[Alfheim Online, New Aincrad, Floor One Coliseum]
[Malzeno's POV]
After my lovely battle with one of Kirito's adoring fans, I parted ways with Kuro to sit and watch the last match for the quarter finals. Yuuki was up against JohnAlfheim, funny name aside, he wasn't a slouch, using a naginata as his go-to weapon, the reach gave him a good leg to stand on against Yuuki, however, the second he lost that reach it was over in just over a minute. Suffice the say, the man accepted the loss with grace and the semi-finals would soon begin, starting with me against Kirito.
I stepped out of a small prep room, not that they served much purpose in the grand scheme of things but SAO prided itself on the little details, so that easily transferred to ALO. With a little twirl on one foot, I waved my arms out. "So, do I no longer look fatherless?" I gave my judge a sardonic smile.
My tone didn't break Liz's stride, walking up to me with her hands to her hips, humming a lofty tune gleefully. "I've never been prouder of my work, mind you, with the great help of a tailor I know, but it's stats are even better than your original gear, not to mention the design is an exact replica-you wanted perfection, and that's what I'll deliver!"
Throwing on a cloak, tucking the hood up, I smiled, genuinely grateful for Liz's overtime. I had to cobble together so many materials to get the exact details I wanted, and she barely batted an eye, sure, she hated last-minute orders but she definitely put her heart into this piece.
"Liz... really, thank you, it's... perfect," I really hadn't the words, but those alone were enough to make her grin expand, giving me a playful wink.
"All in a day's work, you know that-now go be a show-off, you've got a girl watching you after all~" Lizbeth's teasing remark at the end made me trip over my own foot, catching myself as I felt the heat rising to my face.
"Ugh, I deserved that, haahaa, you're hilarious, Pinkie," Giving her a dismissive wave, I stomped off under my cloak. "I have absolutely no chance of winning, but I'll show you, just you watch!"
"Try not to get your head taken off in ten seconds~!" She called back in that overly annoying sweet voice she just loved to annoy me with.
"At least I'll last longer than your'masterpiece'," I gave a snarky remark, and quickly ducked with a laugh when her hammer flew overhead, seeing the pink flames burning around her. "Byyyye~"
Leaving the Pink Meanie behind, my mind began to wander the longer I spent considering my opponent...
"Asuna, Klein, Meru! Please, keep it occupied for at least ten seconds!" Kirito dove back in time to avoid the thrust from the towering floor boss's zanbato.
It was the very first demon-type enemy. With taut muscles from head-to-toe. Its skin a deep blue with similar blue-white eyes, matching the tint of the flames in its boss room. Its head, resting atop its thick chest, was that of a goat's and had an elongated snout and thick, twisted horns stretching backward from the sides of the head. The lower half of its body with bestial legs was covered in long, navy hair.
/-\THE GLEAM EYES - Lv. 92/-\
"O-okay!" Klein took off, leaving the survivors to his guild as Asuna and myself approached in a wide arc.
At our approach, Gleam swung down with one arm, metal vibrating as it connected with Klein's katana, followed by a sudden side-swipe that took a chunk out of his side and threw him across the arena.
Spotting the tail slither and shift; merely a large, sickly purple cobra, I advanced to Asuna's side. My blade was enveloped in blue as I drew it from its sheath, slashing in two parallel lines as my katana scarred the cobra head that sank its fangs around my blade. Struggling, it threw me sideways, the tail curling when Gleam shifted its weight to focus on Asuna, the serpent connecting with my sword as I felt my bones creak.
"All right, all good!" Kirito called out just as Asuna spun on her heel to evade the sword slam, parrying in that same instance. "Switch!" She and Kirito swapped places, and I realized why he needed that precious few seconds, blue light hardening over his right shoulder.
Drawing from his back, Kirito swung in a cross motion with a skill I had never seen before, digging two blades through the demon's thick hide, causing it to scream and recoil. Clasped in both hands were two distinct blades, only, they could use sword skills together!
When I tuned back into reality, I was now standing before the hundreds of people gathered for the first match of the semi-finals. That day was the first time Kirito ever used the Unique Skill, and I honestly felt powerless. He alone took down an entire floor boss with a single skill, nearly costing his life.
And now I was supposed to fight that same player? Even if Kirito wasn't the same Black Swordsman from SAO, he wasn't a slouch either, meaning my odds were extremely low. But I still want to take a crack at it.
Across from me, Kirito stood by, swords poking over his shoulders as he took in my appearance, one eyebrow raised as to why I had myself bundled up in a cloak, making me grin uncontrollably.
~Welcome back everyone, after a small break let's jump straight into the final three matches, starting with the battle between two players with vastly different skill sets~ Thinker spoke first, giving a quick highlight of the last two days of match-ups. ~On one side we have Kirito, a brazen dual wielder who has demonstrated a mastery over twin blades despite being locked to only one-handed sword skills~
~Hey-hey, hold up a sec~ Cliffheart cut in. ~What's with the burlap cloak Mal's wearing? Not that I'm judging or anything, but like, really doesn't suit him...~
In response, Thinker hummed thoughtfully, my own grin likely matching his. I had to run this by the officials, but since gear selection wasn't restricted, I was free to make adjustments if I chose to. Durability for equipment still degrades, so if someone were to lose a weapon or armour piece, it can be replaced easily.
~I'm sure many of you are curious as to this sudden change-Malzeno, if you wouldn't mind~ Thinker gave me the go-ahead as my hand gripped the edge of my cloak.
"Try not to blink, and be sure not to faint, heh," With a wink, I tossed it aside, the unveiling of my new gear sure gave the crowd the reaction I was banking on, a mixture of murmurs and awes at Lizbeth's spectacle at work. She really was the best blacksmith in ALO...
Still using NTB, I was now clad in a candy-red long coat that reached halfway down my thighs with a hood. The zipper up to the collar and hood's edge are light grey, a black stripe around where my hips were. The sleeves grey along the bottoms and one ring around both biceps.
Small rounded pauldron and fingerless black gloves and black belt with a gold buckle. Coupled with a black undershirt, a white line down the middle. A pair of red-rimmed goggles hung around his neck. Some plain black cargo pants, a few lines of bandages around both thighs, all tucked into combat boots.
But more importantly, I no longer had the dark appeal a Spriggan was known for, my hair chin-length and dyed a strawberry-blonde and sharp emerald eyes. Taking in a deep breath, looking like myself felt... right. Meru Zena and Kazuki weren't separate anymore. That's what Malzeno was, an accumulation of both lives.
~Whaaaaat! He looks completely different now, i-is this allowed? Please tell me it is, cause that was such a cool entrance!~ Even Cliffheart was gushing over a simple toss of a cloak.
~Rules state that a person's equipment can be swapped prior to a match but not during, with the exception of the Quick-Change skill~ Thinker helped elaborate on the off chance someone threw a temper tantrum.
"Feel better?" Kirito asked, finally drawing his black and blue longswords. "Guess that's what you were bugging Liz for all this time,"
"Yep, old gear for a familiar look," I replied. This red equipment was an exact replica of what I wore in SAO after losing my friends. Wearing it again fitted like a glove, and I never felt more like myself than I did now. "So then, Blackie, ready to settle this?"
The countdown had already begun from '20'. "Ready when you are,"
~The battle is about to begin, and after that show of swagger, I'm already at the edge of my seat! Fight well, show us all a battle like no other!~ Cliffheart exclaimed, making me quirk a brow and give a small gesture towards the booth with my bow. She'd be hard to please.
Slicking three arrows in light grey liquid, I drew them back, ready to charge a skill at the buzzer. Kirito took a familiar stance with his swords, unlike with Kuro, he could effortlessly chain multiple skills, meaning I can't use the same trick twice. His reaction time was another factor, being as reactive as Yuuki.
{3}
{2}
{1}
{BEGIN!}
Nothing happened for the first few seconds, only the burning glare of red and blue from our respective skills. In all my time stuck in that Death Game, I only ever fought Kirito once as a training match. I lost in mere seconds. But now?
A devilish smile crossed my cheeks, eyes lit up with glee, "I'm going for the win!" Releasing Buckshot, all three weakness arrows were dispelled by a low-bearing thrust that shot toward my head in an instant, forcing me into a backflip. Already, yellow light coated Kirito's left blade, sweeping in two horizontal arcs, one scoring my chest whenever I landed.
Suddenly, his vision shifted sideways from my sweeping kick, using his own chest to kick-off and slam my leg into his blade with Water Moon. Hooked, I vaulted overhead, firing Threaded Needle that split in half from a rising slash of green, another dispelling my follow-up arrow-Vertical Arc.
Landing on my toes, I dove under a following slash, firing an arrow into Kirito's side mid-slide, hopping forward to avoid his plunging strike into Serration Wave, narrowly missing the stun. Twirling, one arrow was dragged in a crescent across the ground, turning hot white as I hopped back from Kirito's Slant, charging up a smouldering shot.
Dragon Pierce released, knocking me back but the force of the arrow shattered when Kirito blocked it, dealing area damage as a result. Through the smoke, however, I felt his blade skim my cheek, lunging in conjunction with his Rage Spike, feeling the heat of his right blade near my back.
With no room to parry, I spread my wings and flew overhead, hearing his own wings ignite, shrugging off my follow-up Buckshot, even as the arrows slashed his arms. Kirito burst forward, right blade cast in deep blue when it swung high, slashing my wrist in two horizontal chops, severing my hand, as well as my bow.
On the fly, I struck his left blade with my left elbow, a crackle of teal light behind it and my palm-heel strike from the right into another elbow that forced him to recoil. Even with Thunder Clap, I had lost my bow, and my attacks barely made a mark through his swords. Shaking off the impact, Kirito's onyx eyes locked to my frame, flying higher to draw his left sword in an orange hue, its gleaming edge poised for my neck.
In any other circumstance, this would ultimately be the end of the fight, but I saw it, Kirito eyes flickered with hesitation. I was still smiling, my remaining hand reaching for my empty hip as my tailcoat fluttered, blue particles fizzling away.
Whipped out from hiding, I pulled the trigger back on a pretty unique weapon. It couldn't use any skills, but so long as I coated them prior, it was just as deadly. The drum-fed repeater crossbow unleashed a rapid torrent of venomous bolts that took Kirito by surprise, riddling him with small bolts until the poison build-up worked, my soles dug against his torso to fling myself toward the edge of the arena, landing on the edge right before the roaring audience.
Discarding the drum, many more had appeared attached to my belt and extras around my waist. Jamming the next in, I locked it in place just when Kirito's blade tore down the barrier of the arena, nearly cleaving my head off when I dived backward, foot coated in red to leave a glowing mark across his chin, poising the black and gold repeater crossbow toward his chest.
But you can call it Renegade.
Kirito's swords flourished, swatting through the hail of bolts to take several swings at me, his right blade erupting in a wave of blue light that could blind those nearby. "Crap," I pivoted and ran straight up the invisible barrier, diving back when a roaring wave of light grazed my coat, my arm stump already loading a new drum, this time, all coated in weakness.
Phantom Rush radiated in the sky, a powerful vertical carving a crescent in the sky between us, more bolts flying through to puncture Kirito, though a number of them were swept up in his twirling slashes, his body arching overhead to draw his blade from above. I raised Renegade, tanking the cascade of light that shredded my arms but never severed them as both of us plummeted toward the ground.
Reaching forward, my left forearm dug Embracer through Kirito's chest, seeing him visibly tense from the plunging strike as we both hit the ground hard, thrown away from one another in the tumble.
Picking ourselves up, I already had the next batch of bolts locked into my crossbow, firing wildly through the dust kicked up by out fall, Kirito's gleaming blades swept through in five thrusts before interrupting his own Howling Octave with Sharp Nail, my body barely managing to turn and block the diagonal, hopping over the horizontal and straight into another diagonal that skimmed overhead as I managed to plant four more bolts into his thigh as it stretched out and kicked me so hard I flew off my feet.
My wings materialized in time to glide backwards, finally some distance between us. From the constant volley of bolts, Kirito was in rough shape, though, I fared no better. Missing a hand that did constant bleed damage, coupled with bolts that weren't great for DPS but rather to apply debuffs. I relied solely on Weakness and Poison to deal damage to him.
Panting a little, it would be easier to wait the timer out but then Kirito would likely win based on performance alone. No, as stupid as it was, this was no different then when I fought Yuuki, I was going all-in, win or lose.
"Ready?" I asked hoarsely, loading my last drum into Renegade, hearing the wire lock into place with a sharp 'click'.
Kirito sheathed his blue sword, raising just his onyx blade over one shoulder as it crackled and burned with a deep, ultramarine light akin to a flame. "Ready- Esoteric Skill..." His legs bent slightly, and I could feel the heat from here, levelling my crossbow with one hand, winking to looked down the iron-sights.
Nova Ascension, I just had to break through ten powerful sword swings. Let's do this...
Pulling back the trigger, a volley of bolts pierced across the arena. Kirito swung with a right slant into a horizontal, right to top left in an instant before repeating his first skill motion. then the third in rapid succession. slashing left to top right, kicking off a heel into a clockwise crescent, then pivoting in the opposite direction, a stream of colour wrapping around his coat, a painting coming to life before my very eyes.
His second-to-last blow came as a vertical, successfully parrying every bolt I had fired. With no ammo left to call upon, I holstered Renegade and did the only thing I could. I attacked head-on, seeing his final thrust draw back his arm fully, the tip as bright and potent as sunlight.
Embracer unleashed a wave of crimson light over my whole right fist, both it and Kirito's sword connecting in the middle with a blinding flash that resulted in a devastating backlash, splitting apart the ground around us, rings of light expanding behind us. Myself and Kirito a few inches apart with our backs facing one another.
Exhaling, I couldn't help but laugh a little. "Did you have to trash my new threads? Pinkie's not gonna like this..." Ultimately, I collapsed to my knees, my health plummeting into the red whereas Kirito's held on in the yellow. "That's all I got, Blackie, I'm out of moves,"
With the match decided, the arena had never heard such volume before, many cries of dismay among the cheers and applause. "Are you kidding!? I put all my money on you!" "Dammit, the hell was that!?" "You lost on purpose, you bastard!"
My hands back, I raised one to the loving attention I received. "That's the sweet life of gambling folks, see ya next time for your money~!" I'm going to hunted down like that clown in a white mask when I leave town.
~Oh. My. God! That was the most insane battle to date! He had a repeater crossbow, those are a thing in ALO-Thinker, comments!?~ Guess I left Cliffheart speechless after all. I call that a successful venture.
~ALO is comprised of many weapon types, some that don't use skills or aren't varied can slip under the radar. It appears we've just bore witness to such an anomaly today. I must say, you gave us all quite the show, Malzeno, excellent fight~ Clearing his throat, Thinker continued. ~No matter, the winner is Kirito, please give a hand to our first finalist!~
Sitting on my backside, I saw a bow held out to me a second later, clutched in Kirito's outstretched hand. He gave me a friendly smile as I retrieved No Turning Back with a thanks. "You had me there for a second, another volley of poison-even just the impacts of those bolts alone, and I might've lost. Guess I shouldn't be surprised, Argo's your teacher,"
"A master of deception and intel, the Rat never gives anything away for free," I recited about the short blonde who was likely laughing her ass off after seeing Kirito being punctured like a pincushion. "Even without Dual Wielding, you're basically impossible to beat, at least for me, aw well," It was a little scathing, but as expected with loss-
"You've gotten stronger," My rambling retorts died in my throat, now looking up at Kirito and his still offered hand. "Back in SAO, you never tried to stand out, and I think that hampered your overall skills, you kept closing yourself off comparing to the people around you. But now?" He laughed once, smile remaining honest. "Now I'm wondering who would've won if you used a katana again. Really, you've surprised me, Malzeno,"
I really am that strong now? I mean, yeah, I've gotten great with a bow, even someone as amazing as Sinon's asked for tips when she first joined. But... would I really be that powerful with a sword again? If I chose to stand out in SAO, would I have been able to help more? Could we have reached the 75th floor faster?
While there was no use trying to compare to the past, it was still enough to nearly overwhelm me, hanging my head to try and hide my face as tears nearly threatened to form. "C-come on, man, I don't need to this in public..." Groaning loudly, I slapped my cheeks and took his hand with a rough grip, blinking away the tears for a genuine look of gratitude. "...thanks, I... needed that, Kirito,"
You know something? Losing ain't so bad once-in-a-while.
[To Be Continued...]
[Author's Notes]
I really enjoyed this fight, obviously, and the repeater crossbow, what a fun addition to Malzeno's arsenal. It's so gimmicky but a great secondary for him. And now he has a new, more defining appearance, hopefully, my description was good enough, I hate trying to detail clothing.
Anyway, two more fights to go, and this'll be one we would've seen many chapters ago if Malzeno didn't exist. I hope you enjoyed, I appreciate the support; see ya in the next chapter!