Sword Art Online: Aincrad's Hollow Fragment

December 17, 2024

Floor 76: Arc Sophia

After calming Kiyo down last night and enjoying a nice relaxing night with my family, I woke up and returned to my room. Yawning and stretching, I decide to get a little bit of exercise in. Grabbing a fresh pair of clothes, I made my way out of Agil's shop and decided to take a jog around the city. It wasn't a set path as I jogged around Arc Sophia in different makings of a circle. I must have been a bit too loud because Leafa was waiting right outside the shop, rubbing her eyes and flagging me down.

"Hey, Leafa. Sorry did I wake you up?"

She let out a small yawn, followed by more eyes rubs. She shook her head and looked at me with tired eyes.

Leafa- Good morning Kazzu... you didn't wake me up, but I was curious. Do you always start training this early in the morning? I figured you would be a night owl like my brother.

"Depends on the day. Sometimes I stay up all night to finish a project or wake up early to be productive. Something to get me out of bed."

Leafa- Well, I was asking because I thought you leveled up through experience in Sword Art Online. Do you even need to train?

"As most everyone can agree, I come outside to train almost every morning. The reason why is because I want to improve my weapons skills and my reaction time. If I can master both of these again, I will have an easier time fighting the final boss. Plus, it keeps my brain in the real world focused. If your brain starts to get sluggish, it could be fatal..."

Leafa- That's right... I completely forgot about that...

She looked like she was thinking for a second before her tired posture turned to an energetic and battle-ready attitude.

Leafa- Hey Kazzu, I know this is a weird request, but how about we have a bout?

"A bout? You mean a sparring match?"

Leafa- Yea! Me and my brother used to spar all the time. I was going to ask him later but, I can't find him anywhere.

"I don't mean to undermine your skills Leafa but..."

I pulled down my stats menu and swiped it over to Leafa.

Kazzu, Level 130

HP: 39,468/39468

Dagger: 450/1000

One Handed Sword: 450/1000

Scimitar: 450/1000

Rapier: 450/1000

Mace: 450/1000

Two Handed Axe: 450/1000

Two Handed Spear: 450/1000

Katana: 450/1000

Two Handed Sword: 450/1000

Gauntlets: 250/1000

"Even though my stats aren't what they used to be, if I fight you now, you wouldn't stand a chance. I would defeat you with a single blow."

Leafa- Hey! You don't know that! I could kick your butt easy! I'll have you know that I am in the top eight strongest kendo dualists in the country. You won't beat me!

"Well, kendo might be your area of expertise, but this is Sword Art Online. A game I helped to create. Basically, my creation. I know all the ins and outs. I won't lose to you."

Leafa- I'll admit Kazzu, I didn't think you would be this naive. I might be a beginner in Sword Art Online, but I've played Alfhiem Online for over a year and did pretty well at it.

"Alright pointy ears... don't say I didn't warn you."

Leafa- That's the spirit!

December 17, 2024

Floor 76: Verdant Plains

After our little spat outside of Agil's shop, we went out to the field in an area that wouldn't be disturbed by nearby monsters. Leafa wasted no time in doing a few small stretches, ready to face me in battle. I smirked and decided to mess with her a bit.

"Don't strain yourself before our fight. I would hate for you to pull a muscle."

Leafa- Keep talking and I'll pull your muscles, along with your arm!

I chuckled as I opened my inventory. Knowing that she was a kendo student and was equipped with a one-handed sword, I decided to play fair and equip my sword without a shield. I only had to wait a little longer as Leafa pulled out her blade.

Leafa- Alright... I'm ready!

"Alright..."

I sent her a dual request, which she quickly accepted. The countdown appearing above our heads. We both just kept an eye on each other, both smiling confidently. The countdown finally reached zero and the dual had begun.

"Do your worst!"

We both rushed towards each other and merged swords. We were in a standstill for a while until we both jumped back. When we landed, she took up a stance I had never seen in Sword Art before. She had her feet squared and her blade out directly in front of her. She wasn't using basic Sword Art stances; she was using her kendo training. Intrigued, I charged at her again. Before I could swing, she swiftly moved behind me and swiped at my back. Not wanting to take any more damage, I retreated a bit away from her and chuckled.

"Impressive. Using your kendo inside of the game caught me off guard. But you won't be beating me without using sword skills. Without sword skills, you'd just be slashing at me repeatedly with no progress."

Leafa- We'll see about that! Take this!

She jumped up in the air and looked like she was about to swing down on my head. As I move out of the way, she lands on her feet and swing the sword towards my face. I was quick enough to counter it and toss Leafa a distance away and knock her down to the ground. She looked up at me and grunted as she stood back up.

Leafa- If this were real life you would have a black eye.

"Well, this isn't real life. It's Sword Art Online knife ears, get used to it."

The comment made her growl and blush. In the blink of an eye, she was on the offensive again, but even without my shield I was able to keep up with her.

She's really fast, but her sword skills still need a lot of work.

Leafa- Beginner's luck. Kirito told me about the system assist. If you didn't have that to help you, I would've won this battle already.

"Don't be so full of yourself. Truth is, I haven't used the system assist once. It's surprising however, that you are able to keep up with me. But this battle is over!"

With one strike, I was able to disarm and sweep Leafa off her feet. Before she could fall backwards, however, I grabbed her by the scruff of her collar and held my blade to her.

"Yield..."

Leafa started to blush like crazy considering where I was holding her. Not wanting to scream and make a scene, she instead raised her hands up in the air and stumbled on her words.

Leafa- I-I y-y-yield...

With those words, I pulled her up to her feet and sheathed my sword. The dual had ended with me as the victor.

"I'll be honest with you Leafa; you were really tough. Despite being new, if I wasn't careful, you would've beaten me."

Leafa just scoffed at me for a second. Before I could ask if I did anything wrong, she took a deep breath and looked at me.

Leafa- You know, Kazzu, you were a lot more powerful than I expected. It's painfully obvious that I'm not match for you.

"Hey, come on now... you're new to this game and are just now getting the combat mechanics down. Don't beat yourself up for losing. I know for a fact if I tried to spar with you in the real world, I would get my ass handed to me."

Leafa- I know, but even in a virtual game such as this, you're super tough! The strongest player in Sword Art Online! It's amazing! I know you may not have experience with kendo in the real world, but I would really like to try a sparring match with you once we get back to the real world.

"You think we're going to make it back?"

Leafa- Without a doubt! With you on the front line and, with some time and training, me right by your side. I'm confident we can overcome anything that comes our way! I'm sure of it!

I gave her a smile as I chuckled under my breath.

Angry one moment, self-conscious the next and finally happy with herself. All those emotions inside one strong warrior. Well, I promise you Leafa. I'll get you back home, back to kendo and back to your normal life. As for that sparring match...

I look down and clench my hands tightly.

That might never come to pass...