02x18 - Forest House

[bunniefuu]

"January ,

New Aincrad, Floor "

"His fast-acting mind is..."

Hey, you.

Don't nap now, or you won't be able

to fall asleep again tonight!

We only have three more days of winter vacation,

so we've got to get our homework done.

Shino-non said she finished hers

before heading back to her hometown.

I'm so sleepy...

Is the room too warm, I wonder?

Want me to turn down the heat?

That's not the problem.

I think you can lay the blame on that.

That?

Oh, I see!

He's been grinding away

ever since he got back from GGO.

On that thing, right? What we saw

the other day at Agil's cafe? Yui's--

Something-nics!

--Mechatronics.

--Mechatronics.

But really, he looks like

he's really enjoying that nap, huh?

Enough to make me sleepy, too.

I've been walking in the light all this time

I've been following footprints

that didn't exist until yesterday

Although I've been in a maze with no goal,

with a map drenched in rain

I have no regrets at all

If I cry out

I'm sure my voice will reach you

The sound of the bell in the beginning of the story

Will connect us during our journey

The future world that you envisioned

Will lead you to a sky of that day

And will make our dream come true

and even go beyond miracles

The future world that you envisioned

Exists somewhere even now

Let's add layers of our dream

and reach the true pure light

Ah on give for my way

"House in the Forest"

"December , "

Here you go.

Seriously, you two... Of all the dingy places

to always have your dates!

There's gotta be

someplace more classy, right?

Compared to that shop of yours in Algade,

this place is more than classy enough.

Well, I liked that other place, too.

Just what part of that overpriced shop

caught your fancy?

Now, Kirito, he did let you crash there, you know.

That's totally another matter.

Really!

What are you smirking about?

Well, seeing you like this, you sure don't look anything like

the former two top g*ns of the as*ault Team.

Hey, right back atcha!

Have you been playing MMORPGs

for a long time, Agil?

Guess you could say that.

I even met my wife in-game.

At the time, even though she was living in the U.S.,

we'd decided we'd run this place together in a year...

You never know what life

has in store for you, huh?

Wonder what Klein would say

if he heard that story?

Since that was the plan, naturally,

I was gonna buy two sets of NerveGear.

But I was only able to pre-order one...

We even played each other

for the chance to try the game first.

I'm so glad that it was me who won,

not my wife...

I still feel that way today.

It might've been because of this cafe

that I joined the as*ault Team, too.

Because I couldn't leave it all

to my wife forever.

I think for me, too, there were times when

I was saved by my desire to get back to my family.

Probably the whole as*ault Team... No...

Every one of the players in Aincrad

felt the same way, I bet.

Asuna, you had that same kind

of motivation, too, right?

Well, I... I wasn't too fond

of my own home, so...

That's why there were times when I almost lost sight

of why I was fighting in Aincrad.

I'd get the feeling that there was nowhere I belonged,

either in the real or virtual world.

But then Kirito gave me a place

I could go home to.

A place that felt more like home to me

than my home in the real world.

Once SAO was cleared, I knew that our house on Floor

would be gone as well...

But someday, the day would come

that I'd get to live there again with Kirito and Yui...

Believing that is what gave me

the strength to go on.

That's how I see it.

Well, about that...

They just revealed the details

of the next update.

They'll be adding new weapons

and sword skills, and...

"New Aincrad rd Update Details Revealed!"

...they'll be unlocking Floors - in the New Aincrad.

Wait... That means, in other words...

If we can just defeat the boss on Floor ...

we can buy that log cabin again?

Right!

But since they've made

a lot of small changes to New Aincrad,

we won't know if the same player homes exist

till we get there...

Right. But... I'm going to believe.

That our house will be waiting for us...

The only thing is, the update's slated

for Christmas Eve, see...

"December ,

The skies above the Gnome Territory, ALfheim"

I'm leaving the rest to you!

Asuna!

Just a little longer. Hang in there!

Asuna! Let's go!

Daddy, here comes a Fist-fight att*ck!

Switch!

I'm first!

All right! We made it to Floor !

Asuna! We'll take care of activating the Teleport Gate,

so you get going!

Okay! Thanks, you guys!

Kirito!

Kirito, Yui...

We're home...

Hey, hold on, Asuna!

Now you're sleeping, too!

Hey, even you now, Liz?

I wonder why seeing him like that

can make you so sleepy?

Why don't I make us some tea

to wake us up?

It stopped snowing

while we weren't looking, huh?

Yeah, but that is a lot of snow

on the ground.

Hey, by the way...

Have you heard yet? About Zekken?

Ze...kken?

Ze...kken?

Is that a new rare item or something?

Non, non. It's the name of a person.

A nickname... or should I say an alias?

He's just so powerful, someone started calling him that,

and Zekken is the name that stuck.

The Ultimate Sword, a Once-in-a-Lifetime Sword...

I think that's what it must mean...

Powerful...

So...? What kind of person is this Zekken?

I didn't start hearing all these rumors

till around New Year's, so...

Maybe a week or so ago?

Oh, right. Well, it's no wonder you

haven't heard of him.

After all, you were back home in Kyoto

since the end of the year.

Come on, don't remind me of unpleasant things

when I'm here!

My, my, you well-bred young ladies

have to put up with so much...

Seriously, I did put up with a lot!

Sitting properly in a kimono all day,

greeting people...

And when I tried to dive at night in secret,

the guest house I was staying in

didn't even have wi-fi!

I made a point of bringing my Amusphere,

but nothing came of it.

Not only that, but...

Asuna?

Asuna!

Hey, Asuna, are you listening?

S-Sorry! I was just remembering

something awful that happened.

And what could that be?

An arranged marriage meeting in Kyoto

or something?

N-N-No, no! It was nothing!

Hey, just kidding!

So anyway... By powerful,

do you mean that person's a PK-er?

Nope, he's strictly a duelist.

Did he take part in tournaments?

No, I hear he's a total newbie.

But since his skill stats

are apparently through the roof,

I'm guessing that he might have

converted over from another game.

You know that small island tourist trap with the huge tree,

somewhat north of the main district of Floor ?

He shows up under that tree, everyday at three o'clock,

and takes on any challenger, one by one.

At first, he'd post "Wanted: Opponents" notices

on the MMO Tomorrow bulletin board.

"He's too cocky for an ALO noob,

let's put him in his place!"

With that in mind, about players

showed up the first day... But...

They got taken out instead?

Every last one of them,

no exceptions.

Apparently, not one of them managed

to chip away more than % of his HP that day,

so clearly, he's no joke.

It's a little hard to believe, isn't it?

For someone who only just converted,

look at the way he can fly!

I mean, it took me a good six months to get to the point

where I could wage a decent mid-air battle!

P-Pina!

So you fought him, too, Silica?

Not a chance!

Just watching him duel

convinced me that I could never win.

Well, Liz and Leafa still took him on yesterday.

They really are challengers!

Oh, shut up!

Well, everything's an experience.

Snow!

It started snowing again, huh?

About that Zekken person...

If he keeps flaunting his power like that,

wouldn't he have run out of challengers by now?

Actually, not really.

The stakes are insanely high, you see.

What? Is there some kind

of amazing rare item on the line?

It's not an item. They're actually playing

for an Original Sword Skill!

And it's a deadly powerful,

knockout blow level skill!

An Original Sword Skill?

Oh? What type? How many hits?

Um, from what I could see,

it's an all-purpose one-handed sword type.

And get this--you won't believe it!

It's an -hit combo!

Eleven?

How many hits does the most powerful

Original Sword Skill have right now?

The one General Eugene developed,

the Volcanic Blazer, is an -hit combo, I think.

Although the general doesn't seem

to have passed it down to anyone.

If that's the case, no wonder

he's being overrun by challengers.

Have you all seen

that sword skill in action?

Nope.

I hear that the day

he started those street duels,

he showed it off in a demo

at the very beginning,

but he doesn't seem to have used it since,

in real combat.

Or maybe I should say,

there still hasn't been anyone strong enough

to push Zekken to use

that Original Sword Skill.

Does that mean that

even you couldn't b*at him, Leafa?

It was a good match

until both our HP dipped below % or so.

But...

In the end, he took me out

using nothing but his default skills.

Really? Oh, I forgot to ask

the most important things.

What's his race by the way?

How's he equipped?

He's an Imp. His w*apon is a one-handed sword,

but it's pretty narrow, almost like your rapier, Asuna.

In any case, he's super-fast.

I couldn't even track his movements visually.

That's never happened to me before.

It's such a shock!

A Speed-type, huh?

Well, if even you can't see him, Leafa,

I guess there's no chance for me, either.

Speaking of fast moves,

someone almost illegally speedy is napping over there.

What about Kirito?

I think he'd go for that kind of challenge.

Wh-What? What's going on?

Brother already took him on, you see.

And I have to say, he lost in a spectacular way.

Was Kirito... Was he going all-out?

Well, I hate to admit it,

but a battle at that level...

A player like me just can't be sure

if he's going all-out or not.

Well, Kirito didn't use his Dual-wielding skill, so in

that sense, I guess he wasn't f*ring on all cylinders.

And also...

This is what I think.

At this point, probably,

if it's in a normal game,

Kirito isn't going to fight

like his life depends on it anymore.

To put it another way,

Kirito will only go all-out

when the game is no longer a game,

only when the virtual world

becomes the real world...

Meaning that it's better that

he never finds himself in a situation

where he has to go

all-out in battle.

As it is, he always finds a way

to get himself dragged into trouble!

I guess you're right.

But... as far as I could see, at least...

I think Brother was dead serious.

At the very least, he wasn't slacking off in any way.

But the one thing that caught my eye...

Just before the duel ended,

they were in close combat, sword to sword,

and when they both stopped...

it seemed to me as if

Brother said something to Zekken...

Right after that, they moved away from each other,

and Brother wasn't able to dodge Zekken's charge,

and that's how the duel ended...

I wonder what

they were talking about?

The thing is, he wouldn't tell us

even when we asked.

It did seem like there was

something going on, but...

I see.

All right, then, the only way to find out

is to ask this Zekken directly, I guess!

Ah! So you are ready

to take him on, then?

Not that I think I can defeat him.

But this Zekken person

has intrigued me for some reason.

I get the feeling he has a reason

for coming to ALO besides street duels.

Yeah, that's what I thought, too.

But if you want to find out what it is,

you're gonna have to put up as good a fight as Kirito, I bet!

Yes, I know that.

You guys, will you come watch me?

Of course we will! A match for the ages...

no way would we miss out on that!

Which character are you going as?

You have an alternate

Sylph account, right?

I think I'll go with this one,

since I'm used to it.

Because if my opponent's

a Speed-type,

it'll probably come down to who can hold out the longest,

rather than the damage per second.

Okay, so that's settled.

Um, it's PM on that island

on Floor , right?

Okay!

Then let's meet here tomorrow at :...

Oh, no! Is it six already?

I'm gonna be late for dinner!

Okay, then let's call it a day.

You well-bred young women

have it so hard!

He's still asleep!

If he can sleep through all that,

--Hey, Liz.

--my brother must be really dense!

What is it?

Just now, you said that

Zekken must be a converted player...

...but if he's that powerful,

then maybe, just maybe...

Do you think he could be

another former SAO player?

Yeah, that's the first thing

I suspected, too...

That's why, after Kirito fought Zekken,

I asked him what he thought.

What did Kirito say?

That there was no way

that Zekken was once an SAO player.

Because...

If...

"If Zekken had been in that world,

then rather than me, the Dual-wielding skill...

...would've been awarded to him."

The street lights cast a glow on cheerful

laughter and footprints in the back-alley

I wonder how much you understood of the

feelings I've always wanted to convey to you

I always turn around to you and make sure

Because no matter how I am, I believe you'd

always chase after me without any hesitation

When I gazed at your eyes,

I saw the proof that I've lived

Whenever my heartbeat was about to stop,

you made it ring out very, very loudly

I want to go far beyond today

Next time: "Zekken."