SAO: The Legend Of The Black Swordsman

Chapter 4

Asuna.

It was her.

During the whole couple of months in the beta version, Kirito hadn't seen the chestnut haired beauty at all - not even once, and he had assumed that she wasn't one for games. But out of all the times she had to play SAO, she HAD to play it on the day where Kayaba executed his sinister plan.

"Excuse me, may I sit here?", she asked Kirito yet again, waiting for an answer as he blankly stared at her face the first time she had asked him the same question.

"Oh, umm, yeah, sure", he said with a nod and she took the seat with a smile  and a nod of thanks.

The first thing Kirito made sure of, was that his neck gaiter was pulled up to the bridge of his nose and he sighed in relief, knowing that he could protect his identity for a longer time.

"If I'm bothering you, I can leave..", she squeaked out, rubbing her arm nervously and Kirito shook his head with a light chuckle.

"You're not making me uncomfortable. It's just that I was waiting for someone, my friend, and I can't find her anywhere. That's why I'm rather uneasy", he explained and Asuna nodded her head. "Oh, I hope you can find her"

"Thank you", he said genuinely.

The blunette at the centre tapped his blade on his shield repeatedly to garner attention from the restless crowd.

"Hello! I am Diavel, and I am a beta tester. I have plans to take down the boss of the first floor. But I need your cooperation to ensure that the plan goes smoothly and without any unnecessary hiccups", he explained and while some of the players moved to the edge of their seats in expectation, somewhat satisfied that there was someone who had played the game.

A few others, however, groaned in frustration and hate at the man, especially a brown haired man wearing an inconspicuous sneer on his face.

"Oh, FUCK you! You beta tester assholes are SO selfish. Most of you have ditched us and left to fight the boss - and LOOK what happened. They DIED, didn't they? And not only did they die, but they took their knowledge of the game along with them. YOU.....NEED...US!!", he raged and his cronies whistled, slapping him on the back.

"Are you sure about that? Do you have the learner's guide, newbie?", Kirito asked the man, slowly making his way towards him, giving the same his death glare, making him flinch for a second, after which he regained his composure.

"The name is Kibaou, little fellow! And to answer your question, yes", he snarled, and Kirito folded his arms across his chest.

"Who gave you that guide?", Kirito asked him jerking his chin towards the guide. "Well, some girl with whiskers on her face"

"And who do you think she is, and who do you think wrote the book?", Kirito questioned him and he turned the pages, dragging his finger to each name. "Argo The Rat....Kirito....Diavel...Morte...Coper.."

"I'm Kirito. Pleased to meet you, Kibaou-san. And the girl who sold you the guide was Argo, and I don't think you need an introduction to Diavel over there", he continued and Kibaou gulped.

"So if there's ANY reason behind your existence or your upgraded Anneal Blade, we're one of the reasons. So if I were you, I'd shut my trap as early as possible, because I would like to let you know, that Sword Skills are not the only form of combat in this world, and ANY sort of  sword based combat can be recognised", he snapped, grabbing Kibaou by his collar and he nodded his head vigorously. Kirito sighed and let him go, turning his attention to Diavel who gave him a two finger salute, which he returned, and took his seat next to Asuna.