Alicization Rising Read online

  “D-dark arts?” Kirito gaped.

  Eugeo was equally taken aback, and he shook his head in denial. “N-no! We didn’t use any dark magic! We just talked about the time before Eldrie became an Integrity Knight…”

  “Before he became a knight?! We have no past! The shining Integrity Knights are all we have ever been after our summoning from Heaven!!” he belted, voice echoing like steel off the staircase.

  Eugeo held his breath. Cardinal had told them that the Integrity Knights couldn’t access their preknighthood memories. So this red knight had been led to believe that he, too, was summoned from the heavenly realm.

  If they could stimulate the memories being blocked by his Piety Module, they could shake this man, too, but that was impossible given that they didn’t even know his name. They couldn’t stop him in his tracks the same way they did with Eldrie.

  Standing amid a sea of airborne sparks from his bow, the knight barked like a bolt of lightning. “I have been ordered to take you alive, so I cannot reduce you to ash, but now that I have unleashed the power of the Conflagration Bow, know that you are likely to lose an arm or two! Let us see if you can evade the flames of condemnation and reach me with your flimsy blades!”

  He held his bow aloft and placed his right hand in the spot where the drawstring should have been. His fingers pinched shut, but there was nothing there. It couldn’t mean—

  Fierce flames ran out in front of the bow, shifting into the shape of an arrow. The burning red projectile gleamed with tremendous power. Eugeo felt his spine stiffen.

  “No string, no ammo, no problem,” Kirito muttered.

  Eugeo turned to him, chin nearly quivering, and asked, “Do you have a plan?”

  “I have to believe that he can’t shoot consecutively. I’ll find some way to stop that first shot, and then you hack away at him.”

  “You…‘believe’…?”

  Meaning that if he can shoot those flame arrows one after the other, we’re done for. But even if it’s just the one, wouldn’t that mean it’s enough to finish us off without a follow-up? How does Kirito plan to defend against it? Eugeo wondered, but there was no time left for that now.

  “All right,” he agreed. If Kirito said he could stop it, he would. This was still far more realistic than when he said he’d chop down the Gigas Cedar.

  The two readied their swords and showed signs of determination, prompting the Integrity Knight to pull back on his invisible string.

  The heat licking at Eugeo’s cheeks strengthened. The flames from the Conflagration Bow were soaring up to the ceiling over the landing, painting the marble surface black.

  Kirito’s movement was sudden. He charged without a yell, without a grand launching leap, like a leaf caught in a rapid river. One breath later, Eugeo hurried after him.

  As they climbed, he noticed a faint blue light leaking from his partner’s left hand where it loosely held the sword. Eugeo would never mistake the tint of a frost element, which he must have generated while the knight was giving his speech.

  By the time they were halfway up the twenty-step staircase, the knight had the bow drawn to its full length. That was when a high-speed stream of commands burst from Kirito’s mouth. “Form Element, Shield Shape! Discharge!”

  He thrust out his left hand, hurling a line of five elements, the maximum that one hand could generate at a time. The blue points formed a line of large round shields, one after the other, that filled the space between Kirito and the Integrity Knight.

  The knight barked yet again. “Laughable! Pierce him!!”

  With a roar like the breath from a fire dragon, the arrow—more like a spear—of flame launched itself forward.

  It took only an instant for the flaming spear to intersect with Kirito’s ice shield line.

  The first shield burst easily, the shards instantly evaporating into steam.

  The second and third erupted before the sound even reached their ears.

  The fourth shield softened and warped in the middle where the arrow landed, but it still burst. Through the final shield, the flaming lance bore down, filling the entire scene with red.

  Throughout it all, Eugeo kept his pace going up the stairs. He couldn’t slow down now while his partner maintained that mad dash.

  As Eugeo watched, teeth gritted, the fiery spear made contact with the fifth shield and finally slowed its ferocious pace just a bit. Sparks shot through the air as the projectile sought to shatter its obstacle of the opposing element.

  “?!”

  Eugeo’s eyes bulged. For an instant, it looked like the fiery spear changed shape on the other side of the translucent ice wall. It sprouted a large beak and spread wings, like some great bird of prey…

  But before he could so much as blink, the final shield cracked and burst.

  Blazing heat washed over him, drying the breath from his lungs. The spear of fire, the phoenix, hurtled down on Kirito, free of all the barriers at last.

  “Yaaaah!!”

  At last, a fierce shout burst from Kirito’s throat. He thrust his black sword forward.

  Surely he isn’t going to try to cut that bird, Eugeo thought. Instead, Kirito’s extended blade traced an unexpected path. Faster than the eye could follow, it spun like a windmill around the axle of his glowing fingers.

  But the speed of rotation was abnormal. However he was managing to spin his fingers, the blade was moving fast enough to be a blur, as if it, too, was now a translucent shield blocking the way.

  The head of the phoenix made contact with the sixth shield.

  There was a fierce blasting sound, perhaps a roar of fury from the bird—and then the flaming projectile that had pierced five shields of ice was torn into scattering shreds by the spinning blade. More than a little of it landed on Kirito, and the pieces caused small explosions where they hit.

  Eugeo saw his partner’s body fly through the air as though struck, and he screamed. “Kiriiito!!”

  Even through the shower of sparks and flames, Kirito managed to shout back. “Don’t stop, Eugeo!!”

  His momentary hesitation gone, Eugeo stared ahead. Kirito would never halt and give up that one sliver of hope in this situation. He did what he said he would. Now it was Eugeo’s turn.

  He practically flew up the steps, passing the airborne body of his partner to the right. Once he was through the last remnants of floating fire, the landing and the Integrity Knight standing on it were right before him.

  Surely the knight wouldn’t expect that one could escape his mighty Perfect Weapon Control attack unscathed. His face was still hidden in the helmet, even at this range, but Eugeo thought he sensed surprise. There wasn’t enough time for a second projectile. He had no sword, and he had allowed his foe to reach close quarters.

  Now you’ve lost! Eugeo thought triumphantly, raising the Blue Rose Sword high.

  “Toy with me not, boy!!” the knight bellowed, reading Eugeo’s mind.

  Whatever momentary surprise he felt was gone, and pure fighting fury enveloped the heavy reddish armor. He held his left hand high overhead, still clutching the burning longbow, and flame burst around his fist again.

  “Daaah!!” he screamed, hurtling his fist forward through the burning air.

  What now?!

  Eugeo was already in slicing range, but a series of calculations spun through his head at the speed of light.

  It was fist versus sword, so in terms of range and power, he had the advantage. But his opponent had the advantage of terrain. He was already very tall, and his fist was coming from an added height advantage of three extra steps. Could the slender Blue Rose Sword withstand that kind of power? Should he dodge sideways, take the landing, and then attack again?

  No. Eugeo’s friend and master in the Aincrad style had once told him, In this world, what you put into your sword is crucial. And it’s up to you to find what you infuse into your blade.

  Eugeo’s tutor, Golgorosso; Kirito’s tutor, Sortiliena; and even the arrogant and cowardly nobles Raio
s and Humbert had something that gave their swords added power. But Eugeo could sense that he was still in the process of finding that thing for himself. He had trained as much as anyone and learned a number of advanced techniques, but he still hadn’t found what he could put into his sword to make it stand apart. He wasn’t born to be a swordsman; perhaps he would never find it.

  But at this moment, he couldn’t submit to the Integrity Knight’s intensity and allow his weapon to shrink back. The time for training and building his skill was gone. Now was the time to achieve his goal. Now was the time to take back the old Alice from her new Integrity Knight form.

  Alice.

  That was the only thing that mattered. He’d watched his friend get dragged away in chains that summer day eight years ago, and now was the time to save her at last. All of his sword training and sacred arts knowledge was for this very moment.

  Please, give me your strength. I still have so much to learn, and I might not be fit to own a sword of your pedigree…but I can’t stop and pull back now!

  With the Blue Rose Sword high, Eugeo twisted himself even farther backward. The slightly translucent blade took on a brilliant blue glow, denoting the Aincrad style’s Vertical attack.

  “Aaaah!” he bellowed, and then he swung. The sword sizzled forward with that special sound unique to ultimate techniques and collided with the burning fist of the Integrity Knight.

  The shock wave of blue and red light fanned out, tearing the red carpet on the steps and the woven tapestries on the walls. Fist and sword came to a stop, connected in midair.

  The gauntlet and the flat of the blade creaked. Eugeo summoned all his strength in the hopes of finishing the technique, but the knight’s arm was as immobile as a boulder—although he did not seem to be overpowering the sword, either. A low growl emerged from the helmet, and more weight was added to his fist.

  But the stalemate lasted only a few seconds. The flame coming from the Conflagration Bow in the knight’s hand started to lick at the Blue Rose Sword. The light along the blade began to flicker, as if wilting under the heat. If his Vertical faltered, his sword would be knocked aside to give him a face full of burning fist.

  “Grr…uuaagh…!”

  Eugeo summoned all the strength and willpower he had in an attempt to swing through. But the flames only grew in strength. The blade began to heat up, turning red.

  Though he’d never been conscious of it before, the memories of the sword that he saw in the Great Library said that the Blue Rose Sword had ice properties. That meant it should be weak to powerful flames, as its opposing element. If this continued for much longer, it could sap a dangerous amount of life from the weapon.

  But on the flip side, the element of the sword meant it could possibly overcome the enemy’s flames, as well.

  You’ve been forged in the freezing storms at the peak of the End Mountains since the days of the world’s creation. Don’t let this cheap little fire melt you now! Eugeo screamed in his mind.

  The sword responded. Instantly, both his main hand on the grip and his left supporting the pommel felt a stinging chill. It wasn’t just his imagination—the little roses carved into the guard were shrouded in white frost. The frost advanced, growing into little vines that crawled up the blade and scattered the flames licking at it.

  The phenomenon didn’t stop there. The white vines of ice grew onto the knight’s fist where it touched the sword, banishing the flames that covered the red gauntlet and spreading more frost…

  “Hrrng…,” the knight grunted, surprised at the sudden chill. The moment that Eugeo sensed his opponent’s stance was faltering, he unleashed all the strength he’d been building.

  With an ear-ripping squeal, the sword plunged forward and pushed the knight’s left gauntlet back. Unfortunately, the tip just missed the enemy’s body. As the sword descended through air, the knight threw his empty right fist at Eugeo. It wasn’t flaming like the other one, but a solid blow from that rock-hard fist would easily knock him back to the base of the stairs.

  But Eugeo let out a fierce cry, and his sword leaped upward.

  “Iyaaaah!”

  Even the burliest of men couldn’t perform an instantaneous reversal of momentum with strength alone—not when the Blue Rose Sword was heavier than a steel sword of the same size. Only a swordfighting technique could achieve such an effect: the Aincrad style’s two-part attack, Vertical Arc.

  The blade traced a figure like the sacred arts rune V, slicing into the Integrity Knight’s breastplate at an angle. A small amount of red liquid sprayed from the gash in the dark-red metal. The tip of his sword had tasted flesh—but only a bit.

  The knight swayed backward, but he tensed his legs to leap away. If Eugeo let the enemy gain any distance, it would give him a chance to repeat his flame attack. But all of the Aincrad style’s ultimate techniques left the user immobilized for several seconds after finishing.

  Kirito told him that if he was going to use them, he always had to consider how he would make up for that massive period of weakness. If the attack landed effectively, it wasn’t an issue, but if it was blocked or deflected—or, as in this case, it landed but didn’t fully stop the opponent—he would be open to the risk of a fatal counterattack.

  The immobilization of a technique was absolute; no amount of mental fortitude could lessen it. The only ways to minimize the risk were tricks like having an ally step in afterward or unleashing prepared wind elements to blow the enemy farther away, and so on. But Kirito had fallen back down into the antechamber, and there hadn’t been time to chant any sacred arts. There was only one way left.

  Eugeo summoned all the muscle and willpower he had to control the movement of the Blue Rose Sword along the route of the second half of its Vertical Arc. Normally it would end up high to the left, but instead he brought it back so that it practically rested on his left shoulder. Forcing the blade aside caused the blue light surrounding it to diminish rapidly, but the attack was essentially over anyway.

  Just as the Blue Rose Sword came to a stop over his shoulder, the enemy knight leaped into motion. The landing of the staircase was spacious, and if he retreated toward the back wall, he could likely prepare another flaming lance while Eugeo was paralyzed. If Eugeo let that happen, he could not defend against it.

  The final way to overcome the momentary paralysis was to stitch one ultimate technique into another. If the posture at the end of one attack matched the initiation of another, it could segue smoothly without causing any delay. This ultimate art of technique combination was so difficult, even Kirito could only pull it off half the time.

  “…Hah!!”

  Eugeo belted hot breath and focused as hard as he could on activating the new technique. The sword shone brightly, his body bolted forward as if struck, and the sword roared forward from the upper left toward the Integrity Knight. It was the singular attack move Slant.

  At last, the knight’s eyes bulged.

  The pain in Eugeo’s right eye and the rotating red sacred letters from when he tried to attack Raios were gone. There was no feeling of doubt, no hesitation whatsoever. Eugeo’s entire being was driven by one thought only: to slice the foe before him.

  The Blue Rose Sword struck the knight directly on the right shoulder. The shoulder guard split, followed by a dull, heavy impact that traveled up to Eugeo’s hand. It was the sensation of the sword in his hand splitting muscle and flesh to crush bone.

  The Integrity Knight was slammed directly to the floor on his back, wounded deeply from shoulder to breast.

  “Gakh!” he gasped, voice muffled by the helmet, and then a spray of blood redder than his armor burst from the neck of his suit.

  This was the second time Eugeo had slashed a man, and he still felt his breath catch in his throat for a moment. The sensation in his right hand caused something to clutch at the pit of his stomach, but he did his best to suppress it.

  In a kind of coordination with Eugeo’s emotions, the Blue Rose Sword exuded frost again, turning a
ll the blood on it into ice that vanished, leaving it clean. In fact, the wound on the knight’s shoulder was also white with frost now, the captured drops of blood hardening into little icicles.

  “Rrgh…,” the knight grunted, lifting his left hand with the bow toward his wound. Eugeo clenched his sword harder again—if the Integrity Knight started some kind of sacred art, he would have to strike him again. An experienced caster could heal himself with all the available resources in the vicinity, and the only ways to stop him were to attack his throat, cut off his arm—or perhaps end his life altogether.

  But the knight’s left fist was totally frozen, and when he realized that he could not even let go of the bow, he gave up on healing himself. Element-based sacred arts required fine finger movement to execute. Instead, he exhaled in chagrin and dropped his arm heavily to the floor.

  Eugeo wasn’t sure what to do next. The Blue Rose Sword’s ice effect stopped the enemy’s flame in its tracks, but it also sealed the wound and stopped the bleeding. The knight couldn’t fight back for now, but he wouldn’t die, either. If left here, his hand would eventually thaw, and then he could heal himself and possibly continue pursuing them.

  All Eugeo could do was stand in place and grit his teeth in indecision. It was the knight who spoke first.

  “…Boy…”

  Even in a rasp, his voice lost none of its commanding presence. Eugeo tensed at first, until he heard what came next.

  “What is the name of the first technique you used…?”

  “…”

  Eugeo hesitated at first, then opened his parched lips to answer, “…The Aincrad-style two-part combination, Vertical Arc.”

  “Two…part,” the knight repeated, pausing, then asked, “And you…what did you do…?”

  His helmet creaked, and for an instant Eugeo looked behind him. There was Kirito, black clothes singed here and there, holding his left arm and dragging his right foot as he slowly ascended the stairs.

  “Kirito…are you hurt?!”

  His partner grinned weakly. “I’m fine. I already took care of the worst burns. Sir Knight, what I performed was the Aincrad-style defensive maneuver Spinning Shield.”