(That gun...? No way!)
Kirito hurriedly narrowed his eyes, staring intently at the weapon clutched in Death Gun's hands. It was unmistakably the Black Star he had seen countlessly in video footage, leaving him utterly stunned.
"Wh-Why..."
As if sensing Kirito's inner turmoil, Death Gun spoke to him:
"It is not over yet. It's showtime."
With that, Death Gun turned on his heel and beat a temporary retreat. The moment Kirito confirmed Death Gun was completely gone, he rushed over to Sinon.
"Hey! Hey!" "Why..."
Realizing Sinon was acting abnormal, Kirito urgently called out to her.
"Hey, Sinon! You have Hachiman's clone with you, right? So there's nothing to worry about—your physical body is completely safe!"
Hearing Hachiman's name seemed to calm her down, and the light returned to Sinon's eyes.
"Hey, are you alright?" "Y-Yeah. I'm sorry, I just lost my composure for a second." "Well, it can't be helped. I never would have dreamed he'd try to shoot you with that gun." "Y-Yeah."
Kirito then asked Sinon to double-check:
"Just to be sure, is the place where you're logged in right now safe?" "Yes, absolutely. I have a reliable partner with me, after all." "You mean that rumored 'Hachiman-kun'? I'm kind of curious—introduce me to him next time." "Eh?" "Uh... WH-What...?" "Um... bringing any man other than Hachiman into my home is a bit..." "Just bring him outside somewhere! It's not like I'm trying to go to your house!" "Ah... is that so? Yeah, in that case, there's no problem."
Having recovered some of her spirits, Sinon's usual strong-willed demeanor returned. Kirito said to her:
"Even so, despite looking straight at the Black Star just now, you seemed much better off than expected." "Eh? R-Really?" "You definitely looked shaken by the feeling of danger to your life, but the gun itself felt more like a secondary cause." "Ah, now that you mention it..." "Maybe you're gradually overcoming it."
As he spoke, Kirito extended a hand to Sinon, and she grasped it to pull herself up.
"I'd be happy if that were true." "It definitely is. Hachiman really is something else." "Yeah. Truly."
Sinon nodded happily, and Kirito proposed their next move:
"Alright, before that guy crosses the river, let's relocate to K-8. With the river this wide, it shouldn't be easy for him to cross." "Got it."
The two of them began running toward their destination.
Meanwhile, Shana's group had already reached their destination of K-8 to defeat Pitohui and Misaki, but they pushed forward even further.
"I thought those two would be around here by now..." "Could they have headed toward Yamikaze's direction instead?" "It's possible. They'd probably want to avoid a pincer attack." "That's true..."
Shana hesitated slightly. Kirito and Sinon might be arriving soon, so she wanted to avoid straying too far from K-8. Reading Shana's mind, Achiman made a proposal:
"Shana, I'll launch a solo attack. As things stand, my presence here doesn't mean much." "You're going solo against two, maybe three opponents? Are you sure you're okay?" "I'm fine. Even if I'm defeated here, it won't change the overall situation much. You should stay here, Shana, prioritizing the exchange of information." "Then at least take Max..." "We need a messenger just in case." "...I see. Alright. Achiman, go for it." "Mhufu~ Here comes the chance for an elder sister to show her cool side to her little sister!"
Saying so, Achiman vanished like the wind.
"Yami-Yami, come out and play~!" "..." "I know you've been following us!" "..."
Around that time, Yamikaze had advanced to point G-6. He had pursued Pitohui and Misaki to launch a surprise attack, but upon arrival, Pitohui had somehow noticed him and had been calling out to him repeatedly.
(How did I get spotted...?)
Yamikaze muttered to himself while keeping his breath held to avoid being found. The situation changed with Misaki's next words:
"It can't be helped then. For now, I'll strip."
(WH-WHAT!?)
Hearing those words, Yamikaze carefully peeked out so as not to be seen and looked through his monocular in the direction of the voice.
(Misaki-san's gear was already pretty revealing to begin with! Stripping down from that means...!?)
Spotting a figure resembling Misaki for a split second behind a building, Yamikaze couldn't detect a single shred of non-skin-colored equipment and was horrified, wondering if she was actually stark naked.
(WHAT... THE...!?)
Yet even so, Yamikaze managed to maintain his sanity.
(No, no, this is clearly a trap. Maybe she just changed into flesh-colored equipment or something?)
That guess was actually spot on. Stripping completely naked while being broadcasted would naturally be a problem. As if reading Yamikaze's mind, Misaki added:
"Well then, from here on... I will put on my clothes, one piece at a time."
(WHAT... THE...!?)
"Eh? Misaki-san, you're starting there?" "If I don't start from here, the dangerous parts won't be covered. Putting on the unimportant parts first would be rude to Yamikaze-san, after all~"
(For real, Goddess Misaki!? Going so far out of your way just for someone like me... It would be plain disrespectful not to look...)
Using that logic to justify himself, Yamikaze stole a glance. There stood Misaki wearing flesh-colored equipment that could barely be called bikini armor, with only gauntlets equipped.
(Holy crap! It really was flesh-colored gear—a bit of a shame, but more than enough for me! The Goddess is right here!)
Misaki then shifted slightly to the side as if ducking behind the building, causing Yamikaze to inadvertently lean out to catch a better view. At that exact instant, a bullet coming from somewhere pierced the center of his chest, and Yamikaze collapsed onto the ground.
"Alright, that's one down~" "Well, given that I gave him such fan service, I doubt Yamikaze-san has any regrets."
Chatting casually, the two approached Yamikaze. Lying on the ground, Yamikaze summoned his remaining strength to speak to them:
"Hey, Pito... How did you know I was nearby?" "Because I smelled a virgin?" "Guhahk...!"
Those words served as the final blow, and Yamikaze went completely still. Although he had a microscopic fraction of HP remaining, a mere scratch would deplete it completely, leaving Yamikaze completely helpless at gunpoint. Yamikaze delivered his final words:
"Misaki-san... Thank you so much for doing that for someone like me!" "Not at all. Then, at the very least, allow me to send you off with my own hands." "I'm truly grateful!"
Misaki delivered the finishing blow, turning Yamikaze into a corpse.
"Now then, next is—"
As Misaki turned around mid-sentence, her eyes widened in shock. Seeing this, Pitohui instinctively hit the dirt. In that fraction of a second, Misaki was turned into a honeycomb of bullets and collapsed to the ground. Fortunately for Yamikaze, Misaki fell directly on top of him, placing Yamikaze in a state of absolute heaven until the end of the tournament.
"Here I come."
Hearing that manly voice, Pitohui reflexively drew Kikoku and whirled around.
"Kuh...!"
In that instant, a pitch-black blade flashed before her eyes, and Pitohui barely managed to block it with Kikoku's crimson edge.
"H-Hachiman...!"
Standing right in front of her was Achiman, wielding the Acht-acht. Her raw physical power was astonishing—exceeding even Pitohui's STR-specialized build. Still showing her tenacity, Pitohui somehow repelled the blade and leaped back several meters.
"Hmph..."
Observing that movement, Achiman spoke in an impressed tone:
"Not bad. As expected of Shana's companion." "That tone of voice... You're a girl inside, aren't you?" "Yes, that's right. Now then, how about you die for me?" "Kuh...!"
Achiman's attacks surpassed Pitohui in both speed and heavy impact, instantly forcing Pitohui into a purely defensive position.
"Is this Shana's order?" "Yes. To protect you all." "W-What do you mean?" "Just in case, we can't let Death Gun shoot any of our precious allies. By the way, where are you logging in from?" "F-From home." "How's the security?" "It's foolproof."
Achiman stared intently at Pitohui's face and nodded:
"I see... But just to be safe, could you die right here? This tournament is already ruined; it will likely become fodder for gossip. Shana will give you a detailed explanation after the tournament." "If that's the case... though if possible, I'd rather be defeated by Shana's own hands." "My apologies. In return, I'll negotiate with Shana to secure a date with her for you after the tournament. How does that sound?" "Count me in! In fact, thank you!"
With that, Pitohui ceased all resistance and was easily taken out by Achiman.
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