Chapter 7

After they recovered the two discarded swords, Kirito and Leafa

flew back to the landing before the guardian statues at the tree

gate. To Leafa's surprise, Recon had been obediently waiting

there. His face ran through a blinding series of emotions upon

seeing the black-clad spriggan next to her until, finally, he inquired, "So…how did it go?"

Leafa beamed and said, "We're going to conquer the World

Tree. Me, you, and him."

"Oh…Wait—what?!"

He faltered backward, face pale. She patted him on the shoulder, wished him luck, and turned to look at the massive stone

doors. They seemed to be emitting a freezing chill to intimidate

all comers.

However, after having seen a warrior as great as Kirito mercilessly crushed by those guardian knights not long ago, Leafa

didn't think that adding two more to the party would make a difference. She looked over and saw that Kirito was biting his lip, his

face tense.

But suddenly he looked up, as though pondering a sudden

idea.

"You there, Yui?"

Before the words had finished coming out of his mouth, a light

coalesced in midair and the familiar pixie was there. She put her

hands on her hips and pouted, clearly furious.

"What took you so long? I can't appear until you call me,

Papa!"

"Sorry, sorry. Things were busy."

He grinned apologetically and offered his palm to the pixie,

who sat down on it. In a flash, Recon craned his neck over to examine her with rabid curiosity.

"W-wow, is this a Private Pixie?! I've never seen one before!

Holy cow, she's so cute!!"

Yui pulled back in concern, eyes wide. "Wh-who is this person?!"

"Come on, you're scaring her," Leafa scolded Recon, pulling

him away by the ear. "You don't have to worry about him, he's not

dangerous."

"Um…okay," Kirito said, blinking in surprise. He turned back

to Yui. "So, did you learn anything from that battle?"

"Yes," she replied, an adorably serious look on her little face.

"Those guardian monsters aren't all that impressive in terms of

stats—it's their appearance patterns that are dangerous. The

closer to the gate you got, the faster they spawned. At the closest

point, they were appearing twelve per second. I can only assume

it was designed to be impossible…"

"Hmm." Kirito nodded, his face severe. "You wouldn't notice

because each individual guardian goes down in a hit or two, but

as a total, they add up to an unbeatable, titanic boss. They're

going to tantalize the player base and make it virtually impossible, but just easy enough to keep them interested. That'll make

this very tough…"

"But, Papa, your skill levels are also off the charts. With your

instantaneous bursts of strength, it might be possible."

". . ."

Kirito lapsed into silence again, then looked at last to Leafa.

"I'm sorry. Can I ask you to indulge me one last time? I know

it would be easier to find more people or search for another way,

rather than attempting this madness again. But…I just have a bad

feeling. Like we're running out of time…"

His suggestion gave Leafa the momentary idea to send a message to the Lord's Mansion in Swilvane. Lady Sakuya might be

able to send the highest-level sylphs to assist their battle.

But she bit her lip and quickly abandoned the idea. The image

of the undine party down in Jotunheim early that morning

flooded into her mind. They'd tried to hunt an unresisting Deviant God against Leafa's pleas, prioritizing efficiency and safety.

Her friend Sakuya would not think the same way as the

undines, of course. But she was the leader of their people and

bore great responsibility. Her position demanded commonsense

decisions for the sake of the entire race. Even if they did eventually make an attempt on the World Tree, it would only be after

ample preparations. They would not fly out en masse, prepped for

the slaughter, on Leafa's request alone.

After a brief silence, she looked up and stated clearly, "All

right. Let's try it one more time. I'll do anything I can to help…

and so will he."

"Awww…"

She elbowed Recon in the ribs and he exhibited his very best

droopy-eyebrowed whimper. But he grudgingly admitted that he

and Leafa were of one body and mind, nodding in resignation.

The stone doors opened with a rumbling that seemed to issue

from the very center of the earth. Leafa's wings trembled slightly

at the eerie aura that seemed to flow from the space beyond.

She'd been in a blind haste when racing after Kirito earlier, but

standing in front of it now, she had to admit there was a palpable

feeling of pressure exuding from the place.

But on the inside, she was surprisingly calm.

She was in the eye of the storm. Both here and in the real

world, everything was loudly and alarmingly changing around

her. She had no idea where it was all taking her. All she could do

was fly, to the best of her ability, toward the light on the horizon.

Kirito, Leafa, and Recon drew their blades. Along with Yui,

four pairs of eyes examined one another. Wings were spread.

"…Let's go!!"

Kirito signaled the charge, and they rose as one, flying into the

dome.

Their plan called for Kirito to begin racing upward as fast as he

could toward the gate in the center of the dome. Leafa and Recon

would remain near the floor and ready their healing spells.

She could see the glowing surfaces on the ceiling begin to drip

downward into gigantic white shapes. They bore down on Kirito,

screeching in that horrible way. When the first wave of knights

met the now-tiny spriggan in midair, a rumbling blast of light

shook the dome.

Upon seeing several of the giants fall to pieces, split through

the torso, Recon murmured, "…Wow."

The force of his blade was indeed formidable. But the sight of

what was happening beyond Kirito's mad dash sent chills

throughout Leafa's body.

There were just too many of them. The sheer density of the

forces pouring out of the latticed ceiling was beyond any scale of

game balance. Even the dungeons in Jotunheim, the most diabolical zone in all of ALO, wouldn't feature spawn rates anywhere

near this pace.

The guardian knights bunched up into packs and dashed

themselves against Kirito in roiling waves. Each collision resulted

in a bright flash, after which the large white bodies would fall to

pieces like snow. But for every one vanquished, three more appeared.

When he was halfway to the gate, Kirito had lost about 10 percent of his hit points. Leafa and Recon didn't miss a beat in unleashing the healing magic they'd kept stored for that moment.

Blue light surrounded Kirito's body, and his gauge began to refill.

But when the spell reached him, something terrible happened.

The lowest-flying pack of guardian knights screeched in unison and turned toward them.

"Aaah…" Recon gasped in panic.

Leafa could feel the gaze behind their mirror masks directed at

her. She clenched her teeth.

Leafa and Recon agreed not to target Kirito with anything

other than healing spells to minimize the notice they might draw.

Normally, monsters didn't pounce unless a player moved into

their response zone, or attacked them with ranged weapons or

spells.

But these guardians ran on a different algorithm than the

monsters outside, one more dangerous and pernicious. If they

could target even players casting support spells, then the orthodox system—attackers in the front, healers in the back—meant

nothing.

The half-dozen knights ignored Leafa's silent plea to buzz off

and descended on multiple pairs of wings. They carried enormous

swords, each easily taller than her, that glinted with a hungry

light.

She turned to Recon and shouted, "I'll draw them away—just

keep healing!"

And without waiting for an answer, she made to rise. But

Recon, who had always obeyed her commands in battle, grabbed

her hand. When she turned around in shock, his voice was trembling, but his eyes were hard.

"Leafa…I don't understand everything that's going on here,

but it's important to you, right?"

"That's right. This time, it's not just a game."

"I don't think I can match up to that spriggan…but I'll find a

way to deal with those guardians."

Recon leaped into the air, controller stick in his hand. And as

Leafa watched, dumbfounded, he flew off, charging directly into

the swarm of knights.

"Y-you idiot…"

They were far beyond his ability, but it was too late for her to

make up the distance by now. Meanwhile, across the dome, Kirito's HP bar was inching back down from its formerly full position. Leafa had no choice but to start chanting a healing spell.

Even as she spoke the familiar words, she couldn't help but keep

a nervous eye on Recon.

Recon unleashed the area-effect wind spell he'd been saving

directly into the cloud of guardian knights. Multiple green blades

fanned out and sliced through the onrushing knights. Their HP

bars hardly took a dent, but it did have the effect of drawing all of

their attention to him.

The white giants roared with distorted voices and closed in on

the tiny green speck that dared to challenge them. Recon swished

and darted like a leaf blown in a gale, just barely retreating out of

the range of their swings. They raced after him.

Leafa finished casting and hurled her spell at Kirito, who was

fighting far above. Again, it drew the notice of several guardians,

who descended after her. This fresh group merged with the

swarm following Recon, growing the white cloud to twice its size.

Recon had never been an expert at air battles, but he showed

considerable concentration in evading the onslaught of swords.

The occasional sword tip clipped his body, but no critical blows

had swallowed up his HP yet.

"…Recon…"

Leafa was struck by the desperate effort of his flight, but it

clearly would not last forever. Each time she cast a healing spell

on Kirito, the number of knights descending on them grew.

Eventually, the pursuing guardians split into two groups and

prepared to execute a pincer attack on Recon. One among the

rain of blows caught him square in the back, smashing him

through the air.

"That's enough, Recon! Flee to the outside!" she screamed, unable to watch anymore. As long as the battle still raged inside,

anyone who left the arena could not return. She'd just have to do

her best to hold them off. Leafa took to the air, preparing another

healing spell.

But at that moment, Recon turned back to her. Leafa's wings

stopped when she saw the purposeful smile on his face.

Despite the many sword blows, Recon began casting a new

spell. His body glowed with a deep purple light.

"…?!"

Leafa held her breath, realizing that it was the shine of dark

magic. A complex magical sigil began to form in midair, and

based on its size, it must have been a high-level spell. Dark magic

was so rare around sylph lands that she had no idea what effect

this one might have.

The sigil unfolded again and again, growing ever larger, until it

finally engulfed all of the attacking knights. For an instant, the

complex runes and figures contracted— then shone with an overwhelming light.

"Ah—!!"

Leafa had to turn her face from the blinding glow. An explosion so great it sounded like the earth splitting apart shot through

the entire dome.

It took a full second for her eyesight to recover from pure

white. Leafa looked toward the center of the explosion with her

hands up for shielding, and what she saw left her speechless. The

entire pack of tightly clustered knights was gone without a trace.

Only a few wisps of purple light remained.

It was an unbelievable blast. There were no wind-magic area

spells that powerful—not even any fire spells. Leafa cheered even

as she wondered how Recon had acquired this incredible ace up

his sleeve. A few more of those, and they might just be able to

reach the gate after all. She prepared to cast a healing spell on

him—and froze again.

Recon was nowhere to be seen in the last remnants of the explosion. There was only a tiny green Remain Light floating in the

air.

"A…self-destruct spell…?" she wondered aloud. But then she

remembered once hearing about such a dark magic spell long

ago. It was practically a forbidden art—in exchange for its power,

the ordinary death penalty was several times worse.

After a few moments of silence, Leafa shut her eyes tight. It

was just a game, just experience points, but the effort and intent

Recon had expended for their sake was true sacrifice. They could

not retreat now. She opened her eyes again and looked up.

What she saw turned her legs to jelly.

The ceiling of the dome was now one entire mass of squirming, teeming white shapes.

The tiny black dot that was Kirito was close, so close to the

top. With each flash of his sword, more knights fell to pieces, but

it was like trying to dig a hole in a massive sand dune with but a

needle. The wall of white flesh would give way for a brief moment, only to be filled just as quickly.

"Raaahhh!!"

Leafa could just barely hear Kirito's bloodcurdling roar. She

raised her hands to cast a healing spell, but let them drop almost

immediately.

"We can't, Big Brother…It's just too much…"

To be honest, she'd never taken Kirito's story about Asuna's

soul being trapped in this game at face value. This was a game, a

world to be enjoyed. Her brain couldn't help but reject the idea

that this wonderful place shared anything in common with the

nightmare of SAO.

But now, for the first time, Leafa began to sense a kind of malice within the system. Some unseen force, which was supposedly

keeping everything in a fair balance, was wickedly, cruelly swinging a bloody scythe at the players' necks within this arena. There

was no way to overcome this trap.

A low, twisted sound echoed throughout the dome like a

chanted curse. Some of the guardian knights fell still, incanting a

spell with their left arms extended. It was the Rain of Arrows

spell that had stopped Kirito in his tracks the first time. The arrows caused enough of a stun effect for the sword blows to land

next.

Leafa tensed up, imagining the sight of Kirito's body skewered

by countless blades.

Suddenly, a roil of voices swept up from behind Leafa, over

her vapid wings.

"Huh…?!"

She turned to see a party of sylph warriors, clad in gleaming

new-green metal, pouring through the door in tight formation.

They were outfitted with full sets of what appeared to be ancient weapons, or something similar. Like a storm gust in the

spring, they rushed past Leafa and headed straight for the dome's

ceiling. There must have been at least fifty of them.

Stunned into silence, Leafa could only watch closely enough to

call up their cursors as they passed. She couldn't see faces behind

the heavy visors, but all the names that appeared on the cursors

were the best of the best in sylph territory. Upon hearing their

roar, the guardian knights preparing their spells stopped and

began to shift tactics.

Leafa's back crawled with chills somewhere between excitement and overwhelming awe. But they were not the only ones

coming to tackle the dome.

A few seconds after the last members of the sylph raid party

came through the door, more shouts echoed through, accompanied by the thunderbolt roars of great beasts.

This new group was of much smaller number than the sylphs,

perhaps ten in all. Individually, however, they were much larger.

"Dragons!" Leafa exclaimed.

It was a pack of dragons with gray scales, each the size of several players lined up head to foot. As proof that these creatures

were not wild, the dragons were outfitted with gleaming golden

armor on their foreheads, chests, and the fronts of their wings.

Pairs of silver chains extended from the head armor as reins,

which the riders on the beasts's saddles gripped. These dragon

knights had brand-new armor of their own, but there was no

missing the triangular ears or the long, sinewy tails extending out

the backs of their leggings.

These were dragoons, the ultimate fighting force of the cait

siths. The legendary warriors were kept hidden from the public—

there wasn't even a screenshot floating about on the Internet. But

here they were, in the flesh.

Leafa's wings were at full extension, the very blood in her

veins seeming to dance with elation. Suddenly, she heard someone call out from behind her.

"Sorry it took so long."

She turned around to see Lady Sakuya, leader of the sylphs, in

her wooden geta sandals and kimono. Next to her was Lady Alicia

Rue of the cait siths, whose ears flapped as she said, "So sorry. It

took every member of the leprechaun blacksmith's guild until just

now to finish up all the equipment and dragon armor. We spent

all the money the spriggan gave us, plus all of our vault savings!"

"Meaning that if this fails, both of our races are bankrupt,"

Sakuya noted coolly, arms crossed.

They came. And so fast, knowing that both of them risked los-

ing their prestigious positions. This joint force between two races

so transcended the typical MMORPG battle over resources and

risk management that surely even the game developers had never

expected it to happen.

"Thank you…thank you both," Leafa said, her voice trembling.

There really are things in this world more important than rules

and manners, she told herself, heart soaring. There was nothing

more to say.

Both leaders told her the time for thanks was later. They

turned to survey the ceiling of the dome with severe skepticism.

Sakuya loudly snapped her fan shut.

"Let us join the fray!"

All three nodded in agreement and leaped into the air. Above

them, several groups of white guardians were dripping down

from the ceiling to meet the charging sylph platoon. High in the

center, Kirito was still locked in fierce battle, but he seemed to

have noticed the cavalry's arrival, because he stopped attempting

to rise for a moment, keeping his distance from the ceiling.

Alicia Rue flew directly to the center of the chamber and raised

her hand, shouting in a clear (but precious) voice:

"Dragoons! Prepare breath attack!"

The ten dragon knights formed a wide, hovering circle around

the three of them. The dragons spread their wings wide and

curved their necks into S shapes, orange flickers of fire visible behind their deadly fangs.

Next, Sakuya raised her lacquered fan.

"Sylphs, prepare your extra attacks!"

The tight pack of warriors held their swords overhead as they

charged. The blades were enveloped by a lattice pattern of emerald-green light.

A large congregation of the guardian knights, so dense they resembled white maggots, descended upon them with hideous

screeches. Alicia Rue waited for the creatures to get as close as

possible, biting her lip with a long canine, then finally raised her

hand and barked another order.

"Unleash fire breath!"

All ten dragons exhaled gouts of hellfire at once. Ten crimson

pillars shot through the air, fanned out around the sylph warriors

and Kirito, and blasted into the cloud of guardians.

A bright flash illuminated the dome. In the next moment,

bulging fireballs exploded one after another, linking together into

a tremendous wall of flame. The world was rocked with a massive

roar. Guardian knights were blown to shreds by the force of the

blast, adding their own little white flames as they burned away.

But the seemingly infinite wall of white simply formed another

swarm that recklessly pushed its way through the flames. It

fanned out wide like a spreading liquid, threatening to swallow

Kirito whole.

Just before the blob of white could attack, Sakuya swung her

fan down and shouted, "Unleash Fenrir Storm!!"

With perfect precision, the sylph platoon thrust their swords

as one. Green lightning pulsed through fifty blades and then shot

through the air to pierce the cloud of knights.

Everything was again awash in white light. There was no explosion this time, but instead thick bolts of ravenous lightning

racing through the enemy, churning them to bits.

Twice decimated, the center part of the wall of guardian

knights did indeed seem to be hollowing out. But like a liquid

flowing back into shape, that depression was filling in from the

sides.

This was their only chance, Leafa knew. She drew her long

katana and darted forward. The two leaders had come to the

same conclusion. Sakuya's voice cracked through the clearing like

a whip.

"All units, charge!!"

It was undoubtedly the largest battle ever fought in Alfheim. The

periodic bursts of fire breath from the rear set the guardians

aflame and falling to the earth. The sylph party worked in perfect

formation like a single projectile, gouging great holes in the wall

of flesh with their wave of deadly swords.

Standing at the front of that projectile was the tiny black form

of the spriggan. His equipment was clearly inferior to the sylphs',

but the holy speed with which he whipped his giant sword around

meant that anything coming into contact with him burst into

smithereens.

Leafa raced through a small aperture in the center of the sylph

formation to take position directly behind Kirito. She used her

katana to deflect an attack bearing down on his back, plunging

the long blade into the glowing white guardian beneath its mirrored mask. With a vigorous flip of her wrists, she knocked the

head clean off. Its body burned with white flames.

Kirito took a look behind him and mouthed, Sugu—watch my

back!

I've got you covered! she indicated with a glance, turning to

stand back-to-back with him. They stayed that way, spinning

round and round, slashing and hacking at the oncoming knights.

The giant guardians would not be so easy in a one-on-one

fight. But standing next to Kirito and matching his speed, Leafa

felt the enemy moving slower and slower. Or was her mind just

working faster? It felt as though all of the stimuli from all of her

senses were focused at one single point in the center of her brain.

This was a sensation she'd only noticed a few times before, during

kendo competitions.

It was as though she and Kirito were one. All of her nerves and

brain cells were connected and racing with pale electronic pulses.

She knew where Kirito was moving behind her without seeing

him. As they spun together, Leafa struck the head off the

guardian knight Kirito had been sparring with, while he sank his

sword directly into the wound she'd made in the enemy she'd just

left.

Kirito, Leafa, the sylphs, and the dragoons all formed one

being of pure energy that melted, gouged, and burst through the

limitless flood of knights. Though the enemy might be endless,

the spatial limits of the dome were fixed. As long as they kept

proceeding forward, their moment of victory would come.

"Seyaaa!" Leafa cried, splitting a guardian's body straight

down the middle. For an instant, through its crumbling corpse,

she saw the ceiling.

"Raah!"

Kirito broke away from Leafa's back and plunged through the

gap in the wall of flesh like a bolt of black lightning. The last line

of guardian knight defense roared with hatred and closed in on

all sides. There were at least thirty of them.

"Kirito!!"

On pure instinct, Leafa pulled back her sword and hurled it

with all her might at Kirito's left hand. The light green hilt of the

spinning katana fit right into his palm, as though it were being

pulled to it.

"Rraaaahh!!"

With a bellow that seemed to shake the entire dome, he alternated swipes of the blades, greatsword in his right hand and

katana in his left.

A slash down from the right. A slice up from the left. The two

shining swords traced slightly different angles each time, until

they formed a glowing circle of white like that of the corona

around a solar eclipse. The guardian knights were torn to ribbons

by dozens of light-speed slashes, their remains littering the air.

Beyond the quivering ring of End Flames, she could see it

clearly now. Right in the center of the vine-crossed ceiling of the

dome was the round door, split into four sections. The final gate

of Alfheim, leading through the trunk of the World Tree to the

palace seated at its crown.

The black figure left a trail of light as he raced for the gate. He

was through at last.

Before Leafa's eyes, countless layers of guardian knights

surged forward and buried the hole that had been there just an

instant before. Sakuya had seen Kirito break through the line of

defense and shouted an order:

"All units, turn back and disengage!"

Leafa joined the sylph squad and headed into a dive as the

dragons' fire breath protected their backs. For an instant, she

looked back at the ceiling. She couldn't see Kirito for the wall of

guardians, but in her mind's eye, he flew higher, ever higher, toward the heights that no one had yet reached.

Fly—fly—fly as far as you can! Through the tree, through the

sky, to the center of the world!

I closed the final distance so fast, I thought my brain cells

would fry.

Before my eyes was the final round gate. Four stone slabs met

in the center to form a cross shape. And beyond them—Asuna.

Along with the half of my soul that had been left behind in that

fateful realm.

From behind me came a scream of hatred from the guardian

knights. I looked back, sensing their pursuit. There were fresh

knights being born without end from the glowing apertures

around the gate, and they flew down to intercept me.

But I was faster. I could reach out and touch the gate now.

And yet…

"It won't open!" I exclaimed with shock.

The gate would not open. I'd assumed the heavy, evil-looking

door would simply slide open once I got close enough, but the intersecting cracks showed no signs of budging.

It was too late to slow down. I held my right sword at my side,

preparing to smash my way through the stone wall if it came to

that.

The next instant, I slammed into the gate with astonishing

force. The tip of the sword sent sparks flying with the impact, but

there wasn't the slightest sign of a scratch on the stone surface.

"Yui, what's going on?!" I screamed in the chaos. Was it not

enough just to break through the guardian knights? Did I need a

special item or some other condition?

I prepared to swing again out of instinct, until Yui popped out

of my shirt pocket with a jingle. She touched the stone door of the

gate with her tiny hand.

"Papa," she turned to me, speaking quickly, "this door isn't

locked with a quest-related conditional! It's controlled by a system admin switch, nothing more."

"Wh-what does that mean?!"

"It means…nothing a player can do will open this door!"

"Wha…"

I was at a loss for words.

The grand quest at the center of the game—to reach the city

atop the World Tree and be reborn as true fairies—was nothing

more than a giant carrot, endlessly dangled out of reach of the

game's player base? So not only was this battle's difficulty set to

the extreme, the door was locked by nothing more than the will of

the game manager…?

I felt my body go limp. The roars of the guardian knights bearing down washed over me, but I didn't even have the will to swing

my sword anymore.

I was so close, Asuna, so close…I almost reached you…Will

that little sliver of warmth you dropped to me be the last time we

ever touch?

No, wait. Wasn't that…?

My eyes flew open. I stuck a hand in my waist pocket. Yes! The

little card. Yui had called it a system access code…

"Yui, use this!"

I stuck the silver card in her face. Her eyes went wide and she

nodded.

Yui brushed the card with one of her little hands. A few lines of

light ran across the card and into her.

"I'm copying the code!" she shouted and slapped the surface of

the gate with both hands.

I had to squint at the flash. Blue lines of light spread out from

the spots Yui touched, and in moments, the entire gate glowed

blindingly bright.

"It's copying! Grab hold, Papa!"

I touched her little hand with my fingertips. The lines of light

passed through Yui and flowed into me.

Suddenly, I heard the scream of the guardian knights right behind me. I had barely even time to flinch before several of their

massive swords bore down. But they passed right through me, as

though the swords had no physical form. But in truth, it was I

who was dematerializing. My body was fading away, blending

with the light.

"—!!"

I felt a sudden tug pulling me forward. Yui and I became a

flow of data, melting into the glowing white screen that had been

the gate.

My mind was blank for only an instant.

I shook my head and blinked a few times, fighting off the aftereffects of teleportation. This was similar to the symptoms of a

teleport crystal back in Aincrad, but unlike the ever-present bustle of any city's teleport square, I had landed in the midst of absolute silence.

I slowly rose from a kneeling crouch. Yui greeted me, looking

nervous. She was not a pixie anymore, but her original ten-yearold form.

"Are you all right, Papa?"

"Yeah. Where are we…?"

I looked around. It was a very…strange place. Unlike the detailed and beautiful environs of Swilvane and Alne, which fit into

the expectations of what a modern game looked like, this location

was nothing but flat white surfaces with no details or textures

whatsoever.

We seemed to be in the middle of a long hallway. It was not

straight, but curved gently to the right. I looked behind me and

saw a mirrored bend in the other direction. We were in a very

long curve, or perhaps even a circle.

"I don't know. This place doesn't fall within the map info Nav

Pixies have access to," Yui said, troubled.

"Can you tell where Asuna is?" I asked. She shut her eyes, and

then almost instantly nodded.

"Yes, she's close—very close. Above us…this way."

She ran off silently, her bare legs flashing out of the familiar

white dress. I put my greatsword over my back and hurried after

her. The katana I'd been holding in my left hand was gone. When

I teleported, it must have been automatically returned to Leafa,

its proper owner. If she hadn't thrown it to me when she did, I

would never have made it to the gate. I shut my eyes and said a

silent word of thanks to the physical memory of its hilt in the

palm of my hand.

After most of a minute running after Yui, a square door came

into view on the left, the outer side of the curve. It, too, had no visual features whatsoever.

"We can go up from here."

I stopped next to Yui and took a glance at the side of the door

—and froze.

There were two triangular buttons on the wall, one pointing up

and one pointing down. I'd never seen their like in the game, but

they were a familiar sight in the real world: elevator buttons.

I grimaced, suddenly feeling as though my battle armor and

massive sword were completely out of place here. Except…it was

this place that was strange. If these buttons meant what they appeared to signify, we were not within the game world. In that

case, where were we?

That question left my mind as quickly as it formed. It didn't

matter. Asuna was here.

I reached out and hit the upper arrow button without hesitation. The door binged and slid open, revealing a small, boxshaped chamber. Yui and I walked inside and turned around to

find that there was indeed a panel of control buttons on the wall.

Assuming the glowing one marked our current location, there

were two floors above us. After a brief moment of indecision, I

pushed the top button.

The chime sounded again and the door closed. I felt the unmistakable rising sensation of an elevator.

It stopped just as quickly. The door opened to reveal another

curved hallway, identical to the one before. I turned to Yui, who

was squeezing my hand.

"Is this the right level?"

"Yes. We're very close…She's just over there," Yui replied,

pulling me onward.

We raced down the hallway for another minute, my heart beating faster and faster. Eventually we came to a door on the inner

wall of the hallway, but Yui ran right past it without a glance.

After a few more moments, she stopped at a nondescript point in

the middle of the hall.

"…What is it?"

"There's a passage…through here," she murmured, rubbing

the featureless outer wall. Her hand stopped still, and just as with

the stone gate, blue lines of light began to run through the wall

where she touched, wriggling away at right angles.

Thicker lines suddenly cut out a square piece of the wall, and

with a brief buzz, it disappeared completely. Just as Yui had said,

there was another plain white hallway extending out from the intersection.

The little girl headed down the new hallway silently, then sped

up and broke into a run. Her young face was dark with desperation and haste. Asuna had to be near.

Faster, faster. It was the only thing on my mind as we raced

down the corridor. Eventually it came to an end, a square door

blocking our progress. Yui didn't bother to slow down, extending

a hand to shove the door open.

" !!"

We were greeted by a massive setting sun.

The world was surrounded by endless sunset. I had trouble

processing what I was seeing at first, until I realized that I was

standing at an unfathomably high altitude. The horizon was

clearly curved from this vantage point. The wind howled in my

ears.

I couldn't help but remember a similar moment, another view

of infinite sunset as I sat side by side with Asuna, watching the

end of Aincrad. Her voice echoed in my ears.

We'll always be together.

"Yeah—that's right. I'm back," I muttered, looking at my feet.

It wasn't a platform of crystal, but a frightfully thick tree branch.

Finally my vision regained its proper sense of scale against the

endless field of deep red. Overhead, leafy branches stretched out

in all directions, as though supporting the very heavens above.

Below were more and more branches, and past them was a thin

layer of clouds. Far, far beyond that, I could see the faint reflection of a river surface as it wound through rolling fields.

I was on top of the World Tree. The peak of the world. The

place that Leafa…that Suguha had dreamed of for so long.

But…

I slowly turned back. The giant wall that was the trunk of the

tree stretched up and far away until it finally separated into more

branches.

"There's no city in the sky…" I murmured. There was only

those bland white corridors. They were not meant to be the city

atop the tree, obviously. And if the setup for the main quest was

correct, there would have been an in-game event after breaching

the dome. But I didn't even get a musical fanfare, much less any

explanation.

It was all an empty gift box. Past the enticing wrapping paper

and ribbon, it was empty lies. How could I explain this to Leafa,

after all of her dreams of being reborn as a high fairy?

"This is unforgivable…" I muttered at the unseen force or person overseeing this world. Something pulled at my right arm. Yui

was looking up at me with concern.

"Oh, right. Let's go."

We could settle this once Asuna was safe. It was the only reason I was here, after all.

The large branch stretched ahead toward the sunset. An artificial path was carved into the center of the wood. What lay ahead

was obscured by the growth of leaves, but through them I could

see something gleaming and golden catching the light of the sun.

We took off running toward it.

Several minutes of incendiary haste and desperation passed,

driven by the thought that my long-awaited moment would arrive

in just a matter of seconds. It seemed as though my sense of time

was lengthening, each tick of the clock an eternity.

We pushed through the colorful, oddly shaped leaves and on-

ward down the path. Little staircases went up and down each vertical undulation of the branch; I impatiently fluttered my wings

and leaped them in a single bound.

Eventually the source of the golden light became clear. It was a

grid of golden bars—no, a birdcage.

It was the classic round birdcage shape, tapering up to connect

to a different branch overhead that ran parallel to ours. The only

difference was its massive size. This was much too large to hold

even a bird of prey, much less little songbirds. No, the cage was

meant for something else.

I thought back to what Agil had said in his café, in a scene that

felt like years ago at this point. Five players rode on each other's

shoulders in an attempt to scale the World Tree, and they took a

screenshot at the height of their flight. The picture showed a mysterious giant birdcage with a girl inside. There's no doubt. Asuna

—Asuna's in that thing.

There was a strength and an urgency of certainty in Yui's tugging. We practically ran on the air, leaping down the final staircase.

The branch grew much thinner as it approached the cage,

coming to a tapered end where it reached the floor level. The interior of the golden birdcage was clearly visible now. The tiled floor

was decorated with one large tree planter, along with a number of

small pots with flowers of various types. In the center was a large

canopy bed. To its side, a white table with a tall-backed chair.

And seated on that chair, her hands folded and head lowered to

the table in apparent prayer, was a girl.

Long, straight hair. A thin dress much like Yui's. Elegant, slender wings growing from her back. All shining red with the light of

the sinking sun.

Her face was shrouded in shadows, but I knew who it was. I'd

never mistake her. The magnetism of our souls was so strong it

was practically visible, sparking with light in the space that separated us.

In that moment, that girl—Asuna—raised her head.

My deep, unending love had turned that familiar image into

one beaming with sublime radiance. Her face was sometimes as

finely beautiful as a sharpened blade, sometimes friendly with a

mischievous warmth, but always at my side during the tragically

short days we spent together. A look of shock ran through that familiar face, and her hands rose to her mouth. Her large hazel eyes

rippled with a light that quickly turned into tears sitting upon her

eyelashes.

I bounded forward the last several steps and whispered with a

voice so weak it could not be heard.

"…Asuna."

At the same time, Yui cried, "Mama…Mama!!"

The very end of the branch intersected the cage, and there

stood a door made of a tighter pattern of golden bars than the

rest, complete with a small metal plate that appeared to be the

lock. The door was closed, but Yui did not bother to slow down as

she pulled me forward, swinging her right hand across her body.

It was soon infused with a blue glow.

She swung her glowing hand back to the right, and the entire

metal door and its plate blew off, vanishing in a flash of light.

Yui let go of my hand and threw her arms wide. "Mama!!"

She raced into the open cage.

Asuna leaped up so fast she knocked the chair backward. She

had opened her arms as well, and the words came clearly from

her trembling lips.

"Yui!!"

The little girl leaped and buried her face in Asuna's chest.

Their long hair entwined, brown and black, glittering in the setting sun.

Yui and Asuna shared a fierce embrace, rubbing cheek to

cheek, calling each other's name just to be certain it was truly the

other.

"Mama…"

"Yui…Yui…"

The tears spilled from their eyes, sparkling like fire with the

light of the sun before disappearing into the air.

I eased out of my run and walked over, stopping several steps

away from Asuna. She raised her head, blinked a few tears away,

and looked right at me.

Just like the other time, I couldn't move. If I approached any

closer, reached out to touch her, she might vanish into thin air.

And I didn't look anything like I did back then. My tanned spriggan skin and spiky hair were not at all like the old Kirito. All I

could do was stare at her, trying to hold in my tears.

But just as she did before, Asuna spoke, calling my name.

"Kirito."

After a moment of silence, I called her name in return.

"…Asuna."

I took the last two steps forward, opening my arms and surrounding her fragile body, squeezing Yui between the two of us.

My nostrils were full of her familiar scent, and my body was met

with her familiar warmth.

"…I'm sorry it took so long," I moaned in a trembling voice,

but Asuna just stared directly into my eyes.

"No, I knew you'd find me. I knew you'd come to save me…"

No other words were needed. Asuna and I closed our eyes and

each buried our face in the other's shoulder. Asuna's arms encircled my back and clung tight. Yui panted happily in between us.

It's all better now, I thought.

If this was to be my final moment, I would gladly burn away

into nothing without a single regret. My life was meant to end

with that world. I'd kept it going just so I could reach this instant

and be complete…

No, that's not right. This is where it starts. Now the world of

swords and battle is finally over, and we can start a journey together in a new world—reality.

I raised my head.

"C'mon. Let's go back to the real world."

After our embrace, Asuna and I still held hands, and Yui clung to

Asuna's other arm. I looked down at her.

"Yui, can you manage to log Asuna out from here?"

She squinted and frowned for a moment, then shook her head.

"Mama's current status is tied down by some complicated

code. I'll need a system console to undo it."

"A console," I repeated doubtfully.

Asuna's voice was tense. "I'm pretty sure I saw something like

that on the bottom floor of the laboratory. Oh, the lab is the—"

"The white empty corridor?"

"Yes. You came here through there?"

"Yeah," I nodded. Asuna looked pensive.

"Were there any…weird things?"

"No, I didn't see anything on the way…"

"Well…there might be some of Sugou's henchmen lurking

around. I just hope your sword will work on them!"

"Wait—Sugou?!" Shock, and then understanding, flooded

through me. "This is…Sugou's doing? He locked you in here?"

"Yes, but that's not all. He's doing terrible things here…"

Asuna's face was dark with a deep rage, but she shook her

head and stopped there.

"I'll tell you the rest when we get back to reality. Sugou's not at

the office right now, as I understand it. We have to use this opportunity to crack the server and free everyone…Let's go."

I had plenty of questions to ask, but bringing Asuna back took

priority over anything else. I nodded and spun around.

Asuna picked up Yui and I grabbed her hand, jogging back toward the blasted-out door frame. After a few steps I was stooping

over to fit through the frame, and that was when it happened.

Someone was watching.

I felt a nasty tingling in the back of my neck. It was the exact

same feeling I got in SAO when I was targeted, not by a monster

but by another player with the orange cursor of a murderer.

Instantly, I let go of Asuna and put my hand on my sword.

Just as I was pulling the hilt, the birdcage was doused in liquid.

Then, with a deep-pitched splash, a dark, sticky substance completely covered us.

But that wasn't quite it; I could breathe, but the act was laborious. When I tried to move, there was an incredible pressure, like

being stuck in a thick, viscous fluid. My body was crushingly

heavy. It was agony just to stand.

At the same time, the color was draining from the world. The

deep red of the sunset that had filled the cage was turning into

blackness before my eyes.

"Wh-what is this?" Asuna shouted. Her voice was warped as

though compressed by incredible water pressure.

Deeply disturbed by this phenomenon, I tried to spin around

and hold Asuna and Yui safely at my side—but my body would

not cooperate. The sheer adhesion of the air clung to me as

though of its own malevolent will.

In time, the entire world was total darkness. But…that also

wasn't entirely true. I could clearly see Asuna's and Yui's white

dresses. It was as though every other surface of the world had

been painted a perfect black.

I gritted my teeth and focused on moving my right hand. The

bars of the cage were right next to me. I tried to grab one and pull

myself free of the immobilizing space, but my outstretched hand

touched nothing at all.

It wasn't just an illusion. We had been plunged into an unknown world of darkness.

"Yui—"

I was going to ask her for an explanation, but she suddenly

writhed in agony within Asuna's arms and screamed.

"Aaah! Papa, Mama…Be careful! Something…bad is—"

But before she could finish, purple light crawled across her

small body. She flashed brightly—and then Asuna's arms were

empty.