56th floor of Al Ayn Grande.

Pani.

The headquarters of the Wings of Liberty Guild.

"What to do...... Makino...... Things are going to end badly......"

"Relax, the sky can't fall, let's drink some tea first."

Asuna held the black tea that Makino helped make, and her face regained some blood, but she was still very anxious.

The duel invitation that Captain Heathcliff asked her to convey was not of a fiduciary nature, but it had a strong quid pro quo - if Makino wanted to maintain a relationship with her, he had to accept this duel invitation!

[What are these?] ]

[Could it be that she is the deputy head of the Blood Alliance Knights, and she doesn't even have the freedom to fall in love?] ]

Even though she is the deputy head of the Blood Alliance Knights and Makino is the leader of the Freedom Wings, the relationship between the two guilds is not as harmonious as expected.

But.

Because of this inexplicable reason, he had to coerce Makino into a duel with the head of the regiment, which still made Asuna very uncomfortable.

She felt that since the Knights of the Blood Alliance had expanded dramatically, the Knights of the Blood Alliance was really no longer the guild it was when it was first created.

Asuna knew that the most fundamental reason why this matter had developed to this point might be that she took the opportunity to dismiss Kratir under the run of Makino.

Although, the head of Heatscliff has already ordered Kratir to be suspended for reflection.

But again...... It depends on the owner to beat the dog!

Kladir, the head of Heathcliff can be dismissed and punished, but Makino cannot interfere.

Because, all this is the internal affairs of the Blood Alliance Knights.

Asuna said apologetically, "Makino, I've tried so hard to convince him that there's no point in doing this...... But he just wouldn't listen to ...... anyway."

The king does not see the king, this principle is a universal principle in ancient and modern China and abroad.

Because the king cannot lose under any circumstances.

Once the king loses, there will be no way back.

Wings of Liberty can no longer compete with the Knights of the Blood Alliance!

In the past year, Asuna has wanted to defeat Makino and defeat Wings of Freedom more than once.

But definitely not by such forced means!

Although Asuna has a lot of confidence in Makino, especially after learning the news of [Musou Sword], her confidence has doubled.

Even though she is called "Flash", Asuna still feels that Makino and she are not in the same dimension as powerful.

But.

The head of the Blood Alliance Knights, Heathcliff, is even more mysterious, and no one even knows how strong he really is.

Don't look at Makino has a lot of titles, in fact, Heatscliff is not inferior in this regard.

In some ways, it's just a little more.

Heathcliff is truly mysterious!

Titles such as "The Strongest Man", "Living Legend", "Paladin", etc., are all basic operations.

Captain Heatscliff uses a pair of swords and shields in the shape of a cross, attacking and defending with ease.

Nowadays, whether it is the Knights of the Blood Alliance in SAO, or ordinary players, as long as they use a combination of swords and shields, they are basically influenced by Heathcliff.

As you can imagine, the influence of Heathcliff.

As for the defense it has, it's even more perverted - so far no one has seen his HP stuck in the yellow zone.

During the battle of the 50th Floor Boss Raid, which had many casualties, he alone held out the battle line that was almost collapsing for ten minutes, and this anecdote is still talked about today.

[No weapon can penetrate Hitzcliff's shield.] ]

This is even regarded as an iron law by many players in Ayn Grant, just like many players in the Freedom Wings Guild believe that President Makino is their last "blood-locking god costume".

It's nothing short of a miracle!

Asuna is really worried about Makino!

She even felt that the head of the regiment took the opportunity to make an appointment with Muye at this time, which was suspected of blackmailing people, and she did a very unscrupulous job.

It even broke the consistent impression of Heathcliff in Asuna's heart!

Seeing Asuna's anxious appearance, Makino suddenly smiled.

Asuna didn't understand what was going on, but Makino certainly did.

It must have been Heathcliff who had finally confirmed that Makino had obtained the special sword skill of [Musou Sword], and he felt that his "pig" was almost fattened, and it was worth his weight.

However, if Heatscliffe thought that he could defeat Makino like this, then he would think too much.

For this decisive battle, Makino himself is actually looking forward to it.

"Asuna, don't worry, I'm the first swordsman of SAO!"

Seeing Makino's confident expression, Asuna couldn't help but be deeply infected, but she still couldn't hide the uneasiness in her heart.

"Makino, listen to me, this time the head of the regiment is acting very strangely!"

"Weird?"

"That's right! The head of the regiment usually doesn't talk about guild activities, and even the matter of floor strategy is handled by us, he has never issued an order at all, but I don't know why he ...... this time."

The more Asuna spoke, the more she felt wrong.

There is no doubt that Heathcliff, the leader of the Blood Alliance Knights, has a super high prestige in the Blood Alliance Knights.

Don't say that Asuna didn't think about seizing power, and even if she really thought about it, she would never be able to do it.

Although, Asuna, the deputy leader, is the actual person in charge and executor of various things in the Blood Alliance Knights.

However, within the Knights of the Blood Alliance, Heathcliff's charisma was almost overwhelming.

With this, he also firmly grasped the hearts of the Blood Alliance Knights, and even most of the players in the Raiders group.

Surprisingly, he never gave instructions or orders.

Even in large-scale battles such as boss battles and boss raid battles, he didn't say a word, just silently supported the battle.

But even so, it still makes everyone admire.

In a sense, Heathcliff and Makino are strikingly similar.

All of them are extremely powerful, and they rarely make a move, and they are all the guild's Dinghai Shen Needle......

This is the kind of man who will object to Asuna's application this time, and insist on asking for a showdown with Makino, even ignoring interfering with personal privacy and freedom.

It's not normal to look at it or think about it!

Seeing Asuna's frowning appearance, Makino couldn't help but feel a little moved, and even a little guilty.

Asuna has no reservations about him, but many of his secrets can't be told to Asuna now.

In order to reassure Asuna, Makino spoke, "It's just a duel, no matter how bad it is, it won't be bad." As for the first guild or something, I didn't really pay much attention to it. ”

Seeing that Makino had already made a decision, Asuna was a little uneasy, but that was the way things could be.

"Hmm...... I'm sorry for the trouble I keep causing you......"

"Do you need to say such a thing as causing trouble at this time? Asuna! ”

Makino had a look of dissatisfaction on his face.

Asuna understood, the worry on her face vanished, replaced by a smile.

Asuna's smile was beautiful, and Makino's mood couldn't help but brighten.

There is one point, Makino is not lying.

This showdown with Heathcliff, Makino is also looking forward to it!

Because, Heathcliff, or Akihiko Kayaba, may be the most difficult "big question" in Makino's exam.

But.

When it came time to do the most difficult problem, Makino actually had some gains and losses.

Because, if this exam is ended like this, Makino is really reluctant.

Because, the beautiful life of him and Asuna has just begun!

No matter what, the wheel of history will roll forward.

......

News of Makino's decisive battle with Heatscliff soon spread throughout Ayn Grant.

The influence of this point even surpasses that of Johnny Black, the cadre of Makino's three swords that slashed the smiling coffin.

For this battle, the players throughout SAO have been looking forward to it for too long.

Whether Makino, the leader of the Wings of Freedom, is stronger, or Heathcliff, the leader of the Blood Alliance Knights, is better, this has long been a national topic since the day the two guilds competed with each other.

This time, it's just a result of the final fermentation of this topic.

The whole SAO is all completely boiling!

The news that Makino and Heathcliff were going to duel was even more spread and loud.

Of course.

One of the gossips that has to be mentioned is that the duel between Makino and Heathcliff is that they are both red faces (Asuna).

Even Makino doesn't know how this gossip got out!

However, by the time Makino learned of the news, the entire SAO had already spread.

Even if Makino and Asuna jointly refute the rumors, it has no effect.

On the contrary, the members of the Wings of Liberty and the Knights of the Blood Alliance are all like they have been beaten with blood.

Another significant effect is the boom in the gaming industry in SAO.

The topic of who is stronger between Makino and Heathcliff has become the biggest gamble in the history of SAO.

Although there is not much difference between the two in terms of odds, it can still be seen that Makino and Heathcliff have a difference in influence.

Heathcliffe gains more from high-level players, especially the influence in the Raiders group.

Makino's influence, on the other hand, is mainly based on middle- and lower-class players.

As for the strategy group, there are still some differences between Makino and Heathcliff.

Of course, these differences are extremely subtle.

......

The duel between Makino and Heathcliff was finally chosen in the arena on the 70th floor.

It is said to be an arena, but if you look at the image alone, it is more like an ancient Roman Colosseum.

However, the design of the Colosseum is very suitable for spectators.

By the time Makino and Wings of Liberty arrived at the arena, the arena was already crowded, and the auditorium was filled with players from all floors.

In terms of scale, it is even about to catch up with the Mid-Autumn Festival Gala a few days ago, so you can imagine how much many players are looking forward to this battle.

"The people of the Wings of Liberty are here!"

I don't know who shouted, and the whole arena was in a complete uproar.

"Makino!"

"Makino!"

"Makino!"

The sound of shouting resounded in the sky.

Don't say it's someone else, even Makino is a little excited.

As for the rest of the Freedom Wings Guild, they were all more enthusiastic.

Each of them knew that President Makino was very influential, but this situation was still a little beyond everyone's imagination.

Of course, Makino has a large number of supporters, and Heathcliff is no exception.

When Makino's supporters chanted the name of "Makino", Heathcliff's supporters also exerted their strength, and the voices of support for Heathcliff's victory also penetrated the sky.

What's even more incredible is that these two voices come and go, and even more vigorously.

This made countless melon-eating people dumbfounded!

They knew that both Makino and Heathcliff were very popular, but they didn't expect that their popularity would reach such a high level.

The duel between characters like Makino and Heathcliff, especially with so many viewers coming, even if the two parties want to be simple, it can't be simple.

As a result, various procedures have become more and more complex and formalized.

Perhaps in order to prevent accidents in the duel, or even possible interference, the people of the Freedom Wings Guild were first guided into the audience.

Makino, on the other hand, was led by the service staff to a preparation room, a small room facing the arena.

Although the room is small, it is well equipped with all kinds of facilities.

Of course, the main thing is that here, Makino wants to enter the arena, which is very convenient.

Outside the room, cheers rang out one after another.

However, nothing can affect Makino's state of mind.

Silently wiping the dark holy sword in his hand, Mu Ye's heart became more and more peaceful.

At this time, Makino unexpectedly received a communication from Asuna.

"Even if it's a one-hit victory, it's still dangerous to take a heavy blow head-on. In particular, there are still many unknowns about the sword skills of the regiment commander, and he surrenders immediately as soon as he feels that something is wrong, you know? ”

Makino smiled, didn't think about it, and replied directly, "You're still worried about Heathcliff." ”

Here, we have to mention the duel mechanic in SAO.

Because SAO has become a game of death, the act of initiating PK without authorization is generally absolutely prohibited.

However, where there are people, there are rivers and lakes, and it is absolutely forbidden to initiate PK, which is impossible.

Therefore, PK can also be carried out in SAO, but there are some limitations.

The first is geographical limitations.

In the circle, players are not allowed to commit any crimes, and it is a safe area.

Outside the circle, if players PK without permission, the player who attacks first will be given the attributes of the offender, and the color buoy will turn orange and will not be able to enter the circle.

However, if it is a duel, then it can be fought both inside and outside the circle.

And the key to the duel is - both sides agree!

Once both parties agree, the attacker will not be orange.

Of course, as long as it's a rule, there's a loophole.

This loophole is the murder method commonly used by criminal guilds - sleep PK.

The so-called "sleep PK killing method" is a method that uses the complete win-loss model to achieve the purpose of killing.

While the target player is asleep, the prisoner takes the opportunity to call him a one-on-one duel, and taps the player's finger to the consent button in his application window.

In this way, you can successfully kill people without risking being labeled as a criminal player, and most of the killing methods in the circle are also this method.

However, once this method was discovered, players became wary.

Although players who know that their HP will die when they reach zero will not easily agree to a duel, SAO's duel is also designed to be in two modes.

One is the normal state of the full win-loss mode, and the other is the one-hit win-loss mode.

In Perfect Win mode, whoever first reduces someone else's HP to 0 wins, while in One-Hit Win mode whoever first reduces someone else's HP to 50% wins.

Originally, there was no difference between the two, but after SAO became a game of death, the perfect win-lose mode was absolutely banned.

But.

Even if it is a one-hit win-loss mode, it is not completely free of the risk of death.

Duels in One-Hit Win mode end when one of the dueling players has less than 50% HP.

In circles, when a window indicating the outcome of a duel appears, the player's continued attacks are blocked by the system's protection and nullified.

This may sound like a safe bet, but if a player has 2000 HP and takes an attack that is enough to deal 1000 damage when they are left 50%, the HP will immediately drop to 0.

Even in a duel, once the HP becomes 0, the player will still die.

On the other hand, the attacker, since it is an attack in duel mode, even if the player is killed, it will not become orange.

This mode has been used by orange players and even orange guilds, which has killed many players, and it once made people panic.

To sum up, the one-hit win-lose mode is also a mode with huge risks, and if it weren't for the unsolvable hatred, players would still maintain restraint and would not initiate PK without authorization.

In other words, this duel between Makino and Heathcliff is a possibility of death.

Even if one of them is killed, there is no need to be responsible!

This is one of the important reasons why players are so fanatical, the battle between Makino and Heathcliff is, in a way, a deathmatch signed "life and death".

This is also the reason why Asuna still told her a thousand times before the decisive battle! (Recommended reading: Reading Files 2013)