Sword Art Online Volume 16 – Alicization Exploding Chapter 18 – War of the Underworld 15 Jyariin!! The chorus of swords slipping from their scabbards rang through the valley. Their watch fires, whose numbers were suppressed, imbued their steel blades with a red gleam. A thunderous noise finally approached from beyond the collapsed Great East Gate with the ground practically rumbling from it. The goblins’ short pace. The orcs’ tepid pace. The giants’ footsteps, which sounded like hammers slammed into the ground, mixed in and overlapped atop their war cries. The howl of the massive beast known as war yet unknown to all humans. It took everything they had for the mere three hundred guards lined up in defensive lines two hundred mel from the Great Gate to stand their ground. It would not have been strange for their files to collapse before even crossing swords once and to scatter in confusion. This was the first experience all of those guards had in a battle with their lives at stake, let alone with war. What kept them standing at their post were the backs of three integrity knights standing alone in intervals at the frontmost line. In charge of holding the left flank was the «Frost Scale Whip», Eldrie Synthesis Thirty-one. In the middle was the «Heaven Piercing Sword» who also served as the force’s commander, Fanatio Synthesis Two. And the right flank was protected by the «Conflagrant Flame Bow», Deusolbert Synthesis Seven. The three knights clad in full body armor which would glitter beautifully even in the depths of darkness stood firmly on the ground with each of their two feet and awaited the enemy troops without even a twitch. Fear and fright were present even within the knights’ chests. They might have experience in real battles unlike the guards, but most of those were no more than one-to-one combat with dark knights. No one had experienced fighting against a force this massive: not Deputy Knight Commander Fanatio, not even Integrity Knight