Storm the Castle

Galatians 5:22-23 New International Version (NIV)

"22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law."

Two days; demon players have forty eight hours to defeat the nine Fruit of the Spirit knights.

Asuna walks Kirito to his dive room. She stopped him from opening the door. "Are you sure you want to do this? It's been a long time since you've been in a game full time…"

He removes his hand from the door handle to hold her hand. "I don't want to do this, but if it is going to help me save my family, how could I not?" He rests his forehead to hers and closes his eyes while taking a deep breath. She smells like warm vanilla and home to him.

She sighs before speaking. "I'll be in the room the whole time, checking for updates. If you don't call me in to the game when there's only a couple hours left…"

His hands glide over the sides of her neck. "I'm fighting this until the very last second…"

It's all sinking in and reminding them of that last meeting at the Knights of the Blood Oath before they beat Heathcliff, except this time she wouldn't be with him until the end if it got to that point. Tears were streaming from her closed eyes and when he felt the little droplets hit his arm he opened his eyes. He kept their heads close as he removes one of his hands from her neck reaches for the door knob again. "I love you Asuna." He presses their lips together, pulling her close, wishing it could last forever before pulling away from her and opening the door.

When they look into the room they were expecting to see Jaime, but instead found Hanna checking her phone. "Are we in the right room?" Asuna asks.

Hanna looks up from her phone with a friendly smile. "Yep. Jaime and I worked everything out. Since Asuna won't be needing me as much, I'll be your day nurse, and Jaime will take the night shift. This way I can still keep an eye on Asuna and make sure she doesn't try to join the game while she's throwing up or something else recklessly romantic." Asuna rolls her eyes as she walks over to her nurse to hug her.

After the sensors are all placed, I.V. inserted, and a few other medical checks and equipment set up, he is ready to go into the game. Hanna excuses herself to "go get some coffee," since she has a pretty good idea how these two are going to behave for the next couple of minutes.

He slides on his gear and through the tinted glass he sees Asuna, a gentle and sombre smile on her face as she leans towards his face. "I believe in you Kirito." She leans in as just as their lips touch she presses the start button on his temple.

Kirito blinks a few times as he awakes in the game in a little inn just outside of Rome. The light from the sun is catching little flecks of virtual dust that drift through the air and are pushed into a flurry when he quickly sits up and exits the building. Waiting outside the Inn is Kouichirou accompanied by the other players from the task force who seem to be shifting to and fro as someone makes there way to the front of the crowd.

"Excuse me, thank you, little sister coming through!" Suguha pushes past the last players in her way until she sees her big brother. "Kirito!" She yells as she begins to fly towards him in her black and yellow demon form with a big tootsie grin. As she pulls her stunned brother into a hug the already stunned Kirito is brought several other new waves of shock as Lizbeth, Shino, and Silica make their way to the front next to Kouichirou.

Once the shock fades he hugs his sister and as they release each other he laughs and scratches the back of his head. "I should have known you would show up here."

Suguha looked around. "Where is waifu?" She asks with her hands on her hips.

"She's… doing her part from another location." He smiles, but also looks at his sister with a 'don't ask anymore questions' face.

"Okay, I'm going to pretend like that makes sense." She half smiles.

Lizbeth steps forward. "Okay, let's get this over with so we can throw the best wedding of this century!"

The doors to the entrance of the Vatican of Armageddon is guarded by two nights. Except for the words "Love" and "Joy" engraved on their chests their armor is identical.

The first team of demon players splits into equal parts to take on the nights that guard the entrance and while they are distracted the rest of the players make their way inside.

Already waiting for them at the bottom of the large wood stairs covered in red carpet and ornate carvings of angels are two more knights like the two at the front door with "Peace" and "Patience" On their breast plates. The knights don't speak, they only move in unwavering motion after motion as they take out not one but two of the teams and after 30 hours of never ending, team switching back and forth, fighting they are finally defeated.

"Do you think this is how every floor is going to be?" Kouichirou asks Kirito as they charge up the stairs.

"No." Kirito huffs as they reach the top of the stairs to be met with large ornate stained glass doors. "I think it's about to get a lot harder."

All the training and planning had not prepared them for a room with four knights: "Kindness;" "Goodness;" "Faithfulness;" and "Gentleness" all guarding another large stained glass door, behind the various pieces of colored glass the shape of a large throne can be seen.

"Kirito." Suguha already has her sword ready and Shino's bow is raised.

"Yeah?" He's also in a ready position.

"We've only got eighteen hours left… So, whatever happens—" She swallows hard when her brother's dark eye tighten and his teeth grit. "I'm really proud to have fought beside you."

Kirito took a deep breath. "I'm proud to call you my sister." He smiles as he turns back to the knights who are already fighting a first wave of demon players and lunges forward into the fray with his sister and soon to be brother on either side.

One of the American players lands the final blow on "Kindness" after two hours pass. Another six hours passed before "Goodness" and "Faithfulness" finally fall, the final blows being delivered by Shino's arrows and Gabriel King's blade.

With only twelve hours left they still need to take down "Gentleness" and enter the throne room where "Self-Control" is guarding The Holy Spirit.

"Kirito!" Suguha yells as she retreats from what would have been a fatal blow from the fist of Gentleness. "What are you guys waiting for?!"

He shifts to see the second set of doors, the one that leads to the throne room clear as a third of the heavy hitters keep Gentleness at bay.

He doesn't bother looking around to see who will be joining him, too many players have been taken out for him to notice. "Let's go!" He yells before charging towards the stain glass door.

Pushing it open, the players, including Kouichirou, Gabriel Knight, and a dozen more players from the task force.

Sitting on the thrown is a pale woman with grey hair, wearing a regal looking gown and on top of her head sits a crown of thorns. Her eyes slowly open to reveal a pair of blood red eyes that look bored. "What do you demons think you're doing here?" She asks in an irritated smooth voice.

Beside her stands a knight, "Self-Controll" engraved on his chest plate. The knigh is already braced but seems to be waiting for a command.

Gabriel Knight steps forward and speaks confidently. "We've come to ask for your mercy, to spare the demons by lending us the helmet of salvation."

Her laugh is too pleasing to the ear for the players she is about to deny as she stands. "Why would I spare you? You made you choice. You chose sin over love and demons don't change."

"You don't know that!" Gabriel yells. "Please! So many lives are going to end if you don't help us. How can that be the will of God?"

She blinks slowly and waves her hand. Fast, almost too fast for the eye to see, Self-Control moves to attack the brave man who spoke to the Holy Spirit & in one blow through the abdomen Gabriel knight sat up IRL with a gasp. Before catching his breath he grabbed his nurse's arm "I need to see my Uncle. Now!"