The next morning

"Medina… When this is over, I'll give you my answer. Until then...do me a favor, keep Eydis alive and well."

Let's recap the last 12 or so hours: The War of Underworld, with the dark forces taking a heavy hit from Alice's formal art, came to a temporary pause as the invasion of the Human Empire was prevented. In an attempt to split the Dark Territory's massive army, Bercouli leads a raid party into enemy territory while Fanatio leads the remaining defenders at the Great Gate. I was originally with the defenders, seeing no reason to join the raiders as of yet, but when Ronie and Tiese encountered trouble, they called me to their aid. But it seems it wasn't necessary, as two people from my world, Asuna and Koharu (who has been 'dead' for over two years) entered the world. After meeting with Eydis, fighting off assassins, and giving the news to the defenders, I split from Medina and Eydis and returned to the raiders. My greatest fear is realized: the leader of the Dark Territory is from my world, using the Dark God Vecta account, and I also fear he's not the only one. There are two STLs down there with the terrorists, after all.

"Why can't things be simple...and speaking of complications, take a look over there, Commander." I point out to the horizon as I lower my hands. Previously, I used the Sacred Arts to generate two pieces of glass to scope out the distance. Bercouli comes up beside me and does the same thing. "Looks like they're coming across."

"I see… The enemy from the real world really has some unique strategies. Emperor Vecta is taking a risk."

The Crimson Warrior and Lucky Red in me, who had done plenty of 'risks' in SAO and GGO, respectively, scoffs at the use of the word. Who I am here, the Lord of Knights/Hero-King (and possibly the more mature persona), agrees with the other personas. "Fine line between risk and foolishness."

"This is war," he responds, though not to me specifically as he faces the Integrity Knights and the other outsiders. "Unlike our outsider allies, this is no time for us to feel sorry for the forces of darkness. We have to take this chance."

"Chance," Alice inquires.

"That's right."

Iskahn

"Have your people climb across ropes cast over the chasm to reach the other side. I don't care if there are casualties. You're to enforce the tightrope walking no matter what."

Iskahn, guild leader of the pugilists' grits his teeth in anger as Dark Knights and pugilists on the ropes either struggle to stay and cross the chasm on the ropes or fall to a worse fate. His fist lights with fire as he considers how erroneous Vecta's decision is. They should be invading the Human Empire, not chasing after this so-called Priestess of Light. Sure, the target displayed great power yesterday, but so did the creator of this chasm. So have the other knights.

He just hopes this is not as in vain as the deaths so far.

As some start to make it to the other side, Iskahn's sigh of relief becomes great worry as a thundering cloud comes from the distance. It's… It's those damned knights! "Enemy attack Protect them! Protect those ropes at all costs! They're only a small force! Don't let them get near the ropes!"

It seems futile to ever make those orders as the Integrity Knights begin to cut through the pugilists and the Dark Knights like a blade through water, especially the one he fought yesterday named Sheyta. Then, flying out the cloud is a warrior dressed in red and black, his cape menacingly flapping as he descends to the chasm. As his fingertips start glowing red, Iskahn begins to remember something he heard as a rumor from the giants. Something about a demon dressed in red whose ability with the Sacred Arts rivals the Pontifex's. Seeing as one is dead, there must be some truth to that statement, and here's the devil now, the one the other side calls a lord and a hero. "STOP!"

The devil throws his arms out laterally, producing an impossible amount of fire from his body. It should be impossible to generate that much power in the land with so few spatial resources. But he does it, and he incinerates every single thread of rope, scalds every muscle of the pugilists, and melts the armor of the Dark Knights within the chasm. Without mercy. Without remorse. Yes, this is no god, nor is he a man. Iskahn just looked into the male's eyes… This is a devil.

It frightens and angers Iskahn to his soul. "So this… So this is war, huh? How can you call this a battle? No way did they just endure all that grueling training to die like this! Forgive me. Forgive me, all right?"

Iskahn's right eye starts to burn...

Gabriel

Gabriel watches the onslaught with little disappointment. The appearance of the Human Empire's soldiers was expected and deliberate, to see just how good they are with his own eyes. Even more, the fire display was magnificent. "Just as I suspected, the AI of the Human Empire units appear to be slightly superior. No, strictly in terms of adaptability, they're in a different class… Don't mess up, Critter."

In a few moments, the Underworld will be accessible to the United States...

Tokyo, Japan, 13 hours after Jaymes entered the Underworld

Shino rolls out of bed and grabs her buzzing phone. Taking a look at the caller ID, she gasps as it reads 'Kazuto Kirigaya'. Is he, Joshua, and Asuna back? Immediately she answers the call.

"Sinon! It's Yui!"

"Y-Yui?"

"I'll explain later! Get ready to go out right now, leave your apartment, and get into a taxi! I'm sending the address and the fastest route to get there to your phone!"

Sinon follows the AI's instructions as quickly as possible. Something must be wrong, but where is she going at 3 AM? "A-A taxi? To where?"

"Please hurry! Daddy, Mommy, and Uncle are in danger!"

Ocean Turtle, hours later

Higa looks at his watch. It reads 04:32 AM, over eleven hours since Asuna and Koharu entered the Underworld, fourteen since Joshua's logged in. In that amount of time, a year, give or take, should have passed since the girls logged in. "Was the World's End Altar that far from the Human Empire...Gah!" The phone ringing startles Higa and jolts the standing Kikuoka. "M-Mr. Kiku! The phone!"

"Sub Control Room! This is Kikuoka."

"U-Uh, that's the Rath main location STL development headquarters, right? This is Hiraki at the Roppongi Branch. We have a problem, or should I say, something odd is going on. Someone from outside Rath just showed up without an appointment."

"Outside? You mean clients?"

"No. It has nothing at all to do with clients. And they don't look to be anything but high school girls. And there's two of them."

"Did you say high school girls?"

"Yes. And they asked me to contact Sejirou Kikuoka of Rath headquarters right now, to tell you to check the Underworld FLA rate immediately."

Higa gasps and gets to work checking the FLA rate. Nothing should be wrong, it should be a year's time in the Underworld… No. "I-It's the same? Since when?"

"N-Names! Did those girls give their names?"

"Uh, yes! Actually… This is going to sound crazy, too, but… There's no way it's their real names. Uh, let's see. They told me to tell you that it's 'Sinon' and 'Leafa'. I mean, they look totally Japanese to me, but…"

Shino and Suguha walk through the doors to the STL Bay of the Roppongi Branch, taking a look at the two empty beds in front of them. This is the machine Asuna, Kazuto, and Joshua are hooked up to.

Shino's eyes dart to her right peripheral, where a third bed, already occupied, is present. They knew prior to tonight Joshua would be joined by Asuna and another person only known to Yui. In the interest of knowing who is down there with her captain and the two lovers, Shino steps to the used bed and tries to determine the young female's identity.

"Sinon? Do you know who she is?"

"Hard to tell, her face is covered. And thousands of girls have this body type… But I know Joshua and your brother well. If they knew this girl, they wouldn't keep her a secret. Not from me, not from Asuna. Neither of them spoke of her before."

Suguha walks over to the other side, looking at a clipboard on the nearby tray. "Let's see… Name is Koharu Hanao. I don't recall knowing a girl named… Shino?"

Shino steps back, holding her hand to her mouth. "What did you say, Suguha?"

"Her name is Koharu Hanao. What's wrong?"

"She… This is Joshua's partner from SAO. She… She should be dead…"

New Aincrad, ALO

Klein sighs. "For crying out loud. Damn them, they had to go off on their own and get mixed up in some trouble again? A virtual world created by the SDF and an honest-to-goodness AI named Alice? But that's so beyond the realms of a game!"

"Not only that, but they're going to load her into a fighter jet and make her wage war?"

"Apparently, for now, Rath intends to use that technology in demonstrations both domestically and internationally. RoboTelligence's use is more commercial, but the project's start is with Rath's aim. But my guess is that the attackers occupying the Ocean Turtle have a more specific application in mind."

"Who the heck are these attackers, anyway?"

"It's extremely likely that the US military or a US intelligence agency is involved."

Lisbeth gasps. "Th-The US military? You mean the American army?"

Yui nods. "If Alice were to fall into the hands of the US military, in the not-so-distant future, she'd most likely be deployed in battle as an unmanned AI weapon. I'm sure Daddy and Mommy want to prevent that if nothing else. Because… Because Alice is proof that all VRMMO worlds, beginning with SAO, and the people who lived in them, really existed, and she's also the fruit of massive amounts of time, material, and mental resources! I am convinced beyond a doubt that the true objective created by the Seed package is none other than the birth of Alice. Through countless connected worlds, so many people have laughed, cried, grieved, and loved. and because the radiance of their souls resonated, a new form of humanity was born in the Underworld. Daddy. Mommy. Uncle. Leafa. Klein. Philia. Lisbeth. Silica. Agil. Rain. Sinon. As well as so many other people. It was from the cradle woven by your hearts that Alice was born!"

Philia frowns. "If anything, Jaymes will protect Alice for his interests."

"But even then…" Lisbeth looks up at Yui and the others gathered, the entire gang from SAO. "Yeah, that's true, isn't it? We're connected to all of it. Time, people, and our hearts too. Like a huge river."

"Don't worry, Yui," Silica says as she holds the little pixie close. "We'll go save Kirito, Asuna, and Jaymes. We're definitely going to save them. So please don't cry."

"You heard her," Klein exclaims. "You should've come to us sooner, Yuippe! There's no way we'd abandon them!"

"We owe those three big time, after all. We should pay them back a little now, at least."

"I agree," comes the voice of Kureha, currently in GGO with Crimson Squad and Jaymes' friends from SAO. Her voice is connected to ALO by the same program that, months prior, allowed Rain's sister to communicate with Kirito and the others from the real world to Sword Art Origins. "Everyone here at Crimson Squad is ready to help. We owe Kirito and Asuna one, and Jaymes is our reckless leader."

"Plus a world like the Underworld sounds so interesting," comes the voice of Pitohui. "About time we join a war again."

Strea's cheer echoes through both sides of the VR worlds. "Yahooo! Let's go save my beloved Jaymes! I can't wait to hug him again!"

"Keep your hands off my Master!"

Kureha sighs as Rei and Strea get into another fight. "All that aside, don't worry Yui. With all of us together, there's nothing that can stop us. So let's go get those three and bring them home!"

Yui bows in thanks, tearing up in the process. "Everyone, thank you so much! Thank you so much."

"Still, 30,000 VRMMO players diving from America? It could even be 100,000. And they'll all side with the enemy against the Human Empire, huh?"

"What if we exposed the experiment or the attack on the American VRMMO sites, and asked them not to take part in the fake beta test?"

"The reality is that this is a war for a secret between the US and Japanese militaries. If we were to give off any hint of that, it could very well backfire."

"Posting 'Your opponents are real humans, so please don't kill them" wouldn't help, huh?"

"Sorry Silica, it won't," says Liten. "It didn't mean anything in SAO, and while we'd love to think that way, there's only four real humans down there now on the Human Empire's side. Not a single one will die from this."

"Then why don't we do as they do," Shivata suggests.

Klein nods. "By making our own notification site for the beta test. If the Rath guys give us accounts of equal level, we can drum up 30 or 40,000, just like that!"

"But there's one problem, you know," Agil argues. "The time difference. Right now, it's 4:30 AM in Japan, meaning the period with the fewest connections. On the other hand, in the US, it's 12:30 PM in LA, and 3:30 PM in New York. There are way more active players over there. Plus, if you've checked the boards, you might have heard of the weird 'Medina and wayfarer' thing that happened yesterday afternoon. That, plus this weird thing, may throw some people off here."

"Agil is right about that. We couldn't hope to gather anywhere near 10,000 people right now, not even between GGO and ALO. If we were to use accounts of the same levels as the enemy, our chances of holding our own would be extremely low, I'd have to say."

"But aren't there any more of the god accounts that Asuna and Jaymes used, are there? Not that we have time to level up from scratch like Kirito did."

"So it's game over, huh?"

"Over before it started."

"No," Yui shouts. "Accounts do exist. Accounts far more powerful in terms of level and equipment than the default accounts used by the enemy."

"Huh? Wh-Where are they?"

"The very accounts you're logged in with at this moment! Data conversion! All of you, as well as scores of other VRMMO players, must convert the characters that you've trained throughout the Seed worlds into Underworld accounts."

"That… That's right." Itsuki says. "The Underworld is connected to the Seed, so data conversion works like every other game."

"That said, this particular method does have a few problems… The Underworld isn't a normal VRMMO. There isn't an operation UI, so logging out cannot be done of our own accord. The only way to log out is to…'die' in-game."

"Like… Like SAO?"

"Mhm. But that presents another problem. There isn't a built-in pain absorber. The pain you will feel in the game will be felt in reality. And third, at this time, the developers are unable to operate the Underworld. Once you convert your character, there's a chance it will be irreversible."

"Doesn't matter," Zeliska states. "We have to save them, and if this is the only way, we can do it!"

"Zel is right," Kureha says. "Lisbeth, you must convince the ALO players online now to convert. However, it must happen, get as many as you can. I'll work my magic here, we've done it before to save GGO, we can do it again. Until then...we have to trust Leafa and Sinon on helping them out."

Lisbeth starts to freak out. "W-W-Why me, specifically? Klein and Agil could--"

"Because you have a stake in this as well, Rika. You're the strongest voice over there...and he would want you to do this."

"Then let's get started," Agil says. "We need to send a message for everyone to meet in Arun. But before we go… Yui, earlier you didn't want to tell us who was sent with Asuna to the Underworld. Can you tell us now?"

Yui drops her head in thought for a moment, then nods her head. "Yes… As hard for it is to believe, Auntie is alive."

"Auntie? Who is that?"

Rain's gasp gains everyone's attention. "Jaymes is her uncle, and she has never referred to Liz or Leafa as her aunt, but...if there was one girl to fit that role…"

Sanya's voice bangs against the ALO players' eardrums. "No… You're kidding me! That's impossible!"

Lisbeth comes to that same realization as she sits down, hands over her mouth. Yui wouldn't lie...Asuna wouldn't hold her to such a secret if it was a lie, and there is a good chance now Jaymes has or is coming to terms with a new truth two years later. "Who else could it be… It's Koharu."

Lisbeth, Neutral City of Arun.

"This is neither a lie or a joke. Soon, tens of thousands of American players will unknowingly dive into the Underworld, a virtual world based on the Seed created by a certain Japanese research company, and they're going to massacre everyone who lives there! The residents of the Underworld aren't mere NPCs! They share the same emotions and souls as us! Please lend us a hand to protect them! Everyone, please convert your existing character data to the Underworld!"

As the audience murmurs, Sakuya, the leader of the Slyph race, speaks. "Lisbeth, I know that you and your friends wouldn't joke around this early in the day and the fact that Kirito hasn't logged in for more than ten days means this is no trivial matter. But… To be honest, I find it hard to believe. AIs with the same souls as humans, with the US military out to seize them? Both scenarios are far too unrealistic. Moreover, didn't you also say that there'd be several problems with conversion? Would you mind explaining what those issues are first?"

"Yes… The Underworld...isn't being operated as a normal VRMMO game. Which is why diving into it will present some problems. First of all, the Underworld has no operational UI. In other words, you can't log out of your own accord. The only way to log out is the 'die' in-game. But that would trigger yet another problem. The Underworld has no built-in pain absorber. If you take enough damage to drop your HP to zero, you're likely to feel the most excruciating pain. And finally, at this time, the developers are unable to operate the Underworld. Which means that once you've converted your character data, there's no guarantee it can be converted back to the original game. In some cases, it may even end up in character loss."

That last problem causes an uproar. Inability to log out without dying, that was fine, as death isn't as serious as SAO's. Pain...possibly doable. But character loss, even Lisbeth knows what that is like. Starting from scratch in every new game she's played requires a lot of work to get to where she's comfortable, but on the happenstance she lost this character, or the version of her in SA:O, she wouldn't be happy. "I'm sorry! We won't be able to compensate you. We're keenly aware that money can't buy the characters you've raised until now! That's why we're pleading with you! To help us. To help our friends who are desperately fending off the American attack in the Underworld, even as we speak!"

"These friends you're talking about, you mean SAO survivors, don't you? You can't fool us! We know that you former SAO players all secretly look down on the rest of us!"

"What do we care about invasions, artificial intelligence, or souls!"

"Don't waste our time with all this talk about bringing the real world into a VRMMO!"

"You guys can deal with that kind of thing yourselves! Just you survivors, celebrated even in real life!"

Lisbeth cowers. Her words aren't getting through to them. She has failed, and even if Kureha and Crimson Squad succeed with recruiting in GGO, it may not be enough. Yet...as she looks up, none of the tribal heads had left the arena yet. They're still looking at her, waiting to be convinced. But how can she convince them? She isn't Kirito, who fearlessly saved her from a dragon in SAO. She isn't Asuna, the fearsome rapier-wielding of the KoB. She isn't Koharu, the beloved kind solo player who spurred her friends to continue the advance in her absence. And she is not Jaymes, whose leadership skills are second only to Asuna, but brought together players once before in SAO and GGO.

"Promise me you'll never do that again, but if you have to, we do it together. I don't care if it endangers me, we're a team, aren't we? We do stupid stuff like this together, okay?"

"But yes, we're a team. Blacksmith. Warrior."

"He had someone else he could count on too, and she's been a vital part of his life for the vast majority of the last two years. At his worst, you were there for him. When he was going to risk his life again, he didn't call on Kirito or Asuna, he called you. You saved Jaymes from a guilt-filled death in SAO, and you saved Joshua from a guilt-filled life. You just didn't understand it because you only saw what you wanted to see, the hero dressed in red. Not the boy who suffered from rage at his failures, sadness from his losses, and a need to honor a dying wish."

He doesn't know it, but right now, Lisbeth believes Jaymes is counting on her to do something miraculous. She doesn't know if he still loves her or not, but...for the man she loves, she will not falter, whether she succeeds or fails. "That's right. this is happening in the real world! Like you said, those of us who came from SAO might have a tendency to blur what's real and what's virtual! But I swear to you, we don't think of ourselves as heroes, or anything special! This year alone, we revisited the nightmare in the form of Sword Art: Origins and Ordinal Scale. While both were fun, I can tell you that each moment was a horrible trip down memory lane. Two of those girls and I attend a school made up of only survivors. The students there have to undergo counseling once a month, no matter what. We get asked all these uncomfortable questions. And they make a lot of kids take meds against their will. We're all part of the government's potential criminal watch list. And it's not just the students at the returnee school who are being treated that way. All VRMMO players are looked upon that way, more or less. As if we're dead weight that doesn't contribute to society. People who refuse to face up to reality, not paying taxes or social security. Some even argue that the military draft should be reinstated so we can be forced to serve.

"But there's one thing I know! And I believe it! That reality is right here! This world, as well as the countless virtual worlds connected to it, in no way are they make-believe refugees. For me, this world is the reality where I have a real life, real friends, real encounters and partings, and real smiles and tears! Don't you all feel the same way? Aren't you all doing your best because this world is your alternate reality? And yet, if it's just a game, if you abandon it because it's nothing but a virtual fake, then tell me, where is our truth?

"All these world that we've grown came together just like this World Tree and started to bud. And caused this flower called the Underworld to bloom. Well, I want to protect it. Please… Please help us." Lisbeth, Klein, Silica, Philia, Rain, and Agil bow to the players of Arun in a silent plea for help, while listening in from GGO, Kureha, Itsuki, Rei, and Zeliska make the same gesture to GGO's other strong squads and players.

The Underworld

"Jaymes! Create us a path across!"

"All right!" Heeding Bercouli's command as I land between Asuna and Koharu, I hold a hand out and start to manipulate the earth, generating a land bridge from our side of the chasm to the Dark Territory. At that moment, a red light appears in the sky with several pillars falling to the ground. Those pillars form one enormous beam of red light and culminates in the appearance of hundreds of Dark Knights. And those Dark Knights start to fight the Dark Territory's Dark Knights and pugilists. "What the hell...Is going on…"

"Those knights...their attitudes…"

Asuna gasps and holds her sword up. "Jaymes, Koharu...those are players. Real World players."