As Yui swung her sword down, the fireball exploded, and the whirlpool of the red lotus swept the Grim Reaper's huge body into the depths of the passage. Pen? Interesting? Pavilion wWw. ｂiquge。 In the midst of a loud bang, I heard the screams of dying faintly.

When Zheng Shuanglong and Lixia opened their eyes that were closed because the flames were too dazzling, the figure of the leader had disappeared. The passage was full of small flames flickering and crackling. In the center, Yui is the only one standing with her head bowed. The flaming sword stuck in the floor is the same as when it appeared, emitting flames to melt and disappear.

Lixia propped up her body, which had finally regained her strength, and slowly stood up. Zheng Shuanglong also got up a little later. The two staggered a few steps closer to the girl.

"Knot...... ......" Lixia called out her name in a hoarse voice, and Yui turned her head silently. A smile appeared on the small lips, but the large, dark eyes were filled with tears.

Yui looked up at Lixia and Zheng Shuanglong, and said calmly, "Dad...... Mom...... I remembered it all......"

…………

The deepest safe area of the Black Iron Palace's underground labyrinth is a complete square. There is only one entrance, and in the center is a polished black cube stone table.

Lixia and Zheng Shuanglong sat on the stone table, looking at Yui wordlessly. Yuriel and Xinka had already left earlier, so now there were only three people left.

After saying "I have my memory back", Yui remained silent for a few minutes.

Yui's expression looked very sad for some reason, making Lixia hesitate to speak to her, but finally made up her mind to speak, "Yui, do you remember?" About my previous ......"

Yui continued to keep her head down for a moment, then nodded vigorously. Still crying but smiling, little lips moving. "Yes...... Zheng Shuanglong, Lixia - I'll explain it to you now. ”

The moment he heard this cautious tone, a bad premonition gripped Lixia's chest. She was reluctantly convinced that something was over.

In the quadrangular room, Yui's words slowly began to flow out.

"This world, called Sword Art Online, is governed by a huge system. The name of the system is "Cardinal", and it can control the balance of the world based on its own judgment. And Cardinal was originally designed with the concept that no human maintenance is required. The two main programs correct each other's mistakes, and then use countless subroutines to make all the adjustments to the world - the AI of monsters and NPCs, the balance of the emergence of items and currency, all operated by the program group under the command of Cardinal - but there is one task that must be performed by humans. Troubles caused by the mental condition of the players can only be solved by humans, so a staff of dozens of people was originally prepared......"

“GM。” Hearing this, Zheng Shuanglong asked softly, "Yui, are you a game administrator ...... that way?" The staff of ARGUS?"

Such a small staff member really scared Zheng Shuanglong, could it be that Yui is a computer genius like Theo.

Hearing Zheng Shuanglong ask, Yui remained silent for a few seconds before shaking her head slightly. He continued: "The developers of Cardinal wanted to leave the task of taking care of the players to the system, so they tried out a certain program. Take advantage of the features of NERvGear to monitor the psychological state of players in detail, visit players with problems, and listen to their voices - "Mental State Management". Mental Health Care-Counseling Program", MHCP Trial No. 1, program code "Yui". That's me. ”

Overly surprised, Lixia gasped, unable to comprehend what she had just heard. "...... program? Is it AI? ”

After facing Lisia's hoarse question, Yui kept a sad smile and nodded. "In order not to make the player feel incongruous, so I was also given the ability to imitate emotions - it's all fake...... Including these tears...... Miss Lixia, I'm sorry......"

Tears continued to flow from Yui's eyes, and the particles of light dissipated. Lixia took a light step and leaned over to Yui. The hand stretched out, but Yui shook her head slightly, as if to say that she was not qualified to accept Lixia's hug.

Lixia still couldn't believe it, so she squeezed her words out, "But...... But hasn't Yui lost her memory......? What happens with AI? ”

To this day, Lixia still doesn't believe it, she can't believe that Yui is such a cute child, it's all fake.

"Two years ago...... On the day of the official operation......" Yui lowered her gaze and continued, "I don't know exactly what happened, but Cardinal gave me orders other than planned. All interference with the player is forbidden, which means that I can only monitor the player's mental state without being allowed specific contact. ”

Lixia reflexively senses that the "off-order order" is the only game manager from SAO. Operation of Akihiko Kayaba. Yui doesn't have any information about this person.

Yui's young face showed a sad expression, and then she said, "The state can be said to be extremely bad...... Almost all players are shrouded in negative feelings such as fear, despair, anger, etc., and sometimes there are people who fall into a state of madness. I should have rushed to the side of those players to listen to them and help solve the problem...... But I can't reach out to the players...... The paradox of having obligations but not being empowered caused me to accumulate mistakes and begin to fall apart......"

At the bottom of this quiet underground labyrinth, only the subtle sound of Yui wafting like a silver thread vibrating. Lixia and Zheng Shuanglong could only listen to Yui's narration in silence.

"One day, I was monitoring as usual, and suddenly I noticed that a group of players had spirit stats that were different from others. That brain wave is a frequency I haven't received so far. Glad...... Safe...... But that's not all...... I wondered what kind of feelings it was, so I continued to observe the group. Of those people, you have the smoothest brainwaves, so when I watch your conversations and actions, I have an incredible desire in my heart. That's not how it works...... But I want to go to those two people...... Want to talk to them directly...... Wanting to get closer, I wandered around every day with the closest system management device to the player's house where the two of them lived. I was probably almost out of order by then......"

Hearing Yui say this, Lixia asked softly, "Does that mean the forest on the twenty-second floor......?"

Yui nodded slowly. affirmed: "Yes, Zheng Shuanglong, Lixia...... I've always wanted to...... Meet the two of you...... When I saw you in the forest...... I'm really happy...... It's weird, it's not supposed to happen...... I'm just a program......"

Yui, whose tears kept falling, closed her mouth. And Lixia, who was shocked by some kind of indescribable disgust, clasped her hands in front of her chest. Sadly, he muttered, "Yui...... You're a real AI, right? You have a real intellect......"

Lixia muttered, and Yui tilted her head slightly and replied, "I...... I don't know...... I don't know what happened to me......"

At this time, Zheng Shuanglong, who had been silent, took a step forward. "Yui is no longer just a program operated by the system, so I can express my hopes." ”

Then Zheng Shuanglong asked in a gentle tone, "What is Yui's wish?"

"I ...... I ......" Yui struggled to stretch her slender hands out to the two of them. "I want to be with you forever...... Father...... Mom ......!"

Lixia didn't wipe away the spilled tears, ran to Yui's side and hugged the little body tightly, and suppressed it, "We're going to be together forever, Yui." ”

However, Yui, who was in Lixia's arms, shook her head slightly.

"Huh......" Faced with Yui's refusal, Lixia really didn't know what to do.

"Already...... It's too late......" hugged Lixia's Yui and said sadly.

Hearing Yui say this, Lixia asked in a bewildered voice, "What's going on...... Too late means ......"

"I can regain my memory...... It's because of the contact with the stone...... "Yui looked into the center of the room, and pointed to the black cube sitting there.

"When Miss Lixia had asked me to take refuge in this safe area, I came across the stone by chance, and learned that it was not just a decorative object...... Rather, it is to enable the GM to connect to the management device set up by the system in an emergency. Yui's words seemed to be hiding some kind of command, and several beams of light suddenly appeared on the black stone. Then there was a bang, and a blue-white virtual keyboard appeared on the surface.

"The boss monster just now should be regarded as a bodyguard configured to prevent players from approaching here. I used this control device to connect to the system and called out the "Object Elimination Device" to destroy the monsters. At this point, Cardinal's error correction function was used to repair my broken language function...... This also meant that Cardinal was starting to notice me, which had been put on hold. Now that the core system is checking my program, it should soon come to the conclusion that it is a "foreign object" and eliminate me. Already...... I don't have much time......"

"How...... How so...... Is there no way? Get out of here...... like," Lixia said in shock.

Yui just remained silent, smiling in response to the two of them's words. Tears slid down Yui's white cheeks again. Yui said goodbye softly, "Dad, Mom, thank you." We're here to say goodbye. ”

"Don't! I don't want that!" Lixia hugged Yui tightly and screamed for her life. "It's just the beginning! From now on, we will live happily and harmoniously together......"

Yui looked directly at Lixia, and a faint glow began to envelop her body.

"As long as you're around mom and dad, everyone can smile...... I'm really happy. I hope that from now on you will be ...... Replace me...... Help everyone...... Bring joy to everyone......"

Yui's black hair and one-piece dress began to dissolve from one end into a dreamy light particle like morning dew. Her smile gradually became transparent and her weight gradually became lighter.

"Don't! I don't want it! I can't laugh if Yui isn't there!" Lixia, who was holding Yui, cried out with tears in her eyes.

Yui, surrounded by the overflowing light, smiled, and reached out her disappearing hand to caress Lixia's cheek.

"Mom, laugh a ......" whispered in Lixia's mind, and a more dazzling light flew out. When the light was gone, there was nothing left in Lixia's arms.

"Whoaa Lixia, who could no longer control herself, shouted. He fell to his knees on the stone floor and cried like a child. The tears that bounced off the ground mixed with the fragments of light left by Yui before disappearing.

Although they have only been together for less than three days, Yui's figure has been deeply imprinted in Yui's heart. Yui's disappearance makes Lixia really, really sad.

When Yui disappeared into the light, and next to Lixia, who was kneeling on the stone floor and crying bitterly, Zheng Shuanglong's voice suddenly came out. "Lixia, do you really like Yui Lixia very much, are you really really reluctant to let Yui leave?"

The surprise instantly blew away Lixia's sadness, Lixia looked at Zheng Shuanglong with wide eyes, and nodded heavily: "Yes!" ”

"Then, there is no way, while there is still a little time, it should be able to be done......" As he spoke, Zheng Shuanglong closed his eyes, and his whole body began to quickly become in a trance, and the light shone from Zheng Shuanglong's body.

"Lixia, wait a minute, it'll be over soon......"

As these words fell, Zheng Shuanglong, like those players who died, turned into fragments of light and dissipated.

"Zheng, Zheng!" Seeing Zheng Shuanglong's disappearance, Lixia ran to the place where Zheng Shuanglong disappeared with a panicked face.

However, in the next moment, a happy smile appeared on Lixia's face, because Lixia remembered that this game was not a death game for everyone, for everyone in the Void Brigade.

In this case, although Lixia didn't understand what Zheng Shuanglong left for, Lixia believed that Zheng Shuanglong had thought of how to save Yui.

…………

Zheng Shuanglong's villa.

"It's been more than two years, and it's really too much."

As the male voice rang out. A man wrapped in a blue circle of light awoke.

Gently removing the helmet on his head that was ready to emit infrasonic waves to destroy his brain, Zheng Shuanglong shook his head slightly, and muttered softly: "Well, now is not the time to sigh, there are more important things to do." ”

As he spoke, Zheng Shuanglong put his right hand, the right hand with a secondary void authenticator, on the helmet of Lixia who was lying beside him, and countless data were rapidly shining and transforming.

Quickly transitioning between the secondary Void Authenticator and Richia's NERvGear. (To be continued.) )