Sword Art Online:
The Terror of Death

Perched on the edge of the tall cliff, He steadily gazes down at the earthy wasteland-like scenery before him.

Of course, he wasn't looking through his real eyes nor could his lungs get irritated by the brush of dirt that flowed through his face.

In this world, people interact through the characters that mirrored them in the real world; their truest self. At first, they could appear however they pleased, but once this game had truly began, their true form was revealed, dispelling whatever false gender they assumed.

And the world he saw before him was nothing more than a bunch of textures slapped on top of polygons. No matter how realistic the rough texture he felt beneath his feet or the air flowing through his body, this was nothing more than a made-up world programmed by some kind of genius.

He held no love for this world and as amazing as it looked before him, he treated like it was just another game.

One step into this virtual world, the game known as Sword Art Online, and the real world will become boring in comparison. Even though he, like many, wished to return to the real world, to be with their loved ones, that goal was the least of his concern.

He cared little for what goes on in this world, even less about the rules, much less the unspoken one; "Never, under any circumstance, allow another player's HP hit zero." People banded together, finding safety in numbers. As a result, guild after guild was formed. Knights of the Blood Oath was by far the most well-known, given that they were, without question, the strongest the game had to offer, and perhaps the best chance to free all of them from the grips of the madman who put them here. He had little interest in those little clubs and their party games and as such, he spends little to no time in their territory and focuses his efforts in the many terrains and dungeons and open fields that lay waiting on each floor. Here, one can find powerful NPC monsters to fight and , it was a perfect place to find red-marked players deeply rooted to Sword Art Online's already dark side.

In the open fields and dungeons, the players are not forced to fight, free to fight as they choose or not fight at all. In other words, it was a lawless land where basically anything goes, so long as it was within the parameters set by this game. As such, it's easy to find players who attack other players, otherwise known as Player Killers. People in this world may PK for any number of reasons, whether its revenge or profit, but most often it's the latter.

These type of players came in all kinds of forms, some more devious than others. It is often known that the most pathetic among them were the kinds that formed groups and launch coordinated attacks on unsuspecting prey, usually weaker and fewer in number.

And it was those kinds of groups that he especially has his eyes on, for his own reason. He catches sight of such a group in the wasteland below him, about 50 meters away from where he stood. There were about 20 PK's in that group. All of them surrounded a meek group of only 5 petite-looking players. Judging by how the prey moved and bunched up together, he can only assume that they were either very young or very inexperienced, only just now deciding to take the plunge.

20 against 5. They were likely going to kill them and divide the 'reward' they get from killing them amongst their own. However, in these PK groups, backstabbing is a common practice so it might even result in only one man standing.

All of them laughed at the prospect of killing again. He could tell from a glance that they were all professionals in the art of PKing, indulging in it like a drug. As the group of 20 slowly exert pressure from all sides against the poor players, one of them as they took a step back tripped on a pebble no larger than a coin and fell to its rear, fearfully gazing up at all the PK's closing in.

"S-Someone! P-Please help me!" The helpless one on the ground cried helplessly for anyone. Anyone at all. The voice definitively sounds like it belongs to a small girl. She cried out for anyone to come in and save her and her friends. He could hear her voice all the way up from where he stood, but despite her pleas, he didn't even twitch his finger in response. It was a pointless action, he knew.

Even if he saved them now, they would just get killed in this world again either. If all he could do was stall the inevitable, then it's better for all of them to get killed here and simply fade away. Sometimes, a momentary kindness can be so cruel. This was one of those times. Then again, perhaps it was far more cruel to simply let her die, as death in this world is the ultimate Game Over. It is the ultimate law of the game:

Die in the Game, Die in the Real World.

However, he didn't come to play hero.

He stood there at the cliff, silently watching as the 20 PK's mercilessly tortured the five helpless players with some kind of sick and demented pleasure, taking delight in their pain. Even in the virtual world, no, because it's the virtual world, people like this can exist. In this game, where there is virtually no way out except to fight, some become warped by the untold chaotic thrill such a scenario presents to them. And thus, they become sickened by this horrifying delight, choosing to hunt other players rather than the monsters that stood between them and freedom.

With his prey in his sight, he clicks his tongue and turns around. As he marches off and leaves the cliff's edge, he lets out a low chuckle as he imagines himself grinning at this moment. Not even 5 minutes had gone by since he left and already, the PK's were finishing up. One raised a sword up and strikes down upon the last of them, cutting out the last of their HP in a single hit. The look of horror and despair on the poor girl's face remained as her body shattered apart into blue shards of pixels, which only continued to break apart in the air, soon becoming nothingness.

"Hahaha, that was too easy!" A tall, slender Avatar with female proportion and a violet color hair lets out a boisterous laugh, energetically kicking the ground in a sickened frenzy of pleasure.

The other PKers surrounding her loudly voiced their complaints, as if they were entertaining a crowd.

"Haha, you said it! The five of them and we all get are crappy equipment and pocket change?!"

"Pathetic!"

"Those noobs!"

"A bunch of babies!"

"Good riddance to them!"

Criticism was being thrown everywhere. The rest of the PK's began to laugh loudly straight into the air, taking nothing but sweet satisfaction from these petty victories.

Had this been before he joined Twilight Brigade, he would have cut them down where they stood without question, overcome with anger. Now, though, it was cold indifference.

Perhaps because it was a virtual world, people often neglect that kind of thought. In a manner of speaking, killing someone in the game was the ultimate murder that could never be caught. They thought they would be able to get away with their crimes with no one to notice their actions. Perhaps they were right, with people simply wishing that those trapped in the game would someday escape while unaware that many are being killed. It was that kind of thinking that allowed PK's to go on killing other players without remorse, even gloating about it in the face of others.

'It is only murder if you are caught.'

They would often say in an attempt to excuse their actions.

Of course, He doesn't give a damn about their excuses, their motives or even the concept of 'death' between the real world and virtual world. The PK's were too busy laughing their heads off to even notice him. He wasn't particularly trying to be stealthy. He casually walked over to them just like anybody would in any situation.

He approached one of them from behind. One of the male players was too absorbed in his own ego to even notice his footsteps. He raises his right foot up and fires it straight into the rear. He applies just enough force to send the other Avatar tumbling forward for a bit. His footwork was so bad that he ended up juggling on his feet a few times and when he fell, he accidentally grabbed the back of one of his comrades, dragging him down with him.

All the laughter suddenly stops.

Noticing two of their own with their faces suddenly lying on the ground like an idiot, the other PK's all react and turn their heads in response to the source of the disturbance.

Then, an overwhelming amount of fear takes over all their minds.

Standing at the exact spot once occupied by the PK that tripped earlier was a lone player, with a humanoid shape and black thin armor, adorned with spikes with blood-colored tipped protrusions all over the body. A unique spine-like appendage extends out from the player's back. Overall, the appearance of this one player was like a demon that just emerged out of hell. The Hellscythe Armor had quite the intimidation offer, and the boon was increased strength and speed at the cost of his defense. Something of which he was perfectly fine with.

But it wasn't just the appearance that scared everyone present, it was the 'scent of death' that was emanating from this Avatar.

"I-It's h-him….!"

One of the PK's finally mustered the courage to speak, albeit in a meek voice. He couldn't stop stuttering. Here in Sword Art Online, the closest thing that they had to reality since the Death Game began, their avatars moved in a way that only a human would. This was because SAO was the first ever VRMMORPG, meaning that, for all intents and purposes, one's own avatar was their physical body in the game.

As such, coupled with a face of utter horror, he was trembling and every part of his body struggled to lift even a finger. Fear has stricken it so bad that he forget to move.

"T-The Terror of Death…!"

Here in SAO, there exists a rumor. About a wandering rogue player who roams the vast floors of Aincrad, mercilessly hunting any unfortunate PK's who crosses his path. This PKK, or Player Killer Killer is infamous for having destroyed more players than anyone, having the highest 'kill' count of players in the game. Of course, his targets have all been PK's, but that didn't mean he should be no less feared by regular players. In a way, he was far more terrifying than even those of Laughing Coffin, who were considered to be the experts of player killing.

'Were' being the key word here.

His impact was so great that he singlehandedly cleaved a significant decline in player killing. The few that were fortunate to escape from him told others of the horror he brought with him, and the many that were slain were marked by the Monument of Life, becoming his own personal tally.

And the name of this monster, christened 'The Terror of Death' is,

"H-Haseo!"

Gripping on a unique pair of twin swords with oscillation-type blades in a reverse grip, he takes aim on his targets. The teeth of his blades begin to emit a low, whirring noise and before all 20 of his targets had time to react, he achieved what could possibly be considered the maximum speed of the game. Flashing between 5 different places one after another, he mercilessly cuts his blades through 5 of them one by one before even a second was counted; a ruthless speed.

A single strike tear through each player's body and destroys their HP bars in one hit: an unreal feat, even in this world.

His onslaught didn't end there. Gripping on both swords, he leaped high into the air, pouncing on the 3 that were clumped together, delivering two deadly strikes with both his swords simultaneously, taking them all down before they even realized it. Before the 3 soon-to-be-destroyed could drop to the ground, Haseo relentless assaults each one of them with killing blows. A clean, diagonal cut through the torso, twin violent thrusts to the chest, and an overwhelming kick to the face that tore off the head.

Three more were completely torn apart by these brutal attacks.

There was clearly no mercy in his heart. He wasn't simply trying to kill the players; he was crushing the minds behind the Avatars of those witnessing all of this, completely.

By the time their minds have finally regained control of their Avatars, over half of them had already been massacred in a time span of less than 5 seconds. Desperation and panic ran through everyone's minds. Drawing out their weapons and armaments, a handful of them launched a reckless attack from all sides. They weren't even thinking of trying to defeat him. The only craving they had in their mind was to take as much HP off of him as they could.

There was no coordination and no planning. Just a full frontal attack in a manner no different from that of a wild beast.

Even if it was the Terror of Death, even he wouldn't be able to stand an attack launched by so many on so many different angles without some damage inflicted. That naïve thinking and ignorance is what will cause their downfall.

Haseo had a special ability that sets him apart from the other players of the game. A unique skill.

It's called 'Quick-Weapon Change'.

'Quick-Weapon Change' was, in a sense, considered a unique skill, but at the same time, not. In order to unlock this skill, a player must master four different types of weapons. Haseo, for his part, mastered the one-handed sword, two-handed sword, dagger and axe.

He stores his dual daggers away, a flash of light bursting as his swords dematerialized behind his waist. Reaching behind, both his hands gripped onto the weapon that was about to materialize. A second flash of light bursts behind him, this mass of light effect was much larger than the one produced before. He grips firmly on the weapon that he was about to bring out, waiting for the right opportunity to strike.

From the overlapping footsteps, he can detect just how many are coming for him. The sounds were like bees buzzing in his ears. They were just numbers. He saw no threat in a group of punks who attacked beginners in large group in order to feel almighty. These guys were nothing more than bullies. That's why he can stand up to 100's of them without breaking a sweat.

As soon as they all got into his ideal attack range, he striked. The flash of light materialized a massive scythe as large as his body. The massive weapon required a surprising amount of strength for such a slender body. Masterfully utilizing his own body weight and center of gravity, Haseo unleashed his massive scythe in a 720 degree spin with the sheer force generating a brief tornado around his body.

A single hit tears through all of them.

The blade of the scythe tore through all the players with light armors and even the ones with a sturdier build were knocked away with overwhelming brute force. The speed and height they were flying at, their HP will hit 0 the instant they crash back to the ground. Many of them glitched for a moment, turning blue and breaking apart, shattering like glass while the shards continued to break apart, just like the ones previously killed such as their comrades and their marks.

Due to size of his scythe and the imbalanced weight distribution, there was a significant gap in the time taken between attacks, making it easy to counter between those intervals.

One of the remaining PK's was smart enough to see that. And just as he watched his fellow PKer's getting slaughtered one by one, he made his move while the Terror of Death was still recovering from his scythe attack. He dashed forward, with his sights aimed for the grim reaper's blind spot. With a brief instant of confidence filling his mind, he brandishes a blade-like weapon extended from his right forearm and swung wildly without aim or control.

He missed and failed to hit the main body, but it managed to strike the staff of the scythe, knocking the fearsome weapon out of the reaper's hand an unreachable distance. With Haseo unarmed, a brief satisfaction filled the PKer's mind, with the deluded confidence that he had already won.

At this close range, all he needed was to strike one more time, and he'll-!

That confidence quickly turned to despair as the Terror of Death grabs his face with insane gripping power. If this was his real body, his head would've exploded into tofu by now. Even though the player's virtual body kept him from feeling pain, the mental signals alerting him of the pressure on his skull coming from all sides was enough to drive him insane. Perhaps because his prey was so small but the Terror of Death easily lifts him off the ground simply by gripping his face. Squeezing with just enough strength to inflict some damage by the sheer force of his grip alone, the Terror of Death holds his enemies head up high and tosses the entire body away like it was a baseball.

The player hovered briefly in the air like a rag doll, crashing into a wall of rock before it would hit the ground.

Haseo's sixth sense alerts him to a danger coming from his flank. He takes a quick glance to the side. A tall, hulking player about twice his side towered over him, hands both forming a giant fist that were being swung down like twin hammers. Like Haseo, this player possessed a unique skill; "martial arts." An extra-skill that allowed a player to fight with their bare-hands. It was impractical at best, but still effective like any other weapon

He easily leaped back before they could even touch him, letting the fist-shaped hammers crash into the sturdy ground, channeling a brief quake that briefly vibrated through the land. An attack with that much raw power to alter the virtual land's shape would certainly be harmful. But if it can't hit the target, the overall damage would still amount to zero. Having narrowly avoided that attack, Haseo's body still followed the momentum from the massive back steps. The physics in this world were quite impressive, almost mirroring that of the real world.

Pressing his feet firmly on the ground, the grim reaper skids back a few as he tries to regain control of his movements. At the same time, he reaches back over his shoulder with both hands. A burst of light flashed once more. Gripping the handle of the weapon that was about to materialize, the light effects gets replaced by a massive broadsword almost twice the size of the user's avatar. The massive broadsword far too large for an avatar his stature had the bone-chilling appearance of a massive chainsaw.

In fact, that's what it was, basically a broadsword with a chainsaw blade. A two-handed sword, more specifically a zweihandler - Demon's Fang.

Despite its massive, unrealistic size, the Terror of Death easily holds it in both arms and swings it down with enough force to split the earth. Taking that action as some kind of non-verbal challenge, the titan-sized player smashes both his fists together, releasing and explosion of sound waves that scattered the dust around him. The reaper wasn't fazed by that show of strength, letting that invisible wall of sound brush through his avatar like a breeze. His unimpressed eyes only saw a giant gorilla made of metal before him. The teeth of his chainsaw blade viciously began to oscillate as the Terror of Death dashed forward head-on.

His opponent responds in a similar manner, both foes charging each other head on in a challenge of raw power. From a glance, the victor should already be decided. Anyone who saw this joust would already declare a victor in their mind unanimously. Comparing the sheer sizes of the two opposing sides which were like comparing a child and an adult, one was clearly outmatched, to the point that a head-on charge against such a behemoth would be suicide. The golem-sized player was sure to take his own massive size in account when swelling up his own confidence.

That will be his undoing.

The two entered each other's range and made their moves, putting all the strength behind both their attacks with exact timing. Fist struck blade. Blade struck fist. The power released from the clash of two opposing forces releases a massive shockwave that scattered everything around them. It was a deadlock, in the span of a few seconds. The rotating teeth of the Terror of Death's viciously tore through the titan avatar's hand, repeatedly cutting through the fist as he forces the blade through the body.

Although the virtual world made it possible to not feel pain, the traumatizing sight of that giant sword slowly cutting through the armored gauntlets that had broken many players with sparks flying out will leave mental scars.

The reaper furiously forces his weapon in further and further to the body, his mind only seeking complete and total destruction of his enemy. With the enemy player's mind filled with terror right to the end, the reaper tears through the massive player's arm and body, allowing him to fall to the ground in pieces by his sword.

Glaring down indifferently to his fallen foe, the Terror of the Death raises his head up, now alert to the last PK standing on this wasteland of a field.v19 slaughtered without even an inch taken off of his HP meter.

The rumor of the Terror of Death and the 100 player killers he slaughtered in a single night turned out to be true.

The last one standing, the leader of the group with the slender female body frame had her knees caved in and entire body quivering with senseless fright. The boasting confidence she had earlier quickly became senseless terror. Her abilities are at a notch higher than that of the others but even so, even she could tell that she was no match for the monster that stood before her with gleaming red, bloodthirsty eyes.

Her fear was natural, of course. As a PK that was forced into the Death Game that embodied the prime example of survival, she only knew how to hunt down other players. She had no idea what to do if she was the one being hunted.

If she tries to run, he'll kill her. If she fights back, he'll kill her.

No matter how she thought about it, she'll be dead for sure. And when she dies, she'll lose her life in the real world. Like any other player, she wanted out of the game, and while she derived sick pleasure from killing others in her position, she was as desperate to get out of this virtual hell like everyone else.

She couldn't bear that thought. The idea of dying here, and by extension in the real world, terrified her as much as the Terror of Death did.

That fear and desperation took away control of her body from her own mind. Screaming, she leapt into the air, with a sword gripped tightly in her right hand. She pointlessly lunges with her sword against the Terror of Death, screaming 'DIE!' in the process.

However, Haseo didn't even bother to put up his blade. He didn't even attempt to dodge. He swung his massive broadsword with a single arm, slamming the wide face of the sword against his attacker, swatting her away as if she was a bug. That effortless attack threw her quite a distance. Her mind shook all over as her avatar tumbles repeatedly over and over on the ground, finally coming to a stop with her avatar covered in dirt and dents in her armor.

Lying roughly on her stomach, she picks herself up off from the ground. Lifting her head up, her entire avatar froze up completely as a giant sword immediately stabs through the ground a few centimeters in front of her face. Making a life-threatening mistake, she accidentally peers behind the blade in front of her, locking eyes with the blood-curdling expression of a raging demon.

All the thoughts in her mind became white noise from then on. She couldn't move nor could she speak and even thinking became impossible for her. It's as if her mind had completely forgotten how to carry out those basic functions. If only she had forgotten how to see or hear, she could pretend the 'Terror of Death' didn't exist right in front of her.

Her will completely crushed but unable to force herself into some kind of mental block, to spare herself the horror, all she could do was engrave the 'Terror of Death' into her mind in her last moments.

Ears still working, she can hear the Terror of Death's bone-chilling words as they formed a single question.

"…do you know Tri-Edge?"

Chapter 1: Enter the Grim Reaper (Part I)