Chapter Text
"I ended up killing him."
Tetsuya was staring as some of the soil began to slip through his fingers while the rest of the dirt stuck to his hand.
Naoki was sitting beside him.
"You had to... It was either him or you. Besides, he really did try to kill you first. You even spared him and showed him mercy."
Tetsuya sighed softly before wiping the dirt from his hand.
"Is that supposed to absolve me?"
Naoki lowered his head.
"I... I guess not..."
Tetsuya began shaking his head. He was both disappointed and angry with himself. It certainly wasn't the first time. But each and every time after the first made it more and more difficult.
He wasn't completely oblivious to the concept. After all, he did kill Ryou, but Tetsuya always approached that memory with the idea that it was necessary to protect Yukiko. If he didn't kill Ryou then the child most likely would have been killed.
But what about those other attempts?
Almost killing Morte during their hide and seek game, it was motivated by pure survival instincts. It was the same with the duel with Brutus. Like how the former said it best, it was kill or be killed.
As for Kai, well, that was nothing else but personal.
"I went too far this time."
Naoki didn't think that was the case.
"You only responded in kind. It's like, it's like what they say, you know? An eye for an eye? That kind of thing."
That was indeed the way of the world as some people saw it.
But Tetsuya wanted something better. They needed something better.
"That can't be the way things are. It just... It can't be. There has to be another way. If everything was done that way, where would it end? An arm for an arm? A leg for a leg? Where do we draw the line? Where do we say, 'that's enough'? How do we differentiate the right from wrong? It needs to be different this time."
Of course, this was partly motivated by Tetsuya's knowledge of the Cardinal System, but this was one thing that Tetsuya decided to omit for now.
To just focus on things from a purely ethical standpoint, Tetsuya's words did hold value and weight. Would things really turn out for the better if everyone just turned to anarchy and chaos?
Tetsuya didn't think so.
"A world like that, where you just gotta fight because it's your way, because it's what you were born into... People living in such a world, they'll only be in this endless cycle with no way out of the loop. The only way out is... death."
He then turned to glance over at Naoki.
"That can't be the world we create here nor the one we leave behind."
Even for a teenager like Naoki, it was clear to him that such a task would have such a long and arduous road ahead.
"But... That would mean changing people, wouldn't it? Can we really change people?"
Tetsuya thought about his answer for a few seconds. A careless answer would do nothing but discourage Naoki. So, he tried his best to answer with sincerity.
"I've seen cowards turn into brave soldiers. I've also seen good men turn into backstabbing rats. There have been people with ambition that became lifeless when we got trapped here, but at the same time, there have also been people that didn't have much going on in the real-world becoming people of action in this death game."
Tetsuya simplified the examples into one coherent explanation.
"Under the worst conditions, people can change into something just as bad. But, under the right conditions, people can change and grow into something better."
This arena was more or less proof of that. But much like how the people running this fiasco could force the worst out of people driven to kill just to survive, Tetsuya believed that the opposite was also achievable.
"It's up to us to create those conditions."
Naoki couldn't help but ask if such a mindset was central to the Clearers' duties overall.
"Is that what... the Clearers are attempting to accomplish?"
It certainly was one of their goals, but Tetsuya needed to remind himself about what the Clearers really were about before answering Naoki's question.
"The Clearers' goal is simple. To fight and clear every floor in Aincrad, all the way until the 100th Floor, then beat this game for good so we can get back to the real world. But, at the same time, we're doing this for the sake of everyone else, so, while we're at it, we want to make this virtual world a better one too, for the sake of everyone in here."
With a better understanding of the motives and ideas that Tetsuya came to represent as the leader of such a group, Naoki wondered if he would be able to assist Tetsuya in obtaining this goal of theirs.
"It won't be easy, but... I want to help too. I mean, you said it yourself, right? I should join your group once we're out of this place. My mind hasn't changed about that. I want to help you guys succeed. I've... I've already seen enough about what the worst brings out in people. That's what I want to change."
Tetsuya appreciated the gesture. It was glad to have not only a friend in this place but also an ally he could count on and rely on. Such a thing was invaluable here.
One of the guards walked into the waiting room, prompting everyone in there to look over at him.
That was when the guard made an announcement. It was one that many of the people here were looking forward to for quite a while now.
"Alright, maggots. Time to get lunch. Follow me."
That was everyone's reward for three rounds of hard fighting. Free food.
Well, in Tetsuya's case, it was three rounds of hard fighting, with the last one almost killing him. In any case, he felt he should at least be grateful.
Naoki could only sigh thinking about what possible food combinations they'd get.
"Is it gonna be more porridge with stale bread..."
Tetsuya thought that they would have something a bit more special for them, given that, if the rewards would be insufficient, there would be a chance that the fighters would get rowdy and uncooperative. For there to be entertaining fights, there had to be fighters willing to participate.
"I'm pretty sure it'll be something better than that."
Naoki's mouth was already watering with thoughts of delicacies flooding his mind.
"Imagine if we could get black pepper steak... Or even roasted beef..."
Now that may have been stretching it. Even Tetsuya was aware of that.
"Already sounds like wishful thinking to me. Don't hope for too much, otherwise, you might just get disappointed."
Naoki kept Tetsuya's words in mind.
"Yeah... I know..."
When they got to the Feeding Room, the chefs already had hot food ready and waiting for the combatants.
Everyone immediately got in line, including Tetsuya and Naoki, and all were served with bowls and plates of food.
Once Naoki got to the front of the queue, he saw what food was prepared.
It was chicken soup with vegetables. It even looked freshly prepared.
Each person was served with a tray containing a bowl of chicken soup and a plate of rice.
The rice was even freshly cooked. The portions served were quite literally steaming as they were put on the plates themselves.
When Tetsuya and Naoki got their trays, they got to a nearby table and sat down, then Naoki began eating quickly right after.
One of the other guards nearby then made an announcement.
"You all have one hour. Refills are free."
Naoki continued to wolf down his food. In comparison, Tetsuya was eating rather slowly.
In fact, Tetsuya was eating so slow in comparison that Naoki got worried and asked about whether or not he was feeling okay.
"Is something the matter? Just can't help but be concerned, you know. Or... do you not like the food they gave us...?"
Tetsuya assured Naoki that he was fine.
"Don't worry, I'm just a slow eater. Don't let me disrupt your pace though. Just keep eating."
Naoki smiled faintly and nodded before continuing to eat.
As Tetsuya began to start eating his soup once more, his mind was actually elsewhere.
He already did explain to Naoki why keeping them fed was necessary, but he couldn't help but wonder what else were the reasons as to why they were being quite generous.
'There has to be another reason.'
What really got Tetsuya rather suspicious about it was the fact that refills were allowed. They weren't this generous before.
Three rounds then a break. Even after hours of fighting, there were still quite a few combatants.
When Tetsuya did a head count, he saw that, including himself and Naoki, there were 16 remaining combatants.
'Still too many... That leaves only one possibility: there's still more fighting to be done.'
It made even more sense as to why they were getting good food. It was to reinvigorate than and re-energize them.
Like pigs being fed before the slaughter.
Rather than lose his appetite entirely, Tetsuya just continued eating. He couldn't fight on an empty stomach.
The other fourteen combatants here were still here for a reason. They were quite good.
Things could only get even more intense from here.
As for what exactly was going to happen next, Tetsuya didn't quite know just yet. It could either be the typical three more rounds or some sort of special event.
'If it's going to be a free-for-all... I have to protect Naoki at all costs... When it gets to just the two of us remaining... I can easily spare him...'
Tetsuya slowly shook his head.
'I shouldn't get too far ahead of myself. I should only start planning once I know what's actually going to happen.'
For now, Tetsuya helped himself to some more free food, just like Naoki. Except, well, the latter just helped himself to much more food.
...
An hour had soon passed.
Right on cue, two guards showed up to the Feeding Room, and one of them stepped forward by making new announcements.
"Alright, time's up. Everyone, follow me."
Some of the people were rather confused by this.
"Everyone?"
"Seriously? All of us?"
"What the hell do they want now?"
The other guard had his spear at the ready and frowned before speaking up as well.
"Everyone means everyone. If you want to stay here, feel free to do so, but know that it'll get you disqualified."
The people slowly got up before forming into a line of sorts. They all didn't want their hard work to amount to nothing. Winning here would be the cash out of the century for any single one of them.
As for Tetsuya, though, the only prize worth was freedom. It was the same for Naoki too.
Tetsuya's fears of it turning into an all-out brawl were starting to manifest.
Once the guards began moving forward, everyone else turned to follow after them.
As they were walking along, Tetsuya checked the time on his main menu. It was now currently 1:30 P.M.
'The sun will be close to being directly above us... It'll be very hot out there in the arena... Aside from that, though, almost 24 hours have already passed... Mito... Where are you...?'
Well, even if it was unlikely, there was the possibility that there really was no help coming for them.
He didn't forget how he shunned Mito away when they were last together. It was a stupid move on his part. He wouldn't really blame her for hesitating to help or even look for him just from how badly he treated her back then.
As far as Tetsuya was concerned here and now, there was no ongoing rescue attempt. The only people capable of helping him and Naoki get out of this place would be themselves. No one else.
Around a couple of minutes later, one of the guards at the front spoke up, and spoke loudly, getting the attention of everyone there.
"While we're heading towards the arena, you lot best sort yourselves out into groups of two. And only two. You're 16 total. That's eight groups of two. Even pests like you know simple math. Once we get to the entrance of the arena, those of you that aren't grouped will be promptly disqualified and executed. Now, get going."
The combatants began to find partners for the upcoming event.
As for Tetsuya and Naoki, they decided to stick with each other, and fight alongside one another no matter what was waiting for them out there.
Upon reaching the entrance of the arena, the guard provided further instructions while another guard dragged someone then forced them on their knees while turning them around, so only their back was visible to the combatants.
"To enter through here, the conditions are simple: Just leave a mark on this man with your weapons. Frankly, we don't care how you do it, you just do it. For the purposes of the special event waiting for all of you out there, all of you need to be orange players."
The combatants were immediately up in arms about this, but the other guard holding the man down assured them, stating that there would be no long-term repercussions.
"Unfortunately, there's no duel mode that accommodates numerous players at once. So, this is our workaround. Not to worry, though, the orange status only lasts for half a day, and it won't be permanent as long as you don't kill another green player. Since all of you would be orange, killing each other won't affect that."
For those that wouldn't cooperate, a much simpler fate was resigned for them. The same guard speaking just now made that very clear.
"If this isn't to your liking, step away to the side. Of course, you'll be disqualified, but at the very least, you made it this far before backing out, right?"
The combatants began glancing at one another.
Even after a whole minute passed, no one stepped away to the side. It seemed everyone was intent on competing, no matter what.
With that settled, the other guard that was just standing by smiled then extended his hand to the side, inviting the people to step into the arena.
"Proceed at your own peril."
One by one, or rather two at a time, the line moved forward. Whoever was at front, they left cuts on the man's back, while others even stabbed the man's arms and hands.
Tetsuya and Naoki were the last in line.
Naoki first glanced at Tetsuya, waiting for what he was going to do, and was only going to proceed if he was going to do it.
The man was already covered in various cuts. His HP was already in the yellow zone. Tetsuya crouched for a bit before leaning close with his sabre, but not before saying something to him.
"I'm sorry..."
Tetsuya proceeded to leave a very small cut on the man's arm. It didn't do that much damage, but still, for all intents and purposes, Tetsuya was now an orange player.
Naoki followed in Tetsuya's example, prompting a status window to show up in his HUD.
[Warning! You have harmed a fellow player! Your cursor has been changed to orange!]
[Orange Color Cursor will reset in: 11 hours and 59 minutes...]
Tetsuya and Naoki then entered the arena, being welcomed by the shouts and cheers of the crowd itself.
All eight duos were spread around the arena evenly in a circle formation. Some waved to the crowd while others were already swinging their weapons around.
Tetsuya urged Naoki to be cautious and have his guard up at all times.
"Be careful. We don't know what we're in for."
The man on the throne then began his grandiose speech.
"WELCOME BACK TO THE ARENA, MY FIGHTERS!"
Every single one of the sixteen combatants looked up to him. They were all now listening to him, prompting him to continue.
"In the previous fights, I addressed the crowd and catered to them. But enough of that. After all, this event is just for you. It's for every single one of you."
The rules were then made clear.
"You're all grouped into duos. There are eight groups of two in total. So, with that in mind, what I have to say regarding what will happen next will be rather simple."
The man raised both his hands up into the air.
"A RUMBLE FOR THE AGES!!!"
The crowd cheered and roared, their shouts echoing throughout the arena itself, as many of the combatants narrowed their eyes in anticipation.
The man on the throne went into the specifics.
"There are sixteen of you! Plenty of flesh and blood between each man and woman fighting here today! BUT ONLY TWO CAN EMERGE AS VICTORS!"
He also stated that, technically, these alliances weren't set in stone.
"The choice is yours! EITHER WORK TOGETHER TO SURVIVE OR KILL THE OTHER OFF to SECURE YOUR STANDING BEFORE MOVING ON TO THE NEXT KILL!"
The only important thing here is to survive.
"All that matters is that two survive! It can be any one of you! SO THEN, WILL YOU BE PART OF THE TWO OR WILL YOU FADE INTO OBSCURITY?! ONLY ONE WAY TO FIND OUT!"
The crowd then shouted for him.
"COMMENCE BATTLE!"
Naoki immediately tried running ahead but was promptly stopped by Tetsuya, who pulled on the back part of his shirt.
The Clearer immediately warned the young man to exercise restraint.
"Wait! Not yet! If you rush in now, you'll get yourself hurt or worse!"
When Naoki took the time to look around and observe his surroundings, he saw that nearly all of the seven other groups were going straight at each other's throats.
A few handful of duos even descended into infighting. Certain players would rather kill their partners off to ensure one less player out of fifteen others to be fighting for the two slots.
As for Tetsuya and Naoki, they had each other's backs. Such camraderie would soon be needed when their first challenge entered the fray.
Another nearby duo, both of them men, and both wielding one-handed swords.
Tetsuya got in front of Naoki right away, all while drawing his sabre and pointing it forward.
"Stay behind me. You move when I say you move, okay?"
Once Naoki nodded, Tetsuya continued speaking.
"Listen up and listen close. We're going to keep things simple. When I say switch, you move forward and you attack who I tell you to attack, okay?"
Naoki nodded once more. It was during this time that Tetsuya assured Naoki that he would be watching over him no matter what.
"No harm is going to come to you. Not while I'm here, alright?"
Naoki felt relieved and took a deep breath. By now, the enemy duo was quickly closing in on them.
Right off the bat, both of them attacked at the same time.
Tetsuya was quick to respond with [Wide Slash], making his sabre collide with both of their swords with one motion.
With both of them being knocked away, Tetsuya called out to Naoki, calling him to action.
"Switch! Go for the guy on the left! Use whatever skill you're comfortable with!"
Naoki used [Horizontal], and as a result, slashed across his target's chest.
In response, the other player, the one on the right, performed a thrusting attack to try and punish Naoki.
However, Tetsuya intervened with [Parrying Slash].
"Naoki, again! Go for the guy on the right this time!"
Naoki activated [Horizontal] once more and managed to slash across the player's shoulder.
It was the same story as before but flipped. The guy on the left was trying to the counterattack.
Tetsuya was already planning for this outcome beforehand. He already had a skill prepared.
[Tri-Slash]
With the first downward slash, Tetsuya slammed the left player's blade down to the ground, immediately eliminating the threat against Naoki.
The second downward slash was aimed towards the wrist of the left player's weapon arm. It was a clean cut all the way through. The result was that player's hand coming right off.
As for the third and final slash that was horizontal, Tetsuya forced a manual correction, turning towards the right player that had activated [Vertical], trying to cut Tetsuya's arm off.
Tetsuya's third slash managed to parry the right player's blade away fully, knocking him away, and this sudden imbalance made him fall to the ground.
The player on the left fell to his knees while screaming in pain. Again, pain wasn't actually registered in Sword Art Online, but for many people, it seemed that signals in the brain forced pain receptors to be active in order to match the visual cues.
It definitely wasn't an intended feature of Sword Art Online itself. What Tetsuya came to conclude was that it wasn't necessarily a programming oversight but simply a matter of the brain overpowering the game's code, making users feel pain even though there isn't actually any.
Tetsuya stood over the player on the right that had fallen down to the ground. He pointed his sabre at them.
"Drop your weapon."
The player was clearly hesitating. He was even tightening his grip on his weapon further.
Tetsuya started shaking his head slowly while continuing to point the sabre forward.
"You've got two choices. If you don't drop that weapon by the time I'm finished speaking and I'll kill you and your friend over there. If you do decide to put down the sword, I'll allow you to carry your friend back to the entrance where the guards will be waiting, and then you both can live for another day."
Some more seconds of silence passed, prompting Tetsuya to urge him to think rationally.
"Don't make me make that decision for you."
Eventually, the player did drop their weapon, prompting Tetsuya to slowly back away but with sabre still at the ready. He had learned his lesson from Brutus by now.
The player soon walked over to the other player with the detached hand and carried him away, dragging him out of this chaotic mess.
Just when things were about to settle down, the moment Tetsuya turned around to glance at Naoki, who was smiling and waving at him, but was then suddenly tackled down to the ground by another player.
This player was someone who had killed his own partner. Now, he wanted to kill Naoki, while he still had the chance, especially when the young man wasn't even aware of him.
He raised his sword up high before slamming it down, trying to stab Naoki in the chest.
Naoki dropped his sword and used both hands in trying to hold the tip of the sword back, but with the weight of the man pressing down on him and the sword itself, it wasn't going to hold for long.
The young man resorted to crying out for help.
"TETSUYA!!!"
Tetsuya immediately began sprinting over towards Naoki but was soon blocked by another player, who was wielding a two-handed axe.
From the looks of things, Tetsuya was going to have to fight his way through.
Tetsuya frowned and groaned.
"OUT OF MY WAY!"
The player with the two-handed axe didn't stand down.
This prompted Tetsuya to charge in with [Tri-Slash]. A rather bold approach was more or less 50-50, and unfortunately, this meant that the player was able to dodge the first two slashes before using his axe to block the third.
Naoki continued to struggle, feeling his own two hands beginning to give way to the other player's blade.
He glanced over to the side with tears in his eyes.
"TETSUYA, SAVE ME, PLEASE!!!"
Tetsuya urged Naoki to just wait a bit more.
"HANG ON! JUST HANG ON!"
He pulled out the [Executioner's Dagger] from the Quick Access Panel before throwing it directly at the man's head. His aim was a bit off, but still, it was able to lodge itself in the back of the man's neck, putting a stop to the attempt on Naoki's life.
He then resorted to overpowering his current opponent.
Tetsuya used half-swording to push the player's axe away before using [Gash], slashing across the player's throat and then chest, incapacitating him completely.
Immediately changing targets after, Tetsuya ran towards the other player that was still standing above Naoki, who had just pulled the [Executioner's Dagger] out of his neck.
Tetsuya activated [Rapid Slash], dashing across and cutting away his main weapon hand, forcing him to drop his sword, leaving only the dagger in his other hand. The man screamed in pain before attempting to flail his other arm around, trying to cut Tetsuya with the dagger.
In response to this, Tetsuya stopped the player's arm with his left hand before reaching over and then slashing across the player's leg.
The 'pain' forced the player to let go of the dagger, allowing Tetsuya to retrieve it before stepping in and cutting across the man's throat.
The man fell to the ground right after. Once there, he began backing away, crawling slowly.
Tetsuya just glanced down at him.
When the man raised his hand up, Tetsuya was about to activate [Wide Slash], intent on finishing him off, but he soon stopped halfway through, debating on whether or not this would count as justified.
Naoki did almost die, but at the same time, the man was just playing along to the rules of the twisted game he was competing in. Still, when the guards offered an out, the man didn't take it, that's why he was still here.
Dwelling on whether or not he was the rightful adjudicator on the matter of life or death, Tetsuya eventually resorted to just kicking the man straight in the face, knocking him out cold.
He then checked on Naoki, who somehow managed to stay unscathed throughout the ordeal, and pulled him up from the ground.
"Are you okay?!"
Naoki nodded while coughing heavily.
"I... I'm fine... Thank you..."
Tetsuya soon put the [Executioner's Dagger] back in the Quick Access Panel.
"Don't thank me yet. We still have more to do."
He then dusted Naoki off before retrieving the young man's sword and handing it back to him, which Naoki was very thankful for, albeit rather ashamed for having been almost taken out quite easily.
Tetsuya and Naoki, as a duo, managed to defeat four people on their own.
Quickly doing the math, Tetsuya accounted for the fact that the last two players they had dispatched were acting individually, meaning that either they had killed their partner or abandoned them to die when the odds weren't in their favor.
That would mean that, by extension, two other people were also dead. From what Tetsuya was able to see, at least, six combatants were already out of the competition.
Only ten left but who among those ten would still be standing?
The answer was four.
In fact, the remaining four, by coincidence, were two groups of two facing off against each other. A 2v2 scenario.
However, any semblance of an evenly-matched battle quickly faded away when one group was completely overwhelmed by the other.
The group being overwhelmed was a couple of young men that put up quite the fight with other groups earlier. A sword wielder and a rapier wielder.
The other group that was getting the better of them was a couple of young women. Both wielding daggers. What's more is that they were twins.
One of the twins leapt forward and stabbed one of the men in the forehead. Before the other person could respond, the other twin dashed in and slashed across his chest before stabbing him in the heart.
The two players were killed off at the same time, both dissipating into blue polygons simultaneously.
A few seconds after that, the twins slowly turned around to look at the remaining combatants in the arena - Tetsuya and Naoki. They even did it in unison and in perfect sync.
Tetsuya narrowed his eyes and pointed his sabre forward while motioning for Hideaki to not stray far away.
"Keep close to me no matter what."
Both twins, both of which had similar rather long black hair with brown eyes, began to slowly walk forward. One of them was left handed while the other was right handed. Together, they began to have a conversation while approaching Tetsuya and Naoki.
"Just one more, sister."
"Indeed. Let's go for it. You can go first this time."
Just two more people to get through.
And yet, it was going to be their toughest challenge so far.
Even so, Tetsuya believed they could do it. Both he and Naoki.
They already came this far. They were not about to give up now.
So, with an invitation from the twins to fight, Tetsuya and Naoki were more than willing to tango.
"Let's do this."
| Gladiator, Part 4 |