In SAO, an orange name could fade over time—but only if the player injured others no more than three times. On the fourth offense, they would be forced to complete a "name-cleansing" quest. Five or more offenses meant a permanent orange name. And killing even a single player resulted in a permanent one immediately.
For Lillian, becoming orange-named was not an option—at least not at this stage.
An orange name meant more than just being freely attacked by other players. More critically, it meant being barred from entering towns. Without access to towns, he wouldn't be able to make money through forging, which would severely disrupt his long-term strategy for clearing the game.
That was why he never struck first.
He only counterattacked—waiting until his opponent turned orange before responding. That way, he would suffer no penalties.
The moment his counterattack produced the first death, everyone instinctively froze, staring blankly at him.
This was… real death, wasn't it?
"He—he killed someone!"
"A beta tester killed someone!"
"Then why is his name still green?!"
The sight of a player's death shattered many people's nerves. Amid the chaos, someone shouted, "Everyone, attack together!" Immediately, more than a dozen players charged forward, all activating charge-type sword skills.
Lillian frowned slightly.
If all of them landed their attacks at once, even he could die.
This wasn't late-game yet. Although his stats and equipment surpassed theirs, the gap wasn't absurdly large.
He dodged most of the incoming attacks, deliberately allowing two or three strikes to hit him—just enough—then launched his counterattack.
His target criteria were simple: orange-named enemies.
In the blink of an eye, several more players fell by his hand. His attack speed and power were far beyond what ordinary players could withstand. The already small frontline collapsed instantly into chaos, while Terusuke and the others forced their opponents' HP into the yellow zone.
Unlike Lillian, Terusuke's group never dealt killing blows, even against orange-named enemies. As a result, the way they looked at him now had subtly changed.
"D–don't kill me! I was wrong!"
An orange-named player begged as Lillian approached, throwing his weapon onto the ground.
"…"
"Now!"
Two green-named players who hadn't acted until now suddenly moved in perfect coordination, launching powerful sword skills at the exact moment Lillian hesitated.
Clang!
Lillian raised his sword to block—but the combined force of the two attacks was enormous. His greatsword was knocked out of his hands and sent flying four or five meters away.
"His weapon's gone!"
Seven or eight players instantly lit up with excitement and rushed forward. Even Kibaou, who had been hiding in the back, felt a surge of joy.
No matter how strong someone was, without a weapon they were finished!
Don't give him time to pull out a backup weapon!
That was their thought.
What they didn't know was that Lillian didn't have one.
"Bastard!" The fastest runner lunged forward, thrusting his single-handed sword. "Count your sins!"
"…"
Lillian stood empty-handed. He didn't dodge.
He let the blade pierce him.
The moment the attacker's name turned orange, Lillian smiled.
Whoosh!
A burst of red flame ignited around his right fist. The player froze in shock—then Lillian's punch slammed straight into his chest.
[Martial Art: Flash Strike!]
Crack!!
A critical hit.
From full HP to zero in an instant.
The scene stunned everyone once again.
"What kind of skill was that?!"
"Why can he deal damage bare-handed?!"
"Cheating! That has to be cheating!"
No one recognized the skill.
From afar, Argo—who had supplied the intelligence that allowed Lillian to learn martial arts—watched silently. Her expression was complicated.
"Who said you need a weapon to kill?"
Lillian glanced sideways at another orange-named player.
The man screamed in terror and ran without direction—but no one in this game could outrun Lillian.
He closed the distance in a single stride, leapt into the air, and blue-white light wrapped around his right leg, dazzling and sharp.
[Martial Art: Water Moon!]
The airborne kick slammed down, instantly knocking the player to the ground.
At that moment, one of Terusuke's teammates retrieved Lillian's greatsword and threw it to him.
"Lillian!"
Lillian caught it mid-air and, without hesitation, drove it downward.
The remaining half of the downed player's HP vanished instantly. His body shattered along the blade's edge and disappeared.
"Run!!"
After casually taking seven or eight lives, Lillian looked no different from a devil in the eyes of the others.
No one had the courage to keep fighting. Even the spectators fled in panic, afraid of being caught in the aftermath.
Lillian didn't bother chasing them.
He glanced in Kibaou's direction—already gone. The man had run fast.
Sheathing his greatsword onto his back, Lillian adjusted his straw hat and walked toward Terusuke and the others.
"Lillian… you…" Terusuke looked at him differently now. "Why did you kill them?"
"There wasn't any special reason."
"They only wanted to steal our equipment and items… they didn't intend to kill us. But you—"
"Maybe." Lillian sighed inwardly, then after a brief silence said, "We think differently, Terusuke. I've learned this lesson the hard way before. I paid a heavy price. Since then, I've decided—anyone who threatens me, I won't show mercy."
After he finished speaking, Lillian saw that Terusuke and the others were still struggling to accept it, so he chose not to say anything more.
Everyone's life experiences are different, and those experiences shape the principles by which they act. Just as Eileen Chang once wrote in Love in a Fallen City:
"If you had known me in the past, perhaps you would forgive me as I am now."
But Lillian didn't feel he needed anyone's forgiveness.
"Let's leave it at that," Lillian said in farewell. "I'll be going."
"Lillian—"
Terusuke watched him walk away, wanting to say something, yet unable to find the words. He only felt that, in an instant, their relationship had shifted from familiar to distant.
Shaking his head in frustration and fatigue, he said to his guild members, "Let's… head to the low-level grinding zone first. A few of us have orange names—we need to clear them."
That's probably for the best.
As he walked, Lillian thought to himself that this side of him was bound to surface sooner or later. For him, if killing someone was the correct decision, then he would do it without the slightest psychological burden.
That clearly went against mainstream social values, so he neither expected nor needed others to understand him. Even if no one in the world accepted his way of thinking—even if he were the only player left in this game—he would still clear it.
Tap, tap, tap…
After walking for three or four minutes, Lillian suddenly stopped and said without turning around, "How long are you planning to follow me?"
"Until you notice me."
Lillian turned around and saw a young man trailing behind him. He had a handsome face, sharp features, and a tall, slender build. The only thing detracting from his appearance was the tattoo on his face—otherwise, he might have passed for a celebrity or fashion model.
He wore a smile, and his words flowed smoothly with rhythm, almost like rap:
"I really like your sword, your fists, your killing. Those idiots deserved to die. How about we team up and clean them all out—kill them all?"
"…"
Lillian frowned at the sinister-looking youth. He felt a vague sense of familiarity, yet couldn't place it.
It had been years since he last watched Sword Art Online, and his memory of many characters and plot points was blurry. Nothing clicked.
"I don't have time for your nonsense," Lillian said. "If you want to slaughter people, go ahead. What does that have to do with me?"
The youth froze, the corner of his eye twitching as irritation brewed between his brows.
"Stop following me," Lillian warned. "Or you'll end up like the ones earlier."
"…Suck."
Watching Lillian's figure fade into the distance, the young man's anger slowly twisted into a wicked smile. He snorted.
"You'll come to this side eventually. There's no other possibility."