TheKaiSenpai doesn't own SAO or anything else used here, and this is just something he does when he's bored.

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A/N: I apologize for the shortness, but this is a case of me simply losing interest. I'll be wrapping this up here and putting up the sequel as soon as I can. I really did love this story, but it was so limiting in what I could do with it. Plus, I lost my muse while I was visiting my relatives. I'm hoping my sequel to this can offer a bit more to me than this. Like I said, this was all meant to be a sort of prologue.

Chapter 9: The Endgame

[Floor Ninety-Five] [Boss Room] [March 20th, 2025] [10:25 AM] [TheKaiSenpai]

I stared at the massive doors, sighing. We were almost done. Five more floors and we'd be finished. I glanced at my fellow Commanders. Us ten who had been gifted with [Unique Skills]. I chuckled hollowly. We were so goddamn close… I could taste victory. It was bitter. The amount of lives we'd lost was astonishing. Less than half of the total amount of players had survived. Admittedly it was still a lot, but comparatively… I just wanted to get everyone free as soon as possible.

"We're on a time limit," DaTa had told me. "Our outside bodies are crumbling, withering away. How long until people give up on them? I'd give them less than a year. We have to get out now if we want any chance of escape."

There were only thirty players this time in three man squads, each led by a single Commander. Mine and Heathcliff's were in charge of [Tanks]. Noire would be in charge of [Support]. Everyone else were in [DPS]. [Scouting Parties] had been all but removed, as they had no means of escape. Every [Raid] was against a mysterious enemy. Every fight was met with death. This was the last [Boss Room] that anyone but the Commanders would be taking part in. Since [Floor] ninety, every single regular player had died. Only us ten remained. It was… disheartening to say the least. These last twenty knew they were about to die. But they had volunteered their lives to ensure the safety of others. I turned to face them all.

"You are all very brave to come here," I told them. "You are all heroes. Live or die, you will all be remembered as such." I looked them all in the eyes. Fearless. Determined. Accepting. I gave them each a smile. "Let's kick some ass," I told them. "Hoorah!"

"Hoorah!" they cheered in reply. I turned back to the doors and kicked them in. The interior was a long hallway, Roman-esque columns lining the sides. Evening light filtered in through the massive windows, giving it a yellowish tint. At the end of the hall stood a tall, solitary figure. It was no taller than Heathcliff, and was dressed in full knight's plate armor. I shuddered. This was the first time we'd faced down anything this size. Obviously, it meant it would be much harder to face.

"Don't let it deceive you," I told them as we approached the shadowy figure. We were midway down the hall before we were halted by a voice.

"Stop there," spoke a surprisingly human voice. It was… female? The figure walked towards us, its face lit now by the entering light from the outside. "You are trespassing upon the King's lands. Turn back now, and no harm shall befall you." She was a pretty lady, European in descent it seemed.

"Please, let us pass," I asked of her, hoping to resolve this peacefully. "We are but weary travelers, searching for our way home. While I could feel the incredulous looks of my fellow players on my back, it got the result I was hoping for. The woman paused, giving me a quizzical look.

"You will not find it here, traveler," she replied, her expression hardening. "If I may, I would have the name of the man who has offered his own life."

"Kai," I told her. She scowled.

"His real name," she demanded. I grimaced. So she knew, somehow. I sighed and placed away my weapons, approaching her slowly. Her stance became ridged, but I raised both of my hands in peace. She allowed me to come closer.

"My name is…" I whispered it into her ear. "I would rather it not be common knowledge, if you may?" She nodded in approval as I returned back to the side of my peers.

"I see," she spoke softly. "I hope to make this a fair fight. I will face your ten greatest warriors," she announced. "So long as the rest do not interfere, they will live and may pass, even if their ten chosen champions fall to me. But if even one of them interrupts our duel, all of their lives are forfeit." All of the Commanders looked amongst ourselves. We stepped forward. "Very well. Fight with honor! Hurrrraaaah!" Like lightning, she was upon us, fire burning in her eyes. She used a sword and shield, like myself. Her name was [Gwen the Shield Maiden]. I could only guess that she was an elite knight of some sort. Her [Health Bar] was just like that of a player's.

[Gwen] had charged towards me, striking my shield just as I had it raised. I grunted, being pushed back from the sheer force of her swing. "Mech!" I growled.

"On it!" replied the boy. He was in the air, and his mace slammed into the ground not far from [Gwen]. The ground started to rupture in a line towards the woman, before it reached her. She immediately skidded away from me as a huge explosion erupted from where she had just stood. MechManiC's [Unique Skill], [Explosive Smash]. As [Gwen] leaped backwards, Sachi let loose with her own [Unique Skill], [Infinity Spear]. She raised her hands, multiple spears appearing above her. She lowered her arm, 'throwing' them at the woman. While two scraped her, the rest either missed or were blocked.

"Die!" Amako roared, swinging her massive war axe through the air. Shockwaves appeared, flashing towards [Gwen] as she weaved through them almost effortlessly. However, I saw that a few of them were hitting her. This was Amako's [Shockwave Swing].

"Hah!" Asuna suddenly appaered, rapidly striking [Gwen] without fail. [Gwen] grunted, raising her shield to block more incoming strikes before swinging at Asuna. She was gone in and instant though, reappearing next to Noire with her [Instant Travel] [Unique Skill]. From behind, DaTa appeared. He was grinning as he lightly touched [Gwen]. The instant he did so, she froze, and DaTa's right eye flashed red.

"[Rapid Draw]," he mumbled, before raining a flurry of blows upon [Gwen]. It took her down to the yellow of her [HP]. [Gwen] screamed, before dropping her shield.

"Die!" she shouted, gripping her blade with two hands before swinging at DaTa. She sliced him across the chest, dropping him into the red as he stumbled back. She went to strike him down, but multiple small ninja stars struck her from behind. Noire was there, throwing the stars with seemingly no limit. Her [Shurikenjutsu] [Unique Skill]. I grinned. We could do this! "Enough!" [Gwen] roared, slamming her blade into the ground. The ground shook, setting us all off balance while she seemed unaffected. In the middle, however, her shadow began to stredch, growing behind her. "Gah!" she cried as a slash appeared on her back, a hooded figure stepping out from her shadow. I grimaced. He was the last person with a [Unique Skill] aside from Heathcliff and myself, but he was a former member of the [Laughing Coffin]. He was sketchy, but he sword up and down that he was reformed. Nobody really knew his name, and we really didn't want to know.

[Gwen] was in the red, and boy was she pissed off. Flames erupted from her, and she charged at me. "I'll cut off your head!" she screamed, blade ready to hit me. Sachi's spears and Noire's shuriken were all melting before they hit her. I grinned, though, raising my shield. I chuckled as she came closer.

"ROOOOOAAAAAAR!" I let loose with my [Shout of Honor]. It was a luck based [Unique Skill] that had all sorts of effects that happened at random. Some of them would defend you, while others made you more vulnerable. I laughed as wind funneled around me, creating a small tornado around me that interrupted the lightning surrounding [Gwen]. She growled as she was buffeted by the heavy winds. "Strike now, and silence this woman!" I cried. Kirito burst forth past my winds, landing directly in front of [Gwen] with both swords drawn. He struck rapidly, taking out the last of her health. [Gwen] let out a loud scream as she died, keeping me from smiling. I sighed as the door at the end of the hall opened.

"That was… easy…" Kirito mumbled.

"It's almost as if someone wants us to finish this game quickly," Asuna added. DaTa's eyes landed on Heathcliff.

"It does seem odd," DaTa spoke up. "That the game suddenly became easier as our chances of being set off life support in the real world increases. Wouldn't you say, Kayaba?" We all shot looks at DaTa, then at Heathcliff.

"DaTa, what are you talking about?" Asuna asked curiously. I was pretty curious, myself. Did he think Heathcliff was Kayaba?

"I see, so you figured me out," Heathcliff replied. We froze. "I have to say, it took you a while to call me out on it."

"I wanted to be sure," DaTa replied. We were all staring at the two of them in shock. What was this!? "After all, if I was wrong, then all credibility for myself would have been lost."

"That makes sense," Heathcliff, no Kayaba, replied. "However, I admit that you are correct. As this game draws on, the likelihood of everyone dying meaninglessly rises. I can already tell you that the outside world is starting to forget about everyone trapped in here, and soon enough, everyone will die as they begin considering everyone lost causes." Kayaba paused. "I am not heartless. I will admit, I was meant to be the final [Boss] of this game. However, due to the shortage of time, I would not risk everyone's life on 'what ifs'. I will give you all a chance to face me here and now, to determine everyone's freedom."

I grit my teeth as the man spoke. I really wished Iaweh had been here, she could have taken this guy down easily. But she had things to do in Heaven, and left a few floors ago. "Kai," Kayaba spoke up. "Kirito. Keito. You three have surprised me. I had meant it for Kirito to be the only one to face me in this duel, but the three of you have managed to claw your way to the top, together. So, I will give you a choice." He looked among us. "Choose two of yourselves to fight me." Kirito immediately stepped forward.

"I'm gonna tear you a new asshole, old man," Kirito growled. "At least then you can take a shit twice as fast. Maybe it'll take you an hour at least." DaTa and I both stepped forward at the same time.

"I have more experience," DaTa told me frankly. I paused.

"I…" I tried to argue. DaTa gave me a soft look.

"Get your happy ending, Kai," he told me, smiling. "I'll be fine." I had a bad feeling in my gut. Something bad was going to happen. I just knew it! Someone was going to die! He turned to Kayaba. "Let's get this over with." The man nodded, before pulling down his [Menu]. Suddenly, my body went rigid, as did everyone else's except for Kayaba, Kirito, and Kai. I grimaced, feeling myself fall to the ground. What the hell!? I watched them, in pain, as they set themselves up. DaTa, with his hand on the pommel of his katana. Kirito, readied in a kendo stance with his two swords. Kayaba, relaxed as could be. I grimaced, trying to think a way out of this. I grinned. Maybe…

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[DaTa]

So it was down to this… Just us three. I chuckled internally, knowing that this would be fun. To the death or not, I was going to get everyone out. And I was going to enjoy myself with this. As if an unspoken word went between us, Kirito and I rushed him. I couldn't use any in-game [Skills]. No doubt Kayaba knew how to counter each one. That left things I already knew. Too bad for him, I had plenty of experience on my own.

Clang! Kirito's blades crashed into Kayaba's shield. I chuckled, [Sprinting] past and appearing on the man's other side. "Executioner's Blow!" I roared, once more appearing on the side I came from. Several lacerations appeared on Kayaba. While one-on-one he was formidable, he was less than decent at fighting on two fronts. That was his weakness.

"Ah!" Kirito shouted, being knocked back by Kayaba's shield.

"ROOOAAAAAAR!" Kai shouted off to the side. I saw him catch fire, an effect of his [Shout of Honor]. What was he trying to do?

"RRROOOOAAAAARRR!" The rest of the room replied to him, though. Kayaba quickly ran towards me, shield ready to block any attack I could make on him as he readied a strike. I weaved out of the way, slashing at his face, which he promptly blocked. I grinned.

"Shift!" I laughed out, spinning my steel staff above my head and slamming it into him. Kayaba stumbled back, lifting his shield just in time to block Kirito's swings. I ran at him once more, jabbing at him with my staff. They were blocked, though, by the older man's sword. I cursed under my breath. "Shift!" My blade flew from its hilt, slamming against the man's sword, knocking it away. Time to kick it up a notch.

"Hah!" Kirito kept his shield busy as I flipped. My hands landed on the ground and I used them to spring me up, kicking Kayaba in the jaw. He stumbled just long enough for Kirito to land two strikes on the man's back. Kayaba spun, slashing my friend with his own blade. I growled.

"ROOOAAAAAAAR!" The ground around Kai froze. I grimaced. Was he just trying to distract Kayaba? I chased after the two as Kayaba blocked each of Kirito's attempts to land a strike, once more slashing down at the boy. He was in the red. No! He wouldn't die here!

"Head's up!" I shouted. I threw my sword at the old man, scratching the top of his head, sending him into the yellow. Kayaba frowned as he turned to me, deeming me the bigger threat. "Well… Hey there…" I chuckled, shifting my staff to my hands. I grinned nervously. It had gotten his attention all right, but that probably wasn't the smartest move. Still, it gave Kirito some time to recover. "Come at me big boy!" I slammed my staff on the ground a few times. "Come at me!"

"You're insufferable," Kayaba mumbled before swinging at me. I weaved around him as he swung, taking potshots at him with my staff every so often. He finally managed a strike on me, though, and sent me skidding backwards. Fuck, he got me in the yellow with one hit!? I grimaced and looked up, blocking his next strikes. I winced, watching as my [HP] was lowered with every hit. How strong was he!? "I was hoping for more of a challenge from the both of you."

"ROOOOOOOAAAAAAAR!" Kai screamed again. I couldn't look at him, though. I was trying to block every strike Kayaba sent my way. I avoided some of them, but knew blocking was my best option. Dammit, Kirito! Fuck, fuck, fuck! Ten percent… Eight percent… Ow! Six… Four… "Don't lay another hand on my friend!" Kai screamed as Kayaba's blade came in for another strike. My eyes widened as Kai's body flew in front of mine.

Shiiick! Was the sickening sound I heard. I froze, Kai's body, falling to its knees. Kayaba's sword was impaled through him. I ran forward, looking down at my friend. "K-Kai…" I mumbled, pulling him close to me. "What…?"

"Heh…" he mumbled, looking up at me with a wide smile. "Didn't I tell you…? The hero… always comes in… at the last second…" He chuckled hollowly. "I promised you… your happy ending… So go get 'em… Sensei…" Recognition flashed in his eyes. For a moment, I didn't see the black haired young man, but a blonde haired boy with whisker marks on his cheeks, and bright blue eyes. The life faded from his eyes, and he was gone.

"No…" Noire whispered as Kayaba picked his sword up from the ground.

Nine seconds.

I could win in that time. I screamed. I saw red. I lunged at Kayaba with hatred filling my veins. I attacked viciously, my staff a blur as I attacked him in rage.

Eight seconds.

"I'll murder you!" I screamed, tears flowing from my eyes. Clang! Clang! Clang! Each hit blocked. But I was striking with such force that his [HP] was lowering with every strike. But it wasn't enough. Faster! Faster! Murder! Die! Die! DIE! DIE! DIE!

Seven seconds.

I could hear Asuna calling out to me. She was crying. Why was she crying?

Six seconds.

No! I could do this! I wouldn't let Kai die here!

Five seconds.

I was so close! Just a little more!

Four seconds.

No! I wasn't going to make it!

Three seconds.

I had to! I had to do this! He was in the red!

Two seconds.

I could hear them cheering me on. I could hear Kirito shouting. It didn't matter. I could make it! I was so close I could taste it!

One second.

Ten more hits! Nine! Eight! Seven! He was just barely hanging on and he knew it! He knew he was going to die! He-

Zero.

I felt my heart stop. My blood ran cold. I… I was… No, I could still do this! He could still be alive! "DIIIIEE!" I screamed, slamming my staff into Kayaba's head. He looked at me with an impassive face… And shattered… I fell to my knees. This… I was… Kai was… I glanced at myself, and saw Kayaba's sword sticking out of me. Well… fuck… Then… my body… became no more…

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I found myself standing in the skybox, outside of the floating castle. It was beginning to crumble. I blinked, my heart aching. I looked around for Kai. He was nowhere to be seen. I… failed him…

"You did well," a voice spoke up from behind me. He was a pale haired man, dressed in a lab coat. He was lanky, but otherwise looked just healthy. I hated him. "To think that Kai would exploit his own [Shout of Honor] [Unique Skill] like that to save you. He was a good man." Despite the hatred I felt… I couldn't bring myself to attack him. I still glared at him, though.

"You're a monster," I growled. Kayaba didn't seem too bothered by that. "Making a world and using unwilling people to fill it… You're sick." He shrugged, looking down at his own crumbling world.

"I lost the meaning of 'why' a long time ago," he told me. "Perhaps you are right. Maybe I wanted a world of my own creation, and have it so lifelike, that I tricked other people into it. Just to live out my own selfish fantasy." He paused. "Or perhaps there was another reason. I suppose it doesn't matter, now. You've beaten the game. I assure you, you'll survive. You died after it was cleared, so the system doesn't officially count you as dead." He started to walk away, but paused. "The NerveGear was never designed to function for much more than a year or two. It was always meant to become obsolete by the constant flows of technological advancements. A stepping stone, if you will." With that, he kept walking on. "Perhaps, somewhere, Kai is still alive, waking up just as everyone else is. After all, after time all electronics will fail." Then I was alone, watching as Kayaba's greatest creation crumbled to pieces. I held onto that last sentence, though. Maybe Kai was alive. I grinned.

"If that's the case…" I mumbled to myself. "I'll just have to find you, myself!" I smiled, clinging onto that last visage of hope as all turned to white.

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[Rakuwakai Marutamachi Hospital] [Kyoto] [March 20th, 2025] [12:34 PM] [Suzuki Hana]

The halls were filled with hospital staff as I walked down them. I wasn't entirely sure why. Had something happened? My eyes flew wide with worry. Were they taking everyone off of life support!? The nurses had spoken of such a few times, but I thought they would at least ask me before essentially killing my only son! I ran down the halls, flowers in one hand as I made my way to my son's room.

Ever since my husband and I had found his note, we'd been worried sick about him! At first we thought it was some strange prank, and we were going to scold him on it as soon as he finished playing his game. But then he never woke up. The news said everyone was trapped inside the game he was playing, and that removal of the system would kill them! I remember crying. I remember… sobbing in my husband's arms as the paramedics wheeled our son away, that damned gaming system still attached to his head! As the years went by, however, my husband shifted his focus from our son to his job. I… did the same, not long after he did. After all, we had to cover Keito's medical bill. While the government was doing what they could, they would only fund the hospitals for a small amount of time. We had no idea what was going on in that game until a few years ago, when something was sent to everyone in Japan.

It had been my friend who had emailed me a link to a live-stream of the game. Apparently they were in some dungeon facing a boss. I was an old gamer, myself, but all of these new things were surprising to me. What really got to me, though, was that boss flying in the air, with people panicking underneath it. That was when I saw my son. He stood bravely with a few other people and commanded them like a war veteran. I couldn't have been more afraid for him when that… thing slammed into the other man's shield, and he climbed on with two others. But… I was proud of him. I knew, at that moment, that my son truly was someone who could take care of himself. And I was proud to know that he was my son. And that he loved both his father and myself.

When I arrived at the door, it was shut. I could hear people talking inside, including… I swung the door open, and tears filled my eyes. It was my baby boy, with that cursed helmet off of his head! He was frail. He was bony. His hair was overgrown and shaggy and dirty, but he was my boy! With him was a man dressed in a suit. He looked official, like he was from the government.

"Thank you for your time, Suzuki," the man said, garnering a nod from my son. He walked past me, and I could barely hold back my smile. My beloved Keito smiled right back at me, his eyes tired, but happy.

"Hey… mom…" his voice rasped. "Been a while…"

The End

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A/N: Despite shortening the end, I'm proud of this. Not because it was particularly brilliant, or anything. Just because I finished it. I proved to myself I can finish a story. There will be a sequel, I can tell you that. It will tie up some of the loose ends I've made while having its own plot and set of characters. The loose ends were on purpose, by the way. Things like what happened to Kai, and what Iaweh was doing. Of course, that isn't to say that DaTa, Lilly, and Asuna will all be ignored, but… Well, you'll see. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this little prologue. I will see you all in the sequel.

The Legacy Of The Invincible Hero