A/N: Here we have, the end of the tale. This series is finished. I hope you all enjoyed, my next story will most likely be my OC story, so stay tuned for it. Leave a review and I'll see you in the next story! ~Javarack
It was the day, the World Tree stood before them, seeming to glow as the sunlight hit every inch of it. Kirito looked up, trying to take in the entirety of the tree. He closed his fingers down, tightening his grip on Asuna's hand. She interlaced her fingers with his, and they stood there. Behind him, a large group of fairies were present. Each were either from Sylph, Undine, or Cait Sith. The Swordsman of Death had taken over supreme command of the forces. The rulers of the present races had voted for him to take control. It was obvious that he knew what he was doing, and was surprisingly strategic in battle plans.
Kirito released his grip on Asuna's hand and turned to face the army of fairies, "Today is the day, we will clear the Grand Quest. I am honored to be your commander, and you all can rely on me. When we finish today, we will have ascended to the rank of Alfs!"
This brought an uproar from the group, and Kirito nodded to all of them. He turned to face the large doors that led to the Grand Quest. Unsheathing his dual blades, the Spriggan stepped slowly up to the double doorway. Pushing on them, it gave way easily, and revealed a dim area. The entire group ran into the hollow tree trunk, and lights erupted from all over the inside of the tree. Humanoid monsters began to spawn out of the panels covering the walls, each wielding a longsword.
Many fairies began to cast spells, sending projectiles sailing at the enemies. Others spread their wings and lifted off into the air, sending their blades into the creatures. Kirito looked over at Asuna, "Begin with casting spells, I'll be the offense for both of us."
The Undine woman nodded, replacing her rapier with a small wand. Kirito stood still, feeling deep within himself. He felt the fire that filled him, but forced his mind to suppress it, then allowed the icy part of him to take hold of his conscience. The familiar signs that his other self had taken over emerged. The Swordsman of Death's eyes were glazed over once more, and the familiar grin appeared across his face. He leapt into the air, soaring toward his first target. Spinning, his dual blades ripped through the monster's artificial flesh, causing it to shatter apart. 'Death, I am death!'
These words filled every recess of his mind. Each flick of his sword downed another enemy. Once the opponent in front of him was defeated, Kirito looked over. Many of the fairies were having difficulty fending off their current attack. 'Protect them all!' The Spriggan man performed an aerial dive, growing closer to the ground. His target was in sight, and he used the momentum from his dive to strengthen his attack. He stuck his swords out and pierced the creature. The force caused them to continue sailing for the ground, and a cloud of dust formed from the collision. It seemed as if the entire tree to shake, and this gave Kirito's forces an opening, and they capitalized on it, dispatching of the humanoid enemies.
The Swordsman of Death stood at the ready. Everything seemed too easy, there wasn't a challenge. He rose off of his position on the floor and made his way to the top. Suddenly, as he was halfway up, thousands of enemies spawned all across the area. An uncomfortable sensation ran through his body, and he looked down to see an arrow sticking through his body. He wrapped his hand around it and ripped it out of his body. The Spriggan let out a battle cry and charged head on.
The sheer number of enemies would force almost anyone to turn tail and run, but not Kirito. Fear was not an emotion he possessed any longer. To his surprise, the other warriors did the same as him, each flying into the fray. Clangs of metal against metal resonated throughout the hollow tree. The Swordsman of Death was far ahead of everyone, dispatching of the creatures quickly. A volley of arrows whistled as they cut through the air, making their way straight toward him. Kirito reacted, throwing his broadsword ahead of himself. Every projectile smashed into the flat side of his blade, just as he had planned. He came to a halt, allowing his blade to fall down, back into his right hand. Narrowing his eyes, the Spriggan darted forward. His body was a blur as his black broadsword and black longsword stuck out in front of his frame. Shifting his weight, Kirito began to spin, like a bullet fired from a rifle. His speed increased even further, and he shot ahead, directly at the enemy line.
Every creature was now targeting the Swordsman of Death. Every blade, every knocked arrow turned toward him. He could feel the stares of his teammates burning his skin, but nothing could stop him now. His blades pierced the first enemy, and then continued. They tore through the entire enemy line, leaving a gaping hole in their forces. Kirito kept going, breaking through the dense cloud bank that rested at the very top the World Tree. His dual blades got stuck in a crack in the roof of the tree.
It would not budge. The small mound had to be a gateway, but Kirito could not break through. He sheathed his swords and got down on his knees, placing his hands in the center of the X-shaped opening that was present. He used all of his strength, but the beige colored gate would not open. The muscles in his body bulged as he tried to force the door open. Nothing he did would work, and Kirito floated in front of it. 'Why! Why won't it open?! Am I not strong enough?!' The shouts from below the clouds came to a halt. Asuna broke through the could bank and found Kirito staring at the mound. She moved over to him and placed his hand in hers, then posed him a question, "What is this?"
Kirito took a deep breath before answering, "I think it is the gateway to reach the top, but I can't open it. If I can't, then no one can. I think it wasn't meant to be opened, if you look at it, you can tell that it is all connected, no crease or small gap."
Asuna peered into the crack, examining it. The Swordsman of Death was right, there was no sign that the doorway had ever been opened. She thought about that fact, then spoke, "Sometimes things in games are made to never be used or touched. Take Sword Art Online for example, rocks were listed as Immortal Objects, even though they were never meant to be used. It is the same with this, if you think about it. Why would the developer of the game add in the Grand Quest even if it was never meant to be cleared? I think it is to give the players something to strive for, and it worked. Everyone here worked hard to clear the quest, and they grew stronger doing so, and they learned how to work together."
Kirito took her words to heart, 'Sometimes you don't have to be alone, you can work with others.' It finally broke through to the man. The other side of his subconscious, the ball of ice that he had relied on to clear Sword Art Online, was gone. Only the fire remained, his true self. His mind had been rebuilt, any trace of his trauma disappeared. 'The game isn't what controls me, I do. I am me, I am healed.'