Sword Art Online: X

Clash of Blades - Kirito

It was time. I kept my sword at my side, brandishing the blade at my opponent.

X was on the other side of the arena, staring me down with dual blades in hand.

I could tell he was taking this seriously, because he started spinning one of his blades in his hands.

"Come at me with everything you have, Kirito. Show me you're worthy of being an Integrity Knight." He grinned, which, in X-talk, meant 'You better not fucking lose to me, or I'll fucking kill you in here and in real life.'

"I don't plan to lose." I countered, shifting my position so that my sword was held behind my body, a position that X no doubt knew all too well.

The match commenced, and X almost immediately made his move. He wasted no time at all, dashing around me so quickly that he would've broken the sound barrier had this been in real life.

I knew his tricks, though, and my reactions were faster than his. I was able to parry his first strike, wildly disadvantaging him and slowing him down.

I quickly thrusted my sword at X's midsection, but his other blade quickly knocked it away.

"Damn you and your dual blades." I muttered, "If I could dual wield, you'd be gone."

X didn't say anything, but I could almost hear the smirk on his lips.

It was quite the deadlock. X was faster, but my reactions were quicker. Neither of us could get in a blow edgewise.

At this point, it was a battle of attrition, and when it came to endurance and stamina, I would win by a landslide. 

I played cautiously, only attempting to attack X after a parry, and making sure he didn't get a chance to get behind me.

"You can't beat me, X. Not this time." I told him, blocking two more of his strikes, and slashing back at him.

X is smart, and he knows it. He's likely already seen through my strategy. He's parrying my attacks because he's predicting them, not because he reacts to them. If I'm going to win, I'm going to have to start becoming unpredictable.

X attacked me again, but instead of the normal stopping block like I usually do, I knocked his blade aside, using my own sword to wrench it into the ground.

His other blade was already at his midsection, but I slashed at his face this time, catching him off-guard, and forcing him to dodge backwards.

Finally, I stopped his momentum.

As X stopped moving for a moment, I could tell he was almost at his limit.

He was heaving deep breaths, and his grip on his blades were loose. It wouldn't take much to knock them out of his hands.

But then I realized something.

He wasn't sweating.

It was an act.

"Get up, X. I know you're not tired."

He chuckled, "I'm glad you noticed."

He recomposed himself, and gripped his blades with more security than before.

Wait, no. He is tired, he's just not showing it. His breaths were still more ragged than before we started.

He combined his blades together to form a double-bladed glaive, and charged me. No trickery, no deception.

Just pure speed.

I dodged his first strike, and counterattacked, starting to fight more aggressively than even my usual playstyle.

X wasn't ready for this attack, either, as his blades were nowhere near his legs.

"You're becoming more unpredictable. Is it because of my massive brain, I wonder?" X asked, his voice tinged with annoyance.

I laughed, "If your brain is as big as you claim, you should've seen it coming."

He growled, and for the first time in ages, he went on the defensive.

After attack after attack, I could tell he was getting worn down. After a final strike, I knocked one of his blades out of his hands and thrust my sword at his throat.

I stopped a split second before contact, and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly.

"I win." I said.

"Indeed you do. You want a medal for that or something?" X asked from the ground, but got up regardless, "Jokes aside, good job. Hope you don't forget our world while you're in here, though."

The last few words were whispered into my ear, but I simply patted his shoulder, "I won't forget. I never intended to. Asuna is still waiting for me, after all."

My victory was announced, and the crowd went wild. 

X collected the other blade, and put the weapon away, back into whatever pocket dimension he pulled it out of.

"Get out there and win your next match for me, will you? Also, if anyone asks, your blade style is Aincrad Style."

"Is that what you called it?"

He chuckled, "Of course. What do you think?"

I shrugged, "Well, I guess great minds think alike, because that's what I was going to call it anyway."

"Really now? Good for you." He smirked as he walked past me, patting me on the shoulder, "Hope you find what you were looking for."

I nodded, even though I wasn't actively looking for anything, I was keeping an eye out for a skilled smith.

I guess his ability to read people's intentions is still as accurate as ever.

...

My next match was against this arrogant dude who trash talked me throughout the tournament in the waiting rooms.

I didn't really know what his problem was, but he's just had it out for me ever since I introduced myself to him. Guess he just hates commoners.

As I held my sword in an open stance, my opponent held his sword like a kendo blade.

Eh, it was probably unrelated.

We rushed each other, trading blows and exchanging parries. He was a lot stronger than I gave him credit for. I guess he isn't all talk.

But I could tell that he was getting frustrated that I wasn't letting up, "Dammit! Why aren't you conceding?!"

I shrugged, "I don't feel the need to. Why concede a match I can win?"

That just pissed him off even more, but by this point, I've had enough of his shit.

I quickly swept my blade upwards, breaking my opponent's sword and hovering right in front of his neck.

"You lose." I stated, "Do not underestimate commoners. I don't care what nobility you're from, but you're not about to walk all over me like I'm some dirty carpet."

A/N: Kirito ain't taking any shit today. 

By the way, sorry I was dead for like three weeks. Holidays and such. I should be back on schedule for the next eight weeks. Probably.

Anyways, if you enjoyed this chapter, consider voting and following for more. Peace out, everybody. Goodbye.

Timeless_95, signing out.