A previous unspoken rule among the guilds that formed the Assault Team was that the guild that defeated the floor boss would get priority to explore the next floor and have the right to establish its headquarters there. While this seemed unfair to regular players, they had to make some sacrifices in exchange for being carried. This rule also motivated the Assault Team members. After all, why would anyone fight on the front lines in a death game where a single mistake could get you killed?
Powerful and famous solo players like Seiya had been courted by many guilds, not just the Knights of the Blood. The second-ranked Holy Dragon Alliance and even Klein's Fuurinkazan had invited him multiple times, but he had rejected them all. Of course, Seiya knew that while the other guilds simply wanted to add a powerful fighter to their ranks, the Knights of the Blood's guild leader, Heathcliff's, repeated invitations were more intriguing. Others might not have known, but Seiya knew that Heathcliff was actually Kayaba Akihiko. Kayaba had a GM account and could use any cheats he wanted. Why would he be worried about a lack of fighting power?
"Heathcliff-san also said he wants to see your Unique Skill and have a fair duel with you. If you win, he'll grant you any wish. If you lose, you have to join the Knights of the Blood."
When Asuna said that, Seiya understood. Heathcliff didn't really want him to join the guild; he wanted to test him. Kayaba at least knew about Kirito's Unique Skill, Dual Blades, but he must be completely clueless about Seiya's made-up Unique Skill, Shikigami Blade. As the game's GM, Kayaba used the alias Heathcliff to play the game and observe the players.
Back on the 50th floor, Seiya had considered revealing Kayaba's identity to end the death game early. However, after some hesitation, he decided against it. The reason was simple: he wasn't a hero, and he didn't have a hero's plot armor. Who knew if Kayaba would be impressed or enraged if he revealed his identity? If it was the former, he might get a fair duel like Kirito. But if it was the latter, an enraged Kayaba would be impossible to deal with. Seiya had cheats, but in this world, Kayaba was the cheat itself. As the GM, Kayaba's immortal status meant that his HP would never drop below 50%. It was a system setting and had nothing to do with strength. How could Seiya, no matter how powerful he was, fight a GM who could modify the game's code?
However, as a transmigrator, Seiya knew that Kayaba was cold-blooded but also a man of his word. If he defeated him in a fair duel, could he use the opportunity to end the death game early? Seiya had the "Damage Nullification" skill from the character Kuriboh, so he wasn't afraid of dying. After a moment of thought, he said to Asuna, "Tell Heathcliff that I accept his bet!"
Before the meeting for the 75th-floor boss raid, the news of the upcoming duel between the Knights of the Blood's leader Heathcliff and The Saint spread throughout all of SAO. Both Heathcliff and Seiya were famous players. Heathcliff was known as the strongest player in SAO. Many players had challenged him, but his Unique Skill, Divine Sword, had made it impossible for them to drop his HP to the yellow zone. As for The Saint, his achievements weren't as flashy as Heathcliff's, but he was one of the top players in SAO and one of only three players to have a Unique Skill. Seiya's Shikigami Blade was deliberately revealed, and after Kirito learned that Seiya and Heathcliff also had Unique Skills, he stopped hiding his Dual Blades.
Heathcliff was strong, but Seiya was also a powerful Unique Skill user, so the news of their duel caused an uproar. The duel was set to take place at Dragon's Nest on the north side of the 55th floor. The area was already packed with high-level players early in the morning.
"Lizbeth, I didn't expect to see you here. I remember the last time we were here, we almost became lunch for a dragon," Kirito said. Kirito had come to Dragon's Nest with Sachi as soon as he heard about the duel. He was surprised to see familiar faces like Agil and Lizbeth. Lizbeth was a pink-haired girl who ran a blacksmith shop on the 48th floor. Seiya and Kirito often went to her shop because of her skills. Kirito and Lizbeth had come to Dragon's Nest before to gather materials for his second sword, Dark Repulser.
"Kirito-kun, long time no see. Is Dark Repulser still working well?" Lizbeth happily greeted Kirito and then gave Sachi a provocative look. After almost dying in Dragon's Nest, Lizbeth had developed a crush on Kirito. Sachi wasn't Asuna, and they didn't have a history. Lizbeth fell for Kirito when he and Sachi weren't officially together, so she saw Sachi as her rival. It didn't matter that they were dating now; this was just a game, and she had a good chance.