I'm a Sword Master in Sword Art Online

Mitt's roar echoed through the forest as his giant scythe drew a piercing arc, cleaving two attacking carnivorous plants in two at the waist.

Before the blue data fragments had completely dissipated, several new carnivorous plants came running over, the sound of their serrated leaves rubbing together like a malicious mockery.

Slight blurring of vision is a sign of excessive fatigue.

"Why... are there still so many..."

The scythe swung again, this time noticeably slower. The blade was stuck in the thick stem of a carnivorous plant, and couldn't be pulled out for a moment.

Another monster's vines seized the opportunity to wrap around her ankle, and sharp barbs pierced her leather boots. The virtual pain made her knees buckle, and she almost fell to the ground.

"Damn it!"

Mitt twisted his wrist sharply, forcefully pulling the scythe out of the carnivorous plant's body. With a backhand slash, he cleanly severed the attacking vines.

In that brief moment, she saw Asuna's health bar suddenly rise—Asuna had used a healing potion. This tiny glimmer of hope was crushed. Almost simultaneously, her health plummeted again. Mochizuki Kaede wasn't in much better shape; his health fluctuated wildly like a rollercoaster, clearly indicating he was also desperately using potions to fight off the monster.

"hateful……"

A hoarse sound escaped her throat as she swung her giant scythe, aiming it at the oncoming carnivorous plant's trunk. Sweat stung her eyes, burning with pain. But what she found even more unbearable were the two constantly flashing red lines in her status bar—

Asuna and Mochizuki Kaede's health points have dropped to single digits and could reach zero at any moment.

She needed to hurry and help, otherwise Asuna and Mochizuki Kaede...

The thought of her companion dying because of this was like a knife to her heart.

"I'm a closed beta tester, I won't lose..."

Mitt bit her lower lip deeply, for as one of the earliest players to explore this world, she possessed experience and skills she could be proud of.

But at this moment, the carnivorous plant monsters were densely packed in her way, making her feel powerless.

"We clearly made an agreement..."

Her memory suddenly flashed uncontrollably back to last night, to the hotel room, to the promise she made while holding Asuna's hand—

—I will absolutely not let Asuna die.

The warmth emanating from my palm. Such a comforting promise now feels like the most vicious irony.

The agreement they made back then was so easy, like discussing which restaurant to go to for dinner tomorrow. But now, separated by layers upon layers of monster waves, she can't even see Asuna's figure. She can only desperately imagine the terrible battle on the other side through the constantly changing numbers in her teammates' status bars.

"Asuna... I'm coming right away... just wait a moment... just wait a moment."

She could no longer feel the scythe handle in her fingertips; she swung it entirely out of muscle memory. Each slash sent up a cloud of blue data fragments, but these fragments were instantly engulfed by new monsters.

There were simply too many man-eating plants; every minute she wasted could cause her companions to succumb and die.

In the status bar, Asuna's health bar suddenly started flashing wildly—a sign that she was about to die.

Mitt's pupils suddenly contracted.

She suddenly felt dizzy, imagining Asuna turning into fragments and dissipating, imagining that after returning to the real world, she would never see the chestnut-haired girl who always smiled at her again...

Don’t…don’t…

Her fingers began to tremble uncontrollably, and the giant scythe suddenly became incredibly heavy, almost slipping from her hands.

Run away...

The thought slithered into her mind like a venomous snake.

There were too many monsters. Even if Asuna fought with all her might to kill them all, she would be submerged in this terrifying green abyss before she could carve a bloody path through them.

If I turn and run away now, at least I won't have to watch it with my own eyes...

Mitt shook her head violently, trying to shake the thought off. But fear had already taken root in her heart.

……

"Asuna! Are you alright?"

Mochizuki Kaede stepped aside to block the chestnut-haired girl, her sword tip slightly lowered. Asuna's rapier was broken, and she knelt on the ground.

"He...he can still fight..."

Her voice was so weak it was almost inaudible, yet she still stubbornly tried to stand up.

Mochizuki Kaede didn't turn around, but gripped her sword even tighter. The carnivorous plants continued to surge in from all around, and one of them suddenly sprang up, its vines lashing out at Asuna like whips.

"Qiang!"

A flash of sword light, and the vine was severed in two. But even more monsters had already surrounded them.

"We must hold out until Mitt arrives." Just as this thought crossed Mochizuki Kaede's mind, the ground suddenly shook violently.

"boom--!"

A deafening roar came from the depths of the forest, and the carnivorous plants around seemed to be frightened and retreated.

A gigantic creature, easily three meters tall, was crushing trees as it approached. It had a lizard-like, crawling body, but was covered in thick blue fur. Its claws, each as sharp as a scythe, easily crushed the carnivorous plants blocking its path into a bloody pulp.

"What...is this...?" Asuna's voice trembled with fear.

The monster's crimson vertical pupils locked onto them simultaneously, and it opened its blood-red maw, revealing layers upon layers of sharp teeth.

"Step back! Asuna!"

Mochizuki Kaede drank the healing potion, then lowered her center of gravity and poured all her remaining strength into her sword.

The monster let out a piercing screech, its massive body charging like a cannonball. The ground cracked under its weight, and trees were easily snapped. Mochizuki Kaede calculated the distance, and the moment the monster entered its attack range—

"call out--"

The sword flashed, striking the monster precisely in the eye. Foul-smelling bodily fluids spurted out, and the monster howled in pain, but its momentum didn't diminish. Mochizuki Kaede only had time to push Asuna away before being struck by the enormous claw, sending her flying like a broken kite, crashing heavily into a tree trunk.

"Xiao Feng!"

Asuna's screams echoed in his ears as Mochizuki Kaede's sword tip plunged deep into the ground, supporting his swaying body.

He took out the last bottle of healing potion and drank it.

"Roar--!!!"

The monster's roar shook the ground. It shook its head wildly, its only remaining eye fixed on Mochizuki Kaede.

"bring it on……"

Mochizuki Kaede pulled the sword from the ground, the metal scraping against the stone with a piercing sound. Startled by the sound, the monster's remaining eye widened instantly.

"call--"

The instinct for survival sharpened Mochizuki Kaede's eyes beneath her silver hair, making them resemble the edge of a tempered blade!

Chapter Twelve: Switching

The monster let out a deafening roar, and its massive body crashed down like a collapsing mountain.

Mochizuki Kaede could smell the stench emanating from its mouth and see the frenzied killing intent burning in its single remaining eye. Its sharp claws tore through the air, emitting a chilling shriek.

"bring it on……"

Mochizuki Kaede's legs did not tremble with fear; instead, they felt as firmly rooted to the ground.

His knuckles were white from gripping the sword too tightly, and the web between his thumb and forefinger was already torn, with orange particles of light representing the damage sliding down the hilt of the sword.

His gaze was fixed on the monster's only remaining eye, its crimson pupil narrowed to a slit, staring intently at his every move.

Predators of this size must rely heavily on vision. Their massive bodies require precise visual feedback to coordinate their movements, and their sharp claws and teeth require a clear field of vision to hit their targets accurately.

"It must be made completely blind..."

Even in the face of life and death, his thoughts did not stop.

Mochizuki Kaede's gaze swept over the monster's thick neck and limbs. In their current state, a direct assault would be almost impossible. However, if they could blind it, its massive body would become a burden.

"Roar--!!!"

The moment the monster charged forward, Mochizuki Kaede advanced instead of retreating, leaping into the air.

"Shh-!"

Sharp claws grazed his side, tearing through his armor like paper, and a virtual pain surged through his body like an electric current. But Mochizuki Kaede's gaze remained unwavering, and the longsword in his hand, like a silver meteor, precisely pierced the monster's remaining eye.

“Hooa ...

The monster let out a heart-wrenching howl as its massive body, blinded, crashed uncontrollably into a large tree behind it. The thick trunk snapped under its weight, sending splinters and dust raining down.

Mochizuki Kaede was thrown into the air by the shockwave and rolled several times on the ground before barely coming to a stop.

He struggled to sit up, his face covered in sweat and dirt, but his eyes remained bright as stars. His gaze pierced through the swirling dust, fixed firmly on Asuna not far away.

Stand up... Asuna...

This thought burned within him, more intensely than any pain.

Asuna curled up on the ground, her hands gripping the broken rapier, her legs weak, her amber eyes filled with terror.

She didn't know what to do.

Faced with such a gigantic monster, the frail girl would likely perish in this cruel world...

Just like... those two players in the maze...

The image of the dark cave, where two players were engulfed by a horde of goblins, flashed vividly in her mind. They struggled, screamed, and finally vanished into blue fragments. And now, she faced the same desperate situation.

Suddenly, Mochizuki Kaede's voice shattered her chaotic consciousness like a bolt of lightning—

"Switch!"

His voice boomed like thunder, echoing through the forest.

Asuna's body trembled violently.

That voice wasn't a command, it was an affirmation, it was tacit understanding!

Memories flooded her mind: every moment they had fought side by side these past few days, every skill Mito had taught her, and every time Mochizuki Kaede stood in front of her.

A feeling stronger than fear was boiling in my chest.

"Yes... Xiaofeng is still fighting... How can I just give up like this..."

Asuna's fingers tightened little by little, gripping the broken sword.

She stood up.

Her chestnut hair fluttered in the bloody wind, and the broken sword seemed to be reborn in her hand. The tip of the sword trembled slightly, but it was firmly pointed at the monster struggling in pain.

"Let's...live together..."

Yes, they made a promise to return to the real world together.

This thought, like a flame, dispelled all fear. Asuna's eyes suddenly became incredibly clear, and she shot out like an arrow, her broken sword glowing with the blue light of a skill effect, tracing a blue trajectory—

"Drink!"

The broken sword pierced precisely into the monster's exposed flank. This strike was not random; it was deliberately aimed at the blind spot of the monster's forelimbs. Just as she had anticipated, the blind monster writhed in agony, but its counterattack missed due to its inability to see.

"Three seconds... My sword skill's recovery time is three seconds..."

Asuna silently counted in her mind while quickly retreating. Just as her movements were about to freeze—

"Switch!"

Mochizuki Kaede's figure flashed by like a ghost, his sword leaving afterimages as it precisely cut into the wound Asuna had just inflicted, widening the gap further. The monster let out a shrill howl, its thick tail whipping wildly.

"Perfect transition..."

Asuna watched Mochizuki Kaede's fluid movements and suddenly understood his tactical intentions. In this death game, while sword skills were incredibly powerful, each use resulted in a brief period of vulnerability. Their "switching" tactic was precisely designed to compensate for this fatal weakness.

As Mochizuki Kaede's sword technique was about to end, Asuna had already adjusted her breathing.

"Switch!"

Her rapier struck again, this time aiming straight for the monster's hind leg tendon. A pale blue skill effect shimmered on the blade. This was the starting stance for the one-handed sword technique, [Linear Thrust]. Asuna could feel the resistance from the blade and the trembling of the monster's muscles.

Just as the skill was about to finish—

"Switch!"

Her voice was clear and melodious, and her body instinctively took a step back.

Mochizuki Kaede arrived as promised.