"Seriously...? Dammit, is this Kirito's doing...?"
"It seems Lord Kirito's eyes aren't so easily deceived."
"Well, as long as Death Gun gets fooled, it doesn't matter. Alright, Shai, it's almost your turn. I'm counting on you."
"Understood. I'll move as much like Shana as I possibly can."
"I planned for you to only use guns, but in a pinch, use this."
With that, Hachiman handed Shai a single dagger.
"This?"
"If you land a counter with that, you'll look more like me. Think you can handle it?"
"Let's see. If it's just a single blow, I should be able to manage."
"Impressive as always. Good luck out there."
"Right."
"Oh, it's Shana's turn."
"Is it going to end in a single sniper shot again?"
Contrary to expectations, Shai appeared ready to force a close-quarters fight.
"Not sniping this time?"
"Probably trying out different tactics."
"Guess so. It is Shana, after all."
Using her firearm effectively, Shai methodically backed her opponent into a corner. The moment the enemy was forced into ideal terrain, Shai suddenly bolted forward.
"Damn it!"
Panicking, the enemy tried to aim, but Shai slid gracefully behind a piece of cover. As the opponent leaned forward in desperation, Shai unleashed a fierce counter with the dagger in her left hand, shattering the enemy's rifle. She then followed up instantly with the Acht-Sechs in her right hand, slicing through her foe in a single horizontal sweep.
"Woah!"
"Awesome!"
The spectators gasped in admiration at the classic, "Shana-like" maneuver. Even Kirito couldn't help but marvel at the flawless counter.
"That was a brilliant counterattack."
"Yeah, counters are definitely their strong suit."
"What would happen if you fought them for real, Kirito-kun?"
"In ALO, I only lose about one in five matches, but with guns in the mix this time... honestly, hard to call."
"I see."
Deciding to catch his breath, Kirito walked over to the bar counter alone to grab a drink. Suddenly, a voice called out from behind him.
"Are you... the real deal?"
Kirito whipped around. Standing there completely unannounced was a lone player. Kirito immediately felt a chill of certainty: this was Death Gun.
"The real deal? What are you talking about? Are you Death Gun?"
"..."
Death Gun remained silent, studying Kirito intently. Seeing those glowing red eyes, a memory flickered in Kirito's mind.
"You... No way, are you Red-Eyed XaXa?"
"...So you are the real thing."
Kirito remembered XaXa clearly. After escaping SAO and reuniting with Hachiman and the others, they had discussed Laughing Coffin time and time again. Because of those conversations, Kirito had never forgotten that battle; by supporting each other through their shared trauma, they had managed to overcome those painful memories together.
"It's been a while."
Faced with Kirito's sharp glare and words, Death Gun turned on his heel and sprinted away.
"Ah, hey! Wait!"
Kirito gave chase, rounding the corner right after him. But the figure had completely vanished.
"Damn it, where did he disappear to...?"
Kirito ground his teeth in frustration over letting Death Gun slip away.
I need to discuss this with Hachiman...
Still, knowing for certain that Death Gun was participating in the BoB, Kirito resolved that he had to advance to the finals no matter what.
"Now then, it should be Hachiman's match soon... Seriously, where is that guy hiding?"
Hachiman's match began. At first, Hachiman was swinging his Kikonken around like a Japanese katana.
"Guess that really isn't Hachiman's usual style after all."
"Looks like it."
"Huh?"
The enemy was surprisingly adept at keeping their distance, preventing Hachiman from striking with the light-sword. Sensing this, Hachiman suddenly shifted his combat stance entirely.
"Ah, look! Hachiman's light-sword..."
"He shortened the blade?!"
Just as noted, Hachiman reduced the blade's length, dropping into the familiar stance Kirito was used to seeing in ALO.
"W-Wait, what?"
Immediately after, Hachiman pushed off a tree like he always did, leaping into the air. Brushing past his opponent, he kicked their gun aside, landed cleanly behind them just as he always would, and spun around to slice the enemy in half with a single horizontal slash.
"Huh...?"
Kirito rubbed his eyes in utter disbelief.
"What's wrong?"
"Ah, no, it's just... that really looked like Hachiman just now... Was him swinging it like a katana at first just a fluke...?"
"Eh, really?"
"Yeah, but Shana earlier was also... Argh, now I can't tell what's what anymore!"
Kirito was completely spun around by their deception. Shai's absolute concentration on executing a single, perfect counter—and showing it only once—had paid off brilliantly.
"Ah, forget it! I'll just treat both of them as the real Hachiman and be done with it!"
Kirito threw his hands up in resignation, while the rest of the group watched Hachiman's victory screen with equally bewildered expressions.
When Kirito's turn came, he continued his usual routine—relying primarily on his sword while barely touching his firearm. For the record, he deflected every incoming attack using Elucidator.
"Is he really going to stick with that style all the way to the end...?"
Having swapped back to Achiman and Shana, the real duo watched Kirito's second-round match.
"Looks that way."
"At this rate, he's going to clash with Sinon in the finals. I just hope Sinon doesn't lose her confidence because of it."
"...Is he really that good?"
"Yeah. His movements are noticeably sharper now. He'll probably shoot down every single bullet aimed his way."
Achiman looked utterly exasperated.
"...Is that guy even human?"
"Who knows? Maybe he's a demon lord or something."
"Could I do something like that?"
"A few shots, maybe. But deflecting all of them is impossible. I'm only human, after all."
"...Well, I'll figure something out. I'll stick to swords as my main weapon too, and only use guns to create openings."
"Sounds like a plan. Do your best—as long as you reach the finals, you'll advance to the main tournament anyway, so losing isn't the end of the world."
The preliminary rounds progressed swiftly until the main tournament qualifiers were finally set. All that remained were the preliminary finals—matches some dismissed as mere formality.
The very first match on the docket: Sinon vs. Kirito.
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