Chapter 3

Aincrad's 24th floor was a limnetic floor mostly covered in water.

Its style is similar to the currently unreleased lake city «Salemburg» on

the 61st floor where Asuna once lived.

The main block was named «Panareze». It was designed as a manmade island in the center of a large lake, connected to innumerable

isles through floating bridges stretching out in all directions.

Asuna gazed at the festive Panareze from across the lake, and

placed her head on Kirito's shoulder.

The two of them currently sat on the south coast of an isle slightly

north of the main block. The large tree behind them was budding, small

waves washed at their feet. Warm wind blew over the lake even though

it was winter, and the grass around them rustled.

"Hey, do you still remember? The first time you went to my

house." She lifted her face and asked, Kirito replied with a slight smile.

"I'm not boasting, but I'm confident that I have poor memory—"

"Eh—"

"—However, I still remember that time clearly."

"...Really?"

"Of course. At that time, I got a super rare ingredient, and Asuna

made a stew out of it. Ah... that meat was so delicious... Even now, I

often think of it."

"Really! The only thing you remember is about eating!"

Asuna pouted and hit Kirito's chest, but there was still a hint of a

smile in her voice.

"...Well, I also think about it often."

"What, you have no right to complain about others... Hey, that

stew, is it possible to recreate in the real world?"

"Uh~ huh... It's basically similar to chicken, perhaps if I work on

the sauce... Still, it's probably better for it to remain in our memories. A

dish you can never taste again, isn't that great?"

"Mmn, yeah, that's true."

Looking at Kirito nodding slightly regretfully, Asuna once again

smiled. Kirito also smiled, and said as though he suddenly thought of

something:

"Ah, right... Hey."

"What is it?"

"We've unknowingly saved up quite a bit of Yurudo, when the

update with the 60th floor is introduced, why don't we buy a house in

Salemburg? Asuna's home was there in the past."

"About that~"

Asuna thought about Kirito's proposal for a while, and shook her

head.

"Well, no. I don't really have any good memories in that place. Use

the money to help Agil open a shop in Algade."

"Help revive that unscrupulous shop... The interest rate will be

ten percent every ten days..."

"Wah, you're going too far."

They can talk forever about the memories they share of Aincrad.

As they smiled and talked, Asuna noticed an increase in the number of

players flying from Panareze to this isle. Everyone flew over the two of

them, towards the large tree in the center of the island.

"Ah, it's almost time. I have to go."

While saying that, Asuna was still reluctant to part with the

warmth against her. At that time, Kirito said with a serious expression

on his face.

"Asuna. If you're going to fight with Absolute Sword..."

"...Eh?"

"Er... Well, no, that person... is very strong, really."

Hearing some stuttering in Kirito's tone, Asuna tilted her head.

"I've already heard a lot about Absolute Sword's strength from

Lisbeth and the others. Moreover, even Kirito was defeated. From the

beginning, I've never felt like I'd win. I just want to see that sword...

Besides, I really can't believe that Kirito-kun actually lost."

"Right now there are plenty of people stronger than me. Well,

even among those, Absolute Sword is special."

"Speaking of which, Lyfa said you said something during the fight.

What was it?"

"Ah, about that, it's something I'm slightly concerned about..."

"What is it?"

"This and that..."

Asuna keenly noticed some kind of anxiousness in Kirito's look.

Asuna was getting more and more confused, and blinked.

No matter how strong the player called Absolute Sword is, this

isn't SAO anymore. Even if you don't surrender in time and lose all

your HP, you can revive on the spot as long as someone casts a

ressurrection spell. Even if you lose experience due to the death

penalty, you only have to hunt for several hours to regain it.

However, Kirito quietly said something Asuna didn't expect.

"I asked that person— You're completely a resident of this world,

aren't you? Her response was a silent smile and a ferociously fast

charge skill. That speed... broke the limit..."

"...That is saying, a super addicted player?"

Asuna tilted her head and asked, in response to her question,

Kirito hurriedly shook his head.

"No. I'm not referring to certain VRMMO worlds, I'm talking about

the entire «The Seed server»... No, that's also wrong. I should say, it's a

product of the environment created by full diving... That's what I felt."

"What... does that mean...?"

"—It's better not to make a first impression so early. I want you to

feel the rest yourself. I think you'd understand if you fight."

As Asuna blinked while Kirito patted her head, the sound of

people landing continuously came from the tree behind them. Then,

they heard a loud voice.

"My eyes just left you a little and you've run off to this kind of

place!"

Hearing the sound of footsteps on grass, Asuna hurriedly lifted

herself up.

Lisbeth walked out with an apron dress from behind the tree,

stood with her hands on her waist, looked down at Asuna and said.

"I apologize for bothering you while you're busy, but it's almost

time."

"I, I know."

Hoisting herself with the wings on her back, Asuna immediately

stood up and confirmed her equipment. A jacket weaved with silvery

blue threads and a skirt of the same kind. Boots and gloves made out of

the skin of a water dragon. Hanging from the sword belt around her

waist was a rapier with a crystal handle. Every single one of them were

treasures of the highest grade that could currently be obtained. That

way she couldn't blame it on equipment even if she lost.

Finishing her examination of things like the type of magical

accessory she had equipped, she took a look at the clock.

There was still a bit of time before it was 3 pm in the real world.

Asuna glanced at Kirito who stood at her side, turned around, looked at

Lisbeth, Silica and Lyfa who were behind her, as well as Yui who was

on her head and said.

"—Then, let's go."

They flew low in a row, toward the center of the unnamed island.

A large hill came into view as they moved through the trees which

extended into the distance. Branches stretched out in every direction

from the large tree at the summit, and a large group of players had

already gathered in circles at its base. A great cheer came rumbling like

a tsunami.

As they noticed room in the audience and were landing, a player

fell from far above accompanying a cry. He brutally fell headfirst to the

tree's base, raising a large cloud of dust.

The swordsman which appeared to be a Salamander lay sprawled

on the floor for a good while before finally shaking his head and jerking

up. With an expression that still showed the impact from the fall, he

raised both his hands and shouted.

"I've lost! I surrender! I resign!"

At the same time, a sound signifying the end of the duel rang out

and the sounds of clapping and cheering became louder.

Amazing, this is already the 67th win in a row, could nobody stop

that person, countless calls like that mixed with praises and gripes

intertwined. Hearing those, Asuna narrowed her eyes and looked up as

though to confirm the winner.

In the sunlight streaming out from between the branches of the

large tree, a player's silhouette came spiraling down.

Absolute Sword was smaller than imagined. Due to the name,

Asuna imagined that it would be a huge man with bulging muscles, but

Absolute Sword should be considered slim. The details could gradually

be seen as Absolute Sword slowly approached in the backlight.

Her skin color was milky white with a hint of purple, a

characteristic unique to Imps. Her long hair was a lustrous and

gorgeous purplish-black. The obsidian armor which covered her chest

had a slight bulge, the blouse and windswept dress beneath that were a

bluebottle violet. On her waist hung a thin, black sheath.

In front of Asuna's dumbfounded gaze, the undefeated

swordswoman «Absolute Sword» quickly spun around before landing

lightly en pointe. Then she lifted the corner of her skirt, placed her

right hand in front of her chest and curtsied like an actress. At the same

time, the men around once again whistled and cheered.

Absolute Sword nodded slightly and stood up, her face wreathed

in smiles and innocently made a V sign. She was clearly shorter than

Asuna. On her small face were dimpled cheeks, a slightly upturned

nose and her large, flashing eyes displayed an amethyst-like radiance.

Asuna still hadn't recovered from her astonishment, and nudged

Lisbeth's abdomen with her elbow.

"...Hey, Liz."

"What is it?"

"Absolute Sword — is a girl?!"

"Uh huh, didn't I mention it?"

"No you didn't! ...Ah, could it be..."

This time she glanced at the face of Kirito who stood on her other

side.

"The reason Kirito lost..."

"No, it isn't."

Kirito shook his head seriously and said.

"I didn't go easy because she's a girl. I already fought really

seriously. Really... At least until halfway."

"Who knows?"

Asuna haughtily turned away from him.

During this time the Salamander stood up, smiling even though he

lost and shook Absolute Sword's hand before turning around and

returning to a corner in the audience. The girl who wore a red

hairband on her dark hair cast the lowest level healing spell on herself

and looked around.

"Then, the next challenger, are there any?"

Her voice was also the high, lovable voice of a young girl. Her tone

was bright and innocent, making it hard to associate with a seasoned

warrior.

ALO doesn't support sex change, so the player was definitely

female, but the randomly generated virtual body doesn't reflect a

person's age or physique. Even so, the realisticness of «Absolute

Sword»'s mannerisms makes people believe it's her real age and

appearance.

'Why don't you go', 'No way, I'd get killed in seconds',

conversations like those kept coming from the surroundings, but

nobody signed up. This time it was Lisbeth's turn to nudge Asuna's

abdomen with her elbow.

"Hey, go."

"No... Wait, I need to get into pace first..."

"You can just get into that kind of thing in a round against that

child. Now, go quickly!"

"Wah."

Thump, her back was pushed, and Asuna fell several steps

forward. She hurriedly spread her wings to stop falling, stood up

straight and found herself looking face to face at the girl with the alias

Absolute Sword.

"Miss, want to try?"

Twitchingly smiling, Asuna can't do anything but,

"About that... Well, then here I come."

Respond quietly like that. Before her fight with Absolute Sword

who she imagined to be a large and ferocious man, she expected there

to be a vigorous battle of words, but too many things have messed with

her pace.

However, the surrounding cheers were left seething. Many people

knew that Asuna was a frequent winner of the monthly tournament,

and voices calling her name can be heard.

"OK!"

The girl snapped her finger and beckoned towards Asuna.

Breathing deeply, Asuna made up her mind and walked towards

the center of the human wall. After the surrounding voices gradually

stopped, she first confirmed the conditions of the fight.

"About that, can you describe the rules?"

"Of course. You can use magic and items if you wish. However, I

(boku) will only be using this."

The girl who really suited the personal pronoun «boku» tapped

the hilt of her sword with her left hand while responding. Her almost

naive confidence provoked Asuna's will to fight. [1]

...In that case, I won't use means of restraint like long distance

magic attacks either. A straightforward fight between swordswomen is

what I wished for, whispered Asuna in her heart and placed her right

hand on the hilt of her rapier, at that time.

Absolute Sword loudly said something even more leisurely.

"Ah, right. Miss, a fight on the ground or an aerial one, which do

you like?"

Originally thinking that it'd obviously be an aerial one, Asuna was

shocked and stopped unsheathing her rapier.

"...Either kind is fine?"

Absolute Sword grinned and nodded. Asuna couldn't help but

wonder if it was some kind of ploy. However, there wasn't a hint of

wickedness in the smile of the Imp girl. That was saying, she simply

believed that she could win no matter what kind of fight it was.

If it's like this, I won't go easy. Thinking this, Asuna responded.

"Then, a fight on the ground."

"Ok. Jumping is fine, but you can't use your wings!"

Absolute Sword immediately agreed, and folded back the

characteristic shadowy wings on her back. The color of those wings

which were shaped like a bat's immediately faded and became almost

unnoticeable. At the same time, Asuna also used the command to

remove her wings: her two shoulderblades tightened up completely

and were fixed there for two seconds. A jingling sound came from

behind her, and she understood that her wings had disappeared.

Asuna pretty much mastered «Voluntary Flight» without a

joystick on the first day she connected to ALO as a normal player, and

now her aerial techniques weren't any worse than veterans who were

playing since before Aincrad was patched.

Even so, as expected, the movements that permeated her body

during the 2 years of fighting in SAO didn't weaken at all. In truth,

fighting on the ground was difficult. Moving her toes, she felt the

hardness of the ground coming from beneath her boot.

Next, Asuna confirmed the «Multicolor Pointer» of the girl who

was known as Absolute Sword.

This small window automatically emerged near people your

attention was focused on. Other than displaying the target's name, HP,

MP and small icons for buffs and debuffs, the color of the window also

showed your relationship with the target. Conditions like same race,

neutral race, enemy race, friend, guild, party and so on would change

its color, which was why it was called multicolor pointer.

However, since it was the first time Asuna and the girl had met, it

wouldn't show her name, thus there was nothing above her HP bar.

Comparatively, to the left side was a small icon. It was known as a

«Guild Emblem». As its name implied, it meant that the person

belonged to a guild. The emblem could be freely edited, the girl's

emblem was a very cute one with a pink heart with two white wings

spreading from its side. Asuna herself wasn't part of any guild, so there

was no emblem on her pointer. Several times, she and her companions

have mentioned forming a guild, but for some reason it had always

stayed like that.

The girl was probably also looking at Asuna's pointer, the girl

who was focused slightly away from Asuna once again looked directly

at her with her beautiful, violet eyes. She smiled, waved her right hand

and skillfully manipulated the system window which appeared. After

that, a request for a duel appeared in Asuna's vision accompanied by a

heart-stirring sound effect. The top row said—

[Yuuki is challenging you.]

ユウキ, read as Yuuki, was probably the name of that girl's

character. Cute yet imposing, it was a name which really suited her.

Like in SAO, there were 3 modes selectable at the bottom of the

window. Beginning from the top, they were «First Strike Mode», «Half

Loss Mode» and «Total Loss Mode». In the previous Aincrad, duels

were basically all done in first strike mode. Obviously losing all your

HP was out of the question, even if it was half loss mode, it was

possible to reduce someone's HP to the danger zone if the finishing hit

was a critical hit.

But now, the obvious choice was total loss mode.

Feeling the change in times in a corner of her brain, Asuna clicked

OK. The name [Yuuki] appeared on the girl's multicolor pointer. At the

same time, the pointer she was looking at should display the name

[Asuna].

The window requesting a duel automatically disappeared,

replacing it was a ten second timer. Asuna and the girl — «Absolute

Sword» Yuuki unsheathed their swords at the same time, *ka-chink*,

two clear sounds overlapped and rang.

Absolute Sword's weapon was a thin, single-handed, doubleedged straight sword. It was translucent with an obsidian black hue

like her armor. Judging from the radiance and details, the weapon's

level was more or less the same as Asuna's rapier. That was saying, it

probably didn't have the additional effects unique to rare, legendary

weapons.

Yuuki placed her sword in front of her at her waist, and naturally

lowered her body. In comparison, Asuna placed her right hand at the

side of her body, her rapier held almost perpendicular. At the same

time, the surrounding cheers ebbed away like a tide.

While she took a deep breath and breathed out, the counter on

the timer reached zero.

In the instant the word [DUEL] flashed, Asuna stomped on the

ground with all her strength. Closing the distance of about seven

meters in an instant, she twisted her body towards the right.

"Ha!"

Following that short cry, Asuna's right hand shot forward like an

arrow. Those thrusts filled with torque and inertia shot out twice

slightly to the left of the center of Absolute Sword's body, and another

thrust ingeniously shot out to her right after a short while. It was a

regular skill rather than a sword skill, although it wasn't as fast, its aim

was more precise. If she dodged to the right to avoid the first two

thrusts, she couldn't evade the following one.

Like Asuna thought, Yuuki's body moved slightly to the right to

avoid the first two strikes. As her movement stopped, she entered the

striking zone of the third hit—

However, as the tip of the rapier was about to hit her chest armor,

Yuuki's right hand moved indistinctly. At the same time, sparks

appeared to the right side of Asuna's rapier, and the trajectory of the

thrust shifted slightly.

Absolute Sword accurately parried her rapier which was thrust at

an ultra-high speed, as her brain understood that, the tip of her rapier

grazed Absolute Sword's armor and hit air.

Expecting a counterattack, the skin on Asuna's neck numbed.

However, if she retracted her rapier right now, her posture would be

rigid. Following her skill's inertia, she hardened her heart and spun to

her left.

At the same time, a black light aiming for her neck leapt into her

eyesight.

"——!!"

Tremors filled Asuna's body as she faced this terrifying, lightning

fast speed. She gritted her teeth and twisted her body to its limit, the

strength exerted by her right foot almost scraping off the surface of the

ground.

The friction of the grass which grew densely at her feet was set

slightly lower than that of rocks or bare earth. This value betrayed

Asuna and her right foot slipped. Instantly, her body tilted abruptly.

However, luckily, Absolute Sword's sword only grazed across

Asuna's chest. *Clang!* The impact passed close to her ear. If hair had

hitboxes, Asuna's long, light blue hair would probably be left with half

its original length. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the energy

released into the air spreading out.

Asuna recovered her balance, stomped the ground with her boot

and leapt to the right. She leapt with her left foot once again and

stopped a good distance away.

Even though Asuna was bent low in preparation for pursuit

attacks, Absolute Sword retained the same smile, stopped moving and

once again raised her sword to her waist. Asuna calmed her heartbeat

and smiled back — but inside, she was covered in cold sweat.

The trajectory of the thrust which came flying towards her was

just a single point. Basically, you could only avoid it using footwork, but

Absolute Sword accurately deflected Asuna's rapier.

Rather than the speed of her counterattack, Asuna was more

speechless at her amazing reaction speed. Although she kept hearing

about how strong she was, the opponent's unexpectedly cute face put

her off guard. She once suspected that the reason Kirito lost was due to

negligence or discretion while fighting a girl, but that was completely

undeserved. Even he wasn't able to successfully block Asuna's full

power thrust even once.

Asuna once again breathed in deeply and held her breath. She

was indeed a terrifying opponent, but giving up after just a single

round would be a disgrace.

Unexpectedly, a sound echoed in her ear.

—What sword. That kind of thing, it's just a game...

Asuna clenched her teeth and threw away the noise in her mind.

This world was already a real world, fights in this place were real

battles. She must treat it as such.

As though to spur herself on, Asuna shook her rapier, raised it to

her right shoulder and faced her opponent.

If normal skills won't work, then she must be prepared to risk

using sword skills from now on. However, sword skills have a set

recovery time, if all the hits are avoided, she will surely receive a fatal

counterattack. She must think of a way to destroy her opponent's

posture and create a situation where it will definitely hit. Asuna

clenched her left hand.

She once again stomped on the ground and leapt, this time her

mind completely clear. Something that was rarely ever felt during

fights in the ALO world, the feeling of her nerves burning as her

thoughts accelerated, engulfed her body.

This time, Absolute Sword also leapt forward. The smile in the

corner of her mouth was gone and a radiance shone in her amethyst

eyes.

The obsidian sword came howling diagonally from the upper

right, Asuna pushed it aside from the left. A haircurling impact came

from her right hand along with sparks and a metallic noise. Using the

blocked off sword, Absolute Sword quickly swung again as though she

couldn't feel the weight of her weapon, she attacked again and again.

Her speed was so fast that it was impossible to react by the time you

saw her attacks. Completely focusing her eyesight on her opponent,

Asuna predicted the direction of her next attack from her movements

and blocked or avoided it. Occasionally their swords would cross and

graze each other's bodies, causing both of their HP to drop a little, but

there wasn't a single clean hit.

Rapidly swinging her sword, Asuna suddenly felt uneasy.

Indeed, Absolute Sword Yuuki's attack and reaction speed were

quite terrifying. Judging from speed alone, she was even above Kirito.

Even so, the reason Asuna was able to persist until now wasn't only

due to the large amount of combat experience she amassed in SAO, but

also because her opponent's attacks were too direct. From the

beginning to the end, she didn't use a single feint, which could upset

the rhythm in an instant.

Asuna felt that, perhaps, Yuuki didn't have much experience

fighting players. If that was the case, even if it was only for an instant,

she had a chance of winning if she took her by surprise.

Entering the gap between the three-hit combo coming from her

top right, top left and left side, Asuna ruthlessly entered Absolute

Sword's bosom. The two of them were nearly stuck together. That way,

neither of them could avoid attacks using footwork.

Asuna bent down, the rapier in her right hand pointing directly at

the center of her opponent's body, and resolutely thrust forward—

Absolute Sword responded, and blocked the rapier from bottom

up—

At that instant, Asuna suddenly pulled back her right hand, and at

the same time, clenched her left fist and punched Absolute Sword's

right side. This was a «Boxing» skill which she learned when she

visited the faraway Gnome capital's training field. Even though there

was no power because she didn't equip a knuckle-type weapon that it

was intended for, it caused a flinch which was impossible without

using a skill.

Dong, an impact came from her left fist, Absolute Sword widened

her eyes in shock. This was her first and last chance. Asuna didn't

hesitate and activated the four-hit sword skill «Quadruple Pain».

Asuna's rapier shone bright red and at the same time her right

hand, controlled by the system, shredded the air like lightning.

Asuna was confident that the attack would hit. The opponent's

posture was already destroyed and it was also impossible to avoid in

terms of distance.

However. Letting the system speed up her right hand, Asuna

looked at Absolute Sword's face, and tremors once again filled her

body. Even though Absolute Sword's eyes were wide open, there

wasn't a hint of panic in her violet eyes. Her eyes were focused on the

tip of the rapier.

She could see the thrusts—?

The instant this thought crossed Asuna's mind, Absolute Sword's

right hand flashed out.

Like a sword placed on a grinding wheel, a hard, scraping sound

continuously rang out four times. Asuna's four-hit combo was

accurately parried up, down, left and right, not a single blow hit. Asuna

could only see a thin, ink-like afterimage left on Absolute Sword's

sword.

Her last hit being parried, Asuna was frozen in a position with her

right arm stretched out for several tenths of a second — this hopeless

recovery time overtook Asuna. Absolute Sword didn't let go of this

chance.

With a clang, she pulled back her obsidian sword, her sword

glowing purple.

A counterattack-sword skill!

"Aaah!"

For the first time in the match, Yuuki let out an awe-inspiring cry.

Then, she thrust forward with a speed that would've been very hard to

avoid even if Asuna wasn't recovering from her skill, and caught

Asuna's left shoulder. Slanting directly towards the bottom-right, she

executed a five-hit combo without rest. All of them beautifully hit and

Asuna's HP bar rapidly decreased and became yellow. She didn't

remember a one-handed sword skill like that, which meant it was an

«Original Sword Skill». She actually compiled such a fast five-hit

combo—

While Asuna was dazed and thinking that, the light of Yuuki's

sword didn't fade and she raised it to her upper-left.

Sword Art Online Volume 7 – Mother's Rosario

It didn't end in five hits. It was still continuing. Finally being

released from her skill's recovery time, Asuna pulled herself together

and once again trembled.

Supposing Yuuki thrust at her another five times, there was no

doubt that her HP would drop to zero. However, it was impossible to

avoid.

Rather than uselessly trying to run and getting hit in the back, it'd

be better to gamble on a small chance. Asuna put all her energy into

her right hand and once again activated a sword skill. The only five-hit

OSS which she had successfully compiled, named «Starry Tear».

Red and blue flashes interlocked. Going from Asuna's right

shoulder to her bottom-left, the tip of Yuuki's sword intersected with

her previous hits and made a cross.

However, Asuna's rapier finally hit Absolute Sword. Drawing the

apex of a small star, the five-hit thrust skill pierced the black armor.

They finished exchanging five hits, and there was a moment of

silence. Neither of them had fallen.

Absolute Sword's HP bar was reduced by more than half, and

turned yellow. Whereas Asuna's HP bar entered the red zone, and

there was only a little left. In the first place, Asuna, whose character

data was inherited from SAO, had higher HP than ALO players. The

astonishing ten-hit combo managed to actually chip almost all of it

away, the power of Absolute Sword's OSS was really terrifying,

however...

No. Yuuki's longsword was still releasing a violet glow, the sword

skill hadn't ended.

Once again pulling back her sword, she aimed directly at the

center of Asuna's body, the intersection of the cross-shaped effect.

That is saying, this is the miraculous OSS which Absolute Sword

gambled on the duel? Asuna sighed deeply.

Power and speed which exceeded common sense, moreover,

beauty which was even greater than those. I have no regrets losing to

this kind of sword skill. Stating this in her heart, Asuna waited for the

final hit.

The eleventh hit ferociously descended — but suddenly stopped

right before it pierced through Asuna. The forcefully interrupted

system support released a bright flash and the impact was released

into the surrounding air, causing the surrounding grass to radially fall.

"—?!"

In front of Asuna's dumbfounded eyes, Absolute Sword placed

down her weapon, and for some reason, quickly walked toward her.

She patted Asuna's shoulder with her left hand, smiling brilliantly.

Opening her lips, she vigorously said:

"Yeah, that was great! I've decided on you!!"

"Wha... Eh...?"

Asuna was already completely lost, and could only let out a dazed

sound.

"How, that... What happened to the last hit of the duel...?"

"I'm already satisfied with fighting this much. Did you want to

continue till the end?"

Hearing her saying that while smiling, Asuna could only shake her

head. No matter what, if Absolute Sword didn't stop her last hit,

Asuna's HP would've definitely been reduced to zero.

The girl who really suited the personal pronoun «boku»

cheerfully nodded her head and continued speaking.

"I've always, always been looking for a strong person. This time

I've finally found one! Hey, miss, do you have anything to do after this?"

"Well... uh. No..."

"Then, come with me for a while!"

Absolute Sword Yuuki returned her sword to the sheath on her

waist with a clink and energetically stretched out her right arm. Asuna

also sheathed her sword for the moment and uneasily grasped her

hand.

At the same time, Yuuki widened her back and activated the

command which spreads out her wings. The translucent, bat-shaped

wings appeared, raising her body slightly.

"Ah, right."

Asuna hurriedly stretched out her shoulder blades, grew wings

and kicked off the floor. Yuuki smiled once again, grasped Asuna's hand,

turned around and accelerated upwards like a rocket.

"Hey, Asuna, where are you going?!"

Looking back towards the sharp voice, Asuna saw Lisbeth with a

half-shocked, half-dazed expression on her face, yelling with her hand

to her mouth. Lyfa, Silica and also Yui who sat on Kirito's head all

looked dumb-founded, yet the black-clothed Spriggan just smiled

calmly, as though he already predicted this development to some

degree.

Encouraged by his expression, Asuna smiled and breathed in

deeply.

"Well, about that... I'll contact you later!"

After she shouted that to Lisbeth, in front of her, Yuuki's wings

released a purple radiance and she instantly entered a sharp burst of

speed. With her right hand being pulled, Asuna frantically flapped the

wings on her back, following the back of the young, mysterious

swordswoman.

Absolute Sword flew directly south over the 24th floor's lake,

through an opening in Aincrad's boundaries and into the space outside

without hesitation.

"Uwah!"

At the same time, thick clouds hit Asuna's face. They continued

moving forward in that pure white space for several seconds before

suddenly slicing through the layer of clouds, the azure sky stretched

out boundlessly in front of them.

In the bottom-right corner of her eye, she could see a green cone

stretching out where they pierced through the layer of clouds. It was

the top of the world tree which towered in the center of Alfheim.

Looking directly below her, she could faintly see a blue surface. Judging

from the circular shape scooped out from the coastline, it seemed like

Aincrad was flying above the «Crescent Gulf» in Undine territory.

While Asuna was wondering about where they were going,

Absolute Sword who was flying in front suddenly turned 90 degrees

and started flying upward. Turning her body around, Aincrad appeared

in front of her eyes, its giant, curved body towering like a precipice.

Passing through the hundred meter high floors one after another,

Absolute Sword continued flying higher.

—Although you could say that, but you can only freely go in and

out of Aincrad's boundary for floors already cleared. The outer limits of

floors which haven't been accessed are inaccessible zones. Asuna was

slightly worried and wanted to ask her in order to confirm, but right

when she breathed in deeply and was preparing to shout, their angle of

flight once again turned 90 degrees.

It seemed like Absolute Sword's target was the 27th floor. If

Asuna remembered correctly, that was the current front line. Going

through a gap in the moss-covered wall, they flew inside with a bang.

Instantly, the surroundings darkened.

The 27th floor of Aincrad is a country of perpetual darkness.

There were exceedingly few openings in the exterior and no sunlight

shone in even during the day. Numerous stalactites unevenly hung

down from the ceiling inside, and above those, there were large

prismatic gems here and there, letting out a hazy blue glow. In terms of

impression, it was similar to the underground of the Gnome territory

in the north of ALfheim.

The imp girl, whose night vision was almost as good as a

Spriggan's, pulled Asuna's hand and flew between the stalactites. From

time to time, a group of «Gargoyles» came into view in front of them,

but Yuuki wasn't interested in fighting, skillfully avoided the group's

scouting range and continued flying.

After flying into the ravine which appeared soon after and gliding

slowly for a minute or so, a small town came into sight at the bottom of

the wide, circular valley. This was the 27th floor's city block, named

«Ronbaru».

Alleys and stairs complicatedly criss-crossed over this town

which seemed as though it was carved out of a block of rock, an orange

light shining over it. Like a sole campfire burning on a frigid night, it

had a calming effect.

A purple and light blue trail stretched out from Yuuki and Asuna

in the darkness as they flew and slowly landed in the circular plaza in

the center of the town.

The quiet BGM signifying that they've entered the city drifted into

her ears, and a bit of the pot roast's fragrance tickled her nose — while

Asuna was thinking about that, she landed on the stone floor with a

patter.

Asuna caught her breath and looked around. Ronbaru is the city

of night elves, fitting that setting, there wasn't a single large building. A

small workshop, shop and inn made out of cyan stone were tightly

connected together. Under the orange light, this view had a fantasy-like

beauty and the liveliness of a night festival.

Back during SAO, even while they were clearing the floor, people

only gathered in this town for a short while because there weren't any

important facilities. Asuna also only remembered staying in this town

for several days. But right now, since it was the front line, many

players proudly strode around, a clashing sound coming from their

armor. Everyone seemed to have a few tempers and carried the heavy

atmosphere of a warrior. Seeing that, a feeling mixed with yearning

and bitterness drifted into Asuna's heart.

In order to obtain the wooden house, Asuna stood at the front

lines for the entire time until they've reached the 22nd floor, but she

hardly ever participated in boss fights after that. She felt that the joy of

«entering a new town» should be left for the adventurers of the new

Aincrad to savor. Besides, her memory of the front lines weren't all

happy.

After closing her eyes and lightly shaking her head in order to

throw away her sentiments, Asuna looked towards Absolute Sword

who stood next to her.

"...Hey, why did you bring me here? Is there something in this

city?"

In response to this question, Absolute Sword smiled and once

again pulled Asuna's hand.

"Before that, let me introduce my companions first! This side!"

"Ah, wait..."

Following the back of Absolute Sword who suddenly started

running, Asuna entered one of the narrow alleys that extended radially

from the plaza.

Climbing up and down the small steps, passing through a bridge

and going through a tunnel, they arrived in front of what looked like a

hotel. Knocking aside the pot-shaped sign made out of cast iron with

«INN» written on it, they entered through the door. They passed

through a napping, bearded NPC and stepped deep into the pub and

restaurant. At this moment—

"Welcome back, Yuuki! Did you find one?!"

The voice of a clamorous boy met the two.

Five people sat at a round table in the center of the tavern. There

weren't any other people. Absolute Sword walked in front of them,

quickly turned around and faced Asuna, happily spread out her right

hand, straightened her chest and said:

"—Let me introduce you. This is my guild, my companions from

the «Sleeping Knights»."

She turned around once again, and this time motioned at Asuna.

"And this is—..."

Her words suddenly stopped there. Yuuki shrunk back, rolled her

eyes and adorably stuck her tongue out.

"...Sorry, I still haven't asked what your name was."

The five players splendidly fell into their chairs with a clatter.

Seeing this, Asuna couldn't help but laugh and after a curtsy, she told

them her name.

"Nice to meet you. My name is Asuna."

And then, to Asuna's far left, a short Salamander boy stood up

with considerable verve. Swinging his orange hair tied in a braid at the

back of his head, he said with a spirited voice.

"I'm Jun! Hi Asuna-san!"

To his side was a huge Gnome man. The beaming eyes beneath his

wavy, sand-colored hair made him look amiable. He retracted his

protuding stomach, bowed, and said his name with a leisurely tone.

"Ah, about that, my name is Thatch. Please treat me kindly."

The next to stand up was a skinny Leprechaun youth. His tidy,

brass colored hair and round, iron-rimmed glasses gave him the

impression of a student. He widened his small eyes, bowed and

blushed while introducing himself in a flustered manner.

"I, I am, that, that is, my name is Taruken. Please advise me...

Ouch!!"

The wail at the end of the sentence was due to the female player

sitting to his left kicking him hard in the shin with her boots.

"Enough, Taru, stop being like this! You're always like this in front

of girls!"

Saying this with an imposing and agitated tone, she rose from her

chair with a clatter. She widened her eyes and smiled at Asuna,

scratched her black hair which extended out like the sun and stated

her name.

"I'm Nori. Glad to meet you, Asuna-san."

Judging from her black skin and gray wings, it seemed like she

was a Spriggan, but her thick eyebrows, lips and large physique didn't

feel like a Spriggan's at all.

And then, the last one was a female Undine player like Asuna. Her

long, light blue hair which was almost pure white hung down from her

shoulders. The calm, deep blue eyes beneath her drooping eyelashes

shone with a radiance. Her long nose, lustrous lips and surprisingly

slender body completely gave off the feeling of an excellent Undine

healer.

The woman stood up lithely, and calmly introduced herself.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Shiune. Thank you for coming here."

"And then—"

Finally, Absolute Sword jumped to the right, stood alongside the

five people and said as her large eyes shined:

"Me, who is also the guild leader, Yuuki! Asuna-san..."

She strode forward and clenched Asuna's hands,

"Let's work hard together!"

"Work hard to... do what?"

Asuna smiled back and asked, Yuuki was somewhat taken aback

and once again stuck out her tongue.

"Eh, I haven't told you yet!"

Clatter! Seeing the five of them once again collapsed in their

chairs, Asuna couldn't hold it in any longer. She laughed out loud, and

immediately, Yuuki and the others also cheerfully laughed.

When she finally stopped laughing, Asuna once again looked

around at the members of the «Sleeping Knights»— And then, she felt a

slight chill behind her back.

They were all terribly strong. Asuna could determine this from

every one of their movements. These six people were all fully used to

moving in the VR world. If they took up arms, all of them would

probably be about as strong as Absolute Sword.

Asuna, and probably also Kirito, Liz and the others, were

completely ignorant about such a powerful group's existence. If they

also transferred over from a different world like Absolute Sword, then

they must have been a famous group in the VR world they came from.

What was the reason they moved to ALO, throwing away their

familiar characters and all their items... While Asuna was wondering

about this, Absolute Sword — Yuuki, who finally stopped laughing,

scratched her head which was decorated by a red hairband and

embarrassedly said.

"Sorry, Asuna-san. I brought you here without even telling you

why. I was exhilarated that I finally found someone almost as strong as

I am, and just... That is, I'll ask you for a favor once again. I... Please help

us!"

"Help... you?"

Tilting her head and repeating this, Asuna thought up various

possibilities in an instant.

It probably wasn't simply helping hunt for money, items or skill

points. The guild was already at such a high level, just adding Asuna

shouldn't make much of a difference.

Similarly, it's hard to believe that they're aiming for something

like a specific rare item or residence. It's different from SAO where

information itself was traded for a high price, piles of information on

ALO was freely published on external sites. If you refered to those and

got down to it, almost any item can be obtained eventually.

It's worth noting that the «Strength» Absolute Sword was looking

for wasn't purely numerical, it also included the know-hows of combat.

That's needed more for battles against players rather than monsters.

Moreover, since she even introduced her guild, it's a large-scale battle

rather than one-to-one duels like those which Absolute Sword has

been carrying out up till now— Simply put, it's a battle without rules

against another guild.

Considering this, Asuna lightly bit her lips and anxiously said.

"About that... If you need help in a conflict against another guild,

I'm sorry..."

In battles against players where the rules in competitions and

system rules in duels are removed, a sense of aberration always

remained. Of course, players who won't let go after a moment of

conflict are a minority, but the possibility that it'd bring trouble in the

future to her friends and not just Asuna herself cannot be ruled out.

So even if Asuna encounters people acting unreasonably while

hunting, she won't raise her sword against them.

In order to explain this as concisely as possible, Asuna once again

opened her mouth. However, Absolute Sword's eyes widened for a

moment before she immediately shook her head.

"No, it isn't, we're not doing something like fighting against others.

About that... that, we... maybe you'd laugh..."

Lowering her head, Absolute Sword embarrassedly pursed her

lips, looked up at Asuna and said something unexpected.

"...About that, we want to defeat this floor's boss."

"I see... Huh?!"

Asuna voice blurted out, this was completely outside her

expectations. She originally thought that she'd hear a goal even worse

than a conflict between guilds, but it turned out to be clearing the

floor's boss, an extremely normal and upright goal. The players which

currently stayed at the front line doubtlessly had the same goal.

"The boss...? The boss in the innermost part of the dungeon...? Not

a Named Mob which respawns at a definite time?"

"Ah, yes. The one which can only be defeated once."

"I see... Is that so... a boss, huh~"

Asuna silently glanced at the faces of the other five guild

members, they were all blinking and waiting for her response.

In other words, they want to join a guild which was formed

specifically in order to defeat floor bosses, a «clearing guild». They just

transferred over and didn't have any connections, so they're asking for

her to help introduce them to veteran groups— Is that the case?

"About that... Well, Ze... No, Yuuki, since you're so strong..."

This development was slightly outside her expectations, Asuna

closed her eyes, changed her way of thinking and considered the actual

possibility. Among the players who were currently at Aincrad's front

lines, around 80% of them were native to ALO and 20% came from

SAO. Right now the groups from ALO and SAO have made peace, and

the clearing guild was really mixed. However, back when it was first

upgraded, their relationship was very stiff. That was due to one side

being the first game to use AmuSphere, while the other side is the first

real VRMMO, both «Fairies» and «Swordsmen» had strong egos. Like

Asuna herself.

At this time, a group suddenly transferring over from another

game uninvited and saying 'Let us join' can't join the raid group that

easily— However, «Absolute Sword» Yuuki's strength is over the top. If

the other five were at a similar level and they displayed it, it might be

possible.

"Indeed... This floor's mapping is already close to the boss room, I

don't know if it'd work if you suddenly asked to join the boss fight. But

even if it isn't possible this time, if you join at the beginning of the next

floor, with your strength, you may be able to join the boss room's raid

group... The maximum number of people in a raid is 49 people, so I

don't know whether all 6 of you can join..."

When Asuna spoke while thinking and reached this point—

Yuuki once again shrunk back shyly, and said something outside

Asuna's imagination.

"About that. It's slightly different from what you're saying. We

don't want to join the large group... We want to win with only the six of

us and Asuna-san."

"...Eh, what?!"

The loudest sound she has made since she was brought to the inn

blurted out from Asuna's mouth.

The reason was very simple.

Compared to the originals in SAO, the mobs guarding the route to

the next level in the new Aincrad were littered with power-ups. Of

course, the substantial change in the system cannot be simply

compared, but with prudence, the bosses in the past can be defeated

without a single casualty, while the new bosses scatters players like

dandelion seeds using extremely strong attacks and skills. They were

almost irrationally strong.

Of course, the strategy used must change as well. Gathering the

maximum number of people in a raid and preparing healers in

expectation that there'd be many deaths is a solid strategy. Rather than

one person sacrificing his life in order to deal 10 damage, more focus

was placed on 10 people steadily dealing 11 damage. The last raid

which Asuna participated in was the 21st floor's, even though it was

such a low level and they've formed 7 parties of 7 people, there were

innumerable times where they faced the danger of being wiped out.

Of course, the bosses' strength increases the higher they go. The

end of the 20 floors which were opened up last Christmas can

gradually be seen, she heard that the 26th floor was finally cleared by

gathering the elites of several large guilds.

In other words, no matter how strong Yuuki and the others were,

even if Asuna joined as well, defeating the boss with 7 people can be

said to be impossible.

Asuna chose her words, and briefly explained this.

"...So... with 7 people, I think it's somewhat unlikely..."

After she finished saying this, Yuuki and the others glanced at

each other and for some reason, all of them laughed embarassedly.

Yuuki spoke up as their representative.

"Yeah, there's absolutely no way. Actually, we also challenged the

25th and 26th floor's boss."

"Eh?! With... With just 6 people?!"

"Yes. We did try pretty hard... but our MP and HP potions can't

keep up no matter what. While we were raising money around and

about, the boss was defeated by the large group."

"Ah... is that so... You're serious."

Asuna once again looked closely at the faces of the 6 of them.

It can definitely be considered a foolhardy challenge, but she

didn't dislike their spirit. Players who were used to games can

distinguish what's possible and what's not, and would give up

impossible things immediately. The rising will to challenge of the

members of the «Sleeping Knights» reflected something extremely

fresh — and slightly nostalgic in Asuna's eyes.

"But... Why? Why are you unwilling to go with other guilds and

have to beat the boss alone?"

Of course, you can obtain an abnormal amount of money, rare

equipment and items by defeating the boss with just one guild. She felt

that this kind of incentive doesn't suit the 6 of them though.

"About... About that."

Yuuki widened her amethyst-colored eyes, and moved her mouth

as though to say something. However, she didn't say anything. As

though there was something stifling her, she opened and closed her

mouth several times, like she can't find the proper words.

At this moment, the tall Undine next to Yuuki named Shiune

spoke up to help her.

"About that, let me explain. Before that, please have a seat."

The 7 people including Asuna sat down around the table, and a

NPC brought them the drinks they've ordered. Shiune gently crossed

her fingers on the table, and started speaking in a quiet voice.

"Perhaps Asuna-san has already noticed, but we didn't meet in

this world. We met in an online community outside of games... and

immediately got along and became friends. It has already been...

around two years."

Shiune eyelashes fell as though reminiscing, and stopped talking

for a moment.

"We were really the best of friends. Together, we went to many

different worlds, and undergone various adventures. However,

regretfully, we can only continue to journey together up until this

Spring. Everyone... is busy due to various reasons. So we decided that

before we disband, we will create a memory we definitely will not

forget. In the innumerable VRMMO worlds, we will find the most joyful,

most beautiful, most exciting world and work together to finish

something there. So we continuously transferred to various places, and

this was the world we found."

Shiune looked around at her companion's faces. Jun, Thatch,

Taruken, Nori and Yuuki, the faces of all five of them were gleaming,

and they nodded. Shiune also smiled gently, and continued speaking.

"This world— Alfheim, the home of elves, as well as the floating

city Aincrad, is fantastic. All of us will never forget about the time

we've spent flying in the beautiful towns, forests, plains, the world tree

— and also around this city. There is one more thing we want to do...

We want to leave our footprints in this world."

Shiune's blue, slightly closed eyes glew with a serious radiance.

"If we defeat the boss, we can leave our names on the

«Swordsmen's Stele» in the Black Iron Prison inside the 1st floor's

«Starting City»."

"Ah..."

Asuna's eyes widened for a moment, and nodded. She almost

forgot about this, but the names of the players who have defeated the

boss will be recorded in the Black Iron Prison. Asuna herself has her

name left on the 21st floor's column.

"About that... Even though it's just for self-satisfaction, we want

our names etched there no matter what. However, there's one problem.

If a single party defeats the boss, the names of all the members will be

recorded, but if there are multiple parties, only the name of the leaders

will be left."

"Ah... Is that so. Yes, it's definitely like that."

Asuna responded while thinking about the interiors of the Black

Iron Prison.

The «Swordsmen's Stele» was a 3D object inside the virtual world,

so its size is limited. They need to reach the 100th floor in the end,

there's not enough space to record the names of all the raid members

for all the floors. At most, only 7 players' name is etched for every floor.

So, like Shiune said, all the member's name can be etched on the stele if

one party defeats the boss, while in a raid only the party leaders will be

recorded.

Shiune paused for a moment as though waiting for Asuna to

understand, then lightly nodded and continued speaking:

"In other words, if we want to leave the names of all the members

of the «Sleeping Knights», we can only challenge it with a single party.

We tried desperately on the 25th and 26th floor, but no matter what,

we always fail by a finger's breadth... Then, after discussing it together,

we decided. The upper limit of a party is 7 people, there was still one

space. Even though it's presumptuous, we decided to find someone

who's at the same level or stronger than Yuuki, who is the strongest

among us, and ask that person to join our party."

"So that's it... This was what it was all about."

Asuna took a deep breath, and her gaze fell on the white

tablecloth.

Leaving their names on the 『Swordsmen's Stele』. This wish was

understandable.

Not only VRMMOs, but things like online games require a lot of

time from players, many people quit in spring due to reasons like going

to a higher level of education or employment. Inevitably, a lot of

intimate guilds which have continued for many years can do nothing

but disband. Wanting to etch this memory on this monument which

will continue to exist as long as this world lasted was natural.

Not to mention others, Asuna herself doesn't know how long she

can continue to play ALO. If her mother took an even stronger

approach, it was possible that she'd be forbidden from even using the

AmuSphere. Wanting to spend every minute and second on something

meaningful since the time remaining was limited, this thought of hers

was the same as theirs.

"...How about it? Will you agree? Not much time has passed since

we just transferred over, so we might not be able to prepare enough

gifts as thanks..."

Asuna stretched out her hands and stopped Shiune from

operating a trade window to hint at the amount.

"Ah, no, since the number of places requiring funding are as

numerous as mountains, this money is better left with you. I can just

take whatever the boss drops as a reward..."

"So, you'll agree?"

The faces of Shiune and the other five glew. Looking at their

expressions in turn, Asuna gave up thinking about how it ended up

becoming this kind of situation. At first, she was just slightly interested

in the rumors of the mysterious swordmaster «Absolute Sword». Then

she was absently brought from the competition grounds to the front

lines, introduced to Yuuki's companions and was even invited to

challenge the floor's boss with her. This all happened in less than an

hour. The person who pulled Asuna into this jet-like development,

«Absolute Sword» Yuuki, widened her sparkling, amethyst-colored

eyes as much as possible and was waiting for Asuna's response. You

can say that she's impatient, and you can say that she's unyielding, but

this kind of strange encounter was also one of the joys given by

VRMMOs. The most important thing is — deep in her heart, one hazy

yet definite premonition sprouted. She can definitely become good

friends with these mysterious swordsmen.

"About that... Wait a moment."

It was because of this that she can't deal with it casually. Asuna

once again took a deep breath, fixed her gaze on the glass on the table

and calmed her slightly chaotic thoughts. She put her doubts and shock

aside, and focused her thoughts on Yuuki and the other's lofty goals for

a moment.

A long time ago, as the sub-leader of a guild which no longer

exists, Asuna planned the raids on many bosses.

She can't remember how much hours she spent discussing with

other guilds and solo players, roaring at each other, and even

prostrating and begging for help when there weren't enough people.

She worked so hard because in that world, there was one requirement

which must be kept. There can't be a single death.

But now, everything has changed. There was only one obligation

and right which players in this elves' home had, and that was to enjoy.

Can you enjoy the game if you tell yourself that you can just retreat if

you have no chance of winning? Yuuki and the others have already

challenged the bosses of the 25th and 26th floors with only 6 people,

and it seems like they did pretty well.

Rather than thinking about what happens if you fail, just go

without thinking about anything first. She hasn't played in such a rash

way for a long time. Even if they were wiped, the only thing they lost

was a little experience.

"...If we're going to do it, let's do it. This time, put aside things like

success rate."

Asuna lifted her face, and mischievously smiled. At the same time,

a smile bloomed on Yuuki's adorable face. In the tremendous cheers of

her five companions, she leaned forward and grasped Asuna's right

hand from the table.

"Thank you, Asuna-san! Even in the very beginning, when we

fought each other with swords, I knew you would say this!"

"Call me Asuna."

Asuna smiled and responded, and Yuuki in turn, smiled and said.

"Then you should also call me Yuuki!"

After shaking hands with the five people who hurriedly stretched

out their hands and drinking a toast with newly ordered fruit beer,

Asuna asked Yuuki a question which suddenly came to her mind.

"Speaking of which, Yuuki-sa... Yuuki, you were looking for a

strong person through duels, right?"

"Ah, yes."

"If that's the case, there should have been lots of strong people

before me. Specifically, a Spriggan dressed in black who uses onehanded swords, do you still remember him? I feel that that person

would probably be more useful than I am..."

"Ah—..."

Yuuki remembered about Kirito with just that. She kept nodding,

and held her arm with a complicated expression for some reason.

"I remember. That person was also really strong!"

"Then... Why didn't you ask him for help?"

"Yeah..."

Yuuki was unusually silent, and a mysterious smile flashed across

her face.

"As I thought, that person won't do."

"Why... Why is that?"

"He realized our secret."

Yuuki and Shiune didn't seem to want to say anything more about

this, and there was no way to learn more. Perhaps this «Secret» is

related to Absolute Sword Yuuki's outstanding strength, Asuna thought

about this, but she can't see what Kirito noticed at all.

While she tilted her head and thought, the Leprechaun Taruken

spoke up as though to change the topic.

"Then... the specifics of the raid, how... how are we going to

organize it?"

"Ah... Let me think..."

Asuna washed down the questions stuck in her mouth with fruit

beer, and raised her index finger.

"First of all, the most important thing is to understand the boss'

attacks. Avoid when you should avoid, block when you should block

and attacking with all your strength when you should attack, that way

we might have a chance of winning. The problem is, how we are going

to get information on this... It's probably pointless even if we ask the

large guilds which specialize in hunting bosses. I think that we have to

challenge it once with the premise that we'd be wiped."

"Yeah, we're fine with that! Only... The previous floor, and also the

one before that, it gets defeated by other guilds immediately after we

get wiped."

Yuuki showed a downcast expression, and the young Salamander

boy Jun across the table frowned and continued.

"It has already ended when we got there again three hours later.

Perhaps I'm just worrying too much... but I keep getting the feeling that

they're waiting for us to fail..."

"Really..."

Asuna placed her hand next to her mouth and thought. Recently

she heard rumours about disputes over raids as well. They were

mainly about the large guild being too peremptory, but would this kind

of group pay attention to a guild with only 6 people? However, this

information cannot be ignored.

"Right, for the moment, we should make preparations for

challenging the boss immediately after we're wiped. When does

everyone have time?"

"Ah, sorry. Taruken and I aren't free at night. How about

tomorrow at one in the afternoon?"

The tall Spriggan Nora scratched her black hair and apologized.

"Yeah, I have no problems with that. Then, let's meet in this inn

tomorrow at one?"

OK, I understand, everyone responded in various ways. Facing the

nodding «Sleeping Knights», Asuna once again smiled, and loudly said.

"—Let's try our best!"

Asuna stroked Yuuki's head while Yuuki kept talking about how

thankful she was. She reluctantly left the inn, and first returned to

where Lisbeth and the others were. They would probably be startled

by this unexpected result, Asuna's heart pounded as she walked

quickly towards the teleport gate in Ronbaru's plaza.

Relying on her unreliable memory as she passed through alleys,

the festive plaza finally appeared in sight, at this moment.

Beep, as though the power switch was pressed, the world

darkened. All her senses disappeared, Asuna was left in complete

darkness.