Board Thread:Questions and Answers/@comment-118.211.8.204-20150302141811/@comment-28251580-20180104112034

No, the timer only exists in the anime, in the source material Yuuki won fair and square without giving Kirito any chance. Even the author himself said that. I'm closing this thread now, because otherwise this madness will never end, even though there is clear confirmation that Yuuki was better, some fanboys will always pop up and I'm tired of it