Twinblade and Angel of Death

by WaterBendingQueen88

When SAO becomes a death game, many players take up their weapons and fight to escape. One of them is Taicho, a young man who wants to get back to his family for answers, and another is Haruza, a young girl who seeks redemption for herself after a real-world failure. This is their story.

13. The Blue-Eyed Demon

I thank whitworth5274 for helping me.

October 17th, 2024

Months passed since the boys' adventure on the fifty-fifth floor. The frontier closed on the seventy-fifth floor, and morale was high as the final quarter checkpoint of Sword Art Online was within sight. It would be some time before the seventy-fifth floor's labyrinth was mapped out and the boss' lair was found.

As such, Haruza and Taicho had free time to themselves. They opted to let the KoB and DDA handle the labyrinth mapping, and, for some reason, Kirito went off on his own. They could wait the days out until Asuna notified them of the front line's progress or go up to the seventy-fourth and aid in it. They decided to spend this particular day on their own – or more truthfully, Haruza forced this upon them.

"What should we do today?"

"I don't know. This was your idea."

Months have passed, and Haruza's relationship with Taicho has stagnated since he gave her the necklace. She still wore it, but aside from that, there's been no progress. Granted, she hadn't made any moves herself, not because of some idiotic idea that Taicho has to make the first move, or that whoever confesses first loses the game, but simply because she's too nervous about the whole thing. For one, she'll admit that her attraction has developed into a full-blown crush following the reception of the necklace, which she's never had before. Two, they never got a chance like this to be Taicho and Haruza the teenagers instead of Taicho and Haruza the frontliners.

Three…she spent too much time meddling with Kirito and Asuna's love life she forgot about hers.

The pair sat under a tree off the beaten path a couple hundred meters from the nearest town. It's a radiant day on the twenty-second floor, a popular floor for a couple of reasons. It has a forest theme, with there only being a few villages and a single town. But the popularity comes from the mostly peaceful nature of the floor – for reasons no one dared ask, the twenty-second level is not sparse with monsters unless you really look for them. The majority of the monsters are within the large lake that dominates most of the map. As such, the lake is a popular fishing spot for those who partake in that hobby.

"…Oh man! I almost forgot," Haruza suddenly shouted and lifted herself from the ground.

"Wh-what?"

"I just remembered something. That limited-time only fish! Today's the last day to catch it!"

"Oh, yeah. You mean the one they were talking about on the notice board. The Flash Fish, right? It's a C-Class ingredient, so it's probably super tasty."

"As the name suggests, it's supposed to be super fast! So I want one! I mean, just hearing about these hard to get ingredients makes you want to try them, right?"

Taicho rose and looked off to the distance, not sharing Haruza's level of enthusiasm. "Yeah, I guess I can see where you're coming from. I'm down with that. And if we get lucky enough to catch one, I'll happily cook it up for us."

Haruza turned to Taicho, her eyes wide with shock. "Taicho? You cook?"

"Yeah. I have some real-world experience for personal reasons, and I've raised the skill here as well. I'm no Asuna, mind you, but I'm confident in my ability."

Haruza hopped to her feet, excited at the prospect of eating a Taicho-cooked meal. First thing first, hooking that Flash Fish! "Okay, come on. Let's get going."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Haruza's line suddenly got heavy. With all her strength, she started to reel in her quarry. "I think I've got one!" A few seconds and a victorious bout later, she lifted the fish out of the water. It's yellow in color, much like the Flash Fish, but adorned with black spots, similar to a banana peel. Disappointed, Haruza unhooked the flopping fish and tossed it back in the lake. "Ugh. Just a D-class Bana Fish."

"These Flash Fish are not easy to catch, are they?" Taicho said from a couple of feet away, seated on the lakeside grass. "Waiting for the fish to bite is the not so fun part. Yet the struggle between man and fish once the line becomes taut is an excitement with few comparisons. Winning that fight makes the later meal all the more sweeter."

Haruza sighed and recasted her line back out to the water. "I think that may actually be true. When I caught some sweet fish in the real world, they were definitely more delicious. I'll never forget when I tasted the first fish I caught."

Taicho grinned. "Then hopefully we'll remember the Flash Fish."

"Sure hope we can catch one." Time passed on in silence without a nibble, yet Haruza was undeterred. She wanted to claim the FLash Fish more than anything. Well, there's one thing ranked higher right now, and that's eating the Flash Fish after Taicho prepared it.

Haruza did feel somewhat unfeminine in not having the Cooking skill at all, but she never found a need for it. At home, her mom prepared all of her meals, so she never had a need to cook in the real world. On Aincrad, there was no place for a hobby skill in Haruza's opinion, though that might be hypocritical considering she has the Music skill to play instruments. It boiled down to never having a reason to cook for herself, other than the small helpings she had in her camping equipment in case she camped out in dungeons.

Taicho said he had personal reasons in the real world that transferred to him getting the Cooking skill here. Was he at home often by himself due to his parents being busy? Did he only have one parent, so he picked up the slack for himself and his younger siblings? Maybe he enjoyed being in the kitchen and picked it up of his own volition?

VRMMOs having the unspoken rule of not asking about real-world life protected each player. Some people are the same regardless of the world, but most people are different from their real-world counterparts. The change of name and appearance granted each person a chance to be someone that they're not. But did it matter when you're real-life friends or have spent plenty of time together as Haruza and Taicho have in the virtual world? Considering that this world is as "real" as the other world, is it okay to cross that line? Is it okay to want to know Taicho as he really is?

And if she knew him for who he really is, would she feel the same way as she does knowing him simply as Taicho? To the same extent, would he like Haruko Nozawa as he possibly liked Haruza?

"Hrmmmm… Ah!" A sudden jolt from the rod got Haruza's sudden attention.

"Did you get another bite?" Taicho asked.

Haruza ignored him and reeled in the line with fury. "Aaaah!" However, she could feel the weight on the hook's end of the line slackened, which allowed her to reel it in with a disappointing conclusion. "…No. I tried to reel it in, but it got away. Bait and all"

Taicho chuckled. "If that was the Flash Fish, it must have a small window of time to reel it from the water."

"I… I was too slow?"

"A limited time fish won't be easy to catch, Haruza."

Haruza grumbled, "True. All right… If that's what we're up against, I guess I've got no choice. Time to bring out my trump card."

"Trump card?"

"Heh heh heh... Just you watch, boy." Haruza nodded and stood, swiping her right hand to call up her system menu. "Here… We… GO!" At the press of a button, Haruza's blue coat was removed from her body. She still wore her blue tunic and black undershirt, but the gasp from Taicho made the possibility that she had less clothing underneath the jacket hilarious. Rolling her exposed upper limbs, she grabbed her rod and faced the lake with determination. "That's right! Gaze in wonder at the new look! These are the tunic and boots of a god!"

"You...took off your coat."

"Uh, yeah! This is the 'casual' customization option. Normally it's just cosmetic and stuff though."

"'Normally'... So how will this help you with fishing?"

"It doesn't."

"Oh."

"But, I dunno, it just feels easier to move around in and stuff." She knew Taicho didn't get it, but she's not lying. Trust a gymnast to know what allows one to move better.

Meanwhile, Taicho just stared at her with the most dumbfounded expression. "So, the 'Feels' stat is better?"

"Oh, haha! This is not something you can just laugh off. You have to believe in their power! Now… Bring it on, Flash Fish." Haruza threw the line back into the water, yet not a quarter of a minute passed before the line suddenly got stiff." Eep! I actually got one already!" She grounded her feet in the grass and summoned every point of her STR stat into pulling back the line.

"You got a read on it?"

"It's perfect! I've got you now! There's no way you're escaping me this time!"

"Wow! There really is something about losing your jacket!"

Taicho's praise might be sincere or sarcastic, but Haruza welcomed it all the same. Unfortunately, her confidence was waning as her strength was being overcomed by the hooked fish. "Grrrr! I-It's pulling so hard I can't… quite… reel it in…" Her feet started to slide towards the water, leaving a trail of dirt and flattened grass in its destructive path. "Oh no! Oh no! Help! It's gonna drag me in!

"Haruza!"

"Aaaaaah!" Pulled off her feet, Haruza hit the cold water hard, like a large stone being tossed in from a high cliff. Thankfully, where she landed in the lake was still shallow, so once she panickedly orientated herself, her head broke the water surface as she bounced on the lake's floor.

From the bank, Taicho called out, "Are you alright?!"

"No, I am not alright! Do you know how deep this is?! And how cold?!"

"Okay, you'll be fine. Calm down. Step one is to remove your armor."

Haruza's cheeks redden, though she's unsure whether it was embarrassment or frustration. All she knew was that it was Taicho's fault. "What? Wh-Why? Perv!"

He sighed and turned around. "I'm not going to look, dumbass. But cloth equipment gets heavier when it's wet. This way you will not sink."

"...Oh, right! I forgot about that. That explains a lot about why I'm not floating." She brought up her menu again, then glared at Taicho's back. "If you so much as look like you're going to turn around, I'll castrate you!"

"Noted."

That gentlemanly nature ticked Haruza off a bit, which gave her a devious idea to mess with him. She removed most of her gear, aside from her under armor, her necklace, and her blue gloves. Finding her mobility returned, she swam back to the edge of the lake. Once she was back on land, Haruza checked her clothes. For the most part, they're fine, but there's a sizable tear across her black top. Haruza would normally be unhappy with what the tear threatened to reveal, but considering that she's not that stacked in the area and she was going to mess with Taicho anyway, she decided to add it to her teasing.

She dropped to the ground and laid on her side, acting exhausted. "Ahh, I'm alive. Maybe I should have switched out to my swim gear. The water's cold, but it's such a nice day, wouldn't you agree, Taicho?"

"H-Haruza…"

She opened her eyes innocently, watching as he turned his head away from her. "Yes?"

"Can you…put your armor back on….please?"

"Oh?" She stood up and looked down to the tear, as if she's noticing it for the first time. Then she cupped her chin and grinned. "Hehe... Excited to see what I got underneath, are we? I figured there was a normal boy underneath that cool exterior. Besides, it's not like I'm wearing anything too risque, right?"

"That's... Well, no, that's not exactly the word that I'd use."

"Whatevs." Haruza put her tunic back on and turned to the water. Her frustration with fishing resurfaced. "Hmm... And even after all that, we still didn't get a Flash Fish. I had it on the hook and everything. I guess we'll just have to cook up the Bana Fish. What do you say?"

"Actually..." Taicho sauntered over to Haruza's discarded rod and showed her the hook – or, more importantly, what was on the hook. "I think we'll be having Flash Fish for lunch."

"I-I did it! Woooo!" Haruza cheered for herself, then pointed at Taicho. "Well then, it's time to try out your high-class fish strategies. Baking in a salt crust."

"I don't recall saying how I'd prepare the fish, but if that's what you want…" Taicho carried the fish up the hill to a campground the two had prepared earlier, Haruza right behind him. After getting a fire started, he placed a frying pan over the flames. Haruza watched in silence for a while as her partner got things together, her eyes on him intently.

"You look so serious right now. You must know what you're doing."

"Salt-crusted fish, right? It sounds very complex and high-brow. In reality, it's just combining salt, fish and fire." He held his hand over the pan, gauging its temperature, then added the fish and a dash of salt he got from a container. "Salt, fish and fire. There! The success rate is higher with an oven, but it doesn't take too big a hit with the bonfire. It'll be done in a moment."

"You're being overly casual about this whole high-brow cooking thing."

"Why do you keep calling it 'high-brow'? It's simple to cook, given that the system does most of the work. We just have to input a few commands, then sit and wait."

Haruza felt her stomach rumble as the aroma of the fish started to diffuse through the open air. "For how long?"

Taicho sighed but answered her question by extinguishing the fire. He dramatically showed her the content of the pan, the Flash Fish now covered by a light-brown crush. "Done. Salt-Crusted Baked Flash FIsh. Bon appetit!"

With a hungry smile, Haruza grabbed her fork and knife and cheered, "Thanks for the meal!" She cut and picked up a sizable piece from the middle of the fish, not even caring for how hot it could be, and stuffed it inside her mouth. She juggled the meat in her mouth to cool it off, then properly chewed it for a moment before swallowing. "Taicho… You're awesome! This is great!"

"Really?" He released a breath of relief and set the frying pan back over the extinguished fire to carve a piece of his own

"Yeah! It's seasoned perfectly! Well cooked, too, so it's flaky but not falling apart. And for extra-added deliciousness, it's the fish that I caught! We worked really hard to get it."

"A perfect day, indeed. It was a decisive struggle for a mighty fish and a lot of fun. I'll never forget a day like this."

"Oh, a day you'll never forget?" Haruza smiled teasingly and replied, "Which part is truly unforgettable, Taicho? Tell me."

Taicho choked on the food and started to cough. He shyly looked down at the ground when he got under control. "...I have no clue what you're talking about."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

October 18th, 2024, Floor 74 Labyrinth

The next morning, Haruza, Comet, and Taicho waited at an appointed meetup point at the foot of the seventy-fourth floor's towering labyrinth. Asuna had messaged them to join her and Kirito in advancing further into the dungeon, but the two were running late. It's be one thing if Kirito was late, but it is unusual for Asuna to be anything other than prompt.

Haruza gruffed with impatience. "Where are those two? They said they'd be here by now…"

Taicho, not bothered as Haruza is, glanced at the entrance to the dungeon. "I'm not surprised that other groups are taking on the labyrinth too, but that wasn't HDA or KoB. The only guild I could think of that can send twelve men in that armor and those green capes is the Army."

Haruza and her friends might've not entered the labyrinth yet, but another group, the Aincrad Liberation Army, passed them. The revamped of the former rivals of Lind's Holy Dragon Alliance, the Aincrad Liberation Force, the Army kept the Force's mission to provide and protect the lower-level players. However, recent rumors said the Army was preparing to return to the frontlines. After the debacle on the twenty-fifth floor, this didn't shock Haruza, yet went the twelve armored players passed them and entered the dungeon, all she felt was a bad omen.

"You think they'll be alright, Taicho? If Kibaou was here leading them, maybe I'd think differently, but…"

"They look adequately armored and are well-manned. They'll be fine if they don't do anything idiotic. He wouldn't want a repeat of the twenty-fifth, even if it weren't his fault." He sighed and returned his gaze to the blue flower field around the tower's base. "Oh, here they are."

"Ah, it's about time!" Coming into the field were two running figures—one in a white dress, the other in a black coat. Once they caught up, Haruza hopped to her feet and laid it out on Kirito and Asuna. "Why are you so late?"

"Sorry about that. Kuradeel, my guard, went too far in his duties. Not only was he adamant about coming with me when I dismissed him, but apparently he's been stalking my house."

Kuradeel? Oh, right, that's Asuna's extra-creepy bodyguard. Not that he's a creep in the traditional sense, but that he took his job of guarding the KOB's vice commander so seriously that it could be called creepy by those who didn't know about it. Well, watching Asuna outside her house is creepy no matter the excuse, and if he was antagonizing Kirito, that must've been a hassle. "What? Why didn't you call us? We could've helped."

"It wasn't a big problem in the end." Kirito explained. "He challenged me to a duel and I fortunately won. Afterwards, he was relieved of guard duty and we made our way here. We did pause for a bit because the Army passed by, which I'm sure you two noticed... Think we'd need extra help for the dungeon?"

"Well, I brought Comet here for backup. He's been getting good with his flame attacks." Haruza petted Comet, who whined in response to the compliment. She then turned to the labyrinth door and excitedly yelled, "Anyway, let's get going! We're going to go as far as we can!"

"Yeah!"

XXXXXXXXXX

The four players were deep into the dungeon a couple of hours later. Haruza and Taicho were a paired fighting group, and so were Kirito and Asuna. As they fought through the dungeon, they encountered a small number of mobs like the Demonic Skeletons to the point that Haruza was getting more of a cardio workout from running around.

They hadn't encountered the Army, but she doubted the group was routed. If anything, they're probably lost in the dungeon. At the same time, Haruza and company, thanks to their own explorations and Asuna updating their maps prior to entry, knew which areas were explored in the past.

"How close are we, Kirito?"

"Based on my map, we don't have much more to explore. I think, if we continue down this path…"

"Guys, look." Asuna gestured down to the end of the white stone path. The dark, moist walls and pillars around them were lined with green highlights and drawings that Haruza couldn't decipher. They converged on a set of large grey doors that had similar drawings as the walls.

"Is that what I think it is?"

"Uh-huh. We found the boss room."

"I was afraid of that. It's been nine days since the last floor was cleared, so I guess it's about time."

Asuna grabbed Kirito's sleeve. "What do we do? You think we should look inside?"

"Well, we came all this way. Besides, boss monsters never leave the rooms they guard. I think we'll be ok if we just take a peek."

"Oh, ok."

Haruza nodded. "Just one look, and we're out of here."

"Teleport crystals out, everyone," Taicho ordered as he materialized one himself.

Once everyone had the blue crystal in hand, Kirito asked, "Ok, are you all ready?"

Haruza grimly answered, "There is no ready for this kind of thing, but what choice do we have?"

Kirito and Taicho glanced at each other and put their hands on the iron doors. Despite their size, the doors swung open easily with a heavy groan. Everyone was tensed up, waiting for something to happen.

"There's nothing in here…" After a moment of silence, Kirito took the first steps into the dark chamber, followed by Taicho.

"Hey, wait," Asuna called out.

"We'll be okay. We're not going in too far. Besides, we should find out what kind of boss we're dealing with. How else are we gonna beat it?"

"Yeah, I know. It's just-"

Bof. The first flames, blue in color, flickered in the darkness, starting at the entrance to the chamber. In pairs, more flames appeared, adding light to the contours of the rectangular room. Frightened and with nerves giving out, Haruza reached for Taicho's shoulders for support, but even he was shaking. As the final candles were lit, all eyes were drawn to the center of the room as a hulking mass was given form.

Its skin was as deep blue as the surrounding flames. A horned, goatlike head with thick, spiraling horns was atop the muscled chest. Its lower body was goatlike as well. Haruza heard a hissing sound and a tail-like appendage waving behind the great beast in the darkness. But what drew Haruza's eyes were the blood-red eyes that glinted in the light.

Like every boss-type monster, this one had a specific name that appeared on its cursor. This one read, "The Gleameyes." To the left of its name were four large, green bars that indicated its health.

Haruza's fear was universal among the group; even Comet sought to retreat as the fox backed up. Finding her voice, Haruza whimpered, "What… this that?!"

"A d-demon," Taicho stuttered. As if responding unfavorably to Taicho's description, the beast picked up the large sword in front of it with its right hand. With a great roar and eyes shining white, the Gleameyes sought to attack the quartet.

It was Taicho who ordered the rest with one command: "RUN!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A distance from the Gleameyes' lair, the four players caught their breaths while resting against a pillar within one of the safe areas en route to the end of the labyrinth. They probably passed by many monsters and got their attention, but the friends were too frightened by the beast to give a care.

"That one's gonna be tough to beat." Haruza sighed.

Taicho nodded. "You're right. I saw he only had that one big sword, and I'm pretty sure it's got special attacks, too."

"We're gonna have to put tanks in the front row and keep switching out just to wear it down."

"Yeah, it wouldn't hurt to have about 10 shield users."

Asuna glanced at Kirito. "Shield users, huh?"

"What? What's wrong?"

"You are. You're hiding something, aren't you?"

"Uh… What are you talking about?" Kirito responded in a somewhat annoyed tone.

"You always hide something. You know you do," Haruza pointed out.

"I just realized something. The biggest advantage of using a one-handed sword is you can also use a shield. But you know what? I don't think I've ever seen any of you using one."

Haruza shrugged. "I don't use shields because of the extra katana I carry. I just feel safer that way."

"I don't use a shield because it will slow down my rapier. Others don't because they think it looks dumb."

"As for me, it's a build thing. I simply prefer not to be weighed down by a shield. That's why I keep my swords light in weight yet durable. I'm agile enough to dodge." While everyone else gave their excuses, Kirito grunted and looked away with arms crossed. That's when Taicho noted something else. "And why aren't you using the sword you commissioned from Liz?"

"Very suspicious." Seeing that Kirito was adamant about keeping his secret, Asuna sighed and smiled. "Oh, never mind. It's rude to ask people to justify their skills." She turned her attention elsewhere, to the invisible system menu in front of her. "Since it's gotten so late, might as well have lunch here."

All eyes ventured over to the brown basket that materialized in Asuna's hands. "Really? D-Did you make it yourself?"

"Yep. But you better take your gloves off before you eat."

"Oh, sure." As Asuna opened the basket and others removed their gloves, Haruza opened her inventory, too. She materialized a peach and handed it to Comet, then turned to see Asuna handing her a paper-wrapped sandwich filled with meat and vegetables.

"Here you go."

"You made enough for all of us?"

"Of course. It'd be rude for me to invite you guys and not provide lunch for the entire group." That made sense, so Haruza happily accepted the sandwich. ON cue, she and the boys bit into the meal. Immediately, Haruza could tell this wasn't something Asuna had put together - the peppery smell, the sweet and salty taste, and fourteen years of nostalgia for food back home indicated Asuna's mastery of the Cooking skill. As good as Taicho's ability was, Haruza had to admit it wasn't close to Asuna's.

"This is good!"

"It's like the fast food back home!"

"I miss this!"

"How did you get it to taste so amazing?"

"Chuck it up a whole year of training and study." Around the group appeared holographic lists of various recipes that Asuna had procured. "Aincrad has everything you need. There are about a hundred different seasonings. I made everything just by calculating all the parameters used by the flavor-recreation engine." Asuna picked up two bottles from the basket and popped the one with a green substance open. She handed it to Haruza. "This was made with grogua seed, shugra leaf, and calim water."

Haruza plucked a finger inside and brought a finger-full of the green substance to her tongue. "Ugh.."

"What?"

"One of my hated foods, mayonnaise…"

"Mayonaise?"

Asuna smiled and picked up the second bottle, which had a purple liquid inside. "Well, maybe this one will be better. I made this using abilba seed, sag leaves, and ulafish bones."

This one she let Kirito taste. "...Whoa! That tastes exactly like… soy sauce!"

"Now that's better."

"Let me try them both."

Asuna giggled at her friends' excitement and amazement. "You're right. I made the sauce for the sandwich out of that."

"Amazing! It's perfect! Have you thought about selling this?"

"You could make a fortune."

"You think it's that good?"

"Uh, wait. You can't sell it."

"But, why not?"

"Cause there wouldn't be any left for me."

At Kirito's admission, Haruza groaned. "That's it?"

Asuna sighed and said, "My God, you're so greedy… If you like it that much, I could always make more."

At that moment, footsteps entered through the barrier that marked the surrounding area safe. They're coming from the path that leads back to the lower level, opposite of the Gleameyes' dwelling place. They tensed and got to their feet, but immediately felt relief when they saw who the seven men and one woman entering the safe area were.

Fuurinkazan, led by the samurai wanna-be Klein, followed by Cyrus and Ada.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

While in the dungeon, Klein and the Fuurinkazan clan showed up feeling a bit exhausted. Cyrus and Ada were tagged along with them, but weren't as exhausted as they were.

"Cyrus, how are you guys not drastically tired after all this?"

Cyrus, being relaxed, responded back. "Well, we were just able to coordinate."

"And coordination makes the team communication better." Ada added. They passed through the barrier that made the path safe from the dangers of the dungeons. Seeking a break, Cyrus lowered his guard and sheathed his blade - just as a group of four ahead of them stood up, ready to fight.

No one in Fuurinkazan, however, responded in kind. When Klein spotted the group, he smiled and waved at them. "Hey, Kirito! Haruza! Taicho! How're you doing?"

"Fuurinkazan, Ada, and Cyrus? Hi!"

"Yo."

"Hey, Klein. Still alive, huh?"

Klein sighed as the group approached Kirito's. "Jeez, you're the same as ever. Wait… Whoa. You're a solo player. What the heck are you doing with a… girl?"

Haruza scoffed and pointed at Klein, causing him to leap back. "Have you forgotten already, you dope? I'm a girl, too."

"Oh, r-right… But I am used to seeing you around, and to be fair, you have a boy-"

"Klein," Taicho reached and covered Klein's mouth, preventing him from speaking and earning Haruza's wrath. "Stop while you're ahead."

"Right…"

Kirito cleared his throat and answered Klein's initial question. "Uh, I could have sworn guys met before one of the boss fights. I'll introduce you. This is Klein of the Fuurinkazan guild. And this is Asuna, one of the Knights of the Blood Oath."

Asuna bowed, and all the men in Fuurinkazan stared at her like she was a goddess. Then again, Cyrus would too if he hadn't done so a long time ago when he formally met Asuna…and if the sister of said goddess didn't emanate the aura of a demon right beside him.

Concerned, Kirito waved his hand in front of Klein's face. "Hey, come on. Say something. What's wrong? You lagging?"

Klein finally made a movement; however, instead of being normal, he bent down and held out his hand to Asuna. "Hi, I'm K-Klein! I'm 24 and single, and I'm looking for a- Aghhhh!"

"Boss!" Kirito had punched Klein in the gut. While he recovered, the rest of Furinkazan ganged on Kirito. He wasn't their target, though - it was Asuna. "Wow! Are you really that Asuna?"

"Don't worry, it's cool. These guys are ok. Yeah, but I don't know about Klein. Uh! What the hell?"

Klein rose after stomping Kirito's foot. "That's payback, you weasel!"

"Classic Klein…" Cyrus had a small smug watching Klein act and his friends being their usual self.

"It never fails but that's what happens when you're popular in the front lines…" Ada shrugged with a small sigh.

While most of the males argued, Asuna laughs and announced, "Excuse me? Kirito, Haruza, Taicho and I are together because we're sort of in a party."

"Huh?!"

"Kirito?! You son of a….!"

"W-Wait! It's not what you think!"

Cyrus chuckled. "Well, that's a sight to see! The Black Swordsman, Twinblade, and the Angel of Death partying with the Lightning Flash of the Knights of the Bloodoath is quite the combination!"

Ada frowned. "Since when did you get that close with my sis~"

"N-No it's not like that!"

Everyone laughed a bit. But upon hearing a crowd of footsteps from the distance, the pleasant mood had faded as they all looked back. A mass of grey and green approached them, which Cyrus was able to identify immediately due to prior association. Name and purpose might've changed over the previous year, but no one who's been on the frontlines for as long as he has could forget the Aincrad Liberation Squad - now known as the Aincrad Liberation Army.

While Cyrus, Ada, and Fuurinkazan were surprised to see the Army's dozen men here, Haruza and her group share an opposing countenance. Like they expected the greens to show up eventually. However, expecting them or not, no one could say they expected to see the men looking exhausted. SAO might not be a physically demanding game, but mental exhaustion is real and can present as physical exhaustion through the avatars.

Soon the leader, marked with a red sash, stopped and spun to his men. "At ease!" Upon the command, all of the soldiers collapsed out of exhaustion. The leader walked up to the twelve assembled players and introduced himself. "I'm with the Aincrad Liberation Army. Lieutenant Colonel Corvatz."

At the front of the group, Kirito stated, "I'm Kirito. Solo."

Corvatz looked at Kirito, Haruza and Taicho, then looked at the rest of the group one by one, from Fuurinkazan, to Asuna, and then to Cyrus and Ada. "Sure you are. Have you cleared the area up ahead?"

"Yea. We also got a map with directions to the boss room."

"Hmm. Right. Then hand over that map and we'll be on our way."

From the straight-up request, most of them weren't pleased.

Klein gasped and said, "You want us to just give it to you?! Do you know how much of a pain in the ass mapping is?!

Cyrus, much cooler-headed than Klein, fixed Corvatz with a glare and asked, "What do you plan to use the map data for?"

"We share our information and resources equally with civilian players all the time! And we don't charge a thing for it! We maintain order in the chaos of battle so that all players can leave this world as quickly as possible! Therefore, it's your duty to cooperate with us! So hand over that map!"

To be honest, Cyrus had no reason to not let Corvatz get the map data from Kirito and his group. If Lind or Asuna were asking for it, he'd do it without thinking about it since it helped the front lines. But for some reason, Corvatz demanding it and using the Army's mantra of resource-sharing as an argument doesn't sit right with him.

If Corvatz upset him, he was second in line. Ada became visibly upset from his demands and walked up to him. "Listen! This is not….!"

Kirito put his arm up to stop Ada. "Easy. When we got back to town, I was going to go public with the map anyway. It's cool." Kirito proceeded to go into his inventory to give the map data to Corvatz.

"Oh now, wait! Come on, man! You're being way too nice to him!" Klein complained.

"I don't have a problem with it," Taicho stated, though he didn't sound completely okay with it.

"It's better if it helps to get players home," said Haruza, who looked as if she wanted to push Corvatz over the edge.

Whether he took note of his friends' "agreeable" looks, Kirito shared the map data anyway. "I don't care about making money off map data."

"Hmm. Thanks for cooperating."

As Corvatz turned to leave, Kirito ushered a final warning. "By the way, if you're planning to hit the boss, I wouldn't recommend it."

"That is my decision to make."

"Hey, I just took a look inside that room, pal! And you can't beat that boss if your troops are half-dead!"

"Just look at them! They're exhausted!" Haruza pointed to them.

"You know better than this. You run in there with an unprepared team, it's basically suicide. Your weakened squad will be killed." Ada warned.

Corvatz gritted his teeth from their words. "Nonsense! My men are tougher than that! They won't quit til I say so! On your feet! Come on, move!" On his command, all of his soldiers barely stood up as they had left.

"Oh man. Are those guys gonna be okay?"

"I'm sure they know what they're doing. They won't rush the boss without checking it out first, right?"

Cyrus shrugged at Asuna's inquiry. "I don't know...I've got a bad feeling about this..."

Haruza nodded. "We should at least go and keep an eye on them, in case if they do something reckless."

Klein had a small smile in agreement with Haruza. "You're right! Let's go!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Haruza

Having been split off by lizards from Cyrus, Ada, and Fuurinkazan, Haruza and her original group returned to the boss' doors. The twelve men of the Army were nowhere to be found, and based on the noise they could hear…the worst case scenario was real.

"Idiots!"

"Not even Kibaou would have done something as reckless as this!" Haruza growled.

"The boss room's open!" Taicho pointed to the opening.

"Hey, you guys ok?" Kirito stopped at the doors first, followed by Taicho and the girls. When Haruza got her eyes on the situation, there was only one word she could describe it as.

Hell.

Situated on the far side of the room, the Army's men scrambled about, panting heavily, on the ground, wounded. Hunting them down was the Gleameyes, his first health bar not even whittled down a third of the way. It swung its sword, slicing through a man. He didn't die, but his fear said he was close to it.

"Don't just stand there," Kirito shouted. "Use your teleport crystals!"

"We can't! T-The crystals aren't working!"

Taicho gasped and murmured, "No… Not another anti-crystal zone! In the boss' chamber too?"

Haruza frowned. To her recollection, this is the first time a labyrinth boss battle included an anti-crystal zone. "They're not becoming so rare anymore!"

"I never heard of a trap like this being in a boss room before."

From the far side of the room, they heard Corvatz shout to his men, "The Aincrad Liberation Army doesn't know the word 'Retreat!' Come on! Keep fighting!"

"They're insane!"

"Hey, what the hell's going on?!"

Klein, Ada, and Cyrus caught up. Kirito quickly explained the situation. "They can't use their teleportation crystals. We could distract the boss, but going in there's too risky."

"But isn't there something we can do?"

"Tsk! They're frickin' reckless!"

"We can have two of us dive in to help them out."

Ada's suggestion was good, but Taicho shot it down immediately as he pointed to the border between them and The Gleameyes's domain: "No, it's too risky! If we jump into the boss room, we won't be able to use our crystals!"

Haruza looked at Taicho, hoping his strangely immense knowledge of SAO could pull through now. "Then what do we do?! We can't just leave them to die!"

"Ready… Charge!" Haruza turned just as Corvatz gave his latest command. Kirito advised against it, but his words fell on deaf ears. As the Army charged, the Gleameyes got its attack ready, charging up with a breath attack and spewing out purple flames. The flames engulfed the group as the boss used a followup attack with a forward thrust from its massive sword. With a massive sword attack, the soldiers were heavily knocked back as Corvatz was flung into the air by its swing attack. He landed feet away from the onlookers, laying still on his back.

"Hey! Hang on, Corvatz!" Kirito ran up to Corvatz, only to watch his HP drop down to zero. Corvatz's mask shattered, being shocked by the overwhelming power, he was left with his last word.

"...I can't believe it…" With his dying word, he shattered into pixels. Haruza's breath lodged itself in her throat, not allowing her to inhale or exhale. Seeing players die before her didn't scare her as a gamer herself; watching people die and have their last moments frozen in fear before the NerveGear fried their brain, that she hadn't gotten used to. She couldn't find the will to break down in tears like Asuna, nor could she muster up a brave face like Taicho is trying to maintain. She just froze in shock and fear.

She heard someone scream. She watched as a soldier laid on the ground defenseless, only to be under the boss's menacing presence as it readied its sword for an overhead swing. She couldn't feel her vocal cords to shout at him, nor her hands to grab her sword or her feet to move.

"No...I can't...no…"

If Haruza did not move, she wouldn't die. She could go back, fight another day, and beat The Gleameyes in a proper raid. Yeah, they should back out now…

"Sis...D-don't..."

Yeah, they should back out now…

"Noooooo!" A great yell entered her right ear, followed by drawing her rapier and shooting into the chamber. Kirito, Klein, Ada, and Cyrus followed one after the other to engage the beast or rescue the remaining members of the Army. But Haruza's feet remained frozen in place; if she wanted to join them, her body was against her mind. Funny how she was willing to risk her life on multiple occasions to save other people - most times that being her friends - but with a danger openly presented before them appeared and the ones in need of rescue were strangers, things changed for her.

"Haruza! We gotta back everyone!" A warm hand landed on her shoulders. Following that warmth, Haruza spotted Taicho standing beside her. His expression was truly filled with courage now. "Hey, it's okay if you're afraid. We all are. But if we do nothing… They will die. I know you couldn't live with that, could you?"

"...N-no."

"Then stick by my side, Haruza."

Haruza looked at the scene once again. Asuna had attacked with a sword skill _ and got a powerful punch for it. She landed hard on the ground, but the vice commander of the Knights of the Blood Oath was not out for the count. Kirito made it to Asuna, protecting her from the monster's counterattack on Asuna. Ada, Cyrus, Klein, and the arriving Fuurinkazan were running along the perimeter of the room to the Army. If they're to extract them…someone has to deal with the minotaur for a while.

"...By your side?"

"Mhm. Let's get through this…together."

The warmth from Taicho's hand got to Haruza's hands and feet, and she could think clearly. Taicho's right; if they do nothing, everyone inside will die. She reached for her sword and took a deep breath. "...Together, Taicho."

"Follow me!" Taicho sprinted inside first, and the pair raced past Kirito and Asuna. They went for its legs, slashing their swords multiple times but the boss barely flinched and did a massive sweep attack. Haruza and Taicho barely defended the attack with their swords and got knocked their attack did all it needed to do; while they were distracting the boss, Cyrus, Ada, and Fuurikazan got to the Army safely and helped pick up the injured players.

The boss noticed the players escaping the boss room as it got its breath attack ready; only to be interrupted by a back slash attack by Kirito. Because of his flinching attack, the boss was now focused on Kirito. Their blades clashed, but the boss had the advantage, slowly slashing Kirito. The height of the boss was overwhelming Kirito as he was being pushed back.

"Get out of there!"

"Kirito!"

"Get out of there, Kirito!"

With gritted teeth and fear for her childhood friend, Haruza watched as the boss swung its overhead sword attack. Kirito dodged its massive ground smash, but he was effectively isolated from the rest. He knew it too. However, he looked more conflicted about something other than the beast in front of him.

Whatever held his mind was interrupted by a thrust attack, which the swordsman narrowly parried. The force shocked him, but it seemed to jumpstart his mind as he faced Haruza and the others. "Hey, Haruza! Asuna! Taicho! Listen, I need ten seconds! Keep him off me!"

Taicho nodded and smirked. "You better not take eleven! Come on, girls!"

Haruza watched as Kirito leaped out of danger down to her side. They shared a fleeting glance. It read that he was about to do something reckless yet necessary, and she was about to do the same. In other words, it is a normal day for them. She smiled and stated, "Another debt… Kazuto."

"...Thanks, Haruko."

Racing toward the monstrous goat, Haruza reached for her second blade behind her back. Sword Art Online allowed people to wield two one-handed weapons, but since it is counted as an 'irregular state," no one could execute sword skills as a consequence. However, if one was fast and skilled enough with a pair of swords, they could mount damage as efficiently as a one-handed skill. That's exactly what Haruza planned on doing as Taicho struck the Gleameyes with Vertical Arc, giving her an opening.

"Take this!" Haruza screamed as she aimed for the monster's enormous left leg. A flurry of eight successive strikes left red gashes on the limb, and it was all Haruza had before she escaped out of range of the giant sword. "Kirito!"

"Okay! I'm ready! Switch out!" Everyone jumped back as Kirito charged forward and deflected the sword attack. At the same time, he reached out for a blue sword that appeared on his back - the one Taicho and Asuna alluded to earlier about Lisbeth crafting - and swiped for the follow-up attack. Haruza clicked her tongue in flattery. So he's mimicking her now?

She watched him make the frontal attack with dual swords. He parried the boss's overhead swing, leaving the beast open to a counterattack. She thought he'd called for a switch at this moment and prepared herself. That's when the unexpected thing happened. No, not the unexpected - the impossible for more than two years, the SAO beta included.

"Ok, here goes. Starburst...Stream!"

His two swords glowing, Kirito initiated a sword skill, stunning Haruza and the rest of the audience, who knew what having two one-handed swords on hand meant.

"W-What the hell kind of skill's that?"

"That's…impossible…"

While everyone watched his new sword skill, Kirito kept swinging his swords, accelerating slowly with tremendous speed. His speedy sword attacks hit numerous amounts while under some attacks in exchange, decreasing his HP slowly. Kirito kept on swinging his swords until his right sword was caught in the boss's hand, ready to make its thrust attack. But Kirito made his thrust attack for the final hit, eliminating the boss and clearing the floor with barely any HP left.

If it wasn't for the congratulations prompt floating in the air and Taicho's shocked remark of, "He...He actually did it," Haruza would not have believed the sight of her eyes.

"He cleared the 75th floor...with that...skill," Haruza murmured right before Kirito collapsed on the ground, only a percent of his health remaining.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kirito

"Kirito! Wake up, Kirito!"

Slowly, Kirito opened his eyes to the voice calling his name. At first, he saw Sachi speaking to him, but the next blink was Asuna in the former's place. Her face stained with tears, the swordsman got up and held his head. "Oh, man. My head."

Kirito looked around as everyone gathered up and looked at him. "That was too close. How long was I out for?"

"Just a few seconds." Asuna wiped her tears from her eyes before jumping upon him for a grasping hug. "You reckless idiot!"

"Jeez, don't hug me so hard. I'll lose the last of my HP." He was relieved that it was over. Most of the players were safe and not killed in a gruesome death by the overwhelming floor boss.

Klein stepped up to the pair. "Corvatz and two of his men are the only ones who didn't make it."

Kirito looked down because of the number of days since the last time a player had died. "We haven't lost a player in a boss fight since Floor 67."

"That wasn't a boss fight, that was suicide. Corvatz was a damn fool. There's no point to any of this if you die!"

Cyrus looked at the players who were sobbing for their leader's loss. To cut to the chase, he stepped up to Kirito. "Kirito...That dual sword ability you did there... I've seen Haruza wield her two blades countless times, and even I tried doing the same once or twice. I know there's no way to execute one-handed skills with two blades and there's not a dual skill set either. So...was some kind of new skill?"

Kirito turned to him with a small hesitation to answer back. "I don't think you want to know."

Haruza crossed her arms. "Well, it's a new skill that no one here has seen before. We kinda demand some explanation."

Kirito sighed a bit before giving them an answer to his new skill. "Cyrus is right. One can't use normal skills while wielding two swords. It's an extra skill I picked up. Dual-wielding."

Most of the audience gasped out of surprise, considering it's an extra skill that's undiscovered until now.

"Dude, are there prerequisites?"

"If I knew that, I'd have shared it by now."

"It doesn't seem to be in the broker's skill list; no information. Which means you're the only one who has it."

"...What if he isn't the only one?" Everyone looked at Cyrus. He looked at everyone with an uneasy response. "I-I was...saying hypothetically, what if someone else inside Aincrad had the same 'dual-wielding' skills as you?"

Kirito shook his head. "I'd doubt that...if someone did, they'd release the information publicly, and everyone else would start to grind for the skill..."

Klein smirked. "Well either way, it's a unique skill. What a way to stay on the down low, Kirito. How can you keep any awesome secret like this from your buddies?"

Kirito looked at his skill menu to see his dual-wielding skill. "About six months ago, I was scrolling through my skill menu, and it was just there."

"I wonder if I could learn it."

"I'm sure it's possible, Haruza. We just gotta find out how."

"I don't know. If it's a skill that can be easily obtained by anyone, a lot of people are gonna get jealous."

"I do agree with ya, Cycy. MMO gamers would get pissed because you had something they didn't. Some gamers are like that, but not me." Klein looked at Kirito and then smirked. "And that, well, they say your character's built by life's challenges, so keep soldiering on, young man."

"Easier said than done."

"We're gonna go trigger the warp gate. You coming?"

"Nah, I'll catch up with you later. I need to rest up for a bit."

"I heard that. Have a safe trip back." Klein and the Fuurikazan began to walk up the stairs to the next floor and trigger the warp gate. Cyrus and Ada followed them from behind. Behind them were Taicho and Haruza.

Taicho nodded and waved to Kirito and Asuna. "Take care, Kirito, Asuna. Be careful on your way back."

Kirito nodded back. "Thanks, you guys..."

Pausing in step, Haruza turned back and said, "Oh, there was something I wanted to talk about with you, Asuna, and Taicho, but that can wait." She left the boss room through the stairs, not giving Kirito a chance to respond.