Linked Tales

by Underdog Emiya

It was supposed to be a simple game: no VR, no deaths, no player-killers, no crazy GMs. Just the classic set-up of a bunch of friends playing a game and having fun with it. Of course, things couldn't ever be simple with Kirito.

10. Escape from the City

Escape from the City

The City of Susukino, Ezzo Empire

25th of December - Christmas Day

Time: 11:30 AM

Location: Guild Hall, Brigandia Room

Demiqas wouldn't consider himself a patient man. For all his issues as a leader, he knew well what his fortes and weak spots were. He was a warrior. That's all that he needed to say.

"Add more than that to the stack of the market..." blabbered the man beside him, a greenhorn that ended up as his aid. "And this to the hunters...and this is about this week's incidents..."

"Alright, I get it!" grumbled the man, putting the new documents in the stack. "Lots of work for me."

And, as a fighter, he didn't dread dying (not that it mattered in a world in which Death is Cheap was in full force). He didn't fear being defeated, as life was full of ups and downs.

But he did fear paperwork.

'Such a hateable thing, disguised as a need.'

Since his first office job, Demiqas had noticed a curious trend about paperwork: it never ended. When you finish reading a sheet, two more take its place, then four, eight, sixteen, and so on. Rinse and repeat. He had his share of those when he picked odd jobs in school. Part of him had hope of never having to do it again.

As it turns out, he can't have nice things.

"Pass me the report about our issues," sighed the Monk.

Dutifully, the newbie obeyed. Good kid.

He passed his eyes through the sheet boringly. There was nothing new, just a load of junk about the sales of the slave market (he didn't bother to eye them much), a few reports of some unruly Adventurers that got punished and, of course, THE accident. He saw no signs of the incident with the Druid girl, which he grumbled a bit, but he let it pass. Serara would have her just desserts soon.

He gave a wicked grin. 'Patience, for once, Demiqas,' he thought. 'The day of reckoning is coming. For Serara, for whoever was the schmuck that snagged her, and, most especially, for HIM!'

Yes, him. His hate for Kirito had reached a level that made him surprised. He had never hated anyone with so much force.

It wasn't that he was defeated. That was fine. It was part of the cycle of a PvP gamer: sometimes, the prey was stronger.

It wasn't that he dared to challenge him. While infuriating, it wouldn't be enough to fuel his rage to that level.

'You want to die. But you dying is being merciful.'

Those words. Those fucking words. They became seared in Demiqas' memory, a faint echo in the depths of his mind. He felt more shame over those words than what happened to him before he uttered said words.

He dared to pity him as a poor schmuck below his attention and declare that as mercy?!

It would be more merciful for him to slash him to pieces than to dismiss him as he did!

"Sir, you are crushing the paper."

Demiqas blinked, noticing that he nearly shredded the report in half.

"Newbie, take care of things," said the man. "I need to take some air."

"Wha- wait, sir! Mister Londark said-"

"Tell Londark that he can shove his words up his ass!"

BUMP!

---

If Kirito was the only thing that annoyed him, Demiqas still could say he was fine.

Unfortunately, his luck wouldn't have that.

"I thought you were taking care of the week's reports," said Londark, who somehow managed to sneak on him.

Demiqas grumbled.

"I need some air. And some fighting. And some sake that tastes like sake and not like water. Not necessarily in that order."

The Enchanter huffed.

"You did get your fight earlier this week."

"It. Does not. Count" punctuated the wrathful warrior. "Your little bub cheated."

The Elf grimaced.

"This bullshit again?"

Demiqas glared at him.

In the story of Brigandia, it was a fact that the leaders of the guild fought a lot amongst themselves, almost like the snow of the Ezzo Empire falling all year. But never had the gap been so colossal.

On one side, you had Demiqas, the founder. Most agreed that he wasn't good at his job, as he was a warrior first. But he had the reason on his side: there were proofs of Londark interacting with the Black Swordsman.

Said Elf also was the pillar that kept the guild from crumbling like a castle of cards. Where Demiqas slacked in his duties, Londark was the one who kept a minimum of order in Susukino and ruled over the irate Monk's wild temper.

It all had blown off on the night of the assault, where the Monk accused the Sorcerer. While the latter tried to shrug off the accusations, others in the guild had diverging opinions. Londark had been trying to de-escalate the situation while Demiqas kept up his assault. In a short time, Susukino turned into a barrel of gunpowder, ready to blow at any second.

"Don't come with that bullcrap to me," said Demiqas. "I know what you did. You are conspiring against me. You want the power."

"I have no interest in taking your spot," said Londark. "Besides, weren't you complaining about the duties of being in command not so long ago? Where is that attitude now, huh?"

Sorcerer and Monk glared at each other. Then, slowly, they backed down and continued walking.

"How are things in the ruins?" asked Demiqas calmly.

Londark held his tongue. It was nonsensical to keep the fight going.

"Scouts found a house that is possibly inhabited," said the Elf. "If we surround them..."

"Burn it down," interrupted the Human.

"Excuse me?"

"Don't play deaf, Londark," said Demiqas. "Not with those ears of yours. Burn. It. Down. That brat is there. And there's no better way to send a message than some crispy Adventurers. If they try to get out? We nail them before the Guard arrives. Do that without failure, and I will believe in your innocence."

Silence. Londark licked his lips and opened his mouth to answer when a messenger appeared in the streets.

"It's one of ours," said Londark.

The messenger -a Assassin Wolf Fang -stopped in front of the two.

"He's..." he tried to say, out of breath. "He's...!"

"Hey, speak at once!" said Demiqas, knowing from the gut whom he was talking about.

The Wolf Fang obliged, taking a deep breath before screaming:

"The Black Swordsman is challenging you to a fight until death!"

---

The day before

"This is insanity."

"Is there a need for that?!"

"Papa, this is reckless!"

"..."

Kirito raised his hands.

"Enough, enough, enough!" he said. "Listen, this is the only sure way to make this work. Let's analyze the plan from the beginning."

He took a deep breath.

"As we know, we can't go out by the gates. Brigandia keeps those in check, meaning that going for them will end badly for us. However! We do have an alternative way out. Up."

Nyanta, the only one not to have objected to Kirito's plan, stepped up.

"Thanks to the help of Shiroe, I remembered something that could lead us up the walls: a cargo elevator."

"A cargo elevator?" asked Silica, having her companion, the Cooper Hawk named Hawk, on her shoulder for whatever reason.

"Indeed, mewlady," said the gentlecat. "The People of the Earth used it to rebuild the city's walls after an attack by the giants. There is one of them a bit more to the south, and that's where we are going when the time comes."

Kirito crossed his arms.

"The plan is simple: use the elevator to transport us to the top of the walls and jump to the ground. Once one person is up, she will release a stair rope Nyanta will give them and let the others up. Then, you will use that to go down and rush down to the forest outside the city's range, where Naotsugu will be waiting. With Yui's guidance, you should arrive in around one hour. If you leave exactly midday, you will reach the Fairy Ring right when it opens."

"Why midday?" asked Serara. "Why not earlier?"

Kirito shook his head.

"The hunters of Brigandia are prevalent here. One wrong step and the cat is out of the bag -figuratively and literally. However, Nyanta noticed a trend."

The Felinoid stepped again.

"Brigandia has no organization in this movement," said the cat. "Thus, they are all over the place in terms of planning. There are no patrols, routines, patterns, nothing," he glanced at the girls. "Tell me, what was taken away of us with the coming to this world, yet still is felt?"

It instantly clicked for Silica.

"The need to eat."

"Nyanya! Good job, Silica. Yes, while deprived of delicious meals like the ones I make, the men and women of Brigandia still need to feed themselves. Thus, many of them go to inns to sate their hunger."

"If so..." asked Yui. "Then Daddy, why do you need to serve as bait?!"

He closed his eyes, putting his hands on Yui's shoulders.

"Yui. Even that won't be enough to distract them for long enough. The elevator we talk about is not magical. Even Nyanta, the strongest of us all, will need time to lift it. So, we need something big to get attention. And, to Demiqas, I could as well be a bullfighter cape. He will divert most of his efforts to guarantee I can't escape him again."

She pouted.

"But...you will die."

Kirito opened his eyes.

"I won't. Shiroe has plans to help me escape once the escape group is safe. And even if that's the case, my life..." he paused, considering what he would say. "It will be easier to escape alone than with a group."

Kirito didn't believe a single word of the last statement. He knew that Demiqas would attempt to prevent him from escaping whatever punishment he had in store. The boy looked at his bag, remembering the Hanged Man card inside. Was that the sacrifice that the fortune teller talked about? Did the card influence his thoughts? He couldn't say.

'My life is a good trade for the freedom of the other four.'

He couldn't say that in front of his daughter. What was he thinking?

Yui didn't seem to believe it either.

"At least let me stay with you!" she said, fear in her voice.

"I'm afraid I must veto mewr choice, Miss Yui."

She turned to Nyanta.

"We need mew or Kirito to find the correct gate to pass. Maps can only take one so far, and we need mewr skills for the operation to succeed. Once there, I will send a message to Shiroe with the exact coordinates."

"Besides," said Kirito. "I won't be able to go all-out against Demiqas with you close to me. Remember what happened last time?"

The AI bit his lips. Her father poked her forehead.

"I will feel lighthearted if you can return home safely," he smirked. "I already slipped out of harsh situations before. It will be fine."

Kirito hated to have to lie like this. Yui was smart enough to realize that his job was the most dangerous of them all. And he wouldn't have the element of surprise on his side, only his skill and whatever tricks he had in the bag.

"He will return."

The two looked at Silica, the Felinoid standing tall with her Summon.

"I have faith in you, Kirito," said the Summoner. "You came all the way to help a friend. And I will never forgive myself if you don't return! Do you hear me?!"

The Swashbuckler went silent for a moment. Then, he laughed.

"Well, guess I can't afford to fail anymore," he said. "It's a promise, then. Now, let's iron out the fine details."

However, Kirito never forgot the Hanged Man for a second. He dreamt of countless nooses around his neck, so much so that he had a sore nape when he woke up.

---

Present time

Time: 11:45 AM

Location: East Gate

"Where is he?"

Demiqas was barely exhausted from running until the gate. He had no time to bother with small things like exhaustion. Londark paced behind him, a bit winded but soon to recover.

The grunt that he asked the question turned to the Monk.

"We don't know, boss. Most of us only reached here a few minutes ago."

The Monk glared around, trying to find any sign of his prey.

"Demiqas."

Where, where was the Black Swordsman? Why did he put his head off the burrow?

"Demiqas!"

Was it because they were close to his hideout? A desperate move to-

"DEMIQAS!"

He turned to the Sorcerer.

"What?!"

"Don't accept his challenge," said the Elf. "It's a trap. Anyone with half a brain cell can tell it."

The Monk bit his lip.

"I don't care. If I can cave the face of that bastard, then I say this is the best day I have had since we got stuck here."

"What if that is his plan, though?" asked Londark. "What if he's trying to take our attention from something else?"

"Well, he certainly grabbed my attention," replied Demiqas coldly. "And that will be his last mistake."

A scream. A girl with a ponytail pointed to the top of the roof. The man of the hour was there, staring at the crowd.

"My, what a crowd we have here tonight," he said. "Many people must want to see me kick Demiqas's ass."

He said this as if it was to himself, but in a loud voice for everyone to hear.

"Demiqas-" started Londark, but the Monk was already away.

"There you are, damn coward!" roared the leader of Brigandia. "Get your ass down here, and let's fight like men!"

The sarcastic laugh of the Black Swordsman was the answer that the cruel warmonger received.

"'Like men?' You dare to say such things after healing yourself in the middle of a duel and then using a hostage?" the fake smile he wore so far disappeared, exchanged for a heavy scowl. "You rinse of hypocrisy, as expected of a man that rules with fear and oppression. In your chase for power, you became weak! Otherwise, you wouldn't have your ass whooped by me last time."

Demiqas grits his teeth.

"You caught me off-guard, punk. It will not happen twice."

"Oh, it better not," said the boy mockingly. "Otherwise, your name will be so deep in the mud that it will not even be funny."

"?"

Londark wasn't sure why, but he felt Kirito wasn't speaking only about losing the fight. At this point, however, it was useless to talk back Demiqas from fighting - he already had his gauntlets out.

"You will be nothing but a bloody pulp once I'm through with you."

The boy in black dropped to the ground, and the crowd -composed of a majority of Brigandia members, with a few independent Adventurers and People of the Earth spread thin -opened the way. He marched until he was in front of the Bane of Susukino, staring him eye to eye, even though the Monk towered over the Swashbuckler. Then, like one, both men moved to the gate, and the crowd followed suit.

It didn't take long for them to leave the safe zone. The crowd stayed at the gates, watching the two men pick more distance. Once they were fifty steps away from the others, they started walking back.

One step. Two steps. Ten steps. Twenty steps. Stop.

At forty steps from each other, the hatred that both possessed for each other was visible.

One was a barbarian who ruled with might. Its opponent was a rebel who fought with a rightful heart.

Then, under a silent agreement, the men ran.

Demiqas took the initiative. Like always, he used his trademark Wyvern Kick, boosted by the speed, to close the distance and attempt to overwhelm his adversary.

However, Kirito was more than ready for that: letting his knees give in, he used the momentum to slide below the attack, avoiding it. Then, he countered with a Viper Slash that the Monk hastily avoided.

He rolled up, putting himself in the Wildcat Stance.

"Tsk! Going for the same tricks of last time, huh?" grumbled the Monk.

"How did you know?" asked Kirito sarcastically. "I thought it would do well against a brute like you."

The leader of Brigandia grumbled but didn't take the bait. He learned the lesson from the last time.

Then, he moved in multiple directions.

"Phantom Step!"

Illusory doppelgangers appeared around Kirito, all riling to pounce on him. Three of them -one from above and two from the sides -went onward, attempting to crush the puny swordsman with a fast pincer.

"Nice try. But!"

He didn't bother to dodge the attacks from the sides, instead focusing on the one from the top as he readied a skill. Rushedly, the Monk canceled Phantom Step and blocked the upcoming X-Cross. The attack was strong enough to send the hulking man back.

"Classic trick," commented Kirito casually. "Don't focus on the afterimages, but on the ground, for a shadow. Coming from the top was the worst move you could have chosen because it becomes more evident."

Demiqas glared at the Swashbuckler. The X-Cross didn't hurt him much -maybe only taking around seven hundred points from a health pool bordering in the fifteen thousand -but it was clear.

Kirito had gotten the first blood.

"My, my, I am unlucky," said the Swashbuckler, shaking his head. "From where I came from, a blow like this would settle any duel between two decent players."

Demiqas cracked his neck.

"Good thing I'm far from decent," he said, putting himself into a battle stance and jumping at Kirito.

"Under complete agreement there!"

The warrior in black dodged. Ideally, he would have attempted to strike back at the Monk, but he didn't want to lead him to cheat -at least not yet.

'Alright, Nyanta. It's your turn now.'

---

"Fast, girls. Meowr time is short."

The trio nodded, moving out of their hideout as some latecomers ran to the east, probably hearing only now about the bout in the gates.

"Daddy is attracting a lot of attention..." commented Yui.

"It's not too surprising," said Serara. "Mister Kirito challenged the one man everyone in the city fears to a fight. He could have challenged the guy that dragged us to this world, and they wouldn't move as fast as now."

Silica gulped.

"Eesh. I suppose we couldn't expect more from him. He tends to catch the eye of everyone around."

Aincrad, Alfheim, whatever the name was for the world of Gun Gale and Underworld: whenever the Black Swordsman passed, he always made an impact.

"Nya, nya!" laughed Nyanta quietly. "He's been a rowdy one, hm? I would hate to have him as an enemy."

"You would, mister Nyanta," agreed Silica, remembering how brutal her former crush could be. She shuddered a bit. What he did to PoH still gave her nightmares. "You would."

The Felinoid raised an eyebrow but decided not to delve too deep.

"We arrived," he said.

Thankfully, as planned, there was no man of Brigandia close. However, there was a bigger problem at the moment.

"Drat," said Nyanta. "This is worse than we expected."

The elevator was a wooden square connected with four chains in each corner, going up and then down, leading to a pulley used to raise the structure.

The issue was with the back chains.

"They are broken!"

Yes, that was what the group saw. Two of the chains stood on the ground, completely ripped apart.

"Who did this?" asked Silica, touching the objects. "Did Brigandia think someone could escape through the elevator?"

Nyanta shook his head.

"No. Look more closely, Miss Silica."

She did so. Now, with a closer, the Felinoid noticed how brown the metal was.

"Rust," said Yui.

He nodded.

"Such a meowfortune. The last time I saw it, it still was up. Maybe something forced it, or maybe it was bad luck. What matters is that we need to alter our plan."

He picked up a map from his bag, opening and pointing at the north part of Susukino.

"There is another elevator going southwest. With a small message to Naotsuguchi, we would only have a ten-minute delay in our plan."

The group was about to move when Silica looked at the sky.

"Is it only me seeing smoke in the sky?"

The others looked to the sky, where black smoke flew lazily in the wind. With a bit more observation, the smoke came from where they came from.

"No," said Nyanta. "No, mew are not."

"Are we being hunted?!" asked Serara, her voice a few tones altered.

"I fear so," said the Swashbuckler. "Blast. I thought we would have more time before the hunt started."

"How long do we have until they find us?" asked Silica, gripping her staff.

"The snow is covering our trails, but if they have Trackers…" muttered Yui. "I give us fifteen minutes before they get here. But all the paths that lead to the elevator that Mister Nyanta mentioned cross with the most optimal ways for them to get here."

Nyanta snapped his tongue.

"We can't afford to take a detour either," said the Felinoid. "Our timeline would already be strict with the suggested path. We need to find a way to climb this wall now."

'Climbing the wall? Without the elevator? How?' wondered Silica.

Those walls were at least forty feet tall and looked too slippery to run on -if anyone even was dumb enough to attempt that.

'We only need to get the rope ladder and someone else to tie it,' she reflected. 'But how do we do that?'

She glanced at her staff, sighing. The Summoner could use Pina's company right now. The Feathered Dragon maybe could even-

Silica blinked, looking again at the staff. Then, she looked at Yui, staring at the top of the wall with frustration.

"If only I could carry the rope..." said the AI.

And then it all clicked.

"I got it!" said Silica. "Come, Hawk!"

The Copper Hawk materialized in front of her, squawking. Then, it landed in the snowy field, looking at its master.

"Silica?" asked Serara. "What are you doing?"

She took a deep breath.

"Living up to my title as the Beast Tamer."

---

'Things seem to be going well so far,' thought Shiroe.

The Enchanter sat at the top of one of the buildings, watching the fight from afar. He had climbed there once everyone was away. With everyone focused on the duel, no one took notice of the figure in the white cape.

He winced slightly as the fist of Demiqas passed close to Kirito's cheek, but the Swashbuckler managed to avoid being damaged at the last second and retreated, the Monk giving chase soon after. The black-haired boy fainted a blow from the left but then slashed at the right side of Demiqas, taking a grunt out of him. The Leader of Brigandia attempted again to punch the head of the swordsman off, only for him to miss the mark as Kirito back stepped quickly.

That was the lethal dance the two warriors engaged in through the last ten minutes. 2 hours for the Fairy Ring to open. The Half-Alv frowned slightly. Nyanta should have sent a message by now, but they had some space for delays. And, in his mind, he already predicted issues: no plan is perfect after all.

Akatsuki's arrival did not come as a surprise to him.

"Milord," said the Assassin. "The extraction group has found hurdles. The elevator broke."

Shiroe's eyebrows raised.

"Dammit," he grumbled. "This is the one situation that I have not predicted."

He foresaw interventions from Brigandia or other affiliated forces but never expected something as mundane as a broken chain to become an obstacle. Maybe he should have sent Akatsuki to see it when she infiltrated last night, but they had other worries at the time -mainly, spreading the rumor about Kirito's whereabouts to win one more night, along some other things.

"Can't they move to the secondary extraction point?"

"Enemy forces are coming their way, Milord," said the ninja. "Our time runs short. The other Felinoid, Silica, plans to get around the elevator issue, but I do not know how long this will take."

'Silica?' thought Shiroe. He made an effort to remember his talk with Nyanta last night. 'Summoner, with her starting beast being the Copper Hawk. What can she do in this situation?'

He crossed his eyes, making mental calculations. At this point, retreating from their position was impossible without compromising the operation. So, the best course of action was-

"Win time," he said to Akatsuki. "You know what to do. Then, prepare the escape vehicle."

The black-haired girl bowed, disappearing in a pink flash. Then, when Shiroe saw Kirito looking in his direction, he launched his sign.

---

CLANG!

The two figures clashed metal against metal -gauntlet against sword. Both grunted slightly, losing small amounts of health in the process.

That's when the fireworks were released.

They were loud. That's the first thing that most people took notice of.

BOOM!

The same pattern happened twice after.

Demiqas narrowed his eyes, glaring at the man in white robes who launched the rockets.

"Tsk. Who is that asshole, and why is he releasing fireworks?" growled the Monk.

Kirito, meanwhile, had to hide a grimace.

'Fifteen minutes? Shit.'

That was a system that Shiroe devised to warn how much time Kirito would have to fight. One firework was five minutes, two ten, and so on.

'Something must have happened,' he thought. 'Crap, what do I do?'

Kirito analyzed the situation. He had no way to stop attacks from other Brigandia members other than Demiqas' wish to crush him in one-to-one -and who knows how long he had until the man bit the bullet and ordered for a dogpile. His health still was in the green -around 6500 points. Demiqas bar, in contrast, barely seemed to have moved, but Kirito wasn't too surprised. Even if their defense was lower than their peers, the Monk class still was one of the three Warrior classes.

Besides, he never expected to win that duel, only to extend it until the time to escape came.

'Still, fifteen -fourteen -minutes? How do I even do that?'

In his distraction, he only now noticed the barbaric warrior barking orders at his subordinates.

"And make sure that clown knows I will give him what he deserves in person!" he snarled, gripping his fists. "Now, to fight you."

An idea popped into his head.

"Chill out, man," said Kirito in the most relaxed tone possible, twirling his blades. "Getting mad at everything is not good for your health."

"Now you worry about my health?" snarled the Monk. "Bah! Bet that you set that up to piss me off!"

Kirito gave a dry smile -the kind he used to do in his first days as a Beater in Aincrad.

"Is it working?"

The man growled and jumped into the air, unleashing a wave of energy from his feet -the Warrior-specific skill, Aura Saber.

Kirito rolled over it and launched a stab against the man's eyes as he used Wyvern Kick midair to reposition himself.

But Kirito was waiting for this.

'Predictable.'

Predicting his positioning and experience with the time Wyvern Kick needs for recovery, the Swashbuckler unleashed a Cheap Trick -a horizontal debuffing strike - aiming for the eyes.

SWOOSH!

In an impressive display of elasticity, Demiqas avoids the attack but falls flat on his ass, leaving Kirito enough time to recover and retreat.

"Oh, my," said the black swordsman. "The great bully, sitting on the ground and sucking his thumb. Oh, such a fearsome foe!"

Demiqas growled, putting himself back on his feet. All he wanted was to trounce the man, but a question bugged him.

"Why do all this?" he said, walking around the improvised arena.

Kirito did that as well, hoping to keep the distance for now.

"Do what? Insult you? It's because it's so easy, and I have a lot of pent-up aggression from my time in this city."

The Monk huffed.

"You know what I meant. Last time, although you humiliated me, most of your acts were to defend that wimpy child. Now, why go aggressive? Why now?"

The boy shrugged.

"Dunno. Maybe your face was ugly, and I want to punch it," said the boy. "On a more serious note, I can't stand what you did to this town, you and your bunch of thieves. Nothing but a bunch of parasites!"

"Parasites?!" barked Demiqas. "We are the strong! Our right is to take whatever we want from the weak! It's a dog-eat-dog world, after all!"

"It's what you say," said Kirito. "But if so, then your beliefs are worth dogshit."

The Swashbuckler pointed his sword at the Monk.

"The strong's duty is to protect the weak, not oppress them. That's what you do: you make them your slaves, your hands, your merchandise. For ten days, all you did was pillage, burn, and hurt. To not hunger, you threw a thousand to the dirt."

(In the back, Londark's eyes widened. How could he have known for how long Brigandia was in control if he was out for most of the time?)

"So you say," snarled Demiqas. "But under my banner, those willing to get their hands dirty thrived. Whatever is needed to stay on top! That is the depth that any of these men and women will go for what is theirs!"

The members of Brigandia roared in agreement -but it felt half-hearted, even more from the man himself.

"...I see," said Kirito. "Do you believe in what you say?"

The eyes of the Monk narrowed, but he didn't answer. Londark looked at his companion, doubt in his eyes.

"Demiqas?"

"Clam it, pointy-ears!" barked the rude man. "Of course I do! That guy is spewing-!"

"Am I wrong in saying you were against the slave market, a symbol of your rule?"

The Monk slowly turned to the Swashbuckler.

"Wha- Who told you that?" he said. "Who's slandering me like-!"

"Hey, it's so easy to slander you!" said Kirito. "I do not need any help in my quips, even more with such a reaction. Worth ten thousand yen, haha!"

The Monk growled.

"Do you think this is funny?! To subvert my authority?!"

"Yes! And I say to get real!" barked back Kirito. "All you did until now was for your survival, right? But even then, you hold regret for some of your actions. Am I wrong?"

Silence. A hundred eyes stared at the trembling figure that was the leader of Brigandia.

"I..."

The Swashbuckler craved his blades to the ground and crossed his arms.

"Some of your crimes are despicable, never to be forgotten. But, like many, you were scared. You wanted to survive in a strange world. It's still not too late. Stop this madness. Free Susukino from oppression."

It was a long shot, Kirito had to admit. He wouldn't play the diplomacy card if things went as planned.

But Demiqas was far from the most despicable figure he ever met. There was Laughing Coffin, Oberon, Quinella, and other people he couldn't bother to remember. At the very least, from Silica's story, he could tell that the man had a code or basic morals -way better than most opponents that the Black Swordsman fought.

"Aaaaah?! What kind of bullshit are you trying to sell, Black Assface? Snap him like a twig, boss!"

"Yeah!" "Yeah!" "Yeah!"

The Yeahs multiplied. Kirito noticed that someone rat-like started the Yeah chain. 'It seems we have people afraid of losing their breadwinner,' thought the swordsman, retrieving his swords.

Demiqas turned to him, his expression grimdark.

"There is your answer," said the man. "You are an enemy, simple as that. And I will grind you to dust."

Kirito counted how many minutes that talk took. Five. Ten to go.

"Heavy is the head that bears the crown," quipped the swordsman. "Allow me to liberate you from this weight."

And the two jumped to the heat of battle once again.

---

"Now...you pick. And take it. You get it?"

"I am having serious doubts about this plan now..." mumbled Serara, to which Silica let out an exasperated stare. 'Doing my best here!'

The girl was already ten minutes in instructing her familiar on what to do, all down the drain as Hawk didn't understand anything she said.

Familiars could obey simple commands: attack a monster with a skill, move to a certain point, or fly above a wall.

There was no command to 'grab the rope ladder.'

She attempted one more time.

"Pick," she lifted the ropes and then pointed at the top of the wall. "Fly there."

Hawk nearly took flight before Silica called back.

"Return!"

The girl put a hand on her face, feeling the sweat going down her head.

"All clear until now," said Nyanta, who watched the streets with lynx eyes. "Shiroechi is delaying our pursuers, but he can only do so much."

The Felinoid gulped.

"I'm trying," she said. "Hawk understands when I order him to fly, but he doesn't get the concept of picking things up."

She remembered the time Kirito spoke about how it was to make a computer program:

'You can't simply write for the thing you want the program to do and wait for things to go as you want,' he had said. 'You need to set parameters and use the right commands for the right actions, or else you hit a wall.'

"Hawk, step on the ladder."

Much to her surprise, the beast obeyed the command. Could it be...?

"Now...grab it!"

The bird squawked, confused. Silica fell to the ground, frustrated.

"Dammit, dammit, dammit!" said the Dragon Tamer. "I feel it's so close, but I can't get it right!"

Serara looked worried at the streets.

"What do we do?" she asked. "It's already too late to go the other way!"

Yui frowned.

"But how can we get the rope up there? The wall is too big to throw the ladder to the top, and I'm not strong enough as a Pixie to carry it."

Nyanta tapped his fingers on his blades. How, indeed. Silica's idea could have worked with more time, but-

'Who says it still can't be salvaged?'

He looked at the rope ladder, an idea brewing in his mind.

"Mew said that the Copper Hawk obeys the command of flying to other places fine, right?"

His fellow Felinoid nodded. All that the Swashbuckler needed to hear. He crouched and started tying the ladder around his feet. It protested slightly, trying to move away.

"Stay, Hawk!" said Silica. "Nyanta won't harm you."

Meanwhile, Yui realized what Nyanta's plan was.

"Don't make knots too strong! It may cost us time!"

The gentlecat nodded, redoing them at the girl's request, until getting them tight to not release in the way up but enough for the Genius to untie.

"Give it a shot, Silica," said Nyanta.

The Summoner gulped slightly, pointing to Hawk.

"Go up."

The bird obeyed. The ladder came together. While the bird had difficulty keeping the flight stable, Hawk soon got used to the additional weight.

"Yui!"

"On it!"

The girl turned into a fairy, climbing into the back of the bird and ignoring the cold.

"Go to the top of the wall, Hawk!"

The bird obeyed, taking flight with Yui holding onto him. The flight was a bit unstable because of the added weight of the rope, but soon enough, the two of them were atop the stone structure.

"Atchoo! So cold!" said Yui, growing back. "Is it worrying that I am getting used to this?"

Hawk squawked, unsatisfied with the arrangement.

"Ah, right! I have to hurry, or-"

She looked at the ground and paled.

"The pursuit group is close!" she screamed - a mistake, as it made the Brigandians accelerate their step to intercept the runaways.

Nyanta drew his blades.

"Yui, get to work!" said the gentlecat. "We will hold them!"

Well, Nyanta would hold them off. Considering the strength of Brigandia, two blows would be more than enough to kill Serara and Silica on the spot, guards be damned. He grimaced, picking a whistle from his bag and passing it to Silica.

"When the ladder goes down, mew two climb first. Don't look back."

"What?!" said Silica. "All of us are going out, Nyanta! We don't leave others behind!"

The expression of the usually jolly gentlecat was grim.

"I fear this choice is out of mewr hands, Miss Silica."

The first group entered their vision, arms ready.

BOOM!

A green cloud of smoke burst from the ground, blinding the group and making them cough uncontrollably. The enhanced noses of Silica and Nyanta could smell the gas from their position, and they had only one word for it.

"Ew."

"What is that?" asked Serara, gripping her staff a bit less tightly.

"If I had to give mew a professional opinion? Stink bombs," said Nyanta. "It's an item available on April Fool's to everyone and some of the stinkier places of Theldesia regularly. It doesn't damage, but it gives a debuff that makes you dizzy. I suppose it was Shiroe's idea of a distraction."

He saw a few projectiles flying in his direction and nimbly picked them up mid-air. More bombs. Nyanta saw a pony-tailed figure with black clothes watching them before disappearing in a pink flash.

"Well, it seems that mew found Akatsuki if Shiroe's description is correct," commented the cat, in a matter-of-fact tone.

"She looked like a ninja..." said Silica.

"Eh? I saw nothing," said Serara. "Is that some Felinoid trait?"

They heard groans. The effect of the stinky bomb that Akatsuki threw was fading away. Nyanta passed the bombs to his younger companions.

"Ladies," he said. "This is not a gentlemanly practice. But…"

With the swing of a pitcher, he launched the bomb against one of the men, breaking it on impact and drowning them in the odors of rotten eggs and other very smelly things.

"...I can't deny this gives me a not small amount of satisfaction."

With a configuration to make Oda Nobunaga proud, the trio launched wave after wave of bombs against their foes, drowning them in a smell hell of such intensity that many fell to their knees and released all their lunch/breakfast in the stone streets. At a later time, the inhabitants of Susukino would claim that this was the action of angry spirits. The truth was infinitely more mundane, though.

By the time Yui dropped the ladder, the trio was out of bombs, but it was alright. No one could contest their escape, and when other Adventurers came to look for the reason for the havoc, the group was already far away.

---

Shiroe batted his eye to the kneeling Assassin.

"Done, Milord. Soon enough, stupid Naotsugu should-"

BZZT.

The Enchanter accepted the call. As expected:

"I got a package full of cats, cute girls, and…whatever is that black-haired kid. The ball is on you now, Shiroe."

"Got it. We met there, Naotsugu."

He cut the link, looking at Akatsuki.

"The vehicle is also ready, Milord," said Akatsuki.

The Enchanter nodded, picking another rocket from his bag.

"Time to prepare for the final stage of the plan."

---

BOOOOOOOM!

A rocket -this time, with a red trail -soared into the skies before blowing in yellow sparkles.

Kirito allowed himself a small smile -part one completed.

Time for the finishing touch.

He ducked Demiqas' attempt at a punch and did a sweeping blow that the Monk jumped over and attempted to counter with an axe kick that the Swashbuckler rolled under, making a small crater on the impact point.

The Monk grits his teeth, switching stances mid-air into the War Bear stance -one that focused on grappling maneuvers -in an attempt to crush the enemy into a deadly bear hug, that, once again, was avoided and led to Kirito to jump over the man and nail a Viper Thrash in his right arm, causing the man to wince and his life to drop to yellow.

He glared at Kirito, changing back into the Wildcat Stance and stepping back to avoid further attacks. The former Beater let out a cocky smile.

"What is the matter? The big mean boss can't handle some pain?"

On the side, Londark narrowed his eyes, analyzing the numbers of each one. Kirito had been in the yellow for some time after Demiqas managed to nack him with a stray Aura Saber. The advantage was seemingly on the Monk's side regarding power and health.

The truth couldn't be more different.

It was something that the Sorcerer started to be more and more aware of after the failed attempt at ending things peacefully. How the fight proceeded, or, to be more accurate, the pacing.

Like now: Kirito predicts Demiqas next move and, as a follow-up, kicks him in the legs and slices his back. Rather than keeping aggressive, however, he opts to rile the Monk, who, in anger, tries to immediately go for the throat, again whiffing and being punished like someone would do in a fighting game.

Rinse. Repeat.

Demiqas was never in control of that battle. Kirito took his mind by storm, narrowing his options to two.

Fight. Or bow.

And, as Demiqas was too proud, his choice was to fight, which Kirito knew would happen.

'Is this the difference that experience can make on the battlefield?' he thought.

No, it was more than that. Kirito came up with a plan and stuck to his guns. He was slowly grinding away his opponent's resistance, attacking in a disciplined manner and never overextending his strikes. Most of the skills he used also had very few vulnerable timeframes -was his impression, or some of them seemed to end earlier than usual? -so, while his damage was not all-great, it was safe.

The situation reminded Londark of a boxing match he saw one day on television between a young aspiring star and a grizzly veteran. Physically, the younger boxer ran leaps around his older foe but still lost because the veteran had a better, more refined style and used the weaknesses of the star's style to make him eat dirt.

That was what the situation was right now. But something would give in.

And, in this case, it was Demiqas' patience.

"Gah! Healers, ready!"

Some Druids and Clerics raised their staves while a wave of mutters began -some approving the action of the Monk, others frowning at the maneuver.

Kirito, surprisingly, was smiling about that.

"So…you concede defeat?" asked the teenager.

"No," said the Monk, his health growing to green. "I concede that you are too annoying for me to beat the honest way. But that's fine: once you become a puddle of meat in the ground, everyone will know not to mess with me."

"Yeah, you and your pocket healers," said the black-coated warrior. "Anyone with a decent enough level and half a dozen Recovery Adventurers can become threatening. Trembling in my boots."

The Monk frowned, stopping in its tracks. Something felt off.

The Swashbuckler had sheathed his blades.

"What? Did you accept your end?"

"Maybe," he cheerfully said. "But I promised that your name would be in the mud by the end of this. After all, until now, no one knew ABOUT THE SLAVE MARKET FRAUD!"

The Monk stepped back as cries of surprise came from the crowd.

"Don't listen to him!" said a rat-faced Adventurer. "He's-!"

"Talking nothing but the truth, yes indeed!" interrupted the Swashbuckler. "After all, few knew that those guys…they rig the auctions, you see? Increase the price, make a figure more precious than it should. All the foundations of this business?! Build in a goddamn lie!"

That caused quite a commotion, with people looking at each other worriedly. The rat-faced bastard snarled.

"So what?! People kept buying because that's what they wanted! What will you do about it? What is the point of revealing that?!"

Demiqas and Londark's eyes widened, realizing what happened.

"Oh, I can't do nothing," said the boy. "But, thanks to being so clever by half, you indirectly admitted that there was a scam rather than doing the reasonable thing and denying it. So, my thanks, you asshole! Congrats, you played yourself and made me waste quite some time thinking in the rhetoric that I would use to make you spill the beans!"

The eyes of the man widened as people slowly looked at the figure. He gulped.

And then someone drew a sword.

Chaos ensues as the companions and defenders of the leader of the group approach to defend him while others attempt to jump at the man in a maddening cascade.

Demiqas made no move other than glaring at the swordsman.

"You…you…!"

"Me," said Kirito. "Yes, I am whatever you are saying."

"Why?"

He looked at Londark. Contrary to his partner, he kept a calm demeanor.

"Why do all of this? What is your plan? Once things calm down, you will be the most hunted man in Susukino. Again."

The swordsman snorted.

"Good that I don't plan to stay here for much longer. All my objectives, achieved, just like that."

'...I see. So all this time, he was a distraction.'

He wondered if the rocketeer was his accomplice. The Elf would need to further investigate-

"Now, I ask you a question, second-in-command," said the boy in black.

"Hm?"

"What will you do now?"

He blinked.

"I…I don't understand."

"No, you do," said the swordsman. "After today, this city's fate will be again up in the air. Some will gnaw to change things, others to keep them as they are. In short, a battlefield. You are open to change, but many will only see you as one of Brigandia's heads. So, here's the choice. To stay or to run. What do you pick?"

The two men stared at each other for a few moments until Londark let out a huff.

"What kind of leader do you think I am? Someone that leaves his subordinates behind at the drop of a hat is not fit for leadership."

Did Londark ever want to leave Brigandia? Yes, several times. Demiqas was an infuriating figure to work with most of the time, and the last times in Susukino were hard for him, even more so in the whole debate of who was the best head.

But, on the other hand, Ace Satou was a stubborn guy who clawed to the top on his own merits. It took more than that to make him budge.

Respectfully, Kirito nodded.

"If you are so sure," said the boy. "I hope that next time we see, the circumstances are more friendly."

He sidestepped at the Lightning Straight of Demiqas.

"Don't make me fucking laugh, you bastard!" snarled the long-haired man. "The next time he sees you, it will be in a dungeon, rotting away like the piece of shit you are!"

Kirito let out another confident smile.

"Sorry, but I have other plans!"

He avoided the next blow of the Monk, then jumped onto his shoulders and, using it as a springboard, flew over the fighting crowd.

Demiqas attempted to bullhead through the chaotic horde, but he was against the tide, heavily slowed down.

"Get back here! You will not escape my fist!"

The boy looked at the gate. The Monk only realized what would happen when it was too late. His guards, distracted by the chaos in the field, didn't bother to block the passage for the incoming vehicle.

For their credit, one of them heard the hooves clopping on the stone and did make an effort to block the passage, but it was a worthless one: the wagon that the small Assassin drove ran over the poor Wolf Fang, immediately killing him, as it rode towards the swordsman. An Enchanter with glasses helped him into the vehicle. The Black Swordsman gave a playful wink to the Monk.

"Bye-bye," he said as the horses picked up speed.

Demiqas finally managed to wretch himself out of the wall of people, but it was already too late: the vehicle rode towards the woods, disappearing.

The Monk snarled.

"Dammit, DAMMIT!"

He turned to the chaotic crowd.

"You knuckleheads!" said the leader of the guild. "Kill the dissidents and put them in chains! The remainder comes with me!"

A few recognized the boss's orders, but the remainder kept fighting against the crowd and each other. It was chaos, plain and simple.

"It won't work, Demiqas."

He turned to Londark. His right eyebrow had a small cut that led to blood flowing down, but otherwise, he was fine.

"The slave market plan was already divisive amongst the veterans. Adding the people who joined through fear to the equation. Sum that with the revelation of the lies that made this government, and…"

CRACK!

Part of Londark knew the punch was coming, but he didn't bother to avoid it, letting himself slide through the snow.

"This is becoming a trend…" he commented, watching his life get reduced by 10% in that single blow.

The Monk glared at Londark.

"Shut up. Shut up! You set me up. I know it, you were involved somehow…"

The Sorcerer laughed.

"Oh, he was right. Kirito was annoying, but he was right. You are afraid, aren't you? And that guy managed to see this before anyone else."

THUMP!

He winced at the strike of the leg guard on his chest.

"Clam it, Londark! I don't want to hear this from you! Shut up! Shut up!"

For each 'shut up,' Demiqas desperately stepped on the Elf, who coughed in pain. Eventually, the tantrum ended when Londark's life reached the red.

"I…I will be sure you end up behind bars for what you did," snarled Demiqas. "I will…"

Much to his surprise, Londark laughed.

"What? Kill me? Like we did day after day with other people? Go ahead. Kirito was right on the money in that. For people with so much to pay, like you and me…dying is the same as taking a nap."

CRUNCH!

The final kick was straight into the head of the Elf. It became a bloody mess of brains and other pieces of meat scattered in the snow, giving it ugly red spots. Demiqas felt the wish to hurl at the scene, but he suppressed it.

"So go rest forever, you little shit," he said, putting his hand in the bag to retrieve a whistle. He grimaced. The few he managed to reunite were back at fighting.

Demiqas was on his own.

And that was fine. HE was the strongest. HE needed no stinky guild to prove that.

HE WOULD KILL THEM.

His heart roared in anger.

---

"Impeccable timing," said the Swashbuckler. "A bit more, and I think he would start overpowering me."

The man in glasses nodded.

"You held your own better than I could predict," said the Enchanter. "I thought we would need to be more brutish in our intervention. But it seems the rumors of your skill were well-founded."

The Black Swordsman put his hand to the man.

"You probably already know this, but I am Kirito," said the boy.

The Enchanter shook his hand.

"And you probably also know this, but I am Shiroe. A friend of Soujiro and Nyanta is a friend of mine. And the rider is Akatsuki."

The girl took her eyes off the road to look at the swordsman.

"Your feats reached the ears of many. This humble servant is pleased to meet you."

Kirito blinked.

"...What?"

Shiroe gave a sheepish smile.

"This is Akatsuki's thing. It's complicated to explain right now."

He analyzed her attire. Black clothes, a small dagger, the Assassin class…

Something clicked.

"Oooooooooh! She's LARPing as a ninja!"

He remembered the infamous ninja guild of Aincrad, the Fuumaningun. They were known for their ninja-like attires and their overwhelming focus on the agility stat, making them masters of hit-and-run strategies both in SAO's beta and the Death Game. They never became a big guild on the frontlines, as that tactic didn't work well in the boss battles. They spent most of their team serving as an exploration team and beefing with the samurai-themed Fuurinkazan -much to Klein's annoyance.

The Assassin grimaced.

"Please, don't put it that way," she said, breaking character. "It sounds almost offensive."

He coughed.

"Er…sorry. And I guess you would be a roleplayer rather than a LARPer, considering this was a non-VRMMORPG."

She stared at the swordsman.

"Acceptable," she decided. "But please, do not further refer to me as that."

The Swashbuckler stared at the Enchanter, who shrugged.

"As I said, it's complicated. But Akatsuki is a good worker."

The swordsman slowly nodded.

"Alright…" he looked at the road behind. "No pursuers so far. Good, good."

Unfortunately, for all the planning that both sides of the team put into the plan, there was no way to stop the pursuers. Sure, spreading chaos would delay the enemy forces, but the only way to guarantee that there would be no pursuit was to kill Demiqas. Shiroe had to scrap a whole plan involving an ambush on the Monk because it would take too long, and they needed the Felinoid to transport everyone to the Fairy Ring.

It was also why Shiroe bought that wagon. Theoretically, it would allow him to set traps easily and allow for better defense.

However, Shiroe saw an opportunity there.

"Akatsuki, stop."

The woman nodded, slowly halting the wagon's pacing.

"I will lead the car to the Gate," he said. "How many horse whistles do you have?"

"Two, my liege," she said.

Kirito took one from his Magic Bag and passed it to her.

"Here. I don't know why you want that, though. What is the plan?"

Akatsuki understood the idea, as she called all the horses and jumped into one of them.

"Understood, my liege. I shall return in fifteen minutes."

Tying the brides of the other two mounts on the saddle, the girl snapped for her horse -a dark stallion -to go for an off-road track into the wilderness.

"I see," said Kirito as Shiroe took the lead. "A false lead."

He nodded.

"The snow at this time of the day falls pretty slowly. If anyone is following us, they will notice the marks and think this is an attempt to avoid them by going off-road -probably thinking we are going to Barrier Shuparo. By the time they realize the trick, we'll be long gone."

Kirito smiled.

"Not bad. I guess that your fame as the Strategist is well-earned."

The Enchanter, however, shook his head.

"It's no big deal. I think about an ideal situation. Then, in the requirements for those events coming to be and how to make that happen. Simple as that."

'I feel you are oversimplifying so much…' thought the swordsman. 'But I suppose this is better than having some boastful guy.'

"How long until we reach the Ring at this pace?"

Shiroe made some calculations.

"Around an hour and a half. It's nineteen past twelve currently. We will have around ten minutes to pass through the gate. Nyanta and Naotsugu should already be there by the time we reach."

Kirito nodded, looking at his health. It was slowly growing into a healthier green. He yawned.

"Ah. You don't mind if I take a nap, then? These last days have been stressful."

Shiroe raised an eyebrow but conceded the point.

"I will wake you if anything is wrong. Don't worry."

He gave a stinker eye to the man.

"See, is that kind of thing that makes people worried. Don't worry…" he mumbled, closing his eyes. Yes, he wanted some sleep for the longest time. Between planning, observing the guard's routines, and preventing them from finding Nyanta's house, talking a bit with his friends…

He paused. Did he do that? He spoke with Klein on his first night there to give him advice, and then…

'Ugh. Asuna will kill me,' he moaned. 'And I should speak with Soujirou after this. He gave me so many solids, we need to…'

At this point, he fell into a comfortable sleep, relaxing against the wood.

---

Where. Where. Where?

He stops his horse. Where is he? Where is that man? He sees tracks on the ground of horses marching in a different direction. They went there, right?

No. No, He was sure that it was fake. He could feel his prey, it kept on the same road.

He could smell it, his presence. All that he wanted was to rip him apart. He couldn't expect…

Who was he?

He had been referring to himself like that for an awful long time. What was his name again? It started with a D.

Names are worthless.

Names mean nothing.

All he wanted was to rip that man apart like a beast would rip the throat of his prey. Yes, that was what he wanted.

Hunt. Hunt. He was strong. They were weak.

They would pay.

---

Kirito felt as if he didn't have enough sleep.

Sure, for the time he had, it was a good rest. On the other hand, the boy still wanted to sleep more but couldn't.

Even more because, after reclosing his eyes, a ninja started poking him in the forehead.

"Wake up," said Akatsuki. "Milord says we are close to the Ring."

The boy nodded slightly, cracking his neck.

"Time?" he asked.

Shiroe turned to the boy.

"13:55. We barely made it."

"Oi! Are you guys lollygagging or what?!" said a new voice -Kirito supposed it was this Naotsugu figure that Shiroe mentioned. "Come on!"

The trio went down from the wagon - Kirito narrowly avoiding face-planting on the ground, as he still was hazy from his nap -as the horses that handled the vehicle disappeared.

"Shame we can't take this," said the Enchanter. "It cost me some pretty buck to get it."

"It can't be helped," said Kirito. "You already are reaching the limit of the summoned horses, and the snow is high. It's better to leave it here and hope someone can use it well."

"Yes, better hurry. We are wasting time with this talk," said the Enchanter as the trio rushed to the gate.

"Papa!" said Yui, hugging Kirito together with Silica. "You are safe!"

He smiled.

"I did make a promise, didn't I?" he said, looking at Silica, who merely smiled.

"You did," she said. "And I saved the whole operation. I will tell you everything later!"

"Good," said Nyanta. "We have three minutes to pass through the gates. We can't be careless now, though. Some of us will guard the passage while the rest goes through. Yui, Silica, Serara, you three first. Chop chop!"

The three girls obeyed as they went through the gate, disappearing in the light.

"Is this necessary?" asked Naotsugu, looking around. "You would have noticed if something was up, no?"

Shiroe shrugged.

"I'm not willing to take any risks," said the Enchanter. "Kirito, now it's-"

The boy raised his hand.

"Nyanta, go first. Your house was destroyed, right? Better to guarantee a place in Akiba."

The gentlecat raised his eyebrow. Something was up, but time was short.

"Mew better be careful," he said before joining the girls on the other side.

Akatsuki looked at the swordsman, who had a hand in one of his blades. He was sweating.

"What's wrong?"

Kirito didn't answer, focusing on the sudden feeling in his spine.

Years of traveling countless virtual realms had given him abilities that applied almost universally, but Kirito hadn't expected any of them to work in Theldesia - until now.

One such OS2 -or Outside System Skill - was Hypersense. Through years, he pointlessly attempted to find a rational reason for how it worked -maybe sound, watching a people's body gestures -but he couldn't figure anything other than the very anime explanation of 'feeling killing intent.' Regardless, it is quite a handy tool to feel if someone has hostile intent against him or his friends.

But that intent.

That intent.

He had his fair share of big killing intents in the past -mainly from repeated fights against the bosses of Laughing Coffin. But they kept them under control. A tight leash, unleashed when the time to hunt came.

He faced pure, raw, killing intent.

And it was approaching fast. All directed toward Kirito.

"You three. Pass through the gate and prepare. Someone has found us."

Naotsugu looked at him as if he was crazy.

"What?! I'm the only one here who didn't enter the city, so if I die I-"

With no time to waste, Kirito shoved the Guardian through the Ring.

"How? How do you know that we are-?!"

"No time to explain! Just go!"

Shiroe looked at the alarmed eyes of the boy and made a decision.

"Akatsuki, let's-"

It happened in a moment.

They heard the bushes ripped away violently as a blur jumped straight into Shiroe. Akatsuki, in a split second, drew her dagger and positioned herself in the way at the same time that Kirito did just that. Against all odds, it shouldn't have been possible to push them.

This was a day for impossible things, as, at 13:59, the trio and their assailant were pushed into the blue gate.

---

"What was that for-"

Naotsugu had barely managed to put himself over after being forcefully pushed into the light when he was put down again by the three bodies that struck him down back into the ground before stopping into a tree.

CRACK!

One of them, the swordsman Kirito, recovered his conscience fast enough to disentangle himself from the mess and roll away into the grass in midair.

However, the other two weren't so lucky.

"Shiroe! Akatsuki!"

The Enchanter took the brunt of the impact, his life flashing dangerously in the red and with one of his glass lenses broken. Ironically, that protected his bodyguard -whose ponytail had been undone into a black mane -from being as badly wounded, though she still was in bad shape.

Naotsugu's life had also taken a hit from the impromptu projectile, barely close to the yellow. What had just-

"Naotsugu, block!"

Instinctively, the burly man put out his shield to block the punch that would hit him.

CLANG!

The move clashed strongly against the clawed gauntlets of the Monk. Naotsugu felt a bit of surprise at the strength of the strike.

"Are you that Demiqas guy?" he grunted, staring at his opponent. He knew his appearance from when Akatsuki infiltrated the city, but something was off. His eyes were bloodshot, and his breath was accelerated as if he had run a few miles before going murder-happy on some poor sod's ass.

Oh, there was also that ominous red glow around his body. How could he have forgotten that?

"Is this…some fancy buff or anything?" he grumbled. How strong was that guy? Naotsugu was a pure Fortress Guardian -the type of guy that was an iron wall -and he still managed to go in a strength contest against him? What was happening?

Grunting, the Guardian activated Shield Smash to hit the Monk in the chest and send him a bit back. Then, drawing his sword, he prepared to-

"Papa!"

He looked at Yui, who Nyanta held by the shoulder to stop her run for his parent. The Monk also saw her and gave a positively bloodthirsty grin. Naotsugu's eyes widened as he changed plans on the fly.

"Anchor Howl!"

The Monk turned his eyes back at the man, his face a mask of rage.

"YOU WILL NOT STOP THE PURGE OF THE WEAK!"

The Guardian stepped back at the surprisingly guttural tone but shook his head.

"I don't care for any of that crap about strong or weak. You are messing with innocent people, and this Guardian here is having none of-!"

CLANG!

The fist hit the shield strongly, which Naotsugu countered with a Cross Slash to the chest.

"HIYAH!"

To his surprise, although he took a hefty amount of damage, the man smirked and unleashed a Lightning Straight…

And then did a Triple Blow!

"!"

The Guardian kept his guard up at all times, but the impact of the two moves in sequence made him slide backward ever so slightly. He narrowed his eyes as the Monk's life went back to full.

"Shit…a leech effect?"

It shouldn't be too surprising. Healing in the middle of a fight was hard, but it could mean the difference between life and death in a PvP scenario. Thus, such weapons were of high value for those types.

Unfortunately, this put Naotsugu at a terrible disadvantage. Guardian was already one of the weaker classes in 1v1 scenarios, as their high defenses came with awful speed, which ruled in matches like these. His best chance at victory would be to outlast the opponent in an attrition match, but the leech effect put a wringer into that tactic.

Thankfully, Naotsugu was not alone.

"HA!"

Nyanta jumped with an Early Thrust that nicked the shoulder of the man and then immediately followed with an End of Act.

One of the defining traits of the Swashbuckler class was its ability to stack damage markers on enemies with many of their skills -such as Early Thrust -that are usually set off with other skills, mainly the flashy End of Act, the signature skill of the class.

The Monk grunted as he lost a fair amount of health, deciding to step back and attempt to jump over the Felinoid with a Wyvern Kick. The gentlecat was having none of that, though, and jumped in response, swinging his blades against the berserk guild leader. In the trade, he took a punch to the stomach that sent him back and brought some life back to the mad warrior.

"Nyanta!" said Serara, raising her staff, a soft green light. His health started to grow back but at a slow rate. The Druid grimaced: her low level meant she hadn't many ways to accelerate the process.

The Felinoid must have noticed that because he let out a small smile.

"Mew did well, Serara. We got this under control."

Naotsugu looked at the Felinoid and nodded, beating his sword against the shield in a challenge to the mad Monk.

Individually, they would have a hard time against Demiqas and his specialty in PvP. United, however, victory was almost sure even with the Monk in an altered state.

Unfortunately, in his altered state, Demiqas realized that.

So he decided to do something else.

He jumped straight into the fallen duo of Akatsuki and Shiroe, his intent obvious.

"NO!" roared Naotsugu, attempting to summon another Anchor Howl, but the Monk was out of his range. There was no time to-

CLANG!

"ARGH!"

When Demiqas was reeling his fist, a figure in black intercepted him. Kirito, clashing metal against metal.

"UOOOOO!"

Spinning a bit to catch momentum, he launched the Monk away from Shiroe and Akatsuki with his free hand. His forehead had an ugly cut from which the blood flew like a river. He popped a health potion from the Magic Bag and drank it like a thirsty man would drink water from an oasis. The wound remained, however, bright red.

"You…you are one persistent bastard, aren't you?" said Kirito, gripping his blades. He still felt a bit dizzy from being launched like a ragdoll, but in three against one, Demiqas stood no-

The boy felt his blood go cold as the bloodshot eyes shone red, staring at him.

"RUAAAAAAAAGH!"

With a fearsome step, he summoned flames to his side that went after the trio!

"What he-!" said Naotsugu, as the flames pushed him away while Nyanta jumped back.

Kirito wanted to do the same, but he couldn't. His legs weighed like cement.The fire closed around him, shaping into a circle of 6 meters in diameter.

Then, he suddenly felt free, right in time to avoid the charge of Demiqas against him. Kirito attempted to jump over the flames, but-

"ARGH!"

Right at that moment, they raised, burning his back.

"YOU CAN'T RUN," said Demiqas, speaking for the first time since his assault. His voice sounded like that of a devil. "I SHALL DRAG YOU BACK SCREAMING, EVEN IF I MUST DIE!"

Kirito looked at his life, wincing. Back to yellow, it seems.

"Kirito!" said Naotsugu, attempting to charge towards the flames, to no avail. They rose, blocking his passage.

"FOOL! ONLY THE WEAK CAN ENTER THIS RING, FOR THEY SHALL BECOME LAMBS FOR MY SLAUGHTER! AHAHAHAHA-!"

Something was wrong with Demiqas, thought the Swashbuckler. Before, the man had shown some humanity hidden in his facade, but now it was almost as if he was possessed. Did he anger the Monk to that level, or was it something else he missed?

SWOOOSH!

He rolled over the next punch. Right, no time to think! He couldn't afford to lose here, not so close to his objective!

"You can pick that gladiator mindset and shove it down your throat!" snarled the swordsman, aiming a Viper Slash at the feet, but Demiqas jumped over the attack and attempted to kick his head off with a Wyvern Kick, which the boy hastily avoided and countered into an X-Cross to the back.

Much to his shock, that didn't hold the man for long, as he soon launched a Dragon Tail Swing that clashed with Kirito's hasty cross guard, launching him flying back into the firewall -again burning him for more damage.

"Agh!" he grunted, dropping to his knees with heavy breath. "What's…the matter, huh? Wanna PK me by environmental-"

The boy rolled out of the way for the next punch as it collided with the flame wall. His hand was seared, but he managed to tough it up -probably because he was the summoner of that fire.

'Shit…He's far too angry to listen to my taunts,' thought the Swashbuckler. 'I can't take advantage of his temper!'

There was a thin line when using psychological tricks. One could say that the one who lost its head first is the one to lose. That was true.

That isn't to say that anger can't be powerful. You become wilder. Unpredictable. And, above all, focused.

Demiqas, right now, was rage incarnated.

'Shit…Nowhere to run nor to hide.'

He looked at the Monk, his eyes red. Kirito glared at him. His health had taken some hits from the move, but still was somehow at green. How -oh, a healing buff from Serara. Good to know.

Still, the situation was grim. If things kept going this way…

'I…will have to kill him.'

Surprisingly, even after all he saw in Susukino, Kirito didn't want to kill that man. The only time that ever went into his head to slay that man was when he threatened Yui. In their first meeting, he was only fighting to survive. Then he understood that he was only a man attempting to make the best out of a bad situation. Maybe part of him was rotten, but who was Kirito to judge?

He had his fair amount of skeletons in the closet, after all.

But this was not a mere fight to avoid being killed or to serve as a distraction. It was a familiar battlefield for Kirito, asking one single question.

LIFE OR DEATH.

The grip around his swords -the one thing stopping him from being mauled by the mad Monk -tightened.

"You seemed rather peeved that I didn't kill you that day," he says, positioning himself. "What a pain. To think you had such a death wish!"

"PERISH!"

Demiqas used Phantom Step, summoning the doppelgangers to attack Kirito, who, in his state of alert, found the man's shade with ease and avoided the attack, countering with a slash to his side. He noticed his health seemed to fall more than in his earlier fight.

'Maybe this state is reducing his defense stat?' he thought but didn't give more attention.

He needed all the advantages to win that fight.

Demiqas charged forward with a flurry of punches, all that Kirito dodged by centimeters. The final part of the sequence forced him to use the flat of his left blade to move the fist upwards, missing the head. Unfortunately, such action led to him losing HP, regenerating the warrior slightly. Kirito answered quickly into a sequence of Early Thrust, X-Cross, and End of Act, bursting the markers that the boy set up.

That made the Monk stutter as he fell to his knees. Kirito saw a golden opportunity. Maybe if he landed a fatal blow, then-

With that in mind, he unleashed Thrust Joker-

"Papa, no!"

Too late, he realized he had fallen into the trap.

Jumping like a frog, he landed a devastating uppercut in his jaw, sending him tumbling backward, barely avoiding falling into the flames again.

"_!"

The dizziness caused by the punch was what saved Kirito as he stumbled to the side, avoiding the follow-up strike. However, before he could recover, the Monk mercilessly stomped into his right shoulder.

CRACK!

Kirito thought that losing an arm was worse than having it broken.

Oh, how naive of him!

His vision blurred from how much in pain he was. It took all of his willpower to focus on the Monk, who laughed cruelly, knowing he had his prey dead to rights.

"PAPA!" said Yui, attempting to get to him, only to be stopped by Nyanta.

"Mew'll only put mewrself in danger, Miss Yui!" said Nyanta.

"But we can't stay here and watch him get mauled!" said Naotsugu, again attempting to bypass the fire. "Urgh! What the hell! What kind of hax is he using to create this?!"

Nyanta frowned. He had never seen an ability like that in Elder Tale. No matter what they did, the fire wouldn't let them enter.

He looked at the little AI, borderline crying. And Demiqas noticed that.

"LOOK WELL, LITTLE GIRL. NEXT TIME YOU SEE DADDY DEAREST, HE WILL NOT BE THE SAME MAN!"

Kirito attempted to swing his left arm but was too weak, so it twitched.

He was at the mercy of the Monk, who put his hands around his head.

"REMEMBER MY PROMISE?" he gave a twisted smile that no sane human would ever give. "POP GOES THE WEASEL, LITTLE SHIT."

The boy felt the gauntlets pressing on his head-

"UUAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"

He dropped the Swashbuckler to the ground like a sack of potatoes, attempting to remove the blade stuck in his eye. A figure was up on the shoulders of the man, her face a mask of rage.

"Get your hands out of my man!" said the owner of the rapier, Asuna Yuuki.

---

A few minutes before

"Ugh, I can't believe he went all this time in the dark," grumbled Leafa as she swung her katana against the Red Deer that attacked her. "Would it bother him to send a Telechat or two to us?"

Sinon released her arrow, hitting the Blue Deer that attempted to run away.

"Are you really that surprised with this?" said Sinon. "Kirito is not the type to keep sending unnecessary messages. Besides, it's not like we couldn't initiate a chat ourselves. That's some lack of initiative on our part."

Asuna scratched her chin sheepishly.

The group was going to the Fairy Ring, where Kirito would appear with Yui and, hopefully, Silica. As most of them had slow horses, their time was up soon, and they had to walk through the plains -all while hunting those monsters themed around Hanafuda.

And, to kill time, complaining about how Kirito was radio-silent ever since the first day with Klein -at this point, probably still making way to Minami at his advice.

For her part, Asuna -and she felt that the same applied to the others -wasn't worried. Kirito had always been the quiet type. If something important happened, he would talk with them.

'Unless he was thrown into a dungeon or something like that,' thought Pessimistic Asuna.

'Shut up,' replied Optimistic Asuna.

"ARGH! Finish it off, Recon!"

The Ritian unleashed a fireball against the enemy he and Alice were fighting -a wild pig almost two meters tall.

"Gah!" said Shinichi. "Why are those things so damn bulky?!"

"It is to be expected when you wander in an area a bit above your level, no?"

They turned to face the odd one out in the group. Soujiro Seta, their host, and collaborator in the Hamelin case, and an old friend of Kirito. While he treated the group well that week -even giving them some rooms in the West Wind Brigade headquarters in place of their improvised camp in the ruins -the Samurai still was annoyed that Kirito didn't come see him after so long. Especially considering he had crossed paths with Isaac, who had met Kirito.

Thus, after some insistence, he managed to insert himself into the group as a plus one. He had reduced his level with the Teacher system, meaning he was level 14 -the average of the group -rather than his usual 90.

Asuna grimaced. The group had been trying to keep leveling up, but they had to spend a considerable time investigating Hamelin. The trip there was pretty good under that view, as Asuna had already leveled up twice from the experience, sitting at a comfortable 15.

Still, if her memory was correct, Hana Plains was meant to be penetrated with players close to level 20, so it was still a rather bothersome affair -though Soujiro's experience allowed them to make good progress in little time.

Speaking of the man, he raised his hand, looking at some burn marks on the ground. He grimaced.

"Halt. We can't go this way."

"Why?" asked Alice.

He let out a sigh.

"December is the month when a particular mob appears in the region. A phoenix. High-level. Very aggressive."

Asuna made an effort to remember the rules of the card game. Phoenix was one of the high-value cards if her memory didn't fail.

He pointed at the middle of the woods. If Asuna's memory didn't fail, it was a straight shot until the Fairy Ring's glade.

"You go there," he said, messing with his menu. "I will distract the phoenix in the meantime. Once I deactivate the Teacher system, a bunch of beasts will dogpile me but don't worry, I can handle them. And try to keep Kirito in one place for a few minutes. We still have to catch on."

Asuna nodded, smiling.

"I will try, but no promises. He can be very…"

"He's a troublemaker," said Recon bluntly.

"Recon!" said Leafa before sighing. "But it's undeniable that brother has a way to get himself entangled in very complicated situations."

"I'm honestly uncertain if this is the same guy I knew all those years ago," said the Samurai. "Can't wait to see how much he changed. Now, go on."

The quintet nodded, making headways to the Ring as Soujiro started his engagement with the beasts. A few seconds later, the smell of smoke reached their noses.

"Good grief, that thing is attempting to burn the forest down?!" asked Sinon, exasperated. "We'll be cooking here!"

Alice frowned, sniffing the air. Being a Wolf Fang gave her a very accurate sense of smell, so…

"But the smoke is coming from the direction of the portal," she said. "Not from back."

"Are they preparing a bonfire or something?" asked the Ritian of the group. "I mean, now it's cold and snowy, and I can't understand the climate of this place because how can you go from green hills to-"

Asuna frowned.

"I have a bad feeling about this. We need to hurry up!"

It was easier said than done. Moving deeper into the woods, the snow also increased, slowing them considerably. Sinon was the fastest of them, with Asuna coming close second -hey, that Ring of Speed was coming in handy! -while poor Alice, suffering from a Guardian's slow speed, was dead last.

"Can you hear something?" asked Asuna.

Sinon frowned.

"I can hear multiple voices…and the sound of fire raging. I can discern Silica and Yui's voice, but nothing about-"

Suddenly came a scream that everyone heard.

"Papa, no!"

The two women looked at each other, alarmed.

"Dammit, they are under attack!" said Asuna, running fast.

"Hey, slow down!" said Leafa. "We need to-!"

But the chestnut-haired girl was not hearing anything, rushing with all the speed she could. Eventually, the snow level lowered, allowing the Cleric to exert her trademark speed.

Then, she saw the scene developing around her eyes and stopped, quickly analyzing the situation.

A circle of flames around most of the clearing. Yui and two other girls -one with red hair and the other a Felinoid with a familiar air -guarded by two high-level players.

And Kirito held like a ragdoll, about to have his head busted open like a nut by the red-eyed Monk.

There was no time to waste.

Act!

One of the older players -a Felinoid Swashbuckler -noticed her presence.

"Hey, what mew are-"

She jumped through the fire, ignoring the searing pain, and, before the Monk could act, she jumped onto her shoulders using the accumulated impulse and stabbed him right in the eye.

---

"RAAAAAGH! LET IT GO OUT OF ME, YOU STUPID WENCH!"

"Who are you calling wench, you big fat bully?!"

Kirito lost precious seconds attempting to process the scene ahead of him, his mind still shocked by the previous pain.

"Papa! Papa!" said Yui, desperately. "You need to help Mama!"

He turned to the little girl. A bit later, his other friends ran to the clearing, exhausted from attempting to match the Flash's speed.

The first to recover, Sinon, was left agape at the scene.

"Holy-!" said the Assassin.

Nyanta, meanwhile, was confused.

"How did she…the flames. She managed to bypass the flames."

"I can see that, Captain," said Naotsugu. "You rock, girl! Show that ape who's the boss!"

Unfortunately, it couldn't hold for long.

It was a simple number difference. Demiqas' strength was far superior to Asuna's.

So, with a more forceful spin, he managed to throw the Half-Alv to the ground and remove the blade stuck in his right eye. His remaining eyeball burned with hatred.

"I'M HARMING YOUR MAN, HOE?! WELL, I'M HARMING YOU EVEN MORE, CRAZY CLERIC! I'M DRAGGING AND THEN THROWING YOU OFF A CLIFF!"

That did wonders to make the boy get himself back together. He looked at his health. The effect over time from Serara's spells allowed him to recover some of the lost HP, but his right was not working. All he had was his right arm.

'It will have to do!'

The man launched an Aura Saber at Asuna, who managed to block her staff but had the weapon ripped from her hands, leaving her defenseless and on her back.

"DIE!"

"You first, asshole!"

He slashed his back with all the strength he had. The man gasped.

"YOU-!"

Kirito's distraction worked as the two re-engaged in their deadly duel. However, things were more even now -something that Kirito realized as he slashed his left side.

'A blind spot!'

The singular move that Asuna made was game-changing. With his vision hindered, Demiqas was forced to become more careful to attacks from the right -the one with Kirito's still good arm. The boy used this to trip him by fainting an attack and then giving him a leg sweep. Then, he managed to carve his right shoulder and retreated when he performed a Tatsumaki, a circular round kick that triggered after stun.

However, he looked at the life of the Monk and swore. He managed to slice the damage that the Monk got back from his early barrage, but Kirito was crippled by being forced to use a single sword. He couldn't even use a Fencer style to improve his damage, as he only had one working limb.

'Shit! Even with all that help, I can't beat him,' thought Kirito.

The flames had no signs of fading away, even after this long battle. They didn't seem to burn the surroundings either -except for some melted snow.

'It's all him. If I can't defeat this guy, then there's no way Asuna or I can escape,' thought Kirito. 'But how? How?!'

He remembered the events of a few days ago. That power appeared when Yui was about to get hurt. It served as an equalizer. How did he do that?

'I was weak. Angry. And then…'

"GRAH! FUCK YOU, FUCK YOU, FUCK YOU!"

He looked at Asuna, who was crawling for her weapons.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING, WEAKLING?! DIE!"

And then Kirito felt it flow.

'...and someone I cared a lot about was in danger!'

At the exact moment that Demiqas reeled his fist, Kirito felt his instincts take over. Aiming for the shoulder he previously sliced, his sword glowed as he unleashed the vertical.

No, it was not a mere vertical, he realized.

It was a Vertical.

Demiqas roared, holding the stump where his right arm once was.

"BASTARD, BASTARD, BASTARD! DIEDIEDIEDIE-!"

The Monk attempted to charge at the boy, who rolled out of the way.

"That was-that was-" gagged Asuna.

Kirito was shocked. But he decided to roll with the flow. He could feel his life force slowly being eroded, so he had little time to finish that fight.

And there was one attack that could end the fight right there.

That was his thought as he put one of his feet back and slightly folded his weapon towards the shoulder.

Alice raised an eyebrow.

"That position…"

"You know what he's doing, miss?" asked Naotsugu.

The Wolf Fang nodded.

"Yes, but in his condition, he will need time to charge it."

The man looked at Demiqas, glaring daggers at the man.

"Count on me, sis," said the stronger Guardian. "Anchor Howl!"

He unleashed the skill -but, much to his confusion, nothing happened.

"Huh? I thought this would work, considering Serara's healing is reaching Kirito," he said.

Silica raised an eyebrow, remembering what the Monk said.

'ONLY THE WEAK SHALL ENTER THIS RING!'

"Alice!" said the Felinoid.

She looked at the cat person.

"Oh, so it's you, Silica. You are a bit different than I-"

"Yes, I know! Forget that for now! Do you have any taunt skills?"

"Most Guardians begin with Taunting Shout as their go-to Aggro skill," informed the Guardian. "But I don't see how-"

"Taunting Shout!"

The eyes of the man turned to the girl, and he jumped towards her -but failed to hit, thanks to the fire ring.

"He's more like a mindless beast now…" she mumbled. "Almost something that popped out of the Dark Territory."

"The what now?" asked Naotsugu.

Nyanta prowled.

"Ohoho…interesting development," said the Swashbuckler. "What does this mean for us, Miss Silica?"

"I…I think I understood the gimmick of the fire ring," said Silica. "It stops those with a high level from entering or affecting what happens inside. But it's all fair game if you are of a lower level. I realized this because Asuna managed to penetrate the region even though you two couldn't."

The gentlecat laughed.

"Ah, mew are brilliant, miss Silica!" praised the older man.

"Uh, I don't think this will work too long," said Alice. "The effects of Taunting Shout are already ending…"

Indeed, the Monk took his eyes off the Wolf Fang and glared back at Kirito, sweating bullets.

"He's still charging the attack?!" the knight said. "Is he that weak?"

"He took quite the beating," said Nyanta. "It's a wonder he's still on his feet."

The younger Guardian bit her lips, looking at her shield. If she charged onward, then…

SNAP!

Before anyone could move, blue shining roots grew from the ground, trapping the Monk. He attempted to rip them away, to no avail.

"There is…no need to get involved…"

The group turned to see Shiroe, being held by Akatsuki, pointing his Staff of the Wise Horned Owl at the leader of Brigandia. Yui and Recon were a bit behind.

'That was his spell,' thought Nyanta. 'But how did he bypass-'

He glanced at the little girl.

"Little Miss here realized what was happening and told me," he explained tiredly. "We had to waste time calling the Ritian here to help, but it seems my gamble worked."

The gentlecat focused on the stats of the Enchanter, as he was now level 14.

"The Teacher system," said the Swashbuckler. "You used it to reduce your level artificially, Shiroechi."

The strategist of the Debauchery smiled.

"I had to use that a bit before the whole Catastrophe thing. But…"

He looked at the Monk, who managed to dislodge one of the vines. It exploded -as standard for Thorn Bind Hostage -but he kept struggling.

"...my spells were heavily scaled down. If someone entered at a lower level and deactivated the Teacher system inside, we could smuggle one of us inside, but this is still speculation. Don't try it unless as a last resort."

"Hey, glasses," said Sinon. "So you mean that the way to go is long-range attacks?"

"I have a name, you know…" said the Enchanter. "But yes, that's the way to go."

She nodded -then drew an arrow.

"Recon, glasses. Prepare to fire."

"The name of my liege is-" said the long-haired Assassin, but Sinon didn't hear as she started launching arrow after arrow against the Monk.

Most of them hit his back as he lashed against the remaining vines. The Elf took some time attempting to blind him by hitting the remaining eyeball, but the Monk was savvy enough to protect it from the arrows. After a few moments, Recon fired lightning bolts and fireballs while Shiroe summoned an additional layer of Thorn Bind Hostage to trap the Monk.

They didn't do much damage, but it was enough to incense the man.

"RAAAAAAGH!"

He stomped against the ground, switching stances. Shiroe snapped his tongue.

"Dragon Scale stance," he said. "Dammit, this has a large resistance against magic."

"Not against arrows?" said the Elf, aiming at his stomach. "Assassinate!"

She saw the image of the projectiles piercing his stomach. After a second-

"HAH!"

They didn't pierce the flesh and bounced away.

"What?!" said the Elf.

"Iron Rhino stance," grumbled Shiroe. "Stronger against physical attacks. He expected the combo. And Assassinate early on has a large cooldown level in its most basic stage."

The blue-haired girl swore as Demiqas switched back to the Dragon Scale stance.

"Dammit, Kirito, hurry up!" complained the archer, unleashing arrow after arrow that bounced against the Monk. The spells of Recon and Shiroe delayed the man for a bit, but not for long, and he was cautious to put himself away from the range of the taunt skills of Alice and Naotsugu.

He looked at the sweating boy. His life was in a miserable red. One flick of his finger, and Demiqas could beat him down.

"AHAH! SO GOOD FOR YOUR FRIENDS HELPING YOU! ALL OF THEM, WEAK! I WILL MAKE SURE THEY BECOME NOTHING BUT SMEARS ON THE GROUND ONCE I'M THROUGH WITH YOU!"

He expected no answer -or, if anything, a desperate request for life.

(He wouldn't hear it, but seeing him break down would make Demiqas happy.)

Instead, Kirito laughed.

"I…I finally get this. The story of this circle."

The Monk blinked.

"WHAT?!"

"Or…better yet, what this circle represents about you. A place where no one can be stronger than you, and the only way to affect is by lowering themselves."

His stare became cold.

"This is your philosophy. You can't tolerate people being stronger, better than you. Thus, you drag them down and make them below. But that way is a sure path to suffering. Stop-"

"ENOUGH."

If it was possible, the intensity of the fire increased.

"I HEARD ENOUGH OF YOUR PSYCHOANALYSIS BLABBER," said the Monk. "JUST DIE!"

The Monk charged forward, his remaining fist downing on the Swashbuckler.

"Kirito!" said everyone.

Well, mostly everyone.

Shiroe was a rather observative person, you see. And, for a few seconds, he noticed something odd.

Yui was calm over the situation.

Now, Nyanta informed plenty of the little girl's unique condition. She had transformed for a few seconds and then turned back to normal, unaware to most eyes.

And she was calm.

She had all the reasons to freak out but didn't.

'Why?'

He looked at the battlefield. Asuna was far away, having dragged herself into one of the corners. Kirito's life was so low that a Demiqas' haymaker was almost overkill. His limp right hand twitched. He had no other weapons other than-

Wait. Go back. His right hand twitched. And now it snapped its fingers.

STAB!

The Monk roared again in pain, as the discarded Sword of Revealing Light flew from its position to pierce the gut of the Monk through the back.

'Wait…' thought Shiroe. "Maybe he didn't take that long to charge his attack, but…to create a situation where Demiqas could not react!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"

As it turns out, Shiroe's analysis was correct. In the moment of the impact, he unleashed his charged attack with a target in mind.

Demiqas' heart!

"VORPAL…STRIKE!"

Credit where it's due to that man: he twisted his body to avoid the sure-kill maneuver.

Unfortunately, that didn't mean much, considering the blade pierced his chest.

And boy, that hurt, judging by the roar of pain from the man -the greatest so far.

One second, Kirito was there: the other, he was in front of the man, a crimson flash following.

"Agh…"

The fire started dying down. The color in Demiqas eye slowly returned to normal, and the Monk coughed some blood.

His health points…were zero.

"Why…"

Kirito stared coldly at the eyes -well, eye - of the villain.

"Why…can't I defeat you? Why?"

The Black Swordsman said nothing. He was incapable of that. The swordsman had also reached his limit. He couldn't even muster a single word.

This seemed to give some final fuel for the man.

"Why…you piece of-!"

The Monk raised his fist, channeling energy for a final attack. He heard the screams of the others, but he couldn't do anything to-

"I think you did enough."

SLASH!

The remaining arm of Demiqas went flying, and the Monk fell backward. Kirito was about to do the same, but a hand caught him by the back of the coat.

"Oi, oi," said Soujiro. "I've been waiting to talk with you for quite some time, and I'm not letting you go now. Miss Asuna, could you?"

He felt the arms of his girlfriend hug him gently as she chanted some healing spells. His vision slowly stabilized.

"How…" he coughed. "How did you…"

The Samurai winked.

"I got a bit late for the party, but not only does your girlfriend have good ears, but she also managed to see me through the fire. So she dragged herself to the corner of the arena to explain how to bypass the firewall. I have a lot of faith in Shiroe's ideas, you see."

He gave a soft smile to his former Debauchery companions, who seemed stunned to see the sudden appearance of the Samurai -well, that is until Naotsugu clapped his hands.

Enthusiastic guy, him.

"Why…why…why…"

Soujiro turned to the fallen Monk. He was dissolving in crystals -what usually happened to an Adventurer's body once they died. The flames died down.

"Geez, you are one tough cookie, aren't you," muttered Soujiro, approaching the man.

Demiqas attempted to kick the leader of the West Wind Brigade, but it was so weak that Soujiro didn't even bother to dodge.

"Why did he win and not you?" asked the guild leader. "Honestly, I'm not a specialist, but…well, I caught some of Kirito's discourse. You pull people down and gather those who are weaker than you. You gathered slaves. Meanwhile, he gathered valiant people, good figures that, united under a single banner, no matter the power, managed to defeat a bigger evil and solve bigger problems. True strength is won with others. Never alone."

Demiqas laughed.

"With…others…? This is so…fucking…cliche."

"It's a functional cliche," said the Samurai. "Maybe take that lesson instead of coal this Christmas. Perhaps this will give you a better life next year. Now, there's only one thing I can give to you…"

He drew his katana, putting it over the heart of the Monk. After a moment of hesitation, the Samurai pierced the heart of Demiqas.

"A quicker death," he said. His stare grew cold. "Now, never harm any of my friends or their loved ones; else, you shall make a true enemy from the West Wind Brigade."

Demiqas didn't answer. He merely dissolved into crystals.

He turned back to Kirito, still being treated by Asuna. Then, he sat down and watched.

"What…are you doing?" he asked.

"Making sure you ain't getting away this time," said Soujiro. "I was looking for you since Nazuna heard of your return. Then you send your sister to talk, I hear you go to another city, and now you return with Shiroe, Naotsugu, and Captain. And the lovable lady treating you says you and her are in love with an adopted daughter. So, I'm keeping an eye so you don't flutter away until you tell all."

The two stared at each other for a second. Then, Kirito let out a chuckle.

"You say some…philosophical crap…and then you come around and sprout nonsense like that. The lady…holding me here…ain't letting me go anywhere so soon."

Asuna gave a smile that was between the playful and the menacing. If Kirito was a bit less tired, he would feel intimidated.

"You know it," she said. "Should have at least called us more than one time."

"Now you complain about that," said Sinon, approaching the group. "But yeah, next time, you really should-"

"MAMA! PAPA!"

The little girl flew over the head of the Elf Assassin and transformed to land right in Kirito's lap, causing a wince.

"Hey, if you were a bit heavier, this could kill me," he jested slightly, only for Asuna to poke him in the head. "Don't go all serious, I had some rough days and two life-or-death situations today. And this is only the second worst Christmas of my life!"

He felt the world spin.

"Ah…seems that it was only temporary. I'm feeling so tired…"

"Hey, hey!" said Asuna. "Don't go towards the light. If you die, I'm killing you!"

"Bold of you…saying that after that…stunt," coughed Kirito. "I just want some…R and R…"

He closed his eyes, letting out a deep sigh.

Then he started to snore.

"...Honestly, I didn't know what to expect," said Asuna.

Akatsuki looked at the Swashbuckler, slightly annoyed.

"He…he spent most of the trip to the ring sleeping," she said. "And now he does so again."

"Kirito has the temperament of a warrior," said Alice. "And fights to death are rather nerve-wracking affairs."

'Still…he seemed far more tired than expected,' thought the blonde knight. 'The fire that Monk summoned…the usage of Sword Skills and that aura…all of them had something weirdly familiar.'

She decided that it would be better to share those thoughts later. The Guardian had to ask Kirito some questions to confirm her suspicions.

"Hm," said Soujiro. "Now that everyone is here…I suppose it's time to celebrate, right?"

"Ah, right!" said Naotsugu, snapping his fingers. "I said to Marielle that we would be returning with Serara today! She must be preparing a whole Christmas-themed party."

The Samurai scratched his chin.

"Marielle of the Crescent Moon, right? Think I have her on my friend's list…her or Henrietta. Ah, here! Hey, Marielle! Can we talk a bit? I have an interesting proposal for you."

He looked at the others, who were staring at him with curiosity.

"Hey, are we going to freeze over here? It's a long way back to Akiba, after all. Come on!"

The group nodded. Naotsugu put Kirito over his shoulder.

"Careful there, Naotsuguechi," said Nyanta, putting the boy in a more comfortable position. "Mew don't want him to die because you accidentally hit him too hard in the head, right?"

"Oh, right! Thanks, Captain," said the Guardian.

"...I'll be keeping an eye just in case," said Asuna, wincing slightly. "Damn, I think I sprained my ankle back there."

Recon and Leafa appeared to support her, but she dismissed them both, casting a spell on herself, while Serara used her healing on Shiroe and Akatsuki.

The Enchanter picked up his glasses.

"A shame," he said. "Those are hard to come by. Gonna cost a pretty penny to fix them."

Meanwhile, Akatsuki attempted to tie her hair back into the ponytail, trying to put it back -and failed to do so, much to her frustration.

"Hmph. Stupid Demiqas, messing with my hair," she grumbled.

"Let it be, Akatsuki," said Shiroe. "You will have enough time to put it back in place once we reach the city."

'Besides, you look cute that way,' he thought before shaking the thought away. Weird.

The ninja let out a sigh.

"Alright then, my liege."

"Hey, don't be that way, pipsqueak," said Naotsugu. "You kinda rock the-WHOA, don't look at me like that! I'm complimenting you and carrying an injured guy! Hold your sick knees for later!"

The girl didn't do her traditional flying knee against the Guardian. She was tempted, though.

"My liege, permission to strike stupid Naotsugu when we reach Akiba?"

"Denied, he did nothing wrong this time."

"Is it always like that with you?"

Naotsugu turned to see the figure on his other shoulder.

"Hey, when did you climb there?"

"I flew," said Yui. "Can I go up here? The soles of my shoes don't do for long walks."

He smirked.

"Hey, this guy is a friend to all kids, don't worry! Now, come on. Explain to me this whole adoption situation that I still don't get it."

As the little AI spoke a bit about herself, Sinon shook her head.

"Geez, you would think they would pay more attention to us," muttered Silica, although without malice. Serara nodded in agreement.

"Nyahaha!" laughed Nyanta. "Don't worry, both of mew will surely be the guests of honor in the party that will come."

"...did you just laugh like a cat?" asked Leafa.

"Mew? Like the-" started Recon.

"Oh god, there's two punny men," said the Assassin.

The gentlecat let out a small smile.

"Indeed, Miss Elf. Indeed."

On the shoulder of the Guardian, Yui let out a relaxed smile. After so much tension, so much sadness, apathy, hatred…

Few things were better than being around such good feelings.