"Yes! It has been a long time, has it not, Senior Kayaba Akihiko?"
Morin's voice was not loud, yet it exploded like a thunderclap in the ears of the other seventeen players, causing Kirito, Diavel, Klein, and the others, who were still in shock and had not even fully reacted, to almost lose their grip on their weapons.
"What is going on?"
"Kayaba Akihiko? That is right! That light aura, it is GM privilege or a special SAO authority!"
"How is this possible?"
The entire scene first fell into a deathly silence, followed by an uproar that threatened to lift the roof off the cathedral.
Seeing the barrier of light appear around Heathcliff no that is not right seeing it around Kayaba Akihiko a phenomenon clearly not attributable to player owned items or equipment coupled with the peculiar change in Kayaba Akihiko's "Heathcliff" name Kirito, Diavel, Klein, and the other elite players immediately sensed something was terribly wrong.
This was no joke.
Just now, "Heathcliff" was the main MT who held off the Dark Grand Duke. When the Boss fell, its health was at most around seventy five percent. Facing a surprise attack from two top tier players like Morin and Asuna, how could it still be above the fifty percent safety line?
Not to mention, that was clearly a GM or special permission locked health situation, which immediately alerted the elite players that something was wrong.
"...Morin kun, it seems I underestimated you."
Realizing that the gazes of the other players present were becoming increasingly strange, and that even Kirito, Klein, Diavel, and the Aincrad Liberation Force players were subtly aligning themselves with Morin and Asuna, the previously grim faced Kayaba Akihiko suddenly smiled and directly asked Morin, "So, how exactly did you see through my identity? Was there a misstep I made? Or..."
Kayaba Akihiko's direct admission of his identity was met with bewildered gazes from the other players, their worldviews almost shattering.
The vast majority of players were in a state of extreme shock and disbelief. The players from the Knights of the Blood Oath, however, wore expressions of near collapse. Witnessing their former hero and idol, Kayaba Akihiko, instantly exposed and revealed as the mastermind behind everything, was enough to drive those with weaker minds to madness.
However, when Kayaba Akihiko questioned Morin, the other players could not help but look towards him, including top players like Diavel, Klein, and Kirito, all wondering how Morin had seen through Kayaba Akihiko's disguise.
"Senior, you seem to have forgotten. We were once in the same school. Even before graduating, your paper was published in a world class science journal, making you famous worldwide, something I will never forget..."
A look of reminiscence appeared on Morin's face, his words seeming to echo from the depths of his soul.
Perhaps it was the inherited memory of Sugou Nobuyuki. Having witnessed Kayaba Akihiko's brilliance, Sugou Nobuyuki felt resentment at being overshadowed. A terrifying obsession to surpass Kayaba Akihiko took root in his heart, so strong that even in the memories Morin had inherited, its depth could be felt.
It was a memory that conveyed Sugou Nobuyuki's jealousy and desire to defeat Kayaba Akihiko even more profoundly than his pursuit and longing for Asuna.
"Is that so..."
Kayaba Akihiko mused for a moment, a hint of wistfulness in his voice.
"Guild Leader Morin!" Seeing the conversation between Morin and Kayaba Akihiko, Klein finally snapped out of his daze, raising his longsword and interrupting them. "What is with being polite to that bastard? Make him undo this damn game. We will never forgive this son of a bitch!"
It was not just Klein. The other players also wore unfriendly expressions and tightened their grips on their swords.
The players, including Asuna, might not fully understand Morin's feelings, but after hearing the exchange between Morin and Kayaba Akihiko, those who were still confused but knew that "Heathcliff" was Kayaba Akihiko now stood firmly on Morin and Asuna's side. Even the two elite players from the Knights of the Blood Oath had their expressions turn to shame, anger, and cold resolve as they raised their weapons, directly aiming at the leader they had once followed and trusted.
Strictly speaking, upon discovering that the leader they had trusted and followed was actually the mastermind behind the death game SAO, the two elite players from the Knights of the Blood Oath were the ones who most wanted to wash away the shame with blood.
"Do not act rashly."
In response to Klein and the others' stance, Morin raised his hand to stop their intended actions.
This was no joke. Their opponent was Kayaba Akihiko, the ultimate mastermind of the first season of Sword Art Online. If these players rashly attacked now, they would only disrupt Morin's carefully laid plans.
"A wise choice indeed."
Feeling the gazes of Klein, Diavel, Kirito, and the other players focused on him, Kayaba Akihiko showed no discomfort. His indifferent gaze swept over them, lingering slightly on Kirito before turning to Morin and Asuna, who stood together. His tone carried a hint of troubled amusement. "Morin kun, I truly did not expect you to discover my true identity. I had originally planned to give you all a surprise when we reached the hundredth floor, the Ruby Palace..."
"I am sorry, Senior Kayaba Akihiko, but I have absolutely no appreciation for your using our lives to conduct this death game called SAO."
Morin was equally direct, cutting off Kayaba Akihiko's lament.
After all, having entered the death game SAO, aside from the joy of being with Asuna, coupled with the memories of Sugou Nobuyuki, it would be a lie to say that Morin harbored no resentment towards Kayaba Akihiko. For over a year, Morin had truly gambled his life in a hidden death game against the openly known Kayaba Akihiko.
"Ha. So impatient to stage the battle between the hero and the demon whose disguise has been seen through?"
Kayaba Akihiko shrugged, not angered by Morin's rebuttal. He seemed like an audience member ready to enjoy the climax of a comedy, completely unfazed by the subtle movements of Morin and the other players. "Right now, knowing the demon's identity is actually a burden for you. Prematurely challenging the demon to your death is not a good thing..."
"Senior Kayaba Akihiko, do you really think I would have discovered your identity without doing anything?"
In response to Kayaba Akihiko's words, Morin was not as tense as Kirito and the others. Instead, he slightly lowered the one handed longsword in his hand, speaking with a meaningful tone.
Did Morin have some kind of scheme?
The thought had just surfaced in Kayaba Akihiko's mind, but he dismissed it as unlikely.
The virtual game SAO was entirely Kayaba Akihiko's creation, from the framework to the control programs and subroutines of the main intelligence. Possessing absolute authority, he was practically a god in this game world. Even the top hacker teams organized by national powers in the real world could not breach SAO's defense system. When SAO's programs were under Kayaba Akihiko's control, they could not be easily infiltrated. Forcibly breaking into SAO would only lead to mutual destruction.
Morin and the other players were within SAO's world. As the god of this entire virtual world, why would Kayaba Akihiko fear any petty tricks Morin might play in front of him?
"Initiate GM mode. Activate the Ruby Palace Boss template."
Even though his reason told him that Morin was most likely bluffing, Kayaba Akihiko, feeling a vague sense of unease, abruptly activated the GM command.
However, after waiting for several seconds, Kayaba Akihiko discovered that the SAO system showed absolutely no response.
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Try Other Fics I Have
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