Asuna calmly scanned their surroundings. She found no less than twenty people surrounding them, causing her heart to sink.
They were indeed top-tier players. But against a war of attrition, against sheer numbers... it wasn't like facing low-level players who couldn't even break their defense.
Now, the situation was different, as these people are also front-line players.
Their equipment and levels weren't bad either, which was what made Asuna feel the situation was dire.
She had already sent a message to her guild the moment the opponents appeared. But even at their fastest, it would take at least ten minutes for them to reach the Forest of Death. However, could they really hold out for ten minutes?
Asuna bit her red lip tightly, leaving teeth marks on the soft flesh. She was extremely tense, not daring to be the slightest bit careless.
Suddenly, she grabbed the sleeve of the Yusei beside her. She looked at him with urgent eyes and said, "Yusei-kun, with your ability, you should be able to break through their encirclement, right? You should leave quickly. I'll cover for you and buy you ti..."
Before she could finish her sentence, Yusei flicked her forehead with his finger.
"Ouch!" Asuna cried out pitifully, covering her forehead with a wronged expression. However, Yusei wouldn't be swayed by Asuna acting cute.
"That's your punishment for talking nonsense. It's just a bunch of small-time thieves. Don't worry, I am the strongest."
As he spoke, Yusei had already taken the initiative and charged towards the Laughing Coffin's members closest to Asuna's back.
Although they hadn't stated their guild name from start to finish, judging by their unique emblem and their almost mentally ill-like laughter, Yusei knew this was Laughing Coffin.
"Laughing Coffin? Do you just love laughing that much?"
Yusei was the first to sneer coldly. The Ice Dragon Katana in his hand showed no hesitation. With each slash, he directly targeted vital points.
Vast and powerful cold energy surged forth, instantly freezing the few players Yusei slashed into solid ice.
Yusei's hand, holding the Ice Dragon Katana, trembled slightly. The sword aura surrounding the blade shattered the three ice statues with a cracking sound.
Crack, crack.
Without any chance to resist, they had already turned into data fragments and dissipated into the air.
Simultaneously, Yusei's player indicator turned red.
He had killed someone. He had become a red player.
Asuna stared blankly at Yusei amidst the drifting ice crystals. She suddenly felt her heart beat violently. She felt an inexplicable throbbing… it felt wonderful.
And Yusei's player indicator turning red was also so conspicuous. But Asuna didn't feel the disgust she usually felt towards other red players. On the contrary, her gaze towards Yusei was filled with tenderness.
She drew her rapier and stood back-to-back with Yusei, her eyes sharp as she looked at the remaining dozen or so red players.
She had made a decision. Killing was indeed wrong. But if it was for the sake of something, if it was something she had to do...
The leader of Laughing Coffin hadn't expected things to develop this way. Not only did they take the initiative to attack, but they also instantly killed three people!
On one hand, he was shocked that Yusei had become a red name because of killing, but on the other hand, he became more wary.
He quickly said to the people beside him, "Be careful. Coordinate. These two are top-tier players in SAO. Don't be careless."
After speaking, he looked at Yusei with a sick expression, 'Such a powerful individual... If I can kill him, it would be so exhilarating.'
Thinking of this, he suddenly remembered an item in his inventory. It was something he had obtained as a drop while grinding monsters some time ago.
The item's description was as follows:
[Undead Princess's Invitation: Can summon the Undead Princess once. The princess is extremely powerful. Note: May also harm the summoner.]
Judging from the text, it was an item to summon a powerful helper. But the phrase 'may also harm the summoner' at the end... he completely disregarded it.
If he's scared of being killed by something he summons, then he's looking down on himself too much.
However, this was something he would only use if he felt he truly couldn't kill Yusei. If he could manage it normally, he wouldn't waste the item.
Laughing Coffin engaged Yusei and Asuna in battle. Even though Yusei and Asuna hadn't cooperated much before, now they fought like teammates who had been together for decades. They were perfectly in sync, knowing what the other would do next without needing to speak.
Flawless coordination and peak combat skills immediately caused heavy losses for the Laughing Coffin's players.
During the battle, Asuna's player indicator also turned red. Looking at the crimson mark, she didn't know why, but she found it somewhat interesting, 'The Capture Group's leader and the strongest player both becoming red names... our first kill... I suppose it's worth it, right?'
Seeing his members dwindling, the Laughing Coffin's leader didn't act hastily himself. He took out a dried-up branch from his inventory.
He silently clicked [Use], then threw the branch with a mysterious and sly smile towards the center of the ongoing battle. He himself immediately retreated far away.
His actions were noticed by Yusei, who had been keeping an eye on him. But he didn't know what that branch was, so he didn't pay too much attention to it.
'A bomb? That seemed unlikely. Poison? That didn't seem right either.'
Therefore, Yusei didn't have time to ponder it, nor did he bother chasing the fleeing leader. He and Asuna were focused on eliminating the remaining Laughing Coffin's members.
On the outskirts of the Forest of Death, the Laughing Coffin's leader, who had quickly disengaged from the battlefield, was panting heavily. He had thought the Capture Group had arrived, which made him feel a bit panicked. But when the mist cleared and he saw who had arrived, he laughed.
"The Ice Dragon Prince... and the Ice Dragon Princess... So it's that guy's little sister?"
A murderous and sick smile appeared on his face, 'If I kill the Ice Dragon Princess, that guy will surely go crazy, right?'
He believed he couldn't succeed against Yusei and Asuna together. But one-on-one against this little girl... he was confident he could manage.
Without wasting words, PoH immediately charged forward, a short sword in hand, aiming for a one-hit kill.