02x10 - Death Chaser

[bunniefuu]

The Black Star? Type ?

That g*n...

Why.... Why now... here...

What's that g*n doing here?

Without a second thought, right now

Take aim at this paradox-ridden world

And fire with your own two hands

Thanks to the warmth of your falling tears

I thought that I'd realized what kindness was

So why do we keep hurting each other

And create even more hatred?

If this pain that grates on me

The strength that I've discovered

Will someday gently envelop the future

Without a second thought, right now

Take aim at this paradox-ridden world

And fire with your own two hands

Take this sorrow

Drenched with red tears

And embrace it tenderly

So that these blasts ringing out

Will be transformed into the sounds

of a new beginning

"Death Chaser"

What it means to be strong.

What it means to fight.

Watching him...

By watching Kirito, I thought that

someday I'd find out...

I don't want to give up!

A grenade?

Kiri... to...

It's all right.

Just leave me here.

Can't take the horse.

Sure, it can cover a lot of distance...

But it's too hard to handle.

Sinon, use that r*fle of yours

to destroy that horse!

What?

A-All right...

I'll give it a sh*t.

Huh? Why?

I can't pull it...

But why?

I can't pull the trigger!

Sinon! Hang on tight!

Can we outrun him?

Damn! Don't let your guard down yet!

Why?

He's catching up...

Go faster...

Run... Run!

No!

I can't take this...

Help! Help me!

Sinon... Can you hear me, Sinon?

Sinon, at this rate, he's gonna catch us.

You've got to snipe him!

I... I can't do that!

You don't have to hit him!

Just a warning sh*t will do!

I can't...

That guy... That guy is...

Then you take over steering!

I'll fire that g*n!

Hécate is my alter ego.

No one but me can handle it...

I can't sh**t.

I can't sh**t, I can't move my finger.

I... can't fight anymore.

No, you can sh**t!

There's nobody on this earth

who can't fight!

To fight, or not to fight–

it means that we have that choice!

If I have a choice,

then I choose not to fight.

Because I'm through

with all this agony.

Thinking that this world would make me strong

was nothing but an illusion!

I'll fire with you! So just this once,

move this finger, will you?

N-No good... With all this shaking,

I can't lock my sights...

You'll be fine!

The shaking will stop in five seconds!

Two... One...

Now!

How can he be so calm

in a situation like this?

No, it's not a matter

of him being calm.

This guy is just going full throttle...

Not making any excuses to himself,

going into battle full throttle,

that's what he's always chosen.

That's what his power is all about.

I missed...

Oh, man, with an unobstructed view like this,

there's nowhere to hide, huh?

Over there.

I think there's a cave.

If we take cover there,

we can evade the satellite scan.

All right, let's go.

For now, let's lay low here

to dodge the next scan.

Just now, that guy... he popped up

right near you all of sudden, didn't he?

Do you think that maybe that ragged cloak dude

has the power to make himself invisible?

And the reason he didn't show up

on the satellite was that power?

That's probably it.

It's an ability called

Meta-material Optical Camouflage.

We'll be safe here, I think.

Since the ground's covered in rough sand,

he can't sneak up on us even if he's invisible,

and we'll be able

to see his footprints.

He can't appear

before us like earlier.

I see. Then we'd better

keep our ears open.

Hey, that guy...

Is there any chance that Death g*n

was k*lled in that expl*si*n?

No... Right before the truck blew up,

I saw him jump off the robot horse.

I'm sure he's not unscathed,

but I just can't believe that blast k*lled him.

I see.

Before, at the stadium, how were you able

to come so fast to rescue me?

You were up on the perimeter,

weren't you?

The player we'd assumed

was really Death g*n... Jushi X...

I knew at a glance that

we had the wrong person.

How do you mean?

Because Jushi X was

so obviously a woman.

Oh...?

At that point, I knew that

we'd overlooked something huge.

By the way, it's not really Jushi X.

"Musketeer X" is how

it's pronounced, apparently.

After I managed

to defeat Musketeer X,

I looked to the south from the top of the stadium,

and I saw you lying there in the street...

I thought, "Bad news," and borrowed

Musketeer's r*fle and grenades,

and charged in,

sh**ting and throwing all the way.

If only I'd kept it together more...

You don't have to

b*at yourself up over it.

Even I didn't realize that

he was hiding somewhere.

If our roles had been reversed,

I would've been the one hit by a tranquilizer.

And in that case,

you would've rescued me.

Am I right?

I'm being consoled.

By the guy I thought was my rival...

Who can see right through me,

that I've lost heart and I'm licking my wounds.

I'm being soothed like a child...

All right, I'm heading out.

Sinon, you should rest up

here a little longer.

I really wish you could log out...

But you can't while

the tournament's going on, right?

Are you going to fight that man...

Death g*n... by yourself?

Yeah. That guy's powerful.

To be honest, it'll be hard to take him down

without him f*ring a sh*t from that g*n.

Next time he shoves that barrel in my face,

I just might abandon you and run off...

So I can't drag you along

with me anymore.

You're scared of that guy, too?

Yeah. I'm scared.

If this was the old me...

Even if there was a chance I could really die,

I might've been able to fight him.

But now...

There are all these things I want to protect,

so I can't die, and I don't want to die...

Things you want to protect?

Yeah, both in this virtual world...

and in the real world.

Then you should just stay

hidden inside this cave!

We can't log out on our own while BoB's going on,

but once it's down to us two and one other player,

we can commit su1c1de

and let that other person win!

And then the tournament will be over!

I see.

That is one way of doing it.

But... That's just not gonna fly.

If we back off till the tournament ends,

who knows how many more people

will face that g*n?

I see.

You really are strong, after all...

I'm not gonna run.

I'm heading outside, too,

to fight that guy.

Forget it, Sinon. If you get sh*t by him,

you might end up dead for real!

I'm a total close-combat player,

but you're not.

He can become invisible, and if he

blindsides you from zero distance...

you'll be in way more

danger than me!

I don't care if I die.

Just now, I was scared out of my mind.

I was terrified of dying.

I was even weaker

than I was five years ago...

So pathetic... crying out...

If I have to going on living as that person,

then I'd rather die.

It's only natural to be afraid.

There's no one who isn't afraid to die.

But I don't like being afraid.

Having to live in fear...

I'm tired of it.

It's not like I'm asking you

to stay with me.

Because I can fight on my own.

Fight alone, and die alone.

Is that what you're saying?

Yes. That was probably

my fate all along.

Let me go... I've got to go.

You're wrong about that.

For a person to die alone...

that's just not possible.

When someone dies, in that same moment,

he also dies inside someone else.

You're inside me now, Sinon!

Well, I never asked you to do that!

I've never entrusted myself

to someone else!

But look, we're involved in

each others' lives now!

Then...

In that case, protect me

for the rest of my life!

You don't know anything...

And you can't do anything,

so don't go off saying things like that!

This is my battle–

it's mine and mine alone!

Whether I lose or die,

nobody has the right to blame me!

Or are you going to

carry the burden with me?

These...

These... mur...

...m*rder*r's hands!

Are you going to hold them?

m*rder*r! m*rder*r!

m*rder*r! m*rder*r!

m*rder*r!

m*rder*r!

You m*rder*r!

Don't touch me, you m*rder*r!

I'll get all bloody!

I hate you...

I hate you so much!

I hate your guts...

I do hate you, but...

...let me lean on you

for a second.

You see...

I... k*lled someone once.

Five years ago, during a post office hold-up

in a small town in the northeast.

According to the media, the suspect was k*lled

when his g*n went off accidentally.

But the truth is, I was there and

I grabbed his g*n, and sh*t him dead.

Five years ago?

When I was eleven.

Ever since then, just seeing a g*n

makes me vomit and pass out.

When I see a g*n... I can see the face

of the man from the moment that I k*lled him.

And I'm scared...

Scared to death...

But...

Right. But I'm fine

when I'm in this world.

That's what made me think...

If I can become the most powerful person

in this world, then surely...

I can become strong in the real world, too.

I can forget what happened...

But... Just now, when we were

being chased down by Death g*n,

I was so scared...

And somewhere along the way,

I wasn't Sinon anymore...

I was the real me again.

Of course I'm scared to die. But...

But it's just as painful to have

to go on living in such fear.

With Death g*n...

If I run away without fighting off that memory,

I'm sure I'll end up even weaker than before.

So... So...

I've...

I've k*lled somebody, too.

What?

I told you before, didn't I?

That I knew that guy in the ragged cloak...

That I knew that guy in the ragged cloak...

Death g*n... from another game.

The title of that game was...

...Sword Art Online.

Then just as I thought, you're...

That's right, I'm what they call

an SAO survivor.

And so is Death g*n.

That guy was a red player who belonged

to a murderers' guild called Laughing Coffin.

One day, a massive subjugation party

was formed to send them all to prison,

and I was member of that force.

But our plans got leaked,

and we were ambushed instead.

It was during that relentless melee that I k*lled

two members of Laughing Coffin with my own hands.

And yet, I'd forced myself

to forget what I'd done.

Till yesterday, when I ran

into that man... Death g*n.

So Death g*n was a member

of this Laughing Coffin that you fought?

Yeah. He's got to be one of the guild members

who survived the battle and got sent to prison.

That's why...

I've got to settle the score with him here.

In this world!

I wished so hard to become stronger than ever

Overcoming my grief

I've turned my back so many times

On the past that will never change

While hiding the scars

I can never show anyone

I will embrace all this pain

that has started flooding through me

I don't need warmth at all

If it will vanish one day

I wished so hard to become stronger than ever

Like a lonely star racing across the darkness

Sunk so deep inside my heart,

I'm so weak and fragile

I can't put it into words, or even speak out

I'm just waiting for the light

Trying not to be found by anyone

Next time: "What It Means To Be Strong."