Chapter 08: War of Aincrad I: Murder in the Safe Zone

Pani, Floor 056 (13:29, March 6th 2024)

CONGRATULATIONS!

There was a loud burst of cheers from all of the players around as the GeoCrawler exploded into virtual shards, rewarding them for all of their troubles in defeating this particular Field Boss.

"Three cheers for Yuna!" Nautilus declared as he lifted the MVP of their battle onto his shoulders, the diva blushing and shrieking from the sudden motion.

Whatever protests she had were immediately drowned out thanks to the resounding cacophony of adoring fans and players. Even as she gestured towards him as the crowd carried her away, Tsuna simply waved her off before turning to TakeSushi. "Tell the others that we're taking the rest of the weekend off. We can deal with the Labyrinth on Monday."

Another resounding cheer later told Tsuna how well his guildmates had taken TakeSushi's message.

"She's come quite far, hasn't she?" Kyoko spoke up as she approached him, joining his casual walk. "Who would've thought that Yuna's Unique Skill would've been so useful against the Field Boss?"

"Well, I can't blame that line of thinking. According to Irichi, {Diva's Anthem} was supposed to be a support-type Unique Skill with no offensive sub-skills." Tsuna chuckled to himself. "Well, I guess it's hard to decide if being able to put monsters to sleep counts as offensive."

Especially when the monster's HP wasn't affected until they'd ganged up on it's defenseless form.

Tsuna sighed. "Too bad it's often a lucky draw on which monsters can resist it or not."

"Well, I'm just glad that we didn't have to use Asuna-san's plan." Kyoko frowned a bit as they walked past an NPC. "Even if they're not technically alive, using these NPCs as bait feels a bit more ruthless than I could handle."

"I get it. It's because of this game." Tsuna's fist clenched. "It's been more than a year now, and more and more players have become a bit too acclimatized to this place. Considering how desperate she was at the beginning, Asuna must have noticed that as well and is beginning to panic."

Of course, he really couldn't call himself different. To his utmost shame, Tsuna loved his life here. Despite his undoubtedly worried mother at home and the terrifying monsters he threw himself at almost daily, Tsuna didn't think he'd ever been happier anywhere else.

"Don't be so down, Tsuna-kun." To his shock, Kyoko had somehow slipped her hand into his, their fingers loosely intertwined. "There's no need to worry about when we'll get home. While I'm sure that Onii-san and the others are worried for me, I still have every intention of enjoying my life here. And you should, too. After all..."

Leaning closer so that her breath tickled Tsuna's reddening cheeks, Kyoko whispered directly into his ears. "Even you deserve happiness just like everybody else."

Tsuna almost swayed from how lightheaded he felt from the combination of her proximity and words. "I-I-I s-see! C'mon, Kyoko! Let's go join Yuna and the others!"

Tsuna rushed ahead with a crimson face, forgetting to release Kyoko's hand. Curiously enough, it was Klein who'd forced them to separate due to his envious wails.

It took Tsuna an embarrassing long while to later realize that Kyoko herself had done nothing to separate herself from him.

Danac, Floor 059 (11:12, April 11th 2024)

"Kappa." The female Takamagahara guildmate suddenly stated.

"Kappa?" Kirito questioned.

"Kappa." The girl insisted with a firm nod.

"...kappa." Kirito accepted, the two of them laying down underneath a tree while the artificial sun shone down. "Characteristic?"

"Blue-plated kappa." The guildmate asserted.

"...that checks out." Kirito agreed.

Having approached them to rebuke their laziness, Asuna tried and failed to figure out the gist of the conversation she'd just caught the end of. "Wh-What? Is that a reference to a Boss monster or something?"

"Huh?" Kirito's gaze flickered towards her, his tone lethargic. "No, we're just determining which youkai fit most into the Flames and their attributes..."

"So far, we've determined that the Sky is an orange-crested ryū, the Sun is a yellow-tailed kitsune and the Cloud is a purple-horned oni." The guildmate clarified, actually sitting up to regard Asuna. "Oh, and latest, the Rain is a blue-plated kappa."

"I just got another one." Kirito spoke up with a mischievous grin. "For the Mist, how about an indigo-balled tanuki?"

"Indigo-balled... Kirito!" The guildmate and Asuna blushed, the former smacking the boy's ribs. That did little to stop him from laughing at their reactions.

"C'mon, they're the tricksters of the youkai, second only to the kitsune, which in turn got designated as the Sun thanks to Tamamo-no-Mae's existence as an avatar of Amaterasu."

"Wait, was that ever proven to be accurate?" The guildmate frowned. "Tamamo being an avatar of Amaterasu?"

"It isn't." Asuna chimed in before she could stop herself, blushing a little when they both regarded her.

"Well, who cares?" Kirito shrugged. "It's all a matter of how believable it is."

Asuna opened her mouth to protest, before realizing how easily she'd been drawn into their pace. "Cloud Cadre of Takamagahara, why aren't you joining your guildmates in clearing the Labyrinth up at Floor 060?"

"Because Boss gave me this weekend off." Kirito's answer was like a smack to Asuna's face. "Besides, Aincrad's weather is nice this time of year."

"I want to point out that the weather's artificial... but all of the Beta Testers I know confirm that the weather's supposed to mimic whatever's happening above the ISF servers." The guildmate stated with a small shrug, laying back down beside Kirito. "We'll have to fight those scary monsters anyways, so I'd rather enjoy the good weather whenever I can."

"Here, here." Kirito raised a fist, prompting the guildmate to bump hers against his.

"Don't you two get it?" Asuna pressed. "Everyday spent in here is one lost in the real world."

"Speedruns aren't normally sensible to do in a game with unfamiliar setups. They're even worse in here where there's no such thing as a do-over." Kirito replied. "Besides, you look like you need a break even more than we do."

Asuna clenched her fists, wisps of Sky leaking off them as her frustration grew-

"Relax, already."

Asuna choked as her words died, as a Sky that she'd never considered her superior utterly dwarfed her in intensity. As shivers wracked every inch of her body, she became aware of the fact she'd fallen to her knees that at some point or another.

Then she slumped into her fellow Sky's chest as he panicked, blissful sleep claiming her immediately after.

"...I had no idea she was this exhausted." Kirito admitted as he gently laid Asuna down. "I mean, Skies aren't supposed to affect each other like this... I think."

Tsuna and Asuna were the only other Skies he'd met, after all.

"She really does look tired." Sachi noted as she observed how deeply Asuna had fallen asleep. "It's probably thanks to virtual game logic that she doesn't have bags under her eyes."

"So do we leave her?" Kirito's suggestion earned him a sharp frown from his Rain. "I'm just joking."

"You better be." Sachi admonished as she moved to sit against the tree. "Waking up alone will earn you a far worse punishment than waking up to the guy she literally fell asleep on. Plus, do you think it'd be a good idea to leave her exposed with Morte's group hanging around?"

Kirito's smile twisted into a frown at the mention that name. "Yeah, you're right. Speaking of which, wasn't Tsuna going to do something about Laughing Coffin?"

"How would I know?" Sachi shrugged. "I'm not a Cadre."

Well... Kirito decided that he'd bring it up again later that night.

Asuna awoke with a sneeze, blearily sitting up to observe her surroundings. The sun was setting. Cool breeze with just enough current to lightly blow her hair. Alone on a fenced meadow- No, she wasn't alone. Kirito and that Takamagahara guildmate she still didn't know the name of were sitting right there on the nearby fence, looking at her.

...wait.

Asuna leapt to her feet and placed a hand against her rapier, which was thankfully still there.

"Easy." Kirito stated firmly. For one instant, Asuna wondered if he'd been talking to her, only to notice his hand clasped around the guildmate's wrist, the girl having been prevented from drawing her own weapon. "Let's keep this civil, alright?"

"...one meal." Asuna decided after managing to calm herself down. At their confused expressions, Asuna stood upright. "One meal! I'll pay for whatever you two want! Then we'll be even, okay?"

Kirito and the guildmate exchanged glances before nodding in unison.

"So...!" Asuna clapped her hands before regarding the girl. "What was your name again?"

"...Sachi." The girl gestured to her chin meaningfully, causing Asuna to mimic her and find drool and grass attached to her fingers.

"Pff!" Kirito 'coughed' into his fist.

"...on second thought." {Lambent Light} slowly became fully freed of sheath. "Maybe Kirito should die, just a little bit."

Marten, Floor 057 (17:01, April 11th 2024)

"Hey, isn't that KoB's Lightning Flash? and Takamagahara's Black Swordsman?"

"Yeah, but whose the other chick?"

"A fellow bigshot?"

"If she was, we'd know her."

Sachi pouted as she and her companions bore the mutterings. At the moment, all three of them were in a restaurant. They quickly ordered, avoiding ordering too much due to the fact that they were being treated by somebody else. Especially with how she was still glaring at Kirito...

"So, um, how've you been?" Kirito started off.

"How am I doing? Well, I wish I could say that I'm doing great." Asuna replied bluntly. Uncaring for their shocked expressions, she continued. "It's been around a year and a half since I last saw my family, my Rain's been avoiding me for a stupid reason, and I've been trying to deal with my subordinates either being creepy stalkers, chauvinistic idiots or annoying glory hogs. How about you, Kirito? How have you been?"

Kirito sank a little into his chair. "...good. Takamagahara's good."

Sachi just kept eating as quietly as she could, hoping that Asuna kept ignoring her.

"Anyways... Thanks for earlier." Asuna spoke after they cleared some of the food.

"For watching over you?" Sachi questioned before she could stop herself, blushing a little when Asuna nodded at her. "No problem. I didn't- I mean, we didn't mind it at all."

"I think that was the first time I ever slept so soundly in a long while." Asuna fretted with her fingers, her gaze returning to Kirito. "I had guessed that the rumors of you having Sky Flames had some truth, but how did they affect a pure Sky like me?"

"You were pretty exhausted." Kirito explained. "While you most likely could've resisted it, I'm pretty sure that deep down, you wanted to rest, and my Harmony just made you ignore whatever that had been restricting you from doing so."

"I see. That makes some sense." Asuna realized while fidgeting with her fingers. "While the towns are supposed to be Safe Zones, there have been increasingly frequent cases of sleep-PKs."

"Sleep-PK?" Sachi questioned.

"A dirty trick that exploits the duel system." Kirito explained to her. "Normally, duels are just tests of prowess. But in such scenarios, a player's HP will go down regardless of whichever Safe Zone they're in."

"That's why I'm grateful you two watched over me." Asuna added. "Out there in such a public space, somebody could've manipulated my own hand into accepting a duel while I stayed asleep, especially if they made sure to paralyze me beforehand."

Well, that sure was a way to assure that Sachi would never desire to sleep outdoors again.

Marten, Floor 057 (17:46, April 11th 2024)

"What do you guys think?" Klein muttered as he checked through his Instant Message. "'A suspicious guy in a dark hood was sighted around Floor 057. Please go check it out.' Do you really think this guy we're hunting down might be Laughing Coffin?"

"Tsuna definitely thinks so." Dynamm replied with a small yawn. "He's still pissed that one of those bastards targeted Bright Horizons."

Granted, Klein agreed that a bunch of scumbags trying to attack Sasha's makeshift orphanage definitely warranted being hunted down, which was why he and his guild had volunteered to search through the entire Floor along with some other Takamagahara players and allies.

"On the off-chance we encounter them, do we need to call for back up?" Dale muttered from behind them. "We could totally use more cred if we-"

Dale and Dynamm came to a sudden stop when Klein shoved his arm before him in a warning manner, his glare focused on the man that had literally just stepped out from a shade he'd have sworn was unoccupied.

"Hey, it's really bad time to be walking around in such a getup." Klein called out to the person dressed in a dark, hooded poncho that covered them down to their knees. "Take the hood off and identify yourself."

The hooded person did no such thing, staying quiet as they began walking forward. Then shit got really weird when the shadows beneath them started writhing.

"Oh, screw this! Take 'em down!" Klein's declaration was like a gunshot as he and his guildmates immediately armed themselves, Flames igniting to the fullest as Dynamm and Dale shot forward just as the hooded person did as well.

"C'mon!" Klein grunted as he slid into a stance while activating his Unique Skill. "Iai Style... Thunderclap and Flash!"

Storm Flames merged with azure-gold lightning as Klein nearly broke the sound barrier with the intent of cleaving his opponent's legs clean off.

Only to find his katana stopped cold by a large butcher-like blade that was wreathed in shadows, the shockwave of their clash knocking back his guildmates and cracking many walls.

"Oh? So you've got one of those special Skills, too." A deep voice came out of the man whose hood had gotten blown off, revealing a black-haired man with a blue tattoo on his right cheek. "Let's make a good memory together."

The man disengaged from Klein, forcing him back. Completely unbothered by the idea of facing three Frontliner-level players, the man raised his arms welcomingly as he spoke his next words in crisp English. "It's showtime."

Asuna had just separated from Kirito and Sachi when they'd heard the explosion, an event that had people around them running as a huge plume of Storm Flames clashed against an opposing plume that was Stormy Sky.

"That's-" Sachi didn't even get to finish her first word before Asuna shot off towards the area, Kirito close behind as he rapidly typed something into his HUD.

There was something familiar about him running alongside her, Asuna letting a nostalgic smile tease her lips before she refocused on their destination. Upon reaching a roof overseeing the area, both she and Kirito gawked at the scene before them, even as Sachi panted heavily when she reached them.

"What's... going on?!" Sachi gasped heavily. Asuna couldn't blame her reaction. All over the place, there were incredulous amounts of damage, all flickering with {Immortal Object} signs as they tried and failed to repair themselves due to the constant onslaught.

"Wait a minute..." Kirito's eyes widened. "That's PoH! Laughing Coffin's Guildmaster!"

Both Asuna and Sachi gawked at the revelation, especially when Klein and PoH clashed blades once more, Flames of orange and red erupting between them while azure-gold lightning and shadows joined the shockwaves in devastating the area once more.

In a mindboggling move, PoH's free hand lashed out to grab Klein's katana blade, reeling him in without regard for the damage to his fingers as he brought up his cleaver to decapitate Klein. Twisting to the side and barely dodging the slash that tore through his chestpiece, Klein kicked at the hand holding his katana, flipping back while PoH's lost fingers dropped down and shattered just as the Storm samurai landed.

However in the brief instant Klein hadn't been looking, PoH dived into his own shadow and reappeared above Klein from the shade of an overarching bridge.

"Klein, above you!"

Kirito's harsh warning saved Klein's life, the latter raising his sword just in time to block the chop that would've split him apart.

"Well, looks like we've got an audience!" PoH declared delightfully, undeterred as his superior STR forced Klein down onto a knee. That was when the roof ground beneath Kirito briefly flickered {Immortal Object} as he shot off, flying towards PoH before flipping about to kick him with enough pyrokinetic power to launch him off Klein.

"Klein, you good?" Kirito asked as he kept his glare on PoH as the latter recovered, Asuna landing down beside him while Sachi moved to help Klein up.

"Just barely. Kirito, this guy fights like you." When Kirito turned slightly to show a raised brow, Klein clarified. "I mean he fights like someone who you and TakeSushi, somebody's trained this guy how to actually fight with a weapon. I'm pretty sure I'm only still alive because I'm a fucking entertainment to him."

"Damn right, you are." PoH chuckled as he hefted his weapon onto his shoulder. "Well, this is quite a pickle. As good as I am, taking on three Frontliners at once isn't on my schedule today. But I'll leave a little invitation for your leader, Black Swordsman. That is... assuming he received the little gift I left for him."

Kirito and Sachi's eyes widened, the latter stepping forward furiously. "What did you do?!"

"Oh, you know, a surprise ambush, a helpless hostage, the whole classic." PoH's grin widened into a smile that bared his teeth. "If things go as well as I think they'll go, we'll meet again. We'll all meet again."

With those as his last words, PoH tipped backwards and fell into his own shadow once more, disappearing into the darkness and leaving behind an eerie sunset in his wake.

Solaire, Floor 060 (18:00, April 11th 2024)

"H-Hey, there, Amber Asura, sir. Um... I'm a big fan...!"

Her name was Lux...

"A-Are you busy at the moment?"

It had been a Safe Zone.

"Can I duel you? I wanna see how well I can last against you. I-If you don't mind."

He'd been invited into a Duel by her, wanting to test how far she measured against him in Half Loss Mode.

"...by the way, I'm really sorry about this."

After the duel had been initiated, they'd sprung up literally from the shadows, PoH's mocking grin prominent even as three Laughing Coffin guildmates charged forth with murderous intent.

"C'mon, Asura! Show some moxie!"

It'd been a mostly simple brawl. Normally, Tsuna didn't think he could've faced three serial killers all rearing to run him through.

But that weird tingling that had warned and saved him from several dangers had never failed him, even at this moment.

But it wasn't like others knew of Tsuna's possibly precognitive instincts. Because when one of the had tried to get him from a supposed blind spot, an attack that Tsuna had already been expecting, the Takamagahara Guildmaster had suddenly found himself shoved aside, the sole girl present having taken the deadly blow in his stead.

"I'm so sorry."

It might've been bearable if that had been all, but the Laughing Coffin guildmate had furiously lashed out with his axe, cruelly cleaving through her shoulder and immediately emptying out her HP.

And the last expression on Lux's face hadn't even been terror at her death or sad resignation. She'd instead been relieved.

Just what had Laughing Coffin done to her that death had been a relief?

Dimly, Tsuna heard the notification that signified that the Duel was over in his victory, and the Safe Zone rules now reapplied.

But none of that mattered anymore at that moment.

Tsuna threw a punch that literally cracked the air, causing the space before his fist to warp before it shattered, sending all of the murderers flying into the nearby walls while the nearby surroundings took damage from his {Sea God Strike}.

Now that it was all over, Tsuna ignored the various glitching {Immortal Object} signs and approached the one that PoH had earlier called 'Morte', kicking him in the face with enough force to launch his body upwards so that Tsuna could grab his collar without needing to bend forward.

Coincidentally, he was also the one to kill Lux.

"Wake up." Tsuna stated calmly as he backhanded Morte back into consciousness, prompting the killer to startle at the sight of his literally burning glare while Sky Flames burned off his forehead. "Where do I find PoH?"

"What a coincidence." Even in this situation, Morte chuckled. "The Boss had an Invite for you. Somewhere in the Floors between 020 and 040 is our HQ. Find us before the week runs out, or we'll go on a little Raid onto Takamagahara HQ!"

"...is that all?" Tsuna asked.

"Well, I can also sing the-" Morte no longer became capable of speaking anymore, not for lack of trying, but from Tsuna punching him with his Unique Skill active.

For one instant, Morte's entire figure glitched before it shattered apart into the most 'gory' appearance ISF permitted bodies to become, clumps of error-red data dispersing into virtual shards.

For that was the power of the literal gamebreakers that were Unique Skills. For where not even Flames allowed for the breaking of rules, these Skills shattered them.

And none of those were as blatant or destructive as {Sea God Strike}.

"It's strange... I just killed a person right now. But either I'm so damn pissed instead of being shocked that I somehow tipped all the way back into calm... or I simply can't feel anything at it."

Casting a baleful look at the other two murderers, Tsuna pulled up his menu and set it to call every single member of his guild.

It was long overdue to finally do what had to be done. "To all members of Takamagahara, this is Tsuna. And I am declaring an immediate state of emergency."

Bazar, Floor 059 (18:02, April 11th 2024)

"My following words are not to be taken as a joke, or as suggestions. These are flat-out orders."

Chrome paused from where she'd been about to enter a dungeon with Kyoko and Kuroha, the three girls exchanging worried looks.

Algade, Floor 050 (18:03, April 11th 2024)

"For quite a while now, Laughing Coffin declared war against Aincrad as a whole and have always acted as such. To my great shame, I never acted as such until when I suffered a personal loss from them."

TakeSushi stilled before rushing towards the nearest Teleport Gate, dreading which of his friends' names had just been crossed off from the Monument of Life.

Pani, Floor 056 (18:04, April 11th 2024)

"But now, all of their efforts shall be properly reciprocated. All Frontline activities are hereby suspended."

Even amongst the other Frontliner Guildmasters and/or their representatives that had gathered to exchange strategies for the Floor Boss(excepting Tsuna and Klein), Irichi frowned before turning about to note Heathcliff's slightly widened eyes before speaking to his guards. "You heard him, Fred, George. Let's go."

"Right." The two pushed aside their own HUDs before the former thumbed at the other one. "By the way, he's Fred. I'm George."

"Don't listen to him. I'm George." The other guard thumbed back at his partner. "He's the one that's Fred."

Irichi sighed as he pushed them forward. "Let's just go! I really need to talk to Tsuna about this! And there's no way I'll be the only one after this!"

Bright Horizons, Town of Beginnings, Floor 001 (18:05, April 11th 2024)

"All children affiliated with Takamagahara are now forbidden from being separated from an adult or teenage guardian outside HQ or Bright Horizons. If you know a child that isn't part of our guild, ensure that they follow similar instructions for the sake of their own safety."

While reactions of the children behind her were mixed, Sasha felt mostly relieved at this action, with only some slight trepidation. For far too long after her building had been nearly attacked, Sasha had helplessly fretted over a repeat attempt.

But there was one good thing about this world that trumped the real world. Her Guildmaster literally couldn't be bribed, threatened or intimidated from going after them, compared to bigwig politicians.

"Thank goodness Tsuna's finally doing something about this..."

Lindarth, Floor 048 (18:06, April 11th 2024)

"If you have any friends or allies outside Takamagahara, warn them as well of my orders. Because as of this moment, Takamagahara is in war with Laughing Coffin."

"Ah..." Silica stared worriedly at the HUD as her Guildmaster dropped a terrifying bomb onto her, making her fearful of what would be coming in the days after.

Beside her, Argo hummed thoughtfully before regarding. "Well, we should get moving, Si-chan."

Takamagahara Guild HQ, Zantleaf, Floor 049 (18:07, April 11th 2024)

"Without fail, without compromise, I hereby demand that every confirmed member of Laughing Coffin are to be arrested immediately... and failing that..."

"Hahi..." Haru muttered as she regarded her recent works. "Haru sure will be busy soon."

Solaire, Floor 060 (18:08, April 11th 2024)

Having been stepping away as he spoke, Tsuna turned back to regard the two unconscious Laughing Coffin members still there and raised a fist. He could do it. He could kill them, and absolutely nobody would blame him.

"...I understand if there are those who would protest against it, but I value your lives more than I value theirs." Tsuna unclenched his fist and pulled out a Corridor Crystal instead. "By the order of Guildmaster Tsuna, the murder of Laughing Coffin members is hereby permitted. Capture them if you can... but kill them if you can't."

Activating it to call up a portal, Tsuna gave his final words. "And as for the Guildmaster of Laughing Coffin... don't even harbor the very idea of yourself leaving this game alive, PoH. You won't."

KingVessel: War is coming? No, it was already present to begin with.