After the Skull Reaper is finally defeated, Kirito deduces that Heathcliff is secretly Akihiko Kayaba's avatar, exposing him as indestructible and revealing him as the boss of the 100th Floor. Heathcliff paralyzes everyone except Kirito and challenges him to a duel evenly matched, promising that the remaining players will be logged out of the game if Kirito wins, to which Kirito accepts the challenge and fights Heathcliff. When Heathcliff prepares to make a finishing blow, Asuna jumps in between them and sacrifices herself, leaving Kirito stricken with grief. Heathcliff kills Kirito, but Kirito overrides the health bar and defeats Heathcliff, thereby clearing the game. On a floating platform over Aincrad, Akihiko explains to Kirito and Asuna that he wanted a world that everyone imagined in their hearts. He congratulates them on clearing the game and bids them farewell. Kirito and Asuna tell one another their real names and embrace each other as the world falls apart. In the real world, Kirito awakes in a hospital and sets off to find Asuna.