A/N: Hello, everyone. Sorry about the long hiatus. I just didn't know where to take my story for a moment. So I decided to watch most of the english dubbed episodes of Alicization so that I could rework it. That way, I wouldn't rush the story altogether. I don't know when I'll post a new chapter, but either this next chapter or the one after will feature more of Klein and Si-Eun. After all, they might have questions about what's going on as well. Also, Saber will be portrayed by D.C. Douglas, the voice actor for Yoshikage Kira. I honestly wasn't into Jojo before, but listening to him was like listening to an angel. So I decided to give the show a shot, and it's looking great so far. Other than that, there may also be some changes to what I initially had planned, such as having young Akihiko and Shiki having an arc of their own despite their age. I'll let you know what changes to expect and when on the next chapter. Until then, enjoy. :)
Chapter 4: Departure
Play Ordinal Scale Music: "The Place We Should Have Reached"
In the cave, Alice, the songstress with brown hair, and another Integrity Knight with short grey hair were now confronting the beast guarding the crystal as Korai, Yuuki, Rika, Keiko, and Selka were caught in the fray while Kirito, Eugeo, Asuna, Sachi, and the others watched in surprise at the events that unfolded. As the Integrity Knights stood against the creature, Alice turned to Eugeo before she spoke to him.
"Just keep the children back until it's safe. We can handle this."
Surprised as he was, Eugeo got his focus back and nodded to her before shouting to Selka, Korai, Yuuki, Rika, and Keiko from far away.
"Hey, guys! Come over here where it's safe!"
Knowing their current strength parameters, Korai considered it sound advice as he spoke to the others.
"Well, you heard the man. Let's go!"
As they ran to Kirito, Eugeo, and the others, the beast sensed their movement and roared as it prepared to do away with them. However, before it could strike, the songstress prepared to fire her arrows of light which appeared out of her fingertips before being stretched out to be launched from her bow as she shouted.
"System call! Generate: Luminous element! Arrow-shape! Release!"
As the arrows of light hit the beast, they impaled it, making it screech in pain as black ooze poured out of the wounds. While this occurred, Korai and Yuuki took notice of the attack with amazement as they, Selka, Rika, and Keiko managed to get to the group safely.
"Did you see that, Yuuki?"
"Yeah. Must be part of the Sacred Arts."
With the beast injured, Alice turned to her other compatriot as she spoke.
"Good work, Yuuna. Eiji, move in!"
"Got it."
With that, Eiji held his sword out by his side before it glowed dark purple as he charged towards it. Just when he tried to attack it, however, the beast, blind as it was, merely used its wings to fly up to the ceiling before clutching onto the rock with its talons before screeching, causing the others to block their ears as the loud noise deafened the cave. While this occurred, Kirito began to wonder if it had an ulterior motive as the Ricky spikes above began to fall one by one.
"What is that thing doing?! Taking itself out along with us?!"
Seconds after Kirito said this, the beast ceased its screech. Not long after, dark digital portals began to open on the floor, making Alice, Yuuna, and Eiji weary as they grunted before Kirito, Eugeo, Asuna, and Sachi widened their eyes in terror before seeing tiny monsters with red eyes and grey skin complete with tunics covering their unmentionables as they snickered before Asuna began to wonder what was going on in her mind.
"What's going on?! Is that thing summoning them here?!"
In her frozen state of terror, she quickly snapped out of it before going for her sword, only to realize she didn't have one as Eugeo looked to her.
"Asuna, are you okay?"
Seeing his confused expression, Asuna realized her error and spoke to him as she shook her head.
"Yeah. Don't worry about it."
However, with the situation around them, it was hard not to as the Imps headed towards Selka, Yuriko, Kito, Ayame, and the other children as they became fearful before Alice got out her sword and intercepted them as she made her golden sword glow bright yellow before slashing the Imps away in one strike, slicing them while they bled black ooze as she turned to the group behind her.
"What are you waiting for?! You need to get out of here while you can!"
Seeing the distress they're in, Korai didn't think it wise, no matter how strong they were compared to them. He did always act more with his heart than his head. This situation was no different.
"If it's all the same to you, I'll have to deny your order, ma'am!"
With that, Korai ran past Alice as the Imps turned to him, becoming curious as Alice became worried.
"Hey! What are you doing, you idiot?!"
As an answer, Korai taunted the Imps.
"Hey, Goblins! Want some fresh meat?! Come and get it!"
Tempted by his taunts, the Imps began to chase after Korai before he spoke to himself as he ran.
"Okay, they took the bait. Let's hope they can get the hint."
With that, Korai began running from the Imps before shouting to Yuuna.
"Yuuna, line up those arrows! I can't keep it up for long!"
Getting the sense in what Korai was trying to do, she nodded to him before preparing her arrows of light as she spoke again.
"System call! Generate: Luminous element! Scatter release!"
With that, Yuuna fired the many arrows of light at the Imps, getting each and every one of them as they fell dead before Korai stopped his running and took notice of what's happened.
"Alright! Now for the big guy.
As Korai looked up, the beast jumped off the ceiling and landed on the ground before it looked up to the Integrity Knights and Korai as Yuuki spoke to herself.
"You better know what you're doing, Korai."
As the beast looked left and right at them, it began to speak with a distorted voice as its wings extended.
"The light... be mine...! MINE!"
As the beast shouted this, it lunged at Korai as it ran. Once it took flight to perform a leap, Eiji saw his chance and jumped before using his sword to slice off the wings, rendering the creature flightless before it fell to the floor as Eiji taunted it.
"Try going back on the ceiling now."
As the beast snarled, a dark purple, digital portal suddenly opened under it before it sank into it, completely disappearing before Alice, Yuuna, and Eiji grunted as they had a feeling about what it meant as the first of the three spoke.
"Keep an eye out, everyone. The beast couldn't have gone far."
As they looked around, Alice looked closely on the ground to keep from getting blindsided as the Integrity Knights kept their weapons on hand. While they looked for the beast, Selka noticed a portal opening up behind Alice and tried to get close to her as she shouted.
"Alice! Behind you!"
As Alice turned around at Selka's behest, she took notice of a dark purple, digital portal opening up before she backed up on Instinct, the beast's claw horned with a blade on its wrist barely grabbing her as its long blade only managed to get to the cape before the claw lifted the rest of itself up and was poised to attack with its blade as Alice held her sword out before she shouted.
"Enhance armament!"
With that, her golden sword became a flurry of yellow petals before she swerved them into a slash, cutting off its blade in the process before wounding him on the chest, causing black ooze to spray from the impact before it was knocked to the other side of the cave wall where it collapsed before falling to the floor as Yuuki, Korai, Kirito, Eugeo, Asuna, Sachi, and the others looked on in surprise as such a display.
End Ordinal Scale Music: "The Place We Should Have Reached"
As the group still stood in surprise with their children becoming awestruck, Akihiko, Shiki, Yuriko, and Karai most of all, Alice walked towards the beast as it tried to speak to her, knowing full well it was on its last legs.
"The Dark Empire shall span... all the lands... By the Crystal's Light... we shall flourish... He shall arise... as ruler... of the world!"
As Alice heard this, she only gave it a glare as she raised her sword before speaking.
"Not today."
With that, Alice swiftly struck the beast at its head, decapitating it as black blood spurted out from the severed neck before the beast collapsed onto the floor lifeless. As that happened, the mothers that were present in the group tried to cover their children's eyes to refrain them from seeing such a massacre while Eugeo stood with his mouth wide open as he thought to himself.
"No way... the Integrity Knight. Is that really Alice?"
Taking notice of his surprise, Rika smiled as she spoke.
"I can see why you like her. She's as tough as nails."
Hearing this, Eugeo began to blush before he turned to her and spoke.
"No way! The Alice I know is kind and sweet."
"Yeah, that was ten years ago. A lot could've happened in that time. Just sayin'."
At that moment, Eiji and Yuuna joined Alice as the former spoke to her before the latter as she sheathed her sword in her scabbard.
"Well, that's one minion down."
"Yeah, but we're still no closer to finding out who its master is than when we started."
"Well, at least we know they're the ones who must've dislodged the crystals. They'll need especially crucial protection."
With that, Korai tried to walk up to Alice in an attempt to thank her for their rescue.
"Hey, listen. Thanks a lot for saving our butts back there. Seriously."
As a reply, however, Alice turned around and showed an angry look.
"That reminds me... why are you even here in the first place?! And during the day of rest? Do you have any idea what could've happened to you?!"
Caught off guard by her suddenly angry tone, Korai tried to explain, but before he could, Selka and Eugeo spoke up for him.
"It's not all his fault. He just wanted to help me find you, Alice."
"It's true. We just wanted to help Selka."
Upon seeing Selka and Eugeo, Alice widened her eyes in surprise before seeing a flash of them from the last time they saw each other with Selka being younger while Eugeo was as he was ten years ago. As she was visited by the people she cared about, Alice's tears began to stream down her face as her lips quivered before Eugeo spoke.
"Hey, Alice? Are you okay?"
Hearing the concern in his voice, Alice wipes the tears from her face before she smiled and replied, surprising him.
"Yes, Eugeo. I'm just fine."
"Wait a minute. You actually remember me?"
"Remember? Hmm. I could never forget you if I tried. But what are you doing here?"
"Oh, yeah. We were here to help Korai and Yuuki look at the End Mountains with Selka to find the Integrity Knight that saved you ten years ago."
"What? You actually went through all that trouble for me?"
As Eugeo replied to Alice's query, he motioned to Korai and Yuuki as he spoke.
"Yeah, and the truth is, I couldn't have done it without Korai and Yuuki as a start."
As they smiled to her, Alice gave Yuuki and Korai a smile back before turning to the latter. With the effort he made to keep her alive, Alice had to admit she was grateful for that. However, her concern over his reckless actions still left her worried as she spoke to him.
"Korai, is it?"
"Uh, yeah?"
"I appreciate what you've done to help me, but the next time you wish to put yourself at risk on my behalf, at least warn me. You nearly gave me a heart attack."
Knowing how base the Imps were, even if he and the others were no better, Korai didn't consider them as big a threat as the beast that now lies beheaded. Nonetheless, he didn't want another of her signature flares as he spoke nervously while Yuuki giggled at his tone before he got to the heart of the matter with Alice.
"Okay. I'll keep that in mind. But just out of curiosity, what are you guys doing here?"
To answer, Yuuna piped up as she walked to be beside Alice along with Eiji.
"Well, duh! Isn't it obvious? We're protecting the crystals."
This made Korai, Yuuki, Selka, Rika, and Keiko widen their eyes in surprise before the third of the group spoke up to Alice.
"Protecting... the crystals? There's more than one?"
"That's right. Eiji, can you see if you can push it back in?"
"I'll try."
With that, Eiji jumped off to where a piece of it was sticking out and pushed it back in, the action of which took great effort. Apparently, they were heavy, even for the Integrity Knights. Despite this, Eiji successfully pushed it in before he turned to Alice and spoke.
"It's back in place. I swear it's getting harder and harder these days."
Knowing how exhausted they must be, Sachi spoke up in the group as she knew how to fix one problem.
"Oh. You wouldn't happen to be hungry, would you?"
As an answer, Alice's stomach grumbled before she blushed before she looked to Sachi and spoke.
"What do you have in mind?"
Later, Kirito, Asuna, Sachi, Shino, Rika, Keiko, Suguha, Yuuki, Korai, their children, Eugeo, Selka, and the Integrity Knights were back at the forest where Eugeo would usually work on his calling while they had a picnic as Gummy chowed down on the bread as the kids played tag on the grass (with the exception of Yuriko, Shiki, Akihiko, and Karai, who sat in their mothers' laps) while the grownups sat down and talked with each other with Alice talking to Eugeo.
"So that's why the Blue Rose Sword was missing. I've been wondering about that, but honestly I had a feeling it was you."
"Yeah. Didn't really get around to using it until yesterday, though. And even then, I think a lost a bit of my life from that swing."
This made Alice a bit worried, thinking how hard Eugeo must've fallen to the ground before she spoke to him.
"Well, what did you expect? The Blue Rose Sword can't be wielded by just anyone; it's a Divine Object."
"Yeah, I know that now. But you should've seen Korai here."
Hearing him say his name, Korai became flabbergasted as Eugeo spoke.
"One time he swung that sword at the Demon Tree, his whole body shook like a leaf."
"Hey! It's not my fault that sword's so heavy!"
Hearing a certain context in the sentence, Alice became confused as she spoke.
"Wait. Wasn't that your calling to chop down the Demon Tree?"
"Yeah, but there's no law in the Taboo Index that said people can't help out."
"Hmm. I see."
With that topic out of the way, Selka was curious about the Crystal's importance before Alice explained.
"So, what's important about the crystal in the cave? Is it special?"
"That's right. When you got here, it was close to being dislodged already, wasn't it?"
"Well, of course. But why?"
"Because we found out that someone was trying to remove it so that he could use it for his own purposes."
This made Eugeo speak up in surprise.
"But why? Isn't the crystal used to communicate with the gods?"
"Not this one. It's a border crystal."
This made Korai curious as he spoke up to her.
"Border crystal? You mean there's more than one type?"
"Precisely. Believe it or not, there are actually four different types of crystals created from the main crystal the gods gifted to us. You've seen one of them, the border crystal. It creates a barrier between the Human Empire and the Dark Territory to help enforce the law of staying away from the latter. But as you've noticed, it's starting to give way, just like countless others."
This confused Rika as she spoke to Yuuna and Eiji.
"You mean you guys didn't try just pushing it in place before now?"
"We have. But each time, another border crystal would get dislodged. When that happens, anyone in the Human Empire would go in the Dark Territory, or worse yet, the other way around."
"And it's been happening all over, too. We kept a good pace for the past seven or eight years, but soon, because we were spread so thin, those in the Dark Territory found loopholes and exploited them."
This caused Eugeo to raise his eyebrows in realization. With the recent rise in deaths for the past two or three years, it all made sense.
"So it was the Goblins, then."
As an answer, Alice shook her head before she spoke to Eugeo as a flashback of when the greedy beast summoned countless portals to call forth Imps before using one itself.
"Not quite. The Dark Territory has recently acquired a Sacred Art called 'warping.' So far, it's only been taught to beasts and Imps."
This got the group caught unawares as they widened their eyes before Kirito spoke up to Alice.
"Wait, they can use it, too?"
"To an extent, yes. But still... this shouldn't be possible. The creatures of the Dark Territory shouldn't have been able to learn the Sacred Arts."
This made Korai raise his eyes in surprise before recognizing the threat he was sent to confront: the Sorcerer. Somehow or another, he must've known about the Sacred Arts and taught them to the creatures in the Dark Territory. He must be creating an army to help him overtake this world and the real one. If that were to happen, the Sorcerer's goals, whatever they were, would finally be achieved. And there was no chance in the Underworld that he'd ever let it happen. To stop him, he'd have to use any and all available resources in the Underworld to do so, thus he turned to Alice and spoke to her.
"So, you said one of the four were border crystals. What were the other three?"
As an answer, Alice looked to Korai before she spoke.
"Hmm? Oh! Right. As I said, one of them is a border crystal. Another are item crystals to help you recover your life in dire situations. Thirdly, you have crystals that can help you create weapons in blacksmithing, even Divine Objects. And finally, there are crystals that can allow you to communicate with the gods directly... by way of either speaking to them through it, or by entering their world"
This got Korai and Yuuki's attention as they widened their eyes before they reacted before Yuuna and Eiji held out a crystal in their hands as the former spoke.
"Yep. It's true. In fact, Eiji and I have them."
As they showed the crystals to the group, Keiko was amazed Rika while became flabbergasted as Eugeo spoke to her.
"Do you have a crystal like that, Alice?"
"Not really. For whatever reason, those crystals were given out to a select few. Those few are the ones lucky enough to find one like those and are said to be destined for greatness."
As it piqued the group's curiosity, Korai knew it must've made sense. After all, the world may be breathtaking, but anyone could only stay in there for so long. Kikuoka must've created them so that anyone who worked with him wouldn't suffer any form of whiplash through unforeseen events such as a power outage. Who knows what could happen as a result in that scenario? And it must be that the crystals only work for those 'chosen few' to keep any artificial fluctlight from taking over their bodies. Or intruders like the Sorcerer. Speaking of, he recalled what the creature in the cave said as he spoke.
"Alice? I don't mean to change topics, but you said you guys were stretched thin while the Dark Empire exploited that, right? Do you know someone there that could be responsible for that?"
Hearing that inquiry, Alice gave him a reply as she looked to him.
"Can't say that I do. But if I were to guess, I'd say it must've been that beast's Master."
Hearing this, Suguha spoke to her, wondering if she happened to know the name.
"Do you know who he is?"
"Not really. Along with how he's managed to teach the minions about warping, that's the one thing we don't know. That is, until now. Yuuna just returned from her visit to the gods with dire news. Recently, someone known as the Sorcerer was spotted intruding in Centoria about three months ago."
Upon hearing this, Korai became confused as he recalled Eiji saying they had about two or three years in deaths as he spoke up.
"Wait, three months? Didn't you guys say it went on for three years?"
"That's right, but him being spotted that long ago could only tell so much. We don't know if he's the one responsible for it, but we're leaning towards that possibility."
This made Korai think to himself about the situation.
"I hate to admit it, but she might be right. If he only showed up three months ago as opposed to three years, someone else might be stretching the Integrity Knights as thin as paper. But who else could it be?"
With that, he remembered someone who came close to taking Yuuki's life in GGO as he remembered what he said to her, about her soul. And judging from that phrasing, Korai could immediately guess that somehow he knew about the fluctlights as he thought of him while he tensed.
"Oh. Right. That Subtilizer guy. He must've known about the Soul Translator, somehow. Maybe he's the one calling the shots? And he also knew about me. I'm starting to think that face-to-face wasn't a coincidence, after all."
Just then, he heard Alice's voice speak up as she, Eiji, and Yuuna stood up.
"Well, thanks for the meal, Sachi. But we need to press onward."
"It's okay. Iunderstand."
As they started to walk away, however, Eugeo became desperate as he widened his eyes before he piped up.
"Hey, wait!"
Hearing his voice, Alice turned to Eugeo in a puzzled expression before she spoke to him.
"Yes, Eugeo?"
"Do you really have to go so soon? It's a day of rest, after all."
As an answer, Alice turned to him and spoke.
"It is, but we were just here on emergency. And the situation's been dealt with. I honestly don't see any reason to stay here any longer."
"Not even to catch up?"
Hearing this from Eugeo, Alice widened her eyes in realization. During her time at Centoria, there were times she never thought she'd see Eugeo in the line of duty. And so, while she didn't forget about him, she denied herself the opportunity to see him. Now, here she was with opportunity staring right in front of her. If it happened about a month later, then she surely would've accepted. But with how long she'd been gone, she knew that everything she went through in those ten years would take up a whole day just to explain it. And then, she would be denied any chance of seeing him again.
Of course, she didn't want to hurt his feelings, so she had an idea to fix that. If she couldn't come to him, maybe he'd come to her. And there's only one way to guarantee that.
"Eugeo... I wish I could stay for that, but it'd take up the whole day just to explain what I've been through."
"Oh. I understand."
"Although... there's time for us to begin your training."
Hearing this, Eugeo became confused as he spoke before Alice replied with a smile.
"Huh? Training?"
"Before we leave, I'll be willing to grant you one short lesson in sword fighting."
Hearing this, Eugeo became flabbergasted as he widened his eyes before Rika smirked as she spoke in a sing-song voice, making Eugeo blush madly before Rika tried to put a stop to it gently.
"Ooh! Someone's got a date..."
"I don't think you're helping, Rika."
As Alice took notice of this, she cleared her throat before Eugeo came back to his senses.
"Oh! Sorry. Did I hear you right? You said that you'd train me?"
"That's right. And I'm aware that Korai and Kirito tried to help you on your calling, but they weren't exactly in any position since their experience is no better than yours."
This made the two of them blanch at her comment before Asuna and Yuuki spoke in admittance, much to the husbands' dismay.
"Well, she does have a point."
"Gotta give her credit."
"Hey!"
As Kirito and Korai acted defensively, Alice went on as she spoke.
"Anyway, you're going to need swords you can lift for the time being. Yuuna."
Sensing what Alice was getting at, Yuuna was all in for it as she spoke.
"I gotcha covered."
With that, she got out her satchel and opened it up to reveal several standard swords inside it before Alice got four of them out and handed them to Kirito, Yuuki, Asuna, and Korai. It was clear from Eugeo's description that they helped out Eugeo with his calling, so she felt it fitting to help them out as well. As they got their weapons drawn out, Alice was standing in place at the ground while she spoke as Asuna, Sachi, Shino, Rika, Keiko, Suguha, their children, Selka, and Gummy watched on the grass.
"Alright. If you were helping Eugeo out with the Demon Tree, then you must know the proper way to swing your sword. But that's only the beginning. It takes decisive instinct in the heat of battle, strategic thinking, and well-timed execution, as you've witnessed. But for this lesson, we'll repeat what you've attempted on the Gigas Cedar. And instead of attacking it... you'll be coming at me with everything you have. With your current strength, you won't have to defeat me, but if you should happen to pressure me enough, I'll be forced to act on the defensive. Any questions?"
As an answer, Eugeo raised his hand up before she turned to him.
"Yes?"
"I just realized something. How come we're doing this in the day of rest? Isn't it against the Taboo Index to be working on that day?"
As an answer, Alice replied with a smile.
"For today, I decided not to look at training as work. Just as a way to show you what I learned."
"Oh. Well, I guess it's not really work, then, is it?"
"No. Now to select my partner. And to that end... I choose you, Eugeo."
As he was called out, Eugeo began to get caught by surprise as he spoke.
"Huh? Me?"
"Yes. Please come over."
"Uh, yeah! Okay..."
As the group watched the training go down, Rika became confused as to what they're watching as she spoke to Asuna.
"Okay, I'll bite. What are we doing again?"
"Isn't it obvious? We're watching them train."
"And how is that any different from watching the guys chop away at some giant tree?"
As an answer, Shino piped up while holding Ashi on her lap.
"Because they'll actually get stronger with each hit they make."
This piqued Rika's curiosity as she blinked her eyes while speaking.
"Huh? And how do you know that?"
"I gamed out what Alice was trying to do some time ago. She's trying to get Eugeo strong enough to fulfill his calling. After that, he's free as a bird, and that means he'll be with Alice."
"Oh, yeah! And we won't have to watch him chop at that tree with no effect!"
"Exactly."
"About time."
As Shino and Rika's conversation went on, Akihiko and Shiki were carefully fixating their gaze on the training session as Alice spoke to Eugeo, who was aquiver with anticipation and fear of what he'd do to Alice as she took notice.
"You do remember how to swing a sword, right?"
"Yeah. Of course, I do."
As he shook, Alice figured out what must be going on in his head as she smiled while shaking her head as she spoke.
"Oh, what am I going to do with you? Honestly..."
With that, she walked over to Eugeo before she placed her hands on his arms before smoothing them out as she spoke.
"Calm yourself down a little. That shaking will prevent you from being able to relax and swing your sword properly. That's why it's important to keep a level head in battle. Do you understand?"
"I understand that, but what's gonna happen if I—?"
"You don't have to worry, Eugeo. With your parameters, you won't be able to hurt me. Just think of it like we were sword fighting when we were kids."
"But you never wanted to play sword fighting back then."
"Well, just imagine I did. It'll help your mood."
As Eugeo tried his best to do so, it was admittedly a hard thing to imagine, but sure enough, he could picture himself making time to play sword fighting with her as the thought of spending one more moment with Alice made him smile and relax as he spoke to her while she walked backwards before resuming her stance.
"Oh... I get it now. Thanks."
"My pleasure. Now come at me."
As Alice resumed her position, Eugeo smiled as he held his sword at the ready before picturing her in her cute, little blue dress and white apron, holding a toy sword in front of her before picturing himself as a young child as he pulled it back before charging it in a bright blue light, surprising the group that watched as he shouted.
"En garde!"
With that, Eugeo swung his sword at Alice before it collided with hers, sending a tremor of wind across the plains causing most of the group to brace themselves in the blowout while Akihiko and Shiki sat unfazed by the wind as they looked on in amazement. For whatever reason, seeing Eugeo's display lit a fire in the twins they didn't know they had. The exhilaration, the adrenaline, everything about sword fighting was now taking priority in their lives as the thrill of it all was too great to ignore. As for Eugeo, he withstood the force of such a powerful blow and was surprised to know how much he actually moved Alice as he noticed tracks on the ground that lasted several inches as the grooves were laid bare for all to see. Upon seeing this, Eugeo was taken by surprise before he looked to her with a smile he always had when he was little as Selka noticed it and smiled back before Alice spoke up while they drew their swords back
"That's enough for now. Not bad, Eugeo. I could hardly believe that's actually your first time wielding a sword."
"I know. I couldn't believe it, either."
As Korai, Yuuki, and Kirito took notice of the scene, with the last two showing surprise, the first of the three began to realize that Alice may have been right about their experience as he thought to himself.
"Whoa. A powerful technique like that, and she only moved a few inches? Those Integrity Knights, whoever they are... they must be on a completely different level than us. We still have a long way to go."
With that, Alice turned to the two before she spoke.
"Alright. Next, we'll work on your swings with Eiji, and then we'll see where you can improve."
As time went on, Yuuki went against Alice, making a slightly better improvement than Eugeo's strike as she was backed up by several inches more, making a total of seven inches over Eugeo's four. When Korai and Kirito tried their strikes on Eiji, the result was five inches on both of them. At first, Eugeo was disappointed by his progress, but he was told that even Alice had a higher defense than he did, so the fact that he was at four inches with her was bittersweet to say the least. As the trainees got tallied down on their strikes, the group that watched them continued their vigil, although most were getting tired with the exception of Selka, Akihiko, Yuriko, and Shiki. By the time they finished their lesson, it was getting close to sundown as Alice spoke to them with Eugeo responding.
"And that's it for today."
"Already? Time really flies when you're having fun, huh?"
"Indeed."
As Alice looked to the impending sunset, she had a hope that the effort she put into their training would work out. On the off chance it doesn't, Alice didn't feel right to say goodbye to him in case she doesn't see him again as she spoke.
"Listen, Eugeo?"
"Yeah?"
"In case we don't see each other again after this... I want to thank you."
"Huh? Thank me for what?"
"For spending this day of rest with me. I know I must've worked you pretty hard with those strikes."
"It's more than alright, Alice. As long as I know you're okay, that means we'll see each other again. At least, I hope I do."
"Yes. Me, too."
With that, Alice looked to the group beside Eugeo before she spoke.
"And until we do, can I ask you to stay with Eugeo and keep him safe?"
As they looked to him, Kirito, Korai, and Yuuki could tell that she'd want to be with him for a long time as they nodded while Kirito spoke.
"Sure thing. We'll make sure he gets by just fine."
Grateful for their answer, Alice smiled back at them before she spoke.
"Thank you all. We'll see you soon."
With that, Alice bowed to them before she walked away with a smile as Eiji and Yuuna followed while looking back at the group to Korai and Yuuki as they spoke.
"Just try not to take too long."
"We could always use the extra help."
"We'll keep that in mind."
"Take care of yourselves until then!"
With that, the trio of Integrity Knights walked towards the sunset, eagerly awaiting for the next time they meet again...
The next morning, Eugeo was chopping away at the Gigas Cedar as Korai looked at his Stacia Window and saw his object control level was different from when he looked at it before. When he first got here, it was at level one, but thanks to Alice's training, it got higher up. Eugeo didn't seem to know about that as he swung his axe at the tree as Yuuki, Kirito, Asuna, Suguha, Rika, Keiko, Shino, Akihiko, Shiki, and Gummy watched while Ashi, Ayame, Yuriko, Kito, and the others played in the grass.
"Fifty!"
With that, he struck another futile blow in the tree as he panted before Rika, who was impatiently watching Eugeo since the beginning of the morning, spoke to him, having had enough of futility as she spoke.
"Okay, how long is it gonna take before you realize?!"
"Huh? Realize what?"
"Uh, duh! Alice trained you yesterday, so you don't need that axe!"
"Huh? Oh. You mean my Blue Rose Sword."
"Yeah! Why ain't ya using it?!"
"Last time I tried lifting it, I was barely able to stand."
This made Korai look to the two before he picked up the Blue Rose Sword and stood up as he spoke.
"About that... I don't think Alice wanted you to be stuck here, either."
As he saw him holding the sword as well as making swift slices, Eugeo widened his eyes before he and Yuuki spoke up as Rika pointed out the obvious.
"Y-You can... you can wield the sword?!"
"Whoa! It's not so heavy anymore!"
"Don't you see?! Alice was training you to wield that thing this whole time!"
Knowing Rika's made her point well enough, Korai smiled as he spoke.
"Yeah, I think he got the hint, Rika. By the way, you guys might wanna stand back."
With that, everyone complied to do so before Akihiko shouted to the others, knowing what's going to happen.
"Guys! Dad's going to take a big swing with the sword again!"
Normally, it wouldn't have attracted too much attention from his friends, but when it came to the sword, Akihiko knew it'd be a better result. And so, they gathered around him and Shiki while it glowed bright blue before he shouted at the top of his lungs as he made a big slash on the tree as a big gap can be seen, surprising the group as well as Eugeo, who stood stupefied before Rika winked her eyes, hoping he got the message.
"Now do you get it?"
When he didn't answer, Korai walked up to Eugeo and handed the sword to him as he spoke.
"Well, why don't you try it?"
As he handed the sword to Eugeo, Korai took his steps back before the young boy pointed it at the Demon Tree as Akihiko, Shiki, Yuriko, Asuna, Suguha, and the others wondered what must be going through his head. Little did they know that he was actually thinking about what Alice told him yesterday as it echoed in his mind.
"In case we don't see each other again after this... I want to thank you."
Before now, Eugeo thought he knew why Alice told him this. He assumed it was because she would be too busy to hang out with him. And if they hadn't seen each other that day, it would've been the case. But thanks to their meeting— no. Thanks to Korai and Yuuki, Eugeo got his next chance. Soon, he'll be with her again with the effort she put into making him stronger. A debt he wished to repay as he knew that Korai, Yuuki, and Kirito would be by his side.
"Kirito. Korai. Yuuki. Will you...?"
When he tried to work up the nerve, Eugeo only tensed his hand on the sword before he spoke.
"Will you teach me to use a sword, and finish what Alice started?"
Upon being asked that, the group became confused as Yuuki spoke.
"Well, yeah, of course. But why ask?"
"Alice put in all that effort to make me get stronger and improve my control capability. I won't let that go to waste. Besides, Alice and her family have sacrificed so much, all because of me. It's not right for me not to do my part..."
This made Kirito understand Eugeo more as he spoke in understanding.
"Eugeo..."
With that, Kirito smiled at him, proud of his determination before he spoke.
"Alright, then. You're on. I'll teach you everything I know. But the training's gonna be tough, though."
"That's what I'm hoping."
This made Asuna, Sachi, and Suguha smile at the group before Eugeo realized what style they primarily use as he spoke.
"Oh, right. Before we start, do you remember what your sword styles were called?"
This made the three of them ponder a bit more before Korai and Yuuki answered.
"Oh, well my main style was actually... the Kayaba Style."
"And for me, it's Rosario style. What about you, Kirito? Remember your style yet?"
This made him smile before he answered.
"Yeah, I remember. It's called the Aincrad Style."
With what's about to go down, Yuuki smiled as she spoke.
"Alright! Let the training begin!"
With that, as time went on, Kirito trained with Eugeo at sunset as they swung their swords in consistent and similar strikes as Asuna, Yuriko, Akihiko, Shiki, Korai and Yuuki watched before on the rain, it was Yuuki's turn to test Eugeo out as she and him clashed with lightning striking the clouds, making Akihiko and Shiki admittedly nervous before Korai held them close to his chest while Shino and Ashi watched with them. Next, in the sunny day, Korai and Eugeo were slashing the Gigas Cedar, creating numerous slashes on it on their own turn as Kirito, Yuuki, Sachi, Suguha, Karai, and Saki watched the scene.
Finally, it came down to the last swing. The Demon Tree was now at 6,738 out of 320,826. With how long aeugeo worked on it his whole life, Kirito, Korai, and Yuuki felt as though it was fitting for Eugeo to end it himself as the first of the three spoke.
"Alright, Eugeo. Finish it."
With that, he nodded before Eugeo took his stance and charged the Blue Rose Sword before taking a step and swinging with all his light as he shouted before cleaving through the Demon Tree completely, causing it to fall. Unbeknownst to him, the people at Rulid village began to notice the Demon Tree falling down.
"Hey, lookit!"
"At what?"
As the tree fell and caused a great amount of dust to emerge from it, it parted away to reveal a fallen tree and a stump where it once stood as Eugeo spoke to himself, amazed at the miracle he pulled off as he turned to Korai, Yuuki, and Kirito.
"This is like a dream. I never thought this day would come. I didn't believe in destiny before, but now... Kirito, Korai, Yuuki, fulfilling my calling wasn't my destiny. For the past ten years, I've been waiting for you guys to come."
In a way, it made sense to Korai as he spoke.
"Yeah. Maybe you were. And at the same time, maybe we woke up here so we could meet you..."
Later, at night, Rulid Village was celebrating the fall of the Demon Tree as a great feast was held while Kirito danced with Asuna, Suguha, Sachi, Shino, Rika, and Keiko (although not all at once) as Korai, Yuuki, Akihiko, and Shiki enjoyed the food they were blessed with as they had roasted meat before Selka spoke up to them.
"Why are you guys alone?"
Hearing her voice, the four of them turned to her before the husband spoke.
"Oh. Well, Kirito's hanging out with his friends. And Eugeo's with your father talking about stuff."
"Oh. I see. I'm sure he's getting lots of well-deserved praise for chopping down the Demon Tree."
At that moment, Yuuki spoke to her next.
"Well, he should! After all the effort he put into it, he deserves it big time. What about you, though?"
"I decided to study harder, so I can be as good as the Sacred Arts my sister was. Mmm, not so I can be like her, mind you."
"Yeah, I figured. Good for you, though."
Just then, the village chief of Rulid spoke up to the populace, getting their attention.
"May I have your attention, please? The greatest wish of Rulid's founders has been fulfilled. The Demon Tree has been felled at last!"
As the crowd cheered at such an occasion, the chief smiled to Eugeo before he spoke again.
"Let us all give thanks to Eugeo, son of Ulric!"
As the crowd applauded, Chief Zuberg spoke again to remind them of what comes next.
"According to the laws, when one finishes their calling, they have earned the right to choose what their next calling will be. Go ahead, Eugeo. Make your choice."
As Eugeo looked around at the crowd, all eyes on him, he knew his adamant decision and made it loud and clear as he spoke.
"I will become a swordsman! I shall train hard and journey to Centoria."
This caught the chief and the crowd by surprise before he spoke.
"Eugeo. What could you possibly... no. I won't question you. It is your church-given right to choose your next calling. As Rulid's elder, I approve Eugeo's new calling as swordsman!"
As Chief Zuberg announced it and declared it, the crowd cheered while Kirito, Yuuki, Korai, and Selka smiled along with Asuna, Sachi, Suguha, Shino, and the others. Little did they know that as they celebrated Eugeo's new calling, a figure in a white hooded cloak with long raven hair and blue eyes watched from afar as he smiled before he spoke while gazing to Korai.
"It's so touching to see young men grow on their own. Especially this one..."
The next morning, Selka was pulling the bucket back up from the well before Eugeo spoke up to her.
"Selka."
"Eugeo..."
"Before I go, I wanted to tell you something."
"Oh? What is it?"
"My goal... is to go to Centoria and help Alice fight the Dark Territory."
"I thought so."
"For the past ten years, it's all I've been thinking about. But, with my calling, I had no idea how to go about it. Then Kirito, Korai, Yuuki, and the others suddenly showed up. Then being there for Alice didn't seem so hopeless anymore. For some reason, I feel like I could do anything with them around. You and your family have already sacrificed so much, all on account of me. So, I'll pay you guys back and make things right. Have faith in me, and wait for our return."
As Eugeo said this, it made Selka shed small tears before she spoke.
"Well, I can't stop you, but if you insist..."
"I do."
At that moment, Selka couldn't help but smile as she spoke.
"Okay. I shall wait. Just make sure you guys come back."
"Mm-hmm. I'll make sure we all come back safe. Promise."
"Good luck."
What they didn't realize was at that moment, Korai was listening to every word they said. And while it should've been a heartfelt moment... he felt discontent. As if worrying about Yuuki's safety wasn't enough, now he's got Eugeo to worry about as well. With what he's seen, it's no different from SAO, but the danger of the Sorcerer is as ominous as ever. As long as he's around, no amount of promises will keep him alive long enough to come back safe. However, that's all the more reason why he's here, too, as he spoke to himself.
"I'll make sure he keeps his promise, Selka. I swear it."
Later, the group was waiting for Eugeo to show up as the adults had their packs while the children waited by their mothers' sides before Akihiko noticed him as he spoke up.
"Look, Dad. It's Eugeo."
"Hmm?"
As they turned to him, Eugeo spoke up to Korai.
"Sorry to keep you guys waiting."
"Nah, it's okay."
Rika, however, felt the opposite.
"Well, you oughta be. I've had enough waiting for a lifetime, thank you very much."
As Rika muttered to herself, the others couldn't help but laugh before Eugeo spoke to Yuuki.
"Well, are you guys ready?"
"Yep."
As they all walked out of Rulid Village, they walked on the path in front of them as Gummy peeked out of Sachi's shirt and looked at Akihiko and Shiki just in front of it before the former spoke.
"Hi, little guy. Having fun up there?"
As an answer, it gave a squeak to him before he spoke with a smile.
"Yeah. I thought so."
As they walked, Eugeo spoke to Korai about their destination.
"I wonder what Centoria will be like."
"Who knows? But at least we know it'll be way bigger than Rulid Village."
"I certainly hope so."
Just then, they felt a wind coming from in front of them as they noticed a thunderstorm in front of them before Eugeo spoke up.
"Looks like a storm's coming. We should hurry before we get caught in it."
"Yeah. Good idea."
As they looked at the clouds, Shiki couldn't help but become frightened of lightning striking the clouds as she quivered before Yuuki brushed her hair back as she spoke.
"It's okay. As long as we keep moving, we'll be out of its way."
While Shiki hugged her mother, Yuuki looked to Korai, more than willing to keep her own promise to Korai.
"So, you ready to go, Korai?"
As Korai remembered everything he'd done in SAO both good and bad, he gave a determined look at the clouds before answering.
"Ready as I'll ever be..."