Despite the seven casualties, we were ecstatic to the successful completion of the boss battle, and the screams were incessant. At Origin, there were ten players, but they weren't monsters. When everyone was scared, we called out the names of the entities that took the lives of 10 players.

"[Smile Coffin Wood Lufen Coffin]!!"

"Smiling Coffin Wood Lapin Coffin". This Ayn Grant suddenly appeared with a terrifying murderous guild made up of only red players.

Almost all of them wear black cloaks, robber-like objects, and use murderous weapons designed to inflict anomalies, a group of madmen who are said to be more terrible than monsters and take pleasure in committing crimes with all their might. Crime and violence, and prioritize targeting players.

"Poof!!"

And the leader in front of him is a tall man, dressed in a tattered black poncho, black pants, brandishing a dagger that looks like a Chinese knife, his name is Vashak Casals Pooh.

Skillfully kidnapping, kidnapping, and brainwashing all kinds of players to make them feel pleasure in crimes such as murder and robbery, and genius abilities make them red players, fighting villains who specialize in killing people and have abilities.

In fact, he would have been subjected to heinous punishment, and if caught, he would surely face the death penalty. Like his entourage, Zaza, the skull-masked Estok user, and Johnny Black, the poison dagger user, also stood nearby with a smirk. Like Vashak Casals, they are also Red Players.

"Hello everyone, everyone in the arrest team, how are you doing?"

"Vašak Casals provoked me with a mixture of words in English." Those who were exhausted after the boss battle immediately trembled and rearmed their weapons, but due to the fatigue of the boss fight, they were no longer able to hold their weapons as forcefully as usual. Of these, however, only Asuna and Diabel were less tired, and they raised their swords and one-handed swords, pointing at Johnny and Zaza.

"What the hell are you here for!?"

"It's all come to this, do you still want to kill me!?"

It was Vashak Casals who answered Diabel and Asuna's questions, not Johnny and Zaza.

"We're enjoying the world, so if you guys come here, we'll be desperate to want to end it. If we leave you alone, the world will really be over. "That's why it's so cumbersome for us.

"Indeed, our cleanup team continues to climb this castle in order to free all players from this world and return to their original reality." But among them, there are people like us who see the world as another real world, not a game, and live it to the fullest and enjoy it. People enjoy, rejoice, and live as if they were in reality.

"But Vashak Casals is very different." They say they like the world, but they don't like it, they just love criminal activity. They don't think that the life of this world is their life, they calmly commit murder, crime, and cruel crimes, saying that this is what happened in the game and that if the player dies, it is the fault of Akihiko Kayaba.

"So you want us dead?"

"That's right"

Johnny answered my question and raised his poison dagger. It can be said that they are characterized by never lying about their actions. That's why they really want to kill us. What's more, they came here cunningly and killed 10 people by surprise while our attack group was exhausted.

At the beginning of the boss fight, there were 50 players, but 7 were lost in the previous battle, and 10 were lost due to a surprise attack, leaving 33 players. On the other hand, the number of players in the "Smile Coffin" is about 15 people, including executives, but almost all of the people in the "Smile Coffin" are at a strangely high level in order to be able to carry out the crime smoothly.

- It's like fighting 15 monsters at level 70, and they feel the thrill of brutality more than the monsters around them, and they are more intelligent, and their weapon handling is also expert.

The power of the "Coffin of the Smile" is so powerful that I want to wonder why such a group is not a capture group. Even if you play against 33 people, you will be overwhelmed by 15 people due to the difference in ability and combat ability. What's more, the people who show in the boss battle will be opponents, so they can't win.

Sensing that Shino, Diabel, Asuna, Klein, Yuki, and Lilan were nearby, I noticed that the capture team had gathered near the exit of the boss room. Until Vashak Casals tells them, they probably won't attack the player.

"Because they're orange players, they can't get into towns within range." And at the end of the stairs at the exit of this boss room is the 61st floor of the city, which is within range. The possible means are——。

At the same time as Vashak Casals, I spoke after summarizing the strategy in my mind.

"yes, let's stop attacking calmly, it's time to perform!!"

"Everyone, withdraw!! Run to the city within the range! They can't get in! ”

As soon as Vashak Casals gave the order, the madman's retinue immediately raised their mouths, raised their weapons, and rushed towards us, the prey. While at the same time as Vashak Casals, my instructions were passed on to all 33 members of the cleanup team, and I ran up the stairs of the boss's room to dodge the attacking predators.

Of course, we were among them, and we ran up the stairs with the guild leaders and friends. The staircase connecting the upper and lower floors usually feels short, but now it feels long, presumably because of the crazy red players chasing after it.

As I ran and shouted "Hurry up, hurry up, hurry" over and over again, I heard a scream coming from behind me, and I involuntarily turned around, running down my spine.

The three players of the Holy Dragon Alliance and the Knights of the Blood Oath were chased by the madmen, probably because their AGI did not increase much, they did not run fast, and their bodies were cut into polygonal pieces. It is. Now the death toll has reached 20 people, but this number is 7 killed by monsters and 13 killed by madmen.

Seeing that the same player killed more people than monsters killed made my heart tremble with anger and fear.

"Agu!!"

I heard familiar sounds, and the sound of someone falling nearby, so I looked around.

- Shino's appearance cannot be confirmed.

\"Shino!? \"

"When I turned around, I realized." A few meters away from us, I saw Shino lying down, probably from a trip on the stairs and falling.

Looking behind them, you can see the madmen of the "Smiling Coffin" wielding their weapons like beasts approaching their prey, and in an instant, Shino closes the distance. Soon, the madmen catch up with Shino and begin to aim for the poor prey.

\"Shina————!! \"

I immediately kicked off the stairs and jumped between Shino and the madmen. By this time, the madmen's eyes had widened, and they raised their weapons, preparing to slash at Shino. Before the blade reached Shino and me, I unleashed my sword technique, swinging my two-handed sword at the human-like beast.

"me!!"

"Finish the Revolver", two long-range sword skills, swing two swords to send a shockwave around, and destroy the surrounding enemies.

At the same time as the sound of an explosion sounded, Shino and the madmen who were about to attack me were also hit by the shockwave, and their bodies were lifted into the air and flew to the bottom of the stairs. There are also madmen who don't improve much when they charge, and they can't cope with the corpses of their friends who suddenly fly, and most of the madmen are directly hit by their comrades and fall to the ground.

When I saw him roll down the stairs like dominoes, I turned my body to Shino, who was lying down.

\"Kirito! \"

Hearing this voice, I realized that Shino was still alive, and I immediately put my sword into the sheath, picked up Shino's body like a princess, and ran up the stairs. The others had already arrived at the entrance to the city, and near the entrance, Diabel, Asuna, and Yuki were waving, while Lilan was waiting for us as they prepared.

"Hurry up! Kirito! \"

As if answering Klein's voice, I ran up the stairs and came to the five. I jumped into the 61st-story city that orange and red players couldn't enter.

It's been a long time since I've been working out in full force, and not far from the castle entrance, I saw the players who fought the boss with us sitting like players who had finished a marathon. Over time, I became one of them.

I don't know when the last time I ran so fast, or rather, because I ran so hard, I lost all my strength and sat down with Shino in my arms, but in the end Asuna shouted at me.

\"Kirito-kun, are you alright? \"

"Oh, somehow. Is Shino okay? \"

Shiina, who buried her face in my chest, hugged me with both hands, and replied in a low voice.

\"From the moment I fell and their swords flew at me, you, Yui, Lilan, your mother, and Teacher Alice's faces filled my mind\"

Unconsciously getting smaller, Lilan made a "sound" to Shino, who was about to cry at any moment.

\"That's neither Kirito, nor Yui, nor me, nor your mother, nor Alice. - Death. But it seems that they couldn't take Shino away. \"

Shino clutched my chest hard. As I gently stroked his trembling head, his strength softened little by little. As he spoke, Klein leaked this sentence with a look of despair.

"How many people died in the battle just now?"

"Part of what I just said was my thoughts."

"Twenty people died in the battle just now, seven of them were attacked by kobold lords, and the remaining thirteen were all killed by the 'Smiling Coffin Ravkov'."

Not only Diabel, Asuna, Yuki, Lilan, and Klein, who were close to me, but even the twenty-five people who were listening to the story showed expressions of surprise and despair and whispered.

"It's impossible, it's impossible for the red player to kill more people than the number of monsters killed!"

Diabel gritted his teeth and threw himself into the pebbles with all his strength, then expressed his anger.

"Oops, awful! It's not time for players to fight yet, but why, why is such a thing happening!! ”

"They enjoy the world by mistake. This world is no different from the real world. If people die, they will die in the real world. But they still feel like they're playing a game, saying they killed someone. I think it's okay even if the player dies, they say it's okay to blame Akihiko Kayaba, the guy who locked us in the game."

Araki was in gym class, and I sat down, trembling and muttering.

"If you die in this world, you will die in real life, then why are you doing it here is not as safe as ALo, why, why, why"

"SAo is a game that dies when the game ends." The news reported that although this is something that is known to the players who have been locked up, there are still red players who willingly kill players and take pleasure in killing them. Asuna put her hand on Yuki's shoulder, and Yuki shook her head in disbelief.

"Their existence is not to be forgiven. The time has come for the commander to carry out covert operations. ”

Lilanne turned her face to Asuna.

"Heathcliff? A top-secret operation he is planning

"Yes, that's right, Rylang."

Asuna placed her hand on Yuki and turned her face to Diabel.

"Mr. Diabel, I have something I would like to ask the leader of the Holy Dragon Alliance for your help. Can you accompany me to the headquarters of the Knights of the Blood Oath? \"

Diabel and Klein's eyes widened.

"I'm fine, but what's wrong?"

"What are you going to do at this time?"

Asuna said to the two of them with a serious face.

\" It is possible to ask the "them" hidden here. I'll discuss the details at the Knights of the Blood Oath headquarters, so please stop by the headquarters anyway. \"

The 'they' that appear in Asuna's story probably refer to the 'smiling coffin' just now. In the "Coffin of Smiles", there are those who have completed the karma recovery task and become green players, and they are all hiding within the range, and they must not let their guard down. Diabelu and Klein seemed to realize this, their faces changed, and they stood up.

"Alright, Miss Asuna. Although it was my first time meeting Commander Heathcliff, I had to make a trip to Headquarters. \"

"I'll let you do that too."

Asuna bowed her head slightly to Diabel and Klein and stood up, but then turned her face to us.

"I'll contact Kirito-kun, Shiina, and Lilan later. Please rest well. There's definitely going to be a fierce battle ahead\"

Hearing Asuna's words, I felt like I already knew what was going to happen next. The "Coffin of the Smile" is not a perfect monster, but a wall that blocks the capture team, and if not done well, it is an existence that will ruin the capture team. Being chased by this kind of thing is not good for mental health, and most importantly, it is too dangerous. Asuna, no, Heathcliff

"Also, do you mean Yuki? I want you to come to our house too. \"

Araki turned his face to Asuna in surprise.

"Uh, me?"

"yes, judging by the way you fought just now, I know you're a very talented person. I want you to come with us, looking forward to your ability, but I don't know if it will be bad. ”

Yuki's expression was a little uneasy, and after a while, he raised his head and nodded to Asuna.

"Okay. If there's anything I can do, I'll follow you. ”

Asuna said "thank you" and lowered her head slightly, while Yuki stood up and stood beside Asuna.

"Then Kirito-san, I'll contact you tomorrow or so. Don't miss the news? \"

"Don't worry, the message will be notified immediately. I don't know what they're going to say, but we'll be ready anyway. ”

Asuna said "please," and Diabel and Klein ordered the people around them to return to their respective headquarters to rest. Asuna then takes Diabel, Klein, Yuki, and all the Knights of the Blood Oath to the portal. I stared at her back, and it didn't take long for Shiina, who had buried her face in my chest, to open her mouth.

"Kirito"

"What"

"Thank you for your help"

"Of course, you are my baby, even if something happens tomorrow and we have to fight, I will protect you first."

Shino didn't speak, but nodded. Immediately afterward, Lilanne let out a "voice" with a somewhat uneasy expression.

''I'm getting more and more distraught. I have a hunch that something bad is going to happen tomorrow. ”

"Do you feel a hint of uneasiness in your heart?"

"I'm sorry. Even I had a bad feeling and anxiety in my heart. But what is it? Tomorrow I don't want to fight, that's how I feel. \"

Lilan's words were a little strange, and I tilted my head. Lilan's personality is unexpectedly belligerent, and when we tell him that a fight is coming, he follows us and fights alongside us, but Lilan says he doesn't want to fight, which is a bit surprising. Or rather, it makes me curious.

"It's unusual for you to say something like that.

Lilan shook her head.

"You can't run away from fighting just because you have a bad premonition. If you die in that battle, Yui and I will be sad, and the other players will be in despair. It's true that you may have a bad premonition about it, but I also let you go to battle. ”

"Indeed, we will not die." Maybe you'll be attacked and die by a monster or a madman like the Smiling Coffin Wood. However, if Lilan enters the fight, he can draw with any enemy, fend off the "Smile Coffin" attack, and most importantly, he can counter the "Smile Coffin" with Lilan's attack.

"Okay. Whatever happens tomorrow, I'm counting on you, man. ”

"Got it"

I gently stroked the head of my partner who was resting on my shoulder. After all, Lilan's head is covered with hair, which is shaggy and very pleasant to the touch.

"Well, I think I'll be home soon."

After confirming Shino and Lilan's nods to my words, I let go of Shino from my chest and used Asuna's disappearing portal to teleport to the twenty-second floor where Yui was waiting.

On the way to my house, Lilan told me that something bad was going to happen tomorrow, but somewhere inside of me, I thought it would be true. A bad premonition, as if something was squirming in his chest, never stopped his movements.

In the evening of the same day, the headquarters of the Knights of the Blood Oath

Asuna invited Diabel and the top of the Holy Dragon Alliance, Crane and Yuki, the head of the Knights of the Blood Oath Clan, Heathcliff, and some of the top leaders to the conference room. Asuna shouted to Heathcliff, who was staring at him, unable to be one of them, while everyone tilted their heads to each other, not understanding why they had gathered.

"Captain, let's get started now."

Heathcliff replied with an "um" as if he understood what Asuna meant.

I see, it seems that the time has finally come.

Asuna nodded, but Diabel, who was sitting closer to Heathcliff, raised her hand.

"Miss Asuna, Miss Heathcliff, what is this strategy? \"

Heathcliff turned to face Diabel.

"In fact, we are hatching a strategy commanded by only a small group of the Knights of the Blood Oath, Diaberu-kun, the leader of the Holy Dragon Alliance. \"

Under Heathcliff's see-through gaze, Diabel became like a frog stared at by a snake. Heathcliff looked around and spoke again.

"Recently, it has posed a big threat to our capture team, no, there is already a presence and we are thinking about getting rid of it. Its name is 'Smile Coffin'. ”

Hearing the words coming out of Heathcliff's mouth, everyone raised their voices in surprise.

Heathcliff's eyes widened, staring at him and continuing.

"[Smile Coffin] has become a violent criminal organization in its own right, and you should be well aware that they are a threat to us. Eventually, it can become a big obstacle to the capture group, and if we are not careful, we can be eliminated. Therefore, we planned and began the operation to eliminate the "Coffin of the Smile". ”

Klein raised his voice:

"Seriously, are you really going to do that?"

"I'm serious, in fact, they've become a big threat, is anyone against it?"

Heathcliff turned, his hands folded. At this moment, a swordsman dressed in the white and red combat uniform peculiar to the Blood Knights, Kuradir, who is said to be a bit of a villain in the Blood Knights, raised his hand.

"I agree with the leader, they are stationed in the deepest part of the small dungeon on the tenth floor, and if you hit them, they will collapse in the blink of an eye, the question is what to do with them. But "

Asuna raised her hand.

"I think it's better to keep those who curse you in the prison area of the Black Iron Palace, I don't think it will hurt them."

Heathcliff nodded.

"That's right, it's all the same human, the same player, the same life. I agree with Asuna-kun. Attack them, weaken them, capture them, arrest them to the prison area of the Black Iron Palace. \""Completely imprisoned him in ...... Let's continue with this strategy.

No one spoke, and the room was silent, like a forest. It was a declaration of intent on which everyone agreed with Heathcliff's strategy. Asuna thought that there might be someone against Heathcliff's plan, and this person would break the silence, but no one objected, which seemed a bit surprising.

Then, according to the tactics of Commander Heathcliff, tomorrow we will have a battle with the "Coffin of the Smile".

Hearing Asuna's words, everyone got up and left the conference room. Asuna and Ariki slipped out of the conference room and into the city, walking down the slightly icy streets lined with large stone buildings.

"Well, Asuna-san. \"

"Asuna is fine. You must be a discipline. \"

"Oh, yes. Well, Asuna. \"

"Something. Are you hungry? ”

"No, it's not like that, I'm really going to fight those people tomorrow."

Asuna nodded and turned around, but surprised by this. Because Yuki's face is so pale that it can't be pale.

"In that case, do you want you to fight as well?"

Yuki bowed his head.

"What do you mean, tomorrow I feel like something is going to happen. So I don't want Asuna, Kirito, and Shino to fight tomorrow. \"

Asuna tilted her head.

"Ridiculous things? Like what? ”

"I can't put it into words, in short, I can't help but have a bad premonition, my heart is throbbing."

"Well, but the other side is more terrifying than monsters, so we can't help but fight.

Yuki probably didn't want them to fight. But tomorrow we will absolutely have to fight ourselves, so we cannot break away from the strategy. Just as I was hesitating how to answer, Asuna received a message notification and opened it. The sender is "Alice". It was sent by Alice on the first floor.

"It was sent by Teacher Alice. \"

Asuna paused, opened the window, and confirmed the content of the message.

[Now, the thieves led by the Tooth King, who was banished by the "army" created by Thinker and Yuriel, have gone to the upper level. Maybe he wants to interfere with your strategy. Be prepared for whatever happens. If you fight with the Tooth King, defeat them on the spot. ]

According to Alice, the Tooth King and the others have already started to move from the first floor. It's too bad to say that tomorrow will be a fight with the smiling coffin.

"Tooth King, will they come to fight?"

Asuna felt uneasy for the first time, and immediately realized that this was the same feeling as Yuki. Something very bad could happen tomorrow – I can't help but think so.