(A/N: I am a terrible person… I said I would try to update weekly and it's been what? a month? Since my last update? I do apologize for this and I can only say that it is due to my personal inability to sit down for more than 20 minutes without starting to get horrifically bored. It may actually be better when I'm in school since at that time I'm on medicine for my A.D.D. and hence I can sit still for a reasonable amount of time without starting to twitch like some aggravated centipede. I found one in my room the last time I had enough attention span to write and spent the next 30 minutes trying to kill the damn thing before it started reproducing in my mattress, in the end I think one of my cats killed it and subsequently ate it… least I sort hope they did… otherwise it's still here…. Waiting …. Watching …. Plotting … okay maybe not but you get the point. Also just as a note to someone who wondered how Kirito could hide that fact that he killed someone, since the player he killed was an orange player he doesn't become one its only if you attack a green player that you become orange.)

"Shit" Kirito spoke this one word into the silence before he snapped to attention and began yelling orders "Asuna! Yukki! You to go rally the other guilds, I'll head back to base on foot to assess the situation" he spoke his voice tempered with determination with just a hint a worry.

The girls nodded knowing the importance of gathering reinforcements quickly although that didn't stop them from worrying about Kirito.

"Are you sure you'll be alright?" Yukki asked worriedly

Kirito just nodded "yeah I'll be fine" he said and spoke loudly in a clear voice "Teleport fourth floor!" and shattered into polygons.

The two girls looked at each other, nodded, then simultaneously used their teleport crystals and disappeared the only evidence that anyone had ever been there being a sword that lay abandoned on the ground.

-Meanwhile-

"Why aren't we making any progress god damn it!" yelled an angry cactus headed man.

His aid gulped slightly looking nervous "they appear to have a large stockpile of healing potions and a collection of various paralysis inducing poisons sir. Even though they only last for five minutes and they usually can't get more than 20 of us at one time it stops us from gaining any momentum sir."

The human-cactus hybrid growled before yelling "fine if you incompetent shit-stains can't even kill one fucking person in half a fucking hour then I'll have to do it myself" he growled looking around at his personal guard "let's go! What the Fuck are you waiting for?"

They all lined up behind as he stalked into the beginning of the canyon heading towards the sounds of battle

-15 minutes later-

"Shit" Sinon said for the tenth time. The battle had begun to shift into their favor slightly as they got warmed up and one their guild members had come up with the idea of targeting their enemies' weapons to leave them unable to keep fighting effectively. This had caused a boost in morale as they finally saw a way of winning namely to make their enemies incapable of dealing enough damage to actually be dangerous and then capturing them with brute strength. But unfortunately that had changed when he had shown up at first she had been surprised, not that he was a pker that much was known but by the fact that he had actually shown up on the battle field. And of course shortly after clouds had started to roll in dark and ominous.

Of course she realized he wasn't actually fighting a few seconds later and was just yelling at other people violently which, unfortunately, actually seemed to motivated the pkers and as a result they were rapidly running out of healing crystals and potions. And she herself was running out of arrows although she could probably get some more in the armory she was nervous about what would happened if she was watching and began being more careful with shots.

"Oh Kirito" she though "you picked a horrid day to take a break." Not that she really blamed him remotely for their current situation. Firing off another arrow she heard a scream quickly turned to sight a sight that made her blood run cold. Silica had been knocked over her health dangerously in the red her shield had been knocked to the side and a pker was about to finished her off with a sword skill. Without a second though she brought her hand up to her quiver, her blood froze as she found it empty.

The world seemed to slow as the pkers blade glowed and he started forward the entire battle field had grown silent in an instant and as they all watched powerless to interfere. Suddenly a streak of light flew from behind the pkers hitting the would be killer in the back of the neck. His health drop to zero and he manage a horrified expression right before he exploded into polygons. The streak of light fell to the ground landing with a small noise.

Sinon recognized the item instantly, it was a throwing pick. She then heard something painfully obvious in the complete silence that blanketed the battle field, the sound of boots walking forward on gravel, everyone stared gaping. Walking slowly through the mountain path towards the base was Kirito another throwing pick in his hand as he slowly walked forward. The shadow of his hair covered his eyes making it impossible to get a look at his face.

-POV switch-

He had thrown the pick without hesitation knowing what the result would be. After the battle was over he would most likely be wracked by guilt for the 2 people he had already killed and the god knows how many he would soon have to. But for now, his survival instinct had kicked in and the last thing on his mind was remorse. He then spoke in a flat voice that was as emotionless as it was chilling

"Surrender now or else I cannot guarantee your survival" he spoke his head facing Kibaou.

His words seemed to snapped everyone out of their shocked induced paralysis as the fight started up again with the members of the Black mark reinvigorated by the appearance of their leader and the pkers more desperate than ever to finish this off now aware that there was someone who would kill them with little to no hesitation if given the chance.

"Kill that god damn brat!" Kibaou yelled point at Kirito while yelling at his personal guard. 5 of which charged towards Kirito who looked at them calmly

It's happening again Kirito though idly as the world seemed to slow down although by this time he knew it was him speeding up rather than the world slowing down. He had discovered this ability when he was 8 years old during that incident. Since then he had used it several times although only a few times had been on purpose. The world was moving at a snail's pace to him and he drew his sword, scowling slightly at his own slowness which was actually just his increased perception making him appear slow, he then moved forward easily dodging the sloppy sword skills sent at him by the pkers he sliced one arm of one of the pkers in a shockingly casual manor.

He three strikes later the pkers other arm and the arms of the man next to him fell to the ground and shattered into polygons.

"Pathetic" Kirito spoke his own voice sounding drawn out and slow his vocal cords somehow adjusting his speech to regular speed in order to prevent it from sounding rushed and garbled. The two pkers fell back the majority of their health bars gone and all hope of fighting gone for several hours. 2 of the 3 remaining pkers looked on nervously; well aware that if their fellow pkers had been just a bit weaker that those strikes would have killed them and all three stopped charging for a moment two of them looking nervous while the 3rd seemed unaware of the implications of Kirito's attacks.

"What are you waiting for? I don't have all day you know" Kirito spoke before dashing forward in blur of speed (from the pkers perspectives anyway). He attacked his swings far too fast for them to do anything but put up a shoddy defense which he broke through with ease, as he severed the arms of 2 of the other pkers the last one smirked and attacking yelling out.

"You should stop trying to act tough! You haven't even tried to kill us yet that first time must have been out of reflex!" he yelled charging at Kirito didn't move for a second and then moved forward in a blur, there was a streak of light. The pkers health bar hit zero his eyes widened in shock as his arms fell in front of him shattering before he too disappeared in a flash of light.

The pkers attacking the base backed off a bit and the fighting paused. Even Kibaou looked nervous 2 dead and 4 disabled in less than a minute after Kirito's arrival. All done in what seemed like a casual and careless manor as if they were nothing but bugs beneath his feet. Many of the pkers shivered and looked nervous with one thought flashing through their minds 'Is the true power of SAO's strongest player?' it was both awe inspiring and terrifying.

"I'll give you one more chance" Kirito spoke "Surrender or die" his solemn words once again carrying across the battle field his eyes still hidden in the shadow left by his hair giving him a dark almost demonic look.

Kibaou was terrified 'he's only one brat! He shouldn't make any difference! Or at least not this much of one!

There was a loud crash and in the normally calm and peaceful 4th floor it began to rain, thunder sparking above them as the drops fell. As the water fell Kibaou felt something he hadn't felt since he had joined laughing coffin, fear, a cold suffocating fear, and above that, a horrifying sense of insignificance.