19 Chapter 19

Nao opened his eyes when the first light of the new day started to illuminate the world. Not like he was sleeping though, he just close his eyes to think better about what he should do and shouldn't do.

'Nautilus case make him excluded from the party that assigned as part of capture group tomorrow and Yuna's incident was related to it. So from this alone, the possibility of Yuna's incident happen when the capture group fighting the boss tomorrow was very high.' He's trying to reconsider about many possibilities.

'If it's really the case then, should I stay with her instead during the boss fight and didn't go with the capture group to fight the boss? I think absent for only one subjugation floor won't be a problem.' Nao thought about stay with Yuna instead of come with the capture group at the next battle.

'Even though she won't die now because my clones always beside her, ready to destroy the nervegear to save her life and her promise to me won't ever use the enchanter skill without me around, thinking something maybe goes wrong make me really restless. Diavel also died in the end after all.'

Nao remember that even though Diavel still attacked and he failed to safe him from the boss's attack in time, Diavel was fine when Nao looked at him at the last moment and only need to drink a bit of potion to healed up his HP.

However his death was inevitable in the end and the "beater" term still created. Nao thought if some fate really couldn't be changed no matter what he do to change it, then even with all the preparations he has, Yuna's death too....

He grit his teeth and take a deep breath. He convinced himself that Diavel's case might be different. Sachi and the other Moonlit Black Cat members still alive! He said inside his mind, tough one of them still couldn't make it out. He has his clone too who monitor Yuna's body all the time, but the worried feeling still exist and never disappears.

'Should I just tied her in the inn during the boss battle? No, that's stupid. She will kill me instead.' Nao thought again and smiled wryly after shook his head.

'Let's just absent for the next boss subjugation battle then. It's only for this one floor after all, to make sure she didn't involved in the incident. Or I had to make sure the fight with the boss ended as quick as possible instead.' Nao decided what he should do in the end.

"Sigh~ Am I too over-protective, Haku?"

"Kyu~" Haku responded to his question simply make him chuckled a bit.

Ting~

After that, he received a message from Kirito when he looked at it and read it right away.

"Hmm~ The meeting, huh. .....Well, let's go, I will try exclude myself from the capture group for this one battle and tell them what I know about the boss." Nao said and got up and looked around the plain.

He is in the middle of a plain right now because he never rent an inn again since a long time. On top of needn't to sleep, even if he want to and ended sleeping, nothing and no one could escape his perception ability from his Sixth Sense. So something like Sleeping PK or ambushed while sleeping won't ever happen to him.

He take a deep breath to calm himself from all the negative feeling about Yuna's neared death incident. Look around the plain for the last time, he then turn around and go to the nearest town's teleport gate. Arrive at the town soon after that, he teleport to Jaileum right away.

----

Jaileum was a bit crowded today, caused by the players with full equipment that could be seen come and go around the plaza from time to time.

Just yesterday, the boss room has been discovered by the party from the KoB and the only two solo players of the foremost line. Not only that, they also manage to scout the boss and obtain the information about it inside the room. Make the only one need to do was to held a floor boss strategy meeting and formed the capture group from all the clearers.

The meeting was held today in a Town's Hall-like building beside the plaza at 40th floor. So since very early morning, many players of the elite guilds like Knight of Blood and Divine Dragon Alliance had already gathered around and prepared for the meeting.

Not only the players from the clearer's guilds who come to the plaza though. Many other players already comes too, not to attend the meeting in the building, but to watch the clearers of the front-line. After all being said and done, The Clearers are looked up to and admired by many with high regard due to their ability to fight on the front lines, which are the most dangerous parts of the death game.

Time passed and the leader and the core members of each guild arrived one after the other and entered the building. And after all of the participant arrived, the commander of the KoB, Heathcliff started the meeting.

"Alright. Because all of the participants had already arrived, let's starts the meeting." He said to gathered their attention.

"As all of you had already known, yesterday, our party had discovered the boss room together with the two solo player. Beside of that, they manage to scout the boss inside the room and gather the information about it." Heathcliff then look at his man. The man nodded and start to read the report.

"The boss name was Bracken the Prison Warden, a humanoid type boss with a weapon...."

He then start to explain about the boss's information which manage to be obtained by the party yesterday. It contain about boss's appearance, its weapon, strength and movements, its attack pattern and so on so forth.

The report finished and the next part of the meeting was the discussion about the strategy needed to kill the boss and clear the floor along with many counter measure. Then it followed by the needed preparation before the actual battle. They also discuss about the mean of transportation for the capture group and the size of the group itself.

After discussing about the boss actual strength and the counter measure for a while, all of them anticipated a very difficult boss in there and was a very dangerous enemy too. So all of them unanimously agree and decided that the capture group need to enter the dungeon with The Corridor Crystal to prevent the group from getting exhausted before the battle with the boss.

The Crystal would be provided by the KoB and there's no objection about that.

The upper limit for the number of people that could be teleported with one Corridor Crystal was forty-eight, thus they need to form a carefully selected one-raid party for this subjugation. Two parties from the KoB, the same as with the DKB and Divine Division, finally decided would be the rough formation and number then would be decreased to include additional members outside the three guild.

"Any have objection for the rough formation number?" Heathcliff asked the leader of the guild, the DKB and the leader of Divine Division too.

"Hmm! Sound reasonable for me. Then that would be the rough formation and the composition would be adjusted to included the clearers outside our guild to find the best combat power."

"No objection too here."

The two leader agreed to the proposal right away and continue the meeting with the capture group composition as the next topic.

"Then I will give my opinion first. For the main forward of the first party, as always we will put the two solo players there as the main attackers. Then for the second party's main attacker, we will put members from the Fuurinkazan there. As for the tank we will....."

Heathcliff say his words for the composition of the capture group next, but before he could finish his words, someone interrupted him first.

"Wait a moment, Danchou-san!"

Many head automatically turn towards the source of the voice and there, they could see the purple haori wearing guy raised his hand.

"Is there something wrong, Nao-kun?" Heathcliff who his words interrupted asked a bit surprisingly with raised eyebrows.

"Ahaha~ It's nothing, I just want to tell you that you needn't to included me in the group. I won't take part in the fight this time. So you can choose another player instead." He said to him while smiling simply and scratch the back of his head, but make the room suddenly quieted down soon after.

He won't take part in the fight!? Why?!!! Many thought very surprisingly. Not only the others though, but also Kirito, Asuna and even Klein surprised about what he just said too.

It's a normal reaction if you considering who they are talking about here. He is one of the few players like Kirito, Asuna, Agil and others who always participated in the subjugation fight since the very first floor. He was one of the two solo too who could make it this far alone without the guild support behind them.

Even though many quite displeased about it like how their eyes look at Kirito as a beater, and considering he could make it this far alone too, also look at how the both of them quite close to each other on top of that, make them couldn't help but think that he was also the same. The same type of beta tester like the other solo player.

However, even though many think about that, no one dares to doubt his strength in every fight. His katana was a very sharp weapon in every fight. His speed and sharpness were the balance control on the front line of every boss fight.

When needed, he can handle the boss aggro very well too even though he wasn't a tank. He would evade the attack from time to time without messing with the formation at all while still handle the boss aggro at the same time. Rather, if something goes wrong, he could always followed up and keep the flow of the fight again.

He was the only one too who keep the boss occupied and keep the flow of the crazy fight at the first quarter of Aincrad, the 25th floor goes wrong resulted in bloody battle with many casualty and need to be handled by the first two-raid group at the same time in SAO.

Also, together with the all-black attired guy, they are the most damage dealer to the boss compared with the other guild in every subjugation battle.

Heathcliff was more inclined to the balance type with his shield. Kirito with his heavy sword more inclined to destructive offense to deal more damage. Then Asuna who more inclined to the speed.

However, Nao technically ruined the game's balance with his ability. His evasion was a perfect defense, he has the destructiveness too and combined with his speed, the damage he dealt in every fight was simply unbelievable.

After up to now he always participating in every subjugation battle and being the main attack power, now he said that he won't take part? At the time they fighting a formidable enemy who makes them even need to use The Corridor Crystal on top of that?

All of them couldn't help but to feel a bit worried about it. It'll be the first time the capture group fighting a boss without him after all. It won't be a big problem if the enemy was a normal boss, they could still made it without him somehow. But this one with a Corridor Crystal needed wasn't a normal boss at all. They want to face it with their full power.

They keep quiet until finally Heathcliff asked him again.

"If possible, Nao-kun. Can you tell me the reason?" Heathcliff asked Nao about his reason behind it.

"Well, how I put this. I just don't feel like it and want to rest a bit." Nao said it simply.

Many of them blinking their eyes several time after that. Just didn't feel like it? All of them thought at the same time.

All of them quited down again but soon, someone finally broke the silent with sonorous voice.

"It can't be helped then. The boss we will face is a very formidable enemy after all, so it is a normal thing that someone cowering in the end." The voice said without hiding the displeased inside at all.

Many turn their head to look at who to actually dares to say something like that to him.

All of them then could see there's a man with white attire and equipment at the KoB guild side. He clearly look didn't like Nao at all from the mocking expression he put on his face right now. Added with his tone before, he clearly showed his displeasure towards Nao.

His displeasure was quite understandable though because many of them didn't like the two solo player too. One was a beater so the other one would be the same scum beta tester too. That was their thought. Especially, many of the KoB members didn't like the haori wearing guy at all and had quite bad impression about him.

The KoB known as the strongest guild and they had a very prideful mind. Not only they are the strongest guild but their commander also the rumored strongest player too. Become their pride and made them admire him even more. And finally the admiration slowly become a blind fanaticism.

Their commander was the strongest, many player know about that. However, there's another player too who rumored to be the strongest because all of what he done up to know from the first floor.

Some think that Nao was the strongest because many things that he had done, like scout the most of the boss floor alone, how he fight every time at the subjugation battle and then compared with the KoB commander, he always fight with the boss from the start of the game while Heathcliff known long after that, then because The purple haori wearing guy made it this far alone without any guild help while Heathcliff have the strongest guild as the backing.

There's many who denied that opinion of course, especially the KoB members who worship their commander faithfully. They argue that The purple haori wearing guy could be strong from the start was because he's a scum beta tester like his beater fellow while their commander raise his level fairly.

He can fight better until now was because the same reason too and they argue that the KoB become the strongest was thanks to their commander who was the strongest player too and not the opposite.

All all of this rumor and argue was the main reason people who admired Heathcliff had bad impression about Nao and many of the KoB members has the same opinion too, make him more and more unpleasing to the eyes for many guy from KoB. All clearers know about it too.

However, the one who become the subject, Nao didn't know about all of it. He didn't know at all that because their blind fanaticism, makes him become an eyesore for many KoB guild's member until now.

So even right now, when the man who sat on the KoB side saying something rude and provocative, the other KoB members let him be and some even had sneer and contempt in their eyes.

"Ahahaha~ Normally I won't hooked by this kind of childish provocation, but....." Nao still smiling while saying that and pause for a bit.

".....what do you mean?" Nao said while still smiling but with dangerous eyes.

The man stunned a bit but still confident with his guild members and his amazing commander.

"Like I said, it can't be helped if you cowering in the end when faced a formidable enemy. You all the beta tester were just a coward to begin with after all." He said with disgusted in the end of his words.

'Beta tester? aa~~h I see.' Nao thought.

"And you think you are a courageous one while hiding behind your guild? You think that your guild, the KoB could protect you from me?" Nao said and his smile has been disappeared now.

"What?" The man feel upset looked down by him.

"You don't understand? I mean I can beheaded you together with all of your KoB members and send them to the oblivion if I want. Beheading the strongest guild was quite an interesting thing actually because there's "strongest" word in there you know?" Nao said menacingly with cruel and crazy smile, added with dangerous and ominous glint in his eyes make all of them inside the room shiver and could feel coldness ran through their spine.

"It's a shame though that I can't torture you because there's a pain absorber system in here. But killing you and make your brain burned by the microwave of the nervegear was a good thing too for you. So, I think I could still satisfied with only that." Nao continue again with the same tone and same expression too.

Kirito remember those glint in his eyes. It was the same ominous glint he saw at the hunting ground before.

All of them inside the room could see the glint inside his eyes too. They scared shitless by those eyes and added with his crazy smile make everything worst and worst. He seriously really want to beheaded the KoB!!! They all thought.

Nao's pent up feeling explode right now. He was thinking all night about what should he do about Yuna during the boss fight and here it is, an idiot prancing in front of him. I will kill this guy to calm myself down. Nao thought inside his mind. He is very serious about kill this man though because he thinking about many scenario to do that.

"Then how should I kill you?" Nao asked again at the man.

The man didn't say anything, rather he can't at all. Not only the man who feel that way, even his eyes didn't look at them, those crazy smile and ominous glint in his eyes make them the same pressure with the man. He really want to kill him!!!

Meanwhile, heathcliff was feel amaze too aside of fear. He was the one who created all of this after all included the program to show the expression of every character. To experiencing this dread feeling inside his own game by the system he created himself was interesting feeling, he thought. He really feel the fear after all.

"Nao-kun, I think there's misunderstanding here." Heathcliff said to him.

Nao glance at him slightly with the same glint make him jolted inside.

"Is that so?" Nao said simply.

"Umu!" Heathcliff nodded and look at the guy. The guy nodded to and bow timidly after that.

"I apologize about my people behavior. About your reason though, is it all?" He said again after that to change the topic, his people was the one who at fault after all.

"You can forget about it. I will take part in the fight. I want to cut something after all." Nao said while glancing at the guy again at the end of his word, make the guy and the other too stunned. He still want to do something! They thought.

'Let's just hoped nothing happen and ended the fight as soon as possible.' Nao thought.

Even thought the mean was a bit tense, the other glad that he decide to fight too in the end. His strength was without a doubt very crucial after all in every fight. So, knowing that he will take part in the fight, they couldn't help but feel a bit relaxed but looking how bad his mood was, they feel the pressure again.

Kirito who sit beside him feel like the most pressure than the others make him want to leave as soon as possible.

'Let's make a note to never make him upset. His swing with shinai at that time wasn't a joke too after all.' He thought inside his mind make a note to never make Nao upset.

The meeting continue after that and the composition was selected carefully from each guild.

Nao and Kirito of course included while the other from some guild selected carefully too. From the Fuurinkazan, only four of their member would be participated included Klein. The same thing done with the other guild too, only members who has level above 50 could be participated considering how formidable the boss was.

The next part of the meeting was discuss about the formation of the party, their role and so on so fort to create the most effective way to fight the boss according to its attacks pattern.

Time passed quickly and the meeting was ended and Nao didn't feel like to linger around at all and leave as the meeting was done. All participant glance at him from time to time and sigh after he leave the building. That was intense!! They all thought at the same time.

Nao walk around the town looking for a quiet place to calm himself down and find one after a while. He stood still there and took a deep breath to calm himself.

"Kyuu~?" Haku feel someone presence and turn around.

Nao could sense the person too but let her be. He know her followed him since he leave the building after all.

"What are you doing here?" She asked while walked towards him.

"Just try to calm myself down a bit." Nao said still closed his eyes and without turning back to look at her.

"Is that so?" She asked again.

"Unh!" Nao said simply.

She keep walking and didn't stop at all even she was right behind him. She come close at him and wrapped her hands around his waist and hugged him from behind make Nao opened his eyes, surprised.

"Asuna?" Nao call her.

"Just let me like this for a moment." Asuna said while still hugged him and didn't let him go.

Nao blinking several time and couldn't say anything. So, he let her do whatever she want to do and close his eyes again. Asuna didn't say anything either and hugging him for a long time before said something again.

"You know, I like you for a long time already." She said after the long silent.

Nao was a bit surprised but that was all, nothing more. It isn't like he didn't know after all, but he only didn't want to know and just didn't want to realizing it inside his heart.

"I think I will tell you my feeling in the future when we still in the same party, but at that time, I overheard about Sugu when you and Kirito talking about her. I asked Kirito about her and he told me everything he now about your relationship with her. I felt heartbroken right then and there knowing that I was already late to be yours and make you mine." Asuna said slowly to him.

"Then I decide to give up on you. I know how much you love her from Kirito after all, so I think my feeling won't ever reach you. I decide to leave our party after that and join the KoB to forget my feeling about you. But there's another reason too I decide to join the KoB, I want to become strong, strong enough so that I can stand beside you. In the end, even though I want to forget my feeling, I still had a little hope that maybe I will have a chance. But I never try to really realize that hope in the end and decide that give up on you was the best for me." Nao keep silent to let her said what she want to.

"I distant myself from you. I want to forget you, but I can't. There's always little hope and regret that I never tell you my feeling. Whenever I see you I feel like want to run at you and said that I like you, but I never do it." She hugged him tightly when saying it.

"I always in that state for a long time until I saw you that night with Yuna. I feel pain inside my heart at first but when you talking about her who know you love Sugu and didn't give up, I know slowly and realize in the end that I'm wrong to have this regret, regret of never tell you this feeling."

"I realize that you aren't realize it, but you didn't want to. I know it when you slightly distant yourself when I show more affection towards you, though slightly but I know it in the end. You still open your heart for Yuna even though you love Sugu. However, you never open your heart for me even though I have more time together with you than Yuna. You simply didn't look at me that way, no, you not even try to look at me the way you look at Yuna because you simply didn't want to look at me that way."

"I realize all of it in the end that, ...I needn't to have the regret because from the beginning.... I simply won't ever had a place in your heart. So from now on, I will try to be more honest to my feeling and my heart. Thanks Nao-kun, because of you, because have this feeling about you, I realized all of this regret. So,...."

Asuna then let him go and stopped hugging him, and Nao understand what she do and what she want to do. So he turn around to look at her better. She smiled brightly and said to him.

"Nao-kun I like you. I like you from a long time ago." She said to him and smile honestly.

Nao understand everything and said to her.

"I'm happy you know, that a beautiful girl like you have that kind of feeling towards me. But like you had said, I'm not look at you that way this times and never had that kind of feeling towards you. I am sorry." Nao said while smiling to her too.

"Hmmh~ I know." She nodded at him.

She keep her smile but failed and tears finally fell to the ground as she started to crying. She sobbing hardly and run at Nao and hug him. Nao hug her too to calm her down and they keep hugging each other for a long time.

After that she finally stop crying and hug him more softly.

"Let me like this for a moment." She said to him.

"Alright." Nao said.

"You won't beheaded me right?"

"Huh?!" Nao tilted his head didn't understand but finally remember what happen before and chuckled a bit.

'Ahahaha~ I forget that she was KoB member too, Their vice-commander on top of that." Nao thought.

"Hehehe~ I'm sorry bijin-onee-san, I forgot that you are one of them too." Nao said apologetically at her.

"Fufufufu It's alright if you won't beheaded me." She said to him after that.

They keep hugging each other for a long time before finally separated and Asuna leave the place.