On the seventh floor of the arena, as the duel ended, the players in the stands also gathered around the two of them one after another.

"That's right! Kirito! Why did you suddenly want to duel with Yuki-san? It's not like you! ”

Looking at the young swordsman who was patting himself to get up from the ground, Klein, who was closest to the boy, put on a puzzled pose.

At the same time, he also asked the question that everyone present, including Yuki, wanted to know.

What did Heathcliff promise him that would make this not-so-blunt teenager so determined?

“……”

Knowing that it was time to come, Kirito's expression gradually became solemn, and his eyes continued to struggle with something.

"It's okay, you can tell them, Kirito."

“——！”

Looking in the direction of the sound, everyone noticed that a white-red figure was standing at the entrance.

"Commander...... Heathcliff......"

In a very complicated tone, Kirito gritted his teeth and drew his weapon again, pointing his sword at the man with a leisurely expression.

"Hey! What the hell are you going to do, Kirito! That's the head of your Order! The man who is known as the 'strongest'! ”

Pressing the sword in Kirito's hand in a panic, Klein anxiously dissuaded.

The others also came forward with worried faces, hoping that Kirito would calm down.

For those who don't know what happened, after hitting this and that, they will probably think that he is crazy.

The only one with a calm expression is Yuki, who guessed the 'truth'.

（…… I had been wondering if he was hiding somewhere to watch this duel, and sure enough, it was. ）

Since she will frustrate Kirito to challenge her, there is no reason to miss this competition.

"It's a good matchup, don't you think?"

Ignoring Kirito's hostility, he clapped his hands as if approving of them, and the man said in a calm voice.

“……”

As soon as these words came out, the atmosphere at the scene suddenly became weird.

Sensing the strange attitude of the other party, coupled with Kirito's stern posture, everyone is not stupid, and soon realizes the strangeness in it.

"Do you mean ......?"

Lanzi, who had been paying attention to Yuki, found that the girl was not surprised, and seemed to have guessed something, and shouted in surprise.

“…… Well...... It was this man who asked me to make a 'deathmatch' request to Yuki. ”

“——！”

With a deep voice coming out of his mouth, Kirito stared at the once trusted leader.

"It's not funny at all, Kirito."

The bald man's eyes widened, a little unacceptable.

"Yes! That's weird, right!? ”

With his hands spread, the down-and-out samurai also shouted in disbelief.

Not to mention that everyone is a member of the strategy group, even from the perspective of competition between guilds, there is no reason to take this way, right?

Even if you really want to compete, shouldn't the 'opponent' of the Blood Alliance also be the 'Army' or the 'Holy Dragon Alliance'?

"That's the truth, Achill, Klein."

With a heavy sigh, the young man who lowered his sword slightly continued to say even more unexpected news.

"But if I put it another way, you'll understand."

"Because this man named Heathcliff has another name."

After a pause to adjust his emotions, Kirito spat out the last sentence heavily.

“…… Akihiko Kayaba, that's his name! ”

“——！！！！！！”

A succession of major revelations plunged the scene into a deathly silence.

And looking at Heatscliffe's appearance of not being negative at all, is it true!?

The strongest player suddenly became the mastermind behind the scenes, and everyone fell silent by surprise.

……

"If this is true, why do you still agree to this request!?"

Just when everyone was buffering the news, Naoba on the side was the first to break the frozen atmosphere.

She didn't understand, since she had discovered the true face of this man, shouldn't she tell everyone?

"It's not that simple......"

Smiling bitterly at his sister, Kirito shook his head.

Not to mention that there is no conclusive evidence, and since Heathcliff took the initiative to reveal his identity to him, he must have made plans for the follow-up.

It turned out that he did put forward a condition that Kirito couldn't refuse.

That's what the man said that day.

['Before the end of the duel, don't reveal my true identity, don't reply to anyone's communications, and if you win, I will give you the right to challenge me once later, even if the game strategy is over.'] The challenge fails, and the game continues. ’】

[But if you lose, I will take back the 'Second Knife Stream' given to you, and then go directly back to the hundredth floor to wait for your arrival.] ’】

“…… That's why I agreed to this condition. ”

After quietly telling the content of the conversation that day, everyone understood the reason for Kirito's abnormality this time.

It's not that he didn't think about directly challenging Heathcliff, but if the opponent doesn't lift the 'immortal decision', he won't even have a chance to win.

And if even Yuki can't win, even if he goes to Heathcliff, the result won't change.

"That's right, so according to the agreement, Kirito, I will disarm your 'Second Knife Stream' skill."

"Hmm——!"

After waiting for Kirito to finish speaking, Heathcliff also made a judgment with a blank face.

"Wait! Akihiko Kayaba! Or do you prefer the name Heatscliffe? ”

Just as he was about to make a move, Yuki finally stopped being silent.

Since there is this opportunity, there is no need to follow his original script.

“…… Oh, whatever you like, I look forward to the day when you arrive in front of me. ”

Eyebrows twitched slightly, and Heathcliff gave Yuki a deep look.

"After watching the battle just now, do you really think it's necessary to continue the game?"

"......"

Stopping the movement of his hand, the man's expression finally changed to Yuki's words.

Of course, he noticed the strange change at the end of the battle, but he didn't have time to analyze it yet.

At the beginning of the game, he noticed that Yuki was unusual, and after that, the two sides seemed to maintain a subtle tacit understanding.

For Heathcliff, as long as the game continues, Yuki's 'bugs' are still tolerated.

It's just that the previous 'movement' was too big, so he had to change his approach and appear early.

“…… Well, for the winner of the duel, there really should be a reward. ”

After a brief silence, the man burst out laughing.

"Then let's do it, tomorrow, I will stay in the boss room on the seventy-fifth floor and wait for your challenge, as long as you can successfully defeat me, even if the game ends early."

With an unpredictable smile, Heathcliff, who had left these words, disappeared into the diversioned aperture.