Chapter 128: Promise to Meet Again
"Well then, how does it feel now? Mr. Sugo, who could only steal Kayaba Akihiko's achievements and claim them as his own."
"..."
"Without your so-called 'Ultimate Magic that I conceived,' you really can't do anything, can you, Mr. Sugo?"
"You brat!"
"All your skills and weapons are supposed to be the strongest, right? The all-powerful Sugo, who left everyone helpless."
"Shut up! You arrogant little punk!"
"That's all you've got to say? How pitiful."
"You bastard!"
"Hah, I'll take pity on you. How about this—if you can land even a single hit on me, I'll admit defeat. Sound good?"
"Wh-what kind of joke is that!?"
"Huh? You've already been beaten to a pulp and still think you can beat me?"
"Damn it... fine! Then today, we'll settle this in one strike!"
"Hey, did you all hear that just now?"
"That's… unique, in a way."
"Yeah, that was kind of…"
"Brother, if this is what being mature means, Komachi doesn't want to grow up!"
"Well, since Mr. Sugo was so kind to make this offer, allow me to represent everyone and express our thanks."
"Oh divine one, I am overwhelmed with gratitude that you would adopt my humble suggestion."
Hachiman finished speaking and bowed deeply to Sugo.
"Idiot! You're getting cocky! I'll make you pay!"
Sugo, seemingly thinking this was his chance, raised his sword and swung at Hachiman with a triumphant expression.
But the blade was easily deflected by Hachiman, and Sugo staggered backward.
"You really thought you could hit me in your current state?"
"W-why can't I hit you!? You were lowering your head!"
"In this posture, predicting your attack path is way too easy. Don't you get it? This is a game, not child's play."
"Damn it! My next attack will definitely land!"
"Ah... honestly, I'm not great at torture or anything like that. But since we're fighting inside a game, I can attack you without any reservations."
"Take this!"
Sugo didn't wait for Hachiman to finish speaking—he swung wildly.
Hachiman blocked all the attacks effortlessly, looking bored.
Watching, Komachi asked in admiration:
"Kirito-san, Sis, is this the rumored special move of my brother?"
"It's not just defense—it seems like a full parry stance where he can instantly counter every attack."
"Yeah, that's Hachiman's usual style."
"Originally, he should have a shield with a built-in mechanism on his left arm, but this place doesn't have that function."
"I see. Getting countered no matter what you do—that's terrifying."
"But he's not countering right now. Probably thinks it's too annoying and wants to end this in one go."
"Ah, look! Hachiman just yawned."
"Brother must be getting bored."
"But I doubt he'll just end it like that."
"Time's about up. Let's finish this."
Hachiman said, and at the right moment, launched a powerful counter.
Sugo was sent flying several meters and crashed to the ground in a starfish pose.
"Guaaaaaah!"
"Okay, that's it."
Hachiman kicked the [Holy Sword] far away, then stepped on Sugo's stomach and—surprisingly gently—said:
"Losing your left hand should be incredibly painful, but you're still conscious. I've gained a little respect for you—for your persistence, mostly."
"Of course! I am a god!"
"You're still saying that? Whatever. I've got a few things to tell you."
"Your actions have basically all been exposed to the government. Once Asuna finishes giving her statement, the police will storm Rect Progress Inc."
"Damn it… if not for you—"
"Oh, I'm flattered you see me that way. But even if I hadn't acted, Kirito over there would have. And if not him, the other SAO survivors would've done something. You thought you had everything covered, but the experiences we've lived these past two years... aren't something trash like you can trample over."
"By the way, if this guy gets caught, what kind of sentence is he looking at? Anyone know?"
Hachiman turned to ask the three behind him.
"Hmm… not murder, but probably kidnapping and unlawful confinement of minors?"
"He'll definitely owe huge compensation. As for the specific punishment…"
"The current legal system might not be able to handle this properly."
"I see. Well, we'll leave that to Haruno-nee-san to sort out. But we should nail down a few things to prevent him from pulling anything."
"Asuna, Komachi—cover your eyes and ears for a moment."
"…"
"What's Brother going to do?"
Once he confirmed the two had followed his instructions, Hachiman suddenly stabbed his weapon into Sugo's groin.
"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
"Hey Hachiman! Don't make me see something that gross!"
"Believe me, I'm disgusted too. But to stop him from ever targeting another woman again, I figured it needed to be a permanent lesson. Sorry you had to be part of it."
"Ugh… I'm gonna have nightmares…"
"Sorry, sorry. I'll buy you dinner next time."
"You better!"
"Okay Kirito, tell Asuna and Komachi they can open their eyes now."
"Got it."
Hearing the signal, the two opened their eyes and looked at the convulsing Sugo. Though they could guess what had happened, they quietly said nothing.
"So, who wants the final blow? Or should Asuna do it?"
"No need. Leave it to Hachiman-kun. I don't want to look at this man any longer."
"Got it. Hey Sugo, you're at home right now, right? The police haven't arrived yet. If you have any shred of conscience left, turn yourself in."
"Also, just so you know—I logged in from near Asuna's hospital. Whatever you were planning to do to her, it's already failed."
"Actually, like I said earlier, there are already police stationed in her hospital room. So this is goodbye. Reflect on your stupidity in a cold prison."
Hachiman plunged his sword into Sugo's left eye. Sugo's body convulsed, but no scream came out.
A critical hit to the eye was intentional—to deplete his remaining HP all at once.
As the system message [Oberon has been defeated] appeared, all players in the field let out a victorious cheer.
"Whoa, what's with that system message?"
"He actually coded a system announcement for his own defeat?"
"Well, this way, everyone will know the fight's over. Great job, Brother!"
"Yeah—this is our victory!"
"Oh!"
"Sis, no need to hold back, go ahead and hug Brother all you want!"
"Mm… thank you, Komachi… Hachiman-kun!"
Asuna threw herself into Hachiman's arms and sobbed. He gently stroked her hair.
At that moment, he suddenly thought:
"Now that I think about it, maybe Sugo was also a victim in some way. Constantly compared to a genius like Kayaba, maybe he accumulated deep inferiority complexes."
"Maybe so… but that still doesn't excuse what he did."
"I really hope something like this never happens again… though if Asuna is ever in danger, I'll do it all over again."
"Hachiman-kun… I'm sorry."
"No need to apologize, Sis!"
"He's right. Let's log out and report Sugo to the police. I logged in near Asuna's hospital, so I'll come see you right after logging out. Just wait for me."
"Mm… Thank you, Hachiman-kun. Thank you too, Kirito-kun, Komachi."
"Alright, let's all prepare to log out."
"I want to go see Sis too, but this late…"
"I'll take you tomorrow. For now, rest. Kirito's gonna stay up by his phone tonight, right?"
"Yeah… all night."
"What is it?"
"This guy had Lisbeth put a note with his name and phone number right by her pillow."
"Ohhh, now I get it."
"Tomorrow we'll contact everyone and coordinate hospital visits."
"I'll log out now and notify Yukino-nee and the others!"
"I've got to explain the situation to the authorities too. See you all tomorrow!"
"I'll log out soon and explain to the police. See you later, Hachiman-kun! Yui will definitely come see you again too!"
"Okay, see you next time!"
"Yeah, later."
After the three logged out, Hachiman looked up at the sky and shouted:
"You watching, Kayaba Akihiko?"