"Asuna is a clan Dark Light, a silver rapier, and serves as the vice-captain of the Knights. I was surprised and chilled when I heard the news of the death of the rapier that Lizbet had made to protect Asuna all the time.

\"Is that sword broken?" \"

I turned my face to Lizzebet, who created a dark light. Lizzeate returned to Asuna, stroking Asuna's back and looking at me.

"They fold beautifully. But due to the good workmanship, the restoration is very good.

The problem is Jupiter, and the monster that took it away.

The monster broke into Asuna's house, which was supposed to be within range of the attack, destroyed it, captured Jupiter, and flew away. And it is said that its appearance is very similar to that of the "Dragon Emperor Dragon" Lilan.

"A monster that looks like Lilan, isn't that a "dragon queen" other than Lilan? \"

In all my fights, I've never seen a "dragon queen" except Lilan, but first, Lilan happened to appear on the field and became my "familiar demon".

Therefore, there is nothing strange about the existence of "Stegosaurus Stegosaurus" and "Dragon Queen Dragon", except for Lilan.

In fact, Silica's "Demon", Pina, who is also a "beast trainer" like me, is also a young monster known as "Helidora", so if you go to a certain realm, you may encounter the so-called wild "Helidora".

"Lilan, didn't you see the monster?"

When I called out to the "dragon queen" who had transformed into a plush toy, and before I knew it, it was back on my shoulder, and the "voice" sounded in my head again.

"I was unconscious. When I woke up, Asuna's house had collapsed, and Jupiter wasn't there.

"Really"

Immediately after, Asuna's faint voice came to my ears again.

"He doesn't look much like Lilan, he has a black body, arms growing out of his back, and he's very strong"

As you can see, Lilan is white-gold with four wings on her back, but it was a wolf dragon with arms growing out of her back and black fur that attacked Asuna.

At this point, the previous assumption that the 'Empress Dragon and Emperor Dragon' other than Lilan attacked Asuna was wrong, and the existence of the subspecies of the 'Empress Dragon and Emperor Dragon' of the same species as Lilan was the cause of this disaster.

"Black fur, is that a subspecies of Liland's race?"

Immediately after, Asuna lowered her head.

\"I, I can't protect Jupiter, I can't protect Jupiter, whom I love more than anyone, I can't protect him, I can't help him!! \"

Asuna's tears fell to the ground, and she finally burst into tears. Yuki and Lizzebet stroked her back and tried to comfort her, but Asuna couldn't stop crying.

Looking at this scene, a strong anger against the monster swelled in my heart, and I unconsciously clenched my fists, and my nails sank into the palms of my hands.

It was Lilan who healed Asuna's wounded heart from participating in the game, but it was Jupiter who taught and gave Asuna true happiness.

Because of Jupiter, Asuna was able to live such a happy life and feel happiness that she couldn't feel in the real world. Asuna loved Jupiter, and Jupiter must have loved Asuna.

Monsters that are believed to tear them apart by the subspecies of "Empress Dragons". I don't know what he's thinking, but I feel like I've understood who caused this and who is to blame for it.

"Kirito who manipulates the monster known as my subspecies can't be that guy. \"

"Oh, Lilan. I was thinking the same thing. Maybe the culprit is"

I was about to speak when I heard a voice coming from the direction we were coming from, and I interrupted. Just as I turned around in confusion, Argo, Lifa, and Filia, who had just been pushed away, ran towards me panting.

"Little ones, you're too early!"

"You three are late, aren't you?"

Lifa retorted with a frown.

"Because there are a lot of onlookers.

In the end, Philia looked troubled.

The Knights of the Blood Oath knew of Asuna's danger and rushed over, but they seemed to be surrounded by the crowd of onlookers and unable to move smoothly. \"

"I think. Not only that, but all three of us have already found the culprit in this matter. ”

Not just the three people who followed us, but everyone, including Asuna, turned to look at me and Lilan in surprise. It didn't take long for Shino, who was holding Yui, to ask.

"Wait a minute, Kirito.

\"I unconsciously turned my face to Shino. Perhaps, but I had a surprised look on my face.

I haven't told Shino about the fugitive's escape, and no one around me has spoken to him. So Shino didn't know that Ayn Grant had released the "Broken Man".

"I think we caught [the broken man] and put him in jail. That's why he can't get out of prison. That's how it should be. ”

"The people around me bowed their heads, and I bowed their heads." So far, in order not to let Shino be unnecessarily hit, he has been silent about the "fugitives".

However, if this is a "broken person" work, no, even if it is not, I have to say it.

I took a deep breath so as not to get caught, and then looked up.

\"Actually, it's poetry\"

I'm going to confess everything I've been hiding so far - I opened my mouth at this thought, and we jumped when the chilling bell rang around me.

“！！？”

Shino, Rifa, and Yuki - except for the three who were not in the game from the beginning, the other players all reacted badly to the sound.

"I won't forget."

"This voice is definitely that voice."

"Yes, the sound at the beginning of this abominable devil's game."

I didn't expect to hear such a voice again—I wasn't the only one who thought so, but Celica, who was close to me, shouted at me with a pale face.

\"Kiri、Kirito-san,It's this!! \"

\"Ah, that voice. But what's happening now!? \"

"Two years ago, when I heard that." It was the day of the game's release and official launch, and the sound sent us to the plaza on the first floor.

No one will forget that moment, Lizbet looked around in bewilderment.

"Why, why is this voice again!?"

"Calm down, Liz! Wait for the movement-\"

The next moment, my vision was engulfed by blue light, and at the same time, my hearing was deprived.

However, since this is a transfer phenomenon that occurs when using transfer crystals or corridor crystals, I am not particularly surprised that I don't remember what items were used to cause this phenomenon, and I don't feel like I was exposed to an event, but I was surprised that the phenomenon occurred.

As I stared at the phenomenon that reminded me of the first day, the blue light in front of my eyes disappeared and I was able to confirm the scene.

Unfolding is a stone pavement with a different pattern from the fifty-six floors, an elegant Western-style townscape, and a square with a glittering black palace in the distance. This is the plaza on the first floor that I've been completely familiar with since I met Alice.

\"What's this—Is this a forced teleportation now?" \"

"I immediately looked back." There was a figure of Lilan with her mouth open and surprised like me.

"Lilan, are you alright!?"

"Ah, that's okay. But what is the situation now? Why do we fly from the 56th floor to the 1st floor?

"I don't know, or rather, everyone doesn't know!?"

I hurriedly looked around and saw Shino and the others, who must have been forcibly transferred like me. Among them, Yuki, who has never experienced anything like this, raised his voice.

"Hey, hey, where is this!?"

\"This is the first layer!? \"

Shino hugged Yui, Yui left Shino and looked around.

"Yes, there is no doubt that it seems that we were forced to move to this place"

As soon as Yui finished speaking, I noticed that there were many people gathered around, the members of the Knights of the Blood Oath had probably heard of Asuna's crisis, the Holy Dragon Alliance, and the players of other guilds had probably heard of Asuna's crisis.

And in the blink of an eye, the number skyrocketed. Therefore, the onlookers who blocked the road just now seemed insignificant.

The scene of the players flying one after another is a reproduction of the scene at that time.

\"What's this, what's this, it's different from last time!! \"

''What is it?'' What's coming!? \"

"That's exactly the time." If something similar to that time happens in the future, the next one will be Akihiko Kayaba.

A bodyless robe descended, stained the sky with blood, and condemned us to death. However, Akihiko Kayaba disappeared at that time, so I don't think he will reappear, and I don't think the situation at that time will be repeated. Although the situation is very similar.

"Key boy this is Masaka"

"yes, I think I'm thinking the same thing. This time it's definitely the same. ”

Just as I gazed at the unusually timid Argo, a familiar voice came from behind me.

\"Kirito-san, and Shino! \"

When I turned around, I saw Alice, I wanted to see her today, all the children and nurses gathered behind her. Apparently, they also gathered in this square.

"Alice Sand! \"

"Mr. Alice!"

Alice rushed to our side and opened her mouth.

"What the hell is going on with you being forcibly transferred here?"

"I just wanted to ask, I can't take this as an incident"

Immediately after, I heard another scream, and I was a little surprised when I turned my face in that direction. Now it's just Alice Sand, but this time it's Crane, Ekir, Diabel, and the rest of the Knights of the Blood Oath, as well as Godfrey. One of them, Klein, rushed at me and he started talking to me as soon as he came.

\"Kirito, what the hell is this!?

"Commander, are you safe!?"

I nodded at Klein's words after Godfrey.

"I don't know. But what's going on exactly?

If you look around, you can see that there is a clear atmosphere of unease around the square. This scene is almost the same as at the beginning. After all, in this square, the events of the year are about to Lilan.

Immediately after, Alice suddenly looked up at the sky and suddenly raised her voice.

"Uh-huh, what's that?"

"We reflexively look up at the sky." Spread out there, of course, was the bottom of the second layer, but now it was dyed red by a white horizontal hexagonal glow.

At that time, it was wrapped in a red checkered pattern, but this time it was white. While the players were staring at it with restless eyes, when one side was dyed pure white, a white ball of light suddenly appeared from the center, floating in the air like a bubble, and then stopped.

Just as everyone was amazed, as if an egg of light had appeared, the ball of light suddenly began to change - and before long, its appearance changed to something even more surprising to us.

It was a huge hooded robe in golden-white tones. Yes, the color is different, but it was the body of Akihiko Kayaba, who appeared in front of us at that time.

"That's it!!"

I involuntarily raised my voice, but immediately realized that the robe was different from that of the time, and stopped talking. At that time, Akihiko Kayaba's body was just a floating robe with no face, but the face of the robe had something similar to a golden mask.

And its shape, although it disturbed Ayn Grant, somewhat resembled the "Broken Man", the leader of the "Monemosine" that we had defeated.

"He's not the same as he was then?"

"What, that big ghost!?"

Lifa was not present at the time, and she did not receive a statement from Akihiko Kayaba, so she made a sound of surprise.

"Those who invaded this world. We will not allow any further intrusion.

We were stunned by the sudden words.

"Those who invaded the world?"

"Is there still an invasion?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Who the hell is he? An unknown creature that is clearly different from Akihiko Kayaba, but looks very similar.

It talks as if it hears our thoughts.

"I am the commander-in-chief of the will of this world. Guardian of this world"

A giant in a white robe and a mask suddenly appeared, and so announced. Of course, such words are new to us, so we opened our eyes.

\"The people who guard this world? \"

After muttering, the masked giant spoke again. The sound is still very much like a synthesized voice mixed with male and female voices.

"Two years ago, you came to this world, and in order to escape from this world, you targeted the 100th floor.

"However, you've come this far without realizing that when you reach the hundred floors, we're dead."

The sudden words caused a commotion around. Of course, in order to escape from this world, in order to end this world, we have come this far for the sake of the 100th floor.

But I never imagined that reaching the 100th floor of this castle would mean the end of this world, and this is the first time I have heard of it. No, first of all, is what he said true?

Just after thinking about it, the masked giant said again.

"Therefore, we have decided to lock you out of this world forever. We've already released to layer 99 ourselves. Up to the 99th floor, you can use the portal without encountering a guard.

As soon as the words fell, Klein made the same expression as he had at that time.

"They're going to shut down our ...... forever!?"

Egil, who was next to Klein, continued.

"You say, the ninety-ninth layer has been unlocked?"

The system of this world itself unleashes hierarchies, which makes players very uneasy.

Who would have thought that they had come this far, only to be unlocked by the system in the end, not by the player.

"What does it mean that the level has been released"

Diabel, who had been concentrating on the capture from the first floor, showed an extremely surprised expression, and the masked giant relayed further.

"Now you can come and go freely from the 1st floor to the 99th floor. But any further step would lead to the destruction of our world. Therefore, we will eat the food of those who are trying to reach the 100th floor. If your life is in danger, don't go to the 100th floor.

"Stay away from the 100th floor." I immediately realized that this statement was very contradictory.

Speaking of the commander-in-chief of the will of this world, it is Akihiko Kayaba, who created this world and imprisoned us. When this world begins, he orders us to aim for the 100th floor.

However, the masked giant, who claims to be the supreme commander of the will of the world, keeps him away from the 100th floor, and instead he takes a puzzling action that frees all the floors that the player should have released.

His words and actions are clearly the opposite of what Akihiko Kayaba thinks. In other words, he is a person who thinks that when this world is liberated, there will be inconveniences.

And we know that there is a person who has invaded the world with this idea, kidnapped the player, and created a kind of "pseudo-experience parasite" to parasitize the player. Moreover, it is said that the appearance of the giant is very similar to that one.

\"The real name of the person impersonating the Commander of the Will of the World is—

"Yes\'fugitive\"!! ”

My voice echoes in all the squares obsessed with masked giants.

"That's right, he's the only one." A guy who uses this world as a testing ground to conduct human experiments on players and collect all kinds of data.

The person who logged in to this world with an account to manage this world, the main account, with the update, brought a lot of unnecessary things to this world and made this world a mess.

And it was inconvenient for him to think that this world where experiments could easily be carried out would end in a way that would never have been possible in reality.

That's why he used the power of the main account to gather players here, claiming to be the commander of the will of the world and warning them.

"He's a 'breaker'! He was the one who made us players try again and again, and we couldn't clear the level! ”

Wait, "Fugitives"!? \"

"yes, I was wondering where he went after he escaped from prison, but he finally showed up."

Before I knew it, a lot of eyes were on me and Lilan. When I, the leader of the Knights of the Blood Oath, say such a thing, I think everyone can't help but look at me. It's very convenient.

"Can you hear me, [Broken Man]! What do you want to do, kidnap Jupiter this time! You're the one who wants to destroy this world! ”

The masked giant responded.

"I am the commander of the will of this world. There is no such thing. And the one who wants to destroy this world is definitely you. Don't give up.

"You're the one who's gone!"

"I warned you. The 99th floor is free to come and go, and there is no problem with staying here.

"She wasn't interested in listening to me at all." Can you talk to me directly? Or do you just play something like an audio file that was prepared for us in advance?

However, in this world, the only person who can gather players to do this kind of thing is the "fugitive" with a master account. After all, he is definitely a "fugitive".

And as I said earlier, he is the one who manipulated the Lilan subspecies and kidnapped Jupiter from Asuna.

"It's you who ran away"

I jerked back and heard a familiar voice. It was the figure of Asuna, the mother whose child had been stolen by the fugitives, standing with her head bowed.

Holding a sword that appeared to be a spare Lambert sharp, Asuna grabbed the hilt and flicked it lightly, removing the scabbard before raising her head.

The look on his face was like nothing I'd ever seen before, full of anger, and the sharp light in his eyes sent chills down my spine.

Asuna's eyes twinkled, and she shouted as she glared at the masked giant.

"How dare you use Jupiter——————————!!!"

Like me, Asuna echoed around her as she threw her sword at the Titan Mask with all her might.

I immediately understood Asuna's shock when Jupiter was stolen, and how much hatred she had for the culprit, the "Runaway".

The thin sword in Asuna's hand repeatedly rotated vertically at an invisible speed, cutting through the air and atmosphere, slicing through the sky, and approaching the giant.

- However, as soon as Asuna's spaniel touched the Kamen Giant, it flew away.

“？”

The betrayal of the Rapier, who I thought would hit the Kamen Giant, stunned Asuna, who threw the Raspier, and the onlookers.

"No..."

The masked giant lifted his head slightly. It doesn't look like it's being attacked, and it doesn't look like it's chasing damage. As proof, the "hp bar" itself cannot be confirmed.

Yui shouted at Asuna, who was stunned by the unharmed masked giant.

"Miss Asuna, please calm down. That's a hologram. \"

"Hey charts?"

The masked giant, who was attacked by Asuna, was completely unresponsive and continued to speak.

"You will be citizens of this world that has been liberated to the 99th floor. Don't worry, this world has everything you need.

"I'll say it again." If my life were precious, I wouldn't have climbed 100 floors again. I warned you-"

As soon as these words were spoken, the masked giant rose into the sky, turning into a ball of light and disappearing into the sparkling water. In less than a few seconds, the bottom of the second floor was fully restored, and there was silence in the square.

Even at the beginning of this death game, after Akihiko Kayaba announced, everyone was silent, causing great confusion. When I thought that something similar might happen again, my instinct hit me immediately.

In the beginning, there were famous players, and now there are about 6,000 players. And here, six thousand people gathered.

Just like at the beginning of this game of death, they started screaming, shaking the square.

\"No kidding!! We, we've come this far——! \"

"It's too late to be imprisoned!? Who's going to ride?! ”

"Come out, come out" fugitives——!!! \"

It seemed that everyone understood what I was talking about, and the shouters understood that the masked giant who disappeared into the sky was the "Broken Man" and continued to yell at the "Broken Man". Looking inside, even Klein and Diaberu were mixed in.

"You bastard, what are you going to do this time! Are you going to show me a fake dream again?

"Don't underestimate us!!

I didn't feel the desperation, screaming negativity of the time, but instead, I saw the intense anger at the "escapees" on everyone's faces.

"I'm sure that even if I talk to everyone now, no one will return to calm." In order for everyone to calm down, it seems that instead of dictating to me, it is better to let the time pass.

As soon as I was thinking this, suddenly it was as if something had grabbed my arm, and I turned around sharply. Amid the roars and curses, Alice said nothing. His face was a little solemn.

\"Kirito, can you hear me?" \"

"I can hear it. It's small. ”

"Alright, now let's get out to the church."

"Are you leaving?"

After looking around, Alice turned to me and Lilan again.

"You've definitely thought about it, but they need time to calm down. Those of us who have calmed down should think first about the strategy meeting and think about the future. ”

"I'll hand the kids over to the nurses."

Alice had already seen what I was thinking—no, I knew Alice was thinking the same way, so I looked around in the same way.

It's true that I feel the same way as everyone else and would love to get angry at "Broken Man", but I think Lilan and I might be calmer than everyone else, and I can immediately reverse my mind if I want to.

"I see. Now, let's go to church alone. ”

When I shouted to Lilan not to get lost, Alice took my hand and walked. At that time, Alice also captured Shino, Yui, Asuna, Lizbet, Sirika, Lifa, Filia, Argo, and Strea from my neighborhood, and walked through the square.

When I reached the church along the familiar road, it was like a gathering of all women except me.

The group arrived in the church's reception room, and as soon as Alice entered, she took a deep breath and began to speak.

"Now, you guys. You know something terrible is happening. ”

We who heard Alice's words—among them, Asuna was the first to speak, making a faint voice.

\"Teacher Alice, Jupiter, Jupiter, I, Jupiter\"

Alice walked over to Asuna, who was about to cry, and put her hand on her head.

\"yes. I was allowed to see it before, and I saw the intelligence this morning. Looks like you're having a hard time, Asuna. \"

The reason why you attacked the Broken Man was probably because Yupibo was kidnapped by the Broken Man. ”

When Alice spoke to her kindly, Asuna began to cry again, tears streaming down the floor.

"I can't protect Jupiter, I helped him, I can't give him"

Philia shook her head and placed her hand on Asuna's shoulder.

"Asuna, don't cry. Asuna is not bad. \"

With a slightly uneasy look on her face, Sirika shouted to Alice.

\"Alice-sensei, do you think he's the same 'runaway man' as Kirito-san? \"

Alice nodded to Sirika.

"yes, it's definitely the 'Broken Man', a hologram created by the 'Broken Man'.

It seems that the 'fugitives' felt that the world was finally close to liberation, and it was a little inconvenient, so such a ceremony was held. ”

"Didn't he get caught as the 'escapee'?"

I immediately turned my head in the direction the voice was coming from. That person was Shino who didn't know about the breakout's escape until now - no, Shino hadn't been told about it.

Her expression was a mixture of regret, sadness, and anxiety, and Alice replied, a little pained.

"Shino, I'm sorry.

Most of all, we are optimistic that we will no longer be able to conduct experiments because all of our research equipment has been taken away but it backfires. ”

"Why are you silent?"

Alice turned to Shino.

"Because I don't want to give you unnecessary shock.

But it seems that his target is no longer Shino. \"

I still vividly remember the attack on the base camp of the "fugitives". At that time, "Broken Man" used the function of the main account to import a pistol and shoot Shino who was injured by the pistol. This caused serious damage to Shiina's heart. From this point of view, the "fugitive" is fascinated by poetry, but

Since the goal of "ravaging people" is no longer Shino, what is its goal this time? \"

Alice listened to me and shook her head.

"I don't know either. However, judging from the incident where he deliberately targeted Asuna's family and kidnapped Yubibo today, it is likely that he targeted Asuna. \"

"Is your target Asuna? Why again? \"

Asuna, who had spent a little more time with Asuna than Jupiter, said in surprise.

Indeed, Asuna's capture was too hasty, and she was not called a demon catcher until she met Lilan, but at the same time, her heart was deeply hurt and desolate.

At this point, Shino is the same—no, maybe Shino and Asuna have been traumatized in the same way, so maybe they can get along as soon as they meet.

But why did Shina, who had been battered, turn her attention to Asuna? Besides, although it is not very good, since Lilan and Jupiter took the initiative to heal Asuna, the wound in her heart should not be too deep.

"I don't know, first of all, I'm not sure about the idea of the 'Broken Man', however, I don't want him to go through this world. Basically, this world is a death game, and if you die, you are really dead, so no one actively tries to enter, but the player entrusts his brain to this world.

"This would be the best place to conduct an experiment like Klein without being obstructed by the police or politicians." Well, before that, both the police and the politicians were blown out in the head by the "breakthrough people". At the Conspiracy to Bribery Exposure Festival

So, is it possible that the Breakout is still working on the Pseudo-Experience Parasite? ”

Alice nodded at Lifa's inquiry.

"yes, and he didn't show up at the testing site, so he set up testing sites elsewhere, most likely above the 90th floor."

Just then, Strea began to mumble something, and the sound grew louder.

"Released to the 99th floor, the culprit is the 'fugitive' and everyone is angry with the 'fugitive'"

Immediately afterward, Streya's face changed and he shouted. The sudden loud sound made everyone turn their heads to look at Strea in surprise.

"This—This is too hard!"

\"Wow, what's wrong, Streya!? \"

Strea began to explain as she looked around.

"At the time, you said that Honkai Bad Man unlocked floor 99, but maybe it's true, he has a master account.

"But this sentence is a taunt from the 'runaways'!" Hearing such an inform, the people who knew that the road to the hundred floors had only opened a little bit rushed there at full speed! ”

At that time, we understood what Stella was trying to say and her predictions, and one of them, Argo, said.

So when they said this, the blood rushed to the top of their heads. And if the road to clearing is open, then everyone will flock there. If a trap is set on the road connecting the 99th and 100th floors, everyone will step on it and fall. The 'Crash Man' intends to trap everyone! ”

Argo's words reminded me of the place in my mind that mimicked the existence of the eggs of the parasite of experience. This is where the "Breakouts" kidnap and imprison the player for some kind of experimentation, and parasitize "pseudo-experience parasites" in it.

If, as Argo claims, there are traps on the way to the 100th floor or in the labyrinth on the 99th floor, then everyone will go there, fall into the trap, and become test subjects. Moreover, those who go to such places are all veterans who have advanced to this day, that is, the prisoner regiment.

If this continues, all members of the attack group will fall into the hands of the "fugitives". I had to do something to calm everyone down and let them know what was going on.

"You're clumsy, if you keep going like this, everyone will attack"

What if everyone, all my friends who have come this far, fall into the hands of the "fugitives" - I subconsciously thought of such a thing, and just as my body began to tremble, a majestic "voice" sounded in my ears.

"Kirito calm down. Before everyone turned into wild boars. If you do it now, you can do something.

The owner of the "voice" is Lilan, who is one of them who is able to transmit the "sound" to someone's brain. It sat on my shoulder and stared at my face.

I replied as I looked back at those red eyes.

"What is it?"

"You are the boss of the Knights of the Blood Oath. For now, the Knights of the Blood Oath will not leave you to attack.

"Other people trust you, so if you make a suggestion, they'll stop and listen."

Come to think of it, I'm the leader of the Knights of the Blood Oath, so if I give them instructions, the Knights of the Blood Oath will listen to me for the time being. He's excited right now, but even so, he shouldn't ignore my instructions.

And the Holy Dragon Guild and other guilds don't often ignore my advice, so they should listen to my advice.

"Well, everybody's excited right now, but I'm sure they'll listen to me."

Alice chuckled softly.

"It seems that it is still useful to be appointed as the head of the Knights of the Blood Oath.

\"Kirito-kun, you should send a message to the guildmasters of Klein-kun and Diabel-kun first. So, bring them together for a moment and have a strategy meeting. While "Breaker Man" may have pitfalls, he has unlocked to floor 99. If you can do something about the "breakdown man", you can advance to the 100th floor. ”

Alice looked into my eyes with a grim expression.

"You'll soon be freed from this world, and maybe the next capture will be a battle to open the door to the 100th floor and lead to the final boss's door.

"I already know Alice is right."

"Broken Man" is able to be released to the 99th floor, and it is very likely that he was actually released to trap the player.

However, if we can see through his trap, defeat him again, throw him in prison, and imprison him, we can make our way to the 100th floor, where the final boss will be, without any worries.

Now, the priority is not to get to the 99th floor under the provocation of the "Broken Man", but to get to the 100th floor and defeat the final boss there.

"Got it. I'll talk to the guild members first. \"

"Ah, if it's a message from you, let's stop and try."

The road to the 100th floor has been opened, but you must not let your guard down here. Good? ”

I nodded, opened the message window, and summarized the text.

"To the Knights and Guilds of the Blood Oath

With the release of the 99th floor, you may get your blood pumping, but now instead of charging there, you should hold a seizure meeting as usual.

From 12:00 noon today, a strategic meeting will be held at the headquarters of the Knights of the Blood Oath on the 55th floor. The strategy group must participate.

"Even if you make a mistake, don't go near the 99th floor."

After the "Fugitives" declared liberation, I sent a message to all the clean-up teams, gathering almost all of them in the meeting room of the Knights of the Blood Oath.

I wanted to hear the voice of each and every one of them, not the leader of the capture group, so I gathered all the fighters who had fought so far, but the conference room became as crowded as an event venue, and there was nothing to talk about.

So I stood in a slightly higher place so I could convey my voice to everybody — like the kind of voice that the principal uses to address students gathered on campus or in the gymnasium — and started the strategy session.

To be honest, I never imagined that I could gather so many people and talk to them when I was busy playing solo, so I felt an inexplicable freshness and pride. Thanks to this, I wasn't nervous at all and was able to start talking as usual.

"That's why we're all together. The strange giant who forcibly transferred us to the first level in the morning was what I called "The Fugitive" at the time. ”

The "Broken Man" turned Ayn Grant into a testing ground and treated us like laboratory animals. ”

Among the many players, Klein, the victim of the "pseudo-experience parasite", raised his hand.

"He's such a bastard. Thanks to him, we are tormented by false dreams that do not exist. ”

"Yes, but thanks to everyone's efforts, he was put in prison. However, before we knew it, he was released into the world and was behind the scenes manipulation of our arrest, as I think you have already said. ”

I could see the commotion among the players, but it wasn't what I was expecting. The reason seems to be that they had told him in advance that the 'runaways' had already escaped.

I continued to talk to the players who were making a little noise.

"The guy who was released continues to operate behind the scenes and shows us that kind of thing. What he said was true. The 99th floor of [City of the End, Yoje] has been activated. ”

Before this strategy meeting, I checked with the Blood Knight to see if Floor 99 was actually released, and it turned out that Floor 97, Floor 98, and Floor 99 were indeed activated.

I was surprised when I heard it, but at the same time I felt that I was being played by the "running man", and I felt a little disgusted.

"In other words, the road to the 100th floor has been opened."

I listened to Diabel's voice and nodded. Diabel, who was furious at the time, has now completely calmed down and returned to the command tower of the strategic team.

"Well, I think everybody heard this and thought they wanted to go to the 100th floor now.

Go to the 99th floor, go to the 100th floor—he must have thought that would come out of my mouth. The player in front of me began to whisper, and I heard what sounded like a protest from the Knights of the Blood Oath.

"Oh, Commander, the target is right in front of you!"

"Why don't you fight here!"

"You'll be back in the real world soon!?"

"The content of what you heard." I agree with all of them.

Since the beginning of this death game, we've leveled up to escape this world, strategized our strategy, and advanced our capture to this point. And although it is because of "Honkai Bad Man", we have finally reached the 99th floor, and the target 100th floor is just around the corner.

"When we get through it, we'll be able to get out of the game and go back to the real world." However, this would be the case without the "runaway" thing.

"I can understand the pain of everyone. But I think the reason why the Broken Man says 'Ah' is because there's something blocking the way to the 100th floor. ”

"All the noisy people lowered their voices." I talk about my ideas as if this is an opportunity.

"That guy's words and actions in unleashing the 99th floor are obviously a provocation to us, he set a trap on the way to the 100th floor, waiting for us to take the bait, in order to capture us, a laboratory animal player."

"There is no conclusive evidence, but he seems to be the one who makes the most of this world and the one who least wants it to be liberated." If you act rashly and badly, that's what he thinks, and he may plot to destroy us, just like Vashak Casals did in the past. ”

Players started making a fuss, perhaps because of the word "annihilation" mixed in with the long queue. He may use us as test subjects, but if he thinks we are too dangerous, there is a good chance he will try to eliminate us.

In fact, he gave the people of the "Smile Coffin" to have "simulated experience parasites" to collect their emotional data, but he judged that the risk factors for the "Smile Coffin" were too great, and in the end he was going to make them kill themselves.

The chances that they're trying to make us Lilan "smile coffin" are almost 100%.

"So, in my capacity as the head of the Knights of the Blood Oath, I order that the attack be halted for the time being. We've come this far, we've been able to come up. We can't give this life to someone who has escaped. \"

Perhaps this should have been taken for granted, but the square suddenly became noisy, and sounds like protests and boos began to sound.

No wonder. Despite the fact that we have done this, the captain himself has already announced that the capture will be canceled. But even I didn't expect that.

"Be quiet.

As soon as these words came out, silence returned to the square. I thought I had a chance, so I told him what I thought.

"Our biggest obstacle is undoubtedly 'broken people'.

He must be hiding somewhere in Ayn Grant, setting up a hideout somewhere, intending to capture us from there. So, we're going to form a raid team again and go find him. ”

"[Fugitive] Raiders? \"

The players who heard me started muttering again. I say more about it.

The "wrecked" are the leaders of the "mnemosyne", and the "wrecked" themselves escaped from prison, but the "mnemosyne" guys were still caught. Look for it. Before I conquered the 100th floor, I went to that raider.

"If this strategy succeeds, the road to the 100th floor will open up in front of us."

From this sentence onwards, I told him all the strategies I thought of. There was silence, but I immediately heard a voice coming at me. When I turn my head in that direction, it's Dilberu.

"I agree with the idea, but can we really find a 'hit-and-run'?"

"I don't know, it's possible that they are hiding and there is nothing we can do. However, if the 'Shattered Man' is left unchecked, then the risk of using players for human experimentation is significant. In that case, we won't even be able to go up to the 100th floor. The 'Broken Man' is more dangerous than the 'Smiling Coffin'. ”

The Knights then raised their voices.

"What if the Menemosin guys didn't vomit when they were interrogated?"

"Of course, I've already thought about that case." Originally, the "Manemosinne" people were just people who followed the "broken people", and when they attacked their base camp, they found out that they were all cowardly people and lacked the ability to fight.

What's more, they don't seem to even know the game's specs, and because they calmly attacked us green players, the "Manemosin" was almost entirely orange. So, if you send them out into the field with corridor crystals and interrogate them with a sword, there's a good chance they'll spit out valuable information right away.

--Even if we accidentally kill them, we won't turn into oranges because the opponent is an orange player. They were just researchers, not soldiers trained to be prisoners of war.

"It's unforgivable that they're experimenting on us on humans. If you don't want to complain, just take them out into the wild and threaten them with weapons. When they accused us of being their base, they attacked us and turned us into Orange players.

I felt that what I said myself was quite cruel, and I could see that the people around me were also very surprised. But if they don't, they won't spit out important information, and they don't hesitate to do something like this because they treat us players as experimental animals in the first place.

"There is no need to show mercy to such people."

"That's the end of the strategy, but it's a pity that we still have to come up with such a strategy before the hundred levels. Of course, I will accept the objections, so please let me know here. ”

Even though the 100th floor is just around the corner, the strategy we're going to execute is a crusade against the Fugitives. I am sure that the voices of protest will rise one after another, but no matter how long I wait, I can say that almost no voices of protest have risen.

However, within a few minutes, a voice rang out around them.

"As the Captain of the Knights of the Blood Oath said."

The owner of the voice is Klein, a samurai in Japanese armor and the leader of the Wind Forest Volcano. When I turned my head to see what was going on, Crane squeezed past the gathered players and came to the platform where I was standing, turning his body to the crowd and making a loud noise.

"I know this because I made him give me false dreams. If you let him go, he will be dangerous. Like this guy said, he's more dangerous than [Smile Coffin Wood]. We've finally come this far.

So let's go to the 100th floor with patience and conquer the "Fugitives" now. At the very least, we in the Wind Forest Volcano will follow the Captain of the Knights of the Blood Oath. ”

As Klein's voice rang out, the commotion in the square completely calmed down. Thinking that this was the first victim of the simulated parasite, I confirmed that a figure like Crane was pushing away the player and coming towards me.

Diabel is the good commander of the captive team in blue armor, and Diabel is Klein When I was lining up next to me, I turned to face the players in the same way.

"I also agree with the Captain of the Knights of the Blood Oath and the Captain of the Wind Forest Volcano.

It's true that the 100th floor is just around the corner, and it's really frustrating not to go there, but now we should go and conquer the "fugitives". Otherwise, we won't be able to make it to the 100th floor with peace of mind. ”

Diabel looked around, confirmed the existence of the members of the Holy Dragon Alliance, and then said strongly.

"As the Boss of the Holy Dragon Alliance, I propose that we accept the proposal of the Head of the Knights of the Blood Oath and implement the plan to subdue the "Fugitives".

Diabel's words echoed around, but no one seemed to dispute. Diabel gathers the players and holds a strategy meeting, which is the same as the first layer, but at this time, the Tooth King suddenly invades.

\"It seems that no one is against it, Kirito. \"

Dilberu's voice brought me back to my senses and pulled my gaze back to the front. The gathered players all looked at me, and their expressions were a little solemn. Obviously, as Diabelu said, no one objected.

"We're close to the 100th floor.

Let's all conquer the "Saboteurs" together, ensure safety, and make our way to the 100th floor! The battle with the "Broken Man", I will definitely emerge victorious!! ”

After the vigorous announcement, the gathered players began to applaud, and soon the square was enveloped in dry applause. I thought that everyone who saw the 100th floor would shout against it, but when I found out that everyone agreed with me, I felt a burst of joy in my heart and my whole body was hot.

When the applause stopped, everyone dispersed, and I walked off the stage, but as if I knew this, Klein, Diabel, Ekier, Shino, Lilan, Asuna, Lizbet, Sirika, Lifa, Arriki, Filia, Streya, Argo, Yui, all the usual members gathered here.

Among them, Egil, who had spoken on the first floor, but had not spoken this time, shouted to me.

"Kirito, do it. \"

\"Ahh Of course, I hope you can help me. We're almost on the 100th floor, but the one who wants to get in the way is the "man who crashes". \"

Asuna's home was attacked by "fugitives" and Jupiter was kidnapped after she spoke.

"[The Broken Man] is such a heartless guy. He might really want to kill us if he wanted to.

\"Ah, yes. We must retake Jupiter from him. I'll have the task force interrogate the guys in Monemosine, so Asuna, use this as a clue to find the 'escapees'. ”

The demonic gaze that once captured her had now turned into the eyes of a mother whose child had been stolen, but the sharpness had not changed in the slightest. There is no doubt that Asuna is seriously planning to challenge the "runaway man".

"What to do? Do I also go looking for the 'broken man'? ”

I answered Liz Bet's call. \"

"Liz, as before, take care of everyone's weapons.

Sirika, Rifa, Yuki, and Filia should work with Asuna to find the "man who collapsed". The previous base was a place where there were no monsters, and this time it may be the same. Find a place that is completely free of monsters. ”

As the four who came to talk nodded their heads, Argo, the informant, crossed his arms.

"I would reach out to other informants and try to find information. It would not be surprising that other than us have information about 'hit-and-run'. ”

"Ah, Argo, please. We need as much information as we can now. If you know anything, please contact Asuna or me. \"

Seeing Argo nod, I turned to Strea and Yui.

"Strea and Yui, please stand by Alice Sand. I want you two to be able to protect Alice Sand's children from him.

Strea looked a little surprised and objected to me.

"Well, it doesn't matter. I'll fight Kirito too! \"

"That was after I found out, 'Where is the Crash Man?' I do think Strea is good at fighting, but that's why I want you to protect Alice Sand's children. \"

Strea looked unconvinced, but then nodded. Next, I turned to Klein, Egil, and Diabel.

"Crane, get all the people of the Wind Forest Volcano together and go out and look for it. Diabel, you are also working with the Holy Dragon Alliance to find the "Fugitives". ”

The trio continued, and they understood. The strength of these three people is certified, and they should be able to do something.

Then I turned my face to Shino one last time.

"Shino, let's go live with Alice San with Yui. \"

Shino must have thought that he would invite me to fight with her, but Shino showed a very surprised expression.

"Why? Why can't we fight? ”

"You may still be targeted by the 'Broken Man', and if you provoke the 'Broken Man', you may become the target of the 'Broken Man' again."

Shino shook her head.

"It's okay, I won't do this again, I'll fight with you!"

"It's useless!"

When we started arguing, Yui stepped in.

\"Sure enough, Daddy said it, Mom. The 'Breakthrough' was happy to see that Mom was having a seizure. This is the so-called heretic with dangerous thoughts. Even if the 'Breakthrough' turns his attention to Miss Asuna, Mom could have a seizure.

"Nexus said the same thing"

Asuna continued to speak to Shino, who was visibly upset.

\"It's indeed Kirito-kun and Yui who said it, Shino. The poem is because of the "Runaways." He may be directed at me, but Shino may also be directed at me. \"

If Shino does something like that in front of the "Runaway Man", it will be the perfect prey for the "Runaway Man". That's why Shino should stay with Teacher Alice. ”

Asuna also made Shino completely bow. While I do want to keep Shino by my side, as soon as I find the "Fugitive", I will immediately conquer it.

Because the "fugitive" is aimed at Shino and the person who caused Shino to have a seizure, if he takes Shino with him, it is very likely that he will target Shino again and cause Shino to have a seizure. When this happens, Shino is the most dangerous and the worst mood.

"Shino, don't you understand? We need to protect Shino from the "broken man." We're looking for him to fight the Broken Man, but it's also possible that the Broken Man will attack the first layer. Even if that happens, Alice San will protect Shino, and Strea and Yui will be there for me. So, please. \"

Shino stretched out her foot and grabbed the hem of her pants hard. Shino must also want to fight the "escapees", but that is not possible. Thinking of this, Shino was about to say the next words and opened her mouth slightly.

"Got it. I've handed over the ravages to you. Please do something\"

His tone sounded unbelieving, but everyone sighed softly, probably guessing that Shino had swallowed it for the time being.

After telling everyone the strategy, I shouted to my partner on my shoulder.

"Lilan, you fight with me, just like before."

Even if you understand. It is an honor to be able to fight alongside you. "Invincible Saboteur" skips all the nonsense about the world commander-in-chief. I'll make sure you never miss something like this again.

After listening to my partner's words, I realized that everyone had already made up their minds.

The battle in the future will be even more dangerous than the "smiling coffin", and it will be a desperate struggle with the "fugitives". However, once we have made it through this dangerous battle, we will be able to reach the 100th floor again. This battle is the battle to open the door to the 100th floor.

"Guys, this is the battle that opens the last gate, and we will definitely win!!"

After receiving my order, my companions raised their voices in unison.

It's 4:00 a.m., the day after the start of Operation Uniform "Hit-and-Run."

\"Kirito, are you okay?" \"

"Ah, that's fine"

Lilan and I visited the 99th floor of the "City of Doom", where the morning mist was shrouded and the air was cold. The 99th floor is smaller than any of the floors we've walked so far, and directly above it is the 100th floor, the Jade Palace, and a little further on, you can reach the 100th floor.

However, it wasn't our capture team that liberated the place, but the "fugitives" who abused the game's main account. This is the 99th floor, and the capture team is not allowed to approach it, as it may be a trap for the "fugitives", but here we are.

There are only NPCs around, and there are no players in sight. And in terms of size, it seems to be half the size of the "Ancestral City", with shops and residential areas built like colonies. In other words, there seems to be no realm on this level, and even from the center of the city, the maze of towers can be seen nearby.