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Chapter 12: This is the Way the World Ends

Everyone gasped at the name called out by the Black Swordsman. Could he be serious? Could Heathcliff, the man who had led the Assault Team up floor after floor, could he be Kayaba?

Heathcliff closed his eyes, "For my curiosity's sake. How did you figure it out?" he asked. Ion noticed he hadn't denied the claim.

"It was back during our duel. That last move you pulled there was way too fast," Kirito explained.

Heathcliff… no. Kayaba nodded his head, as if he knew such a thing. "Yes, I thought as much." He glanced around at the crowd of players around him. "Yes, I am Akihiko Kayaba, and now that you know that, you shouldn't be surprised to know that I am the final boss of the game."

Ion felt himself shaking in anger. "All this time… you led us. We trusted you! And now you come forth as the man we've all wanted to kill since that fateful day?!" He demanded. Grabbing his sword, he roared, rushing at Kayaba and leaping forward to attack. "YOU BASTARD!"

Heathcliff sighed, and opened his menu, inputting a command. Ion felt his body freeze, before he fell to the ground in a heap. Paralysis? He asked, spotting the icon next to his HP.

Everyone else seemed to be frozen as well, all except Kirito for some reason.

"What's the plan then?" Kirito asked, holding Asuna in his arms. "Kill us all and cover it up?"

"No. That would be unsporting of me." Heathcliff shook his head. "I have a better idea. I'll head for the Ruby Palace, on floor one-hundred, and wait for all of you there. But first…" He looked at Kirito, slamming his shield down before him. "Kirito. I feel like I should reward you for figuring me out so soon. Therefore, I shall give you a chance. Duel me, one on one, and if you win. SAO will be cleared."

Ion's eyes widened. "Kirito! Don't do this! Think! If you lose, we might as well call this game over!" He called out.

"I can't decline this chance to end this nightmare, I can't sit by knowing I have a chance to end this now," Kirito said. He looked at Kayaba. "You're on."

"Kirito!"

"Don't do this Kirito!"

"Stop and use your head Kirito!"

Klein, Agil and Ren all yelled respectively.

"Ren. Klein." Kirito muttered. "I'm sorry for leaving you behind that day. Both of you have become strong leaders, and I'm glad to call you my fr-"

"SHUT UP KIRITO!" Klein and Ren both roared. Followed by Klein saying, "Don't you dare apologize to us! Not until we're on the other side and you're buying me dinner!" He muttered.

Kirito then looked at Ion, "Ion… I want to make a request of you," he said. "If I do die today, please… tell my sister that I loved her with all I could as her brother."

Ion's eyes widened at the request, and he felt himself tearing up, "Don't you dare start jinxing yourself! You beat this ass here and now and go home and tell her yourself! I won't play the role of a dead man's messenger!"

Kirito nodded, and walked towards Heathcliff. "If you don't mind, I have one last request."

"Name it."

"If I die here today, I want you to make sure that Asuna won't kill herself."

Heathcliff's eyes closed, "Very well," he nodded.

"No Kirito! You can't do that! It's not fair!" Asuna sobbed.

Kirito and Heathcliff stood across from each other. Ion knew, that if Kirito won or lost, this would be the final battle. Without Kirito, Asuna or Heathcliff, they would never recover the morale to continue fighting.

"Don't you dare die Kirito…" He whispered.

The Black Swordsman poured every ounce of his warrior soul into his attacks, Elucidator and Dark Repulsor becoming blurs as they hammered against Kayaba's shield. But no matter what Kirito did, he didn't seem to have the power to break the walking fort's infinite defense.

"Why isn't he using sword skills?" Silica asked.

"Kayaba designed every single one of the sword skills, including the dual blades skill. He knows every in and out the game has to offer. Kirito has to win this fight using his own power," Angel muttered.

Ion watched with worry-filled eyes, watching his friend's movements. Slash. Block. Swing. Parry. Repeat. The fight seemed like it would never end. Which would fall first? Kirito's stamina? Or Heathcliff's godlike defense. The game creator then managed to nick Kirito across his cheek, and it made something snap.

Kirito, whether he knew or not, had just activated his most powerful skill. Eclipse.

A massive combo, even more hits than Starburst Stream, rained down on Kayaba. But his huge shield withheld every strike, absorbing most of the damage. Finally, with the final downwards attack, Dark Repulsor smashed against the shield and snapped into two pieces.

"Game over Kirito!"

"KIRITO!"

If Ion had blinked, he might have missed it. Heathcliff's sword was coming down, cloaked in red light. A sudden white and red light dashed past him and leapt between Kirito and the incoming slash for him.

His eyes widened as he saw none other than Asuna, with a massive gash down diagonally across her torso.

Asuna mumbled something to Kirito, before the Lightning Flash burst apart.

"ASUNA!" Alice, Angel and Liz each shrieked with horror.

All the life seemed to have vanished from Kirito as he tried to reach up and grab the shards of his beloved. He dropped to his knees in despair.

Heathcliff seemed shocked, but for other reasons, "Well! Who knew that paralysis could be broken by sheer willpower?" He asked.

Kirito struggled to his feet, grabbing Lambent Light from where Asuna had perished. He made one slash with Elucidator, then tried again with the rapier. Heathcliff simply stepped out of the way each time.

"Kirito! I know you feel broken, but that doesn't mean you can give up! SNAP OUT OF IT!" Ion roared from the ground, tears falling freely from his eyes.

"Kirito… You can't give up!" Ren sobbed. Heathcliff sighed, and with a sharp uppercut, knocked Kirito's black sword from his hand, then ran him through.

No one could believe it. It was over. Asuna was dead, and Kirito was about to join her. Ion closed his eyes, waiting for the shattering sound.

"Not yet…" Kirito mumbled. Ion's eyes snapped open again, seeing his first friend he made in Japan glowing almost golden, before he gave one last roar, and thrust Lambent Light through Heathcliff's chest.

Both players then surrendered to their fate, and shattered together. One, the hero, the other, the villain.

Ion slowly walked over to Kirito's Elucidator, and picked up the black blade. "Damn it Kirito…" He muttered.

Angel walked up to him, "They're… gone…" She sobbed.

Ion turned around, and engulfed her in a hug. Both just wept together, unable to say anymore.

Suddenly, a bell echoed throughout the room, and all of Aincrad. "As of November 22, 12:55. The Game has been cleared. Repeat. The game has been cleared."

Everyone looked around at each other, unable to believe what had happened just now. Their faces slowly lit up as they realized it was finally over. Mai and Silica shared a hug, and Alice joined in with the smaller girls. Helios turned to Riku, and gave him a fist bump while pulling in Dagger for a hug.

"Damn you Kirito! You glory hogging bastard!" Ion looked over Angel's shoulder at Ren, who was on the ground. "Why'd you have to go and die like that when we all get to leave! It's not fair!"

Ion let go of Angel, and slowly dragged his feet over to the tactician. He pulled the man to his feet, and pulled him into a hug as well.

"I know. He taught you how to survive in this game. He was my friend from my first day of school," Ion said.

"Ion…" Ren gasped. He had always suspected Ion and Kirito were acquaintances IRL, and that had just confirmed it.

Alice walked over, and cleared her throat, Ion let the boy go, so she could wrap her arms around him instead. Angel walked up behind Ion, the two couples smiling sadly.

Suddenly, all the players in the room began glowing. They each glanced at themselves and each other, unsure what was going on.

"Does this mean… we're logging out?" Alice asked. She gasped, looking at Ren.

Ion opened his menu, tagging all three there, as well as Silica, he then sent a message to them. 'Tell me your names, so I can find you again when we get home. I'm Marcus Cersy.'

Four simultaneous message alerts popped up on his HUD a moment later.

'Dan Hiryo' – Ren.

'Alicia Tsuki' – Alice.

'Keiko Ayano' – Silica.

'Sarah Radcliffe' – Angel.

Ion took care to memorize them all, he then held out a hand to Ren. "I'll try to get in touch with you as soon as possible," He said.

Ren nodded, taking the hand and shaking it, "We'll be waiting," He smiled.

The light then grew brighter and brighter, and all four vanished in a flash, along with all remaining players of Sword Art Online.

Emma sat in class, chewing on her pencil as she tried to figure out the horrible mathematics questions in front of her. If I take 225 and square root it… that's 15. Then multiply that by 4, I get 60. Square that…

"Clair Hiryo to the Main Office." A sudden announcement came through the intercom, wrecking her train of thought. "Clair Hiryo to the Main Office.

Stupid speaker! Emma growled.

"Emma Cersy to the Main Office." The speaker blared again. "Emma Cersy to the Main Office."

Thank god. I'm done for with this test. She sighed.

"Emma, we'll give you a quiet room for you to try again next week. Don't worry," her teacher smiled.

Emma nodded, and put her pencil back in her pencil case, and grabbed her bag from under her desk, quickly departing from the classroom. As she did, the intercom crackled to life again. "Kione Radcliffe to the Main Office."

As she walked down the halls, she wondered what could be wrong. Was it the sap from last week who tried to make a move on her again? Or something related to her grades? And why were her friends being called down as well?

"Emma!" The raven-haired girl turned her head at the hailing call, spotting the brown hair of Clair and the silver-haired Kione walking towards her. Emma had met them near the start of the new term last year. Her eyes then flickered to Kione, who had a hood covering over her eyes, which had a large scar all the way across her face.

The girl, unfortunately, was blind. A German Shephard with a green vest on walked aside her, guiding her towards the Cersy girl. Dogs weren't allowed in school, but Kione was the exception, needing the canine to help her to her classes and around the hallways.

Emma walked alongside her two friends, "I wonder what's going on?" Clair muttered.

"Beats me," Emma shrugged, putting her hands in her pocket.

"I hate feeling right… but do you think it could be about that game?" Kione asked.

The other two looked at her in surprise, "Don't even think about saying it!" She snapped.

The German Shephard growled at her, "Lex, stop." Kione said, pulling tightly on her dog's leash.

Emma frowned, "I'm sorry… I didn't mean to snap at you…" She sighed. Truth was, since her brother had gone under the trance of the Nervegear and that death game, she had become somewhat of a rebel, picking fights and growing increasingly frustrated with life.

Lex gave a sharp bark, announcing their arrival to the office, and Emma pushed it open for her two friends.

Counselor Sumar sat behind a desk, a pair of seats before him. "Ms. Hiryo. Ms. Radcliffe. Ms. Cersy," He greeted the three, and gestured to the seats before him.

He's from guidance… Emma noted. What's he doing here?

She offered the seats for her friends, choosing to stand behind them.

"We've just received some calls from your parents and guardians," Sumar said. "It's about your siblings."

All three tensed, "Don't you dare tell me…!" Emma began.

"They're awake."

The girls stopped solid. Emma almost fell over from shock. "What… what did you just say?" She asked.

"According to your families, the hospitals taking care of your siblings have called. They're awake," Mr Sumar said. "They're each on their way here to pick you up so you can all go see them."

Kione seemed to look faint, and Lex quickly nuzzled her, to see if she was ok. "I'm ok Lex, just a little disoriented." Her master petted her head.

Clair sagged in her seat, collapsed from disbelief, He's back… Dan… She cried silently.

Emma made sure her legs wouldn't give way to her, and smiled. A genuine smile appeared on her face for the first time in two years.

They're all back, she realized. It's a miracle.

Ion's eyes opened to the faint sound of a rhythmic beep to his left. He looked up at a white ceiling, with a light hanging from it. It was off however, and there was a mild light coming in from his right.

He could feel the nervegear on his head, but it wasn't as tight as it had been when he put it on. Ion tried to move his arms to remove the prison, but he couldn't, no matter how hard he tried.

Well, it would appear I'm not dead. He sighed. SAO is finally over.

The door to his room swung open. A woman, who Ion assumed was a nurse of some kind poked her head in with widened eyes. She called out into the hall. "Yep! Same story over here! They're awake!"

The woman then walked in, and gently removed the device from his head. Black hair fell down over his eyes, and he frowned. "Please. Leave the Nervegear here… even though it held me in there for two years, I still have a lot of memories there."

Soon, a few doctors were in the room, making tests on Ion's pencil thin body. One took a pair of scissors and trimmed the hair in front of his eyes, allowing him to see again. He sighed, feeling how weak his body had become. Before SAO, he had been a top Kendo player, with some muscles to brag about. Now, he was so frail and weak.

After the doctors finished, they left Ion to go and check on the other survivors in the hospital.

A few minutes later, Ion heard his door open again, "Excuse me, was your in-game name Ion?" A nurse asked.

"Aye sir, that's me," Ion nodded his weak head. "There something wrong?"

"No no, nothing at all." The nurse said. "I have a message from a survivor from one of the other hospitals for you."

"Who was it who sent it?" Ion asked.

The man looked down at a tablet, "Kirito. He said his name was Kirito."

Ion's eyes widened, and he heard his heart monitor beep a little faster, "Did… you say… Kirito?" He asked.

"Yes, Apparently, he wanted to let you know he was ok," the nurse said. He turned and headed for the door. "That is all, I must get back to work."

"Before you go, I'm sorry, can I ask you to return a message to him?" Ion asked. The man nodded. "Tell Kirito that 'he almost gave me a heart attack, and that he must never do that again'. He'll understand, even if you do not."

The nurse noted that down on his tablet. "I'll send that to his hospital as soon as I can."

Ion closed his eyes with relief as he laid back against his pillows. He's alive… thank god. And if he's alive… does that mean Asuna lived too? It's a miracle.

He sighed, waiting in bed. Minutes went by as he wondered what was next for him and his fellow survivors. He was expecting a doctor to come back and explain that to him. When the door opened again, Ion's eyes widened at who he saw.

A young girl, around fourteen years old, with short black hair that she had down to just past her shoulders. She had ocean-blue eyes, darker than Ion's own. She was wearing a white hooded jacket and seemed to be panting heavily as she looked at him.

Ion's eyes started to water as he recognized who was standing before him. She looked a little older and different. But it was still her.

"Emma…" He whispered.

"Bro… you're back…" Emma muttered before she ran up and threw herself at her brother, crying out with sheer happiness.

"Emma! Easy! Thin as a stick of celery here!" Ion winced at her vice grip of a hug. He then sighed, deciding to grin and bear it.

"It's ok Emma. I'm home. And I'll never leave you again. That is a promise," He put a hand on her back, rubbing her gently. "Let it out kiddo, it's long overdue."

It wasn't even a minute longer before Warren and Amy both stepped into the room. Apparently, in her haste, Emma had run on ahead of them the moment she had a visiting pass.

Warren put a hand on his shoulder, "Welcome back son, you've been missed." He sighed.

"Everyone in the neighborhood kept giving their regards to your imprisonment," Amy wept, kneeling down and hugging him gently from the other side.

Ion sighed, looking around at his family. "It's ok everyone. I'm home."

He couldn't stop here however. He needed to get back on his feet and find the people who he had vowed to see again.

Angel sighed, she was glad to be out of SAO, but she wished that everyone would stop fussing over her. Her hair was unbelievably long, enough to make her feel like Rapunzel, and her body was terribly weak.

She was glad when the doctors left the room, and just laid there, planning out what was next to come. As she did, she heard the door open. Turning her head, her eyes widened at what she saw.

A silver-haired girl, around thirteen years old, walked into the room, guided by a large dog in a green coat. She had a black winter jacket with the hood up, covering her eyes.

"Is she awake mother?" She asked an older woman, also blonde.

"Sarah!" the woman rushed up to the bed. "Oh dear, you're so thin…" she gently embraced Angel in a hug.

"Mom… Kione…" Angel cried in joy. The girl walked up, feeling around before she set her hand on the bed.

"Lex. Rest," She commanded the dog with a kind tone, and the dog lay down on all fours.

"Kione… your eyes…" Angel gasped.

"A drunk man removed my sight a month after you were imprisoned." Kione said. "He is dead." She added at hearing Angel try to move.

Angel gently ran her hand across Kione's closed eyes, sewn shut because the pupils were useless inside. "It's ok, I'm used to it now, and I have a new friend, Lex." She stroked the dog's head.

Angel glanced down at the dog, "Have you been taking care of my sister?" She asked.

The dog gave a small whimper, sitting up and putting her head on Angel's bed.

"Good, as far as I'm concerned then, you're practically family," Angel smiled, as Lex began to gently lick her hand.

She looked out the window, Ion… We'll see each other again… count on it.

Ion: And so Aincrad comes crumbling down!

Angel: I liked the mingling of Clair, Emma and Kione, those three would be friends.

Silica: Yeah! And that dog is adorable!

Kione: Thank you.

Emma: I just hope bro won't be mad when he sees my report cards...

Ion: What was that about report cards?

Emma: Nothing!

All: Next time: She's Still Sleeping