Yet another Viros enters the story! And the most powerful one yet (cough cough, Seyat's Sister). The picture displayed in the media is of what Mikoto wore in the tournament (due to Eugeo's unfortunate mistake) and what Hei Long looks like. (Let me know if Wattpad deletes the picture.. again XD)

"Hmm hmm.. hmm.." Mikoto hummed a merry tune as she washed a good many plates in the sink. As she did, Sinon cleaned up the table from the hurried breakfast that they had recently gone through.

It had been 5 months, which was around 18 hours in the real world if one calculated with better estimation then Red-Eyed XaXa. News had not yet reached Mikoto and her friends that Laughing Coffin had somehow come into the Underworld as well.

For the past 3 months, The 5 friends had been working as farm helpers to a nice family on the edge of Zakkaria. As Kirito and Eugeo handled themselves in the fields, Sinon, Mikoto and Yuniko assisted around the house, cleaning, cooking, and helping out the twin daughters of the family whenever it came time to collect eggs or feed the animals.

Apparently, the Avatars of those in the Underworld grew and matured a lot like humans in the real world, but they aged far more slowly. While Kirito and Eugeo had grown fit and strong from their labors, Mikoto had seen some boys who looked 14, but were actually around 17. Apparently aging slowed for those in the underworld around 15. Mikoto wondered if that meant increased lifespan, then again, she would probably figure it out if in about 2 years her chest didn't get any bigger..

And if that happened, she would feel pretty sour in all honesty.

As Mikoto continued to wash the dishes, Eugeo and Kirito came in, looking like they just had a nice rough day practicing sword skills, and for a very good reason. Today was finally the day, the day of the Sword Arts Tournament, the first step for Kirito, Eugeo and Mikoto to become Integrity Knights, while Sinon in the meantime would be taking the Archery Corps Exam later at night. (The nighttime thing was to test an Archer's accuracy under the cover of darkness, as the Archery Corps were mainly a reconnaissance group.)

"Misaka-chan.." said Eugeo. "I got your new clothes back from the seamstress today. It should be good as new and ready for the tournament later."

"Thank you Eugeo-kun." said Mikoto. "That's nice of you.."

"A-ah.. you know." said Eugeo blushing. "Anything for you M-Misaka-chan!"

Mikoto sighed as Eugeo ran off leaving Kirito in the room to walk up and help finish cleaning up.

"You know," said Kirito. "You should really give him an answer... tell him you've already got somebody you're seeing.."

"Well.. we kind of got stuck here before me and Touma even started our date." said Mikoto. "So that would be lying. And secondly.. H-he seems so nice and fragile! To be honest, every time I run over a rejection scene in my mind.. I start seeing him crying!"

"Ehh.." Kirito frowned. "Wow.. to be honest.. I agree with the whole rejection scenario.. but you can't put him off forever.. eventually he's going to ask you out.. he's getting more courageous and determined every day."

Mikoto shifted uneasily. "Ooooohhh.. darn.. Hey, Kirito? Could you finish this up for me? I'm going to go put the clothes on that Eugeo got back from the seamstress.."

"Yeah sure." said Kirito. As he went to finish off the last few plates, Mikoto walked off to change.

Eugeo walked back in at the same time, carrying three sheathed swords. The first , was an ordinary sword that was often used by gaurds, nowhere near divine instruments, and mostly only capable of 2 hit combos where Sword Skills were concerned. The second was the Blue Rose Sword. The third was the Master Sword, which absolutely capable of everything from 2 hit to 99 hit combos thanks to it's origins being from the data of SAO and ALO. As it turned out, Mikoto's esper power, when fused with a blade, had the ability to push a blade past it's combo limit, so even a 4 hit combo limited Blue Rose Sword could perform more complicated powerful skills from Aincrad-Style, like Electric Fury and Storm Haze, two of Mikoto's signature moves from SAO.

However, with swords that weren't Divine Instruments, like Kirito and Mikoto's goblin swords from back when they saved Selka, the power would literally overload the blades and shatter them.

However, multi-combos weren't going to be a problem according to Eugeo, as most of the swordsmen entering the tournament didn't really have Divine Instruments of any sort.

"They're all maintained and ready to go." said Eugeo. "And of course the Master Sword didn't need much cleaning.. wow.. what an incredible blade.. so Kirito.. are you going to use this sword?"

"Yep." said Kirito, nodding at the ordinary sword. "When me and Mikoto gave Sadore those two branches, he said swords of that incredible power would take a year to forge.. so, it's not like I have much choice."

"EUGEO!!!!" Mikoto screamed, suddenly bursting into the room. "WHAT IS THIS!?"

Eugeo, Mikoto and Sinon's jaws dropped as Mikoto showed them the cute short hemmed Chinese dress  that only went down to her thighs

Mikoto went really pink. "This is the stuff girls wear when they're doing those culture cafes for girls during cultural festivals!! Wh-why!?"

Eugeo's face went really red at the sight of Mikoto in the outfit. "W-well.. ahhh.. you see.. There m-must have been a mix up!.. wow.. you look good in that.."

"Wrong thing to say.." Sinon muttered.

"IT LOOKS GOOD ON ME!?" Mikoto roared, her eyes gleaming like two raging demons as she picked up the Master Sword and drew it from it's sheathe. "DID YOU DO THIS ON PURPOSE!?"

"NO!! FORGIVE ME MISAKA-CHAN!!" Eugeo cried out.

Eugeo ran out of the room with Mikoto hot on his tail. "GET BACK HERE AND FACE ME EUGEO!! HEY!!!"

After the situation calmed down, and the twin daughters of the farmers had given everyone pies as parting gifts.. they headed to the sword arena within the massive city..

The center of the city was a towering spire known as the Cathedral. It was where the leader of the Axiom Faith, Quinella, was said to reside, and where the Integrity Knights also lived.

But today, the attention was all focused on the large stadium, in which the annual Sword Arts tournament would be held.

After signing in, Mikoto and Eugeo were instantly brought to a large bowl, from which they drew colored balls. Red would mean that you competed in the North wing of the Stadium. Blue meant west, and Green meant you were competing in the south wing.

Mikoto got green, Eugeo got blue, and Kirito got red.

"Guess we're all competing in separate blocks eh?" said Mikoto. "That's good, that means there's a chance all three of us will make it."

"A chance, but not certain." said Kirito. "Don't let your guard up."

"Well we're going to go hang in the audience.." said Yuniko lazily. "Come on archer girl.. time to watch the disasters unfold.."

"You'll do great." said Sinon after giving Yuniko a stern glare.

Mikoto sat in the locker room of the South Block.. calming herself and gathering her wits.. However, the stares of all the men in the room were unnerving her.

It wasn't just that they were smirking because she looked small and nonthreatening to the large strong swordsmen in the room.. the gazes were lewd too because of the dress.. though honestly Mikoto didn't why men went for that kind of Chinese Dress thing.. it really wasn't that skimpy.. just tight and short.

Mikoto glared at the men in the room. Her bangs sparked with anger. "Ya like what you see? Well just wait until 2 minutes from now, I'll stab out your eyeballs!!"

The vicious glare and frightening comment did the trick, causing the shocked men to quickly look away.

Mikoto then noticed there was somebody else staring at her. It was a girl.. she wore a long sleeve black leather jacket and a black mask over her face. The black mask only had one eyehole, revealing her bright sparkling red eye. Two flame decorated Chinese Scimitars were sheathed to her hips. However, the most disturbing thing about this raven haired girl, was the flaming dragons adorning her clothes and the one dragon adorning her mask.. the flames were ACTUALLY burning.. real flames were rippling off the dragons themselves.

Mikoto immediately knew.. just from looking at her.. that this girl was a Viros.

She narrowed her eyes at the Viros as if to ask. "What do you want?"

"Don't provoke her.." Nox leapt out of nowhere in cat form and settled in Mikoto's lap. "She's Seyat's sister, Hei-Long. She's much like her brother, more tuned to research then personal gain. However, the strange thing is.. The Underworld is on a Server that's completely separated from the rest of the Internet.. I can't imagine how she could have gotten here.."

"You think she might help us log out?" Mikoto asked.

"She doesn't help anybody do anything." said Nox. "She's colder then Seyat, not to mention 5 times more skilled. Despite the fact she's his kid sister, she far stronger on a battle field then him. The two of them together were known as Dragon Siblings due to their true Beast Forms being that of.. well.. you saw Seyat's fight with Congono.."

"So.. is she here just for research?" said Mikoto. "Not dangerous?"

"I don't know." said Nox. "For all I know, she could have been given orders to kill us.. after all.. the Viros council is trying to eliminate all Viral Symbiotes.."

Mikoto gulped. She knew nobody was a match for a Viros's sheer skill.

"There's more.." said Nox. "She's also part human.. she's Seyat's half sister, you can tell by the fact that she possesses human features, such as hair and normal skin. She's not as calm and reserved as the rest of our race.. so please.. don't provoke her.. politeness is key with Hei-Long."

Hei-Long stood up.. as she walked towards Mikoto, everybody parted from her, obviously unnerved by the burning dragons on her clothes and mask.

"U-Uh.. hello!" Mikoto bowed to Hei-Long. "I'm Mikoto Misaka.. nice to meet you."

"..." Hei-Long just stared at Mikoto for a minute, she then started poking Mikoto in the shoulder.. then she poked her in the stomach, eventually she started poking Mikoto all over her body.

"Heheheh.. eh.. wait.. stop.. you're.. heheheheh.. hahahahaha!!" Mikoto jumped back. "Hey! I'm ticklish you know!!"

Suddenly, Hei-Long started poking Mikoto rapidly in her right breast. Much to Mikoto's shock.

"Hmm." said Hei-Long. "They are quite small.. and have much room to grow.. though still frighteningly small.."

"WHAM!!!" Mikoto punched Hei-Long in the side of her face.. Nox yowled, her fur standing on end as if she couldn't believe what Mikoto just did.

"ARE YOU INSANE!?" Nox stammered.

"I don't care.." Mikoto hissed.

Hei-Long's head snapped back into place with a crack and pop of her neck, shrugging off the blow like it was nothing. "Have no fear Nox, I understand my gestures and words just now were offensive.. but they are still frighteningly small."

"WHAM!!!" once more, Mikoto punched Hei-Long.

"OH MY GOD MIKOTO!! Nox yowled.

"Once more.. apologies." said Hei-Long, her head snapping back into place once more. "In any case.. I see you intend to walk the path of the sword Misaka.. well done.. it is a wondrous path full of much skill to gain and learn from.. I am here to research the culture and sword skill of a society that is completely and utterly immersed within a Data World, and yet unaware that it is a Data World... best of luck to you on your venture.. but I must gather more research on this Locker Room.."

As Hei-Long walked off.. Mikoto glared angrily at the ton of watching men, who were now sporting nosebleeds from watching Hei-Long poke Mikoto's breast.

"SCRAM!!!" Mikoto roared.

And of course the men did scram.

___________________

The first half of the tournament was a simple one. Each contestant took turns performing consecutive skills in front of three judges, who would then determine who moved on based on how they preformed.

As soon a Mikoto walked out onto the stadium, with numerous eyes watching her, she could feel them automatically judging her, even though they weren't the judges themselves. She heard a few comments about her not looking really strong, which kind of ticked her off.. she was the most athletic of her class IRL.  People were judging her here because most of the competitors were strong large men, and they were comparing her to the rest of them..

"Well.. Ms. Misaka.. whenever you're ready." said one of the three judges at the podium up front.

Mikoto drew the Master Sword, and she started up with a Snake Bite combo.. followed by Blood Wing, both 2 hit combos, then finished off with a Three Point Strike.

She looked up from her performance.. and immediately felt shock and rage. The judges weren't even looking at her!! They were all chatting with each other and happily discussing one of the swordsmen from before her..

They had already written her off as a lost cause.. all because she didn't look powerful.

And because of that, Mikoto probably wasn't even going to make it in to the next round.. all because the stupid judges had ignored her and assumed she sucked.

Mikoto gritted her teeth, her grip on the Master Sword tightened. These jerks wanted to ignore her huh!? Well they were going to have to do better then that!!!

"ELECTRIC FURY!!!" Mikoto launched forward, landing her powerful 30 hit combo straight on the Judge's podium.. slashing and hacking the 30 strikes in mere seconds, hacking the podium into pieces right in front of the shocked and frightened judges.

As soon as the combo was done, and the pieces of wood that used to be the podium shattered into glittering dust, Mikoto glared at the judges, sheathing her blade. "Thank you for your consideration."

Mikoto walked back to the Locker Room in silence, the entire stadium also in silent shock...

When Mikoto reentered the room, Yuniko and Sinon were waiting there and Yuniko was laughing her heart out.

"OH YEAH!!!" Yuniko said. "AHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Oh man, you showed those chumps!!"

"That was shocking." said Sinon, chuckling. "That was sooooo Hunger Games, what you did just now.. only you didn't shoot an apple, you smashed up their podium."

"Well.. they'll probably not let me through just for that." Mikoto said with a sigh. "But it's better to be dropped for that then to be dropped for being ignored."

"That's the spirit." said Sinon, clapping Mikoto on the shoulder. "Come on.. you were the last to perform, so let's check out the score.."

Much to Mikoto's amazement, not only was Mikoto going through.. she had received the highest score out of all the swordsmen competing, even in the other blocks.

"For displaying a fantastic 30 hit Secret Sword Art that this stadium has never witnessed before." said the head judge. "And for refusing to let the views of others dictate her status, Mikoto Misaka will be moving on to the next round!"

"HAHAHAHAHAHAAH!!!!" Yuniko laughed really hard after that. "Wow!! They let you through for being smart to their faces!!"

Next up, were the one on one matches. The format of it reminded Mikoto a lot of the Grand Sword Tournament from ALO. She had gotten 3rd place in that, while Kirito had gotten second and lost to Yuuki, a dear friend of Mikoto's who had died due to a degenerative disease, but not before she taught Asuna an Original Sword Skill.

Asuna had gone on to teach Mikoto the technique, which was a powerful 11 hit combo. Of course, Yuuki had asked Asuna to this.. for the three of them had become wonderful friends.. it still made Mikoto sad whenever she used this skill and remembered Yuuki's smile.

Original Sword Skills were a new format back in ALO that allowed players to create their own Sword Skills by recording their own sword movements. After being created, the skills could be used by others by means of being taught through transferring the data info to the player's skill list.

Very few people managed to create any Original Sword Skills that actually worked. Kirito had created several of his own and Eugene had received plenty of praise for his Volcanic Blazer.

Mikoto's own Original Sword Skill was coveted by many who were lucky enough to be taught it, Dreamlight Railgun. It started out with 20 hits, something that could be recorded within the OSS maker thanks to Mikoto's incredible speed, and ended with a forward thrust so powerful and fast, that it could only be described as quick streak through the air.. like a Railgun.

Mikoto had only used the twice.. the first time against Eugene, and the second time in a practice run with Alicia Rue, but the Cait Sith race had declared it as their signature with much pride. (Mikoto is currently regarded as the strongest player among the Cait Sith race.)

But Mikoto wasn't going to use the skill here.. in fact.. she didn't need to.. the swordsmen she fought throughout the second half of the tournament were easy to her..

The first one she came up against, she was able to defeat him in one blow with a well placed Vorpal Strike. With the second opponent, she landed a Sonic Leap so powerful, the guy's sword shattered into pieces, including the hilt.

By the final match.. Mikoto had become almost like a celebrity, with everyone cheering her on, impressed and awed at her raw speed.

Finally, it came to the last match of the day.. and Mikoto couldn't say she was surprised at all..

Hei-Long stepped onto the stadium.. flames trailing from the dragons on her clothes.. she had only one of her scimitars drawn while the other one remained sheathed at her hip.

"Knew I'd be facing you." said Mikoto. "Guess this match is over huh?"

"Why would you say that?" said Hei-Long. "Is it because you are aware that I am a Viros, and therefore assume that my skill outclasses you?"

"Nope." said Mikoto. "I'm just have so much darn hubris that I assume I'm going to take you down in one hit!"

Hei-Long nodded. "Thank you for giving yourself the benefit of the doubt.. despite knowing of your likely loss.."

"Those swords.." said Mikoto. "Where'd you get them by the way?"

"They aren't like Seyat's weapons, which are merely picked out of the gloom." said Hei-Long. "This sword is Tolerance, and the other one is named Punishment. I use only one blade.. Tolerance, when I am showing mercy and holding back.. the second blade is then used for dual wielding when I am showing utmost anger and no mercy..."

"One blade for Tolerance.. two to deal Punishment." Mikoto said. "Well, shall we?"

Hei-Long's eye flashed and the dragons burned brighter. "Yes.. "

Much to Mikoto's astonishment, Hei-Long moved in with incredible speed.. her blade flashing with light as it hammered down on Mikoto's sword.

Mikoto had seen skilled fighters, powerful swordsmen, she had even gone toe to toe with Kirito numerous times. And on one occasion she had even fought Seyat to get a gist of how good he was.. however.. there was no other word to describe Hei-Long's style: Frighteningly Epic.

The first half of the fight was spent with an extremely aggressive approach. Mikoto was forced into the defensive as somebody much faster and much stronger then her hammered against her from all directions.

With every third or fourth powerful fast strike, Hei-Long would switch hands on her sword, using the switch to throw Mikoto off by altering the style slightly thanks to using a different hand.

Hei-Long was completely ambidextrous, there was no doubt about that.. and her style was much more quick and high powered then Seyat, who sought to use psychologically confusing moves to unnerve his opponent.

Hei-Long was all aggression and a speeding freight train of shredding slashes. Her moves, would have had Eugene on his knees in 2 seconds flat. Not even Yuuki would stand a ghost of a chance. And Kirito would be dragon food.

And yet, somehow Mikoto was lasting against her, and she knew why. This was like when Seyat fought Kirito..  Hei-Long wanted to analyze Mikoto, get a gist of her skills and ability. And in order to do that, she couldn't finish Mikoto off right away.

In any case, Mikoto wasn't going to go out without at least showing Hei-Long what she had. She gritted her teeth, and began timing her blows.. slowly eying each blade strike..

With each grind of the blades that connected.. with each moment the Master Sword and Tolerance met in the fury and quickness of battle.. Mikoto observed everything.. each spark, each blade's edge.. every miniscule movement..

And slowly, she began to calculate, and get a feel for Hei-Long.. she treated Hei-Long like every new sword she came across.. she took her for a spin and got to know her.. testing out her weight and balance..

Every fighter had a weakness, even the Viros's legendary skills. Mikoto then noticed it.. there was a brief millisecond pause between each moment Hei-Long switched hands on her sword.. a brief.. brief millisecond..

It was a long shot.. but if she timed it right...

Mikoto suddenly lashed out, using an uppercut skill called Griffin Strike.

Hei-Long's blade was knocked back by the strike. And Hei-Long's eye widened in amazement.. and she wasn't the only one.. Mikoto could feel amazement and epic thrill fill her blood.. and the adrenaline was overwhelming as Mikoto fell straight into another strike.

Mikoto was now on the offensive. Two strikes, three strikes. She was careful not to use any moves that caused her to stretch out too much and leave any openings..

Hei-Long was even more of a skilled defender then she was an attacker.. her blade moved with such speed and elegant precision, hitting against her defensive moves was a bit like attacking a dome metal shield with no openings.

But Mikoto was beginning to understand her.. she was beginning to see her for who she really was..

Hei-Long was a dancer.. that's what she was.. that was her style.. she moved her legs just as much as she moved her sword. Her style was that her attacks, and even her defending moves were all a performance.. an art.. meant to dazzle the eye, and crush her opponent at the same time..

The flaming dragons on her clothing seemed twist and turn around through an endless night.. the dance giving them the illusion of life..

That was the point.. That was the point of Hei-Long's style.. her style.. no.. Hei-Long herself.. she was art.

Mikoto knew she had to become art as well.. she had to become her opponent..

Mikoto put in all the speed she had left.. and began to mimic the moves of Hei-Long's dance.. learning to dance in tune and keep time.. pretending that she was performing a waltz with her..

As she did this, Hei-Long noticed, and her eye sparkled with what appeared to be delight and enthusiastic wonder.

The audience was on their feet, the judges were staring with amazement at the dazzling duel before them.

Soon, Mikoto began to try to add a few moves of her own to the dance, trying to direct it in her favor. After all, that was the point of a dance of swords. In order to gain dominance over your dance partner, you had to be the one leading.. and in order to lead, you had to make the moves..

And so Mikoto and Hei-Long both fought to direct the other, each one putting in their own moves to direct the dance in a direction more suited to them.

Finally, Mikoto felt it was time for to end the dance.. it was time for the huge finale.. and it as she performed the finale, she paid a silent tribute to the inventor of the skill, and her dear friend..

A few months ago.. Real World Time.

Mikoto fell to her knees, panting , her Cait Sith ears twitching tiredly as her Geko Sword clattered to the ground.

Yuuki, a dark haired, lithe and petite Imp, smiled and sheathed her blade. "Well Railgun-chan? Do you want to go again?"

"I think I'm all worn out today." Mikoto sighed. "You know, I swore I would beat you.. but.. at this rate I don't think it will ever happen.

"You're good.. " said Yuuki cheerfully. "And you're definitely faster then me.. but I think you have a lot more potential to unlock!"

"I think all my potential pales in comparison to you!" said Mikoto with a laugh.

Yuuki smiled sadly, Asuna hadn't yet told Mikoto about the limited amount of time she had.. that much she knew. 

"You're not me.. " Yuuki said. "You have all the time in the world to grow Misaka-sempai. And I know you can grow.. promise me you will continue to grow.."

"I promise I'll try." said Mikoto. "But.. what do you mean you're not me? Y-you have time too!"

Yuuki just continued to smile.

"Y-Yuuki? You have time right!?" Mikoto's voice grew worried. "Yuuki!?"

Mikoto readied her blade in the heart pumping moment.

"MOTHER'S ROSARIO!!!"

The Master Sword glowed bright purple. The combo started with 5 consecutive stabs in a straight line from top right to bottom left..

Then 5 more strikes.. from top left to bottom right.. creating an X shape with the first 10 strikes.

Hei-Long blocked each strike with Tolerance, however, with each powerful hit, she grew slowly out of step, taken off guard by the unorthodox attack method..

Sparks flew from each strike that was blocked, as Hei-Long was pushed back.

Then Mikoto lunged a final strike, using her entire body to guide the motion.

The blade tip neared Hei-Long's face..  there was no way she could block it.. no possible way..

Hei-Long twitched her head aside and the blade's edge left a small, 2 inch, shallow scratch on the side of her mask..

There was the flash of a blade as Hei-Long's sword bashed the Master Sword out of Mikoto's hand.

The holy blade spiraled into the air in a high arch before stabbing into the ground 10 meters away.. Mikoto stood there, unarmed, with the blade of Tolerance pointed at her chest.

There was a silence.. and then.

"I surrender." said Hei-Long, sheathing her blade and bowing to Mikoto.

There was a massive explosion of cheering from the spectators as the judges reacted with a flabbergasted attitude.

Hei-Long walked over to the judges and bowed to them. "Please.. let her through.. I did not come to win this match, but to observe it's bounty of swordsmen.. "

The judges one by one, all nodded.. and as Mikoto was announced to be the winner, Hei-Long nodded at the victor.

"Today, you fought exactly like a Viros. We do not merely repeatedly practice a single skill or designated movement over and over.. like humans. But we learn and research our opponent, even within a fight.. The Sword is my main weapon of choice.. and my main skill.. and it is as with every combat skill a Viros takes on.. a Dance Lesson.. as they dance.. they learn from the other's dance.. and conform.. what you did today hasn't been done in 200 years.. well done.. and good luck.."

And as Hei-Long left the stadium.. Mikoto smiled. "Well... guess I did grow after all Yuuki.."