Haruyuki managed to free Kuroyukihime from the chains binding her, but that ensured a relentless pursuit from Kirito, who feared that something may have gone awry.

"You… Do you know what you've done?"

"Wh-What?"

"No matter. See for yourself."

Kirito pointed Haruyuki to the direction of Nega Nebulas. Asuna stopped her attacks upon witnessing the horror that was unfolding below, silently showing a hint of sadness.

Everyone formed a circle trying to surround Kuroyukihime from all sides, like she was a rampant animal. Currently, she only materialized the blades in her hands, and no other portion of her coveted duel avatar. But those hands were the weapons she had spent the most potential on, the deadliest part of her avatar, so the legion members had to work on restraining her.

"Graph, if you could help out over here, that'd be nice.", Fuuko called out to the former Earth Element member of Nega Nebulas, Kuroyukihime's Sword Master, Graphite Edge.

"Hmm, I could try to subdue Lotta, but… when she's like this, even I've become quite afraid of her. She's sorta become the Black Disaster now, ahaha.", Graph said half-heartedly. In truth, he felt he would probably lose against Kuroyukihime in a serious battle with her own limiters removed.

She attempted to rush through the formation and ended up slashing Orchid Oracle, the duel avatar of Megumi, her best friend at Umesato whom she could not remember. Currently, Kuroyukihime's memories of the real world, including the time she spent with Megumi, were lost, leaving behind the ferocity that gave rise to her Black Lotus avatar, slashing through anything she deemed a threat.

"Hime… Why… What happened to you?"

This hurt Megumi's feelings, but she did not give up and wanted to save her friend any way she could.

Kuroyukihime almost broke free from the circle, but was stopped in her tracks by Seri.

"Calm down, Lotus! You are not who you once were."

"Move, before I cut you down!"

Seri tried to push her back with the invisible slashes of her Omega Style, but Kuroyukihime countered them easily, as if she knew where they were.

"Impossible! She can actually see my slashes? They're supposed to phase through the system detection radar. No wait, this is just like… the Divination ability of Chrome Disaster. Don't tell me… she has heightened her own senses to that level?"

At that moment, Seri knew what Graph meant when he called her the 'Black Disaster'.

"You've raised a real beast, haven't you, Graph? I shudder to imagine what would happen if Cosmos had still kept her reins on her."

"Lightning Cyan Spike!"

Just then, Takumu extended a large electrifying stake out to Kuroyukihime, pushing her back.

"Sorry, Master, but you must be stopped right now!"

A puddle of chocolate suddenly appeared right below her feet, created from Choco Fountain, the special ability of Shihoko – Chocolat Puppeteer. As Kuroyukihime's legs weren't the pointy, hovering blade limbs from her Black Lotus avatar, Shihoko was able to trap them quite easily.

"Now, here goes. Puppet Make!"

She summoned a few chocolate-made puppets. Kuroyukihime attempted to slice them, but they were primarily liquid chocolate that changed shape and slowly solidified around her blades, rendering them immobile.

"Vapor Compression!"

Satomi – Mint Mitten – released ice cold vapor into Kuroyukihime's joints, slightly damaging them if she moved.

"Alright, now it's my turn. Remote Cut!"

Without attempting to get too close, Rui – Magenta Scissor – lopped off Kuroyukihime's blade hands, giving her an excruciating amount of pain.

Suddenly, Fuuko and Pard, two long-time rivals, jumped in front of her view, attempting to pin her down. As she did not have her blades, they could easily pounce on her.

"Now, Rain!", Fuuko gave the signal.

Niko proceeded to fire her laser cannons after hesitating a bit.

"Take this! Heatblast Saturation!"

A powerful crimson blast came through, completely consuming Kuroyukihime, Fuuko and Pard within the area of damage.

Just then, Kuroyukihime materialized the blades in her legs and sliced off the hands of her retainers, while nearly attempting to escape. The two retainers took the full brunt of the attack with very little HP to spare, while Kuroyukihime had barely escaped, though she was also significantly damaged.

"Tch! You sure are one tough cookie. Then again, you were blessed with a strange power.", Niko remarked, alluding to her connection to the two beasts floating above.

She tried getting up with all her strength, but…

A white laser fired from above.

"Trisagion!"

Metatron fired her ultimate attack through Silver Crow, which Kuroyukihime reflexively evaded. Trisagion was a concentrated laser attack 100 times more powerful than Heatblast Saturation, and taking it head on was not good for her.

Haruyuki descended close to her using the Enhanced Armament Metatron Wings.

"Stop this, Senpai! I don't want to fight you!"

As her 'child', he could not bear to watch as she went on a mindless rampage, attacking the legion members that loved her dearly. However, his plea was of no use, as she turned to him next.

"You… don't try to…"

Suddenly, Kuroyukihime came to a halt. The shimmering white reflected on Silver Crow triggered something inside her.

"No… it can't be…"

"…Senpai?"

"Did she remember something?", Haruyuki thought.

Kuroyukihime had a vaguely familiar vision coming to mind. Of an avatar of the purest white that was always at her side. She uttered its name:

"…White… Knight?"

"Huh? White Knight? What does that mean!? Is there even a Burst Linker like that?", Chiyuri exclaimed.

"Not to my knowledge.", Akira replied. She was one of the most knowledgeable among the Burst Linkers present, and yet the aforementioned name was bewildering even to her.

But Haruyuki knew. Or rather, he recalled it. From a time long ago.

"Yes… White Knight… that was its name. I remember now. Senpai… we met long ago in a past world."

He was now more determined than ever.

"That's why…"

He deactivated Metatron Wings and once again readied his Lucid Blade.

"Black Lotus – no, I should say, Black Princess! Let's duel, right here, right now!"

Chiyuri managed to connect the dots together from the way they referred to each other, using avatar names that to her and others' recollection, did not exist anywhere in Brain Burst. She thought this was a reckless plan of his, but ultimately conceited and decided to heal them.

"Guess it can't be helped. Citron…"

She readied the bell in the left hand and pointed it in the direction of Haruyuki and Kuroyukihime.

"…Call!"

Their HP gauges returned to full bars, making Haruyuki ready to battle his beloved Sword Master on even ground, and instill something in her. As the skill restored the blades in her avatar, which she called Terminal Swords, Haruyuki silently called out to Kuroyukihime in his heart:

"Senpai… I know you're struggling right now… trying to find your lost memories. But don't worry. That's why I'm here. You might have lived a dark past filled with so many painful memories, but I'm grateful, for the time you spent with me in that game. And so… what we have been through back then, I will help you remember!"

Haruyuki and Kuroyukihime charged at each other. It was too fast to follow, but both of them were battling earnestly, trying to uncover something that both of them had lost. As they did, small sparks flew. These were sparks of Incarnate leaking out from both of them, which served as a powerful trigger to their repressed memories.

They were nearly evenly matched, trading blow for blow. Haruyuki unleashed all sorts of attacks on her, like the Laser Sword technique he had developed under her influence, and even Aerial Combo, one of the attacks that he had used against her a while ago, hoping to evoke something inside her.

In the midst of their clashes, small bits of memories came back to Kuroyukihime. As it did, her moves became a little more erratic. They were not moves she used in Brain Burst, but something her body instantly picked up on.

"I see… so it really was you…"

In response, Haruyuki also used rather unknown moves to counter hers. The two swordsmen, having neared their limits, decided to give it their all on their final attacks.

"Laser Lance!"

"Vorpal Strike!"

They both extended long energy blades towards each other. It resulted in a huge burst that expanded and consumed them.

At that moment, their Neurolinkers connected. They had achieved what would be known as a connection through their souls, one that transcended physical distance, the first of its kind among many Burst Linkers, especially among 'parent' and 'child'. They were in a black space known only to themselves.

Kuroyukihime was seeing visions of a past her mind had long forgotten, but her heart still remembered.

"Ha-Haru…Haruyuki-kun."

"Do you remember now, Senpai?"

"It's kinda vague, but… yes, for seven years… you have always remained in my heart. We spent that time together, as the greatest duo in that game. I… wanted to bring you back. To the place where we once were. But… I was tricked by my sister, and did so many horrible things as a result. Maybe I was cursed to forever live a dark and gloomy life."

"That's not true at all!"

Kuroyukihime looked up to Haruyuki, her eyes rolling in tears. He showed her memories of their first meeting – no, it was more like a reunion – at Umesato Junior High.

"I too suffered a lot back then. There were times when I wanted to give up, and run away from it all. But you saved me, Senpai. You pulled me out of my own despair, and gave me hope."

Haruyuki almost stuttered trying to get his words across.

"So umm… what I mean to say is… It was thanks to you that I was able to fly as Silver Crow. So, Senpai… I'll pull you out of your despair! Stand up again and help me!"

"Haruyuki-kun…"

Just then, the spirits of everyone at Nega Nebulas came together, trying to encourage Kuroyukihime to get back up. Fuuko stepped forward and spoke:

"That's right, Sacchan. Nega Nebulas was created to support you. You may have been fragile, but you still carried all the suffering we bore with a smile on your face, saying that it was okay. Now it's our turn to repay you."

"Fuuko…"

Megumi also approached her.

"The Hime I know is unquestionably kind to her friends. I told you, didn't I? I'd save you from your deepest darkness just as you once did with me."

"Megumi…"

After a brief moment of hesitation, Niko tried to speak as well.

"I said to you back then, that there were no bonds in the accelerated world, and that everyone was your enemy. I truly believed that at first. I was about to be betrayed by my comrades, my legion, my 'parent'. But the one who saved me from all that… was you!"

"Niko…"

"Yes, I was scared of you. If you were who you said you were, I'd have woken up one fine day not knowing anything about Brain Burst. But no matter what, during all that time we spent in the real, you never went for my head. You even showed remorse towards killing Red Rider, which was unexpected coming from you. I thought, maybe you weren't such a bad person after all. Indeed, you may not be as naive as Haruyuki, but you were just as kind. I began to trust you to the point that we merged our legions together."

Niko pointed her finger at the one person she admired more than any other and continued:

"Listen, Kuroyuki! To me, you're a true King who treasures the bonds she has. You're the only one I can call my 'onee-chan'. And more than anything, you're not just a flower, you're… the tree that binds us all together. That's why! Don't give in to despair like Cherry did. Go out there and seize the horizon with him!"

After hearing this heartfelt speech from Niko, Kuroyukihime was finally convinced. She knew that Niko had suffered from the dark side of the accelerated world and wanted to help her. She didn't understand why she would go this far for another King, whom she had once sworn to be an enemy, but… perhaps she didn't want to see someone else fall to the same despair as she once did.

She finally stood up, looked at all the faces in front of her and said:

"Everyone… you all came here… for a pathetic girl like me. I see. I finally got to understand how Haruyuki-kun feels."

With her tears finally gone, Kuroyukihime responded to everyone's earnest wishes with a smile:

"I promise, I won't let you down."

In response to this, Haruyuki apparated wings from his back.

"These wings… they were Senpai's desire as well, weren't they? I know now. We're one and the same, and that's why… I can't fly without you at my side."

Haruyuki extended his hand out to her.

"Now, let's go together."

"Yeah!"

When they returned, the energy surrounding them had dissipated.

Kuroyukihime completely manifested her duel avatar, Black Lotus. The full obsidian avatar, with a head shaped like a V protruding to the back, purplish visor in place of her eyes, arms and legs shaped like swords, and the skirt that resembled the similarly named flower, appeared before everyone present. Everyone was elated, seeing the Black King they knew return to them once again.

She proceeded to point towards the two sword demons floating in the air, issuing a loud proclamation:

"Kirito! Asuna! I – no, we will defeat you and uncover the secret of this world!"

It was a declaration she would have made entirely by herself in the past, but now she had learnt to walk alongside her trusted companions. Haruyuki responded to her call and stood right beside her.

Asuna smiled upon seeing the two, reminded of the times when she stood alongside her beloved in a similar manner. Kirito responded by finally bringing out his second sword, a gesture that signaled him going all-out.

"Very well. This begins… our final battle!"