Agnosthesia 5 - Heroes and Killers

"K-Kirito-kun..." Asuna called out in a weak voice.

"...hello, Asuna." He replied. "I see that you've been doing well.

Riwet stepped forward. "What the hell is this?"

Kirito looked around. "Pretty straightforward, don't you think? Kill all of us, and you win." He cracked his knuckles and exhaled. "But don't think we'll just lie down and take it."

"Kirito-kun!" Asuna shouted. "Please, stop this! Let's talk!"

"I'm not one to stop, and neither are you." Was his reply. "It's either you or me. You know that."

"This death game must end, but I don't want to hurt you! Please!"

Kirito hesitated, but for only a second. "...unless you want to stay in Aincrad forever, or you want to hand off the dirty work to others, then you have no choice. None of us do."

"...that…no…" Her words faltered.

Kirito unsheathed his twin Elucidators, and the rest of the mimics drew their weapons as well. "If the Clearers stopped, then we get to live. And I don't want to die a second time." His gaze swept over us. "So…let's do this."

The time for words was over. The two groups squared up and steeled themselves. The mimics showed a surprisingly human-like sense of grim determination as they inched toward the Clearers. On the other hand, I didn't need to look far to see how much the Clearers were hesitating.

Then, the mimic Kirito roared and charged, with the rest of the mimics close behind him.

The Clearers stood their ground and prepared to meet them head-on.

But before the inevitable clashing of weapons, everything stood still.

Visual glitches started to appear, and we were kicked out of the simulation and back into empty space.

"We're looking into it." Strea spoke up as console windows appeared in front of her and Yui. "Give us a bit of time."

I nodded and sat on the ground. I looked around. Everyone was tense - especially Kazuto who looked particularly livid. "Hey Kaz, you look constipated." I quipped. "...everything alright?"

"I cannot believe that Cardinal was sadistic enough to do this to you." He said through gritted teeth. "Killing me wasn't enough, huh?"

"Kirito-kun…" Asuna said in a soft tone as she gently held his arm.

"..fuu…haaa…" He took a deep breath and shook his head. "Sorry. I, uh, lost my temper. Yeah." He looked over to Yui and Strea. "Anything I do to help?"

"We can handle this." Yui replied. "Just relax for now."

With that, we quietly waited for them to finish working. I laid on the ground and closed my eyes.

There was a sense of dread gnawing at the back of my head. They were mimics, but still…they were wearing the faces of what were once Players…real people. I wonder what would happen…what kind of actions would Riwet take…

What kind of actions I would take if I was put in a similar situation?

Sure, if red, or even orange players were really pushing it, then I imagine I could do it without losing much sleep. But echoes of innocent people who got forced into battling the Clearers? Can Riwet do it?

…can I?

I felt something tug at my clothes. I opened my eyes to see Pina peering down at me.

"...why are you doing this?" She asked.

I looked at her. "...what do you mean?"

She looked down. "...I don't want you to be sad…and this makes you sad…"

Keiko walked behind Pina and touched her shoulder "..do you know what happens next?" She asked.

"Nothing specific, but…pain…suffering…death…" She looked at me. "...hate." Her eyes softened. "But also…a promise."

A promise…

Promise…

…

…promise?

"It's how humans work. Once they see a mystery, they are compelled to discover it." Yui spoke up. "But…a promise…strangely, it sounds familiar. Right, onii-chan?"

I nodded. "Yeah…strangely enough…" I looked at Pina. "You know, you could've said something earlier that you know of this."

She averted her eyes and looked down. "I…I didn't know much more. I didn't want to…make you sad and confused…"

I pulled her into an embrace and gently patted the back of her head. "No harm, no foul."

We stayed like that for a few seconds before Strea called out. "The simulation can't process this event as is. But we've come up with a solution…" She gave me a look. "However…"

"However…?" I repeated.

"...it's a little…intimate."

Loading…Complete

"Rin, are you feeling alright?" Keiko asked.

"...yup." I replied as I inspected my clothes.

I wasn't wearing the virtual equivalent of my casual clothes. Instead, it was something more familiar. I could feel parts of my body protected by armor and cloth, and then further covered by a blue coat. Lastly, my eyes rested on my left hand, where I held Caerulus - my trusted glaive.

I didn't expect it, but once more, I was Riwet, one of the many Clearers of Aincrad.

A lot of the technical stuff that Strea explained went over my head, but in layman's terms, my direct involvement was necessary for the simulation to progress. To test the theory, they gave me the equipment that Riwet would have had on him at the point where he fought the 81st Floor Boss with all of those mimics.

Interestingly enough, my equipment hadn't changed much. There were only minor changes which I assumed to be upgrades that strengthened its already existing stats as he progressed further than I did. It made me feel comfortable.

It was one of SAO's aspects that I liked, which extended to ALO. While gaining experience and building stats are important, there's also significant merit in getting used to what you have.

"In about one minute, you will experience something akin to loading after you start your link with a FullDive interface." Kazuto said. "You will not be able to see us, but we can still communicate with you."

"Roger that."

He gave me a stare. "...alright. Say 'link start' whenever you're ready.."

I glanced over to my friends, and they gave me a reassuring glance. I nodded at them and closed my eyes.

Breathe in…

Breathe out…

Breathe in…

"Link Start!" I exclaimed.

I felt a familiar sensation of being whisked away into the virtual world. Funny, since I was already in one…

When I opened my eyes, I was in a boss room. Around me were Silica, Asuna, and the rest of the Clearers.

"Rin, can you hear us?" Keiko's disembodied voice rang into my right ear. It sounded just like I was on a call using an earbud.

Instinctively, I used my hand to press my ear. "Loud and clear. So, react naturally to the world around me and the situation I find myself in?"

"Yes." Yui replied. "Do that as much as you can. There may be a situation where you make a different decision, but it will be easy to spot and we'll figure it out when it happens."

I nodded and saw a window pop up.

"Once you press that button, it will count down from 5 to 0. The simulation will start on zero…be careful.

I steeled myself once again and pressed.

Finally, the simulation resumed, and I was plunged into the thick of it. The Clearer's formation crumbled and it turned into an absolute scramble. I was separated from Asuna and Silica, and I slowly tried to fight my way to them.

Fortunately, like the Fellglass Mimics, it was easy to tell them apart from normal players. Specifically, their health bars were designed differently and they had a bit of an aura. So, not only would it be for the mimics to completely imitate a player, unless a Clearer did something really dumb, friendly fire was unlikely.

As Riwet, I started swinging. It felt a bit weird. I was in there, at the moment, but it felt detached. I think most of it was a re-enactment.

Alright. Just go through the motions. Detach. I'm not actually here. I'm providing a closer connection for the simulation to continue.

On paper, the Clearers had this on the bag. While the mimics' stats were undoubtedly scaled up to be worth being a boss battle, there were only a handful of players I could recognize as recent Clearers and their technique reflected that.

"Rin, are you doing alright?" I heard Strea's voice in my ear.

"Yeah." I replied before dodging a knife that was thrown my way. "A little busy here. Let me focus for a bit."

Despite the Clearers' theoretical dominance in this fight, it was still a stalemate.

"Arghhhh!" A mimic recoiled back with a scream tinged with pain and agony as his arm was sliced off. A Clearer, who was about to slice the mimic's legs off to at least take it out of the fight, hesitated at seeing the reaction. This allowed the rest of the mimics to intervene, pushing the Clearer back.

There were similar cases all around me - Clearers using their superior skill and equipment to make half-measures against the mimics which were not copying known red players, giving multiple opportunities to push the Clearers back. And more tragically, Clearers hesitating to finish off the echoes of their friends and family.

Of course, the Clearers would hesitate. This was different from the Laughing Coffin culling - these were mostly good people that we were fighting. And worse, I still wasn't sure if their desperate cries were a messed up attempt at psychological warfare, or if the mimics themselves genuinely didn't want to die. I mean, I wouldn't blame them. Also, It wasn't like everyone here was present at the culling, so it was their first time fighting what was essentially a player.

However, this could not last. Wounds were mounting on the Clearers' side, and we'll run out of potions sooner or later. Battle Healing was not enough and was risky to fully rely on - the mimics packed a punch if they landed a hit.

Something had to give.

And as expected, I was one of the first to act.

Go through the motions. I'm not actually here.

"Stay back!" The green player roared as he brandished his spear at me. I could see from his shaking hand and terrified posture that he was a complete amateur.

With a roar, he lunged forward. I backhanded his spear away and plunged Caerulus into his heart. He gasped, went limp, and disintegrated.

I'm sorry. I made it as quick as I can. But you were in my way.

My next victim was a red player - one who I recognized as your typical Laughing Coffin bag of meat. Much less hesitation, if any, for that one.

Go through the motions. I'm not actually here.

Next victim…Diavel…

…

Go through the motions. I'm not actually here.

"...in,n…" Someone was trying to reach me. I ignored them. Not in the mood for a conversation, sorry…

Another victim, another stranger. Problably innocent. And another…and another…

Despite everything…despite who they were…who they once were, I tore them apart all the same.

I had no excuse. I was fully in control of my senses, and my actions. I was intentionally swinging my glaive at them while they screamed and begged for mercy.

And it…

It…

It started to feel fun.

Every mimic I killed was one less thing to hurt the ones I cared about. And every mimic that attacked, I disposed of quickly, efficiently, and safely.

A job well done.

At the very least, the more I killed, the less Silica and Asuna would have to. But for some reason, I didn't have it in me to look at them while I did my business.

The mimic's numbers dwindled. The other Clearers had also set aside their hesitation and joined me in the slaughter.

This was shaping up to be the most demoralizing victory yet.

But a victory's a victory. And we didn't come all this way to stop.

I saw my next victim, a hooded mimic with a dagger in hand, sneaking up on Asuna. Let's see how you like it.

I stepped in and literally disarmed them before throwing them to the floor. But when I was about to deliver the killing blow–

The player's hood was blown back, and it gave me pause.

It was a young girl - no older than Silica. Her soft and innocent facial features were twisted with fear and pain. I could only bear to look at her face for a second before I looked slightly away, her face out of focus.

I walked forward, intending to finish the job. I stopped in front of her and steeled myself.

"No, don't…" She muttered. I almost couldn't hear her from all the commotion.

I turned to the side. I could see Silica and Asuna clashing blades with Kirito.

"Please…"

I need to help them.

…

I lowered my weapon. That seemed to give her a bit of relief.

Though it quickly turned to horror as my glaive pierced her chest.

But to my horror, she held on.

I looked away and very quickly drew my weapon and stabbed it again.

A pained gasp, and she was gone.

I can't risk leaving you alive. I've tried to make it as painless as I can, but I've botched it.

I'm sorry.

I turned back to my friends, and I was surprised at Silica staring at me.

Her stare was blank and cold. It was like she was looking at me, through me, and around me all at the same time. I found myself rooted on the spot.

I spotted movement, and "SILICA, LOOK OUT!"

That shook her out as she barely dodged Kirito's swing.

I joined in the action, and finally engaged Kirito.

As expected from the Hero of Aincrad, he was beating the three of us back. His twin Elucidators danced from his fingertips as he asserted himself in the fight, forcing us to be on the defensive despite us outnumbering him. Sure, we were hesitating, but his power was undeniable.

However, we were still winning. Using teamwork, as well as the last of our curatives, the three of us were able to keep our HP up while slowly whittling his down.

But when we whittled him down to the last 10% of his HP, things took a turn.

"RAAGH!" Kirito roared and rushed Asuna. He swung his sword down. Asuna frantically blocked with her rapier, but his other sword snaked through her defenses and he was able to stab her before he kicked her away.

"HAAA!" Silica shouted, ducking der Kirito's swing as she successfully stabbed him in the gut. This wasn't enough, and I cringed from the impact as Kirito sliced both her arms off and slammed his foot onto her face, toppling her away a distance.

Without missing a beat, Kirito lunged toward me.

"STARBURST…STREAM!"

Once again, I was in awe of Kirito's unrelenting force. The same feeling from his fight with Heathcliff, but significantly intensified as I was on the receiving end instead of a spectator. All I could do was grit my teeth and try to survive.

This was not a shoddy replica of the person I once knew. No. This was him.

And he wanted me dead.

But miraculously, I survived. My body had deep gashes and I couldn't see out of my right eye, but there was a sliver left on my HP. Part of it was that I had seen him do the move multiple times. Part of it was that my investment in defense paid off. But I felt like most of it was pure luck.

With a heavy heart, I let out a Weapon Skill of my own. A downwards swing, coupled with three stabs, and finishing the combo with an upward slash. Since he was left open afterward, my Deadly Rhapsody cleanly hit, and his HP finally turned to zero.

"No…NOT…YET!"

His eyes were still alive.

Shit.

After all of that, he was still standing there. My Weapon Skill should have dealt enough damage to thoroughly kill him, but he wasn't dead. Unbelievable.

He wound his arm back. As I was still in recovery from my Weapon Skill, all I could do was watch as his sword came closer and closer.

And then…a flash of movement.

Silica had interposed herself, taking the hit in my stead.

"No more…please…" Silica whispered as she reached out to him.

"...Kirito…onii-chan…"

And then her hand disintegrated…

As well as the rest of her body.

My heart sank, and I blankly stared at where she was. It didn't take long before I gritted my teeth.

He dies. Right now.

But when I turned to look at him–

Both of his Elucidators were on the ground as his eyes blankly stared in front.

His action also took me out of it, and I noticed something.

Kirito was the only one of the mimics standing. All the other ones have been killed off.

But the rest of the Clearers looked to be in bad shape - at least mentally. Some of the bravest, most committed people I've stood beside, reduced to such a miserable state…they knew that the ones they slaughtered were mimics, but that didn't make it any better. And I wouldn't blame them.

Kirito finally looked at me. "The boss fight won't end until you kill me…" He muttered. "...do it."

"...isn't there anything we can do?" Asuna pleaded.

He looked where Silica was before he turned around. "...I think I've done enough…no more…"

I looked at Asuna. Her gaze darted between myself and Kirio. She looked like she was about to say something, but instead, strength seemed to seep out of her eyes and she looked down, emotionless.

I looked at where Silica was. The last of her fragments had long but dissipated.

Finally, I looked at Kirito.

With gritted teeth and stinging eyes, I rushed towards him.

A clean swing at the back of the head should do it.

I'm sorry.

*BANG*

Suddenly, something hit my body and I fell hard on my back. My vision blurred as I did not expect nor see what hit me.

I felt that something was pinning me down. I instinctively tried to retaliate–-

"Dammit! CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW, YOU BASTARD?!" An angry, but familiar voice rang in my ears.

I stopped and looked.

Two people were hovering over me, their faces marred by worry.

Kirito and Silica…

Damn. First, he wanted me to kill him, and now this?

And Silica? You're alive? Why are you attacking me?

…

Wait…

Their clothes…the simulated environment…

They weren't Kirito and Silica…

…

…Kazuto and Keiko.

I instinctively wrapped each arm over them. There was a moment of silence as I processed what I had just experienced.

"I guess…I got really into it, huh?" I finally said as I broke away.

"We tried to call out to you." Keiko said. "Did you hear us?"

"...no."

"Despite the horrific events that unfolded, you wanted to know how it went." Kazuto said. "But a line was crossed…and I decided that we've seen enough for now."

Keiko stood up and reached her hand to me and Kazuto. "Here."

I took her hand and stood up. "Thanks, everyone…"

We decided to exit FullDive to get some fresh air. I was feeling a bit thirsty, so I helped myself to a glass of water before I sat next to Keiko on the sofa.

I checked the time. Thirty minutes before noon.

I looked at my friends. "How are you all holding up? That must've been hard to watch."

"It was, but we were only watching. So that takes some of the edge off." Kazuto replied. His eyes darted over to Keiko for a split second before he looked away. "...A lot happened, huh?"

"Yeah…"

"Who knew that SAO wasn't done with us…with you…"

"Yeah…if it gets too much, I'll find it in me to walk away, but…"

"...you know, when Ducker died…I made a promise to myself. I don't want to see my friends die, so I'd either sacrifice myself to keep my friends safe, or die with them in a blaze of glory." He sighed. "But to be resurrected and then force to fight my friends, with you guys having no choice but to take me down…now I know that it's the bottom of the list of how I want to die."

"Kirito-kun…" Asuna muttered.

"You have a ranking of how you want to go?"

"Yeah. And just so you know, dying of old age surrounded by my loved ones is at the very top of my list."

"...that does sound quite nice." I took a deep breath before I looked at Keiko.

And immediately looked away.

It was not lost on me that I had a part in her death, and judging by Kazuto's reaction, he probably felt the same thing. I don't what to do or feel about this.

A heavy silence hung in the air. And I found myself unconsciously easing my way away to give Keiko a bit of space from the sofa.

"Rin. Hey..." Keiko called, and I winced. "...I'm right here, alive and well. So…don't worry."

I turned towards her and saw her gentle smile. I reached out for her, but I was afraid. Afraid that if I touch her, she would shatter like glass…

Or corruption would seep out of my fingers.

Sensing my hesitation, she moved her head forward and nuzzled into my hand. We stayed like that for a moment before we broke away and she turned to Kazuto. "That goes for you too. Okay?" She said.

Kazuro took a deep breath and finally looked at her. After a second, she smiled. "Yeah. Thanks, Keiko."

"...you were friends with her, right?" I asked. "The one that Riwet…the girl I…" I couldn't find it in me to finish my question.

"..." She looked away. "...yes." She looked up. "I met her in the early Floors during my progress. There weren't a lot of girls in SAO, so when I met her, I felt like I met someone who could relate exactly to what I was going through. We talked and partied up here and there, but we eventually had to go our separate ways because I was progressing faster and she wanted to play it safe."

She sighed. "...we still kept in contact with each other once in a while…until I sent a message and didn't get a response from her. But…I got my response from the monument of life. It's horrible…even though she was cautious about how she went about with her day…she still passed away…"

I looked away. "...I'm sorry."

…

I…I guess…

Even though I buried it deep under my resolve, being judged by my loved ones for being a killer still got to me a little bit.

While I was distracted by my thoughts, Keiko had gone up and wrapped her hand around mine. "...I'm sorry that you had to do that. But the one you killed was a mimic. My friend died a long time ago."

"...yeah." I placed my other hand on top of hers.

While we sat there, I felt my eyelids droop as I stifled my yawn. I then realized how tired I was. Even though I was going through the motions, I was part of a death game's Floor Boss Raid, and a particularly mentally devastating one at that.

"Here." Keiko tapped her shoulder. "Lean on me and relax for a bit."

"...thank you…"

I gingerly leaned my head on her shoulder. It felt very nice.

"I'll wake you after 20 minutes."

"Thanks, Keiko." I took my phone out and, after checking that I didn't have any messages, set an alarm for 20 minutes before I put it on the table. "I've set an alarm so you don't have to keep that close of an eye. You should get some rest too."

"...thanks, Rin." She said as I felt her lean towards me as well.

I closed my eyes and tried to relax. At first, I was a little afraid that I couldn't let go of what I saw, preventing me from resting. However, the pang of exhaustion was too much to handle, especially since my closest friends were around me.

I heard a voice - It was Kazuto, clearing his throat. "Actually, I'm feeling a little tired too, you know…Asuna, can you..?"

Asuna sighed and then giggled. "Come here…"

I chuckled. "Nice."

"Hell yeah–ow!." Was the reply before I felt something pinch my nose and I heard Keiko give a disapproving sigh…and then a giggle.

"Hey, Rin..." She started.

"...yeah?"

"I'm glad that I was able to protect you."

"I would've preferred it if you lived."

"Yes…but still…when Pina sacrificed herself to save me…and when Asuna-san protected Kazuto-san…I wanted to be able to do that, but I had some doubts that I could pull it off. Seeing my simulation throw herself to protect you…quieted those doubts a bit."

"Keiko…"

"Sil..Keiko-chan, I think we can do better." Asuna spoke up. "Yes, our sacrifice will save them, but only once. After this one, let's do a bit of practice. Less defending with our bodies, and more with our weapons."

"That sounds good." A pause. "But for now, let's rest. Rin, I'll protect you, so relax..."

I felt her hand caress the top of my head and she started to quietly hum Floria's BGM.

It didn't take too long for me to lose consciousness.

Chapter End

A/N: Hi. It's been a while. I hope you're all doing well.

Apologies for the wait. From last year after I released the previous chapter to around mid-December, it was one of the busier and most stressful periods of my life, and I'm not out of it quite yet. I'll let you know if things die down, but it'll most likely last throughout 2023.

So yeah, that's that. The schedule's gonna be borked throughout the year. I'll release new chapters when they're done, and I hope next year's gonna be a bit better.

That said, how's that for a chapter? Like I said before, since this was a simulation, I was free to introduce a brutal tragedy to explore how their characters react. Also, Rin's "participation" blurs the line between reality and simulation - just like that, it turned from a detached watch-along to an intimate reenactment.

Also, what did you think about the simulated Kirito's last stand? I made it a point that he broke the rules just as the real one did. Love him or hate him, you can't deny that Kirito's a beast in canon, and while I kinda nerfed him a little bit in my fic (he wasn't the one to kill Oberon), I did it with the best of intentions (I wanted to buff Asuna from damsel in distress to surprise savior). I had fun turning him into the antagonist and unleashing him against the main cast.

Finally, part of why this took so long was that I couldn't decide whether I should kill off the Silica simulation or not. I ultimately decided to go ahead with killing her off, with the biggest factor being the fact that it's a way for me to prevent myself from further developing Silica's character for now. She's had plenty of development in previous chapters, so now, I'll focus on Riwet, and to a certain extent, Asuna.

Now, onto the reviews.

Hey Zelagity,

Thanks for the feedback. I'm glad that you feel Riwet is a good character. And yes, I wrote him in a way that you can consider him unfinished. My first priority was showing what I love about SAO - the world and the main cast of characters - and how I can make some fun changes or introduce fun concepts. Ironically, this means that my Self-Insert character in my Self-Insert fic takes a backseat to develop canon characters and worldbuilding. So much so that after all this time, I am only halfway through writing an arc that will pointedly challenge his character.

By writing that last sentence, I am reminded that I have spent around six years writing this fic, and I'm most likely going to continue writing.

Unfortunately, I am hesitant to provide stat sheets because that sounds like time that I could've spent elsewhere. It's neat to keep track of their performance like that, but if it's appropriate in the story at the time, I can just simply have a character state that (as an example) Asuna's speed is about the same, but she hits harder. Stuff like that, I feel, is more indicative of character changes instead of numbers.

That's all for now. Thank you very much, and have a good one.