The Survival Logs || Sword Art Online Fanfic

PK Pandemonia Arc: Chapter 64 - Gladiorium

18 February 2024

Katalysis, 43rd Floor

No other player had hair as crimson as her.

At least, that was what I thought when I looked at the image of Kira that Kyozo had lent me.

I couldn't whip out that image record crystal again to confirm, considering the circumstances, but the sight of that red dot moving to the middle of the stadium had nonetheless surfaced the new questions forming in my mind.

If that player really was Kira, why was she part of the Council?

The Council, as I had understood (and assumed) of it, was a group of orange players with the responsibility of managing the city of Katalysis. For whatever reason the Council was formed, I couldn't fathom any, but what was certain is that they had something to do with the "peace" that I had noticed in the city.

Simply put, the orange players in the city were much less aggressive and probably didn't attack each other for no reason.

"Ain't the Council quirky, they are," Puma chuckled. "Must be a chore for them by now, announcing those trials."

"Trials?" Rakuno turned and looked at her across me.

"It's better if you see them for yourself, witch lad." Puma kept focusing on the stadium as her lips formed a slight grin.

The Council members waved for a good while, as the spectators clapped and cheered. The player which I presumed to be Kira for now merely waved with a single hand, which wasn't raised really high, unlike the others.

Beside her, a player taller than her by half a head stepped in front of the group, holding something I couldn't see from such a distance due to its size. Suddenly, a powerful voice echoed through the stadium.

"Welcome, everyone, to this week's Gladiorium! Let's just get to it, shall we!"

As the spectators cheered even harder, I frowned with even more concern under my hood. Rakuno was fidgeting a little in her seat, looking around at the orange players around us pumping their fists wildly.

A few more players entered the arena, walking in pairs. Pairs, as in one behind the other, the former holding a sword pointed directly at the latter, whose hands were wrapped behind his head, looking down at the ground.

The Council members formed a circle, spreading out to let the pairs, which were only 2 of them, in into the center. The 2 players who had been threatened with a sword behind their backs were let into the circle alone, their arms never moving a budge as they stopped in the center.

"Today isn't much!" The tall Council member announced. "But we'll deal with what we can, folks!"

"For the first trial.....let's get Shi to start it off, shall we?"

Another Council member stepped into the circle, facing the 2 players, who had suddenly released their hand grips on their heads and brandished their weapons. I'd thought their hands were tied up or something, but I guess that would only be possible in the real world.

The Council member brought out his own weapon in response, and as his weapon materialized, so did our shock. The long lean stick, with a curved fang for a blade attached to its top end, was spun around playfully by its owner, as he strolled closer to his 2 victims, who were staggering back in fear.

"T-that's.....!" Rakuno leaned even closer, though with futility.

"The scythe user at the entrance." I kept on watching, maintaining my frown to hide my shock inside. It was already shocking for us when he stopped us at the entrance, albeit for a brief moment, the fact that he uses a scythe blew my mind in many ways.