Chapter 15

Author's Manager: Alright, guys. No new chapter this time, I just wanted to get your attention. Okay, the last author's note. I did a little...Bashing. That was unprofessional of me. The author of the other story contacted me. Now, to be honest, I thought the guest review was either him or an actual IRL friend of his. Turns out, I was mistaken. I probably just needed to vent at that time, and I was really too quick to tear the story apart. But he also told me that he got a few...unfavorable reviews of his own. Please, guys, you're not my army. I really don't want or need any rabid followers giving me a bad name. Some of my older stories do that for me already. (That was a joke) Anyway, love you guys, new chapter should be up soon.

August 21st, 2024

"You can't go!" Liz shouted, stepping in front of the doorway. "Those guys are cold-blooded killers, and you've put, what, a dozen of them in the Army castle? You'll be at the top of their list!"

"I HAVE to go. They've killed dozens of people. They need to be stopped."

"Agreed. But why you?"

"Because, self-flattery aside, you're married to one of the best players in this game. If the Reaper is scared enough to back out of the raid, what's that going to do to the morale?"

"If you get KILLED, what's that going to do for morale?!"

"That's not going to happen."

"HOW DO YOU KNOW?" She was really pissed about this.

"Because I love you. And no matter how many people stand between us, I promise you that I will always walk back through that door." She regarded me with cold anger. We'd been arguing about this all week, and things had been tense since I disappeared for that week last month. After a pause, she finally sighed.

"Fine. Go. But take this," she said, pulling something out of her private inventory. It materialized, and my eyes widened.

"No."

"It's your best chance!"

"I'm not using that thing!"

Aw, I'd kill to get my hands on that.

You'd kill for a Klondike bar. Shut up.

"They would kill you, if they get the chance. You need to be prepared to do the same."

"I won't give them that chance," I said, lowering her arm with my own. Lowing the Ban Hammer to rest at her side. "But you need to destroy that thing."

"Why not give it to the Clearers? If you won't kill-"

"No. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. Always has, always will. And in this world, that thing is the height of power. We need to destroy it. Trash it, melt it for scrap, I don't care. But I won't use it, and neither will anyone else."

"I…I got it. I'll destroy it."

"Thank you." I leaned in, giving her a kiss, then pulling back, donning my gear. "I've got this. I'll be back in a few hours."

"I love you," she said as I stepped out.

"Love you too."

(X)

"Alright, people. Let's go over the plan one more time," said Asuna. "The KotBO are taking point. Solos, you guys are on the sides. Guilds, you take the center and rear. Stay behind us, and keep tight."

"Bow chicka bow wow," said Kirito's friend, Klein. I'd been introduced to him once, a couple of months after the Christmas fiasco with Kirito. He'd tried to stammer through a few Death jokes, and when I tried to shake his hand, he'd actually winced when I'd extended my hand. Apparently my reputation was a lot harsher than I'd thought.

There was a pause. "Y'know what? Change of plans. Klein's guild is in front."

"Eh. It was worth it."

"In all seriousness, remember. There's 50 of us, and they don't know we're coming. You're the best players in this game. Do your jobs."

"Alright people," said Heathcliff. "Let's get these criminals."

I took my position on the right side of the formation, next to a pudgy guy with a scimitar, and we walked into the cave. "Nervous, are you?" he asked me. I tilted my head in his direction. "I am. These guys killed some of my buddies a few months back. I'm looking for two of 'em in particular-."

"Don't."

"What?"

"We're not here to seek retribution. We're here to bring justice to criminals."

He chuckled. "I would've thought someone like you would be out to kill as many of them as possible." I felt a flare of anger, and the Reaper pushed at it, trying to break my control.

C'mon, let me at him.

Don't prove him right.

Oh, please? Just a little bit of maiming.

I switched to my gravelly voice, and the same message came out of my mouth and echoed throughout my thoughts. "Shut up." Surprisingly, they both did.

We entered a large, cavernous room, standing on a central…hallway type thing. It consisted of lots of flat slabs stacked on top of each other, forming staircases and platforms alike. There were smaller platforms scattered around, floating on air. One of the men from the Holy Dragon Alliance, the one who worked with Heathcliff to set this raid up, turned to address the group. "If the tip we got's good, then we should be near Laughing Coffin's base. But before we charge in, let's keep one thing in mind. Those guys are red players. Once the battle starts, they're not going to think twice about killing any one of us. So don't you hesitate. You do, and you're dead. But we've got two things going for us. We outnumber them, and we've got higher skill levels. So who knows? Maybe they'll surrender peacefully. Hell, a guy can dream, can't he?" A ripple of nervous laughter went through the crowd.

The plan was simple. We attack. Kill anyone who didn't surrender. Use a Corridor crystal to take anyone who did to the Black Iron Castle, the Army already waiting for the new arrivals. It was the perfect plan.

It didn't take long for it to turn into a clusterfuck.

Without warning, there was a small tingle, like a windchime. I glanced up. Just in time to see a dozen guys in green cloaks pouncing at us.

"Look out!" someone else shouted, and weapons were drawn, swiftly locking into combat. Two of them converged on me just as I drew my scythe. One, armed with a dagger, came at me from the right, and the other, wielding a small axe, charged my left. I spun and crouched, knocking dagger boy's feet out from under him, and rising just in time to meet the axe blade with the pole of my scythe. I shoved, knocking him back, and saw an opening to drive my blade into the underside of his chin. The hit would kill him. Put him down, and then I could focus on the guy with the dagger. And I let it pass, instead landing a small hit on his gut.

What the hell are you doing? This is a FIGHT! KILL THEM!

I can't, and you know it!

YOU AND YOUR GODDAMN MERCY!

They don't know any better! I shouted in my head, spinning my scythe vertically, trying to disarm the dagger guy. He blocked it, pulling back a tad, allowing me time to slam the backside of the pole into axe boy's gut. That PoH guy has fucking brainwashed them!

At this point, I don't even know who I'm rooting for anymore. At least these guys are willing to sacrifice their morals to FUCKING SURVIVE!

If I stoop to their level-

Stoop to their level? ARE YOU FUCKING SHITTING ME? YOU'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF A GODDAMN BLOODBATH, AND YOU'RE TRYING TO LECTURE TO ME ABOUT PHILOSOPHY?!

The Reaper wasn't wrong. We'd regrouped, after the initial shock, but the battle was quickly going sideways, people dying on both sides. I ducked under an axe, turning just in time to catch the dagger with the chamber on my scythe. I tried to twist it out of his grip, but I couldn't in the tight space. He pushed with a maniac strength, trying to edge his blade towards my body. I felt the Reaper push at my control from the other side, but I kept my mind focused on keeping him locked out.

Fine. If you won't listen to me, maybe you'll listen to them.

Who the hell are you talking abo-?

Time slowed to a crawl. I mean it. I could still see the battle raging on around me, but everyone was now moving at a snail's pace. And instead of focusing on the battle, my mind was drawn to a series of images being forced into my brain.

I saw…I saw my mother, sitting in an uncomfortable looking plastic chair in a white room. She was weeping, pained moans escaping between shaky breaths and tears. On the bed next to her…it was me. My body had become a shell of its former self, little more than a skeleton with skin. My now long brown hair hung over the eyes I hated so much. My nose had a small trail of blood coming out of it, streaming off the side of my face onto the pillow.

Then the image changed. My father, blank stare with tears slowly escaping his vacant eyes, downing his, from the looks of things, 12th shot of whatever alcohol he had on the table. The Reaper whispered from the back of my mind that he was trying, unsuccessfully, to forget. Anything, and everything.

And finally…Liz. She was crouched on her knees on the foot of our bed, clutching my pillow to her chest. Her face was contorted with pain, eyes squeezed shut against the flood of tears, mouth stretched into pained grimace.

Stop it! I screamed to the reaches of my mind. I wanted the Reaper to show up so I could punch him. Tear him limb from limb. Anything to stop the flood of grief and regret and pure pain that was tearing at my heart.

What's wrong? was the only response I got. This is the fate you've sown. The one you chose. This is what happens when you choose to let people who don't deserve life walk away from you. This is how your story comes to a close.

…

..

.

No. That's not my fucking ending.

Time finally caught up with me, the sounds of battle filtering in around us. I shoved dagger boy backwards, the two of us staggering into a clearing in the fight. I finally managed to twist my scythe, and his weapon snapped in two, shattering in his hand. His expression of shock widened further when I dashed forward, slamming my blade into his stomach. I jumped, shouldering the pole and pulling, jerking him over me, and slamming him into the ground. He slipped off my blade, and bounced off the ground, rising back into the air. I spun, taking my scythe, and slicing his head off. I crouched as I hit the ground, his body shattering above me, and I glanced around, looking for my next combatant.

I saw a girl with a dagger struggle against one of them with an axe. I dashed behind him, lowering my scythe and spinning, slicing through his legs. He fell, and I slammed the blade into the ground, piercing his chest. He shattered quickly, and I pulled the blade back out of the ground. The girl nodded a quick thanks before jumping back into the fray.

One of them came at me with a thin sword, and I blocked with my pole. I spun, driving his blade to the side, and brining my blade up toward him. He backed off, bringing his guard back up. Damn, I almost had him. He tried to stab, and I spun my blade, knocking his up. I managed to hit his knee with the pole, knocking it out from under him. He fell to his knees, and I backed up, spinning, and slammed the blade into his neck.

And like that, it was over. The sounds of battle died down as a few Laughing Coffin members dropped their weapons and raised their hands in surrender. I did a quick count as I stowed my scythe back in its sheath. There were 20 of us left. We'd lost 10 to these bastards. I opened my memo, and the huge list sprawled before me on a display only I could see. I recognized faces that were still here, and switched the ones who were gone to deceased. 10 more wishes. 10 more requests. This death game…when would it finally end? Would I even be lucky enough to still be breathing when it did?

Good work, kid.

I killed those people.

Yes, you did. But it was self-defense. Even by your standards, that's justifiable. And besides…It felt good, didn't it?

I didn't want to admit it to him, but…yeah. It did. They'd slaughtered dozens, if not hundreds of people in cold blood, and getting retribution for all of that gave at least some sort of satisfaction.

(X)

A second after the bell above the door went off, she was on me.

"You're back!" Liz shouted, throwing her arms around me.

"Don't act so surprised," I said, returning the hug. She backed up, and I could see her eyes were a little red and puffy. She'd been crying. But now she gave a little tinkle of a laugh.

"I was…I'm just glad you made it."

"Hey, I told you. I'll always come back. No matter what."

Author's Note: Alright, guys. Now, I don't blame you if you don't think these last few chapters haven't been very good. Really, I'm just trying to get near to the end of the Aincrad arc, while setting up some stuff for later. I think there's…two more chapters with this "boring" foreshadowing stuff (I promise, it ties together later, and is therefore important), and then we get to what is arguably the most heartwarming and heartbreaking point in the series. Also, to the, I think, three people who asked if the story was dead, for the bagillionth time, if I kill a story (which is very unlikely for this one, considering the amount of planning I've put into this), I will either delete it, or notify the readers in a farewell chapter, if it's already at a conclusion. So, no. The story is not dead, but I wish those comments would be. Anyway! Until…whenever the next chapter comes up, don't forget to favorite, follow, and review, and I'll see you guys next time.