Subtilizer and Sinon both continued firing at one another and one of those shots hit Sinon in her left knee. Her leg was completely shot off and the pain wasn't what got to her; it was the fear of not being able to fly properly anymore.

Kitsune who was damaged badly but had some wounds that need to regenerate

To this point, she had learned to control the voluntary flight system by kicking her legs against the air. Her first attempt at a sharp evasive turn turned into an ugly tailspin instead. Using the two wings of Darkness on her back was a no go as they wouldn't listen to her when she tried the shoulder blades trick from ALO. The wings were real but like Yami didn't have control over his powers even though they were still there, Sinon couldn't move the wings to help her with flight.

Sinon: Ugh.

She grunted and switched to the one bit of movement she knew she could manage: retreat straight backward. The stream of blood shooting from her left leg created a vivid red line in the air before her.

Sinon aimed at Subtilizer as she pushed backward at the maximum possible speed and fired a third bullet. But her enemy, who pursued with confidence, fired a fourth bullet from his own rifle.

When the three bullets travelled the exact same path from opposite ends, they met with a horribly discordant twang, creating a shower of sparks and knocking each bullet off to the side to vanish into nothingness.

She pulled back the bolt handle to expel both the empty cartridge and the growing fear in her lungs and then fired a fourth shot. Again, two thunderbolts overlapped. The collision of bullets in midair unleashed a massive amount of kinetic energy and sent them both spiralling away.

A fifth shot. Sixth, Seventh, Eighth.

The results were exactly the same. Subtilizer was intentionally shooting on Sinon's rhythm and hitting her shots in the air- that much was clear.

Obviously, in the real world, and even GGO, this was impossible. But imagination trumped all in this place. Because Subtilizer was international doing this, and Sinon was anticipating that outcome, the impossible phenomenon of supersonic bullets striking one another became reality.

But despite this, there were only three actions Sinon could take: Yank the bolt, take aim, pull the trigger.

The seventh bullet deflected off to the left with a mournful scream.

Discharge. Aim.

Click.

Click, click. The striker did nothing beneath her finger.

A single magazine for the Hecate II was seven bullets. She had no backup.

But the Barrett XM500 could hold then. He had two shots left.

Despite being over a hundred yards away from him in the air, Sinon could clearly make out Subtilizer's cold smile.

He pointed the black gun. It spat fire.

Kitsune pulls Sinon away as the bullet barely hits her. He growls and Subtilizer stifled his recoil and put his eye to the scope to aim his final shot. That blue marble eye, magnified by the other end of the lens, pierced Kitsune's body.

Sinon: Kitsune!!

Kitsune: shit...body taken too much damage. Sinon don't be afraid....don't go back...

Then he was teleported away back to Yami's inner world.

Sinon: I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Asuna. I'm sorry, Rain. Yui. I'm sorry, Kirito. I'm Sorry... Yami.

No sooner had Sinon mouthed the words than the XM500's tenth bullet emerged from its jaw. A spiral of red flames propelled it, tracing the route Subtilizer envisioned, until it began closing in on her.

Bzzat!!
———-

Back North, further north than where PoH had the Human Army captive with the red soldiers. Yuuki and Leafa were both fighting for their lives as they were pierced by the overwhelming number of American soldiers still in the area.

Yuuki was currently pulling out a spear that drove into his left side with her right hand, her sword stuck point-first into the ground. The pain was unbearable, she wanted to stop, her mind was telling her to stop and retreat back to safety to regain some of her strength.

Yuuki: I can't.

She told herself as she pulled the spear and spun it around her fingers until it pointed forward. She stomped her right foot into the ground, breaking the black gravel below her, a pale light emerging on the spear.

This wasn't a sword skill for the spear class from either SAO or ALO, but this was just a manifestation of Yuuki's rage. Her incarnation wasn't usually like this but from all the wounds she had suffered, the times she pulled weapons from her body, all of them were imprinted on her mind.

Yuuki: Yaaaaaah!!!

She screamed with all the rage she could muster at the current moment. The pale spear disappeared from her grasp as if it was shot by an antimaterial rifle but it was merely Yuuki's determination mixed in with her rage.

The screams of the red soldiers then plagued her mind as the spear shot through the mass of them in front of both Leafa and Yuuki. Speaking of Leafa, she was slicing through the few dozen of enemies with a pair of ultra-long-range slashes and kept running, plunging straight into her foes' midst.

Each Super account had its own special ability that wasn't listed or known to the technician Higa. Yuuki's is the ability to sense the living presences of those around the Underworld, she could even sense the mass of Knights around the Human world back to her northwest. Leafa on the other hand, her sword skills were expanded to several times the length of their ALO forms, she didn't think much of that and unleashed them with abandon.

The delay between swords skills had not disappeared, however, and in each interval, sharp blades came swinging for her. Yuuki was there to save her from more wounds, that was their plan for the last while, they didn't say anything to one another, but they both mentally agreed not to unleash sword skills at the same time.

Leafa: Eeeeeiiii!!

Leafa screamed, stomping the ground hard. A green glow wafted from beneath her feet, instantly healing all their wounds. But while it healed their bodies, the memory of the pain was still there.

Yuuki was panting like crazy, blood mixed in with her breaths, blood spat out of her mouth. Leafa still had weapons in her back and she wasn't unable to get them out and frankly didn't care much and just wanted to keep fighting.

Res Knight: They're such a boss!!

Shouted one of the enemies in English, thrusting their swords at them, which Leafa blocked with her left arm and Yuuki nimbly dodged, thrusting her own.

Yuuki: Seyaaaa!!

Leafa's return blow instantly ended the other man.

Leafa craned her neck to bite the sword that was still stuck in her arm and pulled it out, then spat it onto the ground with a fresh spill of blood.

Yuuki and Leafa both shared a glance, mentally telling each other "We got this." as pained smiles rose on their lips. They raised their swords into a ready position and gestured for the American players to come at them.
———

Bzzat!!

There was another burst of sparks.

Sinon's eyes went from half-closed in anticipation of the shot to wide open. The long, rapidly spinning bullet was nowhere to be seen, only darkness.

Then it finally clicked, the wings on her back never disappeared and stayed with her the whole time she had been fighting. They whipped around from her back and blocked the bullet, seemingly indestructible by some outside source.

Sinon: I won't give up. I'll never give up. I have to believe. In me. In the Hecate. And In the boy, I'm connected to through these wings.

There was a brighter flash, the bullet vanished, the wings had destroyed it on their own.

Sinon raised the Hecate II with purpose and put her finger against the trigger. The weapon might have been turned into a gun through the power of her imagination, but the system's properties given to the weapon would still be maintained: the power of Solus's bow, the Annihilation Ray, which automatically absorbed resources from the space around it to charge up attacks.

Before she could pull the trigger some voice appeared along with a massive ring around the entire world, the size was unimaginable, there were patterns that seemed like they were from an ancient game. The ring was dark red, seemingly the rage that was in the caster's own heart reflecting onto the pattern.

Sinon moved her eye from her scope, Subtilizer also glanced up at the sky in the air. Subtilizer lowered his Barett XM500 down, Sinon kept hers aim in the air she had no idea if this belonged to the enemy elsewhere or the man in front of her. But then something caused her to miss entirely, spending all of her will power.

A voice then rang out across the whole world and it was very familiar to Sinon, it actually brought her to tears.

Then let me fight with you. One shot is enough, so, please...pull the trigger!
—————

Moments prior, Leafa and Yuuki were still fighting against the onslaught of enemies that seemed to have no end to them.

The pain of the countless weapons that were piercing into their bodies melted together, like their exposed nerves were being poked and prodded by needles. Several of the wounds clearly should have been fatal.

The two swords penetrating their abdomen and chest cut into their organs each time they moved. Both of them were having their hearts split by one of the weapons.

But Leafa and Yuuki did not stop.

Them: Aaaaaaaaaah!!

They both screamed, blood flying everywhere, as they activated a sword skill for the hundredth time- if not thrice that by now.

The long Katana, within Leafa's grasp, Verdurous Anima took on a green glow and cut through the air every which way.

Leafa: Verdurous Anima!

Leafa screamed the name of her weapon. An arc of compressed light held its shape for a moment before expending it silently outward, countless enemies collapsing to pieces in its wake.

Yuuki held her own sword, forgetting the pact of not unleashing Sword skills at the same time. Her sword was named

Yuuki: Luminous Light!!

she screamed its own name as well. The sword collected the power given by the moon, the darkness over the Dark Territory was helping her with gathering the energy. Once enough pale light enveloped her sword, she raised it into the air and brought it down with both of her hands.

The countless enemies collapsed much like the ones Leafa killed, their screams echoed through the battlefield.

In the pause period after their massive attack, a number of enemies rushed in on them. They both leaped out of the way in the nick of time, avoiding the majority of their attacks, but a long halberd did slice Leafa's left arm off, another Yuuki's right arm.

Holding firm against the impulse to collapse from the shock, they screamed "Zeyaaaa!!" and sliced all six of the foes with a sideways swipe.

Yuuki's left hand now held her sword as she was gripping her sword with her earlier attack with both hands, she unconsciously moved her sword to her left. Something was telling her that her right arm was about to be lopped off mere moments after the attack, the simple thought about it made it become reality.

Leafa scooped up the arm that had fallen to the ground as did Yuuki, pressed it against the stump of her shoulder, and stamped her foot on the earth. A green flash brought grass and flowers up from the dirt that vanished as soon as they arrived. Their hit points returned to their maximum value, and whole the gruesome wound remained, their arms were attached again.

Leafa's only thought was how the unlimited regenerative ability that the Terraria account possessed was hardly what you would call a divine blessing. Yuuki was getting closer to calling it what Lefa was calling it... a curse. No matter how wounded they were, how much agony they felt, they could not fall in battle. They were- Leafa mostly was immortal but not invulnerable. It was unimaginable agony.

There were just two simple beliefs that kept them upright.

Big Bro would never give in to something like this.

Yami would never let himself fall from wounds like this.

I can't fall- no I won't fall.

He would never fall from wounds like these.

They shared a single thought next.

There are only 50,000 thousand of them; we'll cut them all down ourselves. Because I'm his... I'm...Yami's

Them: the people they care for!!!

The tips of their swords in their left and right hand respectively blazed with crimson light. The blade thrust forward with a sound like heavy machinery, unleashing a massive spear of light that split the battlefield for a distance of over a hundred yards. Bwashaaaa! The bodies of enemy soldiers flattened and disintegrated in its vicinity.

Them: Haah...Huff...

Leafa expelled a breath that soon turned to a gout of fresh blood. Leafa wiped her mouth and straightened up unsteadily turning to Yuuki- only for a long spear to come hurtling toward Yuuki, ramming straight through her left eye and out the back of her head.

Leafa watched in shock which turned into anger before the shock had settled in. She stomped her feet to heal Yuuki and turned toward the mass of players with anger laced in her emerald eyes.

Leafa noticed the number of the enemy had grown and there were now over a hundred thousand- maybe even more. Leafa grinned as Yuuki had pulled the spear out of her head, thrown it to the ground and faced the enemy numbers.

Before they could charge into the enemies' midst, something strange happened to the red skies of the Dark Territory. A massive ring that seemingly blended into the sky was now over the entire Underworld. They could only see it in the air because of the clouds that were in the sky, clearing up the view to see ancient ruin patterns all over them.

Yuuki: Wh...What now..

Yuuki asked, glancing up at the sky; specifically back to where the pattern appeared from.

Leafa: Who... who did this...?

Leafa asked following her gaze to where the Human Empire was currently.

Then near the mass of red players, something clear appeared next to them, forming all around them like a box. The American players were now gazing at the clear things, some even tried grabbing it only for it to burn their hands.

They see a golden light appeared by they can only see. They felt relaxation, and hope for this war to be over. Soon they felt someone familiar hugging them as he spoke.

I told this to my friend, devils never cry... These tears, tears are a gift only humans have. And we humans, never give up... are you ready? You ready to do this?

I and Asuna won't forget about you all. We're really happy that we met you all and we were able to help you. We still wish we could be part of the Sleeping Knights.
————-

Everyone who were wounded could barely looked at PoH as Kirito glares at him.

PoH: hehe so weak you are Black Swordsman.

Kirito: I'm gonna kick your as-

He was punched in the gut as blood came out of his mouth and PoH walls towards Yami.

Asuna: no don't do it!!

He grabs Yami and throws him and the swords away from them. He laughs as he walks back towards Kirito but couldn't see that Yami along with the Excaliburs were glowing.
———-

Rinko: Higa, watch out!!

Rinko's voice made Higa snap upward. A shining glint appeared and fell right in front of him, startling himself and Yanai who was webbed but the web were coming off and he dropped into the darkness below.

Higa in shock walked over to the end to look below him before Rinko's voice came again from above him.

Rinko: Higa, are you all right? Answer me! Hey!

Higa getting over his shock slightly answered.

Higa: Uh, well, you did startle me... I didn't know you could scream like that.

Rinko: H-How can you be so calm? Are you hurt? Were you shot?

Rinko asked a flurry of questions. Higa glanced at his bleeding shoulder and said.

Higa: Uh, well... no, I'm totally fine! It's just a scratch! I'll continue the operation. So please continue to monitor Yami's fluctlights!

Rinko: You're sure you're okay? I'll take your word for it! If you're lying, I'll never forgive you!

Higa: Yes, of course, you can trust me!!

Rinko hesitantly replied.

Rinko. Then I'll head back to Subcon, but I'll be back here as soon as there's a change on the graph! I'm counting you, Higa!

Higa: R-Rinko!! Uh, well... um... Um, when all of this is over, do you want to go out for dinner sometime?"

Rinko: Fine. Hamburgers, beef bowls... I'll treat you to whatever you want! So good luck with this!

Rinko answered before leaving back to Subcon. What a cheap date.

Higa grabbed the laptop off the ground and slowly began the operation once again. He sat down once again, his vision becoming blurry from blood loss but he shook his head to regain his sight.

He opened the tab that connected STL number 9 to the lightcube cluster and navigated to Yami's lightcube ID. He had memorized his ID just in case they needed to eject him if the simulation was to be initialized.

Higa: Okay... It's time for you to make a return Yami..

Higa muttered watching the screen.

Higa began the connection process between Yami's body in the STL and his soul that was inside of the Underworld at the moment. He was going to connect the two fluctlights and start the amplification process when they are connected. Connecting the two fluctlight will trick the STL into thinking his fluctlight is active for long enough for the process to finish, healing his wounds in the real world and the ones inside his Fluctlight.

Spider-Man who was also helping him with some of the coding anything also making sure Price, Mason, Section's groups and Mitchell are doing okay.

Spider-Man: any of you guys okay?

Mason: no problem here we grouped up and found there submarine.

Section: We check for any hostiles in and out of the location and none are there.

Price: So we planted C-4s and once they're out of Ocean Turtle.

Woods: that thing will go ka-fucking boom!!

Once his fluctlight undergoes the amplification process, his two fluctlights that are connected through the STL will then combine into one. Then instead of using a lightcube he would be using the STL and have his power amplified to unimaginable levels.

Higa then sees a start process button and without a second thought, he presses Okay. Even still he started praying hoping everyone would work out great and he would be on his way to waking up in the real world.

The fluctlight windows appear on his screen but only the connection process. The fluctlight inside the lightcube starts creating brilliant blue lights heading to the fluctlight inside the STL and turning the color into a golden one.

Then a pop up revealing a file as Higa was confused.

Higa: a file? A.D.A.M?

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

End of Volume