[What's going on…?]
I whispered to Godfrey.
[Mmm. I already know about what happened between the two of you. However, from now on, we will be comrades of the same guild. I want to use this training to write off your past grudges!」
As I stared at Godfrey, who was laughing, Clatterer slowly walked out.
「…………」
I was on full alert, allowing myself to be in a state where I could react immediately no matter what happened. Although they were in the middle of the street, there was no way to predict what this man would do.
But to my surprise, Krattier suddenly lowered his head. A faint, almost inaudible sound came from under his drooping bangs.
[A few days ago…I've troubled you…]
This time, I was really shocked from the bottom of my heart. I could only open my mouth wide and not say anything.
" I won't do such rude things again... Please forgive me..."
His long, dark hair covered his face, so his expression could not be seen.
[Ah... Mmhmm...]
I nodded reluctantly. What was going on? Could it be that he had undergone personality modification surgery?
[Alright, alright, then this matter will come to an end!」
Godfrey laughed loudly again. Although he still couldn't accept it and felt that there must be something hidden behind it, he couldn't tell what he was thinking from his lowered face. Since SAO's emotional performance was too exaggerated, it was difficult to see any subtle differences. I could only accept his apology here, but I also told myself that I absolutely could not let my guard down.
Not long after, another group member arrived at the scene. Once everyone was present, we prepared to set off for the maze area. As I was about to take a step forward, Godford called out to me in his thick voice,
"Wait... Today's training should be carried out in the form closest to actual combat. In order to observe your ability to deal with danger, please hand over all the crystal items to me for safekeeping.」
[Is the transfer crystal the same?]
Godfrey nodded in response to my question. At this time, I actually had a very strong dislike in my heart. This was because crystals, especially the Transfer Crystal, could be said to be the last life-saving item in this death game. I've never lacked this item in my equipment. He had wanted to reject this request, but he thought that if he started a dispute here, Asuna's position would also become worse, so he had no choice but to swallow his words.
Seeing Krattier and another member obediently hand over the item, I had no choice but to hand it over unwillingly. Godfrey even examined my pouch.
[Yes, alright.] Then let's go!"
Godfrey gave the order, and the four of us left Grantham City, heading towards the Labyrinth District that could be seen in the far west.
The 55th checkpoint's training area was a dry wilderness with very few plants. I wanted to finish my training and go home, so I suggested running all the way to the maze area, but Godfrey refused with a wave of his arm. I thought it must be because he only trained his muscles and ignored his agility, so I could only give up on the idea and obediently walked in the wilderness.
We encountered a few monsters along the way, but that was all. I really couldn't wait for Godliff's command and quickly killed them all with one slash.
Not long after, when we had crossed several rocks of a certain height, the majestic appearance of the gray rock structure of the maze appeared in front of us.
" Alright, let's rest here for the time being!"
After Godfrey finished speaking in a gruff voice, the group stopped.
「…………」
Although I really wanted to break through the maze in one go, I knew that even if I made a suggestion, it would definitely not be accepted. I could only sigh and sit down on a nearby rock. At this time, it was almost noon.
" Then we'll start sending food now."
Godfrey materialized the four leather bags and threw one of them at me. I caught it with one hand and opened it without any expectations. There was indeed a bottle of water and toast sold in the NPC shop.
I should have been eating the sandwich Asuna had personally made. I cursed my bad luck in my heart as I removed the bottle cap and took a sip of water.
At this moment, I suddenly saw Kradler sitting on a rock far away. He was the only one who did not touch the package. The eyes under the drooping bangs looked at us with dim eyes.
What was he looking at…?
Suddenly, I felt a cold shiver envelop my entire body. That guy was waiting for something. I think... that's probably-
I immediately threw the bottle away and tried to spit out the liquid in my mouth.
But it was too late. I suddenly felt weak all over and collapsed on the spot. I can see the HP bar in the right corner of my vision. The strip was now surrounded by a green flashing frame that usually did not exist.
There was no mistake. We've been poisoned.
Looking to the side, one could see Godfrey and another member struggling on the ground. I immediately used my left hand, which was still able to move slightly below my elbow, to reach into the pouch at my waist, but this only deepened my fear. The Antidote Crystal and the Transfer Crystal were all given to Godfrey. Although there were recovery potions, they had no effect on poisoning.
[Humph... humph...]
I heard a sharp laugh. Sitting on the rock, Kladyr hugged his body with both hands and laughed with a twisted body. The wild joy he had seen before appeared in his sunken eyes.
[Wuha! Yiya! Hahahaha!"
Kradil looked at the sky and laughed out loud as if he couldn't stand it anymore. Godfrey stared at him blankly, then said,
" What... what's going on... isn't this water... prepared by you... Krattier..."
"Godfrey! Hurry up and use the detoxification crystal."
After hearing my voice, Godfrey slowly began to search for the bag at his waist.
[Ya-!]
Krattier jumped down from the rock with a strange sound and kicked Godfrey's left hand away with his boot. The green crystal fell from his hand. Krattier picked up the crystal and reached into Godfrey's bag. He grabbed the remaining crystals and threw them into his waist pocket.
Everything is over.
"Kratyll... you, what do you want...? Was this…some kind of training?」
[Stupid!]
Krattier's boot kicked Godfrey's confused mouth that was still asking questions.
[Woah!]
Godfrey's HP was slightly reduced, and the arrow that showed Krattier had also changed from yellow to orange, indicating the perpetrator. However, this change had no effect on the current situation. Because it was impossible for someone to pass by a floor that had already been cleared.
[Godfrey, I knew you were a big idiot, but I didn't expect you to be such a brainless guy!」
Kratyll's sharp voice echoed in the wilderness.
" Although I still have a lot to say to you... it's not good to waste too much time on an appetizer like you..."
Kradil said as he drew his double-handed sword. He pulled his thin body back to the limit and swung his sword hard. The sunlight flashed on his thick blade.
[Wait, wait for Kratyll! What…what are you talking about? Isn't this training?」
"How annoying. Go to hell."
As he said this, the sword in his hand slashed down without hesitation. As the heavy sound rang out, Godfrey's HP was greatly reduced.
Godfrey finally understood the severity of the situation and began to scream. However, it was already too late.
The two-handed sword continued to slash a second time and a third time with Ruthless Flash, and each slash reduced Godfrey's HP gradually. When he finally entered the red danger zone, Kradler stopped.
Just when I thought that no matter how crazy he was, he wouldn't kill anyone, Kradler immediately stabbed the sword in his hand into Godfrey's body. His HP slowly decreased bit by bit. Then, Kradler directly put his entire body weight on the sword.
[Ahhhh!]
[Wahahahaha!]
Kradler let out a strange sound as if he wanted to cover Godfrey's scream. As the tip of the sword was pushed into Godfrey's body, his HP bar was also decreasing at a certain speed.
Under the silent gaze of me and another member of the party, Kradler's sword pierced through Godfrey's body and landed on the ground. At the same time, his HP dropped to zero. I don't think Godfrey could understand what had happened until he had been reduced to a million pieces.
After slowly pulling out the sword from the ground, Krattier turned his head to another member like a mechanical doll.
[Yi!] Yi!"
The group member let out a short cry and struggled to escape. However, Kratyll approached him with strange, wobbly steps.
"... Although I have no grudge against you... in my script, I am the only survivor..."
He muttered to himself as he swung his sword again.
[Yiaah!]
"Do you know?" Where's our team?"
Completely ignoring the cries of the members, the sword continued to slash down from above.
[Attacked by a large group of criminal players in the wilderness-]
Another sword.
" Although they fought bravely, three people died-"
Then, he added another sword strike.
[In the end, I was the only one left. I survived because I successfully repelled the criminals-]
On the fourth attack, the HP bar of the party members disappeared, and then there was a sound effect that made everyone's body have goosebumps. However, Kladyre seemed to have heard the song of a goddess. He was standing among the debris of the explosion, his face in a daze as his whole body spasmed.
I'm sure this isn't the first time he's killed someone…
Indeed, this guy's arrow had just turned orange to indicate the perpetrator, but there were too many despicable ways to kill without causing a judgment. However, now that he knew about this, it was useless.
Kratyll finally turned to look at me. One could see the joy on his face that was difficult to suppress. He dragged the greatsword in his right hand on the ground, making an ear-piercing sound as he slowly walked towards me.
[Yo...]
I sprawled on the ground in a sorry state. After Krattier squatted down beside me, he said in a soft voice,
[I killed two unrelated people for you.]」
"But I see that you're quite happy when you kill people.」
As I answered, I tried to think of a way to change the current situation. I can only move my mouth and left hand. He couldn't open the menu window while paralyzed, so he couldn't send messages to anyone. Although I knew that this wouldn't be of any use, I still quietly moved my left hand in a blind spot where Kradler couldn't see. At the same time, I continued to say,
"Why would a guy like you join the KO B? I think the Criminals Guild is more suitable for you.」
[Hmph, of course. Of course, it's for that woman."
Kratyll gritted his teeth and licked his lips with his sharp tongue. When I noticed that he was talking about Asuna, my entire body suddenly felt hot.
[You…!]
"Don't be so fierce. In the end, it's just a game…I'll take good care of your most important vice leader. Anyway, I have a lot of convenient tools now.」
As Krattier spoke, he picked up the bottle of poisonous water beside him and shook the bottle, making a cracking sound. After clumsily blinking his eyes, he continued,
[Speaking of which, you said something interesting just now. You said that I'm very suitable for the Criminals Guild, right?」
[This is the truth…]
[I'm praising you.] You have good taste."
Hehehehe.
While laughing sharply, Krattier seemed to be thinking about something. He suddenly removed the left vambrace. Then she rolled up her sleeves and turned her exposed forearm toward me.
「…………!」
I saw what was on his forearm and gasped.
It was a tattoo. The picture was a black coffin that was depicted in a manga. There were smiling eyes and a mouth on the lid, and an arm that had turned into white bones stretched out from the gap of the lid.
[That... pattern is...'Smiling Coffin'!]」
I blurted out in a hoarse voice, and Krattier smiled and nodded at me.
[Smiling Coffin]. It was the name of the largest and most vicious murder guild in the past. They were led by a cold and cunning leader who constantly thought of new ways to kill. In the end, more than three digits of players died at their hands.
Although they had hoped to resolve this problem through negotiation, the man who had received their message and went to negotiate was immediately killed by them. No one could understand why they would engage in such a PK action that would weaken the possibility of a complete strategy, so there was no way to negotiate with them. Not long ago, the strategy team had formed a joint crusade team similar to the one against the leader. After a few bloody battles, they had finally destroyed their organization.
Although Asuna and I had also joined the crusade, we had somehow leaked some information, and the killers were already prepared to fight back. Back then, I had fallen into a half-confused state to protect my companions, and in the end, I accidentally took the lives of two members of the Smiling Coffin.
"Is this…for revenge? Are you the survivor of the Smiling Coffin?"
Hearing my hoarse voice, Krattier replied,"
[Ha, not at all. I won't do such a lame thing. I only joined the Smiling Coffin recently. Of course, it was just a mental addition. They taught me this paralyzing skill back then…Oh no, this is bad…"
Krattier stood up mechanically.
" Let's stop here. Otherwise, the poison will soon pass. Let's begin the final work. From the day of the duel, I dreamed every night... of that moment..."
Kradil's eyes were almost round and burning with a fire of paranoia. His long tongue stuck out from his mouth that was smiling from both sides of his cheeks. He stood on his tiptoes and prepared to swing the sword down.
Before he made his move, I only used the strength of my wrist to fire the short cone in my right hand. Although he aimed at his face, which would cause him a lot of damage, the low hit rate due to paralysis deviated the trajectory, and the steel awl pierced into Krattier's left arm. Kradil's HP had only decreased by a little, which made me fall into the abyss of despair.
[... It hurts...]
Krattier wrinkled his nose and pursed his lips. He stabbed the tip of his sword into my right arm. Then, as if he was going to dig it open, he turned around two or three times inside.
「……!」
Although there was no pain. However, in addition to the strong anesthesia, the discomfort of being directly stimulated spread throughout his entire body. When the sword cut into my arm, my HP also decreased slightly.
Not yet…The poison effect hasn't worn off yet…
I gritted my teeth and endured, waiting for the moment my body regained its freedom. Although it varied according to the intensity of the poison, generally speaking, the paralyzing poison would only take about five minutes to recover to its normal state.
Kratyll pulled out the sword and stabbed it into my left foot. The numbing electric current once again ran through my entire body, and the damage value was mercilessly added to me.
" How is it…How is it…How does it feel to be about to die…Tell me…Quick…"
Kratyll stammered as she stared at my face.
" Say something, kid... Cry and say I don't want to die..."
My HP bar finally turned yellow because it was below 50%. However, I still hadn't recovered from the paralysis. My entire body started to turn cold, and the Grim Reaper crawled up from the bottom of my feet along with the cold air.
I have witnessed many players dying in SAO. They all had the same expression on their faces when they turned into countless shards and disappeared. That expression seemed to ask,"Will I really die like this?"」This was a simple question.
Perhaps none of us are willing to believe that dying in the game is the same as dying in the real world. This has become the premise of the game.
In their hearts, they still had the thought that they might return to the real world safely after their HP was reduced to zero. Of course, in order to confirm whether this guess was true, he had to experience death in the game himself. Thinking of this, he felt that perhaps dying in the game was also a way to leave the game.
"Hey, say something. Are you going to die soon?"
Kratyll pulled the sword out of my foot and stabbed me in the stomach. My HP had been greatly reduced, and I had already reached the red danger zone. However, I felt that this had nothing to do with me. As I was tortured by the sword, my thoughts wandered into a small path that did not allow any light to pass through. My consciousness seemed to be covered by a thick and heavy veil.
However, a strong sense of fear suddenly struck me.
Asuna. I'm going to leave her behind and disappear from this world. Asuna will fall into Kradil's hands and suffer the same torture as me. This possibility turned into an unbearable pain that woke me up.
[Oh!]
I opened my eyes and used my left hand to grab the sword that Krattier had stabbed into my abdomen. I used all my strength to slowly pull the sword out of my abdomen. At this moment, he only had about 10% of his HP left. Kradil said in surprise,"
"Oh... Oh? What? Was he still afraid of death?」
[That's right…I…can't die yet…]
[Ha! Wahaha! That's right, it has to be like this!"
Kratyll let out a strange bird-like cry as he put all his weight on the sword. I used one hand to support myself. The system is currently calculating my and Kladyr's muscle strength values, as well as a bunch of complicated correction effects.
The final result was that the tip of the sword once again slowly and surely descended, and I fell into terror and despair.
Is it over?
Am I really going to die here? Leaving Asuna alone in this crazy world?
I desperately resisted the sword tip that was gradually approaching and the sense of despair that arose in my heart.
[Die! Go to hell!"
Krattier shouted in a sharp voice.
The killing intent in the dark gray metal coat decreased centimeter by centimeter. Finally, the tip of the sword touched his body and pierced into his body…
Suddenly, a gust of wind blew.
It was a gust of red and white wind.
[Wha... what...!]
The killer raised his head in surprise and immediately flew out with his sword. I silently watched the person who flew down in front of me.
" I made it... I almost made it... God... Thank you for letting me make it..."
Her trembling voice was comparable to the beautiful sound of an angel flapping her wings. Asuna fell to her knees, her lips trembling as she stared at me with wide eyes.
[Still alive... Kirito, you're still alive...]
[... Well... He's still alive and well...]
I replied in a hoarse and weak voice that surprised me too. Asuna nodded vigorously. She took out the pink crystal from her pocket with her right hand and placed her left hand on my chest as she shouted,"」。The crystal immediately shattered, and my HP recovered to the right. After Asuna confirmed that I had recovered, she whispered to me,
" Wait for me... It'll be over soon..."
Then, she stood up, pulled out her rapier with graceful movements, and walked forward.
Her target, Kladyr, finally stood up. After confirming who the person was, his eyes widened.
" Lady, Lady Asuna... Why, why are you here... No, no, this is just training. Yes, there was an accident during training..."
Krattier sprung up like a spring and defended himself in a nervous voice, but he did not finish his sentence. Asuna's right hand flashed, and the tip of her sword had already torn Kradil's mouth. Because the arrow had already turned into the color of the perpetrator, Asuna was not judged guilty.
[Woah!]
Kratyll covered his mouth with one hand and leaned his head back. He paused for a moment. When he looked back, his face was already filled with a familiar expression of hatred.
[This stinky woman…Don't go too far…Hmph, it's just in time.] I'll kill you sooner or later anyway..."
However, there was no way to finish this sentence. Because Asuna had already launched a furious wave of attacks.
[Oh... Ahhhh...!]
Although Kratyll fought desperately with his two-handed sword, he was no match for Asuna. The tip of Asuna's sword dragged countless rays of light in the air, slicing and piercing through his body at a terrifying speed. Even I, who was a few levels higher than Asuna, couldn't see the trajectory of the attack. He could only stare blankly at the white-robed angel who was waving his sword as if he was dancing.
It was simply too beautiful. Asuna swung her chestnut-colored hair, and her entire body was wrapped in flames of anger. Her expressionless figure was extremely beautiful as she chased after the enemy.
[Coo! Wuuu!"
Kradil was already panicking, and the sword in his hand couldn't touch Asuna at all. His HP was obviously decreasing. Just as he was about to enter the red danger zone from the yellow color, Kradil finally threw his sword out and shouted,"
"Alright, alright! I know! I was wrong!"
Then, he lay on the ground.
[I-I will leave the guild! I will never appear in front of the two of you again! So-"
Asuna only listened to his shrill screams quietly.
Then, she slowly raised the rapier in her hand and nimbly changed it to a backhand grip.
His right hand, which had been relaxed, began to exert strength. He raised the sword a few centimeters and prepared to stab it at the back of Kradler, who was kneeling on the ground. In an instant, the killer let out an even sharper wail.
[Yiyiyiyi!] I, I don't want to die!"
The tip of the sword stopped as if it had hit a transparent wall. His thin body trembled violently.
I could feel the conflict, anger, and terror in Asuna's heart.
As far as I know, she has never taken the lives of any players in this world. Moreover, if someone was killed in this world, the dead would also die in the real world. Although this was called PK in online game terms, it could be said to be a real killing.
- Yes, stop it, Asuna. You can't do this.
Even though I was shouting in my heart, I was also thinking about the exact opposite.
No, don't hesitate. That guy had been waiting for this moment.
The prediction came true after 0.1 seconds.
[Hey!]
Kradler, who was kneeling, had picked up his greatsword again and swung it upward with a sudden cry.
The rapier in Asuna's right hand bounced off with a metallic clang.
[Ahhh…!]
Asuna let out a short wail as her body lost its balance. A metallic glow flashed above her head.
[You're too naive, Vice Guild Leader!]」
Krattier let out a crazy roar. The sword in his hand emitted a dark red effect light without hesitation as he swung it.
"Wuuu!」
This time, it was my turn to roar. He kicked the ground with his right leg, which had finally been freed from the numbness, and flew forward a few meters. He pushed Asuna away with his right hand and blocked Kradil's sword with his left arm.
Ka Zi.
An annoying sound rang out as his left arm was cut off from below the elbow. The symbol of the missing part immediately flashed.
Ignoring the bright red rays of blood that spilled out from the severed surface of my left hand, I stretched out all five fingers of my right hand.
Just like that, the hand blade stabbed into the armor's seams. The arm pierced through Kratyl's abdomen with a yellow glow and a wet touch.
When I counterattacked, I used the zero-distance physical skill," Wristplate Pierce," which successfully depleted the remaining 20% of Kradler's HP. The thin body that was pressed against me trembled violently, and then my entire body immediately became weak.
As the greatsword fell to the ground, he whispered in my ear in a hoarse voice,
" You... murderer..."
Then, he snorted and laughed.
Kratyll's entire body turned into countless glass fragments. [Fragment!] After a sound, the scattering polyhedron produced a cold wind pressure that pushed me back, causing my entire body to fall back.
His exhausted consciousness could only hear the sound of the wind in the practice area.
Not long after, the sound of irregular footsteps stepping on gravel could be heard. When he looked over, he could see a thin figure walking over with an empty expression on his face.
Asuna lowered her head and staggered for a few steps before kneeling down beside me like a broken puppet. Although she extended her right hand to me, she suddenly retracted her hand before I could touch her.
[... I'm sorry... It's all my fault... It's all my fault...]
With a sorrowful expression, she squeezed out these words in a trembling voice. Tears flowed out of her big eyes, sparkling with a beautiful gem-like radiance as they fell to the ground. As my throat was unusually dry, I managed to squeeze out a short sentence.
[Asuna...]
" I'm sorry... I... will never... have the face to... see... Kirito... again..."
I tried my best to prop up my body, which had finally regained consciousness. Due to the severe injuries I suffered, I still felt an uncomfortable numbness all over my body. However, I still tried my best to reach out my right hand and severed left hand to carry her over. Then, he used his own lips to seal her cherry red lips.
「……!」
Asuna's entire body was stiff. She pushed me with both hands to resist, but I used all my strength to hug her thin body tightly. Such behavior clearly violated the rules of sexual harassment. Asuna should have received a system message to activate the protection order. As long as she pressed the OK button, I would be instantly transferred to the prison area of the Black Iron Palace.
However, my arms didn't relax at all. I left Asuna's lips and moved my head along her cheek until I leaned on her shoulder. Then, I whispered to her,
"My life belongs to you, Asuna. I will live for you. I will be with you until the last moment.」
He used his left wrist, which had been damaged for three minutes, to hug her back even harder and pull her over. Asuna exhaled in a trembling voice and replied in a low voice,
[…Me too.] I will definitely protect you. From now on, I will protect you forever. So…"
In the end, Asuna was speechless. So we hugged each other tightly and continued to listen to Asuna's sobs.
The heat from each other's bodies melted our frozen hearts bit by bit.
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。