[Alfheim Online, New Aincrad, Floor 1 Coliseum]
[Malzeno's POV]
"Alright-alright-alright, time to meet my adoring fans!" I giddily hummed to myself as I stepped back out into the light, I had two important goals in this match. One, make sure to hit off this rounds batch of battles with a'bang'; and two, make sure everyone else doesn't get the satisfaction of my defeat. I guess the side-quests I picked up would be...
A, impress the commentators. B, impress my friends. And C, impress Yuuki. I had a tall order to fill. Keeping my grip loose on No Turning Back, I happily approach the raging inferno that graced my presence.
Shinku, despite the...creative naming process, he was without question a very tough opponent. He was the leader of Red Sainglenn, so he had a rep to keep and given my track record, he's been after my head for months.
~After our brief intermission, let's move on to the first match of the afternoon!~ Thinker gathered the crowd's enthusiasm instantly. ~Cliffheart, if you may~
~Gotcha! On one side, we've got a top guild leader, known for leading the charge on several raids within Aincrad; Leader of Red Sainglenn, Shinku!~ Cliffheart gave a colourful intro that got many loud cries from the crowd. I just stood there, grinning away like an idiot as I prepared for my introduction.
~His opponent, and one of the craziest players we've seen from the battle royale, the archer that even made an impression on one of ALO's smallest but talented guilds. The Mercenary of the Sleeping Knights, Malzeno!~ Aw, I'm gonna blush from this praise. Unfortunately...
"Die!" "You don't belong here, Malzeno!" "I hope you lose!"
That made me cackle to myself, sticking my tongue out to give thumbs down at the crowd. "All your hard-earned cash will soon be lining my pockets, hehehehe~!"
During my taunting, I paused, spotting Yuuki and the others, all of them were watching me expectantly, some having some conflicted faces over the crowd shunning me, but the purple-haired girl was smiling with confidence, fists balled up tight as she watched intensely. Even with everyone out for my head, she didn't even bat an eyelid at them. That warmed my heart.
"Are you done flaunting?" I turned to face the tanned redhead who glowered down at me, unsheathing his longsword. Then he wore a tight smirk. "Then again, it isn't as if you can win with a mere bow, so I should allow you this opportunity to worsen your loss,"
"Geez, at least let me line myself against the wall before my execution," I winced, free hand on my hip. "You guys all talk big too, don't see me verbally insulting you...yet, I at least let you guys gloat without the backtalk - so rude, honestly,"
"...let's make a bet, you and the Rat are fond of them, aren't you?" Shinku seemed serious by the sounds of it, so I focused up.
"Depends on what," I gestured for him to continue.
"If I beat you, you join my guild as our courier, any and all information you gather will be owned exclusively by us, no one, not even Argo can know," His request was certainly steep, though, not the first time someone's proposed the idea to either of us. But like my mentor, I'm freelance, even if we're part of a guild, our intel is shared with anyone that asks.
"I'll take that bet; but if I win..." Now, I glared back at him, keeping my bow taut. "...you stop accusing me of murdering Haru,"
Haru Asahi, AKA, ArcSol. The big ol' scary guild leader out to hire me was friends with Arc, since the end of SAO, with me being the sole survivor of my old party, he naturally accused me of being the one to kill them. The reason he wants to hire me is likely to defame me further, both in ALO and the real world.
Shinku looked visibly irate by that request, but stomached his expression soon after. "Deal,"
~-now let's cut to the chase, fighters begin!~ Cliffheart yelled giddily, unaware of the stakes as the automatic counter reached '0' over our heads, the crowd roaring with anticipation... of my loss, that is.
At the flash of light to reveal our names and HP gauges, Shinku immediately swung into Vorpal Strike, the charging glare of crimson streaking past me, plucking two arrows with Threaded Needle, one sunk into his right shoulder blade, the other to his forearm.
Shinku didn't flinch swinging his red blade wide to cut down two more arrows aimed for his head, marching toward me to quickly close the gap. My black wings fanned out, throwing me into the air over his Horizontal Arc, the green glint dissipating below.
Little tip to know concerning bows. In PvE, they work like any other weapon. But in PvP, due to the fact you're up against actual people, shots to the head deal a massive amount of damage, so it would only take around one or two shots, depending on the person's stats. That being said, your enemy won't make it easy.
"So you want to fly? Fine then!" Shinku spread his own dark red wings, giving charge with Sonic Leap to strip through the air in front of me, grazing my chest as three violet arrowheads splintered across the edges of his body. Loading on another Buckshot, the trio of arrows were cut down, his blade's edge nicking against my arm, holding him back with NTB's river.
Twisting my posture, I spun and struck his cheek with my boot to throw him off, the backswing of his blade utilizing the momentum behind Vertical Arc cutting my sole. Red and blue particles flung through the air between us, arrows whizzing by his face, his movements were faster now!
That's when the hairs on my neck stood on end, and my eyes widened while charging up Thunder Crash. Through the effects, Shinku's crimson blade was overflowing with shades of red, almost like flames. "Shit-" My curse was cut off, hearing the roar behind his blade.
"Phantom Rave!" Shinku growled, letting out a wordless cry with the following right slant, then a left one straight into a vertical downwards against my bow, throwing me towards the earth. A thrust penetrated my weak defence, digging into my stomach, then an overhead slam that I held back with NTB, then another that came with a cascade of invisible blades to shred my body.
~That was the Ultimate Skill, Phantom Rave, risky using it right off the bat...~ Thinker commented.
~But totally unexpected and awesome!~ Cliffheart praised, everyone cheering above.
Dust was kicked up all around us when I came tumbling across the earth, coughing a bit from the blow that dropped my HP by nearly thirty percent. I wasn't dead yet though. From above, Shinku's landing dispelled the dust, still with that hateful, yet smug, expression of his.
"Not so arrogant now, are you?" Shinku belittled, blade once again burning teal this time as the tip hissed against the ground; God, why is he so tacky...? "Do you enjoy being so condescending knowing what you've done?" I rolled back to avoid his Slant. "Is this fun for you? How does it feel?" One thrust I managed to catch with my bow and divert away from my neck, holding it in place with a dark grin spreading over my face.
"...it feels freakin' phenomenal!" Clearly, my honesty left him struck, giving me my chance strike his stomach with my boot, drawing a few arrows to launch in attempt to skewer his head. "You right that I can be a little arrogant, but you and every other sad-sap that follows you still hasn't managed to beat me! It must suck to be losing to someone you've thought of as beneath you, doesn't it, Sink!?"
"Grr, you no good bastard!" Hook, line, and sinker. He charged against, this time, driving his blade into the earth to blast a wave of dust and stone in my wake; Serration Wave. But I flew overhead and dropped down to grab his blade with my bare hand, now with NTB snug on my back.
"Tell me, do players extort others for their own gain, only to betray them, leaving them for dead to either mobs or red players?" I asked in a low tone, grinding my teeth together.
"What?" Shinku replied, freeing his sword as my white-knuckled fists began to turn dark blue.
"Do people like you then get blamed and shunned by everyone around you for something that was out of your control!?" I demanded, stomping towards him, my fists overflowing with raw energy. "What about waking up every single day of your life, believing they're right and that you're the reason that everyone you cared for died!?"
Seemingly distracted by my loss of composure, I socked him across the cheek with the first hit of Flash Strike. "Do you have any idea how that feels!?"
I was done with this guy. Keeping up my assault, I swung a left hook into his side, constantly pummelling his armour with a series of rapid-fire blows, counting up to the tenth that ended with both fists striking his center mass simultaneously, the sonic boom rippling through the arena, forcing him to skid back several feet.
Shinku's face seized up after the assault, but managed to break free of the stun lock to carve in yellow the number 'four', each slash would be vicious to me now, but I wasn't exactly in the mood to lose now, even it that was never the plan from the start. "I'll show you how it's done in Aincrad, Sink,"
Before the second slash could reach, I spread my wings and then dove back into a Crescent Moon, my blue boot leaving a wide mark across the underside of his chin. Floating for a moment, I then doubled back with the same foot raised high, bringing it down in a powerful ax-kick to his blade, hearing metal groan, breaking apart the ground below. "Luna Arc!"
With resounding force, my leg slammed past his blade, bringing it down for his pinpricked eyes to see an arrow poised straight for his chest. Firing once, I punctured him with a paralyzing arrow between his breastplate and collarbone, seeing it momentarily lock him in place, likely wearing armour to resist my ailments.
Flying overhead, I glided upside down, firing another arrow straight down into his scalp, landing to grasp an arrow in my hand, thrusting back to piercing his nape, his longsword inches from my own neck, the light dissipating from its gleaming face.
Looking up, my health had fallen into the amber, whereas Shinku's was depleted into the dark red, about eight percent roughly remained. I let the arrow I held go, and he slumped onto his knees, not dead but definitely close if I had actually shot the third arrow. "D-dammit... w-why it have t-to be... you...?"
Letting go of the breath I had held this whole time, that rage inside just burnt out, turning to glance over my shoulder, ignoring the anguished cries of those who lost their bets. "I didn't kill Haru, but my own fear and indecision prevented me from doing anything about it; maybe I didn't deserve to live that day, but that was long ago,"
"If you want someone to blame, it's PoH, and the rest of Laughing Coffin still out there. I swear, even if it's not me, someday, that man will pay for what he's done, to Arc, Pix, Myst... and to us," Bowing my head slightly, I left for the same tunnel I entered.
~What. An. Upset! Who could've seen that sudden end coming!?~ Cliffheart laughed loudly. ~Oooh, seems the crowd isn't too pleased, aw well!~
~It's never smart to underestimate your foe, well done; Malzeno wins and moves onto the next Round!~ Thinker stated proudly, me raising my hands out wide.
"Well folks, them's the harsh realities of gamblin'! Ahahaha!" Cackling like a demon again, my smug façade cracked when I locked eyes with Yuuki in the distance, seeing her worried expression, alongside everyone else that obviously heard me break character. "Ah... erm..."
Her face lightened up when I raised a peace sign to her, winking to reassure her that I was okay. I'll likely be interrogated anyways, but it would do for now.
[To Be Continued...]
[Author's Notes]
So, gave more life to that one character all the way back during the Floor Boss, thought it'd be fun. Seems Shinku also struck a nerve in Malzeno for a moment, but all's settled, hopefully. This arc has several battles, but we'll be more focused on the final fights for obvious reasons. Otherwise, I'll be here forever, haha...
Anyway, I appreciate the support, I hope you enjoyed; see ya in the next chapter, Players!