In the light novel, Kirito was beaten pretty badly by Administrator. After receiving a blow from her Severed Void attack, he fell on Eugeoās pool of blood. Because of his despair coupled with survivorās guilt, he really was going to give up to be killed by Administrator. At that moment, Eugeo spoke up.
It was more than shock. I felt like the world itself was crumbling aroundĀ me as I crashed to the floor. Blood splashed everywhere at the impact.
But it wasnāt my blood. Iād fallen into the frighteningly large pool of bloodĀ that flooded from the two halves of Eugeoās body. My body was frozen,Ā leaving only my eyes capable of movement. I strained them as far as theyĀ could go to see Eugeoās top half lying right nearby.
My partner of two years was facing my direction, his skin pale and eyesĀ closed. Little bits of blood still seeped from the grisly wound. Whether his lifeĀ was already gone or on the verge of running out, it was clear that he wouldnātĀ be regaining consciousness like this.
Only one thing was clear: I had wasted the life that heād given his to keepĀ alive.
I couldnāt beat her.
Not in sacred arts, of course, but not in sword battle, either. She was farĀ superior to me in every way.
Charlotteās sacrifice, Eugeoās determination, Aliceās resolutionā¦andĀ Cardinalās last will. And all Iād achieved with them wasā¦
āYes. Thatās the face I like to see.ā
A voice like a frozen blade caressed my neck. Administrator walked,Ā barefoot and languid, across the marble floor toward me.
āI suppose people from the other side must have richer expressions. I wishĀ I could save that despair of yours for all eternity.ā
She chuckled to herself. āAnd while I assumed fighting with swordsĀ would be a terrible bore, I have to say, itās not bad. You get to feel yourselfĀ inflicting that agony upon the opponent. Since weāre doing this, I want you toĀ try a little harder, boy. I want to have more fun with you, slicing you toĀ pieces, starting with your fingers and toes.ā
ā¦Do yourā¦worst, I mouthed. Hurt me, torture me, kill meā¦
At least make sure that before I vanish from this world, I suffer ten times,Ā a hundred times, worse than Eugeo and Cardinal.
I lost the strength to speak. Even the hand still stuck to the handle of myĀ black sword was about to lose its gripā¦
Until just then, when I heard a whisper at my ear.
āThis isnātā¦like you. To justā¦give up.ā
It was a halting voice, one about to fade away foreverābut one I wouldĀ never mistake for another.
My eyes rolled upward again. My mind was a blank.
Green eyes, so familiar and comforting they made me want to cry, lookedĀ back at me through barely lifted lids.
āEuā¦geo,ā I gasped. My partner gave me a faint smile.
When the Sword Golem had nearly sliced through my stomach, I couldnātĀ move from the pain and terror. But what Iād suffered was nothing next toĀ Eugeo. He was severed clean throughābones, organs, everything. The agonyĀ should have been enough to utterly destroy his fluctlight. And yetā¦
āKirito,ā Eugeo said, his voice stronger this time, āI rememberā¦whenĀ they took Alice awayā¦how I couldnāt moveā¦But youā¦you were so brave atĀ that young ageā¦standing up to the Integrity Knight like thatā¦ā
āā¦Eugeoā¦ā
It was immediately clear to me that he was referring to when Alice hadĀ been taken away from Rulid Village eight years ago. But I hadnāt been thereĀ at the time. At first, I thought he was confusing it with some other memory,Ā but the look in his green eyes was so crystal clear and lucid that it obliteratedĀ any doubts I had that he was telling the truth.
āā¦So this timeā¦Iām goingā¦to give you that push. Go on, Kiritoā¦IĀ know you canā¦stand again. You can standā¦as many timesā¦as itā¦ā
His right hand twitched. Through the tears that flooded my eyes, I saw hisĀ fingers scoop up a piece of blue-silver metal from the sea of bloodā theĀ handle of the Blue Rose Sword.
Amid the pool of his own lifeblood, Eugeo squeezed the handle of theĀ sword, which had lost its blade, and closed his eyes. A warm orange glowĀ abruptly engulfed the area. The red sea beneath us shone and pulsed.
āWhat did youā?!ā Administrator raged. But the invincible overlordĀ covered her face with her remaining hand and backed away, almost as thoughĀ she was afraid of the orange light.
The sea of blood grew brighter and brighter, until it was a blanket of tinyĀ lights that floated off the ground all at once. The levitating motes thenĀ descended and began to swirl, funneling down into Eugeoās sword.
A new blade began forming out of the cracked base of the sword.
Matter conversion.
This was a miracle that should only have been possible for the twoĀ managers of this world. My breath caught in my throat. A fearsome roil ofĀ emotions surged in my chest, bursting out of me in the form of a fresh waveĀ of tears.
Soon the Blue Rose Sword was its old length again. The fine carving ofĀ the rose that was its namesake was now a deep-red color. The blade, guard,Ā gripāeverything was turning a brilliant red.
With trembling arms, Eugeo held out the beautiful weaponānow moreĀ like the āRed Rose Swordāāto me.
Despite having no sensation in it a moment ago, my left hand extendedĀ toward the sword, as though pulled by it, and closed around both EugeoāsĀ hand and the weapon handle.
Energy instantly surged deep into my body.
I didnāt believe it was sacred arts.
This was the power of Eugeoās will itself. Pure Incarnation power.
I felt the resonance of the soul from his fluctlight to mine, crossing theĀ boundary of worlds.
His hand went limp and left the sword to me, then fell to the floor.
Through his faintly grinning lips, from his mind to mine, came a few shortĀ words.
āNow stand, Kirito. My best friendā¦Myā¦heroā¦ā
The pain of the wounds all over my body vanished.
The cold emptiness at the center of my breast evaporated in the midst ofĀ blazing heat.
I stared at the side of Eugeoās face, his eyes now closed, and whispered,Ā āYesā¦I will stand for you. As many times as it takes.ā
Just seconds ago my arms felt no sensation whatsoever. Now I held themĀ high, black sword in one hand and red sword in the other, and propped myselfĀ up off the floor with the blades to get to my feet.
My body did not want to listen. My legs trembled, and my arms felt asĀ heavy as lead. Still, I managed to walk, step by agonizing step.
Administrator stopped averting her face as I approached, and she stared me down with white-hot fury in her eyes.
āā¦Why?ā she demanded, her voice deep and distorted with a metallicĀ edge. āWhy do you foolishly resist your fate?ā
āā¦Thatās whyā¦,ā I replied hoarsely. āResisting is the only reason IāmĀ here right now.ā
I didnāt stop walking, despite the many times I nearly toppled over. I justĀ kept moving.
The swords I was holding were unbelievably heavy. But the weight ofĀ their existence gave me strength and willed my legs to keep moving.
In the long, long past, in a different world than this one, I had engaged inĀ battles of life and death with two swords, just like this. This was the realĀ meā¦the real Dual-Bladed Kirito.
