Phew! Finals were murder. Normally I don't get too phased during finals week, but these finals in particular were a nightmare. Oof!

Well, glad to be off for a while, and back to what I love best: writing. And here we are! The next chapter ready to roll.

I wanna give a shout out to two people who have really helped me steam through all of this.

First is Trace Carter, my partner from our RP forum Iris Halo. Having someone with knowledge of SAO to be my beta really does wonders for my writing. Thanks a bunch man.

Second goes to one of my reviewers: DaManWOFear. Your reviews are so insightful and really uplifting. Dude, with everything, thank you.

Now with that out of the way, disclaimer time: Reki Kawahara is the author/creator of SAO and its related content. Thus he holds all the rights to the story and characters he has woven into an amazing narrative.

And now,

LINK START!

Chapter 13:

Blade Storm

At a section of the dungeon surrounded by pillars with glowing runes, the four friends stopped to catch their breath. The terror from seeing the Dungeon Master was still strong among them, as no one had spoken since running away.

At last, Eugeo voiced, "Wh-What kind of monster was that? There's no way any human can fight that thing off."

"Even after all the Dungeon Masters we have slain getting here, I have to agree," Alice added. "These monsters continue to seem impossible to contest, let alone kill."

"Makes you wonder how the people who started clearing this castle fought the first floor Dungeon Master," Kirito brought up. "I bet they couldn't even manage to fight it until an Integrity Knight appeared."

"No one really knows what happened then," Asuna told them, "To be honest, we barely know about the first people to live in Aincrad. There's no real reliable record of who lived here, who fought the different Dungeon Masters, or even accounts of people's lives. It's scary to think about, but it's like Aincrad has only really begun with the higher floors."

"Well we need to figure out how to beat this one before anything else," Eugeo redirected. At that, Asuna got a look in her eye that unsettled the crew. Especially because her gaze was on Alice.

"Asuna, what is it?" said Integrity Knight inquired.

"That's what I'm wondering," the Vice Commander replied. "The thing about Integrity Knights is that they are taught a particular technique called Perfect Weapon Control. It's supposedly some high-level Sacred Arts involving their weapons. Only Knights with Divine Objects are capable of it."

"Yeah, what about it?" Kirito questioned. "Why does that have anything to do with matters right now?"

"Because in a few of the previous Dungeon Master raids, I've seen either Sheyta or Bercouli using powers from their swords. Bercouli would slash at a space in the battlefield, then the Dungeon Master would walk into where the attack was and immediately be injured. I'm not sure about Sheyta, but her sword never seemed to have issues cutting into enemies with thick armor. That's why I'm curious about Alice. Her Osmanthus Blade is a Divine Object too, so she should have this knowledge as well." It seemed reasonable to assume Alice should also be able to do something like what Bercouli did.

That is until Alice claimed, "I have as of yet to even use its power. While my Osmanthus Blade can use Perfect Weapon Control, the nature of said power is unknown even to me. There is no point in using such a power if you do not know what it will do." Another reasonable statement in the argument, but it didn't seem to satisfy Asuna.

"You would have been taught in the year before coming here, not to mention having discussed the matter with Bercouli," she pointed out. "So I'm curious as to why you haven't used your Perfect Weapon Control." She seemed to scrutinize her companion rather closely, making the golden Knight become uncomfortable.

So Eugeo interjected, "Well, my Blue Rose Sword is also a Divine Object. But we have never learned about Perfect Weapon Control ourselves. And here in Aincrad, who's to say if such a technique will be good or bad. We wouldn't even know how to activate it."

That seemed to get Asuna off Alice's back, as she said, "That's fair. It's too much to expect from people only recently exposed to this stuff. Myself included." She then reached into some pouches she had on her and pulled out sandwiches for the group. "Anyway, we should probably eat. We have to keep our strength up while here." After passing it to each member, they all dug in. Once again, they marveled at Asuna's ability to make such delicious meals like it was nothing.

Finishing his sandwich, Kirito commented, "Have you ever considered selling these? You'd probably make a fortune."

Smiling bashfully, Asuna asked, "You think so?" Kirito nodded enthusiastically, making her blush a bit.

"Careful Kirito," Eugeo began to tease, "if her food sells so well, she may not have enough for you."

"Are you talking about me or yourself Eugeo?" Kirito fired back.

"No, I think it's just you," his friend bantered on. And the two began to joke around with each other and playfully shove each other. The sight was heartwarming for Alice, and even Asuna enjoyed seeing the boys play around. But as she watched it, another memory popped up that made her head hurt. This one hurt more than any other before, and she audibly reacted to the pain. It was a memory of two boys, most likely Kirito and Eugeo, wrestling with each other beneath a massive, black tree.

Seeing her friend in distress, Alice inquired, "Asuna, what is it?" But they were interrupted when they heard footsteps approaching. The group looked up to see Klein and his Fuurinkazan guild coming into the safe zone. The six members looked worn and haggard, and they were more trudging than walking.

But the minute he saw the four, Klein perked up and called out, "Hey Kirito, Eugeo. Glad to see you all still breathing."

Getting to his feet, Kirito returned lethargically, "Oh, hey Klein."

"Geez, you're a real charmer aren't you," Klein griped. Once he approached, he gave this smug look like he was trying to flirt and spoke, "And hello, dear Miss Alice. You are looking lov—" Normally he would have been interrupted by Alice to stop his advances on the girl, but this time his pause was due to seeing Asuna with the group. "Wait, what the hell are you three doing with Asuna?" he demanded, "I thought she couldn't stand your guts."

"That was months ago Klein," Kirito reminded. "You been living under a rock?" Klein looked put off by the remark but made no comment otherwise.

"Anyway Klein, are you exploring the dungeon too?" Eugeo asked to divert topics.

"Yeah, we got the short straw on this one," Klein answered, scratching the back of his head. "Though I am wondering why you four are here. I thought the Assault Team decided we were scouting things today."

"We were wanting to come here on our own," Alice informed. "We didn't intend to intrude on your mission."

"Hey, the more the merrier, you know? Beats fighting all these monsters on our own." From out of nowhere, the entire group heard what sounded like heavy footsteps marching towards them. Past Fuurinkazan looked like at least a dozen men in black armor with dark-green capes. Kirito, Eugeo, and Alice all recognized their garb belonging to the Aincrad Liberation Army that they ran across when they first entered Aincrad on floor 1.

"What's the Liberation Army doing up here?" Kirito questioned.

Asuna came up to them and told them, "From what I heard, they had been acting as the ruling body on the first floor, focusing on building their ranks over strengthening their members. But it doesn't make sense why they would be up here." They observed as the army came up to the safe zone. But they quickly noticed that the soldiers were greatly fatigued. They were slumped, their feet looked heavy and were dragged more than lifted, not to mention their breathing was rather heavy. The only one not looking out of sorts had a tassel and medal that indicated a higher rank.

After they arrived, the lead soldier called out to his troops, "At ease." And instantly, every member aside from him collapsed in a heap to the ground. The leader then approached the group. "I am Lieutenant Corvatz of the Aincrad Liberation Army," he introduced.

Stepping forward, Alice returned, "I am Alice Synthesis Thirty, Integrity Knight. I was not aware the army was making efforts to clear dungeons on these floors. Last I heard, your group was managing affairs on the first floor."

"We are making efforts now to rectify our lack of effort in freeing everyone from this prison castle Integrity Knight," Corvatz replied, disdain at addressing her evident. "Have you been exploring this dungeon recently?"

"Indeed, we have," Alice answered. "We even have a map that shows the location of the Dungeon Master's lair."

Holding his hand out, Corvatz then barked, "Alright, then hand it over." This brazen request put everyone off.

"Hey, where do you get off telling us what to do?" Klein argued back. "Do you know how much of a pain in the ass map-making is? It's not like the map is created as we walk, you know."

"You are refusing to aid your fellow man in clearing this floor?" Corvatz questioned. Then he bellowed, "The Aincrad Liberation Army shares its resources with civilians freely, and we don't charge a thing for it. We stand to preserve the peace in this world that would sink into chaos. Therefore, it is your duty to hand over that map."

Klein was about to go at it again when Eugeo replied, "I'll give you the map. Just give me a moment to make a rubbing and copy it." He then went to where he stashed the map, pulled a piece of charcoal from his pocket along with a second piece of parchment, and started to create a copy of the map he made during their trek. Klein kept muttering about some rather unkind things regarding Corvatz, but no one else was going to bother joining him. They were miffed at the way he demanded they give him something they had worked on, especially since he made it seem like he was owed this in order to do a service. But Eugeo finished and gave the copy of the map to Corvatz.

"Thank you," he said, regarding Eugeo. "The Aincrad Liberation Army is benefitted by your contribution."

As he was about to go to his men, Kirito warned, "If you're about to attempt the Dungeon Master, I wouldn't dare."

"That is my decision to make," Corvatz replied abrasively.

No longer standing his attitude, Alice scolded, "Lieutenant, we have just seen the Dungeon Master firsthand, and we know it is too much for your small unit to handle. You go into that lair and you are offering yourselves to slaughter. Your men are fatigued and are in no shape to fight. Withdraw to your commander and rally more forces before you even dare attempt to fight it."

The leader turned around and argued back, "My men are tougher than you might think. They will not give in unless I say so." He then turned to his troops and barked, "On your feet. Move it!" The men got up, but they were still exhausted in how they carried themselves. Then they marched off in the direction of the Dungeon Master.

Furious, Alice cursed, "Damn that moron! Those men will be in their graves before he sees sense."

"Then we better follow after them to make sure they are safe," Eugeo suggested. Everyone agreed and started to head out.

Before he followed, Klein stopped Asuna to talk to her. "Look Asuna, I don't know what the history is with you and those three," he said, indicating the two boys and Integrity Knight, "but they've been through a lot within the last year. I know Kirito can seem cold and indifferent, Eugeo is a bit sensitive to everything, and Alice can be upfront about even the littlest things, but they're good kids. Keep an eye on them for me, won't ya?" Asuna seemed surprised by the request, especially coming from someone like Klein.

But she answered, "Of course. I honestly have my own reasons for being with them." Then she confessed, "I lost my memory of them and where we lived some time ago. I had thought I was someone else who had never once met any of them. But the more we talked, the more I realized they did know who I was. And it's because of that that I want to be around them. I feel like in doing so, I'll recover who I was." The two settled the subject and went after their group.

After another run-in with monsters, Klein remarked, "That's the last one, and we haven't seen those army guys for a while. Maybe they got smart and hightailed it out of there." No one was convinced of the notion, but it was a nice thought all the same.

At least it was until they heard someone screaming. The four friends immediately raced for the lair, leaving Klein and his friends behind. They were still aggravated that someone like Corvatz would blatantly ignore their warnings about the Dungeon Master and still go after it. But they remained more concerned about their survival than their decisions. But upon arriving, their concern morphed into horror.

Inside, several members looked cut up and had pieces of armor cracked or shattered. The Gleam Eyes looked relatively unscathed, raising its massive sword to strike at the army grunts again. They were definitely low on morale, staggering back as they faced this behemoth.

So Kirito called out, "Don't just stand there. Use your Teleport Crystals!"

"We can't," one of the grunts replied. "The crystals aren't working." He was then forced to duck from another attack by the Dungeon Master. This revelation sent a sinking feeling into the group. Crystals were blocked here? What kind of power could do that? Klein soon joined them and was also in disbelief at what he was witnessing.

Then they heard Corvatz cry out, "The Aincrad Liberation Army knows nothing of retreat. Come on! Keep fighting!" Even with his spirit still high, his men looked more ready to abandon him than continue the battle. Their weapons were worn, and their armor battered. Even so, he commanded a charge as the monster prepared its next attack.

Seeing this, Alice shouted, "No stop! Get away!" But her words fell on deaf ears. In the next moment, the Gleam Eyes breathed out some kind of energy at the army before swinging its sword upward. The breath knocked the grunts back while the sword sent Corvatz flying over to them. He collapsed in a heap in front of the group, grunting and struggling to breath. Alice, for reasons unknown, reached out to him as he lay there, and he reached out in kind. But before she even took a step, his hand fell to his side as his Life expired. While they had all seen death before, the impact was still fresh enough to affect the four. Even more so as Kirito and Eugeo recalled the scene almost nine years ago, when Alice reached out to that Dark Knight.

But they were brought back by screaming from one of the grunts in the lair. The Gleam Eyes was now fixing its gaze on its next victim. They were faced with a decision that they could not readily make. If they went in to help the army guys, they would become targets for the Dungeon Master to strike. But if they did nothing or retreated, every person in that room would die just like Corvatz. Kirito's heart raced as he wrestled with the decision, Eugeo looked among his friends to see what they would do, while Alice seemed horrified at Corvatz's death.

In the end, it was Asuna who acted. Letting out a mighty cry, she drew her rapier and charged for the monster. Kirito, Eugeo, and Alice snapped out of it and went after her, and Klein followed shortly after, commenting, "Oh, what the hell?"

Before the Gleam Eyes could strike one of the downed grunts, Asuna used her Neutron skill to land consecutive blows on its back. It registered this attack, and swung its sword to meet Asuna's, causing her to spin in the air before punching her with its free hand. It attempted to cleave her, but Kirito and Eugeo intervened and deflected the blow to miss her entirely.

"Asuna, fall back!" Kirito barked out. To which the Vice Commander did so. The creature tried to use another breath attack, but Alice came forward and used a sword skill of her own: Spinning Shield. Klein and the Fuurinkazan went to aid the army guys and get them to safety. This drew the attention of the Gleam Eyes as it was about to go after them. That is until Kirito used Horizontal to dig into its back and draw its attention back towards them. His sword strike cut deep into its back, leaving a sizable gash that leaked blood. When it turned around, the three friends ducked around it and made occasional attacks at its lower body while avoiding its mammoth sword. But this strategy was doomed to fail, as they were barely even chipping away at its Life with these hit and run tactics.

This'll take forever to take down if we fight like this, Kirito thought as he rolled out of the way of another strike. He was then forced to duck its follow-up that would have sent his head into the wall had he not moved out of the way. Eugeo went in to attack, but the Gleam Eyes grew wise to the ploy and turned to swat him away. This backhand sent Eugeo flying into the wall, burying him in rubble and knocking him out.

"Eugeo!" Alice cried out, rushing for him. But Gleam Eyes took advantage and swung its sword at her back. Luckily, Kirito used Sonic Leap to strike its arm and divert its aim, making it miss her and blowing her back with a gust of wind instead. Alice tumbled until she stopped right in front of Eugeo. Kirito saw this and felt fear rise within him once again. This monster was too smart and too strong. At this rate, they would all be dead.

I could save everyone if I used the new technique, he considered. But he was reluctant to employ it with everyone here. But as he looked at everyone, images of his friends took some of their places. He saw Soritiliena standing in Asuna's place, Ronie collapsed against the wall and Tiese reaching out to her. He saw Selka cowering on the ground alongside Suguha. He saw Lisbeth standing defiantly in front of Silica, who was cowering. Seeing this, seeing a possibility of more to terrify him, Kirito decided to screw holding back and finally do something.

"Klein, Asuna," he called out, "give me 10 seconds. I have a plan."

Stepping up, Klein assured, "Can do. Get moving Kirito." And he and Asuna went in to keep the Gleam Eyes occupied. The black swordsman then rushed over to Eugeo and Alice. After checking that his friend was alright, he looked to the Blue Rose Sword that lay in his hand. He then looked up at Alice, and she simply nodded.

"Lend me your strength Eugeo." Kirito whispered as he grabbed the handle. With two swords in hand he rose to his feet. As he rushed back in, he called out, "Switch out!" Asuna managed to knock the Gleam Eyes sword up and retreated as Kirito charged in. When she saw he had both his and Eugeo's swords, her eyes widened in awe. Klein was likewise stunned as Kirito went in. The boy pulled both swords back before swinging up and causing the monster to stagger.

"Wha—What the hell?" Klein gasped as he watched Kirito wield two swords, striking with speed and power. The boy went to the monster's legs and furiously cut them both up. This caused it to roar in pain and leer at the small human that was now facing it.

Taking a breath, Kirito fixed a fierce gaze on the monster as he bellowed, "Starburst Stream!" Causing both swords to glow blue as he went on a supposed rampage. Two horizontal slashes, a pair of cross slashes going down then up making an 'X'. A cut across with both followed by a 'V' strike. The Gleam Eyes retaliated as he struck, punching him and trying to cut him apart with its sword. Kirito shrugged the punch off and slipped past the sword. He brandished the two swords like a whirlwind of blades, opening numerous wounds all over the Gleam Eyes body. At the same time, his body became bruised and torn from the counter attacks. In a single moment, the Gleam Eyes caught his black sword. Terror set in with Asuna as she watched it rear up its sword to slice him down the middle.

That terror created such immense pain in her head, but she was too focused on the scene to really notice it. But with this pain came flooding back so many things: their adventure in the End Mountains, the Integrity Knight taking them away, her pleading to have Kirito and Eugeo spared. Memory after memory piled on in her head as she watched her comrade, her friend about to be slain on the spot.

But as the Gleam Eyes surged forward, Kirito gave one last cry of effort as he thrust the Blue Rose Sword with everything he had. Their blades met, and all was still. Neither monster nor swordsman moved an inch. Then, its heart having been stabbed through by the sword, the Gleam Eyes' body turned gray and was blown away as it turned to ash.

Still holding his stance, Kirito asked, "Is it… over?" But then, he dropped the two swords before falling on his knees and collapsing onto his side. And his world went black.

Are you so daft as to let yourself nearly be killed? And for what? If you die now, how will you set the world straight? You are the most insufferable person I have ever known. I don't even know why I bother with you. Get up. Now!

Spurred by a voice he had never heard before, Kirito opened his eyes as he regained consciousness. Everything was blurry at first, making him think this was that day before they raided the Laughing Coffin base. But as he became more aware, he felt immense pain in his torso and arms. Then he remembered: the fight with the Gleam Eyes, the army, his friends. But he was so tired, he didn't want to wake up. But he didn't want to hear that voice again. So he blinked to clear his vision as he recovered more.

Beside his bed, nodding off in an upright position, was Alice. She looked like she hadn't slept in a week, with bags under her eyes and her hair disheveled. Kirito wondered if she had been by his side this whole time. He looked down as best as he could to see his entire upper body covered in bloody bandages. He tried getting up, but he was still rather weak. Not to mention moving sent a flare of pain throughout his body. Thus, Kirito remained lying down.

Then, Alice began to stir. She let out a huge yawn while stretching her arms. She rubbed her eyes as she attempted to get the sleep out.

Seeing her wake up, Kirito muttered hoarsely, "Alice… Hey." His voice caused her to look at him to find he was awake. A few seconds passed before Alice bolted up. But she quickly settled down for a moment before her face contorted into one of anger.

"You…" she uttered. And Kirito could sense the anger coming as she trembled with it. Next, she scolded, "You idiot! What the hell were you thinking pulling a stunt like that? I can't believe you nearly got yourself killed trying to fight that Dungeon Master solo." Settling down a smidge, Alice reminded, "Do you even care about our oath? We can't fulfill it if you die. You need to think about us when you do stuff like that."

Finding strength for his voice, Kirito reasoned, "Sorry. But it was the only way to keep you all safe." Alice looked away, still fuming despite his reasoning.

So she told him, "Just don't forget what we promised: 'we were born in the same year, and we'll be together to our last'. Never forget that. Ever."

"I haven't," Kirito assured her. "I don't plan on dying anytime soon. But I'll try to not get into mortal peril like that again." His words seemed to appease her, and Alice softened up a bit.

Just then, Eugeo came in carrying a tray of food. "Alice, I brought some food for you and Kiri—" He then saw his friend awake, taken aback by this revelation. Then he leaned out the doorway and called, "Asuna, Kirito's awake." Not even two seconds later did Kirito hear frantic footsteps before Asuna barged in, nearly knocking the tray Eugeo was carrying out of his hands. Her eyes looked red and puffy, and she had tears coming down her face. Her bottom lip trembled as she saw the black-haired swordsman was indeed awake.

With no regard, she rushed forward and cried out, "Kirito!" She hugged him as best she could without causing him further pain, her action causing Alice to stand and stare in disbelief.

"Asuna, have you completely forgotten the Taboo Index?" she reprimanded.

But then, in a barely audible whisper, they heard Asuna say, "I remember." This piqued everyone's attention. Lifting her face, Asuna told them, "I remember. My whole life, Rulid, the Dark Territory, all of it. I remember everything now." A revelation that shook the whole room. After nine months of bringing up events and things in her life, Asuna was saying she recalled everything.

She went on, "I remember going to the End Mountains that day we wanted to find ice to preserve our lunches, and how Alice and I were charged with breaking the Taboo Index regarding entering the Dark Territory. I remember those days we used to play in the river surrounding the village until we were so soaked. I remember the time we made that special birthday gift for Eugeo, and how we let Alice present it to him. I even remember the birthday gift Kirito gave me, showing me that grotto with all those flowers. I remember."

At last, Kirito relaxed and let the immense relief wash over him. Eugeo smiled with tears in his eyes, setting the tray down as he came on the other side of the bed. And Alice began crying, desperately wiping away the tears that cascaded down her face. The two joined their friends in the embrace, everyone taking solace in finally being reunited. At last, the four childhood friends of Rulid Village were together again.

After letting Kirito recover a bit more alongside Alice healing him with Sacred Arts, the four gathered in the bedroom to talk about what happened in the Dungeon Master's lair.

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"After you defeated the Gleam Eyes, you collapsed to the floor with so many wounds on you it was a miracle you still had Life left in you," Alice described. "Asuna and I used both our Healing Crystals to make sure you survived, but they only kept your Life from expiring. So I had to use Sacred Arts to heal your wounds. But I needed to use an advanced art to do it, which involved transferring Life from someone else to you. Asuna volunteered in a heartbeat, and Eugeo followed. Klein and the Fuurinkazan pitched in, making it so your wounds healed as fast as possible. Though, that wasn't the only thing to transpire from the exchange…"

Right after the group managed to transfer enough Life to heal the worst of Kirito's injuries, they all sagged as exhaustion washed over them. Then Klein reported, "We lost Corvatz and two of his men to this Dungeon Master."

Eugeo looked around at the survivors, before muttering, "We hadn't lost anyone to a Dungeon Master since the raid on floor 67."

Gritting his teeth in anger, Klein let out, "That wasn't a raid, it was suicide. Corvatz was a damn fool. What was he thinking, taking on a Dungeon Master with his platoon? No one survives those things with so few fighters. And they were exhausted as hell." Then he glared at the three friends and demanded, "None of you are off the hook either. What the hell was that stunt Kirito pulled?"

Alice passively answered, "Nothing significant. You don't need to know."

"Like hell I don't!" Klein argued back. "No swordsman in the last 300 years has ever attempted to fight with two swords, let alone two swords that are pretty much Divine Objects. What was Kirito even doing?" Neither Eugeo nor Alice answered right away, and Asuna was giving no indication she registered the conversation. Her bangs shadowed her eyes, inclined to look down at the fallen fighter.

With a deep sigh, Eugeo explained, "It was something we discovered by accident a month and a half ago. During an expedition for a quest, I was knocked down and my arm was badly injured. I wasn't able to fight back so well, and my sword was nowhere near me. Kirito retrieved it to give it back, but was then confronted by more monsters. Out of desperation, he used my sword and his to cut down the monsters bearing down on us. When he took down a large cluster as he did, Kirito just went ahead and used the two swords to finish off the rest of those monsters. Afterwards, we promised not to use such a technique again unless absolutely necessary."

Klein and his guild were in awe, and he asked, "Seriously? How does he do it? Is it some secret technique? Does it need certain swords?"

"We can't say," Alice answered. "Kirito only really learned of this ability on a random whim. We've never been shown it or taught it in our entire lives." That just seemed to make Klein and the Fuurinkazan be even more in awe at the swordsman.

"The big reason we kept this hidden was because other people might question it, and Kirito by extension," Eugeo told them. "They might even come after him."

"I can imagine," Klein mused. "They'd be pretty pissed off that some nobody from a no-name village developed a sword style that beats even the High Norkia style. Even nobles would want that style for themselves, so they might even coerce him if they knew." Looking down on the unconscious hero, he said, "Well, they say you are shaped up by life's challenges. He'll have to soldier on if he wants to see things through." While easier said than done, the two knew this to be true. Kirito was going to have to endure a lot more down the line. With that squared away, Klein and his guild alongside the surviving army grunts decided to go open the next floor for everyone. After they left, the two looked to Asuna to see what was going on in her head.

Before Eugeo could ask, she requested, "Help me bring him home. We need to get him someplace safe so he can rest." Neither argued, and Eugeo offered to carry him back. Once he picked up his friend, he and Alice noticed Asuna staying close by. Her gaze never seemed to leave Kirito the entire time.

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"And that was the end of that," Alice concluded. "We told Uncle about everything that happened, even you using two swords. He mentioned there was a style long forgotten by the people that uses two swords, called 'Dual-Wielding'. He thinks you may have rediscovered it somehow."

"Dual-Wielding, huh?" Kirito murmured the name. It certainly was something he didn't expect to use, even now being in Aincrad. Then he looked to Asuna and asked, "Hey, when did you get your memories back? And how?"

"Yeah, I was wondering the same thing," Eugeo brought up. "All this time, you've been remembering bits and pieces. How did you remember everything all at once?"

Resting a hand over her chest, Asuna confessed, "I can't say for sure. All I know is everything came to me after Kirito fought off the Gleam Eyes using his Dual-Wielding." The group accepted that answer, not wanting to press too much into the matter. All that mattered now was that they had her back. Now they could set out for the last part of their quest: going home.

A few weeks passed since the raid on the recent Dungeon Master, and Kirito found himself at Agil's shop in the storage area. The man across from him was reading a pamphlet that was being passed around detailing how Kirito defeated such a powerful boss solo using his Dual-Wielding. But the facts were blown out of proportion, making it more than it really was.

"Man, these guys are really going at it," Agil remarked. "You really went all out that day, didn't you?"

"I had no choice," Kirito complained. "But if I had known someone would blab, I would have just bailed on that fight."

"I doubt Eugeo or Alice would have let you," Agil pointed out.

"Either way, we had to abandon our home because a lot of info brokers came after us wanting to find out about this new style," Kirito mentioned. "Those two are out looking for a new place while I hide out here."

Setting down some crates he was helping move, Renly addressed, "Well, it is a bit of a complicated situation. You had to use that style to save all those army guys. It's just a shame this became such a bloated issue with everyone in Aincrad." Kirito couldn't argue with him. Renly was the only other person keeping him company while in hiding, per Bercouli's order. Kirito couldn't fathom why, but he trusted the Integrity Knight's judgement. Especially because Alice did.

Just then, Asuna barged in looking like she ran across town. "Kirito," she said, panting, "we've got a major problem."

In Grandzam, Kirito, Asuna, Eugeo and Alice all stood in the same meeting room they had been in prior to the Laughing Coffin raid in the Knights of the Blood Oath's headquarters. Commander Heathcliff sat in front of them at the table, eying the group with an almost analytical gaze.

"Thank you for coming to see me, Kirito, Eugeo, and Alice," he greeted. "I apologize for the abrupt summons, but there is an issue we must address."

"Look, if it's about the Dual-Wielding style, I can't give you any more info than the people spouting these rumors can," Kirito said snippily. His regard for the guild commander elicited pensive reactions from his friends.

But Heathcliff ignored it and clarified, "I did not call you to learn about this style. Whatever it is, it is something of yours and yours alone. I would rather you keep and hone that style for future generations." Then his face became serious and he addressed, "What I have summoned you all here for is a matter regarding our Vice Commander. You see, I have received a request from her to take an extended leave of absence from the guild and its activities. When I asked for a reason, it was rather unique." The three raised an eyebrow at what Heathcliff was implying, until Asuna stepped forward.

"Commander, I already told you," she defended, "I need time away from the guild to set affairs in order."

"Yes, as you say," Heathcliff returned. Then stated, "These affairs involve your friends here, do they not?" Asuna stiffened at that, so he continued, "Kirito, Eugeo, Alice, you need to understand that while our guild is the strongest in Aincrad, we barely get by as is. We just don't have the numbers like we used to. And now here you all are, poaching one of my best."

"Wait, we're not poaching—" Eugeo protested.

"So I am afraid there is only one way to settle matters," Heathcliff told them, ignoring Eugeo entirely. "If you want to take Asuna with you, you will need to use your dual blades to accomplish this. If you win the duel I have set up on the recently opened floor, you are free to take Asuna with you. But if you should somehow lose, you three will become official members of the Knights of the Blood Oath." The three friends looked to their black-clad ally in apprehension. Their freedoms hung on his very shoulders. It was quite a bit of pressure.

But before Kirito could answer, the door was forcefully opened behind them. They all turned to see Bercouli, armored with his sword at his side, standing there with his hand outstretched. The gaze he fixed on the KoB commander was far different from his usual laid-back demeanor. It almost seemed… intense.

"Hate to intrude, but I'm going to have to renegotiate your terms, Heathcliff," he spoke in a low voice.