Chapter 32: Hybrid Time!
Disclaimer: I do not own Sword Art Online.
Hozume's P.O.V
My comrades and I hastily made it to the glowing cave but it wasn't actually glowing light… it was glowing from some sort of unforgivable dark aura… Now I know why it is called the Void Ruins… I heard from one of my sources that the mini boss that resides here is known as the jailer, Akuma who wields nothing but bloody, jagged red gauntlets that are known as Eerie Extermination. It somewhat caught my eye once my scout gave me data on this weapon… I will get that from it…
I heard from this guy I know that if we defeat Akuma, we'll be able to find the door to where Koyero is trapped in but he also warned me that this boss respawns quickly (to be exact, 5 minutes) and that we should be very brief in defeating it and getting away from it. Yumi-chan and Rujikiho were both beside me as we entered this Void Ruins. My blade, The Conqueror was ready for draining HP and causing bleeding so I unsheathed it already out of safety measures just in case…
The area was such a mess! If Ku were here then I'd bet he would want to clean this mess since he was the cleaner of the family back in the real world… So far, none of my family members back at the alley were killed yet. Like hell I would make Yumi or any of my family members die! I shall never let that happen to any of them… I would rather die than let any of them succumb to death in this game of SAO… That is the reason why we want to save Koyero; he was part of us before that tragic incident…
-Flashback-
How dare you call me by that name!
Hehe… Don't talk like that to me… I was the one who made you…
And the one who destroyed me!
I didn't. I just made you better… my son…
I won't go with you either way, Otou-san… I am not a Yokoshiro anymore! I will break the chains of fate if needed to get away from that name!
Did those bullet shots on your cheek slow you down?
No… As long as I know that one of us is safe then I won't give in… I'm the head of this family I have and I will never abandon them like the way you did to me!
I didn't abandon you, you simply ran away from fate…
I told you… I cannot accept that fate you keep telling me about! I will not become a monster like you…
Then I shall take you by force…
Try me!
-End of Flashback-
W-What was that?! It felt like a sudden memory just flashed in my mind… Why am I thinking about this among all moments? That memory of mine that haunts me up until now… My second confrontation with my father… He wasn't like this before but due to his sanity being broken, he wants me to take in the fate of all Yokoshiro clan members… but I was the first one who stood up against it… Before I was supposed to be extinguished, I ran away…
I shook my head to be relieved of these memories but it seems like it couldn't be relieved off… My comrades here were depending on me to lead them through this treacherous dungeon so I must act like a born leader and ignore these various memories…
"Hozu-kun, I can sense an atrocious presence heading straight to us… we must start becoming vigilant…" Yumi quickly equipped her Life and Death and started to use her shield (which is called 'life'). "It's getting closer… It's… Akuma!"
"Hai, hai… you can count on me, Yumi-chan…" I took out my Conqueror which is a katana with a special Bleeding effect and an extra Draining effect. "Akuma will be a cinch in defeating. By knowing that, don't go worrying about me, Yumi-chan."
"Zume-senpai… do not be so easygoing about this boss just because he didn't make the cut for being a main boss… He's clad in bloody red spike armor so be wary of the spikes." Rujikiho's normal serious and analyzing personality was shown as he took out his new weapon knows as Vanquisher which is something like a katana-spear just like that Quorora girl's weapon. "His existence may not concern anyone in Aincrad but it concerns our sworn brother Koyero so we must vanquish it from existence…"
"Hehe… your personality is akin to that cold Havuki as always, Rei-san!" I chuckled softly as we went forward to face that unfortunate boss who just kidnapped Koyero. "How unfortunate for you to have captured Koyero… For that, you shall have punishment for your mischievous assault… This penalty will be… Death…" I was the first one to move as I took the first strike at the wandering boss with my skill, Hurricane Thrust.
The wandering boss who I jabbed with my blade was no other than that boss, Akuma. Just like what the rumors say, his defenses are incredibly poor that it already reduced to its second life bar since it only had 3 life bars and that the surprise attack did extra damage to it too since I hit its weak spot which was the joints of this wandering monster who takes exiled players through that door…
The boss loomed over us with its height of about 8 feet but sizes don't make me cower in fear anymore since we battled many monsters here in SAO that are taller than us already… He isn't so new to me… Akuma is a mini boss so I don't care what he plans to do… there is a reason why there are such things like a mini boss and a Floor Boss… This thing is nothing compared to a Floor Boss…
Yumi and Rujikiho were both attacking on its sides for a pincer attack while I fought head on with this demonic-looking boss (well, it is named Akuma). I was doing quite well at first by jabbing and piercing through the opening on its armor but all combos could be broken and I got hit by a hard straight punch by this boss while it was using its gauntlets and I was thrown across the hallway until I hit a wall which stopped me from being knocked away even more.
I groaned out of pain and mentally hit myself for letting my guard down against that opponent… Not so long later, Yumi and Rujikiho were hurled towards this direction as well and could have suffered fatal damage if I haven't caught them and broke their impact. I managed to make myself stand but my two comrades had to rest for a while so I was now going to fight solo with this mini boss and show it what I'm made of! The boss' HP was now on the late red in its second bar so that means one hit should make it to only one bar left… I have to make these hits count…
"Akuma… How dare you hurt Yumi-chan and Rei-san like that! I will not forgive you…" My blade began shining as it was getting ready for its skill. "Devout Blitz!" I spun my Conqueror around as I charged at my opponents and slashed its cladded arm by hitting it countless times since it was spinning like propellers on it and eventually broke its right gauntlet and also mutilating its right arm, giving significant damage to it.
With its right arm currently unoccupied, Akuma started a small rampage by trying to attack me in a berserk manner but it missed in every attempt thanks to my high speed and mobility. The HP of this monstrous creature seems to have lowered to the point of it trying to escape… but I wouldn't want that special first-kill boss drop to slip through my fingers… I threw my Conqueror right at it which made it bellow in pain and fall which made me rush in to grab my katana which I did.
"Even as my body disintegrates… my soul shall stay to wreak havoc once more and deliver pandemonium to you…" Akuma dispersed into digital particles as I panted out of using too much of my stamina in that small fight.
After watching the particles disappear, a timer above the area where it died from my final blow appeared and was set for 5 minutes. I looted the unique drop, Eerie Extermination and equipped it to replace my old gauntlets and gave a grin to myself. I sheathed my Conqueror and gave these gauntlets a go and punched a nearby wall which fully shattered by the force of it… Oh, I love this new weapon…
My secondary weapon isn't anything sharp but it is a blunt weapon. The gauntlets that I usually wear are used when I'm at very close-quarter combat and at the times where my katana wouldn't work well against other weapons.
These gauntlets are amazing loot I got from this boss… It completely forsakes defense on the arms but in exchange, it favors astounding offense in using weapons and in going head on with only gauntlets. It may prove hindering and risky but it'll help in winning long clashes since these babies help improve the strength stat even further than other gauntlets I know. So far, these gauntlets are the ones with the highest attack due to the update.
I just remembered that Yumi and Rujikiho were waiting at that dark hallway so I started to go there until I received a message saying that they would be waiting at the Door of the Excommunicated so I changed my course and began my way deeper in the Void Ruins. As I went to a lower floor of this dungeon, the spookiness and darkness of the room darkened as I only saw things within 5 feet away from me.
I felt a chilly sensation go through my body from every step I took. (Who knew that the Void Ruins were actually this chilly?) The road to this door is just a small price to pay if I want to save my sworn brother, Koyero… Scarlet Temptation is in this too so those other players better watch their backs… I'll be the one to rescue my brother…
I saw different skeletons and bats around the area which is probably used to add the tension for this area (Asuna probably won't like being in a place like this). The air in this area felt thicker and it made it harder to breathe in here… I felt quite nauseous as I went on which made me sit down near a wall to get some air. I felt despair crawl in me as I dug my head on my legs as I felt myself feel emptiness… I knew I was all alone… Why does this moment affect me this much?
-Flashback-
Hozu-kun… we managed to kill 30 people who are trying to murder us and drive them back so that they would never attempt to do so again but 19 of our family members died in exchange…
I didn't want this to happen, Yumi-chan… It was my father's entire fault… He wanted to break the chains of fate of my family, the Yokoshiro family but due to his failure, he lost his sanity and gone insane… He committed numerous experiments on me and turned me into his private guinea pig…
What happened to him then? I saw that you were to one trying to stop his further advances since he was the one leading the attack…
He got a peaceful death thanks to me… It is better to die insane than live insane… He deserved better than this… I knew that trying to break the chains of fate would result to a bigger thing happening…
It's alright Hozu-kun… the sacrifices of our members who were KIA will finally find rest and shall never be forgotten by us… the remaining 31…
Yumi-chan, I can see the see the sorrow in your face… it's my fault for being the head of the family…
Without you, our family wouldn't even be formed… I know that the other run-away members of our family who came to us see you as an inspiration as well…
If only Koyero was still here though…
Yeah…
He's the spirit of the group and would always try to make us all optimistic but now with him gone, chaos has befallen on all of us…
At least we can assume that our brother, Koyero is safe and sound…
I guess we still have some hope if that is true…
He'll be okay! He was trained by Mishoro so I bet that he can protect himself from people even if he's half their height.
Well… Mishoro really is an expert combat person… I still worry for our random brother though… I sometimes see hallucinations that he is actually right in front of us…
Hozu-kun…
I wonder where he is now…
-End of Flashback-
These memories… Is this the effect of being exposed to this miasmic area? The reason for me intrigues me and makes me want to find about this…
I managed to rally up my courage once more and stand up so I did so. I continued my way through this darkening hallway which leads to the Door of the Excommunicated. If my intuition is correct then I'll be able to meet up with Yumi-chan and Rei-san in about 30 seconds… My gauntlets were still fully functional with my katana but there is one thing which I wonder…
5 minutes have already passed but where is that Akuma? He should be chasing by my tail right about now since he seems to want to annihilate me for what I did to him… Could it be that someone managed to delete it or something?
Anyway, I continued walking and I finally made it to my location and found Rujikiho and Yumi with a player with raven hair and bloody red eyes. I approached them slowly but Yumi thought otherwise… She glompled me out of relief since I took a long time to come back from that mini boss battle I had… He actually gave a bigger number to me than I expected… Rujikiho on the other hand just gazed at me with his eyes which indicated his worry for me… That other player with them started to make me feel curious.
"Who may you be?" I raised an eyebrow as I stared at the player. "If you're planning to hinder with our plans then do not bother trying… we'll silence you for his sake…"
"I am the leader of the Phantom Guild, Husharu… You must be the leader of Scarlet Temptation… I heard that you were an infamous PK guild…" His words made me want to order Rujikiho to punch his head but I continued to remain attentive to him to see if there is any information I could get out of him. "I know how to open the Door of the Excommunicated so would you mind if I open it right here, right now?"
"Y-You can open that?!" I pointed at the door as he nodded. "What are you waiting for?! Open it right now!"
"Tsk… Don't be so commanding…" He opened the door and we all went inside… "Now where is that Koyero… my one missing part?"
(My one missing part? What does he mean by that thing he suggests? Might as well go with this for the time being… until we find Koyero…)
The room in this place was completely like some kind of void… There isn't much of an area but it was an area filled with chained NPCs and some skeletal guardians but my comrades and I made quick work out of them and defeated them all with much ease… My Scarlet Temptation's goal is almost complete… All we want is to bring Koyero back to us and remember about all of those times he had with us. Koyero will set our foundation of our family back together and it will increase the morale of us… We miss him…
"Zume-senpai… I think our brother is over there…" Rujikiho pointed at a player who was suspended on a wall by some chains hanging him. "That is surely him… I know that brown hair anywhere… The only problem is that it seems like someone has forcibly dyed his hair red slightly on the edges and chained him up in this horrifying room… That damn Tadaiku… how dare he bring our brother to such a place…"
"Finally… we get to see each other once more, my brother… I thought you were dead so I entered a state of depression but once I knew that you were alive, I was elated and changed all the plans into rescuing you…" I whimpered as I went closer to my sworn brother who was currently chained up. "Now let me release you from this living hell. I will liberate you from the chains of fate that hold you down and I shall raise you up once more…" I sliced the chains with my katana and I had his body on my arms.
"We finally got Koyero back…" Yumi cuddled to Koyero which made me do so as well due to myself being so glad that we finally have our long lost member back to us… "We might as well go back now with Koyero, Hozu-kun. We'll celebrate with the others in—"
Our celebrating was cut short when Husharu began chuckling which got the attention of the three of us. I furrowed my eyebrows as I glanced at him while he was giving such an insane laugh about something I cannot know since I can't read minds. His bloody red eyes seem to have glowed brighter red as he started walking towards us.
"Arigato for your cooperation but now I must take him for myself… I will make ourselves one and absorb his power…" He touched Koyero's forehead out of the blue, to my surprise. "Unique Skill: Chaotic Phantom Hybrid!"
Those words astonished me when I noticed that my sworn brother, Koyero dispersed into particles and went to Husharu… Husharu's raven hair turned slightly brown on some of his strands and his left eye turned sky blue as I saw him laugh maniacally. His Zweihander changed into a hybrid between his long sword and Zweihander as well… I could feel rage in my system as I glared at him defiantly and grumbled as soon as I processed what just happened and checked it with my mind.
"W-What did you do to my brother you fiend?!" I prepared my Eerie Extermination for close combat with this guy while Yumi equipped her sword and shield while Rujikiho pulled out his Vanquisher in katana form. "You shall pay back twofold for what you have done to him… Give him back right now and just might show some mercy to you…
"Show mercy to me?! Don't make me laugh! I currently have the power of both myself and my sanity…" His words took me aback as I glared at him.
"Whatever do you mean by that, Husharu?" Rujikiho pointed his katana at Husharu as our opponent did some quick clicking at his menu and stared at the three of us intently.
"I am the fragment of Koyero's broken mind… because he had an accident with his head while he was younger, the system made a mistake with his brain waves and got all glitchy so it caused Koyero to have 2 accounts… one that he could full control and the other one being uncontrolled… I am the missing part of his mind but now I have finally formed with the original… I am his insanity and so I shall consume him… the one who holds sanity…" He answered us as he pulled out his Zweihander with a smirk. "I must be going now though… I have no time with all of you." He escaped with the use of a clear crystal.
His quick escape made us stay down as we tried to get a hold of ourselves from learning the truth from him… This sudden realization frightened me to the point where I shivered… He was actually part of Koyero all along… no wonder he could use Phantom mode while Koyero could use Chaotic mode… I-I was tricked all along by that smirk he had on his face… He made Koyero into this but I cannot stop him… My willpower cannot keep me going for now… All I can do now is wait and watch with my comrades…
Someone please save my brother Koyero… I cannot bear to see him in a controlled state which he is in now… Scarlet Temptation was made to find and help Koyero but because of this we just can't… I can't hurt Husharu, knowing that Koyero is somewhere inside of him… and I bet Yumi-chan and Rei-san think the same thing… I know this is futile to say but…
Please save him… Black Swordsman…
Kirito's P.O.V
For a second there I felt like my name was called in some way… I am currently with Kushimu as we continued our way in the Floor of Exile and it's been 10 days already since we arrived… Kushimu seems to be leading me not even close to that Void Ruins he keeps talking about and I still don't know why. He seems to be trying to make me stay away from that place… We were supposed to arrive by that location 3 days ago… He began triggering my suspicion once we took a detour down below the mountain and ended up by the area where the lava resonates with the ice field.
"Umm… Kushimu, did we just take a roundtrip around the Floor of Exile? I noticed that ever since we came to this area even if we now know where this Void Ruins is…" I looked straight at his eyes as I waited for his answer to my simple question. "Well? I trust you know after a week of travelling with you so please just tell me what you're hiding from me."
Kushimu just sighed as he looked at me with pleading eyes but looked away after a while like he wanted to apologize to me or something. Due to this action, it perked up my curiosity even more which made me try and get that truth out of him… He may be a game program but he can't just hide everything from someone… I know that Yui is a game program like him but it seems like he's more of those confidential types of programs… He keeps hiding any info that he could and doesn't bother telling anyone except his master.
"It seems like it is now futile to hide it from you, Kirito-san… we've been watching each other's backs for a week now and you even managed to hit Level 98 here… I am truly astounded by this continuous strengthening and enhancing of your abilities…" He gave a bitter snicker as he looked at me with eyes that look like it was saying, 'forgive me'. "You even became close to me like what my master did in just one week and I must applaud you for that… The ninja duo took a month to do so…"
His breathing seemed normal but he kept mingling with his sheathed spear which is coincidentally also his name which was given by Kayaba Akihiko. He was just a thrown away game program who managed to escape pure deletion and arrive here in Aincrad after days of excruciating pain… he now resides in the Phantom guild as second-in command which makes him the most trusted comrade of Husharu. He shows no signs of hostility but his current actions make me think that he was going to try to assault me.
He patted my shoulder and gave his usual smile as we started walking through the floor once more. We saw players go to this area but I wonder what happened to them after we lost sight of them… The Floor of Exile is a tricky floor filled with different areas and it is not a major floor of Aincrad… It holds Koyero captive but for a peculiar reason, I can feel like he has already been saved by someone… Another chill down my spine says that he's currently in danger once again but I just might have become too careful…
"Hey, Kushimu… when are we going to Void Ruins?" I asked the game program beside me as his face looked blank since he was probably analyzing the distance and time to go to that specific area and find a good shortcut or something. "My hunch says that Koyero has finally been saved but somehow, I feel like something's not right with it… Like, he isn't really him anymore… (I'm beginning to feel awkward)"
"I knew you'd get to those kinds of deducing, Kirito-san… Apparently, Master Husharu has already released him from the chains of fate and is currently in his possession (he lost me on that possession part)." He responded as he closed his eyes and gave a sigh so that he could open his menu and check some things out. "I didn't want things to become like this but I cannot become disobedient at a time like this…"
The words he stated made me feel uneasy as I touched the hilt of my Elucidator and Dark Repulser for safety measures. His scarlet red eyes seem to have started gleaming as he gave eyes that pleaded something about forgiveness. He had his trusted spear which was coincidentally his game program name as well, Kushimu. He circled around me, akin to a wolf which was lurking around for its prey.
His usual calm aura which I usually feel around him was now corrupted and I felt like I was a target in some sort of hunt… I backed away slowly with my blades now unsheathed but all he did was put his hand on his spear and held it with his two hands. His breathing seemed unsteady like he didn't intend to commit his next course of action… His emotions seem mixed-up with following orders and by following himself but after a few seconds, a grin appeared on his face like he made up his mind in that moment.
"My mind has been made up… I'm sorry for troubling you like this, Kirito-san… I have no idea what's going on within me… I would never point my spear at a reliable comrade I have like you…" He sheathed his spear with regret as he glanced at me with a small smile while showing no signs of hostility to me anymore. "A game program like me should never hinder with such things like this… Even if I have converted to somewhat of a player due to some circumstances, I can't just fight you like this…"
"Kushimu… I'm glad to see you back to your senses. I thought that you would snap there for a second…" I sheathed my dual blades as I went towards a Kushimu who had shattered emotions at the time being. "You could always convert into something you wanted to be, Kushimu. I know you may have been a game program with no real goal in digital life but I can help you. Yui's a game program too so she may be able to relate with you in your problem… Kushimu, I will try my best to help—"
Before I could finish my pity for him, I felt a sharp, cold steel dagger stabbed through my gut. A sense of great peril spread throughout my body as I felt my HP get drained by this double-crossing, hysterical comrade of mine… He keeps switching up his personalities like he couldn't control his own emotions.
His moody attitude seems to have made me pity him until he took that exact moment to attack me… I could have been impressed of this idea he had if I weren't the victim and if he did it for a righteous reason but this is moment of him using that trick was just low… I was just beginning to give sympathy for him and this happened…
"It's over… Black Swordsman… my deed has now been finished… I may have gotten a good time with fighting by your side but this partnership with you ends here… I cannot allow you to intervene with Husharu-sama's plans…" He threw his dagger up and caught it with his left hand as he gave a sadistic grin. "I did say that I wouldn't hurt you with my spear but I didn't say anything about my other weapons… I just gave a loophole to my vow… This is nothing personal, Kirito-san…"
"Well played, my friend…" I felt immobile every time I attempted to get away from my situation but it was futile… He kept inching closer and closer to me with that sharpened dagger of his… After a moment of observation, it seems like that weapon was coated with Fear which renders the opponent affected by this to become immobile and left without resistance. "Just don't become mad by power like those players I saw in the daily news of Aincrad… I'm going to get this effect off me any time now…"
"Too bad you wouldn't be able to survive long enough for that effect to wear off… I cannot let you get in the way of my master so I apologize to you once again, Kirito-san… If things didn't turn out like this, then we could have been good friends, who would watch each other's backs but too bad that this wasn't the case…" His words were sincere but that killer gaze of his was serious in proceeding with his orders. "You deserve a swift—"
Five people managed to restrain Kushimu out of nowhere which prevented him from finishing his speech to me. The five players that seemingly saved my life from extermination were: Vukso, Havuki, Figo, Quorora and… Silica? They managed to hold off Kushimu for a while but as soon as he recovered from that surprise, he unsheathed his spear and clashed with all five of them which made me want to help them after I got released from Fear but a certain player from them told me something else.
"Only you can save him now, Kirito-san… We didn't know that they were planning to hurt you so please forgive us… We'll keep Kushimu at bay while you find Husharu and defeat him… Yumi messaged me about him being merged with Koyero…" Silica informed me and the thing that caught me off-guard the most was the thing about merging… "Please, Kirito-san… Kushimu may be a game program but he cannot practice those powers freely… Don't worry about us and go ahead quick!"
"If you think that you can handle him then I'll oblige… Thank you everyone…" I sprinted across a forest and pictured that view I got from the past…
I must intercept Husharu as he passes through this forest… If Void Ruins is through this forest then he should be trying to get past this path so that he could depart from this floor.
Silica says that Husharu is currently merged with Koyero but I have yet to see if her words were exaggerated or not… She says that the one who gave her that info was Yumi… I still trust Yumi a bit since she was a former comrade but I can't just believe her that easily… I needed to get information from a real reliable source whom I can ask…
I didn't know how to approach a player with this skill of merging and I don't even have any data of it from my former Beta testing… There was only one thing to do now it seems… I made a call with the newly updated call icon in the menu and chose someone from my friend list, my most reliable source of information.
"Hey Argo, I actually need to ask you something about the unique skill called, Hybrid…"
End of Chapter 32
Next Chapter: Confrontation…
Next Extra Scene: Boss Battle, Hex the Miner.