Sword Art Online (2012–…): Season 4, Episode 3 - The Final Load Test - full transcript

The mysterious group that attacked the Ocean Turtle turns out to be a secret unit under orders from the U.S. National Security Agency. And its leader, Gabriel, has battled Kirito and Sinon before.

Saturday June 27, 2026 San Diego 9
Days before the attack on the Ocean Turtle

Leave this to me!

Time's up, huh?

All teams, retreat.

Move away from Grid 1-9.

That would've been
the last prey for today, right?

You sure you want to end on a loss, Boss?

Battling an irregular squadron like that
won't do much good, training-wise.

We wouldn't want any negative effects
to carry over into the actual operation.

Let's go.

Mr. Miller. The men from
the NSA have arrived.

Send them in.

Mr. Miller, we'd like to hire you, Glowgen
Defense Systems, for a top secret mission.

And the nature of the mission is?

To seize the Soul Translation technology.

What is that, exactly?

It was developed
by a Japanese company called Rath,

and it's a machine
that can decipher human souls.

Souls?

Decipher them?

That's right.

Using this Soul Translation technology,

Rath has apparently succeeded in not only
analyzing human souls, but in cloning them as well.

Should this artificial soul,
code-name ALICE, be fully developed,

it could be installed
into unmanned Japanese weapons,

which could disrupt the balance
of military power in East Asia.

The U.S. needs to take control of
that technology before that can happen.

I see.

So, tell me the specifics of this mission.

There's a mega-float for research called the
Ocean Turtle, moored near the Izu Islands.

We'd like your people to break into it

and obtain the Soul Translation technology.

That will require a raid on a Japanese
ship... one of our allies, you know.

We've made arrangements
with the JSDF top brass.

Apparently, the JSDF isn't the monolith
it appears to be.

Use whatever methods you want.

Just remember that the U.S. isn't involved
in this mission in any way.

Fine.

I'll assemble the team,
and lead it myself.

ALICE, your soul will be so sweet.

The Final Load Test

Main Control Room Ocean
Turtle 35 minutes after the attack

Critter,
you bastard... just try saying that again!

I'll repeat it as many times as you want,
Vassago.

Listen up! This console is locked tighter
than a pile of dried turds.

I could crunch the numbers on the laptop we brought
until you die of old age, and I'd still never crack it!

You're missing the point,
you damned four eyes!

You said we got locked out
because we took too long to break in!

Hey, hey, all I did was point out a fact.

For someone who hung back cowering
during the battle, you sure are cocky!

Okay, that's enough, you two.

There's no time to point
fingers at each other.

We have to consider our next move now,
all right?

Yeah, but Bro,

this guy needs to be put in his place.

I'm satisfied with what
this team's achieved till now.

Our only casualty was Gary getting grazed.

And we succeeded in taking over
the control room, our primary objective.

Yeah, but if we're locked out of the
control system itself, what's the point?

Our ultimate target, the Lightcube Cluster,
is beyond that wall, right?

That's why I'm saying we need to
come up with a way to breach that wall.

Still, those JSDF guys
won't stay holed up forever.

Once the real soldiers come charging in
from this turtle's escort ship...

I was told that the client
and the JSDF have a certain deal in place.

Apparently, the naval escort won't make a move
for 24 hours after the operation's launched.

So this operation's not just a burglary,
then?

All right. Now let's go
over the current situation.

It's currently 1447 hours,
Japan Standard Time.

Forty minutes have
passed since we broke in.

Right now, we're inside
the Ocean Turtle's Main Control Room.

Although we've successfully
taken over our target facility,

we failed to capture the Rath tech,

and we've been locked
out of the system here.

Our next objective is to take over
the Sub Control Room.

Brigg, do you think
you can cut through the bulkhead door?

It doesn't look too promising.

It's made of cutting-edge
composite materials,

and it would be impossible to cut through it
within 24 hours using the portable saw we brought.

Hans, what if we used C-4 to blow it open?

I wouldn't recommend it.

The chamber housing the Lightcube Cluster
is just beyond that wall.

If we blast open the door, there's no guarantee that
the contents of that room would be left unscathed.

The mission we've been tasked with

is to find a single Lightcube out of a mountain
of them, and extract it along with its interface.

We already have the cube's unique ID.

Come on,

this scrawny Four Eyes has been giving us
this crap about hacking into the Pentagon,

and yet he can't even crack open
a flimsy system lock.

Whoa, what a shock.

I just got told off by a gamer
who's only fired a gun made of polygons!

You bastard!

Do you guys want to go back empty-handed,
and get jeers instead of a bonus?

Are you incompetent enough
to be outdone by amateur techs?

Then start thinking!

Prove that those containers sitting on your necks
are filled with something other than oatmeal!

The pressure bulkhead leading to the
Lightcube Cluster chamber can't be breached.

Meaning that our only option
is to control the system from here.

How's it looking?

No chance of logging in
with administrator privileges.

About all we can do is peek enviously at the
fairyland where the Fluctlights live in such bliss.

Goblins?

Hey, you've done your homework, Captain!

Yeah, but they seem kinda big for goblins.

Those are Hobs. They're Hobgoblins, I bet.

Critter.

Yeah?

Are these monsters
part of the system?

Doesn't look that way.

These guys have artificial souls
loaded into the Lightcube Cluster above.

They have Fluctlights.

Are you serious?

These Hobgoblins have souls,
the same as us?

Do those Lightcubes
all contain goblins and orcs like these?

Is our Alice one, too?

Of course not!

This realm called the Underworld...

is divided into the Human Empire,
where normal humans live,

and the Dark Territory that lies outside
it, which is teeming with monsters.

It's pretty much a given
that Alice lives in the Human Empire,

but since it's so gigantic,

there's no way that we'll ever find her
by just peeking in like this.

Come on, that's a total no-brainer!

If that's the case, all we have to
do is dive into this Human Empire,

and ask whoever we come across,
"Hey, do you know a girl named Alice?"

Wow, we have a dumbass here!

What's that, bastard?

Look, there are tens of thousands of people
living in the Human Empire.

You really think
you can canvas them all on your... own?

Wait. Hold on, hold on! Maybe it
doesn't have to be done by one person.

I see.

The accounts set up
to log into the Underworld...

It's unlikely that they'd all be
Level 1 ordinary citizens.

Isn't that right, Critter?

For the Rath operators to log in and
observe, or else control it from inside,

they must be set up with accounts
of all ranks and professions.

Hey! How cool is that?

In other words, we should just log in as a
general or president or some other big shot,

and order them to smoke out Alice, right?

I don't know,
hearing you put it like that...

makes this idea sound really stupid.

Dammit, no good, huh?

They have some hard-core protection
on the high-level account logins as well.

Looks like we can only dive into the Human
Empire with an ordinary citizen's account.

Damn, what a letdown!

Critter, aren't there any high-level
accounts set up outside the Human Empire?

Outside it?

But aren't the chances
of Alice being there close to nil?

Well, yes, I guess so.

But it's not as if the borders
are totally impenetrable, right?

That's my bro! Thinking outside the box!

In other words, you mean,

go in as general of those monsters
and attack, right?

That would get me more fired up, for sure!

A-ha, found it, found it!

All right! No password!

Well, well...

First, here's someone
with the rank of Dark Knight.

His Object Control level is... 70!
We can work with that!

Hey, not bad!

That one's mine, all right?

Right, and here's another one...

What's this?

The ranking's blank,
and there's no level, either.

The only setting is its name.

Now how do you pronounce this?

Emperor... Vecta?

Emperor... as in ruler?

On second thought, I'll take that one...

No.

I'm taking that one for myself.

I won't argue.

Okay, so you can take on the role of
Emperor, and I'll be the Dark Knight.

Hey, I'm starting to get pumped up!

Hey! Four eyes! Can we log in yet?

What's wrong, Critter?

Is there some other problem?

Maybe it's just something
that's bugging me,

but I'm looking at the data,
and this odd phrase keeps popping up.

I'm not sure what it means yet.

What kind of phrase?

"Final load test."

Um... let's see.

As far as Kirito's condition
in the real world is concerned,

Sub Control Room Ocean
Turtle 37 minutes after the attack

like I just explained,
things aren't looking too optimistic.

That said, Kirito still remains
logged into the Underworld.

In other words,

even though his self-image
has been damaged,

his Fluctlight itself is still active,
and is receptive to various stimuli.

He's lost his own soul
because he blamed himself so vehemently.

If someone in the Underworld were
to offer him forgiveness, then maybe...

I'll go!

Ms. Asuna?

I'll go into the Underworld.

I want to go there and tell Kirito...

that he did a good job.

To say, "I know you went through
so much sadness and pain,

but you did the best that you could."

It's true that we have one more vacant STL.

But the Underworld isn't
exactly stable right now.

Because we're about to enter the last stage
of the scheduled final load test.

Final... load?

What's going to happen?

The Durability of the Eastern Gate,

which divides the Human Empire
and the Dark Territory, will reach zero,

and an army of monsters
will flood the Human Empire.

If the humans had
sufficient defenses in place,

they would've ultimately
been able to drive them back.

But during this last experiment,

Kirito pretty much destroyed
the ruling organization, the Axiom Church,

so who knows what will happen?

Either way, we may have reached the point
where one of us will have to dive in.

Once the invasion begins,

it's possible that Alice, who's somewhere in
the Human Empire, could be killed in the chaos.

If someone can enter
with a superuser account,

transport Alice, under their protection,
to the World End's Altar,

and from there, eject Alice's Lightcube
to the Sub Control Room.

Isn't that what you
asked Kirito to do as well?

If he'd made it,
then I'm sure he would've pulled it off.

Because he was right by Alice at the time.

You're saying that several months later
in terms of internal time,

it's highly likely that
those two are still together?

I think it's safe to assume that they are.

Meaning that having Asuna dive in
might be our best option.

As well as the ability
to communicate with Kirito,

whoever goes will need combat ability to
protect Alice in the Underworld, after all.

Then we should have her use
the highest account level possible.

Well, the choices are endless, then.

A knight, a general, a noble...

There are all kinds
of superuser accounts to choose from,

Hey, hold on a second.

What is it?

Isn't there a chance that our attackers
could come up with the same idea?

Oh... yeah.

True, they're just as likely
to catch onto this method, as well.

But they won't have time to crack the
login passwords for any superuser accounts.

Their only option would be
a Level 1 ordinary citizen... that's it.

What's wrong?

Never mind, it's nothing.

Everyone, I'm going to the Underworld, too.
I'll be coming back with Kirito,
no matter what, so don't worry.

Are you ready?

Yes.

Anytime you're ready, please.

Monday, July 6,
2026 4:56 PM Somewhere in Tokyo

Again... the guy from that day...

You have a message from Asuna Yuuki

Asuna?

Yui

Sinon, there's something
that I'd like to explain to you all.

Would you mind logging into AOL right away?

Sylvain

So you see,
in order to repair Daddy's Fluctlight,

Mommy has decided to
dive into the Underworld.

Big Brother...

Kirito...

Oh, he'll be fine!
He's always come back, hasn't he?

So, is the Ocean Turtle all right?

Aren't they under attack
by some sketchy guys?

Isn't there something
that we can do to help?

Well, about that...

We might need to call
on you for help later on.

Main Control Room Ocean Turtle
2 hours and 53 minutes after the attack

All right, let's do this!

October 30,
380 HE Dark Territory Obsidia Palace

Knight Lipia Zancale has returned.

Dark Knight Eleventh Rank Lipia Zancale

Good work. You can have a seat.

Yes, my lord.

Don't call me "your lord" when it's just you
and me. Dark Knight Commander Vixur ul Shasta

Right, but officially, I'm still on duty.

So anyway...

What's this grave incident that you
had to send a familiar to alert me about?

Right. The pontifex of the Human Empire's
Axiom Church... is dead.

That immortal being?

Yes.

I also found it hard to believe, so I
spent a full week making sure it was true.

This is our chance.

Chance for what?

Needless to say, for peace.

Do you really believe that's possible,
my lord?

Whether it's possible or not,
it's something we must do, no matter what.

But...

How do you intend
to convince the other lords, my lord?

And would the Order of the Integrity
Knights even entertain peace negotiations?

Regarding the Integrity Knights,
I believe there's a chance.

If the pontifex has been defeated, it
must be old man Bercouli at the helm now.

I can't stand the guy,
but I can have a dialogue with him.

It's the Council of Ten
that could prove to be a problem.

I know it sounds contradictory, but we...

...may be forced to eliminate them.

Four of them, at least.

Which four are you talking about?

Would it be both Goblin chiefs,
the Orc chief, as well as...

The chancellor of the Dark Mages Guild.

That woman's gotten her hands
on Administrator's immortality secret,

and is most likely desires
to become emperor herself someday.

No way would she accept any talk of peace.

But...

that would be far too risky, my lord!

The leaders of the Goblins and Orcs
may not be our enemies,

but as for the Dark Mages,

there's no telling what tricks
they might have up their sleeves!

Listen, Lipia.

How long has it been
since you came to me?

Um... it was the year I turned 21,
so... four years.

It's been that long already, huh?

Forgive me for putting you
in such an ambiguous position for so long.

What do you say?
Isn't it about time you, uh...

You know...

Officially... became my wife?

My lord!

Sorry that I'm so much older than you...

Emergency!

It's an emergency!

Th-The Throne Room!

The chain sealing it is shaking!

Next time: "Dark Territory."