Seven Kingdoms Online: Seido

by daniel.ong.37

Kayaba Akihiko created a virtual world unlike anything seen before. Over 5 million players logged into the game only to find it turn into something of the stuff of nightmares. There are 7 Kingdoms that must grow, expand and rise in power against the hordes of Hell, of the Sea and of the Heavens. This is the mix of SAO and ALO without magic, this is Seven Kingdoms Online.(OP Kirito)

15. Chapter 15 - The Dragon and Two Smiles

AN: Once more thank's to Greghero for beta-reading this story. He once again pointed out faults in this latest chapter and thanks to that things were quickly changed :) Please check out his The Revenge of the King of Darkness. It is honestly a very interesting read that takes a completely new perspective on the SAO world, one that I must say is very very intriguing. Also next chapter that is going to be uploaded in the future will be a fluff between Argo and Kirito ;) enjoy this current one!

Chapter 15 - The Dragon and Two Smiles

"[Parties] consist of a maximum of 10 players. In charge is a [Party Leader] who is responsible for calling shots, responding to [Quest] dialogues, acceptance and loot distribution. These groups are normally used when entering [Dungeons] or [Hell Zones] or fighting against [Events] and [Bosses] and require great amount of skill to properly and adequately pull off. Whilst in a [Party] player stats are increased slightly, depending on the [Party Title], as well as additional benefits, which depended on the [Party Rank]." ~ Seven Kingdoms Online: Party

The sky was slightly cloudy casting a gloomy grey across the sky like a blanket of depression that weighed heavily upon the shoulders of all under the heavens.

Slight curves of dulled down white plastered the sky like dots on a Dalmatian, scattered across the twisting froes of the clouds like helpless children caught in the never ending drag of the sea. Light barely pierced through the heavy and dense clouds that covered, leaving the world at the mercy of the darkened sky and dulling everything; leaving the world in a grey that made late morning seem like dawn.

For most, waking up to a sight such as this would be relatively … depressing. It would normally leave the feeling of gloominess leaching through the body of an individual. A certainly most crushing view of the world to awaken to, one that made you question whether or not you truly wanted to be alive or if you simply hated the world and wish that everyone would just die and disappear into an endless abyss.

Then again it could also be a trigger to certain memories rushing down the neural pathways of the mind like F1 racing cars speeding as they swerved and turned at incredibly high speeds. Flashing in pulses of imagination that churned the mind like currents churned an ocean floor, contaminating the water with brown clogged dirt and turning crystal clarity, into confusing murky depths.

Purple hair was softly blown in the wind, fluttering like the wings of a beautiful butterfly, soft and slow as the breeze caressed the luscious violet curtain like hair; like a lover gently running their fingertips through her silky hair.

Obsidian black half-armour settling nicely onto the blue turtle-neck that hugged her body, cotton pressed against skin with the slight itch of the strings. A black purple skirt hung from her waist till her knees, skin tight shorts conjoined underneath with their silky feeling pressed against her thighs. Black stockings reaching up, past her skirt, disappearing into it as well as similarly disappearing into black boots. They were pressed loosely against the stone under her feet. The form of an individual female sitting upon a wooden bench with her elbows against her knees and palms against her cheeks. A slight pout formed from her lips, standing out from her face like a beautiful sore thumb.

Crimson eyes raised themselves with the slight tilt of her purple tinged pale neck and stared in a clash against the grey darkened skies, a silent contest of will between woman and the primordial essence of the lower heavens.

A soft sigh escaped her lips, luke warm air fluttering out from her pale pink red lips.

She glanced down to her feet, the black boots standing out against the grey stone under feet. She felt a strange swirling in her chest, discomfort snatching away at her breaths, and with each grasp plucking anxiety and restlessness into her.

Her eyes flickered over to the [Battle Training Ground] of the [Academy], easily visible from the higher ground of the [General's Sanctuary] with its plain grounds and various different terrains. The current training area was settled into a plain grassland with a slight bulge of the hill, sparkling trails of players clashed like lights from a firework show. She disengaged from looking over there once more, turning back to face the floor again. With that Yuuki let her mind wander like a nomad searching for a home in her memories. But one thought kept coming back.

She didn't miss reality.

No matter how much she tried, she could not find neither a yearning nor a drive to return home like the other millions of players within this world who were trapped, just like her. But in this trap she found life, whereas others found death. Where most found a nightmare, Yuuki found an escape from the cruel reality that waited for her beyond this world of complex coding and structure. Where most found this to be a curse and torture from what they thought would be leisure and relaxing moments, she found excitement and thrill in the fight; it was if she was the only person left who still thought of this world as a game, and not a death trap waiting to be sprung over each and every individual, killing them in a swirl of pixels.

Most players had a drive, a yearn, to complete this game and return home to reality, to their families, to their friends and loved ones, to normal life, to high school, university, their careers; some had the drive to return for a special somebody who was waiting for them, some were trying to return for their children. Their kids.

She did not have any of that.

When most people thought of home they would normally think of comfort, care, warmth, love, safety, peace, a well known bed, a fridge that was always being opened, a TV and sofas where one could relax. One would think of where you could store a bike, a birthday gift in the form of a car, books stored high in shelves on a variety of subjects, a study table with a lamp and a computer to finish off school work.

She never had that. Ever.

To have the drive for returning to family, to see the faces of laughing friends and loved ones once more. To see the small smiles of that special person who was waiting, or to feel the arms of a loving embrace around your shoulders. To have the dream of seeing those faces one last time, to seek the return of others to you. To feel the comfort that lays dormant within oneself like a slumbering cat that brings such hope, joy and love; to have people to return to at all.

She never had a family.

To have friends who you could stay up late into the night talking with till your eyes grew heavy like lead and every effort was needed just to keep them open. To have people who you could trust to keep your secrets, to have people who you knew you could go to and talk to when it seemed like everything was just purely overwhelming. To have individuals who did not mind giving up and sacrificing their own time, energy and life into helping you. To have those friends who could make you laugh at the simplest of things, who knew you inside and out and could pick out your favourite colour as well as your favourite food; the small things that could only be gleaned from being around someone for a long time.

She didn't have that. Not anymore.

All she had now was her blade, the reflective black steel longsword that seemed so out of place in a nation like [Seido] where most blades were katanas. It was her weapon in this world, a tool that when one became skilled with could take them to unknown heights, limited by a person's own reaction time, speed, strength and skill with the blade. Yuuki looked at the medium weighted blade that rested across her lap. She ran a single finger down the spine of the blade, feeling the smooth stone that had been sharpened and strengthened to the point it could block other sword strikes. The weight was comfortable against her thighs, pushing down against them with their weight, leaving indents on her thighs underneath her clothing. But even as that flashed through her mind, a counter argument struck out with the viciousness of a viper.

She was not alone, and the voices that then called out to her from the distance reminded her of that. Her eyes flickered up, staring at the few distant figures that stood waving from the wall that separated the [General's Sanctuary] and the [Cross Road], the centre room where all sections conjoined into. Seeing them made her smile slightly. It had been a few weeks after she had heard the rumours of Kirito soloing a field boss by himself and she had stumbled upon this odd group of players. They were a group of people who seemed too joyful to be true, they seemed way too carefree and relaxed despite the game being a death match waiting upon their timers. They simply did not seem to care whether they lived or died, of course they still played safe and watched each other's back, but their play style could be classified as one thing; a dead man walking.

After all, if you know you're going to die death itself isn't that scary of a deal is it?

"Hey Yuuki." Jun said, raising his hand in the air with palm facing her as she did the same, the resounding high-five was complemented with the happy grins on all of their faces; the feeling of a light after sting was completely ignored in favour for the smiles that went around like candy at a festival. They had really come to enjoy each other's company throughout the months of playing together, of first becoming a team and then turning to face this world, intent to enjoy every passing moment of it. His fiery orange red eyes glimmered with mirth, laughter and joy that sparkled and danced like a naked candle flame. Orange copper hair dangling around his face with a sleek look that only served to heighten his already sharp features, a single band tying it into a braid at the back of his head, as they framed his young look; if Yuuki had to guess she would say he was around fourteen or fifteen. Adorned across his body was a copper-red full plated armour that hugged his body perfectly. The hilt of a broadsword easily as tall as him could be seen poking out from his right shoulder, "You know I just thinking about how we all first met." he sighed with a wistful tone in his voice, nostalgia flowing through every line in his body.

"Hey." she said with a simple smile back as she walked past him greeting everyone with a single word as she walked lightly, boots not even making a sound against the smooth stone wall that she was now standing upon with the rest of her [Party], "You mean the day I saved you from being crushed by that [Stone Golem]?" she asked with a single cocked eyebrow as he sputtered.

"Hey! I had that completely under control!" he replied indignantly, turning his nose up at her mockingly as he crossed his arms with a playful 'hmph' sounding its way into the air.

"Right …" Yuuki trailed off with a shake of her head, a teasing smile dancing on her lips as she glanced at him, "If that helps you sleep at night Jun."

"Oi!" the orange copper haired boy cried out as he turned back to glare at her, playfully of course.

She glanced to the top right of her HUD in an effort to ignore the childish Jun, seeing the name [Sleeping Knights]. Just reading that sent a warm shiver shooting through her body, first growing like a blossoming flower in the middle of her chest, before the roots dug in and shot out like lightning throughout her. It brought her pride, one that she wore like a badge of honour and glory; it was an identity for her that she refused to give up, ever! It was something that was larger than herself, a stamp upon her that indicated that she was more than just a rampaging swordswoman but that, she too now, after a long long time, had a group of friends, of close friends, whom she could honestly call family. They were the first thing that brought warmth back into her life.

If Kirito was the one who broke through her icy depressing walls and shields that surrounded her like a frozen fortress, then these were the people who came in after that bringing the beauty of summer and spring into her heart and helping her live once more. Re-renovating the place inside of her, giving it an individual identity of its own beyond pain, tiredness and loneliness.

"Someone looks awfully cheerful today despite the gloomy weather." Tecchi teased her with a grin as he stood tall and proud, big and burly, as he looked across the conjoining walls. His calm and upbeat voice snapping her away from her thoughts, dragging her out like light chasing away darkness. His tower shield was slung around his back whilst his mace hung from his waist with a tight cord to ensure it didn't bang around causing more damage than it was worth; the curved disk around the hilt a perfect guard for keeping his hands safe. He was a huge person, built like a hairless bear. He had beaming golden eyes that complimented his wavy sand coloured hair in their almond shape holders. Thick plate armour covered his body, their green and yellow mixture not the most pleasant view to the eye, the mixture of brown along his coat making it a little bit more bearable.

"I find it perfectly alright. Don't you Talken?" Yuuki suddenly questioned, following up her rebuttal with an invitation to the shy boy to join in the conversation. A grin split her lips, a by-product of how happy she felt whenever she was around these people. She, to an extent, could not wait to finish training as a [Legacy] and coming back to lead her [Party] as a special group in the Army of Seido.

"Erm … yeah. It's, er, really nice." he trailed off, murmuring towards the end as he glanced down blushing. Yuuki suppressed a laugh and changed it into a smile aimed at him that made the poor boy glance down bashfully whilst squirming a little. He was a skinny looking youth with small eyes that sparkled like a stone shining underneath the sun, tidy brass coloured hair that sat mopily on top of his head like a raven's nest. Round, iron-rimmed glasses gave him the impression of a student; that is if a student could wield a terrifyingly long yari held next to him loosely. Copper-yellow light Armour was wrapped around him like a perfect vice, layering over layer that interlinked like the scales of a giant beast, larger than normal slabs of armour hung around their forearms like miniature shields.

She smirked as Merida inched closer to him, both blushing as her green clothed fingers lightly touched his own unclothed hands in an attempt to comfort and console him; but ultimately making him even more flustered and dragging her into it as well.

Both refused to look at each other whilst the reddening presence of the blush only deepened and darkened; almost instantly they jerked away like as if they had been shocked by electricity as most were in reality when they went grocery shopping.

That shy girl had long green hair that had been tied up into a ponytail that left her face free from any hair, as well as leaving her own neck exposed. She was currently clothed in a bright green like ninja outfit that seemed to made almost entirely out of cloth with the odd metal enhancements somewhere along the way. It seemed as if the armour was one piece of cloth wrapped around her over and over again, soft tipped boots adorned her legs whilst a single katana was sheathed on her back whilst a wakizashi could be seen across the back of her hip horizontally, both angled in a way that if needed be both could be drawn in a single motion. Her soft green tinged lips complimented her peach skin perfectly, framed by her smaller nose and heart shaped face.

Seeing Yuuki staring at her she blushed even more, twisting her hands behind her back as she tried to make herself even smaller.

The entire group found this hilarious, of how they were both obviously attracted to each other, and they knew that the other liked them, but were yet too shy to ask or try anything bold; resulting in both slowly, but surely, edging their line towards something more intimate than just friendship. And in this world where a simple mob, a construct of algorithms and coding, could result in your death, and also considering their unique situations; they deserved all the happiness they could get. But that didn't mean they couldn't find it absolutely hilarious.

"Sheesh. You guys." Nori sighed, rubbing the back of her head with her right hand, leaning back slightly as she gave them a grin. There wasn't any need for additional words, the meaning behind her words were obvious as plain daylight, which was very limited at the moment, for everyone. This girl, who could easily pass as a man, a very petite and feminine man, on first glance, was tall, easily scrapping the 190 centimetre mark. She had a darker tinge to her skin, contrasting the coppery bronze of the boy beside her, black cut hair was swept to one side; their short spikes carefully curving around her head. Thick eyebrows sat slightly down angled above her black marble eyes, full lips pressed thinly against one another that voiced her displeasure after a mere one word. She was wearing a high collared jacket made from some strange black material, non-metallic, that undoubtedly acted as armour. A black choker around her neck circled it like the long body of a cool snake, her eyes reflecting a potentially cold nature. In her hands she held a quarterstaff; its thick wooden body was encircled on either end with twin caps of black sheets of metal, increasing the blow strength and damage dealt

"We should probably go get ready." Yuuki said with a slight smile on her face as her wings appeared behind her back, slowly materializing without the urgency of any need to suddenly take to the air, "Our [Party Battle] should be starting soon." was all she said before slightly crouching and taking off as a purple blur with pixels flying out behind her like a trail of breadcrumbs.

The rest of the [Sleeping Knights] grinned before too launching off and preparing for the tournament.

LINE BREAK

[Party Battles] had originally been started by Kirito who realized that most players had trouble with humanoid opponents, especially actual NPC's that look like humans; also after the [Battle of Seuokana] he noted how teamwork was easily one of the lacking traits of most players in [Seido]. It is true that majority of their Kingdoms fighting style came from isolations and individualistic styles, majority of [Unique Racial Abilities] of theirs relied heavily on one-on-one scenarios; and whilst true the most skilled could easily take on multiple opponents, that could not be said for the majority of lower ranked players.

The whole point of this tournament series was to train the lower tier players in how to work together with teamwork and how to face off others who looked just like them. Through the use of a tournament it gave incentive to participating teams to improve themselves as the prize was a special [Title] that could boost stats by incredible, almost ridiculous, amounts. With every batch, only one [Party] could gain this [Title].

The goal, and mission, was specific; eliminate the entire team before they eliminate you. The terrain within the [Battle Training Ground] was large, as it encompassed an entire section, but what made it truly impressive that in a move that defied the norm of this game, it had the capability to change their terrain to a few preset settings presented by Argo and Kirito. It seemed like magic, and wasn't something that normally would be allowed in a game where realism was number one priority, but with the absolute authority of the [Ruler] Empress Argo, slight modifications to the coding within that one area allowed this to happen. It wasn't something that could be applied to large scale land, or not that would seriously be broken; but rather was beautiful for smaller land masses. The terrain would always be randomized, with neither party knowing what would be their fighting setting in order to ensure balance and equality between the two teams.

These battles happen every Monday, Wednesday and Friday to ensure that a large quantity of teams can be constantly training and playing; considering that each [Party] had a maximum of 10 players, most other teams with less would be at a severe disadvantage. Previously even the [Sleeping Knights] who had taken the [Party Battles] in stride, had found themselves hard pressed, and barely winning, with 7 seven players instead of the full 10; especially against higher end teams like [Fuurinzakan] who were strong players with high teamwork ratings themselves. Yet one thing that was constantly drilled into these teams was that they weren't just fighting for the prize, they were fighting to become stronger; to become able to beat this death game and return home.

Of course this drove many players with their blood boiling in excitement and drove them to do better than they already had, to be stronger as their morale and spirits were raised with such thoughts permuting their minds.

It was not about singular strength or power, but about teamwork, unity and communication. That was another lesson this entire fiasco was ingraining into the players. In this world, if you tried to solo anything without being adequately skilled enough; you were just asking for death. There were very few players who could easily solo many mobs and players by themselves; most of these players were already in the General section. The teams with the best teamwork, and the strongest overall scores throughout this year's tournament, were known as the Top Tier teams that would most likely later be used as front line soldiers or special operations units. The next were then Middle Tier and lastly Lower Tier. These were a way to give players another incentive to reach the top and perform well with one another, to be stronger and thus higher chances of surviving the game.

However even with that it was obvious to everyone that now, the entire balance of power for these teams had changed.

With the various [Legacies] having been chosen from different [Parties], each of those groups that now participated in the battles would have a player who was being trained by the Generals themselves.

Not only were these the best players from this batch of first students already, but furthermore is that they were now being trained by the Generals, thus accelerating their growth and strength even further ahead of everyone else in leaps and bounds.

In the case of Yuuki's [Party], this would make them the [Sleeping Knights] near unstoppable against any other team without a [Legacy] in it. Despite having only trained with Kirito for three weeks, and then working by herself in this last week, there had already been improvements on her movements, power, accuracy and speed. There had been many study sessions between the [Legacies] as the Generals went away on their [Hell Zone] trip, the group had begun to grow closer and had even sparred against one another on multiple occasions.

Yuuki had to admit, that some of these people whom she had beaten before with relative ease, had become a lot harder in even getting a single strike in. She thought about this as she waited in the ready room before entering the [Battle Training Grounds]; the room was bare with no windows, only torches burning on each wall. Benches were aligned parallel to each other with a big opening to the room covered only with a slight curtain.

Her teammates were going over their last minute preparations, making sure they had the right starting gear equipped, the right weapons, and that their durability was fixed. The small tweaks of experienced players. But for Yuuki those tweaks were ignored whilst her mind ran over the opponent they would be facing off first today, analysing data that she knew about them and running over the plan in her head once more.

[Moonlit Black Cats].

They were a Middle Tier [Party] with only five members, and none were really … outstanding.

Their leader was a player by the name of Keita. He was roughly about 180 centimetres tall with a lean build that spoke out of his strength. Short brown hair cropped around his head that matched his hazel Coloured eyes, and was generally dressed in light brown clothing that buffered against the metal chest guard, shoulder Armour and braces on both arms. The design was plain, most likely in the [Rare] range at best. Black fingerless gloves that extended to his forearms could be seen peeking out from his metal arm guards, black dark boots adorned on either of his feet whilst his trousers were a paler shade of brown than his top, a creamy milky chocolate brown. Strangely enough, unlike the rest of his party, Keita wielded a staff and was decent, but not the best at it. He was known for having a sharp intellectual mind that was capable of changing plans and strategies halfway through a battle, it wasn't anything superb but it was a skill that had gotten them some wins underneath their belt.

Perhaps the most dangerous player in their group was their forward attacker, Tetsuo. He was a mace user with high strength stats, a single blow could do tremendous damage and was relatively hard to block using a weapon alone. Besides his devastating mace he also used a small kite shield that was held in his left hand, the dark purple and black shield fitted in well with his outfit. His Armour outfit had always consisted of a black polished chest plate that was connected to both shoulder guards via thin patches of grey material; underneath that he wore a purple tunic that ended just after his waist. Black trousers covering his legs and ending in leather tight boots; just like the belt around his waist. Ignoring his team, Tetsuo could be considered a Top Tier player with quick choices that benefit many around him. It was this teenager who had most likely single handedly pulled his team up without them even knowing.

The rest of their team was not as impressive as the first two. Ducker, the wannabe thief who only ever wielded a knife, and otherwise was killed first in every single [Party Battle] so far. Sasamaru the spear wielder who was an average player; and Sachi, the only girl in a group of four boys, and the only one who decently wielded a sword in the group.

Overall this match against the [Moonlit Black Cats] would most likely be a decimating one that would result in [Sleeping Knights] having an overwhelming win. She almost felt bad for them; almost.

However it wasn't the first [Party] that was the one she was worrying one; it was the second.

They had a total of two [Parties] as opponents in today's battle, with the second being another [Party] of a [Legacy]. This battle royal was an interesting twist of events, one that indefinitely made the battle today more interesting, peculiar and fun.

The second [Party] is known as the [Dragon's Keeper] and had Silica as their [Legacy] and ace. It was a dangerous group of 7 players, not including her, that had already been in the Top Tier before Silica was chosen as one of the first ten [Legacies] to walk in the game. She had adapted from wielding daggers to using a short curved sickle like blade; it worked well and was absolutely lethal in her hands, the slightly crescent blade carving beautifully through the air during the sparring sessions that the [Legacies] had. So far Silica was the only person who could keep up with Yuuki and Taiko in terms of speed. So that last match would be an interesting one. She would have to use a lot of the new manoeuvres that she had been practicing by herself, although she didn't know if they were good considering that Kirito wasn't around to check and-

"Hey Yuuki." a voice suddenly broke her out of her stupor and thoughts, jarring her train of mind searching with that interuption. She craned her neck to look up to see the looming form of Nori, "The match is about to start." the large girl said with a small smile as she outstretched an arm towards Yuuki who grabbed it without delay. Holding firmly on to her forearm as she pulled herself up with the help of Nori, her strength easily assisting. The dark clothed girl gave her a nod before turning and walking towards the entrance where Yuuki noticed that most of her group had gathered. With a small cocky smile of her own she walked over, unsheathing her blade in a single motion with an arc of purple following it.

Let's fight.

LINE BREAK

The first thing that Yuuki realized as she walked out from the waiting room was that they were in for an interesting game. The terrain which had been chosen to be set up was, well in one way to put it, rocky.

It was completely devoid of any tree's or otherwise greenery; the only thing stretching out for ages was grey dull rock that reflected the dull grey sky that seemed to have just conjoined into a single mass that spread out beyond the horizon, like as if a painter had just painted over the entire sky with one dull Colour, in one brushstroke.

There were, of course, slopes and slants with variety of angles to create a varied height terrain, rock faces that jutted out from the ground were a welcome sight as they poked out like imitators of trees. But other than that it was a very bland and flat land. They were lucky that there were no archers in the opposing team, even for a Middle Tier team, a single archer would put up a huge challenge against them in a place like this; then again it wasn't like archers were party of the current batch anyway; always being trained separately.

"Jun. Tecchi. Go." three words from Siune was all it took for the team to fall into their typical formation. Her normal calm and gentle voice had completely disappeared, instead being replaced by a steely, confident and unshaken aura that was without remorse.

The last member of the [Sleeping Knights] and their [Party Leader]. She was a girl who had long light blue hair that reached down to her waist, it was so light that one could almost swear it was white. Calm blue eyes shined radiantly beneath her long drooping eyelashes like the sparkling surface of an ocean of ice and snow with the high noon sun beating down upon it, reflecting with the brilliance that made a stunning view, one that seemed to pierce to the deepest part of a person; not with sharpness but with warmth that just melted past all barriers. A long nose and lustrous lips completed her face with the soft defining edge of her cheekbones this was a girl who simply looked absolutely stunning. Beauty seemed to roll off her in waves, her surprisingly slender body had the right curves in the right places, creating a slight hourglass figure that could easily drag a male's attention and push down into the gutter quicker than they could shift their gazes. Wrapped loosely, and yet somehow still defining her features, around her was a white and navy blue robe, thin material circled her neck, the bright sky blue Colour grabbing attention towards her thin, and feminine, neck. Her robe ended about half a palm's length from her shoulders, leaving the skin bear to the world to see, simple designs traced the edges whilst the robe itself composed from various layers of clothing. A slit travelled from the edge of her robe to her mid upper thigh on either side, giving her mobility as she held what looked like a staff in her hands. The dark blue and grey staff was not flashy, but for some reason seemed lethal in her hands; especially as she commanded them into formation.

The [Sleeping Knights] had a typical formation when dealing with this sort of situations. Tanks in the front and damage dealers in the back, supporting players fanning out in the last line behind the attacking damage dealers. Supporting players were an interesting concept that had been conceived through the Generals. It was the specific role of an individual who would work alongside, in tandem, with the ace of a [Party] or any attacker. They would distract their opponents, break the flow and rhythm of battle for that individual, attack from one side whilst the attacker went from the other. They were like shadows to a light, players who did not aim for glory for themselves but the survival and efficiency of their team.

The two tank like players charged forth, one with his great broadsword hanging out behind him whilst the other held a large shield that covered his entire body. They were like the bulbar in a big four-wheel-drive that simply would ram and crush anyone who got in their way.

Yuuki kept a steady pace as she ran behind the two front liners. She could feel each impact of the earth against her body, the shockwaves of her foot meeting the ground spiralling up her body like sparks in her nerves. Her body fluid with each step as she kept up with the pace, sword still sheathed upon her waist as it bounced alongside her with each step she took. In her view the purple haired girl scanned the horizon, rock formations that slowly became larger and larger as they approached it; each about twice the size of their bodies. Their light shadows, from the lack of light, nearly invisible against the already grey and dull stones, but yet as the group approached one, Yuuki could feel the sudden drop in temperature.

Regardless of how dim, darkness was still darkness; the coldness that was slowly seeping into her bones was a testament of this. She glanced over to her right even as she pushed herself up against the stone formation, her back against the uneven and jagged rocks. Her own crimson eyes met with a pair of onyx black that shined like glossed marble.

The crimsoned eyed player slowly made her way to the edge of the giant stone she was hiding from, peering around the corner slightly with only one eye as she attempted to stay hidden. The ground that spanned out in front of her was large and down slope with it then going into a near vertical steep slope afterward.

Many different rocks of varying sizes littered the ground in front of them like strewed toys from a baby's hand. She focused intently, right eye flickering from site to site as she attempted to catch any sign of their opponents who were no doubt hiding in the shadow of rocks themselves.

Then she caught it.

A sudden flicker to a rock formation diagonally right from where they were. It had been nothing more but a sudden flash of purple clothing, nearly black and invisible against the darkness and dullness of the day that blended it into the natural world. To her left, at the very lowest point of the dip down she saw a flash of red, twin pony tails bouncing in the air behind the figure as a group suddenly dashed to another cover, coming closer to their group.

"[Moonlit Black Cats] to the right and [Dragon's Keeper] to the left." Yuuki whispered to Nori who stood on the edge of the other rock, a single clear pathway separated the two pieces of stone like as if someone had taken a sword and just cleaved straight down the middle. Nori glanced over to the purple hair girl, her eyes losing a bit of their focus as she thought and consolidated a plan to take out both [Parties].

"Talken what do you think?" Nori turned a little, twisting her body so she could look to the person who stood beside her.

Copper-yellow Armour perfectly held around the thin and lean body of Talken, the team's strategist. The boy who was normally a shy twig that would probably explode from sudden female contact and socializing, had now a steely look in his eyes that was like an iron trap. When on the battlefield, or when composing a strategy, Talken seem to completely lose his shy and insecure self and would suddenly transform and turn into a brilliant general like commander who could command his troops at whim for the greatest victory. He also had very short patience and was known to be constantly annoyed at the team's free spirit; when in this mode they just referred to him as in clutch mode. Yuuki could swear that this was a case of multi-personality disorder.

"[Dragon's Keeper] has three options." the boy said as he held his yari loosely beside him, letting it rest in the crook of his elbow and against his neck, the cold metal only adding to the chills that were racing up and down his body like mice racing one another, "To either pair up with [Moonlit Black Cats] and take us down, to attack us first and get us out of the way; or to attack [Moonlit Black Cats] first to secure their standing."

"So … what are we going to be doing exactly?" Yuuki asked, her red eyes wide opened in an innocent manner that made the current 'in the zone' Talken want to tear his hair out in exasperation.

"So we should make one of those choices! Don't you guys have any contact inside those parties?" he asked, internally hoping the answer would be a yes and that he wouldn't need to work even more with such idiotic strategic minds.

"Only pleasantries." Tecchi murmured from the back, his head hidden next to a rock face as he continued to peak around the rough edges.

A dull thump was suddenly heard as Talken knocked his head against the wall, his eyes narrowed and annoyed, a silent tick pulsing at his left temple. He seriously had a limit to how long he could handle such foolish nonsense when he was in clutch mode.

"Alright. Fine. Then predicting their movements is out the window." the strategist sighed, placing one gloved palm against his forehead as he let out another frustrated and exasperated sigh, "Do you want to team up with the [Moonlit Black Cats] then?"

"No way! If we win I want the victory to be ours!" Jun whisper cried, his voice sounding much like a hissing snake as he tried to be silent and loud at the same time.

"Okay then …" Talken trailed off, unsure of what to do now that everyone had sort of become even more stupider than he remembered.

"Just hurry up and tell us what to do already Talken! I am getting bored here!" Jun whispered-yelled exasperated causing a round of chuckles to vibrate through the players like little tremors of the earth. Yuuki rolled her eyes, feeling the slight pressure at the top of her eyes as she did so, a smirk dancing on her lips as she watched the interplay between her [Party] members.

"Merida and Yuuki, you guys go take out the [Moonlit Black Cats]." the raven's nest of brass coloured hair shook slightly as Talken turned to look at the players of his group, of his team and family, for confirmation, "The rest of us will engage [Dragon's Keeper] and stave off until Yuuki and Merida can arrive to assist us."

"A risky plan don't you think?" Nori asked with a challenging smile on her lips and a glimmer of excitement in her eyes whilst a single eyebrow was raised.

"But that's why it's fun." Jun sniped back with his trademark lopsided beaming grin as he, like the mature teenager he was, stuck his tongue out at the larger girl.

A scoff was his only reply as she rolled her black eyes at him.

"Please be careful." Yuuki said, her voice soft and quiet as she communicated with the rest of the team, "Silica is a fast fighter and is not to be underestimated. Please wait before engaging fully until Merida and I can come." she received nods in response and confirmation, her eyes quickly flickered back to the field; seeing nothing but the endless expanse of grey skies and an equally grey stony ground.

"Go!" Talken ordered.

The sudden voice was more than enough for Yuuki to quickly dash across to the rock which had previously housed Nori, Talken and Siune.

One moment she was staring out of the edge of her own rock, the next she was pressing herself up against another rock with only Merida next to her. Out of the peripherals of her eyes Yuuki could see the rest of the [Sleeping Knights] moving away in the general direction which they thought [Dragon's Keeper] was. The purple haired player crouched low as she continued to walk forward, hiding behind the rock face that was slowly becoming smaller and smaller. She peeked over the edge, ignoring the miniature dust fragments and small pebbles that lined the jagged edge of the erected stone.

In front of them, roughly three meters ahead, was another rock that stood tall enough and wide enough that it could fit both Merida and herself behind it. She glanced back to the green clothed girl and made a small gesture with her hands towards the rock which waited in front of them. Crimson eyes meeting jade emerald green as the girl nodded in confirmation to the order.

Yuuki closed her eyes and took a deep breath, feeling the tension and anxiousness that sat coiled inside her stomach like a pile of rope to slowly disappear, the weightiness which had been felt in her arms and legs now gone; replaced with a feeling of lightness.

Yuuki bounced on the ball of her feet a little, ignoring the fact that she was squatting, and then in a single fluid motion Yuuki reached up and grabbed the sharp edge of the rock and vaulted herself over it. Pushing off with the ball of her feet and using her arm strength to heighten her air time, her legs stretching out parallel to the ground as she quickly vaulted over. Following this she rolled, tucking her head into her left shoulder whilst creating a triangle with her thumb, forefinger and middle finger, as she rolled forward with the momentum. As she rose up she pushed off with her legs, purplish wings blazing to life to increase her speed, as she dashed in a single movement to the next rock like a blur of purple lightning.

She pressed herself up against the rock, breathing in heavily through her nose and then letting the air out silently with her mouth, pale purplish lips forming an 'o' as she attempted to calm her speeding heart and lungs. A shuffle to the right, along with a slight turn of her body, allowed her to just peek over the vertical edge of the stone, watching the ground before her as it continued down into the valley point. Her eyes slowly scanned the terrain before her, seeing formation after formation of rocks, dull grey and lifeless that seemed to be having a field day copying the dulled grey sky; which to Yuuki was absolutely beautiful.

She glanced over her shoulder only to see Merida reaching the rock face, giving her a slight nod as well as a small smile as she pressed a clothed hand up against the stone face. Her view changed as she turned again, twisting slightly and feeling the strain in her neck muscles as she peeked over the edge; seeing a sudden flash of bright sky blue that streamed to a rock formation closer to them.

That was a Colour many wanted to see.

"They're about five meters away from us." Yuuki's smooth quiet voice that belied a tinge of readying excitement, a feeling of slight euphoria rushing through her body like electricity that surged in her body. She was barely holding back bouncing on the balls of her feet, just barely keeping herself from fidgeting; but could feel it gathering underneath her skin, just waiting to be unleashed, "Let's blitz them and then join back with the others. Okay?"

"Okay." Merida's voice was warm like the breeze of spring, soothing and peaceful. Yuuki could almost swear she could hear the chirping of birds in the air and the soft touches on her cheek of a more calm time. She could almost sense the joy that was in the air of that season, one that was ushered in by the mere thought of the beautiful sights around everyone, variances of Colours blossoming like wonderful glory.

"Let's do this." She said, her crimson eyes shining with excitement as she broke off from her 'peaceful' stupor; now was not the time for peace but rather action. She first started to bounce on the balls of her feet, feeling her body loosening with each sway and jump, "You go right I'll go left."

Immediately after saying that Yuuki moved.

She first gripped the smooth edge of this rock, even in its cut, before jumping off. Letting her wings loose instantly caused her speed to accelerate as she used the point of her hands grip on the wall like a pivot point, bringing her legs to bear in front of her so that the through the shifting of weight it would alter her course. For a moment there was nothing but a sense of weightlessness, the cool air rushing around her like a barrier that she was trying to break through. Nothing but the sound of the whistling wind in her ear; that is until she heard that single gasp.

She had judged correctly, for as she flew over little trench in the rock in front of her she saw two heads glancing back at her as she flew over them. If she remembered their names correctly, they were Sachi and Ducker. Forcing her body to fold over itself Yuuki used the sudden gaining of weight to disrupt her forward flow and send her to the ground, flipping in the shape of a ball before rolling at the point of meeting the stone foundation under her. She immediately spun around, both her hands scraping against the stone in an attempt to stop any further sliding from the sudden change of momentum.

She glanced over at the two shocked faces that peeked over the trench like moles and she considered waiting for them to snap out of it first before engaging in combat; but then that would be foolish as the whole point of this was to in fact catch them off guard.

With the slightest push off her back leg she lunged forward like a bullet, her wings still open and pressed against her back like an extension of a dress. She unsheathed her sword and in a single motion swung in a diagonal slice that should have beheaded Ducker at the very least. Instead at the very last second both members from the [Moonlit Black Cats] flung themselves out of the way and pulled themselves out of the trench, both had spun to face the purple hair figure of Yuuki.

The [Legacy] of Kirito allowed herself to continue on with her current trajectory and then quickly spun to allow her legs to slam into the slightly risen edge of the trench, following the natural call for compressing herself she allowed her body to become compacted against her thighs, before then shooting out again like a rocket. She spun as she did so, increasing the slicing power of her blade that flashed around her in a bright sky blue Colour, giving her the seeming form of a beyblade; if beyblades had glowing edges that is.

She passed the two opponents in a flash and skidded against the ground as she felt her feet touch it, tsking slightly as her mind recognized the need for further practice in high speed combat. Pivoting from the toes on her left foot she came to face the two Middle Tier [Party] members; only now it was one.

The player known as Ducker had crumbled to the floor, having been sliced from the top left of his face down to the right of his hips; the cut was dangerously deep and would've killed any opponent had they not been in this specific zone. His dark yellow coat was pooled around him like the wings of a butterfly, his yellow top with a light metal chest plate, both which had been cut through, stood out like a sore thumb against the dark grey ground. Brown pants and boots with black fingerless gloves creating what could seem like the imagery of some dirt, a sight that was being sorely missed at this time. His grey beanie had been completely cut through and now laid out spread, more like a scarf than anything. His blue eyes were staring against her own crimson pools with shock at how fast she had sliced him down, and slight anger at once more being the first to die, the dagger which he had been holding a good distance away from his open right hand.

Yuuki ripped her eyes away from the fallen enemy, only to see Sachi lunging forward with her sword. It was a simple piece of metal with a double edge, its hilt was a piece of wood large enough to accommodate the weapon and the grip was nothing more than a bunch of leather wrapped over a stick over and over again. But the sudden flash of light grass green flashed past Yuuki's face as Sachi attempted to end the fight in a single blow.

Of course it failed.

Yuuki's quick natural reflexes were what had saved her, for if she had not acted then there was no doubt that the blade would've gone right through her head and ended her there. But from her twisted position the purple haired girl noticed something. The lunge had been performed well; however it had left her opponent open.

The petite girl with shoulder-length black hair, that contrasted the light blue tunic with a chest guard, knee-length short skirt and greyish boots, was completely open for a counter attack. The thought of jumping back to reinitialize the fight did cross the mind of the [Legacy], but immediately one of the first lessons that Kirito had drilled into her came up as well.

If you see an opening, take it. Don't give second chances, something could always happen that could tip the favour in your opponent's hand. A slight slip against slippery ground, your weapon being on low durability or being momentarily off balance. Never give a second chance, because it might be the only chance you'll get.

She let out a little sight before immediately counter-attacking. Her jet black steel blade shone forth with crimson light as she initiated a Two-Hit Sword Skill. Her right arm swung upwards, beckoning for the longsword to follow as it's razor sharp tip sliced into the skin of Sachi's right hip, digging in as it cut through the flesh; before flashing diagonally across her body like lightning.

The slash was at least two inches deep, travelling up the black haired girl's flat stomach and then past the valley of her chest before ending with the slightest flick at the tip of her left shoulder. The world spun for Yuuki as she herself spun back, her blade still with the crimson light that screamed death as it flashed around her like a light show, before the blade came down again and cut right through both of her legs at the mid thigh, decapitating them in a single move. Yuuki ignored the sudden scream that erupted forth from the weaker girl's mouth, allowing the flowing action of a pale blue light to coat her blade as she stabbed downwards, her sword easily cutting through flesh, muscle and bone; rupturing organs and ending the fight in a quick and violent action.

There was a slight stillness in the air, silence hanging like a thick blanket as if the world knew of what just had transpired; the sudden demise of two players by the hand of a single opponent. It was a sudden shift, nothing too much, but a sudden interruption in the silence that caught Yuuki's attention. The sound of someone's clothing shuffling in the wind in sudden movement that subsequently caused Yuuki to suddenly lunge forward, spinning around when her speed had disappeared; only to see two players facing her again.

The light brown overall clothing a giveaway for Keita whilst the boy mostly dressed in light green clothing that contrasted the well polished light metal Armour plates on his chest and left shoulder . Brown leather gauntlets covering his arms whilst dark boots adorned his feet and a dark blue cap circled his head. In his hands a spear pointing straight at her whilst the former player was slowly standing up from the position he had been in with his staff.

"Sachi … Ducker …" Keita whispered, though in such thick silence it was audible for anyone in this fight, "I'm sorry. We were too slow."

"Keita. Repent later, right now we need to knock this one out." the boy clothed in green said, snapping his leader out of his grief that was not called for.

"You're right Sasamaru, let's take this one out." Keita grinned, his hazel eyes glaring intensely at Yuuki, as if he could kill her by sheer force of will alone. He suddenly jumped forward, the staff in his hands spinning like the blades of a helicopter as he swung to bring it down, the excessive force generated from that many swings, accompanied with his jump and full body swing would be more than enough to knock a sword out of the way.

Yuuki grinned at the prospect of such a challenge even as she jumped back, dodging the stab of a spear strike as well as the heavy staff attack; both meeting thin air as she leapt backwards.

Her smile was hurting her cheeks, she could feel the muscle straining even as she found this situation to be invigorating. The fun of facing off two opponents who could prove an adequate challenge was one that excited her and made adrenaline surge through her body like raging pulses of energy. Pushing off her left back foot Yuuki lunged forward, her black blade coming up from the bottom right, orange light trailing its movements like jet streams.

Keita brought his staff up in a typical defensive position, her blade bounced off the hardened wood. Undeterred, lest her momentum be stopped and leaving her frozen in position as that would've counted as a Sword Skill interruption and thus have a paralysis penalty time cost, Yuuki spun and brought her blade up once more, her purple hair trailing out behind her like the wake of a wraith. Her long sword knocked the spearhead away from her body, sending the tip sky high, before she reversed her own swords trajectory with nothing more than a flick of her wrist; a horizontal forehand slash that seemed to have bounced off an invisible wall from her last attack.

Sasamaru, who was not expecting this, received the sword strike to his neck, slicing it nearly in half, instantly knocking him out of the fight; but as her blade hit the body of the spear, she allowed the bounce to change her swords trajectory and slashed downwards, cutting through his torso like a hot knife through butter.

The tip of her blade bounced off his lower Armour set, setting it free, and in a movement that displayed her incredible skill Yuuki accelerated the blades natural descent as it crashed into the rising bottom butt of the staff in Keita's hands. However the [Party Leader] of [Moonlit Black Cats] was undeterred, immediately allowing that action to flow into an overhead smash, that would've crushed her had her own blade not bounced off the previous clash and gone upwards to intercept the downward stroke. Both attacks ringing with the resounding clank of wood against sharpened steel. Keita jumped back, attempting to get some breathing room and thus room to think; but Yuuki would not let up that easily.

In a single leap she caught up to him, her blade flashing with strong, but slower, attacks. Each swing could be felt in the muscles of her shoulder, her right back, her right arm, already she could feel the strain appearing in her right chest. Ignoring it she continued her offence, her blade trailing with the purple light of a Sword Art that crashed again and again into Keita's spinning staff defence; the air around her glowing as her attacks swung so fast that it seemed to create an orb of light around her, it wasn't perfect but the fact that she could attack this quickly was incredible. Then he stumbled, a slight opening to his left side, and she took immediate action against it, stomping down with her left foot and stabbing with her right hand.

The long sword cut through his defence, slicing open a wound that cut reasonably deep, but then in a counter-attack that was ingenious. Keita used the staff to strike her inner wrist with a splash of orange that circled like the sun, her hand naturally spasmed and opened, letting the blade fall away, clanging as it fell to the ground with a sharp ring. Yuuki leaned back even as the next strike flashed in front of her eyes, covering her field of vision with a single passing orange blur. However instead of jumping away to re-assess the situation, the red eyed girl leapt forward, grabbing the staff and pushing back, immediately nullifying the longer ranged weapon.

Increasing the power behind her rising knee even as she glared at the brown cropped hair that bounced with every movement on his head, ignoring how close his hands were to hers, she leapt off the ground from her left leg; the movement burning its sensation into the muscles of her calf like hot scalding water. Yuuki could feel the hardened lean stomach of Keita bending around her knee even as the two pieces of flesh collided like trucks, the force was enough to drive the wind out of his body as well as flinging him back.

The [Party Leader] crumpled to the ground in a foetal position, gasping for air as he desperately tried to suck in oxygen into his winded lungs. With a single motion Yuuki picked up her blade, and slowly walked over to Keita who was now half up from the ground, kneeling on one knee as he tried to stand. The older teenager looked up with a sigh as he saw the looming figure of Yuuki with her blade in hand.

"Good … Game …" he coughed out, the action causing his body to curl upon itself slightly. His hazel eyes meeting her own, knowing that his end had come; he had lost this battle.

"Good game." Yuuki replied with a small smile before her blade flashed down in an arc with the apex slicing through Keita's exposed throat; turning away and walking before the body even hit the floor. The sharpened black steel cutting through flesh like a hot knife through butter, the resounding thump echoing behind her even as she walked towards where the sounds of metal clashing against metal could be heard.

A sudden rustle beside her caused her eyes to glance over to her right, taking in the sight and form of Merida and acknowledging her with a nod, the green wannabe ninja doing likewise as they began to jog towards the sound of clashing metal. Turning around on the balls of their feet they left the previous battlefield behind them for nothing, instead focusing on what was coming up ahead. They completely disregarded stealth, opting instead to travel at a reasonable, yet fast, pace as they vaulted over stones, dodged around others or simply jumping up with their flight periodically; never staying in the air for more than a few seconds as to ensure maximum surprise when they ambushed [Dragon's Keeper]. A pair of skilled parkourists who were not hesitant, but confident, in their skills and in themselves to cross this terrain without fault.

Yuuki glanced around, the sound of battle getting ever louder with each passing second. She spun, pivoting off the ball of her right foot, around the edge of another rock; reacting to it with such speed and grace she might as well have known it was there and choreographed a dance.

Increasing her speed Yuuki launched herself with wider steps before planting her right foot on a vertical stone face and then running up it; three steps was all she took, her body pressed closer to her body in order to streamline the air around her, before her left hand snapped out and latched onto the tip of the stone. Merida was also performing the same feats with even greater grace, that girl was certainly fitting into the role of 'ninja' very well. She was nothing but a green blur, jumping from one place to another and had been ahead of Yuuki for a few minutes, never stopping but being in a continuous flow of motion. Yuuki still had to stop every now and then to asses the next place before moving; and here people thought she was fluid, Merida might as well have been a cat! Until this point, where Merida had actually waited for Yuuki, they had just been getting further and further apart.

But as Yuuki jumped over the last rock she immediately leapt back with her wings blazing open and keeping her afloat in the air, dodging a flying body that was rocketed past her in a blur; she could feel the air passing by her from how hard that body was flying.

Then following it was another figure, clothed in red, white and gold, their blade slamming into the opponent's staff over and over again, the resounding clangs could be heard as metal met wood over and over again in attacks, blocks and parries. Her eyes snapped back to the battlefield and narrowed as she took stock of the situation.

The main fighting had taken part in a slightly open space with stone formations acting like walls that encircled the players; only three exit points, or entrance points depending on your point of view, could be seen.

Lying against one of the stone walls was Jun's limp body, the visible skin of his arms, neck and face were littered with cuts and slashes like as if he had been ripped apart by various thorns, a deep one going from one side of his neck to the other; an instant kill attack. His hands were opened on either side of his body, his broadsword far from his hand as it laid discarded, unneeded. However not too far from him were also two bodies of members from [Dragon's Keeper], both face down on the ground and sprawled in the same starfish like position.

Siune was currently engaged in battle with another player who was clothed in a cloak of red, the edges embroidered with gold whilst the centre was woven marble white. His Armour screamed the same as red clothing with golden rims could be seen poking out from white shining Armour. A katana held in his two handed grip as it clashed against the metal tipped staff of Siune. The clashes creating sparks that danced in the air before fizzing out like a miniature fireworks for the private display only for them.

The rest of the [Sleeping Knights] were engaged in heavy battle with some facing more than one opponent, their weapons glowing with the gleaming lights of Sword Arts as they splashed against one another like paint Colours being splattered against the dull background by an artist. As Yuuki watched Nori was overwhelmed by facing two opponents, a sword going straight through her stomach with the sickening squelching sound of metal slicing into flesh, whilst another blade was driven through the middle of her chest with the force of a jackhammer, knocking her back against the wall behind her. The thick quarterstaff in her hands dropping with sharp clanks as it bounced away, slowly coming to stop in a roll as she slumped down defeated.

Gritting her teeth the [Legacy] jumped forward, her dark blade singing a song of death even as it decapitated the first man as she flew by, nothing seen by a sudden flash of purple before the head of a player, with wide eyes and shock, slid off from the cut, bouncing away like the staff had earlier. An almost mockery of their former achievement in slaying one of the members of her team. The other player turned, his bright piercing blue eyes wide with surprise as two new players suddenly intervened upon the battle, only for his body to jerk forward, chest pushed forward, as two blades protruded from his chest like spikes as they crossed each other. They were withdrawn quickly before the blades were whipped around in flashes of grass green, decapitating this player as well. Yuuki turned around, ignoring the thump of the now headless body as it fell to the ground, no doubt Merida already bounding away to attack more unaware players.

Jumping forward, then letting her wings take over for the rest of the way, Yuuki rushed towards the figure of Tecchi, who was currently hiding in the darkened corner of two stone walls meeting one another as he huddled behind his large shield, covering his body and head whilst two figures relentlessly barraged it with attack after attack, hoping to break through it. The world around Yuuki vanished, turning into nothing but a blur as she tunnel visioned towards the two attackers on Tecchi; the funny, happy-go-lucky, relaxed and almost rebellious team mate of hers. But even as her blade swerved into a position where she would impale the closest figure to her in a single move as she flashed by, the player who was furthest from her, and who was shorter too, suddenly jumped up and brought a curved blade down.

Yuuki could hear the sickening squelch as the blade was driven through Tecchi's neck, his shield dropping to reveal a decapitated body with his wavy sandy hair slick with sweat as they clung to his face, golden eyes wide with shock even as that occurred; his head slowly rolling away as the two figures turned.

The closest player was too slow to dodge before the blade was impaled through their chest, flowing right through where their heart ought to be, the blade bypassing their tight chestplate in an incredible display of accuracy at such high speeds to be good enough to slip the blade past the metal and into flesh. Spinning, even as her speed started to decrease, her blade whipped out in a flash, leaving behind the falling body of a [Dragon's Keeper] member. Their outfit of red, gold and white disappearing from her peripheral views as she focused in one the figure in front of her. The details being recognized as the player she feared interference from the most; for this round anyway.

Silica.

The young girls twin pony tails bouncing in the wind like split dragon like tails, their red clothing crimson like the fire out from the legendary mythical beast maw, flickering like a naked flame as it flowed with their movements, rustling slightly at the sudden movement as she leapt backwards, her own silvery blade flicking up, being sent like a messenger at the mere flick of Silica's wrist, a single sharp motion that halted Yuuki's blade from bisecting the [Legacy] of Shukaku in half. The golden outlines catching her eye and giving her the rough shape of Silica, their embroidered edges thicker than the centre like the hoards of gold and treasure that a dragon lay claims to. White marble like breastplate shining despite the dull day, a stark contrast of what the world was at the moment, a stark contrast to the emotions of many. Pitch black blade clashing against the silvery sheen of another, the juxtaposition of darkness against sublime light, the absence of light against the reflection of it; straight double edged longsword against the curved crescented metal of a sickle blade.

Twisting herself Yuuki delivered a devastating backhand that flashed in a horizontal strike, echoing with the Colours of violet light as it swerved towards her intended target. She could feel the lull of battle singing its song as the rhythm of war increased, an invisible beat of the drums of conflict sounding within their own ears, each base beat thrumming with vibrations throughout their body as the clash between two [Legacies] of the two strongest players in [Seido] came to life. Adrenaline pumping like oil through a machine in their veins, surging like electricity as it sparked against her restraints, calling for her to just submit herself into the euphoric flow of excitement, fun and life of the fight. A grin formed over her lips as she leaned back from her waist; Silica's blade flying mere centimeters above her nose. Her crimson eyes taking in the detail of each minute groove, the slight accented ridge at the fore front of the blade, sleeked design perfect as it whistled through the air like the call of a bird.

Yuuki glanced at the grim look displayed on Silica's face, it shadowed one like a dragon looking at its prey when it entered into its treasury domain. The underlying themes of viciousness, ruthlessness, power, unmatched rage, all flickering like untold shadows underneath the bright light that shined above. But contrasting hers Yuuki could feel the smile on her face, one that pulled at her cheeks; she grinned at her opponent, grinned at the younger girl before her, before suddenly lashing out with a stab. Strong orange hues whispering off the length of the blade as it flew like smoke, glancing with sparks against the slight shift of Silica's silver blade as she leaned away. Remaining undeterred, the purple haired warrior flicked her wrist towards the right in a semi-circle form like as if she were writing cursive instead of blade crossing, pressuring the ace, the most powerful player, of the [Dragon's Keeper Party].

Silica's eyes darkened with concentration, almost seemingly going from a nice lilac shade to a darker wine Coloured hue. Her other hand had been pressed against her own blade, Yuuki watched with caution as their battle for dominance caused sparks to blow off the blades length. Suddenly the younger player pushed her blade down along the sharpened edge of the longsword, the ringing of metal against metal piercing the air like sharp nails against a blackboard, a terrible sound to behold. Then with her own deft flick the silver blade knocked the black sharpened steel away, which was immediately followed up by an open palm punch to Yuuki's sternum. The blow causing the purple player to lurch back, the wind knocked out of her from such a powered punch, she could already feel the bruise that was forming no doubt, as well as the sound of crackling; a sign that another punch like that would break her chest.

But Silica would not be put off, she did not wait for Yuuki to recover but instead pressed her advantage as she rushed forward, her own brown little wings flaring to life as she jumped forward, blade held behind her head and body arched forward, shoulders pulled back, like as if she was going to swing down. In a desperate attempt to protect herself, Yuuki brought her blade up in front of her vertically, both noticing the slight shaking of the blade as its user tried to recover her strength. Ignoring this the dragon like young teen did something which Yuuki had not expected, she jumped at the last second again. A simple front flip that caused her to completely disappear from the crimsoned eyed female's view as she suddenly was above her. Then in a flash of movement she dove to the ground, slashing through Yuuki's back with a deep cut that caused the laboured breath girl to stumble forward, back arched from the sudden wound that was inflicted; stings of pain echoing from it like the voices of a far off conscience in a time long past.

Then in a single motion the milky hazelnut haired girl ended the fight, soft pony tails blowing in the motion of the final move as the air still softly blew through them. From her position behind the shocked Yuuki, Silica jumped off her right foot, dashing sideways towards the vulnerable [Legacy]. Without remorse the [Beast Tamer] had driven her curved blade through the back of the purple and black Armoured girl with enough force that it actually caused the taller female to stumble forward; the force from the blind spot strike more than enough to send her out of the fight. The sound of sickening squelch echoing like a loud gong having been struck on the mountains of tibet, a gasp ripping its way past the pressed tight lips of Yuuki as she tried to keep it in; shock winning over her limited training.

Yuuki's crimson eyes were wide staring into the grey dull sky that seemed like an artist had simply gotten bored of painting extravagant detail and thus brushed over an entire canvas with a single stroke. She could feel the sharp stinging pain of the dull nerve reactors as they sent out artificial traces of virtual pain into her mind, making her perceive it as real; and it certainly felt real. Her back was arched from the strike, and glancing down she could see the silvery blade as it popped up right over the edge of her chestplate. The sword having gone through her lower spine and lower throat, the tip of the curved sickle like blade at the tip of her nose, where her eyes crossed as she attempted to look at it. A sudden cough racked through her body as her body reacted in shock to the sudden intrusion on itself.

Then Silica was pulling it out.

With each millimeter that was being pulled out, a cold frosty feeling replaced it. It felt like she had been impaled with an icicle instead, one that could break through her skin so easily; for everywhere the blade left there was a shivering freezing feeling as if ice was being dragged along the inside of her wounds. Yuuki could feel her legs weakening, the shaking in her knees a dead give away sign as she fell to her knees, staying in that position with her back arched backwards and head thrown back like as if she was silently screaming into the air; before gravity took over like a vice grip and dragged her down to the ground. Her off centre balance actually pulling her backwards over her legs, immediately she could feel the burning sensation of muscle being pulled too far in her thighs, the feeling of like as if it was tearing her apart screaming for her to shift her position; only that she couldn't.

A defeated sigh escaping her lips even as she stared up into the grey blankness that seemed to mockingly stare back, a scornful statement that no matter where she goes in life that her world would always be this grey, this bleak and this dull.

Yuuki closed her crimson eyes, hiding them from view of the rest of the world as she awaited the end of this [Party Battle]; she had failed her [Party]. A single mistake costing her the entire fight, she shouldn't have tried to press for that advantage, she should've just backed off and done another angled attack, maybe spinning before striking from below; she should never have done what she did. An anger surging and bubbling up from within the middle of her chest like a volcano about to blow, swirling and whirling like malevolent and malicious forces of destruction and uncontrollable rage. But they dissipated when she realized she could do nothing but wait.

And so she waited. The [Legacy] of the Executor simply laying there defeated as the opposing ace wandered off, no doubt striving to find more enemies to defeat. A bitter taste lingered in her mouth, saturating what seemed like every inch, crook and inch of her mouth; a single world repeating in her mind.

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

She was such an idiot.

LINE BREAK

The sun had long ago set as morning left the domain of the world over to its sister, night. The clouds had dissipated like cotton fluff balls before the wind as they were ushered away by invisible servants of mistress night. But in their wake they left the most beautiful and breathtaking scene Yuuki could ever see.

Millions upon millions of stars littered the sky, sparkling in their endless unintelligible formations that only a few could point out. They sparkled like diamonds, small dots in what could've been an endless sea of darkness, a single light in the entity of emptiness. But yet here they decorated the upper heavens like an artist personal sprinkle. Their combined light giving little to the earth below the high points of the air. Unlike its twin brother, the earth, the ground, was shrouded in darkness as night took over, everything turning into a dull fuzzy grey that was hard to concentrate in and upon; the shroud of night.

But for the house which Yuuki now lived in, that sort of lightning was preferable. It allowed her to stare up into the endless night sky, looking at the wonder and beauty of nature without interference from artificial lights of the lanterns and lamps situated around the pathways like stars of their own, surrounded by a sea of absolute darkness; held only at bay by their own light.

The purple haired girl was laying on the veranda, polished wooden floor meeting her back softly as she laid down there with both her hands intertwined behind her head; aimlessly staring up into the beauty of the sky. It seemed to extend forever, reaching further than the distant horizons and spreading more than sands of the sea, their twinkling beauty teasing those who looked at it, wondering about the various topics of life and their meaning as they sat under. One could call this scene almost hypnotic in a way.

Her eyes flickered from dot to dot, although it was getting harder the longer she stared into the sky as more and more stars were shown to her naked eye. She had been out here for about an hour now, simply relaxing underneath the silent watchful eyes of the stars, a place where she could rest and just let the heaviness of defeat flow away into the air, the cooling air that surrounded them like blankets. How badly she wished she could see shapes and formations like many others around her, wishing desperately how she could just get her mind off the crushing defeat they had suffered after she had fallen to Silica. Her mind's eye replaying that scene over and over again as she stumbled backwards, the dragon like little girl disappearing from in front of her, only for pain to follow twice in rapid succession afterwards like a hot knife being dragged across her skin, once down her back and another when it was driven through her viciously. The cold feeling afterwards like icy water being washed over her.

[Dragon's Keeper] had came out of that battle with only Silica surviving, if only she hadn't made that one foolish mistake. She was such an idiot! How could she have made such a silly and crucial mistake? One that most of them knew by now to disengage from instead of trying to shove and force their way through; and yet knowing all this she had still done it. She let out a groan closing her eyes and tilting her head back, feeling the light dregs of sleepiness slowly swirl over her, its tendrils ever so gently reaching out to her, as if waiting for her to respond. Another groan escaped from her lips as she slowly opened her eyes to the sky again, wishing desperately that she could redo that fight. Wishing desperately that she could -

"Hey."

The sudden voice rocked her out of her stupor like a wrecking ball demolishing a building. A sudden voice from absolute silence, except of course her own heads rambling, another person who was there. Yuuki jumped up, her hand reaching down to the hip as her hand closed around the hilt of her longsword. Ready to unsheathe it and attack in a single motion if needed. Her legs spread slightly apart as she crouched a little lower, a ready position to move her entire body's weight into a single action if needed; it could buy her some time, perhaps enough to call for help and beat whoever this voice belonged to.

"You know. I didn't really expect this kind of 'welcome back' as an opening of arms." the gentle, and yet somehow both wise and childish, voice of Ko echoed in the silence and stillness of night. His calming voice interrupting her train of thought as it cycled through all the possible actions she could take.

Her crimson pools widening as she saw him standing at the edge of the verandah, his hands casually folded across his chest as he leaned against a wall. Brown robes falling around him, an outer dark brown robe parted down the middle to reveal a white tunic that ended around his knees, a leather brown belt encircling his waist with his wakizashi sheathed at his left hip; an easy location for his right hand to suddenly grab it in a flash quicker than lightning. The same light pale white trousers could be seen, they disappeared into the knee high leather boots that padded his footsteps perfectly. His right shoulder was casually pressed up against the wood, wool flushing out around the pressured point like gentle laps of the light breeze, a small smile playing at his lips; directed at her. It wasn't one of sarcasm, wasn't one of taunting or really anything, but one that simply spoke beyond words of a warm hidden smile, one being dampened for the mood at the moment. Like the light of the sun dampening by the cloudy shadows of clouds the whole of this day.

"Oh." Yuuki breathed out, her lips parting slightly as breath was exhaled from her lungs in a movement of relief, her hand dropping away from her blades hilt and her entire being rising from the slight crouch she had been in. Purple hair flowing down her back in a beautiful flow like as if it was a waterfall, rippling at the slightest touch of the wind, "General Ko. I didn't know you were back."

He frowned at her, continuing to lean against the wooden wall, the entire right side of his body snuggled up against the wood, unable to feel its cool and smooth texture through the few layer of clothing that surrounded his body. His green eyes displaying a slight annoyance, playful annoyance, at being called General. In the mind of this fourteen year old it was like akin to being called uncle, which he definitely wasn't!

"Don't call me that. You know I hate being called General in private." he chided, the playful glare on his face being entirely counterbalanced by the slight pout on his lips, a smirk taking over that was slightly accented to his right cheek as a short cough of laughter breaking through; beautiful, like wind chimes singing their song in the winter breeze, the soft hypnotic voice of wonder itself.

"You know that's one thing that has always baffled me." Yuuki said as she gently placed the sheathed blade against the wall, letting it lean at a slight angle as to ensure that it wouldn't simply fall down later with a loud clang; loud sounds was the last thing she needed, "If you all hate your titles so much, why keep them?"

The question was a legitimate one, and if Ko was honest with himself, one that he had asked himself many times. After all no matter how matured and wise he seemed, the young teen was still only fourteen and thus had an absolute hatred and natural distaste for all things formal and stifling; more than once commenting on how it was an oppression of social standards forced upon those that lived within a social hierarchy. But that was the very answer to their own predicament, was it not?

"Argo believed that by forming a council of figures to look up to the players could be satisfied and drawn from their fear, anger and uncontrollable tendencies." the youngest General spoke as he pushed himself off the wall, first with his hip. He pushed with such force that he went from leaning to upright, his hip bone aching a little from the hard contact against the solid wooden wall, the rest of his upper body following like a wave away from the dark brown wall as the movement travelled throughout the entire body.

Yuuki scoffed, a short bark of laughter that escaped her lips at how unbelievable the story and reason behind their hatred for the titles given to them was. Then again, if she truly admitted to herself, the after effects of the titles were massive in causing many players to suddenly handle the stress of the looming death game. A council of figures to look up to and pin their hopes upon, people to lead them and to be lead by them, a group of individuals who were seen as the public heroes, a representation of their strength.

"Okay." she said with a small smile, unhindered and unmasked as she looked at him. Blood red eyes meeting their match in a clash of stunning emerald green, "So what are you doing here? I thought you guys weren't coming back till tomorrow morning."

"A slight … change ... in plans." his smooth voice replied to her question, hands in his pockets as he took a few steps towards her, standing about an arm's length away. His large brown cloak fluttering around him like the cape of a superhero; and he was certainly seen as a superhero for the younger players, "So we came back early. Kirito went with the Empress to the main castle, but we came back here instead."

Ko turned away from her, his face tilting upwards as he looked up into the sky, green eyes blazing with sparkling wonder of the beauty of the heavens above him. A single step taking him closer to the wooden railing of the veranda as trillions upon trillions of stars hovering above them as they twinkled in their intricate designs, woven like jewels into tapestry that only the most skilled could understand. He let a small smile tug at his lips as he just stared upward in appreciation.

"They're beautiful." he whispered, seeing Yuuki's head whip around to look at him after a few minutes of silence as she had turned to look into the sky alongside with him, "Countless of stars upon stars, stretching out as far as the eye can see. The real thing is even more beautiful." his green eyes shifted to look at her from the corner of his eyes, noticing the way her own crimson orbs lowered with a flicker before she turned her head to once again look into the open tapestries of the virtual world before them.

"I guess." she replied softly, the entire conversation taking on a soft tone as if they were both afraid of breaking the delicate equilibrium of peace in this time and place, fearful that even the slightest nudge of loud sounds would throw it into chaos, "I've never seen stars like this before; so I wouldn't know."

Yuuki turned her head again to the side, her purple hair shifting with her like stunning silky purple curtains that shimmered like water and flowed like a stream, as she heard a sigh escape from Ko's lips. Her eyes widened in shock when he suddenly fell backwards; she half expected him to land with a loud crash, one that should shatter the quiet talk they had. But then just before he hit the floor his wings flared alive, their soft beating almost inaudible as he slowly hovered himself down the last half meter, landing with a soft dull thud as his wings disappeared, cloak fluttering down around him with the rustling sound of cloth as it settled down like a picnic sheet.

"The ground really is comfy." Ko said with a grin, his wide smile aimed directly at Yuuki as he interlinked his hands together behind his head, cupping the back of his skull from the hard wooden floor like she had been doing mere moments earlier; green eyes sparkling with mirth as he looked at her, and yet in their depths understanding, "Come on, lay down. I'll show you some star constellations."

She let out a small chuckle at that, her voice like music to his ears as she rolled her eyes at him; mind starting to forget the defeat she had faced mere hours ago. With a quiet and graceful descent she bent her knees, bending her body backwards with one arm outstretched to take the landing; her entire descending body controlled by her legs.

In quick motions she was laying down on the ground like he was, hands linked behind her head like she was originally doing, opting to keep her legs straight even as Ko did the opposite and bent one knee up and placed a leg over it.

She was still keeping that one arm length distance though. Her slight hesitation to come into close contact and relationship with others subconsciously asserting itself; and if she had been looking at his stunning green eyes she would've seen the sudden pain and sadness that shot through them like bolts of lightning, before disappearing just as fast.

She kept silent as he turned away, her crimson eyes taking in the fuller picture of the sky as she laid back, letting herself be lost in the thousand lights, a cluster of dazzling beauty that formed a sea; that is until the melodic voice of Ko spoke up softly as he pointed a hand into the sky, seemingly pointing at a random spot.

"Well that one there is Ursa Major; the big bear constellation." then he was pointing away once more, his finger moving a few minute degrees as he seemed to latch on to another constellation, "That one is Hercules, the ancient demigod hero of Greece."

Unconsciously she shuffled closer to him, not realizing that she had begun to move over from cold wood that seeped through her thinner black cotton nightgown, warmth flooding back through her body subtly from just that slight shift as the woollen cloak absorbed her heat, trapping it within the material.

Her eyes glanced from point to point as he displayed to her the hidden patterns and workings of the beautiful sky above her, the yearn to previously know what the heavens were showing being answered. Her lips forming into a small smile as she happily, and contentedly, stared into the skies above; a smile that would not be leaving her until the next morning, a smile that would continue on even in her sleeps later. Her previous thoughts of defeat were entirely forgotten as she shuffled a mere palms breadth away from Ko's body, looking with a twisted neck as she tried to see just exactly what he was pointing at; and when she did a gasp caught in her throat as the particular constellation seem to light up. Each dot becoming brighter, each connection line shining with absolutely wonderful brilliance like as if they had just been drawn and highlighted together for the first time.

Yuuki glanced over at Ko when he was describing the constellation of Perseus, going into depth and detail on the demigod son of Zeus from Ancient Greece who slew a great and mighty sea serpent. His green eyes lighting up with pure joy as he geeked on about history and mythical lore, shining with mirth and joy even as a chuckle caught its way past his throat halfway during his story. Her crimson eyes glancing at him from the corner of her eyes as his lip constantly pulled in the form of a relaxed and joyful smile; one that she herself did not realize was mirrored on her own.

Her eyes then flickered back to the sky as she listened to what he said, warmth slowly filling her heart like heat entering a cold room from a nice fireplace. His small smiles and gestures speaking to her in more volumes that she believed he could ever imagine. He hadn't broken down all her walls, not by a long shot, not even a quarter of them; but his display of talking to her, taking the time to spend time with her despite him just returning from a no doubt tiring journey spoke loudly to her.

And caused her to smile.

Unknowingly to Yuuki, Ko looked over quickly whilst she had glanced back, a warm sensation surging through his body as he saw her happy smile. Crimson pools glimmering with happiness in that moment; and right there and then Ko smiled as his eyes flicked back to the star filled skies and his, now tiring arm, pointed out another constellation.

The star formation of the Phoenix which seemed to let out a silent victorious rebirth cry of new life as it looked down upon the world, at the form of two young teens with beautiful stunning smiles in the company and presence of one another.

Their laughter ringing like magical beauty through eternity.