-1753- What's going on

Dead.

When this red text appeared clearly on Yamikaze's fallen body, the players witnessing the scene were left speechless.

It wasn't until moments later that sighs began to echo among the crowd.

"He lost."

"Yamikaze lost."

"Even Yamikaze couldn't beat that monster?"

"Using just a dagger to defeat someone hailed as invincible in close combat, the Devil of Run-and-Gun?"

"Does this mean no player in GGO can defeat Magus now?"

"Ah…"

One by one, the players sighed, and some who bet on Yamikaze to win, now destined to lose their stakes, began cursing furiously, raining insults on him.

"I thought he was a sure thing!"

"What a disappointment!"

"If I'd known, I wouldn't have bet on him!"

"After all, he was just last year's runner-up—not a match for Magus!"

"If only ZXED were participating in this year's BoB Tournament!"

"With his rare weapon and armor, he wouldn't have to fear Magus."

"Exactly!"

These players spouted their complaints, safe from the heat of battle themselves.

The "ZXED" they mentioned was, of course, last year's BoB champion, who had defeated Yamikaze, the strongest competitor at the time.

Unfortunately, these players were unaware that ZXED had long since been killed by Death Gun and was now no more than a cold corpse.

Meanwhile, those who had bet on Rozen were overjoyed.

"Yes!"

"Now that's what I'm talking about!"

"Hell yeah!"

"The championship is definitely in Magus' bag now!"

They were ecstatic, shouting in excitement.

After this match, the players who bet on Rozen grew exceptionally confident in him—and for good reason.

Defeating Yamikaze in close combat with a mere dagger, killing last year's runner-up.

In gunfights, handling colossal weapons like the RT-20 and PZ with ease, and if he hadn't shown mercy, he could have crushed Yamikaze outright in the urban zone of the abandoned city.

The power and skill Rozen had displayed left everyone in awe.

"Looks like the BoB Tournament championship is going to a player who's only been in the game for less than a week."

"Embarrassing."

"Well, what do you expect from a hero who cleared SAO and was the strongest player in ALO?"

"If only I had bet on him to win."

The players continued their discussions.

As for players from other VRMMOs, especially the Crimson Wing guild members from ALO, they erupted in cheers when they saw Rozen take down Yamikaze.

"This victory is certain now!"

"Even last year's runner-up isn't a match for the guild leader!"

"The championship is definitely ours!"

"Well done, Guild Leader!"

These members were jubilant and incredibly proud.

Only Asuna and the others knew who Rozen's real opponent was.

"What now?"

Agil crossed his arms and asked.

"That Yamikaze wasn't Death Gun, was he?"

Klein inquired.

"No, he's not Death Gun. Rozen already explained that Death Gun in GGO is a tall, thin player wearing a cloak and a skull mask—completely different from Yamikaze."

Kirito shook his head as he answered.

Though they hadn't followed Rozen into GGO or been able to stop him, they had still gathered intel beforehand, summarized by Yui.

"This year's BoB participant list looks like this."

Yui flew in front of everyone, waved her hand, and brought up a window.

On the screen was a list of this year's 30 BoB participants.

Rozen's character name was on it, as was Sinon's and Yamikaze's, all clearly visible.

But…

"As you can see, there's no character named Death Gun on this list."

Yui stated seriously, her small face resolute.

Indeed, among the 30 participants, no one's character name was Death Gun.

In other words…

"Does this mean that Death Gun is merely a title, and his real character name is unrelated to Death Gun?"

Asuna looked at Yui and deduced.

"Exactly." Yui nodded. "If Death Gun's actual character name were Death Gun or anything similar, Papa would've located him immediately."

With the tracker Rozen used every 15 minutes to determine the position of every participant, if he'd known Death Gun's exact location, he'd have confronted him directly. He wouldn't have spent time fighting Yamikaze.

"So, nii-san probably doesn't know Death Gun's exact location yet?"

Leafa understood this point.

"That seems to be the case, right?"

Liz sounded uncertain.

"Then does that mean the guild leader has to fight each participant one by one in this BoB tournament to identify Death Gun?"

Sachi tilted her head and speculated.

"If only we could contact Rozen-nii. Through the live broadcast, we could alert him the moment we spotted someone resembling Death Gun."

Silica expressed her regret.

Hearing this, Asuna suddenly realized something.

"Come to think of it, we haven't seen anyone resembling Death Gun appear, have we?"

Asuna's comment startled the group before their faces lit up in surprise.

"That's right!"

"Since the broadcast started, we haven't seen anyone resembling Death Gun!"

"Although most of the focus was on Rozen and Yamikaze's battle, none of the other footage showed anyone like Death Gun."

"Could it be that Death Gun changed his outfit and is no longer wearing the cloak and skull mask?"

"If that's the case, how are we supposed to find him?"

The group voiced their concerns one after another.

Asuna frowned, a sense of unease creeping in.

Looking at the live feed on the crystal screen, Asuna had to admit that she hadn't spotted anyone resembling Death Gun since the broadcast began.

Could it be that Death Gun hadn't participated in the BoB Tournament?

No, since Rozen was participating, Death Gun would undoubtedly join.

For a member of Laughing Coffin, Rozen was an undeniable nemesis. If they crossed paths, their fanatical nature would compel them to act.

So why was Death Gun nowhere to be seen on camera?

Asuna felt an irritating sense of having overlooked something.

"Don't worry, Mama."

At that moment, Yui perched on Asuna's shoulder, softly reassuring her.

"Leave it to Papa. He'll be fine."

Yui showed absolute faith in Rozen.

"Mm."

Asuna suppressed her unease and continued watching the tournament.

At that moment, someone in the guild gasped in shock.

"What's that?"

Hearing this exclamation, Asuna and the others immediately turned to look at one of the broadcast windows.

What they saw made their faces change.

Because they saw it.

In an abandoned warehouse, a girl was tied to a pillar, struggling desperately but unable to move.

On her body was a device with a countdown timer.

"What's going on?"

Asuna and the others froze in shock.

Unbeknownst to them, the girl was someone with ties to Rozen.

Her name—Shinon.