"You've gotta be shittin' me…" Argo gaped in awe, glancing at an equally stunned Lux. "Fuckin' Heathcliff?!"

What the hell?! Argo always prided herself on knowing her clients, professionally or otherwise. The more she knew about her friends and clients, the better she could provide them information that could benefit them. Hell, for some of her friends, she even knew their regular sleeping patterns!

Okay, maybe that was a little much, but still!

And then here comes Mister-KoB-boss-man with the revelation of the century, and now Argo found herself seriously doubting everything she knew. The man had to have method-acted Heathcliff or had some variation of a split-personality disorder or something, because she had no idea that Akihiko Kayaba was the man behind the shield!

"I had no idea…" Lux murmured, her face blanched with dreaded realization as she seemed to echo Argo's thoughts.

The Plaza of Beginnings was in an uproar, the momentary stunned silence having evaporated with the waves of heat and anger coming off of the assembled masses. Obscenities and profanities were slung left and right, all aimed at the man on the screens. Argo looked over towards Yui, who looked particularly saddened, but more importantly…

…the little A.I. was unsurprised.

"This was what ya meant, huh Yui-chan?" Argo asked, already knowing the answer.

Yui nodded and sighed. "Yes. That day, I was told not to reveal his identity, but I suspect Alice was able to piece together the clues with what little I was able to say."

"It all makes sense though." Argo mused, piecing everything she knew about the man together. How secretive he was. How separated he'd become from the other members of the Assault Team. Yui even seemed to avoid him in public settings, even before she reawakened as an A.I.

"I worry for them, though." Yui admitted, and Argo found herself on the receiving end of a hug from her favorite niece. "Only a few of them have a chance of defeating him. The likelihood of survival is concerningly low."

Argo mustered up a little bravado for Yui's sake. "Have a lil' faith, Yui-chan. Your family's stronger than they look. You know that better than anyone!"

Yui faintly smiled. "True, but it won't stop me worrying. I suppose my empathy subroutines are a little too well-developed…"

"Maybe, but that's part o' yer charm, Yui-chan." Argo said, ruffling her niece's hair. That was enough to bring forth a giggle, and Argo considered that one of the few wins of the day.

Yui's eyes went wide as her eyes drifted back up towards the screen. "No…"

"...hmm?" Argo hummed inquisitively. She followed her gaze and saw just who had taken Kayaba up on his challenge.

It wasn't Kirito the Black Swordsman. His skill with dual blades would have been a good matchup. Neither was it Yuuki, her skill just as impressive but slightly behind her senior.

It wasn't Asuna the Lightning Flash, whose blinding speed might have been too much for Kayaba to handle.

It wasn't Klein the Crimson Samurai; his opening strikes would have decided the duel one way or the other.

It wasn't Kuroi the Shadow, the woman who had perhaps the reddest ledger out of all of the frontliners and would not have hesitated to end the game master in a duel.

It wasn't Leonn the Juggernaut, whose overwhelming brute strength may have been the only thing capable of punching through Kayaba's ludicrous defense stat.

It was none of those, each of which would have been uniquely qualified to duel the sadistic game master. Who it was… was someone whose Unique Skill provided nothing more than a slight increase in stats.

It was Alice, vice-leader of the Knights of the Blood Oath.

And if the look on her face was any indicator, she was out for blood.

Stunned silence wouldn't even begin to describe it.

You could hear a pin drop in the Dicey Cafe. No, that wasn't quite accurate. You could hear the sound of the pin falling through the air with how quiet and tense it was in here. Even the gamer commentators on the news channel had fallen silent.

Suguha was pretty sure she'd stopped breathing. Heathcliff was Akihiko Kayaba?! Who could have seen that coming?

Apparently Alice had.

The mounting tension finally popped, and the cafe went from stagnant silence to explosive profanities in the blink of an eye.

"WHAT THE FUCK?!"

"IT WAS HEATHCLIFF THE WHOLE TIME?!"

"Damn, I was hoping it'd be Kirito."

Suguha's eyes went wide with rage as she furiously looked over the room. The accuser wisely shut up after that comment, but she'd track them down later.

"Holy shit." Trish muttered. "He was right under their – no, our – noses the whole damn time."

"You think you know a guy." Shinichi said, staring at the screen.

"Shin, you don't know him." Suguha deadpanned.

Any response he might have had was cut off by Sulinea almost choking on her drink. She was furiously scrolling on her phone, like usual. "The internet is losing its collective shit right now. You should see the hashtags coming out of this. #DisconnectHeathcliff. #RedWasImposter. #VillainNarrative. #KoBSus. #DuelToEndAllDuels."

"Uhh… speaking of duels…" Shinichi gulped. "Selka, your sister just challenged the GM to onel."

"WHAT?!"

Alice frowned. Perhaps this was a mistake, but she had to do this.

"Well, I certainly wasn't expecting you to take me up on my offer." Kayaba said, his eyebrow slowly raising with obvious intrigue.

His finger lingered over the button to accept the duel request.

"I'm curious. What spurred you to be the one to challenge me? I assumed it would have been someone else. Kirito or Yuuki's ((Dual Blades)) would certainly provide a challenge, and Klein's ((Battoujutsu)) could potentially contend as well. Why, the idea of a duel against Leonn is an entertaining one; I'm reminded of the hypothetical unstoppable force meeting the immovable object. Why you?"

Alice scowled. "I may not be the strongest of us here, and this is probably a terrible idea, but…"

She took a deep breath, and when she was done her steely gaze settled on her former leader.

"... it has to be me. Maybe it's pride because I was the one to expose you. Or maybe it's a personal grudge since you lied to me ever since we met. It could be revenge for all of the hundreds of lives you've stolen because of your ego. I think, above all though… it's because of the KoB."

Kayaba smirked. "Care to elaborate?"

"Someone needs to stand up and show that not everything was a lie. Not everything about the KoB was a farce. You may have created this guild, but we're the ones who made it what it is today. So I'll be the one to challenge you, on behalf of every single surviving Knight of the Blood Oath, as well as those who aren't here anymore. I'll fight you, Kayaba." Alice finished, the taste of his name on her tongue especially foul.

Kayaba, surprisingly enough, smiled. Not a cocky smile full of arrogance, but one full of pride. "It's poetic, I suppose. I did plan on revealing myself later and ultimately handing the guild off into your capable hands. A fated duel between a guild leader and his vice. Now I have no doubts in my mind; you are truly capable of leading my guild – "

Alice's grip on the hilt of her longsword tightened.

" – no, I suppose it's your guild now. Probably has been for a while. They say a real leader will not ask their followers to do anything they're incapable or unwilling to do themselves, and here you are showing what kind of leader you are. You truly are shaping up to be a strong young woman, Alice. You may not like it, but I'm proud of you."

"You're right." Alice growled. "I hate it."

Kayaba chuckled as he walked away towards the center of the clearing. "I'll give you a few moments to collect yourself before we begin then. Heal up and prepare yourself accordingly. If necessary, say anything that needs to be said before it's too late."

"Alice!" Asuna shouted, running up to meet her. She practically collided with her fellow vice-lead, and only now could she see Asuna was in tears. "Why?!"

"You didn't even give us time to decide." Klein said as he and Kuroi joined them.

"It should be me." Kirito said, ignoring the shocked and betrayed look from his wife. "Alice, you're a great fighter, but even you have to admit you're at a disadvantage here. Switch. Let me fight him."

Alice shook her head as the other Unique Skill holders walked up, each of their expressions of shock and pain. "It has to be me. The KoB's on the verge of collapse after this. If I win, we escape. If I lose, hopefully my death keeps the KoB together from sheer spite and anger and they can continue to help clear the game."

"But you'd die, Alice." Asuna pleaded. Kirito nodded sagely behind her, though he was clearly wanting to plead his case for fighting Kayaba instead.

She felt a slight weight settle on her shoulder, and she smiled when the cool, soothing sensation of Pina's healing breath washed over her. After an hour of fighting a skeletal monster, the mist was a welcome reprieve, and a nice taste of serenity before she threw herself into combat with the man she once considered her mentor.

"Please be careful, Alice." Silica begged, tears welling up in the young Dragon Tamer's eyes.

"Of course, Sil." She reached over and patted the girl's hair, absent-mindedly realizing just how similar the texture of Silica's hair was to Selka's. She had so many things to say to her sister, and now she might not ever get the chance. She took a deep breath and her eyes glanced over to where Kayaba was standing, patiently waiting. "I have one more thing I need to do before I do this."

The others nodded, and while they followed, they kept their distance. Finally, she came to Eugeo's prone form. Already she could see the ways his eyes glistened with barely-restrained horror.

"Alice, please don't do this." Eugeo choked out. "It's not worth it. We'll retreat and find another way."

Alice shook her head, giving him a fond smile. She knelt down and took his hand within her own. "You know I can't do that. There's a chance we can all go home today. What kind of person would I be to throw that away?"

"Someone who lives to see another day." Was Eugeo's answer. "I can't lose you, Alice."

"Then I'll just have to win then, won't I?" Alice smiled. She let the smile drop as she took a deep breath. She'd better say this now while she could. "Eugeo, I… wait, I mean – "

Crap! The others were within earshot and she just dropped his real name.

He shook his head, which was impressive given that the rest of his body was paralyzed. "It's fine. I don't mind if they know. They're like family, anyway."

She chuckled under her breath. "Eugeo, there's something I need to tell you. It's fine if you don't feel the same way, but I have to say it before it's too late. I – "

She saw a spark of something in his eyes and he smiled. "You don't need to say it. I feel the same way."

Her heart leapt in her chest, and a nervous laugh bubbled up and out before she could stop it. "Too bad it took a life-or-death duel for us to confess, huh?"

"All the more reason for you to win." Eugeo managed to snark out. "Win so I can take you on a date after all of this."

Another laugh, and she gripped his hand tighter before finally letting go. "It's a deal."

She stood up, steeled herself, and began walking towards Kayaba. His gaze never wavered, always focused on her as she approached. Before she could go any further, though, she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"I still think you should swap with me, but if you're going to go through with this… a word of advice. Don't use sword skills." Kirito whispered in her ear. "He programmed every sword skill in the game. He'll know the best way to use the post-recovery period against you. You'll have to fight with your own skill. And…please don't die."

She nodded, knowing that he was absolutely right in his reasoning. He let go of her shoulder and she continued onward, until she and her former mentor stood 15 feet apace. She fidgeted with the hilt of her longsword as she saw his finger still hovering over the button to accept her duel request. This wasn't "First Strike" mode, nor was it "Half Loss" mode; either would allow for the chance of survival.

This was Total Loss mode.

"Are you ready?" Kayaba asked. "Done everything you need to do?"

She nodded curtly, unwilling to say anything to the man.

"Very well." He said, pressing a few buttons and rendering the other Unique Skill wielders paralyzed.

She spared a glance behind her to see her friends slumped over or sitting. Kirito had managed to catch Asuna before he was overtaken by the stun effect, and now the dynamic duo of the front line were, funnily enough, cuddling while paralyzed. She smirked at the image.

Kayaba pressed the accept button and drew his sword. "Know that no matter what happens, you have my respect, Alice. You're a fine young woman, and I'm honored to have known you."

"Let's get this over with." She growled.

[5…]

She drew her sword.

[4…]

She placed both hands on the hilt in a two-handed grip.

[3…]

She placed her feet in her usual stance, unwilling to experiment with anything new with how high the stakes were.

[2…]

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, calming herself as best she could.

[1…]

She let the breath go just as smoothly and fluidly as it had arrived.

[BEGIN!]

Alice's eyes snapped open, and her legs launched forward just as quickly.

Her mind raced as her feet pounded against the floor, bringing her closer and closer to her foe. She'd have to be extra careful when fighting Kayaba. Like Kirito said, use of a single sword skill would spell her doom, so she had to actively avoid falling into habits or letting her stance settle into the beginning trigger of a sword skill. Martially, it was akin to navigating a minefield. She could not afford to get sloppy with her swordsmanship.

Thank goodness for the few times she sparred with the Renegades. With a few notable exceptions, they specialized in fighting without sword skills. She'd picked up a thing or two.

She knew she wasn't the fastest combatant on the field; her heavy armor limited her mobility, but trying to out-tank Kayaba wasn't going to work out at all. She was faster than him, albeit marginally, but she had to use any advantage she had.

She opened with an overhead swing, which he deflected with a slight tilt of his shield. Opting to move with her momentum instead of fight it, she rolled forward and felt the slight air pressure created by his sword missing her backside. She landed and quickly rolled onto her feet before readying herself.

Breathe in. Breath out.

She really wished she had Kirito's Unique Skill right about now. If she had two weapons to wield, she could keep a constant offensive going and keep Kayaba on the back foot. As it stood right now, she was fighting someone who could attack with his sword and his shield while she was stuck with a single weapon.

Alice went in for another assault, lashing out with quick thrusts and slashes. This time, thankfully, she was quick enough to force him to defend rather than retaliate. She feinted to the left before shifting her footing for a quick strike from the right. Kayaba's eyes widened as she nicked his shoulder from the misplaced shield.

Unfortunately, he was quicker to strike back than she expected, and she paid the price with a shallow cut on her left arm.

She disengaged, sparing a cursory glance at her health bar. 5% lost from that mistake. Was it worth it? Should she be more reckless with her strikes?

Focus! She had to keep her head in the game. Slowly, she strafed to the side and began circling him. Her mind began to race with possible ways of countering his defensive playstyle.

"You're strategizing." Kayaba commented. "Good! Keeping a level head in the heat of battle is always a sign of a good leader."

Alice wasn't sure if he was taunting her or genuinely trying to teach her. Regardless, it was frustrating her. She moved in again, more cautiously this time, to test his defenses.

A thrust here. A slice there. Even a one-two slash that capitalized on the bled momentum. Every strike was blocked with his shield first and foremost.

Then his shield shifted, and a sword came screaming out in a thrust. She had to abandon her next strike to position her sword tip-down for a hasty block. His sword scraped against hers and sparks flew as she pushed his blade away. Her arms already poised for a strike, she swung downward towards his head. He blocked, naturally, as he raised his shield and it was then that Alice noted a problem she could exploit.

His shield was too big. When he guarded his head, he limited his own vision and couldn't see!

She aimed a thrust for his head again – a feint – and as he brought his shield up she quickly diverted the blow and struck at his leg. A nasty gash was carved in his knee, and her successful strike was answered with a quick shield bash. It did minimal damage and had the side benefit of creating space between them.

"Excellent!" Kayaba guffawed. "You've found a weakness, and not one many would notice. I know to look out for it now, though. Ready?"

She nodded once before moving in again.

The next few minutes felt like hours, and her virtual muscles cried out in agony as she pushed her avatar to its limits. True to form, Kayaba caught on to her tactics and began to compensate for them. There was no real way of him predicting what was a feint and what was genuine, so she did manage to get a few hits in. Unfortunately, he answered in kind, and before she knew it both of them were taking damage. Small little nicks, absolutely, but enough to slowly whittle away their health pools gradually over time.

"Come on, Alice!" Klein shouted. "Beat his ass!"

"Yeah!" Silica screamed. "We believe in you!"

The floodgates opened, and every paralyzed player began to shout out in support of her duel. She felt her confidence lift; she had the backing of dozens of her peers. Probably thousands more, if she considered the fact that the Plaza of Beginnings was probably still watching. The fact that this fight decided the fate of all of those people was not lost on her. She couldn't lose!

She wouldn't.

Alice shot forward once again and unleashed a flurry of strikes, each intended to overwhelm him and put him on the defensive again. She threw in some feints as well just to keep him second-guessing her real target. It seemed to be working! After a successful hit to his arm, he countered with a shield bash. She dodged to the side and fell back on instinct, readying a sword skill that would make the most of his shifted stance and imbalance…

Oh no.

Her eyes widened as she realized her mistake. She'd gotten too complacent! Too confident! She'd forgotten to stay on her toes and avoid the use of sword skills! Her longsword took on the signature blue glow of a sword skill, and she saw the flash of recognition and confidence in Kayaba's eyes. ((Howling Octave)) executed, and she watched her body as it thrust forward five times in high speed and quick succession. Kayaba blocked all five hits before shifting his shield to catch the next move in the combo, a downward cut. He leaned to the side to avoid the following upward cut before raising his shield to block the last move in the series, a devastating downward swing.

Then came the post-recovery, and the world slowed.

"Game over, Alice." Kayaba said, resignation and disappointment evident in his tone.

His sword pierced her heart, and she locked eyes with him. He looked… sad.

Good. Let him sit with that guilt. If she was going to die today, then let her death weigh heavily on his conscience. Bastard deserved it.

She looked back at Eugeo, who like every other person lying on the ground, was absolutely horrified by the change of events. She mouthed the words "I'm sorry" before her vision went black. She didn't even have the time to hear the shattering of her own body.

All she saw was one message. One she hoped to never see in her entire time here in Aincrad.

[You are dead.]

"NO!"

Suguha rushed to Selka's side and latched on with a fierce hug. She didn't know the girl that well, but right now she was frantic and needed someone to hold her down and provide comfort. Sulinea was right there with her, and together the two girls comforted and restrained Selka.

Her sobs of anguish were nails on a chalkboard, and it was all Suguha could do to not break down alongside her. Within her arms, Selka shook with rage and sorrow, an emotional hurricane brewing underneath the innocent facade of the young schoolgirl.

Suguha exchanged a worried look with Sulinea, who was just as horrified from watching Alice's death and just as determined to be an anchor for the bereft sister.

"SHE CAN'T BE GONE! SHE CAN'T!" Selka cried as the rebellious and furious energy began to subside, the reality of the situation finally settling in her tiny frame.

Suguha's mind naturally wandered towards her own brother. That could have been him up there fighting Kayaba. Maybe he could have won where Alice lost, but that wasn't something she was willing to bet. If he had faced him and hadn't emerged the victor, she'd be just as inconsolable. The thought alone made her want to hunt down wherever Kayaba was hiding his sorry excuse for a body and drive a shinai right through his skull herself. Maybe she would anyway, if only to enact justice for Selka and bring some measure of peace and closure to –

"WAIT!" Shinichi bellowed, and all eyes whipped over to the fanboy himself. "LOOK!"

All three girls looked towards the screen, and none of them could believe their tear-filled eyes.

What happened next would be widely considered an anomaly. By all rights, it should have been impossible. Historians years down the line would confer with programmers in an effort to explain it. A glitch in the code. A breach in the matrix.

Eugeo called it a miracle.

"Revive Alice!"

Eugeo watched with no small amount of glee as ((The Divine Stone of Returning Soul)) shattered in his hand, and the many hundreds of pixels that once made up Alice's body began to reverse in their trajectory, piecing together until they reformed into a body.

Alice's body.

"Astonishing." Kayaba's voice cut through the reverent silence. Eugeo looked up at Kayaba, who looked simultaneously gobsmacked and impressed. "You overcame your own paralysis. I haven't the slightest idea how you managed it. What's more, I'd forgotten you had that item. Well done."

"...Eugeo?" An all-too-familiar, yet clearly weakened, voice whispered.

"Alice!" He cried, clutching her body as she regained consciousness. He sobbed with joy and held on as if she were in danger of floating away with the breeze, as if the winds of fate would suddenly change their minds and rip her away from him again.

"You… how…?" Alice murmured.

"He brought you back with a resurrection item. The only one in the game, I might add." Kayaba explained, sheathing his sword. A few button presses and a purple notification message popped up, indicating that the game master was once again impervious to all attacks. "He did cut it a bit close, though. Managed to bring you back after… mmm… nine seconds or so."

"You're back…" Eugeo held back a sob, trying to come to terms with the fact that he'd succeeded. That Alice was alive.

"Thanks to you." She said, smiling up at him as he held her in his arms.

Several tender moments passed before Kayaba cleared his throat. Quite a bit awkwardly, in Eugeo's opinion.

"Well, as touching as this is… I do believe I must be going." Kayaba said. Upon noticing the incredulous and disbelieving stares of all those assembled, he continued. "What? Did you expect me to kill her again? A duel was issued, the stakes defined, and the outcome reached. I never said she had to stay dead. Granted, I hadn't considered some timely intervention and a long-forgotten resurrection item, but I've no wish to see Alice needlessly killed. I'm not a monster."

"Debatable." Kirito grumbled.

"And we'll continue that debate all the way up until the 100th Floor." Kayaba smirked. "Until then, I must bid you adieu. Good luck, heroes. I'll be…"

"You'll never truly enjoy Sword Art Online, you know."

Kayaba paused, looking over towards a still-prone Lokuss. "Pardon?"

"It's like Alice said. Creating for others is worthwhile, but there's something to be said for enjoying your own creation. You claim that you wanted to enjoy this game with your players, but you hid behind your status as an Immortal Object." The loremaster said calmly, with an unreadable expression. "That's cowardice. We all go into battle with the knowledge that we might not ever come back, that we might die. You never did. You were always bound to survive. A true leader lives under the same conditions as his troops. You can pretend all you want; you'll never really be a player, or a leader. You've never cared, because you've been safe."

Kayaba seemed to study him for a moment, as if digesting what he was saying.

"No matter how much you try… you will never be one of us." Lokuss finished.

"Perhaps." Kayaba admitted, before he went to press a button on his menu. "But I've made my peace with that. A necessary sacrifice, if you will. Now, I've overstayed my welcome. I will see you all on Floor 100. Best of luck, heroes…"

In a flash of light, Akihiko Kayaba was gone, and the paralysis that kept everyone bound was released. A chorus of relieved gasps filled the boss room as everyone stood up and regained their ability to move.

"Ooh, I can move again." Leonn groaned as he stood up and stretched.

"Consider yourself lucky he paralyzed you after the rest of us." Lind grumbled. "I feel stiff."

"Umm… guys?" Klein pointed at where the KoB was assembled. They looked absolutely dejected and lost. "I think we have bigger issues than stiff joints and back pain."

To the surprise of no one, every surviving member of the Knights of the Blood Oath was a shadow of their former selves. Where once stood a proud guild that held their heads high… now remained only a pack of stray knights, unaware of how to move forward or entirely unwilling to do so.

"Alice." Eugeo said, catching her attention as she stood up. "They need you."

"Knights." Alice said, her tone exhausted but still carrying that firm edge of authority. Her subordinates slowly lifted their heads. She sighed. "I… won't blame you if you decide to retire. I suppose this is my fault, in a way…"

"Never!" Godfree gasped, having been rousted out of his stupor. "Vice-commander – no, commander – this is not your fault! If anything, you did us a favor. You exposed him before it was too late. As far as I'm concerned, you're the rightful leader of the Knights of the Blood Oath. I'll follow you until the end."

"Aye!"

"Same!"

"Yeah!"

"Screw Kayaba! We've still got Alice!"

"She died for us! If that's not leadership, I don't know what is!"

Eugeo smiled as the KoB rallied behind their new leader, and he felt a surge of pride for his friend… girlfriend? Oh, they were sitting down and talking about this at some point, once all this nonsense blew over. Still, at least now they could count on the KoB to maintain a presence on the front line. They were needed; there was no way the DDA and Renegades would be able to lead the clearing effort by themselves, even if the smaller guilds provided support. The KoB was just too important.

"Alice, who will you choose as your vice?" Godfree asked.

"That's difficult." Alice thought aloud. "Promoting a lieutenant makes the most sense, but I don't want to change the formations we have. Things are only going to get tougher going forward, and drastic change would only destabilize us and make us weaker."

"That… makes sense." Godfree said, sounding just a little disappointed. He was probably hoping for a promotion.

Eugeo thought hard; Alice needed someone she trusted implicitly to help lead, but changing up the hierarchy too much through a promotion would weaken the KoB. But who?

A hand on his shoulder interrupted that train of thought. He looked back to see Kirito and Asuna, who had knowing expressions on their faces.

"Go to her." Kirito said, nodding towards Alice. "She needs you right now."

Huh? Were they suggesting…?

"We're not pushing you away." Asuna amended. "But she needs a strong second-in-command that she can trust."

"Are… are you sure?" Eugeo asked.

"I mean, it's not like we're kicking you out entirely." Kirito grinned. "You're still welcome at Nelluon Arael… think of it as creating an alliance with the KoB. Strengthening the front line."

Eugeo pondered for a moment. His time as a Renegade guild officer did give him some leadership experience, and if he joined the KoB as their vice-lead then there wouldn't be a drastic power shift. He'd just be filling in for Alice's old spot. It could work… assuming they'd accept him.

"Okay, but that's up to them." Eugeo nodded.

"Of course." Kirito said, giving him a firm pat on the shoulder in solidarity. He waved over at Alice. "Hey Alice!"

"Yes?"

"You need a vice, right?"

"Yes… did you have someone in mind?" Alice asked.

Asuna grinned. "You can borrow Geeou if you'd like!"

"What?" Alice gaped in confusion. She exchanged curious looks with her officers. "Sorry, you want to give us Eugeo?"

"Sure! If you want him, that is." Kirito snickered.

Godfree gave an appreciative smile. "Were it anybody else, I would object, but I trust him implicitly. We've worked with him before in the past, not to mention he saved Alice from death. He has my approval."

A round of agreement sounded through the ranks of the KoB, and Eugeo found himself suddenly in the limelight. Alice smiled at him, which was all the convincing he needed. He'd step up as the new vice-lead of the KoB, and maybe even in the process strengthen relations between the KoB and the Renegades. A win-win, in his book.

"Hey, make sure to visit, yeah?" Leonn chuckled. "Don't make me come over there and kidnap you."

"Wouldn't dream of it." Eugeo laughed. "I suppose I'll see you around, then."

Silica launched herself into his side, hugging him fiercely. Then she looked up with an incredibly evil expression, and he knew what was coming. "You treat your girlfriend right, got it? Also, I told you so."

He hugged her back before playfully flicking her off. As he said his goodbyes and walked away towards the KoB, a simple message flashed on his HUD.

[Geeou has left the Resolute Renegades.]

Almost immediately afterward, an invitation came through from a rather giddy-looking Alice. He promptly accepted and was subsequently swarmed by a mob of happy KoB Knights, who were positively jovial about their new vice-lead.

[Geeou has joined the Knights of the Blood Oath.]

[Geeou has been promoted to vice-commander.]

He steeled himself as the Assault Team, now intact again after being shattered by Kayaba, moved up the stairs to the next floor. Just 25 floors left to go, and he knew they wouldn't be easy. This floor's boss was evidence enough of that.

Their shortcut was closed, but the way out was still on the horizon.

Time to get to work.

A/N:

Some of you were wondering why Kirito wasn't the one to challenge Kayaba. A valid question, to which there's a simple answer.

We're not ending here!

Having Kirito fight Kayaba is final chapter level stuff, and this wasn't that. This felt like a nice way to round out Alice's character development. She's no longer the fledgling second in command; she's now a full fledged leader in her own right. Had Kirito fought in her place, it likely would have gone down exactly as it had in canon, or there would have been some slight variation. Asuna's relationship with Kirito is stronger here than it was in canon, so there's no doubt she'd have broken her paralysis and sacrificed herself again, so that's right out. Kirito has more practice with dual wielding here, so he could possibly have won. Either option would have resulted in them winning the game, and as tempting as that is… I have more planned. There are a number of Chekov's guns that are still hanging on the wall, just waiting to be fired.

You all did bring up a valid point though. In my efforts to ensure that every side character gets ample character development, I'd forgotten that Kirito and Asuna are this story's protagonist duo. Now that most of the cast has been developed, I plan on focusing more on Kirito and Asuna and I'll definitely be writing more from their PoV. Thank you all for reminding me! This is exactly why I appreciate reading your reviews; they help keep me in check as an author.

My apologies for forgetting what I promised so long ago.

Anyhoo, that's all from me this week. Next week, we get to see the fallout.

Yay! 'Til next time!