Chapter 40: Pyrrhic Victory

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This is the second to last chapter I think. Hope you've all enjoyed the journey with me, because it is about to end. Still, enjoy the chapter.

Akari's POV:

Akari had always thought that when her parents described battle to her that it was an elegant dance between opponents, and on the individual level it was to some degree, but she had never expected a real battle between armies to be so... horrible.

Akari dodged around one enemy after another, cutting them down as she passed, trying to get to Zaor and Nagano, who were surrounded on all sides and were desperately trying to defend against what seemed to be an endless wave of soldiers.

Akari watched as a player next to her was transfixed by a lance and depixelated into nothing, leaving only the bloodied weapon behind.

"That was a life that was just snuffed out." Akari thought to herself. She looked around her and started picking out all of the individuals that were falling all around her. She felt her knees go weak as she realized the reality of war, there was nothing noble about this. The only thing here was death. Akari quickly began fighting her way towards Zaor again, hoping against all hope that her would still be alive when she got there.

Nagano's POV:

Nagano's sword rang off an enemy soldier's shield before he swung it back to knock the shield away, slicing across the soldier's chest while he was at it and sending blood flying. The soldier fell down and lay on the ground briefly before depixelating, only for another soldier to take his place. Nagano looked around at the seemingly endless soldiers surrounding him and Zaor. He knew that they wouldn't last much longer. A glance to his right showed Zaor dispatching several soldiers one after another in succession. He looked tired, but still kept fighting. Nagano couldn't understand what kept him going like that, when Nagano himself was all but spent.

"Whatever it is, I will fight beside him to the end." Nagano thought.

Nagano began to turn back when he noticed a soldier behind Zaor lift up a spear to throw it at him. Without thinking, Nagano lurched forward and leapt between them, even as the soldier released the spear and it was sent hurtling, straight into Nagano's chest. Nagano felt a brief burst of extreme pain as he felt the spear pierce him before falling to the ground.

Nagano felt his consciousness start to slip away, even as Zaor turned and saw Nagano now lying at his feet with a spear through him. Zaor knelt down and tried to get Nagano's attention.

"Nagano!" He screamed.

Nagano's ears barely heard him as darkness closed in.

"My one regret..." He thought, "Was that I never got to tell Akari goodbye."

Kirito's POV:

Kirito watched as the spear pierced Nagano and he fell to the ground.

"Nagano!" He screamed in fury. Kirito's anger overcame him and he began swinging his swords in pure rage, logic no longer a part of his reasoning. His swords swung wildly, cutting down all enemies in his path as he literally cut his way through towards the two figures ahead, one lying prone on the ground, and the other kneeling over him.

Others had heard Kirito's cry and had responded similarly. Nagano's mother, Liz, began sending soldiers flying with her mace as if they were baseballs being hit by a bat. Asuna became a blur of light as she began moving too fast to be seen, and bodies fell down behind her, each and every one of them transfixed by her blade. Agil swung his axe in repeated circles around and around, decapitating arms, legs, heads, and body alike as he spun forwards. Akari was almost to Nagano and Zaor when the spear hit and she went berserk, killing anything that came near her.

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