Why did Hikigaya save the anime girls in Sword Story?

"I could never have done this without you. Thank you, Asuna."

When the meeting came to the team-forming phase, the originally solemn atmosphere suddenly became like a university club recruitment scene.

"Forty-five people are divided into three teams, but the unlucky guy who was left alone at the end..." Hachiman counted the number of people present, and out of the corner of his eye he saw a black-haired boy scratching his head at the equipment bar in the corner, with a "social anxiety attack" dialog box almost popping up above his head.

(That's him)

After getting Asuna's consent, Hachiman stepped forward and invited:

"Hey, wanna form a team?"

"Huh?" The boy looked up with a frightened expression, like a small animal, but when he saw the orange-haired swordsman behind me, he immediately became serious: "Um... please give me some advice!"

Hachiman and his men returned to Asuna's side, and the three of them briefly introduced themselves:

"I am Hachiman"

"I'm Asuna."

"My name is Kirito, please take care of me."

Hearing Kirito's name, Hachiman felt a surge of memories, as if it was from the beginning, outside the city...:

"Kirito, have you ever taught a man named Kurui fighting techniques before?"

Kirito showed a distressed expression, then suddenly realized: "That's Klein. Ah, I think I've seen this face somewhere. Were you there?"

"What a coincidence!"

Knowing what happened between Kirito and Klein, Asuna also recognized him as a trustworthy person. After deciding on the tactical division of labor, the three of them skipped the joint training to preserve their strength. At this time, Agil approached and offered his hand:

"Good job"

"Thank you for your cooperation just now."

"Have we met?"

"Before, at the church, this Asuna said you were a good person, so I borrowed your prestige. I'm sorry."

Hearing Hachiman's words, Aegir, though somewhat embarrassed, smiled and replied, "No problem." Hachiman and Kirito then finished their self-introductions, and the four of them shook hands.

"Let's work hard together tomorrow!"

After saying that, Aegir left.

During the drill outside the city, Hachiman was astounded by Kirito's prowess. As his black windbreaker faded into a shadow, and he coordinated with Asuna's scattering stardust to unleash a ten-hit combo, Hachiman gazed at the skyrocketing damage value and fell into deep thought—this guy must be cheating! Hey, the system's favorite son!

Kirito, who was equally shocked, thought: (This coordination speed is comparable to the top players during the beta period.)

Since the three of them had confirmed the formation, they decided to disband now and prepare for tomorrow.

SAO: Chapter 13 Boss Battle Concludes

The morning of conquering a higher-level boss finally arrived, and Hachiman's mind flashed back to the important companions who stayed behind.

(Today is the first real step. Everyone, please protect me... I will definitely come back alive.)

In a trance, he seemed to hear someone's voice outside shouting "And me! And me!", but Hachiman deliberately stopped thinking about those things.

"Good morning, both of you."

"Yo"

"morning"

"Then let's just follow them slowly. It wouldn't be good if the three of us stand out too much."

Asuna and Kirito shrugged in agreement and followed Hachiman. The large group made the journey surprisingly smooth. Although they encountered several battles along the way, they finally arrived at the boss room.

After reviewing the operational overview, Diabel asked if anyone had any questions. Hachiman and Kirito both raised their hands, and perhaps influenced by yesterday's impression, Diabel called on Hachiman first.

"I'd like to confirm the plan for what to do if the boss's behavior seriously contradicts the intelligence. Assuming a retreat is necessary, the judgment and instructions will be yours, correct?"

"Of course, safety is our top priority. The battle simulation is already perfect and won't put anyone in danger."

Then Kirito was asked the same question.

"Those who aren't participating in the joint exercise, stop pointing fingers! Mr. Diabel, ignore them. After seeing how you command, there's no need to worry!"

The two ignored Kiba's words, expressed their understanding, and then left. However, Hachiman and Kirito then quietly discussed Kiba's attitude.

"What do you think, Hachiman?"

"Hmm...something feels a little different from yesterday."

"Although the tone is still the same, the way he speaks is much gentler."

"This should reduce the risk of internal strife during battle, right?"

“It’s one less thing to worry about.”

At this time, Diabel said to everyone: "Thank you for your trust!

Although this is our first time challenging a floor boss, our current members are the best of the best. Let's achieve victory together...

Set off! "

The group roared and began to rush into the boss room.

Agil suddenly turned around and gave the three of them a thumbs-up. They all responded in unison, pumping their fists and giving thumbs-ups.

"Wow, it sounds like a secret code from the regular army."

“That guy is quite handsome.”

“Hahahaha indeed”

The three people who were originally nervous relaxed a lot.

Hachiman suddenly said seriously, "Listen, Kirito, Asuna. Someone might die this time. I've never seen a player die before. If you're shocked and lose your judgment, remember to wake me up with a slap."

If all three of us are hit, the first person to recover will be responsible for waking up the other two. We must all survive and pass this level!"

"clear"

"it is good"

As soon as the words fell, the three of them rushed into the BOSS room.

When the boss, the Dog-Headed Lord, appeared, a tense atmosphere spread among the crowd.

Diabel's voice promptly dispelled the anxiety: "Bone axe in right hand, scimitar in left hand, three followers, exactly as in the intelligence! All teams proceed according to the plan!"

Under precise command, the main tank of team ABC was responsible for defense, team DEFG was responsible for output, and the three-person guerrilla tactics were smoothly carried out.

At first the guerrillas did nothing, but as the battle progressed, calls for help came one after another.

"Two members of Team G are injured, retreat! Guerrillas, hold on!"

"Roger that!"

As the other team members watched anxiously, an unexpected scene happened - with a special effect like shattered glass, a follower was instantly killed by three people.

"Varied...?"

"The guerrillas killed the followers. How long has it been since Liu Yishan was killed?"

"But the other teams are still dealing with the first one..."

"Mission accomplished, retreat"

The members of Team G were stunned, and it wasn't until Hachiman glanced at them that they hurriedly responded, "Understood! This team will support the other teams!"

During the battle, Kirito's heavy sword was as fast as thunder, Asuna's thrusts were too fast to be distinguished by the naked eye, and Hachiman's seemingly simple blocking was actually flawless.

The smooth cooperation between the three of them amazed Agil who was watching from behind, and even Kiba had to readjust his mindset.

"Don't be too proud! We can do this! Just stay still!" Ya Wang challenged the three people as he passed by them. Unexpectedly, the three people responded with brilliant smiles at the same time, which made him so angry that he rushed back to the front line cursing.

With the crucial support of the guerrillas, the boss's health was finally at its lowest. As everyone cheered, something unexpected happened: all members of Team Diabel were knocked unconscious by the newly appeared katana, and the captain himself was chased and sent flying.

"Kirito, take over the command! Asuna and I will hold the boss back!" Hachiman roared.

In the nick of time, Kirito orchestrated the evacuation of the wounded, while the three of them used their bodies to withstand the enraged boss. Although Hachiman's HP continued to decline, thanks to Asuna's clever decoys, they finally held out until Kirito arrived to support them.

"You must not die!" Hachiman shouted as he retreated.

A cry of "Mr. Diabel is alright!" from behind reassured Kirito, but he was caught off guard by the sudden attack of the dying boss. As Kirito was about to be struck, Hachiman intercepted with a fatal blow, but Asuna pulled him out of danger.

“Sorry for being late.”

"Totally in time, partner."

"Who said 'Oh no' just now?"

"You heard it!"

Before the Agil team, rushing to take over, could gain a firm footing, Diabel's roar suddenly echoed across the battlefield: "Watch me pierce its throat!" As everyone watched in horror, Diabel, with only 20% of his HP restored, charged towards the boss's newly drawn katana...

"don't want----!!!"

Amidst the blood-red blade's flash, Diabel disintegrated into fragments. Hachiman, witnessing death for the first time, stood transfixed. Asuna trembled at the cheap death effect, while Kirito stared fixedly at the void—until a resounding slap shattered the silence.

Kirito slapped Hachiman and Asuna as agreed.

The pain brought them back to their senses. The three of them looked at each other and shouted in unison.

"Everyone, wake up! Tank 17613292, hold the boss back!"

"The attacking force will circle to the flanks and launch a simultaneous attack!"

"People with low health points please retreat!"

As if inspired by that voice, everyone began to move, and then the final all-out counterattack began.

However, after this BOSS goes berserk, its attack power is surprisingly strong, and it is quite difficult to completely deplete its HP.

Meanwhile, Hachiman whispered a few words to Asuna and Kirito, and the three of them immediately took action.

First, Asuna came behind the boss, and the moment the boss raised his weapon, she fired a straight shot at the boss's left knee.

The boss, brandishing his weapon, lost his balance slightly. The next moment, Hachiman rushed towards the boss at an incredible speed. He struck his knee hard, and the two attacks made the boss lose his balance.

Then, Kirito's voice reached the ears of Agil, who was standing in front of the boss.

"Aegir, get down!"

Hearing this, Agil reflexively squatted on the ground, and Kirito used his back as a springboard and jumped high into the air.

"This is the end!"

Then, Kirito used all his strength to split the boss in two from the head down.

After a moment of silence, the BOSS's body began to glow, and then popped out through the effect.

As the words "C0NGRATUL ATI0NS" bloomed, the players' achievement level was updated by one level. A month after the server was launched, the players finally broke through the first level - at the cost of losing Diabel.

SAO: Chapter 14: Testers and Cheaters

After the BOSS fell, there was a brief silence, and then everyone's emotions exploded instantly.

Everyone shook hands and praised each other's efforts.

When the brief celebration died down, due to the lack of organizers, everyone gathered into small groups based on their acquaintances and began to rest in scattered groups.

Even Hachiman looked tired, sitting in the corner drinking that familiar drink.

When Asuna walked over to sit next to Hachiman, Hachiman took out another bottle of drink and handed it to her naturally.

Kirito also dragged his tired body to sit next to Hachiman. Noticing that the two were drinking, he asked:

"What are you drinking?"

"This? Some kind of replacement, I guess."

When Hachiman mentioned the product name, Kirito seemed to have heard it before.

"I just can't stand that..." he muttered softly.

He took out his personal drink from his storage compartment and started drinking it.

"This is the first step, Hachiman."