Sword Art Online: Regeneration (Uprising)

14:

     This Marcus guy. He was cocky in his every move. He pulled out his weapon. A two handed massive red sword.

     Two handed sword users usually have a disadvantage of being more exposed to people with speed. However, I shouldn't be cocky about my opponent. I have seen people wield a sword with two hands but can move as almost as graciously as if they were dancing.

I threw a kunai at him only for him to dodge it. He disappears. I suddenly feel a kick to the stomach and stumble on the floor.

He gives a cocky smile, "Man, you are lame!"

He runs towards and points his sword, searing purple.

I jump and plunge in. I attempt a flip and a slash. The same tactic I used against Akari. He couldn't parry it on time or summon a shield from the weight of his weapon.

     "Sword skill: Typhoon Ripple!" I hailed.

     I look at his health bar. Barely a damage was taken. Only a point was deducted from his health. I froze. How could that be? The sword skill must have at least done a good amount like fifteen. I was at level 70, he was seventy one. Not much of a difference between us practically.

     "I'm not a good fighter I realized." Marcus arrogantly flaunts, "They don't fall me the Coffin's Tank for nothing."

     The Coffin's Tank. Self explanatory name. He was a tank. His defense and health were maxed out and but he had poor attack. All my EP would be drained and later my health. EP replenishing items were tough to brew or come nearby so I had only about three bottles on me and they only restore 50 EP (My
Max. was 450).

"I...will." His teeth had widen through his eerie smile. "KILL YOU."

He swings his enormous blade right at me and I attempt to deflect it. My blue-gray blade catches the slash but it was not enough to block it. He puts all of his weight on it and the slash not only does a lot of damage but has a pretty good knock back. I get thrown into a nearby bookshelf.

     I can hear his stomps. Such a rampant and brash person. Sometimes if you are close enough, you can hear someone's steps. Their walks can determine how they act. A person who has rough steps could be arrogant and bold, someone with quiet steps could mean they are sad or anxious. Those who walk chin up are confident, those hunch over are not really proud of themselves.

     "Sword skill: Water pierce!" I sprint up and dodge his sword, I slash right into his face. I suddenly see how his HP drop, instead of one, it's 4. He maxed out his HP being 50,000. If I aim for his head, there's a chance I could finish it.

     But I occurred to me, that I could decapitate this person. I person who's telling me I have hated them and they have done something to me. Could it justify what I could possibly do to this person? I never killed anyone. Even when my orders as a liberator were to kill any Laughing Coffin members, I never followed those rules. I've never been caught for not. If I did, me and Asugaya wouldn't be having some kind of roof over our heads.

     His defense was really high, my only chance to charge from above and deliver the kill.

     I open my inventory to equip a standard kunai. I let my surroundings calm down. Think about my next move carefully. I exhale all my worries. Bent down. I hear the chime of the skill charge. Despite my eyes being closed, blue engulfed my vision.

     I dash forwards. The same warmth that felt so familiar. The same warmth I had when battling Leafa, the same warmth Asugaya gave off when he embraced me. The same warmth I have felt during my duel with Makoto. The same warmth Yui brought when she begged me to carry her.

     Yui. I'm gonna save her.

     I felt myself take a courageous leap. I let my right hand, my kunai hand, take lead. I felt myself shot down.

     "Sword skill: Storm of the of Sun and Sea!"

I hear a perfect swish. The kunai. Then got my body to spin while slashing the katana. The burning rays of the sun. As I finished. My EP was drained close to nothing. I heard Marcus starting coughing out blood. I knew what I did. It was not proud. But as a swordsman, I have to face my duties. I look over and see him left with a big red bloodied neck. I didn't decapitate him. Part of me was relieved as I could bear to see a head rolling on the ground but another was disappointed, I couldn't kill him.

I hear a cursor siren. I looked up at Marcus' HP slowly depleting to 0.

I walked up to him slowly. Who was coughing violently blood out. I was about to give him a healing potion when his hand flicks it away.

"I don't want your damn pity." He growled.

"Who are you exactly? How do you know me?"

"So he was right." He sighed, "Memory block. You weren't playing when you said you don't recall me."

I frowned, "I really don't. Who was I to you?"

He gave me a snicker, "A person I truly hated. I wanted to make your life hell. You were poor. You were a slave bought by a family to work with you...who am I kidding, you won't remember...I'll tell you anyway."

"Marcus." I called out and offered him my health potion, "Come on, you still have a chance to prove yourself."

"That's the thing." He weekly said as he finally spewed drained out his color, looking awfully pale, "I have been given many times to redeem myself and for my actions. In the end, I kept failing to do the right thing. You were compassionate yet rowdy. You were smart but reckless. I couldn't stop to think, 'What did Raito have that I could not?'. It was sympathy."

"What about this memory block?" I was trying to ignore his babbling.

"It was a thing they had us...for Project Regeneration. It was to try bring back a person from the dead using AI technology. Those who joined Laughing Coffin had our memories returned by Jigoku. We knew all our enemies, friends and families from our past life. We dove in everyday inside the world as they monitored our psychological health. It was therapy.

"I had major anger issues." He coughs, "Beat anyone who found out or made fun of me. That's why I thought people like you, generated from the lowest and poorest. I masked it in that world a me that couldn't keep his mind together."

His HP is close to five now.

"I'm sorry for everything I did." He finally groaned. I tuned my back, I could hear hiccups and choking from his own tears and blood, "I hope you do get your memory back. I don't expect you to forgive me. If you somehow save your sister, defeat Deathgun or Jigoku, you'll get your memory back."

I pull out my katana. His HP was at 2.

I closed my eyes and walked closer. He broke down to a silent sob.

Before I could decided I felt the blade being pulled away. I long stab and pierce could be heard. I heard the bust of fragments and scatter. I open my eyes to see a blood covered katana and a few fragments floating to the sky.

I pick up my sword and swing it to get rid of the blood. He chose to kill himself. Marcus lead a life of tragedy. He couldn't control his emotions. All he knew was how to hate the world.

"My memories...were blocked." I repeated.

The door opens quietly.

I killed him. It wasn't justified. It never is justified. He couldn't control his urges and I couldn't even control mine.

What he said about the memory block, I thought it could closely enough be true. He wasn't lying. I heard the honesty in him.

      I quietly walk to the next room, breathing heavily and wishing for Yuuki and Atsuo to come by any moment.