WARNING: This story includes mature and sexual elements. Readers, proceed at your own discretion.

Chapter 6: The Goddess and the Tournament

When Eugeo returned from their trip, there was a level of exhaustion to him that befitted one who'd just gone through physical exertion. But there was also no denying the look of satisfaction on his face, which meant that it was indeed the right choice to have him go to Zakkaria today in his and Asuna's place.

Oh, sure, he sort of wished that he had the chance to test his sword against someone else, but he still stood by the decision that it was good of Eugeo to get some experience. At least now, he had a better understanding of where he stood, and that would help him further understand where he could further improve.

Not like he didn't look forward to listen to the twins' recount of the day's events. They were rambunctious in their retelling, and Eugeo was no less excited to share his own day about the fights he'd seen and his own training partner.

What he didn't expect from that, however—"Honestly, I didn't expect Leafa to be such a strong swordswoman. Really caught me off-guard back there."

His spoon dropped on the floor, his knee struck the underside of the table, and Kirito barely suppressed the curse that threatened to leave his lips. Sitting beside him, Asuna gasped in delight as she clapped her hands together.

"You met Leafa?!"

"Yes, I did," nodded Eugeo, chuckling. "All the hype around her definitely hadn't been false. I gave it my all, but I just couldn't get past her defenses. By the time she got me, I really felt like I couldn't get up at all… And she was such a good sport about it. I was really glad to have had that opportunity to fight her."

"Wooow! I can't believe she's in Zakkaria! And from a completely different empire too? Talk about a good stroke of luck!"

Eugeo and the Wolde family looked at her, surprised by her happiness. "Do you know her, Asuna?"

"Mmhm! She's Kirito-kun's sister."

The Woldes' patriarch spat his water into his cup, his wife almost fell out of her seat, and the twins stared at Kirito with disbelief. He, in turn, looked over to Eugeo, who looked back at him, mouth hitting the table.

"She's your sister? You look nothing alike!"

"I-I don't know?" Seriously, why was he trying to keep his cover as an amnesiac at this point? He clearly wasn't, but he was clueless only about Underworld. Would it be too late to just say that out loud?

Unfortunately for him, Asuna was completely on-board with keeping his amnesiac front, resuming from where she left of. "If you can believe it, Kirito-kun was adopted by Leafa's family. He lost his parents when he was still very young," the Woldes and Eugeo perked up at that. Okay, so that was just literally the truth, but uhh, he didn't think she'd pull that one out. "And it really is a shame that Kirito-kun lost his memories… But I'm sure we'll be able to help him get every single memory back. And maybe that's by reuniting him with all of our friends."

"I see… That's not so hard to believe," the patriarch, finally having calmed down after that shocking revelation, now had a thoughtful expression as he stroked his beard. "People often say that one can regain their memories when interacting with or viewing a familiar person or scenery."

Eugeo shook his head, in disbelief. "I can't believe I actually met your sister… If I had known… I mean, she told me that she left her home in Eastabarieth to look for her brother. I never knew it was you, Kirito."

"A-Ah, it's okay. Crazy things like that happen from time to time."

"So wait. Asuna, are you telling me that all your friends have been looking all around the empires in search of Kirito?"

"That's just about it, yes."

Everyone at the table had the look that clearly spelt out 'how fortunate you are to have such good friends, Kirito'. And yeah, at the moment, he clearly felt gratified, knowing that he had a lot of people who cared about his safety and were willing to go through thick and thin just to make sure he was okay.

But at the same time, his brain was still trying to process the information overload that he'd just been dumped with. Needless to say, he wasn't getting it done at all.

Throughout the rest of dinner, Kirito occasionally glanced at Asuna, trying to discern her reaction. There was literally nothing akin to surprise. If anything, she kept asking Eugeo a little bit about Leafa and of what else they did in town.

Did she know that she wasn't the only one that came into Underworld? Just… how? How could his sister be in this world as well? He'd assumed there were a limited number of Soul Translators at… at wherever he was. Could that mean that Suguha had somehow found his location and followed him there? And how many other people had come?

Actually, now that he thought about it, how was Asuna here as well?

'How had I not thought about that..?' The sudden realization was like a douse of ice water on him, eyes slowly widening as the thought bounced in his head, the chunk of meat at the end of his fork splattering back onto his plate. 'I mean, it's not like the NerveGear operates the same was as a Soul Translator does. There's no way they can access this world with just a NerveGear, right..?'

She'd shown up in that cave to save both him, Eugeo and Selka, and the question had never come to him. He'd just been so overjoyed at her presence that he never stopped to consider the logistics of things. Oh, sure, he knew she had access to the goddess account, but again, how was she here?

And now, Suguha was here too. How? What was going on?

Dinner proceeded as normally as it possibly could, Kirito trying to keep up with everyone while his mind continuously ran a marathon to understand the current circumstances. He simply went through the motions on auto-drive.

It was only when they were about to turn in for bed did he call for Asuna to have a talk. She accepted, and they did so outside of the barn that they were sleeping in, Eugeo having took off first for a bath.

"Oh? How I'm here? I'm borrowing a Soul Translator."

Okay, so that's a pretty direct answer to his question. Completely blew him out of the waters for sure. "And Leafa..?"

"Leafa's using a Soul Translator too!" Wha—Seriously? "And it's not just us. Like I told you earlier, a couple more of our friends came along, so we'll meet them along the way."

"Ahh…" How she was being so carefree about this entire thing boggled him, though he supposed it wouldn't really surprise her since they'd concocted this plan together. He, on the other hand, was doing his best to wrap his head around the situation. "Who else?"

"There's me, Leafa, Sinonon, Liz, Silica-chan, and Yuuki."

"What. How are there so many of you?!"

"W-Well, we were worried about you, Kirito-kun! We really wanted to make sure you were safe…"

Ack. When she puts it like that, he couldn't really get mad at her. Not like he was to begin with; he was just gobsmacked that so many of them managed to infiltrate Kikuoka's workplace to use the Soul Translators. He explained that reasoning to her, prompting her to go 'Ohh'.

"Well, we sort of had a discussion, and Kikuoka-kun agreed to let us dive in to help you," he did? Well, he supposed that was convenient (though a part of him was mildly concerned as to the nature and levels of civility of their 'discussion'). "You'd be surprised, but they actually have four STLs aboard the Ocean Turtle—" the what now? "And there are two more in Roppongi. Liz and Silica-chan are using those."

"…And you're telling me that you, Leafa and Sinon are diving from this… Ocean Turtle?"

"Mmhm! That's where you are too. It's like out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean," what the—where the fuck did Kikuoka take him?! The last time he used the STL had been in Roppongi! "Personally, it doesn't look like a turtle. And someone said the command post looked like a pig, but that's just weird."

Understandably, that was much less weirder than the fact that three teenage girls manage to enter a highly-classified facility. "H-How did you even get in there?"

"Someone helped us in. She's… Well, she's connected to Kayaba."

The mention of that old and forsaken name brought forth a quiet simmer of rage, but he was quick to douse it. If she was willing to help them at all, he supposed she could be trusted… for now. "I see. And Yuuki?"

"I heard they made some edits to Yuuki's Medicuboid, so now it has the option to let her full-dive into Underworld. That's honestly great to hear! I'm so relieved she's here too!"

If there was ever a time that Kirito felt like he was going to get an aneurysm, this was certainly it. He thought the concept of convenience had repeated itself enough, but now? It sure does feel like every level of bullshit in the possible universe was being summoned for this exact moment.

"And none of you are together when you girls dived into Underworld."

"Oh, no, we were all summoned in separate locations. Like myself, I really was in Wesdarath when I woke up," and she travelled all the way to Norlangarth just to find him? Goddesses… "So if Leafa was supposedly in Eastabarieth, then that's probably true. I'm not sure where the others are, and there's no way to contact them. We just don't have that capability."

"I… I see," sighing, he dragged his hand across his hair, feeling like he'd aged a couple of years. "Well, at least that's all the mystery over. I definitely did not expect to hear our friends in this world as well, but that's nice. And…"

His eyes glanced over to Asuna, noticing her curious expression. He felt his features soften, sigh expelled.

"I'm sorry," his words had her eyes widening. "I'm not mad at any of you. I'm just… I'm really grateful that you would go this far for me. Hell, you and Sugu and Shino literally boarded some secret facility out in the open sea to dive in with me. I don't deserve any of you."

"D-Don't say that!" She gasped, taking his hand in hers with great speed. "You're important to us, Kirito-kun. Don't ever think otherwise. You saved us in our times of need, so of course we'd do the same for you. Always."

Hearing the honesty in those words made his chest bloom with comforting warmth. To know that all his friends cared so much about him that they were willing to dive into some unknown world to save him was really gratifying.

And, for just a brief moment, something flashes upon her expression. It goes almost unnoticed, yet for how… delighted she looked then, he couldn't have missed it even if he wanted to.

"You look happy. Just thought of something?"

"Hmmhmm. You can say something like that," ookay. That was totally not suspicious in the slightest. "Let's just say that I just thought of an inside joke between us girls. Nothing you need to worry about."

Realistically, when someone tells you not to worry, you would technically listen to them and not worry. Unfortunately, cognitive irony dictates that a person would simply worry more about the unsaid implications, and that was what Kirito was busy doing the moment she said those words.

But… well, if it's coming from her, maaaybe he could trust her on that?

…Man. Sometimes, it's just so hard to trust his girlfriend, a.k.a. wife, no matter how much he could do so (and he certainly does, albeit with occasional lapses in confidence).

Before he could say more, Eugeo had returned. He decided it would be a good opportunity to collect his thoughts, so he requested Asuna to go first and take her bath. She left the barn shortly after.

Eugeo approached him right after. "What's up? Were you talking about something serious earlier? I noticed you were a little tense about something."

Sharp fellow. He, in turn, flashed him a smile. "It's fine, brother. Just… had a talk with Asuna. I was confused about some things, but I'm feeling much better now."

His relief was palpable on his expressions. "Ahh… That's good to hear. I thought you two got into a fight. Not gonna' lie, I wouldn't have known who to side with if that ever happens."

"If it does, be sure to support Asuna."

"I can't do both?"

"Hah… You're too good of a friend, Eugeo. Thanks."

Well, whatever surprise there was at discovering the fact that their friends were apparently also in this world didn't matter anymore. At some point or another, all of them will reunite with one another, and he couldn't wait to see them again.

It had to be fate's intervention that, somehow, they never saw Leafa at the meeting avenue ever since. And if fate was a person, he really wanted to punch them in the face.

Seriously, what was it about the world being able to do all these crazy things where you manage to cross paths with one person the first time, but never see them again ever since? It's like having your house get struck with thunder three times, and literally no one else's houses getting hit.

Regardless, Kirito, Asuna and Eugeo got to take turns to visit the meeting venue, practising against the other swordsmen in the area. When inquired about Leafa's whereabouts, no one had a clue, stating that she disappeared one day to go search another empire for her family. Talk about crap timing.

Ah well. There was nothing that they could do. They couldn't just go out to search for her. Between training, working at the Woldes' farm, and duelling with other swordsmen in Zakkaria's meeting venue, they were plenty busy without going out of their way to look for a single person in God-knows-where.

And so, that was how they spent their remaining three months, the tournament approaching day by day. And then, before they knew it, it was finally the twenty-eighth day of the eighth month—the day of the Zakkaria Sword Arts Tournament.

The Woldes opted to accompany them to the venue and cheer them on, something that he appreciated a lot. As such, they travelled together to Zakkaria by carriage, the three of them sat in the back as they did what they could to pass the time. Beside him, Telin patted his knee with a confident expression.

"Don't worry, Kirito! You've practised really hard! I'm sure you got this!"

The boy grinned back. "Thanks, Telin. But really, there's no point worrying about things now. All we can do is just do our best and see how things go."

"That's true. Stress can affect your performance in a fight because it messes up your focus and ability to think, so just being calm about things is much more preferable," nodded Asuna, a gentle smile on her face that helps ease his own inner turmoil. "But I've a feeling that Kirito-kun and Eugeo-kun will be absolutely fine."

"I don't know too much about that," the other boy let out a nervous chuckle. "Not to discredit all our training and your help, but I'm still concerned as to how I'll do, much less so against so many people in a single day…"

"Believe in yourself, Eugeo-kun! All your efforts will definitely pay off!"

"Yeah, Eugeo! Telulu and I know you can do this!"

"Mmhm!"

Faced with all of their motivating words, the boy nodded back with renewed vigour. "Right… I'll give it my all!"

The ravenette grinned, happy to see how much support his best friend was receiving. It was clear to him that he didn't have much self-confidence, and hopefully that'll change with time. He deserves to know that he was really good.

With this being a major tournament for Zakkaria, it was expected that the traffic was heavy—like, by a lot. People from outside of Zakkaria visited because they wanted to watch the matches, swordsmen came to test their mettle against fellow fighters and earn a position in Centoria's academy, and merchants saw an opportunity for more business due to how many more potential customers there were.

As such, it was a little difficult to get in, though thankfully they were offered a little more prioritization thanks to them being competitors. They were led by a guard through the crowd and straight to the venue. They were even offered a spot to let the horses chill, while they were quickly ushered into the building.

Once the three headed inside, he noticed how there were a lot of people. Some moving to find their seats, like the Woldes family—Telulu and Telin in particular demanding them to notice them in the crowd, much to his amusement—while the rest who lingered around the counter were likely going to be competing.

Leaving that aside, they went back to the registration counter to confirm their attendance. The elderly man handling the process quickly checked their identities and gave a nod once he was certain the rest of their info was in check.

"Now then, allow me to explain how this coming tournament will function," he began. "All competitors will be put into four blocks. This will be done by simple random sampling; basically, you will draw a coloured ball from inside this box here," he tabbed a small box placed on the counter. "This'll be done in half an hour, and you will be separated you into different blocks—"

"—There are two phases. The first is executing a set of ten forms or techniques. Then, eight people will be chosen for each block, and it'll become a series of best-of-one, stopping-short styled duels at noon. This will proceed until there is only one winner from each block, at which point they can then be promoted as Zakkaria's guards. You know what happens next, so give it your all for these coming fights, alright?"

"Got it. Thanks."

If Asuna and the other girls hadn't come into this world alongside him, he could see a world where it would have been him, Eugeo and two other people going on to become Zakkaria's guards. Now that Asuna was here, though, it was a guarantee that she'd get it right away, too. He wondered if Medina was competing as well.

After they completed their registrations, they found themselves a spot a fair distance away from the other competitors, everyone far from looking relaxed. "It's either the stage fright or the anxiety as to how the others will perform," Asuna offered, making him hum.

"True that. But I'm pretty sure we'll be fine."

"But that's only if we end up in different blocks, Kirito. There's still the possibility that we might accidentally be slotted into the same block, so we'd have to fight one another."

Ah, crap. Eugeo wasn't wrong there. It would be really unfortunate if that was the case, so all he could do was hope that they could somehow cheat probability and end up in separate blocks. Because if not, well…

"Well, if two of us end up in the same bracket, what if they tie?" Both of them looked to Eugeo. "After all, you can't really disqualify both of them if they managed to knock each other out."

"That's… actually, yeah, that might be possible."

"But there's also the danger that both people would get disqualified and only the winners of the other blocks wins."

Both boys winced at the idea, realizing just how true that was. There was just no point in accepting three winners and two tie-ers, so might as well leave them out of it. It just wouldn't be necessary. He decided to make a quick prayer to any kind deity out there to make it so that their luck would be good enough to prevent such an outcome.

…Oh, right. There's Asuna, or should he say, Stacia herself, standing right in front of him. He supposed he could pray in her name.

…Why did that seem like the scariest thing to do in the world?

Half an hour comes and goes. They mostly chatted with one another in the meantime, watching as more visitors headed to the spectator seats and more competitors poured into the area. Some helpers arrived then to offer drinks to the competitors. Kirito thanked the young boy who served him and his friends before downing his drink in one go, and then asking for a refill.

"Kirito-kuuun. What if you need to go to the bathroom?"

"Pssh, I'll be fine."

"I'm with Asuna. One cup is fine, but two? You're just asking for it."

He stuck his tongue out at them, perking up when the old man started to call for their names. Each person walked over and pulled a coloured ball out, then walked off to the side while the next person drew. And for every name called, the stronger his heart drummed in his chest. They had to get three different brackets.

Kirito's turn was next, and as he walked over to the box, he slotted his hand inside and withdrew a red ball. The old man nodded, then gestured for him to make way for the next contestant. He stepped aside, watching as Eugeo was the next to go. He drew next, and when he pulled his hand out, there was a sense of relief on his expressions that he managed to get a blue ball. Okay, that was great. So that's the two of them in the safe spot.

The real issue was with Asuna, who walked over to the counter after Eugeo did with little hesitation. Both boys watched with rapt attention, eyes on her hand and the ball grasped.

It was yellow.

"Oh, thank the goddesses..!" The relief left him sagging against the wall, Eugeo expelling air in the same manner. "It would have been a real pain if we ended up in the same block…"

"No kidding… This means all three of us—and Leafa, if she's here—can be made guards."

Oh, right. Was Leafa actually competing? He had forgotten about that. He knew that she'd come here to look for him, but the other guys said that she left Zakkaria. She might not be here anymore.

'That would be a real shame. I was hoping that we could all get into the academy together—'

"E-Excuse me," someone walked by him, looking pale in the face. "Something came up. I need to go."

They watched him go. Another competitor followed after him, shouting all the while. "Roal! You can't just skip out on the tournament! Get back here! Roal!"

Huh. The guy didn't look so good. Maybe he suddenly got stomach cramps or something. Talk about bad timing. Hopefully he'll be back in time, or else he'd have to wait a whole year just to compete.

With that particular episode over, they waited a little until it was finally their time to make their way to the stage and begin preparations for the coming fights. Every person in the room looked ready. Looked rearing to go and prove their worth. Even Kirito felt conviction burning within his chest.

The ravenette wondered if he was taking this too seriously, but he had no other choice. This would be one stepping stone to getting closer to Centoria. And there would be countless more obstacles in their path that would be harder, so if they couldn't win here, how likely were their chances later?

Plus… after failing to defeat Ugachi on that fateful day, he needed to redeem himself. He had to prove to others and himself that his skill was not for show. That he was a swordsman through and through.

And with his first step taken—completely unaware of what was to come, and the fact that a couple more competitors suddenly had to take their leave—it was time to give the people a show they won't forget.

Kirito recalled the festivals back in Rulid Village to celebrate Eugeo's completion of his task. It was a monumental thing in Rulid's history that they absolutely had to celebrate him for putting an end to a calling no one thought possible to complete.

At the time, it had been incredibly fun and loud. Sure, he couldn't really remember much nearing the end since he got pretty drunk and got, er, heated with Asuna in his room. But it was definitely all of Rulid getting together to make merry, eat and drink and cheer a lot.

This? This was way beyond that.

'Is it too late to run back inside? Maybe bury my head in the sand like an ostrich.'

At least ostriches could get away with it and not look weird. If he did, all the people filling the seats would see that and laugh. Just the thought of it was making him buckle in the knees. Legit, the people of Zakkaria and even more filled the seats to watch countless swordsmen prove their worth, the background completely drowned out by noise. Nothing in his body was as calm as he hoped it could be.

Only years of being the Black Swordsman allowed him to plaster a calm expression on his features, looking like he wasn't bothered in the slightest when the opposite was true. Trust him, he feels just about ready to pass out. Even Eugeo looked unnerved, which oddly enough helped him feel a little better. Asuna looked utterly unfazed. Lucky.

A commentator greeted the audience and explained the eventual procedures of today's competition, the first being a display of ten sets of techniques before the judges. As such, out of the tens of people who've shown up, only thirty-two will be chosen from them to make it to the next stage, which is the fighting bit. All eight competitors from a single block will fight until only one person remains, thus making four winners.

As he continued to talk, the group of three huddled up in a circle. "Okay, so remember the plan," he began, with both of his friends listening to him carefully. "This is a two-phased thing, and we must ace both parts. The second phase especially is important, because it'll be a series of three battles. Pace yourselves and don't go too overboard, got it?"

"Y-Yeah."

"Aw, Eugeo-kun! Don't be worried! You'll be fine!" She pumped her fists. "Remember what Telulu and Telin said? We trained hard for this! Just give it your best and you'll be fine!"

"Right. Yeah… Sorry," he breathed out a sigh, smiling once more. "Guess the nerves got to me somehow. I won't let my emotions get me during our fights."

"That's the spirit!"

Watching their interactions reminded him of an older sister and her little brother, which wouldn't be wrong technically; Asuna is older than them by a year, so she had every right to play the older sibling.

Hopefully, all three of them could make it. His goal thus far had been to assist Eugeo in reaching the Cathedral to search his childhood friend—that he still held onto hope that she was still alive was frankly surprising, yet one he would choose to support simply because Eugeo had given him no reason not to. As for him, well, trying to regain communication with Kikuoka and understand the state of the world might help him understand the next step to be taken in handling things down here.

After all, they'd gone so far as to create an entire world with its own civilization, rules, ethics and culture. There had to be a purpose. And he feared for what that could possibly mean for Underworld.

Clenching his fist and looking around the spectators, his fighting spirit was lit anew, and he was more than ready to go.

"Now then, without further ado, let us begin with the first phase, which is form execution! Contestants, please take your places!"

Separating from his friends and moving to his designated spot with the rest of the contestants, Kirito focused on the first phase, executing his forms with what he hoped were good enough. And sure, he may have done a speedrun through the forms just to make sure they didn't notice anything peculiar with his form, but if it got him through to the next stage, then that's all that mattered. Even Asuna and Eugeo qualified, as did twenty-nine other individuals to complete the total of sixteen.

Oddly enough, he felt like some of the people should have been able to make it, but they had fits of stomach aches halfway through and were forced to forfeit. Worst timing ever. Maybe they accidentally ate something before coming here. And it wasn't just them that had to suffer from a bug or something. A couple of the winners looked uncomfortable. Maybe it'll pass away with time.

They were then split off to their respective blocks for the duels. Rather than go through one entire block at a time, they decided to make the semi-finals and finals simultaneous, so it would be a fight from one block followed by the next, and the next and the next before they could proceed to the next stage. All for the sake of excitement, he supposed.

The red block was up first. That meant his block, and how nice of them to make his match the very first one. And somehow, he was beginning to get into the swing of things, feeling more focused than he'd thought possible despite everything. He stepped forwards, unsheathing his iron sword.

On the other end, his opponent had a mocking gaze upon his face, lips curled in a wide smirk. "Well, well. What is this? A peasant making all his way to the grand stage?" A chuckle escaped his lips. "You don't realize your place, then. You truly think you deserve to be here?"

Aaaand there goes most of the motivation. "Dude. I literally registered for this tournament. Of course I'm allowed to be here."

"Hmph. How short-sighted you are. You clearly reached this point because you were able to fool the judges, but not me. It will be my duty to remind you just where you stand."

"…" Kirito stared at him, then sighed. "Alright, let's get this over with."

"You think to underestimate me? Don't be so conceited, fool," the noble had one hand on his chest, and one of his sword's hilt. "Engrave this name into your mind, for you shall taste defeat at the hands of Egome Zakkarite!"

Okay, he was just asking for it. Time to give him the beating of a lifetime.

When one thinks of a tournament, the image of peerless fighters convening at one place to battle one another comes to mind, showcasing skills developed over the course of years to many people. It was a time when people would push their limits, wanting to achieve victory no matter what.

Kirito had gone into this tournament thinking that too. But now, he had a new concern on his mind.

Namely, the fact that everyone really have bad stomachs during tournaments, apparently.

"M-Make way!" Someone shouted as they ran past him, making him stare at his disappearing back with a frown.

"Sheesh. That's the seventh person to leave already. Talk about unlucky."

He'd only just finished his fight with Egome. The guy hadn't played fair, having convinced a guard to give him a better sword. Still didn't mean squat when he'd landed all his attacks right on his sword and shattered it with a «Snake Bite».

But that aside, just halfway through their (totally one-sided) duel, three people had left. And the fact that four more had gone to the bathroom was a concerning notion. Was there something that they'd eaten prior to the tournament that caused this? Or was it their drink? No, that couldn't be it… He, Asuna and Eugeo drank too, and they were fine.

When it came time for the next match, one of the competitors was unavailable, reported to 'still be emptying their bowels' to join. His prolonged absence was taken as an immediate forfeit, thus giving the win to the remaining guy. That sure was a little saddening to think about, honestly.

Walking back to his group, Eugeo and Asuna approached him, both looking confused. "Is there something wrong with everyone here? I'm worried."

"You and me both, bud. But I've got absolutely no clue. It's such a bad timing. I feel bad for the ones who're getting disqualified."

"Yeah. Such a shame…"

Kirito perked up, looking over to Asuna. She's looking around, frowning just the same as the rest of them and clearly concerned about the other competitors… but there's something in her voice that makes him suspicious. An almost unnoticeable lilt that seems to hiding her true feelings on the matter.

His eyes narrowed. "Asuna," he called, noticing the very minute twitch of her shoulder. "Is everything alright?"

"Mm? Oh, yes, of course!"

"Uh-huh. You don't really sound all that convincing."

"W-What are you talking about?" Aha, there's the stutter. And the breaking eye contact. "I just, um, well…"

"Asuna's probably worried that one of us might get the bug sometime later too," Eugeo reasoned. She was quick to nod at that. "Let's hope it doesn't come to that. Everything would be for naught if we had to leave simply because the urge became too great."

Urgh. He was trying to interrogate Asuna, but that was also a legitimate concern. Now he can't stop thinking as to whether or not he'd shit his own pants too. "Damn… That does sound awful."

Still, he couldn't help but feel like his girlfriend was hiding something. The sheer relief on her expression when Eugeo came to her rescue was telling, but there was no point in grilling her for information. What mattered now was keeping track of the competitors and just make good progress with their fights.

He had to admit; despite the weird turn of events, it was still pretty enjoyable to watch the rest of the fights. Asuna's fight had been immaculate, making full use of her speed and form to outmatch her opponent. It was like a ballet dancer, flourishing and pirouetting left and right to confuse her enemy that any chance of landing a blow was close to nil. Eugeo showcased an improved level of dexterity that made him almost forget that he'd only had five months' worth of training. There was no noticeable flaw in his motions and techniques, and by the end of it, he had defeated his opponent in straightforward fashion.

He looked so happy. And that happiness grew when he looked to them, and Kirito gave a thumbs up, Asuna waving her arm in the air. Goddesses bless that boy, he was too precious.

He couldn't spot Leafa, though, which made it likely that she really did leave Zakkaria. The idea was a saddening one, as he'd hoped to see his sister, but he supposed it was because she decided to travel to another kingdom to look for him. He hoped they could find her another time.

With the first four rounds from each block over, it was time for the semi-finals. Kirito blitzed through his match with ease. Credit to the other guy where credit was due, but he left himself too open for any attack. Kirito took advantage of that and claimed his win. The next match in his block was cancelled because one of them fell to the bug, thus giving the other person a win by default.

Thankfully, Eugeo and Asuna got their fights. No more competitors fell to the bug, so there was no more worry of them ditching the tournament anymore. All they had to get through now were the finals, and then they were in the homerun.

'This is the last one. Just finish this fight, and you're good to go. And you can win this, Kirito! You've trained forever for this mo—Whoa!' His eyes widened as someone pushed past him, almost stumbling. "Hey, watch where you're—"

"I have no words to exchange with a weakling," the other man, whom he recognized was going to be his opponent, had a deep voice that seemed to rumble, and his physique was not one to laugh at either. When he turned his head to glare at him, those amber orbs burned into him. "Throughout the matches, you were nothing but a joke. You and your unorthodox style… I'll crush them all. Just you wait."

Not another word is said as he marched off towards the stage, the other competitors staring at the guy's back. And then, they turned their gaze towards him, worried expressions.

"Hey, you okay, man?" Someone said, patting him gently on the shoulder. "Don't let him get to you. That guy, Gameron Hendron, is a pretty cocky guy. He's antagonistic towards everyone, not just you. He probably said all those things just to scare you."

"And it sucks because he's actually got the bark to match his bite. It'll be a really tough fight against him. Rumour has it that he's never lost a fight in three years since he started his training."

"No kidding. So…"

"He's good, you say? Heh… Good. That's great, even!" He grinned back, all teeth and fire lit within him. One that had the others looking surprised. "It's not every day that you find someone with a lot of skill. So if he's really that good, then I'm rearing to beat him."

A quiet moment passes between them before they break into a fit of chuckles. "Well, if you manage to pull it off, that'll be quite the sight for sore eyes. You didn't hear it from me, but he ain't the most popular guy here in Zakkaria. Make him eat his words, yeah?"

Their fists knocked against one another's. "Bet on it."

"The finals are beginning. And there's Kirito…"

There he was, taking his place upon the stage and standing opposite of the nobleman before him. From this distance, their friend looked wholly composed, if a little excited judging by the grin on his face. Gameron Hendron, on the other hand, was a stone-faced individual with barely anything else.

But he was massive, that was for sure. At least two heads taller than the black-haired boy, he cut for an imposing figure, with a sword that had seen plenty of battle. Even his posture spoke of plenty of experience, which made him one of the more dangerous competitors thus far.

And yet, for some reason, he wasn't concerned in the slightest. He watched all of his fights, and Kirito had proven to be too much. His faith hadn't waivered. Not even now. If anything, he was more curious to analyse their fight and see what he could take from their fight.

After all, who was he to forget that this was the same guy who went up against Ugachi and a horde of goblins? Even if it was ultimately Asuna who had to save them from an untimely fate, this boy had squared off against them for so long just to protect him and Selka. And that was a mark of a great swordsman.

He can win this. There was simply no way he couldn't.

There was a quiet pause in the crowd's noise as the two swordsmen took up their stances, Kirito oriented for a straight charge while Gameron had his blade ready for a wide swing. This first clash could likely decide the tempo for the fight to come, and he wasn't sure how it could possibly go.

Would Kirito go on the offense? Or maybe he might try and dance around his opponent. With his arsenal of «Secret Techniques» and ability to adapt to the situations, he might be able to match him properly. Whatever it was, they were about to find out—

"RrrhaAAA!"

"Hah!"

And in a single blink, two swords clashed with the ferocity of drums.

Eugeo felt himself jump in his seat as he watched the crash. The two immediately leapt away from one another, only for his best friend to charge his opponent with a «Sonic Leap». Their blades clashed once, and he followed it up with a flurry of swings to overwhelm him. Gameron held on, then pushed him back before initiating a «Heavens and Mountain Break» to cut him down.

By then, everyone had erupted into raucous cheering as they watched the two trade blows, metal against metal as the two moved with every bit of adrenaline pumping through their veins. With every swing they took, the next swung was even faster, much greater. It was almost impossible to keep up with their movements with how much they accelerated.

A single glimmer was a precursor for Kirito striking forth with a «Vertical». It was blocked, but he pushed on and transformed it into a «Vertical Arc», quickly sidestepping the next attack before quickly unleashing a «Slant». Gameron ducked below that, only to be forced on the defensive when Kirito initiated yet another combo.

"He's doing a good job to put him on the back foot, but there's not much room for him to really gain traction unless he does something completely unexpected."

He agreed with Asuna's assessment. Gameron knew to play the long game and simply hold out. So far, he hadn't really tried to do much to attack him, content with simply being patient and wait until Kirito either exhausts himself or leaves himself open to an attack.

But that clearly wasn't deterring his best friend in the slightest. If anything, he seemed to have slowed down his attacks, yet kept them consistent to give Gameron no chance to attack. Even when he did, Kirito would simply use a simple «Secret Technique» to deflect his attack, putting them back at the starting point.

With a vicious downwards swing that Kirito dodged at the very last second, the sword smashed through the concrete, drawing sparks when he proceeded to do a follow-up. His sword almost catches the younger boy at the head, but he positions his sword at an angle that lets it slide across his blade and over his head, then moved in with a thrust that Gameron expertly leans away from. Blue light is emitted as he unleashes a «Vertical Arc», both swings getting blocked. His opponent pushes forward to force him into extending his arm, quickly drawing his sword to his waist and drawing it forth with a burst of unexpected speed.

Eugeo felt time slow down as he watched the sword come straight for his friend's unprotected chest. With his stance wide open and his sword hand extended to the side, there was no opportunity for him to block the incoming attack.

It was the end.

"He's got this," Asuna whispered. "Watch."

Eugeo watched—and gasped, for right before his very eyes, Kirito's simple iron sword glowed once more. A great blue hue surrounded the weapon, and what looked similar to lightning seemed to crackle from the very metal, casting aqua light upon their surroundings.

His right foot slammed into the ground to halt his stumble, pushing him forwards as he roared at the top of his lungs, and his sword darted straight into Gameron's flank with almost unmatched speed.

Light seemed to flash, blinding him, if only for a moment. Wind kicked up from the immediate halt in their movements, momentum completely dissipated. Everyone stared at the sight, left utterly speechless; Gameron's blade was positioned for Kirito's throat, ready to cut it open—if he had at least three more seconds.

And Kirito, against all odds, had his weapon right against the side of his opponent's chest, clipping the tunic and cutting skin, drawing blood.

Before the announcement even came, Eugeo rose to his feet and screamed his best friend's name.

"The match is set! Ladies and gentlemen, the winner of the red block; Kirito of Rulid Village!"

Never had he screamed as loud as he did in joy. And that same energy carried him through his own final, earning the win through a hard-fought duel. Seeing Asuna win hers as well was a level of joy he could have never anticipated, and the three of them were one step closer to reaching their goal.

Author's Notes:

I was initially planning to split this into two chapters, but doing so, I would have gone down the route of typical tournament-styled battles. This one seemed a little more on-point with this story's theme of comedy for me, so hope y'all are good with that.