The Black Swordsman

Chapter 35: Kirito vs. Sugou Pt. 2

Once my rage-induced scream was finished, my eyes were still closed and everything was completely silent in the throne room. The sound that finally broke the unsettling silence was a shattering sound that I didn't even need to open my eyes to be able to know what it was. Lisbeth was gone. Just like the others. Now, I was all alone...low on health...with a sword sticking out of my stomach. How pathetic. I forced my eyes open and just like I had predicted, Lisbeth's body was already gone. Sugou swung his bloodied sword to the side and Lisbeth's blood splattered onto the castle floor. He then, turned to face me with that damn smug look of his, like he was looking down on me. My hands balled into fists and I attempted to move once again out of pure anger but it was no use. My body was still too weak. Noticing this, without saying a word, Sugou made his way towards me, sword still drawn.

"That look in your eye. Was it the same look you had when you killed my brother, Black Swordsman?" asked Sugou as his grip on his Excalibur tightened, the closer that he got to me. "That truly does look like the face of a killer. I guess I shouldn't have expected anything less."

Once Sugou was standing right in front of me, the only thing that was on my mind was this intense feeling of wanting to rip his throat out for what he did to Lisbeth. He was so close to me. It would have been so easy for me to kill him if I just had the strength to do so.

"You want to kill me, don't you?" questioned Sugou, staring down at me. "Just like you did my brother. Your beloved Asuna kept defending you, saying that you would never stoop down that low. Too bad, she forgot she was talking about the same pathetic little shit who tried to take his own life. Taking someone else's life would be a piece of cake for you, isn't that right?"

Rather than use his sword, Sugou began to dig his thumb into my eye while I was still on my knees and pressed as hard as he could, causing me health to slowly dwindle down. He kept pressing until my health was at 17%. My vision in the left eye that he had just abused was now blurred from the punishment that it took. Sugou then grabbed Asuna's rapier that was still stuck in my stomach and began to twist it while it was still inside of me. I could feel my insides being cut and torn by the action and it caused me to scream out in pain...louder than I had during my entire time in Sugou's world.

Is this the type of pain that Lisbeth went through? I thought to myself. I didn't realize raising the pain sensitivity to max level would have this kind of effect on me.

Sugou proceeded to release his grip on Asuna's rapier and, using the same hand that did so, back-handed me across the face, causing me to fall flat onto my back. I rolled onto my side and then he stomped his boot right onto my cheek, not allowing my face to move. The only sight that was in front of me was the very throne that Sugou had been sitting on when Lisbeth and I first arrived on the floor.

"That's perfect," claimed Sugou.

I may not had been able to see his face but just from his tone, I imagined that he had a big grin on his face, at this point.

"You'll now have the perfect view for what comes next. I have a little surprise for you, Black Swordsman. Make sure you don't take your eyes off of that throne for a single second, alright? Bring her out!"

Her? What is he...?

Before I could finish my thought, I heard footsteps that sounded similar to the other Elvin Knights that Lisbeth and I had fought earlier. Two more Elvin Knights, making the total number of them that were in the throne room equal to 12, made their way up to the throne, dragging what looked like a girl with chest-nut brown hair, who's head was hung low, staring at the floor of the castle. Once she was in front of the throne, the guards threw her onto the castle floor like she was nothing more than garbage. To my surprise, the girl, despite how limp her body seemed, was able to lift her head off of the floor to look in my direction. There was no doubt about it. This girl was the one I had been searching for ever since my friends and I made it this world...the girl, who had been by my side for two years almost...Asuna. Instead of the beautiful face that I was used to seeing, though, it was replaced by one that was so bruised and swollen that it didn't even seem like she could see out of either of her eyes.