Author's Note: I used this week since I posted the first chapter to try to fix some things in this final chapter, but it still isn't quite the way I want it to be... :( Hopefully it's still enjoyable overall!
But Now!
It's Time to D-D-D-D- D-D-D-D-D-D-
«Blessing of the Mahou Shoujo»
«Passive Skill»
«If the final strike of a duel is fatal, the loser will be left at 1 hit point instead. This option can be toggled in the Duel Settings Window. Note: not applicable for Player vs. Monster Duels»
"KYAAAAAA~~~!"
Kirito whipped around excitedly. That charming, celestial cry! It belonged to his sweet-
FWUMP
Two bodies executed a perfect double cartwheel over the limestone bricks before collapsing in a heap twelve meters from the «Teleport Gate». Several nearby «Players» paused to look at the spectacle before snickering and resuming their work.
"Hehe, there goes Kirito and Asuna again…"
"Got it on my «Record Crystal»! I'm so glad I came early today to see it!"
Kirito ignored the mutterings around him as he struggled to push Asuna off himself. His hand reached up to find purchase on… hmm? Something warm, and… soft? Not to mention squishy? He squeezed experimentally several more times, fascinated by the springy texture.
"K-, K-Kirito! Stop touching them!"
With a start, Kirito looked down to examine the silky-smooth objects grasped within his fingers. His face paled in abject horror.
"Oh no…" he gasped in trepidation. The hapless boy slowly looked up guiltily at the swordswoman whose face was slowly reddening in anger, steam shooting out in jets from either ear. Seconds later, the «Deluxe Manjuu» tragically burst into polygons from durability loss.
"Thatfushwrthwenyhousencull," Asuna muttered, a fist rising up in frustration.
Kirito blinked, a drop of sweat growing over his brow. "Huh?" he said intelligently. He was pretty sure he knew exactly what she was saying trying to say, but he would rather that he had heard it wrong…
"That. Was. Worth. Twenty. Thousand. Col!" The demoness straddling him shouted, emphasizing each word with a painful jab at his chest. "EACH!"
Kirito flailed backwards pathetically, looking left and right down the alleys of «Collinia» for any potential allies. In all of two years living in «Aincrad», he had never had to fight a monster sitting on top of him! Only noobs got into such a bad position. Which, unfortunately, meant that a peerless pro such as himself now lacked the experience to fend off the huntress whose level was OVER 90 and who was currently dual-wielding cutlery with a manic gleam in her-
Eyes shining with worry. The young girl pulled Kirito up from the ground into a sudden hug. The startled boy thought he heard a quiet sniffle over his shoulder, but he was quite sure that it was his imagination. His Asuna had never shown bipolar tendencies before.
"I'm sorry…" Asuna whispered. The enveloped boy stiffened. This wasn't the cliché apology that came before the murder, was it? She continued speaking, unaware that the boy in her arms was sweating buckets.
"If only we had gotten out of the «Boss Room» faster, then you wouldn't have been forced to reveal your «Unique Skill»," she spoke softly. "If only I helped you distract the boss while the others escaped… rather than having to haul that brainless cretin by his two-"
"AH! A-Asuna! Fork! WATCH THE FORK!" Kirito cried out in panic as the innocuous implement in Asuna's left hand began digging painfully into his cheeks – specifically, the ones connected to his privates. She sprang back in alarm, eyeing the cooking utensils in either hand with the unique curiosity of one unsure of how said utensils came to be in one's possession. After taking a moment to calm his beating heart, Kirito cleared his throat to grab her attention.
"Well, uh, don't worry about it, it would have come out eventually," he replied as he sought to soothe the young girl. "And besides!" he exclaimed cheerily. "Now that it's out in the open, I think I can use «Duel-Wielding» to really help with the «Floor Bosses» from now on." He glanced askance. "Though it might take a bit more experimenting…" he trailed off.
Indeed, after that spectacle with «The Gleam Eyes», a host of «Players» tried experimenting with the standard «Duel» system in unorthodox ways, looking for possible exploits. Perhaps they could send a «Duel Request» to someone in the party when their «HP» got low? That method was quickly shot down, as the several seconds it would take to open the «Menu» and navigate to the «Duel» section was more than enough time to get beheaded by any mob of passing intelligence several times over.
Then one «Player» had the brilliant idea of fighting with the «Menu» open to the «Duel» section throughout a battle, ready to send a request at a moment's notice to another «Player» on standby. It was a resoundingly successful strategy… until he accidentally de-equipped his armor mid-fight, all of it vanishing in a spectacular flash to reveal pale skin that spoke years of sitting in front of the computer in a dark room for too long. Witnesses would later swear that the only reason he survived the ordeal was that the «Blathe Lamia's» AI was so shocked by the unprecedented action that it stood stock still for several seconds, simply staring intently at a particular part of the poor «Player's» physique.
As did many others. No matter how vehemently the witnesses would swear, they never seemed to agree on the fine aspects of the «Player's» sword when he flashed, so Kirito was disinclined to believe the entire tale at all. Still, he did not need to know that information. Nor the fact that Klein made a killing off of his almost being killed, courtesy of Argo. Now that I think of it, Kirito mused, I thought "swords" were only visible when the «Ethics Code» was disa-
Asuna flicked at his forehead. "Don't even think about it!" she scolded, propelling Kirito back into the present. "You would be completely on your own if you enter a «Duel» against a boss! Do you understand how nerve-wracking it is to watch you fight alone without being able to help?"
Kirito scratched the back of his head nervously, trying to look anywhere but at Asuna. "Of course I don't, I play solo" … was what he was about to say, but he managed to catch the words on the tip of his tongue.
"For a moment back then, I thought that you were about to try to solo the boss," the despondent girl admitted. "I don't know what I would have done if… if…"
He snorted derisively. "I would never do that," he spoke reassuringly. "What lunatic would try to solo a «Floor Boss» of all things when there were plenty of other good «Players» in the same room at the same time?"
…
Across the multiverse, several hundred different Kirito's (of various hair lengths) sneezed all at once.
…
Asuna giggled. "Hehe, you're right, how silly of me," she agreed as she wiped a tear away from her face. "I don't know what came over me. I guess I'm just a little anxious from all this drama over the «Duel» today, and maybe a little tired from cooking a little too much." She reached over to her right to retrieve a «Candied Shineblossom» from the ground.
Kirito looked around as well. There appeared to be several colorful pastries and mouth-watering appetizers strewn about. So, Asuna was late today because she had been cooking these delicious dishes in preparation for his imminent «Duel» with Heathcliff? He couldn't help but feel impressed at the selection surrounding him. It must have taken a ton of effort to make not only the «Gelato Crème Puffs» and the «Rare Choco-Treats» currently scattered to his left, but also the «Three-forked Salmon Fillet» and the-
«Deluxe Manjuu».
Twenty-thousand Col.
Oh.
Oh.
"Uhh- yeah, we have to get to the coliseum, yeah, don't want to be late! Ahaha-" The wide-eyed boy stood up in a panic, accidentally sending Asuna who had still been sitting astride him toppling into the brick road. He quickly collected some of the sharper items from the floor, lest they find themselves embedded in sensitive parts of his body when the maxed-out chef recalled the fate of her prized manjuu.
A few tense seconds of gathering later – for Kirito, that is – the couple headed down the road towards the coliseum. Neither expected the crowd milling around the entrance, though, nor the man in uniform doing his best to make himself heard over the clamor.
"Get your tickets here! Only 6000 Col each! UNBEATABLE PRICES FOR A ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME EVENT!"
Kirito eyed the «KoB» officer with a disbelieving stare. He turned to Asuna for an explanation, only to receive a panicked denial.
"N- no, I didn't know anything about this!" the «KoB» second-in-command asserted, waving her hands frantically.
The «Black Swordsman» simply sighed. "Well, at least this should help fund your «Guild»…" he conceded as he joined the throng with Asuna. Several minutes later, he swore that somehow he had moved farther backwards instead of towards the entrance.
"Um, can I get through here?" he called out impatiently as he tapped the person in front of him on the shoulder. A heavily-pimpled face turned around and glared in irritation at the young swordsman.
"And what makes you think you're so special huh?" he spat viciously, viscous spit flying all over. "If you want any seats at all for this event, then get to the back of the line!"
Kirito blinked in confusion. "Um, I do have to get prepared for the «Duel»…" he explained. The «Player» stared at him wide-eyed. After an awkward pause, Kirito decided that he should continue. "Against Heathcliff…" The acne continued to stare uncomfortably at him. "You know, as «Kirito, the Black Swordsman»…?" he spoke while grimacing at having to use his title so pretentiously. This person seems a little dim-witted…
Suddenly, the «Player» erupted into peals of laughter. "Haha! That's-! That's a good one, little guy!" he gasped out. A pudgy «Tank» beside him joined the conversation.
"Hehe, yeah bro, and I'm Heathcliff. See this big-ass shield I got here? Aha-, AHAHAHA-!" Kirito gaped dumbfoundedly as the speaker joined the other in what must have been their first laugh in two years.
A gloved metal hand fell roughly on his right shoulder, spinning him around to face eye-to-eye with a giant of a man. Or would that be eye-to-nipple? The young swordsman craned his neck upwards to confirm that he was really looking at a human being.
"Hey, Blackie boy, what'cha doin' up here? This ain't for firs' floor noobs like you!" the colossal creature intoned menacingly. "This stuff comin' up here's quality shit, 'n there's only 'nuff space for real «Players». Now git!" The hulking mass of armor shoved Kirito violently out of the crowd.
"EXCUSE me…" A soft voice sounded, three parts delicate and one part Hell. At once, the entire crowd hushed.
"If you would all please move aside to let my boyf-… to let Kirito-kun through, then we can commence this «Duel» in a timely manner," the elegant lady in regal garb so spake. "Otherwise…" Refined fingers brushed over the hilt of polished edge.
Immediately, the crowd parted like the Red Sea after a «Vertical». "YES, ASUNA-SAMA! RIGHT AWAY, ASUNA-SAMA!" they cried as one, despite comprising several different «Guilds», several of which were at odds with one another.
The young girl turned cheerfully towards Kirito. "Come on Kirito-kun, the sooner we get this over with, the more time I get to spend with you!" she said to the boy still on the floor, frozen in awe.
Just who have I gotten involved with? he couldn't help but think, as he scrambled after her. It wasn't just his imagination that several of the worshippers were glowering at him with undisguised envy, right? He never noticed how Asuna's face suddenly flushed red when she realized just what she had said out loud, though he did catch the jet of steam shoot out from her ears once again. With a quiet oath under his breath, he resolved not to make her angry.
…
"Sorry for this, Kirito," Heathcliff spoke impassively while choosing several discrete options in his «Menu». "I was hoping for a more discreet «Duel», but… one of my officers, of course…"
The black-clad swordsman across the arena couldn't help but twitch an eye. It had already been an hour of standing under the sweltering sun since the debacle at the entrance. Easily over two hundred players were still clamoring over the best seats in the venue, and even more were attempting to sneak around the «KoB» officer greedily handling admissions.
The one bright spot about this was the young woman by his side, clutching his hand in worry. Kirito turned to reassure Asuna that everything would be fine, but words failed him when he caught sight of the distress marring her face. He settled for lightly brushing her hair with his free hand.
"Don't worry, Asuna," he whispered. "It's just a «Duel». It's not like we're going to die or anything."
The chestnut-haired girl shook her head in response. "That's not what I'm worried about," she said. "At this rate, some of the food I prepared for you will lose their «Durability». And I was so proud of them, too... I wanted you to taste them…"
Kirito's breath hitched. She wasn't going to bring up the «Deluxe Manjuu» again was she? He hastily grasped her shoulders, steering her away from dangerous territory.
"Uh, I can eat it all now if you want!" he said quickly. "I'm, yeah, I'm actually starving, I could probably eat an entire, um, entire…" The flustered boy grasped wildly at the first thing that popped into mind. "An entire Pina!" he shouted triumphantly. Then blinked.
Asuna regarded him with an amused smile on her lips. "That was the worst attempt I've ever seen at trying to make a girl happy," she remarked while bringing her honey orbs up to peer through Kirito's own obsidian windows. "But I can't fault a man for trying, right?"
Kirito swallowed nervously. He could easily get lost in her eyes when she gazed up at him like that… but there was no ignoring the extremely disappointed false smile, nor that subtle hint of jagged spikes hidden behind her velvety embrace that commanded him to do better next time, or else…
Heathcliff cleared his throat unapologetically at the young couple that had been staring into each other's eyes for a bit too long. With a start, they sprang away from each other, simultaneously flushing as they realized just how many people were watching. "Kirito, we should begin," Heathcliff reminded them none-too-gently.
Giving him one last, brilliant smile of encouragement, Asuna turned away from her Kirito and headed to the edge of the arena. Whether it was due to anxiety or the loss of his touch, Asuna could not help but notice how chilly her hands felt the moment she let go of his hands. She took her seat uneasily in the audience next to the scruffy man sporting the red bandanna, who was currently making a fool of himself cheering hoarsely for her Kirito and spouting degrading comments at her commander in the same breath. She looked quizzically at him. What was his name again? Klane?
Kirito eyes trailed after his Asuna's retreating form and followed her into the stands. He would have preferred to keep staring, but a «Duel Request» unkindly sprang into existence to obstruct his view. He shook his head to clear his morose thoughts away. His finger had just reached out to hit the «Accept» button when he recalled something.
"Ah, wait," the duelist called out to Heathcliff. "Let me start the duel. I have a skill that keeps us alive even in «Full-Loss» mode."
The stoic man's eyebrows shot up briefly before falling back into its calculated position. "Truly?" Heathcliff queried as if he had just been told that swords were sharp. "Then please, initiate the duel. An opportunity to duel to one's heart's content is a rarity in these times."
The Duel-Wielder canceled Heathcliff's invitation in favor of sending his own. He double- and triple-checked that the… ahem, «Blessing of the Mahou Shoujo» was toggled on before confirming the duel invitation. It wouldn't do for either of the two strongest «Players» on Aincrad to perish because of negligence on his part in initiating the «Duel».
Come to think of it, he had never actually been in a «Player vs. Player Duel» ever since he first obtained the «Duel-Wielding» skill, barring that one time when the Clearers were attempting to subjugate «Laughing Coffin» and he was forced to exploit his newest-
The boy brought his thoughts to an abrupt halt. Not going to think about it, not going to think about it, nononononononono-
Asuna looked on worriedly from her seat, wondering why her Kirito was shaking like a leaf so suddenly. Was wearing the «KoB» regalia really so scary? If anything, she was sure her Kirito would look absolutely dashing in white and red, her true knight in shining armor… A droplet of drool escaped past the corner of her mouth unnoticed.
A great shout arose from the crowd, snapping Asuna out of her daydreams. A large, translucent window had graced the arena with its presence, boldly displaying a «59» in obnoxious Comic Sans. She flinched away on reflex, now understanding the audience's unexpected uproar. «SAO» did not normally use such a repulsive font – perhaps the special venue had altered the text formatting? She shielded her eyes from the atrocity and concentrated on her Kirito standing in the center of the stadium, sword held loosely to the side.
The Black Swordsman wiped a bead of sweat from his brow. He didn't want to lose this battle, but truth be told… he had no idea how he would defeat Heathcliff. «Duel-Wielding», despite its name, didn't give him any advantage in a «Duel». It was more of a data-gathering skill, perfect for the likes of Argo. He snorted. He could just picture Argo infiltrating his room as he slept, manipulating his hand to open his menu up and then salivating over terabytes of data gathered from the various «Duels» he had witnessed…
Actually, that was kind of disturbing. He refocused on his opponent.
Heathcliff presented an impregnable defense. A blood-red cuirass shone brilliantly underneath the digital sun, though its «Defense» parameter was easily surpassed by the heavy, cross-shaped kite shield that could freely maneuver to block all angles of attack. Thick, metal pauldrons emblazoned in red protected his shoulders from overhead swings, but they were dwarfed by the heavy, cross-shaped kite shield that could freely maneuver to block all angles of attack. To top it all off, an ornate, knightly longsword that was clearly maxed out harmonized perfectly with the heavy, cross-shaped kite shield that could freely maneu-
Kirito's eye twitched painfully. That heavy, cross-shaped kite shield that could freely maneuver to block all angles of attack was just too large for him to see anything else about his opponent. Did Heathcliff even have pants on? The irritated boy couldn't say for sure.
"Ten! Nine! Eight! …"
The audience began to chant as the final seconds began to count down for the duel proper as if it were New Year's Day. Kirito grinned wryly at the sight of Klein bouncing up and down as he conducted the spectators through the countdown. Somehow, the carefree samurai had two beer mugs in either hand, alcohol sloshing dangerously within at each bounce. Kirito's eyes tracked slightly to the left to find his Asuna sighing in exasperation at the buffoon. As if somehow sensing his attention, she looked up towards him.
The instant their gazes met, the world seemed to become completely silent for the two teenagers as they poured their feelings for each other through their eyes. Never mind the distance between their bodies, both virtual and real – for a brief moment, Kirito and Asuna managed to navigate through the labyrinthian web of electrical connections that comprised the entirety of the virtual world of «Aincrad» to share one heartfelt, unspoken conversation, defying the capacity of the «Cardinal System».
Want chicken tonight?
Yeah!
…
"… -our! Three! TWO! …"
The two warriors snapped back to virtual reality with only seconds left before the battle. The Black Swordsman turned to face The Paladin, morale boosted from his momentary connection with his Asuna. I don't need to worry about winning or losing, Kirito thought wisely. Either way, Asuna will always be by my side!
"ZEROOOO!"
Kirito instantly kicked off from the ground, covering the distance between himself and Heathcliff in a fraction of a second. The audience whooped in joy at the dramatic opening of the event, until they realized that the resulting dust cloud blocked their line of sight. Several seconds later, the cloud failed to vanish even as scattered clashes of steel and ambiguous battle cries emanated from somewhere within.
The entire crowd turned as one to glare at a single member of the audience.
"Uh… thank you for your patronage?" the «KoB» officer at the entrance ventured hesitantly, before turning around to flee the premises.
Asuna sighed.
«Disengage»
«Active Skill: To activate, simply sheathe your sword»
«Allows the Wielder to immediately cancel any active duel that he is participating in»
"Tell me… how did you figure it out?" the commander of the «Knights of Blood» – no, «The GM» asked. Around him, the surviving Clearers fell to the floor as they became «Paralyzed» by the Will of God.
All but the Black Swordsman, the «Duel-Wielder», who currently held the attention of the infamous developer of «Sword Art Online». Said boy pointed at one of the braziers decorating the walls of the «Floor 75 Boss Room» – or more specifically, one of the brassieres draped around them.
"It was pure accident, actually… everyone reacted in some way when we came into the room and saw those…undergarments, except you were different. I thought I overheard you say something like, 'Damn that Kishida-san,'" Kirito admitted. "At first I thought I was imagining things, but eventually… uh, I just took a guess?" He scratched his head nervously.
Behind him, Asuna struggled heroically against the «Paralysis» to execute a facepalm.
Kayaba Akihiko nodded in resignation. "As I expected. It was a grievous mistake on my part. I was simply overwhelmed at the audacity of one of my designers, who so delighted in crass puns and whom I had repeatedly requested not to inject his own sick preferences into the game. He was of course fired, and all of the assets he had created were deleted, or so I had thought…"
Suddenly, his eyes widened in realization. "Of course! He was colluding with Sato-san! Those two men…" The «GM» stared pensively at the ground for several seconds, thumb and forefinger stroking his chin, as he attempted to unravel the conspiracy engineered by two of his subordinates. Abruptly, he recalled that he was surrounded by several dozen prone «Players» in a «Boss Room».
"My sincere apologies," Kayaba began with a curt bow. "I had strived to create the ideal world for man and woman alike, but it appears that I have failed to ensure that it would be so," he spoke to the «Players» on the ground.
"No, no, it was no problem," – "Don't mind," – "I was fine with it," several voices automatically responded with customary Japanese politeness. Several «Players» attempted to return the bow but were momentarily shocked that they couldn't move their bodies, until they remembered the situation at hand.
"HEY!" a pony-tailed lancer shouted hostilely. "We figured you out, so what are you gonna do now? Kill us all?"
"Indeed," Kayaba agreed softly, causing everyone to gasp. He turned to address the only other «Player» standing up. "Indeed, Kirito. Though your methods were… unimpressive, there is no denying the fact that you have seen through my ruse. As such, you deserve a reward." The Clearers sighed as one as they realized they had all misinterpreted his first word. None of them anticipated what «The GM» would say next, though.
"Kirito, «Duel» me."
Kirito looked at him blankly. "Come again?"
Kayaba adjusted his grip on his sword, entering a relaxed but still-dangerous combat stance. Suddenly, he was no more; in his place stood Heathcliff, commander of the «Knights of Blood», He-Who-Defends-Singly-Against-Floor-Bosses-While-Everyone-Else-Drinks-Potions. "«Duel» me," Heathcliff repeated. "If you win this round, I promise you that the game will be cleared immediately, and everyone will be released from «Sword Art Online»," he declared with utmost seriousness. "Alive."
The Black Swordsman blinked slowly as he contemplated the proposition. It's a very tempting offer, but how would I win in the first place? I had my ass handed to me two weeks ago, and since then Heathcliff's been out clearing the «75th Floor» while I've been growing a pot belly with Asuna's home cooking…
"What makes you think the outcome will be any different this time?" he asked.
"I have always imagined that the one holding the «Duel-Wielding» skill would be the one to defeat me on the «100th Floor»," the Paladin admitted with a hint of longing entering his voice, not quite answering Kirito's question. He hesitated momentarily, as if about to take back something that he had said, but with a shake of his head he continued his monologue. "I expect a stimulating battle from you today, especially now that the stakes are so high, unlike in that farce of a «Duel» two weeks ago."
Kirito felt his left eye twitch. "'Farce'…?" he quoted incredulously. Something about what he just said really annoys me…
Heathcliff laughed mirthlessly. "Come now, Kirito. Do you really expect me to believe that you were putting all of your effort into that shameful «Duel»?" He renewed his battle stance once more. "Now, show me your real strength, or turn aside if you have no interest in using this opportunity!"
The young man's eyes narrowed dangerously. He basically just said I sucked! he thought furiously. His pride wounded whilst before his Asuna, the swordsman whipped out his trusty «Elucidator» belligerently, the sliding of metal creating a rasping sound that echoed around the «Boss Room».
"No, Kirito! Don't do it!" Asuna called out fearfully from the ground, but her voice came out slightly muffled as she was still stuck in a facepalm position.
"Asuna," the knight in black garb spoke seriously. "Don't stop me. This is a fight between men… no, a fight between «Gamers»." And without further preamble, The Black Swordsman charged.
"Ku-!" Heathcliff let out a surprised grunt and reflexively took half a step backwards as Kirito shortened the distance between the two to mere inches, not completely prepared for the assault as he likely was expecting a bit more dialogue. Perfect! Kirito thought. He's out of position from my surprise attack, so if I can just slip in and disable his shield arm right away-
Kirito brought his arms up for a two-handed overhead cleave. As expected, the heavy, cross-shaped kite shield that could freely maneuver to block all angles of attack rose to intercept his swing, but since Heathcliff was still flat-footed, the shield had yet a few more inches before it-!
"TOO SLOW!" the black-haired boy screamed victoriously. Abruptly shifting his posture, he released his left hand from his sword to grasp the top of the shield, forcing it downwards as he simultaneously flicked his right wrist to execute a sideways slash at Heathcliff's head.
A terrific flash of light burst outwards as steel met steel. To Kirito's horror, Heathcliff stood calmly with his alabaster sword repelling the obsidian «Elucidator» away from his head.
"Too slow," The Paladin remarked with a faint hint of mockery. "I saw that feint coming before you even took your first step." Then, with sheer strength, Heathcliff knocked aside Kirito's blade with his gargantuan shield, following the motion through with his entire body and to his sword arm as if to shear Kirito's legs off from his torso in a horizontal slice.
Kirito kicked off awkwardly from Heathcliff's shield in a desperate attempt to jump over the perilous blade, but twenty percent of his health bar did not escape unscathed. His knees crunched audibly as he landed roughly on his feet. Looking up quickly, Kirito could already see Heathcliff pressing forward with another attack.
"Duel «Heathcliff»!" the swordsman shouted. Immediately, a shining window appeared to obstruct Heathcliff's vision, giving Kirito an extra split second to roll to the right and chop at Heathcliff's exposed legs. But once again, the heavy, cross-shaped kite shield dropped instantly to block his attack. The commander of the «Knights of Blood» stepped back, the «Duel Window» left forgotten in the air.
"A crafty trick indeed, Kirito," Heathcliff complimented. "But you will need to do better than that. With a shield as large as mine, one cannot hope to survive in this world while relying only on sight." He settled into a defensive stance, monitoring Kirito carefully to catch even the slightest twitch of a muscle.
The «Duel-Wielder» gritted his teeth in irritation. At this rate, the battle will end up just like last time! I'll have to use my «Duel-Wielding» skills to set a trap somehow, but it's going to be risky… He, too, stepped backwards defensively, waiting for Heathcliff to move even as he furiously searched for some sort of plan.
Seconds passed with not a muscle moving on either side. And then several more seconds. A few strangled gasps could be heard from around the room as a couple people failed to keep holding their breath in anticipation. Well, Kirito mused. If he's not coming after me… then I hope he doesn't mind if I open my menu for a bit to check out my skills. Walking a few more steps backwards for insurance, the black-haired youth swapped his sword to his left hand so that he could flick open the «Menu».
The downed «Players» surrounding the two looked on incredulously at the audacity their hero was showing to the «Final Boss». And yet… it seemed that Kayaba did not mind?
Hmm… «Uncontrollable Rage»… and «Provoke»… Maybe I can put these two together to confuse him? Kirito pondered as he flicked his way through his «Skill List», almost failing to realize that a new «Skill» had appeared. Wait, what's this…? 'Di'-'su'-'en'-…
«Disengage»…?
Looking up briefly to confirm that Heathcliff still wasn't attacking, he quickly pored through the short skill description. The boy's mouth dropped open as the «Skill's» implications hit him, a stream of saliva pouring out unattractively.
This… this is…!
"Have you stalled for enough time, Kirito?" the blood-red knight called out disdainfully. "I expected better of you than to treat this «Duel» with such contempt."
Hastily formulating his plan, Kirito dismissed his «Skill Menu» and looked back up to respond. "Sorry for the wait," he apologized. "Now I'm ready to fight."
The young swordsman sheathed his sword behind his back but kept his hand on the hilt, then settled comfortably into a ready stance. Again, the two combatants stood stock still for several seconds – one eyeing the other cautiously for sudden movements, the other scrutinizing his opponent in an attempt to determine what kind of trap could possibly be laid by sheathing one's sword.
And then...
Kirito reached down to his belt with his left hand and popped out a «Health Potion».
Heathcliff widened his eyes in bewilderment, then hurriedly charged forward to prevent Kirito from recovering the hard-lost «Hit Points» that he had embarrassingly lost during the opening salvo. Despite expecting «The Paladin» to react belligerently to his taunt, Kirito still couldn't help but inhale sharply on reflex as the indomitable knight burst forward, causing a few drops of potion to go down the wrong way. He spluttered, costing him several precious fractions of a second.
The Paladin's sword was mere inches away from bestowing upon him its divine grace before Kirito regained his wits enough to pull out out his sword from its sheath on his back. He quickly shifted his eyes away from imminent danger to focus randomly on a man in the background wearing a blue cuirass, pouring all of his willpower into dueling this… this… Clearer that I don't even know the name of but I really should! And then the silver edge impacted against his chest.
But instead of slicing through fabric and soft flesh, Heathcliff's sword abruptly reversed direction the instant it touched the young hero's cloak, throwing Heathcliff off balance. Reveling in the never-in-a-lifetime look of abject shock on his stoic adversary's face, Kirito capitalized on the opportunity to deliver the finishing blow. A guttural roar ripped out from deep within his belly as he pressed forward.
"UWOOOOOOO!"
Like a harbinger of promised oblivion, «The Elucidator» struck forward with the velocity of a meteor at Heathcliff's exposed side. The black edge sliced through the air with no resistance, up until its fell edge touched the blood-red armor and abruptly changed directions, rebounding with such force that Kirito spun around in the opposite direction several times before he lost balance.
"… huh?"
Both swordsmen toppled ungracefully to the floor. The onlookers looked on with shocked expressions, copious volumes of drool collecting on the floor.
The black-haired boy blinked slowly, pushing himself up off the floor as he mentally kicked himself in the butt. In his eagerness to counter after successfully baiting Heathcliff into the trap, he forgot to cancel the «Duel» so that he was allowed to inflict «Damage». He sheepishly sheathed his sword, then frantically took it back out again to parry a flurrying assault from his opponent, this time initiating a «Duel» against Heathcliff accidentally.
"Very curious," Heathcliff remarked between two strikes of his blade. Kirito simply answered with a manly grunt before returning the favor. "But your technique appears to be woefully lacking." The steel tank emphasized his point by slamming the «Duel-Wielder» with his shield, toppling his opponent head-over-heels. The battle would have ended right then and there with his follow-up attack had he not misjudged the weight of the black-haired swordsman, sending his opponent too far. With dexterity befitting a Solo Clearer, Kirito sheathed his sword mid-tumble and unsheathed it once more, this time focusing on a short, blonde-haired man sporting «DPS» gear that happened to cross his vision, just in time for Heathcliff's sword to bounce off his chest harmlessly.
This time before attacking, Kirito remembered to sheathe his sword to cancel the «Duel» and then focus on Heathcliff and sheathe his sword again and re-sheathe it, so that he could re-unsheathe it and then un-un-sheathe it once more so that… How did it go again? During the poor boy's moment of confusion, Heathcliff closed the distance between the two and shredded judiciously through enchanted fabric. Kirito reeled backwards from the force of the blow, his «Health Bar» shadowing his trajectory.
"Engaging the «Final Boss» of «Sword Art Online» without even perfecting your skills… you are a disgrace to the way of the Swordsman, Kirito!"
Kirito gritted his teeth, beads of perspiration accumulating on his brow, as Heathcliff ridiculed him while simultaneously repelling several of Kirito's powerful thrusts with his heavy, cross-shaped kite shield that could freely maneuver to block all angles of Kirito's attacks. This time, a lucky sheathe-unsheathe-sheathe-unsheathe combo performed purely by accident scored him a hit around the impenetrable shield, but with a desperate twist to the side, Heathcliff managed to mitigate the damage to a superficial cut. «The Paladin» channeled his rotational energy into a devastating horizontal sweep, yet with a few hasty steps forward, Kirito was able to follow Heathcliff's turning blind spot. His second strike materialized an angry red gash in the equally red armor, sending the tank's «HP Bar» out of the green.
A few gasps escaped from the crowd around them. Such was Heathcliff's defensive prowess that this was the first time several of them had ever seen The Impenetrable Wall take direct damage, let alone having less than 50% «HP». A shy voice croaked from somewhere among the onlookers.
"… g-, g-… GO KIRITOOOOOO-hE-" the shy teenager shouted hoarsely, stopping abruptly as his voice cracked unexpectedly at the end, but already the morale amongst the Clearers surged upwards.
"Yeah, that's right… we can win this… we can win today!"
"Don't lose, Kirito!"
"You bring down that piece of shit, Beater!"
Startled by the sudden support from the sidelines, Kirito failed to activate «Uncontrollable Rage» in time to bypass a vicious counterattack from the ensorcelled longsword in Heathcliff's hand. Something abruptly shifted to an ominous red color in the corner of his vision. He backflipped frantically to distance himself from his foe, but Heathcliff easily kept step to maintain the deadly pressure.
"You were a fool to accept my challenge with that half-hearted mentality!" Heathcliff disparaged as he attempted to knock Kirito into the floor.
"SHUT UP!" Kirito roared back. "I just got this «Skill» a few minutes ago, you murdering bastard!" Successfully trapping his foe once more with a «Duel» defense, the Black Swordsman quickly canceled the «Duel» and closed in on the stunned figure to smite him with righteous anger. The «Elucidator» bypassed the heavy, cross-shaped kite shield, maneuvering deftly around it to soak itself in Heathcliff's blood. But to Kirito's horror, the black edge found itself edged off course by its antithesis, the silver longsword wielded by «The Paladin». Kirito stumbled backwards, his balance thrown into disarray.
"Then there is No Way that you can defeat me in your current state, Kirito!" Heathcliff bellowed with a sense of finality. Without warning, «The Paladin's» sword glowed bright blue.
What! A «Sword Skill»? Never anticipating this turn of events, Kirito was caught flat-footed with his «Elucidator» halfway down its sheath even as as Heathcliff seemed to rocket forwards, sword ready to cleave him in half from his right side. His eyes flicked to the top left to confirm what he already knew. His «Health Bar» would never stand a chance.
Gray eyes tracked the fell blade as it sailed smoothly through the air, drifting closer and closer to his heart with unmatched beauty in the simplicity of its arc.
I see, Kirito realized with unexpected calmness. So this is the end. He only wished that he could see the bright face of his Asuna once more before he returned to real life. And then to the afterlife afterwards. Even a glimpse of her long, silky hair would have been a nice parting gift.
Come to think of it, how am I seeing that gorgeous chestnut hair right now?
Kirito's thoughts abruptly caught up to the present. The steel edge tore into Asuna's uniform and through her torso. Crimson red polygons erupted from her chest, signifying a «Critical Hit». The girl flopped backwards into Kirito, who hurriedly caught her before she fell to the ground. Somehow, a heavy, cross-shaped kite shield was encased within her arms, no longer able to maneuver freely.
"How…"
Two voices spoke at once, even as the dying swordswoman's «HP» drained away at a rapid pace. Kirito, with his arms wrapped protectively yet helplessly around the girl – Heathcliff, standing awkwardly before the two of them, looking especially unusual with his ever-present shield wrested free from his outstretched arm – neither could fathom how this tragedy could have occurred.
Kayaba was the first to recover.
"Incredible," the «GM» whispered in wonder. "Not only did she free herself of «Absolute Paralysis», but she somehow managed to cross the distance in the fraction of a second between my using «Cross Sweep» and the skill landing a hit."
The young boy paid his words no heed, so intent was he on spending the last few moments that he could with his beloved Asuna.
"Asuna…" he started to speak, but the young woman interrupted him.
"Kirito-kun," she said with energy unfitting her mortal state. "You have one more chance to defeat Kayaba. I took away his shield, so it should be easy now," she explained, tossing the great kite shield off to the side to disappear into the lonely, dark corners of «Aincrad».
Kirito could only feel a torrent of tears starting to run down his cheeks. So selfless, to sacrifice her life to guarantee his success and secure the escape of all the survivors of «SAO»… what did he do to deserve her love?
"A-Asuna…" he repeated, this time too moved to speak properly. The woman in question's «Health Bar» contained but a handful of red pixels left.
"Kirito-kun," she interrupted again, this time more urgently.
"Promise me that you-"
The last pixels of her «Health Bar» vanished.
Asuna's figure disappeared from before him.
And reality was rudely shoved into Kirito's face.
«CONGRATULATIONS! Player Kirito has won the Duel!»
The startled boy stared uncomprehendingly at the «Duel Window» now blocking his vision. H-... huh? His thought processes tottered along haltingly. Didn't «Players» normally explode into polygons when they died? He couldn't recall any instances where a «Message Window» popped up instead.
Something shifted in his arms. Wait… If I'm holding a body right now, then that means… Kirito reached up to press «Confirm» and was rewarded with his Asuna's equally astonished face.
"I… I'm alive?" she whispered, touching her body as if to ensure that she was not a ghost. Abruptly, she realized that she only had 1 «HP» left. She hastily reached into her «Quick-Slot» to materialize a «Health Crystal».
"But… when did…?" one of the onlookers uttered as he attempted to straighten out the sequence of events in his head.
Kirito himself was similarly confused, until he accidentally stabbed himself with his sword while scratching his head in thought. He stared perplexedly at «The Elucidator» in his hand. Of course! He realized. I must have unsheathed it to catch Asuna when she fell into me, and since I happened to be looking at her at the same time… He breathed a quiet prayer to whatever Power was out there now, watching over them.
"Unfathomable..."
The Black Swordsman was reminded of Kayaba's presence by his words of astonishment. With the man's stoic face, however, Kirito had no clue just what was going on in the mad developer's brain. Taking a moment to calm his mind, he slowly stood up with Asuna at his side. Nodding once to himself, he determinedly put one foot forward. And then another.
"Kayaba," he said gravely. "You said that there's no way I could defeat you." The young man now stood face-to-face with the game developer that he had once respected, worshipped even, many years ago. Still, Kayaba did not move. If anything, he seemed… resigned? Kirito shook his head free of such thoughts and refocused on the matter at hand.
"But you're wrong," he stated with certainty. Behind him, though he couldn't see her, Kirito could just tell that his Asuna was nodding, supporting him completely in his final action. He raised his «Elucidator» high above his head and took a deep breath.
"«There Is But One Ultimate Way!»"
The «Elucidator» came crashing down with black vengeance.
"…"
The «GM» sighed wordlessly, as the last quanta of his «HP» drained away. With only seconds left, he finally spoke.
"I just wish…" he murmured morosely. "I just wish that you could all have experienced the last 25 «Floors» of «Aincrad»."
He closed his eyes. "The best parts of the game are always saved for last, after all…"
And with those parting words, Kayaba Akihiko vanished from «Aincrad».
Warm rays wrapped the floating castle of «Aincrad» in an amber glow. Glittering shards could be seen dematerializing from the foundation of the megastructure.
The black-haired boy spoke up.
"Why, Kayaba?"
The man in question carefully placed finely-sculpted hands within the pockets of his lab coat before answering.
"Why, indeed?" he spoke. "After two long years, I have forgotten why I created this Death Game. Was it some fanta-"
"No, that's not what I meant," Kirito interrupted. "Why «Duel-Wielding», and not «Dual Wielding»?"
Kayaba Akihiko stared quietly at the black-haired boy for several seconds, then gave a dry chuckle.
"Did you know, Kirito," he said softly as he turned back towards «Aincrad» crumbling below them. "Every single «Sword Skill» in «Sword Art Online» was performed in excruciating precision by a true Master of the art in real life?" He bowed his head and closed his eyes, as if recalling a memory.
"Yes, from the humblest «Horizontal» to the complex seven-hit «Deadly Sins»… all of them were performed by a Master and recorded in detail by «Cardinal», the principal AI in charge of regulating all «Mob Intelligence», environmental events, and the core principles of the combat system."
Kirito nodded. "I heard about that several times in various articles before the launch date," he confirmed to his Asuna, who was listening on with wide eyes. "A lot of people were excited about learning real sword techniques using «SAO» as a proxy." He turned back to Kayaba, an inkling of a suspicion now forming in his mind. "Then… «Dual Wielding» would have been…"
The game developer confirmed his train of thought. "Correct," he said with a hint of sadness. "I could not find a single person that could perform the magnificent art of «Dual Wielding»."
"Huh?" Asuna spoke up in confusion. "But… isn't there that kendo style… Nito… Nitoryuu?"
"Yes, as expected of the sub-commander of the «Knights of Blood»," Kayaba acknowledged. "But that style utilizes two different weapons in tandem, whereas my desired «Dual Wielding» skill would have used two longswords, wielded equally between the two hands. In addition, «Sword Art Online» is predominantly Western. No one I could find had the experience to wield two Western longswords with the required finesse for what I had envisioned."
Now understanding why «Dual Wielding» never became a «Sword Skill» in «SAO», Kirito bowed his head in mourning for the deceased «Sword Skill» that never saw the light of the virtual sun. Then he recalled something else.
"But then… where did «Duel-Wielding» come from?" he asked.
Kayaba snorted uncharacteristically, though he still made it seem refined somehow. "Indeed, where did it come from? I am not too sure myself, but I have my theories." He folded his arms behind his back.
"You see, Kirito, I was not satisfied with the conclusion that «Dual Wielding» was impossible in the world of «Sword Art Online». After all, as young Asuna has recently proven in our final battle, anything is possible in «Aincrad»." He turned his head upwards. "All I had to do, then, was ask «Cardinal» to figure it out."
Kirito's eyes widened in admiration. «Cardinal» was the premiere AI, crafted by his idol, Kayaba Akihiko. What could go wrong?
"I asked her to comb through all fictional accounts of heroes wielding two longswords to fashion unique «Sword Skills» suitable for the game. Allocating this task to «Cardinal» opened up an exciting possibility for me, too." Kayaba turned back to regard Kirito with a serious stare. "As I had mentioned earlier, I intended the «Dual Wielder» to be the Hero that defeats me in the «Ruby Palace». Therefore, I decided not to supervise «Cardinal» in her research, such that when the final battle came, I would have no foreknowledge as to how the «Sword Skill» would function. With this setup, I would be required to rely completely on my wits as a «Swordsman»."
Then he shook his head ruefully. "I never expected «Cardinal» to fall prey to a simple homophone."
Immediately, Kirito's respect for his idol came crashing down. A childish portion of his mind attempted to grab at the rapidly disintegrating fragments, but to no avail. I went through so much crap for this stupid «Duel-Wielding» skill… and it was all because Kayaba didn't do some simple quality assurance?
"Y-… you mean…" the dejected teenager began, but Kayaba cut him off.
"Kirito!" the scientist intoned with such severity that Asuna automatically snapped to attention despite not being in the conversation. "That final battle was a mess! I am deeply disappointed in your performance today." Despite having no relation to this man, the young boy couldn't help but hang his head in shame. "Relying on a fluke, especially from another person, is against the spirit of the swordsman!" the only adult in the group continued to reprimand.
The «GM's» body began to fade away, prompting him to speak more hastily. "If you find «Duel-Wielding» unsuitable, then you must discover the true art of «Dual Wielding» someday!"
The words grew softer – there was not but a shade left. "Show me your inner strength!"
And then he was gone.
The two figures stood silently for a while, contemplating the parting message, one that could even be considered a will, of the the now deceased «Creator». The final exchange felt somewhat out of character of the impassive, taciturn man that they knew before then, a feeling that compelled them to think more deeply about his words than otherwise.
Below them, «Aincrad» continued to crumble away as it was «Deleted». A dazzling waterfall caught Kirito's eye as it disintegrated into a fine, iridescent mist, and then into nothingness. The young couple leaned into each other, Asuna's head coming to rest comfortably onto Kirito's shoulder. He casually wrapped his arm around to hold her closer, allowing the two to share a peaceful moment simply watching the peaceful destruction occurring below. As Kirito's eyes landed on the «Ruby Palace» peaking from out of «Aincrad's» peak, the woman at his side whispered.
"… «There Is But One Ultimate Way» …"
Asuna picked her head up so that she could look into her husband's charcoal eyes. "What does it mean?" she asked softly.
Kirito blinked back at her. "Huh, that?" He scratched his head and looked sideways. "Well, that's, um… it was a line from… somewhere…"
The girl's face lit up. "From a book, you mean?" she asked excitedly. "What was it called? It was a pretty cool line, but…" she lightly rested a finger on her cheek as she trailed off. "I don't think it even made sense in that context when you said it. It makes me wonder what the original source was."
The black-haired boy's hands suddenly became very sweaty. "Oh, oh yeah, I think it was a book, gee, what was it called again…?" He trailed off and hoped that she wouldn't prompt him to continue "trying" to remember. How was he supposed to tell his wife that it was the name of the only route of an eroge he had played where the protagonist could land his harem?
Luckily, a different train of thought rolled to the fore in the innocent girl's head. "Oh!" she exclaimed. "I almost forgot! What's your name?"
"Kirito," the confused boy answered automatically. Then his eyes widened in realization. "Oh! Um, my name is… um, Kazuto," he said hesitantly, as if trying to recall a past life, which was accurate in some respects. "Kazuto," he repeated more firmly. "Kirigaya Kazuto."
The chestnut-haired girl's eyes shone brilliantly as she tried his name on her lips. "Kazuto… it's…" She turned her gaze to look directly into his eyes. "It's very cute!" she announced so suddenly and with such passion that the boy in question instantly morphed into a tomato. "My name is Asuna. Yuuki Asuna."
"Asuna…" This time, it was Kirito's first time to try out her real name with his mouth. He found it remarkably comfortable to use, until he realized just why. "You used the same handle as your real name?" he asked incredulously. "That's… that's, you're not supposed to… well, it's bad to use your real name!"
This time it was Asuna's turn to blend into the sunset. "Oh! … I didn't know…" she said softly, glancing side to side. She fidgeted with the hem of her skirt for a moment, before speaking up once more.
"Um… when we… you know, wake up…" It seemed to Kirito that she was struggling to say her next words, what with her looking at the invisible floor and wiggling nervously, hands held protectively in front of her. "I want to always be by your side, so... when we wake up..." She looked back up at him.
"Will you teach me how to play more mm-moo's?"
The black-haired boy blinked and looked at her strangely. "More what?"
And then they were abruptly logged off as «Sword Art Online» sent its final packet of data.
Author's Note:
Things so match for weeding this fan fig! I hope you enjoyed it at least as much as I did!
Ah, but there is yet one final set of words to detail:
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Ally vs Alley – These two words have different pronunciations, but only the latter's spelling makes it unambiguous. Thus, I often see people writing "ally" when they mean "alley." Ally is someone on your side in a conflict. Alley is a path between two buildings.
Quiet vs Quite – Um… I would describe this mistake the same as I did "exited vs excited" in the previous chapter. Quiet describes a low audio volume. Quite is an adverb that means "considerable." Oftentimes it is interchangeable with "rather," despite there in fact being a difference between the two words…
Viscous vs Vicious – They look pretty similar, no doubt about it. Additionally, for those who are not familiar with these words, the "sc" combination can in fact be pronounced as "see" (recall descent vs decent). Viscous describes a fluid that flows very slowly; a classic example is ketchup. Vicious is what most people intend to write in combat scenes, describing violence and harshness. Please don't say that "the Drunken Ape attacked Silica viscously" … unless you're aiming for a certain genre.
Discrete vs Discreet – Very, very common mistake. Rarely do I see the spelling "discreet" when that is the author's intention on this site. Discrete means distinct, separate. Discreet means being circumspect, quiet and inconspicuous.
Brazier vs Brassiere – A comical mistake. Chances are, if you made this mistake, you're a single guy. A Brazier is a container with coal inside that you light on fire. Basically a fancy torch (American torch). A Brassiere is not something you should light on fire at any time.
Faint vs Feint – If you play Pokémon, you should be familiar with both of these words. To faint is to lose consciousness, though in the context I used it in, it was an adjective that meant "slight." To feint is to mislead your opponent into thinking you will take a certain action that you actually do not intend to perform.
Sheer vs Shear – I think mixing up these two is less unacceptable than most of the others, due to their rarity. Shear means to cut shorter. Sheer means pure, alone, in the context I used it. So for example, the phrase "with sheer willpower" could be restated as "with pure willpower," or "by willpower alone."
Pore vs Pour – I also find this to be one of the less unacceptable mistakes. Pouring is the act of making some liquid fall via gravity. Poring is studying something.
Principle vs Principal – It seems that elementary school kids know the difference, but after getting into high school the latter word no longer exists...? Principle is a law of reality, or the core aspect of something. Principal is the top man of a school as a noun, and its adjectival form is closely related: preeminent, first.
Peak vs Peek – These are both common words, and thankfully mixing these up is not too common. Peak is the top. Peek is the act of looking through a small opening, or for a short time.
I also have a few others that I unfortunately could not include into this fanfic :(.
Queue vs Cue – These words are rather rare (compared to the others in this list at least), so I guess that might explain why they are mixed up. Queue is a line, the kind that you hate when you're at a cafeteria. Cue is a signal.
Insight vs Incite – I rarely see either of these words actually, yet the mix up seems rather common when I do read them. Insight is intuition, the ability to perceive the way things really are. To incite is to cause something to occur.
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Fanfic Recommendation:
The One Ultimate Way by LighthawkKnight. A continuation of There is but One Ultimate Way, which means Alicization arc spoilers. It's an abandoned fic, but it still has 30K words which is quite a significant amount to read (it's longer than this one)! Thus, q̶u̶i̶e̶t̶ quite a few of the major plot points are covered.