441 -436- A new adventure

It was a completely synthesized mechanical voice that rang out, leaving all the players wide-eyed.

This was something that had never happened before, and the consecutive events left the players bewildered, their faces blank.

Ignoring the players' emotions, the mechanical voice continued.

"Standard time in Aincrad, November 7th, 3:35 PM, game clearing complete."

When this sentence entered the players' ears, it was like a heavy blow, rendering their minds blank. Even Kirito, Klein, Egil, and others froze, their reactions gone.

What was happening? What was going on? No one could understand.

Only Asuna had an image of Rozen in her mind.

Miracles like this, in Asuna's understanding, could only be accomplished by that person. She was certain that Rozen had done something to cause this situation.

Although Asuna didn't yet know the specifics of what had happened, she believed that it was undoubtedly because of him.

As for the others, although they didn't understand what was happening, they all grasped the next sentence.

"All players will log out sequentially, please remain in your current location."

"Repeat: All players will log out sequentially, please remain in your current location."

Yes, log out.

No one had misunderstood. How could they possibly misunderstand?

For the past two years, everyone had been waiting for these two words to appear. So, even though they didn't know what had happened, and they didn't understand what had occurred, the one thing they all understood was that they were about to log out.

"Am I dreaming...?"

One player trembled, voicing the thought that was in everyone's hearts.

But what happened in the next moment confirmed that this was real.

"Clang!"

"Clang!"

"Clang!"

One by one, players began to emit a glow and turned into particles, disappearing from their current locations.

Witnessing this scene, the remaining players finally realized what had happened.

In the next moment, thunderous cheers erupted, shaking all of Aincrad. Because it wasn't just here; players from the entire SAO universe were cheering at this moment.

Amidst this jubilation, players continued to disappear one by one.

"Haha..."

Kirito relaxed his grip on his two swords, letting go entirely, as if he understood something. He wore the most relaxed smile he had ever shown.

"That guy..."

It seemed that Kirito had figured out who was responsible for this situation.

Naturally, Klein and Egil felt the same.

"Amazing! Boss, you're incredible!"

"I have a newfound respect for you!"

Klein and Agil embraced each other, tears and laughter mingling.

Kirito watched them with a mixture of helplessness and joy, returning his twin swords to their scabbards on his back.

"Clang!"

"Clang!"

"Clang!"

A moment later, Kirito, Klein, and Agil were enveloped in light and gradually disappeared.

Before long, the entire boss room of the 75th floor was empty except for Asuna.

She could finally leave this world—a dream she had been praying for all along.

However, at this very moment, Asuna realized that she wasn't happy or joyous. All she felt was anxiety.

Because...

"What about Rozen? What happened to Rozen?"

Asuna was growing anxious about this.

Someone answered Asuna's question.

"He's fine,"

A familiar voice rang out.

"Though I'm not sure how he managed it, the NerveGear's destruction program didn't detect the termination of his brainwaves, so he's definitely still alive."

Asuna's breath caught for a moment, and she turned abruptly to look at the source of the voice.

Behind her, she saw a man who had somehow appeared without her noticing. He wore a white coat and had the appearance of a research scientist.

Asuna knew the man's identity, or rather, she had an inkling.

"Guild leader..."

It was Heathcliff, or more precisely, Kayaba Akihiko, now in his real-world appearance.

"It seems he thought he lost, so he believed I would continue running this world, but even though it's a bit late, my HP still depleted to zero."

The man called Kayaba Akihiko gazed into the distance as he spoke, almost as if he was talking to Asuna.

"When one's HP reaches zero, one has to exit this world. That's the rule of this world, a rule I established."

In other words, the game had truly been completely cleared. The mass logout of players wasn't a dream.

"You've shown me quite a lot of interesting things, Rozen-kun."

Kayaba Akihiko muttered this almost as if he were expressing gratitude.

"Hmm?"

Suddenly, Akihiko Kayaba, as if sensing something, looked up at the sky.

"W-what's wrong?"

Asuna, still unsure of the situation, asked almost instinctively.

In response, Kayaba Akihiko furrowed his brow and shifted his gaze to Asuna.

"Guild Leader?"

Asuna felt a growing sense of unease.

After a moment of contemplation, Kayaba Akihiko spoke up.

"Just a moment ago, the system detected an intrusion by an external program. It seems someone took advantage of the completion of the clearing to intervene and do something."

These astonishing words came from Kayaba Akihiko's lips. Asuna hadn't fully grasped the situation, but Akihiko Kayaba seemed to know something and fixed his gaze firmly on her.

"I see, Rozen-kun did something like that, huh?" Akihiko Kayaba smiled.

It was a shallow smile, almost as if he found some amusement even at the very end.

Then, he made an announcement.

"Though Rozen-kun's true intention was probably to protect you while this world was still running, in the current situation, it might have an even greater effect."

Kayaba Akihiko pointed his finger at Asuna.

"So, I'll raise the privilege Rozen-kun granted you. This way, you should be able to defend yourself against any ill-intentioned individuals you might encounter in the upcoming situation."

He continued, "And as for the things you hope for, protect, and cherish, I will grant them to you as a reward for the victor."

With that, Kayaba Akihiko offered his final farewell.

"Well then, I wish you good luck, Asuna-kun."

With those words, Asuna was enveloped in a bright light.

"Wai—"

Asuna had just realized something and was about to say more, but it was too late.

Asuna disappeared from her location.

"Gu!"

"Gu!"

What was surprising, both Saichou and Hanachou cried out, seemingly enveloped by Asuna's radiance, and vanished.

Simultaneously, another figure, riding on particles of light, approached from the distance and merged with the light, disappearing together.

At this point, all players in SAO had successfully logged out.

"Rumble..."

Aincrad, the floating castle, suddenly began to shake violently. It was collapsing.

Kayaba Akihiko stood alone in the shaking room, gazing at the world he had created.

"What a beautiful dream..."

Leaving behind these words, Kayaba Akihiko too turned into smoke and disappeared.

At the same time, players in the real world began to awaken one by one.

However, that was a matter for this world.

As for Rozen, he had already moved on to the next world, beginning a brand new adventure of his own.