Above us, the skylight we'd entered through sealed behind us, and I felt the first stirrings of uneasiness. The doors always closed when we started a boss fight, right...? Then that meant... I exhaled as I realized that the massive statue standing in the center of the floor wasn't a statue at all, but the boss we were going to be fighting. "What the fuck..." I breathed. It was beyond massive, beyond gargantuan, beyond any word describing the size discrepancy. We were as big as one of its eyes. And let's not even get into the gigantic spear it was holding. The blade was longer than Agil was tall.

As we fell, the eyes of the boss flashed and I yelped, "Oh shi-!"

The tip of the spear swung around and slammed into Agil, deceptively fast for its size. With a single lunge, the boss drove him into the wall.

Fuck. First blood to the boss?

The rest of us landed on the ground and the protective bubble popped. "Agil!" Kirito shouted.

I was more interested in looking at the boss itself. Its skin was pure white, and it was humanoid-shaped, almost resembling a woman. It was wearing some sort of long, dark red dress that fell to the floor to cover the lower half of its body, but its top was bare. The armor on its shoulders swooped like wings, almost, and a massive... sundial-like thing stretched out behind its head like it was the world's most threatening hairstyle.

I just didn't have the words to describe what I was looking at, except for 'unnatural' and 'looks like a real fucker to fight.' Ruby crystals were set in the boss's thing, one at the base of the six points sweeping out like extra blades. There were five more above it, and four more on its head proper. In its left hand, the boss held the massive spear that had struck Agil, and in its right it held a massive, dark red claymore.

Its health bars filled up, and I counted. "Ten?!" I yelped. Okay, this is unfair, can we just fight Kayaba again or something?

The crystal above its head appeared, a bright red color. Its name appeared directly below it - An Incarnation Of The Radius. I see... Aincrad. We're fighting a literal incarnation of the world that had trapped us for two years.

This is gonna suck.

Conclusion

The boss stared at us, as if it was somehow offended that we'd made it up here to fight it. The cloud of dust from Agil's impact with the wall cleared, revealing that he'd had just enough time to block with his axe. The wall was still cracked and damaged, the impact having formed a huge crater. He was using both hands to struggle against the point of the spear, one hand on the blade of the axe to give a little more force. "So you're... the last boss of SAO, huh?!" Agil grunted.

Kirito gritted his teeth and brought his hand up to the hilt of his sword. "Let's go!" he shouted.

With the ring of glittering steel, we all unsheathed our weapons and dashed forward. It felt good to be fighting in virtual reality again, where I could move as fast as my stats would allow.

Aincrad turned its attention back to Agil. With a heavy swing, it brought the claymore straight down, ripping a hole through the wall. Yeah, there was no way Agil was blocking that attack. Once it was done with the axe-wielder, Aincrad turned back to us, its eyes flashing. Its arms spread and the gems on its head flashed -

- as ten different-colored beams lanced out from the gems, arcing through the air at us. The red one aimed for Kirito and he dodged to the side, but I didn't have time to look any closer since I was busy dodging the blue one aiming for me. I jumped and twisted, flipping neatly through the air before landing on my feet without losing speed at all. Take that, Eiji. I can do cool acrobatics too. The beam of blue light stabbed into the ground where I'd been standing an instant before.

Behind me I heard loud cries, but I couldn't spare the time to look. They were female, though... which meant that Silica, Liz, and Argo hadn't been able to dodge the lightning-fast attack. Shit. The knowledge fueled my anger, and I poured it into charging faster. I pulled ahead of Kirito - which made sense, I was faster than him on a straight run in VR - and thrust my dagger forward. It struck some sort of barrier surrounding the boss, and I froze in midair as my momentum carried me against the strange shell. Electric sparks skittered across the barrier.

When the gems on the boss's head started to glow, my eyes widened and I tried to run - but it was too late. I was in midair and couldn't possibly move. The boss unleashed a massive blast of ruby energy, directly in my face. With a shout I went flying back, unable to control my flight. Something hard smashed into my back and I felt something shatter as all of my momentum bled out at once. A heavy crash echoed through the chamber. ...Did I just break something by flying into it at high speeds?

Head spinning from the impact, I gathered my wits and stood up from the rubble - just in time to see Aincrad rushing toward me, hovering a little bit off the ground and swinging the claymore towards my head. Before I could move, though, a green projectile shattered against Aincrad's barrier. A sniper rifle barked again and I looked to the right to see Sinon standing in the staircase set in the wall, firing repeatedly on the boss. Aincrad turned and its eyes flashed, and it swept a laser beam across the spiral staircase.

The superheated stone glowed red hot for a second before exploding in an impressive display of pyrotechnics. "Sinon!" I shouted, fist clenching on my dagger. She screamed as she was sent flying by the shockwave.

Suddenly, Agil came rushing in with a shout, his axe sweeping down in a massive blow. It slammed against Aincrad's lower body, getting blocked by the barrier again. Aincrad turned and thrust with its spear again, but Agil was able to block it. "Switch out!" he roared.

From above, Kirito leapt and slammed his sword down. The barrier glowed again, concentric circles rippling out like water where he'd struck it. "Switch!"

He jumped away, and two others jumped in. Liz and Silica shouted together, both of them striking the point that Kirito had attacked earlier. The blue streaks of electricity were more pronounced and the ripples started expanding faster and faster; even as Aincrad brought its arms up to guard its head, abandoning the attack on Agil, the barrier shattered like glass and the two girls struck the boss simultaneously, sending it reeling. "Switch!" Liz and Silica shouted.

I leapt from the pillar I was standing on and raced towards the boss. It had let go of the massive claymore, the heavy weapon crashing to the ground beside it. "Argo!" I shouted, before lunging into a handspring. As I was upside down, I felt someone rest their weight on the underside of my boots and I kicked out, acting as a springboard. I completed the flip to see Argo spinning in midair, her claws flashing out to gouge a hole in the boss's stomach. Just like the Floor 5 boss... only a little flashier, I think. Finally, I jumped, propelling myself forward at high speeds. I spun once in the air and slashed, dragging my dagger down the boss's side.

I landed and grinned, listening to Aincrad's shriek of protest. It slid back, our assault finally hesitating as we all gathered ourselves from the attack. Its eyes flashed blue, this time, and I flinched - only for my eyes to widen as a strange sound echoed out. It sounded like something being distorted and played backwards. But I didn't have the chance to worry about it; roots erupted from the ground behind Aincrad, twisting and growing into a massive tree that loomed above the boss. As a pillar of light illuminated the tree, casting a shadow over Aincrad, I realized that our combined attack had actually damaged the first health bar.

A single drop of dew splashed from the tree and landed on the crown of the boss's head, striking the gem. As sparkles covered the boss and it glowed, the gems on its body turned bright blue. The tree faded away as Aincrad stood there, motionless, and the first health bar filled back up to full. "A heal?!" I shouted. This is bullshit.

"Shit..." Kirito growled. We were all staring in horror. With just the seven of us, there was no way we were going to be able to deal enough damage to keep up with that kind of healing.

"No way," Silica whispered.

Liz gasped, "Oh man... How do we beat that thing?!"

With a scream, Aincrad brought its spear up and slammed the butt of the staff on the ground. In response, massive tree roots ripped out of the ground, twisting and launching themselves toward us. I grunted in surprise and braced for impact, trying to figure out where the roots would twist to block it -

- and the roots squirmed one extra time and smashed from above when I'd expected it to be from the front. I gasped in pain as the shockwave rippled across the floor but managed to keep my feet under me. As the smoke cleared, the roots squirmed, and I realized that only three of us had managed to escape the attack. Liz, Argo, and Agil had been tangled up in the vines, lifted in the air and pinned with no way to escape.

I jumped to the side as Aincrad released another laser beam from its eyes. This one swept from the floor straight up a wall, and I realized Sinon must have been hiding there. The superheated rock exploded again, and even though I couldn't see through the black smoke I knew there was no way she would have been able to escape the radius in time. To the side, Silica gasped and shouted something before running towards the boss. Aincrad's eyes flashed again and the girl was launched up in the air as the stone beneath her feet rocketed upwards.

Another piece of stone from the ceiling was launched as Aincrad's eyes flashed again and the two stone slabs met in the middle of the air, grinding and crushing against each other. Even though they cracked, I could see Silica pinned between the two.

Shit! I rushed the boss myself, seeing Kirito to my left jump at the same time. "Silica!" he shouted. Aincrad turned as the two of us attacked and it countered almost effortlessly. Its massive spear struck me as it simultaneously grabbed Kirito mid-air, slamming us both against the wall. I was pinned like Agil had been; the wall behind me had cracked from the impact, but I'd managed to bring my arms up just in time. Even with both of them crossed, blocking the point of the spear, it was still pressuring me and inching closer to spearing through my gut. Kirito was simply being crushed by Aincrad's hand.

"Kirito!" "Silica!" "Ry!" Agil, Liz, and Argo all shouted simultaneously in panic.

They were pinned. Sinon was probably buried in rubble and unable to fire a shot. Silica was being crushed by the telekinetic control over the rock, screaming in pain and agony. I was a few heartbeats away from being stabbed through.

"Nooooo!" Agil shouted desperately.

And Aincrad leaned in towards Kirito, its eyes flashing as it prepared to unleash an explosion of energy at him.

"Fuck!" I snarled, pushing with all my strength to shove the spear away. Despite my best attempt, the energy blast finished charging, and the spear inched closer, and -

Then a shooting star arrived and we were saved. A massive impact rattled the boss as a Sword Skill was unleashed, directly into Aincrad's left eye. The boss's control over the rocks slipped and Silica fell free. What was more, the point of the spear hesitated for a fraction of a second and I didn't miss my chance. I brought my legs up to kick at the blade. It slid up and over my head, smashing into the wall, and I was able to drop down safely.

As I fell, I looked up at Aincrad's head and my eyes widened. The cloud of dust from the impact of the Sword Skill cleared to reveal a familiar figure, her rapier driven into the remain of Aincrad's eye... "Asuna...?" I breathed. She turned and ripped her rapier out, flicking it as if she was removing blood from the blade. Her face was so fierce and determined, totally unlike the fearful expression she'd been wearing only a few minutes before. What happened, out in the real world?

"Asuna!" Silica shrieked as she fell.

Immediately, Asuna lunged and grabbed onto Silica, wrapping the girl in a hug. "I got you!"

"It's my fault!" Silica wailed. "You lost your memory because of me!

"No," Asuna replied. "Stop blaming yourself. It's okay now."

I couldn't hear if either girl said anything else, because the ground was rushing up to me at an abrupt rate. I twisted in midair, landing upside down on one hand. I pushed off and flipped, landing neatly on the ground. Quickly I jumped up to the nearby root structure, landing next to Asuna and Silica. The others jumped over a few seconds later, the binding debuff timer having worn out for Liz, Argo, and Agil.

"Hi guys," Asuna said, looking at us. She was still pristine, even if the rest of us were covered in dirt and bruises. "Sorry I'm late."

Agil grinned, and Argo folded her arms behind her head. "Nya hah hah! That's our Asuna," my girlfriend said. "Always fashionably late, even to this party."

"Are you okay to be here?" Kirito asked Asuna.

Asuna turned to look at him and nodded with a determined smile. "I'm ready to fight. I'm not afraid anymore!" I grinned softly, glad that she found her courage.

"Good," Kirito said, almost whispering it.

A rifle shot rang out, the bark echoing through the boss chamber. I looked up to see Sinon standing tall, taking shots at the boss again. Thank gods, she was okay. The bullets splashed against Aincrad's skin, not really seeming to do any damage, but I grinned fiercely at the sight of the boss's face. The eye Asuna had put out had darkened, weeping a dark purple liquid. It was almost as if the eye had bled... What was more, the boss's face had twisted in an angry snarl.

It held out a hand, and the claymore lying embedded in the ground blade-first flew to it, tugged by invisible puppet strings. It snatched the sword out of the sky and flew towards us, letting out a screech of rage. The boss somehow sounded angry, despite being a, well, a boss. Was it using some sort of emotive engine? We raised our weapons, preparing to fight -

- and a rush of green energy surged over our heads, striking the boss and enveloping it in a whirling vortex of wind blades that bit and sliced at its skin. Aincrad was forced to end the charge and bring up its guard, protecting its vulnerable face.

That's... That's Sylph magic!

I turned and looked at the direction it had come from. There was a gap in the ruby brickwork, with sunlight pouring in - and an emerald green flash of light, rapidly approaching. "Kazuto!" Leafa shouted, waving happily as she zoomed towards us. "Sorry I'm late!"

"Daddy! Mommy!" Yui said, flying around Leafa's head. Was she riding on Leafa or something? "I brought everyone else too!" She gestured grandly at the opening where Leafa had come from, and my eyes widened as multi-colored flashes of light appeared. Red, blue, green, yellow, purple... Were they all the races of Alfheim?

Sure enough, as the figures drew closer I started recognizing some of the fairies. "This is gonna be fun," General Eugene said.

"Stay sharp, General," Sakuya scolded him, her kimono fluttering as she flew. Alicia Rue was flying next to the Sylph, grinning like a cat that got the cream.

I even saw Jun and Siune as representatives of the Sleeping Knights, and Recon too. The highest-ranked players from Alfheim had come to fight with us, thanks to Yui. I looked around, and spotted Din riding with Klein, holding on to the Samurai's headband. Heh. So that's where he was. "Hah!" Klein laughed, thumping his bicep. "We rule in VR!"

The trio of Salamanders swooped low, slashing at Aincrad and leaving gaping red wounds as they passed. Above us, Sakuya and Alicia Rue held their hands out and chanted a complicated spell, both of the Lords unleashing powerful magic beams that bombarded the boss. Aincrad reeled back, shrieking -

- and the chatter of heavy machineguns started up, gunfire raining down on the boss from above. Players from GGO had arrived to help, too, opening fire from the staircase set in the wall. "She's a big lady!" some guy dressed as a cowboy said. Wait, haven't I seen him somewhere?

"They're here too?" Kirito asked in disbelief. Beside me, Silica jumped up and cheered happily.

"Time's running out!" Sakuya shouted.

Klein threw his hand out. "Hit it again!" he shouted, and the Salamanders lunged for another pass at the boss.

Yui swooped down in front of us, a glowing ball of light in her hand. "Don't just stand there," she cried, grinning like an eager child. "You've got work to do!" She held her hand up and the ball of light glowed and expanded and enveloped us -

As the light faded away, I looked down at myself. Oh. Oh fuck yes! "Now we're ready to kick some ass," I said, slamming my fists together. The Diamond Gauntlets crashed, an all-too-familiar sound ringing out. Yui's gift to us had been a complete restoration of our equipment from old Aincrad - everything I wore at the Floor 75 boss battle, in fact. The Bloodwyrm Scale Mail that acted like cloth armor with the protection power of light metal, my Diamond Gauntlets gleaming on my hands, and most importantly, the tooth-like knife strapped to my arm for quick access.

I immediately unsheathed the Nightblade and ran through a familiar pattern, my dagger tracing gleaming arcs in midair. I spun the weapon as a flourish and caught it, grinning madly. "Kirito, your kid is awesome," I said.

Everyone else had been given back their old Aincrad equipment as well. Liz in her assault waitress uniform, the heavy flanged mace in her hand; Agil with his massive, double-headed axe and green armor, and even Kirito and Asuna in the black and white outfits respectively, the Black Swordsman and Lightning Flash in the flesh. I heard a cheerful screech and saw Pina swoop down to land on Silica's shoulder, nuzzling at her cheek. "Pina!" Silica giggled, scratching her friend.

Even Argo had her hood back, complete with the rows of throwing picks and potions lining the inside pockets.

"I loaded up your save data from the SAO server!" Yui chirped, flying in front of us. "I thought you'd be more comfortable this way!" She even threw up double V for Victory signs. "I also brought your gear, Sinon!" she called up. I glanced at Sinon, smiling as I saw her familiar blue hair. She was in her GGO avatar, holding onto Hecate and staring at the rifle like it was a dream.

We all looked at each other and nodded. "Alright," Kirito said, raising his hands to grasp the hilts of his Elucidator and Dark Repulser. "Let's do this!"

He unsheathed them with the scrape of metal as we all cheered, "Yeah!" and launched ourselves forward.

From there, the battle turned to chaos, and I could only pick out what was happening thanks to watching Din's replay later, giving me the insight into what I couldn't possibly see or hear. The Alfheim fairies were using their ability to fly to keep the boss distracted, flying faster than the boss's lasers could track them. The whole while, the unceasing gunfire pounded away at the boss. I definitely could hear Sinon's Hecate bark as she fired, sliding down the roots from the boss's attack earlier; that sound was unmistakable, even in the heat and confusion of the battle.

Even as Sinon blasted away with Hecate, Aincrad lunged for her, slashing the claymore. Sinon jumped and the sword only cut the vine, leaving the boss vulnerable to Kirito and Asuna's well-timed attack. With twin shouts, Asuna and Kirito struck; Asuna's rapier pierced the boss's flesh as she struck like her namesake, and Kirito unleashed a Dual Wielding Sword Skill that carved gouges in the boss's chest.

The more sword-based fairies of Alfheim darted round like greased lightning, slicing at Aincrad and darting away before it could counter them. Eugene, Jun, Klein and Leafa... They were all swarming the gigantic boss like gnats. Even when a lucky hit knocked Eugene into the ground, it didn't slow them down. Klein got slapped aside as he flew away, careening into the wall from the force, but Leafa was unharmed. Even when Aincrad slammed the butt of its staff onto the ground, spawning entangling roots to grab at Leafa, the Sylph weaved through the deadly forest with careless ease. She was the best flier in Alfheim, after all. They'd have to try harder than that to catch her.

To the side, Alicia Rue, Sakuya, and Siune all cooperated to form a powerful barrier that protected Asuna and Kirito, since the two of them were frozen from their post-Sword Skill cooldowns. The roots that attacked them bounced off of the barrier and disintegrated from the reflected damage, destroying themselves.

But they weren't the only ones the roots were attacking. I looked up at the forest of roots plunging towards me -

- and I grinned. Even carrying Argo in my arms - since her skills were specced for non-combat, supporting roles she couldn't move as well as the rest of us could - didn't stop me from effortlessly weaving my way through the smashing vines. How could they touch me?

After all, I could see everything they were going to do. My eyes burned red, and I was untouchable.

One final twist and turn and the roots provided a perfect stepping stone for me to jump. Argo nodded at me and I spun in midair, flinging Argo bodily at the boss. She spun, cloak flapping behind her, and then abruptly snapped open just in time to bury her claws in Aincrad's side. She kept going, of course, and the attack opened up a massive gash on the side of the white boss. A shriek answered our attack and I landed on the ground with a grin. That had been enough to break the attack, forcing the roots to stop expanding.

After the root attacked finished, Aincrad whipped its head to the side and forced rocks to rise. A few players from GGO and Alfheim were caught in the attack and were levitated up above the boss's head. Aincrad looked up and its eyes flashed, unleashing a blast of energy that exploded on the rocks. Unfortunately, they were probably out for the count, but that didn't mean that we were going to stop fighting. Racing across the rocks, Silica and Liz lunged, both of them jumping off of the floating rocks and smashing their weapons against the boss's head with a heavy metallic clang. Even while they fell, eyes hard, Agil jumped in the air and brought his axe down with a loud shout.

The force of the impact rocked the boss, denting its head, and a shockwave blasted out. The remaining rocks in the air fell to the ground and Aincrad shrieked in frustration, its one good eye flashing. We'd completed depleted most of its health bars, and I realized what was about to happen seconds before the sourceless blue light shined down on the boss, the tree appearing behind it again.

I launched myself forward. "Heal from this, you bitch!" I snarled, my Nightblade flashing out. Unlike the rest of the wounds that we'd given the boss, this one was a sick, pulsing green. That's right. Just a scratch and the poison of the Nightblade invades the body, doing its work. Aincrad stumbled, and I knew I'd put it on a timer, but that didn't stop the droplet of dew from falling from the leaf -

- and Asuna shouted, "Hurry! Block it!"

The mages of the group responded to her call. Everyone with a ranged attack launched a blast, even Pina - I didn't even know the little dragon could do that! Machineguns chattered and Sinon fired her Hecate, and all of the attacks rocked the boss. The explosion made the boss shriek, and the tree faded away - without the boss regaining its health.

And now it's only a matter of time.

"You and me, Asuna," Kirito shouted.

"Right!" Asuna replied.

The two of them ran for the boss, swords at the ready. Aincrad, as if sensing their intentions, turned and shrieked, slamming the butt of its staff into the ground. The roots erupted from the earth and stretched towards them. Sinon fired, and Leafa sent out a blast of magic; the two blasts collided with roots seeking Kirito and Asuna, destroying them in a maelstrom of fire and wind. However, multiple vines slipped through. "Damn it!" Sinon swore as she racked her Hecate's slide.

Before the surviving vines could strike, though, Argo and I were there to counter them. Argo's claws flashed out, severing one vine heading towards Asuna, and I stood firm in front of one aiming for Kirito. I didn't even hesitate before cracking my knuckles and punching with all my might. The root collided with my fist and pulped itself. That's right. Don't mess with Future Step!

Kirito and Asuna flashed past me and Argo, aiming for the boss. I could only watch as they jumped in the air, lunging for the boss. Aincrad shrieked in rage and pain, thrusting forward with its spear. Kirito brought his swords together in a cross block, sparks flying from his swords as Elucidator and Dark Repulser shifted the course of the spear below him. "Switch!" he shouted.

Asuna raised her rapier - and my eyes widened as I stared at her. I thought I saw... I thought I saw a ghostly body in the air next to her, hand wrapped around Asuna's rapier hilt. The ghost of Yuuki fought with Asuna as her rapier flashed with a purple light, the exact color of purple that Yuuki's sword had glowed when I fought her in the arena and she used her trump card. The skill effects glowed and flapped, almost like angelic wings as Asuna rocketed forward, rapier striking in a ten-hit cross pattern that crossed from the boss's shoulders to hip, making an X in the direct center of its chest. With a shout, Asuna thrust her rapier forward in the eleventh hit of Mother's Rosario, blasting through Aincrad's chest and leaving a gaping hole. Purple flames burned as Aincrad rocked backwards.

Then it was Kirito's turn, his dual blades glowing with blue fire as he unleashed Stardust Stream, his most reliable Sword Skill. Over and over he slashed at the boss, leaving scores of slashes on the boss's body. I lost count of how many times he struck before finally he launched in the air, his Elucidator plunging down towards the boss's head. He shouted as he fell, and Aincrad's mouth opened in a silent scream of rage as it looked up, and Kirito's blade slashed the head in half.

A final cry echoed through the Ruby Palace as the boss, An Incarnation Of The Radius, glowed with an impossibly bright golden light - and exploded in a detonation of energy, rocking all of us.

When the light cleared, we were standing alone in the battleground. All of the rubble and debris from the fight had been cleared up, except for the one broken pillar that I'd cracked with my body, for whatever reason. Motes of what looked like tiny stars drifted down from above, glittering in the light. Suddenly, a golden pattern lit up underneath our feet, tracing out a complex circular design. All of the motes of light rushed together in the air above the circle and formed a massive sword, hovering in the air. It was a gigantic, two-sided blade with a clear blue crystal set in the middle.

As it floated down it shrank, until it finally landed in Kirito's arms. The Last Attack Bonus for beating the boss, huh? ...Guess he can have this one, since he beat the final boss the first time around, too. Even though it shrank as it fell, the sword was still as long as Kirito was tall, glowing in his hands with an inner light.

"Now you really have cleared the game, Kirito."

My eyes widened at the echoing voice. Kayaba... He was... alive? Or, no, he was dead. But how was he talking? "Kayaba," Kirito whispered.

We all looked up at the light spilling through from outside as it grew brighter and brighter. "You only have one thing left to do," Kayaba's voice said. A bright light shone from the sword Kirito had won, making his shadow stretch out behind him as it glowed more and more, erasing everything I could see in its pure white light.

...

I stared down at the battles in the arena, watching from the private seats. There was a small hedge behind me, as well as a few comfortable seats. The glass between me and the rest of the arena lent a detached air to what I was watching, even as Yuna got knocked aside by The Fatal Scythe and crashed into the bleachers. I knew I should be worried, but I just couldn't seem to feel any danger at all.

"It's been a while, Rythin."

I didn't look to the side, even as The Fatal Scythe approached Yuna. The rest of the players were starting to fail, small groups being surrounded by the bosses they were fighting. "Yes, it has," I said. "Akihiko Kayaba."

The Fatal Scythe raised its weapon in the air, preparing to slaughter Yuna, but instead it froze. The scythe slipped from its skeletal fingers and clattered to the ground before exploding. The monster itself followed suit shortly after, shattering and exploding into the multi-colored confetti that accompanied every boss's death. A single slash had destroyed the boss, and the swordsman was standing there, his back to Yuna and sword outstretched. Kirito's black cloak flapped in the invisible wind.

Even though our true bodies were still sitting on the bleachers, he was down there, and I was up here. Still wearing our old Aincrad equipment.

"I've wondered what happened to you," I said idly as Kirito's rank increased. With a small chime, the marker above his head changed from a simple crown, the icon of the second-ranked player, to an ornate golden crown. Above Yuna's head, her own marker flashed as she dropped from first place to second. "They said you committed suicide by scanning your brain, but it was more than that, wasn't it? You uploaded your consciousness to the Internet. You're an electronic ghost."

"I am."

If I'd known... could I have saved Yuuki? Used the Medicuboid to scan her brain and keep her alive, even in the digital world? It might have been enough... I shook my head as I watched Yuna start making her way to the stage. I knew I shouldn't dwell on my past mistakes. "A long time ago," I said, "you said you gave me Future Step because I reminded you of yourself. That I had potential, or something like that. Was... that the truth, or another lie?"

Despite myself I looked over. Akihiko Kayaba was standing next to me, watching the fighting below with his hands in the pockets of his lab coat. Even after a few years had passed, he hadn't changed in the slightest. Which... Well, I guess it made sense, if he was an AI ghost. Yui and Din controlled their appearance at will, so if Kayaba didn't want to change, then he wouldn't. "It's been a long time," he said after a long time. "Even if it was true back then, it might not be true now."

"Mm."

"You've done well, Rythin," he said to me. "Making the skill your own, and not something you were given. I commend you for that." Slowly, despite knowing that this man was responsible for at least four thousand deaths and probably many more problems for the survivors, I smiled at the compliment.

I glanced at the man as Yuna took the stage, walking to the center. "You've changed, Kayaba," I said. I didn't know how, exactly, but the man I was speaking to wasn't the man who I'd talked with at the end of Aincrad, watching the floating castle fall apart.

A faint, almost invisible smile crossed Kayaba's lips. "You have your friend to thank for that," he replied. "I used to believe that the system was the ultimate authority. But he showed me there was something greater. An existence that transcends the system itself."

"My friend, hm?" The spotlights on the stage snapped on, illuminating Yuna in the exact center. "Never change, Kirito."

Then, with a deep breath, Yuna began to sing.

You gave me some words of kindness~

Instantly, the mood down below started to shift. "It's Yuna!" the players shouted, their spirits rallying. I could feel the tide turning as they redoubled their efforts, charging the bosses and opening fire with their guns. The old SAO bosses weren't able to hold up under that kind of pressure, and I watched as even The Skull Reaper quailed under the assault. Below, Kirito swung his sword once, and two bosses were slain. He turned and slashed again, his hair and coat blowing from the force of the wind his sword created, and killed three more bosses in a single shot.

I chose to not pay that much attention to what Kirito was doing. The game was over, after all – this was just the pointless cleanup. The players had taken the momentum of the fight, and the bosses would inevitably fall, even without the Black Swordsman's help. Instead, I closed my eyes to listen to Yuna's beautiful song. It felt so familiar... "Do you know?" I asked Kayaba, without opening my eyes. "Why Shigemura did what he did."

"To revive his daughter," Kayaba replied, his voice calm and unflappable. "I suppose it's my fault in the end, after all, but she had been trapped inside SAO as one of the ten thousand players. She died, as I'm sure you know. Using one of my old systems, the Ordinal System, he created this game to attract the SAO Survivors and steal their memories of his daughter. Using those memories, he would create an AI personality, Yuuna, and his daughter would live again. Had I been in his shoes, and the man I used to be, I would have done the same thing."

I opened my eyes and stared down at the floor below, watching as Kirito wiped out the bosses. "I see," I murmured. "To bring back his loved one... I suppose I can't be too harsh, then." After all, I'd do the exact same thing if it were a choice between five thousand people I didn't know and Kana, or Shino, or Asuna or any of my family members. Had Shigemura succeeded, and had he killed my loved ones to do so, I'd feel different, but right now I just felt some small current of sympathy for the man. "And what about Eiji?"

"The girl's friend," Kayaba replied simply. "He only wished to spend his life with her. He blamed himself for her death, you know. Perhaps this was his way of seeking recompense. I believe that the doctor had other plans, however. After all, the boy did spend the most time with his daughter. His memories of her would be the most complete."

...Ah. I see. So, Eiji was to be eliminated by the scan, another sacrifice for Yuuna to be reborn. While I hold a small measure of sympathy for Shigemura, I have none for Eiji. He was the one that hurt Asuna. He hurt Klein. He was the one that tried to break me.

"This will likely be the last time we meet, Rythin," Kayaba said, and I turned to look at him. Below us, Kirito swung his sword and sheathed it on his back, fading away to the cheers of the audience. "But please... Continue to grow. Show me what you and your friends can achieve."

Then, starting at his feet, his appearance rippled and faded away, disappearing. In an instant, I was left alone in the silent room, staring at where he'd been. Still, I smiled faintly. "Of course," I said. I closed my eyes, and felt the world around me fall away...

...and I opened my eyes on the bleachers, sitting next to Kirito and Argo. Din swooped down from above with Yui, the two of them cheering with the rest of the players at our victory. We'd done it. We'd fought and won, and saved everyone. Now that I knew what Shigemura's plan had been, I felt almost a little regretful that we couldn't find some way to save his daughter. Perhaps if he'd asked us, given us the choice to undergo the scan willingly...

The chaos finally ended and the concert attendees started to file out as the lights turned on. The eight of us made our way down to the stage, where Yuna had finished her song and was walking towards us. "You sounded great up there, Yuna," Kirito said as she walked down the steps and stopped in front of us.

"Thanks a lot," Yuna smiled. Then, her body started to glow with a strange white light, enveloping her. My eyes widened as everyone else gasped. "The data from my primary body was based on the resource script of the boss from Floor 100," she said, answering the question that we all wanted to ask. "Its language engine is what allowed me to move around. But the boss was defeated, and its data will be reinitialized. So now, I have to say goodbye to you."

She sounded so calm about this, even as she talked about how she was going to disappear. "No way," Kirito breathed.

"Isn't there something we can do?" Asuna said. "Rythin managed to save Yui's data when she was about to disappear, I'm sure he can -"

I rested my hand on Asuna's shoulder and shook my head when she looked at me. "Sorry," I said, to both her and Yuna. "But I don't have access to the servers where Yuna's data is housed. And... I just don't know how to anchor your data. I'm sorry, but I can't save you."

Yuna smiled and shook her head. "It's not a bad thing," she said. "I got to sing in front of a huge audience, so my wish was fulfilled! I couldn't be happier," she said as she walked up to us. "Before I go," she said to Asuna, raising her hand like she was cradling something invisible, "I have to give this back to you. Your fear of death is what caused you to lose your memories." A small, glowing ball of light gather in Yuna's palm. "But you overcame it and fought anyway. I'm sure everything will come back to you, now." Yuna pressed her hand to Asuna's cheek, cupping it gently.

The AI girl smiled happily as the glow around her body brightened. It got so bright that it hurt to watch as the white glow expanded, enveloping her body - and then faded away with a glitter of sparkles. The motes of light slowly drifted upwards. Yuna... As I watched, looking up at the last remnants of Yuna fade away, a spectral butterfly crossed my vision and suddenly a memory floated to the surface.

It was me, and Argo... We were sitting on a bench in town, one day, doing business. And an NPC band started playing nearby, a regular occurrence - until a sweet, clear voice started singing along. The two of us had searched for the singer and found a girl with brown hair singing along with the band, a small crowd of players already gathered to listen. Argo had recognized her as 'Utachan', or as she was more formally known, the Song Enchanter, by the blue dress she wore, with a pure white feathered hat on her head.

The two of us simply sat and listened to the song, until the girl finished singing. Argo and I hadn't stayed to speak with her after the concert was over, but I'd watched for a few seconds as players clustered around her, shaking her hand and saying thank you. And as I watched the lights drift away, in the auditorium, it was like I could hear an echo of her voice, singing her final song...

Smile... for... you...~

I was not happy. My ears were laid flat against my skull, my tail was bristling, and I'm fairly certain my grimace was baring my Cait Sith fangs. "Argo," I grumbled.

"Y-Yes?" my catling replied, face red. She was doing her best to not burst out laughing, but I could see by the way that her tail tip was twitching she was having way too much fun with this. "S-Something - nya hah hah - something wrong, Ry?"

I folded my arms and tapped my foot. I think, all things considered, I'm keeping my temper pretty well. "You said," I told her, "that you'd lined up a job for me, now that people have started playing ALO again. You said that they even requested me personally."

"Yeah?"

"Then explain why I have to use my Cait Sith Disguise!" I wailed, my face burning in mortification. Argo finally lost her battle with her mirth and started laughing hysterically, rolling around on the couch.

The disguise spell used another player character of the race in question as a base for the appearance it would grant me, plus a few randomizations like hairstyle, eye color, and clothing. When I originally unlocked the disguise, I had no idea how it worked beyond using another player as the base, so I asked Alicia Rue for a favor and she graciously allowed me to use her as the base for my Cait Sith disguise.

Unfortunately, she had oh-so-conveniently forgotten to mention that the disguise spell also changed my apparent gender, to match the player scanned. I still think Argo and Alicia Rue schemed together...

In any event, I ended up with what I'd taken to calling my Bastet disguise. It was a short and dusky-skinned female, with a build almost identical to Alicia Rue; a couple inches shorter than my normal body, but nothing I couldn't adjust to almost immediately. Bastet's hair was long and wavy, falling to the mid-back and decorated with a few jeweled hairpins. The clothes were light and airy, seeming almost like something a dancer from the Middle East would wear. The ornate dancer's costume left Bastet's abs bared and had an asymmetrical skirt, falling lower down one leg and leaving the other bare almost up to the top of the thigh. Heavy golden bangles matched the necklace around the neck, even though they didn't detract from movement in the slightest.

The elaborate makeup was in gold tones, and Argo said that it looked great with the darker skin and golden hair. Basically, I looked like a slightly taller Alicia Rue, with a mostly androgynous but definitely feminine figure.

Naturally, I hated having to use it.

"W-Well," Argo finally gasped out when she managed to sit up and look at me for more than a few seconds without breaking down again, "I mean, so maaaaybe I stretched the details..." I doubled down on the glare, and she grinned sunnily at me. "Nya hah hah. The client wanted a pretty Cait Sith girl, so -"

"Then why not Sinon?!" I yelped, pointing a finger at the blue-haired Cait Sith. Sinon was just sitting casually on the other couch, flipping through a book. We were doing this in Kirito and Asuna's home, our base camp when we weren't in our apartment. "She's pretty! She's a Cait Sith! I'm... like ninety percent sure she's a girl!" Sinon's tailtip twitched. "Sinon, why don't you do this?!"

The girl looked up and studied me. Her ears twitched in thought a few times. "Because you look cute like this," she said, a faint smile on her face. "And because it's funny to watch you get embarrassed."

"Sinon!" I whined. "Why do you do this to me?"

"Because I hate you."

I sighed, looking at her mournfully. "You keep saying that, but I know you don't mean it," I wheedled.

Sinon just raised an eyebrow. "Maybe there's a reason I keep saying it," she offered, before going back to the book.

"We had a bonding moment," I complained, flopping down on the couch and resting my head on her lap, squirming a little bit to get myself comfortable. Sinon sighed, staring at me, but didn't make a move to kick me away. "We sat on the bed together, and you touched me softly as you bandaged my wounds, and we totally had a moment!"

"Nope," Sinon said flatly. Meanwhile, Argo was just cackling off to the side, enjoying Sinon's discomfort as much as I was. The tables have turned! Or maybe my girlfriend was just laughing at the fact that I was crossdressing. Again. "Didn't happen. I don't remember that."

"Si~non," I whined.

Her ears flattened and she looked away. "I hate you," she grumbled. "And it's unfair to look like that when you're complaining..."

Heh. I think from now on if I need something from Sinon and I can't do it myself, I'll ask Argo to convince her...

...

"The AR idol Yuna is making headlines again. During her concert at the New National Stadium, several boss monsters from Ordinal Scale appeared. The promoters of the show said today that it was a surprise event for the fans. In other game-related news, Kamura Incorporated, the company behind the Augma, revealed that their head of development, Doctor Shigemura of Toto Institute, has decided to step down."

The news broadcast cut to an image of one of Black Yuna's street concerts, and I sighed. "I hate when the news talks about games," I said. "They always make it sound so... stilted." Se-ver-al boss mon-sters. What is a boss, I ask as a robot newscaster, beep boop.

Kana nudged my arm with a grin. "They try," she purred. "Don't be so hard on them."

"Yeah but it's every time."

The feed zoomed in on the little pet that flew around Yuna, and a tag popped up calling it - I swallowed water down the wrong pipe at the name. Ain?! And it was pure white, aside from those ruby crystals set in its head... No way. No. I refuse. Absolutely not. "You okay?" Kana asked as she rubbed my back.

"Great," I rasped out through my coughing fits. "Need to learn to drink." Ow. Now my throat hurts.

I turned away from the TV on the wall. It was the night of the meteor shower - after a little bit of pressing and a solemn oath, Din spilled what Yui had been keeping secret about Kazuto and Asuna's plans - and all of us except for the couple in question were gathered at Agil's bar to celebrate Klein's released from the hospital. Plus, Sugu was back! Agil was cooking behind the bar and Klein sat at the counter nursing a beer while the rest of us sat around one of the tables. Klein's arm was still in a sling, but he was guzzling down the alcohol like he was perfectly fine.

"Bet you're glad to be out of the hospital," Keiko chirped.

Sugu leaned forward. "Yeah, how's your arm doing?"

Klein slammed the glass down and doubled over. "Ow!" he whimpered - before straightening up. "Nah, just kidding. It's fine. But," he said, glancing at the cast, "I'll be sticking to VR games from now on."

Rika grinned. "Thought you got to meet more girls in AR."

"It's no big deal," Klein said, waving his free hand dismissively. "Nobody meets their dream girl in games anyway."

The walking contradiction to his claim approached him with a plate of ribs. "Better pray my wife never hears you say that!" Agil said. "Yo, she gave up her ticket for your broke ass!" He jabbed Klein's arm with the plate before setting it down on the table.

"Ow, what's your proble-"

"Apologize," Agil said, folding his arms.

I shrugged. "I'd do it, he's strong enough to snap Klein in two like a twig," I fake-whispered to Kana, making sure our older friend was able to hear it.

"I'd back Agil any day of the week, even if he was the one with the broken arm instead," Kana said, twisting the knife in Klein's ribs cheerfully.

"U-um, guys!" Sugu said abruptly, raising her hand to catch everyone's attention and distract from the budding argument. "I brought something back for everyone!"

My attention was immediately entirely on her. "Presents!" I cheered, Kana raising her fist and cheering along with me. "I knew you were my favorite!" Immediately, Shino, Rika, and Keiko turned their eyes on me, glaring at me flatly. Rika even made a quiet noise of irritation. "…I mean, uh. I don't have a favorite?" I asked, begging for mercy. Beside me, Kana snickered.

Shino rolled her eyes before turning back to Sugu. "Where was this boot camp you went to?" she asked.

"Shimane," Sugu replied as she dug in the bags next to her and drew out a box. I craned my neck to read the label on the front - 'Romantic Connections', the marshmallow type. Woo! Sweets! Even if marshmallow isn't my favorite it's still tasty! "The place we stayed didn't have computers. If I hadn't smuggled in my AmuSphere, I would have died from boredom."

It's a good thing she did; if she hadn't smuggled in her AmuSphere, we might have just straight died. Rika and Keiko both giggled awkwardly, probably thinking the exact same thing that I was. However, Sugu popped the box open, and I didn't waste any time reaching out and snatching a sweet treat -

...that Kana immediately took from me and popped into her mouth. I stared at her flatly and she just grinned, throwing up a V for Victory sign. Sighing, I reached out to take one for myself, only to have the next marshmallow cube stolen from my fingers by Shino. I glanced at Rika and Keiko, keeping my eyes on them as I grabbed the third sweet and ferried it back to my waiting maw.

"By the way," Klein asked as he reached out to grab one of the cubes, "where's Kirito and Asuna?"

"He said they had other plans tonight," Sugu replied. "Anyone know what they're doing?"

Oops. "Oh," Rika laughed, "who cares about them?"

All of you. Beside me, the look on Kana's face said, 'All of you.'

"If they're not here, they're missing out," Rika continued.

"Some friend," Klein muttered. "I get out of the hospital, and he can't even come by for a drink?! He can suck it!"

The samurai reached out for his glass, but Agil snatched it up before Klein could take it. "On second thought," the large bartender said, "you can buy your own drinks tonight. Y'all owe me for that ticket."

Klein gritted his teeth and lunged for the glass. Agil effortlessly pulled it away. "You greedy... You got that ticket for free, you cardboard-sword dealer!"

I chuckled as I watched him flail for the glass, only for Agil to jerk it away every time. I noticed that the pizza on the table had run empty and waved to Agil; he nodded and brought another pizza from the grill, sliding it onto the bar. I'd never had grilled pizza before, but it was pretty tasty. I got up and grabbed the plate, swapping it with the empty one before sitting down again and enjoying some fresh food. Mmm, delicious fats and carbs.

The girls giggled as Klein finally gave up trying to get the drink back and muttered, "Oh, whatever." I guess seeing Agil serve us without missing a beat finally broke him. "At least I got ALO... Now that it's hopping again, maybe I'll meet some new hotties."

"Heh," Agil laughed. "Nope."

"Oh, I've been meaning to ask," I said through a mouthful of pizza, before swallowing it and trying again. "I've been meaning to ask, how's Skuld?" Klein just growled at me, and I grinned back mockingly.

I am glad he's better, though. Apparently, everyone with memory loss would slowly regain it as the spine regenerated. All they needed to do was take it easy for a while and get plenty of rest.

...

After the party wound down and we all went home, Kana and I were cuddling while lying down on my bed. Apparently, it was her turn to sleep over at my place, even though we didn't exactly have turns for things like this. My cat Emmit, having sensed the romantic mood, was naturally being as obnoxious as possible, jumping up on the bed and rubbing against Kana - who had no problem fawning over my kitten - before jumping over her, stepping on me, and then jumping off of the bed.

I just sighed. Cats.

"Hey," Kana murmured sleepily. "Y'know, I've been thinking..."

"Yeah?" I asked, my fingers tracing meaningless patterns on her shoulder and upper arm. "About what?"

"About us, mostly," she said.

I blinked. That's... usually not a good thing for her to be thinking about... "Oh?" I tried to keep the note of minor total and completely terrified panic out of my voice, but I wasn't quite sure how well I succeeded.

Kana giggled. "Nothing bad," she said immediately, and I relaxed. Guess I didn't succeed all that well. "More like, we're going to start college in a few months, and... I was just wondering what we'd do about housing and stuff like that."

I tilted my head. "We're supposed to live in the dorms for our first year, I think," I said. "And then we can choose between dorms and off-campus apartment housing. Though from what I've heard the dorms kinda suck, so-"

Kana sighed and rolled over to face me directly. "For someone so smart, you can be really dense sometimes," she grumbled, flat eyes staring up at me. She didn't look impressed. "I'm talking about living together while we're in college. And... maybe after that, if we're ready."

My eyes widened a little bit, and I stared at Kana in surprise. She pressed her hands to my chest and watched me steadily, not saying anything. My throat felt dry and I swallowed, trying to ignore the apprehension in my throat. "Are you... sure?" I asked. I knew I wasn't... a good person. And Kana had decided that she might want to spend the rest of her life with that person. "It's a big decision."

Kana smiled at me. "I know," she said. "I'm not expecting an answer right away, but think about it, okay?" She'd put so much faith in me, that I could make her happy. I could see it in her eyes, the way she was watching me. She loved me, as much as I loved her. "But... soon?"

I have to give her an answer. And, no matter how terrified I am of the change, that answer can only be one thing. "Yes."

"Oh, good," she smiled. "Let me know when you -"

"No, not that," I said, and she blinked. "The first thing you asked me." I watched as her eyes widened and shone with emotion I couldn't read. Gods, what I wouldn't give to know what she was thinking... "Yes. I think I'd like that. Living together in the off-campus apartments."

Kana gasped softly.

"But," I continued, "for the other thing... how about we wait, a little bit?"

"What did you have in mind?" she asked me quietly, hiding her face in my chest.

I hummed in thought. "I think, maybe... After we graduate. Once we can support ourselves, we'll talk about it again. Does that sound... okay?"

Instead of answering, Kana hugged me tightly. My chest felt a little wet, but when Kana tilted her face up and kissed me, she was beaming. It was the happiest I'd ever seen her.

Yeah. I think that sounds okay.

…It's done. Whoof. 63 thousand words of a movie!

The fight with Aincrad was fun to write. Mainly because it's the first time I really got to write all of the characters cutting loose and fighting like the cohesive team that they are? I especially liked the 'everybody that's important ever!' joining in at the second half of the fight. A pretty neat way to give some minor characters screen time.

And then oh my gods when Yuuki showed up it started raining indoors because I'm not crying, I'm not crying you're crying shut up.

The chat with Kayaba wasn't something totally planned, but I felt like it was going to happen. Rythin was almost Kayaba's protégé, did you know that? It was something I toyed with when writing Chapter 3 of Nightblade before ultimately discarding. Still, it was more an infodump than anything – Rythin was curious and got his answers, so to speak.

And then we come full circle. The original part of the last chunk was designed to be a parallel to the beginning. And the last part was designed to be a parallel to the stargazing scene. Keep that in mind if you ever go back to reread Nightblade 4's first chapter! Random fact of the day: Rythin (the Cait Sith Rythin) has several disguises for the different races. He also has an alt-account, a male Imp androgynous to the point of practically being female named Tsuyosa (because he's a dork and as a subconscious homage to Yuuki). He's aiming to develop Tsuyosa's skillset as a Jack Of All Trades sort of thing, with passable abilities with every weapon type so he can choose the best one for the job. Very physical-based, and little to no magic, though.

As always, many thanks to everyone that favorited, followed, or reviewed. (and special thanks to hammiam and joshua the arcanis for working on the tvtropes page. why do you two do this to yourselves?)

In the second edition of "The Complete SAO Incident Records", the following text was added: "There was a diva who gave courage to the swordsmen as they set off to fight... We must never forget any of the nameless players..."