Chapter 3

The twenty-fourth floor of Aincrad was a majority-water level, covered in

lakes and swamps. The visual motif was very similar to the sixty-first floor,

home of Asuna's past residence in Selmburg, though that wouldn't be open to

the players of ALO for quite a while yet.

The name of the main town was Panareze, which was a man-made island

placed in the center of a massive lake, with floating bridges in all directions

connected to countless little islands.

Asuna observed the festival air of Panareze from across the water, her head

resting against Kirito's shoulder. They were sitting side by side on the southern

shore of a little island just north of the city. Behind them were green, leafy

trees, while little waves lapped at their feet. The winds crossing the lake, warm

for winter, rustled the fine grass around them.

"Hey, do you remember the first time you came to my place in Selmburg?"

Asuna asked, looking up at Kirito.

He smiled and replied, "I don't mean to brag, but I'm really good at not

remembering things…"

"Aww!"

"…But I do remember that one vividly."

"…Really?"

"Of course. Remember, I had just gotten that ultrarare food item, and you

cooked it into a stew for me. Oh, man…that meat was delicious…I still think

about it sometimes."

"Great! So all you remember is the food!" Asuna pouted, but her tone was

jovial as she jabbed him in the chest. "Fine…I'll admit, I remember that part,

too."

"Sheesh, don't take it out on me, then…Hey, do you think it's possible to

recreate that stew in real life?"

"Hmm…It was similar to poultry, so I bet you could tweak the sauce just

right…But actually, I'd prefer to keep that a memory. Isn't the thought of a dish

you can never taste again kind of romantic?"

"Um, well, I suppose." Kirito nodded regretfully. Asuna couldn't help but

laugh again. He smiled for her, then seemed to remember something. "Oh,

right. Hey…"

"What?"

"We seem to be building up a good stockpile of yrd again, so…when they

update and unlock the sixties, d'you want to get a place in Selmburg again? Like

your old apartment?"

"Hmm." Asuna considered Kirito's proposal, but eventually she shook her

head. "No, I'm fine. It wasn't as if everything was sunshine and rainbows when I

was living there. We should use that money to help Agil open his store in Algade

instead."

"Great, the return of the business that can squeeze blood from a stone. If I

invest in him, I'm charging an arm and a leg in interest…"

"Wow, you're terrible."

They could have talked about the old Aincrad all day. As they chatted and

laughed, Asuna noticed that the number of players flying from Panareze over

toward their island was growing considerably. They all flew overhead, toward

the large tree at the center of the isle.

"Well, I think it's about time. I gotta go," Asuna said, already regretting the

loss of his body warmth. Kirito put on a serious expression.

"Asuna. If you're going to fight the Absolute Sword…"

"…Yeah?"

"Well…um, I guess, just…It'll be tough. Seriously."

She found his lack of conviction curious. "I've already heard all the stories

from Liz and Leafa. And most important, even you couldn't win. I'm not

assuming I'll stand a chance. I just want to see it for myself…In fact, I still can't

envision you losing in a fight."

"There are plenty of folks out there tougher than me by now. It's just…this

Absolute Sword is on a different level."

"Speaking of which, Leafa mentioned that you had a little conversation in the

middle of your duel. What did you talk about?"

"Oh, ummm, just something I was wondering about…"

"Such as?"

"Er, well…"

She was acutely aware that there was something anxious in Kirito's gaze, and

she blinked repeatedly, even more confused.

No matter how strong this Absolute Sword was, this wasn't the world of SAO

any longer. Even if you failed to resign in time in a duel and ran out of HP,

someone could just cast a resurrection spell to bring you back on the spot.

You'd lose a bit of experience to the death penalty, but nothing a few hours of

grinding couldn't restore.

But his answer was not what she expected.

"Basically, I said, 'You're a complete and total resident of this world, aren't

you?' And the answer I got was a smile and an unbelievably quick thrust. It

was…faster than should be possible…"

"A total resident of this world…? Meaning, like, someone without a real life?"

Asuna asked curiously, but Kirito shook his head.

"No. I wasn't speaking about a single VRMMO world, but the Seed Nexus as a

whole…Actually, not that, either. I guess I was implying more like…a child of the

full-dive environment itself."

"What does…that mean…?"

"I don't want to give you any preconceptions. You should go and experience it

for yourself."

He bopped her on the head. She blinked and heard the sound of several

fairies descending on the other side of the tree behind them, followed by a

familiar bellow.

"I swear, take my eyes off of you for a minute, and this is what happens!"

Asuna hastily got up and turned toward the sound of footsteps striding

through the grass. Lisbeth appeared around the side of the tree trunk, her

hands planted on her waist, framing her heavy apron. She glared down at

Asuna.

"Sorry to interrupt, but it's time."

"I-I know that," stammered Asuna. She used her wings to get to her feet, and

then checked that her equipment was right. She had a tunic of woven mithril

and a matching skirt, boots, and gloves made of water-dragon hide, and a rapier

with a hilt of crystal in the scabbard at her waist. Each piece had the best

possible stats for items of its type. If she lost the duel, it wouldn't be because of

her gear.

Once she had inspected all of her equipment and magical accessories, Asuna

glanced at the clock in the lower right corner of her view. It was just past 2:50 in

real time.

With a glance at Kirito next to her, followed by Lisbeth, Silica, Leafa, and Yui

overhead, Asuna was ready.

"Okay, let's go!"

They flew in a low, flat line, heading for the center of the nameless island.

Once the rows of leaves and branches cleared up, a large hill came into view.

Overhead loomed the tremendous foliage of what looked like a miniature

version of Yggdrasil, the World Tree. At the base of the tree was a gathering of

numerous players, arranged in a large circle. A wave of cheers reached her ears;

the duels had already begun.

The group found an empty spot within the circle, and no sooner had they

landed than a single player fell screaming out of the sky. He landed at the foot

of the tree roots headfirst with a great crash, sending a cloud of dust flying.

The salamander swordsman lay splayed out on the ground for a time before

he finally sat up. He shook his head, clearing the cobwebs of the impact, and

raised his hands high.

"I give! I surrender! I resign!"

The end-of-duel fanfare played overhead, followed by a louder round of

applause. Around the crowd, people marveled at the sixty-seventh consecutive

victory of the champion and the unlikelihood that anyone would end that

streak. Asuna leaned back and gazed upward, trying to catch a glimpse of the

winner.

Amid the dapple of the great branches, she spotted a silhouette descending in

a curling spiral. It was smaller than she expected. From the reports, she

expected a huge, brawny man, but if anything, the torso looked delicate, fragile.

As the figure approached, the details became more and more apparent.

Creamy skin with touches of purple in the shade, the signature look of the

imps. Long, straight hair a lustrous purplish-black. An obsidian breastplate that

was softly rounded and a bluish-purple tunic with a long skirt flapping in the

wind. A scabbard at the waist, long and black.

As Asuna watched in stunned surprise, the unbeaten Absolute Sword did a

lithe spin before touching down delicately on tiptoe, transitioning to a theatrical

bow with skirt held in fingertips and right hand pressed to the chest. An extraloud round of cheers and whistles erupted from all around—particularly from

the men in the audience.

The Absolute Sword popped back to a standing position with a dazzling smile

and a cheeky little V-for-victory sign. The duelist was clearly shorter than Asuna,

with a compact face; dimpled cheeks; a slightly upturned nose; and big, shining

eyes as purple as amethyst.

Shock still coursing through Asuna's veins, she leaned over and elbowed

Lisbeth in the side.

"…Excuse me, Liz."

"What?"

"The Absolute Sword is…a girl!"

"What, didn't I say that?"

"No, you didn't! Oh…in fact…"

Now she turned to glance sidelong at Kirito.

"The reason you lost isn't because…"

"N-no!" he protested, straight-faced, shaking his head adamantly. "I didn't go

easy on her just because she's a girl. I was superserious about it. Really. At

least…from partway on."

"Oh, I'm sure," she huffed, turning away.

Meanwhile, the salamander was at last up on his feet, shaking hands with the

Absolute Sword with a smile, despite his defeat. He returned to the crowd,

scratching his head in embarrassment. The black-haired girl with the crimson

headband cast a low-level heal spell on herself and surveyed the crowd.

"So, um, who's up next?"

Her voice was just as high-pitched and bubbly as her avatar. There was an

innocent playfulness to it that you wouldn't expect from a veteran fighter.

ALO was a game that did not allow for players to switch gender, so the player

herself had to be female, but it did not take age and figure into account; the

player's avatar was generated randomly. Still, there was a naturalness to her

mannerisms and voice that made you want to believe they reflected her true

age.

In the crowd around Asuna, she could hear people teasing one another and

sounding reluctant to step forward—there was no rush to be the next

opponent. It was Lisbeth's turn to elbow Asuna in the ribs.

"Well, go on."

"W-wait…I need to get my mind back in gear…"

"Oh, you'll get that in no time once you fight her. Now get going!"

"Ack!"

Asuna stumbled forward several steps with the force of Lisbeth's push. She

avoided falling by spreading her wings, and when she looked up, she was

staring right into the face of the girl nicknamed the Absolute Sword.

"Oh, do you want to fight, Miss?" she asked, grinning.

Asuna had no choice but to answer, "Er…sure, I guess," in a tiny squeak.

Normally she would have engaged in some verbal sparring with her opponent

before the match, but she was thrown off guard by not finding the large,

imposing man she expected.

A bracing cheer rose from the crowd. Many of the people present recognized

Asuna from her frequent appearances on the medal stand after the monthly

dueling tournaments, and she heard her name repeated several times.

"Okay!" the girl chirped, snapping her fingers and motioning Asuna over.

With a deep breath, she summoned up her courage and stepped into the

middle of the crowd. Once the crowd noise had died down, she asked, "So, are

there any rules to the duel?"

"Of course. You can use all the magic and items you want. I'll only be using

this," she announced, tomboyish, patting the hilt of her sword. With that

innocent show of confidence, Asuna finally felt her sense of competition

prickling.

…After a comment like that, I'd be a coward to use long-distance interference

magic. You want a proper swordfight? I'll give you one. Asuna stroked the

handle of her rapier.

At that moment, the girl called out confidently and loudly, "Oh, right. Do you

prefer fighting on land or in the air?"

Asuna was taken aback—she had assumed they would be fighting in the air.

She stopped herself in the act of drawing her blade.

"…You're fine with either one?"

The Absolute Sword nodded with a grin. Asuna suspected another bit of

mental gamesmanship was at play, but there wasn't a hint of malice in the imp

girl's smile. She simply believed that she would win in either arena, that was all.

If that was the case, Asuna would indulge her. "On the ground, then."

"Okay. Jumps are allowed, but no using your wings!" the girl bubbled, folding

her distinctive wings behind her back. The batlike appendages quickly faded in

color until they were nearly invisible. At the same time, Asuna held her shoulder

blades as close as she could for two seconds, the action command to eliminate

her wings. She heard a faint jingle over her shoulder, the sign that they were

gone.

From the very first day that she dove into ALO as a proper player and not a

prisoner, Asuna had mastered the "voluntary flight" system, which didn't have a

handy flight stick. At this point she was able to hold her own in air battles

against ALO vets who had been around since before Aincrad was added to the

game.

But it was hard to get over the battle instincts that had seeped into her core

over two long years in SAO. Fighting on land would actually be quite an

advantage for her. She could feel the solidity of the ground from her toes to her

heels.

Next, Asuna checked the color cursor of the girl who went by "Absolute

Sword" by focusing her gaze in the vicinity of the girl long enough to

automatically bring up a long, horizontal window. In addition to revealing the

target's name, HP/MP bars, and any buff/debuff icons, the window's color

identified the nature of their relationship to the viewer. The reason it was called

a "color cursor" was because it shifted in tone depending on if the target was a

friendly, neutral, or hostile race, or if it was a friend, guildmate, or party

member.

As it was their first meeting, Asuna couldn't yet see the girl's name—the

space above the HP bar was blank. Instead, there was a small icon to the left of

that known as a "guild tag," the sign that she was a member of a guild. This logo

was player-customizable, and hers was a cute image of a pink heart with white

wings. Asuna did not have a tag of her own, as she wasn't a member of a guild

yet. The idea had arisen among her friends to start a guild on several occasions,

but they'd never gone through with it.

The girl's brilliant red-purple irises fixed on Asuna's after a brief period of

being off focus; she must have been checking Asuna's cursor in turn. She

grinned and waved her right hand, bringing up a system window. Immediately

following that, a window notifying her of an incoming duel offer burst into life

with bold fanfare. At the top, it said: YUUKI IS CHALLENGING YOU TO A DUEL.

So the girl's name was Yuuki—it was spelled with katakana, but the first thing

that came to Asuna's mind was "courage." It was a fitting name for her—both

cute and gallant at the same time.

At the bottom of the window were three options that she recognized from

SAO: "first-strike mode," then "half-finish mode," and finally, "full-finish mode."

In the old Aincrad, nearly every duel was first-strike, in which the first clean hit

by either player ended the fight. A full-finish duel meant that the loser would

die, and in half-finish mode, if the finishing blow was a critical hit, it could easily

drop the loser's HP into extremely perilous territory.

Naturally, without the threat of death hanging over their heads, full-finish

mode was selected. Asuna hit the OKAY button, thinking about how the times had

changed. The name Yuuki appeared in the girl's cursor. That meant that from

her end, she could see the name Asuna as well.

The duel window disappeared, replaced with a ten-second countdown. Asuna

the Flash and Yuuki the Absolute Sword grabbed their hilts at the same time,

drawing their blades forth. Two high-pitched shinngs overlapped.

Asuna's foe used a narrow, one-handed longsword, as dark and translucent as

her obsidian armor. Based on its brilliance and detail, it looked to be the same

rank of weapon as Asuna's. In other words, it probably didn't have an ultrarare,

unknown Legendary trait.

Yuuki held her longsword at midheight and easily took a sideways stance.

Meanwhile, Asuna kept her right hand close to her body with the rapier held

horizontally. The cheering of the crowd faded away like the drawing of a wave.

She took a deep breath, then let it out. The countdown hit zero.

At the very moment that the word DUEL flashed between them, Asuna leaped

forward as far as she could. She closed the twenty feet between them in a blink,

twisting her frame to the right.

"Shi!"

Her right hand shot forward like an arrow from a bow. With all of that inertia

and torque behind her, she thrust twice just left of Yuuki's body center, then a

moment later, once more to the right. They were ordinary attacks, not Sword

Skills, so they weren't very fast, but they were unerringly precise. While she

might be able to dodge the first two hits to the right, it would be impossible to

dodge the last one.

Just as Asuna expected, Yuuki spun to the right to evade the initial jabs. But

the third strike would sink right into the spot where she stopped…

Instead, Yuuki's own sword turned into a blur just before the rapier point hit

her breastplate. The aim of Asuna's thrust was thrown off by just a bit, and a

tiny spark shot up from the right side of her weapon.

By the time she realized her opponent had accurately parried the blindingly

fast thrust, Asuna's sword had already just grazed the Absolute Sword's armor

and flown past it.

The nape of Asuna's neck crawled with the anticipation of a counterattack.

But if she pulled her sword back now, it would immobilize her body and make it

an easier target. Rather than fight the momentum of her thrust, she spun left

into it.

At the same time, she caught sight of a black sparkle leaping up toward the

base of her neck.

" !!"

The lightning flash of its speed sent a sharp thrill racing through Asuna's body.

Her breath stopped, and she put so much force into her toe spin that her foot

drilled into the ground.

There was short, fine grass at her feet, and the friction of that surface was set

slightly lower than cobblestones or bare earth. That differential cost Asuna, and

her right foot slipped, causing her whole body to buckle.

But that was fortunate, as it meant Yuuki's blade only grazed Asuna's chest. A

terrific shock wave roared right into her ear as it passed. If the game had ruled

that it struck her hair, she would have lost about half of her light blue coif. Out

of the corner of her eye, she saw the air waver with the expulsion of all that

unleashed energy.

With her boots properly gripping the ground again, Asuna leaped hard to the

right. She bounded again with her left foot so that she was a safe distance

away.

Yuuki was unbalanced with the force of her attack, but she kept her smile in

place as she retook her mid-level stance. Asuna tried to calm her racing heart

enough to return that smile—but on the inside, there was a waterfall of cold

sweat coursing through her.

An incoming thrust was nothing more than an approaching point, and the

only way to avoid it was to step sideways out of its path, but the Absolute

Sword had successfully deflected it by striking the side of Asuna's rapier.

It was less the speed of the counter than the incredible reflexes that stunned

Asuna. Despite all of the stories of her might, the cute exterior of her opponent

caused her to let her guard down, and now it was as if a cold bucket of water

had been thrown onto her. She'd suspected that Kirito's defeat was due to the

fact that he went easy on a girl, but now she realized that suspicion was unfair

and untrue. Even he had never succeeded in parrying one of Asuna's best

thrusts that easily.

She took a deep breath to steady herself. This was a formidable foe, but she

wasn't much of a warrior if she was ready to give up after trading a single round

of blows…

Suddenly, she heard a little voice in her ears.

Oh, now you're a warrior? In a stupid little game…

She gritted her teeth and shook the mental noise out of her head. This was

another real world, and every battle here was deadly serious. It had to be that

way.

Asuna swung her sword to hold it above her right shoulder, snapping herself

into focus. This time she pointed it directly at her opponent.

If normal attacks weren't going to work, she'd have to risk using a Sword Skill.

The problem was that every Sword Skill was followed by an unavoidable period

of delay, so missing with any of her hits would leave her open to a fatal

counterattack at the end. She needed to unbalance her foe somehow, to ensure

that her skill would strike true. Asuna clenched her empty left hand.

When she leaped forward again, her mind was cold and focused. She could

feel a sense of acceleration throughout her body, the burning of her nerves and

synapses—a sensation she hadn't felt when fighting in the world of ALO yet.

This time, Yuuki came toward her as well. The smile was gone from her lips,

but the crystal-purple eyes still sparkled.

Asuna swiped to the right to deflect an obsidian slash that came roaring down

on her from above. In addition to the sparks and clanging, a tremendous shock

ran through her hand. The girl leaped back, but Yuuki snapped her weapon

forward instantly, as if it had no weight of its own. Swing after swing, so fast

that reacting once seeing them would be too late. Asuna had to watch every

detail of her opponent's moves to predict the next attack and then deflect or

evade it. At times, one of their swords would land briefly, and both fighters' HP

started to drop, but neither had secured a clean hit yet.

In the midst of this ultraspeed battle, Asuna was struck by a sudden off

sensation.

Indeed, Yuuki's attack and reaction speed were frightfully quick. She might be

faster than Kirito when it came to pure speed. But the only reasons Asuna could

keep up were the enormous backlog of experience she had with battle in SAO

and the straightforward nature of her opponent's attacks. There were no stopand-start jolts or feints to throw off Asuna's sense of timing.

Maybe she just didn't have much experience fighting against human players,

Asuna thought. If that was the case, just a single instant of surprise might be the

key to victory.

Asuna evaded a three-part attack from upper right, upper left, and side left,

then leaped forward at right, into Yuuki's wheelhouse. They were practically

touching. At this range, a single step wouldn't provide enough distance for

either of them to dodge.

Asuna dropped down and prepared to thrust straight for the center of her

opponent's body. Yuuki reacted and started to swipe upward from below.

At that instant, Asuna drew her right hand back and threw a quick left punch

into her foe's unguarded body—she'd learned the Martial Arts skill from a

training hall in the far-off capital of the gnomes. There was little damage, as she

was not equipped with a knuckle-style weapon, but it carried a stun effect that

wouldn't be present without the skill.

A dull thud ran through her fist, and Yuuki's eyes went wide with shock.

This would be her only chance. Asuna instantly initiated the four-part

Quadruple Pain Sword Skill.

Her rapier flashed bright red, and her right, guided by the unseen hand of the

game engine, ripped through the air like lightning.

Asuna was certain that her skill would land. Her opponent was off balance.

She was at close distance. Evasion was impossible.

But as she let the system do all the work, Asuna was watching her opponent's

face, and another shock ran down her back. The Absolute Sword's eyes were

still wide, but there was no surprise in the reddish-purple irises. Her pupils were

focused intently on the tip of the rapier.

She can follow the path of the sword?! Asuna marveled, just as Absolute

Sword's right hand twitched.

Four quick, hard scrapes rang out, like the sound of a sword briefly being

placed against a spinning whetstone. Asuna's four-part skill was deflected in all

directions, without a single hit landing. All she'd seen was the black inkblot

afterimage of Yuuki's sword.

After her final blow, Asuna was left frozen for less than a second with her

hand outstretched—but the pause filled her with despair. The deadly Absolute

Sword would not possibly pass on that opportunity.

The obsidian sword whipped backward and glowed bluish-purple.

A counter Sword Skill!

"Yaah!"

It was the first vocal utterance Yuuki had made in the duel. A direct thrust so

fast that she couldn't have dodged it even without the skill delay bit into

Asuna's left shoulder. It was followed by a breathless five-part combo. Every

blow rang true, and Asuna's HP dropped quickly into the yellow. She didn't

recognize this as a One-Handed Sword Skill, which meant it must be an Original

Sword Skill. It was a tremendous five-part thrusting combo…

But throughout Asuna's absent admiration, Yuuki's sword never lost its

brilliant shine. And now, she held it up to the left.

Five wasn't the end of the combo—there was more. A third shock ran through

Asuna as she finally recovered after her skill delay.

Five more of the same thrusts meant she would run out of HP. But there was

no way for her to dodge. If a futile attempt to escape got her cut across the

back, she'd be better off putting all her hopes on a last-ditch attack. Asuna

clenched her rapier and started another Sword Skill. It was the five-part OSS

she'd managed to create, called "Starry Tear."

Bursts of red and blue intersected. In the same formation as the last five-part

combo, Yuuki hit Asuna with an X-shaped attack starting at her right shoulder

and crossing her body.

But this time, Asuna's rapier found purchase as well. Five thrusts bit into the

black armor in a tiny star shape.

After they had traded five-hit skills, a moment of silence descended. Neither

had fallen yet. Yuuki's HP bar was halfway drained and colored yellow. Asuna's

HP was down in the red zone, just a tiny sliver left. As a character inherited

from her old SAO data, Asuna's HP value was higher than even the oldestrunning ALO member. And that stunning ten-part OSS had nearly finished her

off entirely…

But no. Yuuki's longsword was still glowing purple. The Sword Skill wasn't

over.

It drew back and aimed right for the center of the glowing X of damage that

crossed Asuna's chest.

Eleven hits.

To her astonishment, she recognized that this was the very OSS that the

Absolute Sword was wagering in the duel.

The power and speed were off the charts. And beyond that, it was beautiful.

She had no regrets in being defeated by such a skill. Asuna closed her eyes and

waited for the finishing blow.

The eleventh attack, which was poised to eradicate the last tiny line of health

left on her HP bar, stopped still.

With the skill canceled, the tremendous light and impact of that blow

scattered into empty air instead, rustling all the surrounding grass outward.

" ?!"

As Asuna stared wide-eyed, the Absolute Sword lowered her namesake and

walked closer, of all things. She patted Asuna's shoulder with a free hand and

gave her a dazzling grin. Her lips opened wide, and she made a bold

proclamation.

"Yes, you're very good! I've decided on you!!"

"Wha…Err…?" Asuna stammered stupidly, taken aback. "Um…what about the

duel…?"

"That was enough to satisfy me. Or did you want to keep going to the finish?"

Yuuki replied with a smile. Asuna shook her head. Either way, her HP would

have gone down to zero if she hadn't blocked the final attack.

The tomboy nodded happily, continuing. "I've been looking for someone who

struck me as just right. I finally found you! So, do you have some free time

still?"

"Uh…yes. I'm free…"

"Then come with me for a bit!"

Yuuki the Absolute Sword slid her blade coolly into the sheath on her waist

and forcefully extended a hand. Asuna hesitantly stashed her weapon as well

and took the hand.

The other girl stretched her shoulders wide, the bodily command to deploy

wings. The translucent, batlike wings popped out and propelled her into the air.

"Um, hang on." Asuna hastily spread her shoulder blades and leaped into

flight. Yuuki grinned and turned, still holding Asuna's hand, then shot upward

like a rocket.

"Wait! Where are you going, Asuna?!" came a high-pitched voice. Asuna

looked down as she was hurtled upward and saw Lisbeth, hand to her mouth,

looking both shocked and annoyed. Leafa, Silica, and Yui—who was sitting atop

Kirito's head—all looked stunned, but the black-clad spriggan was grinning as

though he expected something like this to happen.

Bolstered by his expression, Asuna smiled back and sucked in a deep breath.

"Uh, um…I'll get in touch later!" she yelled to Lisbeth, just as Yuuki's wings

glowed purple and burst into a dash. Asuna desperately beat her wings to keep

up with the force yanking her onward, in the trail of the mysterious warrior.

Yuuki headed directly south over the lake that covered the twenty-fourth

floor and plunged straight through the outer aperture of Aincrad, breaking out

beyond the flying castle.

"Pwah!"

A mass of thick, wet cloud hit Asuna's face. After several seconds of flying

straight through whiteness, the clouds gave way, and there was an infinity of

cerulean blue around them.

Far below and straight ahead, there was a green cone piercing the clouds—

the foliage of the World Tree that loomed over the center of Alfheim. Directly

below that, barely visible, was the faded blue surface of the earth. Based on the

round, carved coastline and the circular island floating in the water, Aincrad

seemed to be flying over Crescent Bay, the home of the undines.

Just as Asuna started to wonder where they were going, Yuuki made a sudden

ninety-degree turn directly upward.

She was faced with the looming sheer cliff that was the outside of Aincrad,

several dozen feet away. As they climbed, they cut across floor after floor, each

one three hundred feet tall, but the Absolute Sword kept pushing upward.

Even with the power of flight, they could only freely enter those floors that

had already been conquered. Above that, the outer apertures were solid,

inviolable space. Asuna began to worry and opened her mouth to check, but

just as she had taken a fresh breath, they turned ninety degrees yet again.

Yuuki was heading for the twenty-seventh floor. If Asuna's memory was

correct, that was the current player frontier. They shot through the mossy

outside and plunged into the interior, everything suddenly growing darker.

The twenty-seventh floor of Aincrad was a land of eternal night. The outer

apertures were extremely narrow, so barely any sunlight got inside, even at

midday. On the inside, craggy rock mountains stretched all the way to the

ceiling above, and enormous hexagonal pillars of crystal grew out of the

ground, emitting pale blue light. It was rather similar in atmosphere to the

underground gnome world at the northern end of Alfheim.

The imp girl, who would have the second-best night vision behind a spriggan,

pulled Asuna along through the rocks. At times, flocks of flying gargoyle

monsters appeared ahead, but Yuuki skillfully evaded their search capabilities.

Eventually, they plunged into a deep valley and flew at low speed until a small

town nestled into the circular valley came into view: Rombal, the main city of

the twenty-seventh floor.

The town seemed to be scooped right out of the rock, a complex system of

narrow alleys and staircases that was lit by orange lamps. It was an oddly

soothing sight, like a little glowing fire in the midst of the dark of night.

Yuuki and Asuna forged trails of purple and blue as they descended gently

toward the circular plaza at the center of the town. Soft BGM began to play in

their ears, the sign that they had entered the safe haven of civilization, and

their noses were tickled by the faint scent of stew as their heels landed on the

paving stone.

Asuna let out a long breath and surveyed her surroundings. Rombal was

meant to be a town of night spirits, and as a result, there were no larger

buildings present. There were only numerous quaint workshops, businesses and

inns crammed in tight, carved out of bluish stone and lit by orange lamps. The

contrast gave it an eerie beauty and the bustling feeling of a night festival.

In the days of the old SAO, the floor gave the player population trouble, but

without any notable features or facilities, they didn't have much reason to

spend time there. She only remembered staying there a few days, at best. But

as the current frontier of progress in New Aincrad, it was currently bustling with

players, each bristling with impressive gear. Every face on the street gave off

the impression of a hardened warrior with more than a little eccentricity, and

the sight filled Asuna with both nostalgia and bitterness.

She had raced through the floors up until the twenty-second, just for the sake

of buying that forest cabin, but Asuna had hardly participated in any of the boss

fights since then. The catharsis of opening new towns was better meant for

those new players who hadn't experienced it before, and being among the

frontline players did not always bring up the most enjoyable memories for her.

She shut her eyes and shook her head to clear out the past, then looked to

the Absolute Sword nearby.

"So…why did you bring me here? Is there something important in this town?"

she asked. The imp girl grinned and took her hand again.

"First, I want to introduce you to my companions! This way!"

"Er, wait…"

Asuna had to chase after the racing girl, who plunged down one of the narrow

alleys that extended in a radial pattern outward from the plaza. They went up a

small stairway, then down one, then over a bridge, then through a tunnel,

emerging at last in front of a small building. They walked through the door,

under a cast-iron hanging sign fashioned into a cauldron shape, reading INN.

Inside, they passed a napping, whiskered old NPC at the front desk and went

into the pub in the rear.

"Welcome back, Yuuki! Any luck this time?!" came an excited boy's voice as

they entered the room.

Five players were seated around a circular table in the center of the pub.

There were no others in the room. Yuuki strode over to them and turned back

to Asuna. She flourished toward the group and proudly announced, "Allow me

to introduce you to the members of my guild, the Sleeping Knights."

She made another half turn and pointed to Asuna. "And this lady is, um…"

Yuuki paused. She ducked her head a bit, rolled her big eyes, and stuck out

her tongue impishly. "Sorry…I didn't actually ask her name yet."

The five players sitting around the table all groaned and slumped theatrically

in their chairs. Asuna couldn't help but giggle. "Nice to meet you. I'm Asuna."

Suddenly, the small salamander boy sitting on the left leaped up, his orange

ponytail waving. "I'm Jun! Nice to meet you, Asuna!" he blurted.

Next to him was a large gnome. The narrowed eyes below his unruly, sandy

locks added a touch of charm to his imposing bulk. He tried to suck in his

bulging stomach and bowed, slowly adding, "Er, um, my name is Tecchi. It's a

pleasure."

Next to stand was a young, thin leprechaun. His neatly parted, bronzy-blond

hair combined with metal-frame glasses to give him the look of a student. His

small, round eyes went wide and he bent over, blushing for some reason.

"M-my name is, um, Talken, and it's, um, n-n-nice to…Ow!!"

The woman sitting to his left kicked him hard in the shin with a heavy boot.

"Get over that stammering habit, Tal! You do it every time you meet a girl."

The owner of that forceful voice stood up, scraping her chair against the floor.

She gave Asuna a full-faced grin and scrunched up her flared mane. "I'm Nori.

Good to meet you, Asuna."

Based on her tanned skin and gray wings, she seemed to be a spriggan, but

the heavy brows, sharp eyes, and heavyset figure did not seem to match the

wispy, illusionist spriggan race.

The last was an undine, like Asuna. Her shoulder-length hair was an aqua so

pale it was nearly white, and her long eyelashes hid gentle eyes that were

nearly navy. She had a long-bridged nose, small lips, and a surprisingly fragilelooking body: perfectly fitting for the race that was meant to be healers.

The woman stood gracefully and, in a smooth, calm voice, intoned, "It is nice

to meet you. I am Siune. Thank you for coming."

"And," said the Absolute Sword, jumping onto the end of the line, her

amethyst eyes sparkling, "I'm Yuuki, the leader of the guild! Asuna…" She took

big strides over and grabbed both of Asuna's hands. "Let's do our best

together!"

"Um…and what are we doing?" Asuna asked, a smile frozen on her face.

Yuuki looked stunned for a second, then stuck out her tongue again. "Oh,

right. I didn't explain anything yet!"

Flop! The five at the table slumped in their chairs again, and Asuna couldn't

hold in her laughter this time. She clutched her sides and chuckled, and

eventually Yuuki and the others joined in with booming laughter.

Asuna took another look at the Sleeping Knights, trying to stifle her giggles,

and felt something shiver up and down her back.

All of them were tremendous players. She could tell, just from watching each

and every limb move. All six of them were completely comfortable with

controlling their avatars in a full-dive environment. She was certain that with

their weapons, they were each close to the Absolute Sword in skill.

Asuna—and, she suspected, Kirito and the others—was completely unaware

that there had been such a crack team of veteran players in the game. If they

had all come from another VRMMO like Yuuki, they must have been quite a

legendary guild in their old haunt. She wondered what would make them

abandon their familiar avatars and carefully acquired items and move to ALO…

At last, Yuuki got over her giggles and scratched at the red headband, noting

regretfully, "I'm sorry, Asuna. I brought you all the way here without explaining

why. I got so happy to find someone else as strong as me that I just got carried

away…Well, allow me to ask properly. Help me…I mean, help us!"

"Help…you?" Asuna repeated, confused. A number of thoughts ran through

her mind.

It probably wasn't a request to join their party to help them get more money,

items, or skill points. A guild with this much manpower wasn't going to be much

different with Asuna added.

At the same time, it was hard to imagine they needed help getting a certain

item or buying a house. Unlike the old SAO, where information was traded for

exorbitant prices, ALO had plenty of third-party websites that offered all the

game info you could ever need, for free. By consulting those sites, resourceful

players could get just about any items they wanted.

Perhaps what Yuuki saw in Asuna was not just numerical strength, but the

entirety of knowledge that went into mastering battle. Yet it was PvP play that

needed that skill the most, not PvE monster hunting. And since it involved a

guild invitation, perhaps what the Absolute Sword planned wasn't duels like on

that little island, but a major group battle—a massive slaughter with some

other guild, no rules involved.

Asuna mulled it over, bit her lip, then said, "Um…if it involves helping you in a

war with some other guild, then I'm sorry, but…"

Player-versus-player fights that didn't happen within the structured

tournament system or some other rule set always left her with unresolved

emotions afterward. Naturally, it was a minority of players who held a longterm grudge over a momentary competition, but she couldn't discount the

possibility that such actions might end up causing trouble not just for herself

but for her friends.

For that reason, even if she suffered boorish, unfair behavior from others out

in the hunting grounds, she made sure never to draw her sword on another

player.

Asuna opened her mouth, ready to explain her philosophy as briefly as she

could, but Yuuki gave her a wide-eyed shake of her head.

"No, no, we're not going to war or anything. It's, um…well…You might laugh

at us, but…"

She looked down, mumbling shyly, then looked up at Asuna and admitted,

unexpectedly, "The thing is…we want to beat the boss of this floor."

"H-huh?!" Asuna stammered. That was not at all what she expected. She had

been anticipating something even more grandiose and extreme than a guild

war, and instead got the most orthodox answer of all: beating a floor boss. It

was the exact same thing that just about every other player on this floor had to

be thinking.

"When you say…'boss,' you mean the kind at the end of the labyrinth…? Not

some kind of timed mob with a unique name?" she asked, just to be sure. Yuuki

nodded.

"Yep, exactly. The kind you can only beat once."

"Hmm…I see, a boss…"

Asuna looked at the other five members of the guild, whose eyes were

shining as they awaited her answer. It seemed as though Yuuki's team wanted

to be counted among the "advancement guilds" who specialized in defeating

bosses to push the player base's progress onward. Freshly converted with no

personal connections, they wanted instruction from Asuna to help them join

the ranks of the game's expert players—perhaps.

"Well…given how good you are, Abso…I mean, Yuuki…"

After much surprised blinking and a few attempts to switch her mind into

gear, Asuna pondered the practical possibility of the request. At present, the

frontline players working on Aincrad were about 80 percent ALO veterans and

20 percent comeback players from the original SAO. For now, the two groups

were meshed together, with many guilds featuring a combination of ALO and

SAO types, but shortly after the Aincrad update, relations were stiff. After all,

they each had their pride: The "fairies" were playing the oldest game for the

AmuSphere, while the "swordsmen" had played the very first VRMMO in

existence. Asuna was much the same way.

If a group of converted players from a different game barged in and asked to

join the raid, their prospects might not be great, but Yuuki the Absolute Sword

was the kind of off-the-charts power that created exceptions. If the other five

were equivalent to her, they just needed a chance to display that talent.

"Let's see…I understand they've mapped out this floor's labyrinth up close to

the boss chamber, so I can't make any guarantees about getting a spot on this

raid party, but as long as you start off by participating on the next floor, they

might see the merit in allowing you to join the raid…But the maximum member

count for a raid is forty-nine, so I can't be sure they'll make room for all six of

you, either," Asuna explained. Yuuki shrank back shyly a bit, and once again she

blew the top off of Asuna's expectations.

"Um, well, that's not exactly what I mean. I don't want to join a big team…I

want to defeat the boss with just the seven of us."

"…Wh-whaaat?!"

Asuna's shriek was the loudest noise that had echoed off the walls since she

arrived in the pub.

The reason was quite simple.

Compared to the boss monsters that loomed over each floor in the original

SAO, the New Aincrad bosses were considerably stronger. What with the

changes in the game's system, it wasn't such a simple comparison, but given

that with proper strategy and planning, the old bosses could be defeated

without losing a single player, it was telling that the new bosses scattered their

human foes like dandelion fuzz with ultrapowerful standard attacks and unique

moves.

That necessitated changes in battle strategy, of course. A raid party needed

close to the maximum number of members, and more healers were needed to

stem the tide of deaths. Rather than having one member sacrifice himself to

deal ten damage, get ten members to safely and reliably deal eleven. Asuna was

participating in the boss battles up to the twenty-first floor, and even at those

low floors, the number of 7x7 raid parties with the full forty-nine members that

ended up completely wiped out was uncountable.

Naturally, the bosses got tougher as the floors went on. The recent Christmas

update unlocked the floors in the latter twenties, but the twenty-sixth floor

below them had taken the best and brightest of several major guilds to clear.

So no matter how powerful Yuuki's little guild might be, adding Asuna to bring

them to a total of seven wasn't going to make a bit of difference against the

boss. She tried to explain that to the girl as simply as possible, choosing her

words carefully.

"…and that's why…I don't think having just seven of us is going to work…"

When she finished, the Sleeping Knights looked among one another and

smiled shyly for some reason. Yuuki spoke for the group.

"Yeah, it didn't work at all. We tried it on the twenty-fifth- and twenty-sixthfloor bosses already."

"What?! The…the six of you?!"

"Yep. We really did pretty well, in my opinion…but we couldn't get enough

MP and healing potions to do the trick. While we were trying out different

strategies and load outs, a bigger group came along and beat them each time."

"Oh, I see…So you are taking this seriously." Asuna examined the six faces

again.

It was certainly a reckless and pointless attempt, but she had nothing against

that sort of pluck. Once players were fully familiar with a game, they became

too set in their knowledge of what they could and couldn't do. The spirit of

ambition that pulsed through the Sleeping Knights was very fresh and exciting

to Asuna—and familiar, as well.

"But…why? Why do you want to beat the boss on your own, rather than with

other guilds?"

Of course, beating a boss with so few members would result in an absurd

amount of yrd and exclusive loot for each person. But that didn't seem like a

motive that fit the people she'd just met.

"Um, well…um, well," Yuuki chattered, her amethyst eyes wide. But the

words did not come. Her mouth opened and shut in hesitation as she tried to

find the right way to describe their plan.

That was when the tall undine named Siune came to Yuuki's aid. "I will

explain. But first, please be seated."

Once all seven of them were sitting at the table and had received an order of

drinks from the NPC waitress, Siune neatly folded her long fingers and began

her explanation.

"As you might have surmised already, we did not meet in this realm. We were

part of an online community that had nothing to do with games…and found

that we all got along quite well. We've been friends for about…two years now."

She paused to reflect on the past, her eyes downcast.

"They are the most wonderful companions. We have traveled to various

worlds and gone on many adventures together. But unfortunately, it's only

through the spring that we're likely to be able to continue. Everyone is going to

be…busy after that. So before we break up the team, we decided that we

wanted to make one last, unforgettable memory together. Out of the countless

VRMMO worlds out there, we looked for the most enjoyable, beautiful, and

exhilarating world, so that we could work to achieve some grand goal together.

After converting to various games, we eventually arrived here."

Siune looked around the group in turn. Jun, Tecchi, Talken, Nori, and Yuuki

each nodded, their faces shining. Siune smiled wanly and continued. "We have

found that Alfheim, land of fairies, and its floating castle Aincrad, make for a

splendid place. The beautiful cities, forests, plains, the World Tree, and this

castle—none of us will ever forget our memories of flying together here. If

there's one more thing we want…it's to leave some trace of ourselves in this

world."

Beneath her half-closed lids, Siune's navy blue eyes took on a light of intent.

"If we defeat a floor boss, our names will be left on the Monument of

Swordsmen found in Blackiron Palace on the first floor, I understand."

"Ah…"

Asuna went wide-eyed, then nodded. It was true that the names of the

players who defeated bosses were recorded in Blackiron Palace. Asuna herself

was listed in the twenty-first-floor slot.

"Well…it's only for stroking our own egos, but we really want to have our

names on that monument. There's just one problem. If a single party beats the

boss, all of their names are written down, but if the group is multiple parties,

only the party leaders' names are recorded."

"Oh…I see. Yes, you're right about that," Asuna said, recalling the interior of

the palace.

The Monument of Swordsmen was a 3-D object modeled in the game's

physical space, which meant it naturally had a limited area—certainly not

enough for the names of every player to participate in boss battles up to the

hundredth floor. There were only seven slots for each floor. So as Siune said, if a

single party beat the boss, all their names could fit, but if it were a full raid, only

the seven party leaders would be represented.

Once Siune was certain that Asuna had picked up on their intention, she

continued. "In other words, for all the members of the Sleeping Knights to show

up on the monument, we must defeat the boss with just a single party. We did

our best on the twenty-fifth and twenty-sixth floors, but we just couldn't get

over the top…So we came to a group decision. The maximum size of a party is

seven, so we had room for one more. Presumptuous as it may sound, we

wanted someone even stronger than Yuuki, the best of our guild, so that we

could ask him or her to join us in our task."

"I see…So that's what's going on," Asuna said, letting out the breath she'd

been holding. She looked down at the white tablecloth.

Leaving their names on the Monument of Swordsmen. I understand that

desire.

Because all online games—not just VRMMOs—demanded plenty of time from

their players, many people withdrew from them in the spring, when the

Japanese school year ended and people looked for new jobs. It was an

eventuality that even close-knit guilds that had been together for years would

one day break apart. So it was natural to want to leave behind traces of that

bond for as long as the game world existed.

For her part, Asuna didn't know how long she'd be able to play ALO. If her

mother got any tougher on her, she might take away the AmuSphere. So if her

remaining time was limited, then she wanted to make each and every second

count, just like they did.

"…What do you say? Will you accept? We converted here not long ago, so I'm

afraid we're not in a position to offer you much…"

Siune opened a trade window in order to present a money amount. Asuna cut

her off immediately.

"Er, no, it's going to cost quite a bit to undertake the task, so you should keep

what money you have for that. As long as I get something from the boss, that

should be fine…"

"Then you'll accept?!"

The faces of Siune and her five companions sparkled. As she looked at each of

them in turn, Asuna felt herself secretly wondering how it had come to this. It

had only started with a little spark of curiosity about the mysterious Absolute

Sword. And suddenly she was here, all the way at the front line, far from their

dueling spot, introduced to a group of friends, and accepting an invitation to

tackle the floor boss together. It hadn't even been an hour yet.

Asuna stared into the amethyst eyes of Yuuki as they glittered with

expectation—the very person who had dragged her into this roller coaster of

events. It was too sudden, and too forceful, but such strange encounters were

one of the joys of a VRMMO. And most important, there was a faint but certain

feeling brewing inside of her: She could sense that she would get along with this

odd duelist and her companions.

"Umm…Just give me a bit of time."

It was for that reason that she didn't want to take this decision lightly. Asuna

sucked in a deep breath, fixed her eyes on the cups on the table, and tried to

calm down her slightly bewildered thoughts into a rational state. She set aside

her confusion and surprise, focusing just on the grand goal of Yuuki's team.

Long ago, Asuna had led the charge against several boss monsters as the subleader of a guild that no longer existed.

She spent hours with other advanced guilds and solo players, arguing and

screaming about attack patterns and weaknesses, even getting to her knees to

beg for help when they were short on manpower. The reason she went to such

lengths was to uphold an ironclad rule that existed in that world: not to allow a

single fatality.

But now, everything had changed. In the land of fairies, the only rule every

player had to follow was to enjoy themselves. Would it be "enjoyable" to admit

you stood no chance and give up before trying? Yuuki's guild had tried two boss

monsters and acquitted themselves well, even as a tiny team of six.

Rather than worrying about likely failure and overthinking, she ought to try it

out. It felt like forever since she'd played so recklessly. What was the worst that

could happen? Only the loss of a few experience points each.

"…Let's get as far as we can—setting aside our chances of success." Asuna

smirked mischievously, raising her head. Instantly, Yuuki's adorable face burst

into sunshine. The five companions raised a cheer, and she leaned over the

table to squeeze Asuna's outstretched hand in both of hers.

"Thank you, Miss Asuna! I had a feeling you'd say that from the first moment

our blades struck!"

"Just call me Asuna," she replied with a grin, which Yuuki returned.

"And call me Yuuki!"

Once she had shaken hands with each of the overly eager members at the

table and they'd toasted with another round of mugs, Asuna turned to Yuuki

and brought up something that came to her mind.

"By the way, Yuuki…you were looking for powerful people to duel, right?"

"Yeah, that's right."

"Well, there must have been other good fighters before me. Do you happen

to remember a spriggan dressed in black with a longsword? I'm guessing that he

would be a much bigger help to you than me…"

"Ohh…" That seemed to be enough to remind Yuuki of Kirito right away. She

nodded but frowned, crossing her arms. "Yes, I remember. He was tough!"

"Then…why didn't you ask him to join you?"

"Hmm…"

It was rare for Yuuki not to have an immediate answer. She put on a

distracted smile.

"He's not right for us."

"Wh…why?"

"He realized my secret."

Yuuki and the others didn't seem to want to talk about that, so Asuna

couldn't press further. She assumed the "secret" had to have something to do

with her Absolute Sword strength, but whatever Kirito had noticed, Asuna

couldn't begin to guess.

Suddenly, the leprechaun Talken spoke up to change the topic, pushing his

round glasses higher onto his nose.

"So…as far as concrete plans to beat the boss…Wh-where do we start?"

"Ah…well…"

Asuna took a deep swig from her mug of fruit-flavored beverage to smooth

the doubt in her throat, and then held up a finger.

"The first and most important thing is to have clear knowledge of the boss's

attack patterns. If everyone evades when you need to evade, defends when you

need to defend, and attacks like crazy when it's time to attack, we might just

stand a chance. The problem is how to gain that information…I don't suppose it

will work to ask the bigger guilds that focus on taking down bosses. I think it'll

be necessary to give it a preliminary attempt, with the expectation of failure."

"Yeah, we'll be fine with that! The problem is, on the last floor, and the one

before that, we went in unprepared and lost, and then another guild won right

after that," Yuuki noted sadly. On the other side of the table, Jun the

salamander frowned, his spiky eyebrows folding together.

"We went back to it just three hours later, and it was already over. Maybe it's

just my imagination, but…it was like they were waiting for us to fail…"

"Ahh," said Asuna, putting her hand to her mouth to think.

She'd heard rumors about various confrontations surrounding boss fights

recently. Usually it was about the bigger guilds trying to run everything, but

would they really bother to pay attention to a measly six-man party? Still, some

information couldn't be ignored.

"Well, in that case, we should be well prepared and expect to retry it as soon

as possible if we wipe once. What time would be most convenient for

everyone?"

"Oh, sorry. Talken and I can't do nights. How about one o'clock tomorrow

afternoon?" said Nori, the well-built spriggan, scratching her head

apologetically.

"Yeah, that works for me. Shall we meet at this inn at one tomorrow, then?"

The Sleeping Knights each offered a comment of agreement. Asuna looked at

the group and energetically cried, "Let's give it our best!"

At last, Asuna left the inn, patting Yuuki's shoulder as the excited girl thanked

her yet again, looking sad as she left. She decided the first step was to return to

her group of friends. She trotted back to the teleport gate in the center of

Rombal, gleefully imagining how shocked they would be when she explained all

that had happened.

She navigated the streets as best she could on shaky memory, and had finally

emerged in the bustling circular plaza—when something odd happened.

With the suddenness of a switch being flipped, the world went black. Asuna

was plunged into darkness without sight or sound.