Chapter 21: The Wish of being Remembered. Holy Girl & Holy Blade…

October 9th, 2025. New Aincrad, Alfheim. An Inn in Floor 27, 16:00…

Asuna wasn't quite sure how to feel about her current situation.

Then again, when you went from being in one of the most challenging fights of your life one moment to sitting in front of a group of unknown and smiling people the next one, with your previous opponent having dragged you there, you couldn't exactly know what kind of face make.

"So…you want ME to help you defeat a Floor Boss?" asked the Undine with a confused tone, looking from the 5 strangers to the nodding Imp at his side.

"Yes, that's right! Will you help us, Asuna?!"

At Yuuki's question, the Dual Wielder couldn't help but recall all that she had been told till that moment.

Apparently, the only reason the mysterious 'Zekken' had been having all those duels in Floor 24 was to try and find a player strong enough to help her and her guild, the Sleeping Knights (And Asuna wondered why something about the name rubbed her in a strange way), could beat a Floor Boss by themselves, without needing to form a Raid of more people, like it usually was done for such a thing. The reason for this was because, as the hyperactive Imp had told her, their guild would be disbanding soon for personal reasons and they would no longer be able to play as often as before (And again, something in those words had seriously bugged her), so they all wanted to make one last 'memory' that let them all remember they had done something 'amazing' together.

And so, they wanted to have their names inscribed in the 'Monument of Swordsmen' that was inside the Black Iron Palace, in Aincrad's 1st Floor.

The 'monument' in question was, basically, the thing that had replaced the ominous 'Monument of Life' from the original SAO, which had shown the names of every single player trapped in the game, and that would 'cross' their name the moment they died. The new monument in New Aincrad had been, quite smartly for the part of Ymir's admins, changed into one that would automatically show the names of the ones that had defeated every single one of Aincrad's Floor Bosses. There was just a small 'problem' with that, though it wasn't one anyone had particularly cared about before, but that affected the Sleeping Knights quite a lot.

If a Raid was created to face off against a Boss, only the names of the leaders of each Party that formed the Raid would end up being engraved in the virtual monolith. With a total of 7 Players per party, with 7 Parties being the max. that could form a Raid, that was a total of 49 Players per Boss Fight maximum, and only 7 names being recorded per Boss. On the other hand, if just a single Party beat a Boss, all the members' names would be recorded on the Monument.

The Sleeping Knights had tried to do this feat by themselves, and, apparently, after coming pretty close but failing in 3 occasions, had decided that it would be faster for them to get a seventh Player to help their guild to beat one and achieve their objective than convincing a lot of people to form a Raid with each of them as their leaders. Hence why Yuuki, the guild's leader, had come up with the idea of her dueling to try and find the 'appropriate' candidate.

With those thoughts in mind, the Dual Wielder raised her gaze and looked at each one of the smiling and hopeful faces around her, which had already introduced themselves. Siune was an Undine, like her, and apparently the second in command of the guild, like her too, the young woman seeming very kind and comprehensive. Jun, the youngest-looking of the bunch, was a Salamander carrying a heavy two-handed sword, one of the group's two Tanks and someone clearly ready to give his best. Tecchi, the other tank, was a massive Gnome, almost as big as Agil was, and clearly made to be a resistant 'wall' for his friends, with his heavy Ancient-Level armor and tower shield, a heavy mace being his main weapon. On the other hand, the two Damage Dealers, Nori and Talken, were total opposites, the outgoing Spriggan girl with the long quarterstaff (Almost twice as long as Keita's battle one) making a funny contrast with the shy and bespectacled Leprechaun, who had a lance almost as long as Sachi's.

All in all, they seemed like quite a happy and clearly very diverse group, wanting to accomplish a slightly curious but still noble-sounding goal.

And yet…Asuna couldn't help but feel there was something 'wrong' with them. As if their smiles were lacking 'something' that she couldn't quite place…

Slowly, the Undine turned her gaze towards the hopeful-looking Imp at her side, the girl people called Zekken, at that moment, not seeming anything like the fierce warrior she had faced a while ago. She was the one that gave that unknown feeling the most, but also…

When she saw that smile of hers, even if she felt there was something wrong with it, she couldn't help but want to do her best to help her achieve her dream.

Asuna's smile widened when, after nodding softly, Yuuki squeaked happily and raised her arms to the air in victory, the rest of the guild also cheering as they exploded into thankful words at her.

Letting just a second past to enjoy that sensation of knowing she was doing something good, Asuna stood up abruptly and looked at all of them with a serious look, making them all stop in surprise.

"Okay then, Sleeping Knights! I have promised to help you all, so don't expect sloppy things or any slacking moments! The current Front Line of Aincrad is this Floor, so I'm going to spent the day going over the most important and basic tactics about how to face off against a Boss with you all!" raising a fist in an epic way, the Undine pretended not to see the nervous/awed/sweatdropping looks the guild was sending her way as she let a determined grin replace her previous expression. "And I promise you that tomorrow we will have vanquished the 27th Floor Boss! I swear so in the name of my Sensei!"

As she started to go on about what they needed to do and how to prepare for the incoming battle, impressing the small guild with her vast knowledge of the game and the Boss Battles, the Dual Wielder didn't notice how Yuuki's smile had vanished, replaced with a thoughtful look, the moment she had mentioned the word 'Sensei'.

The image of a figure clad in black and white was running through the Imp's mind. The image of someone…too strong. Inhumanly strong.

Terrifyingly strong…

Once again, the girl called Zekken was hugged by hands that no one could see, felt a warmth that no one else could perceive and heard words no other person would ever hear.

'Calm down, Yuu. He's not a bad person, I'm sure.'

Reassured as always by the voice and presence of someone she knew deep down was no longer with her, Yuuki stared once again towards the cheerful-looking Asuna and devoted herself to hear what the Undine had to tell her and everyone else, sure that they would achieve their objective with her at their side.

The unseen specter, meanwhile sent another bittersweet smile towards her before falling silent once again, continuing her quiet watch.

The only thing she wanted was to see the other smile, after all…

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Kazuto frowned as he sat outside his house's dojo, a water bottle on his hand while he stared at the garden in silence, pondering about many things.

The black-haired boy had tried to relax a bit and forget about the dark thoughts that had been going through his mind since a couple of days ago by trying to get into the dojo, grab a shinai and practice a bit, remembering that he used to get bored enough to not think about anything in the past when doing so.

It hadn't helped in the slightest, especially because he couldn't even remember how to properly grab the bamboo sword. His grip was so bad and shaky that he had ended up throwing the shinai to the ground by accident after his second, too forceful swing. Idly, the gamer had imagined the voice of his deceased grandfather berating him for tarnishing the name of kendo with his pitiful attempt, and the saddest part was that he would have been unable to deny that if it had actually been said. Kazuto felt the blade as something foreign and strange, that didn't belong in his hands. Startled, he had realized that he couldn't even recall the times he used to swing one in SAO's beta, all of that erased from his mind, all the style and discipline needed to use the weapon replaced by the simple, easy and all-powerful surety that his fists alone could solve any problem that involved fighting.

Sighing as he remembered that, the gamer looked in silence towards the sky, barely feeling the cold of the evening as he wondered what to do. He should probably go and take a bath before Sugu Logged Out and wanted to take one herself, then maybe try and get some homework done, but…

The boy's hand tightened around the half-empty bottle, deforming it slightly, even as he remembered his 'fight' against the enigmatic Imp girl. The astounding warrior with the hollow smile.

Zekken, who hid a secret that could be incredibly dark.

Yuuki, a girl who fought for no real reason except to continue smiling…

It wasn't his problem. He shouldn't get involved; he didn't have any NEED to get involved. Heck, for all he knew, Asuna would take care of whatever the girl needed herself, and maybe even fill that smile again, solving whatever problem Yuuki had with her own hands.

And yet, once again, a small part of his mind…

'If the Heroes run and hide, who will stay and fight?'

'I'm not working as a hero because I want you morons to admire me! I do it 'cause I want to!'

…told him he would regret it if he DIDN'T get involved.

Shaking his head, the boy suppressed yet another sigh. If he had any interest in ever having a normal life, he should get up and arrange for his mother to call a psychologist, or call the school's counselor himself.

Instead, he took out his phone and, after a moment of hesitation, quickly dialed a certain number he had looked over so many times he had already memorized.

"Good evening, this is Yokohama North General Hospital's reception, how may I help you?"

"…hi, excuse me, I'm just calling for an…assignment from school." muttered the gamer while closing his eyes. "Is there where there are testing the uses of FullDive technology with intensive-care patients by using the machine known as 'Medicuboid'?"

There was a moment of surprised silence from the other side, a clear sign that people usually didn't call asking for such a thing, before the receptionist apparently composed herself, though there was still a hint of doubt remaining on her voice.

"Yes, it is, but I'm afraid that any details pertaining to that are confidential information, for the sake of the patients related to it. But, if you want to ask details that aren't directly related to them, maybe Doctor Kurahashi will be able to…"

"No, there is no need for that, I don't want to be a bother. Thanks, I will call again if I need anything else."

That said, Kazuto cut off the call, looking down with a small frown before taking a deep breath, pondering what to do. Looking at the half-crumpled bottle of water, he took a long sip and nodded, a decision taken.

Ten minutes later, and after leaving a note to Sugu saying he would return soon, the black-haired boy left the house, not in a hurry, but neither exactly at a slow pace. On the sports bag he carried at his side, the edge of a white cape could slightly be seen hanging out, as if someone had hastily thrown it inside.

Unseen by him or anyone, the moment the gamer step out of his house, the World shifted, a path that shouldn't have been taken having been opened once again.

Somewhere, something cracked. Slowly, Reality bled.

As Kazuto walked forward, he didn't notice how a small and unnatural glow enveloped the 'costume' inside his bag for the briefest instant.

On Its throne Above Everything, [FATE] frowned.

Something was going in a way it shouldn't…

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With a smile on her face, Asuna left the Inn after saying her goodbyes to the Sleeping Knights, the guild dispersing after several hours of strategy-discussion, explanation of tactics, and informing her about their play-styles.

All in all, it had been a very enjoyable evening for the Dual Wielder. The small but lively guild kind of reminded her of the relationship she and her friends had, as they acted more like a family than anything else, and being with them had been quite an enjoyable and interesting experience. Yuuki, especially, had a lively and cheerful aura that drew the Undine in, and that she saw also affected everyone else around her, as if the amazing Imp was a beacon that attracted and inspired those she was close with.

It was almost enough to make Asuna forget that there was something 'wrong' with her and her friends. Almost.

In a way, the blue-haired Undine mused, the one called Zekken was similar to her Sensei. Someone with amazing and unreal abilities that drew others to herself and led them around without really trying to act like a 'real leader'…but the similarities ended there.

Kirito fought to protect those he cared for, and to enjoy his life with them. Yuuki…her blade was motivated for something else. Something that gave off that 'hollow' tinge to her smiles.

The Undine really hoped to be able to help her and the others to solve whatever 'problem' they seemed to have, but for some reason couldn't shake the feeling that there was nothing she could do. It was a disconcerting thought, especially given that she wasn't someone who would surrender without first doing their best, so she decided to ignore it and push forward.

Finally remembering the time, the girl looked at the edge of her HUD and saw that she was already 'late' for dinner, or at least for the stupidly strict hour her mother had imposed for her to be down eating with her. Suppressing a scowl at the memory of last night, the Dual Wielder sighed and shook her head, knowing that angering her more wouldn't really help matters for any of them. Calmly Logging Out, Asuna took off her AmuSphere and, after remembering herself to call her friends after dinner to tell them what had happened, went down to the house's first floor, ready to face whatever her mother had to say.

That was why she was surprised when she found only a plate of food, still slightly warm, waiting for her in the dining room, but no sign of Yuuki Kyouko anywhere.

She was still pondering what that meant when the familiar voice of the housemaid called from behind her.

"Oh, Asuna-ojousama? Your mother is eating in her room because of work-related matters, she said that you could go ahead and eat on your own."

"I…see. Thanks for that." nodded softly Asuna towards the older woman, who offered her a kind smile before going off to her duties. Meanwhile, the chestnut-haired girl let her eyes wander upstairs for a moment before sighing and entering the room, sitting down to eat.

She knew her mother never ate in her room, much less if she had any work to do. It was clear that her words the night before had shaken the woman more than she thought, but she did not regret anything of what she had said. The only thing she regretted was that not only she and her mother couldn't understand each other, but also that the first reaction the woman that had brought her to the world had to them was to try and avoid her.

Wondering if there was any way in which she could ever fix her relationship with her mother, Asuna grabbed her phone with one hand between bites, slowly starting to write a message to Suguha and Kazuto about the day…

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Opening her eyes, Konno Yuuki stared silently at the empty and round area that surrounded her.

Well, 'opening her eyes' may have been the wrong term, given that she wasn't really opening her physical ones. If anything, this was just the closest she could actually be to reality without suffering any pain.

Looking down at the massive and currently inactive screen in front of her, she saw her reflex, the actual one and not the Imp avatar: short black-brown hair that barely reached her shoulders, a thin frame that couldn't really be called 'pretty' and had slightly outgrown the 'cute' designation, and tired brown eyes. She was also wearing cream-colored pants and a mostly pink jacket. Virtual imitations of what once was her favorite clothes.

The real ones probably had been destroyed already. And her real boy was only wearing a hospital gown.

Shaking those thoughts away, she quickly let her eyes roam around the small virtual room that had been her 'home' for the last years, doing her best to ignore the screens that showed the state of her heart, brain, and other similar medical-related things. She knew they were important for the machine, and would sometimes be for the patients in the future, given that this was just a prototype, but they still made her feel between scared and annoyed. Yuuki really disliked coming back here whenever it wasn't needed, preferring to even 'sleep' in the virtual worlds she visited.

But this was the only place where she could freely talk with 'her' without anyone else knowing. Not even the closed rooms of Alfheim's Inns made her feel the same 'sanctity' she felt in here for this.

"…are you there?" she softly asked, as always fearing that she would finally get no answer and 'come back to her senses'.

"…Yes, you know I am, Yuu." whispered back the familiar voice, making the girl's heart skip a beat as she turned around, her smile widening at the ghostly figure standing there.

Identical to her, even in height, but with her longer hair styled in a ponytail (Which was kind of funny, because the hair of her Imp avatar was slightly longer). She was wearing an all-white dress and her figure seemed strangely transparent, giving her an ethereal and otherworldly appearance that would have frightened many at the implications.

Yuuki, for her part, only smiled and ran to hug her, virtual arms closing around the ghostly form as she once again felt the happiness of her delusion.

"Nee-san…nee-san…!"

"Shh, Yuu, calm down, you can't react like this every day." soothed her Konno Aiko, or Ran as their friends had known her, the original leader of the Sleeping Knights. "Siune and the others will get worried about you…"

Wordlessly, Yuuki nodded towards the specter of her twin sister, though not making any effort to end the hug.

She knew she had probably lost it at some point, for this to happen. That maybe something was wrong with her brain and that she was making things worse for herself by not telling Doctor Kurahashi or anyone else, but at this point, she did not care.

No one else could 'see' Aiko like she did. No one else could feel or hear her. Even when she had discreetly asked her Doctor if he had seen anyone with her when they were in one of their many virtual talks, he had just been confused. From all points of view and common sense, the girl in front of her was just a product of her imagination, a happy lie that her brain used to trick her and ease the pain she had felt when she had lost the last member of her family.

She spent the whole night crying when Aiko died, only Siune and Dr. Kurahashi having been with her most of the time, given that everyone was still grieving for having lost 'Ran'. They had all lost a great friend, leader, and beacon of hope. She had felt as if she had lost a part of her soul.

And then, when she had been all alone and feeling as if she would just die from sadness, feeling so horrible that she swore she felt something 'crack' in the back of her mind…her sister had been there again, wearing the dress they once used to wear in the virtual hospice Serene Garden, where they met Merida, their first friend and other of the Sleeping Knights' founders, hugging and telling her she would be with her till the end.

Yuuki didn't care if she had gone insane or not. All that she cared for was that her sister was back with her, in a way. Even if she had to pretend in front of the others, even if she had to hide the truth from Dr. Kurahashi, she would still cling to the 'Aiko' that always was with her till the bitter end.

Unseen by her, the specter's smile turned slightly sadder for a moment.

"Aiko-nee…you won't leave me, right?"

"I will tell you as many times as it's needed, Yuu: I won't. Ever." wiping a virtual tear away from her younger sister's eyes, Aiko smiled softly at her twin again. "So, why don't we go over what you really wanted to talk about? You ready to follow Asuna-san's strategies?"

"Ah, yeah, you bet I am!" happily replied Yuuki, almost jumping in place, the reaction bringing a genuine smile to the specter's face. "Man, she's just so amazing, and smart too! I can't believe someone like her really exists…" pumping up a fist in excitement, the girl's eyes seemed to sparkle at remembering the valiant Undine. "With her at our side, the Floor Boss is as good as beaten!"

"My, I'm almost jealous. Seems like someone has really caught your attention this time, Yuu." grinned Aiko while her hyperactive twin blinked and pouted her way. "And you were right, uh? She really was related to 'him', though it's surprising to know she's somehow his 'disciple', right?"

"Oh…yeah, surprising…" muttered Yuuki with a suddenly more subdued tone, her eyes darting off towards the darkness of the silent virtual space, recalling how Asuna had several times made mention of the one she called 'Sensei'.

The specter of her sister frowned at this, walking closer and putting a hand on her shoulder, startling the girl from her deep thoughts.

"…are you still afraid of him, Yuu?" softly questioned Aiko while resting her ghostly chin on her twin's shoulder.

"I'm not…afraid of him." sulked the younger girl while pouting and looking away. "It's just that…for a moment there, that boy, he…felt as if he had become something completely different. As if a switch had been flipped and…I was no longer someone facing an opponent, but a small pebble trying to stand in front of a tidal wave…"

"Yuu…" whispered the specter while hugging her tighter as she felt Yuuki shake at the memory.

"It was…overwhelming. Maybe it DID scare me for a second, but after that it was just…confusion. Wonder. And…maybe a bit of sadness, too." looking at her ghostly sister's confused expression, the younger girl had to suppress a chuckle. "I mean, having all that power inside of him, always having to hold back…he must be under a lot of pressure. I wonder…how does he deal with it? Is he like me, ignoring the issue and giving my best despite it…or is it something else?"

And as her twin sister kept pondering about the enigma that was 'Kirito', Aiko silently let go and looked towards the side, to an empty 'space' inside the Medicuboid's personal VR-area.

Outside of the hospital, on a nearby building, a caped figure with a scarf around his neck blinked, looking around warily for a moment before confirming that no one was around, before looking back at the hospital.

Kazuto had spent a good chunk of the day looking around the place, all the areas one could safely walk without raising suspicions…and others he had needed to put his 'costume' on, just in case.

Of course, he wasn't foolish enough to try and get INSIDE it. Those places had cameras and quite a lot of security. In fact, he wasn't really sure what he was hoping to accomplish. All that he had done so far was obtaining all the info one would need to enter into 'restricted' areas of the hospital without being detected, if they somehow had a way to get around the cameras…but really, he WASN'T going to do something that stupid. He had no real reason to do so except something that could very well be just satisfying his stupid and childish curiosity. Even if he DID discover something about that Yuuki girl, what could he do about it?

Yes, the best thing would be to just go back home already, think about a good excuse to tell Sugu and then ignore this. Besides, his phone had ringed a moment ago and apparently Asuna had been informing everyone of what the mysterious Imp wanted from her.

With a resolute nod, the young vigilante turned around.

He took three steps, then looked back towards the hospital, still feeling that odd sensation of someone 'watching' him. He took a deep breath.

"…I wonder if Yui or Strea can hack cameras…"

And as he whispered those words, the spectral form of Konno Aiko smiled and turned once again to look at her mumbling twin, even as Kazuto headed back home…and unknowingly to quite a long rant from her female friends (Which had already finished with Sugu) about the siblings' 'nightly activities' as vigilantes.

Unseen, the World changed once more.

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October 10th, 2025. New Aincrad, Alfheim. Teleport Gate of Floor 27, 12:30…

With a cheerful and brave look on her face, Asuna walked towards the Floor's Teleport Gate, already seeing the clearly nervous but determined forms of the Sleeping Knights in the distance. As she got closer, the Undine saw that Jun and Nori were already waving her way, even as Yuuki excitedly ran towards her, Siune, Talken, and Tecchi only smiling when they saw her approaching. The Dual Wielder could only smile even more at this, happily greeting the hyperactive Imp and the rest.

They were good and sincere people, people who honestly needed help for something in which they believed in. That was all that mattered for her. Whatever secret they had, she would do her best to help them with, but only if they wanted her to.

For now, though…

"Okay. Ready to kick some ass?" asked Asuna with a challenging smile.

"You bet we are, Asuna!" cheered Yuuki before looking at her guild. "Right, everyone?!"

"Yes! We're going to do our best for this!" agreed Jun while raising his massive sword.

"Don't worry about anything, just leave the front to us!" grinned Tecchi while tapping his shield with the tip of his mace. "That Boss won't get past us!"

"Hell yeah, let's win this like fucking bosses, team!" shouted Nori while giving a thumbs-up to the group. "Ready, Tal-chan?!"

"Ple-please, don't call me that." sighed the bespectacled Leprechaun before giving their leader a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, I-I will do my best too!"

"As you see, we're all ready to give it all." smiled Siune while raising her staff. "Shall we go, then?"

"Yes, let's go!" turning around, the Undine felt herself filled with the confidence of being able to do anything, tightly closing her fists before opening her wings. "Onwards to the Dungeon!"

As the Sleeping Knights replied with enthusiasm and the whole Party took flight, none of them, sans Yuuki, could see how Aiko's specter joined the cheer and squeezed her twin's hand for a moment.

And absolutely none of them could have known that a silver-armored being watched their flying forms going away in the distance, silently trailing their path with its heterochromatic eyes…

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"It certainly has been changed, but this is still the 27th Dungeon, uh?" thought Asuna to herself when, after a while of mostly evading or quickly finishing several golem-like mobs, the group finally arrived at a long and straight corridor that led to a massive door.

"Hey, look, that's the Boss Room! Man, we really got here fast, uh?" commented Yuuki while rushing towards it, the rest of the Party having a bit of trouble to catch up with their energetic leader and friend.

And then Asuna suddenly stopped, tense, and unsheathed one of the blades she carried on her back.

"Asuna-san?" asked a confused Siune while everyone else stopped too, staring at the girl with surprise. "Is something wrong?"

"Yes…we're not alone!" shouted the Undine while quickly spinning around, surprised squeaks echoing when Fafnir's Fang decapitated one of the 3 invisible players, the other two turning visible as they gaped in disbelief at the vanishing form of their friend, a Remain Flame being left in his place. "I knew it!"

"Wha-what the hell?! What did Roxon do to you, you crazy bitch?!" shouted the taller of the players even as the other one tried to calm him down, looking nervously at the Undine that was clearly way more powerful than them.

"I could ask you the same time!" replied Asuna while pointing her emerald sword their way, ignoring the open-mouthed Sleeping Knights for a moment. "Why were you waiting here invisible to ambush us?!"

"W-we weren't trying to ambush you, I swear!" quickly said the smaller player while looking nervously from his partner to the Remain Flame. "We were just waiting for our friends to fa-face the Boss, yeah, that's all!"

"Yes…what my friend here said…" lowly muttered the more hostile of the two while looking away.

The Dual Wielder stared at them with narrowed eyes, still not lowering her sword. She didn't need to be an SAO Survivor to know that they were lying, and quite badly at that, but she didn't have any proof of it and didn't know their motives either, so it would be better to just leave it be…for now.

"I see…my apologies, then." corrected the Undine while sheathing her blade, her eyes never leaving the pair as she kept talking. "Sorry about your friend, but if you're still waiting for a bigger group then you don't have any problem with us challenging the Boss, right?"

"N-no, of course not, this is a free world, d-do whatever you want, hah…hah…" awkwardly laughed the smaller player, quickly busing himself with resurrecting their fallen friend.

Finally deeming it safe to turn her back to them, Asuna walked back towards the Sleeping Knights and motioned them towards the door with hurry, still frowning slightly.

"Asuna…?"

"Those guys are lying, Yuuki-chan, but I don't know why, so let's go and finish this quickly before they try to do anything weird to us." whispered the Dual Wielder, getting a surprised nod from the small guild before they all hurried after her, the massive door opening for them.

As they got inside and, after walking 10 meters, the door closed behind them at the same time the torches in the area starting illuminating it, Asuna couldn't help but think how useful that small change was. Closing off the Boss Room while a Raid was inside stopped anyone else from busting inside near the end of a fight and trying to steal away the glory.

Quickly pushing those thoughts aside, the Undine concentrated on the massive form appearing before the Party, barely aware of the small gasps coming from some of the Sleeping Knights when the 27th Floor Boss finished materializing.

It was a giant, almost 5 meters tall, with four arms in an Asura-like pattern, two heads with goat-horns and red eyes looking at them with evil intent while his weapons, two wooden hammers that seemed eerily like battering rams, loomed ominously over them, gripped tightly on its upper arms. On the lower ones, thick and long steel chains that wrapped around the giant's waist rattled sinisterly as it moved, seeming strong enough to throw a truck around like a toy.

The Dual Wielder had to admit it: Ymir had really put quite the effort in remaking this one.

The Boss roared as his 4 HP bars filled themselves, moving towards the group like a force of nature ready to crush some ants. Exchanging a quick look with Yuuki, Asuna received a nod in response, the blades on her back being unsheathed as she dashed forward and to the side, idly aware of the Imp girl doing the same but in the opposite direction.

"Go everyone, just like we planned it!"

The fight began and the Sleeping Knights unleashed their best. And the Undine was quite pleased with what she was seeing.

The guild was strong. Perhaps not at the same level as the United Heroes Association (Except for Yuuki, obviously), but they also had a teamwork and synergy between them at the same level, if not slightly better, than theirs, sometimes seeming as if one member of the Party could read the minds of the others when they Switched, backed away for Siune to cast a spell or heal them, block when needed to protect a surprising attack to the damage dealers…

With such an amazing tactic, Asuna wasn't surprised when, after almost 20 minutes of fighting, the Boss' second to last HP bar was about to disappear…

And that was when something went WRONG.

The Dual Wielder froze, a familiar and sinister feeling covering her and making her skin crawl, the girl's gaze shooting everywhere in the room to try and pinpoint the source of it all and identify it…when the Boss was finally left with just one HP bar.

At that moment…something seemed to 'crash' on the giant, the beast stopping dead on its tracks for a moment before, to the utter confusion of the Sleeping Knights, wildly throwing away his weapons and unleashing an unholy roar.

Then, it started to CHANGE, the creature's muscles bulging in an insane and almost grotesque way, his skin turning a sickly purple while shining green veins appeared all over his body.

Asuna was still trying to understand if what she was seeing was really happening when, as if putting the final nail on the coffin, rhino-like horns emerged from the two foreheads of the Boss, his now razor sharp-teeth glowing ominously as it glared down at them, now almost twice its precious size.

Over his name, a new 'state' had been added, the Undine reading it but not wanting to accept the crazy impossibility.

'Asura Mode', it read.

Unleashing another earth-shattering scream, the transformed Boss shot forward with an speed it didn't had a moment before, appearing behind the open-mouthed Sleeping Knights before Asuna could even begin shouting.

"DISPERSE!" screamed the Dual Wielder even as Siune was turned into virtual toothpaste by an ungodly fast hand, leaving the Remain Flame and then shooting forward towards Tecchi and Jun, both tanks raising their shield and sword in an attempt to block the insane charge.

The Asura wasn't even slowed down, slamming two of his fists over them and throwing the Salamander and the Gnome all the way to the room's opposite side, their HP depleted as they exploded into Remain Flames.

The Undine had finally arrived at the monster's side at the same time Yuuki did, idly aware of how Nori and Talken tried to regroup as they backed away from the transformed Boss. Putting all her attention back on the unexpected enemy, the girl unleashed a Nightmare Rain Skill even as she felt the Imp girl doing the same with a Holy Cross one. The Unique Skills visibly lowered the monster's HP.

That didn't stop it from roaring again and throwing both girls away like ragdolls, once again moving with godly speed towards the two other Sleeping Knights. None of them had time to do anything other than raising their weapons before they were crushed by a quadruple punch. The Boss cackled with what seemed like mad glee at the action, turning away from the Remain Flames to stare towards the standing forms of the two girls that remained.

"Asuna! Why did it become so strong?! Isn't this way too unfair?!" shouted Yuuki while gripping her steel sword tighter.

"I…I don't know! It shouldn't have…!"

The girl's words died on her throat when, for a moment, she saw a strange, lizard-like being made out of shadows staring at them from just beside the door, moving silently over the ground to keep its small eyes over the battle.

Because of this, she was too late to hear the Imp's warning and was punched away by the massive creature, her body breaking down into the ethereal blue fire that marked the Undines' Remain Flames.

The last thing she saw before being left in the 'waiting for resurrection' state was how Yuuki roared and charged by herself towards the Asura, the abomination cackling madly before shooting towards the Imp…

Five minutes later, a slightly dejected group emerged from the Floor's Teleport Gate, the Sleeping Knights all seeming between outraged and depressed.

"What the hell was THAT?!" demanded Nori while stomping on the ground, looking at everyone as if expecting them to have an answer. "We were winning, and then…argh!"

"I know Bosses are supposed to power up or something when their HP is almost depleted, but God bless, wasn't that too hardcore?" asked Jun with a nervous look as he stared at his friends.

"Yes…it certainly was." muttered Yuuki with a serious look, grabbing the hilt of her steel sword while frowning. "In fact, it almost felt as if it wasn't…"

"Everyone, grab potions to recover and move, quick!" shouted Asuna as she emerged from the Teleport Gate, surprising the small guild as she started to jog out of the town's plaza.

"Wait, Asuna-san?!" even as they hurried after her, Siune barely managed to catch up with the other Undine as she took flight, the others doing the same. "What's going on?!"

"We need to get back and challenge the Boss again, now, or we're going to miss our chance!"

"Wait, what? Right now?!" asked a panicking Talken. "Why?!"

"Because someone was spying on us!" answered the Dual Wielder while she finished swallowing a potion, everyone sending her surprised looks even as Yuuki finally caught up with her.

"Spying on us?! But, how?! The doors to the Boss Rooms close behind us when we enter and…!"

"Yeah, I myself didn't realize, but there is a loophole around that: Tracking Familiars!" answered Asuna as they started to head straight for the dungeon. "Temporary magical creatures created through magic that allow a player to look through their eyes! They're usually used for scouting, but in this case…"

"They used one to spy on our battle with the Boss?" finished Tecchi with narrowed eyes, clearly confused. "Why would they do such a thing?!"

"Because that way, they don't need to scout ahead themselves to know all the Boss' attack patterns!" turning around, the Undine surprised everyone with the angry look on her eyes. "Remember those guys outside? How it seemed they were WAITING for us to show up? And remember how you told me you have been always losing your chances with past Bosses because a large Raid would form just after you failed a battle and take it out?"

"Wait…you can't possibly mean…" started the Imp with wide eyes, her shock spreading through her friends' faces.

"Yes, I'm afraid. These bastards have been taking advantage of your attempts to clear the Floor Bosses to do it themselves by spying on your fights, then taking advantage of YOUR efforts." growling, the Dual Wielder accelerated, noticing with approval how the Sleeping Knights finally started to take their own potions and to catch after her, Yuuki even starting to get a bit ahead of her, eyes narrowed.

She could worry about the impossibility of the Boss' oddly familiar 'transformation' later. Now, she needed to make sure her new friends didn't have the efforts to achieve their dream wasted once again.

And staring at her, the specter called Aiko slowly nodded.

000000000000000000

This time, the group made it to the corridor leading to the Boss Room in a record time of 10 minutes. Given that they had the layout of the Dungeon pretty fresh on their minds and most of the Mobs had yet to respawn, this wasn't so surprising.

Even so, Asuna felt about to burst with a mix of anger and worry when she and the others saw that there was already a group of at least 15 players waiting in front of the door, blocking their way.

With a scowling Yuuki in tow, Asuna tried her best to put on a calm smile and walked up to the group. Ironically, the tall player from before was the one that turned around to look at them with a raised eyebrow, almost seeming to try to suppress a smile (And failing at it).

"Yes? Can we help you?" asked him in a fake-sweet tone.

"Yeah…sorry, me and my friends are going to challenge the Boss, so could you please stand aside and let us pass?" asked the Undine with an equally 'sweet' voice, catching the attention of many of the gathered Players, who looked at the Party in disbelief.

"Oh…we're truly sorry, but you see, we're waiting for some friends to form a Raid and challenge it ourselves, so I'm afraid we can't do that." replied the man with a smug smile.

"But…your friends aren't here yet." pointed out Yuuki with a blank face. "You can't block the way for other players if you're not going to challenge the Boss right now."

"Oh yeah? Who says it?" challenged him with a victorious look…

…which vanished the moment his body was cut in half by Elucidator and Fafnir's Fang, everyone's eyes widening and several shouts and screams of surprise coming from the tall man's companions as Asuna stood up, looking PISSED as hell.

"I have been having an annoying couple of days because of personal matters, I was just told last night that my boyfriend has been out doing stupid things (Even if for the right reasons) without telling me and I'm starting to really understand why Sensei seems to be so done with the world going crazy because of the thing behind that door…So if you don't want to end like him I suggest you get the fuck out of the way!" roared the Dual Wielder before pointing her weapons at the surprised players, many of them starting to shout and grab their weapons, some even starting to cast Spells.

Then Yuuki shot at Asuna's side, the Imp moving with that incomparable grace of her and cutting down the nearest player that had tried to charge at her friend.

"Heh…I'm glad you didn't hesitate with this, Asuna!" grinned the one called Zekken, the Undine staring at her in surprise for a moment before smiling back. "After all, sometimes you need to do things forcefully for others to understand them!"

The Dual Wielder closed her eyes at those words, letting the full meaning behind them echo into her mind before nodding and opening them. She couldn't agree more.

As if that was an unseen signal, the rest of the Sleeping Knights bravely charged forward after their leader and their new friend, battle cries erupting from them as the other party, despite having twice their number, started to be pushed back and lose quite quickly, Yuuki and Asuna tearing into them like a pair of deadly dancers, their blades seeming to sing as they took down several of the opposing players in less than 30 seconds, barely getting damaged in return.

That was when someone cried in relief, pointing down the hall. Eyes widening, the Undine and the Imp turned around to see almost 30 players running towards them, which were clearly the main attack force of the Raid, looking pissed and with their weapons drawn.

"It's over! You're done for, bunch of lunatics!" shouted some random Player while pointing to the Sleeping Knights.

"Oh damn!" growled Nori while slamming away a player trying to sneak up her back. "What now?!"

"I'm thinking!" shouted back Yuuki before standing at Asuna's side. "…you take the ones on the left and me the ones on the right?"

After blinking for a second at the words, the Dual Wielder couldn't help but laugh openly, patting the back of the girl called Zekken before readying her blades, despite knowing that they would most likely not survive the charge, and if they did, wouldn't be in any shape to challenge the Boss.

"Yes, Yuuki…let's do that."

Inspired by the courage of the two girls, the rest of the small guild readied their weapons, ready to give their all until the end.

That was when Aiko put her hands on Yuuki's shoulders, startling the young girl as she whispered in her ear.

'I told you he was a good person.'

The Imp didn't have enough time to ask what she meant before the sound of 'something' echoed through the corridor.

With a sonic boom that threw almost everyone to the floor, a blur of white and black shot down the hallway like a living bullet, going through the incoming horde of players as if they weren't there and stopping in front of the small guild with a mighty crash.

The players that were in the center of the group that had been running towards them died and turned into Remain Flames without even properly understanding what had happened. The ones closer to the walls weren't as lucky, and went flying away like bowling pins, crashing against the ceiling and the walls, those few that didn't die being left on the ground with their HP on the red and unwilling to get up, too shocked/traumatized to do so.

In front of the gaping Sleeping Knights, the slowly smiling Asuna and the trembling remains of the original group blocking the door, the caped figure stood, his face a carpet of darkness with two white voids instead of eyes, his bottomless gaze sweeping over them all…

This time, though, Yuuki didn't feel any fear when their gazes crossed for an instant. Infinite curiosity met worry and doubt, before the Spriggan's whole visage seemed to return to 'normal' on the blinking players' eyes, an awkward smile appearing on his face as he looked towards Asuna.

"Thought you could use some help." simply declared Kirito before pointing towards the door. "Go on, I will watch your backs."

"…hai, Sensei." grinned the Undine before turning around and dashing to the door, which opened as she motioned to the still frozen Sleeping Knights. "C'mon, everyone, we need to beat this thing!"

"Uh…ah…yes! Let's go!" shouted Yuuki while snapping out of her daze, her guild following cue and quickly hurrying after her towards the Boss Room.

As the door closed, however, the Imp girl risked another glance towards the caped boy and the running and screaming players, who were shouting things like 'It's him!' or 'Run, is the guy that punches everything!'

Kirito stared back, a serious and apologetic look on his face. Then, he gave the girl a sad smile and a thumbs-up.

The doors closed. Sighing, the Spriggan turned around and vanished in another blur of speed. Soon, nothing but Remain Flames were left on the area.

Back with the Sleeping Knights, they had all stopped upon seeing the center of the room, a scowling Asuna facing towards the roaring form of the transformed Boss, the Asura looking at them with mad glee, as if he could remember them, his last HP bar fully regenerated.

"Wha…?! Why is that thing still like that?!" asked a confused Talken while taking a step back. "Shouldn't it have returned to normal and had his whole HP restored?! What's going on?!"

"Just as I thought, this isn't normal…" muttered the Dual Wielder before looking back to the group. "Everyone, me and Yuuki will keep it distracted, okay?! Tecchi, Jun, protect Siune, we're going to need her to keep us alive! Nori, Talken, if we get it close enough unleash all the hell you can! Understood?!"

"YES!" replied the group without hesitation after hearing the girl's serious and determined voice, the Undine nodding towards the Imp and charging towards the berserker abomination.

Once again, the Asura laughed madly as it charged towards the girls, only making Asuna see it even more as a warped version of the character of the series her Sensei seemingly had gotten his 'powers' from. Not letting anything distract her this time, the blue-haired girl quickly sidestepped two mad punches and slashed her way along one of the upper arms of the corrupted Boss, the parody of Asura Rhino roaring madly as it tried to throw her off...only to be stopped when Yuuki flashed a brutal Light Cutter Skill over one of his legs, the attack distracting it long enough for Asuna to jump at his right face with a Double Circular.

Siune chose that moment to help out by unleashing several ice-arrows towards the Boss' neck, making it stumble backwards when they hit the strange crystal embedded where his heads met, the only part of the creature that hadn't really 'changed' since its transformation (Aside from the red eyes).

"He-Hey, I think that's his weak point!" shouted Nori while pointing at it with her weapon, the Dual Wielder and the Holy Swordswoman exchanging a quick look before nodding and running towards the Boss once again...

The abomination spun around, roaring madly and JUMPING over them like a mad kangaroo, the shock on the girls' eyes being as great as the horror reflecting in their friends' ones, who saw the creature land and start the motion to crush them like insects with two of his fists, even as they tried to turn around and react.

Yuuki managed it first, slashing at the incoming fist as she backed away...and having her steel sword destroyed by her troubles, the blade unable to withstand more strain from the absurdly powerful creature and sending her owner stumbling backwards.

Asuna saw all of this as she finished turning and just started to raise her blades, unable to do it in time and being crushed like a fly...

...or that's what would have happened if the Undine hadn't suddenly released a scream on her own and shone with ethereal light, everyone, even the specter that followed the Imp, gasping in shock at seeing the wide-eyed Asura's hand stopped by the two crossed blades of the now mostly-metallic girl.

It seemed as if 99% of her body had suddenly turned mechanic for no reason, streamlined and bluish metal that shone in the faint light of the Boss Room covering her whole form except for her face, the Dual Wielder's eyes now sporting black instead of white.

"What the...?!"

"Sh-she transformed too?!"

"HOLY SHIT, SHE'S A CYBORG!"

"Asuna...?" whispered a shocked Yuuki from her place on the ground, staring upwards at the girl trying to stop the corrupted creature from advancing.

"I'm...too young...to deal with this shit!" growled Asuna before what seemed like honest to God rocket boosters opened on the back of her shoulders, giving her enough strength to slash away the monster's arm away and cut several of his fingers as she jumped backwards, more ice coming from a slightly recovered Siune allowing her to land at the Imp's side. "Yuuki, I'm going to need you to charge with me! If we can land a solid hit over that crystal of his, we will finish it!"

"I-I can't!" panicked the girl called Zekken while looking down at her empty hands. "That thing broke my backup sword and I'm not carrying another one!"

The Undine blinked at this, even as the Asura madly roared and decided to charge forward once again, Talken and Nori deciding to disobey her previous order and charging at it from the sides to keep it back, even as she sheathed one of her blades and, idly noticing how sinisterly comfortable she felt with that mechanic body, opened her menu, scrolling down it with the godly reaction time that earned her Dual Blades, which was only surpassed by the girl behind her.

She had grabbed it that morning from the log house after asking everyone for it last night, thinking she may need it in an emergency, if just to beat the Boss and achieve the wish of the lively guild she was helping.

But now that she thought about it...maybe she had done it for another reason?

A warning scream coming from Jun made Asuna snap back into reality and jump out of the way, those strange rocket boosters that she somehow knew how to will into activation once again helping her to get out of the absurdly fast attack's way.

Being weaponless didn't make Yuuki any slower either, so she easily evaded the direct attacks too, getting out of the way and glaring at the madly roaring Boss, cursing not having thought about memorizing at least one attack spell from her race.

It was at that moment, while she was cursing her lack of better preparation and Aiko was staring at her in silence…

"Yuuki! CATCH!"

…that she felt SOMETHING calling for her.

The Imp's head snapped to the side, the world seeming to slow down as she idly registered Asuna's words, her whole self being consumed by the golden blade soaring through the air in her direction.

Beautiful didn't begin to describe it, glorious couldn't explain its magnificence, no word could be used to define the meaning behind it…and it was calling for her.

'Catch it, Yuu.' softly muttered the specter of the girl's sister, grabbing her arm and raising it for her.

Zekken's trance-like state ended the moment Excaliber reached her hand, quickly closing it around its hilt…

And golden light bathed the world, blinding everyone as it exploded in all directions with a divine radiance.

"This…? What…?" muttered Siune while the Asura took several steps back in shock, everyone trying to look towards the core of the burning light.

"Yuuki…?" muttered Asuna while staring in shock, this not being something she had expected at all.

Before the Undine's awed eye, the Imp girl stepped out of the light, tightly gripping the Ultimate Holy Sword, ALO's strongest weapon, in her hand, a golden aura burning around her like ghostly fire even as she slowly raised the glorious blade, a smile adorning her face.

"Let's do this."

The moment those words left her mouth, Yuuki vanished from existence in a golden flash.

The next second, she was beside the left head of the Boss, swinging with a mighty cry and unleashing another Light Cutter…only this time the Skill was twice as big, and the light was no longer white, but a dazzling golden, which actually left her blade and cut a deep gash of crimson polygons through the abomination's head.

Jaws dropped even more as the Imp KICKED away from the corrupted monster's head, landing on the ground with enough force to make virtual crack appear on it, the golden aura surrounding her flaring like a second sun.

For an instant, Asuna could have sworn she saw a second figure beside her, grasping the golden blade with her and smiling with utter joy.

Then, the moment was over and the Dual Wielder shook her head, smiling as she took the crazy event in stride and rushed forward, her blades igniting with power as she shot with a mechanic jump straight at the Boss' chest.

"THE ECLIPSE!"

The Undine wondered if it was overkill that each and every single one of her slashes was only boosted by the fact that the rocket boosters on her shoulders released a burst of energy every time she swung the corresponding arm. She quickly realized that she didn't actually give a fuck about that, as long as the thing in front of her finally died.

Barely 10% of the Asura's HP was left when Asuna's Ultimate Skill finally ended. She could feel her body temporary freeze the moment the 27th Hit was over, her mechanic body starting to fall down. She knew that the corrupted abomination would be upon her before the 2 seconds gap before she could move again was over, ready to crush her like a bug…but she wasn't worried

"I got you covered, Asuna!" shouted a golden blur, speeding past her.

"Yes, finish him!"

Because the Absolute Sword was ready to finish the job.

"MOTHER'S…!"

Excaliber shone brightly, the glorious light of victory reflecting on everyone's eyes, filling the hearts of the Sleeping Knights with an unknown feeling and Asuna's one with a familiar, long-forgotten nostalgia…

"…ROSARIO!"

The Dual Wielder had seen the Original Sword Skill before. She knew how powerful and amazing it was, to be able to match with Dual Blades' second strongest one. Even if she, like her Sensei (Though she didn't know this bit), felt that it was missing 'something', she couldn't deny the beauty of power behind it.

This time, even with her 'cyborg' accelerated senses, Asuna was barely able to see a glimpse of Yuuki moving he blade before the Imp landed behind the Boss, Holy Sword raised before her face.

And a massive, pure cross of golden energy consumed the Asura, making it scream as it exploded into polygons, the data of those breaking part too before their very eyes, into golden dust that scattered into the void.

The 'Congratulations!' message echoed at the same time the aura surrounding the girl called Zekken vanished as she lowered her blade, wobbling in place for a moment, as if she had just come out of an adrenaline rush, before turning around and give everyone a thumbs-up.

The Sleeping Knights came out of their stupor by exploding in cheers, rushing forward to surround their leader. It was at this moment that the Dual Wielder noticed that, at some point, her avatar had returned to its normal Undine looks, which made her sigh. It seemed that THAT mystery wasn't going to be solved anytime soon.

Nevertheless, she pushed those thoughts aside and smiled brightly towards the cheerful Imp when she rushed towards her, barely stopping a step in front of her with confusion, which made Asuna giggle.

She was probably wondering if she should just let Excaliber fall to tackle her into a hug, so the Undine saved her the trouble by hugging her herself, making Yuuki's eyes widen.

"Good job, Yuuki-chan. You were amazing back there."

"…I wouldn't have done if you hadn't been here, Asuna." happily replied the Holy Swordswoman while returning the hug, being careful of pointing the golden blade away from them, but not letting go of it. "Thanks."

With warm and happy smiles, the rest of the Sleeping Knights watched the scene. Unseen by them, Aiko's specter did the same, before stiffening and looking to the side.

Floating outside the Tower Dungeon, the Entity finished making sure the entire 'alteration program' it had put on the 27th Floor Boss had been erased with him, before nodding and turning around, its armored body started to dematerialize. The inhuman being didn't want to keep pushing its luck. It was still too early to pick up a fight with the Cardinal of Alfheim Online.

Besides, the Entity thought as it vanished, it had already confirmed what it wanted to know.

As they finished vanishing from New Aincrad, the memory of that golden light seemed to be seared on the being's emerald/amber eyes…

000000000000000000

After the group finally managed to calm down enough, Asuna was able to drag them up to the next floor, smiling all the while at the giddy expressions they had at being the first ones to see the geography of the 28th Floor since Sword Art Online, before activating the Teleport Gate on the main city. Another triumphant cheer had erupted from them at that moment, and Nori had proposed they all went to celebrate their victory.

To their utter surprise, the Dual Wielder himself had stopped them, remembering the small guild that they still had one important thing to do before claiming total victory. Given that they were already beside the Teleport Gate, it only took them a couple of minutes to get to Starting City, then to the Black Iron Palace.

And that was how, right now, the 7 Players were standing before the massive slab of ebony rock that was the Monument of Swordsmen, the Dual Wielder happily pointing towards the previously empty area under the mark of 'Floor 27'.

"There it is, guys. The proof of what we did today."

"…it really is here…" whispered Yuuki while touching the cold virtual rock, her hand caressing the engravings of her and her friends' names with the symbol of their guild (A heart with wings and some sort of crown), Asuna's one just under them. "…the proof that we did something amazing. That we…were here, together."

The Undine felt a deep sadness filling her at hearing the Imp's words, but quickly swallowed the question she was about to make, turning to her with a bright smile.

"Yes, you're right about that, Yuuki. But the most important part…" started Asuna before pointing towards the girl's chest, making her and the others blink. "Is that the real proof is HERE. In every one of us."

"Asuna…" muttered the girl called Zekken before Siune cleared her throat and made them turn around, showing the shining crystal she had in her hand.

"Ho-how about we take a picture to commemorate this moment?" asked the healer with a hopeful look, feeling relieved when she saw everyone else start smiling too.

Some seconds later, the entire group was smiling towards the camera-crystal, the picture of them in front of the monument, with their names just between Yuuki and Asuna, being recorded.

When that was done, the Undine just smiled and hopped down from the platform before sending a bright look towards the small guild, surprising them.

"Well, I guess that's it for now. I'm sure we all need to go and get something to eat soon, so how about we get together tomorrow to celebrate?" asked the Dual Wielder without losing her smile. "I and my friends have a house on Floor 22, so I can introduce you to each other and we can hang out together afterward…"

"Oh…well, Asuna…" looking to the side, a noticeable discomfort suddenly seemed to fill the Imp's face, as well as those of her friends. "We…we're going to disband the guild soon, as we told you, and be-because of that we weren't really planning on Logging In that much after this, s-so…"

"…it's okay. I understand, Yuuki. Don't try to make up excuses for my sake, okay? If there is something you aren't comfortable telling me, I won't pry, I promise." declared Asuna with a sad smile, shocking everyone as they stared at her agape. "I just hope that you can tell me the truth, at some point. I may not be able to help you, but I would do my best…I have learned a lot of things from you in these two days, after all."

"Yo-you knew…?" whispered Yuuki while staring at her with absolute disbelief, a hint of fear in her eyes as she shook slightly.

"I don't 'know' anything. Maybe I am wrong, who knows? But…I like to think I have become friends with you all, especially you, Yuuki. So, let's talk again when you're ready, okay?" turning around, the Undine opened her menu and chose the Log Out option, but turned her head around before pushing on it, given one last smile to the Holy Swordswoman. "Oh, and you can keep Excaliber for now, don't worry. I'm sure my friends won't mind, Sensei broke your old sword after all."

And with those words, the blue-haired girl vanished from ALO, leaving behind a silent and guilty group staring at each other.

Biting her lips while looking down, Yuuki touched the hilt of the golden blade on her hip, feeling her sister's ghostly touch on her shoulders.

Five minutes later, after saying goodbye to everyone, she was back into the virtual space of the Medicuboid once again, her eyes wandering around the simulated reality of the machine that essentially let her have a life before sighing as she sat on the ground, trembling.

"What do I do? Nee-chan…what do I do?"

'…I can't answer that for you, Yuu.' apologized Aiko from behind her, looking away.

"I…I don't want to hurt her. Asuna…she's a great person and I'm very happy when we're with her, but…I don't want to make her suffer…" tears streamed down the girl's virtual face at the words. "By knowing my truth…"

Looking in silence at her twin, the specter felt sadness. Whether she was real or not, whether she was truly a remnant of 'Ran', of Konno Aiko, or just a figment of Konno Yuuki's imagination, that didn't change the fact that she was sad for her little sister, who couldn't find the courage to reveal her dark secret to the girl that, she knew, reminded her of herself. Of the sister she had lost and that now only remained as a specter that no one but she could perceive…

And she couldn't do anything for her. But…

"…are you there, Zekken?"

…maybe someone else could.

"What?!" said Yuuki while her head snapped up, towards the main screen, the one that showed the 'observation area' behind her 'room', willing it to turn on. A gasp escaped her throat as she stood up, Aiko silently watching from behind as a small smile appeared on her spectral face.

There, standing in the middle of the observation area and staring at what, currently, was just a reflective glass leading to pitch-black darkness, was a familiar figure. He looked a bit older and with his hair a bit messier, but there was no mistaking him.

Not when he only wore black and white, with a cape of the later color on his back. Even the scarf around his face's lower half didn't stop the shocked girl from recognizing him.

Even when there shouldn't be ANY way for anyone without authorization getting into that room, and when they were in a hospital she knew had a very strict security system.

And when it was barely 4 in the evening.

"How…why…?"

"…I have come to apologize, for breaking your sword." muttered the caped boy while looking down.

"Kirito…?" was all that the shocked Yuuki could reply.

In that exact moment, somewhere in Alfheim, near Caith Sith territory…an arrow flew wildly through the sky and made a small bird-mob squeak in fright, quickly flying away.

Startled, Charon the hippogriff looked at his master, unable to believe she had failed a shot, the beast's AI somehow being advanced enough to let him feel her stiff shock.

She was currently staring at one of her friends, the one with the 'whiskers' and the dark-blonde hair, who was giving her a very uneasy smile.

"What…what did you just…say…?" muttered a trembling Sinon, staring at her fellow fairy with a frozen face, as if thinking she had gone mad.

Argo, for her part, did her best to keep the 'Strea-patented smile' on her face and not feel like a crazy maniac (As doing THIS sometimes made her feel), her sharp eyes having seen a flicker of 'hope' in the sniper's eyes.

"What you heard, Sinon-nya. What if I told you we could all be 100% happy…?"

As the evening moved on in both worlds, the World shifted once again.

And for the first time, it was in a way [FATE] hadn't totally predicted…

NEXT EPISODE PREVIEW!

"…hello to you all. I'm…Konno Aiko, I guess, and my friends knew me by 'Ran' when I was alive…Hmm? I'm really me? I don't know…but I know that I want Yuu to be happy…that's all. Next time on 'One Punch-Gamer': 'Truths of Life'. Secrets to light. Revelations are made. And limits are forced to be accepted…or are they? Are there really things in this world that we can't overcome? The answer may be yes, but…isn't my existence proof of the contrary? So please…help Yuu, Hero…I beg you-"

END OF THE PREVIEW!