Watching Seiya steadily close in, Akihiko Kayaba tried to shake Seiya's resolve with words.
Not everyone possessed the selfless spirit to sacrifice themselves for others, nor the determination to face death without fear.
If Seiya showed even the slightest hesitation at this moment, then Akihiko Kayaba's opportunity would come.
Unfortunately, Seiya, with Dawnbreaker in hand, had an incomparably resolute gaze and was not shaken in the slightest by Akihiko Kayaba's words.
As the brief stiffness ended and Seiya drew within arm's reach, Akihiko Kayaba knew he could no longer change the outcome. He swung his scythe at Seiya as well.
"Wenren-style Swordsmanship, Fourth Form—Morning Star!"
Seiya sprinted forward at high speed, growing faster and faster until he and his sword became a brilliant shooting star, piercing straight through Akihiko Kayaba's head.
At the same time, the scythe Akihiko Kayaba swung down at the very end pierced through Seiya's chest.
Both of their HP dropped below the critical threshold the instant the other's attack landed.
But according to the rules of Player versus Player, Seiya should have won. Though both of their HP Bars had been emptied, Akihiko Kayaba had died before him.
Dawnbreaker in Seiya's hand pierced through Akihiko Kayaba's head first. Only then did the falling scythe pierce Seiya's chest.
Though the gap between the two was almost nonexistent, the final damage calculation was right there.
After Seiya and Akihiko Kayaba traded their lives at the limit, a blinding white light instantly enveloped them both. It spread outward from them and soon covered the entirety of Aincrad.
In the vast white space, Seiya saw Akihiko Kayaba again. This time, however, he was neither Heathcliff nor the Grim Reaper in his BOSS form, but a human wearing a white lab coat.
"I didn't expect that even after resorting to cheating,