Kratos looked at the emblem on the player's arm as he immediately recognized it.
Kratos saw the emblem and his anger started rising.
???: Do you not understand my question?
Kratos: No. What do you mean by "the real thing"?
???: That's fine. But whether your're a fake using his name or the real one... Someday, I'll kill you.
The player then walked away and exited the room.
Kratos then sat in a table as he started shaking with an angered expression.
Kratos: *thoughts* Laughing Coffin... That emblem belonged to the SAO murderers', Laughing Coffin. Many players were killed by them. They killed Koharu...!
He then closed his eyes as a memory came to mind.
*Flashback*
In SAO, the lead group where heading to the Laughing Coffin HQ and after a few moments a leader of the Holy Dragon Allegiance stopped and looked at the group.
HDA leader: We're almost to the Laughing Coffin HQ that was in the report. I'll go over this once more before we attack. They are red players! Once the battle starts, they will think nothing of killing us. So we can't hesitate, either. If we do, they'll kill us. But we, in the lead group, have more people and higher levels than they. They may actually surrender without fighting.
Some of the group started laughing and Kratos turned around as multiple cloaked players jumping at them, and the battle started.
Kratos blocked an attack with his blades before kicking the player away from him. He then threw one of the blades at him as it stabbed on it chest and swung it upwards before slamming them to the ground in front of him and stabbed them in the head with the other blade before it died.
Another cloaked player charged at him with a sword but Kratos easily dodged the attack before kicking him to the ground and stomped his foot on their head until they died.
He then saw three players telling a red player to surrender.
Kratos: Fools!
The red player charged at them and was able to kill the three of them.
Kratos was about to charge at him but another red player with an axe swung their weapon but Kratos parried it before grabbing them and stabbing them multiple times and killed it.
He then saw the player that killed the three others charged at Kirito, who was barely able to block the attack. Kratos jumped at the red player before stabbing one of the blades on his stomach before decapitating him with the other.
Present Kratos: *narrator* The rest of the fight was a bloody hell. In the fight, we lost more than ten people. At least twenty Laughing Coffin members let themselves be destroyed rather than surrender. I do not even know how many I killed that day.
*Flashback end*
Kratos: *thoughts* If he's a surviving member of LC, he may have spoken to me at some point after the battle.
He then thought of the recording of Death Gun's that Kikuoka had sent him.
Kratos: *thoughts* The voice is the same. He is Death Gun?
He began getting even angrier as he saw the red bar filling again. He then took deep breaths and started to calm down as the bar depleted again.
He then felt a hand on his shoulder as he looked it was Sinon.
Sinon: You're a mess.
Kratos: I am fine.
Sinon: Was the fight that close? If so, you made it back pretty early.
Kratos didn't say anything as he looked down.
Sinon: If your first fight already has you like that, you'll never make it to the finals. Get a grip on yourself. You owe me.
She was about to leave but Kratos held her hand.
Sinon: Hey-
She then looked at him as he saw he seemed disturbed.
Sinon: What's wrong?
Kratos: I do not want to be that person anymore...
Sinon: What happened...?
Before Kratos could answer, he was teleported to his next fight.
Kratos then appeared in the battlefield as he stood still and multiple bullets passed beside him and one of them grazed his cheek.
He started to breath heavily as the red bar filled up again.
His eyes turned red before he roared and charged at his opponent barehanded.
*Time skip*
Sinon was in the lobby as she was watching Kratos' fourth fight and noticed he had switched to a more aggressive style. She then saw Kratos charge at his opponent with the Blades of Chaos before he stabbed his opponent in the chest before decapitating them.
Spiegel: He keeps fighting like that and winning. His next fight is the semifinals. Sinon, yours is too, right? Good luck.
But Sinon kept looking at the screen as she was shocked at how Kratos was fighting.
*Time skip*
Sinon was at the top of a building as she was aiming at the streets with her sniper.
Sinon: *thoughts* My opponent, Stinger, uses an FN SCAR carbine rifle as his main weapon. Since I'm a sniper, if he gets close to me, I'll have no chance. But on this map, if he wants to get in close, he has to pass through there. I'll finish him then.
She then looked at her hand as she was reminded of Kratos.
Sinon: *thoughts* It's his fault...
She then saw movement in the street as she fired, but there was no one there. She then saw a car come out of the street.
Sinon: *thoughts* He wanted me to make me waste my first shot, and to use that time to get close?
She then followed the car with her aim.
Sinon: But I can still see the first bullet's path. My second shot will be even more accurate.
She fired again as it hit through the window of the car and she then saw the car crash into a building before it exploded.
Sinon: If he'd gotten out of the car, he might be able to see the prediction line in time to dodge it.
But a congratulations message then appeared in front of her before being teleported.
She then appeared in a black space as she saw her next opponent was Kratos.
She was then teleported to a ruined highway.
She got inside a bus before positioning herself there.
Sinon: *thoughts* He'll move through the shadows to find me... My only chance is my first shot, when he won't know my location. I'll hit him, no matter what.
She aimed through the highway.
Sinon: *thoughts* Why do I want to beat him so much?
She then thought about when he saw him disturbed.
Sinon: *thoughts* Because he's like me?
She shook her head before she saw movement and concentrated.
She zoomed in her scope as she saw Kratos walking straight.
Sinon: Does he think he can dodge my bullet whenever he wants?
She continued looking at him as he kept walking straight.
Sinon: *thoughts* He isn't interested in dodging it?
She then saw her circle quickly getting bigger and smaller.
Sinon: *thoughts* Screw...
The circle then increased the speed before she yelled.
Sinon: S-Screw you!
She fired as the bullet passed beside Kratos and exploded a car behind him, but did not flinch.
Sinon looked frustrated before firing a couple of shots but Kratos did not move.
She fired again as the bullets kept missing.
She then saw Kratos taking a deep breath. She stood up before getting out of the bus and ran in front of him.
Sinon: Why? Does a fight with me not matter? Is that it?
Kratos: My goal is to make it to the main tournament tomorrow. I do not wish to fight you the way I've been doing it.
Sinon: Then shoot yourself with that gun! Did you not want to spend the cost of a bullet? Or did you think if you let me hit you, I'd be satisfied? "This is just a single match, in a virtual videogame." I know that's what you think!
She then started to tear up before as she looked at Kratos even more annoyed.
Sinon: But don't assume I think the same way!
Kratos looked at Sinon as he remembered what she told him when they joined the tournament.
Sinon: *Kratos' mind* But if I do see you in the finals, even if it's a qualifier... I won't go easy on you.
Kratos: I... apologize. I was wrong. It's only a game. It's only a single match. But that's why we need to fight as hard as we can. Otherwise, we don't have the right, or reason, to live in this world. I thought I knew that, I was clearly wrong.
He then looked at her.
Kratos: Sinon, let me make it up to you. Fight me once more.
Sinon: Right now?
He then grabbed his revolver as Sinon aimed her sniper at him. He simply opened the cylinder before grabbing a bullet from it and holstered the revolver.
Kratos: You still have bullets, don't you?
Sinon: Yes, just one.
Kratos: Then let's do a duel. We'll move ten meters away, and you'll ready your sniper and me my blade. I'll throw this bullet, and once it hits the ground, the match begins. Does that work for you?
Sinon: Listen... At a mere ten meters, your prediction line assist won't help you at all. And a shot from this Hecate will hit you for sure. At this range, it has a one hundred-percent hit rate.
Kratos: We will not know until we try.
Sinon: *thoughts* Does he have some kind of plan? If so... what is it? I want to see it, no matter what!
Sinon: All right. We can finish things this way.
Kratos walked back ten meters before looking at Sinon as she aimed her rifle at him.
Sinon aimed at Kratos as she saw he looked confident.
Sinon: *thoughts* I knew it. He has some plan.
Kratos: Okay, here I go.
He then threw the bullet up and grabbing his sword and activate it before getting in a stance and the two stared at each other.
The bullet hit the ground as Sinon fired the shot and Kratos quickly swung the sword before the bullet was split in two.
Sinon: *thoughts* What?! That's impossible!
She tried to grab her handgun but Kratos was already charging at her as she took a step back and was about to fall but Kratos grabbed her and held the blade next to her neck.
Sinon: I was aiming for your left leg... How could you predict where I was firing?
Kratos: I saw your eyes on the other side of the scope.
Sinon: *thoughts* He predicted the bullet's path on his own? He's strong. That strength goes beyond a virtual game!
Sinon: If you're that strong, what are you so afraid of?
Kratos: This isn't strength. It's only skill.
Sinon: You're lying... You're lying. Technique isn't enough to cut through a bullet from the Hecate. You must know that. How can I become strong like that? I... I'm trying to learn that.
Kratos: If that bullet could also kill a player in the real world... And if you didn't shoot them, you or someone you love would be killed... Could you still pull the trigger?
Sinon: *thoughts* Does he know about my past? About what happened? No... Maybe he, too...
Kratos then held her close before deactivating the sword.
Kratos: If I am to protect those I care for, I would. But I am not strong, simply... angry. I do not even know who I've killed. I simply want to close my eyes and forget all of that... To forget who I was...
Sinon dropped her handgun before she placed her hand on his face. He simply took a deep breath before looking at her.
Kratos: Well... I suppose I won the duel, right?
Sinon: Ah, um...
Kratos: Do you mind surrendering? I do not want to kill you.
Sinon then looked how Kratos was holding her before she got off from his arm.
Sinon: Next time, I won't lose!
She said while looking at him annoyed and blushing.
Sinon: Tomorrow, keep going until you find me!
Sinon then turned around from him before resigning.
Back at the lobby everyone saw the match and behind the crowd, the masked player was watching the screen.