A/N:
Bit of a shorter chapter this time. We're back in familiar territory now as we jump back into canon events. With obvious differences, of course.
Enjoy!
It wasn't supposed to go like this.
Kirito thought this would be an ordinary labyrinth scouting mission. It was a relatively easy task nowadays, especially if one planned out the group composition adequately. Over two years into playing this game had given everyone among the front line the skills and habits necessary to ensure a smooth and methodical approach to every floor. Even Ronye and the other new recruits had fallen into line. They weren't Assault-Team-ready just yet, but they would be very soon.
So assured of the ease of this mission was Kirito that he gave most of the guild the day off today. They'd been hard at work for weeks, after all. They deserved a break to unwind and relax.
That wasn't to say he was alone, though, as several Renegades volunteered to join him in scouting the 74th Floor labyrinth. Asuna was with him, of course, but their modest exploration group also consisted of Klein, Dale, Kunimittz, Silica, and Dynamm. Though he didn't want to assume, it was obvious that his wife would join him in this endeavor. Klein wanted to blow off some steam, and the rest of Fuurinkazan – as always – was in tow. Silica tagged along because she wanted to get Pina and Fafnir some more experience.
While they broke for lunch, they were approached by a small squadron from the Aincrad Liberation Force – affectionately called the Army by those who couldn't be bothered to recite the entire name.
Which was just about everyone, really.
They were boisterously led by a man named Kobatz. One of Kibaou's most devoted followers, and unfortunately one of those (irritating) Army members who had a bit of a superiority complex when it came to those outside his own guild. A bit of a blow-hard, if Kirito was being honest, but the man was a hard worker at least.
Too bad that same sense of drive led them to biting off more than they could chew.
Again, it was not supposed to go like this.
"Don't just stand there!" Kirito yelled, trying to raise his voice over those within who were screaming in abject terror. "Use your teleport crystals!"
"We can't! They're not working! We think this is one of those anti-crystal – AAHHH!"
Any further response was cut off by a massive blade cutting through their ranks. ((The Gleam Eyes)) seemed to chuckle at the chaos it was creating in the puny human soldiers below. Kirito grimaced, remembering how the demonic monster had scared off his own group when they first encountered the boss room. Between its horned visage, massive greatsword, and snake tail, it was abundantly obvious that this thing was not going to be a pushover.
Unfortunately, Kobatz didn't get the memo.
"The Aincrad Liberation Force doesn't know the word retreat!" The idiot yelled. "Come on! Keep fighting!"
"They're… that's insane!" Klein stammered. "Kirito, we gotta do somethin'!"
"We could run in and distract it…" Kirito thought aloud, beads of virtual sweat running down his face. "It's risky, though…"
"GAH!"
*THUMP!*
Like a sack of potatoes, Kobatz fell at their feet, having been tossed up and over from a rather powerful swing courtesy of the monstrous boss inside. He laid still, and after a moment his helmet shattered. The look of fear painted on his face was enough to give anyone hesitation. He seemed to know he was going to die.
"I can't believe it…" Kobatz muttered, his eyes unfocused and teary.
"Pina!"
Kirito felt a small weight land on his left shoulder, and his vision was immediately filled with a misty breath as Pina doused Kobatz in a healing spray. Just in time, too; based on that glimpse he saw of the idiot's health bar was enough to see that Kobatz was literally on death's door.
"I'm… alive?" Kobatz said, regaining some semblance of coherence.
"Nice job, Sil." Klein gave the young dragon tamer a firm pat on the back. "You just saved this dumbass."
"It's not over yet!" Asuna cried out, running forward with her rapier drawn. "Come on! We need to buy them time!"
Kirito whipped himself out of his stupor and began issuing orders. "Dynamm, Kunimittz, Dale! Get them out of here! Silica, be ready to heal! Klein, we need to distract it!"
Klein looked hesitant for a moment before he groaned in exasperation. "Oh, what the hell! Let's go, boys!"
Kirito nodded and began to run forward, only for his wife's body to come flying at him. He quickly dropped his swords and caught her, skidding back from the impact. She groaned and he felt his heart race. She was still alive. Beaten around a little, but alive.
*CLANG!*
"A little help would be appreciated!" Klein shouted as he crossed swords with the boss, his Unique Skill proving enough to ward away the devastating strikes. Kirito knew he couldn't keep it up forever, though. Eventually his weapon would break from the repeated stress of parrying.
Not needing any further instruction, Kirito and Asuna launched forward, past those who were still in the process of rescuing the wayward Army soldiers. Fafnir screeched as he flew past the duo and began peppering ((The Gleam Eyes)) with spurts of poison spray. The wyvernling's attacks did little to damage the boss of the 74th, but it did serve as a nice distraction.
"Klein, switch!" Kirito shouted.
The crimson samurai leapt back after crossing blades with the demon; Kirito and Asuna jumped in and unleashed hell, using every trick in the book to keep the attention on them and away from those they were trying to rescue. Kirito couldn't help but growl in his throat, frustrated that it came to this. Because of these idiots, now he and his friends were fighting for their lives to save them from their own stupidity.
He was going to have words with Kibaou, assuming he survived this.
"That IDIOT! I told him to scout the labyrinth, not fight its boss!"
Ronye flinched at the volume of the man her guildmates affectionately referred to as "That Cactus-haired Idiot" as he spat curses and obscenities at the screen floating above the Town of Beginnings main plaza. Kibaou's rant was so violent, in fact, that he had inadvertently created a 10 foot bubble of space around him. No one wanted to stand next to him as he was.
SAO's emotion system was quite thorough, as evidenced by the literal steam coming out of his ears.
The crowd gasped, and Ronye cursed herself for letting her attention wander. Kirito-senpai was up there, fighting for his life. The least she could do was watch him. At the very least, he would want her to watch so that she could pick up on any strategies or tricks he used.
She watched in awe as he executed a ((Cross Block)) with his blades, barely stopping the boss's massive blade from bisecting him in half. The impact was so forceful, actually, that she could see a dust cloud kick up around her senpai. With a grunt, he forced the blade up and away just in time for Asuna to leap in with what had to have been dozens of stabs and thrusts.
"Man, sometimes I forget just how awesome those two are!" A familiar voice exclaimed nearby. "Well, Klein too, I guess. But dang!"
Ronye looked over and saw Yuuki, leader of the Sleeping Knights, standing there with a blindingly bright grin on her face. She'd met the other dual blader a handful of times, and if there was one thing Ronye was able to ascertain from their scarce interactions, it was that Yuuki was always cheerful and optimistic. She wasn't sure how the purplette could always be so peppy all the time.
Wasn't she aware of just how deadly this game was?
"Ronye, right?" Yuuki asked. "Do you know what's going on? I don't remember hearing about a scouting raid."
Ronye shook her head. "No; Kirito-senpai didn't say anything about the boss room. I didn't even know they found it yet."
"That's 'cause until today, no one did." A nasally voice sounded out. Argo stepped in between the two and draped her arms over their shoulders. "Roni-chan. Yuuki-chan. Yer mentor's an idiot."
"Hey!" They both cried out indignantly. The two exchanged a startled look that morphed into mutual smirks.
"Then how do you explain the fact that yer mentor is still fightin' that thing?!" Argo cried out as she pointed up at the screen, her teasing thrown aside in what was now obvious concern.
Ronye felt her face pale as she watched her senpai – with the help of Asuna and Klein, that is – fight ((The Gleam Eyes)). She looked upon the floating screen in awe as her senpai expertly maneuvered around the monster and struck with all the confidence and efficiency of a master swordsman. The way he handled both blades, not as if they were two distinct weapons, but instead two halves of a whole. Like a well-oiled machine, he alternated between manual strikes and sword skills, using the former whenever the latter would land him in a compromised position. It was an art form.
Truly, Kirito-senpai was the greatest.
"Nah, Asuna is." Yuuki commented.
Ronye blinked. Had she said that out loud? She looked over at Yuuki, who was eagerly watching the broadcast. The purplette was almost shivering with excitement and anticipation.
"Sorry?" Ronye asked, unsure if she'd heard Yuuki correctly. Surely she didn't mean to suggest that Kirito-senpai wasn't –
"Kirito's pretty cool, but Asuna's better." Yuuki clarified.
Oh, this would not stand.
"How can you say that?" Ronye gaped at the dual blader. "Kirito-senpai taught you himself!"
"Oh, don't get me wrong." Yuuki continued, her smile ever cheerful despite the absolute heresy coming out of her mouth. "Kirito's awesome. Even learning under him, I don't think I could ever be as good with ((Dual Blades)) as he is. It's just, I mean… look at her! Asuna's had her Unique Skill for half as long as Kirito has, and she's still keeping up with him! She's not even using it all the time like he is!"
She did have a point, Ronye supposed. Based on what the others told her, Asuna got her Unique Skill just before the Floor 50 boss fight… which wasn't all that long ago, at least compared to when Kirito-senpai got his around Floor 20. Her ability to keep up with Kirito-senpai was impressive, though it would never measure up to the awesomeness that was the original Dual Blader carving through swathes of enemies with his twin blades. She'd liken him to a hurricane on the battlefield if she hadn't already seen Yuuki literally spin around a battlefield while giggling like a madwoman. Already people were calling her "The Tornado."
What was it about people giving out titles like that?
Regardless, Asuna was impressive. She was able to compete with her senpai using only one blade, as opposed to two. That, and her speed was nothing short of what her title hinted at, lightning-fast. Asuna was the only player she knew of who could literally vanish from your sight if you so much as blinked at the wrong time.
Okay, maybe there was some merit to Yuuki's argument, but Kirito-senpai was still better.
She was going to die on this hill, damn it.
Another gasp from the crowd drew her attention back to the screens. Kirito-senpai just took a heavy blow, by the looks of it. Asuna and Klein moved in to give him some breathing room, but Ronye couldn't help but shudder in concern. She felt so helpless, and by the looks of her guildmates nearby, she wasn't alone. The first knee-jerk reaction from her guildmates was to run up to the 74th labyrinth themselves and provide some much-needed support. There was only one problem with that plan.
No one knew where the boss room was.
Presumably Kirito-senpai and the rest of the exploration group had found the room, but due to the inability to send messages while in a labyrinth, they must have been unable to get help. She knew they weren't foolish enough to tackle – or even scout – the boss before briefing the other frontline guilds, and those that had witnessed the start of the broadcast confirmed as much. The first ones into the room were that group of Army idiots. Kirito-senpai and his group of Renegades arrived afterwards to rescue them from a hell of their own making.
Then Kirito-senpai charged back in, and she saw both of his blades glow with the start of a sword skill. Given that both blades were glowing, it was likely a skill unique to ((Dual Blades)). Ronye shivered with anticipation; Kirito-senpai almost never used his ((Dual Blades)) skills since they were usually longer in duration than regular sword-based skills.
"No way!" Yuuki gasped.
"What? What is it?" Ronye asked as Kirito began to hack and slash at the boss violently.
"He's using…!"
"He's using ((Starburst Stream))!"
"You're shaking the screen too much!" Suguha scolded, grabbing onto the other side of Shinichi's phone to steady it. "Calm down!"
"Gah! Sorry!"
She much would have preferred to watch this on Trish's television back at the Dicey Cafe, but suffice it to say that this boss broadcast was unexpected. Were it not for Shinichi's fanboy tendencies – and his phone notification blaring some rather obnoxious tone – she never would have known that Kazuto and his friends were fighting the 74th Floor boss.
Friends. As in the literal plural. Only two people were fighting alongside him, and the reason for that infuriated her to no end.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket. Keeping her eyes glued to Shinichi's phone, even as they walked, Suguha pulled her phone out and – with all the dexterity and well-practiced muscle memory of a teenage girl of her generation – unlocked the device and navigated to her text messages without even looking at her screen.
However, rather than immediately shift her attention over to her phone, Suguha kept her attention focused on her brother. It was incredible, really. She'd only ever seen Kazuto use ((Starburst Stream)) in a controlled, practiced setting before. He'd never had much of a reason to use it against a real foe, and now he was using it against insurmountable odds. His blades were moving so fast that she had a hard time keeping track; even Asuna and Klein were clearly giving their leader ample space to execute this whirlwind of death.
Internet analysts – it still amused her that people studied SAO for a living – surmised that Kirito's (and technically Yuuki's as well) strongest skill was a 16-hit sword skill, which made it the longest and most complex sword skill to date. It took several seconds to execute and, while its offensive capabilities were obvious, it also left him incredibly vulnerable. Literally no other skill in the game locked you into an animation for that long.
Her breath hitched when she saw ((The Gleam Eyes)) grab onto one of the blades. Was this it? Was this how her brother was going to die?
A fierce battle cry roared out from her brother as he thrust his other blade into the monster's gut. Both player and boss monster froze in that instant, and she felt her blood drain from her face. The sound of shattering glass preceded the boss monster's defeat. Only when she realized that her brother was still standing and that he wasn't going to die did she finally release that pent-up breath.
She felt a comforting hand rubbing circles on her back. Wearily, she looked over at Shinichi.
"See? Nothing to worry about. It's gonna take a lot more than that to take out your brother."
Suguha sighed, her anxiety and stress slowly leaking away. "Doesn't make it any easier to watch. He didn't die, but he could have."
Shinichi smiled warmly, and for some reason Suguha felt her cheeks heat up just a smidge. "He's got his friends with him. Yeah, it was close, but they pulled through. Now, what's the group saying?"
Blinking, she realized that she hadn't checked her text messages yet.
[suli: r u guys seeing this?]
[suli: sugu ur bro is a badass]
[Thunderstruck: I beg to differ. Asuna is just as much a badass as Kirito is.]
[DiceyWifey: Gasp!]
[DiceyWifey: Doth mine eyes deceive me? Did our sweet, professional Kouichirou just swear?]
[CyanKnight: weve corrupted him]
[CyanKnight: were bad influences]
[Thunderstruck: I would hardly consider 'badass' a swear word.]
[suli: if eugeo was there hed kick ass too]
[DiceyWifey: I could say the same about Andrew.]
[CyanKnight: when did this become a sibling/significant other measuring contest?]
[suli: u know he would too]
[suli: their calling him the Sapphire Swordsman u know]
[Thunderstruck: they're*]
[suli: did u just]
[suli: OOH wait thats perfect!]
[SapphireSister: much better!]
[CyanKnight: took you long enough]
[CyanKnight: its only been over a year]
[SapphireSister: ok i can tolerate Kou goin grammar nazi here but dont u start with me Ren]
[SapphireSister: HOLY SHIT]
[SapphireSister: look at him go!]
[SapphireSister: what IS that?!]
[Thunderstruck: I believe Shinichi told me about it once. It's called Starburst Stream, and it's Kirito's strongest sword skill.]
[CyanKnight: well its fuckin badass is what it is]
[DiceyWifey: Language.]
[CyanKnight: yes mom]
[DiceyWifey: Ugh, please don't ever call me that again. You can keep your swearing, just don't do that.]
[SapphireSister: THEY DID IT!]
[CyanKnight: they just three-manned a raid boss]
[CyanKnight: what the fuck]
[DiceyWifey: Now you're just milking it, Ren.]
[CyanKnight: maybe a little but still!]
[Thunderstruck: Truly a historic moment.]
[DiceyWifey: I know you're not that kind of person, Kou, but that text reeked of rich snobbiness.]
[Thunderstruck: Sorry. It is going down in the history books, though.]
[DiceyWifey: Much better. Now all of you get over here. We've got a lot to talk about.]
"Aw shit." Shinichi cursed.
"Huh?"
"He collapsed." He answered. He must have seen the panicked expression on her face, because he was quick to amend that statement. "I mean, I'm sure he's fine! He's probably just mentally exhausted! Remember what he said that one time about how sword skills can exhaust you? He just finished off a raid boss with what's arguably the strongest sword skill in the game! It makes sense!"
She looked back at the screen and saw Kazuto surrounded by ALF and Renegade players. Some looked worse for wear, certainly, and more than a few looked harrowed by the experience. Nevertheless, they were all alive for it.
She winced when she saw the look of concern on Asuna's face.
Once Kazuto awoke, he was in for quite the verbal thrashing from his wife.
"YOU RECKLESS IDIOT!"
Kirito wheezed as the frighteningly strong arms of his wife squeezed the life out of him, even as they both sat on the cold stone floor of the 74th Floor boss room. Or maybe she was. He sheepishly glanced up at his health bar. His eyes bulged. That sliver of red might as well not be there to begin with.
How he was still alive after being squeezed like a python was beyond him.
"You could have died…" Asuna sobbed, her head buried in his shoulder. "You almost did."
He rubbed circles on her back even as she shuddered. "Sorry, Asuna. I know it was stupid, but the rescue wasn't finished yet, and - "
"I understand why you did it." She said, her voice still uneven, but recovering. "Doesn't mean I have to like it, though."
"I know. That was too close, though." He sighed. Her grip on him only tightened. He felt a wheezed breath escape his lips, but smirked nonetheless. "Easy there. Don't hug me so hard or I'll lose the last of my HP."
A half-hearted punch to his chest was his answer, and he held back a snicker. He looked up towards Klein, who had a mildly solemn expression. Kirito glanced about the room; he knew that face, and it rarely came with good news.
"One of Kobatz's men died before we got here." Klein grumbled, shooting the aforementioned commander a venomous glare. "There's no point to any of this if you die. You're lucky we arrived when we did."
"I…" Kobatz started to refute, but the collective stares of everyone assembled – including his own men – quickly silenced any rebuttal he might have had. A resigned sigh was the only answer.
"What the hell were you guys thinking?" Dale spat. "Taking on a boss with this small of a group and without scouting it beforehand? Did you all want to die?"
"You… you don't understand." Kobatz muttered, clenching his fists. "The Aincrad Liberation Squad used to fight on the front line. We used to be one of the Big Three. When Kibaou pulled us away after the 25th, we… we became obsolete. We didn't have the respect we once commanded. We were useless."
"Useless?" Asuna spoke up, her voice somewhat muffled through the fabric on Kirito's shoulder. She pulled away from her husband and looked towards the disgraced commander with what Kirito could only describe as a blend between incredulity and outrage. "You can't be serious."
"I am!" Kobatz's voice rose a little. "You don't understand! The Renegades have always had the spotlight! You're all everyone talks about! You and the KoB and the DDA! That used to be us!"
"Oh shut it!" Asuna barked. Even though her spite wasn't aimed at him, Kirito still flinched. Asuna's wrath was not something to be taken lightly, and Kobatz's attitude just incurred it.
Kobatz would be remembered.
"Shit, he's done it now…" Dynamm muttered under his breath.
"You actually think we're in this for the glory?!" Asuna roared, her hands still gripping Kirito's arms as she scolded Kobatz. "We don't want the fucking fame! You want to know what we want, Kobatz? Huh? We want to return to the real world! We want to stop living in a world where we have to keep looking over our shoulders, terrified that some monster is going to kill us! We want to get out before our real bodies waste away and die! We want to see our families again! We want OUT!"
Kirito stared, wide-eyed, at his wife. Asuna was not one to use expletives usually. Kobatz, to his credit, remained silent while Asuna continued her tirade. At least the man had some semblance of self-preservation.
"Did you learn nothing from Kibaou?! When you fight here on the front line, you leave your ego behind! Ego gets you killed! Kibaou's ego made him blind to the danger on the 25th until it was too late! We had to jump in and rescue him – just like we rescued your sorry ass – and to this day that boss battle remains the single deadliest battle we've ever fought! Do you know why that is, Kobatz?"
Kobatz went to open his mouth, only to get cut off.
"Because there was no plan! No strategy! No CAUTION! He ran in, confident that the ALS could take on the boss all by themselves! Confidence is fine, but turning away help when lives are on the line? Reckless and ignorant!" Asuna fumed. Kirito gave her shoulder a squeeze, intentionally (and gently) snapping her out of her fervor. His wife had ranted enough; now was his time to contribute.
"You claimed that the Army as it is now is useless?" Kirito asked. "How many low and mid level players have survived thanks to the Army? How many of them did you rescue from Laughing Coffin, back when they were still at large? Just because you're not on the front line doesn't mean you're not important. Clearing the game shouldn't come at the cost of those we're trying to save."
Kobatz looked taken aback at that, his shock giving way to something akin to sobriety, his glory-hounding behavior suddenly put into perspective.
A few tense moments of unbearably awkward silence hung over the group. Finally, seemingly having had enough with the lull, Klein cleared his throat. "Alright, let's go open the warp gate. Come on, boys. Let's give Kirito and Asuna some space."
The Fuurinkazan boys silently followed their leader as he walked towards the staircase at the far end of the boss chamber. The Army grunts looked towards their leader, who looked either regretful or shell-shocked. Probably both.
"Oi!" Klein shouted, startling them. "That means you too, dumbasses! Least you can do after all of that is help us unlock the next floor."
"R-right!" Kobatz stammered. "Come on, men."
"We're taking a vacation." Asuna finally said after the sound of retreating footsteps faded away. "You, me, and Yui. Let the others take care of clearing the 75th; we can rejoin them for the boss fight. Sound good?"
Kirito nodded. "Yeah. Sounds perfect."
"Good. Now, you're still at low health. Silica?"
"Way ahead of ya!" Came the voice of the dragon tamer, who Kirito honestly forgot was still there. "Pina!"
The feathered dragon chirped and flew over before colliding with Kirito's chest. He stared at the curious little familiar, whose front paws were placed on his chest in what he could only describe as a bracing position.
Then – much to his horror – he saw Pina grin.
Sadistically.
Since when was Pina so spiteful?
"Bbbbbrraaahhh!"
He spent the next minute futilely trying to avoid the ensuing faceful of blue healing spray.
A/N:
Apologies if you were expecting Kirito to single-handedly take care of the Gleam Eyes like he did in canon. He's one of, if not the, strongest players in the game, but even he has his limits. I took another look at the anime and there is no way that a single instance of Starburst Stream was enough to completely finish off that boss.
Let me explain.
Canonically, the only people dealing damage to that thing were the Army, Asuna, Klein, and Kirito. You cannot convince me that the Army, a guild that ruled over the 1st Floor with an iron fist and was almost never spotted on the front lines, had equipment and experience befitting a member of the Assault Team. They were exhausted and wholly unprepared for the fight and only numbered about a dozen strong. There's no way they made any significant headway in downing that boss before Kirito & co. arrived.
Fuurinkazan didn't contribute to the fight canonically; they focused on hauling the Army's asses out of the line of fire. Only Asuna, Klein, and Kirito were in that fight, and it didn't last that long. Even assuming Starburst Stream was a strong skill – and it makes sense for it to be one – there's no way that this one skill melted through several health bars and finished off the boss. Kayaba may play favorites, but even that's too strong for this game. If the Gleam Eyes was that weak, then a fully-stocked raid team would have wiped the floor with that boss and that's ridiculous.
With that in mind, I decided to have Kirito, Asuna, and Klein more or less share the burden (and fame) for downing this boss. It makes more sense that three notable members of the Assault Team – each of which holds a Unique Skill – would be capable of just scraping by and killing a Floor Boss.
I also like giving the side characters some spotlight instead of hyper fixating on Kirito, if you haven't already noticed.
Anyway, that's all for this week!
Til next time!
