Shino opened her eyes, slowly, after having just logged out of her Nerve Gear. All was dark in her room as she sat upright in her bed, taking the Nerve Gear off of her head. She listened, closely, for the sound of approaching police sirens but didn't hear anything so figured she still had a little bit of time before they arrived at her home. She sighed in disappointment at her failure to defeat Asuna. She didn't know how Asuna had done it but she had managed to defeat her...even after all of the careful planning she had done alongside the other Laughing Coffin members and Vassago, himself. She couldn't have possibly predicted that Asuna would be, all of the sudden, able to move at an unseeable speed while leaving nothing but pink streaks of lightning, behind. The worst part was that...Kyouji had probably caught most of what happened...if not all of it, on the live stream and, even if he didn't and had logged out, as soon as Asuna was beginning to get the best of Shino, the original feed would have kicked back in, showing Shino getting knocked around by Asuna, regardless. No matter how Shino looked at it, Death Gun was embarrassed by Asuna in front of everyone that was watching the Bullet of Bullets tournament which was the exact opposite of what she had wanted, more than anything. How was it that she was the one, who ended up being humiliated? Shino knew that giving this too much thought would just waste more time, allowing the police the chance to show up at her home to arrest her. She had to take advantage of the fact that they hadn't shown up and leave, as soon as possible. Shino got up off of her bed and began packing all of the necessities that she would need since it was highly unlikely that she would be able to return to her home, any time soon.
*
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*
Agil had been inside of his parked car, outside of Shino's home far longer than he was hoping to and was actually surprised that neighbors or some passerby didn't get upset at him or call the police on him. It was always part of the plan for him to keep an eye on Shino's place, in case someone tried to break into her house to cause harm to her real body while she was participating in the Bullet of Bullets tournament. Although, as Agil had already told Kazuto, no one ended up arriving at Shino's home that looked remotely suspicious. Agil could tell that Kazuto was shaken by this news, especially because it led to him asking Agil to keep an eye on Shino's place for a little bit longer. Despite not being the biggest fan of the idea, Agil imagined there was a good reason why Kazuto wanted him to do this so he, reluctantly, stayed in his parked car to continue keeping an eye on Shino's place. Agil had continued to monitor the home, still not catching sight of anything suspicious but received a strange text from Kazuto about ten minutes ago. It explained to Agil that Shino was actually the real Death Gun and that Agil had to call the police, immediately and tell them to report to Shino's house. He then had Agil stay put in his car so that he could not only explain things to the police but also, to make sure that Shino didn't try to escape from her home.
"Kirito, I trust your judgement but are you really sure that Sinon is Death Gun?" asked Agil to himself since he was the only one in his parked car. "It didn't seem like there was a mean bone in that girl's body...plus, she seemed to really care for Asuna. If she's the real Death Gun then...she's the one, who's responsible for killing Klein, right? Shit, and she was with me while Klein was killed...she was right beside me...knowing damn well what was going to happen to Klein. The more I think about it...the more pissed off I get. Kirito didn't really send me much in the way of proof but he sounded pretty damn sure about all of this from the text he sent. Plus, the police should be here soon so as long as nobody leaves that house, I don't have to do—"
Before Agil could finish, he observed that the front door of Shino's home was being, cautiously, opened. Shino made her way out of her home, wearing a black jacket with a hood covering her dark brown hair. She, conspicuously, looked in both directions before shutting the front door of her home behind her and making her way down her small driveway. Agil sighed to himself, not being able to deny that Shino did look incredibly suspicious...almost like she was attempting to make a clean getaway which, of course, meant that Agil had to try and stop her.
"Ugh, damn...I was hoping I wouldn't have to actually prevent her from leaving," complained Agil at his terrible luck. "A grown man trying to stop a girl from leaving her own home isn't going to be a great look but the last thing I want to do is let her get away if she really is the one responsible for all of the horrible shit that's been happening. Maybe, I'll just try talking to her and pretend like I happened to be in the neighborhood? Then, I'll keep her busy until the police show up. Shit, if only things would actually work out that nice for me."
*
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*
Doesn't seem like anybody is around...and I don't hear any sirens, internally, concluded Shino, after surveying the front of her small home.
Once she was sure the coast was clear, she shut the front door to her house, behind her and said a goodbye to it, mentally. She was going to miss the comfort of sleeping on her normal mattress for a while but she didn't have a choice. She also, knew that her grandparents were going to be so distressed when they not only learned what Shino had been up to, this whole time, but that she had gone missing as well. Even Shino's other self felt some resemblance of pity for her grandparents, who had done nothing but try the best they could to take care of and support her, ever since her mother died, including paying the rent for her small home. Shino figured, at the very least, her grandparents wouldn't have to worry about the monthly expense, anymore, once she was out of their lives. A part of her...the weaker Shino Asada...wished she could send a text to her grandparents to thank them for all they've done for her and to say a proper farewell to them but Shino's other self...the one that was still in full control of her body...knew how foolish this would be. In fact, that was the sole reason why she left her cell phone in the house because she knew the police would use it to track her exact location. Shino, luckily, did have a different phone that she had forced...or rather...persuaded Kyouji to work his magic with so that it couldn't be tracked. She needed a way to contact his somewhat useful ass, the remaining Laughing Coffin members and, most importantly, Vassago. She had a strong feeling that he wasn't going to be satisfied with the result of the third round of the Bullet of Bullets, either, and she was prepared to use this to her advantage. Shino, quickly, made her way down the walkway to her home, trying her best to not look suspicious, despite her appearance which clearly did the opposite.
"Hey, Shino, funny running into you, here!" called out a booming and familiar voice.
Shino nearly jumped out of her skin as she stood at the end of the walkway to her house. After weighing the pros and cons of just running away from the voice, she decided it would be smarter to just acknowledge the individual, who had spoken to her. When she turned to face the voice, she saw that it was Agil, a tall, muscular and, honestly, intimidating friend of Kazuto and Asuna's, who ran a bar that the group would often meet at. The very first question that popped into Shino's mind was whether or not Agil knew that she was the real Death Gun or that she was involved in some way? Judging by the goofy and clueless smile on his face, it didn't seem like Agil knew but Shino was aware this could be a trap. He could have, easily, been pretending or, worse, trying to buy time until the police arrived. She had to end the conversation as quickly as possible.
"Oh, hey, Agil," returned Shino, trying her best to sound friendly. "What are you doing here?"
"Oh, I was just in the area and remembered that Asuna said you lived around here," claimed Agil, harmlessly. "Kirito told me that you were helping him and Asuna take down Death Gun and POH so I thought I would check to make sure everything was alright at your house...ya know, make sure nobody tried to make an attack on your real body. Sorry, I wasn't trying to be creepy or anything. Asuna just mentioned that you lived by yourself so Kazuto and I both thought that made you a prime target for Death Gun to harm in the real world."
"Oh, that's...very thoughtful of you both," said Shino, forcing a smile. "I really appreciate the concern but the third round of the Bullet of Bullets just finished up so it's all over. Luckily, nobody made an attempt on my life...actually, Death Gun and POH didn't even show up during the third round. It was...kind of nice, to be honest. Kirito was eliminated a little early on which was surprising and then Asuna and I were the last two players, remaining, so we battled it out and she won. It was a close fight, though...or, at least, I think it was. Asuna's tough, though. I can see why she was considered one of the best players in SAO...heck, pretty soon, she might be one of the best players in GGO too."
Shino was fully aware that everything that she had just said was a lie and this was on purpose. She was going to observe Agil's reaction, closely, to test how much he actually knew about the situation. If he acted in any way to her lie, then that would be her indication that he knew something. In fact, for a split second, the expression on Agil's face turned sour, like he knew she was lying but he, immediately, switched back to his more inviting one, almost like he was aware he was about to make a critical mistake. It was too late, though. Shino reached her right hand into the right pocket of her shorts and pulled out a switchblade, without hesitation. She drove the blade into Agil's stomach, aggressively, as he stumbled, backwards, in shock at the viscousness of the attack. Leaving the switch blade stuck in his gut, Shino ran right past Agil, who attempted to reach after her but stopped when he felt the pain of the blade that had pierced him.
"Ow, shit," he cursed to himself, looking down at his wound and then up at Shino, who was at such a far distance from him that running after her would be impossible, especially in his condition. "That...went about as well as I expected, to be honest. Can't believe the crazy bitch actually stabbed me, though?! What the hell?! This is some mad bullshit!"
Agil studied the switchblade that was sticking out of his gut and realized that it would probably be best to call himself an ambulance, in addition, to the police that were already on their way.
*
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*
"Mother fucker!" yelled Vassago, throwing his Nerve Gear against the wall of the hotel room that he was currently staying at.
The Nerve Gear broke in half and landed on the carpet of the room while Vassago buried his face into the palms of his hands.
"That little bastard was so damn happy about losing to me...what fucking fun is that?! I wanted to see the look of shame on his face...the look of defeat...but all I got was a shit eating grin! T-This isn't over, Black Swordsman. It can't be. I-I promised I would make you suffer for getting involved in my personal life. Eh, fuck it. I'm done fucking with you in the VR setting. Now, I'm going to start fucking with you in real life. Haha, that'll be more fun, anyways."
Vassago heard the sound of his cell phone vibrating on the nightstand that was next to his bed and he made his way towards it to pick it up and check, who had texted him. He was worried that it might have been Ms. Tanaka but, instead, it was Death Gun...or, whoever, the real Death Gun was. He hadn't actually met the real Death Gun, in person. He had only messaged them through text, up to that point, which is why the message threw him for a bit of a loop when he first read it. The text explained that Death Gun wanted to meet up with him, in person, and provided a location within the text as well.
"The crazy bastard actually wants to show himself, huh?" asked Vassago, intrigued. "Ya know, I'll humor him...since working with him has been pretty damn fun so far. I just hope that, whoever he ends up being, doesn't disappoint."
*
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*
"Hm, so this is the place, huh?" questioned Vassago upon walking up to what looked like an abandoned warehouse that seemed like it hadn't been used in years. "Not a bad choice at all if I do say so myself."
Vassago opened the front door to the warehouse which was unlocked and made his way inside. Since it was nighttime, it was pretty difficult to see inside the warehouse but the light coming from the full moon in the sky managed to illuminate the warehouse just enough so that he could see two other shadowy figures inside. One of them seemed to be a boy about the Black Swordsman's age and a girl with dark brown hair and glasses.
What the fuck is this...an after-school meetup for a club or something? thought Vassago to himself, after realizing that both of them could have been no older than high school students.
Vassago wasn't sure what he expected but it definitely wasn't this. Strangest of all was the girl with brown hair that was in twin tails, who was wearing glasses. He didn't recognize her as one of the Laughing Coffin members that were part of the plan which begged another question? Where were the other Laughing Coffin members that Vassago had gotten involved in Death Gun's plan. Now that he was a bit closer and could get a better view of the boy, he saw that he was actually a former member of Laughing Coffin...a real sadistic little shit, if his memory served him right. He was one of the trusted Lieutenants...just like Johnny Black was...that he allowed to live, mainly, because of how skilled he was at hacking and technological shit that Vassago couldn't even begin to grasp. He figured that kind of skill set could be beneficial to him in the future. He was never all that, physically, imposing, though, which he was reminded of by his appearance in the real world that wasn't too different from how he had looked while in Laughing Coffin. Looks...could be deceiving, though. Still, if he had to choose, he would have rather Johnny Black been at the meetup than him and wondered where Johnny was? Johnny was always a favorite of Vassago's because of his ruthless nature and love of causing a bit of chaos. He showed incredible promise just like the Black Swordsman and unlike the little shit Vassago had just fought against, Johnny actually enjoyed taking lives like Vassago did. All of this information circling around in his mind resulted in Vassago being the first to speak.
"Where's Johnny?" asked Vassago, standing within close proximity of the other two that were in the warehouse with him.
Neither of the other two individuals answered, immediately, but Vassago took notice that the boy began staring at the girl, almost like he was waiting for her to be the one to respond. Did that mean...what Vassago thought it meant?
No...no fucking way, thought Vassago to himself, trying his best to hide his laughter.
Unfortunately, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't contain it and began to laugh like a madman at the realization that the girl with brown hair was the one that referred to themself as Death Gun. It was the only logical reason the other boy would be looking at her like she was the one in charge. This brought Vassago so much amusement that, for a brief moment, it took his mind off the fact that Johnny Black wasn't at the meeting.
"You shouldn't laugh!" yelled the boy, defensively.
It seemed like he was going to say more but was hushed when the girl with brown hair raised her hand as an indication for him to stop speaking.
"It's fine, Kyouji," muttered the girl, seemingly, unaffected by Vassago's laughing. "To answer your previous question, Vassago Casals, I sent the same message to Johnny Black about our meetup but, for some reason, he decided not to show. I can't tell you why that is. Perhaps, he got the sense that our plan had fallen apart and didn't see the benefit of helping us, any further. He might not have been willing to take a chance on me, like you are."
"Eh, at this point, I have nothing to lose and no fucks left to give, Ms. Death Gun," responded Vassago, cheekily. "I just hope whatever you have in store for The Black Swordsman and The Lightning Flash is fun."
The girl with brown hair smirked which, instantly, gave Vassago hope that he might be getting, exactly, what he wanted.
"I-I really don't want to...doubt you, Shino...I really don't...but, maybe, we should just call it quits?" brought up Kyouji, ruining the mood. "I mean...our plan failed and there's no doubt that the police are looking for Shino and I both...I-I really don't want to go to jail. Yeah, I showed up to this meeting but...to be honest, I'm scared shitless. I...kind of...want out, now."
Vassago was, obviously, irritated by Kyouji's cowardice but the girl that Vassago just heard Kyouji call Shino didn't seem as bothered by this.
"After all we've been through, together, you want to just...leave?" asked Shino, almost sounding disappointed.
Shino sighed in forced disappointment and shook her head, disapprovingly.
"I really wish I could say that I'm surprised but...I always got the sense that you were all talk, Kyouji," stated Shino, changing the tone of her voice to one that was, slightly, more menacing. "Ah, I see. You were okay with the plan as long as you could stay behind the scenes, hacking, or behind the camera, filming, because you thought you would be safe, this way. Now, you're afraid that you might actually have to get your hands dirty. I'm surprised Vassago let you into a guild as fierce as Laughing Coffin with such a weak spirit."
"He wasn't this much of a scared little bitch back in SAO," claimed Vassago. "If he was, I wouldn't have made him one of my Lieutenants...nor, would I have seen such potential in him. I guess the only reason you were cool with all of the killing and blood shed back in SAO was because you thought you were devoid of consequences, right? You believed you could do whatever the fuck you wanted without a care in the world...this isn't the VR world, though. It's the real one and in the real world, there's consequences for doing the same things that we did back in Laughing Coffin. Seeing you like this is hard on me as your former leader...it truly is. So, what's the call, Ms. Death Gun? I mean, you're the one in charge, still, correct? In that case, you can decide what to do with him."
Shino thought for an excruciatingly long moment for Kyouji, who was feeling a bit on edge.
"Well, the only option I can think of...is that we...let him go," said Shino, finally, causing Kyouji to relax a little.
Shino then shifted her gaze to Vassago and nodded her head at him, almost like she was indicating that she wanted him to do something. Initially, Vassago was confused until he thought over what she had just said a bit more. He smiled, wickedly, and nodded his head back in understanding at her. Vassago pulled out a pistol that he had brought with him just in case things got messy and aimed it right at Kyouji's head. Kyouji was startled by the sudden act from Vassago and was at a, complete, loss for words as his head turned from Shino to Vassago, almost like he couldn't come to terms with what was about to happen.
"I-I'm sorry, Kyouji, but you know way too much for me to let you just walk away from all of this," said Shino, calmly. "I have to say, though, you were a good little puppet."
Kyouji turned to face Shino, now, seething with rage at her comment.
"You...you used me this entire time, Shino?!" he questioned, angrily. "You bi—"
Bang!
Before the insult could leave Kyouji's mouth, a bullet blasted through his temple and his body fell to the floor of the warehouse, lifelessly, as Shino did nothing but watch, emotionlessly.
"Now, that the weak link is taken care of, can we get down to business, Ms. Death Gun?" asked Vassago as he put his pistol away. "I'm really looking forward to hearing what this new plan of yours is."
Shino's gaze went from looking at Kyouji's corpse back to Vassago, her expression still unreadable, even for Vassago.
"Plan...ha...hahahahahahahahahahaha...hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!"
Her crazed laughter reminded Vassago of himself and the smile that was already on his face grew even wider with excitement. He had been looking for someone that was just like him, this entire time. He thought The Black Swordsman was going to fill that role for him but he realized that he was dead wrong. The girl in front of him, now, that went by Shino...she was, definitely, the one to fill that role for him and he couldn't have been happier that he had showed up to this meeting.
Once her laughter was finished, Shino continued, sinisterly, "My plan...is to make The Lightning Flash and The Black Swordsman suffer...and then...to kill them both...I'm assuming that's a plan you can get behind, Mr. Casals?"
Vassago chuckled to himself at Shino's attempt at being polite after having him kill someone, in front of her, like it was nothing.
"Ms. Death Gun...it's showtime!"
*
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*
Two weeks...two weeks since Asuna and I fought against Vassago and Death Gun, respectively, in the third round of the Bullet of Bullets tournament. Two weeks...and Asuna still looked like she was recovering from Shino disappearing. Apparently, Agil had run into her at her house, right after the third round of the Bullet of Bullets ended but Shino stabbed him and ran off. Thankfully, Agil was currently recovering from the stab wound without a problem but there hadn't been any word about where Shino was. I imagined she was in hiding. Most likely, she knew that after revealing the fact that she was the real Death Gun, the entire time, this would result in the police coming to her house to arrest her. Still, I couldn't help but wonder where she could have gone...and, even more worrisome, I felt even more paranoid about where Vassago was hiding. There wasn't a shot that he was finished with me, especially with how things ended during our fight in GGO. During these last two weeks, though, he hadn't attempted to make any attempts on my life or even threaten me, for that matter. Did he decide to just let things end with our last scuffle? Did he, finally, realize that that woman and his little sister were more important to him than his grudge against me? Or, was that something he was wrestling with, internally, right now? Two weeks may had been a decent amount of time but my guard hadn't eased up, in the slightest. I knew that it was entirely possible that Vassago could still strike, at any moment, and I had to be prepared...not just to protect myself but to protect the people I cared most about as well. Speaking of people that I cared about the most, ever since what happened with Shino, Asuna had been even more quiet than usual. It wasn't that surprising, unfortunately. I knew, from the start, that winning the third round of the Bullet of Bullets wasn't going to fill the hole in her heart that had formed from Death Gun's...no, from Shino's betrayal. After all Asuna had been through, she believed that she had met someone that she could share her trauma with...a true friend...and I was so happy for her. I hadn't been with Asuna too long in the real world but from what I could tell, it didn't seem like she had many friends...or any, for that matter. Then, when she did manage to make a friend, it turned out that friend hated Asuna, more than anything, and wanted to embarrass her in front of all of the people that were watching the Bullet of Bullets tournament. Not only that, she was responsible for killing Klein and if we hadn't prepared, first, Asuna and I would have been in danger too of losing our lives. Even though it pained me to admit it, I, honestly, didn't know what to say to Asuna to make her feel better. I really wished I did. What was there that I could say? At the very least, it seemed that her and her mother had been getting along better, lately, and Asuna told me that in a week, the two were going to take a trip or something, together. That could be just the thing she needed...a vacation with her mom to help clear her head...I...just doubted that would fix everything. The only thing that would heal the internal scars that Shino's departure had left Asuna with...was time...that was the only thing that healed any of the grief and trauma that the survivors of SAO dealt with, regularly.
"Asuna, you look a little bit sadder than usual, today," I commented in concern as Asuna and I made our way towards my house.
Midori, Minetaka and Suguha were all home and cooking dinner, tonight, and they wanted me to invite Asuna over since they were aware she was going through a hard time. Asuna accepted my invitation during lunch at school, today, but I could tell that a part of her didn't want to go. It was just that Asuna had a tough time rejecting other people's kindness and she must have known that my family was trying their best to cheer her up. It was probably a good thing that she would be eating with my family and this was because she hadn't been eating well, again, lately. When she started hanging out with Shino, her appetite had returned but after her betrayal, Asuna's appetite disappeared just as quickly as it came back. The two of us had been walking home from school in silence which wasn't too uncommon, these days. It wasn't because the two of us weren't getting along. Asuna was just always lost in her own head, it seemed, no doubt thinking about how things ended with Shino. I didn't have to be a psychic to be able to tell that she was blaming herself for how things ended with Shino. As if Asuna wasn't hard enough on herself, before. It...just wasn't fair. I was confident that after the third round of the Bullet of Bullets, Asuna and I would be able to live normal lives...like normal high school kids, free from all of the life-or-death scenarios...free from all of the guilt...and free from all of the trauma...none of that had come true, though. Things weren't any different, now, and that pissed me off. Why...why couldn't we just be allowed to live simple and carefree lives? Were the two of us cursed? Were all of the SAO survivors cursed? Even after the bastard creator of SAO, Akihiko Kayaba, died, was he still finding a way to make our lives hell from the afterlife? I...just didn't understand...why Asuna and I weren't allowed to be happy...and, at this point, I wondered if we ever would be, fully, happy?
"Sorry, Kirito," apologized Asuna, realizing she hadn't said a word to me the entire time we had been walking to my house. "I keep getting lost in my thoughts, lately. That...isn't fair to you."
"No, I'm fine," I assured her. "It's you, I'm worried about. It's obvious that you're hiding...so much pain...and I can't blame you. It frustrates me so damn much that after all of the horrible things that you've already gone through, that—"
"Kirito, it's alright," finished Asuna, before I could. "Sinon...is Death Gun. That's a fact that I can't change. Although, I refuse to accept that the Sinon that I knew...the Sinon...that was like a sister to me...I refuse to accept that she was nothing more than a facade. Shino Asada...the girl that helped me in overcoming my trauma...the girl that I hung out with after school...the girl I introduced to you, Yui, my family and my friends...I know that she's real. Yet, there's no denying that Death Gun is real too. I've been thinking that, maybe, they're both real."
"Both real?" I asked, puzzled. "Do you mean...like...both of those personalities exist within Sinon...kind of like...uh...what's it called?"
"Split Personality Disorder," said Asuna, knowing the name of the mental health disorder that I was trying to remember. "I definitely think it's possible. I don't know if I'll ever see Sinon, again, at this point, but if I do, I'm still going to try and get my friend back, Kirito. I...hope you don't think that's stupid of me."
I smiled, earnestly.
"Not at all," I replied. "That's just the type of person you are, Asuna...you always see the best in people...even...people, who have demons...that's one of the many reasons I love you so much. Plus, I'm no stranger to having demons. I...have plenty that I deal with and you don't seem like you're giving up on me, anytime soon, thankfully."
"And I never will, Kirito, because no matter how many demons you have, I know that you'll, one day, vanquish all of them...because...that's the type of person you are."
I almost chuckled at how Asuna had just used my own words against me. I was happy to see that despite regressing a little in terms of her mental health since what happened with Shino, that Asuna, at her core, was still herself. There wasn't a doubt in my mind that she had her own demons as well. Hell, I was sure all of the SAO survivors did...perhaps, every single individual person had their own demons that they wrestled with. Of course, some of these demons were worse than others and in Shino's case, it was obvious that she was fighting the worst kind, within herself, but if Asuna wasn't planning on giving up on her, then I was determined to do everything that I could to help her get her friend back. Getting to see Asuna, smiling, again, while hanging out with Shino...that was the only reason I needed to feel this way.
*
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*
Asuna and I's walk to my house was actually a bit more talkative than usual. After we were finished talking about Shino, the two of us spoke about other things such as her vacation with her mom that was coming up, how Suguha was doing in school and a plethora of other topics. By the time we arrived at my home, both of our minds were cleared of any negative thoughts for the first time in so long...which should have been a sign...of the storm that was approaching. I walked up to the front door to my home and as I reached for the doorknob, my entire body froze, instantly, upon realizing that the door was already cracked open. There wasn't a single chance in hell that Suguha or her parents would leave the door open like this...in fact, they would usually get upset with me when I didn't lock it behind me when I entered which...meant...something was wrong...very...very...wrong.
"Kirito..."
Asuna's voice was quiet as she was staring at the same uneasy sight that I was. I took a deep breath and pushed the front door open, expecting the worst and, yet, what I saw looked like it came straight out of a nightmare. Minetaka, Midori and Suguha were all tied to the dining room chairs with duct tape covering their mouths. All three of them had dried tear marks on their faces, indicating that they had been crying. I gritted my teeth as I observed that both Minetaka and Midori had bruising covering their faces. No doubt, they attempted to protect Suguha from the monster that was looming behind them, holding a butcher's knife. I was so consumed with rage that I couldn't muster a single word so the monster, himself, spoke, first.
"Hahahaha, welcome home, Black Swordsman," Vassago greeted with malice. "I feel bad...but the party's already started without ya, buddy. Don't worry, though. Now, that you're here, the real fun can begin."
Author's Note: Hello, thank you so much for reading this week's chapter. After writing a decent amount of action-focused chapters, writing a slower paced one like this was a nice break, to be honest. Although, don't worry, because the pace will pick right back up, again, when the next chapter releases, next week. I look forward to doing my best to try to end Kirito and Vassago's conflict in a satisfying way, next week, and I hope you all end up enjoying it! I'll see you next week!