Chapter 110: Lambs to the Slaughter
"..."
"Waaaahhh, run away!!"
"Calm down, all of you! That's just an illusion spell from the Spriggans! Its attack range is extended, but the actual power hasn't increased at all!"
The black-clad commander, clearly a veteran, immediately saw through the illusion and was doing his best to pacify his panicking subordinates.
However, Kirito, having transformed into the Netherworld Demon Eye, had already leapt into the enemy ranks.
Each swing of his massive weapon sent several players flying.
Facing this overwhelming sight, the players couldn't stay calm—primal fear gripped them. They stood frozen in place, powerless as Kirito harvested their lives one after another.
"Damn it... This can't be happening..."
The black-clad man clenched his teeth, desperately seeking a countermeasure.
Realizing the situation was beyond salvage, he roared out an order.
"All units, listen! It doesn't matter what direction—just run!"
The frontlines immediately began fleeing toward the city of Lugrue.
But Yukino, Leafa, Yui, and Iroha had already blocked all routes of escape.
"My, didn't I tell you earlier to quietly die in battle and reflect on your actions in town? Don't make me break my promise. Iroha, if you please."
"At your command."
A fireball erupted. In the smoke and flame, Leafa and Yui stormed in like a gale.
Though a few of the remaining heavy-armored soldiers tried to resist, their formation had collapsed. They were swiftly overwhelmed—total annihilation in moments.
"All clear on this end. Your turn now."
"Got it, leave it to me."
As Yukino's words fell, Hachiman appeared behind the enemy's mage group.
The support unit, already in disarray, turned at the sound of his voice.
"Yo. Finally noticed me?"
"Wha—when did you...?!"
"Circled around during the smoke spell. Surprised you didn't notice."
"Damn it! Attack! Focus fire, break through!"
"Oh, that's not going to happen~"
A new voice came from behind. Before the mages could even turn around, they fell one by one.
"What the...?"
"Nice work, Komachi. As expected of my little sister."
"I didn't really get a chance to shine this battle, so I figured I'd make a move!"
Komachi beamed.
"I thought you'd transform and join Kirito, so I was watching. But then I saw you stop your chant halfway, so I rushed in."
"Full marks for observation, Komachi. I was going to transform, but seeing Kirito go berserk like that, I realized adding another monster would be overkill—so I called it off."
"Big bro, you're brilliant!"
Komachi glanced toward Kirito, who was still rampaging in beast form.
"Alright, now that we're done here, let's finish this side quickly."
"Yeah!"
Now defenseless without their front and rear guards, the healers stood no chance—merely lambs to the slaughter. The sibling duo swiftly wiped them out, leaving only the black-clad commander alone and helpless.
"What is this... This isn't even a battle..."
"Just think of it as experience. Use it wisely next time."
"If it weren't for your interference... we could've bought more time..."
"There's no such thing as 'if' in reality. So? Want to surrender? If you do, Miss Yukino will personally interrogate you."
"Ugh... No way... A commander never surrenders..."
"...Don't tell me—you're afraid of Yukino?"
"Nonsense! I'm not—argh, fine, I'll—"
"Alright, time to take you in as a priso—Hey! Kirito! Stop, stop!!"
Before he could finish, the Netherworld Eye swooped down and bit into the black-clad man.
"UWAAHHHHHHHH!"
"..."
With a blood-curdling scream, the beast clenched its fangs shut.
"Ew, Kirito-kun's so bloody..."
"Dude... even I think you went too far..."
"He probably isn't conscious in that form—likely something like sleepwalking,"
Yukino calmly observed as she approached post-battle.
"Hey, good work out there."
"We didn't do much—the two of you are ridiculously strong."
"For the enemy, we were completely unexpected variables."
"Especially Kirito in that form—he was a literal nightmare for them."
"Haha, for sure."
"Still, that was a big scene. When do you think he'll revert?"
"Now that the enemies are all gone and his MP's depleted, he should be back soon."
Just as Hachiman predicted, the monstrous figure shrank and turned back into the familiar black-clad swordsman.
"Kirito-kun!"
Leafa rushed over.
"Yo, is it all done?"
"Yup! I didn't know you could transform—what did it feel like?"
"Yeah, I wanna know too!"
"I'm curious as well!"
Iroha and Yui joined in. Yukino and Komachi remained silent, but their eyes sparkled with curiosity.
"It felt like my body ballooned up several times, and my weapon grew huge. I just kept swinging non-stop—it was exhilarating!"
"You did eat the black-clad guy at the end, right?"
Kirito paused, a bit stunned, then looked thoughtful.
"Ah... now that you mention it... there was something like a meaty texture... in my mouth..."
"EWWWWW~~"
"Dude, what the hell..."
Everyone instinctively stepped back three paces.
"Huh? What's wrong?"
"No... Nothing..."
Hachiman regained composure first. Yukino followed with a resigned sigh.
"I had hoped to take him prisoner... oh well."
"Sorry, I wasn't in control during the transformation."
"No harm done. Let's move through the corridor—be cautious of potential ambushes outside."
Following instructions, the group stepped out into the open.
Seeing that the lizardmen had already retreated, they sat down to plan their next move.
"We've cleared the first checkpoint. Let's rest while we discuss what's next."
"First, we need to check the enemy's remaining movements."
"Only two possibilities: either attack the alliance ceremony or head straight for Yarlno."
"Oh no! We need to regroup with Sakuya and the others quickly!"
"That's probably the main battlefield."
"I want to gather more intel, but time isn't on our side."
"Wait, let me contact Recon."
Leafa opened her menu.
"That's weird... he's offline."
"No response to messages either? He was just in the game a moment ago."
"Yeah..."
"He might've been forcibly disconnected."
"What happened... I'm logging out to contact him directly. Wait a moment."
"Please do."
Leafa logged out immediately.
In the real world, she grabbed her phone—dozens of missed calls from Recon.
"I knew something happened..."
She called back, and Recon answered instantly.
"What's going on?"
"Leafa, thank goodness you're okay! Sigurd has betrayed us!"
"I knew it. We just wiped out a thirty-man enemy force—zero casualties."
"That's insane..."
"With Yukino, me, Kirito, and Hachiman, that's just how it is."
"You're way too used to superhuman strength!"
"Maybe..."
"The point is, he met with the enemy secretly and leaked the time and place of the alliance!"
"Just as we suspected..."
"He betrayed everyone to remove obstacles to his own quest and gain favor when he respawns!"
"I'll never forgive him!"
"Uh... wait, you already knew?"
Recon was surprised by her composed reaction.
"What's your in-game situation?"
"They found me while I was tailing him. I've been paralyzed and captured."
"You just proved our theory—thank you!"
"I was actually useful?"
"Absolutely! Let's work together again!"
"Definitely!"
Recon felt it had all been worth it.
"We're heading to support Sakuya now—sorry we can't rescue you right away..."
"No worries! As long as you ruin their plan, I'll escape on my own. Please, I'm counting on you!"
"Leave it to us!"
After logging back in, Recon found the enemy troops had withdrawn.
It turned out the moment news of the slaughter reached them, the guards had pulled out early.
Now free, he turned toward the direction of the lord's hall with fury burning in his eyes—and walked with resolute steps toward the traitor.