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Chapter 407: Chapter 403 ~ Heathcliff

"Yuuji-kun! It has been a while! It's nice to see you again."

Yuna approached Yuuji with a light jog as Asuna followed after her from behind. 

Her smile shining brightly, brighter than even her white cape and hat against the sunlight. 

"It's been a while, Yuna. It's great to see you doing well."

She looked curiously between Yuuji and Lux and asked. 

"What were you talking about?"

Yuuji's smile quickly turned into a sigh before pointing at Lux. 

"She's being stupid and calling me with that strange nickname again."

He had expected Yuna's support and perhaps admonish Lux lightly for teasing their close friend. 

She had always been the mediator whenever Yuuji and Lux would have a quarrel. She'd mediate between them even more often than Asuna. 

That's why, Yuuji was absolutely caught off guard by what came out next from her mouth.

"Eh? But why? It's so cool!"

""Pfft!""

Yuuji stared at Yuna's sparkling eyes in frozen shock. His lips opened in a big "O" while Lux and Asuna muffled their laughter from behind them. 

Until finally, Lux failed to hold her laughter back.

"Ahahaha! That's right, Yuuji! Isn't your title sooooo cool- Ow ow ow!!"

Yuuji felt his eye twitch in annoyance and grabbed Lux's head in a vice grip. 

"Alright then, shall we get going now? We can explore around the 39th floor and settle in an inn there before the big day."

"Sure!"

Yuna and Asuna made their way to the Teleporter dais, while Yuuji followed after them from behind, dragging Lux by the head. 

"Ah! Yuna-chan is leaving!"

"Wait! Let me get an autograph!"

Before the could step onto the dais, a crowd of her fans swarmed the group, pushing against each other in hopes to reach Yuna first and get a chance to interact with her before she left. 

In the end, Yuuji had to let go of his vice grip on Lux's head and work together to disperse the crowd, just like how they've done so many times before. 

"Alright, everyone! Make way! We don't want our idol to be late for her concerts now do we?"

"Tha'ts right! She'll be having a concert on the 39th floor in a few days! It'll be to encourage the front liners for their upcoming boss raid! Everyone is welcome to watch!"

Instantly, surprise and disbelief spread across the crowd faster than ink in water. 

"What?! Is that true?!"

"I-I gotta go and see this!"

"We need to pack up and go to the 39th floor quickly!"

Taking advantage of the distraction, Yuuji and Lux quickly carved a path by deftly dispersing the crowd on their way, while Asuna ushered Lux to the teleporter. 

"Teleport, Floor 39!"

In a blink of an eye, Asuna and Yuna disappeared before the crowd in a flash of light, and the two followed suit soon after, leaving behind the crowd of fans. 

"Hehe, we made it! That went smoother than usual."

Yuna nodded, placing a hand on Lux's shoulder as she held a hand to her chest, calming down her beating heart. 

"It's all thanks to Yuuji-kun and Asuna-san. If it's just the two of us, we wouldn't have got to the dais this quickly! After all, some would even ask for your autograph, right Lux?"

For a brief instant, Lux flinched at Yuna's words, and memories of it actually happening flashed across her mind. 

At first, she was shocked. She believed she had heard wrong that one of Yuna's fans had actually come to her and asked for her autograph instead of Yuna's. 

Then, the second time came. Then a third. 

And before long, a number of people from the crowd of fans that usually gathered for Yuna also began asking her for her autograph. 

She didn't know how it came to be… After all, she had never performed anything or even been in a proximity of the spotlight!

But Yuuji didn't miss Lux's reaction. 

"Oh? Really?"

The pale-haired beauty instantly turned towards him with a glare that would've been more intimidating if not for her adorable pout and redly blushing cheeks. 

Asuna, having calmed herself down from the sudden rush to escape the crowd before they were completely surrounded, also chimed in.

"I agree! Lux-chan is also super cute~ It'd be great if she'd form a unit with Yuna-chan too!"

"That's what I said too!"

Yuna instantly agreed with Asuna's words, and Lux winced at the mere notion of becoming an idol. 

How could she even be an idol? 

She was aware of her own appearance. And she knew that she had the visual that would certainly be suitable for an idol. 

But, she couldn't sing half as decent as Yuna, and she could barely move her body that would pass as "dancing". Moreover, she didn't like becoming the center of attention!

She just wanted to live quietly with his friends and silently support them from behind. Being an idol was the last thing she had in mind. 

She had seen how difficult it was, first hand, for Yuna to keep her privacy and walk around in leisure after gaining her fame as a songstress. 

If she were to gain fame and attention, how would she be able to live life peacefully? Moreover, she wouldn't be able to do her usual infiltration missions and information gathering.

"Heh, maybe you should give it a try? You'll definitely be a great ido- Uggh…"

"Shut up, Yuuji."

"That was cheap…"

Yuuji bent to his side, holding the side of his waist which had been mercilessly stabbed by Lux and her iron-finger jab. 

And that alone was enough of a lesson to stop him from teasing the smiling devil named Lux again. 

At least, for now.

The two in front continued with their pleasant conversation, while Yuuji and Lux followed them from behind in silence. 

"Where are we going?"

Lux asked. 

"To the inn Asuna and I rented out in advance for us. It's where we'll be staying at least for the next few days. There will be a big gathering of clearers to prepare for the 39th floor boss raid. The concert will be held the day after that, so we may not be able to help with you on the days leading to it-"

"Hm?"

His words cut short, and Lux turned towards him in confusion.

He had stopped a few steps behind Lux. 

And right after, the two at the front also noticed and turned around to see both Lux and Yuuji now a few steps away from them. 

"What's wrong, Yuuji?"

They all looked at him as he gazed off to his side. And when they followed his gaze, Asuna sighed deeply. 

"They're here again…?"

A group of heavily armored knights in white and red full, heavy plate armor and pure white cape marched in their direction. Their armor clinked in discipline and gravitas with each step. 

Sheathed behind two knights was a broad sword, tightly clasped against their plate armor. 

Their eyes naturally exuded the gaze of a hardened veteran. The younger one with jet-black hair, especially so. While the bearded man, belying his combat-ready presence, held a small friendly smile. 

On the other side, the third had a silhouette unlike what one would expect from a "clearer". He was shorter than the two with a more robust physique, especially around his torso, enough to make it obvious how heavily customized his heavy plate armor had been during its creation. 

Players in full gear was not rare in Aincrad's newest liberated floor. It was a place where only the highest levels of players would visit, and their reason for visit wouldn't be simply for sight seeing. 

In that sense, Lux and Yuna's presence on the 39th floor should've stood out more. 

But their presence was quickly dwarfed by the insignia of a red sword upon a pure white background and the man leading them. 

Yuuji was familiar with the knights in white. In fact, if anything, they were quite friendly. 

They've fought together for a number of times. Mostly during floor boss raids for the first two gentlemen. While for the later, during the preparation for the raids. 

But out of the people in the group, he was most familiar with the man leading them. 

The tall, middle-aged man was the only one with white hair, perfectly combed back with only a piece of hair flowing down the left side to frame his stern visage. 

But despite his apparent age, he led the group with the vigor and charisma of a true leader of men. 

Adorned in similar armor to the others, with only the opposite color scheme, his presence dwarfed that of the others by many folds. 

A knight of the highest caliber. And Yuuji knew it to not only be true in presence, but in reality as well. 

But just as his gaze caught his, his stern frown softened into a warm smile. 

"It has been a while, Yuuji-kun, Asuna-kun."

He spoke in a friendly manner, extending a hand towards Yuuji. 

"What a coincidence… Or perhaps not. I didn't expect all the leaders of the famous Knights of Blood to personally come find us this time."

Their arms clasped in a forearm shake as Yuuji shook his head helplessly. 

""Eh?! That Knights of Blood?!""

Yuuji nodded, and his confirmation only served to shock Lux and Yuna more. 

The Knights of Blood guild was famous for their strength, especially amongst the clearers. 

Their numbers might not be as numerous as the larger guilds. In fact, their numbers were incomparable to the Aincrad's Front Liberation Group, at least before the tragedy that wiped out a majority of their number while Yuuji and Asuna were absent from the boss raids. 

They consisted only of 30 members. Barely enough for a full raid party. 

But each and every one of them were high-leveled veterans, not only highly skilled in battles, but also various other aspects of the game. 

And after the fall of Aincrad's Front Liberation Group, they were quickly acknowledged and rose to become Aincrad's leading guild. 

"Yes. This is their leader, Heathcliff. And this is Godfree, leader of team A, Uzala, leader of team B, and Daizen, the head of finances of the guild."

The three men smiled and nodded towards the two girls, who were still shocked by their sudden appearance. 

Murmurs began to brew amongst players who had halted in their steps upon noticing them, forming a loose circle that would quickly turn into a crowd. 

And noticing this, Yuuji skipped the formalities and addressed Heathcliff directly. 

"So? What is your intention for going out of your way to find us today?"

He smiled softly, his demeanor remained that of a friendly ally. 

"Bright as you are, I'm sure both of you already know what we wish to discuss today."

He gave Yuuji a good look, then to Asuna, before going back to him. 

"I wish to invite both of you to the Knights of Blood. With your skills and dedication, and the support of our guild's strength and influence, we'd be able to clear the floors in a more quick succession."

The offer was clear, and Yuji knew it to be genuine. Heathcliff truly wanted him and Asuna in his guild, for obvious reasons. 

But the offer wasn't new. He had been dangling his guild's resources and influence at him and Asuna to lure them into joining his guild. 

To outsiders , Heathcliff's words bore no falsehood. With their resources and influence, Yuuji and Asuna would be able to spearhead the floor boss raids and clear floors much more quickly. 

But Yuuji and Asuna were no ordinary players. No matter how much resources they received from the guild, it would still be less efficient for their growth in the long run considering the responsibilities they would have towards the guild.

Unless given full freedom with no responsibilities towards the guild, such as sharing their own resources or time to help the guild, he would prefer staying solo. 

Then again, if he was to be granted that kind of freedom, his presence in the guild would be meaningless. 

He would only be a member by name, and "Yuuji" couldn't be compared to "Sword God" in terms of fame. 

"We appreciate your offer, Heathcliff-san. But our answer will be the same. I'm sorry, but we refuse."

Asuna nodded in agreement. Her thoughts the same as Yuuji. 

Their answer remained the same. And Heathcliff had expected it. 

"I see. Then, how about this?"

He walked closer and leaned in for a whisper to Yuuji. 

"I will make you the leader of a special strike force group with Asuna-kun as your vice. You will be under my direct command and be given the highest extent of freedom in the guild. You will bear no responsibilities in helping other members. And you will be given all the resources and access to our guild's intelligence network as you see fit. In return, I only wish for two things."

Yuuji narrowed his eyes and glazed towards Heatcliff, and saw a look he didn't expect to appear on the man. 

"Clear the floors… and hunt every member of the red-player guild, Laughing Coffin."

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