Sword Art Online Volume 17 – Alicization Awakening Chapter 20 - Each of their Battles 19 At a backward glance, they could see the Guardians3 of the Human Empire decoy squad atop a hill a kilometer away, surging down in orderly formation. Having completed their preparations just fifteen minutes after the Integrity Knights did, they were coming from the encampment to assist. “They’re such… a restless bunch.” Bercouli’s words were bitter, but since nearly 500 Fist Fighters had successfully crossed the valley, it wasn’t a bad time for reinforcements to arrive. As long as the Guardians could hold off the enemy army, cutting the last five ropes would be much simpler. — Seems like we’ve won this battle, Vector-san. Asuna said softly in her heart — Before she could finish, a peculiar phenomenon entered her vision. Against the blood-red rising sun, mysterious objects began to fall from high in the sky. Red lines. Not just one. Tens… Hundreds. No, thousands. The lines seemed to consist of tiny dots, linked together. Squinting her eyes, she saw that each dot was either a number, or a letter from the English alphabet. These mysterious bunches of lines poured silently down onto their side of the valley, roughly one or two kilometers east of the battlefield. Slowly, not just Asuna, but also the Integrity Knights, and even the Dark Knights and Fist Fighters of the Dark Territory, all ceased their actions to watch this bizarre event. 3 Referred to in previous volumes as “Guards”. Retconned to make it sound better.