Sword Art Online - Volume 3 - Fairy Dance

by Reki Kawahara

  Kirito was also aware of the enemies’ tactics. Since a long fight was unfavorable, he lifted up his sword and stormed toward the heavy solider line.

  “Woo oh!”

  The black blade hit the shields, and bright sparks flashed.

  But - here the fighting turned into a numbers game.

  The damage done by Kirito’s sword was soon healed by the mages behind. After that, the remaining mages chanted attack magic and Kirito was hit by another explosion.

  There is no room for individual skills; Lyfa hated this style of fighting the most. Now the battle is determined by the mages’ MP and Kirito’s HP, which will run out first. But the result was very clear.

  Numerous fireballs rained down and blasted Kirito. Continuous explosions hit Kirito and his battered body flipped and bounced onto the ground.

  Since this is a game, the body in ALO doesn’t show «Pain», but bearing the magical explosions directly can cause some bad feedback. The roar shakes the brain, the heat burns the skin, the impact upsets the balance. These effects will be transferred to reality in the flesh, after signing out these effects will remain for several hours as headaches and dizziness.

  “Uuu…oooh!”

  But no matter how many times Kirito was engulfed in flames he continued to stand up and swing his sword. While chanting healing magic, Lyfa didn’t want to see him in pain. This is a game. In this situation, most would give up. While failure is regrettable, under the system constraints, this is a difference in combat strength you can’t do anything about. Even so, why -

  Lyfa could no longer bear seeing Kirito like this, so she went a few steps behind Kirito and cried:

  “Enough, Kirito-kun! It’s just another few hours flight from Sylvain! What items that were stolen we can just buy back, please give up!”

  But Kirito shook his head and said in a hushed tone:

  “No!”

  His eyes reflected the brilliant red flames surrounding them.

  “While I live, I won’t let my party member die. I will definitely not allow that!”

  Lyfa, at a loss for words, could only stand still.

  In such desperate times, different players react in many different ways. There are people who would have laughed at «this moment», there are people whose eyes would open wide and succumb to fear, and there are also those who would resist to the end. But in any case, they are all used to the simulation of «Death». This experience can not be avoided while playing VRMMO games, and has to be accepted. Otherwise there is no way to «Enjoy» this type of «Game».

  But the light in Kirito’s glaring eyes is something Lyfa had never seen before. Struggling with this system’s impossible situation, desperately trying to find a way to live, she got drawn in. At this moment, Lyfa forgot this is a game, an illusionary world.

  “Woo-oh-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah!!”

  Kirito who stood up and roared, shook the air with his sound. When enemy fire stopped for a moment, he suddenly rushed forward, ignoring the shield wall ahead. Lowered his sword in his right hand, his empty left hand held the edge of the shield and tried to push it open. This unexpected action disrupted the Salamander’s defensive line. When their defensive wall cracked, Kirito forced his sword in.

  To break past a defensive wall with mages behind it is something even the veteran player Lyfa had not seen before. Also, that action was not even an attack, so it couldn’t deal any damage. But, due to Kirito’s crazy action, the man holding the shield cried in confusion:

  “Damn, what is with this guy?!”

  At this time, a small voice reached Lyfa’s ears.

  “Now is the only chance!”

  Looking around, unknown since when, Yui hung on to her right shoulder.

  “An opportunity!?”

  “The only uncertainty is the enemy players’ mental state. Use up all your remaining MP, please block the next magic attack!”

  “B..but, even doing that…”

  Like pouring water onto a hot stone, Lyfa held back what she was going to say. She looked seriously at the supposedly simple AI, Yui, and saw determination equal to Kirito’s.

  Lyfa nodded her head, and held both hands upward. The enemy mage group is already chanting the fireball spell, but in order to match the launch time, it was at a relatively slow speed. Lyfa chanted the spell words at her usual high speed. Any incantation error will result in failure, she chanted the fastest she could, just shy of the danger line.

  Lyfa’s completed her spell just a bit ahead of them. From her hands came countless small butterflies flying out, surrounding Kirito’s body.

  After that, the enemies completed their chant as well. With a shrill sound, the group’s fireballs shot into the sky. Flame after flame engulfed Kirito, who was trying to break through the shield wall.

  “Ha!”

  Lyfa’s outstretched hands experience the feedback pressure from the explosions, and she clenched her teeth. The defensive magic field around Kirito canceled out the explosions, and her mana points dropped with clunk clunk sound effect. Not even drinking mana recovery potion can keep up with it. What’s the point of defending one such attack, she thought, but then.

  Standing on the shoulder of Lyfa, Yui loudly shouted:

  “Papa, do it now!!”

  Kirito blinked while startled. In the red lotus flames, he raised his sword and stood up. She can hear the subtle sound of chanting. Lyfa matched the spell word fragments to the index in her memory.

  ‘This incantation is… Illusion attribute!?’

  Lyfa held her breath for a moment - then ground her teeth. The spell Kirito casting is an illusion magic that makes a player look like a monster. But the magic is not useful in actual combat. Because the shape depends randomly on the player’s combat skills, usually the result is some weak monster, with no change in stats, since most people are aware of this it won’t frighten them.

  Lyfa began losing MP very fast, soon only 10% was left. She decided to gamble on Yui’s idea, but it seems the dice betrayed them.

  However, it can’t be helped. Knowing the game’s «Strength» is needed to support the wealth of knowledge. For Kirito who just started playing a few days ago, asking him to understand each of the huge number of spells is too cruel.

  While thinking this, Lyfa put the last of her power into protecting Kirito. the enemy’s last wave of attacks finally stopped, just as Lyfa’s defense shield disappeared. A whirlpool of flames rolled up, and slowly dissipated -

  “Eh!?”

  Inside the fire wall, a shadow moved. For a time, Lyfa thought she was seeing things. That is way too huge.

  Standing in front of the Salamanders was a giant twice their size. Doubting her sight, it looked like a giant bent over.

  “Kirito-kun, is that you?”

  She asked in amazement. She can’t think it’s anything else. This is Kirito’s changed form created by the illusion spell, but that huge size.

  In front of Lyfa’s eyes, the shadow looked up. This figure is not a giant. Its head like a goat, with curved horns extending out the back oh the head. Round shiny red eyes flashing, teeth outside his mouth breathed flames in the air.

  His upper body is all muscle covered with dark skin, long arms almost reaching the ground. His back has a whip-like tail. To describe the unknown figure in words, only «Devil» fit.

  All of the Salamanders were frozen in place. Watching them like their soul was taken away, the black devil lifted his head high.

  “Roarrr ––!!”

  A thunderous roar issued, and it truly shook the world. From the core of the body, instinctive fear spread out.

  “Prattle! Babbling!”

  A Salamander front defender screamed while backing away a few steps. At this instant, the devil moved with a fearsome speed. His iron clawed right hand passed through the open shield wall, his fingers pierced a heavy armored soldier’s body - the next moment, red End Frame blowing, the Salamander disappeared.

  “Woo ah ah ah!?”

  Seeing the
ir partner killed in one blow, the remaining two front defenders screamed in unison. They dropped their shields, their left hands brandishing weapons, and retreat in fear.

  From the mage group, someone like their leader shouted in anger:

  “Stupid, do not disrupt the formation! He can only reach what he sees, if you become a turtle you won’t get hurt!”

  However those words did not reach the ears of the soldiers. The dark devil roared and jumped in, it opened it’s huge mouth and bit the head of the soldier to the right and grabbed the left solider with it’s iron claws. He violently shook and beat the avatars, gogob! Continuous red death throes splash out, almost the same as blood spatter.

  The three front guards were destroyed within ten seconds. Their leader recovered and ordered the mage group, and they began to chant. But without any armor and only wearing red robes, the pure mage group is way too fragile compared to the front guards. With a shruru breath, the standing devil is way more fearsome than the illusion magic effect. Their chanting speed became even slower than before.

  Before the chanting can finish, the devil raised his right arm toward the mages and slashed horizontally. The two in front were hit and blown away, they turned into red flames in the air, dissipated and disappeared. Screams and sound of glass shattering, cracking sound effects filled the air. That was from the tree trunk like left arm hitting two more Salamanders, which disappeared.

  A high level mage wearing high quality cloth armor became distracted and messed up certain words in his incantation. The Spellword fumble effect covered his hands and boom, he disappeared in a dark cloud.

  Kirito, in his Devil-form, took a step and roared again. The Salamander leader screamed ‘Hiii!’ and waved his right hand around.

  “Withdrawal, withdrawal! Retreat -“

  Before he finished the sentence -

  The devil instantly squatted, then jump forward significantly. Landing in the middle of the enemy, sending shock waves through the bridge. After what happened, it can not be called fighting anymore.

  As the devil’s claws swing, End Frame followed it’s path. A few brave ones tried to fight back with their staves, while swinging their weapons, the devil’s teeth bit through their heads, and they lost their lives.

  Escaping from the storm, the leader reached the far side of the bridge. With a splash of water he jumped into the lake, and swam in high speed for the far side.

  In ALO falling into the water, if the weight of equipment does not exceed a certain amount you will not sink. Mages luckily have equipment that is very light, and soon he was far from the bridge - when suddenly, a huge shadow appeared beneath him.

  Right after, the leader was dragged into the water with a splash. Leaving little bubbles, he sank into the lake, and before he disappeared, some vague points of red light can be seen.

  The devil that is Kirito didn’t seem to care about the enemy leader’s death, he grabbed the last unlucky mage and raised him up. At the screaming body, he put force into his hands to squeeze…

  The violence of this scene shakes Lyfa, at that moment she finally came to her senses and shouted:

  “Ah, Kirito-kun!! Leave that man alive!!”

  ‘That was very impressive,” while Yui said those and other senseless comments on her shoulder, Lyfa walked out. The devil stopped and turned around, and with an unhappy sound released the Salamander in the air.

  The man fell on the bridge with a snapping sound, his relaxed body breathing heavily, Lyfa came in front of him, and put the long sword in her right hand between his legs. With the metal sound when her sword tip hit the bridge, the man shuddered.

  “Now, tell us who sent you!!”

  Lyfa was trying to scare him, but that woke him up from his shock, his face pale, he shook his head.

  “If you’re gonna kill me, then do it!”

  “Why you..”

  At the moment, the devil looking down from above, black mist shrouded him, and the huge body began to disappear. Lyfa looked up, from center of the fog, a small figure jumped out and landed on the bridge.

  “Oh, nice rampage!”

  Kirito shook his head and said in a relaxed tone, putting the sword on his back. He went to the man who blankly open his mouth and squatting down beside him, patted his shoulder.

  “Yo, Nice Fight.”

  “What…?”

  Kirito stared at the stunned man, with bright, clear tone, continued:

  “It was nice fighting tactics. If it was just me, I would have been defeated fast!”

  “W…wait, Kirito-kun…”

  “It’s ok, fine.”

  To Lyfa’s unhappy remark, Kirito said while winking.

  “Well then, let’s talk about items with you.”

  Kirito opened a trade window and then showed him a list of items.

  “These are the items and money I got from fighting your group. I was thinking, if you can answer our questions, then I will give these all to you maybe…”

  The man’s mouth opened and closed a few times, then looked at Kirito with a sly smile. He looked around, probably confirming that the time had expired on the dead Salamanders, and they were already transported back to the «Save Point», he once again looked at Kirito.

  “Really?”

  “Really, really.”

  Looking at the two smiling, Lyfa sighed.

  “Men can be really-“

  “It’s like, you can’t do anything about them…”

  Yui sitting on her shoulder offered a comment. A bit fearful of the contempt from the two women, the two men nodded to each other to signal successful trade negotiations.

  The Salamander, once began talking, has a lot to say.

  “This evening, Jiitakusu-san, ah he’s the leader of the mage group earlier, he contacted me with cell phone e-mail, I was having dinner so wanted to decline but he forced me to gather. When I got there it turned out to be around ten people hunting two people, I thought it might be some kind of bullying, but they said it was the person Kagemune-san fought yesterday, so I understood…”

  “Who is that Kagemune-san?”

  “He is the Lance group captain. He was a famous Sylph hunter, but yesterday he suffered a rare heavy defeat and retreated home. You guys beat him right?”

  Hearing about the Sylph hunting made Lyfa frown, she and Kirito looked at each other. He must be the Salamander group leader they repulsed last night.

  “So, why did that Jiitakusu-san want to hunt us?”

  “The order seem to come from someone higher rank than Jiitakusu-san. Like you are interfering with some kind of «Strategy» or something.”

  “What strategy?”

  “The Salamander upper ranks are up to something. They won’t tell junior soldiers like me, but I know they are after something big. Today, when I first log in, I saw a large number fly north.”

  “North…”

  Lyfa put her finger to her lips, and thought. The Salamander capital «Gadan» is in the southern most part of ALfheim, flying straight north, they will hit the mountain range we are currently crossing. Slightly west of that is Ruger Corridor, and east at the base of the mountains is «Dragon Valley». Whichever path they chose, after that is the central city Aarun, and then the world tree.

  “Do they want to raid the world tree?”

  Hearing Lyfa’s question, the man shook his head.

  “No way. We are still recovering from the previous complete defeat, the minimum is to equip the army with ancient weapon rank equipment so we are saving money. For that reason our normal routine is very harsh. Even so we only acquired half the target amount of money.”

  “Oh?”

  “Well, that’s all I know. Is what you said earlier true?”

  The second part he asked Kirito.

  “I never lie about a trade.”

  The Spriggan youth operated the trade window. The Salamander looking at the list of items he is getting was very happy and moved his fingers around.

  Lyfa looked at the man with
a stunned expression and asked:

  “Hey you, these were all your companions’ equipment right? Don’t you feel bad?”

  After hearing this, the man raised his voice:

  “You don’t seem to understand. These were those guys’ arrogantly shown off rare items, which increase my pleasure getting them. Of course it would be bad for me to use them. I will sell them all and maybe buy a house.”

  ‘I will let the heat cool off for a few days before returning to Salamander Territory.’ Leaving those words behind, the Salamander walked in the direction he came from and was soon out of sight.

  It feels like the life and death fight ten minutes before seems like a lie, Lyfa looked at the already back to normal Kirito’s face.

  “Eh? What?”

  “Ah, well… that rampaging devil from earlier, is Kirito-kun right?”

  Hearing this, Kirito looked up and scratched his chin.

  “Yes, most likely.”

  “Likely? Wasn’t that a tactic to deceive the Salamanders and confuse them with a monster?”

  “No, I didn’t think that far… it happens to me sometimes. During a fight I lost control, and can’t remember things…”

  “Woo ah, scary.”

  “Well, I somehow remember the battle earlier. I used the magic Yui suggested, and became very big. Since my sword disappeared, I had to use my hands…”

  “Also with the teeth bite yo ~”

  On Lyfa’s shoulder, Yui added with pleasure.

  “Ah, speaking about that. The experience of being a monster is fun.”

  Watching Kirito smile and laugh, Lyfa suddenly wanted to know something, she gingerly opened her mouth.

  “Did you… taste it? The Salamander…”

  “…It is something like charred BBQ flavor and texture…”

  “Waa, enough, don’t say it!”

  She waved her hands at Kirito. Suddenly her hand was caught…

  “Gaoou!!”

  Shouting that, he opened his mouth and closed it on Lyfa’s fingers.

  “Kyaaaaa––!!”

  Lyfa screamed, after that came a Bang sound that made ripples on the lake surface.