With Lillian and his group taking such an active role, the current state of Sword Art Online had already diverged drastically from the original storyline.
For example, many guilds that should have existed never formed at all. Some red-name guilds did appear, but they were nothing more than rats scurrying across the street—utterly lacking the dominance they once had in the original story. They were quickly hunted down and imprisoned, never lasting long. Most importantly of all, the Knights of the Blood Oath never came into existence.
Originally, Lillian had hoped that once Akihiko Kayaba appeared, things might become simpler—perhaps even allowing them to bypass the remaining dungeon floors altogether. But to his surprise, Kayaba never showed himself.
That alone made it impossible to believe Kayaba hadn't noticed Lillian's existence. Precisely because of this, Lillian had begun to feel increasingly anxious and tense. It wasn't concern for himself—his real worry lay with Yui and Kizmel. Though both seemed to have awakened self-awareness, they were still fundamentally bound by the game's underlying code. If that limitation was to be removed, the control console was a place that could not be avoided.
After returning to the guild territory Lillian had established in the wilderness of the 80th Floor and resting briefly, Lillian specifically called Kirito over. Asuna naturally came along as well—after so much time together, the two had already confirmed their relationship.
"There might be something later that I'll need your help with," Lillian said to Kirito.
Lillian himself was completely ignorant when it came to computer technology—he only knew basic operations. Kirito, on the other hand, had somehow managed in the original story to download Yui directly from the system into his NerveGear. Lillian had no idea how that was even possible. Watching the anime, it had looked like Kirito just typed furiously for a moment and—done. Even now, Lillian still didn't understand how it worked.
No one else was needed. The five of them returned to the Starting Town on the First Floor.
"It looks like everyone here has already gotten used to life inside the game," Asuna said as she looked at the players walking along the streets.
Most of them wore only the most basic equipment. In fact, many weren't wearing any equipment at all—just plain "clothes" with no stats. Since they never fought, or only hunted weak monsters like wild boars outside the town, equipment was completely unnecessary for them.
They spent their days doing nothing, earning just enough col to eat and drink, with the rest of their time passing in idle boredom. It was safe—but for someone with a spirit of adventure, it was a life that would be unbearable even for a single day.
Half a year had passed, and these people were still stuck in the Starting Town. They could teleport to safe zones on higher floors, but the higher the floor, the higher the cost of living. They could never stay long, and in the end, they always had to return here.
"That kind of life would be unbearably dull," Kirito said with a sigh.
The four of them made their way underground on the First Floor, near the prison beneath the Black Iron Palace. Kirito took out a teleport crystal and set a transfer point there, then went back to bring Lillian over.
Because Lillian was permanently orange-named, he couldn't enter towns or go underground normally. Teleportation via crystal was the only option. Fortunately, the Black Iron Palace contained a prison—otherwise, even teleporting in would have been impossible for an orange-name player.
Flash! Flash!
Two beams of light appeared as Lillian and Kirito teleported in, arriving underground. Without wasting any time, they headed straight for the dungeon.
"The monsters that spawn here are roughly on the level of a 60th Floor dungeon," Lillian said. "They're nothing to us. But the gatekeeper boss is extremely strong. Don't act rashly—leave it to me and Kizmel."
"Got it," Kirito and Asuna nodded.
They had known Lillian long enough to understand his personality. He wasn't someone who exaggerated. If he said it was strong, then it truly was. If even Lillian considered it troublesome, then interfering would only get in the way.
As they advanced, nearly every monster they encountered was instantly killed by Lillian. Even Kirito and Asuna could defeat enemies in just two strikes. At this point, these monsters were simply far too weak for them. Even so, the gap between them and ordinary players was like a vast chasm—though that had been the case for a long time already.
Before long, they entered a narrow corridor. Unlike other dungeons, the underground of the First Floor had very few branching paths, making it easy to find the route leading to the "Boss Room" at the top.
"Stay alert."
Lillian put on his helmet. His entire body was encased in silver alloy armor, the tip of his greatsword resting against the ground as he walked at the front. Kizmel followed closely behind him. Kirito and Asuna took positions on the left and right rear, forming a triangular formation. Yui stayed behind Kizmel, at the very center of the triangle—the safest possible position.
The corridor was eerily quiet. The only sounds were the heavy clank, clank of Lillian's metal armor and the slightly tense breathing of Kirito and Asuna.
Halfway through the corridor, Lillian suddenly stopped.
It's here.
A massive scythe slashed down from above without warning. Lillian shouted, "Scatter!" as he raised the Dark Knight Greatsword to block.
CLANG—ZZZZT!
Steel collided violently, lighting up the entire corridor. The others immediately retreated, and when they looked up, they saw the attacker—
A grim reaper shrouded in a black cloak, wielding a scythe.
[The Fatal Scythe]
The Reaper launched a flurry of rapid attacks the moment it appeared. Its speed was so extreme that Kirito and Asuna could barely follow the movements at all—everything blurred before their eyes.
Yet Lillian blocked every single strike, trading blow for blow with the Reaper.
"This thing… it's at least as strong as a 90th Floor boss!" Kirito said in shock. Turning to Asuna, he added, "Lillian was right. We can't join in—we'd only get in the way. All we can do is stand by."
"Right," Asuna agreed.
Kizmel was different. She joined the fight immediately, fighting alongside Lillian to suppress the Reaper.
As an NPC, her growth rate was something players simply couldn't comprehend. After half a year, she was already capable of fighting Lillian evenly. Even Lillian himself found it astonishing—though when he thought about it, it made sense. Having awakened self-awareness, and despite lacking GM authority, her understanding of the game's combat system far surpassed that of players.
The confined space limited everyone's movement. Blades flashed dangerously, making the battle look incredibly perilous—but only on the surface. In Lillian's eyes, the outcome was already decided.
If there was one thing he had truly gained over the past half year, it was this: he no longer relied solely on raw physical stats.
So many floors. So many monsters. So many bosses with wildly different mechanics.
All of it had forged his combat skill into something terrifyingly refined. That skill—unlike stats—was something he could carry with him even after leaving this world.
Because of it, he felt no fear even when facing such a monstrous enemy. Half a year ago, he would have had no choice but to run. Physical strength alone couldn't handle "spiritual" entities like this.
Five minutes later, the supposedly invincible gatekeeper's HP was completely depleted.
The flames in its skeletal eyes vanished. Its cloak and scythe ignited in green fire, burning away into nothingness.
"It's over…"
"No."
Lillian's gaze pierced through the burning remnants. Standing before the massive door was a human figure—as if he had been waiting for them all along.