January 6, 2026
New Aincrad, Floor 22
"His fast-acting mind is..."
Hey, if you nap, you won't be able to sleep tonight.
There are only three days of winter break left.
You need to finish your homework.
Before she went home, Shinonon said she finished hers.
I'm tired.
Maybe the room's too warm.
Should I lower the temperature?
No.
I think it's because of that.
That?
Oh, I see.
Ever since he came back from GGO, it seems he's been working really hard.
He's been working on that thing for Yui-chan we saw in Agil's shop, right?
Something-onics!
Mechatronics.
But she really looks comfortable.
It makes me sleepy, too.
zutto hikari no naka kinou made wa nakatta ashiato o tadottekita hodo
ずっと光の中 昨日までは無かった 足跡を辿ってきたほど
These footsteps were always within the light, but out of sight until today... and the more I followed them,
gooru no mienai meiro ame ni utareta chizu koukai mo nanimo nai kedo
ゴールの見えない迷路 雨に打たれた地図 後悔も何もないけど
it landed me in a maze with no goal, following a rain-soaked map... But I don't have any regrets.
sakenda koe wa
叫んだ声は
'Cause my screaming voice...
kitto todoku kara
きっと届くから
will surely be heard!
kono monogatari no hajimaru kane no ne ga tsunagu tabi no tochuu de
この物語の始まる鐘の音が繋ぐ旅の途中で
I'm still on a journey to connect the sounds of the bell that will signal the beginning of this tale.
kimi ga egaita mirai no sekai wa itsuka no sora ni michibikarete
君が描いた未来の世界は いつかの空に導かれて
The future world that you envisioned leads me to a sky of indefinite time.
futatsu no omoi o hitotsuzutsu katachi ni shite kiseki o motto koete
2つの想いを1つずつ形にして奇跡をもっと越えて
These two feelings will each take their individual shape, becoming even more than a miracle.
kimi ga egaita mirai no sekai wa ima mo dokoka de ikitsudzukete
君が描いた未来の世界は 今もどこかで生き続けて
The future world that you envisioned exists somewhere, even now...
donna yume kasanete itsuwaru koto no nai ano hikari o ah on give for my way
どんな夢重ねて偽る事のないあの光りを ah on give for my way
No matter how many dreams overwrite it, there will be always be that infallible light… Ah, giving me my way!
Forest House
December 20, 2025
Here you go.
You know, you don't have to come...
to a dingy place like this for a date every time.
You could go somewhere more fashionable, right?
Compared to your place in Algade, this place is fashionable.
I liked that place.
Why? It was a rip-off.
You were living there for free, Kirito-kun!
But it doesn't change anything.
What are you grinning at?
Nothing... I was just thinking...
when you're this way, you really don't look like the lead group's two best players.
I could say the same to you.
Have you been an MMORPG player for a long time, Agil-san?
Yeah.
I met my wife in a game.
She lived in America back then,
but a year later, we started a café here.
You never know what will happen in life.
If he heard that, who knows what Klein would say?
And so, we were going to buy two NerveGears.
But we could only reserve one.
The two of us played a game to see who'd go first.
I'm still glad I won, and she didn't.
Yeah.
I joined the lead group because I had this place.
I can't let my wife run it forever.
Yeah, my desire to return to my family saved me.
I'm sure everyone in the lead group...
No, maybe all the players in Aincrad felt that way.
You had some kind of motivation like that, right, Asuna?
I...
I didn't really like my family.
That's why there were times in Aincrad where I nearly forgot why I was fighting.
I felt like there wasn't a place for me...
in the real world or the virtual one.
But Kirito-kun gave me a home.
A place that felt more like home than the house I lived in.
I knew that if we cleared SAO, our home on floor 22 would disappear.
However, believing the day would come when Kirito-kun, Yui-chan, and I could live there again, gave me power.
That's what I think.
About that...
The contents of the next update were just revealed.
There are new weapons and Sword Skills.
Announcing the details of New Aincrad's third update!
And floors 21 to 30 of New Aincrad have been unlocked.
Announcing the details of New Aincrad's third update!
Does that mean...
If we beat floor 22's boss,
we can buy that log cabin again?
Yeah.
But New Aincrad's details have been altered a lot,
so we don't know for sure if the same player homes exist.
Yeah.
But I have faith.
That house is waiting for us.
But the update is on Christmas Eve...
December 24, 2025
ALfheim, Gnome Airspace
Seir Shal Vind Ashuna.
Bat Eilie Ougsu Sverg!
Take care of the rest!
Asuna!
Just a little more!
You can do it!
Asuna, let's go!
Papa, punch attack incoming!
Switch!
First!
Okay! We made it to floor 22!
Asuna!
We'll activate the teleportation gate, so get going.
Thanks, everyone!
Kirito-kun!
Kirito-kun... Yui-chan.
I'm home.
Hey, Asuna-san!
You fell asleep yourself!
You, too, Liz-san?
I wonder why looking at that makes me so sleepy.
Shall I make some tea to wake us up?
The snow stopped!
Come to think of it,
have you heard about Zekken?
Zekken?
A new rare item or something?
No, no...
It's someone's name.
More like a nickname, I guess.
They're so strong, someone started calling them "Zekken",
an invincible blade.
A blade that's better than any other.
That's what I think it means, anyway.
Strong...
So? What's Zekken-san like?
Around New Year's, I started hearing the rumours...
A week ago, maybe?
I see.
So that's why you don't know.
You've been back home in Kyoto since then.
Don't make me remember that when I'm here.
It's tough being a rich girl.
It really was.
I had to wear a kimono and kneel the whole day, greeting people.
At night, I wanted to dive when no one was around,
but the separate house I was staying in didn't even have WLAN.
I brought my Amusphere, and it was a waste.
And...
Asuna?
Hey, Asuna?
Are you listening?
S-Sorry, I was remembering something that wasn't too great.
What?
Did they make you do an arranged marriage meeting in Kyoto?
No, no, it's nothing like that!
That was a joke.
Then if they're strong, does that make them a player-killer?
No, they just duel.
Were they in a tournament?
No, they're completely new.
But their skill points are high,
so they might be a convert from another game.
You know that little island...
north of floor 24's main town, with the big tree?
Every day, at 3:00, they stand there, and fight anyone...
who challenges them, one at a time.
At first, there was a post on MMO Tomorrow's message board...
Seeking the strongest challengers
that they were seeking challengers.
People wanted to teach this bratty newcomer to ALO a lesson,
so the first day, about thirty or so showed up, but...
They beat them all?
Every single one.
Their HP didn't fall below seventy percent in any of the duels.
Must be pretty strong...
It's kind of unbelievable.
The way they flew, despite being a newcomer.
It took me six months before I was able to really fight in the air.
P-Pina!
Did you fight them, Silica-chan?
No way.
Just by watching, I could tell I had no way to win.
Well, Liz-san and Leafa-san challenged them yesterday, though.
They're really brave.
Shut up.
Everything is a learning experience.
Snow?
It's snowing again.
About that Zekken...
If they kept showing off their strength,
doesn't that mean no one will want to fight them anymore?
Not so much.
What they're betting is amazing.
Is it some really rare item?
It isn't an item.
They're betting an Original Sword Skill.
And a super strong special-move class!
An Original Sword Skill?
For what weapon? How many hits?
Um...
It looked like a general skill for a one-handed sword.
And it's an eleven-hit combo!
Eleven?
How many hits does the currently strongest Original Sword Skill do?
It's General Eugene's "Volcanic Blazer".
It's eight hits, I think.
But it seems the general isn't teaching it to anyone else.
That explains why so many people want to fight.
Did you actually see them use it?
No.
I guess they demonstrated it the first day...
But since then, they haven't used it in a fight.
No one's gotten them down enough to where they've needed to use it.
Does that mean even you weren't able to do it, Leafa-chan?
I was doing well until both our HP bars went under sixty percent.
But...
In the end, I was overpowered with only the default skills.
I forgot to ask the most important thing.
What's the race and weapon?
An imp.
The weapon is a one-handed straight sword.
But it's about as slim as your rapier.
They're really fast.
My eyes couldn't even follow the movements.
I've never seen anything like it.
It was a real shock.
A speed type, huh?
If you can't see them move, I don't know if I have a chance.
Speaking of movement speed,
someone with incredible speed is sleeping right there.
What about Kirito-kun?
He'd be interested in that...
Wh-What's wrong?
My brother already fought.
And when he lost, he looked very cool.
Was he serious?
It sounds silly to say it,
but in a fight like that,
I don't think I'm capable of saying whether he was serious or not.
Well, he wasn't using two swords.
In that sense, he wasn't going at it for real, but...
And you know,
I don't think Kirito's ever going to fight for real...
in a normal game again.
The only time he'll be serious is if the game isn't a game anymore.
When the virtual world becomes the real world.
So it's better that he doesn't have to fight for real anymore.
He already gets involved in plenty of trouble on his own.
Yeah, you're right.
But as far as I could tell,
he wasn't messing around.
I don't think he was slacking off.
But something bothered me a little...
Just before the fight ended, the two locked swords,
and they didn't move.
And it seemed like he was saying something to Zekken-san.
After that, the two of them broke apart,
and he couldn't completely dodge Zekken-san's charge.
What were they talking about?
Well, he won't tell me.
It felt like there must be something.
I see...
I guess I'll have to ask Zekken-san myself.
So you'll fight them?
I don't think I can win.
But they kind of interest me.
It feels like they came to ALO for some reason other than fighting duels.
Yeah, I felt the same way.
But if you want to know what it is,
you'll have to fight as well as Kirito did.
I know.
Will you all watch me?
Of course.
I couldn't miss a fight like that!
Which character will you use?
You have that sylph account, right?
I'll go with the one I'm more familiar with.
If they're a speed type, I'd rather be able to keep up than focus on DPS.
Then that's it.
Um, the small island on floor 24, at 3:00, right?
Yeah.
So we can meet here at 2:30, right?
Oh, no! It's already 6:00?
I'll be late for dinner!
Then let's call it a day.
It's tough being a rich girl.
He still isn't awake?
He isn't awake after all we've done to him? Onii-chan's amazing.
Hey, Liz...
What?
You said Zekken was a converted player, right?
But if they're that strong, do you think they might be a former SAO player?
Yeah, that was the first thing I thought.
So when Kirito fought Zekken, I asked him what he thought, but...
Come on, Onii-chan! Get up! We're leaving!
What did he say?
"There's no way Zekken was an SAO player.
Because,
if they had been in that world,
the two-sword skill would've gone to them, not me."
machiakari terashita nigiyaka na waraigoe to rojiura no ashiato
街明かり照らした 賑やかな笑い声と 路地裏の足跡
Lively laughing voices are illuminated by the city lights as my footprints are left behind in back alleys
tsutaetai omoi wa doredake todoitandarou itsumo furimuite tashikameru
伝えたい想いは どれだけ届いたんだろう いつも振り向いて確かめる
Wondering how much of what I wanted to tell you made it through, I'm constantly turning back to check
itsudatte mayowazu kimi wa kitto donna boku mo oikaketekureru kara
いつだって迷わず キミはきっとどんなボクも追いかけてくれるから
You never hesitate, so I'm sure you'll come running to me, no matter who I've become.
jitto mitsumeta kimi no hitomi ni utsutta boku ga ikita shirushi
じっと見つめた キミの瞳に映ったボクが生きたシルシ
As I stare intently into your eyes, my reflection there is proof I exist
nandomo togiresou na kodou tsuyoku tsuyoku narashita kyou o koetemitainda yo
何度も途切れそうな鼓動 強く強く鳴らした 今日を越えてみたいんだよ
My heartbeat, which could stop any minute, is resounding louder and louder, wishing to make it through another day
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Zekken