DEVIL HUNTERS ONLINE
by Ren Tsugami
Note: I don't own SAO or Devil May Cry.
First of all I am REALLY sorry for the long delay. Second, I decided to rewrite the story as I could not think of further follow-ups for the previous one. The format of combining Devil May Cry 1,2, and 3 is still on, but the stages of the games will be linked differently in order for the characters to explore the many different locations of the 3 games in the future.
I hope that you reading enjoy this story.
-Scene:Floor 75, Skull Reaper Dungeon, after Healthcliff reveals his true identity to Kirito and the others-
-KIRITO POV-
I couldn't believe what unfolded before my eyes these past few minutes.
The leader of the Knights of Blood, Heathcliff, was none other than the devil himself. The man that imprisoned us all in this game of death…
Kayaba Akihiko.
After that revelation, he placed a paralysis effect on all the players who survived the battle with the Skull Reaper.
All but me.
As I held Asuna in my arms, thinking that he'd kill us all to make sure none of us blow his cover, the unexpected came straight at me:
He offers me the chance to fight him one on one, on equal footing.
Upon hearing that, a million thoughts came crashing down on me. In my mind, the deaths of Sachi and the Black Cats of the Full Moon played again and again in my mind.
The temptation to say yes and the desire to end this nightmare was strong. But as I held Asuna in arms, and as I looked at Agil and Klein, I couldn't help but hesitate.
The look of fear in Asuna's eyes and my own doubts made me ask myself if fighting him now was really a wise choice. Given my current level, the dual wield skill, and Elucidator and Dark Repulser's power…
Will they all be enough for me to win against him?
But above all, will they also be enough for me to return to Asuna alive? Or will I end up joining Sachi and the others on the other side?
I knew it was an insane risk to take, but before I could truly give Heathcliff my answer, I look into Asuna's eyes one more time.
It was telling…no…pleading me "Don't go."
I then close my eyes and gave one final careful thought.
After a few seconds, I open my eyes and turn to Heathcliff to give my answer.
But then, the unthinkable happens…
Kirito then suddenly feels a cold, icy air enveloping the dungeon. His senses warned him something dangerously evil was within the dungeon. This causes Kirito to hold Asuna tighter.
Asuna blushes a little from the action, but as she was about to say something, he only says "There's something here."
"Eh?" was all Asuna could reply. She then looks at Kirito and sees an uneasy expression.
"Heathcliff! Can also feel it?!" Kirito calls out.
Heathcliff only raised a brow at this question, and he the only stared at Kirito. At first, Heathcliff thought that Kirito was doing acting or stalling, but as he paid closer attention, he also soon began to feel the evil presence steadily growing stronger by the minute.
Wordlessly acknowledging the truth in Kirito's question, both men started carefully searching the dungeon for the source. Their search comes ends when they end up staring at the door leading to the upper level which where Heathcliff was standing in front of.
They then see the dimensional space in front of the door slowly warping outward. In the next few seconds, a series of what seemed like glyphs flashed rapidly…and then, 3 glowing red orbs in a triangular formation emerge from the distortion.
Bringing with it a presence of evil unlike anything they've ever felt.
They all realize that whatever the thing that was before them was no longer part of the game.
A powerful bolt of lightning is suddenly shot at Heathcliff. Everyone could hear a loud scream of pain and in the next second, the sound of a body hitting the ground.
Kirito then sees Heathcliff's lifebar dangerously red and hitting the edge. The sight leaves everyone terrified that this was possibly where they will all die.
Before whatever struck down Heathcliff readied for a second attack, Heathcliff disables the paralysis effect and anti-crystal effect in the field.
The others realize that they can move again, Kirito shouts out for everyone to escape. The others do as he says, but Agil and Klein don't.
"WE CAN'T JUST LEAVE YOU HERE TO FACE WHATEVER THAT THING IS AND FOR YOU TO WIND UP DEAD!" Klien shouts in protest.
Kirito shouts them in return "DON'T ARGUE AND JUST GO! I'LL FOLLOW!"
Klein was about to run towards Kirito, but Agil grabs his shoulder and stops him. Klein was about to argue, but with a serious face, Agil says "Let's believe in him."
Klein refuses to accept it, but decides to follow Kirito's orders. Klein grits his teeth in annoyance and then shouts at him "DON'T EITHER OF YOU DARE DIE OUT ON US!" and teleports with Agil out of the dungeon, leaving only the 3 of them behind.
Kirito then smiles a bit and looks back at Heathcliff. Heathcliff only smiles weakly and mouths something at him. Kirito gives a single nod and a smile momentarily before being stabbed by a fiery red spear and disintegrates.
Asuna couldn't believe what was unfolding before her and only gave Kirito a terrified look. Kirito quickly took out his crystal, but before he could say anything, a fiery, crystal-like spear shoots out from the 3 floating red orbs and hits the crystal in his hand, shattering it into pieces.
Both look in horror at the shattered pieces of their only means of escape. A very evil laugh is then heard by both and they look and find the source was from the very thing that killed Heathcliff.
Kirito and Asuna knew that fighting it was out of the question as it easily took out Heathcliff. Kirito and Asuna look at one another with sad expressions. They can neither fight back nor escape, and wordlessly, they held one another tightly and resigned themselves to their fate.
A malicious laughter emerged from the 3 glowing red orbs, it then spoke in a deep voice "So sad than humans will always be humans…NO MORE!"
It then shoots out a powerful beam at the two of them. As the surroundings started disintegrating from the attack, all that Kirito could hear was Asuna screaming his name as everything disappeared in the whiteness of oblivion…
Kirito loses track of time in the blackness that followed, but for an odd reason, he felt like he wasn't dead yet and he can hear a voice calling him. And it was rapidly becoming clearer and louder until…
"KIRITO-KUN!"
The last shout of his name causes Kirito's eyes shoot wide open and get up with a start.
Even though Kirito was awake, it felt like time was still frozen, until someone quickly hugs him tightly and breaks the spell. Kirito then finds himself back to reality and Klein smiling at him and Asuna hugging him tightly.
"Asuna?" Kirito asks with a doubting tone.
Asuna breaks away and tearfully smiles to confirm that he wasn't dreaming. Kirito then turns to Klein but before he could say anything, Klein beats him to the punch.
"I can't believe you! You really took your sweet time waking up and making a lady wait! If you want to know where we are, we're here at Algade. To be exact, we're crashing in on top of Agil's shop." Klein answered.
"Wha? What do you mean?" Kirito asks.
Asuna then says "After the news broke out that Heathcliff was none other than Kayaba Akihiko, the Knights of Blood quickly disbanded. They said that they refuse to be associated with a murderer's guild."
*A murderer's guild, huh?* Kirito thought.
Klein sighs and says "A lot of things have been happening while you were out of commission, so we all decided to support Asuna in looking after you. Geez, for goodness sake, don't scare us like that!"
Kirito then asks, hesitantly, "How long…was I out?"
Asuna hesitantly replies "You were out…for a whole week."
Kirito's eyes widen in disbelief and grabs Asuna's shoulders while screaming "ONE WEEK!? WHAT THE HECK WAS GOING ON THE WHOLE TIME MY LIGHTS WERE OUT?!"
Both Klein and Asuna weren't sure how to answer Kirito's question. After a few minutes, they brace themselves as to how their explanation will go.
Asuna begins by saying "A day after we came back, a chain of strange events began to happen. The numbers in the front lines in the upper levels were quickly decreasing. What's more, those who came back said they were attacked by monsters they've never seen…monsters they described as "demonic". On our end, a rumor started going around, saying what was happening right now was Kayaba Akihiko's "curse", and that all of us are going to die here."
The room fell silent after Asuna's explanation. Kirito then thought *A scenario like that would make complete sense. Given if Kayaba Akihiko was really dead, we should have been released from SAO already. But we're still here, so it wouldn't be unusual for people to come up with something like that.*
After a short while of silence, thinking, and letting Asuna's explanation sink in, Klein decided to continue where Asuna left off. "And it doesn't get any better. Because of that rumor, hopelessness and despair are eating at everyone's minds again, much like our day 1 here in SAO. To make matters worse, red players are now starting to increase in number. The guilds are now working together with other guilds in all levels in hopes of stopping them. So far, all of us are still holding, but what worries me the most are what those who came back from the front lines said. They say that something evil has taken control of the upper levels. And to top it off, some of the monsters in those levels the front liners described are now appearing in some of the lower levels."
Kirito let what both of them sink into his head and asks "How many contacts have you guys made with those unnatural monsters?"
"The information brokers are now acting as messengers and links of the guilds with one another. So far, we've had 10 contacts up until today." Asuna answered.
"10 contacts?! And casualties?" Kirito asks.
"We lost 20 people in all. What's even worse is that they're now losing their will to fight because of how fast those irregular monsters can easily take us down. If you want to know why the high body count, it's because most of our equipment doesn't' seem to inflict that much damage to them. A large number of players still pretty much use ordinary weapons." Klein answered.
"Where are Agil, Lizbeth and Silica right now?" Kirito asks.
Klein tells him "Agil's downstairs waiting for any updates. Lizbeth is in a workshop at the back of the place. Silica is helping my buddies as lookouts as none us here can shake the feeling that one of our two headaches will come after both of you."
Kirito was silent for a while, and then asks "Asuna, is Lizbeth capable of strengthening weapons?"
Asuna thought for a few moments and answered "I think she can. I heard that she upgraded her forging ability just recently. Why do you ask?"
Kirito then answers "I want to ask Lizbeth if she can strengthen my Elucidator and Dark Repulser."
-ASUNA POV-
The moment he asked me that question, I couldn't stop feeling this sense of dread.
The thing that struck down Kayaba Akihiko, just what was it?
A lot of unnatural and inexplicable events have occurred after our encounter with "it".
Like how Kirito-kun and I managed to escape even though our only means of escaping were destroyed by it.
And when we came back, Kirito-kun was unconscious for a full week.
At the same time, news from the frontlines came, saying that the upper floors changed, like it has been influenced by an otherworldly evil. With it, came the near annihilation of the front lines. What's worse is that because of the incidents that happened on both fronts, red players are starting to grow in number.
If we leave things as it is, we'll just end up destroying each other and ourselves.
But even if we do succeed in stopping this…will we still be together at the end of this? Or will one of us disappear?
Asuna remains silent upon Kirito's request. Closing her eyes, Asuna then kneels in front of Kirito, which causes Klein and Kirito to lose their composure a bit. She then takes hold of both his hands and puts it close her head.
As if praying, she says "Please, Kirito-kun."
Kirito listens intently, not wanting to miss a single word from her.
"…"
"Please…don't die. Don't die."
Although not visible, Kirito could sense Asuna in tears and the weight of each word that she spoke. Kirito could only ask himself as to how many times will he see her face, sad and tear-stained.
After hearing what transpired in his one-week absence, in just a short span of time, if left as is, they will all fall apart. Kirito gently brings his face on top of Asuna's head and gently says "I promise."
As for Klein, he decides to quietly exit and leave the two of them to themselves.
As he proceeds down to where Agil is, Klein wonders if Agil's place was always this big, as his place was enough to house a small guild.
When Klein arrives at the front counter where Agil was, he quickly asks "How's Kirito?"
Klein just scratches the back of his head and smiles "He's already awake and having some catching up with Asuna."
Agil smiles upon hearing but quickly fades as he asks "Did you tell him?"
The smile of Klein's face disappears and becomes a serious one. Klein then says "Just after hearing the both of us out, he then asked without even blinking if Lizbeth can upgrade his weapons. How about you?"
Agil looks at him and says "None of us have still come up of what countermeasure is the most effective against those irregular monsters. We all suspect that they came beyond floor 75, as they came not long after what we encountered in the dungeon in floor 75. These things are causing more fear and uneasiness than the PKers are."
Klein then leans back on the wall and in an annoyed tone "None of our weapons are a match against those things. Just what is going on?"
The two heave a sigh as the solution to their situation seems nowhere in sight.
Shortly, after Klein left, Asuna leaves Kirito's room to ask Lisbeth if Kirito's request can be accomplished.
Kirito, for his part, ponders if his idea will be enough. He then opens his menu and decides to take a look at his weapon stats. While scrolling, he sees an item that wasn't there before:-Silver Amulet-
Kirito raises a brow as he recalls that he doesn't have such an object in his possession. Reluctant at first, but he then decides to click it and then, materializing in his hand was a silver oval-shaped amulet with a silver chain, encasing a large, red, oval-shaped gemstone.
As Kirito examines it, pieces of information he doesn't know started coming back to him. And slowly, he began to recall something that happened the moment he and Asuna miraculously escaped from death.
Kirito then tightly holds the silver amulet, knowing that it holds the key to solving the crisis at hand.
At the back of Agil's shop, Lizbeth already made herself at home there. The place was just the right size for her to work on weapons and equipment in need of upgrading and /or repair.
Lizbeth was quietly sitting in the middle of her new smith shop. She looks around the place and was impressed that Agil was able to remodel his shop into something bigger after her last visit while at the same time, she was also reviewing the events which led to where she is now…
Just after Kirito's dual-wield skill fiasco, she initially sought shelter in Agil's place after everyone thought that she also had played a part in his acquisition of the skill.
Flattering as it may sound should she have been the one that enabled Kirito to unlock the skill, the attention was really troublesome.
After it died down, she thought that she can finally resume work back at Lindas, but the events that transpired these past few days changed everything.
The start of it was when she got wind about the rumor about what happened in the Skull Reaper dungeon. Out the story, Lizbeth's mind took note of the most important part of the rumor:
Healthcliff was none other than Kayaba Akihiko and the only ones who didn't escape from that dungeon were Asuna and Kirito.
She quickly wasted no time in searching for answers. After hearing from information brokers the names of the people who participated in the boss battle, she quickly leaves for Algade as Agil was one of those who participated.
When she arrived at the Algade Teleport Gate Plaza, much to her horror, she only finds Agil and Klein's guild. Lizbeth grabs Klien's collar in a panicked state and furiously asks if what she heard about Asuna and Kirito being left behind was true.
Klein looks away and doesn't answer. Lizbeth's mind shuts down at the thought that both of them are dead and started crying. Suddenly, a bright light flashes at the gate, unlike that of a teleportation crystal. Klein, Agil and Lisbeth just watched and all three prayed that it was who they were waiting for.
And as the light disappeared, an unconscious girl and boy appeared. The three rush to them and are overjoyed to find them still alive, and decided to hide them at Agil's place.
Lizbeth decides to stay and watch over them until they wake up. As she was filled in on the details that happened, it left her speechless, especially about the thing that possibly killed Kayaba Akihiko.
Two days later, Asuna regained consciousness, and the story followed by her awakening left the three couldn't find the right words to describe what was revealed to them. Now that Kayaba Akihiko was dead, who was now holding the reigns?
Suddenly, one of Klein's guild members explode through the door and brings in information from the front lines that numbers from the frontlines have suddenly started to decline. When asked how, those who fell back said that they were attacked by monsters they've never seen before, but suspect that they all came from the higher levels.
They heard that several irregular monsters, some that looked like sickle-wielding reapers and some like giant humanoid lizards wearing a helmet and shield have started appearing in the lower levels.
To make matters worse, the incidents and the rumors a have left people losing their grip on sanity and have started turning on one another.
The situation quickly prompted all guilds to work together and the information brokers cooperated by serving as messengers for the guilds in order to suppress the threats at hand.
Lizbeth's thoughts were then interrupted by the sound of a door opening. Asuna then peers out and searches the room for Lizbeth and finds her sitting in the middle of the room.
Lisbeth smiles to find who it was, and happily welcomes her.
"Hey, Asuna! What brings you here all of a sudden? Is prince charming not waking up yet?" Lizbeth asks with a mischievous grin.
"Very funny, Liz. He's already awake." Asuna returned as an answer to Lizbeth's question. Asuna then closes the door and proceeds to sit next to Lizbeth.
Asuna's answer catches Lizbeth off-guard and was about to stand-up and see him, but Asuna grabs her by the shoulders and shakes her head slowly. Lizbeth sighs a bit and sits down next to her, but feels relieved that one weight was off her shoulders.
Lizbeth then decides to go straight the point by asking "Do you have a job for me?"
Asuna nods and says "Liz, you've already maxed up your /Reinforcement/ skill, right?"
Lizbeth then replies "Yeah, I just maxed it out just a week ago, but I haven't actually tried applying it yet. With what's been happening lately, I think it's going to come in handy. So, you want me to use it on your weapon?"
Asuna looks away and says "It's not for me…but for Kirito-kun."
Lizbeth quickly shot up from her chair and explodes by saying "WHAT?! You both just got back from a near-death experience and your telling me that he's about to go at it again!? Forget it!"
Without even looking, Asuna knew that Lizbeth was more worried and upset than angry. She couldn't blame Lisbeth for acting the way she is right now.
The story of the dual-wield skill had another side to it, and that side horrified Lizbeth. Not only did Kirito fight the Gleam Eyes all by himself, but both exchanged blows with one another and neither one blocked the others' attack from start to finish.
They were literally shaving each other's lives until it dropped to zero.
And it ended with Kirito barely surviving with only a tiny bit of life remaining.
It nagged in Lizbeth's mind that Kirito could have created a diversion with Klein and Asuna while Klein's guild members evacuated the surviving players in the dungeon. Once that was over, they could have just retreated since bosses never leave the room they guard.
But instead, why would he choose a suicidal decision?
What would make Kirito see his life of very little value?
It was only after hearing what happened to Kirito's first guild did she understand, although to a certain degree, Kirito's current mindset.
It was after that did Lizbeth make Asuna promise to make sure to remind him constantly that there are people waiting for him to come back alive.
And now, he's going to do it again.
Lizbeth, with eyes shut tight trying to stop tears from coming out, was shaking in frustration. Only upon feeling warm arms taking her in did she crumble.
Lizbeth buries he face on Asuna's chest and asks "Why does he put himself in such dangers? Has he already started thinking that we're better off without him? Please! Tell me, Asuna!"
Lizbeth tried muffling her cries as Asuna gently stared stroking Lizbeth's hair. Asuna calmly says "I know. After hearing his request, I even started thinking and feeling the same thing. Now that the situation has taken a turn for the worse, this is where he now needs us the most. Right now, Liz, this request is not just from Kirito-kun alone. Please make his weapons stronger."
Lizbeth slowly breaks away and looks at Asuna's face.
Asuna then says with a weak smile "We can protect Kirito-kun in our own way, and right now, you can protect him with your reinforcement forging. Kirito-kun is asking you because he has that much faith in you. And I am also asking you the same thing because I know you also care about him as much as I do."
Lizbeth cracked a small smile at Asuna's words and says "I told him after making his Dark Repulser, I want to be his personal blacksmith. I don't want to back down on my words now."
The two friends laughed a little and Lizbeth rolled up her sleeves and proudly declares "Bring me Kirito's swords. I'll make those two swords of his into something so powerful that even those irregular monsters would run away from the mere sight of it!"
Asuna was happy that Lizbeth regained her spunk and left her to fetch Kirito's swords.
As she left, she calmly thought *We can protect the man we love in our own ways. If I can protect him with my smithing skills, then I'll leave his safety in the field to you and your sword skills, Asuna.*
Lizbeth then started preparing the tools and ignites the flames of the furnace. She then takes a deep breath to prepare herself to perform a forging dedicated to protecting the person dear to her.
At the same time, Klein had already left Agil and switched places with Silica who was helping them with guard duty.
The two decide to eat to take-off some of the stress due to the recent events that have happened. Even during the meal, Silica's mind was somewhere else as she watched Pina eating in peace.
After her chance encounter with Kirito, she decided to be a freelance player for the time being. It was during her lone time of sorts that she meets Lizbeth.
The two became fast friends after hearing from one another that both had encountered Kirito at a certain point in their lives.
For Silica, it was good to have a friend she could trust. The days that followed were peaceful and uneventful…
…until seven days ago.
While visiting Friben Village with Pina, her former hometown in SAO, she receives an e-mail from Lizbeth and the content was nothing short of alarming.
When the pair reached the teleportation gate at the plaza, some people were running around spreading something that led to panic and distress to those who heard it. Feeling unsafe from the apparent chaos that was starting to make its way around town, Silica and Pina quickly rushed to the gate and teleported out of Friben and to Algade without even looking back.
When they arrived in Algade, Lizbeth was there waiting for them. The three quickly made their way back to Agil's shop, and once there, Lizbeth filled Silica in on what's been happening.
After hearing the crisis at hand, she felt very relieved to have friends like them to rely on, and dread at the thought of how she will fend for herself if none of them were around.
Back to the present, Silica smiled a little at the thought as she continued watching Pina eat. Their meal was then interrupted by a teenage boy wearing a black coat, whose presence was enough to make Silica stand up in surprise.
"Kirito-san!" Silica cried happily and ran to hug him.
Kirito only smiled and stroked her hair and apologizes and says "I'm glad that you're here, safe and sound."
Silica looked up with a wide smile as a response. A chirp caught Kirito's attention as Pina was flying in front of him, "You too, Pina."
Pina just happily chirps as a reply, and Silica breaks away from Kirito. Silica's bright expression quickly vanishes and returns to her worried state and phrases her troubles in the form of one simple question by asking "Nee, Kirito-san…everything will be fine, right?"
Kirito wordlessly nods with a small smile to ease Silica's worries and says "All of our friends and the other guilds are already working together in solving this crisis. I'm sure we'll pull through this ordeal if we stick together."
"Kirito-kun!"
A familiar female voice calls his name and answers "Im in here, Asuna!"
Asuna then enters the room and says "Liz accepted your request and she's asking me to bring your swords to her."
Kirito nods and unslings Elucidator and Dark Repulser from his back and hands them over to Asuna. Kirito then tells her "I'm counting on her." Asuna nods serious expression and leaves the room, leaving Kirito with Silica and Pina.
"Kirito-san?" Silica asked.
Kirito then says "I placed a request to Lizbeth in strengthening my weapons. Since ordinary weapons are not effective, there's something I'd like to try. If it works, we'll be able to fight those monsters on an equal footing."
Feeling assured by Kirito's answer, Silica feels some of her courage and self-confidence returning and silently thanks Kirito for it.
Back at the workshop, Asuna returns with Kirito's swords in hand and hands them over to Lizbeth. Lizbeth then examines Kirito's blades and looks at the materials available to her.
After careful examination, Lizbeth looks at Asuna and says "It will take at least 2-3 hours to complete the process. Given the limited materials that I currently have, I don't know if it's going to be enough. But I'll do my best to make it work and make these swords the best ones Kirito will ever wield."
Asuna nods and leaves Lizbeth to work. Lizbeth dones her smithing gear and takes one final look at Elucidator and Dark Repulser. She takes a deep breath and raises her hammer and with a loud clang, it signals the start of her work.
Everyone in Agil's house could hear the echoing sound of the hammer strikes coming from Lizbeth's workshop. An hour after the process began, they all prayed that nothing goes wrong.
As Kirito anxiously waits for the completion of his swords, he decides to gather Klein and Fuurinkanzan, Silica, Agil, and Asuna in the dining area to give them an idea about their current situation.
As the people gather around him, Kirito knows that all eyes are on him the question as to why he called all of them in.
As Kirito takes a seat, he then tells everyone "I'm sure you're all aware of SAO's current situation. The reason why I've called all of you here is to tell you what's behind all of this."
This catches everyone off-guard and an assault of "how" and "why" questions followed suit.
Once that was over, Kirito calmly responds to them "What I'm about to tell you may sound preposterous and downright outrageous, but it's real. I'll leave it all up to you whether you believe it or not."
The players in the room look at one another for a while, not sure how each of them will respond to Kirito's statement. After an uneasy silence, they all wordlessly look at Kirito.
Kirito then takes it as a sign of agreement, and opens his menu screens and clicks at an item. In the middle of the table, a silver amulet materializes and for an odd reason, was floating in the air rather than falling on the table.
Kirito looks at each player present and tells them "I don't know how I "really" got this item because I just found it in my inventory when I woke up. My guess is that it was the one responsible for our narrow escape from the dungeon in Floor 75."
This fact surprised everyone, but Kirito had something even more surprising in store for them.
"I don't exactly know what role it will play, but it's a key item for something. Also, I'll reveal to you what happened while I was asleep. So, is everyone ready?"
None of them even blinked and nodded together. Kirito then clicks the red jewel in the center of the amulet and it started to shine brightly, and in a matter of moments, the light had engulfed the entire room.
For a moment, everything was black to all present, but in the next few seconds, they could hear the sound the wind blowing.
Everyone slowly opens their eyes and they find themselves in what seems to be an open field with a setting sun.
They then see Kirito nearby and was standing before a tall woman, with long blond hair, and blue eyes. She was wearing a black dress and wrapped around her was a red shawl, giving off a mysterious aura around her.
She then gives him a small smile. All of them quickly realize it was a recorded event and they were witnessing what Kirito experienced during the time of his unconsciousness.
She then starts off the conversation with Kirito by saying "I'm glad to see that you escaped with your life."
They all could see Kirito frown a bit and quickly asks without blinking "Where's Asuna?"
Asuna feels her cheeks go red, as the first thing he asks is her well-being.
The woman smiles at him and tell him "Fear not, for your beloved is alive."
At this point, some of the other listeners were already fuming with jealousy, while Asuna face only became even redder at the mysterious woman's answer to him.
The answer puts relieves Kirito and says nothing after.
The blond woman bows and says "I apologize for not yet introducing myself. My name is Eva."
They could feel Kirito's reluctance to answer, but he decides to play along. This was because he felt that she holds the answer to their present predicament.
Kirito then introduces himself to her "I'm Kirito."
Eva then asks him "The infamous Black Swordsman of SAO, I presume?"
Kirito only nods and asks "Where are we?"
Eva walks a few steps away from him and answers with her back facing him "You can probably say that you are now in a dream." She then faces him without the calmness ever leaving her.
Kirito had a number of questions and didn't exactly know where to start, so he decides to ask "Were you the one responsible for our escape back at the Skull Reaper's dungeon?"
Eva nods and says "The entity that struck down that man you call Heathcliff, or Kayaba Akihiko as he calls himself, was Mundus."
Asuna, Agil, Klein and his guildmates suddenly remember the incident and the floating three red orbs.
Kirito felt reluctance in asking the question as he dreaded hearing the answer to it, but asks Eva nonetheless "Who is Mundus?"
Eva slowly turns to face him with a bit more serious face and says "In order for you to know who Mundus is, let me tell you a tale forgotten by the present."
They all listen intently as Eve begins to spin her tale "Long ago, during the time when the Protectors of Light and the Warriors were Darkness were at war, there came a point in time when evil ruled the land and humans were powerless against them. However, after seeing so much evil and cruelty, one warrior from the darkness awoke to justice and rebelled against his own kind. Though lone he faced against the legions of Hell, he stood victorious and closed the gates of the Netherworld to Earth. Though a demon himself, he helped the Protectors of Light in watching over the human realm. Two thousand years later, he passed away. But his legend lived on, and he was known "The Legendary Dark Knight, Sparda."
This revelation left the observers unable to believe Eva's story. Eva continues her tale and says "And now, having heard of Sparda's passing, the demons are once again attempting to open the gates of the Netherworld to the human world. The entity you have encountered in that dungeon was none other than the Demon Emperor himself, Mundus. Mundus learned that the death game you and many others are imprisoned in is a perfect place to amass his demonic forces. Once he is prepared, he will use "world wide web", as you call it, to open multiple gates simultaneously all over the world. And his minions will stop at nothing and will slaughter and/or enslave every human being they come across."
All of it was too hard to take in, and all of them wished that everything that they've heard was just a lie.
She reinforces they validity of her story by saying "You now have a silver amulet with a large red gemstone in you possession in your pocket." Kirito reaches for one of his coat pockets and finds the amulet Eva was describing.
She then points at it and says "That silver amulet is one half of the amulet belonging to Sparda. I used that item in order for you to escape Mundus."
Even with that, all of it still sounded like a total hoo-ha, but there was no other logical explanation for the thing that killed Heathcliff. And with that, they finally let Eva's story to burst their bubbles.
Kirito then asks "Even if what you say is true, why me of all people?"
Eva's expression softens a little and says "Mundus decided to use SAO as a place to amass his forces. Here, he thinks that there is no one who can oppose him and none can ask for help. What he is doing right now is simply to pass the time as he amasses his demonic legions and finds amusement in seeing people here tear themselves apart."
The last part struck a sensitive nerve on everyone present.
"What he does not know is that there is one who unconsciously follows Sparda's footsteps. And that one is none other…than you." Eva says.
This did not sit well with Kirito and the rest who were listening, and then asks "I'm nothing like him, so why did you say I was following his footsteps without me even realizing it?"
Eva smiles a bit and become momentarily silent before answering "Sparda was someone who greatly valued honor and fought for what he believed was right. What granted him unrivaled power and great courage was that he had something none of the demons could ever hope to accomplish: he learned how to love. You, young man, are walking the same path as he is now. Fate has chosen you to be Sparda's heir, human you may be."
Eva then says "I've been observing you since the day you lost your first love. Her name was…Sachi, am I correct? Since that day, you've changed so much, whether you know it or not. For the first time, you truly knew the feeling losing someone important to you when you had what it took to save them and yet, did nothing. Sparda was once like that, given the fact that he was a devil. But in the end, the horrors and atrocities of his kind finally took its toll on him and his mind.
From that point onwards, can you see how much alike you both are?"
Kirito said nothing after hearing out Eva's side of the story. Having fate decide for you and not having any say in it was simply having the short end of the string. But then again, if one looks at it from another point of view, there is a certain form of validity in Eva's statement.
It was true that ever since the tragedy that befell on the Black Cats of the Full Moon by Kirito's own hands, knowing it was a trap, he did nothing. There was so much regret inside of him he no longer saw the point about surviving SAO.
All he just wanted was to disappear.
But it was a Christmas miracle that saved him and convinced him rise up from despair.
A gift from a girl whom he promised but failed to protect.
It was that very miracle that enabled him to get back up on his feet and survive SAO.
That alone was enough to drive him to trust and get close others once more. And now, something evil is threatening to take everything away from him again.
And he's not going to take this standing by, even if his enemy is the devil himself.
*Ack, I'm really beginning to sound like Sparda…much like Eva said.* Kirito thought as he mentally slapped himself on the face.
Kirito scratches the back of his head in annoyance and says "If you were watching me, I'm sure you know what kind of a guy I am behind closed doors, right?"
Eva laughs a little at the sight and nods.
Getting back to the discussion, Kirito then says "Ok, if I choose to fight, how the heck am I going to WIN? Like you said, I'm only human."
Eva becomes serious once again and after a long moment of silence passes, she answers him "After your encounter with Mundus, Level 76 onwards is now under the influence of the Netherworld's evil power. There, you will also find powerful demons that may be of help to you. However, you must prove yourself to them by defeating them and only then will their power and support become completely yours and without question. But I must warn you-"
"…"
"-subduing them is more than a physical battle. There will come times that you must also face inner and past demons."
This made everyone listening doubt their chances of survival even more, and their chances of winning some demons over help them sounded like a long shot, but Kirito then says "It's still worth a shot."
Kirito then looks at the silver amulet in his hand and asks "You told me that this is merely a half of the whole Sparda's amulet? Do you know where the other half is? And second, what use is this going to be to me?"
Eve thinks for a while to recall something, and then says "For your first question, I do not know. As for your second question, the amulet was originally known as the "Perfect Amulet", and that item holds great magical power. It was what Sparda originally used to travel back and forth from the Netherworld to the human world. Another important thing about it is that it holds the bulk of Sparda's power. But when he sealed-off all the gates and separated his amulet into two, he also lost a great deal of his demonic power.
He entrusted the Silver Amulet to me, which is now in your possession. You must now look for the Golden Amulet, which Sparda carefully hid to ensure that such power will not fall in Mundus' hands."
Kirito said nothing and once again looked at the Silver Amulet in his hand. He was now holding a piece of something that could overturn the situation to their favor, but the question is will they be able to pull it off?
Eva notices the expression on Kirito's face and holds his hand holding the Silver Amulet and smiles a little. She then says "Do not think about it too much as what you seek will eventually come to you. Now, it is time for you to go back to reality. Your friends are waiting for you to awaken. If you forget this meeting, I made sure that you will be able to recall it."
All then see everything slowly vanish to nothingness, and when they all open their eyes, they find themselves back to reality. They then see Kirito standing with eyes closed and arms crossed with an impassive expression. But what they notice was that his menu screen was open.
He then takes a deep breath and opens his eyes and starts saying "You guys now know what's happening and what we are all going up against. I know this going to sound unlike the usual me, but I'm going to do something I've never done before."
A window pops up in front of everyone present in the room containing the question "Kirito requests to party up with you. ACCEPT/DECLINE ?"
Asuna and the other look at each other for a moment and look back at Kirito.
Kirito then says "I know this isn't my style, knowing I always play solo. But now, the situation's changed and right now, our chances of making it thought his is higher if we band together as a guild. You people are the only ones I can really entrust this matter with, but I won't force you guys to do this. Whatever you decide on is fine with me."
It didn't even take a few seconds for everyone to click "ACCEPT" with smiling faces, which left Kirito speechless.
Asuna was the first to voice her explanation and says "I know we can never replace what you've lost. But please remember that there people here to whom your well-being matters."
Klein was the second and says "You may have a bad reputation to most players in SAO, but don't forget that you were the guy who helped me out with the basics of surviving this game. Remember that you were also the guy who stuck out his neck for Korvatz and his guys back at Gleam Eyes' dungeon and didn't ask for anything in return."
Silica was the third and says "I've always wanted to repay you for helping me bring back Pina. I know it's dangerous, but I won't abandon a friend in need."
Agil was the fourth and said "I know what it's like to be doubted by people. But even when many doubted me, you were one of the few who stuck with me and even thanked me for helping those in trouble. We've lost so much in SAO, and I'm not just gonna sit back and watch losing more."
As the moment was looking sentimental, "HEY, DON'T FORGET ABOUT ME~!" screamed a voice out of nowhere and surprised Kirito and everyone in the dining area.
Kirito opens his window and reveals a pissed Liszbeth and angrily says "If you think I'm gonna let you stick your neck on the chopping board all by yourself, you've got another thing coming!"
Kirito's eyes widen and look at Asuna, who was wearing an uneasy smile and says "I opened a live window so Liz was also informed with what's going on."
Kirito just sighs and smiles a little.
*Then I guess that settles it.* Kirito thought.
Kirito then stands up with his back facing them and walks away a little and starts talking to everyone like a game master, but with a sinister tone.
"Welcome to the newest death game, where it's a race against time to stop the apocalypse."
He then turns around to everyone with a dark expression and says "Welcome to Devil Hunters Online."
OK, everyone. I hope you enjoyed reading this. The next chapter is where the real action starts. I also want to thank my friends for helping me out with this.