Miracle Summoner

——〈Zekken〉.

The Absolute Sword.

An unrivaled sword.

A sword never seen before and unlikely to appear again.

Because of its immense strength and the creation of an eleven-hit OSS, undefeated in every battle thus far, it's no wonder someone would call it that—it almost feels inevitable.

"These days, among the top players in the monthly tournaments, only players like Sakuya and General Eugene, who hold lord and general-level positions, haven't challenged them. But given their ranks, it's hard for them to participate in these street duels. That leaves only the two of you."

Lis turned her gaze toward Rozen and Asuna, flashing a mischievous smile.

"So, what do you think? Tempted?"

There was no way to refute those words.

It had to be admitted—Rozen was indeed tempted. Or perhaps it was better to say he was curious about Zekken.

Even Asuna looked intrigued.

"An eleven-hit OSS... I'd love to see it in action just once," Asuna admitted, showing the rare side of herself as a swordswoman.

This young woman, a genius rapier user, couldn't possibly remain indifferent after hearing about such an original sword skill or about such a powerful swordsman.

However...

"That said, apparently, Zekken only demonstrated that OSS during their first duel, and it hasn't been used in an actual fight since," Leafa helpfully reminded them.

"It hasn't appeared again?" Asuna was momentarily taken aback.

"Seems that way," Silica added with a tilt of her head and a cheerful smile. "Maybe it's because no one has been able to push Zekken to the point where they'd use it?"

She said this casually, but Rozen and Asuna only grew more intrigued.

"Without even using that OSS, they managed to defeat so many strong opponents? Including the two of you?"

Rozen looked curiously at Kirito and Leafa.

"That's regrettably true," Kirito admitted, scratching his head.

"Hmph!" Leafa puffed out her cheeks, clearly not liking the way this was going.

Given that, only one question remained.

"Kirito," Rozen asked as he fixed his gaze on him, "Did you give it your all?"

The room fell silent at those words as everyone turned to look at Kirito.

Under their collective gaze, Kirito hesitated.

"All my strength... If you mean going all out, then no, not to that extent. But I didn't hold back either. I was definitely serious about the match."

Kirito's response made it clear—he had given his all but hadn't pushed himself to his absolute limits.

Rozen speculated that Kirito likely hadn't used any of his original sword skills or revealed his trump cards. Aside from that, it seemed he had gone all out.

And considering that Zekken hadn't used their OSS either, it was safe to say Zekken was at least evenly matched with Kirito, if not slightly stronger.

"Now that you mention it..." Lis seemed to recall something and looked suspiciously at Kirito.

"When you and Zekken were evenly matched and at a stalemate, you seemed to say something to them right before you couldn't dodge their final thrust and lost. What was that about?"

Her words piqued everyone's interest.

"Did you really do something like that, Kirito-san?" Silica, holding Pina in her arms, looked at him in surprise.

"Now that you mention it, I think I remember something like that," Leafa added.

"So, what did you say to Zekken, Kirito-kun?" Asuna asked, curious as well.

Even Rozen stared at Kirito, as if trying to discern something.

"Why are you all looking at me like that? I didn't do anything suspicious!" Kirito blurted, clearly uneasy under their scrutiny.

"I just asked if they'd fully become a resident of this world. And Zekken responded with a silent smile followed by a lightning-fast thrust. That speed was beyond human capability, so I couldn't dodge it. That's all."

His explanation left everyone puzzled.

"A full resident of this world?"

Silica tilted her head in confusion.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Leafa frowned.

"Hey, explain yourself! Don't you know how much girls hate it when guys deliberately leave them hanging like this?" Lis complained openly.

Rozen, however, said nothing. He simply gestured with his eyes for Kirito to elaborate.

Seeing Rozen's expression, Kirito gave a wry smile.

"Just go see for yourself."

Kirito avoided answering directly, instead addressing Rozen.

"If it's you, you'll probably figure it out at a glance."

From Kirito's strange behavior after mentioning Zekken, it was clear there was something peculiar—something secretive about them.

This secret might even relate to why Zekken had challenged all the players shortly after transferring over and had used the eleven-hit OSS as bait. Surely, there must be a reason behind it.

In that case...

"Let's go meet Zekken."

Rozen made the decision on the spot.

"Yes!" Asuna nodded firmly, as if she'd been planning to all along.

"Alright!" Lis stood up and announced, "Every afternoon after 3 p.m., Zekken can be found on the sightseeing island north of the 24th floor. Let's all go together!"

"Yeah!" Leafa clenched her fists, her excitement palpable. She turned to Rozen and declared, "You've got to help me get my revenge, Nii-san!"

Her frustration was evident—being defeated had clearly gotten under her skin.

To provoke Leafa like this only further proved Zekken's skill.

Kirito, on the other hand, seemed about to say something but ultimately smiled instead.

"Fine. If it's you, I'm sure you'll uncover more than I did."

Kirito's expression now held no reservations—only eager anticipation.

"Besides, I want to see that legendary eleven-hit OSS for myself. More than that, I want to know if Zekken can force you to unleash the last two sword skill."

Indeed, Kirito wasn't the only one looking forward to it—everyone who knew about the situation was excited.

What exactly was Zekken's eleven-hit OSS?

Would Rozen be forced to reveal his sixth and seventh sword skill, Mizar and Alkaid?

Everyone waited in suspense.

Not just them—even Rozen himself couldn't help but anticipate.

Would Zekken push him to unleash Mizar and Alkaid?

Only time would tell.