Am I the only one streaming Sword Art Online on the entire internet?

“…I understand, Mr. Borden.”

"And the cross, that thing should not fall into anyone's hands. We can forgive many things, but the only exception is the balance between life and death."

------

Just as the battle began, the owner of the car Aivisin was in left. Kirito, who was currently huddled inside the car watching the fight, couldn't help but feel a chill for Mo Yulan. He had initially expected a fierce gunfight or a one-sided surprise attack, but this situation was truly beyond his expectations.

"Sugo... why... why isn't that man afraid of bullets?" he muttered to himself. Mo Yulan was clearly at a disadvantage, and behind him was the hospital where Yuna and Asuna were. There was no way he could retreat.

Kirito began searching inside the car. If the car's security measures were adequate, he should be able to find two large wrenches and a fire extinguisher. While these items couldn't compare to the katana in Sugo's hand, they could at least break this one-sided situation where no one could resist.

"Found it! It's here!"

After searching for a long time, he finally found two wrenches about the length of his forearm and a standard-sized fire extinguisher in a toolbox in the car. He put the two wrenches in a cloth bag, tied it around his waist with his belt, and then, holding the fire extinguisher in both hands, slowly moved out of the car.

Aiweixin saw Kirito's actions clearly and quickly flew above him to retrieve the items he had painstakingly found.

"If you really want to help Dad, Kirito, drive now and pick up Asuna and Mom. Hurry, Sugou doesn't have any ranged weapons." Ivy's voice was quite calm. Kirito stared blankly at Ivy, then nodded vigorously, got back into the car, and started it. The engine roared loudly as he floored the accelerator, and the car shot off.

Hearing the commotion, Sugo turned around and saw Kirito driving straight to the hospital. He immediately understood the situation. Ignoring Mo Yulan and Ai Weixin, who were no longer a threat to him, he chased after Kirito's car and ran towards the hospital.

"Damn it! Stop it right now!"

203. Ivy's Determination

The situation suddenly became bizarre. Kirito was driving in the lead car, followed closely by Sugou, and then Mo Yulan. It could be said that Mo Yulan's only advantage at the moment was that he still had air superiority, because Ivyxin had once again activated her electronic angel form and was flying above Sugou.

This was the scene that Youna could see from the hospital rooftop. Although she didn't know what had happened, a vague intuition told her that Mo Yulan needed her help.

She crouched at the very front of a horizontal flagpole on the roof, overlooking the surrounding scenery of the hospital. The faint cry of an eagle could be heard in her ears. Although there were no notifications like "Synchronization successful, scouting distance increased, XX fast travel point unlocked" that she had when she was [Shigemura Chika], she still felt completely familiar with her surroundings.

Yuna stood up straight, arms outstretched, letting herself lean forward gently in the breeze. She twirled half a circle in mid-air, completing this leap of faith with a textbook-perfect movement. The reassuring whistling of the wind and the cry of eagles still filled her ears, and as she approached the water's surface, an unknown force supported her body, allowing her to land steadily in the water at a moderate pace.

"Not a haystack, that's a bad review... If it were Solin, he'd probably say something like that." She muttered to herself, a faint smile suddenly appearing on her face. "Will I be able to see him soon?"

Of course, she hadn't forgotten that there had been a fierce battle before this reunion. She climbed out from the waterway, gently shook off the water, and checked that her katana and hidden blade were securely tied to her body. Then, she suddenly suppressed her aura, and a layer of gray mist enveloped her, as if she had vanished from the spot.

[Close the door and don't come out; Xuxiang is approaching your location.]

The phone, which she had kept close to her body, vibrated again. You Na took it out and glanced at it; it was another message from Mo Yu Lan. She shook her head, tapped the screen a few times with her right hand, and sent the message back.

Tell me about him; I'm outside.

"Stop fooling around! Go back now!" This time it was a voice message, and she could hear the anxiety in Mo Yulan's voice. However, she still did not obey his instructions and did not go back to the ward, lock the door, or hide.

The landscaping at this private hospital was quite nice, with a small courtyard on the outside and a hedge of shrubs along its outer edge. She surveyed her surroundings, then ducked inside the hedge. The shrub branches scratched her a few times; she frowned, but remained in her crouching position.

Trust me, and you and Little Ivy alone can't take him down. I just saw it up there.

------

"Where does Yuna get her confidence from... Even if it's the bleeding effect, she's been bedridden for over a year and a half..." Mo Yulan pondered this, then put his phone away and continued chasing after Xuxiang.

He had just had Ivysin try to attack with preheated fragmentation grenades on the way. However, fragmentation grenades cause damage by using the fragments after the explosion. Even if the fragmentation grenade was accurately detonated in front of Sugo, the fragments were forcibly deflected to the side by the Mayan armor. In the end, there was only the shock wave from the gunpowder explosion, which caused only minor damage.

The chase didn't last long, since they were already close to the hospital when they stopped Sugou. Taking advantage of her air superiority, Ivy was the first to reach the hospital entrance, helping Kirito hack into the electronic doors and allowing him to rush inside. She then waited at the entrance.

“They killed my most trusted subordinate, bombed my servers, hacked my database, and then looted my armory… Great hero Sorin really raised a capable daughter.” Sushou stood in front of Ivyxin, sword in hand, his tone flat, as if these losses were nothing to him. “Get out of the way, I don’t want to chop up women. Especially not a little brat like you who hasn’t even grown up yet.”

“You deserve what you got for taking Avixin’s mother!” Avixin’s tone was icy. She put down her IWS-2000, man-portable rocket launcher, and backpack, and faced Xu Xiang with her bare hands, assuming a fighting stance. “Avixin won’t let you take your mother away. Come on up if you dare.”

"..." This time, Sugo didn't waste any more words. He rushed forward and slashed straight down at Ivy's head with his katana.

However, the next moment, Ivy made a decision that surprised him—she caught the knife with her left hand, and then her long-prepared right fist slammed straight into his face.

This was a full-force attack from the elite Ironblood android, and even with Sugo's powerful physique honed through years of training, he was momentarily stunned. He took a small half-step back to dodge Ivy's next punch, followed by a kasaya slash.

Aivisin's left hand was severed in half by Sugo, and almost all of the little blood she had left flowed out, staining her entire palm red. The exposed part of the wound was also crackling with electricity, and it seemed that her left hand was completely unusable.

She thought for a moment, hardened her heart, and used her nearly malfunctioning left hand to block another knife, followed by a swinging punch aimed at Sugo's temple. However, this time, Sugo, who was on guard, easily dodged Ivy's attack. He stood to the side, examining Ivy's left hand lying on the ground and the exposed electronic components, and nodded thoughtfully.

"So that's how it is... Did you think the same trick would work on me twice?" After saying this, Xu Xiang charged forward again, but then, seeing what Aiweixin was holding, he quickly took two steps back at a much faster pace than before, his expression becoming quite interesting. "Are all the people in your family this kind of madman?"

The reason he was so frightened was simple: Aivisin was holding a piece of C4 with a detonator attached, and she looked at him with a forced smile. She could feel pain, but in her simple mind, if she could use her not-so-precious mechanical body to help Mo Yulan and You Na, it would be well worth it.

So, to Sugo's astonishment, she still wore a faint smile, then threw the C4 in her hand, detonating it in mid-air.

"Avishin! No!"

------

The author's note has temporarily disappeared, so you won't see my ramblings in the previous chapters, but I want to make an explanation here.

There's no intention to give the little angel a lunchbox.

204. I forgive you... Please die peacefully (Bonus Chapter 67/75)

The Mayan armor's capabilities are limited. It protects the wearer from stray arrows and missiles, but not from shockwaves. The C4 was much closer to Avishin than to Sugou, ultimately shattering Sugou's chest armor and scattering it in all directions thanks to the Mayan armor's properties, while simultaneously creating a gruesome wound on his chest. In contrast, Avishin, who threw and detonated the C4, is now nothing but wreckage.

[Ivy tried her best, Dad. Can Ivy play some games on your Steam account and rest for a while?]

Mo Yulan had just been looking like the sky had fallen, but when he saw Aiweixin's message, he suddenly felt a bit like laughing and crying. However, after thinking about it carefully, he realized that it was indeed true; since they had chased them here, Aiweixin had probably caused the most damage to Xuxiang.

However, a problem arose at this point. He knew about Ivy's situation, so he didn't feel much about Ivy's [death?]. However, the girl hiding in the bushes nearby had no idea what was going on.

Yuna stared wide-eyed at Aivisin, who was blocking Sugo's path and trying to take him down with her. Unconsciously, blood-red tears streamed down her face.

Even so, she still didn't rush out. Because she knew that unlike Mo Yulan, who fought head-on with a sword, she was an assassin, and the best assassins were always unknown to others.

(A side note: A few months later, Yuna grasped the true way of an assassin and complained that she really didn't know anything back then.)

Now there was truly no one to stop Xu Xiang, and his attention was drawn to the IWS-2000 and man-portable rocket launcher that Ivy Shin had left on the ground. He struggled to his feet and staggered toward them.

He picked up the IWS-2000, laboriously cocked it, and aimed it at Mo Yulan. Mo Yulan's first reaction upon seeing Xu Xiang grab the gun was also to aim her Vector at him.

“I think you might have forgotten that I have Kenway’s armor, and you don’t.” Xu Xiang looked at Mo Yulan’s desperate reaction, coughed twice, and suddenly revealed a mocking smile.

“Then I think you may have forgotten as well…” Mo Yulan appeared quite calm at this moment. Xu Xiang was still wondering where his confidence came from when he felt a tearing pain in his chest again.

He looked down and saw the blade of his sleeve sword stained with blood on his chest. At that moment, he also heard the rest of Mo Yulan's words: "I have Youna, you don't."

Yuna drew the hidden blade from her right hand, then plunged the hidden blade from her left hand into Sugo's back once more. She then kicked him away a little and quickly moved away from him.

This was something she learned from Chinatsu Shigemura's memories. Among the mid-ranking Templars, those at the level of councilor and above would replace the rings that originally represented their status with a Templar pin. This cross-shaped pin could be used as a weapon to deliver a final blow to their enemies in critical moments, injecting the deadly poison hidden inside into their bodies.

Of course, Sugo can't pull off that move now, because his Master Pin has been shattered by Ivy's desperate counterattack. He's not dead yet, but he's lying on the ground barely clinging to life.

"Well done, Yuna." Mo Yulan put away her gun and ran over, standing in front of Xu Xiang, looking down at the man who had once worn countless masks in front of the world.

He had appeared before Mo Yulan under three identities: the adopted son of the Yuki family and a key member of RECT's research team; a mad scientist who attempted to possess Asuna and plundered the consciousness of three hundred people for mind manipulation research; and the calm and rational Supreme Master of the Tokyo branch of the Templar Knights. However, now that he has shed all his masks, he is just an ordinary person who is about to die.

"If you're just clamoring for the Templar Knights to avenge you, then there's no need to say anything. Since you've already gone this far, I'm not afraid of such threats." Mo Yulan sighed, looking at Xu Xiang's suddenly gentle expression. "Is there anything else you'd like to say?"

“There are many, but I’m afraid it’s too late. My insistence on obtaining the Eden Cross was also to resurrect the girl I loved when I was young, and to say goodbye to her. Of course, even if I told you this now, you wouldn’t have much of an emotional reaction, so let me just consider this a story I’m telling you.”

Xu Xiang looked directly into Mo Yulan's purplish-blue eyes, saw that he was still wary, gave a wry smile, and continued.

"If you can still listen to me, remember my advice and watch out for the Black Cross. And... I don't regret anything I've done, except for the strange things I did to Asuna-san in front of Kirito-kun. Apologize to him for me."

"I understand. That's all you have to say, right?" Mo Yulan suddenly felt that the world was a bit absurd, but the current situation was just the man's own fault, and he had no intention of being soft-hearted.

"I forgive you. I forgive you for imprisoning Yuna's consciousness in your quest to find the Eden Cross. I forgive your misdeeds towards Asuna. I forgive your evil research into controlling human minds. May you die in peace."

"I protest... You're going to execute me with lines meant for executing a bitch... Fine, I'm lost, I must die."

Xu Xiang actually understood the origin of this series of lines. He said it jokingly, gently closed his eyes, and the next moment his consciousness sank into darkness forever.

Mo Yulan stopped You Na, who was trying to come over, then picked up the katana that Susou had dropped on the ground and used it to finish him off. Then she looked at the boy who had appeared at the hospital's mailroom at some point.

"Tonight's event is... a touching reunion." Chu Ziyu looked at Mo Yulan and You Na with great interest, mimicking Barnes' exaggerated tone, and said, "You two seem to have a lot to say, but you should leave here for now and give me some time to clean up the scene... You guys really made a big fuss."

"More importantly, who are you?" Mo Yulan still looked at Chu Ziyu with a wary gaze. After all, of all the things he had experienced so far, this person was the most bizarre and the most inexplicable.

“I am the shadow of God on earth…” Chu Ziyu stopped there, then turned to look at the dilapidated SUV that Kirito had driven out, and waved his hand, “Take your Constance Pernasex and go, Mr. D'Artagnan.”

Chapter 205, Is it all over...? (Bonus Chapter 68/75)

Mo Yulan ignored the mysterious man who was always slacking off beside him. He returned to You Na's side, looking at her with some concern at the shallow scratches from the bushes on her body. You Na looked quite disheveled; having just come out of the water and then crouching in the bushes for half a day, she was covered in dust and mud. She turned her head away somewhat embarrassedly, but the next moment Mo Yulan hugged her tightly.

“I’m late, Yuna… I’m so sorry.” He gently stroked Yuna’s back and said softly, “Finally… finally I see you again.”

"Hmm...uh." Yuna wanted to say something, but found that she could no longer speak. To be precise, her lips were blocked by something. Her fair cheeks, which were originally covered with dust, were slightly flushed.

She closed her eyes and sobbed softly in Mo Yulan's arms, her body trembling slightly.

"These young people nowadays..." a faint voice suddenly sounded from the other side, "Also, should I do you another favor and get a body for your little angel? Last time I used the Cardinal System to get such a precious body. Although it can be repaired even if you are damaged a little, how can you have the face to take C4?"

"Has anyone ever said that interrupting at a time like this is impolite?" Mo Yulan pulled away from the tenderness of You Na's lips and tongue, but still didn't let go of the girl in her arms, not even turning her head. "Don't worry, Ai Weixin is fine, she should be..."

"Dad, how do you play this game called The Division?"

He had just offered that comforting remark when he heard Ivy's question through the earpiece, so he quickly replied, "Ctrl+Z, just shoot anyone you see, it's very simple."

"Let's go, Yuna. Judging by the time... Kirito should be out soon." Mo Yulan gently patted Yuna's back, then squatted down slightly and picked her up in his arms. He had noticed earlier that Yuna's feet were bare, with only some bandages wrapped around them for simple protection. Of course, he couldn't let Yuna walk behind him like that.

Yuna wrapped her arms around Mo Yulan's neck, just like they did in SAO, and then rested her head on his shoulder, suddenly feeling much more at ease.

"Hmm... Tell me about it when you get back, tell me your story, okay? So..." she whispered in Mo Yulan's ear, her voice still trembling slightly even though she had stopped sobbing slightly.

"Call me Lan, Yuna. We're back." Mo Yulan smiled and looked at Kirito driving out of the hospital.

Kirito stopped the car in front of Mo Yulan. He looked in surprise at Sugou lying on the ground and Chu Ziyu standing next to Sugou, and then, before Asuna could see the terrible scene, he gently covered her eyes with his hand.

"What... what's going on?" Kirito settled Asuna in the passenger seat, then opened the car door and got out. Looking at the horrific scene before him, he suddenly felt nauseous. "What happened?"

"I'll tell you later, and there are some things I can't tell you." Mo Yulan said this succinctly, then carried Yuna to the back seat and sat down herself. "Take Asuna to... well, take me to my old place, and then take Asuna back to your house. Mr. Yuki should be overwhelmed with work by now."

He originally wanted to suggest that Kirito take Asuna to RECT, but then he thought that sending Kirito to that area where Templar Knights were gathered would be no different from sending her there, so he quickly changed his mind.

“…Alright.” Kirito’s expression was quite unpleasant, likely because facing the horrific scene at Sugo and the wreckage of Ivyson made him feel uneasy. He forcibly suppressed these feelings and then drove away along the highway.

"So believe me, it's better for you to know less. Also, Sugou asked me to apologize to Asuna on his behalf. What he did to Asuna in ALO was not his intention."

Mo Yulan sat steadily in the back seat, letting You Na's head rest on his lap. You Na had been quite tired lately, and now that she was relaxed, she suddenly felt sleepy.

"I know less... okay, okay." Kirito didn't say much, though he had already imagined a whole series of things about Mo Yulan's true identity and other random things. "How did we get here?"