"How utterly annoying..." Kexo said coldly.
"Why can't you outsiders just behave yourselves? Since you've already lost the ability to resist, why not be like cattle awaiting slaughter and quietly die by the hand of the ultimate being—me?"
Akimi chugged down a healing potion, wiped the corner of his mouth, and smiled lightly at Kexo.
"First of all, let me correct you—we haven't lost the power to fight. Second, I think you're just a stinking mudfish who got a taste of seawater and now thinks he's seafood. And finally... the last guy who called himself the 'ultimate life form' is still floating around in outer space!"
With those words, Akimi charged forward again.
"You bastard...!"
Hearing Akimi's blatant and righteous taunt, veins bulged on Kexo's forehead.
His clenched-teeth expression betrayed his rage.
He raised his longsword and slashed horizontally toward Akimi with tremendous speed and force, the blade slicing through the air with a sharp, piercing screech.
But that heavy, lightning-fast strike was dodged as Akimi leapt high into the air.
Spinning midair, he twisted his body and slashed toward Kexo's nape with "Water Breathing, First Form: Water Surface Slash!"
Just as Kexo bent down to evade it, Asuna suddenly appeared at his right side.
"Horizontal Square Slash!"
Her silvery blade glinted as it struck his right wrist four times in quick succession, severing Kexo's sword-wielding hand.
She then kicked the hilt of the sword, sending it flying diagonally—it embedded itself in the trunk of a tree several meters away.
Right after that, Heathcliff, who had been idling nearby for quite some time, finally made his move.
With a massive force, the top of his longsword shield smashed into Kexo's chin.
Then he plunged his matching one-handed sword into Kexo's chest, followed by another powerful sideways shield bash directly to Kexo's head.
As Kexo roared and swung his sharp claws toward Heathcliff, Akimi moved again from behind.
"Water Breathing, Second Form: Water Wheel!"
Kexo was forced to retract his claws and twisted his body to defend himself.
But as he turned around, both Asuna and Heathcliff simultaneously activated their sword skills, chopping off Kexo's left and right legs respectively.
Now legless, Kexo's body froze.
His weakened claws failed to meet Akimi's blade, and as his attack fell short, Kexo raised his head slightly and widened his eyes at Akimi.
Akimi gently leapt into the air.
Wearing a calm expression, he looked down at the wide-eyed Kexo beneath him, turned his body slightly, and swung the Nichirin Blade.
With a whirl of blue water like something out of a Ukiyo-e painting, Kexo's vision spun with it.
The loss of his bodily sensation left him momentarily dumbfounded.
"Plop!"
That sound—the dull "plop"—was Kexo's head hitting the ground.
And then, even before the blank look in his eyes could fade, both his head and body shattered into countless glowing fragments.
With Kexo's death, the red barrier surrounding them slowly dissipated.
Though it was only around five in the afternoon, the dense forest canopy above blocked out the sunlight completely, leaving not a single ray of light to pierce through.
Akimi calmly sheathed his Nichirin Blade, lit a torch, and walked over to Asuna.
He looked up at the thick foliage above without saying a word.
Then, after a long silence, he finally spoke—his voice quiet.
"Hey, Heathcliff… Why do you think Kayaba Akihiko created Aincrad?"
Heathcliff, who had been staring quietly beyond the forest, didn't reply immediately.
Akimi continued, his tone thoughtful and steady:
"If SAO were just a game, I wouldn't hesitate to call it brilliant—because this would be the greatest game of the century. Its quality is undeniable."
He looked directly at Heathcliff and spoke again, this time softer:
"But... the moment it became a death game, its nature changed. It stopped being an illusionary world meant for fun, and became something real. Something foreign, terrifying… overwhelming."
"It's been less than half a year since we were trapped in SAO, but already, it feels like our previous lives were the illusion—and this floating castle, Aincrad, is the real world we live in."
"Ever since the first floor, there haven't been any casualties among the clearing group. People have become so used to this world, they stopped thinking twice about combat. They believe the rest of the game can be cleared just as smoothly."
"But… I'll bet you anything—that's about to change. Maybe even starting here, on the 25th floor. The battles from here on out will only grow more brutal. And by the time we finally escape SAO… at least one-fifth of the 8,000 people left will be gone."
Hearing that, Asuna opened her mouth slightly, as if to say something, but Akimi gently held her hand and shook his head.
Then he turned his gaze back to Heathcliff and spoke slowly, clearly, word by word:
"With such heavy casualties… tell me—what's the point of Aincrad's existence?"
There was a pause.
And then, Heathcliff finally answered, voice low and distant:
"...Maybe... it's a dream."
Heathcliff, who had remained silent until now, suddenly spoke.
He slowly inserted his one-handed sword into the slot behind his shield and continued:
"Kayaba Akihiko… maybe he was just a madman who would stop at nothing for his dream. And the reason Aincrad exists… is probably because it was Kayaba Akihiko's dream."
He gave Akimi a meaningful glance, then said nothing more.
Silently, he turned and walked away.
Akimi remained where he was, his fists slowly clenching—then gradually relaxing.
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