Chapter 8 / A Battle With Kings:

Destruction. That was all that could be seen from the Black Swordsman's vantage point. He was sneaking across the top of the castle battlements, making his way towards the topmost spire. The sounds of battle filled the air. He couldn't tell whether it was from added sound effects or not. SAO was detailed in that way. He shook his head, clearing his thoughts.

Kirito spotted the Forest Elf King ahead. They were stood outside the entrance to the spire, seemingly inspecting it, trying to find a way in. He suddenly turned, staring straight at Kirito. So much for sneaking up on him, Kirito thought.

"You should walk away now, boy!" The Elf King said, his powerful voice cutting through the chaotic mess of noise. "This doesn't concern you!"

"You concerned me when you betrayed our alliance!" Kirito replied, anger dripping through his voice.

The King laughed. "This is not your problem. You don't care about the elves. I've seen the way you humans interact with us. We're not even seen as real to you people! Stay out of this!"

"It doesn't matter whether you're real or not! I can't stand traitors!"

"Don't start a fight that you can't win!"

"I won't…" Kirito replied, drawing his weapon, filling himself with determination. "…because I will win!"

"Then I will crush you! Boy!" The Forest Elf King replied, drawing his weapon and rushing Kirito in an instant. His sword began to glow, taking on a bright red hue as it slashed in a downwards-horizontal arc. The Black Swordsman strafed to the right, using his knowledge of the games mechanics to predict the npc's set move path. He countered in an instant, bringing his blade round to slash through the King's left arm, removing a small percentage of his health. Kirito knew that he was going to have to dish out stronger attacks if he wanted to have a chance at beating this enemy. They were probably designed to take on parties of players. A theory that was proven when the Elf King swung his sword round in an arc, his slash covering an astonishingly wide area. Kirito placed his sword in front of him, flat side facing the attack. It caught the edge of his weapon, ricocheting off of it, leaving the King open to the chance for another attack. Kirito took it.

The Black Swordsman shot forward, his blade glowing green as he went for a stabbing attack, thrusting his sword straight through the gap in his opponents armour. The King paused for a second, before stepping back, increasing the proximity between the two enough for an attack of his own, swiping his blade upwards. Kirito was caught off guard, barely able to block the worst of the move. His health bar shot down to 78%.

It began to dawn on Kirito how strong his opponent really was. To be able to take that big a chunk out of a player of his level's health bar in one hit was insane, especially since he had prevented the attack from hitting full-force. He was beginning to regret taking this boss on alone. He suddenly took notice of another attack coming his way, leaping into the air to avoid it. He landed heavily, taking a moment to regain his balance. He couldn't dwell on his thoughts right now, he'd just have to do the best with what he had.

The Black Swordsman let out a battle cry, leaping forwards, unleashing an attack frenzy. He began to wrack up a combo, using sword-skill after sword-skill, preventing the Forest Elf King from countering. Kirito didn't remember the moment when he switched from thought to instinct, unconsciously activating his skills in reaction to his opponents movements, countering his attack before he even managed to execute them. He failed to pick up on the Kings health dropping into the red zone, which was usually a signifier that a boss was about to switch up their attack style.

The Forest Elf King let out a sudden roar, performing a spinning slash, which caught Kirito by surprise. The Black Swordsman was thrown backwards, his combo broken, his body landing close to the edge of the battlements. He regained his footing, gazing over the side, noting how large the drop was. He drew his blade in front of him, charging his opponent with a Sonic Leap attack.

The King roared once more, positioning his weapon above his head as it glowed a pure white colour, before throwing it. The sword shot towards Kirito, who met it in the middle of his leap, unable to redirect his attack. The enemies blade hit him in the shoulder, knocking him free from his move as he flailed to the floor, sprawling before his opponent.

The Elf King strode forwards, stepping on Kirito's blade as he lifted the solo player by his sword arm. Kirito quickly activated a martial-arts-skill, upper-cutting his opponent, his glowing fist connecting with their chin, sending them staggering backwards. The Black Swordsman fell to the floor, instantly grabbing his sword before unleashing a three-point slash attack, damaging the enemies legs.

The King fell to ground, his knees crunching against the floor. Kirito brought his sword up, holding it under the Forest Elf King's throat. He spoke, his voice taking on a low growling tone. "Stand your forces down, or I'll end you!"

The King laughed, his health a fraction away from zero. "It's out of my hands now boy! There's nothing I can do!"

The Black Swordsman sighed, hesitating for a second before withdrawing his blade, the boss dipping his head in defeat. Kirito scoured through his inventory, finding and activating a health crystal, rejuvenating himself. That fight was too close. He looked down at his feet, giving himself a moment to breathe.

A sharp sound pierced the quietness that had fallen, catching the solo players attention. He looked up in time to see the Forest Elf King's last facial expression: shock. A jagged blade was skewered through his chest from behind, bursting him into polygons in an instant. Through the sea of shards Kirito spotted the newcomer. They were covered head-to-toe in heavily accented armour. Their figure was tinted bronze, cold eyes glowing with animosity. The title hovering above them simply read: The Demon King.

So this was the leader of the Dusk Demons. Fear began to blossom in Kirito's stomach. He wasn't prepared to take on the Demon King alone. He could barely beat one of their armoured grunts. He needed backup. The solo player focused, gripping his sword tighter as he carefully observed his new opponent.

The Demon King moved forwards, his approach calculated. He slowly drew closer, stopping only to withdraw his sword from the ground. Kirito tensed in preparation for an attack. He didn't have to wait long. The Demon King quickly slashed his sword, disarming the Black Swordsman in an instant. Kirito scrambled backwards to retrieve his sword as his opponent continued to advance at a menacing pace.

The player took the initiative this time, launching forth with his own attack. The King blocked it, staggering Kirito, creating an opening to swiftly slash him in the back. The Black Swordsman stumbled, regaining his balance. He turned to face his opponent, bringing his guard back up. That was reckless. He couldn't afford mistakes like that when he was alone. His back tingled as he waited once more. The enemy suddenly struck, leaping forward themselves. Kirito barely avoided the attack, countering with his own move. They fell into a rhythm of attacking and defending. Both fighters parrying and blocking the others moves. The Black Swordsman finally found an opportunity, quickly breaking past the Demon Kings defence, manoeuvring round him before stabbing him in the back, his blade piercing the gap in his shoulder.

The King suddenly let out a piercing scream, slamming his sword into the ground, resulting in a powerful shockwave. Kirito was thrown backwards. He watched in horror as he soared over the edge of the battlements, body beginning to fall. He thrust his sword out desperately, praying for a miracle. He suddenly lurched to a stop, body hanging over the edge. He looked up to see his sword lodged in the gap between two cobblestones. How it was even possible inside the game, he had no idea, and he wasn't about to complain.

Kirito struggled to pull himself back onto the ledge when his opponent appeared above him. He kicked his legs desperately as the Demon King raised his sword, preparing for a strike that never came. One second the enemy was ready to attack, the next they were staggering back from a flash of light. Kirito couldn't see what had happened from his vantage point, dangling from the ledge.

"Just focus on getting yourself back up!" A female voice instructed him as a figure briefly appeared. "I've got this!" Kirito saw a flash of teal hair as the figure moved away from the edge, no doubt to take on the boss. Wait…teal hair? Realisation hit the Black Swordsman in an instant. Oh no!...

Just Another Note or Two:

-I wonder who that could be?...

-I know the fight with the Forest Elf King wasn't the most drawn out or complex but Kirito knows the games mechanics inside-out, allowing him to predict and counter the pre-set move options that a normal npc has. This is why I added the random element into the Dusk Demons, so that they would be more of a challenge for him.

-Musical Choices:

#Still Crazy / Hans Zimmer and the Magnificent Six

#Attack on 10380 Malibu Point / Brian Tyler