Chapter 7 Part 2

"Yui?!" Asuna and I screamed together. But there was no answer.

Only the two of us were left in the thick, sludgy blackness. I

reached out desperately, trying to pull Asuna to my side. She did

the same, her eyes wide with fear.

But before our fingertips could touch, we were assaulted by a

tremendous gravity.

It was as though I'd been thrown into the bottom of a deep,

deep swamp. I fell to a knee, unable to withstand the pressure.

Asuna collapsed as well, both of her hands against the unseen

floor.

She looked into my eyes and mumbled, "Kiri…to…"

I wanted to tell her that it was all right, that I would keep her

safe no matter what. But before I could, a high-pitched, clinging

voice echoed triumphantly through the darkness.

"And how are you enjoying my new spell? It's planned to go

into the next update, but I'm wondering if it might not be a bit

too strong?"

The voice was twisted with uncontrolled glee, but I recognized

it. It was the voice that had ridiculed me as a "hero" before

Asuna's comatose form.

"Sugou!" I growled, struggling to get back to my feet.

"Tsk, tsk! No using that name here, please. It is not fitting to

speak to your king by name. You will address me as Your Majesty,

King Oberon of the Fairies!"

His voice leaped even higher into a screech by the end, and

something struck my head hard. I craned my neck to see a man

standing right next to me. A leg in white tights ended in a gaudily

embroidered boot that pushed against my head, rolling left and

right.

Farther up, I saw a body covered by a toga in a venomous

shade of green, and on top of that, a face so perfect it looked fake.

But of course it was fake; it was a beautiful countenance created

from scratch, so devoid of actual life that it was hideous. The

crimson lips were twisted in a familiar gloating sneer.

Despite the different form, I would never mistake this man for

anyone but Sugou. The man who'd been the target of all of my hatred, the one who'd stolen Asuna's soul and locked her in this

place…

"Oberon—no, Sugou!" Asuna shouted. She was braced against

the floor, only barely able to raise her head. "I've seen what you're

doing here! The crimes you're committing…You won't get away

with them, you can be sure of that!"

"Oh? And who's going to stop me? You? Him? God, perhaps?

Sorry, sweetheart, there's only one God in this world: Me!"

He chuckled hideously and applied more pressure to my head.

Unable to support the extra weight, I slumped to the floor.

"Stop it, you coward!!"

Sugou bent over, ignoring Asuna's insult, and pulled my sword

from its scabbard. He held out the tip of his finger and set the

blade spinning on it, perfectly vertical.

"I must say, Kirigaya—oh, pardon me, should I call you Kirito?

I really didn't expect you to come all this way. I don't know if that

makes you brave or an idiot. Given your current miserable

predicament, I'd hazard to say it's the latter. Heh! I heard my little songbird had escaped her cage, so I rushed back to give her

some much-needed discipline, only to find that—surprise! A

cockroach had scuttled inside the cage! Along with some other

strange little piece of code…"

Sugou trailed off and swiped his left hand to bring up the

menu. He stared at the blue screen with a frown on his lips for a

bit, then snorted and closed the window.

"…It must have gotten away. What was that? How did you get

up here, anyway?"

I was briefly relieved that Yui hadn't been deleted entirely, at

least.

"I flew here. I've got wings."

"Hmph, whatever. I can just get the answer straight from your

brain."

"…What?"

"You didn't think I created this entire scheme for kicks, did

you?" Sugou bounced the sword lightly on the tip of his finger,

leering venomously. "With the generous help of the former SAO

players, my research into the basics of thought and memory manipulation is nearly eighty percent complete. In a very short time,

I will achieve an unprecedented, godly feat: absolute control over

the human soul! On top of that, I've got a brand-new test subject

to play with. What fun! I can't wait to poke through your memories and rewrite your emotions! I'm getting chills just thinking

about it!"

"You…can't do such a thing…"

His claims were so absurd that I could barely process them.

Sugou put his foot back on my head and tapped his toe up and

down.

"You didn't learn your lesson—you're plugged in with the

NerveGear again, aren't you? Which makes you no less helpless

than any of my test subjects. Kids are so stupid. Even a dog

knows it's made a mistake when it gets kicked."

"No…no, you can't do that, Sugou!" Asuna screamed, her face

pale. "Don't you dare hurt him!"

"Little bird, the day is nigh that I can turn your hatred into

subservience with the flip of a switch," Sugou replied, intoxicated

with his own power. He grabbed my sword and pompously ran

his fingers across the flat of the blade.

"But! Before I re-create your souls to my liking, let's have a little party! Finally…the moment I've been waiting for—the perfect

guest has arrived. It truly was worth testing the very limits of my

patience!"

He spun around and threw his hands wide. "I am now recording everything that happens within this space for posterity! Make

sure you look good for the camera!"

". . ."

Asuna bit her lip, looked me straight in the eye, and said, "Log

out immediately, Kirito. You have to expose his conspiracy in the

real world. I'll be fine."

"Asuna!"

For a moment, I was torn in two by indecision. But just as

quickly, I agreed and waved my left hand. With this much information, I might be able to mobilize a rescue team, even without

physical proof. If they could seize the ALO server within RCT

Progress, everything would be clear.

But my window didn't appear.

"Ah-ha-ha-ha!" Sugou bent over with the force of his laughter.

"I told you, this is my world! No one can escape it!!"

He walked around, hiccupping with laughter, and then suddenly raised his left hand. With the snap of his fingers, two jangling chains fell from the infinite blackness above.

A wide golden ring gleamed dully on the end of either chain.

Sugou took one of them and snapped it around Asuna's wrist with

a click. He gave a little tug on the chain, which extended up into

the darkness.

"Aaah!"

The chain began to retract, and Asuna was hauled up by her

right hand. It stopped at the exact point that the tips of her toes

could barely touch the ground.

"What do you think you're doing?" I demanded, but Sugou ignored me and picked up the other ring, humming to himself.

"I've got plenty of props arranged for you. This will do for now,

however," he said, snapping the other ring around Asuna's left

wrist. The second chain rattled upward, and Asuna was left dangling in midair by her arms. The powerful gravity was still in effect, and her delicate eyebrows were twisted in pain.

Sugou crossed his arms in appreciation and whistled crudely.

"Nice. You don't get expressions like that with the NPC

women."

"…!"

Asuna glared furiously at him, then shut her eyes against the

pain. He chuckled and slowly walked around her back. He

grabbed a handful of her long hair and then held it to his nose,

breathing deeply.

"Mmm, that's a lovely scent. It was quite difficult to re-create

the real Asuna's smell in-game—I had to hide an odor analyzer in

her sickroom. Seems to me you ought to appreciate that kind of

attention to detail."

"Stop it, Sugou!"

Uncontrollable anger surged through me. Red flames raced

through my nerves, and for a moment, I was able to break the

weight pinning me down.

"Gr…uh…"

I pushed myself off the ground with my right hand. Once I'd

gotten up onto a knee, I concentrated all of my strength into trying to stand.

Sugou put a hand on his waist and shook his head theatrically.

He walked over to me, mouth twisted.

"Good grief. The audience isn't supposed to be part of the

show…Back to crawling!"

He kicked my legs out from under me, and I crumpled to the

floor.

"Gaah!"

All the breath shot out of my lungs. I pushed up off the floor

and raised my head to see Sugou, the corners of his mouth upturned in a poisonous grin, swinging my sword down upon me

with all of his strength.

"Gakh!"

The sensation of the thick metal piercing my body sliced away

the flames that had burned through all of my nerves. The blade

exited my chest and wedged deep into the floor. There was no

pain, but I was assaulted by an exceedingly rough and unpleasant

sensation.

"K-Kirito!!" Asuna screamed. I looked to her, trying to tell her

I was fine. But before I could speak, Sugou tilted his head back to

the sky and crowed.

"System command! Set pain absorber to level eight!"

Suddenly I felt pain in my back—actual pain—like I'd been

pierced with a sharp drill.

"Ngk…ahg…"

Sugou leered with delight at my obvious suffering. "Heh-heh.

Oh, this is only the appetizer, my friend. I'll bump it up in stages

as we go along. If I set the absorption level to three or lower,

you'll remain in a state of shock even after logging out."

He clapped his hands with satisfaction and turned back to

Asuna.

"L-let Kirito go right now, Sugou!" she cried, but he showed no

signs of obeying.

"It's brats like him that I hate the most. No skills, no power behind him, but he sure knows how to run his mouth, the little

maggot. Well, we know what happens to bugs—they get pinned

into display cases. Besides, are you really in any position to worry

about him, little bird?"

He extended a hand and traced Asuna's cheek from behind.

She turned her head, trying to break free, but the powerful gravity

kept her from moving.

His fingertips ran all over Asuna's face before sliding down her

neck. Her features were twisted with disgust.

"Stop it…Sugou!" I shouted, trying desperately to push myself

up again. Asuna managed a brave, trembling smile.

"It's all right, Kirito. I won't let this hurt me."

Sugou immediately cackled in his high-pitched voice. "That's

what I like to hear. How long will you be able to maintain that

pride—thirty seconds? An hour? An entire day? Do your best to

prolong my pleasure, dear!"

As he spoke, he grabbed the red ribbon adorning the collar of

Asuna's dress and ripped it right out of the cloth. The red fabric

flew silently through the air like blood, landing in a limp heap

next to me.

Pure white skin peeked out from the wide tear in the bodice of

the dress. Asuna grimaced in shame, the corners of her tightly

shut eyes twitching.

Sugou tilted his head in appreciation, smirking as he fondled

her skin. His lips opened in a wide crescent, and a vivid red

tongue snaked out. I could practically hear the sticky smacking as

he licked her cheek.

"Heh-heh! Want to know what I'm thinking about right now?"

he whispered madly into her ear, tongue still extended. "Once I've

had my fun with you here, I'll visit your hospital room. I can lock

the door, turn off the cameras, and it will be our little paradise,

just you and me. I'll set up a nice big monitor, play the footage of

today's recording, and enjoy it all over again with your real body.

First I steal the purity of your heart—and then I ruin the chastity

of your body! How fascinating! What a unique form of entertainment, don't you think?"

His falsetto cackling bubbled over, filled the darkness, and

died out.

Asuna's eyes went wide for a moment, but she bravely knotted

her lips. The unstoppable fear turned to two clear drops that lingered on her eyelashes. Sugou flicked out his tongue to taste

them.

"Ahh…sweet, so sweet! Go on, give me more tears!"

Blinding white rage burned through my brain. All I could see

were sparks.

"Sugou…you son of a bitch!!" I screamed, scrabbling wildly in

an attempt to stand. But the sword running through me did not

budge. I could sense tears forming in my own eyes now. I crawled

like a miserable insect, writhing and bellowing.

"Damn you…I'll kill you! I swear it! You'll die by my hand!!"

But my screams were nearly drowned out by the sound of

Sugou's mad laughter.

If you can just give me strength right now…

I prayed fervently, trying to move myself even a fraction of an

inch forward, pulling against the ground with my fingertips.

If you can give me the strength to stand, I'll give up anything.

My life, my soul, anything you want. I'll pledge it all to the devil

or a demon if it helps me cut him down and return Asuna to

where she belongs.

Sugou was running his hands over Asuna's arms and legs.

Each move of his hand must have sent electronic signals of disgust to her sensory centers, because Asuna was biting her lip hard

enough to draw blood as she withstood the defilement.

Though the image entered my eyes, all my brain saw was pure,

burning white. The flames of anger and desperation consumed

me. My neurons were turning into ash. Once I turned into a lump

of dry, bone-white matter, I wouldn't think anything anymore. I

wouldn't have to.

I thought I could do anything with a single sword at my side. I

was the hero who stood at the pinnacle of ten thousand. The hero

who defeated the evil sorcerer and saved the world.

It was a virtual world, just a game, developed by a business on

basic marketing principles, and I'd imagined it was real. That the

strength I found in the game was real strength. Had I been disappointed in the weakness of my actual body once I was released—

exiled, more like it—from the world of SAO? Did a part of me

wish that I could go back there, where I could be the greatest hero

the world had ever known?

No wonder that when I'd learned that Asuna's mind was

trapped in a new game world, I'd assumed that I could make it all

better on my own, rather than letting those with true power, the

adults of the real world, sort it out. I must have been very happy

regaining my imaginary power, crushing other players and satisfying my ugly pride and self-esteem.

In that case, this was my just dessert. That's right—I was a

child, playing with the power someone else had given me. I

couldn't even overcome the simple ID system that granted a person system admin privileges. The only thing I was good at earning for myself was regret. If I couldn't handle that, my only escape was withdrawing from my mind altogether.

"You going to just run away?"

No, I'm only looking at reality.

"Giving in? To the power of the system you once denied?"

I can't help it. He's the game master, I'm only a player.

"You soil the memory of that duel with those words. You

showed me that the human will could surpass a computer system.

You helped me realize the future possibilities that our battle

could bring about."

Battle? It's meaningless. A bunch of numbers going up and

down.

"You know that's not true. Now get on your feet. Grab your

sword."

"Stand up, Kirito!!"

It was like a bolt of lightning tearing through my wits, the

voice the resulting clap of thunder. All of my wandering senses

were connected in a single moment. My eyes shot open.

"Ugh…ah…" I couldn't produce anything but dry grunts.

"Urh…rrgh…"

I gnashed my teeth and moaned like an animal close to death,

but I did plant a hand on the ground and push myself onto an

elbow. Attempting to lift my body only dug the heavy sword

deeper into the small of my back.

I couldn't just lie there and crawl around miserably with this

thing pinning me. I wouldn't let myself be crushed by such a soulless attack. Every one of the countless blades I'd suffered in SAO

was heavier than this. More painful.

"Gr…raaah!!" I howled briefly, using every ounce of my

strength and willpower to push myself up. The tip of the sword

pulled out of the ground and finally fell out of my back, clattering

beside me.

Sugou watched my unsteady rise to my feet with his mouth

agape. He took his hands off of Asuna and glared at me, then

shrugged theatrically.

"Oh, dear. I fixed that object's coordinates permanently, but it

still came loose. Must be a few bugs left in the system. Those

worthless, bungling programmers," he muttered, walking over

and pulling his fist back to punch me.

My hand shot out and caught his in midair.

"Oh…?" He looked at me with suspicion again. I opened my

mouth and spoke a string of commands that had lain dormant in

my mind for months.

"System log-in. ID 'Heathcliff.' Password…"

After that came a complex assortment of letters and numbers.

Once it was over, the crushing gravity pulling me down finally

disappeared.

"Wh-what? What was that ID?!" Sugou yelped, teeth flashing.

He snatched his fist away from me, leaping backward and swinging his left hand down to open the blue system window. But before his fingers could work the buttons, I entered another voice

command.

"System command, adjust supervisor privileges. Set ID

'Oberon' to level one."

Sugou's window abruptly vanished. He looked back and forth

from the empty space between his hands to my face several times,

then swiped his hand again in irritation.

Nothing happened. The magic scroll that granted Sugou his

fairy king powers had been spirited away.

"An…an ID with a higher clearance than mine…? That's impossible…It can't be…I'm the ruler, the creator…I am the emperor

of this world…God…" he babbled, his voice so high-pitched it

sounded like it was playing at double speed. His beautiful features were twisted and hideous.

"You know that's not true. You stole it. You stole this entire

world and the people left in it. You're nothing but the king of

thieves, dancing alone on the throne you stole from someone

else."

"Why…you little brat…How dare you speak to me that way.

You'll regret this insult…I'll tear off your head and hang it up as a

decoration!"

He jabbed a twisted claw of a finger at me and screeched, "System command! Generate object ID 'Excalibur'!!"

But the system no longer heeded Sugou's voice.

"System command!! Obey me, you miserable heap of scrap!

Your…your god commands you!!"

I tore my eyes away from the wailing Sugou to look at Asuna.

The dress was nothing more than scraps loosely hanging on her

body now. Her hair was tousled, and tear tracks gleamed on her

cheeks. But those eyes had not lost their shine. Her hardy soul

had not been broken.

I'll bring this to an end soon. Just give me a little time, I

silently told her as I stared into her hazel-colored eyes. Asuna returned my signal with the slightest of nods.

The sight of Asuna's distress lit the fires of rage anew within

me. I looked up and said, "System command. Generate object ID

'Excalibur.' "

The space in front of me warped, tiny strings of numbers

scrolling past to form a sword. Color and texture flowed upward

through it from the tip. It was a beautifully detailed longsword,

set with a dazzling gold blade. I recognized it as the sword sealed

in the very bottom tip of the dungeon at the center of Jotunheim.

There was something profoundly distasteful about producing the

greatest sword in the game—the stuff of dreams to countless players—with a simple spoken command.

I grabbed the hilt of the sword and hurled it at the shocked

Sugou. Once he had clumsily caught it, I brought my foot down

hard on the pommel of my own sword; it clanged loudly and spun

up into the air. I swiped my hand horizontally as the sword fell

back to the earth, and caught it perfectly.

With the point of my massive dark blade pointed directly at

Sugou, I issued my challenge.

"It's time to settle the score between the king of thieves and

the so-called hero…System command, pain absorber to level

zero."

"Wh…what…?"

That command had raised the sensation of virtual pain to an

infinite amount. Panic flashed across the face of the fairy king,

despite his golden sword. He faltered a step, then another.

"Don't chicken out. He never backed down from any situation

—Akihiko Kayaba."

"K…Kaya…" He blanched when he heard that name. "Kayaba…

Heathcliff. So it was you. You've come to ruin everything again!"

Sugou waved his sword in the air and screamed in a voice like

tearing metal.

"You're dead! You kicked the bucket! How are you still interfering with my life after death? You always did this…always!

Looking smug and serene, as if you understood everything…stealing everything I ever wanted from under my nose!"

He jabbed the point of his sword at me and continued. "You

little cretin…what would you understand?! Do you have any idea

what it was like to work under him, to compete and be compared

to him at every turn?!"

"I do. I lost to him in a fight and had to be his servant—but I

never wanted to be him. I'm not like you."

"You brat…you brat…you insolent little brat!!" he screeched,

leaping at me with his sword drawn. Just as he came within

range, I flicked my sword out. The tip grazed the fairy king's elegant cheek.

"Agh!" he yelped, holding his face and bouncing backward.

"Aah…aaaah!"

The look of shock on his face only made me angrier. This man,

this miserable coward, had kept Asuna prisoner for two months,

tormenting her all the while? Intolerable.

I took a big step forward and swung straight down. Sugou put

an arm up out of defensive reflex. The hand holding his golden

sword was severed at the wrist and flew away into the darkness,

landing with an audible thump somewhere far in the distance.

"Aaaahh!! My hand…my haaaand!!"

The pain he felt was false—only electronic signals—but as far

as his brain knew, it was real agony. Yet, it was not enough to satisfy me. It couldn't possibly be enough.

Sugou bent over, clutching his maimed arm. I took a hearty

swing at his green-clad torso.

"Gbwuah!!"

His tall body was cleanly sliced into two equal halves, and they

fell heavily to the floor. His legs quickly burst into white flames

and burned away.

I grabbed Sugou's flowing blond hair and lifted. Thick tears

sprang from his wide, terrified eyes, and his mouth worked

fiercely. There were no words coming out of it, only metallic

screeching.

I felt nothing but disgust at the sight of him. With a toss of my

hand, I flung his upper half straight up into the air and readied

myself for a double-handed sword thrust. He reached the apex of

the arc and came tumbling down, still bleating hideously.

"Haaah!!"

I swung with all of my strength. With a dull chunk, the sword

struck through Sugou's right eye, and out the back of his head.

"Eeyaaagh!!"

His scream echoed unpleasantly through the darkness, like the

screeching of a thousand rusty gears scraping into motion. Thick

white flames erupted from his pierced eye, and soon licked across

the rest of his head and torso.

Sugou did not stop screaming for the several seconds it took

for him to be completely burned into nothing. His voice eventually faded out and vanished, and the world was silent again. I

swiped my sword in satisfaction, scattering the little white flames

that remained.

With an easy flick of my wrists, I severed the chains that had held

Asuna prisoner. The sword's duty finished, I laid it on the floor

and picked up her limp body.

It was at this point that the source of energy that had kept me

going finally gave out as well. I slumped to my knees, and there

gazed at Asuna in my arms.

"…Ngh…"

The feeling of miserable helplessness running through me

leaked out of my eyes in the form of tears. I held her fragile body

tight, burying my face in her hair, bawling. I couldn't speak.

There were only tears.

"I always believed," Asuna's clear voice murmured next to my

ear. "No…I still do believe. I did in the past, and I will in the future. You're my hero…You'll come to save me anywhere, anytime…"

Her hand brushed my hair.

No. That's not true. I don't have…any true strength…

I took a deep breath and managed to mumble, "I'll do my

best…to make sure that's true. C'mon…let's go."

I waved my left hand and was greeted with a different, more

complicated system window. I picked through it on instinct alone,

digging through menu after menu for the teleportation-related

commands.

With a deep stare into Asuna's eyes, I told her, "I think it's already nighttime in the real world. But I swear, I'll be at your hospital in no time."

"I know. I'll be waiting. I want you to be the first person I see

with my real eyes."

She smiled, and with a distant gaze as calm as still water, she

whispered, "So…it's finally coming to an end. I'm going back…to

the real world."

"That's right…You'll be so surprised at everything that's

changed."

"Hee-hee. You'll have to take me all over and show me a good

time."

"Yeah. I will." I nodded and hugged her even harder. There

was a targeted log-out button on the admin menu, and it turned

my finger blue. I used that finger to trace the tracks of her tears,

wiping them away.

Asuna's pale body in turn took on that vivid blue. Bit by bit,

she grew transparent, delicate as a crystal. Little motes of light

danced in the air, and she began to vanish, starting with the tips

of her fingers and toes.

I held Asuna as tight as I could while part of her remained. Finally the weight left my arms, and I was alone in the darkness. I

sat there, unmoving.

It felt like everything was over, yet it also felt like only a step in

a larger process. This incident was the result of Kayaba's flight of

fancy and Sugou's desire—but was this truly the end of it? Or was

it only a part of some larger series of events?

I forced my aching, spent body to its feet and looked up, into

the deep darkness over my head.

"I know you're there, Heathcliff."

After a brief silence, I heard the raspy voice echoing in my mind

again, the way it had earlier.

"It has been quite a while, Kirito. Of course, to me, the events

of that day might as well be yesterday."

Unlike just minutes ago, the voice seemed to be coming from

some far-off place now.

"You're still alive?" I asked. The voice responded after a brief

pause.

"You could say that, but you could also say the opposite. I

am…an echo of Akihiko Kayaba's mind. An afterimage."

"Well, you make as little sense as he did. I guess I ought to

thank you—though you could have helped a bit earlier than you

did."

". . ."

There seemed to be a tinge of chagrin in the silence.

"I apologize for that. It was only just recently that this program was reassembled and reactivated from its many hiding

places within the system. Just at the moment that I heard your

voice. Also, your thanks are unnecessary."

"…Why?"

"Too much has happened between us for altruistic favors.

Every debt must be repaid."

Now it was my turn to grimace. "What do you want me to do?"

Out of the vast darkness fell something silver and shining. I

reached out and caught the object. It was a small, egg-shaped

crystal. A faint light flickered within it.

"What's this?"

"The seed of the world."

"What?"

"You will understand when it blooms. I leave its fate in your

hands. Delete it, abandon it…but if you do happen to feel any

emotion toward my world other than hatred…"

He let that statement hang. After a long silence, he said a brief

farewell.

"I must be going. May we meet again, Kirito."

And just like that, he was gone.

I put the sparkling egg into my front pocket, confused. After a

few moments, I had a sudden thought.

"Yui, are you there? You okay?"

Abruptly, the world of darkness shattered around me.

The orange light that had dyed the entire world before our

confrontation ripped through the veil, bringing a breeze with it

that blew away the blackness. I had to close my eyes against its

radiance, and when I could open them without pain again, I was

inside the birdcage.

Directly ahead, the sinking sun was releasing its final dying

rays of light. I was alone, with only the sound of the wind for

companionship.

"Yui?" I asked again. A light coalesced in the space before me,

and a black-haired girl popped into existence.

"Papa!" she cried, throwing her arms around my neck.

"You're all right. Thank goodness…"

"Yes, my address was about to be locked, so I retreated into

the NerveGear's local memory. When I connected again, you and

Mama were both gone. I was so worried…Say, where is Mama?"

"She's back in the real world."

"I see…That's truly wonderful…"

Yui closed her eyes and laid her cheek against my chest, a

shadow of sadness in her face. I gently caressed her long hair.

"She'll come back to see you very soon. But I wonder…what's

going to happen to this world?" I murmured. Yui grinned.

"Well, my core program is in your NerveGear, not this realm.

You can be with me forever. Oh, but there's something strange

about all of this…"

"What is it?"

"There's a very large file being transferred to the NerveGear's

local storage. It doesn't seem to be an active process, however…"

"Hmm," I said curiously, but I didn't bother to wonder about it

for very long. There was more pressing business at hand.

"Well, I've got to go see Mama."

"Okay, Papa. I love you."

Yui squeezed me with all of her tiny strength, tears welling in

her eyes. I rubbed her head and swiped my hand for the menu.

For a moment, I stopped to view the world as it lay shrouded

in sunset. What would happen to it now, this world with its false

king? The thought of Leafa and the other players who cared so

deeply for Alfheim made my heart hurt.

I gave Yui a gentle kiss on the cheek and tapped a few commands. Light burst out from the point ahead of me, swallowed

my consciousness, and pulled me higher, higher.

When I opened my deeply exhausted eyelids, the first thing I saw

was Suguha's face. She was watching me with a fretful expression,

but when our eyes met, she bolted upright.

"S-sorry for sneaking into your room. I got worried when you

never returned," she said, sitting on the edge of the bed with a

trace of red in her cheeks. After a brief time lag for recovery, I

tensed my limbs to return the strength to them after my long play

session, then bounced up to a sitting position.

"Sorry for taking so long."

"Is it…all over?"

"Yeah. It's over…It's all over," I murmured, staring into nothing. I couldn't possibly tell Suguha that I'd nearly been taken prisoner again, and this time in a prison without a victory condition

to free me. The time would eventually come to explain it all to

her, but I didn't want to cause her any unnecessary concern for

now. This sister of mine, my only sibling, had already saved me in

more ways than I had words to express.

My new adventure began in that deep forest that night, when I

happened across the girl with green hair—and she'd been at my

side for the entire long journey. She'd shown me the way, explained the world's customs, and swung her sword to protect me.

Thanks to her guidance, I'd met two leaders within the game,

without whose help I would never have broken through the wall

of guardian knights.

I realized upon reflection that I'd been helped by a great many

people. But first and foremost, by the girl in front of me now.

Leafa had helped Kirito, and Suguha, Kazuto; and during the entire time, she'd been grappling with her own deep, troubling feelings.

It was a good moment to take a new look at Suguha's face, a

combination of bright, masculine vitality and the fragility of a

freshly budded flower shoot. I reached out and caressed her

cheek, and she smiled shyly.

"Thanks for everything, Sugu—I mean it. I couldn't have done

any of it without you."

She looked down, face beet-red, and fidgeted. Eventually she

made up her mind and leaned her cheek against my chest.

"It's okay…I was happy to do it. Happy to be helpful to you in

your world," she said, eyes closed. I slipped my arm around her

back and gave her a gentle squeeze.

Once I'd let go, she looked up and said, "So…you got her back?

Asuna, I mean…"

"Yeah. She's back—finally back. Sugu…I…"

"I know. Go see her. I'm sure she's waiting for you."

"I'm sorry. I'll explain everything when I get back."

I patted the top of Suguha's head and got to my feet.

In record time, I was pulling on my down jacket in the yard,

ready for the trip. It was night outside. The old standing clock in

the living room said it was just before nine—well after visiting

hours, but if I explained the circumstances at the nurse's desk,

they would surely let me in.

Suguha trotted over and offered me a nice, thick sandwich. I

gratefully stuffed it into my mouth and descended into the yard.

"Brr, it's cold…"

I hunched my shoulders. The chill seemed to pass right

through my jacket. Suguha looked up at the night sky and said,

"Oh…snow."

"Huh…?"

There were indeed two or three large snowflakes glittering

through the air. For a moment, I considered using a taxi, but decided that racing on my bike was a quicker trip than walking out

to the main road and trying to find a cab.

"Be careful…Say hi to Asuna for me."

"I will. I'll give you a proper introduction next time."

I waved good-bye to Suguha, hopped onto my mountain bike,

and started pedaling.

The trip across the southern part of Saitama Prefecture went by

incredibly fast with my single-minded bicycle sprint. The pace of

the snow picked up, but not enough to pile up on the side of the

road, and, thankfully, that kept the amount of traffic on the

streets low.

I wanted nothing more than to be in Asuna's hospital room as

soon as possible—but there was a part of me that feared it as well.

I'd spent every other day for two months visiting that place and

knowing only deep, deep disappointment. I would take my sleeping princess's hand, so still I was afraid she'd turned into a sculpture of ice, and call out to her, knowing full well she would not

hear.

As I raced down streets so familiar that I knew where all the

potholes were, I couldn't shake a part of me that wondered if my

discovery of her in the land of the fairies, the vanquishing of the

false king, and the severing of her chains…were all nothing more

than hallucinations.

What if, several minutes from now, I visited her room to find

that she was not awake?

What if her soul had already left Alfheim and gone not to the

real world, but to some other, unknown place?

A terrifying chill ran down my back that had nothing to do

with the snow pelting my face in the darkness. It couldn't happen.

The system that ran the game of real life would not be designed

so cruelly.

My thoughts writhed and tangled, but I kept pedaling. After a

right on the main route, I headed into the hills. The deep, blockpattern treads of my tires chewed the asphalt and its light layer of

sherbet snow. I kicked the pedals into a higher gear.

Eventually the shape of a large, dark building came into view.

Most of the windows were black, and the blue guiding lights

around the helicopter landing pad on the roof blinked like ghostly

wisps floating around a castle of darkness.

At the top of the final hill was a tall fence. I rode along the

perimeter for another minute until the front entrance came into

view, flanked by tall gateposts.

Because this was a special cutting-edge hospital that did not

take emergency patients, the gate was shut tight and the guard

box was unattended. I passed the main entrance en route to the

parking area, where a small employee gate to the grounds had

been left open.

I left my bike in the corner of the parking lot, too impatient to

bother locking it up. The parking lot was completely empty, lit

only by the orange sodium-vapor streetlights. The only thing

moving was the silent snow, painting the world white around me

as it fell. I ran, my heavy breathing creating dense clouds of

vapor.

When I was halfway across the vast parking lot, I was about to

pass between a tall, dark van and a white sedan when a silhouette

emerged from behind the van and nearly collided into me.

"Ah…"

I was about to apologize as I avoided the figure—until the

menacing gleam of something sharp and metallic swiped out at

me.

" ?!"

A sharp burning sensation burst across my right forearm just

below the elbow, and a great number of white things spilled into

the air. Not snow—fine, tiny feathers. The lining of my down

jacket.

I stumbled backward, only managing to stay upright by leaning against the rear of the white sedan.

I stared, stunned, at the black silhouette standing six feet

away. It was a man. A man wearing a dark suit. There was something long and white in his right hand. It glowed in the dull orange light.

A knife. A large survival knife. But why?

I could sense the man, standing in the shadows cast by the tall

van, examining my freezing face. He spoke, his voice ragged and

quiet as a whisper.

"You took so long, Kirito. What if I'd caught a cold?"

That voice. That high-pitched, wheedling voice.

"S…Sugou…" I murmured in a daze. He took a step forward,

and the orange light of the streetlamps hit his face.

The hair that had been so neatly styled at our meeting several

days ago was wild and bedraggled. There was a shadow of a beard

on his pointed chin, and his necktie hung loose around his neck.

But most of all, I noticed the bizarre look in his eyes through

the metal-framed glasses he wore. Almost immediately, I realized

what was so strange about it. His narrow eyes were bulging wide,

the pupil of his left eye dilated and trembling in the low light—but

his right pupil was constricted tight. The exact same spot that I'd

pierced in our fight atop the World Tree.

"That was so very cruel of you, Kirito," he growled. "The pain

won't go away. Not that I'm worried—I've got plenty of drugs for

that."

Sugou reached into his pocket and removed a few pills that he

promptly tossed into his mouth. He crunched them heartily and

took another step forward. By now I'd finally recovered from the

shock, and managed to speak through dry lips.

"You're finished, Sugou. You can't hide something that huge.

Give up and face justice."

"Finished? How so? Nothing is finished. True, RCT may be

useless now. But I'm going to America. There are plenty of companies who want me over there. I've got plenty of data from my

experiments. If I can use them to complete what I started, I can

be a true king—a god—the god of the real world."

He's gone mad. No…this man had probably broken long before.

"I just have a few things to clean up first. For starters, I'm

going to kill you, Kirito," Sugou muttered, expression locked in

place. Then he lunged toward me, stiffly jabbing his knife at my

stomach.

"…!!"

I barely evaded. An attempt to leap off the asphalt with my

right foot was aborted when snow stuck in the sole of my shoe

caused me to slip and crash to the pavement. I landed hard on my

left side, the breath shooting from my lungs.

Sugou gazed down at me with his mismatched eyes.

"Get on your feet."

The tip of his expensive leather shoe stomped into my femur

once, twice, and again. Hot pain shot through my spinal cord

deep into my brain. The impact rattled my wounded arm, which

throbbed painfully. It was only then that I realized he'd actually

cut my arm, not just the sleeve of my jacket.

I couldn't move. I couldn't speak. The terrible murderous

pressure of Sugou's survival knife—a good eight inches long—

froze the blood in my veins.

Kill…me…that knife—?

Only fragments of thoughts could find purchase in my scrambled wits. All my circuits were busy imagining, over and over, that

fateful moment when the thick knife silently invaded my body,

delivering the fatal blow. It was the only thing I could do.

The throbbing in my right arm turned to a burning numbness.

Black liquid was dripping from between my jacket sleeve and

winter gloves. I imagined all the blood in my body flowing out of

me. Death—not based on numerical hit points, but true, actual

death.

"C'mon, stand. Get up." Sugou kicked my legs repeatedly, mechanically. "What was it you were saying to me back there? About

not running? Not being a coward? Settling our score? How brave

and bold you were."

His whispering was laced with the same madness I'd heard in

the midst of that suffocating darkness.

"Don't you understand? Little boys like you who only know

how to play video games have no real power. You're scum, the

garbage of society. And yet you had the audacity, the temerity to

ruin my plan…There can be no punishment but death. Death is

the only solution," he droned.

Sugou rested his foot on my stomach and shifted his weight

forward. That physical force, combined with the mental pressure

of his madness, took my breath away.

I could do nothing but watch his approaching face and gasp in

short, irregular bursts. Sugou craned over and raised his weapon

high.

Without a blink, he swung it down.

" !"

The only sounds were a muted grunt from the back of my

throat and the dull crunch of the knifepoint grazing my cheek and

digging into the asphalt beneath me.

"Oopsie…Hard to aim when only one eye works," he muttered,

and pulled his hand back for another try.

The knife's edge, catching the glow of the parking lot lights,

was an orange line against the darkness. The very tip was chipped

from its direct impact against the hard pavement. That flaw, the

ugly imperfection of it, gave the knife a greater sense of physical

realism. It was not a weapon made of perfect polygons, but a

compact mass of metal molecules: sharp, cold, heavy, deadly.

Everything moved slowly. The snowflakes falling through the

dark sky. The foggy breath from Sugou's curved mouth. The edge

of the knife as it descended toward me. The gleaming orange reflection of the blade, flickering with the serrated pattern on its

back.

I remember a weapon that was jagged like that, my brain

subconsciously muttered to itself, piecing together fragments of

meaningless memory.

What was it again? A dagger-type item sold in the one of the

cities around the middle of Aincrad. It was called a swordbreaker.

The back was serrated like a saw to parry the enemy's blow, with

a small bonus chance to break their weapon. I was intrigued

enough to put my Dagger skill in an empty slot and try it out, but

I was never satisfied with its meager attack power.

The weapon in Sugou's hand now was smaller than that, not

even large enough to be called a dagger. In fact, this would hardly

be labeled a weapon—it was an everyday tool. It was not a

weapon that a swordsman would use in a fight.

Sugou's words of a few seconds ago echoed in my ears.

You have no real power.

He was right, of course. There was no need to point it out. But

what does that make you in your attempt to kill me, Sugou? A

master knife wielder? Do you know how to fight?

I stared at the bloodshot eyes behind Sugou's glasses. Agita-

tion. Madness. But there was something else as well: It was the

look of a man trying to escape. They were the eyes of wild instinct, of he who lashes out with abandon with his back to the

wall, trapped by monsters deep inside a dungeon with little hope

for escape.

He was just like me, struggling miserably in search of power

that he never found.

"Die, boy!!"

Sugou's scream snapped me from the decelerated world of

thought back to the present. My left hand shot up and caught

Sugou's wrist in descent, while I reached out and jammed the

base of his throat with my other thumb, just above his necktie.

"Hurgk!" he yelped, lurching backward. I lunged and grabbed

his wrist with both hands, scraping the backside against the

frozen asphalt. He screeched and relaxed his grip. The knife clattered to the ground.

Sugou lunged for the blade, screaming wheezily like some kind

of whistle. I pulled back my right leg and planted a stomp with

the sole of my shoe against his chin. From there, I scooped up the

knife and got to my feet.

"Sugou," I growled, my voice foreign and guttural. The knife's

presence was hard and cold through my glove. It was a weak

weapon. Too light, too short.

"But it'll be enough to kill you," I muttered, and leaped onto

Sugou, who was sitting on the asphalt stunned, mouth agape.

I grabbed a fistful of hair with my left hand and slammed his

head against the van door. The aluminum body dented inward

and his glasses went flying. Sugou's mouth was wide in a gasp of

shock. I pulled the knife back, preparing to jab it at his exposed

throat.

"Grrh…aaah!"

But I had to stop, to grit my teeth against the urge.

"Hyeeek!! Eeyaaa!!"

Sugou was emitting the exact same high-pitched squeals that

I'd heard in Alfheim not even an hour ago. He deserved to die. He

deserved to be judged. If I brought the knife down now, everything would be over at last. Finished. The decisive separation of

winner and loser.

But…

I was not a swordsman anymore. The world where skill with

the sword decided everything was a relic of the distant past now.

"Eeeeh…"

Sugou's eyes suddenly rolled back into his head. His scream

ended abruptly, and he slumped to the ground like a robot unplugged.

The tension drained out of my arm. The knife slipped through

my fingers and landed on Sugou's midsection. I let go of him and

got to my feet.

If I spent another second looking at this hateful man, the urge

to kill would return, and I would not be successful at stifling it

twice.

I pulled off Sugou's necktie, laid him out on the ground, and

tied his hands together behind his back. The knife went onto the

roof of the van. Then I turned away and forced my stumbling

body to make its way, step by clumsy step, across the parking lot.

It took five minutes to climb the wide steps to the front entrance.

I stopped there, breathing heavily, and took a look down at my

body.

I was a mess, filthy with snow and grit. My right arm and left

cheek were throbbing painfully, but the bleeding had stopped, at

least.

The front door was automatic, but it showed no sign of opening. I peered through the glass to see that the lights of the lobby

were dim, but it was brighter back at the reception counter. Fortunately, there was an unlocked glass push door on the left side

that offered me a way in.

The interior of the building was silent. I walked past rows of

benches lining the spacious lobby. The counter was unattended,

but I could hear laughing coming from the nurse station behind

it. I prayed that I could make my voice heard.

"Um…excuse me!"

After a few seconds, the door opened and two women in pale

green uniforms appeared. They looked pensive at first, but that

turned to shock when they got a better look at me.

"What happened?!" said one of them, a tall, young nurse with

her hair tied up. My cheek must have bled more than I realized.

I pointed back to the entrance and said, "A man with a knife

attacked me in the parking lot. He's knocked out next to a big

van."

They looked nervous. The older nurse went over to a device

behind the counter and leaned into a microphone.

"Security, please come to the first-floor nurse station at once."

The patrolman must have been close, because within seconds

a man in a navy-blue uniform came trotting over. When the

nurses repeated my description, his face went hard. He said

something into a small comm unit and headed for the entrance.

The younger nurse went with him.

The other nurse took an appraising look at the cut on my

cheek.

"You're the family of Ms. Yuuki up on the twelfth floor, aren't

you? Is that your only injury?"

She seemed to be under a slight misconception, but I nodded

anyway. I didn't have the willpower to correct her.

"I see. I'll call the doctor at once. Just wait here." She hurried

off.

I took a deep breath and looked around the lobby. Once I was

sure there was no one around, I slipped behind the counter and

grabbed a guest pass. With my access in hand, I set my trembling

legs working in the direction that none of the adults had gone—

toward the hallway I'd traveled dozens of times before.

The elevator was parked on the first floor, so the door opened

as soon as I hit the button. I leaned against the interior wall as

the car headed for the top floor. As it was a hospital elevator, its

progress was gentle, but even that slight increase in pressure felt

ready to break my knees. I barely stayed upright.

After endless seconds, the elevator stopped and the doors

opened. I practically crawled into the hallway.

The few yards to Asuna's room felt like miles. I had to prop

myself against the handrail along the wall just to keep moving.

Left at the L-shaped turn in the hallway, and there was the white

door, straight ahead.

Step after step after step.

Back then, too—

After the virtual world's sunset-wrapped demise, I was re-

leased to reality. I woke up in a nondescript hospital room, and

that day I made a journey on stumbling feet. In search of Asuna, I

walked and walked. That path had led me to this moment.

Finally, I would meet her. The time had come.

As the distance grew shorter, the emotion grew hotter and

more fervent within me. My pulse raced. My vision began to fade.

But I couldn't pass out here. So I walked. Step after step after

step.

I was so intent on that process that I nearly walked right into

the door before I realized where I was.

Asuna was on the other side. That was my only thought.

I reached out a trembling hand, but the keycard slipped

through my sweaty fingers, onto the floor. I picked it up and tried

again, successfully sticking it into the slot on the metal plate.

Breath held, I slid it back out.

The light on the plate changed color, a motor whirred, and the

door opened.

The scent of flowers drifted outward.

There were no lights on inside, only the faint white glow of the

outside illumination reflecting off the snow.

As usual, the room was split through the middle by a large curtain. The gel bed was on the other side.

I couldn't move. I couldn't continue. I couldn't speak.

A sudden whisper sounded in my ear.

"Go on—she's waiting."

I felt a hand push my shoulder. Yui? Suguha? Someone's voice

had saved me in three different worlds. I picked up my right foot

and brought it down. Then my left. Then my right again.

The curtain was right ahead. I reached out and grabbed it.

Pulled.

The white veil rolled aside with a sound as gentle as the breeze

over a field.

"…Ahh," the sound escaped from my throat.

A girl, wearing a thin white hospital gown that looked almost

like a dress, was sitting upright. She faced the dark window, her

back to me, and the quiet glow from the falling snow shone in her

long, lustrous hair. Her thin arms were resting in her lap, holding

a shining, blue, egg-shaped object.

Her NerveGear. The crown of thorns that had held her prisoner for so long was finally silent, its job finished.

"Asuna," I said, my voice a whisper. She jumped, stirring the

flower-scented air, and turned.

The hazel eyes that looked at me were still full of the dreamy

light of one awakened from a long, long sleep.

How many times had I imagined this moment? How many

times had I prayed for it?

A smile floated to her pale, graceful lips.

"Kirito."

It was the first time I had heard that voice. It was quite unlike

the one I'd heard every day in Aincrad. But this voice, actual vibrations in the air that hit my actual eardrums en route to my

brain, was many times more wonderful.

Asuna took her left hand off the NerveGear and reached out. It

was trembling slightly—even this act was exhausting to her.

I took her hand as gently as I could, as though holding a sculpture of snow. It was painfully thin and frail—but warm. The

warmth of our contact seeped into us, as though to heal all

wounds. All the strength went out of my legs, and I had to lean

against the edge of the bed.

She brought her other hand up to touch my wounded cheek,

tilting her head in question.

"Yeah…the final—the true final— battle just finished. It's

over…"

And at last, tears sprang to my eyes. The wetness dripped

down my cheeks, onto her fingers, shining with the light from the

window.

"I'm sorry…I can't really hear yet. But…I know what you're

saying," she whispered, rubbing my cheek with care. Just the

sound of her voice shook my soul.

"It's over…It's finally over…I've finally met you."

Shining silver tears streamed down Asuna's cheeks as well and

dripped off her chin. Her wet eyes stared deeply into mine, as

though attempting to tell me everything within her mind.

"It's nice to meet you. I'm Asuna Yuuki. I'm back, Kirito."

I held in a sob and responded, "I'm Kazuto Kirigaya. Welcome

home, Asuna."

We leaned forward and brushed lips, lightly. Then again,

harder.

I put my arms around her fragile body and held her gently.

The soul travels. From world to world. From this life to the next.

And it seeks others. Calls out.

Long ago, in a big castle floating in the clouds, a boy who

dreamed of being a warrior and a girl who loved to cook met and

fell in love. Those two are gone, but after a long, long journey,

their hearts met again.

I gently rubbed Asuna's back as she sobbed, watching out the

window with tear-blurred eyes. Beyond the falling snow, which

was coming down harder than before, I thought I saw two silhouettes standing together.

A boy in a black coat, with two swords crossed over his back.

A girl in a knight's uniform, red on white, with a silver rapier

at her waist.

They smiled, held hands, and walked off into the distance.