Chapter 13: Silent Blades


Alice flew high in the sky on Amayori's back. Once she was in the air high enough to be visible to the remainders of the dark territory, she lifted her gleaming sword.

"I am Alice! Integrity Knight! Alice Synthesis Thirty! I am the proxy of the three goddesses who protect this realm. I am the Priestess of Light! And whoever dares defy me... shall know the fury of my power!"

I closed my eyes and let out a quiet breath, then turned to Kirito. "Make sure to spend time with her when she gets back," I ordered him.

"Yeah. I wouldn't leave her alone even if I was ordered to."

"Good."

There's no way she should be alone after that. Nearly losing Eldrie to the dark Art that the Dark Mages unleashed, and then flying out to unleash Amayori and Takeguri's wrath against the mages... Alice's emotions were going to be all over the place, and if there was one thing I'd learned over the last few months, it was that throwing Kirito at the problem usually fixed it.

With her declaration out in the open like that, the soldiers were quickly rallied. I ran back to the supply wagon where Ronie, Tiese, and Rythin were waiting and poked my head in. "Excuse me, girls?" I called out.

"Yes, Ritsu?" Tiese and Ronie snapped to attention. Then, the red-haired girl frowned. "Is something wrong? We've been stopped for a while."

"No, it's fine. I'm just going to be riding with Kirito and Alice for a bit, so could you watch Rythin for me? Eugeo is going to move into this car to help out. ...Uh, are you okay?"

Ronie had puffed her cheeks out and refused to look at me as soon as I said I was going to ride with Kirito. "It's nothing," she muttered. "Don't worry, I'll look after Rythin since he's Kirito's precious friend."

Yup, she's upset about Kirito. Maybe I shouldn't tell her that he'll be riding on Alice's dragon for a while...

"Ritsu!" Kirito called, and I glanced over my shoulder. "You ready?"

"Almost! Give me one second, please!"

I jumped into the back and hugged Rythin tightly. Like usual, he didn't react, but now that I knew his spirit was still in his body and paying attention, I felt like I could feel him reaching out to hug me. Just a little, tiny bit. Maybe it was my imagination...

Eugeo climbed into the wagon after I left, and I caught a glimpse of red hair jumping into his arms before the door closed. Kirito and I climbed up on Red's back, and I held the reins. "Thank you for saving us," I said to the red dragon. "When he wakes up, I'll make sure Rythin gives you lots of... Kirito, what do dragons eat?"

"Anything they can get their mouth on, I think. Alice mentioned Amayori loves fish...?"

"I'm sure Rythin knows what she'll want to eat. So I'll make sure you get lots of it, okay?"

Red rumbled deep in the back of her throat. I'm pretty sure it was a happy-sounding growl, so I think she appreciated what I was saying. She flapped her huge wings and lifted into the air, and circled over the marching troops. After Alice's demonstration of power, our soldiers had been really motivated, and the mood was lighter as they marched south. Dust was being kicked up by the troops as Kirito and I flew over to the rocky ledge that Bercouli was watching from. Red landed and settled down next to Bercouli's dragon, and the two of us slid off of her back.

Bercouli was the only one up here, and he was standing on his saddle without a care in the world. If any of the Dark Knights had a sniper, he would be an easy target! I guess it's a good thing this world didn't have that technology.

"Yo, kids."

"Hey."

I sighed as Bercouli and Kirito traded their greetings and raised hands. Men...

"Are things going as planned?" I asked him.

"Hard to say just yet, but with the show that little one put on..."

Bercouli rubbed his chin after saying that. A dark shape flew towards the platform as Alice approached, and Amayori landed beside us. "Uncle, I'm back," Alice said.

"Good job out there, Alice," I said.

Kirito grinned. "Looking good," he said. Alice blushed and smiled back at him.

We settled in to watch over the ravine. Out in the distance, where we could see the Dark Territory's forces that remained, I saw something rising up. Is that... a dust cloud? Bercouli put his hands over his eyes and whistled. After a quick system call, he held two glass lenses in his hands, and held one up to his eye with the other stretched far out. Oh, it was like making a telescope!

"The plan's working a little too well. Vecta's got his whole army coming after you now. He's obsessed with you, no doubt about that. Guess that supports what Ritsu was saying earlier."

"I suppose we should be happy about that," Alice said. "It's better than being ignored, at least."

"Like anyone could ignore what you just did," Kirito muttered.

Alice glared at him, but there wasn't any heat in her stare. "I don't want to hear it from you, Mr. Flashy Black Coat. I remember how you showed off in Rulid."

"Showed off? We were fighting goblins and orcs!"

"That doesn't mean you had to use Incarnation!"

I sighed. "Can you two stop bickering?" I wish Eugeo were here. I bet he could get them to stop...

""We're not bickering!""

I sighed as the two of them protested my comment. At least they're getting along... though I think Kirito was poking fun at her a little bit on purpose to distract her from what had happened earlier.

"Alright, let's talk about strategy. I was thinking me and the troops keep leading them south, slowly chip away at their ranks. Seems like the best approach?"

Alice nodded in response to Bercouli's question. "Yeah. We've already wiped half of their numbers. That leaves the dark knights and the pugilists from their main force. Chasing us will tire them out."

"While wearing them down, we'll be looking for any chance to defeat Vecta," I continued. "He's driving this war, and there's a good chance that the forces that remain will be open to a truce!"

Bercouli nodded, then turned back to staring at the dust cloud in the distance. "That's a good hope to have. Problem is, who's gonna be in charge here when Vecta's gone? If only that punk Shasta was still alive."

"Uncle, you think the general of the dark knights is already dead?"

"Yeah. I didn't see him or his number two out there. He would've been our best shot to reason with..."

The sound of flapping wings came from behind us, and I looked over my shoulder. Renly jumped down from his dragon's back a few seconds later, and ran towards us as his dragon slowly landed. "I've finished my reconnaissance, sir. The shrubland south of here should work for our ambush."

"Thanks for checking it out, kid. Tell the units and get 'em ready to move out." Renly nodded, and Bercouli smiled. "That dragon of yours must be exhausted by now. Make sure it gets food and water before we go."

"Sir!"

He's become surprisingly reliable once he got over his earlier complex. I think being able to unleash his weapon's Full Control art really helped him get over his inferiority complex.

"Kirito, go with him," Bercouli added.

"Sure thing. Ritsu, you'll be fine by yourself, right?"

"I have Alice with me," I said. The blonde knight nodded with pride and Kirito grinned.

"Then you're in great hands. Be careful, okay?"

With a quick salute, Renly ran back to his dragon and jumped into the saddle; Kirito hopped up a few seconds after him. Bercouli's smile softened into a fond look as the green-haired knight flew away with my black-haired friend. "Uncle?" Alice asked.

"Oh, nothing... I was just thinking, part of me's glad there won't be any more Synthesis Rituals. I mean, having your memory and life stolen... That's a horrible price to pay to be a knight. But then, part of me's also kinda sad we won't be seeing any more young'uns like Renly joining the order."

"Uncle, stop acting your age," Alice said. "Or have you already forgotten about Eugeo?"

"Hahaha!" Bercouli laughed. "You have a point there. Having your memory stolen and your life frozen isn't the only way to become an Integrity Knight after all."

"No matter what, the Integrity Knights won't end with our generation. Those who follow us... they'll carry on our duties and our purpose. That's what I believe," Alice said.

We watched as the soldiers and supply wagons moved south through the empty plains of the Dark Territory. The stars glittered overhead, and I rubbed at my eyes. Fwah, sleepy...

I jolted at the sudden sound behind me and turned around. In the ravine below, enough dark knights mounted on horses galloped across the hard, dry ground to make their hoofbeats sound like the rumble of thunder. My eyes widened as I stared at the forces that were chasing after us; somehow, there were warriors keeping pace with the horses on bare feet!

At the height of our training, E Class could jump across rooftops and run through the mountain that was our school yard faster than pretty much anyone else, and I could browse the internet at the speed of thought. I'm pretty sure that Kaede kept up her training so she could do her own stunts, too. But even at our best, we could never keep up with horses like those fighters down below.

"Are those the pugilists?" I asked as I watched the shouting men and women charge forward with huge battle-thirsty grins on their faces. They were barely wearing enough clothes to keep their modesty, and each one had wraps around their forearm and feet. "They're... excited."

"Damn pugilists," Bercouli said drily. "They'll be a handful for us. If you hit 'em with your bare fists, they'll happily take it. But if you come at 'em with a sword, they refuse to get cut."

Alice turned to him. "What? Refuse?"

"Yup, that's what I said. See, the more training they go through, the more they think a sword's nothing to be scared of." Bercouli rolled one hand into a fist and smacked it against the edge of his other hand that had been extended to represent a sword or knife. "So watch out when you fight them. They can will their skin to get hard, and deflect any blade."

I nodded. "Using Incarnation as armor..."

"We'll have to keep them busy, until the others are in position for the ambush," Bercouli said as he stared at the approaching horde.

I blinked as a quiet surge of bloodlust washed over me. Who was-

"I shall go and face them."

Both Alice and Bercouli whirled around in surprise. Their mouths hung open and their eyes opened wide. I turned, slightly slower, and smiled. The Integrity Knight that had landed behind us was tall and willow-thin, wearing plain grey armor. Her dark grey hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail that fell down her back. Her face didn't hold a shred of emotion on it, but I could feel the bloodlust radiating from behind that stoic expression. There was... something strange to the feeling, though. It wasn't quite the kind of bloodlust that I'd become accustomed to in E Class.

"Oh, hello Lady Sheyta," I said. The quiet Integrity Knight had a nice voice. I think this was the first time I'd heard her speak! I wonder... Was that why Bercouli and Alice were so surprised? "Thank you for volunteering, but there's a lot of them... Are you sure you'll be able to hold them off all by yourself?"

For some reason, Bercouli and Alice turned their astonished stares on me.

...What? What did I say?


The little familiar I'd successfully summoned fluttered in the air a little bit behind Lady Sheyta's back. I wasn't sure how exactly she fought, so giving her some room was the optimal strategy. Being considerate of my comrades was important, after all.

In the distance, I could see the pugilists approaching rapidly. They did seem to be very skilled, and I watched as they jumped over crevices in a single leap. They also hopped across rivers by jumping from foothold to foothold, and the leading fighter kicked through a huge boulder in a single blow.

When they approached the unmoving Lady Sheyta, however, the blond boy in the lead threw his arm out and slid to a halt. Lady Sheyta blinked once, languidly, as the entire force stopped in front of her. She didn't call out to them at all, and eventually the leader growled under his breath.

"Who're you supposed to be? And why are you in the way?"

His shout was answered by silence as Lady Sheyta tilted her head. After a second of consideration, she replied, "I am a knight... I'm here to keep you from advancing further."

Could it be... that her personality is actually a little clumsy?

The pugilist barked out a loud laugh at her claim. "By the looks of you, you couldn't stop a kid from getting by. Wait, lemme guess... all you can do is cast arts, right?"

"...I am not skilled in formal arts." Her response took a few more seconds as she tilted her head and thought about it first.

Leader Boy sighed and raised a hand. "Whatever. Go kick her ass, Yotte."

"You got it!" The excited reply came from the shorter girl with red and white hair standing just behind Leader Boy. She grinned and leaped forward out of formation, darting back and forth to warm up her body. Despite being small, she was still way more muscled than Lady Sheyta looked, and the speed and crispness of her movements showed that she was very well trained.

"Haah!"

She shouted and punched the air fiercely. The strength of the blow sent a wave of air to blow over Lady Sheyta, but the Integrity Knight didn't react. My poor drone bobbled as the air pressure washed over it, and I frowned.

Lady Sheyta stared at the girl without changing expression. "...Just you then?"

"I'm way more than you can handle, you beanpole! Now shut up and draw your sword!"

That barked command from Yotte finally changed Lady Sheyta's expression, though it was really just her lips relaxing in... disappointment? Whatever it was, Lady Sheyta reached down and slowly unsheathed the sword that was belted to her hip.

When she pulled it out, I turned to Bercouli and pointed at the familiar's feed. "Is this a joke?" I asked. "You're messing with me, right?"

Down below, Leader Boy had the exact same reaction. "Damn, that's skinny."

Bercouli shook his head. "Nope. Just watch."

But... I know that looks can be deceiving, but there's such a thing as too disarming!

The blade of the sword was so slender that when Lady Sheyta tilted it to the side, my poor drone almost lost sight of the blade. It was a dark black color that was difficult to pick out under the starry night, but... the blade itself looked so fragile.

"Kuuuh!" Yotte stomped her feet in frustration. She growled, and my eyes narrowed. Her entire body was getting red, but it wasn't from frustration or embarrassment. "I'll break you in half!"

She pulled her fist back and charged; the fighter closed the distance between her and Lady Sheyta impressively quickly. Yotte snapped a punch forward precisely, her fist aimed at Lady Sheyta's head, and Lady Sheyta blocked the attack with her sword. There was a high-pitched ringing sound like the girl's knuckles were made of steel, and blinding sparks shot out.

Then, Lady Sheyta's incredibly thin sword bent.

*Thwit*

There was a weird sound, like the blade of a knife cutting through the air. Lady Sheyta, still without any expression of emotion on her face, tilted her head to the side to let the Pugilist's fist pass right by her cheek. For an instant, the two figures were motionless...

Blood spurted from Yotte's entire right arm as her clenched fist split down the center. The cut continued down her wrist to her elbow, then all the way to her shoulder in a single straight line.

"GYAAAAAA!"

She screamed as the severed... half of her limb fell to the ground; Yotte tottered back a few steps and then fell over and writhed in pain. Lady Sheyta didn't look surprised as she swung her sword to the side to flick blood off. The weapon made that same *thwit* sound.

Lady Sheyta, for the first time, made an expression - a sigh of disappointment.

"Wh-What was that?!" I asked.

Bercouli scratched the back of his head. "Yeah... Lady Sheyta's sword is made from a black lily that absorbed all the spatial resources on a battlefield in the Dark Territory, where a huge battle took place and five races slaughtered each other. She retrieved it under the Ponti... under Quinella's orders, and it was turned into her Divine Object."

"I can't say I've ever heard her speak before today," Alice said. "Why is that?"

"Well, who knows? Could be anything. I don't think she hates other people. But, I saw her training with a wooden dummy once, so I watched her skills."

Alice sighed. "And I guess you just spied on her from a distance, right?" Bercouli grinned. "Uncle, you're a creep..."

"Boys are the worst," I said with a nod.

Bercouli sighed. "Are you two done?" I looked at Alice and the two of us giggled, before we nodded. "Right. She cut that wooden dummy in half with just her hand. With a Divine Object like that sword, a sword that can cut anything..."

"I see. Oh! Maybe that explains the strange bloodlust I felt from her."

Alice and Bercouli both looked at me strangely. ""Bloodlust?"" Eh? Did they not sense it?

Movement in the familiar's feed caught my distracted attention and I looked back at what was happening. All of the pugilists were stunned by the pool of blood that surrounded their writhing member. Lady Sheyta, however, gripped the hilt of her Black Lily Sword and dashed towards the frozen pugilists.

Blood and screams filled the air moments later. Lady Sheyta moved past the leader and took her fight to the ranks behind him. Every time her rapier flashed out, limbs separated from bodies and hit the ground with sprays of scarlet blood.

"What a savage fighting style," Alice murmured as she watched. "And yet, as violent as her attacks are, I'm not detecting any hostility, or... any emotion, or that matter."

I ran my fingers through one of my twintails, smoothing it out. "It's like... You know, how she looks at people? It's like she sees something and instantly wants to figure out how to slice it apart. Like Rythin did!"

He was better about that after he learned how to sheath his bloodlust, at least!

"Like Rythin d-"

"Don't think about it," Bercouli advised. "I've known her for more than a hundred years, and I still have no idea what goes on in her head. Not even a clue."

Hmmm, I don't know. She seems nice.

"While I'm at it, might as well share something you can't tell anyone else. Half a year ago, when I was waking her up from the deep freeze, I was a little scared." Bercouli grinned at me and Alice, and then turned back to his dragon Hoshigami. "Don't worry about her. She can handle 'em. But we should go before the main force catches up. C'mon, we have to make sure everyone's ready and waiting for them."

Alice nodded. "Right."

...

It didn't take long for Red to fly me back to the camp. While Alice and Bercouli went down a little further to join up with Renly and the forces he'd taken, I went straight back to the Supply Corps.

We were the decoy division, and on the way here the supply wagons had carved deep trails through the path through the woods. Once they'd followed the grooves, the soldiers and priests were going to attack them. Since the main forces we'd be fighting were the Pugilists, Renly had decided the best strategy was to use Sacred Arts.

In the ravine where we'd fought originally there was nothing to provide spatial resources, but in this area there was a lot more spatial power in the air. If the pugilists managed to make it past Lady Sheyta, they'd be slammed with Sacred Arts from both sides.

The supply wagons were parked near the southern end of the woods, so that we were the furthest away from the front lines. That way, we could always run away. Plus, there were a few soldiers standing guard just in case something happened, like the goblins sneaking through our lines before.

Fwah, almost back to the wagon... I'm a little sleepy, but nothing I can't fight through.

Ronie looked up when I opened the door to our wagon. "Oh, welcome back, Ritsu! I'm happy to report that nothing's wrong at all. Rythin was waiting patiently for you." Tiese was sitting side-by-side on one of the longer trunks of armor. I didn't see Eugeo anywhere, so he must have been part of the ambush group in the woods.

"Great, I'm glad to hear it! Thanks, Ronie." I gently pressed my palm to Rythin's cheek and nothing changed, though part of me enjoyed the fantasy that he'd leaned his head into my hand a little bit. Now, to pull the feed up of Lady Sheyta again, and... wait, that was a lot of blood, and Ronie was just a trainee. I didn't want to scare her.

"By the way, Ronie, Tiese," I said, "it's late, and starting to get a little cold. Do you two mind going to get another blanket from the other wagon?"

Ronie smiled and gave me a quick salute. "Right away. I'll be back before you know it."

As soon as the two girls walked out of the wagon, I summoned the familiar's feed again. Immediately, I was greeted by a spray of blood as limbs went flying. It really was a good thing my drone was far away, or it would be totally covered by now...

Her thin rapier would bend and twist as she danced around the pugilists. They were really well-trained, but Lady Sheyta unerringly cut them anyway. My eyes widened as I watched her get jumped by three pugilists at once, but she twisted out of the way of their attacks and severed the limb, one at a time. Each one fell down to join the number of writhing bodies on the ground. I could barely count the number of bodies on the ground, each missing at least one limb.

"...Dooooooon't..."

My eyes were dragged towards the blond leader of the pugilists. He stared at the carnage happening in front of him and clenched his jaw so tightly I could see veins start to bulge in his forehead. He growled his words and... Was his skin getting redder?

His feet dug into the rock beneath him and he rocketed forward, leaving two tiny footprints in the rock.

"...GET SO FULL OF YOURSELF, DAMMIT!"

He punched at Lady Sheyta, and his fist erupted into flames like they were the manifestation of his anger. Wait, with Incarnation...!

The leader's punch was on target for Lady Sheyta and his blazing fist trailed sparks in the air as it attack. Lady Sheyta was in the middle of swinging her sword to cut down a pugilist, and couldn't get it to block in time -

*Clang!*

Lady Sheyta tried to block his punch with her left hand. The sound I heard came from the crash of his fist against the metal gauntlet she wore. But...

"To these fists of mine... your armor's nothing but paper!"

The entire left arm of Lady Sheyta's armor up to her elbow shattered into tiny little shards. Little cuts criss-crossed her skin and blood, but Lady Sheyta's only real reaction was a small frown. She gripped his right fist in her hand, and -

She swung her sword in a lightning-fast motion, but instead of avoiding the blow the pugilist leader gritted his teeth. His arm bulged for an instant, just as her Black Lily Sword slashed at him. The blade...

"No way..." I gasped.

It failed to cut his skin, unlike everything else her blade had touched. Instead, the edge of her blade rested against his arm. The leader drew back his other fist even while Lady Sheyta clutched his other fist in her hand. His left hand also burst into flames right as he punched, and Lady Sheyta finally dodged.

She was really agile, unlike most of the other Knights. So, his punch only hit air where Lady Sheyta had used to be, and left a trail of fire that disappeared as he skidded to a halt. She'd gotten away totally cleanly!

The leader lifted his arm and stared at his skin. I flew my drone over and... "Yes! She did it!" I cheered. A single cut was on his skin, right below the elbow, and red blood welled up. Now that she'd managed to break through his refusal to get cut, his Incarnation would be way less effective!

He licked at the wound and grinned fiercely. "Well, well, well. You might look like a girl, but you're hard as a rock."

"I am not a girl... I am older than you."

"Huh?" The pugilist's response matched mine. "Yeah, I know you are. You're an Integrity Knight. You're all supposed to be immortal freaks, or whatever. So what, you want me to call you granny instead?"

Lady Sheyta's brow wrinkled a tiny little bit, but she went back to her smooth expression almost instantly. "...I'll allow it. Because you're remarkably hard." Awaaaah?! L-Lady Sheyta! What are you saying? "You are also freakish. I can barely cut into your skin."

"Tch. Deal with it, granny. Besides, folks like us need an edge against you knights with your demon powers and all. You charged in and chopped up all my peo-"

When he looked around at his wounded allies, the boy cut himself off. Something that had been bothering me finally clicked into place - there were no deaths at all. Every person that Lady Sheyta had cut was still alive, though badly wounded and bleeding heavily; given immediate first aid, they'd definitely survive. None of the twenty (or so) men and women were dead.

His jaw dropped and he looked behind him to confirm that yes, he really was seeing what he'd noticed. Then, he glared at Lady Sheyta. "You maimed them! You were holding back, weren't ya? What do you think we are, training dummies... Taking pity on us, huh? I'm gonna beat you to death personally!"

*Dun dat dun!*

The pugilists all moved simultaneously. They stomped their feet and punched the air in a synchronized dance that had to be some sort of focusing ritual. Their cries filled the air.

*Ooh! Rah! Ooorah! Ooh! Rah! Ooorah!*

Steam surrounded the leader, but Lady Sheyta didn't move. She just watched and waited, like she was waiting for something. The assassin in me wanted to take this chance to strike and eliminate him while he was powering up, but none of the pugilists had died in that valley, and there was no other free-floating spatial resources. I couldn't create a gun to shoot him no matter how much I wanted to.

The pugilist punched the air and flames erupted around his fists. Unlike before, though, a bright light came from his bronze skin and curly blond hair. He clenched his fists and exhaled slowly as the chanting and stomping came to a halt.

Lady Sheyta, like before, was entirely calm. She just held her sword loosely and waited for him to approach.

"Here I coooooome!"

He charged forward with his blazing hands behind him. Privately, I thought it looked a little silly. Lady Sheyta simply raised her blade in the air and waited for him to get closer. When he was within range, her Black Lily Sword sliced downwards angled towards his shoulder.

Just before she sliced into his body, though, the pugilist snapped his right leg up faster than her attack. Not a punch, but a kick!? Because of the fire... I'd let myself get distracted. The ball of his foot slammed into Lady Sheyta's left leg just below the knee.

The pressure and power from the blow sent a shockwave racing all the way to the canyon wall, and her greaves shattered. Lady Sheyta was able to lean forward and stop her attack, but the fighter only grinned confidently.

"What did you expect? That all us pugilists did was punch?"

He twisted and lashed out with a high kick from his left leg.

Lady Sheyta twisted her wrist and slashed at his leg with her sword.

The instant they collided, bright sparks flew from the clash. The leader drew back and, lightning fast, threw a punch with his blazing fist. "See ya!"

When it collided with her chest -

"Eep!" I squealed as something destroyed my familiar instantly. It must have been some sort of explosion, because the last thing I'd seen was a bright light and a head-splitting sound that was so loud I looked around to make sure nobody had heard the beginnings of the roar before it was cut off. "...I hope Lady Sheyta is okay."

"Ritsu, we found a blanket!"

I turned when the door opened and Ronie called out. She had a warm-looking woolen blanket in her arms, and I smiled. "Thanks for doing that, you two. Let's get Rythin all comfortable now."

We draped the blanket over his shoulders, and I double-checked his temperature with the back of my hand. His forehead felt fine and he wasn't sweating or shivering, so I'm pretty sure he'll be fine. But he always has cold hands, so I'll be sure to tuck his hands under the blanket so they'll be a little bit warmer. He's wearing warm boots so his feet will be fine.

After we got the blanket covering him properly, I smiled at Ronie and Tiese. "I don't know about you, but if we're going to be staying up late then I want to get something to eat."

Ronie nodded. "Mm hm. Kirito always said that it's important to sleep when you can and eat when you can, since they're the guiding principles of the Aincrad style."

"I... see..." I smiled weakly.

Well, I'm not going to say anything when Ronie's eyes are sparkling like that. She really looks up to Kirito, doesn't she?

"I'll go see if there's something we can scrounge up. Relax for a bit, you've earned it."

"Okay," the girls chorused with a smile.

I closed the door to the wagon and hummed in thought to myself. Hmm hmm hmm... What would be a good snack, this late at night? I'd seen some of the campfires around, so maybe someone would be frying meat or something like that!

Fortunately, some of the nearby soldiers were nice enough to give me a few roasted potatoes that they were cooking in a campfire, and I juggled them in my hands because they were really really hot! Ow ow ow...

"You're back! Did you find something small?"

"I got... ta-da!" I held out the slightly steaming roasted potatoes and offered each of the girls one. "These should give us plenty of energy, since potatoes are rich in important nutrients."

Ronie took it and immediately started bouncing it in her hand. "Ooh! That's warm. Hoooot..."

"It's not going anywhere, Ronie," Tiese said.

When the steam coming from my roasted potato finally died down, I took a quick bite and munched through the hot food that tried to burn my tongue. "When Kirito would buy fresh honey pies, we'd always eat them right away, and he'd do this 'haah haah haah' thing when he was eating," Ronie said with a quiet giggle.

"Honey pies?"

"Yeah! They're a special treat we would get in Centoria on our day off from training. They're really yummy! We got them piping hot, but Kirito never wanted to wait so he'd take a bite right away. That's the best part of honey pies, when they're fresh and they're really sticky so you have to eat them holding a napkin..." Ronie sighed in remembrance and I giggled. They must be one of her favorite foods, if she has so many memories about them.

Tiese shook her head as Ronie drifted off in her own little world again. "I remember going on a date with Eugeo to that place, too. I dressed up in my nicest dress, and Eugeo said I looked wonderful."

"Did Kirito not come back with you, Ritsu?" Ronie had snapped out of her little daydream and was looking at me.

"Hmm?" I swallowed the bite of potato. It was kinda bland, but definitely filling. "No, he went with Renly to fight in the ambush. Are you worried about him?"

"W-Well, I..." Ronie blushed. "I know he's super strong and amazing, but I still don't want him to get hurt!"

I giggled. "Everything should be going well, but just in case... I'll go find something to act as a familiar really quickly, and we'll go take a look. I'll even tell him you were worried about him."

Ronie's ears went red, all the way to their tips. "N-Nooooo! You can't! That's embarrassing..."

There weren't any flying bugs in the wagon, but that was easily solved by heading out into the nearby woods. I told Ronie that I'd be right back as soon as I cast a quick Sacred Art, and then ducked out of the wagon to head into the woods. All I needed was a simple insect that could fly. A bird would be nicer, but in the Dark Territory there weren't any small animals like that around. The best I could hope for would be a moth or butterfly, because they were cute.

...I really don't like bugs!

I walked past the perimeter of the camp, out of the circle of firelight and into the darkness of the woods. The trees and bushes were thin, but it was still enough to block most of the weak light from our camp. The best I could do was see the path through the gloom, with the two furrows dug deep leading further into the woods.

I frowned. Something felt... off. I took a step into the woods and glanced around without moving my body. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but there was something definitely wrong. I took a quick, shallow breath, and then kept moving like I hadn't sensed anything.

Once I was aware of the strangeness, though, I knew what I had to do. "System call," I said as I knelt down by a tree's twisted and gnarled roots. There was a little moth sitting on the bark that would be perfect for a familiar.

"Run user macro 'Fire and Reload'. Execute."

I twisted out of the way and the aerial element in the gun I'd summoned burst. A quick calculation, judging by the weight of the stealthy footsteps I'd heard behind me, had let me aim the barrel at where the attacker's chest should be. I'd waited until the bloodlust had spiked, and then fired.

*Clang!*

I rose to my feet and swung my arm around to properly aim at the figure in front of me. He was reeling back from the impact of the bullet against his chest, but the metal breastplate he was wearing was only dented by the bullet. The slug of metal must have bounced off to the side, because a few trees had lost some of their branches.

He was wearing a suit of fancy purple armor, with a helmet that revealed some of his face. The very edge of a blue tattoo on his cheek peeked out from the edge of the metal, though I couldn't make out what it was. A dark blue cloak hung around his shoulders. The man held a large dagger with a curved blade in his hand.

"Whoa-!"

"Run user macro 'Fire'," I demanded. "Execute!"

His eyes widened and he lunged to the side preemptively - but my gun didn't fire. I knew it wouldn't; there just wasn't enough spatial resource to properly reload the gun. So, instead, I kicked off and dashed past the enemy. By the time he realized that it had been a bluff, we'd traded places; my back was to the camp, and his to the woods.

«'Sup, babydoll.» The man grinned, and I frowned. That was English! He must be from the real world too. "How'd you spot me?" Then, he switched away from English.

He flipped his dagger in his hand over and over again. It spun a few times, but he always caught it by the handle. Some sort of affectation, like the professional assassins we'd met on the island? Or maybe he was just looking down on me.

"Korosensei taught me how to detect enemies with more than just my eyes," I said. "It also helps that combat-focused predictive analytics are my specialty."

"Koro... s-sensei, did you say?"

I took a deep breath. In a situation like this, I was at a total disadvantage. So...

"Enemies have surrounded the camp!"

Summoned almost instantly by my shout, Ronie burst out from the wagon with her hand on her sword's hilt. She unsheathed the weapon and ran up to my side. Behind us, a group of ten or so soldiers rushed to the call. The man clicked his tongue with an irritated, "Tch." Then he raised his left hand dramatically.

"Oh boys... time to party!"

My eyes widened with shock as armored knights emerged from the dark woods. There had to be at least twenty of them... How had they made it this far in?! It wasn't like they'd managed to sneak past the guards! So... Then that means, they must have killed the guards.

No way...

...

The leader whistled playfully as he attacked. Sparks flew out in the darkness, and I heard three metallic clangs.

Ronie, despite having never fought against this man before, was able to track his short blade even through the darkness and parry his attacks. Kirito really trained her well - his movements were quick and fierce, but despite squeaking when he attacked Ronie handled her blade really well.

The dark knight must have thought so too, because when her sword finally flew from her hands and stabbed into the tree, he whistled again. This one didn't sound as mocking, though.

Ronie brought her hands up, but the man swept her feet out from under her with a low kick. She let out a scream of surprise and fear that turned into a pained gasp when she landed heavily on her back.

"Ronie!" I shouted.

"Kek... Kekek."

The man chuckled in glee while he pressed the tip of his dagger to Ronie's neck, but didn't push in. I balled my hands up into fists out of frustration. This was the worst possible situation. If only Rythin was awake, or Kirito were here...! Without spatial resources, I couldn't create any weapons. Ronie was in trouble, though, and I wanted to keep her safe!

"There it is, that old feeling! God damn I miss the rush of it. A life hanging on the edge of your sword!" His words dripped with self-satisfied, gross pleasure. "This right here's why I can't get enough of player killing!"

"Stop it! Let her go!" Tiese shouted.

"...I won't kill her, as long as everyone stands and watches right there."

I gritted my teeth. I'd screamed really loudly, and that meant the soldiers in the woods would have heard it. Kirito would have heard it too, so he has to show up. He'll make it here in the last second to be the big hero and save the day...!

Then, something arrived.

A light bloomed above us. I looked up at the sky, and saw glowing particles gently floating down, like cherry petals.

High in the night sky, a silhouette hovered in midair. It wasn't just a silhouette, though. It was a woman.

"Lady... Stacia," Ronie whispered.

She had long chestnut-colored hair that floated behind her, and wore a gleaming breastplate of some metal that shined with every color of the rainbow.

And behind her, another figure floated and cast dazzling rays of light over everything like the moon reflecting the sun. Unlike the first figure's dress that looked like it was made from separate slips of fabric sewn together that all fluttered in the sky, the smaller woman wore a long flowing dress that shimmered and shone with every movement. She didn't wear armor, but instead had a long flowing ribbon that wrapped around her shoulders and sparkled in the light.

The dark knight rose from where he'd crouched over Ronie, lifting the dagger from her throat. My friend didn't miss her chance, and she scrambled away - but the knight ignored her entirely as he stared up at the sky with a stunned expression.

The first glowing figure raised a hand, and swept it from left to right.

"Laaa-"

An angelic chorus of voices echoed from nowhere as a glowing aurora appeared in the sky, following her hand. It traced over our heads, and the dark knight twisted to follow it.

"Th-Th-The ground's opening up!"

The ground underneath the thirty dark knights that had been supporting the tattooed man glowed and then vanished, and screams rang out as they toppled into the dark abyss. The crevice spread out wider until it reached the last remaining dark knight.

The glowing figure turned her head to the left and waved her hand in that direction, and another chorus accompanied the aurora that spread out over the forest.

She turned back towards the tattooed knight as if she saw him for the first time, and pointed a single finger at him.

"Laaa-"

The ground underneath his feet glowed and then disappeared, and he fell into the unending pit. Unlike his subordinate, though, he didn't scream as he disappeared into the gloom.

I looked up at the glowing figures and smiled in relief. Their hair, their faces...

Asuna and Kana! They'd made it just in time!


I was sitting in darkness. I'd been sitting in the empty void for a long time, or maybe it was only a few seconds. In the unending stillness, where the only thing I knew was myself, I had no frame of reference. Even my heartbeat was silent, so I couldn't use it, either. I sat there, clad in armor I had worn as an Integrity Knight. But even though I wasn't moving, I could still see images flash by.

Splitting up from Kirito and Asuna at the end of the first Floor of Aincrad. I still regretted that, honestly. I had been so scared of being hurt that I'd refused to let myself connect with anyone at all. Not that it really helped me much in the end - I ended up stuck with them to help with that Elf War quest chain, and then everything after that...

Asuna running away from me as Christmas Eve clicked over to Christmas Day. I really was a jerk back then. It wasn't that I didn't like Asuna, of course; it was that I didn't know what was going on with me and lashed out like a petulant child. I was hurting, so I wanted to hurt something.

Desperately clinging to Argo, but also trying to push her away at the same time until I finally broke. I really didn't deserve my girlfriend, did I? She was the best thing that had ever happened to me and I spent so long being scared of being hurt that I nearly broke her heart. Especially that moment back with Yuuki. Gods, I'd screwed that up so hard, I'm amazed that she still loves me.

And then everything I'd done as an Integrity Knight, from lashing out at Alice who just wanted to help, to killing random citizens for no real reason other than it made me feel something. Some part of me had chosen 'good' targets, the nobles who abused their power and the people they were supposed to protect, but that didn't make it right.

I knew why I was here. I'd failed. I'd lost my memories of the people most precious to me, and I was the one who had let that happen. Administrator had been the one to rip them from me, but I was the one that had let her take them from me. If I'd fought harder... If I'd remembered my weakness, like Korosensei had told me... If I'd, if I'd, if I'd -

"Yo!"

The sudden voice startled me. I was alone in this world, so how... I turned, slowly and laboriously and instantly, to see who had spoken. A figure greeted me, achingly familiar, and I found myself exhaling. Ah... This was the first time I'd breathed, too. I hadn't needed to do that in the darkness.

The girl was shorter than me, but only by a little bit. Long, purple hair flowed down her back, held back from her face by a red headband; the tips of her pointed ears could be seen. She wore a simple black breastplate for armor, with the rest of her purple cloth armor designed for quick and speedy movement. Warm amber eyes and an easy-going grin met my stare. "Been a while, huh, Rythin?" Yuuki said.

"Yuuki...?" I asked slowly, my voice firmer than I'd expected. Slowly, I could feel my strength returning to me. "You're... No," I said, shaking my head. "You're dead."

"Yeah, I am," she said, shrugging. "It's kinda strange, y'know? Of everyone in your heart, I'm the one that came out to talk to ya. Guess you and me have some unfinished business."

Unfinished business? Everyone in my heart? I blinked, and slowly, looked around. "I'm... asleep," I said.

"Yeah." Yuuki put her hands behind her back and turned, looking around. "This place is kinda dreary. Can't you do something to make it... less lame?"

We're in my mind. It's the only explanation for why this dead girl was able to talk to me. "Hey, no sassing my soul," I said. Remember your lessons, focus, and...

I stomped my heel on the invisible black floor, and a ripple spread out. Wherever that ripple of nothingness touched, the darkness receded and light took its place. The sphere of light expanded in a rush, accelerating as the radius grew faster and faster. In almost a split second, the ground and world around us had been replaced. I looked around, taking in the sights; a blue sky, with wispy white clouds barely marring the clear day. The ground beneath my feet was a dirt circle, fairly wide, but there was a grassy knoll surrounding us. A large tree with thick, green foliage rose behind the two of us, flanked by smaller trees that ringed the area. Near the base of the tree, a single sword stood upright, blade-first in the ground with a bandana tied around the hilt.

Yuuki turned and looked up at it, craning her neck back. "Whoa!" she gasped. "Hey, I recognize this place! This is where I fought everyone, back in ALO! But it's not quite the same, I think..."

I nodded. I wasn't sure why this is what my subconscious had reconstructed, but... It felt appropriate. Fitting, like just seeing her had drawn this scene out from my memory. "This is where we first fought, isn't it?"

"Mm-hm!" Yuuki spun on her heel and grinned at me cheerfully. "So, have you figured out what the unfinished business is?"

"You're the one in my heart," I sighed. "Why don't you tell me?"

She laughed. "I guess I could," Yuuki said playfully. "But why don't we have some fun before getting down to work?"

I stared at her, not entirely sure what she was talking about, until I realized that her thin sword was sheathed on her hip. Glancing down at myself, I saw that when I hadn't noticed, my own equipment had changed; instead of the full armor of an Integrity Knight, I was wearing a red coat made from scaled leather, and I could feel my Cait Sith ears and tail twitch in the air. My dagger from Alfheim had appeared on my back, replacing the Starry Night Dagger I'd used as Rythin Synthesis Thirty-One. All of this passed through my mind, and I looked back up to see Yuuki grinning expectantly at me. "A fight?" I asked her.

"Yeah, why not?"

I hesitated. The last few times we'd fought... I'd been unable to see past my own emotions, blinded by my hate, rage, and jealousy. I'd fought her with those feelings in my heart, and I had lost those fights. But now, I was different. My time with E Class and Korosensei had shown me the way to accept my feelings, and how to properly accept loss.

With all that in mind, I looked up at Yuuki. "...Sure," I said, grinning. "But I'll warn you, I've been learning and growing since you left. You won't find me such an easy fight this time!"

"Alright!" Yuuki cheered, drawing her sword with a ring of steel that matched the rasp of my dagger sliding from its sheath. "Let's go!"


The war is starting to crescendo. Vecta is after Alice and nothing's going to stop him… But, on the Human Empire's side, two goddesses have just descended!

The good news is, for everyone that's kind of tired with having Ritsu just watch things happen through her screens? One, now you know how she felt when all of her classmates were having fun. And two, it's ending soon, promise.

Sheyta is surprisingly fun to write. Sadly, Ritsu didn't get to see the outcome of the fight, but that's what happens when a large fireball explodes and your camera is a squishy bug. Seriously, I don't know how many times I have to say it – make sure you watch the anime or read the light novels… But a quick synopsis: Sheyta's armor breaks, Iskahn (pugilist Champion) gets his leg cuts, they try to kill each other again. Sheyta has fun. Then the rest of the forces catch up and it's time for Sheyta to leave. Minor changes from canon here is that Sheyta is not quite as interested in Iskahn as before, and she doesn't instantly develop a crush on him.

And, a glimpse into a dreamer's uncertain dreams. Has something changed?

Many thanks to everyone that favorited, followed, or reviewed.