Chapter 8 Part 2

"Ahahahahahaha!!"

Sugou bent over, holding his stomach as he convulsed in laughter.

"I told you, this is my world! Nobody can escape from here!!"

Sugou danced around happily, suddenly lifting his left hand. After

his fingers manipulated the menu two chains seemed to fall from the

sky in the endless darkness with a jangling sound.

There was a jarring metallic sound as they hit the floor. Wide

metal rings hung from the end of the chains, Sugou took one of the

rings and placed it around Asuna's right wrist with a noisy 'kaching'

sound. Then, the chain extending into the darkness was tugged lightly.

"Kya!"

The chain was drawn up suddenly and Asuna's right hand was

lifted up high. Her toes were barely touching the floor when the chains

stopped.

"You bastard... what are you...!"

I cried out, but Sugou did not even spare me a look while

humming a song and taking hold of the other handcuff ring.

"I did have a variety of toys prepared. Well, I will start over here

first."

While saying that, the ring was shackled to Asuna's left wrist and

the chain was retracted. With the other side drawn up, Asuna was

suspended in mid-air with the appearance she was being hauled up by

both hands. Seemingly still under the influence of intense gravity, the

curvature of her elegant eyebrows was distorted.

As Sugou stood before Asuna with his arms crossed, he gave her a

vulgar whistle.

"How nice, this face can't be made by an NPC woman after all."

"...!"

Asuna glared at Sugou and shut her eyelids tightly with her head

bowed. Sugou chuckled, a 'kuku' sound emerging from the back of his

throat, as he turned and slowly walked behind Asuna. He took a bunch

of her long hair in hand and inhaled, taking a deep breath of its scent.

"Mmm, a good fragrance. It was a struggle to reproduce the scent

of the real world's Asuna-kun. I wanted you to appreciate the effort of

bringing the analyzer to the hospital room."

"Stop... Sugou!!"

An unbearable anger pierced through my whole body. Red flames

ran throughout my nerves, in an instant the pressure holding my body

blew away.

"Gu... oh..."

I propped myself up with my right hand and tore my body off the

floor. Standing on one knee, I gradually lifted myself using all of the

power in my body.

Sugou made a dramatic gesture at his waist with his left hand

while shaking his head from side to side. He walked in front of me

twisting his mouth.

"My, my, the audience should behave... and stay there grovelling!!"

Standing right beside me, he suddenly kicked both my legs. I lost

my support and slammed to the floor.

"Guhah!!"

My lungs were emptied from the impact, involuntarily making

that sound. With my hands once again propped on the floor my head

looked upwards. Sugou hung a venomous smile across his lips - while

holding my sword in his right hand he stabbed me in the back without

remorse.

"Gah...!"

The flames coursing through my nerves were extinguished by the

sensation of thick metal piercing through my body. The center of my

chest was pierced through by the sword, which seemed to be deeply

rooted in the floor. Though there was no pain, I was being assaulted by

intense discomfort.

"Ki... Kirito-kun!!"

Hearing Asuna's cry, I met her gaze while trying to tell her 'I'm

fine'.

However, faster than my voice could come out, Sugou suddenly

spoke out to the darkness in the sky above with a booming voice.

"System command! Pain Absorption, change to level 8."

That moment, a sharp cone of pure pain spread through my back,

as if I was stabbed.

"G... Guh..."

When a groan leaked out of my mouth, Sugou howled in laughter.

"Kukuku, there's still two more treats for you. The pain will get

stronger gradually so look forward to enjoying it. When it gets lower

than level 3, I'm afraid it seems you'll still feel the symptoms of shock

even after logging out."

With a clap of his hands as if he were saying 'Now then...', he

returned to behind Asuna.

"F-... Free Kirito-kun right now, Sugou!"

Asuna cried, but of course, Sugou showed no sign of having heard

her.

"You know, I hate brats like that the most. Although he has

neither the ability or the background, a noisy insect. Kuku, like insects

in the specimen box, they must be pinned and stopped. Besides, you're

hardly in the condition to worry about him, are you little bird?"

From behind Asuna, Sugou stretched out his right hand and

stroked her cheek with his index finger. Asuna twisted her neck trying

to avoid it, but it didn't happen as she wanted due to the severe gravity.

His finger crept about her face and before long moved down to her

neck. Asuna's face was distorted in disgust.

"Stop... Sugou!"

I cried out, while desperately trying to push up my body. Asuna

gave a resolute smile and with a trembling voice, said:

"- Do not worry, Kirito-kun. I won't be hurt by such a thing."

That moment, a squeaky laughter with a 'kiki' sound came from

Sugou.

"It has to be like this, after all. How long do you think your pride

will sustain you - 30 minutes? An hour? Perhaps a whole day? Prolong

it as long as possible, this pleasure!!"

While shouting, he grabbed the red ribbon at the collar of Asuna's

dress with his right hand. As he pulled, the cloth stretched and tore.

The thin blood-red ribbon fluttered through the air without a sound

and landed on the ground before my eyes.

From the torn dress the pure white skin of her chest was greatly

exposed. Asuna's face was distorted in humiliation and her eyes shut

so tightly she shook.

Sugou bent back, laughing with a smirk while stretching his right

hand out to Asuna's bare skin. His lips opened in the shape of a

crescent moon and he stuck out his vivid red tongue. While making a

sound of dripping mucus, he licked from below Asuna's cheek up.

"Ku, ku, shall I tell you what I am thinking about?"

Sugou said in a voice tinged with a fevered madness while his

tongue was still sticking out near Asuna's ear.

"Once I fully enjoy this place I'll go to your hospital room. If I lock

the door and turn off the camera, that room becomes a secret room.

You and I, just the two of us. I'll set up a large monitor and run today's

recording and enjoy myself with the other you! I'll take my time and go

carefully. After all, it is your real body. After taking the purity of your

heart here, I'll take the purity of your body there!! So fun, a truly

unique experience!!"

Sugou's shrill laugh turned my guts inside out as it echoed in the

darkness.

Asuna opened her eyes wide for a moment, her lips courageously

pulled tight.

However, the fear she couldn't control collected in the corners of

her eyes. As the two tears dripped down her long eyelashes Sugou's

tongue licked them up.

"Ah... sweet, so sweet! Come on, cry for me some more!!"

A white-hot rage that could incinerate everything pierced straight

through my head, scattering violent sparks through my vision.

"Sugou... you bastard... YOU BASTAAAARD!!"

I screamed, recklessly moving my limbs as I tried to stand up. But

the sword through me did not even budge.

I felt tears overflowing from both of my eyes. Crawling like an

unsightly insect and struggling, I roared.

"You bastard... I'll kill you!! KILL!! I WILL DEFINITELY KILL YOU!!"

I cried, but all that was drowned out by Sugou's mad-sounding

laughter.

Right now, if I could borrow power...

My fingertips scratched at the floor, praying to move even a single

millimeter forward.

Right now, if I were granted the power to stand up, any price

would be fine. Take away my life, my soul, everything, I would not care.

Whether it be a demon or a devil, it did not matter as long as that man

was cut down and defeated. As long as Asuna was returned to the place

she belonged.

Sugou stroked Asuna's arm and leg with both hands, caressing

them. Every move of his hand was probably causing a strong pulse of

sensory stimulation in her. Asuna bit her lips so hard she started

bleeding, enduring the humiliation.

With that figure in my vision, I felt my thoughts turning white, cut

off by a searing white sensation. The flames of anger and despair

consumed me. My remaining thought processes were turned to ash. If

my soul became like the color of a lump of dry bones, I would not have

to think. There would be no need to think.

If I had a sword, I thought I could do anything. Because I was the

hero who stood at the top of 10,000 swordsmen. I defeated the demon

king, the hero who saved the world.

The virtual world was merely assembled based on the marketing

theory of companies, simply a game. Being caught up in thinking it was

another reality, I was deluded into thinking that the strength gained in

that world was real strength. Freed from the world of SAO - or expelled,

after returning to the real world, was I not disappointed with my

meager body of flesh? Somewhere in my heart, did I not yearn to

return to that world, the world where I was the strongest hero? Which

is why you, after learning of Asuna's mind being in a new game world,

thought you could do something about it with your own power and

came blindly. When the thing you truly should have done was to leave

it to the adults with power in the real world. After regaining the

illusory power once again, overwhelming the other players, was it not

to please myself by satisfying my ugly pride?

Then this result - was what I deserved. That's right, you were only

using the power granted by someone else, getting excited like an

innocent kid. Merely having one ID could not overwhelm something

called system administration privileges. Only one thing was certain,

regret. If I didn't like it, I had to abandon the thought.

『Running away?』

- Not so, I acknowledged the reality.

『Do you surrender? To the power of the system you have

defeated before?』

- It can't be helped. I am a player, that guy is a game master.

『Those are words that defile that battle. Where I was made to

recognize that the power of the human will can surpass the system,

made to comprehend the possibilities of the future, our battle.』

- Battle? Such a thing is nonsense. Isn't it simply a thing that

would increase or decrease numbers?

『You should know that isn't so. Now stand. Stand and take hold of

the sword.』

『- STAND, KIRITO-KUN!!』

That voice was like a thundering roar, it tore through my

consciousness like lightning.

The senses that had been fading seemed to reconnect in an

instant. My eyes opened widely.

"Wu... oh..."

Leaked from my throat in a hoarse voice.

"O.... OOoh..."

I clenched my teeth and put my right hand to the floor, pushing

myself to my elbows with a voice that sounded like the cry from a beast

near death.

When I tried to lift my body, the sword which had pierced

through the middle of my spine hung with an overwhelming pressure.

- I can't stay grovelling miserably under such a thing. This attack

with no soul, surrendering to it was unforgivable. The barrage of every

blade in that world was more heavy. More painful.

"Wu... Gu, ooh!!"

Together with the short roar, I used all the power of my body and

soul to lift myself up. With a dull 'shuit' sound the sword left the floor,

slipped out of my back, and rolled to the ground.

Sugou stared with a dumbfounded expression as I staggered to

my feet. Soon, he made a displeased face and took his hands away from

Asuna's body, shrugging theatrically.

"My my, I thought I had fixed the coordinates of the object, I

wonder if it still has a strange bug. When it comes to our management

team's incompetence..."

He muttered as he walked toward me. Raising his right fist, he

sent it flying to punch my cheek.

I stretched out my left hand, grabbing his fist in midair.

"Oh...?"

I looked into Sugou's surprised eyes, opening my mouth. A set of

words echoed in the depths of my mind, I repeated them.

"System Login. ID «Heathcliff». Password....."

The gravity which was wrapped around my body disappeared as

soon as I finished reciting the complex series of alphanumeric

characters.

"Wha... What!? What is that ID!?"

When Sugou bared his teeth and cried out in surprise, he shook

off my hand and flew back a step. He waved his left hand downward

and a blue system menu appeared.

Before that guy could even move a finger, a Voice Command

emitted from my mouth.

"System command. Supervisor Authority Change. ID «Oberon» to

level 1."

In a split second, the window disappeared from under Sugou's

hand. He stared with his eyes looking back and forth several times

between my face and the empty space where the window was, waving

his left hand again in frustration.

However, nothing would happen. The scroll of magic which gave

Sugou the power of the Fairy King wouldn't emerge.

"A... An ID of a higher rank than mine...? Unbelievable... This

shouldn't be possible... I am the ruler... The creator... The Emperor of

this world... God..."

Sugou kept talking in a high-pitched voice that sounded like an

audio sample played back at high speed. I spoke while looking at the

pretty face collapsed into ugliness.

"That isn't so right? You stole it. The world. The residents there. A

thieving king that dances all alone on his stolen throne."

"Thi... this punk of a kid... me... actually dares to say that to me...

I'll make you regret it... I'll take your head off and make it an

ornament..."

Sugou thrust a forefinger bent like a hook at me and screamed in

a shrill voice.

"System Command!! Object ID «Excaliber» Generate!!"

However, the system was no longer responding to Sugou's voice.

"System Command!! Listen to me you piece of junk!! God... God is

commanding you!!" At his screams, I averted my eyes from Sugou. I

looked at Asuna who was still hanging off of the ground.

Her radiant dress was ripped and only shreds covered her body,

her hair disheveled, and there were streaks of light that were tears on

her cheeks. But her eyes had not lost their shine. That strong whip did

not break her tenacious spirit.

- It'll be over soon. Wait just a little more.

I whispered in my mind, looking into Asuna's hazel-colored eyes.

It was a small motion, but Asuna nodded.

A new flame of anger rose in me when I looked at Asuna's

oppressed figure. I looked up slightly and said:

"System Command. Object ID «Excaliber» Generate."

The space before me began to distort when I said that. Minuscule

numbers flowed out in a rush to form a single sword. The color and

texture were given gradually from the tip down. With a blade giving off

a golden gleam, it was a longsword engraved with beautiful

decorations. There was no doubt it was the same weapon that had

been sealed at the end of the dungeon in Jötunheimr. The strongest

sword which was the dream of many players, and it appeared on one

command, not a particularly pleasant feeling.

I grabbed the hilt of the sword and threw it to a wide-eyed Sugou.

After seeing him catch it in a dangerous manner I gently lifted my left

foot.

My sword flew up into the darkness from where it had rolled

before when I stepped hard on its pommel. Rotating through the air, it

dropped toward my right hand with a flash of its blued steel. With a

heavy sound, the sword fell into my hand.

When I had pointed my unwieldy black iron greatsword at Sugou,

I said:

"It's time to settle this. The thieving king against the pretend

hero... System Command. Pain Absorption to level 0."

"Wha... What...?"

Hearing the command to raise the virtual pain without restriction,

the color drained from the cheeks of the Fairy King wielding the golden

sword. He edged back one step, two steps.

"Don't try to escape. That man had no hesitation whatsoever in

any situation. That - Kayaba Akihiko."

"Ka... Kaya..."

Hearing that name, Sugou's face became extremely warped.

"Kayaba... Heathcliff... so it's you... You're getting in my way again!!"

Waving the sword in his right hand high above his head, he

screamed in a voice that would tear metal.

"You died! You bit the dust!! Why should you hinder me even in

death!! You were always like this... Always always!! Always making that

face like you understood everything... snatching away all the things I

wanted by the edge!!"

Sugou shouted, suddenly thrusting his sword towards me before

continuing.

"A brat like you... What could you possibly understand!! What it's

like to be below him... What it means to compete with him, how could

you possibly understand what it's like!?"

"I understand. I became a servant after being defeated by that

man too. - But I never thought of becoming like him. Unlike you."

"Brat... This brat... THIS BRAAAAAT!!"

Sugou kicked off the ground with a scream that turned inside out

and brandished his sword. As soon as I observed an opening, I cleave

down the sword in my right hand and the tip of my sword sliced

through the smooth cheek of the Fairy King.

"AAah!!"

Sugou cried as he held his cheek with his left hand and jumped

back.

"It... HUUURTS...!"

The scream from the wide-eyed figure only served to further

ignite my rage. The thought that Asuna was under this man's

oppression for two months was unbearable. Taking a large step

forward, I brought down my sword. Sugou instinctively raised his right

hand to block and my sword severed his wrist. The hand and the

golden sword being wielded disappeared into the darkness. The sound

of it falling somewhere far away echoed clearly.

"AAAAAAaaah!! Hand... My haaaaand!!"

It was a pseudo-electrical signal, but that was why Sugou would

be feeling pure pain. Of course, it wasn't enough. There was no way it

could be enough.

I swung my sword with brute force at the green robes wrapping

Sugou's torso while he was holding onto the stump on his forearm and

moaning.

"Guboaaaa!!"

The stomach of the tall, handsome body was dissected apart in

two equal halves, rolling to the floor with a severe noise. The lower half

was immediately engulfed in rising white flames and collapsed after

being burned.

Grabbing Sugou's long wavy blond hair in my left hand, I lifted

him up. He continued to scream in a metallic voice out of a quivering

mouth that was opening and closing, while tears drained from eyes

which were stretched open to the limit.

His figure could only evoke disgust in me. I swung my left hand,

throwing his upper torso straight down.

Holding my greatsword with both hands, I took a stance above

him. Watching the sword drop, he released a harsh scream —

"...Uoooo!!"

I brought the sword down with all of my strength. With a noisy

'Gatsutsu' sound, the blade went through Sugou's right eye and exited

from the back of his head.

"Gyaaaaaaaaa!"

The unpleasant scream echoing in the darkness was like several

thousand broken gears scraping against each other as they turned. The

right eye was divided in two on the left and right sides of my sword.

Sticky white flame erupted, quickly spreading from the head to the

upper body.

He turned ghost-like and kept dissolving, and for the several

seconds before completely disappearing Sugou continued crying

without stop. The scream slowly faded, and before long, the figure

disappeared. Silence returned to the world, and I waved my sword,

scattering the white embers.

With a gentle swing of my sword, the two chains binding Asuna

shattered and disappeared. I let go of my sword, its job complete. I held

Asuna as she slipped to the ground, her body gone limp.

The energy supporting my body also ran out and I slid to one

knee on the ground. I looked at Asuna in my hands.

"...Ugh..."

The torrent of helpless feelings changed form and began flowing

from my eyes as tears. Tightly holding Asuna's slender body, my face

buried in her hair, I cried. I couldn't say anything, I just kept crying.

"- I believed."

Asuna's clear voice shook my ears.

"...Yes, I believed. ...Up until now, from here on. You are my hero...

You will always come to help me..."

Gentle hands stroked my hair.

- That's not it. I... I actually had no power...

However, I took a big breath, and said in a trembling voice.

"...I will do my best to be like that. Now, let's go back..."

Waving my left hand, a complex system window emerged, it was

really different from normal ones. I intuitively dove into the hierarchy

window, stopping when my finger landed on the transfer-related menu.

Staring into Asuna's eyes, I said:

"In the real world it is probably already night. But I will go to your

hospital room immediately."

"Yeah, I'll wait. It will be nice to see Kirito-kun first."

Asuna smiled brilliantly. She looked at some far-off place, with

crystal clear eyes, and whispered:

"Ah... finally, it ended. I will return... to that world."

"That's right. ...It changed in various ways, you will be surprised."

"Fufu. Let's go to a lot of places and do many things."

"Yeah. - For sure."

I nodded holding tightly to Asuna and moved my right hand. I

touched the log out button, with my finger-tip glowing blue waiting for

a target, I gently wiped away the tears flowing down Asuna's cheeks.

Then, blue light wrapped around Asuna's white body. Little by

little, Asuna became more transparent like crystal. Particles of light

came from her fingers and toes, dancing through the air before

disappearing.

Until Asuna completely disappeared I was holding on to her body

tightly. Finally, the weight in my arms vanished and I was left alone in

the darkness.

For the moment I remained crouching.

In addition to feeling that everything was over, there was also the

feeling of a large amount of progress. Yet this incident caused by

Kayaba's fantasy and Sugou's ambition - is this the so-called ending? Or

is it just another big turning point?

I forced myself to stand up somehow with a body that was

running out of energy. I looked above in the dazzling darkness

extending to the depths of the world, and whispered alone.

" - You're there aren't you, Heathcliff."

After a moment of silence a rusty voice sounded in my

consciousness, the same one as earlier.

『It has been a long time, Kirito-kun. Though for me - the events of

that day seem like just yesterday.』

It was different this time, as the voice seemed to reach me from

some far-off place.

" - Are you alive?"

With that short question, I heard an answer after the briefest

instant of silence.

『You could say that I am, and you could say that I'm not. In a

sense, I am - an echo of Kayaba Akihiko's consciousness, an afterimage.』

"As usual, you're a person that says things in a confusing way. I'll

express my gratitude for the time being - at any rate, it would have

been nicer of you to have come out and helped us earlier."

『...』

The presence of a wry smile being revealed.

『That was unfortunate, my apologies. The time when the

decentralized preservation system connected and awakened my

program was just a bit ago - when I had heard your voice. There is no

need for thanks.』

"...Why?"

『You and I aren't on friendly enough terms to accept free favors. I

need to have compensation of course, naturally.』

This time it was my turn to smile wryly.

"Then tell me what needs to be done."

Then, from the distant darkness, some kind of - silver shining

object fell. I reached out and it settled into my hands with a faint sound.

It was a small, egg-shaped crystal. Within the crystal a dim light was

blinking.

"This is?"

『It is a world seed.』

" - What?"

『When it sprouts, you will understand. I entrust you with the

decision of what to do with it afterwards. Deleting it is fine, forgetting

it is fine... However, if you have any feelings other than hatred left for

that world...』

The voice broke off there. Following a short silence, only a curt

farewell descended.

『- Well then, I'll be going. May we meet again some day, Kiritokun.』

Then suddenly, the presence vanished.

I twisted my head around, dropping the shiny egg into my breast

pocket for the meantime. Lost in thought for a while, I lifted my face.

" - Yui, are you here? Are you okay!?"

As soon as I cried out, the world of darkness split open along a

straight line.

Orange light quickly shone through, cutting up the dark curtain.

The wind blew in at the same time carrying away the darkness. It was

so beautiful and dazzling that I had to momentarily close my eyes. I

opened them cautiously and found myself back in the birdcage.

In front of me, the huge setting sun was giving off its last light

before falling below the horizon. There were no human figures, just the

sound of the wind.

" - Yui?"

Calling out once again, light condensed in front of my eyes, and a

dark-haired little girl appeared with a crackling pop.

"Papa!!"

With a resonant cry Yui jumped into my chest, hugging my neck

tightly.

"You were safe. - Thank goodness..."

"Yes... When it looked like my address was going to be locked all

of a sudden, I retreated to the Nerve Gear's local memory. I managed to

connect again, but both Mama and Papa were gone... I was worried. -

Mama is...?"

"Ah, she returned... to the real world."

"I see... that's great... truly..."

Yui closed her eyes and put her cheek to my chest. I sensed a faint

shadow of loneliness from her and gently stroked her long hair.

" - Soon, we'll come see you again. But... I wonder what will

become of it, this world..."

After my muttering, Yui grinned and spoke.

"My core program is not part of this place but stored in Papa's

Nerve Gear. We'll always be together. - Oh, but it is strange..."

"What's the matter?"

"A rather large file has been transferred to your Nerve Gear's

storage.... though it does not seem to be active..."

"Hmm..."

I tilted my head, but put aside the question for now. Rather, there

was something else I needed to do no matter what.

"- Well, I'm going. To meet your Mama."

"Yes. Papa - I love you."

Exuding wispy tears, I hugged Yui strongly while stroking her

head and waved my right hand.

Just before I pressed the button, I stopped and watched the world

dyed in the colors of sunset. This world that was ruled by a false king,

what would happen to this world now that he was gone? My heart

ached when I thought of Lyfa and the other players who loved this

world so deeply.

I gently kissed Yui's cheeks and moved my finger deeply. Radial

light spread through my vision, it wrapped my awareness and carried

me higher and higher.

I felt a deep sense of exhaustion when I opened my eyes. In front

of my eyes was Suguha's face and she was looking at my face with a

worried expression. When our eyes met she hurriedly stood up.

"S-, sorry, I entered your room without permission. When you

didn't come back for a long while, I became worried..."

Suguha said, with her cheeks slightly flushed as she sat on the

edge of my bed. After a little time lag my limbs regained a sense of

connection and I forcefully push my upper body up.

"Sorry I was late."

"...is it all over?"

"- Yeah... finished... everything..."

For a moment I stared into space while answering. Being in a

dangerous situation in the virtual world and getting captured, but this

time imprisoned without being able to be cleared, wasn't something I

could tell Suguha. Eventually I would tell her everything, but right now

I don't want her to be more worried. This one and only younger sister

who had already saved me more times than words could tell.

That one late night in the forest, I met a green-haired girl and my

new adventure started - during the whole long journey, she was always

with me. She showed me the way, taught me about the scenery and

protected me with her sword. If she hadn't introduced me to the two

lords and made friends with them, I definitely would not have been

able to break through the wall of the guardian knights.

Looking back, I also received the help from a huge number of

people. But of course, the most help came from the girl in front of my

eyes. When I was Kirito and she was Lyfa, and when I was Kazuto and

she was Suguha, she helped and supported me, but at the same time

her small shoulders carried a deep anguish.

Once again I stared at Suguha's face, it had both the dazzling

activeness of a boy, and a newly sprouted green leaf's evanescence. I

reached out a hand and gently patted her head, Suguha gave a small

smile of embarrassment.

"Really - really thank you very much, Sugu. If you weren't here, I

wouldn't have been able to do anything."

Suguha's face became even redder and she lowered her head. She

fidgeted for a bit, then she made up her mind and rested her cheek

against my chest.

"Yeah... I was happy. In onii-chan's world, I was able to help oniichan."

Suguha whispered with her eyes closed. With my right hand, I

gently held her back and gave her a quick squeeze.

After I let go, Suguha looked up at me and said.

"Then... you got her back, right? That person - Asuna-san..."

"Yeah. Finally - she is back at last... Sugu, I..."

"Yes. Go, surely she is waiting for onii-chan."

"Sorry. I'll tell you the details when I get back."

I put a hand on Suguha's head and stood up.

I got dressed in record time, but paused on the porch in my downjacket. It was completely dark outside. The hands of the antique wall

clock which hung in the living room pointed to a time shortly before

9:00 PM. Visiting hours were over long ago, but the situation was the

situation. If I told the circumstances at the nurses station, I might be

able to get in.

Suguha immediately ran up to me, 'I made this', and handed me a

thick sandwich. I accepted it gratefully and bit on it, then opened the

patio door and walked down to the yard.

"C, cold..."

I ducked my head when I realized the cold was penetrating my

jacket. Suguha looked up at the dark night sky and said.

"Ah... snow."

"Oh..."

Indeed, there were two or three large white snowflakes that came

floating down. I hesitated a moment about whether to call a taxi. If I did

that though, I would have to wait then walk to the main road to be

picked up, so it would be faster to just use my bicycle.

"Be careful. ... Say hello to Asuna for me."

"Yeah. Next time, I'll introduce you properly."

I waved goodbye to Suguha and sitting astride my mountain bike,

I started pedaling.

I let my bike run at full speed, and the crazy speed blew the

thoughts out of my head as I flew through south Saitama. The snow

gradually started falling down harder but it didn't accumulate, and the

reduced traffic density was helpful.

I wanted to reach Asuna in the hospital as quickly as possible -

but at the same time, I was partly afraid of what I might find. For the

past two months, I had visited that room every other day, always

tasting bitter disappointment. Wondering if she would become a cold

statue like that, I took her hand while she was silently imprisoned in

sleep. I kept calling her name even though it never reached her.

Like this, while moving down this road, I even remember the gaps,

finding her in the fairy kingdom, defeating the fake king, and freeing

her from chains might just be my fantasy.

If I visited her hospital room a few minutes later and Asuna did

not wake up.

Her soul was no longer in Alfheim, but she still did not return to

reality - again she might have vanished to some unknown place.

It wasn't only the snow hitting my face in the dark night that was

causing the terrible chill to run up my back. No, there couldn't be such

a thing. The system that governs the world by the name of reality

couldn't be that ruthless.

While my tangled thoughts intertwined I continued pedaling. I

turned right on the highway into the hills. My deep tread block-tires

acted as a shovel to bite and kick into the thin snow on the asphalt,

accelerating my bike.

Before long, the shadow of a huge building appeared in front of

me. Most of the lights were out, but a blue light flashed from the

helipad on the roof like a will-o-the-wisp trying to attract victims to the

castle of darkness.

A high iron fence appeared when I finished climbing the hill. I

rode along it for tens of seconds longer. I finally reached the front gate,

protected by especially tall gateposts.

Because it was a highly specialized medical facility it didn't accept

emergency cases. The gates were already tightly closed and the guard

box was unmanned. I rode past the entrance to the main parking lot

and entered through the small staff entrance.

I parked my bike at the end of the parking lot. It was too irritating

to lock it up so I ran on. In the orange light cast by sodium floodlights I

could see the parking lot was completely deserted. The silence was

broken only by the snow falling from the sky, painting the world white.

I continued running while exhaling clouds of steam with my rough

breathing.

Half way across the vast parking lot, as I was about to pass

between a tall dark-colored van and a white sedan, at that moment.

I almost collided with the shadow of a person rushing out from

behind the van.

"Ah..."

'Excuse me', I was about to say while trying to dodge, something

crossed my vision -

Flash, a vivid shine of metal slashed at me.

"- !?"

Right after, heat blossomed on my right arm, just below the elbow.

At the same time a lot of white scattered. It wasn't snow flakes. It was

fine white feathers. The insulation from my down-jacket.

I staggered back, somehow colliding with the rear of the white

sedan and managed to stop.

I could not understand the current situation. While stunned, I

looked at the black shadow about two meters away from me. It was a

man. He was wearing a suit that was nearly black. He was holding

something long, slender, and white in his right hand. It shone dully in

the orange light.

A knife. A large survival knife. But, why.

My face froze as I felt the stare of the man in the shadow of the

van. He was moving his lips, but what came out was a hoarse whisper.

"You're late, Kirito-kun. What if you make me catch a cold?"

That voice. It was a high-pitched, sticky voice.

"Su... Sugou..."

I was stunned, at the same time I called out his name, the man

took a step forward. The sodium lamps illuminated his face.

Compared to a few days ago, his smooth combed hair had become

severely disturbed and there were several days worth of beard

covering his sharp jaw. His neck-tie was almost completely untied and

hung loosely around his neck.

And also - strange eyes peered out at me from behind metal

framed glasses. The reason was apparent at once. Even though his eyes

were open as wide as possible, his left eye had dilated adapting to the

darkness of night while his right eye was small and contracting. In the

World Tree, that was were he was pierced with my sword.

"You did a cruel thing, Kirito-kun."

Sugou said in a rasping voice.

"The sense of pain has not disappeared yet. Well, there are

various good medicines, so it does not matter."

His right hand thrust into his suit pocket, grabbed a few capsules

and threw them in his mouth. With a Kacha Kacha sound he started

chewing, and Sugou took another step toward me. Finally recovering

from my shock, I managed to move my dry lips.

"- Sugou, you are already finished. You have gone too far to cover

things up. Receive judgement obediently."

"Finished? What? Nothing is over yet. Well, Recto is unusable now.

I'll go to America. There are a lot of companies which want my

expertise. I have now accumulated a large amount of experimental data.

If I use that to complete my study, I will become the true king - true god

- this real world's god."

- He's crazy. No, perhaps he had been broken for a long time.

"Before that, there are some issues I have to take care of. First, I

will kill you, Kirito-kun."

After he finished talking in a subdued voice without a change in

expression, Sugou briskly approached me. The knife in his right hand

casually moved toward my eyes.

"...!!"

I kicked off the asphalt with my right foot, trying to avoid it.

However, because of the snow under my shoe, I slipped and lost my

balance, collapsing on the parking lot. I landed hard on my left side, the

breath leaving my body.

Sugou looked down at me with pupils which couldn't seem to

focus.

"Hey, stand up."

After that, he kicked me in my thigh with the tip of his expensive

shoe. Twice. Thrice. Hot pain ran up my spinal chord, echoing in the

back of my head. It also reverberated through my right arm creating a

sharp pain. I finally noticed that there was a cut not only in my jacket

but also on my arm.

I could not move. I could not make a sound. The survival knife

that Sugou was holding - the longer than 20 centimeter blade, the

heavy pressure of that murderous tool, made me freeze.

Kill – Me - with that knife - ?

My fragmented thoughts flowed and disappeared. That thick

blade, penetrating my body silently, deadly - as words showed talking

my life with a fatal wound, I imagined that instant again and again.

Besides that, there was nothing I could do.

The pain in my right arm became a dull heat. Several drops of

dark liquid dripped from the gap between the cuff of my winter jacket

and glove. I began to imagine the blood flowing from my body

endlessly. A clear and real image of «death» which wasn't a numerical

value in a HP bar.

"Hey, stand up. Just stand up."

Sugou mechanically kicked and stepped on my feet again and

again.

"You, what you said to me over there. Don't run away? Don't

hesitate? Let's settle this? You said them arrogantly."

I heard him whisper, Sugou's voice filled with the same colors of

insanity as I heard in the darkness over there.

"You understand now? A little shit like you with no ability but

games, and no true power at all. That's what you call inferior trash.

Nevertheless, you thwarted me, this me... Naturally, the punishment for

your sins is death. It is impossible for it to be anything other than

death."

After speaking in a tone without inflection, Sugou put his left foot

on my belly, and changed his center of gravity. From the physical

pressure and the mental pressure as he released his madness, I lost my

breath.

I watched Sugou's face as he approached, taking shallow,

irregular, rapid breaths. While bending, Sugou held the weapon in his

right hand high above his head.

Without blinking, he swung it down.

" - gh"

A stiff sound leaked from the back of my throat -

Along with a dull metallic sound, the tip of the knife grazed my

cheek and dug into the asphalt at the same time.

"Ah... my right eye is blurry, my aim was off."

Sugou muttered as he raised the knife high again.

The edge of the knife was dazzling in the light of the sodium

lamps, and drew an orange line in the darkness.

Maybe it was because he hit the hard road with it, but the knife

tip was slightly fragmented. That flaw gave the knife a more realistic

physical presence as a weapon. Rather than a polygon weapon, it was

made of condensed metal molecules, heavy and cold, and genuine

lethal blade.

Everything seemed to slow down. Snow which fell from the dark

sky. The mass of air expelled from Sugou's mouth. The knife which was

descending toward me. The blinking of the orange light reflected from

the serrations carved in the blade.

That reminds me, there was a jagged weapon like that...

A piece of meaningless memory flowed to the surface of my

stopped thought.

What was that? It was a dagger type item sold in the middle

layers of Aincrad. I think it was called «Sword Breaker». If you parry

the enemy's weapon on the saw shaped back portion, there was a

slight bonus increasing the chance of destroying their weapon. Because

it seemed interesting, I placed the dagger skill in the skill slot and used

it for a while, but wasn't satisfied with it due to its low base offensive

ability.

The weapon Sugou was holding now was even smaller than that.

It couldn't even be called a dagger. No - such a thing couldn't even be

categorized as a weapon. It was a tool for daily work. It wasn't a thing a

swordsman would use to fight.

In the depth of my ears, I heard Sugou's words from a few

seconds ago.

True power, possessing nothing of that - .

Yes... that's right. It didn't even need to be said. But who are you

to be saying you would kill me, Sugou? A master of the knife skills?

Martial arts expert?

I looked behind Sugou's glasses, his small eyes seemed to be dyed

the color of blood. Excitement. Madness. But they also held something

else. Those were the eyes of someone trying to escape. Those were the

same eyes that someone who was surrounded by hordes of monsters

in a dungeon, falling into a desperate deadly situation, the eyes of

someone who swung their sword in a frenzy, trying to intercept reality.

This guy was the same as me. Continuing to chase power, but

unable to obtain it, just moving in ugly steps.

"...Die, you bratttt!!"

Suguo's scream pulled my consciousness back from the world

moving at slow speed.

I raised my left hand like a magnet and caught Sugou's right wrist

as he swung it down. At the same time, I stretched out my right arm

and shoved my thumb into the hollow of his throat beside his loose tie.

"Guu!!"

With a grunt, Sugou leaned back. I twisted my body, grabbing

Sugou's right hand with both of my hands, and slamed his hand on the

frozen asphalt with all my might. His hand came loose with a scream,

and the knife rolled away on the road.

Screaming shrilly like a whistle, Sugou jumped toward the knife. I

bent my right leg, letting it fly, my shoe's sole impacting on his jaw. I

scoop up the knife and used the recoil to stand up.

"Sugou..."

From my throat came a voice that cracked so badly that I could

hardly believe it was my own.

Through the glove on my right hand, I felt the presence of the cold,

hard knife. It was a poor weapon. Too light, with no reach.

"But it is enough to kill you."

After whispering, I turned to Sugou who was looking up at me

with a blank face while sitting on the asphalt, then sprang at him

fiercely.

I grabbed his hair and head in my left hand and slammed it into

the door of the van. With a dull sound the car's aluminium body was

dented, and his glasses flew away. Sugou's mouth opened hugely.

Aiming for his throat, I moved my right hand with the knife without

hesitation —

"Guu... Uuu...!"

I stopped my arm there, gritting my teeth.

"Iii! Hiii! Iiiii!!"

Sugou was making the same sound as he had in that world just

ten minutes or so ago, with that high-pitched scream.

It was natural that this man die. It was natural that he be judged.

It would all be over if I brought down my right hand. It was the

settlement. The full victor and the defeated were decided.

However —

I'm no longer a swordsman. That world where everything was

determined by the skill of one's sword has already been left far in the

past.

"Hiiiiii..."

Suddenly, Sugou's eyes rolled up into his head, exposing the

whites. His scream broke off, and his whole body lost strength like a

machine cut off from electricity.

Strength also left my hand. Slipping from my hand, the knife

rolled onto Sugou's stomach.

I also removed my left hand, and stood up.

I thought that if I had to see that man for even one more second,

the impulse to kill would boil out, and I wouldn't be able to resist it

again.

I ripped off his tie and rolled him over, and tied both his hands

behind his back. I placed the knife on the roof of the van. I whipped my

body around, back onto my original path. Then I staggered, step by

step, dragging my legs while starting to run across the parking lot.

It took about five minutes to get up the wide steps to the front

entrance. I stopped and took a deep breath. I looked down at my body,

which I had managed to get control of.

I was in a terrible state, dirtied with snow and sand. The cuts on

my left cheek and right arm had apparently stopped bleeding, while

still painful.

I stood in front of the automatic doors. However, there was no

sign of them opening. I peered through the glass, the main lobby was

dimly lit, but a normal light was on behind the receptionist's desk. I

looked from side to side. I found a small swinging glass door to the far

left, and fortunately, it opened when I pushed it.

Silence filled the building. I crossed the orderly rows of benches

that lined the vast lobby.

No one was at the counter, but from deep inside the adjacent

nursing station, I heard pleasant chatter. Praying for a decent voice, I

opened my mouth.

"Um... Excuse me!"

A few seconds after my voice echoed, a door opened and two

nurses in light green uniforms appeared. They both had suspicous

expressions on their faces which changed to shock when they got a

good look at me.

"- What happened to you!?"

The tall, young nurse with her hair piled on her head exclaimed.

Apparently, there seemed to be more bleeding on my face than I

thought. I pointed in the direction of the entrance and said:

"I was attacked by a man with a knife in the parking lot. I left him

unconscious on the other side of a white sedan."

Tension ran through the two women's faces. The older nurse

operated a machine behind the counter, holding a small microphone

near her face.

"Guards, please come to the first floor nurse station immediately."

There seems to have been a guard in the middle of patrol nearby,

and a man in a deep blue uniform soon appeared with his running

footsteps. The man's expression became severe after hearing the

nurses' explanation. Speaking into a walkie-talkie, the guard went to

the entrance. The younger nurse followed him.

After having looked at the wound on my cheek for a minute, the

nurse who remained said:

"You, are the twelfth floor Yuuki-san's family right? Is that your

only wound?"

There seemed to be a small misunderstanding, but I nodded

without the willpower to correct it.

"I see. I'll call a doctor right away, please wait for me here."

She ran off with a 'pitter-patter' as soon as she said that.

I took a deep breath and looked around. Confirming that no one

was nearby, I leaned over the counter and grabbed one of the guest

pass cards from inside. I turned to the opposite direction than where

the nurse went, to the hospitalization ward which I had passed many

times before, and whipped my trembling feet into a run.

The elevator had stopped at the first floor. When I pressed the

button, the door opened with a low chime. I leaned against the inside

wall and pushed the button for the top floor. Even though the

acceleration was slow for a hospital, my knee felt nearly broken from

the small extra weight. I desperately held my body up.

After what I felt to be several long seconds, the elevator stopped

and the door opened. I fell out of the elevator into the passage.

Asuna's room was only a few tens of meters away, but the

distance seemed endless. I supported my body, which was just about to

collapse, on the wall and moved forward. After turning left at the L

shaped passage - in front of me, I saw a white door.

Step by step, I walked.

Same as that time —

When I returned to the real world from the end of the virtual

world surrounded by sunset, I woke up in another hospital, struggling

to walk on withered legs. In my search for Asuna, there was nothing

but to walk. That passage, was connected to this place.

I could finally meet her. The time had come.

As the remaining distance shrank, the various feelings in my heart

grew at an alarming rate. My breathing sped up. The edges of my vision

were dyed white. However, I did not succumb to collapsing there. I

walked. Intently, putting my legs in front of me.

Unaware of where I was until just before reaching the door, I

stopped moving my feet before colliding with it.

Beyond that, was Asuna — It was the only thing I could think of at

that point.

Lifting my trembling right hand, the card slipped out of my hand

due to sweat. I picked the card back up and inserted it into the slit in

the metal plate this time. Holding my breath, I quickly slid it all the way

down.

The indicator light color changed, and the door opened with the

sound of a motor.

Softly, the scent of flowers poured out.

The indoor lighting had been dimmed. A faint white light was

coming through the window, reflected off of the snow outside.

The center of the hospital room was covered by a big curtain.

There was a gel bed on the other side.

I could not move. Could not continue. I could not make a sound.

Suddenly, an unexpected voice whispered in my ear.

'Hey - she is waiting for you.'

I felt a hand gently push my shoulder.

Yui? Suguha? In the three worlds, it was the voice of someone

who helped me. I took a step with my right foot. Then another step, and

another step.

I stood in front of the curtains. I reached out, grasped the ends.

And pulled.

With a faint sound, like the wind across the prairie, the white veil

shook and drifted.

"...Ah."

A small sound leaked from my throat.

A girl in thin medical examination clothes which resembled a light

snow-white dress, sat up in the bed with her back to me, looking out

the dark window on the other side. Her long lustrous hair was

fluttering in the light from the dancing snow. Both of her hands lay in

front of her body, holding a shining, deep-blue egg-shaped thing.

Nerve Gear. The crown of thorns that bound the girl had finished

its duty and fallen silent.

"Asuna."

I whispered in a voice that was barely a sound. The girl's body

greatly shook - moving the flower scent filled air, and turned around.

Still waking up from a long slumber, her hazel eyes were filled

with a dreamy light as she looked straight at me.

How many times had I dreamed of this? How many times had I

prayed for this?

Out of her light-colored, wet lips, emerged a gentle smile.

"Kirito-kun."

This was the first time I heard it, that voice. It was very different

from the voice I heard everyday in that world. However, shaking the

air, shaking my sense of hearing, that voice that reached my

consciousness, was many times, a great many times more wonderful.

Asuna removed her left hand from the Nerve Gear and held it out.

That alone took considerable strength and she trembled.

Like touching a statue of snow, I gently, gently took that hand. It

was painfully small and thin. However, it was warm. Like trying to heal

every wound, the warmth seeped through that contact. The strength

left my legs unexpectedly, and I entrusted my body to the edge of the

bed.

Asuna reached out her right hand, gently touching my injured

cheek, she tilted her head in question.

"Ah... the last battle, really last battle ended just a little while ago.

Finished..."

While saying that, from both of my eyes, tears overflowed at last.

Drops fell on my cheek, flowing to Asuna's finger, and shining in the

light from the window.

"...I'm sorry, I can't hear properly yet. But... I understand, Kiritokun's words."

Asuna stroked my cheek with care and whispered. My soul

trembled as I heard that voice.

"It's finished... finally... finally... I meet you."

Tears which shone silver streamed down Asuna's cheeks. Eyes

wet, staring into mine as if she was conveying her feelings, she said:

"Nice to meet you, I am Yuuki Asuna. - I'm back, Kirito-kun."

I answered, stopping the crying in my throat.

"I am Kirigaya Kazuto... Welcome back, Asuna."

Our faces came together and our lips came in contact. Lightly.

Then again. Strongly.

I placed my arms around her delicate body and embraced her.

The soul went on a journey. From one world to another world.

From this life into the next life.

And, longing for someone. Strongly calling to each other.

In the past, in the big castle floating in the sky, a young man

dreaming of being a swordsman, met a girl who cooked wonderful food,

and fell in love. Although they no longer existed, their hearts after an

endless journey, finally met again.

While I stroked Asuna's back as she cried, I looked with tear

covered eyes through the window. In the increasing fluttering snow, I

thought I saw two shadows side by side.

One, with two swords on his back and dressed in a black coat.

The other a girl dressed in the red and white of a knight, with a

rapier hanging at her waist.

They smiled, holding hands as they turned around and slowly

moved far away.