I like crossing the most

Chapter 589 Kirito VS Asuna

The third day of the World's No. 1 Martial Arts Tournament has entered the quarterfinals, and the strongest player will be decided today, so the enthusiasm of the players today is unprecedentedly high.

"Hello, audience friends, welcome to the arena. Today we will decide the winner of this martial arts competition here! Why so fast? Because we don't want to waste time and the enthusiasm of the audience! Is there a better organizer than us?"

Sato Kazuma takes the stage again.

He was quite nervous at first, but after three days of practice he had become familiar with the process. He followed the routine and first introduced the three judges and then asked them to express their opinions before the competition.

The difference is that an additional link has been added today.

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

Aqua thought Alice would win, while Beldia thought Kirito would win. As for Youyou, she hesitated and couldn't say anything. It was unclear whether she didn't know how to say it or how to answer. However, she still chose Alice... After all, she was the only one among the eight people who had a good relationship with her and was strong.

"Dear audience members, you should have heard that two of the three judges think our idol princess will win. So what are you waiting for? Go place your bets now!"

Still a very standard opening line.

"Okay, let's go back to the arena. The next step should be the commercial reading! Yes, we have an advertising sponsor! But... I don't want to read it. Yes, I am so willful!"

Sato Kazuma performed an annoying and funny act in the middle of the arena, but instead of being blamed by the audience, he received unanimous praise.

...In fact, he didn't find a sponsor, so he did this to avoid the atmosphere becoming dull.

"Then, let us welcome——"

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

"Our contestants today are on stage!"

Rumble!
At this time, a deafening sound came from outside the arena, and many fireworks shot up into the sky and exploded in mid-air. This was a part they had prepared in advance. When Alice, Kirito and others appeared, Huihui used the fireworks she made to create a scene.

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

"Then without further delay—"

Without any delay, 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!"

"That's right, please don't let your opponent be Asuna or Kirito!"

"Please please."

Many people who placed bets prayed sincerely.

In this kind of atmosphere, not to mention the audience, even the contestants' hearts were lifted, and their own aura also dissipated. Kirito even involuntarily grasped the long sword behind his back with his right hand.

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

Kirito VS Asuna

"--What?!"

Xiaolin couldn't help but exclaim.

He never expected that the first match of the quarterfinals would be Kirito's, and his opponent would be Asuna. What's the difference between this and the civil war in the quarterfinals of a certain Moba game?
He turned his head and looked at Heathcliff beside him.

What the hell is this guy doing?
Although on the surface it seems that all duel draws are randomly determined by the system, Kobayashi, 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 finals. I never expected that they would meet in the quarterfinals.

"What's wrong, Vice President Kobayashi?"

"No, I'm just a little surprised. After all, Asuna and Kirito and I have a good relationship. Seeing them meet in the quarterfinals, I can only sigh... What a coincidence."

"Yeah, it's such a coincidence. But this just represents the randomness of the system, right? Just like the game SAO."

Heathcliff smiled.

It was not an unfathomable, tentative smile, but rather a god-like confidence that everything was under control, and the same arrogance as always.

Is it really random?

how is this possible.

Or……

He felt that random was better starting from the quarterfinals?
It must be said that at this moment Heathcliff had the freedom of a god to do whatever he wanted, and his state of mind was already quite close to that of a god.

To Kobayashi, it doesn't matter who the battle is or who the final winner is. He just wants to rekindle the desire of the strategy group members to become stronger and conquer more floors.

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

10, 9, 8...

Asuna is very famous in the strategy group. In addition to being a beautiful girl player, she is also very hardworking and has the reputation of being a strategy ghost. Of course, the most important thing is that she is very strong. Whether it is a boss strategy battle or a duel with players, her fast and exquisite rapier skills make the opponent miserable.

but--

As we all know, no matter what sentence it is, the meaning will change as long as a transition is added.

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

In addition to the difference in sword skills, whether it is the thinking in battle or the interval between the use of skills, all were taught to her by Kirito. It is also because of this that she can stand out and become a famous female rapier player.

And now, the teacher who taught her dueling skills is standing 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 were complicated, and she had discussed this with Aqua many times, and the goddess's guidance to her was - approval.

Recognize her ideas and 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 win.

What’s the difference between this and “If I beat you, you have to date me!” or “No, I will never lose!”?
Sato Kazuma on the stage really wanted to say to Kirito that he was unromantic.

3, 2, 1
Start!

The moment the light curtain disappeared, Asuna stepped on the ground, a layer of pink light covered her rapier, and she rushed to Kirito at lightning speed.

"This is... Flash Piercing!"

Kirito's expression changed slightly.

This is one of the most advanced skills of the rapier. The proficiency of the rapier must be at least 800 to learn it. Unexpectedly, Asuna learned it at level 72.

Besides, in a normal duel, shouldn't they test each other first to find the opponent's flaws? Why do they start with a killing move?
The fierce sword force did not make Kirito panic. He just held the one-handed sword horizontally and easily blocked Asuna's attack.

"what?"

Asuna was surprised.

This move was very fast, not to mention that it was performed by Asuna, the strongest rapier user. This showed that Kirito's speed - or at least his ability to interpret sword skills - was better than hers!
Being stopped did not discourage Asuna. She shook her wrist rapidly and the rapier swung along with it, spreading it out like a fan in a piercing manner, and danced with the rapier in one hand, making it impenetrable.

This is the most basic linear attack, which can be simply called a normal attack.

The advantage is speed, the disadvantage is only speed.

The price of almost no stiffness is that the attack power is pitifully low. Even without using sword skills, Kirito 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 move 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 his beloved sword stared at the one-handed sword user who was also wielding a long sword in his right hand, five meters in front of him.

The two men's movements were exactly the same.

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

There was only a cold and sharp light in Kirito's black eyes, and there was no trace of underestimation or carelessness in them. Only someone who had integrated the sword in his right hand with his mind and only wanted to respond to Asuna's actions as quickly as possible could have such a look.

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

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

As if seeing through Asuna's inner turmoil, Kirito suddenly made a non-verbal sound and slowly moved the long sword in his right hand.

Asuna kept her mind focused, but perhaps because she was too nervous, the tip of the knight's rapier in her right hand swayed slightly. Not wanting to miss this opportunity, Kirito took a step forward with his left foot.

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

What can be used here is a normal skill of stepping hard, or a sword skill of jumping? You have to see this first and make the correct 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!
The two-hit combo that one-handed sword players must learn is famous for its fast speed and high attack. The advantage is that it can be followed by a sharp claw - a three-hit combo. The disadvantage is that the attack distance is very short!

Asuna realized this and stepped back, trying to put some distance between herself and 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 consecutive vertical attacks caught Asuna off guard.

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

Asuna had no choice but to retaliate 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 the weight, and finally succumbed to the flaw on the fourth time, and Kirito seized the opportunity to add a basic thrust technique of Angry Stab.

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

It is said that the attack power of a one-handed sword is not high, but that also depends on the person. Players like Kirito are almost ranked at the top of the list among all players, and coupled with the powerful weapons he has crafted, that one blow just now caused Asuna to lose almost one-tenth of her health.

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

Asuna won't run away!

On the contrary, she will take the initiative!

The violent healer has already been highlighted.

Kirito held the one-handed sword in a defensive posture. He knew that the next step would be to decide the outcome. Even though there were no so-called sidelines or life-and-death battles in this duel, he had a vague feeling that Asuna was going to use some powerful skills next.

Just as he thought.

Asuna held her rapier horizontally at her side and ran towards him at a rapid pace.

Parallel thrust? Shooting star? Oblique thrust? Stripe thrust?
Kirito frowned slightly at the unclear posture. This was the trick he had just used to confuse Asuna and use the system to complete the sword skills judgment. He didn't expect Asuna to learn it so well.

At the last moment, Asuna flipped her wrist.

It's a single lower thrust!
Kirito raised his sword to block the move, but soon linear attacks followed, making a dense sound of ding ding ding on the one-handed sword. Kirito defended all the attacks in the form of a bow stance, but he did not dare to be careless, because he could feel that Asuna was accumulating her momentum.

That’s right, sword power.

If I have to say it, it is the part of accumulating energy for the combo before releasing the ultimate move.

Sharp sword lights flashed continuously, and the rapiers and one-handed swords colliding with each other burst into bright flames.

Kirito twitched the corner of his mouth.

Asuna's attack was too fast, even he could not resist it. If he did not fight back, he might really lose.

Just when Kirito wanted to counterattack with a fatal blow to regain the initiative and guide the direction of the duel, Asuna seemed to have predicted his thoughts and took the lead in using the top-level eight-hit stabbing sword skill to forcibly suppress his counterattack.

real or fake?

In Kirito's imagination, this move should be Asuna's killer move, and everything should be a preparation for this move. He didn't expect it to be used so easily, and the purpose was just to continue to suppress him.

At the same time, Kirito also had a premonition.

Now it’s time to show your real skills!

In the world of martial arts, nothing is invincible, only fast is invincible.

Asuna demonstrated this point very well. Her sword skills, which were shrouded in light and as fast as lightning, were so fast that even Kirito revealed a slight flaw after being suppressed for thirty seconds.

It's now!

Asuna's eyes sparkled. She had never been more focused than now. The next second -

"Stardust Tears!"

fast!
Even faster than just now!

And this isn't a rapier user's sword technique, this is... Asuna's original sword technique!

Kirito cheered up and quickly fought back with the same top-level Roaring Eight-Hit Combo, but his speed was no faster than Asuna's. He only blocked two swords, and the remaining three swords fell on his shoulder, chest and lower abdomen respectively. Then his health began to drop rapidly, and he stopped with only 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, accumulated her own momentum, and tried to defeat Kirito with the last five consecutive attacks, forcibly reducing his health. Fortunately, she reacted in time and forcibly blocked two swords, otherwise his health would have dropped below half by now!

After seeing that Kirito only had 60% of his health left, Asuna knew that she had lost her chance of winning, so she simply admitted defeat.

(End of this chapter)