Chapter 3 Part 3

"Ah! Finally! What took you so long, Suguha?"

"Don't give me that attitude. Nothin' happened; I just got

caught up in the game, 's all."

"L-listen, I've got bad news! Sigurd, he sold us out—not just us

—he sold out Lady Sakuya, too!"

"Sold us out…? What do you mean? Start from the beginning."

"Ugh, there's no time…Okay, remember when the salamanders

attacked us in the Ancient Forest yesterday? Didn't anything

strike you as weird?"

Despite his apparent haste, Nagata had returned to his typical

dragging speech. When he called her by her first name like that in

person, she always convinced him to stop via a physical attack or

two, but over the phone, she didn't have that option and had to

put up with it.

The fact that the incident had only happened a day ago was

somewhat of a shock to Suguha. It felt like she had met Kirito

years and years ago.

"Huh? 'Weird'…? What happened?"

Kirito's entrance to the scene had left such an impression on

her that the details of the air battle were fuzzy.

"When the group of eight salamanders set onto us, Sigurd said

he would be a decoy, and he lured away three of them on his own,

right?"

"Oh, now that you mention it…he didn't get away, did he?"

"He didn't. But thinking back on it, that wasn't the way Sigurd

usually acts. Whenever he would split up the party, the decoy had

to be someone else. He never let anyone else remain to lead the

group. Ever."

"Ahh…good point."

Sigurd's leadership skill in battle was unquestionable, but he

was also tyrannical and controlling—he always had to be on top.

It was utterly unlike him to sacrifice himself for the sake of his

party members.

"But then…why would he do that?"

"That's the thing," Nagata said sourly. "He's working with the

salamanders. Has been for a while, I suspect."

"Huh?!"

Now Suguha was well and truly shocked. She clenched the

phone in her hand.

The power game conducted among the various races of ALO

meant that spoof accounts for the purpose of spying were an

everyday occurrence. There was no doubt that several of the

sylphs who called Swilvane home were actually fake accounts run

by players whose main avatar was a different race—particularly

salamanders.

Because of this, natural barriers arose—low-skill, low-contribution, low-activity players were never admitted to the center of

power, due to the high likelihood of espionage. It wasn't that long

ago that even Leafa wasn't allowed into the lord's mansion behind the Tower of Wind.

But since the dawning of ALO, Sigurd had been heavily active

in sylph politics. He had been a nominee in all four of the lord

elections to this point. He was always a runner-up due to the

overwhelming popularity of the current leader, but even after losing, he played the role of a valuable adviser. In short, he was an

irreplaceable piece of sylph power.

It was almost impossible to believe that he could be spying for

the salamanders.

"Oh, come on…do you have any proof of that?" she asked, her

voice low.

"I had a hunch, so I went hollow this morning and shadowed

Sigurd all day long."

"…You really have nothing better to do, do you?"

He was referring to Hollow Body, an invisibility trick of

Recon's. Only those who had mastered both high-level concealment magic and the Sneaking skill could use it.

Recon took his player handle from the American military

shorthand for "reconnaissance"—although he pronounced it

"reckon" rather than "ree-con." He'd designed his character for

the purpose of scouting during hunts, which made him suited to

tracking as well. He once made use of those skills to follow Leafa

back into the inn room where she was staying, claiming that he

was only going to leave her a surprise birthday present and leave

without drawing any attention. He was beaten half to death for

that crime.

Nagata continued, ignoring the exasperation in her voice.

"After the horrible stuff he said to you in the Tower of Wind, I

was looking for a chance to poison him dead. And what did I see

—"

"Oh my God, you're crazy."

"—but Sigurd and his pals putting on invisibility cloaks and

vanishing. I knew they were up to something. They can try to

sneak off, but mere items can't fool me."

"Enough of the bragging. What happened next?"

"They went into the sewers. After about five minutes of walk-

ing, there were these two fishy-looking folks waiting for them.

They had invisibility cloaks, too, and when they took them off,

would you believe it? They were salamanders!"

"What? But those cloaks don't fool the NPC guardians, right?

They would have been cut down the moment they walked into

town. Unless…"

"Exactly. Unless they had Pass Medallions."

Pass Medallions were special items given to individual visitors

of another race when entering a home territory, and only after a

stringent security check. They were only issued by the highest officers of each race and, once given, were non-transferrable. Who

had the ability to give them out? Sigurd, of course.

"I knew I'd caught them red-handed. I listened in and heard

the salamanders saying they'd put a tracer on you, Leafa. And not

only that…the reason Lady Sakuya was away from home today

was because she was meeting with the cait siths in a secret neutral location to discuss an alliance."

"Ahh…so that's why the flag at the mansion was down."

Nagata shouted over her murmur of understanding. "Sigurd's

going to have a battalion of salamanders…attack the signing ceremony!"

"Wha—"

Suguha's breath caught in her throat. She was prepared to

leave it behind forever, but the sylph territory was still her home,

and Sakuya was a benevolent leader. She unleashed her rising

panic into the speaker.

"Y-you should have said so earlier! This is bad news!"

"That's exactly what I said when you finally picked up the

phone," Nagata sulked. She cut him off before he kept whining.

"Well, did you tell Sakuya? There's still time, right?"

"I knew it was big trouble, so I turned around to leave the

sewer, and I accidentally kicked a rock…"

"You klutz! You idiot!"

"…You know, these days it kind of feels good when you yell at

me, Suguha…"

"Sicko!! What then? Did you get in touch with her?"

"The salamanders' searcher stripped away my hiding spell. I

wasn't that worried, because I figured if they killed me, I'd just revive at the tower and run right into the lord's mansion. But then

they hit me with poison darts! Isn't that messed up?"

This didn't fly with what he'd said earlier, but she didn't have

time to bother with that.

"So…where are you now…?"

"The salamanders have me held prisoner in the sewer, paralyzed…There was nothing else I could do, so I logged out and

tried to call you, but you wouldn't pick up, and I don't know how

to contact anyone else in real life…Oh yeah, and they said the

meeting with the cait sith leader is at one o'clock…Aww man, we

only have forty minutes left! Wh-what should we do, Suguha?!"

She sighed deeply and spoke quickly.

"Do you know where the meeting is?"

"Not the precise coordinates…but it's apparently past the Butterfly Valley on the other side of the mountains."

"Got it. I'll find a way to get there and warn them. I've got to

hang up now to do that."

"Wait, Suguha!" Nagata's panicked voice stopped her finger at

the button.

"What?"

"Umm, so, what's going on with you and that Kirito guy?"

Click.

She hung up without answering and tossed the phone back

onto her headboard, then closed her eyes and stuffed her face

into her pillow. She said the one magic spellword at her disposal

in real life, and then headed back into the world of plots and conspiracies.

Leafa jumped back to her feet the instant her eyes opened.

"Whoa, you scared me!!"

The black-clad spriggan nearly dropped the mysterious food

he must have bought at a nearby stand—it looked like a skewer of

small grilled reptiles—but he caught it in time.

"Hi again, Leafa."

"Welcome back."

Leafa didn't have time to return Kirito and Yui's greetings.

"Kirito—I'm sorry."

"Uh, about what?"

"I have urgent business I need to see to right now, and I don't

have time to explain. I don't think I'll be able to make it back."

"…"

He looked straight into her eyes for a moment and promptly

nodded in understanding. "Okay. You can explain while we

move."

"Huh…?"

"Either way, you'll need to use your feet to get out of this place,

right?"

"…Fine. I'll talk as we run."

Leafa took off down the main street of Lugru, looking for a

corner that would put her in the direction of Alne. They wound

their way through the crowds and under a large gate carved out of

a giant boulder. It spit them out on another stone bridge crossing

another underground lake. Leafa filled in Kirito on the details as

they ran, boots clacking on the stones. It was very fortunate that

there was no fear of running out of breath in ALO.

"…I see." When Leafa was done talking, Kirito looked ahead,

deep in thought. "Mind if I ask a few things?"

"Go ahead."

"What do the salamanders get by attacking the leaders of the

sylphs and cait siths?"

"Well, first, they can prevent the alliance. The cait siths won't

be happy at all if their lord gets whacked because the sylphs

leaked the information. In a worst-case scenario, it might even

lead to war between the two…The salamanders are currently the

most powerful faction in the game, but if the sylphs and cait siths

join forces, they'll probably flip the power balance. The salamanders want to prevent that from happening."

They reached the other side of the bridge and entered another

cave tunnel. Leafa set her map to display in front of her so she

could check their path as they ran.

"Also, you get a massive bonus for defeating an enemy lord.

You earn thirty percent of all the gold stockpiled in that lord's

mansion. Not only that, but the mansion's city is considered occupied for ten days, and all players can be taxed freely. It's an incredible amount of gold we're talking about. And the reason the

salamanders are the most powerful now is because they managed

to kill the original sylph lord with a trap. Lords almost never, ever

leave the safety of home territory because of it. That was the only

time any lord has ever been killed in ALO."

"I see…"

"That's why, Kirito." She glanced over at the profile of the boy

running beside her. "This is a sylph problem…You don't have any

reason to get further involved. Alne is just on the other side once

we exit this cave. I'm guessing we wouldn't leave the meeting

place alive, so we'd have to start over from Swilvane all over

again, which is a waste of several more hours of gameplay. And in

fact…"

Leafa had to shut something tight in her heart in order to say

what came next.

"If you really need to get to the top of the World Tree, your

best bet might be working with the salamanders. If their plot succeeds, they'll have more than enough money to make a solid attempt on the World Tree. Maybe they'll hire a spriggan as a mercenary—I'm not going to complain if you just kill me right here."

I won't resist it if that happens, she thought. It was unfathomable under normal circumstances, but she knew she couldn't

beat him, and she didn't want to fight him, even if they'd only

known each other for a single day.

If it comes to that…I might even quit ALO altogether…

She looked over at Kirito again, who was still running, his expression unchanged.

"Anything goes; it's just a game. Kill what you want, take what

you want," he muttered, then paused. "I've seen enough people

who think that way to last a lifetime. In a way, it's true—I used to

think that way myself. But it's not. There are things you have to

protect and uphold because it's a virtual world, even if it makes

you look stupid. I learned that from someone…very important to

me…"

His voice suddenly turned warm and gentle.

"It might seem like a paradox, but I don't think you can fully

isolate the player from the role-playing in this VRMMO thing. If

you let your inner greed run wild in this world, that will come

back to haunt your real-life personality. The player and character

are one and the same. I like you, Leafa. I want to be your friend. I

would never cut down someone I liked for personal gain, no matter the reason."

"Kirito…"

Leafa stopped running, her breath suddenly trapped in her

chest. A moment later, Kirito stopped as well.

She clenched her hands together, trying to stay upright in the

indescribable deluge of emotion engulfing her, and looked into

his black eyes.

Oh…I see, she thought.

It was the reason she always kept a certain distance from every

other player in this game. She couldn't tell if she was dealing with

a flesh-and-blood human being or a character in a game. Behind

every word, she couldn't help but wonder what people were really

thinking. She didn't know how to respond to others, and every

outstretched hand became a weight on her shoulders, something

she could only escape with the beat of her wings.

But there was no need for her to bother with that. Let her

heart feel as it felt. That was all she needed, and that was the only

truth.

"…Thank you."

The words floated up from the deepest part of her heart. If she

tried to say anything else, she knew she would burst into tears.

Kirito smiled shyly. "Sorry, I didn't mean to preach at you

there. It's a bad habit."

"No, I truly appreciate it. So…I guess this is good-bye, once we

leave the cave."

Kirito's eyebrows popped up in surprise. "No, I'm going with

you, of course."

"H-huh?"

"Oh crap, I'm using up your time, aren't I? Can you navigate

while we run, Yui?"

"Roger that!" the diminutive fairy squeaked. He turned back to

Leafa.

"Can I see your hand?"

"Umm…"

Kirito reached out with his left hand and squeezed Leafa's

right. Even in her confusion, Leafa's heart leaped when she realized it was the first time they'd held hands. In the next instant,

Kirito took off at ferocious speed. A shock wave rattled her

eardrums, as though they were breaking through a wall of air.

She thought they'd been running fast before, but it was nothing like this. They were moving so fast, the texture of the rock

walls melted into radial blurs. With Kirito dragging her by the

hand, Leafa felt her body float nearly horizontal in the air, flop-

ping left and right whenever he took a sharp turn through the

tunnels. It was the least romantic experience in the world.

"Whaaa—?!"

She couldn't help but wail and squint her eyes as they passed

through a wider space in the cave. A large number of yellow cursors blinked into life around them—they'd disturbed a pack of

orcs.

"Um, um, monsters—" she tried to yell, but Kirito plunged

straight through the group without any sign of slowing down.

"Aaaaah!"

Leafa's scream met the roar of the monsters'. But the crude

knives they swung at her did not land a single blow. Kirito instantly identified the spaces among them and weaved his way

through with frightening speed. The orcs screeched and hissed

with anger, but by the time they turned to pursue, Kirito and

Leafa were already down the next tunnel.

They disturbed a few more packs of orcs, but Kirito never

stopped running. Naturally, this caused a large horde of monsters

to gather in hot pursuit, the ground behind them rumbling like

the sound of river rapids. This phenomenon was called "running

a train" and was considered quite poor manners. Any fellow players they ran across would no doubt be swallowed by the mass of

orcdom trailing behind the pair, but fortunately they had no such

encounters before the light of day grew visible at the end of the

cave.

"Hey, that might be the exit," Kirito said, moments before

Leafa's vision went pure white. Suddenly, her feet were no longer

touching earth.

"Hyieeeeh?!"

She squeezed her eyes shut and screeched, her legs flapping in

open air, until she realized that the roaring that had enveloped

her body for the last few minutes had dissipated.

When she found the courage to open her eyes again, they were

in the midst of endless sky. Kirito must have taken them straight

out of the cave exit and halfway up the mountain at full speed,

launching them into the air like a catapult. Below her feet was

nothing but sheer gray cliffs. Their momentum was taking them

up into a majestic parabola through the air.

She hastily spread her wings to enter a controlled glide, and

she finally let out the breath she'd been holding.

"Bwah!"

Wheezing and panting, she turned back to look at the shrinking cave mouth and saw with a shiver that it was packed with

monsters. She gave Kirito her nastiest glare.

"You shortened my lifespan!"

"Ha-ha, I think you mean I shortened our trip time!"

"Dungeon-crawling is supposed to be a careful process where

you isolate monsters and keep them from ganging up on you…I

don't know what game you're playing, but it's not this one," she

muttered. Eventually, her pulse returned to normal, and she took

a fresh look at their surroundings.

Directly below was a vast meadow with the occasional lake

sparkling in the sun. A winding river connected those pools of

blue, and beyond that was…

"Oh…"

Leafa held her breath.

A vast, vague shadow loomed beyond the sea of clouds above.

The trunk reached into the heights like a pillar bearing the very

sky itself, and the branches and leaves that sprouted at the top

were large as constellations.

"So that's…the World Tree," Kirito murmured in amazement

at her side.

Just out of the mountains, they were a good twelve miles of

real distance from the tree, but it dominated that stretch of the

sky already. It was impossible to imagine what it would be like to

stand at its base.

They floated onward for several moments, staring at the

World Tree in silence, before Kirito came to his senses.

"Hey, we can't just be sitting here. Where's this big meeting

taking place, Leafa?"

"Oh, good point. Well, the mountain range we just crossed

forms a giant circle around the center of the world map. There are

three major passes through the mountains: Dragon's Valley, facing salamander land; Rainbow Valley, facing the undines'; and

Butterfly Valley, next to the cait siths'. They're holding the meeting on the interior side of Butterfly Valley, so…"

She wheeled around until she pointed northwest. "We'll need

to fly in that direction for a bit."

"Gotcha. How much time do we have?"

"…Twenty minutes."

"So if the salamanders are attacking the meeting, they'll go

from here to there," he surmised, waving his hand from southeast

to northwest. "We don't know if they're ahead of us or behind, so

I guess we just have to hurry and hope for the best. Let us know

of any big groups you detect within search radius, Yui."

"Okay!"

All on the same page, they beat their wings and picked up

speed.

"Funny, why aren't there any monsters?" Kirito wondered aloud

as they cut through the clouds.

"Oh, there are no monsters on the Alne Plateau. I suppose

that's why they chose it for the meeting."

"I see. Kind of ruins the scene, if your big diplomatic gathering

is interrupted by a monster attack…Doesn't help us much now,

though."

"What do you mean?"

Kirito flashed her a wicked grin. "I could have piled up another

train of monsters and led them right into the salamander raid

party."

"Where do you get ideas like this? The salamanders are going

to be in an even larger party than the one that attacked us in the

cave, so either our warning will be in time and everyone will flee

to safety in cait sith land, or they'll kill us all together."

"…"

Kirito rubbed his chin, thinking hard.

"Oh! Player signal!" Yui suddenly cried. "A large gathering

ahead—sixty-eight in total. I believe this is the salamander raid.

There are another fourteen farther ahead, most likely the participants in the sylph–cait sith meeting. The two groups will meet in

roughly fifty seconds."

Just as she finished her announcement, the cloud cover blocking their view ended. Leafa was at the maximum possible flying

altitude, and there was green grassland below.

Far below them was a group of countless figures. They flew in

distinct, five-man wedges, and their silent, careful progress made

them look like menacing stealth bombers closing in on a hapless,

oblivious target.

She looked farther beyond in the direction they flew and spied

a small, circular terrace. That white strip in the middle must have

been the long table. There were seven chairs on either side, making it an impromptu meeting room.

The people seated at the table must have been deep in conversation, as they showed no sign of noticing the coming threat.

"We didn't make it," Leafa mumbled to Kirito.

Even if they somehow sped past the salamanders to warn the

two leaders, not all of them would make it to safety in time. She

had to be prepared to sacrifice herself and act as a shield to allow

the leaders to escape.

She reached out her hand and softly held Kirito's.

"Thank you, Kirito. This is far enough. You go to the World

Tree…It wasn't that long, but it was certainly fun," she said with a

smile. But just as she tucked her wings and prepared for a steep

dive, Kirito squeezed back. She looked up with a start and saw his

usual confident smile.

"Running out isn't my style."

He let go and plopped Yui back into his shirt pocket, then beat

his wings hard and sped ahead. Leafa had to close her eyes for an

instant, as a brief shock wave hit her full in the face. When she

opened them again, Kirito was already in a dive, headed straight

for the little terrace.

"W-wait?! What are you doing?!" Leafa shouted, slightly hurt

that her meaningful farewell had been ruined in an instant. But

Kirito did not turn back. She hurried after him, exasperated.

Ahead, the sylphs and cait siths had finally noticed the brigade

descending upon them. They kicked chairs aside and drew blades,

the silver flashing in the sun, but compared to the heavily armed

assault squad, they were woefully underpowered.

The lead team of low-flying salamanders surged suddenly upward and halted, readying their long lances like birds of prey

about to descend on a rabbit. Further teams flanked right and

left, until they half surrounded the terrace. The world was blanketed in the moment of silence before slaughter.

One of the salamanders raised a hand. Just as he was about to

give the signal to attack—

An enormous cloud of dust erupted at the edge of the terrace

directly between the opposing sides. A split second later, the air

rocked with the sound of an explosion. Kirito, the black meteorite, had crashed to Earth without slowing a bit.

Every person in the clearing froze. The dust slowly settled and

Kirito got to his feet, turning to stare imperiously at the salamanders, hands on his hips. He puffed out his chest, took a deep

breath—

"Stay your blades, all of you!!"

"Whoa!"

Even in her dive, Leafa cringed. The shout was so deafening,

the previous explosion might as well have been whisper-quiet.

She was a few dozen yards up in the air still, and her body was

tingling with the force of it. The salamander formation shook as

though suffering some kind of physical pressure, the members

falling back on their heels.

The volume of his voice was one thing, but his astonishing

nerve was another. What in the world did he think he was going

to accomplish here?

Despite the trickle of sweat down her back, Leafa landed behind Kirito, next to the green-clad sylphs. She soon found one in

a very recognizable outfit.

"Sakuya," she called out. The sylph turned at the sound, and

her dazed eyes went wide.

"Leafa? What are you doing h—? I mean, what's happening?"

She'd never seen the leader of the sylphs so unraveled. "It's a

long story. The short version is that our fate is currently in his

hands."

"…I'm so confused…"

The sylph turned her back on Leafa and watched the proud,

dark figure. Leafa took the opportunity to sneak a good look at

Sakuya—Lady Sakuya, the leader of the sylphs.

She was extremely tall for a sylph woman, her straight hair—

such a dark shade of green it was nearly black—falling long down

her back and cut cleanly straight across. Her skin was so white

you could almost see through it, her eyes were long and slender,

her nose was graceful, and her lips were small and thin. Hers was

the kind of beauty that cut like a knife.

She wore a traditional front-opening kimono. Tucked inside

the sash was a lengthy katana, even longer than Leafa's. Her pure

white legs ended in tall wooden sandals that were red. The overall

effect was stunning, and this memorable appearance had helped

her win nearly 80 percent of the vote in the elections.

But those votes were not all cast for her beauty, of course. The

business of leading an entire race of players kept her from hunting, so her statistics were not as high as others. But she was

skilled enough with the blade to reach the final in nearly any dueling tournament. She was also honest and forthright, and she

commanded respect.

It was then that Leafa noticed a petite woman standing next to

Sakuya.

The large, triangular ears poking out from her wavy, corn-gold

hair were the signature mark of a cait sith. She exposed plenty of

wheat-brown skin through her swimsuit-like battle outfit. On either side of her waist were clawlike melee weapons with three

massive talons each. A long striped tail extended from the rear of

her suit, and it twitched and trembled as though expressing its

owner's anxiety.

She had large eyes with long lashes and a small, rounded nose

—features that almost seemed a bit too adorable, but which certainly made her stand out from the standard look of ALO. Leafa

had never met her before, but she could guess that this was Alicia

Rue, lady of the cait siths. Like Sakuya, her extraordinary popularity had made her a longtime leader of her people.

Behind the two fairy leaders were sylphs and siths, six each on

either side of the long white table, all looking stunned by this turn

of events. She'd never seen any of the cait siths, of course, but all

the sylphs were high-ranking players. She checked just in case,

and, sure enough, there was no sign of Sigurd.

By the time she turned back to the southern end of the terrace

and its salamanders, Kirito was shouting again.

"I wish to speak with your commander!"

The salamander lancers, bowled over by his bold manner and

voice, parted ways. A single large warrior proceeded through the

empty space.

He had short red hair, spiked straight upward; burnt brown

skin; and a sharp, hawkish face. His brawny body was clad in reddish-bronze armor that was clearly of extremely rare quality, and

on his back was a sword every bit as large as Kirito's.

When she looked into the red fire burning in his eyes, a shiver

ran down Leafa's back, even though she wasn't face-to-face with

him. She'd never seen a player with such overwhelming presence.

He landed heavily in front of Kirito and glared down at the little black swordsman, his face expressionless. After a long moment like that, he opened his mouth, and a deep voice rumbled

out.

"What are you doing here, spriggan? We will kill you, no matter the answer, but in light of your audacity, I will hear you out."

Kirito answered loudly, unfazed.

"I am Kirito, an envoy of the spriggan-undine alliance. May I

presume your attack upon this scene is meant as open war

against all four of our races?"

Oh, no.

Leafa couldn't speak. It was preposterous; the worst bluff

she'd ever heard. It was no longer a trick of her mind—actual

sweat was running down her back. Despite the obvious shock on

her face, she tried to give Sakuya and Alicia Rue a reassuring

wink.

Even the commander of the salamanders was taken aback.

"An alliance between undines and spriggans…?" But he soon

regained his composure. "And you are their envoy, without a single guard at your back?"

"That's right. I was only here for trade negotiations with the

sylphs and cait siths. But if you attack this meeting, there will be

much more than that. All four races will be forced to join together

to oppose you."

The world was silent for several moments. Eventually…

"I cannot take the word of a single man at face value, especially one with no real equipment."

The salamander reached behind his back and loudly drew his

double-sided blade. The metal gleamed dark and red, two entwined dragons inlaid on the flat of the sword.

"If you can withstand thirty seconds of my attacks, I will believe that you are an envoy."

"Very generous of you," Kirito responded lightly, drawing his

own giant sword. This one was a dull gray with no ornamentation.

He vibrated his wings and rose to hover at the same height as

the salamander. In an instant, it seemed as though the space between them sparked hot and white with pure, murderous focus.

…Thirty seconds passed…

Leafa gulped audibly.

From what she'd seen of Kirito's skill, those conditions were

certainly winnable. But the sheer lethality radiating from the

salamander commander was considerable.

Amid the tense silence, Sakuya quietly muttered at Leafa's

side.

"This is bad…"

"Huh…?"

"I've seen that salamander's two-handed sword on a site de-

tailing the legendary weapons of the game. It's the Demon Blade

Gram…which would mean he must be General Eugene. Know

him?"

"I've…heard the name…" Leafa returned, holding her breath.

At that, Sakuya continued.

"He's the younger brother of Lord Mortimer of the salamanders…They're apparently actual brothers in real life. His brother's

got the brains, and he's got the brawn. People say Eugene's better

when it comes to pure fighting power. He's the strongest of all the

salamanders…which would make him…"

"The strongest player in the game?"

"Quite possibly…We've really got a situation on our hands."

"…Oh, Kirito…"

Leafa clenched her hands to her chest.

In midair, as though measuring each other's true strength, the

two fighters glared at each other for a long time. The clouds hanging low over the plateau broke here and there, sending angled pillars of sunlight across the scene. One caught the salamander's

blade, flashing vividly.

Without warning, Eugene sprang into motion.

He launched into an ultra-speed charge, the air rebounding

around him. The greatsword to his right traced a wide red arc

down onto the small spriggan.

But Kirito's reaction was just as fast. He held his sword over

his head without any wasted motion and spread his wings, ready

for the attack. Leafa could see his intent: He would deflect the

enemy's sword and strike back in quick succession. But—

"—?!"

The instant the red sword descending on Kirito met the black

sword, it grew hazy and indistinct. It passed directly through Kirito's sword and went solid again.

Dagaaang!! The world shook with the explosion. The slash

caught Kirito square in the chest with a massive flash, and his

slender form struck the ground like a leaf caught in the midst of a

storm gale. There was another blast and a cloud of dirt.

"Wh-what was that?" Leafa said, stunned. Alicia Rue had the

answer.

"Demon Blade Gram has a unique extra effect called Ethereal

Shift, which allows it to pass through any sword or shield that

tries to block it!"

"No way…"

She looked closer, hoping to call up Kirito's HP bar. But before

the game could detect her line of sight and show a cursor, a

shadow shot out of the dirt cloud like an arrow. It careered

straight for the hovering Eugene.

"Well, well…you survived the hit!" the salamander crowed, delighted.

"What the hell was that?" Kirito shouted back, striking with

his sword in response.

Kaang, clang! The clashes rang out in succession. Eugene was

not just blessed with an excellent weapon; he used his bulky

sword to deflect each and every one of those attacks of Kirito's

that Leafa herself had never been able to follow.

Once that combination finally abated for an instant, it happened again.

The Demon Blade Gram exposed its fangs. Kirito instinctually

tried to block the sideways swipe with his own sword, and once

again it blurred and struck him deep in the gut.

"Gaaah!!"

It sounded like all of the air in his lungs had been expelled outward. Spinning, he flew up into the air and only stopped his momentum with his wings at full brake.

"That stings…Hasn't it been thirty seconds already?" Kirito

wailed. Eugene smiled confidently.

"Sorry, now I want to kill you. This lasts until I've made you

my trophy."

"Son of a bitch…Can't wait to see the tears in your eyes."

Kirito hoisted his massive sword again, but the fight seemed as

good as over.

Parrying was not an option to defend against Gram's extra effect—the only way was to avoid it entirely. But that was nearly impossible with the lightning-fast blows in the battle.

Sakuya must have come to the same conclusion. "It'll be

tough…Their skill as players seems about equal, but the weapons

are hardly so. The only weapon that can counteract a unique-level

demon blade would be another legendary weapon, the Holy Blade

Excalibur, but no one even knows where to get it," she said.

"…"

If anyone could do it, Kirito could. He's barely played this

game for a day, and yet he's used his unfathomable skill to overturn impossible odds over and over, Leafa told herself, clutching

her hands to her chest.

Eugene thrust sharply, red light streaming from his wings.

Kirito swung wide at a random angle and just barely dodged.

The two fairies wound through the air in complicated patterns,

occasionally colliding in vivid bursts of visual effects, then separating again. Kirito's HP bar was under the halfway point after

the two direct hits he'd taken. Not too long ago, she'd seen Kirito

defend himself against a withering magic assault, and yet Eugene

had pierced that stout defense easily. He was the real deal.

Kirito suddenly spun and stuck out his right hand. He must

have been chanting spellwords, because his hand flashed black—

Boom, boomboomboom! Clouds of smoke erupted around

them. The area-of-effect illusion spell expanded until it covered a

wide radius.

The black clouds hovered over the heads of everyone on the

ground, plunging the area into a sudden darkness. Leafa squinted

to try to make out Kirito's figure, even as her field of vision grew

dim.

"Leafa, I need this for a moment."

"Wha—?!"

She yelped as a voice whispered in her ear. She could sense her

beloved katana being removed from its sheath. "K-Kirito?"

Leafa spun around, but no one was there. Her sheath, however, was empty.

"Is this your idea of buying time?" Eugene's shout emerged

from the midst of the thick smoke. It was followed by the sound

of spell chanting.

A wave of red light flicked outward through the black. The dispel effect worked quickly, removing the smoke and returning

light to the vicinity.

Leafa looked up hastily to the sky above. But—

He was gone.

Only the lone salamander general floated in the air. No matter

where she looked, she saw no short, nimble spriggan.

"You don't think…he took off to save his own skin?" a cait sith

mumbled behind her. Leafa spun and shouted before the sentence had finished.

"He wouldn't!!"

He would never. Even in this situation, when almost any

player would turn and run for his life, he wouldn't.

The boy named Kirito wasn't just "playing" this VRMMO. He

was living it. He saw this virtual world as another reality of its

own, and he believed in the truth of the trust, bonds, and love

that grew out of it.

Can you hear it? There.

A beautiful, high-pitched flight tone, almost like a flute. It

grew closer. Louder, louder.

"…!!"

When Leafa finally caught sight of him, tears blurred the sight.

He was in the sun—the brightest source of game light in

Alfheim. In a rapid line, one small shadow descended, through

the brilliant rays pouring down from above.

A few moments later than Leafa, Eugene looked straight up.

But the effect of the sunlight caused him to grimace and raise his

hand to block it. A normal player might have tried to move laterally to avoid the sun and been battered from directly above.

But Eugene was no normal player. His broad mouth grimaced,

then gaped wide.

"Daaaahh!"

With a shout that rocked the earth, he launched the salamander's signature charge attack directly into the sun. His body shot

upward like a rocket, a vertical beam of red light trailing in his

wake.

As Kirito plunged down from above, he'd switched the two-

handed grip on his giant sword to his right hand, for some reason. His left hand was held behind him, out of sight.

Suddenly he held it aloft, shining brilliantly in the midst of the

sun's sizzling beams.

Leafa couldn't have mistaken the silver gleam in his hand if

she'd tried. It was the katana Kirito had taken from her scabbard

just moments ago. He was wielding a sword in each hand.

The concept of dual blades wasn't new. But despite the number of players who'd attempted such a style, Leafa knew of none

who had succeeded in making it work. It was simply far too difficult to wield two with the kind of precision needed to win in battle.

In real-world kendo matches, it wasn't against the rules to

wield two shinai, one large and one small. But it was forbidden in

official competition in middle and high school, and very few practitioners used them in college and above. It was simply too hard

to use two swords to effectively strike a legal target and receive a

point. The same could be said of using two blades in this virtual

world.

Eugene smirked confidently, seeing Kirito's choice of equipment as a last-ditch desperation choice.

But Leafa, her wide eyes filled with tears, believed with all her

heart.

The salamanders' demonic blade roared heavily upward. The

spriggan brought down his silver katana to meet it.

The red-and-black blade vibrated. The Ethereal Shift effect

took it straight through toward Kirito's neck—

Gying! The tip of the sword was knocked back with a sharp

crash. Kirito had stopped it with the massive sword in his right

hand, just in the nick of time. The timing was perfect, as precise

as threading a needle.

As Eugene's eyes went wide with shock, Kirito unleashed a

thunderous bellow.

"Uuua…aaaahhhh!!"

The swords in his hands shot forward so fast, they were nothing but a blur.

The katana sliced smoothly. The greatsword thrust forward,

the two exchanging like pistons. He pulled back and went in

again, the katana flying forward from the lower left. As though

drawn to the same trajectory, the greatsword pounded heavily

after it.

Silver and black melted together. The consecutive blows were

like shooting stars in the night sky. Leafa couldn't imagine the

length of training required to wield two swords with such speed

and precision. Even as he was pushed back, Eugene tried

valiantly to use his sword's shifting attacks to counter, but it did

not seem to work in succession against multiple blades, and he

was rebuffed by the double-parry every time.

"Nraahhh!!"

General Eugene roared as he was pushed farther back to earth.

One of the pieces of armor he wore exhibited a special effect, forcing out a half-spherical field of fire that pushed Kirito back a bit.

He instantly readied his demon sword for a pure, massive swing.

Gong! He struck straight forward with a deafening crash.

Kirito showed no sign of fear, dashing to close the distance,

swinging the katana as fast as lightning.

Shang! rang out a high-pitched metallic clash. Vivid sparks

arched through the air.

The katana struck the side of the sword before it could activate

the Ethereal Shift, and Eugene's blow grazed Kirito's left shoulder

on its way past him.

"Raaahhhh!!"

Kirito's enormous sword leaped forward with tremendous

force.

Thud! The dark blade pierced the salamander's body.

"Gwaah!"

The impossible speed of Kirito's thrust and the momentum of

both men moving in opposite directions gave the strike incredible

damage. Eugene's HP bar instantly plunged into the yellow zone.

But Kirito did not stop there. He quickly pulled back the larger

sword and transitioned into another katana slash faster than the

eye could follow, even as Eugene attempted to regain attack footing. The visual paths of the four blows, all struck in the space of a

single breath, left a beautiful square in midair, enveloping the

salamander's heavy body.

"…!!"

A look of shock painted across his face, Eugene found his

upper half sliding silently from right shoulder to left waist. The

light of Kirito's square filtered away.

The man's massive frame was suddenly awash in End Flames,

his avatar burning away.

Not a single person moved.

The sylphs, the cait siths, and the fifty-plus salamanders were

frozen in place, as though their souls had left their bodies.

That was just how high-level a battle they'd witnessed.

The typical fight in ALO was an ugly thing; close-range fighters swung their weapons awkwardly and long-range mages tossed

off spells with little fanfare or strategy. Only a small handful of

experienced players had any skill at defense or evasion. The only

times anyone was likely to see a truly graceful battle was in the

closing matches of a dueling tournament.

But what they'd just seen between Kirito and Eugene was far

and above even that.

A flowing sword dance, a high-speed air duel, and, most

vividly of all, Eugene's earth-splitting blows against Kirito's lightspeed dual blades…

Sakuya broke the silence first.

"Well done, well done!" she applauded firmly, clapping her

hands vigorously.

"That was amazing! What a great fight!" Alicia Rue joined in,

and the other twelve soon followed. They clapped, cheered, whistled, and cried, "Bravo!"

Exhilarated but nervous, Leafa watched the army of salamanders. After the way their leader was beaten, she figured they

would be rattled.

But to her surprise, the wave of cheers infected the salamander ranks as well. A great cheer broke out, and they hoisted their

lances and waved them like flagpoles.

"Wow…!"

She finally let a smile cross her face.

Her enemy—salamanders she'd thought no better than lawless

plunderers—were still fellow players of ALO. The excitement of

Kirito and Eugene's duel had touched their hearts just as it had

hers.

Overcome by a very strange sensation, Leafa joined in the rapturous applause.

Standing in the center of the adulation, Kirito wore his usual

aloof smile. He returned the sword to his back and raised a hand

in greeting.

"Hi, folks! Thanks!"

He repeated the gesture in all directions, then shouted toward

Leafa's group. "Someone cast a resurrection spell!"

"Very well," Sakuya said, approaching. The dangling folds of

her outfit rippled as she rose to the level of Eugene's Remain

Light and began chanting the words.

Eventually, blue light spilled from her hands and surrounded

the red flame. It formed into a complex magical sigil, and in the

center, the flame gradually turned back into the form of a person.

The sigil gave one final flash before disappearing. Kirito,

Sakuya, and the revived Eugene silently descended to the edge of

the terrace. The scene was quiet once again.

"Your skill is unparalleled. I've never seen a better player," Eugene said quietly.

"Thanks," Kirito quipped.

"I'd no idea the spriggans had a man like you on their side…

The world's a bigger place than I realized."

"So do you believe me now?"

"…"

Eugene's eyes narrowed, and he was silent for a moment.

One of the front lancers surrounding the terrace strode forward. He came to a halt, armor clanking, and raised the visor of

his helm.

The boorish-faced man gave Eugene a salute.

"A word, Gene?"

"What is it, Kagemune?"

The name struck Leafa as familiar, and she quickly remembered. The surviving mage had mentioned it after their battle on

the underground lake. Which meant he was the leader of the salamanders who'd attacked her in the Ancient Forest yesterday, during her first meeting with Kirito.

"I'm sure you're aware that my party was wiped out yesterday."

Leafa held her breath and listened closely, realizing that he

was bringing up that very incident.

"Yes."

"Well, it was that exact spriggan who did it—and there was indeed an undine with him."

"…?!"

Leafa stared openly at Kagemune. Kirito's brows twitched for

an instant, but he returned to his usual poker face just as quickly.

Kagemune continued.

"Word from S was that he was the mage team's target as well.

They didn't have much success, either."

S was most likely short for "spy." Either that or shorthand for

"Sigurd."

Eugene gave Kagemune a perplexed look. No doubt the others

around them were totally mystified by their conversation, but

Leafa was following every word with bated breath.

Eventually, Eugene nodded. "I see." A slight grin cracked his

lips. "We'll leave it at that, then."

Next, he turned to Kirito. "At the present moment, neither I

nor our lord wish to get into any funny business with the spriggans or undines. We will withdraw for now—but I will have my

revenge match with you."

"Looking forward to it."

Eugene cracked knuckles with Kirito's extended fist and

turned away. He spread his wings and leaped into the air.

Kagemune joined him, but before doing so, he turned to Leafa

and gave her a clumsy wink and smile. She took the gesture to

mean that his debt was repaid. Her right cheek dimpled with a

grin of her own.

Only when the two men had flown off did Leafa finally exhale

the breath she'd been holding in.

As the party of dignitaries watched, the salamanders neatly resumed their battle formation and flew off with the heavy buzz of

wings, Eugene at the lead. The swarm of black shapes plunged

into the clouds, grew indistinct, and vanished.

With the area quiet again, Kirito said jovially, "See? Those

salamanders aren't so bad after all."

Leafa didn't know what to say for several seconds. Eventually,

the words bubbled up from her gut.

"…You are seriously insane."

"I get that a lot."

"…Hee-hee."

They laughed until Sakuya reminded them of her presence

with a polite cough.

"Excuse me…can someone explain what is going on?"

With the meeting back to its quiet stateliness, Leafa began to explain the chain of events, clarifying that some of it was merely

conjecture. Sakuya, Alicia, and the other dignitaries listened patiently and quietly. When she finally finished her explanation,

they all exhaled deeply together.

"…I see," Sakuya murmured, arms crossed, a slight arch to her

graceful eyebrows. "I noticed something impatient and cross

about Sigurd's attitude the last several months. Wishing to rule

through councils and conferences rather than tyranny, I let him

take an important position in my cabinet…and it seems we've

paid the price for that mistake."

"I know how hard it can be, Sakuya. You're a very popular

ruler," said Alicia Rue, who'd actually been in power over her own

people for longer than her sylph counterpart.

"But…what would he be so angry about?" Leafa asked curiously. Sakuya looked to the horizon as she answered.

"I suspect…that he couldn't stand for us to cede so much

power to the salamanders."

"…"

"Sigurd is a man with a strong will to power. Not just in his

character's statistics but in his control over other players. No

doubt he could not stand the vision of a future in which the salamanders had completed the main quest and ruled the skies of

Alfheim, while he could only watch from the ground."

"But…why would he act as a salamander spy?"

"Have you heard about the upcoming update 5.0? It's rumored

that they'll be implementing a reincarnation system."

"Oh…Meaning…"

"Mortimer probably put the idea in his head. He'd say, 'Take

down your leader for me, and I'll let you be a salamander.' But

the reincarnation process requires a vast amount of yrd, apparently. There's no saying whether Mortimer, savvy as he is, would

have kept his promise, anyway."

"…"

Leafa looked at the goldening sky and the distant haze of the

World Tree, conflicted.

It was her dream to be reborn as an alf, free from the shackles

of the game's flight limits. It was for that purpose that she'd

joined Sigurd's party, comprised of only the strongest sylphs, and

donated nearly all of the yrd she earned to the government.

If she hadn't met Kirito and left the party, it seemed likely that

Sigurd would have invited her to take part in the salamander

reincarnation plot. What would she have done…?

"ALO's a nasty game, testing its players' greed like this," Kirito

murmured forlornly at her side. "I'm guessing its designer is a

real piece of work."

"Ha. I agree," said Sakuya.

Leafa decided to follow her heart just a bit, putting her arm

around Kirito's and leaning slightly into him. Kirito never seemed

to be fazed by anything; being so close to him made her feel

grounded and calm again.

"So…what's the plan, Sakuya?"

The smile disappeared from the beautiful politician's face, and

she closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them again,

the deep green irises gleamed with a sharp light.

"Rue, you've been working on your dark magic, right?"

Alicia Rue's ears waggled in affirmation.

"Cast Moonlight Mirror on Sigurd, then."

"Sure, but it won't last long during the day."

"Not a problem. This will be brief."

Alicia's ears twitched again, and she took a step back to raise

her hands and chant the spell. Her high-pitched, clear voice

enunciated the unfamiliar sounds of dark magic spellwords.

There was a sudden darkness around them, and a beam of moonlight shone down from somewhere.

The moonbeam piled up in front of Alicia like some golden liquid until it formed the shape of a perfectly circular mirror. As the

entire gathering watched silently, the surface rippled—and a picture began to bloom within it.

"Ah…" Leafa couldn't hold in her voice. It was a familiar place

to her: the meeting room of Sakuya's mansion where official business transpired.

There was a large jade-green table in front. Behind it, someone

was seated in the lord's chair, his feet propped up on top of the

table, his eyes closed and hands clasped behind his head. It was

Sigurd.

Sakuya approached the mirror and spoke, her voice as clear as

a harp.

"Sigurd."

The image of Sigurd in the mirror leaped up like a spring, his

eyes wide. He must have been able to see her in return, because

he looked back directly into her eyes, his mouth tense.

"S…Sakuya…?"

"That's right, still alive. Sorry to disappoint you," she replied

curtly.

"Why…? I mean, what about the meeting…?"

"It will end safely. We're just about to make it official. But before that, we did have some unexpected guests."

"G-guests…?"

"General Eugene sends his regards."

"Wha—"

Now Sigurd was visibly shocked. His imposing face was going

paler and paler, and his eyes swiveled as he searched for the right

words. Suddenly, he caught sight of Leafa, standing behind

Sakuya.

"Leaf—?!"

His eyes looked ready to pop out of his head—he'd finally

grasped the situation. His nose wrinkled in anger, and he bared

his teeth in a snarl.

"Incompetent lizards…Well? What's it going to be, Sakuya? A

hefty fine? Expulsion from the council? Just remember, I'm in

charge of our military, so you won't last long without me—"

"No. If being a sylph is so distasteful to you, I will grant your

desire."

"Wh-what?"

She waved her left hand elegantly, calling up the extra-large

system menu reserved for the lord of each race. Countless individual windows stacked up in layers to form a hexagonal pillar of

light. She pulled out a specific tab and ran her fingers over it.

As Sigurd watched through the mirror, she called up a blue

message window. Once he saw what she was doing, he stood up

in a panic.

"No! Have you lost your mind?! You're…you're going to exile

me?!"

"That is correct. You may wander the neutral lands as a renegade. I hope you will find new pleasures there that suit you better."

"I…I'll launch a complaint! I'll petition the GMs! This is abuse

of privilege!"

"Do as you wish. Farewell, Sigurd."

He clenched his fists and prepared to launch into another

tirade. But the instant Sakuya pressed the button on her tab, he

disappeared from the image in the mirror. He'd been expelled

from sylph land, sent randomly to any one of the neutral cities in

the game aside from Alne.

The golden mirror continued to show the empty council room

for a few moments, then its surface rippled again and tinkled into

dust. As it vanished, the late-afternoon sun reappeared to light

the area.

"Sakuya," Leafa quietly murmured into the silence, as the

sylph lady's brows furrowed in thought.

The beautiful leader of the sylphs closed the game window

with a swipe of her hand, then sighed and smiled.

"I suppose the next election will tell me if my decision was

wise or poor. But in any case—thank you, Leafa. After all the

times you refused to join the council, it makes me very happy to

see you rush to our aid. Alicia, I apologize for exposing you to

danger through our own infighting."

"We're alive, and that's all that matters!" the cait sith leader

said perkily. Leafa hastily downplayed her part in the events.

"I didn't do anything, really. It's Kirito here who deserves your

thanks."

"Ah, yes, of course. And what is your story…?"

Sakuya and Alicia Rue turned quizzical glances at Kirito.

"Hey, you. Was that true about being an envoy of the spriggans and undines?" Alicia asked, her tail waving back and forth

with curiosity. Kirito put a hand on his hip and puffed out his

chest.

"Complete poppycock. A bluff, a feint, a piece of negotiation."

"Wha…"

They stared at him, mouths agape.

"You're a madman. Lying through your teeth in a situation

with stakes that high?"

"That's my style. When my cards are bad, I raise my bet," he

said confidently. Alicia Rue flashed a mischievous feline grin and

sidled over to get a better look at him.

"You're very strong for such a liar, though, aren't you? Did you

know that Eugene is considered the most powerful warrior in

ALO? And you beat him in a fair fight…What are you, the spriggans' secret weapon?"

"Hardly. Just a wandering sword-for-hire."

"Pf t! Nya-ha-ha-ha!"

Entertained by Kirito's sass, Alicia laughed and grabbed his

right arm, squeezing it to her chest. She threw him a coquettish

glance out of the corner of her eye and purred, "If you're available, would you like to work as a mercenary for the cait siths? I

can guarantee you three meals a day, plus an afternoon nap."

"Wha…"

Leafa's mouth twitched. But before she could insert herself

into the situation—

"Now now, Rue, no cutting in line," Sakuya said, her voice

even more seductive than usual. Her long kimono sleeve wrapped

around Kirito's left arm. "He came to the sylphs' rescue, so we

have the right to negotiate with him first. Kirito, you said your

name was? I've taken a shine to you—how would you like to share

a drink back in Swilvane?"

Crik-crack. Leafa's temples were twitching now.

"Hey, no fair, Sakuya! No seducing allowed!"

"What do you call what you're doing? Stop rubbing yourself all

over him!"

Pulled on each side by a beautiful lady, Kirito's face went red

with embarrassment, but he didn't seem to mind too much.

Leafa had seen enough. She grabbed Kirito's cloak from behind and pulled.

"You can't! Kirito is my…"

They all turned to look at her. Her words trailed off as she

came to her senses. "Umm…he's my…"

Unable to finish her sentence, she began mumbling, but Kirito

simply smiled and picked up the slack for her.

"I appreciate your offers, but I'm sorry—she promised to take

me to the center of the map."

"Ah, I see…That is too bad." Sakuya was not one to display her

inner feelings, but she did truly seem disappointed now. She

turned to Leafa. "You are going to Alne? For recreational purposes? Or…"

"I was planning to leave the territory. But I'm sure I'll be back

to Swilvane…I just don't know when."

"That is a relief to hear. Promise you'll come back—with him."

"And stop by our place on the way. You're welcome anytime!"

The two ladies pulled back and straightened up. Sakuya put a

hand on her chest and tilted her head forward regally, while Alicia bowed deeply and flattened out her ears. When the courtesy

was finished, Sakuya spoke again.

"Thank you once again, Leafa and Kirito. If we'd been defeated

today, the salamanders' victory would have been all but guaranteed. I wish I could show my appreciation somehow…"

"There's no need," Kirito said awkwardly. Leafa suddenly realized something. She took a step forward.

"Sakuya, Alicia…this alliance is for the purpose of conquering

the World Tree, isn't it?"

"Well, ultimately, yes. If we work together to scale the tree,

and we both become alfs, splendid. If only one race does, they'll

help the other beat the next major questline. That's the gist of the

arrangement."

"We'd like to take part in the attempt. As soon as possible, actually."

Sakuya and Alicia shared a look.

"…We don't have a problem with that. In fact, we'd like you to

join us. I can't make any guarantees as to a timeframe, however.

Why?"

"…"

Leafa glanced at Kirito. The enigmatic spriggan boy looked

down and spoke. "I came to this world because I wanted to reach

the top of the World Tree. I need to meet someone who might be

up there…"

"Someone? The fairy king, Oberon?"

"No…I don't think so. It's someone I can't reach in real life…

but I have to find."

"So if he or she is on top of the World Tree, does that mean it's

an admin? Wow, kinda mysterious, huh?" Alicia raved, her eyes

sparkling. But that excitement quickly turned to dejection, her

ears and tail drooping. "But…it's going to take a while to get

everyone properly outfitted for the quest. It's not something that

can be done in a day or two…"

"I see…good point. Then again, I just wanted to get to the foot

of the tree, that's all. I'll figure out the rest on my own."

He smiled and, as though just remembering something,

abruptly waved his hand to call up the menu. When he was done

fiddling with his inventory, a large leather sack appeared.

"Go ahead and use this to help pay for stuff."

The sack clanked heavily—it appeared to be stuffed full of yrd.

Alicia accepted it from Kirito and immediately stumbled under its

weight. She shifted her hands to get a better grip and peered inside. Her eyes went wide.

"S-Sakuya, look…"

"Hmm?"

Sakuya followed Alicia's finger and peered inside. She pulled

out a large pale blue coin that sparkled in the light.

"Wow…"

Leafa couldn't contain herself. The two leaders were frozen

with their mouths open, and the twelve dignitaries who'd been

dutifully watching the scene began to murmur excitedly.

"A hundred-thousand-yrd mithril coins…? Are these all—?!"

Even Sakuya was hoarse with astonishment as she examined

the coin closely. She eventually put it back into the sack, shaking

her head in disbelief. "You can't make this kind of money without

camping out to hunt Deviant Gods in Jotunheim…Are you sure

about this? You could build yourself a castle in a prime location

with a sum like this."

"It's fine. I don't need it anymore," he said, unconcerned.

Sakuya and Alicia looked back into the bag and sighed deeply.

"This will put us much closer to the total we need."

"We'll procure equipment on the double and inform you when

the preparations are complete."

"I'll be waiting."

Alicia put the leather sack into Sakuya's open inventory window.

"I won't feel safe ferrying around a gold mine like this out in

the open…Let's head back to cait sith land before the 'manders

change their minds."

"Good idea. We can finish the negotiations once we're safe."

The two women gave orders to their subordinates. In moments, the large table and fourteen chairs were all stowed away.

"You've helped us in every way imaginable. I promise we'll do

everything we can to assist you, Kirito and Leafa."

"I'm just happy to be of service."

"We'll be awaiting your word."

Sakuya, Alicia, Kirito, and Leafa all exchanged firm handshakes.

"Thanks! See you later!" Alicia chirped with another naughty

grin and pulled Kirito closer with her tail. She brushed his cheek

lightly with her lips, much to his embarrassment, and flashed the

twitching Leafa an enigmatic wink before spreading her pale

golden wings.

The two noble ladies rose straight into the air, waving goodbye, and headed west into the reddening sky. Each was soon followed by her six compatriots in elegant formation, like flocks of

geese.

Kirito and Leafa watched them go silently until they disappeared into the sunset.

The area was so quiet that the incredible duel, and the standoff

in which the fate of three races hung in the balance, might as well

have never happened. Only the whistling of the wind and the

rustling of leaves could be heard. Leafa felt a bit chilly and leaned

close to Kirito.

"…They're gone."

"Yep. It's over now…"

The schism with Sigurd that had kicked the entire string of

events into motion seemed like ancient history now. She could

hardly believe that it had all happened in the last seven or eight

hours.

"Somehow…"

Being here with Kirito made this world feel real, as though the

version of herself with wings was her real body, Leafa/Suguha

thought, but she couldn't put it into words to speak aloud. Instead, she leaned against Kirito's chest, hoping to hear his heartbeat.

"I told you not to cheat on her, Papa!"

"Ah!"

Leafa leaped away as a furious Yui shot out of Kirito's chest

pocket.

"Wh-what's the big idea?" Kirito moaned, as Yui circled

around his head. She landed on his shoulder and puffed out her

cheeks adorably.

"Your heart was racing when the royal ladies were touching

you!"

"I-I can't help that; I'm a guy!!"

Leafa was momentarily relieved when she realized she wasn't

the root of the problem, but a new question popped into her head,

which she asked Yui.

"Um, Yui, am I allowed to…?"

"You seem to be safe, Leafa."

"W-why is that?"

"I dunno, you just don't seem all that girly to me," Kirito admitted.

"Wha—I—What's that supposed to mean?!" Leafa put her

hand on her sword hilt at this unforgivable affront.

"I-I just meant you're easy to get along with…in a good way."

Kirito laughed awkwardly, rising into the air. "C-c'mon, let's get

flying to Alne! The sun's almost down!"

"Hey! Get back here!" Leafa spread her wings and leaped.

As she buzzed her wings to chase after Kirito, speeding toward

the World Tree at top velocity, Leafa glanced over her shoulder.

The Ancient Forest and her sylph homeland were out of sight, beyond the looming mountains, but she did catch a glimpse of a

large star, twinkling in the deepening gloom of the navy sky.

The sun, seemingly frozen in place at the very apex of the sky, did

eventually fall to Earth, dyeing the curve of the horizon a brilliant

red.

Asuna quietly got to her feet, calculating that at least five

hours had passed in real time since Oberon's last visit. It was

probably past midnight. She rolled off the bed and stepped onto

the tile, praying that no one was monitoring her.

Just ten steps took her to the golden door. It was appalling to

think that she'd been trapped in this cramped space for more

than two months.

But that ends today, she told herself, reaching a thumb out to

the ID pad next to the door. Five hours earlier, she'd watched

Oberon enter the code through the mirror. She spoke each number aloud as she punched them in. The buttons had a tactile click

to them, each push agitating her strained nerves.

"…3…2…9."

As she hit the last button, silently praying, there was a louder

metallic sound, and the door opened just a crack. She pulled her

arm back and pumped her fist in triumph, then laughed when she

realized she'd picked that up from Kirito.

"Kirito…I'll do my best," she murmured, and then pushed

open the door. On the other side was a winding walkway carved

into the branch, which connected to the enormous trunk of the

tree in the far distance. She took a step outside the cage, then another, and heard the door close automatically behind her. Asuna

shook her hair back, puffed out her chest in resolution, and

strode forward purposefully, the way she had once done in a different world.

A few minutes later, she turned back and saw that the golden

birdcage was already lost behind the thick green foliage of the

tree's branches.

She stopped about halfway down the enormous branch and

caught her breath. She'd walked at least a few hundred yards by

now. Its size eclipsed her imagination.

Asuna had figured, knowing Oberon's punctual, impatient nature, that he'd have set up a system console not far from the cage

for the purpose of logging out. But this was not the case. If he was

using an SAO-style holo-window or voice operations, her escape

would be much more difficult.

She wasn't turning back, of course. She just had to go as far as

she could.

I won't stop. I'm getting back to the real world, alive. I have

to see him again, she swore to herself, and then resumed her

march.