Why did Hikigaya save the anime girls in Sword Story?

"I'm here to make a deal with you today, Heathcliff."

"Appreciate further details"

"Look at this first."

"This is what Asuna got a few days ago. It turns out you gave it to her."

Asuna seemed to have concealed this, and her cheeks flushed slightly.

"so?"

"I can offer one to the Knights of the Blood Alliance, provided they lend Asuna to me on Christmas Eve. Don't worry, it's not an elopement."

The moment she heard these words, Yaliu①⑺YierbazhuIVbasina's face flushed red instantly.

"Um...Hachiman-kun?"

"...this sudden confession of love was totally unexpected."

"Huh? There's a crucial battle on Christmas Eve. I'm not sure if it will be needed, but Asuna's strength might be needed."

"I see...it's the rumored resurrection item for the Christmas event."

Asuna blushed even more when she realized the misunderstanding, but she still tried to remain calm and understand the conversation.

"A deal is something the Knights would love to have."

"Thanks Heathcliff"

"Then we'll meet again on the battlefield."

----

In the preparation room on Christmas Eve, Hachiman spread the tactical map on Asuna's lap. The girl's body scent of lily of the valley reminded him of the smell of disinfectant in the real world.

Hachiman explained the plan to Asuna: "This is the situation."

"Kirito-kun, he..."

"That's right. Our mission is: Asuna, wait at a certain portal at midnight. Once you receive my call, teleport to join us and follow Kirito."

"Just stalking?"

"No, if the situation is critical, intervene immediately. We must not let that guy die."

"I understand, but Kirito-kun might get angry."

Hachiman stuffed twenty recovery crystals into his tactical belt. He looked up and met the girl's honey-colored eyes. "Then, you'll have to accompany me to apologize at the Dogeza."

Asuna smiled at Hachiman.

"Well! Then let's apologize together!"

"The battlefield is expected to be in the Lost Forest."

"Got it. I'll be fully armed and ready."

----

Christmas day.

As expected, Kirito went to the depths of the Lost Forest, and after confirming it, Hachiman summoned Asuna and Fuurinkazan.

"A-Lady Asuna!" One of them screamed like a sasaeng fan seeing his idol, but he didn't expect others to do the same.

“We are your fans!”

"Shake hands, please!"

"Shut up, everyone!"

The frightened Asuna hid behind Hachiman as usual, grabbing the corner of his clothes. It seemed that this habit could not be changed.

"According to the plan, Klein, keep the opponent occupied."

"I understand, but will they really come?"

"I will definitely come, believe me."

Hachiman and Asuna track Kirito deep into the forest.

"Hachiman-sama and Asuna-sama have a really good relationship."

"Still holding onto the hem of his clothes."

"Damn, I'm so envious!"

What broke the relaxed atmosphere were the members of the Holy Dragon Alliance who appeared through the portal. This group of villains who would do anything for profit had their cursors already turned orange.

"Fenglin Huoshan? Where is the black swordsman?"

"This road is blocked, you bastards!"

"Want a gunfight?"

"Just you? Come on!"

(Follow Hachiman's script completely...never make him angry again)

----

The moonlight on Christmas Eve coated the Lost Forest with silver frost. When Kirito's black clothes disappeared into the shadows of the fir trees, Hachiman held Asuna's shoulder as she tried to chase him: "Wait a minute." In the bushes where they were lurking, Asuna's hair brushed against Hachiman's neck. Hachiman counted his heartbeats on the stopwatch until the first sound of weapons clashing was heard in the woods.

At twelve o'clock midnight, [Nicholas the Apostate] showed up as expected.

When Kirito used up the last crystal, Nicholas' HP was also on the verge of depletion.

(Critical point...I really want him to solve it himself)

"Want to attack?"

"hold on"

When the blast of air created by Nicholas blew off Hachiman's hood, he squinted at the sparks that flew from the collision between Kirito and the boss, and suddenly grabbed Asuna's wrist: "Now!"

But the moment the two rushed out, Kirito used all his strength to defeat Nicholas.

"Mind your own business." Kirito said hoarsely, his sweaty black hair sticking to his pale cheeks.

"But one more hit would be too late. The timing is perfect."

Kirito turned around while checking the dropped items, a look of helplessness written all over his face. The two of them had thought there were no resurrection items, but—

"Hachiman, this is for you. Thank you very much."

The [Resurrection Crystal] presented to him was indeed a genuine resurrection item. The instructions indicated that it must be used within ten seconds of the subject's death, which Hachiman understood to mean that it must be used before the neural link device launched microwaves.

"Is everything I do...meaningless?"

“It’s up to you to judge for yourself.”

"...Just keep watching."

"I feel sorry...don't mind it."

Kirito left silently, and when he reunited with Fuurinkazan, Klein had successfully completed the obstruction mission.

After the group disbanded, Asuna stayed at Hachiman's house, and the two had a brief conversation that night:

"Kirito-kun, are you okay..."

“I can only trust him.”

"...If I die, will Hachiman be like that too?"

"You won't die, Asuna. Absolutely not. Neither will I. That's all that's good." Hachiman's tone was exceptionally firm, like an established fact, giving Asuna an inexplicable sense of security.

"Um..."

"Go to bed and feel free to use the bathroom."

The next day, they saw Kirito standing at the door with a steaming hot breakfast in his hand. The dark circles under the young man's eyes had faded a little, and the corners of his mouth raised a long-lost arc.

"Next mission..." The black-clad swordsman stuffed food into the two men's arms, "It's my treat."

Hachiman bit through the crispy crust, and the sweetness exploded on his tongue. He looked at the players playing on the street and suddenly wished that this fake Christmas could last a little longer.

SAO: Chapter 39 The So-Called "Real Thing"

"The planner of this game is definitely a psychopath!"

When the boss guarding the 50th floor swung his giant sword for the third time, the entire crystal room shook.

The boss's body, which was as tall as a four-story building, was wrapped in purple-black flames. A red danger frame suddenly popped up on Hachiman's retina - this was a warning from the system that he was about to be subjected to a fatal attack.

"Defense team, take turns covering!" Heathcliff's roar was particularly clear amid the sound of swords piercing the air. "Asuna, lead the men around!"

The rapier user's silver cloak drew a meteor-like trail in the firelight.

Hachiman smashed his sword into the crack in the ground with his backhand, and used the reaction force to leap onto the stone pillar on the left.

In the team list in the upper right corner of the field of vision, the green light dots representing companions are extinguishing at an alarming speed.

"Hachiman!" Klein's katana barely blocked the sweeping bone spur. "How come this guy's rampage is even more exaggerated than the forty-fifth level!"

I rolled over to avoid the splashing lava, and the digitized pain made my calves burn. I caught a glimpse of the boss's health bar - 70% of the last line, but our combat power was less than one-third of what it was at the beginning of the battle.

The Holy Dragon Alliance tanks were using shield wall tactics to stall for time. The clash of metal was accompanied by Lind's curses: "This shit really follows the rule of one-quarter."

"Is there any point in saying this now?" Agil carried his giant axe and knocked away Bakaha who was about to be engulfed in flames, "Kirito!"

The figure in the black windbreaker shot up like an arrow, and his one-handed sword drew eight consecutive strikes in the air, but the boss deflected all the attacks with just the heavy armor on his body.

When Kirito used the momentum to flip backwards, Hachiman clearly saw data fragments seeping out of his knuckles - this was a sign that the durability of the weapon was about to reach zero.

"Captain!" Asuna's rapier pierced the boss's weak spot under his ribs. "Switch!"

Heathcliff's cross shield suddenly emitted a dazzling light. The man known as "SAO's strongest iron wall" used a one-handed shield to block the boss's full-strength slash, and sparks burst out from the shield.

Hachiman noticed that his HP hadn't decreased at all—just how outrageous was this guy's defense? Or was it just the effect of the "Holy Sword" ability that was really unfair?

"Now!" Hachiman broke the enemy's armor at the joints, whose durability had been almost depleted. "Everyone, attack the joints!"

Several sword lights pierced the monster's knees at the same time. Accompanied by the sound of shattering glass, the BOSS let out a deafening roar, and a dark red halo representing weakness appeared above its head.

This was originally a perfect opportunity to attack, but cold sweat suddenly broke out on Hachiman's back - there was something wrong with the beast's attack pattern!

"Retreat! There's a second stage of rampage!"

The warning was still half a second too late. Several bone spurs suddenly burst out from the BOSS's spine, and the six players who were unable to dodge were instantly pierced through.

Before their bodies turned into blue fragments, Hachiman could even see the shocked expressions on some of them.

"Hachiman!" Asuna's voice was unusually flustered. "Command is up to you!"

There are only 23 people left on the field now, and the boss's health is only 15%. The people from the Holy Dragon Alliance are using human wall tactics to protect those who are running out of blood. Cracks have appeared on the axe blade of Agil.

Hachiman roared at the top of his lungs, "The tank team, rotate into groups to cover the casualties! Klein, take the men to the east to activate the mechanism!"

"Are you crazy?" Lind shouted. "We have to go through the lava pool!"

"That's why I let that red-haired idiot go!" Hachiman kicked away the flying debris. "I believe him!"

"Who are you calling an idiot?" Klein complained as he had already rushed five meters away. This guy actually jumped over the wall and rushed to the control console.

When the gears of the mechanism turned, the entire hall suddenly tilted thirty degrees. The BOSS's huge body staggered due to imbalance. Heathcliff seized the opportunity to launch a shield attack, actually making it stiff.

"Kirito!"

"learn!"

The black-clad swordsman rushed forward like a ghost, and the sword in his hand, wrapped in a blue light, pierced into the BOSS's eye socket. The combo of "Snake Bite" and "Stardust Slash" completely emptied the remaining blood bar.

Cheers broke out and everyone congratulated each other. Then everyone rested on the spot and the atmosphere gradually calmed down.

Although the actual battle lasted only about an hour, the casualties were heavy, and it can be foreseen that the progress of the strategy will be significantly slowed down.

"Hey Kirito, what did the boss drop?"

"It's a one-handed straight sword called 'Elucidator', its attributes..."

"Wow, this will last a long time, right?"

"Well, I save money on strengthening my weapons."