Turning Back the Clock

Chapter 18: The Final Battle

Kez: Hey, Heathcliff! Or should I say, Kayaba! Did you miss us?

Kayaba: But...how? How did you create and obtain objects, tools and weapons that I never programmed into the game?

Ui: How did YOU create 10,005 copies of yourself at will?

Kayaba: I was able to program it since this is my own game and my own creation. But for others to be able to do it as well, ....did you use or create cheat codes? Or hack this game somehow?

Kez: Who said anything about playing fair?

Riko: If you're going to trap us in here as though this game is a tomb or a death wish, I suppose it's only fitting for us to return the favor and use your own technology and programming against you.

Yui: Ok, guys! I found Kirito's NerveGear memory! I'm all set!

Kirito: Wait, how did she do that? Where is she?

Ui: We'll explain later. For now, would you like to do the honors, Riko?

Riko: It would be my pleasure. SAO players, ATTACK!

With Riko's command, his and Kirito's groups charged into the army of Heathcliff clones, and the other SAO players surrounded every corner of the room, ready to attack. Not one group of players was left out, whether the players were part of the ALF, the Knights, the various guilds, or the three special groups that Riko's team commanded the day before.

Kez: Now this is a battle of epic proportions!

Klein: Whoa. You can say that again.

Riko: Make sure to watch out for your HP at all times! We're all getting out of this game alive, right?!

Players: RIGHT!

Eventually, all of the clones were defeated, leaving the original Heathcliff towards the center of the room, stunned and shocked at what he had just witnessed. He was utterly speechless, for better or for worse. For the final blow, the heroes surrounded him and charged towards him for a 360-degree attack. The dust then cleared as Heathcliff and Aincrad began to fade away, and a voice echoed throughout the world and skies:

"Attention. The game has been cleared. Repeat: the game has been cleared."

Riko's team then found themselves with Kirito, Asuna, and the spirit of Heathcliff/Kayaba high above the clouds, looking towards the sun. Aincrad was below them, and it began to crumble apart and fall down, just like what happened after Kirito defeated Heathcliff by himself in the real world.

Kayaba: I don't understand. Those weapons and tools that you used. They were so advanced, unlike anything I had ever seen before, or anything I programmed and added into the game. How did you make and obtain all of that?

Kirito: This might sound crazy, but Riko's group - the FF, as they were referred to earlier - is from the future.

Riko: And it's all true. We're not making this up. In our time, we were taught that Kirito managed to overcome the game's limitations to save his friends and everyone in SAO.

Kirito: Wait, really?

Asuna: They also told us that they come from a future 100 years after SAO was launched. It took a heavy toll on the entire world, and the gaming industry.

Kayaba: How so?

Riko: At least 4,000 people died in SAO. Some people went insane because Yui was trapped due to the Cardinal's directive, and couldn't help anyone in their time of need.

Ui: I charged at you and your clones earlier because it had affected my family, too. We felt as though we had a heavy burden on our shoulders.

Riko: All these losses and other incidents in later online games that resulted in other lost lives or medical conditions gradually resulted in the collapse of the industry.

Kiyu: Well, I don't know if I'd say collapse, but basically, things have become tough for everyone.

Kayaba: Huh. I never thought that my creation would've lead to all of this in the far-future.

Riko: How could you not? This game was a death-trap for everyone.

Kirito: Why did you add the death feature into the game to begin with?

Kayaba: I...I don't know. I've been working on this game for so long that I can't remember the reason at all.

Gus: Always keep your goals in the back of your mind so that something like this doesn't happen again.

Ui: But I don't think that's possible for him anymore. He's...

Heathcliff: Dead. Your assumption is correct.

Ui: I figured.

Asuna: I guess one life was lost from this game after all.

Riko: Unfortunately.

Kirito: Speaking of which, did the other players log out safely?

Kayaba: Yes. A little while ago. All of the gamers who entered SAO are out and alive.

Riko: *whispering to Ui* So even if we couldn't keep him alive for vengeance purposes or whatever else, we still managed to save everyone else.

Ui: Yeah. ...I guess you're right.

Asuna: But on the plus side, being trapped in this game has brought us together, as odd as that may sound.

Kirito: Yeah. I am grateful that we all got to meet each other.

Asuna: Me, too.

Kayaba smiled after hearing what Kirito and Asuna said.

Riko: That is true. But there are better ways of allowing gamers to come together without the threat of death looming over us, though I guess that's probably a given.

As the group was talking, the reality of the SAO world began to fall apart as white light slowly started to fill their field of vision.

Kayaba: My time has come, and yours as well. I bid you all farewell, I wish you luck in the real world, and...I apologize for everything I've done.

The group nodded as the rest of the heroes grabbed hands, looked back at one another, and smiled, knowing that their mission was accomplished and coming to an end.

Kirito: We did it. I can't believe it.

Asuna: We actually did it. We're gonna live to see another day in the real world.