Matches Three and Four began simultaneously.
Match Three brought Shishioh Richie face-to-face with Misaki.
"Misaki-san, if I manage to beat you, could you maybe go on a date with me? Even just inside GGO is—"
"I must decline."
Misaki shot down the request at absolute light speed.
"N-No way..."
"Mentally, I belong entirely to Lady Shana now. Therefore, I cannot meet with you, Richie-san. I am truly sorry."
Watching the scene unfold on the monitor, Shana broke into a cold sweat and muttered frantically under her breath.
"Hey, hey, hold on! This is being broadcast live... Misaki-san, give me a break here..."
Of course, Misaki was fully aware of the audience and was deliberately laying the groundwork to box him in. But Shana, completely oblivious to the subtleties of romance, lacked the imagination to realize what she was up to.
"B-But what about Yamakaze...?" Richie pressed.
"My, Yamakaze-san is one of Lady Shana's most cherished companions, you know? So if we happen to bump into each other in town, isn't it only natural that we'd have a friendly chat?"
"I-I mean, sure, when you put it like that..."
"So please give up. I really am sorry."
"Ugh... Uuugh... U-Understood..."
With that, Shishioh Richie promptly tapped Resign and logged out on the spot. Though he would likely return before the main tournament began, the spectators figured the poor guy just needed to go cry in a corner somewhere, feeling a collective pang of sympathy for him.
Occurring at the exact same time, Match Four featured Sterben against Dyne.
Dyne aside, Sterben was an entirely unknown player; not a single soul recognized the name. Even reviewing preliminary footage gave off the overwhelming impression of someone utterly unremarkable.
However, Shana's group suspected that either this Sterben or a player named Snake—who was set to compete in Match Five—might actually be Death Gun. Because of that, the stakes for this match were exceptionally high.
Yet, as if on cue, Sterben resigned immediately after the match began, disappearing before anyone could catch so much as a glimpse of him.
Match Five followed, pairing the unknown player Snake against Ginrou.
Having faced no notable rivals in his bracket, Ginrou was making his main tournament debut. His semifinal fight had been a brutal struggle, but with XaXeeD absent, the raw skill Ginrou had honed under Shana—much like Yamakaze—placed him head and shoulders above the competition.
Whether Snake recognized this disparity or simply wished to keep his abilities hidden, true to his name, he refused to reveal himself in public and opted for a swift resignation.
With resignations piling up and the crowd's excitement starting to fizzle, Match Six between Usoshiotarako and Pale Rider—running concurrently with Match Five—turned into an absolute bloodbath.
"Look, we were in the wrong regarding Rosalia-san! I apologize for that! But this is a separate matter—I'm avenging Garrett!"
"If I lose here, Yamakaze's going to get totally insufferable. There's no way in hell I'm losing!"
The match kicked off with that fiery exchange and rapidly devolved into a desperate test of endurance.
Leveraging his specialized stats and gear, Usoshiotarako methodically shaved down Pale Rider's health without putting himself at risk. But Pale Rider refused to go down easy. Moving like a man possessed, he fought as if this were his final stand. He closed the gap on Usoshiotarako—who naturally favored mid-range combat—and dragged him straight into a messy, brutal melee brawl.
"Tch, persistent little parasite, aren't you!?"
"I'm not going down without a fight!"
Driven by sheer stubborn pride, Pale Rider pressed the offensive, reckless of the risks. Yet every single swing played right into Usoshiotarako's calculations. Carefully tracking the absolute limit of Pale Rider's momentum, Usoshiotarako waited until the exact moment his opponent reached exhaustion before launching a devastating counterattack.
"Kuh...!"
"Well, that was bound to happen. You guys relied on pure strength in numbers without bothering to refine your own skill. Compare that to us—we fought in a tiny group, constantly thinking, planning, and overcoming overwhelming odds. The gap in our core ability was massive from the start!"
True to his word, the finish was instantaneous.
As expected of the former leader of GGO's largest squadron, Usoshiotarako possessed an uncanny eye for tactical timing. Thanks to his display, a spark of energy returned to the crowd, which had grown thoroughly bored with the string of forfeited matches.
"Alright, opening act's done."
Muttering to himself, Usoshiotarako hurried back toward the monitors to catch the rest of the matches.
The moment the matchups for Matches Seven and Eight were posted, the crowd exploded into cheers—though most people had already guessed what was coming.
Just as Usoshiotarako had dubbed himself the opening act, he had successfully warmed up the venue, setting the stage for the big announcement:
Match Seven: Pitohui vs. Gunner X
Match Eight: Shana vs. Hachiman
There was zero chance either match would end normally.
However, instead of starting at the same time as scheduled, Match Seven kicked off first. The reason was simple: Hachiman had temporarily logged out.
As a result, a ten-minute countdown was initiated to re-check his presence. If a player failed to appear after three consecutive checks, they would be automatically disqualified. The only reason this delay was happening at all was Shana's selfish desire to watch Pitohui and Gunner X fight first.
"Now then, what kind of fight are those two going to pull off?"
Shana stared intently at the monitor, full of curiosity.
"So, X, how do you want to handle this?"
"Handle what?"
"Well, since we're here, I want to make it exciting. Just shooting at each other feels so dry, doesn't it?"
"I suppose."
"Here's my proposal: swords only. Whoever wins gets Shana to take them out somewhere next time. Deal?"
"You're on."
Watching this play out from the sidelines, Shana let out a deep sigh.
"Those two... at least ask for my consent first..."
Watching the same feed, Kirito let out a dry laugh, while Sinon ground her teeth in frustration.
"Man, that guy really is popular everywhere, even in GGO."
"Those two... that's so unfair..."
Sinon swore to herself right then and there: when she reached the finals, she would force the exact same deal on Shana.
"Still... won't Asuna get mad at him for this?"
When Kirito voiced the thought aloud, Sinon answered matter-of-factly.
"Oh, he'll be fine. Asuna and Komachi-chan are in GGO too, after all."
"Ehh!? Seriously?"
"Yup."
"W-Where are they?"
"Hmm, right now they're probably sitting in the Valhalla Garden with the rest of the crew, acting completely nonchalant while watching the tournament."
"You even know about that...?"
Seeing Kirito's utter shock, Sinon replied with a casual smile.
"Well, I'm a member of Valhalla too, Vice Commander."
"...Wait, what?"
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