30 Chapter 30

As the sky getting brighter and brighter, along with the sun which rises slowly, a girl who was sleeping on her bed inside a room slowly opens her eyes.

Got up, she sat on her bed then stretch her limbs to make her muscles get ready for the day. She let out a blissful sigh with also a blissful smile after the good sleep she had.

The girl's name was Asuna. People also called her the Flash and was the second strongest member of an elite guild in SAO, the Knight of the Blood and also their Vice-commander.

But aside from the KoB's Vice-commander or Asuna the Flash, the two epithets she already had right now, people of her guild, also players of the foremost line had a new epithet for her these days, which was The Demon's conqueror, Asuna.

About her epithets, the vice-commander one was related to her status in her guild as the second in command, while the Flash has something to do with her fighting style, which was the speed oriented one. As for the Demon's conqueror.... Well, it hasn't something to do with fighting a demon and win the fight. Though it's indeed somehow related to a "Demon", but it's not about the fight, because it was about the earring that she had and wears lately.

Just a glance and people of the foremost line know immediately that it wasn't just an accessories, but was a very rare drop item from the stars like sparkles which could be seen from the purple crystal of the earring.

She was an elite player though, so even if it was indeed a very rare drop item, considering her strength and status, it shouldn't be a strange if she had that kind of item one or two. But the problem wasn't how rare it was, but whose item it was and how it could be in her possession. The only one that had those kind of earrings among the clearers was only that Demon, no one else.

Well, because of that, even the most stupid person of the clearers could make the head and tail of the problem almost immediately. Not to mention how close the Flash with the Demon was, and now, he gives her one of his earrings, so it's clear for everyone to understand that they are in an intimate relationship right now.

They curse him mercilessly because of that,, of course inside their heart, because no one had the nerve to curse him openly, not to mention directly in front of him. Well, there would be no future after mess with him, so...

But after carefully thinking about the two and considering how odd and hostile her guild was towards the Demon, they couldn't help but felt a bit... mm, well, complicated after that. Is it SAO version of Romeo and Juliet story? They thought about the two.

Asuna smiled faintly thinking about that and got up to hurriedly get ready for the day afterwards. She prepared everything and leave the house afterwards.

*

Asuna appeared at the teleport gate of the 55th floor and went straight to the guild's headquarter to starts her day.

"I wonder if the matter already done. It's been almost a week after all." She murmured along the way.

When he met the guy from the Silver Flags guild, he told Asuna about that so she knew about what Nao was doing at the lower floor. She knew about the progress of their search for the group too from him a few days ago. He told her that the search always ended in an unsatisfying result, made her wonder about its progress now after almost a week had been passed.

"Should I send him a message?" Asuna asked herself, but decide not to and want to just ask him directly later. She knew where he live too right now, so she decide to just ask him when she visit his place today.

A few days ago when they met, Nao took her to the 22nd floor and showed her the log house where he lives recently. It's a very warm house and somehow, made her remember about the house of her grandparents. She even stayed a night there at that time, and because there's only one bed, they ended slept together on the same bed.

Well, it wasn't just "sleeping" though. After all, a man and a woman, they are too a lover on top of that, slept together on the same bed. It wasn't a strange thing if she finally "did that" too with him at that time because of the, mm...., the youthful passion and atmosphere of the environment?

Recalling about what she did with Nao at that night made her face blushing uncontrollably in embarrassment. She shook her head hardly because of that, to put the thought to the back of her head, and increased her pace.

She arrived at the guild's HQ after a while and headed straight to the higher-ups meeting room. That was what her intention at first, but before she could reach it, she stopped at the intersection of a corridor because overheard something from her guild members conversation.

"You kidding me, right?? Is that Demon really killed all of that orange guild members???" Exclaimed a KoB guys.

She was surprised after heard what the guy's talking about and stopped on her track. 'Demon? Killed all the orange guild members?' She thought. She knew that the only one who the clearers called Demon was Nao, and she also knew that Nao was in the middle of his search for an orange guild too these days. 'Could it be,' she thought again but stopped because the other guy's words.

"Well, the black guy didn't said anything and just leave after handed over the Corridor Crystal to him. But isn't it obvious? The help of the Silver Flag guy asked from the both of them was to imprison the guild through the Corridor Crystal he bought with all his savings. But the black guy returned the crystal back and only said that the matter was done and just leave like that." The other guy said.

"Also," He said again to attract his friend attention and continue, "When the guy said, 'is it really done?' the black guy only nodded at him. He asked again to make sure if the guild really already imprisoned because the crystal was still intact, but the black guy didn't said anything. When he was ready to leave, I don't know why, but the silver flag guy, out of no where asked him 'Were they killed?' made the black guy stunned and stopped. He want to said something but didn't in the end, then hurriedly leave the pub and just said that you needn't to worry about them anymore."

"I see." His friend said simply.

"But," He said again, "How about the possibility that they took them to the prison through the teleport gate?"

"And hassled theirself with the NPC guards? Is the both of them look that idiot for you?" The other guy said and looked at his friend as if his friend was a retard.

"We-well, you're right." The guy said.

"Well, people in the pub also curious about that and asked the guy about why he suddenly asked if the orange guild was killed after the black guy leave. He told us that when he asked the Demon for the help, the Demon said about killing all of them to the guy. Though the guy said that he only want to imprison them, but the crystal to imprison them still intact. So it's obvious that he really killed all of them in the end."

"That Demon was also a cruel creature on top of that. So it's not a strange thing at all if he killed them." He added in the end.

His friend nodded in confirmation for his statement after thinking that the Demon, Oni-gatana, was who they are talking about.

After that, he asked his friend again about the other person, the Black Swordsman.

"How about the Black Swordsman?" He asked. "Isn't he also there with the Demon? Maybe he killed some of them too?" He added after that.

His friend thinking about it for a while before finally answer the question.

"Well, I doubt about that." He said and explained after that. "You know, it's the black guy we're talking about. He doesn't look like someone who will be fine after killing someone. So to think that he casually met the silver flag guy to returned back the crystal after killing someone was something unthinkable."

"Also," He said again, "The Demon wasn't there when the black guy returned the crystal, so it's likely that the Demon killed them ruthlessly alone. After all, just from the difference of their level, they aren't his opponent at all to begin with." He added and his friend nodded again.

"What a cruel person. Isn't it enough to just imprisoned them? He had the Corridor Crystal with him, right?"

"Indeed."

Displease and criticism could be seen clearly from their face. Well, no one in KoB, except their Vice-commander and maybe Heathcliff, had a good impression about the Demon to begin with, so their tone and behavior when they are talking about him was something that couldn't be helped.

Though they won't ever dare to did it in front of the Demon. One of their member ever tried it before after all, "bravely" annoyed the demon because they are inside the [Area].

The result? It's obvious.

The Demon attacked him mercilessly, thrown him here and there like a ball pitifully. The Demon then drag him out of the [Area] after that to finish him outside. Though luckily, Asuna was there at that time and stopped him before they could reach the outer [Area]. If Asuna wasn't there, he would already killed by the Demon without a doubt.

That was the event that happened before the 50th floor subjugation battle, and because of that, from the 51st floor until now, no one dare to annoy the Demon again. Not to mention talked conceitedly in front of him, most of them would felt like their heart was grasped tightly just when he looked at them.

But still, it's only if the Demon was around. They would still talk about him behind his back freely and said everything "bravely" and "righteously" like the two KoB guy just now.

Asuna was on the other side of the corridor, listened to all of what the both of the guy said just now. She stood still there, silent with her trembling shoulder and covered mouth to hide her gasp with her hand.

'He killed them?' She said inside, stepped back out of the shock she experiences.

Though he told her before that he won't hesitate if he have to kill someone, but she still couldn't believe it when she heard that he really kill someone.

Many questions flooded her mind because she couldn't believe what she just heard. Couldn't bear it anymore after a while, she ran outside the HQ as fast as she could towards the town's plaza, where the teleport gate was. It's pointless to think about the reason herself, and it's better to just asked him directly about that.

'Nao-kun.' She said inside, didn't want to believe what the two guys said about him. The both of them said all of it as if he was a psychopath, one that will kill just anyone without any reason and just for fun. She didn't want to believe that he was that kind of person. She didn't want to believe it at all.

She knew him. He wasn't a cold-blooded person who would kill someone just like that. There's should be a reason behind his action. She knew that he had a bottom-line for everything, and won't do something like killing without any reason.

So she ran at the plaza to teleport to the 22nd floor where he was, and asked him directly about what happened.