Like a wasp queen, Seven is in charge of giving orders in the depths of the hive, laying eggs, and letting the worker bees take care of hunting and obtaining food.

If you think about it, this Dark World Tree is the last dungeon of this Swat region, and the deepest place where the last boss is held. Seven's goal is to reach the deepest part of the dark world before the others, defeat the final boss, and become the champion of the Swart region, so Seven, who usually doesn't fight, may also fight.

"I see, is it all about completing your plan?"

"Well, if that girl's plan is realized, the fact that she will be a contributor to the future of humanity is not big enough for you to say."

The emperor turned around and stared at Kirito with purple eyes. Both Kirita and Lelan gasped and saw a flickering light, as sharp and intense as the tip of their swords, but also like some kind of kindness and warmth.

"Wherever you go, it's a doom. The winner of this Swalt area is the number seven. ”

Indeed, if Clover's elite executives go with Seven, it will be relatively easy to win the final boss fight, and they and the others on the road will also have to fight for themselves and Lilan. Play with weaker strength, so it's easy to predict who will win the game.

However, they have advanced so far and are determined to fight Shamrock if the situation calls for it. It doesn't matter anymore if Shamrock has outdone me or if the final boss fight has begun. Keep going until the last act.

Confirming the long-awaited thoughts, Kirito shook his head at the emperor.

"Sorry, I'm not the kind of person who gives up when told. I'm just going to stay the course. We'll defeat the final boss and we'll get a reward. "I'm a dead player, after all. ”

\"That's right, if there were seven in the future, I'd just make them regret declaring war when they encounter a bad player like us. \"

The like-minded Lilan also fully recovers her health after winning a duel with her master, Kirito. Sure enough, he may still be tired, but he still has enough stamina to fight the final boss, and he himself maintains enough stamina to easily deal with the final boss after that.

Kirito, who realized this, shouted to Lilan, and then said it again to the emperor.

"Emperor, the duel with you is really exciting, when this battle is over, please join us again. Lilan, let's go. ”

Hearing the answer of his partner, who had overcome the crisis together, Kirito immediately ran to the entrance of the next hallway, located in the innermost part of Garland's room.

Although everyone said that the monsters living in this dark world tree must have a hard time before the duel with the emperor, I must rush to everyone's side as soon as possible. That's what I thought, too. Maybe because he was there, his steps were much faster than before he came to this room.

The Dark World is the last area of the Swart region, and indeed the last dungeon. The Emperor sighed as he stood alone in what could be the largest room.

Although he defeated Eugene, who is said to be the strongest player in ALo, and won the title of the strongest player in ALo, it did not last forever. The direction of strength in ALo is constantly changing, and it is not uncommon for the former strongest to become the strongest, and for another to become the strongest.

I thought I had been trying to avoid being swallowed up by the tide of change and transformation, but I was finally defeated. With his defeat, Shamrock will no longer be the strongest guild in ALo, and the title will fall into the hands of Kiritto and his friends.

Although I don't know if that Kirito will be made public, even if he doesn't make it public, Kirito will definitely become the strongest ALo player and the strongest "beast tamer" in the future.

However, it was after this battle was over, and the battle between Shamrock and Kirito and the others was not over, and Xiao Qi's plan was not destroyed. No matter what happens, Seven will win and complete his plan. If this plan comes to fruition

“！”

Just when the emperor was thinking this, he suddenly stopped thinking. There's something behind me. This is not a monster logo, but a player's logo. Moreover, it does not apply to allies, but to enemies. A player who is not a member of Clover enters this empty room and is behind you.

But it's weird. If it were Kirito, they wouldn't have been able to come, as they had all penetrated deep into this area, and the other players should not be able to reach the Dark World Tree either. Whose master is this being? Just as I was about to turn around, a voice came to my ears.

"It looks like you've lost the duel with Kirito-kun. Mr. Huang. \"

“”

It was a clear female voice. And, although rare, it's a sound I've heard before. As if invited by this, I turned around, and the emperor was surprised, but tried not to show it on his face.

A dark elf imp with distinctive long black glossy hair and reddish-brown eyes, dressed in a coat-like white battle suit, carrying a longsword that looks like it is neither a sword nor a one-handed sword. A cursor is displayed on the top of the woman's head, indicating something. In other men, they would focus on the woman's plump breasts at the first time, but the emperor shifted his attention to the woman's face, did not pay attention, and did not pay attention to her.

"You"

"Hello. Mr. Huang, this is the first time I have spoken to you face-to-face. \"

This woman, who couldn't tell at first glance that she was a ghost, smiled because she didn't dress like a dark fairy. Yesterday, when Seven and I went to the coffee shop where Kirito was, a female gamer who was a friend of Kirito was listening to Kirito's conversation.

According to Seven, the woman's name was Alice, but the Emperor still remembers vividly how surprised he was when he heard her identity. Alice is a woman, and her presence in the real world is known to everyone who works like us.

The emperor opened his mouth and said, trying not to mention the matter.

"He's one of Kirito's friends. I guess he came late. \"

"I don't think it can be helped. I did it between work. Today is also a precious day off. ”

"Are you going to spend your precious vacation by playing games? I'm a very curious person. ”

"No, no, I don't play games for fun. Yes, not with you, just like you, Dr. Huang. \"

“！！”

Hearing Alice's sudden words, the emperor couldn't help but show surprise on his face. Seeing this, Alice smiled and opened her lips and quietly approached him.

"Huangyang too. In real life, he is a quantum neurodynamicist, the right-hand man of Dr. Nanairo Alshapin, who is well known in his field and whose outstanding abilities led him to the United States. ”

"You mean you know everything?"

"Of course. And you probably already know me. Or rather, wouldn't it be strange if you didn't know me? ”

The reddish-brown eyes of the woman who made fun of me met my own purple eyes.

The player's real-world name, Alice, is a name known to all scientists like us, and it's even stranger not to know. The emperor finally said the name.

"Dr. Serizawa Alice. A former Argus employee, a genius AI researcher and psychologist who served as SAo's chief programmer, is even considered Akihiko Kayaba's right-hand man. According to one theory. It is also said that he grew up in the same laboratory as Akihiko Kayaba.

"Huhu, you know what? Especially since I'm a former Argus employee, this should be fairly confidential information. ”

"This is information that every scientist like us knows. You should be famous for it...... But I don't think you realize it. ”

Perhaps thinking the emperor's words were a little funny, Alice smiled.

According to the story, the person named Serizawa Alice is considered a very eccentric and heretical person, and even among scientists she is treated like this. At the time, I thought that those who were jealous of the genius technical abilities of Scientist Airi Serizawa were making false accusations, but it seems that what the scientists are saying is more true.

"Well, that's it. Thanks to you knowing me, I saved myself the trouble of introducing myself. Thank you so much, Your Majesty. \"

\"I didn't expect someone like you to land on this ALo as an ally of Kirito and others. What is he really for? \"

\"Before I ask this question, Emperor, tell me a little bit about you, right? \"

"What?"

Approaching the astonished palace, Alice gently folded her arms. The emperor's gaze could not be taken off her, and she seemed to know the secrets of the state well.

\"The Emperor. Although you are in the United States, you are also a spy for the Japanese Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. I see. \"

"I wanted to know what he was going to say, but I didn't understand what he meant. Or rather, why did he say such a thing? \"

"The reason? Quite simply, I'm close to your customer, so I asked him directly. ”

When the emperor heard this, he was taken aback and immediately looked into Alice's eyes. When he saw the expected reaction, a scientist-like expression appeared on his face.

"There's a girl named Lilan, right? The girl has a good grasp of the movements of Seven and Shamrock, but that's because your client, Mr. Kikuoka, provided her with information. However, Mr. Kikuoka and But, because he is only an official of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, it is impossible for him to request the transfer of player data to the ALo management. This would be ultra vires.

“”

"Then why was Mr. Kikuoka able to get the information about Seven and Shamrock and give it to Lilan? That's because you, who have been around Seven in reality and VR, are a spy sent by Mr. Kikuoka. You have a relationship with Mr. Kikuoka. "We have been friends since we started conquering the Swat region. That's right, Emperor. ”

The emperor didn't say anything, but everything Alice said was to the point.

Emperor had stayed in Japan to do research and considered continuing to live there as a scientist. However, the environment in Japan was not conducive to the kind of research he envisioned, and this situation did not change wherever he went, and he continued to be frustrated.

At that time, I received an offer from Dr. Nanairo, a genius scientist who was conducting research in the United States, and I knew that there was already an environment where I could conduct research. The environment here is better than in Japan, so you can do research to your heart's content.

Knowing that this was a place with no disadvantages, the emperor went to the United States without any particular opposition, and immediately became a member of the laboratory funded by Dr. Naneiro, and eventually began his research work as Dr. Naneiro's right-hand man.

However, there have been such moments. I was contacted by a person named Seijiro Kikuoka, who worked at the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications of Japan, and asked me to share information about Shichiro when he was active in ALo.

Of course, the emperor was suspicious of Kikuoka at the time, but Kikuoka gave him a handsome amount of money as a reward, and said that the information would be handled by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, which involved state secrets. so that it doesn't leak to anyone else. Be told. On top of that, they also provided evidence that Kikuoka actually worked for the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.

And the emperor himself also wants to know what kind of person Seven is, and he conducts research for the future development of mankind.

With these in mind, the emperor accepted Kikuoka's request to continue to observe Seven and provide information to Kikuoka, believing that he was a trustworthy person.

\"That's right. I did receive a commission from Mr. Kikuoka to provide him with information on Shamrock and Seven. My own loyalty to Seven is not a lie, though. \"

"What do you mean?"

"In the beginning, I did regard Xiao Qi as a member of the research group and her as an object of observation. But when I saw that girl's passion for research and development, I found deep inside me. "That's why I want to support her. The girl sincerely believed that her research would contribute to the future of humanity and continued to act, and this plan also stemmed from that girl's passion. ”

After the emperor said what he thought, he looked back into Alice's eyes.

It is understood that Alice / Serizawa took the opportunity of Argus's dissolution to quit her job as a scientist and become a psychiatrist somewhere in Japan, but Alice's current face is exactly what a psychiatrist or counselor looks like.

Alice/Serizawa Alice is a scientist who is said to be Akihiko Kayaba's right-hand man, and if she makes the most of her technological abilities, she will create one thing after another that transcends the seven colors and is regarded as a meritorious person who will make her name spread throughout history and the world. This should be possible.

However, he gave up his career as a scientist and now works as a psychiatrist, and now at the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, which has nothing to do with science. Completely unable to understand her intentions, the Emperor asked Alice.

"That girl and you should be in the same industry. You're here, why are you here with Mr. Kikuoka? If you're a competent scientist like you, you can use your technical skills to advance the "future of humanity." You should be able to contribute to this. Why can't you advance your research like we do? Why don't you come to us where Dr. Naneiro is? ”

Although Alice was questioned by a sharp eye, she did not move or say a word. Although I have told you so much about myself, is this person not going to say anything at all? Huang Gang wanted to ask again, and there was a feeling of annoyance in his heart, and Alice immediately lowered her head and began to speak.

"I see, I guess your enthusiasm and enthusiasm for science is genuine, I didn't expect it to come this far. You and Xiao Qi have been far more successful in science than I thought. I'm really happy to be a senior scientist like you."

“”

"So, the reason why I came here with Mr. Kikuoka is because I have a job that suits me perfectly. You seem to think I'm no longer a scientist, but that's not the case. I continue to work as a scientist. "Mr. Kikuoka. Yes, as you know, as an AI research and developer. ”

I couldn't help but ask, "What?" Alice smiled again and began to walk gently around the area.

"The reason why I stayed with Mr. Kikuoka was because he asked me to do research and development, which is what I want to do the most. So Sue, don't worry. "Mr. Meragi. I didn't stop being a scientist.

Well, I don't know if the research I'm doing now will contribute to the future development of humanity, and I had no intention of doing so in the first place. ”

At this, the emperor's eyes widened. What does it mean not to conduct research for the future development of humanity? Science exists for the future development of mankind, and the development of science should also be the development of mankind.

The development of science and the creation of the future of mankind are the goals of all our scientists. The emperor couldn't believe what Alice, a scientist, said, and was about to ask a question, when Alice turned around.

"You don't seem to believe me, did I say something strange?"

"If it's not for the future of mankind and the development of science, then what are you researching for?"

Alice laughed as if she had received a simple question, and then lowered her head again. Alice walked towards the emperor without raising her head.

"Indeed, through my technology, I will be able to create something that will contribute to the future development of humanity, first of all, my technical ability itself will be able to contribute to the future of humanity. If we strive to work together and use our power in a variety of ways, we will be able to create something that will illuminate the future of humanity. But, the Emperor. ”

"What"

With that, Alice finally looked up and looked into her reddish-brown eyes, but when she saw them, the emperor choked up.

``... If you hear that a celebrity, celebrity, public figure basically doesn't try to create anything, has nothing to do with you, gets married, divorced, or causes a scandal, they're going to gleefully devour the information they really need to know, put the name of the celebrity, celebrity on the news, put it at the top of the search keyword rankings, frantically search for other people and celebrities, expose individuals. I've been wasting my time making my hobby mine.

In the end, even after giving birth to children who are supposed to create the future, most adults nowadays are unable to raise them well, give them the love they deserve, and even end their lives without hesitation. The value of human beings is enough for us to contribute through our efforts. ”

Alice continued to speak in a matter-of-fact manner, hearing every word clearly, and at the same time, the distance between the two faces gradually narrowed, and finally they got so close that their breath hit her face. Even so, the emperor was completely unable to move, and could only listen to Alice's words.

"In fact, I think there's so much more to dedicate to humanity today than just my skills, my children, and so on. But what do you think, Yu-kun? \"

I heard Alice's words clearly, I understood everything. That's how it should be, but I don't understand the meaning at all.

What the hell was this woman named Alice thinking?

What are you talking about?

What are you talking to yourself?

I thought I would be able to understand this complex story, but I couldn't understand the true meaning of what Alice / Serizawa Alice said in front of me. It's as if we are talking about a world that is different from the one we live in.

I continued to stare into Alice's eyes, feeling a little numb in my head, and after a while, they began to fade away. Eventually, when the emperor disappeared from sight, he regained his freedom and looked back at the woman who was walking towards the back of the room.

\"Alright, I've got to go. I'm worried that Kirito-san will challenge Seven. That's all I have to say to you. It's been a long time since I've spoken to you. "Like a scientist. ”

\" and so on. I ask you one last thing. You and Kirito have a close relationship, but why would you side with them? Is it because of Kirito that they are the survivors of the SAo you created? Is it because Kirito is a hero? \"？ Why? You're working with Kirito. \"

Alice paused, as if hearing the Emperor's panicked inquiry. After about two seconds, the answer came.

\"You've asked me a lot of weird things. I don't need to tell you why I'm by your side Kirito-san. \"

"What?"

"Because-"

Alice turned around and moved her mouth slightly.

"- Ha I love you you are by my side, protecting me, sometimes guiding me, isn't it a matter of course?"

After defeating the Emperor's War, Kirito takes Lilan and rushes to his friends who are heading to the deepest part of the dark world.

In the previous strategy, the further you advance through the dungeon, the more enemy monsters will stand in your way, but Kirito and Lilan may have hunted them all down as they walked towards Shamrock and the others. Sometimes I don't meet a monster. All.

Thanks to this, Kirito and Lilan were able to travel to the deepest part in a short period of time, and finally arrived at a room that was roughly close to the deepest and waited inside. I've met friends who look like this. This.

However, the companions at that time seemed to be a little tired. Shiina, as she moves on, is worried about herself and Lilan, and when I talk to her, she says that before she and Lilan get there, there is a powerful boss that they are able to defeat eventually. Noda.

This is the depths of the "Dark World", a room one step away from the final boSS. Kirito, who has played a lot of RPGs, immediately understands that in the battle with the emperor, everyone is facing a boss that can be called the opening of the final boss, and to Kirito's surprise, the boss they fought together.

\"Hapia appeared!? \"

\"That's right. When we entered this room, there was a Hapia that attacked us. \"

Shino's words surprised Kiritto again.

Harpyia is the name of a leprechaun player who covers her face with a mask, wears leg gear that resembles a bird's leg, and wears a costume that resembles a shrine maiden's costume. If that's all, it's no different from a normal player, but Hapia will suddenly appear in front of the player who conquered Svardyarfheim, and without saying a word, a duel will suddenly begin. It is unusual because it uses an unusual method of suspension.

They suddenly appear and engage in a duel, whether successful or not. Players refer to such Hapia as the "Tsuji Duelist", and Kirito has been involved in the "Tsuji Duel of Hapia" before and must fight against the others.

Lilan, who had participated in the battle of Hapia, crossed her arms and whispered.

"Isn't Hapia a Tsuji duelist? What does it mean he's here? ”

"We don't quite understand either. However, when we arrived in this room, Hapia was there and attacked us without even asking for a duel. \"

After Diaberu answered, Ariki came to Kirito's side. Next to her was Kaim, an elf like Hapia.

"And, he's got better than before. His weapon also changed from a dagger to something like a bayonet Estok"

"It's hard for all of us to beat each other. There are so many of us, and he is alone. ”

It's true that Hapia is played by challenging a player on the same team to a duel and then jumping into battle regardless of success or failure, so she can only rely on player skills, and I guess that's okay. Raised.

However, although they are only a small group compared to Shamrock, Kirito does not know that he will be the one who can challenge and fight against a group of people who can be considered elite in advancing the capture operation. Svart Alfheim。 I can't predict.

Although he had only fought Hapia once, Hapia had definitely gotten stronger and stronger when I wasn't looking.

"I can't believe Hapia has gotten to this point, so, what happened to her?"

Once my HP was reduced to a certain level, I opened the door and moved on. I felt that it might be dangerous if we set out from here alone, so I took a break and waited for Kirito and Lilan. \"

Kirito was satisfied with what Filia said. It was too dangerous to immediately get up and go to the deepest part of the dark world after fighting such a powerful Hapia. Although they may be a little behind Clover, it is fair to say that everyone is right.

（... But)

What I'm curious about is Hapia's actions.

Everyone had heard that Hapia tried to fight everyone and was repulsed and escaped, but from what I've heard about the palace before, it seems like the future. It's the deepest part of the "Dark World", and it's also Shamrock that is fighting alongside Seven.

I don't think everyone is telling a lie, but if Hapia really goes, it means that Hapia is going to fight Shamrock, but first Hapia was injured in the battle with everyone, so if he challenges the current Shamrock, he will only be defeated before the others.

No matter how Hapia tries to start a Tsuji duel, there's no way she doesn't know it, which makes it even harder for us to understand why she did it.

\"Did Hapia go to Shamrock? However, he seems to have tried to duel Shamrock as well, so he can't be a member of Shamrock. Why, exactly? \"

\"Kirito-kun\"

Just as Kirito was about to put his hand on his chin to think, he heard a voice and turned around sharply. Lilan, a girl with distinctive red hair and golden eyes, was there, and Kirito remembered something when she saw her face.

Yes, now is not the time to do so. Now, Clover's executives and Seven are heading to the deepest recess, and they're challenging the final boss. Seven's sister Lilan's wish is to be the first to defeat Svard Alfheim's final boss and tell Seven that she is his sister.

To fulfill that wish, we are here now, trying to catch up with Shamrock. Knowing this, Kirito took Lilan's image into his eyes.

"I'm sorry to keep you waiting, Lilan. Seven and Clover executives are on their way. Now they are fighting to defeat the final boss. ”

"Number Seven is ahead"

"Yes. I'm curious that Hapia has left, but let's move on for now. So you're going to tell Seven that you're her sister. ”

"Yes. I want to tell Xiao Qi the truth as soon as possible. \"

"Then let's go."

Seeing Lilan nodding again, Kirito shouted to everyone as if he was ordering everyone what time it was, and after listening to everyone's answers, he went to the deepest part of the room, which was the deepest part of the "Dark World". Walk towards the door that leads to it.

The corridor that stretched out of the door was very large, with enough space and height for Lilan to take on the form of a wolf dragon. However, the interior structure is composed of predominantly black walls and floors, with a stone-iron texture, and the intricate patterns that run through it emit a blue, light blue, and white glow, which serves as lighting. It's as if the world itself has changed.

It is said that the final boss of Swatjärfheim seems to be the "God of Darkness", and I do feel like I'm approaching where this kind of thing lives. Listening to the sounds of surprise from everyone's surprise at the complete change in the atmosphere, Kirito continued to walk deeper, and finally stopped in front of a certain being.

A huge iron door with countless patterns on the door. Similar to the door that blocked the entrance to the Jade Palace in the final stage of "SAo". Kirito turned to the crowd and faced the door that claimed to lead to the deepest part of the dungeon.

They seemed to be able to see at a glance that this was where the final boss was, and it was also where Shamrock and Xiaoqi went, and for some reason this was also where Hapia went, so everyone's faces were ready for the final battle. It has a majestic appearance, as if it were a man.

There is no need to say anything to everyone anymore. Don't ask if you're ready or not. Kirito, who sensed this, just said "Let's go" and put his hand on the door. As if recognizing that someone qualified to do it had touched it, the door opened left and right, making a roaring and shaking sound.

After witnessing a scene reminiscent of the capture of Ayn Grant, Kirito once again gave orders to his gathered companions and infiltrated the door in unison.

Inside unfolded was a large room, as big as the room where we had met before, or the room where we had met the emperor before—nay, bigger than that room. Moreover, it is not composed of stone walls and floors like the previous rooms, but is made of black iron and stone like the corridor we walked through, and the inorganic patterns that run through it are illuminated. It's a place that reminds you of another place. Space or outer space, where it is said to play a role.

Kirito looked around at the alternate space that seemed to have escaped from the ALo world, noticed a figure near the center of the room, and focused his gaze on that person. Rear view of a silver-haired girl who is slightly taller than Yui, dressed in white, blue, navy blue, yellow, and wearing a navy blue hat with feather decorations.

Kirito thought of the girl's name just by looking at it, but before he could say it, Lilan next to him said it.

"Seven!"

“！”

As if in response to Lilan's voice, the girl slowly turned around. Although he is said to be 12 years old, his face and reddish-purple eyes are incredible. There is no doubt that it was Clover's leader, Seven, who broke through the dark world in front of them.

"Seven"

"Private of the Private, Kirito-kun and his friends. \"

Kirito accepted the lifeless greeting lifelessly and looked around. According to the Emperor's story, Seven is going here with Clover's executives to challenge the final boss of Swarthalfheim, but no matter how he looks around, he doesn't see any Shamrock members except Seven. There was no one there, and not even the final boss existed.

A very large space is expanding. Kirito asked Seven, a little curious.

"Are you one of Yuichi's? What happened to the other Shamrock Man? ”

"I was there just now. But all were defeated. Yes, I was attacked by Swat Yalfheim's final boss, the God of Darkness. Even all of Shamrock's most elite were defeated. It was the dark god who made me want to do this. ”

"So everyone but you were killed?"

"Yes, in the end, I was the only one left, and everyone else turned into afterglow and was sent back. With my remaining hands, I gave the dark god the final blow. Yo"

Then Kirito was puzzled again. Although Xiao Qi's intelligence and singing ability are above average, his combat ability as a player is not high at all, and he is a shy person. He was far behind any Mullock.

How did Seven defeat the "God of Darkness", an opponent who would defeat the rest of Shamrock? Just as I was about to ask, Xiao Qi said to me as if he had seen through it.

"You want to know how we won. Here's the answer. ”

As he spoke, Xiao Qi pointed to his head. On his fingertips are feather ornaments in gold and navy blue, attached to his hat – the same feather ornaments on the head of the clover. When Xiao Qi noticed that everyone's attention was focused on him, he began to speak.

This feather ornament symbolizes a clover, like a membership card, but its real identity is Swatjärfheim's newly implemented communication project. Equipped with it, equipped users will be able to exchange audio and video as if they were making a video call. That's why Clover members have such a strong cohesion and ability to communicate information, Seven said.

But that's not all, this item has an even more amazing feature, which is inherited from oSS and "magic". \"

"Inheritance and familiarity with oSS?"

Players equipped with the item can inherit the oSS and give other players "familiarization", including proficiency, strength, and usage time. When using this feature, the inheritor player will not be able to use oSS or "familiarization", but the inheritor player can use oSS based on proficiency, strength, and usage time. You will be able to use the "familiar".

Seven gave a long explanation, saying that the reason why they were able to defeat the dark god was that the people of Clover used this function to subdue a large number of oSS and "make demons". Finished.

"And now, I've gathered the strength of all the people who fell and defeated the final boss. By this time, everyone will know what is going on through this feather decoration. It's going to be a grand co-op experiment with the name of "Ragnarok Pastoral"!

"Ragnarok in Norse mythology, Ragnarok, right?"

"This is the age of the gods, and the success of my experiment will be a new step in the network society!"

There are two kinds of excitement in Seven's tone: one is that the scientist seems to have done what he is supposed to do, and the other is that the child has done what he is being praised.

Kirito, however, couldn't believe the content of this explanation. If Seven's story is true, Seven will inherit the powerful oSS and "demons" of more than a hundred Clover players, so as to gain power and win the battle against the "God of Darkness". I guess so.

However, the oSS and magic that "Seven" inherited were created by players for hundreds of hours, and can actually be said to be the result of players' hard work. This is something that can only be used by players who have put in hundreds of hours of hard work.

Seventh, players who can easily use the inheritance function, but cannot use the results of their own efforts through the inheritance function.

Seven triumphantly said that with everyone's joint efforts, the experiment was successful, but the reality is that it is no different from taking oSS and "familiarity" away from the player.

"Seven. Do you know what you did? ”

"Ugh. What? ”

"No matter how many oSS legacies and 'acquaintances' the system allows, you're stealing a lot of players' experience XP. Each of us has put in the hard work, sweat and time to make this game a reality. "Moqiang has been wasted for your experiments. Do you know how heavy your responsibilities are!? ”

At this moment, a smile appeared on Xiao Qi's face. It seems out of place in this scene, as if the events in front of you are being rendered comically.

\"Hehe, Kirito-kun makes me very enthusiastic. I never forced him to do anything, I didn't say anything wrong, everyone did it voluntarily. \"

Since everyone agrees and cooperates, I will respond to everyone's request and make the experiment a success. You must be Kirito-kun and don't understand how wonderful this is. ”

“”

"Besides, Kirito-san, you must be weird. Originally, I could only use up to two "demons", how could I inherit everyone's "demons"? That's what you mean. What does "mean"? Here's the answer. harpyia！ ”

At this moment, when everyone was surprised by Xiao Qi's words, a jade-colored ball of light appeared in Xiao Qi's hand. When it left Xiao Qi's hand, it flew around like a firefly, and finally flew to Xiao Qi's right and stopped, exploding.

Peeking out of it was a mix of gold, silver, and jade, chest-length hair, similar to a shrine maiden costume, and a long-sleeved kimono of white and green. He wears a pair of bird's boots and a jade-veined mask.

Undoubtedly, it is Hapuya, who is famous as a Tsuji duelist in ALo.

\"That's Hapuya!? Why is it called that!? \"

"Why? The reason is simple, I am still an animal tamer, and this Hapuya is my demon. ”

Hearing the girl's words, everyone present was speechless. "Why? The reason is simple, I am still an animal tamer, and this Hapuya is my demon. ”

Hearing Seven's casual words, everyone was speechless and turned their eyes to Hapia, who was sitting next to Seven. Seven explained as he slowly walked around Hapuya, who was taller than himself.

"This Hapia is a real monster, yes, it has a very similar appearance to the elves, and it is a monster capable of using sword skills, one of the humanoid monsters capable of using sword skills and magic. There are people like that, right? ”

Indeed, among the monsters that inhabit this ALo, there are also humanoid monsters that have weapons like the player and can use sword skills and magic. In fact, Kirito and his friends have encountered and fought such monsters many times, so Xiao Qi's explanation cannot be denied. Seven continues.

"This kid arranged a duel, but this is not pvp, this is pvE. This is a player-enemy type duel. You know that this game has a system called Duel. You can tell if you look closely, but you don't know if someone is suddenly spraying something at you. ”

"What do you mean? What the hell is going on with you? ”

Hearing Shino's inquiry, Seven stopped and slowly turned to Kirito and them.

This "demon" named Hapia belongs to a race with extremely high processing power than other "demons", and if the "beast tamer" logs in, it will leave its master. They can now act independently. Let's go.

That's why Hapia is able to appear in various places and challenge players to pvE duels. And the purpose of this is to measure the combat data of players in ALo.

How strong are the players in ALo this time?

Who stands out?

Seven states that in order to investigate the matter, he had Hapuya fight the player in order to collect data about the player's combat.

"Also, this kid is able to store information about the players he's fought in it and that data is flowing to a location I own. It's the same as this [Cloud Brain", and that's not all. This child has a very special ability, that is, the ability to transform into another "demon".

\"If it's a transformation!? \"

Features implemented in harpuia. It stores the inheritance data of the "Demon" in a dedicated location, and applies this data to itself under the command of the "Beast Tamer", changing its appearance and abilities.

Normally, it is impossible to tame more than one "Pet", but the data of two or more "Pets" can be stored in the location used for that "Pet" transformation. Now it's possible.

By taking full advantage of this, Seven can have two or more "Demons" inherited from the Shamrock Man, and can use two or more "Demons" by transforming into Hapia.

Although it is not possible to have two or more "Demons", if the data is used to convert one "Demons", it is possible to have two or more "Demons". If you use it with a dizzying frequency, you can even act as if you're using a summoning spell.

It's like finding a vulnerability in your system and exploiting it. Kirito couldn't help but be surprised by the presence of this feature, which was also a trick in the old game.

And now, thanks to Xiao Qi's feather headdress, the people of Shamrock have seen and heard it, and it is almost about to set off a commotion.

"It's true that Hapia will cause a lot of commotion, but it's also a good thing, being attacked by Hapia, a big enemy, everyone has become stronger, the cohesion has also increased, and everyone's battle data has been collected, this is killing two birds with one stone, killing two birds with one stone."

Seven and Hapuya turned to everyone together. Immediately after, Xiao Qi took a step forward and opened his hands, as if he wanted to hug something big.

"All the players who fought Hapia, and all the Shamrock who fought for me, have no doubt that they are the ones who contributed to my experiments and research! Now, the emperor they should be collecting data. I hope the results are good......!! ”

Xiao Qi's face showed a look of ecstasy. Kirito's heart was probably filled with a sense of accomplishment and joy at the success of the experiment, but Kirito's heart couldn't be calmer.

So far, Seven has given Shamrock orders to fight, but it's all for experimentation, and Seven has his "darling" Hapia indiscriminately attack the player, causing unnecessary commotion. It also brought him to his senses.

The research and experiments conducted by Seven are not for personal gain or self-gratification, but for the sake of contributing to the future of humanity. While this is well known, Seven's actions are no different from those of Alberridge/Sugo Nobuyuki who conducted brutal human experiments in SAo.

At first, he probably did the research out of a pure desire. However, along the way, the research mutates into a monster and eventually begins to secretly sabotage Seven himself, who is conducting research, forcing Seven to do so.

I don't know what happened to the daughter of a talented scientist like Seven, who engaged in research with a pure heart and for the exact opposite purpose of Sugo and Aoba. What should I say to this girl? Just as Kirito was about to think, he suddenly heard a dry sound from a wood spirit around him, and he stopped thinking.

Looking for the source of the voice, I turned my gaze forward again, and before I knew it, Lilan had come to Xiao Qi, posing as if she had just slapped her. And Xiao Qi covered his left side of his face with one hand, looking like he didn't know what was going on. Everyone around her also seemed to be very close to Xiao Qi.

\"R, Lilan? \"

Even though Kirito called Lilan, she didn't respond. Soon, Xiao Qi turned to Lilan and glared at her, and Lilan opened her mouth.

\"Seven. What did you misunderstand? \"

"Lilan, what are you doing? Why are you hitting me? \"

"Because I can't stand your damn brazen smile. Indeed, your experiments may be sublime and may even create new technologies. But you're still an idol, aren't you? It's the responsibility of idols to give everyone dreams, what's the point of you stealing everyone's fun!! ”

Although I've been with him all the time, I've never seen Lilan yell. Kirito was stunned by this scene, and he was as speechless as the others. The reprimanded Seven responded to Lilan with some excitement.

"I lived up to everyone's expectations and they gave me something in return. This is pure negotiation and everyone shares the benefits! Everybody's happy, that's great! ”

"People are so excited because they like you, right? No matter how good the experiment is! ”

"But I'm also revealing the truth! And, everybody's paying attention to me! Please don't speak of such a pure and innocent result!! ”

"Then let's be clear, it's for experimentation! You have to proudly say in front of everyone that everything you do is for experimentation!! ”

"This is"

Although Seven is unaware of this fact, Lilan is Seven's older sister. It was definitely a sibling quarrel, and it was probably the first time Lilan had done it. Maybe that's why Kirito can't say anything.

At the same time, Lilan seemed to regain her composure a little and began to speak.

"Besides, we're here to play games, I don't know if you're a doctor, a scientist, or a god, but I can't bear to be involved in such an unknown experiment and be taken advantage of." "Kirito-kun, me, and everyone else here except you! Don't pollute the precious playground prepared for us with your desires!! ”

At this point, Lilan's words finally stopped, and silence returned to the huge room, which was like outer space, made up of blue, white, and pale blue light. Kirito walks around in silence, and as he approaches Lilan, he calls out to her.

"Rain, you"

The rain still didn't answer. Most of what Lilan did just now was what she wanted to say to Xiao Qi, and it was also the feeling of everyone here. I felt that I had to let him speak for me, and just when I was feeling sorry, Xiao Qi in front of me whispered.

"Lilan. I don't mean to completely dismiss your idea. However, now that I've come this far, I have no intention of stopping. If you're going to be an obstacle to me, then I'm not going to stop until I get rid of it. All right...... I'm still going to keep experimenting. ”

With that, Seven stepped back some distance with Hapia and looked around. In Xiao Qi's eyes, it probably reflects the image of those who have cleared SAo and are on an equal footing with Shamrock.

If you only look at the numbers, the number seven is at an overwhelming disadvantage. Presumably Shino also understands this, so she lets Number Seven bite her.

"But what are you going to do? If you fight us, you'll be at an overwhelming disadvantage, even if you inherit a lot of oSS. ”

"And that messenger Hapia also appeared because of you. If you lose, no matter what kind of demon you are, it's useless. \"

When Xiao Qiyi heard about Kirito's acquaintance Lilan, he suddenly lowered his head. Soon after, Xiao Qi began to whisper.

\"That's right. No matter how many oSS I use, I can't beat Kirito them. Because Kirito is the player who survived SAo, they are stronger than Shamrock. Even I can't beat it. "Do it. I can't believe I'm dealing with someone like that. ”

“？”

"But I'm still going to fight you like this. I had long expected this to happen. I was thinking that I would be exposed to this vexatious situation. I also have a secret plan for this! harpuiaa！！ \"

Xiao Qi suddenly raised his head and suddenly shouted again. The next moment, as if in response to the master's voice, Hapia's body was enveloped in jasper-colored light and turned into a ball of light.

The ball of light flew around Xiao Qi for another week, and finally stopped in front of Xiao Qi. It flew into Xiao Qi's chest at an extremely fast speed, attracting everyone's attention, and then merged into Xiao Qi's body and disappeared. And, in a space that stretches forever like outer space, something emerges through cracks in the ceiling. You.

It is shaped like a rope made up of pale blue and white rays. It was like a snake made of light, and like a snake that wanted to swallow something, it snaked down at a very fast speed and bit into Xiao Qi's head.

Immediately after, jade, light blue, and white light began to seep out of Xiao Qi's body like smoke, and in the blink of an eye, the power became stronger. In what appears to be outer space, a new light source has been created, the area of which has expanded.

When everyone, including Kirito, saw this scene and let out an exclamation, which had never even been seen in ALo who could use magic and oSS, making unrealistic scenarios an everyday thing, Asuna screamed.

"What's going on!? What do you want to do!? \"

\"Hey, this is!? \"

The voice asked me to look to the side, and I saw Yui, who was stunned by what she saw. As a navigation elf who has access to all kinds of information, Kirito immediately shouted to his child that the child must have seen Seven and understood something.

\"Yui, what the hell is going on!? What exactly does Xiao Qi want to do!? \"

\"Daddy now has a huge amount of data pouring into Miss Seven's body! The data that makes up the magic pet、oSS data In short,All kinds of data poured into Miss Seven's clone at once.。 "What the hell is this!? \"

As if in response to this voice, Xiao Qi, who was covered in light particles, raised his head and made a sound. His tone was strange, like noise.

\"I've made all the data that Hapia has, as well as the destination of the data of the cloud brain, into my clone, and if such a huge amount of data is combined, even if Kirito, they are my opponents, even if I try, I won't lose." \"！ ”

"W-What?! If you do, you will!! \"

Before he could say anything more, Xiao Qi dispersed more light particles and shouted loudly, his voice mixed with noise. At this time, the clothes wrapped around Xiao Qi's body had begun to disappear, mixing with the particles gushing out of Xiao Qi's body.

"I'm going to be the hero of the conquest of Swaldjärfheim! I want to show you my final victory and continue my experiments as everyone's idol and goddess! I'm going to keep singing "Ragnarok Pastoral" and then! Become a real hero, a real hero who surpasses the heroes who have cleared SAo! Recognized by everyone as a true hero, the strongest hero! \"

As if synchronized with the sound, Xiao Qi's body was finally engulfed by light particles, and it didn't take long for it to turn into a ball of light much larger than that, just like Hapia, and flew high into the room.

"I am absolutely, absolutely and always recognized!!"

At this moment, a voice sounded from within the ball of light, which seemed to be some kind of independent egg, and the ball of light floating in the air suddenly exploded, dyeing the black space into pale blue and white, and Kirito and his friends were immediately taken aback.

At the moment when the light stopped, Kirito turned his gaze back to his eyes, and suddenly he couldn't say a word.

In the sky above the space where Xiao Qi was just now, there was a concrete shape that was twice as large as Lilan's, and it looked like a combination of the body of a western dragon and the body of a human woman, with scales and fur silver blue, white and light color. The whole body is wrapped in armor with a background color, the arms and legs are connected, there are wings with pure white feathers, from the shoulders to the waist there is a pair of wings similar to giant angels, and a pair of huge wings on the outside, a white dragon, the silhouette is like a dragon, the whole body is armored, and the horns like the tip of a spear grow on the forehead, which are covered with faint blue, light blue, and white particles.

Her appearance was extremely eerie, but the angelic wings and the white color everywhere, as well as the divine aura, made her look like a goddess in the form of a dragon.

When they saw the figure that could be called a white divine dragon, everyone present was speechless, and could only watch it levitate in mid-air, but then Lilan beside Kirito spoke up.

"I didn't expect something like this to come true"

"Lilan!? What did you find? ”

According to Lilan, the white dragon was Seven. Xiao Qi tries to fill his doppelganger with as much data as possible so that he can process it himself. As a result, Seven's player avatar data is overloaded, and this is what it looks like.

"This girl is so reckless!"

"Ah, you've done something unbelievable. He's probably the one in ALo who made this happen to Yui. ”

As soon as Rui Ran's words fell, the White God Dragon let out a powerful roar. Immediately after, a 'voice' came directly into my head, but it was not Lilan's, but Xiao Qi's.

\"Fight, Kirito-kun! That's the end of it all!! \"

“！”

Originally, Xiao Qi was also a 'beast tamer'. And now, it seems that Seven is absorbing the vast amount of data that the demon has and merging it into one. What Seven did was perhaps called the greatest feat in the history of ALo.

However, Kirito soon realizes that Seven has fallen into a state where it shouldn't happen and that he won't be alone if he continues to do so, and at the same time, Kirito quickly comes up with a way to get Seven back. Return to normal. Shout to Lilan on the left.

"If she lets Seven go like this, she won't be able to escape for nothing. And, if we don't stop Seven, the girl will definitely commit more violence. \"”

"As a sister, I can't let go of something like this. \"

\"That's right. So, use our own hands to stop that girl. \"

"Yes!!"

When Lilan nodded and admitted that he had pulled the sword from the scabbard on his back, Kirito also reached into the scabbard on his back and pulled it out, ready to go. When the white dragon entered his field of vision, Kirito let out a miserable scream.

"Guys, that number seven is the final boss of our Black Jarfheim, let's defeat the final boss and get your rewards!!"

Just then, a voice similar to Kirito's command rang out around them, and the final boss battle in Svaltjarfheim began.