On the seventh floor of the arena, as the duel came to an end, the players in the stands gradually gathered around the two of them.
"By the way! Kirito! Why do you suddenly want to have a duel with Miss Yuuki? It's so unlike you!"
Looking at the young swordsman standing up from the ground, Klein, who was closest to the boy, put on a puzzled posture.
At the same time, he also asked the question that everyone present, including Yuuki, wanted to know.
What exactly did Heathcliff promise to him that made this not-so-outspoken young man make such a strong determination?
"..."
Knowing that what was supposed to come came, Kirito's expression gradually became serious after he fell silent, and something was constantly struggling in his eyes.
"It's okay, you can tell them, Kirito."
"——!"
Looking in the direction of the sound, everyone discovered that a white and red figure had been standing at the entrance.
"Captain... Heathcliff..."
With an extremely complicated tone, Kirito gritted his teeth and drew his weapon again, pointing his sword at the man with a leisurely expression.
"Hey! What are you going to do, Kirito! That's the leader of your knights! The man who is known as the 'strongest'!"
Pressing down the sword in Kirito's hand in panic, Klein anxiously dissuaded him.
Others also gathered around with worried faces, hoping that Kirito would calm down.
For people who don't know the whole story, after hitting this and that, they might think that he is crazy.
The only one with a calm expression was Yuuki, who had guessed the 'truth'.
(...I was wondering if he was hiding somewhere and watching the duel, and that was indeed the case.)
Since he would challenge Kirito to challenge her, there was no reason to miss this competition.
"What a good showdown, don't you think so?"
Not paying attention to Kirito's hostility, he clapped his hands as if in approval, and the man said in a calm voice.
"..."
As soon as these words came out, the atmosphere at the scene suddenly became weird.
Sensing the other party's strange attitude, coupled with Kirito's stern posture, everyone was not stupid, and soon realized that something was fishy.
"Could it be that……"
Aiko, who had been paying attention to Yuuki, noticed that the girl looked unsurprised, as if she had guessed something, and she shouted in surprise.
"...Well...this is the man who asked me to ask Yuuki for a 'fight to the death'."
"——!"
With a deep voice coming out of his mouth, Kirito stared at the leader whom he once deeply trusted.
"This joke is not funny at all, Kirito."
The bald man's eyes widened, unable to accept it.
"Yeah! Isn't this too weird!?"
Spreading his hands, the fallen warrior also shouted in disbelief.
Not to mention that everyone is a member of the strategy team, even from the perspective of competition between guilds, there is no reason to adopt this approach, right?
Even if they really want to compete, shouldn't the Blood Alliance's 'opponent' be the 'Army' or the 'Holy Dragon Alliance'?
"This is the truth, Agil Klein."
With a heavy sigh, the young man lowered his sword slightly and continued to tell even more unexpected news.
"But if I put it another way, you will definitely understand."
"Because this man named Heathcliff has another name."
After pausing for a moment to adjust his emotions, Kirito uttered the last sentence heavily.
"...Kayaba Akihiko, that's his name!"
"——!!!!!!"
A series of major revelations plunged the scene into a deathly silence.
And seeing that Heathcliff didn’t deny it at all, could it be true!?
The strongest player suddenly turned out to be the mastermind behind the scenes, causing everyone to be caught off guard and fell into silence.
…
"If this is true, why do you still agree to this request?"
Just as everyone was buffering the news, Suguha was the first to break the frozen atmosphere.
She didn't understand that since she discovered this man's true identity, shouldn't she tell everyone?
"It's not that simple..."
Kirito smiled bitterly at his sister and shook his head.
Not to mention that there is no conclusive evidence, and since Heathcliff took the initiative to reveal his identity to him, he must have made follow-up plans.
The results also proved that he indeed made an offer that Kirito could not refuse.
That's what the man said that day.
['Before the duel ends, do not publicize my true identity, do not reply to anyone's communications. If you win, I will give you the right to challenge me once later. If the challenge is successful, the game guide is over. If the challenge fails, the game
continue.'】
['But if you lose, I will take back the 'Two Sword Style' given to you, and then go directly back to the 100th floor to wait for your arrival.']
"...That's why I agreed to this condition."
After quietly recounting the contents of the conversation that day, everyone understood the reason for Kirito's abnormality this time.
It's not that he hasn't thought about challenging Heathcliff directly, but if the opponent doesn't lift the 'immortality judgment', he won't even have a chance to win.
And if even Yuuki can't win, the result won't change even if he goes in front of Heathcliff.
"That's right, so as agreed, Kirito, I will remove your 'Two Sword Style' skills."
"Well--!"
After waiting for Kirito to finish speaking, Heathcliff also made his verdict expressionlessly.
"Wait a minute! Kayaba Akihiko! Or do you prefer the name Heathcliff?"
Just when he was about to take action, Yuuki finally stopped keeping silent.
Now that he had this opportunity, there was no need to follow his original script.
"...Haha, do as you like, I look forward to the day when you arrive in front of me."
With his eyebrows raised slightly, Heathcliff took a deep look at Yuki.
"After watching the battle just now, do you really think it is necessary to continue the game?"
"Oh..."
Stopping what he was doing, the man's expression finally changed in response to Yuuki's pointed words.
Of course he noticed the strange changes at the end of the battle just now, but he just didn't have time to analyze them yet.
At the beginning of the game, he discovered Yuuki's unusualness, and the two sides seemed to maintain a subtle tacit understanding after that.
For Heathcliff, as long as the game can continue, Yuuki's 'bugs' are still within the allowable range.
It's just that the previous 'movement' was too big, so he had to change his approach and appear early.
"...Well, the winner of the duel should indeed be rewarded."
After a brief silence, the man suddenly laughed.
"Then let's do it. Tomorrow and the whole day, I will stay in the boss room on the 75th floor waiting for your challenge. As long as you can successfully defeat me, the game will end early."
With an unpredictable smile, Heathcliff, who left these words, disappeared in the shifting aperture. (To be continued)