Moments later
Hersyrian pants as he glares down at the ninth head of Orthinanos after she slashes him in his face. "I've never been so disgraced. Even after I joined my most hated bloodline! Mother… Are you watching me now? I am prepared to give up everything for you… Use me and this Orthinanos blood for your experiments. Kill me if you like. Just… Just look at me… Tell me you need me! Love me!"
Medina shakes her head. "Why… Why would you go this far for the Pontifex's love? She barely acknowledges you! Even when you became a monster, she smiles and says nothing! No matter how much you yearn for her, your voice will never reach her!"
"What would you know… Tainted by my own blood, how dare you pity me? Orthinanos! I will never forgive you! I will always despise you, until Mother forgets that your kind even existed. We will not share the same place in her mind!"
Medina twirls her blade. "Then we agree on one thing. I will never forgive you either. It doesn't matter if I carry your blood." Medina leaps out the way before Herysrian crushes her, sliding on her feet. "The House Orthinanos whose honor I seek to restore has no record of your name! So, with the sword passed down through generations, I'll free you from it! From the prison of the eternal bloodline!" Medina runs towards Hersyrian, and unless my eyes are playing tricks on me, her sword glows red and small red flower-shaped lights surround her as she strikes Hersyrian down. They both drop on the ground, Medina panting as the phenomenon around her vanishes.
"Are you alright," Alice asks as we all approach Medina.
"Yes… Thank you, Alice."
"I'm proud of you. You fought valiantly."
I nod. "Yeah, you did really well, Medina."
"Jaymes… I… With my own hands, I…"
I kneel down and hold her shoulder. "It's okay. You did the right thing. I promise you that. I would have done the same to free my old friend. So I thank you for that as well. But we're far from done here." I stand up and turn my head up to Quinella, who hovers over her dead 'son'.
"Of course you have a purpose. I'll show you. So don't worry. Just sleep now. Good boy, my Hersyrian… System Call: ID: W_4300. Fused Creature: Convert to Sword!"
Medina stands up in shock. "What?"
"Is she planning to fuse Hersyrian and the Orthinanos gems into a sword?"
Quinella laughs as the essence of Hersyrian and the Orthinanos family fuses before her. "Finally. I tried so many times, but I couldn't transform the gems on its own. Just as I thought, I needed memories with a strong connection to it." Out of the light comes a red and silver blade. Quinella happenly inspects it. "Hee hee, you really are a good boy."
Alice clicks her tongue. "So its the same principle as the Sword Golem."
"It's similar, yes. But there is a difference. The Sword Golem was forged from desire. Desires from love, lovers, and family made it come alive. To make this sword, I needed a memory with a passionate longing for Orthinanos blood. Whether that longing was love or hatred made no difference. That's why he fused. No other human longed for Orthinanos blood as strongly as Hersyrian did, even as he loathed it. Sometimes hatred can motivate as much, or even more than love. Here's the proof."
"Fusion and transformation, brought about by hatred," Alice says in awe. "I never thought it possible."
"But I never imagined he'd become such a monster. His heart must have been twisted."
Medina gasps. "Wait… Was this your plan all along? Did you make Hersyrian hate our House? Even though he longed for you so much, and did so much for your sake…"
"I never made such an elaborate plan. But he'd worked out so perfectly, I used him. He ended the concentration of the bloodline, halting my experiments. How ironic that he himself would be the one to move the forward again."
"How can you be so cold? He did everything for you!
"Why do you care? It was he who defiled your bloodline. Or so you perhaps feel a familial connection to him now? At any rate, the sword is complete. I really ought to thank you. Thank you for helping me with my revival, Medina. I'm sure your ancestors are proud."
"What are you talking about?"
"How cold! Tainted and transformed or no, they're still your ancestors."
"It's atrocious," Eydis calls out. "To what end did you conduct these horrific experiments?"
"So she could use data from the Real World," I hypothesize. "She needed to experiment on the module."
"You are perfectly correct, other irregular boy."
"So then my long-standing hypothesis is correct. Medina, somehow, has a connection to NPCs with data from my world. Since you started with Matthew, that means you figured something out not long after I left. But whatever you tried doing, that connection never worked for you in life, but in death, the number of Lost Children of Vecta, who we know as wayfarers, increased suddenly. So you know what it is?"
"Mhm. A Reserve Forces Module called the 'safety valve' was passed through House Orthinanos. I heard it from him." 'Him'? Is that...someone from the outside? "The Reserves Forces Module summons personality data from the outside world. making them into new soldiers when the human realm is low on manpower."
"This is not the first time you've tried using outside data, but in the past you've failed. So you made gems out of several modules and fused them together."
Medina frowns. "I don't understand everything you and Jaymes are saying, but I understand this: You used my house for your experiments, destroyed our lives to make your gems! You called us defects so we couldn't mix with other families and interbreed!"
"Yes, but thanks to a certain defilement, all that effort was wasted. It was my death that awakened your abilities. My experiments were for nothing."
"For nothing? Unforgivable… Do you know just how much we 'defects' have suffered? Ungh!" Medina drops down, clutching her right eye. The Seal.
Quinella chuckles as she descends. "Are you trying to defy me? You can't even break the seal. I hardly remember you, but you remind me of the fifth head. Promising but troublesome."
"Medina…"
"Administrator…" Medina grunts as she struggles to rise, and in that moment, a door appears between us and Quinella.
"It has been a long time, Quinella." Cardinal! She walks out the door and gazes at the weapon in Quinella's hand. "You've really outdone yourself with that weapon."
"You've grown condescending since we last met, Lyserith. But with that feeble body, no amount of condescension will bring you to my level."
"Don't be so sure about that. At the very least, I've figured out how you came back to life!"
"You have," Alice says astonishingly.
"Yes. While I was analyzing the Cathedral Cedar, she was invoking the spellwords. So now I know exactly what commands you used and what you did."
"Well, Lyserith, would you like to tell everyone now? That defeating me is impossible."
Cardinal sighs. "She speaks the truth. We cannot defeat her."
Quinella points at me. "And it's all thanks to the irregular boy. I am alive thanks to the memory he gave me, the one on your back. That of the Gigas Cedar."
"When Kirito struck you with the Night-Sky Blade?"
"Exactly. In the moment of my death, I saw a way out. I realized the means to escape death lay within the blade that pierced my body."
Eydis gasps. "So when I said the Clamps were like the Gigas Cedar...they are the Gigas Cedar in that regard. They collected resources around them like the tree did."
"Yes. Even as a corpse, as long as there are resources, I can avoid disappearing."
"In that moment, she constructed her own consciousness in the Main Visualizer."
"It was a bit harder than expected, but Hersyrian fulfilled his purpose. He created a temporary consciousness and transferred my fluctlight data into it. Thus, I was able to establish my consciousness in the Main Visualizer."
"She created an absolute personality in an unreachable place."
The realization hits me as I look over to Medina. "In other words...she beat death."
"So what will you do now, boy? The death of my body means nothing. I can be brought back every single time. Will you fight endlessly? Or will you submit to my control?" She has a point. There's nothing I can do. But there's no way I'll give up fighting her or submitting. But there always have been a way, no matter what. "It seems you finally understand. I quite like that serious face. It reminds me of the time I fought that boy in this very room. Speaking of which, Lyserith has offered me her very life for his. In the end, he refused the offer, though. How does it feel, Lyserith?"
"I don't understand the purpose of that question."
"How does it feel to see the friend of the man who rejected you in this state of resignation?"
"Your taste is as poor as ever. Besides, if Kirito is anything to go by, Jaymes has not given up."
Dropping my hand from Medina's face, I smirk and nod to Cardinal. "She's right. I haven't. If I have to beat your ass across the Underworld, Quinella, I will. Don't underestimate me as you did Kirito."
Cardinal nods back. "I'm going to invoke a command. I cannot promise it will work, but desperate times."
"My favorite time. Let's go."
Cardinal sighs. "You boys never second-guess…"
"Thank you for your wonderful speech, Lyserith. Have you decided?"
"I have… Quinella."
Quinella chuckles as I walk forward, tightly gripping Falchion. "Oh? You dare approach me? You just heard that I cannot be beaten, yet you're coming right to me. You're as idiotic as that boy and his band of friends are. And just like him, you'll lead your friends to their deaths?"
"Like I said, I'll beat your ass across this world if I have to. And I made that choice not here in the Underworld, but the moment I was trapped in another world. You made that decision easier when I saw what Kirito had become, when I heard Alice tell her story, when I heard what Eydis had lost, and when I heard what you did to House Orthinanos...and as a swordsman of that House, a friend of that House, I will avenge them… And as Kirito's friend, I will finish what he started! Everything was for this! For the people who sacrificed so much… For the future of the Underworld… Quinella, I will destroy you!"
"And he's not alone." Alice steps forward, standing shoulder to shoulder with me. Quinella narrows her eyes, then chuckles as she holds her hand out.
"System Call: Immobilize Units Adhering to System Code 871." Vines sprout from the roots along the walls and wrap around Tiese, Sortiliena, Ronie, Eydis, and Medina. They're dragged away from Alice and I, but unlike prior instances where Hersyrian put the knights in Deep Freeze, the girls are fully conscious. Quinella laughs heinously as she floats from the ground and points her sword at us who remain standing. "Now that loyal sinners are taken care of, I shall deal with the allies of the murderer. You'll join that boy who wielded the ice very soon, Alice. All irregular boys will be dealt with and no longer threaten me. I am the Pontifex of the Axiom Church. I am Administrator of the Underworld. I am Quinella, the Divine Goddess, and so-called heroes and pathetic puppets like you are beneath me." With the flick of her hand she sends Alice and I soaring. We adjust ourselves and barely land on the floor on our feet.
The final fight against Quinella is on...
Quinella chuckles as Alice and I circle around her, unable to break her defense. "I've been looking forward to this. You're putting up a better fight than last time, puppet knight."
Alice frowns. "I'm not the same confused girl from last time. I know what I must do to protect this realm."
"Good. The greater your pride, the more enjoyable your fall will be." We engage Quinella again until she forces me away from the fight. Alice continues to fight and drive Quinella back. I get up and approach the pair, deflecting crystal shards. As I arrive at the Pontifex, she parries Alice's attack, holds me up in the air telekinetically, and moves us both away from her. I'm only thrown a short distance away, while Alice is tossed to the wall close to Eydis.
Getting up, I run and kick Quinella in the face. Not giving her a moment to breath, we attack each other with sword skills until we lock blades and circle around. "You look scared, invader. I can see hatred for me, anger at me, but you aren't using them. But what have I done? I didn't hurt that boy. I haven't killed your friends. Though stories do have it you're connected to the Orthinanos… Ah, I remember the times I looked up to the legendary Lord of Knights. I remember meeting you once, though you probably don't."
"I remember a cute child who wanted to know the secrets of this world. As for hate and anger, I'm trying my best to not be that person. I almost killed my friend because of it." I pull back and strike her sword with the Vertical sword skill to knock her off balance.
Eydis
Eydis struggles to free herself from the vines wrapping her up and grab the hilt of the Dark Slash Sword. Alice and Jaymes struggle against a lone Administrator, but she can't muster the will to join and fight. And each time she tries, her eye sharply pains her. Sure, she thought that if she believed that if she thought the Administrator here is different from the one she served, it could happen, but her presence, her cold cruelty, it's all the same. She can't raise her sword against her master, her god.
Not even as Alice becomes a lump of flesh and metal as the golden girl flies in the air and lands with a thud right in front of her. "Alice!" Eydis calls over as the thirtieth knight rubs her head. "Alice!"
"Ey… Eydis?"
"I'm sorry...but I can't. I can't raise my sword against her. I can't protect you."
Alice coughs and sits up. "It's okay. We knew this coming here you may not be able to."
"No… It's… It's not right! After all she has done, why can't I fight her! I can't protect my little sister! I can't protect you! What am I--" Eydis grunts as Alice stands up and pets Eydis on the head, surprising her for a moment. "A-Alice?"
"For the last six years, you've annoyed and embarrassed me, but for not one moment was I unhappy to be a little sister to you. Even now, while my mind is clouded by who I am and what I am to do, you haven't left me. At times, you truly have been a big sister to me when it counted most, especially in dealing with Selka. So, Eydis...let me be a sister to you. Let the little sister help the big one." Alice grabs her sword and stands up, rushing back to the battle.
"Alice…" Eydis reaches out, but Alice is already gone. Out of reach, unable to be loved or protected. Then there's Jaymes, who has been with her from the very beginning. She doesn't understand it much, but she wonders why she acts a weird way around him. Always making him go out with her, ending up indecent in his bed, and the moment in the spring… Is that...what that feeling is? How will she ever know the truth is if she can't fight. Again, she reaches for her sword, but her eye and body burns even greater. She wants to...but she can't, she just can't...
"Big sister..." Eydis gasps and feels a gentle warmth around her, like a small, little body is hugging her. And the voice itself...so familiar. "Big sister… You must stand up."
"Who…"
"You must stand up and save your friends. And don't worry about me. You cute little sister Mary is watching over you, like the spider once did."
"Mary…"
"And whenever you need me, I am always nearby, here." Eydis feels a hand over her heart. Is this...what she had forgotten? What the Pontifex stole from her? This warmth, this happiness, this love...gone from her memory. But it is asking her to stand up, to grab her sword, and to fight, and for some reason, Eydis feels compelled to do so.
"Please...don't let go yet."
"Okay, to the count of ten, then… One, two, three…" Eydis faces the Pontifex, deflecting Alice sword, then locking blades with Jaymes, and reaches for the Dark Slash Sword again, the pain of the seal returning. "Four, five, six…" Eydis whimpers as she clutches the blade, blood splashing all over her face, but she doesn't lose sight of the Administrator. "Seven, eight, nine…"
"Jaymes! Move!"
"Ten…" As the warmth fades, Eydis launches herself across the entire room, cascaded the 100th Floor in shadows. If he previously heard her or not, Jaymes flips over Eydis with perfect timing, catching the Pontifex off guard and slashing through her sword and cutting her bare chest. Administrator cries out as she leaps back.
"E-Eydis!"
Eydis glares at Administrator with her one eye, full of anger and hatred as the shadows recede. "You've taken all that was dear to me once before, so now I'm going to take everything you desire from you. And I will help Alice and Jaymes do it, no matter what! I can fight you now, for Mary's sake!"
"It's over, Quinella," Jaymes say as he steps to Eydis' side.
Despite her wound, Administrator doesn't seem too fazed in the slightest. "Heh… You have a sense of humor, boy. I will never die. My love for this world is eternal."
"You don't have the right to talk about love," Eydis shouts. "You know nothing of true love! You're nothing but a pompous tyrant!"
"Are there no limits to your disrespect?" Adminstrator's sword flashes red and she leaps forward. Jaymes makes the same charge with his sword turning green. Around them, light glows as Cardinal's plan proceeds.
"Connect to Main Visualizer!"
Jaymes
When I regain consciousness, I find myself in an area that looks like the darkness of space, reminding me of the battleground the gang and I had against Tia back in Sword Art: Origin. But this isn't whatever that place was. I partially heard what Cardinal said before that light flashed, so I have a good idea where I am. "The Main Visualizer."
"Yes it is." Quinella stands with me in the center of the platform. I look to her in annoyance, yet she looks more annoyed than me. "That little runt got me. Unbelievable."
I laugh. "You should have seen this coming, Quinella. Cardinal is partially you, after all. The more intricate details, probably not so much."
"She connected your fluctlight to the Main Visualizer, thus sending your consciousness inside it. What you see is my consciousness itself."
"So Cardinal was thinking exactly what I knew had to work. Instead of your body, I'll have to break your mind."
"It appears so. But her plan ends here. Assert Main Core Process Authority! Reject All Access. From now on, access to this area is denied. You're a bird in a cage now, boy."
I chuckle. "Quinella, if you wanted me all to yourself, you should have just asked. I mean, here you are, beautiful, naked, and alone with me, any man would love this chance. However, as convincing everything is, there's someone on the other side I prefer. And as I see it, you're stuck in here with me."
"Don't make me laugh. I have a plan. My consciousness is firmly integrated into the Main Visualizer. This entire world is under my control. One more consciousness is hardly a threat! System Call: Generate Invalid Attack Area! Exclude Resource of Warrior Replenishing Module."
"Huh?"
Quinella smiles as she reveals her sword again. "It is time, blood of the Orthinanos, one with the Polluted."
I brace myself as Quinella comes at me. "Bring it on! I won't go down without a fight!" I leap forward, striking Quinella's body, but nothing happens. Not even a scratch. I run her spellwords in my head...and look at her damned blade. My sword, despite being made by Orthinanos handiwork, won't do a thing, but her's, which contains the blood of Orthinanos, can hurt me. In other words, I'm fighting an immortal object… I'm fighting a worse version of Heathcliff. "I have to admit, you are smart, Quinella. Making it so I can't hurt you, but you can hurt me… Annoyingly smart."
"Thank you. And I disconnected the address. That runt won't be interfering again! It's just me, a goddess, and a lonely, irregular boy. Disappear for all eternity!" Quinella thrusts at me, but I dodge out the way. I may not be able to attack her, but being an attacker like Kirito has never been my forte. Defense is now my best offense, and it has to work until Cardinal finds a way.
She has to find a way.
Medina
"What? I can't access the Main Visualizer… Did she disconnect the address?" Cardinal tightens her fists, then releases them with a sigh. "I'm sorry. It's all in Jaymes' hands now."
"Help us… Release us..."
Unsure of she actually heard something or not, Medina looks up to the ceiling in wonder. "Those voices… They're my ancestors… Ngh! Jaymes!" Medina kneels down as she hears Jaymes' struggle on the other side. He's fighting, as he always does, but something is wrong. Something is not going his way on the other side.
"Medina, are you alright? What is it?"
"Alice… I... have to go…"
"To the Main Visualizer," Eydis asks.
Cardinal shakes her head. "It's not possible. No one has the Authority to intervene!"
"I know, but my ancestors are calling me. There are things I must protect!"
Alice and the others gasp as a purple light appears on Medina's forehead. "Medina, your forehead!"
"Could it be…"
"The modules are...resonating!"
"Cardinal. Everyone. I'm sorry for being selfish. But I must help Jaymes!"
Alice step forward in concern. "What are you saying, Medina? It's too dangerous! The Seal of the Right Eye…"
"...Alice, I'll save Jaymes, even if it costs me my life." As Medina begins to disappear, Eydis steps up and grabs Medina's shoulders.
"No, don't just bring that dummy back. You come back too, or I swear on Stacia I'll hate you!" Medina smiles and removes Eydis' hands as she completely vanishes from the Central Cathedral...
Jaymes
"What will it be, boy? Will you submit to your inevitable destruction?"
I laugh in great pain as I stand up. "You got me confused for someone else, I don't know when to quit until I'm dead. So far, you haven't done that… Huh?" I see that Quinella's sword flash red, but even she's surprised by this. What takes us both off guard is the flash of red and white light between us.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Jaymes."
I want to ask how she got here, but it really doesn't matter. "You're late, Medina."
"I heard the voices of my ancestors, and.." She turns back to me, smirking. "Well, I can't let you take all the credit for yourself, now, can I? How could I dishonor the first head like that?"
I can't help but smile back as she draws her sword and we stand together. "You are Matthew's descendant."
Quinella, however, does not seem too pleased or displeased with recent developments. "I see… This lowly human resonated with the sword and came here. How interesting. I didn't expect that much will to remain in the sword. Regardless, you have no chance. You cannot defy me."
"No, but...ungh!" Her eye acts up again, but Medina endures it as best she can. "I will not…be controlled!"
"You will give in before your fluctlight collapses. But first… I shall end you!" Before Quinella can even make a move, I charge forward, striking her with Thoron. Of course, no result. "Did you think a ranged skill would reach me? You don't grasp the situation. In this space, only this sword's attacks meets their mark. That's absolute."
"No, I do...just felt like doing something instead of listening to you talk... And only bad people deals in absolutes... Ugh!"
"Jaymes… You mean attacking is useless..."
I turn back, nodding to her. "What, you think me and her were chatting and having tea in this world? Just stay back, I'll think of something… Gah!" Yeah, right, I'll definitely think of something I haven't tried yet. As I roll on my back, Medina screams my name. Laughing, I kneel and look at Quinella. "You're gonna have to try much harder than that, Quinella. No wonder Kirito beat you." Yeah, me, keep that bravado up. That's gonna help us. I look up to Medina who holds me. "Don't worry, I'm just warming up. I'll beat her."
"Why do you always shoulder the burden alone? Why do you try to be the hero?"
"Why do I always try? Because...the hero, the one who should be here, is not. I hate to admit it, but Kirito...and another, they're heroes. Whenever there's something to be done, it's them that saves the day. They beat an immortal warrior, they save me from death on multiple occasions, heck, they saved us not too long ago… All I've done is been there in the way, but coming here, this was my one chance to save Kirito and bring them both back together. I have to…so I must try to be a hero."
"You idiot!"
"Hey, I'm not gonna argue that, but I'm trying to sound cool."
"You're not alone! You're not the only one protecting this world! There's no doubt that we're both going to die at this rate...but if you die, how can you save Kirito? How can you break your oath to this Koharu? She told you to live to protect others, didn't she? If you die, the Pontifex will bring about even more sacrifices with her plan."
"But I can die, Medina. I'll be fine in my world."
"...But I cannot accept that. I've made up my mind." Medina drops her sword, and proceeds to walk towards the Pontifex.
Quinella looks at the girl in intrigue. "Have you gone mad?"
"Perhaps."
"So be it. You will die by your ancestors' hand."
"I have no argument."
"No!" I stand up and run to Medina, but Quinella places a barrier between me and Medina. Scared, I swing Falchion against the barrier. "Medina… Medina, come back!"
"You're slaves to emotions. I simply cannot understand what goes on in your head. Haa!" Quinella lurches forward and strikes Medina in the chest. Blood cakes the ground and Medina falls back as the barrier disappears.
"No!" Not wanting this to me again, I immediately summon the Luminous healing art, but she grabs my hand and pushes it away.
"In this space, only a blade born of the power of the Orthinanos can be wielded. Isn't that true?" No...she did this on purpose? To confirm it, Medina and her blood flowing around us begins to glow. "I am the final head of House Orthinanos. My time to become its savior has come. With my life, I will fulfill this vow! I will not die for you, Pontifex! I believe in what I want! I decide how I die! Ehh… I shall not be used as my ancestors were! Ahh… Aaaahh… Aaaaaaahhhhhhh!" Blood spurts from Medina's right eye, causing her to collapse.
"Medina!"
"Jaymes… Fight alongside me until the end. I believe in you." She opens her remaining eye and lifts her head up to mine. "Accept my final wish and destroy her. Bring the Pontifex down!" Medina lingers close to a moment longer before she breathes her lasts. As her body falls limp, it vanishes along with her sword and the blood. In its place is a glowing red blade in my hands.
"Okay, Medina… I understand… I promise to grant your wish…"
"Changing into a blade without a command? Unexpected. But you won't best me. Now we usher in the end. Let the festivities begin! Huh, strange. It seems Herysrian's way of speaking transferred." Through hot tears I lift my head towards Quinella, feeling my rage overcome me as I stand up.
Anger. A constant feeling in my life since SAO. I have no idea when it truly began. Was it when Akihiko Kayaba trapped us in the game? Was it when Kirito took the burden of all beta testers upon himself? Was it when PKers started appearing and threatened Koharu and Sanya that time? Was it when Annihilator killed Koharu, or when he almost killed Lisbeth? Was it when we found out Heathcliff was Kayaba all along? I don't have the true answer, but the anger I feel holding this sword does not resonate with Jaymes, the Lord of Knights, Lucky Red, or the Captain of Crimson Squad.
Honestly, I hate that inner part of me that constantly brews rage. He has tortured me for years, taken me down paths I should have distanced myself from, and broke the heart of someone who cared plenty for me. But now I know the truth inside me. This anger I feel now at Medina's death is the real me, the one I try not to be, but the side of me giving me strength to fight. He's here.
"You want a fight, Quinella, you got one. But not with the Lord of Knights!" I swing the blade outward, and at the same time, my clothing changes. A red, slightly armored tunic over a long black shirt, brown gauntlets at the ends of my arms, my legs covered by black pants and leather boots. And I'm sure my enraged red irises are present. "You have now picked a fight with the Crimson Warrior… HAAA!"
