As the countdown began, the crowd held its breath, awaiting the duel's start. The moment it commenced, Kirito seemed to vanish—at least to most eyes. Hachiman and Asuna saw him clearly, but to others, he was a blur. A metallic clang rang out as Heathcliff's shield shifted slightly, and a thin line appeared across his cheek.
"Just a greeting," Kirito said.
"A polite one, I must say," Heathcliff replied.
"No need to return it," Kirito said.
"Pity. I'll repay you with victory," Heathcliff said.
Hachiman and Asuna had already used their paralysis recovery potions, shaking off the effects. They watched the duel intently, timing their intervention.
"Your defense is as tough as ever, Heathcliff," Kirito said.
"And your reaction speed is unreal, Kirito-kun," Heathcliff countered.
The duel was a deadlock, a gritty exchange devoid of flashy moves. Heathcliff aimed to chip away with counters, while Kirito hammered his shield, shaving HP with sheer impact. It was a test of endurance. Kirito tried quick two-hit sword skills, but Heathcliff read them from the first motion. He'd likely anticipated facing Kirito, not Hachiman, and prepared counters for every one-handed sword skill, probably even Kirito's dual-wielding. Kirito, cautious, focused on steadily draining Heathcliff's HP.
"Master duels always end up like this," Hachiman said.
"Yeah, big moves leave too many openings," Asuna agreed.
"Yo, Hachiman, who's got the edge? I can't tell," Klein said.
"Heathcliff," Hachiman said flatly.
"For real? Looks even to me," Klein said.
"It's movement. Kirito's burning more energy. The gap'll widen eventually," Hachiman said.
"That's bad. What's the plan?" Klein asked.
"We watch. Kirito's still holding something back," Hachiman said.
As if on cue, Kirito hid his left hand and unleashed Vertical Square, a four-hit one-handed skill with a noticeable gap. Heathcliff moved to counter the freeze, but Kirito tackled him, landing a two-hit Vertical Arc as a counter. The blow slashed a tenth of Heathcliff's HP, tilting the fight in Kirito's favor. Heathcliff, briefly stunned, recovered and struck back, but Kirito leaped away.
"What was that? Can you use martial skills with two swords?" Klein asked.
"Look closely, Klein. He used Quick Change to unequip his left sword, enabling the martial skill," Hachiman said.
"That's why he hid his hand! Nice one, Kirito!" Klein said.
"Yeah," Hachiman said.
"Kirito-kun's amazing! Almost as amazing as Hachiman-kun!" Asuna said.
"You never change, Asuna," Hachiman said.
Heathcliff spoke up. "Impressive. Using Quick Change like that?"
"Humans innovate," Kirito said.
Kirito re-equipped his sword and attacked. Heathcliff blocked solidly, but when Kirito hid his left hand again, Heathcliff hesitated. Kirito capitalized, landing heavy blows on the shield without exposing himself to counters.
"Feinting one way, striking another. Well done," Heathcliff said.
"Honored by the praise, Commander," Kirito said.
"I'm not your commander," Heathcliff said.
"Details," Kirito said.
Kirito pressed his attack, poised to win if he kept it up. But Heathcliff, master of the game, shifted tactics. From a defensive stance, he unleashed a barrage of thrusting sword skills with near-zero cooldown, using his right-hand sword.
"Guh," Kirito grunted, taking hits from the relentless chain. He pulled back and said, "That shield's cheating."
"You saw through it in a split second? Impressive," Heathcliff said.
The others tilted their heads, confused by "shield?" Hachiman explained to Klein, "He's triggering shield-based sword skills just short of cancellation, negating his sword's skill cooldowns for continuous attacks. If you're careless, the shield skill hits directly."
"That could go on forever!" Klein said.
"Yeah. Heathcliff's back on top. Time to prepare," Hachiman said.
"Got it," Asuna said.
As Hachiman predicted, Kirito, now at a disadvantage, kept fighting, mixing feints with heavy strikes, but Heathcliff held firm, even adapting to the feints.
"You're good at moving too?" Kirito asked.
"I didn't know I could do this either. I'm surprised," Heathcliff said.
"Yeah, right," Kirito scoffed.
The duel continued, but Heathcliff exposed a clear opening. Kirito, by swordsman's instinct, reflexively started a big move.
"Damn!" Kirito cursed.
"That won't work on me, Kirito-kun," Heathcliff said.
Kirito unleashed The Eclipse, a 27-hit dual-wielding skill, the strongest of its kind.
"Bad move—Kirito's baited! Asuna, now!" Hachiman shouted.
"Got it!" Asuna said.
"I saw that skill once. Twenty-seven hits, massive freeze time. If Heathcliff finishes Kirito now, we can't take him down in ten seconds. We protect Kirito at all costs," Hachiman said, running.
As they neared striking range, Asuna shouted, "Hachiman-kun, duck!"
"Huh?" Hachiman said.
He had no intention of ducking but did so reflexively, conditioned by always heeding Asuna. Asuna leaped over him, positioning herself before Kirito, who was starting his freeze, about to be struck by Heathcliff. Heathcliff's sword pierced Asuna.
"Hm, Asuna-kun? I expected paralysis counters, but I thought Hachiman-kun would charge," Heathcliff said.
Asuna, who'd fought on the front lines and only recovered half her HP with potions, lost it all in one hit. Smiling at Hachiman, she shattered into light before his eyes.
"No… Asuna? Asuna!" Hachiman screamed.
"Ten seconds. Stay calm. End it," Hachiman said.
Landing, he charged Heathcliff, slashing. His straightforward move let Heathcliff's thrust pierce him. Hachiman's HP, nearly full from minimal boss damage and potions, didn't zero but dropped fast, likely from piercing damage.
"Too easy. Hachiman-kun, did you let me hit you?" Heathcliff asked.
"Kirito, freeze or not, break through! Think of your sword as Lizbeth! She's watching!" Hachiman shouted.
Hachiman drove Heathcliff's sword deeper into himself, grappling him to lock the blade in place.
"No way… But Kirito-kun can't move yet! You'll die first, and I'll win!" Heathcliff said.
"Kirito!" Hachiman yelled.
"Guh… Lizbeth…" Kirito said.
Kirito called Lizbeth's name, who was surely praying for him. His Dark Repulser seemed to glow, and despite the freeze, he moved.
"What? You're overcoming the system with willpower?" Heathcliff said, preparing a shield-based sword skill.
At that moment, something struck Heathcliff's forehead, staggering him.
"Nice, Nezha!" Hachiman shouted.
Nezha's ranged attack hit perfectly, fulfilling Hachiman's trust.
"Kirito, shortest path—pierce us both!" Hachiman said.
"Yaaaaaah!" Kirito roared.
Kirito struck, piercing both Hachiman and Heathcliff. The attack obliterated their HP, and they shattered into light. Kirito, exhausted, collapsed unconscious. Silence fell, then a cold system voice echoed.
Game Cleared.
Logout processing initiated.
The crowd erupted in cheers as players began vanishing, logging out one by one.
Lizbeth, Silica, and Argo had been praying relentlessly. Suddenly, Lizbeth stood, shouting skyward, "Kirito's calling!"
She ran outside, followed by the startled pair. Outside, Lizbeth yelled to the sky, "Kirito, you can do it!"
Moments later, the system voice rang out.
Game Cleared.
Logout processing initiated.
The three cheered, crying and embracing. Still hugging, they vanished.
After two years and three months, Sword Art Online was cleared by Kirito's hand.
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