Kirito.
Kirito’s hood fell back. His face was young, tired, and terrifyingly sincere. “Together?”
The scout ran. He made it six steps before Kirito’s blade found his back.
“Don’t get in my line of fire.”
In the real world, Kazuto Kirigaya’s fingers danced across his NerveGear’s armrest. A bead of sweat rolled down his cheek.
She pivoted just as a figure stepped from the shadows of a nearby archway. No. Not stepped. Materialized. As if the darkness itself had given birth to him.
The machine-gunner opened fire. A wild, panicked spray. Kirito didn’t dodge. He flowed —a blur of black and silver. The saber wasn’t drawn; it was simply there , deflecting rounds in a singing arc of sparks. In two heartbeats, he was behind the gunner. One silent slash. The man burst into polygons. Sword Art Online II Episode 7
“They were already dead.” He stepped closer, unafraid of her rifle. “That sniper in the clock tower? He’s not a player. He’s a Death Gun proxy. If he’d fired, you’d be dead in real life. Not logged out. Dead. ”
“You just killed my squad.”
Then she saw it. A flicker of light—not a scope glint, but the reflection off a polished boot. Top of the collapsed clock tower, three hundred meters out. Her finger caressed the trigger. Kirito
She didn’t take the shot. Something was wrong. The enemy sniper wasn’t aiming at her teammates. He was aiming at her blind spot.
Sinon didn’t move. She counted her heartbeats. One. Two. Three. She had one shot before he closed the distance.