Disclaimer: I do not own Sword Art Online
My name is Tanaka Niten, and I am eighteen years old now. I used to repeat this every day, just to remember the real world. But no more. It's been three years since I logged into this death game Sword Art Online and couldn't log back out. Three years I've been fighting digital monsters and strengthening myself, just to hold onto a hope built on nothing. Three years since Kayaba cruelly let us believe we could escape his grasp.
We have nothing left to lose. We've been deceived and betrayed by the one we put our trust in. But his lies will not break us. It doesn't matter that Kayaba Akihiko controls the game. It doesn't matter that he has the powers of a god. He's just a man. We are not his puppets. We're going to take back our lives, and escape from this death game.
The Ruler of Deities shrieks as it crumbles into pixels. Floor 99 has been cleared.
The power of human will is truly inspiring. After Kirito broadcast his call to action, every last able-bodied fighter in Aincrad answered. Former members of rival guilds put aside their differences and prior allegiances to unite under the Black Swordsman, forming a single giant guild called the Aincrad Liberation Organization, or ALO for short. Together, we conquered the last four floors within the space of a single month. It seems like a dream now, looking back.
Of course, the price was high. There were casualties. Thinker and Yulier. Killed in the fight against the Slaughter Fang on Floor 96. Agil. Died from fall damage when the Kaiser Dragon dropped him over two hundred feet on Floor 98. A hundred other players I only know by name, like Kainz, Wallis, and Stark. Fallen at various points during our mad rush to the finish. Silica. Killed by the boss we just killed, right as I was about to transfer my healing ability to her. Lately, there's been too many people I haven't been able to save.
"This is it." Kirito points to the door, which just appeared at the death of Floor 99's boss. "One more floor. One last fight, and we can go home."
"What're we waiting for?" I shout. "Let's get this over with!"
The Aincrad Liberation Organization roars its approval, and we surge forward like a tidal wave, nearly trampling Kirito. As the crowd of players approaches, the door to Floor 100 creaks open automatically. But as soon as I step past the threshold into a dark hallway however, cries of dismay and shock reach my ears. I whirl around in a panic, but no one is being attacked or turned into pixels. Instead, there is a transparent red field filling the doorway. None of the other players can get past it, it seems.
"What's going on?" Kirito asks. Somehow, he's made it through the barrier.
"I don't know." I shake my head. "Maybe it only allows two players in or something."
"That can't be it, we're here too." Khai replies as he and Rogers manage to push their way through the crowd and past the red barrier.
"Welcome!" A familiar voice hisses from behind us, and the four of us turn, drawing our weapons. Standing before us is the red-cloaked figure that has appeared to us twice before, though it is the size of a normal player now. Kirito leaps forward with a shout, and his swords slash through Kayaba's avatar, which only fizzles, revealing it to be a hologram.
Sure enough, the pre-recorded message continues on as though nothing had happened. "Congratulations upon making it this far. But this is the final test. Normally, the Ruby Palace would have been open to all who wished to challenge the King of Aincrad. However, to prove yourselves worthy of leaving, only the strongest among you, those who have surpassed all others to achieve greatness, shall be allowed to enter. Now, come. Defeat me, and win your freedom!" With that, the figure vanishes.
Silence fills the air. We all know what Kayaba means. The strongest among the players, those who have surpassed all others. That can only mean the Unique Skill Users. The red barrier has kept out everyone else but the ones who hold the Dual Wield, Unbreaking Shield, Darkness Blade, and Eternal Life. No doubt, the others will join us soon enough.
"So this is our last chance." Rogers frowns. "If we don't beat Heathcliff, no one else will be able to even try."
Kirito walks up to the red barrier, putting his hand to it. "It's not letting me through. Where we're going, it's a one-way trip."
"A one-way trip out of here, I hope." Alina remarks, as she, Jaina, and Kotona walk through the barrier.
"We'll either win this or die trying." Urian follows closely behind the girls. "Well, that makes eight. Which means we're just waiting on-"
"Wait for me!" Klein shouts, stumbling through the red field. "You didn't think I'd let you leave without me, did ya?"
"Course not, Klein." Kirito smiles. "We need every last person we can get."
"Kirito!" Asuna shouts from beyond the border. "Kirito, wait!"
"Asuna!" Kirito runs back to the barrier. "Asuna, I... Go home. Wait with Yui. If-when we beat the game, make sure she logs out."
"I will." Asuna nods, then presses her hand to the barrier. "I love you, Kirito."
"I love you too, Asuna." Kirito places his hand to hers, the two of them separated by the transparent red field. I turn away, slightly embarrassed to watch the tender moment. The others standing by look equally uncomfortable. None of us comment on Kirito's slip. If. Despite our power, it's not a certainty that we can beat Kayaba, no matter what the Black Swordsman says.
After a long moment, Kirito clears his throat and says gruffly. "Come on. We've got a game to beat."
Together, the nine of us stride down the dark hallway before us, the cheers of our fellow players behind us ringing in our ears.
"This seems almost too easy." Kotona mumbles. "There's no enemies at all? Urian, are you sure we're going the right way?"
"Don't jinx it, Kotona." Jaina replies. "If we get swarmed by mobs, I'll kill them first, then you."
"There's only one enemy we need to worry about." Rogers cuts in. "Nothing else matters."
"Quiet!" Urian hisses. "I'm trying to navigate to the throne room, and none of you are helping with your chatter."
"Relax, Urian." I grin. "We're about to enter into the fight of our lives, with thousands of players counting on us to win so that they can leave the virtual reality they've been trapped in for three years. No biggie."
Everyone gives me a sour look at that. I guess it wasn't as funny as I thought.
"This is it." Alina holds out her arm, stopping us from walking through a doorway into the next room.
"How do you know?" Khai looks confused. "Urian's the one with the map."
"There's a big fucking chair in the middle of the room, you dummy." Alina rolls her eyes. "I'd say it's a dead giveaway."
"But where's Kayaba?" Kirito wonders out loud. "I don't see him anywhere."
"He's supposed to be in the center of the throne room." Urian frowns. "Right where that throne is, actually."
"Maybe he'll appear if we come closer." Klein suggests.
"Maybe." Kirito draws his swords. "Everyone, be on the lookout. We're going in."
The nine of us cautiously tiptoe into the throne room. It's a massive hall, with a black and white marble floor and red stone pillars stretching way up into darkness. The ceiling is so high that we can't see it. And right in the center of the room is a throne made from pure ruby. Slowly, we approach the throne, but nothing happens.
"I don't understand." Urian looks frustrated. "We should be right on top of him."
At those words, my blood seems to freeze in my brains. Out of the corner of my eye, I see the same horror fill Kirito's expression. But before either of us can do anything, a scarlet flash pierces Urian, slashing him from shoulder to hip. Before I can use Eternal Life, the holder of the Unique Skill Extrasensory dies in a scatter of light.
"Move!" Rogers roars, pushing Alina out of the way, taking the next hit on his round shield.
Heathcliff laughs, a deep rumbling laugh that seems to shake the floor beneath us. "Welcome! To your demise!" He only has one health bar, unlike any other boss we've ever faced, but I have a feeling it won't be easy.
"HYAAARRGGHHH!" Kirito screams as he lunges at Heathcliff, both swords blazing green and blue. Elucidator and Dark Repulser blur into a complex attack sequence, but astonishingly, Heathcliff blocks every last strike with ease before ramming Kirito with his shield. Thankfully, I've already transferred Eternal Life to him.
"Star stream Burst? You'll have to do better than that, Kirito." Heathcliff smirks. "I know every last programmed move combo in the game."
There is a loud roar of thunder, and my hair stands on end. Jaina has just unleashed her Infinite Spear against Heathcliff. The red-armored player grimaces, a quarter of his health bar having been emptied. "That was a mistake, Jaina."
In the blink of an eye, Heathcliff has crossed the length of the throne room to stab Jaina through the heart. Another Unique Skill User bursts into pixels. There are only seven left now.
"Hah!" Klein shouts in triumph as the familiar white wave of light slashes through the air from his Battoujutsu. Heathcliff braces himself behind his shield, but his health again drops, now at half of its full capacity.
Alina jumps into the fray now, striking at Heathcliff with fists and feet. Heathcliff tries to back up, to get out of her reach, but Alina follows, making sure to stay too close for Heathcliff to use either his sword and shield.
"Switch!" Kotona shouts, just as Alina begins to slow. As the martial arts master jumps back, Kotona throws a quick succession of shuriken at Heathcliff. To my shock, they all fly past him, not a single one even impacting his raised shield. But this was Kotona's plan. Completely breaking the laws of physics, the shuriken arc back around to embed themselves in Heathcliff's back.
Heathcliff growls, and runs forward, but is met by Rogers's Unbreaking Shield. The two men push, neither giving ground, until Heathcliff realizes that Kirito is closing in.
In a surprising move, Heathcliff throws his sword. Unprepared, Kirito takes it right in the throat, shattering into pixels. Our leader has died.
"NO!" Klein screams. Desperately, he opens his menu. I don't know what he's doing, but I fire three arrows in as many seconds. Kirito may be dead, but we can still win this fight.
Heathcliff catches all my arrows on his shield, and draws a new weapon. Unlike his other sword, this one is single-edged, a falchion. He slashes at Rogers, who only survives thanks to my Unique Skill.
Alina jumps forward again, but the different reach of Heathcliff's new weapon takes her by surprise, and she is knocked aside. I move to transfer Eternal Life to Alina, but I know it won't be fast enough. Heathcliff's falchion begins its downward descent toward Alina's head, but it is suddenly stopped by two swords, one black and the other greenish-blue.
Kirito raises his foot to Heathcliff's chest and pushes, knocking him down. I stare in astonishment at the Black Swordsman, returned from the dead. How? I look over to Klein, just in time to see a curious round orb disappear from his hand.
"What-" I stammer, but am interrupted by Khai's shout.
"Naitama! Now!" Suddenly, a black cloud enshrouds Heathcliff. In the space of two heartbeats, I've drawn, aimed, and fired my last Death Rain arrow. Hundreds of wooden shards rain into the dark mist, and when it clears, Heathcliff is down to a fraction of his health.
"Kirito!" I scream. "Switch!" I transfer the overpowered regeneration of Eternal Life to Kirito, who jumps forward at Heathcliff.
"ANNIHILATION TEMPEST!" Kirito roars as his two swords flash in a pattern. Unlike his normal combos, the sword movements for this one are jerky, as though he is actively trying to avoid completing a swing. I realize with a start that this is not a move combo that has been programmed into the game. Kirito made his own, so that Heathcliff couldn't anticipate his moves and counter them.
As I watch, Heathcliff's health bar drains slowly, from orange, to red, and then to completely empty, just as Kirito jumps back, shouting "Switch!"
I draw my bow, an Acheron arrow ready to paralyze Heathcliff, but our opponent drops to a knee, defeated.
"Well done." Heathcliff smiles, clapping slowly. "You have defeated me. You are free to go."
"Not so fast." Kirito's eyes narrow. "Why? Why trap us all in this game? For what purpose? So you could play God?"
Heathcliff shakes his head, the smile on his face growing wider. "No, although that did have its perks. I became the face of evil because I wanted to see how the players would react. Would they turn on one another? Would they unite for a greater cause? What would mankind do?"
"You wanted to test us." I realize. "Was it worth it? All those deaths? You becoming a villain?"
Heathcliff shrugs. "You tell me. But I advise you to log out soon. Now that the game has been beaten-" He's cut off by a loud rumble as the ground begins to shake. "-Aincrad will soon be no more." And with that, Kayaba Akihiko vanishes.
My hands are trembling, I just realized. After three years. Three long years, I can finally go home. I can finally leave this hell. I swipe down with my right hand, opening the menu. Pressing the buttons that hover in the air in front of me, I navigate to the option that has been left empty for so long. Sure enough, it is now filled with a single word:
Logout
I look at the other six players around me and nod. "I'll see you all on the other side." I press the button, and everything goes black.