The sheer force of it was enough to make a person hold their breath.
Whether it was the straight sword in his right hand with its cross-shaped guard, or the blood-red greatshield in his left, his transitions between offense and defense contained no wasted motion.
The strength of a sword-and-shield build lay in its balance, but that balance was also its weakness. It lacked the viciousness of dual-wielding styles, and it could never match the immovable solidity of a heavy armor build.
And yet the stern, middle-aged man before him, who looked just like an office worker, had effortlessly pushed both extremes to their peak.
When he attacked, he advanced with everything.
When he withdrew, he pulled everything back.
It was difficult to catch even the slightest opening.
In terms of raw strength alone, he was undeniably troublesome.
Even his Agility, which at a glance should have been his lowest stat, was extremely high. No matter what angle the Blade of the Ancient Scroll came from, he could keep up with it, and in the very next instant, that flawless shield would become a blunt weapon and smash forward.
The sounds of straight sword and curved sword cutting through the air rang out without pause, tightly interwoven with the clangor of steel striking stone like a heavy hammer. Bursting sparks turned into pale-white flames beneath the dazzling sunlight, and amid their lightning-fast exchanges of attack and defense, both figures became difficult to track.
But while the battle was enough to send chills down the spectators' spines, the details within it were astonishingly orderly.
This man was not fighting by relying on instinct born from talent. It was not that he controlled this virtual body named Heathcliff with some divine skill. Rather, he understood it inside and out.
He had perfectly summarized this character's current data and chosen the most suitable fighting style for it. His battle was carried out through constant judgment, not the instinct that drove certain other players.
That was exactly the style one would expect from the Guild Leader who had built the Knights of the Blood into a top-tier Guild.
Satoru made no sound as he pressed the attack with mad intensity. The slender, light black blade no longer tried to hide itself at all. He swung the thin blade so fast that it left afterimages, enough to make people mistakenly think its original curve had distorted under the speed of his movements.
Their battle was silent.
Amid such fierce combat, neither of them let even the slightest sound escape from their throat or nose. Their calm, detached gazes were remarkably similar, completely at odds with the violent, relentless way they attacked.
Clang!!
Another heavy, violent collision.
The Blade of the Ancient Scroll overpowered the straight sword, and the unique-grade curved sword slowly bared its fangs. He had already pushed into Heathcliff's range, but the strike aimed at the man did not come from the black blade.
A blue-white flash of equipment-change light appeared, and another Unique Sword in his left hand surged forward with a cherry-red glow.
Heathcliff snapped his head to the side.
In the next instant, a fine cut appeared across his cheek. As he felt his HP drop, his unreadable gaze gradually sharpened.
Satoru tightly gripped Sakura Fang in his left hand. The Unique Sword, covered in jagged cherry-blossom scars, let out the hum that came before a Sword Skill activated, its vertical blade turning sideways.
Satoru seized this chance to heavily wound his opponent. Without mercy, he moved to unleash a Horizontal slash straight at the man's face.
But Heathcliff was one step faster.
The blood-red shield in his left hand vibrated, activating at a speed beyond expectation. Like a giant sleeve blade, the shield thrust straight toward Satoru's abdomen.
Satoru's gaze lowered, and a sharp glint appeared in his eyes as well.
A trade of blows.
A Sword Skill aimed at the head, and a shield strike to the abdomen.
He had the advantage in damage.
Sakura Fang and the shield struck almost at the same time.
Heathcliff and Satoru both lost control and fell backward in sync.
There was no time to pay attention to themselves. One raised his sword and shield into a guarding stance, while the other held both Unique Swords ready to strike. When their gazes crossed again after a one-second gap, both of them, as if by mutual understanding, came to a temporary stop.
The sound of clashing blades, which had continued without pause until now, also cut off for the moment.
In the sudden silence, the two men staring at each other finally let out low, indistinct breaths.
Had they both used up all the skills they had planned in advance?
Satoru kept his opponent locked in his sights and slowly calculated. He glanced at the other man's HP bar, and his brow faintly furrowed.
Heathcliff had taken a critical Horizontal slash to the head, yet the amount of HP he lost was actually equal to the damage Satoru had taken from the shield counterattack.
He remained silent for a moment.
I see. So that is the effect of the Holy Sword.
That Unique Skill was said to combine offense and defense. In that case, after using the shield counterattack just now, his defense must have received a temporary boost.
He had finally lifted one corner of his hidden card.
Satoru stared coldly at his opponent.
The strangely calm battle finally gave the small number of spectators outside the field time to react.
"To think he can push the Guild Leader into this much of a stalemate. Is that guy really someone who left the frontliners more than half a year ago?" one of the Knights of the Blood's high-ranking members could not help saying.
"He actually forced out the Holy Sword's Sword Skills."
"It's already been two or three minutes since the start, right? Both of their HP bars have only dropped by two-fifths, and they're still in the green zone. The Guild Leader is one thing, but that guy can actually hold out too."
No one had expected the man who had suddenly come demanding someone to possess such overwhelming combat power.
Even if they had heard the stories about the former Vice Commander of the Divine Dragons Alliance fighting red players and bosses alone between floors, no one would have imagined that after being effectively pushed out of the top ranks and missing nearly ten Floor Boss battles, he could still fight the Holy Sword on even terms.
"Truly astonishing sword skills, Yurnero-kun."
The stern middle-aged man, who had remained silent all this time, suddenly spoke, his tone carrying a hint of praise.
"I only gained a slight edge during our exchange of skills," Satoru replied without changing expression. "From the start, we've both been using ordinary skills, and I just happen to know those skills a little better than you do. The moment you used the Holy Sword, didn't the advantage I worked so hard to build disappear all at once?"
"This PK match is set so that entering the yellow HP zone means defeat, and as it happens, your HP bar has never dropped that far."
Satoru smiled faintly.
"So from here on, you can't afford to hold back. Bring out your Unique Skill. Otherwise, if you lose this match, it won't just mean keeping your promise. You'll also lose the reputation you've maintained all this time."
His opponent smiled and shook his head.
"I don't have that level of pride. The whole 'Strongest Player in SAO' title was only something my Guildmates spread out of goodwill. Besides, the Knights of the Blood need fresh blood, and a reputation like that is more likely to draw people in. So I never went out of my way to stop it, and now, well, it has turned into this."
"You don't need to provoke me either. Think about it. You've been absent until now, and without any support, you still managed to strengthen yourself to this point on your own. That is far more worthy of admiration."
"Are we going to waste time praising each other now, Guild Leader of the Knights of the Blood?"
"Not at all. I just wanted to share my thoughts," Heathcliff said. "This duel doesn't carry nearly as much weight for me as it does for you."
"You've kept avoiding the frontliners all this time, yet today you suddenly came to the Knights of the Blood, and your goal is Sheeta-san, who only joined not long ago. From the looks of it, there must be something very important behind it. That means your desire to win is far more urgent than mine."
Heathcliff spoke with pointed intent.
"How about revealing a little of what you're hiding, too?"
"..."
"The Holy Sword isn't made up entirely of active skills. On the contrary, it has many passive skills that enhance attributes as well. So in a sense, I've been using it from the very beginning. For you to fight me this far, you must still be hiding something too, Yurnero-kun."
His smile held a strange, inexplicable pleasure.
"Why not show me some of it?"
Then his tone changed at once.
"Otherwise... you will lose. And when that happens, I won't be able to approve Sheeta-san's withdrawal from the Guild. After all, as you can see, the Knights of the Blood are currently the number one Guild in Aincrad. If we enforce our rules too loosely, people will criticize us."
Satoru swept his gaze over him, especially the HP bar that was still green.
"...Fine."
His voice was cold.
The next instant, Sakura Fang and the Blade of the Ancient Scroll were reversed and driven hard into the ground on either side of him. His hands left the hilts he had been gripping all this time, leaving the Unique Swords standing upright.
The image of him surrounded by his weapons looked undeniably striking, but in SAO, this was the same as disarming himself. With his weapons out of his hands, the weapon slots in his equipment menu were grayed out and unusable.
It was the perfect chance to attack.
But Heathcliff did not take it. Instead, he became even more cautious.
The next second.
The Blade of the Ancient Scroll and Sakura Fang were thrown straight forward at tremendous speed.
Heathcliff's movements grew slightly rushed. A trace of surprise and doubt even appeared in his eyes, as though he had not expected Satoru to open with such a reckless move. His shield and straight sword each knocked aside one of the two flying Unique Swords.
Then he saw that Satoru had already stepped in front of him.
"Mm...?!"
It was no longer a curved sword, nor a straight sword.
Just a short sword.
A one-handed short sword, closer to a dagger. Its Sword Skill trajectory struck like a viper, and its powerful defense-piercing ability pressed close to that black blade from before.
A weapon only one step below Unique Sword level?
And the Sword Skills he was using... his proficiency with the short sword had to be at least eight hundred.
You really are...
Heathcliff seemed to confirm something.
His straight sword flashed with golden Sword Skill light, different from before. Satoru's short sword was forced back by the heavy pressure. A short sword's attributes were never suited for a direct clash, but Satoru's decisiveness still surprised him.
He simply let go, allowing the short sword to be sent flying.
What came next was a rapier.
Star Splash!
Howling Octave!
Two Sword Skills were released at incredible speed, but every spread of sword shadows struck Heathcliff's shield. The speed of his defense had become almost frightening.
Linear!
Satoru did not pause at all. His whole body flashed past Heathcliff's side, but the charge carried him only one meter before he forcibly ended it halfway.
The method was still the same.
He discarded his weapon.
The rapier, after releasing only two Sword Skills, slipped from his hand.
And what he grabbed next was...
The Blade of the Ancient Scroll, the blade he had thrown out at the start, now stabbed upside down into the ground after Heathcliff deflected it.
Take the blade.
Stomp.
Turn.
Sunrise, Sunset!
Clang!!
The shield blocked it.
Reaver's Shift.
Discard.
Take the sword.
Stomp.
Turn.
Full Moon Night Slash!
"Wha...?"
Heathcliff made a sound.
He was surrounded.
A single person had trapped him inside an invisible cage formed by Sword Skills from four blades.
Satoru's sword cage continued. His shield could still keep taking those phantom-like attacks again and again.
But.
From the corner of his eye, Heathcliff glanced at the four weapons stabbed upside down into the ground around him.
One step, one kill.
The sword encirclement grew faster.
Faster still.
Pushing closer to the limit.
Gold gradually spread through Satoru's eyes.
...The Holy Sword?
Amid the gradually breaking simulated system sound, Satoru revealed a faint sneer.
It was not even half as good as that man's Azure Gap Halberd.