Why did Hikigaya save the anime girls in Sword Story?

Leafa sat down beside her and suddenly asked, "Have you ever thought about the gap between us and them?"

Faced with the unexpected question, Reagan was stunned.

"From observation, I've noticed that my skills are clearly better. But if I were to seriously duel with my brother, he would definitely be the one standing in the end. What do you think?"

Regen hesitated for a moment before answering honestly, "I'm sorry, Leafa-chan, but I think so too."

"really!"

Leafa said inexplicably happily, "Maybe it's the difference in actual combat experience. I used to look up to Eugene-senpai, but now there are so many powerful people around me that I've lost my way."

"Regan, do you want to truly stand shoulder to shoulder with them?"

"Of course I do!"

Looking at the high-spirited Reagan, Leafa smiled and said, "Then let's work hard together to catch up! Please give me your guidance in the future!"

"Yes! No matter who the opponent is, I will protect Leafa-chan's back with all my strength!"

At this moment, the last monster fell to the ground with a bang. Kirito immediately ordered: "Clear the minions! Heal the injured! Everyone else, prepare to siege the boss!"

However, the word "CONGRATULATIONS" suddenly appeared in the sky, and everyone stared in amazement at the boss disappearing in the distance, as well as Hachiman standing in the way, and Yui and Mobius posing in victory poses in the back.

Facing his companions rushing towards him, Hachiman said with a smug smile, "It's okay to just take care of it, right?"

"Is it okay?"

"It should be... okay?"

Yui and Mobius also had the same smug expressions.

"You guys are definitely just trying to show off! Damn it... at least let me cut you once." Kirito wailed as he knelt down, while the others surrounded Hachiman and asked:

"This is too fast! Qi II 3: .Ling Si Cu Qi III 罒=How did you do that?"

"As expected of my Hachiman!"

"Is my brother really my brother? Komachi can't believe it."

"Come to think of it, isn't Hachiman the best at humanoid monsters?"

"but..."

"Leafa-chan, can we really catch up to these people?"

"Ah ha ha"

Hachiman scratched his head and smiled, "Sorry, I got a little too excited. Next time, let's find a boss without any minions and fight it together."

"It's a deal!" Kirito immediately stood up and emphasized.

"Anyway, we won! Now let's activate the second-floor gate and triumph!"

"Oh oh oh!!"

"awesome!"

“It’s easier than I thought!”

"Be the first to reach the second floor!"

Amidst cheers, the first floor of the newly launched Aincrad was successfully conquered by Team Hachiman on the first day of its implementation.

ALO: Chapter 160 I Feel Sorry for You

"Okay, then everyone, head this way. Climb this staircase and you'll reach the second floor. Activate the portal there and you'll be able to move from the first to the second floor instantly."

"This is the second time I've climbed these stairs."

“It’s really nostalgic.”

All of them successfully defeated the leader without any harm, and led by Hachiman, they climbed the stairs to the second floor.

"It's different from today. There's no recovery magic, and even if I die, I can't come back to life. There aren't necessarily allies around me. And yet, I've actually repeated this seventy-four times in that state."

Sorel murmured softly. Perhaps touched by these words, the members of Engrandt, who had come to Ai9 Myojinryuji Ryukiba (II) VIII for the first time today, once again deeply felt the hardships involved. Komachi's reaction was the most obvious.

Komachi suddenly rushed over from behind Hachiman and Asuna at the front of the group, hugged them, and said in a tearful voice:

"Brother, sister, I'm so glad you came back safely."

Hachiman stopped and turned around, silently stroking Komachi's head. Asuna gently hugged Komachi back and comforted her in a gentle voice:

"It's okay. We're here now and we're not going anywhere. We'll never leave Komachi alone again."

Everyone watched this scene with warm eyes. Leafa, who was like a younger sister to Komachi, actually shared the same sentiments. However, perhaps due to personality differences, Leafa stared at Kirito's back, repeatedly reaching out to touch him and then retracting her hand.

Since everyone was focused on Komachi, no one noticed Leafa's small gesture. However, two people noticed it - Liz gently held Leafa's hand and led her towards Kirito, while Ragen gently pushed Leafa's back.

Leafa looked back and forth between the two in panic, then finally nodded as if she had made up her mind, took a deep breath, and walked towards Kirito. She timidly reached out to grab Kirito's sleeve, but this time she didn't pull her hand back, instead gently tugging.

Kirito, perplexed, turned back, and upon seeing Leafa's expression, he immediately understood and tried to put on a cheerful smile.

"Leafa, I'm so sorry for making you worry again. I'm fine now, don't worry."

Kirito said this while stroking Leafa's head. Leafa smiled shyly. Seeing the two pairs of siblings, Klein tried to liven up the atmosphere:

"Hachiman and Kirito, even if it's like this, your sisters will eventually get married and leave home, right?"

The two responded simultaneously with the words:

"Komachi will not get married until she is as beautiful as Liu Qiba'er."

"Leafa won't let her get married."

"Hachiman-kun, isn't this a bit too much?"

"Kirito, are you actually a sister-con on the same level as Hachiman?"

Facing Asuna and Lisbeth's complaints and cold stares, the two of them once again said in unison:

"I, I understand. If someone can beat me in a one-on-one fight, I'm not against accepting it."

"Wuwu... I can't help it... If someone can beat me, I'll just have to give them my approval."

Upon hearing this, Asuna and Lisbeth immediately grabbed the two's cheeks and began to lecture them, while Reagan became visibly anxious.

Seeing this, the others thought to themselves, "This condition is simply impossible to achieve, right?" and expressed deep sympathy for Reagan who had raised the bar again. The two sisters laughed out loud at the same time when they saw this scene.

"Ahahaha, brother, even if the other person is weaker than you, as long as I like her, I will ignore your opinion and leave home on my own~"

"Haha, don't worry, I haven't even thought about this kind of thing~"

Inspired by the two, everyone burst into laughter. Amidst the laughter, Hachiman, finally forgiven by Asuna, gave the order, and the group resumed their ascent of the stairs to the second floor.

"By the way, Hachiman, how did you defeat the boss so quickly?"

Kirito asked excitedly, and the others also looked curious.

"Even though Hachiman is good at dealing with humanoid enemies, he probably won't be able to counterattack perfectly like usual against an enemy of that size, right?"

"Indeed, the biggest problem is the enemy's size."

Hachiman nodded in response and said something astonishing:

"So I thought—just get the same size."

"same!?"

"Shape!?"

Amidst everyone's exclamations, Hachiman smiled evilly and began to chant magic. The next second, he transformed into the iconic Apostate Nicholas form.

"Ah~!"

"Can you control it now? When did you improve your magic skills?"

"Huh? What is this? This is the first time I've seen it."

"Didn't Hachiman transform when he came here? He looks like this."

"Ah~ I didn't see clearly at the back."

Hachiman, who had returned to his original form, grinned and said:

"Use this form and Weiyou to attack from both sides. If the enemy has their backs turned, strike hard at their vital points. If they turn around, use your size advantage to counterattack all attacks (including normal attacks). If they stumble, the three of you will surround them. Ms. Mobius will help treat minor injuries, and we'll just stand there and repeat the cycle endlessly. It's a simple job, right?"

"Simple?"

"Even normal attacks can be counterattacked"

“This way the enemy can’t do anything.”

"The only one who can do that is Hachiman, right?"

Facing everyone's complaints, Hachiman calmly added:

"However, a larger size doesn't necessarily mean increased strength. This tactic can only be used up to the fifth level. While it can still be used in boss battles by adjusting the strength, it's only a matter of time before it becomes ineffective. Therefore, it can only be used for now."

“Having said that”

"But it's super fun to be able to attack as much as I want!"

Yui recalled the battle just now, her face filled with excitement. Normally the only pure tank in the team, she was still in a state of excitement at this rare feat of three people defeating the boss.

"Yes, being happy is the most important thing."

"Ok!"

After Hachiman's beautiful finish, everyone seemed to accept the reason for the quick defeat of the boss.

"But I caught a glimpse of Asuna and your guys there, it was pretty exciting too, right? I only saw the part where Asuna rushed forward."

"Ah, um..."

“Oops…”

"elder brother!"

"what happened?"

The moment Asuna heard this question, her eyes lost their luster. Just as Hachiman was puzzled, Komachi leaned in and whispered the whole story.

"Ah...Tavern...Ahem, a super offensive healer. That's quite innovative. I think it's good."

"Really, really?"

Asuna's voice brightened slightly after being praised. The members behind him gave Hachiman a frantic look, urging him to "work harder." Hachiman, understanding, continued:

"Offense and defense in one, similar to my counterattack style."

Seeing Komachi's hint of "Final Attack!", Hachiman added:

"As expected, spending time together day and night will make your fighting styles more and more similar."

"As expected of my onee-sama!"

"As expected? Well, that's what I mean. Of course it's like this when we're together every day!"

Komachi immediately responded, emphasizing "my home." Seeing Asuna's completely restored good humor, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. As they chatted, the central block of the second floor finally appeared at the end of the stairs, a device that looked like a portal visible nearby.

"Oh, that's the next town?"

"Is that a portal next to you? What would it feel like to go through it? I really want to know~"

After hearing what Yui and Iroha said, Hachiman suddenly realized:

"By the way, this portal-like system is the first to appear in ALO, right?"

Yukino only casually said this as she had little knowledge of SAO, but Weiyu nodded in agreement.

"Anyway, welcome everyone to the second floor. This is the second floor's main street area, 'Urbas'."

ALO: Chapter 161 First Clearance Ranking

As the group walked forward, chatting about the past of SAO and gossiping, they saw a city gate with heavy relief carvings and a nostalgic street scene.

What appeared before us was the second-floor main town, "Urbas."

This city was built by hollowing out the center of the plateau and leaving only the outer periphery.

"I miss it so much...it's exactly the same as it was back then."

"Ok!"