The Forest of Death on the 18th floor was perpetually shrouded in dense mist. The gray, hazy fog severely limited visibility. Coupled with the occasional appearance of undead-type monsters, it was a significant deterrent for the female players who needed to pass through the forest to reach the labyrinth area for leveling back when the floor was first opened.
Moreover, the game was overly realistic, even down to the sounds and atmosphere. It wasn't just the girls, as even some timid boys were scared out of their wits.
So, basically, aside from players who had to pass through for progression, this place was usually completely deserted. It made sense for a red player guild to hide their headquarters here, as there were hardly any players leveling in the area.
Yusei and Asuna met with Argo the Rat on the 18th floor. After learning that the red player guild, [Titan's Hand] was holding a meeting in the Forest of Death, they hurried over immediately.
Although it was called their headquarters, red player guilds didn't really have a fixed headquarters. This was just the location where they gathered to plan their next moves.
When Yusei and Asuna arrived at the location, Yusei noticed an unusually large, ugly-looking tree in the center of the Forest of Death.
Trees in the game usually changed with the seasons, so Yusei didn't pay it much mind and simply passed by, heading forward.
Passing through the thick mist, Yusei and Asuna crouched in the distance, watching the several cloaked figures ahead.
Yusei and Asuna were extremely high level and were proficient in basic stealth skills. In truth, dealing with these players, Asuna alone would suffice, and stealth wasn't even necessary. But to prevent any from escaping, they decided to observe for a while to see if more would arrive.
After a few minutes, another person arrived. Seeing that they had already started discussing their recent gains animatedly, Yusei and Asuna prepared to strike.
The red players, excitedly discussing how many guilds they had recently destroyed and their loot, suddenly shivered as a cold breeze swept over them.
"Why did it suddenly get so cold?"
"You felt it too?"
"Strange, is it this easy to feel cold in SAO?"
"Maybe the ghosts of those you killed are coming for you? Haha."
Several red players laughed loudly, while the others who had shivered... until their guild leader, Rosalia, spoke up to stop them.
"Enough. Stop with the nonsense. Our plan going forward remains the same: target weak guilds. Don't provoke those monsters in the Capture Group."
"Don't worry, Boss!"
The red players nodded. Having finalized their plans, they prepared to leave. But at that moment, a cold voice suddenly rang out, startling them in the mist-shrouded Forest of Death.
"Trying to leave? How about a one-way ticket to jail?"
"Who's there?!"
The Titan's Hand's players were all shocked and quickly looked towards the source of the voice. They discovered two figures had appeared there at some point.
One of them pushed back his white cloak, revealing a handsome, youthful face. The other wore the skirt armor of the Knights of the Blood Oath and was incredibly beautiful.
Neither of them was hard to recognize… at the very least, the red players of Titan's Hand knew exactly who they were.
"It's... the Ice Dragon Prince, Yusei, and the Flash, Asuna! Aren't they supposed to be fighting on the front lines?! Why are they here?!"
Their voices were filled with fear and terror. Just one of these two coming would be bad enough, but both, and such famous ones at that, made them utterly despair.
Looking at these two, they completely lost the will to fight.
They knew their own capabilities. The level difference alone was enough to make them despair, let alone the gap in equipment and other aspects.
After a brief moment of stunned silence, someone shouted 'Run!', and the red players completely scattered, fleeing in all directions.
They weren't stupid and had some cunning, each fleeing in a different direction.
Seeing this, Yusei glanced at them disdainfully. He said to Asuna, "Wait here a moment."
Then, his entire figure turned into a blue streak as he pursued them.
Asuna stayed put. She smiled, watching Yusei chase after them. She knew Yusei alone was enough. This wasn't her being lazy, it was her trust in him.
In less than a minute, the knocked-out members of the Titan's Hand guild were thrown one by one in front of Asuna.
Asuna took out a teleport crystal. It was already set to the jail location. This crystal was bought with the life savings of the survivors from the destroyed guild.
Watching the Titan's Hand's members get teleported away, both Yusei and Asuna smiled. It meant their task was resolved. They even had time left to take a break.
"Shall we go? Want to check out the 24th floor? I remember there's a pretty good dessert shop there."
Yusei smiled and invited Asuna.
"Mhm, okay. Let's also bring some dinner back for Shiro and Kanna."
Yusei wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but he felt Asuna's face was redder than before.
However, that wasn't important. The main thing was they were going to eat dessert, which made the two foodies very happy.
Of course, the happiest part wasn't just eating dessert, but eating dessert together.
They put away their weapons. Yusei and Asuna prepared to leave side by side. But at that moment, the sound of rapid, light footsteps reached their ears.
Both were top-tier players in SAO. They immediately became alert at the sound of these footsteps.
'An Assassin class... and one with extremely high agility, judging by the frequency and speed.'
Before they could see who was coming, a strange laugh entered their ears.
"Fufufu... what do we have here? Two big fish. The Capture Group's Flash, Asuna, and the solo player, the Ice Dragon Prince, Yusei."
"Boss, today is our lucky day! I can't wait to see their blood splatter on us."
"Kekeke, hahaha... I wonder what expression the Capture Group and the major guilds will have when they find out these two died by our hands?"
Eerie and unrestrained laughter came from all around them. Clearly, they were completely surrounded.