{DISCONTINUED} Aliczation Rebooting: Sword Art Online

Truths

19/8/380 HEC

"In a typical sword fight, your sword swings need to flow better. You can't just swing once and be completely rigid, as the enemy would take advantage of it if they were to dodge that one blow. You need to think about the opponent's next step and act accordingly. Fights like these normally don't go down in an instant."

Kirito Synthesis Thirty-Three walked a few paces as he instructed the volunteer soldiers he was assigned to. Arriving at a battered training dummy, he gestured a skinny young man to come forward to help with a demonstration. Kyle was his name, if Kirito remembered correctly. He was talented, and probably one of the best. At that, Kirito continued.

"Normally, it's not a competition of strength. The placement of the sword strike matters as well. If you do it right, you can neutralize the enemy attacks and set up your own counters. Let's say you're faced with an enemy who's slashing down at you, top left down to bottom right. Swings like these are common as it allows the attacker to threaten it's opponent while protecting themselves from a frontal assault. If you hit the blade from the side, it turns to a contest of strength. If you can overpower your opponent, that's completely fine. However, the enemy would most likely be goblins, orcs or giants. They are far stronger in terms of brute strength, so we'd have to play smart about it."

He motioned for Kyle to demonstrate the swing and prepared to counter. The swing was crisp was swung with vigor, but then came Kirito's block. He stepped into the swing, and aimed the sword to hit the base of the blade. The wooden sword flew completely out of Kyle's hand. He followed with a thrust aimed at his stomach and stopped short. Sounds of surprise and applause could be heard from the soldiers.

"As you all can see, the sword becomes almost impossible to hold when hit at the base due to all the vibrations. Even if they could hold on, the swing completely misses, and your opponent would be in no position to attack again, giving you the perfect opportunity to strike back. Now then, pair up and practice this technique."

He grabbed the knocked off sword and returned it to its owner, then circled around the area, watching the soldiers assigned to him as they practised the new sword technique. He smiled at the sight. They've improved a lot, ever since he started training them a month and a half ago.

"Every time I come over here to check on the volunteers, I can't help but be amazed at how well trained they are. Well, it really wasn't a mistake to knight you and Eugeo three months ago."

A voice from behind broken his concentration. He turned to see his commander, Bercouli Synthesis One, looking at him with a smile plastered on his face.

After being knighted, they discussed how to handle the invasion. Kirito tried to suggest having every knight stationed at the Great Eastern Gate, only for the suggestion to be vetoed by everyone, his best friend included. After a lot of precise planning and hot debating, they finally settled on having volunteers from the entire Empire to help defend against the invasion. Alice suggested for the Swordcraft Academy students to join as well, but Deusolbert and some others to disagree. Due to the dire situation, they've decided on having them join as a last resort, wanting as few casualties as possible.

Another important discussion was on what information to disclose to the public. After all, straight up telling the people that their leader has been killed was sure to make them panic. In the end, they've decided to only mention the invasion, and the death of Administrator was to be kept secret between the Integrity Knights.

Kirito and Eugeo spent one entire month in the Cathedral, having to study the laws of the Empire and while also waiting until Eugeo's Blue Rose Sword was repaired. They also received their dragons during that long, agonizing month. Kirito received a female dragon which he named Mitsuhide, while Eugeo received a male one which he named Muramasa. Learning to ride a dragon was what saved Kirito from his boredom. The feeling was really different to flight in ALO. For one, he could travel at much greater speeds, and with the Mnemonic Visuals from the STL, the wind he could feel when flying felt far more realistic.