I'm a Sword Master in Sword Art Online

Mochizuki Kaede and Asuna hurried towards Kissmael, where three subdued enemies were being held tightly by dark elf guards. When Kissmael saw the prisoners' true faces, her pupils suddenly contracted. The skin beneath their pointed ears was gradually losing its disguise, revealing a strange, dark gray complexion.

“Fallen elves…” Kismer’s voice was as cold as ice.

"A fallen elf?" Mochizuki Kaede and Asuna exchanged a puzzled look.

The whip-wielder, pinned to the ground, suddenly let out a hoarse laugh, his lips twisting into a grimace: "Too bad, I was just one step away from stopping you from obtaining the Flower of Sacrifice. The cursed mist of this forest could have completely corrupted you dark elves..."

Kismer knelt down on one knee, pressing his saber against the other man's chin: "You impersonated forest elves and deliberately left behind elven-style arrows, wasn't that to escalate the war between us and the forest elves?"

The whip-wielder's expression froze.

Mochizuki Kaede looked thoughtfully at the fallen elf, whose face had turned ashen after being exposed. Escorted by dark elf guards, the group began their return to the campsite.

After escorting the fallen elves to the commander to report, Kissmael led Mochizuki Kaede and the others deeper into the camp. As they went further in, the sight before them took everyone's breath away.

A towering tree rose from the ground, its dark green needles pointing straight to the sky like sharp swords. Its surface was covered with a glistening black resin that shimmered like pearls in the sunlight. Even more remarkably, beneath the bark, faint golden veins, like blood vessels, were visible, pulsating gently in the breeze.

“The Black Sacred Tree.” Kissmael’s voice carried a rare air of awe.

She held the emerald-like offering flower in her hands, closed her eyes, and softly chanted an ancient elven incantation. Her short purple hair swayed gently in the surging magical air.

"Om-"

The sacrificial flower was suddenly enveloped in a pure white light, slowly rising from her palm. As it ascended, the light grew brighter and brighter, finally hovering at the height of the Black Saint Tree's crown, like a newly born star.

In that instant, the entire Black Saint Tree trembled as if awakened. The golden veins on its trunk burst forth with dazzling light, and emerald-colored rivers of light flowed between its needles. The two lights intertwined in the air, creating a visible magical resonance.

"boom--!"

A vibrant green halo suddenly expanded from the Black Saint Tree, and wherever it passed, the surging cursed mist melted away as quickly as snow meeting the blazing sun. In the purified area, the twisted plants regained their original appearance, new buds sprouted from the withered branches, and even the putrid smell in the air was replaced by the fresh scent of grass and trees.

Silica unconsciously reached out to catch the falling specks of light; the light dust transformed into a tiny night-blooming orchid in her palm. Asuna watched this sacred scene, a gentle smile appearing on her lips.

Mochizuki Kaede looked at Kissmel beside her and noticed that a single, crystal-clear tear had slid down the female knight's usually cold and stern face.

The purification ritual of the Misty Forest was finally completed.

Kismer turned to face the three of them and suddenly bowed deeply with the most solemn elven etiquette, his short purple hair falling over his shoulders: "On behalf of the Dark Elf race, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to you all."

When she raised her head, her dark purple eyes shone with sincerity: "The cursed mist that has plagued my people for many years has finally been purified."

Mochizuki Kaede said gently, "Actually, we weren't much of a help."

Asuna smiled and shook her head: "The purification ritual relies entirely on Miss Kissmel's power."

Silica grabbed Kissmael's hand: "Miss Kissmael! Now that the fog has lifted, let's go find those glowing rabbits to play with again!"

Kissmael paused for a moment, then smiled gently.

Suddenly remembering something, Mochizuki Kaede tapped his finger in the air to bring up the quest panel. He looked up at Kissmael: "Miss Kissmael, do you know the exact location of the Shadowwood?"

The female knight was clearly taken aback upon hearing this, and her voice carried a hint of hesitation: "Shadowlight Forest... is within the territory of the forest elves."

Mochizuki Kaede and Asuna exchanged a glance: "It seems we still have to go to the forest elves; they're probably suffering from a similar curse."

Before the words were finished, a petite figure peeked out from behind the tree: "Hey~ you've already obtained the memorial flowers?"

Mochizuki Kaede looked closely and recognized the newcomer as none other than Argo, the intelligence broker who had helped them in the second-floor boss battle.

A few leaves clung to her khaki hooded cloak, and three mustache-like markings on her face wiggled with her playful expression.

"Miss Rat?" Mochizuki Kaede asked in confusion, "What are you doing here?"

"Hmph~" Argo held up his index finger and waved it in front of him, his voice trailing off with his characteristic nasal tone, "Of course, I'm here to get the key item to deal with the third-floor boss~"

Asuna's eyes widened in surprise: "You've already found the location of the third floor boss?"

Argo wrinkled his nose smugly: "I'm an information broker [Rat], how could I not know this kind of news?"

Just as Mochizuki Kaede was about to press for more information, Argo suddenly took a half step back and made a closure gesture: "However, I can't just tell you the specifics of the information."

She winked and gave a sly smile: "My motto is—sell all the information that can be sold."

Mochizuki Kaede nodded knowingly; the information broker was clearly hinting at a deal.

“Understood.” He readily took out his money pouch, which clinked together with a crisp sound. “We are willing to pay for the intelligence.”

Argo's mustache paint fluttered as he smiled: "Deal!"

She leaped lightly onto a tree stump, her eyes gleaming with an unusual light beneath the brim of her cloak: "But before the deal, would you like to hear a little story?"

Her fingers traced a trail of light in the air, forming the letters "SAO": "The unknown origins of Aincrad."

So Argo told this story:

Once upon a time, the earth was protected by two sacred trees, one black and one white, which helped maintain the balance of all things.

The dark elves who worshipped the "Black Sacred Tree" established the "Lysula Kingdom," while the forest elves who worshipped the "White Sacred Tree" established the "Kaleso Kingdom." With the protection of the sacred trees and powerful magic, the kingdoms prospered.

Besides these two countries, there are also the "Nine United Kingdoms" established by humans, the "Underground Kingdom of Aurnida" established by dwarves, and other small and medium-sized countries inhabited by minority races. Although these countries occasionally have minor conflicts, they have been in a period of peace for a long time.

But one day, some elves attempted to obtain the power of the sacred tree by drawing its sap, hoping to gain a body immune to swords. Their plan was thwarted, and these elves were banished from their kingdom. In the legends of the dark elves, they are forest elves, while in the legends of the forest elves, they are dark elves; ultimately, both sides refer to them as "fallen elves."

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Thank you [An Zhe] for the monthly pass and the razor blade!

Chapter 46: The Elf's Sword

The fallen elves, banished to the icy north, harbored hatred for the two kingdoms and had been secretly plotting war for years. Relations between the two nations gradually deteriorated, culminating in a failed assassination attempt on the princess of the Kingdom of Lusura, which ultimately led to a complete severing of ties. The nine-kingdom human alliance and the dwarven underground kingdom, like the elven kingdoms, also began to fracture, plunging the land into an unprecedented state of tension.

Then, war finally broke out, and just as the mages of both kingdoms were about to unleash their largest-scale attack spells, an anomaly occurred. A halo enveloped the field that had become a battlefield, severing it from the earth and making it float in the air.

Not only the battlefield, but also the kingdoms of Lucula and Kares-O, the Nine United Kingdoms, and the capitals and major cities of the Underground Kingdom were all severed from the earth by the aura. There were over a hundred "discs," the smallest of which was three thousand meters in diameter, and the largest ten thousand meters. These discs lifted countless elves, humans, and dwarves from the ground into the air, where they were vertically stacked to form a floating city hundreds of stories high.

This event was subsequently known as the "Cut Off the Earth," and Aincrad was born from it.

Having lost the protection of the Sacred Tree, Aincrad lost almost all its magic, and the nine royal families of humanity lost their lineage. Almost every town became an autonomous city, and communication between the layers was severed. Since then, countless years have passed, and only the descendants of the two elven races that still maintain royal rule know the story of the earth's rupture.

……

After Argo finished telling his story, before anyone could recover from their shock, he snapped his fingers and instantly switched back to the professional tone of an information broker.

“Well then…” She pulled out a roll of yellowed parchment from somewhere and unfurled it in the air with a “whoosh,” “Information about the third-floor BOSS.”

A holographic projection appeared on the parchment, displaying the image of a twisted, giant tree. Argo touched the image with his fingertip, and four flashing skill icons immediately popped up:

"【Demon Tree Spirit Nereus】".

When she pronounced the name, even the end of her voice lacked its usual playfulness: "Skill 1 [Poison Mist]: Summons poison mist to cover the ground, causing players within the area to continuously lose health."

The projection switched to the second icon, revealing a group of twisted little tree spirits: "Skill 2 [Tree Spirit Summoning]: Summons little tree spirits to assist in battle. Killing them will leave behind a poison zone, and the poison effect can be stacked."

The third icon transforms into a ground spike animation: "Skill 3 [Ground Spike Attack]: Players in the central area will be knocked back and suffer area damage, with a whirlwind effect."

The last red skull to appear said: "This is a skill that didn't even appear during the closed beta test: [World Destruction] - a large-area, high-damage skill."

She rolled up the parchment and pointed northeast: "The BOSS room is deep in the labyrinth area of ​​the forest elf territory."

Mochizuki Kaede pressed further, "Then what is the key item to defeat the BOSS?"

Argo's gaze lingered on Kismer for a moment: "You must have already received the quest 'The Blessing of the Elves.' This quest has a reward called 'The Elven Sword of Dawn's Oath,' which can precisely interrupt the third-level boss's 'World Destruction' skill."

Mochizuki nodded: "Now that we have solved the [Cursed Mist] in the Misty Forest, we still need to solve the [Corrupted Swamp] in the Shadow Forest before we can completely complete this task and get the reward."

Argo's cloak brim swayed slightly with a nod: "The Shadowwood is within the territory of the forest elves, and the situation there is even worse than here. The Corruption Swamp is expanding every day, and any living thing that steps into it will fall into hallucinations and then be eaten by the hidden carnivorous plants."

Her gaze fell on the sacrificial flower in Kismer's hand: "The purification method... is exactly the same as here. You need to go to the [White Sacred Tree] in the forest elf camp and use the sacrificial flower to complete the purification ritual."

Upon hearing this, Mochizuki Kaede instinctively looked at Kissmel. The age-old feud between dark elves and forest elves complicated this mission. Perhaps that's why Miss [Rat] told the story of SAO's origins.

Argo seemed to see through his thoughts, narrowing his eyes and revealing a meaningful smile: "That's all the intelligence we have. The rest is up to you to decide."

"Anyway, thank you very much, Miss [Mouse]."

Mochizuki Kaede handed the heavy money pouch to Argo. The information broker deftly took it, peeked inside, and immediately narrowed her eyes in a satisfied smile, even her mustache seemed to sway upwards. She deftly stuffed the money pouch into a hidden pocket inside her cloak, making a crisp, clinking sound.

"I knew I hadn't misjudged him!"

Argo handed the parchment containing information about the BOSS to Mochizuki Kaede, then lightly jumped back two steps, her earth-colored cloak fluttering in the wind. She winked playfully, "Looking forward to our next collaboration."

Before she finished speaking, her petite figure had already scurried into the bushes like a real mouse, leaving only a few swaying leaves behind.

Mochizuki Kaede withdrew her gaze and turned to the silent Kissmel. Unexpectedly, a faint smile appeared on the female knight's lips.

“I know very well what Lady Mochizuki is worried about.” She gently stroked the memorial flower in her hand, a complex light flickering in her dark purple eyes. “You think it would be difficult for me to help the forest spirits…?”

Before Mochizuki Kaede could answer, Kissmael shook her head and faced the Black Saint Tree. Her fingertips lightly touched the glowing patterns on the trunk: "We dark elves have indeed been enemies with the forest elves for generations, but that does not mean we have lost our empathy."

A gentle breeze ruffled her short purple hair: "I know better than anyone the pain caused by the [Cursed Mist]. It took my sister away and has kept countless people of my clan awake at night."

Her voice became very soft: "The corrupted swamp that the forest elves are currently experiencing... must be creating the same tragedy."

The light on the tree trunk seemed to sense her emotions and flickered slightly. Kissmael turned around: "So, take the flowers of remembrance to the White Sacred Tree. I understand the pain of losing loved ones."

Kissmael's words sounded particularly solemn in the sunlight, and a hint of emotion flashed in Asuna Amber's eyes.

Silica also felt the weight of those words: "Miss Kizmel..."

Led by Kismer, the group arrived at the forest elves' camp. When this dark elf royal guard appeared at the camp, the surrounding forest elf soldiers all showed wary expressions, their fingers unconsciously nodding at the bowstring.

When Mochizuki explained his purpose to the commander of the forest spirits, the entire tent fell into an eerie silence.

The commander of the forest elves—a tall elf with golden hair reaching his waist—saw a flicker of surprise in his sharp eyes when he saw the sacrificial flower in Kismer's hand. His gaze swept back and forth between Mochizuki Maple and the others and Kismer, before finally letting out a long sigh and raising his hand to signal the guards to lower their weapons.

Chapter 47: Mission Accomplished

Passing through layers of barriers, the group arrived before a towering, broad-leaved tree, its entire trunk pure white. The leaves of the White Sacred Tree were as translucent as jade, and silver veins flowed along its trunk. Unlike the solemnity of the Black Sacred Tree, this sacred tree radiated a soft glow.

As the purification ritual began, the forest spirit priest started chanting incantations, and the sacrificial flowers bloomed with an even more dazzling light than before. The silver veins of the White Sacred Tree gradually lit up, reflecting the emerald light.

When the last corrupted swamp was purified, the entire sacred tree suddenly showered countless points of light, like a shower of stars.

After the ceremony, the forest elf commander remained silent for a long time. Suddenly, he knelt on one knee, his golden hair falling to the ground: "This kindness will be forever etched in the forest elves' memory."

He raised his head, looking sincerely at Kismare: "I never imagined that it would be our former enemy who would ultimately save us..."

Kismer shook his head, a newfound light reflected in his dark purple eyes: "Under the curse, we are all victims."

A system notification window unfolded in front of Mochizuki Kaede:

[System notification: Quest "The Blessing of the Elf" is complete].

[Obtained: Elf Sword Oath of Dawn].

[Obtained: Elf Armor x1].

[Obtained: Elf's Special Jam].

[Received: 5000 Cor].

Mission accomplished, reward received, Mochizuki Maple breathed a sigh of relief.

Asuna gazed at the "elf-made jam," her eyes sparkling: "Looks like I can make some brand new dishes again!"

The forest elf commander warmly offered to host a banquet, but Mochizuki Kaede politely declined. The group quickly returned to the dark elf camp, and as soon as they entered, Asuna eagerly turned to Kismer: "Where's the kitchen?"

Her voice was filled with undisguised excitement, and her eyes burned with a pure passion for cooking: "I have a brilliant idea!"

Silica curiously leaned closer: "What's wrong, Asuna-neechan?"

In the blink of an eye, Asuna had "occupied" the dark elf's kitchen. She placed the shimmering, specially made elven jam on the counter and then ruthlessly scavenged all the dark elf-specific seasonings she could find—glowing mushroom powder, slightly wriggling silver sauce, and black salt crystals with a minty fragrance.

Her notebook was soon filled with various matching ideas.

"We must develop new dishes this time!"

Asuna tied on an apron, temporarily setting her rapier aside and replacing it with various kitchen utensils. Silica helped out, occasionally letting out exclamations of surprise. Kissmael, arms crossed, leaned against the door, watching with interest as the usually elegant swordsman busily engaged in her task.

Wang Yuefeng leaned against the ancient tree outside the kitchen, listening to the sounds of pots and pans clattering and the girls' cheerful conversation coming from inside, a slight smile playing on his lips.

After Asuna's meticulous cooking, a dish radiating a lustrous glow was presented to everyone.

The luminous mushroom soup, made with fairy jam, was paired with beef marinated in moonflower nectar. Silica couldn't wait to take a bite, and her eyes lit up immediately: "It's so delicious!"

Even Kissmel showed a rare expression of enjoyment, praising it repeatedly. Mochizuki Kaede savored it carefully, then smiled and nodded, "As expected of Asuna's skill."

As the sun set, Silica excitedly suggested, "Miss Kissmare, let's go see the glowing rabbit again."