A/N:
Alright peeps, it's time for another surprise update! Before we go any further, I'm going to revise my schedule in the coming weeks. I've got a particular end goal in mind both in terms of content and scheduling.
As this moment, here's what I'm planning for the coming weeks, schedule wise:
- (10/11) - Chapter 92
- (10/13) - Chapters 93
- (10/20) - Chapters 94 & 95
- (10/23) - Chapter 96
- (10/27) - Chapters 97 & 98
- (11/3) - Chapter 99
- (11/6/2022) - Chapter 100
Now, at first glance this seems rushed, I'll admit as much, but here's why I'm going with this. About a month ago, I realized that a particularly special date was coming up, that being November 6th, 2022. Keen-eyed readers might recognize this as the canonical release date of Sword Art Online. The idea of releasing the last chapter, Chapter 100, on the canonical release date seemed very poetic to me, so that's my goal.
(I may do an epilogue as an unofficial "Chapter 101", but the Aincrad story will officially end on Chapter 100.)
I've spaced out the chapters in a way that makes the most logical sense based on what happens in each chapter. For example, the events involving the Central Cathedral (not much of a spoiler at this point since even those of you who haven't watched Alicization can probably guess where that's going) will be spread out over two chapters, but both chapters will be released on the same day. This means you can read both back to back if you wish, without having to worry about annoying cliffhangers. Alternatively, you can read the first half, take a break, and come back to the second part when you have the time and inclination.
You're welcome!
Anyhow, that's the game plan moving forward. With that out of the way, enjoy this next chapter! It's one I'm particularly proud of.
"Alright, Leonn." Asuna said in as soothing a voice as possible. "Walk us through it. What exactly happened? I know it won't be pleasant to relive it, but anything you can give us will help."
"The more details, the better, Leo-bou." Argo added. "Leave nothin' out."
Leonn let out a stressed breath through his nose, his eyes clenched. "Okay. It started earlier this evening, when we were walking home…"
"Oh for the love of all that is holy, not another shop!"
Leonn loved his girlfriend. Really, he did.
He could do without being her pack mule every time they went out to the market, though.
"Just one more!" Liz pleaded, already walking towards another smithy. "I swear I'm not gonna buy anything. I just wanna talk shop."
"That's what you said about the last guy."
Liz gave him a disbelieving look. "Don't pretend you're not enjoying this. Or are we forgetting how we spent a full hour debating blunt weapons versus bladed ones with that one guy… what was his name, Ferghus?"
He pouted. "Fine."
"Good! This is going to be the last stop, though." Liz said with finality. "We still need to eat dinner."
As if on cue, her stomach growled. He flashed a smug smile at her, only to receive a playful punch to the shoulder for his efforts. Unfortunately for him, he was already carrying several bags worth of ore and metal, so the sudden punch threw off his balance. He teetered for a moment before catching himself, only to look up and see Liz trying desperately to keep a straight face.
He tried to shoot her a glare, but it ended up coming off as an amused smirk. With a nod, he gestured for her to lead on. She beamed before stepping into the smithy, and he stepped in right behind her.
Liz immediately launched into a full discussion with the shop owner, discussing the finer points of blacksmithing. Leonn would be the first to admit he wasn't paying too much attention to the minutia, but he made sure to keep pace with the conversation at least. He'd never get caught zoning out while his girlfriend was talking, after all.
He'd only done that once, and she made her displeasure abundantly clear.
"That's right! He can be taught!" Ducker snarked.
Sachi and Keita swiftly smacked the back of his head.
"Read the room, dude. Not the time for a joke. He's telling us what happened." Keita scolded before turning back to Leonn with a frown. "Go on, man."
That wasn't to say he spent the entire time just awkwardly standing to the side. He spent much of their conversation idly browsing the man's wares. His work wasn't bad, but Leonn had spent enough time around his girlfriend while she worked to know good craftsmanship. Either this was just the display weaponry meant to draw in customers… or he wasn't very good.
After about a half hour of fighting off boredom, he finally followed Liz outside, but not before she gave the shopkeep some tips and a friendly farewell.
"Ready to grab some grub?" He asked as they walked away from the shop.
"Gods, I'm starving. How far out are we?" Liz asked, bringing up her map.
He peered over her shoulder. "10 minutes from the inn? Five if we run. Wait, I take it back, let's not run. I'm carrying over a hundred pounds of metal here."
"Fine, we won't run." She giggled. "But I do want to get back before – "
"Excuse me, but are you the blacksmith called Liz?"
The couple froze in their tracks and looked over their shoulder. A man and a woman, both heavily armored, stood at the entrance to the alley. He blinked. Wait, when did they go down an alley?
"Yeah… that's me, why?" Liz hesitantly asked.
"You were formally invited for an audience with her Eminence." The man, the only of the two not wearing a helmet, said. He looked rather well kept, his pale purple hair neat but not overly frivolous in its styling. "It has been several days since you and your group arrived. Why have you not answered her summons?"
"Oh!" Liz stammered. "We're so sorry! We got caught up in exploring your city, we completely forgot! We'll talk with our group and – "
"I'm afraid you misunderstand." The woman spoke up, her voice sounding rather young, yet muffled by the helm. "You are to answer her summons now."
"Now? Isn't it a little late?" Leonn asked, noting the late hour and the moon above head. "I'm sure she'd rather talk later and get some rest now, wouldn't – "
"Silence." The woman – although based on her voice, Leonn guessed she couldn't be very old – snapped. "You will come with us now."
"Now, now…" The man tutted. "Have a little patience. What say you, Liz of the Expeditionary Force?"
Liz looked greatly unnerved, and Leonn felt his protective instincts surging under the surface. He slowly set the bags down on the paved ground.
"Right now's really not a good time." Liz chuckled awkwardly. "I'd really feel more comfortable talking with my guild first, at least to let them know where I'm going."
"Eldrie." The girl spoke, and her companion sighed.
"I was afraid it would come to this." Eldrie unlatched a whip from his belt, and all four of them immediately tensed.
"Really?" Leonn scoffed, placing himself between them and Liz. "The Pontifex has to resort to kidnapping?"
"Her will be done." Eldrie replied cryptically.
He snapped out his whip, and instinctively Leonn brought his forearm up to block it. He felt the leathery cords make stinging contact with his skin as they wrapped around his arm. Ah, and to make matters even worse, he was bleeding now.
Wonderful!
"They attacked you?!" Silica exclaimed.
"Let him finish, Sil." Lokuss said, resting a hand on her shoulder.
"Sorry, Leonn." Silica hung her head in embarrassment. "Please continue."
Eldrie tried to tug on the line, but Leonn tugged back. Eldrie, obviously caught off guard by the resistance, stumbled forward.
"Perhaps it was presumptuous of me to underestimate you. You're quite strong." Eldrie grimaced as he pulled against him.
"So I've been told." Leonn quipped back as he reached forward with his free hand, clasping onto the whip and pulling Eldrie in. "I'd challenge you to an arm-wrestling contest right now, but I'm a little tied up at the moment."
"Time and a place, babe!" Liz scolded.
Leonn chuckled. "Sorry. Couldn't resist."
"We going to dance, too?" Liz asked, warhammer and shield already brandished. Eldrie's companion stepped forward, unsheathing a sword.
"It will hardly be a dance."
"Feisty, this one. Or just stubborn." Liz commented. "I like her."
"I don't think the feeling's mutual." Leonn grunted, holding his ground in the impromptu game of tug-of-war with Eldrie. "Be careful, alright? These two look strong."
"So you're astute as well. I am Eldrie – "
"Stop chatting with the enemy and subdue him already." His companion cut in, already engaged in a duel with Liz. Longsword met warhammer and shield in a flurry of blows and blocks, meanwhile Leonn was still holding Eldrie at bay with his whip.
"Fair point, Ran. I suppose we should end this, then." Eldrie agreed, reaching with his free hand towards…
Oh. He had a sword too. Wonderful.
With his own free hand, Leonn opened his Stacia Window and prepared to equip his maul, only to have to abort when the line went slack and Eldrie charged forward. A blade came singing in as the purplette sought to cut him across the chest. Without a proper melee weapon, Leonn threw a simple ((Cross)), one of the basic sword skills granted through ((Martial Arts)). His fist met the blade's edge and he bit back a scream of pain; ((Defiant Soul)) seemed to prevent mutilation on this floor, but instead he had the misfortune of feeling a sword scrape a layer of skin off his hand and forearm.
"Fuck!" Leonn hissed, kicking out and nailing Eldrie in the gut, which had the side effect of slackening the tension on the whip. It flopped unceremoniously to the floor, and Leonn immediately cradled his bleeding forearm. He noted with morbid fascination that the skin and flesh began to knit itself back together, ((Defiant Soul)) hard at work to regenerate the damage incurred while using a sword skill.
"What manner of sorcery is that?" Eldrie gasped out, his voice barely audible over the sounds of sword meeting shield nearby. "Explain!"
"No, I don't think I will." Leonn quoted, stalking forward with his hands raised in a boxer's stance.
Eldrie growled before renewing his assault. Leonn met him halfway, using quick jabs, crosses, and kicks to absorb any attacks thrown his way. He couldn't dodge reliably, but at least he could keep Eldrie busy while Liz took care of the girl. About a minute into the fight, his senses were assaulted by an obnoxiously strong odor. He staggered back and rubbed at his nose. What was that? It almost smelled like…
His head whipped to the side. The girl-knight had a damp cloth held to Liz's face. His girlfriend struggled in the chokehold, and her eyes met his in sheer panic.
Chloroform?! Since when was that a thing?!
After a few more moments of struggling, Liz slumped into the as-of-yet-unnamed knight's arms. Leonn surged forward as Eldrie's companion hoisted Liz onto her shoulders and began to run off.
"Don't you dare! Give her back, NOW!"
"Release Recollection."
He felt something tie around his legs, and the next thing he knew he was smashing face-first into the stonework below. He snarled in pain and desperately tried to stand up, only to receive – was that a snake head?! – another obstacle for his troubles, the whip moving of its own accord and binding his arms together. He looked down at his body and saw that the whip had become a living snake, which latched itself around his body like a python constricting its prey.
He strained against the whip-turned-snake, and was forced to watch as Eldrie and his companion ran down the alley and around the corner, the whip seeming to extend to compensate as the duo ran off. After a moment, the whip glowed bright for a moment before vanishing.
They took Liz. Took her right under his nose! He growled, pushing himself to his feet and tearing off after them. How DARE they take her?! He swore he would protect her, and now he was failing her! He needed to move faster!
Faster!
FASTER!
"Leonn, breathe." Asuna gently, but firmly, ordered. "Slowly! You're going to hyperventilate!"
She gently rubbed circles on his back, trying to calm the man. Despite what it might sound like, he wasn't hyperventilating out of panic and dread. No, he was on the verge of hyperventilation because of how absolutely furious he was. Hands clenched so hard he was drawing blood, teeth grit so intensely she might have mistaken it for lockjaw, and an expression that promised pain and agony on his girlfriend's abductors.
He was not yelling, though. He was apparently past that point, instead internalizing his fury and letting it fester and boil beneath the surface.
Probably wasn't healthy, but she couldn't fault him for it.
"You okay?" She asked.
Leonn took a deep breath.
"Yeah, sorry. Where was I?"
Leonn pumped his legs as fast as he could, heart racing and pounding in his chest. If there were ever a time he regretted having a defaulted AGI score, it was now. He was the second-sturdiest thing just behind Liten, but ask him to run? Better off asking a turtle.
He quickly turned the corner, hand gripping the edge to allow him to quickly pivot.
"GIVE HER BACK!" He roared, running like her life was in danger. It probably was.
He finally exited the alley, only to find nothing in the plaza up ahead. His head frantically whipped to and fro, looking for some clue as to where they might have gone. A faint sound of wings flapping resounded in the air, and Leonn's head snapped up.
Flying overhead, but still some distance away, were two dragons heading for the Central Cathedral. He would have written it off as mere coincidence in any other situation, but the slumped form resting behind Eldrie was proof enough.
He sank to his knees, knowing full well he couldn't chase after them. Even if he could keep pace with two freaking dragons, trying to bust into the Central Cathedral would be a task and a half. That was even assuming he could burst in through the front doors and find her, anyway.
He let loose a wordless cry that was just as much a primal roar of rage as it was an anguished lamentation of frustration.
Liz was gone.
Silence hung heavy over the group like a weighted blanket. Asuna looked at her bereft friend and gave him a side hug. He was still shaking and shuddering, but at least his rage seemed to have subsided somewhat.
"Definitely not the rebels…" Lux muttered.
"Rebels?" Asuna asked.
Lux nodded. "There's a rogue faction of rebels in the city. The public doesn't like them much since they oppose the Axiom Church. From what I can tell, though, this doesn't sound like them. They don't do kidnappings, and any action they do make is against the church, not against random people on the street."
"Oh, I can tell you exactly who took her." Leonn growled. "... and it wasn't this rebel faction."
"Who, then?" Silica asked.
"They knocked her unconscious – which I didn't even know was a thing on this floor – and took off… on their dragons. They specifically mentioned the Pontifex, remember?" Leonn explained before he broke down. "I wasn't fast enough…"
"Integrity Knights…" Eugeo voiced everyone's thoughts, frowning deeply.
"Leonn, sweetie…" Asuna tried to reassure him. "No one here would be able to outpace a dragon."
"That's not what I mean… if I was faster I could have caught them before they even got to their dragons, but I'm so. Damn. Slow." He hissed, punctuating the last two words with fervor. "I knew my slow build was gonna bite me in the ass one day, but not like this…"
"So the Pontifex wants her?" Alice asked, bringing the conversation back on track. "But why, though?"
"Fucked if I know." Leonn scoffed, balling his fists again. He fell silent once again, and this time Asuna let him be. He needed time to process this, but more importantly…
"Alright, here's the plan." Kirito spoke up, commanding everyone's presence almost immediately. Thankfully they'd decided to relocate to her and Kirito's room for some privacy. Somehow Asuna doubted the patrons downstairs would take this conversation well. "Goes without saying that we're getting her back, so don't worry, Leonn."
Leonn sniffed and said nothing, but nodded to indicate he'd heard.
"The question is how." Kirito elaborated, wandering over to a table and laying out a map of the city. Everyone naturally huddled around the makeshift war table, listening intently on how they were going to retrieve their lost friend. "The good news is they want her alive for something. If they wanted her dead, then they would have just killed her before retreating."
"Not really inspiring confidence there, Kirito." Klein intoned.
Kuroi lightly smacked his shoulder. "Let him finish. Please, Milord, continue."
"Okay, so the Integrity Knights aren't criminals; we would have heard if this was a regular thing by now if they were." Kirito continued unabated. "That means this was a targeted attack. They had dragons, so taking Leonn wouldn't have been too difficult, which means they aren't just in it for hostages. They also waited until nighttime. They didn't want just anybody… they wanted Liz specifically."
"But what for?" Sachi asked.
That was the million-yen question, really. Nothing made sense; if the Integrity Knights didn't want the Expeditionary Force here, then why send an invitation in the first place? With access to dragons, they could have easily ambushed them while they were on the road, but they didn't. They chose to wait until they were in the city itself, and strike at a time when Leonn and Liz were alone and away from prying eyes.
But why Liz? No offense to her friend, but she didn't really stand out much among the motley crew of misfits they called a guild. Kidnapping Kirito or Alice would have made for more leverage, so to speak, if they had demands. That suggested that they wanted to keep Liz for some specific reason. But what did Liz have to offer…?
Asuna's eyes widened as she realized exactly why they targeted Liz.
"The Divine Objects." She said, meeting the shocked gazes of those assembled. "She's the only one who can make those weapons. If they could force her to make more, that's a huge benefit to them."
"If they're gearing up for a conflict in the future, that does make sense." Lokuss thought aloud. "But why be so hostile about it? They could have just approached us diplomatically and asked for our help. It's like they didn't want us to have that power at all."
"Maybe it's against their religion?" Ducker offered up unhelpfully.
"Still doesn't answer how we're gonna get her back." Kirito said, bringing them back to task. "We know they probably took her to the Central Cathedral, that's easy enough to figure out. What we need is more information before we do anything."
"Lux-chan and I will do some poking around tomorrow, see if this is something the Integrity Knights have done in the past." Argo offered, earning a nod from her assistant.
"Milord, Milady." Kuroi spoke up. "Perhaps I can perform some reconnaissance and survey the area around the cathedral itself. If we are to rescue her at some point, knowing their patrol patterns would prove useful."
"That'd be great, Kuroi." Asuna gave a faint smile.
"What about the rest of us?" Keita asked. "Isn't it going to look suspicious if we pretend like nothing happened?"
"Hmm…" Kirito hummed before turning to Leonn. "Did they see you watch them leave?"
"Uhh… maybe?" Leonn guessed. "Actually, no. They were already in the air by the time I turned the corner. They probably thought they outran me or knocked me out, cause I don't think they saw me when they took off."
"That's good." Kirito continued. "That means that the rest of us can spend all day tomorrow "looking" for Liz. They probably know that we know she was kidnapped, but they don't know that we know who exactly did it."
"Oh gods, my head…" Ducker groaned, massaging his temples. "Too many "know's"!"
Asuna sighed. "We pretend that we're searching for her kidnappers. If the Integrity Knights hear that we don't know who her kidnappers are, then they'll have no reason to suspect that anyone is actually looking into them."
"Alright, you all know what to do." Kirito said. "Get some rest. We've got a blacksmith to rescue."
The cool night air did little to settle Kirito's anger.
He fumed. As leader of the Renegades, he felt uniquely responsible for the health and safety of his (technical) subordinates. The fact that one of them was abducted in a city they thought to be safe irked him to no end. It was a blatant breach of trust, a metaphorical spitting and breaking of the olive branch the Pontifex herself offered.
He'd failed. As a leader and as a friend, he'd failed. It was only that drive to bring one of his own back that kept him from succumbing to despair, honestly.
Because the only thing worse than failing to keep everyone safe was failing to bring them back.
A gentle poke to his side whipped him out of his self-deprecation. Asuna stared at him, baring a similar look of displeasure. Liz was one of her best friends, right alongside Sinon. She hid it well, but he could tell his wife felt the same guilt he did.
Kuroi's scouting had proven fruitful yesterday; between her reconnaissance and Argo's information gathering, they had enough to mount a rescue. This time of night was when the patrols changed shifts; with any luck, they could slip in between the gap in patrols and begin searching for Liz. They had to time this correctly, though. As Kuroi had found out early on and through her entire night of surveillance, these were no ordinary patrols. There was usually one Integrity Knight nearby, which made things considerably worse.
A message notification lit up in the corner of his vision.
[Kuroi: Shift change in one minute. Two guards within prison block, standard guardsmen. No Integrity Knight presence. I'll send another message if something changes.]
He quickly typed out a response, glad that when it came down to it, Kuroi was quick to use in-game, non-roleplay friendly mechanics and terminology to save a friend.
[Kirito: Good job, come on back. Be safe.]
He shifted around in his crouched stance next to the wall separating the Central Cathedral from the outer districts. He noted the determined expressions of those they'd decided would make up the rescue and extraction team. Not everyone was stealthily inclined, after all, and it would be counterproductive to try to sneak over two dozen people into a guarded compound.
"Get ready." Kirito whispered, resting one hand on his knee while the other supported his weight on the ground. "Once Kuroi gets back, we move. Everyone ready?"
"Yes." Asuna agreed, hand lightly touching the hilt of her rapier.
"We're ready." Silica whispered, patting Pina on the head. The little dragonling was latched onto Silica's back and tucked underneath her cloak. Fafnir, being the more boisterous of the two, was told to stay with the others.
"Ready." Ducker nodded, nervously fidgeting with the dagger in his hand. He seemed to realize what he was doing and sheathed his weapon.
The next thirty seconds were, in a word, tense. They were well out of the way of any major thoroughfares, but every little sound in the night put them on high alert. Kirito himself found his breaths shallow and carefully measured; the last time he remembered being this stealthy was the Fallen Elf quest on the 5th Floor. And that was tense, too!
Huh. That was almost three years ago. Well didn't that put things into perspective.
"Milord. Milady." Kuroi greeted them, her presence unveiling as her ((Hiding)) dropped. She crouched down beside them all. "The guards are changing shifts. If we are to act, now is the time."
"Got it." Kirito nodded, looking every person in attendance in the eyes. He needed to see, not just hear, that they were ready for this. There was no room for error here. Any hesitation might mean Liz's life or safety. Not necessarily in that order. "Ready?"
A chorus of affirmatives and the look in their eyes was enough to dispel any doubts. They each pulled out a grappling hook and, with surprisingly accurate aim, latched onto the ledge above and began to scale the wall under the cover of night. Lokuss had long ago taught them all how to properly use a grappling hook, though none of them were really capable of weaponizing one like he could.
Seriously, it was a miracle Kayaba didn't reclassify grappling hooks as weapons after seeing what Lokuss was capable of.
The five of them soon crested the wall. It took them longer than he'd like – Ducker somehow managed to get himself tangled in his own rope halfway up – but they were there. He carefully scanned their surroundings and came to the realization that inside the Central Cathedral walls was… well, quite nice, actually. Rows upon rows of flowerbeds, carefully cultivated and sculpted, lined the walkways. Rather than more imposing stone walls, what awaited them inside were decorative iron fences with fanciful filigree. The term "excessively lavish gardens" came to mind.
It also left little in the way of reliable cover, unfortunately, so there was that.
Kuroi pointed towards a small compound located along the perimeter. No words were necessary, only action. The quintet jumped down and quickly – but not uncarefully – ran to the compound and ducked inside.
"Huh." Ducker scratched his cheek awkwardly. "How is it exactly what I was expecting and not?"
Kirito eyed him incredulously. It was a prison block. A medieval prison block whose aesthetic was limited to dim torchlight and imposingly stark architecture, but a prison nonetheless. There wasn't any concrete to speak of, nor was there anything resembling electrical lighting.
What was he expecting, Shawshank Redemption?
"You can question prison expectations later." Asuna whispered. "We need to find Liz."
"Kuroi, Ducker, take the left wing. Asuna, Silica, and I will take the right. Meet back here in 10 minutes." Kirito said, motioning with two fingers at each of the wings as he spoke. "Avoid the two guards Kuroi mentioned earlier. Incapacitate if you have to, but no killing. That'll attract more attention."
Not to mention the blood. Ugh. Screw you, Kayaba.
They quickly split up, shuffling off to their assigned areas. Much to their surprise, each cell they came across was empty. In fact, either the Integrity Knights took pride in the maintenance of their prison block or there simply weren't any prisoners to use them. The latter implied that crime was almost nonexistent here in Centoria, and that was a feat in and of itself given how sentient the AI here seemed to be.
Maybe they were incapable of crimes? No, that wouldn't make sense. If crime wasn't possible, then this Taboo Index wouldn't need to exist, nor the prison cells themselves.
A perfect society didn't need the ability to incarcerate its citizens.
After they snuck past a sleeping guard – some security this was – they finally met the others on the other side of their wing. Apparently the complex looped in on itself. Kuroi and Ducker seemed surprised to see them, but that surprise gave way to disappointment as they all reached the same conclusion.
"Is she not here?" Silica asked fearfully. Pina let out a sympathetic whine.
Kuroi shook her head. "I'm afraid not, and this is the only prison complex I could find."
"The cells on our side looked immaculate." Asuna said. "Like no one's ever lived in them."
"There was one cell on our side that looked recently lived-in." Ducker informed them. "Maybe that's where they were keeping her?"
"Could be." Kirito mused while they made their way back to the entrance of the prison, noticeably Liz-less. "But if that's the case, where is she now?"
The sound of shouting and clanging steel outside was their only answer. Kirito quickly ran outside, pushing down that sinking feeling of something going wrong. Did something go wrong? The others were supposed to wait outside the gates and be ready to act in case anything went wrong. Had they been discovered?
Damn it! He should be out there then!
He sprinted off towards the sounds of battle, hoping he'd make it in time.
As Klein locked blades with the swordsperson in purple – he didn't want to assume gender, but with the muffled helm and rather gender-neutral voice, this one was an enigma! – he couldn't help but wonder a few things.
Firstly, why had the Integrity Knights increased their patrols, and why this late into the night? According to his girlfriend's intel – he was still giddy about being able to call Kuroi that – the patrol should have been light, with only one Integrity Knight patrolling. Not three! Well, he assumed it was three. The four that were identically armored looked and acted like subordinates to the one in purple.
Secondly, what was up with the weapons these guys had? One second they were regular melee weapons and the next, frickin' Eldrie – Leonn was quick to identify the whip user and focus on him specifically – separated his one whippy bit (whatever the part that hurts people is called) turned into multiple whippy bits. And that was before he turned his whip into a snake!
Pardon his French, but what the fuck.
Lastly, and this part was important…
Why couldn't things ever go according to plan?!
"STAND STILL, DAMN YOU!" Leonn roared furiously as he kept charging at Eldrie, the whipman – was that the right word? – dodging and using his whip-turned-flogger to maintain his distance from the rampaging Juggernaut. Poor dude was out of control at this point, but at least he had an outlet?
…Yeah, probably not healthy.
"Eldrie, be careful!" Deusolbert warned – bastard was hiding in the sky on his dragon – before letting loose another volley of arrows, which kept most of the Expeditionary Force pinned down. "That man fights like a demon!"
Klein hurriedly blocked a sword from taking off his head. That's right, he was still dueling with the purple one with the lackeys, who were all occupied fighting Ronye, Tiese, Liena and Nautilus. He needed to focus.
"You are quite the skilled swordsman." The swordsperson grunted as they disengaged from his blade lock. "But I can tell you are holding back. I hate that."
"Holding back?" Klein asked before charging back in and swinging his katana.
They sidestepped before retaliating with a swing of their own, which he managed to duck under. "Your friend over there is giving his all against Eldrie, yet you would deny me that same courtesy."
"Oh, Leonn?" Klein chuckled as he and his opponent circled each other. "He's just a little irritated. See, the girl you idiots kidnapped the other night was his girlfriend. I'd be pissed too if you kidnapped mine. Even then, he's holding back too."
"So you would all deny us a good fight?" They growled before unleashing a number of rapid strikes. "You sully the title of swordsman."
Klein parried before blocking and locking their blades together again. "We're only doing that because we'd really rather not kill you."
"And why is that?" They asked. "We are enemies. Should we not seek victory over the other?"
"You all remind us of a friend we lost a long time ago." Klein admitted before shoving and pushing them off balance. "In honor of her, we don't want to kill you."
A wave of intense heat erupted from above, striking the ground behind Klein. He winced, which unfortunately distracted him enough for his opponent to press the advantage.
"Stop bantering with them and fight!" Sinon snapped as she came out of a dive-roll. She came to a stop and propped herself up on one knee before loosing several bolts at the three dragons above. She dove again to avoid a red arrow from above.
"Sit still, heathens!" Deusolbert roared from atop his dragon flying above. "You may outnumber us, but we have the blessing of the Pontifex herself! Surrender!"
Klein grimaced; they may have had the Integrity Knights outnumbered, but the battle was mostly even at this point. Between Deusolbert, Eldrie, this androgynous swordsperson, their four attendants, and the three dragons they brought with them? Quality matched quantity right now, especially with the Renegades subconsciously holding back.
"Sorry, not doing that!" Nezha retorted, flinging his chakram up and smacking one of the dragons on the jaw, causing its next gout of flame to misfire.
"Fanatio!" Deusolbert cried out before pointing to the sky. "This has gone on long enough! Let us finish this!"
"Agreed!" The now-named Fanatio exclaimed before pointing their sword to the sky. "Enhance Armament!"
Klein had to cover his eyes with how blindingly white the light was that came off their sword. Gods, it was like staring into the sun! Just as the light was starting to die down – which was not much at all, really – he felt a searing spot of pain pierce his left shoulder.
"GAH!" Klein cried out in agony, leaping back and scurrying behind cover. He hissed as he looked at his shoulder. A clean hole had been burned through! Whatever hit him was enough to cauterize the wound, but hot damn did it hurt like a bitch. He bit back a curse just in time to see a white beam of light pierce the wall he'd been hiding behind, missing him by about a foot. "Oh SHIT! Everyone MOVE!"
He dove to another section of cover, but not before glancing out and seeing just what the hell was happening. His opponent, Fanatio, was aiming their sword like a gun and shooting beams of light from its tip. Light so intense that it was burning holes in whatever it made contact with.
Again, what the fuck.
"Keep moving!" Klein shouted. "That thing ignores cover!"
"Burn under the light of Solus!" Fanatio declared. "Even under Lunaria's gaze, Solus's will shines – UGH!"
Klein looked out from behind the wall he'd scurried to, and he couldn't help but smile widely. "Kirito!"
Indeed, the Black Swordsman himself had arrived and was using both of his swords to overpower Fanatio's sword arm, forcing the enchanted blade to point down into the ground. Klein cheered and whooped, watching his bro arrive just in time to save the day. Seriously, Kirito's sense of timing was oddly perfect.
If he didn't know any better, he'd swear Kirito was the main character of some edgy anime with how badass he could be.
"Kirito!" Asuna shouted as she joined the scuffle. She pointed to the sky with her rapier. "We've got incoming!"
Klein felt his face pale as he spotted no less than six more dragons descending from the upper reaches of the Central Cathedral. That was six more fire-breathing lizards and six more Integrity Knights! In terms of fighting skill, everyone here was near level with the armored knights, but those bullshit weapon skills seriously tipped the scales in favor of the enemy!
How does one compete with a sword that shoots lasers?!
"Retreat!" Kirito ordered, shoving Fanatio away with his swords and motioning towards a nearby path. "Fall back!"
"You heard the man!" Agil bellowed, stowing his axe and taking off in a dead sprint. The axeman had Ronye hoisted over his shoulder. Poor girl had been hit by Fanatio's laser in the leg.
She wasn't alone, apparently. Many of the Renegades were limping, with others having to pick up the slack and carry them as they retreated from the pursuing Integrity Knights. Lokuss and Dale had Tiese's arms over their shoulders, the redhead having taken a few shots to her shins and feet. Liena was practically dragging Nautilus as he struggled to limp away. Yuna, thankfully remained unscratched, but was playing a melody that increased everyone's movement speed.
He hadn't seen a rescue effort like this since Floor 25.
A beam of fire made landfall nearby, launching Silica to the side. Klein, having just sheathed his katana to help with running away, managed to catch her before she ate paved stonework. Fafnir, in a feisty little bout of rage, started shooting globs of poison into the sky, inadvertently providing them with cover fire. Sinon took a little inspiration from the little wyvernling-that-could, jumped forward and turned, loosing more arrows before she ran again and repeated the process. Finally, they had some cover fire!
"Kirito!" Alice called out. Klein looked past her and saw a fork in the road. "Which way?!"
"Split up!" Kirito roared, ducking under a gout of dragonfire. "We'll be better off if…"
Kirito abruptly stopped speaking. Klein glanced over at him, who despite running at top speed seemed to be… listening to something?
"Scratch that!" The Black Swordsman corrected himself. "Everyone go right!"
"What?!" Nautilus cried out. "You were right the first time! Splitting – "
"Just trust me!" Kirito snapped. "Go right!"
Dutifully, everyone rounded the bend and headed right, dodging a flurry of arrows, dragonfire, and light beams. Kirito and Yuuki paused for a moment as they turned, each slapping away a couple of arrows with their swords to protect those who were slower. Scoffing under his breath at how unfairly quick those two were, Klein focused his attention forward again.
"Dead end up ahead!" Eugeo announced.
True to form, the pathway Kirito led them on led to nowhere. Only rose bushes and iron fences as far as the eye could see, all the way up until the path dead-ended. Lovely.
A bright light seemed to manifest out of nowhere up ahead, its warm glow opening up perpendicular to the path… which was strange. It looked like a doorway or a portal had opened up next to the path. A cloaked figure stepped out of it, emerging from wherever the hell that light was coming from. It waved, beckoning them closer.
"Quickly, this way!"
Klein glanced back at Kirito, who only nodded in confirmation. That was enough for him! "Go go go!"
"Stop them!" Fanatio bellowed. "Do not let them escape!"
Yet escape they did, the entirety of the Expeditionary Force managing to cram themselves – or dive, in some cases – into the illuminated magical doorway. The moment everyone was in, the hooded figure came in from behind them and the doorway sealed itself shut.
Fortunately, they found themselves in a small room that was starkly different from the outside, with ornate wooden walls and finely crafted wood floors.
Unfortunately, there was a small flight of stairs leading down into the aforementioned room, and momentum stopped for no one. Before he knew it, everyone was tumbling and falling over each other as they crashed into the small lobby. It would have been rather comedic if people weren't suffering from fresh wounds, which were undoubtedly aggravated from the impromptu dogpile.
Groans and hisses of pain were plentiful as everyone extricated themselves from the pile. Some elected to sit down once freed from the mish-mash of limbs, others stood, while a few more crouched down to tend to the wounded. Klein, after making sure Silica was unharmed, stood up and stepped beside Kirito, who was fixing their savior with an analytical gaze.
"Who are you…?" Kirito asked.
Lux sprang up from her seated position almost immediately. "Oh! Are you one of the rebels?"
That would certainly explain at least some things. Why they'd interfered and rescued them from the Integrity Knights. Why they wore a cloak, which Klein surmised was to maintain anonymity and aid in guerilla strikes against the church. The magical portal nonsense would also explain why, for all of their incredible might, the Integrity Knights had yet to apprehend or kill these rebels.
"I suppose that is one word for us." The figure said. Definitely a woman, based on her voice.
Yet… something itched in the back of his mind, like he was missing something important. Kirito, on the other hand, seemed to realize something, as he almost fell to the side and was now using Klein as a brace. Klein looked down at his bro and realized that Kirito… was he shaking? Nothing wrong with that, he supposed – after all, that was a pretty harrowing experience back there – but something about this reaction felt different.
"Rebels, anarchists, heathens, insurgents… we have been called many things." The woman continued before taking off her hood. Klein's heart stopped and he found himself leaning on Kirito as well. He'd recognize that hair, that face, and those ears anywhere. "Personally, I prefer a different name."
Kizmel smiled fondly.
"I'm a Renegade."
A/N:
You can't see me, but I have the biggest shit-eating grin on my face right now.
Kizmel returns! You didn't think she was going to stay dead, did you?
…oh, you did? Well, she's back!
No, I didn't just arbitrarily decide to raise her from the dead, and no, I didn't do this because of the backlash I got from killing her off during the Laughing Coffin raid. Her death, as well as her return, has been planned for quite some time now.
How did she return? We'll find out next chapter!
...which just happens to be in roughly two days. Not so bad!
