Traveling Immortal(SAO and Persona 5 Royal Arcs)

Volume 81: Swords, Fist and Kitsune

Gabriel's eyes caught in full detail the sight of the young knight in her shining golden armour, standing on the back of the dragon in the distant night sky. Straight, long golden hair. Pure white skin. Blue eyes as cool and crisp as the midwinter sky. In Gabriel's mind, these features perfectly matched the image of the beautifully matured Alicia Clingerman, the very first victim of his desires. He failed to capture Alicia's soul the first time, but now he knew she had returned to take her place in this virtual world.

This time.

This time she would be his. He would take the lightcube that contained her fluctlight and devour it to his heart's content.

As the knight pulled the dragon's reins and flew to the south, Gabriel poured into her a gaze like blue fire. He leaned toward the master skull and rasped an order, quiet but fierce.

Gabriel: All troops, prepare to march. Pugilists in front, then dark knights, nonhumans, and supply, in that order. Proceed south. You must capture that knight, the Priestess of Light, unharmed. The commander of the unit that captures her will be given control over the entirety of the human realm.

The dust cloud kicked up by the march of the army of darkness was gray against the night sky of the Dark Territory and its red stars.

Commander Bercouli took his eye away from the simple eyeglass made from crystal elements and growled,.

Bercouli: Well, this certainly looks like Vecta's got an obsession with you. He's sending their entire army.

Kitsune: 30,000 if what I'm sensing is correct.

Remarked Kitsune sitting on the ledge they were standing atop.

Kirito: This obsession is very concerning.

Kirito muttered, both he and Kitsune thinking back to right after they were freed from SAO.

Alice: It's certainly a much better outcome than being ignored entirely.

Alice muttered, washing away her nerves with a swig of lukewarm siral water than handing it to Eugeo.

After proceeding about five kilors directly south through the uncharted- at least by inhabitants of the human realm- wastes of the Dark Territory, the guardian army's decoy force took its first break on a small hill.

The guards' morale was high. The dreadful magic the enemy had used on them had been briefly terrifying, but the sacrifice of a signal Integrity Knight had both relieved them and filled them with determination to succeed in his memory.

Bercouli: So about our strategy going forward. The raid unit and I will keep leading the enemy away, and reduce their force's numbers. Does that sound right?

The commander glanced at the others on the hill.

Alice: Yes. We've already annihilated half of the invading forces, which leaves only the enemy's main force of the dark knights and the pugilists. We'll wear them down to a certain point, and if we can defeat the Dark God Vecta, it's highly likely that the remaining enemies will be open to a truce.

Two people arrived and it was Medina and Edith.

Medina: hey sorry we were taking care of Yami for a while.

Kirito: is he okay?

Edith: yes he's okay nothing harmed him.

Alice said as she watched the dust cloud getting closer. Kitsune lifted his arm in the air still gazing over at the approaching army.