Yusei was stumped by Kayaba's question. How would he solve it? Naturally, he would utterly destroy the person who controlled him. But would Kayaba truly do that?
Kayaba had always been a man of ideals and rich imagination. The fact that he could develop a childhood idea into an era-defining game was proof enough.
All his motivation stemmed from his desire to turn his ideal into a real game, to reach that castle floating in the sky.
Being controlled certainly brought him humiliation, but upon careful thought, for the sake of his dream, his choice became clear.
Kayaba continued, "Moreover, Yusei-kun, you are full of ideas. What's wrong with occasionally having magical abilities in a world of swords and blades?"
"Ordinary players look up, gazing at the gods on the mountaintop. It's like a microcosm of society… the common people at the bottom looking up at the elite at the top."
"But the SAO I created doesn't have such a complex society. Everything is based on strength. Everyone has the qualification to reach the summit."
"Just like the scenes in everyone's childhood dreams… being a great general sweeping through thousands of troops, or a warrior slaying an evil dragon. SAO is the place to unleash those dreams."
Kayaba spoke at length about his ideals, which surprised Yusei, as the other man didn't seem angered by the fact of being controlled.
Yusei had also tried to imagine himself in that position but found he would definitely kill the other party. Perhaps this was due to differences in personality and mindset.
But he wasn't here today to delve into these trivial matters. His goal was still to make Kayaba exit the stage.
"Kayaba Akihiko, your ideals are grand, but I'm sorry, we are no longer interested. Could you please exit the stage now?"
As he spoke, Yusei drew his Ice Dragon Katana, holding it diagonally, pointing at the ground.
Kayaba's expression remained unchanged. He rested his chin on his interlaced fingers, looking deeply at Yusei.
"So, Yusei-kun, have you grown tired of playing SAO?"
Yusei didn't respond, but the Ice Dragon Katana in his hand emitted a cold, sharp chill.
Kayaba silently closed his eyes, then opened them, slowly standing up. His gaze fell on Asuna beside Yusei.
"Is that so? I understand. The reason... is Asuna, isn't it?"
"In that case, let us proceed to the final duel. Yusei-kun, you have always been called the strongest player in SAO. I have been wanting to experience that for myself."
As Kayaba's voice fell, everyone found that the environment of the Knights of the Blood Oath's Headquarters office had changed.
It was replaced by a massive Roman Colosseum.
Yusei looked back in astonishment, finding himself alone. His companions were gone. Opposite him stood only Kayaba.
In the spectator stands of the Colosseum, all the girls were seated, their bodies paralyzed.
Kayaba Akihiko explained, "Yusei-kun, this is a battlefield of magic and swords."
"But the reason humanity could multiply and thrive relied on the blades in our ancestors' hands."
Saying this, he glanced around the scene, his fingers operating the admin interface.
Two warhorses appeared in the center of the vast Colosseum.
"Come, Yusei-kun. I wonder if you, who wields a blade, can fight like the knights of old."
Hearing Kayaba's words, Yusei frowned and instinctively checked his skill list. He found all his skills were locked.
Only the basic Sword Skills of SAO remained.
"I see. You want a sword duel with me? But are you sure you want a 1v1 fight against me?"
Yusei looked towards Kanna's position in the Colosseum and found she was fine, not paralyzed, her adorably dumbfounded little face looking at him.
Yusei smiled and beckoned. Kanna immediately trotted over.
Kanna's body turned into a white light, instantly reverting to her true form… a white and beautiful sprite dragon.
Kanna narrowed her eyes, rubbing her large head against Yusei. Yusei stroked her white feathers, which were extremely soft and smooth.
Seeing Kanna, Kayaba showed no surprise or fear.
Instead, he retrieved a glowing orb from his system inventory.
"As the prize for our battle, this item called the [Seed of the World Tree] should be sufficiently significant, right?"
Simultaneously, Kayaba displayed the Seed's properties.
[Seed of the World Tree: A foundational object for constructing a world.]
Yusei was stunned, 'Have you got something wrong? This is a game-'
But before he could finish the thought, he heard a system prompt… from his system, not SAO's.
[Mission Objective: Retrieve the World Seed.]
[Mission Reward: Unlock the quest to collect world-constructing elements.]
[Detailed Introduction: The creator of every world is omnipotent, capable of wielding the power of the laws within their own world. But they are not born with this ability. They cultivate and diligently collect, finding the Seed of the World Tree, nurturing it to sprout and grow into the World Tree. Then, using the World Tree, they construct their own world, seeking the elemental laws required for the world to exist.]
The system specifically provided a detailed introduction, allowing Yusei to understand it immediately. But understanding didn't mean comprehension.
He was actually somewhat dumbfounded, 'Why was this quest suddenly triggered? And why was the Seed of the World Tree in Kayaba Akihiko's possession?'
Kayaba didn't keep them in suspense. He said very calmly, "That day, my game world was invaded. Two dragons broke in. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any traces. After searching through SAO, I discovered this seed."
"It's clearly not a program I designed, yet it had a system tag. This made me curious, so I kept it to study, but unfortunately, I found nothing."
"Later, after learning that the dragons who invaded were always by your side, I realized that the power you possess might be those very fantastical abilities."
"I imagine the means used to hypnotize me weren't just simple pendant suggestions, right? I guessed you would definitely be interested in this."
"So, will you accept? A true duel against me?"