Chapter IV: "Remember That Name"

December 2nd, 2032

In the streets of Tolbana, player morale was probably the highest it had yet been since Kayaba's announcement. Between the word that the first boss would soon be found, and Diavel's surprise reveal of a tangible sign of hope, the players with the courage to leave Origia were feeling optimistic.

Kirito doubted they were outright throwing parties over it. That might just be coming soon, if and when the first Barrier Guardian really was taken down, but for the time being it was more a buzz of conversations and a taut air of anticipation.

None of that reached his small team. Even had sound carried through closed windows, their rented farmhouse was too far away from the center of town—and inside, as he looked out the west window at the night sky, there was a different kind of tension in the air.

"All right," Asuna said, setting her glass of milk on the table. "Talk to me. Something's bothering both of you about that airship Diavel brought in. I can kind of guess what Kirito-kun's thinking, but what about you, Kizmel?"

Sitting on the couch across from the fencer, hands folded in her lap, Kizmel frowned pensively. "I doubt either of you could feel it," she began, "but there is something… off, about Liberator. You both know I'm no airship engineer, yet I've traveled enough in my time to know core crystals." The elf girl shook her head. "It is not Wood, nor the Iron favored by humans. It is not even the twisted darkness of—an enemy whose very name I cannot speak here."

Well. That wasn't ominous at all. Kirito had a pretty good idea who she was talking about with that last, and normally he would've been relieved to know they weren't involved so early. But if she's implying it's somehow even worse than that….

"Truthfully, I have no idea what alignment that ship's core holds," Kizmel continued. "I don't believe I've ever encountered such magic at all. I can tell that it is a core crystal, but nothing more." She looked to Kirito. "You know more of human ships and magicks than I. Do you know of an element other than Iron used in your people's ships?"

He shook his head, still looking out at Aincrad's alien constellations. "Airship mechanics weren't really something I worried about much in the beta," he admitted. "The crystals you just listed are the only ones I ever heard about, though. The Axiom Church might have something different, but they usually prefer dragons over ships. More to the point—"

"There weren't airships available this early, during the beta," Asuna finished. "Am I right?" When he finally turned and gave a silent nod, she sighed. "So, just like what we've run into, this is something Kayaba changed. Only this isn't anything to do with the elves at all, so you don't even have a rough idea."

"Pretty much."

That spooked Kirito more than he really wanted to admit. Everything to do with Kizmel and the airship Moonshadow had been completely off the rails compared to his beta experience, but at least it was a familiar off the rails. As different as the events were proceeding, the lore was so far about what he knew from the beta test. Just as, so far, everything else on Einsla was more or less as he'd expected it to be.

"We do know one thing, however," Kizmel looked down at the table, clearly not happy with her own insight. "Sir Diavel is lying about having found his airship via the beta testers' information."

Yeah. That was gnawing at him, too. Even if he couldn't help feeling warm that the two of them were taking his word for it all. Although…. "Technically, Diavel just said they helped," he pointed out, leaving the window in favor of the chair next to Asuna's. "Which could just mean some testers were involved in finding it, not that they gave him inside information. And even if he was lying? He might have been trying to head off Kibaou's witch hunt."

If he was, Kirito couldn't help but be grateful. He felt hideously guilty, but grateful.

"It's still lying," Asuna said. She picked up her milk again, took a long sip, and grimaced. "Sooner or later, if the truth comes out, that could backfire. Badly."

"I know." He brought up his menu, materialized a chunk of bread and a jar of cream, and set to work making his abbreviated dinner. "If we're lucky, though, it won't come out until we're farther along in the Archipelago, when any beta info doesn't matter anymore anyway."

There was a good chance of that, he figured. After the Tenth Island, nobody knew what was out there. Not even him.

"If we are lucky," Kizmel said dubiously. She paused to put together her own meal, and dug in with obvious satisfaction. She hadn't liked Moonshadow's rations any more than the two players had. "Which still, unfortunately, leaves us with the question of where and how he obtained the ship. And, of course, the other issues clearly bothering you, Kirito."

Damn. I hoped they hadn't noticed that. The Royal Guard's pointed look, and Asuna's near-glare, told him he hadn't been that lucky. Affecting a casual shrug, he took a bite of creamy bread and said, "I'm just wondering about his hair, that's all."

If looks were Sword Skills, Asuna's Linear gaze would've been a critical hit. "His hair," she repeated flatly.

"Basic hair for players is what we have IRL," Kirito reminded her around another bite. "We can change style via the default menu settings, but color? That takes dye potions. NPCs don't sell those until at least the next island, and no way does anybody have Alchemy that high yet. So, quest reward or monster drop—and the only ones I know about on Einsla are about the highest-level quests here. Not the kind of thing you'd go for casually, this early."

"Hm." Kizmel gave a thoughtful nod. "That, then, might simple be 'beta information'." Then she fixed him with another pointed stare. "And the other problem?"

He sighed. "…It might just be my imagination. But… I think he knows me. Somehow."

December 3rd, 2032

Asuna hadn't even known Tolbana had an aerodrome. Not until self-proclaimed "knight" Diavel had announced the next meeting would be there, the afternoon after his announcement that the boss room would soon be found. Now, she found herself accompanying Kirito and Kizmel onto the flat, paved expanse on the town's western edge, waiting to hear the news Diavel brought.

It wasn't as big as Origia's aerodrome, nor were there as many airships. Those it did have were mostly smaller vessels, covered over by protective tarps; most of them seemingly abandoned, though a few did have NPC mechanics checking on them. One thing it did have in common with Origia was the sense of waiting, the airships still kept grounded by the Skywall.

There was one ship that stood apart from others, though. Nestled in a landing cradle, the steel-clad hull of Diavel's Liberator was shiny and pristine, ready to take off at a moment's notice. At thirty meters long, about the length of Moonshadow, Kirito had identified the ship as a "light cruiser" by the game's classification. With ten cannons on either side, Asuna had to wonder what counted as "heavy".

Someday, I'm sure I'll find out. For now, I'm just as happy with something smaller.

A platform had been set up beside the ship's starboard flank. The Swordmasters who'd attended the previous meeting were already gathering around it when her small party showed up, taking places on benches that had been brought in. Standing on the platform was the blue-haired knight himself, along with a young player Asuna didn't recognize.

When everyone who'd come before had found seats, Diavel clapped once for attention. "Thank you for coming, everyone!" he called out, smiling. "Very good to see everyone from yesterday is back…. Ahem! Before I begin, I'd like to introduce you all to Liberator's commander, Captain Coper!"

That drew a round of applause, which Asuna found herself joining. There were a lot of questions about exactly how Diavel had acquired an airship in the first place, but it was true that Liberator was a symbol of what they could do. Besides, she thought, watching the brown-haired youth make an awkward motion as if adjusting invisible glasses, the poor guy probably needs the vote of confidence. First airship captain and all that.

Though given the Anneal Blade he was wearing at his waist, he probably wasn't exactly a newbie in general….

"Thank you," Coper said, giving a bow and a sheepish smile. "Diavel-san's the one who'll be doing the leading on the ground, but I'll do my best in the air, when the time comes."

"Which will be this time tomorrow!" Diavel proclaimed, clapping Coper on the shoulder. "The Skywalls come down when the Guardian assigned to one is defeated, and an airship makes contact with the weakened Wall. And it so happens, my friends, that my party located the boss room this morning!"

That didn't provoke quite the stir reaching the top floor had. They'd all expected it, after all, to the point that Asuna and her comrades had chosen to spend the morning preparing rather than redundant exploring. But it's still big news. It's about time, huh?

"I realize there's still hard feelings to be sorted out here," Diavel continued, nodding at a particular cactus-haired player in the crowd. "For right now, though, I can tell you that the information provided by the beta testers is correct: we now know the nature of the first Barrier Guardian."

"Illfang," Kirito muttered to her left, his first words since they'd reached the aerodrome. "Big wolfman, single attack pattern change, pretty simple adds…."

Gah. More jargon they hadn't covered yet. Asuna made a mental note to corner him about boss info as soon as the meeting was over.

Diavel was materializing a small book from his inventory, and he held it up for the crowd to see. The cover read Argo's First Guardian Strategy Guide—with, she noticed, a disclaimer written below: Warning: Information is based on the beta test, and may not be consistent with the retail version.

"Illfang the Kobold Lord," Diavel said, opening the book. "If you've been in the Skywall Tower, you'll have fought lesser kobolds. Illfang is a big one, carrying a bone axe and a shield. He's accompanied by a set of Ruin Kobold Sentinels, with more spawning at set intervals. When he's down to his final lifebar, he replaces the ax and shield with a tulwar." He tapped the page. "Timing for the respawns is included here, along with descriptions of Illfang's Sword Skills. If we pay attention, we can—no, we will get through this with no casualties!"

On Kirito's opposite side, still disguised by her Mistmoon Cloak's hood, Kizmel softly cleared her throat. "I hesitate to ask this," she murmured, "but in your 'beta test', did you succeed without losses?"

Kirito gave a short shake of his head. "We got total raid wipes twice," he admitted quietly. "Even the successful run had a few deaths. But," he added, when Asuna turned to him in alarm, "we didn't have the benefit of a strategy guide. And I'm willing to bet the average level is higher than in the beta—I know we're higher than I was then. Diavel's right, if we're careful, we might just pull this off."

"Might." Asuna took a deep, shuddering breath, and forced herself to nod. "We will, then." We have to.

"I suggest we begin the raid at 10:00 tomorrow," Diavel said, when everyone had had a chance to digest his comments about the boss. "That'll give us time to navigate the Tower, fight the boss, and reach the Second Island by the afternoon. For tonight? Everyone form up into parties, get to know each other, and gear up. Tomorrow, we claim our first victory!" He rapped a gauntleted fist on his chestplate. "And when we do, we'll celebrate on Liberator's deck, as we cross the first Skywall together!"

That brought a cheer and another round of applause. When it died down, players immediately started splitting off into smaller groups, party invitations going back and forth. Asuna noticed the girl with the Anneal Blade from the day before chattering enthusiastically with a bemused Agil, while the masked man stood more quietly to one side.

That's one party I wouldn't have expected. But then, who am I to talk?

"That's our cue to go," Kirito said under his breath, pushing away from the bench. "I don't know about you two, but I'd rather stick with our half-size party than invite people we haven't practiced with."

"Good plan," Asuna agreed, following him away from the crowd. "I know we'll have to deal more with other players eventually, but… not yet."

"You'll hear no objection from me," Kizmel said, casting a narrow glance back toward the other players. "Humans, I believe, are going to be something of an acquired taste." She turned a quick smile on Asuna. "Present company excluded, of course."

They slipped into the shadow of one of the grounded airships, and out of sight—yet Asuna had the oddest feeling of being glared at, just before the three of them cleared the aerodrome completely.

December 4th, 2032

Kizmel found herself surprisingly tense, traveling with a group of forty-three Swordmasters. Though not one of them gave her a second glance, as they made their way through the forest outside Tolbana toward the nearby tunnel system, the knowledge that only the Mistmoon Cloak's protection stood between her and exposure was… unsettling. Something as simple as a strong wind might reveal her for what she was.

I know better than to think humans the root of all Aincrad's evil, she thought, keeping close to her two young allies. Nonetheless, these are humans who have been betrayed. They're as apt to mistrust me as Captain Emlas does them, and with at least as good reason.

More, really. She tried not to think about that too hard.

Instead, Kizmel focused determinedly on how the Swordmasters around her moved, knowing she'd need to know when the battle began. Most of them crashed through the brush as noisily as angry boars. Some, like Diavel and Asuna, managed something approaching subtlety, while Kirito was almost as quiet as her. The energetic girl with the Anneal Blade was somewhere in between—and the masked man was like a ghost, so close to silent she thought hers were the only ears to catch even a whisper of his steps.

As if I needed more proof the Swordmasters were not hand-picked warriors. Glancing again at Diavel, leading the way into the tunnels to the Skywall Tower, she leaned closer still to her comrades. "I've been meaning to ask," she murmured. "Why were the other Swordmasters so amused by Sir Diavel's claim of knighthood? I realize few of you are trained fighters, but still…."

Kirito shrugged. "Mostly? It's just kind of silly to say something like that in a game that doesn't have a class system. Er," he added, when she gave him a blank look, "how do I explain that…. Well, you know how Swordmasters' abilities are based on numerical statistics?"

She nodded. It was not as if her own strength was any different, in this world. Difficult as it was to get used to.

"Okay, then. In some games, you pick 'classes', which bias your stats toward defined roles. Strength for warriors, Agility for thieves and assassins, that kind of thing. Here?" He gestured at his sword and wrist-grapnel, then to the variety of weapons carried by other Swordmasters. "What you equip, and how you allocate bonus points on level-up, is what defines what you can do."

"…I see. I think." Though Kizmel thought it was sad, for a role as honorable as knighthood to be broken down into mere numbers.

"Class systems also define story roles, in some games," Kirito was continuing. "Sword Art Online was supposed to be more about players choosing for themselves exactly how to tackle the Skywalls and the Axiom Church, with nobody having any specific role in the plot. …I guess Diavel could be considered a knight, though, if you think about it that way."

"Hm."

Conversation lapsed as the raid group proceeded through the tunnels, and the first monsters they'd encountered since leaving Tolbana appeared. Those in the forests, Kizmel surmised, had fled from such a large group. The Kobold Guards were apparently made of sterner stuff.

Stern enough to fight, but not to stand up to such a force. Diavel led the raid capably, both with strategy and with blade, proving his worth as leader. Of the other Swordmasters, though she was particularly impressed with her own companions, the masked man, and the enthusiastic girl, Kizmel was pleased to see even the least knew what they were about.

She knew little, so far, of the Barrier Guardians, or how they would be fought in this world. If any group could defeat them, however, she was sure it was this one.

Only an hour after setting out from Tolbana, the raid group emerged from the tunnels at the base of the Skywall Tower. Standing at the very edge of Einsla, the stone edifice reached one hundred meters into the sky, topped by a platform walled in by the same charmed glass the elves used in their airships.

Up there, Kizmel knew, was Illfang. The first obstacle between her and continuing her mission—between her, and her sister.

As Diavel raised his sword in salute, exhorting the raid group to follow him into that tower, Kizmel watched him closely. "Do you suppose," she murmured to her companions, "that Sir Diavel might be a knight, in your world?"

Kirito only shook his head. "Kinda doubt that."

Asuna huffed, clearly exasperated. "She doesn't know, Kirito-kun," she said, rapping her knuckles on his shoulder. "We don't have knights in our world, Kizmel," she continued, turning to the elf. "The kind of knight Diavel's role-playing hasn't existed in centuries, and never in our homeland. The closest thing we had—the samurai—are more recent, but, well… let's say they didn't really live up to that kind of ideal." She sighed, shaking her head. "Well, I suppose few knights ever did…."

Kizmel vowed to ask for more details, when there was time. Because that was, quite simply, a travesty. Not that Lyusula's orders are without those who fall short, but at least as a whole we may claim to uphold honor. If Asuna has never known true knighthood, I will have to show her that chivalry still lives with us.

Following Diavel and the rest of the raid into the Skywall Tower, she only hoped that the self-proclaimed knight would stand as an example himself. She wanted to believe that some of the Swordmasters, at least, might be the people whose aid her kingdom had been promised.

At least the Skywall Tower was pretty much as Kirito remembered it from the beta. Twenty floors high, with fairly straightforward stone corridors and no traps to speak of. The admittedly plentiful mobs, mostly variations of Kobold, were about the only real complication the dungeon had.

A warm-up, all in all. What was just about the right level of challenge to keep solos or small parties on their toes was nothing for a group of forty-three players and one Dark Elf to worry about. It had taken his little team about an hour to safely climb to the nineteenth floor. The raid group managed it in half that.

Later towers won't be this easy. But right now, I won't complain about an easy start.

Before long, they stood in the corridor that ended in the stairway to the top floor. There, Diavel climbed halfway up, turned to face the raid group, and drew his sword. "Here we are," he said, raising the Anneal Blade toward the ceiling. "Just beyond this door is Illfang the Kobold Lord. Keep together and remember your roles, and we'll all make it through this."

Which, for Kirito, Asuna, and Kizmel meant staying back and handling the adds. Though Asuna had bristled at the job, when Diavel had laid out the plan, and even Kizmel had seemed to think it an affront, Kirito understood the logic. They were a team of just three, barely enough for proper Switching tactics. Trying to stand at the front would've been sheer recklessness.

So he joined in with the cheer along with the rest of the raid, when Diavel swung around to face the doors at the top of the stairs. Keeping the adds away from the forwards was just as important, and in the death trap SAO had become, survival trumped ego.

The doors swung open with a ponderous groan, the sound one expected from a boss door, and Diavel led the raid up onto the final floor.

As the smallest party, Team H, Kirito's group was at the very back—so he was surprised when Kibaou dropped back, almost matching pace with him. "Hey," the cactus-haired player muttered, looking at him with a narrow gaze. "Don't forget yer place, got it? Y'all have gotten the good stuff so far, but you're playin' second fiddle here. Be happy with the scraps, an' don't even think 'bout stealing the LA."

What?

Kibaou didn't wait for any kind of response, only clicking his teeth and speeding up to rejoin his own team. Kirito was left staring in confusion. Okay, seriously, what? I mean, sure, I probably got the Last Attack bonus more than most in the beta, but how would he even know—?

Argo said someone was looking for me. And if I know Argo, whatever she sold him didn't come cheap. Except Kibaou's gear looked pretty standard for a new player, nothing suggesting he had the kind of Cor to throw at the Rat's prices. Which means either he blew all his savings trying to find out about me, for some weird reason… or he was only the middleman.

Who was Kibaou working for? And why?

"Is something amiss, Kirito?"

Kirito shook himself. This was no time to be worrying about mysterious plots. It wasn't like he hadn't been intending to do exactly what Kibaou had demanded anyway. "It's nothing," he said, deliberately ignoring both Kizmel's skeptical look and Asuna's mild glare. "C'mon, let's go."

Last of the raid group, they climbed the stairs to final floor, and stepped out onto the top of the Skywall Tower.

Asuna had seen screenshots of the first Skywall Tower, before she even got her NerveGear. She'd thought even from those that the boss room at its top, walled in by not-quite-glass, looked impressive, with its clear view of the golden hexagons of the Skywall itself. In person, it was breathtaking.

Just a flat stone floor, with a few platforms rising a couple meters above, and at the far end what looked like the back of a grand throne. No ornamentation to speak of, except some vague patterns in the floor—but the level of detail in the stone textures, and the amazing view out the walls and ceiling, made it something more than the sum of its parts.

She could hear other players expressing appreciation for it, even under the circumstances. Beside her, she heard Kizmel mutter, "The Axiom Church has artisans of such skill, and yet they waste them on this monument to the Administrator's arrogance…."

There was no time to ponder the still-surprising genuineness of the elf girl's disgust. Diavel was raising his sword, silently motioning the raid to halt—and behind them, the doors swung closed with a deep boom.

Don't panic, Kirito-kun said they'll still open just fine if we need to make a run for it—oh, wow….

The intricate patterns on the floor blazed into bright light, a kaleidoscope of colors tracing abstract curves and sharp turns. Bright blue flares on the platforms heralded the appearance of Ruin Kobold Sentinels, and at the far end of the chamber, the throne turned to face the raid. Two bright red lights—eyes, Asuna realized—appeared, and with a roar, the creature in the throne leapt halfway across the room.

Three meters tall, it was. Covered in reddish fur and light armor, with a wolf-like muzzle, it carried a bone axe in one hand and a shield in the other, just as the pre-boss meeting had said. Even as Asuna watched, four HP bars appeared over its head.

At another roar, the Sentinels leapt down from their perches, and [Illfang the Kobold Lord] brandished its axe directly at the raid.

At the front of the raid group, Diavel watched the Sentinels come, and swung his sword down to point straight ahead. "Team G, take the vanguard! Team H, take any Sentinels that get through! B, D, F, wait for the signal to switch in! A, C, E—charge!"

Team G, with Agil, the masked swordsman, and the girl with the Anneal Blade, was the first to make contact. Three Sentinels went straight for them; Agil's long-handled axe and the two-handed sword of another member stopped one short, but the other two got in close, swinging heavy, rock-headed maces in the bright arcs of Sword Skills.

The masked man—whose robe Asuna belated realized bore Shinsengumi colors—sidestepped with casual ease, letting the rock-mace whistle past. Before the Sentinel could recover from the post-motion, his katana blurred free of its scabbard in a quick slash, cutting a red wireframe gash across its flank. As it stumbled, he pulled the blade back, parallel to the floor, and drove a thrust into the kobold's back.

No Sword Skills, Asuna thought, eyes wide. He's good.

The girl wasn't quite as good, or as lucky. Though she took a quick step to one side, the other Sentinel's mace got in a glancing blow to her side, almost knocking her off her feet. To Asuna's surprise, the girl's response was a grin—and in the instant she regained her footing, a vicious Slant. Grin widening, she pressed the attack with a basic thrust, uncaring that it pushed the Sentinel toward the knot where her teammates were engaging the first.

Asuna was distracted from the sight by a louder clash, and her head whipped around to watch Team A meet Illfang itself. It had started the fight with a brutal overhand Sword Skill of some kind; the mixed team of swordsmen and lancers scattered around it, and unleashed a flurry of skills. She didn't know enough about the weapons involved to pin down exactly what they were doing, but the thrusts and spins, lit by red and blue flashes, certainly looked impressive.

The combined assault even made Illfang stagger back, roaring in apparent pain. She felt a surge of hope at the sight—only for reality to chase it back down, noticing the first of the Kobold Lord's HP bars had barely flinched under the barrage. Then it was recovering its poise, and with a deeper snarl it rammed its shield forward, sending one of Team A's swordsmen tumbling back. Its right arm swung back, then forward again in a broad sweep with its axe, catching three other players.

The cries as they were hurled back made Asuna's heart jump into her throat. Her feet started to move—to try and help or to run, she wasn't sure—but then a hand landed on her shoulder. "They'll be fine," Kirito said into her ear, low and calm. "Those weren't bad hits, and Team C is already going in. Right now, it's our turn!"

Taking only a second to confirm the next group of forwards really was charging in to stop Illfang from following up, Asuna spun to follow Kirito's warning. Two Ruin Kobold Sentinels had gotten past Team G, heading right for the reserve teams.

Okay. Let's do this!

Kizmel was already in motion, rushing to block the first Sentinel. Her shield crashed into it from the side, and her saber licked out to trace a deep crimson line in its helmet. It fell back with a squeal, and its companion turned to see what was going on. Red flared in the eyeholes of its helmet, catching sight of Asuna charging in, and its rock-mace whirled up and around to intercept.

She saw it coming, and was already starting to dodge when Kirito shouted a wordless warning. It probably would've hit her anyway, except at that moment his grapnel zipped past, wrapped around the mace's shaft, and yanked.

Asuna wasted no time taking advantage of how the move pulled the Sentinel forward and off-balance. With a shout of her own, she drove the fastest Linear she could right into its gut. Between the thrust and the pull from the grapnel, her rapier punched through and clear out its back, taking out around twenty percent of its HP with just the one blow.

It also left her suddenly stuck. For an instant, she was left with the decision of trying to pull her blade free—leaving her vulnerable for precious seconds—or abandoning it, leaving her completely defenseless. I so have to look into a sub-weapon—!

Kirito's Anneal Blade flashed over her head in a Horizontal, catching the Sentinel in the throat even as his grapnel snapped free from its mace. He followed up with a knee to the kobold's gut, forcing it off her rapier. "Nice one!" he said, flashing a grin. "I got this one, give Kizmel a hand!"

Asuna felt a flash of pride, quickly stifled—she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction—and spun on her heel to dash toward the other Sentinel. Kizmel's saber was clashing against the handle of its mace, the two of them stuck in a deadlock. But it was a deadlock that had put the elf between the mob and the reserve force, more or less in line with their job.

"Kizmel, Switch!"

The NPC pulled back in a flash, spinning away to the left. The sudden loss of resistance left the Sentinel stumbling forward, in a perfect position for the Linear Asuna was already charging up. I can do this!

The Sentinel caught itself, and in the moment before the fencer's glowing blade could connect, its mace flashed and whirled, catching her in the side. She still connected, but it was a glancing blow that only scratched a few centimeters deep across its chest armor. Asuna, by contrast, lost about five percent of her HP and was left tumbling and rolling across the floor.

On the bright side, she had time to see Illfang had lost around ten percent off its first lifebar. Team C was retreating, but E was already tearing into the Kobold Lord.

"Team B, D, F, you're up next!" Diavel called out, pointing from one to another with his sword. "Keep it up, everyone, you're doing fine!"

They were, Asuna realized, rolling back to her feet. The Shinsengumi had just calmly beheaded one of the Sentinels, the grinning girl was gutting another with an unnerving laugh, and Agil and the others in his team had smashed the third to the floor. Another set of Sentinels were heading their way, but the first batch would be dead in plenty of time for them to switch targets.

Closer in, Kirito had tangled his target's legs with his grapnel, and was just then slashing another Horizontal across its neck. Though somewhere along the way he'd lost about five percent HP himself, his foe wasn't going to last much longer.

We can do this, Asuna thought, readying her rapier. I can do this! We're going to beat this thing!

Kizmel had just whacked her Sentinel in the snout with her shield. As it reared back, shaking its head, she unleashed a vicious slash across its stomach—and even as it pulled back its rock-mace to retaliate, Asuna launched herself into motion. Yelling a wordless battle cry, she drove a shining Linear right at its throat.

With two of Illfang's "lifebars" down, the raid group had settled into an efficient rhythm. Teams A, C, and E were gathered in a semi-circle in front of the Kobold Lord, hammering it with every Sword Skill they could muster. The Barrier Guardian was fighting back furiously, roaring and swinging its axe with abandon, but with so many foes, it could not possibly repel them all.

Here and there, two or even three Swordmasters were knocked away, spraying crimson that wasn't quite like blood. Even as one lone Knight watched, Illfang smashed its axe into the stone floor with such force that half of Team C was thrown away—yet even there, members of the teams currently standing back to recover were quick to help them to their feet. "HP" falling but not yet dangerously so, they charged right back into the fight.

Team G remained focused on the Sentinels, keeping most of them away from the main fighting with admirable skill. Agil's axe whirled with a proficiency that seemed to increase even as the battle continued, aided by two of the others; a kobold squealed as it fell to the cold floor, axe embedded in its skull. With an all-too-lifelike twitch, it shattered into the still-unnerving blue shards that was death in Sword Art Online.

The masked swordsman spun around another, evading its rock-mace with the casual economy of a master. His katana came up in a backhand blow just as practiced, cutting through the Sentinel's spine. A quick twist of his wrist, the blade flashed in a flat forehand strike, and its head sailed free, shattering several meters away.

Team G's lone girl had, if anything, grown ever more excited as the battle progressed. She'd taken more injury than anyone not facing Illfang, to the point of having once had to retreat to down a healing potion, yet her enthusiasm was undiminished. Skipping back as if it were all a game, she braced herself, swung her Anneal Blade up behind her shoulder, and launched herself forward in a flashing Sonic Leap. Laughing all the while, her sword came down on a Sentinel's shoulder with enough force to drive the kobold from its feet. Riding it down, she reversed her grip, viciously stabbing the Sentinel in the chest.

Kirito, perhaps the youngest Swordmaster present, battled one of the Sentinels that had slipped past Team G with a style and flair all his own. Light on his feet, wearing no armor heavier than a leather jacket, and carrying no shield, he relied on pure agility to keep him safe. His Anneal Blade carved a Slant from the Sentinel's left shoulder down to its right hip; when it tried to retaliate with a brutal mace strike to his flank while the skill's recoil stilled his sword, he launched his grapnel at its right leg.

It stumbled, shrieking—and into the gap, Asuna charged. "Number Three!" she called out, her rapier flashing in a Linear almost too fast to see. Wreathed in crimson light, its tip struck the staggering kobold's chest, knocking it completely off-balance.

Kizmel struck then, her saber slashing a Reaver from left to right, the Sentinel's own momentum carrying it deeper into the blow. It howled, a sound like and yet unlike what she might've expected—too similar to the death cries of its brethren, she thought, to seem real—and broke apart before it ever struck the floor.

"Good work, G, H!" Diavel called out, somehow sparing a moment from directing the assault on Illfang to nod in their direction. "That's all the Sentinels for now—pull back and recover, so you're ready for the next wave!"

Only then, with a start, did Kizmel realize she and her companions had all taken injury enough to be in the "yellow". Though they were still safely above the red, she quibbled not at all before trotting back to the edge of the battlefield. Indeed, only the laughing girl seemed at all bothered, incongruously pouting before following her teammates back.

So this is battle, to the Swordmasters, Kizmel thought, watching one of the forward teams switch with a reserve while she drank a healing potion. Like and yet unlike fighting as I know it. The threat of true death may be new to the Swordmasters, but they clearly understand the rules that govern this world far better than I.

A sobering thought, on many levels. Between this and the battle her party of Pagoda Knights had fought against the Forest Elf expedition a month before, she was quite sure her own people would've suffered heavy casualties by this point. If nothing else, gauging injury by strange symbols in the air instead of blood and pain would've led them to fatally miscalculate their wounds.

On the other hand, in the battles I know, fighting for so long wouldn't be possible at all. On a normal battlefield, one cannot so easily gauge the moment an injury is lethal, and fight until that moment is reached. In a "real" battle, these tactics would be suicidal.

Watching Illfang suddenly break away from the teams fighting it, jumping back to gain distance, it was hard not to dwell on that. Even as Diavel directed the Swordmasters under his command to charge after the Kobold Lord, denying it the breathing space it needed to unleash a more powerful attack, she could see the dichotomy all too clearly.

On this battlefield, the Swordmasters dominate. As powerful as Illfang is, numbers and tactics will bring it down. Sir Diavel knows those tactics well enough to be the general they need.

Illfang had been trying to gain enough space for a broad, sweeping slash that might've caught the entire group attacking it. Diavel's quick thinking kept most of them inside its reach instead, and the brutal slash knocked only a third of them over and away—a crushing blow according to the rules Kizmel knew, but a survivable one here. Diavel was already barking out orders to send in one of the reserve teams, and in a moment Kibaou was leading the charge to pull out the wounded, while the other Swordmasters still on their feet stabbed and slashed Illfang to buy time.

In a world not governed by numbers and strange magic, Sir Diavel would have already lost. Even my people, strong and skilled as they are, could hardly shrug off the wounds the Swordmasters treat as inevitable.

Glancing at a nervous but increasingly confident Asuna, and a tense yet calm Kirito, Kizmel forced herself to relax. Enough. The rules of a flesh and blood battle will only ever matter to any of us if and when the Swordmasters break through to Centoria Cathedral, and defeat Quinella. If I cannot remember that, I'll be the one to die here.

Bright flares of azure light caught her eye, just as her HP rose back to blue. "Get ready, G, H!" Diavel shouted, gesturing toward them with his own Anneal Blade. "More Sentinels incoming—last set before the final lifebar! Keep them off us!"

Team G's girl was the first in motion, leaving her team to catch up. As they followed, Kizmel exchanged rueful looks with her own companions. "What are the chances we have more work, despite her enthusiasm?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

"After the fighting we've had so far?" Kirito shook his head, tossing away an empty potion bottle. "Well, at least we're getting the pattern down."

"They'd better be grateful," Asuna muttered, readying her rapier again. "'Be happy with the scraps,' Kibaou said. Hmph! Without us, the rest of the raid would be too busy fending off those 'scraps' to get anything done to Illfang at all!"

Kizmel surprised herself with a chuckle. "Then let's be sure to remind him, when all is said and done. Unseemly it may be for a knight to gloat—but demanding the respect we've earned is only fair."

And as Illfang's health was chipped away, and the latest group of Ruin Kobold Sentinels leapt down to attack, she found herself wondering. Kayaba betrayed us, yet his magic, at least, has been as he promised. Then, perhaps… is this truly what the Swordmasters of legend are capable of?

Win, Sir Diavel. I must know. Is this a game—or a vision of the future you may yet bring us?

Kirito swore under his breath, as a Ruin Kobold Sentinel's rock-mace clipped his arm. His heart wasn't really in it, though, even before the monster squealed, the point of Asuna's rapier emerging from its chest. It hadn't done that much damage, and between the fencer's attack and what he'd already done to it, the kobold shattered on her sword.

Besides, he thought, risking a glance back toward the main event, this is going better than I ever dared expect it could. Nobody's even really come close to dying, yet.

Between his own beta experience, and the huge change that was the Elf War questline beginning so early, Kirito had more than half-expected the battle to go horribly wrong within the first five minutes. That Diavel had, somehow, led the raid down almost to Illfang's last lifebar without a single fatality was a tremendous relief.

Maybe, he thought, spinning to face the Sentinel Kizmel was currently dancing around, Kayaba decided to be fair, and let us have an easy first boss. Catching a quick nod from the elven knight, he fired off his grapnel, its cable wrapping tight around the kobold's left leg. Yanked back, it began to fall forward; Kizmel's saber flashed across its neck, finishing it before it hit the floor. After all, if we lose here—or even win too narrowly—who's going to risk playing along with his game?

Kirito hoped that was it, anyway. Even as he exchanged a smile with Kizmel and turned to rush at Asuna's latest opponent, he had to marvel at something else that had gone far better than he'd imagined. Half an hour into the fight, and Kizmel was still keeping up so smoothly he doubted anyone even suspected she was anything but another human player.

Asuna whipped a Streak across her Sentinel's chest, chipping off a few percent of its HP. She moved to follow up with a basic thrust—Kirito couldn't help but feel a rush of pride at how well she'd learned from his awkward lessons, that first day—only to suddenly abort and step quickly to one side. "Switch, Kirito-kun!" she called hastily, even as a glowing rock-mace careened toward her face.

"I don't think so!"

It was close, but Kirito's Horizontal got there in time. The two skills collided with a boom, throwing player and mob alike off-balance. In a race to recover from the recoil, even he couldn't have guessed which of them would manage the next strike—but it didn't matter, as a charging Royal Guard buried her sword in the kobold's gut.

The Sentinel survived even Kizmel's strike. It was flung back, but it landed on clawed feet, screeching across the stone floor. It gathered itself, snarled from beneath its helmet, and with tail lashing furiously it took a lunging step forward.

A sword-wielding arm wrapped around its neck before it finished even that one step. Another arm swung up, palm aiming for the Sentinel's throat. Steel flashed unexpectedly, with a loud sound Kirito associated with a critical hit, and the kobold went limp.

When it shattered, Kirito found himself staring at the girl who'd taken it down. At her wide grin, and at the narrow blade just then retracting into its mount under her left wrist. "Thanks for the set-up, beta!" she called. "GJ!"

"GJ," he replied automatically, even as she turned to rejoin the rest of Team G. An assassin's blade? I didn't even know you could find those on Einsla. Much less be crazy enough to use one in a boss fight!

"Alright, that's got it! We're about to hit the state change—everyone but Team A, pull back!"

Diavel's call distracted Kirito from the mystery, and he whipped his head around in time to see what the self-styled knight was talking about. Illfang's third lifebar was just emptying completely, and it had fallen to one knee in apparent pain. If everything was still as it was in the beta test, it was about to switch weapons.

But why is Diavel pulling everyone but his own team back? It's not that close to dead—

Just as Team A got into position, the other forward teams well behind them, Illfang roared. Stood back up to its full height, and threw bone axe and shield away. Three members of Diavel's party were hit in the process, tumbling away with shouts of surprise—something Kirito did not remember happening in the beta, but then the formation had been different then.

And Illfang reached behind its back, clawed hand closing on a hilt that was only then materializing. It whipped the blade out, spun it, and leveled it straight at Team A.

Long. Narrow. Gently curving up to a fine point. To Kirito's practiced eye, the steel with which it was made bore the marks of having been forged, metal folded over hundreds of times. An amazing level of detail to put into the weapon of a boss who would only be seen once.

…Oh, no….

"Get ready!" Diavel shouted, swinging his Anneal Blade back over his shoulder, the pre-motion for a Sonic Leap. "It's almost over!"

"No!" Kirito screamed. His own companions looked at him like he'd gone crazy, Agil was frowning, Kibaou looked like he was ready to kill something, and Kirito didn't care, because— "That's not a tulwar! It's a nodachi! Get away!"

A nodachi was longer than a tulwar. By SAO's mechanics, sharper. Most important of all, not using the skills someone relying on beta knowledge was expecting.

He tried to run, to get close enough to do something in time. Long before he got there, before anyone could process his warning, Illfang's nodachi was whirling in the crimson half-circle of a Phantom Moon. Those of Team A who hadn't already been knocked away were caught full in the chest, HP plummeting, and flew screaming toward the far wall.

Diavel was flung hardest, sailing straight back among the other teams. Illfang leapt after him, and Kirito's heart leapt into his throat right along with. "No, get away! Don't surround him, it'll just make things worse—!"

Who knew if anyone would've listened to him. If they'd even heard him. The players panicked, some of them running in random directions, and some of them striking blindly with whatever Sword Skill came to mind. From the front, carving red lines in Illfang's stomach. From the sides, scoring his flanks. From behind, leaving fine scratches in the Kobold Lord's tail.

In the panic, few of them did much damage at all. It didn't matter anyway. With a roar, Illfang's sword blazed in crimson light again, and it spun in place in the devastating full-circle Revolving Wheel.

More screams followed, players scattered in all directions, HP dropping. Illfang didn't even seem to notice, its scarlet eyes locked on just one target. Maybe it had picked at random, maybe it was programmed for follow-up attacks. Or maybe some algorithm had recognized who was directing the raid.

Somewhere along the way, Diavel had lost Anneal Blade and shield both. As Illfang's nodachi began to glow one more time, his face was painted in stark terror—but rather than run or collapse, he made two quick gestures with his right hand, and his fingers closed on a rounded grip.

Kirito barely had time to be surprised before the pistol Diavel had conjured went off with a loud crack. There was no time at all to see if the single bullet did any good, before Illfang's sword blurred up from near the floor, catching the raid leader and flinging him bodily toward the not-glass ceiling of the boss room.

Diavel's legs and right arm sailed away, lopped right off his body. He was falling, and Illfang's nodachi was coming down along with for the second strike of the Scarlet Fan—

The grapnel cable whirled out, wrapping tightly around Illfang's right arm. Kirito was yanked off his feet, carried forward as the Kobold Lord stubbornly continued the cleaving blow anyway, but it was still slowed. Just a little. Just a fraction of a second.

Long enough for a Linear, like a meteor flashing through the sky, to bury itself in Illfang's flank. Long enough for a saber to come down in a two-handed chop through Illfang's tail.

Roaring at a pitch that would've hurt physical ears, Illfang staggered sideways and fell over, half a meter of its tail dropping to the stone floor to shatter.

Kirito ignored it, trusting the two girls who'd become his unlikely companions to watch his back, just for a few moments. He rolled back to his feet, dashed and skidded to Diavel's side, and yanked out a healing potion. "What the hell were you thinking?!" he demanded, none-to-gently forcing the potion to the knight's mouth, even as chaos grew among the other players. "Even if that had been a tulwar, the risk—!"

Diavel gulped down the potion, coughed, and looked up with a weak, sheepish smile. "You have to ask?" he said hoarsely; only then did Kirito notice a wireframe gash in his throat, which seemed to have triggered a voice debuff. "You had a rep in the beta, you know. The LA bonus…."

So he'd found the man behind Kibaou's odd interest. Kirito wished it had been someone, anyone else. "It was still stupid," he said fiercely, ignoring that for now. "It nearly killed you."

"Thought I knew tulwar skills well enough." Diavel shrugged his good shoulder. "Guess we'll never know. Kirito…." He reached up with his remaining hand, gripped Kirito's arm. "You know Limb Loss. Be an hour before I can fight again. Can't shout with this debuff—and it looks like you know katana-type skills. Please…."

Kirito's blood ran cold. The man couldn't possibly be asking him what it sounded like. Looking around, he could see sheer pandemonium, players trying desperately to run for the doors, heal, or just deny reality. Only the Shinsengumi swordsman and the gleeful girl seemed at all effective, finishing off the last of the Ruin Kobold Sentinels. And soon enough, Illfang would recover from its own Limb Loss well enough to fight.

"What do you expect me to do?" he hissed. "The raid's broken—"

Diavel's grip tightened. "You can't let it end like this, Kirito. We have to win. We… might not get another chance…."

There was a shadow, sudden and terrifying. Kirito whirled, swinging his sword up, knowing Illfang's attack would come too soon.

Darkness struck, once, twice, three times, a deadly spin with a glowing saber. Illfang stumbled, caught in the backlash of an interrupted skill. Kizmel snarled, bashing it with her shield, before forcing it back another step with a vicious thrust. "I will not allow it!"

She was still fighting. As an entire raid group of human players panicked, as Kirito felt the terror of being asked to take responsibility, an NPC held the line. Illfang retaliated, scoring a glancing blow that still knocked off ten percent of her health, and she held the line.

"Kirito. Win."

Kirito took a deep, shuddering breath. Took one last look at the panicking, disorganized raid, and opened his mouth. He didn't know what he was going to say, didn't know what he could say, to bring order back, but—

Crack-boom!

The sound of a second gunshot, so alien to a battle of swords, drew even the most panicked eyes to the source. To the sight of Asuna, pointing Diavel's pistol at the sky, barrel smoking. She'd thrown back her hood, letting chestnut hair billow free.

Hair gleaming in the light of midday sun filtered through the golden Skywall, Asuna's brown eyes were still and calm, her face cool and collected. A stern, confident warrior, whose gaze refused all doubt or fear.

…She's beautiful….

"This battle isn't over!" Asuna called out, strong and steady. "We can still win this! We will win this!" She strode to Kirito, still kneeling over Diavel; at the same time, Kizmel skidded back to join them, driven by the recoil of clashing Sword Skills. "We have a responsibility, for the hopes and future of every Swordmaster! Now get a hold of yourselves, all of you! Fight!"

In a moment of crisis, humans rallied to a strong center. Panicked players pulled themselves together, people trying to flee began to drift back toward the fight. Slowly, surely, a core began to form again.

Kirito wanted to cry. If only she'd been there, six years ago….

Even as Illfang began to recover from the skill rebound, Asuna thrust the pistol into her belt, and placed a hand on the elven knight's shoulder. "Kizmel and I will lead the next attack! Kirito-kun—you know the pattern. Just give the word."

Asuna trusted him. People were waiting for the next word, a word that would make or break the entire raid. A raid which, itself, could determine the future of seventeen thousand lives. Diavel, the man who'd brought them to this point, was asking him.

Cold fear filled his veins, at the responsibility facing him. Illfang was roaring, charging again, and he couldn't even see to predict the attack and give warning. He was going to fail, just like back then—

"Seiyaa!" A flat thrust rammed under Illfang's ribs, from an unerring katana. With a gleeful laugh, a Sonic Leap crashed into Illfang's back, buying a few more precious seconds with its stumble.

"Kirito." The voice was soft, so soft he almost thought he was imaging it. "If there's something you want to say, now is the time to do it. While you still can. Your ability to do so makes you very fortunate…."

Kirito looked up into Kizmel's eyes, at the smile she was giving him. She trusts me. I know she's an NPC, but… I didn't think they were real, either….

He looked up at his companions. Around at the tense, waiting faces. Down at Diavel, and the self-styled knight's firm nod.

Kirito stood. "All right," he heard himself say. "Let's finish this boss, and break through. Teams B, D, F, you're up first. Just remember not to surround it, and when pay attention. There's a trick to canceling skills…."

Asuna could only assume that the loss of part of its tail was the reason Illfang had been so easily held off, in the time it took to put the raid back together. That, or the panic hadn't lasted nearly as long as it had seemed. Or maybe both. Either way….

The Kobold Lord was no longer slowed and stumbling. Now its nodachi was striking lightning-quick, somehow faster than its axe had been and taking full advantage of its reach. Illfang's footwork was just as quick, and it was all the forward teams could do to keep up with it. Even as Asuna rushed in, Kizmel at her side, the nodachi was flaring with crimson light as Illfang drew it back toward its shoulder.

"Team B, use upward skills, now!"

Illfang's sword raced straight out in a flat thrust—and was met with two Uppercuts and an axeman's Whirlwind. The rebound from colliding skills knocked all three players to the floor, but the remaining three were given a free opening to pummel it with spear thrusts, an axe chop, and a Vertical.

The boss was quicker to recover than it had been before, even as Sword Skills tore into its stomach. Snarling, it whirled back on one clawed foot, its nodachi spinning right along with it. The new attack started with the blade near the floor, edge turned toward the ceiling—

"Downward!"

Asuna thought that command might've been obvious, but with a still-brittle raid, it might not've been. Either way, a pair of two-handed sword-wielders from Team D brought their heavy blades down in simultaneous Avalanches, short-stopping what she was pretty sure would've been a launcher skill. Though the backlash still sent both of them flying back, it was with much less damage than a successful attack would've caused.

It also finally gave her and Kizmel an opening, and with twin shouts a Linear and a Rage Spike buried into Illfang's side. Still barely scratching the huge kobold's final lifebar, but every scratch was still that much closer to victory.

It was still hard. A moment's inattention would still get someone killed. Just a tiny opening had let Illfang dismember Diavel and follow up by completely disorganizing the raid. But we've regrouped—and with Kirito-kun calling out the shots, we can outmaneuver it!

It was kind of funny, really. Asuna could see perfectly well that Kirito was scared out of his wits, but she doubted anyone else could. He knew what he was doing, and in that moment even Kibaou was obeying his orders without a second thought.

Though if Diavel-san had been paying attention, Kirito-kun wouldn't be in this position….

She forced the thought away, for now. Diavel's feet of clay could wait. Even with Kirito's directions, some of Illfang's attacks were still coming through, and when another half-circle Phantom Moon threw Team F back, it was up to her and Kizmel to fill the gap until Team A could move in.

A month of working together with the elven knight was paying off, at least. Asuna didn't even have to look to know Kizmel was going to deflect Illfang's nascent Scarlet Fan with the diagonal backhand of a Rising Shadow. Just as she knew the elf girl would position herself just right for a Linear to angle up into Illfang's chestplate.

Sooner or later, I need to learn to mix things up a little. But right now, why mess with what works?

Her growing confidence, boosted when Team A charged in to take advantage of her strike to drive Illfang further away, took a sudden hit just an instant later. With the Kobold Lord pushed aside, she found herself very abruptly facing a pair of Ruin Kobold Sentinels—while she and Kizmel were both still gripped by post-motion.

Before Asuna could feel more than a spike of adrenaline, one of the Sentinels was suddenly tackled out of the way by a Sonic Leap. "I got this, sister!" Team G's girl called, already rolling away with a bloodthirsty grin.

The tip of a katana emerged from the other Sentinel's chest in almost the same moment. "Leave the small ones to us," the Shinsengumi swordsman told her, coolly withdrawing his blade and spinning around between the kobold and the fencer. "My skills are ill-suited to the boss, in any case."

Asuna nodded. She hadn't seen the man use even a single Sword Skill, and from the look of it basic swordplay just wasn't going to cut it against something as big as Illfang. "Thank you, um…."

"Tengu. Call me Tengu. The girl is Pitohui." Face still hidden by his mask, Tengu gave her a nod, then turned to focus his full attention on the Sentinel trying to bash his head in with a rock. "Go."

"He's very skilled," Kizmel remarked, as the two of them hurried off to rejoin the assault on Illfang. "Though I find that girl—Pitohui?—somewhat… unsettling."

"Yeah. Me, too." While Asuna hadn't quite panicked—yet—in this battle, she'd hardly say she was enjoying it. Pitohui's sheer enthusiasm was bizarre. "Right now, though, I'll take that over panic. I think…."

Not that there was time to dwell on it. Kirito's orders were keeping the battle organized, and away from the still-limbless Diavel. Her job, and Kizmel's, was to help keep things that way. If they lost the battle, the players counting on them would be demoralized, maybe fatally.

If anyone dies while Kirito-kun's giving orders, he might break.

Asuna didn't know how long the battle went on from there. Time was measured in skills—nodachi skills countered, skills from half a dozen player weapons connecting in a dazzling kaleidoscope. It was measured in the moment Illfang broke free to leap high in the air, spin head over tail, and bring down its sword in a blow so heavy Kirito's only order was to run. Measured by the long, loping steps it took later, running to the far end of the boss room to gain distance, while four teams chased after it.

It seemed to take longer to whittle down the last lifebar than it had the first three. As she drove a leaping Linear into Illfang's jaw, Asuna had to wonder if it had some kind of defense buff to go with the change of weaponry. Flying back a moment later from a clawed roundhouse kick, a furious Kizmel rushing in to try and hack off the offending leg, she considered the possibility that her time sense had simply failed her completely.

Finally, though… finally, it was down to the last five percent. Victory was in sight, and nothing like Diavel's near-death had happened again.

Asuna supposed she should've expected people to get sloppy, then. Not that it was entirely the fault of the player teams. They were just switching places, one set moving in so the other could fall back to heal, when Illfang suddenly jumped again—and landed right between the two teams.

Leaving them surrounding it.

Asuna had just started another run-up for a Linear. She just barely had time to realize how bad it was going to be, to hear Kirito give a desperate shout, before Illfang's Revolving Wheel flashed out again. Teams A through E were flung away and scattered, Kizmel was flung back into her, and all she could see was a tangle of limbs and merciless stone.

When the world stopped spinning, she couldn't move, gripped as she was by Tumble status. She could only hear Illfang's snarl, and the high-pitched keening of another Sword Skill charging up.

Somewhere closer, there was a roar, and the flash of another sword lighting up.

Normally, one player couldn't possibly fend off a Barrier Guardian. Couldn't even hope to stagger it. Even when Illfang had still been off-balance from Limb Loss, it had taken two people at a time to sort of keep it away. One? Simply wasn't possible.

Except right now.

When Illfang launched itself into the air, preparing to come down in a Flying Crane to finish off the players it had scattered, Kirito launched his grapnel at it, screaming a wordless battle cry, Anneal Blade held over his shoulder. Because midair, Illfang's strength and size meant nothing against pure physics and momentum. Gripped by the automatic movement of a Sword Skill, it was as helpless to change course as anyone else.

Before the first strike of the Flying Crane could come out enough to hit, Kirito's grapnel slammed home in Illfang's back. It pulled him in, his Sonic Leap coming down on Illfang's shoulder, backed by System Assist and pure mass times acceleration, faithfully rendered by SAO's physics engine. The giant kobold's snarl changed to a yelp, and it was driven straight down into the floor.

The impact was enough to stun even a Barrier Guardian. Not long enough for Kirito to properly capitalize on it, not recovering as he was from his own landing—but long enough for Asuna and Kizmel, somehow already back on their feet, to charge in.

A month fighting together paid off. Asuna's rapier drove a Linear into the prone boss' thick flank, piercing deep into its flesh; a calculated half-second later, Kizmel's saber ripped a Rising Shadow's backhand through almost the same spot. Another second after that, and Kirito dragged a Slant down through a leg.

Illfang snapped back upright, snarling, but they'd timed their attacks carefully. Asuna was ready again, yet another Linear blazing in to shove it back a step. Kizmel leapt to slash a midair Reaver across its snout, making it squeal and blink.

That deadly nodachi came flashing out then, trying to throw them away with a Phantom Moon. Kirito's Slant caught it before it could strike home, bouncing them both back.

The deadly dance couldn't have lasted more than fifteen, twenty seconds. But for that time, Asuna's rapier stabbed, Kizmel's saber slashed and thrust, and Kirito's Anneal Blade cut off three different nodachi skills stillborn. One percent drained away from that last lifebar. Then two.

Kirito had studied katana skills extensively, the last few days of the beta test. They'd killed him enough times, after all, in the last dungeon he'd reached. But they had been in only that last dungeon, in the last three days of the beta test. His memory wasn't perfect.

The moment his reflexes thought Illfang was starting a Scarlet Fan's first strike, only to be a Phantom Moon's half-circle, was almost the end.

He and his companions were thrown back, sudden and hard, bleeding red particle sprays and losing HP fast. They landed in a tangle of limbs, and even as a part of Kirito's mind realized Asuna would never forgive where his left hand had ended up, he knew there was no chance they'd get untangled before Illfang's next attack.

Looking up past Kizmel's chest, he saw Illfang's teeth bared in a malicious canine grin. Saw it wind up for a Scarlet Fan, this time for certain. Knew that at the rate his and his companions' HP was dropping, none of them would survive the full three hits.

The nodachi flashed out—

A deep boom filled the air, as an axe whirled in a glowing blue wheel and intercepted the skill. The axeman was tossed back, skidding on his heels, but the lancer and two-handed swordsman with him rushed past, hitting Illfang with a Straight Thrust and an Avalanche.

Recovering his footing, Agil flashed a grin. "Hey, you guys! Can't let you have all the fun. Heal up, we'll hold 'im off!"

"Thanks!"

First order of business, as Team G pressed the attack, was to get his hands and face out of where they were. Then, along with a faintly blushing Asuna and a perfectly calm Kizmel, Kirito hurried to down a potion. He wasn't in the red, none of them quite were, but it was a near thing.

Somehow, it's still not as frightening as the responsibility. He stared at the lifebars hanging in the upper-left of his vision, willing them to go up faster, faster. I can't let anyone die. I can't screw this up!

Near the doors, he could see Diavel still lying there, three of his limbs still gone. He was alive, and his HP had long since gone back to the blue, but in his state he was still helpless. Worse, the debuff that had nearly cut off his voice seemed to have knocked him out, or at least disabled his avatar. He hadn't done more than breathe since Kirito took over command of the raid.

"Kirito-kun!"

Asuna's shout dragged his attention back to the battle—just in time to see one more Phantom Moon scatter Team G again. Their HP was still high enough, they weren't in any danger, but they were out of the fight for a few precious seconds.

And Illfang, Kirito realized with a sudden chill, was apparently set to prioritize injured players.

Illfang was already running. Kirito was back on his feet before he could even think, uncaring that his own HP was still recovering. "Let's go!" he shouted to his companions, already knowing the answers he'd get.

"Right behind you!"

"But of course!"

It was a race, to reach the Lord of the Kobolds before the monster could finish off Diavel. The other teams were back in the fight, but on the wrong side of the room; they'd never make it in time. It was up to Team H, the team assigned to the "scraps".

Asuna was first, shouting wordlessly, rapier blurring into one last Linear. The meteoric skill caught Illfang in the side, slowing it; Kizmel's bodily charge, smashing her shield into its gut, made it stumble. Then Kirito was there, leaping right onto that shield, sword glowing deep red. "It's over!"

The Anneal Blade slammed down into Illfang's left shoulder, carving deep into its chest, down to the top of its stomach. Even as it roared its last defiance, the sword twisted, and ripped back up through the right shoulder, the Vertical Arc leaving a deep, red "V".

Silence, for a long moment, even the monster's last howl stilled. No motion, except the drifting red polygons from the wound.

Then there was a great crack of shattering glass, and Illfang the Kobold Lord broke into thousands of azure shards.

Is it… over…?

[Congratulations!]

Between that huge notice floating in the middle of the boss room, and the accompanying musical fanfare, Kirito barely noticed the smaller pop-up telling him his rewards. He was distracted by the sudden burst of cheers and back-slapping among the players, Asuna's wide, bright-eyed smile, and Kizmel's formal salute.

All of that, and the realization that, against all odds, they'd survived. A full-on Barrier Guardian battle, and every single player had lived through it.

"We won," Asuna whispered. "We really won." She glanced over at Diavel. "Will he be okay?"

"Limb Loss wears off in about an hour," Kirito assured her. Raising his hand, he exchanged a quick high-five with the fencer, along with a tired smile. "I don't know what the other debuff is, but it's not killing him… maybe he's just exhausted." He knew he was. Avatars didn't get fatigue, exactly, but the mental effort was catching up with him.

"Like as not. My own people are still learning exactly how deeply this world affects the mind." Kizmel was smiling, barely visible beneath her hood. "Regardless. We will live to find out. Good work, Kirito, Asuna." She hesitated a moment, then lifted her hand, much as Kirito had done moments before.

"We couldn't have done it without you," he told her sincerely, slapping her hand in turn. "You might be what made the difference, compared to how things went back in the beta test."

She chuckled. "You flatter me."

"Nah, I think he's got it right." Agil sauntered over, axe resting on his shoulder. "The three of you? Kept this whole crazy thing together. Me, I thought we were done for, when Diavel got chopped up. If you three hadn't gotten our freaked-out carcasses moving again…." He shook his head, grinning. "This victory's yours. Congratulations."

Another time, he might've found it interesting that the last word was in perfect English, when Agil otherwise spoke in just as perfect Japanese. As it was, Kirito shifted uncomfortably. "If it weren't for them, I wouldn't have—"

CRASH!

There was absolutely no warning. Just the high-pitched sound of the Skywall Tower's transparent roof shattering to pieces, sending players scattering in all directions. Kirito whipped around, instinctively bringing up his Anneal Blade again, trying to find the source—and froze, almost dropping his sword.

A great dragon, like something out of a Western legend, landed its taloned feet on the stone floor with an ear-splitting screech. Its deep blue scales were covered in places by plates of armor strapped over its hide, making it plain this was no feral beast.

The mere sight of it made Kirito's knees buckle. He knew exactly what the dragon was, even six years on. He knew what had just appeared before the raid group. No. Not here. Now now. We can't handle this so soon! We have to run—!

"Swordmasters!" rang out a voice, clear and pure as a crystal bell. "Remain where you are. Raise a weapon against me, and I will be forced to respond in kind."

Then the rider dropped lightly to the floor, coming into plain view, and every muscle in Kirito's virtual body froze stiff from pure shock. A tall woman, wearing blue-trimmed gold armor over blue cloth, with a matching blue cape. Deep blue eyes, examining the scene with cold dispassion. Blonde hair, tied in a long braid reaching all the way down her back.

The armor of the knights he feared the most. A face he still saw in his nightmares, even after all these years.

"…Alice…?"

Kizmel had no idea why Kirito, summoned warrior from another world, reacted so strongly to the enemy that now appeared before them. She had no idea the significance of the name he'd just uttered. But she did not blame him at all for his sudden fear. No, if anything, she felt the same urge to flee she could see in his eyes.

An Integrity Knight. Here. Why…?

"What the hell is this?!"

Kibaou was the first Swordmaster to react, brandishing his sword with belligerence to match his words. Only then did Kizmel realize, to her horror, that most of the humans around her had no idea what had just come onto the scene.

There was no time to try and warn the rude Swordmaster, even were he inclined to listen. The Integrity Knight turned her cold gaze on him, and took two measured steps away from her dragon. "Keep a civil tongue, Swordmaster," she said. "Or be prepared to lose it."

"Is this another boss?" Asuna whispered, edging closer to the frozen Kirito. "…Kirito-kun? What's going on…?"

"Don't move," Kizmel hissed, when the youth made no reply. "We're in greater danger than you know."

"I am Alice Synthesis Thirty, an Integrity Knight," the armored woman proclaimed then, raising her chin to look over the raid group. "Your actions here have drawn the eye of the Highest Administrator." Another step. "Be glad I've not been sent here to punish you all for this. Only one among you has committed a sin grave enough to merit intervention."

With a start, Kizmel realized the Integrity Knight—Alice—had landed close to the fallen Diavel. And that, in the chaos of Illfang's final moments, not a single Swordmaster had remained to guard him.

She wasn't the only one to notice. "Stay away from Diavel-han!" Kibaou snarled, stepping toward her. "Get any closer, an' I'll—!"

Alice's gaze locked on him again, turning from dispassion to a fierce glare. "Do not presume to command me, knave," she said sharply. "Be silent. I won't warn you again."

Her dragon added a roar, clearly a warning of its own, as she stalked over to Diavel. The saner Swordmasters, like Asuna and Agil, flinched from the sound—recognizing, Kizmel hoped, that the Knight was by no means the only threat. Kirito certainly did, knees suddenly giving way.

"I said, stay the hell away from him!"

Kibaou's snarl roused the rest of his team, and to Kizmel's horror they rushed forward, yelling and readying their weapons to unleash skills. "Stop!" she screamed, uncaring then if her own nature was revealed. "You can't defeat her, don't even try!"

Alice was only a step away from Diavel, when six Swordmasters set upon her. Too far away for her dragon to intervene with anything short of the fire breath Kizmel knew it possessed, which would have harmed her as well.

It didn't matter. Her eyes only narrowed, and her hand flashed to the golden hilt hanging at her left hip. There was a blur of motion, almost too fast for elven eyes to see. A streak of golden light, flashing in a wide arc.

Enraged battle cries turned to frightened screams, as one blow flung Kibaou and his cohorts away in sprays of red, their lifebars draining fast. To a man, they hit the floor hard, rolling so far Kibaou himself almost tumbled out through the shattered wall before he came to a stop.

In the space of a moment, their lifebars had turned a deep, warning red.

"Hmph." Alice slid her golden sword away, and eyed the fallen with disdain—tempered by a faint respect, Kizmel thought. "Though I held back, I honestly expected that to kill you all. You're made of sterner stuff than I supposed." She turned away, cape fluttering in the breeze allowed in by the broken walls. "Don't test me again. I have your measure now."

To Kizmel's relief, none of the other Swordmasters seemed inclined to make another try. Not even when Alice picked up Diavel's dismembered body and slung him over her shoulder. Most only cowered; only Agil and Tengu moved to help Kibaou's team.

Though the gleam in Pitohui's eye, as the girl watched the Integrity Knight, gave Kizmel considerable pause.

She wanted to stop Alice herself. It went against every fiber of her knight's soul to allow a minion of the Axiom Church to take away a comrade, even a human. But alone—even with Asuna, or Kirito—I could hope for nothing but an "honorable" death. And my duty is too important to throw away my life, even for this.

So Kizmel stayed her hand, and only watched as Alice walked back to her dragon, carrying Diavel like a sack. Watched, and promised herself that when the Swordmasters had grown into the power Kayaba Akihiko had promised, there would be a reckoning.

"Why?"

The voice startled Kizmel, and drew Alice up short. The Integrity Knight paused, one step away from her dragon's saddle, and turned back to look. "What?"

Kirito, back on his feet, squared his shoulders. "Why are you doing this?" he said, voice harsh and grating. "What's Diavel done that we haven't? We killed one of the Barrier Guardians! We're one step away from bringing down the first Skywall! Why single him out?" He stepped toward her, hands clenching—to hide their trembling, Kizmel thought. "I haven't seen any sign of the Senate, either. If he's broken a taboo, why haven't they responded?"

What?

Alice turned to face him fully, free hand near—but not on—the hilt of her golden sword. "The Swordmasters are beyond the Senate's power," she said, watching him carefully. "And this Swordmaster reached a place no one is permitted to touch. The rest of you will doubtless be dealt with one day, if your rebellion continues, but Her Excellency is willing to be patient with you. Diavel's crime is beyond that."

Kizmel frowned, confusion edging past her fear. Puzzling as the Integrity Knight's vague statement was, odder still was the fact that Kirito's face tightened, as if he knew exactly of what the woman spoke.

"So, history repeats, huh? …And I'm just as helpless this time." Taking a long, deep breath, Kirito closed his eyes. When they opened, he fixed Alice with a hard stare. "This isn't over. Someday, we'll come for him. We'll take Diavel back, even if we have to go through every Integrity Knight to do it."

"He's right!" Asuna declared, stepping up to his right. Leveling a defiant stare at the Integrity Knight, she continued, "We've already struck the first blow today. This won't be the last."

Audacious. Kizmel might've called it foolhardy—she was sure most of her fellow Pagoda Knights would've called the pair of them insane. But Kirito seems to know what he's doing. I will not let the two of them take this risk alone. Boldly, she moved to Kirito's left, mirroring Asuna. "You may find, Dame Alice, that this rebellion is not such a simple matter to crush," she said, with a calm confidence she didn't quite feel. "The Swordmasters are not your only foes."

And now to see if the bluff stands, a corner of her mind thought, bleakly amused. Truthfully, none of us have the strength to stop her now….

But instead of drawing her sword, as Kizmel expected, Alice ignored elf and fencer alike, and looked Kirito over, head to toe. "…Who are you?"

"You don't know?"

A hard-edged question—yet Kizmel thought there was pain buried in the words.

"The Swordmasters have been here a bare month," Alice said, shaking her head. "How would I know one of you from another so soon?"

"Heh. Guess so." Kirito raised his right hand, invoking the Swordmasters' Mystic Scribing. A few short gestures, and suddenly his gray jacket was gone, replaced by a long, black leather coat. "I'm Kirito. The one who's going to take you, one day."

"…Kirito…." Alice said slowly. Just as slowly, she nodded. "I'll remember that name, Swordmaster. You will wish I did not."

She swung herself up on her dragon, then, Diavel still slung across her shoulders. A shouted command, and the beast turned to the shattered wall, took two quick steps, and flung itself into the sky. Wings beating against the air, the dragon flew up to the now-flickering light of the Skywall, and was gone.

Kirito collapsed to one knee, head bowed.

Asuna felt like following her partner to the stone floor, and if she'd gotten any measure yet of Kizmel, the elf girl wasn't much better off. I have no idea what just happened, but I think we just dodged a bullet.

Kirito had made several offhand comments about Integrity Knights before. Never any detail, but enough for Asuna to know that one showing up here and now could've killed them. If she'd had any doubt of that, the way "Alice" had so casually swatted Kibaou's entire team away certainly chased it away.

And it's not fair. Not now! She stared out the shattered walls, at the Skywall through which the dragon had already disappeared. We beat the boss, and we didn't lose anyone, and then some crazy boss from way later shows up and kidnaps Diavel?! That's not how this was supposed to go!

Only Asuna was pretty sure that it was even worse than that. Her partner had recognized the Integrity Knight. There was a lot more going on than she could see, and he had some explaining to do.

Later. When he didn't look like he was going to collapse. "Kirito-kun?" she said, bending to lay a hand on his shoulder. "Are you—?"

"Why?!"

The shout—almost a scream—made Asuna flinch, and she and Kizmel both turned to look at the source. Kibaou, it was, himself on his knees, face twisted in anguish and fury.

"Look at me!" the man demanded, shoving himself to his feet. "Answer me, dammit! Why the hell'd ya let her take Diavel-han?!" He took a step forward, fists clenched. "And what the hell's she gonna do with him?! C'mon, ya damn beta, say something!"

"Hey, now, Kibaou!" At the other side of the boss room, Agil heaved himself upright, propping himself up on the haft of his axe. "In case you didn't notice, your team got blasted half to death when you tried it. What the hell do you think one guy was gonna do against that?"

For a second, that seemed to bring Kibaou up short, and Asuna let out a breath of relief. The rude player had a temper and a grudge, but it looked like he wasn't completely unreasonable. Which was good, because if her experience at school had taught her anything, it was how to see social blood in the water. Push too hard, after what just happened, and—

"Like Kibaou said, he's a beta!" another player shouted—screeched, really. Asuna couldn't quite see his face, half-hidden behind Kibaou, but she didn't think she'd seen him before the raid. "All that stuff he knew when the boss switched weapons, what he said to the other boss—he could've stopped Diavel from getting hurt in the first place!"

Asuna opened her mouth to make a quick, angry response. Kizmel beat her to it, stepping between Kirito and the other players, cloak swaying in the wind from the broken windows. "What, exactly, are you insinuating?" the elf girl said coldly, eyes narrow in the depths of her hood.

"What do you think, lady?!" the screechy player demanded. "He let Diavel take that hit, he got the damn Last Attack bonus—of course he'd let Diavel get kidnapped! He wants all the good stuff, just like Kibaou's been saying!"

"What?!" Asuna demanded, taken aback. Kirito had done everything he could to stop the hit that had almost killed Diavel. If it hadn't been for Kirito's grapnel, the raid leader would have died. "You can't possibly be serious—!"

But there was a murmur starting, in the shell-shocked raid. They'd all just barely survived the first boss fight of the game, only to have something they knew nothing about suddenly appear and snatch away their leader. They were scared—and Asuna knew all too well what scared people were like.

"Yeah, how did he know all that?"

"Even the Rat's guide didn't have half of that, and nobody said anything about 'Integrity Knights' or whatever!"

"…Didn't even look scared when she showed up—"

This is just like launch day, she thought, chilled. Only worse. We just won a fight, and then that happened, and right now we're all trapped here….

She shot a quick glance at Kizmel, getting a subtle nod in return. If this kept up, they'd grab Kirito and—well, she wasn't sure what. But they'd get him out, and figure out the next step from there.

"Now hold on a damn minute!" Agil roared. "What the hell do you think he could've done against that?! Beta, hell, he's hurt as bad as the rest of us!"

"And that other boss talked to him!" the screechy player shot back. "You think he didn't know a way out of this?!" He started to push forward, gesticulating wildly. "Like those guides from Argo! The betas, they're just out for themselves, and now we've got proof!"

It was crazy. But witch hunts always were, and now Asuna felt a spike of fear for the information broker. She didn't know her very well, and the girl was a troll, but she was honest. And if a mob decided beta testers in general were at fault—were the enemy—

A laugh cut through Agil's angry, incredulous retort. High, echoing in the shattered boss room—and mocking. A laugh that shut down the yelling and the muttering in an instant, and made Asuna's hair stand on end.

Kirito rose to his feet, still laughing, and turned to face the rest of the raid. New coat billowing in the wind from the shattered walls, he stepped past Asuna and Kizmel, boots ringing loudly on the stone. His laughter trailed off, leaving a wide, disturbing grin. "Oh, you guys don't get it at all, do you?" he called out, voice pitched to carry without quite shouting. "You think this was my fault? That the betas are somehow going to get super loot from gaming the system? Get real!"

"What?" Another player—Asuna thought he'd been in Diavel's own party—pushed forward, glaring at Kirito. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Weren't you paying attention? Diavel found something he shouldn't have." Kirito shrugged leather-clad shoulders, a casual, careless gesture. "Normally you'd never see an Integrity Knight this early, but on top of being bosses, they're Kayaba's moderators. When somebody finds a system exploit, they're sent in after. Which means us beta testers are the ones most in danger, not you noobs."

What?

"And y'know," Kirito continued, still grinning that unnerving grin, "we do know some good exploits. But now most of us can't use 'em, or… well, that." Another shrug, as he tossed a quick glance out the shattered walls. "I don't know what'll happen to Diavel now, the system can't just ban us, but… whatever it is, us betas will have to look over our shoulders from now on."

"Wait… just wait a second." The player from Diavel's team stared at Kirito, frown deepening. "If this is about exploits—then the betas really did do this to Diavel-san!"

"Oh, yeah, pretty much. Not Argo, though, she's never had the guts to dig into anything that might've gotten her banned. Nah, it would've been somebody more guts—but less brains." Kirito tsked. "Me, I learned back in the beta when to push, and when to get the hell out." His grin narrowed to a smug smile. "But you know what? A beta got Diavel into this—but you guys are why she got away with him."

Asuna shivered. She knew he was lying through his teeth, that for whatever reason he was putting up an act—but it was a good one. She almost bought it herself, and from the murmurs and glances among most of the raid, it was doing exactly what he wanted with most of them.

Which, with that last sentence, seemed to be to make some people really mad. "What the hell're you talking about?!" Kibaou demanded, fury back up to full steam. "We tried—!"

"Oh, sure, you did. It was dumb," Kirito added with a chuckle, "but you had the right idea." He swept out an arm, gesturing at the raid at large. "C'mon! She was only here for Diavel, sure, but after Kibaou attacked, you really think she wouldn't have aggroed?" He snorted. "Over forty people still here. Integrity Knights are powerful, but they're not invincible. If you cowards had gotten your act together, all gone for her at once, you think you couldn't have driven her off?"

An uneasy silence fell at that. Most of the raid didn't seem to know if they were being insulted or complimented—or both. Asuna only shivered, having a pretty good idea that Kirito would never have suggested such a thing during the event. No way we could've have taken her on. Not yet.

"…How the hell d'you know all that, anyway?" Kibaou demanded, fury warring with a wariness that Asuna hoped was a good sign.

"How else?" Kirito turned to point at the Skywall, still glimmering beyond the tower walls. "I got farther than anybody else, during the beta test. I fought clear to the Tenth Island, saw things nobody else did. Even ran into an Integrity Knight or two. And the truth is, you guys are better than just about any tester was. Of course you are," he added, smirking at the looks that claim got him. "Two thousand people, chosen at random, in the beta test? Most of them weren't hardcore gamers. You guys… you're the ones who know what you're doing. If you'd kept it together after the fight, you'd still have Diavel." He raised his hands in another shrug, and turned away. "Remember that name, Diavel. I will. And while you guys are figuring out if you're gamers or wimps, I'm going to do what I do best."

"Which is?" For the first time since Illfang's defeat, Tengu spoke up. Face unreadable behind his mask, the only hint to his feelings was a slight tilt of his head. "Where are you going?"

"Where else?" Kirito set off toward Illfang's throne at a calm, steady pace, coat billowing in his wake. "We unlock the Skywall in this room. It goes down when the first airship crosses the border. I'm going to go on ahead, farther and faster than anyone else. I'm going to beat this game, even if I have to do it myself."

Asuna shared a quick look with Kizmel, and then the two of them were following after. They matched his measured pace, cloaks swaying as dramatically as Kirito's longcoat. If the situation had been any less serious, she would've giggled; as it was, she did her best to keep up the act.

Diavel was right, after all, she thought, as the three of them mounted the low dais on which Illfang's throne stood. The players need a symbol. Now, more than ever.

Later, she was going to freak out about what had happened. Later, when there was time. Right then, Asuna only watched as Kirito sat in the too-large seat that had been Illfang's, and as Kizmel moved to stand by the left armrest. Doing her best to imitate the Knight's poise, she took a spot to the right.

Somehow, she wasn't surprised by the golden light that lanced up to the Skywall Tower's ceiling, the moment Kirito was settled into the throne. Just as she wasn't surprised when, with a low rumble of stone-on-stone, the throne and its dais began to sink into the floor.

Asuna wondered, as they began to descend, how many of the faces now sliding out of view she'd see again. Was this enough? Did we get the victory we needed?

And… what's really going on here?

It was a really, really good thing that the switch to unlock the Skywall was Illfang's throne. After everything, Kirito was pretty sure he wouldn't have been able to keep up his act any longer. Not without collapsing. I can't believe I just did that. Any of that.

…I am so going to have nightmares tonight.

"I must commend you, Kirito," Kizmel said, leaning against the throne's armrest. "That was quite the tale you wove for the other Swordmasters."

Her voice echoed in the shaft the throne descended; not surprising, considering the dais was big enough for an entire raid to ride down. The elf girl's wry comment, and subsequent chuckle, bounced off the walls in a way that only emphasized the emptiness that was three people in a space meant for almost fifty.

"Which is going to fall apart the minute they have a chance to think," Asuna pointed out, sitting on the opposite armrest with a shake of her head. "It better, anyway. I don't know half of what just happened, but I'm sure you were lying through your teeth about the raid being able to beat that Integrity Knight."

"I had to keep them believing," Kirito said wearily, slumping in the throne. His eyes were locked on the stone walls scrolling up as they descended the Skywall Tower, but he wasn't really seeing it. "The truth is, the raid really did go better than it ever did in the beta. If they just don't lose hope, we've got a real chance here."

In the beta, the raid against that first Barrier Guardian had wiped completely twice, and even the successful run had lost people. To defeat Illfang the Kobold Lord, after it had unexpectedly revealed a change in attack pattern, with no casualties? As far as he was concerned, it was an out-and-out miracle.

"The Swordmasters certainly exceeded my expectations today," Kizmel mused, lightly tapping her fingers on the throne. "…And when they inevitably do encounter an Integrity Knight again? I admire your courage standing up to her, Kirito, but you clearly know as well as I how badly that would have gone had she pressed the matter."

Oh, yeah. "I do," he admitted. "But one thing I wasn't lying about is that I don't think most players are going to be in danger any time soon. Eventually the Axiom Church will start sending them after players just clearing the Skywalls, but by then we should be strong enough to treat them as high-level bosses, not unwinnable ones."

"And how do you know that, exactly?" As the throne-turned-elevator began to slow, Asuna turned a hard look on him. Much as he wanted to look away from that amber stare, he found he couldn't. "Kirito-kun. You recognized her—and you expected her to recognize you. Why?"

With a dull thud, the throne and its dais came to a halt. A low groan of stone-on-stone, and the wall behind them opened up, leading out to the ground at the Skywall Tower's base.

Kirito could feel Asuna's impatience, and within her hood he could see Kizmel was waiting with a very un-NPC-like intensity herself. Even so, they gave him time, as they left Illfang's throne and walked out into the afternoon sun. The Skywall still glimmered above, but there was a sense of waiting, like the world itself was holding its breath.

I wonder how they're going to handle Liberator? With Diavel gone, they're going to have to pick a successor. Can't imagine that's going to be smooth. I said I'd go on ahead to goad them, but I'll be kind of surprised if we don't get our ship up and running first. We'd better, anyway, Captain Emlas must be getting pretty impatient by now….

"Kirito," Kizmel finally prompted, when they began to approach the tunnels leading away from the Tower. "Why are you so sure we'll not be pursued, as Sir Diavel was?"

"And what do you know about that Integrity Knight?" Asuna demanded, eyes narrow. "You told me, on launch day, no beta tester ever encountered one. But you knew her." She folded her arms. "Was she a member of the game's staff or something? A moderator working with Kayaba?"

Kirito sighed. Stopped in his tracks, and turned to look up at the golden wall above. As scary as it would be for Kayaba to have allies, I wish that was it. …At least then, maybe this would make some kind of sense. As it is… this shouldn't be possible. She can't be here….

"I think I know what Diavel found," he said finally, remembering a dark cave, a pale face, and years worth of nightmares. "And no. In the beta test, even I never actually met an Integrity Knight.

"But six years ago, she wasn't an Integrity Knight." He shivered, thinking back to the cold blue eyes he'd face not so long before, so different from the warmth he remembered. "Six years ago, she was still Alice Zuberg, of Rulid Village. …My friend."

Author's Note:

So, yeah. I expected to have this up over a month ago. Long story, not least of which being a switch to a new computer (thankfully under controlled conditions, this time), but mostly relating to a health problem I'm currently dealing with. Doesn't seem to be too serious, but it's made writing difficult at best, so… yeah. On top of being late, this was supposed to have a bit more polish in a couple scenes, but after everything I decided "good enough". Might touch it up later, but I really wanted this up, finally. I hope it doesn't suffer too badly as a result.

Not too much to remark on here—as far as I can recall—but I will note a couple things. First, this was originally intended to go clear to the launch of Team Kirito's airship. I could still have gotten it that far, if I'd cut a couple of scenes, but in the end I decided it wouldn't be a good idea. The scenes leading up to that will have a very different tone from where I did end it, which I think would've just been too much Mood Whiplash. (A pity, since I really wanted the launch sequence to be an end-of-chapter event, but eh. Needs must.)

That being said, next chapter will be bringing in airships in earnest. I have plans for the opening of Aincrad's skies. Speaking of which, I did try to do research on ship classifications, but considering how wildly definitions seem to have varied in the Age of Sail—and really, even in modern times—I finally decided it was simply more practical to invent a classification system specific to Aincrad. …Kind of a work in progress, I admit.

Ah. One error I should remark on: only in the final proofread pass did I realize adding Kizmel to Kirito and Asuna's party while leaving the total raid size the same as in canon meant another party was short one. Considering that addressing that will require edits to the previous chapter as well, I've decided to fix that one at a later date. But it will be fixed.

Well… I think that about covers things here. This marks the point where the story's real twists start to kick in, and I hope they were enjoyable. I make no promises, especially under the circumstances for the next update; I do need to write a particularly pivotal event in Monochrome Duet, after all. But if I have anything to say about it, I won't leave this hanging too long. I know I just dropped some major bombshells, and I want to follow them up as soon as possible.

Until the next chapter, lemme know if this was worth the wait, or if I completely bungled it (or whatever in between). 'Til next time, comrades. -Solid