"Mon… monster…" a Salamander stammered.
"Run! Get out of here!" another screamed.
"Calm down! It's just a Spriggan illusion spell!" Kagemune shouted, his commander's instincts piercing through the chaos. "It's only got longer reach—it's not stronger!"
Despite his efforts to rally his troops, Kirito, transformed into the fearsome Gleam Eyes, leaped into the heart of the enemy ranks. Each swing of his massive weapon sent multiple players flying, their screams drowned out by the sheer force. Faced with such primal terror, the Salamanders couldn't stay composed. Frozen in fear, they fell one by one, helpless against Kirito's onslaught.
"Damn it, damn it! This wasn't supposed to happen!" Kagemune gritted his teeth, frantically searching for a way to salvage the situation. Realizing the futility, he shifted to damage control. "Everyone, scatter! Run, now!"
The frontline Salamanders snapped out of their daze, turning to flee toward Lugru's city. But Yukino, Leafa, Lisbeth, and Iroha blocked their path.
"Didn't I tell you to die and regret your foolishness in town?" Yukino said coolly. "Don't make me break my word. Iroha, if you please."
"On it!" Iroha replied, unleashing a fireball. As it struck, igniting chaos among the disorganized enemies, Leafa and Lisbeth charged in. The scattered heavy warriors put up a brief struggle but collapsed like dominoes, wiped out in moments.
"That's taken care of," Yukino declared. "Your turn."
"Got it," Hachiman replied.
The enemy backline, hearing Yukino's voice behind them, spun around in panic. "Yo, finally noticed us?" Hachiman taunted.
"When did you…?" a mage stammered.
"Moved during the smokescreen," Hachiman said. "Guess you missed it."
"Attack! Hit him and clear a path!" a mage shouted.
"Not so fast," came another voice from behind. Before they could react, the mages dropped like flies.
"Whoa!" Hachiman turned, impressed. "Nice one, Komachi. That's my sister."
"Komachi was totally sidelined at the start!" she huffed. "I thought you'd transform with Kirito, so I held back to watch. But when I saw you stop chanting, I jumped in!"
"Sharp eyes, Komachi. Good call," Hachiman said. "I came here planning to transform too, but Kirito's going so wild, I figured it'd be overkill. So I canceled the spell."
"Smart move, big brother!" Komachi grinned, glancing at Kirito, still rampaging as Gleam Eyes.
"Let's wrap this up," Hachiman said, eyeing the remaining healers. "They're done."
"Yeah!" Komachi nodded.
Without their frontline or mages, the healers—though capable of fighting—were mere puppets. In seconds, Hachiman and Komachi dispatched them, leaving only Kagemune standing.
"What is this…? This isn't a battle…" Kagemune muttered, shell-shocked.
"Learned a lot, huh? Use it next time," Hachiman said dryly.
"If it weren't for you two, we could've stalled you long enough," Kagemune spat. "Just you two…"
"We're here, so deal with it," Hachiman replied. "So, what's it gonna be? Surrender and become a prisoner? Though, fair warning, Yukino'll probably interrogate you herself."
"Ugh…" Kagemune faltered. "A commander like me can't just surrender!"
"You're not scared of Yukino, are you?" Hachiman teased.
"What? N-No way!" Kagemune stammered. "Kagemune, charging in!"
"Alright, we'll take you prisoner—Kirito, stop! STOP!" Hachiman shouted.
Too late. Kirito, still in his monstrous form, landed behind Kagemune, seizing him in his massive jaws.
"Aaagh!" Kagemune's scream echoed through the corridor as Kirito's jaws snapped shut, chewing.
"Oof, Kirito, that's… grim," Leafa winced.
"Even I'm a bit freaked out," Hachiman admitted.
"Looks like Kirito's not fully conscious in that state," Yukino observed, joining them. "Like he's in a dream."
"Hey, good work," Hachiman said as Yukino approached.
"We didn't do much," Yukino replied. "You two are incredible. Honestly, I'm stunned."
"We were a blind spot for them," Hachiman said. "Total miscalculation on their part."
"Especially Kirito," Yukino added. "To them, he must've been a literal nightmare."
"Hah, no kidding," Hachiman chuckled.
"But that was quite the spectacle," Yukino said. "When will he turn back?"
"No more enemies, so probably soon," Hachiman replied. "He's gotta be low on MP."
Sure enough, Kirito's form shrank, reverting to normal. "Kirito!" Leafa rushed to him.
"Hey, Leafa. Looks like we cleaned up," Kirito said, catching his breath.
"I didn't expect you to turn into that," Leafa said. "What's it feel like?"
"Yeah, I wanna know!" Lisbeth chimed in.
"Me too!" Yui added excitedly.
Yukino and Komachi stayed quiet but watched Kirito with keen interest.
"Hmm… I felt huge, like my weapon grew too," Kirito said. "I just wanted to swing and smash everything. Felt awesome."
"You ate Kagemune," Hachiman pointed out.
Kirito blinked, then frowned, as if recalling something. "Oh… yeah, I kinda felt like I was chewing meat. Like an aftertaste…"
"Ewww!" the group recoiled in unison.
"Huh? What's wrong?" Kirito asked, confused.
"N-Nothing," Hachiman said, recovering first. "It's fine."
Yukino stepped in. "I wanted to take him prisoner, but oh well."
"Sorry, my head's fuzzy when I'm transformed," Kirito said sheepishly.
"No worries," Yukino said. "Let's get out of the corridor. There could be another ambush outside, so stay sharp."
The group exited the corridor, finding no Salamanders waiting. They settled in a clearing to discuss their next move.
"First hurdle cleared," Yukino said. "Let's rest and plan."
"Where are the rest of the Salamanders?" Hachiman asked.
"Two possibilities," Yukino said. "Either they're attacking the alliance meeting, or they're heading to Arun."
"What!?" Leafa gasped.
"We need to link up with Sakuya and Alicia fast!" Lisbeth urged.
"Given the situation, that's likely their main objective," Yukino agreed.
"More intel would help, but we can't wait," Hachiman said.
"Wait!" Leafa said. "I'll check with Recon."
She opened her interface, then frowned. "He's… gone."
"No messages either?" Hachiman asked. "He was online earlier, right?"
"Yeah…" Leafa said, worried.
"He might've logged out without sending a message," Hachiman suggested.
"What's going on?" Leafa muttered. "I'm logging out to call him. You guys rest."
"Please, Leafa," Yukino said. "Sorry to trouble you."
"I'll be quick!" Leafa promised, logging out.
Back in the real world, Leafa grabbed her phone and checked her call history. "Whoa… what's this?" Her screen was filled with missed calls from Recon's real name. She dialed him immediately, and he picked up at once.
"What happened?" Leafa asked.
"Leafa, you're okay! Thank god…" Recon sighed. "Sigurd betrayed us!"
"I know," Leafa said. "We just took down about thirty Salamanders. No casualties, thankfully."
"That's… insane," Recon said. "Beating that many with no losses?"
"We've got Yukino's crew, plus me, Kirito, and Hachiman," Leafa explained. "Not that surprising, right?"
"Maybe to you, but that's crazy!" Recon said. "Your sense of normal is skewed."
"Fair point," Leafa admitted.
"There's more," Recon continued. "I was tailing Sigurd while hidden. He slipped out of town alone and met with the Salamanders in secret!"
"I didn't want to believe it, but I knew it…" Leafa muttered.
"He sold them the alliance meeting's time and location!" Recon revealed. "He wants to ensure the Salamanders clear the Grand Quest without interference, and in return, they'll give him perks when he reincarnates as one of them. He sold out his own allies!"
"Just as Yukino suspected…" Leafa growled. "Sigurd, you're unforgivable."
"They figured it out?" Recon said, surprised.
"What about you?" Leafa asked. "You weren't replying to my messages. What's your status in-game?"
"Sorry," Recon said. "I stayed behind to get more info after Sigurd left, but I made a noise and got caught. I'm paralyzed and captured by the Salamanders."
"I'm so sorry, Recon," Leafa said. "But you've confirmed our suspicions. Thank you!"
"Did I… help you, Leafa?" Recon asked.
"Absolutely," Leafa said. "You're the best, Recon!"
That single praise made all of Recon's struggles feel worthwhile. For him, it was enough.
"We're heading to Sakuya's group now," Leafa said. "We can't rescue you, I'm sorry!"
"It's fine," Recon said. "If you stop the Salamanders' plan, they'll either release or kill me. I'll handle it. Save Sakuya and the others!"
"Leave it to us!" Leafa said. "I'm heading back in!"
"I'm logging in too!" Recon replied.
They ended the call and logged back into ALO. When Recon reappeared, the Salamanders who'd captured him were gone, having retreated after hearing of their unit's annihilation by Hachiman's group. Now free, Recon glared toward the lord's mansion where Sigurd likely was, his face set with quiet resolve as he strode forward.
--+--
T/N: Although I'm an inexperienced Editor, I do have a Patreon account! Although it seems like I don't have many supporters right now, my webnovel will be released in full every day, and the advanced chapters will be uploaded to Patreon.
It may not be worth it now, but who knows, it might be different in the future. Who knows!
patreon.com/Greyhounds
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