Part 26 (1/2)

”Kirito-!”

When I turned my head towards the source of those voices, I saw Klein and Agil shouting and trying desperately to lift themselves up. I focused my sight upon Agil first and nodded slightly towards him.

”Agil, thanks for supporting the warrior cla.s.s players up till now. I know that you spent most of the money you had earned to help the players on the middle floors.”

I smiled at the huge guy whose eyes were wide open before s.h.i.+fting my gaze again.

The katana warrior, with a simple bandana and fully-bearded cheeks, fumed on the floor as if he was still trying to find the words to say.

I gazed straight into those deep eyes of his and took a deep breath. This time, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't control my faltering voice.

”Klein. That time... I'm really sorry... about leaving you. I've always regretted it.”

As soon as I finished this short line in my hoa.r.s.e voice, something twinkled at the corners of my old friend's eyes, and tears soon began to roll down one after another.

With tears still coming out of his eyes, Klein struggled to stand up while shouting loudly with a coa.r.s.e voice that was about to break: ”You...you b.a.s.t.a.r.d! Kirito! Don't apologize! Don't apologize now! I won't forgive you! Until you invite me to a meal in the real world, I definitely won't forgive you!!”

I nodded at Klein, who wanted to continue shouting.

”Yeah, I promise. Next time, I'll see you on the other side.”

I raised my right hand and gave him a thumbs up.

Finally, I turned my gaze back to the girl who had allowed me to say the words that had been buried deeply within my heart for two years.

I looked upon the smiling Asuna whose face was covered by tears- I muttered an apology to her inside my mind and turned back around. I faced Kayaba, who still had an expression of absolute superiority, and opened my mouth: ”...Sorry about this, but I have one thing to ask.”

”What is it?”

”I don't have any intention of losing, but if I die-can you prevent Asuna from committing suicide, even if only for a short period?”

Kayaba raised an eyebrow in surprise, but calmly nodded to my request.

”Okay. I'll set it so that she won't be able to leave Salemburg.”

”Kirito-kun, no!! You can't, you can't do this-!!”

Asuna screamed tearfully from behind me. But I didn't look back. I s.h.i.+fted my right foot backwards, brought my left sword forward while lowering my right sword, and entered my stance.

Kayaba manipulated the window with his left hand and readjusted our HP bars to the same level. It was just before the red zone, where a single, strong hit would decide the fight.

After that, the system message [changed into mortal object] appeared above his head. Kayaba then closed the windows, pulled out the sword he had dug into the ground, and raised it behind his cross-shaped s.h.i.+eld.

My mind was completely calm and clear. Thoughts like 'sorry, Asuna' bubbled away and scattered as I sharpened the fighting instinct within me into a razor's edge.

Frankly, I had no clue what my chances of winning were. If we were only talking about sword skills, then he wasn't any better than me based on the last duel. But that's only if he doesn't use his 'overa.s.sist,' during which only he would be able to move while I would be completely frozen in place.

It all depended on Kayaba's pride. Based on what he said, he was planning to defeat me with only the strength of ”Holy Sword”. If that was the case, my only chance of surviving this was to defeat him before he used any special abilities.

The s.p.a.ce between me and Heathcliff tensed. It felt as if the air itself trembled under the pressure of the murderous intent pouring out of us. This was no longer a duel; it was a fight to the death. That's right-I'm going to- ”Kill you...!!”

I shot forward with a sharp shout.

I swung my right sword horizontally as the distance closed. Kayaba blocked this easily with his s.h.i.+eld. There was a spray of sparks and our faces were lit for a second.

It was as if the metallic clas.h.i.+ng noise signaled the start of our fight; our weapons immediately accelerated to breakneck speeds and dominated the s.p.a.ce around us.

This fight was the strangest, yet the most human fight that I'd partaken in up until now. Both of us had already shown our skills to each other. Furthermore, this was the person who designed ”Dual Blades”, thus he easily saw through any common skill combinations. That was why he had blocked all of my attacks during our last duel.

I couldn't rely upon the combos offered by the system; I had to depend on my own skills and instincts to swing my swords. Of course, I couldn't receive the system's a.s.sistance this way, but I could still move my arms at high speeds with the help of my accelerated senses. I could even see the afterimages, and it looked almost like there were several dozen swords in my hands. But- Kayaba was blocking all of them with stunning accuracy. He also countered immediately whenever I showed even the slightest opening. The situation showed no sign of changing. I concentrated on Heathcliff's eyes in an attempt to read even a bit of the enemy's thoughts and reactions. We ended up exchanging glances as a result.

But Kayaba-Heathcliff's bronze eyes were cold and desolate. There wasn't a trace of the human emotions that he showed last time.

Suddenly a chill ran down my spine.

My opponent was someone who had mercilessly killed over four thousand people. Could a normal human being do such a thing? The deaths of four thousand, the resentment of four thousand, he could withstand such a pressure and still remain perfectly calm-he was no human, he was a monster.

”Aaaaaaah!”

I screamed to eliminate the small fragment of fear that had appeared in the depths of my mind. I accelerated my movements further and rained down countless blows upon him per second. But Kayaba's expression showed no change. He blocked all my attacks with his cross s.h.i.+eld and long sword at speeds the naked eye couldn't even see.

Is he just toying with me-!?

My fear became nervousness. Was it possible that Kayaba only stayed on the defensive because he could actually counterattack whenever he wanted and was confident that he could survive even a direct hit from me?

The suspicion overtook my mind. He had never even needed the overa.s.sistance from the beginning.

”d.a.m.nit......!”

Then-how about this-?!

I changed my attack pattern and activated ”The Eclipse”, the highest level Dual Blades skill. Like the tips of an enveloping corona, my swords sent twenty-seven consecutive attacks towards Kayaba- But- Kayaba had been waiting for me to use a combo skill designated by the system. His face revealed an expression for the first time since the start of the duel. It was completely opposite to the one he had shown last time-it was the smile of someone certain of his victory.

I realized my mistake as soon as I launched the opening attacks of the combo. In these final moments, I had relied on the system instead of myself. But it was already impossible for me to stop the skill, and once the attacks finish I would be subjected to a short delay. Furthermore, Kayaba saw through all my blows, from the start of the combo all the way to the last attack.

As I watched Kayaba swing his s.h.i.+eld at blinding speeds, deflecting my swords with knowledge of exactly where each blow would land, I muttered in my mind: Sorry-Asuna.... At least you must-stay alive- The twenty-seventh attack struck the middle of the s.h.i.+eld, sending out a shower of sparks. Then, with the shrill scream of metal, the sword in my left hand shattered.

”Well, this is goodbye-Kirito-kun.”

Kayaba raised his sword high above me as I stood stunned. A deep red s.h.i.+ne glinted off the blade. The blood-red sword was then swung down at me- At that moment, a strong, vibrant voice rang within my head.

I-will protect-Kirito-kun!!

The silhouette of a person charged in between Kayaba's red sword and me at an incredible speed. The long, chestnut-brown hair danced in the wind before my eyes.

Asuna-how-!?