While Hachiman was headed to Soleil to pick up Rosalia, the rest of the crew—Pitohui, Sinon, Nyangoro, Benkei, and M—had gathered in front of the primary monitor in the base's lounge.
"Shinonon, M, you guys don't know anything about the Acht-Faust, right?" Pitohui asked, leaning back. "Kei, Sensei, how much have you two heard?"
"I've only heard stories," Benkei said. "An overview of how the weapon worked back in the day. But even then, I couldn't really picture it. I've always wanted to see it in action."
"I've heard talk from his old comrades," Nyangoro added, crossing her arms. "I understand the theory behind it, but the actual application... how one would actually wield such a thing effectively eluded me."
"Heh, I thought so," Pitohui smirked. She summoned a virtual keyboard and mouse, her fingers dancing across the console. "Well then, sit back and enjoy. You're about to see what kind of weapon it really is."
With a final keystroke, the monitor flickered to life. It showed Hachiman—though his avatar looked much younger—standing opposite a formidable-looking young man.
"I've adjusted your appearance to match your younger days based on your old photos," a voice spoke from the recording.
"Wait, stop," Nyangoro said. "What does that mean? Who is the opponent?"
"Oh, right. Sensei, one sec..." Pitohui paused the footage and pulled up a different recording of a formal-looking meeting. "Okay, look at this guy here."
"What?! That old man is the youth from the video?"
"Yep. He's a relative of Asuna's... I think it was her grandfather's older brother? Something like that."
"He looks powerful, certainly," Nyangoro mused. "But inside, he's a literal old man. Why on earth was that beanpole fighting a senior citizen?"
"There was a lot of drama surrounding my independence," Pitohui said with a mysterious smile.
"Hmph. I suppose the details don't matter," Nyangoro said. "He's a blood relative of Asuna. That's enough context."
On the screen, the young version of the man—Kiyomori—picked up a katana and gave it a sharp, professional test-swing.
"This is it. This feels right in my hand."
"Wow... he's got incredible form," Sinon remarked.
"I looked it up," Pitohui said. "In his youth, he was a national champion in several disciplines."
"I see," Benkei whispered. "Even for my brother, fighting a legitimate master swordsman must have been a struggle."
"Just keep watching," Pitohui chirped.
On the screen, Hachiman addressed the empty air. "Bring it out."
"Ooh! Here it comes!" Pitohui cheered.
"Hey. It's been a while, partner."
In the recording, the Acht-Faust manifested, snapping into place on Hachiman's arm.
"...What is that?" Sinon asked. "A small shield?"
"Ehem! Allow me!" a voice shouted from behind. They turned to see Ikoma standing there, his face flushed with excitement.
"I couldn't help it—I had to come back and see this!" he panted.
"Ah, right! Ikoma-kyun actually knows this weapon!" Pitohui said.
"Of course! It was Hachiman-san's signature gear!"
The battle began. The youth—Kiyomori—swung his blade downward toward Hachiman's left shoulder with terrifying speed.
"Wait... what?" Sinon gasped.
Pitohui paused the video. "Something wrong, Shinonon?"
"It looked like Hachiman leaned into the strike... like he wanted to be hit."
"Ah, on the left shoulder? Look again."
"But when the swing ended, he was on the right. I'm confused."
"Alright, let's do a replay in super-slow motion!" Pitohui announced.
The video rewound and crawled forward. They saw Kiyomori's blade coming from the left, only for Hachiman to perceive the subtle shift in the attack's trajectory. He moved with impossible reflexes, evading the strike by a hair's breadth.
"Oh, so that's how he did it," Sinon whispered.
"The offense of a master and the defense of a ghost," Nyangoro noted.
"Keep in mind," Ikoma added, "this was just the warm-up."
"This was the warm-up?" Benkei stared at the screen. "My brother is... something else."
The fight continued. The next exchange was so fast it left the four observers breathless.
"...What just happened?"
"Honestly, even seeing it for the second time, I can barely track it," M admitted.
"Don't worry. Asuna's commentary is coming up."
They listened to the recorded explanation from Asuna, then watched the slow-motion replay of the exchange again.
"Kei," Sinon turned to Benkei. "How is he doing this? Is he actually human?"
"That's basically calling me a non-human too," Benkei sighed. "But I get it. Honestly... I wonder the same thing sometimes."
"The boy is a monster," Nyangoro said flatly. "He wasn't like this back in the day."
"This is the power of a true hero," Ikoma said reverently.
"But the opponent is insane too, right?" Sinon asked.
"Yeah," Pitohui agreed. "Even by my standards, Kiyomori was a total freak of nature."
She leaned in. "Alright, here's the climax."
"Already? Is it over that fast?"
"High-level fights usually end in a heartbeat," M noted.
"We still haven't seen him use the Acht-Faust as anything but a shield," Sinon said.
"Watch closely!" Pitohui grinned.
"Oh, man... I'm actually getting goosebumps!" M admitted.
"It's rare to see M get this worked up over a fight," Nyangoro teased.
The final clash began. The sound of heavy metallic CLANGS echoed through the room as Kiyomori's guard was repeatedly shattered. Pitohui and Ikoma watched with knowing smiles, but the others were lost. Then, in a flash, Kiyomori's head was taken.
"Whoa..."
"Yeah, there's no way I'm his sister," Benkei muttered.
"I don't understand! What was that?!" Nyangoro demanded.
"My... my brain is vibrating," M whispered.
"Uwah! Hachiman is the best, isn't he, Ikoma-kyun?" Pitohui cheered.
"The Hachiman-Acht combo is the strongest in history!" Ikoma agreed.
By popular demand, the scene was replayed in super-slow motion. They watched Hachiman lunge forward, executing a perfect counter-attack.
"Wait... how is that even a counter?" Sinon asked. "Kiyomori hadn't even started his motion!"
"I thought so too," Pitohui said. "I watched it a hundred times. Look at his arm—right here."
They stared at the screen, focusing on Kiyomori's forearm.
"Right... now!"
"...I don't see it," Sinon admitted.
"Wait, I think I see a muscle twitch?" M asked.
"Hmph. If you look for it, you can see it, I suppose," Nyangoro grumbled.
Ikoma took over the explanation. "Hachiman-san doesn't wait for the swing. He feels the intent—the 'breath' of the attack—and counters the moment the opponent commits mentally."
""""...Huh?""""
"Hey, even you, Kei-san?" Ikoma laughed.
"I've never seen him fight seriously like this!" Benkei defended herself.
Next, the video showed Kiyomori thrusting his blade directly at Hachiman's face.
"It looked like a direct hit," Sinon said.
"Look at his feet," Pitohui pointed out.
Hachiman had kicked Kiyomori's lead foot while arching his body back, causing the thrust to whistle past his nose by millimeters.
"I wasn't even looking at the floor..." Sinon sighed.
"Calculated," Nyangoro noted.
Simultaneously, Kiyomori's blade was knocked upward.
"Wait! The weapon on his left hand... it extended for a split second!"
"That's the Acht-Faust's true nature," Ikoma explained. "Simple, right?"
"I see! It's a weapon designed entirely to punish an enemy's rhythm!"
Hachiman then held the Acht-Faust in front of him and charged straight at the opponent.
"This part... it looked like he just ran at him blindly," Sinon said. "But the katana was blown aside."
"Look!"
They saw the Acht-Faust extend backward this time, the recoil or the counter-weight mechanism driving the shield into a violent forward parry.
"No way..."
"It extends both ways?!"
"Exactly! That is the Acht-Faust!" Ikoma beamed.
"A weapon designed to counter from any angle... but his vision must be incredible to time that," M said.
"The boy always did have better eyes than anyone else," Nyangoro agreed.
On the screen, the shield extended forward again, slamming into Kiyomori's jaw.
"Ah! That's how he opened him up!"
"Fluid and lethal," Nyangoro muttered.
"His neck is wide open now!" Sinon shouted.
"Wait, look at his face!" Benkei pointed. "Brother is... he's smiling."
"It's a terrifying smile," M whispered. "I've never seen him look so... brutal."
"It's amazing! It gives me the shivers!" Pitohui laughed.
On the screen, Kiyomori's head fell in a single, clean stroke.
""""""Phew...""""""
The six of them exhaled in unison as the recording ended.
"So that's the Acht-Faust... Hachiman is incredible for mastering a piece of gear that complex," Sinon said.
"Right? Right?" Pitohui chirped.
"Wait... does this mean...?" M trailed off.
They all looked at him. "What is it, M?"
"I was just thinking... does this mean Shana-san isn't actually going all-out in GGO?"
"...No way. He's already the strongest player I know," Sinon said.
"But if he had the Acht-Faust," Ikoma said firmly, "there's no way he would have lost to someone like Subtilizer. No chance."
"You really think so, Ikoma-kyun?" Pitohui asked.
"I do! I've re-watched his GGO fights too, and I kept thinking, 'If only he had the Acht.' Hachiman-san is our hero. Seeing him lose like that... it was frustrating!"
The others stared at the craftsman's intense expression.
"Ikoma-kyun," Pitohui said slowly. "Can you... make the Acht-Faust in GGO?"
"I... I mean..."
"Seriously? Can you?"
"...I've never seriously tried to design it. A perfect 1:1 replica is impossible because of the game engine, but if I used similar mechanics... maybe... Okay! I'll start researching it!"
"I don't know how useful it would be in a world of guns," Nyangoro mused, "but if we use that spaceship alloy to deflect bullets and close the distance... the boy would be virtually invincible in close quarters."
The six of them felt a surge of collective excitement.
"Ikoma-kyun, if you need materials, just name them!" Pitohui said.
"And keep this a secret from Shana," Nyangoro added with a sharp grin.
"Understood! I don't know if I can pull it off, but I'll give it everything I've got!"
Thus, the secret mission to resurrect the Acht-Faust in GGO began. (Ultimately, however, it wouldn't be finished in time for the final showdown with the Laughing Coffin remnants.)
As Pitohui started a video of Asuna's combat, Ikoma retreated to a corner to begin the modifications on Sinon's Glock.
"Oh, I recognize those clothes!" Sinon said.
"The uniform of the Knights of the Blood Oath," Nyangoro noted.
"Wait, what's that?" Benkei asked.
"The strongest guild in SAO—the one those two finally belonged to at the end," Pitohui explained.
"Ah. If those two were in it, it's no wonder it was the strongest..."
Asuna's battle on the screen ended in a heartbeat.
"Whoa... Sister-in-law is amazing..." Benkei whispered.
"Her style is totally different from Hachiman's, but she's just as lethal," Sinon said. "That speed is no joke."
"'The Flash' wasn't just a nickname," Ikoma added, walking back toward them. "She was every player's idol."
"Ikoma-kun, are you done already?" Sinon asked.
"Yep! Sinon-san, take this."
He handed her the Glock. The barrel looked slightly thicker, but otherwise, it appeared unchanged.
"I focused on concealment for this one. There's a toggle on the upper part of the grip. Flip that first."
"Okay."
"Now, just pull the trigger, and the blade will manifest."
Sinon gripped the gun and pulled the trigger. Instantly, a blade of radiant light erupted from just beneath the barrel.
"Whoa!"
"The ultimate hidden weapon!"
"Nice! Sinon, why don't you have Kei give you some pointers on how to use it?" Pitohui suggested.
"Sure! If it's about short-blades, I'm your girl," Benkei said. "Though the best teacher would obviously be my brother."
"I don't know... I don't think I could ever move like him," Sinon admitted.
"Don't worry! Brother is actually a great teacher for the basics!"
"Is he? Then maybe I'll ask him next time."
The night's activities drew to a close. Ikoma announced he was going to work on the cars before heading to bed. At the time, no one could have imagined that the two Humvees were about to undergo a "demonic" transformation at the hands of the Mad Scientist.
-------------------------------
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