Vol 2 CH 10 - Top of the World


The city of Alne was abuzz with gossip. It wasn't too long when the combined Sylph and Cait Sith armies marched at the main path toward the World Tree, and it had been the talk of the town ever since.

"Are they seriously challenging the Grand Quest?!"

"But even if they team up. only one of the races gets the reward! The other one's gonna get screwed!"

"Was it just me, or did I see a Spriggan and a Salamander with them?"

Such phrases were common to hear, even if one wasn't quite listening. Some players even went as far as to record what they could, log out, and spread it on the internet.

Inside the giant World Tree, however, was filled with a different kind of excitement.

"We're halfway there! Don't let up!" Sakuya barked as she kept an eye on the overall state of her troops.

"Go, go, go~!" Alicia Rue playfully shouted as she and a handful of her elite dragon knights dashed into a group of enemies to break their ranks and create confusion as the rest of her army engaged them head-on.

Their adversaries, the Guardian Knights, swarmed them by the hundreds. Everyone participating in the raid knew what they were up against. Some through briefing and some through experience in a failed run. Despite that, they were struggling. It wasn't easy to punch through what was effectively a wall of self-repairing sentient steel that punched back just as hard. The players' numbers were slowly but surely dwindling.

Regardless, the raiding party pushed on and tried their best to adapt. The Sylphs leveraged their speed and magic to both retaliate and heal against their attacks. The Cait Siths took advantage of their mounts' mobility, flying circles on their enemies and providing openings to strike. They couldn't completely stop losing players, but they didn't have to. All they needed to do was climb.

Amidst the dominant colors of green Sylphs, brown Cait Siths, and the blue dragons was a figure of black, and a figure of red fighting side by side.

"GET LOST!" Kirito yelled as he bisected a pair of enemies with one fell swoop. This is tough… He thought, cursing under his breath. Looking around, he anxiously calculated their odds of reaching the top - well, what he estimated the top would be, since he could only barely see it amidst the hundreds of enemies. He was so into it that his concentration slipped but for a second and he found himself surrounded by Guardian Knights.

Not for long though, as Riwet backed him up and bisected one of the enemies with little to no effort.

The Salamander in red had his trademark bloodthirsty grin on full display as the two of them finished off their armored enemies before continuing to ascend. He had to hand it to him. Regardless of time, place, or circumstance, Riwet always looked like he was having the time of his life fighting like a maniac.

The two exchanged nods and resumed pushing through to the top.

Not too far from the two were two Sylphs hanging back. Despite Kirito and Riwet's martial prowess, it was impossible to deflect every attack. Recon and Leafa were on healer duty, replenishing their HP so that they won't risk dying to an unexpected attack.

"Urgh! What in the world did I sign myself into?!" Recon screamed as he pulled his knife out of one of the Guardian Knights. "I'm built to stab things in the back, not to heal s !"

"Stop whining and start stabbing!" Leafa retorted. Ignoring the beads of sweat trickling down her temples, she brandished her wand and let out a spell towards Riwet and Kirito, restoring their HP. She was so into it that, just like her cousin, her concentration slipped but for a second.

"Leafa-chan, look out!" Recon shouted, pulling her to the side as a greatarrow whizzed by and grazed her shoulder. "Are you alright, Leafa-chan?!"

"I...I'm fine…" She replied.

The two locked eyes for a moment before Recon looked at the battle around him.

Kirito stifled a curse as one of his swords broke in two and disintegrated. The enemy's attack, while weakened by the previous impact, still got through and made a deep, diagonal cut down his torso. Beside him, Riwet was still doing his thing, but his injuries were adding up despite his defense. Leafa could still support them with her magic, but she was running out of MP potions.

Just like their party, the rest of the raiding party were being squeezed of resources. Once they reached the last quarter up the tree, progress was basically halted while the rate of casualties grew.

"We're never gonna reach the top at this rate…" Recon muttered.

Leafa instinctively squeezed his arm. "Recon?"

He turned to face her. "Leafa-chan, I don't really understand...but this is important, right?"

"...that's right." She replied. For Kirito and Riwet, there was a lot more at stake than being among the ones who cleared ALO's greatest challenge.

"T-then...it's about time I'll do something about it!" He declared before he flew up. He recited his incantations and slung spell after spell. For a brief moment, he was outpacing even Kirito in terms of dispatching enemies. However, that posed two problems - one, being the fact that he was burning through his MP, and two, the nearby enemies were drawn to him.

"Recon, that's enough!" Leafa shouted. "Come back here before you get yourself killed!"

Recon didn't listen. "Hey, boneheads! Over here!" He shouted as he rushed even further into the enemies' ranks. He closed his eyes and started his incantation, with illegible words forming rings around him.

The Guardian Knights responded in kind as they swarmed him. Kirito, Riwet, and Leafa tried to go to where he was, but the enemies took this opportunity and held them back, intending to finish off the isolated Sylph.

But after Recon's player avatar was seemingly overwhelmed by the sentient steel-.

*BOOOOOM*

A massive explosion emanated from where Recon was, the blast rocking the whole area. All the fighting stopped for a moment when everyone - including the Guardian Knights - turned to look at it.

When the smoke cleared, all that was left was Recon's Remain Light, flickering ever so slightly. Then, the Guardian Knights continued their attack.

"What the hell just happened?!" Riwet asked.

"...he used magic to self-destruct!" Leafa replied.

Self-destruct magic was overwhelmingly powerful, taking into account how strong the caster was stat-wise, as well as the quality of their equipment. However, it levied some severe side effects to heavily discourage repeated use in a short window. Aside from the obvious short-term consequence of dying immediately, the player's equipment would all be broken and need significantly higher repair costs, and the player themselves would receive a debuff that decreased all of their stats by a large margin, and that debuff would only disappear 24 hours after the skill was cast.

To think that he would sacrifice so much for this...

"Recon, you idiot!"

However, Recon's sacrifice provided an opportunity for the raiding party. The explosion almost ripped a hole straight through the enemies' ranks. The area was already producing more Guardian Knights, but it would take a while to completely replenish what was lost.

And the raiding party knew that, as wIthout even needing a signal, they converged on that spot.

"Dragoons, ready your breath attacks!" Alicia shouted.

"Sylphs, ready the Fenrir Storm!" Sakuya added.

Many of the Sylphs and Cait Sith moved into position and prepared their spells. The others spread out and gave their all to defend the ones mid-preparation.

"Onii-chan!" Leafa shouted, throwing her sword towards him.

Kirito caught the sword and nodded at Leafa, watching her regroup with the Sylphs. Then, he turned to Riwet and flashed him a smile. "You ready for the big one?"

Riwet grinned back. "You already know the answer to that, my friend."

"Fire Breath….ATTACK!" "Fenrir Storm...FIRE!" Both leaders said in unison.

The wyverns breathed out a concentrated stream of magical fire. In tandem with the wyverns, the Sylphs finished their incantations and pointed the tips of their weapons toward their enemies as blue lightning shot out from them. Countless Guardian Knights were either burned to cinder, electrocuted until they exploded, or both.

However, it wasn't enough. Worse, Everyone was stuck in cooldown after unleashing their magical attacks, and by the time they recovered, the hole would've been filled back.

They were so close. It needed one final push.

Fortunately, the former denizens of a bygone floating castle were more than happy to oblige.

"RAAAAAGGGHHH!" With a mighty bellow, He flew and thrust his swords upwards, plowing through the rest of the Guardian Knights.

"!" Beside him, Riwet drew a sharp breath as he did the same with his own polearm.

For the longest time, Kirito's vision was filled with blurred images of steel being torn apart as he poured his all into breaking through. His hearing rang and he couldn't feel his extremities. It reminded him of the time he mounted his final attack against Illfang all those years ago.

But just like that time, he didn't succumb to the haze.

Because he had people supporting him.

Right beside him was his brother in arms. They may not always see eye to eye on things, but he knew that Riwet always had his back.

Not too far below was his sister. He had done her wrong by distancing her, but she still loved him. For a split second, his gaze went over her sister's sword, and he was reminded of the times he practiced kendo with her.

Hiding inside his pocket was Yui. Even though he couldn't see her, he knew that she supported him, and would gladly break this game for her family.

There were so many more people holding him up. Silica, Keita, and the rest of the cats, Klein...their friendship helped him keep himself together, to not fall into despair inside Sword Art Online.

And finally, the one waiting for them at the top-

Closing his eyes and letting out another wild roar, Kirito pushed through.

*CLANG*

He suddenly stopped when he felt his swords get stuck on something hard. In a fit of panic, Kirito opened his eyes and realized that they punched through the wall of enemies and his sword ended up embedded in the ceiling.

He took a moment to process what had happened, and his reverie was broken by Riwet. "What do we do now?!"

Kirito looked around and realized that, even though they had reached the top, the raid still continued.

The two frantically searched around for a console or a lever to open the next area. The ceiling itself was shaped like an upside-down dome with a flat top and a cross-shaped gap on it - suggesting that it was a door that would open up. Another point to note was that the gravity seemed to be flipped in the area, as it was pulling them up to the top.

However, they couldn't find anything. Kirito even tried to wedge his sword in between the gap to try and pry it open, but it didn't budge. "Yui!" Kirito called.

Yui flew from out of his pocket. "I'm on it!" She flew down and laid her hands on the door. Meanwhile, the spawning areas nearby started to glow.

"Papa...onii-chan...this door isn't locked by a quest flag." She muttered. "It's under control of system administrators exclusively."

"What...what do you mean?"

She turned to him. "This door was never intended to be opened by players!"

Kirito's mouth slackened, feeling a sinking sensation to his chest. That meant that even if the players were gods and could finish the Grand Quest ten times over, they still wouldn't be able to collect their reward.

This was not just unfair - this was straight-up malicious.

Guardian Knights started to surround them. With a grim expression, Riwet took a stance.

Kirito was about to give up when he realized something. He searched his pocket and took out the card that he got earlier in the day. "Yui, can we do something with this?"

Yui nodded and approached him. She laid her hands on the card, and the card started being covered by glowing lines. "Transferring code…" Yui muttered. Then, the glowing lines flowed out of the card and into Yui's arms. When the process ended, she flew to the door.

When Yui touched the door this time, it started glowing. It didn't take long for the dome to start shaking. They moved out of the way as the dome's walls parted and revealed a path obscured by the light.

"We'll be teleported. Papa, Onii-chan, lend me your hands!" Yui said.

The two did as they were told. Blue light-colored their bodies and they felt the sensation of motion.

However, only Riwet was able to see a greatarrow-wielding enemy take aim and fire.


Loading...Complete


When Kirito opened his eyes, he realized that they were transported to a different place. Instead of Yggdrasil's hollow interior, they were in a winding halfway.

He looked to the side and saw Riwet, a great arrow piercing his torso. "Riwet!" He said as he approached him.

"I'm fine. "Riwet popped open a potion and drank it before motioning to the greatarrow. "Help me pull this thing out."

"Right." He grabbed part of the great arrow, and with a count of three, pulled it out of his friend's body and threw it to the side.

Riwet let out a sigh and looked around. "Yui, where are we?"

Yui, in her human form, looked at Riwet. "I don't know. I cannot access any map data." She closed her eyes. "Mama...mama's real close.." She frowned. "Strea...over here…?." She nodded her head and stood up. "I know where she is. Let's go!"

The three ran forward, with Yui leading them and Riwet bringing the rear. Yui stopped and turned to the side. She touched the wall, and the wall opened up, leading to another path. This continued multiple times, and the two players would have definitely been lost had it not been for Yui.

"Papa, Onii-chan, we're halfway there!" She shouted. "No more diversions! It's straight through!"

Kirito nodded and picked Yui up. "Hang on!" He said before he started sprinting.

The hallway twisted and turned, eventually ending with a door. Yui grabbed the door and started pushing, with Kirito and Riwet helping her. The door cracked and exploded, revealing what was hidden inside.

It was a very spacious room, filled with cylindrical structures that were slightly larger than a 55-gallon drum. Some kind of console was stationed nearby.

Most importantly, there, at the center, was Asuna.

"MAMA!" Yui sprinted and wrapped her arms around her.

"Yui…!" Asuna embraced her as tears fell from her eyes.

As if in a trance, Kirito slowly walked towards her. "Asuna…"

"Kirito-kun…" Asuna reached out to him and cupped his cheek.

"I'm...I'm sorry it took so long."

"It's alright...it's alright, Kirito-kun."

The two softly bumped their foreheads and silently enjoyed each other's presence. Eventually, they broke off and Asuna looked over to Riwet. "Riwet-kun…" She started.

"Yo." He replied before he handed her a hooded cape." Here. Your beer belly's showing."

"Thank you…" She replied before draping it over her shoulder.

Yui looked around. "Where's Strea? And what is this place?"

Asuna wiped the tears from her eyes. "It's okay, Yui. I'll explain everything, so bear with me for a bit." She said. Then, she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and opened them, her expression stern. "Strea's here, but cannot exist in a manner similar to ours. And no, I cannot be logged out by traditional means. I've tried."

"What?" Kirito replied. "That's nonsense. Show me an administrative terminal and I'll work my magic."

"A man called Sugou Noboyuki has locked my login. He's the current chief of RECT Progress, the company that made this VRMMO. She paused when she noticed the sour expressions on their faces. "I take it that you two know him?"

"Yup. Your so-called fiance's a real charmer." Riwet snorted, his tone ripe with contempt.

"I agree. He's also the reason I'm forced to wear this." Asuna took a deep breath to calm herself down. "Back to the point - that makes some of the following explanations easier. Since he's the head, he's got the highest authority, and set it up so that only someone with as much authority as him is only the one that can log him out. And even if you can circumvent, and as much as it pains me to say this, we have more important things to do."

"What do you mean?"

"Take a closer look around you. What do you see?"

He blinked and looked around, observing the structures. Above the structure was a holographic image of a brain. Looking closer, there were lines pointing in specific parts of the brain and a text box that contained words.

"I am not the only one still trapped in the virtual world. These," Asuna mentioned to the structures. "are our fellow players. Courtesy of Sugou - or Oberon, as he calls himself in here - they are trapped. Trapped...and suffering."

"What?" Kirito frowned and took a closer look at the text boxes that were intermittently changing.

Pain.

Pleasure

Shock.

Anger.

Euphoria.

Apathy.

Ennui.

It didn't take more than that for him to piece everything together. "Sugou's forcibly stimulating their brain so they can feel a certain type of emotion or sensation." He concluded, his face darkening.

"Why…?" Yui trembled. "Why would someone do something like this?!"

"Because he can. Simple as that." Asuna replied. "He fancies himself as king of ALO, and he feels that all other people are his playthings. That, and I believe that he mentions that this could potentially be a business opportunity."

"This has to stop." Kirito declared. "These people didn't suffer through years of being trapped in a death just for another morally-bankrupt piece of filth to use them as a guinea pig."

"I agree. That's why I'm here. Since I can't be logged out, I instead decided to lead you here so you can at least see what's happening. After that, we use this as evidence and bring attention to what Sugou Noboyuki had been doing to these people. Sooner or later, I'll be free."

"Good plan, but I can take it up a notch." Riwet nodded and took out a Recording Crystal. "Uhh, if you're reading this, then we're inside ALO's Yggdrasil." He started to narrate. Asuna and Kirito chimed in and spent a while explaining everything.

However, in the middle of that, they were interrupted.

All of a sudden, the party was lifted up, as if gravity suddenly disappeared. Then, they felt being covered in light and transported, similar to the effects of a Teleport Crystal.

When they appeared on the other side, they found themselves floating. They looked around and realized that they were back in Asuna's cage. However, things were different.

Instead of her bedroom and a table, it was empty, and the floor was transparent. The horizon was unnaturally dark.

That was all they could gleam before they were slammed onto the ground at bone-shattering speed.

After a second to recover, They tried to move but found it difficult to do so. Kirito and Asuna were reminded of the time they were forced to the ground during their confrontation with Strea back then.

"M...mama...papa...onii...chan..." The group turned to Yui weakly reaching out to them

"Yui" Asuna screamed, reaching to try and touch her.

They didn't reach before Yui promptly disintegrated into particles.

Asuna seized up and felt out of breath, seeing her adoptive daughter disintegrate for the second time. However, before anything else happened.

"My, my. It seems that a couple of bugs found their way onto my property." A haughty voice said.

The group turned to see a figure standing near Kirito. He had blonde hair and a crown on his forehead, and he was dressed in a long dark green robe and cloak.

"Sugou...you…" Kirito started.

Oberon tutted and waggled his finger. "You should refrain from calling me that in this world. Address me as His HIghness, the Fairy King Oberon!" He said before he kicked him in the face.

"Kirito-kun!" Asuna tried to go to him, forcing herself to stand. She charged at Oberon, but a pair of chains came out of nowhere and ensared her, lifting her up by the arms.

"What you're experiencing is gravity-based magic. It's set to be released on the next update, but I think it's currently a little overpowered. Don't you think?" He picked up Kirito's sword and twirled it around as if it was weightless before coming towards Riwet and hitting him on the ribs with the flat side of the blade. "I don't know how you two got here, but I have my ways of making you talk."

"Why are you doing this...why are you playing with the lives of all of these people."

"Ah, my dear Titania. You haven't figured it out yet? I'm disappointed. I thought you were smarter than this. Then let me educate you. " He approached her. "Thanks to SAO's players who graciously volunteered to this program, the fundamental research for the manipulation of emotion and thought is already 80% complete. It won't be long before I can rewrite an individual's personality with only a Fulldive device." He let out a self-satisfied grin. "I can change a very person's soul, something that no one else had ever done!" When he was close enough, he reached out and grabbed a handful of Asuna's hair and smelled it. "Not too long from now, not only will you not be able to resist me…you won't even want to."

Asuna felt a wave of revulsion overcome her. "Y-you'll never get away with this…!"

Oberon sighed as he backed away. "And who's going to stop me? Your father, who's so easily fooled?" He heard movement behind him and saw Riwet and Kirito about to charge him. "Or your so-called friends who can't even stand right?!"

"GET AWAY FROM HER!" Kirito roared as he swung his fist.

Oberon nonchalantly allowed him to get close, but dodged at the last second and swept his leg. He did the same to Riwet, but kicked him away instead.

Kirito realized that the Fairy King's movements were unnaturally fast.

The bastard was using ALO's equivalent of Over-Assist.

"I have a strict lack of tolerance for hecklers! The audience should just quietly STAY PUT!" Oberon said before he hefted Kirito's greatsword and stabbed it through Kirito's back, pinning him to the ground. Then, he raised his hand and pointed at Riwet. His hand flashed, and Riwet's body shook as if he was being shot at multiple times. Looking closely, one could see transparent, glass-like spikes piercing through Riwet's body.

The Salamander was blown back but kept on walking forward. His injuries barely slowed him down. Kirito was also in the middle of hefting himself up.

Oberon sighed and threw his arms to the side in mock exhaustion. "The two of you are like cockroaches, you know that? You've only yourselves to blame by what I'm about to do." He let out a smile. "System Command - ID Kirito and ID Riwet. Disable Pain Absorption."

Command Successful

"AGHHHH!" Kirito cried out in pain. It was as if his body was being forcefully split in twain by a metallic vice and could do nothing but squirm.

Riwet was forced to his knees, but no sound escaped from him. Then, he slowly lifted his head up and quietly stared at the fairy King.

Kirito felt his skin crawl. Riwet had the same expression on his face compared to the time he stood and charged at Heathcliff - a sense of silent but simmering disdain.

As someone who had braved Aincrad's worst horrors, very little could rattle him in the virtual world. This was one of the exceptions, and it shook him just as much as the first time he witnessed it.

Oberon, however, was unaffected, as he only saw an insect haplessly squirming at the web that ensnared him. "Ah, Mizushima-kun. What a disappointment. I thought you were smarter than this." He tutted as if talking to a misbehaving child. "You are facing the most powerful being in Alfheim Online. I am this world's god, and every single being exists here only to serve me-."

"Your highness." Riwet interrupted, his tone cold and clinical. "While I'm sure that you like the sound of your own voice, I'm gonna ask you to heed my words. You still have a chance to do the right thing. Let her, and everyone else you've imprisoned in this death game. Or else."

"..." Oberon tilted his head and looked at Riwet. "Heh...heheheh…" Unable to contain his laughter, he hung his head back. "HAHAHAAHAHAHA!"

Then, he stretched his hand out towards Riwet. Suddenly, Riwet's head arched back. He was lifted in the air as if the spectral spikes still embedded in his body were dragging him up. With a malicious grin, Oberon clenched his hand and brought it in a downward motion.

Kirito and Asuna watched in horror as the spikes in Riwet exploded, boring holes through his body before he was slammed into the ground face-first. What was left of him laid there, unmoving.

"Riwet!" "Riwet-kun!" Kirito and Asuna shouted.

Oberon approached the wounded Salamander and scoffed. "I'm going to ask you to refrain from ever interrupting me again with your pointless drivel. Or else." He turned to the others. "Don't worry. He's still alive. However, I would wager that he is in no mood to talk, considering the excruciating pain he's currently experiencing." The Fairy King replied in a playful tone as he approached Kirito. "Now, let's have some fun, shall we?"


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"Stop...Stop it...!" Tears forming from her face, Asuna watched as Oberon brutalized her friends. Gritting her teeth so hard that she thought they would break, she put all of her strength into trying to break free from the chains that bound her, but they didn't even budge.

It was just like last time - when a poison-addled Kirito was being mauled by Kuradeel, and when Riwet was being painfully tortured by the Laughing Coffin Hollows.

She was better than this. She amended her failure by defeating Kuradeel's twisted Hollow. She stood side by side with all of Aincrad's finest to clear the game.

But...even after all of that...she was helpless under the virtual world's system. Two long months of being humiliated by Oberon treating her as his prize, and she couldn't do anything, even when assisted by Strea.

Unable to watch any more of this, Asuna numbly slumped down.

"Are you giving up?"

She looked up, and everything had changed.

Instead of being inside Yggdrasil, she was in a white void, with the horizon stretching as far as she could see. Still bound, she was alone in this expanse.

Except for the person standing in front of her.

Long, white lab coat. Short brown hair. Eyes that displayed cold indifference.

"Kayaba...Akihiko." She muttered.

"...it has been a while, Asuna-kun." He replied.

"...what do you want?" She asked coldly.

"I ask again: Are you giving up?"

"...what else can I do? I've spent months trying to break free from Oberon's cage." Her face darkened. "Just like how I struggled for two years under yours. I'm not stupid. You designed Sword Art Online so we have a chance to beat you. Sugou Noboyuki didn't."

"Such words disgrace your previous actions." He replied. "My final battle proved to me that the power of human will and perseverance could overcome my system and opened my eyes to the possibilities of humanity's future. Tell me - who was it that broke through my world's ironclad laws and took a fatal blow that was meant to slay the Hero of Aincrad?"

Asuna looked down. "...I…" She took a deep breath, and looked back at him, this time full of determination.

He was right. This was no time to give up and

The months spent under Oberon's torment

She needed to act, now more than ever.

Akihiko pursed his lips as if hiding the faintest smile that threatened to show from his face. "Show me. Show me that drive to overcome all that opposes you. Show me that you are much more than being the Hero of Aincrad's protectorate. Show me how high you can soar-"

"When the odds are evened."


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"Grgh!" Kirito resisted the urge to scream as his hand was being stomped on by Oberon.

"How's that feel, huh?" Oberon chuckled. "This is what happens when you go against adults, Hero-kun. Haven't you heard what I said? You are nothing in this world, and less than nothing when you face me." He said, squeezing with his foot. Then, he leaned closer. "Just between you and me - that pain you're feeling? I can make it all go away. All you need to do is give up and beg for my forgiveness."

"...ne...ver! I will never-AGHHHH!" Kirito got cut off by his own scream. Oberon had twisted his foot, bending his finger in an unnatural position before it snapped.

"I expected as much. After all, you wouldn't be the so-called Hero of Aincrad if you had just laid down and died." His lips curled. "After I'm done with you, you'll wish you were dead."

He raised his hand again, intending to fire another spell to the hapless Spriggan. He hesitated as he thought of what spell would be appropriate - so many choices that could kill him instantly, give him a slow and painful death, and everything in between-.

He was interrupted by the sound of chains breaking.

The Fairy King turned around and saw that, instead of being held by chains, Asuna was kneeling on the ground, unbound.

"Looks like there are still more bugs left to be fixed." Oberon approached her. "Be a good girl and stay still for me, please." He said before he reached his hand out to caress her face.

His smile turned when Asuna slapped his arm away and pushed him back. "What?!" He exclaimed.

"...System login...ID...Heathcliff." Asuna said.

Login Successful. System notice - certain privileges restricted.

Asuna straightened up, and her body was hidden under an outline of light. The light intensified and then dissipated with a flash.

Gone was her scant attire that left little to the imagination. Instead, it was replaced by a red and white uniform with a breastplate. With the exception of her long, elf-like ears, her form completely resembled that of her SAO avatar.

"Asuna…!" Kirito muttered.

Asuna looked to the side, where Kirito and Riwet were. "System Command. ID Kirito and ID Riwet. Enable Pain Absorption."

Command Successful.

Kirito breathed a sigh as the searing pain dissipated, and tried to unpin himself. Riwet remained motion

Asuna turned her attention back to Oberon. "System command: Modify Administrator Authority Level, Set ID Oberon to Basic." She commanded.

Command Partially Successful.

"Enough of this!" Oberon shouted before he attempted to open his Administrator Menu. "What?!" To his dismay, he couldn't. While he still had access to his spells, many of his administrative commands were locked out. "System Authority that matches mine?! That's impossible!" He said as he furiously swiped his hand. "I am the king of this world! No one is able to oppose me!"

"You're wrong." Asuna replied, her voice cutting through him." You have laid your hands on not only myself, but my loved ones and hundreds of people. And for what? Just to prove that you're better than Kayaba Akihiko?" She scowled. "System Command. ID Oberon. Disable Pain Absorption."

Command Successful.

"What? You…" Oberon glared.

"You fancy yourself as king, yes? That's good - because kings of the virtual world have a tendency to fall short of their goals."

"You...YOU WRETCH!" Oberon raised his hand and pointed at Asuna. Numerous appeared and flew towards her. The swords were visible this time, but moved quickly and erratically.

However, their target was even quicker.

"System Command. Enable Over-Assist."

Command Successful.

For the untrained eye, it was as if Asuna was teleporting - blinking in and out of existence as the swords struggled to keep up with her. Even Kirito, who was too used to seeing his beloved in action, could barely track her movements.

In a decisive show of power, Asuna took a deep breath and proceeded to move with such speed that she overwhelmed the spell's tracking capabilities. The swords flew off in different directions and disappeared.

Except for one.

Asuna observed the last sword barrel over towards her. When it was almost about to pierce her shoulder, she pivoted at the last minute. And using the momentum, she grabbed the end of the blade and hurled it back.

"Gyaaah!" Oberon darted to the side. "System Command - Generate Object! ID Excalibur!"

Command Successful.

A weapon appeared in his hand. It was almost entirely gold, except for three green gems on its wing-shaped crossguard. Despite its ostentatious appearance that made it look like nothing more than a display piece, it was the most powerful sword in ALO.

With that at his disposal, Oberon spread his wings and charged. He didn't want Asuna to have enough time to conjure her own weapon, so he recklessly dived in and swung at her, intending to suffocate her amidst a flurry of blows.

But Asuna wasn't having any of it, as she easily demonstrated that she could fight him unarmed. The months of captivity haven't dulled her senses. The Over-Assist system existed just to amplify the power that she already had.

In contrast, Oberon was struggling. Try as he might, he couldn't land a hit on her, and her attacks were getting closer and closer. Had it not been for the Over-Assist system, he would already have taken a beating.

Redoubling his efforts, Oberon lashed out with a wild swing that was aimed at an awkward angle. Asuna was prepared for this and attempted a counterattack.

The Over-Assist system took over Oberon's body as he raised his arms to block, and was sent spinning almost out of control before the system righted him. It was there that he had a realization-

The attack might not have hurt his HP, but his arms burned with pain.

And if she hit him directly, it would hurt even more.

If Asuna hit him, it was going to hurt.

Fearing for his well-being, Oberon shuddered and backed off. Asuna sensed the fear in his eyes and charged in.

In his panicked state of mind, the Fairy King could do nothing but dodge. Sweat poured down his brows and his breath turned ragged. He could not keep this up forever.

Fortunately for him, he saw something in his peripheral. Taking a split second to observe, a malicious grin formed on his face.

Oberon slashed with his sword, creating a space for him to breathe. Then, he summoned his spectral spikes and aimed them at Asuna. The blades flew and she was ready to evade them, but they diverted before they reached her.

Instead going over to where Kirito was.

"System Command - ID Kirito and ID Asuna! Disable Pain Absorption!" Oberon howled.

Command Successful

"Aghhhh!" Kirito was once again paralyzed by the overwhelming pain, too stunned to evade.

"NO!" Asuna flew in and interjected. Using Over-Assist to its limits, she fended off the spectral blades. However, while she was busy defending Kirito, she couldn't completely defend herself. A sword slipped through her defense and impaled her chest. She cried out in pain and was forced to her knees.

"HAHAHAHAHA! You utter fool! Did you forget that you aren't in a Death Game anymore?!" Oberon gloated. "After I kill you, I'll make sure that you'll never be able to raise your hand against me ever again!"

She gritted her teeth and looked at him. "...then it's a good thing I'm not the only one who wants a piece of you."

"What?!"

The Fairy King saw movement in his peripheral. Before he could turn, he felt something slam into his side. Then, he felt that he was being lifted up and thrown into the ground. He cried out in pain as he felt someone loom over him.

It was the Salamander, Riwet. Despite numerous holes in his body, Oberon could see killing intent ooze out of his body.

Riwet raised his fist towards Oberon. Out of instinct, Oberon crossed both his hands in front of his face. "System Comma-"

*Whack*

He couldn't finish his command as Riwet pounded the side of his torso.

But he wasn't done. He pried Oberon's arms away before he slammed his forehead on the bridge of his nose. Dazed, the Fairy King's scream heightened in pitch.

"Shhhhhhhut. Up." Riwet snarled before he shoved his gauntleted hand inside Oberon's mouth. "No more system commands for you, your majesty."

"Kirito...kun!" Meanwhile, Asuna turned to Kirito, who was still pinned by the sword. "System Command...ID Kirito and ID Asuna. Enable...Pain Absorption!" She all but shouted.

The system was set back to normal, but they still felt lingering pain and couldn't quite move to their fullest. Asuna pried Kirito's sword off him before she felt her legs give. Kirito stood up just in time to catch her.

"Hey. I wanna tell you something." Riwet started. "While it's a given that the next few moments are going to be a real hell on you, that's gonna be the least of your problems. See, now that I know a lot more of your business ventures, I'm gonna have to call up my friends who report on this stuff for a living. You've been a real nutjob, Sugou Noboyuki."

"!" Oberon's face twisted and tried struggling again. His arm flew up to grab Riwet's face but Riwet shook it off, drew his knife, and stabbed Oberon's hand, pinning it on the floor. The fairy king couldn't even scream.

Riwet cracked his neck. "Now, let's get this done. I'm just about to vomit with the thought of my hand being shoved in your mouth."

In one quick motion, Riwet took his knife up and stabbed Oberon in the eyes, and twisted the handle. Then, he jammed his other arm further down the Fairy King's mouth. Oberon can only let out a muffled scream as his HP slowly depleted until he was finally fully dead.

As Oberon's body faded, Riwet loomed over him. "I'll be seeing you." Once that was done, he turned to Asuna. "Nice work, Asu- Nice work, nee-chan."

"Riwet-kun…" Asuna greeted back. "Are you alright?"

"I've...we've all been through worse. And it's over now."

"Asuna." Kirito started. "Sugou said something about you having administrative privileges. Can you pull up an admin menu just like he did?"

Asuna nodded and mimicked Oberon's gesture. A menu popped up, different from a traditional Player Menu. The text inside contained some words that Asuna couldn't quite understand, but they caught Kirito's attention.

Kirito slowly instructed her on what to press and type, as well as opening his own Player Menu. After Asuna finished her task, Kirito instructed her to reach her hand out.

Two small objects materialized on her palm - two gem-like objects in the shape of a water droplet. One was colorless while the other was smaller and coated with a light tint of lavender.

"T-this is…" Asuna said.

"Yep." Kirito reached in and tapped the two objects.

The two objects disappeared and a light shone in front of them. When that dissipated, the party saw two figures emerge.

Strea, and Yui in her human form.

Yui wasted no time in embracing Strea. Strea let out a chuckle as she caressed Yui's head. Then, Yui ran over and embraced Riwet, and then Kirito and Asuna.

"Looks like you were able to succeed." Strea said. "But, I have no idea how you were able to do what you did."

"He spoke to me. Heathcliff...Kayaba Akihiko." Asuna shook her head. "I don't know how, or why...but he helped us."

The group pondered for a moment before Riwet spoke up. "This is all well and good to think about, but now is not the time. We're not done here until everyone still trapped is released." He nodded over at Asuna. "That means you, too. I wouldn't put it past that bastard to do something, so let's get that sorted sooner rather than later."

Kirito nodded back. "I've checked that. I've found Asuna's log out button, but I'll need a little bit more time for the others."

"You can leave that to us." Yui replied. "Even if we are bound to your NerveGear, entities like Strea and I remain active even if you log out. We'll take a look and free them if we can, recording our progress along the way."

"That's right." Strea chimed in. "So the two of you - do us a favor and meet in real life, okay?"

Kirito patted Yui's head and turned to Strea. "Yui, Strea...thank you." He said before he turned back to Asuna. "I've fixed your login issue, so you can log out now. After you do that, I'm heading over to you in real life."

Asuna held his hand and faced the others, tears forming on the side of her face. "Thank you, everyone. I'll see you two on the other side."

And with that, Asuna had finally exited her prison.

Once Asuna's body dispersed, Riwet turned to Kirito. "Hurry up and log out. We might've defeated Oberon, but the bastard's still out there. Let's meet at Asuna's hospital."

"You're right." Kirito nodded and accessed his Player Menu and opened the logout button. He placed his finger near it, and stopped before he looked at Riwet.

"Something wrong?" Riwet asked.

"...thank you for helping me. If...if you aren't here, things probably would've gone much different."

Riwet let out a tired but warm smile. "Don't joke around. You've bailed us out of that death game 25 floors early. This is nothing." He took a deep breath and opened his own Player Menu. "Now, go. I'll be there when I can. Don't keep her waiting."


Loading...Complete
Changing Perspective: Riwet


"Really, it was tremendously risky what you and Kirito-kun did. I would have preferred it if you had consulted me, Mizushima-kun." He said through the phone.

"I didn't want to come to you with inadequate evidence, Kikuoka-san." I replied. "Where are you now?"

"I have sent a small number of people towards Noboyuki-san's location. As for me, I'm driving towards Yuuki-kun's hospital to personally confirm if she has truly awakened. "

"Gotcha. I'm riding a taxi towards there, too. I'll meet you there and elaborate on everything after all of this is over."

"Understood." I said before I hung up.

I went to my contacts log and tried to call Kazuto. There was no response. Either he was too busy biking to answer, or...

The rest of the ride was silent as I politely said to the driver that I was not looking for small talk beforehand. The hospital was a bit of a ways away, and, coupled with the snow, meant that I had a bit of time to contemplate on what happened today.

My body still stung a bit from when my Pain Absorption got disabled and my chest spontaneously exploded, but I've been through worse. I resisted the urge to take a deep breath. We're not out of the woods yet. Not until I see her awake with my own eyes.

Asuna...I hope you made it. Kaz...hurry the fuck up.

Eventually, I got close to my destination and realized that something was off.

There were flashing lights of red and white, originating from where the hospital's parking space would be. It didn't come from any natural source, and while it was the first time that I saw it in person, I had quite an inkling as to what those would be.

"Here is fine. Please stop the car where it's safe." I said.

The driver nodded. He swerved the car to the side, slowing to a halt. I paid the driver and exited the vehicle, making my way towards the parking area.

When I got there, I saw a couple of people. There were two cops and two paramedics. One of them was with the paramedics looking over a person sitting on the side of the ambulance - I couldn't quite see their face. The other cop was conversing with someone who looked very familiar.

That someone noticed my presence raised his hand to catch my attention. "Mizushima-kun!" Kikuoka greeted. "He's with me." He said to the police officer before motioning for me to come closer.

I approached them. Now that I got closer, I got a better look at the guy in the ambulance.

Sugou Noboyuki. He was being treated by a medic, but his hands were cuffed. The man looked like hell, but those injuries are gonna be the least of his problems soon enough. I'm a little tempted to get in there and give him a piece of my mind, but there was a time and place for everything.

I snorted and turned to Kikuoka. "What happened?"

"We are still figuring it out. The responders and I only arrived here recently," He turned to Sugou, "And he is not cooperating."

"Hm…" I hummed.

It wasn't too hard to figure out what happened. Sugou must've intercepted Kaz on the way and Kaz gave it to him hard.

My phone rang, and I took it out of my pocket. The caller ID was displayed as Kazuto.

I pressed accept and held my phone up to my face. "Took you long enough. Where are you?"

"Riwet...kun?" Instead of Kazuto's voice, I heard a different voice answer back.

"...Asuna…?" I instinctively replied.

"...That's 'nee-chan' to you, buster."

I chuckled. "And that's Rin to you. Welcome back to the real world. How are you doing?"

"...I'm fine. Kirito's here, right beside me."

"Yo." I heard Kazuto's voice as he chimed in.

I smiled and almost asked if I could visit them, but looking around me, I had an idea. "Hey, are you comfortable with a video call? I'm with the cops right now, and this might be a good chance to smooth things over as much I can on my side."

A moment passed. "...okay."

I looked at my phone. There she was - atrophied, but conscious. Kazuto was beside her, holding the phone. "...you're looking well for someone whose chest exploded just a while back." She greeted.

"Thanks. And you?"

She blinked as if she didn't hear me. Kazuto came closer and whispered something to her. "I'm sorry. I can't quite hear that well yet." She replied.

"Eh, that happens. Rehab's gonna fix you up real quick."

"I'm glad to hear that. Now, we have business to attend to, correct?"

"Right." I approached the police and showed them my phone. "This is Yuuki Asuna. One of the victims of the SAO Incident that hadn't woken up in the initial period." I started. After that, I summarized what I had been doing for the past couple of days. I said goodbye to Asuna partway through so that she can get some rest.

The two cops and Kikouka turned to each other. They came closer and exchanged some words before Kiukouka and one of the cops broke off. Kikuoka turned to the side and brought his phone out.

The other officer remaining - a serious-looking man - gave me a nod. "We are currently requesting advice on how to best handle this situation on our end. However, this would likely mean that we would have to take you in later for questioning."

"That is what I was expecting. I'm more than happy to comply." I looked around. "So, how's your day been going?"

He sighed and looked in the direction of the ambulance. "My partner and I responded to an incident of assault, and we ended up involved in all of this. I've known people who were, in one way or another, involved in the SAO incident." He turned back at me. "This just might be one of the steps that'll enable us to move on from this once and for all."

I nodded back. "Hopefully."

"Excuse me for a moment." He said before he walked towards his partner.

Now alone, I guess the only thing left to do was wait.

I distanced myself a bit and looked up. Since it was snowing, the sky was filled with dark clouds that concealed the stars beyond.

At last. It's over.. All of it…

...right?

Something compelled me to look to the side. When I turned to look-

\o[]8 #a[]t

It was like I was swept away to a similar, but different place.

Gone was the cold, snow-covered parking lot.

Instead, it was replaced by a familiar snow-covered shoreline.

Aurelia...

I could see two people sitting beside each other on a bench - the bench where I usually sat. The left side of the bench's back was badly damaged, showing the person's back as they leaned their head on the person on the right. They were wearing a familiar white one-piece dress, and their blue shimmed faintly under the moonlit sky.

No. That wasn't it.

It was more like they were the ones glowing.

As for the person on the right, I could barely see them, with only the back of their head towards me.

Is that...Pina…?

And…is that m-

\o[]8 #a[]t

A shiver ran down my spine, and I let out a shaky breath. All of a sudden, every fiber of my being wanted me to look away. My ears started to ring and the edges of my vision blurred.

Meanwhile, the figure on the right of the bench started to turn towards me.

All I could see was bright, blazing blue eyes lashing ou

\o[]8 #a[]t

Malevolently mock

\o[]8 #a[]t

Murderous

\o[]8 #a[]t

Pathetic, worthless waste of oxy

\o[]8 #a[]t

Nothing but an intact, snow-covered bench.

Hm.

A thick wad of mist blew from my mouth, and I realized that the cold night air had numbed my extremities. I shook my head and tried to collect my thoughts, but the most I could remember was looking at this bench.

"Mizushima-kun?" I heard someone call for me.

I turned around and saw Kikuouka staring at me. "...yes?" I asked.

"What are you doing?'

I opened my mouth to reply, but… "...sorry. I...uh, can't remember. It's been a long day. What's up?"

"...we would've liked for you to comply with the police and give a more detailed testimony. We still need some time, but I have pulled some strings and let you visit Yuuki-kun briefly. You will have to be escorted by the officers."

I nodded. "That sounds good. I'm ready to go when you are."

Eventually, another police car came in, and they escorted Sugou and the ambulance from the scene. Then, Kikuoka broke off, and with the two cops in tow, we entered the hospital.

Before it completely left my vision, I took one last look at the bench earlier.

Hm.


Chapter End


A/N: Hey. It's been a while. Sorry 'bout that. I got employed in a temp position and it ended recently. I doubled my efforts in working to give a good impression since it was my first work that's relevant to my chosen career path. Rather than bemoaning my lack of time I could have used for making this fic, I would instead thank my employer for giving me money and some much-needed relevant experience, as well as promising me a glowing reference.

In addition to that, I had to rewrite a big chunk of my stuff. The first draft was more or less a copy of canon. I rewrote it so that Asuna would be given more of a role.

This chapter marks the climax of the Fairy Dance Arc. All that's left for this arc is one more chapter where I hopefully wrap as many loose ends as I can. I'll save my thoughts until I'm done with that.

That's all for now. Thank you very much, and have a good one.