"But I still don't like you! So if we meet in the BoB, I'm definitely taking you down!" "Hmph. I'll beat you back where you came from."
The two leaned in close, glaring at each other with intense hostility.
Watching the two from a distance was a single player—Sterben. To avoid drawing attention for now, Sterben wasn't wearing his Death Gun outfit, choosing instead to expose his face.
"Is that Kirito... the real deal?"
Looking at the name display for the Untouchable clear, Sterben harbored doubts over whether this player was that Kirito.
"However, there's no mistake that Shana is Hachiman. If he were the real deal, he wouldn't act like that. It must be a different person after all..."
And just like that, Sterben completely lost all interest in Kirito.
"Now then, I'll advance to the finals without drawing attention while keeping my bare face exposed..."
In a corner of the dedicated dome where contestants gathered, players from Shana's friendly team had assembled. The group consisted of Shana, Pitohui, Sinon, Musketeer X, Yamikaze, Usushio Tarako, Misaki, Dyne, and Ginrou. Aside from Ginrou, almost everyone present was considered a guaranteed finalist.
Watching this gathering from a distance, Kirito grumbled to himself.
"Could it be that he's not just a pervert, but a harem king pervert...?"
Kirito was astonished by Shana's unexpected popularity. Even among his acquaintances, the female players besides Sinon were all gathered around Shana, laughing and chatting happily. Meanwhile, Sinon was painfully holding herself back from approaching Shana, hyper-aware of Kirito's gaze.
"He certainly seems to have charisma... I guess in any game, being strong makes you respected."
Having held a similar position as a key member of Valhalla, Kirito reached this conclusion based on his own experience. Then, as the scheduled time arrived, an announcement rang out across the venue:
[Thank you all for waiting. We will now begin the preliminary tournament for the 3rd Bullet of Bullets!]
At the announcement, all GGO players let out a massive cheer. The festival had officially begun.
Incidentally, Shizuka, Benkei, and Nyangoro hadn't logged into GGO. Instead, the three were currently watching the tournament inside Valhalla Garden. This gathering had been initiated by Lisbeth after learning about Kirito's temporary convert, bringing together every single member of Valhalla except Hachiman, Kirito, Soleil, and Mobius.
"What kind of game is GGO again?" "Isn't it a game where you fight with guns?" "Is Kirito good at long-range attacks?" "Never seen him do it..." "Well, knowing him, he'll manage somehow."
Exchanging thoughts like these, the members of Valhalla watched the rare spectacle of another game's tournament with deep curiosity.
"Starting off with me, huh." "Do your best, Shana." "Yeah, well, I'll finish this up quickly."
The moment Shana's name appeared on the electric scoreboard, the crowds gathered in front of monitors throughout the city erupted into wild cheers.
"Whoa! Starting off with Shana right away!" "His opponent is... an unknown player? Poor guy." "Anyone wanna bet on the opponent? At this rate, the bets won't even go through!"
Just as the player said, no one placed a bet on the opponent, causing the betting pool to fall through. It was only natural.
Meanwhile, in Valhalla Garden, Asuna provided commentary with a completely calm demeanor.
"That person is the number one favorite to win this tournament—Shana." "Hoo...?" "What kind of fighting style does he use?" "He'll probably snipe them from long range and end it effortlessly." "Asuna, you sure know a lot about him." "E-Eh, well, I looked into it a bit before." "Hmm..."
And true to Asuna's explanation, Shana instantly eliminated his opponent in a single blow.
"So fast!" "Whoa, whoa, what was that? That fight ended way too easily!" "Well, that just shows how incredible he is. If you watch other people fight, you'll probably understand how absurd that was." "Is that so?"
Just as Asuna predicted, the next match turned into a grueling, messy slog, causing Klein to nod in understanding.
"She's right. Even as a total novice with guns, I can clearly see the difference." "Right?" "Yeah. It feels just like watching Hachiman or Kirito fighting ordinary players."
At those words, Lisbeth suddenly realized Hachiman was nowhere to be seen.
"By the way, where's Hachiman?" "Come to think of it, I haven't seen him today." "Let me check real quick."
Though she already knew, Asuna opened her friend list to pretend she was checking Hachiman's location. Watching her act, Komachi and Yukino looked at each other and giggled softly.
"Eh?"
Right after opening it, Asuna let out a shocked gasp.
"What's wrong?" "Ah, well, you see..." "E-Ehh?! Everyone, l-look at that!"
Recon suddenly shouted, pointing frantically at the screen. The moment they saw the name displayed on the monitor, the members of Valhalla cried out in unison:
"Eh, seriously?!" "W-What is the meaning of this?!" "Could it be someone else with the same name?" "Asuna, didn't you hear anything about this?!" "No, nothing... but everyone, look..."
Asuna made her friend list visible, pointing right at a specific line for everyone to see.
"Look... it really is him..."
Right where Asuna was pointing, Hachiman's name was listed, and beside it were the words: [Status: GGO].
"[[[[[[[[[[WHAT THE EEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHH?!]]]]]]]]]]
The instant they verified it, every single person—except Yui and Kizmel—screamed in utter disbelief.
What a twist right at the opening! What happens next as the preliminaries heat up?
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