I'm a Sword Master in Sword Art Online

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Thanks to [Asuna明日奈] for the razor blade!

Chapter 11: The Ghost Face

Tana knelt on one knee, his longsword deeply embedded in the soil to support his swaying body.

A dangerous red light flickered at the edge of his vision. His health had dropped below 50%. Every movement he made caused orange light particles, representing damage, to escape from his wounds and slowly dissipate in the air like fireflies.

"Ha...ha..." He gasped for breath, his fingers gripping the sword turning white from the strain. Sweat soaked through the leather armor on his back, clinging stickily to his skin.

His survival instinct made him grip the sword hilt tightly, but the trembling of his muscles betrayed that he was already at his last gasp.

Four players with red names strolled leisurely around him like cats toying with their prey. Whenever Tana tried to retaliate, they would easily parry with an almost mocking air, then leave him with a shallow wound. In the sparks of clashing metal, Tana could see the cruel pleasure in their eyes.

"Tsk tsk, Tana~" Joe sat on a tree stump not far away, resting his chin on his hand, as if watching a wonderful performance. "You should have dodged that sword to the right just now."

He shook his head and commented, his voice full of affected regret: "See? Another one hit hard."

Tana was struck in the right shoulder again, a torrent of orange particles erupting from him, the virtual pain blurring his vision. He staggered backward, crashing into a tree trunk, causing leaves to fall in a flurry.

"You...you bunch...lunatics..."

Tana gritted his teeth and used his sword to support himself as he stood up again.

His legs felt as heavy as lead, but his eyes were clearer than ever.

Since death is inevitable, at least we should die standing.

Joe suddenly clapped his hands and laughed: "That's the look! It's fantastic!"

He leaned forward excitedly: "You know what? This is the moment I look forward to the most—the desperate yet stubborn expression on the prey's face when it finally resigns itself to its fate!"

Tana's vision was already blurred, but his gaze remained fixed on Joe's distorted face. At this moment, the heaviest weight in his heart was not the fear of death, but the worry for the future of the guild. After his death, Joe's conspiracy would succeed, and the conflict between the Aincrad Liberation Army and the Dragon Knights would inevitably intensify.

He couldn't understand why Joe, this madman, would prevent players from completing the game and returning to the real world.

But Tana has reasons for needing to return to the real world.

The back view of his mother busy in the kitchen, the smiling face of his younger sister pestering him to play games, the focused profile of his father as he repaired the bicycle, and the tonkotsu ramen shop at the alley entrance that he and his best friends had promised to go to after beating the game...

These warm memories are the sole reason he fought so hard on the front lines.

But at this moment, he was really going to die.

Will he return to the real world after he dies?

Or is it that in this death game, the moment your life points reach zero, your real-life self will also sleep forever?

Tana shook his head vigorously, banishing these unsolvable questions from his mind. The most important thing now was to stop Joe's conspiracy! Someone had to expose this madman's true colors and stop him from further sowing discord between the two guilds!

Looking around, all he saw were menacing red-named players and Joe's repulsive grin. Tana realized with despair that he couldn't possibly leave this forest alive. He could feel his health rapidly draining away, his limbs growing heavier and heavier. Four red-named players had already surrounded him again, the cold glint of their blades stinging his eyes.

The lead player raised his spear, the tip aimed at Tana's heart. Tana closed his eyes in despair, awaiting the final, agonizing pain.

At this critical moment——

"Whoosh!"

A whooshing sound suddenly came from the forest.

"what--!"

Joe's scream suddenly rang out, his voice filled with unbelievable pain.

Tana suddenly opened his eyes and saw Joe fall from the tree stump, convulsing violently on the ground like an electrocuted frog. A purple-glowing throwing knife was stuck in the center of his back, and a [Paralyzed] status icon appeared next to his health bar.

Everyone was stunned.

The weapons raised by the red-named players froze in mid-air as they warily looked around.

The wind in the forest suddenly stopped.

rustling... rustling...

The sound of fallen leaves being trampled came from deep within the woods, unhurried yet sending a chill down the spine of everyone who heard it.

When the sound finally stopped at the edge of the forest clearing, everyone's eyes involuntarily focused on it.

A tall, slender figure gradually came into focus amidst the shadows of the trees.

It was a silver-haired boy wearing a hideous demon mask.

The hem of his black coat swayed slightly in the wind, the lightning blade in his hand was crackling with dangerous arcs of electricity, and the gray eyes revealed beneath his mask were terrifyingly calm, yet they caused the four red-named players to take a step back in unison.

What's even more surprising is that a red player icon is also floating above his head.

"Another red name?" The player with the spear was the first to react, narrowing his eyes warily. "Friend, which side are you on?"

The silver-haired boy did not answer.

He simply raised his Thunder Blade slowly, its tip pointing directly at the four red-named players. This simple action was more provocative than any words.

After a brief silence, a burst of laughter erupted from the woods.

"Hahahaha!" The player wielding the longsword laughed so hard he almost fell over. "A red-named kid thinks he can take on all four of us one-on-one?"

"These newbies are getting more and more arrogant these days." The short sword player brandished his weapon, a cruel glint in his eyes.

"Tsk tsk, this equipment is not bad... After I kill you, that Thunder Blade will be mine." The longsword player licked his lips, already imagining the thrill of possessing this rare weapon.

"Hey, stop worrying about dividing the loot!" the red-named player with the spear yelled, brandishing his spear in a fancy move. "I've got my eye on his black coat, nobody's going to take it from me!"

Joe remained collapsed on the ground, his paralysis allowing him to only utter incoherent curses.

The dying Tana was bewildered by the scene before him.

Why are players with red names fighting amongst themselves? Who exactly is that mysterious silver-haired boy? These questions swirl in my mind.

Just as the four red-named players were mocking him, the silver-haired boy made a move.

His speed was so fast that he almost left a afterimage; the lightning blade, crackling with blinding lightning, aimed straight at the player wielding the spear. The man hastily raised his spear to block, but the lightning blade was even faster, slashing down at a tricky angle.

"Shoot-"

A flash of lightning, and the player wielding the spear's health plummeted instantly.

Before he could recover from the shock, the silver-haired boy had already moved on to his next target.

The dual-wielding player roared as he crossed his swords in a parry, but the surging arcs of electricity from the lightning blades left his arms numb. The short-sword player seized the opportunity to launch a sneak attack, but the boy, without turning his head, swung his sword backhand, striking his wrist precisely. Finally, the longsword player didn't even have time to react before being struck heavily in the abdomen by the back of the lightning blade.

The entire process took no more than three seconds. All four red-named players staggered backward, their health points decreasing to varying degrees. The mockery on their faces had vanished, replaced by unbelievable terror.

The silver-haired youth didn't give chase, but instead turned and stood before Tana. He glanced down at the dying Tana, took out a bottle of high-grade healing potion from his pouch, and gently tossed it to him.

Tana instinctively caught the medicine, staring in shock at the mysterious savior before him.

Through the gap in the demon mask, he saw a pair of calm, water-like gray eyes.

This player with the red name actually came to rescue him?

Chapter 102: The Silver Asura

Joe collapsed to the ground, his muscles convulsing from the paralyzing toxin. He could only watch helplessly as the silver-haired youth stepped over him and confronted the four red-named players.

Anger burned fiercely in his chest, yet he couldn't move a single finger.

"Damn bastard..."

Joe cursed inwardly, but his numb tongue could only utter muffled whimpers. This silver-haired kid who suddenly appeared was clearly a red-named player, yet he inexplicably attacked them—it was utterly foolish!

Although he didn't understand why this suddenly appearing guy was causing trouble, Joe had full confidence in his companions' abilities. Those four red-named players were all seasoned killers, each with at least five lives on their hands, and the leader, "Blood Spear," had a full ten kills.

This arrogant brat thinks he can take them on one-on-one? He's utterly ridiculous!

"When I can move again..." He had already sketched out the scene in his mind.

Once the paralysis wears off, he'll definitely use the most excruciating neurotoxin to teach this arrogant brat a lesson. Then, he and his companions will slowly torture him, letting him agonize and slowly drain his life force...

Thinking of this, Joe's lips twitched involuntarily despite being numb, revealing a twisted smile.

However, the next second, his fantasy was shattered by reality—

A blinding flash of lightning suddenly erupted, illuminating his terrified, wide-open eyes. The silver-haired youth's figure moved like a ghost among the four, the arcs of electricity from his lightning blade weaving a deadly net in the air. In the blink of an eye, the four red-named players were repelled, and the silver-haired youth even had the leisure to pull out a healing potion and casually toss it to the dying Tana.

Having done all this, the boy's lightning blade was once again aimed at the four terrified red-named players.

"No...impossible..." The player with the spear raised his weapon again. "Attack! Kill him!"

Four players with red names simultaneously unleashed their strongest sword techniques, their weapons flashing with various colored skill lights. But to Qiao's horrified gaze, the silver-haired boy's movements seemed to transcend the constraints of time—

"Crack!"

The spear-wielding player's weapon snapped in two, smoke still rising from the broken edge. Before he could react, the lightning blade had already slashed diagonally down his right arm—

"what!!!"

The entire arm flew into the air, and orange light particles surged out.

The player wielding the spear collapsed to his knees, letting out a heart-wrenching scream. His right arm fell completely to the ground, dissipating into blue data fragments.

Before the cold light faded, the Thunder Blade had already transformed into a silver snake and pounced on the longsword player.

The longsword player hastily activated his dodge skill, but what should have been a lightning-fast movement in his eyes appeared as a slow-motion replay to the silver-haired youth. With a gentle flick of his lightning blade, the youth's left arm detached from his body, flying out and tracing a beautiful parabola in the sunlight.

"Ah—! My arm!" The longsword player staggered backward, his face pale.

"Die!" The dual-wielding player attacked from the side, the two swords crossed in a scissor shape, aiming straight for the boy's neck. But the boy leaned back at an unbelievable angle, while simultaneously, the lightning blade slashed upwards from below—

"Shh!"

One leg was severed at the knee.

The dual-wielding player lost his balance, fell heavily to the ground, and let out a painful howl.

The short sword user seized the opportunity to circle behind, his poisoned blade aimed straight for the back. However, the lightning blade seemed to have eyes, and with a swift turn—

"Shh!"

The left leg was neatly severed from the root of the thigh.

The short sword player collapsed to the ground, clutching his severed limb and letting out a scream that sounded inhuman.

The entire battle lasted no more than ten seconds, and all four infamous red-named players had fallen to the ground, groaning in pain.

Joe collapsed to the ground, his whole body trembling uncontrollably.

He then realized how ridiculous his earlier delusions had been.

This silver-haired youth was someone they couldn't possibly contend with.

That fluid and graceful art of killing, that precise strike down to the millimeter, and the cold indifference in those gray eyes.

This is no "naive newcomer" at all! He's clearly a demon from hell!

The silver-haired boy walked slowly to Joe, his metal boots making a soft rustling sound as they stepped on the fallen leaves.

He knelt down in front of Joe and roughly ripped off the man's wrist guards.

Sunlight shone on Joe's bare skin, where a strange pattern was conspicuously tattooed—

A twisted smiling face was carved on the black wooden coffin.

"The Smiling Coffin..." The boy's low murmur sent a shiver down Joe's spine.

The silver-haired youth held a lightning blade to Joe's throat: "Where is your Red Name Guild's stronghold?"

"I...I really don't know!" Joe's voice trembled with fear, cold sweat trickling down his temples. "I was just an outsider!"

The boy remained silent for a moment, then suddenly pulled the throwing knife from Joe's back. Just when Joe thought the torture was over, the lightning knife precisely pierced the original wound—

"Ah ah ah ah ah!!!"

The piercing scream startled the flock of birds in the forest.

Joe's health instantly plummeted into the danger zone, and the virtual pain system amplified the pain several times over, causing his vision to go black in waves.

"If you don't tell me, you will die."

The boy leaned down, his gray eyes beneath the ghost mask looking at Qiao: "Anyway... killing people is as easy as it gets for us red-named players."

The hideous ghost face became terrifying in front of Joe, and Joe's psychological defenses completely collapsed.