Sword Art Online: Regeneration

6:

We noticed we were pretty loud but somehow the players weren't waking up. They should've based by how loud we spoke. But none seem to get up. Not even Rogue. Asugaya pointed the sword at Miso who wielded an axe.

"What happened to Commander Rogue?" Asuagaya demanded, "What the hell did you do?!"

I quickly glanced at Rogue's status through the HP bars on the upper left hand corner of my screen. Her bar had a black color flashing at the bordering health bar. That meant they were knocked out in their sleep, or drugged. He must've had small throwing knives that had the sleep essence coated on the tips.

"He drugged them to sleep." I answered for Miso, "He must have a high sneak skill to have us not notice where he went."

"You bastard!" Asugaya charged but the sword was deflected by the axe.

I stepped in and ran to get a stab of him with my stun kunai. He saw me and punched me back. I got up and groaned at the pain. The feeling of getting hit or slashed wasn't as harsh as it is in reality but this was like a warm up to what it actually feels like.

Miso laughed maniacally and spat, "You think swinging your sword would do any good?! Very well...I shall give you a challenge right now!"

He snapped his fingers and suddenly the ground rumbled again. The bones and skeletons in catacombs started to rattle. Slowly, they turned to chains and ropes that tied each of the sleeping players stuck against the wall. Hands of the skeletons grabbing the arms of everyone. I took a 360 around the area and saw Akari struggling with the skeleton hand dragging her to the wall.

My reflexes decided to sprint towards Akari and cut the hand away. She shrieked and grabbed my arm, tears in her eyes already.

"Raito!" She screamed, "What's happening?"

"I don't know!" I yelled, "Just try helping, okay. I know you aren't a good fighter but you said you could heal, right?" She nodded, "Could you take off the status of the sleeping players?"

"I can only heal players but not take of their status effects. Plus it's not gonna be enough to get everyone up." She responded.

The three of us then heard a shriek coming from the door. It was a sharp wail like a bird, but much scarier. Miso walked to the massive wooden door and grinned creepily, "You KoB dumbasses have walked into the demon trap of the White Reapers!"

"White Reapers?!" Me and Akari repeated.

He opens the door wide and out came dozens of demons. They surrounded us above, with flying gargoyles and below, armed with machetes and weapons from the dead. We had no sight of Miso. But this is was all in his plot. With his sneak stat, he would jump in while one of us is busy taking care of the demons.

"Guys, be careful. Miso is using this as diversion so he can attack us." I slashed a demon from the sky by throwing a shuriken.

Asugaya took care of a handful of the beasts while Akari healed and fought. I dashed against six of them swung my sword around and sliced all of them in half, turning them to blue polygons. I suddenly heard footsteps, not of an NPC, but of a player. I quickly pull out my kunai. And shoot it.

"Crap!" A familiar voice cursed. I turned back and saw the kunai hit Asugaya on the chest, which made him paralyzed.

"Asugaya!" I yelled. He fell down, frozen. He struggled to at least reach for his sword but failed. It was then Misotofu stood before him. His axe up in the air made that familiar sound that weapons sung when a sword skill (in this case, an axe skill.) was about to be performed.

Miso's eyes widened and burned with loathe, "Die, you BRAT!" he pushes the axe down but I sprint and managed to block it.
Barely with the tip of my sword. I got up and had Asugaya behind me. Who still wasn't out of the paralysis.

I panted under my breath, the sound of swords slashing and the demons grunting. Judging by how difficult it is to kill these demons these were about in their forties. I was gaining XP and reached three levels up. Miso and I ran to each other with our weapons and clashed. He pushed his axe against my sword. I pushed mine forward and stood my ground. My arms nearly gave up but I manage to jump away and go to my sword skill. I pressed one of them and ran back. I took my sword with one hand and did an uppercut slice with it. It finally hit him. I equip another kunai and got ready to fight for real.

My heart beat quickened. One wrong move and he could kill me. I attempt to thrust my kunai but he dodges it with his axe, I charged my other hand with the sword but he grabs the arm with my sword and kicks me back. I tumbled on the ground, spitting blood. There was only one way to end this using a major sword skill.

Phoenix Slash.

I look back at Akari who took care of a more than quarter of the demons. She was breathing heavily, bruised and bleeding. In SAO, bleeding to death was common, I saw her HP, it wasn't looking to good. It slowly depleted to the yellow, close to turning red. We couldn't teleport our way out. It was a raid. I put my back against Akari's.

"I've got an idea but there's a high chance I'm gonna f-ck it up." I told her, slashing another demon.

"They're faster than China's population growth!" She shouted, stabbing two demons with dual daggers.

"Alright, no need for the racist comments. Stay by Asugaya and distract Miso-

"Who the hell is Miso?!" She sliced a winged demon.

"The axe guy!" I kicked another demon by the leg and slashed it.

She nods and runs by Asugaya, letting me handle the demons that aren't stopping their barrage of attacks. I was running low on HP as well. So if I didn't do this right, the entire recruit group is done.

I scrolled down at the list of sword skills and look for Phoenix Slash, however it wasn't there anymore. Instead, a new skill replaced Phoenix Slash.

Kunai of the Sea Phoenix

The rules of a sword skill were somewhat simple. Besides HP, there was EP, energy points. Swords Skills use EP but the more stronger skill is, the more EP it uses and if you run out of EP, HP is a substitute. So if I perform this sword skill, succeed or fail, I could get my avatar killed, but it was alright. I could always respawn. I bought Asugaya enough time to get out of paralysis and Akari would have enough time to heal too.

"Raito!" Akari shouted, she was wrestling with Miso with his daggers.

"Here it goes." I told myself.

I choose the sword skill and see a kunai appear by my right hand. My left with a glowing brilliant blue light it wasn't turning into fragments. I cross both weapons together and charge faster than I've ever ran here in the game.

Faster

I see everything around me move faster as well. I place my footing and take a huge leap, airborne.

"Switch!" I commanded Akari who was slid back and allowed me to take him on.

I spin quickly down on Miso, pointing both weapons towards him.

22 hit combo...

I successfully pierce through his body, by his stomach. Adrenaline was hitting me harder than it ever was. I hear my heart and even the sweat falling.

Left and right. Left and right. Was all I though as I pierced, stabbed and jabbed the traitor. Faster than Phoenix Slash ever accomplished.

KUNAI OF THE SEA PHOENIX!

The kunai beamed blue and I slashed the player with all my strength. He fell on his knees, mouth open, and red marks all over him. I saw my hand, bleeding and covered in the dirt of the catacombs. My body gave up and I fell on the ground seeing my HP close to touched zero.