Sword Art Online - Volume 10 - Alicization Running

by Reki Kawahara

  Kirito's sword was a level 10 object, while Egome's sword was a level 15 object. On a closer look, it looked like there was a small difference in the glow of the blades.

  “Ku...!”

  Kirito groaned as he brought his sword back. This time, Egome brought his body forward. *Pnk*, *pnk*. It continued to let out cries as Kirito's sword was the only one with its Life decreasing.

  “Speaking of which, this isn't against the rules either.”

  Egome muttered while showing a victorious look.

  “According to the stipulation of the tournament, all participants have to fight using the metal swords loaned out by the judges. In that case... it's not against the rules even if there was a sharp sword mixed into these swords and I got it.”

  “...So you bribed the guard who loaned the swords out.”

  “I don't know anything. But would be it okay for you to keep this up, wanderer? No matter how much you try, you'll only cause that sword to lose it's Life.”

  Egome continued to swing over with all his might as he said that, while Kirito did something unexpected.

  Kirito did not fight the opponent head on as he deliberately fell towards the arena and ducked past under the opponent's arm. Egome's sword let out a loud *GLANK* as it slid and smashed into the large marble. The recoil stunned Egome's body, while Kirito used this chance to leap away and keep his distance.

  At this point, the spectators who were watching this nervously cheered. They had never seen an action like ducking under the opponent's arm while in the midst of a sword clash, and they, who did not know what the duo were talking about, rained down thunderous applause on them.

  Egome finally recovered from the numbness as he faced Kirito, showing an enraged look.

  It's dangerous. The observer instinctively realized this. Of course, as a noble, he could not break the Taboo Index as well, so he would not use the sword to hurt Kirito directly— However, on the other hand, if Kirito was hurt because of a slight accident, it would be fine. It's really amazing that he could think of something like this. The observer thought.

  Such a hypothesis however was overturned by Egome's next move.

  He raised the level 15 sword he had been wielding with two hands up till now with his right hand, and stopped at shoulder-height— It looked like he was putting it on his shoulder. Then, it seemed like he was looking for something as he spent several seconds adjusting his position. Finally, the blade was surrounded by a light blue glow.

  “...Zakkalight Secret Art Finishing Move, «Azure Wind Slash»”[2]

  The crowd again let out a thunderous applause— including applause from the East block. The referee on the stage looked rather troubled as he stared over at the judges' seats, but it seemed that they were pretty lost there as well. As the name suggested, the «Secret Arts Styles» here would refer to the finishing moves of each school, moves that normally could not be used, but there was no stipulation in the rules to follow, so the participants were given full reign to decide. Once Egome decided to use it, there was no way anyone could stop him.

  However, the issue was that the power of the «Secret Art» was incomparable to the other normal styles, and once it was activated, it could not be stopped midway. The user's body would move on its own, not by its own will, but by a supernatural force that was similar to Sacred Arts. In other words, if Kirito's defense failed, it would not just corner him, it would break his body. Egome clearly understood this, and even so, he wanted to use this Secret Art— Most likely, he thought that even if there was blood spilled, it was just the defender's fault for not taking it probably.

  However, there was still a way to stop Egome's move.

  That would be to let Kirito put his sword down and expose himself to the enemy's attack. At that moment, Egome's resolve would break, and using a Secret Art here would clearly be breaking the Taboo Index. No matter what kind of noble blood he had, it would not be able to override the authority of the Taboo Index, the power of the Axiom Church. That was the absolute limitation that was ingrained in the Human Units.

  Put down the sword. The observer tried its best to stop itself from saying these helpful words to Kirito. Even if I don't say so, he'll realize this. Hurry up, put the sword...

  “...So the secret move's coming up.”

  Suddenly, Kirito muttered in a volume even the observer on the head could not hear.

  He moved his left hand from the sword hilt, just as Egome did, and positioned himself in a way such that it looked like he was putting the sword at the left side of his waist. As his body stopped, a bright purple glow was emitted from the sword.

  On seeing this, the spectators and the judges held their breaths. Eugeo, who was on the opposite stage, shook his head yare yare. It remembered that whenever such a scene happened, everything would be over.

  Egome's face trembled and twisted as he bared his teeth.

  “KYYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAA—!!”

  With the shout of a large bird Object, the art was activated. He took a hard step to the front with his left foot, raised the metal sword that was resting on his shoulder, and slashed out in a diagonal trajectory that was aimed at Kirito.

  Got to stop this battle. At this moment, the observer was seriously considering about this. However, it would be too late to use a Sacred Art here. Got to jump off from Kirito's head and show my true form. It will be completely against the rules— But even if I have to take whatever punishment Master gives me, it will be far less compared to letting my observation target...

  But at this moment.

  “—Shuu!!”

  Kirito showed off a sharp momentum as he too moved.

  He fearlessly rushed towards the light blue trajectory Egome drew out. His right hand moved and carved out a bright purple line in the air from the left to the right, and also another attack— from the right to the left.

  *KIIN!!* A sharp metal sound was released, passing through the walls of the arena, and seemed like it could be heard from all the streets and corners of Zakkaria.

  A sliver glow danced high in the air, reflecting off the light from Solus above as it slowly landed. A blade that was sliced from the edge was stabbed straight into the red marble stage.

  Kirito's sword skill was really so fast that even the observer did not notice it at all, completely. However, it did see the crucial moment.

  The sword swung from left to right and immediately went from right to left. As the speed was too fast, it felt like Kirito was attacking with two swords from both left and right sides. In fact, there was only one metallic sound. These two hits resembled beasts gnawing as they accurately hit the same point— and shattered Egome's sword. With a tournament sword that had its Life reduced by half, the sharp sword that had 5 levels of priority was...

  Egome's eyes widened as he remained still. He, who had swung down the sword with only the hilt left vertically, could not help but tremble. Kirito, who maintained his sword swinging position too, whispered into Egome's right ear from a nearby position,

  “Aincrad style Twin-consecutive-hit Skill... «Snake Bite»”

  On hearing these words—

  The observer felt all of its hairs standing.

  This human called Kirito... actually had a uniqueness that far exceeded its expectations. Even with the 378 years of history in the Underworld, it was rare to see someone like him... Perhaps he might even be on equal standing as the Master, «That person».

  As it continued to feel this inexplicable feeling, no, this feeling it was not even conscious of, it was only thinking of one thing.

  I want to witness the end of these two's journey, Kirito and Eugeo.

  Over there, there will definitely—

  In the Human World Calendar 378, the Zakkaria Swordsmanship tournament East and West block winners were the young men with no Sacred Tasks, who came from a village in the north. As per tradition, they earned the rights to join the guards.

  In the end, the first match was the only one that troubled Kirito somewhat, and he n
ever used the «Two-consecutive Hits» thereafter. The next spring, Kirito and Eugeo would earn the recommendation letters required to attend the Royal Swordsmanship Academy, a fact that could not be more obvious.

  Chapter 4 - Master Sword Academy (3rd Month of Human World Calendar 380)

  Part 1

  —If possible, I really don't want to fight against women until the Four Empires Unity Tournament.

  I said this to Eugeo before during the Zakkaria Swordsmanship Tournament. Ever since then, it had been one and a half years.

  It has been about two years since we chopped down the «Demon Tree» Gigas Cedar at Rulid Village and left the village. Half a year later, we joined the Zakkaria guards, and another half a year later, we reached Central. It has been a year since we knocked on the doors of this academy.

  It seemed like a very long time, but as I recalled this, it was really amazing. 2 years would be around the same amount of time as when I was trapped in the floating city of Aincrad.

  Luckily— I should be about to say this, this Virtual world «Underworld» I dived in unknown circumstances was operated by a super-technology that far exceeded my imaginations.

  The «Fluctlight Acceleration Function»— it magically magnified the sense of time and accelerates of the person in dive mode. Theoretically, it could be accelerated to 1000 times the time in reality. In other words, the physical body of Kirigaya Kazuto that was lying in the real world would have dived for only 18 hours ever since it began.

  To think that I woke up in the forest near Rulid Village, spent 2 years to reach the Norlangarth Empire Swords Academy, and not a single day had passed in the real world yet, I felt a little dizzy, and yet a little relieved. In the worst case scenario, even if I were deemed missing in the real world, not much time would have passed for that assumption to be made.

  I did not want my parents, Suguha, my friends, and of course Yui and Asuna to worry. Of course, as far as I know about Asuna and the rest, they would never merely sit down and worry; they would definitely do something. To me, this would be something I would be even more worried about.

  Either way, the current situation would have devastated Asuna and the rest, and the me in this world tried to take note not to interact with females. I made this decision when I stepped out of Rulid Village —that it was great that Eugeo was a guy— I thoroughly swore to follow this oath and said such things in Zakkaria, however...

  What I never ever thought of was that I would regularly have sword scrimmages against swordswomen during the past year in Centoria.

  “I'm here to help you revise, First Year.”

  The one who ordered with a clear voice was a senior student who wore her purple-based uniform neatly and tied her dark brown hair in a ponytail, my «Senior».

  “Understood, Rina-sempai.”

  I answered, and drew the practice wooden sword from the leather sheath on the left side of my waist. It was a wooden sword, but it was made of the highest quality platinum oak, and one would mistake it for a glossy metal. It did not have a blade and it did not have cutting ability, so even if it grazed some clothing, the clothing's Life would not decrease. But in terms of priority, it was a lot larger than the crude metal sword I borrowed in the Zakkaria tournament.

  The swordswoman saw me get into position with my sword drawn, and also drew her wooden sword in a fluid manner. The posture she made was slightly different, a slanted position where the right half of her body blocked the left arm. This would be the basic style of the «Celurute Fluid Combat Skills» she inherited from her family.

  “...This is the last time. You have no problems using your left hand anymore.”

  I chuckled as I said, and she answered back with a stern look, “Is that so.” She then placed her left hand behind her waist, right below the large sash.

  The swordswoman was standing 10 Mel away, no, 10 meters away as she made her posture, and the way she showed her determination looked really beautiful.

  In terms of height, she was 3cm taller than my 1.7m tall frame. The flowing hair was tied by a rattan colored ribbon that matched extremely well with the dark brown hair. The ferocity of a warrior and the elegance of a noble were mixed together on the beautiful face. The navy blue color of her eyes were like the sky that was fading into twilight.

  The jacket of her neat uniform and the gently swaying long skirt were of a glacial purple color. It was not an eye-catching color, but it looked much more glamorous than anything else she put on, which was really unbelievable. However, the body that was encased under the clothing was a refined iron-like one, and I knew this because of my role.

  “...This will be the last time.”

  She— Solterina Celurute, a child of the Norlangarth royal family and the second rank of the Master Sword Academy— maintained a position that was without any openings as she muttered.

  I— the Beginner Trainee of the Master Sword Academy, Kirito, was her «Valet». I nodded silently and lowered my body down.

  Every day, the lessons and practical training would last from 9am in the morning till 3pm in the afternoon, and after that, I would have to be her valet for an hour. I was drained physically and mentally, but all sorts of fatigue was long gone since I was able to fight against Solterina-sempai. It was already 5pm, and we were the only two left on the practice ground that was built in the Elite swordsmanship dormitory, located on high ground in the Academy campus.

  Eugeo's probably sighing away at the Trainee dormitory because I broke the curfew at this point, but since he's a valet to another swordsman, he should be able to understand.

  I thought, and then focused my consciousness on the sword in my right hand. Rina-sempai's eyes suddenly became dull as the air seemed to show a flash of electricity, causing me to tense up. The lamps that lit the wide practice field swayed slightly, seemingly unable to withstand this tension.

  Even without a referee around, both of us took action at the moment our breathing were in the same rhythm.

  Petty tricks would not work on Solterina-sempai, who was called the «Mobile Tactics Overload», so I took a step forward, closed the distance of 10m, and did an unexpected vertical slash.

  The teachers would definitely tell me off if I used this skill in actual sparring, but I would be taken down immediately if I used that slow Norlangarth-style in this match. Either way, Solterina-sempai's Celulute-style was the most practical sword style I knew of in Underworld.

  The one fastest strike I unleashed was blocked by the wooden sword in Solterina-sempai's right hand. However, it did not impact her at all. She used the gentleness of her arm, shoulder and waist as she took my attack by tilting the side of her smooth blade. This would be the Secret Art of the Celulute-style, «Active Water». She had been teaching me this move for the past year, but I still could not grasp it completely even after knowing it.

  On a side note, the language used for writing and speaking in this world was completely Japanese (and a few foreign languages), but there were very few kanji. Most likely, it was about the equivalent of 30% of the JIS Level 1, as it used only about 1000 kanji words. But even with such restrictions, they managed to give so many sword skills unique names.

  The imagination of the people in Underworld was really astounding. Right now, there were only stories read to young children. In another 100 years, it would not be strange to see someone write a novel. If it would be sold in Japan in the real world and get a ridiculously large amount of hits, it would be really amazing...

  I jumped in the front-right direction, seemingly trying to shake away those random thoughts in my mind. That was because I learned my lesson after sempai broke my balance with the «Active Water» and countered.

  I flipped in the air and landed near the wall of the practice ground. My right foot stepped on the black shining wall, and I charged forward— As I did this, Rina-sempai's left hand took action.

  It moved from behind her waist to the front of her body, drawing an elegant arc as a white light extended out from her fingertips. Of cour
se, this was not because she was using a Sacred Art called «Light Element». Its true form was a whip that was made of fine white leather, the weapon she was most skilled at using other than the sword.

  The practice whip made from the soft Wilde goat skin would not reduce Life even if one were hit directly, but it would be painful enough for one to break down in tears. I instinctively wanted to wield my sword to get into a defensive position, but the blade would be wrapped up by the leather whip and nullified. However, if I did not do so and back away, a second, and third hit would come right at me.

  I desperately turned my body to the left, trying to dodge sideways to avoid this. The tip of the leather whip grazed past my right cheek and flew behind, and using this chance, I charged forward.

  However, this leather whip that let out a loud, shrill swipe in the air coiled its body like a snake as it pulled back. I would have to get to her before the next hit occurred. I decided that it would be impossible for me to reach her by running alone, placed my wooden sword in a parallel manner to my right leg, and pulled it back. I kept my body low, bent forward, and at this moment, the blade let out a blue glow.

  Rina-sempai suddenly narrowed her eyes and opened her left hand. She decisively released the leather whip in her left hand and placed it on the sword handle her right hand was holding.

  Immediately afterwards, my body accelerated as if it were moved by an invisible hand. It was called the Aincrad-style, but it was actually a «sword skill» that existed since the old SAO— the one handed lower sword thrust skill «Rage Spike». I continued to decrease this 7m distance while feeling like I was one with the wind.

  In contrast, Rina-sempai tilted the sword she was wielding with two hands to the rear right side. *Don*, she stepped forward with her left foot, and her wooden sword let out an emerald glow. It was the Celulute Secret Skill «Linker».