Chapter 218 - My CO Stash #18 - One Thousand Steps: No Matter What... by Zaralann (SwordArtOnlineXCampione!)

-Welp, this exists. Kayaba being a Heretic God and of course Kirito the Campione! Also remember Cardinal System? She's best girl now lol.

Sypnosis: Aincrad was a World of its own, with people living in it with its own Rules and it was wholly separated from the Mortal Realm. Kayaba Akihiko was the one who created it and controlled everything that happened there, did it make him a God of Aincrad? Kirito defeated Heathcliff in combat and killed him, does it mean that he managed to slay a God? And what future holds for someone who managed to accomplish such an act of defying the impossible?

Rated ???

Words: 120K

Posted on: forums.spacebattles.com/threads/one-thousand-steps-no-matter-what-sword-art-online-campione.614939/#post-44136773 (Zaralann)

PS: If you're not able to copy/paste the link, you have everything in here to find it, by simply searching the author and the story title. It sucks that you can't copy links on mobile (´ー｀)

-I'll be putting the chapter ones of all the fanfics mentioned, to give you guys a sample if you wan't more please do go to the website and support the author! (And maybe even convince them to start uploading chapters in here as well!)

Chapter 1

Not even Death… - 1.1​

He was dying, he knew that the moment that his Health Bar dropped to zero and his body started to disappear, this was what awaited anyone who lost in this Virtual World and he was no exception. The things that he had done and the ones that he had yet to do, her face flashing in front of his eyes as her body broke into motes of light and disappeared into data…

In that moment…

"Goodbye."

In that moment…

Tears slid down her face as she closes her eyes with a peaceful smile on her face, happy that he was going to live…

That she was able to protect him by sacrificing her own life…

In that moment something snapped and all he saw was a blur, he felt as if he was no more than a passenger in his body as he moved forward. He felt numbness that took away everything that he felt as he picked up her sword, he wasn't even sure if what was happening was real or not as he just moved forward. And even in that state, he refused to die just like that…

To do so would make her death meaningless…

If someone would ask him how he managed to deliver that final blow, how he managed to do something that was impossible in the World that wasn't even Real but felt more Alive than he could remember the one which he was so desperate to return… He didn't know, all he was thinking as her blade sunk into the chest of Kayaba Akihiko was that Asuna was dead and he couldn't… wouldn't let her last act go to waste. He watched as Heathcliff's Health Bar drained to zero and felt some small and dark sense of satisfaction as he knew what was to come.

'It worked...' Kirito through as he looked at the blade in his left hand, the same blade that belonged to Asuna and the same weapon that struck down the Final Boss of «Sword Art Online» A small smile of relief appeared on his face and he closed his eyes as he released a breath he didn't know he was holding, it was over and at least he now knew that everyone will be able to return…

"You surprised me once again, Kirito-kun." The unmistakable voice of Kayaba made the teen's eyes snapped open as he looked at the body of Heathcliff in front of him. "To managed to do the impossible, to literally break the Rules of the World around you to deliver this final blow. Truly, you're one of a kind, none before could boast such a feat as defying the Rules of Existence itself." He was looking at Kirito with a small sardonic smile, amus.e.m.e.nt in his eyes was dim and he looked almost tired. "You freed your friends, you saved the Maiden, you bested me in combat and you sacrificed your own life just for this one last charge. Admirable, your determination truly touched my heart."

"..." Kirito tried to speak but no sound came out, was Heathcliff saying that Asuna was alive?

"This New Age, that little Witch's Quest and her loyal Protector's dedication, these six Bastards' Reign and their Mother's Curse..." His voice was wistful. "Honestly, I wasn't interested and decided if there was something worth attention, worth acknowledgment and prize in these dull times then I would've seen it before. And the history repeated itself, I was struck down in a duel with the one in whom I put all my hopes into, but this time I feel no regret or bitterness at the fact that I lost." He chuckled as his body started breaking down. "Maybe I'm a Relic of a Bygone Era? Who knows? The Ideals of the past still linger in the World, at least now I can see that I was wrong." Suddenly a grin spread across his face. "You have defeated me Kirito, no, Kirigaya Kazuto! This Knight acknowledges defeat and grants you the right to claim the Spoils of your Victory! Take thee Authorities, let the Curse of the Witch engrave them into your very Soul and forget the taste of Defeat until we will meet again!" Something in Kayaba's eyes, that little glint that Kirito only now noticed, sent shivers down the Gamer's spine. "May you live in interesting times, young Campione."

The world around them suddenly burst into light as Kirito felt his awareness slipping away. He was surprised that he managed to stay awake for this long anyway, even the impossible had limits and the fact that he didn't fade was something that even he couldn't comprehend. The last thing that he heard, the last thing that he managed to understand as the darkness slowly took over his vision, were the words…

|...the Game has been Cleared.|

-=(0-0)=-​

He was floating, his whole body felt light as he…

"The Black Art that Epimetheus and I left behind. The sacred birth of an Illegitimate Child, shrouded in darkness, born of a Fool and a Witch." A soft female voice rang through the darkness, but Kirito ignored it as he tried to force his eyes to open. "A Secret Rite of Usurpation, only possible through the sacrifice of a God." He knew he was close as he could feel his fingers started to respond to his will.

He had no time for this as he…

-=(0-0)=-​

{19.01.2025}

Kirito opened his eyes.

'That dream again...' He lay in his bed and stared at the ceiling of his room in wonder. Those final words that Kayaba had spoken spoke meant something, but for the life of him he couldn't figure out what that little feeling was that nagged at the back of his mind and kept telling him that he was forgetting something important. Each night he could perceive a little bit more of the second part, for two months he kept seeing an image that just refused to leave his mind and that voice…

He could almost make out details of the image, that soft and loving voice that sounded both childish and mature at the same time… Tiny pieces, details that were slowly coming into focus weren't helping much with what he knew and what was happening around him at the moment. The strange facts, the almost impossible things that were now and then happening to him and making him question if he was really outside of the Aincrad, or if it was just an elaborate trap laid down by Heathcliff to torment him. No, the last part wouldn't happen, no matter how much it pained him to admit it and how strange it was to acknowledge it, he understood Kayaba a little just in that last moments before his Avatar crumbled and the Death Game ended.

He was dead, there simply wasn't even an ounce of doubt in Kirigaya Kazuto's heart as he remembered the fact about the Commander of the strongest Guild in «Sword Art Online». There was something there that spoke far louder than words, those words were his Last Will and Testament.

He glanced at his clock, it was only six in the morning and he didn't feel tired at all, one more thing that he could add to the list of strange and unexplainable ones that he was currently living through. Upon waking up from the nightmare that was Aincrad he instantly left his hospital bed, all but tearing away the Nerve Gear from his head and going out to find Asuna. His heart was beating like crazy and he knew that he had never run faster in his life than two months ago. At that moment he didn't even notice, his mind was too preoccupied with the thought of his wife to actually have the facilities to think about anything else, but it would've been a borderline miracle that his body didn't fail him right then for neglecting them for more than two years. And yet he managed to make a mad dash towards the receptionist's desk, no aches or protests from muscles that should've been wrecked and weakened from lack of use and no fatigue from the stress that he put his body through with that little stunt.

He never was a very filled out kind of a person, his complexion was more skinny than anything else and after two years of being borderline comatose, it should've been more pathetic than even operable. When he finally calmed down after being informed about Asuna's condition and also bursting into her room to check on her, he was rather forcefully escorted back to his own room by a very concerned doctor who all but stated that Kirito shouldn't be moving at all after the whole ordeal. Mirror, on the other hand, told him a different tale as he looked himself over in his room and finally fully realized the implications of what he had done.

Muscles that he had never had before, a f.u.c.k.i.n.g six-pack that came out of nowhere and a lean build of a professional swimmer were the results of his close examination of what has happened to him. He would've accepted the fact that he could've been a walking corpse by this point with the total lack of an actual exercise and the dystrophia that he should've been suffering from. His totally healthy, invigorated and enhanced appearance and condition made him draw a blank of how this happened. Doctors were walking on eggshells around him, he couldn't blame them as they were mostly trying to give him at least something with them literally having nothing to give and all they could do was to observe and to make him take test after test.

Kirito pulled himself into a sitting position and looked around his room, his gaze instantly locked onto the Nerve Gear that laying on the table near his computer. The emblem on it was partially erased, and different scratches and marks littered the plastic carcass of the thing that kept him apart from his family for so long. He didn't have the will to throw it away, something about it just felt wrong as he even thought about it, this was a reminder of these two years that he spent in Aincrad and they won't disappear no matter what.

Turning and letting his bare feet hit the floor Kazuto stretched to work out the kinks of his body and stood up, walking towards the mirror he looked at his own reflection and felt a strange sense of both familiarity and wonder as he looked at his reflection. The increase in height that he gained after waking up wasn't all that surprising, two years that he spent in «Sword Art Online» were still two years of growth and developing spent by his body in the real world. What really made him frown were the little things that made it impossible for him to actually say that nothing abnormal happened as he looked more closely, those little negative traits of his own that suddenly vanished and left him a much more developed figure and general appearance than he could actually rationalize.

There was no fat, his features were sharper and his muscles were hard and developed but still keeping his figure lean and sleek. His hair that grew over time now hang down over his back, he decided to cut it and when his mother asked him if he wanted them back in their former length. He wasn't handsome by the definition of the word before Aincrad, sure he admitted that he had that slightly gentle appearance and made it look somewhat tolerable, but now he could honestly say that his body and general appearance was far from what he could call average.

"What happened to me, Asuna?" He muttered as looked at himself, the pain in his chest from even saying her name not dimming in the slightest after all this time. "What is happening still?"

Kirito wiped away the tears that appeared in his eyes, it still wasn't over as they still weren't together and therefore he had to be strong for her. He promised her that they will be together, he would never break his word to her, they will see each other again.

-=(0-0)=-​

"Sei!" Kirito sat on the veranda and watched as his little sister swung her bamboo blade, the determination in her eyes made him stop himself from greeting her and interrupting her training session.

Two months and he still was getting used to the World that wasn't Aincrad, his mother and sister were helping and he was slowly but surely recovering but it was more in terms of him remembering how things were before. Suguha, he sure was not the best brother to her in any way or form and after the whole mess and gaining an unique experience of looking back from the furthest perspective he could, Kirito knew that his own shortcomings hurt her more than anything else. He was going to make it up to her, he was making it up to her in any way or form he could and that was at least something he could do besides what amounted for sulking and trying to dig everything he could about the reasons for Asuna's condition.

He met his friends, the ones he made in «Sword Art Online» and it was a very strange experience to see them all together, to see them all wearing casual clothes and being so comfortable with each other. They were spending time, chatting and sharing the experience they had between them in Aincrad and finally introducing themselves to each other for real and without any need for hiding behind an Avatar. There were jokes and light-hearted chattering, the atmosphere in the Dicey Café owned by Agil, Andrew Gilbert Mills as he introduced himself in the real life, was warm and welcoming as everyone just spent their time together.

And even then Kirito felt that there was something missing, there just wasn't a place for him there without that little piece that made thing click together and… Asuna, she, and another two hundred and ninety-nine players that didn't wake up was still missing and he couldn't relax just yet as his guts told him that it wasn't over just yet.

Silica, Ayano Keiko in reality, was the first who spotted him and instantly hugged him with a bright smile on her face. The little girl was still frail and looked even smaller than she did in the game due to her thin and fragile appearance. Her upbeat attitude and the bright blush that flared on her face as soon as she realized what she did and that everyone was looked at her in amus.e.m.e.nt was soothing in its own way as it just let him feel a little bit better. He knew that his mood wasn't the best and that he couldn't forget about what happened, but he also didn't let himself fall and just roll over because this wouldn't be him.

Lisbeth was also there, she introduced herself as Shinozaki Rika, and the first thing she did was also giving him a hug. Kirito honestly didn't know if it was something that he did or just they all agreed on it, but heartfelt 'Thank you.' that she said to him made him freeze and then return the hug. Maybe it was Aincrad, or maybe he was mostly over his previously loner persona and didn't notice it, but something in him was reaching out and telling him that the situation where he was surrounded by them was right and all was as it should be. Kirito didn't know what it was, but he always trusted his guts and therefore decided to do so now too and relax, even if only a little.

Argo was there too, Hosaka Tomo made it a point to grill Kirito about everything that happened in the end, not being a Front Liner left her only with bits and pieces of information and she couldn't stand it. There were very tense several moments when she was told about Asuna, the normally easygoing and lax Information Broker had an unreadable expression on her face as she digested the information and then apologized for being insensitive. Tomo may have been called 'The Rat' by many and looked down by some, but she was a friend and knew what Asuna meant for the black-haired swordsman.

Kirito knew that his identity was unquestionable, but even then he felt the strange and uncomfortable sensation of being spied on for the whole day as he finally arrived home. For whatever reason, probably the same as the one he was in an inexplicably good condition, his instincts were sharper and senses better than ever before. He knew that someone was following him, he could feel the eyes on him and after he called his stalker out the presence vanished almost instantly. Whoever this was, he or she were gone and he just continued on his way home after that.

'And I thought this couldn't get any weirder than it already was...' Kirito thought as he watched Suguha going through her routine, with each swing he could see the wooden blade cutting through the air. She was fast, determined and her technique was almost flawless as far as he could tell, even if he forgot more about Kendo than remembered, he still could recognize skillful performance and the credit went where the credit was due. She finally finished her exercise and then turned towards the house, finally noticing his presence.

"Good morning, Sugu." He smiled as she stopped and blinked at him.

"Wah?!" She stammered, waving her sword around as if not knowing where to put it. "Go… Good morning…?"

"Here." He tossed her the bottle with water that he brought with him.

Her hands flailing widely Sugu finally managed to catch the bottle while holding her sword under her right arm. While it was a bit mean, Kirito found it really relaxing as her presence and their far more close relationship now were part of his life. Something he appreciated now more than ever before, and he honestly had no idea how could he be such an idiot before to push this away.

"You could've at least told me that you were going to watch..." Grumbled with a small pout his sister as she walked to him and sat on his left. "When did you even come here?"

"Right after you started, you were so into the whole thing that I decided not to interrupt you." His smile never left his face. "You're still training, after all this time?"

"More of a habit actually, helps with clearing my head and just not think about things." She took a big gulp from her bottle. "Eighth Place between Middle-Schools of Japan earned and held."

"I see." Kirito took the bamboo blade that she put between them, the training sword felt light and alien in his hand as he inspected it. "Light, too light..." He mumbled mostly to himself.

"Actually, it's made out of..." Sugu started to respond.

Even if his body was fully recovered he still should've felt at least something, this was mostly his own suspicious but by this point, Kirito was at the end of his rope about what the hell happened to him. He couldn't just dismiss the whole ordeal as it would be a pretty stupid thing to do but in the same time he honestly had no idea where to even begin his own investigation. All the logical explanations were thrown away in the first several days after his awakening, doctors were also very interested in his abnormally fast recovery and did some tests. As far as they could tell he was absolutely healthy and in a prime condition to run a marathon, no abnormalities were found and even the tests of his blood came up clean and borderline unrealistically good. Was he experimented on? Was it Magic? Was it a sudden Mutation?

"Ah, you said something?" He asked as he noticed Sugu looking at him with a strange expression on her face. "Sorry, I was just thinking about… things."

His lame response made him feel as if he stepped onto some kind of a proverbial landmine as something flickered in his sister's eyes and a small downturn of her lips spoke volumes about the situation. He really needed to pay more attention, spacing out wasn't something he really could afford at the moment when everyone still fretted over him and his recovery after Aincrad.

"Mou, Onii-chan, you really need to stop these episodes of yours." The girl sighed as she crossed her arms over her chest. "You say that it's nothing but I'm still worried no matter what..."

Kirito placed his free left hand on her shoulder with a small smile.

"Don't worry about, just having the last two months being abnormally stale and calm made me think a lot about what happened to me before…" His mind flashed back to his battle with Kayaba, whatever happened at the end made him feel as if he was forgetting something but the fleeting image escaped his grasp no matter what. "It's not anyone's fault that I'm like that, just need some more time to adjust to not needing to fight for my life."

He released a weak chuckle that only made Sugu's slightly upset expression morph into a frown as she looked at him with a very intense state that made him want to calm her down somehow. Kirito knew that she was worried but he really didn't have a clue how to ease her tension himself, his bouts of trance came only when he thought about that vague memory of someone talking to him in white space…

His vision swam as he suddenly felt something all but bursting from his chest, shinai clattered onto the ground as he clutched his shirt and heaved. He heard Sugu's voice but it was dull and barely recognizable as everything was suddenly filled with the sensation of purpose to…

Surpass.

"Kazuto!" Sugu's voice came through the haze but only barely.

Something was churning and bursting inside of him, he could vaguely tell that it wasn't even remotely close to an organ but the strange feeling only intensified as he felt two hands placed on his shoulders. It was almost as if something was reaching out from inside of him towards…

Sugu.

As if something finally snapped inside of him and the dam holding back whatever it was broke, the feeling of raw Power flooded his being and suddenly everything around him was bathed in crimson light. He heard his sister's scream of a surprise but couldn't even tell where it came from as his head had several proverbial bells ringing inside of it. He felt the surge dying down as turning from a turbulent geyser into a churning sea of something that constantly flowed through his whole being. He felt his body being suddenly flooded with a new and untamed ocean of raw Might as if he could do anything he desired if only he wanted to. And in the center of the maelstrom he could feel and see a sword that felt so right and all he had to do was reach out and grasp…

As much of a cliche it was he was saved by the bell, the sudden doorbell made the strange haze shatter like glass and he suddenly found himself staring at the blue sky. Kirito felt two arms wrapped around his torso, the muffled voice of his sister coming from her position on his chest and she held him down. He was still unsure how exactly he ended up on the ground or why Sugu was holding him so tightly but it didn't really matter as the image still floated in his mind and becoming sharper with each moment.

"I'm alright." He said with a dry heave as she felt his heart hammering in his chest. "I'm alright."

"No, you're definitely not!" Sugu looked up from he position with her chin placed on his solar plexus and a stern expression on her face. "You just had a seizure, your right arm was convulsing and I couldn't get you to snap out of it!"

The doorbell rang once more.

'This wasn't a seizure.' Kirito really wanted to say it, he really wanted to calm her down but for some reason, the image of that sword that was now stuck in his head was too distracting. It was way too real, he could almost feel the damn thing in his grasp and it was getting clearer and clearer with each moment as if forcing its way out from wherever it was. Pushing himself up and using his left arm to secure Sugu on his way he climbed to his feet, his sister appeared to be really light and he easily managed to stand up with her still clutching his chest.

"Let's at least see who that is." He chuckled as he saw the worried look Suguha was sending him. "I'm not going to fall apart at any moment, and it will be rude to make them wait just because of me almost fainting."

There was a grumble coming from the girl as a frown on her face turned into a scowl.

"You're going straight to bed." It wasn't a suggestion. "And you're staying there until mom will get home and we'll get you to a doctor."

"Ah, alright." He raised his free hand and scratched the back of his neck. "But I'm sure it's nothing, the last check-up I had diagnosed me being fit to run a marathon."

With a rather ominous harumph, the smaller girl let him go and took a step back, making sure that he won't fall over and wasn't wobbling she gave him a last suspicious glare before walking towards the door. Kirito wasn't really sure if he should pity whoever was ringing it, it obviously wasn't anyone from the household as they had keys and none of his friends were up to a meeting. There were many things that were currently swirling inside of his head as he made his way towards the front door, at least he would take a look before going to his room.

The strange feeling still didn't leave and was only getting more intense as he walked step by step towards the main door. He could already hear it being opened by his sister, it was mostly the sound of her voice asking who it was and why they were there. Suguha wasn't in the best of moods right now and he felt a pang of pity towards the person who decided to visit their home in such an unlucky moment.

"... He's not feeling well and won't be available until much later." Came Sugu's voice. "I must insist that you leave right now."

Someone was here to visit him? He really hoped that it wasn't Kikuoka once again as the man's sheer presence and question irritated Kirito to no end, he couldn't tell what was wrong with the supposed 'Government Employee' but his guts never failed him before. It was the strange vibe that he got from the man that somehow reminded him of Heathcliff was what put him on edge, the man wanted something from his and was purposely beating around the bush for it.

"I'm sure that Kirigaya-sama would be more than interested in the meeting." Came a polite voice with a slight accent, it was unfamiliar and Kirito was actually curious why it called him that. "I'm sure that even after five minutes of our talk some of the misunderstandings would be cleared, it took us some time to properly distinguish his identity and it was of a great relief that nothing bad has happened."

"And what do you mean by that?" He heard an edge in his sister's voice. "If you're here about SAO and all that other things then get out, we already had enough of that from that creep that stalked Onii-chan for days before bugging off!"

"Ah, a misunderstanding then." The man replied as Kirito neared the corner. "While I'm technically here about a rather unusual event that occurred during his participation in «Sword Art Online» the main reason are the consequences of it."

"And what would they be?" Kirito asked as he rounded the corner and take a look at their visitor. "I'm pretty sure that I was released with a clean bill of health."

The man that stood in their doorway was thin and tall, with long black hair tied into a ponytail and a pair of glasses with wired half-frames. He wore a white dress shirt with a dark-green tie and a green suit and had a rather polite but cautious expression on his face as he immediately switched his attention towards the teen.

"Ah, Your Majesty, it's wonderful to finally being able to talk with you." The man straightened and put his right hand over his chest and continued with a respectful bow. "I'm Amakasu Tōma of the History Compilation Committee, it's an honor to meet the newly emerged Seventh Campione."

"... What?" Kirito blinked as the man straightened with an actual genuine smile. "I'm sorry but I have no clue what you're talking about."

"This is understandable, Kirigaya-sama." The man nodded. "I'm well aware of your mundane background and lack of knowledge of the specifics of what occurred during your participation in «Sword Art Online». I'm not trying to sound insensitive about the ordeal you went through but I was asked to meet with you to discuss the possible consequences of your actions that you took to free other prisoners."

Kirito felt a strong urge to ask whatever the man was one of these weird equivalents to ambulance-chasers that were warded off by the doctors and police for the first several days after everyone woke up. While the questioning of many of the survivors weren't very eager to answer their questions some agreed and the information was leaked to the press and people were still discussing it on forums. It wasn't as annoying after the official statement was made but he really felt like it only made things worse, at least there weren't any more interviews that he had to go through.

"If you're here to ask questions about how everything ended then you can leave right now." Kirito said with a sigh. "I already answered all the questions and if you want information you should ask the government about the whole thing."

"Oh, I'm not here for that." The man waved his hand with a sheepish look. "I apologize if I worded it poorly, but I'm here to discuss with your things of a far different matter altogether. While there is a connection to your time in entrapment I'm not interested in it as others, my objective is to determine the results of your actions there."

"That still sounds like you want to hound Onii-chan for some spice bits of information." Sugu said as she positioned herself between Amakasu and Kirito with a frown. "He's not feeling well right now and if you're hungry for some juicy stories then go and read forums."

The man looked rather panicked as he looked between his sister and Kirito as if things weren't going the way he expected them to, obviously he was unaware how much they had to go through in the first several days. With Asuna still not waking up and everyone too scared to try and dig into the proper reasons with this bringing the risk of triggering the mechanism that would fry her brain to the consistency of meatloaf.

"And?" Kirito asked with a small frown. "If you think that something is important enough to find our house then tell us."

"Ah." The man straightened and nervously adjusted his tie. "I'm sure that this will sound rather cliche but do you believe in Magic?"

Kirito blinked.

Suguha blinked.

The next moment the door was slammed into the man's face with enough force to make the door frames creak from the impact. Sugu turned around and walked towards the stairs while hooking her arm around Kirito's on the way, her storming expression made him just go along with it and not ask questions.

"Now some crazy people try to get you to talk to them." Grumbled his sister as she dragged him upstairs. "What's next? The tinfoil-hats will start camping outside of our door?"

"I'm not sure that they would connect Kayaba's actions with extraterrestrial life, he was obviously way too human." Kirito tried to joke but only earned himself a glare from the girl that was no pulling up the stairs. "Sorry, just trying to lighten up the mood."

Theirs ascend stopped when they heard the knock on the door, Sugu let out a groan as she gave Kirito a look to make sure he won't try to leave and then headed towards the entrance. He really wasn't sure what this man was selling but as long as Sugu won't turn her agitation on him for this weirdo.

"What?!" Came her voice as she all but tore the door open.

"I believe my lack of proof was the reason for dismissal but I presume right now my credibility is not in question anymore?" Came the voice as Kirito watched her sister's back but heard no response. "Ah, Kirigaya-san?"

Kirito saw as Sugu wobbled before crumbling onto the floor in a dead faint, there was a moment when he wanted to call her out but the words died in his throat as he saw the man holding a ball of bluish energy in his hand. His mind registering that he somehow could feel something coming from the glowy floating sphere but it was pushed aside as he could see now actual way for it to be there or no gear present to create the effect.

"What?" His feet carried him down the stairs and to Sugu's side as he carefully lifted his sister's head while not taking his eyes from the glowing... thing. "What the f.u.c.k?!"

"My apology about shocking your sister, Kirigaya-sama." The man lowered his palm that supported the sphere making it wink out of existence. "It was not my intention, just to prove that what I was very serious about the reason for my visit."

"Well, you got your desire there." Kirito grumbled as he looked at the man with a frown, his eyes narrowed as he tensed just in case. "You're going to explain what the Hell was that and what the Hell did you mean before."

-=(0-0)=-​

Kirito felt that he was in some kind of a twisted episode of 'Twilight Zone' as Amakasu Tōma explained the situation, only in wide strokes just to get them up to speed but it was still really out of his depth. Suguha was sitting near him behind the table with Tōma sitting on the other side and talking, both of the siblings' faces were blank as they just absorbed the information without giving away any indication of their thoughts.

"So, let me get this straight..." Kirito said as the man in front of them finished the basic introduction into the supernatural side of the World. "Magic exists, Gods exist, all those stories written in books about mythology and past are true in some way or another and now I'm a part of this whole thing… somehow."

Sugu just sat there and stared blankly at the man before sighing and closing her eyes while rubbing her temples. She looked rather stressed after the whole ordeal with her fainting and then waking up, Kirito made sure to inform Tōma that as long as he won't try to pull anything he will be let in. Sugu disagreed upon awakening and was mostly keeping to herself during their discussion, only saying something when asked.

"Correct, Kirigaya-sama." Amakasu nodded with a smile. "And that's where things become a bit more complicated than before."

"I'm not sure anything can top what you told me already." Kirito snorted. "I'm not sure if I'm in shock or just numb due to an emotional overload from hearing this."

"I'm sorry for dropping this news like that, Kirigaya-sama." The man had the decency to look sheepish. "It's mostly due to our lack of actual proof of your involvement in the matter on hand. It was rather hard for us to determine if our suspicions were correct or not as there were no usual signs that are present whenever an event like that occur."

"... You were the ones who spied on me." The teen finally concluded. "The ones who followed me around for some time."

"Ah, and we apologize but we couldn't exactly come out and ask directly due to your lack of actual awareness of supernatural side of things." Amakasu grimaced slightly. "It wasn't until we asked one of our associates to take a look that we became absolutely sure that this wasn't just some kind of a fluke."

"You're still beating around the bush here." Kirito noted. "I really want to hear the backstory about the whole debacle with you seeking me out."

"Well, this will be rather complicated to explain." The supposed Mage sigh. "On November Six of Two Thousand Twenty-Two a large surge of Divine Power was detected and many of the Mages around the country were prepared for an emergence of a Heretic God. With how large the spike was we were expecting the worst, and without a Campione in this land there was the chance that the rampage would last for a prolonged period of time. Victims would've been innumerable and when in the next several hours absolutely nothing happened the History Compilation Committee began investigating the matter in earnest. This just didn't make sense from our point of view as there was no disaster and no indication that anything actually did go wrong in the first place, it was like the Heretic God just vanished before he or she could even appear."

Kirito filed away the terms that weren't explained before, the bare bones about the Gods and their capacity to wreak havoc with their appearance were explained but he still had questions. Heretic Gods were the ones who tore their way from their Legend and into the Realm of Mortals to satisfy their selfish desires and go onto a rampage through the land. He was still more than a bit sketchy about the whole thing until he saw proof but the existence of Magic was already an established fact with the demonstration the man did an hour ago.

And the date...

"This was the same date that Kayaba trapped ten thousand people in Aincrad." Kirito said as he felt something click into place in the back of his mind but he was still missing pieces. "You think it's somehow connected?"

Sugu put her hand over his and squeezed as she saw the look on his face, Kirito let her as he felt a pang of something in his chest that felt like ice. It wasn't really hard to connect the dots between the earlier statements Amakasu did and the direction this conversation was going.

"Correct." The man nodded with a rather somber expression. "I'm sorry for bringing this up but as it's a part of the explanation I ask you to bear with me here. We didn't actually make the connection until not long ago, the thought of a Heretic God actually harnessing the modern technology was something we couldn't even fathom at that time."

"And it turned out to be the case." Sugu said as she looked the man over with a frown. "You said that you… felt it, how could you miss it when there were ten thousand people linked to the whole thing?"

The man looked a bit troubled as he thought about it for a moment before sighing.

"Because there were no evidence or traces of Magic or an Authority being involved." He admitted. "Oh, we did check the victims and after months of monitoring, it was concluded that there was no supernatural side to the whole thing. We didn't have any resources to actually help and as our knowledge in the matter was severely lacking it was decided to leave the solution of the problem to professionals."

"And their approach was to wait and see until we solved the problem on our own." Kirito commented dryly. "And that's not even talking about the fact that it's not even solved yet."

"It's not?" Amakasu looked at the teen with a raised eyebrow. "I was informed that after your victory over Kayaba Akihiko the trapped players were released with the exception of three hundred that are still didn't wake up. We were informed that the current company that owns the servers were doing everything in their power to free them as soon as possible."

"Unless they are free the battle will not end." Kirito stated with such a conviction in his voice that the man visibly flinched back. "One of the people that are trapped there is Asuna, the person that I fought for and will keep fighting until the end."

The man looked the teen over and Kirito felt as if there was a judgment in the gaze but it vanished as a smile appeared on Amakasu's face. Kirito felt as if something relaxed inside of him, like a muscle he didn't know he had before that, was pulled to its limit when he felt a possible threat.

"I completely understand." The man nodded. "I can only assume your relationsh.i.p.s with her were of a more amorous nature?"

There was some mirth in his voice but Kirito felt no such thing.

"She was my wife." He felt Sugu's hand tightening around his own and Amakasu blinking at the blunt declaration. "We married in Aincrad and I promised her I will be there when she will wake up, I'm fully intended to keep this promise."

"True what they say, love is like a hurricane." The man chuckled. "Then I'm sure that what I will explain may lift your spirit as it will probably make things that much easier than before."

This made Kirito tense, several possibilities running through his mind as he tried to see how this could help him. The fact that Magic couldn't help with freeing someone trapped by the Nerve Gear was already established, the mention of Heretic God's activity that led to nothing sprung to mind but it didn't lead to anything. He didn't dare hope, but it still felt as if he was missing something and it would be…

"You found out the true involvement of the Heretic God during the time that players were released from Aincrad." It wasn't a question. "How does it help with freeing Asuna and other players? You said it yourself that nothing Nerve Gear did was in any form or way Magic."

"True, there wasn't any connection with Magic until another surge of Divine Power was felt on November Seventh of Two Thousand Twenty-Forth upon your victory over Kayaba Akihiko's Avatar under the pseudonym Heathcliff." Amakasu's tone became rather serious. "Upon further investigation, we managed to trace the deployment of an Authority of a still unnamed Heretic God that was what we believed was keeping the players contained inside of «Sword Art Online»."

Something in the back of Kirito's mind was all but screaming at him the obvious but he couldn't really believe that the man was hinting at. It wasn't simply possible and even if the things were starting to look rather bizarre from the lack of concrete evidence. And yet...

"May you live in interesting times, young Campione."

"Amakasu-san." Kirito's tone was emotionless, his face blank, and the eyes cast down as last words of Heathcliff played over and over in his head. "What's a Campione? You used this term before and Kayaba called me that upon my victory before I woke up in the bed of the hospital."

"He did?" The man blinked. "That's a rather interesting thing to do for a Heretic God, from what we discovered he didn't use anything other than what was allowed by the game itself and fought you on even grounds." The man mull over his thoughts as Kirito felt something akin to a cold sweat starting to run down his spine. "It's an established fact that a Mortal cannot kill a God, their Authorities dwarf and Magic that can be performed by humans and they are simply eons above and beyond those who walk the Earth these days. The God of the Sun may be heralded upon its arrival by the land turning into ash from the hellish flames, a merciless battle can suddenly spark before the arrival of the God of War, whole islands could be flooded and ravaged by tsunamis as a God of the Sea will descend upon them. Heretic Gods were present from the Ancient Time, but only the ones who bear Magical Power can perceive them fully while others treat them as natural disasters."

Amakasu paused and let the sibling digest the presented facts, Kirito was mostly sitting there with a blank look on his face and gears painfully turning in his head. Suguha on the contrary was looking like she didn't know what to say but wanted to voice at least something as she looked at her brother with concerned eyes, it was obvious that she could tell that something rang bells for him. Kirito himself felt like something was stirring inside of him as if some kind of acknowledgment was made and the image of the sword became as clear as if it was right in front of him.

"And?" Suguha asked just to break the heavy silence. "How does it answer Onii-chan's question?"

"I'm sorry, but to fully answer this question this explanation is required." The man chuckled sheepishly. "As I said before Magic can bend the rules of reality and achieve unbelievable feats beyond what can be grasped even with modern tools. With different methods Mages can reach out and grasp the potential surpassing the limits of mortals and twist it to their own desire. Gods do that simply by existing, their mere presence can warp the World around them and they accomplish Miracles via application of Will and Power upon the Realm. To go against a Heretic God is to die for anyone of mortal birth, their immunity to Magic and their prowess leave them leagues above what even the best of Mages can accomplish in their life. But to any Rule there are exceptions, defying the natural order of things and accomplishing the impossible those who managed to usurp the chance and slay a Heretic God they cannot remain simple humans, as they take their spoils of victory for themselves. The ones who managed to accomplish such a feat are called Campione, they are the Kings, they are Devils, they are the ones who ascended above the masses to stand tall against the Divine."

The man paused as he saw comprehension downed on Kirito, his body tensing as something in him pulsed as if eagerly asking for attention and acknowledgment. The last words of Kayaba still echoed in his mind as some kind of morbid chant before reached a crescendo.

"May you live in interesting times, young Campione."

"He called me that." Kirito said as Amakasu blinked and Suguha's head snapped in his direction with her eyes going wide. "Heathcliff called me that when I won our fight, he told me to take his 'Authorities' and forget what defeat tasted like until we will meet again."

Sugu's grasp on his hand became tighter as he looked at him, there was an unreadable flux of emotions in her eyes while Amakasu actually smiled at the confirmation of his words.

"Ah, I see." The man said. "That's the confirmation of our suspicious of the true identity of the Heretic God in question, while we were unaware of his true name we strongly suspected that he hid behind the guise of Kayaba Akihiko. This also confirms your status as Seventh Campione with the other six being already known and established, I assume you have questions about what it entails."

"Yes." Kirito nodded as he lifted his head and looked at the man. "Not every day someone tells you that the man you fought and killed was a God of all things, and not in this context either."

"What does it mean for Onii-chan?" Sugu finally looked at Amakasu, her eyes filled with strange emotion that Kirito has never seen before. "What happened to him?"

The Mage finally noticed the young girl's state and instantly waved his hand to a surrender and pacifying motion.

"Please don't worry, Kirigaya-san, nothing bad I can assure you." Amakasu said with a slightly panicked voice. "Normally a Mage Association like the one I represent makes contact with a Campione that came on the territory that it is positioned on rather soon after their arrival, but due to a rather unorthodox way of Kirigaya-sama's victory, we couldn't actually pinpoint his status for some time. I sincerely apologize for leaving this matter for such a prolonged time but we had no way to confirm that a Heretic God was even slain until several days ago."

"It doesn't matter." Kirito said with a sigh. "You're here and we're listening, nothing bad happened and the whole thing is being finally accomplished."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." The man nodded as he relaxed.

"Just call me Kazuto, this whole thing with you calling such a respectful way sounds weirder than anything else." Kirito said with a sigh and seeing the man nod continued. "You didn't answer the question, though."

"Once again, I'm sorry, but this will require another explanation, Kazuto-san." The man said with a smile as he shrugged. "The ascension of a Campione usually grants him or her several traits that a shared between them all. The first one is an immense amount of Magical Energy in all forms it can take, more than a hundred times more than that of the most proficient Mage known to exist in history. Another one is their bones become like steel and borderline unbreakable along with being still that of a living tissue, it works rather well with their capability to recover from most grievous injuries at a rate that surpasses human's and an uncanny amount of stamina."

"So now I can run marathons, forget about medical bills and cast many Spells if I ever learn how." Kirito summarized with a thoughtful look on his face. "So, I basically became a fast-recovering glass-cannon with a lot of stats put into Mana and Vitality."

"Ah, not as such, Kazuto-san." Amakasu coughed. "While these are the traits shared among the Campione and a natural talent towards learning languages at accelerated rate what makes them exceptional are the spoils of victory. By defeating Heretic Gods Campione claim part of their Power for themselves and acquire an Authority that said Deity had during their battle. Without knowing which God you have slain we cannot even assume what Authority you gained but with me informing you about it I'm sure it won't take much time to find it."

Kirito felt as once again something inside of him pulsed, this wasn't exactly true as he could tell what exactly it was but just couldn't see it as the sword was in the way. He almost could feel the handle of the weapon in his hand, there was no weight but at the same time, he could tell that it was a rather heavy blade for anyone else but him.

"What these Authorities can be?" Kirito asked making Amakasu blink at the sudden question. "You said that they were parts of Heretic Gods, what are they exactly?"

"Well, in the broadest way you can say that they are the crystallization of God's Legend that can theoretically be anything. Authorities are the Divine Powers, attributes, qualities, and weapons, of Gods, Heroes, Demons, and Monsters, which make them invincible to normal humans. Little is truly known about Authorities, beyond that they are the Magic of the Gods, far surpassing Mortal Magics, and are what gave them their right to Rule. What is known is that the particular Authorities of a God are shaped by the Myths and Legends that give birth to them, and reflect that God's history." Amakasu took a breath and then motioned towards Kirito in a vague manner. "When a Campione slays a Heretic God, they will generally inherit one of that God's Authorities, though some may gain multiple Authorities from a single God, which may be due to the Campione's personality and compatibility. This is because a Campione is still somewhat mortal, hence they cannot absorb the full power of the Heretic God they slay. This Authority may then reshape itself to reflect the nature of the Campione, partially explaining why the Campione's Authority might have limitations that were not applied to the God it was stolen from."

Another bout of silence let Kirito close his eyes and think about what was said, it made him think of what he felt when he almost fainted not long ago and what he felt. He thought that these were just his deluded mind showing him images, that he was screwed by almost dying during his battle with Heathcliff and now slowly was having a breakdown. Nightmares were expected, he almost felt like he deserved to have them but hallucinations were something he didn't expect to have even with his episode today.

So these weren't hallucinations?

Another pulse that almost felt like confirmation came from within him, there was something he couldn't ignore now and write it off as his mind lying to him due to brain damage.

"And counting me there are six other like that?" Kirito asked. "I assume I'm the seventh by the order of becoming a Campione?"

"In essence that would be correct as the lower the number the older will be the Campione." Amakasu nodded. "But it also presents a semi-accurate system to demonstrate the strength of each of the Campione in the present time, usually the number is equal to a Rank in a vague manner and to move up you'll need to defeat the Campione holding a higher number."

"Basically, a Tournament Board made into a rather vague Rank System." Kirito said dryly as he looked at Sugu who sat there with her gaze moving from him to Amakasu and back. "It's not like I had no problems whatsoever, to begin with."

"Does it mean Onii-chan has to do something now?" Sugu asked as she looked at the Mage. "Will he gain some responsibility due to his new status?"

"As it stands Campione doesn't actually have responsibilities, to begin with, with how their immunity of Magic is on par with that of God's and simply overwhelming prowess nobody can actually order them around." Amakasu admitted awkwardly. "That's why we were in such a hurry to establish contact with you, due to Campione's lack of any restrains or way to actually enforce any rules on them..."

There was a pause as the realization dawned upon Kirito and he released a groan.

"So you're telling that there are six other superpowered people running around doing whatever they want and now I'm on their level without knowing whoever they are or what they will do." He sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose with the feeling of wariness suddenly settling in the pit of his stomach. "How big of a chance that they want to come and visit for the sake of poking me with a sword for being an upstart?"

Kirito really wasn't welcoming the idea of some overpowered people gunning for him and what kind of a risk it will put upon his family and friends. Gods were already a hard concept to swallow with how they were labeled as incredibly overpowered opponents to face, in Games you usually had to do something to depower them or hammer down their weak spot to even do any damage. People who had the same prowess as Gods and didn't follow themes as they could gain more than one Authority from different Deities left Kirito with a very uneasy feeling of someone like that coming to knock on his door.

"Very low actually." Amakasu said hurriedly. "Campione usually stay in their chosen territories and only leave them for the sake of seeking either battle with other Campione or a newly arrived Heretic God or to acquire something that caught their interest. As a new and young God Slayer, you won't attract much attention from them due to your lack of experience and noteworthy achievements."

"Well, at least something good comes out of this, even if it being looked down upon." Kirito relaxed slightly but still could feel the blade inside his mind all but vibrating from the idea of a battle against someone stronger than him. "What about your organization? You said you were seeking me out and only now confirmed my status as a Campione, it was obviously not to just give a rundown on what I became and the basics of the World I didn't know existed."

"Ah, you're right, Kazuto-san." Amakasu said with a rather guilty look on his face. "Mage Association are usually seek ways to coexist or develop mutually beneficial relationsh.i.p.s with Campione that became the Rules of the land they are stationed upon." Seeing the slightly confused look upon Kirito's face the man hastily explained. "Campione usually claim the land where they lived before ascending, as Japan wasn't officially claimed by any other God Slayer and we didn't think you will relocate just for the sake of that."

"So Japan became my territory by default?" Kirito blinked at this piece of information, this made sense in some obscure way. "And I'm expected to defend it in some way or form?"

"Well, we can only hope for that." The man chuckled awkwardly. "Usually it's a logical conclusion that a Campione would protect their land and what minimal background we were managed to acquire told us this much."

The teen let the admittance of a background check slide as he honestly expected it by now, a person who could deliver a payload equal to a God wasn't someone you wanted to face unprepared. Kirito was mostly guessing here but some of the things were pointing towards the fact that whoever was living on the land that Campione claimed were really out of luck if said God Slayer didn't want them there. This also showed the other side of the coin as he could still recall some of the lessons about the olden way of governing the land by powerful Kings and you either pledged yourself to them or died.

"Let me guess." The teen said with a deadpan face. "Usually Mages of the land pledge to the Campione who decide to settle nearby in hopes that they won't be kicked out?"

"Well, putting it that way is certainly true in some form or another." Amakasu coughed as he looked to the side with a rather awkward expression. "Usually Mage Association seeks the patronage of the Campione, their protection and support provide a lot of boons and in turn Mages of the organization in question support the Campione with their resources. It's mutually beneficial in most cases, having the support of a Campione also provides said Campione and easier time managing their territory with a bigger manpower available."

"I see..." Kirito could see the writing on the wall, the survival whoever disagreed or if it had to be beneficial both ways was totally optional and depended on Campione. "To ease any worries you may I have I'm not interested in any grandeur plans or building something akin to those huge powerbases. I simply don't need any of that, I already have most of what I want and the only thing you already admitted being impossible for Magic to accomplish."

"Oh?" Amakasu looked quizzically at the teen.

"I'm not planning on asking you to leave either, it's simply not something I'm interested in." Kirito shrugged as he felt Sugu's grip on his hand relaxed. "I won't be against helping if the situation would turn to the worse, I live here too and simply biting it won't be the right thing to do. I'm also not actually interested in seeking a fight so you won't have to worry about me starting something or antagonizing other Campione."

"That's a relief." The man chuckled with a smile. "Campione are noted to be someone who seeks their own path led by their own desires, it usually leads to conflict and battles between them and their kin or Gods."

"What kind of an opinion you have about Onii-chan?!" Sugu asked with a frown. "It seems to me like you're trying to generalize him with the image of Campione that were before and simply fit his actions into some kind of a frame."

"Ah, well..." It seems like due to his sister's lack of input in conversation so far the man actually forgot she was there, to begin with. "While we're not actually trying to do so the general idea of antagonizing a Campion is considered a sure way to suicide. A good example would be Pompeii and the eruption of the volcano that annihilated the city when the local Mages tried to extend their control over a Campione of that time."

That made Kirito pause and just stare at the Mage in front of him who just dropped a nuclear bomb in the two siblings, he already thought that things weren't good but this kind of blew his expectations out of the water. Pompeii? A volcanic eruption caused by a Campione? This, right there, elevated the whole thing in his eyes to a level of a Shonen-Superhero prowess in one grand swoop.

"Pompeii." He said in an emotionless voice. "As in an ancient Roman city in Italy that was buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius was actually destroyed by a Campione?"

"Ah, not exactly." The man said hastily with an uneasy smile that made Kirito feel as if he was going to get another curveball now. "It was the Campione who caused the eruption in the first place, his retaliation and destruction of the Mages who tried to bind him were the main reasons for that."

Kirito just sat there and tried to imagine such a thing happening, it was mostly an idea that someone can literally detonate a volcano that made him feel rather faint. Well, now that he actually went over what was said in the last hour he seriously underestimated the power-levels of beings that were labeled as Gods due to personal bias. The information he had was mostly presented to him from games he played and mostly forgotten history lessons he had in school and the former tough him little in terms of actual prowess. Some games were downright casual how Gods could be killed by Players and were called such only due to them being the strongest beings in the franchize period.

This, here? That made him rethink how much of it made him underestimate the words that were spoken today rather badly, he really should've taken them more seriously. Sure, if it wasn't for him all by feeling what he assumed was his Authority he would've been laughing at Amakasu before asking him to leave. Hell, if it wasn't for the episode earlier today he would've been still very hesitant to even consider the possibility of something like this actually existing. He would've waved off that trick with light as something produced by proverbial smoke and mirrors and moved on with his life as if nothing happened.

"Onii-chan?" Came Sugu's voice as he returned from his session of deep thinking. "Are you alright?"

Kirito blinked.

Was he alright? Not in the slightest as the revelations today utterly threw him out of the loop. Would he be able to function with the new knowledge? To a certain extent.

"Yes, just trying to wrap my head around the sudden Shonen-Style Power-Up that I apparently gained." He chuckled mirthlessly. "Honestly, if not for the episode earlier today and the fact that I think I can feel this Authority Amakasu-san was talking about I would've already been asking where is the camera."

"You can feel it?" The man asked, curiosity apparent in his voice. "Can you describe it? Knowing even the general facts about it may narrow down the list of Gods that were wearing the guise of Kayaba Akihiko."

"Well..." Kirito blinked at the sudden question. "I can certainly try."

-=(0-0)=-​

A/N: Well, this was a rather interesting thing to write and I'm not sure if it's a good try or not. Some things were rather hard to write as I had a plan and had to adapt to some new and interesting facts that were shown to us in 'Sword Art Online The Movie -Ordinal Scale-' and it opened a whole new can of possibilities for me to play with. Honestly, I wasn't even sure I was going to write it at all but after watching the Movie the fire was lit under me and with a whistle of boiling brain I made it through! Sure, some things are vague here and I'm going to explain it at a later date but they are parts of the plot even if they seem rather overly convenient. Some people would try to point out that the difference in years between the period where Canon should've happened and when SAO canonically happened are too big of a gap but in Campione there never was a year mentioned so I took the liberty to adjust it for the prupose of the Story. You have questions or criticsm/comments? Feel free to ask/write them in you posts and I will try to respond to all of them!