The Survival Logs || Sword Art Online Fanfic

PK Pandemonia Arc: Chapter 68 - Crimson Contact

18 February 2024

Katalysis, 43rd Floor

It was as if time had stood still. The girl with the crimson red hair stared at me, her face without a single tweak of its expression. If she was really hiding any shock or confusion she was having right now, her poker face seemed to do a good job at it.

"Where did you really come from?" She asked with a slightly hastened tone.

"How did you know my name? How did you know that much?"

Her burning questions deserved my answers, but I couldn't just give them to her right away. The situation we were in was far from ideal for me to host an explanation on the matter.

Kira seemed to have thought the same, as she held her non-sword hand up at me, before I even had the chance to.

"No, scratch those for now. Just tell me this then. Who sent you to me?"

I was hesitant to give an answer, due to the tense situation I was in right now. Though, the tension wasn't filled much by Kira, but rather the scythe user behind her, who had been shooting me intense hostile stares since I arrived at this "meeting spot". Maybe, if Kira wasn't here, he could've already rushed at me, swinging his scythe with little reason but just for a fight.

It's not like I wouldn't deal with the 'strike first, talk later' type of players if I had to, but the problem of dealing with them was blindingly obvious. I was just glad that Kira was the complete opposite.

"....Kyozo," I replied, as softly as to make sure that Kira could only hear me. The name would be enough to ring a bell for her, and for it to come from the lips of a player she has never met before, I was almost sure that she would instantly understand the confidentiality of the matter.

Needless to say, I could clearly see her crimson red eyes slowly widening, as she took an intense stare at me.

"Acher," The redhead turned back to the scythe user. "Head back to headquarters with the intruder first. If Tori asks for me, tell her that I'm held up by some business that I can't ignore."

The scythe user was about to stride towards me, holding his scythe for a swing. It was clear that he wasn't a good listener; he didn't want to.

"Just what the hell did he--"

Kira's sword swung towards his neck, blocking him like a gantry. She held it at his neck level, but the blade's sharp edge wasn't facing it, which didn't seem like she was going to slice his neck.

"I hope I've made myself very clear," Kira's tone became deeper. "Take the guy, and report back without me. Now."

For a guy which gave me an instant first impression of a delinquent, the player called Acher backed a few steps off, though his defiance could still be seen on his face. He walked back to Krieg, giving him a rough push on the back. The two went along the borders, disappearing into the darkness.

"I'll make sure your friend doesn't get killed," Kira turned back to me. "As I had promised with anyone I've personally captured."

"Well, those promises are very hard to keep, no matter how much I'd want to NOT break them."

"....." I watched as Acher and Krieg disappeared into the darkness, before pulling my spear out from the ground. The fact that it could still stand ever so upright from just its blade was intriguing, but I never did though much about it when I stabbed it into the ground. I just figured it would set the leverage of power between me and whoever who possibly wanted an unnecessary fight.

As I returned my spear to my back, Kira spoke again, her sword now pointing straight towards me. Having judged her as a more reasonable person than Acher, I might have nothing to worry about any possibility of hostility from her.