On the massive monitors, Pitohui and Musketeer X stood locked in a tense standoff.
In their hands, they gripped weapons never before seen in the competitive history of GGO: Photon Swords. One blade shimmered with a blood-red light—the Oniki. The other glowed with a tranquil, cerulean hue—the Ryusui.
A few murmurs rippled through the spectator booths as the realization dawned on them. This was history in the making: the first-ever duel between two Photon Sword users in GGO.
"So," Pitohui purred, breaking the silence. "Shall we start by introducing our lovely new toys?"
"Acknowledged," X replied coolly. "After you."
"Don't mind if I do!"
With a flourish, Pitohui whipped the crimson Oniki through the air, the blade humming with a lethal vibration as she struck a dramatic pose.
"Behold my beloved Oniki! This blade is parched tonight... and only a feast of blood will slake its thirst!"
Following her lead, Musketeer X raised the azure Ryusui toward the digital sky.
"And this is my partner, Ryusui. I offer its clear, azure sincerity to my most beloved master, Shana."
Pitohui's theatrical mask immediately crumbled into a pout. She rounded on X, pointing an accusing finger.
"X! That's cheating!"
"What is?"
"I was going to dedicate my sword to Shana too!"
"Feel free," X replied, unfazed. "The colors don't clash."
"But mine sounds all 'bloody' and 'evil.' Doesn't that hurt my image?" Pitohui whined.
"Then just say you're offering up your 'burning passion' instead."
Pitohui's eyes lit up. "Oh! X, you're a genius!"
Watching this play out from the sidelines, Shana let out a weary sigh. "What is this farce? It's like watching a bad comedy sketch."
"Well, they have to keep the crowd entertained, don't they?" Atiman remarked beside her.
"I expect it from Pito, but I didn't think Max was the type to play along," Shana muttered.
"Oh, look," Atiman pointed. "It's starting for real."
As if on cue, the two women on screen finally lowered their guards—and raised their killing intent.
"I offer this crimson passion to my master!" Pitohui screamed.
"I offer this azure sincerity to my master!" X echoed.
"En garde!"
The blades collided with a high-pitched electronic shriek. They became a whirlwind of light, the red and blue arcs blurring as they exchanged a ferocious series of strikes.
"Whoa, they're actually going for it!" a spectator yelled.
"Go for it, both of you!"
"Keep it up! This is incredible!"
"Dammit, why does Shana get all the cool girls...?"
Shana watched Pitohui's footwork closely. "I see. She's basing her movements on the One-Handed Straight Sword style."
"So she was a sword user back in the Beta, then?" Atiman asked.
Meanwhile, Musketeer X's form was more refined, emphasizing speed and precision. It looked familiar. "She must have been training with Shizuka..." Shana mused.
Elsewhere in the stadium, Kirito was watching the same feed, reaching the same conclusion.
We never crossed blades back in the SAO days, Kirito thought, but if Asuna and I ever went all out against each other... I bet it would look exactly like that.
Then, as if sharing a single mind, both Shana and Kirito muttered the exact same words:
"Still... they're being too soft."
To the eyes of masters, the display was unrefined—amateurish, even. But to the general audience, it was the peak of excitement.
"Wait, if those blades even graze them, it's game over, right?"
"The cutting power is insane..."
"Who's going to take it?"
"Hard to say. My heart's with Musketeer X, though."
"Same here. She's a babe."
"Me too."
"I-I'm more of a Pitohui fan myself..."
Regardless of skill, the popularity contest was a landslide victory for Musketeer X. Pitohui's reputation for chaos clearly preceded her.
Then, the climax arrived abruptly. The glowing blades in both their hands suddenly flickered and vanished.
"Huh? What happened?"
"The energy..."
Just as the crowd realized it, the status bars for the swords hit zero. The high-intensity clash between two Photon Swords had drained their capacitors at an accelerated rate. A long-term duel was fundamentally impossible.
"Sorry, everyone!" Pitohui shouted to the cameras, sounding remarkably unbothered. "It turns out when two of these things hit each other, the battery dies way too fast!"
"To be continued after the commercial break," X added with a deadpan expression, sending a wave of laughter through the arena.
"We're calling it here for now," Pitohui declared, her professional persona sliding back into place. "But in the main tournament, we won't be holding back—even if we're up against Shana. So don't you dare look away!"
The crowd roared in approval. Pitohui was a natural-born performer.
"I don't know how the next match will go," she teased, "but I can guarantee it'll be even more insane than this one. Eyes on the screen!"
With a synchronized gesture, Pitohui and Musketeer X hit the forfeit button. The anticipation in the stadium reached a fever pitch.
Then, the next matchup flashed onto the monitors, and the stadium practically shook with the force of the collective gasp.
[ SHANA VS. ATIMAN ]
"Holy crap! It's actually happening!"
"They aren't just going to forfeit immediately, are they?"
"Go for it, Shana! Don't let Atiman take you down!"
"You idiot, that's Atiman! He's 'The Ruler' for a reason!"
Ignoring the cacophony of the crowd, the two combatants faced each other on the field. They walked toward the center, stopping five meters apart.
"So," Shana said. "What's the plan?"
"I'm going all out, of course," Atiman replied.
"I see... Then I suppose I'll give you a proper lesson. Come at me whenever you're ready, you little old soul."
Atiman let out a dry chuckle. "I suppose I should be grateful you didn't just call me an 'old hag.'"
"I'm not about to call someone younger than me a hag," Shana countered. "Wait—is that really what you're worried about right now?"
The two shared a brief, relaxed laugh before dropping into their stances. Shana drew the Acht-Right and Atiman the Acht-Left. The weapons were identical twins. The black blades vibrated—perhaps recoiling at the thought of fratricide.
No, it wasn't the blades. It was Atiman. Her hands were trembling.
"What's wrong?" Shana asked. "Terrified? Do I scare you that much?"
"Yes," Atiman admitted, her voice tight. "Very much so. Now that I'm standing across from you, all I can see is a future where every move I make ends in a counter-attack."
"The fact that you can see that far means you've grown," Shana said encouragingly.
"Which is why," Atiman whispered, "for now..."
In a flash, Atiman lunged. A ferocious thrust aimed straight for Shana's face. With a look of mild boredom, Shana tilted her head, letting the black edge whistle past her ear by a fraction of a millimeter.
"...I've decided to rely on the element of surprise," Atiman finished.
"Well, usually people don't announce a surprise attack before they do it," Shana noted.
"I wonder... did you miss the window for a counter, or did you choose to just dodge?"
"Who knows? Why don't you try again and find out?"
"Right!"
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Three metallic shrieks rang out in rapid succession.
"I figured that wouldn't work," Atiman panted.
"A triple thrust? Have you been practicing?"
"I have plenty of time on my hands. I've been experimenting with every technique I can think of."
"Good. Diligence is a fine quality." Shana praised her even as she effortlessly danced around the incoming strikes.
"Stop just dodging! Why don't you attack?" Atiman challenged.
"Because then the match would be over in a heartbeat."
Atiman's eyes narrowed. "You certainly have enough confidence."
"Well, your stats might be higher, but you're still lacking the most important thing: technique."
Provoked, Atiman glared at Shana. "Fine then. I suppose it's time I got serious."
"The classic line," Shana teased.
"I have a good reason for holding back, you know. I'm still not used to this body... especially around the groin area—"
"I told you to stop with the dirty jokes!" Shana barked.
Suddenly, Shana leapt to the side. The Acht-Left skewered the air where her torso had been a millisecond before.
"Oh? You actually dodged that," Atiman noted.
"Barely."
"Like I said, I'm finally starting to settle into this body. Let's see what it can really do."
Atiman stepped forward, her movements suddenly losing their hesitation.
"Hah!"
With a sharp exhale, she unleashed a blinding flurry of thrusts. Shana could no longer rely on dodging alone. She drew Acht-Right, parrying the blows and knocking the blade off-course just enough to stay alive.
So this is what happens when Ai uses a high-spec avatar, Shana thought.
She suddenly dropped into a prone position, the black blade passing harmlessly over her head.
"Tch." Atiman clicked her tongue. She had been conditioning Shana to expect thrusts, hoping to catch her with that horizontal sweep.
"You look frustrated," Shana remarked.
"You're... infuriating."
"Your attacks are too honest. You need more craft, Ai. More guile."
Taking the advice to heart, Atiman's rhythm shifted. She began weaving in natural feints, and Shana found herself working harder to stay clear of the edge. The two black blades clashed more frequently now, their energy gauges steadily depleting.
To the audience, it looked like a clash of titans—two shadows moving at impossible speeds. They had no idea they were watching a mid-match combat lesson.
"It's almost time," Shana said, noticing their blades had shortened as the energy waned.
"Yeah. We're almost out of juice."
"Let's settle it with the next one."
"Agreed."
Atiman surged forward in a final, desperate lunge. In that instant, Shana unleashed her first true counter-attack of the match.
"Ugh!"
Shana dived into Atiman's guard, but suddenly ground to a halt. Atiman had performed a desperate maneuver, reversing her grip and extending a blade from the pommel of the hilt. Shana blocked it just in time.
The impact was the final straw. Both black blades shattered into digital fragments as their energy hit zero.
"Impressive," Shana noted. "I didn't think you could invert the blade that quickly."
"Easy peasy," Atiman quipped, though her entire body was trembling from the sheer adrenaline and tension.
She's going to get so much stronger, Shana realized.
Without another word, Shana opened her menu and hit Resign.
The crowd went wild. To them, it looked like an epic stalemate between equals, driving their excitement for the main tournament to a fever pitch.
"So who's actually stronger?"
"Was that a draw?"
"Man, the finals are gonna be insane!"
Kirito, watching from afar, was now certain that Shana was Hachiman. But he was equally intrigued by the potential of the player inside the Atiman avatar.
I wonder who that is, Kirito mused. I'd love to go a round with them someday.
With the matches concluded, Kirito stood up to take his break.
Back in the waiting room, Atiman collapsed onto her knees.
"You okay?" Shana asked, walking over.
"Yeah... my legs just gave out for a second."
"I bet. Alright, let's log out for a bit."
"Yeah."
The two faded from the virtual world, leaving to rest their bodies and minds before the real battle began.
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