Disclaimer: Reki Kawahara is the author/creator of SAO. All rights to him and his associates.
Chapter 25:
Trial
Pounding on the invisible barrier as hard as he could, Kirito called out Asuna's name as loudly as he could. He wasn't going to give up on her, no matter what stood in his way. He thumped and pounded as hard as he could, but the wall wouldn't give way.
"Kirito, you need to stop," Leafa pleaded to him. "This barrier was set up by Oberon. There's no way you can break through it."
"I don't care," Kirito responded, continuing to pound away. "I'm not going to stop until I've saved her." Then he went back to calling Asuna's name, even as Yui pitched in to call out to her.
Alice arrived shortly, following him on Amayori, seeing him pound away atn thin air. Realizing it was a barrier, Alice went to investigate it herself. Just as she was about to look into it, she noticed something reflecting the sun's light. And it was coming towards them rather quickly.
"Kirito, there's something coming this way," she alerted. The boy looked up, as did their fairy companions. As it came closer, they could make out more of it. The object was small, circular, and had something on it. Kirito went underneath where it was falling, managing to catch it. When he opened his palm, he found it to be…
"Mommy's ring!" Yui proclaimed. Landing in her father's hand holding it, she deduced, "Mommy must have sent it to us to let us know she heard us."
"Which means there is still a chance," Kirito figured.
"Not going the direct way," Alice reminded him. "We'll need to take Oberon's trial to get to the top. Let's get to the ground and discuss this there." The black clad swordsman looked up at the treetop, wrestling with the decision. Every fiber of his being just wanted to fly all the way up and find Asuna. But this barrier prevented him from doing just that. If only he could bust through, he could rescue her. But he realized he did not have the means or the power to do so. With no other option, he relented and began to descend.
Once all of them were on the ground, they saw they were before a grand staircase leading to a massive door flanked by two fairy knight statues. The entrance to Oberon's trial. Kirito walked up to the landing to gaze at them fully. This was the way to Asuna, to his dearest friend. If all it took was passing this trial, Kirito was more than ready to tackle it.
Just as he was about to enter, he was pulled back by Sinon. "Not so fast," she addressed. "You do realize whatever is in there is going to be too powerful for even a human to conquer. We're going to need a plan if we're going in."
"I don't have time for that," Kirito retorted. "She's up there, a prisoner of Oberon. I'm going to get Asuna back. It's what I came here to do."
"And how do you propose going through whatever the trial is?" Sinon questioned. "You don't even know what the trial entails apart from people dying in it."
"I don't care about some stupid trial," he snapped. "I don't care about whatever Oberon set here for you. It's the only way to get to Asuna. No matter what, I'm going through there and freeing her." Before he could take a step, Sinon came around and shoved Kirito back. In the same motion she drew her bow and notched an arrow, pointing it right at the boy. This action startled Alice, prompting her to draw her sword.
"So you are just going to rush in recklessly, even if there's a chance you'll die?" the archer quizzed, gaze cold and arrow unwavering.
Standing at his full height, Kirito answered, "Nothing matters more to me than Asuna. I will do whatever it takes to save her."
"Bold words, but foolish all the same," Sinon returned. "I wager you won't even last two minutes inside that place. Face it, you don't have the power to overcome the trial."
"You never know unless you try," Kirito stated. Then he told her, "Get out of my way."
Pulling the string more, Sinon challenged, "Make me. If you can cut my arrow with your sword and beat me in a duel, I'll let you walk to your death. But if I defeat you, you are going to stand down and work with us to figure out a plan."
"Sinon, what do you think you're doing?" Alice demanded. But Leafa held her hand up to stop Alice. The Integrity Knight was at a loss for why she was doing this, until she noticed her face looked rather serious. Something was going on that she was not catching on to.
Drawing his sword and entering a fighting stance, Kirito replied, "Alright. But just so you know, you are going to regret this."
Narrowing her eyes, Sinon told him, "I was about to say the same thing."
The two stood for a moment, staring each other down as they tried to goad the other into attacking first. Neither moved for what seemed like hours, each gauging the other. Until, Sinon released her arrow. In a flash, Kirito swung upward and split the arrow in half. He then charged the Cait Sith, but she was ready. She backflipped once he swung at her, kicking him in the chin. Drawing another couple arrows, she fired them one after the other. Kirito was forced to duck under these, still rattled from the kick to the chin. He rushed at Sinon once more for another couple swings, which the Cait Sith fluidly dodged and swooped around to avoid. Back and forth this battle went, with Sinon shooting arrows to keep Kirito at bay, who would either duck or slice them before going for another attack, only to be met with air as Sinon used different acrobatics to get out of the way.
"Why is Sinon doing this?" Alice questioned. "It makes no sense."
To which Leafa answered, "It's because Kirito reminds her of a part of her past. A part that once was driven to a point where it led to her own death."
Stunned by this, Alice inquired, "Her death? You mean?"
"She's just like me," the Sylph elaborated, "a human who was reincarnated into a fairy."
Back in the battle, Sinon had just dodged another strike from Kirito. She was about to draw more arrows when she realized she was running low. She only had 5 shots remaining. Kirito was coming at her, forcing her to approach this differently. When Kirito swung at her, she met him with her bow. The clash of the two weapons nearly made Sinon's arms buckle from the sheer force he put behind his attack. But she held, keeping him engaged with her for a brief moment before twisting to back kick him. When she did, she saw Kirito was no longer controlled in his actions. His face was screwed in a manic way as he let out a great cry before charging her with a sword skill. She barely dodged the attack, having a few strands of her hair cut from his Vertical Square. She let out a cry of her own as she threw a punch at his solar plexus, temporarily winding him. She then looped her bow around his neck and pulled against his neck, cutting off his airway.
Kirito clawed at her to try and remove the bow, but Sinon planted herself in his back to keep from being shoved off. She pulled back hard, drawing gagging noises from Kirito. The boy struggled as she held him before she turned and threw him off to the left side. As he recovered, she came up and had an arrow pointed right between his eyes.
"How General Eugene lost to someone like you, I cannot fathom," she said in a harsh tone. "I probably could have fought him and come out on top." Glaring down her arrow, she added, "Maybe I should just kill you and save Oberon the trouble."
"Like hell!" Kirito spat back.
"You are so blinded by your sole desire to save someone you couldn't even take me down," the archer elaborated. "I mean, were you even going all out at all back there? Not only did it look like you were holding back, but it looked like you were just a wild animal going on a rampage. How are you supposed to save someone that way?"
"Shut up!" Kirito shouted.
"Or what?" Sinon scolded. "Why don't you just admit to being pathetic and accept it. You stood no chance against me. Why should you even be allowed to go after some girl?"
"You don't know anything about me," Kirito argued. "You don't know what my friends have been put through because of this stupid world. Oberon, Quinella, they all tore us apart. I'm going to make them pay. I'm going to kill them all."
Looking hard into his eyes, Sinon confessed, "You are just like how I was when I was human." This seemed to diffuse Kirito's anger, as he dropped his glower. "Yeah, I was human too, just like Leafa. But my death wasn't for some vain hope of being like someone else. Mine was due to me being a fool and being as narrow-minded as you are." She removed her bow and arrow from his face, allowing Kirito to rise to his feet. Alice went over to check on him, making sure he wasn't too hurt.
When the Knight finished, Sinon told the two, "When I was human, something happened that changed me. Our village was not the most well off in the empire, but we managed ourselves just fine. But when I was 10, a bandit poisoned the water our man-at-arms used and incapacitated them. He came in and threatened to kill all of us if we didn't give him our harvest. My mother and I were in the square at the time while we watched him brandish his weapon. When we took too long, he injured our chief and took a woman hostage to force us to get stuff to him faster.
"For whatever reason, I just went after him. I bit him and caused him to drop his sword. He came after me, so I tried lifting his sword to protect myself. But it wouldn't budge no matter how much I tried to lift it. Whether because I was scared he was coming after me or some divine intervention, I managed to pull it up just enough to run him through. His blood was on my hands, the hands of a little girl who didn't know any better. But the looks the village gave me, and even my own mother, made me realize the sin I had committed. Knowing this, and knowing an Integrity Knight would come for me, I fled. For five years I lived in the forest, doing whatever I could to survive.
"Then one day, I saw a caravan being looted by bandits. I was going to pass them by when I saw them yank out a little girl. I can still hear the mother screaming for her. I tried killing them with a bow I made, but they somehow found me. They cornered me and I fought back. In the end, I was helpless to fight back. They left me for dead, bleeding my Life out. Before I knew it, Alicia was calling to me and reincarnated me into the person you see now."
The two humans digested this information with difficulty. In a way, Sinon was like him. She killed people for the sake of others, not being aware of what she was doing or what it would do to others. And it made her into what she was now. It was rather humbling to see another person go through similar experiences.
Having settled down and lost his aggressiveness, Kirito muttered aloud, "I'm sorry."
Scoffing, Sinon replied, "I'm not asking for your stupid apology. I'm not doing this for you either. I'm doing all of this for everyone else. Leafa said you four had an oath. 'You were born in the same year, and would be together to your last.' Well then stop acting like a rampaging monster and actually stick to your oath. Otherwise, what's the point? Unless you follow through with it, those words will be nothing but hot air."
"I get that," Kirito returned. "It's something I've had to have hammered into me on more than one occasion. Back in Aincrad, I nearly died fighting a monster. It helped bring a friend back, but it nearly came at a cost. I'm not trying to get myself killed. I just lose myself."
He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked to see Alice giving him a warm smile. "Then you need to anchor yourself in the people you fight for," Alice suggested. "Keep the memory of everyone close to you as your anchor in this world. Maybe then you can keep your senses about you so that you do not risk being lost again." Kirito nodded, seeing the point of her words.
Looking over to the Cait Sith, Kirito then said, "Sinon, thank you for confiding in us such a secret. I know it wasn't easy for you to do. If I can, I hope we can help relieve the burden that memory gives you so you can also move forward."
Looking to the side, Sinon returned passively, "Don't worry about me. Like I said, I didn't do it for you." She glanced back to see him still giving that irritating smile.
Looking back up to the doors, Leafa inquired, "How are we going to figure out how this trial works without locking ourselves inside?"
Stepping towards them, Kirito voiced, "I think I have an idea."
Alice was still aggravated by Kirito's 'plan' to figure out the trial Oberon set up. Essentially, he would go in like they would in Aincrad to learn about the Dungeon Masters, then would escape as fast as possible to relay the information he and Yui gathered to develop a battle plan. She did admit it was smart to do this as more of a scouting run, but she still had the nagging feeling Kirito would abandon the plan and just go straight through until whatever was in there killed him.
Leafa and Sinon came back, having gone into the city market for supplies and more arrows for Sinon. They had several potions and salves in small packs, as well as some food they could consume before they undertook the trial. Seeing Alice being as fidgety as she was, especially beside her dragon, did give them a similar impression to what Kirito might do. They just had to hope he would be smart about everything and not charge into the matter.
"How long has it been since he went in?" Leafa inquired.
Looking up to gauge the sun, Alice deduced, "I'd say about seven minutes time. That's definitely longer than any scouting mission we did in Aincrad."
Moaning, Leafa sat down and griped, "He better not be trying to tackle this quest solo. We need to tackle it as a team."
"I've got a feeling teamwork is not his forte," Sinon guessed.
To which Alice denied by saying, "On the contrary, he has a pension for working with others. He and Eugeo fought together for so long they knew each other's tactics well enough to fight without speaking. And even with Asuna, the two could cooperate with their respective strengths against larger foes. So the concept is not lost on him."
"Maybe he just is more comfortable fighting with you three then," Leafa figured dejectedly.
"Not true Leafa," Alice refuted. "Remember, he also fought alongside you when we were making our way to the Legrue Corridor. And even in Aincrad, he's worked with other swordsmen and even a couple Integrity Knights. He just worries about how new fighters are alongside his own swordsmanship."
"If only that were all of it," Leafa said moodily.
Before either girl beside her could say something to encourage her, they heard Recon's voice call out, "Leafa!" He was soon spotted jogging up to their position on the stairs, looking rather proud of himself.
"Recon, how did you get away from those Salamander spies?" Sinon questioned. "When you contacted me, they spotted you and took you out, didn't they?"
Approaching the group, Recon explained, "Well, they did catch me. But I managed to use some of my subtler skills to get free. While the Salamanders were distracted by a commotion at the central tower, I used a part of my dagger to cut my bindings. Then I used their poisoned darts to paralyze them and leave them for Sylph guards to apprehend. Pretty smooth, huh?"
"Certainly an impressive escape," Alice commended.
That only made Recon droop, moaning, "Aw, it doesn't work if it's the human saying it."
"Oh, will you give it a rest with this whole thing about humans," Leafa griped, getting to her feet. "In case you didn't know, one of the humans happened to beat Eugene in single combat, not to mention he and Alice also took down twelve Salamanders that trapped us at Legrue's gates. So while your escape was impressive, don't go boasting about it and comparing it to other people."
"I'm sorry Leafa," Recon responded, his fervor from earlier greatly diminished. "I just thought my stuff would be way cooler. Especially because it helped protect Lady Sakuya."
"It did help Recon," Sinon interjected, "but it would have been useless without someone taking action. Kirito was the one to step up and confront the Salamanders despite the fact he was a human. That's why you need to knock it off about putting humanity down."
"But fairy folk are better than humans, aren't they?" Recon tried to reason. "I mean, we can fly, have more cities, possess greater magical knowledge—"
"Bullcrap," Leafa interrupted, hands on her hips. "Who cares what we can do? Humans do the same thing. They have villages in some of the most diverse places. They have stronger moral grounding that keeps them from engaging in pointless wars. And do I even need to mention how versatile their magic is? Fairies and humans are not all that different, both being strong and weak in areas." Leaning in front of Recon and forcing him to cower a little, Leafa finished, "Now knock it off with fairies being better, or I might just kick you down these steps and pretend to never know you. Got it?"
"Got it," Recon muttered, dejected at being told off like he was.
It was at that point the doors opened, and Kirito burst out frantically before light arrows nearly nailed him from inside. He collapsed to the ground, looking torn up and injured in multiple areas. Alice and Leafa attended to him at once, casting healing spells to restore his Life.
Looking up at them as Sinon and Recon came up, he said, "I got the info we need."
"Good. I began to think you were going to attempt the trial on your own," Alice responded.
After having recovered, Kirito reported, "The trial isn't just fighting one monster, but a whole slew of them. Almost an endless stream. I tried flying as high as I could to see if anything changed when we made progress in completing the trial, but pulled back by about two-thirds of the way up."
Yui then came out, explaining, "Based on what I could analyze during Daddy's recon, the monsters are known as Guardians. They are created by the World Tree itself. There are only two classes: Swordfighters and Archers. Each division is divided into thirds in the chamber. The first third has Swordfighters that will actively engage anyone that enters the chamber. The second third are Archers, making things more difficult for most people. But it's the third group that is the most troublesome, as it is made up of Swordfighters that throw their swords."
"Well that's just great," Leafa commented glumly.
"There is some good news, but bad news too," Yui informed. "None of the Guardians are very strong. I bet even a trainee page from the Imperial Swordcraft Academy could defeat a single Guardian with minimal training. They make up for it though with having large quantities of Guardians, overwhelming whoever they target."
"Quantity over quality, is it?" Alice deduced. Then she contemplated, "Even with knowing this info, there might be more to these Guardians than we are led to believe."
"As far as I can tell, they can't use spells," Kirito contributed. "I was in there long enough, and none of them used any of the conventional spells used here in Alfheim."
"Well at least we have that then," Leafa figured. "And if they are only strong as a swarm, having more than one person fighting might make a difference."
"Hang on," Recon butted in, "there have been groups of fairies attempting this trial and none have succeeded. So what good does it do anyway?"
"None of them scouted the place to learn about the enemy," Alice answered. "A tactic we humans have employed while trapped in Aincrad."
"Still, that was fighting with a single person," Kirito pointed out. "It's hard to say if this changes with multiple people involved." The group did consider that, seeing as how a situation would be different between fighting alone or with a group.
Even so, Alice assured, "Whatever the case, we will handle it as best we can. And we will overcome it."
Looking at her, Kirito responded, "We have to. Who knows how much time Asuna has before Oberon changes her." Leafa gave him an encouraging look, filled with determination, before she thrust her hand in the middle of their little meeting. Sinon then smirked before adding her hand, followed by Recon. Alice and Kirito joined with theirs, and Yui rested on top of them all.
"I think we have more of a chance than anyone before us," Leafa said first. "Humans and fairies fighting together, it's the first time in history. I think this will be what undoes all Oberon has done. So we'll come out on top."
"No doubt about it," Sinon added. "Time to put an end to this trial."
Kirito nodded, looking to his friends. Everyone here was willing to fight with him. For the longest time, it felt like he had been alone in his desire to set things right. Now, there might be a way to change things for the better.
"Alright, let's do this," he said. And they all cheered.
Inside the room for the trials was a dome-shaped room with several holes that went up to the roof, where a large, white circle lay. It was a good several kilors up, with lots of space for flight. As Kirito and Alice ascended, that space was quickly filled with Guardians.
Although Kirito had run into them earlier, they still disturbed him. They looked humanoid and had four wings on their backs, wielding large swords and slim bows shooting energy bolts, but they looked too mechanical. He figured these must be drones Oberon made to defend the World Tree. Or rather, to defend his false kingdom.
Looking at his partner, Kirito reminded her, "We need to keep their attention on us. Leafa and Recon will handle healing while Sinon disrupts any trying to catch us off guard."
"Understood," Alice responded. "Amayori can't use her fire too much, so we'll stick to using her claws and tail."
"That's okay. We won't need it if we can help it," Kirito reasoned. He glanced back to see Leafa and Recon prepping their healing spells, floating just a little below them so they would not be in the crossfire. Sinon was to the side, ready to move the minute she unleashed one of her arrows. With everything set, the two humans looked up to see the first wave of Guardians rushing to them.
Amayori drew first blood when she used her tail to swipe three of them out of the air. Upon defeating them, the Guardians shattered like glass before dissolving. They definitely weren't strong enemies, but that was no excuse for being cocky. Kirito went on the offensive, dodging or parrying sword blows while dealing his own. Alice flew around to contribute, drawing the most attention due to her dragon. A Guardian tried to strike her from behind but was taken out by a well-placed headshot from Sinon. The archer darted away before the others could register her position, keeping out of sight and making as few attempts to thwart them as possible.
Kirito took a few hits partway through, but it wasn't until he started flagging in his flight did Leafa and Recon launch their healing spells to restore his strength. Once back in, Kirito flew with what skill he had. He darted around the field as much as he could while they made upward progress, while Alice and Amayori were more stalwart in their approach, taking down opponents that came at them rather than seeking opponents to defeat.
It was about twenty minutes in when things changed. The archer Guardians turned their attention to the spellcasters, forcing Recon and Leafa to fly away from where they were.
"Why are they attacking us now?" Recon questioned.
"They probably are going after us because of the spells we cast," Leafa guessed. "They must recognize the use of mana in the air around them."
Even with this little handicap, the five still fought their hardest. But the Guardians seemed never ending. Even if they could use spells to heal, or were able to snipe from afar, they would be overwhelmed. More and more Guardians formed from the circles in the walls, even ones they had passed. It was getting to a point where they were being blocked from making any progress up.
Midway through the fighting, Recon looked to Leafa and asked, "Why are those humans so intent on getting to Oberon anyway? If they aren't threatening Alfheim, why are they going after him?"
"Because Oberon took someone from them, someone very important," Leafa answered, cutting down a Guardian coming after her before healing Alice and Amayori. "If they could, they would never have come to Alfheim. But Oberon went to their world and took someone special. Because of that, they came here to find them and bring them home. If Oberon really wanted us fairies to stay away from humans, he should have done so himself."
"He really did that?" Recon questioned in disbelief.
Pointing to the two, Leafa said, "They wouldn't be here if that wasn't the case." She went back to fending off Guardians while Recon wrestled with this revelation.
Suddenly, he proclaimed, "Then I'm going to help you help those humans!" With a surge, Recon flew up towards the ceiling where the Guardians were concentrated. Leafa called out to him, but he didn't listen. He used a spell that sent out arcs of energy, cutting down any Guardians that tried to interfere.
Seeing Recon dash off, Sinon called out, "What the hell?! Recon, get back." But he just blew past Kirito and Alice, going higher and higher until he was dead center of the gathering. He then glanced back at Leafa, giving a confident smile that made her take pause.
Holding both his hands out, he began to chant a spell. Alice stopped after hearing him begin, noting the tone and length of the spell being cast. It sounded dark, almost spiteful. She didn't understand what he was doing. But she knew, whatever it was, they couldn't be caught in the crossfire.
She called out, "Kirito, we need to fall back. Or we'll be caught in whatever Recon is attempting." The black swordsman looked up and saw what she was indicating. The two fell back, which caused the Guardians to target him. But they were too late.
With a great cry, Recon finished the spell. His body and the air around him began to glow and expand, and any nearby Guardians were incinerated by whatever effect he was doing. Then the energy rapidly condensed before expanding in a mighty explosion. The four braced as best as they could, but Kirito and Alice were greatly buffeted due to their proximity. Searing heat blew by them all as Guardians left and right were disappearing. Fearing for his daughter, Kirito turned part way through and used his back to shield her from the blast.
When it passed, a massive hole was present where Guardians once hovered. And in the midst of that hole was a small, green flame that barely flickered. Recon's Remain Light.
"What the hell kind of spell was that?" Kirito asked.
"Recon used a self-destruction spell," Leafa told them. "It's one of the most powerful dark magic spells in Alfheim. It has serious repercussions, where the user's Remain Light barely lasts an hour after its use. That idiot!"
"He might be an idiot, but he gave us an opening," Sinon pointed out. "Let's charge the opening while we can. We'll grab his Remain Light on the way." No one argued as they all rushed the opening.
As if things were not already problematic enough, several Guardians moved to intercept them. Amayori made quick work of these, swatting them away with her tail and claws. They got high enough to grab Recon's Remain Light, which Leafa held onto tightly, but were stopped by a surge of Guardians as they reformed their barrier.
"Damn!" Kirito growled. "We lost our opening."
"Worse," Alice said, directing his attention to the foes around them, "they have us surrounded."
The four held their weapons ready, keeping close together. The Guardians readied their weapons, the four boxed in within their sphere. Kirito grit his teeth, enraged they came so close only to be stopped short. Alice tightened her grip on the reigns, worried about needing to use Amayori's breath after all. Leafa held the Remain Light close, her sword in her free hand. Sinon had three arrows notched, looking for whatever targets might allow them to escape. But they all came to the same conclusion: they lost.
But just as the Guardians were going to finish them, several streams of fire took out patches of Guardians. When other Guardians looked for the attackers, green beams of light pierced those and destroyed them instantly. The four looked down to where the attacks could be coming from, and were amazed to see Cait Sith riding smaller dragons into battle, along with Sylph knights zooming into the fray with large swords and rods.
"All forces, clear a path!" Someone ordered. And they quickly spotted Sakuya, pointing her fan towards the Guardians and directing the soldiers to take down the opposition. They did just so, giving the four breathing room. The forces charged upward, followed by Sakuya and Alicia, who was riding one of the dragons, meeting with them.
"Sorry we're late," Alicia spoke first. "We had some things to take care of at home, but we came as fast as we could."
"Alicia… and Lady Sakuya…" Leafa spoke in amazement.
"We heard from some fairies that you all were attempting Oberon's trial," Sakuya told her. "It's a good thing we were coming to reinforce you."
"Not to mention we were given funds for the wyverns and gear because of Mortimer making peace," Alicia added. This news surprised Leafa and Sinon.
"Seriously?" the archer Cait Sith asked. "That jerk causing all our wars sent funds for peace."
"Well, he did say in a message it was for the one whom the victor fought for," Alicia mentioned.
"Either way, we're here to help," Sakuya assured.
Having heard everything, Alice said to them, "Thank you, Ladies Sakuya and Alicia. We need to reach the very top to gain access to Oberon. Once we do, pull back your forces so no one else is lost."
Surprised by this, Alicia tried to debate, "Wait, won't you need our help? You'll be taken in by Oberon because you are humans."
"Don't worry about us," Kirito replied. "It won't matter whether we are human or fairy. With what we are doing, Oberon won't care. But we're not going to let you be caught in the crossfire." He then went back to helping the other warriors as they made advances towards the ceiling.
With that settled, the two leaders went up to help lead everyone into battle. Rallying their forces, they led attacks against the Guardians. The wyvern riders used blasts of fire to mow down droves of enemies, and the Sylph Fenrir platoon took down any stragglers after the attacks. The attacks eliminated droves of Guardians, yet even more of them seemed to appear. Not to mention the way forward was still blocked.
We're not going to make it up at this rate, Kirito thought. The only chance we have is… But he didn't finish the thought. He looked around to see everyone fighting their hardest. Seeing them all, it reminded him of his fight with the Gleam Eyes. Everyone fighting their hardest, but not making any headway. And Asuna's face when he recovered after using his Dual Wield style. His hand shook as he remembered that, then remembered when Sinon berated him for being so focused that he forgot everything else.
That was when Alice shouted, "Kirito, we need one final push! Draw your swords and carve a path forward."
Looking at her fearfully, he tried to say, "But I—"
"Forget about everything else!" she scolded. "Asuna needs you. Yui needs her mother. Now draw Eugeo's sword and fight!"
Her words caused Kirito to think about Asuna and Eugeo. With their memory, something happened within him. He drew Eugeo's sword, taking a deep breath to ready himself. As he did, the atmosphere seemed to tense up with his change. Everyone paused as they took notice, even the Guardians halted in the air.
"Okay, here goes," he muttered. Then, opening his eyes, Kirito roared, "Starburst Stream!" And he charged forward into the mass of enemies. His swords blazed through several at once with the first set of strikes, then more followed. As he cut through, he advanced through the mass. Alice quickly followed, her and Amayori cutting down any that came into their path. As his swings became faster and wilder, more Guardians were cleared as they went forward.
Seeing that they had made it through, Sakuya called, "All forces, retreat! Fall back to Arun." Everyone else did as she said, diving down to the door and leaving as fast as they could. Leafa and Sinon were the last to leave, watching their friends push through.
"Go Kirito," Leafa said under her breath. "Make this world right again."
Kirito was just at the edge where the door was, but the Guardians concentrated their mass in front of him. He was on the last strike of his sword skill, and he needed to pierce through. With a great cry, he thrust his sword as Alice came up with Amayori to charge through. Together, they dispersed the Guardians, and the Blue Rose Sword embedded itself into stone. For some reason, as they lingered within the proximity of the door, gravity seemed to flip so it was on the ground rather than on the ceiling. But what mattered was that they made it.
And yet, there was a problem. Kirito tried to make the door budge, but it wouldn't open. He tried prying it open himself, using one sword, and even both swords. The door wouldn't budge no matter what he tried.
"Come on! Open!" Kirito shouted, grunting as he tried everything.
Alice came down and rested her hand on the door, uttering commands to cause it to open by way of incantation or Sacred Art. Nothing worked. And she noticed Guardians were beginning to surround them again.
Yui flew down and rested her hands on the stone door as she tried to figure out what the problem was. What she found made her dread what this meant.
"Daddy, this door is sealed with a Sacred Art from Underworld," she informed him.
"Can you open it?" Kirito asked.
"I'm not sure," the pixie responded. "But Daddy, this art, it was never meant to be opened by anyone. Human or fairy."
"Are you saying that this trial…" Alice began, trailing off.
"It was never meant to be completed," Kirito finished. "That damn Oberon. He told the fairies about this trial, but made it impossible to complete. The bastard!"
Thinking fast, Alice suggested, "Yui, maybe you can use commands Cardinal gave you to open this door. Perhaps that will open the way."
"I'll try, but I haven't recovered all the powers that Cardinal gave me," Yui replied. She then concentrated on using said arts. Immediately, the door began to glow, and that glow passed into her. "Hurry, it's going to teleport me inside," she urged.
Kirito and Alice rested a finger on her, passing the glow on to them. Within a few seconds, the three of them vanished.