The surroundings became incomparably silent in an instant.
Seeing that Yuuki directly locked her gaze on Rozen, everyone collectively held their breath, rendered speechless.
Kirito, Leafa, Lisbeth, and Silica also turned their attention toward Rozen, joining the players of Crimson Wing in silently waiting for his reaction.
"Rozen..."
Asuna instinctively grabbed Rozen's hand.
Though no conversation had taken place, Asuna had already sensed it.
"She's incredibly strong."
Asuna whispered softly in Rozen's ear, her intention naturally being to caution him.
Rozen didn't respond. Instead, he gently patted the back of Asuna's hand, giving her a reassuring look.
Then, he left the group and walked toward Yuuki.
The surrounding people automatically stepped back, leaving a large open space in the middle.
Rozen approached Yuuki and, seeing the girl staring at him so intently, gave a slight smile.
"I'm Rozen."
Rozen introduced himself simply.
"Yuuki!"
Yuuki replied concisely and quickly, as if she had long wanted to introduce herself to Rozen. The smile on her face had never faded.
The reason was simple.
"I know you," Yuuki said with a cheerful grin. "You're the strongest player in this world. I've also heard you've created seven original sword skills, right?"
Clearly, even though Yuuki had just entered this game, she had already heard of Rozen's fame.
It wasn't surprising. Rozen's reputation had spread across the network, and he was widely known among VRMMO players. Even if Yuuki hadn't been a player of this game before, she would have certainly heard of his exploits.
For instance...
"I also know you're the hero of SAO who saved thousands of players. That's incredible."
When she said this, Yuuki's expression became serious for the first time, and a complex emotion flashed through her gaze as she looked at Rozen.
That emotion lasted only a brief moment.
However, Rozen, who had been closely observing Yuuki, still caught it.
"What is it?" Rozen asked directly. "Is there something you want to say to me?"
Hearing this, Yuuki was momentarily stunned.
Then, she smiled.
"No, nothing," Yuuki replied brightly. "I just think you're amazing. To save so many people… if I could be like you, bringing hope to others and saving those around me, that would be wonderful."
Her words caused Rozen to raise an eyebrow.
However, before he could ask further, Yuuki changed the subject.
"Alright, Rozen, since you're here, how about we have a duel?" Yuuki raised the sword in her hand toward Rozen, smiling as she said, "I know you probably have no reason to be interested in my OSS, especially since you likely have sword skills far stronger than mine. You wouldn't come here just for my OSS, but it would still be a pity if we didn't spar now that we've met, don't you think?"
"...Indeed," Rozen was silent for a moment before smiling. "That said, I wouldn't say I'm not interested in your OSS. An eleven-hit single-handed sword skill is quite impressive. As a single-handed sword user myself, having an additional eleven-hit original sword skill wouldn't hurt."
"Really?" Yuuki suddenly revealed a mischievous expression. "Does that mean I might see the legendary final two moves of your seven stars today? Nobody's ever witnessed them before."
"I could say the same to you," Rozen chuckled. "Will I get to see the OSS that's rumored to have never been used in a duel?"
With those words, their gazes locked once more.
And then, battle intent erupted.
Without hesitation, Yuuki used an extremely practiced hand gesture to summon a window, sending a duel invitation to Rozen.
Immediately, a duel request window accompanied by a resounding effect appeared in Rozen's field of vision. At the bottom were the three duel modes, identical to those in SAO: First Strike, Half-Loss, and Complete Victory.
In SAO's Aincrad, duels were always conducted in the First Strike mode, where the first player to land a strong attack on their opponent would win. The Half-Loss and Complete Victory modes, where losing half or all of one's HP meant defeat, were strictly forbidden due to the potential for life-threatening situations.
Now, in ALO, players nearly always chose the Complete Victory mode for duels; otherwise, they couldn't fully enjoy the fight.
Of course, as mentioned earlier, dying in a duel still resulted in significant experience loss.
But that only added to the tension.
Naturally, Rozen didn't spoil the mood by choosing First Strike or Half-Loss. He directly selected the Complete Victory mode, causing the duel window to vanish and a ten-second countdown to appear on the battlefield.
"Hei!"
Almost simultaneously, Yuuki leaped into position, adopting a combat stance. Her gaze transformed.
"Oh?"
Kirito was the first to notice the change in Yuuki's demeanor, raising his head.
"Is Zekken getting serious now?"
Leafa noticed as well and was visibly astonished.
"It seems even Zekken has to take this fight seriously."
Lisbeth chuckled.
"Well, the opponent is Rozen-nii, after all."
Silica looked proud.
"Gu!"
"Gu!"
Saichou and Hanachou wanted to join in as familiars to aid Rozen, but he stopped them.
"You two stay back. Don't interfere."
Rozen issued this command, leaving Saichou and Hanachou next to Asuna, who was fully focused on the battle alongside a serious-looking Yui.
Seeing this, Yuuki seemed to recall something.
"Oh, right. You have those two incredibly powerful familiars, don't you? I heard even the Floor Boss couldn't handle them," Yuuki said, curious yet teasing. "Not letting them join? I'm quite curious about their strength."
"No need," Rozen replied with an amused shake of his head. "If they join, there wouldn't be any comparison."
In other words, with Saichou and Hanachou on the field, Yuuki wouldn't stand a chance.
"Confident, aren't you?"
Yuuki's face now bore a competitive expression.
In response, Rozen smiled again.
"You'll know soon enough if my confidence is justified."
With that, Rozen extended his hand and slowly drew the sword at his waist.
The next moment...
"———!"
An uproar erupted among the surrounding players.
The cause was the sword Rozen had unsheathed.
It was a long sword with a transparent golden blade. The sword exuded an extraordinary, solemn aura, with phosphorescence surrounding its edges and intricate, ornate decorations on its blade.
No one could fail to recognize that sword.
"Excalibur..."
"That's Excalibur!"
The surrounding players were immediately excited.