Chapter Text
February 24, 2023. 12:15 P.M.
Guildingston, Outskirts Near Southern Gate, 20th Floor.
"Tetsuya's still not here with you?"
Mito shook her head in response to Kibaou's query.
"We checked in on him last night. Still the same unresponsiveness."
Jiro was a bit concerned given that fact.
"What does that mean for us?"
Kirito immediately stepped in and joined the conversation.
"It doesn't change anything. This is still only a temporary set up for us. When he does wake up, it'll just be back to the usual. Nothing changes."
Lind then raised a concern of his.
"What if he never wakes up?"
Asuna immediately narrowed her eyes.
"So much for optimism, huh?"
Lind quickly defended his statement.
"We have to account for both the good and the bad. Besides, what are the odds that he'll recover and be back to his usual self? You head what Aoi said in that announcement yesterday. The chances of getting back from such a condition are so slim. They're miniscule."
Asuna then began to frown.
"But there's still a chance! We can't just ignore it!"
Lind felt that Asuna still had some rose-tinted glasses on.
"No one's trying to ignore it, but as it stands, he isn't here right now. He most likely won't be here tomorrow. And if the day after that comes and he still isn't here with us, then we have to make do with that. He'd tell us to keep moving forward, as he always has."
Things were beginning to heat up a bit. Even at a surface level glance, it was obvious that the Clearers were not the same ever since Tetsuya shut down.
Kirito was on the verge of saying another sentence, and based on the look on his face, it wasn't rather nice and was about to be something personal against Lind.
However, Mito quickly silenced the crowd.
"Alright, that's enough! Shut up, both of you! And everyone else too!"
Both sides had their merit. Everyone had to be reminded that it wasn't just one or the other. Both options are available and both can be taken. It was all a matter of balance.
Mito sighed a bit while shaking her head.
"It's true that Tetsuya isn't here. And it's also true that we can't just sit around waiting for him to wake up. If any of us were in his shoes right now, he'd also urge us to keep fighting onward. It's not just our lives at stake. It's also the lives of everyone else trapped in this death game. We keep moving forward no matter what. It's what we do."
She then turned to glance at Kibaou and Lind.
"But at the same time, we shouldn't just count Tetsuya out entirely. However small of a chance there is, it's still a chance nonetheless. That's why this set up is only temporary. If he does wake up tomorrow, or the next day, or the day after, then all is well."
She lowered her head for a bit. One more compromise had to be made.
"Even so, we can't wait forever. Just like there's a chance he could wake up, there's also a chance he might not. So, let's put a date on it. A week. Technically, that week already started yesterday. So, there's six days left. If six more days pass, and he's still not awake, then we'll change things up. We appoint a new leader by then."
This time, everyone seemed to be in agreement. A week seemed to be more than enough time to see what would happen regarding Tetsuya. It wouldn't be a rush.
If the week did pass and no progress was made, then there was already a plan set in motion, there wouldn't be any issues or misconceptions or even misunderstandings about what would happen next.
Besides, with regards to the appointment of a new leader, a very suitable candidate was already standing in front of them.
However, Mito had one more announcement to make.
"Also, well, I didn't plan to say this anytime soon, but... I figured now is the best time since we're about to explore the floor itself and then we're going to explore the labyrinth soon after. Alright. Everyone, listen up... Once the 20th Floor Boss Fight is done and dusted, I... I intend to resign from the Clearers."
Everyone went silent.
Some stared at her. Others glanced at other people to see if they both heard the same thing come out of Mito's mouth.
Eventually, Asuna was the one that spoke up.
"Mito... You're... You're leaving...?"
Mito nodded slowly.
"Not right away. Like I said, after the 20th Floor Boss Fight. But, yeah, soon."
Asuna was very confused by this decision.
"But... But why...?"
Kirito, however, wasn't as confused. He already knew why she decided to make this specific announcement.
That didn't mean that he agreed with her decision though. Far from it.
"Mito... We already told you. What happened to Tetsuya is not your fault. It's not your doing either."
The guilt in her eyes was clear through and through. It was so obvious, even a child would know what she was feeling from just a mere glance. Her expression didn't betray her, her words, or even her thoughts. It simply gave an accurate portrayal to what she was feeling on the inside.
She shook her head slowly.
"I failed to protect him, Kirito... Twice, even... I never should've let him go out alone that day... And I should've seen the signs that he wasn't himself ever since he got out of that fighting arena... No... I... I did see the signs but... But I didn't do anything... I should've done something..."
Asuna was saddened by the pain and burden that Mito was carrying.
"Mito..."
Mito didn't allow herself to be consoled.
"I was his friend... He trusted me... But I... But I failed him. I'm unfit to be his partner."
She was clearly holding back tears.
However, she held it together and instead decided to just move things along. She didn't want there to be any further dwelling or discussion about the matter.
"And... I'm unfit to be a leader."
No one felt like they could talk her out of it. Not that anyone wanted to, anyway. Obviously, some people, like Kirito, disagreed, but they still respected her decision overall.
It now seemed like events were set in motion and there was no more turning back.
Mito proceeded to rally the Clearers as they continued with their floor clearing efforts.
"Come on, let's get going. We still have a job to do."
...
One hour ago.
"Mr. Tetsuya...?"
Tetsuya blinked quite a few times as his eyes began glancing around. He first looked at his right hand, spreading the fingers outward then clutching them into a fist multiple times.
He then looked over at his left hand and saw that the sabre was already partly unsheathed due to his thumb pushing the handle upwards.
Finally, he glanced over at Kid.
There was a silence in the room. Neither Kid nor Tetsuya moved for a few seconds.
Kid saw that Tetsuya's now blue eyes were completely fixated on him. He then glanced over at the sabre for just a brief moment. The fact that it was already slightly unsheathed didn't seem to comfort the young Clearer at all.
The silence continued.
The boy didn't know what exactly it was but there was something in the back of his mind. It was a voice. Well, it wasn't just a voice. It was his fight or flight response.
It was telling him to draw his sword. If not that, then to immediately get out of the room then close the door behind him.
However, just as he was about to go through with his gut instinct, Tetsuya slowly placed the sabre behind him and faintly smiled.
"Ah... Hey there, kiddo."
Kid eased up and smiled back.
"Mr. Tetsuya, you're awake!"
Tetsuya laughed softly while nodding slowly.
"Mm, yeah. Sorry. How long was I out? Three days?"
Kid quickly shook his head. Luckily and fortunately, he wasn't out for that long.
"No, much shorter than that. It's only been over a day. It's good to see you awake and recovered again!"
It was after the exclamation and joy had settled down slightly that Kid had a question for Tetsuya. Well, it couldn't really be helped. The young Clearer was naturally curious.
"Although, uhm, if it's fine for me to ask, Mr. Tetsuya... What exactly happened...? It looked very serious when you were out..."
Tetsuya went back to being silent.
Perhaps he was rather hesitant in sharing his story. It was either that or he just didn't know how to describe it just yet.
Eventually, he did answer.
"Oh, that... It's just... A mental reset."
The term 'mental reset' seemed very serious. Kid was still rather concerned.
"Are you sure you're already okay, Mr. Tetsuya...?"
Tetsuya looked at Kid with a slightly confused expression before immediately shifting into a more understanding response.
"Hmm? Ah... I appreciate the concern, Kid, but really, I'm okay now. I'm feeling much better."
Kid nodded slowly. He trusted Tetsuya's word.
"That's very good to hear. Mito and the others will be very pleased to know- Oh, right- Ugh, dang it, how could I have forgotten?-"
This caught Tetsuya's attention.
"What is it?"
Kid began scratching the back of his head. He was certain that it was something that Tetsuya wouldn't really want to hear. However, hiding it now would do nothing but draw further suspicion.
Tetsuya seemed to trust him enough to open up about the mental reset thing. It only seemed right in response to let him know about what had happened and fill him in on recent events.
"Uhm... Mito and the others left town yesterday... They're continuing the floor clearing efforts. I was told to stay behind. To stand guard, to watch over you, and to also keep you company."
Tetsuya narrowed his eyes slightly.
"The Clearers moved on without... me?"
Kid felt rather nervous.
"Y-Yes, sir, but... It's not because they got impatient with you or anything... It's just... Well... Everyone agreed that we had to keep moving forward... Just so your efforts wouldn't be in vain..."
Tetsuya seemed to be in deep thought as he processed Kid's explanation.
"Hmmm... Is that so?"
Kid raised both hands up into the air slightly.
"W-Well, that's what they said... But, really, I'm just glad that you're back with us, Mr. Tetsuya..."
Tetsuya nodded slowly.
"Heh, I feel the same way. Well, kiddo, is there anything else I should know? Anything else that happened while I was out?"
Kid looked down for a bit. There was a hint of nervousness in his eyes.
The recent news really just wasn't anything pleasant. At least, that's how it was to a kid like him. All that talk about change, especially unwanted change, just felt a bit too daunting for someone of his age.
"Some are... Well, some were proposing topics along the lines of... Uhm... Changing leadership... A few people were unsure if you ever going to wake up, that's why they suggested stuff like that..."
Tetsuya remained deep in thought but was still able to acknowledge what Kid said. He took his time processing those words too.
"Is that right...?"
Kid gulped a bit.
However, in that moment, Tetsuya didn't dwell on things any further, and instead slowly moved himself close to the edge of the bed, putting the sheathed sabre back onto his belt, then stood up.
He patted Kid in the shoulder.
"Well, no worries. I'm awake now and that's what counts, right?"
Kid nodded silently in response, looking up at him. That was when he asked another question.
"Your eyes... They're blue now?"
Tetsuya went silent for a few seconds again but soon replied with a faint smile.
"Ah, that. Haha, yeah. Might just be the lighting. Or who knows, maybe I fiddled a bit with the character customization while I was asleep. You'll just have to guess which is which."
Kid laughed a bit while shaking his head slowly. He decided to not pry any further. Maybe it was an inside joke or something.
This time, it was Tetsuya who asked a question.
"By any chance, would you happen to know where Mito and the Clearers are right about now?"
Kid could only give an educated guess.
"Let's see... At this point, they should be at the second town... Guildingston, I think it was called. I'm pretty sure they're getting ready to go fight the field boss or at least make their way towards it."
An educated guess was more than good enough.
At least now, Tetsuya knew where to go to first.
"Alright. Come with me. There's a raiding party we have to catch up to."
...
2:25 P.M.
Wolfsburg, 20th Floor.
This was now the third town.
The Clearers knew full well that the field boss would be up ahead, just a few more kilometers after this town. As such, everyone was already preparing their equipment.
Meanwhile, the support squadrons had been going around town, accepting what quests they can find, and trying to obtain whatever kind of information they could scrounge.
Mito remained silent as she looked up at the sky.
A couple of birds passed through. Their chirps were soon drowned out by the howling wind.
Even when the sounds faded, Mito kept her eyes on the birds. It was a couple of sparrows just gliding along in one specific direction.
However, another bird flew past the two, right through the middle, temporarily disrupting the path of the sparrows, causing them to separate and distance themselves from each other.
Mito switched focus onto the other bird. A distinct cawing noise could be heard from it as it continued flying away.
Its feathers were a dark color. Specifically, it was black.
It was a crow.
Even now, Mito couldn't stop thinking about what Elliot said to her.
"You're loyal to a fault."
There was no use denying it. What Elliot said was true. Although she affirmed to herself that her loyalty was her best trait numerous times, it was lacking in some areas while overextended in other aspects.
At this point, she dug her heels. Figuratively, at least.
If Tetsuya wasn't going to be there, with the Clearers, then she wouldn't be there as well.
'If his fate should be what I most fear... Then... The least I can do is just... looking after him.'
She opened up the main menu then went to the friends tab. Her finger hovered over Tetsuya's name. She was wondering if it would be a good idea to message him.
'What do I even say...? What do I want to even tell him...?'
There were lots of answers to that question. It was difficult to just pin it down to a few words.
Apologies. Guilt. Self-loathing. Anger. Sadness. Pessimism. Loneliness. Vulnerable. Withdrawn. Fearful. Despair. Could there really be a paragraph to summarize this string of emotions and thoughts?
Just as she was about to at least try to summarize what she was feeling inside, Elliot approached her from behind and called out to her.
"Mito. We're waiting on you."
Mito exited the main menu and nodded slowly.
"Alright."
She got up then followed Elliot back to the rest of the Clearers. It seemed that everyone had already gathered. The support squadrons had finished their sweep of the town itself.
Once Mito had shown up, everyone stopped gossiping and talking about random things. The mood became serious. Fitting for the serious discussion that was awaiting.
Mito gave a small nod to Aoi, who then took center stage, and made the announcements regarding information they've collected about the field boss.
"We've collected enough snippets of information from quest rewards, dialogues with NPCS, and even item descriptions. This is what we've managed to discover: The field boss blocking passage to the rest of southern region is a hostile NPC known as... [War Chieftain]."
Aoi provided a bit of background information in order to establish some context.
"I'm sure you've noticed it from the names of the towns we've visited and also the names of the NPCs we've come across, but if you still have no idea, I'll spill the beans for you. The 20th Floor seems to have this sort of Viking theme."
One of the Clearers spoke up.
"Medieval Scandinavia!"
Aoi laughed a bit while nodding slowly.
"Yes, that, but, since the term "Viking" is more popular, we're sticking to it."
Mito had a question to raise.
"So, we'll be facing just the [War Chieftain]?"
Aoi looked through the information the support squadron managed to compile.
"Hmm, well, somewhat. Seems like he has a few bodyguards with him. It's the typical warrior from Nordic countries. Axe and shield. Chainmail. Although no horned helmet. Which, surprisingly, is historically accurate."
Mito scoffed a little.
"Huh... Good on Kayaba. Accurate representation of history even in a death game."
Aoi smiled a little.
"Yeah, my thoughts exactly."
Some more questions were raised by way of raising of hands by the Clearers.
Aoi proceed to point towards Jiro first.
Jiro's concern was about the specific number of bodyguards.
"How many other soldiers will there be?"
Aoi looked back at the information sheet.
"Around 3, maybe 4 [War Berserkers]."
Elliot turned to look at Mito.
"Seems like a walk in the park."
Aoi then pointed towards another Clearer to address their question. This time, it was Lind who wanted to ask something.
"Where can we find the field boss?"
This time, Aoi didn't need to consult the information sheet.
"Past the hill south of this town. I'd say it's around... two kilometers away? Maybe three. Somewhere in that range. From the top of the hill, we should get a good view of the area, and we should be able to spot him. One of the quest dialogues from an NPC in this town revealed that the chieftain and the berserkers are situated in a camp nearby."
Mito nodded slowly.
"So, the idea will be to get the high ground, scout the surroundings, get our bearings, find the field boss, analyze it, then defeat it. Right?"
Elliot was in agreement with that process flow.
"That sounds like a plan."
Everyone else also seemed to agree. No objections were raised.
With that, Mito decided to kick things off.
"Alright, then, it's settled. We move out in fifteen minutes. Meet at the southern gate by then. Pack healing items and other necessities. If you need to do maintenance on your equipment, do it now. That's all then. Dismissed!"
The Clearers got up and went their separate ways for now. Some groups naturally formed. Most of the squads stuck together.
The same would've been said for Squad F, especially with Kirito and Asuna sticking together, and even approaching Mito.
Asuna asked Mito if she wanted to stay with them and relax for a bit.
"Wanna hang out around here for a while?"
Mito, by pure instinct alone, glanced over to her left side, but where she was expecting to see a certain partner, there was none.
That's what was missing here.
Mito felt that it wasn't her place to be among the two.
"Uh... Let me pass on this one. Don't worry, I'm okay, I just... I need to think. I'll see you two in a bit, alright?"
She didn't even wait for Asuna's reply before heading off.
Asuna seemed rather confused while Kirito only lowered his head, sighing a little. Even now, he could see the effect that Tetsuya's "departure" had on her.
It wasn't good that such a feeling was starting to rub off on him too. It felt too strange not having Tetsuya around. Perhaps the Clearers, as a whole, had grown dependent on him.
But he knew that wouldn't suffice. The nature of their job as Clearers was ever changing.
As much as he didn't want to admit it, there was always a chance one of them would die the next day. Tetsuya had equal chances like with the rest of them.
It was a reality they all had to accept. But, everyone was still stuck on sunshine and rainbows to realize that.
All of this helped to give Kirito some insight. Perhaps Tetsuya was aware of that possibility but just couldn't bring himself to accept it the same way. Maybe that was why he shut down.
Or maybe he couldn't be further from the truth. Maybe he didn't know him as well as he thought he did.
It all proved a bit too confusing and conflicting for Kirito to dwell on. He decided to just put those thoughts back into a jar and cast it aside.
As for Mito, only one thought consistently remained.
'...Tetsuya... What do I do now...?'
....
3:00 P.M.
South of Wolfsburg. 20th Floor.
The Clearers had formed up on the top of the hill.
Mito and a few others were scanning their surroundings. Eventually, after a few seconds had passed, Mito pointed in a specific direction.
"Over there, look. There's some smoke. Must be a campfire."
Kirito nodded slowly.
"And by extension, that must be where the camp is. Thought it'd be more difficult tracking it down."
Mito sighed softly.
"Don't jinx us now."
Kirito tried to assure Mito as best he could.
"Come on. We're more than capable now."
Mito was very unsure of this.
"Tetsuya isn't here."
However, that wasn't really much of a concern. At least, that's how Kirito saw it. After all, they did choose to come out here, even without their leader. He was confident in their collective ability.
"He's not the only Clearer, is he?"
Mito quickly frowned a bit.
"What the fuck, Kirito?"
Kirito quickly defended himself.
"It's not meant to insult him. That's not what I intended to do. I apologize if it came off that way. But, seriously, just spare a moment to listen to me, okay?"
Mito remained silent for a while. However, it was becoming increasingly clear that her patience was already getting thin.
Before the situation imploded, Kirito continued speaking.
"Look... Have you even glanced at the Clearers recently? It's Tetsuya this, Tetsuya that. It's all about Tetsuya."
Mito sighed softly.
"Which is natural, because he's-"
Kirito just continued on.
"He's our leader. I know. But in this instance, he's not with us, and some of the Clearers have frozen up too. Either that or gotten stiff. Are we going to rely on Tetsuya forever? We can't just count on him all the time for everything."
Kirito did raise a good point. The trend continued with his next few sentences.
"Besides, look at them. These are the same people that didn't think they'd make it past the 1st Floor. We're on the 20th Floor now. Tetsuya deserves his flowers, sure, but these people deserve credit too. They need to be confident in their own ability, with and even without him. You need to be confident too."
It really did seem like Kirito was on the verge of persuading her.
However, when Mito replied, it was clear that she still had reserations.
"I'll... I'll decide when it's time to decide. But thanks regardless."
Even in that moment, she wanted Tetsuya's guidance, but none was given. She didn't feel like it was her decision even if the decision itself defaulted to her with Tetsuya's absence.
Loyal to a fault. Maybe it would be the phrase that would haunt her forever.
Kirito decided to not press any further.
Instead, he shifted the topic onto the matter at hand.
"Well... The boss is right there. Let's go get him."
Although the information they had so far seemed to give credence to the idea that the field boss was out there in the open, Mito wondered if there was anything amiss.
The first thing she noticed was that it wasn't just a hill that they were on. It was actually a valley.
There was a low area of plains between a group of hills nearby. They were just on top of one of the said hills. If the information was to be trusted, the valley floor was where the field boss would be found. But she couldn't shake off the eerie feeling.
"We have positional advantage here, though. This is the high ground."
She continued on by explaining how they could possibly exploit this position.
"If Tetsuya was here, he'd probably suggest a bait group, to draw the chieftain and the berserkers close to our position. And once they're close, we can then-"
Kirito, however, stopped Mito halfway through that last sentence.
"Mito. Tetsuya's not here."
Mito glanced at Kirito before lowering her head.
"Yeah, I... I know that."
Kirito wasn't trying to say that the idea itself wasn't bad. However, it seemed to just be a continuation of the problems they were already going through. It was another variation of "what would Tetsuya do".
It would be fine if Tetsuya was here. But he wasn't here. They had to tackle this on their own. That's how Kirito saw it.
"Have faith in the Clearers. We can do this. Even when Tetsuya's not with us, we can do it."
Mito sighed softly.
"I need to know specifically what it is that you're trying to suggest. I don't want any more riddles or sugarcoated words. I know you have something in mind. Just say it already."
Kirito pointed towards the location of the camp.
"We can overpower them. No need for anything fancy. We can brute force our way through."
Mito quickly shook her head.
"No. Going in blindly is the last thing we need. We can't afford to risk any more lives today."
Kirito was becoming increasingly frustrated.
"Dammit, Mito, look at me. We're more than capable of this. You're more than capable of this. Look at them."
Mito glanced at the Clearers behind here. Everyone already had weapons in their hands, ready to strike, ready to move out.
Kirito continued speaking.
"They're prepared to fight. Don't deny them that."
A few seconds of silence passed. Soon enough, Mito glanced over at Kirito. She then nodded slowly.
"Alright... Fine... Let's do it."
...
The Clearers formed up in one straight horizontal line, just waiting near the peak of the hill.
Everyone was waiting for the signal.
Once Mito stood up and hopped over the ridge, that became the green light for all the other players to follow suit.
The Clearers began descending down the hill, towards the plains, where there was still smoke rising up into the air.
Mito was the very front of their charge. Just behind her were Kirito and Asuna. Behind those two were Elliot and Agil. And behind them were the rest of the Clearers.
Some breathed heavily as they kept up with the sprinting pace. Others roared and shouted as loud as they could.
At least, that's what it seemed like they were doing.
Everything appeared to be mute.
By using the northwestern approach, the Clearers were going to use the line of trees to cover their charge towards the camp.
The chieftain and the berserkers wouldn't be aware of the charge until it was already too late.
As the Clearers dashed into the trees, the pace didn't really slow down. They were all still sprinting as fast as they could.
Mito already had the tip of her spear out in front, intending to impale the first enemy she came across.
The rest of the Clearers were of a similar mindset. They were all ready to attack on sight.
Not even a minute passed by when everyone managed to go past the trees. Now, the camp was fully visible. Tents, a campfire, and a handful of enemy combatants.
The silence from Mito's perspective continued up until the point that Mito was face-to-face with a [War Berserker].
Once her spear glowed green, she thrusted it forward.
[Linear]
All the sounds returned and came crashing down once Mito's spear punctured the berserker in the chest.
The roar of the Clearers continued as they swarmed out and picked their targets. For now, they targeted all the berserkers in the area.
The berserkers were rather tall and also quite muscular. From Mito's estimate, they should be around six foot tall.
Quickly dispatching the berserker on the ground by pulling her spear out then stabbing it in the head, she turned around to glance at the Clearers.
There were three remaining berserkers. The rest of the Clearers split up evenly to try and take them all down at the same time and as quickly as possible.
That left the [War Chieftain]. It towered above her much more in comparison to the berserkers. It also looked much more physically intimidating.
Common sense dictated that she retreat and just wait until all the other berserkers were dispatched so they could all focus on the field boss at the same time.
However, her feet just wouldn't budge.
Kirito was still preoccupied with one of the berserkers but he could already see what Mito was up to.
"Mito, don't do anything stupid!"
Before Mito could even process Kirito's words, the [War Chieftain] went straight at her with its two-handed axe at the ready, activating a skill.
[Whirlwind]
In response, Mito activated a skill of her own.
[Charging Slash]
Both the axe head and the edge of the spear tip collided with each other. Sparks then flew from the point of collision.
Mito was planning to push back the chieftain's axe in order to give herself an opportunity to slash across the field boss's chest.
However, the chieftain proved to be much stronger than expected, and deflected her spear away to the side.
Just when it seemed like the chieftain was going to finish Mito off with an overhead attack, Kirito stepped in, using [Rage Spike] to close the distance and perform a thrusting attack in order to give himself as much range as possible.
The chieftain had to abandon its attack on Mito, instead, twirling the axe around as a makeshift shield, blocking Kirito's thrust attack.
Kirito immediately backed off, and while doing so, pulled Mito away.
"For fuck's sake, I told you not to do anything stupid! Don't take on the boss on your own!"
Mito knew she screwed up.
"I... I know that... I'm sorry..."
Kirito groaned a little.
"Don't apologize to me now! Apologize later after we've defeated the field boss! Now help me take care of the [War Berserker]!"
Mito nodded slowly and joined Kirito and the rest of his group against one of the berserkers.
Speed was of the essence. They couldn't let the chieftain recover then gang up on one of them. The berserkers had to be killed off quickly.
Fortunately enough, the DPS players of the group were at a sufficiently high level, and were able to deal massive blows to the berserkers, which made the fight a lot easier.
It took another minute, but soon enough, the remaining three berserkers were killed off, leaving only the [War Chieftain].
The Clearers quickly surrounded the field boss, pointing their weapons at it, waiting for the right time to strike.
Mito was accompanied by Kirito and Asuna. The look on Kirito's face showed that he was still worried about Mito. He didn't want what happened to Tetsuya to repeat itself.
At the same time, this wasn't exactly the best place to strike up a conversation. The least they could do now was just take care of the field boss then have that talk later.
Mito desperately tried to affirm one fact in her mind.
'I'm not a coward anymore... I can do it... I know I can...'
She tried to muster up some courage. However, when that failed, she resorted to anger. She tried to pin it on the [War Chieftain]. She wanted to believe in both her heart and mind that this field boss was a representation of Aincrad in a way - fabricated, false, and artificial.
Aincrad is what might've took Tetsuya away from the Clearers. From her too.
She despised it. She hated it. All she wanted was to get him back.
Maybe this would be how she could get her confidence back. Here's the manifestation of the very thing that took away your partner. Kill it.
She was already on the verge of going for it. Her feet were planted on the ground. Her arms were ready to enter the pre-motion for a skill. But, she just couldn't push through with it.
The reason was simply because those emotions were also artificial.
That hate, anger, and despair was just not genuine. It couldn't be maintained for long.
It lacked conviction.
Mito was on the verge of sinking down into her knees and just cursing herself for her lack of strength and everything she had failed to do. The grip on her spear was also loosening.
However, at that moment, shadows were cast on her.
It didn't really make sense to her. It was a bright clear day. There weren't any clouds in the sky. They were also in the middle of an open field. What exactly would cast a shadow now?
Once she looked up, her eyes widened.
In the reflection of her eyes were countless arrows, heading down straight towards them.
It quickly snapped her out of the mental trance.
"COVER! COVER, NOW! SHIELDS UP, SHIELDS ABOVE YOUR HEADS!"
Some were able to react in time while others were less fortunate.
A volley of arrows had been launched at their position.
Mito was in pure disbelief.
'You're kidding me...! The chieftain's still here...!-'
The [War Chieftain] had already entered a crouching position. It then raised its axe above its head. Given the large size of the axe, it seemed like the minimum amount of protection required.
Minimum was better than nothing. Nothing was what some of the Clearers had to make do with, due to not being able to get their shields out in time.
Jiro was one of those less fortunate people. One of the arrows punctured through his leg.
Mito quickly rushed over to him.
"JIRO!"
A wave of adrenaline was already going through him. At the very least, it helped the pain subside. Even so, there were some limitations to what the adrenaline did for him.
"I... I can't stand..."
Before Mito could try and administer a health potion, another shadow blocked out the sun temporarily. It was another volley of arrows. This prompted Mito to shout out more orders.
"COVER! FIND COVER, DAMMIT!"
The defense squadrons managed to provide an umbrella of sorts for most of the Clearers. Despite that, Elliot knew full well that they couldn't just spend their time idly sitting around here.
"We can't just stay here! From the trajectory of the volleys, the arrows are coming from one of the other hills! They've got a clear sight of our position! We have to move!"
Kibaou frowned a bit while he barely dodged an arrow headed straight for his neck.
"Move where?! They're not gonna stop sending arrows down on us anytime soon! We're in the middle of an open field! No matter where we go, we're gonna be pinned down!"
Agil reiterated the fact that, from the perspective of the archers, the Clearers were in a perfect position.
"We gotta get to any other place but here! This is target practice for them! We have to get moving or else this is where our graves will be marked!"
Mito also agreed.
"Have the support squadrons drag the wounded and cover them! We're retreating to the tree line!"
The Clearers headed out of the camp. Aoi, Lisa, and the rest of the support squadron carried the wounded out of there. Following close behind them were the defense squadrons.
Whenever another volley was sent at them, the defense squadrons would get close to them then raise their shields, just to keep a metaphorical roof over their heads.
As for the others, they just ran as fast as they could.
Moving targets were much more difficult to hit. That, and the addition of other outside factors such as wind and distance, helped the Clearers significantly. Now, the volley of arrows weren't as accurate as before.
However, that was now the least of their problems.
When Mito turned around to look at the camp, she saw that the [War Chieftain] was chasing after them. Not only that but he also had reinforcements. At least a dozen more [War Berserkers].
'The information was off?-'
Off was putting it lightly. It was downright misleading.
There was no mention of the archers and there was a vast underestimate of the number of berserkers.
She could go on and on about how the quests provided the wrong information, but ultimately, they decided to charge in and attack without scouting the area and confirming the information themselves.
Overconfidence is usually a slow and insidious killer, but in this case, it might be quicker than any of them anticipated.
It would be the ultimate failure now if Mito let a Clearer die on her watch. That was why she was even more determined to prevent that.
Nezha soon got struck with an arrow to the foot, causing him to fall down and get left behind.
Mito quickly went back for him and pulled his arm around her shoulder and carried him up.
"Come on, you're still with me!"
Eventually, the Clearers did reach the tree line that they had passed through earlier. It provided some much needed concealment from the archers. Being hidden between the trees meant difficult targets and difficult targets were often a waste of arrows. This made the archers stand down.
This was their chance to rest up and tend to the wounded. Mito informed the support squadrons to aid the injured people right away.
"While we're here, check on the wounded. Give health potions and whatever else they need. Make it quick."
Aoi and Lisa nodded before walking away to delegate tasks to their squad members.
Mito, meanwhile, snuck back to near the edge of the tree line to see if they were still being chased.
The chieftain and the berserkers were still hot on their trail.
'They're only a couple of minutes away... Our only chance is now is to get back to the ridge...'
Mito ran over to the other edge of the tree line. She was facing the hill that they departed from earlier.
She stared in horror as she saw another group of archers take position at the top of the hill. Now, they were surrounded on all sides. No matter which direction they'd head into, they'd be spotted by archers and have arrows be sent on top of them.
What's more is that having to carry the wounded along would slow them down. The chieftain and the berserkers would soon catch up to them.
She mumbled to herself.
"What have I done...?"
Her fear was only worsened when the distant echo of a horn could be heard. Followed after that were volleys of arrows from both sides, heading towards the tree line.
The intention was to no longer just wound them but to also force them out into the open.
The Clearers - a group of highly skilled players famous for their exploits with the floor clearing efforts - were now about to be cattle put to the slaughter.
Mito felt her legs simply give up as she collapsed down to the ground, leaning against a nearby tree.
The defense squadrons resorted to raising their shields above their heads to try and block the arrows. However, at this point, it just seemed like delaying the inevitable.
The first wave of arrows hit.
Some of the less experienced members began screaming. Others repeatedly kicked their feet around, desperately trying to hide themselves under anything that could block the arrows. A few others simply covered their ears and began crying.
Asuna tried to call out to her friend.
"Mito! What do we do now?!"
However, Mito now began to share a similar fate to that of her partner. Unresponsiveness.
Asuna's eyes slowly widened once she recognized the pattern. Desperate to try and break through and reach out to her, she continued calling out to her, but she knew it was to no avail.
"Mito... MITO!"
The second wave of arrows hit.
Mito began shielding her face with both her hands as her spear dropped down to the ground.
"No... No... I'm sorry... I'M SORRY!"
Asuna tried to call out to her one more time but Kirito grabbed Asuna's hand and shook his head. The signs were telling. It was hopeless.
A lot of things were going through Mito's head.
Maybe she should've helped Tetsuya when he needed it and he would still be here with them right now. Maybe they wouldn't be in this position if that happened.
Maybe she should've stuck to her gut feeling and scouted out the area herself.
Maybe if she did all of that, everyone could stay alive. Instead, she had dragged them all with her, to the doom of certain death.
She despised it all. This world, this situation, and even herself.
Despite having improved so much and come so far, here she was again, cowering in a corner, unable to even stand up.
Disappointment is the only word she felt fitting for her.
Was it too harsh? Maybe. But it didn't change how she felt about herself.
She was partly disappointed because she knew she could be better. The other half of that disappointment was stemming from the idea that Tetsuya would be disappointed too if he saw her right now.
'I can't... I can't go on... No more... Please... He's not here... I... I can't do it...'
The archers on top of the hills began to stretch and draw the strings of their bows. They took aim then loosened the arrows, letting them soar through the sky.
The third wave was approaching.
As Mito looked at the arrows slowly descending upon them, tears began forming, and she clenched both of her fists.
"I'm sorry... Tetsuya... I'm... I'm so sorry..."
One arrow was headed straight for her.
She closed her eyes, anticipating the worst, but still scared of the outcome.
However, it never arrived.
A few seconds soon passed, and when death's embrace did not grasp her, she slowly opened her eyes.
There was someone standing in front of her.
Brown hair. Gray cloak. In the right hand was a sabre with a gold handle and a steel blade. As for the left hand, it was used to block the arrow that was headed for her.
It punctured the hand but that didn't seem to be a concern. After cutting off the tail of the arrow, the person simply pulled the arrow out of their hand before tossing it away to the side.
This person was familiar. Very familiar.
Not only to her but the rest of the Clearers.
She slowly spoke his name out.
"Tetsuya...?"
The Clearers stared in shock at the sight of their leader, supposedly bedridden and three towns away, right in front of them, standing at the precipice of danger and death awaiting for them all.
When some of the Clearers looked back at the ridge that they descended from earlier, they saw that the archers were gone. However, there were remnants. Bows, daggers, swords. All were telling of a battle that occurred not long ago.
Also joining the fray was Kid, who had already worked up quite a sweat.
The Clearers glanced at both Tetsuya and Kid. The dots soon connected.
Once the third wave of arrows was set upon them, Tetsuya and Kid snuck behind the group of archers at the northwestern hill, and managed to defeat all of them.
A sight for sore eyes wasn't enough to convey the relief that the Clearers felt upon seeing Tetsuya back with them.
Even Kirito and Asuna were in disbelief.
No quips. No sarcastic remark about how he took too long. No joking around about how they thought he was blind and might've asked Kid to lead him here.
It was all just silence.
Some were even wondering if they were hallucinating.
However, Mito just didn't care. She didn't care if it was a hallucination or not. Her friend and her partner was back. It seemed like prayers were answered.
The first thing she wanted to do was to hug him. Well, maybe now wouldn't be the best time, but really, seeing Tetsuya had done a lot for her. It rejuvenated her and helped her regain some much needed confidence.
Mito forced herself to stand up.
She then began to reach out to him.
At the tip of her tongue was supposed to be the mentioning of his name with a much softer tone, however, that soon stopped when she took a step forward.
He heard her footstep and slowly turned around to look at her.
Gazing back at her were blue eyes.
The same blue eyes she saw in the 19th Floor Boss Raid.
What truly made her freeze up was how different his gaze felt. It wasn't exactly cold but there was something behind those eyes. It was like staring at a vengeful spirit.
It twisted a tight knot around her chest. The feeling that she didn't recognize him like this.
The mention of his name turned into a question, seeking confirmation, and demanding an answer - albeit weakly.
"Tetsuya...?"
He turned away and looked towards the approaching chieftain accompanied by the berserkers. Mito's original estimate of a dozen was off the mark. There were at least twenty other berserkers present.
The unleashing of the fourth wave of arrows onto their position made him look up slightly.
Sure, he was awake. Obviously, he was here. But much like when she tried to speak to him when he was still in that room inside the inn from before, there was still no response.
Eventually, when he did turn around to face her one more time, she knew what his glance meant.
There wasn't even a smile curving his lips. He looked dead serious.
Before another word could be uttered, Tetsuya ran forward, not even looking back.
He was headed towards certain death.
The glimpse of Tetsuya running towards the chieftain and the berserkers struck both fear and concern into Mito's heart.
She almost lost him before. Would she lose him completely this time?
"No... No...! NO!!!"
Mito crouched down and grabbed her spear.
"TETSUYA!"
She then proceeded to run after him.
As for the rest of the Clearers, they didn't quite hear the conversation that occurred. All they saw was their leader headed straight for battle, so of course, they had to take up arms and follow after him.
Directly blocking Tetsuya's path were five [War Berserkers]. However, rather than stop or even slow down, he just continued running, and even started sprinting a little faster.
Five.
Using his own speed, he built up enough momentum where his weight would be difficult to counteract. Running straight into one of the berserkers, he then proceeded to tackle them down to the ground.
As it raised both of its hands up to try and defend itself, the berserker's life was quickly ended when Tetsuya stabbed the tip of his sabre through the berserker's own skull.
Four.
Two other berserkers came charging towards him. Pulling his sword out of the ground, he slashed across the legs of the first one to force it to fall down to the ground, and using the momentum of the second berserker against itself, he used a powerful thrusting attack skill - [Skewer] - to effectively make the second berserker run into his blade.
His sword pierced through the second berserker's chest. He then slashed downwards to loosen the blade from the body.
Three.
Tetsuya then turned around and walked towards the first berserker from earlier and activated [Wide Slash], pretty much cutting off the berserker's head in the process.
Two.
Another [War Berserker] appeared behind him and attacked him with a one-handed axe. Although he did turn around to block the attack, he was disarmed in the process. However, Tetsuya responded with a sweeping kick, knocking the berserker down to the ground.
He then grabbed a nearby rock and began smashing it into the berserker's head repeatedly.
One.
The last berserker in his path tried to attack him with a two-handed axe, but Tetsuya caught both of his hands, and began to push back.
Despite being taller and bigger than him, the berserker found it difficult to retain control of his own weapon, and eventually, was even being forced down into his knees.
Cold blue eyes stared back as the berserker's own axe was being forcibly pushed back onto its own neck. Soon enough, the sharp part of the axe head began to cut against the berserker's skin.
When the berserker couldn't muster any further strength to hold Tetsuya back, his arms gave out, and Tetsuya quickly slammed him down to the ground. Still holding onto the two-handed axe, Tetsuya held it up above his head then swung downwards, cutting off his head.
Zero.
Tetsuya then retrieved his sabre and continued walking towards the [War Chieftain].
The sun shine directly onto his face, illuminating his blue eyes, and he just continued taking his time. There was no need to run now. He was now in the thick of it, right in the middle, completely in the midst of chaos.
Just as the other [War Berserkers] were going to continue blocking Tetsuya's path, the rest of the Clearers arrived, and everyone began to fight tooth and nail just to help clear a path for him.
Still desperate in trying to catch up to Tetsuya, Mito was surrounded by three [War Berserkers], intent on preventing any further progress.
It was at this moment that she snapped. With eyes glowing red, she spun her spear around before dashing straight in, stabbing the first berserker right through the head.
Using the corpse as a shield before it dissipated and disappeared, she moved the body of the berserker to the side, trapping the axe of the second berserker that charged towards her. Finally pulling the spear out, she threw it right at the second berserker's head, hitting her mark.
As for the third, she beat it to a pulp, ending its life with a flurry of martial arts skills.
Kirito and Asuna continued to stick by each other's side, and with the intent of living to fight another day evident in both of their eyes, they dispatched four [War Berserkers] by themselves with their backs against each other.
Elliot had his sword still trapped in the chest of a nearby berserker so when a second one came swinging for him, he let go of his sword and used his own shield as a weapon. Activating [Shield Bash], he stunned the berserker, knocking it down to the ground.
He then got on top of the berserker and repeatedly used his shield to smash its face in.
Just as a third berserker was about to tackle him away, Agil intervened, slamming it down to the ground with his own axe, then finishing it off by slamming the axe head onto its chest.
Jiro, Kibaou, and Lind used overwhelming numbers with their respective squadrons to swarm and kill off the berserkers they came across.
Kid sprinted and dashed around three [War Berserkers], all of whom were struggling to even land one hit on the boy. With precise strikes against the legs, chest, and head, he managed to dispatch them single-handedly, finishing the third with a spinning slash.
Breathing heavily, his eyes also seemed to glow for a bit, before he eventually moved on, searching for the next enemy.
Even the support squadrons were getting their hands dirty.
Aoi and the rest of Squad H managed to bring a berserker down to the ground by repeatedly stabbing its legs. Once it was down on the ground, they all began to drive their daggers repeatedly into the berserker's head and neck.
As for Lisa and Squad I, they were assisted by Nezha and the rest of the Legend Braves. Once Nezha managed to land two precise throwing strikes onto a berserker's eyes, it covered its face, allowing everyone else to drag it down to the ground then finish it off.
The Clearers as a whole seemed to be in sync in this dance with death. In face of overwhelming odds, at the verge of cracking under pressure, they were reformed into soldiers.
With the tides turning, and with the battlefield becoming so chaotic that volleys of arrows would hit both friend and foe, the archers elected to retreat.
But they wouldn't be able to stay away for long. Once some of the berserkers were killed off, a few of the Clearers continued onwards, intending to chase the archers to the ends of the floor and leave no survivors.
Now, with no more distractions, Tetsuya focused on just the [War Chieftain] and nothing else.
Giving chances are for apologies or for trying again after a game over in a video game. However, in this death game, where there was no such thing as live, die, repeat, there was no such thing as giving the opposition a chance.
And Tetsuya was going to make sure that not one chance would even be extended towards the chieftain.
He repeated the combo that he pulled off in the 19th Floor Boss fight.
Seven skills. Nine hits.
But this time, nothing was going to hold him back from going through with it all the way.
The eight skill.
[Tri-Slash]
With purple glow further providing contrast to the blue eyes, Tetsuya performed three more slashes, upping the tally to twelve total hits. A twelve-hit combo.
Complete overkill.
The field boss glowed white before dissipating into blue polygons, leaving Tetsuya as the victor and survivor of their bout.
Still standing. Still alive. Still fighting.
Here it finally is. That elusive feeling of victory.
Underneath all of that anger, resentment, and rage towards the world that trapped him was a desire that was finally sated.
It was only in this place where he could truly savor this moment.
At the core of it all was an emotion.
A feeling.
Something that was completely original to "him".
Only one thought echoed out in his mind as he looked up towards the sky.
He looked completely battle-scarred.
Slowly but surely, he started smiling.
'The closer I am to death, the more alive I feel.'
| Alive, Part 4 : END |
《 No Limits: CLEAR 》
「 Sword Art Online REbirth: Part 1 Volume 2 - COMPLETE 」
...
"Tetsuya" will return in Volume 3.