And judging from her current state, Shino must have been worried about me until I came back.

"It's okay, I've said everything I want to say."

"Really?"

\"Ahh These are all the amulets that Worship Shi Nai gave me. \"

"Really? In that case, that's great. ”

Speaking of this, Shino finally showed a reassuring expression. Since Shino is so worried, he shouldn't do such a thing in the future. That's when I thought of Lilan, the red-haired girl who had just joined us, speaking to me. ta。

When I wanted to see what his face looked like, I noticed that he had a happy expression on his face.

\"Kirito-san! \"

"Ah, Lilan. Since you're here, I guess you've been watching "m strike" too, right? ”

"Of course! As you deserve to be Kirito-kun, your expression is completely different from Zexed. I also admire it. \"

"Thank you. But some things get a little harder. ”

\"yes. I didn't expect Kirito-kun to fight with Zekede. \"

Come to think of it, I only found out about Zexceed when he appeared on mmo stream. The "Winner of the Week" of the "MMO Stream", which selects the players with the best results in VRmmo, chose him, and according to him, he did not lose to anyone who used the "Animal Tamer". "Familiar", I know that he is quite strong, but I don't know how much strength he has.

"Hey, Lilan, how good is Zexceed? He's also played M Strike, so I know he's strong. ”

"I don't know about that. However, I heard that Zexceed is a strong player, so Kirito-kun should be careful. \"

As I replied "ah" to Lilan's words, Alice, a woman with distinctive black hair and big breasts who was listening next to Shina's personal physician and my mentor, Shina, called out to me.

"Kirito-san, thank you for your efforts. That's a really good presentation, isn't it? \"

"Thank you. Is my message well conveyed? ”

"Ah, your words must have spoken to the hearts of the other beast tamers. But it seems that you are being attacked by someone who cannot truly accept your words and methods. Right. ”

"Yes. From now on, we must fight. If we choose not to fight now, we don't know what will happen. ”

Judging by Alice's words and everyone's actions, I am sure that I was able to convey everything through the MMO live stream and successfully touched the hearts of the animal trainers. However, I'm going to play against a player who doesn't know me, and the game is broadcast live across the country. Everyone was watching the events unfold, and they must have known that I was going to duel Zexde.

Lilan who appeared with me, and the combination of Zexde and the demon Redora. Which one is stronger? Before I could ask Lilan about this, Spiegel, a silver-haired boy who was probably listening next to Alice, suddenly spoke. It seems that he was in a terrible panic.

"Kirito, where's Zekeside!? \"

"Ah, we're going to duel now."

"What did you say!?"

"Ah, something terrible happened. But—"

"If you have time to say something like that, go and beat that guy to death!!"

Everyone was surprised when Spiegel suddenly shouted louder than he had just started talking to them. It happened so suddenly that I was speechless, and it took me more than ten seconds before I could answer.

"I—I understand. But "

"What!? Hurry up and get out of the way!! ”

"Why are you so angry? Did something happen to him, dear? ”

At this point, Spiegel seemed to realize something, calmed his anger, and regained his composure. It replied awkwardly, and everyone looked at the silver-haired teenager who was constantly changing rapidly.

"No, no. It's not like that, but I don't know why, I get angry whenever I see that Zexceed. Even though he didn't do anything to upset me, I'm still angry or rather, Kirito is like that, right? ”

I'm certainly outraged by Zexceed's approach, and I'm very annoyed that Zexceed knew this and repeated the mistake of insulting animal trainers across the country. However, if you ask me if this is something that makes me want to be angry like Spiegel, the answer is no.

Besides, Spiegel isn't an 'animal tamer' either, so he shouldn't be fooled by Zexceed's disinformation, and most importantly, he's probably right next to Alice and taught a lot of things, so he probably wouldn't do that. It's easier to be fooled by false information.

Maybe because of that, I don't know why Spiegel is angry.

"Okay, okay, Lilan is depressed because of that guy, it seems that all the animal trainers are also angry, if you are also so angry, I will help you too."

\"Kirito, please! Come and beat him up! \"

For some reason, when I checked the time immediately after agreeing to Spiegel's request, I found that it was already 10:20 p.m. Zexid's designated time was 10:30 p.m., so I had to head to the Volglynd Prairie floating island and duel Zexid there, otherwise I don't know what he would say.

I had to make sure I wasn't laughed at by the voice that made me feel angry from the bottom of my chest. With this in mind, I walked over to my partner, who had evolved far beyond Zexceed's expectations.

"It's almost time, Lilan, stay with me for a while."

"No matter what, I will always be by your side, after all, I am your acquaintance."

\"Ahh You are an 'acquaintance' that I am proud of. Let that arrogant man know that. ”

"Got it"

So far, Lilan's strength has only been ridiculed by Zexde and other beast tamers, but now he has the power to surpass any beast. I won't know how strong Zexceed's "familiarity" is until I tell you, but one thing is for sure: I don't want to lose.

No matter how strong the opponent is, the winner must be Lilan. With a surge of confidence, I left the hotel with my "acquaintance", who was also my beloved family, and teleported out through the portal in the town square.

The blue spherical light that enveloped my body spread beyond the clear sky, and in the dark sky hung a large full moon, countless stars scattered like grains of sand, and the breeze blew slowly, swaying the plants. Head to the floating grassy island of Volglynd, where the atmosphere is completely different from that of day.

There, I realized that the time was 10:25, so I turned Lilan into a wolf dragon form, jumped to that part, rode on the part where I was supposed to fly, and climbed the canopy with the "Beast Tamer". As soon as she gave the order, Lilan saw huge arms growing out of the back of her shoulders and on her forearms.

Blazing energy erupted violently from the vent in the back of the fused weapon, tearing through the sky at a speed unattainable by any familiar creature or monster.

Because my 'demon' runs through the sky at a speed that we fairies can't fly as fast as we fairies, and from the outside it is just a white-gold metal protrusion, but from the inside you can see all of it. I tried to look out of the canopy, where I could do something, but that's when Lilan began to descend rapidly.

Just when I thought I was about to land, Lilan suddenly slowed down, changed the angle of the weapon on the giant arm, hovered before landing, and stayed in the air for about five seconds before landing. Land.

I was a little surprised when I let go of the handle and stepped out of the canopy after Lilan had stopped moving completely. Before I knew it, a blue, silver-haired, sunglassed man who had promised to fight me appeared, with a demon dragon behind him, and he was standing beneath me and my body. I'm looking at that "familiar" thing.

Then, I looked around and saw a large group of players who looked like spectators.

\"Hehe, you look so dazzling. \"

"You've gathered so many people to watch."

"After all, you have to duel while everyone else is watching. Otherwise, it's not fun, right? Also, the players around me were the ones who came together after watching "m strike". ”

"Does that mean everyone is listening to what we have to say?"

It's said to have been the highest-rated show among digital terrestrial radio shows, so I thought there were a lot of people watching our debate, but actually, I didn't expect so many people to come and watch our debate. Take a look at the battle of Zexceed.

（...！ ）

No, it's not. Of course, there may be some people in the audience who have heard of the matchups that take place in the live streams of the mmo, but Zexceeds tend to be in places where a lot of people watch.

I guess he collected these because he wanted as many people as possible to see how those who defeated his own arguments were on their knees and see how correct his own theories were. The man in sunglasses didn't know what his intentions were, and he opened his arms and announced loudly to the surrounding audience.

\"Alright, guys, let's get started now. Please take a closer look at who is stronger, me or Kirito-san! \"

Riding the cool and pleasant night breeze, Zexceed's proclamation was probably absorbed by the ears of the surrounding players, but those players turned their eyes to me instead of Zexceed, making a sound that bordered on cheers.

It seems that Zexde has indeed aroused the disgust of many animal trainers and non-animal trainers. I can't afford to lose to Zexde, who constantly insults the lives of many beast tamers and their demons. With this in mind, I called out to the demons beneath me.

"Lilan, we still have a chance to stop him, do you know how strong his Imperial Beast is?"

Since he was said to be a liar, I thought that the strength of his "acquaintance" was also a liar, but that part seemed to be true. It can be seen that that 'magic pet' has considerable strength compared to other players' 'magic pets'. Although his strength is not as good as mine, he should not be underestimated.

"So, the power of [Demon Pet] is the real thing about Yuichi?"

Listening to Lilan's instructions, Zexid jumped onto his "demon", a dragon with light blue fur, and drew his weapon, but my attention couldn't help but focus on his hand. Zexied's drawn weapons were two swords, the same as mine, but Zexied immediately connected the hilts of the two swords and turned them into one sword.

After performing a performance of swinging a sword like a baton that combines into a single weapon (known as a double sword or double blade), Zexid readjusted his posture and held the naginata.

(That weapon!) ）

As I gazed at the two swords that Zeckersd was holding, the story flashed through my mind. ALo updates are frequent, and I mentioned earlier that a system called the "Merge Mechanism" was implemented that combines the hilts of two swords into a single weapon. Listen to Egil.

I've been thinking about what to do for a long time and haven't been able to do it, but it looks like Zexceed is happy to use this merge mechanism system and is currently using it consistently.

(But...) ）

The hilts of the two swords are connected like a naginata. This may be because the blade is slightly bent back, but I feel like I've seen Zexceed's combo and dual swords somewhere before. No. And it wasn't a sword, I felt like I could see it every day.

\"Kirito! \"

"What the hell is that?" Just as I was about to think, a familiar voice suddenly sounded in my head and brought me back to my senses. That's right, we're on the verge of a showdown with Zexceed, and a lot of players are watching us fight. Realizing that now was not the time to be distracted by thoughts, I took a stand and listened to the voices of my "acquaintances".

"Lilan, what's the matter?"

"Now I, with my own strength, will definitely be able to defeat him." But it doesn't make any sense. If you want to defeat him, really defeat him, your strength is indispensable.

Lilan turned her head to look behind her as far as she could, lifting the goggles that covered her eyes. Because it was in the room, it wasn't clear to see, but I could tell that Lilan's scarlet eyes were shining in the moonlight.

"Master, please advise. \"Together, you and I will definitely be able to defeat him."

This sentence surprised me again. It is true that Lilan, who has become the "God of War Dragon Gaguras", will be able to easily defeat Zexde and his "dependents". However, there is no point in me riding it, my "demon" only gets stronger.

It is impossible to let people know that the "messenger" of the battle is the one who receives instructions from the "animal tamer" whom he trusts and carries them out.

\"I believe in you, Kirito\"

"Ahh You and I will work together to overcome this battle. I'll give you as many instructions as you want to do it. ”

\"I believe in you, Kirito\"

The voice of the demon sounded in my head, not the voice of an old woman, but the voice of a girl in the same form as a werewolf, and the sound effect announced the beginning of the duel between me and the blue—the silver-haired man.

"Let's go, handsome !!"

It was Zexceed who said this and took the lead. Almost at the same time as these words, which were probably insulting to me, the dragon that Zexde was riding kicked Lilan with a sharp kick.

I don't know what stats are used, but I guess the AGI has been boosted to a certain extent, and the magic dragon that looks like Pina's evil evolution looks like a wolf running across the grassland. It runs very well. posture and run at a fairly fast pace. However, seeing Lilan running through the sky faster than fairies and monsters, and still clinging to it, I felt rather slow.

Lilan was probably captured at this speed. Believing this, I immediately gave instructions.

"Run again, dodge to the right! Change direction and turn your back on!! ”

It took Lilan less than a second to get into a position where she could execute the command. Soon after, Zexde's dragon demon Redora arrived, but Lilan turned to avoid the approaching light blue body and turned to the right.

Devil Redra rushed over with great momentum, and when it was a certain distance from us, it suddenly braked and turned its face towards us, but at that moment its mouth turned black, and with a flash of light, it immediately climbed in. canopy and grabbed the handle.

"Boost! Jump into the sky!! ”

Before he could finish speaking, Lilan spewed out a burst of ignited heat energy from the mouth of the giant weapon and flew into the sky, so fast that he didn't know how he would move if he had a speedometer. About a second later, an explosion-like sound was heard on the ground behind me.

Because of its name, Demon Rydra, and its appearance didn't emit any light, I thought it was a dragon that dealt with attributes other than light, but now I'm sure. The demon Redora is a dragon that deals with Lilan's weak attribute, and Lilan deals with the dark attribute-light attribute. And the explosion just now was the sound of Demon Reddra's dark attribute energy breath attack, and it was the sound of an explosion.

(Is that the case?) ）

Although his strength is indeed somewhat inferior to herself, Lilan said that he is an opponent that should not be underestimated. If that story is true, if my instructions are wrong and continue to take damage, Lilan will be defeated by that dragon.

However, the same is true for another person. This is because most of the monsters that deal with the dark attribute have weaknesses in the light attribute attack. And the attributes used by Lilan are fire and light, which should be taking advantage of the weakness of that demon dragon.

The relationship between my Lilan and Zexde's demon Redora is considered a weak attribute at the same time. I turned my head and let the feeling of the "Beast Tamer" cultivated in SAo and ALo spread all over my body, and I firmly grasped the handle of the "Animal Tamer" created in SAo and ALo. Lilan's armor, take it.

"His attribute is darkness, however, the attribute you use may be his weakness, you can win this battle!"

"I'm sure we're going to win." After all, I'm fighting alongside you! \"

Just as the "voice" returned to the old woman's voice, the demon dragon flapped its wings, soared into the sky, and flew towards us again. The appearance of the demon dragon running in the air with four wings is indeed majestic, but perhaps because of the flapping of its wings, it feels much slower than when it runs on the ground. However, judging from the voices of the surrounding audience, I am afraid that the flight speed of the 'Demon' used by other 'animal tamers' is much faster.

Although he used such a strong "demon", what exactly was Zexceed worth throwing away when he didn't think it was necessary? At that time, just as I was thinking so, the magic dragon turned into a black and purple dragon. I saw that its hands were wrapped in black-purple claws formed in the darkness, and it slashed towards Lilan.

I had seen with my own eyes a technique that could only be performed by harnessing the dark dragon, and I immediately gave instructions.

"Run, push, dodge back!" Yes!! \"

Soon after receiving the order, Lilan's body began to tremble violently. My instructions were safely conveyed to Lilan, and he executed them well, but before he could dodge, the dragon's claws slashed directly into his face. Lilan's face is attacked by the Weak Dark Element, and his health drops significantly, and the impact on his head causes him to lose his balance, causing an irregular burst of white heat energy on his weapon.

"Run, run!!"

Perhaps, Lilan's skills were able to hit the target's head and make them unconscious for a short time. Lilan was temporarily unable to move after being hit in the head by it. Zexside and the dragon simply won't let go of this gap, and they use the Dark Claws to unleash a barrage of attacks without mercy.

He couldn't see it because he was holding his head, but the dragon's claw attack hit Lilan's chest and abdomen wrapped in platinum fur, and the impact was transmitted from Lilan's body and health. It was reduced

"What's wrong? Is that what you think? Your dependents are no match for me after all!! ”

Zeksde's nasal voice was happy to be able to make a one-sided attack. The dragon's attacks are constant and merciless. The impact of these waves was quite strong, and Lilan's health began to decrease, and her body swayed up and down, left and right, as if entering a turbulent current.

Could it be that Zexid was able to gain power beyond us, that he was able to defeat us, that it was not a lie? His body shook, and he was about to call out the name of his "acquaintance" when a "voice" came to his mind.

"I see, I see"

"Lilan!?"

"W-What!? \"

The next moment, Zexside's voice changed from trembling with joy to shock, and Lilan spewed white heat energy violently from the weapon's spout, making a backstroke pose, away from the dragon, and then turned over and returned to its original position. Ordinary. As I emerged from the canopy, I saw Zexde looking around in amazement while the demon Rhidora straddled it.

Judging by the surprised "voices" of Zexceed and Relan without surprise, it is clear that Relan has listened to Zexceed and made a "sound".

"Lilan, you"

"Kirito, I found out the truth. The truth about Z is beyond that.

"The truth? What did you find? ”

"Kirito. He rode that demon Ridra and continued to fight, but did you see him giving orders to the demon Ridra? At least I haven't.

Following Lilan's voice, I remembered everything, including the battle with Zexde, and the actions of the demon Reddra. Come to think of it, the demon Redora has been steadily attacking Lilan since some time ago, and Zexde, who is riding on the demon Redora, has not given any orders at all, and is really just riding on its back.

The canopy on Lilan's armor also seems to have a sound-gathering effect, allowing Lilan to hear her surroundings even when flying at high speeds, but if he gives a command, the sound should be clear.

However, no matter how much I searched for memories, I couldn't remember the voice of Zexde when he gave orders to the demon Reddra.

"Speaking of which, I've never seen him give instructions."

"That's the answer, that's his truth"

I can only be amazed by Lilan's story.

According to Lilan, the reason why Zexceed did not give any instructions to the demon Retca is because the demon Randora completely ignored Zexceed's orders and was in a state that amounted to not accepting Zexceed's instructions at all, and this was because they had given up on giving instructions.

The reason why Demon Randora does not accept the instructions or orders of the "Beast Tamer" Zexceed, but launches a fierce attack on us, seems to be due to Demon Randora's own instinct to attack, and this may be Zexceed's intention. It is said that it does not exist.

It seems that Lilan only realized this when she couldn't hear Zexd's voice at all, and was constantly under attack from the demon Reddra.

\"Did he just let the demon Redora fight him? \"

"That's it. The demon Redora attacked purely out of instinct. And, since Demon Rydra is stronger than the other "demons", all Zexceed needs to do is cling to Demon Rydra, who attacks according to instinct. As long as you ride on the back of an enemy, the demon Lidora will defeat the opponent on its own, which seems to be a mechanism.

What do you mean? Since Zexceed has appeared several times in the "Winner of the Week" on "mmo Stream", I thought that his skills as an "animal tamer" must be quite good, but the truth is that he is a strong "magician". Continuing in a fury of rage, I jumped onto its back and watched as the "Demon" took the initiative to eliminate the opponent, just standing from a high place and watching.

What's more, even the demon Reddra, who attacks wildly by instinct, wears a system collar called "Demon Messenger" around his neck, and Zexde holds the reins that extend from there.

That demon Ridora was no longer Zexid's "enchanter", but Zexid's slave - when I realized this, a strong anger welled up in my heart, and my vision began to glow red.

\"Bastard, are you making your 'loved ones' fight like slaves? And if you don't listen to what your 'loved ones' say, it shows that you really care about your 'loved ones'. "I don't think so."

\"His 'Demon' is no different from a boss monster. "You should know what that means.

Listening to Lilan's voice, I immediately nodded. The monster that becomes the "pet beast" piloted by the "beast tamer" not only acts according to its own routine, but also often acts according to the instructions of the "animal trainer", so it can read the movements like a boss, but even if you try to attack him, he may dodge according to the instructions, so it is difficult to deal with.

However, although it is a 'demon', the demon Redora is only instinctively berserk, no different from the boss monster, and it is still easy to deal with.

And we are not the ones who lose to such things!

"Ah, I see, I have something important that he doesn't."

There's no way we're going to lose to him! ”

"Stop that shameful beast tamer"! \"

I absolutely can't forgive Zexid, his fighting style and "familiar" approach in my mind simply can't compare to "The Tamer", let alone "The Dragon Tamer". Just as I entered the canopy with that in mind, the demon Redra instinctively struck Lilan again, attacking me with her dark claws. However, it wasn't something I couldn't have foreseen, and I had already given instructions to Lilan at the time.

"Run again, boost, dodge backwards! Then quickly approach and counterattack!! ”

It took less than a second for Lilan to carry out my command, spewing energy from the vent and easily dodging the claw attacks of the oncoming demon Redora. Then, his body changed, leaning forward, and once again spewing energy from the vent in the tail of the weapon, accelerating rapidly. He quickly closed the distance between himself and the demon Redora, jumped into his pocket, and took advantage of the situation to punch the demon Redora in the chest.

The upper body was human except for its neck, and a punch that was not much different from a human stabbed into the demon Redra's chest, causing it to let out a dull scream. However, perhaps because of Zekeside's chosen identity, the demon Redra immediately regained her posture and swung her claws down.

However, Lilan dodged in an instant by changing the intensity of the energy burst, and this time he slammed a punch into the abdomen and chest of the demon Rydra, followed by a series of slashes from fists and claws that almost hit the entire body of the demon Rydra. I'll go. In the meantime, I watched the demon Lidora's movements while continuing to give orders to Lilan.

"Right, next left, take a step back, counterattack!"

It seems that because his upper body is human, he fights almost in the same way as he did in his werewolf form, and Lilan did my instructions without fail, continuing to attack the demon Redora, avoiding everything. Flying back at you.

My "acquaintance" Lilan, who follows my instructions as an "animal trainer", has no doubts about any of my instructions. Feeling happier than anything else at something so obvious, Lilan followed my instructions to attack. My heart was pounding. Reduces the dragon's HP each time.

"Damn, damn, why! Is this guy really so useless!? I let him avoid me!! ”

Among them, Zexid's voice was heard. Although I couldn't see him because he was hiding behind the demon Redora, I could easily imagine his expression, and he couldn't believe that his proud "acquaintance" demon Redora was cornered. While I could hear him finally giving instructions that he hadn't given before, I didn't see the demon Ridra in action, he was just trying to follow his instincts.

It's as if he is paying the price, imposing everything on the demon Ridla, without giving him any instructions or even trying to establish a relationship of trust. I responded to Zexid's voice cursing at the demon Lidorah.

"Isn't your 'dependent' useless? No, you're just not good at using your dependents! ”

"This, this, ahh

At the next moment when Zexid screamed, Lilan's glowing horn punched directly into the demon Redra's chest, knocking its body flying.

At the same time that the demon Redora's body began to fall with Zexde, Lilan spewed a huge amount of energy from its vent, flying through the sky at an explosive speed. As it soared through the night sky, its entire body enveloped in fiery energy, and as it turned into a white meteor, its gaze was aimed at the demon Redra and swooped down. Frame by frame, it collides with the body of the demon Lydora, and continues to fall to the ground while being engulfed.

"It's a lie, it's a lie, this me, this my acquaintance"

The sound of wind and fire from Liland's fall to the ground was mixed with Zexde's extremely slow, unaltered tone. After all, he couldn't believe that his 'dependents' had lost and were about to lose this duel.

Lilan eventually collides with the ground, and is also involved in Zexde. It caused a white-hot explosion centered on itself, and a tower of fire made of white heat rose into the sky. Then, Lilan got up and jumped out of the White Hot Tower, landing some distance away from the White Hot Tower that even the moonlight had stolen.

At first I didn't understand the technology, but then I learned its name. The oversized monster that only Lilan is allowed to use, trusting the "Beast Tamer" of the "Beast Tamer", swoops down like a white-hot meteor, producing a huge explosion and a huge tower of white heat, turning opponents into charcoal. Gongfa, "Rushing to the sky".

This is my second release, and the first time it's only us present, so I don't know how the other players will react. So I stepped out of Lilan's canopy and looked around, and found that almost all of the spectators watching me and Zexde duel were speechless at the white fever tower created by Lilan's technique. Show that it is just.

The huge white tower, which was stunned, stopped when I looked back again, and the night sky, which had been dyed white, returned to its original color. In order to see what happened to the dragon that was directly hit by a skill that even the Demon Wolf Dragon that appeared in the extremely difficult mission could not withstand it, we visited the bottom of the tower, the huge explosion caused by Lilan. As we focused on the epicenter, Lilan and I were surprised.

Lilan and the epicenter of the huge explosion caused by the source of the White Tower, there was nothing. Even in a completely decisive duel, when the battle is over, the HP reduced to 0 is fully restored, and not only can you see the loser, but you can even talk to Zexceed and his "acquaintance" demon. Dragon, no matter how I look around, I can't find him.

"That"

"He's not there, he's not there!? \"

I thought that Lilan, who had a stronger sensory system than ordinary players, would definitely be able to find Zexde and the Demon Dragon, but even Lilan looked around and was confused. It looks like Zexceed and the dragon are already in a state where they can't be found even if they rerun.

I don't know what happened to Zexde and the dragon at that moment, but just as I was checking the situation around me, a window appeared in front of me.

\"You win!! \", which reads "You won", declares the duel victorious, and the surrounding players seem to see it as well, indicating that the duel is over. The audience burst into cheers. Immediately, loud cheers rang out in the night sky, and a round of big moon and moonlit meadows sparkled.

I shouted to my partner who had ended the fight safely, and heard loud cheers and sounds of surprise, and even the night wind was blown back.

"Lilan, you won."

\"Ahh I won."

Lilan and I fought against the dragon trainer Zexde, who insulted the lives of animal tamers and demons across the country. In the end, the duel ended with me and Lilan winning. However, if Lilan and I couldn't rejoice in the victory at all, I felt that something big was blocked in my heart, and there was a strong sense of confusion in my heart, and it was getting worse and worse.

Immediately afterward, I heard voices calling for us not far away, mixed with cheers. Looking back, everyone watched my conversation with Zexceed in the hostel's "mmo live" and "winner of the week." Everyone looked very happy, as if they were complimenting us on defeating the big boss.

Just as everyone approached me, I got off Lilan's back, instructed him to stay as he was, and approached everyone, but almost at the same time, one of them, Lifa, spoke to me.

\"Thank you for your efforts, Lilan to Ernie Sauce! It was a great fight! \"

"Ah, I won."

"Well, that's right, you two can't afford to lose to a beast tamer who doesn't take care of the beast, but we've been nervous a few times along the way."

Lizbet said with a smile. Admittedly, I couldn't help but be stunned when Lilan was knocked unconscious halfway, but Lilan saw through Zexde's truth, followed my instructions, launched a fierce attack, defeated the demon dragon, and he defeated me.

However, while we were able to win, we didn't know if we would actually win, and since we didn't know where Zexceed and the dragon had disappeared, everyone was celebrating. But I can't really think about anything.

Obviously, it's not just me and Lilan who care about this, as I listen to the voices around me, I hear things like "Where's Zexceed?" And "Zexceed ran away" and something like that. Louder and louder voices can be heard.

It seems that the elven lord Sakuya, who has been watching me in the crowd, heard—or rather understood—saw me. I am back. Next to me was Alyssa Lou, Lord of Kate Sith, who taught me everything I needed to know "familiar".

\"Kirito-kun, you played beautifully. I thought you and Lilan were going to win. \"

"Thank you. But what happened to Zexceed? Once the winner is decided, your HP should be fully restored and you will be able to talk to your opponent. \"

It was Alyssa who answered my question, not Sakuya. The expression on her face was a little stunned, which was unusual for Alyssa.

"Maybe, but Zexceed's line is broken. Just before Lilan's attack hits him, his line breaks and he is forced to pull out. So, Kirito-kun's victory was due to the illegal defeat of his opponent. Well, if that's the case, even without these, in the end Kirito-kun and Lilan-chan have won a complete victory. \"

In the old competitive games, if you were at a disadvantage against your opponent, there was a way to untie the line and make the game disappear. Since the popularity of VRmmo using Amusphere, such an approach has almost non-existent.

So Zexceed, who was going to lose to me, couldn't have disconnected himself and quit the game, but I couldn't help but feel that the timing was too good. Perhaps the reason why Zexceed's line hung up was that there was some kind of physical problem with Zexceed's body in reality, which caused him to be forced to quit. I think so. Alyssa's smile returned to her face, and she patted me on the shoulder.

In short, now the power of Kirito-kun and Rilan-chan has been conveyed to all the other players. "Demons" can be the strongest by nurturing them with love and building trusting relationships. I think it's going to spread, so I'm looking forward to it. ”

"Yes, I want me to pray that no one in the future will abandon their "familiar". ”

Both Rabbit and Kaku must have realized that what I said in "m Strike" was true, as Lilan and I won. I believe that in the future, people will be more enthusiastic about taking the time to cultivate their "acquaintances" instead of carefully selecting, which may become the mainstream.

As I looked at my "demon-maker", Lilan, the wolf dragon with excellent combat power, I felt that the dark age of the mainstream belief that "demon-making" was a one-off was over.

ALo internal time and real-time time: 11:20 p.m. at the inn on the Kuto Line, Kirito always uses the room

After the duel with Zexde, Kirito and Lilan decide to separate for the time being. After the duel, Lilan seemed to feel sleepy, and at the same time, the three sisters, Yui, Streya, and Quinella, also felt sleepy, and all four returned to the hotel.

Today, Lilan is facing the Demon Wolf Dragon Vanagander, the boss monster of an extremely difficult mission, where he evolves and defeats it. That night, he confronts Zexceed's demon and the dragon demon Lidora, who appears in "Winner of the Week", and defeats him.

He must be tired, he has to deal with two strong enemies in one day, and he can finally usher in the happy event of evolution. No, I was probably tired from fighting the Demon Wolf Dragon during Evolution, but in the end, facing the demons Redra and Zekde, I was too sleepy to stand it. They must have been attacked—Kirito understood, said "Thank you for your hard work," and sent Lilan and his sisters to the hotel.

Immediately afterwards, the other friends who continued to challenge the underworld and won the battle with Clover also withdrew, and Sakuya and Alyssa, who congratulated Lilan on her evolution, also withdrew.

At that time, only Kirita and Shino were left, and Kiritto also wanted to quit, but Shino said, "I have something to do in your room" and was waiting for her, so Kirito stayed.

Although it came too suddenly, if it was Shino's business, I could only accept it, and tomorrow is also a Sunday and a holiday, so there is no problem with sleeping late. Moreover, ever since Kirito returned from "M Strike", Kirito has been worried about the strange expression on her face.

Because of this, Kiritto gladly accepted Shino's statement, and then everyone went to the inn of the Tiandu Line, where it had probably disappeared from the fairy world in a room.

In this way, they came to the room where Kirito - more precisely, Shino also used - login and logout. It is a Western-style room with a certain distance from the other rooms, and there are only some imitation flower decorations on the walls. After entering the familiar room, locking the door and exiting, Kirito turned to face Shino, the person who brought himself here.

\"So, Shiina, what do you want from me? \"

Even when I called out to him, the girl with white and light blue hair didn't answer, just stared at the boy in front of her. Just as I was about to call him again, the girl walked forward quickly, bumping lightly into the boy before stopping.

Kirito was surprised and gently put his hand on the head of the girl Shino and called out to her again.

\"Shino? \"

"Because..."

“”

Shino seemed to respond to Kirito's faint voice, clenched her fists on Kirito's chest, and made a faint voice again.

"I know you and I are family, and I think so too. But I'm not going to tell you not to get too excited, and I think it's important that Riran is also a significant family member... When I'm so focused on you... Sometimes I feel lonely. ”

“！”

By this time, Kirito finally felt that he was able to grasp Shino's thoughts.

I've been following my partner Lilan lately, and to this day I've been thinking about Lilan's evolution. During that time, I didn't spend any time with Shino, and I didn't think about Shino, who should be someone important to me.

No, I also spent some time with Shiina, but at that time I was just looking for the conditions for Lilan's evolution and completing the task where I could get the medium of Lilan's evolution.

Of course, at the time, I just made Lilan my first priority, and I didn't think much about Shino. Even though he is the person I love in this world, I decided to protect him with my life.

Because he spent a lot of time with me and decided to keep doing it, I was sensitive to it and felt like I was being left behind. Right. Up to now...

Feeling the love rising in his chest, Kirito gently hugged Shino's slender body, and then gently placed his hand on Shino's head.

\"I'm sorry, Shino. I've been thinking about Lilan. But it doesn't matter. Lilan is an important member of the family, but you are the more important person. What I want to protect is to always be there for you. \" is Shino. It has always been that way, and it always will be. \"

“”

"So, I'm sorry. I've done something to leave me alone with you for so long."

Kirito was about to say this, when Shino quickly moved away from his chest and held Kirito's cheeks with both hands. Shino's pale blue eyes reflected Kirito's shocked expression, and he whispered.

"So can you apologize? I hope you can do so if you can. ”

"Well, after fighting all day today, I don't have much physical strength left, but as long as you say yes, I can do it. \"

"Please"

"I see, Your Highness Princess."

After hearing Shino/Shina's request, Kirito sealed her soft lips with her own lips. Turn off the lights in the room, only let the moonlight outside the window shine into the room, and the two slowly fall into bed together.

"Ah, it's out! Police, we finally did it! We have finally succeeded in arresting the world-destroying demon "Fugitives"!! ”

The second day of Relan's evolution is Sunday at 8:00 a.m.

Kirito, Naoba, and Mother Midori all stared at the TV, not saying a word. Kirito and Naoba, who were able to join Green due to the reduced workload, ate breakfast as usual and watched the special effects show that began at eight o'clock on Sunday morning.

The special effects program, which has been on the air for nearly 20 years, is essentially a children's program, but Kirito and Naoba like it because the content can be enjoyed by adults as well, and it has become a Sunday enjoyment.

"What is this!? \"

However, ten minutes after the broadcast, the program was abruptly cut off and switched to a news program, just as the main character was transforming.

In the middle of the program, it is difficult to report on the news program when a major disaster occurs, such as a major earthquake, a large volcanic eruption, or a major flood caused by a very local heavy rain. Imagine that. The three of them were ready for something like this, but their expectations were soon disappointed.

In the news program that began after the special effects program was forcibly ended, it was not a house destroyed by an earthquake, nor a volcanic eruption of a volcanic bomb or lava, but a room in an apartment building in the center of the city. The picture shows a large number of police officers and reporters watching, and a man is taken away.

It was a video of a criminal who had committed some kind of crime being arrested by the police and about to be taken to the police station, so there was nothing strange about it, but the words of the subtitle announcer at the top of the video left Kirito, Naoba, and Midori speechless in shock.

The caption reads, "Finally caught the man who broke down the door and fled." The announcer looked excited as he watched a man being taken away, saying "The 'fugitive' has been arrested" and "The world has been saved from the demons who destroyed the world." ”'

"\"Fugitive\"Arrested, uh, what?! What does that mean!? ”

Naoba looked panicked and alternated watching TV with Kirito, but Kirito didn't stop watching TV. "Destroy the Fugitives" – the terminal agency created by Hannibal, the natural enemy of today's media and police, and the cyber terrorist currently shaking Japan.

The "Breaker" playfully used his out-of-standard cyber technology to attack the police and the media, which can be said to be the highest authority in Japan, and carried out various cyber terrorism, triggering cyber terrorist attacks. Severe damage. Give.

Of course, the police, the media, the politicians were eager to subdue this being, but no matter how close they were, they ran away, and even when they identified the crime scene, they were forced to go to a chaotic place. They are under attack and have lost the trust of the people, but they have been unable to do anything to cause any damage. Its strength is well known overseas, and Japan's neighbors are worried that it will come to Japan at any time.

Monsters that appear in the cyber world, no matter how hard the police or the media try to push them into a corner. Before he knew it, the media hated him even more than the police and politicians, constantly criticizing and attacking him every day, as if he was crazy.

(Sugo Sugo)

When Kirito sees a video of a man being taken out of the room by the police and ready to be taken to the police station, the image and face of the "man who ran away" before comes to his mind.

The man who was once called the "fugitive man" is actually Nobuyuki Sugago, who can be said to be an important figure in the large company of Lector where Asuna's father is the boss. Subsequently, Sugo logged into SAo under the name of Alberridge and continued his attack with one of the members of the Blood Pact Knights led by Kirito at the time.

However, all this is just an act, and the real purpose is to conduct human experiments on players who log in to SAo. When Sugo finds out about this, he admits that he is a "fugitive" who is becoming a hot topic in the world, and has become an enemy of the attack group and blocked his way. But in the end, he gets unexpected help and becomes stronger, being defeated by a group of attackers who have assembled their manpower, and his body is found and his brain burned.

With the death of Sugo, it was originally thought that this "fugitive" had disappeared from Japanese society, but one day, terrorism happened again, and the television radio waves used by the mass media were hijacked. is a "fugitive" - the second, to be precise.

Kirito can't help but wonder who the second "Breakaway" is, but his true identity has been revealed by a news program that is airing on TV.

"Heavy Village, Heavy Village, Hoda?"

Kirito frowned, staring at the picture shown on the TV. According to the announcer, who was as excited as if he had just taken the head of a demon, the real identity of the arrested "broken man" was a 26-year-old man who lived in an apartment in Nakano Ward. Tokyo. His name seems to be Shigemura Bao.

Television footage shows all the features of Shigemura, who was arrested as an "runaway fugitive," including a gray T-shirt and trousers, a slightly oily face, silver-rimmed glasses, and a chubby figure. A young man who looks like an interior and has nothing to do with sports.

Compared to the previous "Fugitive" Sugo / Alberridge, he does not have any distinguishing features and looks like an ordinary young man who can be seen everywhere. The police were about to take me away, and my face was still there. My face when I woke up.

"Kirito, what does this mean? \"

Ignoring Midori's surprise, Kirito picked up the remote control and changed the channel.

The media attacks the "fugitives" every day, repeating chaotic reports. Perhaps the video in this report is a fake video designed to deceive the public and spread the lie that the "runaway man" has been arrested.

If that's the case, other channels must be broadcasting completely different programs. Kirito thought so and tried to change the channel, but all the TV programs were broadcasting "Bankrupt Fugitives", "Finally Arrested", "Broken", etc. "Fugitive Man" Shigemura Arrest and "Breaking News" Fugitive Man "Arrested" are the same TV programs I was watching before I switched stations. Even news programs on Internet channels have a reputation for disseminating information from major sources, and viewership continues to be many times higher than terrestrial digital broadcasts.

The arrest of the elusive cyberterrorist "Fugitives" is an unmistakably real event - Kirito, who is confused by this, slowly puts down the remote control. Immediately after that, my sister spoke to me.

"What does Ernie sauce mean? \"

"I don't even know what's going on."

"Does the fact that the 'fugitive' have been arrested means that the police have finally arrived?"

Hearing their mother's confused voice, the brother and sister turned around, but the elder brother Kirito immediately denied this sentence in his heart. The reason why the culprit, the "fugitives", attacked the media and the police many times but did not get caught, is because the "fugitives" continue to deceive the people in every possible way. He fled under the control of the media, the police, and the internet.

It is entirely credible that a police officer who has been at the mercy of this "hit-and-run" and has not advanced or evolved has been able to reach the point of a "hit-and-run" and successfully obtain his custody, isn't it? If this "mentally disturbed fugitive" had made a mistake and given even the slightest hint to the police, he would have been arrested much earlier.

Who the hell is this man named Shigemura?

First of all, is he really a 'fugitive'?

First of all, how did the police find Shigemura, who seemed to be a "runaway fugitive"?

Why did the "fugitives" end up arrested?

One by one, the eggs of the butterfly called the problem were laid and hatched in my head, and in the blink of an eye, the larvae turned into pupa, feathered, turned into butterflies, formed a large flock, and flew around in my head. If I found the answer, I might fly somewhere, but no matter how hard I tried to think about it, I couldn't find the answer, so I just flew around in my head.

Unable to stand this disgusting feeling, Kirito gritted his teeth, picked up the smartphone in his pocket, opened the phone, opened the phone book, and selected a contact. When they're in VRmmo, they're together, but when they're in the real world, they talk through their smartphones and basically eat together all the time: Riran, Yui, Strea, Quinella and Jupiter.

Kirito saw that the five of them were very tired yesterday, and when they started to eat breakfast, they thought they might still be sleeping, so he didn't call them. They may still be sleeping, and the ringing of the phone may wake them up, but now is not the time to worry - Kirito presses the call button and holds the smartphone to his ear.

After a few familiar calls, the smartphone becomes a link between the real world and the VRmmo station, and the voices of the residents can be heard. The first thing I heard was a girl's voice with a slightly worse sound, and that was Lilan's voice.

"Hey, Kirito? Good morning."

"Is that Lilan's voice? Good morning. ”

"What's wrong? Well, I kind of get it.

"Looks like you've seen it on TV too."

Immediately after, the voice from the fairy world no longer belonged to Lilan. The voice is Yui's voice, a girl much younger than Lilan. In the morning, Yui greeted Kirito, and when Kirito responded, the conversation continued.

"Dad, what's going on on TV? The Internet was in an uproar\"

"It's the same here, it's as lively as it was when there was a disaster."

"I thought so too, but it was more lively on TV. \"

The voice of this sentence was neither Yui's voice nor Lilan's voice. This is the voice of Streya, a little mature for a girl. After Kirito said yes, he summed up what was playing on TV and told his family and friends on the other end of the line. When it was over, the voices of Quinella, a girl younger than Yui, and Jupiter, Asuna's son, Lilan's brother, Yui, and Strea's brother, sounded.

"Saboteurs and fugitives" were caught, after all, the same thing happened to them. \"

\"Brother Kirito, can you log in to ALo? Something amazing is happening here as well.

"Ah, I'll go over now, we'll see you at Egil's coffee shop!"

With that, Kirito hung up the phone and put the smartphone into hibernation, explaining the situation to Naoba and Midori. I told Naoba to log in early, and then finish breakfast in one gulp and move on.

Yalfheim online Svart, the sky city of Rhine in Alfheim

While eating breakfast during the holidays, Kirito was also in charge of washing dishes and cleaning the bathroom, so he completed these tasks before logging in. At that time, more than 30 minutes had passed since my conversation with Rilan and others.

Time passed minute by minute, and before logging in, the time was exactly around nine o'clock in the morning.

It didn't take long, but it felt like it took a lot of time, and as soon as Kirito logged in, he ran out of the Tiandu Line Hotel and headed to the coffee shop run by Egil, where he asked for a cup of coffee. Meet everyone. I set off.

During that time, I didn't pay much attention to what was happening in the city, but I did notice that the players in the city gathered together and often mentioned the word "fugitive". Kirito ran over and eventually reached his destination - a coffee shop.