Hachiman found himself wandering through darkness, lost in an endless void.
All he could recall was his vision shattering into fragments before his consciousness slipped away.
Then, faintly, a familiar voice echoed from somewhere, stirring him awake.
"Where… is this?"
He stood in a place unlike any he had ever seen. A boundless sunset sky stretched above, painting the world in hues of amber and rose. The ground beneath him glimmered, formed of a crystalline material. As his eyes adjusted, he realized he was atop a vast, translucent disk, suspended in the ether.
And at his feet lay Asuna, motionless.
"Asuna…"
Hachiman knelt, gently lifting her into his arms.
"Did we make it in time? Or is this the afterlife? Well, as long as Asuna's here with me, I guess it doesn't matter. We'll be together forever, Asuna."
As he spoke, a faint smile tugged at Asuna's lips, her expression softening into a playful smirk. But before Hachiman could notice, a voice called out from behind.
"Looks like we're not dead yet."
Hachiman turned to see Kirito, slouched with a weary expression, his voice carrying the weight of their ordeal.
"Got any proof of that?" Hachiman asked, his tone steady despite the surreal surroundings.
"Still cool-headed, huh?" Kirito said with a faint grin. "Open your window."
"Alright."
Still cradling Asuna, Hachiman deftly summoned his interface. He noticed his clothing remained unchanged from their final battle. The window displayed no menus, only a stark message: Final Phase in Progress: 3356/6147.
"So, the right number is the total survivors, and the left is those who've logged out?" Hachiman mused.
"Probably," Kirito replied. "Looks like we all made it through alive."
"And this place? What is it?"
Kirito's response came in a flat, almost rehearsed tone. "Before we get to that, maybe wake Asuna up?"
"Why the monotone, man?" Hachiman said, raising an eyebrow. "But yeah, fine. Hey, Asuna, time to get up."
He gently shook her, but she didn't stir.
"Maybe she needs a prince's kiss to wake her," Kirito teased, his voice dripping with mock sincerity.
"Come on…" Hachiman groaned.
"Just look at her face," Kirito said, nodding toward Asuna.
Hachiman glanced down. Asuna's lips were puckered, as if eagerly awaiting a kiss.
With a heavy sigh, Hachiman leaned in and kissed her. Asuna's smirk widened at first, but as Hachiman lingered, her expression shifted. She began frantically tapping his back, struggling for air. Reluctantly, he pulled away, freeing her.
"Ugh, Hachiman-kun, that was mean!" Asuna gasped, catching her breath.
"That's my line!" Hachiman shot back. "What are you two playing at in a situation like this?"
"It's not my fault!" Asuna protested. "A fairy-tale moment like this might never come again!"
"And it's not like I had a choice," Kirito added, exasperated. "While you were out, I was explaining what happened after Asuna… well, 'died.' She suddenly flipped out, saying I'd killed you, Hachiman. To get her to forgive me, I had to play along!"
"Oh… uh, my bad," Hachiman muttered, caught off guard by their intensity.
"Alright, I get the situation," he said, shifting gears. "But, Asuna, why did you do it? Why make that choice?"
Asuna's eyes softened with guilt. "I'm sorry… It was a split-second decision. I thought if you survived instead of me, our chances of winning would be higher."
"My HP was still fine," Hachiman countered.
"I know, but… I couldn't bear to watch you die in front of me," she whispered.
"And I couldn't bear to watch you die either," Hachiman said, his voice low. He reached out, gently ruffling her hair. "But I'm so glad you're okay."
Kirito chimed in. "You should've seen Hachiman after you went down, Asuna. He was a mess."
"Sorry…" Asuna murmured.
"No, it's not your fault," Kirito said. "We all made it out alive. Let's just celebrate that luck for now. You good, Hachiman?"
"Don't ever make me worry like that again, Asuna," Hachiman said, his tone firm but warm. "I'll be more careful too."
"Okay," Asuna nodded, her voice small but earnest.
Kirito grinned. "Guess we'll just wait here for the logout. Might as well celebrate our victory."
As the three sat side by side, a new voice interrupted. "Mind if a defeated foe joins your victory celebration?"
They turned to see not Heathcliff, but Kayaba, standing in a white lab coat, his true form as the researcher who created this world.
"You three really pulled it off," Kayaba said, a note of admiration in his voice. "Impressive, as expected."
"Nehzha did most of the heavy lifting," Hachiman replied.
"But that was under your direction, wasn't it?" Kayaba countered.
"Well, sure, but Kirito's the one who pushed past his limits in the end," Hachiman said. "I just handed the reins to him."
"And that was all part of your plan, wasn't it?" Kayaba said, smiling faintly. "I don't hold back on praise where it's due."
"See, Commander?" Asuna teased. "I told you my Hachiman-kun is amazing."
"You two are really something," Kayaba said, chuckling. "I never could've imagined this from the old Hachiman-kun."
"Uh, let's not bring up the past, Akihiko-san," Asuna said, her tone sharp.
"My apologies," Kayaba said. "How about I make it up to you with something special?"
With a snap of his fingers, the floating castle of Aincrad materialized in the sky above. It was crumbling, its lower layers dissolving into the void.
"That's incredible," Hachiman breathed.
"Is that… the twenty-second floor? The forest and lake?" Kirito asked.
"Our secret base is falling apart…" Asuna said, her voice tinged with nostalgia.
"That house saved us in more ways than one," Hachiman added.
"Yeah," Asuna agreed softly.
As they watched Aincrad's slow collapse, Kirito turned to Kayaba. "Why did you do all this?"
Kayaba paused, his gaze distant. "Why, indeed? It started when I learned about full-dive technology. But at its core, it was probably a childhood dream—a vision of a steel castle floating in the sky. That image never left me. It only grew stronger with time."
"So you got the means to make it real," Kirito said.
"Exactly. And then I met Hachiman-kun and heard him talk about 'reality.' It shook me. What was reality to me?"
Hachiman's eyes widened. "Wait… are you saying this is my fault?"
"No, no," Kayaba reassured him. "By then, the project was too far along to stop. It wasn't because of you."
Hachiman exhaled, relieved, as Asuna and Kirito patted his back reassuringly.
"I sought reality and built this world," Kayaba continued. "But you three surpassed its rules, went beyond what I created. Seeing that alone makes me content. So, Hachiman-kun, have you found your reality?"
Hachiman considered the question. "The bonds with my comrades, meeting Asuna—these feel real to me. But you just said we surpassed your reality. So maybe there's always another reality beyond what I think is real now. I'll keep searching for it."
"And even if you never grasp it, you'll keep chasing it?" Kayaba asked.
"Yeah."
"My reality is crumbling before my eyes," Kayaba said, gesturing to Aincrad. "But I still believe somewhere, in another world, that castle lives on."
The three fell silent, struck by a strange sense of wonder. They could almost see it—another world where their comrades met again, fell in love, gathered at their secret base. Without thinking, Hachiman spoke.
"I hope so."
"Yeah," Kirito echoed.
They had so much they wanted to say to Kayaba, so many accusations. Yet, in that moment, they found themselves agreeing with him. His actions were unforgivable, but his feelings weren't entirely incomprehensible. The contradiction gnawed at them.
"Oh, I almost forgot," Kayaba said, breaking the silence. "Congratulations on clearing the game."
The words hit them, a quiet confirmation of their triumph. Kayaba glanced at his window, his expression briefly startled, before his gaze flicked to Hachiman. He said nothing about it, only speaking aloud: "The final process is almost complete. It's time to part ways."
"Don't forget," Kirito called out. "We're meeting at the Dicey Café."
"I'll be there," Hachiman promised.
"Hachiman-kun, we'll be together forever, right?" Asuna asked, her voice soft.
"Of course. Back in the real world," Hachiman said.
"Absolutely!" Asuna beamed.
"Farewell, then," Kayaba said.
Asuna and Kirito vanished in a shimmer of light.
"Well, that figures," Hachiman said, unsurprised.
"What, not shocked?" Kayaba asked.
"You looked like you had something to say to me," Hachiman replied. "So, what's next? You running, or turning yourself in?"
"I'm a defeated man," Kayaba said. "Losers don't get to choose. They just die quietly."
"But you're here, talking to me," Hachiman pointed out. "Doesn't that mean you were freed from SAO when we cleared it?"
Kayaba's eyes widened slightly. "So that's why you never hesitated. You figured it out."
"Even I can't kill someone I know without a second thought," Hachiman said. "By the way, I tipped off Asuna and Kirito about this beforehand."
"I see. I'm the one who hesitated, then," Kayaba said with a wry smile. "There's something I need to apologize for."
His expression turned somber. "I wanted to talk more, but I'm out of time."
"What do you mean?" Hachiman asked.
"After this, my brain will be scanned at high intensity. If it works, I'll exist as consciousness alone, drifting in the digital sea. Either way, I'll die."
"Why would you do that?!" Hachiman exclaimed.
"To see what I haven't yet. To chase the next reality."
"Akihiko-san…" Hachiman's voice broke, his eyes glistening.
"Don't look like that," Kayaba said gently. "We might meet again somewhere, right?"
"…Yeah."
"There's one more thing," Kayaba said, manipulating a window. "Something critical for your future."
"That window you keep checking?" Hachiman asked.
"Yes. The final process is done, but a hundred NerveGears aren't responding."
"What does that mean?"
"The cause is unclear—likely external interference, but I can't say for sure. Those hundred players probably won't wake up. And I just confirmed… Asuna-kun is among them."
"No… Asuna…" Hachiman's voice faltered.
"Hachiman-kun, find the culprit. Save Asuna. And someday, show me a picture of your wedding. Assuming my consciousness survives, that is."
"I'll find them," Hachiman vowed, his voice resolute. "I'll bring Asuna back."
"I can't forgive whoever's tarnishing SAO's end like this," Kayaba said. "I'm counting on you, Hachiman-kun. It's time to go."
"Akihiko-san…"
"One last thing," Kayaba said. "Never forget the name Heathcliff. It'll serve you well someday. Farewell."
"…See you somewhere, sometime," Hachiman replied.
"Indeed."
With those words, Hachiman's consciousness faded to black.
In the empty void, Aincrad's collapse went unwitnessed, its fragments dissolving completely. With it, everything in that space vanished, and Sword Art Online reached its fina.
--------------------------------
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