Episode 7 "The Meaning of Strength"
It will be a story from the surprise attack of another Death Gun to the time before the decisive battle.
Please wait until the next time to find out what the Death Gun imitation is.
What is the meaning of strength that Kirito talks about after receiving Fon's words...
Well then, here you go!
"Death... cancer...!?"
Why are you here? What about Kirito and the others?
All of a sudden, my thoughts stopped.
However, the other party will not wait. A prediction line informs you of the opponent's gunfire. In order to avoid it, I ran into the alleyway I just came to.
You can't aim a grenade launcher if you can't even see it.
(Ambush all at once from the alley...!)
I thought so, but...
"What?!"
Even though the other party shouldn't be able to see me, the prediction line was exactly the same and aimed at me. I didn't understand, and I was even more confused. Then,
Pon! Pon! Pon!
I heard what sounded like gunshots, and thought it was bad, so I changed course. A grenade landed on the road I was about to go on and exploded.
Just like that, grenades came down one after another. It finally caught up with me, and I was blown off onto the main street by the blast.
"Gee... Damn! How do you know where I am!?"
I looked around once more, but the Death Gun was nowhere to be seen. Furthermore, due to the previous attack, the surroundings were full of smoke and the visibility was quite poor.
The other party shouldn't be able to see this either.
While thinking about the reason why, I'm on my guard...
(Has the attack stopped?)
The attack stopped for some reason. No matter how long it took, no attack came.
(Why...? It was so fierce until just now... anyway, it's a chance!)
Thinking that, I immediately left the place. For the time being, in order to blind them, they shot the gas tank of an abandoned car and blew it up.
(Anyway, I have to join Kirito and the others... what?)
Using the first aid kit, while recovering the HP that had decreased earlier,
Headed near the stadium where Musketeer X is said to have been.
Then, as we got closer to the stadium, I smelled something burning. Curious, I went there and found a large car on fire. There was something that looked like the wreckage of something lying nearby, and I saw something that looked like a buggy running in the desert in the opposite direction.
"...Is that it?"
I found a rental buggy nearby, got into it, and started chasing tire tracks.
(Because it was a desert, there were tire tracks, which was a relief... but...)
While chasing the buggy that left the city, I remembered the enemy earlier.
(That's... not the Boromant guy from earlier. He looked a lot like him, but he's a different person.)
It looks like the Death Gun I mentioned earlier... should I call it a pseudo-Death Gun?
The weapons were different, but... above all, the masks were different.
The guy who attacked the Pale Rider had red eyes, while his mask had horns and his eyes were reminiscent of monsters.
It's like a demon... I felt like it was a perfect fit.
(And...how could you attack with such accuracy without looking?)
Like Death Gun's method of killing, the previous attack remained a mystery.
(Anyway, now it's time to join Kirito and the others and share information. I'll think about it after that...)
I stopped thinking and started the buggy.
Then, tire marks continued to a nearby cave.
It was time to find a buggy parked near the cave and look into the cave...
"I've killed people, too."
"...!"
Kirito's words made me stop involuntarily.
"eh···?"
"In that world, I was acquainted with that Boromant...Death Gun. That man is a Red Player of the guild called 'Laughing Coffin', which was said to be the worst in SAO."
“………………”
It looks like she's with Sinon. While I was relieved that the two of them were safe, I decided to wait and see how Kirito's serious voice would go.
"Once upon a time, a large-scale subjugation party was organized to send them to prison...Me and Fong joined the party. Oops.
Due to the melee, I ended up killing two of Rafkov's members..."
Kirito took a deep breath and continued.
"...but I forgot what I did...until I met that man yesterday..."
"Then, is that man... the one you fought in the Laughing Coffin...?"
"... Ah. She must be one of the survivors who was captured in the subjugation battle... and sent to prison.
That's why...I have to settle things with him here...in this world..."
...Silence reigned over the place.
(Kirito Side)
"Kirito, can you tell me one thing...?"
"yes···?"
After we had finished talking, Sinon asked me that.
"How did you... get over that memory!? How... did you overcome the past?
How can you be so strong? ”
Seeing Sinon's serious eyes... I answered honestly.
"...I can't get over it"
"eh···?"
"When I met him, I remembered killing four people in SAO... each of their dying expressions, their voices... I thought I would never forget them."
"Well... then what should I do...?
I...! ? ”
"But, Sinon... remembering that is surely necessary."
"···eh?"
"The meaning of killing them...the weight and pressure...I had to keep thinking more about them...
At that time, who could I kill and what could I protect...accept that and move forward...at the very least, I think that's what I should do now."
"Accept... move forward..."
I wonder if Sinon was convinced, Sinon muttered so after repeating my words.
Then,
“Yo, are you having a secret meeting in a place like this?”
"phone···!"
My comrade-in-arms was sticking his head out of the cave.
(Kirito Side Out)
“Yo, are you having a secret meeting in a place like this?”
"phone···!"
Thinking that I had finished talking, I peeked at the entrance. Kirito was a little surprised, but somewhat relieved.
"Well, joking aside... I'm glad it's okay."
"Neither..."
"So how was it over there?"
"that is······"
I heard what happened from Kirito...
That Sinon was targeted by Death Gun,
Musketeer X wasn't Death Gun,
Death Gun must use an optical camouflage cloak.
He also told me that he was attacked by a grenade launcher user who resembled Death Gun.
"...Could it be that he's also Death Gun's companion?"
"Maybe...it didn't show up in the scans either, so if it's the same trick, it makes sense."
After exchanging information, the mystery of how the Death Gun escaped the scan was solved.
(...optical camouflage...)
Thinking about that,
"Death Gun..."
""yes···?""
"There's a real human being inside that cloak, isn't it?"
"Yeah. If I knew the name from the SAO era, I should be able to find out the real name and address in the real world. That's why we came to this world."
"Is that so... then that boromanto couldn't forget his time in SAO... so he wanted to do PKs again, so he came to GGO?"
"I don't think that's all...
If I remember correctly, according to the materials, the dead Zekushiido, Usushio Tarako, and even the Pale Rider earlier...
He always chooses situations with a lot of eyes... as if to show off his power..."
"I can really kill people from within the game... I'm showing off that I have that kind of power... I can't believe it."
Kirito supplemented my words.
Are you showing off?
"But how did you do that...?"
"From what I've heard, the cause of death for the former two was not brain failure, but heart failure..."
"Heart...!"
"Honestly, the modus operandi of the crime is a no-brainer... If it's the brain, it's fine, but it's impossible to stop the heart from within the game... huh...?"
Something caught me when I said that
...isn't possible in a virtual world...?
"Speaking of which, is it strange?"
"Kirito...?"
"Yeah, ah... when I saved Sinon just now... the Death Gun didn't use that black pistol. You could have killed me, but why..."
"Certainly... that's right."
That's certainly a strange story... there's no reason not to use that pistol to kill Kirito, who has a grudge against him.
"Maybe it wasn't that you didn't shoot, but you couldn't shoot...?"
"Didn't you shoot...?"
Black pistols, reasons why you can't shoot, rifles, crosshairs, optical camouflage, conditions, rules, accomplices.
·····accomplice···?
“Ah, AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!”
"What's wrong, you two!?"
"Yes, is that so...!
How come I didn't notice! ? ”
"... If that's the case, it makes sense!!"
I couldn't help but scream at the idea I arrived at... Apparently, Kirito came to the same conclusion.
"That's why...! What did you find out!?"
"It's a simple story. Shooting from the virtual world can't stop the heart...in other words, the Death Gun is actually stopping the heart in the real world, not in the virtual world...!"
“In this world, while shooting players with that black pistol in GGO, in the real world they are also doing some tricks… If you think about it that way, it makes a lot of sense.”
"Consistent...?"
Sinon tilted her head at Kirito and I's reasoning.
"First of all, what Kirito said was a crime in the eyes of the masses...if you're not showing off, you're deliberately choosing to convince others that you have the power to kill... ...?"
"B-But... how do you get your personal information in the real world?"
"That's where that invisibility cloak comes into play."
"eh···?"
"It's the Governor's Office. For example, this BoB...
I used the terminal over there to register information...if I had been using an invisibility cloak to spy on it..."
「・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・」
"That place wasn't a private room, it was an open space...if you become invisible and stick behind you, you can peek around as much as you want."
「・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・」
Kirito's and I's reasoning made Sinon's face turn pale.
"B-But...! Even if it's possible... this BoB can't log out until the tournament is over! How can you do that in the real world!? ?"
"... he's an accomplice."
"accomplice···?"
Sinon unintentionally parroted at Kirito's words.
"Yeah. There are two death guns... No, considering that grenade launcher user, there are at least three..."
"The procedure would be like this. One of those Borocloaks shoots the player with that pistol in the game. At the same time, the accomplice kills a real-world human."
"...!?"
"Now that you think about it, that cross gesture...
If that's also a signal to a real-world accomplice... or if it's to check the watch you're wearing to match the timing, then why bother doing that gesture... no, you have to do it. I'm convinced that I have to."
I'm going to proceed with the reasoning with Kirito... it's probably not wrong on the whole.
"But then how did the Death Guns get into the house?"
"I wonder if that was...whether they hacked the electronic security or not? According to the document Kikuoka showed me, Zexceed and Usushio also had keys to this house using an early type of electronic security...
Besides, my body in the real world is completely empty while I'm logged in... it doesn't matter if it takes some time to break in."
"... well, in this world we rely on electronic security all the time..."
Kirito's words cleared my doubts. In the world I used to live in, electronic security was not widespread at all, and at best I recognized it as an auto-lock in an apartment, so I was able to solve the mystery.
"... and the cause of death?"
"...probably poison or drugs...the two killed were found 3 to 5 days after their deaths, and were killed by continuous dives without food or sleep, which is common with heavy users. Treated as dead...
If the poison is injected in a way that doesn't leave a trace, it's unlikely to be noticed..."
With this, the trick of killing people as if they were in the virtual world is established.
Some of it is wild and speculative, but that's the general gist of it.
"...that's it!? Death Gun, why would you go that far..."
"...he wanted to remain a Red Player."
"...the strongest player killer in SAO...that's what you wanted even after you came back from that world...?"
"Yeah. I'm still aware that I'm a swordsman..."
"...that's...somehow I understand.
I, too, sometimes think I'm a sniper..."
There was a point in Kirito and Sinon's words that made sense to me as well. I came from another world, but after experiencing that world, I still had some sense of myself as a swordsman.
"Then... the accomplices who attacked the real world and Fong, could it be...!?"
"Ah, maybe those guys are the former 'Laughing Coffin'..."
…Silence reigned over the place.
I never thought that the SAO incident would drag on to this extent.
For them... no, for us, the SAO incident wasn't over yet.
"... Sinon... do you live alone?"
"···eh?"
It was Kirito who broke the silence.
Holding Sinon's shoulder, I asked.
"Hey, I live alone, but..."
"...the key?"
"Well, it's locked, but... it's an early model electronic lock too... it might not have a chain...!?"
To my question, Sinon answered as if remembering.
The death gun was aimed at Sinon...!
Kirito seemed to have the same idea as me.
"Listen, calm down and listen...he tried to shoot you with that gun while he was chasing us in his robot hose. It means...it's ready. "
"...preparation, what is...?"
“…Now, in the real world, Death Gun has invaded your room, and you are waiting for that gun to shoot you in the live video…there is a possibility…”
“………………!?”
Sinon, who had already guessed what Kirito had said, opened her eyes wide.
"No... I don't like it!? That's...!?"
Sinon's body was shaking and her breathing was greatly disturbed.
This is bad...!
"Wait, calm down, Sinon!"
"Calm down, Sinon! It's dangerous to log out now! Calm down... calm down... do your best...!"
Kirito and I desperately called out to Sinon, who was about to be forced to log out by Amusphere.
"... Haa, Haa... Haa... Haa..."
Kirito gently hugged Sinon, who had managed to calm down and become weak.
Apparently the forced logout was avoided.
"The intruders can't do anything to you until they're hit by Death Gun's pistol...that's the limit they set themselves."
"...But if you automatically log out and witness the face of your accomplice...that would be far more dangerous."
"... But!? But... I'm scared...!?"
Finally, Sinon burst into tears in Kirito's chest...
That resolute, strong figure is Sinon's avatar, and I think that the current figure is her original form... Yes, I saw her and felt it.
Kirito gently hugged her as she cried for a while.
"Tell me what to do..."
Sinon stopped crying and asked in her usual voice.
"Kill Death Gun"
"...if you defeat the Death Gun, their rules of killing will be broken...even an intruder shouldn't be able to do anything to you in the real world."
"But even without Kuroboshi, that boro cloak is strong...you saw it dodging Hecate's bullets..."
... Certainly, no matter how much the prediction line was visible, the ability of the guy who avoided the anti-material rifle is certain. In addition, there is also that grenade launcher user.
If Kirito or I lose, Sinon will die.
"And maybe I can't just hide here... By now, the other players have noticed that we're hiding in a desert cave."
"... so it wouldn't be strange to get a surprise attack at any time."
Hearing Sinon's words, when I looked outside, the sun had already set and the battlefield was at night.
``Why did you form a team like this?
...Let's defeat it with the three of us."
"...but if you get shot with that pistol..."
"That's... after all, it's an old-fashioned single action... Even if you were about to be shot, you guys would easily cut it off, wouldn't you?"
"... That's right. If you trust me that much, I can't let you do it, Kirito?"
"Oh...I will never let you shoot..."
Sinon's strong words made me and Kirito burst into laughter. This is a big responsibility.
"But in order to do that... you'd better not show yourself in front of Death Gun."
"That's...!?"
"No, I appreciate your offer to fight with me... but Sinon... you're a sniper. Your true worth is long-distance sniping, isn't it?"
"... that's right, but"
"So, how about something like this as a strategy?
In the next scan, only I will make myself appear on the map on purpose."
"... I see. You're luring out Death Gun."
"Ah, he should first hide himself in the distance and try to snipe me."
"From that shot, we'll figure out the location and have Sinon snipe it."
"Yes... meanwhile, the phone..."
"Sinon's escort... or should I say, a grenade launcher wielding Death Gun stranded?...Leave it to me."
The concern of this operation is that Kirito will be attacked by Death Guns... or Sinon will be attacked. So that Kirito can concentrate on that red-eyed Death Gun,
I have to beat that Death Gun quack.
"... how is it, Sinon... can you go?"
"...Wait a minute! Are you saying that you're going to be a decoy?"
"···yes"
"... ok, let's go... but...
Don't kill me in one hit with the first shot."
"Well, I'll take revenge then...don't worry, just shoot me."
"...I'll try, but...his rifle doesn't make a sound, and I can't see the line of sight..."
"Predict the prediction line... who said that?"
"...Did you say that?"
Hearing Sinon's words, I couldn't help but stare at Kirito. Don't look cool when you don't need it... If you're thinking that...
"···Sinon"
"eh···!"
Sinon froze at Kirito's serious expression.
Kirito slowly looked up. Along with that, when Sinon and I also looked up, a mysterious mark was floating in the air.
"... sorry... let your guard down."
With a sigh, Sinon made an expression that she had done it.
"Sinon, what is that?"
"... LIVE relay camera... I usually only follow players in battle, but...
We're running out of people, so we've chased them all the way here..."
... LIVE relay ...?
Certainly the letters REC were in the middle.
"Ma, bad!? Our conversation...!"
"Don't worry... unless you shout out loud, it won't pick up your voice... Why don't you wave your hand?
「「・・・・・・・・・・・・」」
Hearing those words, I couldn't help but keep my mouth shut... On the other hand, Kirito's face turned pale and he panicked.
Well, while I'm leaning against the wall, Kirito is standing close to Sinon, face to face, and talking to her... if she's in a position to gently hug Sinon who continues to cry... ALO I'm afraid to go back to...
"Well, more than that... wouldn't it be more troublesome for you?
In general, people watching this are likely to think both are women, right? ”
"No, that's fine!! No, I don't... um... if there were rumors about someone with that kind of hobby... it would be less troublesome to mess with..."
“Then, do I have to pass as a girl all the time?”
"Don't tell me you forgot! You first pretended to be a woman and let me show you around!"
"... Ah, it's gone."
The camera disappeared just as a small quarrel was about to begin...thank goodness...
If I had entered the world of the two of them like this, I would have had to rush in again.
"... Phew, it's almost time."
"Two minutes until the next satellite scan..."
“Fon, Sinon, please.
by the way···"
"···What happened?"
"No... the character names of the Death Guns were 'Kobolt' and 'Stephen'..."
Kirito's words made me think so too.
After all, I wonder what kind of meaning Death Gun gave such a character name... I still understand "Kobold"...
"...if it's a close-range fight, I'll ask what you mean...then I'll go outside."
"Be careful" "Be careful"
Kirito responded with a thumbs up.
Next time Von Vs Another Death
Gun Will Fon be able to conquer Death Gun's mysterious attack with unparalleled accuracy?
It will be the final battle of the GGO edition.
Please look forward to it!
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