No one's POV

On the far bank of the ravine, five hundred denizens of the dark lands prepared to take on the four Integrity Knights. But they suddenly came to a stop and looked away from the battlefield in disbelief.

It was a stream of many red lines, falling from the sky and emitting strange vibrations. When the streams reached the ground, they expanded, eventually taking human shape.

They were warriors, armed with longswords, battle-axes, and spears and clad in reddish-black armor. Color aside, the armor was very similar in form to the kind the dark knights wore.

All of those raised swords, axes, and spears caught the red light of dawn, glinting cruelly—and then swung downward with bloodthirsty roars, right at the men and women that were supposedly on their side.

Bercouli: Wha...? Who are they?!

Philia had no answer to his question. It was clear that the thirty thousand soldiers who had suddenly descended—no, dived—to the east had been called here by Emperor Vecta.

But where had he summoned a force of this size from, exactly?

Did he generate NPC warriors like monsters and throw them into battle? But the Underworld control panel in the Ocean Turtle's main control room was locked down and couldn't be operated without admin access. They wouldn't be able to do anything but designate coordinates and dive in themselves, like Philia did, and on Vecta's side, they had only two Soul Translators available to them.

The momentary confusion was thawed when the red warriors drew within a few hundred yards, and she could actually hear them speak.

Red Knight 1: Charge ahead!!

Red Knight 2: Give 'em hell!!

It was English. They were people from the real world, and based on the accent, Americans. But how was that possible? This was supposed to be a closed-off VR world, unconnected to any other system. Except.

Philia(mind): No...

Through the STL, the Underworld was a true alternate world, more real than reality, thanks to its Mnemonic Visualizer. But the development of that system was done on top of The Seed, the universal VRMMO development package. In other words, if you had an AmuSphere, you could dive into that world...and the Ocean Turtle had a massive satellite connection pipeline.

So with a simple hacked-together client program distributed on the Net in the real world...you could bring tens, if not hundreds of thousands, of people to the Underworld.

It was what the red warriors did that gave credence to Philia's stunned suspicion. Their first move was to set upon the knights and pugilists of the Dark Army, who were ostensibly on their own side, swinging their swords and axes without hesitation or mercy.

Dark Knight 1: Wh-what are you...?!

Dark Knight 2: I thought you were on our side...!

Shocked, the knights attempted to deflect these attacks, but the numbers were against them. And the red soldiers' weapons and armor were apparently superior to those of the Dark Army, as the swords and shields raised in defense quickly broke and shattered. Screams and blood began to issue from where the armies met.

Red Knight 1: Dude, this is awesome!!

Red Knight 2: Sweet! Gore!!

The elated real-worlders seemed to have no idea what was actually happening here. They'd probably been convinced to dive into what they believed was an open beta test for a new, unannounced VRMMO.

The American players couldn't have any natural hostility to the Underworlders. They just saw the Dark Army before them and assumed they were enemy NPCs to be targeted. In fact, if there was enough time to explain what the Underworld was, and how artificial fluctlights worked, maybe even the majority of them would agree to log out.

But there was no way to do any of that now. If Philia rushed in and tried to speak to them in English, they would assume she was just another NPC delivering her programmed lines. And if they thought that defeating enough targets in the beta might give them some kind of exclusive bonus item when the game officially launched, Japanese players would do the exact same thing.

Convincing them with words would be impossible.

The people the Americans were trying to kill weren't NPCs, but artificial fluctlights with real souls. If they slaughtered all the Dark Territory forces, they would come after the Human Guardian Army's decoy force next. In that case, she was the only one present with a temporary life, not a permanent one. She had to fight. Resolute, Philia raised her and spoke a quick command.

Philia: System Call! Turned Illusion into Reality Object!!

A harmony of lunar light appeared around her hand. She would not be creating a bottomless ravine like she did last night. There was nothing to be gained by cutting off the human army's escape route. Instead, she swung her hand hard, imagining huge, jutting rocks as sharp as spears.

Suddenly, divine wrath descended from the heavens. A massive pillar of light shot down from the sky, obliterating all in its path. It eradicated everything it touched, regardless of age, race, strength, or affiliation. The red sky lit up, and for a few moments it looked like it was noon. Kweeeeeeeeeeee! The pillar of light was a good fifteen meters in diameter, and it scorched the very air as it passed. Anything that came into the light's domain, whether it be Americans and the Underworlders, was vaporized instantly. Its heat was so great that even things not directly in the light's path melted.

Philia twirl her hand around, and the pillar began to move, swallowing up the hundreds of suits of crimson armor trying to flee. Death came for them all. Inescapable, inexorable death. No one could outrun the speed of Philia's laser. The Red players were, desperately trying to find shelter from that beam of destruction.

They screamed and swore, some crushed to a pulp, others dashed against the ground. Blood and guts flew everywhere. The light zigzagged a path around the plains.

Philia had no time to consider how they might have perceived their deaths. She was instantly inflicted with a searing pain in the center of her head, and she slumped over the neck of her horse.

Silver sparks burst in her eyes, and she gasped for breath. The agony was far worse than what she'd felt when creating the laser as well last night. It was the lurid sensation of her very fluctlight being spent as so much terrain data passed through it.

Philia(mind): But I can't stop here.

If she suffered the same injuries as Zora, so be it. She set her jaw, gritted her teeth, and rose in the saddle. Her efforts seemed to have slowed the rush of the American players from the east.

She'd have to make another laser on the south side and allow the human army to escape from behind it. Her breathing was ragged, and she raised her hand high again. But a golden gauntlet grabbed her arm this time.

Philia: Alice...?!

She gasped when she saw who it was. Alice the Integrity Knight, her beautiful features hard with resolve, quickly shook her head.

Alice: Don't push it, Philia. Let the Integrity Knights handle the rest.

Philia: B-but...those soldiers in red are from the real world...They're enemies from where we came from!

Alice: Even still. Thousands or not, if they are blindly lusting for blood and swing their swords with abandon, there is no reason for us to fear them.

Bercouli: That is true.

Bercouli said with a grin, following up Alice's sentiment.

Bercouli: Let us have a moment to shine.

Their boldness in the face of such desperate circumstances was laudable, but Philia could sense that they were more determined than ever. The red tsunami of foes outnumbered their forces thirty to one, however. This was not a situation in which grit and determination would reign supreme. The knight commander raised his polished blade, however, and barked his order.

Bercouli: Gather up!! All forces, tight formation!! We're breaking out of here!!

(Elsewhere)

Iskahn: A...aah, ah...

It was a guttural cry from Iskahn's throat, more growl than words.

Iskahn: Aaa...aaaaaaaaaah!!

He clenched his fists so hard that blood oozed and dripped from his palms. The young gladiator wasn't even aware of the pain, however; he just howled like a wild beast. Nearby, his second-in-command, Dampa, hung his head, sharing in the anguish Iskahn felt.

They were dying. Dying.

His fellow combatants, with no orders or guidance, and no ability to fight, fell prey to the swarm of cruel, murderous blades.

And yet, the soldiers making their way across the five intact ropes were not stopping. The emperor's order that they cross to the other side was still active. As their master bade them, they scrambled along the ropes, only to promptly be surrounded by the hordes of red soldiers and their deadly swords.

Why wasn't Emperor Vecta calling off the ravine-crossing strategy for the pugilists and dark knights, and why wasn't he forbidding these red soldiers from attacking the other members of the Dark Territory forces?

At this rate, Iskahn's fellow tribesmen were not even decoys. They were just blood sacrifices for the army the emperor had summoned.

Iskahn: I...I must...

Iskahn(mind): Report. I must beseech the emperor to call off this strategy.

Through the rage, despair, and agony of his right eye, Iskahn took a step toward the dragon tank at the rear of their position. Dampa lifted his head, sensing his chieftain's intent, and made to say something. But just then, a huge shadow of something overhead passed them. Iskahn and Dampa looked to the sky automatically.

A dragon.

On the back of the creature, fine pelt cape and long golden hair flowing behind him, was Emperor Vecta himself.

Iskahn: Aa...aaah!!

Perhaps he heard Iskahn's unconscious shout. From the saddle of the dragon, the emperor glanced down at the surface.

There was no emotion in his eyes. Not a single shred of mercy or pity for the soldiers of his own army as they died. Not even a bit of interest. Those orbs were ice.

Emperor Vecta looked away from Iskahn and flew the dragon toward the far side of the ravine.

That was a god. That was a ruler.

But if he was the ruler...if he had absolute strength that none could hope to match—shouldn't there be a corresponding sense of duty to wield it?

Iskahn(mind): A ruler ought to command his army and lead his people to greater prosperity. No man who sacrificed hundreds, thousands of lives for nothing, and showed no emotion about it, ought to be emperor...My eye...Don't call yourself...My eye hurts...No right to...

Iskahn: Uah...aaah...aaaaah!!

Iskahn thrust his fist into the air. He curved his fingers like claws. Then stuck them against his right eye, the source of the agony that burned at his mind.

Dampa: Ch...Chief!! What are you doing?!

Dampa rushed over, but Iskahn pushed him off with his left hand and uttered a brief shriek as he tore out his own eyeball. The white orb still glowed red in his palm, but it vanished when he crushed the soft organ with his grip.

At this point, Iskahn had not actually reached the spontaneous unlocking of the right-eye seal, Code 871, that Alice and Eugeo had accomplished. So he was unable to manifest any direct rebellion against the emperor, and his two outstanding orders, carrying out the ravine-crossing plan and staying back on this side of the gorge, were still active.

Instead, the young pugilist forced through a means of avoiding those orders at such a level that it was tantamount to rebellion. Iskahn turned slowly to look up at the shocked Dampa.

Iskahn: The emperor didn't give us any orders relating to those red soldiers. Am I wrong about that?

Dampa: N...no, you're not wrong.

Iskahn: Then us killin' all of them has nothin' to do with the emperor.

Dampa:...Champion...

Dampa fell silent. Iskahn glared at him with his one remaining eye and ordered.

Iskahn: Listen to me...if we get a bridge across the valley, take all the troops over there. Save our people on the far bank, no matter what you do.

Dampa: Huh...?! B-bridge? H-how...?

Iskahn: I don't know. Just ask whoever can do it.

Iskahn growled quietly, facing the abyss. Soon, red flames engulfed his powerful legs. He began to spring toward the yawning ravine, leaving behind footprints that smoldered in the dark ground.

Iskahn(mind): If I'm not allowed to cross the ropes...then I'll just have to jump across myself!!

Iskahn bounded off the earth just before the hundred-mel-wide portal to hell. Jumping was one of the physical skills that pugilists trained in. They started with safe long jumps on gravel ground, until graduating up to leaping over rows of blades and boiling oil, all in pursuit of absolute faith in their jumping abilities. In other words, to utilize the mental power of Incarnation.

A top-level pugilist could jump a span of twenty mels. Given that any flight utilizing sacred or dark arts was forbidden in this world, it represented the maximum possibility of flesh and blood.

But Iskahn was hurtling himself over a bottomless abyss five times the length of his maximum jump distance. He stared straight ahead, pumping his feet against the air, leaving fiery traces in the space behind him.

Ten mels. Twenty mels. His body continued to rise. Thirty mels. Thirty-five. Powerful winds pushing up from the canyon below buffeted him upward, as though on invisible wings. Forty mels. A little farther—just one more push...and then he could coast to the far side on momentum alone.

But... Cruelly, the wind stopped right before he was about to reach the middle of the ravine. His body jolted, losing forward propulsion. The curve of his leap hit a peak and began to sink downward.

Iskahn(mind): I'm five mels short.

Dampa: Raaaah!!

He bellowed, reaching as though to grab on to something. But there was no purchase for his hands or feet. The only thing that brushed his body was the cold of the approaching darkness below.

Dampa: Champiooooon!!

A rumbling roar struck Iskahn's ears. He glanced over his shoulder to see his second, Dampa, going into a throwing motion holding a boulder many times the size of his head. Iskahn instantly knew what his longtime faithful assistant was going to do. But it was not possible for humans to hurl a rock of that size over fifty mels...

Dampa's arm suddenly bulged. The muscles rippled and tensed, popping veins, as though all of his entire body's strength was converging in that arm.

Dampa: Aaaaah!!

The massive man ran a few steps and then swung. The boulder shot forward, shaking the air, like some kind of catapult— and Dampa's arm burst apart into a shower of blood and meat. Iskahn gritted his teeth at the sight of his slumping second-in-command, then focused on the boulder hurtling straight for him.

Iskahn:...Oraaaaa!!

He screamed and bounded off the rock with the sole of a single foot. The rock exploded into pieces, jolting Iskahn forward and giving him a fresh source of acceleration. The sight of the soldiers fighting on the far bank of the ravine rushed closer and closer.

(Elsewhere)

Red Knight: Damn!!

The American player swore before Philia pulled her dagger from his lifeless body. She gasped for breath atop her horse. There was no mental pressure weighing on her now, the way that she felt when fighting against the Underworlders. She had already defeated over ten of the red warriors, using the ultrafast combination skills.

But there were just too many of them. Philia wasn't the only one fighting. The men-at-arms of the human army and especially the four Integrity Knights fought like madmen. They stood at the head of the tight formation and produced mountains of bodies as they tried to cut out an open path to the south.

But they couldn't overwhelm the waves of red soldiers who continued to flood around the ravine that Philia had created. At best, they could stop only enough of them to produce a stalemate.

Eventually they were going to notice that the enemies they were cutting down vanished without bodies—or even a bloodstain. They would realize that they were fighting a phantom army without true lives of their own.

Soldier: Aaah...no! Aaaah!!

A voice screamed, causing Philia to glance behind her. Part of the line of guards had broken, and warriors dressed in red were spilling through. They set upon the human army's guards, hollering and screaming gamer slang, surrounding them and slicing them to pieces. Blood and flesh flew, and the shrieks of panic turned to death screams.The red soldiers mobbed their next targets, seemingly driven to greater heights of bloodlust by the sheer realism of the deaths they brought.

Philia: Stop...stop...!!

Philia cried. This was the time to ignore the few losses they would suffer and focus only on pushing to the south, she knew. But her body ignored her mind and leaped off her horse.

Philia: Stoppppp!!

She screamed, feeling her throat go raw, standing alone against the deluge of red. The Americans had no malice. They were only being manipulated by the invaders. But that understanding alone could not withstand the flood of raw, surging emotion.

Philia: Hah!!

Her right hand flashed, sending a Kanshou Light through red visors. Four soldiers suffered critical hits to the head. Dropping their swords, they slumped to the ground with a groan. Based on their reactions, it was clear that although they dived through their AmuSpheres, the pain absorber wasn't functioning. Sensing that it was likely the case, Philia had been trying to pierce them quickly through the heart to log them out instantly, but that idea now fell by the wayside.

Her dagger, an item of the highest priority level, spun and danced, thrusting through armor, slicing, and occasionally even severing the enemy's weapons. The Americans were seeing polygonal in-engine models, with blood spray modeled as a visual effect of damage. But to Philia, who was diving through The Soul Translator, they were flesh-and-blood people, their blood warm and pungent with the stench of iron.

It began to pool on the ground around them, and her right foot slipped. She lost her balance and toppled over, right as she saw a large warrior step up to her.

Red Knight: Take this!!

He roared, swinging his battle-ax down at her. Philia rolled to the right, but she couldn't get all the way free. The thick blade caught her left arm. Chunk. It severed her forearm below the elbow. The loose part flew into the air.

Philia:...Aaah...!!

Her vision flickered white. The breath caught in her throat. Her entire body seized up with pain. Philia bent over, clutching the arm that gushed blood like a geyser. Through a sudden rush of tears, she saw four or five shadows surrounding her, raising their weapons. Suddenly, the head of the man with the battle-ax appeared to explode. There were more dull impacts. Each of the soldiers trying to finish off Philia split to pieces in turn, vanishing out of view.

Iskahn: Heh...They're all soft.

Through her agony, Philia managed to straighten up and see a hardy young man with bold features, hair red as fire, and darkened skin.

Philia(mind): He's from the Dark Territory!

For a moment, she forgot her pain and sucked in a breath. The color of his skin and the single leather belt on his upper half made it clear that this was one of the Dark Army's pugilists. But why would one of Emperor Vecta's own troops attack the red soldiers that Vecta had summoned? It was as if he'd just saved her life.

He had only one eye looking down at her. There was a grisly, bloody wound where his right eye had been, as though it had been gouged out. A dried trail of red-black blood ran down his cheek.

Then he turned that eye on the Americans pressing in on them again and raised a fist high. The hard, bony hand began to burn with bright flames.

Iskahn: Raaaaah!!

He roared, his voice splitting the air as he slammed his fist into the ground. A shock wave like a wall of fire burst outward, hurtling all the soldiers before them into oblivion without a trace.

Philia(mind): What incredible power!

Philia was stunned. If she fought him now, she would lose... But the pugilist reached out without a word and grabbed her armor. He stood her up and stared closely at her with that one good eye.

Iskahn:...Let's make a deal.

He said in a voice that was young but heavy with anguish. At first, Philia didn't understand what he meant.

Philia: A...deal?

Iskahn: That's right. You're the one who created that beam of laser to split the earth, yeah? I want you to put a firm bridge over that ravine behind us—doesn't matter if it's skinny. Then my four thousand pugilists can come over and help you until all of these soldiers in red are crushed into nothing.

Philia(mind): The Dark Army...fighting with us?!

Was that possible? The people of the dark lands, like everyone else in this world, couldn't disobey direct orders from above, thanks to the seal of the right eye, Code 871. She glanced at the wound on his head.

Was it the mark of him removing the seal all on his own? Had he, like Alice, evolved into a fluctlight that had surpassed its own limitations? But last night, Alice had claimed that if a person fought against Code 871 long enough, the "eyeball itself explodes without a trace." And the ugly injury to the pugilist's eye socket looked more like it had been gouged out with fingers than burst from within. How should she interpret his offer? What should she do?

Her answer came from a voice that was calm and quiet, despite the extreme danger of the circumstances.

Sheyta: I don't think he's lying.

That was the gray Integrity Knight, Sheyta Synthesis Twelve, who spoke as she easily severed the head of an enemy warrior with a sword that was surprisingly thin, wavy, and black.

The pugilist looked at Sheyta and grinned, equal parts confidence and what might actually be shyness. He grunted in agreement. In that moment, Philia made up her mind.

Philia(mind): I'll trust him.

This was probably the last time she'd be able to use the dream-illusion powers of the Lunaria account. It wouldn't be bad to have that last burst be used to create something, rather than simply destroy.

Philia:...All right. I will place a bridge over the ravine.

She let go of her weeping arm, grabbed her pearl-white dagger, and raised it to the sky.

Shiiiiiiing!

Another lunar light boomed around them, and a solar eclipse descended onto the wasteland. It plunged straight to the north and reached the far side of the ravine. The earth shook violently. Pillars of stone jutted out from either cliff, reaching toward the middle. When they met in the center of the open space, they melded together into a firm, thick bridge.

Pugilist: Ooh-raaah!!

The roaring of four thousand pugilists drowned out the rumbling of the shifting earth. The hardy fighters began to rush across the stone bridge, led by a one-armed giant of a man.

Philia squeezed her dagger, feeling like she might pass out from the cost of using her godly powers—the sensation of a burning spear jabbed into the center of her brain.

Alice should have been at the forefront of the Human Guardian Army, carving a path ahead with blood, but she was no longer visible. Philia could only pray that she was all right...and that, as the red-haired boy claimed, the pugilists would help them fight against the common enemy.

Philia: I'm coming for you, Zora.

She said to herself. It felt as though the pain eased just a bit.

(Elsewhere)

About a minute before that, Alice the Integrity Knight was losing count of the number of red soldiers she had cut down. There seemed to be no end to them.

Alice(mind): They're...abnormal.

There was no military discipline to them. They screamed words she couldn't understand and stepped all over their comrades' bodies to attack. It was as though they didn't care about the lives or deaths of their companions or even themselves. If these were people from the real world...then Philia was right. It was certainly no sacred land of the gods.

The endless slaughter and continuous arrival of the enemies had a numbing effect on Alice's mind.

Alice(mind): I hate this. This is no battle.

She wanted to cut through their line and break free from the circle around them.

Alice: Move...out of the way!!

She screamed, swiping the Osmanthus Blade in a flat line. Enemy heads and arms came loose, flying through the air.

Alice: System Call!!

With the initiation for a sacred art complete, she generated ten flame elements. She followed that with the command to fuse them together into a long, narrow shape: a spear of flames for her left hand.

Alice: Discharge!!

Kabooom!! Though it wasn't as powerful as Deusolbert's Conflagration Bow, the burning line pierced the enemy crowd, blasting nearly a dozen of them off their feet and gouging a hole in their blockade. And through it—she saw black earth and a rising hill.

She would run up that hill, use all the tremendous spatial sacred power spilled by the battle to produce a reflective cohesion beam art, and burn all those damned red soldiers.

Alice: Out of the waaaay!!

She shrieked, launching herself forward.

Bercouli:...Little Miss!!

She heard Commander Bercouli call out after her. But she never heard him say, "Don't rush ahead."

Alice(mind): I can get through. I'm almost there.

She cut down the last one in her way without slowing down, finally broke through the seemingly endless ranks of enemies, and raced into empty space. Her abused sword went back into its sheath; she took in a deep breath of fresh air that didn't stink of blood for once, and she ran for all she was worth.

Suddenly, the world darkened. At first, she thought it was simply clouds blocking the morning sun. Then a tremendous force buffeted Alice's back. By the time she realized that a dragon had descended and grabbed her from behind, its claws were already pulling off the ground again. Immediately, she raised the Osmanthus Blade and made to activate her Perfect Weapon Control art.

Alice: Enhance Ar-

But before she could chant the command, her vision went dark, and she felt a terrible chill envelop her. The dragon's rider must've been using dark arts—but wait, that wasn't it. Alice felt her very mind plunging into what felt like a bottomless hole.

This was the enemy's Incarnation. Not like Commander Bercouli's hardy Incarnation, like polished steel; nor like Administrator's piercing Incarnation, like a bolt of lightning that burned everything in existence. This was an Incarnation like an endless void, swallowing and seizing all in its clutches... It was the last conscious thought she had.

(Elsewhere)

To Gabriel Miller, also known as Emperor Vecta, this was a gamble. But he was certain that if the tens of thousands of American players brought into the battlefield surrounded the Human Guardian Army, Alice would separate from her forces, either alone or in a small group, to perform that huge laser attack again. Gabriel sat astride the black dragon belonging to the dark knighthood, hovering high over the battlefield, and waited. This period of time felt like the longest he'd experienced since diving into the Underworld.

At last, a small golden light escaped from the swarm of red army ants surrounding the group and started moving toward the hill to the south of the area.

Vecta: Alice...Alicia.

Gabriel murmured, wearing a rare, heartfelt smile on his lips. He snapped the reins, commanding the dragon to descend. Gabriel possessed an overwhelmingly powerful, if empty, sense of imagination—in other words, Incarnation. It had totally consumed the AI of the proud dragon, leaving the beast totally under his control. In one fell swoop, the dragon folded its wings and plummeted down, reached out with its right claw, and seized the golden knight as she ran. The huge creature beat its wings and began to ascend once again.

Gabriel never gave a single thought to the bloody battle that he had orchestrated. At this point, he did not care at all what happened to the Dark Territory forces, the Human Guardian Army, or the real-worlders he'd summoned.

All he had left to do was fly south, to the nearest system console, the World's End Altar. There, he would eject Alice's soul into the real world and log out. He glanced down and spotted the unconscious woman his dragon held, her golden hair trailing in the wind.

Vecta(mind): I want to touch it. I want to taste her body, her soul, until I am content.

It would be a long trip to the console—several days, even with the dragon unit's speed. Perhaps a good way to pass the time would be to enjoy Alice while she still had the flesh of the Underworld.

He felt a sweet thrill of anticipation run up his spine. The ends of his mouth curled upward again.

(Elsewhere)

Who could have guessed that he would sacrifice the Dark Army of fifty thousand and a new summoned infantry of thirty thousand, all to kidnap one girl?
Bercouli Synthesis One, commander of the Integrity Knights and the oldest of all humans in the world, had been maximally cautious of the enemy's strategy from the moment he became aware of Vecta's empty Incarnation. But it was only once Alice was captured that he realized he had completely missed what Vecta was really after.

When the black dragon seized Alice just a few dozen mels away, Bercouli did something that he hadn't done in decades, as far as he could remember. He shouted with true rage, right from the gut.

Bercouli: What are you doing to my disciple?!

The very air around him shook, and sparks of white lightning burst and flickered. But Emperor Vecta did not even turn to face him. He began flying directly to the south with his prize in tow.

Bercouli squeezed the Time-Splitting Sword and made to run after the dragon, but the hole that Alice's sacred art had burned through the enemy lines was already closed. More of the crimson soldiers were barging in at him, hollering their strange battle cries.

Bercouli: Get...out...

But before he could finish his demand, a brilliant-white flash raced overhead. It was a pair of throwing blades, whistling high and pure as they spun: Renly's Double-Winged Blades. Behind him, the young Integrity Knight shouted.

Renly: Release Recollection!!

The throwing blades briefly flashed and joined as one in midair. Now a cross-shaped set of wings, the weapon hurtled forward with a mind of its own, spinning madly as it stopped the enemy soldiers dead along its path.

Renly: Go after her, Commander!!

Shouted Renly. Without turning, Bercouli replied.

Bercouli: Thanks! Hold it down back here!

He crouched, then pushed off the ground with his right foot. Instantly, the knight commander in his Eastern-style clothes became a blue blur. He was speedy enough to break through the new gap in the enemy army in an instant—it was even quicker than the sprinting speed of the Dark Territory's pugilists, which required a lengthy combat dance first.

Emperor Vecta's dragon was already just a tiny black dot against the sky. As he ran, Bercouli put his left hand to his mouth and whistled sharply. Seconds later, a silver dragon leaped off the ground from behind a hill ahead—Bercouli's mount, Hoshigami. But that was not the only dragon to respond to the whistle. Following it was Alice's dragon, Amayori, and then Takiguri, who had belonged to Eldrie before the knight had perished at the Eastern Gate.

Bercouli: All of you...?

Bercouli's first instinct was to give the latter two an order to remain in place, but it caught in his throat. Hoshigami swept low and fast toward him, then spun so that it thrust a leg in his direction.

The commander grabbed its talon with his free hand and swung himself up onto the dragon's back, straddling the saddle with his legs and swinging his sword in one smooth motion.

Bercouli: Go!!

Hoshigami, Amayori, and Takiguri beat their wings in unison, lifting themselves up into the purple sky of dawn. The three dragons formed a wedge as they flew, and far ahead in the distance, a little glimmer of gold flashed briefly at the legs of the black dragon.

(Elsewhere)

Four thousand pugilists raced across the stone bridge Philia had created, and they rejoined the two hundred who had barely survived the slaughter. Then they rushed past the human army and smashed into the center of the red force like a giant hammer. Ten of them formed a tight sideways line, pulling back their right fists and making a battle pose in perfect unison.

Pugilist: Ooh-rah!

Ten united voices, ten thrusting fists. They broke the swords of the red soldiers and smashed through their armor. Over twenty of the soldiers screamed and flew backward, spraying blood.

When the battle-aura-infused punches finished following through, the ten pugilists spread apart so that the next ten right behind them could jump through and form a fresh line in tight formation.

Pugilist: Ooh-rah-rah!!

This time, they were forward kicks, again in perfect synchronization. Another swarm of enemies was blasted into the air as though by a cannonball explosion.

Philia:...Incredible.

Philia murmured, in the middle of chanting the healing arts commands she'd memorized just last night to heal her wounded left arm. Though Sheyta casually drank water nearby, there was subtle admiration in her eyes.

The pugilists' rotating tactic was similar to the "switch" concept used against bosses in Sword Art Online, except much more refined. They formed many different hundred-strong groups, ten lines of ten each, and mowed down the undisciplined enemy with all the strength and efficiency of heavy industrial equipment. It was frightening to behold.

Iskahn: You shouldn't be standing around impressed. If you get through them to the south, what then? Even we might have trouble eliminating such a huge number of enemies.

Iskahn said, standing next to Philia with his arms crossed. It was true that pugilists seemed invincible when charging forward, but as the red army many times their number attacked from all directions, some of the formations were beginning to collapse already. There were still easily over twenty thousand American players on the battlefield.

Philia:...If we break through the enemy to go south, keep rushing forward and put distance between yourselves and them. I will create another rift in the earth to separate us.

Philia said, her throat ragged. Could she do it? She'd nearly passed out just from making that small stone bridge. If she performed the manipulations to make another massive ravine as far as the eye could see, she would either be forced to log out for good or perhaps even suffer some kind of physical brain damage... But she bit her lip and pushed those concerns from her mind. She had to do it. The summoning of the American players had to be Emperor Vecta's last play. If they put a stop to that, then there was no way they could get Alice, even if doing so knocked Philia off the map.

That was when one man-at-arms rushed up toward Philia and Sheyta from the south.

Soldier: Message!! A message!!

Half of the man's face was bloodied, injured on the way to get to them at the north end of the battlefield. He slumped to his knees before Philia and shouted.

Soldier: I have a message from Renly!! Integrity Knight Alice has been captured by the enemy general's dragon! The dragon seems to have flown to the south with her!!

Philia: Wha...?

Philia could barely speak. Could...could all of this have been a ploy to lure Alice away from the rest of the army alone?!

Iskahn: The emperor...flew away?

Croaked not Philia, nor Sheyta, but the chief of the pugilists. His one good eye bulged with shock, the iris fiery red.

Iskahn: Then, when he got onto the dragon...he wasn't just surveying the battle...? Hey! Woman!!

He turned, fixing that baleful red eye on Philia.

Iskahn: Alice is the name of the Priestess of Light, isn't it?! Why does the emperor want her so badly?! What's going to happen when he gets the Priestess of Light?!

Philia: The world...will collapse.

Philia said simply. The pugilist's eye widened even farther.

Philia: When the god of darkness, Vecta, seizes the Priestess of Light, Alice, and takes her to the World's End Altar...then this world— both the human realm and the Dark Territory—and all those who live in it will be returned to nothingness.

Part of Philia's mind was aware that the things she was saying sounded just like the main plot of a fantasy role-playing game.

Yet, it was absolutely true. Now that Emperor Vecta had Alice, the assault team attacking the Ocean Turtle would almost certainly destroy the Lightcube Cluster that contained the fluctlights of all the people in the Underworld.

Philia(mind): What can I do? The Lunaria account doesn't have flying abilities. How am I supposed to go after Emperor Vecta when he's on a flying dragon...?

The answer to her question came from Sheyta, the gray knight. The woman placed her empty water sack on her belt and said coolly.

Sheyta: Dragons cannot fly forever. Half a day is the longest they can go without stopping.

The chieftain of the pugilists, after stealing a quick glance at Sheyta, smacked a fist against his palm.

Iskahn: Then you'll just have to follow him with sheer willpower!!

He shouted, his face youthful.

Philia: Follow him...? You can't be serious... You're in the Dark Army, right? Why would you suggest that we...?

The enemy officer snorted and spat.

Iskahn: Emperor Vecta stood before the ten lords of darkness and told us that the Priestess of Light was his only objective, and once he had her, the rest of it didn't matter to him. The moment he flew off with her, his goal was met...meaning that all of our orders are finished. So whatever we want to do now is up to us...up to and including working with the human army to steal that priestess back from the emperor!!

What an incredible stretch. Philia stared at him, aghast. But contrary to his bold and determined words, there was only mourning in his left eye. He looked directly at her.

Iskahn: I...we can't disobey the emperor directly. His power is all-consuming...Dark General Shasta was maybe even stronger than me, and the emperor killed him without lifting a finger. If he orders me to kill all of you, I will not be able to resist that order. So we'll hold off the red soldiers here. You and the other humans go after the emperor. And...and then you can...

He stopped there, screwing up his face as though feeling pain from the right eye that was no longer there.

Iskahn: Then you can tell him something for us—that we're not his toys.

There was an even higher-pitched roar from the pugilists at that moment, coming from the south. The lead wedge of the group had broken through the circle of the red infantry and proceeded out into the open wilderness.

Iskahn: Here we go...

The young leader stomped his foot hard on the ground and bellowed with incredible force.

Iskahn: Hold that breach, people!!

Then he looked back to Philia and commanded.

Iskahn: You people, get out of here, too! It won't last that long!!

Philia sucked in a deep breath and nodded.

Philia(mind): He's human, too. His fluctlight might be artificial, but his soul is as hardy and proud as anyone else's. We mercilessly cut the ropes that his people were desperate to cross, and we cut down over a hundred pugilists. He must be full of hatred and want to crush us.

Philia:...Thank you.

She managed to say, turning on her heel. At her back, Sheyta said.

Sheyta: I will remain here, too.

Philia had a feeling that the woman would say that. She looked over her shoulder and favored the gray knight with a little smile.

Philia: Very well. Please be the rear guard and aid our retreat.

The mysterious lady knight with the chestnut-brown hair and the seven hundred remaining members of her Human Guardian Army rushed through the breach in the red army that Iskahn's tribe held open along the east and west. He looked away from the dust cloud of their passage and glanced at the gray Integrity Knight at his side.

Iskahn:...Are you sure about this, woman?

Sheyta: I already told you my name.

Sheyta said, glaring.

Iskahn: Are you sure, Sheyta?

He corrected with a shrug.

Iskahn: You don't know if you'll get back alive.

The slender knight shrugged back, her brand-new armor rattling.

Sheyta: I will be the one to slice you. They cannot have you.

Iskahn: Heh. I'd like to see you try.

This time, Iskahn cracked a bright smile. He wanted to save his people from an ignoble death. That was all he wanted, and yet, now he had his entire tribe of pugilists risking their lives to protect the Human Guardian Army from the red soldiers. It was a strange feeling, but something within him felt satisfied and lightened by the choice.

Iskahn(mind): Hey, this ain't a bad way to die.

His father and brothers and sisters back home would understand. That he did it to protect the entire world.

Iskahn: All right, people!! Put some spirit into it!!

The pugilists promptly replied with an "Ooh-rah!!"

Iskahn: Circular formation!! Defense all around!! Destroy every last fool who tries to attack us!!

Dampa: You're blazing, Champion.

Dampa said, who had silently returned to his usual position behind Iskahn. He clenched his bloodied left fist to crack the joints.

(Elsewhere)

As she crossed the southern hill and retreated to the forest where the supply team was waiting, Philia learned from young Renly that Commander Bercouli had taken three dragons off in pursuit of Emperor Vecta.

Philia:...Do you think he'll catch up?

Renly's youthful face put on an uncharacteristically hard expression.

Renly: To be honest, it's tough to say. As a general rule, dragons all have the same flight speed and need to rest after the same length of time...but because Emperor Vecta's dragon is carrying Alice, too, it should have a slightly increased wear on its life value. And the commander can switch between riding each of the three dragons to minimize the weight burden on each, which should gradually allow him to close the gap, but...

That meant all they could do was pray that the commander caught up to Vecta before he reached the World's End Altar. But even if he did manage to catch up, could Commander Bercouli actually defeat Vecta, the god of darkness, in a one-on-one fight?

Philia had failed to predict that their attackers would also use a super-account to log in, so she never got an explanation of what Vecta could do. But if he had powers on the same level as Lunaria's dream-illusion ability, then even the leader of the Integrity Knights, a man as powerful as a thousand, would surely have a very difficult time winning in a solo fight, she assumed.

Renly: If he does catch up, the commander will take back Lady Alice. He is the most powerful swordsman in the world.

Philia...Yes, I know.

Philia replied, nodding firmly. At this point, faith was all they had. And she had just witnessed for herself how strong the willpower of the Underworlders was.

Philia: Then we should head south as a group. Fortunately, the terrain seems to be flat ahead. We won't catch up to Bercouli, but we might be able to help him somehow.

Renly: Very well, Lady Philia. I'll tell them all to get ready to move out!

Renly stated, picking up speed and vanishing into the woods. As she watched him go, Philia told herself that she had to protect Zora and the girl he tried to protect, Alice, and all of the rest of the people of the Underworld. No matter how many scars she suffered. No matter how much pain she felt.

(Real World)

And while she did that... In the main control room of the Ocean Turtle marine research megafloat in the Pacific, the assault team's cyber-warfare expert, Critter, was preparing to introduce a second wave of twenty thousand American players to the Underworld. This time, he adjusted the coordinates to follow Gabriel Miller's current location, about six miles south of the entry point for the first wave.

Vassago:...!!

Vassago Casals sucked in a sharp breath and bolted upright. He shook his long ponytail out and took a quick survey of his surroundings. Dully reflective metal walls. Floors with a special resin finish to prevent slippage. Many, many monitors and indicator lights, glowing dimly in the darkness.

Only when he saw the tall, skinny bald man sitting in the chair in front of him did Vassago finally process that he was in the main control room of the Ocean Turtle. The bald man, Critter, snorted and said in a high-pitched voice.

Critter: Well, well, rise and shine, sleeping beauty. Thought your brain cells had been fried already.

Vassago:...Shut the fuck up.

Vassago looked down at his own body. He was lying on a thin mattress along the wall, with a jacket draped lazily over his stomach. He shook his head hard to drive out the cobwebs, wondering what was going on, but felt a sharp pain in the middle of his skull. He swore again, then called out to the circle of men engaged in a game of cards on the other side of the room.

Vassago: Hey, someone get me some aspirin.

One of the soldiers, the grizzled Brigg, dug in his pocket and tossed over a small plastic pill bottle. Vassago caught it in one hand, twisted off the cap, poured several pills into his mouth, and chewed them. The tongue-numbing bitterness finally brought his hazy memories back into clarity.

Vassago: That's right...I was hit by a beam of light...

He murmured. Critter smirked.

Critter: How'd you die over there, huh? You were knocked out for eight damn hours.

Vassago: E-eight hours?!

Vassago repeated, forgetting his headache and jumping up. The G-Shock on his left wrist said it was six thirty in the morning, Japan time. That meant they had only twelve hours left until the time limit was up, when the Nagato cruiser full of armed sailors would rush the Ocean Turtle to restore order.

But more importantly—if he'd been passed out for eight whole hours, then months must have passed in the Underworld, with the way its time was accelerated. What had happened in the battle between the two armies...and the mission to capture Alice? Critter seemed to know what Vassago was worried about already. He clucked his tongue and lectured.

Critter: Don't bug your eyes out at me. At the point you died in there, the acceleration ratio was already one-to-one.

Vassago: What...? One-to-one?

So that meant things couldn't have changed that much on the inside. But in fact, that was a major problem on its own...

Vassago: Hey, Four-Eyes, you know what that means?! Those JSDF troops are gonna come charging in here in just twelve hours!

Vassago said, briskly rubbing the man's bald head. Critter slapped him away with annoyance.

Critter: Yeah, no shit. This is all on Captain Miller's orders.

He went on to explain the plan, which stunned even Vassago, the veteran VRMMO player. The assault team's leader, Gabriel Miller, had given Critter secret orders through the system console in the capital city of Obsidia in the Dark Territory before he had to travel away from the palace.

He'd told Critter to set up a simple client program and a teaser site for the beta test for a new "hardcore VRMMO" that would ignore all the legal regulations of other games—meaning the Underworld, of course. He wanted the acceleration rate slowly lowered to real time by around midnight of July 7th and for Critter to go onto the Internet to rustle up beta testers among American sites.

Critter:...With the console locked down the way it is, all I know is your coordinates and some vague unit placements. All of this was just some insurance in case the Human Empire's resistance was fiercer than anticipated.

Critter's long fingers danced over the keyboard, bringing up a map of the Underworld on the screen. The world was like a triangle with rounded corners. Two red lines ran from the east edge toward the west.

Critter: This is the movement history for you and the captain. So you wandered around the Eastern Gate of the empire, and here's where your dumb ass died.

One of the red lines moved south from the Eastern Gate until it ended in an X.

Critter: But the captain went farther south, past the location of your death. All alone, in fact, leaving the rest of the Dark Army behind to the north. As for what this could mean...

Vassago: Either he's chasing Alice, or he's already caught her.

Vassago growled. Critter nodded.

Critter: The original plan said that if we got down to eight hours left or wiped out the entire Human Empire, we'd put the time-acceleration ratio back to a thousand to one. That would be an entire year inside the simulation. Bumping the acceleration back up would log out all the American players, but as long as we win the war, it's all good.

Vassago: Why don't you boost the acceleration back up, then? There's barely any forces left in the Human Guardian Army.

Critter: It's not that simple. Take a look at this.

Critter tapped a key to expand a portion of the map. A few miles south of the Eastern Gate, which separated the human lands and the dark lands, there were stripes of flatland, hills, and forest, stacked vertically. The human army was in hiding in the forest...where Vassago had died.

But at some point, a massive fissure had opened up running east to west, between the forest and flatland, stretching at least thirty miles. Along the edges, tiny clumps of colored dots were split into red, white, and black groups.

Critter: The ones in red are the US players we guided into the Underworld. Still about twenty thousand of them down there, though it used to be a lot more. The black dots half surrounded by the red ones are the Dark Army. About four thousand, I think.

Vassago: H-hey...why does it look like the red ones are attacking the black?

Critter: All I wrote on the fake beta test promotion was that you could kill all the hyperrealistic NPCs you want. The people diving from the States have no idea what the difference between the two sides is. But I will say...the black dots are holding up longer than I expected. It doesn't make sense, because the Dark Army's completely subservient to the emperor, so they shouldn't be resisting against the American players that he summoned.

Vassago: I bet those players are just having the time of their lives killing 'em.

Critter: Well, let's assume those four thousand black dots will get wiped out eventually. The problem is you've got a little white group right there.

Critter moved the cursor. Sure enough, behind Miller in his southward movement, a small group of white dots was in pursuit.

Critter: That's the human army. They look small on the map, but there's seven hundred of 'em. We don't want 'em causing trouble if they catch up to the captain, so we need to stop 'em somehow.

Vassago: Stop them...how, exactly?

Vassago asked. Rather than answer him, Critter just giggled and hit some more keys. A new window opened on the map. On it, a huge red cloud swarmed and writhed against a black background.

Critter: This is the second wave of US players, who didn't make it in time for the first batch. Once it reaches twenty thousand, I'm gonna dump these guys onto the human army's coordinates. That's twenty-eight soldiers for every one of theirs. Complete slaughter. We can wait until after that to bump the acceleration up to a thousand, and that should leave plenty of time for the captain to catch Alice and get down to the system console at the south end.

Vassago:...Let's hope it goes that well.

Vassago grunted, rubbing his chin.

Vassago: The human side's army is tougher than you'd think. Those Integrity Knights are crazy, man. They wiped out the entire front lines of the Dark Army. That was the only reason I got killed...so...bad...

He trailed off midsentence. Vassago finally recalled who killed him—and how it happened. He sucked in a sharp breath, his eyes wide. Flooding into the back of his mind came the image of a goddess staring down at him from a great height in the sky. Without realizing it, Vassago spoke in Japanese, rather than English.

Vassago: The Treasure Hunter...!! That's right...I know it was her, no question about it!!

Critter: Huh? What'd you say?

Critter wondered. Vassago grabbed his bald head and switched back to English.

Vassago: Hey, geek! Rath's doin' the same goddamn thing we are in the second control room!! There are Japanese VRMMO players on the human army's side!!

Critter: What?!

Critter looked skeptical. Vassago ignored him and let a fierce smile curl one cheek.

Vassago: If Philia the Treasure Hunter is here, then he might be in a dive, too...Damn, I can't be wasting my time here...Hey, get me back in there! Drop me on the white dots with those twenty thousand players!!

Critter: You wanna go back? We don't have that dark knight account you wasted anymore. But I can give you one of the basic soldier accounts like the other guys.

Vassago: Oh, I've got an account...One I've been saving for a rainy day.

Vassago chuckled from deep in his throat and picked up an empty energy- bar wrapper off the console desk. He yanked the pen out of Critter's chest pocket.

Vassago: Here, use this ID and password to log in to Japan's Seed Nexus portal and convert the character I've got saved in there to the Underworld. I'll dive in with that one.

He took a few quick steps toward the door to the STL room—but came to a stop just as quickly. When he turned around, Vassago wore a smile so cold, cruel, and vicious that Critter, a hardened cybercriminal, felt his skin crawl. It was as though the vulgar, cheerful, boisterous mercenary was only one persona that this man wore.

Vasaago: It's ShowTime!!

Vassago returned to the console with the silent prowl of a cat and whispered a short extra command into Critter's ear. A few seconds later, Vassago disappeared through the STL room doorway for good, leaving the stunned hacker alone with just a small piece of paper in his hand. It contained three capital letters and an eight-digit number. Critter did not know what S-A-O or the numbers signified.

(Underworld)

When Philia rushed for the supply wagon through the crowd of men-at-arms preparing to leave, she found a metal wheelchair on its side, its black-clad rider feebly waving his left hand, and hovering over him, two girls. Ronie looked up at the sound of footsteps, her cheeks tear streaked, and when she recognized Philia, broke into a shout.

Ronie: P...Philia! Zora-senpai...he keeps trying to leave...

Philia nodded, biting her lip. She knelt down and squeezed his left hand with the only hand she had left.

Philia: Yes...Alice...was abducted by the enemy emperor. I think Zora must have sensed that.

Tiese: What—Miss Alice?!

Tiese yelped. Her already white cheeks went even paler. The only thing that broke the resulting silence was a weak, wordless grunt from Zora.

Zora: Ah...aa...

His hand moved, trying to touch Philia's wounded arm.

Philia: Zora...are you...worried about me?

She mumbled. When Ronie noticed her injured arm, she shrieked.

Ronie: M-Miss Philia! Your arm—!!

Philia: I'm all right. This is really only a kind of temporary wound for me.

She said, lifting the arm, which was severed a bit below the elbow. Rath's Takeru Higa had given her a broad explanation of the technology behind the Mnemonic Visualizer that gave shape to the Underworld. Every object was generated by the Seed program, just like in ALO, but to Alice and Zora, who were diving through The Soul Translator, and to the artificial fluctlights like the girls here, everything in the world was a kind of "shared memory" loaded from the simulation's Main Visualizer. It was another reality, materialized with the power of imagination.

The life (hit points) given to the Philia's super-account was vast. It was practically at the maximum number that could be designated, so not even a hundred swords piercing her with normal attacks would reduce her life to nothing.

But when the red soldier had hit her arm with that huge battle-ax, Philia had felt true, pure terror. She'd imagined that massive ax easily chopping her arm off, and her imagination had turned it into reality.

Zora's right arm was the same thing. His numerical life had recovered already, but the arm wasn't restored. It was because Zora continued to punish himself.

Philia put her good hand over the place where her bandaged left arm was severed. She focused her mind on it, internally chanting.

Philia(mind): I will not be afraid again. I will not give in to anything...not until I've protected Zora and the rest of this world.

A little glow appeared inside her wound. The warm light extended silently in front of her, re-creating her lost left arm. She smiled at the girls, who stared at her with the wonder of having witnessed a miracle. Philia caressed Zora's head with her new hand. She whispered to her paramour.

Philia: See? I'm fine. I'm sure we'll rescue Alice, too. So when you're ready...you don't have to blame yourself anymore...

She didn't know if he understood her, but she could feel the tension in his skinny body begin to ease, bit by bit. She hugged him again, stronger this time, and lifted her head.

Philia: We're going to chase after the enemy emperor. Bercouli is in pursuit of the dragons now, so I'm sure he'll catch up at some point. Until then...take good care of Zora, Ronie and Tiese.

Ronie: W-we will!

Tiese: Don't worry, Miss Philia!

She smiled at the girls, then left Zora to Ronie and jumped off the wagon, holding back tears. Just then, she was accompanied by the tall knight who'd joined Philia and Ronie in the previous night's recollection of memories in the tent. The woman's silver armor was stained with blood and dust, and there was a bandage around her forehead, but she did not seem to be badly wounded.

Philia: Oh good, Sortiliena, you're all right.

The knight gave her an Underworld-style salute.

Liena: I'm glad you are well, too...But from what I overheard, the enemy general abducted Lady Alice...

Philia: Yes. I was just telling Ronie and Tiese: Emperor Vecta left his army behind and kidnapped Alice on his own. We didn't expect him to put himself at that much risk...

Liena: I...I can't believe it...

Sortiliena muttered, aghast. Philia reached out with her newly healed hand and squeezed the other woman's shoulder.

Philia: But it's not over yet. Bercouli's chasing after Vecta on the dragons. We're going to catch up to them before too long.

Liena: All right.

Satisfied, the two rushed back to the main bulk of the Human Guardian Army's decoy force. The seven hundred guards were prepared to move out on Integrity Knight Renly's orders. The sacred arts healers were done with their task, and they and the supply team assumed the center position in the midst of the rows of troops.

When Renly came to announce they were all ready, Philia said.

Philia: You're the only Integrity Knight left among the force, Renly. You're the commander; you give the order.

Renly: R...right, I'll do it.

The boy said, nodding nervously. He lifted his right arm and called out.

Renly: Lady Alice protected us in the battle at the gate! Now it is our turn to fight for her sake! Let us take her back from the enemy's grasp and return with her to the human realm!!

The guards responded with a powerful shout. Renly swung his arm down.

Renly: All troops, depart!!

At the head of the marching formation, Renly's dragon Kazenui began to run. Four hundred front guards followed on horse and on foot. After that came eight wagons with supplies and three hundred rear guards.

One unit, Integrity Knight Sheyta's dragon, did not move from its spot. They had no choice but to undo its reins, at which point the creature, scaled the same gray as its master's hair, trilled briefly and flew off in the opposite direction, heading for the battlefield at the ravine to the north, where Sheyta still fought. In the wagon line, Philia rode the same horse as Sortiliena and let her mind touch upon the situation.

Philia(mind): Our only enemy is Emperor Vecta, no one else.

Like her, he was a real-world human, and his life here was temporary. So she would put an end to him, even if it meant they both had to die. She had to do it for the sake of Sheyta, who'd stayed behind in a deadly battle to prevent the red soldiers from pursuing, and for the one-eyed pugilist and his four thousand followers.

(Timeskip)

Some time later, the forest of dead trees gave way to a huge mortar-shaped sunken space ahead. A thin path led directly south through the craterlike deformity.

Going by RPG rules, any path would lead to a special location, like a town or dungeon. But supposedly, the southern portion of the Dark Territory did not feature any homeland for the nonhuman races. In other words, if this path led to anything, it could only be the World's End Altar, and somewhere along its length would be Emperor Vecta and Alice.

There was no sign of the emperor's dragon, nor of Bercouli's dragons in pursuit. But the dwindling army of seven hundred raced, footsteps rumbling, across the dusty earth with as much speed as they could muster.

They had crested the rim of the crater and rushed down the side and were heading into the center of the mortar-shaped space when something rumbled,
low and heavy. It was a buzzing vibration, like the beating of insect wings.

Philia:...?

Philia glanced up. Her head swiveled left and right. She turned to look over her shoulder. Only when she faced forward again did she see what was causing the sound. Thin red lines. Strings of text in a small font, flickering on and off at random, descending to earth from the sky, hundreds at a time.

Philia:.........No.........

Her lips quavered.

Philia(mind): No, it can't be. Not more. Not again.

But—Zshaaaaa!! A sound like a sudden downpour burst upon them. The red lines extended to the left and right, falling without end. They formed a high-density screen along the rim of the crater, completely trapping the armed formation in the middle.

Just minutes after swearing an oath that she'd never give in to fear, Philia's felt her legs going weak. Where the lines fell, more of those vicious crimson soldiers appeared— the VRMMO players summoned here from the real world.

Renly: N...no stopping!!

Renly commanded the rest of them.

Renly: Charge!! Chaaarge!!

The rattled human army regained its poise and roared back, picking up its pace. The formation began to rush straight up the far slope of the crater. But as though anticipating that eventuality, the new red troops were most densely clustered along the southern edge. There were at least a thousand soldiers directly blocking their way...if not two.

Philia(mind): Should I risk logging out and use Lunaria's dream-illusion power one more time? If I'm not careful, it could end up blocking our army's path, too...

Philia hesitated for a moment, but her thoughts were interrupted by a dragon's roar. At the front of the formation, Renly's mount, Kazenui, was charging ahead, flames flickering from the sides of its jaw.

Liena: Ah...! Renly's going to sacrifice himself to tear the way open!

Sortiliena shrieked. As if he heard her, Renly glanced back toward them. The boy's lips formed the words The rest is up to you. He faced forward and removed the pair of beautiful boomerangs from his waist, holding them up. Just before he could throw them, however, the sky directly over the crater abruptly changed color. The bloodred of the Dark Territory sky was split by a cross, revealing 2 a small silhouette.

One that radiated an immense power. The other one was an azure blue beyond it.

The mass of red soldiers preparing to charge from the crater rim, the rushing human army, even Renly at their lead—all looked up at the sky in unison. It was an infinite blue. It seemed to reach out into space.

And from its vast reach came falling a bright, shining star. No, a person. One was wearing breastplate that shone as though made of pearl. Gauntlets and boots of the same color.

Her long skirt was stitched together from countless fine fabrics that hung loose and flapped like wings. Her long hair, trailing in the night breeze, was a shining chestnut brown.

The other person was wearing armor the same blue as that sky and a skirt as white as a cloud. The figure's short, wind-whipped hair was light blue. In her left hand was a massive longbow. But the shining was so bright that her face was not visible.

Philia(mind): Who...? Who are you?

Philia wondered silently. In answer, The figure floating in the air reached out her right hand. Five slender fingers lightly swiped sideways.

The second descending figure raised the bow, which was as tall as she was, up to the sky as she fell. Her right hand pulled on the string, which glowed faintly as well.

There was a brighter flash. Between the bow and the string appeared an arrow of fire that shone pure white. Both the Human Guardian Army and the red infantry had come to a stop. In the resulting silence, Philia heard Sortiliena whisper.

Liena: S...Stacia...S...Solus...?

Seemingly in response to their name being invoked, Laaaaaaaaah. A tremendous, rich harmony shook the world, like a chorus of thousands of angels bursting into song. A curtain of light, like the aurora borealis, shot from the figure's fingers and rained down behind Renly. Rumbling ensued—and screams.

Renly spun around to see a yawning, bottomless ravine in the earth— and over thousands followers being swallowed up by it. the second was brilliant arrow of light shot directly up into the sky. Instantly, it split apart into many pieces that flew in all directions.

They curved and hurtled at tight angles, plunging down to the surface as blazing laser beams. Sortiliena Serlut was only half-correct.

The 2 figure who appeared in the air over the crater was indeed Super-Account 01, the Goddess of Creation Stacia and Super-Account 02, the Sun Goddess, Solus. But they were being played by a real-world human logging in to the system.

And the ability they'd been given were a Terrain-Alteration and Wide-Ranging Annihilation attack.

???: So this is the power of a Super-Account. Now I understand why they were called Gods.

???: But I can't shoot it rapid-fire? Fine. I'm used to single-shot weapons more than automatics anyway.

Philia eyes slowly turned widened. She recognized those voice and stared at the 2 figure descending. At once, she identified a brown-haired girl to be her beloved from SAO friend Asuna and the blue-haired girl to be Sinon from GGO, staring up at her.

Asuna: Sorry it took so long.

Sinon: But we're here to help, Philia.

The girl in the dark-blue dress-style armor looked up at her, wide eyes welling up with tears. Nimbly, she stood atop the running horse and leaped onto the hood, too.

Philia: Asuna...!! Sinon...!!

She cried, wrenching the words out, her arms wide open. She enveloped Asuna and Sinon in an embrace, and the two girls patted Philia's back and whispered.

Asuna: You did so well.

Sinon: It's all right...We've got it from here.