Chapter 7

First they attacked one at the time. But when I blocked there attacks, they switched to two players attacking. It didn't take long before the first strike hit my body. But I was fighting back. I wasn't targeting the players but there weapons and I had broken some of them. I jumped back to gain some time for my Battle Healing Skill to kick in.

"Your HP is already in the yellow zone. Drop your sword and we will make this quick for you. Refuse, and we will attack all at once. Your choice." The leader thought he had won this fight.

He didn't know I was holding back. First to guide the kid to the wall so he was out of the battle zone, and second because I didn't wanted to show my extra skill. I closed my eyes and checked my surroundings with my battle skill Stealth.

Stealth was one of the handiest skills I got mastered. It won't only helps you to stay quiet and sneak up on enemies, but also to make you aware of everything a rounds you. That way I would know if someone is behind me and even what swords they were using.

Leveling up that skill wasn't easy. You had to sneak up on enemies and you had to stab them with a dagger or throwing knife in there neck. It was a one-hit-kill attack so if it worked you were fine. But because you can't have a sword in your hand, if you failed and the monster attacked, you were defend less. I used throwing knives to do it so if they turned around, I could still throw one to defend myself.

The other requirement was to fight monsters with your eyes closed. You would 'see' there movements because of the skill but it wasn't easy to do it. A lot of players gave up on the skill because of this requirement.

Except for the leader in front of me, there were 4 players behind him. All with power full swords. Behind them where 8 with decent swords and behind them 6 with no swords but based on their movements where in the menu replacing the swords I broken with my attacks and another 2 to support them.

4 meters behind me was the boy against the wall. 6 meters to his left was a door most likely a trap. There are doors in dungeons that holds secret safe zones or transport gates but a door this far into a dungeon would be a trap. The distance was too far for me to check it with a trap dismantle skill.

So the only option left is to fight my way out of this. I still had my eyes closed and a smile appeared on my face.

"Realizing you can't win? Ready to give up now?"

"I was planning on saying the exact same thing to you. Let me give you a fair warning. I won't be holding back from now on." I opened my eyes and looked straight at him.

"We won't be holding back either. Get ready to have that weak sword of you snapped in halve!"

I looked at my sword before realizing I still had the Sentinel Repulsor in my hand. How can anyone think this sword is weak? I switched it to my left hand, and the scabbard on my back switched too. One of the requirements of the sacred sword skills I got was that the Sentinel Repulsor was on the left hand side.

The moment I switched, two players attacked from the front. They should know blocking an attack like that isn't hard to do. I closed my eyes real quick and noticed there plan. A third player was closely behind them and had his sword in his left hand, what would mean he will hit me on my right side the moment I'm blocking the first attack.

I blocked the first attack with my left hand, and pulled the Dark Repulsor I just summoned with my right hand to block the other attack. I could only smile after seeing the eyes of my attackers opening wide in shock. I put strength in my swords and broke the sword luck we were in.

After they all jumped back behind their leader, he himself could see why that attack didn't finished me off.

"Still want to continue this?" I asked him.

"WE NEVER GIVE UP!" His scream sounded angry.

He jumped in to attack me and with him the entire guild attacked. All 21 players attacked me straight on. There was no way I could defend myself long enough with only lower level sword skills.

There was only one option I had. I have to scare them off if I want to survive this. The 25-hit combo Dragon Repulsor sword skill, the sword skill I never used before. Not knowing what will happen, I activated it.

The first hit was with the Sentinel Repulsor right on the sword of the leader. His sword snapped in halve without even a warning crack, but I didn't stop there. I kept going and I used all hits to break their swords or deal that much damage to the player directly that they would think twice of attacking again. They were all wearing high level armor so a direct hit shouldn't kill them.

After my sword skill was completed I jumped back so I was in front of the boy again. I closed my eyes and counted the players in front of me. Still 21 players, I let the air escape I was holding. Some of them had their HP in the red zone but they were alive. Because some of their attacks did hit me, also my HP was in the red zone. I returned the Dark Repulsor to it scabbard and sheathed it with a loud noise. I grabbed a healing poison from my pocket and drank it, refilling my HP to 75%.

The cold taste of the liquid felt nice and I closed my eyes to enjoy it even more. Thanks to my Stealth skill, I noticed the boy behind me moving. He was moving with small steps to the left. Then he started running. It took me a moment too long to realize where he was going.

"NO DON'T OPEN IT!" I screamed while turning around but it was already too late.

The moment he opened the door, an alarm went off and holes opened in the wall. It was a span trap and more than 30 monsters spanned from all directions from the holes in the walls.

"I'm so sorry. Thank you for trying to help me." The boy said this to me just before the monsters attacked him and depleted his HP.

Behind me some players were trying to use crystals to transport to safety. I knew that wouldn't work. Most traps for the past 8 floors came with an anti-crystal area, meaning you can't use healing or transport crystals.

"There has to be a way…" I said to myself while taking a battle pose.

The guild behind me quickly got on their feet's and got ready for the incoming attacks from the monsters. A round 10 spears flew at me and I tried to dodge them.

I deflected 2 with the sword in my left hand and tried to dodge the rest of them. The ones I couldn't dodge left a scare on my shoulder and flank, reducing the HP back into the yellow zone. The guild behind me weren't as lucky. I turned around and saw, with loud screams, 6 players scattering into an infinity amount of polygons.

I searched for the leader and found him still sitting on his knees. He was too shocked to even move.

"Get up, you need to defend your people!" I screamed at him making him look towards me.

"How can we win? With one attacked they reduced your HP into the yellow zone. How can we defeat monsters that are stronger then the person who defeated us?" He said with a hopeless look on his face.

"So you just going to sit there and let them kill you? What kind of leader are you, letting your friends and guild getting killed like this?" I jumped towards him to kill the monsters closed to him.

My words seemed to have an effect on him as he looked around him to the players from his guild. Another 2 scattered into polygons as he picked up a sword laying on the ground from a killed player. I reached out my empty right hand and pulled him up.

"We have to work together if we want to survive this. We need to reach to other players and regroup." I said to him while unsheathing the sword with my right hand.

We tried reaching the other players but it seems to be too late. One after another were killed by the monsters. I killed a lot of monsters in my path but there were too many to get away. Because of all hits I took trying to save the others, my HP was already in the red zone. I looked for an exit and didn't noticed the spear flying towards me until it was too late to dodge it.

A shadow entered my vision and jumped in front of me, taking the spear dead on. It was the leader who jumped in front of me. He felt on the ground and looked into my eyes.

"You need to live….. Make sure this game gets cleared…" he said before exploding into polygons.

I couldn't believe he gave his live to save me. I sheathed the Dark Repulsor in an attempt to grab the health poison to save him when he said that. I looked around and saw the monsters. Only 12 monsters remaining. The all needed 2 hits to destroy them and a couple even 3.

"Is this how I die?" I asked to myself.

That moment the green orb on the Sentinel Repulsor lighted up. An image of Lizbeth flashed in my mind and a warm feeling ran through my body. It was almost as a heartbeat came from the sword and I knew it was her heart.

"She won't let me die. Not now…. Not ever."

I switched the Dark Repulsor for the Exidator and grabbed its handle. The moment I unsheathed it, the green orb on it lighted up to. I took a battle pose and got ready.

"Let's go!" I screamed and activated the strongest sword skill I had, the 29-hit combo Dragon's Sentinel.

I attacked them straight on and killed almost every monster in front of me. Only one monster remained as I attacked it with the last hit from my combo. If I don't deal enough damage to kill it, it will kill me during the cool down pause every sword skill has.

I moved in and attacked its chest and hit it dead on. As I entered the pause, I looked to see its HP. He still had some left! He raised his sword and was about to attack.

"This is it then. I'm sorry Liz."

The sword was coming down but stopped moving all of the sudden. The monster exploded into polygons and a figure in black appeared behind it.

"Do you always have to make such a dramatic entry?" I couldn't help it but to ask him that.

"I see you are kneeling to your savior. Since when did you become so humble?" he asked with a smile while pulling me up.

"Thank you Kirito, if you haven't showed up I wouldn't be here right now." I sheathed my swords and hide the Sentinel Repulsor so it seems I only have 1 sword.

"Drink this potion first. I was on my way back when I hear the alarm. Did you fall for that trap?" he asked while giving me a healing potion.

"No. I was trying to save a kid who was attacked by a red guild when he opened it." I drank the potion and saw him looking around.

"That's sad. Even those people don't deserve to die."

"I agree." I said before we both went quiet and moved away from the spot.

"Crap, I'm running late! She is going to be angry if I don't hurry!" he said while picking a transport crystal from his pocket.

"Her? You seeing someone?" I couldn't help but to tease him with it.

"It's not that! It is for planning the next boss fight." He replied a bit too quick.

"We haven't found the boss room yet so it can't be that…" I said to make him more nervous.

"Well, your right about that… Let's meet up tomorrow okay? Transport…" and he was gone.

I was about to transport away myself when I heard someone coming my way.

When I realized who it was I was frozen with shock. The player walking my way was Heathcliff, the strongest player in this world and Commander of the strongest guild, the Knight of Blood. What was he doing in a place like this?

He walked right up to me and stopped a few meters away from me. I looked behind him but he was all alone. I heard the vice-commander Asuna and others below her weren't allowed to leave without an escort. Shouldn't he have one too then?

"Hello player, I was looking for you." He said while looking at me.

"To be more precise, I'm looking for the player who survived that trap and killed 24 monsters of the 30 in the process." He said with a calm voice.

How did he know that? There was not a way that he could know that. What is the real reason him being here?

A/N I know it's mean to end with a cliffhanger, but no worries the next chapter is almost ready and will be available shortly. I've you like the story so far or have questions about it, don't be shy and send me a review or PM.