Chapter Sixteen: Restitutor Noctis
The dragons were flying at an alarmingly wild speed. In fact, to Alice, who had been serving as a mounted knight for six years, it seemed unnatural, impossible even, how fast they were flying.
Both Amayori and Takiguri had been fighting near non-stop since the Battle of the Eastern Gate, normally, they should be too exhausted to even fly at their average speed. Just a while ago, Alice had been so concerned with her dragon's health she crouched down and whispered by Amayori's ear. "Please, hold on just a little longer."
The airborne creature purred softly, enjoying her master's affection, but it was then Alice realized Amayori was not at all tired. Both hers and now Kirito's flying dragon were flapping their wings reinvigorated, no, perhaps even stronger than they had ever been.
How…?
A green light caught her attention. She saw Kirito chanting silently earlier and now she understood the meaning. A Sacred Art was summoned by her partner and a soft greenish glow covered the two dragons. It was that green light that had not only restored their strength to maximum, but also expanded their Life fivefold, tenfold.
"Kirito?"
Alice asked incredulously. Then Kirito stopped. He pulled the reins so abruptly Takiguri paused dead in his tracks.
"Kikuoka?" the young knight nearly yelled as his eyes budged. "How…?"
She had heard that name before, right after Kirito had defeated the Administrator, he had conversed with someone from another world, he must be doing the same again.
"Limiter…?"
Alice could not hear the other side, so she had Amayori waiting patiently next to the elder dragon.
"Two hundred years?!"
Alice looked more confused than ever as anxiety flashed across Kirito's face before he calmly said again. "Don't worry, I'll definitely get back. Also, I'm bringing Alice with me, so be prepared."
The conversation stopped. Kirito looked at Alice cautiously and he began.
"Alice, listen."
"Is something wrong?"
Kirito shook his head. "No…it's not like that. But the passing of time between our worlds are about to differ, when that happens, the path to the Real World will be blocked. We have about ten minutes left. This will become too risky if you stay behind, I want you to go straight for the Altar, okay?"
Alice stared at him a bit surprised, and then she nodded. "I understand, if that is how you judge the situation, then I'll do as you say. But please, defeat that evil in the short time you have and come with me."
"Of course." Kirito gave her a small smile before he signaled the dragon forth again.
Now that they have passed by the rocky spikes where Bercouli had sacrificed himself, Kirito felt an abnormal presence. He could not quite see it yet, but thunders bellowed to his south. It was the growling belly of a hungry abyss. It wanted to consume all.
Riding with the greatly boosted speed of the dragons, it took the knights less than three minutes to reach the faint silhouette of a cliff. It was impossible to even scale, the height, the width, everything about it was beyond human comprehension. World's End Wall, as Kirito would later coin it, was a myth the knights had heard from the dark folks. It had just been confirmed as reality.
Burning with curiosity, Alice looked up in an attempt to see beyond the wall, but it was futile. The wall was so vast she could not even see its top, let alone try and overcome it. Even though the End Mountains surrounding the Human Empire were already considered colossal, the ones that ran around the Dark Territory were virtually limitless.
Just before the immeasurable wall was a single floating island around the level of the dragons. It was shaped like a grail, befitting of its name. Kirito could largely make out there were vegetation on top, and a quartz-like structure.
That must be the Altar.
Their time was up. Alice knew that and she softened her gaze temporarily as she caressed Amayori's neck.
"Amayori…Takiguri…" She nearly choked on her tears. This might be the last time she could even call their names, but she forced herself to continue. "It's time to say farewell. This is my final order: Fly back to the Human Empire and return to the dragon nests in the west. Amayori, find a husband. Takiguri, find a wife. Have many babies and raise them to be strong, strong children who will someday be able to carry knights as they fly."
I'll have to go soon…I want you to just go…and never turn back!
Both dragons rumbled. Alice did not know it, but her tears had broken Kirito's heart. He too had come to love the majestic creatures in the short time he had had with them.
Standing between the two knights and the island were less than five Kilors…and a growing dark spot.
Two giant bolts of lightning were hurled therefrom. They were a mixture of pure darkness from which no light reflected, and an eerie shade of purple. They were the forms of tridents composed of nothing but emptiness. They were the last things the knights saw before being propelled off of their mounts.
Alice's entire body ached. One of those tridents struck straight at her cuirass, only with all her Incarnations and Sacred Arts did she manage to survive, but she fell through the skies and landed painfully on a sandy desert.
She sat up and struggled to regain a clear vision, no matter where she looked, the boundless, crimson wasteland was all she saw. After shaking her dizziness away, she witnessed in horror the flying dark spot had enlarged so much she could see clearly that queer bat-like disc with the scarred Subtilizer atop. He appeared differently from the Dark Emperor; his regal attire now a spartan military one, he was missing his right hand, his face was burnt, but his eyes were the same abyss she had seen briefly before being captured. It was him. It was the Dark God Vecta resurrected.
Emotionless as ever, the living evil raised his hand, and another trident was cast forward.
Zyaaa!
It was not a sound Alice had expected to hear. She thought she would just drop dead from a force like that striking her, but she was not struck. Her dragons stood in the way.
The flaming beam from a single dragon was enough to destroy legions. The thousands who had perished during the war could attest to that. With two dragons pouring the bloody inferno out, that power ought to have been enough to extinguish anything. Yet it did not. Even though their flames had reached beyond that weapon and burnt Subtilizer himself, their attack amounted to nothing. The Dark God watched with composure as the blaze came forth. He merely stretched his left hand out and a shield divided the attack like a stone parting a river, effortlessly and unconcernedly. That lasted for about one second. After that one second, the flames were no longer deflected to his sides, they were driven into that shield. Subtilizer was absorbing their power. The stone in the stream sank and became a whirlpool. The beam coming out of the dragon's jaws hit a warped space as they were sucked within.
Then the dragons paused. They could not keep up with the assault any longer. The eyes of Subtilizer flickered. No…it was the last-ditch effort of lights trying to escape the devouring darkness that was his oculi. They failed.
Bolts of black lightning shot out from the Dark God's palm. They were strangely shaped just like the dragon's flames, as if he had absorbed their power only to use it against them.
Blood red as the dark land's skies burst out of the creatures.
"AMAYORI!"
Alice screamed.
Her voice did nothing to help her dragons.
The front of the giant creatures was quite literally fried. They were burned by a fire that did not even emit light. Hissing black smoke oozed out as the scales of the dragons fell, they were losing strength.
The sibling dragons roared again. They tried to flap their vast wings as they struggled to remain airborne. It proved nigh impossible as their translucent wings caught fire. The dark power that Subtilizer had unleashed spread like a wildfire on the creature's bodies. They shrieked as they began to lose flight. Their whole body was about to disintegrate should any more damage be dealt upon them.
Subtilizer seized that opportunity as snapping lightnings once more shot from his palm.
"Amayori! AMAYORI!" Alice screamed again, her own sanity falling apart like the dragons.
Then they fell.
Crackling bolts shot forth and Alice could only watch as death approached the two dragons.
Zapppp!
That lightning never reached its target. It collapsed the moment it hit something so tough the darkness subsided and was replaced by a golden mist.
It was a man, a knight.
It was Kirito. The Black Swordsman was flying. He had his arms folded over his chest and stood on nothing but the thin air.
Dark bolts were hurled again. They hit Kirito only to yield the same results. An aureate barrier that had blocked PoH earlier was erected between him and the Dark God, only this time it was at least ten times larger and a hundred times more powerful.
When the trident struck him, Kirito was pushed off of Takiguri.
He fell from the skies like a meteor. As he plummeted, he could vaguely work out what was happening.
Vecta…he is not going to stop! I have to do something!
Anything. He would do anything to help Alice. But he was falling, should he let himself hit the ground first before chanting a Sacred Art or even summoning a Perfect Weapon Control Art, it might be too late. What now?
No…no…none of that is necessary.
Kirito recalled his fight against Quinella. Did she utter a word while she fought against the combined strength of Alice, Eugeo and himself? Did she require a single chant when the Cardinal arrived? No.
He then recalled the fight earlier against PoH. How did he manage to save Asuna from the murderer? How did he erect that golden barrier that stopped death in its track? Did he himself say a single word? No.
At the time, he was simply absorbed in the moment and sought to change what was in front of him.
True power did not want any appendages in the Sacred Tongue. Chants and Arts were but tools, bridges for one to connect with the infinity of this world. If Kirito truly became one with Underworld, truly make it his home, he needed nothing more than his own belief, his Incarnation to bend the world to his will.
My Incarnation…
Kirito's eyes then flared up. Gold shone and he felt a power engulfing his body. It started at the bottom of his feet before it spread around. He had merely commanded it in his mind and a burst of aerial element was spawned.
Then he balanced himself.
Then he flew.
"Kirito…?"
Alice's breath nearly stopped. It was simply an impossible picture.
Kirito nodded. He then turned away and raised his right hand toward the falling dragons. They were dying.
The two dragons looked at Kirito and gave a small rumble.
Suddenly, a shimmering orb surrounded them. It was vibrant like a rainbow, and then it closed in. The dying creatures purred, they were accepting that warm power. A golden glow now signature of Kirito enclosed them while they began to fold their wings. The crisped exterior was shed, their strong forms rolled into balls.
Those sacred orbs were sent towards Alice, but before she could even try to comprehend what was happening, something even more unbelievable happened. The radiant bodies of her dragons shrank. Despite being ever closer to her vision, the two magnificent creatures appeared smaller and smaller. No…they were growing younger, youthful.
The colossal bodies reduced in size. Those great tails, wings and limbs shrank. The unbreakable, metallic scales lost the rigidity and became the impossibly fluffy feather they once had when they had just been born.
Reaching the hopeful, outstretched hands of Alice, the dragons, which were the size of small hills just moments ago, had been reduced to that of puppies, or dragonets.
"Ama…yori…"
Alice had just enough time to witness her faithful mount giving a tiny, child-like trill before a white light covered everything and in her arms lay two beautiful dragon eggs.
What in the name of Stacia just happened?
Alice held onto the two eggs for dear life. Tears streamed down as she tried to understand how her dragons evaded death.
But of course, the answer could not be any clearer. The reason her dragons managed to survive was the same reason she had not been slain by PoH's murderous sword. It was Kirito. He must have realized with the limited time they could afford, neither Arts nor Incarnations could save the dragons from that evil fire. In fact, Kirito did not even heal them. The only thing he could do, and did, was reverse their lives. Only through turning time backwards for those creatures could the Dark God's curse be vanquished.
Bercouli had once claimed that Alice was already the greatest, most powerful wielder of Sacred Art in the entire world. But to fly, to manipulate a being's Life so completely and easily, only the Pontifex had ever been able. And now, it was Kirito. Alice could not even understand how, but all she felt other than wonder, was gratitude and happiness.
"Thank you…Kirito." She whispered as tears continued to pour down.
The Black Swordsman gave her a smile warm as the sun and said equally tenderly. "No…I was too slow, because of me, Takiguri and Amayori were hurt…please, protect them now. And go to the Altar, I'll see you on the other side."
Alice nodded. She held the two eggs tightly against her chest and looked towards the floating island. Just as she was wondering how in the world she could reach it, now that her dragons were no longer capable of flight, a golden mist permeated the sandy desert in front of her and thunderous cracking sounded. A gigantic stone slab painted crimson like the surrounding landscape emerged. Then another one, then another one, until a sturdy staircase made entirely of rock reached the island.
The blonde knight did not hesitate; after all, there was only one person who could possibly have built that staircase for her. Only one.
Alice started to her feet, hurriedly rushed up the stairs as she prayed.
Just win, Kirito! Win, beat that devil, save this world, and most importantly…come back to me!
Seeing Alice well on her way, Kirito gave her one last glance. If he lost, then this would be their final farewell for at least two whole centuries. He did not enjoy having thoughts like, "I'm going to lose." Or "I might die today." Having those thoughts, after all, sometimes make them come true. But he was entitled to at least emotionally preparing himself for that outcome. He was going to burn that image of Alice, of someone he treasured more than anything into his very soul, so that if he was to be imprisoned here in Underworld, he would have the hope for freedom at the back of his mind. And if he were to spend the next two hundred years in a state of total sensory deprivation, then it might be an endless sweet dream as Alice would be the only thing he sees for that long, long time.
Barely a second passed and Kirito then turned back towards Subtilizer.
The air around the two of them whooshed and crashed. Air currents stronger than any thunderstorm exploded everywhere while the two hovering figures stared at one another.
"Who are you?" Kirito demanded.
There was a reason he asked. Something felt very queer about whatever it was that stood before him. The being that Alice had told him about was called Emperor Vecta. Though his appearance had changed, it was still that man. However, Kirito was not sure if he could think of it as "that man" Emperor Vecta, or Subtilizer, looked perfectly human. He had a body, he had eyes, and he was certainly alive. Yet, it did not feel that way. It was like a reanimated corpse standing before him, or perhaps so much time had passed that an emptiness had gained form and manifested itself into that being.
"One who seeks, steals, and robs."
Subtilizer answered without a hint of emotion in his voice. His human façade, however, was being slowly undone as a bluish dark shade began to ooze out of his form. The dark, dithering aura reminiscent of Emperor Vecta's serpent thickened and grew around him and around that bat-like creature under him. It was a living shadow. But it was not produced as an opposite of light. It had nothing to do with light. It was simply emptiness. The same mass of darkness dripped down his severed limp and manifested into a right arm. It barely had a form. It acted more like a swaying, pulsating and crooked lump of amorphous flesh.
"What are you seeking?" Kirito asked again.
"Souls."
There was a faint smirk. The aura of darkness had grown into a gigantic orb. It was like a force field surrounding and protecting Subtilizer. Yet, it was not. It was a projection of power that had absorbed all the light around him. The shape of the aura visible to Kirito was all that remained of the lights desperately trying to escape.
"And who are you? Why are you here?" The darkness-engulfed being sneered. "What rights have you to stand before me?"
"Who am I?"
The Black Swordsman repeated the question. His voice did not sound as strong as it did just moments earlier.
His eyes darkened. The sparks within were gone. No, not gone, stolen.
Kirito was not even aware how tentacles of the empty aura were nearing him.
"I'm…"
I'm the liberator of Aincrad? No…it was more an exaggerated myth. I could not have done it without the others.
I'm the Usurper-Slayer of Alfheim? No…
I'm the Black Swordsman? No…
I'm an Elite Disciple of the Imperial Swordcraft Academy? No…
I'm the one who defeated Her Holiness? No…
Not a single answer Kirito fathomed seemed to fit. All those answers sounded wrong, and were casted aside. No, again, not casted aside, stolen. The names and titles Kirito was scanning through were devoured by the emptiness in front of him. The same way warmth and life seemed to be leaving his body.
Soon enough, a black mist occupied his entire vision.
"Kirito. You're Kirito the Swordsman!"
A voice called out. It was like a lone voice, yet it was also like three voices at once.
"I'm Kirito! Kirito the Swordsman!"
His mind was sharp, focused and relentless again. It was his again.
An aureate light shot out from his body. And like the sun, it instantly incinerated all those meandering arms of darkness.
"What's your name?" Kirito asked with fury.
"Gabriel. My name is Gabriel Miller."
It was not a pseudonym like Emperor Vecta, which was conferred upon him by the tales of the Gods. It was not a fictitious one like Subtilizer, which he had granted himself like he wanted to make a point. Gabriel Miller. It was simply his name. His true nature laid bare. This was the name he was born with.
Gabriel then swung his amorphous arm. It was gripping a metallic hilt, but atop that hilt was not a metal sword. It was a sword but also only a shadow. It was an extending, shaking emptiness that had only darkness to remind Kirito that it actually was there. Kirito had thought PoH's ability to absorb Sacred Resources was great enough a challenge, but that power seemed petite, laughable even, when put into contrast with Gabriel's. It was like comparing a small whirlpool to an infinite black hole. To say it was unnerving would be a masterpiece of an understatement.
But Kirito was not intimidated. That uncanny, life-devouring emptiness only compelled him on. With a burst of light, the Black Swordsman pulled out his two beloved swords from his back. The Blue Rose Sword was in his left hand, and the Night Sky Sword in his right. He then let his vast Incarnation spread through his entire body. Kirito felt a strength at his back. It was first only a silhouette before its shape fully materialized. It was a pair of strong, dark, dragon wings.
With a powerful flap, they lifted the knight upward as high as he could go.
"Let's go, Gabriel!"
Occupying the higher level, Kirito stretched out both his arms, preparing for an all-out attack. He looked at Gabriel carefully. Apart from staring at him from the corners of his eyes, that man did not even move a muscle. Kirito moved in.
"Generate All Elements!"
An arch of rainbow was erected from one side of his shoulder to the other, within which were incandescent orbs composed of every single element in Underworld.
The majestic dragon wings on his back flapped and Kirito dived straight towards Gabriel. The two swords trembled at the might of their master.
"Discharge!"
Those multicolored orbs changed shapes. There were blades of wind, spears of water, javelins of fire, arrows of earth. Every element in Underworld was fashioned into a weapon. And they charged. The weapons forged from Incarnation whooshing through the cold air headed towards Gabriel and they impaled him.
The living evil only gave a small grunt upon contact.
Then he moved. Despite his arms, his legs and his entire body having been impaled with the Black Swordsman's elemental weapons, he moved without concern. The empty flames on his right hand were thrusted forward. After having extended for ten Mels, they split up into at least a hundred elastic arms aiming for Kirito's head.
The knight maneuvered in the skies as swiftly as he could manage. Whenever the cluster of emptiness neared, his two blades would cooperate like a pair of whirling razors, slashing everything in front of their master. The chase continued for little less than a minute before Kirito had found an opening and went directly for Gabriel himself.
A deafening war cry was heard, then, the Night Sky Sword cut cleanly through Subtilizer's waist, bifurcating him. The momentum carried Kirito some ten Mels away before he spun around and went for his opponent again; this time, he thrusted his left hand and the Blue Rose Sword penetrated right through Gabriel's heart.
But something was not right. Notwithstanding all these lethal, if not destructive attacks, Gabriel remained undisturbed. Kirito was alarmed and quickly retracted his sword before distancing himself.
Blood did not leak from Gabriel's wounds. It was the same vibrating darkness, emptiness which had already covered his body. They slowly saturated the air around him before, to Kirito's great shock, being sucked back into Gabriel's body. Then, the injuries were gone, as if they were never dealt.
A sharp pain broke Kirito's concentration. On his right shoulder was a crimson line, blood spurted out from where the blade of nihility had touched earlier. It was not a typical wound. The area Gabriel's sword made contact did not tear away his flesh, it was like the tissue and blood there were simply removed from existence. It was the deeds of a terrifying nothingness.
"Around five minutes until she reaches the Altar, I'd guess." Gabriel remarked coolly as he stared down at Alice, who was sprinting up the stairs Kirito had summoned.
What should he do now? He could either ignore the Black Swordsman, doing just the bare minimum to keep him at bay and go for his prize, or he could try and kill him as quickly as possible, doing away with that annoyance so he would be uninterrupted for the capture of the Priestess of Light. Instead, he went for the third, unlikely and illogical option. He was going to enjoy a duel with Kirito.
"I'll grant you three minutes." He sneered with amusement, turning back to the annoyance that was the Black Swordsman. "Be sure to keep me entertained."
"How very generous." Kirito gave a smirk, rebuilding his lost muscles with a tap of Sacred Art. His two swords were again placed in a prepared manner, ready for a renewed fight. "Fine then! I'll entertain you!"
The foundation for Kirito's confidence, however, was wanting. Kirito himself knew it. He had just unleashed the most powerful Sacred Element attack in the history of Underworld. He had just utilized the strength of two Divine Objects. Yet, Gabriel did not lose even a drop of blood. Apparently, any physical attack would be nullified. And he had not a single idea what could harm him.
But no…wait…Something had already hurt him…The fact that he had his arm off and his face burnt means that something had been able to damage him. I just have to figure out what. Alice told me earlier that Sinon was staying behind to fight him. So those damages must have been done by her! Sinon's Incarnation…Even though she wields bow and arrows, in her mind, they must have been acting like her Hecate.
The fact that Gabriel was dressed in a military uniform, one that clearly was from Kirito's home world means that Sinon's Incarnation of a weapon from the Real World was a match with Gabriel's own Incarnation of what could hurt him.
So the answer is, I have to figure out what Gabriel fears! My own Incarnation is nothing like the Hecate, so I have to understand this man and turn my Incarnation into something he knows can harm him. That is my only chance!
Disdain was the only thing on Gabriel's face as he heard Kirito's reply. That confident, fearless attitude disgusted him. Like a jaded nihilist listening to the words of a happy philosopher. He furrowed his brows slightly before wielding his sword.
Splash!
Kirito was taken aback to see the creature carrying Gabriel screeched in pain. The personified nothingness impaled his own ride. The bat-like being shrank, being devoured by the sword of non-existence.
Then slowly, the back of Gabriel's uniform creaked. Something was breaking through the fabric. With a whooshing, flapping sound, a pair of dark wings grew out of that man's back. Unlike Kirito's living, scaly dragon ones, they were translucent, bat-like.
"I stole this from you!"
Gabriel warned with his empty sword pointing at Kirito. Then his wings flapped and he moved in.
So fast he was, Kirito barely witnessed a smear flying towards him.
Scorching sparks cascaded down the skies as the dual swords of the knight were only just in time to halt Gabriel's oscillating one. The Divine Objects were immune from the devouring might of that flaming sword, but they were not very equipped for fighting it either. Gabriel thrusted again. This time, he did it not do it to slash the Black Swordsman, but to push him away.
The force was so great Kirito was catapulted some hundreds of Mels away in the skies. He had to usher all his strength into those wings to keep himself afloat, scarcely able to stop himself from crashing into the nearby mountains. Gabriel raised his still human-looking hand. He cried out in a beasty tone. He bent his fingers like a bat's claws. Cracklings then appeared around his palm. Countless bolts of lightning were hurled outward. They were slithering and crooked, and they headed for Kirito.
The sheer number of those blackish bolts warned Kirito effectively not to engage so soon. He fled immediately. The beating of his wings was powerful and quick. Kirito turned his back against Gabriel's might and zigzagged around. The lightnings did not stop. They chased him across the sandy desert. Before they even reached beneath, the entire ground, perhaps in fear, quivered.
Sands were blown up, rocks were shattered and flung to the heavens. Finally, Kirito could find no more room for maneuver and faced those bolts. His dual swords parried away as many as they could, meanwhile, he kept up his speed and continued to search for a more favorable terrain.
One slash and he barely protected his chest. Another cut and he managed to stay alive. With a further thrust he blocked the impending dark power. Then a force ten times more powerful than any lightning crashed into his intersected swords. Gabriel launched himself at the Black Swordsman and the sword of hollowness locked horns with the Divine Objects.
The next thirty seconds were merely blurred images of sparks, shadows and swords flowing through the air. Kirito and Gabriel each tried to overpower another; sometimes their airborne duel descended nearly to the ground, sometimes they ascended as if reaching the heavens, and sometimes they crashed into one another on an even level. In the course of that short period, less than even a minute, three giant mountains were destroyed, shaken to shards.
At last, Gabriel seized an opportunity and pushed Kirito once more around a hundred Mels away. The sudden blow temporarily shook his mind and his concentration ebbed. The same empty arms that had cut his shoulders returned with a vengeance. At least twenty swamped towards Kirito. He tried to erect that golden, imaginary wall again, but his lack of focus from the previous blow, and the lack of confidence, spawned from still not knowing Gabriel's weaknesses reduced the wall's potency.
Kirito yelled in extreme agony. Gabriel's black bolts broke through his much-weakened barrier and cut directly at his body. Blood rushed out of his mouth and his lower body. Kirito was promptly bifurcated. The arms of nothingness, as befitting of their name, literally ate away parts of his form.
The searing pain afforded Kirito finally with some focus. The Black Swordsman exhaled deeply and erected the wall again. This time, it burned brightly and dispelled the devouring tentacles. The injuries remained, but at least for the time being he survived.
"Ha ha ha!"
It was first only a small snicker, then it was an uncontrolled laughter, burst out of Gabriel's body with wild abandon. The emotionless face finally twisted into unchecked ecstasy.
When that subsided, Gabriel crossed his arms, gesturing for more power to gather at his side. A violent storm brew in his palms before he roared with all his strength and they were hurled outward. The aura of darkness already surrounding him interacted with that bluish power. Then the empty darkness grew exponentially into a beating, evil heart. An orb of total nothingness.
Gabriel yelled again. The lightning that had hunted Kirito earlier bounced back and forth inside that orb. They jacketed the man within until his bat-like membraned wings were covered with utter blackness. Another pair of wings grew out of his upper back. They were already colored like his original ones – a wriggling, hollow noir. Then yet another pair emerged. They were placed under the older pair.
Gabriel's eyes, face, skin and even his uniform had shed themselves of the previous shade. His entire body was smooth and clean, not a trace of hair or clothes was there. Nothing human, save the general form, remained. The winged body was a total darkness. It was shaking, vibrating and writhing in the skies. A halo appeared atop his head. Then on the face that had nothing but pitch black, a pair of shiny eyes surfaced. Whether it was the lights that wanted to escape, or the reflection of his pure desire, or something else entirely, Kirito could not tell. The only thing he knew right now was that he was beginning to panic.
Standing before him now was death in its personified form. It was the Death Angel, here to snatch anything and everything alive into oblivion. His six wings were sucking up the air like a seraph's burning ones. His powers were now beyond even his original Dark God Vecta form. It was neither Sacred Art nor any Divine Object that had granted him strength, it was his pure, undiluted desire to devour, it was an Incarnation for total destruction. What could Kirito realistically do against hollowness anyway?
Kirito simply stared at the impending doom.
There is nothing he fears…not anymore…His damaged arm and face have healed themselves, this means even if I can somehow craft my Incarnation into weapons from my world, he could not be harmed…I thought I just had to prolong this battle long enough for Alice to escape, but I was being too optimistic. Even if I bog him down there's no way I can reach the Altar myself…If I fail I'll have to spend the next two hundred years here.
…no, maybe that's exactly what I was hoping for. To stay forever in a true alternative world that has surpassed Aincrad. I did say I wanted to return to my family, Yui, Asuna, Suguha. I did say I'd go to the Real World with Alice, but when Kikuoka told me it was between here or the Real World, am I sure I didn't, at least in the slightest way, think of just staying here forever?
And not once did I stop to think of them…and the amount of grief and sorrow and tears that I would cause. In the end, I'm the kind of person who doesn't understand how others feel.
Kirito lowered his head in guilt. But the whooshing sound of Gabriel's devouring orb silenced. The whole world looked different.
"No, you're wrong, Kirito!"
It was a voice so familiar. It was a voice that reminded him of childhood. It was the voice of the young Alice Zuberg.
"If you didn't want to leave this world, it wasn't for your own sake."
Another voice went on.
"It's because you love the people you met here."
It was Eugeo's voice.
"Kirito." The two voices said in sync. "You have people you love here; people who have an important place in your heart.
"Selka, Liena, Ronye, Tiese, the teachers and students at the academy, the people of Rulid, the people of Centoria, the Cardinal, the Integrity Knights, and as we both know, even the Administrator. And of course, the two of us.
"Didn't you say it that way, 'I want to protect everyone, even her.' Kirito, your wish to remain in Underworld is not a selfish one, it is one born of love."
"But that's not true of your opponent." Eugeo's voice had an angry tone. He turned towards the burning black flame now visible again in Kirito's vision. "He's the one that doesn't understand how others feel. He can't understand them. That's why he seeks, and tries to steal, and tries to destroy. And that's because…"
"He fears them. He fears the human heart."
The Death Angel was silent for a while. He carefully observed the half-torn Black Swordsman and a smile crept up.
"It seems he's afraid now."
There were trails of tears rolling down Kirito's face.
"The fear that wells up when someone as cocky as him is on the brink of death…I wonder how it tastes."
The things he liked best to taste were souls. Old or new, strong or weak, it did not matter. He only wanted to consume. If not, the next best thing was fear. The Death Angel was shaking in excitement as he imagined first tasting Kirito's whimpering fear, then tasting his very soul.
Gabriel raised his fingers, and tiny orbs surrounded him. Countless black beams shot out and they found their way to Kirito. The Black Swordsman seemed only half-hearted in his attempt to defend himself. The first two or three beams were parried away, but then all the rest managed to pierce through him. Wounds appeared all over the young knight's body.
Then he fell.
"Ha ha ha!"
Gabriel let out another crazed laughter before flapping his three pairs of pitch-black wings and dived towards Kirito.
The giant empty hand punched right through the young man and he coughed up blood in excruciation.
Gabriel held Kirito midair, his hands tore out the young man's bowels until he reached the very heart; blood poured down his beating organ and Kirito's life was about to be extinguished.
"Your emotions, memories, heart and soul…everything! Get ready for me to devour them all!"
"….As if…you'd find the heart or memories there…" Kirito said with a trembling voice. Underneath that weak, shattered voice was a strength, a belief Gabriel could not understand. Despite suffering from a pain that was more than enough to break down a hundred men, Kirito went on. "The body…is just a vessel…Memories…are always…"
Kirito's eyes turned gold and they were shining with power.
"What the hell?!"
"Release Recollection!"
Kirito's two swords were spread to either side. Then a pair of explosion. One of pure white, and one of pure darkness.
Blood spurted out. But it was not Kirito's. It was that of the Death Angel.
How was that even possible?
Gabriel himself certainly did not know. But it was true that the dual-explosion had just cut his hand off and warm blood cascaded down.
Not wasting any time, Kirito pointed the glowing Blue Rose Sword straight forward, icy vines blitzed through the air between them and wrapped themselves many, many times around the Death Angel's body. So strong they were now, they bound even that hollow space.
The Night Sky Sword pointed upwards. A vast pillar of darkness reaching the heavens was suddenly erected. With a light metallic clang, that black beam cut through the heavy crimson skies of the Dark Territory and it blocked out the sunlight. The infamous red was outpainted. In mere seconds, a pitch-blackness originating from Kirito's pillar began radiating out and it started to spread as far and as wide as it possibly can.
It was not a horror-inducing dark like the Death Angel's empty form. It was a comforting one. It was the sleepy darkness before one retired to bed. It was like a lullaby.
It was the night.
Alone and defeated sat Sinon at the bottom of a giant mountain. When Subtilizer had impaled her and dealt her so much damage she lost her power to fly, she thought she was going to die. But Subtilizer did not finish her off. He lost interest and went away.
Her injuries were grave. Maybe it was a result of her divine status, or maybe it was just an illusion, but somehow her blood would not stop flowing out. But whatever the case, Sinon was getting colder and colder. She could feel her life slipping away.
She had done all she could. The only thing left now was to grab onto Kirito's pendant as tightly as she could and await the inevitable. When her wounds had consumed all the Life left in her, then she would be gone.
Some claimed that when death neared, one's vision would be darkened. Sinon recalled that saying as she witnessed the burning crimson sky turned into an infinite dark.
Is this it?
But they also said that the darkness before death was terrifying, that it was soul-crushing. Neither feeling emerged. No…it was not death. And the world did not turn dark because she was dying either. With amazing speed, the night actually did come while it was still noon.
"What…?"
No more sunlight shone and no more of the eerie clouds could be seen. Sinon felt embraced by that darkness. Even though that darkness ought to have wiped out everything, the colors around her dimmed but were not vanquished. The mountains wore a soft carmine shade now that night had descended, the dying flower at her side looked more alive than ever as the scorching sun was removed, Sinon could still see even though it was night.
A faint, cool odor flew past her.
It reminded her of a vast forest, of trees; it was also strong and comforting.
"I see! The night is Kirito's heart!"
Kirito had always given her the impression of the endless night. He was mysterious, he was strong, but for someone who had gotten accustomed to the darkness, for someone who enjoyed the night, it meant that Kirito, like the unending night, would always be there. He would always be there to embrace the ones who needed him. And Kirito had certainly always been there for her.
Then please…send my heart to him too! For it has always been his!
Sinon bowed her head and prayed.
Above in the pitch-black sky, a single azure star shimmered.
Spreading across the crimson sky, Kirito's night had reached the Southern Ruins where Knight Renly and the rest of the Human Empire Army were still stationed.
Normally, that sudden change would be interpreted as an inauspicious omen, as was anything not announced by the omniscient Axiom Church. Neither in the religious texts, nor in any of the Pontifex's writing was such an event even deemed possible. The soldiers were shocked, yes, but strangely none felt fear. Knight Renly certainly did not.
The soft blackness reminded him of only one thing – Kirito's Night Sky Sword. He owed that man many things. He owed him his soul, for it was the disabled knight who had tried to stand despite a crippled form that had broken his chains of guilt. He owed him his life, for when PoH was this close to wiping out the entire Human Empire Army with his enslaved corpses that Kirito had stood up and delivered them. But above all, he owed him one lesson – that he deserved to live.
Renly did not tell anyone his reason for keep fighting on. When he returned to the frontlines after cowering at the Supply Corp's tents, he was crushed again by guilt. He saw the hundreds who had been killed because of his cowardice. He saw the fragile line his incompetence had caused. Then he heard of the deaths first of Dakira. Then Eldrie.
So he wanted to redeem himself.
At that point, he had only one thought – "I must keep fighting! So that when I die on the battlefield, my debt to those who have passed will be paid!"
He had not only been willing to die, he had been eager.
But when he saw the knight who he had recognized as his savior caught Knight Alice in his arms, his feelings changed. Like him, Kirito had lost someone important, and had been unable to save many. But Kirito was not throwing his life away in shame. When he woke up, he did his best to save everyone, he was willing to admit his mistake, and he continued living. He had someone precious and he held onto her. He must have had a great deal to say to her, and their hearts surely were bound. That was why Kirito could continue living. That was his strength.
Renly no longer felt like he needed to die. Even though he still had a burning desire to ask for his friend's forgiveness, and beg for the Pontifex's understanding, he no longer wished to join them in death.
The best way for me to redeem myself, to gain the strength I need…is to continue living and connect my heart with the people I can love.
His hand held Tiese's as he looked up to the magnificent night sky.
"What it means to live. To live, fight, and connect our lives and hearts. And that's…that's the only proof of strength."
At that moment, Renly, Tiese, Ronye, Liena and all the other soldiers bowed their heads.
They prayed.
Then, one after another, stars emerged on that boundless, embracing night sky.
Further to the north, surrounded by a thousand of the Dark Territory's warriors was Leafa. Those around her were not hostile. Instead, they were kneeling in a respectful, reverent manner.
Her body had long been worn out. The ceaseless violence had been too much for the young girl. Cracks and damages were all over her armors. And so she lay, tiredly but also peacefully, on the coarse rocky ground.
She could hear Lilpilin, her newest friend, kneeling next to her and had tears running down his face. He, alongside all the surviving Pugilists and Orcs had deemed her their new leader, and he could not accept that she could die.
Leafa only smiled.
When the skies were suddenly stripped of their usual colors, her Dark Territory comrades lifted their heads in surprise and incredulity. Leafa, however, was not even a bit alarmed.
The light breeze that blew at her locks was the only confirmation she needed. It was her big brother's scent. That familiar, reassuring scent she had missed for a long time now.
"Brother…"
Leafa, or in another world, Suguha, had always had a complicated relationship with her big brother. The truth about their family, the fact that they were cousins rather than siblings and the fact that Kirito had distanced himself from her after knowing the truth were barriers they had not managed to cross completely.
In her heart were many, many complex feelings. There was respect, there was friendliness, and there was even a sense of love she was told she should not possess. But at the very bottom, there was a pure feeling that she would do whatever it takes to support her brother.
So please send the last of my strength to Big Brother's sword too…
She prayed.
And directly overhead shone a viridescent star, flickering like her heart.
Some fifty Mels away from the peaceful goddess, Iskahn asked:
"Hey Sheyta…what do you think it means to have power…to be strong?"
This question had been on his mind for all his life. It was in search of the answer that he had given it his all to honing his skills and building his body. He wanted to be strong; he fueled his mind with anger, anger against anyone in his way and anger against anyone who could beat him, and he believed the only way to do get stronger was to become the Champion of the Pugilists.
But it seemed like a new answer was on his mind. There was another meaning to being strong.
"You already know the answer." Sheyta's voice was soft. "There is a greater power than anger or hatred."
The pair nodded to each other, then, they bowed their heads.
They prayed.
The thousand beside them also closed their eyes. They had accepted the power that changed day into night and gave it their trust.
They prayed.
Soon, hundreds of stars began to flicker, then thousands.
Occupying the ravine that led from the Dark Territory to the Human Empire was Fanatio, Deusolbert, Linel, Fizel and all the rest of the knights and soldiers. They were told something unexpected might come, but truly no one had expected day to be turned into night.
Even after two centuries of service, Fanatio had never seen anything like that. She dared say not even the Pontifex had attempted something like this.
Every single person at the site was struck dumb by the scene. But they were somehow aware that enveloping night meant them no harm. It was a peaceful, protective night.
Fanatio prayed for the eternal peace of Bercouli and that their child could grow up safe and strong.
Deusolbert prayed that whoever he had shared the ring on his finger had lived a happy life even after he was called into service of the church.
Linel and Fizel prayed that the Black Swordsman would take them as his students when he returned.
The rest of them prayed for peace, for their family, for a prosperous life.
In the vast land that was the Dark Territory lived various races. In no instance were they ever truly at peace. Even when Emperor Vecta had taken command, the scheming and backstabbing never ceased. There was nothing in all their land that had ever united them. That changed when they saw the blood-red sky gave way to a cool, dark night.
In the mountains and the flatland knelt the Goblins. In the villages knelt the Orcs. In the grassland knelt the Ogres. In the cities knelt the tan-skinned humans.
They all had their goals or interests, they all had their families. At times, they were enemies. But just this very moment, they were united in prayer.
Unlike the previous skies which had respected the demarcation between the Human Empire and the Dark Territory, Kirito's night crossed the End Mountains and covered the entire land in his darkness.
When Selka looked up, she was speechless to see the beautiful blue sky she loved being superseded by an engulfing black. That was something that should not be. And that was something that ought to have frightened her. Yet, it did not.
The night was accompanied by a sense of familiarity, something dear. It was the well-acquainted smell of the Gigas Cedar. The bulk of the demon tree had long been burned, or fashioned into building material. The only part left of the Gigas Cedar was its tip, granted to Kirito as a reward for felling it. She was told he had crafted that into his Night Sky Sword.
Kirito…he's wielding his sword again…
Realization crossed her mind, and a grateful smile surfaced. Selka then knelt down on the ground, only just temporarily neglecting her duty as a nun, and prayed.
Eugeo…please, protect Sister and Kirito…
The faith of a young nun who lived in the hinterlands might be insignificant for some, but when the same faith was blooming everywhere in the entire Empire, it was different.
Kirito's darkness had secured its power over all the empyrean. The villagers of Rulid, the citizens at the nearby Zakkaria, those who were fortunate enough to be living in Centoria; all the wives who were anxiously waiting for the return of their husbands, the parents who were sick with worry, the children who were waiting for their fathers to tell them war stories looked up to the darkened sky. They wondered and they prayed.
At the Norlangarth Imperial Swordcraft Academy, the students and teachers looked up in unison to witness the strangest event they had ever experienced.
In the Central Cathedral, even the monks and nuns who had always stood by the Axiom Church's boundless authority failed to feel fear. They marveled at the sight. And for that particular girl, whose name had been forgotten, and whose duty was only to operate a levitating platform, she looked through the beautiful glass and felt a feeling she had long left behind – happiness.
Her orders since the Pontifex had called her into service included – to retire to bed at sun down. She had never thought anything of darkness, of the night, only it was a part of her tightly controlled schedule. But for the first time in decades, centuries, she could see the comforting power of the night.
And so, like every other citizen in the Empire, she clasped her hands together and prayed.
When the prayers were said, and the hearts of countless were laid bare, the night that had been born during day was glowing with tens of thousands of stars. The flickering, iridescent blanket could be seen and admired from every corner of Underworld.
Another metallic clang hummed. The stars hanging above moved. From across both realms, and no matter their distance, stars of every and any color shot through the skies and slowly began to merge into a single point. That exact spot was right next to the World's End Altar.
Beside the floating island, a colossal pillar of darkness stood. And at its very top, the brightest, warmest lights ever shone gathered.
When Alice was finally nearing the ends of those stairs, something beyond her wildest imagination occurred. The crimson sky gently disappeared, and in its stead, it was a soft blackness.
The knight turned her gaze backwards and she nearly halted her direction in disbelief.
She saw a noir, hollow creature equipped with six gigantic wings. Whatever it was, it held a flaming emptiness on its right hand and was shaking with all its might.
That being was monstrous, demonic, but it was also bound. Within countless chains of ice was it confined.
The source of that ice was a lustrous white sword. The Blue Rose Sword held firmly by Kirito was imprisoning the Death Angel.
The Black Swordsman was in a horrible state. He had majestic dragon wings on his back, but he was also mortally wounded. His body below the torso was gone. Anyone suffering from those injuries would have been sent to the three goddesses ages ago, but by sheer willpower, Kirito was staying afloat, staying alive.
Something else was also keeping him alive.
The Night Sky Sword that had kept Alice company for months was held high. There was an infinite darkness shooting out from its tip and from there an infinite darkness covered the entire sky. Infinite was also the numbers of stars in the heavens.
Flickering stars so limitless Alice failed to count scattered. Before she could give any thought into how the night had come forth before the sun had ebbed, those brilliant stellar lights moved. Colors from the entire light spectrum trailed uncountable lines across the night sky. Above head was a beautiful crystal black, but also a colossal mirror of rainbow.
Every light, every star, every person and every heart now rushed towards Kirito's Night Sky Sword. Their power not only sustained his injured form, they were making him more powerful than ever.
"Kirito!"
Alice cried out as she witnessed him fighting this final battle. Her emotions boiling over as she realized all of Underworld was now united into a single sword.
It may be an ephemeral soul that only lived a brief time as an artificial knight, but these emotions and sensations flooding my heart, and my love for you are real! So take my heart too, Kirito!
A golden star took flight from her fingertips. It was aureate, it was blinding, it was also like the petals of a blooming flower.
"NULL…"
It was less like a word and more like the bellowing of a beast, or the static sounds of a void.
"NULLLLL…"
Those sounds came rightly from Gabriel Miller.
"NULLLLLLL…"
With that one growl the Death Angel turned his wings into the flaming emptiness in his hand. The amorphous appendages briefly gained form as they transformed into razor-like wires.
"NULLLLLLLL!"
That inhuman shriek came concomitant with the high-pitched sounds of ice breaking. The anger Gabriel Miller had in his heart bred from the temporary incarceration was turning into excitement.
I will devour every drop of this vexing insect!
His seven swords of total void were directed against the Black Swordsman. But then he realized the blood-red sky he had so enjoyed just moments ago was gone. A black night replaced it, and tens of thousands of shooting stars were soaring.
When Gabriel Miller lifted his head, the countless stars began to stream into the pillar of darkness. So brightly did those lights burn Gabriel fail to even recognize what shades there were.
There was a straight, focused white that led all the powers into Kirito's sword; there was a forging, hissing red, crimson like Solus, that cascaded down and was overflowing, there were rainbows bursting through the air and landed directly onto the Night Sky Sword.
These lights, these overwhelming powers that were simply inextinguishable, were not that of Sacred Arts; for those could be nullified. These strengths which now began to flow throughout Kirito's broken body and were filling him with warmth were not of Sword Skills, for those could be overreached.
No.
They were simply humanity. They were the might of infinite hopes, wishes and emotions that could only be produced by human hearts.
Underneath the vast night sky, a light brighter than the sun scorched. The lights shining from his Night Sky Sword was pouring out towards every direction. Sparks of every color, every size surrounded the hovering knight as they whirled around, all under the command of Kirito. It was like the moon enveloped by the stars, it was like an Emperor ringed around by his retainers, it was like a god flanked by his divine angels. It was itself a world, a universe, all-encompassing and almighty!
When the last of those stellae had made its way into Kirito's weapon, one additional star crossed the skies and reached him.
That star expanded until it was shaped like growing petals. Then it made contact directly with the Black Swordsman.
A giant explosion burst out.
The Blue Rose Sword turned incandescent as a light, bluish shade surged out. Lambent azure lightnings poured down as its power overflew.
The Night Sky Sword burned with a dark flame, colors analogous to the Gigas Cedar itself.
Beginning from his mighty dragon wings, a conflagration covered Kirito. It was the aureate fire that had saved Alice's life, it was the aureate shade in Kirito's heart, it was the aureate light that now represented only one thing – humanity.
The fire spread downward. When it caught up to Kirito's bifurcated lower body, it continued and the lost limbs grew back instantly. But it did not stop there. The fiery cover thickened and shone even more brightly if it was possible. The flame wrapped itself around Kirito once more until something new jacketed the knight.
Lines of gold ran across Kirito's body. Burnt to cinders, the leather coat from Aincrad slowly made way for a crystal, onyx armor which emerged out of the blazing glow. Sabatons, cuirass, gauntlets, even a gorget bearing the golden symbol of the Integrity Knights were forged out of those divine, but human lights. Eventually, the back of his great goat thinned, and the heavy fabric transformed into a brilliant, blowing cape made entirely in black.
Kirito pulled out his swords. He was ready.
Staring into each other were not just two sworn enemies, not merely two polar opposites, but also two hovering orbs; one of darkness, of cold, and of void, it was devouring all that was around it, the other was one of light, of warmth and of humanity, it was the source of life.
Gabriel Miller's shroud of emptiness threatened to absorb everything, but Kirito's burning flame in the skies was spilling over with power.
"NULLLLLL!"
The Death Angel's screech coincided with Kirito's own war cry and they charged.
Tens of thousands of empty arms shot from Gabriel's hands and wings and headed straight for Kirito. Just a moment before they could harm the knight, Kirito let out a yell and with it a golden barrier.
Gabriel's attacks were crushed under the shining power. Then it was Kirito's turn.
Beating with all his might, the dragon wings carried Kirito closer and closer before the living void. By virtue of that unstoppable momentum, Kirito ought to have reached the Death Angel, but he felt something else.
The time he was experiencing changed, even if just slightly. It was the same temporal pause that he had utilized when saving Asuna from PoH's evil blade. But he did not do it, something else was manipulating the time.
That singular moment, that one second was expanded into an unlimited hiatus.
On his right, a figure appeared.
It was a Dark Knight. It was a muscular, somehow scarred warrior. He had a mustache that pronounced age and experience and on his right was a young female knight.
That man spoke.
"Cast away all murderous intent. His empty soul cannot be slashed with an Incarnation of murder."
On Kirito's left, another powerful knight emerged out of a myriad darkness. He had a deep, blue set of armors, and a casual smirk which Kirito had seen a long time ago. It was Lord Commander Bercouli.
"Have no fear, boy. The weight of the world itself now rests on your sword."
Even further left was a young woman with exquisite features and a long, silken hair. She had alluring mirrors for eyes and a smile so gentle any man would have fallen for. It was Quinella.
"Now, show me. Show me the power and divinity of Incarnation I have granted you. Show me the strength you need to protect the one you are destined to meet and love. Honor your promise to keep her safe."
Finally, right before Kirito's very eyes was a girl wearing a pair of scholarly glasses and dressed in simple religious garbs and hat. It was the Cardinal.
"Kirito, you must believe, believe in the hearts of all those you love and all those who love you."
The five figures disappeared. Then the Death Angel was within Kirito's sword range.
"With the authority I've inherited from the Administrator, with the hearts I've received from all throughout the Empire and the Dark Territory, with the love I hold for my family and destined one, I, Integrity Knight Kirito, will show you what it means to be human!"
The dual swords glowed and glowed until they were blinding.
"Starburst Stream!"
This time, fueled by power never before seen in any world, the Divine Objects in Kirito's hands had no troubles pushing aside the blades of emptiness.
Strike after strike, the newest member of the Integrity Knight Order propelled the Death Angel backward. Gabriel's metallic, deafening screams were in sync with the clashes between his and Kirito's twin swords.
The air, the mountains and even the ground quivered when the two crossed swords. Left behind by light and void were explosions and destructions.
Kirito increased his already unimaginable speed. The Night Sky Sword and the Blue Rose Sword formed tornados of razors, every clash generated lightnings and with every strike could Kirito feel his powers swelling even more potent.
He had no anger. In that boundless heart of his, there was neither hatred, nor fear, nor murder. There was the unending darkness that comforted him, and there was the infinity of the prayers of every human in Underworld.
After another barrage of clatters, the twin swords struck again. The divine powers wielded by Kirito thrusted Gabriel straight through a mountain and he finally saw an opening. The Blue Rose Sword was held overhead and the final and most powerful strike was about to be dealt.
"TAKE THIS, GABRIEL!"
"NULLLL!"
Not even half an instant before Kirito could attack, Gabriel bawled a scream no entity had ever achieved and one of his bladed wings shot forth. The Black Swordsman's left arm was promptly severed and left behind in the air was only the Blue Rose Sword.
"NULLLLL!"
The Death Angel screeched as his sword of emptiness came crashing down, millions of black lightning burst out therefrom.
But that void did not hit Kirito.
CLANG!
Gabriel's blade was stopped midair by the Blue Rose Sword. Two streams of lightning waterfall poured down.
Kirito did not hold the sword. He watched with wide eyes a glowing figure holding the hilt.
At first glance, it was his brother Eugeo. But then it appeared like the young Alice Zuberg. Then it was like Knight Alice. Then long, silvery hair was blowing near the sword as the Pontifex seemed to be wielding the weapon. Then it looked like Commander Bercouli. Then so, so many others, even those that Kirito could not recognize. There was no one holding that sword, but it was also every single person holding that sword. The entirety of Underworld was now fighting this battle with him.
Kirito heard a voice, a voice made up of countless voices.
"Now's your chance, Kirito!"
Thank you…
Kirito raised his other weapon. He cried with all his strength, and then he struck.
The burning Night Sky Sword landed straight onto Gabriel's left shoulder, it pierced through his empty skin and it plummeted as deep as it could go until it was where his heart would be.
Then something most impossible happened. The flames of the Night Sky Sword lost their blackish shades, instead, a multicolored ray burst out and began to shine through every part of the Death Angel's body.
"Ha ha ha ha!"
Gabriel's laughter was totally maniacal even though the rainbow colors were sparkling. Every single color imaginable was flowing through his empty form and was lighting his dark exterior bright. He could feel their thoughts, emotions and feelings.
He felt the pain of a grieving family. He felt the happiness of a couple who had just had their first child. He felt the anxiety of those who prayed for the war to end. He felt the excitement of those who wished for Kirito's victory.
Gabriel was enjoying it. It was as though every soul in this world was entering his body. He felt like he could devour everything he had ever wished.
"It's pointless!" he yelled with ecstasy. He spread his wing and arms wide, showing that his pierced heart had brought him no harm whatsoever. "I'm going to drink every last drop, and devour all of you!"
"As if you could!" Kirito shouted back, his golden eyes creating a perfect match with the radiant colors now rushing out of Gabriel. "You're just a coward who's terrified by the power of the human heart!"
The Death Angel kept on laughing. At this point, it was not clear if his laughter came from anything that amused him or if it was just the natural sounds of his hollow abyss.
"HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!"
All around Kirito and Gabriel were those blinding rainbow colors.
When those colors first emerged, Gabriel did seem to be absorbing them as easily as he willed. The multicolored power, for a brief moment, was sucked inside that empty form.
But even if he is a black hole that threatens to devour and absorb…what I have is the unbounded and immeasurable power of human hearts!
Light started to leak out. The places where Gabriel should have had his eyes and mouth, Kirito could now see streams of light spurting out. The same lights then appeared everywhere. Red, purple, blue, green, silver, gold, all the colors that had once occupied the night sky began to surface.
Cracks were forming all over his empty body; first only one or two small crevices of light, then gradually, those illuminations were taking over his entire form.
Gabriel kept on laughing. His mouth expanded with crazed frenzy but Kirito's flaming power also poured out. The seraphic wings of his caught fire from the crimson shade and they started disintegrating. The silhouette of his once human body was losing its exterior.
"HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!"
As if in the belief that he still could not be vanquished, Gabriel's laughter did not stop. The pitch of that cackle grew and grew until it became nothing more than a painful metallic noise.
Then, the great darkness that was the Death Angel receded. A spectrum of light was overthrowing his emptiness. And when the lights had completely taken over, the Death Angel flickered, and in an instant it exploded.
Not one, not two, but hundreds of blasts of incalculable scale were hurled continuously from his imploding body all the way to the heavens.
The Death Angel was no more.
Kirito had done it. He had delivered his world from utter destruction. He should be happy.
But he was not.
That one moment before death, that one second when the Death Angel was about to tear him into parts, Eugeo was there. His brother, whose soul had fragments left behind in the Blue Rose Sword had picked up the sword and helped save him. But even souls had their time. Kirito was sure he would never again hear his brother's voice. Eugeo had done all he could and his time in this world had truly come to an end.
Kirito was gently floating in the skies, lying on his back as he stared into the beautiful night sky.
"Goodbye…Eugeo."
His left arm had healed and it was holding the Blue Rose Sword. But this time, no more responses came back. Eugeo had left this world.
There was another reason happiness eluded the knight. When Kirito had achieved the unachievable, when he had vanquished the Death Angel, ten minutes had passed.
Thunderous rumbles sounded. The staircase Kirito had erected earlier was collapsing. Maybe it was the shockwaves from the earlier battle, maybe it was the destabilizing effect of the Maximum-Acceleration Phase, or maybe it was something else. It did not matter.
Only one thing mattered. He had to make sure of something.
The dragon wings of his spread again and they swiftly carried him to that tiny island resting in the sky.
There was a quartz-like path that ran through the island, at the end of it stood a pure white temple decorated with golden fringes. Kirito landed somewhere in the middle. The Integrity Knight armor of his made a hefty noise but that did not distract him from carefully observing the environment.
Despite its modest size, the floating island was brimming with life. Trees around the size of houses were occupying the flanks of that stone path and butterflies were quite literally everywhere.
In a twisted and cruel sense of irony, just beside the temple Kirito could see branches after branches of blue roses.
"Both Sinon and Leafa would have left Underworld by now due to the time difference…"
Kirito muttered with some relief, but also only half-heartedly. His eyes darted around the entire island. It was dark as his night sky had yet to subside, but it was clear no one else was on it.
"Thank goodness…so Alice made it out…"
Life here was already less than kind to the blonde knight, but Kirito could only imagine even more complicated challenges awaiting her over there.
"Good luck out there, Alice, I really hope you will like it. After all these troubles, at least your wish to see my world will be granted. I'm sure Kikuoka and the rest will be kind to you. After all, they owe you that much."
Kirito took a deep breath before sighing.
"Now then, two hundred years, huh?"
It sounded like a casual remark, except a slight crack at the end betrayed his emotions.
"Asuna, Sinon, Leafa…Alice…"
The fact that he was not going to leave this world for the next two hundred years finally dawned on him. Can a human soul really survive two hundred years? Would his soul not wear out and disintegrate, therefore taking his life before all that time could pass?
There were at least a thousand theories running through Kirito's mind, but more than ever, he was convinced he would never be able to go back.
The people he had held precious would never see him again, and he would never see them again. His friends, his parents, his daughter, even the one who had made him wake up from that terrible slumber…it was over.
"I'm sorry."
Tears trailed down as Kirito's voice trembled. The mighty swordsman then dropped to his knees and what a fall it was. The weight of the whole world collapsed onto him. His hands supported his body weight, making him kneel on that white stone path rather than lying face-down, but honestly, what he would not give to just capitulate to that horrible new world.
His vision blurred while his head was swinging. His heart was again torn to pieces. Guilt and loneliness dominated his mind. He had nothing more to do but cry, there was nothing to do either anyway.
So he cried. He cried because of a bleak future where he had no family. He cried because of all the pains he had suffered thus far would be incomparable to the ones he was about to endure.
He cried until the stone slab under him was covered with wetness and his voice was coarse.
The only thing he could hear was the birds chirping on the trees, the winds blowing by the plants and his tears dropping on the ground.
There is nothing to hear too, anyway.
There is nothing…just nothing left for me…
Sounds of heavy yet gentle footsteps approached.
Kirito thought he was hallucinating. He thought those were his imaginations, but those sounds got stronger and stronger. There were also light noises of a dress fluttering. Someone was coming nearer.
Those sounds stopped as a shadow occupied Kirito's still bowed vision.
Before he lifted his head, already a soft golden shade was invading the corners of his eyes.
"Kirito."
Author's note
Let me first apologize for how long it has taken me to update. If I remember correctly we are just a little over two months since there was a new chapter. Well it has been some busy months for me so that is about the only excuse I can give.
In any case, that was that. The final battle that would end this war, just like the anime, was completely upon Kirito. I saw one art on Google with Kirito wearing the Integrity Knight armor and I was like "This is it, he has to have it" Though in all seriousness, I think it makes sense that, Kirito, being the most powerful swordsman in Underworld, would also become the most visible protector there is. Also, since my point of divergence from the anime has always been that Kirito has let go of his Aincrad past, instead accepting Underworld as his home, what differs here from the anime is that when he goes full god mode he doesn't just restore his Aincrad suit, but builds a set of armor that serves as physical token of his feelings.
So what do you think? Did this chapter do that absolutely mind blowing scene in the anime justice? And how did you like those twists and details I gave it? Do share your thoughts with me.
So now what? The war has finally ended. What happens next? Is Kirito just trapped there for the next two centuries? Next time, we will reach the crescendo of this story. I'll see you (this time the update should come quicker) Until then!
Playlist:
"now you're going too far"
"death angel"
"find your sword in this land"
"shooting stars"
"your dream came true"
"the Human Empire Army"
"swordland"
"now the time has come"