The red health bar stopped.
Only a thin, almost invisible line remained.
Kayaba stood about ten paces away, looking down at the wound that pierced through his armor. There was no glowing light indicating gradual healing after a normal injury; only a very thin black line remained on his body's surface.
He raised his hand, and a red command window opened.
Administrator privileges are initiating damage repair.
The data on both sides of the wound kept filling in, but the black line remained. What was cut open by "Space· Mountain Severance " was not just the armor's durability, nor just the character's HP, but a segment of coordinates at the location of Kayaba.
As long as that space is not closed, the repair cannot find two ends that can be connected.
The last line of HP continues to decline.
Kayaba closed the window and did not raise the cross shield again.
So that's the answer.
Lin Yuan gripped the " Nameless " scroll, remaining vigilant.
"From the moment you mastered that sword technique with its unpredictable trajectory, I could no longer block you with my own reflexes." Kayaba glanced at the shield in his hand, "So I activated the system's assistance to accelerate my movements."
His voice remained calm, but it no longer carried the condescending tone he had when announcing the rules.
"Actually, I had already lost the moment I pressed that command."
Kirito, frozen in place, stared intently at him.
Kayaba possesses the authority of both creator and administrator, which allows him to make the shield faster and improve his reaction speed to a level that players can never reach. But it's no longer Heathcliff's Holy Sword defeating Lin Yuan; it's simply that the game creator used the rules to suppress those who don't belong to the rules.
"Then why do you continue?" Lin Yuan asked.
"Because I've always wanted to see with my own eyes that someone can transcend this world."
Kayaba looked up at the dome of the Ruby Palace.
"Speed, strength, skill, and life are all regulated by the system. The longer one lives here, the more easily one believes that everything displayed in the window is the limit."
"But I still believe that, at some point, human will will reach places the system wasn't prepared for."
He looked at Lin Yuan again.
"Therefore, I did not end the duel after using the assist. I wanted to know, when even an unpredictable sword is blocked by the system, will you still continue?"
The result is already clear.
Lin Yuan did not fall before the system accelerated, nor did he try to catch up with Kayaba at a faster speed. He simply unleashed a sword strike from outside all the predetermined coordinates.
The last line of HP was reduced to zero.
Kayaba's red armor began to turn into light fragments from the wound.
At the same time, the power binding the Ruby Palace disappeared.
Klein staggered out that step, and Asuna immediately rushed towards Kirito.
" Lin Yuan..."
Kirito was finally able to speak, but his voice was so dry that it was almost inaudible.
"No need to apologize." Lin Yuan knew what he wanted to say, "Just because you didn't gamble with everyone's lives doesn't mean you didn't fight."
Kirito's hand suddenly tightened.
A white light shone above the Ruby Palace.
The words that everyone had been waiting for two years slowly emerged.
Sword Art Online completed.
The hall fell silent for a moment.
The next moment, cheers, cries, and laughter erupted simultaneously. Some dropped their weapons, some hugged their companions, and others simply knelt on the ground, repeatedly confirming the finally appearing logout option.
Kayaba's body had already dissipated by more than half.
"The wielder of Dual Blades was originally destined to be the hero of this world, completing the final battle I designed," he said. "But the one who truly transcended the system was an existence never recognized by it."
An unnumbered record flew from his hand and stopped in front of Lin Yuan.
That was the permission crack left when Cardinal was severed, and also the boundary disturbance that the system detected when Lin Yuan entered Aincrad two years ago.
"The player's consciousness has a real-world return address; you don't."
"That sword strike just now proves that you can once again reach the edge of the world. If you want to go back, follow the trail you left behind to find the exit."
Kayaba took one last look at the disappearing Ruby Palace.
"This city has reached its destination."
His figure completely turned into light fragments.
The logout process then begins.
White beams of light rose from beneath each player's feet. Klein was still shouting that they would meet in reality when his body became transparent first; Asuna grasped Kirito's hand, and the two disappeared into the crowd together.
Kirito looked at Lin Yuan one last time.
We'll wait for you outside.
Lin Yuan nodded.
The white light took away the Black Swordsman, and also the last group of players in the Ruby Palace.
The noisy hall quickly emptied.
No beam of light appeared beneath Lin Yuan's feet.
The floating city lost its footing, and a muffled collapse sound came from afar. Cracks spread along the dome in all directions, and white fragments fell continuously, breaking down into data points in mid-air.
Lin Yuan grasped the unnumbered record hanging in front of him and picked up " Nameless " again.
All players have finished playing and have begun logging out with the system, while he has to find the exit himself.