Chapter 33: Confrontation…
I can't really accept the fact that I was made unable to fight by a cheap trick from Scarlet Temptation… I couldn't assist Sinon-san in her confrontation with Ze but from now on, I'll live up to my name which I am knows as, One-man Exile... I didn't want to have that name, you know… It all happened before I met Sinon-san but that's a story for another time… For unknown reasons, my Feral Zweihander has the weapon ability to send players of the same or lower level to Exile. I never really use that ability unless you count what I did to my brother… (Which I dearly regret committing…)
Sinon-san's clothing was now a bit ripped and tattered on the side which made convulse my head secretly out of shame… I'm not the type of player to know how to Repair but I think it's worth a shot. I wouldn't want to make her feel pain through her armor even if we don't actually experience pain in SAO. I just hope that my Repairing skill is high enough to restore her armor to its previous form… From being torn, I will try to stitch it all back together… (Should I use the Sewing skill or the Repairing skill?)
The cave area was now behind us (with Ku and Ze still restrained and binded in place) and we were both ready to investigate where Koyero may be… There was only one small problem with this plan though…
Koyero wasn't included in the list of players in this floor…
(H-How is this possible? I'm a hundred percent sure that I used the Exile Break on him… It should have transported him into this Floor of Exile but where is he now?! He was on the list when we were still in the cave so what happened? Sinon-san did tell me that I was rendered unable to protect myself after Ze knocked me out but this can't be the case… someone must have broken the laws of Exile and made some kind of breakthrough…)
Anyway, I had a situation of my own already so I might as well help Sinon-san repair that tattered armor of hers… It would be too embarrassing for her if she kept walking with tattered armor like that… plus the fact where she would get hurt more made me really want to repair it all for her now…
I glanced at the figure of Sinon (or you could call her Asada Shino) as I patted her shoulder and offered to repair her outfit which she agreed on but without some hesitant moves and an explanation from me. She equipped one of the outfits which I gave her back at the time we met and gave me her main cloth armor which was getting quite low in durability. Her alternate outfit (which I gifted) was more of the casual kind of clothing when you don't fight anything in SAO. It's one of the sky blue Yukatas which I managed to get my hands on by completing the quest called, A Troubled Tailor.
It had some of the usual Yukata decorations such a flower-like decoration and plus, it changes with each passing season of Aincrad so you can call it some kind of 4-in-one all season Yukata. Sinon-san usually uses it when we both attempt to do something casual but those casual times were only a very small minimum… She usually wears her cloth armor but I can't really blame her for doing so…
SAO is really a dangerous, unpredictable and complex game which we must complete if we value our RL that dearly… (I actually really have to go back… I can't just neglect my family even if my father disowned Koyero…)
I managed to stitch up the numerous cuts and rips of her main cloth armor but I couldn't make it back to 100% but at least I managed to fix it up to 80% of its durability. Content with my work, I called out to Sinon and gave back her hunting gear cloth armor. I wiped the dust off my cloth-plated armor with the steel plate located and rigged to be inside the cloth armor and for it to feel comfortable to the user. All thanks to Lisbeth.
After that small delay, we continued with our travel and entered some kind of forest. I could tell that Kirito-san passed by this area though… With my skill in Exile, I can locate any player within the Floor of Exile except any player within the Void Ruins. Kirito-san is somewhere, sprinting towards a player called Husharu but it seems like he's staying in one point now… What could have happened to this determined sprint he's attempting? I managed to convince Sinon-san to follow me to the area of interest I had… and that was Kirito's last point of existence… why did he stop in that exact spot?
I only knew Kirito-san for a month but I can say that he is a completely reliable ally (or you could call it friend) to have. Now it's my turn to return the favor to him… He trusted me just enough like we knew each other for a long time now… which no one would do (unless I'm in the real world… many people want to be with me there and I don't know why).
"Sinon-san… Kirito-san should be somewhere within a kilometer away from us but I cannot find his true location…" I analyzed the distance by combining my skill in Exile and Tracking. "He is still within the area of this forest so he can't be that far…"
"I see…" She seems to have trusted my sense of direction since she began heading to the left wing of this forest. "You've been my ally of me since Floor 47… so I can at least trust your intuition in direction…" She somewhat complimented me as I followed her through this forest.
Our search for Kirito was cut short since we actually found him at the location we headed to (Yes, in our first guess… Sinon-san really does have good instinct).
Sinon-san may be quite reserved and calculative in using words but that's her nature so I can't complain… I'm more of the slightly analytical person but when I get into a fight here, I lose my sight of strategy and just charge in to the fight. Much like my brother Koyero, we both manage to fight using these heavy two-handed Zweihanders with ease.
To put these short quibbles aside, I get rather uneasy whenever Sinon-san is with someone else like Kirito but I manage to abide with it and show a poker face. As the head of my family due to the circumstances my father had, I cannot show any sign of weakness…
It was revealed that Kirito was actually captured and trapped in some kind of cage (must have been Mishoro's doing)… The cage was made out of some kind of stained steel which was coated with Poison. The bars were coated with it and so, Kirito couldn't go anywhere close to the bars since they were impenetrable from the inside… but not the outside. With no hesitation at all, I was just about to shatter the bars with my Zweihander but Sinon broke it down before I could even make my move. She shot like 5 Crippling Arrows before I could even slash the bars…
Kirito-san managed to get out of the trap he sprung and began thanking Sinon and me. He was supposed to start rushing off again but he was immediately caught on the wrist by Sinon which confused him. Kirito tried reasoning with her to explain why he needed to go now that badly but she remained unmoved. I tried to make the both of them calm down but all it did was make Kirito attempt to do another explanation.
"What are your reasons for attempting to rush away like this?" Sinon questioned Kirito while crossing her arms which signified her point. "Taka and I aren't planning to let you go unless you start explaining yourself… The Kirito I know; never falls for such a cheap trap like that… The Floor of Exile has changed you in some ways, Kirito..."
The words Sinon-san stated to him seem to have taken an effect on me more than it did to Kirito… Emotions? I have no idea which one I had. Anger? Sadness? Pity? Or could it be… envy?
"Eto… You could say it to us, Kirito. We wouldn't tell anyone so just spill the beans and be frank with us… What are you really aiming to achieve right now? Koyero is nowhere to be found in my Exile skill so what are you doing?" I managed to bottle up my feelings as always but this time seemed different… "As Koyero's brother, I must be the one to liberate him from the Chains of Exile for I was the one who sent him to this defile, chaotic place… He doesn't deserve any more pain than he already has…"
I had to make my priority changed into saving Koyero instead of feeling this mood towards Kirito. Yes, Sinon-san is an important person to me but first things first… I had to be like how the head of the Okudaira family should be… coolheaded and with a poker face on… There is only one thing that hinders me from acting like that though and that obstacle is Sinon-san… She depends on me as an ally and I must reciprocate.
"…" Kirito's face turned into a grim expression when I seemingly asked for the fate of Koyero. "Koyero is… in a petrified, uncontrollable state…" His words shocked both Sinon and me.
"A petrified and uncontrollable state, you say?" Sinon pondered about these words Kirito managed to cough out. "Do you know anything about it, Taka?" She turned towards me which caused me to wince from surprise then I started to regain my coolheaded persona as I answered.
"I'm not too sure of what Kirito is getting at but my theory would be that Koyero is in a state of Manipulation. He may be controlled by another player like he was some kind of puppet being maneuvered around by some kind of puppeteer…" I attempted to guess the current fate of Koyero as I fiddled around nervously with my fingers. "I'm not sure what kind of Manipulation the player could be using though… Maybe it is—"
"Hybrid…" Kirito finished for me. "From what I got from Argo, I could finally conclude that Koyero is being forced into manipulation by a player… Hybrid is a unique skill which allows a player to be merged with another player with certain requirements like: The victim must be a lower level… Even Argo has no data in the other requirements so my other questions remain blank in answer… but I could say that… Koyero is not the same random guy we know…"
The last few words of Kirito shot me like a bullet piercing through a vital organ. The pain of getting informed that your brother is gone truly is a devastating experience… I tried to save him but I was too late now… The only memory I probably gave him is a memory of angst and remorse… What kind of brother does that?! Well… me… I don't deserve the title of 'Takanii-chan' from him anymore… I never failed in a test before but I already did… I failed the test of being a brother…
My Feral Zweihander turned into a puny, dull dagger as soon as I lost my willpower. The transformation of my weapon alerted Kirito and Sinon when they noticed my weapon becoming into what it is now. Before, a devastating and dangerous weapon able to make fear course through the body of an opponent… Now, a puny and dull weapon that can't even scratch a player and injure them… Has my willpower really wavered that much? Well, how can I complain? I was the one who sent my brother to the brink of death and made him go through all this pain… He's gone now and it's my fault…
My Feral Zweihander is a very complex and powerful weapon which I acquired from Floor 45 before I paired up with Sinon in this death game. I appraised it after I got some information from Argo (after paying a moderate sum of Col) and later found out about these skills it had in it which were named, Exile and Willpower. I got interested by its skill so I decided to make it my main weapon after refining it numerous times by paying another moderate sum of Col to Lisbeth.
It feeds on willpower so if I manage to lose all of it, then my attacks will drastically fall down so much that even a Level 5 dagger could beat it… I call it an All or Nothing Weapon… I didn't want a weapon like this but most of the All or Nothing Weapons are a big power-up to most wielders… So far, only Havuki and I have weapons that require a certain requirement to deliver deadly and precise moves to threaten the opponent. My once feared weapon has now turned into a humiliating fail dagger… for my willpower has fully been casted away…
"Taka…" She muttered but after a short time of pity she let Kirito go one with his chase which made him do so. She approached me and went closer to me as I managed to make my head upwards to look at her while moping around, sitting down. "I don't know you anymore…"
My heart sank as if my life became blank. Sinon-san, muttering those words, was the last thing I wanted to hear… My current weakened weapon became nothing but a broken dagger now… Everything shattered now… I couldn't even feel myself after she said that… My one foundation of willpower has now fallen… there is nothing left of me… It was until she started speaking again.
"The Tadaiku I knew never succumbed like this… I chose you as my partner in Floor 47 because I saw how valiant and confident in your actions…" Her hand trembled as she gave a cold glare at me which made my spine shiver from fear… (My willpower…) "If you are really the Tadaiku I know then stand up and rally yourself up… The true one is very persistent and admiring… I for one, felt inspired when you kept insisting on being with me… no one has ever gone that far to do so… Taka… you are honestly the first one I have ever truly trusted in this death game…"
"S-Sinon… no… Asada Shino…" I gave a weak smile which made her just sigh and give a sign that she'll tolerate only one and so I stood up and hugged her… I never really cried out of sadness but at this time, I had tears of joy and relief. "A-Arigato… Shino-san…" I stuttered as I sniffled with tears still flowing down my cheek as she just started cuddling me back as she gave a small almost invisible smile.
As I continued being on her arms, I felt some of my will coming back to me as my Feral Zweihander which was in broken dagger form became a Feral Long Sword, meaning that at least 50% of my will has returned. She may be somewhat cold to me sometimes but I know it is because she's just warming up to me. We just met a year ago in Floor 47 and have been teaming up ever since. We aren't in a guild but we have always partied up ever since. Well… she is Kuudere but she really is one in combat… A silent deadly sniper… I have a feeling that she'll use a sniper if this game would be a gun game…
All these stuff in my mind have collapsed suddenly when I heard something… My high Hearing skill is already mastered so that I could hear for any players planning to sneak up on me and Sinon who may be using the Hiding skill to conceal themselves… I managed to warn Sinon and so we separated from each other from our embrace, looking at our surroundings.
"You may now all cease from concealing yourselves…" Sinon announced as she got her bow ready with an arrow ready to be shot. "Plus, if you saw what happened here though… you better not spread pointless rumors about it…" Sinon gave a warning shot to the Hiding players which prompted two players to come out of their hiding states.
The slightly taller player had cerulean blue hair and silver eyes and even had a ninja outfit which made me keep my guard up. The slightly shorter player on the other hand, had slightly light orange hair with slightly calm and innocent amber eyes plus a ninja outfit just like what that other player had. They both had sharpened katanas with long hilts as they removed their masks to reveal who they were. (At least they started with an introduction instead of just charging at us…)
The blue head approached the both of us with a smile but had his Katana held with his right hand as he was waving with his left hand. His silver eyes seem to be giving of a hospitable look but his movements in front of us looked very hostile.
The orange head on the other hand, gave a fake smile at us with her blade unsheathed…
The two players in front of us are players I know about… they have been known to have partied up ever since the start of Sword Art Online and have been called the slightly infamous Ninja Duo in SAO because of their constant choice of clothing and that they keep changing personas and goals… They used to help out the weaker players but once they recruited themselves to a guild, they started to balance their good deeds with mischievous deeds now. I allied with them once when I was still a low level but I quickly disbanded the party later when I was ready to go on.
"It's been quite long… hasn't it, Taka-kyun?" The shorter one of the ninja duo gave a quick wink at me which seems to have perked up the curiosity of Sinon-san. If I haven't talked to her about the teasing one of the duo then she would have probably questioned me with some sort of trick question. "I remember those times where you couldn't even go one battle without us! That was just so adorable, Taka-kyun… I've been yearning to hear your call of help for a while now. Nizu-kun misses you as well!"
"Taka… What is the meaning of this… yearning she's talking about?" Sinon raised an eyebrow as if the words she spoke started to spark up her interest in my past life. "I never really tried asking you about your past here in this death game…"
"Eto…" I managed to laugh softly while scratching the back of my head in embarrassment. "I'd appreciate it if you don't ask… Sinon-san… my past here in SAO is quite… disturbing and embarrassing… You'll probably not talk to me for a 3 days or something."
"He was very cute indeed but alas, let us stop this chit chat…" Nizuko transformed his katana into a giant shuriken which signaled Yushika to use her Tantalizing Constrictor and face us… "Are you ready to fight… One-man Exile?"
I unsheathed my Feral Zweihander with its form still in long sword mode due to 50% of my willpower not coming back just yet. Somewhere inside me, I know that my willpower is chained up and secluded and I must find a way to breach through my self-doubt and gain confidence once more… Sinon had her bow loaded with arrows as the four of us circled around, waiting for either one to take first blood…
After a while of waiting… it has started…
Somewhere near the Lava + Ice Field…
There were five of us but we can't seem to even lay a scratch on that guy… I know that he is the right hand of Husharu but this is just ridiculous! Even with the combine efforts of the five of us, we can't even land a scratch on him… I don't know what made him this good in fights but I can say that defeating him is nowhere near easy… Pina attempted numerous evasive and offensive aerial maneuvers but that hasn't crippled him a single bit. He simply spins his spear and negates the attack with the high speed of his spear without breaking a sweat.
It was like he predicted every movement that we could achieve on him… Pina's attacks have greatly increased ever since she grew from being a small Feathery Dragon but it seems like none of her attacks landed a hit on him… He was just too evasive and experienced… like he was in a situation even worse than the one he is having with the five of us…
His spear which was also named, Kushimu had a long shaft which could be the reason for his long reach on us. He can freely change the location of the blade to each end of the shaft. He could even change the tip of his spear to drill into its opponents like a blender blending a fruit or something… Its rotation is so powerful that it could even drill into the hardest of armors and use the Environmental Break feature which was updated further to make the players make the environment aid them to their advantage…
My Celestial Dagger which was forged by the ingredients Koyero game me was currently my main weapon. Deira-san who was the one who crafted the weapon but the one that continuously refined it to me is Lisbeth… Many people have actually helped me get this far without ever asking for something in return… Kirito-san helped me out in reviving Pina and he even aided me in helping Pina get its second form in its Feathery Dragon state…
Koyero on the other hand…
Was the first one to have ever made me truly snap… in a good way though… He may be reckless and annoying at times but I really have to thank him for all those moments but now… I cannot… He has been merged with that Husharu guy with the Locked skill, Hybrid… No player knew of its existence until some player used it one time when the clearers were still in Floor 62… The fate of who used Hybrid that time was severe… That one player…
Has become deleted after his debut…
Now that locked skill is back… and the victim is Koyero. I cannot allow such a fate to him… If the one who merges with him dies, he shall die as well with the manipulator… The only obstacle in our way right now is the second in command of the Phantom Guild… He may have been welcoming to us while we were all sent to that guild but now… he is a complete battle freak. He keeps the 5 of us in bay like he was possessed by a demon of war or something…
His spear almost impaled me numerous times but the one who keeps parrying his strikes against me is the former One-hit Killer, Vukso with his brand new signature weapon, Concealing Edge.
"Oi… be careful missy… I can't protect you against that overpowered spear of his forever ya know!" My protector raised his blade and activated one of his skills from the Concealing skill tree and managed to land a hit on Kushimu but he quickly did a tactical flip to increase the distance between all of us and recover. "I can't let a small lady like you get wounded. Koyero would never forgive me if I don't. Heck, I wouldn't even care if he doesn't anyway… for now… we're teaming up like the time where I rescued you from Scarlet Temptation by being an inside man in that stunt I pulled off to assist your escape."
"Hai, hai… I know, Vukso-san…" I barely noticed the tip of the spear looming from above me but I luckily didn't get pierced by the blade thanks to Vukso shoving me away from danger… again. "Eto… thanks again."
The player in front of us acted like his sanity has just snapped… He was so quick that only limited hits were able to get through that speed of his while he manages to wound the five of us more than we could wound him.
Kushimu's ruthless battle style was a bit risky to his defense but his offense and speed were almost to its limits. He was literally breaking through the limits of an ordinary player… I just know that he's not just a player… It would be impossible for one player to be able to take down two guild leaders, two powerful lieutenants and I with this much ease… He simply maneuvered around our attacks like he knew where we were going to attack… just then… I noticed something… His digital body was also dispersing bit by bit like he wasn't supposed to fight…
"I guess the jig is up then…" He backed away with his high Sprint skill and knelt down in pain as he opened up the menu and began inputting numerous buttons as he looked at us with his face looking as fatigued as a person who hasn't slept for 2 whole days. "My body cannot take any more of this… I have stalled enough time for Husharu-sama… Kirito-san should be very close to him by now and my role is finally complete for today…" He began wheezing and looking lightheaded until he gave a small smirk.
"W-What are you laughing at?" Figo managed to speak up as he was panting heavily from that short but heated clashing with this spear master.
"You have all done well to clash with me but now; I must stop for my body cannot take any more of this and so… I shall make all of you liberated from the Exile including myself… Full log-in… Kushimu!" His cloak became from lifeless black into stainless white and his crimson red eyes turned into a bluish-green color as he transformed, revealing that he is indeed… a game program in hiding… "With my authority as a game program… I liberate us all from the Floor of Exile!" With the raise of his spear, a bright light began engulfing all of us. "Superior Teleportation!"
By the time we all blinked from the harsh light, we were blinded and couldn't see anything within the horizon… It took us a while to gather up our eyesight again but we soon found out that we were transported to the Town of Beginnings in floor 1! Kushimu was nowhere to be found but we could at least stay in easy knowing that he won't be able to go back there either…
I did the best I could in my attempt to contribute but for a weird reason… I don't think it is sufficient enough… Yes, we defeated Axerie and Exerie like they were just normal high leveled monsters but after defeating them and placing the jewels, I felt a content breath pass by me as we got out… I don't know what that was and why that happened but I can say that…
The Floor of Exile will change…
I don't know who could have caged me that time but now I really must hasten my pace… Argo told me that the Hybrid skill would remain permanent if the user is either losing his or her sanity or if the manipulator constantly feeds on the strength of the victim… Continuous acts like this will end up technically killing another player for you take away everything from him and take over… Hybrid merges the two players together but once it is fully merged, the manipulator can freely choose the appearance…
For example, if Husharu completes this unforgivable ceremony, He can choose to either look like his original look or the Koyero look… I cannot allow that to happen though or else our search for Koyero for these past 10 days will be all in vain! It's not just that though… my ally… no… my friend will be wiped away from Sword Art Online and be gone forever…
I'm not letting that happen though!
This forest became lifeless the more I went deeper in it… The trees were already withering and the former green grass below me was starting to turn to shades of gray which can even distort the mind of someone that looks at it for too long… Just by looking at it, I knew I was getting closer to Husharu… He may have helped me find this place but it seems like it was all actually pat of his plan to lure me away from his true intentions… of merging with Koyero and taking away his life…
If he didn't plot this kind of inhuman thing then the both of us just might have become good friends, watching each other's backs but now… it is too late for even that now… I have to stop him! If I don't… then he'll just do the same crime over and over again… I will not allow him to even point a blade at any of them anymore… As long as I stand, I will not allow his gruesome behavior to continue! For the sake of the others… I'll even resort to fighting solo against him just to protect them…
This seemingly endless forest just didn't have an end… I sprinted across it for so long that I even forgot how long I sprinted… My Sprint should be mastered by now. I checked my chronometer and it was revealed that I have been going on like this for 10 minutes straight already and it seems like I made no progress whatsoever… This part of the game wasn't part of the Beta testing since this hidden floor was just added due to an update but who knows? Maybe it was here already since the start of the game without any of the players realizing it…
Not again… I'm even beginning to doubt that even Argo also would have no idea on how to get out of this forest… and Argo's like the whole house of information I could trust without a doubt.
She met Koyero once when I was training him secretly (before we found out that Heathcliff was actually Kayaba) in Floor 61 and 62 and those has been his favorite training areas ever since. I actually had to stop the quarrel between Argo and Koyero once since… Koyero's mood swings take most effect when the person with him is someone he didn't warm up to yet… He actually hasn't made a mood swing so much in the first time I met him… He begged me to help him out at the early floors after I met Argo… His relationship with Argo is… let's say, Argo's feeling hostile towards him because of his numerous antics.
His reason for his mood swings is plausible though… So far, I'm the only player who he told about his RL accident and he even didn't tell his Silica-chan about it… He was crashed by his stepparents' van which resulted to part of his brain becoming slightly off and broken… That gives me even more reason to continue with this pursuit I was giving…
My Tracking skill revealed to me that I was almost out of this gloomy forest but before I could go out, I saw a player with raven-brown hair with his two eyes being two different colors… His right eye being crimson bloody red and his left eye being calming sky blue eye… This player is the Hybrid skill taking place, no doubt about it… Before I could confront this insane player, a message suddenly appeared in my inbox and so I opened it hastily so that I could fight him before he gets away…
[Kirito-san,]
[It's been a long time since we spoke to each other and fought back then but for now… I have been] [forced to team up with you once more… I cannot hurt Koyero or else it would go against my words of] [honor back in RL but you can… please snap him out of that pointless trance he is having… he must not] [be gone for he is the foundation of my family and we all care for him… I beg of you, Black Swordsman…] [use these gauntlets I got from a boss drop and defeat Husharu once and for all to show him all those] [errors in his ways… You can take Koyero back only by means of beating him up… You better give them] [back when you're finished with it though! We shall cross paths again, my friend…]
It was a message made by my old teammate, Hozume… He's actually the leader of Scarlet Temptation but he isn't all that bad! It looks like all he wanted is for Koyero to return to this so called family of theirs. Attached to the message he sent was a raging gauntlet filled with energy called, Eerie Extermination. It was a bit too flashy so I pondered if I should really equip it…
Before I did anything I decided to check out the stats of these monstrous looking gauntlets. I became speechless when I saw how high that attack stat was! It may have almost 0 defense but this thing isn't even refined yet… If Lisbeth and Deira begin working on this to upgrade it then it would be a force to be reckoned with… I equipped it only just because I wanted to fulfill the wishes of Hozume in rescuing Koyero…
Surprisingly, once I wore the flashy gauntlets, the flashy red color of it slowly transformed into shadowy black… that's what I wanted…
Once I was finally ready to fight, I headed towards the one who uses the locked skill, Hybrid and took out Elucidator and Dark Repulser from their sheaths and now… I am ready to battle against this player who has lost his sanity…
"Husharu!" I shouted at him while slowly clenching my fist out of anger as I saw the trapped Koyero in his eyes as he gave a maniacal laugh at me. "Let him go out of that trance you pulled him into… It's not right! You cannot just take a player against his will and use his power for your own power… You can't get anything out of it after the game is completed… All you actually do is take a life and nothing else… Power is nothing but a mere illusion to RPG players… There are much more useful things than it… Power doesn't go with you… it will eventually disappear and make you despair if you depend on it…"
He faltered a bit after I said that but he quickly recovered and crossed his arms as he gazed at me with those bloodthirsty eyes of his… He has already started corrupting the file of Koyero… The brown hair on him was still there but it was gradually disappearing strand by strand… His blue eye on the other hand is still fully blue but it became a soulless blue eye instead of a calming eye…
"Despair, you say? Don't make me laugh… Kirito-san! I am Koyero…" His words seem to have left me quite dejected once I heard what he has just suggested. "I am that missing part of him that has been lost from the accident… remember that the Nervegear analyzes and scans the player's entire body? Well here's the truth… Koyero's brain isn't normal due to the accident anymore which resulted to mood swings… The system couldn't decode the messed up mind of Koyero and so… a fatal error occurred in his character making…From there, I was created to become my own self… The Chaos… while he is the Phantom…"
The aura around him was full of despair and darkness… I never knew that the Hybrid skill would be this darkening… His current weapon was the unique cursed blade, Muramasa. The hilt looked easy to grasp while the blade was jagged on one side with an extremely pointy end which looked like it could pierce through monsters… or players with ease. Its blade was a long one which looked about 4 feet in length and about 1 inch in width. The cursed blade gets its power by impaling and getting the blood of its victim. The more it hits a player, the more powerful it gets.
The only thing I was worried about now is the brand new skill which is obtained through being in a Hybrid state… That means, Koyero's Zweihander can also be used while he fights by instantly changing the weapon out of the blue… This extra skill is called, Auto Equip… some people have the skill but none of them has mastered it including me. I just started using it when I was training with Kushimu for Multi-wielding…
"Introductions won't be needed anymore, Husharu… That's all I need to know…" I glanced at him one more time before promising to myself… I will be able to take him back and I will! "Now we shall fight to see which our resolves are more powerful… Someone looking for power or someone seeking to defeat power to enlighten everyone to be free of this chaos you are about to spread…"
The words I have just muttered seems to have aggravated Husharu as he backed away slightly and gave a smirk. I didn't know what he was planning to do but at that moment of him putting his fingers near his lips, I knew exactly what was going to happen now…
I quickly shifted my position before he could whistle and so… that attack from above the trees has failed… barely… The other player who interrupted the fight was no other than Detestable Assassin, Kanami… A fair one-on-one match quickly turned to a 2-on-1 match… Husharu chuckled as he gazed at me with amusement and went deeper in the forest… I can't believe he escaped that easily… I had to even deal with his pivotal unit before I can even fight him… These comrades of his may just be here to stall time and believe me… it is working…
"You shall not take Husharu-sama away from me… I won't let someone such as yourself get to him… even if you are the Black Swordsman!" Kanami had her face covered with her hoodie and started charging towards me with her Naginata while I prepared my dual blades to parry.
Suddenly, from out of nowhere, somebody parried her instead of me and managed to push her back with her weapon. A very familiar person to me was right in front of me… With her graceful moves with her rapier, I could tell who it was with no doubt… She was Asuna, my in-game wife… She twisted her rapier with all her might and managed to disarm Kanami for a while but the female assassin recovered and clashed with Asuna which made me try to assist Asuna but she quickly refused and gazed at me.
"No… go right ahead, Kirito-kun. I can manage myself against her. Trust me on this… I'll tell you every detail of how I got here when we meet again in Floor 22 with Yui…" She began thrusting her rapier and using her signature Linear multiple times at Kanami which she evaded. "We don't have much time anymore before the Hybrid would be complete… I'm counting on you so you can count on me, Kirito-kun…"
"A-Arigato, Asuna… I won't let this chance get away this time…" I began sprinting towards the deep part of the forest but I looked back for a while to see the both of them in conflict with each other. "When I'm done with him… I'll come back for you if you're still fighting… and we'll take a small break from floor clearing to rest ourselves… I have a feeling that we would need to be at best before we could continue on…"
I went on with my search for Husharu but I knew that he was somewhere inside this forest… My friends have helped me in going here and now I must finish the deed… I will finish this 10 day search and bring my mood swinging friend back… no matter how far in antics he is in… My new skill was ready to fight him now… not just Starburst Stream: The Infinite but I have a new one that would be able to surprise him… Koyero shall get out of that merged state of his and come back to Aincrad with all of us.
Extra Scene: Hex The Miner.
This centipede-like boss creature was quite repulsive… Its legs were blades and its ginormous mouth could swallow a player whole… It had a brown shade of color for its whole body and somewhat iron covered skin to protect it from normal strikes from any weapon… It managed to stagger and blow away numerous of the units around it… It may have looked disgusting on how it looks but it is actually incredibly resilient and agile… Even my new skill couldn't give much damage to it… all it did was become the cause of giving a big dent on its armor…
My comrades from Knights of Blood were starting to get trapped in a corner (literally)… The ninja duo were acting quite suspicious though… yes, they kept their jobs as Vanguard very well but these spawning units didn't seem to bother them at all and all they do is rip them apart with their synced moves… This centipede must have a weak spot somewhere… I tried battling it head on with Lambent Light but all it did do is provoke it to increase its aggression on us. Plus the fact where it keeps burrowing underground to hide itself isn't really doing well for us…
Deira was struggling with giving numerous buffs by using that Radiance skill of hers… it drains her stamina with each use. After all these numerous attempts to weaken the opponent (Which was probably 30 minutes already), all it did was make it go to its 2nd life bar after losing its 3rd one… Deira cannot take any more of this as I can see… Not to mention, those spawning units are beginning to take a toll on our offense.
"Eto… Asuna, our momentum's starting to loosen already. I can't handle any more of this harsh damage it's giving to all of us… my Reaver is beginning to give it much less damage now… If only that Wukure was here with Azure Sky… or even better, Kirito and the others… We cannot hold them out much longer…" Klein came panting to me after getting knocked down by its leg. "We need a plan… before it starts wiping out players…"
"I know but…" I stuttered a bit but I managed to feel calm as I gazed at the now injured Klein from all that Tanking he did… "We just need to hold out a bit longer before I'll be ready… I'll save us all and you can count on it…" I charged in which made Klein try to stop me by grabbing my wrist but I quickly avoided his plead of stopping my assault but I cannot just stand there and watch my party be destroyed like this… I cannot stand it anymore…
I put my Sprinting skill to use and charged against this giant centipede boss… It may have towered high enough to make us feel its shadow but it's not big enough to stop me from doing this… Relying on Kirito too much won't do anything… He's not here with us right now so why bother trying? The centipede tried the classic tail whipping of an attack but all I needed to do is to leap on the tail and continue my way on its body… I know that the nape of the neck is probably one of the most fatal hits you could give but for this one, that's not the case…
This move I was doing may be suicidal but this is my best bet to do if I want to find its weak spot… My Lambent Light was in a tight grip by me as I ran across this slithery body of the boss… The boss seemed to have lost interest in getting me off and started fending off more of my comrades and flicking most of them away like a piece of paper… I was finally on a soft spot of the centipede… This should be the weakest spot of it… It was somewhere near its middle and on its back… this was the only area with no armor…
Here's my chance…
I made my rapier pointed up as I started to make it to a vertical position which was right in front of me. I was currently in the Pre-motion stage… My blade started to glow a faint purple shine as I had a determined look flashing in my eyes. After a second, I pulled my rapier back and before the system could automatically move my body with the skill, I jumped as high as I could for the extra momentum in thrusting…
My rapier did all the work as the skill commenced… It jabbed the soft spot of it numerous times like a Linear but this one was different… With each hit that successfully hits the opponent, another hit will be so lightning quick that it cannot be evaded or parried and it gets a 25% damage bonus for each time it reactivates… This skill lasts for 5 seconds and cannot be stopped until the duration of it is over… It has a cool down time of 4 minutes and it has a long Post-motion stage… This skill's name is…
Penetrating Frenzy
It gave devastating damage to this boss but my time for the skill was almost up… I had to escape from its confines or else I'll be caught by this boss' barrage of attacks with its leg blades… As my time was up, I quickly leaped off its back and landed right beside the ninja duo and the Post-motion stage started and I stayed in place, gasping for air. The ninja duo fended off the spawning units which were aiming for me now by constricting them with force and slicing them all up with that Transforming Katana of Nizuko.
"Not too shabby, Asuna the Flash! Now I know why they call you The Flash… That was just… quick as a literal flash!" Nizuko gave a rather impressed look towards me as he hurled his shuriken to counter all the units around us. "Now it's our turn to reverse the situation… Yuhi-chan!" He signaled Yushika which made her nod in agreement. He then threw his shuriken at Yushika which surprised me.
"Nizu-kun's move and my move… Tantalizing Slice!" Yushika caught the still-moving giant shuriken with her Constricting Katana and hurled it right at the exact spot where I used my skill on. "Slice into pieces and leave no trace… This is… the slice which could exceed the limits you thought couldn't be broken…" The shuriken severely scratched the soft spot of the boss which made it make all these disgusting sounds which even I cannot comprehend…
The centipede burrowed underground as soon as its last HP bar was already in play and when it was already low in the first bar… It could attack at any time now and in any area in this boss room so we have to be careful and wary.
I couldn't feel a single vibration within the ground so I had no clue where it may pop out but one thing is for sure… wherever it may go out from, it can cause massive damage to one player… Some of the one that were flicked away began resting up and using their Emergency Healing skill to keep themselves alive while some others like Klein gathered up together to prepare for a team kill and finally… I was there analyzing the area by myself to see where it may be. I suddenly felt something… and I knew what it was…
The centipede went from below and began its barrage of attacks on me as I felt paralyzed by pain and by some material which was on its blades… It had nothing on it at first but it seems like its last resort skill will activate once it makes contact with someone while in low HP… I couldn't feel myself anymore… I couldn't even move away from what was harming me… It just kept repeating this process until it fully went out of the ground then flicked me away…
The others tried to aid me but it seems like this boss has the skill, Emergency Spawn which some bosses use to instantly spawn more spawning units… while they were busy battling through that horde, the boss slithered closer to me which made twitch in pain as I attempted to stand to no avail… I was paralyzed with low HP… how unfortunate for me… I wanted to see Kirito-kun come back but now… it seems somewhat impossible now… Everyone had something to battle now… No one can help me now… I thought I was a goner until…
A player went out of Hiding…
The player had long slightly purple hair with her gray eyes fixated on the giant centipede… She had a blade called, Aggressive Gale. It was like a normal average katana except the part where it looks completely red in color and a structure of a normal katana with added blades on some small parts… This player managed to gain the attention of the boss and redirect it towards her instead of me… and so, it started charging towards her.
I couldn't do anything but watch as that player managed to evade the chomp of the centipede and slash its side with her blade which made the boss' HP reduce even further to the red zone. She saw an opportunity and jumped back with her sword's tip on the ground while getting a slight red beam of light on the blade before it activated.
Damned Fury…" The player gave one harsh thrust which pierced through the armor of the boss so it made me think that the skill I just saw is a skill which ignores armor… After the skill was used on the boss, the boss dispersed into digital particles and a pop-out message appeared in front of me and all of my comrades.
[Congratulations!]
[You have cleared Floor 83!]
I didn't know what just happened but I knew that we finally got through the devastating Floor 83 in one piece… about 3 players died but at least the casualties wasn't too much… I finally stood up to thank the player who saved me but once I saw the player's face, I got astonished! Even the others were astonished… especially the ninja duo… The one who saved my life and defeated Floor 83's boss, Hex the Miner was… Tomomi!
"Q-Q-Queen of Aggression?!" Yushika stuttered as she backed away in surprise like she was thinking, this wasn't part of the plan! "I-I thought you were with your master back at Floor of Exile… We weren't supposed to see you here!"
"Too bad… ninja duo… did you think that Scarlet Temptation would fall for your cheap trick? I was using the Hiding skill near the boss doors ever since I heard that Knights of Blood was planning to clear this floor… I knew you would just stall them and not show your true powers just to prolong the fight…" What did she mean by prolonging the fight? "I, Tomomi, am just helping the Knights of Blood… The Phantom Guild was actually planning to prolong the battle so that their leader can fight the people in Floor of Exile…"
"I-Is this true, ninja duo?" I turned to them but they quickly threw a clear crystal to the ground and teleported away… probably to that floor… "Kuso… why didn't I notice sooner?!"
Everyone stayed silent until Tomomi went to my side and gave a sigh. She told me about all the things I needed to know about their location and stealthily gave me a clear crystal and smiled… I was all wrong about her… She's actually a good player and not some bloodthirsty one…
I announced to everyone that I was going to give pursuit to them to the Floor of Exile and they all nodded in agreement… Klein had no arguments since he knew what would happen if you try to go against my judgment… I may go by myself but now I really must go there to help out Kirito… he helped me numerous times and so I shall return all those favors… I leveled up to Level 96 and got healed in both HP and stamina thanks to it.
"Arigato, Tomomi…" I used the Clear Crystal which made light engulf me as my vision started getting blurred by something…
The next thing I knew, I was in a forest where I saw Kirito speaking with Husharu… I didn't know why Kirito-kun was so angry but when I saw how Husharu looked like… I knew what was going on… It's Hybrid… the locked skill. I also saw Kanami standing on a tree branch waiting for the exact moment to jump… When Kirito and Husharu were about to clash, Kanami intervened which gave Husharu the chance to escape…
Just before Kanami attacked Kirito, I parried the hit and began battle with her. After some words I gave to Kirito, he left to chase Husharu and I was left alone with this assassin of some sort… I don't know what may happen to Husharu when he is defeated but I am fully sure that…
Kirito-kun will win…
End of Chapter 33
Next Chapter: Liberation from Exile.