I like traveling the most

The third day of the World No. 1 Budokai has entered the quarter-finals, and the strongest players will be decided today, so the enthusiasm of the players today is unprecedentedly high.

"Okay audience friends, welcome to the arena. Today we will decide the winner of this martial arts competition here! What, you ask why quickly, because we don't want to waste time and waste the enthusiasm of the audience! Let me ask, Is there any better organizer than us?”

Kazuma Sato took the stage again.

He was quite nervous at first, but after three days of training, he was already familiar with it. According to the routine, he first introduced the three judges, and then asked them to express their opinions before the competition.

The difference is that today there is an added link.

Let the judges predict who among these eight people will win.

Aqua thinks Alice will win, while Beldia thinks Kirito will win. As for Yunyun, who hesitates and can't say anything, she doesn't know whether it's because she doesn't know what to say or how to answer, but she still chooses Alice...after all, this is the only one among the eight people who has a good relationship with her and is strong.

"Everyone in the audience, you should have heard that two of the three judges think our idol princess will win, so what are you waiting for? Hurry up and place your bets!"

Still a pretty standard opening line.

"Okay, let's go back to the arena first. Next is the part about saying GG! Yes, we have a GG sponsor! But... I don't miss it, yes, I am so willful!"

Kazuma Sato was doing irritating antics in the middle of the arena. But instead of being blamed by the audience, he received unanimous praise.

...Actually, he did not find a sponsor, so he did this in order to prevent the atmosphere from becoming cold.

"Then let us welcome————"

Sato Kazuma deliberately prolonged his tone and then raised his hands.

"Our contestants today are on stage!"

Boom!

At this time, there was a deafening sound outside the arena, and many fireworks soared into the sky and exploded in mid-air. This was a step they had prepared in advance. When Alice, Kirito and others appeared on the stage, Megumin used the fireworks she made to Create a spectacle.

Along with the enthusiastic cheers of the audience, the eight people stood in the arena again. Compared with yesterday, when they were a little uncomfortable, today they were able to accept such enthusiastic cheers.

"Then without further ado—"

Without any intention of delaying, Sato Kazuma waved his hand, and a huge blue light screen appeared in front of everyone. The names of the eight players scrolled back and forth, and the cheers of the players became louder and louder.

"Please, don't let the idol princess encounter a strong enemy!"

"Yes, your opponent must not be Asuna or Kirito!"

"Please please."

Many people who placed bets prayed sincerely.

In this atmosphere, not to mention the audience, even the contestants couldn't help but feel excited, and their own momentum also dissipated. Kirito even held the long sword behind his back with his right hand involuntarily.

While everyone was extremely nervous, the names scrolling on the screen gradually slowed down, and then the names of two people appeared in front of everyone.

Kirito VS Asuna

"--What?!"

Xiao Lin couldn't help but exclaimed.

He never expected that the first battle of the quarter-finals would be Kirito's battle, and the opponent he encountered would still be Asuna. How was this different from the civil war in the quarter-finals of a certain MOBA game?

Turning his head to look at Heathcliff beside him.

What the hell is this guy doing?

Although on the surface it seems that all duel draws are randomly drawn by the system, Xiaolin, who knows Heathcliff's true identity, understands that these are just behind-the-scenes operations.

I thought Heathcliff would deliberately create suspense and let Kirito and Asuna meet in the final. I never expected that we would meet the top eight.

"What's wrong, Vice President Xiaolin?"

"No, I'm just a little surprised. After all, I have a very good relationship with Asuna and Kirito. When I saw the two of them meeting in the top eight, I could only sigh... What a coincidence."

"Yeah, it's such a coincidence. But it just represents the randomness of the system, doesn't it? Just like the game SAO."

Heathcliff smiled.

That was not an enigmatic and tentative smile, but a god-like confidence that everything was under control, as arrogant as ever.

Could it be that it was really random?

How is it possible.

Or rather...

Does he feel better randomly starting from the quarterfinals?

It has to be said that at this moment, Heathcliff had the freedom that comes with being a god, and his state of mind was quite close to that of a god.

For Xiaolin, it doesn't matter whether it's a battle or who the final winner is. He just wants to rekindle the desire of the members of the strategy team to become stronger and conquer the floor.

While the two were talking, Kirito and Asuna finished preparing. A huge blue light curtain stood in the center, with the numbers on it counting down from ten.

10, 9, 8…

Asuna is very famous in the strategy team, not only because she is a beautiful girl player, but also because she is very dedicated to strategy and is known as the ghost of strategy. Of course, the most important thing is that she is very powerful. Whether it's a BOSS battle or a duel with players, his fast and exquisite rapier skills make his opponents miserable.

but--

As we all know, no matter what sentence it is, it will change its flavor as long as you add a twist.

That's right, Asuna learned how to duel from Kirito.

In addition to the different sword skills, Kirito taught her how to think during battles and the intervals between using skills. It is precisely because of this that she can stand out and become a famous female rapier player.

And now, the teacher who taught her duel skills is opposite her, and is her opponent in this round.

7, 6, 5, 4...

"What exactly is this feeling?"

Asuna muttered to herself.

Her feelings for Kirito are very complicated, and she has discussed this with Aqua many times, and the goddess's guidance to her is-recognition.

Recognize her ideas and recognize her efforts.

Asuna hopes to be recognized by Kirito.

"So, I won't lose!"

"Oh, oh... I won't lose either!"

Kirito was confused by Asuna's inexplicable victory declaration, but as he said before, in order to show his respect for Asuna, he would never let her go.

What is the difference between this and "If I beat you, then you have to date me!" "No, I will never lose!"

Sato Kazuma on the stage wanted to say to Kirito that he was unromantic.

3, 2, 1

Start!

When the light curtain disappeared, Asuna stepped on the ground, and a layer of pink light covered her rapier, rushing to Kirito at lightning speed.

"This is... Flash Piercing!"

Kirito's expression changed slightly.

This is one of the most advanced skills of rapier. The proficiency of rapier must be at least 800 to learn it. I didn't expect Asuna to have learned it at level 72.

Besides, in a normal duel, shouldn't they first test each other to find the opponent's flaws? Why did they start with a killing move?

The sharp sword force did not make Kirito flustered. He just put the one-handed sword in his hand horizontally and easily blocked Asuna's attack.

"What?"

Asuna was surprised.

This move was very fast, not to mention that it was used by Asuna, the strongest rapier user, which shows that Kirito's speed - at least his ability to interpret sword skills is better than hers!

Being blocked did not discourage Asuna. Her wrist shook rapidly and her rapier swung with it, spreading out like a fan in the form of piercing, and her rapier danced tightly.

This is the most basic linear attack, which can be simply compared to a flat attack.

The advantage is the speed, and the disadvantage is that it is only fast.

The price of almost no stiffness is that the attack power is pitifully low. Even if Kirito does not use sword skills, he can easily block it and even keep up with her speed.

Asuna knew that if the stalemate continued, she would be the loser, so she quickly changed her tactics and used the high agility and dexterity unique to rapier users to roam around Kirito and harass him repeatedly.

But even so, it still didn't work.

Asuna had to distance herself and regroup.

The rapier user holding her beloved sword stared at the one-handed sword user who was five meters in front of her and also swung a long sword with his right hand.

The movements of the two were exactly the same.

Although he was standing in a relaxed position, the sharp tip of the sword did not waver at all, and it emitted a cold light as if it wanted to absorb Asuna's sight.

In Kirito's black eyes, there was only a cold and sharp light, and there was no trace of underestimation or carelessness. Only those who combined the sword in their right hand with their spirit and only thought about responding to Asuna's actions as quickly as possible could use such eyes.

Was he recognized?

Asuna was in a trance and returned to that afternoon in the wilderness on the fifth floor.

"...If you don't move, I'll do it myself."

As if seeing through Asuna's inner hesitation, Kirito suddenly made a voice without any ups and downs, and began to move the long sword in his right hand slowly.

Asuna kept her mind, but she didn't know if she was too nervous, and the tip of the knight's rapier in her right hand shook slightly. Not letting go of this opportunity, Kirito took a step forward with his left foot.

At some point, the jet-black long sword had been raised to the upper part.

What can be used here, is it a normal skill with a strong step, or a jumping sword skill? You have to see this first, and then make the right response.

Asuna bit her lower lip tightly, her eyes fixed on the one-handed sword that was about to fall.

——It's a vertical arc slash!

A two-hit combo that one-handed sword players must learn, famous for its fast speed and high attack. The advantage is that it can be followed by a sharp claw-three-hit combo, but the disadvantage is that the attack distance is very short!

Asuna figured this out, and her footsteps fled backwards, trying to keep a certain distance from Kirito.

But at this moment, Kirito suddenly changed his sword moves, and forcibly changed the vertical arc slash into a vertical four-way slash. The four-hit combo in the vertical direction caught Asuna off guard.

The judgment of SAO's sword skills is not constant. As long as the posture is within the threshold, it will be judged as a successful launch. She experienced this when she was surrounded by the Piranha Plants on the first floor.

Asuna had no choice but to fight back with the same four-hit quadruple pain, but the rapier user, who was originally inferior to Kirito in strength, was forced to bear the pressure of weight, and finally couldn't resist the fourth time and was exposed. Kirito saw the opportunity to add a basic thrust technique of angry stab.

If it was the first hit, she would have lost. But this was a half-loss duel, which means she still had a chance!

It is said that the attack power of a one-handed sword is not high, but it depends on the person. For example, Kirito's level is almost ranked among the top of all players. In addition, the powerful weapon he built, just that one hit made Asuna lose almost one-tenth of her health.

If you think Asuna will choose to deal with Kirito cautiously, you are wrong.

Asuna will not escape!

On the contrary, she will take the initiative to attack!

The violent healer has already been exposed.

Kirito held the one-handed sword in a defensive posture. He knew that the next step was to decide the winner. Even if there was no so-called sideline or life-and-death struggle in this duel, he vaguely felt that Asuna would use some powerful skills next.

Just as he thought.

Asuna held the rapier horizontally at her side and ran towards him quickly.

Parallel stab? Meteor? Oblique stab? Striped stab?

The unclear posture made Kirito frown slightly. This was the trick he just used to confuse Asuna and use the system to complete the sword skill judgment. Unexpectedly, Asuna also learned it well.

At the last moment, Asuna turned her wrist.

It was a single lower stab!

Kirito raised his sword to block the move, but soon a linear attack followed, making a dense sound of collision on the one-handed sword. Kirito defended all the attacks in the form of a bow step, but he did not dare to be careless, because he could feel that Asuna was accumulating her own momentum.

Yes, sword momentum.

If you have to say it, it is the link of accumulating energy for the combo before releasing the big move.

The sharp sword light kept passing by, and the rapier and one-handed sword collided with each other and burst into bright flames.

Kirito pulled the corner of his mouth.

Asuna's attack was too fast, even he couldn't resist it. If he didn't fight back, he might really lose.

Just when Kirito wanted to counter with a fatal heavy blow, regain the initiative and guide the direction of the duel, he didn't expect Asuna to predict his thoughts and use the top eight consecutive strikes of the piercing sword skill to forcefully suppress his counterattack.

Really?

In Kirito's imagination, this move should be Asuna's killer move. Everything was paved for this move. Unexpectedly, it was used so easily, and the purpose was just to continue to suppress him.

At the same time, Kirito also had a premonition.

Next, the real skills will be shown!

There is nothing invincible in martial arts, only speed can't be broken.

Asuna embodied this point very well. The sword skills that were covered by light and as fast as lightning, even Kirito showed a slight flaw under the suppression for 30 seconds.

Now!

Asuna's eyes glowed, and her concentration had never been so focused as it was now, so the next second——

"Stardust Tears!"

Fast!

Faster than before!

And this is not the sword skills of the rapier user, this is... Asuna's original sword skills!

Kirito braced himself and quickly fought back with the same top-level roaring eight-hit combo, but he was no faster than Asuna and only blocked two swords. The remaining three swords landed on his shoulder, chest and lower abdomen respectively. Then his health began to drop rapidly until he barely stopped with 60% left.

Original five-hit combo, is this Asuna's killer move?

Kirito was secretly shocked.

Just now, Asuna used her rapier skills as a prelude to accumulate her own momentum, trying to defeat Kirito with the last five-hit combo and forcefully reduce his health. Fortunately, she reacted in time and forcefully blocked two swords, otherwise his health would have definitely dropped below half at this time!

And when Asuna saw that Kirito still had 60% of his health left, she also knew that she had lost the chance to win, and then simply admitted defeat.