Sword Art Online: Akira's Arrows
Episode 5: Laughing Coffin
Akira
August 1st, 2024. Floor 48 Lindas
"You're not queuing up the skill fast enough!" Kirito urged, digital sweat dripping down his brow, his elucidator out in front of him. "I've seen you fire arrows like a gun shoots bullets, I know you're faster, show me!"
"Got it," I said, sucking in a breath, holding the sword with two hands. "Let's go one more time."
"Asuna should be sending the message soon," He said, shifting his stance. "But I still think we can get another in."
I smirked and nodded, before lunging forward at him. It was early in the morning, and of course with the perfect weather always on in Aincrad it was as sunny as could be. However, I didn't feel any warmer like I normally did under that sun. I felt it should have been raining, clouds should have been rolling in washing away rivers of blood. We were still in Lindas, a courtyard near Liz's shop, just waiting for Asuna's word to teleport to the Assault Team.
Because within the next hour or two, there was the real possibility multiple people could be dead.
My first few strikes Kirito blocked easily, which annoyed me. He made it look as easy as can be. A part of me wanted to unsling my bow and put distance between us before firing off shots to try and win that way. However, I'd asked him to make me as close to a master swordsman as he could in four days, I was already a master archer.
I pressed my attack, going for an all-out strike from above which I hoped would put him off balance. The Sword of Takis-which was really called The Sword of Takemikazuchi, but I was finished trying to tell people that-shined in the sun and I leveled it towards Kirito for a thrust. The katana swords true power wouldn't come out until I was fighting in a party, it grew in power with the more friendly players the wielder had around it, even more if I was in a party.
So basically, the more people I was defending, fighting for, the stronger the sword grew.
And I had everything to fight for later. Finally coming face to face with Aki and Kya's killers again, even in a large group… the apprehension gripped me like hot pincers in my chest.
Kirito deflected the thrust, his elucidator zipping through the air. I spun back around to stay balanced, and we engaged in another flurry of attacks. The sound of metal on metal rang in the courtyard we waited for Asuna in. With each attack he deflected I grew angrier, he had helped me improve my skill with swords up to near the 900s in the last four days, but I knew his was maxed out, and he also had plenty of natural skill. Still, it didn't make me any less annoyed I kept getting blocked.
But then I saw it, an opening. He deflected my attack from the left, and spun his back to me, clearly going for another attack, I could tell. So, I lunged out for a thrust, but the moment I did, he spun back around as if he knew I'd be there, knocking my sword into the ground and chopping me in the back of the neck.
"UGHHH!" I groaned, dropping the sword and grabbing the back of my neck. Rolling to my back to look at the sun, and the smirking Kirito over me, I realized what happened. That only made me more embarrassed I fell for it. "You left yourself open on purpose, didn't you?"
He smirked and reached a hand to help me up. "You bet I did, I left an opening I knew you'd go for."
I scoffed, as our 'duel' ended in a Kirito win on the HUD above us. "Ha, that's a dangerous game isn't it? If I had been faster I could have got you."
"You wouldn't have," He said with a bit of smugness. "What's the biggest advantage you could have over someone in a fight?"
"Is this gonna be a riddle?" I asked.
He laughed. "Ha, no, it's easy really. It's knowing what your opponent is going to do. Sometimes in a fight, when an enemy sees an opening, their movements become easy to predict. If they go for it, you know where their attack is going, if they don't, you know they're not attacking, and you can react accordingly."
It was my turn to laugh. "You know… that actually makes a lot of sense. Anything else oh wise sensei Kirito?"
He rolled his eyes but smiled. "No, I think you got everything you need for today… heard anything from Asuna?"
"Thank you oh wise and powerful senpai," I said, meaning it literally and as a tease. "As for Asuna… no not yet. My guess is she's still getting a briefing from Heathcliff."
Kirito nodded, sighing as we both sat on the ledge of a stone wall. "Still think it's pretty odd that the commander isn't coming with us. I thought he'd want to coordinate the attack."
I scoffed. "Seems pretty on brand to me…."
Heathcliff had rubbed me the wrong way from the beginning, from when I had originally joined the Knights after Asuna had saved me. He seemed far too self-righteous for one, and he also just made decisions that both baffled and infuriated me. The fact was, he could have tracked down and taken care of Laughing Coffin well before now, but here we were, just now getting around to tracking a group actively killing players.
To the commander, this game seemed like just that to him still, a game. He acted as if he didn't have any risk of dying like the rest of us, like he was above us. Some people saw this as something to follow and a part of me couldn't blame them, they saw him as a beacon of hope, with his overpowered unique skill, the Divine Blade.
Yet still… he did nothing but put a bad feeling in my stomach.
Kirito looked at me, drinking some water from his inventory. "Are you still going to do it after the raid? You're really going to re-join the Knights?"
Sighing I got water from my own inventory. "Yeah… as much as I really don't like the idea, I gave my word. If I have anything left in this game, it's that."
"So you're going to wear that flashy uniform again?" Kirito joked.
"Hell no, I'll put my foot down there," I said right away, making him laugh. "Besides, that'll take away my 'Black Archer' title."
"I thought you hated that nickname."
I shrugged. "It's grown on me."
"Same thing happened with my nickname," Kirito said, smiling as he did, and for a moment we were silent.
The raid was going to be on floor 63, where the base of Laughing Coffin had apparently been located. The team put together was certainly strong, but it was still dangerous considering we didn't know Laughing Coffin's real numbers. That combined with the fact they weren't afraid to kill or be killed.
But PoH… Zaza… I know you'll be there, I'm not nearly as helpless now, I thought, my hands balling into fists. I pulled the Black Bow of Fate out of my inventory and laid it across my lap. The memory of Kya dropping it, after Zaza had stabbed her in the back, of PoH's blade cutting across Aki's chest…I had purposely been thinking about it a lot the last four days.
I wouldn't fail in protecting Kirito and Asuna, the rest of the team going, I wouldn't fail at protecting people again. That included all the people Laughing Coffin would kill in the future. I wouldn't let another player go through what I did, not while I had the strength to do something about it.
I was finished feeling sorry for myself. I knew well I was still far from okay, but I was okay enough then to do what needed to be done.
"Akira… you sure you're, okay?" Kirito asked, breaking the silence.
I knew what he was referring to and nodded. "I am, don't worry. You and Asuna won't have to worry about me doing anything crazy, not again."
It had been a mistake a few months ago, basically trapping myself against Laughing Coffin on my own, it had come from a muddled and pained state of mind. My metal state was still pretty pained, and could be described as muddled then, but thanks to Kirito and Asuna it was still better then it was then.
Kirito nodded and sighed, standing from the wall. "Good. When it starts, be sure to stay close. Asuna will have to stay with the Knights, but since we're solo, we're not tied down."
"Between the two of us? I think we'll do just fine," I said, taking his hand as he pulled me to my feet. "Kirito… I wanted to say thanks."
Most people would have expected a long heartfelt speech after something like that… but Kirito and I were different. Neither of us really like to outwardly express ourselves like that if we could help it… still, it didn't take away from the thankful feelings we had.
Kirito knew what I was thanking him for. He smiled and held out his fist.
"You're welcome," He said, an embarrassed look coming to his face as we performed out handshake. "And… thank you too, for opening my eyes."
I nodded and was about to suggest we get some food in us before the fight, but a message popping up in front of me stopped that idea.
From, Asuna: Everything's ready, teleport to Grandzam, and we'll all head out together. See you both soon.
I let out a shaky breath and looked to Kirito who nodded. "Alright… it looks like it's time."
He nodded and clapped a hand on my shoulder. "It is… let's go make Aincrad a safer place."
XxxxxxxxxxxxxxX
"You won't run out of arrows right, you have enough?" Asuna asked, fussing like my mother used to do as the team checked their equipment.
"Yes Asuna, I have enough arrows," I assured her, and to prove my point, I went to my inventory and stacked a second thing of arrows on top of my first.
Kirito rolled his eyes. "Don't see her fussing over me like that…"
That earned him an Asuna glare, which if magic were a thing in Aincrad, I swear could have set him on fire.
"For your information Kirito-kun, I worry about both of you," She noted, looking out over the group of fighters gathered. "Even in a group as skilled as this, we'll need to be careful."
I looked out over the members of the assault team gathered as well. A group of Knights of the Blood was at the front, I'd give Heathcliff credit, he had sent ten of his best players which included of course Asuna. Klein and his guild were there of course, along with Holy Dragon Alliance, I noticed Schmitt, and even Yolko and Kains, which didn't help my worrying any less. I wouldn't use the word 'friend' to describe many of these people, but we still had no idea what would happen when we moved into that dungeon.
Kirito and I were off to the side, and like I'd expected, Asuna had come to strategize with us before the group headed in. Kirito and Asuna started bickering about something, and I used the time to triple check my equipment. In the almost six months since Kya had died, making me a full-time archer, I'd only recently got into the habit of packing more arrows then I needed. I didn't need to be stingy with my col anymore, not with only myself to provide for.
60 arrows, that's plenty, I thought, checking my armor durability and then looking down at the sword on my waist. I'll only switch to this if it ends up too close quarters… put Kirito's training to use.
I was just about to turn to my two friends, when a message popped up in my HUD. Asuna invites you to join her party, do you accept?
Turning, I saw Asuna and Kirito both smiling at me. I didn't need to say much of anything I knew, the three of us knew how important and how dangerous this was. I clicked accept, before their names and HP bars appeared under my own.
"Perfect, now we can keep an eye on each other," She said, sounding cheerful despite the fact we could be facing death soon. Her eyes looked between Kirito and I. "If any of use are in a pinch, now we can help each other."
"Sounds like a great idea," Kirito said, looking a bit sheepish at Asuna's worry. He laughed nervously and rubbed his head. "Not that I think any of us will need much help. We've fought Laughing Coffin before, we got this in the bag."
"Kirito-kun!" Asuna scolded him, her arms crossed fixing him with a glare. "You shouldn't be so lax about this!"
"I'm not lax!" Kirito defended himself, going red and holding up his hands. "I'm just trying to lighten the mood! You know um… inspire the troops before battle? Uh… that sounded stupid didn't it."
"It did," Asuna huffed, before sighing and letting a tiny smile to her face. "But the thought was good enough."
They started bickering again as if I wasn't standing right there. Some people may have found it annoying, or rude even… but I wouldn't have had it any other way. It was all part of the reason I was still fighting, part of the reason I hadn't jumped into the clouds in the week after Aki and Kya died.
I thought the day I'd come face to face with Laughing Coffin again, I'd be angry, crying, screaming, I thought I'd be losing my mind, before rushing willing to throw away my life to turn Zaza and PoH into data. Death was going to come for me that day, I was certain.
But… as I watched Asuna and Kirito argue, clearly trying to deny feelings they both had, as I thought about Argo who I'd seen earlier that day, Agil in his shop, the friends that Aincrad had given me… for the first time since Kya and Aki were alive, I felt like I had something to really fight for.
And more importantly, something to live for. Yes, for the first time in six months, I wanted to live. I'd face what happened to Kya and Aki later on, I was sure, it wouldn't go away, but one thing I did know for certain, was that I would be able to face it.
"Good god, would you two please just kiss already?" I said, and that certainly shut the two of them up.
With red faces they both turned to me with wide eyes and stunned expressions. Asuna was the first to manage words.
"Ha what?! N... no I've told you Akira-kun, he wishes!" She said, pointing accusingly at Kirito.
Kirito stammered. "Wh… what do you mean I wish?! I… I'm a solo player! The last thing I need is-."
"Least you both can do is officially make me the third wheel," I said with a shrug, only making them stammer and look even more embarrassed. Before they could say anything else, I smiled and put my fist out to the both of them. "But enough of that… let's go and finish this, together."
The two seemed more then happy to change the subject. It was as it normally was, no more words were necessary. First it was Kirito, then Asuna, who both put their closed fists together in front of us. They touched and we held it for a moment, the three of us all smiling despite what we knew was ahead of us.
It didn't matter what was ahead of us, so long as we could remember what was behind us.
"Alright, form up!" A booming voice came from the front of the assault team.
Asuna jumped and looked between us. "I need to head back; I'll meet up with you both in there!"
We nodded, and she took off back through the crowd of fighters. Kirito came up next to me after the crowd finally all stood, looking up towards the Knights of the Blood who of course were leading the operation. I didn't recognize the larger tank who Heathcliff had sent. It was possible he was one of the council members, one of the other vice commanders. Asuna was of course the highest ranking of the vice commanders, but the Knights had multiple. They had wanted me to be one, and would probably make me one after this was over.
I wasn't looking forward to it, but if it meant getting this mission to where it was I'd stomach it.
"Thank you all for coming here today!" The large man said, Asuna standing next to him. After all the eyes were on him, his voice grew grim. "As you all know, today we have finally located Laughing Coffin's base. They've been terrorizing players ever since this game began, and today we're going to bring that to an end."
I could practically see Aki and Kya's data, the pixels and polygons from their bodies sprouting out into the air. That had happened to so many more players then just me. It was time for it to end.
"As you all know, our enemy today doesn't fear dying," The man said, looking down the line of players. "They also aren't afraid to kill themselves, they show no mercy or remorse. So that means, you should not hesitate to defend yourself to the utmost of your abilities, killing them if need be. There is no directive to capture or kill, we will take all who surrender to the games prison, any who don't… we will kill. Is this clear?"
A long row of nods followed, including from Kirito and me.
The man nodded, pulling out a longsword and shield. "Very good, now, forward! Stay in close formation until we engage the enemy, watch each other's backs and come back alive!"
I watched as Asuna looked over towards me and Kirito. She nodded and got one back from us, before the entire group turned to the opening doors of the dungeon. My hands curled around The Black Bow of Fate, and I let out a breath I'd been holding.
Kirito's hand grabbed my shoulder. "You ready for this still?"
I nodded, running my finger along The Black Bow of Fate. "Yeah… I lied to myself when I said I was ready the last time. But now… now I am."
Aki… Kya… keep an eye on me for this one, this is for the both of you, for your dream.
XxxxxxxxxxxxxxX
"It's been almost an hour," Klein said, his guild positioned in front of Kirito and I near the back of the group. "Maybe the information was wrong? Or maybe someone tipped them off?"
"Argo was the lead information dealer getting this all together," I said, keeping The Black Bow of Fate raised as we walked carefully along the bright dungeon floor. "Her information has never steered me wrong before… they're here."
"I hope they show up soon… this place is giving me the creeps," Klein commented, as a much larger section of the dungeon coming up.
"He's right about that…" Kirito said from next to me. "Akira, I don't like this…"
"Neither do I," I said, not a sound outside of the assault teams footsteps could be heard. I took a quick glance up at my HP bar, looking at Asuna's name, it was worrying not having her near Kirito and I. It wasn't that I didn't trust the Knights of the Blood's skill around her… it was simply the desire to watch her back myself.
I could tell Kirito felt the same way. A nervous look was on the black swordsman's face. It was rare to see him like that, in all the time I'd known him, I'd never seen him nervous for a fight, or worried he may not win. It was a refreshing confidence to have around. He may have tried to act all stoic and serious, but in reality, he was actually just a big goof. However, it didn't matter, because Kirito was able to back up his actions with skill.
Argo told me that she didn't have the exact numbers… I thought, following closely behind the rest of the squad. But she also said to expect a trap. Laughing Coffin is deranged but not stupid. If they know we're coming they'll be- what's that?!
"ON THE RIGHT GET DOWN!" If my perception skill hadn't been maxed out I never would have seen it. It was a flash of metal, I'd recognize it anywhere, a throwing knife, and it was making its way towards the front of the group.
They're aiming for the Knights! I realized, as my shout had caused confusion, with only a few of the members of the team actually listening to me and getting down. Cursing I pulled back the arrow I had been walking around with knocked and let it fly. The man who'd been standing right next to Asuna, the one leading this mission would have been skewered, the knife had been going right for him.
My arrow shot through the air, and a loud clang run through the air. Luckily my shot as I expected hit its mark, it knocked the knife out of the air, and gave the rest of the team, time to see the threat had been real.
"YOU HEARD HIM GET DOWN!" Kirito yelled, rushing forward to bring Klein to the ground.
I had time to see Asuna dropped to the floor, and I did the same. A large wave of throwing knives came through the air and thankfully with my warning none found their way into any players. However, the minute the whirlwind of knives finished, I heard Asuna yelling out orders.
"They're coming from the sides!" She yelled, to her feet before even the commander of that mission. "Form up and get ready!"
"Akira!" Kirito yelled next to me, and I felt him yank me up by the air, just in time to hear a loud crowd of battle-cries.
I stood shoulder to shoulder with Kirito on that bright dungeon floor, my mouth getting dry as I slid multiple arrows from my quiver. My eyes traveled around the black void to our left and right, multiple platforms with men in dark cloaks were moving towards us. Kirito and I were closer to the right side… and Asuna was closer to the left. It may have seemed like a short distance, but in my mind, it felt like miles.
And there will be plenty of enemies… now I see why they kept their numbers a secret, I thought, my teeth gritted as I loaded five arrows into my bow.
After a quick headcount-which was hard with all the yelling our allies were doing to get into formation- I could tell Laughing Coffin had to have even numbers, if not only a handful less.
I bet they realized the moment we entered the dungeon… they were waited for us to march and tire ourselves out to make up for having less numbers, I realized as I could see weapons begin to flash, axes, swords, spears, even a few with bows of their own.
And then, I saw it. In the middle of the platform of Laughing Coffin players coming from the right, right towards Kirito and I, I saw a man in a skull helmet raise an estoc sword-tinged red. The man I'd been waiting to kill for six months after he murdered Kya smirked, and waved his sword forward, causing the wave of Laughing Coffin to all leap towards the platform our assault team was on.
My shaky hands brought up The Black Bow of Fate and rushed towards the edge of the platform, just as some of them landed.
"CHAIN-LIGHTNING VOLLEY!" I yelled, letting the arrows that had been loading into my bow loose, and with a crackle of electricity they all fired towards the line of Laughing Coffin men.
With a loud bang they hit the row of at least twenty men. The bow skills effect activated, and I watched the lightning jump from one man to the next, chaining between them and making them twitch. It gave the right side of our assault team the chance to charge instead of being taken by surprise. The paralysis of the chain lightning only lasted a few seconds, but it was a precious few seconds for our allies, as they crashed into Laughing Coffin. A loud series of battle cries went up, and I heard the sound of metal on metal.
But that wasn't what I saw was most important then. It was at the top left corner of my screen.
"ASUNA!" I yelled, seeing her HP bar start to dip. Spinning away from that side of the fight, I started rushing for the left side of our forces. "Kirito! Asuna is-. UGH!"
I felt something sharp stab into my back and realized it was a throwing dart. It didn't do too much damaged, but it annoyed me. Spinning around I had time to see an axe coming at me from above. The man was so close, a deranged smile under his hood, that I couldn't load another arrow. I raised up the Black Bow of Fate and caught the axe's head on its edge, before ducking and sliding it down the axe's shaft. I followed it up by slamming my bow into the attacker's stomach, before spinning around and smashing it into the back of his head. The man who'd attacked me stumbled forward, and I was going to go load an arrow again, but I heard footsteps coming from behind.
Turning, I saw a man rushing for me with a spear, but a flash of black stepped in front of me. Kirito got there in time to knock the spear into the ground and cut across the mans hand, severing it and kicking him away as he screamed.
"Kirito!" I said to him, the battle in full swing as bodies were throwing and cut all around me. "It's Asuna, she-."
"She can handle herself for a few minutes Akira!" He yelled over the fighting. "Give it some more time and if she's still in trouble we'll go! For now, focus on our side!"
I looked up and breathed in relief when I saw her HP bar was steady. In the distance I could hear her yelling out orders and combos as well. Biting my lip and nodded and spun back-to-back with Kirito, just as the man who'd swung an axe at me first got back to his feet and charged at me again.
And like that, the real fight began in earnest.
A loud cry came from the front of the group, and when I looked up, I saw more of Laughing Coffin cresting over the rise of the dungeon floor ahead. It wasn't as many as the groups that attacked from our sides, but it came so fast we barely had any time to react. I saw dozens of HP bars beginning to fall, weapons giving out, and worst of all screamed from both sides. The first Laughing Coffin member is saw die had been screaming, and the man who killed him, a member of the Holy Dragon Alliance, stood stunned after committing the act. The poor man looked down at the spot the person he just killed had been and froze.
That led to another member of Laughing Coffin running him through… and my chest dropped. Was that going to be the most difficult part of this battle? In terms of skill, some of the most powerful players in the game were part of this assault team… but would they be able to kill? Even myself, would I be able to do it? I'd killed one member of Laughing Coffin before, that day when Kya and Aki had been killed. That day played in my mind much more then I cared to admit.
So why wasn't I hesitating in my attacks now?
A group of four came for me and Kirito, the first to charge for me was the man with an axe who I'd knocked back earlier. I shot one arrow into his shoulder before he reached me. I blocked a strike, and knocked the axe aside, before seeing another Laughing Coffin spear coming at me for a thrust. I pushed the axe man aside, and just raised my bow up in time to parry the spear away from my cheek before pushing it towards the ground. After the man's weapon hit the ground, I stepped on the spear and pulled out an arrow. I fired and it found home directly in the man's chest.
A large chunk of his HP bar was drained into the low yelled, and as he tried to raise his spear, I smashed my bow into his hand, spun around a punch he tried to throw and pulled out another arrow before firing it into his back.
And like that… the man died, disappeared into polygons, into data, his brain fried in the real world, wherever he was.
The scariest part was… that I didn't feel any crushing guilt. Did I like having to kill that person? Of course not, I would have much preferred if I didn't have too. If I could have, I would have had him surrender, and use the item 'prison binds' that we'd all been given to apprehend any Laughing Coffin members who surrendered.
But he'd given me no choice. He was attacking… if I hadn't done it, he could have killed me, Kirito, Asuna, any number of people, he wouldn't have cared.
I'd have time to reflect on how I survived Aincrad, after I survived. For now, I'd do what I had to.
I loaded another arrow after the man disappeared and spun, to see the man with the axe looking at me, wide eyes and arms shaking. My arrow was aimed at his throat, his HP bar was in the red, one arrow would have killed him. Thankfully however, he dropped his axe and fell to his knees in surrender. Being careful to check my surroundings, I rushed towards him, equipping the 'prison bind', which was a long rope that looked like handcuffs, and pressed it against his back after yanking his hands down. He cried out in pain before falling to the ground tied up.
Around me I could see a few more Laughing Coffin members around me in similar situations, it seemed their desire to kill wasn't absolute, and some still had sense. I couldn't help but wonder what would become of them in the real world if any survived, could they be charged in real life for purposely killing the players in game?
I didn't think on it then, as I saw three more players baring down on Kirito. Rushing forward I saw him parry one sword, before his elucidator glew green. He screamed and cut forward through a man's stomach, killing him, before another came for his right. I got there in time to block the sword that could have killed Kirito and pushed the man back. Another came to join the fight against us, and back-to-back Kirito and I held them off. My bow moved on its own, I was able to move and fire arrows from this range with relative ease. I had such a fast draw that between my arrows and lashing out with the bow itself it made the bow viable at this range.
Learning to fight with a bow at close range was a tough thing to master, but luckily, I had the best archer in Aincrad as my teacher. Kya had taught me everything before she died, just in case I ever did need to switch back to being an archer.
Back-to-back with Kirito, between that and the bow in my hands I almost felt invincible. I parried one strike from a sword aside, before ducking to avoid the next attack. Kirito lashed out, spun and blocked my attacker's weapon before rolling over my bent over back and bringing a slash upwards. It knocked the attacker's sword up, before Kirito screamed and with his sword glowing bright from a skill, he stabbed forward into the player, and after watching the HP bar drop to zero, we saw that member of Laughing Coffin explode into red polygons.
"Akira!" Kirito yelled, spinning back around me to push a spear upwards that would have skewered me.
I turned with him, and after he did, I pulled out an arrow and fired a quick shot. It found home in the man's legs, and he swung out with his spear. I ducked and rolled under it, pulling up another arrow and this one found him in his shoulder. After that yelled and spun for a thrust, before coming up with the butt end of his spear. I raised The Black Bow of Fate to parry, and after a few seconds of exchanging and parrying blows like a whirlwind, I finally with a scream parried the spear down into the ground spun low near the ground to the mans side and fire the arrow upwards. It split into his neck and a few seconds later he turned into colorful polygons.
That's two today… three lives total I've ended, I thought as the data from the former player disappeared, and around me, I saw more, along with dozens of Laughing Coffin players tied up in binds. A few feet away Klein and his guild had a group cornered, we were pushing them back towards the edge, and I could tell that soon they'd have a choice to make. The only place I couldn't see was the front, I was about to rush up there, when I heard footsteps behind me.
Spinning around I saw a hooded member of Laughing Coffin lunge for me, but before I could even raise up my bow to block, Kirito was there. He knocked the sword away and rammed his shoulder into the attacker, and that was followed by an arrow from me, which sent him falling backwards, after he did he dropped his weapon and held his hands up.
I was ready to go and apprehend him, but I froze with Kirito next to me when I saw the blinking in the top left corner of my screen.
"HOLD THE FRONT!" The large man yelled, as a group of Laughing Coffin poured forward to attack the Knights of the Blood at the front.
"Move more to the front!" It was Asuna who yelled, and I caught sight of her directing people towards the front, but then a hooded figure came up behind her. "We need to focus more on the- ARGH!"
His sword just missed her back, it grazed her shoulder and she spun to lashing out with her rapier. My chest exploded, but I didn't move nearly as fast as Kirito did.
"ASUNA!" He yelled, rushing towards the front.
I wasn't about to argue with him. "Kirito, we need to-."
If it hadn't been for my listening skill being so high, I wouldn't have heard the footsteps that's how silent the person had moved. I spun around and leaned my head so far back I almost fell; I saw the sword cut centimeter above my nose, chopping a piece of my digital hair. I scrambled to try and raise The Black Bow of Fate, but I had fallen back so suddenly I stumbled and fell. It skidded out of my hands, and I heard a cackling laughed.
"I've been waiting for you!" It said, and I looked up to see a red estoc plunging down towards my chest. I rolled to the right and tried to scramble for my bow, but my attacker kicked it away into the crowd of people.
Cursing I looked back up, and my stomach exploded. "Zaza… I'm touched you're so excited to see me you psychopath."
"You were the only one of two to stand against me and live…" He hissed, swinging the sword down towards me again. "I'll show you who the powerful one is, and who the weakling is!"
His estoc glowed red with a sword skill, and I rolled away just in time. It smashed into the ground and sent up a cloud of smoke. That gave me time to scramble to my feet, and as I pulled The Sword of Takemikazuchi from my belt, I noticed my HP bar falling towards the yellow. I wouldn't be able to use any health potions now, I had plenty but finding the space to use them would be near impossible.
Zaza stood a few feet ahead of me. I was only a few steps near the edge of the dungeon's edge, and endless black voice awaiting me. Kirito and Asuna's HP bars had steadied, and I saw that the fight was dying down.
"You're losing, all of you," I said, shifting my feet to the sword fighting stance that Kirito had drilled into me the last four days. "I think that's a pretty good indicator of who's stronger."
Zaza laughed, a deranged look under his skull mask. "Ha, HAHA YOU THINK IT DOES?! They're all weak, nothing compared to my power!"
"But you still bow and scrape before PoH," I noted, my eyes narrowing. "Tell me, where is our tall psychotic friend? I'd love to see him too."
Zaza's eyes had a deranged look to them. "YOU THINK I TAKE ORDERS FROM HIM?! I'LL SHOW YOU, AKIRA! I'LL SHOW YOU WHO HOLDS THE POWER IN THIS WORLD!"
"You're doing a lot of talking instead of attacking, you nervous?" I said, turning and leveling the curved katana at him.
The man scoffed. "ME?! AFRAID OF YOU?! Are you not going to tell me to surrender, to turn myself in? Like the rest of those weaklings who don't have the stomach to kill have been?"
It was my turned to laugh. "HA, I know that would be useless. I'm not just going to beat you… I'm going to humiliate you… for Kya."
Another demented laugh. "OHOHOHO! So that's who this is about?! That little red-headed bitch that was too weak to stand before me? You think you can succeed where she failed, that you're stronger?!"
"I'm not stronger than her…" I said, the anger rising, as I queued up the sword skill. I could feel the swords effect working, with so many friendly players around, I could sense the power of the sword growing. "And neither were you… you never will be, just like you're not stronger than me. Do you wanna know why before I take you down?"
"HA, the ramblings of a scared little boy," Zaza said, the sounds of the fight around us growing.
The skill finally was prepared, and I met the killers' eyes. "We're stronger… because we have something to fight for other than ourselves!"
I felt a bit hypocritical saying that. There had been a time when I only cared about my own survival, Kya's and Aki's, I hadn't given a damn about the other players.
But it's like mother always said… sometimes a hypocrite is just a person in the middle of changing.
"The ramblings of a fool!" He yelled, his own sword skill glowing. "DIE NOW!"
"LIGHTNING FLASH!" I yelled, before both of us rushed towards each other with the sword skills glowing.
XxxxxxxxxxxxxxX
Kirito
"ASUNA!" I yelled, finally getting close enough to her to help fight.
"Kirito-kun!" She said back and seeing the smile she had was more relieving than anything I had ever experienced.
She had just finished taking binding one of the Laughing Coffin players, and I felt a bit foolish for rushing to fast. Of course she was alright, it was Asuna, her and Akira were the only ones who could get close to me in terms of power… I needed to trust her more. Still, the idea of her being in danger had been one of the most horrifying things I'd experienced.
"Are you alright?" I asked her, the two of us turning back to the fight.
She nodded, and as we both looked out, I could see the fight was well in our favor now. I hadn't seen many people die… but still even one was too many. Now though, I could see dozens of Laughing Coffin players in the ground in binds, only a few more still fighting the assault team. The head Knight of the Blood was busy barking out orders, and with Asuna safe, I finally was able to let myself breath.
"I'm okay," She said, a small smile on her face, and I thought she was going to say good job, but I saw her eyes go wide, her eyes looking up. "Kirito-kun, where's Akira?!"
I cursed and looked up at the top left of my HUD. Akira's name was flashing, his HP bar was falling closer to the yellow, and I cursed, realizing I hadn't checked for him to be following me before I rushed after Asuna.
"I thought he had been following me!" I told her, as I ran through the battle again, Asuna following me this time. "He should be back near-."
A loud clash of metal on metal rang out and the entire battle halted for a moment. Everyone turned towards the right of the platform, and when the smoke cleared Asuna was the first to yell.
"AKIRA!" She yelled, sprinting forward, with me following after her. I couldn't see at first, but Asuna clearly could, she dropped the honorific after Akira's name, and when she did that I knew she was shook.
Then, when the smoke did clear, I yelled too. "AKIRA!"
Akira as the smoke cleared I saw had his sword clenched against one Laughing Coffin player. A few others players were trying to rush and help him, but the last of Laughing Coffin kept intercepting. One rushed Asuna as she ran, but she knocked him aside, and when he came for me next I knocked his sword down and kicked him away.
"LIGHTNING GODS SWORD!" It was one of Akira's sword skills, and I saw The Sword of Taki's crackle with electricity in his hands.
The one he faced raised his sword and blocked with his own sword skill, before thrusting out towards Akira again. It grazed Akira's shoulder, and Akira stumbled back but quickly recovered and launched himself forward again. The two moved quicker then almost any players would have been able too, I just barely kept up with the speed of Akira's movements. One thing Akira, Asuna and I all shared was speed.
Asuna had the fastest pure attack speed with her rapier, I had the fastest reaction time and strongest attacks.
Akira was the most agile of the three of us, probably the most agile in the game, it was how he was always able to make room to fire his bow or thrust with his sword. He was so adept and moving quickly, at maneuvering his body, I bet he could even dodge bullets if this had been a game full of guns.
That was what he did now, Akira moved and dodged attacks so quick, that the Laughing Coffin player he faced yelled with frustration as each of his attacks either missed their mark or was parried.
"Zaza…." Asuna hissed, and I saw her face grow dark, her teeth grinded together as she picked up her pace. "That's the bastard that killed Kya!"
My pulse quickened, the one who had killed Akira's girlfriend… I remembered now. The night Asuna and I saved Akira from fighting Laughing Coffin, this Zaza had been there. I knew how much Akira had wanted to confront him, probably wanted to kill him.
But as I watched Akira fight, he didn't seem angry, only determined.
He blocked a strike and knocked Zaza's sword up, Asuna and I were only a few steps away yelling his name but Akira ignored us. He went to thrust his sword through Zaza's chest with a yell, but Zaza recovered and brought his sword down, they were right near the edge, and next Akira side-stepped the strike and tried to thrust towards the man's side. Zaza however, was ready for this, he spun and knocked Akira's sword into the ground, and after that he queued up and sword skill, and slashed towards Akira's stomach.
"AKIRAAA!" Asuna screeched, charging up a skill of her own, but she wasn't quick enough.
"NOOO!" I yelled behind her, as the sword skill struck across Akira's mid-section.
It zapped his HP, and Akira yelled. "GAHHHH NOT YET!"
Akira had gotten sent flying back, towards the black void over the side of the dungeon, but as he fell back, his eyes wild and red he reached out his hand and grabbed Zaza's cloak. The man had been so surprised he could only yell and try to pry Akira off, but Akira's momentum had already pulled him back over the edge, the minute after Akira went over Zaza fell with him.
"NOOOOOOOO AKIRAA!" Asuna wailed again, just as we both reached the edge of where Akira had fell.
I cried myself when I reached out my hand. "ASUNA STOP!"
I had to yank her back before she fell off the edge. Around us, the fighting had died down, commanders were barking orders, and the members of Laughing Coffin were being rounded up, people were celebrating.
But not Asuna, she fell to her knees and dropped her rapier, my hands still on her shoulders to keep her from falling over.
"A…Akira-kun…" She said, her breath shaky, and as much as I wanted to sound the same-my arms were shaking already- I pulled her back from the edge.
"A…Asuna…" I said, finding words hard to form. My eyes stayed out into the black void that my best-friend had fallen into. "It… it can't… not… not… wait… wait. ASUNA LOOK!"
It rose up from below, a white moving platform. In the dungeons, like what Laughing Coffin had ambushed us off of, smaller pieces of the dungeon would float in and out to bring monsters into players paths. It was part of the system, and there was a time limit on how long they stayed and went away for and a limit on how far, they'd always stay within sight, and it was possible to leap onto them. Players used them to wait for monster respawns when they were grinding.
"AKIRA! AKIRA ARE YOU OKAY?!" Asuna yelled as the platform floated back up past us, slowly moving further away.
With Akira hanging off it by his left hand, the endless void of black beneath him. His Sword of Takis was in his right hand, and I could see Zaza groaning and rolling on the platform above him.
"Great, I'm feeling fantastic! I'm in a great spot!" Akira shouted back through grinding teeth, his muscle bulging as he went to pull himself up. "Just… just give me a minute, I got this. Totally… totally got this."
His HP bar was near the red, and panic set in for me, especially when I saw Zaza starting to get back to his feet on the platform above. I couldn't stop looking at his HP bar… it all came back to me. I couldn't let it happen again, I couldn't let someone I cared about die, I didn't care what happened to myself anymore.
I could still see Sachi's lips moving with the silent last words I'd never hear. Akira hasn't met Sugu yet… I haven't shown him what he has to live for back in the real world yet…
"Hold on Akira!" I shouted backing up to get a running start, the rest of the assault team behind me starting to finally gather to see what was happening. "I'm coming! I'll jump over and-."
"NO! Kirito don't!" He yelled, till dangling from the edge. "Even you can't make that jump. Leave this to me, and then we'll wait for it to come back!"
"Akira-kun!" Asuna yelled back. "You're hanging from the ledge, your HP, it's down if we don't come and help you you'll-."
"Ha, are you doubt me Lightning Flash? I'm hurt," He yelled back, smirking as he grunted in exasperation, trying to pull himself back up. The boy even scoffed a laugh as he did. "If you think I'll let a bozo like this beat me you got another thing coming! There's no way I'll lose, not a chance!"
"Hey, is that Akira?!" Klein asked, rushing up next to me, and I realized the rest of the assault team had gathered to look out at Akira, who yelled as he pulled himself upwards.
His black cloak blew in the dungeons breeze, he yelled as he bent his left arm, tossed his sword above him and used every fiber of muscle in his upper body to pull himself upwards towards the platform, until he eventually-with his HP now in the red- got up there, and fell forward, getting to one knee and picking up his sword.
I swore I could see him smirk from here.
He coughed once and shook his head, shooting us a thumbs up. "There's no way I'm going to die here… because Kya and Aki asked me to live! I won't die BECAUSE ASUNA, KIRITO, WE'RE GOING TO BEAT THIS GAME!"
"SPOKEN LIKE A DEAD MAN!" A deep voice yelled, and a red sword skill erupted from Zaza who'd gotten to his feet.
Akira picked up The Sword of Takis, and raised it just in time to deflect the thrust aimed for his head. Zaza's sword was inches from his neck, but Akira remained calm, and punched into Zaza's stomach when he got close, knocking him back before rushing after him. The platform had floated into our vision, it was still too far for us to jump, but I could see the fight. Akira lashed out, but Zaza was ready. Akira spun into Zaza, a living storm of steel erupting between the two.
"ARGH KICK HIS ASS AKIRA! COME ON!" Klein yelled from next to me, his fist pump, the rest of his guild yelling like he did.
"GO ON BLACK ARCHER!" "TAKE HIM OUT!" "YEAH, GET HIM AKIRA!" "SHOW HIM HOW THE ASSAULT TEAM OPERATES!"
The entire team began cheering out, some yelling words I really didn't care to repeat to encourage and spur Akira on. If he heard, Akira showed no indication, as he locked with Zaza, before pushing him back and rushing forward again. Zaza struck, but Akira leapt, and fell to his side, thrusting forward and grazing the man's side. The man in the skull mask yelled and spun around, jabbing and swinging a flurry off attacks, but just like expected with Akira he moved and dodged, parried when he needed and kept the distance, just like I'd been showing him the last four days.
"Wow… looks like he was listening," I muttered, my hands clenching to fists. "Still… I wish I could get over there… Asuna, how long to you think… Asuna?"
She had ran off and I hadn't even noticed. I spun trying to locate her, when I heard Akira scream. Turning my attention back to him, I saw him stumbling back, gripping his left arm, a small spray of red polygons floating from it. I noticed a knife sticking out of it, and his HP dropping quick. Akira yelled and yanked it out to stop his health from dropping, but Zaza was on him in a second again with another sword skill. He leapt and came down, but from his daze Akira stumbled back and just barely raised up The Sword of Takis to block.
A loud clang rang out, and I screamed. "AKIRA!"
The sword flew out of Akira's hand and into the black void.
XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX
Akira
Well… that certainly isn't very good, I thought, watching The Sword of Takis fall into the black void. I hadn't lost the sword permanently of course, it would respawn back in my inventory later, but as I watched it fall, I realized that I had been foolish to think I could stand up to someone like Zaza after only being trained for four days. He may have been a psychopath, but I hadn't met many better pure swordsmen.
I saw that full force when he tried to end me then and there.
"DIE WEAKLING!" He yelled, his sword glowing bright red.
"COME ON! DON'T GIVE UP AKIRA, HE HAS NOTHING ON YOU!" I heard someone yell, pegging the voice as Klein's as I rolled to avoid the strike.
I came back up and leapt back-now weaponless- to put some distance between us. More shouts made their way over to me from the Assault Team, and while I appreciated the encouragement, now weaponless, my prospects seemed a bit bleaker. If I took the time to equip an old sword or knife, he'd kill me. The only thing I had left were the arrows at my waist which miraculously hadn't fallen away, but they could hardly be a weapon.
Zaza growled demonically as he turned back to me. "Your cheerleaders can't save you Akira!"
He rushed at me again. His HP bar was low into the yellow, a few more good hits and I could beat him, but my own HP was down in the red, I was only a few hundreds HP points away from my brain being fried. I was holding my own, until he had pulled a knife out of his boot and stabbed my arm. My left arm still felt a little limp, lifting it too high would make me scream in pain. I saw a red square flashing next to my name, the cripple limb icon. I could use my arm, but anything I did with it would be difficult.
Zaza's sword just missed running me through, and I brought my foot around to kick his back as he passed me. It didn't do much but it knocked him off balance and gave me time to recover again. I had little to no experience in fighting with just my hands, I needed to figure something out quick.
I looked over at the platform the assault team was on, and spotted Kirito, near the edge, his hand twitching near his sword as his eyes stayed glued to the slow-moving platform I was on. I realized what he was doing now, and it was probably my only chance.
I wanted to beat him on my own… but that may be my only choice, I thought as Zaza finally spun back around. I needed to find a way to buy time until the platform moved close enough, and Kirito could jump over to help me.
"RUNNING AWAY AKIRA?!" Zaza screeched; all semblance of control lost. He rushed towards me again, cackling. "AHAHA WHAT ABOUT ALL THAT TALK OF BEING STRONGER THAN ME?! WHERE IS THAT BRAVADO NOW?!"
He came with a downward slash, and I just got out of the way, seeing his sword slam into the ground. I lunged and grabbed onto his arm, slamming my elbow into the crook of his, causing him to yell and small bit of his HP to drain, but it didn't take much for him to bring shove me off, and swing his sword.
I leapt back, but it seemed he expected that. He swept out his leg and knocked my own out from under me. My back hit the bright white floor, and I saw the sword coming for me, I dashed and rolled to avoid it, but as I came back up, my lungs felt ready to explode. My HP and stamina bars were near their limits, and I had no idea how much more my virtual body could take.
No… no this isn't it… not even close! I'm going to win! I thought shooting to my feet as he charged at me again. I rushed forward to meet him, my eyes trained on his sword, my lungs almost combusted, my feet almost fell off, but I ran.
I saw it in that moment, the chopper cutting into Aki's chest, the sword stabbing through Kya's back through her chest, those green eyes she had, the eyes I loved.
Promise me that you won't let this game change you… you are good Akira. I had let the game change me for a time… but now I was ready to finally keep that promise I made to her.
I saw every moment I'd spent in Aincrad then, with Kya and Aki, with Asuna and Kirito… all the reasons I had to fight, to live then.
End this world Akira… and then go live, the words she-or her ghost-had said to me that day, the last words I heard from her. I would live.
"ARGHHH!" I screamed, trying anything to get my legs to move faster as I charged at Zaza who barreled towards me with his sword.
His sick twisted smile under his skull mask only grew as he saw me rushing right for him. He twisted his sword, and it glowed red with his sword skill, his eyes widened as he saw me get closer, closer, and closer.
When an enemy sees an opening, their movements become easy to predict… thanks Kirito-sensei, I thought, smiling as Zaza saw the opening.
But unluckily for him, I saw Asuna on the distance platform rushing towards the edge.
"DIE HERE AKIRA! DIE AND KNOW MY POWER!" Zaza yelled, swinging his sword for a massive slash towards my chest.
I slid underneath the strike, letting myself skid towards the edge of our platform, just as Asuna reached the edge of hers.
"HERE AKIRA!" She yelled, spinning to fling the weapon she had in her hand towards me.
I almost lost The Black Bow of Fate in the endless black void, but I saw it come through the darkness, and it was no trouble for me to catch. Feeling the sleek bow in my hands again made me feel more powerful then any player in the game, and with one fluid motion I spun back around, pulling one of the arrows that was still at my waist into the bow and I just had time to see a stunned Zaza's eyes widen before I let the shot fly.
He had no chance to react, it shot through the air and it found home right in his sword hand just like I had aimed for.
"ARGHHHHH! DAMIIIITT!" He yelled, his HP dropping to the red, his estoc falling from his hand. He grabbed his hand and looked up at me with his demonic eyes. "YOU AND YOUR FUCKING ARROWS! DO YOU THINK SUCH A WEAK WEAPON CAN DEFEAT ME?!"
I managed to smirk on the brink of death, loading another arrow as I did. "Never underestimate and archer."
He screamed again and scooped up his estoc from the ground. I heard the cheers from the assault team behind me as he charged, but I could see the grimace of pain in his eyes. He still had an arrow sticking out of his hand, so I knew it would hamper him.
I winced, as my left hand, the hand that held the bow up almost dropped, but I'm not in the best position either with my arm crippled… but I know exactly what to do!
"DIE ALREADY!" Zaza yelled, just as I led my second arrow fly.
He moved out of the way, but despite my shaky left arm, my right hand still grabbed a handful of arrows to hold. I fired two more off before he got close and swung. The Black Bow of Fate blocked it and knocked it aside, but a shot of pain ran up my left arm. I ducked and rolled to my knee behind him and fired another shot. He spun in time to knock the arrow aside, but stumbled, wincing and grabbing his sword hand, his HP draining. Finally he ripped the arrow free and with crazed eyes ran at me again.
I brought both hands to the Black Bow of Fate and deflected it. It was like a black storm of how fast I moved the bow in front of me. I blocked attacks from above, below, ducked down to fire off a shot, I leapt over one strike, falling to his back to fire another. I had no stamina or energy left for elemental archery, so I had to settle for normal arrows… and I was almost out.
"BAHAHA FINALLY THOSE FUCKING ARROWS ARE ALMOST GONE!" He yelled, running for me again.
The last arrow in my quiver got deflected by his estoc, which he was ready to drop. I shot my hand back to check for more arrows, right near the edge, I realized how bad a position I was in, and Zaza saw it. He saw it and cackled again.
"THIS IS WHERE YOU DIE AKIRA!" He shouted, rushing forward with a final sword skill charged.
"AKIRA!" "AKIRA" I could hear both Asuna and Kirito yelling behind me, but I didn't move.
Just what I thought you'd do… never underestimate an archer.
"DIE!" Zaza screamed, swinging his sword towards me in a red arc.
I ducked down and under the sword, back towards the center of the platform. Zaza stopped himself just before he could fall off the edge and turned around enraged, going to rush towards me again. It was exactly what I knew he'd do, and what I'd been preparing for since we walked into the dungeon.
My hand shot down to my boot and pulled out a single arrow that had been stuffed inside it. Zaza pulled up, trying to raise his sword in time but he was too late, screaming from the pain in my crippled arm I held The Black Bow of Fate up, and still managing my incredible draw speed let the arrow fly.
It found home with a loud thump in Zaza's shoulder. My aim was a bit off from how much my left arm was shaking, but it knocked Zaza back and sent him stumbling.
"You… you… bastard," he hissed, before reaching to pull the arrow out, stopping his HP bar from draining only a handful of points remaining.
But it didn't matter, because he stumbled back with a fall, off the side of the platform, only his hand saving him from falling.
And then he started laughing. "AHAHAHA YOU… YOU THINK YOU CAN KILL ME AKIRA?! I WON'T BE KILLED MY THE LIKES OF YOU! I… I will… I will… GAHHHHHH!"
He had tried to pull himself up, but at the last minute, the platform started to move, and I saw one of his fingers slip. In a run I leapt and slid across the white floor, and just before his body fell down into the black void, I caught his wrist with my right hand. I screamed myself from the pain, as all the weight of the man strained my arm, but I yanked as much as I could. He'd dropped his sword, but the minute I pulled him upwards, he latched onto the platform with his other hand. After that, I grabbed both of his shoulders and yanked him back onto the white ground.
I saw him scramble to grab his weapon, but I was on him in seconds. My knee went into the back of his neck, just enough pressure to not do HP damage, and pulled out one more 'prison bonds' items and smacked them onto him. Rope shot around his hands and tied the man up, he screamed and flailed as he did, but I finally shot away and fell onto my back on the platform with a large sharp intake of breath.
"I… I did it… I… I fucking did it," I said, trying to get control of my rapid breathing, looking over and seeing The Black Bow of Fate just out of reach. "I… I really did it. Kya… Kya I… I really… I really did it. I… I won."
"HELL YEAH! WAY TO GO AKIRA!" I heard the voice of Klein yell.
"THAT'S A MASTER ARCHER!" "CHEERS FOR THE BLACK ARCHER!" "VICTORY FOR THE PLAYERS!"
The cheering kept coming, and all I could do was lay on my back, looking up at the black ceiling above me, at my HP bar which only had 362 points left. That's how close I had come to dying. How close I'd come to making Kya and Aki's death worthless.
But… but I did it… Kya… that… that one was for you… Kya, I thought, blinking as I felt tears coming to me. I had kept my promise, I lived, found a new reason too… and what I'd done today didn't just avenge her, it kept the other people safe. It's what she would have done… it was the person she was, she died being the person she was… and I was carrying that memory on.
So long as I lived, nobody would forget Kyou Tanaka. I laughed on the platform again. It had been ages, even before SAO since I referred to Kya by her real name, she always preferred being called Kya, her nickname.
"Ha… Ky… Kya… Kyou…" I said, managing a smile, before I reached and wrapped my hand around The Black Bow of Fate. Squeezing it, I let the tears fall. "You… you'll always be my hero."
"Ba… baha…. BAHAHAHAAAA!" Zaza laughed, rolling onto his side, his hood and mask still intact. I still could see his demonic dark eyes as he laughed at me. "HAHAHA YOU… YOU ARE WEAK! YOU WEAKLING! I AM, I AM STRONGER STILL!"
I stood up, as I could feel the platform moving back towards the main one.
He kept laughing as I made my way back towards him. "YOU, YOU DIDN'T HAVE THE STOMACH TO KILL ME BOY?! THE POWER TO KILL ME?! WHAT'S WRONG, DON'T HAVE THE STOMACH FOR IT! PATHETIC! YOU'RE WEAK, YOU-."
"You're misunderstanding me Zaza," I said, crouching down and meeting the mans eyes as he looked up at me, my eyes narrowed at him. "I didn't spare you because I was weak, or because I wanted you to live."
"HA!" He yelled, as I could see members of the assault team forming up to leave as our platform got closer to there. "YOU THINK THAT'S TRUE BOY?! I SHOW MY POWER BY KILLING, MY POWER OVER THIS WORLD AND ITS PEOPLE, YOU SHOW YOUR WEAKNESS BY-."
"Killing a person, you don't like, or who's weaker than you, doesn't make you strong," I told him, my eyes never leaving him. "It makes you a coward. Real strength, is shown by leading those, and helping those who are weaker than you… and that's why I saved you Zaza."
This time, the man stammered, his teeth clenched together as his wide-set devil eyes looked up at me.
I smirked and shook my head. "I had the power of your life or death in my hands, it would have been so easy to give into my desire to let you fall and die, but no, I'm stronger than that. I'm stronger than you… so I let you live, so that you can go on living the rest of your miserable life knowing that me, a weakling as you put it, is the only reason you're alive."
"I… I won't forget this… you… you will regret this," He hissed through his mask.
I scoffed and stood. "Maybe… but no matter what you'll have to live with the fact I let you live, that I was the one who let you live. Enjoy the rest of your time in Aincrad Zaza, knowing that now, in the world you thought you were all powerful in… you're nothing but a prisoner, just like the rest of us. And if you don't go to prison in the real world, you'll get to return to the sad life you had… powerless still. Have fun in hell, you psychopath."
"YOU'LL BE THERE WITH ME AKIRA!" He shouted as I turned away from him. "I WILL FIND YOU! AND I WILL SHOW YOU TRUE STRENGTH! I WILL-."
"Alright crazy, that's enough talk!" I heard someone say, realizing it was Klein. "Akira will kick your ass no matter where you are. Good work A!"
"Thanks Klein," I said, smirking and shooting him a thumbs up. I'm really glad Kirito introduced me to him, what a nice guy.
"Akira-kun!" I heard behind me, and I turned intime to have Asuna slam into me so hard that I thought the last of my HP was going to be drained.
But it wasn't, her arms were around my neck, squeezing, so I did the same thing I did to her after each time I almost got myself killed, I hugged her back.
"Thanks for the assist, Lightning Flash," I said, my arms wrapped around her waist, her orange hair muffling my voice. "How many times is that you've saved my life now?"
"To many…" She said, her voice muffled too, before she pulled back, wiped the tears from her eyes and gave me that cute smile that always made me feel better. "And you know what else? You need to quit being stubborn."
"Huh?" I said, sighing. "Asuna look I- OW!"
She slapped me, and this time I did lose 10 more HP points, a fresh red digital mark on my cheek.
"How many times are you going to do that to me Akira?!" She scolded, before going through her inventory and pulling out a red crystal. "I… I know we couldn't have jumped to help but… but still you… you… GAH I just don't-."
"Thanks, Asuna… for worrying," I said, seeing she was having a hard time. "And…for all you've done."
She gave me that smile again, this time without the slap, and sprayed the crystal over me. The sense of dread you got with red HP in SAO went away, as I saw my bar go all the way back up. Letting out a relaxing breath, I met Asuna's eyes.
She chuckled. "Ha… that was pretty impressive. I… hope you're ready for what comes next now. I'm sorry, but they're already asking about you joining the Knights."
I sighed and rolled my eyes, but smiled. "I'll keep my word… just give me a day or two. I think we have cause to celebrate."
"That's for certain," I heard from my right, and turned to see Kirito smiling. "That was some show you put on. Have you always had such a flare for the dramatic?"
"My mother always said I did," I said, holding out my fist. "I got you to thank for most of this show, oh great Kirito-sensei."
He scoffed a laugh, and bumped my first before we did our handshake. "Ha, guess I am a great teacher after all… I'm glad you're okay. You know I would've leapt to help if I could, even if you had said not too."
"I know…" I said, feeling the tears start to well up again as I managed a chuckle. "Ha… you know, Laughing Coffin is how we all met really… and now they're gone. It's… nice to see how far we've all come."
"You can say that again," Asuna said, looking over at Kirito with a smirk. "To think, I found you insufferable up until a few months ago."
"And I bet you still do sometimes," Kirito said, his face a tinge redder.
Asuna laughed, which really made my friend go red. "Ahaha… you're right, but… even more then the guild. I'm glad we were able to meet, all three of us."
I watched Kirito blush, and rolled my eyes with a smile, for the love of god these two need to shack up already.
Decided I didn't want to watch Kirito and Asuna awkwardly stare at each other, I clapped my hands together and got their attention.
"Well, as much as I'd love to sit and talk about how great we all are," I started, "I believe we only have one mission left now that Laughing Coffin is taken care of."
"Oh yeah?" Kirito said. "What's that?"
I chuckled, before looking at them both and putting my fist out. "Ha… to beat the game of course. We still got around thirty floors to go, and I don't know about you, but I'm anxious to see the ruby palace on floor 100, before we kick the ass of whatever monsters up there. What do you both say?"
We all exchanged smiles, before Asuna first put her fist in. "You'll always have me by your side Akira-kun."
"Yeah…" Kirito said, nodding and adding his fist. "Same for me. Let's do it."
"Awesome, it's our responsibility as some of the strongest players to do all we can… because that's what the strong do, they protect those who can't protect themselves," I said as our fists bumped together.
After they did, I smiled at them both and put my hand to my stomach. "But also, with great strength, comes the great need to eat dinner, let's go find some food, I'm starving. 'Restaurant' sure sounds nice right now."
They both laughed, and I took the chance to step between them, my arms around both of their shoulders.
We made our way to join the rest of the assault team, and I went with the knowledge that while there would be dark days… there would always be sunshine, and this moment then with them as we laughed, was one of them.
Next time, Episode 6: The Sword Dance of Black and White: It's been over two years since Sword Art Online launched, and 10,000 people were trapped in the floating castle of Aincrad. It's been two years since Akira was trapped, and nine months since his sister and girlfriend, Aki and Kya were killed. However now, he had a new reason to fight, his best-friends, the black swordsman and the lightning flash, Kirito and Asuna. However, progress clearing the game has stalled, and to make matters worse, Akira's been forced to join the Knights of the Blood Oath! But, when Kirito finds a rare item, he, Asuna and Akira plan a day to relax and unwind by partying up together again for the first time in months. Little do they know, during this they'll set into motion events that could shake Aincrad to its core….
A/N: Hey everybody, I hope you're all excited for a quick update! This chapter is shorter then the previous four but still clocks in at 12,000 words which is pretty impressive for 3 days I'd say. Even so, I know as a writer I need to improve on shortening my chapters since they tend to be too long, so I hope that while its shorter, it still has the same quality.
After this chapter as well, the next few chapters until the end of Aincrad will be short really. When I write OC stories, I try not to just write word for word or scene for scene from the anime. For example, if there's a scene where Akira won't really change the outcome of that scene drastically, I'll try to either have it occur offscreen, or shorten it, since I just don't think they'd be exciting to read.
The last four chapters have been longer since they've had a LOT of Akira focus in them, I say the next few will probably be a bit shorter, since until we meet Yui, and then the final fight there really isn't that much that Akira would change, (ie, the fight with The Gleam Eyes on Floor 74, Kirito vs Heathcliff round 1, fishing episode after Yui.) So while of course I'm going to write those and add some scenes for Akira, they'll be a bit shorter then these last four.
It's Fairy Dance, then of course Gun Gale where Akira's story will REALLY pick up. Seeing how he deals with events of Aincrad back in the real world, that's something I wish SAO had done in the main series, show us more of our gang in the real world. As we see, Akira seems as okay as he can be in Aincrad now… but how will it be back in the real world?
SO, that's it for this AN, I really hope you enjoyed that climactic boss fight against Zaza, I promise that when the fight gets brought to Gun Gale, and we see the rematch it's going to be even more epic…
ONE last thing before I end this, and that is I HAVE DECIDED on Akira's ship and… it's going to be Sinon/Shino. I'm sorry to everyone who wanted Sugu, but in the end, with how I have his character planned to be after Aincrad, I just know Akira would see Sugu more as another little sister to protect, more than someone he's interested in romantically, also Fairy Dance is RIGHT after Aincrad, so he'll have a lot more things on his mind.
Plus, Gun Gale is going to be Akira's real main arc, his biggest story until War of the Underworld when he meets PoH again, so having him and Shino share in trauma/heal together from it, I think it'll be quite nice to see.
One thing people said for Sugu, was they wanted her because she showed up sooner, and I get it I do. However, in reality it won't be THAT long before Gun Gale, Aincrad is going to be 12 chapters, then Fairy dance, probably 11-12 as well. I'm posting the arcs as separate stories, but in reality we're already about a quarter of the way to Gun Gale already, and with lockdowns going into place in my part of the USA, I'll have plenty of time to write xD
SO NOW, that's it! Have an awesome night everyone, and see you next time!
