I do not own Sword Art Online or any of the characters.

Final Round

Michael looked around. There was a ruin behind him and a tree line ahead. In the tree line, he could see a pair of glowing red eyes.

"Fuck no!" Michael growled, spinning and printing away.

A bullet crashed into a pillar just ahead of him and he skidded to a stop, turning and looking toward the trees. The owner of the red eyes stepped out but it wasn't Death Gun. It was Archon. He now had a pair of red-lensed goggles that glowed slightly.

"You mother fucker," Michael snarled. "I don't know why I'm surprised you're here. You always had a knack for annoying me."

"Haven't I though?" Archon grinned drawing his machine pistols. "Shall we?"

Michael sighed and drew his knife, readying himself. Archong began to fire and Michael hurled three knives as he dodged the bullets. Archon easily evaded the knives, walking toward Michael as he fired. The moment he began to reload, Michael charged. He finished, beginning to raise the guns again only for Michael to kick one aside and slash at him. Archon spun out of the way and jumped, kicking Michael. Michael began to fly away, flipping through the air. Archon began to fire and Time seemed to slow for Michael. He hurled a knife at the closest bullet and the bullet smashed the knife but was redirected. The pieces of the knife hit other bullets around that one and redirected them. One bullet punched through Michael's left shoulder and the rest missed. Michael bounced and rolled along the ground until he reached the edge of a river and pulled himself up.

"I'm impressed," Archon commended as Michael drew his rifle, aiming at him and firing, the laser hitting his barrier near-harmlessly. "You have some real skill. But now, you die."

Then, he opened fire. Michael took a step left, hurling his knife before bullets slammed into his right shoulder, launching him off the cliff. The last thing he saw of Archon was the knife hitting him in the shoulder.

Michael plummeted into the water below, nearly losing consciousness on impact. He swam to the surface, breathing then went back under, swimming away with the current. He broke surface only long enough to breathe, otherwise trying to stay under. He finally pulled himself out of the water and pulled out the item that allowed them to see each other's position.

"A thousand meter initial dispersion my ass," Michael snarled, touching all of the player markers and noticing one less than a hundred meters from him.

He put the item away and sprinted through the trees, slowing to a walk as he neared her. Then, he stepped out of the trees less than two meters from her. She spun, drawing her automatic pistol and aiming at him. He stopped, raising his hands and she sighed lowering it.

"Didn't mean to scare you," Michael said.

"Forget it," Sinon sighed. "Any good fights yet?"

"Remember that ass hole I fought in the ring?" Michael grumbled walking to the trees and looking outward, expecting Archon to jump out. "He almost killed me. He started less than a hundred meters from me. Aside from Archon, you're the first I've met."

"So you haven't met him yet," Sinon sighed. "That's good. Then it's not too late."

"Too late?" Michael asked turning around to find her automatic pistol aimed at him.

"If I shoot you...you'll be safe," Sinon said quietly. "He can't hurt you if you're already dead."

Michael walked up to her until her pistol was against his forehead.

"Maybe," Michael agreed. "But, then again, it may be that the people are dying from something else. In which case, I may be in danger still. Besides, I told you that me and Kirito would handle him. I will protect you. So you can't shoot me."

Sinon narrowed her eyes, trying to fight back the tears he saw welling up in them. Her pistol trembled for a moment before her hand fell and the tears began to run down her face. He stepped forward, hugging her and she buried her face in his chest. After a couple minutes, she stepped back and looked away from him at a bridge in the distance.

"Dyne and a guy named Pale Rider are that way," Sinon said. "They're going to fight."

"Let's go watch shall we?" Michael smiled.

Sinon nodded, smiling and putting her pistol away. Then, she slipped her hand into his. He smiled and they began to jog toward the bridge. As they neared it, Michael released her hand, pulling out his rifle as she ran ahead to a sniping position. They both lay in the prone, watching as Dyne sprinted across the bridge then spun, dropping to the prone as well and aiming at the far end.

"Always watch your six Dyne," Sinon muttered as she sighted in on him.

Just then, she rolled over, pulling her pistol only for it to be knocked away. Michael rolled as well, putting his rifle to Kirito's head.

"Oh, it's you," Michael sighed. "You scared me for a second. Lay down. I assume you want to watch."

Kirito nodded and Sinon put her pistol away as Kirito lay down with a pair of binoculars. As they watched, Pale Rider, a player dressed in light-colored camouflage light armor with a pump shotgun, appeared on the far side then charged, his speed alowing him to easily leap from the suspension on the bridge to the other and then to the road while avoiding Dyne's bullets. Then, he fired, hitting Dyne and throwing him. Dyne tried to get up as Pale Rider landed in front of him, putting the shotgun to his head and firing. Dyne landed a ways away, the word "DEAD" appearing over him.

"No," Michael said. "It's not Pale Rider."

"How do you know?" Kirito asked.

"Death Gun had a sniper rifle," Michael said. "Pake Rider couldn't carry one because he's full AGI."

Kirito nodded just as a glowing blue dot hit Pale Rider, knocking him over. Electricity ran over him and everyone stared in shock.

"Let me see those," Michael said, taking the binoculars from Kirito.

He looked through as a shimmering silhouette stepped out of the shadows of the bridge's supsension. The shimmering stopped and left Death Gun standing on the bridge.

"Shoot him," Michael snarled, pulling out his map item and activating it, cursing.

The satelite was not in position. He put it away as Sinon fired. He looked through the binoculars again just as Death Gun leaned out of the way, the bullet streaking past.

"Oh shit," Michael growled.

Death Gun looked up at them as he pulled his pistol out of his cloak. Then, he turned back to Pale Rider, making a cross in front of himself. Then, he aimed at Pale Rider and fired. After a moment, Pale Rider leapt to his feet, aiming at Death Gun, who made no move to avoid it. Rather than fire, Pale Rider staggered backward, clutching his chest. Then, his avatar disappeared in a green flash. Then, Death Gun aimed at the camera hovering beside him. Then, he turned, walking behind a support and vanishing.

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