“At least, before I left this place, the Demon Slayer Corps had never heard any news about the Demon King. Moreover, the demons in this world… have always appeared out of nowhere,” Yoriichi shook his head.
“They’re just like the monsters outside the towns. And in the beginning, those demons didn’t possess any intelligence either.”
According to Yoriichi, the demons in SAO should still be considered monsters, with only the most basic self-upgrading AI.
However, Akimi didn’t ignore Yoriichi’s emphasis on “in the beginning.”
This means that those demons were not just monster templates—they were NPCs “assigned” the identity of monsters, or, in other words, early-stage “artificial Souls.”
Strictly speaking, that description isn’t entirely accurate, because true artificial Souls are created by replicating human consciousness through quantum brain science, whereas the NPCs existing in Aincrad are Top-Down AI, infinitely approximating real humans through massive imitation and learning.
Still, one thing made Akimi hesitate—Yoriichi clearly mentioned that Aincrad had indeed given rise to “souls,” something that can’t yet be fully explained scientifically.
Considering Kayaba Akihiko’s genius as a quantum physicist, one can’t help but wonder—perhaps even before the Alicization Project began, he had already achieved something similar… no, it might be better to say that the Alicization Project itself was merely a continuation of Kayaba’s work.
And when the Japanese military obtained this cross-era research, they used it for the Alicization Project, aiming to develop combat AI with autonomous decision-making capabilities—in other words, military readiness.
After all, Japan wasn’t allowed to maintain a proper army after the war, and their Self-Defense Forces are effectively limited—but with this technology, they essentially have infinite troops.
In other words, all the highly intelligent NPCs Akimi encountered could be just one step away from being real humans.
It’s impossible not to acknowledge—Kayaba Akihiko is truly a terrifying individual, in every sense of the word.
…
After a brief silence, Akimi finally remembered the purpose of his visit and explained the mission details to Yoriichi.
Unfortunately, Yoriichi didn’t know the reason either.
Akimi scratched his head in confusion.
But when he checked the task menu again, he noticed that the mission prompt had updated to: “Report the situation back to Nirrnir.”
Akimi’s confusion deepened—he had achieved almost nothing, yet the task somehow registered as complete.
But he wasn’t thinking about the task anymore; his focus shifted entirely to learning even a single technique from Yoriichi.
After all, as the originator of the Breath Styles, Yoriichi’s talent in this world was unparalleled—there was no one before or after him who could surpass his natural ability.
And as the floors increased, Akimi felt more and more that his current strength was insufficient for total security.
According to Master Kirigaya’s evaluation, Akimi’s swordsmanship level was roughly between the fourth dan (mature technique) and fifth dan (recognized high standard), but due to his age, he had only officially attained the second dan.
When facing professional killers like PoH, he could only achieve parity; against skilled players like Kirito, his technique still fell slightly short.
This was among the strongest in all of SAO—but that was with the “Water Breathing” skill, a sort of cheat-level ability.
Without the Breathing techniques, Akimi’s skill would likely only be slightly above Klein and his peers.
So, Akimi’s gaze toward Yoriichi burned ever hotter.
“Senior Yoriichi!” he called out loudly.
“Please, teach me swordsmanship! And the Breath Style!”
Yoriichi remained calm, as if he had expected Akimi to say exactly that.
After nodding, he reached into his chest and handed a notebook to Akimi.
“All of my understanding of swordsmanship is written inside this,” Yoriichi said.
“As for the Breath Styles, I can only teach you certain techniques… though it’s hard to describe, and you’re probably not suited for the Sun Breathing.”
Akimi stared blankly at the notebook in his hands, feeling that something was off—shouldn’t this be the moment where the senior personally guides him, and his strength skyrockets?
As if sensing his doubt, Yoriichi spoke again: “It’s not that I’m unwilling to teach seriously, but my time is short.”
Akimi’s heart skipped a beat—short? What does he mean by that?!
“I am already a departed soul,” Yoriichi said gently, “wandering in the present world for so long only because of a promise. I should have crossed the Sanzu River long ago, but this special world has allowed me to linger a little longer. And I can feel that my wife is still waiting for me.”
After a brief pause, he continued: “Your foundational use of the Breath Styles is already proficient. Further improvement will require long-term practice… but I know you can achieve it.”
As Yoriichi’s words fell, his form gradually began to fade, though a serene smile remained on his face.
Seeing Akimi’s conflicted expression, Yoriichi removed his Nichirin Sword from his waist, held it out with both hands, and said:
“Before parting, I leave you one final word—Those who pursue the Way to its end will find their destination the same.”
When Akimi resurfaced from the ocean, the “sun” had already vanished.
Without its light, the seabed was dim and deep, an abyss so black it felt extremely unsettling.
No trace of light reached the surface either—the sun had set.
Shivering slightly, Akimi quickly swam toward the surface.
Although he didn’t have a fear of the deep sea, this extremely oppressive environment made him a little tense—mainly because he was somewhat afraid of the dark.
Fortunately, returning to the surface was much faster than his descent.
In about five minutes, Akimi followed the guide rope he had set up earlier and reached the edge of the beach.
By then, a bonfire had been lit on the sand, and along the shoreline, numerous torches provided additional illumination.
The flickering orange flames gradually eased Akimi’s nerves. Nirrnir and the others were nearby, gathered around the fire.
“Oh—! I’m back from the sea…”
Before Akimi could finish speaking, a figure pounced on him with blinding speed, pinning him down at the water’s edge.
Along with the figure came a slightly nasal voice: “Idiot… you dummy…”
— The end of the Chapter–
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