SAO 15 - Alicization Invading

by Reki Kawahara

  “Y… Yes.”

  Hearing Alice’s short reply, the Vice Commander nodded, maintaining her sweet smile.

  “Oh really. Then, can I go and see him after the strategy meeting?”

  “… What for, your Highness Fanatio?”

  “Come on now, don’t make that face. I’ve never wanted to cut that child.”

  Fanatio shrugged with a wry smile.

  “I only want to thank him. After all, the one who healed my fatal injuries was that boy.”

  “… It is as you say. However, I think there is no need for you to thank Kirito. As I hear, the one who healed you was the Former Highest Minister, Cardinal. And that person… Most unfortunately, left this world in the battle half a year ago.”

  Alice said, slightly relaxing the tension in her shoulders. But Fanatio looked leisurely up at the sky, nodded softly and said:

  “Yes… I vaguely remember. It was the first time I had experienced such a warm and powerful Healing Art. But the one who sent me to that Sage was Kirito, and… There’s something else I want to thank him for.”

  “Something else…?”

  “Yes. —When he battled me and struck me down.”

  … As expected, she still wants to slash Kirito.

  Seeing Alice take half a step back, Fanatio forcefully shook her head with a serious expression.

  “I’m serious. That child is the only man who has seriously crossed swords with me even though he knew that I am female, in the two hundred years I have been an Integrity Knight.”

  “Hah…? What… are you…”

  “In the past, I didn’t wear this thick helmet and fought with my face shown, like you. But one day, I realized it. The male Knights who were my opponents in mock battles, even the Dark Knights whom I fought with my life, held back just a sliver in their swordsmanship. Showing mercy because I am a woman is a deeper humiliation to me than crawling on the ground after being defeated.”

  But that’s just something that cannot be helped. Alice felt that that men who could ignore Fanatio’s facial beauty did not exist.

  After settling down in the outskirts of Rulid, she learned for the first time that, in the majority of the Human Empire, there were almost no Sacred Tasks that made women hold swords. At best, the exception were nobles and the children of Lords; in other words, ordinary female citizens were, in principle, unable to choose any method of survival other than becoming a wife, doing housework and raising sons and daughters.

  If this ancient custom bound the hearts of the men like the Taboo Index, it would really be ironic. It’s this existing prejudiced view that women should be protected by men that rendered many swords dull in front of Fanatio’s striking beauty. Even the Dark Knights who were inhabitants of the Dark Territory were no exception. Of course, Goblins or Orcs who had a completely different appearance were another discussion altogether.

  But as a fellow female Knight, Alice had completely ignored the musings of male Knights until now. She was sure that, no matter if the enemy held back or pushed with full force, she would definitely be stronger than them.

  — Your kind of rage is the proof that you are bound by your own identity as a female.

  Just as Alice was silently talking to herself, Fanatio was muttering the same thing:

  “— I used this helmet to hide my appearance and voice, and learned continuous sword techniques that kept enemies from nearing me. But this also means that I am too mired within my gender, right? That child saw through this immediately, but still fought me with all that he had. In my battle with him, I exhausted all of the sword and Art techniques that I knew, and eventually lost. I’m lucky for Cardinal’s help that saved my life, and when I regained consciousness, all of the pointless bindings in my heart had disappeared… In other words, as long as I can be strong enough to prevent my opponent from having concerns, it’ll be all right. It’s not unreasonable that I want to thank the boy who helped me understand this simple truth, and saved my life, now is it?”

  After saying this seriously, Fanatio suddenly smiled mischievously:

  “Also… I’m a little annoyed. That boy actually said that he absolutely did not feel any femininity from my face. So I wanted to try and do this and that to see if I can wake that boy up.”

  “Wha…”

  What the hell are you joking about?

  If Kirito really woke up, then won’t everything I’ve done up to today be completely worthless? Thinking from Kirito’s angle, I really can’t say that there’s absolutely no possibility.

  Without concealing the dangerous look between her eyebrows, Alice replied in a shrill voice:

  “Thank you very much for your kind words, but he is already resting now. I will pass on Your Highness Fanatio’s feelings to him tomorrow.”

  “Ahh.”

  Losing her smile, the Vice Commander’s long eyebrows twitched.

  “I need your permission to see that child? In the Cathedral, when you requested to meet with His Excellency the Knight Commander while he was tending to public matters, I never declined because of my personal feelings.”

  “I don’t need Your Highness Fanatio’s permission to see Oji-sama, do I? Besides, aren’t you supposed to see Oji-sama if you want to be pitifully defeated by a male Knight?”

  “Ah, I’d rather not for His Excellency. He’s the strongest swordsman in the world, and naturally he will hold back against everyone. Even if his opponent is a Dark Knight, he’ll be merciful.”

  “Heh, really? When he trains with me, Oji-sama drips with sweat and is really serious.”

  “…Your Excellency! Is this true?!”

  “Anyway, it’s Oji-sama who pampers this person too much…!”

  Alice and Fanatio turned to the side at the same time.

  The Knight Commander was not there.

  Where Bercouli was standing a few minutes ago, there was only the night wind that softly blew on the dry grass.

  Due to massive murderous intent released by acting chair Vice Knight Commander Fanatio Synthesis Two and Alice Synthesis Thirty who was newly joining the front, the strategy meeting held at six in the afternoon began with an unusually tense atmosphere.

  After Alice briefly introduced herself, she fiercely sat down on the portable chair set in the very front row.

  “…Alice-sama.”

  Sitting beside her, Eldrie quietly held out Siral Water. Alice grabbed the cup and downed the ice-cold, sour-sweet liquid. Exhaling deeply, she finally alleviated her mood.

  —In any case.

  There were really very few higher Integrity Knights with Divine Instruments. The only ones she knew the name and appearance of were the Knight Commander Bercouli of the «Time Piercing Sword», Fanatio of the «Heaven Piercing Sword», Eldrie of the «Frostscale Whip», and Deusolbert of the «Conflagrant Flame Bow».

  Including Zayta Synthesis Twelve with the alias «Silent», and the extremely young Knight boy Lenry Synthesis Twenty-Seven who seemed to be a Divine Instrument possessor, since this was the first time Alice was seeing them, she didn’t even know what kind of sword techniques they would use. No matter what, including the seven of the above and Alice of the «Fragrant Olive Sword», they constituted the higher Integrity Knights.

  The remaining nine were lower Integrity Knights without Divine Instruments, including Fanatio’s direct subordinates, the «Four Oscillation Blades». Within them were also the shadows of those two fearsome problem children, Trainee Knight girls who gave Bercouli endless headaches, Linel Synthesis Twenty-Eight and Fizel Synthesis Twenty-Nine. Although they were sitting quietly on chairs in a corner in front of them, will they really be useful?

  No matter what, the mere sixteen people constituted the full force of what the Integrity Knighthood was able to put into this absolute line of defense.

  Conversely, the thirty Defense Army Commanders composed of ordinary citizens were present. Although they were not without vigor, at a glance it was still possible to see the difference between their swordsmanship and tha
t of the Integrity Knights. Alice and the other higher Integrity Knights didn’t need to be mentioned, but even the lower Integrity Knights could probably effortlessly win against all thirty of them at once…

  “— In these four months, we have reviewed all tactics, but…”

  Speaking again at some moment, Fanatio’s voice brought Alice’s attention back.

  “What we can finally be sure of is that it would be very difficult to repel the enemy’s total attack power with our own battle strength right now, and when we are surrounded by the enemy, there would be no odds anymore.”

  Using the thin scabbard of her Heaven Piercing Sword as a baton, Fanatio pointed at a giant map spread out in front of the troops.

  “As you all can see, over here at the Mountain Range at the Edge, there are plains and rocky terrain spanning ten Kilol. If we are pushed back there, we would almost certainly be surrounded by the fifty-thousand-strong army and annihilated. Therefore, we must fight to the end in the hundreds-Mel wide, thousands-Mel long valley extending from the Great Eastern Gate. We shall set up a deep line formation here, focus on countering the enemy’s assault, and slice them away bit by bit. That is the basic operation. Are there any comments regarding this point?”

  The one who suddenly raised his hand was Eldrie. The young man stood up, his wisteria-colored curls shaking, as his usually casual but now suppressed rang in the air:

  “If the enemy were only made up of Goblins or Orc foot soldiers, we could cut down even fifty or a hundred thousand. But the enemy are also very aware of this. The Dark Territory has within it an Ogre army equipped with strong crossbows, and a dangerous Dark Sorcerer division. How are we to counter their torrential long-range attacks soaring over from behind the foot soldiers?”

  “About that, it’s a dangerous bet…”

  Fanatio paused, turning her eyes from Eldrie to Alice. She inadvertently straightened her back and continued:

  “… At the bottom of the valley, there is no sunlight even during the day, and the ground is devoid of vegetation. In other words, the Sacred Power in that space is very weak. Before the battle begins, if I and the others completely deplete that area, the enemy will be unable to invoke powerful incantations.”

  At Fanatio’s bold suggestion, the Knights and Defense Army Commanders all began to argue.

  “Of course, we’re the same. However, we only have about a hundred Sacred Artists on our side anyway. If we battle with Arts, the enemy’s Sacred Power expenditure would far exceed our own.”

  That is true. However —there were two problems with Fanatio’s operation.

  In place of Eldrie, who was now speechless, the archer Deusolbert stood up. The veteran knight clad in reddish-copper armor inquired in a steady voice:

  “So, perhaps the Her Highness the Vice Commander’s words are true. However, Sacred Arts are certainly not just for attack purposes. If the Sacred Power is exhausted, won’t we be unable to recover the Life of injured victims?”

  “That’s why I said it’s a dangerous bet. We have emptied the Cathedral treasury of all advanced catalysts [6] and healing medicines stored there and transported them here. If we restrict all Arts to Healing Arts and supplement them with medicines, we should be able to hold the fort for two days just with catalysts… No, three days.”

  This time there was even more surprised hustle and bustle. When the treasury of the Central Cathedral was mentioned, most people knew of a guarding force secure enough to become the subject of a fairy tale. They had only heard of treasures being moved inside; it was the first time in Human Empire history that they heard of bringing something out.

  Even the serious faces of the heroic Knights displayed silently shocked expressions. Waiting until Deusolbert sat down with a moan, Alice stood up.

  “There’s still… one problem, Your Highness Fanatio.”

  Clearing her mind of their argument a while ago, Alice brought up the second problem.

  “Although Solus and Terraria’s grace are thin, the valley is not completely dark, and moreover, it is not completely separated from the mainland. I believe that over the years, it has accumulated a massive amount of Sacred Power. Exactly who can completely deplete that power in the time before the battle begins?”

  This time, even Fanatio was unable to give an immediate reply.

  The valley that ran through the mountains was certainly narrower than the grassy plain that extended behind the camp, but even so, it was a hundred Mel wide and a thousand Mel long. To immediately drain that expansive space of the Sacred Power that covered it, hundreds of Artists must cast advanced Arts at the same time, but it was as Fanatio just said: there were not that many Artists in the Defense Army.

  Or, even if they numbered few, as long as they could drive an extreme-scale Art enough to change the environment, they might be able to completely expend the Sacred Power, but Alice couldn’t think of any people with that kind of power except the deceased Highest Minister Administrator and the sage Cardinal.

  However, the Vice Commander gazed at Alice with golden-brown eyes and shook her head forcefully.

  “No, there is. Only one person can do it.”

  “…… One person…?”

  Mumbling softly, Alice looked around at the Defense Army soldiers.

  But what came out of Fanatio’s mouth was a name she had never considered.

  “That’s you, Alice Synthesis Thirty.”

  “EH…?!”

  “You may not have noticed, but your strength now has exceeded the scope of an Integrity Knight. If it’s the current you, you should be able to use it… that world-creating, veritable godlike power.”

  Part 7

  “Are these ‘higher Integrity Knights’ really that strong?”

  Gabriel Miller asked during a bumpy ride inside of a gigantic tank dragged by a dinosaur-like two-headed monstrosity. However, this “tank” was more similar to a box on four wheels without treads or a turret.

  The silk-covered bench softened shaking somewhat but did not suppress it entirely. Still, in comparison to the nightmarish roller coaster Gabriel had to experience in the military vehicle known as a “Bradley”[7], this ride was nothing. Wine rippled regularly in a glass that stood on a folding table in front of him.

  Three days have already passed since they left Obsidia, but even though Gabriel had never experienced continuous movement for this long in the real world, he was almost completely unfatigued. This was most likely unrelated to the pleasure of sitting in this so-called tank and actually because this was a virtual world.

  Besides Gabriel’s feet, lying on a soft carpet, the beautiful woman in unkempt clothing massaged her bandaged right leg and nodded.

  “They are very strong indeed… In nearly three hundred years of combat history, not a single one of our Dark Sorcerers or Dark Knights has managed to kill one… I don’t know if you can understand this kind of example? Of course, the opposite has happened countless times, as many times as there are stars in the sky.”

  “Hm…”

  In place of Gabriel who fell silent, Vassago, who was sitting on the opposite side with his legs crossed holding a bottle of distilled wine, asked in a half-suspicious voice:

  “But listen, D, baby. If those weirdly named bunch of Integrity… Knights are really that awesome, how come they never invaded us themselves?