The Blacksmith and the Warrior

End of SAO Part 2

Some time later

Almost there. We managed to rally and take the fight to the Skull Reaper. With our fear replaced by determination, we make work of the majority of the Reaper's health, currently down to its last bit. "Everyone, attack!" Following Heathcliff's orders, we unleash a single united assault. Reaper, under too much stress, is unable to defend itself.

A moment later, it is unable to continue living.

As the game congratulates us on the victory, I drop on my knees, too tired to stand. I can barely believe we won and it seems that's the consensus with everyone. As I sit back to back with Kirito and Asuna I write out a message to Lisbeth, giving her the simple good news that we won. To the treasure hunters, I make a similar message.

"How many did we lose?" Klein asks.

Kirito checks. "...Fourteen of us died."

I bow my head. "Twenty-four in total if you include the half of the scouting party that was wiped out."

"Oh my god."

"And we still got twenty-five floors to go."

"Twenty-five more floors? How the hell are we even going to make it take far?"

I scoff. "Maybe you should charm the rest of the bosses with your philanthropy." Breaking the mood temporarily, I turn to Kirito, who stares in the direction of the only man left standing, Heathcliff. He stands poised and quiet, almost statue-like. I wonder how durable his shield is now, given all the hits it took. My own, as strong as it is, is down to half durability.

Kirito suddenly gets up and grabs his unsheathed sword, catching Asuna's attention. "What's wrong?" Just as sudden, Kirito charges a sword art and attacks Heathcliff, only to be deflected at the last second. Standing and looking on with wide eyes, I begin to wonder why he'd do such a thing at all...then a purple barrier and notification comes up around Heathcliff.

It says "Immortal Object". The fucker is not invincible due to skill, he is invincible. I shake my head as Asuna and I hoin Kirito's side. "I knew something wasn't right about you."

"An 'Immortal Object'? Commander Heathcliff, w-what's going on?"

"I think I got the answer to that," Kirito says. "The reason why the commander's health never hits yellow is 'cause he's protected by the system."

"The system?" As I think about it, it makes sense to some degree. While I did worry about her safety in case the worst happened, Strea is protected by the system as any other NPC is. We never had her "die" because of the fear she wouldn't return, but as a program designed by the game, she should be immortal too...or at least temporarily unkillable.

"You know, ever since day one, something's always bugged me about this whole thing. I was always wondering 'where is he hiding while he watches us and controls everything in this world?' Well, the answers pretty simple. It's basic psychology. In fact, it's so simple, every kid knows it. There's nothing more boring than watching someone else play an RPG. Is there...Akihiko Kayaba?"

I wish I could say I'm overwhelmed with surprise, but it makes so much sense that the one guy who definitely will not die is the creator of the game. I'm more shocked that I didn't figure it out sooner, despite my suspicion on Heathcliff's invincibility. Then again, I had no desire to attack the man either.