Sword Art Online: The Demon In White

Fear

"What the..."

Akise blinked as his finger hovered over the words on his skills list. Underneath the <<Swords Skill>> category an unknown term was there. <<Darkness Blade>>. When did he get this skill? Akise found his head swimming with all sorts of possibilities. If it came with a notification beforehand then he might have some clues but... it might have been a few days or even a week since he last checked his profile. For it to appear out of nowhere just like that... one possibility rose in his mind.

It was a unique skill. A rare skill only one player could acquire.

Akise swallowed his saliva. He'd better avoid using this skill if possible, but then again he might need it for emergencies. After much contemplating and analyzing, he came to the conclusion that yes, he would need it when fighting more powerful Floor Bosses someday. He quickly left the inn, entered the portal and appeared at the 26th floor, <<Forsaken Valley>>. Like what the name had indicated, the floor consist of a great big valley which was lifeless; the trees were either bare or blackened with soot and the sky was a miserable shade of gray. Simply put, everything that used to be alive had died and shrivel up, becoming a place where the undead dwell. Sure enough, the moment he took a few steps away from the portal, three <<Shrieking Ghouls>> appeared. Perfect practice targets, with both the EXP and loots. Drawing out his sword, he muttered.

"Sword Skill, <<Darkness Blade>>"

Along the edge of the blade a glowing strip of red appeared, giving his <<Wolf's Bane>> a new look. He felt much lighter all of a sudden, that meant increased agility. A black flame icon appeared below his HP bar as well.

<<Darkness Mode>>, so far it increases a player's agility. Checked.

Akise tore down his enemies with a simple <<Horizontal>>. This time, the skill had a black shockwave which blew back his hair and swept past his enemies. Half the HPs of the ghouls were reduced in a few mere seconds and some more dropped by itself suddenly, bringing the HP bars to a red zone. Akise blinked in disbelief.

A leeching life effect? Akise's jaw dropped, what a splendid skill! He finished off the ghouls in one hit and then checked his own HP. Despite how no damage had come to him, his own HP had decreased slightly. He then checked his sword's description, only to have his hopes crash down almost instantly.

<<Darkness Blade>>, the name just suited what the blade had just become. In return for massive DPS, the price was HP in return. HP leeched from one's own HP. Extra damage points which could make a difference in life or death situations. In his hands now lay a very deadly weapon, which could either end him or save him. He then checked his sword's description, finding a way to end the mode.

"<<Release Armament>>!"

The black flame icon disappeared and his HP no longer decreased any further. The red glow disappeared, his usual <<Wolf's Bane>> returning to its original look. Akise tighten his grip around the sword. If he hadn't found the incantation, he might disappear into light shards too. Damn it, Kayaba Akihiko... thought Akise as he sat on a gravestone. Without looking, he called out.

"I know you're there Kirito, stop playing hide-and-seek already."

<<The Black Swordsman>>, Kirito, appeared from behind the tree. As usual, he was dressed all black with slight colors here and there. He wore a different cloak from before, a dark blue one with dark grey caps at the shoulders. He scratched his head sightly.

"Ah, I've been found out. Long time no see, Akise."

"... It's been a while. So, did you see the whole thing?"