Sword Art Online: Moonlight Swordman.

Ren activated the skill [Stealth], then slowly slipped through the low bushes, keeping his body pressed close to the damp ground.

He passed towering tree trunks, where tangled vines hung like the tattered curtains of an abandoned house. Light filtered down in narrow shafts through the canopy, swaying gently with every breath of wind.

The sound of clashing metal still echoed rhythmically, not too loud, but enough to warn that the fight ahead had not ceased.

At last, Ren stopped behind a massive tree trunk. Before him was a rare clearing amidst the forest, as if someone had deliberately carved out a stage in the midst of this shadowed wilderness.

And there, he saw them.

Two figures or more accurately, two humanoid beings, locked in combat.

From a distance, they looked like sword-wielding fighters clad in light armor. But the closer Ren looked, the more differences he noticed.

Long, slender, pointed ears stretched back as if pulled taut by the forest wind. Their movements were fast, clean, and merciless. Not a single blow was wasted.

But the differences didn't end there.

One of them had dark bronze skin, a hardened muscular frame, and eyes sharp as blades. Each sword strike he delivered carried a crushing weight behind it. He wore armor composed of darkened steel plates, shaded in tones of midnight purple and ashen gray.

The other was completely different. His skin was pale as wax, almost reflective in the dim light. His movements were graceful, fluid, nearly silent. He wore a long cloak adorned with leaves and strands of silver thread interwoven like small branches growing from his body.

There were no wasted words in this fierce clash...

Only the sound of blades colliding, and the harsh rhythm of survival instincts.

Ren frowned, eyes fixed on the duel. He realized… this wasn't training.

They were trying to kill each other.

And though neither had fallen, and no one called for backup, the battle between the two seemed to have raged far longer than Ren could imagine.

A slash tore through the forest's rhythm. A blade barely grazed a collar, leaving behind a chilling glint of silver. The air felt split in two, and even the birds had long since vanished.

Ren swallowed hard. So quietly that even he couldn't hear it.

"Elf…?" he murmured, almost unconsciously.

Just this morning, he'd overheard a few rumors. But Ren had stayed silent. Aincrad was full of rumors, most born from the imagination of cowards or glory-seekers.

He hadn't cared.

But now, witnessing it with his own eyes, seeing the blades flash through footwork that skimmed the ground like ripples on water, hearing the piercing shrieks of steel like they were slashing through reality itself, he could no longer deny it.

He had found them.

Two figures locked in a blur of motion, swords slicing through the air in an unending exchange.

Each strike rang out with a cold edge, like metal howling in resentment. But after a few clashes, it seemed the pale-skinned one was beginning to falter, each step a small retreat, his arm trembling slightly after each impact.

"You bastard… hand that over." The speaker, an Elf with long golden hair and icy-bright eyes, pointed his blade straight at his opponent's chest, his voice sharp as wind whistling through rotting leaves.

The other, the bronze-skinned warrior with eyes like tempered steel, simply tilted his head. His dominant hand rolled the hilt of his sword smoothly, the blade catching the sunlight and gleaming amid the forest mist.

"Never point your greed at things that do not belong to you." His voice was low, firm. His short slicked-back hair shifted slightly in the breeze, carrying with it the scent of fresh grass and damp earth.

The long-haired Elf hesitated for half a second, then sneered. "Then we have no choice but to take it by force…"

Without another word, he glided forward like a shadow over water.

The air turned cold in that instant. In a blink, he was already upon his foe, so fast even Ren could barely keep up.

But the short-haired Dark Elf merely leaned aside, raising his blade at precisely the right moment. A chilling clang rang out as his curved sword deflected the incoming blow, turning a deadly slash into nothing more than a whisper of wind past his shoulder.

Before his opponent could recover, he countered immediately, two strikes slicing through the air, crossing over the Forest Elf's body.

The deep cuts tore through leather armor, sending blood spraying like a red mist, forcing him to stagger back, feet slipping slightly on the damp forest floor.

"It's the stubborn savagery of you Dark Elves…" the Forest Elf hissed, contempt burning in his eyes. Despite his bleeding wounds, his voice held no hint of weakness.

"You're the ones who started this war," the Dark Elf replied, his tone dropping lower, cold as steel. "We extended our hand for peace… and you were the ones who slapped it away."

The Forest Elf sneered, his face twisted in pain, but still managing a mocking smile. "If that's the case… then isn't it your foolish queen's fault?"

The moment the words left his mouth, the air around them seemed to freeze. The Dark Elf said nothing more. Only his eyes remained, sharp as needles, black as an abyss, flaring with murderous intent.

And then he charged.

The following sword strikes were no longer warnings, but carried the intent to kill. Each step was heavy with resolve; every slash held the determination to end the opponent's life.

The Forest Elf was being pushed hard, scrambling to defend himself, but the blade was too fast, too precise. His body took on more wounds, and the once-white tunic was now smeared with blood.

The Dark Elf gritted his teeth, his eyes unblinking, voice dropping to a low growl,"Never insult the Queen."

"You lot… snuck into the Crystal Palace, stole the sacred artifact, then fled down to this misty forest like petty thieves…"

The Dark Elf panted, gripping the hilt of his sword tightly, eyes locked onto the wounded enemy before him.

"We only came to reclaim what was rightfully ours."

His voice wasn't loud, but each word landed like a stone, falling into the damp forest floor as an undeniable accusation.

The two clashed again, sword against sword, flashes of steel flickering like embers in the damp woods. But no matter how hard he tried, the Forest Elf appeared to weaken with every exchange.

The Dark Elf's curved blade carved out dangerous arcs, targeting the gaps between his opponent's footing.

Each time he blocked, the Forest Elf was pushed back one more step, his breathing heavier. Blood began to soak large patches of his white cloak.

Meanwhile, the Dark Elf remained cold, unmoving as carved stone.No wasted words. No wasted motion.

"You are not worthy to guard it..." he said, voice hoarse but steady as the steel in his hand.

The Forest Elf gritted his teeth, his eyes now flickering with panic. But still, he refused to run.

Then, suddenly, his gaze locked on something.

Ren.

He was standing behind a large log, hidden almost perfectly, but not well enough to escape the desperate, hateful eyes searching for an escape.

The Forest Elf's sharp eyes narrowed. It seemed he had just found a way to turn the tables.

He had seen Ren. One glance, and he pierced through Ren's stealth.

From the middle of the battle, the Forest Elf curled his lips. A smile devoid of reason, filled only with instinctual contempt.

"A human...?" he spat the words out, as if Ren were no more than filth staining the landscape.

Ren clenched his fists, breath catching. The situation had fallen apart.

The Forest Elf suddenly jerked his sword to the side, slashing through the foliage and creating a burst of shredded leaves to obscure his opponent's view.

The Dark Elf froze.

"He's—!"

Too late to finish the sentence.

The Forest Elf launched forward like a mad arrow, abandoning the fight and darting across the clearing, straight toward Ren.

He didn't care who it was. Didn't need to know if Ren was involved. All he needed was a hostage. A shield. A tool for survival.

"Damn it…!"

Ren burst from his hiding place, but it was too late. The Forest Elf was already right in front of him, sword aimed at his throat, eyes wild with hatred.

"I don't care who you are. But today, you're my ticket out of here."

Ren snapped his sword up to block.

The moment the blades clashed, a jarring shock ran through his entire arm.

It felt like he had just stopped a falling boulder from the side of a mountain.

His right arm went numb. The force behind the enemy's strike was so intense, it felt like his bones would shatter.

Ren reflexively stepped back.

One step.

Two.

But the Forest Elf was already upon him, so fast, his shadow hadn't even touched the ground before the blade came crashing down.

No technique. Just raw strength and speed, packed into every lethal swing.

Ren tried to dodge. Tried to shift away from vital points.

But he wasn't fast enough.

A slash grazed his shoulder. Another across his waist.

The screen flashed red.

-220-230

HP: 350/800

His health bar drained like a silent warning.

Ren retreated as far as he could, but the Forest Elf wasn't letting him escape. He stormed forward like a whirlwind, sword still in motion.

Ren gritted his teeth, raised his sword to block. The tips clashed, and the sharp clang of metal rang out in the air.

For the first time, Ren didn't get pushed back.

At that exact moment, he activated [Phantom Arc].

A pale violet light surged along his blade. His right arm was nearly numb, but he forced it to move. A sweeping slash, crescent-shaped, from shoulder down, straight toward the enemy's chest.

The blade barely scraped through.

Blood burst forth, but it was only a shallow cut.

The Forest Elf slid backward, eyes flashing with fury.

Ren panted, eyes locked on his opponent.