Oathkeeper, Lvl 285.

Year 2024, October 17th. Aincrad Standard Time, 16:00. Floor 74, Labyrinth.

Sound of Sword clashing echoes up inside the Labyrinth, there is no one there but a Solo Player who is grinding mobs in solo as usual. Oathkeeper is currently fighting against mulitple Lizardman Lords. He just unleashes his Deadly Sins, a Seven hit One-handed Sword Skill that consists of various slashes, several full circle spins and a backwards somersault.

*Klank!*

*Ting!*

The Oathkeeper dodges his slash and escapes from their attack range intentionally.. They all charge up their Fell Crescent and closes up onto him. He takes his chance to counter back with Horizontal Square. The Oathkeeper draws the sword to the back and right. A first swing from right to left. Then his sword bounces back, and after an instant of being held still at the his left side, another horizontal swing from left to right is executed. The force of this blow sends his body spinning clockwise, with the sword ending up at his left flank and unleashing a third horizontal strike from left to right. Finished with a forehand strike from the right. His skill's four swings draws a square of light that expands outward. The damage is high enough to defeat a group of Lizardmen.

*Burst!*

He got 40,600 Exp and 5000 Col. The Oathkeeper sheathes his sword and decided to head back home after defeating 200 Lizardmen as his Today's Grinding Quota. As he is on his way out from the Labyrinth, countless scene of him killing and torturing Criminal Players are flashing through his mind. Their screams of agony and hatred are haunting his soul every day and night. He falls onto his knee as he feels his mind starting to get hurt, like something very sharp is piercing his head that'll make him scream. But he holds up his pain, leans himself against the wall to get some rest.

Oathkeeper: I can't kill players anymore..

He notices that the core of his Dark's General Sword is glowing brightly in dark pink.. He grits his teeth.

Oathkeeper: No.. It's not over yet..

He quickly toggles his menu to his storage, taking out the Snow Globe which Koharu gave him as her Christmas gift to him. He twists the Globe gently to the right for like Six spins, places it on the ground beside him and the Music Box starts playing after he releases it and let the Globe spins back to the left slowly. During its play, his mind was gently hugged by the Soothing Musical Tune of it and consoled by the good memories he had with his friends.. Especially her that he holds the dearest to him. After minutes, the pain goes away magically..

Oathkeeper: ...

He stands back up and keeps the Globe back to his storage. Eventually, he exits out the Labyrinth and decides to sell all the items he got from his grind in Floor 50.

Timeskip... Aincrad Standard Time, 16:30. Agil's store in Floor 50: Algade.

The store owner got freaked out by the fact Kirito got a S-class ingredient, Ragout Rabbit when he tries to sell the items to him.

Agil: Seriously! This is an S-class rare item. I've never seen one before! What about you, Lai? What you wanna sell?

He decides to show it without asking any..

Oathkeeper: Here..

He trades out with Agil, 128 Skull Powder, 56 Ragout Rabbit Meats, 239 Lizardman Skin, 154 Lizardman Scales and several Lizard Curved Blades can be seen in the trade content for him.

Agil: Damn... I've expected this result since you always sell hundreds of items to me every single day. And the Ragout Rabbit, how did you even spot them? I heard they are the fastest mobs in Aincrad tho.

Oathkeeper: I've been storing these for weeks tho.

Agil: But.. Don't you both already have all the money you need? Especially is you, Lai. Wouldn't you rather eat this yourself than selling it?

They both sigh as they shakes their heads. Then, Kirito cuts in..

Kirito: I'd love to eat it. I'll probably never get one again. Unless I have the abilities like the Oathkeeper.

Oathkeeper: Too bad, you can't find any available chef NPC in Aincrad.

Kirito: Yeah.. But man, you must be really hunting a lot, Oathkeeper..

Agil: Then...

Kirito: But who has a high enough cooking skill to prepare this?

Agil: Good point.. If we tried, we'd just burn it...

Oathkeeper: Wish I have that skills..

All three of them sigh as none of them even have the Cooking Skills. But a hope sparks in them as she comes in to visit him.

Asuna: Hey, Kirito.

Kirito: Huh?

He turns around and sees Asuna but ignores the guy behind her. Then, he realizes what he had found as he grabs her hands.

Kirito: I've found my chef..

Oathkeeper: This is blessed..

Asuna: Wh-What?

His sudden moves upsets her bodyguard and glares at him with his hostile look. Then, he notices Oathkeeper and gives him a sarcastic smirks to him who is with the owner and the Black Swordsman.

Kuradeel: Long time no see, Oathkeeper...

Oathkeeper: ...

Asuna: Huh? You two knew each other?

Then, he says out his name to prove out he knows him.

Oathkeeper: Kuradeel..

Kuradeel: I see you're still alive.. I wonder how many players you have killed so far..

He shuts him up immediately..

Oathkeeper: At least I had achieved much better than Asuna's dog.

Kuradeel: Hmph... Those puny words won't trigger me..

Oathkeeper: We'll see about that..

He turns to Kirito as he doesn't want to cause a scene with him.

Oathkeeper: Where we off.. Kirito?

Kirito: Oh! It's just.. It's rare to see you in a dive like this, Asuna.

Asuna: It's almost time for the next boss. I just came to see if you were alive.

Kirito: I'm on your friend list. You can tell from that.

She looks away proudly..

Asuna: If you're still alive, that's good enough. Anyway, so what was that about a chef?

Kirito: Oh, yeah. What's your current Cooking Skills?

She smirks as she tries to show off something to them.

Asuna: I maxed it last week.

They all go surprised by her achievement. She feels satisfied by just looking at their reactions.

Asuna: Amazing, right?

Oathkeeper: So will you make it for all of us? With this?

Asuna: What is it?

He toggles to the trading system and invites Asuna to it. He shows her the S-class item ingredient. She got surprised back by him with all the Ragout Rabbits he had collected.

Asuna: What!? These are the Ragout Rabbits! And there are 56 of them!?

Oathkeeper: Kirito had one of it. But you can have ALL of them if you're willing to cook for us. That should be enough for all the players in your friend list.

She gulps..

Asuna: I'll only need one and I wanna share with Kirito. But I can make another one for you if you want.

Oathkeeper: Okay..

Asuna: All right!

Agil: Hey, what about me!?

He turns him down coldly..

Kirito: Sorry.. I won't be selling it, after all.

Agil: But we're buddies, right? Just give me a taste.

He chuckles..

Kirito: I'll write you a two-page report of its taste.

Kirito and Asuna leaves the store. Oathkeeper reassure him.

Agil: Oh, come on!

Oathkeeper: I'll get a takeaway for you.

Agil: Really!? Thanks buddy!

He leaves the store after selling the rest of the items he grinds from the Labyrinth to Agil. As he walks out, he sees them not too far away from him so he follows them from behind. Then, he stops as he overhears Kuradeel is arguing with his superior.

Kuradeel: Asuna-sama, you can't let such a suspicious person into your home.

She roasts him back..

Asuna: He may be suspicious, but he's also quite skilled. He's probably ten levels above you, Kuradeel.

Kuradeel: You're suggesting he's superior to me?

Then, he starts to use the facts of him who is a Beta Tester.

Kuradeel: I see... He's one of those Beta Testers, isn't he!?

Oathkeeper's fists start clenching up as he slowly gets near to him from behind. Kirito admits it with honesty.

Kirito: Yes, that's right.

Kuradeel points out. Everyone in the street start looking at them.

Kuradeel: Asuna-sama! All those Beta Testers care about is themselves! Nothing good will come of being around-!

*Klack!*

Kuradeel: Uagh!!

One of Kuradeel's arm is dislocated by the Oathkeeper who twists his entire arm to his behind.

Asuna: Oathkeeper!?

He stomps one of Kuradeel's legs.. Causing him to knee down forcefully..

Oathkeeper: Apologize...

He repeats again with a shout this time.

Oathkeeper: I SAID APOLOGIZE!!!!!

His sudden anger scares everyone off in the scene. Asuna stops him immediately before he crushes the guy's head.

Asuna: Stop it, Oathkeeper! There's no need to!

Oathkeeper: Your cheap words is worse than mine..

A lot of noises cracking up as his force causes a bone shatters in his arm..

Kuradeel: Argh!

Oathkeeper: You're just a dog outside the mansion, know your place..

He throws him to aside.. He asks both of them to keep going.

Oathkeeper: Shall we move?

Kirito: What about him?

Asuna: He'll be fine in the Safe Zone.

She turns around to give her order to Kuradeel..

Asuna: Just go home for today.. That's an order from your Vice Commander.

She turns back and all three of them walk out the scene. Leaving Kuradeel behind, bearing the disgrace.

Kuradeel: Grrr.... I'll get you.. Oathkeeper...

Timeskip... Aincrad Standard Time, 17:00. Floor 61, Selmburg.

After just reaching Floor 61 through the Teleport Gate, things got settled down when Kirito compliments the view of Floor 61.

Kirito: This place is huge, but it's mostly empty. It's really liberating.

Asuna: Then, you should move here.

He sighs.. Until he mentions her bodyguard.

Kirito: I don't have nearly enough money for that. Anyway, are you really sure about that guy back there?

Asuna: I told them I don't need an escort. But they said it's the policy for leaders.

Oathkeeper: I guess it's just too many players had joined in..

Asuna: Yeah.. The commander used to personally invite everyone. We were just a small guild. But we began getting more and more people. After that, people started saying we're the strongest guild and everything's starting to get weird.

Oathkeeper: They'll end up just like ALF and HDA. It's sooner or later..

She sighs...

Asuna: You might be right about that.. Guilds are harder to control once if many players are joining in.. Just like both of those two guilds.

She smiles as she looks at the bright side..

Asuna: Well, let's enjoy while we still have time! So don't worry about that!

The Lightning Flash walks forward..

Asuna: We should hurry up before it's getting dark.

Kirito: Right...

Timeskip... Asuna's house.

After just arriving her house, they inspect the surroundings. Surprisingly, it's much better than Kirito's.

Kirito: How much did all this cost?

Oathkeeper: 4 mega-Col. I guess.. Judging the room and the furniture.

Asuna: That's correct! I'll go get changed, so have a seat, you two!

Oathkeeper and Kirito: Okay..

They both nod and take a seat at the two couches.

Kirito: So how did you knew it's 4,000,000 Cols.

Oathkeeper: This place is mostly empty. So I guess the price must be cost a bomb. Literally.

Kirito: Yeah.. That makes sense.. I'm sure I've saved up that much, but... I've spent it on my Equipment.

Oathkeeper: Can't blame you for that..

Kirito: You can never have too much Col. That's for sure.

After a while, Asuna came out with her casual outfit that makes Kirito blushes.. She teases him.

Asuna: How long do you two plan to stay dressed like that?

Kirito: Oh! Right!

He takes out his coat and Oathkeeper just simply takes off his hood. Revealing his face to catch his breath and breezes the light. Asuna takes out the ingredient from her storage, a Raw meat of Ragout Rabbit had placed on the metal plate. She takes a look at its appearance.

Asuna: So, this is a legendary S-class ingredient. How do you guys want it cooked?

He says proudly..

Kirito: Chef's choice.

Lai: I'm with Kirito.

Asuna: Okay! Let's see...

She got an idea.. Asuna takes out a green pot, opens up her shortcut window for stew and drags the rest of the ingredients out from her storage. At last, she equips the kitchen knife.

Asuna: Then, let's make a stew. Since it's a Ragout Rabbit. It fits the stew type the most.

She simply just taps the meat with her knife. And it turns into well-cutted pieces. Then, she taps the rest of the ingredients as well. They both are amazed by her skills. She comments about the game's culinary system while putting all the ingredients to the green pot.

Asuna: Normally, you'd need to do a lot more. Cooking in SAO is oversimplified so it's boring.

She puts it into the furnace. And set it to 25 minutes for the heat.

Asuna: That takes care of the stew! Now I'll make a couple of side dishes!

After 25 minutes had passed, the stew is now done. Asuna takes it out and opens the lid. Letting the fragrance escaping out and Kirito swallows his saliva just smelling it.

Kirito: Wow...

Timeskip...

Kirito and Asuna both are just finished having their dinner together except for Lai who is just sitting in the middle, taking a sip of the Jasmine tea. Watching them both lean back, relaxing themselves.

Asuna: I've been here for two years, and I get to taste the S-class ingredient! I'm so glad that I survived this long for that~

Kirito: Yeah...

Asuna: Why don't you eat it with us, Lai? This taste really good!

Lai: Well.. I..

Asuna: I guess I get the point.. You want to enjoy it with Koharu, aren't you?

He nods shyly with a blush.

Kirito: You're blushing~

He replies back with nervous expression.

Lai: Oh just keep your mouth shut, Kirito. You were obviously having a good time with the Lightning Flash.

He chuckles back happily as he finally found the old Lai they both knew from a long time.

Kirito: Heh.. So you're finally back.. Lai..

Lai: Huh?

Then, she smiles as she agrees with Kirito.

Asuna: He's right.. We missed your smile..

As he gets the point they both are talking about. Guilt starts clinging on him when he feels really bad for abandoning them all for a long time. His head faces down and blank expression of him have completely expose to them.

Lai: I'm sorry...

Both hands grips on the tea cup, afraid that the Black Swordsman and Lightning Flash would have the thoughts of blaming the Oathkeeper.. They notice his feelings and reassure him.

Kirito: It's okay, we don't blame you, Lai. Asuna and I never, ever have the thoughts of that all this time.

Asuna: And we knew you always keep your promises all this time. So we're actually glad to see you back alive in one piece. And look how Koharu accepted you so quick. As a good player, of course!

He frowns with serious look. Asuna tries to console him with her bright side.

Asuna: It seems like there's no PKing or Murdering cases at all in these past few weeks, right Kirito?

She secretly kicks Kirito as a signals for him. He reacts that quickly enough to play along.

Kirito: Yeah! Thanks to you, every players in this death game can live in peace.

Then, he finally grins..

Lai: Yeah.. I made the world in a better place for all of them. I wonder if she knew about I had been with her this whole time.. I guess she's still naive to know about that was actually me..

Asuna: I bet she would be surprised. It'll be very romantic to see that! But anyway..

She starts to become serious..

Asuna: How did you know about Kuradeel, Lai?

He starts to explain as he had expected Asuna was going to ask that anytime.

Lai: Oh.. I expected you to ask, Asuna. Actually, I met him in Floor 46 when I was farming Exps. It was a year ago or more. He was with the commander and another member.

Asuna: Why are they doing up there?

Lai: To investigate on me. But unfortunately, they got surrounded by the Eaters and I came out to rescue them. Kuradeel was very hostile to me with the fact that I'm a Red Player. But the commander.. He seems very calm and rational.

Asuna: So.. What did he said to you?

Lai: He said that he wanted to challenge me to a duel, in First-Strike mode.

Kirito: No way! he did?

He nods..

Lai: Yes.. With the condition of inviting me to his guild and promote me as his Ghost Agent if he wins. But I beat him in the end, fair and square. And that's when the name, Oathkeeper, has been born to this world by him. And I lived up with it until now.

Kirito: But you shouldn't shout in all of a sudden, you almost scare us away.

He frowns back as he clenches his fists.

Lai: I can't stand the fact that people are still blaming the Beta Testers. And it's because Koharu and I are one of them as well. It was all Kibaou's and Lind's fault.

Kirito: But that was a long time ago.. I don't hold that grudge anymore.

He shakes his head and faces at him, furious as he talks about the Beta Tester's deaths.

Lai: But the others did, most of them. And their grudges and depression is what got them killed. Because of them are still getting singled out. Some of them chose to become PKers just to die in my hands in the end without me even knowing it. While some others had committed suicides that I can't save them all.

They both silent for a while, couldn't believe what he just said at all..

Kirito: Damn...

Asuna: I can tell that's reason enough. You must have witnessed a lot of deaths. Anyway, I'm glad you didn't join in my guild. I mean.. Look how things work in the KoB right now.

He nods..

Lai: Yeah.. I couldn't agree more, they are in total mess now. So you should be careful, Asuna. Koharu and Kirito should be safe from them since they're members of Moonlit Black Cats.

Asuna: Thanks, but I'm the Vice Commander so they'll have to listen to me no matter what. But what about you, Lai? You know you're clearly available to be recruited by any guilds.

Lai: I won't join any..

He smiles serenely as he introduces himself to them..

Lai: I'm the Oathkeeper.. And I'm not only just an actor to my role. I lived up my name with my own power.

Kirito: That's right, the Assault Team and any top players clearly needs to watch themselves before committing anything's bad!

Asuna: I guess they can behave themselves because they clearly know their place.

She notices that the time is now 20:00 in Aincrad Standard Time.

Asuna: I almost forgot! You want another stew, right? I'll go make it for you!

She rushes to her kitchen and starts preparing it.

Lai: Oh! Take your time! Don't rush any, okay?

25 minutes later... She just made another Ragout Rabbit Stew and this time, she takes it out from the furnace and decides to lend him the pot as a takeaway food.

Asuna: Phew... Here it is!

Lai: Thanks.

He taps the pot and keeps it inside his storage.

Asuna: I guess you should get going if you don't wanna let a lady wait.

Lai: What about you, Kirito?

He replies back as he equips his coat back on.

Kirito: I'll go with you. Keita wants me to attend his meeting along with other members.

Asuna: Okay.. Be careful, you two.

Lai: We will. Don't worry. I'll say hi to her for you.

The boys exit out from her house.

Timeskip... Aincrad Standard Time, 20:30. Floor 11, Taft.

They had teleported themselves to Floor 11, Taft. And that is where they parted their ways.

Kirito: Alright. See you again, Lai.

Lai: Yeah.. See ya later.. Kirito..

He puts on his hood over his head. Playing his role as he smiles.

Oathkeeper: We shall meet again.. Black Swordsman.

Kirito chuckles as he saw him transform into another person.

Kirito: We will.. Oathkeeper...

Kirito heads to the MBC Headquarters while the Oathkeeper heads to the Town's Inn where most of the members are hanging out. He knocks on the door and it was Sachi who opens it for him. She greets at him delightful.

Sachi: Oh, it's you! Came to see Koharu?

Oathkeeper: Yes.. How is she doing?

Sachi: She's doing pretty fine. I mean, she's a star in our guild!

He got confused by the star Sachi mentioned about.

Oathkeeper: What do you mean?

Sachi: Well, everyone was amazed by her strength and they gave her the name called "Angel Blade" because of her good looking!

Oathkeeper: ...

His silence response scares her a bit..

Sachi: Ah sorry! I'll take you to her now!

He enters the hub, he notices there are 4 to 6 players in several round tables each so there are about 20 male members and 12 female members in total are having fun and entertain themselves with drinks. Then, he sees Koharu was praised by everyone as she had became the star of the night. Something starts to bother him. So he walks forward to the ground and inspects them, people seems didn't care about or even notices his presence. Then, he notices some other guys are attempting to flirt with her. Before they could even get their hands on her from behind. Oathkeeper suddenly cuts in between them and grabs their hands. One of them shouts with offended looks.

MBC Member: The hell are you!?

Then, everyone soon focus their attention on him and they all went quiet. Koharu notices him.

Koharu: Oathkeeper!?

The guys all got shocked by just hearing his name.

MBC Member: Oa-Oathkeeper!?

His daunting aura reveals around him as the moment he glares at them, without saying anything. He pushes them away with one swing of his hand and he retracts his hand to his back flawlessly. His face meets the Angel Blade. She still shocked about his sudden presence.

Koharu: Oathkeeper...

Oathkeeper: Come with me.

He grabs her hand forcefully and they both leave the crowd.

Timeskip...

After leaving the hub and away to an alleyway. Koharu struggles a bit from him.

Koharu: Mind if you let go of me? You don't have to pull me!

He does as she told him to. She said calmly but frowns.

Koharu: What brought you here at this hour?

He takes out the Pot from his storage.

Oathkeeper: I was thinking about having a dinner with you tonight. Would you like to join?

Her eyes widened. But then she looks down and her sight turns away a bit as she doesn't know what to say. Then, she apologizes...

Koharu: Sorry about that.. Oathkeeper. I just had it with my other guildmates.

He got frozed by her rejection. But he hears her out willingly.

Koharu: I appreciate your offer, but I'm sorry that you have to come all this way just to invite me to your dinner. Maybe next time..

Oathkeeper: Oh..

He keeps back the pot.. She advices him as a lecture for him.

Koharu: You shouldn't offended those guys. You know they're innocent.. And violence can't solve anything. You knew that more than anybody else.

Oathkeeper: ...

He got nothing to say at all as he doesn't want to start an argument with her, Koharu informs him before she makes her leave.. She flashes her usual smiles as she tries to make him feel better.

Koharu: I'll take my leave first. I'm really sorry about that. I hope you had a wonderful night. See you again!

The Angel Blade walks away while the Oathkeeper just stands there, watching her disappears in the shadow from his sight. After that, he takes out his Teleport Crystal and murmurs quietly.

Oathkeeper: Teleport: Algade...

Light blue flashes around him and the system teleports him to Floor 50, Algade.

Floor 50, Algade...

In the darkest night, moon shines down on the busy street as it was filled with Players and NPCs, crowded the city with beautiful lanterns lightened up every corner of it. The Oathkeeper wanders in the crowd and turns to the alley to visit Agil.. He enters the store and the bell rings the owner. Agil got excited when he sees Oathkeeper.

Agil: Lai! You're here! So did you get my share?

He takes out the pot and tosses it on the counter table. It lands on it perfectly in front of Agil. He opens the lid and sees the content of the pot was filled with a lot of Ragout Rabbit Stew and other fillings inside it, the heat is still like it was cooked recently.

Oathkeeper: As I promised, buddy..

Agil: Oh my God..! Would you look at this!? So this is the S-class Ingredient! This smells pretty damn good too!

Oathkeeper: ...

Agil's reaction makes him feel a slight better.. Agil suggests something as he feels the amount is too much for him.

Agil: But isn't it too much for me to have it all? Don't you wanna eat with me, Lai?

Oathkeeper: No thanks.. I had my share already..

His stomach starts grumbling loud enough for Agil to hear it.. It's easy for him that he's lying.

Agil: You're obviously lying, Lai.. You didn't, did you?

Then, he starts walking out from his store to escape his offer.

Agil: Wait!

It was too late for Agil to stop him. As he goes outside, he lost sight of the Oathkeeper already. Then, he notices a note on the ground. He reads it as he picks it up.

Agil: "That Pot is Asuna's, be sure to return it to its owner." Damn..! What's wrong with you.. Lai?

He couldn't do anything at this point but to dip back to his store. As for the Oathkeeper..

Oathkeeper: I'm not strong enough.. Teleport: Plastida.

He takes out his Teleport Crystal and teleports himself to a certain places in Floor 64, decides to farm High-Purity Crystals from a secret boss to exchange for 3,000,000 Exp Points per one Crystal through a Stackable Quest. Of course, farming it with empty stomach through an entire night without any sleep at all..

Timeskip... Aincrad Standard Time, 21:00. Floor 11, Taft..

Most of the members had went back home on their own. Koharu just changed to her pajamas. She hears a knock on the door and she responses to it.

Koharu: Come in!

The door opens and it is Sachi.

Sachi: Uhm.. Koharu? Did I disturb you?

Koharu: No.. What's up, Sachi?

Sachi: So what did you guys up to?

Koharu: He was inviting me to a dinner with him. But.. I had it already so I can't say any but to reject him politely. I wish I had it a little later so I would gladly accept it. He must be really upset right now..

Sachi: Oh.. I can tell.. But you know.. Oathkeeper actually saved you from those players.

Koharu: How come?

Sachi: You knew many of our guildmates are looking up for you because you're strong? You're the first one who reached level 100!

Koharu: Yeah? What about that?

She sits on the bed beside her.

Sachi: Well... Some other male members are trying  to take advantage of you. That's when Oathkeeper came and got you out from them.

Her eyes widened in surprise.

Koharu: Just how? I mean whe-

After a while, she gasps as she just realizes his intentions..

Koharu: Oh my God.. Because I was having too much fun.. That's why I didn't even noticed his presence at all.

Sachi: What's wrong?

She explains the conversation she had with him back at the alleyway to Sachi.

Koharu: That's.. That's how I misunderstood him.. It's all my fault.. I shouldn't said that to him!

Sachi: You should find him and apologize to him. I guess you know where he is?

Koharu: I don't know.. I never know where he lives or places he usually goes.

Sachi: Maybe you should check the Front Lines. And asks the Assault Team for his whereabouts.

She nods as she agrees.. Still feeling bad about what she said to him.

Koharu: Yeah.. I should do that tomorrow. We should get some sleep, Sachi.

Sachi: Yeah.. Good night then, Koharu.

Koharu: You too, Sachi. Get some well-deserved rest for tomorrow.

When Sachi stood up and switched off the light before leaving the room, Koharu goes to her sleep, hoping she will clear up the misunderstanding with him as soon as possible. Before she closes her eyes..

Koharu: I'm sorry... Oathkeeper.. For what I said..

The next day... Aincrad Standard Time, 07:00.

*Slash!* *Klank!* *Ting!* *Burst!*

Oathkeeper: *Huff* *Huff*

After defeating the boss, he breathes deeply and he could hear the voice of him gasping for air. His vision starts to blur, he suffered a slight dizziness and unable to recover his Stamina by fatigue. But he quickly gobbles up the Energy Fruits to restore his Stamina Points back before it dies to Zero that would cause him faint completely. After a while, he gets back up onto his foot, sheathes his Sword back and return to the village for the Quest without showing any signs of exhaustion. He just got leveled up after reporting it to the NPC. Then, he decides to pick up some flowers in Floria to make it into a bouquet before heading to Black Iron Palace in Floor 1, Town Of Beginnings.

Timeskip.... Aincrad Standard Time, 09:10.. Floor 1, Black Iron Palace.

He walks into the palace with a bouquet of Dark Red Rose holding in both of his hands, until he stops at the front of the Monument Of Life where all the names of 10,000 SAO Players are listed on it. The names of the Dead Players are crossed out automatically, with the cause, time, day, and month of death written beside it. Despite the Dead Players have written with different time, day and month of death, most of them shared the same cause: "killed by Oathkeeper". Everyone starts gossiping him around as he places the bouquet at the middle of the Monument. In Flower Language, he is expressing his grief and sorrow to the ones who died in his palm and the ones who made their promises with him. Then, he reassures them all as he places one of his hand on the Monument.

Oathkeeper: Your sacrifice will not be forgotten..

After that, he walks out from the Palace. He just got a message from Kirito.

Oathkeeper: ?

He taps the icon and reads it.

<Kirito>

Hey, if you got any spare time. Want to come over? Asuna said she wanna meet with us in Floor 74, Kamdet.

He closes the message and heads to the Teleport Gate in Town Of Beginnings..

Floor 74, Kamdet..

After reaching there, he notices something unusual near the Teleport Gate. It was Kuradeel who is dragging Asuna forcefully, but stopped by Kirito.

Kirito: Sorry, I'll be borrowing your Vice Commander today.

Then, Kuradeel shakes off from Kirito's hand and releases Asuna. Kirito reassures him.

Kirito: I'll take responsibility for her security. And it's not like we're going on a boss raid today. So you can go back to your headquarters alone.

Then, Kuradeel starts to cause a scene and this is when Oathkeeper starts to get closer to him from behind.

Kuradeel: Insolent Punk! Do you know who I am!? I am the Member of the Glorious Knights of the Blood Oath. A low-level player like you couldn't possibly protect her!

Then, Kirito notices someone is behind him. He smirks in confident.

Kirito: I think I can do a better job than you.

His words start to piss him off. Kuradeel announces him to a duel with a grit.

Kuradeel: If you're that certain, you're prepared to prove it, right?

Before he toggles to the Duel Application. Someone already sent him a Duel Request before he does to Kirito.

Kuradeel: Huh?

He checks the Challenger.. He gasps at the name of it while horror was written all over his face. But he did not believe that at all.

Kuradeel: Is..! Is this a joke!?

Then, his voice came out from his behind.. His eyes widened as he turns around slowly..

Oathkeeper: Look what I found here...

Kuradeel: Oath... Oathkeeper!?

He slowly turns around and notices him.

Oathkeeper: Surprise, Mtfk...

His hands start shaking, he takes a quick turn back and yells.

Kuradeel: To hell with that!

Before his finger could hit the Cancel Button. He twists his other arm again and forces him to knee down completely. Then, he controls Kuradeel's other hand to accept the Duel Request and chooses the Normal Mode which a fight to the death.

Kuradeel: No, no! No!!

He whispers to his ear..

Oathkeeper: Shh.... This won't hurt..

*Tap*

The 60 seconds before the Duel starts to count down.

DUEL

Kuradeel VS Oathkeeper

During the Countdown, he kicks him to the other side. Telling Kuradeel to prepare himself.

Oathkeeper: If you want to prove it badly, I can give you the chance. But I promise you, it won't end well.. Because today I'm seriously in a bad mood now.

Despite everyone had already knew the battle outcome, he still defends his pride and his loyalty to his KoB Guild. He unsheathes his Two-handed Sword. With a stance that his body lowers a bit and raises the Sword up, pointing at him with both hands. Oathkeeper decides to fight him with bare hands.

Kuradeel: Damn you..! The commander will know about this so you won't get away with this!

Oathkeeper: Is the dog crying for its owner? I say that's kinda adorable.

Kuradeel: Shut up!

Kirito tries to tell him to stop..

Kirito: Oathkeeper, you don't have to do this..

Oathkeeper: Is it okay, Asuna?

She nods..

Asuna: It's fine. I'll speak with the Guild Leader. He had crossed the line this time so don't worry about that.

Oathkeeper: Thanks..

Loud cracking noises came out from his knuckles and his neck before he gets into his battle stance. Kirito soon notices the Skills he is going to use.

Kirito: Is this.. The Martial Art Skills?

Asuna: What's that?

Kirito starts the explanation..

Kirito: A skill tree for Bare Hand User. There are four types of fighting style you can switch during battle. Brawler, Rush, Beast and Legend, or you should say, Dragon. And each one has different battle stances and moves.

Asuna: But I never seen one before..

Kirito: Because the damage dealt is actually lower than any Sword Skills for any weapon types, but it has the fastest agility and damage output among them. Both fast enough to compensate its low damage.

Asuna: But Bare Hand User can't land a hit properly to another player if he is armed with weapons.

Kirito: That's the main reason nobody ever wields it. But I'm surprised he acquired that.

Asuna: So is he a Martial Artist in Real Life?

Kirito: Beats me.. Maybe he just good at this game.

The countdown just reached to 3 seconds.

Kuradeel: Watch carefully, Asuna-sama! I'll prove that only I can protect you!

3...

Oathkeeper: I'm not gonna use any weapons..

2...

He gets into his battle stance with Bare Hand.

Oathkeeper: But I won't hold back... Now if you're ready to die...

1...

His aura starts to reveal out to his opponent.

Oathkeeper: ...COME AT ME!

Start!

Kuradeel smirks at the fact that Oathkeeper is fighting without a weapon as he charges up his Avalanche Sword Skill before rushing.

Kuradeel: This is too easy!

He charges forward, and Oathkeeper rushes towards him. As Kuradeel is about to land his attack. Oathkeeper stops his move. Grabbing his weapon and slams him on the ground. Then, he does the following moves in the GIF.

*Stab!*

Kuradeel: Uaghh!!!

The Sword breaks upon the stab when he activates the Arms Blast which targets it's weak point to destroy the Sword. It disappears in a second so it does a lot of damage but not enough to kill him. He stands up and casually sweeps off the dust from his coat.

Oathkeeper: If you want to try with another weapon, I'm fine with it.

Kuradeel: Grrr...

He equips a dagger and tries to stab him back. As the Oathkeeper turns around..

Kuradeel falls on the ground again, screaming as he felt the pain on his face. He grabs him up and picks up the dagger. He stabs him again and this time..

He suffered another heavy damage by just a few moves and his HP had dropped to Red Zone. The Oathkeeper performs a string of quicksteps backwards, charges back to forward a bit and jumps before landing the finishing blow.

Oathkeeper: Sayonara...

*Bam!* *Burst!*

Winner!

Kuradeel V{S Oathkeeper}

After he claimed the win, everyone backs away from him a bit. He grabs out the Revival Crystal and revives Kuradeel.

Kuradeel: *Gasp!*

Oathkeeper: That's the second warning to you. One more time, I'll cross out your name at the Monument Of Life.

Kuradeel: Grr...

The Vice Commander furiously walks up in front of him.. Kuradeel accuses him for breaking his sword.

Kuradeel: Asuna-sama! I don't how, but he cheated! You saw how he snatched my sword and destroyed it with just his Bare Hand! He must have used some kind of trick. There's no other way I could have lost to a pathetic Bare Hand User like him!

Oathkeeper: You piece of-!

As the Oathkeeper is about to change his mind.. Asuna stops him.

Asuna: That's enough, Oathkeeper.. Kuradeel, this is an order from the Vice Commander of the Knights of the Blood Oath. As of today, you are relieved of your escort mission.

Kuradeel: Asuna-sama..

Asuna: Stand by at the Guild HQ until you receive further notice. That is all.

Kuradeel: Wh-What?

He glares at his opponent who shows very hostile to him and Oathkeeper provokes him back with only his Middle Finger sticking out from his hand at Kuradeel. But he eventually gives up and walks up to the Teleport Gate.

Kuradeel: Teleport: Grandzam...

As he just disappeared from their sight, Asuna let out a sigh of relief..

Asuna: Sorry for involving you two in that... Oathkeeper?

As they both turn their attention on him, they just notice him starts panting a lot after the duel.

Asuna: Are- Are you okay!?

Kirito: You're exhausting..

The Oathkeeper takes out the Energy Fruits and gobbles it down quickly. After a while, he gets back up like nothing happened.

Oathkeeper: Sorry about my vulnerable side.. It's fine.. What about you?

Asuna: Yes. But I think my problems with the guild are, because I was too focused on clearing the game. And I was too strict with the other members. I should tell you this last night.

Oathkeeper: You're just doing your job.. Asuna.. It was me who got history with him and I came to end it for sure..

Kirito: But you didn't actually want to kill him, right?

He reassures him..

Oathkeeper: That's just my second warning for him. Then, why would I waste my Revival Crystal on him?

Kirito: Just asking. Hope he learns his lesson from his death experience.

Asuna: Well, let's ignore that already. Anyway, how's your night, Oathkeeper?

Oathkeeper: Very well.. Her pure glee and her smile always shine very bright in the night..

Asuna: Aww~ And mind if you give my pot back?

Oathkeeper: After finishing what we came here for today. My suggestions is you should take a day off from your guild. You know, take it easy?

She considers it for a while.. Then, she nods..

Asuna: Hm.. I guess I should.. Partying with two Strongest Players sounds very promising for me.

Oathkeeper: Are you treating us as your personal bodyguards right now?

Asuna: Well, because you two are obviously better than any of my guild members when it comes to combat.

Oathkeeper: ...

Kirito: Uhm.. Thanks? I guess?

She giggles at their confusion about whether to say thanks or argue with her for not being her bodyguards.

Asuna: Hehe..! At least you two can play at forward.

Kirito: W-Wait a second!

Oathkeeper: Good grief! We should take turns as forward! That's fair, isn't it!?

She takes her step first to the Labyrinth.

Asuna: I guess I'll do it tomorrow!

Oathkeeper and Kirito: Ehh!?

The boys catch up with her. Heading to the Labyrinth together.

Timeskip... Aincrad Standard Time, 09:40. Floor 74, Labyrinth.

The three of them are currently mapping the Labyrinth while defeating the Skeleton mobs which gets in their way. Oathkeeper unleashes slide dash to get in close to target and starts his ground combo. A vertical strike from up to down and a horizontal swing from left to right through a body spin. Then, he spins again, uppercuts the Skeleton to the Airborne and switches to Air combo with Aerial Sweep, closes in to the Airborne targets with a spinning slash then a Aerial Dive. Thanks to his acrobatics skills, he slashes it 3 hits while his body flips to the front for a few time. He slaps it another 3-hits with Horizontal Slash. He slams it back to the ground as the finishing move. Defeating the mobs in the end. Asuna just finished her skills and prepare to switch out with Kirito.

Asuna: Switch out, Kirito!

Kirito: On it!

She switches with him who prepared for another attack. He unleashes his Horizontal Square. As it guards Kirito's finishing move, he switches with Oathkeeper.

Kirito: You're up!

He guard breaks the Skeleton's shield with a strong thrust. He leaps and thrust the ground, causing a small earthquake to bounce the Skeleton off the ground. Then, he slams it back down. It got defeated by the fall damage. He lands back and all three of them sheathes their Swords back in perfect sync.

Kirito: Nice work! Let's get going!

He points at the route which they haven't map yet.

Oathkeeper: We should head that way. That's the only path we haven't been yet.

Asuna: That must be the way to the Boss Room.

Kirito: Hope it is..

They all take the route. After minutes of walking, Asuna stops as she notices the door of the Boss Room is just in front of them.

Asuna: Kirito, look.

Kirito: Yeah, I see it.

Oathkeeper: Let's examine it..

The other two nod.. They continue forward until they stop at the front of the door.

Asuna: Isn't that...

Kirito: There's no doubt about it. It's the Boss Room.

Asuna: What do we do? Just take a look?

Oathkeeper: Remember, Boss monsters never leave the place they're guarding at.

Kirito: So if we just open the door, we'll be okay.

Asuna: R-Right.

He grabs his Teleport Crystal out.

Oathkeeper: Have a Teleport Crystal ready, just in case. You guys ready?

The other two do the same as well.

Asuna: Yeah.

Oathkeeper: We should be fine if we're just going in for a scout. I'll test the room if it's actually an Anti-Crystal Area.

Asuna: Good thinking.. Anything else?

Oathkeeper: Nope. All you have to do is to get a look on the Boss's looks. Then, we figure out its attack patterns.

Kirito: Sounds like a good plan.

After a while, they all had fully prepared themselves. Oathkeeper decides to open the door by himself while the other two prepare for the Teleportation once they got attacked.

Oathkeeper: Alright, I'm going to open the door. You two prepare yourselves for the worst.

Kirito and Asuna: *nod*

He slowly pushes the door forward. They cautiously move forward and the room's is in Pitch Black so they can't really see what's inside. But after a while, a round of blue flames lights up the room and a demonic monster with muscles as taut as ropes rippling up its towering form. Its skin was deep blue and its eyes glinted with the same blue-white hue, matching the tint of the flames in its boss room. Its head, resting atop its thick chest, was that of a goat's rather than a human's and had an an elongated snout and thick, twisted horns stretching backward from the sides of the head. The lower half of its body with bestial legs was covered in long, navy hair. Its main weapon was an equally massive blade that looked like a Zanbato and a Cobra Snake as the boss's tail. It got awakened and starts roaring at them.

Oathkeeper: Teleport: Taft!

He immediately realizes the Teleportation doesn't work just as he expected.

Oathkeeper: Damn it! I knew it got blocked by the walls! We have to leave, NOW!!

Asuna: Run! Run!!

Kirito: *Panicking Screams*

All three of them had successfully escaped the Boss Room.

End Of Chapter...