"Clear? A battle for survival? What do you mean? "It's a bewildered player.

"Sure enough, it's an event...... "This is a self-hypnotic player.

"Don't talk to yourself!" It's players who can't believe it.

"Clear? A hundred floors? "This is the player who is starting to think about it.

"How is this possible?! I didn't climb a few floors during the closed beta! "This is a player with an inside story.

……

A small central square, less than 10,000 players, but all living beings are here at this moment.

"'Human beings are creatures who do not realize themselves unless they face life and death.'" There's really nothing wrong with that. Xue Feng, who used to be a human being, looked at everything in front of him and sighed softly, "Even now, haven't you seen your situation and future clearly, and what you should do?" ”

Lilian and Ellie on the side could only smile bitterly at this, after all, even if the two of them have almost become immortal species now, their own race is still human. Moreover, if you have not really faced the irretrievable, powerless, and irresistible shadow of death, you probably still can't determine where your desires are.

"However, the troubles of mortals should be solved by mortals themselves. What we need to do is just sit on the sidelines in this grand carnival of death. ”

Xue Feng said with a smile on the corner of his mouth, not feeling the slightest burden and guilt because 213 people died on the first day of the game.

Because they are not qualified to gain the respect of Yukikaze.

All glory goes to the deceased, but only for the brave who are worthy of the name of heroes.

In the central square, the Faceless Giant, as if it had been programmed for a long time, ignored the player's discussion and panic, and continued, "So, finally, there is a gift from me in your storage slot, please confirm. ”

All the players who came back to their senses, after hearing this sentence, clicked on their own menu and opened the storage bar. And found a newly acquired item in it: the Hand Mirror.

"Hand mirror? Mirror? What's the use of that? ”

After confirming the use, a small mirror appears on the player's hand. Then, after the player points the mirror at themselves and makes the mirror imprint their figure......

"Uh-oh!" "Klein!" "Ahh "Uh, uh!" "Yikes!" ……

Countless rays of light enveloped the entire square, once again staging the spectacular scene of thousands of players forcibly teleporting.

However, this only lasted for a second or two. When the light dissipated, it seemed that everything was back to normal, and nothing happened to die, teleport, mutate, etc.

But is nothing really happening?

"Are you alright, Kirito?"

"Well...... Hey, who are you? ”

"Who are you?"

Kirito was a young man in his twenties with a slight beard on his chin, while Klein was a twelve or thirteen-year-old boy with a neutral appearance.

The two were surprised to find that their companions seemed to be different people, although the equipment felt like something was reminding them of the identity of the other party, but it seemed that the other party was not the companion they knew, and they didn't come back to their senses for a while, and looked at each other in shock.

And this is not the only one that happened, the two are not exceptional, almost all the players in the entire square have undergone similar changes.

"You're a man?!" "17 years old is also a lie!" Well, cheating on each other can be said to be common sense in the Internet, ignore these two guys. However, these two guys also told everyone about what was going on here.

"So......" Kirito realized what was going on now.

"Are you Kirito!" / "Are you Klein!" "And there is no shortage of smart people.

That's right, players are now using their real faces, body shapes, voices, etc., rather than their appearance and preset voice when they enter the game.

Klein was extremely surprised and asked, "Why?" ”

And Kirito turned his head and thought for a while, and then gave an answer: "Scan...... NERvGear completely encloses the face with a high-density signal unit, so it is able to grasp the shape of the face. ”

"But what about height and physique?" But Kirito also had another question.

"The first time I put on the NERvGear, there was a calibration step." Klein immediately gave an answer, after all, this answer, Klein just did it today, "Didn't you touch your body everywhere like this?" ”

Kirito also recalled that almost a year ago, he had also experienced this step himself, "Ah...... In this case, it is based on the data at the time......"

Klein grabbed his hair, puzzled by what had happened, "But...... Why? Why the hell is doing such a thing? ”

"She'll give you an answer soon, anyway."

Kirito pointed his right hand at the god-like god floating in mid-air, no, it should be said that in this game it is indeed a "demon god" - the faceless giant.

"Guys, you must be wondering 'why' right now."

"Why the creator of SwordArtOnline and the developer of NERvGear, Airi Kayaba, is why I would do such a thing."

"My purpose has been accomplished."

"I just created the world, to see it, to create SwordArt Online."

"And now, it's all done."

"Now we are going to end the official operation tutorial of SwordArtOnline, and I wish you all good luck."

With the flickering mosaic, the Faceless Giant twisted and fell as if it were really just a cloak. At the same time, it turned into a red mist, returning to the cracks between the squares that made up the bright red apocalyptic skyscape.

And in the blink of an eye, the whole sky is back to its original state, and the sun sets.

The bright red squares, the bloody sky, the god-like faceless giant, it seems that they have never appeared. And what can't be a safe game, the death of 213 people, the clearance conditions of the 100th floor, etc., it seems that it is just a dream of his own Nanke.

But it is clear that this is not a dream, but a real reality. Because as long as you turn your head, you can see the companions around you, which is shown in the game, the real appearance.

Almost all of them did not come to their senses, and the whole square was silent again, and this time, it seemed that there really was no noise except for the sound of nature such as the wind.

And all this did not affect the three people on the tower at all. Xue Feng smiled, turned back to Ellie and said, "This is what you once wished." Is it there now? ”

"Ellie, ah no, it should be, Miss Eri Kayaba."

"Is it done?" Ellie smiled bitterly and shook her head, "For those who are about to die, this is probably the last wish." ”

"The reality in the virtual, the real in the false, the city in the sky that is always in the dream, but real and cruel - Ayn Grant."

"But now, I want to see with my own eyes, the real city in the sky, it must exist in some corner of the world, Ayn Grant."

"What if not?"

"Then I'll build another one, a city in the sky that exists in real reality."

"Well, then it should be right." It seems that Ellie's words confirmed a certain guess of Yukikaze.

"Actually, you've already started building this city in the sky, Ellie." Xue Feng smiled and said, "You should have felt it, the phantom in your heart, the miracle that can be displayed in the world at any time as long as you want." ”

"I've already built it again? Why do I ......" Ellie looked strangely at Yukikaze. Although he knows that there is an illusory image of a city in the sky deep in his heart, and he can summon it at any time.

It's just that he has never had enough ability, or rather, to get enough energy as a price to pay for the other party's appearance in the world. So I don't know what is going on in my heart, and what kind of posture the other person is in the world.

"There are three ways to manifest the mind: the enchantment that reflects the heart, the emblem that corrects the world, and the embodiment of the true posture. And your heart, that touch of scenery, will one day really show the world. ”

"However, it's just a phantom in my heart, it should be illusory." Suddenly, Lillian asked curiously. The scenery in Ellie's heart, Lilian has also heard Ellie mention in her spare time.

"Is your own existence real? Or is it illusory? ”

"Of course it's true!"

"What about your heart? Is the existence of the mind real or illusory? ”

"Nature is real......

"So, the sights and symbols that represent your soul are illusory? Or is it real? ”

“……”

"When you affirm that your existence is real, what you see, do, and think is real."

“…… So, what about being in a fantasy world? Is the vision real? It's still illusory. ”

"Is there a real illusion in the world?"

This is Xuefeng's answer to Lilian's question.

"Smack, stab"

The hand holding the mirror no longer had the strength to hold it, and the loose mirror fell to the ground, turning into light and disappearing from the ground. All the players seemed to be awakened by this voice, remembering everything that had just happened, and the cold reality they were facing now and in the future.

But the vast majority of players do not accept, or rather, do not want to accept, this cruel reality.

"Don't ...... No! ”

"What a joke!"

"Let me out! Get out of here! ”

"I'm bothered! There's an appointment next! ”

"What do you think! Do you want me dead! ”

"This is not true! Say it's not true! ”

……

Kirito in the square was at first as silent, confused, and frightened as everyone else, unable to accept what had happened.

While everyone was still digesting what had just happened, Kirito suddenly felt a slight tingling pain in the thumb of his right hand.

Raising his right hand, he saw that the thumb of his right hand seemed to have been cut with a small wound, and blood was flowing out and dripping on the ground. The location of the wound is the same wound that I accidentally cut before entering the game.

But when I came back to my senses, I realized that it was just an illusion. There was no scar on his right hand, and there was no blood dripping on the ground.

Is this a game, or is it reality? Or is it a game, reality?

"It's ...... Reality. ”

But the only thing that is certain is probably the truth that belongs to the self.

"Airi Kayaba, the genius who developed NERvGear and created a completely imaginary space, I was fascinated by her, and I knew that her manifesto was all true!"

"'It's a game, but it's not a joke.'" ”

The raised right hand clenched into a fist, and what appeared in his eyes was no longer the confusion and panic of reality and communication, but the firmness and persistence of self and survival.

"If I die in this world, I will truly die!"