"Is that sniper, Sinon, really alone? It could be a trap, but for Kyouji's foolish sake, I have no choice. Let's move."
After the next satellite scan, Sterben deliberately made his way toward Sinon's location.
"Just one more. Once this is over, I'll settle things with Kirito..."
Sterben muttered words uncharacteristic of his usual self as he headed toward the target building. Though he had been actively avoiding Shana, Kirito—the one he had personally clashed with in the past—held a special significance for him. It seemed that beneath it all, he retained more of a true gamer's spirit than he realized. In truth, playing a VR game from scratch alongside his comrades after so long had been genuinely enjoyable for him.
As he approached the target building, Sterben caught sight of Kirito and froze. But Kirito didn't notice him and simply continued wandering around the area.
(It might be a trap, but given this position, he's likely the first one who would rush to her aid. Shana's movements bother me, but whatever. This actually increases the chances of settling things with Kirito once and for all.)
Sterben reasoned that he needed to prepare his blade, but doing so meant revealing himself for a brief moment. The Metamaterial Optical Camouflage Cloak would lose its effect either when its duration expired or when the user initiated an attack or a similar action. Crucially, a cooldown period would only trigger if the effect was forcibly interrupted by an action.
To minimize that risk, Sterben ducked inside another building and waited for the cloak's duration to naturally run out. The instant it dissipated, he pulled his weapon from his item storage, equipped it, reactivated his cloak, and immediately charged into the building where Sinon was supposed to be without a second thought.
"Damn it! To think I'd end up executing a plan that puts my own ally in danger..." Shana muttered bitterly, scanning the surroundings in frustration.
Just then, a slight flicker of movement caught his eye. Shana silently crept closer, catching a glimpse of Sterben. Seeing a prime opening, Shana reached for the Acht-Eight at his hip. But the moment he saw what Death Gun was holding, Shana completely froze. The split second passed, the window to attack slipped away, and Sterben vanished into thin air once again.
(Was that... a mistake? No, I helped make it—there's no way I'd misremember. Isn't that the sword Ikoma forged for Spiegel...?)
What Sterben had drawn was a sword forged by Ikoma at Spiegel's request, crafted from space cruiser armor plating. For the very first time, a dark seed of suspicion regarding Spiegel took root in Shana's mind. He began re-examining everything through that lens.
A moment later, a gunshot rang out from the top of the building where Musketeer X was hiding, but Shana stayed rooted to the spot, his chest burning with anxiety. Driven by an overwhelming sense of dread, he chose to place his faith in his allies and prioritize putting the pieces together.
(Sorry, Max. I'm counting on you, Kirito.)
Musketeer X was positioned in a blind spot relative to the rooftop exit. It was a position where no one could shoot her without walking out several paces onto the roof. Recognizing this setup, Sinon and Achiman quickly divided their roles from their vantage point on the neighboring building.
"If Death Gun and Kirito end up in close-quarters combat, there's a risk of friendly fire, so we should focus entirely on suppression," Achiman suggested. "With my marksmanship, the best I can do is keep heavy cover fire on that rooftop doorway so he can't escape," Sinon added. "That's perfectly fine. Since I'm in plain sight, my Bullet Lines will be completely exposed to him, but that gives us a tactical advantage. Leave pressing the enemy directly to me."
After a short wait, a shot suddenly rang out, hitting Musketeer X. Immediately afterward, Death Gun appeared on the roof of the adjacent building.
"He's here." "Commencing suppression fire to keep him pinned until Kirito-kun and Shana arrive." "Right, please!"
As Sterben spun around to retreat into the doorway, a fierce barrage from Achiman ripped through the ground right in front of him.
(A trap after all... But I already landed a shot on Sinon.)
Glancing back, Sterben's eyes widened in shock. Standing there—badly wounded but still erect—was a person wearing Sinon's outfit, but with an entirely different face.
"You... Musketeer X!" "Getting shot by that gun won't kill me. Your plan has failed."
Her words sent a shockwave of rage through Sterben. The instant Musketeer X raised her barrel toward him, Sterben closed the distance with terrifying, Yamikaze-like mobility. With a swift thrust of his sidearm sword, he ran Musketeer X through, draining the tiny sliver of HP she had left.
A second later, Kirito leaped onto the roof.
"Death Gun! Or should I say... XaXa!" "You came..."
Looking at Musketeer X's body, Kirito actually felt a wave of relief.
"Looks like X-san's body isn't disappearing. Wasn't that gun supposed to pass judgment on people with its 'true power'?" "...Tch. Another one of Shana's schemes."
Sterben immediately lunged at Kirito with his sword, a move also intended to dodge incoming sniper fire. If his opponents fired at him while he was tangled up with Kirito, he would be done for, but Sterben was confident they wouldn't risk it.
Just as he predicted, not a single Bullet Line appeared, nor was there any indication of incoming rounds. That allowed Sterben to concentrate entirely on his duel with Kirito.
(This guy... he's even stronger than before...)
Clashing blades directly with Sterben, Kirito could feel the difference. Though perhaps inappropriate given the circumstances, he found himself somewhat enjoying the duel. He threw out a provocation to break the silence.
"Did losing to me back then really sting that much? You're definitely stronger than the last time we fought." "..." "And what's with that sword? It's not even getting chipped by Elucidator. That's one hell of a blade." "..." "Still as quiet as ever, huh?" "...Focus on the fight." "Don't underestimate me. Of course I'm focused. Proof is we're standing toe-to-toe, aren't we?" "...Tch. You and him... both of you are insufferable." "I'll take that as a compliment."
As their fierce duel raged on, Sinon considered whether it was time to step in. But right at that moment, a flare shot up into the sky.
"Eh? What's that?!"
Baffled by the sudden signal, Sinon reached for her Hécate II to suppress Sterben anyway, but Achiman placed a hand on her arm.
"Wait. Kirito's movements changed." "What?"
Indeed, the fierce aggression in Kirito's attacks had vanished, replaced by a distinctly defensive posture.
"What does this mean?" "I don't know. But it definitely has something to do with Shana not showing up yet. We should hold our fire until Kirito goes on the offensive again." "R-Right..."
(Geez, Shana... what on earth are you doing...?)
Meanwhile, Shana was still deep in thought.
(Is it possible Spiegel sold that sword to a shop? He's not really a swordsman type, so that's a real possibility. Selling it to fund better gear would be a valid way to get stronger.)
Shana reasoned that the sword alone wasn't absolute proof of Spiegel's guilt.
(I know how Sterben obtained the players' addresses. Using optical camouflage to peek over their shoulders—simple, but effective. He must have been preparing since the second BoB, because back then, I definitely felt someone watching us at the Governor's General Office.)
Remembering that moment, a sudden spark ignited in Shana's mind.
(Wait... right after that, I felt something off regarding Spiegel. What was it again...? Right! When Eva and the others were around, the intent coming from Spiegel felt identical to what I felt at the Governor's Office...)
Shana's eyes widened.
(During the registration for the second BoB, I felt a dark aura directed at me from Spiegel. But was Spiegel actually in any of the photos taken back then? No. I helped Rosalia, so I know for a fact he wasn't there. Which means...)
Shana arrived at a chilling conclusion.
(He logged in using an alt or a different character altogether. And by chance, the Laughing Coffin crew was also there.)
Still, Shana knew that alone wasn't enough to convict him.
(XeXeeD felt oddly familiar with Spiegel because Spiegel had approached him casually. But right after the war, Spiegel hated XeXeeD over the Yamikaze incident. What changed Spiegel? What did XeXeeD say to me earlier?)
—"Well, we'd spoken occasionally before, but recently we registered for BoB together and promised to do our best." —"Come to think of it, he's the one who recommended I order that model gun..."
(But according to Sinon, Spiegel said he hadn't registered for the third BoB from the very beginning. In other words, Spiegel was never actually registering when he was with XeXeeD. And he recommended XeXeeD buy a model gun... Likely to obtain XeXeeD's real-world address and settle his own grudge...)
At that moment, Shana was entirely convinced: Spiegel was guilty.
(Once is happenstance, twice is coincidence, three times is a pattern. On top of that, Spiegel is an acquaintance of Sinon in real life. That means he might have a way to break into her house.)
Realizing the implications, Shana immediately abandoned the idea of staying in the match. He pulled two flare rounds from his inventory and fired them straight into the sky.
(Kirito, I'm trusting you!)
At the very same time, Shana shouted at the top of his lungs:
"Godfrey, pull my plug!"
Using the Acht-Eight, Shana forced his character to commit suicide. A split second later, his avatar vanished from GGO entirely, leaving behind only a single floating system message:
[ DISCONNECTION ]
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