So here we are, at long last. Around four months short of three years, and I'm finally at the end of Aincrad. Whew.
Wonder how long it'll take to actually finish the entire story… oh well. That's a bridge I'll get to later.
reality deviant: yeah I was afraid of it feeling disjointed. Oh well. It's done and gone, and saved me a lot of time.
najdrox: but how do you know the butterflies didn't already start in these past chapters? *cryptic silence*
notcroaker: in a SAO that's just a game, albeit an incredibly expansive and well-made game but that's not the point. In canon SAO, Kirito would be able to do that. But this SAO has a supernatural edge, and Yui isn't just the AI she is in canon. Willpower or no, Kirito shouldn't be able to use his mad hacking skillz to cut paste her to his NerveGear by himself this time. Also you've pretty much hit upon the direction I'm trying to take Kirito in this story: while he's the strongest on Aincrad, he may, ironically, end up the most normal person among them in the later arcs.
Dragon Rider 66: I did think about adding in that little side story where Argo gets trapped in their flying house (context: the house that Kirito and Asuna bought was initially a part of a Wizard of Oz based side quest. Argo got trapped cause canonically she's scared of dogs and couldn't bring herself to interact with Toto.) but well, I dunno. Guess I just didn't have any nice ideas for it besides just redoing it identical to canon just from Argo's perspective.
reydrago: if anything, the blast attacks would make him more of an Archer class as being Caster necessitates specifically magical expertise. And Sabers generally primarily rely on their sword skills. Then again, you mentioned Gilgamesh as an odd Archer (hell, so many Archers don't use bows, it just seems like the range attack dump Class). I guess I'm just fixated on him being Berserker cause that's a separate story idea I had.
Nomad-117: KoB Grunt #1: "Hey, don't you think that Kuradeel guy looks a bit … murderous all the time?" KoB Grunt #2: "Well, you can't really help the face you're born with, right? Poor guy." In seriousness, though, I guess he just worked really hard at keeping his cover that they overlooked his Serial Killer Face Syndrome. Next … y'know, with all the relationships and interactions I'd considered, somehow such an obvious one never crossed my mind. Thanks for the idea. As for the Blazer Shining Aura Darkness Blade, I wouldn't want to deprive the Sitri Peerage of the few things they have separating them from grunt class Devils early on. No, really, if you look at the other rookie Peerages, Sairaorg and Rias have very diverse Pieces. Sona … has her tactics, Tsubaki and Saji's Gears and … that's it for over ten volumes. For a Maou family, that's an underwhelming team.
MWkillkenny84: Well, we'll see. Only two more chapters to go till that event happens anyway.
Blinded in a bolthole: you may be surprised at how much setup there was that chapter.
Thanks to everyone for all the reviews.
Anyways, here we are. The 75th Floor confrontation, the final battle and the last vestiges of Aincrad. Let's get this party started (ended)
Obligatory Disclaimer: I do not own DxD or SAO.
*~B~*
Chapter Thirty-One: End Of The World
[Aincrad 75th Floor, Boss Room. November 7th 2024]
"There's nothing more boring than watching someone else play a video game. Isn't that right, Kayaba Akihiko?"
Dead silence rang through the room. The KoB players who had hastily gotten up in adamant outrage at the Black Swordsman attacking their boss could only stare motionlessly. Klein's guild, Agil, the DDA, all remained rooted to their positions, unable to but stare as Kirito and Heathcliff met each other's gazes.
A myriad of emotions spun within Kiba. Shock, betrayal, disbelief. This was a man he had entrusted his sword to. This was someone under whose leadership Kiba had gone into fight after fight. He had protected Heathcliff from dangers alongside Asuna and the rest of KoB.
Fury was the emotion that won over. He tried to rein it in, to give Heathcliff a chance to deny the accusation. He could tell that that was what everyone else was waiting for.
"… Just for reference," Heathcliff began. "How did you figure it out?"
There were several sharp gasps. "You piece of shit," Klein growled.
"Your bizarre speed during our duel just didn't seem right to me. I only put it all together now."
Heathcliff nodded, smiling bitterly. "As I expected, that mistake cost me. Your speed made me instinctively draw on the Over Assist."
" … Kirito-kun's right, then," Asuna said monotonously. No, Kiba could see her barely restrained cold rage.
"Originally I planned to reveal myself on the ninety-fifth floor. But it appears I am left without choice. Yes," Heathcliff declared confidently. "I am Kayaba Akihiko, the creator of this game, and the final boss that awaited you at the very end."
"Gotta admit, it's a nice scenario you've crafted. Makes a very good plot twist," Kirito said.
"An interesting scenario, is it not? The revelation would cause ripples throughout Aincrad. I would have liked to see how the players dealt with such an upheaval. But to think I've been found out only three quarters into the game. You truly are a terrifyingly unpredictable individual, Kirito-kun."
"Thanks for the praise," Kirito deadpanned. "I don't suppose you'd let us all log out now, would you?"
Heathcliff's smirk grew. "You were among the people that I expected would have faced me at the very end. Of the ten Unique Skills in the game, Dual Blades was granted to the player with the greatest reaction speed. You have impressed me, far exceeding my expectations. There were several other candidates who could have earned Dual Blades, but ultimately it was you, the ordinary player."
Enough talk.
Kiba could not hold himself back much longer. He positioned his sword and jumped at Kayaba. System protected or not, cursor altered or not, Kayaba would die here. He wasn't the only one who thought the same – Klein, Lind and several others charged at the same time.
Heathcliff deftly opened a window and manipulated it with the speed of someone who knew it by heart. Kiba's limbs suddenly refused to move. Paralysis?!
Everyone except Kirito fell to the ground. Kirito caught Asuna as she fell. Kiba heard laughter. "Of course it was you," he heard Lind say. "You always looked so detached from everything that happened around you, or even everything that you did. And you always seemed to know the most about how the game worked. You were hiding under our noses this entire time, you ingrate."
"So what now?" Kirito asked. "You gonna kill us to preserve your secret identity? Given your reputation, it might actually work as a believable story if you were the only survivor of this boss fight. Though, all these deaths would completely discourage anyone from joining the front lines. SAO will likely forever remain incomplete."
"Of course not. It would be counterproductive to eliminate all of you here. My schedule has simply changed. I will leave you be and move up to the hundredth floor, and await your arrival at the Scarlet Jade Castle. Even without me, I believe everyone gathered here is strong enough to reach the nineties with their own strength."
"We've been doing that the entire time, Leader," Asuna hissed. She struggled to get up. "You have only ever directly involved yourself on rare occasions, such as the Red Day, or the occasional boss strategy meeting. You left us to our own devices most of the time. You don't have the right to talk down to us."
"Certainly not, Asuna-kun. It was your leadership more than mine that brought the Knights of the Blood where they are today. You have a bright future ahead of you, you and Kirito-kun."
"Shut the hell up, you bastard!" Klein shouted. "You don't get to talk about futures when you've got us trapped here like lab rats!"
"Perhaps," Heathcliff responded, but said no more. Frustration permeated through Kiba. Damn it! If I could just get up, and somehow hit him through that blasted protection…! We could finish everything here and now!
"On that note, Kirito-kun," Heathcliff said. He stabbed his sword into the ground with a clang. "As a reward for having figured out my identity, how about I give you a rare opportunity?"
"Is this the part where you tell me to join you, and together we can rule or some clichéd crap?"
Heathcliff chuckled. "No. I am offering you a chance at a rematch, right here and right now. You have my word that I will negate my Immortality status … and that if you defeat me, the game will be over."
*~B~*
Heathcliff – Kayaba – knew it was a huge, unnecessary gamble.
His real plans had not been truly affected even an iota. He could withdraw right there and then, and preside over Aincrad from the safety and comfort of the Scarlet Jade Castle. He could observe and monitor undisturbed, having freed himself from the shackles of pretense. He would lose nothing if he walked off at that moment.
Conversely, Kirito was no doubt the single most formidable opponent that remained on Aincrad. If, by some chance, Kirito actually won, then Kayaba stood to lose everything. All his carefully, painstakingly laid plans, would be for naught. Even he did not know what the incomplete manifestations would look like.
Fighting Kirito now, giving him a chance at absolute victory, was an immense gamble. It was a huge, unnecessary risk that he had no reason to take. If he won, it would earn him little. Should he lose, he would lose everything. This would be a fight with everything Kayaba had wrought at stake.
And yet in spite of that … no. because of that, Kayaba wanted this.
"Kirito-kun, don't!" Asuna pleaded. "It's a trap! He's trying to get rid of you first!"
Kirito had no reason to refuse. Kayaba knew so, having monitored him the most out of all the special cases on Aincrad. He had plenty of reason to despise Kayaba, plenty of reason to want him dead. The deaths of his guild, his self-imposed ostracizing, every little thing that had caused him and the people he cared about pain: all those were reasons enough for Kirito to pick up his sword.
And pick up his swords he did. He carefully set Asuna's immobile avatar on the ground, making her widen her eyes. "Kirito-kun, no! You can't!"
"Sorry, Asuna. But I can't back away now," he said.
"Yes, you can! Don't do this! He'll kill you!"
"Do you have that little faith in me, Asuna?" he asked wryly. "I don't plan on dying here. The only one who's going to die … is that bastard right there," Kirito finished. His voice changed at the end of the statement. He had been trying to keep his cool all throughout, but at that moment, his own rage had broken out. The chains had been cut. Kayaba knew, from the way Kirito had snarled out the last few words that this would be a fight that he was very likely to lose.
Good. That was exactly what he wanted.
"Stop right there, you Goth idiot!" Klein yelled. "Don't move a single step!"
"Kirito, fall back!" That was Agil.
Kirito shook his head. "Sorry, guys. But I've made up my mind."
Gone were his jokes, and his nonchalant attitude. He was entirely serious. "Damn it, you bastard…! Oi, Kirito! You damned better show your face once we're all back on the other side! Ya hear me?!" Klein roared.
Kirito nodded, then turned towards Yuuto. "I don't plan on losing," he said, "but, in case something happens to me, look after Asuna."
"I am not taking away your duty," Yuuto responded. "Do that yourself, once you've won."
Kirito smirked and then turned back to Kayaba. He took a deep breath, eyes closed. When he opened them again, murderous intent rolled over Kayaba.
This was what Kayaba wanted. This was why he was choosing to fight. Kayaba manipulated the window, setting both their HP to the highest red percentage and then closed it.
Well laid plans being carried out successfully had their own type of satisfaction. However, it was something else that Kayaba yearned for.
For all his intellect, for all his dreams, the fear of the unknown was something that Kayaba had rarely ever tasted. Unpredictability. Random occurrences. Disorderly chaos. They were the antithesis of everything he had worked for. People like PoH and Kirito were his nemeses.
Kayaba Akihiko wanted to fear. He wanted to face unpredictability head on, to dive headfirst into the pitch black unknown. He wished to know what it felt like to fight for everything that made him who he was, everything that his artificial life amounted to.
Kayaba Akihiko's reasons were simple: he merely wanted to feel alive.
Gone was the cold, rational logic he had lived by till now. His tenet was but one:
Survive. Prove to yourself your right to live.
The two of them took their stances. The air was thick with killing intent, not all of it Kirito's. The other players watched silently, all hoping for their release from imprisonment. Below them, six thousand individuals wished for freedom. A castle was awaited in the real world.
All of that was unimportant. The only things that mattered were the two of them, and the weapons they wielded against each other.
Kirito's explosive glare conveyed a single message. I, am going…
"… to kill you!" he roared, launching himself forward.
*~B~*
The first clash was less of an attack and more of a signal to us both that the fight had truly begun. This was something that was actually happening. I was actually about to cross swords with the creator of this world, the person who'd trapped us all here for two years, the sick-minded bastard who was responsible for all the deaths here.
Perfect.
The moment Elucidator collided with Heathcliff's shield I sent Dark Repulser flying through the gap. Kayaba's sword sliced upwards hard, the parry leaving me open to attack. He cut down immediately I swung my right sword to the left so that his attack missed me by a narrow margin, and spun, slamming the left into his shield and knocking him just slightly off balance. I continued to spin until I was in position to bury Elucidator in his back.
Kayaba jumped away, nimbly turning on his heel as he landed and charged shield-first, the same shield attack he'd used on me during our duel. I jumped, kicking off the shield and leaping over him. I tried to kick him in his smug face but he tilted his neck sharply, avoiding it by millimeters. I twisted in midair, swords spinning like fan blades. He blocked it with his sword, both of us disengaging.
No. Not quite. I grinned at seeing the tiny damage line on his right shoulder. I was gaining on him. The bastard didn't have long to live.
With a yell, I charged. Heathcliff slashed diagonally – or tried to. Dark Repulser slammed his sword to the side, as I brought Elucidator to my left and aimed it at the edge of his shield. There! A split second opening! I raised the left sword to end it –
Danger!
I barely blocked the sword that had been quietly going for my gut with Repulser's hilt. Kayaba pushed against my other sword, the shield sparking violently as it screeched against it. Heathcliff's sword sliced past me as I was pushed back and my HP fell to half of what remained.
Idiot. I was an idiot! What "he didn't have long to live"? I was fighting the piece of shit who designed this place, the bastard who would have been our final enemy anyway. He knew better than anyone how everything in this world worked. Why was I underestimating him at a crucial time like this?!
'Don't … yourself …'
I had to focus. I needed to win this fight. I needed to kill him.
'Don't lose yourself, Kirito!'
I charged again.
Up. Down. Sidestep. Parry. Stab. Block.
Faster, I ordered myself.
I feinted, he countered perfectly. A barrage of attacks from every angle struck his shield as he expertly moved just the right amount every time.
Faster!
I strained my virtual body beyond its limits, trying to get in attacks from just about every direction. Time and time again I was blocked. He at least looked like he was putting in effort during the last duel, but now…
He didn't even look like he was trying! Had he gotten used to my fighting style in that short of a time? Was this the gap between us? No matter how hard I tried, I'd never be able to really catch up, I'd never be able to beat him.
Unacceptable. I just wasn't trying hard enough. I wasn't taking enough risks. I could kill him right here. I had to. I couldn't keep playing it safe. I needed to fight like I always had. Screw defense. All I needed to do was wear down his defense.
Throwing caution to the wind was my biggest mistake. Muscle memory kicked in, exacerbated by my own nervousness. I saw the victorious look in his eyes before I realized what I was doing, and by then it was too late.
Twenty-seven hit Dual Blades skill, Eclipse. Skill Delay: large.
It felt like I was watching someone else act it all out. I'd been forced into autopilot. I watched as Kayaba accurately blocked each and every one of the attacks with perfect precision.
Dark Repulser shattered on the last blow against his shield. And then I was frozen, helpless.
I heard Asuna scream my name, but it registered in my senses as though we were both underwater. I was going to die. I was going to die and there was no stopping it. I watched Heathcliff raise his sword, as it glowed blood-red. He said something, but the words didn't register.
'No! Don't give up!'
I couldn't do it. I couldn't defeat him. I couldn't avenge all the people he'd caused to die.
Tetsuo, Ducker, Sasamaru. Keita. Sachi. I'm sorry. I couldn't make it up to you.
'Kirito!'
The sword descended.
It never hit me.
Somehow, in the blink of an eye, Asuna was in front of me. She was still paralyzed – I was sure of that. And yet she'd moved incredibly fast and … and taken the blow for me. Words failed me as she fell back onto me. The Skill Delay wore off. Her HP bar was empty.
"No… no, no. You've gotta be kidding me," I muttered shakily.
"… S-Sorry, Kirito-kun. I–"
Her avatar shattered. I grasped at thin air, desperate to hold on to some trace of her.
This wasn't happening. This wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening!
"This is surprising," Kayaba said. He sounded like someone dispassionately observing an unexpected outcome of a lab experiment. "I didn't expect her to outright defy the paralysis."
My left hand moved haltingly. My fingers touched her sword and I weakly grasped it. I felt empty. What was I even fighting for anymore?
"Well, then, Kirito-kun," Kayaba said, raising his sword once more. "It's unfortunate, but this is goodbye."
I swung weakly. Kayaba made almost no effort to dodge the hollows strikes and finally drove his sword straight through me. I didn't need to see my HP bar to know it had emptied.
Strange. It felt like someone was calling my name. Even with my disappearing senses, I could hear something. It was an oddly familiar voice.
My grip on the swords weakened. This was it, huh? Well … at least I'd get to see Asuna on the other side. I could apologize to Sachi, and Keita, and everyone. Someone else could deal with Kayaba. It didn't have to be me.
… No. No way in hell was I going to accept that.
I was not going to die here without taking that bastard down with me. I …
I REFUSE!
*~B~*
Kayaba nearly recoiled in shock as the avatar deletion was halted by Kirito's sheer force of will. He didn't react in time to stop Kirito's attack either. Asuna's rapier was buried into where his heart would be.
And yet even at the very end, Kayaba smiled. Such incredible willpower… very well, Kirito-kun. You have bested me.
Both their avatars shattered.
*~B~*
All across Aincrad, on each and every one of the 75 floors cleared, a miracle occurred.
All the NPCS suddenly inexplicably vanished.
Giant red words were checkered across the sky. SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT, they said, identical to the day when the death game began. Players looked up, apprehensive and scared.
[Urgent notice to all players,] said an automated female voice. [The game will now be entering forced administration mode. All monster and item spawns will be suspended. All NPCs will be dismissed. All players' HP will be set to their maximum.]
On a fortieth floor dungeon, HK Ise paused in confusion, listening to the voice. The monster he had been fighting had vanished and his HP bar had refilled in an instant.
Scared but curious conversations broke out in Starting City, none of the players being able to take their eyes away from the anomaly above them.
"What's going on?!"
"A bug? Some sort of system error?"
"Is that bastard announcing some new murderous mechanic?"
"You don't think…"
[Aincrad Standard Time, November 7th, 14:55. The game has been cleared.]
Silence followed the declaration. No one was able to process it. "Weren't the clearers at the seventy-fifth floor boss…?" Argo thought out loud, disbelieving.
[All players will now be logged out in sequence. Please wait at your current locations. I repeat, all players…]
A moment of quiet.
And then, thunderous rejoicing.
The hundred floor castle shook and quaked as players cheered and jumped in joy.
"Arisaaaaa! This is happening, right?! It's really happening, right?!" Rei cried, tears of joy rolling down her cheeks as she hugged Argo.
"… Are you crying?" Argo teased.
"Shut up, so are you!"
"Th-this is just sweat! I'm sweating!"
"Don't you quote K-On at me at a time like this! Besides, you can't sweat here!"
"Sh-shut up!"
On Taft, Rurin practically flew over the table to put her arms around Genryuu. She was so happy she wanted to kiss him. "They did it, Gen! I don't know how, but they did it! We're free!"
"Don't say anything else! I'm trying to convince myself this isn't a dream!"
Elsewhere, Silica hugged Fina to her chest, tears streaming rapidly down her face.
In the fortieth floor dungeon, Ise whooped and yelled. He didn't give a damn who saw him because it was all finally over. Somehow, it had ended a full quarter early. Miracle was a bloody understatement as far as he was concerned.
Outside the door of her shop, Lizbeth laughed hysterically. "It's your doing, isn't it, Kirito you crazy bastard?! Who else could it be?!" she cried out, wiping away tears.
On every floor, there remained a single NPC who had not vanished. On the second floor, Sairaorg let out a deep sigh, as he was finally able to move, and fell back onto the ground, grinning. On the eleventh, Thanron threw his sword and sharpening stone across the room. "Finally, at long last," he whispered, letting out a ragged, tortuous breath.
Amidst the rampant cheering on the fifty-sixth floor, no one noticed the little girl NPC falling to her knees and crying out of happiness.
Jumping around on top of a cliff on the fifty-ninth floor, Serafall hurled insults at the sky. "Take that, Bakahiko! You got owned!"
One by one, moment by moment, all began to disappear from the virtual castle. Once no one remained on any of the hundred floors, Cardinal began executing its final task. Aincrad began to crumble and fall apart from the bottom up.
*~B~*
"An impressive sight, is it not?"
Asuna and Kirito both turned their heads. Someone stood there wearing a white shirt, necktie and overalls. The intense gray eyes were, however, very familiar.
"Kayaba… what exactly is going on?" Kirito asked. Asuna noted how calm he was, despite his rage only minutes ago during the final battle.
"Perhaps you could call it a metaphorical rendering. The SAO mainframe in the fifth basement of Argus is currently in the midst of deleting all memory of Aincrad. In less than ten minutes, this virtual world will be no more, like a fleeting dream."
"What about the people down there?" Asuna asked. They could see the castle falling apart from the transparent platform high above.
"No need to worry," Kayaba said, opening a window. Asuna could barely make out a list of names on it. "As of now, all of the remaining 6147 players have been logged out."
So many dead, was Asuna's first thought. She shook her head. She couldn't be caught up thinking about that now.
"… Then, what about those who have died?" Kirito asked. "Both of us were killed, and yet we're still here. Doesn't that mean you could do something about the other four thousand dead?"
There was an odd expression on Kayaba's face. He glanced at Asuna momentarily, before shaking his head. "There are none besides the living who were freed from the game. You two are not dead. I simply brought you up here so that I could speak to you both one final time."
Asuna narrowed her eyes. The way he avoided answering the question … did that mean…?
"Why'd you do it?" Kirito asked. "Two years you kept us prisoner inside this gigantic game world. For what reason?"
"… Have you ever wanted to be a creator, Kirito-kun? To be able to build something incredible, something that stretched your capabilities to their limits? At risk of sounding very self-important: have you ever wished to play god to a world of your own making? I don't know when the dream of the steel castle first came to me, but I spent my life working to make that dream a reality – a world without the limits imposed by reality. Well," he paused, chuckling, "so I say, but reality is far vaster than anything I could have created."
"… uh, how is anything in our ordinary reality more than a VRMMORPG?" Kirito asked.
Kayaba looked at him, smiling enigmatically. He gave Asuna a look that irritated her. It seemed to be saying 'Good luck integrating him into the other side.' "I had many other plans that involved Sword Art Online as a centerpiece but thanks to your early victory, not many of them have come to fruition. Perhaps, depending on where your promising life takes you, both of you, you may come to learn what they are."
"What does that even mean?" Kirito grumbled.
"You will understand someday. Now, it is time for me to take my leave. Kirito-kun, Asuna-kun, congratulations on clearing the game. Farewell."
He disappeared with the wind. Asuna had a feeling that he had not returned to the real world.
She and Kirito continued to silently look down upon the dying castle. There were so many places they hadn't gone to. 25 floors that they had never reached. Bizarrely, Asuna was feeling a tinge of longing. She wanted to explore the castle a bit more, if given the chance – but of course, if it came at the risk of their lives, that wasn't to be considered.
"He did say we're not dead, right?" Kirito suddenly said. Asuna nodded. "Well, that's a relief," he sighed. "I don't want to worry my family any … any more than I already have."
Asuna tightened her hold on him as she heard his voice break. He's been keeping all that homesickness bottled up for so long. "It'll be okay, Kirito-kun," she said softly. "You're going to go see them now. We're going to go see our families, and then we'll find each other. We'll find all the friends we've made in this world. We'll go talk to the families of those we couldn't save. All that is waiting for us outside."
"Did you have to add that last point now?" he rebuked, wiping his tears. "I don't want to think about what I'm going to say to Sachi's parents – to the parents of all of them."
"Don't worry," Asuna said. "We'll go through that together. Right, Kirito-kun?"
"Not Kirito. I'm not Kirito any more, am I?"
Asuna giggled. "Maybe not, but I'll always know you as Kirito-kun."
"Well, from the top, then. I'm Kirigaya Kazuto. I turned sixteen last month. It's nice to meet you."
There were so many things Asuna wanted to say. She wanted to tell him about her status as a Devil. She wanted to tell him about so many things on the other side.
For now, she settled with the easier things. "You really are younger than me, just as I thought. I'm Yuuki Asuna, and I turned seventeen this year."
Asuna could feel the world around them, too, start to fade away. "I love you, Kirito-kun," she said, hugging him tight. "We'll see each other again, soon."
"… Yeah. I love you too, Asuna."
The two of them disappeared from the fading world, and a long, long chapter in their lives came to an end. One door closed, and another began to open.
Their stories had only just begun.
~Aincrad Arc End~
This chapter proves yet again that I am terrible at writing emotional scenes. And that whenever I have to retread canon, I feel like I shouldn't stick around on it too much, so the final result ends up feeling like a short summary. Oh well.
On a brighter note, Aincrad is finally done with! After over two and a half years … man, I'm so gonna speed up from now.
… Or so I say, but my A Levels and subsequently uni life is coming up. Eh. I'm still going to try to go through at least up to the Phoenix Rating Game before I have to take a break for exams and shit.
But anyways, Aincrad has been completed! Yay!
Next time: all roads lead to Kuou.
This was the shortest chapter in a long while, wasn't it?
Punitor567 out. El Psy Congroo.