagine this as a life or de- OW!" Asada cried. To her surprise, Number 3 had started biting her on her leg! And while it didn't hurt that much, the Stand's bite felt like that of a mosquito's. "Mista!" Shino yelled in annoyance.

"I'm not doing that!" Mista yelled back. "Oi! Number 3! Knock it off!"

"You said she needs to feel like she's in danger!" 1/6th of his Stand claimed. "So I'm increasing the danger!" And the tiny Stand continued to bite down even harder.

Wincing in pain, Shino tried to brush the small Stand away, but her hand only phazed right through the small humanoid. Asada's annoyance only rose, eventually warping into anger. And from the anger came a drive. A drive to swat the annoying Stand away. A drive to defend herself. And from that drive came a few swiping motions and a light blue hand, which quickly smacked the six Stands away as if they were bugs. Shino looked over in amazement as her Stand materialized by her side in a defensive position, just in case another threat might harm her.

Asada was then alarmed when Mista let out a gasp, as the man seemed to be paralyzed in place. And he was too, feeling a sharp jolt of pain ripple through his body. "Are you ok?!" Shino cried out in worry.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Mista said, shaking the pain off. "I've felt a lot worse before. But hey, look at that! You summoned your Stand!"

Shino turned her head to look at her Stand, it's body still in a defensive position, similar to that of a boxer. For a moment, Shino stood there, simply looking at her Stand. This was a part of her. Her "fighting spirit" as Fugo called it. Something that would be with her forever.

And yet, as she continued to stare at the ghostly figure, with the Stand now turning to face her, Asada could only see pain. A desire to kill. Something that had changed her life in a way that she didn't want. And anger rose deep within Shino. By simply having the ability to see her Stand, she had alienated herself from the rest of her class, with many thinking that Shino was crazy. Even when she demonstrated that Rocket Queen was there, either by lifting objects or having the Stand carry her, her peers made fun of her, calling her a witch on top of being a murderer. She hated it. Every second of it. She wished she was never born with Rocket Queen. She had dreams where she forcefully ripped the Stand out of her body and threw it in a dumpster. She even wondered what would have happened if she had let her mother die instead. And while she knew that she had exaggerated that thought and planned never to do so again, the fact that she had thought of it at all was because she had this thing watching over her.

"How can you bear it?" Asada asked the two men, shocking them by her suddenness. "How can you stand being different from everybody else?! How can you cope with being alienated from normal people?! How are you guys . . . so strong?"

The two Italian men looked at each other for a moment, both understanding the saddening truth behind Shino's question. It was Fugo who spoke first. "The thing is, Asada, we weren't born with Stands like you were. We were, in fact, given Stands."

It was definitely not what Shino was expecting. Her mouth was agape for a few seconds, her mind unable to process what the Italian boy had said. She finally broke the silence. "How . . . how were you given Stands? Moreover, why would you want to have such a horrible thing?"

"Hey! Rude much?" Shino heard, as Sex Pistols floated around Mista. Number 5 actually started to cry.

"There's a special arrow that grants people the ability to gain a Stand," Mista explained. "But it's very dangerous, with a chance that someone could die if they aren't worthy enough. And as to why we chose to have them, well . . . it wasn't like we knew we would get a Stand." Mista looked at Fugo, both who knew that they couldn't reveal much to the naive girl. "It was our boss who gave our Stands to us. To make us stronger for our faction."

Asada was shocked, but then felt like bursting into tears. And both men noticed too, as the poor girl's eyes started to mist. "But . . . where does that leave me? If you guys were so strong that you risked your lives to get a Stand . . . then that means I'm not like you! I was born special! I was outcasted by my friends because they thought I was crazy! I'm just . . . a FREAK!"

"You're anything but a freak," Fugo stated confidently. "There are still many people who were born with Stands from the start. And even then you could make a point that you're stronger than us. After all, not every child who is born with a Stand can survive. They have to be strong and healthy to accept that power." The boy's speech stopped Shino's tears from falling.

"Yeah!" Mista added. "And besides, who cares if your peers think you're weird! They just don't get you like we do! And even then, people like that wouldn't be good to hang around with anyways!"

Shino began to wipe her eyes with her sleeve. They were right. After all, while she could do without their pestering, there's no way she would want to be friends with the likes of Endou and them. She had Shinkawa, and now Mista and Fugo. And while she hadn't met them in real life, Doppio and Kirito also seemed like nice people too. Besides, she had accepted long ago that, no matter what she did, there was no way that she could become a normal person. But with their kind words, Shino now cemented that thought in her mind.

"Shino!" The three turned their attention behind them as Shinkawa started to approach them. And though his face had a soft smile on it, his expression soon became that of concern and warriness when he spotted Mista and Fugo near her.

"Hmm? Is this your boyfriend?" Mista asked. His comment got a slight blush from Shino and an even bigger tinge of red on Shinkawa, yet deep inside the boy felt a little proud.

"H-he's just a friend," Shino claimed. "Anyways, thank you guys. I really appreciate it. Will I be seeing you and Doppio in the tournament tomorrow?"

"Not Doppio," Mista claimed. "He had to drop out on the account of . . . family issues. Fugo here will actually be using his account ID during the Finals."

"What?!" Shino asked, stunned. "But that's not fair! And besides, Fugo, have you even played GGO before?!"

"I've had some practice in my spare time," Fugo admitted. "Even though I . . . ended up getting really angry at certain moments. Besides, I don't plan on winning anyways. I just want to check things out."

But while Shino wanted to protest more to Fugo, she saw that Shinkawa was still patiently waiting for her to finish her conversation with them. Sighing, she wished the boys the best of luck tomorrow and hoped that they lasted long enough in the tournament to meet her. "Remember, Mista! I'm the one who's gonna defeat you tomorrow!" Asada called out.

"Good luck with that!" Mista called back.

"See ya kid," Fugo said, walking by Shinkawa. At first, the boy gave a smile back, but afterwards, the boy did a double take. Only now looking at the two boys did he finally recognize them. He wondered how he had missed the connection, considering they were the flashiest dressed men he had ever seen. The one looked like he broke straight out of the video game, while the other filled Shinkawa with a tinge of jealousy, remembering that he was the one who had talked to Shino before. And while he wanted to say something to them, to ask them so many things, he gave up and decided to sit down on a rusty swing set, right next to Shino.

"What were you guys talking about?" he asked, a bit of nervousness in his voice.

"Oh, nothing much," Shino claimed, looking off into the distance. "They were just helping me get over my issues. That's all."

"Oh . . ." Shinkawa mumbled. The boy was relieved, that was for sure. And yet his jealousy only increased. He was supposed to be the one to help her! Him and only him! Other people just didn't understand her!

"So . . . what have you been up to, Shinkawa?" Shino asked, trying to break the silence.

"Oh! Nothing much. Just grinding out my character in GGO, being forced to help my dad in his doctor business, that kind of stuff," Shinkawa claimed. "My dad's actually been in a crazy state recently because some company stopped making a kind of medicine or whatever and now he's trying to hoard every last bit of it that he can. And he's really been keeping me busy because of it. What about you, Asada?"

"Just preparing for the tournament and working on school stuff. Nothing much," Shino reported. "Will you be watching the tournament too?"

"Of course!" Shinkawa happily responded. "I can't wait to see you win tomorrow!"

Shino gave a warm smile. "We'll either be celebrating my victory, or moping about my loss. Hey, in fact, do you want to stop by my place after the tournament?" Shinkawa's ears perked up, his face now starting to flush. And the boy's mind started to race.

"Ok. OK! Calm down, Shinkawa!" the boy thought. "She's inviting you over to her place! She's done it plenty of times before! Just act cool, like it's normally. Try even to sound a little hesitant."

"Uh, sure," Kyouji said in a relaxed manner. "I'll have to see if my father's got things for me then. And top of schoolwork . . ."

"Oh! I'm sorry," Asada claimed with a worried look. "If you're busy, then-"

"NO! Don't worry! I'll be there tomorrow! Exactly on time!" the boy quickly responded. And then his face went completely red.

"DAMNIT, SHINKAWA!" he thought again, mentally smashing his head against a wall. "YOU IDIOT! You sounded so desperate! Now you look like a fool!" The boy felt that he had screwed up, and in the worst way possible. And yet, something compelled him to reveal the whole truth. To tell Shino how he really felt. And despite the warning signals flashing in his mind, reflexively, the boy took Shino's hands into his.

"Wh-wha-? Shinkawa . . .?" Asada stuttered, shocked by the boy's sudden closeness. But Kyouji refused to let go.

"Asada . . . you're so cool! You're the coolest person I've ever met!" he began. "You've been through so much! Much more than anyone else has ever been through! And I . . . I want to help you! I want to be with you from now on! To help you with everything there is to come! So please! I . . . I . . ."

And what shocked Shino next came as an even bigger surprise, as Shinkawa wrapped his arms around her body, squeezing her in a tight hug. She could feel the warmth of his body pressed up against her and could clearly hear the stutter in his speech, but knew exactly what he was trying to say.

Though she didn't feel the same.

Reflexively, Shino quickly, but gently, pushed Shinkawa off of her, with the boy stumbling back a few inches away. And while she felt bad about doing so, her guilt was instantly multiplied when she saw the look on Kyouji's face. Pain, sadness, rejection, fear, and disappointment were all rolled up into one, blatantly expressed on his face.

"I-I'm sorry!" Shino blurted out. "You-you were just so sudden about it." But the girl knew that wasn't what he wanted to hear. Gathering up her courage, she told him the truth. "I truly do believe that you're one the only people in this city who really gets me. And after all that you've done to help, I can't thank you enough."

The boy's expression of grief started to clear. "But right now, I . . . I just don't feel like I'm ready for a relationship yet. Not until I finally get my emotions under check. And I know that's not the answer you were looking for, but if you still have the patience to accept my flaws, I'll try to give a relationship a try.

Only sadness remained on the boy's face, but now mixed with a look of understanding, and was confirmed with a solemn nod. Asada gave an embarrassed smile, happy to understand that Shinkawa was ok with the idea. And while the boy was relieved that the gesture was not what he had thought, another one suddenly appeared in his mind, repeating itself over and over again as he thought about it more and more.

"Just don't leave me for them."

. . .

"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the third Bullet of Bullets Tournament!"

The very next day, at the start of the tournament, Mista, Kirito, Sinon, and Fugo met up at the main hub. There, the three newbies were surprised by the amount of people in the circular room. There was much more merriness and chatter amongst the players, with circular seats and tables placed all around the room like a bar. Many players were in a lively mood, either discussing who would win the tournament and taking bets on the contestants. And yet, their discussions started to get even more lively as the four new players entered the hub. Talk immediately was centered around Mista's supposed cheating behavior, Sinon and Kirito's good looks, the unrecognizable character of Fugo, and the strangeness of how the two men (minus Kirito) were dressed. And while there were a couple of players who started to yell discouraging words at Mista, the others paid no mind to them.

To Kirito and Sinon's surprise, Fugo looked exactly like he did in real life, just like Mista's and Doppio's avatars, with the exception of his swiss cheese suit being green instead of red. He still had the same gun and stats at Doppio, and while the group offered to teach him how to play, the Italian denied any help. "Like I said, I'm not planning on winning the tournament," he said. "Besides, I'm sure I'll pick up on it fast. I just started playing that Fort-Night game last night with some friends, so maybe that might help." So the boy only learned about the mechanics of the game by ear, while Sinon started to rail on him about difference between the shooting games.

"They're completely different mechanics!" Sinon continued to lecture as the characters found a place to sit. "It's like comparing Halo to Overwatch!"

"Wait, they're not the same thing?" Fugo asked, resulting in an extremely frustrated Sinon, which got a laugh out of everyone at the table. "I'm just kidding. I know all about Master Chef and Tracy." The girl's face only got redder with anger by the minute.

"You got just as mad when I was talking about these mechanics," Mista claimed. "What's going on with you?"

"Oh, nothing," Sinon grumbled. "I just hate it when people who think they know video games end up just being extremist reviewers that only like to complain about the flaws."

"Let's forget about that for now," Kirito claimed, trying to change the subject. "You mind telling us how this tournament works?"

Sinon nodded. "Soon, all of the contestants will be dropped into the biggest map on the server. And teaming up with others is allowed. A big battle royal . . ." Sinon took the chance to give a glare of annoyance at Fugo. "but without building houses, traps, and such. But there will be a circle that closes in on us as the time goes by, meaning we can't camp out in one area for the rest of the game."

"We also start off pretty far from each other, which is why we are also equipped with something like a spy satellite. It scans over the entire map and provides recon with which players are left alive and where they were previously scanned at. But it scans every fifteen minutes, so don't always expect someone to be in the same spot as they were originally found in."

"Doesn't that put snipers like you at a disadvantage?" Mista asked. "If someone always knows your position."

Sinon gave a confident smile in return. "Fifteen minutes is enough time to fire one shot, kill one player, and move to another location."

"Sounds like you competed in these tournaments before," Fugo commented.

"Of course," she claimed confidently. "I was ranked tenth in the world! Don't underestimate me!" The group began to clap, not realizing that Sinon was on that level of expertise. Mista even through a whistle in. Sinon laughed, taking a bow.

"Well, I'd better get going and check my equipment before this starts," Sinon said, starting to leave. But before she left, she turned around to look at the others. "And don't you guys die before I get to fight you. Especially you, Mista!"

Mista gave a smirk. "Same goes for you." Sinon smiled back and waved to the boys as she headed off in another direction, only to be swarmed the way over by a few players looking to interview her. Yet, as soon as she was out of sight, Fugo let out a strange, sad sigh.

"It's a shame that someone threatens such a nice world like this," he claimed, silent enough that only the other two could hear him. "And are you sure you met this guy? This . . . Death Gun?"

Kirito scratched his head. "Well, I think I met him. He definitely acted high and mighty, but there was something about him that I just couldn't pin down. It was if . . . I've met someone like him before."

"It would really be helpful if you remembered him now," Mista claimed, stating what they were all thinking.

"I know," Kirito murmured, frustrated. "And I swear I've seen him before. Or someone like him. I just can't figure it out."

Fugo sighed. "It's ok. You may remember later on. Until then, we gotta find out if this guy is really killing people here."

"Right," Mista said. "Even if I do have to break my promise to that kid. We gotta find out who this is and stop him."

Kirito agreed. "I just wish I was doing this with Josuke and Giorno. But since Giorno trusts you guys enough, I'll follow your lead."

The two nodded back. And the three watched from their seats, as players excitedly started to cheer and raise their guns in the air as the clock on the digital timers started to wind down, and soon enough, the clock hit zero.

. . .

Sinon was doing pretty well for herself in the beginning. She now had her second kill against a player who was unlucky enough to be caught out in an open area. Taking a look at her map, she found that there were now only twenty one players left alive. And after determining her position, she found two players, one chasing another near a bridge. One was an old shooting budy of her's, Dyne, most likely wearing his iconic orangish tan cowboy hat and clothing, while the other was chasing him, a player by the name of Pale Rider. And while Dyne was her friend, she knew that neither of them would be holding back. Deciding they were her next best target, Sinon decided to reach the bridge before they did. But as she continued to make her way through the world, she constantly wondered how they were doing.

She had easily made it to the bridge, setting up in a position on a mountain adjacent to the bridge, which appeared like a smaller version of the one in San Francisco. She has first spotted Dyne, who came out of the forest on the other side of the bridge, looking distressed. He made his way across the structure and had decided to lie down on his stomach and position his gun in an advantageous position where he would clearly see his enemy first. Sinon sighed at her friend's carelessness.

"You should always check your six, Dyne," she said sadly, putting her crosshair on his back. And that's when she heard it. The rustling of the brush. The uncharacteristic sound of falling pebbles. Someone was behind her!

"Who's there?!" she shouted, drawing her pistol sidearm. But before she could aim it behind her, two arms grabbed both of her arms and pinned her against the rocks. And as she struggled, waiting for the bullet that would end her, she was quickly greeted to a familiar face.

"Shh!" the feminine avatar whispered to her. "Stay down! Don't give away our position!" Sinon only responded with a growl, clearly upset. All worries of the boys' safety suddenly fell away.

"Get off of me!" Sinon hissed. "This isn't the time to fool around! This BoB! The strongest get to come out on top!" And soon Kirito was blown back as Rocket Queen kicked him square in the chest, knocking him back. Sinon took the chance to grab her pistol and aimed it straight at Kirito's head.

"Wait, Sinon! Please!" Sinon turned her head to the side as Mista now came into view, dropping into their little rocky hideout without grace. He dropped onto his butt, while Fugo soon came crashing down too, sprawled out on his back.

Sinon didn't let up, now pointing her pistol at Mista. But soon hesitation came in her resolve, once she saw that Fugo wasn't recovering from his fall, still lying on his back. Something was clearly wrong.

"What happened to him?" she asked, now letting go of her gun.

"We were ambushed," Mista huffed, trying to regain his breath. "The moment we all met up, someone started firing at us from the trees. He got Fugo and now he's stuck in this sort of suspended animation!"

Sinon, curious, took a closer look at the boy. It was true. Fugo's face was gripped with pain, his features wrinkled up into a wince. There was only a small, red circle on the player, though it was nowhere near any vital signs that would cause immediate death. But what was interesting was a small flash of light blue light coming out from the red circle, with this light flickering in and out like a lightning bolt.

"He's been paralyzed," Sinon suggested. "But I don't think it will last for long. Who was shooting at you?"

"We don't know," Kirito said. "The player was hiding in the forest. We never got a clear look. We were able to lose him in a river, but then we nearly drowned in the process. We only saw that you were really close to us after that and thought we could hide out with you."

Sinon huffed in embarrassment. "It's not like I'm going to protect you newbies!" she stated. "Like I said, this is BoB! Where the best players come to duke it out! Don't come to me when you losers can't take the heat!"

"That's not it," Kirito claimed. "We can't die yet. Not until we find out what's going on here!"

"What are you-" before Sinon could finish, the group was suddenly distracted by the sounds of gunfire from below. Assuming that the boys wouldn't attack her, Sinon put her gun away and turned her attention to the battle below. Dyne was now engaging with his pursuer, Pale Rider. The player was dressed in light armor, patterned in a gray and white camouflage pattern. The player carried a light shotgun in his hands and wore a white helmet that covered his face, similar in style to those worn by the Power Rangers, with a large area where the face would be covered by one way glass. This Pale Rider was proving to be exceptionally skilled, dodging Dyne's bullets with the grace of a ballerina combined with an acrobatist. He easily dodged and maneuvered his way through the shower of bullets, with Sinon guessing that he spent most of his skill points in AGI.

It was only when Dyne ran out of bullets did Pale Rider attack. While charging at him, he fired his shotgun and made direct contact with Dyne's shoulder. And before the cowboy had a chance to counter, the player got up really close, near face to face, with Dyne, landing another solid shot through his body. The three watched as Dyne fell to his knees, and Pale Rider took the chance to reload his shotgun. And after doing so, he aimed it straight at Dyne's head and fired. The man went flying just a few feet away, a red text symbol soon popping up over Dyne's head, claiming he was dead.

Sinon was impressed. She knew it took a lot of time to invest in such a high ranked AGI build, and considering that she had never heard of Pale Rider before, the man either had grinded for many hours in the game or had perfected the build through many years and was only now showing it off. But to her, it didn't matter either way. She now focused her aim on Pale Rider, attending to make her time becoming the winner easier. That was, until she was beat to the punch.

Right in front of her eyes, Pale Rider fell out of her scope. After taking a closer look, she saw that there was a small, red hole in his right arm. And by looking closer, her eyes widened. The man had the same light blue mark in his bullet wound, and saw that the player's head was twitching in pain. He too had been shot by the same gun as Fugo.

To her right, she heard a gasp. She took a peek at Kirito, whose eyes were wide with shock and his mouth agape. Following his gaze, Sinon took her sight off of Pale Rider and at the surrounding view. There, she saw it. Two red eyes, staring at Pale Rider from beneath the bridge's shadow, as if examining its prey. The player was in a cloak, making it hard to see his equipment, but his silver skull mask was fully in sight. And as he began to walk out of the shadows, Sinon could see his cloak folding back and the muzzle of his gun becoming apparent. And Sinon recognized it immediately, but couldn't believe what it was.

"Silent Assassin?" she whispered to herself, but not soft enough for others to hear.

"Is that what his gun is called?" Mista asked.

Sinon nodded. "It's a sniper rifle that's got a silencer and shoots stun bullets. But no one ever uses it because it's more effective to use rapid fire guns or ones that do more damage. So why does this guy have it?"

And as the trio watched on, they saw the player nonchalantly making his way over to the stunned Pale Rider, taking his sweet old time. As the player pulled something out of his back, Sinon could clearly see bandages covering his entire right arm and seemingly over his chest. But what surprised her the most was the gun he was supposedly going to finish Pale Rider off with. It appeared to be a simple handgun, nothing more, nothing less. And then, to get even stranger, the man started to make a cross sign with his fingers, as if he was blessing the shot he was about to take. What exactly was this guy doing?

"Sinon . . ." Kirito whispered to her. "Shoot him."

The sniper was taken out of her thoughts. "Which one?" she asked.

"The one in the cape!" Mista called out. "Please! Shoot him!"

And then Sinon turned around, hearing the sound of Fugo getting up as he started to breathe heavily. "Hurry!" he said. "Before he shoots that guy! Hurry!"

To Be Continued . . .

JOJO, STONE OCEAN! AHHHHH!

I also completely forgot there's a character called Limp Bizkit in that arc. And his English translation is Flaccid Pancake! FLACCID PANCAKE! I love it!

Oh, and nuts. This came out later than I wanted it to. I just started up college again, so it might be another wait till the next chapter comes out. Sorry guys.

And also, I wonder what you guys thought about this chapter! And especially what other world I'm hinting at! It's kinda obvious if you put two and two together, but I will say that it will be a part of my next story that I'm planning on. I'll give a hint next time if no one guesses right!

But anyways, I hope you guys will be patient until the next chapter comes out (whenever that might be). See ya!

DID YOU KNOW: Jolyne's voice actor, Ai Fairouz, once thought she wasn't worthy for the role of Jolyne Cujoh. She wanted her to be voiced by "the most worthiest woman in the world" while she would hopefully watch from the sidelines as a minor character or JoBro. And she was in tears when she was revealed to be the voice actor upon the announcement of the Stone Ocean anime. And I can't imagine how she's feeling every time she's behind the microphone.