Chapter 81: The Finale – SAO Cleared Successfully
The countdown began, and everyone held their breath, waiting intently for the duel to commence.
At the very moment the duel started, Kirito's figure seemed to vanish.
Of course, to Hachiman and Asuna, his movements were still visible, but for most of the spectators, it truly looked as if he had disappeared into thin air.
With the harsh sound of metal clashing, Heathcliff's shield slightly shifted, followed immediately by a streak of blood appearing on his cheek. "This is your welcome gift." "A painfully thoughtful greeting." "No need to return the favor." "That's a shame; then let me repay you with the final victory."
Hachiman and Asuna had already used the paralysis antidote potions and were now gradually recovering from the paralysis.
To seize the moment to intervene, Hachiman focused all his attention on the fight between the two. "Defense is as solid as ever, Heathcliff." "Kirito's reaction speed is still incredible."
Their battle became deadlocked—no flashy ultimate moves collided, only plain and simple offense and defense.
Heathcliff was slowly wearing down his opponent with precise counterattacks, while Kirito kept striking the shield with powerful blows to chip away at his HP.
This was a battle of wills.
Kirito tried several quick double strikes, but all were anticipated and blocked. Clearly, Heathcliff had prepared counters for every one-handed straight sword technique, and likely could perfectly defend even dual-wielding skills.
Realizing this, Kirito shifted focus to steadily chip away at the HP. "Master-level duels are often like this." "Yeah, flashy moves have too many openings."
"Hey Hachiman, who's winning now? I can't tell at all." "Heathcliff," Hachiman answered decisively. "Really? It looks evenly matched."
"It's the efficiency of movements. Kirito is clearly expending more energy; over time, that disadvantage will show." "This is bad! What should we do?" "Keep watching, Kirito probably still has a hidden trump card."
Just then, Kirito suddenly put his left hand behind his back and launched a powerful but riskier four-hit single-handed straight sword combo, the "Vertical Four Directions Slash."
Heathcliff prepared to counterattack but was interrupted by Kirito's body technique collision strike from behind, followed by a two-hit "Vertical Arc" heavy strike on the shield.
This counterattack instantly took 10% off Heathcliff's HP, giving Kirito a clear HP advantage.
"Hachiman! What just happened? Can you use body skills while wielding two swords?" "Watch closely, Klein. He quickly switched and hid the left sword to free his hand for the body technique." "So the hand-behind-back move was deliberate! That Kirito's amazing!" "Kirito's incredible! Second only to Hachiman!" "You sure know how to compliment, Asuna."
On the other side, Heathcliff also spoke to Kirito: "Surprising. I didn't expect you to use quick switching like this."
Before he finished, Heathcliff's sword suddenly stabbed from an incredible angle.
Kirito barely dodged, and the blade grazed his collarbone, causing a stream of data bleed damage. "Humans are creatures of creativity."
Kirito summoned his longsword again and attacked fiercely. As he put his hand behind his back once more, Heathcliff hesitated for a moment. Seizing the opportunity, Kirito avoided the counterattack and struck the shield hard again.
"A beautiful feint." "Your compliment honors me, Captain." "I am not your captain." "Details don't matter."
Seeing the scale tipping toward Kirito, Heathcliff suddenly changed tactics.
He abandoned defense and launched rapid, almost no-cooldown consecutive thrusts with his longsword.
"Tch." Caught off guard, Kirito was hit multiple times and forced to back away.
"This shield's unfair, right?" "Oh? You saw through it instantly. That's you."
Amid confused looks, Hachiman explained: "He uses the shield skill to cancel sword skill cooldowns at the last moment, creating continuous attacks. One slip and you get hit by the shield skill." "So it's basically an infinite combo?" "That's why Heathcliff regained the initiative. Get ready to intervene."
Just as Hachiman said, Kirito, at a disadvantage, continued his strong attacks combining real and fake moves, but Heathcliff was slowly adapting to these feints.
"Body techniques are strong too, huh?" "I'm surprised myself." "Hmph, who knows."
The metallic clash still echoed, and a few caught sight of Kirito staggering back, his black coat fluttering.
His usually steady right-hand sword was trembling slightly—continuous precise blocking would wear down even the fastest swords of the clearing team.
During the fierce battle, Heathcliff suddenly showed a flaw. Kirito's sword instinctively launched a big move— "Damn!" "That move won't work on me, Kirito."
The opening sequence for the 27-hit combo "Eclipse" had already begun.
"No! Asuna, get ready!" "Got it!" "This move's cooldown lasts ten seconds. If he finishes Kirito off, we're done for. We must protect Kirito at all costs!"
While dashing, Hachiman suddenly heard Asuna scream behind him: "Hachiman, duck!"
Reflexively dropping down, Asuna leapt over him, shielding the sword strike aimed at Kirito's chest.
The longsword pierced through the orange-haired girl's chest.
"Asuna? I expected you guys to use the paralysis antidote and thought Hachiman would take the hit."
Asuna's HP was already low from frontline fighting, and this hit instantly drained her health bar.
"Asuna!!!"
The girl smiled faintly before dissipating into particles of light before Hachiman's eyes.
"Ten seconds… stay calm. We have to finish this within ten seconds."
Hachiman landed and sprinted straight ahead, deliberately letting the sword pierce him. Using the full HP he had saved during the boss fight, he tanked the piercing damage and grabbed Heathcliff tightly.
"Too easy, Hachiman. Did you let yourself get stabbed on purpose?" "Kirito! Treat the sword like Liz! Liz is watching you!"
The sword suddenly shone brightly while stuck in Hachiman.
Kirito, who should have been stunned, moved.
"Could it be true that willpower can override the system?! But I still have a backup!"
Heathcliff was about to activate his shield skill when an arrow struck his forehead—it was Nezha from afar.
"Well done!" "Kirito! Let me pierce through with you!"
The roaring black swordsman became a streak of light. As their double swords pierced through two figures, three shapes simultaneously exploded into data fragments.
"Game cleared." "Initiating logout procedure."
Cheers surged like a tide.
The three girls who ran out of the church shouted to the sky: "Go Kirito!"
As the system notification rang across the heavens, the three embracing and crying dissolved with the light.
After two years and three months, Sword Art Online was finally conquered today.