Sword Art Online 13: Alicization Dividing Part 2

Knight Alice Synthesis Thirty, but his childhood friend who got kidnapped form Rulid Village eight years ago, Alice Schuberg.

I tried my hardest to rack my brain, almost overheating from the excess load, searching for any excuse at al that could satisfy Alice. But there was no way I could come up with such a thing on the spot. With things at this point, I had no choice but to state a part of the truth.

"I... Eugeo and I didn't climb the cathedral al this way because we wanted to destroy the Axiom Church."

Looking straight down at Alice's blue eyes, exuding an intense light, I frantically forced my words out.

"We're the same too, in how we want to protect the Human World from the Dark Territory's invasion. We even fought with a group of goblins in the mountain range at the edge two years ago... even if I say so, I guess you wouldn't believe me. That's why we can't have you, known as one of the strongest even among the integrity knights, die here. Your strength's essential."

It must have been outside of her expectations as Alice knitted her brows in silence, but immediately gave a barbed reply.

"Then for what reason have you swung that sword at another human and broke the worst taboo of making another shed blood?!"

23.

Chapter 10 - Integrity Knight Alice.

The sentiment of genuine righteousness-even if that had been warped by the highest minister to suit her purposes- flared up and burnt in her two eyes as Alice shouted.

"For what reason have you hurt all of those knights, starting from Eldrie Synthesis Thirty-one?!!"

There were unfortunately no words within myself to refute the girl's enquiry. In the end, though the lines I spoke to Alice about wanting to protect the Human World were my true feelings, they were also a great deceit at the same time.

If I reach the highest floor of the cathedral, then fight and win against the highest minister, Administrator, the hermit, Cardinal, would recover all of her authority. And it was likely that girl would try to reset the Underworld to its original state in order to prevent that disaster soon to come. I have absolutely no idea on how to avert the end where everything returns to null at the present moment.

However. If Alice and I were to both crash and die here, the tragedy befalling the world would be on an even larger scale.

With Cardinal stil deprived from her authority, the "final load experiment phase"-the invasion from the Dark Territory in other words, wil begin and the integrity knights Eugeo and I fought and injured would likely be crushed along with Administrator, with the humans ma.s.sacred amidst their agony and sorrow without a single person remaining.

24.

Chapter 10 - Integrity Knight Alice.

What I couldn't bear most was the fact that I would simply awaken inside a "Soul TransLator" somewhere in the real world even if I lost my life in this world. The Underworld people would die at the end of their hel ish anguish while I return to the real world alone without a single injury- No matter what, I definitely cannot accept such a development.

"...I..."

I wonder what could I impart to the current Alice, a guardian of the church and order, even with all of this insignificant time I had left. But even if those words do not reach her, I have no means left aside from talking about that with al my heart.

"Eugeo and I slashed Raios Antinous and Humbert Zizek because the Axiom Church and the Taboo Index are flawed.

Don't you understand that just as well deep down? The Taboo Index doesn't forbid it, so the upper cla.s.s n.o.bles can do as they please with girls that didn't even commit a single crime, like Ronye and Tieze... do you honestly believe that's forgivable?!"

The scene I caught sight of two days ago in a room of the elite swordsmen-in-training dormitory-of Tieze and Ronye who had their entire bodies mercilessly bound up, their cheeks damp with tears, came back to me in a flashback and my whole body shook violently. The sword point thrust into the wall creaked once again, but I shouted with hardly any care for that.

"What do you think! Answer me, integrity knight!!"

25.

Chapter 10 - Integrity Knight Alice.

My raging emotions became a single tear that fell from the corner of my eye, hit Alice's forehead as she dangled below, and scattered. The golden knight drew in a sharp breath and opened her two eyes wide.

The voice that soon leaked out from her slightly trembling lips seemed to have lost much of its earlier rigidity.

"...The law, is the law... and crimes, are crimes. How could order be maintained if the ma.s.ses are permitted to arbitrarily decide on them?"

"Exactly who's to decide whether the one who made those laws, the highest minister, Administrator, is just or not? The G.o.ds of the Celestial World!? Then why haven't I incurred divine punishment, getting hit by lightning and burnt to death right this moment!?"

"The G.o.ds-Stacia-sama's plans are naturally made clear through the actions taken by us, her attendants!"

"Eugeo and I climbed al this way in order to make that clear!

To defeat Administrator and prove that it is a mistake! And for that exact, same reason..."

I glanced upwards and confirmed that my beloved sword wedged in the wall was final y reaching its limit. The tip would break or slip the next time Alice moves, no, the next time the wind decides to send a gust this way and we will likely crash down together.

26.

Chapter 10 - Integrity Knight Alice.

"...I can't have you dying here!!"

Taking in a deep breath and putting it all into my abdomen, I gathered al of the energy I had left.

"-Uoooh!!"

All of my spirit surging out, I hauled up Alice who dangled off my left hand. A violent pain ran through the joints at my arms and shoulders, but I somehow brought Alice up to the same height, then shouted out with the rest of my strength.

"Get your sword through that seam...! I can't hold on anymore, please!"

I stared hard at Alice's much distorted face right beside me with a frantic look.

After an instant of silence, Alice moved her left arm and the Fragrant Olive Sword deeply stabbed its point into the gap between the marble with a sharp noise.

The black sword drew out from the stone wall's seam at nearly the same time and my left hand separated itself from Alice's hand as well, having lost its grip.

Amidst the panic shooting through me from head to toe, I fell down a long, long distance and "Death" approached me in the end within my mind for an instant.

27.

Chapter 10 - Integrity Knight Alice.

However, what I actually felt were only a moment of weightlessness and a sudden shock. Alice's right hand that flashed like lightning seized my coat's collar from the back.

After affirming that Alice's sword and arms were firmly supporting both of our weight, I let out a deep breath. My heart, beating at the rate of an alarm clock, gradually slowed down and I finally felt at ease.

I looked up at the one with whom I had traded places with, both physical y and mentally, in a mere one second in silence.

Appearing as though she was being tortured by the entire variety of contradictory emotions, the golden integrity knight had her teeth clenched together hard. Signs of the clenched hand holding me by the scruff of my neck slackening and tightening repeated over and over again right behind my neck.

I didn't know of anyone from the Underworld capable of hesitating in such a perilous situation aside from Eugeo. The rest of the humans-the artificial fluctlights were blindly loyal to their standards for good and evil, unfaltering over important choices. To say it in another manner, their important decisions were constantly made by something else, or someone else.

In other words, I could understand that a "humanity"

exceeding many others from the Underworld hid itself in Integrity Knight Alice's psyche from this single incident.

28.

Chapter 10 - Integrity Knight Alice.

Especially so, considering the alterations the highest minister, Administrator, had committed on her soul.

I couldn't judge how much conflict there must be in Alice's mind. However, after several extremely long seconds, my body was easily pulled up to my previous height.

Unlike the girl, I had no need to hesitate. I immediately thrust the black sword into the marble's seam, even after all it had been through, and let out yet another deep breath.

The moment my stance stabilized, Alice drew back her right hand and even averted her face in a huff. Her voice, delivered by the wind, was feeble unlike its tone.

"...I wasn't helping you, I was merely returning the favor...

besides, I have yet to reach the conclusion with your swords."