Sinon

Finally, she's found Jaymes. He stands with a girl in gold armor and a large dragon on a pillar rising out the earth. She almost calls out to him, but as she descends, she sees what troubles the two humans. A man lies in the girl's lap, most likely dead. So she says nothing as she lands on the ground, but her footsteps are enough to gain her friend and his companions' attention. "Joshua."

"Shino. So that was really you back there."

"Are you a...friend of Jaymes," Alice asks. "Did you...come from the real world, as well?"

"Yes. My name is Sinon. I came here to help save you and Bercouli from the Dark God Vecta, but… I'm sorry. I was too late."

"You came as fast as you could," Jaymes replies, "but the fault is not yours. If anything, I shouldn't have let him fight Vecta alone, not knowing his abilities and all."

Alice shakes her head. "No. Neither of you are at fault... I was such a fool… How's the battle going?"

"Asuna, Koharu, and the Human Empire Army are holding off the red forces from the real world, but just barely."

Alice stands up and looks at Jaymes. "In that case, we'll head back north."

"No," Jaymes reflects sternly.

"What?"

"Alice, you need to continue south to the World's End Altar," Sinon states. "If you can touch the console...no, the crystal panel on the altar, you should hear voices from the real world."

"Why would I? Emperor Vecta is dead, isn't he?"

"In this world, but not in ours. It is the reason I've been slightly overprotective over all of you. When a real-worlder dies in the Underworld, they are still alive in ours."

"The enemy who dwelled in Emperor Vecta…there's a chance he could return to this world in a different form."

"So the man that Uncle sacrificed himself to kill isn't dead? He simply vanished temporarily, to come back to life as if nothing happened? Is that what you're saying?" Alice steps forward and grabs Jaymes by his arm, but the boy isn't shakened a bit. She, however, bursts into tears again. "Then what was it all for...why did Uncle have to die? A duel where only one risks their life...it's...it's nothing but a farce!"

As Alice drops to her knees, Sinon speaks her mind. "Then, Alice, are you saying that Kirito's suffering is also false? Kirito's a real worlder, too. Even if he dies in this world, he's not really going to die. But the wounds he sustained are real. The pain he felt, his damaged soul, they're all real, too. I...like Kirito. I like him so much. That's true for Asuna, Jaymes, and the others. And we're all...worried about Kirito. We're wondering why Kirito had to go to such lengths. Kirito sustained those wounds to save you, Alice."

"And what about Medina? Her suffering...led to the moment she sacrificed herself for me, someone she knew wouldn't truly die, to give me, you, Eydis, everyone a fighting chance to save the world. And when we return to finish the fight against the Pontifex, you told her, 'There is no such thing as a life or death without meaning!' Because of that meaning, we did it. And so did the knight commander. In order to save you, he told me to stay back, suffered all those blows, and bought you enough time to escape from the enemy… I cannot let you go back and waste his sacrifice, but I'm not going to waste my promise to him, to Eydis, to everyone to protect you along the way."

Iskahn collapses after punching a soldier to oblivion, but his fight has exhausted him and his power. Around him lies his people, either tired, dead, or somewhere in between, But despite the change of enemy, the fight against the red soldiers brings a smile to his face and his fist to the air. "Well, I guess dying like this won't shame me if I see the previous leader in the afterlife." He spots a flicker of light, belonging to Sheyta's sword as she cuts down another soldier.

As for Synthesis Twelve, as she continues to fight, she's confused by a deep pain in her body. It's not physical, but it is rather troubling. Why is it that her desire to slashing Iskahn feels different? She wants to savor the battle between them again, one that lit a fire in her core, one that'll allow her to sever those hard, troublesome fists. Yet, why is it…

"Slash, slash, slash on and on. Only at the end of that blood-smeared path will you find the key to breaking your curse. At least, you might."

"Oh, I see." Sheyta leaps off a soldier's spear and drives the Black Lily Sword into its chest. As she does so, the Divine Weapon cracks and breaks, Sheyta stands up as the weapon disappears for good. "Thank you for all of this time." She stumbles over to the pugilist guild leader and her dragon, taking hold of the latter. "Thank you, too, Yoiyobi. You must be tired. Let's rest now."

"Sorry. Your precious sword's broken because of me."

"It's all right. I finally know why. Why I've been slashing everything." She reaches up and takes Iskahn's face in her hands. "To find what I don't want to slash. To find what I do want to protect. That's why I kept fighting. It was you."

Iskahn tries his best, but his eyes grow wet against his wishes. "Dammit I wish I could've had a family with you. What a strong kid we would've had. Way stronger than the previous leader, than me… The kid would have been the strongest pugilist of all."

"No. I'm raising that child to be a knight." Sheyta brings Iskahn in for a hug, but it is broken off by the incoming march of the red army. A final, shared wish between enemies born on separate sides of the world, to be cut down and destroyed together by enemies from another.

Alice looks down at the real-worlder pair as she settles on Amayori. "Sinon, Jaymes, if I go to the real world through the World's End Altar, will I be able to return to this world? Will I be able to see my loved ones again?"

Jaymes nods. "Yes. As long as you and the Underworld are safe. Don't worry, I'll arrange it myself once this is over."

"Very well. Then I'll head south. I don't know what awaits me at the World's End Altar, but if that's what Uncle, as well as Kirito, would want… What will you two do, Sinon?"

"I think that Dark God Vecta will come back to life right here. We're going to do the best we can."

Alice nods. "I appreciate that. I won't let your efforts go to waste."

"And Alice, whatever you do, if something comes up, do not fight. Do your best to send a signal, and I can send ourselves to your location. I've been close enough to the altar to almost get there." Alice nods, and after a final look towards the decaying body of Knight Commander Bercouli Synthesis One, she and the remaining two dragons fly off to the south.

Now alone with Jaymes, she turns to him, narrowing her eyes. "Seems you've been enjoying yourself the last couple of hours."

"It's been one fight after another, with some fun in between. How long has it been anyway? Three, four hours since I've been here?"

"Try almost 17. They managed to slow down time one to one with the real world."

Jaymes sighs and folds his arms. "No wonder I feel so tired… Anyway, I'm happy to see you, Shino. Let me guess, Solus account?"

She nods. "I'm happy to see you're well. You got a whole lot of people worried about you."

"Do I?"

"Mhm. Nevertheless, the real shock is that Koharu is alive. I'm still processing that, even after seeing the real deal."

"Yeah… I've dreamed about it, but knowing she's really back, not a clone or leftover data like from GGO, I don't know what to say or do. I'll have to figure it out soon. Anyway, I know our friends, where's the rest of the lot?"

Sinon turns to the north. "Leafa is here as the Goddess Terraria, but she didn't land in the same spot with me. As for everyone else, I don't know. But as you said, we know them. They'll find a way."

Jaymes chuckles and looks to the sky. "Well, Koharu, Asuna, and Renly can hold the line for a while longer. Meanwhile, we keep watch for a very bad god… Good to know you're watching my back."

Sinon folds her lips and looks away. "You don't mean that. If anyone should be here, it should be Koharu. She's your partner, after all."

Jaymes shrugs. "Yes, that's true, but she's not the only one. There's Philia, although she also comes with Rain and Strea. There's Kureha. but she comes packaged in with Rei, Zeliska, Itsuki, and most of Crimson Squad. Koharu, in her own right, comes with Kirito, Asuna, and others, and that was in the past. You, Sinon, are my only partner without attachment to others. That technically makes you my partner now, doesn't it? So...can I count on your bow one more time?"

Sinon sighs and presents herself before Jaymes with a small smile. "Jeez, how many times have you rehearsed that speech? Keep talking like that, I'd think you've fallen for me."

"Huh? Don't joke like that!" Jaymes turns his red-hot face away from Sinon. "And, hypothetically, what if I had?"

"Had what?"

"...Don't make me say it..."

Although the conversation is embarrassing for her, Shino finds it hilarious that he's the more embarrassed one, and that makes her feel better. "Well, if your heart did set its love on me, I did win our BoB bet, so you still owe me a favor. Maybe I'll cash in on your budding feelings for a day out in our world. Still the summer, so that could mean a day out on the town, like to get ice cream, go to the beach again, amusement park, the firework festival... But that's after we take care of the enemy."

Jaymes nods and looks toward a spot on the ground. "Right… Something about him, about both of the enemies who dived in here, feels weird to me."

"How so?"

"For some reason, Vecta felt like someone I've seen recently. His face has a similar coldness to it… And the other one… The one I encountered when Asuna and Koharu arrived, what he said… Only those who saw and know my face in SAO would make a connection to me and Koharu. And he was oddly thrilled to kill Ronie… But who could…" Jaymes suddenly gasps and his whole composure changes. He grits his teeth, his fists tighten, and his eyes turn from brown to red.

"Joshua?"

"Of three people I can think of who has a vendetta against me from back then, that knight fit the attitude of one of them.The two others, Morte and Buxum, were captured with other members of Laughing Coffin. After two years… After getting away in SAO… He's here..."

Asuna

"Looks like things are about to wrap up, huh?"

Asuna smiles as she sits beside Klein to receive healing. "Thank you. Klein… I don't know how to show my appreciation."

The man chuckles. "Hey, come on. Don't be like that. I owe you and those damned boys way too much to ever be able to pay you back. I guess I can add Koharu back to the list, huh… He's in here, too, right?"

"After this battle, please go see him. If you start telling your lame jokes again, he might wake up just to tell you off."

"Hahaha! Man, that's harsh!"

Asuna turns away and looks to the fighting front, still holding on well. "It'll be all right. Everything will go our way, I'm sure."

"You said it! Now then, there's one more round to go."

"Rig--"

"What's wrong?"

Asuna points up to the top of one side of the ruins, where a cloaked figure just leaped to. "Hey, Klein, doesn't that person look familiar?"

Klein looks in the direction Asuna is pointing. "Huh? Looks familiar? But with that raincoat on…their face won't… No, it can't be. There's just no way! Am I...seeing a ghost?"

"A-A ghost? What do you mean?"

"Well, I mean, that black raincoat…no, that leather poncho…"

Koharu

"Jeez. This is totally not fair!" Sanya folds her arms underneath her breasts as Koharu and her walk back to the frontline. "Not saying I was hoping you would have lost some skill, but it's almost like you came straight out of SAO."

Koharu smiles. "Well, from a certain point of view, that's not wrong, plus I have played other games in the last week. But you're still as good as ever, Sanya. I've missed you much."

Sanya smiles and lightly punches Koharu on her shoulder. "You know that's impossible to miss me if you just returned to us... But let's save the emotions for later, we'll have plenty to cry over then. The reunion of two beautiful ladies, some mediocre ladies, and a few loser swordsmen."

"I'm sure Jaymes would like…" Koharu stops talking as she looks at the fairies and gunmen around her staring up in unison. Looking around, she spots Asuna and Klein nearby, Rain and Philia slightly farther away, all of them gazing up as well. She follows their sight to the right side of the ruins, where a figure cloaked in black stands above the allied forces. She has no clue who that is, yet her eyes are drawn to the person permanently, as the sight invokes a deep part of her memory, for it was one of the last things she saw in SAO. "Sanya."

"I see him… But that's…there's no way."

"Well, I mean, that black raincoat…no, that leather poncho… That's the leader of Laughing Coffin…" Koharu and Sanya both gasp as they overhear Klein identify the figure who heaves his weapon on his shoulders. The man who spread the ideology that player-killing was a much as part of SAO as dungeon-clearing, the man who led the red guild from the shadows, the man who is responsible for hundreds of deaths in SAO, including Koharu's, and nearly many others, including Kirito, Asuna, Lisbeth, Sanya, Liten, and Jaymes.

Koharu grips her dagger, holding it tightly in the sheath. "PoH."

"Bylat! He's here?" And the waving assassin is not alone as more red soldiers log in. Despite the reinforcements, Koharu cannot help but frown as her eyes hone in on the man that ordered her death. 'That look on you face, Ko… You look just like him. Then again, why wouldn't you? But there's a problem."

"Huh?"

"That language… My speech with them both may not be the best, but I know those players are not speaking Japanese or English. They're speaking Chinese, maybe Korean, but they're a new force for us to contend with."

Koharu draws her dagger and prepares for a fight. But she has a personal goal now...to get to PoH and make him pay. "Sanya."

The Silver Witch adjusts her small hat and twirls her sword. "Finsternis and I are by your side, Koharu, just like old times… Let's make that zasranec pay!"

Kureha

Kureha sighs as the new wave of players enter the Underworld. "Damn! Lievre, are those more American players?"

The Type-Z Arfa-Sys shakes her head. "I analyzed their speech patterns as they dived in. I hear Korean and Chinese dialects from the newcomers."

"Great, just great," Fukaziroh groans as she places an arrow on her bow and adds an explosive element to it. "More people to blow up, I guess."

Pitohui smirks as she starts firing her crossbow. "Probably the most fun I had all year."

"Remember why we are here, you two," Bazalt Joe states.

"Oh, don't be a bore, officer."

"I'm also detecting another point of entry, this one further south. Analyzing…" Kureha stares at the Type-Z, watching as her face turns from serious to appalled and speechless. All she knows of the south is that Sinon and Jaymes are in that direction with Alice and the emperor of the Dark Territory, per Koharu's tale. So what could shock Lievre this much?

Rei waves her hand in her sister's face. "Lievre? Lievre? Are you broken?"

Kureha stands and lowers Rei's hands. "Rei, stop it. Lievre, what is it?"

"H-He's here."

"Who?"

The next word to come out of Lievre's fearful mouth freezes the blood of the eight human members of Crimson Squad and the processors of Rei and Daisy. "M...Ma… Master?"