Sword Art Online 13: Alicization Dividing Part 39

The white sheath was s.n.a.t.c.hed away from my right hand the moment I heard those words. Not by Alice. The sword glided through the air like pulled by invisible strings and moved towards Eugeo's hands as he stood over ten meters away.

-Sacred arts!? Did I miss him chanting it...!?

I heard a crisp whispered from behind upon swal owing my breath.

"The incarnation arm...!"

"What's that supposed to..."

I asked with my sight kept forward and Alice quickly explained.

"It's a secret art handed by the integrity knights of old. To move an object by neither sacred arts nor full control arts, but by the power of one's will... I heard there were only a few people among the knights who could use it, aside from oji-sama."

"So, that means you can't use it either, Alice?"

"...I had practiced, but I can't even move a pebble, let alone a sacred instrument. It shouldn't be the sort of art Eugeo could acquire immediately after becoming a knight..."

The Blue Rose Sword was delivered to Eugeo's right hand even while Alice and I exchanged words, and he hung the 298.

Chapter 11 The Secret of The Chamber of Elders.

sheath off his armor, on the left of his waist. He then gripped its handle and drew it out without hesitation in the same motion. A chill rose from its faintly translucent blade as white mist.

I had no choice but to switch my black sword back and to hold it before myself.

Eugeo and I had faced off in this manner countlessly over these two years. However, our hands had always held the wooden swords for practice; the black sword and the Blue Rose Sword never had a chance to confront each other.

Nevertheless- So the time had finally come; such strong emotions surged into my mind. Yes, I had the suspicion that this moment would arrive since that day we set out from Rulid.

However, that comprised solely of our swords clashing in our place. The conclusion of the said battle had yet to be decided. I had no intention of letting anyone else determine the result- not even the highest minister herself.

"Eugeo."

I spoke out the last words I had for him.

"I guess you don't remember, but I'm the one who taught you how to fight with a sword. There's no way I'm going to lose to my pupil just yet."

299.

Chapter 11 The Secret of The Chamber of Elders.

But Eugeo's mouth remained closed. Instead, the Blue Rose Sword smoothly raised overhead and he shifted into a sword skil activation stance. One-handed straight sword charging skill, "Sonic Leap".

Feeling a little glad that he hadn't forgotten his Aincrad-style swordsmanship even if he had forgotten my name, I took up the same stance.

The two swords released a vivid, light green glow.

And a second pa.s.sed.

Both Eugeo and I kicked off the marble floor as one.

(To Be Continued).

Chapter 11 The Secret of The Chamber of Elders.

Afterword.

Kawahara here. Thank you very much for taking the time to read "Sword Art Onine 13 Alicization Dividing".

The Alicization that started from the 9th volume had already sped on to its fifth volume, but with a boss-like person final y making an appearance, I can breathe a... no, I suppose it's not time to relax yet, huh... Continuing on from the previous volume, this 13th volume is basically about climbing up too. The kanji used are "climbing up" for walls and "going up" for stairs; a real strain for proofreading as the author! And my apologies for the additional trouble, proofreader!

I digress. In any case, it's not quite the last boss battle yet, but Alice Synthesis Thirty-san, also the reason for the subt.i.tle, is final y featured as the third protagonist in this volume. Just how would the girl confront the system that binds her and open a path up to her fate of her choice... that would be the main theme in the text, so I would be glad if you could cheer on both Kirito and Eugeo.

And Eugeo-shi there had ended up cla.s.s changing into an advanced job right before the end... Whether Kirito would have a chance at victory while he remains a swordsman, or if he would have to undergo a cla.s.s change as wel ; it just had to get pushed onto the next volume after things got to that point, so despite how often as this happens, I'm very sorry! Volume 14 would truly be the fight against the last boss, Administrator-san, so please have a little more patience!

302.

Afterword.

...Or so I wrote, but I'm truly sorry to say that the next SAO is planned to be the 2nd volume of Progressive. Kirito and Asuna, left separated in the real world and Underworld in the Alicization arc, would be joining together to clear Aincrad's third floor, so I hope for your support on that end as wel .

And a little advertising here. I believe it would be mentioned on the wrapper for this book as well, but a special program for the television anime edition of SAO wil be broadcasted at the end of this year (2013). It would basically be a summary of the Aincrad and Fairy Dance arcs televised in 2012, but there should be a short, new segment as well. Kirito and the rest would be moving on television screens again after a whole year, so please, take a look.

To the ill.u.s.trator, abec-san, the supervisor, Miki-san and Tsuchiya-san, and everyone who had read this far, I apologize for troubling you with the delays in my schedule which are practically the norm now, and thank you very much. Let's meet again in the next book!

A Certain Day in June, 2013 Kawahara Reki.

end.