The End of the World

AN: This chapter is going to focus on Kirito so just skip to the end of the fight if you want to see Hikari's involvement in this chapter

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*SLASH* *SLASH* *STAB* *SLASH* *WHAM*

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*STAB* *SLASH* *WHAM* *SLASH* *SLASH*

Assault Member 1: "Auugh!?"

*SHATTER*

Hikari: 'How much longer do we have to keep doing this!?' We were all fighting the boss for who knows how long and it looks like it has a little HP left

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*SLASH* *WHAM* *SLASH* *SLASH* *STAB*

*SCREAMS*

The boss health was now at its last bit of HP

Heathcliff: "Everyone, attack!" Once he gave us the signal we all used our strongest attacks to kill the boss

Everybody: "Huaaaaaaaagh!!"

*SLASH* *WHAM* *SLASH* *SLASH* *STAB*

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*SLASH* *SLASH* *STAB* *SLASH* *WHAM*

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*SLASH* *SLASH* *SLASH* *WHAM* STAB*

*SCREAMS*

The boss screamed and finally...

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*SHATTER*

"Congratulations!!"

Once the boss was defeated we all took a big rest sitting or laying on the floor

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Klein: "How many did we lose?" Kirito checks the members of the assault teams on the map and compares it to how many when we first entered

Kirito: "Fourteen people died."

Everybody was shocked about this

Hikari: "Weren't we about forty-five or more before?"

Agil: "You've gotta be kidding me."

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Klein: "There are still 25 floors left to clear."

Agil: "Can we really make it all the way to the top?"

Hikari: 'Agh... I'm too tired to think right now... anyway it's starting soon.' I looked at Kirito on where I was laying and he was staring at Heathcliff who was just standing up and his HP bar was at the green

Hikari: 'What a cheater... Then again I'm not one to talk.' I looked at my HP bar and it was in the green

Hikari: 'It was easy to parry it and dodge its attacks I didn't realize my HP didn't go down that much...'

Just then Kirito had a look of realization in his eyes

Hikari: 'He finally figured it out.' I smiled internally.

Kirito then quietly grabs his sword and slowly gets up

Asuna: "Kirito-kun?"

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He then rushes toward Heathcliff and powers up his sword Heathcliff was surprised by this and attempts to block it but Kirito slightly aimed upper and it...

It hit him however it didn't decrease his HP instead it showed

"Immortal Object"

Asuna who is running toward Kirito

Asuna: "Kirito-kun, what are you-" Once we all saw the "Immortal Object" we all except me got confused by this

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Asuna: "System-granted immortality? What is the meaning of this, Commander?" We all got up on our feet

Hikari: "More importantly how the heck does he have that."

Kirito: "This man's HP gauge is protected by the system so that it never drops into the yellow zone." Everybody listened to him

Kirito: "Ever since I got stuck here, there was one thing I didn't get."

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Kirito: "Where is he observing us from and controlling the world from?"

Kirito: "But I'd overlooked something obvious. It's something even a child would know. There's nothing more boring than watching others play an RPG from the sidelines."

Hikari: "Kirito are you suggesting that he..."

Kirito: "Yeah I am. Don't you agree, Kayaba Akihiko?" We all got a surprised look on our faces

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Heathcliff: "For future reference, mind sharing how you figured it out?" He asks

Kirito: "The first time I suspected something was during our duel."

Kirito: "In that last split second, you moved far too quickly."

Heathcliff: "I guessed as much. That was a mistake on my part. Overwhelmed by your attacks, I carelessly activated the system's over-assist mode."

The others didn't know what to say at the amount of information they were getting. He then looks around then back at Kirito

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Heathcliff: "Yes, I a Kayaba Akihiko. And if I may add, I'm also the final boss who was supposed to await you all on the top floor."

Assaults Members: "HUH?!"

Kirito: "That's one twisted scenario. Turning the strongest player into the ultimate boss..."

Heathcliff: "Not a bad twist, don't you think? I expected that the one who'd be standing before me at the end would be you."

Heathcliff: "The Duel-Wielding skill I granted to the player with the fastest reflexes, who would then become the hero that confronts the demon king. However, your strength has exceeded my expectations."

Heathcliff: "Well, I suppose such unexpected events are what makes MMORPGs so enjoyable."

One of the KoB members got mad at what he's saying

KoB Members: "You had our loyalty... our hopes... How dare you... How dare you..."

He then jumped up to slash Heathcliff

KoB Member 1: "How dare you!" Heathcliff quickly opens up his menu and paralyzed him

KoB Member 1: "W-What?" He fell right through the ground

Kirito: "Paralysis?"

I then felt my body go limp

Hikari: 'Oh you got to be kidding me...' I then fell to the ground unable to move

Heathcliff then continues to paralyze the players

Asuna: "Kirito-kun..." She fell right on Kiritos arms

Everybody was paralyzed except for Kirito

Kirito: "What are you planning? Are you going to kill us all to conceal the truth?"

Heathcliff: "God, no. I wouldn't do something so unreasonable. It seems I have no choice."

Heathcliff: "Within the Ruby Palace on the top floor, I shall await for your arrival. It's a shame that I have to abandon the Knight of the Blood, from which I raised from nothing, as well as the rest of the Clearing Group partway."

Hikari: 'That's going to be a problem if he leaves it will severely damage the Clearing Group.'

Heathcliff: "No matter. With your skills, I'm sure you'll make it. But before we part ways..."

He faces Kirito

Heathcliff: "Kirito-kun. You deserve a reward for uncovering my identity. I'll offer you a chance."

Kirito: "A chance?"

Heathcliff: "The chance to fight me one-on-one, right here, right now. Naturally, I will disable my immortality."

Kirito flinched

Heathcliff: "Defeat me, and the game will be cleared, allowing all players to log out. How about it?"

Asuna: "Don't do it, Kirito-kun. For now... For now, just stand down."

I saw his face remembering the past about all the players that died and suffered and about Sachi...

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Kirito: "Not on my life." Asuna was shocked by this

I sighed

Hikari: 'Of course he wouldn't decline it...'

Kirito: "Fine by me. Let's settle this."

Asuna: "Kirito-kun!"

Kirito: "I'm sorry, but I can't back down now."

Asuna: "You're aren't going... to die, right?"

Kirito: "Yeah."

Hikari: "..."

Kirito: "I'll win no matter what. I'll beat him, and put an end to this world."

Asuna: "All right. I believe in you, Kirito-kun." He then lets go of Asuna and stood up and approached Heathcliff and takes out his swords

Klein: "Kirito!"

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Kirito: "Agil." Agil looks at Kirito

Kirito: "Thanks for all of your support towards the swordsman class. I know that virtually all of your profits go into the training of players on the middle floors."

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Kirito: "Klein."

Kirito: "I'm sorry. for leaving you behind that day." Klein was in tears at this point

Klein: "Goddamn it, Kirito! Don't you apologize to me! Don't you dare apologize right now! I won't forgive you... Not until you treat me to a meal in the real world, you hear?!"

Kirito: "Sure thing. See you on the other side." He then looks at Asuna and smiles at her then back at Heathcliff

Kirito: "If you don't mind, I have a request."

Heathcliff: "What is it?"

Kirito: "I don't plan to go down easily, but if I die, I want you to ensure that Asuna cannot commit suicide, at least for a while."

Heathcliff: "Hm? Very well."

Asuna: "Kirito-kun, don't say that! You can't... You can't do this to me!"

Kirito: "Hikari."

My eyes widen I didn't think he would call me

Kirito: "Thank you for always being there for me. But can I ask you one more favor?" I nodded

Kirito: "If by any chance I die... Can you please take care of Asuna for me?"

Hikari: "W-What?"

Kirito: "Please..."

Hikari: "Alright... You better not die you hear me! She belongs to you, not me!" He just smiled at me

Kirito: "Thank you..." Kirito then ready his weapon and Heathcliff disabled his immortality and do the same

Asuna: "Kirito-kun!"

AN: Anyone who has not yet watched SAO I really suggest you watch the fight on YouTube

After Kirito cleared the game the system kept repeating the same words

System: "As of November 7th, 2;55 PM, the game has been cleared."

Hikari: 'He did it...'

System: "The game has been cleared."

The players who were alive were blinded by a bright light

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After a few seconds, I appeared in a black void

Hikari: "Where... Am I?" I looked around the void and saw nothing

I then hear some footsteps behind me and I turned around to see...

Hikari: "Akihiko Kayaba..."

Kayaba: "I apologize for bringing you here Hikari-kun I just want to have a talk with you."

Hikari: "And why is that? Aren't you suppose to be talking with Kirito and Asuna by now?"

Kayaba: "As a matter of fact I just finished, how did you know I was talking with the two?"

Hikari: "I have good intuition. So what did you want to talk about?" I crossed my arms

Kayaba: "Very well at the launch day for SAO there were 10,000 copies of the game making up for 10,000 players after that there was no other copy of the game."

Hikari: "Get to the point."

Kayaba: "What's supposed to be 10,000 copies ended up with 10,001 copies of the game..."

My eyes widen

Hikari: 'Oh no...'

Hikari: 'So the System just created one... Seriously why didn't you just make me steal someone's place.'

Kayaba: "And the player who owns it was you. So may I ask how did you obtain a copy of the game?"

Hikari: "I don't know what you're talking about and why are you asking me? Also, how do you know it was me who got the last copy when there are 10,000 other players who might have got-"

Kayaba: "Your skills."

Hikari: "What?"

Kayaba: "Nobody should have seen the attack patterns for the Skull Reaper actually you're the only person so far who figured out its attack patterns in such a short time. That and you seem like you know every attack pattern of the monsters here in this world It's like you've already seen it before."

I sweatdropped

Hikari: "That's just a coincidence that doesn't prove I was-"

Kayaba: "Ones who challenge the Demon King are heroes who would take on a life and death situation..."

Hikari: "Huh?"

Kayaba: "Dual-wielding is a skill I prepared to give to one who would take up such a role. But I still have my doubts in fact it was supposed to be you who was going to take that role." Wait what?

Hikari: "I-I was?"

Kayaba: "However the Cardinal Systems didn't give it to you but to Kirito-kun I wonder could Cardinal System's AI be evolving even my own imagination to now make independent decisions? Or perhaps it's Kirito-kun himself. Could he have a kind of invisible strength power to upend even my terms of selection?"

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I sighed

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Hikari: "Maybe I'm just not qualified to."

Kayaba: "Oh? and why is that?"

Hikari: "Kirito was one of the persons who was fighting for his life and he didn't care about the risk he would take so long as it would save someone. I'm pretty sure that's the reason why he got the Dual-wielding skill was because he was fully serious on beating this game."

Kayaba: "What about you?"

Hikari: "I'm just an ordinary girl who plays for the fun of it even if it is a death game... And besides, I've already given up on playing seriously and I don't really care if I die or not.."

Kayaba: "And why is that?"

Hikari: "Let's just say... I've already "died" once."

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Hikari: "Anyway to answer your question earlier maybe I just got lucky that's all." I shrugged

Kayaba then chuckles a bit

Kayaba: "Hm... Do you think we will meet again?"

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Hikari: "Maybe. Who knows?"

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Kayaba then turns around and started walking

Kayaba: "Yes... Maybe we will meet again until then this is goodbye."

He walked away until I couldn't see him in my sights and then I was consumed by a bright light yet again...

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After another few seconds, I opened my eyes and I was in a hospital bed with the NerveGear still on my head

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I then take off the NerveGear out of my head and inspect myself

I was in a hospital gown and then I had a small smile on my face

Rin: "I'm finally out..." I then sniff something horrible

Rin: "Something stinks... Oh, wait that's me." I then chuckle and look around the room I was in

Rin: "Ugh I feel horrible..." I then stretch my arms which hurt a lot since my body hasn't moved for 2 years now I then thought of something

Rin: "I wonder..." I then heard a door opening nearby

I then listen for a familiar voice outside my room

Kazuto: "Asuna..." I heard Kirito outside my room

Rin: "It seems like he woke up."

I sighed

I then look at the window in my room

Rin: "Well looks like I have more problems now."

Rin: 'I have to find a part-time job now since pretty much I'm alone in this world. Not to mention I have to go to school as well but first I need to have rehabilitation..." I sighed and fell back on my bed

Rin: "Things are going to be hectic... But."

I then smiled

Rin: "I guess this is much better compared to my original one."

I then reach my hand to the ceiling

Rin: "A whole two years just to finish a single arc huh?... Well time to wait for the next one."

I then close my eyes to take a rest

System: "ARC 1 COMPLETED."