[Alfheim Online, New Aincrad, Floor 27]
[Malzeno's POV]
"Hey, Professor Blackie, Princess," Great, new guy's stealing my clever nicknames. He was a Salamander, red armour, red hair, the usual. Look really smug about it too. "Mowing down this horde with just the two of you is impossible, don't you think?"
"I don't know about that, I've never tried, so I have no idea!" Kirito shrugged honestly.
"We'd ask you to stand down and let them pass but seeing as there's no point wasting our breath, we'll be more than happy to remove you by force," Asuna quipped with a venomous tongue.
"Course not, okay then, suck it up!" The leader barked, clicking his fingers. "Mage Team, let them have it!"
In the background, several spells of various elements were cast, forming purple plasma, and bolts of light arrows. "Hey, you guys-" I tried to ask if they needed help but back here we were spread thin. That's when I saw the pair looking back at me.
Kirito and Asuna were smiling triumphantly, they knew what was a stake, probably thanks to Argo and the latter of the two. These guys... Nodding, I tapped Yuuki's shoulder to snap her out of a daze. "Just watch..." Asuna stepped back as I said this, and Kirito swung his blade around, landing over his shoulders as it cast his back in light blue.
The large white arrow was first, struck down with a wide swing, Kirito spun, striking left and right to banish the barrage of smaller blue arrows in a flash of sparks. He dove backward, sweeping the ground in a vertical rising slash through the first plasma ball, the other two dispelled by Seven Deadly Sins, leaving only traces of magenta smoke at his and Asuna's feet, himself unscathed.
"Hah... GGO's awesome," I remarked with a slight laugh.
"No way..." Even Yuuki wasn't sure how that was possible.
"Did he slice their spells?" Talken gaped.
"It wasn't a fluke?" Tecchi was equally in awe.
Kirito flicked his wrist, humming curiously, "Any high-speed spell is slower than a bullet from an anti-material rifle, you know?"
The leader wasn't looking so hot, "G-get into battle formation!" His tanks quickly moved into rank.
"Listen up, we'll hold them for five minutes! Meanwhile, you guys get into that boss room!" Kirito ordered us.
"Yuuki, no matter what, don't look back!" Asuna barked out, standing at her partner's side.
"You got it!" I waved, just then, a second sword appeared on his back. Of course... With a single swing, Kirito withdrew a golden, regal blade, a legendary sword that me and Argo busted our asses to find. Excalibur. The sight made the Red Sainglenn freeze, some falling back a bit.
"Damn, hold your ground! There's only two of them!" He snarled, begging karma to hit him on the head.
"That's your cue, Rat," I snickered, Yuuki watching me with wide eyes.
"You... you knew?" But our answer came soon after.
"WARRIOR! I'm here too! Not that you can see me!" In the back of the reinforcements, the red samurai Klein was tearing through the weaker mages left unguarded.
"You're late, what took you so long!?" Kirito waved.
"My bad, I got lost trying to follow her!" He grunted, fighting tooth and nail alone.
Just then, two tanks were suddenly paralyzed on the ground before Kirito and Asuna. And a short girl in a brown cloak landed on all fours, her curly blonde hair peeking beneath her cowl, and those distinct red whiskers twitching. "It ain't really my fault you can't keep up in all that armour, KleiN," Argo rolled her eyes. Then she met my gaze, pointing a claw at me. "I expect the other half of yer wins, MaL,"
"Hey, take the whole lot, seriously, Argo," I laughed. Gods she was worth every Yen. Patting Yuuki on the back, I straightened out my skill shot again. "We'll leave it to them, right now, there's twenty mobs in our way of the door, ready!?"
"Ready!" Yuuki swung her blade so it ran parallel with the right side of her face. The Sleeping Knights gathered around in a V-Formation with Siune in the back. No way was I staying out of danger, I was going headfirst into this!
Tecchi and Jun took the vanguard in an instant, swinging together to knock the first three players off their feet, with the path cleared, Talken lunged with his spear, impaling two girls through the abdomen, though to be fair, who stands that close during a battle anyway? Nori swung herself into the air, her massive war hammer brought down from above her head, crashing through a man's back so hard he was folded into the earth, his allies tossed by the shockwave.
Yuuki moved like lightning, she slid under a swordsman's legs, hopping onto his back before twirling forward, slashing his back to kick the buckler away from another's chest as she landed. I fired off Threaded Needle, the piercing arrow skewered through the first man's forehead, dropping him. Yuuki spun herself around, leaving a wide arc across the second man's waist as I leapt forward, kicking him to the ground and putting a paralysis arrow through his neck.
Yuuki parried a blow from the left, giving me ample time to slip my back across hers, releasing an two blast arrows to tear the man apart. A spearman lunged, forcing us either side as he swung for Yuuki who inverted her sword to block the strike, shoving him into my line of fire, he swung upward, deflecting the arrow only to have two lacerations through his back while I gave a solid left hook to his cheekbone.
The Absolute Sword and I were back to back, chuckling with a smile as she blocked another sword swing while I swept the legs out from under the man, leaving him exposed to an arrow and blade-tip. I kicked the knee of an approaching scimitar user while Yuuki shoved a third man back from a plunge aimed for my shoulder, slashing his chest and throat while I punctured two guys at once with Buckshot, the trio of arrows slowing their movements with their dripping grey heads, a Slowness Coating.
Purple swept by my face, parrying an overhead slash before backflipping with a snap kick, tossing the attacker onto his ass. I guarded with my bow, swinging me and a mace user around as I drew an arrow at point blank range, firing four shots in rapid succession into his chest. The girl rolled under a horizontal, slashing a man's knee while I disarmed him with a kick, leaving him wide open to a blade across the back and a yellow-tipped arrow in my left hand jabbed through his chest, paralysing him.
Several more swarmed us from all sides, so I grabbed her offered hand, tossing her up to kick the first man, flinging her into the second to slash his face and chest while I rolled and fired at the ground ahead of me with a glowing red arrow coated in orange. The combined might of Thunder Crash and blast coating shook the labyrinth as the sheer air force decimated two in front of me and tossed any others off their feet.
Yuuki guided a blade away from her as the stumbling sword and shield user met two arrows through chest while she swiveled and kicked another rusher in the stomach, her left leg swung wide to smack his side where Jun appeared and bashed the man flying with one swing. I knelt down, allowing the purplette to vault over a horizontal that swept over my head, she landed, impaling the man through the back and throwing him aside.
Another encroached on us but was slammed into the ground with a war hammer from Nori, Tecchi bulldozing another with his shield only to quickly spin and block a spear thrust. Our own spearman, Talken, stabbing the enemy in the back, twirling his polearm to block an on-coming slant. The timid fighter threw the man backward into Jun's backswing as it cleaved two guys at once.
Unfortunately, I wasn't looking optimistic as green particles covered those who weren't killed immediately, healers in the back bringing most to their feet again. "What!? No fair!" Yuuki whined but that's RPGs for you, unfair.
"This won't end less the healer's are taken out..." I noted before taking a step back. Nodding to Siune. "I'm ending this, got me covered?"
"I do, go!" She healed me and the others as I drew back No Turning Back, I closed my eyes, challenging the skill I needed, it took longer to charge and left me open to attack but the enemy was still recovering, I had my chance.
My glaring blue eyes met with the trio of mage Salamanders in the back, my bow weft by a strong, ocean blue array of wisps. "Yuuki, move aside!" He we go. "Fail-Not!" The arrow gleamed white as I fired off the shot, a massive halo of wind erupting around me as I gave chase, following the shot.
"Huh!? Eh, woah!" She was nearly swept by the whirlwind that traced the arrow through those unfortunately caught in the arrow's path, it did True Damage, leaving behind burning embers as sparks of blue light fell from the shaft of the arrow that plunged into the boss chamber doors, dissolving into lingering sparks and discharge.
The healers looked paralyzed with fear as the dust settled, all of them narrowly avoided the blow as I stepped forward without remorse, kicking through the lingering souls of the fallen with a maliceful glare. "T-The Ranger..." One squeak.
"Good news, I won," I drew NTB on its side, three arrows split between my fingers. "Bad news, I won." My grin said it all as the Buckshot skill reacted in a deep green hue.
By the time it was over, all that remained were the embers of the fallen guild. Everyone was exhausted from the all-out brawl but our guardians wouldn't be resting now, that massive inferno bubbling across the pathway behind us. "Come on, let's finish what we started!"
"RIGHT!"
Like before, four of us pushed the large black iron doors wide enough to step through. Once I was the last one to enter, the doors slowly groaned as Siune hit the command on the opposite side to lock us in. A fierce orange pigment from the fire reflecting in my eyes as I stared back at two onyx orbs, Kirito's hair whipped by the flames as Asuna stood by his side. He raised his black sword to me, holding his fingers up in a peace sign.
"Always saving my ass... tch, I'm never payin' off my debt to you at this rate," I held up a peace sign back as the doors slammed shut. Argo and Kirito, not to mention Asuna and Klein, and whoever else was with them. They all pitched in at the last second to wrap up this chaotic investigation.
No.
Now, this was personal.
I want to win.
[To Be Continued...]
[Author's Notes]
Thus the big battle is here, I had fun incorporating Malzeno's fighting style with Yuuki's, bow and sword as one. I hope you enjoyed, I appreciate the support, seeya in the next chapter, Readers!