Although there were seven casualties, we were still overjoyed that the boss battle was successfully completed, and screams could not be heard. In Origins, there are ten players but they are not monsters. While everyone was scared, we shouted out the names of the entities that took the lives of 10 players.
"[Smiling Coffin Wood Luffin Coffin]!!"
\"Smiling Coffin Laffen Coffin\". A terrifying murderous guild composed only of red players suddenly appeared in Aincrad.
Almost all of them wear black cloaks and bandit-like long things, and use brutal weapons designed to cause abnormal conditions. They are a group of madmen who are said to be more terrifying than monsters and take pleasure in committing crimes with all their strength. Crime and violence, and targeting players first.
"puff!!"
The leader in front of him was a tall man, wearing a tattered black poncho and black pants, brandishing a dagger that looked like a Chinese knife. His name was Vasak Casals pooh.
Skilled in kidnapping, kidnapping, and brainwashing various players, allowing them to feel pleasure in committing crimes such as murder and robbery. Their genius abilities allow them to become red players, villains who specialize in killing and have supernatural powers.
In fact, he would be punished so outrageously that if caught, he would certainly face the death penalty. Like his followers, the skull-masked Estok user Zaza and the poison dagger user Johnny Black stood nearby with a smirk. Like Vasak Casals, they are also red players.
"Hello everyone, everyone in the arrest team, how are you doing lately?"
"Vashak Casals provoked me with mixed words in English." Those who were exhausted after the boss battle immediately trembled and re-armed their weapons, but due to the fatigue of the boss battle, they could no longer act as usual. Hold the weapon firmly. However, only Asuna and Diabell were not so tired. They raised their swords and one-handed swords, pointing at Johnny and Zaza.
"What on earth are you here for!?"
"You've come this far, do you still want to kill me!?"
It was Vasak Casals who answered Diabel and Asuna's questions, not Johnny and Zaza.
"We are enjoying this world, so if you come here, we will be desperate to end it. If we leave you alone one more time, the world will literally end." That's why it's for us So troublesome.
"Indeed, our cleanup team continues to climb this castle to free all players from this world and return to their original reality." But among them, there are also people like us who regard this world as another world. A real world, not a game, and live it to the fullest and enjoy it. People enjoy, rejoice, and live as if they were in reality.
"But Vasak Casals are very different." They say they like the world, but they don't like the world, they just like crime. They don't think that life in this world is their life and they calmly commit murders, crimes and cruelty, saying that this is what happens in the game and if the player dies, it's Kayaba Akihiko's fault.
"So you want us dead?"
"that's right"
"Johnny answered my question and raised his poison dagger." It can be said that their characteristic is that they never lie about their actions. That's why they really want to kill us. More importantly, they came here cunningly and killed 10 people by surprise when our attack team was exhausted.
When the boss battle started, there were 50 players, but 7 people were lost in the previous battle, plus 10 people were lost in the sudden attack, leaving 33 players. On the other hand, the number of players of "Smiling Coffin" is about 15 including executives, but almost all of the "Smiling Coffin" players are at a strangely high level to be able to carry out criminal acts smoothly.
——It's like facing 15 monsters on level 70, and they can feel the pleasure of brutality more than the monsters around them, are smarter, and have expert weapon control.
The power of "Smiling Coffin" is so powerful that it makes me wonder why such a group is not a capture group. Even if you fight against 33 people, you will still be overwhelmed by 15 people due to the difference in ability and combat ability. What's more, anyone who shows up in the boss battle will be their opponent, so they can't win.
Sensing that Shino, Diabell, Asuna, Klein, Yuki, and Lilan were nearby, I found that the capture team had gathered near the exit of the boss room. They will probably not attack the player until Vassago Casals tells them to.
"Because they are orange players, they cannot enter the towns within the range." At the end of the stairs at the exit of the boss room is the city on the 61st floor, which is within the range. Possible means are——.
At the same time as Vassago Casals, I summed up the strategy in my mind and spoke.
"Yeah, calm down and stop attacking, it's show time!!"
"Everyone retreat!! Run to the cities within the range! They can't enter the range!!"
After Vasak Casals gave an order, the madman’s followers immediately raised their mouths, raised their weapons, and rushed towards our prey. At the same time as Vassago Casals, my order was passed to all 33 members of the cleanup team, and I ran up the stairs of the boss room to avoid the attacking natural enemies.
Of course, we were among them, running up the stairs with our guild leaders and friends. The stairs connecting the upper and lower floors usually feel very short, but now they feel very long, probably because of the crazy red players chasing after them.
While I was running and shouting "Hurry up, hurry up," over and over again, I heard a scream from behind, and I turned around involuntarily, sending shivers down my spine.
Three players from the Holy Dragon Alliance and the Blood Oath Knights were caught up by the madman, probably because their AGI had not improved much and they were not running fast. Their bodies were cut into polygonal pieces. it is. The death toll has now reached 20, but this number is 7 killed by monsters and 13 killed by madmen.
Seeing the same player killing more people than monsters, I felt anger and fear welling up in my heart, and my body trembled.
"Agu!!"
I heard a familiar sound and the sound of someone falling nearby, so I looked around.
——The appearance of Shino cannot be confirmed.
\"Shino!?\"
"When I turned around, I realized." A few meters away from us, I saw Shino lying down, probably because she tripped on the stairs and fell.
Looking behind them, one could see the lunatics of the "Smiling Coffin" waving their weapons like wild beasts approaching their prey, closing the distance to Shino in an instant. Soon, the madmen caught up with Shino and began targeting the poor prey.
\"Shinon————!!\"
I immediately kicked off the stairs and jumped between Shino and the lunatics. At this time, the madmen had widened their eyes, raised their weapons, and were ready to attack Sinon. Before the blade of the sword reached Shino and me, I activated my sword skill and swung my two-handed sword at the human-like beast.
"What the hell!!"
"Ending Revolver", a two-hit long-range sword skill, swings two swords to send shock waves around, destroying surrounding enemies.
At the same time as the explosion-like sound sounded, Shino and the madmen who were about to attack me were also hit by the shock wave, and their bodies were lifted into the air and flew to the bottom of the stairs. There are also madmen whose AGI has not improved much when charging, and they are unable to deal with the corpses of their friends that suddenly fly towards them. Most of the madmen are directly hit by their comrades and fall to the ground.
When I saw him rolling down the stairs like dominoes, I turned my body towards Shino who was lying down.
\"Kirito!\"
Hearing this voice, I realized that Sinon was still alive. I immediately sheathed my sword, picked up Sinon's body like a princess, and ran up the stairs. Others have arrived at the city entrance. Near the entrance, Diabell, Asuna, and Yuuki are waving, while Lilan is making preparations and waiting for us.
\"Hurry up! Kirito!\"
As if I responded to Klein's voice, I ran up the stairs and came to the five people. I jumped into the 61st floor city which is inaccessible to orange players and red players.
It had been a long time since I had exercised at full strength. Not far from the city entrance, I saw the players who were fighting the boss with us sitting like players who had finished a marathon. Over time, I became one of them.
I don't know when was the last time I ran so fast, or rather, I lost all my strength from running so hard, and I sat down with Shino in my arms, but in the end Asuna shouted to me. .
\"Kirito-kun, are you okay?\"
\"Oh, I don't know why. Is Shino okay?\"
Shino buried her face in my chest, hugged me with both hands, and replied in a low voice.
\"From the moment I fell and their swords flew toward me, the faces of you, Yui, Lilan, your mother, and Teacher Alice were all over my mind\"
Lilan, who had unknowingly shrunk, made a "voice" to Shino, who was about to cry at any moment.
\"That was neither Kirito, nor Yui, nor me, nor your mother, nor Alice. ——The God of Death. But it seems they failed to take Shino away.\"
Shino held my chest hard. As I gently stroked his shaking head, his strength softened little by little. While speaking, Klein let out these words, with a look of despair on his face.
"How many people died in the battle just now?"
"Part of what I just said is what I think."
"Twenty people died in the battle just now, seven of them were attacked by the kobold lords, and the remaining thirteen were all killed by <Ravkov the Smiling Coffin>."
Not only Diabell, Asuna, Yuki, Liran, and Klein who were very close to me, but also the twenty-five people who were listening to the story, all had expressions of surprise and despair, and whispered.
"Impossible, Impossible, the red player killed more people than the number of monsters killed!"
Diabel gritted his teeth, threw himself into the cobblestones with all his strength, and then expressed his anger.
"Oops, oops! It's not the time for players to fight yet, but why, why did such a thing happen!!"
"They make the mistake of enjoying this world. This world is no different from the real world. If people die, they will die in the real world. But they still feel like they are playing a game and saying they killed people. I think it doesn't matter even to the players Even if he died, they said they should blame Kayaba Akihiko, the one who locked us in the game."
"Yuki was in gym class and I sat down, shaking and muttering.
"If you die in this world, you will die in real life, then why are you doing this? It's not as safe as ALo, why, why, why"
"SAo is a game where you die after the game is over." This is what the news reported. Although this is something that all players who are locked up know, there are still red players who are willing to kill players and take pleasure in killing players. . Asuna put her hand on Yuuki's shoulder, and Yuuki shook her head in disbelief.
"Their presence should not be excused. The time has come for commanders to conduct covert operations."
Lilane turned to Asuna.
\"Heathcliff? The top secret operation he is planning
"Yes, that's right, Raylan."
Asuna put her hands on Yuuki and turned her face to Diabell.
\"Mr. Diabell, I have something to ask the leader of the Holy Dragon Alliance for help. Can you accompany me to the headquarters of the Blood Oath Knights?\"
Diabell and Klein both widened their eyes.
"I'm fine, but what's the problem?"
"What are you going to do at a time like this?"
Asuna said to the two of them with a serious face.
\"There is a possibility that I will ask them who are hiding here. I will discuss the details at the headquarters of the Bloodsworn Knights, so no matter what, please come to the headquarters.\"
The 'they' appearing in Asuna's story probably refers to the 'Smiling Coffin' just now. In the "Smiling Coffin", there are players who have completed the karma restoration mission and become green players. They are all hiding within the range and must not let down their guard. Diabelu and Klein seemed to realize this, their expressions changed and they stood up.
\"Okay, Miss Asuna. Although this is my first time meeting Commander Heathcliff, I want to go to the headquarters.\"
"I asked you to do the same."
Asuna lowered her head slightly to Diabell and Klein, stood up, but then turned her face to us.
\"I will contact Kirito-kun, Sinon and Lilan later. Please have a good rest first. There will definitely be a fierce battle next\"
After hearing Asuna's words, I felt like I already knew what was going to happen next. "Smiling Coffin" is not a perfect monster, but a wall that blocks the capture team. If it is not done well, it is an existence that will destroy the capture team. Being chased and grabbed by something like this is bad for your mental health and most importantly too dangerous. Asuna, no, Heathcliff
\"Also, are you talking about Yuki? I want you to come to our house too.\"
Yuuki turned to Asuna in surprise.
"Uh, me?"
"Yes, judging from the way you fought just now, I know you are a very talented person. I want you to come with us and look forward to your skills, but I don't know if this will be bad."
Yuuki's expression was a little uneasy. After a while, he raised his head and nodded to Asuna.
"Okay. If there's anything I can do I'll follow you."
Asuna said "Thank you" and lowered her head slightly, while Yuuki stood up and stood next to Asuna.
\"Then Kirito-san, I will contact you around tomorrow. Don't miss the message?\"
"Don't worry, news will be communicated immediately. I don't know what they will say, but we will be ready no matter what."
Asuna said "please", and Diabel and Klein ordered the people around them to return to their respective headquarters to rest. Afterwards, Asuna took Diabell, Klein, Yuuki and all the Bloodsworn Knights to the portal. I stared at her back, and not long after, Shino, who had her face buried in my chest, opened her mouth.
\"Kirito\"
"What"
"thanks for your help"
"Of course, you are my baby. Even if something happens tomorrow and we have to fight, I will give priority to protecting you."
Shino said nothing, but nodded. Immediately afterwards, Lilann made a "voice" with a somewhat uneasy expression.
'I'm getting more and more distraught. I have a feeling that something bad will happen tomorrow. "
"Do you feel a little uneasy in your heart?"
"I'm sorry. Even I have a bad feeling and uneasiness in my heart. But what is this? I don't want to fight tomorrow. That's how I feel.\"
Lilan's words were a little strange, and I tilted my head. Lelan has an unexpectedly bellicose personality, and when we told him a battle was about to happen, he would follow us and fight alongside us, but Lelan said he didn't want to fight, which was a bit surprising. Or rather, it made me curious.
“It’s unusual for you to say something like that.
Lilan shook her head.
\"You can't run away from a battle just because you have a bad premonition. If you die in that battle, Yui and I will be sad, and the other players will feel despair. Indeed, you may have a bad premonition about this, But I also let you fight.”
"Indeed, we will not die." Maybe you will be attacked and killed by a monster like the Smiling Coffin or a madman. However, if Lilan enters combat, he can fight any enemy to a draw, withstand Smiling Coffin's attacks, and most importantly, he can use Lilan's attacks to counter Smiling Coffin.
"Okay. No matter what happens tomorrow, I'm counting on you, man."
"Understood"
I gently stroked the head of my partner who was resting on my shoulder. After all, Lilan’s head is covered with hair, which is fluffy and very comfortable to touch.
"Well I guess I'll be home soon."
After confirming that Sinon and Lilan nodded to my words, I released Sinon from my chest and used the portal where Asuna disappeared to teleport to the twenty-second floor where Yui was waiting.
On the way to my house, Lelan told me something bad was going to happen tomorrow, but somewhere inside of me, I thought it was going to be true. He had a bad premonition, as if something was crawling in his chest, and it never stopped moving.
That evening, the headquarters of the Blood Oath Knights
Asuna invited Diabell and Holy Dragon Alliance senior officials, Klein and Yuuki, Heathcliff, the leader of the Blood Oath Knights, and some senior officials to the conference room. Asuna shouted to Heathcliff, who was staring at him, unable to be one of them, while everyone tilted their heads to each other, wondering why they were all gathered together.
"Captain, let's take action now."
Heathcliff said "Yeah" and replied as if he understood what Asuna meant.
\"So that's it, it seems the time has finally arrived.
Asuna nodded, but Diabell, who was sitting closer to Heathcliff, raised his hand.
\"Miss Asuna, Miss Heathcliff, what is this strategy?\"
Heathcliff turned to face Diabel.
\"In fact, we are planning a strategy that is commanded by only a small group of the Blood Oath Knights, namely Lord Diaberu, the leader of the Holy Dragon Alliance.\"
Under Heathcliff's gaze that seemed to see through everything, Diabell became like a frog being stared at by a snake. Heathcliff looked around and spoke again.
"Recently, it has posed a great threat to our capture team. No, there is already one, and we are considering getting rid of it. Its name is 'Smiling Coffin'."
Everyone raised their voices in surprise when they heard the words coming out of Heathcliff's mouth.
Heathcliff stared at him with wide eyes and continued.
"[Smiling Coffin] have become a violent criminal organization in their own right, and it should be clear to you that they are a threat to us. Ultimately, it could become a big obstacle for the capture team, and if we're not careful, we could were eliminated. Therefore, we planned and began the operation to eliminate the "Smiling Coffin"."
Klein raised his voice:
"Seriously, do you really want to do this?"
"I'm serious. In fact, they have become a big threat. Does anyone object?"
Heathcliff turned around and clasped his hands. At this moment, Kuradil, a swordsman wearing the unique white and red battle uniform of the Blood Knights, who was said to be a bit of a villain in the Blood Knights, raised his hand. .
"I agree with what the leader said. They are stationed in the deepest part of the small dungeon on the tenth floor. If you hit them, they will collapse in an instant. The problem is how to deal with them. But"
Asuna raised her hand.
"I think it's best to lock those who curse you in the prison area of the Black Iron Palace. I don't think it will cause any harm to them."
Heathcliff nodded.
\"Yes, they are all the same humans, the same players, the same lives. I agree with Asuna-kun. Attack them, weaken them, capture them, and arrest them to the prison area of the Black Iron Palace.\"" To completely imprison him in... Let's continue with this strategy.
No one spoke, and the conference room was as silent as a forest. This is a declaration of intent that everyone agrees with Heathcliff's strategy. Asuna thought there might be someone who would object to Heathcliff's plan, someone who would break the silence, but there was no objection, which seemed a bit surprising.
\"Then, according to Commander Heathcliff's strategy, tomorrow we will have a battle with the "Smiling Coffin".
After hearing Asuna's words, everyone stood up and left the conference room. Asuna and Yuuki slipped out of the conference room and walked into the city, walking along the slightly cold streets lined with many large stone buildings.
\"Yes, Asuna-san.\"
\"Asuna is fine. You must be Yuki.\"
\"Oh, yes. Then, Asuna.\"
"Something's wrong. Are you hungry?"
"No, it's not like that. I'm really going to fight those people tomorrow."
Asuna nodded and turned around, but was surprised by this. Because Yuuki's face was already extremely pale.
"In that case, is there anything wrong with me wanting you to fight too?"
Yuuki lowered her head.
"What do you mean? I feel like something is going to happen tomorrow. So I don't want Asuna, Kirito, and Sinon to participate in the battle tomorrow.\"
Asuna tilted her head.
"Absurd stuff? Like what?"
"I can't express it in words. Anyway, I can't help but have a bad feeling and my heart is palpitating."
"Yeah, but the opponent is more terrifying than the monster, so we can't help but fight.
Yuuki probably didn't want them to fight. But we definitely have to fight ourselves tomorrow, so we can’t get out of strategy. Just as I was hesitating about how to answer, Asuna received a message notification and opened it. The sender is "Alice". It was from Alice on the first floor.
\"It was sent by Teacher Alice.\"
Asuna paused, opened the window, and confirmed the content of the message.
[Now, the thieves led by Kibaou, who was exiled by the "army" created by Thinker and Yuriel, head to the upper level. Maybe he wants to interfere with your strategy. Be prepared for whatever happens. If you get into a fight with Kibaou and the others, defeat them on the spot. ]
According to Alice, Kibaou and the others had already started moving from the first floor. It's too bad to say there's going to be a battle with Smiling Coffin tomorrow.
"Will Kibaou and the others come to fight?"
Asuna felt uneasy for the first time, and immediately realized that this was the same feeling as Yuuki. Something very bad could happen tomorrow - I couldn't help but think.
