Only now did Asuna finally understand why Yuuki had brought everyone from the Sleeping Knight along to create unforgettable memories in ALO, and why they had gone on to challenge the Floor Boss and leave their names on the Swordsman's Monument.
It wasn't because the members of the Sleeping Knight had things to attend to in the real world and therefore had to disband their guild. It was because they had no choice but to disband it.
"Even after entering a sterile room, it's impossible to eliminate the bacteria and viruses that were already present in the body. As immune function declines, they continue to multiply. Kotonoha is currently infected with cytomegalovirus and nontuberculous mycobacteria. Her eyesight is almost completely gone, and the encephalitis caused by HIV is continuing to worsen. She can no longer move her body on her own."
"She has been infected with HIV for fifteen years, and has had AIDS for three and a half years. Kotonoha's symptoms are already at the terminal stage."
"At most, in a few more months, Kotonoha will probably have to say goodbye to this place—and to this world."
Kurahashi's voice, restrained with emotion, reached Asuna's ears, but it only left her mind utterly blank.
But this was the truth.
Yuuki's life was nearing its end.
So, in order to leave behind unforgettable memories at the very end, she and the others from her guild had overcome such immense difficulties and tried to defeat the Floor Boss with only a handful of people, leaving their names on the Swordsman's Monument.
And the reason Yuuki had left the world of ALO and stopped logging in, while also keeping a subtle distance from Asuna and refusing to grow too close to her, was to prevent the inevitable pain of their final separation from