For Rozen, escaping the impending death was not a difficult task.
However, whether to save himself and leave everyone behind was another matter entirely.
Right now, Rozen could leave this world at any moment, even depart from the current world.
No, it should be said that in a few seconds, his brain in the real world would be destroyed, and Rozen had to act immediately.
But there were many people he couldn't leave behind.
He couldn't leave Asuna behind.
He couldn't leave Yui behind.
Similarly, he couldn't leave Kirito behind. What would happen to them in this world once he was gone?
Could Asuna bear his departure?
Would Yui be saddened by it?
Would Kirito regain his spirit, challenge Heathcliff again with his Dual Blades skill, and lead everyone towards the 100th floor?
Rozen worried about all of these things, and he even thought about the consequences of his real-world body suddenly disappearing.
Would his foster parents be in a panic?
Would Suguha watch his sudden disappearance with disdain?
Thinking about all this, Rozen couldn't bring himself to leave. Fortunately...
"I have left a contingency plan back then, at least to ensure Asuna and Kirito's safety in this world after I leave."
This was a measure Rozen had taken just in case. It was meant to guarantee the absolute safety of those he cared about in this world if he happened to die here.
"If possible, it would be best to let them log out."
Unfortunately, this was something he couldn't achieve. Now, Rozen only hoped that Heathcliff hadn't discovered this.
"As long as Heathcliff hasn't specifically investigated, Asuna and Kirito should be clever enough not to be found out, right?"
Rozen could only hope for the best. "I've done everything I can."
"We will definitely meet again."
"We definitely will..."
Leaving these words behind, Rozen closed his eyes.
...
In the real world, inside a hospital room.
Here, there's a state-of-the-art automated care bed. A white, clean cotton blanket emits a faint glow under the sunlight streaming in from the window.
A teenager lies on this bed, bathed in sunlight, and his mixed-race face shows a sense of tranquility that was absent before.
However, on the teenager's head is a deep blue helmet.
On the gaming device named "NerveGear" attached to the helmet, three LED indicator lights emit a blue glow, sometimes even blinking like stars, indicating that the machine is receiving messages and operating properly.
At this moment, there is no second person in the hospital room. If there were, they would be shocked by what is about to happen.
"Ching!"
A ring worn on the teenager's finger suddenly emits a strong light, enveloping the teenager's body in a vortex-like radiance.
Under this light, the entire body of the teenager turns into light particles, gradually disappearing from the hospital bed. It is drawn into the vortex-like radiance, as if entering a passage of light, leaving this world.
Before long, the light vanishes without a trace, leaving only a helmet in its place.
The LED indicator lights on it suddenly go out, causing the entire helmet to emit high heat for a moment.
However, the object that should have been incinerated has already disappeared, and the helmet returns to its original state after maintaining the high temperature for a few seconds.
Someone visits this room, but it is only half an hour later.
"Aoka... nii-san...?"
Accompanied by the trembling voice of a girl filled with disbelief, in the empty hospital room, the helmet lies quietly on the pillow, no longer functioning.
Several minutes later, the entire hospital is in chaos due to this incident, even the government is alarmed, sending personnel to investigate.
Of course, the result is naturally futile.
On that day, Kirigaya Aoka disappeared.
When he returns again, it will be a long time later.
...
Aincrad, 75th Floor.
In the boss room located at the top of the labyrinth area, players belonging to the clearing group are still locked in a fierce battle with the Skull Reaper.
"————!"
The Skull Reaper emits a terrifying roar, its bony scythes falling like blades, smashing the floor and sending countless stone fragments flying. The players can only hastily dodge, falling into a state of near panic.
"Damn it!"
Kirito grips two swords, one black and one white, desperately avoiding the Skull Reaper's attacks, his face filled with urgency.
"Bastard!"
"Don't mess around!"
Klein and Egil also roar in frustration.
The rest of the players were in a similar state, filled with panic, fear, and anger.
This was because not only had their leader disappeared without a trace, but even the main culprit responsible for this situation had vanished.
What's worse, the Skull Reaper's HP had fully recovered after that, as if it were a recurring nightmare, and it swung its bone scythes toward the players once again.
Currently, the Skull Reaper's HP bar had only lost its first segment, and the second segment wasn't even half depleted.
On the players' side, they were leaderless, with Rozen gone. Facing the Skill Reaper, they were in complete disarray.
If it weren't for Rozen's previous guidance, which gave the players some idea of how to deal with the Skeletal Reaper and allowed them to confirm its attack patterns, as well as Kirito, Klein, Egil, and others stabilizing the frontline and holding back the tide, there might already have been casualties.
However, there was another reason why there were no casualties. That reason was a player with two familiars, charging fearlessly toward the Skull Reaper like a berserker.
"Hahhhhhh!"
Asuna tightly gripped her rapier and rushed towards the Skull Reaper, ignoring everything else.
"Gu!"
"Gu!"
Saichou and Hanachou also let out angry cries as they followed behind Asuna, rushing toward the Skull Reaper.
It was because of Asuna's relentless assault and the support from Saichou and Hanachou that the Skull Reaper's aggro was completely focused on them, leaving the other players untouched.
This was a dangerous situation, but Asuna, with the assistance of Saichou and Hanachou, managed to hold her ground.
The reason for Asuna's furious determination was simple:
"Get out of the way!"
Asuna shouted in a manner quite unlike her usual self.
"I need to find Rozen! Move!"
With this shout, Asuna threw herself into a frenzy.
As long as the boss wasn't defeated, or the players weren't wiped out, the gate wouldn't open. Understanding this, Asuna fought with all her might.
In her heart, there was only one belief: defeat the monster in front of her and then find Rozen. She didn't know how she would find him, truly she didn't. But...
(If it's Yui-chan... she must know a way.)
Clutching onto this final lifeline, Asuna unleashed her ferocious attacks.
Then, at that moment...
"Boom!"
The Skull Reaper, ready to strike Asuna with its bone scythe, suddenly shattered into pieces, scattering polygonal fragments.
"Huh?"
Asuna was left dumbfounded.
"What happened?"
"Is it... dead?"
"This can't be real."
Kirito, Klein, Egil, and the others were equally stunned. Naturally, the other players were just as baffled.
Then...
"Now issuing an emergency announcement to all players."
A voice rang out.
It was a completely synthesized mechanical voice that rang out, leaving all the players wide-eyed.
This was something that had never happened before, and the consecutive events left the players bewildered, their faces blank.
Ignoring the players' emotions, the mechanical voice continued.
"Standard time in Aincrad, November 7th, 3:35 PM, game clearing complete."
When this sentence entered the players' ears, it was like a heavy blow, rendering their minds blank. Even Kirito, Klein, Egil, and others froze, their reactions gone.
What was happening? What was going on? No one could understand.
Only Asuna had an image of Rozen in her mind.
Miracles like this, in Asuna's understanding, could only be accomplished by that person. She was certain that Rozen had done something to cause this situation.
Although Asuna didn't yet know the specifics of what had happened, she believed that it was undoubtedly because of him.
As for the others, although they didn't understand what was happening, they all grasped the next sentence.
"All players will log out sequentially, please remain in your current location."
"Repeat: All players will log out sequentially, please remain in your current location."
Yes, log out.
No one had misunderstood. How could they possibly misunderstand?
For the past two years, everyone had been waiting for these two words to appear. So, even though they didn't know what had happened, and they didn't understand what had occurred, the one thing they all understood was that they were about to log out.
"Am I dreaming...?"
One player trembled, voicing the thought that was in everyone's hearts.
But what happened in the next moment confirmed that this was real.
"Clang!"
"Clang!"
"Clang!"
One by one, players began to emit a glow and turned into particles, disappearing from their current locations.
Witnessing this scene, the remaining players finally realized what had happened.
In the next moment, thunderous cheers erupted, shaking all of Aincrad. Because it wasn't just here; players from the entire SAO universe were cheering at this moment.
Amidst this jubilation, players continued to disappear one by one.
"Haha..."
Kirito relaxed his grip on his two swords, letting go entirely, as if he understood something. He wore the most relaxed smile he had ever shown.
"That guy..."
It seemed that Kirito had figured out who was responsible for this situation.
Naturally, Klein and Egil felt the same.
"Amazing! Boss, you're incredible!"
"I have a newfound respect for you!"
Klein and Agil embraced each other, tears and laughter mingling.
Kirito watched them with a mixture of helplessness and joy, returning his twin swords to their scabbards on his back.
"Clang!"
"Clang!"
"Clang!"
A moment later, Kirito, Klein, and Agil were enveloped in light and gradually disappeared.
Before long, the entire boss room of the 75th floor was empty except for Asuna.
She could finally leave this world—a dream she had been praying for all along.
However, at this very moment, Asuna realized that she wasn't happy or joyous. All she felt was anxiety.
Because...
"What about Rozen? What happened to Rozen?"
Asuna was growing anxious about this.
Someone answered Asuna's question.
"He's fine,"
A familiar voice rang out.
"Though I'm not sure how he managed it, the NerveGear's destruction program didn't detect the termination of his brainwaves, so he's definitely still alive."
Asuna's breath caught for a moment, and she turned abruptly to look at the source of the voice.
Behind her, she saw a man who had somehow appeared without her noticing. He wore a white coat and had the appearance of a research scientist.
Asuna knew the man's identity, or rather, she had an inkling.
"Guild leader..."
It was Heathcliff, or more precisely, Kayaba Akihiko, now in his real-world appearance.
"It seems he thought he lost, so he believed I would continue running this world, but even though it's a bit late, my HP still depleted to zero."
The man called Kayaba Akihiko gazed into the distance as he spoke, almost as if he was talking to Asuna.
"When one's HP reaches zero, one has to exit this world. That's the rule of this world, a rule I established."
In other words, the game had truly been completely cleared. The mass logout of players wasn't a dream.
"You've shown me quite a lot of interesting things, Rozen-kun."
Kayaba Akihiko muttered this almost as if he were expressing gratitude.
"Hmm?"
Suddenly, Akihiko Kayaba, as if sensing something, looked up at the sky.
"W-what's wrong?"
Asuna, still unsure of the situation, asked almost instinctively.
In response, Kayaba Akihiko furrowed his brow and shifted his gaze to Asuna.
"Guild Leader?"
Asuna felt a growing sense of unease.
After a moment of contemplation, Kayaba Akihiko spoke up.
"Just a moment ago, the system detected an intrusion by an external program. It seems someone took advantage of the completion of the clearing to intervene and do something."
These astonishing words came from Kayaba Akihiko's lips. Asuna hadn't fully grasped the situation, but Akihiko Kayaba seemed to know something and fixed his gaze firmly on her.
"I see, Rozen-kun did something like that, huh?" Akihiko Kayaba smiled.
It was a shallow smile, almost as if he found some amusement even at the very end.
Then, he made an announcement.
"Though Rozen-kun's true intention was probably to protect you while this world was still running, in the current situation, it might have an even greater effect."
Kayaba Akihiko pointed his finger at Asuna.
"So, I'll raise the privilege Rozen-kun granted you. This way, you should be able to defend yourself against any ill-intentioned individuals you might encounter in the upcoming situation."
He continued, "And as for the things you hope for, protect, and cherish, I will grant them to you as a reward for the victor."
With that, Kayaba Akihiko offered his final farewell.
"Well then, I wish you good luck, Asuna-kun."
With those words, Asuna was enveloped in a bright light.
"Wai—"
Asuna had just realized something and was about to say more, but it was too late.
Asuna disappeared from her location.
"Gu!"
"Gu!"
What was surprising, both Saichou and Hanachou cried out, seemingly enveloped by Asuna's radiance, and vanished.
Simultaneously, another figure, riding on particles of light, approached from the distance and merged with the light, disappearing together.
At this point, all players in SAO had successfully logged out.
"Rumble..."
Aincrad, the floating castle, suddenly began to shake violently. It was collapsing.
Kayaba Akihiko stood alone in the shaking room, gazing at the world he had created.
"What a beautiful dream..."
Leaving behind these words, Kayaba Akihiko too turned into smoke and disappeared.
At the same time, players in the real world began to awaken one by one.
However, that was a matter for this world.
As for Rozen, he had already moved on to the next world, beginning a brand new adventure of his own.