"Yes, that's right. Thank you all three. Thanks to you, I feel better. \"

Perhaps Lilan was once faced with a situation where she had to continue to act alone. Because of this, my pessimistic side began to show, such as the people around me who didn't like me. Kirito felt that a certain part of her was somewhat similar to Shino.

However, after a few seconds, Lilan turned around, suddenly showed a surprised expression, and spoke.

"Uh, it's a dead end."

"Ugh"

If you turn around in the same way, you'll notice a similar pattern painted on the other wall. I can't confirm any path that looks like it might lead to another room. As Lilan said, Kirito was a little surprised to find that he had reached a dead end.

"Really, are you on the wrong track?"

"It seems like this. However, this area is close to the last dungeon in the Swat region, so it looks rather complicated. ”

Indeed, the "Rocky Field Nebelheim", where this dungeon is located, actually corresponds to the final area of Swaldjärfheim. And in most RpGs that include this ALo, the final dungeon and final area tend to be created in a very complex way, so the specifications of the "Rocky Fieldni Belheim" dungeon are also complicated.

It takes time, but that's what role-playing games should look like. Kirito, who realized this, turned to the trio.

"There's no way, let's go back first, there must be a fork in the road, so let's change directions."

After seeing everyone nodding, Kirito returned the same way with the three of them. As the name of the final area suggests, the enemies along the way are quite formidable, but for Kiriri and Lilan, who have completed the death game called SAo, they are both insignificant enemies that can be easily defeated. Gain race proficiency points.

If you want to gain race proficiency and skills, the correct answer is to stay in this rocky area, and you can earn money quite efficiently, so it won't be long before this area becomes a famous money-making spot that a lot of players will come to. Go.

While thinking about this, we walked back along the road we had come, we reached a place where the road split in two, like a fork in the road, and we realized that we could only go in one direction. If you've made it this far, another path is the right answer, and like the dungeons in the previous area, there should be a mechanic to advance the great quest.

Kirito, who had played and completed a lot of RpG, had a feeling similar to belief and went another way with the trio, but after a while, he stopped. Kirito awaited Kirito at the end of the fork in the road, and they were greeted by a closed door.

Its appearance is very similar to that in front of the boss room, but it is smaller and less intimidating compared to the area boss. Kirito shouted to the crowd, thinking that this was probably the room where the so-called middle boss was waiting.

"Is this the boss room in front of you?"

"Maybe, it doesn't feel like the door in the other rooms, so you better be careful."

I don't know how much time he played, but he knows a lot about the game, so he just needs to stand in front of the door to know what to expect. Hearing Alice's words, Kirito nodded, and then shouted to Lilan.

"Lilan, when I open the door, you'll turn into a wolf dragon. Then, when the battle with the boss begins"

"It's a human dragon, I see."

"Lilan, be careful, I can't predict what will happen."

"I see. Kirito-san, you have to be careful. \"

Because the team is scattered, the strength has dropped significantly compared to when everyone was together. Maybe you won't be able to beat the boss in the future, but in that case, all you have to do is try again with everyone. Kirito didn't feel the pressure in SAo, and turned to face the closed door in front of him.

"Alright, let's open it then-"

Just as Kirito was about to reach out his hand. Without warning, the closed stone door began to shake from side to side. We always thought it could only be opened manually, so we were all surprised when we saw it move like an automatic door with motion sensors.

"It opened on its own."

\"！？ \"

The door of this dungeon in ALo has a certain pattern, but the reason why it opens automatically like this is often due to the movement of a switch or mechanism. The fact that the door opened automatically should mean that some kind of mechanism worked, but Kirito and his friends never found anything like a mechanism that could open the door, and even if it did, it didn't exist.

Why does the door open on its own? Kirito was just about to think in his head, but he saw the room unfolding outside the door and suddenly stopped. Beyond the heavy stone door, there is a large room that can be seen at a glance, that is the so-called boss room, which is the place where the boss is hit, but Kirito's room is enough for Lilan to fly around. It's beyond my imagination.

The appearance of the room made him think it would be better for everyone to come together, so Kirito instructed Lilan to enter the room first, and the figure was a wolf dragon known as "Gagulas the God of War". ——, then he followed himself and drew his weapon.

The walls and floors are no different from the dungeon corridors we've passed through before, with a plaster statue on the wall that looks like a male god in armor. However, it is large and wide enough for the dragons to fly around. If Lilan were flying at the speed of sound, he would immediately crash into the opposite wall.

（...！ ）

After walking some distance, Kirito noticed a huge dark shadow-like figure appear in front of him, and then stopped. Maybe it's a medium boss, or maybe a boss with more power. As I looked closer, ready to be safe even if it attacked me at any moment, I noticed that there were multiple figures, all of them of different shapes, and most of them humanoid. I see.

Lilan must have noticed the same thing and shouted at me.

\"Kirito-san, that\"

"Players? \"

He wanted to do it as quietly as possible without making any noise and without being noticed, but due to the presence of a wolf dragon Lilan who always made loud noises and a sense of presence, Kirito's wish quickly became impossible.

When the figures noticed Lilan's footsteps and turned around, they could clearly see him. A man in red armor, a man in a green uniform, a man in brown rugged armor, a man in a blue robe holding a staff, and a man in a black and purple combat suit. The player is made up of five races: salamanders, elves, gnomes, water dings, and imps.

Behind them, there was a beast with red fur like a bear, a large dragon with yellow scales like a lizard, a wyvern with a green shell, and a white shell that looked more like a spider, and the form of four monsters. , the shape of a beetle holds one. It didn't take long for Kirito to discover that they were all 'familiar' and that their owner was the player in front of him.

"You..."

"Black clothes, black hair, double swordsmanship, you are Kirito. \"

Kirito cleared his throat when asked by the salamanderman standing in front of the player. You can't see her face at all, because she wears a full-face helmet that looks just like what you'd see in Western history books or dark fantasy works. However, Kirito doesn't want to ignore these questions and answers.

"yes, but what's wrong with that?"

"This is a team led by Kirito, and the goal is to be the first to clear the Swat area and defend against Shamrock. It's a shame. The boss you were supposed to defeat was defeated by our Shamrock. \"

It was much later that I realized that our opponents, Team Shamrock, led by Seven, were wearing indigo and gold feathered accessories on their heads. So, you can tell if there is a clover by looking at whether there are feathers on the player's head, but all the players in front of me have feathers on their heads.

"Did you defeat the boss? What does this mean? ”

The man in red armor answered Alice's question. The Red Warriors have been following Kirito and the others since they entered the dungeon, and they have been looking for a mechanism that will allow them to control the progress of their big quest so that they will not be discovered by others. Kirito and his friends.

Kirito couldn't help but exclaim, Lilan was so sensitive to human signs that she was able to spot hidden players immediately, but she didn't notice it at all.

"Are you following us?"

\"Ah, yes. And, thanks to you getting lost, we were able to take down the boss without your knowledge. That way, our friends and Seven will be able to get closer to completing the big mission. \"

"They are the ones who do the dirty thing. It definitely looks like a hyena. ”

Lilan's voice was visibly full of anger, but the red-armored man remained calm. It's as if they're claiming that what they're doing is right.

Usually, in mmoRpG, players team up with friends or form improvised teams to advance the strategy, but some players will unknowingly follow other players, while others will steal credit or try to conquer credit first.

The methods, techniques, and behaviors of this type of player are similar to those common in places like Africa, following large carnivores around and stealing their loot and leftover food, and those who say and do so are called hyenas.

However, such hyena gameplay was often seen in mmoRpG before ALo became popular, and in some cases even necessary. Perhaps it was because of this understanding that Kirito did not criticize the hyena in front of him as strongly as Lilan.

"There must be something to say. So I won't criticize you too much, but does that mean the emperor approves of this approach? He seems to hate the practice. ”

Shamrock's guild leader is Seven, and while Seven is the one in charge of planning Clover's business policy and future plans, the most elite emperor is in charge of how to strategize and how to fight. The emperor seems to be aware of his responsibility as the most elite member of the Clover, and he maintains a fair and dignified attitude – colloquially known as the royal way – and those around him follow suit.

Part of the reason is that Shamrock doesn't use the dirty means of hyenas, but Shamrock in front of him is now attacking the Imperial City in a way that the Imperial City loathes.

"This is not an order from the emperor's classmates, but our own decision. We are followers of the Seven People, and we are the ones who agree with Dr. Shichiro's research and ideas, and we are the Flower Bush called the Seven People. \"

And now, she's desperately trying to make Shamrock the best place to conquer the Swart region. We just want to fulfill Xiao Qi's wish. ”

"So, that's it."

Lilan, who looked confused next to her, Kirito gritted her teeth.

Seven is undoubtedly an idol, a child prodigy who has the brain to become a scientist at the age of 12. Because of her unique presence, she is sometimes referred to as a goddess by the media and Shamrock members, and I think it makes sense to call her that way.

However, Number Seven is neither a true goddess nor an idolatrous savior, she is just a popular, household name icon and scientist. They don't even need to make offerings, they don't even need to show their piety, but they don't even do that.

As long as I can make the Seven the champion in the Swart region, anything I can do is forgivable. That's probably what they think.

What is it that has brought the people of "Seven" to this point? Kirito didn't understand at all, but eventually the red-armored man who called himself Cluster spoke.

\"And Kirito. We consider you to be our priority to eliminate. \"

"What do you say"

"Although you are not a member of our Shamrock, you have made rapid progress and appeared on 'm Strike' the other day, showing that your 'Demon' is very strong. Defeated Zexde, who appeared in M Strike.

Originally, Zexceed was supposed to attack with Shamrock, with us. We believe that you who can easily defeat it are the biggest threat. ”

Zexid is often frowned upon for lying and outwitting others, but one thing is for sure that he is an "animal trainer" who has enough abilities to appear in "m Strike". If it weren't for what he did to make him unpopular, he would have been a member of Clover by now, advancing his strategy and being recognized by everyone.

Kirito momentarily felt sorry for Zexde, who had been arrested as a dummy of the "fugitives" after the battle the other day, and immediately erased it from his mind. Now is not the time to indulge in sentimentality, or to imagine something like Zexceed in another timeline.

"What's that? I'm your top priority. ”

"Of course, I'll stop you here. Not only here, but after I defeat you, I will also stop your friends. I'll bring victory to the seven. ”

The members of Clover said as they prepared their weapons. Almost at the same time, the 'demons' behind him also roared in unison, ready for battle. Obviously hostile to us, and the clover in front of him is likely to attack the moment it attacks. Even if he wasn't an 'animal tamer,' Lilan must have understood that, and he called me impatiently.

\"Kiri、Kirito-san! \"

"Ah, these guys look so motivated."

Normally, retreat would be thought of at this time, but Shamrock's purpose was not to repel them, but to advance his strategy by actually defeating them, while also delaying his strategy.

On top of that, they say that they are the first target to be eliminated, so even if they escape, they are likely to catch up and find a way to defeat them. And even if you resurrect in Skyline, it's likely to attack you again the moment you enter the battlefield.

However, even so, I have no intention of abandoning the strategy for the Swat region that I have developed so far, let alone giving up. If Shamrock attacks as an obstacle, they must defeat them every time until the other understands that there is no point in challenging them to fight.

When I became the leader of the SAo Blood Pact Knights, leading the assault team and defeating countless monsters, I felt as if I had regained the feeling I had when I fought a dangerous group led by a man named Monemosine. He drew his two swords from his sheaths and shouted at the three of them.

"The three of us, let's act together, we've come this far, we can't stop."

\"I agree with Kirito-kun. Let him understand how much he thinks must be eliminated first. \"

"Kirito-kun is that kind of person. Yes, you're ready for battle! \"

I followed Kirito, pulled out a long sword that belonged to a sword, and got ready.

Reece and Lilan pulled two swords from the scabbard at their waists. Finally, when the "acquaintance" Lilan is ready, Kirito says to Shamrock, who has become an obstacle in front of him.

"Since you are so active, we can't show mercy to you and let you hunt us down."

"It's not us who are being hunted, it's you!!"

The man in red armor shouted as if he was roaring, and the remaining three jumped in unison?? He jumped on the backs and heads of the monsters, and the monsters all roared at Kirito and the others. If you are a regular player, you can be a little more careful when fighting, but the opponent is more likely to be a "Beast Tamer", including "Dragon Trainer".

Properly raised by the 'Beast Tamer', the 'Envoy' has the power of a boss monster, but at the same time, he is also an opponent with more intelligence, mobility, and situation handling. What is it.

It can be said that what is now in front of us are all boss monsters that are more powerful than such boss monsters.

This is indeed a problem - Kirito is a little impatient with this sudden turn of events, and jumps up like the person in front of him, jumping onto his trusted "acquaintance".

Suitably raised by the Beast Tamer, the "Envoys" can sometimes become powerful enemies, even stronger than the boss monsters, and attack other players. I am acutely aware that this story is extremely close to the truth, or rather, it is the truth.

As we set out to conquer the Under world, five people from Shamrock, who were our opponents, stood before us and stopped our progress in conquering Svartalfheim, including this Under world.

The game was originally recommended for pK, and it was not uncommon for players to fight each other, so it was understandable that other players would take on the challenge, but these players wanted to tame a powerful dragon, and there were a total of four "Beast Tamers", including the very successful "Dragon Tamer".

Although it was just me, Lilan, Lilan, and Alice, the opponents were five people and four animals, so the situation with nine people was almost the same. Although I'm five men weaker than me, my opponent seems to be a priority for elimination, so I don't think he will let me go. Because I know this, I choose to go against them.

However, it must also be said that it is a very bad thing to lose five people in terms of strength. This can lead to our exclusion. With that in mind, I straddled my "acquaintance" Lilan and turned to walk forward.

"Lilan, do you think we can defeat them?"

"This is"

"Hey, Lilan, what's wrong?"

I couldn't see his face because I was in such a place, but the "voice" that came into his head was the same tone he often made when he saw something amazing.

And it's no wonder. So far, we haven't played against too many other players, and this is the first time we've faced so many Beast Tamers and Enchanters. Moreover, those 'demon spirits' all looked like well-nurtured 'demon spirits', and they looked at ease, or they seemed to be proud to have their masters on their backs.

Large monsters such as bears with red fur, lizards with yellow scales, dragons with green shells, and spiders with white shells are lined up, and all of them are more powerful than boss monsters. Although Lilan's strength was far beyond that of other imperial beasts, he still couldn't help but be moved.

"It's true that we've dealt with a lot of people, but Lilan, now that we've come this far, we're going to have to do everything we can to defeat them."

"It's not true, it's not true. Those guys\"

At this moment, Lilan's 'voice' sounded, interrupting my words, and the herd of beasts controlled by the Beast Master in front of me suddenly began to move. First, the red-armored man I was talking to was lying on his back—though not as strong as Lilan—a large, bear-like figure with red fur, his body covered in an armor-like shell. His pseudonym, Akakuma Chiyong, seemed to suit him well, and he ran out, as if to strike first.

As if following closely behind, a yellow-scaled lizard dragon carrying a pygmy man also began to charge forward, and a green wyvern carrying an elf also began to fly. Then, the white spider carrying the water goddess clings to the wall, running higher and higher, and only stops when it reaches almost the same height as the green dragon.

Just as he could see that the opposing team was divided into air and ground, Red Bear came to Lilan's side and used his huge body to launch a charge attack.

However, despite being a goblin who is not very good at fighting, Lilan, who has become a member of our side and has defeated many monsters so far, did not take advantage of this, and immediately retreated to the side to avoid the red bear's attack. After failing to attack its target, the Red Bear continued to run, but after a while, it suddenly seemed to float over, turned around, and ran towards Lilan again.

"Wait, can you do it!?"

Sure enough, Lilan made a surprised sound because she didn't see the red bear floating towards her. After about two seconds, the Red Bear returned to Lilan's side, but Lilan quickly took another step to avoid its charge. Unlike the first time, I didn't have much free time, it was really just a narrow escape.

Although I have also encountered monsters like the red bear, they have the disadvantage of only going in a straight line, so if you understand this, you can easily avoid them.

However, despite having a similar structure and movements to theirs, the attacks it unleashed seemed to have overcome its weaknesses. Perhaps when they become "familiar", they will be able to carry out attacks that overcome the weakness of the attack itself.

That's why a well-developed "magic pet" is able to behave so fiercely against opponents when playing against players. When I saw Akakuma's presumably well-nurtured "demon-making" move, I immediately gave instructions to Lilan and Alice.

"These are well-bred 'familiar monsters'! Their movements are completely different from when they are boss monsters, so be careful! ”

"But what should I do? I'm confident in my skills, but I'm not an animal trainer, so I'm at a disadvantage. ”

Hearing these words, my head turned, which was very similar to what Alice complained. Of course, since the opponent is the 'Beast Tamer', the only ones who can be equal are Lilan and I. In Lilan and Alice's minds, those "acquaintances" would be quite troublesome opponents.

However, no matter how cultured the "magic pet" is, it is not invincible. "Beast Tamer" can only exist if the "Beast Tamer" is present, and if the owner of the "Beast Tamer" is defeated, then the "Beast Tamer" will also be defeated, and it should disappear from the "Beast Tamer". Scene.

In other words, in order to defeat those "dependents" who have the strength to make enemies more troublesome than the boss monsters, instead of reducing the health of the "dependents", it is better to use the "animal tamer" that appears. This shows that aiming is effective.

"If the Beasttamer is defeated, the Beast will disappear. Alice-Sand and Lilan should aim for the Beast Trainer riding on the back of the Beast. \"

"Ah, I see! Well, I'll give it a try! ”

Lilan responded enthusiastically, and Alice simply nodded and readjusted her weapon. However, the failure of the Beast Tamer means the defeat of the Demon Messenger, and the same is true for me and Lilan. And they've all said I'm their first target, so I can expect them to attack me violently. I also had to be careful and fight.

Just as I was thinking this, the green bipedal wyvern opened its calyx and spewed flames from the depths of its body, like bullets. Although it didn't have the speed of Lilan's breath, the fire bullet released came straight towards me at a considerable speed, but it suddenly exploded in the air before it could reach me.

Enduring the heat of the explosion, I looked back and saw a weapon fused with a giant arm growing near Lilan's shoulder. I realized that Lilan immediately raised her weapon to protect me.

"Lilan, you saved me, huh?"

However, I was surprised by this. The Green Wyvern's attack should hit Lilan directly instead of me, and Lilan's health will be reduced instead of me, but Lilan's health will still fluctuate slightly as it appears in her sight. Not yet. Lilan did get attacked by the Green Wyvern, but he didn't take any damage.

It is true that the attributes used by Lilan are fire and light, so even if these attribute attacks fly towards him, he can be mitigated to a certain extent. However, these are only mitigation measures, and it is basically impossible to reduce it to zero. If you can, it's only in limited circumstances, such as attacking an opponent at a great distance, and the attack can't pass at all.

Maybe something like this would happen, and just as I was guessing the cause in my mind, Lilan opened her mouth as if in revenge and shot a breath bomb made up of bleaching heat through the heat of the flames. However, almost at the same time, a white-hot explosion erupted from beneath the green wyvern, and the green wyvern disappeared into it.

Under normal circumstances, there would be a delay of about a second for the fire projectile fired by the monster to land, but the fire projectile fired by Lilan obviously exceeded this time and landed at the same time as it was fired. Flying at such a terrifying speed, the green wyvern was hit by a white-hot bullet with a heat far exceeding the heat of the flames. It appeared in the form of an albino explosion, and in less than two seconds, a pale blue dragon appeared. appeared, turning into a figure, and with the sound of shattering, it disappeared like glass.

Presumably the male elf player riding on its back, immediately after the green wyvern disappeared, also fell to the ground, and his whole body was engulfed in green flames, and finally his whole body turned into a green remnant.

\"！？ \"

I knocked out Shamrock and his "dependents" with a single blow. Indeed, since Lilan evolved in this mission, he has become so powerful that it is unbelievable. He even defeated the demon Ridora controlled by Zexceed, and even defeated Vanargand, who appeared in the mission.

However, in the face of ordinary players, is it really possible to have such a big gap in strength? I felt like a huge gap had created between myself and the other players, and a strange coldness spread down my spine.

However, as if to take advantage of the situation, and as if to avenge the elven comrades, the lizard dragon controlled by the enemy gnome player rushed straight towards us, quickly closing the gap.

The lizard dragon approached Lilan in the blink of an eye, opening its bloody jaws like a green wyvern, its sharp fangs piercing into Lilan's right arm. With a thud, Lilan's body shook, and my body across his head shook violently, so I instinctively grabbed the special handle of the animal trainer on the armor that firmly wrapped Lilan's head, and grabbed it so that it wouldn't fall.

I realized that the lizard dragon's power was quite strong because it had such a big impact on Zhilan's body, but then I was surprised again. Ruiran's health that should have been attacked didn't decrease. Despite being hit and impacted, it does zero damage, just like the Green Wyvern.

As if he saw it, a look of surprise appeared on the face of the dwarf man who controlled the dragon. It was as if he had finally realized that there was such a decisive gap between himself and his opponent.

Just as I was looking at the dwarf man's face, I heard a voice coming from the back of the weapon fused with Lilan's giant arm was pouring out white heat, and the white heat energy was violently sprayed out, and the weapon was blasted away. It blends in with the ground and rotates at high speed.

The world was spinning at a speed that was impossible in the real world, and my body was tossed by the tremendous centrifugal force, and I clung to the handle, feeling like I was about to be ripped off Lilan's body.

The two high-speed spins were over in about five seconds, and when I looked ahead of Lilan and waited for the world to return to normal, I saw that it had already bitten Lilan's right arm.

The lizard dragon vanished, and Lilan set her sights on the day after tomorrow.

Wondering what was going on, I turned to look in the direction Lilan was facing, and found myself standing next to the wall of the large room, in front of which there was a purple fireball and ochre flames flickering. I was able to confirm that it was there. These are the remaining lights that appear when the imp and gnome players reach zero health, respectively.

"This is"

Although this was only a prediction, as Lilan spewed out bleaching heat energy, spinning at high speed, the lizard dragon and the dwarf man were ripped off Lilan's body. Lilan then unleashed another spinning attack, knocking the lizard dragon flying and colliding with the wall.

Due to the continuous damage, the Lizard Dragon's health dropped to zero and was unable to fight, while the dwarfs on its back and the imps who did not 'make demons' were also caught up in the attack, and their health dropped to zero. Dew.

Clover's enemies have been defeated more than halfway, leaving only the red-armored salamanders, robed watermen, and their demons, the Red Bear, and the White Spider.

Moreover, it seems that my 'acquaintance' Lilan is the one who knocked out the three of them one by one. Sometimes, when there is a huge gap between my strength and the enemy, I feel comfortable and happy, but now I can hardly feel that feeling, and even feel a little weird.

It seems that I'm not the one who feels this way, Alice opened her mouth with an expression of disbelief on her face.

"What's going on? Is Lilan really that strong!? ”

"Lilan, you!"

"It's not. Those guys, those guys—\"

When I called out to him with Alice, Lilan answered my voice, but before I could hear clearly, a red bear controlled by a man in red armor rushed towards us. As if immediately after, a white spider stuck to the ceiling lifted its abdomen and released a mass of sticky thread from the tip, some of which had already landed on Zhilan's body, and the bullets landed on him, tying him up so that he could not lift his arms off the ground.

Some spider-type monsters attack by releasing mucus or sticky threads from the tip of their mouth and abdomen, sticking to the target's body and hindering their movement. If he is used now, it is likely that he is using the slime spewed by the white spider to stop the enemy's movement, and then fend off the attack of the red bear.

"Lilan!"

No matter how big Lilan is, if she is attacked while her movement is blocked, she will take a lot of damage, and unlike the other two, the red bear may have a lot of attack power. Also, when Lilan is in werewolf form, she doesn't have the same pain suppression function as us, and she feels a lot of pain when she is hurt, so the red bear's attack will cause a lot of pain, so there should be.

Just as I was panicking and about to give orders to Lilan, Lilan suddenly shuddered and didn't say anything. His body shook violently, and he was about to be thrown out, so he hurriedly held on to the handle, and at this moment, he heard a sound similar to the breaking of strings from Lilan's body, and then, Lilan stopped trembling.

Immediately after, Rui Ran raised his upper body, stood up on his hind legs, and the giant sword-like horn that grew on his forehead, which can be said to be the symbol of Rui Ran, was wrapped in light and flashed in front of him.

When Lilan stood up and shook her horn, it felt like the world was in slow motion, and I immediately looked forward. In front of him was a red bear, carrying a man in red armor, whose body was split in half by the blade of the Great Holy Sword that was suddenly thrown down, and he was recognized.

Then, when world time returned to normal, the red bear turned into a pale blue figure and exploded, scattering in all directions like countless shards of glass. Before the man in red armor could speak, he turned into a ball of red and orange fire.

The Clover team that fought against us was defeated by a wolf dragon in the fourth and third teams, leaving only the water din who controlled the white spider glued to the ceiling. When I turned my head to look at it, I saw a visibly frightened look on the face of the Wendina man riding on the back of a white spider.

Either he couldn't predict that the Red Armor would be defeated, or he couldn't predict the strength of the wolf dragon he was facing. Anyway, when we saw the last enemy standing in front of us, a Wendy man who was unable to move due to an emergency, Lilan immediately said: everything in the real world exists in the form of bullets.

As before, a white explosion occurred almost immediately after launch, engulfing the white spider and the water man on its back. A few seconds later, the white spider that had been glued to the ceiling reappeared in the form of a white explosion that fell, and before it could hit the ground, it turned into a figure and exploded into shards of glass. The Wendina man riding on his back let out a dull thud and fell to the ground, his body turning into a blue-white afterglow.

Things have been settled, and our battle with Shamrock ended with our victory. Moreover, we did not take any damage at all, it was an almost one-sided battle to defeat the opponent, and the health of all of us had barely changed since the beginning of the battle. It's actually like Clover's revenge.

I don't think I expected something like this to happen, and when Lilan and Alice approached Relan, I jumped off Relan's side and landed on the ground in response.

\"Kiri, Kirito-san won so easily? \"

"Ah, something happened that even I couldn't understand."

"What's going on? These people are members of Shamrock, and they should be the elite of those who are advancing to conquer this place, are they so easy to defeat? ”

Hearing Alice's words, I suddenly remembered something. When we started this fight, when I saw my opponent, Lilan kept saying something that annoyed me. Every time I try to hear the answer, the person I beat attacks me, so I can't hear the answer, but now I can. Thinking about it, I was about to call Lilan when a voice suddenly sounded in my head.

"It's only natural for something like this to happen. These guys are much weaker than us.

"Ruiran? What does that mean? ”

Lilan's story is wonderful. It seems that before this battle began, Lilan was already able to sense the overall strength of the clover men and their "acquaintances" who had challenged him, but the number of powers derived at that time was far lower than ours.

At first glance, the 'Demons' seem to have a lot of strength, but they barely surpass the monsters of Nibelheim, and if they challenge Lilan, they will definitely return. The matter has already been decided.

Not only. It seems that these people decided to go against us and challenge the boss, but after being forced into a hard-fought battle with the boss, they eventually won and continued to fight us without even coming to their senses. No matter how many different situations Alice had seen, she couldn't have expected it, and a look of surprise appeared on her face.

"Do these people rush over when they know they can't beat us?"

''This is not going to happen. And they attacked us before they recovered. I'm afraid he doesn't even have time to recover from the boss fight, and the only way to recover Yui is to go back to the city. ”

"It's so unreasonable"

I put my hand on my chin and listened to the confused voice of former Clover member Lilan. These people managed to defeat the boss with great difficulty, and then continued to challenge us. Moreover, after seeing yesterday's 'M Raid', it seems that these people have attacked me as a priority to eliminate, but at that time they already knew that even if they tried, they would not be able to defeat me, or re-Lan, as it should be. Shamrock, the largest guild in the Swart region, should be able to make such a decision.

“”

The individuals also said they agreed with and believed Seven's ideas and research. I don't think so, but I wonder if Seven succeeded in brainwashing some of the members of Clover, and as a result, these people fought a battle they couldn't win. If that's the case, I can't help but feel like I can understand what these people are doing.

I don't think that's the case with that girl, but we've seen a phenomenon in SAo where a player called the "parasite of the simulation experience" loses normal judgment and goes into a state of spiral out of control. Therefore, it is impossible to completely deny this possibility.

What really happened to the clover centered on "Seven"? Although I have been training my thinking skills every day to deal with the mysterious phenomena and violent groups in SAo, I still can't think of an answer. All you have to do is ask Seven himself. Just as I was thinking this, a window appeared in front of me, and I stopped thinking for a moment with the sound effect.

This window is the message window, and the sender is Shino, acting separately from us. Something happened on the other side as well, and I opened it while thinking about it and checked the text inside.

"To Kirito

As I walked through the dungeon, I encountered the Shamrock Men and suddenly attacked them. However, although I am not strong, I can still win, but is there anything wrong with that?

I'll tell you a lot of things when I'm back in town, so please tell me as much as you can about what's going on there.

Also, Seven's live concert looks set to start at 7pm today. Maybe it has something to do with Xiao Qi, let's go take a look. ”

This is a typical simple story of poetry, but it allows us to clearly judge the situation in which the party left us. And it seems that Shino's team ended up fighting Shamrock just like us, and we encountered a very similar situation.

I thought I was the target of Yuichi Shamrock, but it doesn't seem to be the case. I closed the window, thinking something was wrong, and Lilan immediately stopped me.

"It doesn't look like it's private. Who wrote it and what was written?

\"It was sent by Shinai. It seems that Shino, like us, fought with Shamrock. And it looks like they won\"

The same thing happened to Shino-chan them. That said, we've completely become a target for Shamrock\"

As Lilan said, the fact that they have become the same means that we are all Shamrock's targets. However, if that were the case, the seventh should have taught us something this morning, and his hostility towards us would have been even greater. However, this is not the case with Xiao Qi.

"I really can't figure it out, so let's release the mechanics of this dungeon first, and then meet everyone. Then, I'm going to Seven's live concert at seven o'clock tonight and hear what he has to say. "It must be said. Let's do it. ”

The three of them answered me: Seeing this, I began to walk along the path to the deepest part of the dungeon.

"Xiao Qi, the best!!"

Egil's coffee shop, after 9pm

A man with stubble and who looked like a samurai shouted excitedly, his voice echoing through the coffee shop, and many people gathered in the coffee shop, including Kirito, frowned at his voice.

Not long ago, Kirito and his friends came to Kuto Line's concert venue to participate in Seven's live concert.

Seven's live performance was scheduled to start at 7 p.m., but it was already 6:50 when Kirito and his party arrived at the venue, but by this time, the audience seats in the venue were already crowded with contestants, and it was difficult to perform. You can even see the center of the live venue.

After passing through what seemed to be an army of people and coming to a place where you could see the center, the mastermind behind the live concert, No. 7, appeared. After expressing her gratitude to the gathered people with a cute voice and making the venue boil, she began to perform a new song that had just been released a few days ago.

Her clear singing voice, fierce and cute, echoed throughout the venue and reached the ears of the players present, making the venue fall into a frenzy similar to the live concert of real-world idols.

Kirito listened to this song with everyone.,Even though you're a scientist but choose the path of idol.,And the song of No. 7 who only chooses this path is wonderful.,Normally, although it absorbs Shino's memory.,But even Kirito, who has never listened to intense music, can only listen to it.。

"Seven's song is a good song, but now everything is clear, Kirito. \"

"Ah, I guess Seven didn't do that."

Hearing Shino's words, Kirito nodded. When Seven's live concert ends, Seven asks the gathered players to help Shamrock as much as they can, as he is trapped in the last dungeon to conquer the Swart region.

The players, who were originally keen to listen to the song, were surprised by Xiao Qi's sudden request, but they quickly accepted Xiao Qi's request, and as if pinning their enthusiasm on the motivation of their enthusiasm, they suddenly shouted out their voices of agreement and began to rise.

In the process of conquering the dungeon, Kirito's party was attacked by Shamrock led by Seven, but the strength of Clover and his party was much lower than that of Kirito's group, so they didn't encounter much trouble. Get you back.

What's more, there are reports that even his friends have been in a similar situation after that, but they were all able to get revenge quickly, so Kirito said that Seven had attacked Shamrock several times, and I don't know if he was giving instructions and brainwashing, or if he was using a certain skill to brainwash a specific target, but this prediction contradicts Seven's own words.

Seven did not order them to destroy opponents like himself with all their might, nor did he instruct them to fight wantonly.

"The people of Clover volunteered to challenge us, didn't they?"

"Because he wanted that girl to be the champion of the Swart area, he challenged us, who were much stronger than us, and I felt there was something magical about her."

Lifa and Lizzebetter muttered that they would have to fight the Shamrock guy just like they did. When fighting Shamrock during the day, they speak in a tone as if they are saying that they worship Seven, and their purpose is to make Seven the first to clear the Swart area.

Then they attacked, claiming to be the biggest obstacle, and were eventually counterattacked. Asuna and Filia must have sensed their influence and purpose from the actions of Seven and Shamlock, and whispered.

"But I think it also makes sense, No. 7 has such a high appearance and such a high degree of support, and he shouts to the players."

"When you're provoked like this, both Shamrock and non-Shamrock people become motivated to do anything. They make full use of their characteristics and strengths to control people. They're like little devils. ”

Hearing Filia's murmur, a person appeared in Kirito's mind. This man is his old enemy in the SAo era, a man who is still alive and has caused him more trouble. Vashak Casals Pooh is the leader of the murder guild "Ruffin coffin".

Vashak Casals is a manipulator, using his skills to lure players into becoming more violent, creating "smiling coffins" that kill large numbers of players ??, attack vicious players with extraordinary power.

As a result, our strategy team dared to conquer the "Smiling Coffin", and due to Lilan's atrocities, they fell into the instinct of the "Hollow Clones", an agency trying to protect the world. At that time, Vashak Casals had already been ingested, the smiling coffin was hunted down, and Vashak Casals is also believed to have died at that time.

However, Vashak Casals is still alive. The worst-case scenario is to become a subordinate of Hannibal, the creator of the "Ranger", become a greater threat than the "Smile Coffin", and become the culprit of the "Smile Coffin".

(Capture people's hearts)

The same goes for Vašak Casals, but Hannibal, who became the boss of Vašak Casals, is also very good at controlling people's hearts, and it seems that he used this ability to successfully hunt down Vašak Casals. Otherwise, Hannibal could not have brought Vashak Casals under his control.

Seven is doing something similar. At first glance, it seems that Seven is simply making a name for himself as a scientist and idol, and with it, gaining popularity, direction, and popularity.

However, the members of Seven's guild clover attack wantonly for Seven's sake, and fight where it is easy to predict that they will lose, and store it. While he may not have meant it, he managed to make it happen.

I don't think so, but I wonder if Hannibal is behind the scenes of "Seven", like Nobuyuki Sugo / Alberich of "The Fugitive". Or maybe Seven really didn't know anything about it himself, but wasn't Hannibal doing something to take advantage of it?

“”

\"Kirito? \"

Even though Shino called him, Kirito didn't respond, just thought nonsense and looked around. Even if I tell people about this idea, I think people will say that I am too far-fetched.

It probably doesn't make sense to talk about it, and since it's just my thoughts, it doesn't necessarily mean it's true. - Even if Kirito knew this and saw the precedent of Alberridge and Vashak Casals, he couldn't help but think so.

Perhaps worried that Kiritto would think so, Alice beside Shino called him again, and Kirito finally responded.

"Kirito-san, what's wrong? \"

"Nothing. I just wonder why the Shamrock Man would start doing something like this when Seven didn't give them any instructions. ”

"Indeed, we now know that the affairs of the people we deal with are their own decisions. However, although some of them are still in trouble, hasn't the division within Clover already begun? ”

Hearing Lilan's words, Kirito nodded, and Lilan's expression was very grim. By seeing Seven firsthand, I realized that the actions of the members of Clover were the result of their own decisions, but their actions were not liked by the most elite members of Clover. Yes, and most likely in this way, even Xiao Qi is unwilling.

Even so, the fact that the folks of Clover started doing such things meant that there was a split within Clover.

As the organization grows, so does its power?? There will be an increase, but if the organization is overnumbered, the behavior of insiders may start to ignore the organization's policies. If it's something that the manager or leader of an organization can manage, that's fine, but if it becomes too big and is no longer something that managers can manage, it can lead to the demise of the organization itself. There is even a possibility that you will be invited.

When Kirito was still in SAo, the Blood Pact Knights he led eventually grew to more than 120 people, and it became difficult to manage. At that time, the split didn't happen because everyone had a big goal, which was to clear the death game and return to the real world, but if it hadn't happened, the Great Schism might have happened.

When Kirito thinks about what would happen if this happened, he realized once again that the bigger the organization, the better.

Lilan, who had just joined Clover, spoke to Clover and said that Clover had become such a large organization that there were places where even the Administrator couldn't reach it.

"Yes, when I was here, Clover was still a guild that didn't allow such a thing to happen. But now, everyone is ignoring Seven's policies, and Seven is taking the situation seriously. I don't know what you think. ”

Looking at Lilan's face as she said this, Kiritto thought, "Here we go again." "It was the same this morning, but now Lilan's expression is one she doesn't show when dealing with us. She looks like an older sister, worrying or taking care of her sister and family who are far away.

I've recently discovered that Lilan tends to make this look when talking about Seven or what happened to Seven, and she's always worried about Seven's safety, sometimes looking like he's doing it.

I was more curious than ever about why he was like this, but whenever I wanted to ask, Lilan's face at that moment would come to mind, and I lost the desire to ask. That's why I still haven't heard the answer.

Now, Kirito replied to Lilan again, not wanting to ask why.

"I guess you're going to have to ask that guy about it. Something like this happened this morning, though, and we still have a live concert, so I can't imagine when that girl will show up."

"Private of the Private! Are you there, host!? ”

The sound of flying into the café interrupted Kirito's words, surprising everyone present. The girl's voice is full of cuteness, childishness, and beauty. And I could see right away that it was very similar to what I had just heard.

When I turned to the source of the outbreak, I saw a little girl with long silver hair, reddish-purple eyes, and an indigo dress, and a young man with short light blue hair and purple beside her. eyes, wearing combat uniforms made of white and light blue. The Seven, who just appeared in the conversation, and the Seven, who held a live concert not long ago, and the Emperor, the most elite member of Clover.

"Seven, seven!?"

\"Eh, Little Seven!? \"

Kirito didn't expect him to appear, so he spoke with Crane, who claimed to be a member of the Seven Star Cluster. Seven proudly walked towards Kirito, probably feeling like a fashion model, attracting the attention of everyone present.

\"Ah, Kirito-kun, they're also there. That's all. What an interesting coincidence. \"

"Xiao Qi, why are you here? Aren't you listening to a concert? ”

"After that, of course. That's why I'm here. When tired, the host's drinks are the best. So, master, please give me some hot milk. ”

Seven hurriedly ordered Achill to sit down beside Kirito. Almost at the same time, Egil asked the emperor for something, and heard him reply, "I don't need anything." So he went to the kitchen. Immediately after, Crane, whose gaze was extremely intense, approached Xiao Qi with tremendous strength and opened his mouth.

"Xiao, Xiaoqi, I didn't expect to see the real thing!"

"Oh, you're a friend of Kirito-san. \"

"That's not all, I'm a big fan of Xiao Qi, and I'm also a member of Xiao Qi's group."

Klein, like a fan, couldn't help but be thrilled by meeting a real idol, but the words suddenly stopped. Curious, he turned his head and saw the emperor standing like a knight protecting Xiao Qi, glaring at Crane, whose face was covered in cold sweat.

Faced with the Emperor's predatory fox-like gaze that seemed to say, "Don't get close to Seven, I'll blow your head off," Crane cowered like a predated rabbit and ignored Seven. I left him.

The focus of his gaze eventually turned to Kirito who was sitting next to Seven, but Kirito, who had fought many times with the strong man, didn't feel anything, just made a brief eye contact with the emperor before immediately turning to Seven. I turned my attention back to that.