Sword Art Online - Volume 5 - Phantom Bullet

by Reki Kawahara

  But…But, I have never expected things to develop so quickly.

  «Death Gun» was a survivor of SAO, and one of the original members of SAO—if that’s the case.

  Then he could use a gun inside the game to kill two players in the real world…

  Maybe…Maybe…There’s really such a power…

  At this moment, I was suddenly tapped on the left shoulder, and nearly cried out. I was overly shocked as I trembled, and looked up, only to see that the aqua-blue hair swaying in front of me.

  “What’s with your expression…”

  The girl— Sinon frowned as she said that. I could only force something like a smile at her.

  “Ah…n-no, it’s nothing…”

  “Was that match just now really a close call? But you came back rather early, didn’t you?”

  After hearing these words, I finally remembered that I was taking part in the preliminaries of the «Bullet of Bullets» tournament. I blinked, looked around, and found that there dome that’s originally filled with players had about half of them left. It seemed that the first round of the preliminaries were already over, and the losers were transported to the surface. My next opponent should appear immediately, and the second round will then begin.

  But in such a situation, I don’t think I can still fight.

  I continued to stare at Spiegels, who gave a somewhat shocked look from afar, and Sinon right in front of me before breathing out weakly from my mouth.

  Immediately, Sinon gave a serious look and said,

  “You’re already so awkward after the first battle. I see that you definitely won’t be able to make it to the finals. Buck up…I must pay you back for being tricked by you!”

  After saying that, she raised her left fist and again slammed it on my shoulder.

  I unconsciously used my hands to grab this little hand that was about to leave me. I then dragged it to my chest, and then kept her arm at my forehead.

  “Wa-Wait a minute…what are you doing!”

  Sinon hurriedly whispered as she got ready to draw her hand back. However, I continued to grip onto the hand tightly and not let her go.

  Even though it’s heat that’s coming from a polygonal avatar, it was able to give me this inexplicable warmth. Once I felt that terrifying freezing feeling that occupied my heart, my body started to tremble.

  “…What are you doing…?”

  I heard a bothered voice first, and then, I felt that small and warm hand at my chest start to relax.

  Chapter 7

  There was a feeling of a little tingling in her right index finger, causing Sinon to frown. Rubbing her finger with her thumb with the intent to soothe the irritation did not do anything to remove the feeling.

  She knew why though.

  It was Kirito’s fault. That rude, arrogant and very dense beginner. She used all of the strength in her body to clench her right hand.

  This was normally impossible, and she half understood it in her head. Sinon was now in FullDive in the virtual world with the AmuSphere; no matter how hard she clasped her hand, her real body blood flow congestion or nerve pressure in reality would not be affected. All the sensations that occur in this world were from the result of electrical impulses directly sent to the brain by the machine with virtual signals.

  ――――But.

  Right now, Sinon’s right hand could still feel the warmth and pressure of when the light saber user had held her hand strongly, although it had been close to two hours ago.

  Giving up trying to erase the feeling, Sinon returned her right hand to the anti-materiel sniper rifle. On the lightly set spring of the trigger, she gently placed her index finger there. The grip of her beloved gun «Hecate II» that had gone through so many battles with her was like an extension of her body, but that little tingling in her finger persisted.

  Sinon was now hiding in a clump of small bushes on the edge of a high cliff waiting for a chance to snipe.

  The stage was the «Wilderness at the Crossroads». The topography was characterized by a staggeringly dry central plateau where two straight roads crossed. The opponent’s name was «Stinger». BoB selection F Block, Fifth battle; it was the first semi-finals, and it had been twelve minutes since the start.

  If she wins this match, depending on her results for the next match, she will obtain the rights to enter the BoB main tournament battle royale that is scheduled for tomorrow, Sunday night. But, being able to win up to this point, the enemy Stinger is also fairly strong.

  Although he had a name like that, he was not actually equipped with a portable surface-to-air missile launcher «Stinger». His main weapon should be the «FN • SCAR» carbine rifle, which alone was enough of a threat. He was also equipped with an ACOG scope for improved accuracy. So, should they get close enough to get a visual of each other, Sinon might not be able to win.

  Fortunately, in this map, there were four blocks separated by roads; you had to go through the central crossroads to reach the others. When two players first appear on this map, they are placed a minimum of 500 meters apart; thus, it was impossible for them to be placed in the same block.

  In other words, if Stinger wanted to get within range of Sinon to snipe with SCAR, even knowing that he would need to pass through the central crossroads, he must charge through; on the other hand, Sinon must succeed in attacking him while he was in the crossroads.

  With only this option, Stinger would try to extend the time before he would charge, as a tactic to exhaust Sinon’s concentration. Although this was the case, Sinon could not deny the possibility of him making a move early, so she had no choice but to stretch the limits of her nerves in concentration and continue to stare through her sights like this.

  Now, labelled from A to O with the pre-selected knockouts divided in 15 blocks, more than half of the deciding matches had finished, so only about 10 other matches are currently ongoing at the same time. In the Standby Room, on the first floor lobby, or at a pub on the street, you could watch all the games live. Focused on Sinon and Stinger was an audience who should be feeling very bored right now. After all, from the start of the match until now, both sides had not fired a single bullet.

  On the other side, simultaneously within the F District semi-finals, there was a battle that was without a doubt completely not boring; that battle was unfolding in a flashy way.

  The reason was- over there, one of them was a close combat specialist with two machine guns, and the other was one who used a even shorter range weapon – the lightsaber user’s battle.

  Now she must not lose concentration. Although she understood that, her thoughts returned to that mysterious black hair girl, no, boy.

  The first battle took her about ten minutes, and when she returned to the Standby Room, the first person to meet her was Spiegel ―― Shinkawa Kyouji and his congregations. After exchanging simple greetings and a thank you, Sinon returned to her original box seat. The appearance of Kirito there gave her a slight shock. This can’t be. She did not think that he would win and return earlier than herself. ‘Hmm, you are a little capable.’ She walked towards him thinking of saying that - but then again, Sinon was surprised by another thing.

  Before the match, Kirito was full of that easy going attitude, but now he sat hunched over on a bench holding his knees, his head lowered and slender shoulders trembling.

  … … He won though. Is a battle with a gun opponent that scary?

  Thinking about that, Sinon unconsciously stretched out her right hand to knock on the shoulder wrapped up in the night camo pattern jacket.

  Suddenly, Kirito’s whole body shrunk in surprise, with an action that could only be described as cautiously, and he looked up.

  Sinon knew that anyone who doesn’t know him would think he was a female, with both a cute and clever face on the avatar ―― the look was like a glimpse from the depth of hell, filled with deep fear.

  “… … why do you have such a face?”

  Sinon unconsciously whispered, and hearing her wo
rds, Kirito blinked a few times and pulled his face into a stiff smile.

  Nothing’s wrong, Kirito answered in a very weak voice, and Sinon asked if his first fight was that difficult. But, the young face hidden behind the long black hair leaked out weak breathing, and he did not answer anything else.

  He was not an opponent that she should get involved with beyond that.

  Kirito should have known that Sinon would have misunderstood his gender. But he deliberately did not clear the misunderstanding and let Sinon show him around the streets, help him go shopping, and finally bring him to the same changing room.

  Of course, she had mistaken him for a girl, and it was her fault for not asking for his name card. Therefore, over half of Sinon’s anger was directed at herself.

  In the real world, ever since she was well used by her classmates, she should have made the decision in her heart to no longer depend on others and to make no friends. When confronted by a rare GGO female player who asked for directions, she had completely forgotten about her decision.

  It was fun. When she brought him to the market to shop and rode behind the three wheeled buggy, Sinon realized that she gave an honest smile, something she had not done for a long time in GGO. That’s right ―― Sinon was not really angry about Kirito being a male. When she was with together with him, she being extra defenseless was what she could not forgive herself for.

  That’s why, when she learnt that Kirito won through the first battle, she was truly happy.

  To meet in the final battle with him, then smash his cute looks with the the bullets of Hecate and become stronger than before encountering this guy. Although she had this in mind, that Kirito had been taken over with fear like he was a different person.

  Sinon spoke almost subconsciously in a voice laced with anger.

  “You’ve become like this with just one battle? Going to the finals is a dream within a dream. Get a hold of yourself… I… have to take back what you owe me.”

  She held her right hand in a fist and once again knocked on Kirito’s shoulder.

  That hand was suddenly covered by two white hands. He then pulled that hand strongly and tightly held it to his fatigued chest.

  “Hey, Hey… what are you doing!?”

  Sinon shouted on reaction and tried to pull her hand out, but she had never imagined Kirito’s delicate body to have such high STR rating, as he continued to hold her hand.

  His hands were as cold as ice, and Sinon felt that touching his hands even made her breath cold.

  At this time, in Sinon’s field of vision, there appeared a ‘report sexual harassment’ button. If she were to press it with her left hand or say “report,” then Kirito’s avatar would be delivered to the Gurokken prison area and, for short period of time, would not be able to get out.

  However, Sinon made no movement, and she also did not say anything.

  Looking at his clenched hands and shaking body, Sinon took in the visual cues and thought that he was just like a girl from somewhere she had seen before. Kirito reminded her of herself.

  Not Sinon the sniper, but Asada Shino from the real world. During the times when she lay curved up in bed from the memory of blood and gunpowder, crying for someone to save her.

  Aware of that at this point in time, Sinon involuntarily relaxed her right hand.

  “…………How the…………?”

  She asked, but there was no answer. Even so, Sinon felt it.

  Hands clasped, the black haired avatar ―― no, inside that, the player whose face and name she doesn’t know might be trapped in a similar darkness as Shino.

  ‘What happened,’ Sinon wanted to ask.

  But before that, there was a faint light that enveloped Kirito’s body, and then he disappeared. His next opponent had been set, so he was transferred to the site for his second battle.

  With him like that, he probably would not be able to fight properly. Sinon determined that and gave a small sigh.

  The one who lost will return to the Hall instead of the underground waiting area here. That’s why, if Kirito lost, then today - or put it another way, she probably will not have a chance to meet him again.

  Of course, that was not really a big deal. They were not even friends, but just happened to go in the same direction to the Government House. After today, she would forget his face and name.

  While she told herself that, Sinon took her hand that remained in the air and put it on her chest.

  - That was how it was supposed to be.

  But beyond Sinon’s wildest expectations, the second, third and even the fourth combat battle had been won by Kirito using just a lightsaber and a pistol.

  While Sinon was waiting for her next match, she only had the chance to see his fight on the monitor once. His fighting style was like a ‘Last Stand’ or ‘Banzai’ attack with extremely suicidal tactics. Faced with the rapid-fire assault rifle of his AGI-based opponent, he used the small pistol FN-57, bought at Sinon’s suggestion, as support fire in his frontal charge. He ignored the enemy bullets that hit his avatar’s outer parts and only use his lightsaber to block the deadly ones, and with that. He closed the distance in the blink of an eye, then cut the enemy apart together with his rifle.

  There was not a single person in the first and second BoB who fought this way. In the standby room, people were amazed and surprised, and Sinon could only watch with wide eyes.

  With this momentum, Kirito could easily reach the finals of the F Block. However, against that kind of unreasonable opponent, how is she supposed to fight him?

  After seeing Kirito’s match, Sinon thought like that even as her semi-final match began, and part of her mind would not cease to consider the matter. At the same time, she could not stop thinking about the player called Kirito himself.

  When shopping together, he revealed a curious natural smile. When he was exposed as a male, Kirito waited for her to skin him alive for his cheeky attitude. Then, after his first battle, holding Sinon’s hand, his weak body trembled. And – with his the blue light blade, he cut up enemies relentlessly, with a ghost like appearance.

  In the end, which is the real «Kirito»?

  And why does she continue to think about these kind of things?

  Realizing that she was irritated for no reason, Sinon lightly bit her lower lip while her right eye was against the high magnification scope. At this point -

  A kilometer away, watching the road’s intersection, she captured a large shadow speeding out from the mountain side.

  Sinon automatically fine-tuned the Hecate. Wind was blowing from the left at 2.5m per hour. Humidity was 5%. She placed the center of the faint reticule slightly above the shadow and waited for the Bullet Circle to shrink before pulling the trigger without hesitation.

  THUD -

  From the sights, the 50 caliber bullet flew through the air in a heat haze like tunnel. It drew a slight spiral track towards the bottom left and hit the upper part of the shadow.

  “… … There.”

  Sinon breathed out as she pulled the bolt of the Hecate back, emptying the cartridge shell and putting the next round of ammunition in the chamber.

  The shadow that crumbled with a light sound was not the opponent Stinger. Instead, it was a lump of rock with a diameter of about one meter.

  The next moment, flying out from the same place as the rock, an even larger silhouette came rushing out leaving a trail of dust behind.

  A four-wheel armored vehicle- the «Humvee». Things such as vehicles are not items held by a player but are bonuses on specific points of the map. People who get there first can use them. It looked brand new, except for a small dent in front - Sinon instantly understood: the stone was deliberately knocked out by that car.

  Stinger, who was supposedly to be in the driver’s seat, knew that Sinon’s Hecate II was a bolt-action rifle and also knew that she would be aiming at the intersection that he must pass through.

  So, he knocked that stone into the intersection with the Humvee to be shot, t
hen while she prepared for the next shot, he planned to cross the intersection.

  The idea was correct. In fact, the vehicle already reached the center of the intersection while she was pulling the bolt handle. She only has one more shot. Furthermore, she did not have time to aim carefully.

  However, Sinon did not panic.

  Stinger took away Sinon’s largest advantage as a sniper, the «No Bullet Line First Shot». But in exchange, he also gave her important information. In Sinon’s view, the trajectory path from her first shot was burnt in it. As long as she does not panic, she can make the second bullet fly the exact same path. If she used that, it would be possible for her to have a far higher accuracy hit than the first shot.

  After making a slight adjustment to the gun body, Sinon pulled the trigger a second time. BOOM!

  The 50 caliber bullet hit the side window of the driver`s seat and went right through the thick bullet proof glass easily.

  The next moment, the vehicle made a big arc, went off the side of the road, and then crashed into the side of the mountain. From the front engine, flames erupted.

  “… … If you got off the car and ran, you might have seen the Bullet Line and be able to avoid it.”

  Sinon whispered as she chambered the third round. Keeping the scope on her right eye, she captured the burning Humvee in the reticule. No matter how many seconds she waited, Stinger did not appear. It looks like he died in the driver`s seat, but she maintained a firing position.

  Once the evening air displayed “CONGRATULATIONS” in colored words, Sinon stood up from the bushes.

  Game time, 19 minutes and 15 seconds. Semi-final cleared.

  In this way, just as she had planned, she got a ticket to the BoB tournament. However, she showed no sign of victory, not even a smile. Her thoughts had been directed towards the upcoming preliminary F Block finals.

  The mystery that was Kirito, no doubt, spent less time in his semi-final match. His opponent was armed with two SMGs. No matter how many bullets he shot, if he lets that lightsaber user get close, he will be showered by the instant death energy blade before Kirito’s hp is all gone. Kirito, after all, with his amazing reaction speed, had the ability to «predict the trajectory prediction line». The best chance to stop him would be suppression fire from a M134 mini-gun, or other weapons like it.