No one's POV

PoH leaned over to stare down at the wheelchair being brought before him.

PoH:......Hmm?

He grumbled, then tapped an emaciated leg hanging from the seat with his toe.

PoH: What's this...? Hey, Nighty Night, wake up. You hear me, Night Sky Swordsman?

Night Sky Swordsman was an old nickname of Zora's—but he did not react at all. His body rested against the back of the chair, painfully and visibly thin through his black and white shirt, and his face was downcast. His empty right sleeve swayed in the breeze, and the hand that clutched the two swords in his lap was bony.

Ronie got knocked to the ground at Philia's side. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying.

Ronie: During the battle, Zora-senpai tried and tried to get up...and eventually he got quiet, like he was out of strength... But...his tears...his tears just kept coming...

Philia: Ronie...

Philia reached out and hugged the sobbing girl. Then Philia lifted her face and snapped at PoH.

Philia: You can tell by now. He fought and fought and fought, and now he's damaged. So don't mess with him anymore! Just leave Zora alone!! Let him rest!!

But the man in the black poncho ignored what Philia had to say. He stared right into Zora's face at point-blank range.

PoH: Whoa, whoa, whoa! Are you kidding me? He's all slack-jawed! Hey, wake up! Stand up, dude! Good...morning?!

PoH said, placing his foot on the silver wheel and mercilessly kicking the chair over. The wheelchair toppled with a tremendous clatter, throwing its helpless cargo onto the ground.

Phili: Zora!

Philia look in horror, Asuna and Klein made to get up, only to be stopped by enemy swords. Agil growled, deep in his throat, and Lisbeth, Silica, and Ronie all shrieked. None of this had any effect on the aggressor, however. He walked over to Zora and roughly turned him over with his toe.

PoH: The hell...? You really are busted, huh? So the great hero is a vegetable now?

Zora's left arm still clutched the two swords; PoH yanked the white scabbard away from him. He pulled the sword out until it revealed a blade pitifully broken in the middle. PoH clicked his tongue in disappointment and made to discard the useless weapon. But...

Zora: A...aaah...

A tiny croak escaped Zora's throat, and he reached weakly toward the white sword with his one arm.

PoH: Oh?! You're moving?! What, you want this thing?

PoH said, teasingly waggling the sword. Then he dropped it, and when Zora tried to go for it in the air, he grabbed the boy's arm and pulled him up. com

PoH: C'mon, say something!! Hmm...? This is...?

He said, smacking Zora on the cheeks. Then he noticed something glittering between Zora's neck. The moment he snapped it right from Zora's neck he saw a locket. And inside the locket was a picture of him and Rumia smiling together.

Zora: Aah... Ah....

PoH: AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.....!!!!!! Oh... Look who this is...! Your precious Big Sister...!

Zora moaned again and again and again looking at the locket. Then PoH threw the locket away near towards Philia, Asuna and the others. The moment she saw the locket on the ground, Philia's vision started going red with rage. But before she could even get to her feet, Asuna was screaming bloody murder.

Asuna: You murders scum!! Don't you dare touch hiiiiiim!!

Asuna too flew to an even bigger rage then Philia did when she saw the locket on the ground. After all, Asuna had some fond memories together with Rumia while their time in SAO. She tried to lunge for the man, but a large, thick sword split her back and pinned him straight to the ground. Asuna gagged and spit up a huge glob of blood, but she kept pulling upward, trying to rip her own body apart to keep moving.

Everyone: Asuna!

Asuna: You...! You're the one... man... I'll... never... for......

Whud!! A second sword pierced Asuna's back. More tears flooded from Philia's eyes. It was a wonder to her that she could have any left. Despite being pinned to the ground by the blades, Asuna continued to scrabble at the soil. Over her loomed the one-time agitator in the black poncho—the former leader of Laughing Coffin, PoH.

PoH: Hmph...!

The man in the black poncho could only smirk at the futile attempt Asuna was trying to do. The man in black raised its weapons wanting to see if the Swordsman in the Night sky would react if he does so. Philia and the others could only watch the scene as if they were in a horror movie. Then a tiny blur came rushing out of the Japanese players. He went straight for PoH and Zora.

PoH: Tch...!

PoH dodge the attack in the nick of time. Zora's body fell towards the ground in a thud. And PoH look at him in irritation.

PoH: Who the hell are you?

Philia, Asuna, and their friends immediately recognized who the person that just saved Zora was. After all, not to long ago, they had an incident with the Augma and the idol Yuna herself. Philia, Asuna, and Klien whom got their memories taken from them had their eyes widened.

Klien: You're...

Philia and Asuna: Eiji?

It was none other than Eiji. The person whom is the right hand man of the Mastermind of the Augma incident, Professor Shigemura. The former Knights of the Blood Oath who couldn't get over his fear of death rushes in. And their clash began. A few sparks flew in the air, but Eiji wasn't able to completely block PoH's attack due to PoH's weapons already absorbing way too much Underworld resources.

PoH: You scum. Get out of my face!

And Eiji was immediately blown away. Seeing this, PoH started saying in Korean addressing towards the Red-Soldier.

PoH: He's a dirty Japanese! Don't forgive these cowardly hackers!

A black miasma appeared from PoH's body. It would appear that the Korean and Chinese people whom had believed PoH's words started to charge towards Eiji trying to dispose of him. Moonphase, Mei and the others who weren't effected tried to bring them out of their sense but to no avail. Philia once again tried to intervene, but a sword stopped her in her track. It was then a tiny pixie flew through them surprising Philia, Asuna, and the others. Then a pink light descend from the sky, it was then the pop idol Yuna appeared landing near Eiji.

Eiji: Yuna?

Yuna: Eiji, sorry to keep you waiting!

Some of the Korean and Chinese soldiers recognize Yuna's name. After all, she was the famous AI idol that was popular all over the world.

Yuna: Let's do this, Eiji! Let's save, Zo-kun!

Eiji: Yeah.

Eiji and Yuna smile fearlessly. They look at Zora's motionless body before looking back at PoH who was looking at them full of irritation. Then Yuna started to sing. The moment she did, Eiji immediately got the boost from the Ordinal Scale event. After all, the SAO former network is connected towards the AmuSphere Eiji is currently connected right now.

Eiji: This is round two!

Then he rushed towards PoH once again. But this time his speed and strength is doubled then the previous one. He rushed towards PoH whom did an Avalanche strike on him, but thanks to his future sight skill, Eiji was able to avoid a direct blow and kick PoH away. Yuna on the other hand continue to sing, and her voice and her aura completely wipe away PoH's black miasma that had brainwashed the Red Soldiers.

Some of them recognized Yuna's voices and started cheering. That on the other hand made them even more confused as to whose side is right or wrong. Why was Yuna participating on the loser hackers? Why is she on the Korean testing server. Some of them asked if they were truly on the Japanese server. Murmurs among Korean and Chinese started to erupt from the Red Soldiers. PoH stared at her full of irritation and annoyance. But he wasn't able to act towards her since Eiji was blocking his way.

Multiple sword skills passed through each others trying to best one another. After awhile, Eiji was able to push PoH away and he looked at Eiji annoyed.

PoH: Bastard. Who are you?

Eiji: I'm...

Then Eiji's aura started to erupt, it was clear he was being effected by the Underworld's ability of incarnation. Then with a voice full of resolved and passion, Eiji shouted his name.

Eiji:...the Knights of the Blood Oath's... Nautilus!

Then he once again rush forward. His clothes, his gears, and even his ears who was the Alfheim Online avatar started to change. The power of Incarnation of Underworld has the ability to change a person's persona if their imagination is strong enough. Now Eiji was wearing his SAO avatar of the Knights of the Blood Oath.

Asuna: ?

Asuna was surprised when she saw Eiji's appearance. She remembered everything on how Eiji used to be during their SAO time. How he was the lowest ranking of the Knights. And how he stopped coming to the frontline after the lost of Yuna.

PoH: Never heard of you, scum.

Nautilus: True, back then, I was...

The time in SAO rushes back towards his mind. How he, Zora, and Yuna used to hang together at the Flower Garden. How the three of them used to laugh together. Even after the Augma incident, Zora still tried to help Eiji with Yuna. And with the help of two AI, Rio and Yui, he finally manages and succeed in creating Yuna's AI without the lost of a persons memories.

Nautilus:...a completely useless weakling. But!

Then he executed the Sword Skill Vorpal Strike. Poh dodge the attack. Seeing the black Poncho man reminded of how many people was murdered due to his guild the Laughing Coffin. How his friends were murdered. How he remembered Zora mentioning his Big Sister was murdered by the very person standing in front of him. He was the one person that Eiji...

Nautilus:...I'll never... forgive!

Their fight resume. And again Nautilus was trying to get the upper hand on this battle. But it was clear that PoH had much better physical combat than he was. Him being at the soldier and his lust for killing and his incarnation was bigger than Eiji's. It was clear the the serial killer will come out on top.

Yuna: *Gasp*

Yuna stared at shock and stopped her singing when she saw Eiji's arms were both sliced open. Eiji gritted his teeth at the tremendous amount of pain the was flowing through his bodies. The Underworld had no pain absorption like any other VR games. So the pain of having his arms sliced off put Eiji in the state of paralysis.

Nautilus: Kuh...

PoH: A puissant Japanese like you. Did you really think... you could beat me?

PoH used the Sword Skill Avalanche on Eiji reaching its chest. Blood spilled from him like a puddle. Eiji could only gritted his teeth at the pain that coursing through his body. Then he was kicked by PoH towards Philia and the others.

Asuna: Eiji, you—

PoH: Look at you now, you dirty Japanese! Time for you to go.

Eiji: I'm not the same as I was before! I will saved my friend!

Eiji said glancing at Zora whom tears were spilling non stop looking towards Eiji and Yuna.

PoH: You little... You annoying bastard!

With one final attempt to kill Eiji for good, PoH slammed his weapon towards his back, before kicking him near Zora. Seeing this Yuna went towards Eiji in a worried. Her clothes and form changed to that of SAO as well. She stopped near both him and Zora.

Nautilus: This makes us even... Zora...

Yuna: Eiji... Zo-kun...

Nautilus: Yuuna... Did I do what I needed to?

Yuna: You did, Ei-kun!

Zora: AAHH.... AAHH........!!!!

Everyone: ?!

Zora's moaning grew even greater which everyone took noticed. The Japanese, Chinese, Korean players. Philia, Asuna, Klien, Agil, Silica, and Lisbeth all gasped at what they saw. Tears. Endless amount of tears spilled from the broken hero's eyes. His left arm moved reaching towards the idol his friend. It was clear from that tear that he was hurt the most. Yuna and Eiji smile at the boy and Yuna grabbed the arm of the Zora.

Yuna: Zo-kun... I know you are hurt... But... I know that you will once again rise up... and create another miracle. You always do.

With one final goodbye gift from Yuna. She gently pick the broken hero before kissing him on the cheek. Then both she and Eiji were log out from this world. Endless amount of tear feel from Zora's eyes.

PoH: What? Lost another girlfriend, Zora? Then hurry up and wake up before I take some more.

Moonphase: Doesn't that emblem look familiar?

Mei: Yeah. Isn't that the mark of Laughing Coffin?

Moonphase and Mei whom were both Koreans look at PoH with disgust face. After all, he couldn't accept the story he had been told:

Supposedly, Japanese hackers had attacked a test server belonging to a new VRMMORPG under development by a team of American, Chinese, and Korean gamers and were killing the testers within the server. And now those testers needed help from outside players to stop the Japanese barbarism.

At least, that was the message going around on social media to get them to dive in. They saw scenes of a group of Japanese players attacking another group of what appeared to be Americans.

But was the video really depicting what the messages claimed it did?

To Wol-Saeng's eyes, the Japanese players were the desperate ones, and the Americans looked more like players in a game. Thanks to thousands upon thousands of Chinese and Korean "reinforcements," the tide of battle had turned, and now the Japanese were powerless—but the discrepancy of their attitudes remained the same. Even with their gear destroyed and HP nearly gone, they were desperate to do something...Not to destroy, but perhaps to protect something?

Indeed, just moments before, a woman speaking fluent Korean had emerged from the pack of Japanese players and said:

Siune: You are being lied to!! This server belongs to a Japanese company! We are not hackers! We are connected legitimately!! ...Those were Americans, who were brought here under false pretenses, just like you! You're the ones who are being used as tools of sabotage!!

She had called herself Siune. Something in her tone had resonated with Wol-Saeng; he had made his way over to her through the combat and asked, Do you have any means of proving what you've told us?

One of Siune's companions was about to say something in Japanese when the man in the black poncho slashed Wol-Saeng across the back, knocking him to the ground.

Everything after that happened in the blink of an eye, and it was entirely one-sided. The Japanese group was overwhelmed by the crimson soldiers, the majority of the former logging out from HP loss, with less than two hundred survivors being stripped of their weapons and rounded up.

The man in the poncho appeared at the front line again, seemingly to make a victory speech—but instead, he did something quite unusual: He had one player, who was sitting in a wheelchair and clutching two swords, wheeled forward from the Japanese rear guard and began to speak to him in fluent Japanese. Once again, Wol-Saeng felt that something was wrong.

What did it mean for someone to be in a wheelchair in a virtual game? In Silla Empire, which Wol-Saeng was most familiar with, localized leg damage could cause a Crippling Debuff, which affected your ability to walk, but you eventually recovered with magic, medicine, or time. If a player couldn't walk long enough that he needed a wheelchair, it wasn't really a game anymore.

Plus, the young man in black seemed to have some kind of mental disability. He gave no reaction to the poncho man's speech and simply sat there when the wheelchair was shoved. He almost seemed like an empty husk of an avatar, like a rag-doll body belonging to a player who wasn't logged in.

Eventually, the man in the black poncho grew annoyed, put his foot on one of the wheels, and kicked the chair over. Wol-Saeng gasped, forgetting the pain in his back. Even the other Koreans around him seemed a bit stunned by this.

The young man toppled onto the ground, where he finally performed some kind of voluntary action: He reached for the white sword, one of the two he'd been cradling. He used his left hand, because his right arm was missing from the shoulder down, Wol-Saeng now realized.

But he couldn't reach it. The aggressor had lifted the sword up, just a bit out of reach, the way an adult might pick on a helpless child. The young man strained, not getting off the ground, reaching for the object, but his tormentor grabbed his arm and yanked him upward. He yelled something at the helpless young man and slapped him a few times on the face.

Suddenly, there was a new voice shouting. One of the apprehended Japanese players, a woman wearing white-like armor, attempted to grab the aggressive man in black.

But one of the Korean players behind her raised his sword and drove it deep through the womans body. That had to have hurt even more than Wol-Saeng's injury, but the Japanese warrior tried to keep crawling forward until a second sword prevented her advance.

The man in the black poncho gave the skewered woman a twisted smile. He issued an order in Korean to the red knights: "Kill him. He's just in the way." One of the knights obeyed and raised a third sword. Then a blur and an idol AI from Japanese emerged. A fight broke out. And the disable man cried like an empty husk towards the Japanese that died.

It was impossible to sit back and watch any further. There was no guarantee that Siune's explanation was the truth, but at the very least, the way this man would kick over a wheelchair was revolting—and the earnest desperation in the woman's actions carried the conviction of one trying to protect her friends.

Wol-Saeng didn't have a particularly positive image of Japan. Beyond the history and territorial arguments between the countries, there was an insular nature to the island nation, a derisive kind of arrogance, as if to say that they were the only East Asian country worth caring about. The fact that The Seed Nexus was open to Europe and North America but closed off to Korea and China was an excellent example of that attitude.

But...

Japan as a whole did not represent every single individual from Japan. Going back to pre-VRMMO PC-gaming days, there were a few titles with international servers where you could play with people around the world. He'd had bad experiences with Japanese players, but also many good ones.

Wol-Saeng felt disgusted by the actions of the man in the black poncho, and he wanted to believe in Siune and the white woman. Not because they were Japanese or Korean. It was just his personal conscience telling him this was right.

The instant he moved, more blinding pain stemming from his back shot through his head, but he gritted his teeth and got to his feet. Then he drew his sword, took a deep breath, and...

Moonphase:...Hajimaaa!! (...Stoppp!!)

...rushed forward, yelling with as much force as he could muster. Wol-Saeng's default avatar had average stats and felt slow and heavy compared to his agile Silla Empire character, Moonphase. But throughout whatever bonus effect it was, he now raced across the wasteland like the wind and just barely succeeded in blocking the sword meant to end the samurai's life.

Korean: What...what are you doing?!

Demanded the Korean attacker, his voice a mixture of shock and, much more so, anger. Wol-Saeng wouldn't have been able to communicate if it had been a Chinese player, so he knew he had to make use of this good fortune and state his case.

Moonphase: Don't you think there's something strange about this?! The battle is already won! What reason could there be to torment and torture these people?!

His compatriot was briefly silent. His eyes traveled to the woman below, then to the youngster tossed from the wheelchair nearby. Behind his visor, his eyes blinked frequently in surprise. Now that the fervor of battle was waning, this player, too, was slowly realizing the wrongness of what was happening. The force pushing against his blade began to soften.

But before Wol-Saeng could say anything else, a sharp cry issued forth from the crowd around them.

Korean1: Baesinja!! (Traitor!!)

Korean 2: Kill him, too!!

With the anger of his fellows spurring him on, the red knight put more strength back into his sword arm. But the next words to be spoken came as a surprise.

Mei: Wait! Let's hear him out! That man in the back poncho is a serial killer!

Good Korean: He's right—the guy in the poncho's going too far!

Other Korean players in the crowd were arguing on Wol-Saeng's behalf now. Those little fires spread across the mass of players, dividing the crowd into hard-liners who demanded the slaughter of the remaining Japanese and moderates who preferred to wait for a proper explanation before any action was taken. That same dynamic spread to the Chinese players, too, and even more angry shouts—these indecipherable to Wol-Saeng—echoed across the wasteland.

How was the one man seemingly in charge going to contain this chaos? Wol-Saeng spun around to find out.

The one who'd started all this was standing over the one-armed youth from the wheelchair, spinning his large, thick dagger in his fingers. Shaded beneath his hood, his mouth was wide and twisted.

It took a while for it to be apparent that he was not gnashing his teeth in anger but stifling laughter. A cold sensation ran up Wol-Saeng's back, strong enough to numb his pain.

There was no way the man in the black poncho had anything to do with any game made by Chinese, Korean, or American developers. In fact, the existence of such a game seemed suspicious at this point. Whoever he was, there was real blood and pain in this battle, and he was trying to get players of various countries to fight...and kill one another. That was his only goal. Though it sounded as if it came from another person's mouth, Wol-Saeng felt the Korean word for "demon" pass through his lips.

Moonphase:......Angma......(Is he a devil?)

PoH: Just you wait. I'll wake you up soon. If you keep lying there in daze, everyone's going to die.

(Elsewhere)

The second shots were simultaneous. The bullets from the two antimateriel rifles nearly touched as they passed, warping the paths and sending them both blazing off into nothingness.

Sinon did not lose her balance in miserable fashion this time; she kicked back against the air to control the recoil. She could see that Subtilizer kept his feet planted on the winged creature, which was frantically flapping its wings to stay stable.

This was an entirely new experience for Sinon, engaging in a shoot-out with antimateriel rifles in completely open space, both side to side and up and down. Obviously, it never happened in GGO, since the game didn't support player flight. Shooting the Hecate without a bipod to stabilize it the usual way was very different, and the kickback it had in midair was beyond anything she could have expected.

Whoever won this fight would do so because they could limit the recoil and get off the next shot first, Sinon thought as she expelled her empty. Subtilizer would be thinking along the same lines. When she tried to swing around him to the right, he went the other way, keeping them circling.

Eventually, they both launched into acrobatic maneuvers at the same moment, without any kind of signal. She made sharp turns in midair, as hard as she could without losing her balance, moving at random. As she kept the muzzle trained on the enemy, she was keenly aware that she, too, was within his sights.

Subtilizer's Barrett seemed to blur as it caught up to her movement and intercepted her path.

Sinon(mind): Here he comes!!

She gritted her teeth and opened her eyes wide in concentration. Flames shot from the end of the Barrett. Sinon twisted her body to the left as she traveled at maximum speed. The lethal bullet passed closely enough that it could have burned her chest. Her blue armor cracked audibly.

Sinon(mind): Dodged it!

It was her first and last chance. When Subtilizer came to a stop to stabilize the recoil, that was when she would shoot. She lifted the Hecate, aiming it. But a new bullet came flying straight at her.

Sinon(mind): Consecutive shots—how?! Oh...oh no.

Unlike the Hecate, which had a bolt that needed to be slid for each shot, the Barrett was a semiautomatic rifle. The recognition of that fact happened at the same moment that Sinon's left leg practically exploded off its base above the knee.

It was not the pain of losing her leg that got to Sinon; it was the fear of not being able to fly properly anymore. To this point, she had learned to control the voluntary flight system by kicking her legs against the air. Her first attempt at a sharp evasive turn turned into an ugly tailspin instead.

Sinon: Ugh...

She grunted and switched to the one bit of movement she knew she could manage: retreat straight backward. The stream of blood shooting from her left leg created a vivid red line in the air before her.

Sinon aimed at Subtilizer as she pushed backward at maximum possible speed and fired a third bullet. But her enemy, who pursued with confidence, fired a fourth bullet from his own rifle.

When the two bullets traveled the exact same path from opposite ends, they met with a horribly discordant twang, creating a shower of sparks and knocking each bullet off to the side to vanish into nothingness.

She pulled the bolt handle to expel both the empty cartridge and the growing fear in her lungs and then fired a fourth shot. Again, two thunderbolts overlapped. The collision of bullets in midair unleashed a massive amount of kinetic energy and sent them both spiraling away.

A fifth shot. Sixth.

The results were exactly the same. Subtilizer was intentionally shooting on Sinon's rhythm and hitting her shots in the air—that much was clear.

Obviously, in the real world, and even in GGO, this was impossible. But imagination trumped all in this place. Because Subtilizer was intentionally doing this, and Sinon was anticipating that outcome, the impossible phenomenon of supersonic bullets striking one another became reality.

But despite this, there were only three actions Sinon could take: yank the bolt, take aim, pull the trigger. The seventh bullet deflected off to the left with a mournful scream. Discharge. Aim. Click. Click, click. The striker did nothing beneath her finger.

A single magazine for the Hecate II was seven bullets. She had no backup. But the Barrett XM500 could hold ten. He had two shots left. Despite being over a hundred yards away from him in the air, Sinon could clearly make out Subtilizer's cold smile. He pointed the black gun. It spat fire. This time, it was Sinon's right leg that blew off from the base.

Now she couldn't even fly straight. Sinon's body began to plummet. Subtilizer stifled his recoil and put his eye to the scope to aim his final shot. That blue marble eye, magnified by the other end of the lens, pierced Sinon right through the heart.

Sinon(mind): I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Philia. I'm sorry, Rio. I'm sorry...Zora.

No sooner had Sinon mouthed the words than the XM500's tenth bullet emerged from its jaw. A spiral of red flames propelled it, tracing the route Subtilizer envisioned, until it shattered Sinon's blue armor, evaporated her shirt, and reached her skin—Bzzat!! There was another burst of sparks.

Her eyes went from half-closed in anticipation of the shot to wide open. The long, rapidly spinning bullet was grinding itself against a cheap little metal disc. At the center of the spinning vortex of sparks, a piece of metal a fraction of an inch thick seemed to be shining with an unyielding will of its own. The sight caused tears to spring to Sinon's eyes.

Sinon(mind): I won't give up. I'll never give up. I have to believe. In me. In the Hecate. And in the boy I'm connected to through this medal.

There was a brighter flash, and both the silver disc and the rifle bullet evaporated. Sinon raised the Hecate II with purpose and put her finger against the trigger. The weapon might have been turned into a gun through the power of her imagination, but the system properties given to the weapon would still be maintained: the power of Solus's bow, the Annihilation Ray, which automatically absorbed resources from the space around it to charge up attacks. She could fire it. The magazine might be out of bullets, but the Hecate would respond for her.

Sinon: Fiiiiire!!

She pulled the trigger. What the gun expelled was not an armor-piercing round encased in metal. Instead, it was unlimited energy, compressed into a beam of white light that shot out in a straight line, a rainbow halo radiating from the muzzle.

Subtilizer's smile vanished. He started to slide to the right to evade it, but the white beam hit the body of the Barrett. An orange fireball erupted from the gun, engulfing Subtilizer. A boom. A blast.

Sinon felt a wave of heat on her skin as she fell like a rock, and a few seconds later, she slammed into the rocky ground below. She certainly couldn't fly anymore; now she could hardly crawl. The pain from her blown-off legs was so intense it was difficult just to stay conscious. Still, she forced her eyes to stay open so she could confirm the outcome of her desperate attack.

The cloud of black smoke in the distant sky floated off with the wind. And appearing from the center of it, still hovering, was Subtilizer. But he was not unharmed. His right arm had been blown off in the rifle blast, and the raw wound on his shoulder was faintly smoking. The right side of his smooth face was charred, and blood trailed from his lip. At last, there was true malice in his expression.

Sinon:...All right. I'll face off against you as many times as it takes.

She drew upon all the strength she had left to raise the Hecate again. A few seconds later, Subtilizer's gaze left her. The winged creature spun around, little trails of smoke rising from it, and flew straight to the south. It was all Sinon could do just to hold the antimateriel rifle; she gently set it down. The moment it touched the earth, it returned to its original form, a white bow.

With her last bit of strength, Sinon raised her right hand to touch the broken piece of chain still resting on her upper chest.

Sinon: Zora......

A single tear ran down her cheek.

(Elsewhere)

Kirito and Leafa no longer had the wherewithal even to pull out the many blades stuck into their body. All the pain of their body melted together, like their exposed nerves were being poked and prodded by needles. Several of the wounds clearly should have been fatal. The 4 swords penetrating Leafa's abdomen cut into her organs each time she moved, the sword stuck in his chest cut through his lungs every time Kirito swing his swords, and the one going through his back and out his chest was clearly splitting her heart. But both Kirito and Leafa did not stop.

Leafa: Verdurous Anima!!

Kirito: Shin Hakai!!

They screamed, blood flying everywhere, as they activated a sword skill for the hundredth time—if not twice that by now. The long katana Verdurous Anima took on a green glow and cut through the air every which way. The two Giant Swords Shin Hakai took on a black glow and destroy through the ground forming a giant pit. An arc of compressed light held its shape for a moment before expending it silently outward, countless enemies collapsing to pieces in its wake.

In the pause period after her massive attack, a number of enemies rushed in on them. Leafa leaped out of the way in the nick of time, avoiding the majority of their attacks, but a long halberd did slice her left arm off.

Kirito late respond due to Shiva's destroyer power put too much recoil in his body that his muscle was breaking from the inside. Having a late respond, a sword slice his right leg off.

Holding firm against the impulse to collapse from the shock, Leafa screamed "Zeyaaaa!!" and sliced all three of the foes with a sideways swipe. Leafa scooped up the arm that had fallen to the ground, along with Kirito's fallen right leg, pressed it against the stump of her shoulder, and his right leg and stamped her foot on the earth. A green flash brought grass and flowers up from the dirt that vanished as soon as they arrived. Her hit points returned to their maximum value, and while the gruesome wound remained, their limbs was attached again.

In this situation, the unlimited regenerative ability that the Terraria account possessed was hardly what you would call a divine blessing. In fact, it was closer to a curse. No matter how wounded she was, how much agony she felt, she could not fall in battle. She was immortal but not invulnerable. It was unimaginable agony.

Leafa(mind): Terraria accounts's unlimited regeneration ability.

Shiva super account grant the users an unlimited destruction just by the swing of its destruction. The God of Destruction Shiva, also the counterpart of the Goddess of Creation Stacia. It was said that this God would destroy anything that would hinder Stacia's development for the Underworld. And given its destructive power, the legend was true.

Kirito(mind): My muscles and bones are a messed! My body couldn't handle the recoil of Shiva's super account. But...

There was just one simple belief that kept Kirito and Leafa upright.

Kirito: If it were you Zora...

Leafa: Big Brother would never fall from wounds like these.

Kirito: So we won't either... There are only three thousands left. We'll cut them all down.

The twin tips of Kirito's long swords started to glow red. He was trying to finish this with one last big attack.

Leafa: Because we're... Big Brother's Zora the Night Sky Swordsman's...siblings!

The tip of the sword in her left hand blazed with crimson light. The blade thrust forward with a sound like heavy machinery, unleashing a massive spear of light that split the battlefield for a distance of over a hundred yards. Bwashaaa! The bodies of enemy soldiers flattened and disintegrated in its vicinity.

Leafa:...Haah...huff......

The breath she expelled soon turned to a gout of fresh blood. Leafa wiped her mouth and straightened up unsteadily—only for a long spear to come hurtling toward her, ramming straight through her left eye and out the back of her head. She stumbled a few steps backward...but Leafa did not fall.

Kirito: Sugu!

Instead, she grabbed the hilt of the spear with her left hand and yanked it straight out. There was a very eerie sensation inside her head unrelated to physical pain.

Leafa: Aaah...aaaaaah!!

She stomped the ground again to recover her hit points. The left side of her head realigned with a clicking noise, and she could see on that side again. Somehow, now that they got a better look, the enemy was down to perhaps just a hundred in number. Kirito grinned, extended a bloody hand forward, raised his palm, and brought his fingers together.

The oncoming soldiers roared at them with one last desperate rush. Kirito raised his long swords with a ponderous motion.

Kirito: Iyeeaaaaah!!

A flash. Blood flew, and Kirito threw himself amid the severed enemy group without fear. With one final swing using Shiva's power, he sent a massive ray of destruction towards the remaining soldiers. But that was also when both arms gave up. Kirito left and right arms were crushed under the recoil and disintegrate.

The strength went from his limbs, and both Kirito and Leafa toppled backward, but the swords and spears sticking through their back only propped them up before they could fall all the way. With the sound of their name being shrieked, and the oncoming footsteps of Lilpilin and the orcs, Kirito and Leafa let their eyelids close.

Leafa: Didn't I...give it everything I had...Big Brother.........?

Kirito: All that's left is you, Bro...

(Real World)

The muffled shout came through his in-ear speaker right as Yanai started to pull the trigger of the gun.

Rinko: Get out of the way, Higa!!

Higa(mind): Huh? Get out of the way of...the bullet?

He thought stupidly, when he caught the sound of something whistling through the air as it dropped from a considerable height. Glonk!! The sound was not the pistol firing. Something tossed down from the entrance to the cable duct far above them had landed right on Yanai's skull. The man's eyes rolled upward. The hand holding on to the rung slipped.

Higa: Wait...whoa...!

Higa forgot the pain in his shoulder and used that arm to clutch the ladder, pressing his body as tight to the side of the duct as he could. The first thing to fall past was an enormous monkey wrench; he was baffled as to where it had come from. Next, he saw a small pistol hurtle by, smelling of gunpowder. Lastly, Yanai's unconscious body wedged itself between Higa and the wall of the duct and came to a stop.

Yanai: Ah...aaah!

Higa hunched his shoulders and pressed his back harder against the wall. Yanai's body gradually slid past, smearing pungent sweat on Higa's shirt.

Higa:......Ah—

He uttered, right as the unconscious man squeezed through and plunged down the duct, which continued vertically for more than a hundred and fifty feet. There were several thumps as he struck the walls and ladder on the way down to a final, heavy impact at the bottom.

Higa:......Hmm.

Higa(mind): Is he...dead? I don't know. Seemed like maybe he just broke two or three bones...or five or six...

Higa's mental state was mostly dazed when a scream through the earpiece brought him back.

Rinko: Higa...Hey, Higa!! Are you all right?! Answer me, please!!

Higa:.........I think I'm just a bit...shocked. I've...never heard you scream like that, Miss Rinko...

Rinko: Is...is this really the time for that?! Are you hurt?! Did he shoot you?!

Higa: Ummm, well...

Higa took a look at his shoulder. The loss of blood was starting to get gnarly. He could move his right arm, but there was no sensation in it, and it felt very cold. He could tell that his thoughts weren't as sharp as usual, either. But he inhaled deeply, tensed his gut, and pushed out as lively a voice as he could manage.

Higa: Yeah, I'm totally fine! Just a scratch. I'll continue the operation. You keep monitoring Zora's status, please!!

Rinko:...You're certain you're all right? I'm going to take your word on it! If you're lying, you're in big trouble with me!!

Higa: Please...I'd appreciate your trust.

He craned his neck to look up at the hatch at least a hundred feet above and carefully waved at Rinko's protruding head. With the distance and darkness, she wouldn't be able to see how much blood he'd lost.

Rinko: Well...I'm going back to Subcon, then, but as soon as anything changes in the graph, I'll be right back here! Do your best, Higa!!

The silhouette was starting to leave when Higa surprised himself by saying.

Higa: Uh...M-Miss Rinko.

Rinko: What? What is it?!

Higa: Oh...it's just, uh...

Higa(mind): Did you know that when we were students, it wasn't just Kayaba and that Sugou asshole who were head over heels for you?

It was a question he wanted to ask but didn't, because he felt that saying it out loud would dramatically decrease his chances of getting back alive. Instead, he came up with a substitute on the fly.

Higa: When all of this nonsense is over, would you be open to getting dinner sometime?

Rinko: Yeah, fine, I'll buy you whatever you want—hamburgers, beef bowl, anything. Just get it done!!

And Dr. Koujiro vanished from view.

Higa: What a cheap date.

In fact, as far as trying to avoid "lines the doomed guy says," that wasn't much better. Higa smirked to himself and looked back at the laptop. He set his numbed fingers over the keyboard and carefully began typing commands.

Connecting STL #3...to #4. Connecting #5...#6...#7...#8...

The font suddenly blurred and went double, probably due to blood loss. Higa shook his head.

Higa: All right, Zora. It's time to wake up, buddy.

(Underworld)

Through her veil of tears, Philia stared at the figure of the man she loved, and she prayed.

Philia(mind): Please, Zora. I beg of you. You can have my heart, my life, my everything... Just open your eyes. Please... Stand up... And open your eyes... Zora....

Asuna who was seating next to Philia close her eyes, clutching Zora's locket in her hand and could only pray that the person whom she saw as a little brother wake up.

Asuna(mind): Please Zora...

Sinon lay there motionlessly looking at the medal neckless in her chest which had protected her from Subtilizer's attack, pray for the boy that had saved her life at GGO to wake up.

Sinon(mind): Zora...

At the eastern part of the dark territory, both Kirito and Leafa whom both could no longer move prayed for their family member whom shared with each other so much to wake up.

Leafa(mind): Big Brother.

Kirito(mind): Bro...

Back at the ruins where all the red soldiers fought among themselves, the Blue Rose Sword that was stabbed on the ground started to shine and a silhouette of Eugeo could be seen.

Eugeo:.........Come on, now......Zora......

Between all that madness, the locket that was in Asuna's hand glow ever so dimly and the silhouette of Rumia could be seen standing near Zora cupping his face.

Rumia:.......It's time to wake up........Little Brother.......

With all their prayers connected into Zora, the unconscious hero's body started to glow. And within his own mind.

Rumia and Eugeo: Zora.

Zora: ?

It felt like someone was calling his name...and it pulled him out of a nap. Zora lifted his eyelids and saw a multitude of ultrafine particles floating in orange light. Slowly but surely, his hazy vision began to sharpen. Wavering white fabric—curtains. Silver window frame. Old, faded glass. Rustling leaves. Sky colored by sun beginning to set. Slowly trailing jet streams. Zora sat up, inhaling dusty air, and saw the back of someone in a high school uniform standing before a dark-green chalkboard. An eraser slid across its surface, smearing away white chalk words.

Classmate:...Um, Yatagami?

The mention of his name again drew his attention to the face of a different girl, who was standing over him, looking both hesitant and annoyed.

Classmate: I want to move that desk.

Apparently, Zora had fallen asleep in homeroom, and now he was intruding on cleaning time.

Zora: Oh...sorry.

Zora mumbled, lifting the school bag that was hanging from the side of the desk and getting to his feet. His head felt heavy. Zora was exhausted, like he'd just finished watching some unfathomably long movie. He couldn't remember a single thing about the story, but the last remnants of bitter, powerful emotions stuck in his mind like cobwebs that Zora shook his head to disperse.

The girl was looking at him with suspicion now, but Zora turned away from her and began walking toward the door at the back of the classroom, muttering as he went.

Zora: Oh...... Just a Dream.......