"Kindred spirits? You? Don't make me laugh," Nagato sneered, his disdainful expression making Poh's face darken. Poh was a deranged individual who, in the real world, was a member of a yakuza organization. His purpose in entering the SAO game had been to complete an assassination mission, targeting someone he couldn't reach in reality.
When the game turned into a death game, he unexpectedly completed his mission inside the game. Following this, he began slaughtering other players indiscriminately, becoming the first red-named player. In many ways, Poh was the originator of the red-name player phenomenon in this death game.
Being a mixed-race individual, Poh had a striking appearance and a certain charisma, which helped him gather a significant number of followers to form the murder guild Laughing Coffin.
In the original story, Poh had targeted Kirito, who had gained notoriety for repeatedly thwarting Laughing Coffin's actions. Poh designed a plan to frame Kirito by orchestrating an attack against Laughing Coffin that would force Kirito to bear the guilt of killing other players. It was a cunning and sinister plot.
Similarly, Poh's plan this time was based on the assumption that Akatsuki members, known for their helpful nature, would hesitate to kill in the game. Poh had aimed to exploit this hesitation, just as he had targeted Kirito.
However, to his surprise, he had completely miscalculated.
"Attack," Nagato commanded before Poh could say more. The three members of Akatsuki immediately launched an assault. They targeted a single member, reducing his HP to zero in an instant. The player shattered into fragments and vanished.
Initially, Daniel Davis and his team had only intended to target Laughing Coffin's leaders. But plans often fail to keep up with events. Now that the fight had begun, there was no room for mercy. In this death game, they were mortal enemies.
"Kill them!" Furious at losing one of their own, Laughing Coffin members charged with a crazed vengeance. Poh had brought only elite members, each with at least five kills to their name.
"Three-Man Formation," Nagato instructed. He and his two allies immediately assumed the triangular strategy, allowing them to fight seamlessly. While this technique didn't allow them to synchronize inner energy like in a martial arts novel, it still enabled perfect coordination.
For regular players, even three Kiritos would find it impossible to hold off 20 elite Laughing Coffin members. But for Daniel's shadow clones, it was child's play.
As a murder guild, Laughing Coffin lacked defensive roles like shield warriors. Their skills focused on agility and piercing attacks. Against the clones, their tactics were like sending sheep to wolves.
The clones didn't engage Laughing Coffin head-on. Instead, they employed hit-and-run tactics, occasionally working in pairs to eliminate a target swiftly. As their numbers dwindled, fear began to spread among the remaining Laughing Coffin members. Some tried to retreat, while others pulled out teleport crystals in an attempt to escape.
"You murderer!" one of the members shouted bitterly as his HP quickly drained to zero. While this accusation might have given Kirito pause, the shadow clones were unperturbed.
The name of the accusing player, Kuradeel, caught Nagato's attention. In the original story, Kuradeel was a traitor embedded in the Knights of the Blood Oath, serving as a bodyguard for Asuna while secretly plotting her and Kirito's deaths.
"Murderer? No, I'm a vigilante delivering justice," the clone said before striking the final blow. Kuradeel shattered into data fragments.
"I surrender! I'll go to prison!" After Laughing Coffin's numbers dropped to ten, nine members threw down their weapons. Even Red-Eyed XaXa surrendered. The only one who didn't was their leader, Poh.
XaXa, who usually exuded arrogance, was now just a coward clinging to life.
"Surrender? Go to prison? Try saying that to the people you killed," the clone replied coldly, showing no mercy. The moment the surrendering members realized they wouldn't be spared, they picked up their weapons in desperation. But against the overwhelming power of the clones, their resistance was futile.
"No!" XaXa screamed as his HP hit zero. His outstretched hand clawed at the air, but unlike Kirito, he couldn't defy the system's constraints.
"Now, only you remain," the three clones said, encircling Poh, who had yet to make a move.
"Who are you?" Poh asked, his tone shaken. He couldn't comprehend how 20 elite members, including himself, had been wiped out, while their opponents had only sustained minor injuries.
"Why fight? You're just a coward who kills people only in games," Nagato said mockingly. "A 'challenge'? Don't make me laugh."
Enraged, Poh raised his massive cleaver, Friend Cleaver. Known for its sharpness, the weapon could pierce heavy armor with ease. Poh was also one of the rare players who could activate skills manually without relying on the system.
But Nagato wasn't interested in a duel. He motioned for his allies, and together they struck Poh down. The leader of Laughing Coffin perished, his expression frozen in disbelief as his HP dropped to zero.
This battle dealt a severe blow to Laughing Coffin. Though the guild still had 50 or 60 members scattered throughout the game, their strength was greatly diminished.
"You actually took out Laughing Coffin's leadership? That's a pleasant surprise," Daniel remarked after hearing the clones' report.
"Looks like we're nearing the end," he continued. Yui had been found, and Laughing Coffin was no longer a significant threat. The next step was confronting Akihiko Kayaba to resolve the game.
Although the current player death rate had dropped significantly, clearing the game as soon as possible was still the priority. While 2,000 players had died so far—half the number in the original story—delaying further could push that number much higher.
### Meeting Heathcliff
"We need to talk," Asuna said after returning to the frontlines. Her leave had ended, and Heathcliff had requested a meeting with Daniel.
"How convenient," Daniel said. He had planned to confront Kayaba soon anyway.
In the Blood Oath Knights' headquarters, Daniel met Heathcliff, dressed in his iconic red armor.
"How do you plan to compensate us for taking our Vice Commander away for so long?" Heathcliff asked with a calm smile.
"What kind of compensation are you suggesting?" Daniel asked.
"Simple. Have Akatsuki join the Knights of the Blood Oath. That way, you and Asuna can be together all the time, and she won't need to take leave. After all, we rely on her to handle many internal matters," Heathcliff said with a smile.
"Commander!" Asuna protested, feeling the conversation was becoming coercive.
Daniel, however, smiled warmly at her. "I'm open to negotiation, but first, I need to discuss something privately. Asuna, could you step out for a moment?"
Both Heathcliff and Asuna were surprised by the request, but Asuna reluctantly agreed after some reassurance from Daniel.
Once they were alone in the spacious guild hall, Daniel turned to Heathcliff with a calm demeanor.
"Now then, should I address you as Commander Heathcliff or Akihiko Kayaba?"
His words shattered the calm like a thunderclap. Heathcliff stood abruptly, his composure momentarily slipping.
"Who are you, and how do you know?" Kayaba asked after a long silence, regaining his composure.
"Allow me to introduce myself: Daniel Davis, a magician from another world."
Kayaba blinked in confusion. Despite his fascination with floating fortresses and otherworldly fantasies, the notion of an actual magician was hard to process.
"I know it's hard to believe, but it's true. Why don't we continue this conversation in the real world? I'm sure you have a way to log out without triggering the neural safeguards."
"You can log out?" Kayaba asked, his eyes narrowing.
"Of course. As a magician, a mere electric current isn't enough to harm me. Let's talk face-to-face. I'll show you something that might make all of this easier to understand," Daniel said with a faint smile.
After some hesitation, Kayaba agreed. Moments later, Daniel's avatar collapsed onto a sofa as he logged out.
"An otherworldly magician?" Kayaba murmured, inspecting Daniel's avatar and the system logs.
Back in the real world, Daniel was already waiting for Kayaba. The moment the exhausted game developer removed his NerveGear, Daniel cast a few vitality-restoring spells to rejuvenate him.
"Rinko?" Kayaba glanced at Koujiro Rinko, who was asleep nearby.
"Don't worry, she's fine. Just resting. She hasn't had a proper sleep in a long time," Daniel explained.
"I've wronged her," Kayaba murmured.
"Then make it up to her in the future," Daniel replied.
"Do I even have a future?" Kayaba asked.
"That depends on the choices you make," Daniel said. "You're a genius. It would be a shame for you to die here. Had I arrived earlier, perhaps I could have stopped you from taking this path."
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