The lawless followers who admired PoH were attracted to him in the opposite way people were attracted to Heathcliff of the Knights of Blood. Slowly, they expanded the boundaries in their heart.

A year after the game started, on the New Year's Eve in year 2023.

PoH and company, who have grown to about 30 people, attacked a small guild that was having an outdoor party in the field at a viewing spot, and killed them all.

The next day, there was the notification of "Laughing Coffin", a guild that wasn't accepted by the system and was designated as "red", and ended up in the main information providers of Aincrad.

However, the grey mantle player I just talked with shouldn't be PoH himself. That unrestrained and occasionally interrupted manner of speech was completely different from PoH's seemingly machine gun-like and extremely enthusiastic tone.

However, there was really a guy in "Laughing Coffin" who did talk like that. I met that guy before, and I think we did fight before. He wasn't just an ordinary member, but a rather high-ranking member. I could already remember so much, but why couldn't I remember his face and name?

No, I actually knew. The reason why I couldn't think of it was because I personally refused to remember.

"Laughing Coffin" was formed on the first day of 2024, and was eliminated on a certain summer night after August.

Of course, it wasn't automatically disbanded, but vanquished. It's because the clearing group, the players on the frontlines formed about 50 members in a crusade as we used force to destroy them.

Actually, we should have done that a long time ago, but we couldn't find the base of Laughing Coffin, so it was delayed till after August.

In Aincrad, players could buy houses or rooms, and whether it was on the streets or outside, we could accurately pinpoint the positions through the NPC real estate companies. The clearing group guessed that they would buy a larger house or a castle-like building that could allow 30 people to stay inside, so the information brokers accepted the clearing group's request and checked through all the large houses from the first level on.

But even though we found a few medium-to-small orange guild hideouts, we still couldn't found the most important Laughing Coffin's base after a few months.

Actually, it's no wonder we couldn't find them. Laughing Coffin used a floor that we had long conquered-a tower area that wasn't linked to the upper levels, which was a safe zone in a cave that would be easily forgotten once the designer installed there. The clearing players will basically only take part in clearing the mazes in high towers, and medium-cla.s.s players would slip into mazes where there're a lot of people. Of course, there would be players who would find that there were problems with the cave and enter in, but it's not hard to imagine that they were killed easily by Laughing Coffin to prevent their whereabouts from being revealed.

The reason the secret base of Laughing Coffin was revealed was because one of the members who may be unable to endure the guilt of killing exposed the secret to the clearing group. The clearing players then used this information to investigate and check that those guys were using that cave as a base before finally rallying a large-scale crusade. The leader of the squad was a member of the largest guild "Holy Dragon Alliance". Several strong players from the "Knights of the Blood" and other guilds joined in too. Of course, as a solo player, I was also invited to join the group.

Our numbers and average level were a lot higher than Laughing Coffin, so we thought that if we sealed the entrance to the safe zone to their base, there would be a high chance that they would surrender without fighting. But- just like how there was someone who revealed the secret...

Our thoroughly kept secret and battle strategy was known by them for some reason through some means. When we entered the maze, none of the Laughing Coffin members were waiting in the large room of the safe zone. Of course, they didn't flee or hide in the alleys of the maze, but attacked us from behind.

They prepared all sorts of traps, poisons, trick items and all sorts of means to ambush us in random ways. The clearing group was severely confused at the beginning, but the response to a sudden situation was the ability the clearing group needed the most, so we immediately readied ourselves again and started attacking back head.

However- there was an unexpectedly difference between Laughing Coffin and the clearing group.

That's the guilt over killing someone. Once we realized that the berserk Laughing Coffin members wouldn't surrender no matter how much their HP was worn out, we started to waver.

Of course, we did discuss about this possibility before, and at that time, we made the decision that we had to go all out even if we have to make the enemy's HP drop to zero. But including me, the members of the crusade couldn't deal the final blow once the enemy's HP was down to zero. One of the crusaders even threw his sword and knelt down on the ground.

First, there were a few martyrs in the crusaders. Then, the similarly berserk crusaders killed several members of Laughing Coffin too.

And what happened next was an ever b.l.o.o.d.y h.e.l.l.

Once the battle ended, there were 11 casualties on the crusaders' side and 21 on Laughing Coffin's side. Amongst them, I personally used my sword to kill two of them.

But amongst the dead and the captured players, there was no sign of the name of the leader PoH.

The twelve remaining enemy players who survived that battle were all locked inside the Dark Iron Palace prison. If that grey mantle player was really a survivor, I may have talked to him at a certain time after clearing up from the battle. I remembered his verbal mannerism, but couldn't remember his face and name, all because I forced myself to forget about them all.

No...

No, maybe under that mantle...

Is one of the two people I personally killed.

Unexpectedly, I would have such an idea. Thus, I continued to keep my knees cuddled as I sat on the seat and hurriedly shook my head. I started to grit my teeth with all I've got and tried to change my thinking.

The dead can't revive. In the SAO incident, whether it's the people I loved or loathed, the 4,000 victims wouldn't come back again. So that guy in the grey mantle must be one of the 12 Laughing Coffin members who survived. I should have known their names. I tried my best to endure the pain of searching through my memories as I tried to recall their information.

But at this moment...

I again noticed a new possibility, and panted.

The metallic-like distorted voice that grey colored mantle guy let out was a rather deep whisper. What would it be like if he shouted with all he's got...

The roar from the voice file I heard a week ago rang deep inside my ears again.

"...This, is real strength, real power! Foolish people, engrave the fear of this name in your hearts!"

"This gun's name and I : "Death Pistol" ... "Death Gun"!!"

It was completely similar. I can't be mistaken. The voices would be the same.

That guy- Was that grey mantle guy "Death Gun"?

If that's the case, my mission to dive into GGO, attract attention and become "Death Gun"'s target was quickly finished.

But...But, I have never expected things to develop so quickly.

"Death Gun" was a survivor of SAO, and one of the original members of SAO-if that's the case.

Then he could use a gun inside the game to kill two players in the real world...

Maybe...Maybe...There's really such a power...

At this moment, I was suddenly tapped on the left shoulder, and nearly cried out. I was overly shocked as I trembled, and looked up, only to see that the aqua-blue hair swaying in front of me.

"What's with your expression..."

The girl- Sinon frowned as she said that. I could only force something like a smile at her.

"Ah...n-no, it's nothing..."

"Was that match just now really a close call? But you came back rather early, didn't you?"

After hearing these words, I finally remembered that I was taking part in the preliminaries of the "Bullet of Bullets" tournament. I blinked, looked around, and found that there dome that's originally filled with players had about half of them left. It seemed that the first round of the preliminaries were already over, and the losers were transported to the surface. My next opponent should appear immediately, and the second round will then begin.

But in such a situation, I don't think I can still fight.

I continued to stare at Spiegel, who gave a somewhat shocked look from afar, and Sinon right in front of me before breathing out weakly from my mouth.

Immediately, Sinon gave a serious look and said, "You're already so awkward after the first battle. I see that you definitely won't be able to make it to the finals. Buck up...I must pay you back for being tricked by you!"

After saying that, she raised her right fist and again slammed it on my shoulder.

I unconsciously used my hands to grab this little hand that was about to leave me. I then dragged it to my chest, and then kept her arm at my forehead.

"Wa-Wait a minute...what are you doing!"

Sinon hurriedly whispered as she got ready to draw her hand back. However, I continued to grip onto the hand tightly and not let her go.

Even though it's heat that's coming from a polygonal avatar, it was able to give me this inexplicable warmth. Once I felt that terrifying freezing feeling that occupied my heart, my body started to tremble.

"...What are you doing...?"

I heard a bothered voice first, and then, I felt that small and warm hand at my chest start to relax.

Chapter 7.

There was a feeling of a little tingling in her right index finger, causing Sinon to frown. Rubbing her finger with her thumb with the intent to soothe the irritation did not do anything to remove the feeling.

She knew why though.

It was Kirito's fault. That rude, arrogant and very dense beginner. She used all of the strength in her body to clench her right hand.

This was normally impossible, and she half understood it in her head. Sinon was now in FullDive in the virtual world with the AmuSphere; no matter how hard she clasped her hand, her real body blood flow congestion or nerve pressure in reality would not be affected. All the sensations that occur in this world were from the result of electrical impulses directly sent to the brain by the machine with virtual signals.

But.

Right now, Sinon's right hand could still feel the warmth and pressure of when the light saber user had held her hand strongly, although it had been close to two hours ago.

Giving up trying to erase the feeling, Sinon returned her right hand to the anti-material sniper rifle. On the lightly set spring of the trigger, she gently placed her index finger there. The grip of her beloved gun "Hecate II" that had gone through so many battles with her was like an extension of her body, but that little tingling in her finger persisted.

Sinon was now hiding in a clump of small bushes on the edge of a high cliff waiting for a chance to snipe.

The stage was the "Wilderness at the Crossroads". The topography was characterized by a staggeringly dry central plateau where two straight roads crossed. The opponent's name was "Stinger". BoB selection F Block, Fifth battle; it was the first semi-finals, and it had been twelve minutes since the start.

If she wins this match, regardless of the results for her next match, she will obtain the rights to enter the BoB main tournament battle royale scheduled for tomorrow, Sunday night. But, being able to win up to this point, the enemy Stinger must also be fairly strong.

Although he had a name like that, he was not actually equipped with a portable surface-to-air missile launcher "Stinger". His main weapon should be the "FN * SCAR" carbine rifle, which alone was enough of a threat. He was also equipped with an ACOG scope for improved accuracy. So, should they get close enough to get a visual of each other, Sinon might not be able to win.

Fortunately, in this map, there were four blocks separated by roads; you had to go through the central crossroads to reach the others. When two players first appear on this map, they are placed a minimum of 500 meters apart; thus, it was impossible for them to be placed in the same block.

In other words, if Stinger wanted to get within range of Sinon to snipe with SCAR, even knowing that he would need to pa.s.s through the central crossroads, he must charge through; on the other hand, Sinon must succeed in attacking him while he was in the crossroads.

With only this option, Stinger would try to extend the time before he would charge, as a tactic to exhaust Sinon's concentration. Although this was the case, Sinon could not deny the possibility of him making a move early, so she had no choice but to stretch the limits of her nerves in concentration and continue to stare through her sights like this.

Now, labelled from A to O with the pre-selected knockouts divided in 15 blocks, more than half of the deciding matches had finished, so only about 10 other matches are currently ongoing at the same time. In the Standby Room, on the first floor lobby, or at a pub on the street, you could watch all the games live. Focused on Sinon and Stinger was an audience who should be feeling very bored right now. After all, from the start of the match until now, both sides had not fired a single bullet.

On the other side, simultaneously within the F District semi-finals, there was a battle that was without a doubt completely not boring; that battle was unfolding in a flashy way.

The reason was- over there, one of them was a close combat specialist with two machine guns, and the other was one who used a even shorter range weapon the lightsaber user's battle.

Now she must not lose concentration. Although she understood that, her thoughts returned to that mysterious black-haired girl, no, boy.

The first battle took her about ten minutes, and when she returned to the Standby Room, the first person to meet her was Spiegel Shinkawa Kyouji and his congregations. After exchanging simple greetings and a thank you, Sinon returned to her original box seat. The appearance of Kirito there gave her a slight shock. This can't be. She did not think that he would win and return earlier than herself. 'Hmm, you are a little capable.' She walked towards him thinking of saying that - but then again, Sinon was surprised by another thing.

Before the match, Kirito was full of that easy going att.i.tude, but now he sat hunched over on a bench holding his knees, his head lowered and slender shoulders trembling.

... ... He won though. Is a battle with a gun opponent that scary?

Thinking about that, Sinon unconsciously stretched out her right hand to knock on the shoulder wrapped up in the night camo pattern jacket.

Suddenly, Kirito's whole body shrunk in surprise, with an action that could only be described as cautiously, and he looked up.

Sinon knew that anyone who doesn't know him would think he was a female, with both a cute and clever face on the avatar the look was like a glimpse from the depth of h.e.l.l, filled with deep fear.

"... ... why do you have such a face?"

Sinon unconsciously whispered, and hearing her words, Kirito blinked a few times and pulled his face into a stiff smile.

Nothing's wrong, Kirito answered in a very weak voice, and Sinon asked if his first fight was that difficult. But, the young face hidden behind the long black hair leaked out weak breathing, and he did not answer anything else.

He was not an opponent that she should get involved with beyond that.

Kirito should have known that Sinon would have misunderstood his gender. But he deliberately did not clear the misunderstanding and let Sinon show him around the streets, help him go shopping, and finally bring him to the same changing room.

Of course, she had mistaken him for a girl, and it was her fault for not asking for his name card. Therefore, over half of Sinon's anger was directed at herself.

In the real world, ever since she was well used by her cla.s.smates, she should have made the decision in her heart to no longer depend on others and to make no friends. When confronted by a rare GGO female player who asked for directions, she had completely forgotten about her decision.

It was fun. When she brought him to the market to shop and rode behind the three wheeled buggy, Sinon realized that she gave an honest smile, something she had not done for a long time in GGO. That's right Sinon was not really angry about Kirito being a male. When she was together with him, she was being extra defenseless, something she couldn't forgive herself for.

That's why, when she learnt that Kirito won through the first battle, she was truly happy.

To meet in the final battle with him, then smash his cute looks with the the bullets of Hecate and become stronger than before encountering this guy. Although she had this in mind, that Kirito had been taken over with fear like he was a different person.

Sinon spoke almost subconsciously in a voice laced with anger.

"You've become like this with just one battle? Going to the finals is a dream within a dream. Get a hold of yourself... I... have to take back what you owe me."