Chapter 9
Integrity Knight Alice
5th Month of Human World Calendar 380
Creak.
Creakk.
My heart flinched slightly each time that faint noise rang out.
The noise came from the tip of the «black sword» yet to be
named. Somehow buried a cen into a tiny gap among the white
marble blocks that built up the outer wall of the Axiom Church’s
Central Cathedral.
My right hand that grasped the black sword’s grip was damp
with sweat, with my elbow and shoulder joints unable to bear
the weight, and threatening to let go even now. That was only
natural—the weight of two humans, one longsword with superhigh priority, and one set of armor were hanging off my right
arm that couldn’t even be considered muscular.
There weren’t any handholds on the wall, as smooth as a
mirror, and I couldn’t stab the sword in any further. All was
below my body was the never-ending empty sky. Moreover, not
only my right hand, gripping onto the sword, was reaching its
Sword Art Online 13 - Alicization Dividing
Chapter 10 - Integrity Knight Alice
19
limit; that applied to my left hand that had a female knight clad
in a heavy golden armor hanging off it too.
Physical fatigue in the alternate world, «Underworld»,
differed a little from its equivalent in the real world. Like reality,
walking long distances, running with all your might, undergoing
intense practice, or carrying heavy objects would tire one out,
but the problem laid in how that fatigue was treated the same
as injuries, reducing «Life»—the lives of Underworld dwellers,
rendered into numerical values, essentially their hit points.
Dying from exhaustion probably hardly happened in the real
world. Normally, one would be unable to keep up the activity
that caused the fatigue before it could inflict any severe damage
to the body. However, willpower breaks through physical limits
at times in this world. To state an extreme example, even
continuing to run while enduring fatigue and pain until one’s
Life hits zero, then collapsing and dying instantly in that
moment would be possible.
I am currently supporting a ridiculous weight with nothing
but my own body. Thus, my Life value must be reducing at a
steady rate. Even if I continue tightly gripping my right and left
hands with spirit and guts, my Life will eventually become zero
and I will die. In all likelihood, this female knight will crash
down onto the ground another few hundred meters below and
die when my right hand leaves this sword in that instant.
Integrity Knight Alice
5th Month of Human World Calendar 380
Creak.
Creakk.
My heart flinched slightly each time that faint noise rang out.
The noise came from the tip of the «black sword» yet to be
named. Somehow buried a cen into a tiny gap among the white
marble blocks that built up the outer wall of the Axiom Church’s
Central Cathedral.
My right hand that grasped the black sword’s grip was damp
with sweat, with my elbow and shoulder joints unable to bear
the weight, and threatening to let go even now. That was only
natural—the weight of two humans, one longsword with superhigh priority, and one set of armor were hanging off my right
arm that couldn’t even be considered muscular.
There weren’t any handholds on the wall, as smooth as a
mirror, and I couldn’t stab the sword in any further. All was
below my body was the never-ending empty sky. Moreover, not
only my right hand, gripping onto the sword, was reaching its
Sword Art Online 13 - Alicization Dividing
Chapter 10 - Integrity Knight Alice
19
limit; that applied to my left hand that had a female knight clad
in a heavy golden armor hanging off it too.
Physical fatigue in the alternate world, «Underworld»,
differed a little from its equivalent in the real world. Like reality,
walking long distances, running with all your might, undergoing
intense practice, or carrying heavy objects would tire one out,
but the problem laid in how that fatigue was treated the same
as injuries, reducing «Life»—the lives of Underworld dwellers,
rendered into numerical values, essentially their hit points.
Dying from exhaustion probably hardly happened in the real
world. Normally, one would be unable to keep up the activity
that caused the fatigue before it could inflict any severe damage
to the body. However, willpower breaks through physical limits
at times in this world. To state an extreme example, even
continuing to run while enduring fatigue and pain until one’s
Life hits zero, then collapsing and dying instantly in that
moment would be possible.
I am currently supporting a ridiculous weight with nothing
but my own body. Thus, my Life value must be reducing at a
steady rate. Even if I continue tightly gripping my right and left
hands with spirit and guts, my Life will eventually become zero
and I will die. In all likelihood, this female knight will crash
down onto the ground another few hundred meters below and
die when my right hand leaves this sword in that instant.