Sword Art Online: Aincrad's Hollow Fragment

December 8, 2024

Floor 76: Arc Sophia

"Both of you, don't hold back. Come at me with everything you've got!"

I raised my shield in defense as both Kirito and Asuna raised their weapons, prepared to strike. The three of us were in the middle of a handicap duel with bot The Black Swordsman and The Lightning Flash fighting against me. Kiyo and Ashtry were on the sidelines along with the rest of our friends. Some cheering for me, some cheering for the couple.

Kiyo- You've got this Papa!

Leafa- Go, go, Kirito!

Yui- You can do this Mommy and Daddy!

Silica- This is intense...

Klein- Even with the disadvantage, I think Kazzu can win.

Argo- It's funny how Kirito needs his girl to fight Kaz head on.

Kirito- Quiet rat!

Argo shared a laugh with the rest of the girls except for Ashtry. Ashtry seemed focused on me, almost as if she was in a trance. The only thing to break her out of it was Sachi poking her side, causing Ashtry to slightly jump.

Ashtry- Ah!

Sachi- Sorry! You just seemed out of it, and I wanted to ask if you were alright.

Ashtry- It's ok, Sachi. I'm fine I'm just... observing...

Lisbeth- Observing huh? Getting a little hot and bothered seeing your boyfriend all hard working and sweaty?

Ashtry- I don't know Lisbeth, you tell me.

Lisbeth started blushing a dark shade of red as she turned her attention towards me and covered her face from Ashtry.

Lisbeth- S-Shut up Ashtry.

Ashtry- That's what I thought.

Sachi- Is there something I'm missing?

Lisbeth- Nothing important!

Lisbeth brushed off before Ashtry could embarrass her further, causing Ashtry to give off a slight chuckle. Sachi looked towards the fight, watching as I was holding off both Asuna and Kirito.

Kirito- Starburst...!

I smirked as I raised my shield up, ready for the combo that Kirito was about to unleash.

Kirito- Stream!

Kirito unleashed his signature "Starburst Stream" sword skill as both of his blades clashed against my shield. As quickly as he swung his weapons, I retaliated with quick defense of my own, blocking every single hit that came my way.

Kirito- Faster! I have to go faster!

"Go as fast as you want "Black Swordsman", but you won't get the best of me!"

Kirito- I don't need to get the best of you, only keep you focused on my attacks!

As soon as he finished that statement, I detected Asuna charging up an attack behind me, a cocky smirk smeared across her face.

Clever... but not clever enough...

Asuna- Got you now Kazzu!

Asuna lunged towards me with a glowing rapier in hand, ready to finish the fight. Before Asuna could land her attack however, I loosened the grip on my shield and ducked out of the way. Asuna panicked and lunged right into Kirito's "Starburst Stream", knocking both Kirito and Asuna down to the ground. As they were both recovering from the collision, I rushed up and cut through them both with a "Vorpal Strike", knocking their health bars down into yellow. A small pop up appeared indicating the I had won the duel.

Kiyo- Yay! Papa won!

Klein- Damn straight! Hand me my money Agil.

Agil- Damn, I thought they had him.

Lisbeth- Well what did you expect? Kazzu even said that he allowed Kirito his dual wielding skills. I would've been surprised if Kazzu had lost.

Leafa- Well me and Kirito have had kendo lessons back in the real world. I thought he would've had him based on skill alone.

Silica- Kirito mentioned that but there's something about Kazzu that screams "pure talent".

Sachi- Besides, Kazzu had trained me to be a better warrior on the battlefield. He has great observation skills and is a great teacher.

Sinon- I want to try a round with him sometime.

Ashtry chuckled as she and Kiyo joined in on the conversation.

Ashtry- I find it quite funny that everyone here has some sort of connection or admiration for Kazzu. It's really cute.

Kiyo- Mama, they're turning into tomatoes like you do when you're around Papa!

All of the females started tripping over their words as Ashtry held her stomach, laughing. I realized the commotion while helping Kirito and Asuna off of the ground.

Kirito- Damn, we almost had you.

"Almost. I hardly noticed Asuna behind me. Another second longer and this fight would've ended differently."

Asuna- I suppose this is why you are now the highest-ranking player in this game. But mark my words, me and Kirito will surpass you.

"I can't wait to see how much stronger you two will be the next time we fight."

Kirito- Yea! Say, um, should we head over there?

Kirito pointed to the group, specifically Lisbeth punching Ashtry's chest out of embarrassment. That earned a small chuckle out of me as I nodded and walked over.

Lisbeth- Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!

Ashtry- I don't think I... hey Kazzu.

Lisbeth- Eek!

Lisbeth jumped up and hid behind Ashtry as I walked up and chuckled.

"So, what are we talking about here?"

Lisbeth- Nothing important!

I looked at Ashtry with a raised eyebrow. She responded with a shrug and Kiyo gave off a giggle.

"Ok?"

Leafa- Hey Mr. Akihiko?

"First off Leafa, that's the only time you will call me that, just call me Kazzu. Second, what's up?"

Kiyo giggled at my comment while Leafa fidgeted with her fingers.

Leafa- Sorry Kazzu. See the thing is... um...

Sinon- It's ok if you don't want to reply. We're not going to force you to say anything. But... we thought you'd be the best person to ask.

"I'm sure whatever you two want to ask, it'll be fine. Just tell me what this is about."

Leafa- Well, you know how we're pretty much noobs to Aincrad, right?

"You two have gotten the hang of things quicker than most but yes. Go on."

Leafa- So the... what was their name again? Blood... Knights of the Blood Oath, that's it. And Heathcliff. So, who are they?

Ashtry and Kiyo looked at me, concerned with the topic of my father. I gave them a small smile and found a seat on one of the benches on the sidelines.

"That's right... I guess I haven't had the chance to explain them to you two. I guess we could start with the Knights of the Blood Oath. They were a guild that was ran by my father but is under new management under Ashtry and Asuna. They're well known for wearing white and red knightly garbs. They're not too small but not too big, but all of them are high skilled fighters. There might be other guilds like the Aincrad Liberation Force and Klein's own guild, but you won't find a stronger guild in this game than the Knights of the Blood Oath."

Leafa- Wow... that's amazing... Ashtry and Asuna are really something else.

Ashtry- Aww, thanks Leafy!

Sinon- So, what about this Heathcliff guy?

"Heathcliff was the guild's leader like I said before but... he was also my father, the very same person who I assisted in making Sword Art Online and trapped us all in here, Kayaba Akihiko."

Leafa- I saw him a bunch of times on the news!

Sinon- So about your father...?

"I'm getting there."

Silica- Sorry Kazzu but... can I ask something too?

"I figured questions would've been asked anyway. Go ahead, Silica."

Silica- What exactly happened on the 75th floor? I only heard the short story but never got the full details.

Lisbeth- I would also like the answer to that question.

"So, what had happened was..."

Klein jumped forwards and pushed my face aside, standing before the ladies with a cocky smile and a confident grin.

Klein- Sorry to barge in and steal your thunder, man, but this story is all mine.

"You know what Klein, go ahead. This should be entertaining."

Ashtry- If I could make popcorn right now, I would.

Klein took his place on top of the bench and started telling the story with a dramatic tone in his voice.

Klein- So, we're both there and we've paid dearly in our struggle to defeat the 75th boss. And that's when we realized... Heathcliff is an "Immortal Object". He can't die. One of the strongest allies I've ever known was actually our worst enemy all along... can you imagine?

Kiyo- Um... yea?

Ashtry- We were there...

Klein- Quiet! Anyway, after we'd meddled in his plan, he declares, "If you fight me one-on-one and win, I'll end this game right here on the 75th floor!". Well, I think you can guess what we told him.

"Enlighten us Klein. What did we say?"

Klein- We told him, "Sure, let's go pal! You're on! We're going to beat you and end this world!". The battle was the fiercest I've ever fought.

And there it is... anything he says now is all fiction...

Klein- My dual wielding skill went toe-to-toe with Heathcliff's divine blade. It was a true test of each other's sublime swordsmanship. I fired attacks left, right and center, but Heathcliff fended them off with blistering accuracy and precision. And right when I think I have the guy against the ropes, he counterattacks with pinpoint timing and clinical accuracy. The battle raged on... but there was no way I was going to give up. I couldn't just back down! So...

Ashtry nudged me as Klein continued his speech and gave me a raised eyebrow.

Ashtry- Are you sure we should let him continue? He's basically taking your credit.

"I don't mind it princess. He seems to be enjoying it. Besides, if I know Klein's luck, someone will call him out on it soon. For now, enjoy the show."

Klein- I waited until the perfect moment to find a way through his defenses, and that's when I let it loose, "The Eclipse"!

Leafa swallowed nervously in anticipation as she was intrigued with Klein's story.

Leafa- A-And then what happened!?

Klein- Boom! The ground beneath my feet shook with a terrible force and the room filled with a blinding white light! And that's it. That's the story of how I, Klein, vanquished Heathcliff. You guys wouldn't believe how difficult a mission it was. I really kicked ass.

Ashtry- Language! There are children here.

"You're really going to call him out on swearing? I've said worse things in front of Kiyo."

Ashtry- Well you shouldn't.

Asuna- Klein, that's complete nonsense and you know it. Kazzu was the one who saved our hides and beat Heathcliff.

Kirito- He doesn't even have the dual wielding skill. Only I do. Which begs the question of how you know my highest-level skill? Did you look at my skills without my permission!?

Klein- Uh oh...

Leafa- Aw, what!? You were just making that story up!?

Sinon- And here I was, almost believing you.

Klein- Aw man...

Silica- I'm not shocked Klein tried to take Kazzu's glory...

Lisbeth- Especially when there are people in this group who were involved with Kazzu's plan.

Sinon- A plan you say? It sounds like Kazzu's side of the story has more juicy details to it.

Lisbeth- Oh you have no idea sister. Think you can tell the real story Kazzu?

"Shouldn't be a problem. Find a seat somewhere and I'll let tell you the tale of how the Dark Prince beat the God of Aincrad."

Kiyo- This should be fun!

Everyone found a spot on the ground to sit on and looked up at me as I shoved Klein out of the way and took a seat on the bench, smiling at the small crowd I had before me, ready to listen to my tale.

"The story starts on October 19th of 2024. Kirito had agreed to fight a duel for Asuna and Ashtry's freedom from the Knights of the Blood Oath. Before Kirito went to fight, I had asked him to purposely lose to Heathcliff so I could find any flaws in his combat prowess. As they had their duel, I kept a close eye on Heathcliff. His skills matched what people had claimed about him until a certain point. Kirito had Heathcliff's stance broken, and a clear shot straight to Heathcliff's brain. If he landed his attack, he would've won the duel."

Sinon- Would've?

Leafa- He had Heathcliff where he wanted him, how did he lose?

"Since Heathcliff was protected by the game engine, the system automatically moved his shield in front of Kirito's blade. He had blocked the attack and won the duel. At the time, I had no idea how he managed to do it since I was a high-level shield user, and even I couldn't move my shield that fast. After that duel, I had brainstormed a plan to sneak into the Knights of the Blood Oath headquarters and find any information related to Heathcliff's "god like" strength and skill."

Argo- And this is where I come into play!

"Precisely. Me and Argo made our way into their headquarters where we soon discovered that Heathcliff was none other than my father, Kayaba Akihiko, in disguise. I told Argo to go ahead of me and warn Ashtry and Kiyo about what we had seen since everyone else was either too far to reach or already on the 75th floor preparing for the boss. As for me, well, I confronted my father and attacked him inside of a safe zone, becoming an orange player and being sent to Aincrad's most secure jail: The Iron Prison."

Asuna- What!?

Kirito- You were in The Iron Prison!? How did you break out!?

Ashtry- With a little help from yours truly. When Argo arrived with the news, we knew we were going to need help in busting Kazzu out of jail. We reached out to Sachi, Keita, Liz and Silica and together we were able to bust this little troublemaker out of prison. The good thing about it was the fact that it only took a couple of minutes for Kazzu's cursor to go from orange to green, so we were able to take him back home to rest.

Kirito- That's good luck if I've ever heard of it.

Asuna- No kidding. But how did you manage to trick Heathcliff about your capture? He knows everything that happens in that prison.

"Heathcliff had injected me with a very complicated crafted poison. The poison would slowly drain my health until the point where you would all be raiding the boss room. Heathcliff was going to use the excuse that I had fled the battlefield like a coward in hopes of saving myself, when in reality, I would've been killed by poison."

Klein- That dirty bastard...

Agil- It's a miracle that you survived to fight him in the boss room Kazzu.

"Not a miracle. Quick thinking."

Sachi- So what about the fight? We only helped with your escape and heard very little about your battle.

"Well, there is a whole complex plan that my father had which involved Kirito's dual wielding skill and Ashtry's "Red Hunter" ability. He had planned for everyone in the game to perish before Floor 100 and have the person with the dual wielding skill to face off against himself and his second in command, The Red Hunter. He had planned for me to gain the dual wielding skill, but that power has been granted to our Black Swordsman here. I decided to go a different route. Something to surpass the "Dual Wielder", "The Red Hunter". and even my father."

Lisbeth- My favorite part...!

Leafa- And that was!?

I smiled at Lisbeth as I held my hands out to the crowd, my palms glowing a light blue as my gauntlets started materializing in my hands. Kirito and Asuna gave each other a smirk while the others took a moment to gaze in awe at my secret skill.

"They are called the "Eyes of Aincrad". Made from a very high-grade material and forged by myself and our very own blacksmith, Lisbeth."

Lisbeth- Guilty as charged.

Sinon- So your plan was to fight a man who had "god like" power with a sword and shield with your bare hands?

"It sounds crazy when you put it that way but yes. I faced my father with my own skill, and it matched... no... overpowered his own attacks."

Kirito- And that's the truth. I have never seen such raw power and hatred in Kazzu before.

Silica- I know that Kazzu can get mad but... to have that much hatred...

"It was only towards my father Silica."

Sachi- If I knew Kazzu, he wanted to see this world end so he could free his friends and family. Aside from his father, I mean.

Agil- No doubt about that. When it comes to the people he cares about, Kazzu will do just about anything to make them happy and keep them safe.

"Are you guys done embarrassing me with your compliments? I'm almost done with my story."

Everyone in the crowd shared a laugh as I tried my best to hide my blushing face, earning a few giggles from the ladies.

Ashtry- Sorry love, please continue.

"Thank you. As you guys can tell, I defeated my father at his own game. He promised us that we would be free if I defeated him in combat but that obviously isn't the case."

Argo- Dirty lying rat....

"There was something strange about our fight, however. It was as some invisible force was holding him back. My head felt fuzzy during split seconds of our fight and my vision looked like it was glitching out."

Asuna- Glitching out?

Kirito- Is that possible, Yui?

Yui- It shouldn't be. The NerveGear was designed to perfect and even enhance vision unless provoked by a status ailment in the game.

"Regardless, that glitch might have saved my life."

Leafa- It's still amazing that you were able to defeat the mastermind behind all of this, even if you were assisted.

Silica- He's incredible, alright! He defeated the last boss!

Sinon- But like he said, the game's not over. Kayaba lied.

"We had all pinned our hopes on it ending, but it didn't."

Sachi- I wish it would have...

"I guess, deep down in my heart, I knew that the game wouldn't end. That's why we've got to keep pushing forward until we reach the 100th floor."

Sinon- So... that's how it all went down huh? I do know one thing to be true. Kazzu really is a great fighter. Judging from what I've seen and what I heard today, I'm impressed.

"I aim to please."

Kiyo- Well of course he is! My Papa is the strongest. No one can face my Papa and win!

Yui- Well Daddy and Mommy will be able to one day!

"Girls, easy. Me and Kirito have our own strengths and weaknesses."

Kirito- This is embarrassing...

Asuna- Oh come on Kirito. Isn't it the dream of all dads to have their daughter proud of them?

Ashtry- You act as if Kiyo has never praised you Kazzu.

Leafa- Regardless, thank you for telling us the real story Kazzu.

Sinon- I guess we know everything about that now, no thanks to Klein. Thank you.

"No need to thank me. I should've realized earlier that I owed you all an explanation as to what happened. You can always ask me anything. Just let me know if you have any questions, ok?"

Leafa- Ok!

Sinon- We'll hold you to that Kazzu.

I gave them all a smile. I looked out of the corner of my eye and noticed Strea peeking around a corner and smiling at me. I waved at her and she did a small wave back. Whatever that girl was doing, she must have heard my story. Since she is an AI program, perhaps she knew more about why the game was suddenly corrupting itself. I decided to leave it alone for now and ask her at a different time. No matter why the game glitched out on that day, we still have to progress forward.

Yet why do I feel... like there's more to it than that...?