Chen Mo's footsteps halted.
He turned around, his gaze falling on the purple-haired girl, a hint of curiosity in his eyes.
Mito stood rooted to the spot, an impeccable business smile on her face, but her slowly clenching fists betrayed the turmoil beneath her calm exterior.
"I'd like to spar with Argo."
With that one sentence, the air in the clearing instantly grew heavy.
Argo blinked her nimble cat-like eyes, thinking she had misheard.
"Eh? Me?"
She pointed a finger at her own nose, her face full of bewilderment.
"That's right."
Mito took a step forward, a nearly fanatical light burning in her purple eyes.
"They say 'Argo the Rat' is incredibly skilled. I'm very curious."
Asuna's brows furrowed immediately.
"Mito, don't be ridiculous! Argo is an Information Broker, not a battle player."
"Is that so?"
Mito tilted her head, the curve of her lips becoming intriguing.
"But I heard that she's been able to stay by Chen Mo's side, delving into the front lines. If she didn't have enough strength to protect herself, how would she have survived until now?"
Chen Mo turned around again, his gaze scrutinizing Mito as if it were a physical force.
This girl was like a sharp blade hidden in an ornate sheath; her gentleness was merely a disguise, and the sharpness in her words was directed straight at Argo.
"You want to try?"
Argo finally came to her senses. Far from being afraid, she smiled, immediately rolled up her sleeves, revealing a few shallow scars on her arm.
"Alright, but I'm no gentle young lady."
"That's even better."
Mito drew a massive scythe from her waist, its dark purple blade glinting dangerously in the sunlight.
"Wait!"
Kirito struggled to his feet, still out of breath.
"Why are you two fighting?"
Mito ignored him, her gaze fixed intently on Argo.
"So, what do you say? Do you dare accept, Miss Rat?"
Argo looked at Chen Mo, who simply nodded calmly.
"As you wish."
A single look was more eloquent than a thousand words.
That trust completely settled Argo's heart, and she took out her usual dagger from her ITEM.
Although one was an elite of a top guild and the other an Information Broker operating in the gray areas.
But Argo didn't care at all, instead, she grinned, revealing two small fangs.
"Little sis, don't think good equipment means you'll win, okay?"
Mito took out a [Duel Crystal] and crushed it without any hesitation.
The translucent light barrier rose again, enveloping the two figures.
"Rules?"
Argo rotated her wrists, producing crisp popping sounds from her joints.
"Very simple."
Mito adopted an offensive stance, the tip of her scythe pointing obliquely at the ground.
"One round decides the winner. Whoever gets hit three times first loses."
"Agreed."
The moment the words fell, they moved!
Mito's offensive was like a whirlwind; the massive scythe was as light as nothing in her hands, transforming into a purple afterimage, striking directly at Argo's shoulder!
But Argo was faster.
Her body was pressed extremely low, like a shadow gliding along the ground, cutting into Mito's side at an inconceivable angle.
The dagger precisely touched Mito's waist.
"One to zero."
Argo executed a nimble backflip, creating distance, and triumphantly twirled the dagger in her hand.
Outside the light barrier, Asuna gasped, covering her mouth in astonishment.
She had never seen Argo truly fight and hadn't expected this always-smiling Information Broker to be so agile and fierce.
Mito lowered her head to glance at the hit area, the smile on her face completely vanishing, replaced by a cold expression.
"Interesting."
She charged again, her speed significantly faster than before!
The cold gleam of the scythe wove a dense, impenetrable net, each strike precisely sealing off Argo's evasion routes.
Argo was like an elf dancing on a blade's edge, her figure elusive.
But Mito's attack frequency was simply too high, and Argo eventually revealed a slight opening.
The end of the scythe's handle, at a tricky angle, struck her right arm.
"One to one."
Mito's voice was devoid of any fluctuation.
The two reset their distance.
In the third round, Mito didn't rush to attack, but instead prowled slowly like a leopard, searching for Argo's weaknesses.
Suddenly, Mito exerted force with her feet, and her body shot forward!
The scythe, with a tearing shriek through the air, swept horizontally towards Argo's waist and abdomen!
Argo's retreat was completely cut off.
She could only meet it head-on!
"Clang!"
The dagger and scythe collided violently, sending out dazzling sparks.
In that instant, Mito's left hand, at some unknown point, held a short blade. Taking advantage of Argo's block, the blade's tip lightly touched her ribs!
"Two to one."
Argo staggered back a few steps, her expression becoming serious.
"Quick weapon switch... you've been hiding a lot."
Mito put away the short blade, holding the scythe with one hand.
"I just wanted to know what qualifications someone who can stand by the strongest player possesses."
Her words were cold and arrogant.
"Now it seems, it's nothing special."
These words completely ignited Argo's fighting spirit.
She took a deep breath, and her entire aura abruptly changed.
If before it was just a spar, now, she was serious.
The fourth round of engagement erupted instantly!
Argo abandoned her evasive movements and actively launched an offensive. The dagger in her hand danced, leaving deadly afterimages, each strike vicious and tricky, aimed directly at Mito's vital points.
Mito was forced to retreat repeatedly for a moment.
Just as she stabilized herself and prepared to counterattack, Argo performed an inconceivable move.
She actually leaned back into a 'backbend iron bridge' posture, falling backward, but the dagger in her hand strangely flicked upwards, its tip precisely touching Mito's chin!
"Two to two."
Argo sprang up with a carp-like flip, a cunning smile returning to her face.
"Little sis, now you know how good I am, right?"
Mito wiped away non-existent dust from her chin with her thumb, her purple eyes now containing only pure battlelust.
"Deciding round."
Her aura had completely changed; her gentle disguise was shattered.
"Come on!"
The two figures clashed again!
No probing, no holding back, only the most primal struggle!
Scythe and dagger clashed furiously, sparks flying continuously.
Their figures were incredibly fast, leaving two blurry afterimages within the light barrier.
Kirito's eyes widened. He realized that the combat level of these two girls was completely on par with any ace of a top Assault Team!
The battle took a sudden turn in the next second!
Mito feigned an opening, luring Argo to rush in, then spun her scythe, slashing at Argo's waist with a killing blow!
This strike was fast, accurate, and ruthless!
Argo's pupils constricted. She wanted to dodge, but found that her body's momentum made it too late!
It's over!
Just as Asuna gasped in alarm outside the light barrier.
Argo, who was about to be cut in half, showed no despair on her face; instead, a glint of successful calculation flashed in her eyes!
She didn't retreat but advanced, meeting the deadly blade, and suddenly ducked forward, her entire body like a civet cat, darting into Mito's embrace!
This was a life-or-death gamble!
A flicker of surprise crossed Mito's eyes; she hadn't expected Argo to be so reckless!
Her embrace was empty; the scythe's fatal blow missed!
And it was in this split second.
Argo's dagger had silently pressed against Mito's heart.
The cold touch made Mito's entire body stiffen.
The light barrier dissipated with a sound.
The victor was decided.
"Three to two."
Argo retracted her dagger, whistled, and smiled like a cat that had stolen fish.
"You yielded, little sis."
Mito stood rooted to the spot, her face pale, staring intently at Argo, then slowly turning to the always-silent Chen Mo, her eyes filled with unwillingness and madness.
"You won..." She squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth, her voice hoarse, "But, you don't deserve it at all..."
Before she could finish, Chen Mo had already taken Argo's hand and turned to leave, not even sparing Mito an extra glance.
Even if she was Asuna's friend, a top player of the Knights of the Blood Oath.
But that wasn't a reason for Chen Mo to respond to her.
To lose was to lose; there was nothing to explain.
Mito clutched her scythe tightly, her knuckles white from the force, her body trembling slightly with anger.
Asuna walked forward worriedly: "Mito..."
Mito, however, suddenly turned around, left a "I'm fine," and then teleported away.
In the clearing, Kirito slumped to the ground, panting heavily, his eyes vacant.
He looked at the direction Chen Mo and Argo had left, then at where Mito had disappeared, feeling that he understood this world less and less.
"Hey, dummy."
Argo tugged Chen Mo's hand.
"Hmm?"
"Was I cool just now?" She looked up, her eyes full of little stars seeking praise.
Chen Mo's steps didn't stop, he just looked ahead, but a curve, which he himself hadn't noticed, formed at the corner of his mouth.
"Not bad."