Chapter VI: Knights and Demons


5th December 2022—Aincrad. Floor 1, Town of Beginnings

"Gah..!"

"We need you back on yer' feet, Aa-chan!"

And as much as she wished she could just stay there, lying down with her face on the pavement, it was a mix of her own pride and her desire to keep on fighting that brought her back into the battle, a frustrated growl slipping past her gritted teeth.

Nothing was making sense. Not since she had made the foolhardy decision to put on the 'Nerve Gear' and experience this virtual world. It was just supposed to be a peek; a temporary escape from the luxuries of her own home. Simply enjoy something that she was certain wouldn't last forever, if her mother had any say in it.

Fast forward a month later, give or take, and she's currently fighting against a powerful boss monster that certainly felt more fitting for higher levels, in what should have been a safe zone alongside her teammate and leader, who was shouting orders and cursing a lot as the demonic gentleman that towered over him clashed with the bipedal bull.

Nothing made absolute sense, and she desperately just wanted to find a bed to bury her face in.

'The battle's almost over,' she tells herself, knowing that no matter how much she wished she could just leave, it would mean leaving everyone here to fight for themselves. And what a cruel thought, that would be. To leave them to their fates like this.

No, this wasn't fate. This was just Kayaba being an—as Kirito so humbly put it—an asshole.

…Her mother would kill her if she hears her cursing, much less think.

"Whatever!" Screaming to the air, she shot at the boss, landing a clean slash across its thigh with a «Linear», quickly backpedalling from an imminent overhead slash. "Kirito-kun!"

"Yeah, I hear you!" By his command, Arsene takes health from his user and translates it into strength, a cross strike packing enough force that knocks it back a small distance, right into Asuna's «Quadruple Pain» and several players' axes and spears.

A cloud of dark energy burst forth from the ground and explodes like a bomb a moment later, the repeated damage it's suffering from without a chance for rest causing its body to cripple in on itself and falling to its knees—staggered, momentarily stunned.

"Everyone, chaaarge!"

"Hrhaaa!"

"Strike em' down!"

"With pleasure!"

His Annealed Blade sings a song as he wills power into it, launching himself forwards to unleash a brutal «Vertical» that tears right through Asterius's virtual flesh, just in time to build up a combo as the other players and his own Persona all but wreck Asterius with their «Sword Skills».

A blur of black and purple in the corner of his vision draws his gaze from the monster as he backs away, just in time for the boss to get back on its two legs, a tremor caused by its sudden stomping fit and earth-shaking bellows.

He had entered his rage state a long time ago, but this would be the final push. Just one more, and they'll be sold.

"Hey!" He yelled to the Diavel-lookalike. "I'll try and trip it one more time, so get everyone ready again!"

Asuna knew he wasn't the kind of person to wait for any form of affirmation. Whether it was a good trait or not, his ability to simply keep moving, plan after plan formed and pulled off on the spot made for an interesting and reliable individual. And she'd be lying if she didn't feel safe with his presence.

After all, hundreds of players would be dead if it weren't for him.

"Watch out!" The girl perks up, spotting Asterius suddenly breathing electricity, the bolts striking a few players and paralyzing just a bit. "Arsene!"

A blast of «Curse» magic straight into its jaws was enough to ruin its momentum, Asterius actually roaring in shock before folding forwards—right in its gut, a few large men brutally slammed their shields and maces into its belly.

If this was real life, she expected nothing to survive, much less so the stomach.

"Hrha!" Argo may have downplayed her own worth as a fighter, if only to let others do the heavy work for her, but she certainly had the ferocity of a true Beta Tester. With her claws, she swiped and swiped against the body of Asterius, rapidly adding to the combo. "Kii-bou!"

Arsene had attacked once more, pushing Asterius back. Dear lord, he was powerful. She's just glad that he wasn't a boss that they have to deal with. She wouldn't be sure what to do if he was.

He was on their side. On Kirito's, really, but that technically counted for the players' side in totality, considering that everyone sort of follows him.

She was prepared to move in to fight once more, but ultimately sagged in relief once she caught sight of Asterius's already red health bar. Whatever remained was quickly erased when Kirito and Arsene, both with their own battle cries, unleashed their attacks—Kirito a «Vertical» while Arsene a sideways slash that looked similar to a «Horizontal».

An X-slash, ultimately bisecting the beast until everything—the head and arms—were sent in different directions. What remained of the legs swayed and collapsed against the ground, only to disappear away in a burst of polygons.

The large 'CONGRATULATIONS' that popped up felt satisfying, and just as tiring.


A boss battle is a test of skill; a deeper insight as to how far one has come in the game. It's a great way to see whether one has managed to grow beyond what they're capable of—or they could lose, and then be forced to try again.

In this world, however? There was no way second tries could be permitted, not with your life on the line.

It made sense that, after such difficult battles, they'd ultimately choose to celebrate their victory with songs and dances and all that dumb stuff. She can understand it, and maybe appreciate it to a certain degree, but preferred solitude.

Solitude with her best friends? That's better.

The moment the battle had been won, Kirito had all but chosen to retreat to their farmhouse, the girls in tow. Kibaou may not have been present during the fight, but he had made a few followers of his own, and there might just be some who would be more than happy to march over to their friend and start blaming him for all the shit happened.

For the shit he didn't start.

It was Kayaba's damned fault! Suddenly made an announcement and dropped three full bosses on them without any moment of preparation. Thankfully, that Lind guy had been able to pull together a reasonable team to fight the monsters, while Kirito had been in the fray, doing what he could to take the monsters on.

The fact that they survived this fight—no, won it, was a miracle in itself, and she wasn't planning to get any lax. Well, maaaybe a little, but just a little!

"All you girls alright?" He sounded tired, and had every right to be. That his arm was shielding his eyes as he laid on his bed was a clear testament to that. Perhaps not physically, but definitely mentally. "Because I'm exhausted."

"I speak for all of us when I say we all are," Aa-chan hardly looked pleased herself, not when she and other players were suddenly fighting in what should have been a safe zone. "Uurgh… That was horrible."

"At least the Town of Beginnings has regained its status as a safe zone," pointed out Vabel, and that was a minor relief. "Although, that does make Kayaba a dangerous opponent all the same. That he's willing to bend the rules, if even a little, just to push us towards our limits says plenty."

"Can't underestimate, and hoping that we can finish this game sooner," groaning, the boy shifted, turning onto his side. "I seriously hope they find the boss room on floor two soon. If there are still going to be bosses in there…"

"I know, Kii-bou. That would be a dick move," scoffed Argo. "Then again, he's still fair. Just unpredictable. After all, if he really wanted to kill us, he could have just let the town stay as a wild zone, and not a safe one. I've got a feeling that he really did take the bosses from the second floor and made us fight them in the town, but that's just hopeful wishing on my part."

"No, I guess you're right… And even if you aren't, I sure hope so," Kirito, for as great of a Beta Tester and suddenly blessed with superpowers as he was, was still a teenager like them. And he was tired. "Because I'm losing my mind."

Funny. All of them are.

Not even an hour later, all of them were asleep in his room.


6th December 2022—Aincrad. Floor 1, Town of Beginnings

Returning to the town so quickly after a day of battle (admittedly, it had been only a few hours, but it had felt very long. The adrenaline, tension and excitement made it feel that way) wasn't part of the plan, but Kirito had been particularly feisty ever since he woke up, and it wasn't hard to understand why.

What were presumably boss monsters from the second floor showed up here. They were fought, they were killed, and they received the last-hit bonus too (Kirito got it, obviously). And right now, they wanted to find the boss room to see if they could hold on to the hope.

The hope that Kayaba, despite being a sadistic dastard that he is, still has some semblance of just in him to make it so that the bosses were actually considered dead by the system, and that what they fought back there weren't just duplicates.

It would suck, because while it won't be a huge problem (why would it when they have Kirito and his powers?), it would just be more than enough for her to curse at him.

Not like she hadn't been considering it recently.

"No word yet, huh? And you've sent your acquaintances out to search?" When getting a confirmation from his fellow Beta Tester, Kirito opted for a hum instead. "I see… And when were you going to tell me that you somehow managed to make yourself a network of spies?"

"Pssh, not spies, Kii-bou. Geez, you make me sound like a fugitive," even with her dismissal, her coy tone downright confirmed it. "And I already had a great team back during the beta test. They just so happened to be in this game as well. Makes it real easy to get some dirt on others, or just find information in general."

A spy network… Sounds terrifying, but as Argo said, she wasn't a criminal. Plus, having a source of information is a pretty good thing, although she had a feeling that their friend might just charge them coin for some info…

Nonetheless, her spies (might as well call them that) had been dispatched to search the second floor for the boss room, alongside others. So far, no progress, but it would only be a matter of time before they found it.

'Maybe we're being too overboard with all of this,' and that thought was promptly killed by the next one. 'Not like it's our fault either way.'

Now she understands why Kirito hates him so much. She understands.

"Anyways, leave it to my associates and the others to do the searching. Not like I want to keep you from running off, but it's for our own safety," the look on Argo's face turned serious, a rare expression that didn't really invoke confidence. "After all, Kayaba specifically calling you out like that in public, going so far as to call that there power of yours a cheat means that you're now under his radar. Who knows what he might try against you."

"I know, I know. Then again, we really shouldn't have been too surprised. After all, whatever this is clearly isn't meant to fit in this world," Vabel seemed to nod in agreement with him. They supposed it's a blessing in disguise, but one that brings with it a slew of obstructions. "And I am cheating this game, in a way. He'll take countermeasures to handle me."

"That is true, and we will need to be cautious," spoke Vabel, and everyone nodded in agreement.

So the rest of the day isn't exactly so memorable, nor was it pleasant. It was spent mostly in wandering the place and generally keeping low, though even without his unique cloak or weapon, he stood out like a sore thumb—'helped' by the fact that he was surrounded by girls, really. But what else could they do?

Whatever was going on right now… it couldn't possibly be any worse for the others.


It's important to note that, in a story, our heroes alone are never meant to be the sole point of attention for those who spectate.

It should also be taken into consideration that the current Wild Card, the Hero, shared a trait with his predecessors; the ability to draw others to his side. To inspire confidence and bravery in each individual, and receive trust from them.

Of course, such would be highly hypocritical to assume that every event that transpires is a direct cause of his own hand. But rather, think of it as a pebble into a lake; the ripples from the impact reach out far, the waves reaching out farther than any may have initially thought.

Before the topic of worlds should come into play, one should wonder just how far it could possibly reach in the castle of Aincrad alone.

And in this very moment, it certainly reached far.


The castle of Aincrad still followed the rules of the human world, thus its time was regulated follow the twenty-four hours system that the humans make use of. As such, it was quite a long time later before the world was beset in darkness.

A chance for rest, for dreams (such a strange thought, no? That they are technically dreaming themselves into this world, yet capable to dream all the same), and perhaps some extra training.

For our figure of focus now, it certainly didn't work that way.

She was running.

Flanked on all sides by massive trees, the darkness that blanketed the endless forest would have proved an obstacle for her had she been defective, born with her natural night vision. Edges were highlighted, allowing her to move freely without crashing into something.

She couldn't afford to slow down or even stop.

Not when she was being chased by countless monsters.

Deep grumbles from the shadows far behind her did not faze her. She pushed on, still, vaulting over a fallen tree before landing onto the stump of one, and then leaping into the branches, never stopping as she continued to hop from one to the next.

Down below, the earth shifted and shook.

'They're still keeping up, huh..?' That was bad. Extremely bad, and she wasn't planning on fighting whatever was chasing her.

Everything had gone wrong the moment her queen and the King of the Forest Elves had come to meet in an attempt to bridge the gap between their nations. What should have been an attempt for diplomacy had quickly spiralled out of control when they showed up.

Why is this happening? Where did they come from? What are they?

With a grunt, she pours extra strength into her legs and leaps off a particularly shaky branch, dropping into a roll before allowing the momentum to carry her forwards into a better sprint, manoeuvring better over the few large rocks and trees that stood in her way.

She had a different mission now. To run, not for the sake of her own survival, but to find assistance. And her queen had specified one such person that might just be the key to their salvation. And if her queen had such faith in this particular human, then it would be in her right mind to seek him out as well.

If it meant saving her people, her kingdom and that of their old enemies', she was prepared to risk her life.

"Gah..!" She was caught off-guard by the massive arm that swung into her side, sending her crashing into the bark of a tree. The impact was powerful, and the tree snapped, toppling onto the ground with a massive thud and kicking up dust. "Ahhrk..!"

She wasn't content to simply remain laid on the ground, however, and with whatever strength she managed to muster, pushed herself up and leapt back—in time to dodge the second blow, an overhead hammer arm that cracked the earth.

Face of black fur that felt like a blanket of shadows, red eyes glowing widely as it stared down at her with a wide, fanged grin. Its body was covered with brown fur, while its limbs were yellow and striped. The serpent that stared at her from where it was connected to where the creature's tail was hissing, bloodthirsty.

In all her life, she had never seen such a beast such as this. She had fought and slayed plenty of monsters; sentient plants, large boars, wasps and the like.

Not this one.

"Nngh…" Drawing her blade from its sheathe, she slowly backed away from the growling monster, aware that others will catch up if she remained here for too long. She had been a fool to try and fight a horde of these things. They could tank hits, and tanked them they did. They were just incredibly resilient, and could hit harder.

Just a bit more. Just a bit more running and she'll reach her destination. And then, she would be safe.

Her hand gripped her weapon tight, jaws clenched. It wasn't meant to be this way… She can't stop here! Not when her objective was so close!

"Come at me!" She yelled.

The monster was all too happy to comply, charging straight for her with a guttural bellow. Slow as it was, she couldn't afford to be lax, knowing that her body would break if it either dropped its weight on her or just slammed into her.

She sidestepped the charge, backpedalling twice to avoid the serpent that snapped forwards to bite her. Two separate entities that worked incredible well; one the muscles, the other protecting its host's blind spot.

She had witnessed several other knights made the foolish decision to try and cut down the serpent, severing it from its host. It was entirely possible, but that enraged the beast, somehow making it stronger than it already was. And in its state of rage and enhanced strength, it had torn countless to shreds.

She was not going to make the same mistake.

The woman avoided another forwards charge, raising her weapon in a defensive stance. This monster, for as simple as it seemed, was in truth a far bigger threat than any other monsters she's ever faced off against. It didn't help that it, along with all the other beasts that she has managed to elude thus far…

*Grhhaa!*

"Kh..!"

Dark energy pooled on the ground beneath her feet, and she managed to dodge it all at the very last second, but the explosion still knocked her a good feet away, thankfully not into a tree or boulder.

Magic. Honest-to-goodness magic.

These beings had come from nowhere and wracked havoc upon her people and those that would have been their allies. Bestowed with the gift of magic and logic-defying powers, it made sense that their kingdoms were now in ruins. And only one person—this fated saviour that her queen had sent her out to find—can save them.

She gripped her weapon, closed her eyes, and focused.

And somewhere within… something flickered.

It was a painful stab into the back of her mind as she pushed, and towering above her, the massive form of a stallion-riding humanoid.

Blue flames danced around its being, yet even those flames seemed weak. Its body seemed to fizzle between existence and nothingness, transparent to a point that it could be regarded as a trick of the light.

And yet—"S-Strike it down..!" It heeded her command all the same.

For just a fraction of a second, the being seemed to solidify, just long enough to ram itself into the monster, the strangely metallic horn sticking out from the skull of the horse piercing into the throat of the monster, killing it instantly.

That was all she could manage, however, as the pressure on her mind was just too much. Her concentration was cut off with a gasp, stumbling backwards as she clutched her head in both hands.

"No… time…" Panting, she refrained from shaking her head in favour of continuing her run. "Just a bit more…"

For the sake of her people, she had to make it. Not even the monsters hellbent on slaying her along with her brethren will stop her. Keep moving, no matter what.


14th December 2022—Aincrad. Floor 1, Farmhouse

Having already settled with this place as their unofficial base of operations—plus, Kirito's rented a place here, so of course they live here as well—it wasn't an odd sight for others to see a young teenager usually spending his time outside, either to nap, eat or train.

It would be an unusual sight for most if there was suddenly a demon standing over the ravenette, but at this point, it was old news. Not any less impressive, though.

"Whoa!" With an impossible stunt that would have most likely caused him to go paralyzed if he tried to attempt it in real life, he somehow managed to spin and twist mid-air to avoid getting struck by his teammates. He somehow managed to orient himself just right to land on both feet, then to sidestep the incoming thrusts of rapiers.

Against three expert players, it was very much a risky thing, but the power that he's currently wielding is impressive. It lets him move faster, lets him somehow slow down the world around him and react to the fastest of attacks. Neither Asuna's or Argo's incredible speed nor Vabel's strange ability to somehow come and go from nowhere and everywhere had been able to best him yet.

Yet.

"Take him down!" As one, the three girls lunged at him altogether with their battle cries, but Kirito had simply drawn his sword from his back and unleashed a spinning attack, not even striking them but producing enough of a gust to blow them back. "Damn it!"

"Sorry," and they might have believed him if it wasn't for the tone he was using, nor the shit-eating grin he had on his face. He didn't look guilty, nor did he look mean. He was just impressed like all of them. "Man, this is amazing… I don't even need to use Arsene's powers."

"But the fact still remains that certain feats can be accomplished through summoning Arsene," helpfully pointed out Vabel, ever the expert on the topic of Personae. "Like magic."

He nodded, all too eagerly. "I'm not disagreeing with you in that regard."

Everyone were tired, or at least experiencing the familiar sensations of being tired, this being a game world and all. But Kirito hardly looked exhausted. He seemed well, and seemed intent to keep his gaze focused on a distant tree, a thoughtful look on his face as he had his chin on his knuckles.

Even a week later, and there hasn't been any success in finding the boss room. Things have calmed down relatively enough, but there was still that silent trepidation that things might just get worse if they don't do anything.

Although, since nothing crazy has happened, it's either Kayaba being too lazy to do something or that he's waiting for them to actually move on to the next floors. And whose fault was it that the boss rooms were just hard to find, huh?

"So, what's next on the chopping block?" Asked Argo, twirling a dagger in her hands. "We've pretty much covered all our bases. Even these past three days, we couldn't find the boss room after searching pretty much the entire floor."

"At this rate, that pipe dream of reaching floor one-hundred may as well be as good as impossible," sighing, Kirito still managed to put on a smile. "Still, that's what Kayaba wants us to think. We just need to keep our heads high, and I'm sure we'll get through this."

Uplifting and positive. It made sense, and it was reason enough for them to keep pushing on.

So forgive her if she and Argo suddenly stared at him with incredulity, his smile wilting slowly until it became a thin line, perhaps a little distrusting of his own words.

Not like she could fault him, really. It's not like the world would decide to just throw them a bone just like tha—

*Ping!*

"Hmm?" A brow perked, Kirito had started fiddling with his menu. "Hang on, Klein sent me a message. Let me read it for a bit."

Klein, leader of his little ragtag group of proud warriors. She wasn't sure what to think of them, but they had proved to be quite the adept group during their fight in town last week. And they were all good people, even if their leader was just a tad bit too… eccentric? Flighty?

She wasn't sure what to say."

"What was entailed in Klein's message, Kirito?" Vabel's question directed everyone's gazes back towards the boy, and this time, they could see how his expression slowly morphed into open-mouthed, wide-eyed shock.

The message didn't look very long, but he was clearly rereading it quite a few times, if the way his eyes seemed to drift from top to down repeatedly.

And then, a gulp.

"Uhh… well," he began, only to facepalm. "Something happened…"

That did not sound so good.


6th December 2022—Aincrad. Floor 1, Horunka Village

Horunka. What a sight to see.

Granted, they'd been here just a few days ago, just to check if anything different had happened or the place was demolished. Fortunately, the village seemed safe, and its people were unaware of anything that had occurred back in town.

If there was one question on Kirito's mind, it would be how Klein and his group somehow stumbled upon a Dark Elf in the forests.

Having been part of the beta test, one thing he remembered from his experiences was the Elf War, a campaign that took part on the third floor, all the way to the ninth floor. It was a massive campaign that detailed the battles between the Dark Elves and Forest Elves.

In case no one got it yet, there should not be a Dark Elf here. It was just impossible.

Then again, who was he to say? Given everything that's transpired, nothing could really be considered as impossible anymore.

Whatever suspicions he had on the matter were clearly shoved out of his mind upon spotting Klein. And the look on his face bordered confusion and concern.

"Klein," the group rushed over to the house, the man leaning against the wall raising an arm. "Hey, you called us earlier? What's up? You didn't give much detail."

"Heh, yeah. It's just… I wasn't even sure of what to write to you," his arms uncrossed, he gestured a thumb behind him. "She's currently inside, said that she wanted to meet you as soon as she could. Even mentioned your name specifically."

"She… knows who I am?" Black eyes widened slightly before he shook his head. "Never mind that. Right, I'll meet her."

The village house is natural, ancient. Simple furnishing that was meant for comfort rather than lavish looks. It was cool inside, thanks to the open windows and generally spacious rooms. They were lead up the stairs, an old couple sitting in the living room with worried expressions, while a few of Klein's friends were there trying to comfort them. Probably didn't expect anything either.

He climbed the wooden stairs slowly, each step producing a creak. There were two rooms, presumably bedrooms, and one of Klein's friends was guarding the door at the end of the corridor. He nodded and stepped aside to grant passage, and the boy twisted the knob as he stepped inside.

The room was quaint, simple. A bed pushed to the wall with its headrest against it, while a single curtained window gave view to the right. There were hardly any decorations, but it looked comfortable.

And yet, the room wasn't what really caught everyone's attention. But rather…

"It's you," the voice was firm, tired and feminine. It belonged to the woman with violet eyes, equally-coloured hair that fell off her shoulders. She would be wearing armour, if it weren't for the fact that her guards and cloak were currently sitting on the desk in the corner, leaving her in just a black skinsuit.

She was a human. A right assumption, were it not for the pointy ears that stuck out from her purple hair.

Kirito's breath hitched, and he could hear something similar from Argo. This person… They already knew that it was a Dark Elf, but this one in particular… no, it can't be. There's just no way.

"You are the Hero, correct?" She asked, straightening her posture from where she was seated upright on the bed. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Sir Kirito."

"N-No need for the 'Sir' bit," he tells her, frowning somewhat. "You are..?"

"Kizmel," her response drew looks of surprise from the two Beta Testers in the room, something that she took notice of. "Yes? Is there an issue?"

"N-No, nothing like that. It's just…" He hesitated, only to back out of the idea he had. There was just no way. "It's nothing. Kizmel, you say? Klein told me earlier that you wanted to meet us. Is that true?"

The woman nodded. "It is true. My people are in need of your assistance, Kirito, for we have been attacked."

"Attacked?" Argo was the one who spoke up, moving forwards to stand beside him. "Seriously? Odd. Did the Forest Elves get the jump o on you, or—"

"No, it wasn't them," confusion hit him like a bullet.

"It's not them? But I thought the Dark Elves and Forest Elves are enemies," that's been the single thing that's been the driving force behind their feuds with one another for all this time. "What do you mean the Forest Elves didn't attack you?"

"Your words would prove true at any time, but this time, it is a different force entirely," there was no deceit in her tone, and that only drove the knife deeper in his gut. "Would you… Would you be willing to hearken to my tale? I speak naught but the truth, and seek to assist my people as soon as possible."

"Err… sure," he wasn't certain if just sitting here and listen to her talk about the attack would do anyone good, but it's not like they had anything else going on for them. "Start from the beginning, if you could."

She nodded, hands on her lap. "Understood. You see, it began like this…"


By the time everything was said and done, there was no more noise. And it made sense, for everything that they've heard thus far was nothing short of ridiculous.

How could he not think that way? The Elf War, back during the beta test, was about nothing but the two elves fighting against one another. Petty reasons or for economy, he doubted Kayaba really went into the specifics when he was designing the campaign, but it was a fact that these two forces were just like oil and water.

So imagine his surprise when she spoke of how the queen of the Dark Elves and the king of the Forest Elves suddenly decided for a peace treaty, only for the signing ceremony to suddenly be interrupted by monsters that she did her best to describe as accurately as possible, yet he and everyone else had absolutely no idea what she was talking about.

There was talk about how she had to move from floor to floor to get to where they were, and he thought it would be impossible, given the fact that the boss monsters would still be alive to guard their respective rooms, but he supposed he could turn a blind eye to that fact.

Nonetheless, many had been slaughtered by this sudden invasion, and she had been one of the few survivors.

Her queen, either in her dying breaths or before they truly separated, had ordered her to find him—the Hero, which just so happens to be his title—to request his assistance in saving her people.

The weirdest thing from all of this wasn't the sudden involvement of monsters and magic and stuff, but it was the fact that there wasn't a quest marker above her head throughout the entire time.

NPC's designed to give quests to players would always have a quest marker above their head. It's been a steadfast rule all this while, and the fact that she's been talking all this time with her request not being registered as an actual quest was concerning.

It wasn't himself who seemed so lost. Argo herself was pondering heavily on everything she's just heard, while Asuna, Vabel and Klein were just trying to run the story through their heads again just to understand things a little better. Kizmel seemed content with waiting, either because of patience or her need to collect herself.

When all was done, and he was certain he had himself under control, his mouth parted to speak, only for someone to beat him to the punch.

"What the hell? None of that makes sense!" She was laughing in disbelief, the kind of laughter that was reflecting his inner feelings so well, and the kind that came from a person who just had a taste of madness. "How did monsters come out of nowhere and decide to attack your kingdoms just like that?"

"I don't know. Only that they came out of nowhere, and seemed focus on eradicating our kind. No, I suppose that would be inaccurate… They simply seek to kill without reason. For sport," her words had frozen everyone in place, all of Argo's fury quickly washed into silence. "There is nothing we can do now… We are losing, and we are unable to fight back because they are too many, and far too powerful. We have tried to outlast them for as long as we could, but we simply could not keep up…"

Yeah, no kidding. They… To think that, just as Kayaba had released the three floor bosses, it was also the timing when they were all attacked by these mysterious assailants. It would be coincidence, and it would be so easy to blame it on Kayaba, but that was just impossible.

After all, the man only held control over all things Aincrad and the like. He wasn't able to lock away Kirito's powers. It might just make sense that these monsters aren't his doing as well.

Or they could be, but he highly doubted it. From the way she described them, they seemed a little too… fantastical to be Kayaba's doing.

He was broken out of his thoughts when the Dark Elf bent her body to bow, but he could see the hopeful expression on her face. "Hero Kirito, I genuinely require your help to save our kingdoms. While it isn't a fight you should need to burden yourself with, I… we have no one else to turn to, and you are our best choice. You were in our prophecies, after all, so please…"

Yet again, he was thrust into a seemingly impossible situation. How odd that the weirdness just looks for him, instead of him actively seeking them out. He's starting to wonder if, other than his Persona powers, he just seems to have bad luck.

First, being accused of being a cheater by Kibaou and a good deal of the other players, and now bottled-up bad luck. Is there ever going to be an end to the surprises?

But no, he still had Kizmel's request to take into consideration (and is it just him, but has she been staring at him this entire time? So strange…), and the answer came easily. "I'm sorry, but I can't help you."

Everyone wore expressions of shock as they stared at him, the elf saying nothing all the same. She raised her head, a weak smile that accompanied her resigned smile.

"Is that so..?" The pain in her voice was not missed, and smiling didn't hide that. "I see… That is fine. Thank you for listening to me nonetheless—"

"I can't help you alone, considering just how many monsters we're talking about here," he continued on with a shrug, his nonchalant expression soon breaking away into a smile as he watched her calm look turn into surprise. "Strong as I may be, one man alone will change nothing. So, we need to match them in terms of numbers. Plus… I can't fight alone anymore. Admittedly, I work better with a team, so I'll have to bring my friends along. If you don't mind, of course."

"I… No, of course not," she was smiling again, more happily this time. "Your words bring me joy, Kirito. I am pleased to know that I can rely on you."

"Of course. I don't intend to sit back and do nothing," he then turned his head to look at the others. "And I can assume you're coming with?"

"Indeed. Where you go, we go."

"Right! And geez, Kii-bou, don't ever do that. You hurt poor Kii-chan."

That comment got him to cringe, genuinely apologetic as he looked back to the elf. "I-I didn't mean that. Sorry."

"No, no, it's fine. I'm simply relieved to know that I have allies," a balled hand moved to her breast, where her heart was. "I, Kizmel, Royal Knight of Her Highness the Queen of Dark Elves, shall fight alongside you, if you allow it."

"We'll be happy to have you with us, Kizmel-chan!" Nodded Asuna with a chirp. "Oh, but you should still get some rest. I don't think it's a good idea for you to keep fighting in this sort of situation."

"Ah, but we haven't the moment to lose. We should—"

"We need you at your best to fight the enemy, Kizmel. As you are now, you're only going to be a liability."

Hard, cold truth. He wished he could have phrased it a little better, if the glares he got from two of his friends meant anything. But better she understands that than not.

One could find his desire to protect her odd, considering that she was just an NPC, and yet… too many things are just going wrong. Her survival, alone, was an error—she had died during the beta test, yet here she is now, still alive and well.

There was reason for her survival, he knows it. And for that, he was going to protect her for as long as he could.

"I… I understand," she didn't look pleased, but she understood his reasoning. "Very well. I shall be sure to get proper rest. Do forgive me."

"Don't worry about it. You did just run a few floors to get here," shrugging, he looks to the local Persona expert. "Vabel, do me a favour and tell Klein everything that Kizmel shared with us. He should know what's about to happen, just to be safe."

She nodded without a word, taking her leave almost immediately.

For now, they would just need to take some time off to let Kizmel give her body the rest it needs. And then, they will have her act as their guide, as she would be the one to know how to navigate the place and find the boss rooms necessary for them to proceed onto the next floor.

One thing's for sure, whatever evils awaited them beyond this floor was not going to make things easy. And he was looking forwards to that.