A/N: I return from my break, apologizes, but I wanted to have a good amount ready for what comes next. This arc is quite loaded with both characters and the Path of Divine Sakura questline. Oh, and in future instalments, if anyone would like, I don't mind adding cameos of any OCs you guys create, small instances during Nagi's Party's adventures for some added flair. Any who, Review Time!
To Isshion: While that sounds like a great idea, who knows, there's alot to the Divine Sakura quest than meets the eye... and yeah, I like that trope too.
[Yuuki]: Who would've thought we'd meet our cousin of all people in SAO...?
[Ran]: It certainly surprised me, but he does have a striking resemblance to us - well, minus your hair and eye-colour.
Enjoy.
|March. 28th, 11:30|
|Sword Art Online, Floor 25, Town of Senja Castle|
Twenty-Four hours had eclipsed since Floor 25 was reached, in just twenty-four hours, roughly two dozen players lost their lives on the newest floor alone than in weeks spread across various floors. It came unexpectedly, how could they know? The first quarter of the quest came with a devastating reality, of how dangerous the next seventy-five floors would be.
"Ugh, every time..." Nagi hissed, rubbing the spots from his eyes as he felt his left arm pull in a direction as classical Japanese instruments filled the air.
"Kaito, Kaito, look!" Yuuki whispered but was no less excited when his gaze finally adjusted from the teleport. To be fair, she wasn't wrong.
They stepped onto a grey brick road with white pavements etched around the buildings stretched out as far as the large white walls would allow, topped with bluebottle tiled roofs. The city was constructed with straight paths through town, a Japanese city dating back many years to the Feudal Japan era. Kimonos and samurai clothing covered every NPC, white lanterns lit the streets, and trees took up any free space.
"Woah, talk about nostalgia," Nagi commented, Yuuki still grinning in amazement. Then Nagi noticed. "Where's the others?"
"We're here, boss," The familiar tomboy tone drew them back to the teleport gate, there, Artorias waved with a peace sign as Daora looked around with wonder, hands twitching with anticipation. Ran gave a short wave, joining her sister's side. "Just got done chatting with the Knights, guess are stayin' put."
"What about you two?" Nagi asked his cousins given they were the leaders of said guild.
"Siune normally runs temp-leader when we're gone for a period of time, so it'll be fine," Ran explained, smiling excitedly. "If you don't mind, we want to party with you guys for at least this floor, until we've gotten a lay of the land ourselves."
"Then the rest can join us on the frontlines, and we get to spend time together!" Yuuki's response was more on the nose but Nagi nodded, sending them an invite. Soon enough, two more slots in his party were filled by two more level 46 players. Settled, Yuuki jumped with her fist high. "Now... what do we do?" She blinked cluelessly.
"Find the Rat, she sent you a message, right?" Artorias pointed to his leader who parted his lips to reply.
"Got that righT," Artorias cried out as she collided with Nagi, glaring daggers at the little blonde who grinned ear to ear. "Pleasure as always, ArtY,"
"I'll fucking get you, I'll make it look like a bloody accident!" She hissed back, letting go of Nagi who waved kindly.
"Hi, Argo, so about this floor..." He trailed off as her own frown appeared, motioning for the group to follow.
"Pretty much, levels are much higher than normal, mobs packin' skills and stats that'll make even yerself shiver, not ta mention the death counT," Argo listed off, shaking her head. "Gettin' quest info's been tricky, haven't slept at alL."
"You should've called then," Nagi didn't like it when she pushed herself unnecessarily, again, information was paramount, but if she began too fatigued, well, he didn't want to think about it.
"Nyehehe, well, that's why I did, HerO," She spun around to walk backward, eyes sparkling with greed. "Wanna know what I founD?"
"How much?" Nagi asked simply as they made the exchange of a light cost of 500 Col.
"So... she extorts her own boyfriend?" Ran whispered to Artorias, brow furrowed.
"He gets a discount," Artorias murmured back flatly.
"Pretty cheap discount," Yuuki nodded before realizing Daora was very quiet. "Hey, bud, you okay?"
"Huh?" He paused, taking his wolf head away from... a book? It was written in English, like most books in Aincrad, so Yuuki couldn't read the title, but the shirtless player was skimming through pages with ease. He then slapped the cover with a chuckle. "Classic recipes of Feudal Japan, I'll outclass that Fencer!"
"'Fencer'?" Ran turned to Artorias again.
"He means Asuna - hold up, you can read English, since when?" She gawked.
"School." He replied.
"You went to school?" Artorias looked the idiot up and down before throwing her hands, the unthinkable not entirely processing in her brain. "Okay, your name and 'school' do not belong in the same sentence."
"What!?" Daora grunted, his snout against her nose. "I was at the top of my class before they-"
"A temple!?" The conversation shifted back to the pair ahead, Nagi overlooking the screenshot Argo displayed for him. The others crept over his shoulder to see. It was a large, rundown shrine, much bigger than previous ones they located in cemeteries and crypts. An eerie fog covered the grounds. "So Shirayuki's quest..."
"Continues herE," Argo answered his thoughts, tapping the screen. "I have the numbers, ready to scope the place ouT? 'Course, that means we'll be focused more on this side-quest than the main one Kii-bou and the others are tackliN'."
"What quest is this?" Ran tapped Nagi's shoulder so the group widened into a circle to discuss it. After a few button presses, the quest was displayed for the party only, Argo herself knowing the details firsthand.
Main Quest!
-Path of Divine Sakura-
Use the Purified Lotus to expel corruption across Aincrad
"Every time me or Klein locate a shrine, Shirayuki, an NPC linked to the quest, arrives to expand on the story, but we haven't seen her since floor twenty-three," Nagi summed up for the girls, glancing to the broker. "You think she'll show up?"
"Best way to find out is to head for the Sunset Bamboo ForesT," Argo answered with a smirk. "Things always get excitin' with her arounD," More so to line her pockets but it was a fair assumption.
"Then lets go find that temple!" Yuuki agreed. "I wanna see what other old-time stuff they've added to this floor!"
"While avoiding murder along the way," Artorias sighed in mock bliss. "It's a date then, Cupcake." Yuuki attempted and failed to land her punch on the redhead's cheek.
"Huh. Huh? HuH!" Argo zipped around until she was glancing between Zekken and the Red Warrior like they were conjoined, eyes wide under her fashionable hood. "Roll back the film for big sis, what's with you flirtin' up a storm over herE?"
"Eh?" Artorias' face went blank, dots trailing out of her head.
"He keeps calling me that," Yuuki complained, pouting.
"Get used to it, I never use people names," Artorias flicked her nose, passing by Argo who looked starved for information, that's when it clicked, and steam rose from Artorias' hair as she spun around, scarlet in the face. "Hold the metaphorical phone, that's not what happened!"
"What happened?" Yuuki was clueless, even Daora joined Ran in facepalming.
"Nyahaha, not from where I'm standin', yer face is a picturE," Argo's smile stretched, leaning forward with Yen in her eyes. "The coin I could make with this gonna skyrocket, two notable players woven together is quite the treat for curious admirerS,"
"I swear to the Gods, Argo, you feckin' darE!" That Irish twang returned, jabbing a finger at the broker gone wild. "Oi, Boss, reel her in, help a lad out!"
"Uh, you severely overestimate my control over Argo when she's like this, sorry..." Nagi offered a sweet smile, hands together.
"Don't give me that look, my credibility is on the line!" Artorias gawked.
"Is there one?" Ran smirked a little.
"Oh, don't you start you little runt!" Artorias glowered.
|March. 28th, 12:05|
|Sword Art Online, Floor 25, Sunset Bamboo Forest|
"Hahahaha, this is so much fun!" Daora said while two monsters four levels above him swiped at his legs that dove through the air, kiting them through the pathway winding through the grove of thick bamboo, an amber sun beaming down from the lush green growths.
The creatures were enlarged centipedes with dark grey exoskeletons and crimson legs and mandibles, their feelers also dipped red with glowing eyes, 'Black Creepy - Lv. 40' scored in red appeared under the cursor. Their fangs bit down on the head of his ax as it cleaved them both with Whirlwind, knocking the insects backward.
"Switch!" He hollered, and two streaks of lilac and red tore through the backs of the centipedes with Vorpal Strike, Ran and Yuuki rolled aside as the monsters spun wide for an attack, missing the pair before spitting acid at Daora, his ax blocked it but he was inflicted with a broken shield icon, Defence Down.
The two monsters then locked legs and rolled into a wheel of sharp blades that battered against the wolf boy's weapon, his body sliding back a few feet from the sheer force grinding down on his ax. Triggering his armor's skill, he latched his fingers around their armor plates, tossing them toward the bamboo with a sharp heave, red marks lining his left arm.
Yuuki slid under the flying Creepies, flourishing her blade to knock them down on their sides, legs unraveling from the counterattack. That was when two other shadows leapt from the bamboo to the right of the pass.
"Rising Sun!/Vertical Arc!" Nagi and Artorias declared, slashing through the cracked armor and through to the dirt road below, severing the heads of the crawling beasts in a shower of glass.
Even with the success, Daora had to down another health pot immediately. "These mobs really are tough, even our sword skills did little to damage them directly."
"So breaking the armor then attacking, not to mention the debuff," Artorias chuffed, it was a change of pace but the difficult creep was staggering.
"Told ya, not somethin' to take lightlY," Argo emerged from the shadows, to her, all mobs were deep red, so it was paramount she remained hidden.
"Where's the temple from here, Miss Argo?" Ran asked, seeing more mobs spawn along the pathway. Treant Saplings loomed like statues, and onyx hounds with large muscles sniffed at the ground.
"Ain't far, just gotta take a detouR," She replied, ushering them to the left-hand trail.
The following path was met with more strong monsters, the Treant Saplings were by far the easiest of the bunch, going down once you chopped off the arms, and having an ax-wielding maniac around certain accelerated the solution. As for the 'Black Guardian Dogs', they proved to be a tricky enemy due to them hunting in packs of three, so the battle was mostly divided into teams of two, Daora handling one solo because Argo couldn't help as much.
To their surprise after another encounter with the dangers of the floor, Argo did a sharp turn toward the bamboo pillars that walled off the various areas of the forest. She jimmied herself between the posts with ease, the others silently following her through the thicket.
"So - ah - where's this taking us?" Nagi, who was closest to Argo, asked the broker. She cocked her head back with a tiny smile.
"You'll see, have a little faith in ya girL," She whimsically replied, moving between bamboo shoots like a blade of grass.
Through the thicket's green veil, something was peeking through the cracks, the lip of a dirt road, and the expanding space among the forest. It was obscured by all this bamboo that it was any wonder how Argo found it, let alone people active in the area. Tucked away from sight was a hidden world among the bamboo.
Freed of the narrow forest, the group now stood on an uneven path of cobblestone and brick, time had surely worn the road away as there was no sign of exit from this place. The bamboo had grown especially tall to completely shroud the structure ahead from view unless you were crazy and attempted to climb the bamboo.
Eight trapeziums of solid stone were carved on either side of the worn footpath, detailing the very familiar symbols to the group, one, in particular, belonged to Shirayuki's ninja gi. The shrine had seen better days, the masts supporting the underside of the building had collapsed on one side, so it was slightly lopsided.
The terrace was collapsing, the once dark blue tiles cracked or faded. The building had two stories, though the second floor was more of an open ventilation with a smaller square rooftop covered four rectangular entryways down into the shrine. The carefully carved doors were swung wide open but appeared to be more or less intact.
"How did you find all of this..." Ran speculated, turning slowly to admire the old building.
"Nyehehe, it'll cost yA?" Argo squeezed so Ran's lips clamped shut.
"We should be prepared anyway," Nagi spoke up, hand on his sword in preparation. "Every shrine has a mini-boss guarding it and with how dangerous this floor already is, we could be in for a tougher fight."
"I'd rather avoid having my guts torn out like silly string, thanks," Artorias raised her hand but was no less prepared than the rest were.
"This place just feels all sorts of wrong," Yuuki shivered, inspecting the dark spots of the building. "Let's purify it and go."
"Couldn't agree morE," Argo whistled.
Daora then shoved past Nagi, drawing his ax in one hand. "The second I see it I'll split it in two, then follow my lead,"
"Alright, be careful," Nagi nodded sternly, and the wolfman huffed in agreement, stepping onto the rotting terrace, causing the wood to groan and buckle, sending a chain reaction of noises across the shrine. It didn't even register on the map as a hidden area either. Maybe an instance? Nagi assumed.
The inside was as unsettling as the outside. The floor was dark and musty with leaves and dirt trailed inside toward a wall that sectioned off the shrine, two wide gaps on either side of the wall past a pillar each painted red. Above, red beams crisis crossed with dead candles hanging from the other support beams beyond the wall, the secondary roof visible, light striking through the windows.
Nagi waved over his shoulder with two things; Artorias, Ran, and Argo split toward the right-hand entrance while Daora led the shinobi and Yuuki against the left. The trio peeked inside, the thick floorboards were damp and various candles were lit at the walls or around the pillars toward the shrine itself at the back of the main room. What they saw couldn't be further from their expectations.
A pristine square podium lay untouched by the rot and decay, instead, a large gold goblet was set ablaze with a lilac flame that was harsh on the eyes, various offerings and treasures were scattered around the goblet. A small praying shrine sat against a worn red carpet lay split in two, the corpse of another shrine abomination lay headless by one of the murals to the left of the shrine.
Standing before the flames a figure dressed in black samurai garbs with a black robe cast down from his waist to his knees, torn by time billowed in the calm wind. His face was obscured by a large, pointed black straw hat and bandana. Attached to his right hip was his carbon black sword, hand resting against the hilt.
"There's no way..." Nagi and Argo whispered to their respective groups in complete bewilderment. It couldn't be possible, not on a floor this high.
"Hah, so you took it down, huh!?" To make matters worse, Daora had taken the liberty of stomping toward the samurai who was fixated on the object in his left hand. Daora waved his one-handed ax forward, barking his demands. "You gotta be pretty strong already, I want to see that!"
"You... are quite bold... speaking to a samurai," It... spoke? Turning, the NPC tucked the item into his belt, grabbing the hem of his hat with three fingers, and tipping it toward Daora. "Come then, warrior of the woods, I shall entertain you."
"Numbnuts, back off now!" It was Artorias who yelled first, waving her arm wide with a tense expression, her eyes the size of pins with her teeth clenched.
"Ripple Thrust!" Nevermore struck the ninjato now inches from Daora's throat, diverting the edge high as the boy pressed his palm against Daora, shoving him back with enough force to slam him into the wall they hid behind.
When the droplets cleared, Nagi and the samurai clocked eyes once more, a pale purple set flinching before diving back toward the shrine. "...you...?" That sparked Nagi to raise his head, clutching his sword between two shaken hands, the tip of Nevermore chipped.
With only a single skill, Nagi felt his whole body shake, the questions piled up with no conclusion, and the state of his most powerful weapon being little more than a stopping tool left his mouth dry. Worst of all? The smell, the concentrated stench of blood made his insides turn, even his face was paler as he stared back into that horrid memory brought to life. And to the text written in black.
/Danuja, Head of House Darkness - Lv. ?\
"Nagi!" Several called out as the samurai from Beta launched into a Whirlwind Strike, colliding with Nagi's sword with enough force to tear into his health. Metal abraded and Nagi was thrown backward into Daora, the two collapsing to the floor, groaning. With a sharp grunt, he and Daora raised their weapons in time to trigger a sword skill together, pulling them across the ground but away from the sword that tore down the wall and through the floorboards.
"More of you?" Danuja paused, analyzing the approach of several other would-be enemies, all standing with their fallen comrades. "You too have come for the fragment?"
No one said anything, but the question popped up, 'The Fragment'? Nagi saw it before, something Danuja pocketed before confronting Daora, what was it? Though right now, they weren't in a position to demand anything, the samurai clicked his fingers, and to their horror, from the rafters above, several more dark-clad samurai landed to guard their leader.
"They're five levels higher than us!?" Yuuki gaped, twirling her sword until it was parallel with her cheek, but she kept her stance light for a simultaneous assault. "You guys okay?"
"Been better/He's on a whole 'nother level," Nagi and Daora replied, neither were prepared for this and against a black-tilted NPC? They'd be slaughtered.
"I recall... you slew me before, young shinobi," Danuja addressed Nagi, eyes flickering to Argo next to him. "And her... you both are here now?" His grip tightened, and he raised his ninjato. "Kill their allies, leave those two for me - I wish to settle our vendetta."
"Look like he does remember uS..." Argo grimaced, black claws at the ready though they'd be little more than toothpicks currently. "Gotta make a break for iT."
"They've blocked our exits," Ran whispered, hand trembling against her sword. "We're boxed in."
"Well, we're dead," Artorias bemused, smiling as she stood at the vanguard, patting Yuuki's back. "Like the odds?"
"Always!" She too was frightened by this prospect of facing several scarlet enemies and an onyx one, but there was something so exhilarating about it, or was it with Artorias backing her up? She wasn't certain.
"I'm not done yet either," Daora pushed to his feet, tearing the empty potion vial from his mask, extending his trick weapon. "I'm ready to go, not a single one of my followers will die here!"
"Smartest thing you've ever said," Artorias rolled her eyes.
"Face your deaths with pride, I will grant it," Danuja bowed his head, and his men surrounded the group, Nagi shielding Argo with his chipped sword raised high.
"We're not giving up!" Nagi defied it, against his body's wishes to run and hide, they had to fight, and even if only one of them escapes, they could do it. "I'll try to clear the area as far as possible, the rest should find an opening and escape in time." But what about the bamboo forest? Could they navigate it quickly? And the mobs along the roads were still a problem...
The Nodachi Infantry marched in a frightening unity, swords cast in various colors, brandished toward the swordsman who retaliated against the threatening colors. Danuja waited, blade against his hip in silence. Then his hat quirked upright.
*Shiiiing-BOOM!*
"Meteor Fall!" A player clothed in black descended from the windows above with a blinding blue eruption at the feet of the samurai, the hot wind whipping his hair and coat back. His coat was dark grey along the outside with black down the zipline divided with silver lines, the cuffs unbuttoned with a silver hem, and a high collar folded outward with the right shoulder supporting a silver pauldron. The green icon appeared along with a name.
"Hahaha, helluva entrance, Blackie!" Artorias grinned ear to ear, taking advantage of the confusion to cast her sword in a flurry of strokes that tore a large 'A' through one of the samurai, knocking them backward into Daora's swing, the cartoonish 'clang' tossing the swordsman skyward.
"Sorry for the delay, the forest was a little tricky to navigate," Kirito smirked over his shoulder at his friends, flicking two fingers back. "Hope we're not interrupting?"
The 'We' was answered as a series of red flashes coated the rafters, that airborne samurai vanishing in a burst of glass, a beautiful woman with chestnut hair rolling onto a knee, posing her rapier toward the remaining mobs. Her red and white combat dress billowing in the wind, the sleeves around just her biceps, leaving her shoulders and collarbone exposed. "Is everyone okay!?" Asuna yelled.
"All good, A-Chan, yer the besT!" Argo waved bubbly when two more flashes of light, white and orange respectively, carved through the shrine like arrows. "Gotta love a good turnabouT," In reality, she couldn't be more thankful for their timing.
"Warrior!" Klein hollered, buffing himself with Battle Spirit in time to slam his molten katana against the backs of another Infantry's knees, flinging them high for Shirayuki to lunge down with a snow-white flash of light, carving a perfect circle through the man's stomach with Rising Sun, her sword skill leaving dazzling white specks when she stood tall.
"My friends, on this day-" She drew her weapon on Danuja who only slightly turned his head toward the newcomers, but focused squarely on the shinobi. "-none shall perish!"
The samurai left was too distracted to react when a blur of purple from Yuuki flung her sword through the third samurai's chest, leaving a lilac square through its chest while Ran copied the same movements with a vertical angle, the combined skills removing the enemy from the world.
The last two were set upon by Kirito and Nagi. Kirito dove under a two-hit horizontal, spinning on his knees to slice across the enemy's legs, then up across their lower back before ending his movements with a diagonal stroke from the left shoulder. Sharp Nail threw the samurai forward where Nagi swept at the elbows risen above the man's head with Solstice Haze's arching waves, paralyzing the man's movements for Vorpal Strike to pierce their chest, health bar vanishing.
Using the dying man's body, Nagi leapt over a surprise attack from behind where Artorias parried with her shield, bashing the man across the face for Nagi to descend with a cool wave of water from the sheath, amputating the right arm, "Serpent Slash!" The rivers shredded the man's armor, bowed, a rosy blade swept over Nagi's head, cleaving the samurai's head off with two clean horizontal strokes. Had it not been for the distraction, they may have needed to draw the fight out longer.
"Let's go, before more mobs spaw-" Nagi began, there was only one left, Danuja, his blade centimeters from Nagi's throat. His muscles clenched until the silver sword battered against the face of the ninjato, sparing Nagi when Shirayuki inverted her sword, slashing in two diagonal parallels from her hip.
Danuja backflipped, legs bent against a wood post above, lunging down with a slant that she met with her own, the pair spinning around to break away. The gap closed instantly, their edges nicked against each other, neither making direct contact say for the sparks dancing in the air under the fire's glare.
"You have no idea what you intend to confront," Danuja seethed, mirroring Shirayuki's movements, two snakes in the grass preying on one another.
"This is not how we chose to live, through senseless murder," She rebuked, locking blades again, sword skills sparking together, Danuja's a dark, sickly purple.
"This is how we survive," He rephrased, attempting to slash her stomach with a hidden knife that she swung back to deflect, bringing her weapon down in two vicious slams that rang against his edge. Sliding both swords toward the ground, Danuja struck with three throwing knives, all of which were blocked by a three-pronged thrust from the right, Asuna landing next to her friends. "Interfering with a duel?"
"No, I'm protecting my allies," Asuna warned, all of them drawing their weapons on an unbeatable foe, if Shirayuki fell, they'd be next. At the same time, the dark samurai was outnumbered now, his men slaughtered in the confusion.
"How's about you hand over that fragment then?" Klein suggested, no less pissed his friends almost ended up the same way many others have already.
"Mm." Danuja quickly caught Shirayuki's horizontal with his blade blocking down, swinging into his jump before catching the beam above, landing after a spin. Standing tall, he eyed the raven-brunette beside Argo, the two burned in his mind like a vivid dream. "I will see you again, shinobi, assassin."
With that, he sheathed his ninjato and with a collection of vaults and a wall run, vanished through the windows above without a trace, the candles among the shrine flickered out. "Bad news-" Kirito waved to the shrine he stood by. "-he took the other fragment before us."
Shirayuki sighed, her guard falling. "This complicates matters... hmph, very well, we shall adapt to this change of events!" Her willingness to progress faltered none.
To break the confusion, Yuuki raised her hand, "Uh, not that we don't appreciate the backup, really cool entrances by the way, but what's going on?" To address her, Shirayuki lowered her bandana to display her firm frown.
"A civil war that has torn the houses, and my clan, into disarray," She admitted, sparing a glance to the roof again. "Danuja, once was a noble samurai but his order fell to darkness long ago, I had believed he perished in pursuit of this insatiable corruption, I was mistaken." Her tone, while mournful, lasted only a second. "However, this discussion is better left for when we are secure, you have questions, my friends, and I will answer them shortly, come now, there's much more at stake than ever before."
A question mark appeared briefly, and soon, Nagi's quest log updated, and so did everyone else present.
Quest Updated!
-Path of Divine Sakura: The Warrior's Road-
A civil war between Shirayuki's clan and Danuja's samurai has unfolded. Uncover the mystery of the fragment stolen, and aid in ending the corruption's rising army before it's influence is allowed to spread.
*Follow Shirayuki
Floor 25 Wisteria Shore | Reward 1250 Col
"So it begins again," Daora murmured, dismissing the message as Klein walked over with a solid pat to Nagi's back, startling him.
"Been a while, little buddy! Sorry for the close call, this forest's a pain in the ass!" Klein said as he quite literally fell through the bamboo to keep up with the likes of his companions. "Turns out Kirito, and Asuna here got mixed up in my mess so... here we are."
"It is partially my doing," Shirayuki admitted, hand to her heart with a crestfallen face. "I have heard you've lost over two dozen honest swordsmen to this floor, all for falling victim to Danuja's wicked soldiers, for that, you have my sympathies."
"It's not your fault," Asuna responded quickly, grabbing the silverette's hand with a reassuring smile. "We wanted to help, it's only natural, right?"
"Sure is, don't be hard on yourself about it," Kirito agreed.
"Just show us the way, and we'll follow, Shirayuki," Nagi finished, his own friends more than willing to pursue this mystery. But moreover, he and his girlfriend shared one discernible look. Why did Danuja recognize them? And what does that mean for the progression of the Sakura Questline?
The two tapped their hands together for a moment, worried but intent on uncovering the truth.
"Of course, it is time all of you see where I came from," Shirayuki's smile softened with a friendly glow. "My clan's home."
To Be Continued...
A new mystery begins, and yeah, this was Floor 10's theme but that got changed around so here we are. Shirayuki's quest begins once more, Kirito, Asuna, and Klein are along for the ride, and Yuuki and Ran are also here for the long run. I hope you enjoyed, I appreciate the support as always; seeya in the next chapter, Players!
038 - Under Lock and Key
As Shirayuki leads the way, Klein explains his own encounter, and before long, a new mystery unfolds at the heart of the shinobi's home...