03x14 - The Crimson Knight

[bunniefuu]

System Call. Generate Luminous Element.

Amazing... these are all weapons?

Let's go. We have to find our swords.

Here they are!

How long are you going to stand there in awe?

I couldn't help it.

Hey, Kirito.

Do you think the Church is planning
to build its own army someday?

The Integrity Knights alone should be enough.

It's the opposite. They're not building an army.

The Church gathered all these weapons here
to make creating one impossible.

What does that mean?

In other words, I'm saying the person
who has the least faith in the Church's authority

might be the pontifex herself.

Come on, we don't have time.

Let's get out of here.

Uh, yeah. You're right.

What do you think, Kirito?
Should we borrow some armor, too?

Well, we've never worn armor before.

We should stick to what we know.

Let's help ourselves to those clothes over there.

The Crimson Knight

Burst Element!

Straight ahead!

Such absurd antics.

Kirito! You okay?

B-Barely.

I'm okay this time.

Let's go.

System Call.

This is bad. That's not an elemental command.
It's the Perfect w*apon Control art!

Enhance Armament.

That's amazing.
I wonder what that bow's source is?

This is no time to be impressed!

It's been two years since I was last engulfed
by the Conflagration Bow.

I see.

You criminals do indeed have the skills
to contend with Sir Eldrie Thirty-one.

But that makes it all the more unforgivable.

That instead of fighting
as a proper knight should,

you resorted to the vile dark arts
to lead Thirty-one astray!

D-Dark arts?

Y-You're wrong! We just talked about Mr. Eldrie's life
before he became an Integrity Knight!

Before he became a Knight?

None of us has a past.

From the moment we were summoned here
from the heavens,

we have always been glorious Integrity Knights!

I've been ordered to capture you alive,
so I won't reduce you to cinders.

But now that I've unleashed the Conflagration Bow,
prepare for at least one of your arms to be b*rned off.

It doesn't matter if he's out of arrows
or his bowstring's broken, huh?

Any ideas?

I have to believe that he can't fire rapidly.

I'll somehow block his first sh*t,
so you charge in.

Have to believe?

Got it!

System Call! Generate Cryogenic Element!

Discharge!

Ludicrous!

Kirito!

Keep going, Eugeo!

Don't insult me, boy!

What now?

In this world, the important thing
is what you infuse your sword with.

I wonder what I should infuse my sword with?

That's something you need to find on your own.

Right. That's all that matters.

I'm definitely going to rescue Alice this time. So...

Please, Blue Rose Sword!

Lend me your strength!

I have to move forward!

You...

...ever since the world's creation,

were forged by the bitter cold blizzards
at the top of the End Mountains.

Don't let these pathetic flames...

...defeat you!

You're not getting away!

Boy, what's the name
of that first secret skill you used?

The Aincrad-style two-hit strike sword skill,
Vertical Arc.

A two-hit strike att*ck...

And you?

What skill did you use?

Kirito! Are you hurt?

I'm okay.

I mostly healed the worst burns.

Old man knight, that was the Aincrad-style
defensive skill, Spinning Shield.

From one end of the realm of humanity
to the other...

I was sure that I'd seen past that.

But in this world, there are still swords I've never seen,
skills I've never encountered, eh?

Your skills were suffused
with the weight of years of earnest training.

I accused you of using vile arts to lead Sir Eldrie astray,
but I was mistaken.

Please tell me your names.

Eugeo the Swordsman. No family name.

I'm Kirito the Swordsman.

On the fiftieth floor of the cathedral,

in the Great Hall of Ghostly Light,
there are several Integrity Knights awaiting you.

They've been ordered not to take you alive,
but to extinguish your lives.

If you charge them head-on like you just did,

your lives will be snuffed out in an instant.

H-Hey, old man. Is it okay for you to tell us that?

As I've failed to carry out Administrator's order,

I will be stripped of my armor and Divine Object,
the proof of my knighthood,

and will be frozen indefinitely.

So before I submit to such shame,
I want you two...

...to take my life.

No need to hesitate.

After all, it was your splendid sword skills
that defeated me.

Me... Integrity Knight Deusolbert Synthesis Seven.

Deusol... bert?

Eugeo?

So you're... from back then...

You're telling me to take your life?

You say it was a splendid battle?

She was just...

She was just an eleven-year-old girl,
and you bound her with chains!

You suspended her from your dragon
and took her away...

...so don't say that, after everything you've done!

Why are you stopping me, Kirito?

That old man doesn't intend to fight anymore.

You can't raise your sword
against someone like that.

He... he's the one who took Alice away!

I'm pretty sure the old man doesn't remember.
About taking your Alice away from Rulid Village.

He hasn't forgotten, his memory's been erased.

It's as the black-haired boy says.

I apprehended a young girl
and took her away with my dragon?

I don't remember doing such a thing.

You don't remember?

It was only eight years ago.

Old man... I mean, Sir Deusolbert.

You were the Integrity Knight in charge of guarding
the northern border of Norlangarth.

That's true, right?

Indeed. I oversaw Norlangarth's
northern border in District Seven.

Yes... until eight years ago.

At that time, due to a great feat,

I was awarded the duty of guarding
the Central Cathedral, as well as this armor.

Do you remember what that feat was?

I'll tell you what it was.

Your feat was discovering
Integrity Knight Alice Synthesis Thirty.

Administrator gave you credit
for bringing Alice to this tower,

but she also had to erase your memories
of that incident.

Integrity Knights have no past.

That's because they've been summoned
from the heavens.

Or so you said.

The pontifex must've told you that
right after you awoke as a knight.

To convince you that was why
you couldn't remember anything

from before you became an Integrity Knight.

But to get you to accept that story,

it wasn't just your memories of being a human,

but also your memories of any other knight's creation
that had to be erased.

Because there'd be chaos if a sinner you brought here
showed up the next day as a fellow knight.

I don't remember anything.

Your precious memories were seized
by Administrator,

and instead embedded fealty to the Church in you,
turning you into an Integrity Knight.

You're a human, just like us.

Me? A resident of the realm of humanity
like yourselves?

My memories, manipulated? Unbelievable.

To think that the pontifex
would cast such a spell on me.

But it's the truth.

There has to be something still in your mind.

Something like a precious memory
no art can completely erase

Ever since I descended to the realm of humanity,
I keep having the same dream.

A small hand shaking me awake,

and the silver ring worn on its finger.

But when I wake up, no one's there.

Administrator stole your memory
of the owner of that hand and ring.

You decide what you're going to do next.

Go back to Administrator
and accept your punishment,

heal your wounds and come after us,

or...

We've been climbing for a while,
so how far up are we now?

The next floor is the twenty-ninth.

Another half hour of climbing
and I think we'll reach the fiftieth floor he mentioned.

Are we going to charge straight in?

Well...

Where'd those come from?

Based on the battle with that old man,
they're not used to combo moves.

More like they have almost no experience.

I'd like to think we have a chance
if we can get into one-on-one close combat.

But not only are we up against multiple enemies,
they're also waiting for us fully prepared.

Then should we look for another route,
instead of going straight in?

I don't know about that.

Cardinal made it clear
that these stairs were the only way.

And even if we did find a shortcut,
we could still get caught in a pincer att*ck later on.

I'd rather take out the knights on the fiftieth floor,
even if we have to use the ace up our sleeve.

Right. The Perfect w*apon Control art.

Yeah. Maybe the instant we charge
onto the fiftieth floor,

we can strike first with the Perfect w*apon Control art
and neutralize as many knights as we can.

Uh, about that...

My Perfect w*apon Control art isn't a direct att*ck
like that Integrity Knight's.

R-Really?

Well, Cardinal wrote the command for me, so...

I mean, I was the one who imagined
what kind of technique it should be...

Well, let me take a look at the command.

O-Okay.

I see. You're right,
I wouldn't exactly say it's for offense,

but depending on its use, it'll come in handy.

And it seems like it'll be compatible
with my Perfect w*apon Control art.

Really? What's your skill like?

You'll have to wait and see.

Okay, should we...

You two... who are you?

Th-They're kids?

Next time: The Relentless Knight.