-428- The prematurely arrived endgame

"What...!?"

In that moment, even Rozen's pupils constricted at Heathcliff's revelation.

However, he understood what Heathcliff wanted to say.

It was like that, wasn't it? In this world named SAO, the 100th-floor boss wasn't anyone else but the creator of this world himself—Kayaba Akihiko.

He created the character Heathcliff in this world and had been nurturing him to become the final obstacle for players when they reached the 100th floor.

If the players' game was a complete clearing of this world, this was Kayaba Akihiko's game—a dramatic betrayal at the very end.

"Although, according to the plan, I should have revealed my identity after the 95th floor and waited for you all in the boss room of the 100th floor, the 'Ruby Palace.' Since my identity has been prematurely exposed, there's nothing I can do."

Heathcliff's voice seemed to resonate like an enchanting spell in this moment.

"So, let's move this battle forward slightly."

With these words...

"Ding..."

Under the pleasant sound effect, Heathcliff summoned the main menu once more. This time, Rozen didn't continue watching.

"Don't even....!"

Azure Abyss drawn swiftly from their sheath as Rozen moved to attack Heathcliff with a dazzling sword technique, slashing down at him.

Although Rozen didn't know what Heathcliff was planning, he had learned one thing from Yui: administrators exercised their privileges in the same way players did, by selecting options from the main menu.

The "Settings" option in Yui's main menu was derived from this. Presumably, Heathcliff's main menu also had this option.

In other words, to use administrator privileges, he had to summon the main menu first.

Because of this, when dealing with Kuradeel, Heathcliff had summoned his main menu on the spot, inadvertently revealing his true identity to Rozen.

Now, Heathcliff had summoned the main menu once again, intending to use administrator privileges to do something.

If that was the case, even Rozen couldn't stop it and could only watch the events unfold.

In this world, the man before him was a god.

This was an undeniable fact.

So, he had to interrupt him.

Rozen decisively launched an attack.

Unfortunately...

"Clang!"

Accompanied by a crisp clash, a purple barrier flashed in front of Heathcliff, blocking Rozen's powerful strike, causing sparks to explode.

"This is...!?"

Rozen, of course, recognized this phenomenon. It was the effect presented by the system when protecting a target. Right now, Heathcliff was being protected by the system.

"Sorry, I forgot to mention,"

Heathcliff's voice entered Rozen's ears.

"I've always had the system's protection. Any attack that would bring my HP gauge into the yellow zone is blocked."

This explained why Heathcliff's HP gauge had never entered the yellow zone. Due to this, Rozen couldn't stop Heathcliff's actions.

"Let the final showdown arrive a bit earlier."

Heathcliff calmly declared this, then made some operations on the main menu.

Rozen's "Mind's Eye" instantly sensed it. At this moment, the world began to change once again.

"Clang!"

A blue light radiated from Rozen.

"Transfer...!?"

Rozen instantly recognized the nature of the light but couldn't resist it.

"Rozen!"

Kirito, who was fighting the Skull Reaper, shouted in anger and shock.

"Rozen!"

"Rozen!"

Klein and Agil called out as well.

"Guild Leader Rozen!"

Players from the clearing group revealed expressions of astonishment one after another.

Even Asuna ignored the danger of the boss behind her and rushed over with an anxious and frightened expression.

"Rozen!"

Asuna let out a cry, running towards them while desperately extending her hand.

"Asuna!"

Rozen instinctively reached out towards Asuna. As the two hands were about to touch each other, the transfer phenomenon on Rozen's body finally activated.

Under the blue light, Rozen's body gradually disappeared, leaving nothing behind...

The familiar dizziness struck Rozen's vision. When Rozen's vision returned to normal, he found himself on unfamiliar ground, having been transferred to another location.

"Where is this...?"

Rozen couldn't help but be astonished.

What appeared before him was an expansive plaza. The entire plaza was red, from the floor to the walls and columns, all in a striking shade of red.

However, this red was not the beautiful crimson but more like the color of steel, giving the entire plaza a solemn atmosphere resembling a battlefield.

Looking at this place, Rozen immediately remembered a name mentioned by Heathcliff just moments ago.

"The Ruby Palace..."

It was the location of the 100th-floor boss in Aincrad, known as the "Ruby Palace."

"Yes, this is indeed the Ruby Palace."

When such a voice reached him, Rozen was no longer surprised. He calmly turned his gaze to the source.

There stood a man in a red knight's outfit, holding a large cruciform shield, emanating an otherworldly presence, as if he had been there from the beginning.

"Congratulations, Guild Leader Rozen. You've become the first person to reach the pinnacle of Aincrad."

Heathcliff smiled as he spoke, but what followed was a ruthless attack.

"Clang!"

Rozen's crystal sword struck heavily against the shield's surface, creating intense sparks.

Rozen moved with astonishing speed, closing the distance to Heathcliff, releasing relentless attacks while his gaze was as sharp as a blade, piercing Heathcliff's shield.

Heathcliff's expression remained unchanged, and he commented,

"Surprisingly, I thought Guild Leader Rozen would make a more composed judgment of the situation."

Heathcliff spoke as if engaging in a discussion, paying no heed to Rozen's attacks.

Rozen didn't pay any more attention to Heathcliff's monologue.

"What about everyone else?"

"They're still in the 75th-floor boss room."

"Am I the only one who came here?"

"Because you're the only one currently qualified to reach this place."

"What about the Skull Reaper?"

"Of course, it hasn't been defeated yet. Not only that, its HP has been fully restored. You could say that the clearing has restarted."

"Why are you doing this?"

"The reason? It's quite simple, really. Isn't it a bit selfish that only we get to enjoy the thrill of the final battle?"

With that, the conversation ended, and Rozen finally understood.

Facing a man who looked down upon all players like this, reasoning wouldn't work.

So...

"—I'll kill you!"

Rozen finally unleashed his killing intent.

"Very well."

Heathcliff endured it all, his expression turning as cold and emotionless as steel.

The intense battle was now set in motion.