The killing intent from Kajiro's katana closed in until Ren could feel the icy shriek of metal slicing through the air one more fraction of a second, and it would sever his artery.
Clutching the flag tightly, his center of gravity pitched forward and his movement skill still locked in cooldown, Ren was utterly powerless.
And yet, at the very instant death loomed, a streak of ashen-silver light exploded forth like lightning, overwhelming the multicolored glow spilling down from the ceiling of the chamber.
A piercing clash of metal rang out, violent enough to generate a small shockwave that blasted the surrounding dust aside.
Sparks scattered wildly between the two blades, illuminating the face of the one who had intervened.
Standing between them was Rin.
Her short charcoal-black hair whipped backward in the surge of energy radiating from her sword, eyes sharp as pools of liquid silver, their afterimage still clinging to the slender yet unyielding blade.
Unlike Kirito's brand of righteousness, upright yet forgiving, Rin's presence carried a quiet, razor-edged danger, sharp and unmistakably deterrent.
She had activated an ultra-fast counter skill, knocking Kajiro's lethal trajectory off course just before it could touch Ren's skin.
Rin didn't look at Kajiro. She merely tilted her head slightly, stray strands of hair obscuring her irritated gaze, revealing a faint smile devoid of warmth.
Her voice was light, yet cold enough to seep into bone as it poured into her opponent's ear like a curse."Your hand's shaking, Kajiro. Or… would you like me to help you cut off that disobedient arm and be done with it?"
Kajiro maintained his indifferent expression, but his jaw twitched sharply a rare sign of disturbance.
The katana remained pinned under Rin's blade, the grinding screech of steel against steel stretching the tension to its limit.
Rin's intervention had not only saved Ren's life, but also stripped away Kajiro's façade, rendering his little "slip-up" farcical in front of all the watching players.
Ren tightened his grip on the flag, feeling the warmth from Rin's small yet unyielding back standing firmly before him.
The Ashen Edge in her hand did not budge an inch, its ashen-silver edge pressing down on Kajiro's katana without mercy.
She stood there, motionless like a statue of ice, sharp eyes unblinking as they locked down every movement of her opponent.
Only when Kajiro let out a breath and slowly sheathed his katana did Rin lift her blade in response, though its tip still angled loosely toward the ground, ready to erupt at any moment.
Kajiro dipped his head slightly, his hair shadowing the expression in his eyes as his voice rang out, sounding subdued, almost remorseful.
"I'm sorry… I acted too hastily when I saw Varn trying to escape. His teleport was too sudden, the crystal's light disoriented me. I nearly made an irreparable mistake. Thank you for stepping in, Rin."
The apology flowed smoothly, paired with a conciliatory attitude that caused the surrounding players to begin lowering their weapons, the tension easing ever so slightly.
And yet, standing right behind Rin, Ren could clearly see that her grip on the hilt of Ashen Edge had not loosened in the slightest.
Rin didn't believe him. Neither did Ren. A swordsman of Kajiro's caliber would never commit such a fundamentally "disoriented" mistake.
"Don't let it happen again," Rin said flatly, then turned sharply toward Ren.
Her gaze softened just a touch upon seeing him unharmed, but immediately hardened again when it fell upon the Flag of Valor in his hands.
Only then did Ren snap out of his tangled thoughts.
His cheeks felt faintly warm, a strange mix of guilt and embarrassment welling up as he met Rin's sharp eyes, eyes that concealed genuine concern beneath their edge.
Fortunately, the heavy iron helmet still concealed his face… though, honestly, it looked no different from an overturned tin bucket stuck on his head.
The moment the word "bucket" crossed his mind, a chill ran down Ren's spine. Instinctively, he scanned the chaotic room, heart pounding, just to make sure there wasn't some Dark Elf blacksmith with a "murderous" expression lurking nearby.
Once he confirmed that the terrifying smith was nowhere in sight to nag him about his equipment, Ren finally let out a quiet sigh, his shoulders relaxing just a little.
Then, without a shred of hesitation, Ren raised his arm.
Before the crowd's eyes burning red with ambition, he hurled the radiant bundle of cloth straight toward Asuna.
The "Lightning Flash" was already charging in like a storm, each step so fast it left shimmering afterimages across the floor.
Because Asuna's initial position had been fairly far away, even with her top-tier frontline speed, she still needed a brief moment longer to reach the battlefield.
The legendary flag traced a flawless arc through the air.
The entire room seemed to freeze.
Players who had been charging forward at full tilt abruptly halted, their faces twisting with shock and disbelief.
They had witnessed Okotan's betrayal, Varn's deception, and Kajiro's calculation, all for that single piece of cloth.
And yet Ren, the one holding it now, threw it away with casual indifference, as if discarding a worthless scrap of trash, not even sparing a second to glance at the legendary item's stat window.
Ren's disregard for the treasure stunned even Kajiro for a fleeting moment.
"Asuna, catch it! You'll keep it safer!" Ren shouted, his voice echoing from beneath the iron helmet.
The flag fell neatly into Asuna's grasp. The instant her fingers closed around the staff, the radiance of the Flag of Valor surged forth, blazing brilliantly enough to dispel, if only slightly, the gloom that had settled over the chamber.
Ren followed Asuna's figure, letting out a quiet sigh beneath the weight of his heavy helmet.
In his mind, he quickly ran the numbers. Kirito was certainly reliable in terms of raw strength...but his reputation as the "Black Swordsman" on the front lines was still… well, how should one put it, complicated, to say the least.
The rumors surrounding the "Beater" label and Kirito's solitary playstyle remained far too great a burden for him to legitimately hold onto an item this important without igniting open conflict.
But Asuna was different.
Not only did she enjoy near-absolute trust among frontline players thanks to her fame and tireless contributions in countless life-and-death battles, more importantly, at this moment, Asuna was still an independent player.
She had not officially joined any major guild yet. Letting her hold the flag was the clearest possible proof that the item would not be monopolized as a tool of power by any single faction such as ALS or DKB.
And above all else, Ren trusted her character.
In a virtual world riddled with deception, Asuna was one of the very few people he could place his faith in without hesitation.
Seeing the flag safely in the hands of the "Lightning Flash," those who moments ago had been blinded by ambition, and even those quietly nurturing thoughts of theft, suddenly froze.
They exchanged glances, then collectively let out sighs of reluctant resignation. No one had the courage or rather, no one was foolish enough to cause trouble for a swordswoman of Asuna's caliber and reputation.
The chaos subsided, replaced by a grudging but necessary consensus.
Ren gave a small nod, sending Rin a look filled with genuine gratitude. Without that ashen-silver blade of hers, he might have paid dearly for his moment of carelessness. Rin simply sheathed her sword in silence. Her expression remained cold, but the faint nod she returned showed that she had received his intent.
Leaving behind the suffocating atmosphere, the calculating stares of the crowd, and the ever-unreadable Kajiro, Ren quickened his pace to follow Asuna and Kirito.
Asuna still held the flag tightly, her upright posture serving as a silent assurance that the item had found its proper temporary bearer.
Instead of waiting for the others to activate the teleport gate as usual, Ren chose to follow the two of them.
This was Ren's first time climbing floors on foot in SAO.
Ancient stone steps, worn and moss-covered, stretched endlessly upward, leading toward a new land they had yet to see.
The sound of his metal boots striking stone echoed through the quiet, mystical passageway, forming a steady rhythm.
The sensation was strange.
It wasn't fast or instantaneous like standing on a teleport circle, but it carried a vivid sense of reality, that they were truly conquering this floating castle, step by step.
Each stair was progress. Each step left behind the betrayal and turmoil of the lower floor, moving closer to the dim light spilling down from the exit above.
"You seem to be enjoying the stairs," Kirito chuckled softly, glancing at Ren as he noticed him constantly looking around at the architecture.
Ren scratched his head, giving an awkward smile beneath the helmet."Well… I just wanted to feel how tall this castle really is. And besides, walking like this kind of makes it feel like we're actually on a trip."
Asuna, walking ahead, smiled faintly as well. The flag in her hand glowed softly, illuminating the path before them. After so much chaos, this rare moment of peace among the three of them felt priceless.
They continued on, leaving behind the darkness of greed, preparing to face whatever challenges awaited them on the next floor of Aincrad.
But then....
Ren's steps suddenly halted midway on the stone staircase. The dry clang of metal against stone cut off abruptly, replaced by a strange silence enveloping the narrow passage.
He slowly turned around.
Behind him stood Rin, her small figure slightly blurred beneath the dim light spilling from the Boss room.
Her gaze no longer held the sharpness or cold intensity she'd shown when confronting Kajiro. Instead, there was uncertainty, like she was searching for something long buried behind that iron helmet shaped like a "bucket."
And then she asked, a question that seemed completely unrelated to the current situation, the legendary flag, or the betrayal that had just occurred.
"So… you did buy the chocolate, right?"
Ren remained silent for a long moment. Beneath the helmet, the corner of his lips twitched.
A feeling both absurd and bittersweet yet strangely warm spread through his chest.
He knew exactly what Rin was talking about.
Unbidden, Ren remembered that fateful Valentine's Day long ago, a promise left unfinished before the real world collapsed into this virtual one.
He had recognized her. From the very first moment he saw her again… he knew who she was.
But they hadn't gone anywhere from there.
He didn't want to shoulder the weight of a past that was already lost.
In the end, only a dry sound escaped his mouth.
"Huh?"
That single "Huh?" sounded clueless, tinged with indifference as if he'd just heard the most nonsensical question in the world.
After saying it, Ren immediately turned and walked on, his metal boots pounding against the stone steps, deliberately loud, as if trying to drown out the erratic heartbeat hammering inside his chest.
He didn't dare stop.
Rin stood still on the cold stone steps.
The light in her eyes flickered out, replaced by a hollow ache that spread deep into her core.
She looked down at her slightly trembling hand, then at the iron "bucket" growing farther away ahead, clumsy, unfamiliar.
The resolve she had shown moments ago when she raised her sword to protect him now collapsed into overwhelming disappointment.
She bit her lip lightly. The pride of a swordswoman was wounded and with it, the fragile hope she had clung to: that a friend from the past, the one remaining thread tying her to the real world, might still exist.
Of course… that friend of hers had never been interested in games anyway… so there was no way he could be here.
"So… it really was just a coincidence?" Rin whispered, her voice catching in the gray stone silence.
She lowered her head, hair falling to hide her face as she followed after them, now keeping a noticeably greater distance.
Ahead, Ren continued walking.
But each step felt as heavy as if shackled in chains, leaving behind a friend he had just rejected with his own hands.
Volume 2: The Stepping Stone (End)