Hey, this is the 64th chapter.

To the Guest, the purpose of the UW arc? Aside from to build up for the next and final arc, and because I want to? I don't think there's any other reason apart that.

Now, moving on, I want to really get everyone's genuine opinion on this.

Right now, Kirito has Asuna, Hikari, Sinon and Suguha in his harem. But they are all in the Elemental Nations now, and Kirito has no memories of them, apart from images.

Now, Kirito is in the Underworld, and he is essentially single and ready to mingle. So, if, and by if I really mean IF, the majority of you want it, then I will add Liena, Ronye, and possibly one or two more girls into his harem, from the Underworld.

Then I will really for real, lock the harem, as the story will be moving into its final stages once the Elemental Nations come back into play.

So I want all of your opinions. And I'm not talking about, oh I want to see Kirito with this girl, add her to the harem.

No, I want legit reasons, how this would affect the story in the long run, how would it affect Kirito's relationship with every other girl. Remember, Kirito is not a playboy here. He is a genuine man who wants to protect his family and home.

So I want you guys to think on that and give me your honest opinion.

If not, since I'm writing as I go, I'll not add any girls to the harem.

So yeah, enjoy the story.

XXX

(Timeskip five months later)

In one of the training halls, Kirito swung his wooden blade at Sortiliena, who blocked it and pushed against her Valet into a blade lock.

The young woman smirked, and she twisted her blade, sliding it down her valet's own wooden sword towards his chest.

But before the sword could reach him, Kirito moved, pulling back, pushing his sword up before he jumped away.

Liena frowned slightly as she saw Kirito jump away, before she charged forward and swung her blade at Kirito.

Again, the young lady saw a slight hesitance in her valet's movements, before Kirito jumped away, dodging her slash.

Sortiliena loosed her stance as she said, "Okay, that's enough for today."

Kirito loosened his stance, "Are you sure, Liena-senpai?"

The woman nodded, "Yes, but I have something to say."

Kirito raised an eyebrow, walking towards his mentor.

But then, the teen's eyes widened as Liena suddenly dashed forward, appearing in front of him in an instant, her wooden sword poised to strike.

Kirito instinctively raised his sword, blocking Liena's sword before he kicked her away in the gut.

Only after a moment did Kirito realized what had happened and he quickly ran over to his mentor, "I'm so sorry, Liena-senpai!"

Liena stood up, rubbing the spot where Kirito kicked her, "It's fine..."

The woman stared at Kirito and said before he could say anything, "But as I thought, you're holding back."

Kirito blinked before he smiled awkwardly, "W-what are you talking about, Liena-senpai?"

Liena frowned, "During our sparring sessions, I'd always notice you hesitating before moving, as if you could see through my moves, and decided to not counter them. What happened just now just proves that."

Kirito sweated under the piercing gaze of his senior. The younger man had to admit, in the beginning, he had been expecting Liena to be way stronger than him, that was until he had faced her in a spar.

Ever since they started sparring, Kirito could see openings in Liena's stances every time she attacked. The first few times, he had taken the chances, and Liena had congratulated him for it.

But as they continued, Kirito felt that it would be bad if he showed Liena he was better than her, considering how great her pride was, from what he saw. So he held back, learning some stuff he never knew at the same time.

That continued, until now.

Kirito smiled awkwardly, "Haha, well..."

Liena sighed, deciding not to push any further, "If you don't want to tell me, it's fine. We all have secrets we want to keep."

Kirito visibly relaxed, before he stiffened as Sortiliena glared at him hard, "But don't you dare hold back against me anymore, capisce?"

Kirito nodded wordlessly, obviously very intimidated by the glare. Liena nodded in satisfaction, before she relaxed, "Seriousness aside, I think this is enough for today."

Kirito nodded, "Okay."

He then stared at her warily, "You're... not gonna attack me again, are you?"

Liena blinked several times before she giggled, "No, I'm not."

She took a breath before she gazed at the clock tower from the window, "It's reaching 4 soon, we'll have to head back soon..."

Liena turned to Kirito, "How bout we go get some ice cream, my treat?"

Kirito blinked, considering the idea. Eugeo and Yuuki had told him they wouldn't return until night, given they still had to clean their mentors' rooms respectively, unlike Kirito, and the others were busy with their own tasks.

Considering the circumstances, Kirito had been the lucky one out of them all. He had the most free time, and he had arguably the best mentor.

After thinking for a short while, Kirito shrugged, "Eh sure, why not?"

Liena smiled and extended her arm, "Gimme your sword, I'll meet you at the entrance, 'kay?"

Kirito handed her the wooden sword and lowered his head slightly, "Thank you, Liena-senpai."

The young woman smiled and turned, "Its fine, just head to the academy entrance and wait for me there."

Before Kirito could say anything, Liena left the hall, leaving Kirito alone. The teen sighed, scratching his head. He could never understand his mentor. One moment she was pissed, the next moment she was suggesting that she treat him to ice cream.

The black haired teen shook his head and went to turn off the lights and tidy up everything else before locking up the training hall.

As he walked through the corridors, Kirito spotted many other students chatting around him, mostly about idle matters. Though as he walked, the teen caught sight of a large man with a military burr hair cut looking at him.

The black haired teen absently noted that the man was Volo Levantein, the man who held the only seat higher than his mentor in terms of rankings in the academy.

The two shared a glance, and Volo hmph'd, before turning to continue on his way to wherever he was going.

Kirito just stared at the shrinking image of Volo's figure, 'What was that about?'

He shrugged mentally before he continued walking to the academy entrance.

(linebreak)

Meanwhile, Sortiliena had just placed the wooden swords back to where they belonged.

The young woman smiled, "Alright, time to go."

Liena turned and flicked the lights off before she walked out of the store room, entering the corridors as she headed for the entrance.

As she walked, she spotted Ran walking towards her direction. The shorter brunette smiled and waved, and Liena waved back.

Ran smiled, "Hey, what's up?"

Liena smiled, "Nothing much really, just finished training, and I'm heading for some ice cream."

Ran nodded, "I see, I'm going out for an early dinner with Gorgolosso and the others, wanna join?"

The taller girl smiled apologetically, shaking her head, "Its okay, you guys go ahead."

Ran blinked before she smiled slyly, "Are you going with Kirito?"

Liena blinked, "Yeah, actually, why?"

Ran grinned slyly, folding her arms as she walked past Liena, "Hmm, nothing~ Have fun on your date then."

Liena blushed and she snapped her head at Ran who was walking away, "D-date?!"

Ran just waved as she walked away, leaving Sortiliena alone in the corridors. The brunette stood there, 'Its not a date, is it?'

Liena shook her head, shaking away those thoughts before she continued her way to the entrance of the academy.

(linebreak)

With Kirito, the teen stared at the sky, feeling nostalgic for some reason, as he waited for Sortiliena.

As he waited, Kirito thought on what Liena had shown him during their sparring sessions.

The older woman used a whip with a rapier, literally dual wielding, and it had peaked his interest in the art itself, more specifically, using two swords to dual wield.

Though he didn't actually had the chance to ask anyone about the idea, since as far as he knew, there wasn't anyone who dual wielded with two swords.

The teen also thought on her techniques. With a sword alone, there were plenty of openings for him to exploit, but that was only because Liena was used to using a whip with a sword.

Though the openings were still there, Kirito found himself more hard pressed in winning against his mentor when she used both of her weapons.

Soon, the teen was broken out of his musings when he noticed Sortiliena walking out of the academy towards him.

Kirito waved, "Liena-senpai."

For some odd reason, the young lady blushed slightly, not meeting his eyes, before she answered, "Hey, come on, let's go."

Kirito blinked confusedly as his mentor started to walk quickly, and he just followed.

With Liena, however, the woman had thoughts racing through her mind, mostly about what Ran had told her. The woman repeated in her mind, 'Not a date... Not a date... Just a friendly trip to get ice cream with my Valet. That's all.'

As they walked, Kirito asked, "Liena-senpai, are you okay?"

Liena blinked, snapping out of her thoughts, looking at Kirito, "Huh?"

The younger teen asked again, "Are you alright? You've been quiet for a while now."

Liena blinked and calmed herself mentally, "Its nothing, just thinking about stuff..."

Kirito nodded, "Alright, just make sure you don't overwork yourself, senpai."

The woman just smiled and nodded as they continued their walk, arriving at the shop shortly after.

As they walked to the stand, Liena looked over the choices available before she faced the cashier, "One vanilla ice cream, please."

The cashier nodded, and Liena glanced at Kirito, "What bout you?"

Kirito hmm'd, looking over the choices, before he nodded and looked at the cashier, "I'll have a chocolate then."

The cashier nodded and he quickly went to get the orders before handing them to the respective customers.

As Kirito took his ice cream, the teen moved to take out his money, but was stopped as Liena lightly slapped his arm, her purse already in hand, "I told its my treat, okay?"

Kirito blinked before he nodded in defeat, "Alright..."

Liena nodded and paid the cashier, who took the money and gave Kirito a pitying glance, who just smiled awkwardly, fortunately both which were gone unnoticed by the Sortiliena.

Shortly after, the pair of mentor/Valet were at a table. After a short moment of silence, Liena asked, "So, Kirito, I'm curious, is there someone you like?"

Kirito's eyes widened, and it was only by luck that he managed not to choke on his ice cream. The teen coughed, before he cleared his throat and answered, "No... Not really, why?"

Liena smiled, "Nothing much, just curious."

Kirito nodded, not trusting himself to speak, lest he say something wrong. But before he could continue thinking, he felt a sharp pain in his head, and images for four girls flashed in his mind, one with long chestnut coloured hair, the second with short brown hair, the third with short black hair, and the last one with long blonde hair in twin tails.

Kirito grunted/growled in pain, he still didn't know why those four girls kept appearing in his mind. He had no idea who they were, but it still felt like he should know them, and it was getting very annoying.

But before he could further think on that, Kirito was brought back to reality when Liena's voice reached his ears, "Kirito? Is there something wrong?"

Kirito blinked, shrugging off the stinging pain in his head and nodded, "It's nothing."

Liena stared at the teen for a while, not buying his answer one bit. She could clearly see that he was in pain just a moment ago.

The young woman sighed, "Alright, but just make sure to get enough rest, okay?"

Kirito grinned and spoke out proudly, "Of course, I'll sleep in if I can."

Liena sighed and shook her head, though she still had a smile on her face, "As long as you're not slacking off, then I don't care."

Kirito's grin then turned into a sly grin, "What about you, senpai, anyone you like?"

Liena blinked, before her face took on a slight red hue. The young woman glanced away, obviously embarrassed, "No comment on that."

Kirito chuckled, "Sure, sure."

The woman cleared her thoughts, calming herself, before she looked back at Kirito, her face turning serious, "By the way, I've been meaning to ask you, what are you planning to do after you graduate?"

The younger man blinked, "Eh?"

Liena smiled, "You're not from a noble family, so it's not like you're being forced to join the academy like most of them are. And you don't seem like someone who wants to be a knight just for money and fame."

Kirito closed his eyes, contemplating if he should tell her or not. After a short moment, Kirito opened his eyes, "There's someone within the Central Cathedral that I have to see, no matter what. And becoming a knight could help me do that."

Liena blinked, she totally didn't expect an answer like that. But it did make sense, Kirito was someone who do something like that after all.

The woman smiled, "I see... I'm sure you can do it."

Kirito smiled back, "Thank you, Liena-senpai."

Liena nodded, placing her finished cup of ice cream on the table, before she glanced at Kirito again, "By the way, I know I said I won't pry, but when will you show me your full strength?"

Kirito blinked, considering the question. Now that he thought about it, if he were in Sortiliena's place, he would have felt disappointed, if not offended, that his mentee was holding back the entire time they trained.

The teen nodded, "I promise I'll show you my full strength, Liena-senpai, just not so soon."

Liena resisted the urge to sigh again, but considering it was Kirito, she guessed she just had to take it, "Fine. But you better show it to me before I graduate, okay?"

Kirito grinned, "Of course!"

The older woman smiled softly, before she looked at the clock tower and turned to Kirito as she stood up, "Alright, I guess that's it for today, go home and get some sleep. I'll see you again tomorrow."

Kirito nodded, "Roger that, senpai."

Liena smiled as she turned and left the area for her house, and Kirito also turned to head back to his apartment.

(linebreak)

Four months later, Kirito sat in his room, taking down notes from his classes in the academy. Contrary to belief, the academy wasn't just about swordsplay and combat.

Considering the academy was also training the students to become knights, the students were also required to study the ethics that would be practiced if they were to be knights, as well as other information required for whatever path they chose.

They also had year-end exams, one to test their knowledge on everything they learned throughout the year, and another practical test to ensure the students all have a certain level of skill in weaponry.

And those exams were closing in, specifically two months away.

Back to the present, Kirito finished taking down his notes, placing his pencil down as he stretched his arms.

The teen looked out of the window, looking down the streets. Eugeo had gone off with Gorgolosso for some errands, Yuuki and the others were out doing their own thing, and Liena was hanging out with her own friends, so it left the teen alone.

Kirito let out a breath, as his mentor came to his mind. Over the months, Kirito had started taking the sparring matches more seriously. He didn't go all out, but he had held back lesser than he did before, and Liena always found herself hard pressed in their sparrings.

It also changed her attitude towards him. In the beginning, it was mostly care from a senior to her junior. But after he started taking the matches more seriously, it turned into respect, and possibly admiration and attraction.

In fact, compared to before, Sortiliena would give him less pointers, instead, she discussed many points of improvement with him for both of them.

Overall, he pretty much became a lot closer to the brunette throughout the months, and it also prompted Eugeo and the others to tease him more about his relationship with Liena.

While Kirito wouldn't admit it in public, he did find his mentor attractive, and he wasn't against having a relationship with his senior.

Kirito let out a breath, pushing away those thoughts as he let himself fall onto his bed. He would cross the bridge when it came, and he needed a nap anyways.

(meanwhile)

Meanwhile, Liena was at a cafe with Ran and another Elite Swordsman, a man from East Centoria, Sumeragi.

Ran asked, as she took a sip from her iced coffee, "So, how's it going with your Valets?"

Sumeragi huffed, "My Valet is too relaxed, her skill with her spear is exceptional, but her attitude needs some work."

Liena smiled at the man, "You know, Seven isn't wrong, you, however, need to lighten up, take stuff less seriously."

Sumeragi hmph'd, "There's nothing wrong with taking everything seriously, it helps me focus anyways."

The man closed his eyes, a small grin tugging at his lips, "Though, I suppose I could let her have her fun sometimes."

Ran and Liena both smiled, and Liena asked, "What about you, Ran?"

The shorter brunette grinned, "Me? Well, I guess pretty much the same? Yuuki's still the same, and she's improved quite a lot from when we started."

Sumeragi nodded, "I see. What about your Valet, Liena?"

Ran grinned, "This I wanna hear, ya know, Yuuki and her friends pretty much ship the both of you."

Liena resisted the urge to blush, "We're not like that!"

The brunette took a moment to calm down, "At least, I don't think he sees me like that."

Sumeragi had a small smirk tugging his lips, and he said, "So you so admit you like him then?"

Liena's face turned redder, and she glared at him lightly, "And since when did you start teasing people about things like this?"

The man chuckled, "Ever since we got our Valets, and after we found out you preferred younger men."

Ran grinned, "Liena and her shotacon tendencies aside, are you gonna tell Kirito? I mean, he's quite cute, and I'm pretty sure there're some girls out there who like him."

Liena growled, resisting the urge to scream as she palmed her face, "You know what, I give up."

The two just laughed at the taller brunette's expense, well, Ran laughed, Sumeragi just smiled amusedly.

And after a short moment, Sumeragi's face turned serious, "But jokes aside, I was thinking of having a joint training session. Its been a while since we had that, right?"

Ran nodded with a grin, "Yeah! I'm up for it!"

Liena smiled softly, more happy that they finally changed topics, "Sure, it has been a while since we trained together after all."

Ran grinned, "That settles it then! I'll tell Gorgolosso and we'll set a date, kay?"

The two agreed, and they spent the day catching up.

(linebreak)

A week later, Kirito, Eugeo, Yuuki, Sortiliena, Ran, Gorgolosso, Sumeragi and a young girl with silver hair were in one of the larger training halls.

As the four Valets stood in front of their mentors, Sumeragi spoke, "Alright, we've been planning this for a while now, so here's what we're gonna do. We'll pair up randomly, and then spar for half an hour or so, then switch partners, is that clear?"

The four Valets, along with their mentors, all nodded in understanding, and Sortiliena spoke, "Alright, we'll start pairing up, and then see where that takes us."

In the end, Gorgolosso paired up with Yuuki, Eugeo with Sortiliena, Ran with Seven, and Kirito with Sumeragi.

With Kirito and Sumeragi, the older swordsman brought out his sheathed sword, drawing it, earning Kirito's attention.

The bluenette grinned slightly, "Ah, I'm from East Centoria, and these are really hard to come by, so you probably haven't seen this type of sword before. It's called -"

"A katana."

Sumeragi's eyes widened slightly as Kirito cut him off, the younger man's eyes not leaving the sword.

Kirito then commented, "I... I don't know, I feel like I've seen katanas before, but I haven't. Though, your sword, its a really good one."

Kirito grinned at Sumeragi, "If I didn't have my own sword, I'd say I envy you."

The older man laughed, "You're not so bad yourself."

Sumeragi pointed to the black blade in Kirito's hands, "That sword, I can tell it's one of a kind, right?"

Kirito glanced at his own one-handed blade, "Yeah, I had a great blacksmith forge it for me."

Sumeragi nodded, "I see."

The man then cleared his throat, "I suppose that's enough talk. Liena has spoken highly of you, let's put that to the test, shall we?"

Sumeragi slid into a stance, and Kirito smirked as he too held his sword up, "Yeah!"

The older man smirked, and in the blink of an eye, both of them vanished, only to reappear in the middle of the hall clashing blades.

As the two traded blows, Liena shook her head with a smile, "Those two..."

The woman looked at Eugeo, "Well, I suppose we should start too, what do you think?"

Eugeo just chuckled as he saw Kirito clashing blades with Sumeragi, "Ermm, sure."

Liena smiled, "Don't worry, you'll do just fine."

Eugeo took a breath and positioned his Blue Rose Sword in front of him and nodded, "Okay..."

Liena smiled, holding up her rapier, before she charged towards Eugeo, who prepared himself.

Soon, everyone started to train, sparring against each other.

Back to Kirito and Sumeragi, the older man had to give it to the younger man. Sure, he was probably one of the weaker ones amongst the Elite Swordsman-in-Training, but he definitely wasn't a pushover.

Yet here was Kirito, going toe to toe against him. Granted, he wasn't going all out, but he was also pretty sure Kirito was holding back quite a bit. And even if Kirito wasn't holding back, being able to go against him was a feat in itself.

The older swordsman took a breath, and in the next moment, he charged towards his junior, swinging his katana from above.

Kirito's eyes easily followed the swing, and in response, he swung his blade upwards from his waist, clashing against the katana.

The clash from the two strong swings caused a huge rebound, forcing both swordsmen back several steps.

But as soon as they regained their footing, Kirito and Sumeragi charged each other again.

Kirito grinned, feeling himself having fun as he traded strikes with his senior. Then, as he forced Sumeragi away with a slash against the katana, he noticed everyone else watching them.

Sumeragi also noticed it, and he smirked slightly at Kirito, "Seems like we have a small audience, wanna give them a show?"

At that moment, Kirito froze for a very brief moment, and he nodded, "Y-yeah."

He cursed himself for getting carried away, Kirito didn't really want to show his real strength, at least not yet. The teen sighed mentally, well, he could reveal a bit more of his strength.

Kirito stared at Sumeragi again, and both charged.

Again, the both of them clashed blades, slash, parry, slash and parry. Kirito and Sumeragi smirked at each other, enjoying the thrill of having an equal as an opponent, though moreso for Sumeragi than Kirito.

Soon, the two men were panting and full of sweat. Sumeragi smirked, "I'm impressed, I'm not holding back at all, and you're keeping up with me."

Kirito grinned, "I'll take that as a compliment then."

Sumeragi smirked, "Let's end this then, what do you think?"

Kirito's grin widened, "Yeah."

At the same time, both swordsmen slid into a stance, Kirito moving for the Slant skill, while Sumeragi moving for one of his family's sword techniques.

Sumeragi spoke, "Youta Family Style : Cresent Slash."

As the man activated his sword skill, Kirito's eyes widened as he, for some reason, recognised it, yet he was sure he had never seen a katana in his life, much less seeing a sword skill, but still, he knew what was coming, a cresent shaped slash, be it vertical or horizontal, or even diagonal.

The sword skill, Gengetsu, or Phantom Moon.

Kirito quickly shook away those thoughts, as he too announced his skill, "Aincrad Style: Slant!"

Liena, Ran, Gorgolosso and Sumeragi were slightly surprised, regardless of Kirito's words, they easily recognised his stance, being identical to the Zakkalight style's Azure Wind Slash.

Sumeragi brushed off those thoughts, deciding to focus on ending the spar, and before any of the others could continue their thoughts, both Kirito and Sumeragi dashed forward.

After a moment, with a loud clang, followed by a softer sound of metal, both swordsman were in front of each other, with Sumeragi's sword at Kirito's neck, while Kirito's sword on the ground.

Sumeragi let out a breath, lowering his sword, and extended a hand to Kirito, "That was a great spar, thanks, Kirito."

Kirito grinned and shook the man's hand, "Thanks, Sumeragi-senpai."

The man nodded, and after that, they continued sparring, changing partners occasionally until the day ended.

Unknown to them, one Volo Levantein smirked in the shadows, before he turned and walked away, 'Kirito, huh... An interesting one...'

(linebreak)

Three days later, Kirito was in one of the open training areas in the academy grounds training.

The area was actually one of the lesser known, more isolated training areas in the academy. In fact, saying that no one knew about it would be pretty much correct.

The reason why Kirito was training there, was because today was a 'rest' day, where students were not allowed to train, or rather, forced to rest their bodies.

Most of the students just followed along with the rule, while some students trained secretly, like how Kirito was doing now.

As Kirito practised several of his sword skills to make sure he wasn't rusty, unknown to him, one Volo Levantein was watching him behind the trees.

Volo stared at the younger man practising his skills, and truthfully, he was impressed. Kirito showed next to no flaws, even if he was just practicing his sword swings, and each swing was precise, not a movement wasted.

Then the man's face morphed into a smirk, he could use this to further strengthen his own skills, and what better way than to take down someone like Kirito?

The man's smirked widened, and he watched Kirito's movements, trying to predict when he would walk out.

To Kirito, the teen had finished revising his more simple skills, meaning the skills that had lesser hits.

Letting out a breath, Kirito stretched his arms, "Alright, time for the next ones!"

The teen pulled his sword back, and began to swing his sword, until he heard a voice, "What are you doing?"

On instict, Kirito turned, his sword swinging in the same direction, until he caught himself and stopped as soon as he could, right before he noticed Volo standing in front of him, a speck of dirt on his shirt, obviously from Kirito's huge movements.

Kirito's face paled. Sure, Liena, Sumeragi and most of his seniors were very much easy going, but he knew there were some of the older students who didn't tolerate non-nobles attending the academy, or rather, they looked down upon them. Volo didn't look down upon the non-nobles, but he was a very serious person.

Furthermore, the Elite Swordsman-in-Training had powerpower to punish the junior students, if they did something out of hand. That included dirtying their uniform.

Volo glanced down, easily noticing the speck of dirt on his white shirt. The man held back a smirk from seeing Kirito's face, before he spoke seriously, "Your name is Kirito, right?"

Kirito nodded frantically, "Yes sir!"

Volo stared at the younger man straight in the eye, "You didn't answer my question. What were you doing?"

The younger man smiled nervously, "Ermm, I was training?"

Volo hmm'd as he nodded, but he was actually trying his best not to laugh at the younger man's expression, "Today is a day off, you're technically not supposed to be training."

Kirito paled, "I'm very sorry, Levantein-senpai! I just couldn't help myself and..."

The teen started to ramble, and Volo almost cracked a smirk. Almost.

The head seat of the Elite Swordsman-in-Training held up a palm, silencing Kirito, "I'll overlook you training on a free day."

Kirito visibly relaxed, but Volo's next words got him stiffened again, "But I can't overlook you dirtying my clothes."

The older man pointed to the speck of dirt on his uniform before brushing it away with his fingers, "As such, your punishment, will be to have an all out spar with me, full contact."

Kirito blinked, "That's... it?"

Volo smirked, "Your spar with Sumeragi caught my attention, and I'm curious to how you fare against me."

Kirito opened his mouth, but Volo silenced him with a stern glare, "This is your punishment, got it?"

Kirito nodded defeatedly, "Yes sir."

Volo smirked, "Hmph, we'll use our real swords while we're at it, got that?"

Kirito just nodded as the taller man turned and walked away, "I expect you to be at the main training hall tomorrow at two in the afternoon."

The young man just scratched his head as he watched the older swordsman walk away.

(linebreak)

Later that evening, Kirito was eating dinner with Liena, Gorgolosso, Eugeo, Yuuki, Ran, Sumeragi, Tecchi, Siune, Nori, Jun and Talken.

Liena gaped as she heard what Kirito had just told them, before she shouted, "YOU WHAT?"

Ran smiled forcefully as she tried to calm the taller brunette down, "Liena, I don't think its that bad, I mean, its just a spar, right?"

Liena frowned at arguably her best friend, "Yes, a spar, but you don't know Volo like I do, he won't hesitate to hurt him even in a spar, especially if he specifically wanted to have a full contact spar."

Sumeragi sighed, "Liena, calm down, I'm sure Kirito can handle it, he's not a kid you know."

Talken spoke up, "Umm, sorry, but is this Volo that scary?"

Ran looked at the younger teen and nodded, "He's the head seat among the twelve of us. Liena has tried to defeat him, but he always takes her down with his strongest skill."

Liena nodded, "The Heaven and Mountain Splitting Wave/Tenzan Reppa. I just can't seem to find a way to avoid it. The hit itself is terrifying, I tried to block it, but it just smashed down on me. Dodging it won't work as the force causes a shock wave that disorients you. "

Gorgolosso nodded, "Yeah, I've felt it before too. The pure power in the strike was off the charts."

Jun spoke up, nervousness in his voice, "But I don't think he'll use that, right? I mean, its just a normal spar."

Tecchi shook his head, "No, from what Kirito has told us, Volo wants to test him, so I think he'd use it."

Yuuki rested her head on her arm, "Though what are you all getting so worked up for? Look at Kirito, he's not even bothered by this."

Eugeo chuckled, she was right, Kirito didn't look scared or nervous at all. Well, that was expected, considering Bercouli was much more terrifying than what Volo could offer.

The blonde said, "I think Kirito will do just fine, to be honest."

Siune commented, "Are you sure? Kirito is strong, but this is the head seat of the Elite Swordsman-in-Training we're talking about."

Nori grinned, "Eh, chillax guys, its just a spar, at worst Kirito will only be maimed."

Kirito stared at the girl with a deadpanned face, "Gee, thanks for the support."

Nori just grinned at him, giving him a thumbs up. Liena sighed, turning to Kirito, "I guess it can't be helped. Just do your best, we won't think any less of you regardless of what happens."

The teen nodded, "Thank you, Liena-senpai."

Ran smiled and spoke up, "Alright, enough with that! The food's getting cold."

Everyone blinked, noticing they were right, before they continued their meal, having small talk on other topics.

(linebreak)

The next day, Kirito was standing in front of Volo in the main training hall. But they weren't alone, on the seats around them, were all students from both years.

Kirito commented, glancing around the seats, "Hmm, quite a lot of people here."

Volo nodded, "I apologise, I had intended this to be between the two of us, but apparently things got out of hand, and everyone believes this is an exhibition match."

Liena frowned as she stood behind Kirito. It was pretty obvious Volo had spread the word about their little spar, possibly to make sure everyone witnessed his power.

Kirito nodded, "It can't be helped then."

Volo nodded, and Kirito started to walk towards the center of the ring, but before he could, Liena grabbed Kirito by the shoulder, pulling him to a side.

Kirito blinked, "Liena-senpai?"

The older woman sighed, "I still don't think this is a good idea, but I'll just have to believe in you."

Kirito blinked and he grinned, "Of course."

Liena nodded, "But before go, I want to tell you one more thing, about Volo."

Kirito blinked, "Eh?"

The young woman nodded and said, "Soak your blade in the blood of the mighty, doing so will make your power your own."

The black haired teen blinked, "What does that mean?"

Liena glanced at Volo, who was waiting patiently, before looking back at Kirito, "It's Volo's family motto, by defeating powerful enemies, you make their power your own. It also means Volo views you as a threat."

Kirito nodded, "I see."

The woman smiled and patted Kirito's shoulders, "Regardless, I believe that you won't fall to him that easily."

Kirito saw the pure belief in her eyes, and he was actually surprised to see that she believed in him that much. The teen closed his eyes, and he nodded, before opening them, "Yeah..."

He turned to face Volo, before he turned his head back to Liena again, "Liena-senpai, you wanted to know what my full strength is like, didn't you? I was actually hoping to show you when you graduated, but I suppose I can show you now."

Liena blinked, before she sighed with a smile, shaking her head, "Fine... Don't disappoint me then."

The woman then turned to walk up to the seats, but before she could, Volo called out, "Elite Disciple Serlut, would you mind serving as a witness for this match?"

Liena turned to Volo, glancing at Kirito, before she nodded, "Alright."

The woman walked over, standing them, "As agreed by both parties, the match will be carried out with real swords."

The audience immediately erupted into murmurs, surprised that they were using real swords.

Liena paused a while, before she announced again, "If both sides are ready, you may begin!"

Immediately, both Volo and Kirito drew their swords, dropping their sheaths to the ground.

In the blink of an eye, Kirito appeared in front of Volo, surprising the larger man. The teen swung his sword, and Volo was forced to parry his strikes several times before Kirito had to jump away to avoid a horizontal slash.

The older man held back a smirk, Kirito was much better than he expected, but he couldn't let anyone know that.

Deciding it would be worth it, Volo raised his sword up high above his head, mana flowing through his body as his sword glowed brightly with orange.

The movement shocked many who knew Volo, or those who were familiar with his fighting style.

Up on the seats, Sumeragi spoke in shock, "He's using it so early?!"

Gorgolosso, Ran and the other senior students all shared the same thoughts, but Eugeo just looked at his brother confidently.

Down beside the ring, Liena's eyes widened, as she saw the familiar stance. She clenched her fists, preparing to intervene if things got out of hand.

To Kirito, he could feel the power radiating off of the man. And again, somehow, he knew what was coming, and exactly how to counter it.

Kirito's mind raced as he thought, 'That skill is a high overhead downward slash, dodging it is out of question, and blocking is pure suicide. No, I'll have to counter it with a multi-hit skill.'

The younger swordsman pulled his sword back, causing it to glow blue as he announced, "Aincrad style : Vertical Square."

Volo heard his announcement, and decided to follow suit, "High-Norkia style: Tenzan Reppa."

In the next instant, Kirito and Volo both dashed forward, meeting at the center of the ring.

As Volo swung his sword down, to the less experienced students, Kirito seemed to blur, but to the more experienced second year students, they could see what Kirito was doing.

As Volo's sword came down, Kirito swung his sword downwards, striking Volo's blade. Not wasting a split second, Kirito pulled his blade up, striking it again, before he turned, swinging his sword down again, fully clashing against Volo's blade.

As the teen pushed against the older man, Kirito cursed, he had failed to make the fourth hit, but he had to work with what he had, if he could withstand this clash, then he could still pull off one more slash, and he could win.

With Volo, the man was frankly impressed and surprised. Almost everyone he had used this move against, they would attempt to block or dodge it, but none had ever done what Kirito was doing.

And to the thrill of the man, Volo was actually having fun with just pushing his blade against Kirito.

Kirito gritted his teeth, feeling Volo's sword slowly pushing him down. The teen's eyes then widened, as he saw over a thousand silhouettes behind Volo.

Kirito thought, 'Is that what he's been shouldering? The burden and expectations of his family?'

Kirito winced as Volo's blade pushed him down further, before he caught sight of Eugeo, Liena and Yuuki's worried faces.

The teen's eyes widened, as he realized they were all watching him. And he felt something spark within him.

Using all his strength, Kirito pushed upwards, causing Volo's eyes to widen as they were back to the position when they had clashed blades.

That wasn't all. Kirito was actually pushing him back, and for a brief moment, Volo saw a huge tree behind Kirito, followed by a silhouette of a giant knight behind it.

Then, Kirito pushed one last time, and Volo grunted in shock as he was pushed skidding back across the ring.

Immediately, the crowd roared, excited that a first year student had managed to win against Volo of all people in a contest of strength.

Volo grunted, retaking his stance, 'I was wrong about him. He's way stronger than what I expected.'

Kirito let out a breath, also retaking his stance. Truthfully, that had taken more than he had expected, and he was quite tired.

He glanced at Volo, and the man only looked slightly winded. He had to end it quickly, or Volo would use the Tenzan Reppa again.

In the blink of an eye, Kirito was in front of Volo once again, his sword poised to strike.

Volo growled silently, forcing himself to pull his blade up just in time to block the attack, before he flailed wildly in an attempt to push Kirito away.

The teen easily jumped back, dodging the wild swings, before he charged again, clashing blades with Volo once again..

The older man also noticed, Kirito always used overhead strikes, and it was pretty obvious what he was doing, especially to the senior students.

The younger swordsman had a significant advantage in the form of speed, and so Kirito would use that to get close, and slash from above, forcing Volo to always have his blade down low to counter his attacks, effectively stopping him from preparing his skill.

Volo didn't know if he should be impressed, or annoyed and frustrated that he was having trouble with a freshman.

After clashing blades several more times, Kirito jumped away, analysing Volo's stance. The older man was breathing heavily, obviously tired from their bouts. Kirito looked around, and he decided he should end it.

Taking a deep breath, Kirito pulled his sword back, "Aincrad style: Horizontal Square."

Before Volo could react, Kirito was already in front of him. The older man's eyes widened, as Kirito swung his sword, and it was only due to experience, that he had managed to block the slash.

But Kirito wasn't done. Using the momentum, he pulled the sword back, slashing at Volo again, which was blocked again.

Fortunately, the slash had pushed Volo's sword aside, and before Volo could move, Kirito was already behind the man.

And in the next instant, Volo felt Kirito's blade on his neck, "Do you yield?"

Volo's face was one of shock. He could barely keep up with what had just happened, and Kirito was already behind him, blade at his neck.

The head of the Elite Swordsman-in-Training sighed, lowering his blade in defeat, "Yeah, its my loss. You win."

Immediately, the whole audience exploded into cheers. Furthermore, most, if not all of the other 11 Elite Swordsman-in-Training were shocked.

Volo had been the strongest one amongst them, and here, Kirito, had just defeated him fair and square. Even Liena was shocked such that she forgot to announce the winner.

Back to the ring, Kirito lowered his sword as Volo turned to him. The older swordsman smirked, extending a hand to him, "This was supposed to be a punishment, but it became a lesson for me instead. It was a very good match, I thank you, Kirito."

Kirito blinked several times, before he shook the man's hand firmly. Volo then pulled Kirito closer, "Next time, try not to get dirt on other people's clothes, alright?"

Kirito blinked, as Volo smirked at him once more, before the older man left the ring, leaving Kirito alone.

After a short moment, Kirito noticed Liena approaching him. The teen smiled sheepishly, "Liena-senpai, I guess I won?"

The woman didn't respond, and Kirito was about to ask her what was wrong, before his eyes widened as the woman hugged him.

Kirito blinked, "L-Liena-senpai?"

The woman let go of him and smiled brightly, "That was amazing. You won, against Volo! Of all people! You have no idea how proud I am."

Kirito chuckled sheepishly, "Well..."

Liena's smile then turned into a predatory glare, "But don't you dare hold back during our spars next time, got that?"

Kirito sweated lightly at her glare and nodded quickly, "Yes ma'am!"

The woman nodded, "Good, now, we should celebrate your win, alright?"

Kirito just chuckled, not really seeing the point of it since it was just a spar, but decided not to say anything and just go with it.

XXX

Done! So yeah, that's the 64th chapter.

Kirito won against Volo, yay for that. And some development between Liena and Kirito.

So the next chapter will be Liena's graduation etc, then Ronye and Tiesse's debut. Also, we'll be moving further into the Underworld arc.

So yeah, review please. Until next time.