On one of the many rocky hills that littered the 2nd Floor of Aincrad, an imposing figure stood, watching over it all. His pose was heroic and his majestic cape flapped at the wind in an amazingly epic wa…
"Sensei, what are you doing?"
"…I told you to NOT call me that."
"I know."
"…then WHY are you still doing it?!"
"Eh, what can I say…it's kind of amusing to know it's one of the only things that I can do to ACTUALLY make you lose your 'cool'."
At the answer of his self-proclaimed 'disciple' (He still cringed at remembering how hard it was to resist jumping off Aincrad when she first said that), Kirito sighed and turned once again to look towards the rocky scenery before him, not letting Asuna's smug grin get the better of him as he stared at the nearby handful of the cow-type mobs that were the native population of the 2nd Floor.
It had already been 3 days since the 1st Floor Boss was defeated, and things had been…eventful.
Okay, they had been WEIRD. I mean, the boy was expecting things to not be exactly 'normal' while trapped inside a Death Game, even more so after he discovered his 'powers' and more or less came to terms with what he could do. Hell, he was even expecting some things to be harder for him after his 'reveal' in the Boss Room, and that was why he (And Asuna) had quickly hid on a nearby alley after activating the Teleport Gate in Urbus, the first city of the Floor.
Seeing the cheerful and celebrating players coming out from the gate, some rushing for the nearby buildings and others hugging their friends after watching with wide eyes the new Floor, had made him smile softly and Asuna to hum with a small grin, making him feel as if things had started to go right.
Then, not even ten minutes later, Argo exited the Gate running like a possessed, towards the nearest exit of the town.
Followed by ninjas.
Yes, that's right. Two god dammed NINJAS, wearing the dark-grey cloth armor, bandanas and mouth-covering cloth masks. They were armed with scimitars and moved in that silly-running-style so famous nowadays.
The guys even TALKED with an old Japanese accent and finished their sentences with 'gozaru'.
Of course, Kirito knew those were just a pair of idiots belonging to a guild that had been a bit TOO MUCH into role-playing as 'ninjas' in the Beta (And that somehow had managed to KEEP that going even when they were trapped and fighting for their lives), but still, he had to REALLY resist the urge of screaming damnation to the heavens when he saw them, trying not to think about THE ninja that had been a constant annoyance to Saitama.
That was when Asuna had asked him if they shouldn't try to help Argo.
What followed had been a very annoying and time-consuming chase as they ran after the guys (He forcing himself to stay at Asuna's speed while doing so), who had quickly cornered the info broker on the nearby rocky cliffs and then demanded from her to hand over the info about the location of the Quest to obtain the 'Martial Arts' Extra Skill to their guild, Fumansomething.
Argo didn't even had time to formulate a sarcastic response to their words when he and Asuna revealed their presence, then proceeded to basically kick the guys asses (He quite literally did that with enough strength to send one crashing against a nearby rock wall while Asuna pointed the tip of her rapier to the other's neck), scaring them enough to retreat while swearing vengeance, calling them members from an enemy clan or something.
At least he had been able to verify that, thankfully, the Cardinal System apparently didn't acknowledge his 'bugged' punches or kicks as 'real attacks', something that he had already suspected when he pushed Kibaou earlier and his cursor hadn't turned orange.
That had been a great relief. He didn't want to be forced to spent time outside the cities (Even if HE wouldn't really be in any danger) just for teaching a pair of idiots a lesson. Incidentally, that reminded him that the cactus-head's cursor HAD turned orange after his failed attack against him, so he would probably be spending the night out on the fields of the 1st Floor.
He was still debating with himself about the morality of laughing out loud about that when Argo had remembered him of her presence (She had apparently been thanking Asuna until that moment), and had proceeded to demand her own explanation.
With a tired sigh, he had forced himself to tell the girl everything that had happened since he Logged In to the Boss Fight (Something that Asuna also heard with rapt attention), even going so far as to jump to the top of the 10 meters tall rocky cliff behind them just to prove it.
He would always treasure the memory of seeing the usually grinning and know-it-all Rat open-mouthed and speechless.
He would also always regret the smirk that he had put on in that moment, because it had led to Argo tricking him into going to see if he could get the Extra Skill that those guys had been looking for, which had ended up with an old monk panting whiskers on his face before he could react and then telling him that he wouldn't be able to take them off until he broke a goddamn giant rock with his bare fists.
The part of himself that had always been curious about HOW did Argo end up with her whiskers in the Beta Test had agreed that knowing the truth hadn't been worth it, especially when he had seen both girls trying to not fall down to the ground laughing after seeing his face.
He hadn't had a mirror on hand, but Argo calling him 'Kiriemon' (In reference to a certain cosmic cat) before collapsing in another laughing fit, Asuna joining her, had been enough to tell him that he DIDN'T want anyone else seeing him with that face.
At least both of them had stopped laughing when he not only shattered the rock but also send the remains flying through the air all the way to the edge of Aincrad. With just one punch, of course.
He could have gone without Asuna's 'Sugoi, Sensei…' or Argo's 'How can I exploit this'-look, though.
Kirito had felt so relieved when he had gotten the NPC monk to remove the damn whiskers from his face that he didn't really care that the 'Extra Skill' bugged the moment he tried to equip it.
He hadn't gotten it to work in any way, and he wasn't even sure if it would DO anything in his current state, but hey, at least he had it equipped and not grayed out like all the others. Even if it was just a mess of interrogation signs.
After that, they had parted ways with Argo, but not before she made him swear that he would send her a message if he got any idea of how that 'Bug' of his had happened or if he discovered something else about it.
The boy had just been glad of being smart enough to not share with her his 'theory' about how both his clothes and 'powers' seemed weirdly similar to those of an anime's character he had watched with his sister just before the mess began.
That aside, he had decided that he would be better not staying in Urbus that day, and had decided to head to the next city immediately.
Sadly, Asuna had still decided to follow him, and he couldn't find it in himself to just leave the girl behind with his super speed…not to mention he was pretty sure she would find him just to make him regret it if he tried.
They had arrived to the city they were currently staying in late that night, and had been there since then.
He had decided to not be idle, though, and, even if just to find SOMETHING to do, had decided to make good of his promise and teach Asuna 'how to survive'.
Unlike Saitama's problem with Genos, Kirito was glad to know that he ACTUALLY had things that he could teach to the girl. Her natural talent for fighting aside, she was a total newbie in all things game-related, and even more in Sword Art Online. Seeing as he had been a Beta Tester (And that he now didn't have to worry about grinding himself), he had decided to put his knowledge and power to good use and had started to show Asuna everything she needed to know about the game, its mechanics and the 2nd Floor specifically.
He had also helped her level up at an insane rate. Of course, when you were being helped by someone who could essentially hold the mobs in place for you to kill them without any danger or that could directly leave them without almost any HP left by just flicking them with his finger, that was quite easy. Not to mention that he knew about several of the hardest and more Exp.-rewarding Quests in the Floor and that Asuna could complete them easily thanks to him watching her back.
She had the talent, and he was going to help her get the stats and skills she needed to back it up. Polishing it beyond that was up to her, of course.
"…what did Argo-chan tell you, Sensei?"
"DON'T call me that…and well, to be honest, things seem to have gone better than I expected. Looks like disbelief and denial can go a long way, especially when people are actually starting to think we may have a chance of getting out of here."
What the boy was talking about was, obviously, the reaction of the general populace of Aincrad to the reveal of his 'identity' as the 'Black-White Blur', or the 'Dirty Beater' as some had taken to call him.
As Kirito had said, things had gone way better than he had expected: Argo's 'report' said that most of the players either didn't really believe he existed beyond wild rumors (The number of players that had actually 'seen' him when doing his hero shtick were relatively low compared to how many had stayed in Starting City, if still much more than one would have originally expected), were skeptic about his supposed 'abilities' or didn't really care about his supposed existence, good or bad.
The small minority of the actually active players was split between those who hated or blamed him for something or another, those who said he was a HERO for going around saving lives all the time, even Diavel's in the Boss Fight (Argo said that the tall guy named Agil was kind of the one who 'led' this idea) and those who were neutral on the matter, not willing to take one side or the other either for fear or distrust.
Seeing as Kirito had kind of expected to become public enemy number 1 after his little stunt in the Boss Room, he was in fact slightly grateful that things hadn't turned out so bad.
He would still do his best to avoid places where most players gathered unless it was absolutely necessary, though. He didn't want to push his luck, especially when he knew that sooner or later someone would realize that he NEVER changed his stupid costume and identify him would become kid's play. And talking about changing equipment…
"Uhm…it's something wrong, Kirito-sensei?" innocently asked Asuna when he turned his narrowed eyes towards her once again.
"…you aren't wearing it." he flatly stated while trying to suppress the tic that hearing her calling him THAT caused.
"Ugh, I already told you I'm NOT wearing that thing!" the girl stubbornly crossed her arms and looked to the side, pouting in a way that seemed out of place in a girl her age (In Kirito's opinion). "It makes me look like some sort of villain from an old anime, and the color makes me look WEIRD!"
What Asuna was talking about was a certain item called 'Coat of Midnight', which had been the Last-Attack Bonus that Illfang had dropped and that Kirito had given to her because he was unable to equip it.
The boy didn't know what hurt the most; if the regret of being unable to put on the badass black coat after seeing how it looked when the girl equipped it to test it or that Asuna DIDN'T want to wear it because of something as stupid as looks and color.
She didn't know how lucky she was (From his viewpoint) of being able to equip other things that weren't a stupid jumpsuit with cape, gloves, boots and belt as extras.
"What do you have against black?" muttered the gamer while looking once again to the side, a depressed cloud of regret over his head at once again remembering that he couldn't change his silly looks. "It's a cool color."
"Maybe for you, sensei, but I doubt that applies for me or a lot of other people." answered the chestnut-haired girl before crossing her arms.
"Okay, forget one moment about the color, please? That coat is probably one of the strongest equipment you can get in this Floor until someone is able to starts crafting heavy armor, you know?! Many players would give anything to get their hands on it!"
"Hmm, you may be right…" commented Asuna while putting a hand on her chin, as if deep in thought, making a grateful smile appear on Kirito's face. "…you think we can get a good deal for it if we use Argo-chan's connections to sell it?"
And like that, the smile vanished from his face even as he facepalmed for the tenth time that day. That girl was going to be the end of him.
"Asuna, please, tell me there IS a reason why you came to interrupt my 'meditation' that doesn't include dismissing unique items because of fashion sense."
"Actually, yeah, there is." suddenly, the girl's face was all serious, her hazel eyes fixed over the boy with an unyielding determination on them. "Sensei, let me fight you."
Kirito blinked once. Then twice.
Then, he blinked once again and slapped himself, confusing Asuna even as he turned to look at her.
"…can you repeat that, please?"
"I said that I want to fight you! I mean, I know I'm no match for you right now, probably ever if what Argo-chan said about the limits of the game and how this 'buggy' thing of yours seems to screw with them, but I WANT to know how much better I have become, okay? No offense Sensei, I'm glad for all your help and everything, but if I'm just letting you help me all the time then how am I going to know if I'm really becoming stronger?" with that said, the girl stepped back, unsheathing her 'Graceful Needle' rapier and adopting a battle stance, her hand quickly moving over her menu and pushing something.
A window announcing that Asuna had just issued a 'Duel' at him with 'First Hit' as victory condition appeared in front of Kirito. It was clear that the girl only wanted to test if she was skilled enough to be able to land an attack on him, seeing as there was no way for her to reduce his HP.
The boy, however, didn't move to accept it. In fact, he didn't seem to be even blinking or breathing right then (Not that he NEEDED to do that in the virtual world, but being able to suppress the reflex-reactions was still impressive).
"𝑅𝑜𝑐𝑘𝑦 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑚𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑖𝑛-𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑑 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑒 𝑓𝑎𝑟 𝑎𝑤𝑎𝑦 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑎𝑛𝑦𝑜𝑛𝑒, 𝑠𝑢𝑑𝑑𝑒𝑛 𝑑𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝑒𝑒 ℎ𝑜𝑤 𝑓𝑎𝑟 𝑠ℎ𝑒 ℎ𝑎𝑠 𝑔𝑜𝑛𝑒, 𝑒𝑦𝑒𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑠𝑎𝑖𝑑 𝑠ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑛'𝑡 𝑎𝑐𝑐𝑒𝑝𝑡 𝑎 '𝑁𝑜' 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑎𝑛𝑠𝑤𝑒𝑟…𝑊𝐻𝐴𝑇 𝑇𝐻𝐸 𝐻𝐸𝐿𝐿?!" mentally screamed the boy while resisting the urge of trying to tear his virtual hair out. "𝑊ℎ𝑦 𝑖𝑠 𝐴𝑠𝑢𝑛𝑎 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑆𝑂 𝑀𝐴𝑁𝑌 𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑙𝑠 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝐺𝑒𝑛𝑜𝑠 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑜𝑓 𝑎 𝑠𝑢𝑑𝑑𝑒𝑛?! 𝐼𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑠𝑜𝑟𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑑𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑛𝑒 𝑗𝑜𝑘𝑒 𝑜𝑟 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔?!"
"What are you waiting for, Sensei?!" shouted Asuna with narrowed eyes, the grip on her rapier tightening. "If you don't accept, then I will just have to attack you regardless!"
Kirito's eyes widened for a moment and then narrowed. Of course, thanks to his 'teachings', the girl now knew that trying to attack another player outside of a Duel would immediately turn one's cursor orange, identifying them as 'criminals' and, among some other minors setbacks, would impede someone from entering a city without being attacked by the 'Guards' NPCs.
Slowly, the boy in black raised his hand and accepted the challenge, a countdown appearing between the two of them. Asuna's face blossomed into a fierce smile.
"Ready or not, here I come, Kirito-sensei." whispered Asuna with a slightly mocking tone. As she expected, an annoyed tic appeared on the boy's left eye.
"How many times do I have to tell you to NOT call me tha…?!"
The countdown reached 0.
Asuna SHOT forward like a living missile, air rushing around the girl and actually sending several rocks flying as she screamed and put her everything into a simple but devastating 'Linear' Skill.
It hit nothing but air, though, as Kirito MOVED to the side in the last instant, the girl's arm and hair actually brushing against his chest as he dodged the attack by using the minimum movement needed.
For him, it had been simple. And yet, even as Asuna stopped several meters away, the boy had to accept that it had been impressive. He was sure that no one else would have been able to dodge an attack at such speed, and even though Asuna had tried to distract him to try and win the 'battle' immediately that just spoke of her ability to think quickly about what to do in a 'hopeless' situation…
He wasn't afforded any more time to think, however, as Asuna had recovered from the second-long 'delay' state of her Sword Skill and was already upon him, her rapier blurring like a deadly stinger and reaching straight for his head.
The boy evaded it. Asuna growled and, without missing a beat, used her empty hand to grab at his shoulder and throw herself over him, twisting her rapier as she jumped to try and skewer his head or shoulder.
Another thing that she had seeming 'learned' from watching him was that people in SAO rarely used their (If they had one) empty hands for anything other than balance. Absurd strength and reflexes aside, he had showed that one could also use their hands for leverage or to put a mob out of balance in a fight, even though it would be very dangerous for any 'normal' player to try, seeing as a slight mistake when doing so would let them wide open to receive a deadly attack from their enemies.
Asuna, with her insane speed and natural talent, had managed to do it perfectly on her first try after only having watched him do it from the sides a handful of times.
Even as he threw himself forwards at speeds that would boggle the mind in the real world, doing some sort of reverse-Matrix-movement and evading the attack by a hair-breadth, a small part of the boy couldn't help but feel slightly proud.
That was when Asuna landed and, in a stance totally different at how he had seen her attack till then, let her rapier glow as she glared at his standing form, Kirito's eyes widening in shock and surprise even as she shouted and unleashed the new Sword Skill.
Despite being only 8 Hits in total, anyone watching from the side would have seen as if the chestnut-haired girl had suddenly unleashed a massive barrage of super-sonic thrusts against the black-clad boy.
For his part, Kirito just smiled…before effortlessly weaving through the barely-noticeable gaps that the Skill left on its path, Asuna's rapier and arm brushing against his jumpsuit and cape several times but never truly touching him.
When the last of the seemingly endless wave of thrusts ended, Asuna's face changed from shock into resignation, her hazel gaze going up while the 2 seconds of 'frozen time' that came from executing the Skill started.
Gently and without rushing, Kirito softly 'pushed' against her forehead with one finger.
The girl was sent skidding backward 5 meters before she finally was able to stop her momentum, but the deed was gone. A sliver of her HP gone and a sudden ringing sound accompanied the system's announcement that proclaimed the black-haired boy as the winner.
"Yeah…I can tell, you REALLY have improved a lot. Way faster than I thought possible, too."
"You say that, but I wasn't able to even faze you despite catching you with your guard down at the beginning…" sighed the girl while sheathing her rapier once again. "I would have been satisfied if I would have at least managed to touch you with my rapier…"
"C'mon, don't say that, you did pretty well…" declared the boy before adopting a curious stance. "But…when did you learn how to do the 'Star Splash' Skill?"
It honestly surprised the boy, because he was sure he WOULD have to tell the girl that she could execute more Skills other than just 'Linear', but it looked as if she had been more driven than he thought.
"Yesterday, I spent the night trying that and some other ones out after seeing them on the menu of my 'Rapier Skill Tree'." answered Asuna while frowning. "But really, 'Star Splash' seems a bit of a silly name for such a deadly-looking attack…"
"Heh, then why don't you call it something like 'Machinegun Needle' or something like that?" joked the boy, finding the slight similarities between the Sword Skill and Genos' 'Machinegun Blow' to be very funny. "You can even scream it out loud before unleashing it to make it look even deadlier!"
"…woah, that actually sounds awesome, Sensei!" Asuna's sudden declaration and shining's eyes make Kirito freeze and go pale. "I don't know about the shouting it out loud part, but I'm SO calling the Skill THAT from now on!"
"No…wait, it was just a jo…!"
"Anyway, we should get going, sensei. It's getting late." with that said, the chestnut-haired girl turned around and started to walk away, leaving the boy to facepalm and sink on his despair. "…by the way…"
"…what now?" tiredly muttered the boy, still looking down.
"If there is something worrying you, then you should say it out loud, Kirito-kun." the boy's head snapped up, both from how the girl had called him and WHAT she had said. "If you aren't sure about something, then you shouldn't do it, but…it may be worse if you don't do it and just keep thinking about 'What Ifs', you know?"
Kirito's eyes never left the rapier-user's back even as she walked away, wondering if she had known from the very beginning WHY he was standing there alone.
Slowly, his eyes moved towards the form of the imposing Dungeon Tower that connected with the 3rd Floor, maybe a Km. away from the small city they were staying in.
"…it will be Christmas soon." softly whispered the boy, his eyes not looking at the tower but to something beyond. "I have never thought about it, but…this will be my first Christmas away from my family." his fists clenched even as he looked to the fake sky. "Sugu…"
Later, when the night had once again fallen over the Floating Castle, Kirito was still awake, silently staring at the ceiling of his room on the Inn where he and Asuna were staying (She on the room across the hall).
The words of the girl once again echoed in his mind. Part of those had been his words, the ones about worrying on 'What Ifs'.
A look to one edge of his view told him that it was already past midnight. It was officially December 8.
"Seventeen days left for Christmas…I remember that dad even promised to be home this year to celebrate it with us…"
The memory of Sugu hugging him that fateful day, happy about his promise to go and get ice-cream together, played through his mind once again. His fists clenched again.
He had taken a decision.
5 minutes later, a figure could be seen standing in front of the Dungeon of the 2nd Floor, his white cape flapping from the wind his speed had created.
With one last determined look to the heavens, he entered.
𝟬𝟬𝟬𝟬𝟬𝟬𝟬𝟬𝟬𝟬𝟬𝟬
The dark room on the tallest and deepest part of the Dungeon suddenly lit up.
On the gate, standing alone and with his eyes covered by the ethereal darkness that the glow of the torches caused in the Boss Room, a boy stood, clad in black and white.
He had barely taken a step inside when a pair of unholy roars filled the area, two imposing figures materializing, similar yet much more deadly-looking than the minotaur-like monsters that he had found in the Dungeon.
The blue one stood 2.5 meters tall and was armed with a massive two-handed hammer. It was 'Nato the Colonel Taurus' and it was the 'Sub-Boss' that aided the twice as tall and stronger beasts standing behind him, this one of red skin and wielding a golden hammer much bigger than his subordinate's, shining with a dazzling light.
That one was 'Baran the General Taurus' and any Beta Tester would remember it as the 2nd Floor Boss.
Lacking any other objectives with which to split or prioritize as a target, both beasts roared once more, 3 and 5 HP bars filling themselves respectively as they charged against the lonely figure opposing them.
The scene would seem like something both epic and terrifying…for anyone who didn't know how many times the boy had crashed into walls for the past hour while searching for the Boss Room.
Super speed, he decided, sucked balls inside closed and labyrinthic spaces.
"…what the hell am I doing?" idly wondered Kirito, his eyes never leaving the forms of the two incoming monsters or how they make the room shake with their combined charge.
It has been his worry, his fear, since the moment he 'realized' what he 'could' do, that his sanity or common sense would slip for a moment and make him do something extremely stupid that put his life at risk.
He was someone RATIONAL, and even if wasn't any genius he was SMART.
There was no logical reason to believe his 'powers' were absolute, nor that they could protect him forever. Common sense said that he shouldn't take stupid risks by believing himself all-powerful or invincible, that he should stick to what he KNEW and that would assure that he survived the madness that was SAO. For all that he knew, the two brutal monsters that were about to reach him would crush him without effort with their hammers, killing him.
He should try and get out of there while he still could, stick to the 'sure' way and keep trying to clear the game at a safer pace, which already thanks to his effort was much faster than it would have been otherwise. But…
𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑢𝑟𝑠 𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 ℎ𝑎𝑚𝑚𝑒𝑟𝑠, 𝐵𝑜𝑠𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑆𝑢𝑏-𝐵𝑜𝑠𝑠 𝑚𝑜𝑣𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑙𝑒𝑡𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑚 𝑓𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑒𝑙𝑦 𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑚𝑦, 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝑎𝑠 ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑜𝑛𝑙𝑦 𝑠𝑒𝑒 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔…
But…
"𝐼𝑡'𝑠 𝑎 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑚𝑖𝑠𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑛, 𝑂𝑛𝑖𝑖-𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛!"
Two hands shot upwards, catching and stopping both weapons effortlessly. The two massive beasts blinked.
"…I want to go home."
Kirito looked up.
Fear was not a concept that was programmed in the basic AIs of either Nato or Baran, and yet both bull-like monsters visibly flinched at the FIRE that seemed to burn within the eyes of the unimpressive-looking boy.
A roar both of defiance and fury exploded from the gamer's throat even as he pushed back, both beasts trying to regain their bearings and adjust at the impossibility of someone simply THROWING them on their backs.
On his mind, Kirito shouted to himself to stop thinking and just ACT.
The black-haired boy shot forward like a living bullet and PUNCHED.
Nato's chest caved in even as the monster was slammed against the ground, exploding into polygons even as Kirito spun around and let his fist fly once again towards the recovered Baran. The General Taurus raised his hammer as if to block or intercept the attack.
He only managed to let it smash against his head and turn it into virtual red paste even as it exploded, his arms twisted back in impossible angles as his body slammed against the ceiling.
Panting hard as the virtual adrenaline left his body, Kirito stared from the vanished Nato to the disappearing HP bars of Baran. Slowly, a not-very-sane laugh started to burst from his mouth.
That was when Baran's last bar became yellow, and a new and massive figure spawned out of nowhere just behind him, roaring with the rage of a primeval God.
Black as the night, even taller than the now dead General Taurus and wielding a hammer twice as big as his has been. Four horns and a long beard adorned his face while a silver crown stood on his head. His limbs were as thick as tree-trunks and dark-colored chainmail covered his body. SIX HP Bars materialized over him.
This was Asterius. The Taurus King. The true Boss of Aincrad's Second Floor.
A horrible 'surprise' that, if things had gone as they 'should', would have caught the Beta Testers by surprise and resulted in a near-catastrophe for the Front Liners. The sudden appearance of the massive beast alone would have been enough to make anyone scream in terror or be paralyzed by fear.
A month ago, Kirito would have probably reacted like that.
Now, even as the Boss charged his devastating 'Lighting Breath' attack and unleashed it upon him just as he turned around…the only thing the caped boy did was stop laughing.
The deadly attack, which would have been enough to deal serious damage and even paralyze an entire Party without effort, crashed directly against the gamer's face, almost at point-blank.
He didn't even blink as the attack coursed through his body…and did absolutely nothing.
The terrifying form of Asterius seemed much less so when the Taurus King blinked in utter confusion.
"…I'm too young to deal with all this crap."
It was pretty clear that the boy wasn't talking about the fight…but about what he was about to do.
Even as the AI of the Boss tried to understand what had happened, Kirito reared back one fist…and the other.
The boy only said his next 3 words aloud because he was feeling REALLY tired. Mentally, that is.
He remembered to say goodbye to yet another bit of his sanity when doing so, though.
"𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐍𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬."
Asterius last 'thoughts' were ones of utter confusion and something akin to 'Oh Shit' when his entire upper body vanished in an explosion of red polygons under the simple 'combo' of punches.
The silence that filled the room after the end of the 'fight' was broken by the very out of place 'Congratulations' message and the change in illumination that indicated that the path to the next Floor had opened.
Kirito stood there without moving for an entire minute.
Then, slowly, the boy turned back and let his cape flap behind him as he walked towards the stairs…
𝟬𝟬𝟬𝟬𝟬𝟬𝟬𝟬𝟬𝟬𝟬𝟬
Despite what many of the people trapped in SAO thought, Kayaba Akihiko wasn't omniscient. He couldn't 'see' ALL that happened in Aincrad all the time, both by human's limits and because his actual access to the game was in fact pretty limited outside of it.
Yes, he certainly had the only systems that allowed him to actually KNOW what had happened in a determined moment on one place of Aincrad or another, and yes, he was the only one with an 'special' account and who was able to Log In and Out of the game at will, but that still didn't make him into an all-knowing God. He couldn't go around watching what every player he wished to see was doing in any moment as someone would watch a movie, like many paranoid players seemed to believe.
When the first 'rumors' about the 'Blur' started, he was more confused than anyone else. He spent the entire month trying to discover WHAT exactly was happening inside Aincrad, without any success.
Cardinal wasn't reporting any error or Bug, and all the futile external attempts of cracking the servers were being as easily repelled as always.
Then, the 1st Floor Boss battle happened.
Since that day, the only thing that he had been looking over on two of the screens he had in his 'hideout' were the Status Report of the Cardinal System about the player named 'Kirito' and the exact moments of the fight when he had 'attacked'.
None of it made sense. Neither what he was actually DOING nor that Cardinal kept reporting that there wasn't anything wrong with his account. Especially when he was SEEING the countless interrogation signs that replaced the numbers of almost everything in his data.
There was a reason why the Cardinal System was probably Kayaba's greatest creation and why not even HIMSELF could 'hack' the system: The AI could THINK.
Not to a human degree, of course, but still, Cardinal could think and, above all else, EVOLVE. It was constantly changing and updating both itself and Sword Art Online, gathering info from the internet to create and generate new Quests and looking over every part of the Floating Castle to make sure that nothing that could threaten the balance of the game happened and, if it did, correct it.
No one in the world had been able to get past Cardinal's firewalls. He was PRETTY SURE that a kid that seemed to be no older than 14 or 15 hadn't done it even BEFORE the servers were online, not even if he had been a Beta Tester.
The most frustrating part, however, was that he couldn't do anything about it 'easily'. After all, only Cardinal could 'erase' an account, which was what it was programmed to do in case of someone's HP hitting 0, and he couldn't override the system's orders from where he was. He would need to access directly to the servers of SAO, where Cardinal 'physically' was, to do it.
Said servers, currently under the care of RECT Inc. after the Argus Company went bankrupt because of the incident, were probably the most guarded things in the country right now.
The only other option would be to find the boy in-game and use the benefits of his Admin. Account to destroy him. Kill him.
He didn't want to do that. It was still too soon for him to reveal himself. The stage hadn't yet been set and there were still many things to do before he could reveal his presence to the others players and he didn't want to risk it just because of one loose end…
…still, what he had JUST seen happening in the Boss Room of the 2nd Floor was not only mind-boggling but beyond worrying, even more so when the boy kept moving forward but didn't activate the Teleport Gate before entering an Inn in the 3rd Floor's first city.
Kayaba now knew it without any doubt. Whatever had happened to the boy, it was probably something even beyond his own control, but he had decided to finally stop fearing it and go forward. If nothing changed, he would ruin all his efforts and destroy his 'dream' by destroying the 'balance' of HIS world.
And despite that, the man just smiled even as he stood up, ready to get back inside the game.
At the end of the day, inside Aincrad, he was still God. And if the boy thought he could oppose the Plan of the one who ruled that world, well…
"You're too naïve, Kirito-kun."
𝟬𝟬𝟬𝟬𝟬𝟬𝟬𝟬𝟬𝟬𝟬𝟬
Kirito had allowed himself to sleep at least a couple of hours on the first Inn he could find before starting to move again. He didn't pay any mind to the forest-themed scenery of the 3rd Floor even as he jumped as much as he ran through it, his eyes always fixed on the Tower Dungeon to the next floor.
He totally skipped the small mountains and the passage (Guarded by a sub-boss) that separated the floor in two by jumping over them.
When he stood before it at 6 in the morning, though, the boy froze as he looked in shock to the tower's entrance, something that HADN'T been there in the Beta Test and that didn't seem to fit with the setting of Aincrad at all blocking his path.
There was a shining, translucent 'wall' of some kind of energy on the very entrance, denying anyone access to the dungeon.
Dazzled, refusing to believe what he was seeing, the boy walked towards the wall and put his hands over it.
Some kind of repulsing-effect took place and sent him flying back almost 3 meters before he overcame his shock and stopped his momentum by digging his feet on the earth. His eyes narrowed even as he roared and slammed a fist against the wall.
An absolute and hope-shattering message of 'Immortal Object' popped up in front of the boy, even as he was thrown back again, the shock making him to not even try stopping.
"No…" muttered the boy while standing up, looking at the damming message still hovering there as if mocking him. "No…NO!" with another scream, the boy shot forward again, unleashing punch after punch against the wall faster than was humanly possible, as if his arms had suddenly become machineguns of fists, making the earth shake around him and shockwaves to blow away anything that wasn't fixed to the surrounding forest's ground.
The wall refused to bulge, the pop-up appearing several times over each spot where Kirito's fists slammed.
When he finally stopped a minute after, the ensuing shockwave was enough to throw him backward almost 20 meters, but he didn't even try to stop himself this time.
He just lay there, looking at nothing, feeling…defeated.
Clenching his teeth, the boy looked to the heavens and SCREAMED.
He could swear he felt the 'God' of that virtual world looking down at him with mocking eyes.
"…this isn't over…Kayaba."
Barely whispering the last words, Kirito's form blurred as he shot back through the forests, returning to the Floor's first city.
Back in the entrance of the dungeon, only one of the 'Immortal Object' messages remained over the energy wall.
What he hadn't seen, neither Kayaba nor even the Cardinal System itself…was that a tiny, almost nonexistent, crack had appeared on the message itself.
The only one who saw it was the ever-watching Mental Health Care Program 001. The truly world-shattering and terrifying meaning behind that seemingly meaningless thing ran through Yui's mind in a couple of seconds…and made a small smile, almost as nonexistent as the crack was, appear on her always-empty face.
For the first time since Sword Art Online began, the small AI spoke words that weren't pre-programmed system warnings.
"One…punch…"
𝟬𝟬𝟬𝟬𝟬𝟬𝟬𝟬𝟬𝟬𝟬𝟬
When the Teleport Gate to the 3rd Floor was activated, Asuna was the first one to step through it and appear on the city of Zumfut.
Then again, seeing as she had been standing in front of the Gate in Urbus for a couple of hours and opening the gate's menu time and time again, it wasn't that much of a surprise.
Giving only one look at the town around her, which consisted in three gigantic baobab trees hollowed on the inside, the girl walked towards the silent figure that was standing not far from her, looking out towards the massive forests that covered the entire floor.
"Hey, Sensei." silently greeted Asuna, her voice not holding anger or accusation, only worry. "I see you took a decision."
"…I did."
"…and what happened, then?"
The boy snorted, a bitter look fixed upon his face.
"Seems like 'God' doesn't like when someone breaks his rules."
Asuna wasn't totally sure of what he meant by that statement but was able to understand the most important part of it.
"I see…what do we do now, then?"
This time, the boy didn't seem to show any doubt or opposition when she said 'we'.
"We wait. We make sure people don't do anything stupid…and I continue training you."
"Oh? And that sudden interest?"
"Kayaba probably doesn't want ME to get in the way of…whatever fucking reason he put us in here to begin with. But he most likely won't stop anyone else. And he can't stop me from helping someone else become stronger, better." his eyes shot towards Asuna, who felt a strange chill run down her back as his steely gaze. "I'm going to turn you into someone that can make sure that we can get out of here. Into someone that can not only survive, but that can guide everyone to victory when I can't be around."
A sudden burst of wind shot through the scene, making the cape of the boy and the hair of the girl to flap wildly at the wind.
Asuna felt the gamer's next word echo into her very soul.
"Are you ready?"
People started to get out of the Teleport Gate, many of them confused, wide-eyed or shouting for an explanation.
The chestnut-haired girl grinned, feeling once again that strange 'fire' burning inside her.
"I am, Kirito-sensei."
Someone looked at them. A voice rose while several hands pointed their way…or, more exactly, Kirito's way, more than one recognizing him and a couple understanding what most likely had happened.
"Don't call me that." he replied with his own, small grin. "And let's move."
With that said, he jumped off the city-tree, even as other players with unclear intentions stopped running towards them to gasp in shock/horror.
Asuna just laughed openly before jumping after him.
"Whatever you say, Sensei!"
Two minutes later, when the shocked onlookers recovered enough courage to move and look down the deadly height and at the deep forests bellow, no one had any doubt that both crazy players had survived the fall.
And that was how a Legend truly began…
𝟬𝟬𝟬𝟬𝟬𝟬𝟬𝟬𝟬𝟬𝟬𝟬
𝗡𝗘𝗫𝗧 𝗘𝗣𝗜𝗦𝗢𝗗𝗘 𝗣𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪!
"Nyahaha, hello everyone, this is Argo, the greatest information broker in all of Aincrad! Any info you need to know can be yours by a totally fair amount of Col! ANY INFO. (Evil laughter). Today, I'm here to give you the preview for the next chapter, while I try to think about how to exploit Kii-bou's new superpowers for my…I mean, for EVERYONE's benefit, eheheh! Well, no worry about that, I'm sure Aa-chan will keep him from doing anything too stupid…I hope. Uhm, anyway, next time on 'One Punch-Gamer': Interlude! 'Justice of the Heart!' Hmm, what's this? Kii-bou has a little sister? I didn't know that! And why is she riding a bi-?
𝗘𝗡𝗗 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗣𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪!