(A/n: There will be dialogue from the light novel in this chapter. All rights go to Reki Kawahara. I own nothing except for Y/n.)
Everyone in the room gasped while Heathcliff simply smiled and let out a small chuckle.
Heathcliff: I expected this would happen eventually, but I didn't think it would be this soon. I am indeed Akihiko Kayaba and I am the final boss on the top floor.
KotB member: How could you? We pledged ourselves and our loyalty to you. HOW DARE YOU!!!
The player leaped upward and would've gotten a hit in on Heathcliff if he didn't open his menu and hit everyone in the room with paralysis.
Heathcliff: I commend you for figuring out my identity.
"So what now? Are you just going to immobilize us and kill us all?" I asked
Heathcliff: Heavens no, that wouldn't be very sportsman-like of me.
"Then what are you going to do? Escape and wait for us at the top of Aincrad like a coward?" I asked
Heathcliff: That was the original idea, but after seeing how well you performed during the Dark Souls quest, I changed my mind. If you want answers, then place the Cinders of the Lords on their thrones in Firelink Shrine and come meet me at the Kiln of the First Flame. We shall let our swords do the talking and if you manage to defeat me there, then everyone will be freed, no strings attached.
"How do I know you won't go back on your word?" I asked
Heathcliff: You'll just have to trust me. farewell U/n.
Just like that, he teleported away, leaving everyone blown away. I'd harbored suspicions about who he was for a while, but I didn't think they were right.
Kirito: Dammit. He fooled us for years as we danced to his tune!
Asuna: We never even realized...
Klein: We have to stop him. We need to get everyone there as fast as possible.
"You can't," I said
Kirito: Why not?
"Because you weren't chosen. Only the chosen undead can travel to Firelink Shrine. Since Koharu is dead, I'm the only one capable of making the trip," I said
Asuna: What are you saying?
"I'm saying that I will fight him alone. None of you stand a chance" I said
Klein: That's bull and you know it. He can't take all of us at once.
"Look around you Klein. He paralyzed everyone here in seconds without so much as a flick of his wrist. Im the only one powerful enough to stop him. Even if I fail, I still have to try. This is a chance to put an end to two years of imprisonment and I'll be damned if I don't take this chance" I said
As soon as the paralysis wore off, I reached into my pouch and pulled out the coiled sword fragment. I infused it with my flames and was given the option to go back to the last bonfire id rested at or the shrine bonfire. I selected the shrine bonfire and was covered by a barrier of fog before appearing back at Firelink.
I immediately ascended the stairs and placed the ashes of each lord on their thrones. First was the Abyss Watchers, then Aldrich, followed by Yhorm, and lastly Prince Lothric. Once I placed the final ashes, the Fire Keeper approached the bonfire. I walked down the staircase and accompanied the Fire Keeper next to the bonfire.
I knelt in front of it as the Fire Keeper began the chant that would transport me to the Kiln of the First Flame.
Fire Keeper: The five lords sit atop their thrones. All thanks to thee, most worthy of lords. Ashen one, with the Lords as thy witness, bend thy knee afore the bonfire's coiled sword and let the Lords' embers acknowledge thee as their true heir. A true lord, fit to link the fire. Noble Lords of Cinder. The fire fades...and the lords go without thrones. Surrender your fires to the true heir. Let him grant death to the old gods of Lordran, deliverers of the First Flame.
As she spoke, embers from the lord ashes floated down from the thrones and converged on the bonfire. Once all five of them had touched it, a bright light engulfed me. The next thing I knew, I was in a dark, destroyed, and barren version of Firelink.
I walked outside only to see the land covered in mounds of grey ash with the shapes of buildings protruding out from them. Off in the distance was the kiln. With renewed resolve, I began walking up the steep hill to the kiln.
Up in the sky, the moon was eclipsed by the sun. The sky bore the same symbol that was on my chest plate.
Past the stone archway, I saw Heathcliff facing away from me while he sat on a throne made of stone. I approached him, sword in hand.
Heathcliff: Welcome to the end of the world U/n. Don't you think it's about time we-
"Ended this? Yes, I do" I said
Heathcliff: Naturally, I will disable all admin privileges. We will also be fighting in the first-strike duel mode.
"Good. I prefer killing my enemies in one hit" I said
Heathcliff: You intrigue me U/n. Such a shame things had to end this way.
He hit a few commands on his window that equalized our HP bars just enough so that a single clean strike would be enough to end the battle. Next, a message appeared over his head that read immortality disabled. He had removed his artificial defense. He closed his window, pulled the blade of his sword from the ground, and hunched behind his shield.
My mind was clear for the first time in a long while. After my inward apologies to my friends, all that remained was my bloodthirsty desire to kill the man standing before me. If I was being completely honest with myself, I didn't have high hopes for victory. His swordwork was superior to mine, even without admin abilities. His pride was the only thing keeping him from using those abilities to win this fight as quickly as possible.
My only hope was to catch him off guard and end the battle as fast as possible. If I messed up even once, I would die, forget the promise to Koharu, and pass on.
The tension rose between us. Even the air seemed to tremble with the weight of the situation. This wasn't a duel, it was a fight to the death.
"I'm going to kill you," I said
Heathcliff(chuckles): Let's see what you've got...Ashen One.
Charging in, I brought my sword down for a horizontal swipe. With his left hand on the shield, Kayaba blocked it easily. Sparks flew, illuminating our faces. As though the sound of metal clashing was the opening bell to our fight, we accelerated to an all-out sword fight.
Out of the countless fights id experienced in this world, the one I was in now was the most irregular, the most human. We both knew the other's secret. Every skill or ability I gained, he knew how to counter. He may not have originally created it, but he sure as hell knew how to avoid them. It certainly explained how he'd blocked or parried all of my attacks in our previous duel.
Knowing this, I refused to use any sword skills or weapon arts. Nor did I use sorceries, miracles, or pyromancies. I swung my sword freely. I wasn't getting help from the game, but it felt like my consciousness made me move faster than normal. Even my eyes couldn't keep up with the speed of my sword waving into after images: One, five, ten, twenty. But...Kayaba deflected each of my blows with pinpoint precision.
When he spotted an opening, he would go in for a stab only to be blocked or batted away. Instantaneous reaction speed was the only thing keeping me alive right now. The battle was maintained in an uneasy stasis. I focused on Kayaba's eyes, trying to read his thoughts and his actions. Our gazes met.
Kayaba's- Heathcliff's brass eyes stayed chilly. That hint of humanity I'd witnessed in our public duel was nowhere to be seen. I suddenly felt a slight chill run down my back. I was facing a man who had slaughtered 4,000 people. Was that even humanly possible for one person? 4,00 deaths. 4,000 voices of vengeance. No man who could live with that much weight over his head can be human- He's a monster.
"RAAAHH!!!" I roared
I tried to banish the tiny inkling of fear in my heart. I whipped my sword around several times per second, but Kayaba never blinked. He wielded his shield and longsword faster than the eye could follow, perfectly blocking each and every blow.
*Is he toying with me?* I thought
The fear soon turned to panic. If Kayaba was able to block or parry every attack I threw at him, that meant he was able to strike a critical blow at any time. He didn't even need his admin abilities.
*Shit. Then how about this?* I thought
I switched tactics and activated my own unique skill, <Darkness Blade>. Using a talisman, I conjured up a crimson spectral blade and hurled a blast of energy at Kayaba. If it hit him, the base damage would surely be enough to kill him, but if it wasn't, the HP drain effect certainly would.
Kayaba: So you're the one who got <Darkness Blade>? I'm impressed. That is the rarest of all unique skills.
I ignored him and swung a second spectral blade before reaching behind my body and grabbing the hilt of the Farron greatsword. I imitated Kirito's dual wielding and unleashed a powerful sword skill called <Eclipse>. It was a 27-hit combo capable of destroying anything in its path.
The skill stayed true to its word and shattered Kayaba's shield into hundreds of pieces before doing the same to his longsword. He flew back from the sheer force of the blow and skidded across the ashen battlefield, conveniently stopping right next to the bonfire there.
Kayaba: I underestimated you U/n, but that won't happen again. This time, I won't hold back.
He reached for the coiled sword embedded in the bonfire and pulled it free. Flames immediately began licking at his body before completely covering him. For a few seconds, he was consumed by the fire.
"You won't get that chance!" I said
I sprinted at him as fast as I could and leaped into the air, bringing my swords down for a final blow. Just before they hit him, a massive explosion rocked the battlefield and sent me hurtling into one of the stone walls. It felt as if I'd broken every bone in my body, but I rose to my feet anyway.
I looked where Kayab had been just moments ago, but he was no longer there. In his place was a figure I knew all too well. A suit of knight's armor with flickering embers all over and a massive flaming version of the coiled sword in one hand. The Soul of Cinder. Somehow Kayaba had transformed himself into the final boss of Dark Souls 3, and he did it as a last resort.
He hadn't been expecting me to beat him, so when I did, he resorted to turning himself into an amalgamation of all previous Lords of Cinder.
"You couldn't admit defeat, could you? Is the thought of being defeated by someone like me so revolting that you resorted to this? How pathetic" I said
Soul of Cinder: Your faith in defeating me is misplaced. I never intended to use this, but you forced my hand...Y/n.
With a final cry of rage, I plunged both my swords deep into the monstrosity's body. It faded into ash before dropping the lord soul. Gasping for air, I limped over to the summon sign for the Fire Keeper and touched it.
She appeared out of thin air and approached the bonfire before turning to face me.
Fire Keeper: Ashen One, is the usurpation of fire still thy wish?
"Yes. Do it" I said
Fire Keeper: Very well.
Clasping her hands together, she began chanting the phrase that would force the flame to die out.
Fire Keeper: The First Flame quickly fades. Darkness will shortly settle. But one day, tiny flames will dance across the darkness. Like embers, linked by lords' past.
Once she finished, the flames around the bonfire died out instantaneously, leaving the kiln pitch black.
Fire Keeper: Ashen one, hearest thou my voice, still?