Chapter 114 - A Victory for Team Hachiman
"Anyway, that's the situation. I'm here to help you out too, Hachiman-kun!"
"Thank you, Meg... Möbius."
"Also, I've brought along three of Hachiman-kun's former comrades!"
"Eh?"
Upon hearing this, Hachiman finally noticed that three players were fighting against the Fire Sprites. The three demonstrated incredible strength, and the morale of the enemy troops was rapidly collapsing.
"That is... Could it be..."
"Looks like it's the reinforcements sister mentioned."
"I see... haha, they finally came,"
Hachiman said with relief.
"Now that the enemy is completely collapsing, we should reorganize our forces."
"But before that, I want to ask—what exactly did I look like earlier?"
At that question, everyone averted their eyes and replied all at once:
"Santa Claus!"
"Yeah, you were Santa Claus!"
"Santa Claus, definitely."
"How long are you planning to keep the Christmas mood going, big brother? Komachi was so embarrassed..."
"Santa Claus? Santa Claus... Could it be... Yeah, I was tensely watching Kirito and that guy fight earlier..."
"Now that you've figured it out, let's get reorganized."
"Oh right, sorry. Komachi, can you go get Leafa? Miss Sakuya and the others must have run out of MP, so tell them to stay on guard and rest."
"Got it! Komachi's on it!"
"Alright, let's go regroup with them too. Hey—you guys, come over here!"
Responding to Hachiman's shout, Klein and the other two began withdrawing while intimidating the enemy. Smiling brightly, the three greeted Hachiman.
"Long time no see, Nicholas!"
"Yeah, it's really been a while, Nicholas! We've come to fight alongside you too!"
"Um... Mr. Hachiman, it's been a while!"
"My healing angel is still Silica after all... Wait, I really became Nicholas, didn't I..."
The three watched Hachiman, who was now visibly flustered, with amused smiles.
Realizing their gazes, Hachiman solemnly shook their hands and said:
"I'm really glad you three came. Thank you so much."
"When we heard our friend was in trouble, there was no way we could just stand by."
"It's to save Asuna and Liz, right? Don't worry about it, Hachiman."
"Yeah, it's only natural!"
"You guys really are the best companions. Sorry, but can I count on your help again?"
While the four rejoiced in their reunion, Komachi and Leafa also rejoined the group.
The remaining Fire Sprite troops had been reduced to about sixty, and they seemed to have lost their will to fight, showing no signs of launching another attack.
"Hachiman-kun, would you mind introducing these people?"
"Oh right, these three are comrades from when I fought alongside Kirito."
"I'm Klein! Nice to meet you!"
"Agil. Pleased to work with you."
"I'm Silica! Looking forward to working with everyone!"
"As for Möbius, no need for an introduction—he's our reliable senior."
"I'm Möbius. Pleasure to meet you all!"
Hearing this round of introductions, Yukino and the others introduced themselves in turn. Afterward, Leafa nervously asked Möbius:
"Um... I've been wondering since earlier... Could it be... are you Möbius who's the Lord of the Water Sprites?"
"Eh?"
Hearing the question, Yukino, who was a Water Sprite herself, had a puzzled expression.
"Hey Yukino, aren't you a Water Sprite? Why are you going 'Eh'?"
"Sorry, I've been mostly active in the Fire Sprite and Cait Sith territories since the beginning, so I never really looked into things about the Water Sprites..."
"I see. So, what's the senior's true identity?"
"Yup. I'm the Lord of the Water Sprites."
Möbius replied cheerfully.
"For real...?"
"Though I haven't played in a while, so I might've already been removed from the position."
"I heard rumors about that, but it doesn't seem official yet,"
Leafa added, apparently after asking Sakuya.
"Then it seems she's still the Lord after all."
"This development is pretty unexpected..."
"Now that introductions are done, shall we move to attack the Fire Sprites?"
"But they seem to have lost the will to fight? They aren't coming any closer. Maybe if Kirito defeats Eugene, this battle will be over?"
"That's a real possibility. Depends on how Kirito does, but it's quite likely."
Just then, Klein glanced in Kirito's direction and said as if he just remembered something:
"Come to think of it, that Fire Sprite Kirito is fighting looks really strong."
"That's General Eugene, the younger brother of the Fire Sprite Lord. He wields a demon sword and is considered the strongest player in ALO."
"For real?! That big of a deal, huh!"
Ignoring Klein's shock, Hachiman declared:
"It's a pity for him, but that title ends today."
Agil, understanding what that meant, nodded in agreement:
"Yeah, there's no way Kirito will lose."
"Everyone really believes in Kirito-kun that much, huh?"
"Rather than belief, there's no room for doubt."
"Hachiman's strong too, but if we're talking about who's the strongest among us, it's definitely him."
"Kirito-kun is that strong, huh..."
"Of course."
Hachiman nodded and then shouted in Kirito's direction:
"Hey——Kirito! Klein, Agil, and Silica are all here! So stop dragging your feet and finish that guy off already!"
Hearing the shout, Kirito looked over with a joyful smile and raised his sword high.
"Got it!"
"Then we'll go hold off the Fire Sprite army. Even if we don't need to fight."
"If they dare attack, we can just wipe them out, right?"
"Yeah, depending on the situation."
Yukino finished speaking, and the group deployed in formation in front of the Fire Sprite army.
Now, let's rewind time a little.
Kirito and Eugene were locked in fierce one-on-one combat.
"Hey, Eugene-san, your men are steadily being taken out, you know?"
"Tch, not only you, but that other guy is insanely strong too. Looks like I have to finish this quickly."
"Too bad the winner's going to be me. Take this!"
With a shout, Kirito swung his sword. As their duel continued, Kirito noticed the sounds of fighting around them had vanished.
"Did Hachiman undo his transformation...? Hm? There are four new players on our side."
"What can just four people do?"
"Well, your side has lost quite a few, hasn't it?"
Eugene stepped back to confirm his forces. Visually, they had lost around 40% of their troops.
"Damn, four-tenths gone? But you guys can't use illusion magic anymore, so I've still got the advantage."
"True, but that guy is strong even in regular combat, and there's also Miss Yukino and the others."
"We still outnumber you five to one. No way we'll lose."
"Really? Your men have already lost the will to fight. If I beat you, this whole war might end, you know?"
"Hah. If you think you can, then go ahead and try."
"That's the plan."
Just as they were about to clash again, Kirito heard Hachiman's yell:
"Hey——Kirito! Klein, Agil, and Silica are all here! So stop dragging your feet and finish that guy off already!"
Kirito glanced toward the allied forces, a look of pure joy spreading across his face.
"So they made it... Hachiman!"
Raising his sword in response to Hachiman, Kirito shouted at Eugene:
"Sorry, but now I've got absolutely no reason to lose! Here I come!"
"Bring it on!"
Their blades clashed again—but unlike before, Kirito now had the upper hand.
"This is totally different from earlier... This power, what is it...?"
"You rely too much on your weapon. That weapon's skill has a big risk—if your opponent dodges when you try to phase through theirs, you're wide open for a huge counterattack. If they're prepared for a mutual kill, it could totally backfire."
"Ah..."
"And I've already figured out your timing. If the first slash phases through, I block the second. If the first is blocked, I counter with the second. Either way, you're finished."
Just as he said, Kirito's attacks began landing consistently.
The increasingly frustrated Eugene started making reckless attacks, which Kirito exploited. As Eugene launched a full-power strike, Kirito willingly took some damage and swung with all his might.
Eugene happened to activate his weapon's phasing skill at that moment—Kirito's move turned into a perfect counter, landing a heavy blow.
Eugene's attack missed, and Kirito seized the moment. Adopting the stance of the "Starburst Stream,"
he launched a rapid attack sequence with no system assistance.
"This ends now!"
"Uwoooooooh!"
A barrage of hit effects exploded on Eugene's body as his HP dropped rapidly.
Finally, Eugene's HP hit zero, and he disintegrated, leaving only a holy flame—Remnant Light—burning in the air.
"Nicely done!"
"Kirito-kun, that was amazing!"
Sakuya and Alicia cheered loudly.
The Allied Forces erupted in celebration.
Yukino immediately moved to negotiate surrender, which the Fire Sprite army accepted. With Eugene revived, post-battle processing began.