The Night Sky Swordsman (Sword Art Online X OC)

Chapter 68 Synthesis

No one's POV

Zora: There...we...goooo!

For the umpteenth time, Zora hauled himself up, caught his right leg on the corner of the marble, and swung up onto a flat surface at last.

Zora's joints and muscles, taxed well beyond their limit, screamed and throbbed like they were being seared by flames. Large beads of sweat rolled down his forehead and neck, but Zora couldn't even move his hands to wipe them away; he couldn't do anything other than pant. The fatigue was so real and all-encompassing that it was hard to remind himself that this was just the STL's virtual world.

Once the moon had fully risen, Zora and Alice spent the next two hours in another agonizing climb, and now that he was finally up on the ninety-fifth floor of Central Cathedral, Zora didn't even have the energy to look around. He let his limbs lie flat, closed his eyes, and waited for his life value to return.

There were nearly fifteen floors between the terrace with all the stone minions and here. It wouldn't have been that bad if not for the golden knight fixed to his back by her slender chain, necessitating all that time and stamina.

Alice Synthesis Thirty had impressively overcome the Seal of the Right Eye, that mysterious system that kept all Underworldians in check, but the cost had been severe. It had exploded her jasper-like right eye without a trace, and the shock and pain had knocked her unconscious.

The Underworldians' souls were stored in lightcubes, an artificial memory medium. Perhaps because of that, they had a tendency to be more susceptible to psychological shock. When they were faced with immense sadness, fear, or anger, they went into a kind of temporary shutdown to protect their fluctlights from some kind of fatal error—but in a world without the concept of crime, it was quite rare for such extreme emotions to manifest. It had happened to Alice's sister, Selka, two years ago, too, when Zora and Eugeo were attacked by the goblins in the northern cave.

Alice went unconscious merely to soften the shock of breaking through that eye seal. Zora expected she would awaken eventually; if there had been some fatal-error damage to her fluctlight, she would have died on the spot, as Raios Antinous had.

In that sense, it was remarkable that Eugeo, who had suffered the same phenomenon as Alice, stayed awake and finished his swing when it happened. He'd been fully spent after they got tossed into the cells, but he still responded when Zora spoke to him.

So the reason for the Underworldians' mental fragility and absolute obedience to orders was still a mystery, but at least Zora knew it was possible for them to overcome it; Eugeo and Alice proved that. Yes, they were technically artificial intelligences, but the power contained in their souls was no different from that of people in the real world...

These thoughts and more went through his head for an hour on the terrace with the minions while Zora waited for Alice to recover, but she never opened her eyes. Zora used sacred arts to stop the bleeding, but he had neither the resources nor the skill to heal her entirely. While he waited, the moon rose and granted some spatial resources, but Zora needed them to generate the ice picks for climbing. The best he could do was rip the hem of his shirt to make an impromptu bandage for her, then continue climbing the tower with the unconscious knight weighing him down.

Zora removed the chain that connected them, tried hauling Alice's slender but unbelievably heavy body over his back, and seriously considered removing the golden armor and Osmanthus Blade that made up most of that weight. However, it would have been stupid to leave those tools of hers behind now that she had made up her mind to fight on his side.

Instead, Zora steeled himself, hooked the chain to the knight's body, and began climbing up toward the top of Central Cathedral in the distant night sky. After two hours of miserable effort, the sight of a new terrace brought Zora so such relief, he accidentally dropped one of the hooks. All he could do was hope nobody was waiting on the ground far below, unsuspecting.

At any rate, once Zora had made it the ninety yards straight up that vertical wall to the ninety-fifth floor, he figured he had earned the right to lie down on flat ground for a little while. Zora wasn't planning to move for another three minutes at least.

Just when he hoped to enjoy the feeling of every muscle in his body relaxing, Zora was interrupted by a quiet groaning from atop his back.

Alice: Mm...muhhh....

Alice the knight said, her breath tickling his neck.

Alice: Where...? What...did I...?

She tried to get up, but the chain quickly went taut, and the weight returned to Zora's back.

Alice: These chains...Zora... You didn't carry me all this way, did you?

Zora: That's right—you owe me some gratitude. What are you doing?

Alice: Oh no! You're drenched with sweat!

Zora: Of course I'm sweating! I just carried a girl who's covered head to toe in armor and an enormous sword that weighs god knows what, up the side of a 100 story tall building!

Alice then looked down and saw her dress was wet and started to push Zora off her.

Alice: And my clothes are stained! How dare you ruined them! Get away from me right now!

Zora: Are you kidding me!

Alice shouted, whacking the back of Zora's head. His forehead smacked the hard marble floor as Zora let out and painful shout!

Zora: Owwww!

(Timeskip)

Zora: I don't know...what I did to deserve that shabby treatment...

Zora grumbled as he undid the chain and removed the cargo from his back, then leaned against a nearby pillar. The knight didn't utter a word of thanks for Zora's extreme physical labor; she was busy flapping her white skirt in an attempt to air it out. Once she finished, she felt the sleeve that had been pressed to the back of Zora's neck the entire climb and glared at it suspiciously. Well, Zora wasn't going to let this insult go without some banter of his own.

Zora: If you're that concerned, why don't you go and take a bath, princess?

Zora said sarcastically, but fastidious Alice actually looked like she was taking the question seriously.

Zora: I'm just kidding! There's no way we're going back down all that way.

Alice: That won't be necessary, actually. There's a Great Bath for the knights just five floors below us.

Zora: Wha...?

Now it was his turn to look baffled. After escaping the underground prison, running through battle after battle, and completing this unplanned wall-climbing campaign, Zora would be lying if he said he didn't want the chance to wash off the dust and sweat. It didn't even have to be a bath, just a water pump—and then Zora looked around at last.

Like the name Morning Star Lookout suggested, the ninety-fifth floor was built to be one giant observation deck. The four edges of the tower had no walls here—which was why Zora was climbing up to it—just round pillars supporting the ceiling at ten-foot intervals. Given how open it was, Zora could now understand why Administrator placed those minion gargoyles along the walls below.

They were on the outermost part of the floor, which was a terrace with the occasional little set of stairs leading within. The interior was slightly elevated, with marble sculptures, verdant plants, and tastefully designed tables and chairs. Zora had no doubt that the wide-open view of the Underworld below would be breathtaking in daytime.

On the north end, a great set of stairs led to the adjacent floors. Zora and Alice were the only people in sight. But had Eugeo passed through here yet or not? Seven hours had passed since Zora was separated from Eugeo on the eightieth floor. Zora had to scramble for his life up a sheer wall and he had regular old stairs to use, so he should have gotten here much quicker.

But the problem was that he had to face a foe much stronger than the minions: Bercouli Synthesis One, commander of the Integrity Knights, a hero of legend stronger than Vice Commander Fanatio and Alice, both of whom had already fought Zora off without much trouble.

Eugeo was mighty, too, of course. In terms of sword skill, he had probably surpasses Zora. But skill alone could not dispatch the superhuman Integrity Knights, especially the senior ones. It required taking advantage of the opponent's mindset and utilizing anything you possibly could in the vicinity—a true "anything-goes" approach. Could earnest, straightforward Eugeo pull that off...?

Alice finished her own examination of the vicinity.

Alice: I say this with no relation to the issue of baths...but I must doubt that your friend Eugeo has come up this far yet.

Zora: Huh? Why?

Alice: Because once we were thrown out of the cathedral, this floor became the only place we could get back inside. It's really obvious from a glance...so if he had gotten here already, he would likely be waiting for you.

Zora: I see. You've got a point.

Zora said, crossing my arms. If Eugeo had reached this floor before Zora and Alice, he'd have been either caught or killed by now. While he'd been doubting him just a moment ago, Zora also wanted to believe Eugeo was good enough not to end up with either of those fates.

Alice: Where do you think this Eugeo is right now?  If he took the stairs from the Cloudtop Garden, he must've run into the most powerful opponent before reaching this floor.

Zora: Most powerful opponent?

Alice: Uncle...His Eminence, the Knight Commander Bercouli.

Zora: Is he really that tough? This knights' commander guy.

Alice turned to Zora with a grin, part of her face still hidden by the makeshift bandage.

Alice: I have never once bested him in a practice duel. If you lost to me, and Eugeo is at your level, then by that logic, he will not win, either.

Zora: -_- Sure, by that logic. But if not for what happened, I may not have actually lost to you, either.

The golden knight ignored him and continued.

Alice: Uncle's skill with the blade is absolutely first-class, but his Perfect Weapon Control is simply divine. His Time-Splitting Sword, like the name suggests, is capable of piercing time itself. I suppose you would understand if I said that when he cuts the air, that slicing force remains suspended there for a time. Even if you avoid his strikes, eventually you will be trapped in a cage of blades that you cannot see. The slightest move might cost you a hand or a foot or, worse, your head—but if you don't move, you are an easy target. Ultimately, any opponent of Uncle's will be forced to stand in place and succumb to one of his greatest attacks like a practice dummy.

Zora: The slices...remain suspended...

It was hard to imagine from the way she described it, but it sounded like the chronological length of a swing was extended out into the future. If so, it was a frightful power indeed. It would totally override the strength of the Aincrad style, which was to reduce the strength of any single blow but make up for it by extending the range and time of their attacks with combos.

What would have happened to Eugeo against such a foe? Zora was certain he wouldn't be dead, but a chilling foreboding crept up his spine. Perhaps they ought to head down in search of his partner after all. But what if he'd already been captured and taken to Administrator's chamber on the top floor? What if she was performing some dangerous sacred arts on him, with her knowledge of all the user commands...?

At last, the fatigue was starting to leave Zora's legs, and he got to his feet, if unsteadily. Zora glared at the stairs on the north end of the floor and bit his lip. What Zora would give for a sacred art that could tell him Eugeo's current location —but as a basic rule, no art could be cast on a human target that wasn't present. If that were not the case, Administrator and Cardinal's duel would have been over ages ago. But if the target were an object rather than a person, there were other options...

Only then did Zora realize that there was such an easy way to solve this problem.

Zora: Of course...that's right.

Zora motioned to Alice, who was looking at him with suspicion, raised his right hand, and at a moderate volume announced.

Zora: System Call!

Zora's fingers glowed purple, a sign that the spatial resources were charged again after the exhausting climb up the wall. Careful to control his emotions, Zora enunciated the following commands.

Zora: Generate Umbra Element. Adhere Position. Object ID, DLSS703. Discharge.

Alice: What are you doing?

Zora: I'm trying to locate the Blue Rose Sword. Since Eugeo would never let it go.

Naturally, Zora's search target was the unique ID of Eugeo's Blue Rose Sword. From what he was able to guess, DLSS was probably an abbreviation for "Double-Edged Longsword Single-Hand," while the string of numbers was the identification for that particular sword within that category. Zora's black sword's ID was DLSS102382, which suggested that when the Blue Rose Sword was generated in the early days of the Underworld, there were only about seven hundred one-handed longswords at the time, but by the time Zora's sword was crafted just two years ago, there were over a hundred thousand.

The little darkness element floated steadily downward until it landed on the ground a short distance away and burst.

Zora: It's below.

Alice: So it would seem.

Alice noted with mild interest. Zora clutched and released his fist a few times, sensing that some of his fatigued life was back, but Zora knew that Alice had suffered more damage.

Alice: Wait.

Alice put her fingers to the strip of cloth that had previously been part of Zora's shirt.

Alice: Did you treat my wound?

Zora: Yeah...It managed to stop the bleeding, but that was the best I could do with my sacred arts. Do you think you can heal your eye...?

Alice: Of course. My sacred arts authority is far beyond yours.

Alice snipped in her usual manner. Her visible eye turned to the sky to stare at the full moon.

Alice: But at this time, there aren't sufficient spatial resources. It won't be possible to treat it until Solus has risen.

Zora: Then perhaps if you converted one of your high-priority obj—I mean, one of your precious valuables into power...Your armor, perhaps...

Alice: Even the art to return a receptacle into its basic sacred power requires more than a small amount of power to begin with. Didn't you learn that at the academy?

Alice said with exasperation, then thought it over.

Alice: I still feel some pain, and vision in my right eye is somewhat limited, but neither will prevent me from fighting.

Zora: B-But...

Alice: Besides...I'd like to feel it a bit longer. The pain, which is the proof that I've decided to fight the Axiom Church.

Zora: Alice...

In that sense, Zora couldn't argue. This fight was as much about Alice creating her own destiny as it was about his.

Zora: All right...if it comes to combat, I'll protect your right. We've got to hurry, though. Based on the movement of that darkness element, Eugeo's got to be pretty far down from here.

Zora said looking down the stairs. Technically, Zora's search spell was for the location of Eugeo's sword, not Eugeo, but he wouldn't let go of it unless something very bad happened. Alice looked to the stairs as well.

Alice: I'll take the lead—I know the way. Then again...we're only going down the stairs.

And without allowing Zora any chance to interject, she strode toward them, boots clicking. Zora hurried to keep up. Cool air flowed up from the descending stairs at the north end of the floor, and Zora couldn't sense anyone in the darkness below. Even on the lower floors, there was very little sense of activity; up here at the top, Central Cathedral was simply cold and dead, like a series of lavish, beautiful ruins. It was hard to think of this as the center of power for the organization that oversaw the entire human world.

There was supposedly a senate in addition to the Integrity Knighthood among the upper echelon of the Axiom Church. It seemed strange that Zora had ascended so high in the tower yet had not seen a single one.

Zora caught up to Alice on the right side as she descended and voiced his suspicions. The knight looked a bit perplexed, then whispered back.

Alice: As a matter of fact, even we knights aren't told anything about the senators. I've heard that the ninety-sixth floor and up is a section called the senate, but we are forbidden to enter...

Zora: Oh...So what do the senators actually do, anyway?

Alice: The Taboo Index. The purpose of the senate is to observe and confirm that all people are following the Taboo Index. When there is an Index violation, they dispatch an Integrity Knight to control the situation. I went to take in you and Eugeo from North Centoria Imperial Swordcraft Academy two days ago on just such an order.

Zora: I see...So the senate is kind of like a proxy for the pontifex. I'm surprised that Administrator would give them such powerful privileges, knowing how cautious she is. Unless the senators have their memories controlled the same way the knights do...

Alice scowled and shook her head.

Alice: Please don't talk about memory. I don't want my remaining good eye to start hurting, too.

Zora: S-sorry. I think you're safe now, though...Eugeo's eye seal broke, too, and nothing much happened to him after that...

Alice: Let's hope you're right.

Alice said, rubbing her eye patch. Zora recalled what had happened on that exterior terrace. Alice had been shaken a number of times before she ultimately swore to fight against the Axiom Church and its leader, but at no point did her Piety Module ever show signs of activity. Zora assumed that the memory fragment Administrator took from Alice had to do with her sister, Selka, or childhood friend Eugeo, but unlike what had happened with Eldrie, when Eugeo mentioned Selka's name to her at the academy, no purple prism appeared from her forehead.

So what in the world was the memory that Administrator took from Alice's mind?

It was rather pointless to wonder about that now. Once Cardinal performed her Reverse Synthesis Ritual, Alice would regain her past memory, and the Integrity Knight Zora was with now would cease to be...

Again, Zora sensed a subtle little twinge in his chest as he mechanically walked on.

The only sounds on the late-night staircase were two echoing pairs of feet. After five repetitions of landings with bright-red carpets, the descending stairs came to an end, revealing a very large set of doors. They'd passed the ninety-fourth through ninety-first floors, and there were no marks of battle anywhere.

Alice came to a stop, and Zora sent her a questioning glance.

Alice: Yes...this is it. The Great Bath on the ninetieth floor. I would assume that Uncle wouldn't choose such a place as his defense point...but then again, knowing him...

She trailed off as she put her hand to the door. Just a light push, and the thick slab of marble rotated without a sound. Instantly a wave of thick white mist pushed out, and Zora turned away on instinct.

Zora: Whoa...that's some major steam. How big is this bath? I can't even see inside.

Although it obviously wasn't the time, it was very tempting to strip off his sweaty clothes and jump into that hot cleansing water. Only when Zora took a step inside the cloudy air did he realize it was not hot steam but freezing mist.

Alice wasn't expecting this, either—she sneezed daintily, and Zora promptly unleashed a percussive blast of his own. The veil of white air hovering in front of him gave way, but not because of the force of his sneeze. When he saw the state of the bathing chamber, Zora stood still in shock.

It had to take up the entire floor of the tower, because the far wall was foggy in the distance. Almost the entire chamber was a bathtub, split in two around a long straight walkway right in front of us. Each bathtub was practically a fifty-meter Olympic pool on its own.

But the truly shocking detail was that the bath-pool on our left was completely frozen white. Even the animal-head faucet in the corner of the bath, pouring water in, was frozen into a curved pillar of ice, indicating that the freezing process had happened in an instant. That would be not a natural effect but the work of sacred arts, of course.

Whatever froze this much water at once was no laughing matter. Anyone would need at least ten expert casters utilizing ordinary sacred arts with ice elements to achieve this effect.

Zora headed to the left and descended the stepped lip of the tub so he could rest his foot on the surface of the hard ice. It didn't creak, even with his full weight and heavy sword resting on it. Zora guessed that the water was frozen all the way to the bottom of the baths.

Zora: Who did this...and why?

Zora wondered. After a few steps over the wispy surface, his boot landed on something hard. It crumbled delicately. Upon closer examination, Zora saw a number of the small round objects on the surface of the ice. He reached down and broke one off, then lifted it up.

It was a rose of ice, with many layers of blue, translucent petals.

Zora:...!!

Zora had seen these before on multiple occasions. In the Great Hall of Ghostly Light on the fiftieth floor, when they fought Vice Commander Fanatio Synthesis Two; and in the Cloudtop Garden on the eightieth floor, when they fought Alice Synthesis Thirty. Eugeo utilized his Perfect Weapon Control to immobilize his targets in those situations, producing ice roses just like these. It wasn't sacred arts that froze this mammoth bathtub solid...

Zora: It was Eugeo...

Alice lowered herself on the ice next to Zora. Her working eye was wide as she gasped.

Alice: By the 5 gods...You're saying Eugeo did this...?

Zora: Yep, no doubt about it. It's the Perfect Control effect of his Blue Rose Sword. But I'll be honest...I didn't think it would be this devastating.

Eugeo claimed his Perfect Weapon Control was designed for slowing down opponents. He was dead wrong—anyone trapped in this hell of ice would lose their life before long.

Perhaps he really did defeat the legendary hero Bercouli. Zora looked around, desperate for information. The darkness element had indicated that the Blue Rose Sword would be around here, and that meant Eugeo was here, too. Just then, he heard Alice gasp.

Alice: Uncle?

Zora:...!

Zora sucked in a sharp breath, too. About twenty yards away was a rather large silhouette. It was unmistakably a human head and shoulder. Someone buried in the ice. Alice and Zora shared a glance, then they raced over, scattering ice roses. Zora soon realized the person trapped in the ice was not Eugeo. His shoulders and neck were at least twice as thick as Zora's partner's. Zora slowed down out of disappointment and caution, but Alice only went faster.

Alice: Uncle!

Alice cried, racing for the frozen silhouette.

Zora(mind): That's Commander Bercouli?! Then where's Eugeo...?!

Confused, Zora increased his speed again. When he caught up several steps later, Alice was on her knees before the burly man, clenching her fists and screaming.

Alice: Uncle...! Commander! What happened to you?!

Alice had seen Eugeo's ice power on the eightieth floor, so she should have understood what the Blue Rose Sword's effect was; when Zora got closer, he realized what she meant. The man wasn't simply frozen up to his chest. His rippling, muscular shoulders, trunk-thick neck, and fierce, proud features were all colored in a drab, inorganic gray.

Zora: That's...not part of Eugeo's...Perfect Control effect...

Alice: Long ago, Uncle told me...that the Prime Senator Chudelkin was given the authority to turn anyone to stone. I believe the name of the command is Deep Freeze.

Zora: Deep...Freeze. Then the commander—got turned this way by the prime senator? Aren't they on the same side? Why...? I mean, he should be a valuable force in fighting off intruders, right?

Alice: Uncle seemed to have secret doubts about the order's issued by the senate. But he told himself the Human Empire could never know peace without the Axiom Church's rule, and spent countless days battling. The senate may have all the authority in the world, but this...there's no reason for him to receive treatment like this...!

Tears dropped onto Alice's knees from her left eye. She reached out, not bothering to wipe her cheeks, and clung to the petrified Bercouli. One of the teardrops landed on the commander's forehead and vanished into little sparkles of light.

A sharp crack split the scene.

Alice leaped up to her feet, staring at Bercouli's neck. There was actually a small split there, as though the mild warmth of her tear had melted the stone effect. The fissure widened and grew, throwing off tiny shards of material.

Zora and Alice watched in amazement as the gray statue continued splitting, very gradually changing the angle of its neck. Soon the face was pointing toward us, and the stone around the mouth began to crack. Shards of stone that would have been flesh and blood just hours ago continued to fall away.

Based on the name Deep Freeze, Zora assumed the command would completely pause an Underworldian's state, body as well as mind. It wouldn't be like spreading liquid plaster over someone in the real world. Through the orders of Stacia, the god of all, his every movement was forbidden—and he was trying to overcome it through willpower alone.

Alice: Stop it! Please stop now! Your body will break! Uncle!

Alice pleaded tearfully. But not for an instant did Commander Bercouli stop his defiance of the gods. With an especially loud crunch, he lifted his eyelids. The eyes revealed were as gray as his skin, but the irises rippled like the surface of water, and they began to regain a very faint bluish color. The absolute strength of will they exuded was so overwhelming, it gave Zora goose bumps.

He grinned, throwing off another shower of shards, and opened his mouth to emit a hideously raspy but powerful voice.

Bercouli: Hey...little Alice. You shouldn't cry...that hard. It ruins...your pretty face.

Alice: Uncle...!!

Bercouli: Don't...worry...A single art isn't going to kill a guy like me. Besides...

Bercouli paused, taking in Alice's tear-streaked face and the impromptu bandage that covered the right side. He gave her a smile full of fatherly love.

Bercouli: I see...You've overcome that wall at last. The Seal of the Right Eye I couldn't break even after 300 years...

Alice: Uncle...I...I'm...

Bercouli: Don't make that face. I'm happy. Now there's nothing left for me to teach you.

Alice: That's...that's not true at all! There's so many things I want to learn from you!

Bercouli: I know you can do it.

Bercouli whispered into her ear, beatific smile on his lips.

Bercouli: Guide this twisted world to its proper state.

Zora could tell that the strength was rapidly draining from his voice. The remarkable willpower coming from the knights' commander's fluctlight was reaching its end at last. His eyes suddenly turned to Zora; they were losing their focus and turning gray again. He worked stiffening lips and croaked.

Bercouli: Hey, brat. Look after her for me.

Zora: I will.

Zora nodded and the hero of old nodded back, creating a fresh crack in his stony neck. What Zora interpreted as his final words emerged as white, frosty mist.

Bercouli: Your partner was taken away by Prime Senator Chudelkin. Most likely to the Pontifex's chambers. Hurry, before that boy is deceived by the labyrinth of his memories.

And with that, Bercouli the Integrity Knight Commander returned to silent stone. There was something truly appropriate about the heroic figure he struck, buried to his chest in solid ice, neck and face covered in fine, tiny crack.

Alice: Uncle...

Alice whimpered, still clinging to his shoulder. Zora turned away, considering what the man's words meant.

This Prime Senator Chudelkin was the one who'd placed the Deep Freeze command on Bercouli and taken Eugeo away. That much was certain, because, in a spot not far from the frozen Bercouli, there was a square shaft carved out of the ice all the way down to the floor, as though cut by an electric saw. Eugeo must have used his ice roses' power expecting to go down and take the commander with him, but then the prime senator came along, cut him entirely out of the ice, and took him up to Administrator's chamber at the top of the tower.

Zora had to wonder what this "labyrinth of memories" meant, though. He didn't like to think about Eugeo being handily brainwashed, but Zora also had no idea what sort of methods Administrator would use to manipulate his fluctlight directly.

Zora peered down the square hole and saw, just through the perfectly smooth sides, something shining. Zora crouched down to see a longsword plunged into the floor of the bath. Even through several inches of ice, Zora would never mistake that beautiful curve. It was the Blue Rose Sword.

Zora: This is...

That striking weapon was practically a part of Eugeo; the sight of it left behind under thick ice only made Zora even more worried. He glanced back at Alice, who was still clinging to Bercouli, then drew his black sword and stuck the tip into the ice directly above the Blue Rose Sword. For just an instant, Zora pushed down.

The ice cracked, split vertically, and crumbled into the shaft nearby. Zora knelt and squeezed the exposed handle of the Blue Rose Sword, then pulled, wincing against the sensation of well-below-zero-degrees metal on his skin. It resisted a bit, then slid out silently, scattering ice fragments.

Zora stood up, black sword in his right hand and Blue Rose Sword in his left, and he immediately felt his joints buckle with the extra weight. No wonder, since Zora was holding two very high-priority Divine Objects, and he couldn't imagine holding three with the last in his mouth, but Zora wasn't going to complain. Ronie and Tiese, Zora and Eugeo's trainee pages, had worked their palms bloody carrying these swords to Eugeo and Zora before they were taken to the cathedral.

Zora(mind): Now it was my turn to take this sword to Eugeo.

A familiar white leather sheath was on the frosted ice surface nearby. With Zora's sword at his side, he picked up the sheath and placed Eugeo's sword in it. After a little more thought, Zora then attached the second sheath to his belt on the right side, balancing the weight so Zora could still move reasonably well. He exhaled and turned around to find Alice up on her feet. She rubbed the moisture on her cheek with her sleeve and, to hide her embarrassment, grumbled.

Alice: Usually, the only person mad enough to wield two swords is a pretentious high ranking nobleman, but for some reason, it suits you incredibly well.

Zora: Hmm? Oh...

Zora couldn't help but grimace. During SAO, his lifeline as a solo player was his flashy Dual Blades and Triple Blades style, but he'd hidden that skill for so long, Zora still felt anxious about showing off a two-sword or three-sword approach in front of others.

Or maybe that wasn't entirely it. Perhaps Zora was somehow afraid—even sick—of the ostentatious description of [Dual-Bladed Zora], [Triple Bladed Swordsman of the Night Sky], the hero who'd beaten the Game of Death. Zora never wanted to take on that particular role again, no matter what anyone said about him.

Zora: Yeah, but I can't actually swing two swords at once.

Zora told her with a shrug. Alice nodded as if this were obvious.

Alice: If you swing two swords, there is no way to execute a proper ultimate technique. In that sense alone, there is little reason to ever wield two swords at once. Anyway, if the sword is still here, then we ought to assume that the pontifex has apprehended Eugeo already. We ought to hurry; she is not bound by typical logic...

Zora: Have you...spoken with Administrator before?

Alice: Only once. It was six years ago. I awoke after losing all my memories, and faced my summoner, the Pontifex said to be ruling the Human Empire on behalf of the Gods. Those mirror line silver eyes that reflected all light...Yes. I understand now. I was deeply afraid of the Pontifex at that time. I can never defy her. I'm to accept her every word without question, and offer her my everything. I know now it was that overwhelming terror that compelled me to feel that way.

Zora: Alice...

Zora murmured, feeling momentary disquiet. But she sensed what he was thinking, took a deep breath, and raised her head to look at him.

Alice: I'll be fine. I've already made up my mind. For the sake of my younger sister residing far away in the north...For the family I've never seen yet, and for all the people, I'll do what I believe is right. Uncle knew about the eye seal that we all bear. That tells me that Bercouli Synthesis One, leader of  the Integrity Knights, did not blindly believe that the Axiom Church's reign was entirely good. Our trek down here to get your partner was a failure, but I'm glad that I saw Uncle...I know that my heart is firm and in the right place now.

She crouched and caressed Bercouli's stone cheek, lingering no more than an instant before she turned away, striding purposefully over the ice in the direction they had come.

Alice: Now then, let's hurry. For now, all we know before we confront the Pontifex, we may have to battle the Prime senator.

Zora: W-wait...are we just going to leave the commander like that?

Zora asked, trotting to catch up. Alice glared at him with her good eye and snapped.

Alice: We can either force Chudelkin to reverse the art, of slay him. That's all there is to it.

As Zora struggled to walk with the weight of two swords, he realized he never wanted to make an enemy of this knight who resemble his older sister ever again.

(Timeskip)

Zora and Alice raced back up the five flights of stairs, dealing with extra gravity this time, and stopped when they made it back to the Morning Star Lookout. Zora was wheezing with the effort of lugging the Blue Rose Sword, but the Integrity Knight was largely unaffected, despite wearing so much armor that her weight couldn't be far from his. With her frosty-blue eye and snow-white skin, she faced the next staircase with determination.

Alice: Listen to me as you catch your breath. The senators are not much more than simple civilians when it comes to using weapons in short-range combat, but their sacred arts authority is higher than ours. Even in this resource-scarce environment, they can use the catalyst crystals from the Rose Garden to unleash practically unlimited long-range attacks.

Zora: Enemies like that...you need to...sneak up, then stick close.

Alice: We can't be bothered with personal dignity now. If we can successfully approach without detection, that would be best, but there is no guarantee of that. If that plan fails, I will use my sword's Perfect Control to block their sacred arts, and then you can charge them.

Zora: -_- So I'm the suicide-charge guy...

Zora lamented, recalling how much he hated dealing with mage-type enemies. Alice arched her eyebrow and offered sarcastically.

Alice: We can switch roles, if you prefer. But you will be in charge of blocking their sacred arts.

Zora: Fine, fine, I'll do it.

Zora's black sword was still recovering its life value, and he wasn't sure whether it had enough for a good Perfect Control use. If possible, Zora preferred to save that for a fight against the pontifex. His sword's ultimate power was a fairly simple one—summoning a giant spear of darkness—that excelled in power, but it didn't have the varied effects Alice's flower storm did.

Alice: If I feel like it, I might favor you with a recovery art from behind. You may cause as much damage as you wish, but make sure that Prime Senator Chudelkin survives. If my memory is accurate, he will look like a small man in bright-red-and-blue clown clothes.

Zora: That...does not sound very...dignified.

Alice: But you must not underestimate him on account of it. In addition to his powerful Deep Freeze ability, he has a number of speedy and powerful arts. He is likely the most powerful caster in the Church, after the pontifex.

Zora: Yeah, I get it. It's pretty much a quest cliché that the little silly-looking guys end up being the toughest enemies.

Alice briefly shot him a suspicious look, then turned her face to the staircase and announced.

Alice: Let's go.

(Timeskip)

They raced up the flight of steps as fast and quiet as they could, and the two of them came upon a cramped and dark hallway, which ended at a black door. The hall was maybe five feet across and lit by eerie green lamps. It was just tight enough to force you to move out of the way if someone was coming from the other direction. The door at the end of the hall was small, too. Alice and Zora could just walk through without bumping their heads, but a man as large as Bercouli would have to crouch down quite a bit.

It just didn't sit right with him. Normally when someone got into the ultimate enemy's stronghold—the final dungeon, if they will—the design and furnishings got fancier and more imposing. And just one floor below, the Morning Star Lookout had been extravagantly outfitted. So why would it suddenly get so cramped and unpleasant, right before the very end?

Zora: Is this...the senate you mentioned earlier...?

Alice: Yes. It should be. It will be clear when we go in, at least.

Alice strode down the hallway, flicking her golden hair aside to blow the hesitation away. Zora was starting to think this might be a trap and was tempted to reach out and stop her. But then he thought better of it; the Axiom Church wouldn't set up a trap for intruders this high in the tower. And even if they did, it would be a bold projection of its power, like those minion statues on the walls outside.

The twenty-yard-long hallway did nothing to block our way. In moments, they reached the little door and shared a glance. As the up-close attacker, Zora grabbed the tiny doorknob to take the lead. It clicked open, no lock, and smoothly swung outward.

There was a sudden gust of cold air from the darkness within, suggesting the thick presence of something. It was the kind of foreboding sensation Zora got when opening the door to a labyrinth boss chamber in Aincrad—and it made his spine crawl.

Zora wasn't going to beg Alice to take the lead, of course. He pulled the door all the way open, ducked his head, and looked inside. The hallway continued a short way through, then turned into what looked like an open space with hardly any light. All he could see was a faint, flickering purple light, though the source was unclear.

The moment Zora moved through the doorway, he heard what sounded like mumbled chanting. He stopped to listen harder: It wasn't just one voice. There were several, perhaps dozens, all in unison.

Alice: Sacred Art?

Zora: It doesn't seem to be an attack spell.

If Zora was curious, Alice was downright proactive.

Alice: Let's go in. If the senators are preparing some major unrelated sacred art, that suits our purposes. We can sneak through the darkness and get within sword range before they realize it.

Zora: Oh, good thinking. I'll go first, like we said. Watch my back.

Zora whispered, quietly drawing his black sword. The Blue Rose Sword was only likely to weigh him down in combat, but Zora wasn't going to just leave it on the ground there. Once Alice had her Osmanthus Blade drawn as well, he resumed sneaking forward.

The closer they got to the dim chamber, the more he noticed a nasty smell in the cold air. It wasn't a fetid odor like animals or blood, but more like the stink of rotting food. Zora tried to ignore it as he pressed my back to the wall of the corridor and peered into the dark space that he assumed was the senate.

It was large—but more than that, it was tall.

At its base, the chamber was a circle about twenty yards across. The curved walls stretched up about three floors to a ceiling hidden in darkness. The structure of it reminded him of Cardinal's Great Library.

There were no lamps in the room, only a flickering purple light coming from the walls here and there. There was also a series of many round objects placed at set intervals, but Zora couldn't tell what they were.

Then a new light source appeared very close to us. It was a square board glowing light purple—a Stacia Window. And the sphere within it was... A human head.

Zora: A...h-head...?

Alice: No. they have to have bodies attached. But it's like they're growing out of the walls...

Zora squinted as best he could. There were indeed necks and shoulders beneath the spheres, but that was all he could make out—their bodies were stuffed right into square boxes mounted into the walls.

Based on the small size of the boxes, Zora had to assume their limbs were folded into an absolutely minimal space. It didn't look comfortable in the least, but Zora couldn't actually tell how the people in the boxes felt about it, because their faces showed zero emotion.

Their pale, exposed heads had no traces of hair on their scalps, chins, or brows, and their beady, glassy eyes gazed at nothing but the Stacia Windows right before them. There were complex strings of letters appearing on the windows, at the end of which the box-people would intone, "System Call... Display Rebelling Index" with washed-out, bloodless lips.

Zora froze. Their voices didn't sound like they belonged to living people.

Zora: Are...are these the ones who...?!

Alice: Do you know them?

Alice snapped. Zora glanced at her and nodded.

Zora: Yeah...There was this window that opened in the corner of the room right after we had that big fight at Swordcraft Academy two days ago. There was a white face watching me and Eugeo from it...and no doubt about it, it was one of these...

Alice paused to listen to the box-people chant, then frowned.

Alice: The sacred art they are reciting is completely unfamiliar to me...but it seems they have the realm divided into sections. I am not certain what all those numbers are supposed to mean, however.

Zora: Numbers.

Zora(mind): Among those hidden parameters is a value called the violation index. Administrator quickly discovered that she could utilize this value to sniff out people who were skeptical of the Taboo Index she had set forth...

That had been from wise little Cardinal in the Great Library. This proved it: The Rebelling Index, as the box-people called it in the sacred tongue, was that very violation quotient she mentioned. All the dozens of "boxen" in this chamber were monitoring the values of every man, woman, and child in the world.

If they detected abnormal values, they would open a portal and peer into the location, identifying and reporting the violator. Then whoever received that report would order an Integrity Knight to bring that individual to justice. That was how Eugeo, Alice, and Zora were brought to the cathedral in the first place...

Zora was broken out of his stunned stupor by the sound of some kind of buzzer. Alice and Zora both tensed and raised their swords, but they hadn't been spotted. The boxen stopped their chanting and all looked upward.

Until now, Zora hadn't noticed that, on the walls just over their heads, faucet- like objects jutted upward. The box-people all opened their mouths, and a thick brown liquid abruptly flowed out of the spigots. They caught the liquid in their gaping mouths and swallowed it mechanically. Some of the liquid spilled out of their lips, staining necks and collarbones. That was likely the source of the stench.

Soon the buzzer sounded again, and that was the end of the liquid feeding. Their faces snapped forward again, and the chanting resumed: System Call... System Call...

Zora(mind): This is no way to treat human beings.

In fact, even cattle and sheep shouldn't have been treated this way, Zora recognized with a surge of anger pulsing up from his gut. He clenched his teeth.

Alice: So these are the senators of the Axiom Church, which rules the Human Empire.

Zora looked over to see that her one visible eye was shining with fury. Zora hadn't put that idea together, but it seemed accurate now. All of these dozens of people stuffed in boxes were the senators, the high administrative officers of the Axiom Church.

Alice: Was it the pontifex who created such spectacle?

Zora: I reckon it was. I bet she found people from all over the realm who were weak in combat skills but excellent in sacred arts, then stole their thoughts and emotions and turned them into this senatorial security system...

System was right. These weren't people; they were devices. Their job was to maintain perfect peace—or stagnation—across the realm under the Axiom Church's rule. Even the Integrity Knights, with their most precious memories stolen, didn't suffer such an ignoble fate. It was atop centuries of this sacrifice that Administrator had reigned. Alice slowly hung her head, until her dangling hair hid her expression.

Alice: This is unforgivable.

The Osmanthus Blade in her right hand rang softly, as though channeling its master's rage.

Alice: No matter the crime, these are still human beings. But she did more than steal their memories—she removed the very intelligence and emotion that makes them human, stuffed them into these cages, and now feeds them worse than beasts...There can be no honor or justice here.

She raised her head to a noble tilt and strode willfully into the chamber. Zora rushed after her. The senators' eyes did not move from their Stacia Windows, even with the shining presence of a beautiful lady knight in the darkness. She walked to her left and stood before one of the boxes. Zora watched the pale face of the senator over her shoulder.

Up close, there was no way to tell even a gender, much less an age. The endless period of captivity in this lightless prison had robbed all traces of humanity.

Alice lifted the Osmanthus Blade. Zora thought she was going to destroy the box at first, but instead she rested the tip right around the location of where the senator's heart would be.

Zora: Alice!

Alice: Wouldn't it be a mercy...to end this life?

Zora couldn't answer. Even if they returned their memory fragments—assuming such things had even been saved—it seemed impossible that it would return them to their former selves. Zora had to assume that the senators' fluctlights had been broken beyond repair, twisted into something unrecognizable and wrong.

But even then, perhaps Cardinal or even Administrator herself could grant them some wish aside from death. It was this thought that made him reach out for her shoulder guard to stop her.

But just as he did, a strange sound from farther into the chamber caused them to freeze.

???: Aaah...Aaaaah!

It was a high-pitched, grating screech.

???: Aaah, oh my, ohhh, Your Holiness, what a waste...Ohhhh, ahhh, you mustn't, aaah, ooooh!!

A howled the bizarre voice. Alice and Zora shared a suspicious look. He didn't recognize it. It didn't sound young, but it didn't sound elderly, either. All Zora could tell from its voice was that it seemed to be in the throes of some kind of maniacal excitement.

Her anger temporarily forgotten, Alice lowered her sword and stared in the direction of the sound. The screeching voice was coming from another hallway in the wall, just like the one we came through but deeper inside the cylindrical room.

Alice:...

Alice pointed toward the hallway with her sword, motioning Zora on. He nodded, and they began to lurk toward it.

There were no pillars or furniture of any kind in the wide-open chamber, so crossing it was mildly terrifying, but none of the dozens of senators along the walls paid them any mind or seemed capable of recognizing their presence at all. Their entire world was the system window in front and the food spigot overhead, and that was it. Zora remembered feeling twinges of pity at the lives of the basement jailer and the girl controlling the elevated platform, but the word pity on its own was entirely inadequate to describe the plight of these creatures.

As for whoever was moaning and screeching at the top of their lungs right near this dehumanizing place, Zora couldn't begin to fathom the mindset. Whoever it was, he couldn't imagine them being an ally of any kind.

Alice felt so, too, and there was a different kind of anger now creeping over her pale face. She crossed the chamber on a straight line and peered around the side of the corridor, while Zora stole a look over her shoulder.

At the end of the similarly cramped hallway was another large room, albeit much smaller than the circular chamber. The light inside was soft but bright enough to make out its contents.

And they were absolutely bizarre.

Every last fixture of the room shone in garish gold, from cabinets and beds to little round chairs and storage boxes, all reflecting the light in equal measure. Even from this distance, Zora could feel it penetrating his eyeballs to the back of his head.

A plethora of toys in every size was scattered all over—in some cases spilling out of—this furniture. Most were stuffed animals in bold primary colors. There were dolls with button eyes and yarn hair, familiar animals like pets and livestock, even some hideous monsters Zora couldn't begin to identify, heaped into piles all over the floor and beds. There were building blocks, a wooden horse, instruments—like the entire stock from the District Five toy maker had been dumped here.

And sitting half-buried in them, facing away from us, was the voice's owner.

???: Hoooooo!! Hooooooo!!

It screamed, over and over. This figure, too, had a bizarre appearance. It was round, almost a perfect sphere of a torso, with a round head on top, like a snowman. But rather than being white, the body was clad in a clown's outfit, with the right half bright red, and the left blue. The short-armed sleeves had red-and-blue stripes, as well. It was making Zora's eyes hurt.

The round head was completely white, and from the rear it looked no different from the senators', except that the skin was oily and shiny. Resting atop the head was a golden cap the same shade as all the furniture. Zora leaned over Alice's ear and whispered.

Zora: Is that the prime senator...?

Alice: Yes, it's the Prime Senator Chudelkin.

Alice whispered back, but with an audible loathing. Zora stared at the clown's back again. The prime senator was a kind of counterpart to Bercouli the commander of the knights, the greatest caster of sacred arts in the Axiom Church and one of its chief officers. And yet, he seemed totally defenseless. Whatever was in his hands, it had his entire attention.

From what Zora could make out beyond his very round back, Chudelkin was gazing into a large crystal ball. With each flash of color inside, he flopped and kicked his little legs and shrieked.

Chudelkin: Haaa! Hohhh!

Zora had been expecting a tense and uncertain lead-up to a spectacular battle, like with Deusolbert and Fanatio, so he had no idea how to react to this. But while he wasn't sure how to proceed, Alice had no such hesitation. She raced toward Chudelkin, not even bothering to sneak.

But her feet hit the ground only five times. She easily brushed Zora off and raced like a golden gust into the toy room, and by the time Chudelkin's fat head started to turn, she already had the frilly collar of his clown outfit clutched in her fist.

Chudelkin: Hooooo?!

The round object howled. Alice yanked him out of the sea of plushies and held him high. At last, Zora caught up to her and, glancing around the entire room, looked for any sign of Eugeo—but wherever Chudelkin had brought his partner after the Great Bath, it wasn't here. Disappointed, Zora turned back to the middle, where the crystal ball that had so enraptured the strange little man caught his eye.

A somewhat three-dimensional image wreathed in swirling light was projected in the center of the large glass ball, which was about a foot and a half across. It displayed a girl sprawled on her side atop lustrous bedsheets. Her face was hidden behind long silver hair, but it was clear from a glance that she wasn't wearing a stitch of clothing.

Both disappointed and fulfilled that this was what Chudelkin had been exclaiming over, Zora then noticed that there seemed to be someone else with the girl. He tried to lean in for a closer look, but the spell vanished, the images inside the ball abruptly flashing into whiteness.

Alice had no interest in the crystal ball to begin with. With her free hand, she thrust the tip of her sword toward the dangling man and threatened.

Alice: If you try to initiate a Sacred art, I will cut off your tongue at the root.

The little man clamped his mouth shut before any complaints could arise. Given that all sacred arts in the Underworld had to begin with the System Call prefix, the caster was essentially at their mercy now. Still, Zora paid close attention to Chudelkin's stumpy arms for any movement and glanced up quickly to get a view of Prime Senator Chudelkin.

Zora couldn't imagine a more enigmatic human face. His bright-red lips dominated the lower half of his round face, with a large bulb of a nose, and eyes and brows as curved as an iconic smiley face.

Those beady eyes were bulging now, though, the small, dark pupils jittering as they stared right at Alice. Eventually he relaxed his heavy lips from their trumpeter's sour pucker and screeched in tones of rusted metal.

Chudelkin: You...Number Thirty! What are you doing here?! By rights you should've perished along with one of those rebels!

Alice: Don't you dare call me by a number! My name is Alice. I am no longer Thirty.

Alice snapped, her voice freezing air. Chudelkin's greasy face twitched, and for the first time, he looked at Zora . His crescent-shaped eyes bulged out to half-moons, and he gurgled a series of gasps.

Chudelkin: You?! Why are you...Thirty—Knight Alice, why aren't you slashing this guy? He's a rebel against the Church. A pawn of the Dark Territory, don't you remember?

Alice: It's true that he's a rebel. But he's not a member of the realm of darkness. He's just like I am now. A human.

Chudelkin: You're planning to betray us, you miserable knight?

His round white head instantly turned beet red, and his scream reached an even higher register than before, the sword pointed at his throat entirely forgotten.

Chudelkin: You damned Integrity Knights are nothing but puppets! Mere dolls who do exactly what I order you to do! And now you have the gall to rebel against our glorious leader, my lady Administrator herself?!

Alice snapped her head to the side to avoid the spittle flying from Chudelkin's apoplectic lips, but she did not otherwise react to his insults.

Alice: It was the Axiom Church that turned us into mere puppets. You sealed away our memories through the Synthesis Ritual and instilled fealty into us by force, after which you made us believe the myth that we were knights sent from the heavens.

Chudelkin: Wha...?

Chudelkin's face went from red back to white, his large mouth flapping helplessly.

Chudelkin: Why...? How did you...?

Alice: Blocked or not, there are a few memories I still retain. When we stepped into the senate room, I caught a glimpse of an image...A terrified girl tied up in the center of that chamber, subjected to three days and nights of the senators' multilayered spells to crack open the walls of her mind. That was the truth of the Synthesis Ritual...and the stone floor of that chamber is most certainly stained with the tears of lamentation and despair of that girl I once was.

Alice's voice was controlled, but it cut like a steel blade. Chudelkin's face bounced back and forth between red and white at a dizzying speed. Ultimately, the only person in the senate with his own will regained his swagger and leered at Zora and Alice.

Chudelkin: Yes. That's exactly right. I still remember it clearly. The sight of you, so young, so innocent and sweet, with tears streaming down your face as you begged! "Please! Don't let me forget! Don't let me forget the people I love!"

When Chudelkin put on a hideous falsetto to mimic a little girl's speech, Alice's eye grew bright with flame. This did not threaten Chudelkin into stopping his mockery.

Chudelkin: Even now, I can enjoy just thinking about it all night long! You were brought here from some rural area, and for the first two years, you were raised as a sister in training. You were such a tomboy, you'd find ways around the rules to sneak off to the Centoria summer solstice festival! Still, you did your best, believing that if you'd get to go home one day, right? But that was never going to happen. Once you'd raised your Sacred art authority level high enough, it was time to force synthesis! That tear stained face of yours when you realized you'd never go home again...I really wanted to turn you to stone right there so I could display it in my room for all eternity!

Even Zora couldn't stop his sword arm from trembling. Zora heard Alice grinding her teeth over Chudelkin's jabs, but she kept herself under control.

Alice: You said something odd. Forced synthesis? If I didn't know better, I'd suspect there was a Synthesis Ritual that wasn't forced.

Chudelkin: Your ears are sharper then I thought. That's exactly right. Six years ago, you stubbornly refused to recite the secret commands required for normal Synthesis Ritual. You actually had the nerve to tell me your calling was still back in your home village and that you didn't need to obey my orders!

Zora(mind): That sounds just like what young Alice would say.

Zora thought, despite having not known her back then. The memory of this experience caused the prime senator's lips to curl into a nasty sneer.

Chudelkin: Really, you were the most insolent brat imaginable! I wished so badly to have my lady awaken early, but the rule is that she's not to rise until all the preparations for the ritual are completely done. So we had no choice but to pause the automated senators, and have them conduct a ritual to pry open the door protecting what you held dear! Well, I did get to see the rarest of shows...what a feast for the eyes!

Chudelkin's gale of laughter stopped the instant she moved the tip of the Osmanthus Blade an inch closer. But the ugly smirk on his lips and in his eyes remained.

Chudelkin had boasted several crucial bits of information. Zora wanted to pry out some more intel, assuming Alice could maintain her composure, but something about it felt wrong.

Zora(mind): Would this clown really reveal core secrets of the Church without even being prompted? He wouldn't taunt her this way if he was afraid for his life, and he didn't seem to be waiting for a chance to take her by surprise, either.

While Zora's mind raced on, Chudelkin resumed his story.

Chudelkin: When the first stage of the forced synthesis ended and you blacked out, it was none other than I who took you to Her Holiness. Regrettably, I was not allowed to witness what happened next, but when the ritual was done and you awoke as an Integrity Knight, you had total belief that you were a disciple of God, dispatched from Heaven. Just like all the other knights. Boy, when I hear you folks drone on and on about the celestial realm, I have to hold my sides in to keep them from splitting! Ohhh...

Chudelkin babbled and chattered away, dangling in the air, and Zora gradually noticed that Chudelkin's eyes were jittering slightly, as though he were waiting for something.

Zora(mind): Was he carrying on like this in order to keep us here in the room with him...?

Zora was about to warn Alice, but she spoke first. The golden room rang with her voice, even icier now than in the Great Bath.

Alice: Prime Senator Chudelkin... You may be just another victim like the Integrity Knights, a sad little clown whose life was a plaything for Administrator like everyone else. But I see that you've enjoyed your circumstances... In that case, you should have no regrets.

The Osmanthus Blade's tip pressed against the center of the bulging clown costume, right above his heart. The shining material dipped inward with one final show of resistance.

Alice: I'm tired of hearing your stories.

If Chudelkin's goal was to buy time, he would bring up some new piece of information now, Zora assumed—perhaps Eugeo's location. But one second was all it took to prove him wrong.

As the prime senator froze, his mouth half-open, the golden sword plunged deeper and deeper. His narrow eyes shot wide open, and the red-and- blue outfit bulged out even farther, testing its limits. Alice turned her face away, anticipating a spray of blood. There was a tremendous bang! and Chudelkin's body popped like a balloon. A massive gush of blood landed on Alice's armor and did...nothing.

Zora: What...?

Alice: Huh?!

Alice and Zora were stunned. It was not liquid that burst forth, but smoke that had somehow been colored deep red. It spread farther and farther, filling the room.

There had been a special kind of monster in Aincrad that did this. It puffed out the skin of its body, and if struck with any kind of non-blunt damage, it would burst and emit a huge blast of smoke, allowing its true body to escape.

With that old instinct in mind, Zora swung his sword at a narrow shadow that quickly passed the corner of his vision. He felt it strike something, but the only object Zora could see through the smoke was a familiar golden hat rolling at his feet.

Zora made to chase after Chudelkin, but the moment the nasty-colored smoke entered his nostrils, Zora felt a needling pain in his throat and doubled over coughing.

Alice: Chudelkin!

Alice hissed, hand over her mouth, and leaped for the shadow. Chudelkin ran toward the back of the chamber, not toward the hallway to the senate room. Zora followed after them in a crouch, believing there wasn't actually an exit back there. Instead, the first thing he saw when he got through the choking smoke was a golden chest of drawers pushed to the side to reveal a hidden passage. A comically thin figure with that same fat round head was nimbly racing down it.

Chudelkin: Hee-hoh!! Heeee-hee-hee-hee-hee-hoh!! Sacred arts isn't all I'm good at, you pathetic losers! Sucks to be you! Wanna play tag? Because I can play the host, and I'm very thorough! Hoh-hohhhhhh!!

The pattering of his shoes soon drowned out his maniacal, broken-toy laughter. Alice and Zora were slowed down for less than five seconds.

They shared a glance, then Zora took the lead down the narrow hallway.

Thankfully, the red smoke he inhaled wasn't toxic—if it had been, something would've happened to Chudelkin, given that his clothes were filled with the stuff—and the coughing indeed soon wore off.

The hidden passage was built for Chudelkin's size, and Zora had to duck down to avoid hitting his head on the ceiling. The occasional scraping noise he heard from behind had to be Alice's shoulder guards hitting the walls. The sheath of the Blue Rose Sword on his right waist was also banging against the wall as Zora shuffled along uncomfortably.

Eventually there was an ascending staircase ahead, so he stopped and made sure there wasn't an ambush before charging upward. Chudelkin's footsteps were long gone, darkness and cold air the only things coming down the passage ahead.

The staircase was much longer than Zora had anticipated and seemed to cover a good three floors' worth of height. He'd estimated that the chamber filled with what Chudelkin called the automated senators covered the space from the ninety-sixth to ninety-eighth floors, so this path was probably leading them up to the ninety-ninth.

The battle with the Axiom Church that had begun in the basement—two years before, when Eugeo and Zora left Rulid—would be over in two floors. Zora's partner wasn't at his side, but if Bercouli's words were accurate, he would see him again in Administrator's bedchamber. Then he'd give him the Blue Rose Sword, and the three of them would defeat Chudelkin, then the pontifex herself. And then...

Zora shook his head, focusing on a faint light up above. He could think about what to do afterward when they got there. This was the final battle: Concentration was everything, and the present was more important than the future and the past. From up ahead, they heard the distant screech of the prime senator.

Chudelkin: System Caaaaall! Generaaaate...

That would be an element-based sacred art. Zora's hackles rose, but there was no stopping now. The light ahead grew closer and closer.

Zora: The stairs are ending up ahead!

Alice: Watch out for a surprise arts attack!

Zora: Got it!

Zora held his black sword out front as he ran. Given the measure of control a caster had over the possession of a generated element, magic in this world was well suited to ambush attacks. They could form a flame element, keep it on standby, then discharge it when the enemy came into sight, almost like a firearm.

On the other hand, the power of the magic was dependent upon the number of elements being expended. If it was just one little orb, the attack power would be the same, whether cast by a student in their first year at school or a master with a lifetime of experience. Discipline allowed one to increase the number of elements at once, but each one required a finger to maintain it, so the upper limit of simultaneous elements was ten. Zora's black sword had the capability to absorb energy, so he could defend against even a tenfold heat or frost element attack.

If Chudelkin was going to attempt a surprise attack, it would be safer to plunge through the exit of the stairway, rather than lean out carefully. Zora sped up through the last leg and leaped high in the air on the final step.

But there was no storm of fireballs or deluge of icicles. Zora did a full three- sixty turn in midair to survey the room, but he did not see Chudelkin or anyone else. Zora landed on the marble floor on one knee and listened carefully. The only sound was Alice running toward him.

She appeared through the exit of the staircase as Zora got to my feet, then she took her own turn examining the place.

Alice: I thought I heard him chanting. Could it be that Chudelkin escaped to the 100th floor?

Zora: But that's Administrator's room, right? Is the prime senator allowed to just burst in there?

Alice: I doubt it...Where are the stairs up anyway?

Once again, Zora looked around the round room that composed the ninety-ninth floor. It was quite large, probably a hundred feet across. The floor, ceiling, and curved walls were the same familiar white marble, but there was nothing in the way of decoration or ornamentation. At most, there was a series of large lamps fixed to the walls, but only four were lit, leaving the interior dim. Everything in the room was pure white, so it would probably be blinding in here if all the lamps were on at once.

The staircase they'd taken opened directly into the floor near the wall. There was a marble hatch above, and Zora was certain that if lowered, it would fit seamlessly into the floor.

Perhaps there was a similar hidden drop-down door in the ceiling somewhere. Zora looked around for a pull cord or handle, but saw nothing. Perhaps a good sword skill might punch a hole in the ceiling...

Alice: This room.

Alice suddenly murmured. Zora turned and saw that the knight's left eye was open wider than usual.

Zora: What about it?

Alice: I've...been in here before. This is where I woke up...on the day I became an apprentice Integrity Knight...

Zora: W-wait...are you sure about that?!

Alice: Yes...All the lamps were on at the time...and the room was extremely bright and shining...The pontifex herself stood in the center, and she commanded, "Wake up, child of God..."

Alice realized that a note of reverence had crept into her voice, and she scowled.

Alice: The pontifex removed all my memories up to that point, gave me a false past and a knight's duty, then left me with Uncle...with Commander Bercouli. Then a part of the floor, similar to the elevating disc in the middle part of the cathedral, took Uncle and me down to the ninety-fifth floor. I have never been back here since.

Zora: The floor...sank?

Zora repeated, stomping on the marble with his boots. The only sensation Zora felt was thick, unmoving stone. It would be hard to find a hidden elevator in a room this size, and they didn't need to go down.

Zora: Do you remember how Administrator went back to her chamber then, Alice?

She lifted a finger to her lips and thought.

Alice: I think...that the moment the disc sank into the floor...she looked up...and another small disc descended from above...

Zora: That's it!

Zora shouted, staring greedily at the white ceiling. It wasn't a pull-down hatch but an elevator hidden above them. Even still, Zora couldn't spot anything like a switch. There wasn't an operator like on the elevator between the fiftieth and eightieth floors, so there had to be some mechanism to work it automatically. But what was it...?

Zora: Oh...perhaps it was what the prime senator was chanting...

Alice: So it wasn't an ambush but an art to make the disc move...? Zora, what did you hear Chudelkin say after 'Generate'? Do you remember?

Zora: Luminous.

Alice: I see. Then, System Call! Generate Luminous Element!

To Zora's amazement, she created a full ten light elements, the theoretical maximum. She then sprayed the floating white orbs outward without further modification. They landed at various points on the ceiling and burst without a sound. One flashed brighter than before—and then a circle of light a few feet across appeared where it had landed. It wasn't in the center of the room, but close to the wall.

Alice lowered her arms, and Zora walked up to her side, watching cautiously. The circle of light faded quickly but did not disappear, and before long, the ceiling within its perimeter slid smoothly down toward them.

The stone platform was at least eighteen inches thick and looked tremendously heavy, yet it floated as if it were nothing. The light element had merely been a switch, and something else was powering the movement, but Zora couldn't begin to guess what it was. It was on the level of some of the "miracles" he saw Cardinal perform in the Great Library—in fact, that must be exactly what it was. The source of this elevator's movement was doubtless some tiny piece of Administrator's boundless power.

The elevator landed on the floor with the slightest of vibrations. The top was not bare marble but was covered in bright-red carpet that glowed faintly in the light coming down from the circular hole in the ceiling.

The way to the top floor of Central Cathedral was open.

When Alice and Zora rode that elevating disc to the hundredth floor, the last and biggest battle of all would begin.

The original plan was that he'd use my secret-weapon dagger on Administrator while she slept and let Cardinal handle the rest. But with Chudelkin hiding from them on the floor above, she would likely be awake already—and more importantly, Zora had already used his dagger to save Fanatio, the vice commander of the Integrity Knights.

Fortunately, Alice the knight had agreed to return to being the original Alice already. That meant Eugeo didn't need to use his dagger on her. When they got up there, Zora would have to rescue him from his frozen state, he suspected, and find a way to use his dagger before Administrator started taking him seriously. Zora couldn't imagine another way for them to win.

Alice was reaching a final moment of determination as well. They stared at each other and nodded in unison.

Alice: Let's go.

Zora: Here goes nothing.

And thus the elite disciple Zora and Integrity Knight Alice Synthesis Thirty started walking toward the elevating disc that awaited just ahead. One, two, three steps—and the pale light coming from the hole in the ceiling, probably moonlight, abruptly shaded over.

Zora stopped and stared into the hole, where he caught sight of a number of bright glimmers of light. It was, in fact, moonlight—reflecting off a beautifully designed suit of armor. Whoever it was leaped down through the hole, a good twenty feet above, long cape trailing behind.

It was too tall to be Chudelkin. Then Zora wondered whether Administrator was coming down to this floor, but the figure's stature was male. He couldn't make out a face against the light.

Zora: Are there more Integrity Knights left?

Alice: No, that can't be.

Alice whispered, right as the descending knight landed atop the disc. He bent his knees to absorb the impact and slowly straightened back up.

The armor was silver tinged with blue. The metal plate looked almost a bit translucent, collecting the moonlight and bouncing it back beautifully. The cape was deep blue, and Zora did not see a sword on his waist. His downturned face was hidden behind a large gorget covering his neck, but the wavy hair was...a soft flaxen color.

Instantly, a shock like a bolt of lightning shot through Zora. That color. Zora had lived for two years in the Underworld with that hair color right nearby.

Zora(mind): It can't be. But. How...

Zora was caught flat-footed, locked in extreme confusion. At last, the knight raised his head, and his green eyes looked at Zora through heavy lids. There was no longer any room for doubt. The young man in the Integrity Knight armor was...

Zora:.........Eugeo.........

The name left Zora's mouth as barely more than a moan. He would never mistake Eugeo for anyone else. Eugeo was Zora's partner and best friend; they'd been inseparable since their meeting in the forest two years ago. The only thing that kept him going for so long in this alternate world was Eugeo's presence at his side. Zora would never, ever see his features in someone else's face by accident.

But this expression in Eugeo's eyes and mouth as he stared at Zora was one he did not recognize. In fact, it was not an expression at all—the word implied that something was actively being expressed. This youth was all inanimate ice, even colder than when they'd first met Alice at the practice hall of Swordcraft Academy.

Zora: Eugeo! You...

Zora repeated, his voice normal this time. The cold glare did not falter or break in the least. But Eugeo wasn't ignoring him. He was measuring Zora, testing him...to see whether Zora was worthy of the bite of his weapon.

Alice: It can't be. It's too soon.

Desperate for anything to cling to, Zora looked at Alice.

Zora: Soon...? Too soon for what...?

Alice: For the ritual to be completed.

The golden knight said, glancing at Zora only briefly before she announced.

Alice: Your partner...Eugeo has already been synthesized.

The Synthesis Ritual. Direct manipulation of the fluctlight, a process only Administrator was capable of. Stealing memories, inserting loyalty...raising him into an Integrity Knight.

Zora: No...no way...You said it took three days and nights.

Shaking his head like a stubborn child. Zora look terrified.

Alice: The prime senator said that was because I refused to recite the necessary sacred arts commands. If I had simply repeated them, that three-day process would not have been necessary...But even still, this is too soon. Barely hours have passed since Eugeo fought Uncle...

Zora: That's right...This isn't possible. Eugeo couldn't...just...It has to be some kind of illusion art or something...

Zora took an uncertain step forward, not even fully comprehending what he was saying anymore. Zora was jolted to attention by Alice reaching out to grab his right arm.

Alice: Pull yourself together! If you waver now, you'll lose any chance to save him!

Zora: Save?

Alice: That's right. You told me so yourself. That's there's way to restore an Integrity Knight's true memories. So we should be able to restore Eugeo back to who he was. To achieve that, we must overcome this dilemma, no matter what.

Alice spat out, her palm burning with pure willpower against Zora's wrist and pouring life back into his numb flesh. He'd nearly been about to drop his sword; but Zora gripped it harder than ever.

Zora(mind): Alice was right.

Eugeo's memory and persona weren't lost forever. They just couldn't come to the surface, due to the manipulation of a single part of his fluctlight.

All Zora had to do was take back the Memory Fragment that Administrator stole from him and have Cardinal reintegrate it, and then Eugeo would return to the gentle, mild-mannered swordsman he knew. The first step to achieving that would be dialogue and information gathering. Whatever personality was running Eugeo, Zora had to convince it to let them pass...or perhaps even help them. Zora'd been completely helpless against Alice, and somehow he had won her over with words—there must be a way to repeat that success.

Zora: Let me handle this.

Zora whispered to Alice, who was still clutching his wrist. Hesitantly, she acquiesced and let go.

Alice: Don't let your guard down. That knight is no longer the Eugeo you knew.

Zora: Right.

Alice took a step back. To be honest, no matter how powerful Eugeo was as an Integrity Knight, as long as Alice used her Perfect Weapon Control—transforming the Osmanthus Blade into a storm of petals that tore the enemy to shreds—they could easily neutralize Eugeo's strength. Such was the power of Alice's ability. But that was truly the last resort, after all other options had been exhausted. Zora wanted to avoid harming Eugeo if at all possible, and it seemed the height of cruelty to make two childhood friends fight when their memories of each other were stolen.

Zora stepped forward and took the full brunt of Eugeo's cold stare.

Zora: Eugeo, do you remember me? I'm Zora...your partner. Remember how we've been together for the entire past two years? Ever since we left Rulid?

The young man in blue-and-silver armor said nothing for several moments, until...

Eugeo: Sorry. I don't know who you are.

That was the first thing Eugeo the Integrity Knight said to him. Eugeo's soft voice was as Zora remembered, but it had the same icy quality as his eyes. Clearly he had no access to his pre-synthesis memories, but surely the quick process meant there wasn't time to insert the usual false memories about being summoned from Heaven, either. There must have been a huge blank space in Eugeo's self-conception at the moment. If Zora could just take advantage of that...

Eugeo: But thank you.

Zora looked somewhat surprise.

Zora: For what?

Eugeo: For bringing me my sword.

Zora: Uh...

Zora looked down to his right side. There was the Blue Rose Sword, a Divine Object wrapped in its white leather sheath.

Zora: What are you...going to do with it?

Eugeo's green eyes blinked, and he said, quite simply.

Eugeo: I'm going to fight you. Because that's what she wishes.

Zora:...

Then it was true—Eugeo had come down into this room to defeat Alice and Zora. Because it was what she wishes. Sensing that Zora's hopes were growing further and further away, Zora still clung on.

Zora: Eugeo, are you just going to follow orders...to fight without knowing who you are or even the meaning of that fight? We are not your enemies. You came all this way to fight Administrator and take back your precious—

Eugeo: It doesn't matter what the meaning is.

He said, and for the briefest of moments, he wore the first true expression Zora had seen.

Eugeo: She is going to give me what I want. And that is all I need.

Zora: What you want...? Is it something more precious than Alice?

The moment Eugeo heard that name, supposedly the most important thing in his world, Zora thought he sensed a flicker of emotion in Eugeo's pale features. But again, he covered it up with that icy visage.

Eugeo: I don't know. I don't want to know. About you...or anyone. I'm just sick...of...already...

Zora: Eugeo...

Eugeo mumbled, the words too faint for him to make out. He stepped off the disc and held out his hand.

Eugeo: I have nothing more to say to you. Let's fight...That's why you're here, isn't it?

Zora: Not to fight with you, Eugeo. I can't give back this sword.

Zora warned him in hushed tones, switching his black sword over to his left hand and pulling out the Blue Rose Sword with his right. With Zora's eyes trained on Eugeo, he reached toward Alice behind him and—

Eugeo: I don't need it transferred by hand.

The white sheath was ripped from Zora's hand. But it wasn't Alice. The sword shot through the air, as though pulled by invisible strings, and landed right in Eugeo's grasp, over thirty feet away.

Zora(mind): Sacred arts?! Did I miss him chanting...?!

Alice: Incarnate Arms...!

Zora: What's that?

Zora asked, face still forward.

Alice: It's an ancient art taught to the Integrity Knights. It is neither sacred art nor Perfect Weapon Control. It simply moves objects with the force of will alone. I've heard that only a few knights aside from Uncle can use it.

Zora: You mean you can't?

Alice: I...I trained in it, but I can't even move a pebble, much less a Divine Object. There's no way a brand-new knight could master it so quickly...

All the while, Eugeo was examining the Blue Rose Sword, and he hung the sheath on his left side. He grabbed the hilt and promptly drew it. The faintly translucent blade gave off a white mist of frosty air.

Zora had no choice but to put his normal sword back in the proper hand and hold it up. Eugeo and Zora had faced off many times over the past two years. But that was always with wooden practice swords; they had never once used the black sword and Blue Rose Sword against each other.

And yet, the only feeling that filled Zora's chest was the realization that the time had finally arrived. He'd sensed this moment might come, on the very day they left Rulid. But that vision was only to the point that their blades clashed. The outcome of the fight was still unwritten. And no one else—not even Administrator—could decide that for Zora nor Eugeo.

Zora: Eugeo. You might not remember this, but I was the one who taught you to use the sword. As the master, I'm not ready to lose to my student just yet!

Eugeo didn't say anything back. He merely lifted the Blue Rose Sword and assumed the pose to initiate a sword skill: the one-handed charge attack, Sonic Leap.

Slightly pleased that he still remembered the Aincrad moves Zora had taught him, even after he'd forgotten his own name, Zora made the same stance. Two swords glowed the same shade of light green. One second later, Eugeo and Zora launched off the marble floor in unison.

Zora and Eugeo: HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!