Sinon was lying down on the rocks, waiting for her HP to deplete. She’s starting to feel faint, and her limbs losing strength. Then, she saw day turn into night. Sinon realized this is Kirito’s heart given form, and she was reminded of the night they spent in GGO during the tournament. Kirito was not like the radiant sun that leads from the front, but the stars that glow weakly that will always be supporting you from afar. Sinon wished for her thoughts to reach Kirito, and her thoughts led to a light blue star glowing overhead.
Leafa is also facing her final moments in UW, she doesn’t have the mental strength to continue on or even use her healing ability. Her limbs were unmoving, and her entire body felt cold. Riruperin is crying over Leafa’s passing. Day turned into night, and the Gladiators and Orcs around her was shocked at this change. Leafa knew this was Kirito’s doing however, and understood how he had become the person he was today from this change. To Leafa, this night sky was the proof of Kirito’s resolve to shoulder the fate of UW and everyone within it himself, and proof that Kirito was a superior sword-user than she was. Leafa prayed for her feelings to reach Kirito, and a green star glowed above her in the sky.
Lizbeth, seeing the change in the sky, was reminded of when she met Kirito. She was also reminded of how Kirito said he wasn’t the one responsible that cleared SAO, but everyone that helped; Kirito said it was their willpower that led to him stay after his HP was depleted, and allowed him to defeat Heathcliff. Lizbeth said to Silica next to her that she loved Kirito after all. Silica agreed, saying she does as well. Both of them, the SAO Frontliners, and everyone else there in the group began to pray each in their own way, and hundreds of stars began to light up the sky.
Renri watched the sky turn into night next to Teiza, grasping her hand. He couldn’t forgive himself that he was the only Synthesis Knight here that stayed alive; he planned on dying, just like Berculi did, to repay the memory of the best friend he forgot about (due to being processed into a Synthesis Knight). Kirito however showed him true strength was to live on, and be connected with the people around you. Teiza came to the same conclusion as well. Teiza’s other hand was grasped by Ronie, and the three of them then prayed for Kirito. Three constellations made of hundreds of stars lit up in the sky.
Ishukaan watched Leafa dying, and thought the Orcs followed her because they thought the green-haired girl was stronger than Vector. He asked Shuuta just what is true strength. Shuuta replied he should know by now, it’s something greater than anger and hatred. Day turned into night then, and a green star appeared above them. Shuuta pointed at that, and said that was true strength, the true light. Both of them prayed, and then a red star and grey star speared above them. The DT forces began to pray as well, and the number of stars swelled from hundreds, to thousands, to tens of thousands.
Then, quick transition of scenes of other people praying followed. Fanatio and the rest of her troops and Knights praying for a peaceful world; the demi-human populations of DT; Selka, realizing Kirito is back to normal, and prayed for Eugeo to keep him safe; other villagers with Selka; and all the residents of Human Kingdom.
Over a hundred thousand stars began to glow in this night sky that blocked out the midday sun. Then, they began to move south, to the ends of this world, where a sword was pointed towards the sky.
Alice saw Gabriel turned into his six-winged form, and the ensuing battle even as she ran. She saw how Kirito had only his upper body left, yet his willower was so strong it was enough to keep him alive and fighting. Then in the night sky stars began to converge, carrying the will of all the residents of UW in a colossal flow of rainbow. Alice brought her feelings to bring as well, and thought even if she was a fake personality her feelings are real. A golden star began to fly towards Kirito’s sword.
Asuna didn’t look back to watch Kirito fight. Her only thought was to bring Alice to the World End Altar as soon as possible, to repay Kirito for fighting. However the burning feelings of her heart continued to throb in her heart, and Asuna shed tears. Those tears scattered into the wind, and turned into a constellation that glowed with all the colours in the sky. Asuna spared only an instant to watch her tears fly up, and ran on without looking back. She has faith Kirito will be victorious.
Gabriel could not comprehend how he can be trapped inside the ice, considering how he can absorb elements. He understood how his mouth was wounded however, his concept of mouths and biting down was what led to that.
===(Translation Start)
I am the Reaper. I am the one who robs away all light, all heat, and all of existence.
I am the Abyss.
“NU….LLLLLLLL!!”
Gabriel’s throat let out an alien roar that could not be described as a voice of a human anymore.
The three pairs of black wings behind him had all turned into blades of Void like the sword in his right hand.
The blades of Void made severe sounds of impact, and severed the space of everything around him. The blue-white vines are finally cut apart, and his body was free.
“LLLLLLLLLL!”
Gabriel extended his blades of Void along with his roar. His empty left hand was pointed ahead, and he was about to launch lines of darkness at the brat to bind him when-
Gabriel noticed only just then the red light of the sky had disappeared.
And also, noticing the countless shooting stars above that descended one by one.
===(Translation End)
Kirito didn’t have anything in mind when he Released his Sword of the Night Sky. Turning day into night was not what Kirito had in mind. When the stars gathered Kirito only realized then the purpose of the Night Sky sword is to absorb resource from the environments, and the most abundant resource in UW was not from the sun or the land; it was the power of human souls. The power of prayers, hopes, and wishes. The stars began to drop down into his Night Sky Sword, being absorbed. Then, after the gold-coloured and aurora-coloured stars that rose from the earth and went into his sword, the black sword glowed an incandescent white. Kirito’s body was charged with power, and his lower body and organs were regenerated in an instant. The Blue Rose Sword also glowed with phenomenal power.
Kirito brought his swords up, and roared. Gabriel shouted back a war cry of his own. Gabriel could no longer be called human – his body has turned into a metallic one glowing blue-black, and a hellish purplish-blue glow came from his eyes. Three pairs of blade like wings sprouted from his back. Gabriel raised the sword in his right hand towards the sky, and his left hand sent countless cold and sticky lines at Kirito. Kirito brought forth a wall of light and deflected away those lines. Then, Kirito activated his glowing wings, and charged at Gabriel. The distance between them was small but Kiritos accelerated senses made this instant felt longer.
In this instant, wraiths of the past appeared and spoke to Kirito.
Zast and his lover showed up, telling Kirito: “Young man, abandon your killing intent. That person’s soul of Void cannot be cut down by Incarnation of death and killing.”
Berculi appeared, dressed in his plain white kimono and steel blade appearance. His words: “Young man, there is no need to fear. Your swords contain the weight of the world.”
Administrator showed up next to Berculi, in her usual state of undress. She smiled at Kirito, her silver eyes gleaming. “Show me, all the divine might that you have inherited from me.”
Lastly, Cardinal appeared next to Kirito as if to hug him, and the small spider Charlotte that was Kirito and Eugeo’s travelling partner for years appeared on her shoulder. Cardinal spoke in her child-like voice and archaic manner of speech: “Kirito, believe. Believe in the countless souls of those that both thou loves and loves thou.”
Cardinal’s warm brown eyes blinked at Kirito softly, and then all of them disappeared.
Kirito then shot at Gabriel, closing the distance in an instant. Kirito then used the most trusted two-sword style attack he has practiced in, ‘Starburst Stream’. Sixteen continuous attack shot at Gabriel. Blades filled of starlight that could light up the universe went towards Gabriel. In response, Gabriel’s six wings and Void Blade clashed against Kirito’s swords. Light and Void collided intensely, and giant flashes and explosions shook this world. Kirito willed himself to go faster, and faster. Kirito swung his swords, and Gabriel retaliated with his blades.
Tenth strike. Eleventh strike. The energy released by their attacks burned the space around them, turning into roaring thunder.
Twelfth strike. Thirteenth strike. There was no hatred, anger, or killing intent left in Kirito’s heart. All Kirito is now is being the conduit of countless stars, with the power of prayers powering him and his swords.
Fourteenth.
Fifteenth.
Kirito shouted mentally for Gabriel to withstand the brilliance from the hearts of everyone within UW. The sixteenth attack was a bit too slow, and one of Gabriel’s wings struck Kirito. Kirito’s left arm was severed from his shoulder, and burst into light. The Void Blade in Gabriel’s right hand descended upon Kirito’s hand. The Blue Rose Sword in mid-air however was taken up by a glowing pair of hands, and parried that attack; countless stars sparked out from where those two blades met. Eugeo, wielding the Blue Rose Sword, told Kirito to finish this now. Kirito thanked Eugeo, and then launched a new, seventeenth strike of his attack, from lower right towards left shoulder. The sword bit deep into Gabriel, and the attack stopped where Gabriel’s heart would be. In that instant, all the light from within Kirito, Eugeo, and their swords flowed into Gabriel’s body.
Gabriel felt an overwhelming waterfall of positive thoughts flowing into him, the prayers of everyone in UW. The prayers called for peace to once again come to UW, for Kirito to protect this world.
===(Translation start)
Though his heart was pierced through by the young man, Gabriel opened his arms and spread his wings wide and guffawed:
“Hahaha, hahahahahaha!!”
How foolish, how ignorant, how preposterous to the extreme!
You actually want to sate my thirst, to fill this endless Void!
Ultimately, this is only an undignified act of trying to warm the entire universe with just human hands – why do you still not understand!!
“Then I will drink it entirely, every last drop – I will Devour them all!”
Gabriel shouted out, his eyes and mouth filled with the blue light of Void.
“Can you do it?! You, who are merely someone that’s frightened, afraid of the bond between people, can you do it?!”
The young man who was wreathed in golden light shouted out to him in response.
Another layer of powerful light covered his sword – an increased amount of heat and light stabbed into the frozen heart.
The view became white-hot, and his hearing capability have been cut off.
Even so, Gabriel still laughed.
“Hahahahaha, ha-hahahahahaha!!”
===(Translation End)
Kirito was no longer afraid, even if the void deep within his opponent was like a bottomless black hole. A huge whirlpool of light, a galaxy of prayers born from the souls of others was within Kirito. The purplish-red light in Gabriel’s eyes and mouth began to shift colours. Purple, to red, orange, and then pure white.
A crack appeared on Gabriel’s metallic body. Another, from throat to chest, appeared. From within the cracks that began to appear, glowing white light poured out. Gabriel’s six wings have also begun to catch on white fire from the base of the wings. Despite this, Gabriel continued to laugh. The void angel was covered with white cracks all over his body, and then his body collapsed inwards, and then expanded.
And then released. A frightening large explosion shot towards the sky in a spiral trail.
Gabriel then suddenly woke up in the STL room, still laughing. His laughter slowly died down as he took the view of the room in. Gabriel had thought he was kicked out of UW because of some bug, on the verge of victory and devouring Kirito whole. Gabriel turned around, and found a white-haired man sleeping in his STL. For a moment Gabriel thought just who this person was, and then he realized it was himself. Then… who is he right now that was looking at himself?
Gabriel looked down, and found he was in an ethereal state. He couldn’t comprehend he’s only in the form of a soul right now. Alicia, Gabriel’s fiancée he killed a long time ago, his first victim, showed up beside him looking the age of when she died. Gabriel doesn’t know how Alicia is here with him. Alicia then grabbed Gabriel’s hand, and refused to let go. Alicia’s hands felt ice-cold, stabbing into Gabriel like he was getting frostbite. Alicia said no, he’ll be staying with her forever. Gabriel tried to break free, and found he couldn’t. Then, for the first time in his existence, Gabriel felt fear; his heart tightened, his organs boiled, his breath getting chaotic, and goosebumps appeared all over his body. Alicia smirked, and told him this was the emotion he has wanted to experience all his life.
Gabriel wants this to all stop, but Alicia says no, he will be feeling this for the rest of eternity. Alicia than began to sink into the ground, with Gabriel sinking along with her. Gabriel involuntarily cried out no, make it stop… but the sinking did not stop.
Then, many white arms began to rise out of the ground, latching onto Gabriel. Gabriel instinctively knew these are from the victims he has killed over the years (Flere821 note: As Berculi has mentioned earlier, the souls Gabriel devoured stayed within him. And now they’re out…). Gabriel started to scream, calling for his team to come in and save him. Nobody came, and Vassago on the STL next to his didn’t even budge. Gabriel had sunk down half way by now, while the child form of Alicia was down to head level. Before Alicia sunk even further, she laughed. Gabriel was frightened by that laugh, and he screamed. Again, and again, and again.
White hands covered every bit of Gabriel’s body as he was dragged down. With a thud, Gabriel’s vision was blocked, and he gave one last piercing shriek in realization of his fate.
After that… the acceleration of UW began once more. The remaining Japanese players were forcibly logged out of UW. After taking a moment to wipe away moving tears, they called all their comrades who had been removed from UW by death, and told them their efforts were not in vain.
Sinon and Leafa woke up in their STLs, their HPs depleted before the acceleration started. Both of them believed Kirito will win, save the world, and return to them without harm. And the next time they see him, they will convey to him somehow their feelings to him. Both of the girls noticed each other’s resolve and plans, then gave a slight smile to each other.
However… the STRA system had its limits released, and raced over one thousand times; five thousand times; towards the five million times accelerated rate of time compared to the real world.
2013-04-03, 16:45
Compilation of Summary Links
