A/N: It's time, everyone. The final boss stands before us, after more than three years on this journey. It's been quite the ride to get here, but I have enjoyed every step of it. Some were enjoyed more than others, but nonetheless, it has been a great story to tell. Bit of a behind the scenes info, I actually got so emotional writing this chapter that I had to make myself step away from writing it a few times to get myself back in a good head space before it was completed. So... yeah. That was a thing.

I eagerly await your thoughts on the climax of one of my greatest works to date, so please; read, review, and as always, enjoy.

Scarlet flows from our open arms
Blood runs in the moonlight
For so long have our victims bled
Only one is left to die
So that red is made white

Death's Embrace

Silence reigned supreme in the lair of the final boss as his identity was finally revealed to us. We had come expecting to fight the shade of Akihiko Kayaba, if not the man himself, and instead we were confronted by my own ghost.

Now designated as 'Mordred' by the system, Crimson stood in front of the steps that led up to the throne- his throne. The title of SAO's strongest boss now rested on the shoulders of my other self, and I knew that he would fight viciously to defend it, no matter who it was that he faced. Not even my friends or Saphira could expect mercy from what he had become, and for the first time since we had come to the final floor, I sincerely doubted our ability to win against the last obstacle standing between us and freedom.

So it was to my surprise that I found myself asking, "Tell me, Crimson. Do you remember us and our time together, or can you only recall what the Cardinal tells you?"

My Hollow smirked at me before answering, "My data was written onto a blank template in order to fill the void of the final boss, which means that everything was carried over- my skills and memories alike. And that means that my goal remains unchanged."

"Unchanged?!" Sinon sputtered as she stepped forward. "We set out to save the good people of Aincrad, not keep them trapped in here forever!"

"You're only half-right," Crimson said calmly, as if discussing the weather. "Our goal was indeed to safeguard the innocents and righteous of this world, but that was it for me. I never vowed to help set the people free."

"Pretty sure it was implied," I growled, some of my anger finally gaining purchase in my bearing, despite the shock I had just received. "Seems like the Cardinal has tweaked your programming a bit."

"Actually, no," my doppelganger said with a slow shake of his head. "The only alterations to my program were made by you and Strea. Sitting here in the palace with only my thoughts to keep me company since you defeated the Skull Reaper, I've had a lot of time to think. And in that time, I've come to conclude that if I am to keep all of the green players safe, I cannot permit you to destroy SAO. If they leave, I can't protect them anymore, understand? In order to fulfill my duty, I must prevent you from returning to the real world, where you will face dangers beyond my ability to handle- mostly because I won't exist anymore."

"Are you listening to yourself?!" I demanded of him. "Everyone here is a green player! If you kill them, isn't that against our mission statement?"

Crimson's smile stretched out as he chuckled softly before saying, "I think we both know that there are a few people in here that don't deserve those green cursors."

I felt my body grow cold as his words struck the deepest recesses of my being. His taunt was only made worse by the fact that he was absolutely right- I didn't deserve the privileges of a law-abiding citizen of this world. Leave it to me to know how to shut me down, I thought with a hint of black humor.

Based on how he was speaking and carrying himself, I knew that the Cardinal System had done nothing to mess with his mind. He was speaking of his own volition- the free will that I had shown him how to exercise. His mind was made up, and I knew that no one could change it- just like no one would be able to stop what I was about to do, even if they hated me for it.

"Okay then, if that's how it is…" I said as I took three steps forward, my sword lighting up as I did. "You and me, Crimson. Let's do this." Over my shoulder, I mustered up my best death glare and said, "Any of you interferes, and it's a paralysis dagger in your head."

"I'll let him do it, too," Crimson laughed from afar.

"No way, man!" Klein protested. "I don't know all the ins and outs of what's happening right now, but we're not about to let you fight this guy alone! If he looks like you, and he's got the stats of a final boss, it's a sure bet that he'll kill you!"

"Then I will have finally paid the price for all of my mistakes," I replied in a dull tone. "You've carried us to the final hurdle, Klein, and you have my respect and gratitude for doing so. But this is my fight."

"Look man, what is-?"

"Let him go." This time, we were all surprised to hear Rivka speak. When we turned to her in bewilderment, she looked me in the eyes while she addressed the rest of the Assault Team. "One way or another, he'll find a way to take on Crimson by himself. If I've learned anything in the past two years, it's not to stand between Mataras and his goals, because he will find a way around you. I'd rather support him from the sidelines than get in his way again."

"Rivka…" Kirito said softly. "Klein is right. Crimson will kill him. There's no chance that Mataras has at winning this fight on his own."

"Yes, there is," she insisted without breaking eye contact from me. "Because no one knows how to defeat Crimson better than himself. Trust that Mataras has a plan- he always does."

"Not for this," Sachi said with a negative shake of her head. "Even he couldn't have prepared for a battle against himself."

"He's going, and no one here is going to stop him," Saphira said as she moved to be back-to-back with me. "If they try, they have to go through me to do it."

"And me," Rivka, asserted, further stunning the last of the Assault Team.

"And me," Sinon added as she fitted an arrow to her bowstring.

"And me," Strea confirmed as she held her monster sword in a ready position.

"Count me in," Rain said as she whirled her white blade into a reverse grip.

"You guys gotta be kidding me," Klein groaned. "We should be fighting the boss, not each other! We're so close to making it home without taking any casualties!"

"No casualties, huh?" Crimson suddenly called from the side of the throne room. "That's adorable." There was a rush of wind and fire, and suddenly he was among us. Two sword strokes later had Klein slammed into a wall, his health precariously close to the red zone. Then, just like he had come, Crimson was back at the foot of the stairs, a dangerous look in his eyes. "Believe you me, I can inflict all the casualties I want. I'm choosing not to out of respect for the fact that Mataras has the guts to fight me on his own- not that I'm surprised, of course."

"Of course," I grumbled as my own sword continued to shimmer with dragon fire.

"Okay, guys…" Klein groaned from where he was being attended to by his guild members. "On second thought, maybe we let Mataras take a swing at him first." The others didn't seem all that ready to argue, now having witnessed Crimson's power in action.

"Good to know that you see things our way," my doppelganger said cheerfully.

"Hey, Crimson," Sinon said over her shoulder, causing his smile to wilt a little bit. "If Mataras dies today, you know what comes after, don't you?"

Crimson was quiet for a moment before he answered, "What that you could make your threat come true, my friend. Unfortunately for all of you, I'm too strong to be defeated by conventional methods." Sinon scowled at that, but I waved her back before she could do anything that we might all regret.

"Time to end this," I murmured. "I'm going to do my best here, but it does fall on you and Saphira if I fail."

"I understand," the archer nodded. "Don't let it come to that."

"Kick his ass," Saphira told me. "I don't want to have to beat you up again, no matter which version of you it is."

"Understood," I said with a grim smile.

"I love you," Rivka told me in a hushed tone, right before I turned around to confront my destiny.

"…I love you, too. No matter what happens next, don't ever forget that." The words came easily to my tongue, but they still felt difficult to speak. I didn't want this to be the end of what we were becoming- I came to the Ruby Palace hoping for a new beginning, after all. But now I was forced to confront the possibility that this might be the end, anyway. At least this way, they all have a chance.

Even if I couldn't kill Crimson myself, I was confident that I could lay the groundwork for the rest of my guild mates to finish the job.

"You done with your pep talk?" Crimson asked as he tapped his foot in front of him. "I'm being very patient right now."

"You've been sitting in this room for too long, self that is not myself," I muttered as I slowly began to walk forward, the stone in my stomach growing heavier as I did. "You underestimate our friends- a mistake that every red player in Aincrad made, and look at where it's gotten them."

"We had each other back then," Crimson replied as he started walking forward at a pace that matched mine perfectly. "I think what we're about to get here is a case of the unstoppable force meeting the immovable object."

"This is hardly an equal match," I snorted. "Your stats are way above mine."

"I'd ask if that means you're giving up, but I know you," my artificial twin said. "Just remember what Sensei always told us…"

"If you must enter a fight, make it as unfair as possible, in your favor," we said simultaneously as we came to stand three meters away from each other in the middle of the room. "And make sure that you walk away from a man unwilling or incapable of challenging you again." Both of our swords were properly aflame by now as we prepared for what would be the final battle for one of us.

"Quick question, before we get started," Crimson said as he settled into a slight crouch. "Your Dragon Blood… How high is it?"

"Maxed out," I answered. "You?"

Crimson smiled slightly as he replied, "Not a lot of opportunities to raise a skill that requires live targets when you're stuck in this room all the time. Maybe you do have a shot at this, after all."

"This isn't how I wanted to end our story."

"We of all people know that we often don't get what we want."

Back at the entrance, Rivka asked Sinon in aside, "Why are they talking about their skill levels? Dragon Blood doesn't cause as much damage as sword skills in exchange for allowing complete free range of motion, right?"

"That's true up until the point where it maxes out," Sinon nodded as they watched Mataras get into his own stance. "In theory, Dragon Blood would be pretty hard for an average player to use effectively, but because of Mataras' real-life experiences, he's made it pretty formidable. The bonus effect for maxing it out seems like a reward for mastering such a risky ability. You've seen its special effect once before, when we fought Kayaba, actually."

"The white flames?"

"Yep. Whenever he activates that, all of the traits that he uses in a fight pretty much double."

"Is there a drawback, like the post-motion paralysis?" Saphira inquired.

"Yeah… If his mind can't keep up with how fast he's going, his head pretty much gets burned out, and it's nap time until he can recover his faculties. It's why he tries to avoid using it if at all possible, though in this case, he may not have an option."

Begin Song: Fight Together (by Yuki Hayashi)

CLANG!

We moved at the same time, but Crimson's speed and strength far outclassed mine. It took everything I had to just keep a grip on Zar'roc. Seeing this, my doppelganger smiled and said, "What happened there? Don't tell me that joining up with the front lines made you soft!" He swung his sword at my neck, just like I had known he would, so I ducked down in a whirling motion while swinging my sword behind my back so that his skated off of it.

Because it was an indirect impact, it wasn't hardly as jarring as the first one, but it was still nearly enough to knock me to the floor. Summoning every scrap of willpower I had, I managed to spin away, just out of the reach of another swipe. "You're the one that's gone soft, sitting on that chair for all these months," I managed to spit out.

"I'm not the one that looks like I'm about to fall over after two hits," he countered.

Not for the first time since I had met Crimson, I reflected on the thought that it is very difficult to win an argument against one's self. So instead, I went with a simple, "Shut up." More than coming up with clever insults, I needed a plan for defending against his brutal attacks while finding a way to counter with my own.

Of course, I would never give myself time to formulate such a strategy, so neither would Crimson. He pressed the attack viciously, forcing me to give ground step after step, my heart pounding, and my anxiety growing. Just when I was certain that he was going to land a savage blow on my body, something rather unexpected happened.

A knife flashed in between us, coming from the entrance, and causing us both to pause in our duel as we looked to see who the offender was. As it turns out, someone from one of the lesser-known guilds had decided to take matters into his own hands, and had attacked in spite of our insistence to stay out of the fight. Already he had another dagger ready to go, even as his comrades gave him incredulous looks.

"We didn't come all this way just to sit on the sidelines!" he shouted, trying to rally the others. "Let's get in there- it's clear that the Red Swordsman can't handle this one on his own."

Crimson and I lowered our swords and exchanged a look before I asked, "Do you want to, or should I handle this?"

"I got it," he smirked as he opened his menu and punched in a new series of commands before holding his sword aloft. A second later it glowed a sickly yellow-green as Crimson bolted forwards to slash the cocky knife-wielder. He was instantly paralyzed, and fell to the floor with a loud grunt of surprise. As Crimson stood not five feet away from the rest of the Assault Team, he smiled at them all and said, "I trust that the rest of you good people have enough pattern recognition not to try the same thing."

In response, the six people closest to him activated their strongest sword skills and moved to cut him down where stood. Letting out a small sigh, my doppelganger lit his sword up with that same light before whirling it around his body, nicking each player in the neck or arm, and inflicting the paralysis effect on them, too. Clicking his tongue in disappointment, he turned to see the Moonlit Black Cats in front of him before raising an eyebrow and asking, "Anyone else?"

"We'll wait," Saphira said sternly as she maintained a grip on her weapon. "Because I trust you understand what happens if I have to jump in the fight."

Crimson chose not to respond to that, instead turning on his heel before clearing the room in a single bound to land back in front of me. "Where were we?" he asked me as he opened his menu and punched in another command.

"You were about to surrender."

"Ha! Death before dishonor, and there are few greater dishonors than surrendering to an opponent you know you can defeat," Crimson recited as he closed his menu, Dragon Blood flames having crawled across his sword again.

I shrugged at that. "Death it is, then." My sword's flames shifted into a white color, even as their heat increased, and I reset my stance. "I take no joy in this."

"Nor do I, but neither of us is about to back down, are we?"

I didn't answer that- I didn't need to. I simply stabbed at Crimson's face, and I felt a thrill of satisfaction that turned bitter in my stomach as I cut my doppelganger's face before he could completely move out of the way. I felt good because I now knew there was a way for me to win, and I felt ill for the same reason. It was entirely possible for Crimson to die in front of me a second time- only in this instance, it would be my hand that felled him. Still…

Better me than the others, I thought as I registered the trace amount of surprise in his eyes, though he tried to conceal it. Just like I can't hide my thoughts from you, you cannot hide yours' from me.

He spun a full three-sixty and swung a backhand stroke that had his entire body's momentum behind it, but I had expected this, and now it was a lot easier for me to track his movements, sped up as my thought process had become. I ducked the blow and stabbed his stomach just below the right side of his ribcage, scoring a more solid hit this time.

Of course, Crimson wouldn't let that stop him from inflicting damage, too- after all, I wouldn't have. As Zar'roc entered his body, he swung his left leg up to connect it solidly with my face and send me hurtling toward the ceiling, where I smacked into the gem work hard enough to stay up there for a half-second, and nearly lose my hold on the scarlet blade. Fortunately, I had enough sense to use the recoil momentum to shove myself off the ceiling before I could just start a straight plummet back toward my waiting opponent.

As I hurtled in the direction of Crimson, who was holding his sword back in preparation of a vertical strike that would probably be aimed for head, if not an arm in an attempt to cut it off. On second thought, that last one is more likely, I thought as I reached for my belt and grabbed a handful of darts before chucking them as hard as I could. This forced Crimson to leap back and allow me a safe landing, though he was right back on top of me as soon as I had regained my footing.

The instant that our swords connected, I shouted, "Lava burst!"

Crimson reacted instantly, weaving backwards from side to side before he could even consciously realize what he was doing. The second that he did, however, his eyes widened slightly before he started to say, "You cleve-!"

Wham! I shoulder-checked him, having known exactly where he would stop, and sending him reeling, followed by a trio of shuriken that found themselves lodged in his sternum. I had known how he would react because it was a drill that we had done hundreds of times before- an evasive maneuver meant to be called out whenever we noticed a lava pocket in the Hollow Area about to burst close to us. It was burned into our muscle memory, and it had taken everything I had not to react as I usually did when issuing the command.

"I hate to say it…" I said breathlessly as we began to circle each other like a pair of dogs ready to fight over a bone. "I still believe that you are the best of me, Crimson, but unfortunately for you, I am the original. My mind can expand faster than yours', because I've had longer to refine my way of thinking, thanks to those around me."

"Don't hurt yourself getting ahead," Crimson replied, still looking calm enough, even though I had managed to take off a few chunks of his health. "Haven't you heard that slow and steady wins the race?"

"This isn't a race."

"I disagree. This is certainly a race to see which one of us arrives at our deaths first," he said right before whirling his sword to the side in order to build up momentum for his next strike, which I was now prepared to counter. What I was not ready for, however, was the knife from his belt being slung into my gut, knocking me backward hard enough that he was able to move in close, and nearly cut off my sword hand. I stopped the blade halfway through my limb by catching his arm with my left hand and yanking it away, followed by a stab to his fighting arm.

The fight after that accelerated to a point where I could barely keep up with my own movements. No matter what new tricks either one of us managed to come up with, it was too familiar to our own thoughts to really be of any surprise. We were now fated to be enemies, but we had grown in camaraderie together, and there was no denying the strength of that bond, even in the midst of a fight such as this one. We steadily chipped away at one another's health, our taunts and challenges growing more and more sparse as we drew closer to our deaths, the both of us concentrating solely on claiming victory.

The more the fight went on, however, the more vocal the spectators became, though not one of them dared to try and engage in battle again. We could hear their cheers, exhorting me to go on, to win and free us all. I could hear my friends shouting encouragement at me, saying that they were with me for this final phase in our journey to escape Kayaba's death trap. People that I had fought against for so long were now cheering my name, praying for my victory.

All I could hear were chants of a crowd demanding my brother's execution.

Anger finally began to burn inside of me, driving my battle motions for the first time since I had fought Kayaba, months ago. Crimson seemed to notice it, and shifted his stance to a more defensive one in preparation what would come next- or perhaps he hoped to outlast me and strike back once I had worn myself out. I think I still surprised him when I stomped down on his foot in the middle of a cross-block before shoving him away from me, a guttural growl finally escaping the back of my throat.

"You know something?!" I shouted loud enough to be heard by everyone in the room. "I really… hate… people."

Just as Crimson recovered his footing, I surged forward, my hurt and despair at the situation only serving to add fuel to the wrath of my fire in the ensuing silence. "You're all blind, ignorant, self-important IDIOTS with basically no redeeming qualities, whatsoever! I mean really, why did I spend so much of my time trying to protect a bunch of spineless dunderheads, whose idea of thanking me for my efforts was to waste time trying to hunt me down?!" Spit was flying from my mouth, and my vision was full of red and the white flames of Dragon Blood, erasing everything from my awareness but that of Crimson's face, which had set like flint in the light of my renewed assault. He was losing ground, but if I lost control now, it would be game over for me- and I knew that he was betting on that fact.

So I continued to vent my fury, sustaining the fire that served to aid me in battle so many times before today- the final day of Sword Art Online. "Honestly, look at all that you managed to achieve only after you accepted my guild's help! Player-killing is gone, the front-line guilds stopped arguing over who gets what hunting spots, and you all get to go home today! None of you played a real hand in getting us to where we are now, because it's all a never-ending cavalcade of screw-ups with you people!"

Crimson leaped back, out of my reach and settled into a low stance, having predicted that I would give chase with a high-handed slash that would deplete the last of his health points. If he could hit me in the right spot, my own life would be forfeit- and I knew exactly how good of an aim he was.

This is how it should end, I thought as I drew in what I was sure would be my final breath. Then I used it to scream, "You all are, without question, a complete embarrassment to humanity! So how dare you MAKE ME CARE ABOUT YOU?!"

There was a ringing clang that thundered throughout the throne room, followed by the sound of pierced flesh, and then a silence so absolute that one could have heard a feather drop.

Crimson's broken sword fell from his fingers, clattering on the floor just in time for it and the other half to disintegrate. He smiled up at me from above where my sword was lodged in his ribcage, having stuck there after slashing through his shoulder. The happy expression was without malice or sarcasm, or even ill will- just like he had always done with me and everyone that he had wanted to call a friend. "Well done," he laughed, even as the last of his health points were depleted, and his health bar vanished.

"You…" I said in a hoarse whisper as my sword's flames dulled to orange before winking out of existence. "You did that on purpose." I had seen it clearly just before our swords were supposed to collide- he had swung his arm just a bit too low, striking the ground with the length of his weapon, and snapping it in two. "I should be dead right now."

"No idea what you're talking about," he laughed again as his body began to glow white. I heard people running up from behind us, but I paid them no heed. I could only look into my smiling reflection as he said, "It would appear that this time, I have failed Aincrad. So congratulations on beating the game, Mataras."

"No," I said with a shake of my head as tears started to fall from my eyes. "No, no, no! Not this again! I don't want you to go! I don't! I'm sorry, Crimson!" I couldn't stop a sob from escaping my throat as we both fell to our knees, Zar'roc still lodged in his stomach. "I'm so sorry! I want to take it back, please!" I swung my head up to the ceiling and shouted, "Not like this! Take me in his place, God! Don't make him die again, please! It's not fair! It's not-!"

"Mataras," Crimson said as he pulled himself closer to me and wrapped me up in a hug, even as our guild mates finally managed to surround us. "It's okay," he assured me. "I always knew that this was how my story was going to end. I knew that it was the only way to make a new beginning for you."

"I don't want a new beginning, not if this is the price!" I couldn't stop myself from weeping openly now, from being blinded by the saltwater in my eyes. I felt Crimson pull away from me, only to have someone else embrace me from behind, their own tears staining my cloak.

"I know a few of us haven't met properly before, but I'd take as a real favor if you all looked after him," Crimson said, his voice sounding distant and faint. "Here's looking at you, Reiko, and you Victoria."

"Michael, don't-!"

"Strea, check your menu for a new option under your preferences before the mass logout begins," Crimson rushed, cutting off Saphira. "I'm glad I got to see you again… one last time. Goodbye."

Before anyone could begin to make a reply, there was the sound of glass shattering, and a sword falling to the floor. I could barely make out the broken pieces of my other self through my tears as I reached up and held on for dear life to the arms that had encircled me, letting out an agonized groan that could hardly begin to articulate the kind of pain that I was feeling in that moment. I will have finally paid the price for my mistakes. I had said just that, and little had I known how true it would be.

I would have rather been killed in tandem with Crimson than have to live past the death of my other self. You were more than just a copy of me, I thought as I rocked back and forth while the others attempted to comfort me, to no avail. You were better than me.

In that moment, throughout all of Aincrad, every player stopped as they heard the voice of the Cardinal System say, "Attention all players. As of March 18, 2025, at 10:23 a.m., the game has been cleared. I repeat, Sword Art Online has been cleared. All servers will begin shutting down, and players will be logged out, accordingly."

The message repeated itself a few more times, but it was largely drowned out by the sound of the overjoyed people of Aincrad, celebrating their freedom. They were finally being granted release from the floating castle, and could now return to their homes and loved ones in the real world. It was a day that thousands of people would celebrate for many, many years to come.

Yet only a few knew what the cost of that freedom had been, and just who had been willing to pay it.

The sound of wind chimes echoed in the Ruby Palace, followed by scattered shouts of surprise from the other players. I think I heard some of them saying that it must be the forced logout, but I just didn't care at this point. Someone- Yuna, probably- began to sing a song of farewell to accompany the departure of the players of SAO.

There were a few attempts to rouse me out of my mourning, but I played deaf, not wanting to come out of my stupor and face reality- virtual or otherwise. After a minute or so, Kirito convinced them to let me be, and instead just focused on standing together in preparation for the moment that they would be taken back to the real world.

Only Rivka, Saphira, Sinon, and Strea stayed where they were, and that was but for a moment. "Mataras?" Strea asked in a soft whisper. "I don't know how he did it, but Crimson set up a way for me to convert into an item here and now. I'm going to go into storage in Saphira's NerveGear. I hope to see you soon, okay?" It was all I could do to give her a tiny nod, though my eyes remained fixated on nothing but my own tears, and I still couldn't speak.

There were the sounds of a menu being manipulated, followed by that of a wind chime. The next thing I heard was Saphira saying, "She's safe with me, Michael. We'll see her again, got it? We're-" The sound of wind chimes repeated itself, and then her voice was gone.

This was enough to rouse me, so I sat up and wiped furiously at my eyes while looking around desperately for my sister. "Victoria?" I croaked as I saw no sign of her. "Is she-?"

"She's been logged out," Rivka assured me from behind, confirming that it had been her that embraced me in the first place. "We'll all be together on the other side, I promise."

"Not… all of us," I said in a broken voice. "Not the one… that deserved it the most."

"Clearly, he thought otherwise," Sinon said as she knelt down to look me in the eyes, despite the fact that her own were watering. "We have to live in a way that honors his sacrifices, not just as the Fifth Commandment, but as Shino and Michael. What you want doesn't matter in this case, because he literally entrusted you with everything, and you can't let him down because you miss him."

"I killed him," I groaned. "I don't just miss him, I killed him- twice now. How do I live with that?"

"Mataras, I don't have all the answers," she sighed. "But I-" The sound of teleportation swallowed her words up, and she left Aincrad in soft glow of blue light, leaving me wondering what she had wanted to say.

Now that my vision had cleared up a little bit, I could see that of our guild, only Kirito, Kiriha, Philia, and Rivka were left, and the other two girls were already on their way out. As they faded away, my guild leader looked at me with pity and compassion before reaching out and saying, "I'll see you on the other side, man." As if he had known his moment of freedom was at hand, he too was quickly gone in a burst of light and soft sounds, leaving Rivka and I alone in the Ruby Palace, for even the other Assault Team members had gone.

"I'm glad that it's you who's still here," Rivka assured me as she leaned her cheek against my back. "I know it's selfish of me to want you alive over him, but it is what it is. And I'll help you get through it, once I see you again, okay?"

"…Okay," I said, not believing it, but feeling as though there was no other way for me to respond. "I'll… see you soon."

"I love you," she whispered in my ear. Then she too was gone, and I was alone on the top floor- maybe even in all of Aincrad.

"I love you, too," I said through another painful sob. "I just hope… that whatever's left of me after all of this is enough for you to be happy…"

"Commander?" I realized with a start of surprise, that there was one last person still in the room. As I looked up from the floor, I saw Hollow Asuna standing in front of me with her sword sheathed, and a peaceful smile on her face. "I never said this before, but I want you to know that you were a good leader. I hope that the next mission you take on will meet the same level of success as this one."

Before I could even try to come up with a response to that, I felt a rush of wind envelop me, and the sound of the wind chimes tickled my ears as I was finally lifted out of the floating castle of Aincrad.

When I opened my eyes again, I expected the fluorescent glare of a hospital light to assault my weakened optical nerves. What I definitely did not expect to see, where the clouds and sky that had long surrounded Aincrad, with nothing beneath my feet but a thick sheet of glass. When I looked to either side of me, I saw no one, so I shrugged to myself and thought, Maybe I don't get to leave, after all.

"First rule of entering a new environment," a familiar voice said from behind me, causing my body to freeze in place. "Always check your six."

"And then your twelve," I finished as I turned around to see Crimson, his dark red cloak fluttering in the wind that swept my bright scarlet one around my body. "Am I hallucinating?"

"No, but I'm not entirely sure of what you and I are doing here, either," he said with a grin as he moved closer to grab my forearm in our gesture of brotherhood. "Whatever the case, I'm glad that we get another chance at a proper farewell. Having a sword in my stomach kind made things rushed, don't you think?"

His words were meant to lighten the mood, I know, but all it did was make me feel sad all over again. "You're dead," I said as my eyes fell down. "And it's because of me… again."

"I was alive in the first place because of you, so I'd call it even," Crimson chuckled as he clapped me on the shoulder. "Look, the day that we tangled with Laughing Coffin, I knew what I was walking into. I knew that PoH would try to target you at the first sign of you being distracted or weakened enough to pose less of a threat. So I put myself in the middle of the action, where the fighting was the heaviest, hoping that he would buy into it while I took out a few of those dirt bags. Fortunately for you, he took the bait, and you managed to make the most of it."

"But in the end, you didn't want to die," I reminded him. "I let you down."

"You would have let me down way more if you hadn't made good use of the time that Kirito and I bought you," he insisted. "Look, if you had thought it up first, you would have done the exact same thing that I did. And if it wasn't me waiting at the top of the castle, then who knows who or what would have awaited the others? Certainly nothing willing or clever enough to find a way around the Cardinal System's mandate."

"You did what now?"

"You don't think that I was fighting with all the abilities that I had my disposal, do you?" Crimson snorted. "If I had used the boss skills that I was granted, there would have been no contest between us. I had to level the playing field without making it look like I was holding back to the system, otherwise it would have just moved on and thrown another boss at you guys. Didn't you notice how when I took down Klein and those other clowns from the Assault Team, I kept opening my menu in between attacks?"

"You were equipping and un-equipping your version of Dragon Blood," I realized aloud. "Since it still counted as a unique skill to the system, it gave you an advantage over the other players, so Cardinal let it slide, right?"

"And since mine wasn't as developed as yours', it gave you a solid chance at beating me," he confirmed. "And before you ask, I didn't want anyone else in on the fight, because with how high my stats were, I could have probably killed some of them on accident in the heat of the battle. It was easier to maintain precision when it was just you and me."

"Clever," I murmured.

"I thought you might say so."

"Well, seeing as you've got all the answers, can you tell me where we are right now?" I inquired as I wiped at my eyes and nose.

"Well… I can think of a couple of things," he answered as he pointed behind me and downward. I turned to look at what he was indicating, and I was a little surprised to see Aincrad from a near-bird's-eye view. The massive structure was crumbling from the bottom up, the falling chunks dissolving into data bits, and then nothingness. Even as we watched, I caught sight of Kirito and Sachi's cabin, breaking into pieces and falling down into the void below.

"That's depressing," I muttered as we watched the scene together.

"I rather think it a stunning view, even like this," said another familiar voice that saw to me and Crimson spinning on our heels and reaching for our weapons, which as it turned out, were no longer present on our waists. The speaker did not look at us, but did say, "There's no point in fighting here. This is a mere viewing platform, and there are no longer any health bars in this world. Conflict among us will solve nothing."

"I dunno about that," Crimson said thinly.

"Yeah, beating you to death sound pretty therapeutic right about now," I growled at Kayaba, who regarded the both of us with the cold indifference of Heathcliff. His appearance reflected that of his real-life persona, complete with a white lab coat that fluttered in the winds above Aincrad.

"I'd rather we used this time left to talk," he said calmly. "After all, there's no point fighting among the dead. As we speak, all of the surviving players have been logged out, and now the Cardinal System is wiping everything of SAO from the servers."

Crimson and I looked at one another before we returned our gazes to our hated foe. "So, are we all dead, and you're Kayaba's Hollow?"

"Yes and no," he replied, still in that irritatingly calm demeanor of his. "Akihiko Kayaba was killed in battle months ago, but I live on in his place. I am an echo, if you will, of his mind, and so calling me a 'Hollow' would not be entirely accurate, as they are meant to only be physical replicates with a very trace amount of memories to guide them in their actions. As for the status of your life, Mataras, you will soon wake up in a hospital bed, safe and sound. The same cannot be said for Crimson, whose fate is tied to the Hollow Area." As he spoke, he pointed to a spot past the floating castle, at a place toward the very limit of our eyesight. There, we could see a floating island, crumbling in a manner similar to the way that Aincrad was now.

"You said that we Hollows were meant to be simplified copies, nothing more," Crimson said as he watched his home world be destroyed. "So why am I the way that I am now?"

"To be honest, I'm not sure why that is," Kayaba replied with a small shrug. "Many things in this world surpassed my expectations of it, and you are but one of them, Crimson. I never imagined that an AI like yourself could grow and learn to the point of creating its own personality. In some ways, your ability to adapt surpassed even that of the MHCP's, which were designed to learn and evolve the longer they lived. However, their personas could only change so much, as they had a primary directive at their core."

"The same could be said of the Hollow AI, though," I muttered. "Their directive was pretty much to fight until they died, right? To test the limits of what a player and their gear could do?"

"Yes, that should have been the case," Kayaba nodded again as he went back to watching his creation crumble into virtual dust. "But no man can account for everything, even in a world of his design. Humans have always possessed the ability to exceed the expectations of their fellow man, and that is exactly what you two have done. I never imagined that Dragon Blood would be the skill to end my world, nor that it would be its last line of defense. I also could not have predicted the use that you got out of the Hollow Area, nor the resolve that you displayed in your chosen path. But… in the end, I got what I wanted."

"Oh you did, did you?" I asked him sardonically. "And what exactly was it that you wanted to begin with? You never explained why you made this world- why you effectively killed thousands, and trapped even more thousands. Explain yourself."

"That's a fair question," Kayaba replied, even as the sixtieth floor of Aincrad began to die. "The truth is that I wanted to see what humanity would make of a clean slate. I wanted to know what would happen in a world unbound by earthly law and restrictions. More than that, though, I wanted to know what people would do with my floating castle in the sky… the one that I dreamed of, ever since I was a little boy."

"So thousands of people suffered and died because you were curious about the nature of humanity when given a fresh start?" Crimson asked in a tone similar to mine. "Any basic study of humanity could have told you what would happen. Humans are evil by nature, we always have been. Anything that is new and good, we mar and corrupt with our touch. Every. Single. Time. This was no different."

"Even so, what's done is done," Kayaba replied. "There is no point in wishing for the clock to turn back on itself. All you can do is make use of the life that you have left."

"Which for me, will be what, ten minutes?" Crimson muttered.

"I was speaking to Mataras, but yes, I think that ten minutes is plenty of time to make an impact on the world around you," Kayaba mused as he turned around and started to walk away. "Oh, before I forget…" He paused before adding, "Congratulations on defeating SAO, Mataras, Crimson. I do hope that we meet again, someday." Then he was gone in a puff of smoke.

"If we ever meet again, it'll be a lifetime too soon," I grumbled, angry that I hadn't taken the chance to punch him when I could have.

"If somehow I wind up wandering the net like he seems to be, I'll be sure to toss him into the dark web for you," Crimson chuckled as we turned to resume watching the demolition of the world that had been our home for the last two years.

"I appreciate that thought," I murmured, as floor seventy-four collapsed. "Got a question."

"Shoot."

"How'd you know about what was going on while you were in that throne room?"

"The Cardinal System more or less spoke to me by downloading information updates that it deemed relevant into my memory banks," he answered. "It was pretty fixated on keeping track of what the front-line players were up to."

"Wait, was that thing sentient?" I wondered, surprised that the thought had never occurred to me before.

"Not in the way that you and I understand it," Crimson said as he put his chin in his hand. "I don't think I could really explain it, even if I tried."

"Eh, maybe I can have Strea explain it to me," I replied, my mouth drying out as I realized that our time together was nearing its end. With this in mind, I forced myself to ask, "So… Is there anything you want me to tell the others when I see them again?"

"Yeah," he answered as his eyes became distant. "Tell Victoria that I expect her to lead a good life with the second lease that she was given. Give Strea my love, and keep reminding Sinon that she's valued, no matter what the rest of the world may say about her and her past."

I hesitated, noticing that there was one name that he seemed to be avoiding. However, I also knew that if I didn't ask him now, I would never get another chance, and that I would regret it until my own grave. "What about Reiko?"

He was silent up until floor ninety-five was a mere memory before replying, "I'm leaving her entirely to you. But you better believe that I'll haunt your ass for eternity if you don't treat her right."

That got me to smile a little bit, in spite of myself. As that smile creased my face, floor one hundred cracked apart and fell into the void below, the mighty castle of Aincrad forever gone. I knew that these were the final moments that I had with my other self, and that they needed to count.

"Do you regret any of it?" I asked him.

"Not a bit," he answered without hesitation. Seeing my immediate disbelief, he grinned again and said, "You and I may have begun the same way, but the times have changed, and us with it. Everyone in life changes, when you think about it. We become different people throughout our lifetimes, and that's a good thing. Now that my end has come, it's time for you to keep moving, but…"

"But what?" I asked him as I felt a pressure beginning to build in the air, a sure sign that the end was near.

"Just remember the people that we used to be," he said solemnly. "Don't regret them, but do remember. We cannot grow without remembering who we were, and you know that. So don't forget one line of our story, Mataras. Don't forget a single day, not for an instant. Promise me that you will always remember when the Red Swordsman was us."

The skies around us were drawing closer, pure white replacing the blue skies that had been our constant companion throughout our ascension through the floating castle. I locked arms with Crimson and said, "I promise I won't forget. Thank you, Brother, for freeing me from the guilt of this."

"Thank me by living well enough for the both of us," he laughed, even as the whiteness converged on our existence. As we faded away from the virtual reality, I heard him whisper, "Happy birthday… Michael."

Never in my life had I found it so hard to do something as simple as open my eyes. It had never required an actual effort on my part. Keeping one's eyes open was a mere instinct, not something that should require a conscious will to enact.

Yet it was almost a battle with my own flesh to allow my optic nerves to receive input from the light around me. Despite this unwelcome development, I made my body obey my commands, and forced the heavy lids of my eyes to move. Ever so slowly, I managed to take in the image of a ceiling light, which was somewhat filtered by the dark visor in the top half field of my vision.

I blinked a few times, the movement become a little easier each time as my body began to respond to neural commands that it hadn't been able to receive in over two years. I cast my eyes about, trying to determine where I was, my head lost in a thick fog as I tried to make sense of my surroundings.

The walls were not white and bland like I would have expected of a standard hospital, but rather warmer colors of green and honey wood. There was a faint scent of Sakura blossoms pervading the room, and the sunlight that was coming in was diluted by translucent window panes. The bed I was on was comfortable, and the blankets were softer than I had expected. There was a thick curtain on my left, obscuring what I guessed was about half of the room, and on my right was a machine that was measuring my vitals.

It took me a solid minute to realize that I was not in a standard hospital room, but that of a more private installation. What… in Sam hell? I thought sluggishly as I tried to lift my head, but found myself unable to do so, due to the heavy equipment encasing my skull.

Oh, right, I thought as I reached up with awkward fingers to scrabble at the buckle that was holding the strap in place. How could I forget you? It took a few tries, partially because I wasn't used to using my real hands anymore, and one of my arms had an IV drip plugged into it that hampered my progress, but I managed to finally extricate my head from the NerveGear that had held me prisoner for so long. Lengthy, greasy, matted hair fell down past my shoulders as I was finally freed from the deadly device.

As I held the warm helmet in my weakened grasp, I thought to myself, So much pain and suffering to accomplish this one simple act… What a bizarre reality to wake up to.

"Mi…chael…?" I heard a familiar voice croak.

Is that-?!

"Vi…c?" I tried to speak my sister's name, but my voice was too raspy, my throat too weak to produce the powerful tones that I could usually command. Still, that wasn't going to stop me for long. Drawing a deep breath, I attempted to talk again. "Victoria?" My voice was still more of a harsh whisper than anything, but at least I was managing to wrestle my tongue back into submission.

"Are we alive?" That was definitely my sister's voice, coming from the other side of the curtain.

"I think so," I coughed out. "If we were… dead… I doubt that we would… be arriving in… the same destination."

"I told you… not to joke about… that," she gasped out.

I found myself wheezing weakly with laughter, which I think got her to laughing too, though she sounded just as pathetic as I did. This of course only made us laugh harder, and neither of us really cared about the fact that our monitors were sending out alerts due to our sudden increase in cardiovascular activity. We had fought through all manners of death traps, survived horrors almost beyond comprehension, finally claimed victory over the floating castle, and the first thing we did when we got back to the real world was to poke fun at each other. This is what led us to laugh until it hurt, which admittedly, wouldn't have taken much at the time.

It didn't take long for our room to be set upon by a team of nurses that ran a full check-up on each of us behind our curtains. We were both told that while chances were good that our bodies would eventually recover, we would have to be very careful while waiting to begin our rehabilitation process, as our muscles had atrophied very badly during our imprisonment. At best, it would be a couple of months before we would be able to get around on our own.

Fortunately, they elected to remove my catheter before I started getting too much feeling throughout my body, as they explained that it would be better for my bodily functions to attempt a return to normalcy sooner rather than later. It still hurt, and I was feeling rather grumpy by the end of the process. There was no time to rest just yet, though, as the team of hospital staff moved on to testing my body's reactions in order to determine if there was any nerve damage that needed to be addressed.

While my damaged reflexes were being tested by a nurse, I asked her, "Where… are we?" I was being held up in a sitting position by another nurse, as I was unable to support my own body weight just yet.

"A private hospital in Tokyo," the nurse answered in a slightly rushed manner. "Not to worry, your expenses have all been taken care of."

I frowned slightly at that, though it might have also had to do with the fact that my knee was being tapped by a rubber mallet simultaneously, and I didn't like the sensation it was giving me. Breathing in deeply, I started to ask, "Who-?"

"Try not to talk too much right now, Mister Nichols," the nurse urged me. "You and your sister could permanently damage your vocal chords if you overuse them right now." She moved to tap my other knee with the mallet, only to be stopped by my thin fingers being placed on my bony joint, preventing her from completing the motion.

"Who… covered us?" I asked laboriously.

"Mister Takamara has taken care of all your hospital bills, sir," said the attendant holding me up. "That's all we know about the situation. Please, try to relax and cooperate with our instructions."

I fell quiet after that, glad that I didn't have to worry about paying off a massive debt on behalf of myself and Victoria. I'll still have to find a way to repay him, though, I thought as I was lowered back onto the incline of my bed. Reiko's father had been very generous to us during our imprisonment, it would seem.

As soon as all of the preliminary tests had been taken care of, I tilted my head toward the nurse that seemed to be in charge and said, "I'd like… to see my sister, please."

"Yes, of course," she nodded rapidly as she scribbled down a few notes. "Just give me a moment… done." Clipping her pen to her board, she handed it off to one of her coworkers before moving to drag the curtain back, allowing Victoria and I to see one another clearly.

She was painfully thin, with her eyes and cheeks sunken into her head in the midst of her matted brown hair that had once been shiny and well-kept. Her eyes were a little glassy, but she was clearly able to see me, because she smiled and said, "You look like crap."

"I believe it," I laughed weakly as I reached out with my hand toward her, though my reach was far too short to actually make contact. Even so, she reached out back to me and made a fist, which I mimicked.

"You did it," she whispered, the joy clear in her eyes. "You freed… everyone."

"We did it," I coughed painfully, causing the nurse to move in and put my arm back across my chest firmly.

"Don't strain yourself," she warned me. "I mean it. You're in for a few weeks of rehab, so don't cripple yourself before you even get started by pushing too hard now."

"Yes ma'am," I sighed heavily. Back in SAO, it would have been a simple matter to shoulder my way past anyone that I disagreed with- something I had done more than once- but it was clear that no such thing was going to happen any time soon.

"Good," she said as Victoria moved her own arm back before she could be reprimanded. "Now, the doctor will be in soon, as well as another visitor." She hesitated before adding, "I wanted him to wait at least a day before he talked to you, but he insisted, and frankly, neither I nor nor the doctor have the authority to stop him."

"Who is this guy?" I asked with a slight frown, exchanging a swift look with Victoria, who shrugged helplessly.

"His name is Mister Kikuoka," the nurse answered. "Like I said, he'll be here shortly, but in the meantime, you two should get some rest. I know it sounds like a strange order, given that you've been asleep for over two years, but I'm serious. No getting up without assistance, and no excessive talking."

"Yes ma'am," I sighed again. Once Victoria had added her acknowledgment of the order, the nurses left us alone in the light of the midmorning sun. It was only then that I asked, "You're sure the Trojan worked?"

"Strea assured me that it was full proof," she answered softly. Both of us were careful to keep our voices lowered and well-modulated, as not to cause any undue stress on the rusty instruments that were our voices. "As soon as SAO went into self-destruct mode, every player ID was tagged with your kill count as they were logged out. Now there's no way for anyone on the outside to prove who killed who."

I let out a breath of relief at that, though a tiny nagging doubt continued to worry me. "What if didn't work, though?" I asked. "What then?"

"Give me some credit," she chuckled hoarsely before collapsing into a coughing fit. I wanted to get up and try to comfort her through it, but my body was still too weak to carry out my wishes. Fortunately, the spasms didn't last long, and once there were gone, she managed to gasp out, "I learned… a few things from you… over the years. I've planned out… a few moves in advance… don't worry."

"If only saying it… made it so…" I grunted as I folded my arms on top of one another, before I frowned down at a long-forgotten sensation in my right arm. "You know how we felt… some pain, in Aincrad?"

"Yeah?"

"We did not… have… itching," I complained as I scowled at the IV in my arm. "I did not miss that." She was quiet for a few seconds, so I wondered if she had fallen asleep, but when I turned to look at her, she was also frowning. "What's wrong?"

"I didn't notice it until you said something," she said slowly. "Now my… stupid arm itches."

I half-cringed, half-laughed at that. "Sorry," I wheezed. "I guess there are… a few things we forgot about… huh?"

"I guess so…" she sighed. "I wonder how the others are doing?"

I fell quiet at that, trying to formulate my thoughts on the matter. "We'll probably see Reiko soon," I murmured. "She's probably here, too… just in another room." My throat was starting to feel sore, but I ignored the unpleasant sensation for the time being.

"I hope so," Victoria replied in kind. "I just hope that there's a way we can… get in touch with the other Cats, too."

I was about to make a reply when the sound of the door opening caught both of our attention. As the same entryway was shut, a man who looked to be in his early thirties came into our room with a friendly smile. "Hello there," he said by way of greeting. "I'm Seijirou Kikuoka, and I'm with the SAO Recovery Task Force. I have a few questions for you two, if that's all right?"

My natural distrust of strangers quickly manifested itself as I answered with as much strength as I could muster, "Something tells me that we don't have a choice in the matter."

"Oh no, you do," Kikuoka insisted as he took a seat in one of the gest chairs across from our beds. "I'm simply here to make an offer- a proposed exchange, if you will."

"What kind… of exchange?" Victoria grunted.

"My team and I were able to monitor the general movements of players in SAO, though nothing too precise, as we couldn't risk setting off one of Kayaba's failsafe measures," he began. "I'm hoping to get a better idea of what happened in Aincrad while you were all trapped there."

"Why us?" I croaked out.

"Because your player ID's kept doing something rather strange while you were in the game," Kikuoka answered with a slight smile. "The avatars known as Mataras and Saphira would completely vanish from Aincrad- in Saphira's case, for nearly a year at one point- though they still showed as being logged into the game. I want to know what that was all about."

He knows our game names, I thought as I did my best to maintain a poker face. I feel like that's not good for us.

"Truth be told, we had a great deal more information, but much of it was stolen and then lost with the disappearance of a man named Sugou Nobuyuki," Kikuoka admitted, causing Saphira and I to glance at one another for a split second. "He also seemed quite fascinated with you in particular, Mataras. Why was that?"

"What's it worth to you?" I muttered, my eyes narrowing. Before he could reply, I preempted him by saying, "You wanted an exchange, but I'd rather know what I'm getting out of this, first."

"Hmm…" Kikuoka smiled quietly again. "How about a 'get-out-of-jail-free' card?" This made my blood run cold, and despite Victoria's assurances that I was safe, I began to worry that there might be a chance that this all went south for me, anyway. "You know, it's very strange, but just before SAO's servers shut down, our data started to corrupt itself with hundreds of thousands of replicates, which forced us to do a hard reset on everything that we had logged," the man went on. "We can't prove anything with hard evidence now, but I'm sure that a case could still be made to link Mataras' ID to the deaths of several hundred players."

Yep, definitely should've let Crimson kill me.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." The quiet threat came from Victoria, which drew both mine and Kikuoka's attention to a very determined glare from my sister.

"Come again?" the man in the suit asked.

"I said don't threaten my brother, pal, or I can guarantee that you'll be the one who regrets it," she replied. "I get the feeling that you have a lot more to lose than we do."

"Now, what are you-?"

"You just informed us that you've worked with Nobuyuki," she began, her voice gaining strength as she raised a single finger on her right hand. "While that in it of itself isn't a crime, I have a… friend, who has a few data logs detailing his less-than-legal activities which border on torturing Japanese citizens without cause." She raised a second finger and went on to say, "Also, if you're a part of some kind of team that monitors the situation with SAO, then I assume that you've known about the Medicuboid, and how its experimental use could have led to the deaths of two girls only looking to get help from the medical world's finest. My friend has data on that, too, especially the part that details how the device was used again, even after the first one put a patient in the death game." My sister drew in a deep breath before she concluded, "You want to threaten us with a grenade, Mister Kikuoka? I've got a nuke that'll tear your world asunder, and don't think for a second that I won't pull the pin, if you threaten my brother again. You make any kind of move against him, and everything we've got on the moral gray area of VR studies goes out to the public, which I'm pretty sure will lead to some intense scrutiny on your part, and will almost certainly cost you your career. Am I clear?"

Her words had clearly rattled Kikuoka, because he wasn't looking as collected and self-assured as he had when he had first entered the room. He was loosening his tie and readjusting his glasses while he seemed to gather his thoughts.

In that same moment, I was similarly speechless. Not because of what she had threatened, or even the fact that she had done it at all. No, what startled me the most was that in that moment, I saw the rage of the Red Swordsman in her eyes.

Kirito: Wait... That's not it, right? There has to be more!

Mataras: Of course there is, idiot. I said that this installment was the final climax, not the final chapter.

Asuna: Oh, thank goodness.

Saphira: Still means that Shattered Fragment is going to be coming to an end soon, which is gonna be pretty bittersweet, huh?

Mataras: It always is. This one'll be different, though, for a number of reasons. First off, this is the first story I've made where you're still alive at the end of it.

Saphira: Yeah, what is it with you and killing off your family members?

Mataras: I'm sorry, it's one of the best ways to make a tragic character! And as I just said, you're not dead!

Asuna: You still killed me!

Mataras: I feel like we need to move on, or I won't ever get to my next point.

Kirito: Okay, how else is this going to be different?

Mataras: The difference is that I am already working on a direct sequel to this story, which will cover my own version of the events in the Lost Song game. However, as I've stated before, I'm not feeling the ALO angle, so we're going with a different game, which requires a different story title.

Saphira: This story covered the events of Hollow Fragment, and you renamed it even though it was still in SAO.

Mataras: ...Moving on, the name of the next story with be The Red Swordsman: Lost Wish.

Kirito: Lost Wish? What game are you making for the VR genre now?

Asuna: Why do you bother to ask? He's just gonna make us wait until the next chapter to find out.

Mataras: You're not wrong. So, join me in a week for the conclusion to Shattered Fragment in a chapter titled 'Crossroads at a Graveyard'. Come back and see how our confrontation with Kikuoka unfolds and our lives outside SAO begin.

Saphira: We hope to see you all there, whether you've been following us from the beginning, or you've just now started to binge this story. Until the next one!