Sword Art Online 17 Alicization Awakening

defan's translations
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Sword Art Online Volume 17:

AlicizationAwakening
Translators Notes:
Sword Art Online Volume 17 is part of the Alicization arc. It
consists of Chapter 20 and Chapter 21.
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Translation Credits:
Translation defan752, luacs1998
Editing CJ, David Ruegg, defan752, ZeHaffen, FatedWolf,
Shiina, DarthMewtwo
Scans ruranobe.ru
Illustration Editing Mttblue2
Consultation SAO Wiki
Preceding Illustrations (Spoiler Warning!)
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Cover
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Inner cover
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Pages 3-4
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Pages 5-6
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Page 7
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Page 8
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Page 9
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Page 10
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Chapter 20 Each of Their Battles

7 July 2026 / EighthDay1 of the Eleventh Month of the
Human Empire Calendar, 380
1
5:00 a.m.
More than 3,000 players gathered in a great dome in the World
Tree that stood in the heart of Alne City, at the center of the
world of ALfheim Online.
The winged knight monsters defending the domes roof gate had
been removed.2 Instead, the nine fairy races now used this space
to meet and negotiate, or as a venue for events.
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Only four players were facing the roughly 3,000 other players who
had been gathered to this large, inconvenient meeting.
The hulking Gnome Agil, Salamander samurai Klein, Cait Sith
beast tamer Silica, and Leprechaun blacksmith Lisbeth partners
of the Black Swordsman Kirito, who was still diving in the
Underworld, yet to awaken.
At 4:20 a.m., when Klein and Lisbeth had been sending out ingame messages to every single friend on their lists, there were
only three Lord-class players online. But, while pleading with
them and their subordinate officers, they resorted to the taboo
method of begging them to contact other players in real life. As a
result, all of the players currently in the square had managed to
assemble in just 40 minutes.
In this sizable, hemispherical space, nearly 30% of the floating or
standing players were using newly created accounts. They were
certainly not new to VRMMOs, however. They were veterans of
other The Seed games, diving here by request of friends who had
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ALO accounts.
In other words, the 3,000 people gathered in this World Tree
dome were the elites of the elites among Japanese VRMMO
players. They were the final hope of Yui, the top-down AI: they
were the only force that could save the Human Empire Defense
Army in the Underworld.
In the hushed dome, the Leprechaun blacksmith Lisbeths
magically amplified voice continued to broadcast emotionally.
What Im telling you guys is not a lie, nor a joke! A Japanese
research organization has used our national budget and The Seed
to build a virtual world called Underworld, and thousands of
American players who know nothing about it are about to dive in
and massacre the residents inside!
Lisbeth felt embarrassed at her own nationalistic tone, but
remained encouraged by reassuring herself that was only to her
advantage; she continued shouting:
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The residents of the Underworld arent just NPCs! They are true
artificial intelligence, born from the data of the countless VRMMO
worlds that youve all been playing in! They have emotions like
we do, they have souls like we do! Please, to protect them, please
lend us your strength! Please convert the character data that you
all are currently using into the Underworld!
Ending her five minute speech, Lisbeth surveyed the players, and
hoped.
The crowd of fairy faces only looked confused. Of course, there
was no way they could immediately understand just by suddenly
hearing all of this. Even Lisbeth herself still found it hazy after
listening to Yuis explanation of the Underworlds structure, and
the Artificial Fluctlights living within.
An elegant hand rose out of the shocked, clamoring players.
Sylph Lord Sakuya came walking out, her slender body wrapped
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in green robes.
Lisbeth. I dont think that you and your friends would do all of
this just as a prank, and whats more, there must be something
big if even that Kirito boy hasnt logged in for ten days. But
Sakuyas fluent and calm voice wavered in perplexity.
To be honest, its difficult to believe this all of a sudden.
There exists AI with human souls, and the American military is
trying to seize them? Its all terribly far-fetched Of course, to
prove your words, wed only have to log in and see for ourselves
But you just mentioned that diving into the Underworld
involves a few problems, right? Could you explain them first?
This moment has finally come.
Lisbeth took a deep breath, and closed her eyes for a moment.
This is the moment of truth. If I fail here, no one will come help us at all.
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Snapping her eyes open and giving a sweeping look to Sakuya,

the other Lords in front of her, and the countless players, Lisbeth
replied adamantly:
Okay. The Underworld doesnt operate like a normal VRMMO
game at all, so therell be a few problems when you dive into it.
First of all, theres no controllable UI in the Underworld. In other
words, you cant log out on your own.
The hubbub suddenly became louder.
Cant log out on your own; was this not a phrase that conjured
images of that death game from the past, Sword Art Online?
These days, all games built off The Seed, including ALO, provided
two ways of logging out: either by controlling the UI or through a
voice command.
The only way to log out is to die inside. But that brings me to
the second problem. In the Underworld theres no Pain
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Absorber. If you take heavy damage that reduces your HP to zero,

you should feel rather severe pain.
The uproar grew even louder.
Pain isolation was a compulsory feature of any modern VR server.
In virtual worlds without this function, getting slashed by a
sword or burnt with fire would hurt as intensely as it would in
the real world. Depending on the circumstances, bruises might
even appear on ones physical skin.
Yet there was a far more severe problem that came with this dive.
Waiting until the disturbance subsided slightly, Lisbeth then
informed the players of the third and greatest sacrifice.
One more. The Underworld servers are currently in a state
where even the developers cant operate them. Which means
we cant guarantee that everyones character data can be
converted back to their original games In some situations, the
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characters themselves might even be lost.

After a short pause
Terrifyingly loud roars of fury flooded the vast dome.
Lisbeth, Klein, Silica and Agil lined up in the middle of the floor,
with Yui standing on Kleins shoulder in her tiny pixie form;
standing silently, their bodies endured the wave of voices that
lashed at them from all directions.
This reaction was exactly what they had expected.
The 3,000 top players had spent inordinate amounts of time and
effort raising their characters. For ALO, they had spent hours
furiously slaying monsters that yielded only one experience point;
it was repeating the mundane task of emptying a lake with a
bucket, day after day.
How could they remain silent upon being told that there was a
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chance of losing the characters they had built by infusing their

entire spirit into them?
Y Youre fucking kiddin me!! A player who ran out of the
crowd shouted, jabbing his index finger at Lisbeth.
He was a Salamander dressed in crimson full-body armor,
carrying a battleaxe on his back. He appeared to be a
Commander-level player just below Lord Mortimer and General
Eugene.
Pushing up his helmet visor and exposing his eyes that scorched
with rage, the Salamander bellowed in a voice loud enough to
shut up the entire group behind him:
You gather everyone here and tell us to dive into some fishy
server; thats already pretty ridiculous. Now youre telling me
about character loss?! How the fuck are you gonna pay us back if
theyre gone forever?! Or is this just a trap to weaken our entire
race?!
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Gh!
Lisbeth stuck out an arm to stop a red-faced Klein from jumping
forward, and tried her best to reply calmly:
Im sorry, we cant. I know very well that the characters youve
trained are priceless. Thats why were pleading you to help us
All Im saying is, please help our friends in the Underworld,
theyre putting their lives on the line to defend against the
Americans attack.
Even though she was not shouting anymore, Lisbeths voice still
carried across the entire dome. The Salamander seemed to hold
in his anger for a moment, but suddenly it came sputtering out
furiously again.
The friends you talk about are just the SAO survivors, arent
they?! Those guys who make that face that screams Im super
special! I know all of it, you original SAO lot have always looked
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down on us!!
Now it was Lisbeths turn to be speechless.
Lisbeth had never once had thoughts like those the Salamander
was accusing her of. But come to think of it, she could not be
entirely sure that such a mentality had never come to her. Having
situated her player home within floating New Aincrad instead of a
town on the ground, she almost never went below and talked
only to her old friends; that much was true.
The Salamander continued relentlessly, as though seeing through
Lisbeths hesitation:
Who cares about artificial intelligence, or national secrets?!
Dont get too cocky and bring real world shit into a VRMMO! You
can go by yourself for that kind of stuff! Isnt that better, you
splendid, noble Great Survivor?!!
Yeah, get lost; curses like those began to rouse the crowd.
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I cant do it.
My words cant get through to them at all.
Lisbeth couldnt help but feel tears welling up as she looked
imploringly towards the strong, native ALO players whom she
knew well Sylph Lord Sakuya, Salamander General Eugene, and
Cait Sith Lord Alicia Rue.
Even though their eyes met hers, they remained silent.
Their blazing gazes merely stared at Lisbeth unswervingly. As
though they were saying, show us your determination.
Lisbeth took a deep breath, and shut her eyes tightly. She
thought of Asuna, who would be desperately fighting at this very
moment; Kirito, who was injured; Leafa and Sinon, who had
rushed ahead into the Underworld.
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At my level, even if I convert over, I wont be able to fight like Asuna

and everyone else. But there must be something I can do. Right now, this
place is my battlefield.
Forcing her eyes open and wiping away her tears, Lisbeth began
her speech:
Yes, I brought some real world stuff here. And, as you said,
those who emerge from SAO may find it very easy to mix up
reality and virtual reality. However, Im very certain that weve
never thought of ourselves as heroes.
Gripping Silicas hand, who stood teary-eyed to her right, she
continued:
She and I currently attend a special school for the survivors you
mentioned. We have no choice, since our previous schools had
already dismissed us in the middle of the year. All of the
students in the survivors school have to attend counseling
sessions every month. They monitor our brain waves with
AmuSpheres, and were asked lots of uncomfortable questions
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like, Have you lost your sense of reality, or, Do you want to
harm other people. There are children who have been forced to
drink medicines they hate. To the government, were a reserve
army of criminals that needs constant supervision.
Sometime during her speech, the waves of fury had calmed, and a
tense silence took over the dome. Even the Salamander had
widened his eyes in surprise.
Lisbeth had no idea where the flow of her speech should
terminate. She was only desperately converting her unstoppable
emotions and thoughts into words:
But to be honest, the old SAO players arent the only ones who
are treated like this. All VRMMO players are viewed this way,
more or less. Some say were just a heavy load on society who
contribute nothing, some say were escapists who dont pay taxes
and pensions There have even been calls for a return to
conscription, just to force us to serve society!
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Lisbeth could feel the surging anxiety of the thousands of players.

If only she poked it with a needle, rage twice as intense than
before would erupt.
But Lisbeth placed her left hand on her chest, and continued to
shout:
But I know! And I believe! This is reality!!
Her arms motioned towards her surroundings towards the
whole of Alfheim.
This world, and the many other virtual worlds connected to it,
are obviously not imaginary places that we escape to! To me,
there are real lives here, real friends, real laughter, tears,
encounters, and farewells This is reality!! Im not alone, am I?!
Its because we believe this world is another reality that we try as
hard as we do, right?! Yet, if we see this as only a game, as only a
virtual world, and abandon it, then where is our reality?!!
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Unable to hold them back any longer, Lisbeth felt tears rolling
down her face. But she did not wipe them away, and squeezed
out her last words:
The numerous worlds that everyone raised; they came
together like this World Tree, and the tree has grown. Now that
the blossom called the Underworld has finally bloomed, I want to
protect it! Please, I beg of you lend your strength to us!!
Lisbeth reached out towards the roof of the dome.
In her vision trembling with tears, phosphorescence sparkled,
falling from thousands of fairy wings.
***
A brilliant silver light drew a long, bright arc in the dawn.
A second later, with a dry snap, a thick rope was severed, and
danced in the air like a black serpent. The tens of enemy soldiers
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hanging from the rope were plunged into the bottomless valley,
howling. The Twin Edged Wings, the Divine Instrument that
had cut the rope, turned in a sharp curve and returned to the
hands of Integrity Knight Renri Synthesis Twenty-Seven.
Although Renri had already quickly cut five of the ten ropes set up
by the Dark Territory army to cross the valley, his face showed no
sense of accomplishment or pride. Rather, he seemed like he was
being tormented by the merciless order to sever the literal
lifelines of the enemy soldiers, who were sacrificing themselves
to cross the valley.
The same went for Asuna, who was beside Renri and clutched the
reins atop a white horse.
When Asuna, Renri, Integrity Knight Alice Synthesis Thirty,
Integrity Knight Sheyta Synthesis Twelve, and Integrity Knight
Commander Bercouli Synthesis One arrived on horseback,
hundreds of enemy soldiers had already crossed the valley, and
began valiantly attacking them to protect the remaining ropes. A
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great number of enemies were killed by the three foremost

Knights: Bercouli, Sheyta, and Alice. A few tried to flank Renri
from the side, forcing Asuna to swing her own sword.
In the virtual world Underworld, based on the The Seed
program, Sword Skills and Horse Riding from the SAO era were
still usable.
Not only that, Asuna was using the Super Account Stacia,
Goddess of Creation, whose every parameter was very close to
the upper limit; in addition, the specs of her equipped rapier,
Radiant Light, were beyond that of the Integrity Knights
Divine Instruments. Therefore, even Linear, a basic Sword
Skill, could easily pierce through a Dark Knights armor or a Fist
Fighters hulking frame.
Nevertheless, the blood spraying from enemies wounds, their
aggrieved screams, and their lost lives, were all real.
The people of the Underworld, whether they came from the
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Human Empire or the Dark Land, all possessed souls of exactly

the same nature as Asunas Fluctlights. Her opponents were
unquestionably real people just like her, yet they could be killed
in one strike just because of some game-like status values and
weapon specifications; this truth gave rise to an unbearable pain
and dreadful feeling to Asunas heart.
What was more, despite how they charged forward with tragic
resolve, it was clear that the Dark Knights and Fist Fighters were
not doing so of their own volition.
These Artificial Fluctlights possessed the trait of being utterly
unable to resist their superiors orders. Under the command of
Vector, God of Darkness, a real world human using a Super
Account like Asuna, they continued their attack despite
everything, even knowing that they were dying in vain. In
another sense, they were but victims, dragged into a real world
battle over technology.
But Asuna still strove with all her might to dispel this thought
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from her mind.

Right now, her utmost priority was to protect the Radiant
Medium Alice, whom Vector was pursuing and Kirito, who
was in the encampment behind them.
Shed heard that the only human resources left in the Dark
Territory army were these Fist Fighters and Dark Knights. If they
could take advantage of this reckless valley crossing operation
and erode their main force, Vector would be left helpless.
All right, the sixth one next!!
Integrity Knight Bercoulis firm, vigorous voice carried over and
disrupted Asunas train of thought. Only after Alice, Sheyta, and
Renri immediately replied to acknowledge, did Asuna follow suit.
Just as they turned their horses around and prepared to move
west, the sharp blast of a horn came from behind.
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At a backward glance, they could see the Guardians3 of the

Human Empire decoy squad atop a hill a kilometer away, surging
down in orderly formation. Having completed their preparations
just fifteen minutes after the Integrity Knights did, they were
coming from the encampment to assist.
Theyre such a restless bunch.
Bercoulis words were bitter, but since nearly 500 Fist Fighters
had successfully crossed the valley, it wasnt a bad time for
reinforcements to arrive. As long as the Guardians could hold off
the enemy army, cutting the last five ropes would be much
simpler.
Seems like weve won this battle, Vector-san.
Asuna said softly in her heart
Before she could finish, a peculiar phenomenon entered her
vision.
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Against the blood-red rising sun, mysterious objects began to fall

from high in the sky.
Red lines. Not just one. Tens Hundreds.
No, thousands.
The lines seemed to consist of tiny dots, linked together.
Squinting her eyes, she saw that each dot was either a number,
or a letter from the English alphabet.
These mysterious bunches of lines poured silently down onto
their side of the valley, roughly one or two kilometers east of the
battlefield.
Slowly, not just Asuna, but also the Integrity Knights, and even
the Dark Knights and Fist Fighters of the Dark Territory, all
ceased their actions to watch this bizarre event.
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The first red line that jabbed into the cracked earth became a
small pile and shook
It took only a few seconds to turn into a human form.
***
What he saw made Fist Fighter Chief Iskahn forget the rage
coursing through his body, even if it was just for a split second.
What are those?
On the other side of the great valley, the five hundred Dark Land
soldiers who had successfully crossed the rope bridge were about
to fearlessly engage the five Integrity Knights.
Yet their movements had suddenly stopped, and all had turned
their astonished eyes outside of the battlefield.
Iskahns face, as though pulled along by this scene, unconsciously
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swiveled in the same direction. There, he saw a torrential crimson

rain, falling two kilol to their east.
With a odd thundering, countless red lines tumbled from the
heavens. They swelled up upon touching the ground, and rapidly
molded into human shapes.
Warriors appeared before them, their bodies secured completely
in crimson armor, equipped with long swords, battleaxes, and
spears.
Although its color was different, the shape of their armor was
very similar to that of the Dark Knight Order. At a glance, they
seemed to be Emperor Vectors divinely summoned
reinforcements.
Then, Iskahn distinctly felt that something was ineffably queer.
These red infantrymen were standing without any sense of
discipline or regulation. It was completely unlike the Knights
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trained under Dark General Shasta, who was now deceased. Some
were chatting casually with swagger, some sat on the ground,
and some even drew their weapons and waved them around
without waiting for orders.
The most striking thing was their number.
After the peculiar rain stopped, the legion appearing on the
ground had swelled to an unbelievable size. He estimated that
they numbered far beyond ten thousand, twenty thousand It
looked like thirty thousand people. If the Dark Knight Order had
such a powerful backup team, they would have abandoned the
Ten Lords combined regime long ago and brought the entire
Dark Territory under Shastas rule.
What was more, shocked and disturbed murmurs were breaking
out even among the Dark Knights in the troops on this side of
the valley. Even they are clueless. What the heck is that?
In this case, these red soldiers were the true Dark Legion,
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which their Emperor, Dark God Vector, had summoned with

secret arts from the depths below.
As he realized this, Iskahns shock changed to fury.
If he could summon an army as large as that
Why didnt he do it earlier?! Werent the Fist Fighters and Dark
Knights who had perished in this pointless valley-crossing
operation just lures that served only to attract the enemy now?!
Wait what if thats really the case??
Had the Emperor only given the order to forcibly begin that
unprecedented, suicidal operation in order to buy time to
summon his own subordinates?
No.
Not just this operation. During the entire battle at the Great
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Eastern Gate, the loss of the Dark Land armys strength was
beyond abnormal. Whether it was the Goblins, the Giants, the
Ogres, or even the Dark Sorceress Guild, they were all
annihilated. Yet the Emperor didnt even bat an eye, let alone
mourn their deaths.
In other words, to Emperor Vector, the fifty thousand people of
the Dark Land army had been expendable pawns from the very
beginning!
Before that moment, Iskahn, the young chief of the Fist Fighters
Guild, had merely been a young man uninterested in anything
other than training his own skills, and the rise of his tribe.
But in this very second, his thought process had, for the first
time, risen to a point from which he was able to view the entire
Dark Territory, the Human Empire, and the entire Underworld.
This perspective created an unsolvable conflict in his mind.
The Emperor was the strongest one. He must obey the strongest
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one, unquestioningly.
But.
But
Guh!
Excruciating pain, like nothing he had ever felt before, pierced his
right eye. Iskahn groaned as he covered the right side of his face.
The Fist Fighter Chief stumbled, and dropped to his knees.
With difficulty, he could make out over thirty thousand crimson
soldiers beginning to run, speaking an unintelligible language.
At the location they were running to, nearly one thousand
Human Empire soldiers quickly combined with the Integrity
Knights and arranged themselves into a counterattack formation.
Between the two sides, five hundred Fist Fighters and Dark
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Knights stood still, utterly lost.

It seemed that, despite the mercilessness of the Emperors
strategy, he had at least saved the lives of these five hundred
warriors.
Iskahn consoled himself as he massaged the intense pain in his
right eye.
Even after all of their suffering, he had still underestimated just
how cruel Vector really was.
The instant that the five hundred Dark Territory soldiers, the
Human Empire soldiers, and the summoned Dark Legion met
Countless swords, countless battleaxes, and countless spears
reflected the sunlight
Then, with bloodthirsty howls, they were swung at the Fist
Fighters, who were supposed to be their comrades.
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***
Those guys Why?!
It was Asunas first time hearing such a shocked yell from Knight
Commander Bercouli, but words failed her.
The 30,000 soldiers who suddenly descended no, dived to the
east of the battlefield, had undoubtedly been summoned by
Emperor Vector.
But where on earth did he get so many people?
Did he directly create system-controlled monster-type
characters? But the central console was already locked, and this
type of administrator-privileged operation was impossible; the
only way to introduce new fighters was to create a character in
the real world, then dive in like Asuna had, but the attackers only
had two STLs.
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Asuna sank into the chaos of the moment

Her bewilderment was shattered by the roars of the red troops
that had already approached within a few hundred meters.
Charge ahead!!
Give em hell!!
English!
Those people are all humans from the real world judging by their
accent, theyre Americans!
But, why would they be here This is a genuinely different world,
completely cut off from the real world
No.
No
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Maybe, to the people diving in with STLs, the Underworld was

actually a different world created through the Mnemonic Visual
with realism rivaling that of the real world. However, the generic
VRMMO template The Seed had also been used to design this
world. In other words, as long as one used an AmuSphere, they
could dive into this world using a low-end server based on
polygonal construction furthermore, the Ocean Turtle had a
large, military-grade bandwidth satellite connection.
Then, if someone were to write a client program that included
the Underworld central server address and the accompanying
account information, and disseminate it in the real world
Not just several tens of thousands; summoning an army of
hundreds of thousands was certainly not impossible.
But what shocked Asuna the most was how those crimson
soldiers acted; they had started to directly attack their supposed
allies, the Dark Land Knights and the Fist Fighter army, without
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any hesitation.
Wh, what are they?!
Arent they supposed to be our allies?!!
The Knights screamed desperately while trying to defend against
the attack, but their numbers were already far too
disproportionate, and on top of that, the crimson soldiers
weapons and armor were of much higher specs than the Dark
Land armys equipment.
One after another the swords and shields started breaking apart,
and together with the agonizing screams from the collision of
both armies, innumerable spurts of blood began gushing out.
Dude thats awesome!!
Pretty gore!!
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These Americans were probably completely unaware of the true

nature of this battle. They were probably under the impression
that their diving in was merely taking part in an open beta test
for some new VRMMO. Therefore, she could not blame them for
swinging their swords and killing everyone. After all, to them,
these soldiers were not conscious beings equal to humans; they
were NPCs, mere trifles. Of course, not everyone was atrociously
evil; in the real world, they were still VRMMO players who could
be friendly and work together with other players on the same
server. If there was time to inform them of the true nature
behind the Underworld and the Artificial Fluctlights, Asuna
believed that most of them would immediately drop their
weapons.
But they hadnt such leisure right now. Even if Asuna tried to
step into the battlefield and explain the situation in English, they
would just think of her as an NPC speaking preset lines. If they
were told killing enemies right now will earn you points, which
you can exchange for rare items after the official release, even
the Japanese players would do the exact same thing.
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In short, verbally convincing them was impossible.

The people the Americans were trying to kill were not NPCs, but
artificial Fluctlights carrying real souls. After finishing off the
soldiers of the Dark Territory, those of the Human World would
surely be next. Then, as the only one present inhabiting a
transient body, she had to fight.
With that resolve, Asuna raised the rapier in her right hand and
began to quickly chant a command.
System call! Create field object!
A polychromatic spectrum of rays gathered on her sword.
There was currently no way to create a bottomless canyon like
she had last night; if she did so, she would also cut off the
Human Empire armys path of return. Thus Asuna instead
imagined a gigantic rock as sharp as a spear, and slashed her
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sword down.
Laa, with a solemn sound effect, the spectrum of rays shot from
her sword tip directly into the ground, slightly beyond where the
American and Dark Territory armies collided.
The ground before her suddenly shook violently and a steep peak
surged out of the ground, rising nearly 30 meters high at once.
The tens of crimson soldiers standing atop it were all sent flying.
Four more mountains burst from the ground, shooting into the
air, and the ground swayed without pause. Shouting earsplitting
curses in English, several hundred crimson-armored bodies were
thrown high; some were pierced by the rocks, while others
landed heavily on the ground in a storm of flesh and blood.
Asuna could not summon the willpower to imagine how those
people felt before dying, because a harsh, searing pain suddenly
shot through her mind and caused her to collapse on the back of
the horse.
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Silver sparks scattered in her vision as she struggled to breathe

and began to hyperventilate. The pain now was much worse than
when she had created the deep canyon last night. Asuna was now
personally experiencing the torment of massive amounts of
geographical data coursing through her soul The raw feeling of
her Fluctlight being worn away.
But I must not fall here.
If this was how Kirito was injured, this was how she wanted it to
be. Asuna thought this as she clenched her teeth, and pulled
herself up onto the saddle.
The zeal with which the American players came from the east
side of the battlefield seemed less ardent than before. But since
the five rocky hills were only around 500 meters wide, the players
would soon pass around them.
I must create a rock wall in the south, so that the Human Empire army
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can retreat.
Asuna raised her trembling right hand, panting
But it was seized tightly by another armored hand, which
reflected the shining gleam of dawn.
Alice?! She called the golden knights name in a hoarse
voice.
The golden knights beautiful white face showed steely resolve as
she shook her head.
Dont push yourself anymore, Asuna. Leave it to us Integrity
Knights now.
B But, those people are enemies from the Real World from
my world!
Even so, if its just some tens of thousands of bloodthirsty
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guys waving their weapons around, it wont be enough to scare

us.
Yep, and thats why its our time to shine.
Bercouli added with an untroubled grin.
Although the Knights tones of voice eased the current situation,
Asuna still detected tragic understanding in their faces, worse
than before.
The crimson tsunami of enemies numbered more than 30 times
that of the Human Empire army.
This was no longer something they could face merely with
courage. But the Knight Commander raised his longsword high,
high in the air, and shouted an order in an extraordinarily
irrepressible voice.
Listen up! All units, assume a dense formation! Do not let the
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enemy breakthrough anywhere!

***
Oh Ohh
What came from Iskahns mouth was no longer human language.
Oh OHHHHHHHHHH!
Blood dribbled from the fists clenched at his sides. But the young
Fist Fighter, roared like a wild beast, seeming not to feel pain.
Iskahns aide Dampe standing still by his side seemed to share
Iskahns feelings, and was looking down, deeply deeply.
All dead. All consumed.
His tribal warriors, in a storm of chaos, had perished, defenseless
against the approaching dark cloud of swords, their souls lost in a
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mist of blood.
Moreover, the soldiers still crossing the valley on the five ropes
were unable to stop, because the Emperors order of reach the
other side still affected them. They could only obey their
absolute master, precariously cross the rope bridge, then be
surrounded by the crimson army and torn apart indiscriminately.
Why Why hadnt the Emperor given an order to stop crossing
the valley, or for that army to stop attacking the friendly Dark
Territory army?
Were his tribal warriors not even lures, but mere sacrifices offered
to that summoned crimson legion now?
Must To the Emperor
He must report to the Emperor. He must request that he stop this
operation.
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Furious and desperate, Iskahn took a slow step towards the

imperial throne carriage behind him. The entire right half of his
vision turned deep red, and spates of excruciating pain assaulted
his right eye.
Then, his aide Dampe looked at him, his now contorted face
seemingly trying to say something.
Just then, a gargantuan black silhouette flew overhead.
Iskahn and Dampe instinctively looked up towards the shadow in
the sky; it was a dragon.
Riding on top of the jet black armor was a figure with long,
flowing golden hair dressed in a lustrous fur mantle Emperor
Vector himself.
Ah AH!!
As though he had heard Iskahns involuntary shout, the seated
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Emperor glanced quickly at the ground. No emotions could be

read from his dark pupils. It was an icy glance that contained not
a sliver of compassion not even a speck of interest for his
soldiers, who were dying in vain.
Then, Emperor Vector turned away from Iskahn, and directed his
dragon south of the valley.
This is the god. This is the ruler.
But, if this is the ruler, if this is the strongest being with unrivalled
power
He must take the according responsibility!!
Leading his subordinate army, ruling over his subjects, bringing the
nation to prosperity; those are the duties of a ruler. Therefore, someone
who sends several tens of thousands of lives to their end without even
using them, without feeling anything at all the Emperor right eye
isnt qualified right eye hurts to be a ruler!!
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Uwo. OH OHHHHHHH!!
Iskahn thrust his right fist high, and curled his finger into a
hook.
Without hesitation, he stabbed it into the source of blazing heat
blocking his thoughts his own right eye.
Ch Chief!! What are you doing?!
The young Fist Fighter stuck out his left hand to block Dampe
from approaching him, and with a bellow, ripped his right eyeball
from its socket. The white sphere gave off a strange gleam from
within his fist, but as it shattered, that light disappeared as well.
As of now, Iskahn had not reached the point of completing

removing Code 871 through his own willpower, like Alice and
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Eugeo. Therefore, he was still unable to initiate any sort of

traitorous intent directly towards the Emperor, or refuse the
Emperors two orders: continue the valley crossing operation
and You yourself may not cross the rope bridge.
However, he had discovered a rather barbaric method to evade
the Emperors orders and this method itself was asymptotically
close to betrayal.
Iskahn spun around and spoke to Dampe staring at him

speechlessly.
The Emperor hasnt told us anything regarding those crimson
soldiers, has he?
Ah No, he hasnt. But
Then, if we were to kill all of them, it would have nothing to do
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with the Emperor.

Champion
Iskahn gazed at the dumbstruck Dampe with his remaining eye,
and ordered.
Listen up After crossing the bridge, all tribe members will
attack that crimson army. No matter what, we must save our
partners.
Hah?! The bridge you refer to, how would
You know what Im going to do. I leave it to you, then.
With those calm words, Iskahn turned towards the valley.
Suddenly, roaring flames enfolded his feet.
Then the king of the Fist Fighters slowly began to run towards
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the valley, leaving a trail of blazing footprints behind him. He ran

faster and faster, finally transforming into a flash of fire.
If I cant cross the rope bridge then all I gotta do is fly over!
Screaming that in his chest, he flung his left foot over the
roughly hundred-mel-wide gorge.
Jumping was a very important skill in a Fist Fighters training.
This training slowly progressed from being able to jump over a
safe sand pit, to sharpening ones willpower by crossing knife
mountains and oil-filled vats, and served as the basis of forming
ones own firm confidence to their own jump; incarnation, in
other words.
Eventually, the jumping distance of a top-notch warrior could
surpass 20 mel. In this flightless world, this was the extent of a
human bodys physical jumping distance.
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Yet what Iskahn needed to cross now was a bottomless canyon

whose width was five times this limit. The Fist Fighter stared
straight ahead, his heart still as he leapt into the air, his body
dragging a long trail of flames.
Ten mel. Twenty mel. His body rose still.
Thirty mel. Thirty-five mel. A strong wind blew from the valley
below, pushing the Fist Fighter up as though he possessed
invisible wings, propelling him even higher.
Forty mel.
Just a bit more he only needed to rise a bit more Then he
could rely on momentum to reach the other side
But.
Just before he reached the very center of the valley, the upwards
wind mercilessly ceased. The Fist Fighters body instantly lost its
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upward momentum; the trajectory of his jump reached its

maximum, and he began to fall in an arc.
He was five mel from the other edge.
UWOOOOOHHH!!
Iskahn screamed, flinging his right hand forward, attempting to
grab something out of thin air. But no place existed for his hand
or foot to grab onto; only endless, cold air extended on and on
from below the darkness under his feet, wrapping around his
body that was about to fall.
Just then
CHAMPIOOOOOOOOOON!!
A tremendously thick roar reached Iskahns ears.
He twisted his head around.
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His own aide, Dampe, had wrapped his right hand around a
boulder larger than his own head, and was preparing to throw it.
The Fist Fighter chief instantly realized what his loyal
subordinate, who often followed him around, planned to do. But
throwing that gigantic boulder more than fifty mel was
definitely impossible for a human
Gowa.
Dampes right hand suddenly swelled, his muscles bulging and
veins swelling, as though his entire bodys strength had
concentrated in one spot.
OHHHHH!!
The giant man bellowed, ran a few steps, and flung the boulder
from his right hand with all his might.
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As the air trembled violently, the boulder shot out as though it

had been launched by a catapult then, the Fist Fighters right
hand exploded, flesh and blood flying in all directions.
Iskahn imprinted the image of Dampe collapsing to the ground
firmly in his left eye, clenched his teeth, and focused all his
concentration on the boulder flying directly at him.
YAAAAAAAH!!
With a shout, he stomped his left foot on the boulder.
Bagaaan!! The boulder shattered against the impact, but Iskahns
small body was propelled upwards. The swordsmen battling on
the other side of the valley were now closer to him.
***
Damn!!
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Asuna tugged her rapier from the body of a cursing American

player while breathing heavily atop her horse.
This was different when she was fighting the Dark Territory
people earlier; she no longer had to deal with the mental strain of
taking a persons life. Asuna, previously known as The Flash,
then the Berserk Healer, was finally able to initiate combo
Sword Skills; the number of crimson soldiers who fell by her
sword rapidly grew above ten.
But despite that, there were just too many enemies!!
Not just Asuna, the Human Empire Defense Army soldiers and the
four Integrity Knights also fought like fierce gods, and finally
carved a bloody opening to the south. Bodies had piled up into
mountains in front of the soldiers advancing in tight formation.
However, they were utterly unable to counter the waves of
crimson soldiers streaming endlessly around the rocky
mountains, and could only try their utmost to fight back and hold
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their current position. Most importantly, they very quickly

realized that the bodies of the enemies they destroyed would
evaporate within tens of seconds, leaving not a trace of blood on
the ground they realized that their opponents were not real
live people, but an army of phantoms. Then
Uwah No AAAAHHH!!
A sudden explosive scream made Asuna spin her head around.
Then, she saw that a hole had opened in the Guardians
defensive line, and the Americans were pouring in like black mud,
throwing themselves with dirty curses at the weak Guardians.
The Guardians were surrounded by enemies numbering several
times more than them, and executed; flesh and blood flew into
the air, and shrieks of pain slowly turned into dying screams. This
extremely realistic picture of death seemed to stimulate the
crimson soldiers bloodthirst even further, and they launched
themselves towards new prey with renewed savagery.
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Stop it. STOP IT!! Asuna cried.

She clearly understood that she was supposed to ignore the
sacrifices of some of the troops, and push south as hard as she
could. But she couldnt control herself anymore and jumped off
from her horse.
STOP IT!!
Charging into the deadly crimson current alone, her scream was
as bitter as blood.
She knew the American players were only being used, but even
so, she could not suppress her boiling anger any longer.
Zzkukukuk!!
Her right hand flashed, and Radiant Light stabbed straight
through the visors of the crimson helmets. Four fatally wounded
people dropped their longswords and crumpled to the ground,
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screaming.
Judging by their reactions, Asuna could see that although they
had dived in with AmuSpheres, they were not protected by its
Pain Absorber. In truth, Asuna had realized that long ago, so she
had tried to make her attacks fatal stabs to the heart, instantly
killing the person and logging them out of the game, yet this
logic had also evaporated.
She now relied on her swords Priority to stab through the
enemies armor, dispatching them instantly, and sometimes even
cleaving the enemies swords in two.
To the Americans, the enemies before them were mere polygons,
and their blood was also computer-generated special effects. Yet
to Asuna, who dived in through the STL, they were real, live
human beings, and their spurting blood was chillingly warm,
exuding a nauseating coppery odor.
Some time later, the pool of blood reached Asunas feet, and she
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accidentally slipped and fell. The hulking soldiers then instantly

surrounded her as she was sprawled on the ground.
Take this!!
A battleaxe swung down, and Asuna frantically dodged right. But
before she should pull back her left arm, the heavy axe had
already roared past.
Gatsu.
With a crunching noise, her left arm was severed down the
middle to her elbow, and it flopped uselessly in the air.
AAHH!!
Excruciating pain blinded Asuna as her breathing froze and she
went numb. A moment later, she breathed heavily and managed
to cradle her left arm, which was spurting blood. But through her
streaming tears, she watched in despair as the four or five black
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shadows surrounding her had already raised their weapons.

Suddenly
The head of the man with the giant axe seemed to explode in a
storm of flesh and blood.
Asuna heard heavy impacts like that of a machinegun. Every time
an impact resonated, the body of a soldier attempting to slash
towards her shattered and disappeared from view.
Hmph Why are these guys so soft?
Asuna endured the agony and pushed herself up; before her was a
lean, short young man with hair standing straight up like flames.
Someone from the Dark Territory!
Asuna inhaled sharply and forgot her pain for a moment. From
the color of his skin and the single leather strap tied around his
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entire body, he was unmistakably a member of the Fist Fighter

tribe she had fought minutes ago.
But why would someone under Emperor Vectors rule attack the
crimson soldiers that Emperor Vector had summoned?
Its as if he had run over just to help Asuna.
Asuna looked down and noticed that the man only had one red
eye left, an ugly wound was left in his right eye socket, and trails
of blood were plastered on his face like tears; the blood looked
fresh.
W ith his remaining eye, the young Fist Fighter looked askance at
an American approaching him, and raised his right fist high.
That sharply defined fist was suddenly wrapped in roaring flames.
Wa RAAAAAAHHH!!
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With a scream that sounded like tearing cloth, the fist struck the
ground.
Guwa!!
From where his fist hit the ground, a semicircular shockwave
blew forward like a wall of fire, relentlessly expelling all of the
crimson soldiers before them into the air.
What strength!
Asuna gaped. If she fought this person now, she might lose
The Fist Fighter wordlessly stretched out and grabbed Asunas
armor with his left arm, forcefully pulled her up, and gazed at her
with his remaining eye.
Lets make a deal.
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Page 45
Asuna couldnt immediately understand what this young but

acrid voice wanted to convey.
A deal?
Yeah. Youre the one who made those rock spears and that
valley, werent you? Listen, make a bridge across that valley,
doesnt matter how narrow it is. That way, we four thousand
warriors of the Fist Fighters Guild can fight alongside you for
now, until we finish off this crimson army.
Fight alongside the Dark Territory army?
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Was such a thing possible? The people of the Dark Land, no, all
the people of this world should be unable to disobey their
superiors orders, due to the existence of Code 871.
But the young man before her had no right eye at all. Did this
mean that he had broken the seal on his own? Had he, like Alice,
evolved into a Fluctlight capable of breaking the boundaries of
this world?
Alice had said last night: To lose Code 871, the eye must
completely explode, but his wound didnt look like the product
of an exploded right eye at all, it looked more like the entire
eyeball had been torn out by force What was she to do, then?
Asunas momentary hesitation was broken by howls and sword
slashes coming from her right.
This person, is likely to not be lying.
The one who cleaved off the heads of a few approaching soldiers
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with a jet black longsword so thin it was nearly invisible, was the
gray-haired female Integrity Knight, Sheyta Synthesis Twelve.
Catching sight of Sheyta, a boastful yet somehow embarrassed
grin broke out on the young Fist Fighters face. Hey, he replied.
The instant she saw this smile, Asuna made her decision.
Ill believe him.
This was probably the last time she would be able to use the
geographical manipulation ability. So wouldnt it be better
spent on creation rather than destruction?
I understand, leave the bridge to me.
Asuna moved her right hand away from the wound on her left
wrist, and raised her rapier into the air with her right hand.
Laa.
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The solemn sound of angelic song was heard as multicolored

aurorae shot into the heavens and extended due north, crossed
the entire valley, and connected to the other side.
With a sonorous thundering, the ground underneath began to
tremble.
Everyone watched as two stone columns suddenly protruded from
both sides of the canyon and slowly extended further and further,
then joined together in the middle, widened, and finally became a
stone bridge sufficient for crossing.
OOOOHHHH, AHHHHHHH!!
The furious bellows of the four thousand members of the Fist
Fighters Guild were several times louder than the tremors just
then. Led by a giant, one-armed man, they converged at the
stone bridge.
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A headache several times more painful than the agony at her arm
suddenly pummeled her; Asuna nearly lost consciousness, and
had to lean on her rapier to avoid falling.
She could no longer see Alice, who was supposed to be guiding
the entire Human Empire army and cutting a bloody path
through the enemy lines.
Asuna could only hope that she would be safe and that the Fist
Fighter army would fight together with them like their chief
promised.
Kirito-kun, Im going now, okay?
Silently murmuring the name of her loved one, her pain seemed
to fly far, far away.
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***
About a minute prior, at the southernmost edge of the battlefield
Integrity Knight Alice had already cut down countless crimson

soldiers who charged forward one after another.
These guys were a bit strange.
They were neither aware that they were swordsmen, nor trained
in sword skills; they merely swarmed forward, stepping over their
comrades bodies and screaming in a strange tongue. It almost
seemed as though they were completely unaware of the value of
life their enemies lives, and even their partners lives, all
seemed worthless to them. It was as if they didnt even care
about their own lives.
If the people who lived in the Real World were like this, it seemed
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that Asuna was exactly right in that the other side was not a
kingdom of gods after all.
With the endless massacre and endlessly appearing enemies, even
Alices reaction speed began to slow.
Shed had enough. This wasnt a battle at all.
Quickly quickly break through their ranks, and get out of here.
Get out of the way GET OUT OF MY WAAAAAYYY!!
She screamed shrilly as the Fragrant Olive Sword slashed
sideways. The heads and hands of the enemies scattered to the
ground.
System call!
Then, she began rapidly chanting an incantation, formed ten
Thermal Elements, molded them into a fiery lance, and shot it.
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Discharge!
Dogou!!
Although it wasnt Deusolberts Conflagrant Flame Bow, a
gigantic explosion pierced the entire enemy formation and tore
open a hole.
And beyond it was
She saw it. A hill, rising out of the black ground.
If she could break through the encirclement and get over there,
she could use the Spatial Resources scattered around the
battlefield to initiate the Sealed Mirror Light Art, and burn all
of these crimson soldiers to a crisp.
OUT OF MY WAAAAAY!!
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Alice screeched and kicked off the ground.

Lil Miss!!
Knight Commander Bercoulis shout came from behind. But Alice
did not hear his next words: Dont go forward anymore.
Almost there. We can almost break out.
Her feet unstopping, sword slashing at the last enemy blocking
her, Alice finally broke out of the seemingly infinite circle of
enemies and charged into the southern wilderness.
She slid her beloved sword into its sheath and continued her
sprint, gulping down the fresh air that smelled of blood.
Suddenly, her surroundings darkened.
Has the sun been blocked out? Alice thought for a moment.
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Then suddenly, she felt a heavy blow on her back, and was
grabbed by a dragons leg suddenly passing over; by the time she
noticed, she was already being lifted by its claws.
Alice tried to activate her Armament Full Control Art, but before
she could finish chanting, her field of vision began to be
enveloped in darkness, and a biting chill filled her body.
Was it a Dark Art from the rider of the dragon? No, that wasnt
it. Her very consciousness was fading away, being sucked into an
infinite darkness.
This was the enemys Incarnation, completely different from
Knight Commander Bercoulis polished steel-like Incarnation,
and also different from the Highest Minister Administrators
scorching, all-consuming Incarnation; it absorbed everything and
seized everything: an Incarnation of nothingness.
That was the last thing Alice could think of before her
consciousness vanished.
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***
To Emperor Vector / Gabriel Miller, this situation was a gamble.
Nonetheless, he firmly believed that as long as the several tens of
thousands of American players diving into the battlefield were
able to surround and attack the Human Empire army, the
Radiant Medium Alice would certainly break out of the
encirclement alone or with a small team to initiate that
huge light ray attack.
That was why he had stayed on the back of his requisitioned
dragon, hovering far, far away from the battlefield and waited. He
felt like this had been the longest stretch of time since he had
first dived into the Underworld.
But then, he finally saw it. The flash of golden light sprinting out
from the ant-like swarm of soldiers.
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Alice Alicia.
Gabriel smiled a rare, genuine smile as he whispered that name.
He whirled the reins in his hands, taking the dragon into a fast
dive.
His overwhelming imagination that formed an Incarnation of
nothingness had already consumed the dragons AI, turning it
into a controllable tool that slaved only for him. Under his
command, the dragon plunged like a stone, its wings silent,
opened its right claws towards the ground and tightly grasped
the golden knights back.
Whoosh!
Then, with the deafening noise of expanding wings, it flew back
into the sky.
Hed never paid any attention to the bloody battlefield he had
created.
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To him, whatever happened next to the Dark Territory army, the

Human Empire army, or the people hed summoned from the real
world, had lost all value; none of it mattered anymore.
Now, he only needed to advance straight to the system console
nearest to his current location at the World End Altar, and
from there, eject Alices soul to the real world, and log himself
out.
Gabriels vision shifted down, and stopped on the golden hair of
the unconscious Knight, billowing in the wind, caught in the
clutches of the dragons talons.
I want to feel her soon. This body, this soul, I want to taste it to my
hearts content.
There was still a very long journey to the system console, which
would take several days even by dragon. He could even use this
time to properly enjoy Alice, while she still had a physical body in
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the Underworld.
As this crossed his mind, a different type of sweet stimulation
climbed up Gabriels spine, and the corners of his mouth lifted
again.
***
How could it be like this?
He actually turned the Dark Territory army of fifty thousand
and the newly-summoned thirty thousand soldiers all into
disposable pawns, and just to
Just to capture a girl!
Ever since Knight Commander Bercouli detected the Incarnation
of nothingness wielded by the existence called Emperor Vector,
an intense uneasiness had come over him. But the instant that
Alice was captured by the other side, he finally realized that his
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predictions of the enemy had only been the tip of the iceberg.
After seeing what happened tens of mel away from where he was
standing, Bercouli did something he had not done for who knows
how many tens of years he let out a roar of rage.
You bastard, what have you done with my apprentice!!
His words pierced the air, agitating the surroundings more than a
peal of thunder could.
Yet it was completely ignored by Alices captor, the dragon
knight, who flew straight into the southern sky without so much
as a backwards glance.
Bercouli raised his beloved sword, and began to chase after the
flying dragon. But the hole that Alice had blown in the enemy
formation with her Art had already been filled with crimson
soldiers; they approached, spitting cryptic curses constantly.
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Youd better
Before Bercouli could shout get away, blinding silver lights flew
overhead.
Kirikirikiri, with that high, clear sound Integrity Knight Renris
Divine Instruments, the Twin Edged Wings, flew past above.
The young knights sharp voice came from behind.
Release recollection!
With a flash of light, the two throwing knives fused together. A
cross-shaped blade flew low above the ground, whizzing forward
and leaving a sharp trail, cutting down all enemies who tried to
enter its path from either flank.
Go ahead, Knight Commander!!
Renri shouted, and Bercouli turned around to answer.
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Sorry! Ill leave it to you!

Then he bent over, and kicked his right foot briskly off the
ground. In the next instant, his body transformed into a white
hurricane, blowing a second time through the gap opened in the
enemy group, at a speed several times faster than the sprints
achieved by the Fist Fighters of the Dark Territory in their martial
dance. But Emperor Vectors dragon that carried Alice had already
become a tiny black dot on the far-off horizon.
As Bercouli ran, he placed his left hand into his mouth and blew a
high, piercing whistle.
Seconds later, a pair of gigantic, silvery wings appeared on the
horizon; it was Bercoulis dragon, Hoshigami.
But not just one dragon was flying towards him. Alices beloved
dragon, Amayori, and the deceased Eldries dragon, Takiguri, also
followed close behind.
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You were all here

Bercouli was briefly overcome with emotion; no matter what, he
couldnt bring himself to order those other two dragons to stay
here on standby.
Hoshigami turned low above the ground and glided as it
approached Bercouli, extending both feet towards him. The
Knight Commander seized a talon on its left foot and hoisted
himself onto its back, straddling the saddle and pointing forward
with the longsword in his right hand.
GO!
Hoshigami, Amayori, and Takiguri moved on command; three
pairs of wings thundered simultaneously, and they flew into the
violet dawn sky. Far ahead of this triangular formation of three
dragons, within the claws of the black dragon, a flash of golden
light shined for a split second.
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***
After the four thousand Fist Fighters charged across the stone
bridge in one go, they quickly joined their nearly two hundred
surviving partners, assembled into a formation at the Human
Empire armys flank, and drove straight into the center of the
enemy formation like a gigantic battering ram.
They formed tight lines of ten each, raised their right fists in
perfect unison, and readied their stances.
U RA!
With a synchronized bellow, ten fists struck out and perforated
the crimson soldiers swords and armor. Screams and blood flew
in all directions; with one strike, more than twenty enemy
soldiers were knocked flying towards the back.
After this blow filled with the utmost fighting spirit, the ten
people quickly parted and retreated to either side, leaving a gap,
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and the ten behind them advanced forward with the same stance.
URARA!!
This time, ten people raised their legs and delivered flying kicks
in perfect unison, blowing a great number of enemies in all
directions, as though a bomb had exploded in their midst.
Wow.
Asuna could not help but marvel as she healed her wounded left
arm with a Healing Art she had learned the night before. Even
Sheyta, who was drinking water near her, seemed a bit surprised.
The Fist Fighters battle technique was somewhat similar to the
SAO progressors switching tactic used during the boss fights, but
their movements and cohesion were much more adept. Ten
people in a row, ten rows in a cluster; there were more than forty
groups with one hundred people each that ravaged the enemy
like heavy construction machinery reducing buildings to rubble.
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Dont just sit there and watch. Even if we charge towards the
south, what would we do then? Since there are this many
enemies, even if we could break through them, it would be very
difficult to kill them all.
The temporarily allied red-haired enemy general stood beside
Asuna, his arms crossed and face stern.
Indeed, even for the Fist Fighters who were breaking through
irrepressibly, defeat would be difficult to avoid if the soldiers that
outnumbered them by several times launched a flanking attack.
There were at least twenty thousand summoned Americans left,
in any case.
Then after we break through the enemy formation and
charge south of the battlefield, well immediately get as far away
as possible. I will then create another canyon to separate us and
them.
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Asuna replied in a low voice.

But could she really do it? Just now, she had only created a
small bridge and almost expired from the effort. If she were to
perform another large-scale geographic manipulation that
extended all the way to the horizon, she might actually be
forcefully disconnected worse, her brain could even be
physically damaged
Asuna bit her lip, and cast away her momentary confusion. Even
then, she must do it. Summoning the Americans to this world
was probably Emperor Vectors last resort. Then, if she could get
rid of them, even if she were to be disconnected, they would be
unable to do anything to Alice.
Just then, from the south, a soldier came running to Asuna on the
north side of the battlefield.
New orders!! New orders!!
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The heavily injured soldier with half of his face dyed red with
blood, fell to his knees in front of Asuna, and mustered all of his
strength to shout his next words.
Information from Integrity Knight Renri-sama!! Integrity
Knight Alice-sama, has been captured by the enemy commander!
The dragon has already flown south!!
Wh
Asuna was dumbfounded.
Of course shed never thought that the current situation was
intentionally created to lure Alice herself away from the Human
Empire Army!!
The Emperor has flown away?!
That gruff, faltering answer was neither from Asuna nor Sheyta,
but from the Fist Fighter Chief, whose remaining eye began to
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take on a strange glow.

Then Just now, that dragon Wasnt here simply to watch us
Hey, woman!!
The young mans fiery eyes stared at Asuna, and he demanded
urgently.
That Alice is the Radiant Medium?! Why is the Emperor so
dedicated to her?! If the Radiant Medium falls into the Emperors
hands, what the hell is going to happen?!
This world will be destroyed.
Asuna replied simply. The Fist Fighters expression was one of
frozen incredulity.
When Dark God Vector brings the Radiant Medium Alice to the
World End Altar This world, whether its the Human Empire
or the Dark Territory, all of its inhabitants will be obliterated.
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Asunas voice had not fallen silent before she noticed that her
words sounded exactly like the most classic RPG lines imaginable,
but this was one hundred percent truth. As soon as the assault
team got their hands on Alices soul, it was very easy to imagine
the fate of the then-useless Light Cube Cluster they would
destroy it without remorse.
Then, what on earth was she to do even her Super Account
Stacia did not bestow upon her a flying ability. How could she
follow them?
The one answering Asunas worries was the gray knight standing
at her side, Sheyta. Returning the now-empty bottle to her belt,
the icy-looking female knight said:
Even for a dragon it cannot fly forever. At most, half a day.
At this, the Fist Fighter Tribal Chief stole a glance at Sheyta, then
hurriedly looked away; he slapped his fist into his hand and
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finished her sentence loudly.

Then just push yourselves out there and catch up to them!!
Catch up to them But, arent you
Asuna looked at the enemy generals young features in surprise.
Arent you from the Dark Territory army? Why, would you go
this far
The enemy general responded like a spoiled, abandoned child.
Emperor Vector certainly told us before, we Ten Lords of the
Dark Land4. He only wanted the Radiant Medium. If he gets her,
he wont care what happens to us. Now that hes got the
Medium, the Emperors achieved his goal In other words, the
mission of the Dark Territory army has been fully completed.
After this, arent we free to do whatever the hell we want, even if
that means cooperating with the Human Empire and taking the
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Medium back?!!
How absurd.
Asuna gazed speechlessly at the young enemy general. The
expression on his face was completely out of place alongside his
deterrent rhetoric a moment ago; it was filled with tragic resolve.
The Fist Fighter stared right at Asuna with his left eye, and spoke
quietly.
I cant We cant revolt directly against the Emperor. His
strength is overwhelming even Dark General Shasta, who was
much stronger than I am, was instantly killed without him even
lifting a finger. If he suddenly gives the order for us to fight you,
we must obey Thats why, we Fist Fighters will defend against
that crimson army here. You and the Human Empire army, just
chase the Emperor as hard as you can. And then the Emperor
that bastard
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The young mans words were suddenly interrupted, and his

expression distorted as though tormented by a pain coming
from his nonexistent right eye.
Tell that bastard, we are not your puppets!
Just then, shouts came from the Fist Fighters on the south side of
the battlefield. The vanguard had finally broken through the
crimson armys encirclement, and plunged into the wilderness.
Very good
Zudan! The young tribal chief stomped his right foot on the
ground and delivered an order in a tremendous voice.
All of you, maintain that gap!
Then, he turned to Asuna, and spoke simply.
Run!! We cant hold for too long.
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Asuna took a deep breath and nodded.

This person, is also a human.
It didnt matter if hes an Artificial Fluctlight, his soul thats filled with
pride is as real as any other humans. We clearly severed the rope that
they had used to cross the ravine, and have murdered more than a
hundred of his tribespeople; he should be swearing revenge against us.
Thank you very much.
Asuna could only manage that, then turned around.
From behind her came Integrity Knight Sheytas voice.
Ill stay here.
Having anticipated this, Asuna looked back, and gave the grayhaired female knight a short smile.
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I understand. Well trust you to bring up the rear.

***
Iskahn watched wordlessly as that unfathomable, chestnuthaired female knight lead the Human Empire army, reduced to
about seven hundred people, and passed through the gap in the
enemy formation created and maintained by his own tribal
warriors in a bloody battle, then looked away from the
commotion and fixated on the Integrity Knight.
Youre good with this, woman?
I told you my name.
Stared at with a piercing look, the Fist Fighter could only laugh
bitterly and change his method of address.
Is this really okay, Sheyta? I dunno if we can make it out of this
alive.
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The slender knight shrugged, and her brand new armor clattered
crisply.
I will be the one to kill you. No chance for others.
Hmph, so you say.
This time, Iskahn laughed heartily.
Wanting to help his partners avoid dying tragic deaths he had
originally chosen to work together with the Human Empire army
with this desire in mind. But now, he was putting his entire
tribes lives on the line to protect the Human Empire people from
that crimson army; how incredible. Yet his heart felt wide open,
like a breeze was passing by.
Well, even if I die here, thats not bad.
If he were to die protecting this world, his father, brother, and
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sisters back in his hometown would definitely understand.

All right!! Go all out, boys!!
A roar of URAAA!! resounded across the battlefield.
Form a circle!! Defend in all directions!! Trash all the idiots who
come near!!
Youre really in the zone, Champion.
Dampe had already taken his position behind Iskahn once more,
and his clenched left fist emitted a grinding noise.
***
While Asuna was leading the army over the southern hill and
retreating to the forest garrisoned by the supply team, the young
knight Renri informed her about how the Knight Commander had
already taken three dragons and flown after Emperor Vector.
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Do you think he can catch up?

At Asunas sharp question, Renris childlike face was severe.
To be honest, the chances are very slim. In short, the two of
them are flying at the same speed, and they need the same
amount of time to rest But, Alice-sama is also riding on
Emperor Vectors dragon, so that expend a bit more of its Life. On
the other hand, the Esteemed Knight Commander can switch
between his three dragons to minimize their fatigue, so in
theory, he can gradually close some of the distance between
them
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Page 65
In other words, they could only pray that the Knight Commander
would reach the Emperor before he arrived at the World End
Altar.
But, even if he caught up to the Emperor
Could the Knight Commander really defeat Super Account
Emperor Vector by himself?
Since Asuna had never expected that the attackers might also log
in with a Super Account, she had never asked Higa Takeru what
kind of powers Vector had. But if Vector had the same type of
powers as Stacias Geographic Manipulation even for the
Integrity Knights leader, winning against him in a one-on-one
fight would be pushing it too much
Just as Asuna was thinking this, Renri spoke in a more cheerful
tone.
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If he catches up, the Esteemed Knight Commander will

definitely save Alice-sama. After all, that man is the strongest
knight in the world.
Yeah, thats right.
Asuna nodded fervently.
The only thing she could do now, was to believe. After all, during
her battle a while ago, she had seen countless times how strongwilled the people of the Underworld were.
Then, lets advance south together with the rest of the army.
Luckily, there are only flat plains ahead of us. We might not be
able to follow Bercouli-san, but we might be able to help him
later somehow.
Understood, Asuna-sama. I will notify everyone to prepare for a
quick march.
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Renri picked up his pace, and dashed into the forest.

Seeing him off, Asuna said to herself.
Kirito wanted to protect Alice, and the entire human world.
She definitely had to protect them as well, no matter how many
injuries she sustained no matter what kind of pain she had to
endure.
***
At the same time
In the main control room of the Ocean Turtle, intelligence
warfare representative Critter was ready to let the second batch
of 20,000 American players dive into the Underworld.
And their login location was Gabriel Millers current location
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roughly ten kilometers away from the insertion point of the first
batch.
2
Gh!!
Inhaling sharply, Vassago Casals jerked up.
He shook his bundled, curly hair and hastily observed his
surroundings.
Steel walls emitting a dim glow, a floor plastered with anti-slip
polymer, and numerous monitors and indicators glowing hazily in
darkness.
When he saw a thin man with a crew cut sitting in a huge leather
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chair in front of him, Vassago finally realized that he had

returned to the main control room of the Ocean Turtle, in the
real world.
The crew cut man Critter, snorted, his voice full of ridicule.
Whoa, you actually woke up. I thought all your brain cells had
decayed.
Shut the fuck up.
Vassago groaned, and examined his own body. He was currently
lying on a thin mattress placed in the corner of the room, a jacket
carelessly spread across his stomach.
What the fuck just happened? Vassago vigorously shook his head.
This brought about a stinging pain deep in his head, making him
curse again. He then turned toward the other side of the room,
where a couple of team members were sitting in a circle and
having fun with their cards, and asked:
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Hey, any of you got some aspirin?

The bearded Brigg, a member of the breaching team, wordlessly
retrieved a tiny plastic bottle from his pocket and tossed it to
him. Vassago caught it with one hand, twisted the cap off, poured
everything inside into his mouth, and crushed the contents with
his teeth.
Along with the bitter, numbing sting on his tongue, his
memories finally recovered a bit.
So I fell into that bottomless hole
How the hell did you die? You were out for eight whole hours.
EiEight hours?!
Thunderstruck, Vassago jumped up, even forgetting his headache.
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He glanced at the G-Shock on his left wrist, which indicated that

it was 6:30 a.m., Japan Standard Time. Less than twelve hours
before the time limit, when the armed teams of the Self Defence
Force would leave the Aegis destroyer Nagato and break into the
Ocean Turtle.
But more importantly
Since he had been unconscious for eight hours, a couple of
months should have passed in the Underworld. How was the war?
The mission to capture Alice?
But as though Critter had seen through Vassagos shock, tsk-tsk,
he clicked his tongue.
Dont stare so hard, your eyes are gonna fall out. Relax, when
you died inside, the time acceleration rate had already been
decreased to one.
O One?!
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Then that meant nothing big shouldve happened inside. But wait, this is
a huge problem in itself!
Hey, four-eyes, do you really understand the situation? We only
have twelve hours before the JSDFs navy troops storm this
place!
Vassago shook Critters crew cut head, and the latter batted his
hands away annoyingly.
Of course I know. These are all orders from Captain Miller.
Then, the plan of attack that Critter told him rendered Vassago
speechless, even though he was a very experienced VRMMO
player.
Before he left the system console in Obsidia, the imperial city in
the eastern Dark Territory, Lieutenant Gabriel Miller had secretly
given an order to Critter in the real world.
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Create an advertisement website about a beta test for a new hardcore

VRMMO freed from the laws the Underworld laws, of course and
write a connection client program. Then, set the acceleration rate to one
by 12:00 a.m. on July 7, and at the same time, begin recruiting beta
tester players from all across the US, he had said.
With this restricted console, I can only see the coordinates of
you and the captain, as well as the approximate distribution of
the Units, so this operation was a backup plan in case the Human
Empires resistance was fiercer than expected.
Critters slim, long fingers danced across the keyboard, pulling up
a map of the entire Underworld on the huge display.
On the world map that was shaped like a curved, inverted
triangle, two red lines extended from the easternmost edge, all
the way to the west.
This is the movement log of you and the captain. Listen, you
were just wandering around the eastern gate of the Human
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Empire, and then suddenly died.

One of the red lines terminated with an X, south of the Great
Eastern Gate.
But the commander went past you and is currently proceeding
south. He even left the entire Dark Territory army at the north
and moved alone. That means
Hes either chasing after Alice or hes already got her.
Vassago muttered. Critter nodded and continued explaining.
According to our original plan, when the remaining time goes
down to less than eight hours, or when the Human Empire Army
is completely destroyed, well turn the acceleration rate all the
way back up to 1,000 times. Cause even so, we still have a full
year of time in that world. Of course, when the acceleration rate
resets, the US players diving in are all gonna get logged out
because of a synchronization error, but as long as we win the
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war, who cares?

Then lets turn the acceleration rate up now! There aint much
left of the Human Empire Defense Army.
Its not that simple. Come here, look, right here
Critter punched a key and magnified a section of the map.
A few kilometers south of the Great Eastern Gate that divided the
Human Empire and the Dark Land, were plains, hills, and a forest,
aligned vertically. The Human Empire had set up an ambush in
the forest In other words, that was where Vassago had died.
But somehow, between the forest and the plains, a gigantic valley
had appeared almost 50 kilometers from the west to the east.
Around that valley, clusters of extremely tiny dots were wobbling
and squirming, displayed in different colors: red, black, and
white.
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The red ones are those US players that I tossed into the
Underworld. A lot of them are gone, but there are still 20,000 left.
And this black circle surrounded by the red, is the Dark Territory
army. About 4,000.
H Hey, hey, no matter how you look at it, the reds are
attacking the blacks, arent they?
Thats because the fake beta test information only told them
that they could let loose and kill all the highly realistic NPCs. To
the US players diving in, theres absolutely no difference between
the Human Empire army and the Dark Territory army. But, for
some reason, the blacks are decreasing much slower than I
expected. The Dark Territory army should be absolutely loyal to
the Emperor, theres no way theyre fighting against the US
players, because theyre thought to be summoned by the
Emperor.
They mustve stuck to killing for so long that they cant stop.
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Well, lets say these 4,000 black guys are about to be overrun
anyway. Despite that, the real problem is over here, this little
white group.
Critter moved the cursor. Indeed, a group of very inconspicuous
white dots was currently moving south as if they were chasing
behind Emperor Vector, or Captain Miller.
Those guys are the Human Empire army. Though they look tiny
from this map, there are still about 700 of them. However, it
would be very troublesome if they catch up to the captain, so we
have to stop them.
Stop them? Whatre you gonna do?
Critter did not directly answer Vassagos question, but smirked
shortly and continued to type on the keyboard.
He opened a new window on the map. Inside, an enormous red
cloud was crawling against the flat black background.
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These guys are the US players that didnt make the first
connection, and are waiting for the second one. Once they reach
8,000, Ill throw them at the Human Empire army. Theyve got 28
times more people, so theyll exterminate em right away, right?
Afterwards, we can raise the acceleration rate back to 1,000 times
normal. That way, we can buy more than enough time for the
captain to procure Alice and bring her to the system console at
the southern end, right?
If only it were that easy.
Vassago retorted, stroking his rough beard.
The Human Empire Army is much hardier than youd imagine.
Especially those guys called the Integrity Knights, theyre fucking
insane; they totally destroyed the Dark Territorys first wave, you
know? If it werent for them, I wouldnt have pitifully died like
that
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Just then, Vassago finally remembered.

Exactly how, and by whom he had been killed.
His breathing ceased and his eyes widened. In his head, a
memory gradually recovered, of that goddess-like figure floating
high up in the night sky, looking down upon him. He
instinctively yelled in Japanese instead of English.
The Flash!! Yeah Theres no doubt, its gotta be that
bitch!!
Hah? What are you on about?
Vassago grabbed Critters confused, crew cut head.
Listen, you geek bastard! The RATH guys playing ostrich in the
second control room did the same thing as your so-called
operation!! In the Human Empire Army, therere already
Japanese VRMMO players mixed in with them!!
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What?!
Ignoring Critters incredulous face, Vassago sneered.
Since Asuna The Flash is there, could it be, that guys dived
in too? Oh my god, how can I just stay here Hey, Im going
back to the other side! Put me in together with those 20,000
reinforcements, and insert me at the white groups position!!
You want to dive in again But the black knight account you
wasted is gone forever. Of course, if you dont mind using the red
soldier accounts just like the reinforcements, I have as many as
you want.
I have an account One that Ive saved for so long.
Kekek. Vassagos throat emitted a laugh as he swiped a paper
energy bar wrapper from the console, pulled a pen from Critters
chest pocket, and quickly scribbled something down.
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Listen, use this ID and password to log into the homepage of

the The Seed Nexus in Japan, and convert the saved character
into the Underworld. Ill dive in using that account.
Leaving those words behind, Vassago started running towards
the door of the STL room.
But after a few steps, he abruptly stopped.
As he turned around, Vassagos face was twisted into a truly
savage leer, enough to strike fear into the notorious cyber
criminal Critter. It was as if his vulgar, energetic, and rowdy
soldier character was no more than one of his personae.
Then, Vassago walked towards Critter with catlike steps, and
whispered another short instruction into his ear. Seconds later,
the STL room had swallowed him, and the hacker watched the
room door alone, that tiny scrap of paper grasped in his hand.
On that paper were three English letters and eight numerical
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digits. Critter had never known the meaning of the string of text
S, A and O.
***
As the Guardians were preparing to leave, Asuna ran through
their crowd and came to the wagon behind the supply team. An
overturned silver wheelchair appeared, along with a black-haired
boy with his left hand slightly twitching, and two girls leaning
towards him.
Ronye lifted her face when she heard the footsteps. Recognizing
Asuna, her wet, teary face immediately looked ashamed, and she
cried:
A Asuna-sama! Kirito-senpai kept kept wanting to go
outside and then
Asuna bit her lip and nodded. She knelt in front of Kirito and
gripped his left hand with her remaining right.
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I see Alice was taken away by the enemys Emperor. Kiritokun mustve felt it.
What? Alice-sama was?!
Tiese cried in shock, her white face paling even further.
What broke this momentary silence was Kiritos barely audible
voice.
Ah uh
His left hand stirred, trying to caress what was left of Asunas left
arm.
Kirito-kun Are you, worrying about me?
Asuna whispered gently. Just then, Ronye finally noticed Asunas
injury and screamed.
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Ah, Asuna-sama! Your arm!!

Its okay. This is just a temporary injury for me she muttered.
Asuna gently lifted her left arm, of which everything below the
elbow had been cut off.
Higa Takeru had given her a very brief lecture about the
Mnemonic Visual technology. Although all objects were
created by The Seed program like in ALO, to Asuna and Kirito,
who had dived in with STLs, and to Artificial Fluctlights like Tiese
and the others, everything in this world was a shared memory
loaded from the Main Visualizer, a different reality created
through the power of imagination.
Super Account Stacias Life, or HP, was an astronomical number,
almost reaching the system limit. Hence, if she were attacked
with a normal weapon, even stabbed by hundreds and hundreds
of swords, her Life would still not be reduced to zero.
But when the red soldier swung down the giant battleaxe and
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struck her left arm, Asuna was thoroughly and utterly terrified;
she had thought, being hit with a battleaxe this big, my arm will be
cut off, and her imagination was realized.
The same went for Kiritos right hand. Although his Life value
had already been restored, his arm had no way of returning to
normal, because he continued to punish himself for everything.
Asuna placed her hand on her bandaged stump, concentrated her
thoughts, closed her eyes and recited to herself with fervent
tenacity.
I wont be afraid of anything anymore. Until Ive protected Kirito-kun
and this world to the very end, I wont lose to anyone or anything.
White light concentrated onto the wound with a pop. As warm
radiance silently spread, her left arm was restored.
Smiling at the two round-eyed girls who had just witnessed a
miracle, Asuna reached out with her restored left hand and softly
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hugged Kiritos head.

See? Im fine. Ill definitely save Alice and bring her back. So
when that time comes, Kirito-kun, dont blame yourself
anymore
Asuna did not know whether or not her words could reach
Kiritos heart, but she felt that his emaciated body gradually
became less tense. Asuna continued to hug him for several
seconds, then stood up.
We must immediately take the entire army and pursue the
enemy Emperor. Knight Commander Bercouli has already taken
the dragons after him, and well be able to catch up to them up
somewhere ahead for sure. During that time, Ill leave Kirito-kun
to you Ronye-san, Tiese-san.
Y Yes!
Leave him to us, Asuna-sama!
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Smiling at the two nodding girls and fighting back tears as she
entrusted Kirito to Ronye, Asuna leapt off the carriage.
As soon as she stepped onto the ground, she caught sight of a tall
swordswoman running over, who had also attended the Memory
Exposing Competition last night with her and Ronye. Her silver
armor was thoroughly stained with blood and dirt and her head
was wrapped in a bandage, but she did not seem heavily injured.
Its great that youre all right, Sortiliena-san.
Hearing Asunas voice, the swordswoman performed an
Underworld salute, and replied:
Im glad to see that Asuna-sama is fine as well Its just that,
I have just heard that Alice-sama has been captured by the
enemy general
Yes. I was just explaining to Ronye-san that Emperor Vector
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completely abandoned his own army and personally ambushed

Alice-san. I didnt expect him to do that, either
How can this be
With her newly restored left hand, Asuna tightly gripped a wideeyed Sortilienas right shoulder.
But all is not lost. Bercouli-san has already flown after Vector
with the dragons. We will pursue them as well.
Understood.
They nodded to each other, and hurried towards the center of the
supply team decoy troops.
Under Integrity Knight Renris instruction, the Ascetic team had
finished healing all of the wounded, and the 700 Guardians had
almost completed preparations to move out. The Guardians were
smoothly lining up around the Ascetic and supply teams.
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After receiving Renris report that preparations were complete,

Asuna issued him a new directive.
You are the last remaining Integrity Knight, Renri. The order to
move out should be given by you, the commander.
Y Yes, I understand.
The young knights expression was somewhat anxious, but he
nodded resolutely, raised his right hand high into the air, and
shouted orders in a carrying voice.
Alice-sama has kindly protected us all in the battle at the
Eastern Gate! Its now our turn to fight for her! We shall take her
back from the enemy, and return to the Human Empire
together!
OH!! Vigorous cries arose. Renri nodded, and sharply swung his
right arm down.
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All units, advance!

Renri led the troops at the very front from his own dragon,
Kazenui. He was followed by 400 Guardians, on horses or on foot,
and the eight wagons loaded with supplies and a backup team of
300 began to move as well.
Only one dragon Integrity Knight Sheytas dragon, stayed its
ground obstinately and did not move. With scales as grayishwhite as its owners hair, the dragon screeched kuurrr once it was
freed from its reins, then flapped its wings and flew north
towards the battlefield south of the valley, where its owner had
stayed behind.
In front of the wagons, Asuna thought as she shook back and
forth on the horse with Sortiliena:
The final enemy is Emperor Vector.
His true identity was that of a person also from the real world,
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who existed here in the form of a virtual being. That was why,
even if she had to go down with him, she must defeat him. For
those who stayed behind to take on the red soldiers attack:
Knight Sheyta, the one-eyed Fist Fighter Chief, and the 4,000
Fist Fighters.
A few minutes later, the troops emerged from the withered forest
and entered the immense mortar-shaped basin. A thin road cut
straight through the crater-like ground, leading southwards.
According to RPG convention, the end of such a road would be a
special location, such as a city or ruins. Yet she had heard that the
southern area of the Dark Territory was not occupied by any of
the demihumans. In other words, this road ended at the World
End Altar, and Emperor Vector was somewhere on it with
Integrity Knight Alice.
Emperor Vectors dragon and Bercoulis dragons in hot pursuit
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were all out of sight. However, 700 Human Empire soldiers still
advanced along the road as quickly as they could; the ground
rumbled with their footsteps.
Clearing the edge of the crater, charging downhill just as the
entire decoy unit reached the bottom.
Something was trembling.
Vvvvvv m. A rumbling like the wings of an insect.
?
Asuna looked up, left and right, and behind her.
Just as she looked straight ahead, she finally discovered the
source of the noise.
Red, thin lines.
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Hundreds of randomly flashing, tiny strings of text, falling out of

the sky straight to the ground.
No way
Asunas lips trembled, a broken voice leaking out.
No way. Stop. No more
But.
Zaaaa!!
The roar of an explosion like torrential rainfall. Falling lines
branched left and right, dropping in a downpour. They formed a
high density screen along the edge of the crater, completely
blocking the troops path.
Despite having just declared that she would not be afraid
anymore, Asunas feet still instantly lost their strength.
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What appeared where the lines landed were the brutal, ferocious
soldiers clad in that blood-red armor VRMMO players
summoned from the real world.
All All units, do not stop!! Attack!! Attack!!
Integrity Knight Renri issued a clear order from the very front.
The disturbed Human Empire army regained order with a warcry:
Uooo! and picked up their pace. The troops sprinted up the
craters incline.
But, as if they had been anticipating this maneuver, the newlyappeared soldiers seemed to all have been placed on the south
side of the crater, with the ones blocking their way numbering a
thousand no, nearly two thousand.
Shall I risk being logged out and use Stacias Geographical Manipulation
again? If she wasnt careful, however, it could backfire and
impede the advancement of the Human Empire army.
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In the next instant, Asunas puzzlement was shattered by a

dragons roar.
From the very front line, Knight Renris dragon Kazenui was
spewing scorching flames, and had charged ahead without
looking back.
No Renri-sama is sacrificing himself to open a path
As though he heard Sortilienas pained moan from beside Asuna,
Renri slowly turned around from atop the dragons back.
Please take care of the rest.
The boys lips mouthed.
Then, the charging knight drew the two boomerang-like
weapons from his waist, and held them at the ready.
Just before he threw them forward.
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The color of the sky above the crater suddenly changed.

A cross-shaped rift tore apart the Dark Territorys blood-red sky,
from which Asuna caught a glimpse of an infinite blue behind it,
clear as azure.
Whether it was the numerous crimson soldiers who seemed ready
to charge down, the suicidally advancing Human Empire soldiers,
or even Knight Renri charging at the very front, all lifted their
heads together, looking into the sky like Asuna.
The boundless heavens, seemingly reaching into the universe.
From beyond, a bright white star descended.
No, it was a person. Clad in armor of the same azure as the sky,
and a skirt as white as the clouds, with violently flapping short
hair the color of water. The source of the blinding white light was
the giant longbow in their left hand. Their face was imperceptible
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against the reflection.

Who? Who, are you?
As though in response to Asunas silent demand, the one floating
in the sky pointed the longbow into the heavens. Their right
hand gripped the dazzling bowstring, and forcefully drew it all
the way back.
With a stunning flash, an arrow of light shining pure white
appeared between the bow and the string.
Both the Human Empire army and the red soldiers had stopped
dead, all seeming to forget how to speak in this instant,
completely silent. The only sound heard was Sortilienas low
voice:
Solus-sama?
As though answering this call, the dazzling arrow of light shot
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vertically into the sky.

It instantly split and spread in all directions.
As they turned at acute angles, they transformed into white-hot
lasers and poured down towards the ground.
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Page 85
The words of Guardian Leader Sortiliena Serlut were only half

correct.
Above the crater, a real world person appeared, no, logged in with
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Super Account 02, Solus, Goddess of the Sun.

This account had been given the default ability wide-ranged
annihilatory attack.
***
Sinon/Asada Shino looked down upon the immense destruction
she had wreaked, and recalled the explanation that the
technician called Higa had given her over the intercom.
Um, Sinon-san, although the Super Accounts are really strong,
theyre not miracle workers. Since theyre prepared for times
when you only have to perform large scale changes in the
Underworld, we tried our best to configure them to fit a range
acceptable to the inhabitants within.
So are you saying that theyre not GMs5, just very strong
PCs6?
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Sinon spoke into the microphone as she lay on the giant STL
machine resembling the First Generation Fulldive experimental
apparatus, located in the Roppongi branch of the mysterious
startup RATH. What came as a reply was a click apparently
the sound of someone snapping his fingers.
Yes. Exactly. Thats why the Solus account youre going to
use cant get around the Underworlds resource boundaries
either. Any attacks with your bow must expend Spacial Resources,
no matter what. Since it has an auto-recharging feature, it
shouldnt be exhausted during the day, but you cant do rapid
fire.
Just as Higa said, the light of the pure white longbow that Sinon
gripped in her left hand had weakened after that wide-ranged
attack. Although the bow had already begun to replenish its light
at both ends, another full-power attack would require a two to
three minute wait.
No combo attacks? Hmph, perfect.
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Compared to an automatic7, manuals suit me better anyway.

Sinon boasted silently, confirming that the explosive flames on
the ground had dissipated.
Along the edge of the roughly one kilometer wide crater, charred
bodies vanished one after another with a luminous effect. A
single shot had probably obliterated more than 5,000 enemy
soldiers. Luckily, they were not real Underworld people, but
Americans who had logged in from the real world just like Sinon.
The players who had believed in the existence of this closed beta
and were torched immediately upon connection must be seething
right now.
In the craters center, the small scale troops vastly outnumbered
by the crimson army began to advance again. Although the
enemy still numbered more than 10,000, most remained
motionless out of fear of the next shot or rather, explosion,
allowing the Human Empire army to break through.
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Sinon gazed into the distance, verifying the Human Empire

troops formation.
She instantly noticed the chestnut-haired girl in their ranks atop
a white horse, looking right up at her.
Sinon could not help but smile as she maneuvered the other
ability that had been bestowed upon the Solus account,
unlimited flight. Although she was incredulous upon hearing
Higa tell her you fly with your imagination, when she actually
took control she felt that it wasnt much different from the free
flight in ALO. She looked towards the carriage behind the girl,
and flew towards it in a straight line.
When the tips of her porcelain-painted boots touched the canvas
surface, she gently raised her right hand.
Sorry for the wait, Asuna.
As she saw Sinons warm smile, tears beaded in the eyes of the
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girl in the pearly dress. She stood from her galloping horse, and
jumped beneath the carriage canopy:
Sinonon !!
Asuna hugged her tightly with a strained shout.
Sinon lightly patted her best friends slender body, and said
softly:
Youve worked hard. Its okay Leave everything else to me.
As she was hugged by Asuna, who was slightly taller than her,
she pointed the 20% recharged bow directly ahead, and slightly
drew back the bowstring with her right hand.
The GM equipment given to the Solus account the longbow
Annihilate Ray adjusted its power according to bowstring
force, and adjusted its attack range according to bow angle. An
arrow of light, much thinner than the one before, appeared when
the bowstring was drawn 10 centimeters back. Sinon aimed the
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arrow at the enemy troops blocking the dragons running at the

front.
Vishu! The faint sound of a shot.
Tilted about 20 degrees to the right, the bow shot out a ray of
light that split and landed within a 10 meter radius, creating an
explosion not inferior to that of a TOW missile8. Crimson armor
was thrown high into the air, and then disappeared. Taking
advantage of the opening, the dragons immediately charged
through. The ten or so soldiers who withstood the blast were
slammed by the dragons heads, kicked by their huge talons, and
instantly defeated.
At this point, the enemy soldiers seemed to have recovered from
the shock of the laser attack, and realized that their prey was
fleeing. Exploding with obscene curses, they dashed down the
slope of the crater like a red tsunami.
Sinon swung her bow over her arm, placed both hands on
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Asunas shoulders, and gently separated themselves.

Asuna. I can see the remains of something that looks like ruins
about 5 kilometers south of here. The road runs straight through
it, and several huge stone statues are lined up on both sides. We
wont have to worry about being surrounded by the enemy, and
we can shrink the battlefield. Lets find a way to repel the enemy
there.
Asuna was also a battleworn warrior, and upon hearing Sinons
words, her eyes immediately recovered a sharp gleam. She
forcefully wiped away her tears, and spoke:
Got it, Sinonon Sinon. No matter how many American VRMMO
players there are, they have no way of immediately gathering
more. If we can repel those ten or so thousand people, the enemy
will be helpless I think.
Yeah, leave it to me. Well, thats pretty much it
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After confirming that the very last of the Human Empire army
troops had escaped the enemy encirclement, Sinon looked back at
her best friend.
Um, is Kirito. among the troops?
Asuna could not help but give her a bitter smile at this.
You dont have to be so polite about that now. Kirito-kuns in
there.
Asuna gestured with her right index finger at the carriage
beneath their feet.
Oh, really. Well Ill go say hello to him.
Clearing her throat, Sinon moved to the rear of the ceiling canvas
on the large carriage, and glided inside with the help of her flying
ability.
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She waited for Asuna to follow suit, then turned towards the
depths of the carriage, stacked with wooden crates.
The first things that entered her sight were two otherworldly
girls in gray uniforms covered with armor. Their eyes grew wide
at the same time, and one of them uttered softly:
S Solus-sama?
Sinon glanced at her own outfit, and replied with a shrug:
Hello, nice to meet you. Although I look a lot like Solus, Im not.
Im Sinon.
She tried her best to smile at them, but the duo only blinked in
confusion. But as they saw Asuna as well, they seemed to
understand something.
Right, Im a Real World person like Asuna. Im also Kiritos
friend.
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I see.
While the red-haired girl still looked startled, the deep brownhaired girl wore a complicated expression, and murmured quietly:
Why are they all women?
There are more to come. Sinon chuckled bitterly in her heart as she
took a few steps into the gap that the girls parted to create.
She saw a boy in black, sitting on a plain wheelchair, hugging
two longswords in one arm.
Although she had already learned of Kiritos state through Higa
Takeru, upon seeing his injured state in the flesh, her heart
tightened and she felt tears welling up.
Ah
Even though those empty eyes did not look at hers, his throat did
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emit a small sound. Sinon fell softly to her knees before her
former enemy, comrade, and savior.
Leaning on the chairs back and the armrests, the swordsmans
body had become so thin and frail that she hesitated to touch
him. Sinon set her longbow on the carriages deck, then reached
out and wrapped both arms tightly around his emaciated frame.
She had heard that Kiritos soul his Fluctlight, the main
body known as the core within, or his self-image, had suffered
severe damage. Higa had told her in a somber voice that there
was currently no known method of recovery.
But, Sinon closed her eyes tightly, tears streaming out as she
screamed in her heart: Well, thats easy.
Many people have countless memories of the times with Kirito,
and strong emotions towards Kirito. They only needed to be
gathered together, bit by bit, and placed back into Kiritos heart.
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Hey, cant you feel it? The you thats inside me. Sarcastic, a bit
naughty, stubborn, naive and stronger, kinder than anyone. This is
you, yourself.
Sinon forgot that Asuna was still gazing from behind her; she
turned her head and planted a firm kiss on Kiritos face.
Just then
Asada Shino was still unaware that her own emotional thoughts
had barely scratched the surface of the only possible way to revive
Kirigaya Kazutos soul.
Had she possessed ample knowledge of the Underworld and
Fluctlights structure, it would be possible for her to solve that
method. But the explanation given to Sinon before she dived in
only consisted of the current situation and how to use the Solus
account.
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That was why Sinon did not bother to consider the reason behind
Kazutos slight trembling and subtle rise in body temperature,
which occurred when her lips touched him.
Sinon quickly released Kiritos body, stood up, and turned to the
three watching from behind.
Dont worry, Kirito will definitely make a speedy recovery. When
we truly need him.
Asuna and the two girls nodded tearfully.
Well Ill fly to the ruins in the south to confirm the geography.
Ill leave Kirito to you guys.
Having said that, Sinon turned towards the carriage rear
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Suddenly, Asuna tightly seized her shoulder.

Seeing the urgent gleam in her eyes, Sinon swallowed
involuntarily.
A Asuna, what
Sinon thought that Asuna was going to interrogate her about
stealing a kiss with Kirito, but naturally, this was not the case
H-Hey, Sinon, did you say you were going to fly?! You can
fly?!
At this critical question, Sinon nodded confusedly.
Y Yes. They told me it was a default ability of the Solus
account. I heard that it doesnt have a time limit
Then we arent the ones in need of help! Alice Go after Alice,
shes been abducted by the Emperor!!
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The situation that Asuna explained afterwards was more urgent

than Sinon had expected.
Integrity Knight Alice, the key to everything, had been captured
by Emperor Vector, who was diving with a Super Account just like
them, and was currently flying towards the faraway south on a
dragon. The only one currently in pursuit was a swordsman called
Bercouli, the Knight Commander.
Going up against a Super Account, even for the Knight
Commander, is too much for him. If we cant save Alice before the
Emperor reaches the World End Altar, this entire world will be
destroyed! Please, Sinon, go help Bercouli-san!
After everything had been finally cleared up and she had carved
Knight Commander Bercoulis appearance into her mind, Sinon
flew from the carriage and shot into the sky.
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The 700-strong Human Empire army was advancing south with a

dust cloud.
Chasing furiously after them from the north, the red army
seemed to consist of 20 times more people.
Ill come back as soon as I grab Alice. Do your best until then, Asuna.
Calling to her best friend in her heart, Sinon spurred her
imagination to accelerate southwards. She became a white-tailed
meteor, tearing across the crimson sky.
Looking down upon the forever sprawling dark wilderness, Sinon
suddenly remembered:
Come to think of it
Wheres Leafa, who should have logged in at the same time as
she had?
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3
Close behind the Human Empire army led by Integrity Knight
Renri was the second batch of inserted American players.
Far north, on the south side of the valley created by Asuna,
Iskahn and the Fist Fighters Guild, along with Integrity Knight
Sheyta, were still locked in a desperate battle with the rest of the
crimson army that still numbered more than ten thousand.
And even further north of this battlefield
In the wilderness on the other side of the Great Eastern Gate,
now stained with the remains of the bloodshed, stood the
silhouette of a lone demihuman.
A body wrapped in bulging steel armor. A leathery mantle
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fluttering in the wind. Two thin ears drooping from both sides of
a rotund head, with a flat nose protruding outwards.
It was the Chief of the Orc Tribe, Rirupirin.
Having ordered his surviving three thousand tribal members to
standby behind, he had come to the Great Eastern Gate alone. He
had not brought even a single bodyguard, because he did not
want them to see him wavering over the ground.
After fumbling in the sand for who knows how long, Rirupirin
finally found what he was searching for: A plainly carved silver
earring.
What he gently picked up and placed into his palm was the eyecatching object that the Orc princess knight Renju had worn in
her ear, as she followed the Emperors orders and became a live
sacrifice.
This was the only possession she had left behind. In the
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wilderness, not even a shard of armor remained, let alone the

bodies of the three thousand Orcs who had died together with
the princess. The Dark Sorceress abhorrent magic had
completely devoured the Orcs bodies and equipment,
transforming them into Dark Energy.
And the Sorceress D.I.L., who had enacted this cruel torture,
along with the Emperor who had given the order, were no longer
here.
D, the Head of the Dark Sorceress Guild, had died after being
engulfed by the Radiant Mediums terrifying and magnificent
counterattack, and the Emperor had flown south to pursue the
Medium, without giving Rirupirin any new orders to move out.
The remaining three thousand Orc soldiers had no way of
defeating the Human Empire soldiers and Integrity Knights
protecting the Great Eastern Gate. The desire of the five races of
the Dark Land, their dream of conquering the Human Empire, had
collapsed.
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If that was the result.

Why?
Why had Rirupirins childhood friend Renju, the three thousand
Orcs sacrificed alive, and the two thousand Orcs battling at the
Gate, died? What did their deaths bring to the Dark Land?
No answer. Nothing at all.
Just because of their inferior appearance, five thousand tribesmen
died in vain, just like that.
Rirupirin hugged the earring in his fist to his chest, and knelt
wretchedly on the ground. A raging, melancholic, crushing
sorrow flooded his heart when they melted into tears and sobs
At that moment.
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A gaton came from behind.

The Orc chief stood up and spun his head around, startled, then
saw, fallen on the ground and creasing her brows, a human
woman. Bright golden hair and pure white skin, wearing a
grassy-colored outfit and shining armor not someone from the
Dark Land, but surely a Human Empire girl.
Instead of shock at her sudden appearance, or fury at seeing a
human, the first thing that Rirupirin felt was a shame that said,
dont look at me.
Because the girl before him was simply too beautiful.
She was definitely the first young female white Ium he had seen
close-up, and was so different from the tall, rough-boned, ashyskinned females of the Dark Land that he thought she looked
almost to be from a different species. Her hands and feet looked
so fragile that they might snap at the slightest touch, her hair
still gleaming under the weak sun, her large eyes looking straight
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ahead dumbfoundedly, like crystal-clear emeralds.

Rirupirin cursed himself for having such awestruck thoughts
about the beauty of this weak race.
At the same time, he was scared that the girls eyes might fill
with revulsion.
Dun Dun look!! Dun look a me!!
He shouted as he blocked his face with his left fist, clutching the
hilt of his sword with his right.
Before she could scream, he would cut her head off.
As he prepared to draw his sword, Rirupirin felt the earring
gripped in his left hand pierce his palm. A feeling like he was
being held back by Renju made him stop his movements, and
then he heard a surprising sound or voice.
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Err Good afternoon. Good morning, perhaps?

Standing up swiftly and patting down her shorts, the girl smiled
gently.
Hiding behind the shadow of his fist, Rirupirin watched in
surprise and blinked several times.
There was not a sliver of revulsion or scorn in the girls eyes, not
even fear. To white Ium children, the Orcs of the Dark Territory
were supposed to be man-eating spirits.
W Why?
The words that leaked out of his mouth sounded desperate,
completely uncharacteristic for one of the ten Lords of the Dark
Land.
Why arent ya runnin away? Why arent ya screamin? Yer jus a
hooman, why?
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The girl looked surprised and perplexed.

Why Because.
Then, as if affirming that the world is flat and the sky is red, she
continued matter-of-factly:
Youre a human too, arent you?
In that instant, Rirupirin could not understand why his spine
trembled. Gripping the hilt of his sword, the demihuman chief
spoke in a panting voice:
H Hooman? Me? What kinda stupid stuff is that? You can tell
jus by lookin a me! Im an Orc! An Orc called a pigman by ya
Iums!!
But, youre still a human, though.
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Placing her hands on her slender hips, the girl sounded like a
parent teaching her child.
See, we can talk to each other. Other than that, what more do
you need?
Wha more
Rirupirin couldnt retort anymore. The confident words spoken by
the green-eyed girl were too abnormal to the Orc chief who had
lived with burning inferiority and resentment towards humans.
If you can talk, youre a human?
Is that the only requisite of being a human? Goblins, Ogres,
and Giants could all speak languages. But the four races that
included the Orcs had been called demihumans ever since the
beginning of the Dark Territory, strictly divided from the humans.
Rirupirin could only breathe roughly as he stood there
dumbfounded. With a Lets not worry about that yet, the girl
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swept his shock and chaos aside as she surveyed their

surroundings.
Where is this?
***
Leafa/Kirigaya Suguha noticed that she had apparently appeared
far away from her original login coordinates, and looked towards
that ominous, red tinted sky.
Since hearing that the STL Unit 6 she was using was a new
machine that hadnt even been taken out of its PVC wrapping
after being moved in, she had felt uneasy. Suguha never
competed with newly purchased shinai, and likewise, she never
trusted newly unpackaged electronic devices. Because somehow,
shed always had an abnormally high chance of getting defective
electronic hardware.
When she had logged in, like Sinon, who entered with STL
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Prototype Unit 1, her location should have been set to where

Asuna was dived in, but since she could see neither of the two,
something had certainly happened before she arrived. But that
didnt mean that this desolate place was completely empty;
before her stood a single rotund, pig-faced humanoid in other
words, an Orc.
According to the color cursor that was only effective for an
instant after diving in, this Orc should not belong to her current
enemy the American VRMMO players, but he was an Artificial
Fluctlight living in the Underworld, the bottom-up artificial
intelligence that Yui had described.
After hearing Yuis explanation about the people of the
Underworld, Leafa was determined not to draw her sword against
them unless absolutely necessary.
That was obvious how could she kill the humans that her
brother Kirito wished to protect? If an Artificial Fluctlight died in
this world, their soul would be completely destroyed, unable to be
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revived.
Furthermore
Even for Leafa, who was already familiar with ALOs top-notch
graphics, the complexity of this Orcs model, which also existed
inside much of The Seed Nexus, was shocking. The twitches and
breaths of his great pinkish nose, the texture of the metallic
armor that wrapped around his giant frame and its leathery
mantle, and most of all, his two beady black eyes and the
richness of his expression were even more proof of the
unquestionable, true presence of the soul living within him.
She had asked this Orc, who timidly turned his face away for
some reason, about their surroundings, yet had not received an
immediate answer. Deciding to start with a more present issue,
Leafa raised another question.
***
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Well Whats your name?

Taken aback, the Orc chief uttered a reflexive, unconscious
answer to the white Ium girls second inquiry. Maybe his name
was the only thing he didnt hate about himself.
I Im, Rirupirin.
He immediately regretted saying it. Because before, when he
traveled to Imperial City Obsidia for the first time, the human
knights and sorcerers had burst into laughter upon hearing the
name Rirupirin.
But, the girl only smiled innocently, without any kind of hidden
emotion, and repeated Rirupirins name in a clear voice:
Rirupirin What a great name. Im Leafa. Its nice to meet you,
please take care of me.
Then, she performed an bewildering action for the umpteenth
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time.
She extended her soft, white, right hand straight out.
Shaking hands of course he knew about this habit. It was
common among Orcs as well. But he had never heard of an Ium
shaking hands with an Orc.
What the hell is with this person? Is this a trap, or some Sorceresss
magic? Have I fallen for a Bewitching Art without realizing it?
Staring at that small, outstretched hand, Rirupirin could only
moan without moving. The girl watched Rirupirin for nearly ten
seconds, then let her hand fall with slight disappointment.
Seeing her like that, he felt a stabbing pain in his heart for some
reason.
If he kept talking to the girl No, just looking at her, he didnt
know what would happen to his brain. Rirupirin had decided he
did not want to kill this puny human before him anymore, but to
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find another solution that did not require brainpower, he spoke:

Yer a Guardian of the Hooman Empire army, no, a knight. I
wanna take ya prisoner. Take ya ta the Emperor!
Even though she was young, the armor she wore and the long
sword equipped at her left waist were unlike anything given to a
soldier, no matter how he looked at them. Their intricate designs
and gleaming material were likely of much higher grade than
Rirupirins equipment.
The girl did not show a trace of fear at Rirupirins roar, as though
she was thinking about something, then finally shrugged and
asked:
The Emperor youre talking about is Dark God Vector, right?
Y Yeah.
Got it. Okay then. Take me to the Emperor.
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She nodded, brought her hands together, and stuck them out.
This was very clearly not a gesture to shake hands, but one
encouraging him to tie her up.
What the hell is she thinking?
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Page 107
Rirupirin took a sash from his belt, and roughly but a

bit loosely, tied the girls wrists. After pulling on the end of the
rope to tighten it, he remembered that the Emperor was no
longer at the army encampment of the Dark Land.
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But, if he continued to think about complicated things, his brain

would be fried. Even if the Emperor wasnt there, there was still
that Dark Knight aide with the disgusting expression, or
someone like the Commerce Guild leader Lengil who would know
what to do.
A few seconds after he turned, he began to walk as he pulled on
the sash with slight care.
Suddenly, a thick black haze appeared around him. A revolting
smell pierced his nose. Everything instantly became invisible, and
Rirupirin scanned his surroundings on alert.
Ah?!
That short, surprised utterance was without doubt from that girl
who called herself Leafa.
Flicking his head around, Rirupirin saw an arm sticking out from
deep within the thick fog and pulling violently at Leafas tied
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hair.
Then, the owner of the hand appeared out of the haze.
The woman who should have died Dark Sorceress Guild Leader
D.I.L. stood there, her lips curved in a cruel smile.
***
Why cant I catch up to him?
Bercouli, the leader of the Integrity Knights, felt as surprised as
he was desperate.
His three dragons had been in pursuit for more than two hours.
They had flown over the forest, where the Human Empire
Defense army was camping, and the wide circular depression,
passed through the ruins lined with strange, giant statues, and
burst into the uncharted southern region of the Dark Territory,
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but the distance between them showed no signs of decreasing.

Having abducted his beloved apprentice Integrity Knight Alice,
Emperor Vectors dragon still remained a miniscule black dot on
the distant horizon.
The Emperor and Alice were riding together on a single dragon.
Conversely, Bercouli continuously switched between Hoshigami,
Amayori, and Takiguri, trying his best to minimize their fatigue.
In theory, he should have caught up by now.
Why cant he catch up then? Is the Emperor able to freely control
his dragons Life?
Impossible. Not even the Highest Minister Administrator could
control Life as she wanted, that should be the greatest taboo.
Of course, he couldnt fly indefinitely. He had to let his dragon
rest at least twice before reaching the World End Altar at the
southernmost edge of the Dark Territory. But Bercoulis dragons
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also needed to rest. Since their speed was equal, he would never
be able to close their distance.
It wont end.
Bercouli was unable to use an Art that could reach all the way to
the horizon. To break this current situation, the only possibility
was to
The Knight Commander gently caressed his beloved sword at his
left waist with his right hand.
A reliable, gritty, ice-cold feel. But just from its touch, he could
feel that its Life was far from completely replenished. The
extensive Armament Full Control Art he had used at the Great
Eastern Gate had expended more than he had expected.
The tactic that Bercouli was about to use, the ultimate pinnacle of
the Divine Instrument Time Piercing Sword, would expend an
astronomical amount of Life.
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He could use it only once. And the strike had to be more precise
than threading a needle in order to hit its target.
Bercouli gently caressed Takiguris neck, and leapt lightly beside
it onto Hoshigamis back.
Even if he wasnt holding its reins, he passed his consciousness
to his partner who had fought alongside him over the years, and
carefully adjusted his altitude.
He aimed at the black dot like a grain of sand on the far off
horizon.
Although he very much wanted to aim at the Emperor himself, at
this distance he could not even see his silhouette, so the risk of
missing was too high. He must see through his movements, and
concentrate all of his energy on one wing of his dragon.
Standing straight up on his stirrups, Bercouli slowly moved his
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right hand and drew his longsword, forged entirely from a single
material, out from its worn leather sheath.
The blade he held to the right of his body emitted a weak glow.
The Recollection Release Art directly activated without an
incantation and the longsword swayed like steam, drawing
innumerable afterimages behind it with the dragons advance.
The Knight Commander looked steely as the corner of his mouth
twitched, gently apologizing to the innocent dragon.
Then, narrowing his pale blue eyes Bercouli, the worlds eldest
knight, uttered a sharp cry.
Time Piercing Sword Arcane Slash!!
With a heavy zoom, he swung the blade down heavily but
surprisingly quickly. Countless blue afterimages flashed along in
the direction of the slash, then disappeared one by one.
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Far off in the distance, the left wing of the black dragon ridden by
Emperor Vector was silently severed off from its roots.
***
It smells I can smell it So sweet is the fragrance of Life
Clasping the human girls hair and lifting her entire body up,
D.I.L.s lips emitted a fractured voice.
Rirupirin could only watch dumbly at the Dark Sorceress, whom
no matter how much he hated, it still didnt feel enough.
Her dark skin, once gleaming with the sheen of fragrant oil, and
her once magnificent black curls, were now in a horrible state.
Her entire body was utterly covered in wounds seeping blood
nonstop, incurred from sharp blades. With Ds every move, a few
wounds would split open, spurting more blood. But the black
haze surrounding the Sorceress would quickly gather around the
wound, secrete a nauseating smell, and stem the blood flow.
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The source of the smoke was a small leather pouch hanging from
Ds waist. Upon closer inspection, when the pouch was open,
strange insect-like things would occasionally poke their heads
out to spray the thick fog. It must be a Dark Art that inhibited
Life decrease.
Glancing at Rirupirin, who had pinched his nose out of disgust,
the corners of Ds mouth lifted.
What excellent prey. I commend you, pig. As a reward, Ill show
you something nice.
Right after she said that
D slid her talon-like right finger into the girls collar, who made a
pained expression as her hair was hoisted further up.
With a relentless noise, the silver armor and light grass-colored
shirt were suddenly torn apart and fell to the ground.
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As the pure white skin on her upper body was exposed, the girls
face contorted even further. Watching her, D panted sadistically
and revealed a wild grin.
How is it? Its your first time seeing a human womans body, is
it? This might be too tempting for a pig! But the shows just
getting started!!
The five digits on Ds right hand suddenly began to wriggle and
writhe like they had suddenly lost their bones.
Somehow, her fingers had already transformed into glistening,
slippery worms. At their ends, concentric circles of thin, saw-like
mouths opened wide, writhing disgustingly.
Watch!!
As D shouted, her five fingers no, five long worms stretched far
beyond their original length and wrapped around the girls upper
body. They not only stopped her from moving; the ends raised
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their sickle-shaped necks and stabbed into her skin.

AH!!
Blood spurted in all directions as the girl called Leafa screamed,
her green eyes wide. She tried to peel off the worms with her
hands, but her upper body was entangled and her wrists were
tied up by Rirupirins sash.
The blood flow from her five wounds suddenly seemed to stop,
but the reality was different. Rirupirin realized that the worms on
Ds right hand were emitting swallowing sounds; they were
drinking her blood.
The Dark Sorceress lifted her head and began to recite a shrill
incantation.
System call!! Transfer human unit durability Right to Self!!
Pop, blue light burst from the girls wounds. Then, as if
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synchronizing with the flow of blood, it was sucked into Ds hand

through the worms. The girls torment intensified, and her thin
body arched backward as though it were about to snap in half.
Ah Powerful Powerful!! How rich and sweet!!
A piercing screech shattered Rirupirins eardrums.
This pain jolted the Orc chief back to his senses, and he shouted
as if panting:
Wha Wha are ya doing!! This girl is my prisoner!! I wanna
take er ta the Emperor!!
Shut up, you stupid pig!!
D screamed arrogantly, her eyes bloodshot.
Have you forgotten that the Emperor has given all operational
command to me?! My will is the Emperors will!! My command is
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the Emperors command!!

Gu. Rirupirin was at a loss for words.
Hadnt this operation ended in failure a long time ago? He wanted to
retort. But the Emperor had disappeared from the battlefield
without giving any orders. Now, there was no one to overturn Ds
perspective of her power.
As Rirupirin watched, dumbstruck, the girl emitted silent screams
and her movements began to weaken. On the other hand, the
countless wounds on Ds skin began to adhere together, bit by
bit, and close.
Uh Guh
Crushing noises came from his clenched teeth.
To Rirupirin, the girl having her Life slowly absorbed, overlapped
with the silhouette of the princess general who had died as a
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sacrifice.
The light slowly vanished from the girls eyes. Her skin had gone
from white to pale, and her hands fell powerlessly to her side. But
the tentacles on Ds right hand still writhed hungrily, intending
to suck out every last drop of her blood.
Die She will die.
This rare prisoner.
No, the first human who was neither afraid of nor disdainful
towards him.
Just then
An unthinkable phenomenon, or rather, a miracle occurred.
Rirupirins eyes widened involuntarily.
The ground.
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The jet black, charcoal-like desert ground of the Dark Territory,

below the suspended girl, began radiating green.
What looked like very soft grass, which was unseen except in rare
places, shot up from the ground, and innumerable flowers in all
sorts of colors began blooming in every direction. The fragrance
of flowers carried in the wind, and even the blood-red sunlight
had changed to a warm cream color.
This scene, teeming with life, spun around and was instantly
absorbed into the girls body.
Her pale skin immediately regained its color, and her eyes shone
once more.
As the sudden illusion disappeared, Rirupirin realized that the
girls Life had already completely recovered. An inexplicable relief
flooded his heart.
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But it was immediately shattered.

Unbelievable Its coming out Its seeping out again!!
D screeched, her wounds seemingly completely healed as well.
She released her right hand from clasping the girls hair, and the
fingers on that hand also transformed into ugly worms.
With corpulent, sticky sounds, the five newly generated tentacles
pierced the girls skin.
AHH!!
Ds guffaws completely drowned out the girls thin screams.
AHAHAHAHA!! AH HAHAHAHAHA!! Mine! Its MINE!!
***
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I have to endure this.

Suffering an excruciating pain she had never felt before either in
the real world or ALO, Leafa could only repeat this to herself.
Before she dived, she heard the explanation of Super Account 03
Terraria, Goddess of the Earths powers.
Unlimited automatic recovery. Automatically absorbing energy from
the wide space around her, to recover her own durability or that
of any static or animated object. According to that technician
named Higa, her already vast HP level, together with that power,
made it virtually impossible for her to die from HP loss.
That was why Leafa had decided to risk being captured to
challenge Dark God Vector, and simultaneously chose not to draw
her sword against the people of the Underworld.
The woman tormenting her now was an Underworld resident like
Rirupirin an Artificial Fluctlight. If she was slashed with a
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sword, her soul would be completely destroyed. Without knowing

how she had gotten wounded and why she wanted to recover,
Leafa could not battle her.
Ahh But.
Putting aside the shame of having her clothes torn off, the pain
of her Life being drained was indescribable.
Was this truly a virtual feeling separate from her real, physical
body?
***
Stop.
Rirupirin was unable to immediately realize that the word had
come from his own mouth.
But then, very clearly this time, his mouth moved, and his throat
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vibrated.
Stop!
Her pupils shrinking to the size of pinholes, Ds eyes cast a
scornful glare. Enduring the chill welling from his stomach, the
Orc chief continued:
Isnt yer Life not fully restored aready? Ya dun need ta get any
more from that Iums body!
Whaaat now? Giving orders to me?
D spoke softly, sounding like an off-key song.
Suddenly, the ten tentacles began to wriggle more intensely,
forcefully pinching the girls skin, rapaciously sucking blood. The
Dark Sorceresss skin had already completely regenerated to an
oily shine, and her hair was even longer and richer than before.
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Not only that, the superfluous Life molded into blue particles and
spread into the air from her body. Yet D showed no sign of
stopping the torture, remaining wrapped around the girl, who
was much smaller than her, from behind.
Ive said it before, pig. This prisoner is mine now. No matter
how much Life I absorb, how much I abuse her in front of you,
pig, or even if I kill her right here and now, its got nothing to do
with you, does it?
Kuku, kukuku, a leaden cackle came from her throat.
But, yes, sure. You discovered her, so I should defer to you,
shouldnt I? Then take all of your clothing off now.
Wha Whare ya sayin
Ever since a long time ago, seeing your poser armor and mantle
has made me want to vomit. Youre just a pig, yet you dress like a
man. If you go completely nude here, crawl on all fours, and grunt
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a bit for me, perhaps Ill return this girl to you.

Gu.
Suddenly, a portion of the right half of his vision flashed red.
Simultaneously, a pain, like being stabbed with an iron needle,
came from his right eye.
Just a pig.
Like a man.
Ds words overlapped with this Leafa girls words.
Youre a human, arent you?
Other than that, what more do you need?
He could not let D kill this girl. No, he did not want her to die.
For this For this.
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Rirupirins trembling hands found the button on his leather

mantle. Buchi, he tore it off.
Stepping on his coiled coat, Rirupirin moved his hand towards the
leather belt securing his armor together.
Suddenly, a weak voice was heard.
Dont.
His head jerked up, and his eyes met with Leafas, who was
staring at him.
Her teary emerald eyes swivelled back and forth.
Im fine. So, dont do it.
Her voice could not hold until the end. D suddenly bit softly into
the girls face.
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If you keep saying these useless things, Ill bite off this cute face
of yours. Weve already entered the good part. Hey, whats the
matter, pig. Take it off. Or are you getting excited from human
nudity?
Kyahahahaha, her noisy cackling had no end.
His hand, gripping his armors belt, began to tremble.
He didnt care at all about the pain in his right eye. After all,
compared to the anger and humiliation filling his heart, this pain
was nothing.
Im Im Im
Suddenly, something gushed from both of his eyes, running
down both cheeks. The droplets falling on the left were clear, but
those on the right side were dyed crimson.
His right hand slowly released the belt and moved towards the
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hilt of the large blade on his left waist.

Im, a human!!
As he shouted, an agony he had never felt before attacked his
eye, and it ruptured in its socket.
Through his halved vision, Rirupirin accurately found Ds
silhouette. Her sadistic cackle ceased, and her mouth dropped
open.
With all his might, Rirupirin swung his blade towards Ds
unprotected legs.
But since he had just lost an eye, his perception was thrown
off.
The tip of his sword just missed Ds right calf. Rirupirins body
lost balance and his left shoulder collapsed onto the ground.
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Lifting his head, he saw D.I.L. pouting, her expression now fierce.
This stinking pig dares to harm me!
She flung the girls body behind her, and raised her tentacle
hands. With rough sounds, they suddenly transformed into ten
sharp, gleaming black blades.
Ill slice you into mincemeat, and mix you into boar feed!!
The Orc chief only waited for the moment that the blades on
both sides swung down.
Thump.
Thump.
Two feeble sounds were heard at the same time. Ds movements
stopped cold.
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Stunned, Rirupirin saw that both of the Sorceresss arms had

fractured at their roots and fallen to the ground with dull thuds.
Ds expression was also one of shock. The tall woman slowly
turned around, blood pouring from her shoulders like waterfalls.
Leafas radiant white features entered Rirupirins sight.
Compared to her slender frame that was rather lacking in muscle,
her long blade that looked very difficult to control swung straight
ahead. Although both her wrists were tied, this girl had, without
a doubt, been the one who cut Ds arms off.
D croaked in a shriveled voice:
A human helping a pig, slashing another human?
Watching the Dark Sorceress shake her head back and forth in
disbelief, Leafa replied:
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No. Im only cutting evil to save another person.

She briskly raised her long sword into a daijodan stance.
Hya-ka!
The girl slashed down from an incredible distance.
How graceful.
Her movements had no unnecessary force, yet were surprisingly
quick, and her technique was paramount.
Once more, Rirupirin felt tears of emotion, this time. As he
watched, D.I.L., the strongest Sorceress in the Dark Land and the
strongest among the Ten Lords, was completely, and silently,
severed in half.
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4
Gabriel Miller watched indifferently as the black dragon beat its
single wing, landed softly, uttered a soft cry, and expired.
The moment his eyes left it, everything related to the dragons
existence was completely purged from his thoughts and
memories. He surveyed his surroundings without changing his
expression.
The crash site was a region with numerous cylindrical stone
pillars. The pillar he had landed on the center of the area was
about 100 yards9 tall and 30 yards10 wide.
Jumping down would be too impulsive. He was still very
unfamiliar with the magic in this world, which synthesized and
controlled elements, and he could not leave the Radiant Medium
Alice currently lying unconscious at his feet.
If he had some strong ropes, anchors, and carabiners, even in the
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real world, Gabriel could easily rappel down a wall of this height.
But there was no need for that now, since the enemy who had
somehow brought him down was now rapidly approaching from
the north with three dragons. He would simply deal with the
enemy, take over a new dragons AI, and continue south.
Gabriel lifted his head and gazed straight above. The virtual sun
floating in the red sky had reached a suitable height.
There was not much time left before Critter accelerated the time
again. Could the American closed beta testers, numbering at least
50,000, wipe out the Human Empire army before they were
forcibly ejected due to the acceleration? With less than 1,000 left,
the Human Empire army could not possibly resist.
As for uncertainties, there were only the Integrity Knights, who
were ravaging the Dark Territory army one by one. But one of
them, Alice, had already fallen into his hands, and her
approaching pursuer was probably a Knight as well, so there were
only one or two of them left in the northern battlefield.
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As soon as Gabriel determined that the complications were

almost resolved, he finally turned towards Integrity Knight Alice,
who lay beside him.
Absolutely beautiful.
So beautiful that the excitement squirming deep down is just
unstoppable.
Gabriel was a bit perplexed: should he remove her armaments
before she woke up, and carefully incarcerate her? That would be
the logical decision, but an enemy was approaching and it was
difficult to find the determination to hastily deal with this
stunning girl.
He would wait for the acceleration and take his time. Even for so
much as undoing a buckle on her armor, he would do it
gracefully, seriously, and symbolically.
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Sweet dreams for now, Alice Alicia.

Whispering gently to her, Gabriel walked to the center of the
cylindrical rock to engage the enemy.
Whether it was Gabriel Miller, who was using Super Account 04

Dark God Vector, or Critter, who had discovered it, neither of
them knew one fact: Alice, the strongest knight, had fallen
unconscious for several hours from just a dragons kick all
because of Vectors own ability.
The four Super Accounts in the Underworld were all created for
direct operations miracles on the world and its inhabitants.
Stacia, who could change the geography.
Solus, who could destroy mobile units.
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Terraria, who could recover durabilities.

And Vector, who could control the residents Artificial Fluctlights
themselves.
Specifically, he could edit the inhabitants memories the vector
data within the Fluctlights, and relocate them to faraway places,
or create new households.
Since this act was different from the other three gods and
tantamount to pillaging the inhabitants, it was difficult for him
to become a subject of worship. Hence, Vector not only possessed
the highest Priority equipment and Life, he was also under the
powerful protection of the inability to be an Arts target.
Vectors Lost Child, passed along in fairy tales of the
Underworld, was created based on previous operations on the
residents.
The combination of Dark God Vectors power and Gabriel Millers
unique imagination, or Incarnation, achieved a multiplied effect
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that not even the RATH technicians could predict.

He could absorb others willpower without need for Arts.
Alices Fluctlight was temporarily robbed of its dynamism, and
forcibly placed into a state of slumber.
Vector and Gabriels combined power had also engulfed Dark
General Shastas one-hit-kill Incarnation from before.
And now, Shastas longtime rival Integrity Knight Bercouli, had
stepped onto the same road.
***
Bercouli saw that the enemy Emperors dragon had crash-landed
on a tall rock that could not be immediately escaped.
He confidently shrugged off the intense fatigue caused by his
ultimate technique.
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Great Please fly a lil bit more, Hoshigami, Amayori, Takiguri!!

As his voice rang out, the three dragons powerfully flapped their
wings and accelerated. As long as the enemy stayed there, even a
ten kilol gap would not take too long for a dragon.
In the remaining time before the battle, Bercouli began to silently
contemplate. His mind clearly recalled a dream hed had the
previous morning.
Have you ever had a premonition of death?
Highest Minister Administrator had asked him in his dream, and
to Bercouli, whom she had known for hundreds of years, she
remained an inscrutable existence until the very end.
After he was released from Deep Freeze and informed by Alice of
the Highest Ministers death, he felt nothing as intense as shock
and merely sighed: Thanks for your long, hard work. It was Senate
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Elder Chudelkins death that stunned him more.

Because of that, he had never specifically asked Alice about
Administrators final battle, and her scattered situation. Of
course, on one hand he was too busy with the important mission
of the defense of the Human Empire suddenly resting on his
shoulders, and on the other, he simply did not want to know
the perseverance and desires of that silver-haired, silver-eyed
demigod, and just how deep her sins ran.
Administrator had always been listless, inconsistent, and
capricious to Bercouli. Although he obeyed her, he certainly did
not worship her like Chudelkin had.
But
He did not hate serving her.
Thats right Believe me just on that one, please.
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The oldest knight muttered, and suddenly opened his sharp eyes.
He could already clearly see Alice lying on the ground in her
golden armor, and Emperor Vectors silhouette standing silently
in front of her like a shadow.
Okay Standby in the air, guys! If I fail, head back north and
join the troops!
Signalling gently to the dragons, Bercouli leapt from Hoshigamis
back.
***
Trailing Sinon, whose flight left a meteors path of light, the 700
people of the Human Empire army desperately advanced south.
They had already slowly lost the earth-shaking crimson legion
behind. But neither the Guardians nor the war horses could keep
running indefinitely like this.
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Asuna stood atop Kirito, Tiese, and Ronyes carriage, praying as

she fixated her gaze southward.
After about twenty minutes of progress, as Sinon had said, the
outline of gigantic temple-like ruins emerged above the horizon.
There was no sign of humans, demihumans, or any large beings.
Only decaying rock lying silently on the ground.
Spanning the straight road were two flat shrines. They were
about 20 meters tall, and more than 300 meters wide. They would
be more than enough as barriers to prevent the enemy from
surrounding them.
Between the two shrines, the road continued south. It gave one
the impression of a sando11, because while it served to connect the
shrine walls, there stood some massive, uncanny statues on
either side of it.
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These were not Oriental-style Buddha statues, nor were they

Western-style mythical sculptures. At best, they were square
figures slightly similar to those in the ruins of South America. All
of them were carved with round eyes and large mouths, and their
stubby arms were crossed in front of their chests.
Were these designed by RATH engineers when the Underworld was
created? Or were they automatically generated by The Seed program?
Or were they hewn from the rocky mountains by the Dark Territory
races who once lived here? Like, giant tomb markers dedicated to
many of the dead?
Asuna sighed briskly, banishing these ominous thoughts.
She yelled at Knight Renri, who was leading the troops from his
dragons back:
Lets engage the enemy near the center of the road!
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A reply of Understood! came.

Minutes later, the troops charged swiftly along the road between
the shrines. Mammoth rectangular statues on both sides silently
looked down upon them. The horses hooves and soldiers boots
crunched dryly upon the road, which changed from dirt to
cobblestone.
Renri directed them spiritedly, his voice cutting through the icy
air:
All right. Vanguard, part your ranks and stop! Allow the carriage
team and the support team to pass through!
The vanguard instantly split in two, and eight carriages passed
through their cavalry, followed by the support team mainly
consisting of Ascetics. Upon reaching the very back, they halted.
A strong gust of wind blew from the giant doorway far down the
road, and Asunas hair billowed up.
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This was the only moment of silence. The American players

pursued them with a rumbling cacophony, rustling grains of sand
from the statues.
Asuna leapt from the carriage, and spoke to the girls poking their
heads out of the canopy and the woman standing beside them:
This is the last battle. Ill leave Kirito-kun to you guys.
Yes! Leave him to us, Asuna-sama!
We will definitely protect him!
Even if we must put our lives on the line.
As Tiese, Ronye and Sortiliena held their fists tightly in front of
their chests, Asuna did the same and smiled faintly.
Rest assured. I will absolutely not let the enemy reach this
place.
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A part of that was a promise to herself. Asuna gently waved her

right hand and spun around with resolve.
Renri was currently in front of the vanguard, deftly preparing the
Guardians.
The road was about 20 meters wide. Although it was a little too
broad to defend, completely blocking it by putting the troops into
a rotation system was not impossible.
The important thing was to control the number of deaths as best
they could while carving away at the 10,000 or so enemies, as the
Ascetics continued their magic support from behind. Fortunately,
there were no signs of any magic users among the crimson
soldiers. Although the players likely had no way of picking up the
Underworlds complex command system in such a short time,
this situation was, honestly, a godsend.
If this situation were to change
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I will kill the entire enemy army myself.

Asuna inhaled deeply and concentrated that thought inside her
body, together with her commitment.
Considering Stacias vast quantity of Life and the Priority of her
equipment, she shouldnt fall purely because of numerical
damage. The problem was whether or not she could withstand
that harsh pain. When pain was dealt to her heart, her virtual
body would be injured, and even if she tried as hard as she could,
she would still fall into a state in which she couldnt even hold
her sword.
Asuna closed her eyes, thinking of the injured Kirito. She
imagined the enormity of the pain and sorrow he carried.
By the time she came to the very front of the forces, not a trace
of fear was left in her heart.
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The titanic confrontation, meant to be the last of its kind in this

war, unfolded under the sun at high noon.
About twenty heavily armored American players charged onto the
sando of the ruins, seeking the realistic blood and screams as
promised by the advertisement website.
Yet what awaited them were not pitiful NPCs designed to provide
unrated entertainment, but true heroes filled with the
determination to save the world and rescue their beloved golden
Integrity Knight. Although heavily damaged, their swords still
glinted with the glow of irrepressible will, firmly enduring their
enemies weapons, shattering their enemies armor.
A lone silhouette was looking down from high above, upon the
crimson-armored players being decisively destroyed.
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Tight, leather clothing that minimized reliance on metallic armor,

like a rider suit 12. The gleaming leather was covered with matte
silver rivets.
The only weapon was a large dagger resembling a meat cleaver,
hanging from the left waist. The face was obscured. The body was
wrapped in a black leather raincoat-like poncho, with the hood
drooping all the way to the mouth.
The lips, warped into a sneer, were the only visible feature.
It was Vassago Casals.
After diving into the Underworld once more and barely avoiding
Sinons sudden wide ranged laser attack, he had mixed in with
the Americans to chase the Human Empire army. However, he did
not join the early attack, instead smoothly climbing onto the wall
of the west shrine, mounting a statues head from where he was
able to watch the battlefront, and deciding to enjoy the show in a
premium seat.
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Kekek, that bitch is just as relentless as before when shes

upset. She sure kills a lot.
He murmured as his shoulders shook with indescribable
excitement.
Exactly as she was in Vassagos distant memory, the girl in pearly
armor with chestnut hair flying in the wind Asuna The
Flash let the rapier in her right grip gleam brilliantly.
Back then, Vassago had been in the same position, watching
Asunas battles while hiding from afar. He had adamantly vowed
to himself: I will finish you before the world ends.
Together with the swordsman in black, who had fought even
more fiercely by her side.
***
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When he leapt from the dragons back, Bercouli was still nearly
two hundred mel above the ground. If he had simply plummeted
straight down like that, even he would not have been able to
withstand the impact.
But as though he were stepping down an invisible staircase, the
Knight Commander rushed down the sky in a helical motion.
With every step he took, he was actually generating a Wind
Element underfoot and immediately detonating it, using this
kickback to decrease his own momentum. Controlling Elements
with both feet was a skill he had stolen decades ago from Senate
Elder Chudelkin.
Gripping the hilt of his sword, the eldest knight of this world
leapt, and leapt, into Emperor Vectors blind spot. Vector stood at
the summit of the pillar beneath him, which bore semblance to
an artificial spire.
Kill him in one strike.
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It was Integrity Knight Bercoulis first time reanimating such

murderous intent as when he had killed the Dark General from
the previous two generations more than a hundred and fifty
years ago. In these long years, never once had an enemy appeared
who was sufficient at provoking his utterly raw killing intent.
Even in his battle with that Eugeo boy, who had barged into the
Central Cathedral alone, Bercouli had fought sincerely, without
even a single trace of true murderous intent. But, if he looked at
it this way, even against the Dark Generals, his strongest enemies
throughout the years, he had never harbored such negative
emotions as rage and hatred.
In other words, this was Bercoulis first time in his prolonged life
channeling genuine fury into his blade.
Every fiber of his being was truly furious. Furthermore, it was not
just because his opponent had captured Alice.
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Coming from the outside world called the Real World, this
outsider has forced the Dark Land people onto the battlefield
when they could have achieved peace instead, and sent tens of
thousands to their deaths in vain. To Bercouli, who had protected
this world for over two hundred years, this was an absolutely
unforgivable atrocity.
Emperor Vector, I dont know what reason you have.
But not everyone from the Real World is a devil like you. I understood
that as soon as I saw that lil miss named Asuna.
That means, the only thing evil beyond help, is your nature.
If so, I shall bring forth your retribution.
I shall teach you the weight of Dark General Shasta, Integrity Knight
Eldrie, and the lives of the countless humans who have perished on this
battlefield.
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Now learn from this single strike!!

Ze AHH!
Leaping ten mel into the air with his last step, the Knight
Commander swung his sword down at Emperor Vectors
unprotected head in a slash charged with all of his willpower.
The air burned, glowing white. The blade radiated a light blinding
beyond measure, causing even the world to lose its original color.
Without question, this was the strongest, most powerful strike

among all sword techniques in the history of the Underworld. Its
priority was placed even above system commands as it overwrote
the Main Visualizers mnemonic data. In other words, for
everything that was placed in the path of this ultimate strike, all
status values meant nothing whatsoever.
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Even for Super Account 04 Emperor Vectors practically

unlimited Life value, he would disintegrate if he were hit by this
strike.
If he were hit, that is.
Even when faced with the fatal meteorite about to plummet onto
his head, Vectors face was devoid of emotion.
The speed of that strike was so fast that one could only stare
motionlessly at it. The attack came in a mere instant; no matter
how fast ones reaction was, they ought to be unable to deal with
it in time.
But in that instant, Vectors body, wrapped in black crystalline
armor, silently slid out of the way.
In the only direction to avoid the attack path, sliding just far
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enough to evade the strike.

Bercoulis blade could only reach the red mantle flowing in the
wind. The instant it came into contact with the sword, the thick
fur pelt disintegrated into countless grains of dust.
Zugaaaaang!! With a thunderous noise, a deep, straight wound
was carved into the solid rock. The entire mammoth peak
trembled, and pieces of rock tumbled down the edges.
He evaded that?
Although dumbfounded, Bercouli did not hesitate to move for
even an instant. Through long years of battle experience, he had
long learned not to stop and think under unexpected
circumstances.
He took a final step on air, slid to the Emperors flank, and
landed. Immediately, he threw out a horizontal slash. Barely half
a second had passed since the failure of his fully concentrated
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strike.
Yet Vector even evaded this second attack.
His body was like black smoke blown away in the wind,
effortlessly sliding out of reach without any sort of preparation at
all. The sword tip grazed his armors surface, and sparks flew into
the air.
However.
This time, Bercouli was finally certain of his victory.
His full-power attack from before had missed, but its strength
had not dissipated. His beloved swords Armament Full Control
Art, Time Piercing Sword Empty Slash an ability to slash
the future, had already been activated. It was an ultimate
technique that would leave its power along the path of the slash,
killing any who came into contact with the sharp blade; it had
been a great torment to Eugeo during their fight back in the
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Cathedral.
The Emperors back was pulled towards the space where there
remained an undetectable slash.
The first to go was his silky platinum hair, swirling in all
directions.
The crown atop his head shattered with a piercing metallic crack.
Vector raised his hands high into the air, as though begging for
mercy.
Bercouli strongly felt that, in the next instant, that body wrapped
in black would be severed in two from top to bottom.
Slap.
A clear, dry crack.
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The source was the Emperors hands, clapped together above

the back of his head.
He stopped the Empty Slash with his bare hands? With his back
turned?
Impossible. Although the secret technique of catching a sharp
blade with both hands had been passed down the generations of
Fist Fighters in the Dark Land, it was an ultimate technique only
made possible by their steel fists. More importantly, even the Fist
Fighter chief would definitely be unable to stop the power
remaining in that space with his bare hands.
These thoughts only persisted for an instant, but afterwards,
Bercouli finally stood still.
Therefore, he could only stare blankly at what happened next.
The mirage-like amorphous slash left in the air was absorbed
into the Emperors hands.
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At the same time, the Emperors blue eyes were dyed with a
seemingly bottomless darkness.
At the deepest point of that darkness, countless lights flashed
those were, stars?
No.
They were souls. Souls that this man had absorbed and trapped
there. Dark General Shasta and his female aide were probably in
there as well
You bastard, you can devour other peoples Incarnation?
At Bercoulis murmuring, Vector slowly lowered his hands, which
had completely absorbed the slash, and spoke calmly.
Shini?13 I see, mind and will.
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That voice was bone-chilling; it seemed devoid of any feeling of a

living human. And the source of the voice, those thin lips, warped
into a shape that resembled a smile.
Your mind, is like old, vintage wine. Thick and rich With a
heavy, long-lasting aftertaste. Although it is not to my liking it
would do well as an appetizer before the main course.
The Emperors pale hands gripped the hilt of the longsword on
his waist.
The thin blade he slowly drew out of the sheath was covered in a
violet phosphorescence. Tilting the tip downwards like a weak
person, Emperor Vector smiled again.
Now, let me drink some more of it.
***
The giants rough sword eventually grazed Asunas left arm.
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Pain assailed her, like white-hot iron wire digging into her flesh.
This is nothing!
She thought intensely, as the small pink wound on her wrist
silently vanished in the next moment.
And then, with a wispy flash of her right arm, her blade stabbed
the man in front of her four times in graceful succession, from his
right shoulder to his left ribs. The mans face distorted as he
shouted obscenities, then he keeled over onto the ground.
She had already lost count of how many she had struck down.
At the same time, she was unaware of how much time had passed
since the beginning of this battle in the ruins. She was only
certain of the fact that the number of crimson footsoldiers,
flooding like an avalanche through the entrance to this road, was
still nearly endless.
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Hmph, a drawn out battle like this isnt much. In Old Aincrad, boss
battles that took three to four hours were commonplace.
Asuna boasted in her heart, leapt over the disappearing corpses of
her allies, and parried away a new enemys brandished axe with
her rapier.
The enemys balance was shattered by this blow; Asuna struck
accurately at his heart as she glanced left and right.
Asunas location of battle was dead center of the road; to her
right, Integrity Knight Renri was alternatively projecting the two
throwing blades in his hands with chilling strength and accuracy,
as the bodies ahead of him piled high. He seemed fine for now.
The problem was to her left. Lead by Sortiliena, the captain-class
Guardians were stationed there, and yet it was clear that the
frontline was being gradually pushed back.
Left flank, rotate between vanguards faster! Please prioritize
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Healing Arts on that side as well!

Asuna-sama, I can still fight!
The one who responded was Sortiliena on the very front line,
activating a wide-ranged two-handed Sword Skill, Cyclone.
Her long sword rotated rapidly with a light green glow and blew
back three enemy soldiers, but Liena knelt down immediately
after. Judging by the conversation during last nights Memory
Exposing Competition, swordsmen of the noble class were more
accustomed to one-on-one, gentlemanly duels, and long
skirmishes with no end in sight were completely unfamiliar.
Although Lienas sword skills were actually quite fluent and
fierce, even to Asuna, who just arrived in this world yesterday,
they were simply too proper. She used virtually no feints or
tripping techniques before her critical skills, and consequently the
enemies flailing weapons would inflict scratches on her when
she became rigid before or after her skills activated. Her armor
was already riddled with scars, and trails of blood seeped through
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her purple Guardian uniform.

Retreat and heal, Liena-san! Trust your partners!
At Asunas directive, Liena bit her lip and nodded, then retreated,
saying Ill be right back! The gap she left in the front line was
immediately replaced by the Guardian Commander, but his face
was weary.
Other than the exhaustion of the left flank, there was something
else that worried Asuna.
The crimson soldiers they were currently battling were not mere
humanoid monsters driven by algorithms, but veteran players
from America, the birthplace of MMORPGs. They, who had been
familiar with player combat since long ago, would eventually
realize that their current, simple assaults were ineffective, and
begin carrying out more strategic maneuvers.
What would she do in their situation? Asuna whirled her rapier
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nonstop as she thought.

Typically, she would launch a long range attack from the rear. But
there were no wizard-class players among the enemies, and even
if there were, they would be unable to familiarize themselves
with the Underworlds complex Arts language in such a short
time.
Other than magic, there was archery. Fortunately for the Human
Empire army, the other side could not prepare archer accounts.
Their last resort was to simply lob the weapons in their hands,
but this would give them great pause, because if they threw their
weapons away, they would be unable to participate in the battle
afterwards.
It seemed that their opponents were out of options to attack
them.
Then, just like she envisioned beforehand, they only needed to
cut down all ten thousand or so of these enemies.
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Almost exactly as Asuna renewed her determination

The entrance to the road was suddenly obscured by darkness.
The morning sun was blocked out by gigantic shields raised into a
neat row and lances standing like flag poles.
Heavy lancers!
Pre Prepare to defend against the assault!! Be careful to avoid
the enemys lance tips!! Just get close to the enemy and you can
knock them down!
Right as Asuna shouted, with a CLATTER of metal on metal, the
giant lances were pointed forward in an orderly fashion.
Assaaaaaaaaaault!!
A full row of 20 heavy lancers let out a ferocious bellow, and
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began charging.
The Guardians were made restless by the pressure from the red
tsunami. Im begging you all, please calm down, Asuna prayed
silently as she gazed at the lancers rushing towards them. The
lances, gleaming a vicious black, were fast approaching in a
straight line.
Wait until the last instant and Cling!
Yellow sparks flew in all directions as her rapier slid across the
side of the lance. The sharp tip grazed Asunas right cheek, and
flew past.
Haaah!!
With a shout, she jabbed her rapier into a slit in the enemys
armor, and looking up, saw that it had pierced her hulking
opponents throat. With a raw, vivid impact, blood spurted from
the helmets visor.
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The screams that rang out, however, were not just from the
footsoldiers.
Several Guardians defending the left flank, unable to avoid the
lances, were skewered.
Gh.!!
Gritting her teeth, Asuna left her position and ran to the left.
With a single stab, Linear, she pierced through the chest
armor of a footsoldier pulling his lance from a dead Guardians
body. Holding up her blood-soaked sword again, she cut off both
hands of the next enemy with a double stab, Parallel Sting.
She evaded the lance thrust by the third, jeering footsoldier with
a vertical leap. Landing on the lance, she ran up, planted her feet
on the enemys shoulders, ripped off his helmet with her left
hand, and buried her rapier in his exposed nape.
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The enemy fell without so much as a scream. Stepping onto his

back, Asuna shouted:
Bring the wounded to the back! Heal them with maximum
priority!!
Surveying her surroundings once again, it seemed that, with
Knight Renri and the Guardians hard struggle, they had
somehow repelled the heavy lancers, but six Guardians had
suffered direct hits from the lances. Three of them were likely
beyond help.
If our opponents repeat this strategy, the vastly outnumbered Human
Empire army will no longer be able to hold its current position.
Her fears were realized with a new wave of earthshaking tremors.
The next 20 heavy lancers charged in from the entrance of the
sando.
Asuna tore her gaze from the incoming swarm of lances and
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glanced at her designated position in the middle of the front line.

There stood a young, almost childish-looking Guardian trying to
control his sword, his knees quivering.
AH!!
Yelling sharply, Asuna ran to the right.
She leapt between the young Guardian standing stock-still and a
spear coming from the left. Her rapier wouldnt make it in time
to parry. She could only grip the lancehead with her left hand.
If this was a normal VRMMO world, then Asuna, who had
overwhelming reaction speed and physical strength, would be
able to successfully block it. But in the Underworld, the countless
parameters that were ignored in SAO and ALO, existed.
The smooth steel lance slid through her bloody fist
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A blunt impact shook her entire body. Unable to utter a sound,

Asuna silently looked down at her side, where an enormous piece
of metal had pierced through.
***
Minimal movement maximizing his swords efficiency.
To Knight Commander Bercouli, Emperor Vectors
swordsmanship was just that: completely different from any style
he had ever seen before.
First, he almost never used his feet. When avoiding an attack, he
would merely slide slightly along the ground. Also, even when he
was attacking, it didnt seem like any preparation was made
beforehand. The sword he held loosely in his right hand would
suddenly come flying from the nearest distance.
In short, predicting his movements was nigh impossible. The
veteran Bercouli had not countered any of the Emperors five
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quick and powerful attacks.

But five times was enough.
Due to his vast combat experience, Bercouli, who had roughly
grasped Vectors techniques, began his first counter at the start
of the other sides sixth attack.
Hsss!
Releasing as little of his spirit as possible, he launched an
overhead slash right before Vector did the same.
Along with a violent metallic clank, bluish-white sparks spurted
in all directions.
The two swords crossed in midair. From here it was a contest of
strength. The enemys sword sank down without even the
slightest resistance. Seemingly unable to withstand the pressure,
the tall-statured Vector bent his knees.
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This is the critical moment!!

Bercouli infused his beloved sword with refined Incarnation. The
battle-worn steel swords blade gleamed silver. The Time
Piercing Sword, slowly pressing down on Vectors black
longsword, touched the enemys shoulder, piercing his armor
Immediately, Vectors sword emitted an ominous glow.
An indigo phosphorescence squirmed out like a living organism,
coiling around the Time Piercing Sword. At the same time, the
explosive silver gleam on the Time Piercing Sword vanished, as if
it had withered.
What, is this?
No
What, am I trying to do in the first place?
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With a sharp crackle, he felt a freezing chill in his left shoulder.

Bercouli opened his eyes, jumped back, took a deep breath, and
regained the consciousness that had slipped away from him for
an instant.
What the hell was that?
Someone like me, right in the middle of battle was spacing out?!
Just as he demanded of himself, Bercouli realized that it was not
that simple.
It was as though that the forced blankness was corroding his
consciousness, rendering him unable to understand why he was
here, or even, who he was.
Bastard You directly absorbed my Incarnation through my
sword?
Bercouli groaned in a low voice.
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The response was a silent grin.

Clicking his tongue, he glanced at his left shoulder. It was a
graze, yet the wound was deep.
Hmph this is all very interesting, isnt it, Your Imperial
Majesty? But being unable to cross swords is pretty troubling.
Bercouli chuckled. In contrast, Vector erased his smile and
murmured.
Indeed. Come to think of it, theres something else I havent
tried yet.
After that, he casually extended the sword in his right hand
straight ahead, but it was completely out of range. There was no
way the blade would reach
From the tip of the blade suspended in mid-air, a repulsive dark
blue light reached out.
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Dont tell me, from a distance too?!

Just as that thought flashed through Bercoulis mind, the light
touched his chest.
His consciousness faded away like an extinguished candle.
The longsword slowly approached the Knight Commander, sliding
straight under his left arm yet he merely stood there, blankly
watching it all.
The sword was casually swung upward.
With a wet, sticky noise, Bercoulis thick arm was severed from
his body.
***
Ku u ughh!!
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Asuna somehow managed to suppress her scream, which was

about to leak out, into a low moan. Excruciating pain or rather,
it was more like being exposed to a white-hot blowtorch,
continuously scorching her abdomen, crushing her senses beyond
her limits.
This bit of pain is nothing!
Its just a scratch, it doesnt matter if it hurts!!
The gleaming black lance that stabbed through her upper left
abdomen must have protruded nearly a meter from her back.
Asuna twisted her head around to look behind her. The lance tip
only ended up grazing the cheek of the young Guardian standing
there. It took all of her willpower to squeeze out a smile to the
young boy, who looked palely back at her.
Compared to this childs precious life What do these virtual injuries
matter?!
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Ungh Ah!!
With a shout, she infused strength into her left hand, gripping
the lance that pierced her body.
With a deafening crack, the metal rod nearly five centimeters in
diameter snapped in two in her fist. She then reached behind
herself, grabbed the protruding lancehead, and wrenched it out.
Sparks danced before her eyes, and a shocking pain like lightning
ran from her fingertips to her toes. Yet Asunas hand did not
cease, pulling out the lance with an almost violent movement and
flinging it to the ground.
A frightening amount of blood gushed from both her mouth and
the gaping wound in her abdomen, but her body remained
unswervingly upright. Asuna wiped away the blood at the corner
of her mouth, and looked up at the enemy with fire in her eyes.
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The hulking owner of the lance blinked rapidly inside his helmet,
his eyes revealing confusion.
Oh, gosh.
After this exclamation, uttered twice, came rapid English.
The hell, man This type of game isnt fun at all. Im logging
out.
After hearing that, Asuna accurately pierced the mans heart with
the rapier in her right hand. His enormous frame keeled over, and
was engulfed by a disappearing effect.
The agony from her wound had not caused Asuna to cry, yet in
this moment her eyes filled with tears.
The pain and hatred enveloping this battlefield now should not
have been necessary from the start.
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The American players and the Guardians of the Human Empire

army never had a reason to murder each other in cold blood. If
the circumstances under which they met had been different, both
sides should have become good friends just like she had.
Virtual worlds VRMMOs did not exist just for this.
H He Help Gh!
A scream in Japanese interrupted Asunas thoughts. Turning her
eyes, she saw a great lance stabbing toward a Guardian lying
immobile on the ground.
U AAAAAAAHH!!
Asunas emotions became a roar as she sprang forward.
The rapier in her right hand slashed ahead nonstop and the white
glow flowing from its edge enveloped her entire body; her feet
left the ground as she flew forward like a blinding comet. The
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highest level rushing attack for the rapier, Flashing

Penetrator.
The lancer just about to kill the Guardian was flung high into the
air, and the enemy behind him suffered the same fate. A third
one as well.
After securely pinning the body of a fourth man under the foot of
a gigantic statue, her sword skill ended and she turned around,
exhaling.
The second assault wave of the heavy lancers had caused more
than five deaths in the Human Empire army. Simultaneously, at
the entrance to the road, the third wave of twenty men had
already readied their ferocious lances.
Asuna pulled her rapier from a corpse and cried loudly.
All units, hold this position at all costs! Renri-san, please come
to the middle!
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Asuna squeezed out a short smile, comforting the young Knight

whose face became rigid upon seeing her bloodsoaked form, and
uttered a last sentence.
I will rush into the enemy formation alone. Ill leave any
enemies that slip through me to you all.
A Asuna-sama?!
Asuna raised her left fist towards the panting Renri and the
Guardians.
Then, she broke into a run.
***
Bercoulis center of gravity suddenly wobbled, and it was then he
realized that what he was stepping on was his own left arm,
rolling on the ground.
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What awakened his consciousness was not pain, but that chilling
feeling.
Guh!
He leapt backward again, widening the distance between himself
and Vector.
The blood pouring from his left shoulder dyed a crimson arc onto
the white stone.
What the hell is this?
He just pointed his sword at me, and my consciousness was forcibly
halted?
Bercouli lifted two fingers from his right hands grip on the Time
Piercing Sword to heal his wound, racking his brains as fast as he
could. The nonverbal Healing Art quickly stopped the flow of
blood with a glimmer of blue light. However, there was not
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enough Sacred Spacial Energy on these desolate rocky mountains

to regenerate his fallen arm.
How should I fight this enemy?
His Armament Full Control Art Time Piercing Sword Empty
Slash was utterly ineffective. The Incarnation left in the air by
the slash would be completely absorbed by his opponent.
His absolute last resort was his Release Recollection Art Arcane
Slash. But if he wanted to use that technique, he would have to
fulfill two very harsh conditions. First, the opponent could not
interrupt his lengthy attacking movements. The second was to be
extremely accurate, with the difficulty of the latter surpassing
that of the former
Bercouli flicked away the sweat that came from his forehead in a
flash.
Then, he realized.
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Im being desperate.
Somehow, I have nothing more to spare.
In other words, now, this is where I die. The next moment will be my
death.
Heh.
After correctly realizing his impasse, instead of frowning,
Integrity Knight Bercouli Synthesis One grinned.
His eyes slowly moved away from Emperor Vector, who was
approaching him ceaselessly, and fell onto the golden knight
lying horizontally in a corner slightly away from him Alice
Synthesis Thirty.
Lil Miss.
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I still couldnt give you what you wanted, Lil Miss. I couldnt give you
fatherly love. Because, I cant remember, anything about my own
parents either.
But, theres one thing that I do know.
These so-called parents die protecting their children.
A bastard like you would never understand, you monster!!
Bercouli bellowed and sprang forward.
Without any plan whatsoever, merely injecting everything he had
into his beloved sword, the eldest Knight sprinted forward.
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Page 155
***
Ga Hah
A great mouthful of blood gushed out with her rough breath, and
splashed at her feet.
Asuna remained upright, even if she was only propped up by the
rapier in her right hand.
After repelling the third and fourth assault waves of heavy
lancers, she had been wounded more than ten times all over her
body. Her pearly white blouse and skirt were torn to shreds,
stained red by the blood of herself and her enemies.
Having taken a direct hit from a lance, which opened a hole in
her body, it was astonishing that she could still move. In fact,
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her body, it was astonishing that she could still move. In fact,
Asunas unfairly enormous HP didnt allow her strength to drain.
This body will fall only when my heart fall.
If so, I can stand forever.
Her entire body had lost nearly all sensation. Only burning heat
ran through her nerves, distorting her vision.
The enemys fifth wave of troops appeared in Asunas dim vision,
and she pulled her rapier out of the ground.
She was no longer able to perform perfect evasions. She could
only stop the enemys lance with her body, and counterattack
with sword skills.
Asunas feather-light rapier felt as heavy as a leaden rod in her
grip, but she strained to raise it with both hands, hold it in front
of her, and wait for the enemys arrival.
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Go!!
The ground shook, and 20 lancers began charging ahead.
Boom, boom, boom boom boom boom
In the slowly accelerating footsteps, a sharp vibration mixed in
out of nowhere.
Asunas eyes were attracted upward.
From the scarlet sky, a single line streaked down. It was a thin
sequence of digital code.
Enemy reinforcements?
Ahh
Although just a sliver, the sigh she emitted was mixed with
despair.
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But
The color of that line was not the familiar crimson, but a deep
blue akin to the night sky before dawn.
Asuna could no longer foresee what the color meant, and could
only widen her eyes, awaiting the result.
The line halted around ten meters above the ground; the code
began to consolidate and, after a flash of light, became a human
silhouette.
Voom.
The air howled suddenly, and the silhouette began to spin so fast
that it blurred. Uttering a vigorous roar like a tornado, it began
falling again.
Directly under that silhouette, those 20 heavy lancers had
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stopped unknowingly and looked dumbly up at the sky.

The azure tornado landed directly in their midst.
Then, suddenly, crimson exploded outwards.
Blood. The soldiers twisted within the tornado were immediately
ripped apart, and blood was thrown by the wind in a wide radius.
Finally, in the middle of the radially spread fallen lancers, the
tornado began to slow, and eventually regained the shape of a
person.
The newcomers back was turned to her, with a somewhat
slender, tall body. Vibrant, Japanese-style armor shined in the
backlight. His left hand gripped a sheath hanging from his waist,
and his right hand clenched a terrifyingly long sword, no, a
katana, which slashed out horizontally.
Asuna had seen that attack before, in another world.
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A Sword Skill.
A heavy, ranged katana attack Tsumujiguruma14.
The silhouette slowly stood, rested the longsword on its
shoulder, and gradually looked back towards her.
Under a striking bandanna, a stubbled face grinned at her.
Hey, made you wait, Asuna.
K lein?
Asuna could not hear her own hoarse voice until the end.
Suddenly, an ensemble of rumbling resounded throughout the
world. Although the sound effects were indistinguishable from
when the Americans had appeared, to Asuna, this must be angelic
song.
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Then, thousands of bright blue strings of code began raining

unceasingly from the crimson sky.
***
Cut.
Consciousness blurred.
Pain from his wound jolted him wide awake.
Bercouli had lost count of how many times he had gone through
this process.
As though he were intentionally dragging out the fight, Emperor
Vector never once inflicted any sort of fatal injury. But Bercouli
clearly knew that the blood flowing from his numerous wounds,
that is, his total amount of Life, was fast approaching its limit.
But through his immovable willpower honed over two centuries
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and several decades, he cast away all delusions and expelled all
fear, performing but one single action inside his head.
Counting.
Specifically, measuring time.
Bercouli possessed the special ability to confirm time through
instinct alone, and now he was relying on this power to record it.
Even as his thoughts were disturbed by the Emperors sword, he
continued to count unconsciously.
Four hundred and eighty seven.
Four hundred and eighty eight.
Bercouli read the seconds precisely while repeating his foolish
attacks, occasionally sputtering taunts from his mouth.
Your swordsmanship doesnt seem, up to scratch Your
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Imperial Majesty.
Four hundred and ninety five.
You cant beat me, with these sword skills with this second
rate stuff, no, third rate at most.
Four hundred and ninety eight.
Watch this, Im not done yet!
With a shout, he slashed down in front of him.
Five hundred.
His sword blade touched the indigo halo radiating from the
Emperor.
Sucked into Incarnation, his thoughts were interrupted.
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When he regained consciousness, he was already down on one

knee, blood dripping from a new wound on his left cheek.
Five hundred and eight.
Almost there. Just endure it a little bit more.
Bercouli stood up with difficulty, and looked towards the Emperor
behind him.
A hint of slight disgust appeared on Vectors usually
expressionless face. The reason was that, when he had cut
Bercoulis cheek, a drop of blood had flown out and splashed onto
Vectors pale cheek.
Vector wiped away the stain with his fingertip, and mused.
Ive had enough.
He took one step forward into the red puddle that Bercouli
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created.
Your soul is too heavy. Too thick. It sticks to my tongue. And
how boring, you merely think about killing me.
The Emperor said in a flat voice, and took another step closer.
Die.
Raised silently, the black sword emanated a viscous gleam.
Bercoulis expression did not change, but he secretly clenched his
teeth.
Just a bit more. Thirty seconds left.
Heh Dont, say that. I can, still enjoy, it.
The Knight Commander hobbled a few steps towards thin air, and
feebly raised the longsword in his right hand.
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Whered you go. Where the heck did you go. Oh, there?
With empty light in his eyes, the Knight Commander swung his
sword.
Clog. He hit somewhere completely off with his sword tip, and
stumbled exaggeratedly.
Ah Was it here?
He swung another attack that lacked even a swishing noise.
Then, dragging an already disabled foot, Bercouli shambled
cluelessly at random.
Since his vision had failed due to enormous blood loss, his
thoughts also became hopelessly jumbled he certainly looked
like that.
However, this was the Knight Commanders once-in-a-lifetime
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performance.
Those half-closed blue-gray eyes were only tightly fixated on one
single thing.
Footprints.
Through nearly ten minutes of pointless attacking, Bercouli had
spilled his blood over the entirety of this rocky summit, which
was not wide at all. Hence, the two different footprints tracked
out over the whole surface by the Emperors boots and the
Knight Commanders leather sandals, were clearly carved and
highly distinguishable.
In other words, this was the detailed record of the two mens
movements.
Acting demented, Bercouli was searching for the driest, darkest
footprint of the Emperor, created when he cut off Bercoulis left
arm ten minutes ago.
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After that, Bercouli had immediately, and unconsciously, begun to

count the time.
Which means, that was the place where Emperor Vector had
stood ten minutes ago. Then, his bloody footprints precisely
recorded the direction he advanced in, and where he moved.
Five hundred and eighty nine.
Five hundred, and ninety.
Oh Ive found you
Bercouli mumbled feebly, rocking from side to side as he swung
the Time Piercing Sword.
This truly was the last strike.
Whether it was sword, or its owner, both of their dwindling Lives
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had reached their ends.

And Bercouli expended them both to exhaustion, activating the
Release Recollection Art of his Divine Instrument, the Time
Piercing Sword.
Time Piercing Sword Arcane Slash.

The opposite of the Empty Slash that could sever the future,
the Arcane Slash had the power to sever the past.
Within the Main Visualizer of the Underworld, the recent
movements of all human Units were recorded for six hundred
seconds, or ten minutes.
The Time Piercing Sword could interfere with this record, causing
the system to mistake the Units position ten minutes and one
second ago for the Units current position.
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As for the result, the blade that could normally cut only nothing,
could be transmitted to the body of a person who had existed in
this area in the past. Unavoidable, unblockable, true to its name,
it was a strike that could betray15 all other sword techniques and
hard work.
It was for this very reason that Bercouli always shunned
activating the Arcane Slash. When battling Eugeo, even
though he had lost to the Release Recollection Art of the Blue
Rose Sword, he resolved never to use this technique that could
easily earn him victory. He knew that Senate Elder Chudelkin
would even recognize that as an act of treason against the Axiom
Church.
But, with Emperor Vector as his opponent, who rode above
inestimable power far exceeding his own, he had no such
hesitations.
The instant that Emperor Vector had stepped down from his
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dragon, Bercouli had taken advantage of the fact that his enemy
flew in a straight line at a constant speed to correctly calculate
his location ten minutes before. Yet, in the mix of the close
quarters melee that ensued, locking onto his location was
insurmountably difficult.
Of course, if he could recall where his enemy was during that
instant ten minutes ago, he could activate this technique. But
while using this method, if his sword technique activation was
disturbed by the enemy, it would be very difficult to accurately
count to ten minutes after that.
Just like this instant right now.
You look like youre plotting something.

Emperor Vector approached as though gliding, and Bercouli was
forced to quickly avoid the blue-black Incarnation emanating
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from the longsword. Just like that, ten minutes and one second
ago were forever lost to him.
So Ive missed my chance.
Bercouli once more readied his Time Piercing Sword about to use
Release Recollection, cursing in his chest.
He was truly at his wits end.
Since the Emperor already realized that he was concealing a plot,
he would activate his own ultimate technique again without
hesitation. In reality, the gleam of Incarnation on his longsword
was already reaching towards Bercouli.
Opposite it, the Knight Commander began to evade with all his
might.
Crawl away.
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Crawl away, crawl away, and fall shamelessly to the ground. He

had known since very long ago that he would welcome death in
this haggard state.
Three times. Four times.
Right until after the fifth attack, Bercouli successfully evaded all
of them.
But after that, the blue black light finally grazed his body.
His consciousness broke off with a snap.
When Bercouli opened his eyes again, what he saw was Vectors
longsword, penetrating deeply into his stomach.
With a whoosh, the blade was jerked out, and the last of the
Knight Commanders Life gushed out in the form of crimson
liquid.
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As he slowly fell backwards, he saw

The silhouette of a dragon high above, tearing the air as it dove
down at lightning speed.
Hoshigami.
Hey, didnt I tell you to standby? Why did you disobey me, youve never
done that before, have you?
The dragon stretched its maw wide, and bluish-white flames shot
straight out in jets.
Faced against that attack with the strength to wipe out a
hundred soldiers, Emperor Vector merely stretched out his left
hand and caught it.
The translucent black armor on his hand effortlessly deflected the
flames in all directions. Flying sparks dazzled in the air.
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The sword in the Emperors hand shot out that dark blue light
once more, traveling up against the white flames and piercing
directly into Hoshigamis forehead. Bercoulis dragon took the
full force of the sword skill that could easily control the Dark
Knight Order dragon from before but he did not stop his
movements.
On the contrary, Hoshigami converted his entire Life into white
rays that shot from his wings, diving straight towards the
Emperor.
A sliver of disgust crossed Vectors pale face; he raised his sword
high and thrust an extremely simple stab toward the gargantuan
jaws of the dragon wanting to tear him into pieces. Dark light
poured in all directions, absorbing the dragons life, tearing its
body apart.
Hoshigami gave his Life for merely seven seconds of the
Emperors hesitation
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Bercouli would definitely not let it be in vain.

The Knight Commander felt the last breath of the beloved dragon
who had spent its long life with him from behind and swung his
Release Recollection-activated Time Piercing Sword high into the
air, which began to leave a blue afterimage.
This method of simply recalling the enemys position ten
minutes ago could only allow one attack attempt every ten
minutes.
Yet, the movement record etched into the ground in blood
suggested that it was possible to continually pursue the enemy
ten minutes before.
Seven seconds after Bercouli stared at the spot where he could
not snipe from before, the blood-red footprint indicating the
Emperors position, he launched his ultimate attack.
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There was another characteristic of the Time Piercing Sword

Arcane Slash.
By directly interfering with the system, the strength of this
sword was to completely erase the Life value of the slashed
target. Therefore, this strike could not be blocked even with
Incarnation.
Indeed, Emperor Vectors power to nullify and absorb all
Incarnate attacks could not be activated in that instant.
Therefore, the astronomical Life set for Vector in the system, was
first changed to zero.
As a result, the Emperors large frame was completely split from
his left shoulder to his right waist.
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Even as his body was split in two along a gigantic cutting surface,
Emperor Vectors face remained devoid of expression. Those light
blue eyes merely looked blankly up at the empty sky, like glass
beads.
The instant that his upper body was about to land and hit the
ground, around his heart, jet black light burst, creating an
immense, silent, explosion without heat.
By the time the explosion had settled, there remained nothing on
the ground that could prove the Emperors existence.
Seconds later, the Time Piercing Sword that depleted its Life in
Bercoulis right hand crumbled into debris with a weak crackling
noise.
***
Its so warm.
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I really want to stay here for a bit longer.

Awakening from her slumber, Integrity Knight Alice smiled
lightly, as though still floating in that comfortable state between
dream and awakening.
Swaying sunlight.
Wide knees that allowed her body to lay atop of them.
A rough hand that kindly caressed her hair.
Father.
How long had it been since she had lay down like this, on his
knees? She had long forgotten this peacefulness This feeling of
being completely protected, having nothing to worry about. The
feeling that all was well.
Ahh But, its time to get up.
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Then, Integrity Knight Alice lifted her eyelashes.

Appearing before her face was the figure of a middle aged
swordsman, his eyes squinting in a smile as he looked down upon
her.
On his toned face and chest, many old scars crossed over. And
covering those, countless new wounds were present, yet to heal.
Oji-sama?
Alice murmured in a low voice, her consciousness finally rousing
in this instant.
Right, I was grabbed by Emperor Vectors dragon. Really, how careless
do I have to be, I even charged ahead while completely letting my guard
down behind me.
But, as expected of Oji-sama. Even as I fell into the hands of the
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enemy general, he rescued me. As long as this person is here, I

can rest easy.
Smiling again, Alice sat up. As she noticed the wounds of Knight
Commander were beyond his face and chest, she held her breath.
His left arm was completely severed from the top of his shoulder.
His eastern-styled robe was completely dyed red with blood. And
below that wide chest, that horribly deep wound was even more
terrifying.
O Oji-sama !! Esteemed Bercouli!!
Alice screamed and reached out, her fingers touching Knight
Commander Bercoulis cheek.
Then she finally understood, that the oldest, greatest Knight in
the world, had finally exhausted his Life.
***
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Aw, dont cry like that, Lil Miss.

This moment wouldve come anyway, it just happened to be now, right?
Integrity Knight Commander Bercouli Synthesis One said warmly,
as he looked down upon the golden haired girl bawling over his
body. Yet his voice did not reach the ground.
Lil Miss, if its you, itll definitely be okay. Even by yourself, you can
definitely live on.
Because, youre my only apprentice my daughter.
The scene below gradually departed from Bercoulis vision.
Casting a last smile toward his beloved golden knight maiden, his
eyes turned toward the sky to the far north.
He thoughts flew toward another female knight, who should be
under that part of the sky..
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He did not know whether they would reach or not, but in this
moment, his heart was filled only with the deep emotion for the
finally-arriving end of his life, which he had originally thought
eternal.
Well, its not a bad way to go down, is it?
Yes, you should feel blessed that this many people are crying for
you.
As he turned towards the suddenly resonating voice, he saw a girl
floating there, stark naked save for her flowing silver hair.
Hey, so you really were still alive.
Bercouli shrugged, and the Highest Minister Administrator
blinked her silvery eyes and smiled softly.
But that cant be true, can it? Appearing before you now, is only
your memory of me. This me is merely the memory of
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Administrator saved in your soul.

Hmm, I still dont really get it But, if its the you inside my
memory, its good that you can smile like this now.
Bercouli responded with a grin, and suddenly glanced beside him.
Unknowingly, his beloved dragon Hoshigami had wrapped its
long neck around his body.
The Knight Commander softly caressed the dragons transparent
silver neck, leapt onto its back with a whoop, reached out, and
pulled the Highest Minister up before him.
Do you not hate me? The Knight Commanders only master in
his long life asked, tilting her head. Do you not hate me, the one
who imprisoned you within the confines of eternal life , and
stripped away your memories again and again?
After some brief thought, Bercouli replied.
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Although its true that it was long enough to get bored at, well,
it was still an amusing life. Yeah, thats right.
Really.
Looking away after Administrators short reply, Bercouli took
Hoshigamis reins.
The dragon expanded its transparent wings, and slowly flew into
the boundless yonder.
***
Under the distant northern sky
On the dry ground, the rubble of the former Great Eastern
Gate was piled up. To the east and west of these enormous
ruins, ten thousand Dark Territory reserve soldiers and four
thousand main troops of the Human Empire Defense army were
in formation, preparing for confrontation, staring at each other.
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Since Emperor Vector had vanished without a trace, the Dark

Territory army could not begin the attack on their own. The
completely clueless Human Empire army also made no
movements, and that long stalemate continued.
Near the ruins of the great gate where only the dry wind was
heard, there was the silhouette of a lone female knight. It was
the Integrity Knight left in charge of the main troops of the
Defense Army, Fanatio Synthesis Two. She had ordered the
Guardians and Ascetics to rest in preparation for the upcoming
battle, but she herself was not in the mood to sleep in her tent,
so she had walked alone to the rubble that used to be the Great
Eastern Gate.
The black night had long passed, and Soluss light dyed the sky
above the Dark Territory in red, and the side of the Human
Empire in blue.
More than half a day had passed since the the decoy troops of the
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Defense Army, led by Knight Commander Bercouli, had departed

to the southern Dark Territory from the Great Eastern Gate.
Although she knew that their mission would not be achieved that
easily, blindly waiting here for them was hard to endure.
Just as Fanatio was about to close her eyes, praying to the three
goddesses for, at least, the safe return of the troops
Her eyes snapped open.
She felt as if the man she loved was speaking into her ear.
Sorry, Fanatio. Seems that we cant meet anymore.
Ill leave the rest to you. Let that kid, live on happily
Not long ago, Fanatio had heard the exact same words. It was the
last sentence that Knight Commander Bercouli had left with her
when they separated here.
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Covered in silver gauntlets, her hands gently caressed her

abdomen.
The new life bestowed upon her body was something that had
happened three months ago. Bercouli, who had gone more than a
hundred years without touching Fanatio, probably already
predicted it when the taboos were released.
Predicted his own death.
Sensing that the long life of Knight Commander Bercouli had
ended under the faraway sky, Fanatio slowly sank to her knees,
and buried her face in her hands.
Unable to contain them, she let out sobs.
The reason that Bercouli always estranged himself from Fanatio,
or any other female, she had once heard a very long time ago.
The men and women of the Human Empire could only marry
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under official recognition of an Axiom Church priest, and could

only produce the next generation under a contract. Yet Integrity
Knights took on the roles of the priests, and did not need all the
fanfare that came with marriage. They needed only to vow their
love, share a bed, and could have children.16
Yet this child would age and die sooner than its parents with
frozen Lives. Even so, having the Highest Minister give this child
the same treatment would be much crueler.
Although, after the Highest Minister passed away, Bercouli finally
accepted Fanatios feelings. That is, he decided to protect his
child, and let him live until the end of his time.
Then
Please rest assured, Esteemed Bercouli. I will properly raise
this child. I will make him into a man as strong and proud as
you.
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Holding back her sobs, Fanatio uttered her own determination.

But, now, just for now.
Just for now, allow me to grieve.
Throwing herself onto the ground, Fanatio tightly held a grain of
sand that Knight Commander Bercouli had stepped on, sobbing
without holding back.
5
Although I dont have anything personal against you guys
Pointing his long sword at the red army, Kleins words
reverberated throughout the ancient ruins.
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Im gonna return your debt of severely hurting my friend. Ill

return it threefold No, Ill return it a thousandfold, you damned
bastards!!
Right after declaring that, he plunged directly into the enemy
army. Asuna was so stunned by his recklessness that she forgot
the pain of her deep wound for an instant. Yet immediately,
another string of code poured down right next to Klein, creating
a silhouette.
Appearing there was a hulking, chocolate-skinned man grasping
a large battleaxe.
Agil-san!!
She called his name hoarsely.
When the battle merchant, who had once continued to provide
strong support in the forms of battle strength and supplies to the
SAO Clearers, glanced at Asuna, a broad grin stretched over his
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gigantic features and he stuck his right thumb into the air.
Soon after, he turned around and began following after Klein,
running fiercely.
The third and fourth persons appeared right in front of Asuna.
A girl with shortcut hair, in a reddish-brown costume draped over
her breastplate and with a silver mace suspended from her waist.
Next, a petite girl wearing an ultramarine tunic and skirt, with
hair tied in twin tails.
Liz!! Silica-chan!!
It was here that, at last, both of Asunas eyes were overflowing
with tears.
All strength left her body. While somehow staying in that place,
Asuna extended both her hands toward her friends whom she
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had strong bonds with.

You really you really came
Of course wed come!
Isnt that obvious?
Beaming at the same time, Lisbeth and Silica seized Asunas left
and right hands respectively and clasped them tightly. Both of
their expressions became tearful smiles.
Being this rash Bleeding everywhere youre trying too
hard, Asuna.
Leave the rest to us. Because everyone else came as well.
Just by being hugged from both sides by Lisbeth and Silica, Asuna
felt the pain from the wounds riddling her body dissolving in the
soft warmth.
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Thank you Thank you all

Through her endless tears, she saw a rain of code strings
suddenly pouring down at the entrance of the ruins.
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Page 178
Appearing there were hundreds of swordsmen dressed in vibrant

armor.
Those red guys are the enemies!
Vanguard, attack! Drive them back!
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Rear guard, retreat temporarily and check your incantations!

Right after landing, they began to exchange shouts in the
Underworld language, no, Japanese held up their swords, axes,
and spears, and began assaulting the red soldiers in front of
them.
Judging by their magnificent individual combat skills and
uniformly understood teamwork, it was apparent that they were
undoubtedly seasoned VRMMO players.
So thats what it is.
Asuna finally recovered her thought process and understood the
situation before her.
Ever since the American players appeared on the battlefield, the time
acceleration rate of the Underworld must have been fixed to 1:1 by the
attackers manipulation. In other words, it was also possible to Dive here
with AmuSpheres from Japan.
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But the radiance emanating from their equipped swords and armors
indicated that they were not using the default Guardian accounts.
Meaning they had converted here.
They had undoubtedly converted their characters, which they had
fostered by investing great time and effort to the Underworld.
Even though they dont know whether or not they can return to their
original VRMMO worlds. On the contrary considering the
Underworlds structure, its possible that their own character
information would be deleted the moment they died, and yet!
Everyone Sorry Im sorry
With a tearful voice, Asuna apologized to her two bosom friends
before her, and then to the countless swordsmen pushing the
front line back.
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What are you saying, Asuna?

Lisbeths reply was filled with solid determination.
The reason we did our best in SAO and ALO is surely so that we
could protect important things in this place right now.
Yeah thats right thank you all
Whispering her gratitude, Asuna nodded deeply, fervently.
However, there was one more thing she had yet to learn. Exactly
who had informed Liz and the others in the real world about the
Underworld crisis and requested reinforcements by means of
conversion? It would be very unlikely for Kikuoka and Higa, who
were confined in the Ocean Turtles sub-control room, to have
the spare time to formulate and execute this plan.
Hey Liz, Silica-chan. The one who brought everyone here, who
was it?
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At Asunas question, the pair exchanged glances, and grinned.

Wait, Asuna, isnt that obvious?!
It was Yui-chan! She tried her hardest to explain things about
the Underworld and the people living here!
When Asuna heard those words, her heart tightened strongly and
tears gushed out endlessly from her eyes.
Yui. Born as a Top-Down AI in old SAO, Asuna and Kiritos
daughter. Yes it couldnt be anyone but her. She sensed the
attackers plans that Asuna, Kikuoka, and the others couldnt
even predict, and took action to counter them.
Thank you, Yui-chan.
Murmuring words filled with all of her feelings, her severed left
arm had regenerated completely and the wounds covering her
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body had mostly vanished upon standing up.

At that moment, a timid voice came from behind.
Um Asuna-sama? Those people are or rather, those knights
are
Integrity Knight Renri stood there with a dumbfounded look.
Behind him, the Guardians, who had just been saved from danger
as well, similarly had their eyes become round.
Asuna, after fluttering her gaze between Renri, Lisbeth, and the
others, smiled and replied.
My very important friends. The came from the Real World to
help us.
Renri blinked a few times, then stared fixedly at Lisbeth and
Silica
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A relieved expression floated onto his adolescent face.

So thats the case Im really glad. I thought that, without a
doubt, the people of the outside world besides Asuna-sama were
all those kinds of scary soldiers
Hey, thats impossible!!
Along with a slightly upset smile that was nonetheless filled with
intimacy, Lisbeth patted Renris shoulders.
Im Lisbeth. Please take care of me, Knight-kun.
Ah Y Yes. My name is Renri. Pleased to meet you.
Asuna, who was watching this scene with a smile, was suddenly
hit by a strong premonition.
She, in her entire life, would never forget this scene.
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This moment, when people who were born in two different

worlds met, exchanged words, and fostered relationships. This
story, which should continue for a long, long time, should not
end in tragedy.
Asuna took a deep breath, changed her tone of voice, and asked
Lisbeth.
Liz, how many people converted?
Ah, well, a little bit over two thousand, I think. I already tried
really hard, but I still couldnt make everyone who listened to
my speech convert over
Asuna lightly patted her bosom friend, who was biting her lip, on
the back.
This is more than enough. But to preserve the chance of them
converting back, we must avoid a war of attrition if possible.
Dont spread the front lines too much, and step up the healing.
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Liz and Silica-chan, take about two hundred men, retreat to the
rear, and set up a support team.
Switching her awareness back to the battle, Asuna rapidly
delivered directives to Renri and the Guardians.
Everyone else, although it may be against your will, please
merge with the Ascetics team and use Healing Arts. The
swordsmen from the Real World are not familiar with the Sacred
Arts, so it would help if you teach them the commands.
Un Understood, Asuna-sama! You heard her, Guardians! Were
assisting the knights from the reinforcements!
As Renri yelled, the Guardians, exhausted from continuous
battling, responded emphatically.
What will you do then, Asuna-san?
At Silicas inquiry, Asuna winked.
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Im going to attack at the very front, of course.
I dont feel like losing anymore.

Charging at the very front were all familiar faces from ALO
Asuna, noticing Sylph Lord Sakuya, Cait Sith Lord Alicia,
Salamander General Eugene, and the others, hardened her
determination and they nodded fervently at each other.
No, they were not just the players who had converted from ALO.
Those strongly backing the swordsmen by rapidly firing
crossbows with extreme accuracy were probably players from Gun
Gale Online, like Sinon.
Moreover, that team sticking tightly together, mowing down
enemies like a storm, was formed by the members of the
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strongest guild that had swept across many VRMMOs, the

Sleeping Knights.
Spotting Asuna, the mage Siune smiled at her. As Asuna waved
her right hand in response, she once again held back the tears
that were slipping out.
They all came to help despite arriving at the resolution that they
could lose their avatars, which were akin to their other selves.
Then, as the only one protected by a Super Account, she had to
take the greatest risk to minimize their sacrifices.
Asuna sprinted across the battlefield, giving on-the-fly orders to
the support army to narrow the over-widened front line and form
a semicircle again with the entrance to the sando at its center.
But no matter how strong the equipment and statuses of the
2,000 converted players were, there still remained more than
10,000 American players. If it became a war of attrition, the
casualties, in other words, players with probability of data loss,
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would increase as time went on.

Furthermore, there was another unignorable concern.
The realistic pain that could not be avoided during battles in the
Underworld.
Unlike most of the Americans, who would have already died and
logged out the instant they felt pain, the Japanese players, who
repeated the routine of getting injured, retreating, and being
healed, were constantly exposed to agony. And Asuna had just
experienced, firsthand, the fact that it would gradually break
their spirit.
Please, everyone, do your best. Until these 10,000 enemies are all
eliminated.
If we do that, then the war potential available to those who attacked the
Ocean Turtle will truly be depleted this time. Afterward, wed only
need to catch up to Emperor Vector, who should have been tripped up by
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Knight Commander Bercouli and Sinon, and rescue Alice.

Asuna flashed her rapier on the foremost line, and shouted with
all her might.
No problem we can win! If its everyone, we can definitely
win!!
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***
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Hirono Takashi, a Japanese VRMMO player, had asked himself:

Why the hell did I come to this place? Not that it did any good now.
The reason that he accepted the all-too-sudden conversion
request from ALO, which he logged into after being woken up at
5:00 a.m. by a phone call from his friend, was definitely not
because the girl desperately giving a speech was cute, nor was it
because he sympathized with her claims.
To be honest, he had mostly trusted his gut.
Additionally, one part was a curiosity that asked, What kind of
world would a VRMMO made using national budget be like? Another
part was an irresponsible feeling that said, I scored the worst on my
very first proficiency test in high school, so my AmuSphere will be
confiscated soon anyway. And a small part of him had a hunch
Maybe there really is something in that world I havent found in any
other game that Ive played.
After Takashi had converted the character he had raised for two
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After Takashi had converted the character he had raised for two
years and logged into a server that he had never heard of before,
what awaited him was a hulking man clad in red armor standing
in his way, curses in native English slang, and a halberd swinging
down mercilessly.
He jumped back while pressing down the scream about to leak
from his throat, but the halberds tip still hit the armor on his
left leg, tore through it, and cut into his shin for just a moment.
He had never felt such pain since he had fallen from his bicycle
and broken a bone in elementary school.
No one told me about this!! Takashi shrieked in his head as he
earnestly slipped through the halberds pursuit, somehow
repelled the man with his extremely rare one-handed sword, and
was taken to the rear by the support team around the time he felt
a wave of nausea hitting him due to the large amount of blood
flowing from the wound on his leg.
Ive had enough, Im logging out!
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Letting such words slip out, Takashi was being healed by a

priest-like girl about the same age as him, wearing a light blue
habit.
Somehow, when looking at her, he had a really weird feeling.
I will treat you immediately, please endure it for a moment,
Knight-sama.
The girl spoke in a delicate voice, then cupped her hands on the
severe wound on his left leg severe only by Takashis
standards, though and began her incantation. Watching her
demeanor, Takashi thought for a moment that she was merely an
NPC.
However, the serious expression exuding from her gray eyes
speckled with brown, her cute features that looked like those of
both an Easterner and a Westerner, and the warmth that came
from the white light healing his wound, all clearly told Takashi
that this girl was neither an NPC nor played by a Japanese person,
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but a true human being living in this world.

But could something like this really be true? She was clearly
speaking Japanese, but was not Japanese nor an NPC. Who really
was this girl, then?
Rather than realizing it the moment he felt the agony of a
halberd slicing his left leg, Takashi clearly recognized something
when his wound was healed by the girls magic: he was not in
any game event, but in the middle of some extraordinary
occurrence.
All right, everything is fine now, Knight-sama.
When the girl in the habit lifted her hands with a slightly proud
expression, his wound that had been more than 5 centimeters
long was completely sealed and the pain had disappeared, leaving
only a shallow, light brown scar.
Th Thank you.
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Stumbling with his words, Takashi somehow vocalized his

gratitude. Oh, why didnt I come up with something more fitting for a
Knight-sama? He thought, irritated. Yet his face grew
scorching hot, and his tongue became stupidly immobile. When
he finally realized it afterwards, he had already taken a daring
action that even he himself could not expect. Reaching out with
both arms, he gently hugged the girls slender body.
Had this been a normal VRMMO world, Takashis actions would
be determined as Inappropriate Contact with an NPC and he
would have been given a system warning.
Yet the girl in the habit jerked in Takashis arms, taking a
shallow breath out of surprise. A few seconds later, Takashi felt
the girls arms nervously circling around his own back, and
applying slight but definite pressure.
Its okay, Knight-sama from abroad.
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Close to his ear, the sound of a soft yet steady voice came.
Even a nun-in-training like myself, although insignificant, can
complete my own duty like this. Knight-sama, you are fighting
plenty times more proudly and bravely. Please remember you
are taking up your sword to protect many people, to protect this
world.
The girl then gently smoothed Takashis back with her right
hand.
Whether it was in the real world or a virtual world, Takashi never
had any experience with hugging a girl. Yet even if he was going
to have a girlfriend in the real world, he had a feeling that he
would never become more emotional than in this very instant.
After that dreamy moment, Takashi steeled his determination as
soon as their two bodies separated.
Um W-would you mind telling me your name?
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Patches of scarlet appeared on the trainee nuns fair face, and she
nodded.
Of course not My name is Frenica. Frenica Szeski.
Frenica
The name sounded very strange, but the girl before him had
spoken it with exceeding familiarity. Unusually, Takashi also
clearly told her his own name. Not his character name Velios, but
his own, original name that he was not particularly fond of.
My name is Takashi Hirono Takashi Um Can we, meet
again, when the war ends?
Frenica raised her eyebrows slightly, narrowed her eyes in
kindness, and nodded.
Absolutely, Knight Takashi-sama. When the war ends and peace
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comes to this world, we will. I shall pray to the three gods for
your safe return.
Frenica softly wrapped her hands around Takashis left hand on
his knee, and swiftly stood up.
Frenica flapped the hem of her habit, turned, and ran to heal
another of the wounded. As Takashi stared towards her back, and
he clearly realized something: if he was going to stand proudly
like a knight in front of her, he would have to fight bravely until
the end. This world was no longer a game, but another reality
completely equivalent to the real world in which Takashi was
born and grew up in.
Even if he ran out of HP, no, lifetime, and was ejected from this
world, he would face forward and hold up his sword until the very
last moment. No matter how heavily he was injured, how much it
hurt. He would certainly never see Frenica again if he failed.
Takashi stood up, shouted All riiiight!, and ran toward the
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front line to complete his goal that was not a quest, but his duty.
References
1. Kawahara made a typo and wrote Seventh Day instead. It has been corrected here.
2. Referenced in Volume 4, when Kirito fights the guardian monsters to attempt to

ascend the World Tree and save Asuna.
3. Referred to in previous volumes as Guards. Retconned to make it sound better.
4. Referred to in previous volumes as Land of Darkness. Retconned to make it sound

better.
5. Game Master.
6. Player Character.
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7. Automatic gun. Sinon is used to playing first-person shooter games.
8. BGM-71 TOW, a widely used US anti-tank missile. More info here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BGM-71_TOW
9. Approximately 90 meters tall. (The book includes metric units because they are
more familiar in Japan.)
10. Approximately 29 meters wide.
11. A sando (
) is the road approaching a Shinto shrine or a Buddhist temple. More
info here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sand
12. Kawahara means racing suit, which is tight-fitting full body wear for auto
racers.
13. Incarnation (
, shini) is a foreign concept to Vector, so he repeats it aloud in
Japanese here.
14.
, literally, whirling wheel.
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14.
, literally, whirling wheel.
15. There is wordplay here. The word betray (
uragiru) conjugates into
uragiri when it transforms into a noun, which is pronounced the same as Arcane
Slash (
uragiri).
16. See Volume 12, Chapter 7, Part 1. Cardinal explains that reproduction in the Human
Empire must be officially approved to successfully conceive children.
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DEFAN752
Translator of entertainment.
TRANSLATION PROGRESS
Sword Art Online Volume 17: In progress
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Sword Art Online Volume 17:

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Preceding Illustrations (Spoiler Warning!)

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Chapter 20 Each of Their Battles

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Snapping her eyes open and giving a sweeping look to Sakuya,

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Absorber. If you take heavy damage that reduces your HP to zero,

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characters themselves might even be lost.

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chance of losing the characters they had built by infusing their

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At my level, even if I convert over, I wont be able to fight like Asuna

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Lisbeth could feel the surging anxiety of the thousands of players.

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great number of enemies were killed by the three foremost

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Human Empire or the Dark Land, all possessed souls of exactly

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from her mind.

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