And here comes another chapter of Leafa's Thorn! This is the chapter where they go into the Ruby Palace! Finally! Yeah, I'm thinking that this chapter should be a long one but I'm not sure because again, I'm just typing everything that is coming to my head as I write it. I got a lot of reviews and I would like to thank everyone who has reviewed! I love that you love the story but I would still like to feel the love and see more reviews lol. If you haven't seen the second season of sword art online, watch it! It is so good and it's about halfway through its season so freaking watch it! Again, please PM me if you want to put a drawing on Deviant Art and please vote for my next story! I have 4 votes for Blue Exorcist so far so I think that'll be the one I write. However, I usually work on two stories at a time so vote for the second one! And finally, here's the chapter and thank you so much for reading!

Ch. 20

We all walked to the ginormous stairway and stared at the two red doors. It would take some time to get up the stairway but it was the final boss, after all.

"What are you doing?"

A little girl's voice said. My ears caught her voice and I turned around to see the tiny fairy on Asuna's shoulder. It was Yui. I smiled as soon as I realized who it was and waved at the little girl. She grinned and waved back at me. Yui picked Yui up and cupped her in her hands.

"Yui, we're helping Thorn with a problem in the game. We're about to face the final boss so I want you to stay in my pocket so you don't get hurt, okay?"

"Okay mommy. I hope you beat the crap out of him!"

We all smiled but then my eyes suddenly went wide at the realization. I don't know why I didn't notice it before. I pointed at Yui and gave Asuna a confused look.

"What?"

"Why is she calling you mommy!?"

Asuna giggled.

"Because I'm her mom, duh!"

My mouth fell open and Leafa had to close it again. Kirito jumped in front of her and pointed to himself.

"Yep, and I'm the dad!"

I started stuttering like an idiot and managed to get out a sentence,

"D-dude, I knew you guys had s-sex but I n-never knew you got her p-pregnant!"

They both looked at each other and laughed as Leafa slapped the back of my head.

"Idiot, she was created from the system. I'll just tell you how they got her later. But now, we have to focus on getting to the final boss."

Leafa said, walking up the stairs. She was right; my curiosity would have to wait just a little bit longer. We all followed the blonde beauty up the stairs for what seemed like hours. I know the game was designed for you to never get tired, but damn. It felt like we were walking up the Great Wall of China or something like that! Leafa smirked and tapped my shoulder when I caught up to her.

"Don't turn around."

"Why?"

I asked as I turned around anyways. My eyes went big at seeing how high we were. Did I mention I hate heights!? I instantly attached myself to Leafa's arm while she giggled. We finally got to the top of the giant stairway and stopped in front of the humongous ruby-colored doors. I turned around and faced everyone.

"Does everyone have their equipment equipped and ready to go?"

They all nodded and I continued.

"Alright, I brought everyone a strength potion so we could increase our chances of winning."

I said as I gave everyone their potion. They, of course, thanked me and began chugging their potions. The liquid tasted like a cross between cherry-flavored medicine and grape soda. Yeah, not that appetizing…..

Congratulations!

You have gained

200 more strength

Points for ten minutes!

Well it was worth it anyway.

"Awesome! So now I want Kazuto to be the part leader for the mission because he's obviously the strongest."

He walked up to me and bumped our fist.

"I'm fine with that. "

He said with a smirk. I nodded and turned to the doors again. Everyone lined up beside me as we all used our strength to push through them. Once opened, the inside looked like a dark abyss. Kazuto unsheathed his sword and led the way. But once he was inside, you couldn't see him, due to his black hair and coat. Leafa grabbed my hand as we both followed him through the blackness. Going deeper in the darkness, I began to grow more nervous about the whole thing. I can't hide this feeling that's telling me that something bad is going to happen. I know I came here to solve the problem in the game, but Leafa and the others come first. I'll protect them with all I have and they'll protect me.

We reached a room with some light and a merchant standing at a couple of doors. He smiled and waved at us.

"Hello travelers! I am the last merchant you shall see. You have battled through thick and then with blood and sweat covering your armor. This is the finish line but you have one more challenge to face. Commander Heathcliff! The commander is the most powerful being in the game and will show no mercy when it comes to combat! I advise that you all buy some potions from me and challenge him or retreat and level up some more. Choose wisely."

Kazuto turned to us and we nodded, signaling that we should go on ahead. He turned back to the merchant, his black coat swaying, and gave the merchant his answer.

"We would like to go ahead and challenge Heathcliff. We have all trained hard for this moment and believe that we are ready for the final battle."

The merchant hesitantly nodded and opened the doors to the boss room. He looked at us and gave us a simple.

"Good luck."

We nodded and entered the giant room.

Warning!

You are entering

The boss room for

This floor!

Proceed with caution!

I clicked away the message and took a look around the giant room, squeezing Leafa's hand a little tighter. The walls were covered with stained glass and paintings. It looked more like a giant cathedral than a Palace. The floor was covered with red and white stained glass as well. As we continued through the large quiet room, I could make out that the floor glass made up a single warrior. The warrior had greyish hair along with red and white armor. His equipment consisted of a long sword and an intimidating shield. He seemed serious but it looked like he was almost smiling at the way the glass was formed.

"Thorn, look."

Leafa said as she pointed forward. I followed her hand to the front of us to see a large throne chair. The chair was embedded with crystals and gems of all colors. The seat and back of it was carpeted a bright red and the arms seemed almost gold-like. The throne was empty but as soon as we got far enough, the man on the glass floor appeared. I looked down to see that the glass had disappeared and was now just bright red carpet, exactly like the throne chair. The man smirked at us as his shield and sword rested against the side of the throne. He crossed his ankles and clapped loudly for all of us to hear.

"Well, well, well, it seems that you made it. You've completed the 100 floors of my world, Aincrad. Or am I wrong….Yes, I'm sure of it. You're all here for a different reason, is that it?"

My eyes went wide at his words. Did he know that we were here for the problem in the system? How could he know if he's just a normal AI boss?

"Let me guess, you're here to solve the little problem in the system, am I correct?"

"How did you know?"

Kirito suddenly asked. Heathcliff smirked and brought his arms out as if he was giving a hug.

"I'm the creator aren't I? You see, I made this game to where you would die if your life bar reached zero. But then Kirito, here, figured out who I was and defeated me through the skin of his teeth."

He said, gesturing to Kirito. I stepped beside him and released my curiosity.

"Okay, but how are you here if he defeated you. Aren't you supposed to be just a normal AI boss?"

Heathcliff laughed and crossed his ankles again.

"He defeated me, yes, but not my brain. When I created the game, I had downloaded my brain onto the system to give me the full experience of my own world. So when he defeated me, my body had disappeared but my brain still remained in the system."

It was Kirito's time to speak.

"But when I defeated Suguo, you helped me and gave the "World Seed." I thought you disappeared and was done with all of this!"

"Haha, no. Suguo was a fool in thinking he could compete with my genius. I may have helped you with that little incident but I was still determined to hold onto my world. When the world seed was out and running, the RECTO Company took complete ownership of Aincrad and I let them do it. You see, if I let them think that I was no threat anymore, they would sit back and enjoy the profit. But I hid myself and waited for the right moment to come and take back my castle. Did they think that what I was doing was just a small problem in the system?"

I nodded.

"Yes, but they don't know that it's you who's behind it."

Heathcliff nodded understandingly and rested his head on the back of the chair.

"ahhh, that seems truthful. Those company workers have no idea what's coming to them. I plan on taking over Aincrad as well as their new addition, ALfheim, and starting all over. They can't stop me and I have nothing to lose."

Asuna shook her head and questioned him.

"You can't do what you did again! The Amusphere is a lot safer than the Nerve Gear so you can't kill again! No one is going to play the game if you just take control of it again!"

Heathcliff swiped his finger side-to-side.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. You are so ignorant, my dear. Because you went ahead and skipped all of those floors you were supposed to clear, the data in the system was misinterpreted."

"Misinterpreted?"

I asked with my head tilted.

"Yes. The data was so confused that all I had to do was steer it in the right direction. Well…my direction. The rogue programming was strong enough to effect the so called, "Amusphere" as well. I actually found a way to send deadly energy waves to the headset and the results are heart-stopping. Literally."

He said, laughing.

"And guess what, the death rule is up and running again! The thing you destroyed, Kirito, came back in just a few months! Now, the rule is only set for the twenty-five unexplored floors so far but once I'm done with all of you, I'll set it to every floor again!"

Kirito's hands began to shake as he lifted his sword and gritted his teeth.

"What the hell makes you think that we're just going to let that happen!?"

"Kirito's right! We won't let you do what you did to all of those people! We'll defeat you here and make sure that you're erased from the system for good!"

I yelled as my eyes flared up. The others stepped forward and unsheathed their weapons. We were all here and we were ready. The problem was the worst possible thing for all of us but we chose to come here. We started it and now we are going to finish it with the tip of our swords. Heathcliff smirked and finally stood up, grabbing both his sword and shield. He looked at us and raised his shield.

"Well then…let's see who's gotten stronger. Me…..or….you…? Let the final battle commence and let's see who really deserves to call themselves the best!"

He yelled as he ran towards us.

Thorn LV. 75 /====================| 14:40

HP: 20000/20000

I charged at him with a battle cry and connected my sword with his shield. He covered himself up with every blow and pulled his shield back for a hit. I blocked myself with my sword and was blown back a few feet. Kirito screamed and brought his two swords into the fight. He swung at Heathcliff at blinding speeds and a blue glow surrounded him.

"Starburst Stream!"

He said as he went even faster and faster with his sword work. I was amazed at his skill but he wasn't done yet. He must've completed a chain of 100 hits before he swung his sword for the last time. Heathcliff gritted his teeth and flew back, landing on his feet. Since he was a person, he only had one health bar. But the health bar was longer and thicker than any other boss. His health went down a little due to the massive defense he had at his disposal. He grinned as Asuna jumped at him and stabbed her rapier at him. She attacked with swiftness and beauty that you could barely comprehend. I turned to leafa and nodded at her.

"Leafa! Fireball!"

"Got it! On my count!"

She raised her hands and chanted words that I couldn't understand. I raised my "Volcanic Skeletal Sabre" sword and waited on her cue.

"1! 2! 3!"

She said as we both yelled words of offense.

"Magma storm!"

"Meteor Raid!"

The balls of red and yellow blasted through her hands and surround Heathcliff. He gasped and tried to block the balls of fire, only receiving a little damage from them. My sword duplicated into eight and shot fireballs of my own. I could see his eyes widen as he ran and dove behind the throne chair. The chair was destroyed in a second with an explosion that surfaced the entire Ruby Palace. Agil smirked as he saw the chance of opening. He brought his giant hammer in the air and pounded it down in front of the commander. The ground before him grumbled and cracked but the commander was light on his feet. Pina, Silica's dragon, flew high into the ceiling and scanned the battlefield, giving Silica information. She nodded and yelled towards us.

"Guys! His weak spot is on his back!"

Heathcliff's eyes widened again as he turned toward the young girl.

"You! You're first!"

He yelled as he charged her. Pina dove into the scene, cutting the side of Heathcliff's face.

"Stupid dragon!"

He yelled, smacking Pina with his long sword. The blue dragon flew into Silica's arms as she tumbled out of Heathcliff's attack.

"I got you, Silica!"

Lisbeth yelled as she distracted the final boss. She tried to dodge his attacks but he was too fast and depleted her life fast. Kirito gasped and pushed her out of the way.

"Heal Lisbeth!"

He said as he blocked the attack with his black sword. Heathcliff snickered as they clashed their swords together.

"Please….do you really believe that you can defeat me so easily this time? I don't think so! You will all fall to my holy sword! Bow down to the "Insane Ruler!"

Leafa brought out her sword and went after the two, trying to help her struggling cousin. I followed after her and gripped the sword in my hand.

"Jesus, he's fucking crazy!"

I said as I ran at him.

"He's not usually like this. I'm guessing when his brain was downloaded into the system, his saneness was corrupted or something like that. Either way, he's evil all the same."

Kirito yelled. We all came together and attacked Heathcliff. He, of course, brought his shield up but it couldn't take the willpower of all three of us combined. His health depleted an inch as he jumped back and confronted Klein.

"Well then. You are all strong. But if I kill you each, one at a time, then you will surely lose!"

Klein gave a menacing growl as he slashed his Katana at his Shield with sharpness and expertise, making the commander back up slightly.

"Oh yeah!? Well I'm not going to let that happen, you asshole!"

Klein screamed as he swung his blade once again. Klein held his own for a couple of minutes but soon needed our help. I was the first one to make it to the two warriors and teamed up with the katana-user.

"Thanks Thorn! If we work together, we can kick this guy's ass!"

"Yeah! But it won't be easy!"

I said, dodging an attack coming for my face. Leafa healed me as Heathcliff managed to cut into my shoulder. I winced at the pain but now was no time to stop! The healing power rotated around me and my life bar went up once more. I sighed in relief and continued to deal blows to Heathcliff's attacks. He turned to Leafa and smirked.

"Ahh, so that's your healer, huh? Let me change that!"

He screeched, throwing his "Insane Ruler" sword at Leafa. I gasped and ran towards her. My legs moved and burned with the speed I was going. The sword was traveling so fast and there was no way I would make it. But I can't let him kill her. I won't let him kill her! I'll save her with my life and If I die, then so be it! The sword swung through the air, breaking the air around it. Leafa's eyes went wide as she froze in place and her nerves stopped. Everything was in slow motion as I sprinted and dove to take Leafa in my arms.

"Leafa!"

And that is the first part of the final battle. I am like the master of cliffhangers lol. I know you hate it but I think the story is better with a little excitement added to it lol. I hope you're not mad at me though. I would like to thank the readers who have given me ideas for this part because I honestly didn't know what I was going to do. But I combined the ideas and here ya go! The last part will come out later this week. I really hope you liked the chapter and ask that you tell me about it! I really want you to review this chapter! I want to know if I did a good job or not! I am so happy right now! Lol. But please vote on the poll on my profile and tell me which story you want me to write when I am done with this story and my attack on titan story. And finally, thank you so much for supporting the story and hope that you stay tuned for the next chapter! Thanks for reading, until next time! P. S. "Insane Ruler" is the name of Heathcliff's Sword.