Chapter X : Into Fire

7th January 2023—Aincrad. Floor 5, Dungeons

In a typical game, one started off from Lvl 1 and grows through experience gained in completing quests and battling monsters. It wasn't a strange thing whatsoever, though when you considered the fact that defeat at the hands (claws, maws, etc.) of the very monsters you're meant to kill result with your death in the real world…

Well, you get yourself the brave ones, who intend to march forwards and try to win the game no matter the cost. And you have the cowards, those who'd prefer hiding in the safe zones and wait out the dangers.

She was a little ashamed to admitting that she was one such player in that second group, and the transition from that to a player who was actually going to fight was a terrifying one.

She looked to the front of the group, where Kirito had his Elucidator drawn, taking charge as he always does. Flanking him on both sides were Asuna and Argo, while the rest of them lagged slightly behind. Kizmel, being the Dark Elf that she was, kept watch over their environment, alert as ever.

Silica looked back to their leader and wondered just what was going on in his head. He'd faced trouble countless of times alongside everyone here much more than she ever had, yet he'd never allowed it to get to his head. And she was glad for that. The game continued to evolve, even now, more serious than ever about killing all of them.

She gulped, clutching her dagger a little tighter. Dying… She still couldn't wrap her head around that thought. It felt like a stab to the gut. To know that losing in-game would end up with the 'NerveGear' executing a command to fry the brain like putting food in a microwave…

It was made even worse by the fact that a couple of other players had already died out in the wilderness before the announcement had made because they hadn't known that dying would do that to them, plus the other players who died later on. She, her friends… would any of them be—

"Silica-chan, are you alright?" The girl tensed, feeling the worried gaze of her friend wash over her. "You don't look good."

"I-It's nothing, Asuna-san! J-Just prebattle nerves," it was half the truth, but it would have been enough. Perhaps talking would take her mind off her thoughts. "I just… Will things be okay? We have no idea how things will be when we step into the dungeon, and the Shadows protecting the boss room sound really strong…"

"Considering that they're well above Lvl 20, they sure will be," she'd heard him sigh plenty of times, but they'd been either exaggerated or tired. This one was stressed. A genuine reflection of the burden he and his friends have had to bear this entire time. "It makes things even more complicated when you take into account how it's literally changed the course of this ga—world. Things have become a little too complicated for my liking."

It has. For the Beta Testers, it must feel so weird for the game to change so drastically to the point that it doesn't feel like the familiar game that they've played before. And all players are just thrown off their rhythm, uncertain and lost.

"But we can win this. We will," everyone shared his steadfast determination, confidence pouring off his words and into her spirit as she nodded in agreement. "Kayaba made one mistake when putting us here, and that's letting us get as strong as we have. Nothing can stop us."

"Heheh! Leave it to the summoner swordsman to be the motivator!" Lisbeth's tease got him to squawk back in indignation. "But I agree, one-hundred percent! This'll be a good one!"

Right! This is just the fifth floor, after all, so there was no way it could go that bad compared to the higher floors. They've only just started, after all!

Her optimism remained with her even as they cut through several mobs, traversed the world and arrived before the entrance of the dungeons. It was her first time seeing one for the first time upfront; she'd only ever seen the dungeons as the massive, tall towers that they are from a great distance away. Now, standing before one, it was ridiculously huge, with equally large doors that granted entry. Built from old stone that has seen countless days, she was left to wonder just what sort of secrets rested within.

Large as it may be, there was no reason to worry. Fully mapped out by Lueur, they had knowledge of its layout and the mobs and Shadows within at their disposal. Plus, many of them were already so strong, so nothing could possibly stop them in their tracks.

Kizmel activated the doors, allowing it to swing inwards as cold air from the outside blew inwards, carrying with it dust and sand. There was no sign of anything odd so far, and Silica hadn't felt anything strange in the air. It was finally time to march in there and fight some Shadows!

"Wait," she paused at the hesitant tone in Vabel's voice. Her forehead wrinkled as she furrowed her brows. "There's…"

"Can you feel something?" Koharu asked, trying to look past the darkness that blanketed the corridor before them. "I don't think anything's wrong."

"No, there's definitely something," Kirito shook his head. "It feels like… like we're being watched. I don't like it."

"Agreed. Something strange is in there," Kizmel had her hand on her weapon's hilt as well. "What is this feeling..? It's as if the dungeon itself feels wrong, compared to the ones prior."

Being watched? Creepy. Silica felt a shudder down her spine as she looked past the entrance. There was nothing out of the blue, and no clear distinction that confirmed the presence of some sort of spying mechanism or bug.

Koharu was already using her «Search» skill, yet she'd come up with no results thus far. There was nothing odd about the dungeon, so if they had that weird feeling they were having… was it some sort of innate Persona ability?

For Kirito, it made sense. Kizmel, she does have one, even if she technically can't use it yet. And Vabel… umm, maybe she just has that sixth sense when it comes to Personae. She does seem to know a lot about them.

"Everyone, get ready," on automatic, she'd drawn out her weapon, as did everyone else. "Proceed with caution, and hope we can be done with this mess soon enough."

As one, the group of players march into the dungeon, unprepared for the chaos ahead.

"On your three o' clock!"

"Understood!"

*Shing!*

Her blade cut through virtual flesh, reducing the wolf into a burst of polygons. Instincts and reflexes moved her body as she continued to cut her way through the next few mobs that leapt at her, manoeuvring herself to avoid getting struck down yet hitting all the weak points that would really hurt.

By no means was she an expert in animal anatomy, but she knew enough to know where the ribs and the lungs were, so she'd aimed all her hits there as much as possible; this may be a game, but it was at least faithful to real-life logic to a degree, so the wolves were practically left with a bleeding ailment and literally breathless as they collapsed.

And it was a good thing too! Not only was the pain too much that they were practically left immobile afterwards, so she wouldn't need to worry about them getting back up to chase after, she could immediately activate the Exp. multiplier by going after the next mobs, since the previous batch of mobs haven't exactly expired just yet.

Sure, the condition required that she'd kill them all in one blow, but if that blow technically translated to 'the instance to when all the mobs die at the same time'? It was a loophole that she'd been more than happy to make use of.

Yes! A+ to smart play!

She finished off her last wolf with a swift decapitation, ending the chain of Exp. multiplication and rewarding herself with an ample amount of levelling. Aw yeah! Things were going so good!

Sure, Kayaba designed this game to be as fair as possible, so he had to make sure that everything was in balance. The mobs were suitably levelled, and their fighting patterns were understandable enough that the players could work their way through and fight them fairly.

Unfortunately, he did not take into account this group of players.

Granted, Kirito himself was the true threat, though that might just reach out to Kizmel, considering how she, too, could summon a Persona. And who knows? There might just be a lot more to come.

Even that aside, with how serious the situation was, everyone had pushed themselves a lot to become stronger, to always stay three, four, ten steps ahead of the game. The Shadows were a setback, but everything else? Not so much.

She lost count of the number of Dire Wolves Kizmel had slain, restarting her count from zero. This time, beginning with Silica—oh. Oh, looks like she's struggling a little there… and there goes down the Lizardman Lord, with a stab to the throat, a slash to the knee and a good kick to the chin. Whoo! Girl power!

"You girls better be careful. Don't be too reckless."

"Shush, Kii-bou! We're busy fighting over here!"

The sight of Kirito just lazing in the back as he watched them with nary a care was a little weird. Usually, he'd be in the thick of battle and cutting at the enemies with Arsene by his side. Now, he just looked like a kid who looked so bored.

Well, the mobs were plentiful, though they weren't strong enough to help Kirito level up, so even if he were to kill a lot of them, he wouldn't really get much in return. He decided then that everyone else should get the Exp.—that, and because he'd elected himself the task of watching out for their surroundings.

It was a good thing too. Being the fastest player here, he'd be able to react quickly enough in the case of danger. Much faster than even Silica and Asuna, thanks to his Persona.

"Hey Argo, how much closer are we to our destination?" He called over from where he stood, ignoring the beast chewing his leg—it was a ridiculous sight, and she'd almost giggle at it if she wasn't so worried until she remembered that he still had his 'Regalia' drawn and had his Persona's innate resistance to physical damage activated. Arsene came to dispose the creature afterwards.

"We need to descend a few more stairs, take an immediate left, and we'll be there!" She shouted back, flipping over a Lizardman Lord and dragging her knife through the back of its head. It expired a moment later. "Man. Is it just me or are there a lot of mobs today?"

Probably, although she wasn't complaining if it meant some extra Exp. along the way. They'd definitely need the extra stats and levels.

The group travelled a little longer, deeper into the belly of the dungeon. The air grew colder, there had been no change to the dungeon's design. It was a start contrast to the dark outside, where the walls was a strange swirl of colours amidst black stone. An aurora painted across a black canvas that somehow made the dungeon a lot more uncomfortable than what might have been planned. A white path stretched across them and would divert at times, the sound of their footsteps a steady rhythm that she'd gotten used to.

The further they went in, the mobs grew more in terms of strength than actual numbers, a stifling, uncomfortable silence that spurred the growth of a muted trepidation and kind of made her wish they could get to the boss room much quicker to take care of the Shadows.

And even that sounded terrifying. About to fight against three powerful shadows, there was just no guarantee as to how things would go. From what Vabel had told they just before they'd departed under the cover of night, the Shadows' levels ranged between 23 to 25, which was a huuuge issue. Even Kirito was just a Lvl 17.

Well, better their group alone than involving the elven army and the raid groups. Just as how two people getting too close to one another during a fight was still technically a bad idea since they'd get jumbled together and intermingled, might as well take the safer route and fight the Shadows on their own.

Plus, who knows what might happen? The stress getting to Kibaou and Lind, causing them to fight again. Or some players becoming terrified and running around without aim, thus making it hard to juggle the battle and everyone's safeties. The possibility of things going terrible was really there, and no one were willing to test it out

'Any… Alright. No enemy in sight,' Koharu scanned the dungeon, green orbs narrowed. Every inch of the dungeon looked almost similar, but there were always the littlest of differences that helped her make mental landmarks to refer to, in the case they'd need to backtrack. 'Yeesh, this place really creeps me out.'

She never really minded travelling in dungeons on her own before this because she knew that there were at least mobs to be careful of; it's that reason, and some others, that she had her «Hide» skill activated. It was good practice.

But now? Everything was different; she wasn't alone, there were just no mobs around, and she'd practically have no reason to use her «Hide» skill. This was all too new for her, and it was kind of weird to acquaint herself to…

But she wasn't alone. That, she knew, as she looked between her teammates. It was weird, but it was a good sort of weird. She trusted them.

Nonetheless, the gradual shift into complete silence had come soon enough. It had begun with their chatter, at first. Ten meters left, and they'd immediately lightened their footsteps, making sure that no sound could be heard whatsoever. Instinct took over and Koharu had her «Hide» skill activated while Kizmel moved even more carefully, practically a ghost with the lack of sound in her steps.

"We're getting closer…" Argo whispered. "Get into cover in three steps. Don't let the light hit you."

Professional. A little too professional that she didn't sound like Argo. Like, at all. She had a feeling that she didn't realize she was talking that way with them; was this how she behaved around her Kingsman? Probably.

Even so, none of them pointed it out. In three steps, just as she said, they'd quickly hid themselves behind the wall. Rough, bumpy and hard against her back, she winced a little as she scraped her palm against the stone. Kirito raised a hand and made a gesture. She gulped a little, anxious in all parts of her body.

Silently, she whispered a small prayer to whatever deity that watched over them so that she didn't immediately get his head frozen in ice, peeked beyond the wall…

Where three Shadows should have stood, they found a pair of completely unguarded rooms.

"W-What the hell?" Argo's voice lost all semblance of control, complete shock in her tone. "W-Why are there no Shadows?!"

"Did they… de-spawn?" No..! Don't tell her that was the case. Kirito looked so ready to murder someone, possibly Kayaba. "I mean, that would be great, but please tell me that isn't the case. My God, I don't want to have worried for nothing."

"But there was no way that could—W-Well, that is possible, but still!" She'd practically ignored all semblance of caution as she marched towards the doors, a muted 'What is de-spawn?' from Kizmel prompting Silica to explain. "My scouts don't get anything wrong, there's no way! They're the best of the best!"

"We aren't saying they got that wrong. Maybe, like Kirito said, they just de-spawned," Lisbeth's words got her to nod. Well, talk about convenience. And also a little annoying. "So, what do we do now? Do we go forth with the plan and—"

A light tremor. One that shook the ground in a jerky motion before it stopped.

"What was that?" Asuna was quick to look around, focusing. "Did you feel that?"

"We all did. A small magnitude. Barely noticeable, but we're nothing if not observant at this point," nodded Kizmel, narrowing her eyes. "It did not feel natural… and do dungeons even shake for that matter?"

No. No they don't. But what good was it to stay bigoted at this rate? The entire game has changed, and the formula won't stay the same anymore. They were just too clueless and could only adapt to the ever-present changes to the way the game worked.

"You think it's the Shadows?" He'd meant it as just a guess, but everyone seemed to consider his words seriously. And the more she thought about it, the more likely. "I mean, the Shadows aren't even there."

She looked past her shoulder, to the massive bluish-grey doors that acted as a barrier between the players and a wholly new challenge to best. Lueur reported three Shadows guarding the entrance, and they'd come here to find absolutely nothing.

Kirito assumed they'd de-spawned, which felt a little too cheap. Though this was a game world, those things clearly don't belong here. Vabel herself had said that there were other worlds, or perhaps another alternate one, where the concept of Shadows and Personae was indeed a real thing. Otherworldly, right? So there was no reason for them to be bound by the laws of the game.

And if that really was the case, there was no way they could have de-spawned. They must have…

'Huh?' She blinked, noticing something on the ground. 'Wait a minute, these are…'

She immediately dropped to one leg, gently brushing the tip of her fingers against the surface. There was absolutely nothing there. No marker, and it didn't look like it had been disturbed. And yet, she activated her «Search» skill, and she found herself gasping.

"Guys, I found something," she spoke up, gaining everyone's attention. "There's… Yeah, Argo's scouts didn't get anything wrong. I know now why they're suddenly not here…"

Her index finger drew the outline of a shape, followed by another. One was large, uniform. The other seemed to possess the same shape, but was much smaller in comparison—it was more familiar however.

She didn't even want to say the word, the dread in her gut pushing her to form the words all the same. "Footprints."

"Footprints?" Kizmel blinked, kneeling beside her friend and looking at the ground. Her confusion practically said enough. "I don't see anything. The ground seems untouched."

"My «Search» skill says otherwise," she shook her head. "The «Search» skill, as its name implies, lets us see a lot of things. Humans, monsters, objects, see in the dark. What I figured out was that, with a good level in, you could see footsteps too, though it requires total focus," her expression grew dark, however, a tell-tale sign of something not good. "And the footsteps are all mixed up. I've got big ones belonging to the Shadows, and smaller ones. Probably humans or an elves."

Tension was suddenly a lot more than it was before, and Asuna had been the one to break the question. "Others were here before us?"

"Yeah, and they're still fresh. That much, I've no doubt," nodding, she got back up and pointed down the corridor from where they came from, everyone following the trajectory. "And all footsteps lead out of here. Looks like the Shadows gave chase."

"Shit… Someone else was here? But Argo issued the order to everyone to stay away from the dungeons until we're done," and she knew that Argo, as carefree as she may seem, took her responsibilities very seriously. "Did someone not get the memo?"

"Either way, we've got a party of foolish players who just signed their death wishes, so unless we move now, we won't have much of a chance to save their stupid asses," scowled her friend before looking her way. "Ko-chan, can you lead the way? We don't have time to waste. We need to move. Now!"

Everyone nodded, the situation finally dawning on them as they produced their weapons. Silica gulped but drew her knife. The Beta Tester was at the lead, moving quickly as everyone trailed behind her. Kirito groaned before giving pursuit.

Uurgh. He'd hoped it was just one simple battle to get over with, and then this happens. This sucks.

Backtracking all the way throughout the dungeon was not easy, if because of how similar everything had seemed, but Koharu's great memory helped her navigate the corridors easily enough. They rushed through the mobs, not stopping to find the players.

Shit. Did they somehow try to engage them in combat and got chased by the Shadows? This was such an opportune time to go take on the boss, but if they did so, then people were going to die. Like hell he could let that happen!

"Which way, Ko-chan?!"

"U-Uhm! T-That way!"

They turned the corner and he watched as Asuna leapt at a Lizardman Lord with a shout, her silver blade slicing right through it with a «Linear» and reducing its health to nothing in just a single blow. A few mobs spawned right afterwards, but they'd been unprepared for Argo's «Swift Trick» and Kizmel's «Vertical Arc» to react appropriately.

He breathed and sharpened his senses. Another vibration, though this one was a lot stronger now that they were getting closer. Crap. This was really bad. He'd thought fighting the Shadows would be a pain in itself, and now they've even more to worry about.

He swallowed the bile in his throat (or at least a sensation similar to it, knowing that there wasn't really a 'liver' in his avatar) and ran, keeping himself a little behind to watch over the back of the group. Another mob was felled thanks to Lisbeth, and Kizmel took another down.

"Good job!" He yelled. "Koharu!"

"They travelled—A-Ah..!" She suddenly stopped, hands flying to her mouth as she stared forwards in terror. "W-What is that?!" His confusion turned into disgust as he followed her gaze, and someone seemed to make a disgusted sound.

Eyes. Blood-red veins seemed to stretch across the colourful walls, which have gradually become black the farther in they travelled. They pulsated at a heartbeat's rate, so at odds with the normalcy of what he's seen thus far.

"This is…" There was recognition in her voice, but she shook her mind of all thoughts. "No, we have no time. Where do we head—"

Another magnitude, much stronger. Argo yelped in shock as she fell to the ground, the others either following suit or attempting to stabilize.

"Down there!"

"We're close! Everyone, arm yourselves!"

Stampeding like a horde of bulls, the group of players and one NPC eventually found themselves in a wide spacious area. Columns were situated at an equal distance from one another, thicker than the ones that he'd seen back during the first boss battle—

Instinct screamed and his body moved on automatic, pushing Koharu to the ground as a blade of wind soared overhead.

Several columns were broken, he noted, though they seemed less out of place compared to the red veins from earlier, which all seemingly originated from the ceiling, where it became a congregated, swelling mass that made him sick to look at. The floor was a complete black, and not from the shadow cast upon the room. And in the very centre—

*Clank..!*

"Keita, Sachi..!" A tall guy wearing purple overalls yelled as he took a blow to his shield, knocking him to the ground. "Gah..!"

"Guys, stick together! Don't let them separate us!" The one who yelled the order was definitely the leader, if the way he carried himself said anything. He managed to dodge two attacks before getting hit square in the chest by the butt of Fuu-Ki's naginata, air knocked out of his system as he was sent skidding across the ground. "Garkh..!"

For God's—can the world just calm down for even a minute? Did it have to seriously throw a monkey wrench in literally all their plans? He absolutely despised his black-cat luck.

And yes, black cat luck is still a pretty debatable subject, but screw it.

"Who are they?" Silica asked beside him, nervous.

"That doesn't matter. What does is that they're low on health, and they're soon to be dead if we don't intervene," Arsene was summoned forth as the boy got back on his two feet, drawing Annealed Blade and readying a «Rage Spike». "Arsene, I need a speed boost!"

"Of course!" The demon unfurled his wings, a small gust produced. "I am at the ready!"

He wanted to order them to go only for Sui-Ki and Fuu-Ki, yet the total absence of their golden brethren seemed to make it unnecessary. Great. Five people thrown into the fray, one missing Shadow. Like things aren't already bad enough.

Urgh, whatever. "Everyone, change of plans! Argo, Kizmel, get the players out of the area of battle and heal them up! We can't afford to lose a single one of them! Everyone else, split up and take on the Shadows!"

He lowered his stance a little more, readying for a full thrust. His blade was a bright blue, the sound it produced similar to a charging light cannon. Theoretically, it would be impossible to cross the distance between themselves quickly enough. «Rage Spike» just didn't have a good reach, but Arsene had a trick to giving him that massive push forwards.

"A bird's wings can take it far into the sky and carry it across the world. For that, I offer you my «Wings of Rebellion»," the jet-black cape-like wings on his back unfurled, impressive. "Ready yourself, Hero! Let us shoot for the stars!"

Shoot for the sta—

"—rrhaaaaaa!"

"Kirito-kun!"

The human body wasn't meant to go from 0 speed to a 100 in a fraction of a second. Such a drastic acceleration would have inevitably caused the organs in the body to slap into the posterior, rupturing everything and killing the person just like that.

Fortunately, though? This was a game, which meant a number of logic was pretty much overruled within this world, and she'd gotten the chance to witness a spectacle that left her breathless.

The distance between himself and Fuu-Ki had easily been twenty meters or so. With just that single attack, however, as the boy yelled within the room and drew upon the attention of the Shadows, he had shot forwards at a speed her mind just couldn't come to terms with. She'd finally snapped out of her stupor from watching that amazing scene thanks to Argo's shout and the sound of Annealed Blade tearing through Sui-Ki's body, knocking it into a column and shattering it from the impact.

"Now!" Argo yelled, dagger unsheathed as she raced forwards. "Take them out! Kii-chan, with me!"

By then, her body was already moving beside Vabel, a twin of metal that raced across the corridor and took Kirito's place as they stabbed into Sui-Ki, drawing out pained screaming from the humanoid.

She'd immediately backed away the instant it swung its weapon. She watched out of the corner of her vision as Argo and Kizmel rushed to the aid of the group of players, while Lisbeth and Vabel teamed alongside her to handle Sui-Ki. Koharu and Silica charged after Fuu-Ki, intent on delivering aid to the black swordsman.

*Clank!*

"You'll have to do better than that!"

"Sure thing! Arsene!"

A burst of dark energy catches his blue enemy off-guard, knocking it backwards and giving him the opportunity to back away from the demon. She refocused her attention on Sui-Ki, watching as ice crept along its weapon from where its hand made contact with the shaft. It cradled the wound in its as it stared at them.

"Companions of The Hero... To think that you've come so far compared to the rest of your peers is impressive," it said, slamming the end of its weapon onto the ground once. "Not many bear such conviction to go against fate, and for that, I commend you. However, you will go no further. I must keep you here, where you belong."

Its words made her pause, confusion present in her friends' expressions.

What? Where they belong? What was it talking about?

"Within the recesses of your heart, therein exists a desire to be confined. To escape your own reality and be free from the struggles and pain of the world," Sui-Ki sounded strangely determined. "You needn't waste your effort in escaping. You can just stay here, and be content with living in this castle."

A desire to be trapped within this world. To escape the harsh truths of their reality. To be free of their pain…

Nonsense.

"We've been fighting to get out of here," her gaze followed Kizmel, who was helping a blue-haired girl away from the battle. Chestnut eyes shot back towards the Shadow as they burned in anger. "People are dying because of what Kayaba is putting us through. We won't let ourselves be trapped here like this! Right from the beginning, we chose to get out of here, no matter the cost! Your words mean nothing!"

If they really let themselves get stuck here, then what of all the players who died trying to fight to get them out of here? What then? Let their deaths be in vain? She refused to let that happen!

Asuna's conviction was concrete once more, already charging straight for Sui-Ki, who had decided then that battle was the only option. Fine with her!

The polearm it weld was with an impressive reach that, as it was swung about in impressive, circular motions to keep them away, she knew could be easily taken care of by getting up close. And Lisbeth was the first to make use of such knowledge, bypassing the radius of its attacks and landing a critical blow against its ribs, replaced by Vabel, who poked blows into its body and made her escape just as quick, only to come back to try again.

Testing the waters to find any weak point. It was incredibly impressive, and she'd allowed her to do so while she focused on dealing as much damage as she could on the humanoid.

A burst of wind from the side tells her that Fuu-Ki had used a «Wind» spell. She heard Koharu cry out, but she knew she was fine. An explosion of black flames told her enough to know that they were fine, which allowed her to focus on her battle.

Asuna was now moving as one with Lisbeth and Vabel, each of them weaving between each attacks as they unleashed «Sword Skill» after «Sword Skill» to break away at Sui-Ki's health. A swift lunge turned into a slash and a stab, «Quadruple Pain» inflicting high damage upon the enemy.

"Switch!" Swapping places with Lisbeth, she watched as the pinkette slammed her weapon painfully into its chest, a follow-up from Vabel as she pulled off an «Aero Penetrator» to stab into its face before shooting back down to the ground.

"Tch..! Stubborn little—Gah!"

"Nyahaha! Don't be too careless now!"

Argo tore at its undefended side, and the sight was impressive, especially when taking into consideration the flips she pulled off. Her fast combo was finished with a good «Gengetsu» into its side that staggered the demon, right into the shield bash of the blacksmith.

"Switch!" She yelled, stepping aside as Vabel took her place and shot forwards in a «Linear», taking away more of Sui-Ki's health in that single attack. She retreated, the demon unable to defend itself from the onslaught of dagger attacks upon its back.

She flipped backwards and spun mid-air to avoid a thrust, then oriented herself to dodge the next sweeping attack, though Argo was caught in the blow and sent flying backwards. She reoriented herself mid-air and gulped a potion, while the fencers engaged it in a trade of blows.

By no means was the rapier a suitable weapon for deflecting or parrying attacks, much less to block them, but she and Vabel stabbed and fought as best as they could, one focusing on keeping it occupied while the other dealt as much damage as they could.

"Ghraa!" Sui-Ki tripped backwards, giving her the opportunity to pierce its knee with a «Quadruple Pain». It stabbed the ground and allowed ice to freeze upon the surface, catching her by surprise. "Hah! Foolish—"

Dark energy exploded upon the side of its head, knocking it away. Asuna grunted, stabbing at the ice around her leg and breaking free with two hits. She turned towards her saviour, who was already trading blows with Fuu-Ki, unleashing a barrage of hits that gave it no room to strike back. The elf was by his side every step of the way, her body moving with no limit.

The team from earlier were very much safe, at a distance far away from the site of battle. Hidden well behind the column,

"Asuna!" She blinked herself out of her thoughts, body moving on reflex as she threw herself forwards into a role, barely avoiding the swing of the Shadow's naginata. "Watch out!"

"R-Right!" She was careless. Can't let herself space out in the middle of the fight. "Let's keep this up!"

Vabel nodded back, and the two charged back into the fight.

The hilt of Elucidator thumped behind Fuu-Ki's knee, getting it to drop to one leg and granting Koharu the opportunity to throw a fast upwards swipe into its head.

Just a little more..! They were too close to the finish line that Kirito had been practically moving a lot faster than he did earlier, forgoing any sort of plan he'd concocted in favour of just trusting his instincts.

He deflected the stab aimed for his gut. He tanked the blade of wind that cut at him. He matched the combo of the Shadow before him as fast as he could. He unleashed a «Sword Skill» strong enough to cancel its momentum, granting the others the opportunity they needed to deal as much damage as they could in that small window of time.

"A few more hits, everyone!" A «Senda» deflected the naginata aimed for his head. Kizmel attacked with a «Horizontal Arc», two strong hits that reduce its health into its closing margin. "Come on!"

"Ghhak..!" Arsene tore into its abdomen with an augmented slash, erasing its health and immediately putting it out of the fight. Fuu-Ki fell to the ground like a rag doll, having lost its grip on its weapon as it clattered out of its reach. "I-Impossible… This cannot be… happening…"

The Shadow eventually erupted in wisps of black smoke. Kirito panted, a little tired. He ignored it and turned back, ready to assist his friends, only to then see Asuna dealing the final blow; the fourth hit of «Quadruple Pain» struck true into the heart of Sui-Ki, eliciting a groan as it succumbed to its death.

Finally… Damn, that took quite a bit of time. It was nothing so difficult, but he did not think a battle against just two Shadows would have been that difficult.

"Everyone alright?" His question elicited positive responses from his teammates, which calmed him down somewhat. "That's good… Urgh, finally. Two Shadows down, one MIA, and the boss left. Alright."

"That was a good fight," Kizmel's words drew his gaze to the elf, who was smiling rather happily. "I must admit it was difficult, but we've grown stronger from this fight. I am quite pleased with the results."

"You and me both, Kizmel. I don't regret fighting those things if it means others don't have to, but damn that was something," well, it was over and done. No need to fret over it anymore. "Let's head back to town to restock on items. But before that…"

A pair of narrowed black eyes swivelled towards one direction, and five players in total flinched beneath his sharp gaze. The message was clear, and they'd eventually approached the Beta Tester with their heads kept low.

Five people in total, a complete reversal of his situation; one girl with four male friends. He'd have found amusement in that situation were he not displeased with all of them.

"Mind telling us why you went against orders and decided to explore the dungeons?" He asked, crossing his arms and allowing his disappointment to show on his expression. "By all means, do tell us. We're all ears."

He'd have scolded himself for being a little too harsh on them, but decided it would have been better that it was him. He had a feeling Argo would be more than happy to chew them out for what they did. "W-We weren't meant to go?"

…Hol'up. Did they seriously not know?

"Umm, yeah? I thought everyone got the message?" Koharu frowned, while he fought the urge to face-palm. "There was an official order for all players to stay away from the dungeons, issued by, well, Argo over here. Absolutely no one was allowed to come into the dungeons because we were planning to deal with the Shadows from earlier first."

"I-I see…" The one who looked to be the leader bowed, his friends following suit. "I apologize. We… may have missed the message, since we've occasionally been out of the city to train. We really didn't mean to cause you any trouble."

"Oh, you already have after coming here," scowled Argo, making them wilt even further. "Seriously, those Shadows were real strong, in case you couldn't tell. And you'd thought to engage them despite all that? Were you trying to get yourselves killed?"

"Argo," a firm hand on her shoulder seemed to help her regain herself. The girl huffed, turning to look away from the group. Heh, she was such a brat, but he knew it was just an act. He smiled as he faced the other group of players. "Sorry, she doesn't mean anything by it. This is just her way of worrying. We just don't want to lose anymore people. You can understand that at least, right?"

"R-Right. Thank you for saving us," nodded the leader before beaming a little. "And it's an honour to meet you, Kirito. You're as amazing as we've heard about your exploits on the frontlines."

"Oh, please. Those are usually just exaggerated or completely untrue," he waved off his compliment, inwardly a little embarrassed at being revered as he was. "Anyways, it's over now. The Shadows are dead and we've the boss left. We should probably call—"

"Not all, Hero. I survive yet."

"What is—Kin-Ki!"

He didn't know when he'd summoned Arsene, or when his team formed a line as a sort of barrier to protect the weaker team, but all he could think of was the golden warrior that stood before them. Their enemy that had been missing from the battle the entire time today.

Just his luck that he'd showed up at the very end. At least it was one final enemy, even if everyone might technically be unable to do much against him given his physical-hits-resistance.

"That's…" He heard Kizmel's quiet mutter beside him, something akin to recognition in her voice. "I've…"

"It's been a while, Dark Elf. I'm surprised you'd managed to survive the slaughter when the rest had all been burnt into the ground," there was no laughter. No mockery. Its words were said as they were without a shred of emotion. "You are resilient, and for that, I commend you. But your journey is up. There is no further for you to go."

"You seem to know our friend here, don't you? Just good," he aimed Annealed Blade at the Shadow, poison in his tone. "That'll just make it easier for me to slit your throat for what you did to her and her people."

"Reign your violence in, Hero. There is no use for us to fight now. Not when all has already been lost," and then, it looked past him. To where his elven friend seemed to tense up. "You understand what I'm saying, do you not, Dark Elf?"

Confusion spread throughout the group as they pondered his words. What was it trying to say?

"On the day that you fled from your people, you knew," the thing had the gall to smile, as red eyes leered down on her in silent amusement. "You knew the truth, yet you chose to run away from even that, didn't you?"

"T-That's…" A small step back.

"Kizmel?" Asuna looked to her, concern on her face. "What is he talking about?"

The golden being clicked its tongue. "So you've kept even that a secret from your comrades. Such a shame. Then again, cowardice isn't so easy to throw away, isn't it?"

Another step back, anger and… fear, bleeding into her words. "No… No, you lie! There's no such thing! I refuse to accept your words as truth!"

Denial. It was so palpable that even Kin-Ki started laughing. All heads turned back towards the golden being, which seemed to raise its one hand. All the players tensed, prepared for any sort of move made on its part.

In time, he would look back on this day and wished so dearly that he could take away the pain that it had caused in his friend.

Because, as it raised one hand to clench something, and used its other hand to grip something… only to violently rip it out, everyone paled. The message was clear as day.

Metal clanged as Kizmel started moving backwards. Again, and again. As she started breathing quicker, eyes wide in horror as she stared at the laughing Shadow, unconsciously gripping her own throat.

"Kizmel!" He yelled, but it didn't garner anything from her. "Kin-Ki! You bastard!"

It laughed, just as hot, burning fire spewed from beneath Kizmel's feet, her screams drowning his and everyone else's.

Author's Notes:

Can I admit something? I think this chapter and the previous one aren't good. They're too… filler, sort of. I did say that I intended to write a little faster paced, but I end up stretching the duration of time in these two chapters. God damn.

The thing is, I want to move fast. But I prefer going slow enough to showcase development and happenings that I feel are important. And then I end up writing the entire scenes in my head, which makes everything so bloated. But I needed to! I… I need to write the drama too, because it's fun. I know, that sounds mean, but I guess I am then.

Well, my apologies if they came off as a little weak, but I can't spit out the chapters without much context. I guess I'm a romantic for plot. Maybe this was a too in-depth look into things, but I'll make it a little better to swallow in the next few chapters. Bear with me in the meantime.

Also, I just looked up Wythege in the Integral Factor page, and Wythege is not a hippopotamus. Oh my God, I can't believe it (XD). Apparently it's some sort of horse with a mermaid tail. Talk about missing the mark completely.