~ Chapter 11 ~

[ The Night and the Rose ]


Kirito gasped. Light and sound joined him for only a few more seconds before putrid air rushed against him, making his eyes water. Then came vertigo. Airborne in the light for but a moment before they are suddenly engulfed in darkness, their bodies pulled down by gravity before they finally touch ground, coming to a stop once they stopped rolling around like a bunch of ragdolls.

That sense of loss of balance and control had him momentarily struggling to pick himself off the ground. His muscles ached none, but having done quite a bit of running and whatnot, he couldn't find it in himself to get up immediately. He groaned, opting to turn himself around and lie on his back instead. 'Goddesses, that sucked a lot…'

He angled his head to look around, trying to pick out his surroundings. And, judging by the dark and humid interior, the clear bulges of flesh across the environment, the acrid stench in the air and the occasional quivers of the supposed 'ground', they've managed to reach their destination.

They had successfully infiltrated the Million-Eyed.

If there were a million things he could have done, going inside of a monster's body was not one of them. Sort of wished it was Charlotte who'd gone in here instead, to be honest.

"…We're actually inside," he muttered to himself, as if he just wanted to confirm for himself that he wasn't living out a lucid dream of sorts. Somewhere off to the side, he heard Eugeo give out a sound of agreement.

"I don't know if that's a bad thing or not," Eugeo slowly pushed himself up and, upon taking in the sights around them, blanched. "Goddesses… I thought the outside looked bad enough. This looks so much worse."

To the average person, Eugeo might have come across as whiny and complaining. Kirito doubted that very much. Clearly, they had never been in a situation where they had to go inside a monster's belly as they are right now; and within the Million-Eyed, this thing is massive even on the inside.

Just like the outside, the flesh lining the interior of the Million-Eyed's body was charcoal black, albeit with faint lines of red across the surface, akin to veins. A key difference was that, while the segments on the exterior were divided between fleshy sections and hardened armour, the walls of the inside was nothing but longitudinal red-black meat, the 'floor' they stand on bumpy and ridged. He couldn't spot any traces of bone, as befitting an invertebrate as this worm-like abomination, though he could make out several hardened portions along the walls—likely an infiltration of the hardened exterior into the interior lining.

Despite the knowledge that he was lying down on its flesh, he could hardly feel disgusted. He was still disoriented from that prior fall, though he realized he couldn't stay lying down forever. They were on the clock after all.

Eventually, he pushed himself up into a seating position, looking around for the Blue Rose Sword. A glimpse of pale blue in the corner of his vision prompted him to look over in that direction, spotting the sword in question, still in its sheath. He groaned, pushing himself up and hobbling over to pick it up. Its cooling touch helped him to keep calm once more.

'We're really in here,' he had to remind himself. 'Goddesses… Alright. No use fretting over shiz. Charlotte and Fanatio are trusting us to go kill this thing.'

Kill. Any normal person would have been uncomfortable with the notion—and he certainly was—but this was… well, this was a lot more different than killing sentient beings like Gabura. Their foe would, after all, be a mindless thing like Selena's curse, so he doubted he'd feel any guilty over this. Plus, it was either it or the world, and he knew which choice he'd be making. No way in hell he'd let this thing destroy Rulid.

Now was a time to fight. They'd managed it before, so it shouldn't be too hard to do it again.

The area around them gained a dim glow. Kirito turned around, his friend having casted a quick spell to form a small ball of light in the palm of his hand. Nothing but absolute blackness stared back at them, though the pulsating red lines were made more visible now.

"Weird," he said, looking everywhere along the interior. "When you guys traced the inside of this monster's body to look for everyone, there'd been so many, yet I'm not seeing anyone here."

"That's… true," Eugeo muttered. "Maybe it's because we're too close to the mouth? When we located everyone, we were closer to the mid of its body. That might be where everyone is being kept."

"I'm hoping that's the case. It's just too weird that the inside of this damned thing is empty. You'd expect there to be piles of bones or something, since it practically ate them up. Maybe even the bones have been digested—if only you hadn't confirmed that everyone inside are alive."

'Indeed, ' Selena's voice emanated from the back of Eugeo's right hand, a pale blue glow that, even from this distance, feels chilly. 'When we traced their placing and signatures, we could confirm that every person were still alive. Why that is the case isn't something I can tell you, though it's much preferable to the alternative. '

"Yeah, well, so long as they're alive and hadn't been turned into something else completely," he hadn't meant to say that, but Eugeo caught onto the meaning just as quick, his expression morphing into one of uneasiness. "N-Not like that might be the case!" He was quick to say. "I… Sorry, I'm just saying stupid things. Probably the nerves talking. I know that they're fine. We'll just have to find them, get them out, and then we can all go home."

"I-I guess."

"Right. So… let's keep moving forwards—"

A strong tremor struck the body of the Million-Eyed, causing both of them to lose balance as they fell—an explosion, he recognizes, akin to an outburst of fire and plasma. A guttural sound reverberates across the hollow space as the beast howls in pain, causing them to tense in preparation. Kirito's hand automatically grips the hilt of his sword.

Eventually, the shaking ceases. When nothing happened, they relaxed once more.

"That must have been Fanatio," Eugeo breathed out, worriedly looking up at the 'ceiling'. "He must be attacking the body—probably the eyes, more specifically—with his dragon's help."

Right… Of course. Both Charlotte and Fanatio were keeping the Million-Eyed occupied, trying to cut down on the number of eyes available to fire off all those destructive beams that turn the environment upside-down.

And while they're doing that, Eugeo and Kirito would go look for the supposed core of the beast and break it. Do that, and this thing will be as good as dead.

He tightened his hold over the sheath of the Blue Rose Sword. No time to worry about failure or whatever. They'd best get a move on.

'Shall I cast a speed-boosting spell on the both of you? I reckon the trip will be a long one, for how long this thing is.'

"The sooner we reach there, the better," he agreed. "But will you have enough reserves to cast a spell or some to attack the core later on? Just in case, I mean."

'That should be fine,' Selena hummed in return. 'Casting «Sacred Arts» won't be of any issue for me. My strength and spells is at your disposal, no matter what.'

Kirito nodded back, glad to know that they wouldn't have to worry about her running out of juice in case things go south. Selena moved on to blessing them with heightened speed, similar to the spell she'd used on him during his battle with her curse back in the cave. His body felt light, and the faint whispers of wind around him guaranteed a faster run.

He met Eugeo's gaze, and both shared a nod. Immediately after, they begin their rush down into the belly of the beast, the darkness beyond them dispelled by the light that glowed from Eugeo's hand—from behind, it crept right after them. Outside, the battles ensued.


In the darkness of the creature's throat (or it could have been its intestines or something else. Eugeo just isn't familiar enough with worm biology, though he doubted he wanted to know much about this one's own), the body continued to tremor from time to time as explosions rippled across the surface. Sounds outside were muted, but the mind could very well draw suggestions as to what was going on outside as the battle drew on.

Eugeo doesn't know how long they've been running, but it must have ben around thirty minutes or more. It was a testament to this creature's size that they probably haven't even reached half of its body. Likely only a quarter, with but another quarter's worth of distance to travel before they'd eventually reach the centre.

A little to his side and front, his best friend continued to charge forwards, eyes hard and jaw set firm as he tightly gripped the sheath of the Blue Rose Sword in his left. Despite everything that had occurred, there were no signs of exhaustion on his face, though perhaps Kirito was doing his best to hide it. Distract it with his focus on the task at hand.

They really needed to get to the core soon. The longer they delay this, the longer Fanatio and Charlotte would have to fight with the Million-Eyed. And the higher the chances that it would reach Zakkaria, and even Rulid. That was a fate they have to avert, no matter what.

'A monster's core can often vary in shape and size, but they are typically crystal-like objects that can be shattered, ' Selena spoke over them running down the tunnel. Just having her company helped to calm him aplenty. 'The entire ordeal should be simple, though I would suggest that you be cautious moving forwards. We have no guarantees as to what we may come upon,' that wasn't ominous at all.

Still, she wasn't wrong. Things always tend to go bad whether they anticipate them or not, so all that they could do was just be prepared for whatever came next and hope that they live to tell those tales in the future—though he had little doubt in his mind that he would prefer putting this incident behind him for however long possible. Not exactly a fun adventure this is.

Another quake, another bestial growl, and silence once more. The battle was still being waged outside, but being inside here, there was no idea what was going on out there.

"Don't worry about them," Kirito's voice had him turning his head to look at his friend. He was still staring ahead, though of course he'd be able to sense his inner turmoil. "Charlotte and Fanatio are more than capable of handling themselves. We just need to worry about things on our end."

"R-Right. Of course."

They continued their run. With nary a change in the environment for how long they'd been running, it was hard to tell just how further in they were getting. Eugeo could only hope that they were getting closer to the centre. No use wasting their time here.

Eventually, however, he noticed a strange amber glow in the distance. Kirito immediately came to a stop, and so did he, both of them staring ahead warily. The Blue Rose Sword rattled lightly as Kirito tightened his hold, angling his head back for just a moment to give him a nod, one that he returned, before the two moved forwards slowly as Selena ceased her enchantment.

Was it an enemy? A different kind of vessel? It couldn't possibly be a vein or artery, as those were already running across the surface of the beast's interior. And despite how dim they were, they were still bright enough to provide some amount of illumination in the area that made them incredibly suspicious.

Kirito and Eugeo braced themselves for combat.

They really didn't have to.

"What the hell..?" Kirito muttered, lowering is guard in confusion.

He wasn't the only one. What he'd assumed to have been some sort of vessel was actually a strange pod of sorts—and plenty of them. They were yellowish round formations were seen attached to the walls of the interior, the floor, the ceiling. They seemed to pulsate every few minutes. They were dispersed everywhere, irregularly placed without forming a proper pattern. Some are even located on the 'ground'.

Huh. What are those things? Perhaps some sort of digestive juice-secreting organ that would break down whatever got inside of it. Or is it…

"N-No way… That's…" Eugeo gasped, moving forwards to the closest one.

"Oi! Don't get too close to that! You don't know what that's—"

"It's a person…"

That promptly shut his best friend up, who quickly moved beside him to look into the amber pod without touching it. A good idea, in case it poisoned on contact. Peering as closely as possible while they held their breath, they squinted their eyes to peer through the yellowish fluid…

And staring back at them, the sleeping expression of a child.

"Kh..!" Beside him, Kirito recoiled back. Eugeo was no better, gasping as his heart began drumming in his chest. With time, he forced himself to calm down before looking back into the pod. This person… she seems unconscious. Almost as if she was preserved. "D-Damn. Not what I'd expected… I don't recognize this one, though; must be someone from outside of our village."

"D-Do you think she's okay?"

"Yeah. I don't see any signs of injury on her. Not breathing, but otherwise fine," staring at her for a little longer, Kirito eventually pulled away to avert his gaze, trying to wipe away with his discomfort, moving forwards. Eugeo did the same "Come on. Let's quickly find that core. I don't want to stay here any longer than we have to."

Right… Right. There was no use worrying about them for now. They're fine. He has to remind himself of that, because they were still alive. Selena had confirmed such. Saving them now wouldn't do them any good. Killing the Million-Eyed will.

Just as was about to step forwards, intending to continue their journey, a body suddenly bumps into his front. Eugeo yelped in surprise. "Kirito? What's wrong?"

"We've got trouble," trouble? What could he possibly be—

If there was anything so worthy of being a signal, him thinking that exact line was exactly it. In fact, it was as if he sensed them before he even heard of their arrivals, as his head darts left and right to watch in horror; from between the folds of the meat, clawed arms as black as midnight tore themselves out, dragging their bodies out and revealing wolf-like heads with jagged teeth and blood red eyes that emanated with rabid anger.

Eugeo felt his stomach drop. Those are the same wolf-like monsters that Charlotte had fought against on the surface. And they were even materializing inside, likely to block them from reaching the core. Each spawn dropped from the walls and ceiling, snarls and frothing at the mouth as they snapped their heads towards the two boys.

Metal sang as the Blue Rose Sword was drawn from its scabbard. Kirito brandished his sword, handing him the scabbard, which he hastily took before staring behind himself, paranoid that they would be surrounded.

"T-This isn't good," Eugeo muttered, watching the number of spawns increase. "There's just as many here as there are outside… What should we do?"

"Is that even a question?" He shot back. "Our only choice is to cut through them."

"On your own?!"

"It's okay," he said. "This… This won't be too much for me."

As if! Kirito may have fought goblins and even a draconic apparition, but this was still too reckless!

Winds kicked up around Kirito's feet, as Selena's enchantment kicked into full throttle. 'Be prepared to fight! We have no other option if we intend to reach the core. Cut them down! '

That was the signal for them to immediately let out a cacophony of battle cries, opting to make the first initiative as they charged right at them. It was a disoriented wave of black bodies as they prepared to cleave right through them with claws as sharp as scythes. Eugeo paled, unable to make out the number of beasts that were heading right for them.

Standing in front of him, with both hands gripping the hilt of his sword, Kirito readied his sword for an attack. A single drop of sweat fell off his chin, eyes hardened and jaw set firm.

And then, as he tensed himself and bent his body in preparation… he moved.

Meeting their cries with one of his own, Kirito tore his sword through a wolf at the fore of the charge. It was a horizontal cut that easily bisected it, more from the speed he moved at than his actual strength. Just his single dash broke their ranks and he tackled into several at times, throwing a few off their feet from the winds that were howling around him. He didn't stop moving, going with the motions as he spun on his feet to catch three more with another horizontal slash, parrying the blow of another and beheading it with a well-timed slash. Another wolf leapt at him, and flicking his wrist, he positioned his sword to be stabbed right into its chest, before he yelled and pushed forwards to stab through another's body.

More did not let up, intending to swarm him with their numbers. But Kirito was far more merciless, slashing in every direction to cut down whatever threw themselves at him. Focusing on footwork and proper positioning, he was able to lean out of and duck under attacks, returning them with wide slashes, fast thrusts and a strike to the jaw with the pommel of his sword to disorient his foe before he slashed down into its skull with a downwards swing.

Incredible. That was the only thing he could describe whatever he was seeing, for Kirito was cutting them down like they were weeds than actual monsters. It looked so effortless. As if all the battles thus far had already been enough to temper him into a swordsman of his own mettle.

A sharp growl from the boy's left did not catch him off-guard. The raven-haired boy parried the beast's attack, using the added momentum to hack into two at a time, before stabbing his blade straight into his first foe's heart. He tore it out through the side to then roll away from another's attack, engaged in the combat as relentless as he had been from the start.

'Impressive… For how fast he is moving, I would have thought that he'd trained his whole life to fight with a sword.'

'But he hasn't…'

And the signs were clear from how awkward some of his swings were. Brandishing a sword with both hands meant that his attacks held more force, making them far more stronger, but there was a muted discomfort in his eyes that Eugeo couldn't exactly understand.

Not like it made any difference in the end. Each that dared to test themselves against him fell to his sword, dissolving into black mist. More spawned, but none of them even managed to leave a single wound on his body with how quickly he'd cut them down. One tried to swipe at his face, which he responded by leaning backwards, enough to leave it open for him to move beneath it and cleave it in the abdomen, goring it apart in a shower of blood and bone. As it disintegrated, he moved onwards to cut down the next beast.

And yet, for as well as the battle was proceeding, it wasn't showing any signs of stopping. Kirito must know that too, for he was beginning to show signs of exhaustion. He could fight, that much is clear now, but if it's turned into a battle of attrition against all these creatures that refused to stop spawning…

"Selena! We need to help him! We can't just stay still here!"

'Ngh… You aren't wrong, though I fail to see how we could… No, that's just an excuse. Eugeo, join the melee! I'll handle the spells.'

Wait wait wait. Join the melee?! "B-But I can't fight!"

'Though that is the case, it would be far less effective to attack the horde from this distance. We need to get close enough for my spell to work, and then we can continue running forwards to reach the core. Time wasted here will only leave Kirito in greater danger, and the Million-Eyed ever closer to its destinations.'

And neither were situations that they wanted to see play out. To his own shame, he was more concerned by the idea of Kirito dying than he was of Zakkaria's people—or even Rulid—but he shoved it down in favour of bracing himself to move.

Kirito's yell was loud. His sword cutting through all the monsters were even louder. He was getting exhausted, both of them knew, but he pushed on solely by virtue of stubbornness and the adrenaline pumping in his veins. Something would have to give out eventually, and with how the battle was faring…

Eugeo didn't think even further. He leapt straight into action.

'Selena, please!'

'Of course! '

Light the colour of winter snow surged from his hand, all the way up to his shoulder as ice was willed into existence. A howl of frost surged across the battlefield as he rushed towards the horde, the ones in the outer perimeter turning their heads towards the incoming blond.

They didn't have the opportunity to strike out before they were completely frozen over. Ice crept up along the floor and the walls, cracking sharply as they turned the beasts into living statues. Those that were in the process of dragging them out of the walls were frozen as well, preventing them from even landing to join the fray.

"Kirito!"

"Eugeo?!" He cried out in shock. He turned to backhand a beast's swing, then proceeded to gore it with a nasty diagonal slash. "What are you doing here?!"

"We need to move forwards! Selena's using her «Sacred Arts» to freeze the monsters. Let's use this opportunity to go!"

Just as he says that, familiar winds dance around them, augmenting their speed like before. "Won't say 'no' to that!" He spun to rend apart a wolf, then proceeded to break into a run. "Stay close to me! I'll cut down anything that comes right at us!"

A strong statement there, but Kirito kept true to his word as he practically carved his way through the horde of spawns in front of them. Whatever failed to reach him were frozen in their path, while those that were too close were promptly cut down by the blue sword.

Kirito was really doing it. It was hard to believe it, and yet, his heart felt that such shouldn't have come as a surprise to begin with; after all, he had faced off against even more dangerous foes despite only having been two encounters.

He had to wonder if the sword itself was that powerful. Or was it Kirito's own strength that played a part in his ease of defeating all these monsters? His stamina is certainly not to be underestimated either, considering how long he's managing to hold out.

They might be able to do this.

'More are coming after us, ' true to Selena's words, more wolves tore themselves out of the flesh of the Million-Eyed's, though the ice she had conjured practically froze over them before they could hope to pursue them. 'What a bothersome defense mechanism… It's far more advanced than I would have given this monster credit.'

"All the more reason to finish the job as quickly as possible. Selena, keep the spell up for as long as possible! While you keep the monsters at bay, I'll handle the core!"

'Of course. Leave it to me! '


More pods were scattered across the interior as they travelled deeper and deeper into this creature's bowels… or throat, or whatever they're running inside of. Even more wolves clawed their way out to rush towards them, but Selena's «Sacred Art» was warding them off.

There was no indication that they were getting any closer, but Kirito trusted that they were making progress. After all, they'd reach this far in and managed to find all of these people. It was only a matter of time before they arrive at the centre, where the core should be.

'I don't know if I'll be strong enough to break it. I'm not the exact epitome of strength, but I'll just have to do what I can.'

Now that he thought about it, it was even worse that he hadn't thought to learn a «Secret Technique», which could be even more useful. Anyone knew just how much more effective and stronger they are than average sword swings, so to know not even a single one is just a serious impairment.

Still, no use worrying about it now. He'll just have to do whatever he can to break the core. Even if it'll take five hundred sword swings, or a thousand—whatever it'll take.

He was spared any further thoughts when the ground a distance in front of him seemed to ripple. Claws reached out, followed by wolf heads as their bodies were still half-buried in the flesh.

It was like clockwork. Kirito dived low and allowed his sword to sweep fast, feeling no air resistance in his movements. Dim light the colour of gold reflected off the blade as it travelled forwards and sliced right through the wolf's head. He quickly positioned his sword to take out the next wolf.

Two seconds. That was all it took to reach them. And then another second to cut them apart. And then, he continued charging forwards, Eugeo hot on his trail as the area around them froze up.

This was strange. And he wasn't just talking about the situation. If anything, he was rather taken aback by how natural he felt with the sword, which he'd only ever used twice compared to an axe which he'd spent years learning to use. It just feels… familiar. Ingrained not just in his body but in his very soul, for how the sword felt like an extension of his own arm.

Had he been a swordsman in a previous life? Reincarnated as a village boy who was meant to have been a tree-cutter, now reawakening old memories of his trade that's now rearing its head to save both him, his friends and the people of the Human Empire?

"Kirito!" His best friend's voice snapped him out of his line of thoughts. "Look! Over there!"

Huh? He turned his head to stare back to the front—and was promptly shocked to witness a massive blood-red crystal being suspended in the air. Or at least he would have thought so were it not for the strange tendrils of flesh hanging it up and off the ground, each of which seemed to pulsate with a nauseating rhythm. The crystal itself was less disgusting, as its colour seemed to flicker and miasma seemed to dance around its body.

There was no doubting it. This was the core of the Million-Eyed.

'I'm supposed to break that..?' Not only does the crystal look large enough to be similar to a regular house, it looked hard enough that it would be able to repel any physical blows intended for it. It would be close to impossible to break it. 'Shit… Guess I've gotta' give it a shot either way!'

"Kirito, watch out!"

"Huh?" Eugeo's warning came too late, but from mere instinct, he managed to throw himself into a roll to avoid getting his head blown off by a swing of a massive object. He quickly raised his sword to tank another hit, which knocked him off his feet and up into the air, swiftly dropping onto the ground with a gasp before he forced himself back onto his feet to protect himself. Having just been thrown around was enough to disorient him a little, groaning as he stared ahead. "Shit… It doesn't get any easier..!"

And it isn't now. Not when clawed arms almost as long as the very diameter of the tunnel have formed out from the sides, acting as the final bosses. They were just as black as the beast, tipped with ivory white claws that seemed crooked but no less sharp, fluid and swaying and prepared to meet any form of opposition.

Damn it. If Lady Luck was a real person, she wasn't on their side in the slightest. Everything thus far had been bad enough, and now this?

Movement in the corner of his vision. Kirito was first to act. "Split up!" He screamed as he dashed to his right, just in time for one of the arms to have swung down where he'd stood moments ago and avoid getting hit. "Don't let that thing hit you! It'll turn us into paste if it does!"

A slamming thud resounded in the distance. Whatever fears he might have had died moments later. "Couldn't you just not say that?!" Eugeo screamed back, panic in his tone. That he was able to respond at all was a good sign.

He decided to focus on the enemy for the time being. Could he attack the core first? Or should he attempt to cut down the arms? That sounded much more preferable, but if they'd reform a moment later, would it be worth it?

If such is the case, then the better choice here was to destroy the crystal. Wasting time to cut down the arms repetitively wouldn't benefit anyone in any way.

'But that would mean that I'd have to juggle dodging the arms and attempt to destroy the core. That ain't going to be easy,' but then again, when had anything ever been easy for him? 'Fuck it. Let's do this!'

As if the beast had finally deemed it right to face him once more in battle, the arms cracked in places and stretched forth to crush him. Kirito moved faster, propelled by a burst of air, throwing himself forwards and slipping past their combine hammer smash as he charged straight for his target. With a cry from the back of his throat, he leapt upwards and swung his blade right at the centre of the core.

His sword impacted steel. At least, that's what it felt like for his arms seemed to rattle in response to him striking what should be crystal. His mind had conjured an image of his sword easily cracking the thing, not to strike at an unbending object.

Disengaging from the core to put some distance between himself and the incoming arms, Kirito resumed a running charge once more to build up momentum. He moved to dodge the arms once more, leaping and sliding across one and rolling to avoid the next. Never stopping, however. He kept running all the while, then charging at the core once more to strike at it with an overhead slash, pouring every strength he had in him into his next swing.

Once more, it bounced off the core. Kirito winced from the recoil, falling to the ground and swiftly moving out of attack range. 'Fuck, this isn't working..!'

'Kirito, are you alright? '

'Not at all,' he responded, spotting Eugeo hidden behind a crested formation. 'I can reach the core, but I can't make a damned dent in it. The core's as hard as steel! '

'Ah… Then I believe it's time to use it. My «Holy Favour»,' «Holy Favour»? He was unfamiliar with the term. He hadn't the opportunity to ask further before she continued. 'Kirito, when I give you the signal, be prepared to move for the core once more. I am going to teach you a technique that will allow you to destroy the core with but a single swing.'

That had his eyes widening. From even the distance, he could make out shock in Eugeo's gaze. ' There really is something that powerful?'

'There indeed is,' the dragoness hummed back at Eugeo's question. 'However, it is only possible due to the weapon that Kirito wields—the Blue Rose Sword. A truly fortunate thing, for we must unleash its buried power to defeat the Million-Eyed.'

'The Blue Rose Sword's power? '

'It is, after all, a weapon forged from memories of an ice and a flower atop snow-peaked mountains. Such power that it holds will be enough to defeat anything.'

Why hadn't he heard anything about this before? Gah, damn it. Better now than to not have learnt it, which would only make it longer for him to struggle helplessly against the core. 'Alright. Teach me this technique, Selena! '

He opts for evasive manoeuvres this time, dodging all the attacks that hone in on him while Selena continues to communicate to him. 'It is called «Armament Full Control Art». More specifically, what you will be using is called «Enhance Armament», which will unlock a portion of the Blue Rose Sword's memories.'

'«Enhance Armament»? ' It sounded pretty strong. There might be promise in this yet.

'Indeed. With little time to properly teach you the intricacies behind this technique, I shall choose to summarize it; think of the sword's origins. Its memories will take form according to your will and your vision, obeying its affinity to strike out at the enemy. Every unique weapon has their own specific «Armament Full Control Art». The Blue Rose Sword is no different.'

'W-Well, alright, but what does it do? Specifically.'

'That, I cannot tell you. It ultimately depends on you to shape the art to your will. You must envision the process. That is the driving force behind every existing art, spell and technique; if you are capable of imagining it, then it will surely come to fruition.'

'Okay, again, that's great. Fantastic, even! But what am I supposed to imagine? '

'I suppose if we're making this as simple as possible, we're trying to freeze the body of the Million-Eyed. Wouldn't that be a good place to start? Now focus. I will teach you the necessary incantation of «Enhance Armament».'

It was too much information at once. And in the hectic process of trying to avoid getting murdered, there was absolutely no peace for him to absorb and memorize everything. Even so, he made to and tried to boil them down to simpler terms for his own sake—accessing the weapon's memories, modifying its properties to bring about the intended effect, and finally assigning those new alterations to affect the weapon's offensive performance.

It wasn't hard on paper, but again, the sheer lack of time to fully take it all in and understand whatever had been said left him forced to hope that he could just wing it.

But that also made him think of one thing; the fact that this «Armament Full Control Art» was targeted specifically at memories.

It doesn't make use of spatial resources like «Sacred Arts» do. Rather, it seems as if it utilized the weapon alone, delving into its soul and memories to bring to life whatever it could possibly do.

The Blue Rose Sword. A sword that was formed by the union of a block of ice and a blue rose atop the peaks of a snowy mountain. Such is the bond of two entities that had brought about the birth of a unique weapon such as this, that now seems to accompany him in this battle against a beast larger than the Gigas Cedar that intends to raze everything to the ground…

Kirito jumped back and away from a sweeping attack, then proceeded to lean away from another. He relied more on backpedalling to keep him away from getting struck down, moving far away and positioning himself for a straight charge forwards.

Selena's words were still flowing in his head, making sure to enunciate every word of the incantation necessary as quickly and clearly as possible. He strained to remember each one, but knew that it was necessary if he wished to succeed here.

Just one swing. That was all that he needed. He just had to make his rush forwards count, reach the core once again, and unleash the «Enhance Armament» technique. Whatever came next, he could only hope that it'd do something.

His eyes fell upon the blade in his hands. It did not waver, firm in his grip and prepared for the final blow. Kirito was ready all the same.

'Be prepared, Kirito! I'll prepare my «Holy Favour» and assist you right after! '

Both limbs charged at him. He couldn't hope to block them; not with how much strength they were packing in their motions. He moved out of their trajectories, benefitting from his choice to avoid taking the blows straight on as they lunged and crashed against the interior of the Million-Eyed, yet doing not a single damage to itself.

Of course it couldn't be that simple. Simply because those arms are a projection of its own flesh, it would be immune to its own damage. Otherwise, he could have baited those arms to shatter the core, doing his job for him.

As he steps back for a backpedal, his entire being seizes up, alerted to a new presence. He had half a second to notice the incoming black shape before he let himself fall into a backwards roll, dodging out of the way out of the much smaller, but no less dangerous claw that could have shredded his face.

"Kirito!"

"I'm fine!" He growled back, brandishing his sword. He moved backwards to put some distance between himself and the newly-spawned reinforcements, all of them frothing at their mouths as they glared murder at him. 'Just great. Exactly what I needed.'

Perhaps the Million-Eyed was getting antsy now. They'd managed to last this long, and now it was thinking of pulling back on all stops to remove him before he could become a worse nuisance—so why not add some reinforcements on top of it all to overwhelm him with numbers?

It just couldn't be simple. Never that simple.

"You think all of you together can stop me?" He glared forwards, baring teeth. "I fought a goblin… a warrior ten times your worth. You want to kill me so bad? Go ahead and try!"

It was an aggressive bait, and they fell for it. Like a tidal crash, every wolf spawn howled as they rushed him down as one singular unit. Black forms surrounded him from every point.

They never fucking learned. An animal is deadly enough on its own. Once cornered? It will fight tooth and nail to rip their way through.

And rip his way through he did, as Kirito snarled as he weaved between their formations, Blue Rose Sword sweeping low and effortlessly tearing through their bodies like a hot knife through butter. Not a single resistance met his motions, sidestepping and ducking under every blow while he turned into the aggressor this time, sword becoming nothing but a blur as he swung in every direction.

An upwards slash. A diagonal cut. A low thrust. A brutal overhead. A swift cleave.

He rammed his shoulder into an unsuspecting wolf's chest, stabbing the Blue Rose Sword through it. Be it adrenaline, strength or pure anger, he kept pushing forwards, managing to pierce an additional two wolves behind the first one he has pinned, before viciously goring his sword out to the side to then bisect another attacker. One lashed for his face. He deflected that attack, stabbed at its knee, spun to slash upwards in the head, then finished off the first with a quick downwards.

More were spawning. Kirito didn't stop cutting his way through them. A shadow over his head cued him to leap off to the side, dodging the massive hand that would have crushed him. Be it luck or sheer bullshit, none of the wolves got hurt in the attack, yet against proving his hypothesis that a monster's projection just can't damage itself or one another.

Then that just means he'll have to cut them down himself.

With a wide sweeping slash, he carved his way through yet another swarm of mobs. They disintegrated the moment they fell to his sword, filling his vision with naught but blackness. He squinted his eyes, but continued moving forwards, all the while moving in wild and likely careless swings that still caught an enemy by the ribs or a limb.

He was surrounded, but wasn't always the strongest ones those most desperate? Faced with such odds, he had the choice of either succumbing to them or pushing through his limits to cut them down. Such was the only logic behind his ability to continue fighting, and he damned well didn't care for whatever else.

As he moved to strike down another wolf, something reached it first. A fang-like formation of ice, jagged and sharp enough to cut wood. More were suddenly frozen to their places, ice travelling along the surfaces of the tunnel and reaching the entire circumference.

He stared back at his friend, spotting him on one knee, pressing his right hand into the flesh. The area surrounding him was frozen solid, with pale white mist wafting in the air from the hyper-cooled air of Selena's spell. His hand and arm shone bright.

'Kirito! '

'On it! '

Timely moving out of the way of a fast swing, he broke through their ranks and shattered a few as he moved towards the back of the core. Some mobs spawned, but the ice had reached them before they could even seek to stop him.

'Lend me your strength, Blue Rose Sword,' he came to a stop at an appropriate distance, drawing his sword behind him in preparation for a run. 'I don't know if I'm actually worthy of this, but right now, I need your power to protect everyone. So please!' He gripped tight. "Give me the strength to save everyone! «Enhance Armament»!"

And then, like a shooting star, the winds of the dragon propel him forwards.

The clawed arms as black as tar shook to break out of their frozen state, opting for straight thrusts right at him immediately after. He dodged one and then leapt onto another, before propelling himself up at the core. Under normal circumstances, his jump would have barely amounted to much. Blessed by Selena's winds, however, which had seen him run circles around a soul formed out of the regrets and anger of a dragon? He practically sailed forwards like an arrow.

Something resounded beside him. It was a sound he had never heard of before, a booming sequence of metal being struck in the forge, accompanied by a deafening cacophony of glass shattering. The sword in his hand suddenly felt cold to the touch, akin to holding a whole slab of ice, as bright blue light poured off its blade and threatened to overwhelm everything. The air around him felt a sharp drop in temperature.

All happened in a span of a few seconds, before he ultimately reaches the core. With a firm thrust, aided by the strong acceleration, he stabs the blade straight into the core's centre.

And then, like a sudden storm, ice burst into existence. From the point of contact between the Blue Rose Sword, ice spires poked out like a crown, creeping out of the minute cracks he'd formed in the core and quickly engulfing it's surface.

'I am the Algor Halcyon, the dragon of the coldest winters! ' Selena's voice boomed out in a cacophony. From around Eugeo, cold winds began to spiral around him, as if trapping him in a howling storm. Wolves attempting to rush him down don't have the chance to properly turn to ice before they break apart like glass. 'In life and death, I will guard the people of Norlangarth and beyond! Any that shall stand in my path shall die to the cold of my reign! «Estreal Bloom»! '

A sharp pang struck Kirito. It was the phantom sensation of being stabbed in the gut with a dagger, fast enough to almost knock him unconscious. His vision wavered, hands shaking for just a moment as he witnesses ice creep down to his fingertips, turning the skin near the nails a deep blue. His arms cracked as he shifted his movements, a puff of mist escaping him as he breathed out.

And yet, he felt no weaker. The biting cold served not to kill him.

It was to bolster the Blue Rose Sword's power.

He thought of the frigid mountains. The cold that had become a constant for all that lives atop it, snow and storm blowing every single day. Of the flower and the ice that met by chance, yet in the cold, they had formed a bond. Decades, perhaps centuries, tested the strength of their bond.

It had become resolute. Unbroken. Eternal, like the sword they had formed, that which now sits in his hand as is piercing the Million-Eyed's core.

And if he could ask for even a sliver of that strength to prevent this tragedy?

"Roses!" He shouted, clenching the sword's hilt with all his strength—

'Oh, he's so cool! Isn't he cool? Oh, we've got to answer his call! '

'Forsooth! Togeth'r anon! '

"—Bloom!" And pushed down.

And the Blue Rose Sword, heeding his plea for strength, came to life.

Within the blink of an eye, empowered by Selena's gift, his will and the beings' responding to him, the memories of ice and roses surged forth like a torrential wave. His vision was engulfed in a flash of white, thorns of ice spiralling outwards and swallowing up the core. No, it had practically turned the core itself into fragile ice. Thorned vines shot out, some travelling up the tendrils suspending the core mid-air, and hooked onto the walls of the tunnel, barbed and thorned to remain firm. Flowers bloomed from the vines, completely representing the two beings that had birthed this weapon.

Blue like the morning light itself, the ice continued to eat away at the skin, flesh and bones of the monster's body. It slipped deeper into the crevices between the flesh, casting more and more into frost. It spread as far as to at least the next two adjacent segments on either side.

This was the power of the Blue Rose Sword's «Armament Full Control Art». To unleash its memories of a brutal landscape, from which memories of solidarity is built in their time spent together. Such is the sheer strength behind it, offering no mercy to those who seek to oppose such a thing.

"Kirito!" He heard Eugeo cry out. "Behind you!"

A loud wooshing sound accompanies his warning. Kirito threw his head back, glaring at the incoming black arm. "Don't even think about it!"

Like a damning curse, it got close enough to almost reach for his face before the frost in the air instantly chilled it into motionlessness. Icy thorns pierced through and bloomed across the arm, preventing it from moving anymore.

"That's enough out of you," with but a simple movement, he wrenched the Blue Rose Sword out of the centre, shattered pieces scattering into the air. He wondered if there was some words to be said, for a creature as mindless as this one, but he settled for such: "Hope when you get reborn or something, you don't become this big of a mess the next time."

And, without any fanfare, he raised his sword up—before bringing it down with a powerful slash.

Kirito knew he was not strong. Not by a longshot. But debilitated by the powerful freezing spell it had been subjected to, what was once as hard as steel became as brittle as cheap brick. It broke like glass right after.

A moment of clarity returned to him. That was enough for him to notice the ground quickly approaching him, forcing him to shift into a roll to lessen the impact. He quickly braced himself for an attack, but with the entire battlefield frozen over, nothing was alive.

Least of all the Million-Eyed, for a few seconds later, it began to rumble. Kirito gasped, almost falling to his hands had he not used the Blue Rose Sword to steady himself. 'What's going on now? '

'You killed it! ' Eugeo shouted back, still on his knees like earlier. 'The body is probably dying after the loss of its core! It might just deteriorate into nothingness! '

'No, it won't. Something as ancient as this will not disintegrate immediately; such only accounts for lesser monsters. At best, it would take a month or so.'

'Well, at least it's dying—'

It wasn't just him who screamed. Kirito did too, as did the Million-Eyed released a guttural sound akin to a dying animal. The world suddenly lurched and spun, shifting their positions and throwing them around like dolls. The frozen mobs did the same, shattering against the walls or one another and turned into nothingness when they too lost their positions.

The Million-Eyed was rolling. That was the only thing he could think of as the creature had effectively died while it was moving. And wasn't there some saying about how something in motion stays in motion, or some shiz? Either way, it was rolling around—and they were still in it!

"Eugeo—ack..!" He gasped as his back slammed into the ground. He tried to push himself upwards, but he managed only a step forwards before he was lifted up once more. "Aagh..!"

He couldn't move. Not when he was being tossed around like a potato in a sack. In a moment of desperation, he stabbed the sword into the ground, piercing it true and keeping him anchored. It didn't help that he was now subjected to gravity's bullshit in that position as his world turned sideways and upside-down all at once, but he held through all the same.

"Eugeo..! Come here..!"

"T-Trying..! It's not so easy—wah..!"

'It's okay, I got you! ' Selena promptly unleashed a burst of wind behind the blond's back that propelled him right at Kirito, who caught his friend by the hand. 'This is too dangerous! We're liable to wound ourselves even worse from this! '

"Leave that to me!" He yelled over the noise. He focused once more on the sword, pouring his will into the blade and hoping it would respond once more. Using another «Enhance Armament» right off the bat is going to drain its «Life» pretty badly, but desperate times call for desperate measures. "Need your help one more time, so let's go! «Enhance Armament»!"

The sword bloomed once more. Eugeo gasped in awe as vines of ice erupted from the point of which his blade touched the ground, wrapping around the both of them in a sphere. It froze over and hardened, encasing them in a protective shell of pale blue ice that remain affixed to the wall of the Million-Eyed's throat.

'Brace yourselves! '

The world continued to spin. Kirito and Eugeo crouched, gripping one another's arms for support.

And with one final scream, the world tremored once more.


…Goddesses. What… What happened here?

She was at a loss for words. She'd thought she'd have been prepared for all eventualities. A life serving the church as an Integrity Knight had seen her fighting all kinds of foes and witnessing all kinds of events, so something like this should have been fine. And yet, even as she'd witnessed the events that lead to this moment, the one known as Integrity Knight Fanatio Synthesis Two was incapable of actually processing the scene presented before her.

Namely, the fact that this place used to be plains, filled with lush greens and flowers that bloomed across every square Mel. The area from Uetra Valley and Sustnel Mountains would have been an absolutely beautiful place.

And now, not even Uetra Valley remained.

Grass had been uprooted and broken off to leave a wide trail of brown. In the surrounding areas, fire raged on as forests and mountains succumbed to the destruction. It was like the scene of an apocalyptic event—and it truly might have been had the creature responsible been allowed to live even longer.

Her eyes moved over to the unmoving Million-Eyed. Spanning a total length of around a hundred Mel, it was lay motionless only a few Mel away from Zakkaria's front gates. While many details would have not gone unnoticed by any onlooker, such as the numerous eyes that were now lifeless or the bluing colours of the once-was red fleshy segments—what truly caught her attention is the large spot of white on its skin.

No, spot was not fully accurate. It seems like some sort of outgrowth. As if something had grown from the inside to the out, breaking the flesh and skin and encasing the area in… ice?

Fanatio Synthesis Two had little words. Or none, actually. She was busy trying to come to terms that this is real. That this isn't just a product of her own imagination.

The sound of her dragon's soft cooing pulls her out of her thoughts, noticing her beloved companion giving her a calming look. She must have sensed her inner turmoil. "Murasaki…" She muttered, gently stroking the dragon's head. "It's really over… All in a single day."

It cooed what sounded like agreement.

"Honestly… How'd they even managed all of this?" She asked herself with a sigh. "A boy with a strange sword, his friend who uses such strange «Sacred Arts», and an odd huntress," said huntress had jumped off the Million-Eyed earlier, and was now running towards her.

That she'd never known of these people prior to today was a shock of its own. Had they been in hiding all this time? Is that why not even the Axiom Church themselves know of these three individuals?

Strange…

Before she could pursue that line of thinking even further, the frozen body of the Million-Eyed broke outwards. Fanatio tensed, preparing for yet another battle, only to gasp in relief when it was just the two boys. They pulled themselves out of the creature's belly, staring out at their surroundings. The black-haired one screamed out what sounded like happiness, falling back to lie on the body of what they killed. His companion followed suit.

She couldn't even blame them. For how dangerous this mission was, for them to have somehow succeeded in neutralizing it was just…

With a quiet command, Murasaki descended towards the children. Close enough so that she could drop down directly beside them, albeit at a distance to not scare them. Kirito must have noticed her either way, waving her way with a loud groan. She couldn't help the amused smile that formed on her face.

"H-Heyaz…" He breathed out, peeking an eye open. Whatever expression he could have formed ultimately turned into relief. "Thank the goddesses… It's over, right..?"

"It is," she hummed, watching over what could have been a war-stricken battlefield, but really had been the doings of a singular entity far stronger than even she could have imagined.

And yet, here they stand, alive and well. Against all odds, they'd somehow… won.

It still hadn't hit her that they had, and she was left struggling with these thoughts of shock and disbelief. Even so, the relief pooling in her chest outweighed anything else, and she was simply happy to know the two children had come out of this unharmed.

"Fanatio," the knight turned towards the source of the voice, finding Charlotte approaching them. "You are unscathed. That is good."

"As are you," she nodded back, turning to look at the boys. A moment of hesitation, before she opted to sit down by the edge of the beast's body, Charlotte following suit. "I must say… you two were impressive," she aimed her words at the boys. Exhausted as they may have been, they perked up at her voice. "One who used the «Armament Full Control Art», and another whose talent with «Sacred Arts» is almost limitless. It was captivating, to say the least."

It truly was. Such power, in the hands of two children who barely looked older than twelve, somehow managing to fell a creature hundreds upon hundreds of times their size. Only the goddesses know how severe the battle inside had been, for what else could explain the signs of tire on their faces? Kirito, especially, for he seems the most worn-out between the two.

Her eyes gazed over to his hand that held the sword's hilt. It was shuddering, chilled across the surface and skin blue. It was a worrying look, but she could tell that warmth was returning to his fingers, for colour was beginning to return to them. At least she wouldn't have to worry about him getting hypothermia, though using the sword's power must have been incredibly dangerous.

For him to have somehow drawn upon that power to this sort of level, all without sacrificing anything, is just…

"Yeah, well… you were pretty great yourself."

The words were delivered so suddenly that Fanatio was thrown for a loop. "E-Excuse me?"

"I mean… we were in the worst of situations ever, but you remained so calm throughout—both you and Charlotte. And you were the one who helped rescuing us every single time," he let out a drawled groan. "Honestly, I'm kind of annoyed because no matter whatever plan I made, it kept relying on you in some way or another. You even helped to destroy the eyes while Charlotte attacked the monsters, right? I… Sorry. If it bothered you so much, for how much you had to do."

Initially, she'd been so surprised to hear him say all those things that she would have thought that he'd just made a list of excuses to patronize her.

But looking into his eyes, she could sense no ill will. He had been completely honest, if a little upset. Perhaps from the assumption that she'd be upset.

"…Hah. Is that so?" She couldn't help it. Faced with such honesty, though sounding antagonistic without actually intending to, she ended up laughing a little, shaking her head in mirth. "Please, withhold any feelings of guilt. I was honoured to serve."

"That so? I guess that's good to hear," Kirito gave a lopsided grin. "All's well that ends well… although my body feels like crap. Can't move a damned muscle…"

"Indeed. The battle had been taxing," Charlotte agreed. Though her expression gave not much away, she looked a little frazzled. Her clothes were torn up in several places with signs of dirt on her person, having been occupied from the start until the end. "You two did incredibly well. Thanks to you, the Human Empire is safe from danger."

"Not exactly how I thought this day would go, but that's just how it ends up being, sometimes," he sighed. His best friend beside him nodded.

"No kidding. I don't think I want to get out of bed for a whole week after this… Then again, we do have our calling…" The reminder of such had Kirito letting out a weak groan. "Oh, hush you. Watching you fight made me exhausted. How did you even…"

"Don't know, man. Forced myself to keep fighting. I'm glad that I did, but I'm regretting all these aches in my body. And I literally cannot feel my fingers."

Fanatio shrugged one shoulder. "A side effect from using the Blue Rose Sword's power, perhaps. It'll go away in time."

"True that… Welp, no time like the present," with a groan, he slowly pushed himself up into a seating position. Charlotte was quick to move behind him, keeping him steady with both hands on his shoulder. He muttered a thank you as she helped him up onto his feet, doing the same with Eugeo, who looked less shaky but equally tired. "Now that everything's over, our job is getting everyone out of the thing. There's no knowing if they'll suffocate if they stay any longer inside," he paused to look out at the environment, then turned back towards them. "So… who wants first dibs to go inside?"

Everyone shared a collective moan of discontent. And Fanatio could only wonder: how in the world is she going to report this to the Axiom Church?


Author's Notes:

And that's the boss battle chapter, finally published ! Whoo!

It sure took a while, but our band of unlikely heroes have managed to defeat the Million-Eyed. That was a battle that I tried to make a little more chaotic to fit the feel, since it's a battle that needed to be rushed since they had little time.

Now I know that some people might be curious as to how Kirito's so good. Honest answer? It's more instinct than anything else. However, he's still not a full-fledged swordsman. Rather than having great skill and control, he was more uncontrolled and swinging wildly to hope that he could land his blows. They worked since his enemies this time are much easier, compared to the goblins back then, where he barely fought before needing to be rescued by Charlotte.

Now, last little point; Underworld has a rich selection of arts that you've seen thus far, one of which I invented when I introduced Selena, one of the four Cardinal Dragons. For the sake of ease, I'm going to list down all of them here (both what you've seen and what you will see in the future) so that you get the basic gist of which is.

~ = ~

«Sacred Arts»: The basic use of spatial resources that almost all entities can use. Has eight elements.

«Dark Arts»: Native to residents of the Dark Territory. They can sacrifice their «Life» as replacement for spatial resources. Follows the same eight elements.

«Cardinal Favours»: Can only be used by the Cardinal Dragons. Unique arts with differing effects. «Holy Favours» are unique to each dragon.

«Armament Full Control Art»: Releases the weapon's memories, either through «Enhance Armament» or «Release Recollection», to unlock offensive, defensive or supportive capabilities.

~ = ~

Anyhow, that's about it for now. I'll be having just as much fun writing the next chapters as I have this far in, so thank you to everyone who's stuck with this story thus far. With peace finally returning to the realm of humans, it's about time that we progress with the plot. Here's to events that'll lay the foundations for their journey beyond sleepy little Rulid.

But that's for a later time, yeah? Take care and stay safe! Thanks again, and see ya' in the next chapter.