A/N First of all, I am SO SORRY I keep taking extensive hiatuses. It's a bad habit, and because I had other stuff happening. But I hope to make up for it. Anyways, for me at least, this chapter has been a long time coming. I hope you all enjoy it. Also, during this time, I will be going back to correct past chapters of minor errors and discrepancies. Besides that, not much to say. But now, this story will edge further away from canon. Don't expect the light novel/anime to be of much reference. I estimate that the new arc will last just as long as the last one, probably a bit longer. Hope you all enjoy, and yes, I will introduce the remaining characters. I haven't forgotten them, I'm just waiting for the right time, so don't worry, they'll get their screen time soon enough. There's a lot of stuff that I want to clean up and add, but it will take time so bear with me. . Again, I'm REALLY sorry for taking so long to update, it's been difficult to manage everything, but I promise that I'll try to update when I can. Happy reading~

It's much easier not to change. Usually.

I mean, to change means to make an effort. And it's not guaranteed that effort will always pay off. But still, I suppose that it's faith that gives us the drive to keep going. Even if we don't want to.

I've looked back as much as I've looked forward. Why? Because at least the past in set in stone. The future was not so certain. If you can be so sure of the future, you must've had the world in the palm of your hand.

And I would call you lucky beyond belief.

I leaned against a wall looking over at the dungeon entrance, some distance away. I crossed my arms in quiet contemplation. I was at the top of the bell tower, the tallest one with the giant overhanging clock. I could hear the monotonous gears moving in place perpetually. Soon, I would walk through those doors. And face the infamous 50th floor's boss.

I had at least a week. At our first conference, we didn't really agree upon a set date to send a raid party. I just hoped no one rushed in thoughtlessly.

I met with a disagreement between the Army, the DDA, and the KoB. The Army wanted to send in as many people as possible, assuming that numbers would outweigh the danger and distribute the responsibility so that the task would be easier to achieve. The DDA wanted to spend more time upgrading their equipment and gathering resources before heading in, so in order to counter the looming danger ahead. They also wanted to take charge in the attack which led to an altercation with me and the KoB. KoB wanted to send in only the best but leave enough behind to protect everyone else, which I agreed to, but then they all turned on me, and demanded that I follow their orders. I suppose some of them were still a bit too prideful for their own good.

The KoB wished for me to stand down and come in only as backup in the coming fight. The DDA wished for me to also stand down, and relinquish most of my items to help defend the others. I threw a verbal display of outrage and almost knocked someone in the face. This was absolute bullshit, but I restrained myself from throwing matters too far out of hand. The Army insisted that I put my talents into training new soldiers, having heard that I had trained two guilds already, so they questioned why they should be denied such rights. I grew infuriated once again, and almost lost my cool. The KoB didn't care about training since they were all perfectly capable of handling themselves. The DDA were too prideful to accept training from a 'Beater', and the Army jumped at me like an expectant vulture. But perhaps the right term was 'leech'. I knew I would get nothing in return, and that this 'conference' was going to a waste. I wish Asuna could've stepped in. Or anyone, really. But the flow of the crowd was against me. I stormed out and refused to come into anymore contact with them. For a while at least. This a was challenging mess to sort out.

And here I am now. Seething, but silent. These people were... well, 'difficult' would be a nice way to put it. Why are people so stupid? But... proven throughout history, people aren't always rational. This world was filled with irrationality. So I couldn't afford to fall in the same way. I had to have a clear head, so I emptied my resentful feelings. I needed a real plan. Directions on where I should go from here. I stepped out near the edge. At least out here, I could contemplate in peace.

Hands covered my eyes from behind.

"Boo."

I only sighed after my initial surprise died down.

"I wonder who that could be..." I called out sarcastically. Violet giggled lightly and allowed me to regain my vision.

"Dangerous to hang around here," She commented and I turned around to face her. She stared out into the distance with a hand on her hip. The wind blew gently. What a dramatic pose. Maybe she's a model in disguise...

"Just strategizing my next move..." I explained to her.

"I figured as much. Got a plan?" She asked curiously.

"I did. Then you scared it away," I remarked offhandedly. She punched my should lightly, pretending to be offended.

"Haha. I'm serious this time," She addressed me professionally.

"Nothing concrete. Except, going at it my way so far... it's worked out, more or less," I trailed off leaving her to pick up the pieces. She sighed sounding a bit disappointed but more as though she had anticipated this.

"How lazy of you. You're just going to say, 'screw it all', and do what you want..." She stated waiting for my confirmation.

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it," I countered and she relented slightly.

"I'm really trusting your judgement on this one. Are you sure you're ready for this floor?" She inquired with just a teaspoon of skepticism. I scoffed lightly.

"Are you sure this floor's ready for me?" I snapped back smugly. She rolled her eyes.

"You're unbelievable..." She echoed with a becalmed expression.

I aimed to bring my all during this fight. I would hold nothing back, if that's what it took.

Unfortunately, I would learn that was exactly what it took.

«Algade» was a mess of a city. Second largest in Aincrad, only outmatched by the Starting City. I couldn't figure as to why Kirito wanted to settle here, but it was not my decision to make. He said something ridiculous like 'since this is halfway, I consider it a checkpoint'. I mused my reaction silently at his logic. Following this occurrence, I assisted him in finding a decent lodging. We took care to be wary of those around us.

After he unloaded a few of his personal belongings, we set out. According to Argo, the conference was continued after Kirito left. They had settled upon at least a week for everyone to prepare. Then it would be allowed for an assault. On the eighth day, that would a true spectacle to behold.

Kirito planned to scavenge and train for six days. On the seventh he would rest and reevaluate, which was essentially brainstorming a plan and taking inventory in his vast aggregation of varied items.

The fiftieth floor was a fair challenge to map out and to attempt exploiting its secrets and riches. It would take a consequential amount of time to fully maximize assimilation with its entirety. It's a shame that I couldn't climb a viewpoint and synchronize all of the area's data within me.

Nothing noteworthy really occurred during this preparation period. Everyone appeared to go about their business normally, with just a hint of tension lying about in the atmosphere. The air appeared to be still, yet constantly moving as well.

The big three and Kirito, not very inconspicuously, attempted to avoid making contact with one another. Talk about a cold war...

In any case, Kirito and I managed to locate several more 'capsules' which lessened the feeling of anxiety upon me. But also, it increased a sense of sadness in me. Once our contract terminated, Kirito would most likely pursue other matters worth attending to, that didn't involve working with anyone.

But no matter, I tried to make the most out of the time I had with him. It would be over soon, but at least it happened.

«Algade» had many diverging pathways within its walls. It gave off that shady feeling, even though it was still broad daylight. But the stronger the light, the darker the shadow. And there was definitely something hiding in the absence of light.

Kirito invested most of his time and money in upgrading his weaponry and miscellaneous gear that would assist him in the long run. He spent a considerable amount of time within Agil's shop to maintain his equipment and discussing relevant matters. For some reason, he paid more than his expenses should have totaled up to, but I did not question his lavish spending decisions. It was his money, after all.

He seemed agitated, well, more so than usual. I suppose it must've been the 'conference', but I could see there was something else. I decided to confront him about it on the sixth day.

"K-kun... what's wrong? You're starting to depress even me," I asked mixing the serious nature of my statement with slight humor to help break the ice. He sighed and shook his head. But he answered nonetheless after he collected his thoughts.

"It's just... I don't really know. Well, I have idea but..." He struggled with forming his ideas into words. "You know that feeling, when you've come so far, yet you start questioning how you got there? And if... continuing on the same way, do you ever wonder if you'll make it? Or even if whatever you're doing is the right way or even if you're doing it properly?... That probably doesn't make sense but... I don't know..." He trailed off disgusted by his lack of coherent phrasing. "You're probably patronizing me right now..." He added mirthlessly while mocking himself.

I stayed silent for a while. I guess I would be more concerned if he didn't say anything at all, and pretended everything was alright. I decided to answer truthfully.

"First off, I'm not patronizing you. Gosh, you assume you know everything about me, don't you..." I scoffed lightly in humor and he smirked a bit. "Second of all... well, I would assume you had some kind of reaction to everything that's happened so far. I mean, at least you're responding right? Better than not at all like some people... and thirdly," I waited for a subliminal moment before delivering my honest opinion.

"I can't really tell you there's an absolutely right way, or even proper method of doing things, but I will say, choose and stick by something you believe in. Have some faith. You'll never know if you're right if you keep thinking too much or changing your mind, right?" I told him and he stayed silent, but his expression seemed enlightened.

"I see... thanks. Violet..." He replied and it made me slightly ecstatic to be able to help him.

"Just put it on your tab. You owe me enough already..." I joked and he rolled his eyes in response. But, surprisingly, he reached out subtly to squeeze my hand gently in acknowledgement. It almost made me turn away and blush. We stared for a few seconds, and in that moment I saw him smile genuinely as I returned it with my own. So pure and innocent.

However, that would be the last smile I would see filled with such life. For a long while.

Before the seventh day, I decided to analyze as many frontliners as I could, for starters, I would see off Keita and Klein's guilds respectively in order. I wanted to make sure they were definitely prepared for what laid ahead.

I would spare no expenses in taking precautions. As I evaluated the Black Cats of the Full Moon, they seemed to be getting along fine. Sachi seemed more hopeful and cheerful as well. That was always nice and encouraging to see. I bid them farewell after a quick inspection.

Klein's guild seemed to have exponentially gotten better. But maybe it was because I had low expectations. Nevertheless, they were roughly on par with the best guilds out there, just lacking in numbers.

Klein offered to buy me a drink in commemoration of their achievement for being the fruit of my efforts, but I de'klein'ed... Okay fine, that was a horrible pun. You might be in'klein'ed to roll your eyes. Alright, I'll stop there.

Moving on, in no time, did the seventh day come. Similar to how people procrastinate on the weekends, and suddenly, it's Monday again. Anyways, after checking up on everyone, I was shifty on whether collectively, we were all adequately prepared. A week seemed too hasty a schedule, I would have to convince the others to postpone our attack for another day.

There was a second conference to be held before we tackled the 50th floor. Everyone seemed to have calmed down. Of course, that didn't mean things were alright.

No one really bothered to uphold formal greetings anymore, it was all straight to business at this point.

It started off in a sustained manner, but soon enough I found myself in a sea of dissidence.

"We shouldn't attack," I called out, cutting through the truculent miasma of unpleasant and less than friendly discussion. Everyone turned towards me and subsequently another argument came forth.

"This is coming from you, Alpha," Called out Kibaou, a person whom I personally hoped never to see again. How pleasant. "Why should we listen to you?"

"Then give me reason why you're a better candidate, will you?" I vilified at him. I gave a sneer and added, "Still sore from that failed attack on the 25th?"

The tension mounted sevenfold, and it was clear that I was no longer on good terms with the Army. Not that I was to begin with. He shut up after that, but I wasn't all too relieved just yet.

"Actually, that is a fair question," Interjected a new voice. I looked over to where the speaker came from. It took a moment, but I recognized him. I just didn't know his name. But I could deduct that he was of the Divine Dragon Alliance, formerly known as the Dragon Knights Brigade.

"Who are you?" I demanded none too cordially.

"I am Lind. The new leader of the DDA. Now why exactly shouldn't we attack?" He questioned again and everyone returned their gazes on me. I struggled to withstand the pressure.

"Because... because this is foolhardy..." I finally spat out of desperation for an argument. "I don't want a repeat of the 25th floor. A few more days, maybe weeks, would be of better use to prepare than to spend mourning our losses..." I trailed off, withholding my true sentiments. But they came out anyway.

"Besides, even if we were to attack, I'd be one of the very few who are adequately prepared. None of you are even close to my level, so you should stand down before those with more experience..."

A spread of anger evoked within the majority of them. Curses were spat against me and many probable threats were cast out. I didn't care. If this was what it took to keep these people from dying. I would have to keep playing the role of Alpha until the very end.

"I see..." Said Lind of the DDA. His calm expression suddenly changed into a hateful look of loathing.

"Then would you like to prove it?" He challenged. "Unless you're too afraid to back up your own claims..."

An uproar of mockery, laughter, and agreement met his words. If I backed out now, it would be detrimental to us all. I had no choice but to salvage the situation as it was. This mess I made, it would take effort to clean up.

"Yeah, I would," I responded insolently. "Prick..." I added as an afterthought. The DDA shouted their displeasure and riled up Lind to 'kick my ass'. Like that would happen.

"I'll take on the best you got. All three leaders, right here, right now. Unless you're scared..." I mocked sardonically. From the crowd, the people parted and the leaders stepped forward. Kibaou, Heathcliff and Lind. It had been a while since I fought with another player. I doubted that my skills were rusty though. I had too much practice.

"Let's set the stakes," Kibaou said smugly. "If you lose, you can't do anything except what we tell you to, and if you go against us, we'll deliver consequences..." He said arrogantly leaving his statement on an ambiguous note. I wasn't worried at all, because it wasn't happening.

"Fine. But if I win, we don't carry out an attack, and I expect cooperation," I demanded roughly.

"What, that's it?" He asked suspiciously.

"I don't need anything else from you people. It's not as though you have something I actually want..." I mocked derisively. This furthered to instill more contempt but I didn't care. I could stand alone against all of them if I had to.

"I'm gonna cut your tongue out..." Said Kibaou stepping forward first to fight me. I smirked and decided to reply with a snappy retort.

"I'm glad you haven't lost your intelligence..." I said with a sarcastic tone. He appeared to be caught off guard by my words. "I mean, you can't lose what you never had..."

He rushed at me with a curved dagger. I easily side stepped him and stuck my foot out to trip him. He rolled over like a dumb dog. I kept my sword sheathed. This wasn't a fight at all.

This was a curb stomp.

He pulled out a second dagger and charged back at me. He was faster than I thought. I admit I got slightly scraped by his blades, but nonetheless he failed to actually hit me. He came in with a savage swing. I ducked and performed a sweep with my left leg to force him on his back. I quickly stamped on his wrist to relinquish one weapon and then I cut off his other hand with my «Knightsword». It would regenerate so I had no qualms about doing it. He yelled in agony as I turned towards the remaining leaders. Whoever it was next, it made no difference.

Lind stepped forwards and drew out his sword. I did the same. I could sense his skills were at least better than Kibaou's.

We made a beeline towards each other and swung our swords to our respective rights colliding with sparks. One handed. I inched in closer until our faces squared up. Then I made a move to side kick him in the abdomen. He blocked it and I performed a handspring away from him to reposition my stance.

I closed the distance swiftly and launched a flurry of swipes and stabs. He blocked most of them, so I implemented punches and kicks with my assault.

I almost broke a sweat. Almost.

My breathing soon caught up to the speed of my movements, but I wasn't running on fumes just yet.

A challenge is always appreciated. In terms of comparing our armor components, Lind wore more, therefore it took a few more hits for me to do sufficient damage. Adding on to that, I had to be more careful because I sacrificed defense for speed and offense.

Nevertheless, after a 10 minute round, I succeeded in disarming Lind and holding a sharpened sword to his throat.

After he conceded, there was only one more opposition presented before me.

Heathcliff.

I had always wondered how I stood against him, and this would be my chance. I hadn't seen him in a while, but he looked as composed as ever. I narrowed my eyes on him, thoroughly calculating the best course of action.

Shield and sword. Defense and offense. I contemplated on using dual blades to solidify my chances of victory. But that was my trump card, and I didn't want to play it unless I really had to.

He then told me something interesting before we started the fight.

"Kirito. I acknowledge your skill. That's why I must raise the stakes a bit higher," he said professionally. I raised my eyebrows in question.

"What kind of stakes?" I demanded in response.

"If you win, I will concede leadership of the Knights of the Blood Oath for one raid, and you may manage them however you like. But moreover... if you lose, you will join my guild."

Join... a guild?

I don't know what was going on his mind, but that would never happen. In any case, I accepted, because I couldn't lose anyway.

We both took a starting stance. Considering our dichotomous fighting styles, I would probably have to make the first move, like white does over black in chess.

I quickly advanced and struck an overarching lateral swing which met his shield with an audible crash. I proceeded to perform a sweeping slash while turning right down in a corkscrew motion. He repositioned himself back but I didn't let up with my assault. I followed up with an uppercut which I instantly turned into a feint as I tried to unbalance him with a leg sweep.

I hit his armored leg, and that was the first of my rare errors in combat. I backed off and rubbed my sore leg, wincing resentfully. Heathcliff remained composed, but had a slight smirk on his face seeing me in such a position. I quickly bounced back up.

I proceeded to take slower, but heavier hits that would force Heathcliff to back off. I'll be frank, that shield was really annoying me.

I can't believe I was wasting so much energy just to prove my point. Eventually after 15 minutes of sustained fighting, I was getting frustrated and tired. My sword felt heavier, and the end was not coming any closer. Against my own expectations, I dropped to one knee, panting heavily, clutching my sword for support. Everyone was watching me, and I felt humiliated. Me? Bested by an oversized dinner plate? This was ridiculous.

Heathcliff was watching me carefully, and I felt the tension in his calculative gaze. The flow of the crowd was going in his favor. I could hear the doubt among the audience spreading like a poisonous fume.

"Guess he's not too impressive now is he..."

"What a chump... he's still just a kid..."

"Haha, I bet he has nothing to show for now..."

"Finish him, Heathcliff!"

All these voices fueled to enrage me, but I could do nothing right now. Then, Heathcliff addressed me, ignoring the crowd's side comments.

"Kirito, do you wish to concede?"

99% of me said no, but there was that 1% that was aching to say 'yes' because honestly, I was nearing the limits of being solo. But in that moment, I received one last boost of motivation to go on.

"Of course he's not going to concede. As a matter of fact," Violet said, stepping forth, supporting me. "He's going to make you concede," She said confidently and kneeled beside me with her arms holding me up.

"Violet?... Why?..." I asked her, relieved by her intervention, but curious nonetheless. Her face clearly said, 'Do I have to spell it out for you, you big dummy?'

"I have faith in you. Now we'll see if I was right," she said smiling at me endearingly. I returned the gesture, and felt my second wind come forth.

I wasted no time in closing the distance. Our swords crossed at rapid intervals, never staying on contact for more than a few moments before repositioning ourselves for another strike.

I was slowly catching up to his fighting style, my mind was constantly deconstructing his movements, analyzing openings in which I could exploit and capitalize upon. Soon enough, I found my way to victory.

Even with full armor, there was a way to defeat a tanky opponent such as Heathcliff. For one, he couldn't move as quickly due to the weight. For another, not every part of him was as heavily protected. And finally, without a means of defense, a tank is useless.

After a few minutes when both of us were equally as exhausted, I prepared my final combo.

With a rush of adrenaline, I burst forward with such momentum in my jump, I rolled over Heathcliff's shoulder. He had expected a move such grandeur and swiftly spun to counter me. That's when I immediately dropped to the ground and with a quick execution of fancy footwork, I kicked him behind his knee. Hitting the particularly sensitive spot behind his knee forced him into collapsing and giving off a grunt of pain. I took advantage of this and expeditiously jumped back onto my feet and darted behind him. As he knelt before me, I held my sword to his throat, breathing somewhat heavily. But nonetheless, it was obvious that the match was over. His shield fell to the ground in signal of his acceptance to his loss. We separated and gave each other one last calculating look.

"Very impressive, Kirito. I must concede. This time..." he added with a slight smirk. I said nothing as I narrowed my eyes as he turned and walked away regally. A KoB member retrieved his shield, and the rest of the party followed them. My breathing finally returned to normal.

This time?... I thought. I partially wanted to pursue what he meant by that but I was too tired at the moment to care anymore.

"Well then. It's decided. We're not to engage the 50th floor until everyone is adequately prepared. Any objections?" I proclaimed loudly, daring anyone to say different. None did. I gave a sigh of relief. At least one thing was going my way.

"So tell me. Has he gotten better since the last time?"

Several hours had passed since news of the Alpha's triumph over all 3 leaders of the main clearers in 3 successive duels.

"He's... formidable. I would not say he is impossible to defeat, but he will be difficult."

"Interesting... you said that he was losing at first to Heathcliff?" I inquired, this bit of information had piqued my curiosity.

"Yes, my liege, and he may have well been defeated, except for a sudden resurgence in his strength."

"How so?" I asked, wondering just what exactly fueled the infamous beater.

"A girl. She whispered something to him that enabled him to continue on the fight, despite the fatigue stemming from the previous two matches."

"A 'girl 'you say... ahh. I see..."

My face became blank for a moment. Then a soft, but cruel smile adorned my features, expressing my mirth. I started to laugh quietly.

Is he really that simple? That's all it took? A push in the right direction, a simple nudge, a 'girl' to restore his fighting spirit?

No, not a 'girl'.

A reason.

The only logical explanation why anyone continued to fight in SAO was because they had reason to. I smirked maliciously.

"After this mission, lay low for a while. I want to see what he chooses to do. And if it satisfies me..." I continued to sport a malignant grin. "We won't have to do much until later..."

I dismissed my scout and sat alone in contemplation. A sequence of memories flashed across my mind. I allowed them to play out before returning to my current thoughts.

Nothing hurts as much but to see a friend fall. Well actually, there were a few things. Not being able to help them was another.

I was saddened by grief. All my friends had burst into pieces that could not be recovered. I fell to the ground, wondering how I had escaped when none of them did. I watched as the others ran away, abandoning us. I did not cry, but I was obviously damaged. I was in shock.

Miraculously, however, that shock quickly turned to rage and resent. That was my 'reason' for fighting. If life was a vicious circle, I would make sure that karma was brought around.

It only took a few weeks after being accepted into the LC for me to hunt down each and everyone of those traitors. And yet... it wasn't enough. I wanted more.

The leader had promised me power. Rewards. Recognition. Revenge. Everything.

But in order to earn these things, I would have to swear my loyalty to him. I gladly did so, if anything to replace what I had lost.

A few days passed, and I inspected my new tool of the trade, «King's Knightsword». Much blood would soon fall upon its edge.

When I first fought him, I was not disappointed at his skill. But I was disappointed by his motivations. Pathetic. He would only be too easy to break.

I returned to the present. When LC was formed, its numbers were nowhere nearly as abundant. Now, we had enough strength to put fear into the public and elude capture easily.

The reason we were formed wasn't for something petty such as monetary gain, infamy, or whatever the stereotypical villain would want. It was for the sake of...

...human desire. Raw, human desire that stemmed from our primal instincts. There was no other objective except to gain satisfaction. And that's all that counted. The opinions of outsiders and those who didn't understand didn't matter in the least. We could all die tomorrow, but we'd die with smiles. In our eyes, we already achieved what we wanted. Did I already achieve what I wanted?

Yes. Just about. The thing I wanted most was so close, I could taste it.

"Set the plan in motion. It was amusing to see him play the role of the hero but... tonight, let's raise a glass to reversion," I declared smugly with a touch of malice.

It was rather simple to convince this buffoon of the Army to rashly disregard the pact. It took a little more convincing to get Lind on board, but since he was recently humiliated by Alpha, it was no real difficulty to tempt him successfully. Hmmm... I'd wager it would only take half an hour or so for Alpha to take action. After that, whatever happened... happened.

We had already scouted ahead and evaluated the boss room. It was enchanted with the rare but perilous «Anti-Teleport» aura. If that wasn't already disconcerting, the boss would more than take care of that.

I watched from afar in the veil of the shadow as the Army and the DDA marched towards the doorway to the 50th boss. This would be entertaining to say the very least.

I was exhausted. The moment I caught sight of my bed, I dropped quickly onto the comforting sheets of soft fabric. Violet gracefully sat down beside me as my face was planted into a pillow.

"Tired?" She asked rhetorically.

"No, really, how could you tell?" I asked sarcastically as she chuckled, whilst rubbing my hair.

"I had a feeling," she responded and I rolled my eyes even though she couldn't see it.

Having to fight 3 opponents in rapid succession had extensively drained me. I had removed my sword and sheath from my back because it felt magnified by tenfold in weight.

"You think everyone will be ready in time?" Violet asked me concernedly.

"We're trapped in a death game where the only escape is to win. I'd say we have all the time in the world..." I responded looking sideways at her while still laying down.

She said nothing and nodded silently. I sighed a deep breath. If only things hadn't turned out this way, if the situation didn't hold so much gravity, I might've really enjoyed SAO. But all the good qualities in the game were turned against us and it was difficult to find anything redeeming these days. But... I did find Asuna... and other people too.

I felt Violet lay down next to me. She lightly gripped my arm but I didn't mind. I feel into a half-state of sleep, unconsciously letting my mind reminisce.

That afternoon... the forced teleport. The ominous ringing of the bell. The cries, the emotions running rampant. That day when everything fell apart. And then, Asuna in the red hood. The first time we defeated a boss. My self-declaration as a 'beater' to save the other betas from persecution. The rough months that followed. The bonds I created, the enemies I made. The Laughing Coffin, the other guilds. The first time I met Violet, Ashley, all the times I talked to Argo.

I wondered why everything was flashing before me. Usually that only happened when people were dying, and I was pretty sure I wasn't dying as of right now. Strange.

The silence lingered on, but it was peaceful. I reckoned I would be ready for another excursion by tomorrow.

"Hey, Kirito-kun?" Violet spoke at last, breaking the temporary absence of sound.

"Hmm? Is there something wrong?" I replied halfheartedly.

"Well... I just feel as though it's about time I tell you something I've been keeping back. A few somethings. And that's-"

A spam of message popups forced me awake and interrupted Violet.

From: Argo

Subject: IMPORTANT

Message: KIRITO PLEASE RESPOND IMMEDIATELY

Message: THE DDA AND THE ARMY HAVE ENGAGED THE 50TH FLOOR BOSS

Message: I followed them for a bit before their destination was made clear to me

Message: BRING REINFORCEMENTS, THAT BOSS ROOM HAS AN «ANTI-TELEPORT» AURA, THE ONLY WAY OUT IS THE ENTRANCE

Message: BE MINDFUL OF THE DUNGEON, IT'S PARTICULARLY HOSTILE

Message: PLEASE BE CAREFUL

I felt a mixture of anger, appreciation, and enervation. Anger at the agreement being broken, appreciation for Argo's always up-to-date knowledge base, and enervation from the unwillingness of my body to get up. But I had no choice. I sent a quick message to Asuna to bring the KoB.

"Tell me later, Violet. We have to go," I said jumping out of bed before sprinting away.

"Are you sure you can handle this? You haven't taken enough time to recover..." she voiced warily in my regard.

"Be that as it may, I can't just do nothing, and you know that," I said, leaving no room for argument. She sighed and hastened to keep up with my pace.

My muscles were aching but I ignored the searing protests of my body and bounded forward. After fighting my way through the dungeon hostiles, I finally reached the doors to the boss room. Behind them, I could the shouts of exertion. To my surprise, Klein's guild, Fuurinkazan, and Keita's, Black Cats of the Full Moon, also showed up alongside Asuna's Knights of the Blood Oath.

"Didn't expect to see you guys," I addressed them while trying to catch my breath.

"Asuna informed us. Thought you could use the help," Klein said, grinning contentedly. I returned the smile.

"Try to keep up," I challenged humorously as we pushed past the doors. I immediately lost any sliver of optimism.

The 50th floor boss was called «Yatsurao». A giant, metallic, six-armed buddha, animated to life. I watched as several DDA and Army members were swatted away like irksome flies to the behemoth-sized boss. I clenched my teeth and prepared for the worst.

There was little we could do, as it appeared that each arm was intelligent, or perhaps, the boss was just capable of handling multiple enemies at once, seeing as we could obtain no advantage no matter what angle we attacked it from. We were wasting our energy. There had to be a weakness to the boss, something that I was overlooking...

That's it! I realized suddenly. What I was 'overlooking' was the eye on it's forehead. In the heat of battle, I failed to take notice that it was constantly swiveling around, providing the boss with extra vision. I was willing to bet that focusing the eye would weaken the boss overall.

I informed the others of my strategy. Soon enough, with a clear shot, I managed lodge a dart within its eye. It did not scream, but the boss did stamp around angrily. With my hope restored, I soldiered on, willing my limbs to last just a bit longer. This was a winnable battle, but I would still reprimand the DDA and Army members later. Perhaps I had underestimated their competence...

The boss entered its 'fury' mode and pounded the floor with a tangible tremor that shook throughout the area. Now things were getting truly serious. After a brief moment of alarm, we once again concentrated our efforts on defeating the boss as quickly as possible. Only about a third of its health was left and we had only lost six or so people. But with a force of four hundred strong, we would surely defeat the boss in due time, no matter how tanky and strong it was. I was confident in our inevitable success. We would prevail.

But not in the way I thought we would.

In a final desperate attempt to eliminate us, the boss summoned an army of its own servants to attack us. This caught me off guard as the battle raged on into an hour.

Then the hammer fell.

"Kuradeel, assist that squad over there!" Asuna commanded. Heathcliff was currently too busy shielding his subordinates and left the shot calling to his sub-commander.

I was frustrated that we weren't able to end the fight like I planned to. This was dragging on much too long. There was only so much we could take before we succumbed to the insurmountable fatigue. A bit like reading fanfiction...

The boss's health bar dropped into the red zone. Victory was tantalizing so close. Then I realized...

...My health bar turned red as well.

A delayed reaction of shock. My lungs were on fire. And then I crumpled to my knees. Was that... paralysis?... A sword that was sticking out of my chest from behind suddenly retracted, but I still felt the lingering impact. I was able to slowly turn my head, and saw that Kuradeel was smiling maliciously, standing alongside someone I knew all too well.

White Death.

I was dragged up to my feet. I was completely in their mercy. I loathed at being alive but only just, as the thin thread that held me to this world was slowly detaching itself.

"I won't kill you just yet. First, I'd like for you to see something," he said complacently as my attention turned towards my allies who were unaware. I would've shouted but someone was gripping my throat in a vice-like grip.

From there, people started dying. But it wasn't a fight.

It was slaughter. It was a message.

Our forces were almost depleted of any form of energy. I could do nothing but helplessly watch people get killed one by one. My mind went into shock at the atrocity being committed and the sheer feeling of uselessness filled my head and hopelessness pervaded my heart. They started forcibly stripping me of my items and destroying them. I almost didn't register this in light of the horror I was seeing before me.

Suddenly, I was released. With Violet showing up beside me, I forcefully regained my bearings and once more picked up sword to fight. By now, the big three finally organized a counterattack against the Laughing Coffin members, but it was brutal. I didn't understand, however.

Why were we losing? We had more numbers, more equipment, just more advantages overall and yet... and yet...

I realized the reason why we were losing too late.

In the pure chaos of fighting both the boss, its minions and the Laughing Coffin members, we became separated. And in one moment, this very instance decided my fate.

Keita's group was caught out of position. Asuna was isolated from her teammates but was hanging on. And then-

"Kill them."

I ran as swiftly as I could, but it was in vain.

I had almost reached Keita's group, but suddenly, one of the more deranged members of the Laughing Coffin intercepted me, forcing a blade lock. And in the seconds that transpired, I watched as the Black Cats become encircled. Attempting to shove my opponent out of the way, I uncharacteristically headbutted him with enough force to stupefy him and give myself a near concussive blow. But I didn't care, I had to save Sachi, Keita, and the others.

Before I could reach them, a smoke bomb went off. I shouted anxiously into the indiscernible vapor to no avail. But I could hear the breaking of glass inside the black cloud. My spirit became disheartened. But then-

Sachi appeared. She was still alive! I ran to her, and shielded her with my arms.

"I'm sorry I couldn't save your friends, Sachi, but I promise to keep you safe from h-"

And right before my eyes, a sword pierced my chest for the second time. Tragically, the proximity in which I held Sachi was close enough for the sword to stab her as well. Since the level difference between us was too great, I survived, and she... did not.

I reflexively kicked my assailant back. I caught sight of White Death's contemptuous smirk as he brushed off my attack. He then tilted his head slightly in...

...Asuna's direction.

NO. Above all else, if there was something I would not allow happen it was this. Asuna was everything to me, and if she died-

I lost voluntary control of my body as I instinctively ran to Asuna's side. She was kneeling with her health bar in the red zone, grimly reminiscent of my own. Several members of the Laughing Coffin surrounded her. And at last, I understood why we were losing.

Everything clicked together unpleasantly as my reality sunk in hard.

Justice. Morals. Mercy. These traits, these virtuous ideals we strived to embody ourselves and teach others of... it had only served to get people killed. I failed to act, and therefore I failed to save Sachi and her friends.

I wasn't the best. Not at all, by a longshot. If I was the best I could've stopped all this from happening. Was that why Coper had haunted me? Because I was too weak to take responsibility? Was it his death that served as the premonition for my fate?

It's too late to change the past... I would have to settle for the future...

I scoffed. Whatever future that was left.

Hesitation is the seed of defeat. I would hesitate no longer. We were losing because...

We weren't willing to kill. We didn't want to survive badly enough. Now I realized the truth. Some people have to die in order so that others may live. And I... could never be the best until I accepted this. The road to success was filled with agony and sorrow. But that's all I have left now...

I swung my blade to stop the closest LC member from harming Asuna. The edge of my sword easily severed his head. And that was the scary part: it was so easy to end someone's life. And in a really sick way-

I was satisfied by that. Having power over someone else. Controlling another's fate. It made me feel...

Certain. Absolutely certain of what was going to happen because I was the cause of that result. This would be remembered as one of the most gruesome fights in SAO history, soon enough, the others followed my example and starting killing LC members instead of trying to apprehend and incarcerate them. Our new particularly aggressive strategy was effective because...

...it's exactly what they would do.

Our losses began lessening, but only by a margin. Then again, their forces started to deplete as well. A grim satisfaction took presence in my mind, but it wasn't enough. They had to ALL die.

Soon enough, everyone was breathing erratically in unison. Those who were alive anyway. I nearly couldn't feel my fingers, which were numb from the sudden impulses of killing. My mind was a blank, the only thoughts present were tunneled onto eliminating the opposition.

Gradually, but agonizingly slowly, we pushed them back. Less than half of Laughing Coffin's numbers remained. We shared similar records of casualties on our side, but I was bitterly content, at having inflicted heavy losses on their side as well. It would take an immense period of recuperation for their former strength to return. At least I hoped so.

Then again... what good was that hope? Hope was just synonymous with uncertainty. It was because I had failed to ensure security and an being on top of things that this transgressed into a fiasco of detrimental proportions.

In a last vengeful attempt to salvage the situation, I sought White Death's blood. I ran through the crowd, knocking aside foe and ally to get to him. We locked swords and he sneered at me.

"How's it feel, Alpha?" He voiced malevolently. "It feels good, right? To know that you're at your best when you act just like us and let others pay the price instead of always covering them on your tab..."

It wasn't true. It couldn't be true. What I did was out of necessity not- not madness and cold rationality.

"We'll meet again, Alpha. And the next time, only one of us shall walk away alive..." he whispered ominously and suddenly another smoke bomb shrouded my vision. If not for the boss distressing our forces, I would've pursued him, but I had to turn away and deal with the matter at hand. I could not speak any words. Only act.

The boss was just an inch from death. It doesn't take a genius to know how this ended.

Familiar glass shards broke into the air around me. The popup of the Last Hit reward welcomed my ears but I barely registered it. Instead I fell to my knees. The fatigue descended upon me, fulling taking effect. My eyes were strained, my head pounded, my heart palpitated violently, and my body quivered at being invaded by so many feelings at once, both physical and emotional. I gulped to remind myself that I was still alive. But... I did not appreciate the prospect.

The vicinity was dead silent, save for the reserved heavy breathing and minuscule movements throughout the crowd. A few murmurs passed from several people and no one was in the mood to celebrate. Not that it would be appropriate anyway, since there was almost nothing to rejoice about.

My expression was melancholic at first. Sorrowful, sympathizing for the people who had died today that might've lived. And then my countenance switched to one of contemplation. Wondering how and why things had resulted in this way. A brief surge of anger erupted inside of me, but before it could burst, I restrained it, and it turned into something else, something more dangerous.

Ambition. Selfish ambition. What Laughing Coffin had done today could not be forgiven. However... it taught me everything I needed to know, in order so I would not make the same mistake again. I didn't notice my silver eyes briefly lighting up with a venomous yellow glint.

There were five stages of grief. Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. There was nothing to deny, but there was plenty of justified anger. There was nothing bargain with, and being depressed would be pointless. But acceptance... that's an interesting concept. There were two paths to take when one decides to accept something: to let it go as something you can't change... or let it consume you, as you use it to mold your future. Can you guess which path I took?

«Elucidator»

Forged from darkness, and fueled by a symbiotic relationship with its owner, this blade of darksteel can only be broken if its wielder dies. Every successful strike upon the skin of the enemy by this blade strengthens its 'decay' percentage. When fully stacked, the user and can manually trigger its active to break any A-C rank equipment, or weaken the effectiveness of an S-Rank, at the cost of consuming all the Decay Charges. Attacks that cause critical damage collect half the maximum number of Decay Stacks.
WARNING:

Additional abilities:

...

The sword shined with a sleek, black sheen. A fitting testament to commemorate my new ambition. It was time to shed the old skin, and break in the new. I gripped the handle and propped myself upright with its tip.

"Kirito-kun?..." Asuna spoke to me with a concerned look in her eye. She immediately dashed into my arms and held me tight. She was so close to me, yet I felt no warmth from her comforting gesture. There was nothing except a cold drive that yearned for results. Uncharacteristically, I gently, but deliberately pushed her aside. The surprised look of hurt almost broke my heart, but I had new priorities. If this was necessary to keep everyone including her safe, I would have to adapt, have to change, have to be better. But not just better, I had to be the best.

Before he could get away, the KoB had subdued the mole who had planned the ambush alongside the Laughing Coffin. I walked towards him with a placid expression. It appeared as though they had already interrogated him, yielding nothing of significant value. Hmph. Fine by me. I looked him in the eye. He stared at me with a curled lip of scorn.

"Haha, how'd that taste, Alpha?" Kuradeel spat derisively. I didn't break from my silently adorned countenance. I gave a side glance to Heathcliff.

"Did you find out anything useful?" I inquired laconically. He shook his head.

"No, why do you a-"

I plunged a fist into his heart. «Embracer» was a technique I hadn't told anyone about, mainly because I never used it too much. But this was an exception. This was personal. He sputtered in shock and breathed his last breath. Dying with the words-

"You- you... murderer..." he coughed out as he slumped forward and burst into pieces. I wasn't done, however. There was no way a large number of frontliners had become derelict from command without a ringleader or two. Looking at the overly-conspicuous, jittery, Army scumbag and the nervous leader of the DDA, it was all too easy to put the pieces together. With a slight pause in consideration, I approached Kibaou, with «Elucidator» dragging at my side. As I passed Lind, I whispered, "I'll spare you, since you might still be saved from your ignorance and be of use to me... on the other hand, he's not so lucky..."

"What- what are you doing?" Kibaou asked aggressively but no longer with any arrogant bite in his voice like before. I almost cracked a smile.

"Kibaou, it's obvious that nothing good has ever come out of your... 'contributions'. You are a liability that compromises the welfare of the public and are irredeemably too selfish and stubborn for your own good. For all our sakes, and the salvation of the future, I have to rectify your mistakes. The main one being... your life."

Without waiting another second, I stabbed him viciously through the chest. My cursor briefly turned orange.

"Rest in peace..." I whispered into his ear. "If you deserve any..."

Gasps and shouts of horror and outrage surrounded me, but I silenced them with a petrifying glare. I have had enough with the stupidity of common people who have common minds. Never willing to sacrifice as much as I had for everyone else's sake. It was always just me, taking the fall, taking the hits, making excuses and giving everyone the benefit of the doubt. There were two ways to help people: lending them a hand when they need it, or... helping them by whatever means necessary. Even forcibly. And with this trump card, this «Elucidator», I would use it as extra leverage to get results.

"Listen up, and listen well. I'm sick of all of you, just as much as you're sick of me. But I want out of here like we all do. And now, I have a surefire way to achieve that. I just want one thing from you people..."

I menacingly scanned the crowd for instigators and potential insurrectionists.

"Don't. Get. In. My. Way."

I stalked towards the steps to the 51st floor with Violet shadowing behind me.

I entered «Lunerra» with Violet in tow. It was nighttime, and the sky was partially cloudy. A full moon illuminated the darkness. I quickly rented a room and locked myself in there with Violet. I stared out the window, and then smashed the top of the drawer to vent out my feelings. I let out several heavy breaths.

"You were going to tell me something back then?" I said, finally breaking the awkward tension. Violet stiffened but responded.

"It can wait. How are you feeling?" she queried worriedly. I snorted. That seemed like a silly question. It was so pedestrian and expected. But I replied anyway.

"Like... like a mur-" I halted. I couldn't bring out the word. Today, if Coper didn't directly count, I had drawn blood from another human being intentionally. And not just that, I felt satisfied with their deaths. When I got back home, if I got back home, how could I ever look at Suguha the same way again?...

I fell to the ground on my knees. I felt lost, frustrated, confused, and bitterly angry. The moral conflict within my head refused to cease bubbling. But I had already gone so far down this road, there was no other way but to finish what I started. Violet wrapped her arms around me. For some reason, this time I felt solace, and I wondered why I felt none when I was embraced by Asuna.

"I'm going to stay by your side, no matter what they say or do. I'm going to support your decisions, no matter what they may be. I promise," she vowed genuinely. That was all I needed to hear. I gripped her arm affectionately.

I knew the consequences of committing open murder. Even if it was warranted. I knew what everyone would say afterwards. I knew the danger that I put myself in. I knew that Asuna would most likely not approve. But this was what I felt was right. All this time, I thought that if I changed my selfish ways, things would turn out better for everyone. I tried being the team player, the selfless hero, someone everyone could depend on, someone who helped others without prejudice. But it wasn't enough and I saw that today. Even if I hadn't started the premature boss fight, I was far too weak to make much of a difference. It seemed as though the only way to save everyone, was to be selfish. Ironic, but I was almost certain, that had I not decided to start killing LC members, we would've all died. My hands... they would never be clean again. But that mattered little, people want to saved right? Well, then I would give them what they wanted. They could condemn me, curse me, but I could care less. No longer would I depend on people who I couldn't trust to be competent. I did not come all this way to have my fate be decided by others. That was mine to see to. I couldn't deny it; like I had said before, people were going to have to die. But this time, I would choose who was to be extinguished. Never again would I subject to the will of other people. In this virtual world, I was dominant. I was king. I was Alpha. They could make me wear a crown of guilty thorns upon my head, but I would sport that crown with pride. Hmm... a king of course, like any other, would require subordinates. Even though I had previously loathed the idea, perhaps now would be the time to turn over a new leaf. I needed a way to enforce my authority and govern the people. Violet and I were not enough alone. But perhaps... yes, perhaps with a guild, it was more than possible. All of Laughing Coffin would die by my hand, soon enough. For now however...

I enjoyed the feeling of nostalgic reversion.

A/N I wish I could make up for lost time with a longer chapter to compensate, but I hope this one will do for now. Once again, I'm really sorry for taking so long and I hope you guys can forgive me. To address a few things, I do realize I may have lowered the quality of several chapters with too many pop culture references as some of you may have 'delicately' pointed out. At the time, I was just experimenting and thought it would appeal to more people who could understand it, but I will try to write a more realistically from now on, so thank you for the feedback, as I do read every review, no matter how leniently or harshly put. I sound really obsequious right now, but thank you for everyone who has been following this story in its entirety from the start and extra thanks to those who followed, fav'd, and/or reviewed. Honestly, I guess I was having writer's block and was kind of frustrated at being so close to the good, chunky parts of the story that I kind of slacked off. _ Onegaishimasu, yurushite kudasai (please, forgive me), I will promise to try my hardest to not ever take such a huge hiatus again. Please don't give up on me, I'm always here, I'm just really lazy. xD Feel free to leave a review on how I can improve, something you liked, didn't like, would like to see, or even just a thought (that could possibly be random and irrelevant but sure, why not). Merry Christmas, everyone, and I hope you guys enjoy your break (if you're in high school right now like me). The next arc will be noticeably darker and I may or may not change the rating to M (*cough*forvariouspossiblereasons*cough*) In my opinion, this will be the better part of the story, as all the chapters before were kind of meant to build a foundation and set the stage. I also realized Kirito might seem OOC, but this is my version of him and I intended for this effect. Anyways, stay cool and have a nice day~