Crossover Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Sailor Moon Online: Hollow Fragment ❯ Dark Road to the Ruby Palace ( Chapter 25 )

As you may already know, the grand climax of the story is getting ever so closer and while the Hollow Fragment game has plenty of cut scenes to use, they do not bare much reverence to my storyline, so, they will remain in the ‘background’. Anyway, please no flames since there are going to be a plenty of ‘dark moments’ in these upcoming final chapters and it is vital for the development of this story and the sequel to come. Before I begin, I would like to give thanks and credit to Belletiger and Kanius and his YuYuGiDigiMoon series, especially his The Invasion of the Rajita story, for giving me permission to use the idea of Valkyrie Sailor Soldiers and everything that’s a part of them.

 

I DO NOT OWN Sailor Moon, Sword Art Online, Accel World, Digimon series, Yu-Gi-Oh R/GX/5Ds/Zexal/Arc-V, Kingdom Hearts, Gundam series, especially Gundam Build Fighters, Dead or Alive, Ninja Gaiden, One Piece, Final Fantasy, Rave Master, Code Lyoko, Transformers, and anything/anyone that comes from these and other stories that end up in this fanfiction! Sailor Moon is owned/licensed by Naoko Takeuchi and its various studios and publishers and Sword Art Online is owned/licensed by ASCII Media Works, A-1 Pictures Inc., and its various directors/publishers including Reki Kawahara and Tomohiko Itō!

 

Warning: This story contains intense violence, blood, possible gore, death, mild to explicit suggestive themes, including mind-control and brainwashing, mild to explicit bad language, and mature adult themes/situations!

 

Second Warning: Some to a lot of OOC (Out of Character) actions and mannerisms in this whole story!

 

Sailor Moon Online: Hollow Fragment

 

Chapter 25: Dark Road to the Ruby Palace

 

January 26, 2025, Floor 76, Arc Sofia

 

Our heroes and heroines are inside of Agil’s inn/shop and discussing what happened after the beating of the floor boss of Floor 95 with Haruka, Hino, and Setsuna being the main focus.

 

Tomoe asks Haruka, “Haruka-papa, what did you mean about Strea not being human?”

 

Hino says, “Despite these ‘bodies’ being just made of physical data, Haruka’s and my sensory abilities are connected to our spirits, not our bodies.”

 

Haruka says, “Strea always had an ‘unusual wind’ around her. She was different from everyone else and I doubt, especially with her attitude, that she knew how different.”

 

Setsuna says, “Based on how Kirito and Asuna explained about Yui, we noticed similarities.”

 

Minako asks, confused, “Wait! Are you saying that Strea could be an AI?”

 

Mizuno asks Yui, “Yui, are you the only Mental Health Program for SAO?”

 

Yui responds, shaking her head, “No, I’m not. It would be impossible for me alone to handle all of the problems of the players including situations like two players needing mental health care at the same time if I was allowed to perform both sides of my duty.”

 

Kirito says, “Well, it wouldn’t surprise me since one AI couldn’t handle the problems of thousands of players.”

 

Mizuno says, “I believe so, Kirito. And the theory that Haruka, Hino, and Setsuna bring out can be quite valid. Remember, the tampering with SAO severs in a way that wouldn’t threaten the lives of the people still trapped here via the NervGears caused a major malfunction and a lot of emotional energy stored in was unleashed all at once. The other Mental Health programs would have been overwhelmed.”

 

Haruka says, “Throwing them into possible chaos.”

 

Hino says, “It might also explain the chaotic aura that I get from Strea. Strea’s aura seems to be a jumbled mass of emotions.”

 

Haruka says, “And like Yui, she couldn’t process those emotions and when the malfunction that unleashed the emotional energy of the players happened, Strea, if she is like Yui, couldn’t process it and was overwhelmed.”

 

Yui says, “If Strea is like me, she must have suffered major errors and taken the form that she has now as a way to stop any more errors from building up.”

 

Usagi asks, “Hold up! How come she had a player cursor on her?”

 

Setsuna says, “There may be some player ID that weren’t used. Based on the information, there were only eight hundred that went on into the retail version and this nightmare, so, there are possibly two hundred left over IDs for her to use.”

 

Mizuno says, “Since Yui has some of her ‘functions’ back, maybe she can help in the investigation.”

 

Yui says, with a smile, “Okay!”

 

Dai says, “Now, the problem is finding her and what kind of ‘mental state’ she is. Last time that I checked, she had those ‘zombie eyes’ when you are under some kind of mind control or brainwashing.”

 

Sam says, “It is possible that her programming has taken over and she is following her directive to ‘protect this world’.”

 

Takashi says, “It also means that she means to stop us from completing the game which would ‘end’ this world.”

 

Silica says, “But I thought that Strea is our friend. She brought a lot of excitement and happiness in her own way.”

 

Lisbeth says, with a smile, “That’s one way of putting it.”

 

Haruka says, “Well, she isn’t doing that anymore. She is following the programming that she was given as part of the system.”

 

Kirito says, “It doesn’t mean that Strea can overcome her programming. Yui managed to do that before and she is her own person.”

 

Mizuno says, “You have to admit that Kirito is correct about Yui. She has evolved beyond a normal AI and it is possible that because of the advanced nature of the Cardinal System and certain AI in it, it is possible with Yui being proof. However, it is being said that Yui might have been a one in a million happening.”

 

Sam says, “Yui might have become something similar to the Digimon and while it means that Strea could become just like that, it doesn’t mean that her programming hasn’t taken over and she can’t break free again.”

 

Kirito says, “You can’t be so sure, Sam!”

 

Usagi says, with a plain tone, “I don’t think that Strea was just acting emotions that were ‘programmed’ for her. I think that she was feeling and doing things on what she wanted to do, not what was programmed into her. I believe that she had become just like Yui. I don’t think that any programming can account for someone was ‘wild and free-spirited’ as her. I’ve seen Mina-chan, but Strea rivals, if not exceeds, her ‘bubbliness’.”

 

Hino says, nodding her head, “You have a good point, Meatball Head.”

 

Minako says, drolly, “Thanks a lot, girls.”

 

Michiru says, with a smile, “I think that was a complement, Mina-chan.”

 

Haruka says, “Well, comparing her to the NPC around here, Strea is nothing like them. Her aura is a lot like Yui’s aura, but despite that, she had to deal with vast well of negative emotions created by this game and the ‘damage’ caused to her by that may allowing her programming to take hold suppressing whatever ‘free will’ that she had gained trying to piece herself together.”

 

Kirito says, “Well, I believe that Strea can overcome her programming like Yui did.”

 

Asuna says, with a nod, “I think so too. Yui is my girl and she is real and alive to me despite her being made of digital information.”

 

Yui says, warmly, “Mommy…”

 

Akari says, with a smile while petting Gatomon, “We understand how you feel. The Digimon are our friends and partners.”

 

Dai says, with a grin, “We’ve been through thick and thin saving two worlds together!”

 

Veemon says, with a grin, “Yep!”

 

Taichi says, “And Gennai came through to bring you, two, here, as well as getting that program to bring you home.”

 

Sam asks Usagi, “How did it install?”

Mizuno says, with a smile, “Very well. Once we complete the game and everyone is logged out, Dai and Akari will return to their bodies rather than Rainbow Gardens.”

 

Taichi says, “I knew that my successor and sister couldn’t be just ‘remnants’.”

 

Lisbeth asks, “So, what do we do about Strea?”

 

Kirito says, “We find her and help her return to her true self, not the self that she was programmed to be, but the Strea that we know and care for as a friend.”

 

Asuna says, with a nod, “I agree, Kirito-kun.”

 

Usagi says, with a plain tone, “Same here. I think that if Yui can overcome her programming, Strea can do the same.”

 

Mamoru says, with a smile, “I believe you.”

 

Usagi says, with a warm smile, “Thank you, Mamoru-kun.”

 

Leafa asks, “So, how do we find her?”

 

Mamoru says, “We continue on as usual. With only ninety-sixth, ninety-seventh, ninety-eighth, ninety-ninth, and the final floor left, we are going to meet up with her again real soon.”

 

Yamato says, with a nod, “Good point, Mamoru.”

 

Mamoru says, “There is also another problem: Alberich.”

 

The group becomes real serious and Makoto says, “We haven’t seen hide or hair of that jerk.”

 

Setsuna says, “Most likely, he knows that we know at least some of the truth around him.”

 

Asuna says, with a nod, “After your battle with Kibaou, he mysterious appeared in the prison in Black Iron Palace shortly thereafter from what Yulier and Thinker reported.”

 

Taichi says, “Since he failed, Alberich had no more use for him and it shows that he does have administrative privileges. The ones used by the developers of SAO other than Kayaba, who I suspect had not a clue on what he was really up to.”

 

Miyako says, with a nod, “Yeah, I feel bad for them. They are going to be stuck with the stigma of unknowing helping Kayaba when they had no idea that this would happen. They must have thought that this would be the launch of a revolutionary new game that would set their names in entertainment, gaming, and world history itself.”

 

Lisbeth says, with a plain tone, “What do you expect Miyako? He didn’t give a care about us…So, he doesn’t care about the lives that he ruined outside of SAO too.”

 

Silica says, solemnly, “I don’t think that it is really fair for them to get blamed for the bad things that he did since they didn’t suspect anything and the whole world didn’t suspect anything until it was too late.”

 

Leafa says, with a nod, “I know, Silica.”

 

Sinon says, with a plain tone, “It is human nature. It may not be right at times, but it is the way that things are. They didn’t have Kayaba to pull out and blame, so, the company that he worked for became the scapegoat even though they had absolutely no idea what was going. He even fooled his own family, so, it isn’t surprising that no one had any idea that he would commit to a horror as the ‘SAO Incident’.”

 

Lisbeth says, “Incident? You mean ‘nightmare’.”

 

Hino says, “Anyway, getting back Alberich, we need to find him before any more players disappear.”

 

Haruka says, “We aren’t sure what that sicko is doing to them.”

 

Takashi says, plainly, “I don’t want to even know.”

 

Mamoru says, “Anyway, we should rest and prepare to explore the next floor.”

 

The others nod their heads in agreement and they start to head off in which Kirito whispers to Leafa, “Leafa, are you…?”

 

Leafa whispers back, with a plain tone, “Yes, big brother. The feeling is even stronger than ever.”

 

Kirito thinks in his mind, “That’s what I’m afraid of, Sugu.”

 

January 26, 2025, SAO, Unknown location

 

Inside of an unknown location in SAO, Alberich and his group are inside of somewhere that looks like part of the Hollow Area and within a lab in which Alberich was a wicked smirk on his face.

 

Alberich says, with an evil grin, “Excellent.”

 

One of his associates asks, “Boss, we are going to need to get out of here before we can use the data that we gathered here. How are we going to do that? Have you found a way to log us out?”

 

Alberich responds, with a sigh, “Again, you have to get that despite the super account, it doesn’t have the ability to log us out. The only one that will have that power belongs to…him.”

 

Another associate responds, “But how are we going to get out, boss?”

 

Alberich responds, “Simple. We beat the game. There are only five floors left and with the super account, we can increase our power to the max which will make the game so easy.”

 

The first associate says, “Well, those goons that our ‘associate’ gave us got a power boost from you and they lost, but then again, I had a feeling that they couldn’t use the power like we could.”

Alberich says, with a sigh, “Yes, I know. To leave such a matter in their weak minded hands was an error and those fools that they fought got luck, but I can assure you that won’t happen again.”

 

The second associate asks, “Why?”

 

Alberich responds, with a wicked smile, “Simple, my simple minded associate. I intend to take care of the Black Swordsman and Kayaba’s worthless niece myself.”

 

January 28, 2025, Floor 96, Dungeon

 

Right now, we are inside of the dungeon area of Floor 96 with a boss raid party assembled together including members of our heroes and heroines as they go inside of the chamber in order to fight the boss, but when they enter the boss’ chamber, they are shocked to find not only the boss, a triple headed red furred Cerberus monster known as The Slaughter Fang, there is also Strea standing right beside it.

 

Kirito asks, shocked, “Strea?”

 

However, as Strea looks at them with blank eyes, Asuna asks, “Strea?”

 

Strea says, emotionlessly, “Kirito, I can’t let you and Usagi go any further.” She then brings up a menu, pushes a button, and starts to walk away.

 

Kirito leaps forward and he yells out, “Strea!”

 

However, The Slaughter Fang roars as it starts to glow and Dai yells out, “Hey, bro, we have got a bigger problem!”

 

Akari says, stunned, “I think that thing has gotten stronger!”

 

Lisbeth retorts, “Think? Girl, I think that I know that it has gotten stronger!”

 

Dai says, with a serious tone, “Get ready everyone!” Soon after, the enhanced boss monster charges in for the attack and immediately, several players are down in the red zone for their health much to the shock and surprise of the others.

 

Asuna says, shocked, “Oh no!” The Slaughter Fang leaps in for the kill, but Akari, Dai, and Kirito manage to block the attacks of the three headed boss monster, however, they are barely holding it back.

 

Akari says, groaning as she struggles to hold back the attacks of one of the boss monster’s heads, “So strong…”

 

Dai says, “No joke, Kari-chan…”

 

Kirito says, with a serious tone, “Get some people to get those players back to recover and you need to attack now!”

 

Asuna shouts out, in a commanding tone, “You heard Kirito-kun! Hurry!” Without hesitation, the group immediately splits with a group of players helping the players in the red zone get out of immediate danger while the rest aid Akari, Dai, and Kirito against the powered up boss monster.

 

Usagi is helping heal and guard the weakened players and she asks one of them, “Are you okay?”

 

The player responds, “It’s a miracle that I’m still alive, Valkyrie-san.”

 

“Variable Blow!”

 

Lisbeth hits the boss monster on the side with an 8 hit Mace Sword Skill combo, but while it does some damage, the tri-headed boss monster retains focus to throw Akari, Dai, and Kirito back without doing major damage to them.

 

Mamoru says, with a serious tone, “It’s power has greatly increased.”

 

Kirito says, “That means that we are in for a tough fight.” Kirito proved to be right on the money as the enhanced boss monster had fought hard and driven the players to a corner in which plenty of them got into the red area for their HP at times. When UlforceVeedramon and Mangadramon came into the fight, however, they managed to damage and distract the boss monster to allow Usagi, Lisbeth, Akari, and Kirito to get in for a powerful assault.

 

“Holy Crown!”

 

“Variable Blow!”

 

“Nebularaid Empress!”

 

Usagi and Akari slam the boss monster with the powerful 5 hit secret ultimate Mace Sword Skill combo, Lisbeth hits the monster again with her strongest Mace Sword Skill combo, which is the 8 hit Variable Blow, and Kirito delivers the final blow with the 22 hit Duel Wielding Secret Ultimate/Esoteric Finisher with the Esoteric Mace Sword Skill combo and Duel Wielding Esoteric combo delivering massive damage in which the boss monster roars as it loses its HP causing it to shatter into hundreds of data polygons. Soon after, the standard ‘Congratulations’ sign appears above the players and plenty of the players cheer for their success through plenty of them are still recovering from the fight.

 

Dai says, “That was close.”

 

Hino says, plainly, “Got that right, buster.” Soon after, our heroes and heroines look to see the blank-eyed Strea glaring at them from a distance.

 

Kirito yells out, “Strea!” However, she doesn’t say a word as she teleports away.

 

Lisbeth goes over and she says, in a low voice, “Maybe…Maybe she really has been taken over by her programming…”

 

Kirito tells Lisbeth, “No, Liz. I believe that Strea can come back to us. Yui became her own person and Strea can and already has. No amount of programming can take away the real Strea.”

 

Lisbeth says, with a plain tone, “I hope that you are right, Kirito.”

 

Kirito responds, “I hope so, too.”

 

January 29, 2025, Floor 76, Arc Sofia

 

In the early morning hours of the next day, Leafa is outside and stretching herself in which while she knows that’s pointless in a Full-Dive VR world, there are plenty of old habits that die hard especially ones that she has taken on for years and also helps her to relax and focus through it is difficult these days.

 

Just then a male voice calls out, “Good morning, Leafa.”

Leafa looks to see Aaron, the member of the KOB that she has become friends with, coming over and she asks, “Good morning to you, Aaron. Why are you up early?”

 

Aaron responds, with a smile, “I would ask the same question Leafa.”

 

Leafa says, with a plain tone, “I normally do this every day to practice kendo.”

 

Aaron says, with a nod, “You told me that you placed tops in your last year of middle school.”

 

Leafa says, nodding her head, “That’s right.”

 

Aaron says, “I’m not surprised since you have shown it.”

 

Leafa says, with a smile, “Thank you.”

Aaron asks, curiously, “Anyway, I want to ask about yesterday. Wasn’t that female player, Strea, with you?”

 

Leafa responds, a bit nervously, “Yeah…”

 

Aaron asks, “How did she get into the boss’ chamber before us?”

 

Leafa says, nervously, “That’s…”

 

Aaron says, “And it also looked like she increased the power of the boss monster. Plenty of the other players are talking about it.”

 

Leafa asks, nervously, “They are, huh?”

 

Aaron says, nodding his head, “They are wondering how a player can do that and they are wondering if she is another GM. They are also wondering if she is a GM that she is working with that monster that trapped with us here.”

 

Leafa responds, strongly, “No, you’re wrong!” Aaron is surprised by Leafa’s strong statement and she says, with a sigh, “It is…It is complicated to explain, Aaron. I’m not sure if I can explain in a way that you can understand, but Strea wouldn’t do anything to hurt us…at least not of her own free will.”

 

Aaron asks, confused, “Not doing anything of her free will?”

 

Leafa replies, “Please Aaron, you have to let my big brother, your leader, and our group to handle it.”

 

Aaron gives it a thought and he says, “Okay, I trust you.”

 

Leafa gives a look of surprise and she asks, “Just like that?”

 

Aaron replies, “Your brother must have told you about things are with group in SAO, huh? Well, I’m sorry to say that it is right. Stories couldn’t be trusted on face value for many reasons and they are right about that. Well, I know that you are trustworthy and not because you the Black Swordsman’s sister. That’s because of what you did by taking on the NervGear and joining us in this world despite knowing the risks.”

 

Leafa says, nervously, “Well, it was kind of spur of the moment thing…”

 

Aaron responds, shaking his head, “Personally, I think that it is a bit crazy, but I also think that you are braver than most of us even those of us on the front lines. I have to admit that I wouldn’t have done such a thing even for a cherished family member.”

 

Leafa says, “Aaron…”

 

Aaron tells Leafa, “Leafa, I’m not asking for any kind of thing. We haven’t known each other long enough to get THAT close. But I think that you are very special person. Something tells me that like your brother that you are going to be something special like our leader, Lady Asuna.”

 

Leafa says, with a nervous smile, “I doubt that.”

 

Aaron says, with a smile, “Well, I can tell you that you are a lot braver person than me, Leafa. Anyway, we are really close to home.”

 

Leafa says, with a nod, “Yeah. You haven’t seen the real world for over two years now.”

 

Aaron says, with a nod, “It felt like it has been longer. I really miss my family. Sis must have gotten all my stuff by now.”

 

Leafa asks, curiously, “You have a sister?”

 

Aaron responds, “My twin sister, Leafa. We were born on the same day and the same minute. She and I were both into games and we were the best at sports especially team sports. We, both, wanted to play this together, but I was the one that I had gotten it first and she had missed out. I had promised to tell her all about it after I got back on the first day.”

 

Leafa says, with a smile, “Well, when you get back, you have quite a tale to tell her.”

 

Aaron says, with a nod, “Yeah, I do. However, there are some parts I’m going to have to keep from her. She’ll really freak out, you know? She is a really sensitive girl. She must have been crying her eyes out when I got stuck here.”

 

Leafa says, nodding as she remembers what happened on the first day of SAO, “I’ll bet.”

 

Aaron says, “Anyway, I hope to get to see her again.”

 

Leafa tells Aaron, “You will, Aaron. There are just a few more floors to go.”

 

Aaron says, with a sigh, “Yeah, but they are going to be the toughest of them all.”

 

Leafa says, with a grin, “And we will get through them. We have gotten through so far already. I know that we can make it.”

 

Aaron says, with a smile, “Thanks, Leafa. Anyway, I had better get going before those guys give me a hard time of being here with you. They just love to use it.”

 

Leafa says, with a smirk, “No joke, Aaron.” Aaron waves as he leaves and Leafa prepares to start his day in which either one doesn’t know that Kirito is watching them from the shadows in which he seemed to have a plain and impassive look on his face, but deep down, he is concerned about this friend and not because he distrusted Aaron. No, Kirito was concerned if something like what happened to him with the first guild he had ever joined happened between Aaron and Leafa.

 

January 29, 2025, Floor 97, Field

 

In the field area of Floor 97, outside of the main town, Firukia, which consists of multiple floating islands with a series of floating pathways and bridges that assembled like a maze outside of the main dungeon area of the floor, Kirito, Usagi, Mamoru, Sinon, Philia, Asuna, Dai, Akari, Leafa, Taichi, Haruka, and Hino with Veemon and Gatomon walking by their Digidestined partners are looking over the field in front of them.

 

Haruka says, “It looks like we are going to have to get across those floating islands and maze-like platforms to get to the dungeon area for this floor.”

 

Akari says, “If you don’t like heights, you aren’t going to like this floor.”

 

Hino says, with a nod, “No joke, Akari.”

 

Just then a familiar male voice shouts out, “Hey, you! What did you do?”

 

Usagi says, “That sounds like Klein.”

 

Asuna says, “He said that he and his guild were going to be part of the first group to explore the floor.”

 

Haruka says, “I don’t like the sound of his voice. Someone has got him pissed.”

 

Leafa says, “And I have a bad feeling on who the person that Klein is anger at.”

 

Dai asks, with a serious tone, “What are we waiting for then?” They run over to find Klein and his guild, Fuurinkazan, confronting Alberich and his associates in which they have a male player hostage.

 

Alberich tells Klein, “Calm down or do you want end up like this guy?”

 

The male player says, pleadingly, “Let me go! Let me go!”

 

Klein says, with a stern tone, “Stop it right now! Let him go and get rid of their weird weapon!”

 

Alberich then displays a strange dagger with fine wooden hilt, golden hilt guard, and obsidian gadded blade causing him to say, slyly, “You mean this? I think that the design is pretty good and the blade at the end is pretty artistic.”

 

Philia whispers to the others, “I haven’t seen such a dagger before.”

 

Asuna says, “Neither have I, Philia.”

 

Klein says, “I said drop it!”

 

Alberich responds, “That won’t do. There is something that I need to do.” Alberich then asks his hostage, “Now, you are going to cooperate right?”

 

The male player says, fearfully, “Stop! Stop it! Stop!” However, Alberich stabs the player with the weapon and he vanishes like he would through some kind of teleportation.

 

Leafa asks, shocked, “What did he do to him?”

 

Taichi says, “That looked like a teleportation!”

 

Kirito says, “I agree. Asuna is right. He is responsible for the vanishing players.”

 

Asuna says, with a serious tone, “We have to stop him, Kirito-kun!”

 

Kirito nods his head and the group run over in which Usagi says, seriously, “Klein!”

 

Klein and his guild with Alberich and his group see the others coming over and Klein says, “Kirito! Usagi!”

 

Mamoru says, “We saw what happened.”

 

Klein says, “Yeah. That guy has a weird weapon. It is making them teleport away somewhere.”

 

Kirito asks, with a serious tone, “What have you done with him and the other players that you have kidnapped?”

 

Alberich says, “Well, if it isn’t the Black Swordsman and his friends.”

 

Usagi then steps forward and she asks, seriously, “Who are you really Alberich?”

 

Alberich asks, in a mock curious tone, “Oh?”

 

Kirito says, with a serious tone, “You can’t fool us, Alberich!”

 

Mamoru says, “We know that you weren’t originally part of SAO at the beginning and you have recently come here. We also know that you have administrative privileges that weren’t deleted from the time that SAO was being developed including the beta test.”

 

Alberich and his group give genuine looks of surprise and Kirito asks, with a serious tone, “Did the administration of RCT Progress order you here? And if they did, what did they want you to do here?”

 

Usagi says, “And we know that you aren’t here to help us get out of the game, that’s for sure.”

 

Hino says, “Don’t play dumb! The only way you could have gotten administrate privileges is you are part of RCT Progress who owns the SAO severs when they brought out Argus, which went bankrupt thanks to that asshole, Kayaba.”

 

Alberich and his group are surprised, but then Alberich laughs and he says, clapping his hands, “Well done! Well done! I’m surprised that such simple minds could have figured it this much so well! I must say that I am impressed.”

 

Haruka says, with a sneer, “Cut out your act! We’re getting tired of it!”

 

Usagi says, with a serious tone, “It’s time that you told us who you really are!”

 

Alberich retorts, with a sly tone, “You think that you can make me?”

 

Kirito says, “We know that we can since I know what your abilities are during the test for the lead group. You should already know that.”

 

Alberich responds, slyly, “Ha, you must have used some kind of unfair method to beat me.”

 

Dai says, scoffing at him, “Unfair? Ha! You are a sore loser!”

 

Usagi tells Alberich, “Kirito beat you fair and square, Alberich. You are just angered that Kirito proved that you are weaker than him.”

 

Alberich gives a sneer at Usagi and he says, “You know, I’ve always hated that mouth of yours, princess.”

 

That set off alarm bells in Usagi’s head and she yells out, “I was right! I do know you!”

 

Alberich responds, with a wicked smirk, “That’s right, you do. Imagine my surprise that the famous ‘White Valkyrie’ is Kayaba’s ‘meatball headed little princess’ and I’m surprised that you have gained such a backbone. Personally, I thought that you would be wailing and crying as the crybaby that you usually are.”

 

Usagi asks, with a serious tone, “Who are you?”

 

Alberich draws a beautiful ruby red sword and he responds, “You aren’t going to know since you are going to die right now!” Alberich then charges right at Usagi with incredible speed and Usagi barely blocks with her Keyblade and sword.

 

When Mamoru draws his sword and prepares to step in, Usagi says, grunting, “No, Mamoru-kun…I’ve got this…”

 

Alberich responds, “Ha! You can’t stand up to my overwhelming stats, little girl!”

 

Usagi replies, “You have to learn that this game isn’t all about levels and stats, Alberich!” Usagi then manages to throw Alberich off her and roll under his sword swipe in which she slams a Flash Blow, a basic 1 hit Martial Arts Sword Skill technique, square in his face in which while causing very little damage to his health, the attack did cause him to stumble backwards and causing him to lose focus.

 

Kirito says, “Excellent work, Usagi!”

 

Leafa says, “Let’s go, big brother!” Soon after, the others attack Alberich, but with his high level and stats, Alberich manages to hold his own, however, his lack of skill and experience shows well in which he doesn’t get a good hit in at all. However, a nick does significant damage due to his level and stats being way higher than the others.

 

Philia asks, “How can his level be so high?”

 

Philia dodges a sword swipe in which Alberich then clashes with Kirito and he yells out, slyly, “None of you can stop me! Can’t you see that?”

 

Kirito says, with a smirk, “No, you are blind as a bat! Now! Do it, Sinon!” Kirito then kicks Alberich out of the way and into the sights of Sinon and her bow.

 

“Hale Bullet!”

 

Sinon unleashes a rain of arrows on Alberich and he grunts as he is hit hard, but not significantly damage, however, it proves a mood point when Dai comes in for the kill.

 

“Nebularaid Empress!”

 

Dai then slams Alberich, hard, with the 22 hit Secret Ultimate Duel Wielding Sword Skill finisher and he yelps as his health drops down to the red in which his high level and stats are the only reason he hasn’t lost all of his points and Alberich is slammed to the ground like a sack of potatoes.

 

Asuna says, “It’s over.”

 

Alberich yells out, in disbelief, “No way! That’s not fair! How could I lose?”

 

Haruka retorts, “Does the words ‘we told you so’ mean something to you loser?”

 

Alberich says, “How dare you? You dare to look down upon me like that? I will get my revenge and this world will belong to me!”

 

Usagi says, pointing her weapons at Alberich, “Not any time soon.” Alberich then smirks as he throws the strange weapon that he teleported the player that he captured earlier away and on instinct, they dodge it giving Alberich the time to leap and run away.

 

Kirito says, “Hold it!” Alberich then brings up his menu and he vanishes in the stream of lights from a teleportation effect.

 

Klein says, “The bastard got away.”

 

One of Alberich’s associates shout out, “Boss, wait!” However, Alberich’s associates are surrounded by everyone else and they had their weapons drawn on them.

 

Klein says, “You aren’t getting away.”

 

Alberich’s associate responds, nervously, “Wait! We’re sorry! We were only following the boss’ orders.”

 

Kirito says, “With what he could do to them, I think that’s a pretty good reason. What they did was wrong, but something tells me that Alberich isn’t the kind of guy to take insubordination too easily.”

 

Taichi says, “No joke, bro.”

 

Just then the whole area starts to shake and Klein says, shocked, “Another earthquake? This is nuts!”

 

Mamoru says, “I don’t like this. These earthquakes may mean that SAO is still quite unstable.”

 

Kirito says, “Yeah, I’m going to have to agree, Mamoru.”

 

Klein says, pointing to Alberich’s associates, “What should we do with these guys? They are part of that guy’s group.”

 

Haruka says, cracking her knuckles, “I have an idea. Let’s get them back to Arc Sofia.”

 

Hino says, with a smirk, “I almost feel sorry for them.”

 

Taichi says, with a grin, “Almost.” The associates of Alberich whimper in fear in which they wonder what they are going to do with them.

 

January 29, 2025, SAO, Unknown Area

 

Within an unknown area of SAO, Alberich growls in anger as a dark portal is in front of them.

 

Alberich says, angrily, “They will pay for making fools out of me especially Kayaba’s wretched princess and the Black Swordsman!”

 

A dark voice, a female one, from the portal says, “Don’t be a fool, Alberich. While you have overwhelming high level and such, you won’t beat them as their performance has shown! They have experience in this world…Experience that you don’t have! This is no ordinary game! This place has become a war for survival in which this group is ‘combat veterans’ in! They have two years of experience while you have barely three months in which you have done nothing, but scheme and snuck around like a snake!”

 

Alberich says, angrily, “How dare you…?!” However, he yelps in fear as shadows from the dark portal and an overwhelming sinister presence nearly engulfs him.

 

The dark female voice retorts, “I dare because you know that I have the strength to do so, Alberich! You need me more than I need you! And if you want revenge, you are going to shut up and listen! Our last choice in ‘allies’ was poor because they were weak! While they were part of the ‘front-lines’ of the death game, they left a long time ago and have been just focus on their own power while players like the Black Swordsman kept going forward and becoming elite players. The only way to beat them is to use people that close to them in that regard and are ruthless without any hesitation to kill unlike them. And I know the perfect ‘associates’ for us.”

 

Alberich asks, plainly, “Who?”

 

Just then a male voice says, slyly, “He means us, your majesty.” Alberich turns to see three players dressed in the garb of none other than Laughing Coffin with one of having a skull mask with red eyes over his face, another having what looks like a sack with eyeholes in it, and the third is none other than the leader of Laughing Coffin: PoH.

 

The dark female voice says, with an evil sly tone, “This is Laughing Coffin, the murder guild. They were infamous is SAO for the hundreds of player deaths that they had caused and the elite players of the game took out their organization in which their leader was the only one to get away. I managed to release his top lieutenants, Johnny Black and Red-Eyed XaXa, from Black Iron Palace’s prison. They also have a hatred for the Black Swordsman and that Meatball Head that the players praise as the ‘White Valkyrie’.”

 

Alberich says, with a wicked smile, “I think that we can come to an agreement.” The three members of Laughing Coffin give evil grins as the evil alliance moves forward with their plans against our heroes and heroines.

 

January 29, 2025, SAO, Secret Lab

 

Within a secret lab within SAO, Kirito, Asuna, Lisbeth, Leafa, Sinon, Philia, Mamoru, the Sailor Scouts, Dai, Akari, the Digital Knights, and the two Digimon partners are leading a raid party into the lab where the only person there surrenders without a fight.

 

Klein says, “That’s all? These guys are too soft.”

 

Kirito says, “Remember, they haven’t been in SAO as long as we have Klein.”

 

Asuna says, “Kirito-kun, we managed to free the captured players and the others are escorting back to Arc Sofia.”

 

Usagi says, “That’s good. I’m just glad that they are safe.”

 

Leafa asks, pointing to the member of Alberich’s group in the lab, “What about him?”

 

Haruka says, grabbing him by the collar, “Yes, what should we do with you? I think that your friend over there told you what I did to him.”

 

Klein says, with a sly grin, “It is best that you tell her what you want to know. I don’t think that you would like to experience when you get hit in town WITHOUT pain absorbers. You won’t lose any health, so, you won’t die, but it will hurt forever.”

 

Akari says, with a winch, “Yeah, it was painful.”

 

Michiru says, with a sly smile, “It was the reason that we covered Yui and Firefly-chan’s eyes, Akari.”

 

Haruka tells the man, with a stern glare, “It is time to talk, pal! Who is your leader? Who is he really? His real name now or you are going to wish that I beat you to death!”

 

Alberich’s associate responds, fearfully, “Okay! Okay! His name is…Sugou Nobuyuki!”

 

There are gasps, especially from Usagi and Asuna, and Makoto asks, shocked, “Wait! You mean the head of RCT Progress?”

 

Kirito asks, surprised, “You know him?”

 

Mizuno responds, “Not personally. We know for a fact that he is the Full-Dive division of RCT and second only to Kayaba when it comes to the Full-Dive system.”

Usagi says, putting her hand on her forehead, “If only that only what he was…”

 

Asuna asks Usagi, “You know him, Usagi-chan?”

 

Usagi tells Asuna, “That’s my question.”

 

Hino says, “Something tells me that he doesn’t bring up good memories.”

 

Usagi says, “No, he doesn’t. I knew him when I was younger. When I visited my u-Kayaba at times, I also meant him. He hides his true personality from the world. He seems to be a nice guy, but in reality, he is the worst kind of scum in the world. He is greedy and he would do anything to ‘get on top’ no matter how amoral it is.”

 

Asuna says, with a plain tone, “That’s Sugou-san. He is a really good actor in which my father and mother are fooled, but my brother and I were never fooled about him. He is the most sinister individual in the world and he blames others for his own problems. He looks down on others because he thinks that they are ‘below’ him or ‘beneath’ him in which he feels that everyone else is inferno and should bow down to his ‘superiority’.”

 

Usagi says, with a nod, “He also jealous of Kayaba for the fact that he developed the Full-Dive first and became renowned for it. The jerk was always jealous of his success and would love nothing better than to show him up despite how wrong his attempt is and how jealous is he. There was this young woman, Rinko, who went to the same college as Sugou and Kayaba and Sugou tried to ‘court’ her, but she loved Kayaba.”

 

There are surprised looks on the faces of nearly everyone and Mamoru says, “Sugou-san believes that Kayaba takes everything away from him and would do anything to ‘show him up’ no matter if it is legal or illegal.”

 

Dai says, “He sounds like a villain to the ultimate.”

 

Usagi says, with a nod, “He is the worst kind of nightmare, but he is also a coward and wimp, too.”

 

Asuna says, nodding her head, “He can’t take a little scratch without cringing in fear.”

 

Haruka says, plainly, “Wimp.”

 

Lisbeth asks, “So, what was that guy doing here?”

 

Sam says, “We should explore and find out.”

 

The group takes a bit of time to explore the virtual lab and Mizuno says, pointing to something, “There, everyone!” In front of them, there was a console like the system console that Asuna, Kirito, and Usagi had seen in the hidden dungeon at the Town of Beginnings.

 

Kirito says, “It looks like the one that we found in the Town of Beginnings.”

 

Usagi tells Mizuno, “Can you help me?”

 

Mizuno says, with a nod, “Yes, I can.” Usagi and Mizuno then access the console in which Mizuno uses a special program that she downloaded into her avatar to process the information causing Mizuno to gasp in shock.

 

Minako asks, “What’s wrong?”

 

Mizuno says, horrified, “This is horrible! Sugou has been performing experiments that I can only conclude that involves mind control!”

 

There are gasps of shock and Yamato asks, stunned, “Mind control?”

 

Mizuno says, with a nod, “From what I can figure based on this data, I can only conclude this. He was focused on the emotional data of the players for one thing and there is a lot of other stuff that I can only believe that he is researching mind control technology.”

 

Lisbeth says, disgusted, “That’s sick!”

 

Sam says, with a serious tone, “And it could be the reason why the captured players don’t remember anything.”

 

Mamoru asks Usagi, “Do you think…?”

 

Usagi says, with a nod, “Yeah. Sugou doesn’t care how he ‘gets to the top’ and his sick mind would invest in something so horrible.”

 

Asuna says, nodding her head, “I agree with Usagi-chan.”

 

Kirito looks over the data and he says, “Hold up! These dates…The dates that these ‘experiments’ relate to certain days with Strea like the day that we met Strea and the day that Strea found that top level food item.”

 

Mizuno says, looking over the data that Kirito is looking at, “Yes, you’re right, Kirito.”

 

Hino says, “It shows that Strea must be exactly like Yui. She has been handling the negative emotions of the players, but I think that when they were released due to the tampering, she couldn’t handle them and had to do the same thing as you and take a ‘physical form’ in order not to completely break down.”

 

Kirito says, “And like Yui found us, Strea must have been focused on the information that she about Usagi and I at the time that she ‘came down’ to Arc Sofia.”

 

Mizuno says, “I’ve downloaded the information and it will be downloaded to a server where the Scouts and Mamoru have our real bodies. We can use for evidence against Alberich or Sugou when we get back.”

 

Usagi says, with a nod, “Good. Now, let’s get rid of this trash.” Soon after, with Mizuno’s and Kirito’s help, Usagi makes sure that the data was deleted and completely irretrievable.

 

Haruka says, “Good riddance.”

 

Kirito says, “Until we capture Sugou, this isn’t over yet.”

 

Leafa says, with a nod, “Good point, big brother.”

 

Klein asks, “So, what do you want to do about this facility?”

Kirito says, “Leave it, Klein. With the data completely gone, it is no use to Alberich anymore. We won’t need to worry about it.”

 

Asuna says, “Our main focus is Alberich…Sugou himself.”

 

Mamoru says, “However, there is plenty that’s bothering me.”

 

Usagi asks Mamoru, “What is it?”

 

Setsuna says, “There seems to be an ‘outside player’ influencing events in this world. Remember, based on what Sugou’s associates told us, he planned to wait for the game to end and use the tampering that he did to the router to kidnap enough logging out players in order to transfer them to ALO where he has a virtual lab at the core of that ‘virtual world’: The World Tree.”

 

Haruka says, “I had a feeling that there was something up with that place being a copy of SAO.”

 

Setsuna says, with a nod, “And now, we know. Sugou created the perfect cover for his horrible plans by putting the lab within the game and using the players as the perfect cover in which who would suspect that illegal and amoral experiments are happening in the ‘safest VRMMO’ that’s nothing like SAO. And since these players are SAO victims, he can pin the blame on Kayaba in which no one would suspect someone as ‘respectable’ as him.”

 

Asuna says, with a sneer, “I thought that Sugou was scum, but I could never have imagined that he is…”

 

Usagi tells Asuna, with a sigh, “I never thought that someone like this could ever happen, Asuna. Sometimes, we can’t truly believe what people are capable of.”

 

Asuna says, with a nod, “You’re right, Usagi-chan.”

 

Leafa’s right hand turns into a fist and Kirito asks her, “Are you okay, Sugu?”

 

Leafa responds, with a sigh, “I wish that I was big brother. It is the dream of a lot of players in ALO to get to the top of the World Tree, meet the Fairy King Oberon, and become an ALF, a true fairy. To fly as high as you want with no restrictions…to find out that it was nothing, but a lie…”

 

Kirito tells Leafa, reassuringly, “Don’t worry, Sugu. He won’t get away with this. Alberich…Sugou will get what he deserves.”

 

Leafa says, with a smile, “Yeah.”

 

Taichi says, “Let’s regroup back at Arc Sofia and plan for our next move.” The others nod their heads in agreement and the group heads out in which Kirito looks at Leafa in which he knows that Leafa’s dream in ALO have been shattered by what they have learned.

 

On the way, Usagi asks, “So, you think that there is an ‘outside force’ at work?”

 

Mamoru says, “It seems so, love. Sugou wanted to wait until the game was cleared in which he figured that there would be enough survivors for his sick experiments, but some ‘outside force’ influenced him to perform these experiments which resulted in him getting trapped in SAO along with you.”

 

Kirito says, “And I’ve also got a bad feeling that’s whatever or whoever influenced Sugou wanted this to happen.”

 

Usagi asks, confused, “Why?”

 

Sam says, “That’s just another reason to get out of here, Usagi. I’m getting a real bad feeling that there is more to SAO than what we thought.”

 

Yamato says, “That’s what we are all afraid of, Sam.” Plenty of the others nod their heads in agreement in which the group heads out to get back to Arc Sofia to regroup and plain their next move.

 

January 30, 2025, Floor 97, Dungeon

 

Inside of the dungeon area, Kirito, Usagi, Mamoru, Sinon, Philia, Asuna, Dai, Akari, Leafa, Taichi, Haruka, and Hino with Veemon and Gatomon walking by their Digidestined partners as they explore the dungeon area to find the boss’ chamber and any sign of Alberich AKA Sugou Nobuyuki to capture him and keep him contained to make sure that he doesn’t cause any more trouble with his amoral mind control experiments.

 

Just they hear a moan of a female human and Gatomon asks, “What was that?”

 

Akari asks, “What is it, Gatomon?”

 

Gatomon says, “I heard someone. It sounded like a human woman.”

 

Sinon says, “There are no players beyond where we are as far as we know.”

 

Just then the female moan is heard again and Dai says, “Someone is here.”

 

Taichi says, with a serious tone, “Let’s go!”

 

The group head over to the source of the voice where they see Strea collapsed on the ground, groaning in pain, and Asuna says, amazed, “It’s Strea!”

 

Leafa says, “It looks like she is in pain.”

 

Mamoru says, “Must be from errors that her data has been experiencing from chaotic human emotions that got into her.”

 

Just then they see a monster targeting her and Usagi says, “She’s in trouble!” Without any words needs to be said, they rush and quickly dispatch the monster.

 

Strea says, weakly, “Kirito…Usagi…”

 

Kirito asks, “Strea, are you okay?”

 

Strea responds, “Kirito, why are you and your friends helping me?”

 

Usagi asks, “Why? What kind of question is that Strea?”

 

Strea says, “You have to realize the truth about me.”

 

Kirito tells Strea, “It doesn’t matter, Strea. You are still our friend.”

 

Strea says, “But you also want to escape this world too. You can’t have both. You need to choose.”

 

Kirito tells Strea, “There is always another way, Strea.”

 

Strea says, “There is no other way if you want to leave this world, Kirito. And I need to stop and you know the reason why.” Strea then goes through her menu and teleports away before anyone could stop her.

 

Asuna says, concerned, “Strea…”

 

Haruka says, with a sigh, “This makes things more difficult. Dumpling, you and Kirito were right about her.”

 

Usagi asks, surprised, “Huh?”

 

Haruka says, “I think that Strea is driven by the primal need of all beings to live. You can’t just ‘program’ that.”

 

Hino says, with a nod, “I believe that she is right. I think that Strea is half being driven by her programming and even if she doesn’t realize it, her need to survive.”

 

Sam says, nodding his head, “I agree. Strea is just like Yui in which she has become something similar to what Yui is now.”

 

Haruka says, “However, the thing is this: In order to free everyone from this horror, we need to complete the game, but when we complete the game, you know what will most likely happen to Strea.”

 

Asuna asks, “Is there anything that we can do?”

 

Kirito tells Asuna, “There has to be Asuna. I know there is a way.”

 

Dai says, “I agree, bro. There is always a way. I learned that as Digidestined.”

 

Veemon says, excitedly, “Davis is right!”

 

Gatomon says, with a smile, “I’ve got to admit that I agree with him.”

 

Mamoru says, “For now, let’s find the boss’ chamber.” The others nod their heads in agreement and they head out to continue through the maze area to find the boss’ chamber for this floor.

 

January 31, 2025, Floor 98

 

On Floor 98, Kirito, Usagi, Lisbeth, and many other players including friends of the three players mentioned are looking at three towers in front of them with the pathway to the center tower blocked.

 

Usagi asks, “Huh? There is no field?”

 

Mizuno says, “It does make sense. Each floor gets smaller as we go up towards the top. The bottom area had the largest floors while the floors higher up are shorter and shorter.”

 

Kirito says, “Yeah, it does make sense, Usagi. The final floor will only have the Ruby Palace most likely. It looks like from now on, there are no more field areas just dungeons that we have to get through.”

 

Asuna says, “It would seem so, Kirito-kun. By the looks of it, the center tower may be the one containing the boss chamber since it is the only one blocked.”

 

Mamoru says, “And we will have to get through the ‘trials’ of the other two towers to open the one in the center.”

 

Kirito says, “We should head back to Arc Sofia to rest and prepare to explore this floor.” The others nod their heads in agreement and they start to head back to Arc Sofia via the teleport gate on their floor in which Leafa can’t help to look up towards the ceiling before joining them.

 

February 2, 2025, Floor 76, Arc Sofia

 

Within one of the rooms within Agil’s inn and shop, Hino is mediating and she is sweating as images of a group of players defeating a dragon boss monster, Alberich, Laughing Coffin, and she then sees Heathcliff fighting against a mysterious Eternal level Sailor Soldier wielding Elucidator and Dark Repulser swords in an intense fight in which at one point, Heathcliff impales this Sailor Soldier with his sword causing Sailor Moon and Kirito to scream out in horror causing Hino to snap out of her vision causing her to breathe heavily.

 

Just then Hino hears a knocking on the door and Tomoe’s voice calls out, “Hino, it’s me.”

 

Hino says, weakly, “Come in.” Tomoe opens the door and enters the room, due to the fact that Tomoe is in the same guild as Hino, in which Tomoe becomes concern at Hino’s face.

Tomoe asks, concerned, “What happened?”

 

Hino responds, “It’s nothing, Firefly.”

 

Tomoe asks, concerned, “Are you sure?”

 

Hino says, with a weak smile, “Yeah, I am.” Tomoe doesn’t think so, but she decides not to press it for the time being.

 

Tomoe tells Hino, “Okay, but please be careful. We have a boss fight today.”

 

Hino responds, “Don’t worry, I’ll just fine. Tell Meatball Head and her ‘game brother’ that I will be down shortly.” Tomoe nods her head as she closes the door, Hino thinks to herself, “I wish that I was as confident as I sounded if I did sound confident at all. However, those visions, they were so strong that I didn’t need the Sacred Fire back home to see them. Something…Something horrible is going to happen at this boss raid, I know it. And it is going to lead to a fight…A fight that I think that we can’t stop. A fight that was made centuries ago, but I don’t get it, however, I know it to be true! However, who was that Sailor Soldier? I know that my vision showed me the Ruby Palace, the final floor of Aincrad, and I saw us expect for…Wait! Could it be…?” Hino takes a deep breath and gathers her supplies and equipment as she prepares to join the others on the boss raid.

 

February 2, 2025, Floor 98, Dungeon

 

Within Floor 98, we find a large group of players, including our heroes and heroines, assembled together in front of a familiar set of door: The doors to the boss’ chamber of this floor.

 

Asuna tells everyone, “Everyone, we must be careful. As you already know, we have no information on the boss and it is most likely that these last three floors are designed that way.”

 

Kirito says, nodding his head, “All we know is that this boss is ‘The Kaiser Dragon’ and like other dragon monsters, it has a breathe attack. From the experience in the past that we have gained, we designed our attack plan based on dragon and dragon boss monsters, but we must be ready for anything. These are the last bosses and it means that they will be the toughest of them all.”

 

The other players nod their heads in agreement and Asuna says, “We have come so far and now, we are finally close to our freedom. Let’s win and go home alive.” The other players nod their heads in unison and they enter the room where they find the boss monster, The Kaiser Dragon, a blue-white scaled dragon, in front of them and they charge in as they battle with an attack plan based on their past experience with dragon and dragon boss monsters. The battle was real tough and plenty of players dropped to the red zone of their health. However, Kirito lands the final blow with Starburst Stream, the classic 16 hit Duel Wielding Sword Skill combo, and the dragon boss monster shatters into hundreds of data polygons.

 

As the classic ‘Congratulations’ sign appears to show that they have defeated the boss monster, the group of players celebrate and Dai says, “Wow! What a fight!”

 

Takashi says, with a nod, “No kidding.”

 

Leafa says, with a smile, “But we did it, big brother!”

 

Kirito says, with a nod, “We did.”

 

Just then a male voice calls out, “Not just yet!” Everyone whips to the sound of the voice to see none other than Alberich walking towards them and he says, with a sly smile, “Well, we meet again, Kirito.”

 

Usagi says, with a sneer, “Not long enough, Alberich…Or should I say, Sugou!”

 

Alberich’s eyes widen and he then says, giving a wicked smile, “I see! I see! Those weaklings talked, huh? I’m not surprised those idiots couldn’t keep their mouths shut!”

 

Asuna says, with a glare, “It is you, Sugou.”

 

Alberich says, with a wicked smile, “It is wonderful to see you, my lovely Asuna.”

 

Usagi says, “I think that Asuna and I can agree that we aren’t glad that we are seeing you again, Sugou.”

 

Alberich says, with a sinister smile, “Ooh, I see that Kayaba’s little princess has grown a backbone or what you would like to make us believe. Deep down, you are still the goofy little Meatball Head that’s scared of her own shadow.”

 

Usagi responds, in a strong tone that was unlike her before SAO, “You want to find out if that’s true?”

 

Alberich replies, in a mocking tone, “Ooh, I’m so frightened! Whatever will I do!”

 

Haruka asks, with a dangerous glare, “Can I please hurt him?”

 

Alberich says, with a nasty smirk, “As I expected from friends of Kayaba’s little Meatball Head princess…Such barbarians.”

 

Makoto retorts, annoyed, “Hey!”

 

Taichi shouts out, “You commit such horrible experiments on innocent players and you call us, barbarians? You have got a screw loose buddy!”

 

Usagi says, with a plain tone, “That’s what I have known for years, Taichi.”

 

Alberich says, with a scoff, “I’m not surprised that such an inferior mind couldn’t get the true majesty of my research.”

 

Sam yells out, strongly, “What kind of ‘majesty’ is there in mind control research? You are talking about people’s hearts and minds, you sicko!”

 

Alberich says, “As I said, such no brainers can’t comprehend the true majesty of my work and I shall enlighten you. For example, war is terrible and no matter how trained a soldier is, there is that fear of death and they are unable to move. But what if those soldiers are filled with joy instead of fear? They would be able accomplish any kind of mission and that’s the perfect kind of soldier for any military. And there are plenty of companies that are interested in this research, but I couldn’t do that research back in the real world.”

 

Yamato says, “And for good reason, you monster!”

 

Alberich says, ignoring Yamato, “However, I found the perfect test subjects on the day of November Six over two years ago.”

 

Kirito says, plainly, “Us.”

 

Alberich yells out, excitedly, “Yes, the ‘SAO Incident’! Kayaba had given me the perfect test subjects, but I couldn’t get to them for obvious reasons.”

 

Hino says, “Yeah, we already know what you did. You tampered with the router in order to capture as many of the survivors as possible when the game ends and transfer them to ALO, which is based on SAO.”

Alberich’s eyes widen at Hino’s remark and Haruka says, with a sly smirk, “Sorry, but that your plan for that is a major flop. Before we got here, we informed the head of the SAO Incident Task Force of the VR Division of the Japanese Ministry. He has already fixed your ‘tampering’ by now since it has been close to three months since you started all the havoc in this world with your tampering to get the players.”

 

Alberich yells out, stunned, “What?”

 

Makoto says, with a smirk, “Too bad loser.”

 

Alberich gets a sneer, but he then smirks and he says, “Well, it seems like you have some brains after all. It didn’t matter when I came to this world accidently. I was getting tired of waiting and I had gotten some information that got me concerned that you might not make it after all.”

 

There are looks of surprise and Kirito asks, “What do you mean?”

 

Alberich responds, “No one that you need to get concern about since I really didn’t know, but their information seemed reliable and I had thought about that possibility. After my work with the route, I had developed a ‘backup plan’ just in case in order to get what I wanted for this world. However, somehow, my experiment caused me to get stuck in this world and I panicked since who wanted to be trapped in this ‘death game’! But thanks to the ‘gift’ that I inherited from when RCT Progress took everything from Argus, I found that this accident was very fortunate.”

 

Kirito says, “You are talking about the developer or administrate account from the others that helped Kayaba create this game before the retail edition of SAO was sent out into the world.”

 

Alberich replies, with a nod, “Correct, Kirito. It is called a ‘super account’ and it gives me ‘special help’ so to speak, Kirito. Thanks to it, I will gain control of this world and use it until my research, in which I have to start again thanks to your interference, is complete and then I will complete the game thanks to the overwhelming stats that I have gained through it. I will become the hero that ended this ‘death game’ and I will be famous!”

 

Hino responds, “Wrong asshole! We have all the evidence of your wrong doings in here and when we complete the game, we are going to make sure that everyone knows what you have done!”

 

Alberich says, with a smirk, “Ah, so you made a copy of my research to use against me, huh? However, you won’t get the chance since you are going to die here.”

 

Kirito asks, “Do you think that you can take us on yourself? While you were gloating, the other players have already recovered and since they have heard what you said, do you really think that all of us will let you get away with it? Do you really think that even your overwhelming level and stats will let you beat all of us?”

 

Alberich responds, with a sinister smile, “You are a real fool. I only revealed myself because I KNOW that I can and I’m going to do it like this!” Alberich then brings up a menu, pushes a few buttons, and most of the others then collapse to the ground as they are hit with a paralyzing condition thanks to Alberich’s administrative privileges, but he is shocked to find that Mamoru, the Sailor Scouts, Dai, and Akari aren’t inflicted at all causing him to yelp, “What? How?”

 

Minako says, excitedly, “Hey, it worked!”

 

Makoto says, with a grin, “Sorry, loser, but you have to remember, we weren’t trapped here like the others. We are in special pods based on the NervGear and our avatars include ‘special programs’ that our blue haired girlfriend made up…including a special one known as ‘anti-GM firewall’ making all SAO GM ‘privileges’ useless against us.”

 

Alberich says, shocked, “Impossible!”

 

Philia says, looking at Dai and Akari, “But…Dai…Akari…”

 

Dai responds, looking over his own avatar, “Got me, Philia.” Just then Dai and Akari remember what happened with AI versions of Namine and Roxas and can’t help to wonder if that had anything to do with it.

 

Alberich says, looking at Usagi, “But her…”

 

Kirito then shouts out, “Usagi, you have GM privileges close to equal to Kayaba! That’s what protecting you! Use them to strip Sugou of his super account since your privileges are at a higher administrative level! Do it now!”

 

Alberich gasps in shock and surprise and Usagi responds, with a nod, “Right!”

 

Usagi activates her GM menus, but Alberich responds, working faster, “Not so fast!” In a bright flash of a teleportation effect, a creature that looks like Kayaba’s GM avatar on the first day of SAO appears in front of everyone.

 

Minako asks, “What is that?”

 

Usagi says, stunned, “But that’s not possible.”

 

Kirito says, shocked, “Kayaba’s GM avatar that he used…on the first day of SAO…”

 

Alberich says, “It is? Interesting. From what information I have just gained, this is supposed to be the last boss of the game.”

 

Dai asks, “Wait! It is? I thought that Kayaba was the last boss, isn’t he?”

 

Mamoru says, “Most likely, he was going to ditch his player avatar and take on that form when the players came to confront him on the last floor.”

 

Alberich says, “Well, it is the last boss that you are going to face!” Soon after, The Hollow Avatar, Kayaba’s empty GM avatar, moves in and attacks Usagi and the others focusing its attacks on Usagi herself.

 

Usagi yelps out, “A little help here!”

 

Hino says, “Damn it! It is focusing its attacks on Meatball Head to prevent her from using her GM privileges!”

 

Dai says, “We’ve got to cover her!”

 

Gatomon says, “Let us help!”

 

Akari says, “Sorry, Gatomon, but there is no time!” Immediately, Mamoru, the other Sailor Scouts, Dai, and Akari try their best to keep Hollow Avatar off Usagi to allow her to use her GM privileges to strip Alberich of his administrative privileges, but the Hollow Avatar is quite powerful and they can’t give Usagi the time that she needs to work her menu to do so.

 

On the meanwhile, the others, who are still paralyzed can only watch what is going on, look at Alberich as he says, with a snort, “I guess that I’m going to get rid of you before I can take care of them.” Alberich snaps his fingers and the three members of Laughing Coffin come out of the shadows much to the others’ shock.

 

Klein says, stunned, “It can’t be…”

 

Kirito says, “Laughing Coffin…”

 

Philia asks, seeing PoH, “But how?”

 

Kirito responds, “Remember, the one that we saw in the Hollow Area was just the AI version, Philia. This is the real one. But I don’t how Red-Eyed XaXa and Johnny Black are here?”

 

Klein says, “They should be…locked up Black Iron Palace…”

 

Alberich says, “You can thank me for that one.” Alberich tells them, “Asuna is mine, but the rest of them are yours to do with as you please. However, I suggest that you hurry it up. I can freeze them for only a short before I have to do it again and it takes quite a few seconds.”

 

Johnny Black says, “Oh, man! I wanted to toy with them more!”

 

Red-Eyed XaXa says, “We’re not here for fun. We’re here for payback.”

 

PoH tells Kirito, “I’ve waited for this for a long time, you beater bastard.”

 

Usagi sees what’s happening and she shouts out, “No, Kirito! Everyone!” Usagi tries to break away from the Hollow Avatar, but it launches an attack that causes her to hit with a stun effect and forcing the others to protect her.

 

As the others watch helplessly, Asuna says, fearfully, “No, Kirito…”

 

Klein says, “Damn it…Can’t move…”

 

Philia says, fearfully, “Kirito…”

 

PoH says, with a wicked smile, “Thanks to our new ‘associate’ over there. Our levels have been pumped up that only one hit and you are dead, Black Swordsman.”

 

Kirito thinks in his mind, as he struggles to try to get free from his paralysis, “Come on! Move! Move!” However, the leader of Laughing Coffin draws his weapon, the hatchet-like weapon known as Mate Chopper, and prepares to kill Kirito with one attack.

 

Asuna, Klein, Philia, and his other friends shout out in unison, in horror, “Kirito!”

 

Leafa shouts out, strongly, “No!” Leafa then gives off a slight green glow that’s seemly not noticed, breaking her paralysis, and moving with incredible speed, she draws her sword and cuts off PoH’s hand and arm containing his weapon causing it to turn into data particle while his weapon clatters to the floor causing him to leap back.

 

Johnny Black shouts out, “You wench!” Johnny Black then hits Leafa with a dagger causing her to lose HP, but the real damage is another paralyzing effect causing her to collapse to the ground like a sack of potatoes.

 

Kirito shouts out, shocked, “Sugu!”

 

Red-Eyed XaXa goes over to her, taking out his estoc, and he says, “It seems like you care for this pointy-eared bitch.”

 

Kirito yells out, angrily, “You scum! Don’t you dare touch her!”

 

Red-Eyed XaXa responds, with an evil smile, “Touch her? No…I’m going to kill her since you care for her so much!” Red-Eyed XaXa then prepares to drive his estoc into Leafa’s chest and kill her with one blow.

 

Kirito yells out, horrified, “No! No! NO!!! SUGU!!!” As Kirito struggles, in vein, to break free of the paralyzing effect on him, Leafa gasps as she sees her life flash before her eyes as Red-Eyed XaXa prepares to impale her causing time to seemly slow down, but then Aaron, who also somehow broke free, sneak attacks Johnny Black with a bash to his face, knocking him down, and tackles XaXa, who throws Aaron away and impales him in the chest with his estoc.

 

Everyone gasps in shock and Leafa shouts out, “No, Aaron!”

 

As his HP goes down to zero, Aaron says, with a smirk, “I guess that I’m not going to see my sis after all. She is really going to be pissed.”

 

Leafa says, weakly, “Aaron…” When Aaron’s HP hits zero, XaXa throws him to the ground by Leafa and he starts to glow as his avatar starts to fade away.

 

Aaron says, with a grin, “I don’t regret what I did, Leafa. You are the sister to Kirito, the Black Swordsman, and I think…I know that you will be a hero. You are a braver person than I could ever be. Please tell my sister that I’m sorry…that I couldn’t tell her…about SAO…and help your brother…save my comrades…and everyone…I know that you can…” Soon after, Aaron’s avatar shatters into hundreds of data polygons and everyone, minus Alberich and Laughing Coffin, gasp in pure horror and disbelief.

 

Horrified at seeing a guild mate die, Asuna says, weakly, “No…No, Aaron…”

 

Usagi thinks in her mind, horrified, “Kami, no! Please, no!” Within Leafa’s mind, pure horror and disbelief at what just happened causes images to scream through her mind as she remembers Aaron and her time with him into the day that SAO started, seeing her brother in the hospital, the bodies of those SAO victims that died in hospital where Kirito’s body is lying right now, the friends and families of the SAO victims that died, and then she is seeing images of something else: The end of the Silver Millennium including the image of the body of Queen Serenity lying on a slab of marble from the ruins of the kingdom. Leafa is hit with a tidal wave of pain, horror, sadness, and more that causes something deep within her to break.

 

Leafa sheds tears and she screams out, in pure terror and horror, “No…No…NNNNNNNOOOOOOOO!!!!” Leafa’s body then blazes with a powerful green and then rainbow colored aura that creates a massive storm as her form floats to her feet causing everyone to be shocked and surprised.

 

Alberich shouts out, “What?! What is this?!” Just then Alberich and Laughing Coffin members scream out as they are violently flung into the walls of the boss’ chamber with such force that it stuns them while Hollow Avatar is also hit with the same force that slams it into the wall causing such massive damage to it that it shatters into data polygons upon impact.

 

Haruka shouts out, “What power!” On the meanwhile, the immense power that Leafa gives off causes the paralyzed players to regain their mobility.

 

Klein says, “Hey, I can move!”

 

Philia says, “Me too!”

 

Usagi shouts out, shocked, “Leafa!”

 

Minako asks, “What’s happening to her?”

 

Hino says, shocked, “She has just unleashed an incredible power! I…I never felt anything before! Galaxia wouldn’t even come close to this kind of power! It’s…It’s astrological!”

 

Setsuna thinks in her mind, looking at Leafa, “This is what I feared the most! Leafa is HER! Somehow, he knew! Kayaba knew that Leafa is HER! And now, he has gotten what he wanted the most! I fear that the battle that I most dreaded will come to past now! And I know that Queen Serenity is feeling this!”

 

February 2, 2025, Moon Kingdom

 

As if to prove Setsuna right, we find the spirit of Queen Serenity within the hidden rebuilt Moon Kingdom as she ‘senses’ something from Earth and it causes her to fall to her knees with tears in her eyes.

 

Queen Serenity says, solemnly, “Oh no…It’s happened…She has awoken…But only to experience such pain once more. Why, Heathcliff? Why must you do this to her and Serenity after you have caused her so much pain and agony? Out of all beings in the universe, she deserved to have peace. All this…for Etherion.”

 

February 2, 2025, Tokyo, Juuban District

 

Inside of the Juuban District, Sailor Nebula, Sailor Neo Moon, and Sailor Galaxia look out into the city as they, too, sense something.

 

Sailor Galaxia asks, “Do you feel that?”

 

Sailor Nebula says, “I do, Galaxia-dono.”

 

Sailor Neo Moon asks, with a gasp, “Do you think…?”

 

Sailor Nebula says, with a nod, “Yes, it has begun.”

 

Sailor Neo Moon says, with a concerned tone, “I see…”

 

Sailor Galaxia says, “To be burdened by such power and having a painful history…She deserved a chance at peace…”

 

Sailor Nebula says, with a nod, “Yes, she does, but it seems like HE couldn’t let it go. I will never forgive him for what he has done to Serena and her family in these two lifetimes. However, I hate to say, but SHE will be necessary for what’s to come.”

 

Sailor Neo Moon asks, “Do we really need her after she is about to go through?”

 

Sailor Nebula says, with a sigh, “I know, Neo Moon. However, she would choose to reaccept her power and her destiny because she forged it so long ago.”

 

Sailor Neo Moon says, weakly, “Auntie…”

 

February 2, 2025, Floor 98, Boss Chamber

 

Back within the boss chamber of Floor 98, Leafa stops glowing and she collapses to the ground in which the others run over to her.

 

Kirito says, in a panic, “Sugu?! Sugu!” As Kirito takes the unconscious Leafa into his arms, the others surround them.

 

Asuna asks, “How is she Kirito?”

 

Kirito says, “Well, she has lost any major health and she has no stasis conditions. She is just unconscious from a horrible shock.”

 

Lisbeth asks, “What was that all about? What was that…energy wave she just unleashed?”

 

Haruka says, “I felt an immense power coming from her.”

 

Tomoe asks, “An immense power?”

 

Hino says, with a plain tone, “A huge power…Like nothing that I ever felt before…yet it also felt…familiar…”

 

Philia asks, curiously, “Familiar?”

 

Haruka looks at Setsuna, sees the look of concern on her face, and Haruka tells Setsuna, “You know something, don’t you?” Everyone looks at Setsuna, but they don’t notice that Alberich is getting up and using his menu.

 

Tomoe asks, “Do you?”

 

Setsuna says, “I kept hoping against hope that what I theorized wasn’t the case, but I fear that one of the objectives of SAO was to get Leafa into it.”

 

There are gasp and Minako asks, “What are you talking about?”

 

But then Haruka, Hino, Kirito, and Usagi ‘sense’ something and they turn to see Alberich with a strange black and dark violet short sword running towards them and he shouts out, “This is the end for you little witch! Now, you will pay for everything that your uncle took from me! Now, die!” He prepares to impale Usagi with the strange and no one is able to move to get her out of the way or protect her in time, but then Strea mysterious appears and gets impaled in the chest by it.

 

Kirito shouts out, shocked, “Strea!”

 

Strea says, with a smile, “It’s over now.”

 

Alberich doesn’t notice a glow over his form that goes into Strea and he says, with a sneer, “Don’t get in my way, woman! If that’s how it is…!!” He tries to use his ‘super account’, but the menu won’t open in which he yells out, “What’s going on? Why won’t it open?”

 

Strea says, with a smile, “I’ve taken it away.”

 

Alberich asks, “Taken it away?”

 

Haruka responds, “Strea has taken your ‘super account’ away from you baka.”

 

Alberich gasps and he yells out, “No, you can’t!”

 

Dai says, “She just did and I did this!” Dai then bashes Alberich in the face and knocking him to the ground while Strea collapses in which Kirito pulls out the weapon throwing it to the floor while three ‘glows’ are seen in which everyone looks to see the three Laughing Coffin members are gone.

 

Yamato says, “Laughing Coffin just bolted, but that’s no surprise.”

 

Asuna uses a healing crystal, but it doesn’t work as Strea’s HP continues to go down in which Asuna says, “It isn’t working!”

 

Kirito says, “Why? Her HP keeps going down!”

 

Usagi says, “Hold on, Strea!”

 

Strea says, with a smile, “It’s all right…I’m just glad that you and Kirito are okay, Usagi. However, I think that you would have found a way to beat him even without my help. You see, I know that you already know, but I am a Mental Health Program just like Yui.”

 

Mamoru says, with a nod, “We thought so.”

 

Strea says, “I have been monitoring the players and watching their despair, pain, and sorrow and could do nothing about it. I’ve watched Kirito and Usagi since their fight, but then it became dark and the next thing that I knew, I was here and all I knew was that I had to find Kirito and Usagi. As time went, I regained my memories and that I had to protect this world, but I didn’t want you to die. Kirito…Usagi…Everyone…Thank you for being my friend…”

 

Usagi says, with tears in her eyes, “Strea, please don’t say that! We already lost a fellow player! We can’t lose a friend!” Just then a dark violet aura surrounds Strea and everyone, minus Kirito, who is holding Strea, leaps back.

 

Taichi shouts out, stunned, “Look out!”

 

Miyako asks, “What’s happening to her?”

 

Asuna shouts out, “Kirito, look out! You are going to get swallowed too! Kirito-kun!” The dark aura around Strea then blasts Kirito back and Strea, her eyes completely blank, floats up into the sky and soon after, a ‘form’ engulfs her avatar before the ‘form’ is revealed to be the Hollow Avatar, the enemy that was fighting Mamoru, the Sailor Scouts, Dai, and Akari earlier.

 

Makoto asks, “Hold up? Wasn’t that thing just defeated?!”

 

Asuna asks, “Strea? Was Strea…?”

 

Usagi retorts, finishing for Asuna, “Absorbed by that thing?” Just then the avatar of the last boss glows before vanishing through a teleportation effect in which Usagi shouts out, “Wait! Strea!”

 

Akari says, “She…She’s gone.”

 

Dai asks, “What’s going on?”

 

Takashi responds, “Wish I knew Davis.” On the meanwhile, Alberich is trying to crawl away since his ‘super account’ privileges have been taken from him leaving him quite weaker against the others, but he was surrounded by other players including Agil and Klein.

 

Klein asks, with a sneer, “Where do you think that you are going?”

 

Agil says, with a deadly glare, “You aren’t going to get away this time, pal. We have some payback to give to you for trying to kill us.”

 

Alberich says, with a sneer, “Get out of my way, you no brainers! Don’t you ever dare touch me!” However, he hears something and a hand grabs him by the neck in which Usagi is the only holding Alberich by the neck with a sword to his throat much to the surprise and shock of the others. Usagi is showing a look that wasn’t like her back before the days of SAO: A look of pure rage in her eyes.

 

Hino asks, angrily, “Whoa! Meatball Head?”

 

Usagi says, in an uncharacteristic angered tone, “Give me one good reason…One good reason that I shouldn’t ram my sword down your throat right now, Sugou!” With tears in her eyes, Usagi continues to say, with her uncharacteristic enraged tone, “You monstrous fiend! I’ve had it to here with your selfish and self-centered actions! They have gone too far this time! You really think that I’m the same little Meatball Head? You didn’t think that spending two years in this horror after a person that I once loved and trusted like a second father betrayed me would change me?! You have helped those sickos, Laughing Coffin, murder a comrade, scar the heart of a friend, and now, Strea is suffering because your greedy and selfish actions! I just…I just can’t take fiends like you anymore!” Usagi then raises her sword as if to swing a killing blow much to the shock and horror of the others in which Alberich squeals like the coward that he truly is.

 

Mamoru shouts out, shocked, “No!”

 

Kirito yells out, stunned, “Usagi, don’t do it!”

 

Asuna shouts out, “Usagi-chan!” However, Usagi then lowers her sword and flings Alberich down to the ground.

 

Usagi says, weakly, “But I can’t do it…even if it is scum like you. There has been too much killing already…Too much death…” Usagi then uses her GM privileges to paralyze Alberich, drops her sword, and she goes over to Mamoru and cries on her chest in which he hugs her comfortingly. Agil and Klein then force him up and drag the helpless Alberich away while Asuna sends a group of players to activate the teleport gate on Floor 99, the floor before the final floor, as the others try to get themselves together after this terrible event has hit them all.

 

February 2, 2025, Floor 76, Arc Sofia

 

Inside of Agil’s inn and shop in Arc Sofia, Kirito is walking down the stairs for the second story bedrooms into the main shop area where the others, minus Usagi and Leafa, are waiting for them.

 

Philia asks, “How is your sister, Kirito?”

 

Kirito says, “She is sleeping peacefully…for the moment.” Kirito then slumps down in a chair and he says, banging his fist on the table, “I was afraid that this would happen. This is the reason that I warned Sugu not to make friends outside of our group.”

 

Sam says, “You were afraid that if they died especially in front of Leafa’s eyes that she would get the full totality of death in this world. She understood the risks, but she didn’t completely understand the totality of true death in this world. And now, she knows since she has seen it from both sides now.”

 

Silica says, weakly, “Leafa…”

 

Lisbeth says, with a weak smile, “She is a strong person, Silica. She will make it.”

 

Kirito says, “She will, Liz. However, how deep her scars will run that I’m worried about. Sugu is a very ‘sensitive’ person despite being a strong willed one.”

 

Haruka says, “Much like Dumpling.”

 

Asuna asks Mamoru, “How is Usagi-chan?”

 

Mamoru says, with a sigh, “She is resting peacefully.”

 

Hino asks, “What about that jerk?”

 

Asuna says, “He is behaving himself especially after Usagi stripped him of his items and the stats that he had gained from his ‘super account’.”

 

Mizuno says, “From what Yui told us, it was that account that saved Strea from being ‘deleted’.”

 

Kirito says, with a plain tone, “It is the only good thing that has come out of this. We may have a chance to save her still.”

 

Mamoru says, “If she has been absorbed by the avatar that Kayaba prepared himself for the final battle on the final floor, she must be waiting there. We have to get through the floor before if we want to get to her.”

 

Haruka tells Setsuna, glaring at her, “Before we do, you have some explaining to do.” When everyone looks at Setsuna, Haruka tells her, in a demanding tone, “What do you know? There is more to this than you are telling.”

 

Setsuna responds, “Only because they were just theories until recent evidence made me proved my theories true.” Setsuna says, with a sigh, “Personally, I believed that everyone’s safety was paramount, so, I wanted to make sure that clearing the game and getting our princess and everyone else out of the game took top priority.”

 

Kirito says, “While I don’t blame you for being that way and in fact, I feel the same way. However, I am not saying that what you did was completely right, Setsuna. If there is important information that may relate to any of us and it might prove vital to us no matter how small it is, you should say something.” Kirito says, with a sigh, “However, I can’t sure that you are completely wrong either and I can’t say that I didn’t do that kind of thing once before.”

 

Asuna says, lowly, “Kirito-kun…”

 

Setsuna doesn’t a say a word and she says, “Leafa also came from the Silver Millennium, same as us, because I know the power that she welds. It is a great and awesome power and in fact, Kayaba used that power long ago to create the original Aincrad, the one that this version in SAO is based upon.”  There are multiple gasps of shock and Setsuna says, with a solemn tone, “In fact, SAO and the Silver Millennium are greatly connected since Kayaba’s betrayal of Leafa so long ago caused the downfall of the Silver Millennium by implanting the dark seeds that allowed Metallia to manipulate the people of Earth to allow her to attack the Silver Alliance and the Moon Kingdom.”

 

More gasps came from the ground and Asuna asks, stunned, “Betrayal?”

 

Kirito then gains a serious look and Silica asks, “Kirito?”

 

When the others look at Kirito, he says, “Leafa believed that she also came from the Silver Millennium and she and Kayaba had some kind of ‘connection’.” Kirito then explains about what happened in the ‘talk’ that he and Usagi had with Leafa some days ago. When he is done, there are stunned looks from the others and Kirito says, with a solemn tone, “This is also what got me worried.”

 

Haruka asks, looking at Setsuna, “Is it possible? Could…?”

 

Setsuna responds, “I believe so. I believe that one of the reasons that Kayaba started SAO was to force Leafa’s hidden powers to awaken and it is also the reason that he lured her into SAO.”

 

Philia asks, confused, “Lured her?”

 

Sinon says, plainly, “The NervGear that her friend had.”

 

Kirito says, with a nod, “I figured that Kayaba had a hand in that.”

 

Asuna asks, stunned, “Wait! You mean the commander…Kayaba found a way to keep a NervGear in the hands of one of Leafa’s friends from the other side in order to lure her into SAO?”

 

Kirito says, nodding his head, “I think…No, I KNOW so, Asuna. Kayaba knew that friend from Akiba was a friend of Sugu and gave her the perfect bait to lure her into SAO.”

 

Hino says, realizing something, “And Kayaba got exactly what he wanted then. Leafa’s hidden powers are awakening and Leafa must be…”

 

Haruka says, plainly and finishing for Hino, “One of us. Leafa is a Sailor Soldier that’s starting to awaken.”

 

There are more gasps and Silica asks, stunned, “Leafa-chan is a Sailor Scout?!”

 

Setsuna says, “Not just any Sailor Soldier. The Sailor Soldier that was once near and dear to Kayaba’s own heart before he used and betrayed at the end of the Silver Millennium. And this is also one of the reasons behind the madness of SAO: He wants to finish the battle that they fought so long ago. The story of SAO started around ten centuries ago on the original Aincrad that he used her to constructor over one thousand years ago. It isn’t for any sort of revenge and he doesn’t care if he wins or loses. He just wants to finish that battle so long.”

 

Kirito slams his fist into the table that makes a sound so loud that it surprises everyone and Kirito shouts out, angrily, “Are you saying that all this pain and all this suffering that Kayaba caused by trapping us in this nightmare was to force my sister to awaken her hidden powers?! That our misery…her sorrow and pain…Usagi’s shattered heart…Everything was just so that he can force my sister to fight a stupid duel?!” Kirito, in his fury, lifts up the table and he throws it against the wall causing it to shatter while the protection fields protect the wall and causes a violet window with the words ‘Immortal Object’ to appear before vanishing quickly.

 

Agil says, nervously, “Hey, bro!”

 

Asuna hugs Kirito and she says, “Please Kirito-kun! Please calm down!”

 

Kirito says, after calming down, “I’m sorry, Asuna.”

 

Silica says, nervously, “Kirito is scary when mad.”

 

Lisbeth says, “Yeah, but it isn’t like he doesn’t have a good reason to be mad.”

 

Haruka says, with a serious tone, “I’m in line with Kirito. This is beyond insane and beyond pissing me off!”

 

Setsuna responds, solemnly, “I understand and I know how you feel.”

 

Kirito yells out, glaring at Setsuna, “How would you know how any of us feel about this?”

 

Setsuna responds, with a deadly glare, “It is because that I held her dying form in my arms before she died in the Silver Millennium!” There are multiple gasps of shock and Setsuna realized that she did some said something impulsively, which isn’t like her, and she says, with a solemn sigh, “It is the worst memory of the Silver Millennium that I ever had. It is a memory engraved in my being for one thousand years and one that I never wished to see again. But I was just fooling myself.”

 

Tomoe says, concerned, “Setsuna-mama…”

 

Setsuna gently pats Tomoe on the head and she then says, sternly, “However, it seems like Kayaba couldn’t let it go. He has a question that he wants answered and the only way that he will get his answer is through the final battle. The battle that started it all must end it all: Him against Leafa. And before you say anything, the two of them forged this destiny with their actions in the past as well as the present. They are drawn to each other like moths to flames. Kayaba left a scar deep within the soul of Leafa and that part of her is now starting to completely awaken. When we get to the final floor, we will find Kayaba and those two will battle each other. And you know that there is nothing that you can do to stop your sister, Kirito. You know her all too well.”

 

Kirito says, lowering his head, “Yeah, I do. When Sugu sets her mind to something, she stubbornly doesn’t back down at all.” Kirito asks, looking at Setsuna, “Her heart and soul are set on this battle, isn’t she?”

 

Setsuna says, with a nod, “Yes, it is. As much I want to keep her back and as I hoped and prayed that she would never suffer again, history is doomed to repeat itself since I never learned from it. I had hoped against hope that it was too much of coincidence, but the day that SAO started, my hopes were mainly shattered, but I hoped to deny him part of what he wanted, however, it looks like the ‘bond’ between Leafa and Kayaba is too strong. My worst nightmare has come true: This horror tragedy from the Silver Millennium is repeating itself and the person that died in my arms filled with so much pain, regret, and sorrow has to suffer again at the hands of the one that betrayed her so long ago.” Setsuna then gets up and she says, “I need some time alone.” Setsuna then walks away and up the stairs towards the bedrooms in the combination inn and shop within Arc Sofia.

 

Tomoe says, concerned, “Setsuna-mama…”

 

Michiru tells Tomoe, with a warm smile, “She will be okay.”

 

Haruka says, “She may be the ‘ageless Guardian of Time’, but she is all too human.”

 

Hino says, with a plain tone, “I think that we sometimes forget that.”

 

Silica asks, “So, what do we do now?”

 

Kirito says, with a determined tone, “We end this.” When everyone looks at Kirito, he says, with a determined tone, “We save Strea and we find Kayaba and end this once for all…Our way. Kayaba made it a plan to fight my sister in some kind of ‘grand finale battle’, but it isn’t going to happen the way that he wants it. I’m going to do whatever it takes to end in my way.”

 

Asuna tells Kirito, “I’m with you, Kirito-kun.”

 

Lisbeth says, with a grin, “We have been with you up to now and you haven’t steered us wrong yet.”

 

Silica says, with a nod, “I’ll help in any way that I can.”

 

Philia says, “I will too, Kirito.”

 

When the others nod their heads in agreement, Kirito says, with a smile, “Thank you, everyone.”

 

Mamoru says, “For now, let’s take a rest. We are going to need it. These are the final days of SAO and we are going to need all of our strength.” The others nod their heads in agreement, but plenty of them have many worries about the next few days ahead for many reasons.

 

February 2, 2025, Floor 100, Ruby Palace

 

On the top floor of Aincrad, there is a ruby colored grand palace on top of a small grass ‘lawn’. It is the Ruby Palace, the scene for the last ‘boss battle’ of SAO is supposed to take place and deep within the palace, there is a grand throne room of ruby and golden color where the Hollow Avatar, the avatar that Kayaba would have assumed if things went to his original plan and now contains Strea within itself, is floating there and waiting for the players to come and try to defeat it. However, hidden in the shadows behind a golden and ruby red throne on a large pedestal, there is a humanoid figure watching.

 

The figure says, in a familiar male voice, “This isn’t exactly how it was supposed to go, but life never goes exactly to plan. How will you conquer this obstacle Kirito-kun and my darling Serenity? And Leafa…I can sense it now. The point of no return has been reached…and the true final battle of SAO will soon begin. It is time.” As the figure comes out of the shadow, it is revealed to be none other than Akihiko Kayaba, in his SAO avatar of Heathcliff, himself with a smile on his face.

 

And that’s the end of the chapter, everyone! The next chapter is the grand climax story and the final battles of it as well! Plenty of you may have an idea on what to expect, but you are going to have to read and find out! Also, plenty of you might be mad at what I did to Leafa in this chapter, but I’m sorry to say that it is necessary for the story plot and…SPOILER ALERT!!! What happened to Leafa in this and the second to last chapter of the story is going to be a vital plot point for the sequel that’s still in development for the future, everyone. Anyway, please read and review and no flames, please! Later and best wishes, Crossover Fans!