Chapter 131: Encountering Another Transmigrator Again
Lala might seem carefree on the surface, but her heart was exceptionally sensitive — she could even empathize with others' emotions.
At that moment, she clearly sensed the fear and confusion in the girl before her — and even faint traces of suicidal despair.
Lala wanted to reach out and hold the girl's hand, but after a moment's hesitation, she stopped herself.
Being ignored made Kirito's eyes flash with a dark, vicious glint. He reached out toward Lala's arm.
"Hey, that's pretty rude of you. I'm talking to you, you know."
But before his hand could touch her, Franklin seized his wrist and, with one hand, lifted him effortlessly by the neck. Ignoring Kirito's struggles, Franklin dragged him to the corner of the wall and pinned him there, his height and strength giving him complete control.
"Lala, go ahead. I'll handle Kirigaya Kazuto here — there are a few things I've been meaning to ask him."
Franklin's words caught Suguha Kirigaya's attention. She looked up at him, confused by his unfamiliar face.
But in that brief moment of thought, her mind began to stir — pulling her out of the dark, closed-off world she had trapped herself in.
Lala seized the opportunity perfectly. With her bright smile and stunning beauty, she broke through Suguha's emotional defenses in an instant.
"Hi there, my name's Lala Satalin Deviluke — but you can just call me Lala. What's your name?"
Suguha murmured faintly, repeating the name as if trying to recall something forgotten.
"Lala… Lala… what was my name again…"
Seeing Lala succeed in reaching her, Bulma gave Franklin an approving OK sign. Franklin looked down at Kirito, still pinned against the wall, his expression one of shocked disbelief — exactly as Franklin had expected.
Franklin smiled coldly. It didn't matter what world it was — there were always transmigrators meddling about. And now, he'd run into another one. Lucky indeed.
Silently calling out to You Wange in his mind, Franklin met Kirito's feigned confusion head-on.
"Who the hell are you? Why did you attack me?"
Kirito snarled and tried to struggle free, but Franklin slammed his head hard against the wall.
"Let's make this simple. Where are you from? Which world did you transmigrate from? And what kind of cheat ability did you bring along?"
The barrage of questions froze Kirito for an instant, but he quickly masked his emotions.
"I have no idea what you're talking about. My sister and I were just minding our own business — why are you people interfering with us?"
"Don't understand? Doesn't matter."
Franklin hoisted him up again and headed toward the door.
"You guys stay here for now. I need to have a little private chat with this one."
"Let go of me! You bastard — what are you trying to do?!"
Bulma nodded calmly, though Asuna and Mith hesitated before following.
"Franklin, what are you doing? Players can't attack each other — it could cause a serious issue with the system."
Finding a dead-end alley, Franklin tossed Kirito inside.
"You shouldn't have followed me. The less you know, the better. Otherwise, it'll be hard for you to go back to living a normal life later."
Asuna shook her head. "That's fine. Meeting you has already been unbelievable enough. After all this, returning to reality will be strange anyway. A little more weirdness won't hurt."
With her saying that, Franklin just shrugged.
Kirito, now consumed by rage, drew his one-handed sword and charged. His mouth moved rapidly, but the system automatically censored every word.
Franklin summoned You Wange. A rift opened at the end of the alley, and she stepped through gracefully. Seeing Kirito charging straight at Franklin, her eyes narrowed.
In the blink of an eye, she floated behind him, pressing one hand to his head.
As she came to a stop, Kirito's avatar froze mid-motion — and a shadowy, slightly overweight man burst out of his body, still rushing toward Franklin.
"Damn it! You walk your bright path, I'll walk my narrow bridge! We're both transmigrators — why interfere with me?!"
The man reached Franklin in a flash. When Franklin didn't even flinch, the man's blade slashed down — his ordinary sword instantly transforming into a pitch-black dagger.
From that blade, Franklin felt an overwhelming sense of mortal danger. It was as if one touch would mean instant death. But he didn't move.
The blade sank into his avatar's body. The man's face twisted in delight.
"Your memories — your body — they're all mine now! Lala, Bulma, and those two girls will be mine as well! Die!"
Just as he was about to activate a skill, You Wange appeared behind him, dragging Kirito's disembodied consciousness with her. She placed her palm on the back of the man's head.
In that instant, the man froze — completely motionless.
"You really trust me that much, little brother? What if I'd been just a second too late — or decided to side with him instead?"
Even as his soul burned with the agony of being sliced apart by the black blade, Franklin managed to smile.
"I trust you, Wange. You'd never hurt me. And besides, my luck's not that bad.
More importantly, the sisters outside could sever my avatar's connection to my body anytime. And if I needed to transfer my soul and consciousness back, I could do it instantly.
Losing a small part of my spirit in the process would be worth it. And don't forget — with the Dimensional Tome's contract between us, you can't harm me even if you wanted to."
Wange smirked softly. "Smart and brave — you really do think of everything."
She tossed Kirito's unconscious soul aside and formed a complex hand seal. Then she struck the fat man's forehead with her palm.
His soul shattered instantly. Most of it flowed into Wange, part of it she funneled into Kirito's body, and the last fragment she pressed into Franklin's forehead.
[Item Obtained: Soul Blade]
[The Soul Blade has been added to your inventory.]
[Special Item 'Soul Blade' successfully absorbed into the Dimensional Tome. You may view its details there.]
"It can actually be stored inside… Looks like this 'Soul Blade' is a valuable one. I wonder where that guy got it."
Wange nodded faintly.
"That blade has its own consciousness. When its wielder dies, it normally vanishes. But since it's now bound to you, it's far easier to manage — and being absorbed by the Tome means you won't have to worry about backlash."
"Backlash? Wange, that sounds like something you should've mentioned earlier."
She chuckled at his exasperated tone.
"Powerful items with their own will always have a temper.
As for its origin — from this man's memories, it seems the Soul Blade was a gift he received from a shadowy figure after his accidental death. That being was the one who sent his soul into the world of Sword Art Online — and asked for nothing in return."
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