A/N: Well after a long wait, it's finally here readers. The long awaited finale to the I Will Not Bow remake. I hope you all enjoy it.

Silence filled the boss room of Floor 75 as the raid group sat around, recovering from the exhausting boss fight that had been the Skull Reaper. Everyone barely had the energy to move, let alone stand. But there was also something else keeping them all silent. Fear.

Everyone knew someone would have to ask the question at some point. But no one wanted to hear whatever the horrifying answer was. Eventually though, Klein broke the silence by asking the fateful question himself.

"How many did we lose?"

Kirito pulled up his menu and took a look at the map of the room, counting the dots. A grim look came to his face as he came up with the number. "Fourteen of us died."

Everyone gasped as they heard the number echo in their heads. They could barely believe it.

"My god…" Riku muttered. "And we've still got twenty five floors to go."

"Twenty five floors…" Alice quietly mumbled as she leaned against Ren. "Can we even make it that far, Ren?"

Ren shook his head. "I don't know."

That was the honest truth. Ren really didn't know anymore if they'd be able to make it all the way. This fight had exhausted them. There was little doubt that even more players would sign off from the front lines after this. And the fights from here on would be just as dangerous, if not worse. And then there was the final boss, the one that would be the most dangerous of all.

'Will we really be able to make it out of here?'

Suddenly everyone's thoughts were interrupted by a loud clang. All heads turned to see Kirito attack Heathcliff, with his sword being blocked by a sudden barrier hovering midair. Two words could be seen on it.

Immortal Object

'What the hell...?' Ren thought as he tried to make sense of what was going on.

Asuna looked at Heathcliff, just as confused as the rest of the players. "Immortal object? Commander, what's going on?"

"I can answer that." Kirito said. "The system protects his HP from going below the green zone. And the reason behind that is pretty simple, although I only just figured it out a second ago."

"What are you getting at Kirito?" Helios asked.

"You see I always wondered something. Where does he sit around, watching us as we play this game? But then I realized something. There's nothing more boring than watching someone else play an RPG." Kirito looked directly at Heathcliff. "Is there, Akihiko Kayaba?"

Everyone's eyes widened as they gasped in shock. They all looked at Heathcliff. Was the man that had led the assault team for so long really Kayaba? Could it be true?

"Just for my curiosity's sake, how did you figure it out?" Heathcliff asked.

"I felt something was up back during our duel. That last move you pulled there, it was way too fast." Kirito explained.

Heathcliff nodded his head understandingly. "I should've figured as much." He looked at the group of players. "Yes, I am Akihiko Kayaba. And now that you know that, you shouldn't be surprised to know that I'm the final boss on Floor 100."

"No way…" Ren gasped. All this time, Heathcliff… no. Kayaba… had been toying around with them like fools.

"You… You goddamn bastard…" Helios growled.

Before anyone could even make a move, Heathcliff shuffled through his menu. After pressing a few buttons, everyone felt their bodies stiffen up and fall over. As Ren looked up at his HUD, he could see a paralysis icon. 'Damnit…'

"What's the plan?" Kirito asked. "Kill us all and cover it up?"

"Not exactly." Heathcliff said with a shake of his head. "I have a better idea. I'll head to the top floor and wait for all of you there. But first…" he said as he stared directly into Kirito's eyes. "I'm going to give you a chance Kirito. You can duel me one on one, right here and now. Win, and the game will be cleared and everyone will be able to log out."

'He can't be serious.' Ren thought. He looked over towards Kirito, seeing that the Black Swordsman was seriously thinking about the offer.

"Fine. You're on." Kirito responded as he stepped forward and brought out his two swords.

"Kirito, don't do it!" Ren called out. "Use your head!"

Kirito turned towards Ren. "Ren, when we first met I put you and Klein through some tough times by abandoning you on day one. I'm sorry for that. I regretted it every day. But you never seemed to let it bother you. It was like you agreed that I did the right thing. But I didn't. Even still, you became strong all on your own. I'm proud to call you my-"

"DAMNIT KIRITO, SHUT UP!" Ren suddenly yelled, cutting him off. Tears flowed from the tactician's eyes. "Don't you dare apologize like this! If you're gonna apologize, then do it to my face back in the real world!"

A small smile came to Kirito's face as he nodded. "Alright then. It's a deal."

Ren looked at his friend, feeling completely helpless as all he could do was watch. 'You better not die you idiot.'

Kirito looked back over to Kayaba. "If you don't mind, I have a request."

"What is it?"

"If I die here today, I want you to set it so that Asuna can't kill herself. At least for a little while."

"Very well."

"No Kirito, you can't do that! It's not fair!" Asuna cried out.

Kirito and Heathcliff stood across from each other. As much as Ren hated to admit it, whether Kirito won or not, this was going to be the final battle. If Kirito lost here, Asuna would be too broken to continue. If the front lines lost both of them, as well as their strongest player that had just turned traitor, there would be no way they'd be able to beat this game.

'Good luck Kirito. I hope you know what you're doing.'

Kirito went right on the offensive as he sped at Kayaba with a violent assault of slashes from Elucidator and Dark Repulsor. The Black Swordsman's blades clashed against Kayaba's shield. But no matter what Kirito did, he couldn't seem to get a clean hit in. And he didn't have enough power to break Kayaba's seemingly infinite defense.

The ironic thing was that Kirito might have enough power to break through Kayaba's iron wall of a defense with a sword skill. But Ren knew that was impossible. Kayaba designed the entire game, meaning he knew every sword skill like the back of his hand. Sword skills weren't an option in this fight. And that made things all the more difficult for Kirito.

Slash. Block. Swing Parry. The fight seemed like it would go on forever. Which would give out first, Kayaba's guard or Kirito's stamina? No end seemed to be in sight. But suddenly, a faint glow caught Ren's eyes. And he knew it wasn't a good sign.

Kirito, whether he knew it or not, had activated a sword skill.

A devastating combo, even stronger than the Starburst Stream move that Ren had seen Kirito use in the fight against Gleam Eyes, assaulted Kayaba. But the massive shield the game creator had was absorbing most of the damage. Finally, Kirito's Dark Repulsor clashed against the shield, the tip of the blade breaking off. Everyone gasped as they saw the sight.

"Game over, Kirito."

"KIRITO!"

It all happened so fast in Ren's eyes. Heathcliff's sword glowing in a bloody red light. A sudden blur rushing right past Ren towards Kirito. The blur stepping in front of Kirito and taking the slash for herself. Everyone's eyes widened in horror as they saw Asuna fall back into Kirito's arms.

"Asuna… no…" Ren gasped. The Lightning Flash said something to Kirito before she shattered into fragments.

"ASUNA!" Alice cried out.

All of the life from Kirito's face seemed to have vanished. He simply stood there as Kayaba impaled him with his sword. The health slowly drained from his HP gauge.

"No Kirito… You can't give up…" Ren sobbed, but he knew it was useless. He knew that if what just happened to Asuna had happened to Alice, he would probably be in the exact same state.

It took a bit, but Kirito's HP finally hit zero. Ren saw Kirito's body begin to glow. But it didn't shatter. Instead, it seemed to get somewhat fuzzy.

"Not yet…" Kirito said.

Kayaba stepped back in shock. Kirito grabbed Asuna's rapier from the ground and charged at him with a loud roar. He stabbed Kayaba with the thin blade and the game creator's HP fell to zero along with him.

"No way…" Ren gasped.

Both Kirito and Kayaba shattered simultaneously. A few seconds after they did, Ren and the others regained the ability to move. They all stood up and stared at the spot that Kirito and Kayaba had been standing at just moments ago.

"Is… Is it really over?" Alice asked.

"It is." Ren nodded.

Suddenly a bell echoed throughout the room, and throughout all of Aincrad. A female voice spoke out. "As of November 22, 12:55 the game has been cleared. Repeat, the game has been cleared."

The players in the room all looked around at each other, unable to believe that their fight was finally over. Their faces slowly brightened into smiles when they realized that it was actually happening. Alice was in a similar state, as Mai ran up and hugged her sister. As Alice looked over at Ren, she saw a distant expression coming from him as he continued to stare at where Kirito had been. She walked up to him. "Ren? Are you ok?"

"Goddamnit, Kirito…" Ren muttered.

"Ren?"

"Damn you Kirito! You glory hogging bastard!" Ren cried as he kneeled to the ground and slammed his fist against the stone floor. "Why'd you have to go and die like that when we all get to leave! It's not fair!"

Alice frowned as she wrapped her arms around her boyfriend as he cried. She understood what it was like. Kirito was one of the first friends Ren had made in SAO. He had taught him everything he knew, perhaps saving his life in the process. They all owed their lives to Kirito, him and Asuna both.

Suddenly all of the players saw their bodies began to glow slightly. They all looked at each other, wondering what was going on.

"Does this mean… we're logging out?" Alice asked. Her eyes widened as she looked at Ren, realizing something important. She had no idea how to find him back in the real world. "Ren…"

Ren looked at Alice, and could tell what she was thinking. He gave her a reassuring smile. "It's alright. We'll find each other in the real world. Even if I have to crawl my way to you, I promise I'll find you."

Tears came to Alice's eyes. "I'll be waiting. So at least let me tell you my real name." She leaned in and whispered in his ear. "My name is Alicia Tsuki."

"Alicia Tsuki…" Dan echoed, making sure to memorize the name. He whispered into her ear next. "Alright then. My name is Dan Hiryo."

Alicia smiled and nodded her head, as her body began to glow even brighter. "Alright then. I'll be waiting Dan."

Both Ren and Alice glew brighter and brighter, until they both vanished in a flash of light, along with all of the surviving players of Sword Art Online.

Clair Hiryo sat silently in class as she listened to her teacher talk. She scribbled in her notebook, taking notes from what she saw on the board. The same daily routine that was expected from school.

"So class, as you can see here we-"

"Clair Hiryo to the main office." a sudden announcement came, cutting the teacher off. "Clair Hiryo to the main office."

A collection of "Oooooo" was heard across the room, but the teacher quickly hushed them. "Now, now, let's not have any of that." She looked at the student in question. "Well Clair, off you go. Best not to keep them waiting."

"Yes ma'am." Clair said as she gathered her things and walked out of the room with her schoolbag.

As Clair walked down the halls, her mind couldn't help but wonder what she was being called down for. She hadn't done anything, as far as she knew of. She wasn't the type to get into trouble. So what was this about?

As Clair walked into the office she saw one of the guidance counselors waiting for her. She was even more curious now as to what was going on.

"Have a seat, Ms. Hiryo." the counselor said as she motioned to one of the chairs in the waiting area. Clair did as she was told and had a seat. "We just received a call from your mother. It seems the hospital called her. It's about your brother."

At the mention of her brother, Clair's body tensed up. She had been dreading this happening ever since she had found out her brother had been trapped two years ago. 'No… please no… You can't be dead, big brother… You can't…'

"It seems that he's awake."

All of the tension in Clair's body vanished in an instant as she heard this, and was instantly replaced by pure disbelief. She stared at the counselor with widened eyes. "What… what did you say?"

"According to your mother, the hospital called and said your brother is awake." the counselor repeated. "She's on her way here now to pick you up so you can both see him."

Tears formed in Clair's eyes. Two years. Two years she had been separated from her older brother. She had been forced to look at him simply lying on a hospital bed, unable to interact and talk with him. But now… he was actually awake? It was the happiest day of her life.

The happiest she had been in two years.

'Where am I?'

Ren slowly opened his eyes as he woke up. He could feel the Nerve Gear on his head. But it seemed deactivated and loosened now compared to how it was when he first put it on. Ren tried to move his arms to remove it, but they felt so weak, almost to the point of absurdity. He finally managed to gather enough strength to sit up and pull the Nerve Gear off his head.

'Well I'm not dead, so I guess that means SAO really is over.' Ren thought to himself.

Suddenly the door to his room swung open. A woman that Ren could only assume was a nurse came in with widened eyes. She called out into the hall. "This one too! They're all awake!"

Soon there were a few doctors in Ren's room, all of them doing quick tests on his body. Ren could feel just how weak his body had gotten over the past two years, which made sense considering he had been simply lying in a hospital bed all that time. After the doctors quickly finished, they left Ren alone to go to the other survivors that had woken up.

'I actually made it out. I can't believe it.' Ren thought. A small frown came to his face. 'I just wish you could have come back with us. Kirito. Asuna.'

A few minutes later, the door to Ren's hospital room opened. A nurse entered the room. "Excuse me, was your in-game name Ren by any chance?"

"That would be me." Ren nodded. "Is something wrong."

"Oh no, nothing at all." the nurse assured him. "There was just a message someone from one of the other hospitals wanted to give to you."

"Did they say who it was?"

The nurse nodded her head. "Yes, he said to tell you it was… Kirito."

Ren's eyes widened. "What…? What was that name you said?"

"Kirito." the nurse said again. "He apparently wanted to let you know he was ok." The nurse turned around. "Now then, I believe that's all. I must get back to work."

Ren laid back against his bed, trying to process the fact that Kirito was alive. 'He's alive... And if he's alive, does that mean Asuna's alive too?' Ren felt so happy that he could cry. Two of his friends that he had thought to be dead were still alive.

Several minutes passed by as Ren laid in his hospital bed. Time ticked away as Ren wondered what was going to happen next. He waited for the doctors to come back and explain what was going to happen now that they were awake. Suddenly the door to his room opened once again. Ren was expecting a doctor or nurse, but who he saw instead surprised him.

It was a little girl, around the age of thirteen, with long brunette hair that fell about halfway down her back. She had bright blue eyes, similar to Ren's. She was wearing a blue winter coat and seemed out of breath as she looked at him. Ren and the girl stared at each other for what seemed like forever. She looked a little different since he had last seen her, but he still recognized her the second she had entered the room.

It would be hard for him to not recognize his own sister after all.

"Big brother…" Clair muttered, tears welling up in her eyes. "Is it really you?"

Ren showed a small smile to the girl. "You've gotten taller since I last saw you, sis."

Clair broke out into tears as she ran up and threw herself at her brother, crying out in pure joy. "I missed you! I missed you so much!"

Ren smiled as he gently rubbed the young girl's back, tears forming in his own eyes as well. "Me too, Clair. Me too."

It wasn't even a minute longer before Ren's mother walked into the room. Apparently, Clair had run on ahead of her once they had arrived at the hospital. Ren chuckled as he heard the story, remembering how energetic Clair tended to be at times.

Ren felt his mother look at him with tears in her eyes. She looked at him with a warm smile, one that Ren hadn't seen in so long. "Welcome home, kiddo."

Ren had never felt so happy to have survived this long until this moment. He was back. He was finally home. But he couldn't stop here. He had to get up and walking again as soon as he could.

After all, he had someone he needed to find and keep a promise to.

A/N: I hope you all liked the ending to the remake of the first book. Now all of you that have been patiently waiting for this to end can go on to read Blazing Revolution, as well as the third book Blazing Generations. If you run across any chapters you really like while reading it, be sure to review.

To celebrate the fact that this story is finally done, I recently uploaded a little project I've been slowly working on over the past few months. As I'm sure you all remember me saying, the beginning of Blazing Revolution was far from my best work, plus the first twelve chapters were written out back when I was using first person. As a result, I rewrote the first twelve chapters of the story from first person to third person instead, plus I tuned them up a bit. Once chapter 13 starts, it will be back to how I started writing when I began using third person, but I'm sure you will all enjoy them nonetheless.

Have fun reading Blazing Revolution everyone.