Read to the end for an important notice!

Disclaimer: Reki Kawahara is the author/creator of SAO. All rights to him and his associates.

Chapter 26:

The Gilded Heroes

Everything was white at first from being teleported inside. Kirito noted it was a different feeling from the Teleport Gates back in Aincrad. But he grunted as he came to, spotting Alice across from him lying on the ground. She began to stir as well, giving out groans as she came up. As Kirito arose, he held his head as a throbbing feeling began to grow in his head. He took a few moments to let it settle before looking around him. They were in a very clean room, with white walls that were spotless, and untarnished stone right underneath. It was too clean for his tastes, reminding him of the Central Cathedral in a way.

When he took a cursory glance, he saw a third figure laying on the ground beside Alice. Immediately, he recognized Yui, now restored to the little girl she was when they met in Aincrad. Concern overriding all other priorities, Kirito went over to check on his daughter.

"Yui. Yui! Wake up!" he called with great concern.

With some slight moans, Yui opened her eyes. And upon seeing him, she muttered, "Daddy, why are you being so loud?"

"Yui, your body was restored somehow," the boy pointed out.

After Alice recovered, she noticed Yui's state too. Checking her over with a Stacia Window, Alice found she could read her this time without being ejected. Yui's Life was extraordinarily high for a girl her age, along with her Object Authority being far higher than any human could possibly have. She deduced this was due to the augmentations Cardinal did on her before she was sent to Aincrad.

After looking herself over, Yui theorized, "It must have been the surge of mana from the World Tree. It gave me enough to restore my body." She then gasped, claiming, "I know where Mommy is! Daddy, we have to hurry."

Shooting to his feet, Kirito replied, "Right, let's go."

"Hold on Kirito," Alice said to halt him from rushing off, "we might be running into guards or Oberon's other creations. Remember, the top was supposed to have a kingdom of Alfs here, according to Leafa."

"We can worry about that later," Kirito urged. "We have to get to Asuna now that we're here."

Coming up beside Kirito, Yui told her, "I used one of Cardinal's Sacred Arts to investigate, and there isn't anyone around for a fair distance. And in the path we will take to get to Mommy, there is no one present."

Alice settled down after that assurance before bending down and instructing, "We'll have to move fast, so climb on my back."

Yui did so without another word. The armor was a bit uncomfortable to rest against, but her aunt adjusted so the girl didn't have it dig into her.

With that squared away, the two rushed off while Yui led them. Anytime they came upon a door, Yui seemed to hold out her hand and it would open before they arrived. Within a couple minutes, they had made it out of the tree. And it was here that more truths were settled upon them.

The top of the World Tree looked no different from any they knew of back home. There were branches with leaves, grooves making pathways, and spots for sunlight to seep through. But that was it. There was no kingdom on its branches, no Alfs flying around, not a single bit of evidence of Oberon's claims of the world on top of the World Tree. Everything about Alfheim, everything that people like Leafa, Sinon, Sakuya, Eugene, and the others had been told had been a lie. The world was nothing like what it had been made out to be. The trial was a farce, keeping anyone from clearing it and leaving them to die if they tried, the treetop itself held no promise of a kingdom, and especially the claims about humanity.

As Alice ran behind Kirito, she began to wonder if this was the same with Administrator. Was her rule built on lies and deceit? She knew the history of the Human Empire was forged due to her, Oberon, and Kayaba according to Yui. And she knew the Integrity Knights were not soldiers of heaven like she made them out to be. But what else was a lie in her world? Did the four of them truly live out lives that were meaningless, just to keep everyone's heads down? The thought sickened her, infuriating her to no end.

As they ran, Kirito called out, "Up there, look!" He was pointing to what looked like a bird cage at the end of the branch they were dashing on. And there was someone inside.

"That's got to be where Oberon has been keeping Asuna," Alice figured. That spurred the two on, making them run faster than ever. They were almost there.

The sky became awash in orange as the sun hung low in the sky. Asuna sat on the bed in her cage, trying to think about what to do to escape. After hearing Kirito and Yui, she had taken her ring and dropped it to where they were, hoping it would indicate she heard them. But it also worried her. If Oberon came back, she would have to hide in the pod again, pretending to be transformed. What if the ring was the only reason she could leave it? It would mean the next time she entered the pod, she would never come out until she was turned into Oberon's ideal bride. She desperately thought of ways to escape, with nothing coming forward that would lend itself to her plight.

Just as she was about to give up hope, she heard a little girl call out, "Mommy." Shocked, Asuna got up and came around the pod to see who was at the door. Her heart beat rapidly as she feared what she heard was a lie. But when she rounded the corner, her fears gave way to inexpressible joy.

There, standing true and relieved, were three people she hoped would find her. Her friends, her family, were standing there with equal expressions of joy. Yui called out to her again, on the verge of crying. Asuna herself covered her mouth, tears spilling forth at something she thought she would never see.

Kirito found the hidden latch in the door to open it, and Yui rushed in when it opened enough for her to enter. Mother and daughter embraced, the latter crying out, "Mommy!" Asuna held her daughter close to her, elated to be reunited once more. She never questioned why or how Yui had returned, only that her daughter was back and in her arms once more.

Kirito walked up to Asuna before taking his family into his arms. The parents sandwiched their daughter, whose only response was to nuzzle them both and relish this moment. The two rested their foreheads against each other, basking in the presence of the other.

Voice cracking with emotion, Asuna whispered, "You did it. You came."

Caressing her cheek tenderly, Kirito said, "I'm a man of my word. And I never gave up on you." The two continued to hug as they took in this joyous moment.

On the side, Alice was happy for her friends being reunited. But she was also pained at the sight, reminded of her own mission. She looked down to her left hand, thinking about her own beloved. She looked back on the family before her, feeling more joyful than sad.

Asuna looked over to her, and held out a hand to welcome her into the embrace. Alice took it, albeit with hesitation, before being yanked into the embrace. And her pain ceased, allowing her to enjoy the moment as much as they did. The four of them were reunited.

"Thank you," Asuna whispered softly.

Pulling back, Kirito replied, "Don't thank us yet. We're not quite out of the woods." Looking down at Yui, he asked, "Hey Yui, you know any ways to get Asuna out of here before Oberon catches on?"

Just as the girl is about to reply, she begins to shake with fear. And she warns, "He knows. He's coming." She couldn't get in more words after that, as the three friends watched the space around them turn to black, with Yui being left behind. Alice and Kirito drew their swords, standing protectively around Asuna for where the threat would come from. But then, they all were pushed to the ground by a mighty force that they could not see.

"Well well well," came the slimy voice of the man Asuna had the displeasure to meet, "it seems we have some flies that buzzed into my little cage."

The room quickly morphed around them, becoming a dark hall with a single opening for light to enter behind a throne atop a flight of stairs. The stone and walls were black, cold, and lifeless. His throne looked more like a block of stone chiseled out into a seat. Pillars dotted the hall, holding up the room itself. It felt empty here, just like everything had been.

While they were being pushed down by the strange force, Kirito and Asuna tried to reach for each other. They strained and grunted with all their might, trying to reconnect once again. But a surge of force pressed down on them both, halting their efforts.

"Now really, I would advise you not to soil my beautiful bride like that," Oberon advised, slowly stepping down from his throne. As Kirito looked up to glare at the man, he boasted, "Like my little gravity spell? A bit of an experimental one with the magic here in Alfheim. But once I have perfected it, I'll grant its gifts to the little gnats down below to play with. Just imagine how much they'll enjoy using such a tool to subdue each other."

"You created this world," Alice responded, grunting in anger. "You brought these people here, made a civilization to rival even that of the Human Empire. And you would let them slaughter each other like animals."

"Why not?" Oberon questioned the girl. "They aren't even human, after all. Just minions of the Dark Territory that I will use to eliminate all those resistances against mine and Quinella's rule. Is that so wrong?"

"You truly are a despicable man," Alice said with a snarl. "How can you stand there and call yourself a god? You are a ruler of nothing." She felt the gravity intensify, forcing her head into the ground painfully.

"I would advise not scorning me so readily, failed one," Oberon shot back. "Do not forget your place among the refuse. Especially since dear Administrator cast you out of the order. What a pity."

Struggling to lift himself, Kirito spat, "She was never one of them! Don't go spouting crap like that you—" He was silenced with the gravity spell intensifying.

As Oberon made it down the stairs, he went over and stood over the boy with a dark expression. "You certainly have proven to be more of a nuisance than I thought possible," he stated menacingly. "Not only was I unable to make Titania fall in love with me, reconditioning her has been impossible."

Fighting his hardest, Kirito shouted, "Her name is Asuna!"

"In her old life, perhaps," the king responded, unperturbed, "but she will awaken to a new life. A life as queen. And she will love me, seeking to please me and make herself mine. She will be the perfect wife."

Asuna stared daggers at him, revolted by the very idea. There was no way she was going to subject herself to such inhumanity like that.

"It appears a certain something has to be dealt with, after all," the Fairy King contemplated. "But how to go about it?" Looking down at the boy, he figured, "Perhaps if I just kill you, the bond protecting her will be broken. After all, a union is only broken by death. It will be a simple manner. And I have said I would pour your blood at Titania's feet." Bending down to Kirito, Oberon goaded, "Shall I have her bathed in it? The last vestiges of your Life would be the most wonderful thing to rewrite her entire being. Imagine, you being a part of turning her into my bride."

Kirito could do nothing more but glare at the man, pinned as he was by the spell. He scrunched his face up in fury as the man seemed to revel in the idea of how he would kill Kirito. This man was sick, twisted, and evil.

"Well then," Oberon began to say as he took the Night Sky Blade from the boy and held it over where Kirito's heart was, "let's get this over with, shall we? Killing you will be slow, painful, and arousing. Especially if I can hear Titania's screams as your Life ebbs away."

Asuna cried out for him to stop, but the man was fixated in his own revelry. He raised the sword up high, pointed down to plunge into the boy in black. Alice herself struggled to do anything, forced to merely watch as one of her friends was about to be slain before her.

But as Kirito braced for the sword to impale him, he heard a voice cry out,

Concentrate on knocking your sword away. Connect to it, and have it miss you. Hurry!

Having heard this voice again, like in the garden or before Quinella, Kirito asked, Who are you? To which the voice urged,

There's no time! Concentrate on diverting your sword. Imagine it being deflected. Please!

Seeing as he had nothing to lose, Kirito fought to do as the voice commanded. He imagined his sword being brought down upon him, and that there was a barrier that would make it bounce off before even touching him. He pictured it in his head and concentrated on it, willing it to happen.

As Oberon brought the sword down, it was deflected and pushed off to the side. This action stunned him briefly, before he shook it off and considered it just an accident. He tried again, but the same thing happened. He tried just plunging it, and the sword bounced off and out of his hands, landing next to its master once more.

Enraged, Oberon shouted, "Why won't you just die?! What kind of crap is this? Is there more to this stupid goddess blessing that's keeping you little insects alive?"

But Kirito was reeling himself. With just simple willpower, his sword never touched him. How was that possible? What did the voice make him do to protect himself? He didn't understand, nor did he grasp what he did. It was as if he got a new power of some kind to usurp Oberon's influence with.

Still seething, Oberon walked away, claiming, "Perhaps I need something else to pierce your little protection. But before I summon something so trivial, maybe I'll just enjoy myself a little bit." Snapping his fingers, chains with shackles came down where Asuna lay. The Fairy King bound her wrists and hoisted her up to the point where her toes barely touched the floor.

Giving him a hard glare, Asuna spoke, "Torture me all you want, but you won't make me abandon Kirito. I am his and his alone. Nothing you do will ever break that bond between us."

"Dear Titania, you misunderstand me," Oberon replied silkily. "I'm not going to torture you. No, I want to love you. I want to relish in your very essence." Taking a lock of her hair and smelling it, he told her, "Do you know what the dullest thing a ruler can live with? Solitude. Being a ruler means I am alone at the top, never allowed to savor another's presence. Quinella is nothing to sneeze at, but she is far too powerful that I would be cut up and thrown to the goblins if I ever made advances. Not to mention her Prime Senator lays claim to her so much, I'd rather not bother with the nuisance." Stroking her midsection with his index finger until he got to her top, he went on, "But you, in all your splendor and radiance, you outshine her in every way. Why even a goddess would not compare to your beauty. Makes me think Stacia perhaps spent a little too much time on you when she made you."

Kirito and Alice hitched upon that mention, fearing that perhaps Oberon knew the truth about the vessels. Did he know Asuna was Stacia's vessel? Then why did he take so long to seize her, allowing Quinella to remake her into an Integrity Knight for Kayaba to snag?

"And now, I'm going to enjoy everything about you," Oberon finished moving to remove Asuna's top.

As Kirito struggled to protect his beloved from this pig, the voice came back and told him,

Concentrate on your desire to protect her. Give everything you can to keep her safe.

Not even bothering to ask this time, Kirito did as he was told and concentrated on his desire to keep Asuna safe. He imagined Oberon being pushed away by a similar barrier to what had protected him. He focused so much, his face scrunched from the concentration.

Immediately, Oberon felt a jolt as his hand was pushed away. Unfortunately, he managed to rip off Asuna's top, but he did not bother savoring this sight because of the shock he received. He didn't understand what was interfering with his efforts. But he let it slide as he drank in the view that lay before him. Wanting more, he intensified the gravity, causing Asuna to react strongly to the pull.

"Yes!" he shouted, caught in his delirium. "You can't get that kind of face with normal girls. Nothing compares to it." He licked his lips, eager to enjoy the fruits of his triumph. He reached out to grab her face, only to have something push him away once again. Asuna was still cringing at the threatening contact that was to come, but he hardly noticed.

Enraged, he cried out, "Why can't I have what's mine? What is going on? What is the meaning of this?" Yelling at the air, Oberon ranted and whined aloud to the world that was not even heeding him.

As he did, Alice noticed the gravity around her had lessened. Gripping her sword, she prepared to do the one thing she could in this situation. "System Call," she chanted. Just as Oberon took notice, she called out, "Enhance Armament!" Her sword turned into a flurry of petals, which she directed as best she could so they would surround and engulf the Fairy King. The cloud caused him to sputter and try to swat the flowers away, and the spell he had forced on everyone faded away.

Kirito rose to his feet, shaking himself off before he looked over to his beloved. While Oberon ranted, he assured, "Just sit tight. I'm going to end this here and now." Asuna smiled in response, which he gave back in kind. Alice then recalled her petals to reform the Osmanthus Blade, allowing Oberon to see his adversaries were up and about once more.

"Oh, how clever," he remarked with a sneer. "Perfect Weapon Control. If I recall, you never really learned nor used that technique before, Number Thirty."

Face stern, Alice responded, "My name is Alice Zuberg. And you'd be surprised what one can do with all their time in Aincrad. I suppose I should thank Kayaba for leading us all there."

Glowering, Oberon returned, "Kayaba… That slimy little weasel. This was all his fault. Had he not interfered…" But he didn't finish the line of thought. Instead, he held out his hand and called out, "System Call! Summon Object ID: Excalibur!" And from a ball of light came a golden broadsword roughly longer than either of the hero's swords. The weight seemed to be a bit much for him at first, until he quickly adjusted and held it up.

"What are you hoping to do with that?" Kirito asked as he kicked his sword up and snatched it in his right hand.

"Fool. This is the holiest of swords in all of Alfheim," Oberon told him. "Perhaps even all worlds. No Divine Object can stand against it. Your swords might as well be toothpicks."

"Don't count us out yet," Kirito warned, pointing his sword at the Fairy King. "If you want a fight, we're willing to give you one. Especially because you have given nothing to this world. All you've done is taken from it and its people. You've taken whatever you can snag, claiming it as your own. Just like how you mimicked Kayaba and Quinella. You might have been something before, but you are nothing now."

"I will not take this flak from some washed up murderer!" Oberon shot back. "What do you know about the world? All you have done is destroy it. Your little pages back at the academy will suffer for your actions, the little bastard you cared for with the silly dragon now faces suffering in her new family. Face it, you are a walking curse. Everyone you ever meet is forced into turmoil and damnation thanks to you."

To this, Alice stepped beside Kirito, sword pointed, and returned, "You are wrong about Kirito. Because you forget the people around him. They stand with him of their own choosing, free from the suffering your world has dealt them. Kirito, and even Eugeo, were willing to defy your world to set things right. If there must be suffering, it shall be the people that wronged all that is right and blessed."

"And now we shall settle this," Kirito picked up. "The King of Thieves, versus the Gilded Heroes. This is the end for you, Sugou."

Gritting his teeth in anger, Oberon drew Excalibur up and proclaimed, "My name is Oberon!" And he swung down on Kirito.

The boy brought his sword up to block, and the holy sword bounced off it from the impact. Shocked, Oberon tried again. But the Night Sky Blade made Excalibur bounce off. Oberon wailed on Kirito with the sword, but his efforts were met with no result. Kirito even noticed his swings, his attacks, were pathetic. There was no will behind them. No force, not even an effort. It was like there was nothing to really defend against.

Deciding to end this farce, Kirito slipped past the next strike, slicing upward. His attack opened a small wound on Oberon's cheek, and he cried out from the pain.

"Are you truly so pathetic as all that?" Alice admonished. "And you claim to be a god? Pathetic. A true ruler is not brought down by something so simple. I guarantee you Kayaba never gave such an injury a moment."

"She's right," Kirito spoke up, turning around to face Oberon. "You aren't even worth what you built in this place. This land, these people, all of it. All this pain and suffering you are feeling now, is nothing compared to what you have forced upon the people here. The fairies, Asuna, they have suffered far worse." He brought his sword up as he cried out, "This is for them!" Oberon moved his arm up to block, but Kirito went for his wrist. As the limb was severed, blood spurted out of the wound, with drops of it staining Kirito's face. Oberon cried out in anguish, squeezing the stump to try and stave off the bleeding.

Whimpering as he tried to stave off the loss of Life, he begged, "Wait, I can give you whatever you want. I'll change, I'll help you stop Quinella, anything. I'll do anything!" But Kirito gave no indications of sympathy or mercy. He merely swung across the man's body, cutting him in half at the waist.

As Oberon fell to the ground, Kirito muttered darkly, "That was for Underworld." He bent down and yanked the half of the man by his hair, holding him up as blood pooled underneath them both.

"Please, don't kill me," he pleaded weakly.

But Kirito gave no quarter, chucking him into the air. The man came down screaming, seeing the boy ready his sword.

"And this is for Asuna!" he cried out, thrusting his sword to deal the final blow. With a wet 'squelch', the Night Sky Blade pierced through Oberon's right eye, and he was silenced. Following that, his body quickly faded into gold particles that were scattered by the wind. With the deed done, Kirito swung his sword to wipe the blood from it. Then he cut the chains holding Asuna, catching her and holding her close.

Alice came over, removing her cape to cover Asuna. She also handed over a handkerchief so Kirito could wipe the blood from his face. Once he was no longer marred with blood, he rested his head on Asuna's shoulders, crying bitterly as Asuna embraced him. Alice stayed to the side, not wanting to intrude on this moment for these two.

"I never lost faith in you, you know?" Asuna spoke. "I knew you would fulfill your promise, just like you did back in Aincrad." Holding his head, she whispered, "I'm so proud of you, Kirito." The two just remained as they were for a time, with Asuna comforting Kirito as his will broke down now that the major threat was dealt with.

As Alice watched on, she felt a longing in her chest. So many times, she was reminded of Eugeo in Kirito and Asuna, and how he was now somewhere else. She would never readily admit it, but she was desperate to have Eugeo in her own arms, to relish his very presence like she could back in Aincrad. In her anguish, a single tear fell down her cheek.

Alice was surprised when Asuna reached out and wiped the tear away, assuring, "We'll get him back. It's not the same if we don't have all four of us together."

Giving a sad smile, Alice confessed, "I am afraid my plight is more selfish. I am happy for you and Kirito, but I grieve the absence of my beloved. Until he is returned, I will be tormented by these times lost between us." All Asuna could do was assure her friend they would get him back.

After having settled down, Kirito lifted himself from Asuna and dug into his pocket before pulling out the ring. As she silently gasped, Kirito said tenderly, "It belongs with you, forever and always." Taking her hand, Kirito slipped it back on, to her utter delight.

Just then, they heard a dragon's roar. And the three looked up to see Amayori coming in through the hole above the throne with Yui on her back. Said child called down to her parents before jumping off the dragon to reach them. Kirito stood and caught his daughter, spinning around at her momentum. Once she was on the ground, the family came together once more.

"I felt Oberon's presence disappear just now," the little girl reported, before asking, "does that mean...?"

"Yeah Yui," Kirito answered, "he's gone. We took care of him."

"Now we can be a family again," Asuna addressed.

But Yui shook her head, and reminded them sadly, "Not yet. We still need Uncle. It's not right without him."

"We'll get him, now that we have Mommy with us," Kirito assured.

Being reminded of something, Asuna requested, "Kirito, take me back to that cage Oberon had me in. I hid something there that we'll need when confronting Administrator."

A little later found them all back at the birdcage. Asuna had retrieved and changed back into her KoB uniform and Lambent Light. It was a welcome sight to see her ready for combat once again. Not to mention having her out of that other outfit Oberon forced on her was a relief for everyone. As Asuna came up to her friends on the branch, she held what remained of that outfit in her arms. She looked to Kirito, holding Yui by the shoulders, then looked to Alice, who nodded at her. Going over to the branch, Asuna felt the wind blow behind her before tossing the outfit to the wind.

"Good bye, Sugou Nobuyuki," she declared softly. She watched the wind carry the outfit into the horizon, and with it the last vestiges of her imprisonment went with it.

"Come, we must inform Leafa and the others about Oberon's death and what this might mean for Alfheim," Alice told them.

"Leafa?" Asuna asked.

To which Kirito replied, "We have quite a story to tell you." He took Yui's hand in his, while Asuna took the other. Amayori flew overhead as the group descended the branch to return to the ground.

In the Central Cathedral, Quinella looked over the newest addition to her order, her finger on her chin in contemplation. She had been a bit worried taking this one in after they interfered with her Sacred Art she had planted in Alice years ago. But over the past few days, this Knight proved to be a capable addition. Their Authority was rather high, not to mention their affinity was astounding with the type of elements they regularly used. All they needed now was a Divine Object. And she knew one would come in due time, as it was already on its way.

She had sensed Oberon's death, but it didn't bother her. As great as he was, Oberon was merely a pawn to her. He had no real power to threaten her with, and his fairies were no match for the things she had in store for the Dark Territory. She would be ready for whatever came. All she needed to do was find the vessels of the goddesses, eliminate the interloper that hid in Underworld, and either claim or destroy the ones that stood against her.

As she gazed longingly into the new Knight's face, she contemplated how to go about taking those children. They all had proven themselves to be problematic, yet also beneficial to her. Defeating Kayaba was no mean feat, especially in such a way that the boy in black had done. If she could claim him for herself, along with her failed Integrity Knights that accompanied him, she perhaps would not need to use such a tool that lay in the wings. Perhaps these four were all she required.

But that would have to wait. Stroking the face of her newest Integrity Knight, she urged lovingly, "Eugeo, it's time to wake up. You don't need to worry child. I will give you all my love, every day to the end of time. Take the love I offer, before we greet our guests that will soon come."

Opening his eyes at last, Eugeo replied, "As you wish, my lady."

Sorry to report this guys, but this story is gonna be on hiatus for a little while. I'm doing some traveling for work, and I am not going to be able to regularly post this story in that time like I had before. But am not abandoning this story, or any of my other ones. This will return in due time. Until then, stay safe, and I hope you all enjoy.