To avoid worrying Asuna and the others, Seiya had sent them a message beforehand, saying he had to take care of some business. After being led to the "Hill of the Dead," Kuradeel immediately signaled the others to ambush Seiya. However, Seiya, who had been expecting it, easily dodged the attack. Since the ambush failed, Kuradeel dropped the pretense and revealed his Smiling Coffin accomplices. He then started mocking Seiya and nervously expressing his love for Asuna.
"Tsk, it seems there are psychos like you in every world. A yandere girl is cute, but a yandere grown man is just disgusting."
Kuradeel reminded Seiya of the obsessive fan who assassinated Hoshino Ai. They were the same type of person. Because of their extreme and twisted love, they couldn't stand it when their perfect idol did something they couldn't accept. If Kuradeel were to return to the real world, Seiya had no doubt he would do something even more crazy to Asuna. The tragedy of Hoshino Ai had already happened once in another world, and Seiya wasn't going to let it happen again in this one. That's why, when Kuradeel came to him, Seiya decided to get rid of this pest for good.
"The 'Saint,' Wenren Seiya. Our prey is a big shot this time, and it will be a worthy hunt. I wonder if killing such a strong player will make my heart race and my blood boil?"
The other black-robed men surrounding Seiya were also completely insane. Most of the famous guilds in SAO were created to clear the game and return to the real world, but there was a group of lunatics who enjoyed killing. In a world without laws or enforcers, they lived outside the system with their high levels and skills. The most notorious of these killers was a guild called "Smiling Coffin." Its members were mostly red-named players and psychopaths who enjoyed killing for pleasure while others were struggling to survive.
"Only four of you? That's fewer than I thought. I wanted to get rid of more trash before returning to the real world, but I guess I'll have to settle for just the four of you."
Kuradeel and his three accomplices couldn't help but laugh at Seiya's words. They had expected him to be scared, surprised, or nervous, but they never thought he would be so arrogant right before his death. The "Saint" was indeed famous, one of the top players in the Assault Team. However, they were all high-leveled players as well. Kuradeel was a psychopath, but he was in the best guild for a reason, and the other three Smiling Coffin members were also high-ranking officers. Even though the ambush had failed, they still had the advantage. For Seiya to say he would kill all four of them was nothing but a boast.
"I wanted you to call more people, maybe even your boss, PoH. But it seems the place you chose for my burial doesn't even have a signal."
(Since the raid speed is faster than in the original story, Smiling Coffin hasn't been annihilated by the combined guilds yet.)
"Damn it! I can't stand it. I've never seen anyone so full of themselves! Let's see if you're as good as you say you are!"
Unable to stand Seiya's arrogance any longer, a Smiling Coffin member pulled out two ice pick-like weapons and lunged at him. He aimed for Seiya's eye, expecting a critical hit.
"Clang!"
The Smiling Coffin member looked at Seiya with disdain, thinking he was all talk, but then a dragon-like creature suddenly appeared around him.
"Shikigami Summon: Azure Dragon—Golden Dragon!"
A loud roar echoed through the air as a golden-scaled oriental dragon coiled around Seiya. The player's weapon hit the golden scales, but it only created a few sparks and didn't even scratch the surface. The player felt his hands go numb from the impact. He looked up and saw the majestic dragon head. "What in the world is that..."
He was cut off as a strong sense of danger hit him. Before he could react, the dragon's tail, as big as a fan, slammed into his body. The force was so great that he felt like he had been hit by a truck. He was sent flying ten meters away, and his HP dropped to the red zone instantly.
"Damn it! Is this the 'Saint's' Unique Skill? A shikigami? But our intel said his shikigami was a flaming tiger, and its level and strength were only on par with an elite monster. This is way stronger! He just took down a player of his level in one hit!"
Before attacking Seiya, Kuradeel and Smiling Coffin had studied him. According to their intel, Seiya's Unique Skill was a flaming tiger whose level and strength were that of an elite monster. While there were some beast tamers in SAO, Seiya wasn't an isolated case.