No one's POV

Yanai:......D-don't move!!

It was Yanai's voice. What was he talking about? Higa looked up, annoyed, and saw the muzzle of the pistol, gleaming and dark, just ten feet above him. Behind it, Yanai's little eyes were bloodshot and desperate.

Yanai: Get your hands off the keyboard! Or I'll shoot!

Higa:......Huh?

Higa's mind was blank for less than half a second. Then it all instantly snapped into place, and he had his conjecture.

Higa(mind): It was him!

Yanai. He was the spy who'd leaked information about Project Alicization to the Americans. Sadly, he couldn't think of a counterplan. He asked a meaningless question with a parched tongue.

Higa: Why, Yanai...?

The engineer's lips quivered, his pale forehead greasy with beaded sweat, and he wailed.

Yanai: J-just so you know...you're wrong to treat me like a traitor.

Higa(mind):"Treat" you like one? You are one!!

As if hearing that internal scream from Higa, Yanai added.

Yanai: I've always been dedicated to my goal. I'm carrying on the boss's last will...That's why I worked my way in with Rath.

Higa: The boss's...will? Who...are you talking about...?

Higa asked in a daze. Yanai swept his hanging bangs out of the way with his free hand and gave him a smile with a hint of madness.

Yanai: Someone you know very, very well...I mean Mr. Sugou.

Higa: Wh......?

Higa(mind): Whaaaat?!

It was a bigger shock to Higa than seeing the gun pointed at him. Nobuyuki Sugou. The man who'd been in Touto Technical University's Shigemura Research Lab at the same time as Higa, Rinko Koujiro, and Akihiko Kayaba. He'd always burned with rival ambition over Kayaba's extreme genius but never surpassed the man's feats in the end. So for some reason, possibly related, he'd abducted a few hundred SAO players for inhumane experiments while they were still trapped.

With Sora Kirigaya's help, his misdeeds came to light, and he was arrested. His first trial ended in a jail sentence, but he appealed, and the case was still in dispute at the Tokyo High Court.

Higa:...It's not like he's dead.

Higa muttered, eliciting a high-pitched giggle from Yanai.

Yanai: He might as well be. He'll get a minimum of ten years. That's death for any researcher. It was a close call for me, too, but I blamed everything on one of his other followers and managed to escape scot-free.

Higa: You mean...you were involved in Sugou's human experimentation, too...?

Yanai: Involved? Oh, I was the one collecting the data. Ahhh, that was a fun bit of research...all that virtual tentacle groping...

Higa(mind): How did Lieutenant Kikuoka fail to vet this scumbag's background?!

Higa wondered, incensed, but he realized just as quickly that it would have been impossible. Rath was a group camouflaged as a tech start-up, an attempt to create a purely domestic military industry that did not rest upon the bedrock of the American defense-system monopoly. In other words, their existence would pose a threat to the market share and profit of the existing conglomerate manufacturers and defense companies.

That made it very difficult to put together their engineering department. They were getting almost no engagement from the major companies, so the chance to recruit Yanai, who was part of RCT's full-dive R&D department, was a huge opportunity they couldn't pass up.

Higa could see that Yanai's eyes were still glazed over with fond reminiscence, but that didn't last long. He aimed the pistol again, and the safety was clearly off on the left side of the frame. Kikuoka's comprehensive planning in making sure even the engineers got basic shooting training had backfired.

Fortunately, Yanai still had some things to get off his chest, so he wasn't pulling the trigger yet.

Yanai:..So the boss's life might be over now, but the line he set up is still alive. So it's up to me to pick up the slack and take over from where he left off.

Higa: Um...what line is that?

Higa asked automatically. Yanai made a show of weighing the question, then grinned and answered.

Yanai: The American National Security Agency.

Higa: Th-the what?!

He shouted, but on the inside, it was just confirming Higa's suspicions. It was an open secret that the NSA was involved in wiretapping and signal intercepting inside of Japan. There was no way they wouldn't take an interest in Japan's lead in full-dive tech. So Yanai, Sugou's subordinate, had sent the NSA information on Project Alicization, and they'd chartered a navy sub to come and steal A.L.I.C.E. in return.

Yanai: If the Americans below us manage to recover Alice properly, I'll get a stupid-fat bonus, and they'll guarantee me a position over there. That's the American dream that Mr. Sugou talked about.

Higa(mind): And then the rest of the world will quake in fear at the Americans' high-powered unmanned weaponry.

He had to stay cool, to find a way to keep this conversation going so that he could seize any chance that presented itself.

Higa(mind): Please notice something's wrong, Rinko!

He prayed. The laptop nearly slipped out of his hand, and he hastily readjusted his grip on it.

Yanai: D-don't move!!

Yanai screamed, pointing the gun at the side of the duct and pulling the trigger. There was a yellow flash of light as well as a powerful burst of air displacement that shook Higa's eardrums. Sparks burst against the metal wall—and a sharp shock bit Higa's right shoulder.

Yanai: Huh?

Yanai sounded surprised.

(Underworld)

Sinon: You're Subtilizer!

The man in combat fatigues who appeared atop the scarred rock looked to the south. In a monotone voice, he said.

Subtilizer: So Alice escaped...Very well. I'll catch her soon...

Then he looked back at Sinon and smiled thinly at her.

Subtilizer:...I fought against you in a Gun Gale Online event, didn't I? Your name was...Sinon? To think we'd run into each other again here.

Sinon fought desperately to keep her hands from trembling as she listened to the vaguely inhuman voice of the man who was both Vecta, the god of darkness, and Subtilizer. But her fingers cramped, sweat greased her palms, and she knew that if she tried too hard to use Solus's bow now, she would drop it. As he stood atop the round basin creature, Subtilizer spoke to her in smooth, fluent Japanese, holding a smile without warmth all the while.

Subtilizer: What does this mean, I wonder? I'd heard that there were STLs in Japan itself...Does this mean you're connected to Rath somehow? Or are you a mercenary, too, and flew out to this distant place?

The voice that came through Sinon's cracked lips was hoarse.

Sinon: Subtilizer...why are you here?

Subtilizer: I am here because it was inevitable, of course.

He explained, barely able to contain his glee. He spread his arms wide, revealing gray sleeves.

Subtilizer: This is fate. It is the power of the soul that brings us together.

His tone of voice was changing gradually. Even the temperature of his tone was dropping from moment to moment.

Subtilizer: That's right...I wanted you. And so we came into contact again. This will tell us so many things. I'll learn if I can suck up the souls of not just the artificial fluctlights, but real people in the real world, through The Soul Translator...And I will learn just how sweet your soul really is, since I didn't get the chance in GGO.

The bizarre words instantly brought back the thing this man had said to her at the end of the fourth Bullet of Bullets event.

Subtilizer: Your soul will be so sweet.

She felt her body going cold. Everything felt tense, and even her breathing went irregular.

Subtilizer: Now...come this way, Sinon. You must hand over everything to me.

Subtilizer's blue eyes shone coldly. The world shuddered and warped. Air, sound, even light twisted—drawn and absorbed into Subtilizer's eyes.

Sinon: Wha......?

Sinon(mind): What is this?

But even the very thought was sucked out of her mind by an incredible magnetic force.

Sinon(mind): Oh no. I can't. I have to resist. I have to fight.

Cried a voice in the corner of her mind, but it was helplessly tiny. Eventually, Sinon's blue-armor-clad body found itself being pulled toward the man's outstretched arms. She slid helplessly, silently through the air, bowstring still held between her numb fingers.

A few seconds later, with her wits fading, Sinon just barely sensed her body being slickly surrounded by the darkness that was Subtilizer. His left hand went around her back. The fingers of his right hand brushed her cheek and swept away the hair over her ear. He brought his thin lips up to the exposed cartilage and sent a voice like cold black water directly into her head.

Subtilizer: Sinon. Have you ever thought about the meaning of the name Subtilizer?

Sinon:...?

In her powerless state, Sinon shook her head.

Subtilizer: Is it some wordplay, as Americans so often like to do, on the Japanese word satori, meaning 'enlightenment'? No, this is a purely English construction. Subtilizer means one who sharpens, one who renders, one who chooses...and one who steals.

Subtilizer's eyes flashed brighter, right before her own.

Subtilizer: I will steal you. I will steal your soul...

In the center of the two blue eyes that gazed into hers, Sinon saw what vaguely looked like black whirlpools, black holes that rotated slowly, much like the dream she'd had that morning. She had to do something. She thought she'd done something, but it was a dream, so of course she hadn't. A never-ending cycle of illusions. Chilly fingers stroked her neck. She felt revulsion and fear, but even those emotions were sucked out of her mind, replaced by nothing but gray futility.

Sinon(mind): I can't.

This wasn't just some virtual-world event, a thing that wasn't really happening. A red alarm light in some corner of her brain was flashing to alert her of that. She tried to grab on to that, to focus, but the sticky black liquid had swallowed her up to her waist now. There was nowhere to escape. She couldn't even struggle against it. The man's face loomed closer. His thin lips puckered, sucking in air. Her emotions, her thoughts, her very soul was sucked away with that air.

Sinon(mind): Stop it. Don't steal them.

But even that wish was instantly stolen, leaving only dull paralysis.

Sinon: St...op......

His lips approached hers... Tzak!! A sudden shock bolted Sinon's mind back into itself. She opened her eyes wide and caught sight of a bright-silver spark leaping out from the collar of her top.

Sinon(Mind):...It's so hot!!

A feeling of heat, almost like electrical discharge, briefly overcame the man's suction. With what little of her mind she'd just recovered, she jolted like a bullet's detonator, wringing a sudden burst of strength from her body and escaping from the man's arms. With Solus's power of flight, she swept away to put distance between them.

Sinon:...Eugh...

She grunted, pulling the sparking object out from under her shirt. It was a light-colored metal plate hanging on a fine chain. The circular disc was less than an inch across, with a little puncture at one end for the chain to run through.

Sinon: Why...is this...here?

Sinon was stunned. It was the necklace she wore around her neck as Shino Asada in the real world. It wasn't expensive. The chain was surgical stainless steel, and the trinket was just silver-plated aluminum. But it was an object that held great importance to Sinon.

At the end of last year, she'd been a victim of the Death Gun incident. One of her classmates, a member of the criminal group, had tried to attack her with a high-pressure syringe full of deadly succinylcholine—but Sora Kirigaya had rushed to protect her and taken the syringe right to his chest.

What had saved him from the spread of the chemical was an electrode from his heart monitor, which he'd forgotten to remove. Sinon had found the electrode on her floor after the incident, peeled off the tape, then fashioned the silver node into a pendant head. The fact that she wore this homemade necklace all the time was a secret from Zora and Philia, and when she'd dived in at the Roppongi office of Rath, she'd been fully clothed, so the man there named Hiraki wouldn't have seen it.

In other words, it was impossible for this necklace to exist in the Underworld as a physical object. But...

Zora had said that the virtual world created by the STL wasn't just a huge computer-modeled simulation, back when he'd explained all of this at Dicey Café. He'd said it was another reality created from memory and imagination. In that case, this necklace was something Sinon's own mind had created.

She pressed the silver pendant to her lips and let it hang down under her top again. Her mind was completely back in gear, and she turned it to concentrate on the black winged creature hovering in the sky a distance away. Subtilizer stood on the creature's back, staring at his own hand. Sinon could see faint signs of smoke rising from his fingertips. He must have sensed her gaze, because he looked up then, traces of displeasure wrinkling the sides of his mouth. Sinon stared the man in the face.

Sinon: You are not God—or the devil. You're just a man.

Subtilizer's power was overwhelming, yes. The incredible toughness of his imagination must have been affecting Sinon's very mind—her fluctlight.

Sinon(mind): But I won't let him outdo me in imagination and focus. They were the tools of the trade for a sniper, after all.

She gripped the Annihilation Ray, Solus's GM weapon, and focused her gaze. The center of the shining white bow turned to a bluish-black color. As the change in color spread, the bow's smooth curves shifted to straight angles. The long, dark, shining tube was a steel gun barrel. Then a muzzle appeared, then a grip, and a stock, and lastly, a huge scope attachment.

It was not a graceful, flowing longbow in Sinon's hands anymore. This was a simple, ferocious, and stunningly beautiful .50-caliber antimateriel rifle, the Ultima Ratio Hecate II. Sinon pulled the bolt handle of her eternal partner, and upon hearing its nasty slide, she grinned. The bridge of Subtilizer's nose crinkled, and his lips twisted with anger.

Sinon raised the Hecate II that had been Solus's bow moments ago without hesitation. Subtilizer was maybe only fifty feet away. It was too close to snipe with an antimateriel rifle. At this distance, keeping a moving target within the high-zoom scope would be exceedingly difficult. So Sinon, trying to finish the fight before Subtilizer could go on the move, pulled the trigger the instant that the finder lens of the scope went dark with its target.

There was a flash. An explosion. Sinon was hit with incredible recoil force as she hovered in the air. Her body wanted to rotate on a diagonal, but she used all her will to contain it. If she was going to take this much blowback for every shot, consecutive firing would be all but impossible. But as long as this first shot landed, it wouldn't matter.

Once she was stable, Sinon caught Subtilizer in her view again. Her eyes went wide with shock. The man standing on the bizarre winged creature had his left arm raised and his fingers bent like talons. There was darkness and light pulsating violently in his palm, and in the center, shining brightly, was what could only be the bullet Sinon had fired.

So he could suck that up, just as he'd tried to do to her soul? The .50-caliber antimateriel rifle bullet could penetrate an inch of steel plate. Sinon felt an inkling of fear creep into her heart. Right on cue with that, the darkness exuding from Subtilizer's hand grew larger and more powerful.

Sinon: Don't give in.

She muttered, not realizing that she was doing it. Then she shouted.

Sinon: Don't give in, Hecate!!

Zblurk. The light split the darkness. A huge hole appeared in Subtilizer's hand, spraying blood and flesh into a rearward vortex.

Sinon(mind): I can do this!!

Sinon inhaled deeply and pulled the Hecate II's bolt. The empty cartridge glittered and twirled as it fell through empty sky. Subtilizer stared at his tattered left hand in silence. The inky blackness was filling the space the bullet had blasted there like liquid, but it was not the sort of wound that could simply be healed like that. He looked up and stared at Sinon, no longer smiling. His other hand moved to his side, removing the crossbow there.

Sinon:...Hmph.

Sinon snorted. There was no way that primitive thing could keep up with her antimateriel rifle......Nyurp. The crossbow suddenly warped. Its sideways-extending limbs folded inward, and it stretched to over twice its original length. The wooden frame took on a metallic shine. In the span of a second, Subtilizer went from holding a crossbow to bearing a huge rifle nearly the size of the Hecate. She recognized it instantly.

A Barrett XM500. It was a .50-caliber antimateriel rifle like the Hecate II but from a newer generation. The twisted smile returned to Subtilizer's lips.

Sinon:...All right, then.

Sinon muttered, steadying the butt of the Hecate against her shoulder.

(Elsewhere)

It was only what you might call a "battle" for about seven minutes. After that, there were three minutes of a defensive struggle, and then it turned to one-sided slaughter.

Philia: Protect them...! Do whatever it takes to save the Underworlders!!

Philia shouted, thrusting and swinging her dagger on the front line for all she was worth and trying to ignore the throbbing pain in the center of her skull. But she couldn't hear any kind of hearty group response anymore.

All around her, other Japanese players in their colorful converted armor found themselves surrounded, one by one, by people from neighboring countries clad in red and succumbed to their onslaught of swords and spears. Raging, shrieks, and death screams filled the air.

Compared to this, at least the charging attacks of the American heavy lancers were a coordinated effort that could be strategized against.

This new army, either because it was made of people from two countries, or because they were driven by an abnormal rage, focused on nothing but obliteration, losses be damned. They would leap at a target's legs, several attackers all at once, and drag the victim to the ground and pile upon them. There was no possible strategy that could overcome a vastly larger army that fought like this.

The defensive circle made of two thousand was visibly eroding as the enemy consumed them. For her part, Philia swung and thrust her dagger at the never-ending waves of adversaries, and in her mind, she repeated a plea she hadn't thought since she'd first dived into the Underworld last night.

Philia(mind): Someone help.

Within the desperate, losing battle, one group fought relatively better than the rest: a team of warriors in green led by Sakuya, the lady of the sylphs in ALfheim Online.

The sylphs were highly agile and skilled at speedy combination tactics. It was a battle strategy devised to counteract the salamanders and their heavy charges based on weight, and it worked fairly well here, too. The lightly armored swordsmen spun and rotated in and out with dizzying speed, preventing their foes from singling out a target or dragging down individual victims.

Sakuya: We're going to break a hole through their line! Bellflower Team, Lily Team, push the fighting to the right!!

Sakuya ordered, in the midst of swinging her long, slender katana at the front line of combat. They joined the salamanders who were fighting on the right wing, using their charging power to break through the enemy line. If they could help the supply team escape down the path toward the ruins again, and hold the fighting to the narrow entrance of the grounds, they might be able to whittle down the vast number of enemies the way they'd done against the Americans.

Sakuya: Get ready! Prepare a synced sword skill!! Count off! Five, four, three...

Sakuya prompted—until a wail to their left distracted her.

Alicia: Don't give up, everyone! Buy them as much time as you can!!

Sakuya swallowed her words and glanced over to her left. A formation of Japanese players in yellow gear was collapsing just at that moment, swallowed by a wave of crimson. Right at the front, wearing metal combat claws on both hands and being pulled to the ground, was a small, familiar figure.

Sakuya: Alicia!!

Sakuya cried. Instantly, she went from the cool, collected leader to a normal college student.

Sakuya: Stop!! Nooooo!!

She ran off to the left on her own, sending enemies who blocked her path flying to the left and right, all in a rush to reach her dear friend. Alicia Rue, leader of the cait siths, noticed Sakuya, swords through her chest and stomach, approaching steadily. She let out a bloodcurdling cry:

Alicia: No, Sakuya! Go back! Lead your team!!

And with that, the yellow hair and triangular ears of her friend vanished from Sakuya's view.

Sakuya: Aliciaaaaaa!!

She screamed, charging straight into the swarm of enemies crushing the cait siths, all on her own. She unleashed sword skill after sword skill, spraying a rain of hot blood and shreds of flesh as she went. She was almost to the spot where her friend had fallen, almost...Wham. Something hit her body, and she looked down to see the head of a spear jutting out of the right side of her stomach. The first taste of severe virtual pain raced through her nerves and robbed her of strength.

She managed to still take four more steps, but then her avatar body fell out of her control and toppled forward.

A storm of hatred engulfed Sakuya: Her sword was ripped from her hand, half of her left arm was sliced off, and sharp metal pierced her body all over.

Of the two thousand—and rapidly dropping—Japanese players in the battle, perhaps the two person most accurately assessing the state of the fight was the third-generation leader of the Sleeping Knights guild, Yuuki Konno and Si-Eun Ahn, better known as Yuuki and Siune.

Yuuki: Siune, if I remember right, your father is a South Korean?

Siune: Yes, that's right!

Siune father was a South Korean resident of Japan, and her mother was Japanese. So Siune could speak two languages, and the scraps of information she gleaned from the angry shouts of some of the red soldiers gave her an idea of what had gotten them so riled up.

The schism between online users in Japan and Korea started in the early 2000s, before Siune was born—from what she understood. There were probably many reasons for this, and perhaps the development of the Internet itself only exacerbated the discord that already existed.

The rivalry between countries inevitably affected the online games that Yuuki, Siune and her friends played, too. As of 2026, in the international servers of VRMMOs, it wasn't unusual at all for Japanese, Koreans, and Chinese to squabble over hunting and harvesting areas. Most of the newer games simply shut out connections from outside the country, as ALO did, and that only increased the isolation and enmity between the neighboring nations.

Siune grew up in contact with both Korean and Japanese culture, and this development hurt to see. When she went into VR hospice, the members of the Sleeping Knights welcomed her and treated her the same as anyone else, even with her background. She hoped that, somehow, she could help bridge the gap that existed in the virtual world, for the betterment of everyone.

Siune(mind): And yet...

Someone watching this battle from atop the ruins was cleverly manipulating the Korean and Chinese VRMMO players, whipping them into a furious frenzy, in an attempt to create the greatest outpouring of hatred and tragedy in the history of VRMMOs.

Yuuki: Then we'll make an opening for you. You're probably the only one on our side who can actually speak Korean. Some things you just can't get across without confronting them. Am I right?

Siune: Yeah...

Yuuki turned to her four companions in the vicinity and shouted.

Yuuki: Please, you guys, create a break point for Siune!!

Up ahead, where Jun was swinging his two-handed greatsword like some demon of battle, he shouted back.

Jun: Got it! Tecchi, Talken, Nori, let's sync up the big skills! Countdown! Two, one...

High-powered single-attack skills went off in unison, creating an earth- shaking blast and knocking back dozens of enemies. In the ensuing moment of stillness, Siune rushed up to a large Korean player who seemed to be in charge of the area and caught his downward sword swing with her bare hand. Her palm split, and blood gushed forth.

But this virtual pain was nothing next to the suffering of her bone marrow transplant for leukemia and the salvage therapy that followed. She merely grimaced the smallest bit, gazed right into the eyes of her attacker, and shouted in Korean.

Siune: Listen to me! You are being lied to!! This server belongs to a Japanese company! We are not hackers! We are connected legitimately!!

Her voice boomed across the scene and managed to extend the silence of the crowd around her. The man whose sword she was stopping looked a bit intimidated but recovered and replied.

Red player 1: Liar! We saw you! You were slaughtering players who looked just like us earlier!!

Siune: Those were Americans, who were brought here under false pretenses, just like you! You're the ones who are being used as tools of sabotage!! Think it over closely—is that anger and hatred really yours?!

The Koreans met her with confusion and silence. The next voice to break the quiet came from the back of the crowd, harsh but questioning.

Moonphase: Is that story true?!

That Korean player, who came rushing forward, looked just like any of the other soldiers in red. Siune tensed on instinct, but he lowered his sword and raised his helmet visor as he approached, to show he had no ill will.

Moonphase: I'm Moonphase. Who are you?

Siune was taken aback by the question, but she could see from the look in his eyes that he was earnest. She let go of the sword edge she was holding, clutched the hand bleeding virtual blood to her chest.

Siune: I am Siune.

Moonphase: All right, Siune. The truth is, I've been feeling that something was wrong about this.

Moonphase said rapidly. Other Koreans around him objected angrily, but the young man silenced them by emphatically returning his sword to its sheath. He stepped forward.

Moonphase: Do you have any means of proving what you've told us?

Siune:......Um...

She held her breath. The Underworld was a research-purpose VR world built by a Japanese company with the backing of the government, and its attackers were Americans trying to steal the new AI the experiment was meant to develop. That was what her friend Lisbeth had tearfully explained at the World Tree dome in ALO, and Siune had no intention of doubting her. But how to prove that to strangers was another question.

There was no "physical" evidence in a virtual world, of course. The only thing that might work would be a statement from someone, but nothing any Japanese person could say would work. As Siune struggled to find the right words, she could sense the suspicion and anger of the Korean players around her rekindling. What could she do...? Where would the answer be......?

Yuuki: The Underworlders, Siune! Show them the Underworlders who actually live here, and they'll see that they speak Japanese and that this is a Japanese server!

Siune: Oh......!

True, that was a possibility. Siune's guild hadn't exchanged more than a few words with the Underworld soldiers at the center of their formation, but they'd felt a kind of soul-shaking shock at the way they were clearly neither real-world humans nor programmed NPCs. Even if they didn't speak the same language—or maybe even because of that—the Koreans might sense that feeling, too. If they could just interact, share a few words, and open their hearts...

She was about to translate what Yuuki said into Korean for Moonphase and the others, but a baleful red light glimmered behind them.

Siune: Oh...watch ou...

She tried to warn, but wasn't in time. A short but thick blade dug deep into Moonphase's back and tossed him nearly ten yards through the air.

Moonphase: Aaagh...

He groaned, writhing in pain. Now a new man stood before Siune: the one in the black poncho who'd been standing atop the palatial roof. In his hand was a dagger that looked more like a kitchen knife. He pointed it at Moonphase and shouted in Korean.

PoH: We don't need traitors in our midst!

Then he spun around, pointing that dagger at the others.

PoH: Don't let these dirty Japanese fool you!!

His voice was heavy, powerful, cold, and also mocking. Lastly, he pointed the knife at Siune, who stood rooted to the spot in disbelief.

PoH: If this is a Japanese server, and you're legitimate users, why are you guys the only ones with high-level gear? It's all shining like it's GM armor! You obviously just cheated and gave yourselves top-tier equipment!!

Cheers of agreement rose up around him. Siune raised a desperate defense.

Siune: You're wrong! The reason our equipment is different is because we converted our main characters over here!

Immediately, the man in the poncho giggled.

PoH: Hah, what kind of an idiot would move their main character to a test server?! That's a lie! It's all lies!!

Siune: It's true! Believe us!! We came here at the risk of losing our charact...

Something whipped through the air. When Siune looked at the dagger sticking deep into her own shoulder, the pain registered less than the rush of despair. She couldn't understand the words the man who threw the weapon was screaming at her. A small group of Chinese players had taken advantage of the brief stalemate to charge in from the right. The Korean leader called out to his group again and kicked Siune over.

Yuuki: Siune!

She toppled to the ground and heard the footsteps of her companions rushing up to her, but she could not stand again.

Renly(mind): Why?

Integrity Knight Renly Synthesis Twenty-Seven could feel the depth and ferocity of the hatred hanging over the battle on his skin, and it left him repeating that simple question.

Renly(mind): Why must they hate and kill each other with such passion, when they're both from the real world?

But perhaps, he realized, it wasn't right for him to ask that. The people of the Underworld were split into those who lived in the human realm and those who lived in the dark realm, with a simmering, bloody war that had continued between the two for centuries. The amount of blood spilled in battle when the Eastern Gate fell just a few days ago was surely equal to what had been shed in this battle. Renly's own Double-Winged Blades, now hanging from his belt, had ended the lives of many, many goblins.

In fact, that was why he believed that the real world, this place somehow outside the Underworld, would be free of that kind of bloodshed and hatred.

Now it was clear that this was just a fantasy. Philia and her friends from the real world spoke the same words that the Underworlders did, but the language of the new army of thousands and thousands was completely incomprehensible to Renly. If even the words they spoke were different, there could be no possibility of truce or peace negotiations.

Did it mean that warfare was simply humanity's basic nature? Would the killing be endless here in this world, and outside in the real world, and in whatever world might exist beyond that one?

Renly(mind): I won't accept that it's true!

He thought, clenching his fists and fighting back tears. Sheyta had stayed back in a situation that meant certain death so that she could protect the pugilists guild, their supposed enemy. Through the clash of sword and fist, she must have come to understand and sympathize with the darklanders. There must be hope at the end of this bloodstained road.

So now was the time to fight—not to stand around and be protected by others. Renly headed for the front line of battle, where the real-worlders desperately continued their defensive fight. A small voice behind him said.

Tiesr: I will go, too, Sir Knight.

He turned around to see the red-haired girl from the supply team, Tiese. She had a smallish sword in her hand and a look of mournful desperation on her face.

Renly:...No. You should stay and protect him...

Tiese: Ronie will handle that duty. But the Eugeo I loved...

Tiese said, maple-red eyes shining.

Tiese:...lost his life to protect what he truly cared about. I want to carry on his example.

Renly:......Oh.

Renly bit his lip. Even he, an Integrity Knight, had no guarantee of surviving the battle. Tiese wasn't even a graduated warrior; it was impossible to think she'd make it through whole. Then another voice joined the conversation.

Liena: I will go, too, Sir Knight.

This one, coming forward to stand by Tiese, was a tall chief guard with her brown hair tied into a ponytail. Her clothes and armor were dirty and dented from fierce combat, but her eyes were bright and full of purpose still.

Liena: I, too, have yet to fulfill my promise to Zora. I can't give up on the people and the world that he gave so much of himself to protect.

Tiese: Miss Sortiliena...

Tiese said in a trembling voice, and the young woman gave her a faint smile back. They would fight not for pride or for honor, but to protect what needed to be protected. Renly could feel that desire seeping into himself and resonating. He brushed his right hand against the divine weapon at his waist and bowed his head.

Renly: All right...In that case, I will protect you...as long as you make sure not to leave my side.

Tiese: Okay!

Liena: Thank you, Sir Knight!

Tiese and Sortiliena said, drawing their swords. Renly removed both his weapons from his waist and thought.

Renly(mind): Eldrie, Sheyta, and Commander Bercouli. I may have finally found the place for me to use my life, as you three did before me.

And then, accompanied by two swordswomen, Renly the Integrity Knight rushed into the battlefield of screams and despair.

(Elsewhere)

Through the fading vision of his remaining eye, Iskahn, the chief of the pugilists, watched the red army approaching. The soldiers spoke to one another in their strange words and approached in a circle until they were just twenty mels away. When they were convinced the pugilists no longer meant to fight, they seemed satisfied.

Then they all shouted some fierce, unintelligible thing and stomped the earth together. Iskahn squeezed the hand of the knight woman next to him with his shattered left hand. He could feel her giving pressure back, resulting in a pleasant kind of pain to his numbed hand. He started to close his eyes, ready to greet his end...

Sheyta:......What's that...?

Sheyta said. He lifted his head. From across the chasm to the north of the battle, a huge force was approaching, dust storms rising in their wake. They had large, round bodies. Flat, protruding snouts. Hanging ears. Orcs.

Iskahn:...How come?

Iskahn mumbled in a daze. The orc army was supposed to be waiting far to the north near the Eastern Gate, as Emperor Vecta had ordered. Just because he had vanished didn't mean the orders no longer counted. As evidence of that, the surviving dark knights were standing around with foolish obedience just across the ravine, waiting for further orders.

Iskahn watched the orc army approach, baffled, until he noticed a small figure sprinting right at the front. It was not an orc. It had black haired and black armor, while the other had greenish-golden hair, light-green garments, and blindingly white skin. That was a human—a young woman from the human lands.

But it almost looked as though that two swordsman were leading the entire force of orcs. The red soldiers surrounding the pugilists hesitated, noticing the oncoming army.

Then the boy and girl at the head of the orcs charged out onto the stone bridge spanning the ravine. There was a bright flash; they had drawn a long blade from over their back.

In Iskahn's left hand, Sheyta's fingers twitched, reacting to something about this. The two humans were about at the middle of the bridge when they raised the long blade high overhead. They were still over two hundred mels away from the red soldiers at that point. But...

Suddenly, their arms blurred. Even Iskahn's sharp eyes couldn't make out the slashing motion. There was simply a glint of silver light—and then something much more terrible and wondrous. A line of brilliant light ran across the blackened ground, and then suddenly, dozens of red soldiers standing in its path were dismembered, collapsing to the ground before they could even scream.

The sword in the the two humans hands flipped back around, then jumped with chilling speed. The beam of light again split the red forces, slicing clean through the heavily outfitted soldiers, armor and all.

Sheyta:......Incredible.

Sheyta said in a barely audible whisper.

Kirito: We won't make it.

Kirito and Leafa knew that Philia, Asuna, Klein, Lisbeth, and the others were all in danger in the distance, and they bit her lip in frustration. But standing right before them were about thirty or so soldiers wearing red armor.

They had enlisted the help of Lilpilin, who seemed to be a leader of the orcs, and headed south to rescue Philia and Zora, but the first people they finally found did not belong to the Human Guardian Army they were looking for.

It was a few hundred men and women, apparently pugilists—a group belonging to the Dark Army with the orcs, according to Lilpilin—surrounded by an army that had dived in from the real world. Kirito and Leafa cast aside their brief shred of hesitation and rushed to aid them.

Kirito: We'll attack the enemy force on our own.

Leafa: Lilpilin, you take your troops to the pugilists and only defeat those enemies who try to attack them.

Lilpilin protested furiously.

Lilpilin: We would wather fight with you!

But they stayed firm, shaking their head and grabbing his large orc hand to squeeze it.

Leafa: You can't. We don't want you to suffer any more losses than you already have.

Kirito: We'll be fine... It doesn't matter how many thousands of them there are—

Both Kirito and Leafa smile fearlessly at the Red Soldier.

Kirito and Leafa: We won't let them win.

The two brother and sister left him with a smile, then headed toward the red army alone.

(Real World)

Rinko Koujiro rushed back to the sub-control room and lowered herself into the mesh-backed chair where Takeru Higa had sat minutes before. Out of the many windows open on the big monitor before her, she focused on a small one near the bottom. It was the three-dimensional graph that represented Sora Kirigaya's fluctlight status. In the center of the graph, with its rainbow gradient spreading out from the center, was a yawning blackness that indicated his damaged sense of self.

Takeru Higa was currently performing operations on the six STLs, trying to repair Sora's fluctlight using the memories of the one boy and four girls who knew him best. To do so, he had to infiltrate the Lower Shaft under enemy control, all alone—well, maybe, as a lonely pair.

For the moment, the invaders were distracted fighting against Ichiemon, whom they'd sent down the stairs as a decoy. But even that metal robot wasn't going to last forever against assault rifle bullets. And once Ichiemon was destroyed, the enemy was going to wonder, what were those Japanese trying to do?

Rinko(mind): Hurry up, Higa!

She prayed, right as the door slid open and a man in a Hawaiian shirt and wooden sandals clacked inside.

Kikuoka: H-how is Zora doing?!

Rinko: Higa just started his operation. How about our decoy?

Seijirou Kikuoka inhaled and exhaled, his shoulders bobbing, and prodded his glasses back up the bridge of his nose.

Kikuoka: I threw all the smoke grenades I had over Ichiemon's shoulder. There's probably a bit more we can do once they get the smoke out of the corridor, but it'll be dangerous not to lock the wall again as soon as that's over. We don't have much time.

Rinko: Higa said he could get it done in five minutes at the most...

Rinko said, going back to staring at the monitor. Sora Kirigaya's fluctlight showed no change. She clenched her hands and thought of the proverb she'd learned in America: A watched pot never boils. It took force of will to pull her eyes away from the center of the monitor.

That part of the screen displayed what looked like a map of some fantasy world—which was exactly what it was, but it also was not. It was the terrain of the entire Underworld.

Outside the Human Empire's land, which she'd been shown not long after she'd first arrived at the Ocean Turtle a few days earlier, far to the south of the circular range of mountains, there were artificial markings, two squares in a row, that looked like ruins. There was a bright dot there indicating the location of Asuna Yuuki, along with a grouping of blue dots for the human army, and another group of white dots for all the Japanese reinforcements who had connected to the simulation, all bunched together.

And the vast swarm of red surrounding them represented the American players who'd been worked up into a lather by the invaders—yet, the group seemed too big. There were at least twenty, perhaps thirty of them for every single Japanese player.

Wondering if they were in danger, and where the other teenagers aside from Philia and Asuna were, Rinko looked around the map until she found one dot, pale blue, far to the south of the ruins. That was probably Shino Asada, then.

So where were Kazuto and Suguha Kirigaya? Rinko squinted, glancing around the map, until she finally saw a light black and green dot far, far to the north of the fighting. There was a collection of red enemies near them, too, but Higa claimed that he was helping them both dive on Philia's location when they went in. So why...? Then she noticed that nearly hidden by the brightness of Kazuto and Suguha's dot, there was another white one that was blinking.

Rinko:......?

There couldn't be anyone from Rath using a Soul Translator other than them. So who did that dot represent? She scrolled the mouse cursor and carefully clicked the tiny dot, bringing up a new window, then squinted to read the small English font.

Rinko: Let's see...limit, opposition quotient...detection threshold...report? What is this...?

She was about to inquire as to what she was looking at when Kikuoka abruptly yelped.

Kikuoka: Wh-whaaat?!

He'd been looking at Sora Kirigaya's graph when she read the words, and his outburst was so sudden that she nearly jumped.

Rinko: Wh-what was that for?!

Kikuoka didn't reply. He grabbed the mouse and expanded the window Rinko had just opened. Then he leaned forward and muttered to himself.

Kikuoka: My god...it is! It's a new kind of limit-breaking fluctlight...! But why now, why this moment?!

He scratched his head furiously, thinking hard. Rinko stared at him in surprise.

Rinko: What...? Do you mean there's a second A.L.I.C.E.?

Kikuoka: Yes, exactly...No, wait a minute...This looks like...

He scrolled rapidly through the text in the window and grunted again.

Kikuoka: Technically...this is not at Alice's level. It looks like the artificial fluctlight broke through the limits of its emotional circuits, rather than its logical circuits...But it's absolutely a valuable sample. I only hope that one stays calm and safe...Oh no! It's heading for the group of Americans just to the south!

Kikuoka lifted his hands to his head in despair, so Rinko took the mouse back and examined the details log of the period when the fluctlight in question breached its theoretical limits.

Rinko: Hmm...yes, it looks like new nodes in the emotional field going off in chain reaction...Hmm? Hey, Mr. Kikuoka?

Kikuoka: Wh-what is it?

Kikuoka asked, craning his neck to look at the monitor while he writhed.

Rinko: What is this part here? The external order being inserted. It looks very odd to me, almost antagonistic...Like it's trying to prevent the generation of new circuits...

She said, following the fine text carefully.

Rinko: Inserting simulated pain signal...to right ocular region? So whenever an artificial fluctlight is actually on the verge of surpassing its boundaries, this process is trying to kill that drive with pain. Why did you put this kind of limitation on the Underworlders?

Kikuoka: Um...what? We didn't do that. Of course we wouldn't—it's completely contrary to the goals of the project...In fact, that would be outright sabotage.

Rinko: Yes...exactly. Also, this code is written differently than Higa's...Ahhh, there's a bit of text commented out here at the start of it...'Code Eight-Seven-One'? What is Eight-Seven-One?

Kikuoka: Eight-Seven-One? I've never heard that number before...No, wait...Wait a minute—I swear that popped up not long ago...

Kikuoka leaped up and rushed a few steps, wooden sandals clacking, and grabbed a filthy, faded lab coat from a nearby chair. He whipped it open sharply and stared at the inside of the collar.

Rinko: What is it? What are you looking for?

Rinko asked. Kikuoka's eyes were wide behind his black-framed glasses. He flipped the coat around and thrust the tag toward her. Written upon it in black marker ink was the number 871.

Rinko: That coat belongs to the man who just left with Higa. I think his name was Yanai...

She mumbled, hearing her own voice trail off.

Rinko: Yanai.

Kikuoka: Ya(8)-na(7)-i(1).

In the Japanese syllabary, where nearly every character could also be converted to one of the ten numerals, the three characters of ya, na, and i were...

Rinko and Kikuoka:...Eight...seven...one?!

Rinko and Kikuoka stood up straight in shock.

Rinko and Kikuoka: Yanai!

(Elsewhere)

Yanai: Whoa...a-are you okay?

Yanai stammered, as though he was actually concerned. It was enough to make Higa temporarily forget his pain.

Higa: Y-you shot me! What do you think?!

Yanai: Uh, I wasn't trying to hit you; I really wasn't. I'm not ready to be a murderer. What's the point of buying a nice condo on the west coast if I'm living my days terrified of catching a homicide charge?

When he realized that Yanai was serious, Higa felt the tension drain out, along with his strength. He told himself to tighten up and gingerly checked on his shoulder. The bullet had deflected off the side of the duct and hit him just below the collarbone. It wasn't pain he felt all along his right arm, but cold numbness. The underarm of his shirt was already dark red with blood; it was definitely more than just a scratch.

Fear of the present situation and future developments was finally starting to creep up from his stomach. Higa's breathing quickened. Above him, Yanai was still smirking over his advantage.

Yanai: The truth is that I was planning to mess with your work first, destroy the maintenance connector, then escape down to Main Control. I'm supposed to be hitching a ride with them on their sub. Since no one from Rath has died, as long as we get Alice all safely contained, that's a happy ending as far as I'm concerned.

Higa: No one...has died...?

Higa repeated, feeling the pain vanish again.

Higa: If we don't take advantage of this chance to heal Yatagami, his mind will never recover! You'll be the one who killed his soul, Yanai! And you claim you're not ready to be a murderer!

Yanai: Oh. Ohhh...That guy...

The expression was gone from Yanai's face. His stubbled cheeks twitched a few times in the orange emergency lighting.

Yanai: Yeah...That kid can die for all I care.

Higa: Wha......?

Yanai: I mean, he killed her. He killed my sweet Admi.

Higa: Ad...mi...?

Higa repeated, perplexed. Yanai exploded with indignation.

Yanai: The pontifex of the Axiom Church! Her Holiness, Administrator! I had an agreement with her, you see. I was going to give her all the help she needed for complete control over the Underworld. I said that if the server ever got reinitialized, I'd make sure to save her on a lightcube.

Higa could scarcely believe what he was hearing. The Axiom Church was the name of the organization created by the residents of the Underworld to rule over them. It enforced its control with unbelievably strict laws and a massive military might that the common people could not disobey.

The reason that Higa's team had known about their barrier-breaking fluctlight "Alice" and yet not taken control of her was because, in the time-accelerated Underworld, the Axiom Church had immediately arrested Alice and performed memory-altering routines on her fluctlight.

It was too fast, in fact. And too precisely performed. Almost as if they'd known ahead of time exactly what an artificial fluctlight was. And that, in fact, was true. The Axiom Church—or at least, the fluctlight who'd been its supreme leader, Administrator—had known exactly how the world worked.

Higa: So you corrupted the Underworld...

Higa growled. Yanai clicked his tongue.

Yanai: Now, now, she was the one who made contact with me first. I was on duty, and I heard a girl's voice coming through the speaker, which was quite alarming...She managed to find the entire command list for the Underworld on her own and opened a connection back to the console. And if you want to assign blame, that's your fault for not eliminating the command to summon the list.

He chuckled and then, for some reason, got a dreamy look in his eyes.

Yanai: At first, I thought the Underworld in its current state was bound to be wiped sooner or later. If they were all going to get erased, then what was the harm? So I snuck into the STL to go see Admi. And let me tell you...I've never seen such a beautiful girl in my life. The girl Mr. Sugou had trapped in ALO was cute, but everything about Admi, from her personality, to her voice, to her mannerisms—all of it was my absolute ideal in a woman. So she made a promise to me. If I helped her, she would make me her number-one slave. And one day we'd rule the real world, too, and she'd make me a king...

Higa(mind): No...I take that back. He was the one who got corrupted.

The realization was a thrill of horror that put all of Higa's hair on end. Yanai was a fool and a traitor, but he wasn't a dunce. What kind of a being must this Administrator be to ensnare a man like Yanai and completely own him this way? Suddenly, Yanai's look of reminiscence vanished.

Yanai: But...now she's dead. She was killed...by that boy who ruined Mr. Sugou's experiment, too. I have to avenge her. My poor Admi...

His bloodshot eyes bulged, and he pointed his gun at Higa again. The automatic pistol cocked the hammer after firing, so the pressure needed to pull the trigger was much lighter than the first time. If he squeezed his finger in at all, the gun was going to go off.

Yanai: That's right. I suppose it's true...I can't give her the true memorial she deserves unless I kill at least one person or so...

The pupils in the middle of Yanai's bulging eyes were tiny and jittering.

Higa(mind):...Uh-oh. He's serious this time.

Higa closed his eyes.

(Underworld)

The ones who fought the hardest against desperate circumstances and ended up standing on the battlefield at the very end were Philia, who had the protection of her super-account; Renly the Integrity Knight, a resident of the Underworld; his dragon mount; Tiese the primary trainee, who fought bravely despite Renly's protection; and Sortiliena the swordswoman.

Through eyesight faded by extreme exhaustion and pain, Philia watched Renly fight with a fervor that was positively demonic. Dozens of minutes ago, he'd appeared on the front line of battle, hurling a cross-shaped boomerang with a mind of its own that sliced the oncoming enemies in two with abandon. Its impact on the battle was so intense that it actually succeeded in pushing back the furious charge of the players from Japan's neighbors over the course of a few minutes. The burning breath of his gigantic dragon also frightened the enemy. It was more than enough evidence for them to accept that they were fighting a true dragon knight born and bred in the alternate land of the Underworld.

But eventually, they began to notice that while Renly was throwing and controlling the boomerang, he was essentially defenseless. After dozens of chances, the latest throw of Renly's weapon sweeping back the front line of red soldiers was accompanied by a hail of spears thrown from the rear. The strategy that Philia had secretly feared seeing from the Americans was finally coming into play.

The spears came down from the red sky like black rain. Renly's dragon swept in to protect its master with outstretched wings and body. Scales and blood sprayed into the air as the beast toppled sideways.

A fresh wave of spears came just as quickly. Renly looked up at the pointed heads as the missiles soared down, hissing. He immediately cradled Tiese, who was right behind him, hiding her beneath his body.

Two spears hit his back, and he fell forward, covering her. The cross- shaped boomerang lost its control and flashed, splitting in two and sticking into the dirt in the distance.

By that point, the fighting elsewhere on the battlefield was essentially over. The exhausted and fallen Japanese players were easy pickings for the red soldiers, who swarmed them, each eager to be the first to strike. Blood, flesh, brief screams, and whimpers emerged before the Japanese players quiet.

Many of them, too, suffered broken shields and armor and were bound and tied on the ground, helpless. Their tears of frustration looked just as painful as the tracks of red from their wounds.

The defensive line of two thousand converted players had been neutralized, and the army of the Human Empire that had been at the center was exposed at last. About four hundred of the human army's men-at-arms raised their swords and formed a circle around the unarmed supply team and priests. Their faces were filled with desperate determination, and they waited in silence for the right moment to make their doomed charge at the encroaching red wave.

Philia:......Stop it......

Philia heard her own voice say. It was the sound of her heart breaking, not for the pain of the wounds she'd suffered, but out of despair and sadness.

Philia: Please...don't do this...

Her dagger fell to the ground. A little droplet that ran off her cheek splashed against its ragged, tarnished length. A red silhouette standing before her raised its doublehanded sword high overhead and screamed something furious. But just at that moment, a voice like a clap of thunder paused the blade in its downward swing, as well as other fights happening all around them.

PoH: Stoppppp!!

It was the man in the black poncho who'd been watching the fighting from a distance. The ghost of PoH, leader of the murderous Laughing Coffin guild. The players from the neighboring countries seemed to be taking their cues from the poncho man, viewing him as their leader, so they reluctantly lowered their weapons. The man who'd been about to cut Philia in two clicked his tongue, pulled his sword back, and gave her a rough kick instead. She fell helplessly to her back and struggled with limp arms to get up. A tall man was walking toward her, the ends of his black leather coat swaying. He said something in a low but clearly audible voice to the red players around him, but it was in Korean, so Philia couldn't understand it.

All those closest to the man nodded and began to pass on the message to their fellows through the crowd. Out of nowhere, the man standing next to Asuna grabbed her by the hair and pulled her up. She shrieked, but he ignored her and dragged her roughly along.

Similar things were happening elsewhere. Apparently, they were going to bunch all the surviving Japanese players in one place. The man in the black poncho strode right up to the men-at-arms of the human army, who still stood with their swords at the ready. Then he turned and waved, giving another direction to the man holding Philia by the hair.

He kicked her in the back and sent her sprawling several yards forward into the dirt. More Japanese players toppled to the ground nearby. The number of survivors was already under two hundred.

Maximum HP value seemed to be linked to survival here, because many were high-level players. A quick glance confirmed the presence of the ALO territorial lords and the Sleeping Knights. From GGO was the famous player, Pink Devil and her team. Then the Uncrowned Queen and Zora's childhood friend and AI Kureha and Arfasys.

Everyone's armor was either shattered or ripped away, leaving them in nothing but tattered clothes. Exposed skin was covered in wounds, and many still had broken blades jutting from their flesh. All that she could see on their faces was deep futility and defeat.

She didn't want to see any more. She wanted to lie facedown in the dirt with her eyes closed as the final blow came. Instead, however, Philia watched through blurry tears, trying to burn into her mind the image of all these players who had converted to take part in the battle.

Another survey of the area led her to a female player on her knees some distance away, her shoulders trembling. The girl's pink hair was smeared with dirt and dust, and her dark-red outfit was torn here and there. Asuna crawled over to the girl's back and put her arms around her friend's body. Lisbeth froze up for a moment, then rested her head against Asuna's chest. Her blood- and tear-stained cheeks twitched as she rasped.

Lisbeth: They all... I couldn't...I was...They...

Asuna: No...no, Liz!

Asuna told her sternly through her own tears.

Asuna: It's not your fault. It's mine...If I had been thinking smarter, I would have seen this coming...

Lisbeth: Asuna, I...I had no idea. I didn't know that fighting could be this scary... That losing could be this awful...I just didn't know...

Asuna couldn't come up with an answer. She squeezed Lisbeth harder, cradling her friend. More tears flooded from Philia's eyes and ran down her cheeks. There was more quiet sobbing nearby, and Philia saw that Agil was lying motionless on the ground, with Silica curled up and weeping next to him.

Silica: Agil! Please hold on! Agil!

Agil was so horribly disfigured that it was a wonder he had any hit points left at all. He must have fought like a man possessed to protect Silica. Multiple broken swords and spears stuck out of his body, and his limbs looked like they'd all been crushed. His jaw was clenched, surely to fight back against unimaginably excruciating pain.

Nearby, Klein sat cross-legged with his head bowed. His left arm had been cut off from the shoulder. His trademark bandana was tied around the stump. Yuuki was not far from Philia as well along with the injured Sleeping Knight. Both her and Siune was crying loudly.

Yuuki: I'm sorry! Siune!

Siune: Don't cry! You did what you could.

Kureha, Zeliska, and Arfasys who was on the ground as well unable to stand. Kureha was spitting blood from her mouth, which a sword that had pierce the center of her chest. Tears were flowing down her eyes as both Zeliska and Arfasys could only comfort her.

Kureha: It hurts...! It hurts so much...

Essentially, all the survivors were in this sort of state. The hooded man in the black poncho surveyed the crowd of two hundred whose weapons, armor, and even will to fight had all been taken away. He had a huge smile. Then he turned and started walking toward the men-at-arms of the human army.

Philia waited in horror for him to raise his hand and give the command to slaughter them all. But to her surprise, he addressed them in Japanese.

PoH: Throw down your weapons and surrender. If you do, we will not kill you or our prisoners over here.

The men-at-arms looked briefly startled, then deeply furious. Sortiliena the captain strode forward to stand face-to-face with the man in the poncho. She must have been fighting on the front line with Renly, because her sword was chipped, and blood ran down her forehead. But Sortiliena was still beautiful in her defiance.

Liena: Slander!! After all of this, you think that our lives are so precious that we would—?

Philia: No! Listen to him!!

Philia interrupted. Asuna then lifted her teary face, still cradling Lisbeth, and pleaded.

Asuna: She's right! Please...you have to survive! Do whatever it takes, no matter how humiliating!!

Philia: That's what...That's the only thing...It's our only...Hope.

The word caught in her chest. Sortiliena and the other guards clamped their mouths shut, their faces contorting and trembling with emotion...until their shoulders dropped at last.

When they let their swords fall clanking to the ground, the rows and rows of players from the neighboring countries let out a victorious roar, which soon turned to chants of those countries' names.

The hooded man in black beckoned a few players over and gave them an order. They promptly obeyed and started running to the back of the circle, dividing up the surrendered members of the human army.

Before she had time to wonder what they were doing, the black-poncho man strode quickly over to stand right before Philia and Asuna. Even from this distance, she couldn't see through the darkness under his hood. The only details were a powerful lower jaw and black curls hanging around his neck. That mouth of his formed a cruel smile, and he said, almost cheerfully.

PoH: Hey...long time no see, Treasure Hunter, Flash. Where is Blackie? I was sure he would be here.

Philia(mind): Ah! It is him!!

Her breath caught in her throat. The words came unbidden from her chest.

Philia: You're...PoH...!

PoH; Ohhh, isn't that a nostalgic name? I'm so happy you remember it.

Klein had his hand on the ground and was leaning closer to them. Now he looked up at the hooded man with fire in his eyes.

Klien: You...it's you. You're still alive...you murderous bastard!!

Klein tried to grab him with his one remaining arm, but the man easily kicked him over with a boot. Asuna gritted her teeth and growled.

Asuna: Is this vengeance? Are you trying to get back at the frontline group for destroying Laughing Coffin...?

PoH:......

PoH stared down at her without a word. Then she noticed that his shoulders were trembling. Within a few seconds, he was shaking with uncontrollable mirth. Under the poncho, his body twisted and writhed with laughter. When the spasms finally stopped, PoH thrust a finger at her and said.

PoH: Uh, wait, wait...I'm forgetting how to say it in Japanese, since I've been in America for so long. I've forgotten all my slang.

He twirled his finger around and then snapped in realization.

PoH: Ah, that's right! Are you taking crazy pills? This is hilarious, man...

He went down to one knee so he could stare Philia in the face at eye level. The faint gleam of his eyes in the light was the only thing she could see in that hood.

PoH:...I'll let you in on a little secret. Did you know that the one who told you people where to find the Laughing Coffin hideout was me?

Philia, Asuna, Klien, Agil: Wha...?

Philia, Asuna, Klein, and even nearly dead Agil were shocked.

Philia: What...? Why would you...?

PoH: I mean, partly I just wanted to see you apes killing one another...but the biggest reason was this: I wanted to make all of you murderers, too. The great and mighty frontline conquerors, everyone's heroes. It was hard as hell to set that up...to time everything so that I warned Laughing Coffin ahead of time, but only just enough so that they could fight back, rather than abandoning the place and running.

Philia(mind): So that's why we found evidence that our plan to ambush the hideout had leaked ahead of time.

Philia realized in shock. Because of that, the superior frontline team—in both level and equipment—found themselves on the defensive and suffered a few casualties. It was Zora's fierce fighting, as a solo player who was accepted among the group, that turned the tide of battle. His incredible amount of speed and quick wits were the one that brought victory to the team.

Philia: So you...wanted that to happen? You wanted Zora...to have to PK someone...?

PoH: Yes, absolutely, yes...

PoH said in English excitedly. Then he turned into anger.

PoH: But that boy didn't even snapped! He managed to turned the whole battle without killing a single one of my man!

Philia: Zora spared you that day! He figured out where you were hiding and went after you alone! And even after he defeated you, he still spared your life even after you murdered his sister!

PoH: That was the thing! I don't want him to spare me! I want him to kill me with his own two hands!

Philia: Wha-?!

PoH: If he experienced the same thing, just like when he snapped after I kill that beautiful sister of his and killed 7 of my guys! I will enjoy hunting him for eternity as my own blood will be by his hand!

A sudden surge of anger made Philia temporarily forget her pain.

Philia: D-do you have any idea...how much Zora suffered and agonized because of you?! How much he suffered after he returned to the Real World?!

PoH: Oh, he did? That's nice to hear.

PoH replied, but his voice was as cold as ice.

PoH: But I dunno if I totally buy that. If you really regretted it...then wouldn't you hate to even look at a VR game? You'd feel so guilty about the people you killed. I know he's in here, too. I can feel him. I dunno why he's locked up in a wagon...but I can ask him myself.

PoH gave the stunned Philia a smirk and leaped back to his feet. In the distance, the red soldiers violently pushed forward a wheelchair, with a girl in a gray uniform trying to keep up.

Philia(mind): Oh...No.

Philia: Please! Anything but that!

The shouted pleas filled Philia's breast. Asuna and Klein tried to jump to their feet, but the soldiers held them down at once. Against the background of the still-simmering cheers of victory, his freezing voice said.

PoH: It's showwwwtime!

That was his catchphase in SAO when he was up to his tricks.