SAO: In your Time.
Hello welcome to my first chapter and side project right now another SAO story about Kazuto time traveling back in time to stop as many deaths as possible… enjoy.
Start chapter:
Kazuto woke up and found himself in a white void he didn't know where he was. He didn't feel different right?-
"Hello kazuto." A voice said behind him before he could finish that train of thought
Kazuto was unnerved as he spun around but found no one there.
"Who are you?" He asked checking the corners of his vision ready for anything.
"Who I am doesn't matter I'm not going hurt you I just have a few questions you ask."
Kazuto sighed and relaxed
"What sort of questions?" He asked
"Do you remember how you died?" The voice said bluntly
'Dead…that's right I'm dead car crash… no somebody ran me over…after late night drinking.' Kazuto thought as he remembered wobbling out into oncoming traffic.
Died at the age of 45… unmarried." The voice said with a hint of sadness that Kazuto didn't notice.
Kazuto clenched his fist as a tear ran down his face.
He was meant to marry Asuna. They had a plan, a date, venue, everything. Then tragedy. And it was called off…
Asuna was dead.
"No." Kazuto confirmed what the voice said
"You were meant to." The voice said
Kazuto looked up shocked
"You were meant to live a happy life. Peaceful, together, and then the error happened,"
"Error?" Kazuto asked
The voice explained
"Due to something indescribable, something had come and interfered which caused your beloved to die."
Kazuto clenched his fist.
"Your not the only one several people have had there life's interfered with." The voice with just as much anger as Kazuto was feeling.
"What would you like me do?" Kazuto asked having a feeling the voice, whatever it was, brought him here for a reason.
"Kazuto Kitigya, Kirito, Slayer of Heathcliff. Kayaba Akihito, countless other achievements. I'd like you to fix this from where it all started." The voice said
Kazuto was stunned he was just a gamer "Is there anything I can do to fix this? I'm not a hero I'm just a…I don't have any powers to go toe to toe with whatever caused this." He said
"You will." The voice said
"How can you be so sure?" Kazuto asked
"Because whenever those you care about are in danger you always fight." The voice said
Kazuto sighed "fine but I'd like something in return." He said
"I'd expect nothing less." The voice said
Kazuto sighed "I'd like to see Asuna again, I assume I'm going back in time. I'd rather not do it alone."
"I can send her back if she wants to go. But I cannot guarantee she will show up but I will try to persuade her." The voice said
Kazuto nodded, distraught that he hadn't any guarantee that Asuna would be meeting him.
"She will…I know her if you mention me she will in a heartbeat." He said
"I'll do that then." The voice said
Still Kirito was unnerved, as his thoughts wandered to darkness
'I might never see her again,' he thought only to be snapped back by the Voice.
"If you go back and fix what was broken I'll make sure your story gets the happy ending it deserves." The voice said
"So long as Asuna is with me I'll do anything." Kazuto said
"Very well… prepare yourself." The voice said
Suddenly Kazuto found his vision fade to white.
Kazuto laid on his bed the Nervegear strapped to his head.
"Link start!" He heard his voice say but he knew he didn't say it.
Right?
Welcome to Sword Art online.
Kazuto gasped
'No…' he gasped
Suddenly his eyes of his charater opened and he found himself looking at his fist
'Ah I'm back…-wait what the?!' Kirito his avatar's name thought as he felt his older self collide with his younger self.
Kirito swayed holding his head
"W-woah…fuck…" he hissed. Shaking his head to clear his vision.
'Right Klien.' Kazuto thought as he made his way out of the city.
'I don't know if this is still a death game but I cannot risk it.' Kazuto thought
"Hey, you there!" Kirito looks back as the man approched approached, "me?" Kiritio replied confused
Kirito had to bite back a grin. He wanted to scream out Klein's name but this wasn't his Klien not yet.
The man, Klien nods his head, he had a red bandana and a leather Chestplate on. With a katana.
"You move like you've been here before. You were in the beta test, right?" He asked
Kirito stood up "Y-Yeah."
The Man grinned at him "Today's my first day. Show me the basics, okay?" He asked giving him a thumbs up.
'Same old Klein.' Kirito thought before he relized if he spent the whole day with Klein than others would perish
Kirito looks back worried "Uhh."
Klein falls to his knees before Kirito "I'm begging you! My name's Klein. Nice to meet you." He said introducing himself.
Kirito sighed and gave a smile back while hiding his insecurities.
"I'm Kirito." He said, they made there way outside the town to the West field,
Kirito unfortunately did spend the entire day trying to help Klein, he just hoped that not that many died.
Right on time the Admin teleporters everyone back to the town of beginnings for the final announcement
'Here we go.' Kirito thought as he started to make his way towards the exit of the plaza
Or he tried to but Klein held his arm.
"Kirito what the hell is that?" He asked as the sky started to bleed.
Suddenly a big figure face shrouded in mystery stood above them and spoke to them.
"Attention, players. I welcome to my world." He said
Kirito tensed up expecting the revelation any second…
"My name is Akihiko Kayaba. And as of this moment, I am in control of this world." He said
Kirito heard the crowd mumbling but he didn't listen his ears were already ringing…
"I'm sure most of you have already noticed an item missing from your main menus: the logout button. Let me ensure you, this is not a defect in the game. I repeat... This is not a defect, this is how Sword Art Online was designed to be. You cannot log yourselves out of SAO. And no one from the outside will be able to shut down or remove the NerveGear from your head. If anyone attempts to do so, a transmitter inside the NerveGear will discharge a microwave signal into your skull, destroying your brain and ending your life." Kayaba said
People started to argue to the sky.
"Despite my warning, the families and friends of some of the players have attempted removing the NerveGear an unfortunate decision to say the least. As a result, The game now has one hundred thirteen less players than when it began. They've been deleted from both Aincrad and the real world."
Kirito snapped his head up to the sky. He didn't notice that Klien looked at him shocked.
"One hundred and three?" Kirito said in awe he knew how many died on the first day… and that wasn't it. No there was someone else helping. He clenched his fist he could do it.
"As you can see, international media outlets have around-the-clock coverage in everything, including the deaths." Kayaba said as he revealed the internet media and there breaking news
Death Count Rises in Online-Game Incident
"At this is point, it's safe to assume the likelihood of a NerveGear being removed is minimal at best. I hope this brings you a little comfort as you try to clear the game. It's important to remember the following... There is no longer any way to revive someone within the game. If your HP drops to zero, your avatar will be deleted from the system. Forever. And the NerveGear will simultaneously destroy your brain. There's only one way for a player to escape now: You must clear the game. Right now, you're gathered on floor one, the lowest level of Aincrad. If you can get through the dungeon and defeat the boss, you may advance to the next floor. Defeat the boss on floor and you will clear the game. Last, but not least... I've placed a little present in the item storage of every player. Please, have a look." He said
Kirito sighed and opened the invintory as to not give anything away.
And a small hand mirror appeared.
Suddenly a blinding flash of light engulfed them as Kirito was safe to assume they had there real world features…
His suspicions were confirmed when he saw Klein, he turned to look back at the Admin as he explained how it was possible.
Kirito sighed 'alright let's finish this.' He said
"Right now, you're probably wondering, "Why?"
"Why would Akihiko Kayaba, developer of Sword Art Online and NerveGear, do this?" Ultimately, my goal is a simple one. The reason I created Sword Art Online... was to control the fate of a world of my design. As you can see, I have achieved my goal, This marks the end of the tutorial and the official launch of Sword Art Online. Players, I wish you the best of luck."
And then he was gone.
Kirito grabbed Kleins hand and dragged him away
"Come on." He said
Unknown to either, a girl with auburn Hair and brown eyes watched both leave. As panic started to spread across the plaza.
Outside in the point of an alley Kirito sent Klien a friend request.
"Okay, listen. I'm heading out right now for the next village. I want you to come." He said
Klein was shocked as he waved his hand around making it fly out of view.
"Huh?" Klien asked.
Kirito sighed "If what he said is true no it is true, the only way we're going to survive in here is by making ourselves as strong as possible. In an MMORPG, the money you can earn, the Exp, once the game starts up, there's only so much of that stuff to go around." Kirito said as he looked around.
"Look, the fields around the Town of Beginnings are going to be hunted clean soon. If we head to next village now, we'll have an easier time collecting cash and points. Don't worry, I know all of the paths and places we should avoid. Even if I'm level one, I can get there easy." Kirito said
'Ok Klein go to your firends.' Kirito thought
"Thanks, but... You know those friends of mine I was telling you about?... We stood in line for a whole night to buy this...They're back at the plaza...somewhere. Look, I can't leave them." He said
Kirito knew that this would happen, but it didn't cause the hurt to sting any less.
"I understand…good luck." Kirito said as he turned away
"Kirito…something's been bugging me." Klein said
Kirito stopped "huh?"
Klien held his back against one of the Buildings.
The firend request still floating there.
"You didn't react when Kayba told everyone that this was a death game…but you were shocked at how many died." Klein said glairing at him
Kirito stumbled shocked at the accusation
"Wha?" He asked
"No you weren't shocked by the revelation, you were happy. You knew this would turn into a death game, didn't you!?" He roared
Kirito stumbled back
"Wha-no Klien." Kirito said trying to step towards him to argue his point
However Klein laid a hand on his chest
Klein snarled as he bent his head down sobbing "even now you can't even lie to me. You knew…and you let it happen. Because of you one hundred and thirteen people are dead. And you killed them just as much as Kayaba." He growled as he shoved Kirito away making him lose his balance as he fell on his ass he watched as Klein angrily dismissed the friend request. Before turning his back on him.
"Get out of here, I don't want to see your face again." He snarled as he walked away.
Kirito slumped down trying to gain control of his breathing.
He couldn't argue with Klein, not without…and because of that…he now probably lost one of his firends.
Kirito stood up holding back tears he ran out of the city.
On the road a Black wolf stood in his way Kirito barely registered him as his mind was reeling by the loss of Klein and the 'justified betrayal' only if because he didn't know.
Still that didn't make it hurt less.
He drew his sword and cut across the chest of the monster
"DAMN IT!" He roared! As he ran down the road.
(One month later)
Kirito stood in the town of Tobiana there had been news of a possible boss meeting here. Which Kirito knew was true.
Much of his information he had gathered from his last go around was even spot on accurate… even if he didn't want it to be.
Case in point Asuna.
He found her in the labyrinth again just as before killing as many of the monsters as she could before she exhausted her.
'If she was my Asuna…I know she wouldn't have done that.' Kirito thought
Kirito hated the thought. Because it meant that the voice that brought him here was a liar… but he could no longer deny the truth.
His Asuna was gone.
'This is going to be Hell…2 years of this.' Kirito said
'And no guarantee that Asuna will love me, again, I can't tell her it will just freak her out.'
He looked down the street to Asuna who was in her cloak buying stuff after he had rescued her that day
'Can I even do this. It took me the entire month constantly working to save people as of now the death total is around 200 only.' He thought
He slumped down on the wall and held his head "damn I'm tired." He huffed as he made his way to where the boss meeting was going to be.
Unaware he passed by Argo the Rat the infobroker who has been looking for him,
She was coming to talk to him about the boss meeting as well as a possible trade.
Of course Kirito walked right past her and didn't even say hello.
Argo looked at the vanishing form of Kirito and looked over to Asuna who seemed to be looking around confused
Argo approached her
"What is it?" She asked Asuna
"Where is Kirito?" She asked, still looking around at the crowd.
"I'm not sure he looked tired." Argo said before shrugging "probably to nap Aa-Chan." Argo teased
Asuna blushed "huh?!" She asked
"Oh it's how I always address people. Now here's the location of the boss meeting." She said
Asuna accepted the info
"Ok at least if he doesn't show up I can tell him later." Asuna mumbled under her breath as she walked towards the Meeting.
Argo watched her go as she sighed "that girls got it bad… good luck Kii-bou." She said looking to the sky.
Asuna walked to the Theater outside the city and looked to see
Kirito was on one of the seats sprayed across two of them dead asleep.
Asuna huffed "of course he is." She muttered as she went to take her spot.
Eventually the meeting began in earnest as Kirito woke up to hear the meeting.
He saw a man with Blue hair and reasonable gear for a person at level 10 or so. Having a good strong Chestplate.
"Okay, people, now that everyone's here, let's get this meeting started! So anyway, I wanted to thank everyone for coming. Good to see you. My name is Diabel. And in this game, the job I rolled is "Knight"." He said pounding his chest proudly
Kirito smiled warmly he had forgotten how likeable Diabel was.
The others laughed at him
"Dude, there's no job system in this game!
"A knight?"
Diabel looked at them exasperated
"You guys want to hear this or not?" He said before his tone turned serious.
"Right, anyway, here's the deal... Our party found the boss room at the top of the tower today." He said
There was a gasp. However, Kirito noticed Asuna didn't react.
"Seriously?" Kirito heard someone say.
Diabel spoke charismatically "First, we need to defeat the boss and make it to floor two. The next step is: We have to tell everyone waiting in the Town of Beginnings that it is possible to beat this game." He said
Now he had everyone's attention.
"Fact is, it's our duty as the most capable players here. Do you agree, or not?" He asked
Everyone looked around nodding but Asuna also noticed slight hesitation.
Then he heard clapping coming from next to her.
Kirito was clapping applauding Diabel.
And she found herself joining, more and more joined in until everyone had given Diabel a standing ovation.
Diabel smiled as he clenched his fist in pride
"Okay! Glad to hear you're all with me on this. Now, let's figure out how we're gonna beat the boss. First off, we'll team up into parties of six. Of course. A typical party doesn't stand a chance against the floor boss. That's why I... no we need a raid group made up of multiple parties. Form up now." Diabel said
Kirito looked as everyone was joining other parties.
He looked at Asuna and found her still sitting there.
Kirito sighed he might as well.
He slid himself over to her and took a deep breath god this was harder than asking her to marry him.
He shut his eyes and forced the memory of another time away. As he took a deep breath.
"You got left out too, huh?" He asked
"Not even." She said coldly which even as Kirito knew wasn't focused on him made him wince anyway 'jeez my wife can be terrifying…' he thought before he realized his mistake and tried to hide his mistake by looking away.
"I wasn't left out. It's just...everyone seems like they're already friends." Asuna said either failing not to notice or didn't care. Either way a harsh cut to Kirito's ego.
Kirito sighed and pushed on "So, you're solo too? You want to form a party with me?"
Asuna looked over
"You heard what the guy just said. We can't beat the boss on our own. And it would only be for this fight." Kirito said stumbling over the last sentence as he sent her a request.
:Do you accept party invitation?: the screen infront of Asuna read
She accepted the invite and the screen vanished.
Just then Diabel strode forward getting the group back on track.
"Alright! Looks like everyone's teamed up! Now then-." He said before he was cut off
"Hold on a sec!" A man with blond spiky hair handed next to Diabel.
"My name's Kibaou, got that? Before we take on the boss, I wanna get something off my chest! We all know about the 200 people who died so far, yeah? Well, some of you need to apologize to them right now!" He said
Kirito winced his eyes shut as he tried to calm his breathing.
"Kibaou, I think I know who you're referring to... You mean the ones who are ex-beta testers, right?" Diabel asked
"Of course I mean them!" Kibaou ranted
"The day this stupid-ass game started, the beta guys just up and vanished, right? They ditched all us beginners! They snagged all the good hunting spots, and they grabbed all the easy quests, too! They were the only ones getting stronger in here. This whole time, they've ignored us like we're nothing! Hell, I'd bet there's some of them here! Come on out, beta testers!
We should make them apologize to us! and we should make them all give up their money and the items they've got! They can't expect the party to trust them when they don't trust us! Why should we?" He ranted
"Can I say something?" An African America man asked as he had a two handed battle ax on his back.
"Who are you?" Kibaou askd
"Hey... my name's Agil. Kibaou, right? I want to make sure I'm on the same page... You say the ex-beta testers should be blamed for the rookies' deaths because they didn't help them...And you want them to apologize and give up their winnings... I leave anything out?" Agil asked
"No... you didn't." Kibaou said
Agil reached into his inventory and pulled out a small book
"The item store hands these out for free. There's a guidebook. You got one, didn't you?" Agil asked
"Sure, I got one... So what about it?" Kibaou asked
"You know who was handing these out? The ex-beta testers." He said
"Huh?" Kibaou asked as Agil address the crowd
Listen up! Everyone had equal access to this information. Even so, lots of players still died.
But more importantly people lived. Was told directly that a Beta tester was the one to save him on the first day, before we knew it was a death game. However this Beta tester did know." He said
Everyone gasped someone who knew this was a death game and logged on anyways?
No one noticed that Kirito slumped his head in defeat.
There was loud mumbling but Agil spoke up again.
"Now, I didn't come here to point fingers at anyone... I'm here because I want to learn from those players' deaths. I'm here because I want to find out how we're gonna beat the boss." He said as he sat down Kibaou followed him
"Okay. Can we get back to the meeting now?" Diabel asked, hearing no more distractions, he got back to it.
"For info on the boss... It's all in here. The latest issue of the guidebook you just heard about. According to the book, the boss's name is Illfang the Kobold Lord. Also, he'll be surrounded by his minions, the Ruin Kobold Sentinels. Illfang carries an axe and a buckler. He has four health bars, and when the last one turns red, he switches to a curved sword-type weapon called a Talwar. He can change his patterns of attack too.
That's it for the briefing. As for the distribution of loot, money will be divided equally among everyone.
The party that defeats the boss gets the EXP. And whoever gets an item, gets to keep it. Any objections?"
There were none.
"Good! We leave tomorrow at in the morning! Meeting adjourned people!" Diabel said
As Kirito stood up he looked up to the top of the stage to see A small girl wearing a hooded cloak looking at him before turning away
Kirito turned to Asuna "think you can make your way back to Town on your own?" He asked her
She nodded as Kirito went to talk to Argo.
Kirito found Argo standing by a pillar thumbing a coin.
"What is it Argo?" Kirito asked
"The client who is asking for the sword has upped the price to 29,800."
Kirito sighed as he turned away "do deal. Why is he so persistent?" He asked
Argo shrugged "wish I knew Kii-bou." Argo said as Kirito made his way back to town to meet up with Asuna.
Back in the town the raid party was celebrating going into battle
Kirito found Asuna sitting alone by a tree eating a Cream covered bun.
'I wonder what changed for her to do the hellfire strikes back quest?' Kirito asked as he approached
"May I join you?" He asked
Asuna pulled her cloak over, allowing for Kirito to sit down.
"I see you did The Heifer Strikes Back quest." Kirito said as he pulled out his own jar of Cream.
"No, I got lucky that someone was selling it cheap." Asuna said as she put more cream on her bread.
Kirito smiled "if you want me too I can give you a hint as to how you can do the quest quickly so you can get your own." He said
"It's fine I didn't come here to eat good food." She said
"Why are you here?" Kirito asked
"So I don't lose sight of who I am. Even if I die." Asuna said
Kirito nodded " I get that but just make sure that you don't lose yourself too. I'd hate for a party member to die on me." He said as he stood up.
"Hey um." Asuna asked
Kirito turned around "yes?" He asked
"Why are you here?" She asked him.
Kirito looked out to the rest of the raid party.
"I'm here to fight to keep as many people alive as possible, if it's by me saving them. Or by me clearing the game sooner doesn't matter." He said as he looked to the sky
"I will make Kayaba pay." Asuna heard him mutter.
"Anyways good night." He said
"Um wait…do you…um do you know of a place that I can stay?" Asuna asked
Kirito froze 'Dammit I was hoping she wouldn't ask.' He thought having Asuna back with him was hard enough, but if this happened then he might let something slip.
'I can't lose her…' he thought
"Yeah I completed a quest that allowed me access to the townhouse…it also has a running bath." Kirito said
He dare not look back afraid to see her face which would cause his alright weak will at the sight of his fiancée to crumble.
However Asuna grabbed his hand and pulled him along
"Come on." She said knocking him out of his stupor
"Huh?"
Asuna looked at him "I'm not going to abandon you, not while we're in this party."
Kirito thought back to the last time she said those words in another life. On floor 75.
Kirito was just able to get his emotions under control as they walked off.
"Yeah… let's go." He said as he led her away.
He didn't notice they were still holding hands.
Behind them Argo the rat watched them and followed them
At the farmhouse where Kirito had rented space,
He showed the bathroom to Asuna who looked excited and in awe. As Kirito warned her that the NerveGear could not adequately recreate a liquid environment. And to be careful if she felt herself getting nauseous
Asuna turned to him "nauseous?" She asked
Kirito nodded "think of it like getting carsick. Your body is feeling two different things at once and are conflicting as to what is real." He said
Asuna nodded "ok thanks. I'll be out in a bit." She said as she closed the door
"Don't forget to lock it." Kirito said
From the other side of the door he heard Asuna said "i don't think there's a lock on it. It doesn't matter it's not like your going to peek in anyways right?" She said
Kirito faltered. For a brief moment he felt like he was talking to her and almost responded in kind. But he caught himself
"I-o-of course not." He stuttered.
" good." She said as she turned the water on.
Kirito sat in the main room as he waited for Asuna,
he had to focus all his willpower to not look at the bathroom door, it was even harder because he knew the hopeful relationship he was hoping to have in the future.
His mind started wandering back to Asuna, his Asuna he shook his head 'can't dwell on the past only look to it for the future.' He said as he Pulled out Argo's strategy guide to read.
However at that moment there was a knock on the door.
Kirito looked up 'huh? Oh that's right Argo.' He thought
"It's open he said as Argo let herself in.
"Kii-bou the client had raised his offer for the Anneal Blade." Argo said
Kirito sighed knowing he wouldn't get any reading done he closed the book.
"What is it at now?" He huffed leaning back
"39,800 Cor." Argo said
Kirito sighed as he hunched forward. His bangs covering his eyes
"Argo…tell it to me straight…who is this client."
Argo smiled "now that's gonna cost ya-." She was cut off as a bag of money hit her chest making her stumble as she looked up to Kirito who threw it at her. His body still
Argo saw this and realized he was not playing around. She had fortunately only seen him in this state once during the Month long beta. And it was due to outside circumstances that pushed him over the edge.
To this day she was still to afraid to ask what happened. As she remembered him killing another player for doing the same.
Argo didn't even bother counting the money as she sighed
"It's Kibaou." She said
Kirito huffed and slumped over the look of anger fading into a look defeat.
"Of course it is." He said
"Hey do you mind if I change my outfit here?"
Kirito looked up "umm I'd not recommend-." Kirito called
"AHHHHHH!" The scream of Asuna was heard from the bathroom
"That…" Kirito sighed as he slumped on the couch. And tried to use it to sleep.
This was going to be harder than he thought.
—
Kirito looked around to see himself in a black void.
"Look at you…pathetic." A voice said
"Can't save the one you love? Can't save anybody really?" Another asked
"Papa! please!" The voice of a young child screamed
"Kirito!"
Kirito show up screaming he looked around and saw both Asuna and Argo by his side on the couch.
"Umm…hey…" he said trying to get his breathing under control.
"Are you alright Kii-bou?" Argo asked as she sat down on the couch next to him incidentally sitting on his legs.
Kirito shrugged it off.
"I'm fine yea…why are you still here Argo?" Kirito asked
Asuna spoke up "she had nowhere to go close by so I let her stay, the night. But that's not the issue." Asuna said leaning towards him hands on her hips
"Huh?" Kirito asked
"Koi-bou, you were screaming bloody murder it took both of us shaking you to wake you up." Argo explained.
Kirito sighed as he moved to sit up, shocking Argo as he effortlessly pushed her aside making her either have to get up or fall off.
She close the former and sat back on the couch as Kirito stretched "I'm sorry to wake you guys. You should head back to bed." He said as he got up.
Asuna and Argo watched him go.
"Where are you going?" Asuna asked
"To clear my head." He said as he left without another word.
The next day
The raid group organized in front of the boss door there trek was hard but they persisted. Finally they made it.
Diabel turned to address the group
"Look I only got a few words to say to everyone here… let's win!" He said clenching his fist before he pushed open the door and the Boss cutscenes played out.
Once it finished Illfang landed in the middle of the Room with a mighty roar spawning in several minons. As the cutscene ended Diabel was quick to launch his orders "Commence attack!" He yelled
The two Tank parties were assigned to drawing the boss's attention and enduring its attacks. The Assault Parties C-D would concentrate on the dealing damage to the boss, while the Assault Party E would focus their attention on the sentinels. The Support parties would primarily use the Delay skill to interrupt either the boss's or guards' attacks, relieving pressure from the other parties whenever possible.
And Diabel was barking out orders clear and concise
"Squads A and C! Switch in!,"
"Here it comes! Squad B, block!"
"Squad C, keep guarding and prepare to switch."
"Everyone else, when you fall back, regroup and flank them!"
"Squads D, E, and F, keep those minions off us!" He yelled
Kirito nodded and charged in. Bashing an attack away effortlessly.
Kirito was about to call for a switch to Asuna but she was already ahead of him as the minion shattered
'I forgot how good at this she was even as a beginner,' he thought as he heard Asuna call to him
"Look out!"
Kirito snapped his head around and level his sword to block a lunging kobolt minon as he threw it off him and finished it off. He looked back to see Asuna taking on two at the same time.
Kirito was about to rush in but As both attacked her Asuna sidestepped one attack and got around behind one minion as the other swung at her now protected by his buddy.
The other minion shattered as Asuna used the opportunity to finish off the other.
Kirito smiled as he realized Asuna had this well in hand he looked over to Illfang.
And he noticed the second to last bar of HP vanished meaning the phase shift occurred. As the Ax and Buckler was thrown aside
'Here it is.'
"Right on. Looks like the guidebook was right…" Kibaou smiled
"Stand back! I've got it!" Diabel said charging forward past the group and preparing a sword skill.
As illfang drew the No-Datchi. Diabel charged headlong roaring as the boss activated a sword skill of its own. As he started to bounce off the pillars Diabel looked around trying to track him
Until suddenly he was Shoved aide thrown into another pillar as Kirito body slammed into him
Right as the boss fell down on him striking the spot Diabel once occupied
Kirito was fortunate to be able to parry the strike so it wouldn't be an instant kill for him but most importantly he saved Diabel life.
Kirito activate a sword skill to send the boss on the defensive.
As the sword skill halted Asuna used the opportunity to move in striking the boss just like they would have for the minons.
As Asuna activate a skill the boss snapped its eyes open
"Asuna Duck!" Kirito said as he ran towards the boss.
Asuna fell to the ground. Her cloak wasn't so lucky as it shattered
"let's go!" She said
Kirito nodded "right." He said as they both rapidly swapped dealing damage to the boss.
Kirito looked over to see Asuna was in yellow.
He wasn't much better
Kirito faltered "Asuna, pull back and heal!" He said
Asuna tickes but did as she was told. Leaving Kirito alone to deal with the boss.
Kirito dodged each attack but the boss got a lucky hit sending him back, Kirito looked to see his health in the red.
He looked up to see the boss decending down on him
Only for Agil to step in the way with extra Help from Diabel
"Squad F fall back you've done enough here everyone else keep it distraction!" Diabel said as the rest of the party charged forward
Kirito sighed as he panted he saw out of the corner of his eyes Asuna running toward him Health potion in hand.
Before he could argue or even open his inventory Asuna uncorked it and roughly shoved it down his throat
Kirito was able to look at the life gauge just before the healing took affect
HP: 1/ 2,300
Asuna dropped the potion as he sat up
"T-thanks I didn't know I was that close." Kirito said
Asuna didn't say anything just watched
"Think they can do it?"
Kirito sighed "no… not alone." He said standing up
He let something touch his hand as he looked to his Asuna had interlace there hands together
"We do this together." Asuna said
The boss let out a roar as the party was out of position
"Crap!" Kibaou swore
Suddenly a gust of wind was felt as they looked up to see Kirito in the air falling upon the boss.
He activated a sword skill while falling slashing at its chest as he landed
During the post motion delay Asuna appeared and send several thrusts at the boss making it stumble back.
During her post motion delay Kirito leapfrogged over her and stabbed illfang in the chest using it as an anchor point as he climbed on top of the boss.
He wailed at it as the boss tried to thrash him off.
However with one last attack Kirito killed the boss as he landed unceremoniously dropping his sword leaving it buried in the ground.
Kirito sat up catching his breath.
He didn't know who the First person was that began to cheer but very soon the entire raid was congratulating him.
Kirito stood before the Clearers on the 1st floor. They had just beaten illfang. And ready to progress. It should be a glorious time no one died.
And yet. It wasn't because he couldn't keep his eyes off one player.
Someone with long auburn hair and brown eyes.
Asuna…
His asuna
'No.' He thought as he forced himself to look away as Agil congratulated him next to him Diabel.
"Stop cheering!" A voice snapped making everyone look over.
"Why did you do it? Why risk Diabel life?!" Kibaou snapped
"Risk his life?" Kirito asked
"That's right! You shoved Diabel out of the way you didn't even give him a warning." Kibaou snarled
"I know why he was a beta tester!" Someone else said
"I bet they're not the only ones too. Show yourselves!" He said looking over at them.
Kirito sighed 'right on time' he thought as he looked to see Asuna and Agil looking around concerned
For a second Asuna's eyes met Kirito.
For a second it felt as if she was staring into her soul and he into hers.
A kindling. Her eyes were telling him not to do it.
'Did she know?' Kirito shook that thought away from his mind no. As much as he loathed to admit it, His Asuna was dead. They shared a great life together, now he had a chance to make a new one. A better one.
Kirito looked over to see Dabial approaching Kibaou
"You're wrong Kibaou." He said solemnly
Kibaou looked back at him. "Diabel?" He asked as the leader stopped in front of Kibaou.
"No one else is a beta tester in this room, no one but me!" He said
"What?" Kibaou stumbled as did everyone else
"I was one of the 1000 players. I'm not sorry about it either. Because now I'm going to use my knowledge of this game to beat it and get you all out of here!" He proclaimed
"Damn it I can't believe you! You tricked us!" Kibaou snarled and was about to punch Him in the face
Only to be cut off by laughter.
Diabel looked shocked as Kibaou turned around.
"What's so funny?!" He snarled
Kirito was hunched over laughing "both of you." He said before he bursts out laughing again holding his head in his hand making him look insane
"You're both fools!"
"What do you mean?" Diabel asked
"you will die." Kirito whispered solemnly. Dropping his hand.
Diabel gasped
Kibaou snarled as Kirito spoke again
"And don't listen to Diabel, he's been prideful and a glory stealer sense the beta." Kiritio said
"I'm trying to save people I'm trying to get us out of here We have to try!" Diabel argued
Kirito snapped his head up as he growled like a wild animal "we!?" He stood up swaying as he looked lifelessly at Diabel
"Once again more of your lies Diabel, stop trying to save face and admit it." Kirito said walking forward
"Admit what?" Kibaou asked stepping back in fear as did everyone else but Asuna.
"Of the 1000 beta players 90% were newbies, they didn't even know how to level up. I doubt they never even touched a video game in their entire life before SAO." He said his eyes not leading the raid leader. Diabel started to grow pale
"Tell me Diabel how many times did someone else have to pull your ass out of the fire from a boss before you died just like today? Better yet, do you remember how many times the person had Ashen black hair?" Kirito said with a sicking smile on his face.
Diabel stumbled "n-no impossible!" He gasped Kirito laughed insanely as Diabel landed on his ass
"Here's the secret Diabel is hiding. Why is he the worst leader of all of you, He absolutely sucked at the game." Kirito said
"I got to floor 5!" The blue haired man argued from the floor.
Kirito gave him a glare which shut him up before he continued to address the raid group
"So I ask you please don't lump me in with those morons! Heck you're better than them now all but Diabel here he's yet to learn anything I taught him." Kirito said
"And what makes you so qualified." Agil asked
Kirito suppressed a wince.
"Simple, I was the number one ranked tester in the entire game. I've been to the most floors. Killed the most bosses, and know the most secrets. Infact Kayaba was so impressed he sent me personal emails outlining the entire game. You'll find no larger wealth of information in this game about this game than me." He said
"So Diabel, lead your petty allies across the floor. I'm going to be the one actually making a difference." Kirito said
"If that's true then you're worse than a beta tester! You're a goddamn cheater!" Kibaou snarled pointing a finger at him
Kirito stole a glance at Diabel and saw the look of awe on his face.
He dared not look at Asuna.
He heard the term beater being tossed around and he smiled
"Beater eh? Ok I like it, I'm a Beater! Just don't lump me with the other Beta testers." He said as he equipped the cloak of midnight the first floor Boss drop.
He strode away not looking back as the crowd parted It would be too much for him.
Then he stopped "Oh and one last thing, I was the beta tester that knew this was going to be a death game ." He said walking away towards the next floor.
He heard the clattering of swords hit the ground behind him. Completely demoralized the front lines and made him the number one enemy of every single player in the game.
Maybe he could actually reach the second floor and escape before Asuna followed him.
"Kirito wait!" A voice said behind him it was her.
Kirito closed his eyes 'fuck.' He cursed silently. As he turned around to look at her
"Y-you knew my name." Asuna said
"There's a green bar on the right corner of your vision. It shows your health and name under that is the name of anyone in your party." Kirito said
Asuna smiled "oh I see it was there the whole time and I missed it." She said with a smile.
A smile that broke his heart.
"Listen. If you're asked to join a powerful group one day don't turn them down. There's only so much a solo player can do in here." Kirito said
Asuna tilted her head "but your solo." She said
"It's for the best." He said as he went to disband the party.
"But what if I want to stay with you?" Asuna asked
"No you don't…I didn't lie back there you know. I'm just as bad as Kayaba. You should kill me rather than work with me." Kirito said
"I don't care." Asuna said hotly as if insulted Kirito would suggest such a thing.
Kirito's eyes widened and began to water. His breath began to shake as did his hand as he used the other to keep it still.
"Kirito?" Asuna asked
"Don't." He said, his voice wavering.
Asuna was confused as she tilted her head "Don't what?" She asked
"…Give me hope…" Kirito said lifelessly as he disbanded the party and began up the stairs.
(Eoc)
Hello everyone it's me with yet another SAO story this bunny has been in my head since I wrote the first part of RWBY- the Interwar. And well I couldn't just let it go. I don't know how far this will go but I do know if I do finish this story I'll at least finish the Aincrad Arc.
Keep reading and I hope you enjoy -Bankerrtx01-