"We'll do this as one!" - Speech

'I so, so hate you…' - Thoughts

"The game is done." - Flashback / Emphasis

*Whoosh!* *Tzzz!*- Sound effects

'`Chapter 13: Let's Take Back Our Game'`

I don't quite understand, my good friend. Why is it that we return here again?

To assist the boy. What other reason must there be? We always do tip our hands into the story to assist the 'Protagonists'. Surely, that's a good reason enough?

Not that I wish to see them die, Heavens no. They are far too deserving to fall to such fate. And yes, I am more than happy to help them. As our writer wills it, we shall defend them with our own lives, if it must.

And yet, I sense a sort of disagreement in you.

Somewhat. I just worry a bit too much. Perks of being a human, remember?

An extremely powerful one, at that. Do not forget that the power to create, manipulate and destroy is in your hands.

As it is in yours as well.

Ah, touché.

Well, I suppose we could wait and see. For now, let us humour this story's 'Protagonist'. We did say that we intend to help him, after all.

He had been able to warp here without a moment wasted. No sounds, no triggering of anything, nothing. In fact, it would have been plausible to say that he merely existed there, all of a sudden. That his body was there all of a sudden, with nothing to indicate his presence at all.

And yet, despite all that, the monochromatic-haired boy who went by the name 'Nur Fate' in the real world, and calling himself 'Nier' in this gaming world, was as sharp as ever.

Years of living in a world of books, gaming and knowledge, practically pushing himself over the limit without the need of being in danger had sharpened each and every of his senses beyond their normal capabilities.

Every little changes in him, in others, in the surroundings, he could feel it. Sense it. Hear it.

And such an instance was proven now, as he correctly identified the presence of this strange man, who had practically appeared out of nowhere, standing behind him, back against the bark of a tree.

"Nier, you are far too good at detecting others, even without upgrading your 'Detection' skill. How do you do it?" The man asked, chuckling.

"I'm just used to it. I'm always having to look out in case Argo, or even Yui as of late, pop out of nowhere and try to hug me from behind," the younger boy joked, gesturing to himself. "You, on the other hand, didn't even try to sneak up on me."

"Of course. I wouldn't want to scare you into doing something nasty towards me. It would be rather worrisome if I suddenly find an arrow lodged in my shoulder," the man returned the younger boy's laughter with his own. "Nonetheless, I came here to discuss something of utmost importance with you. Well, we came here to discuss something with you."

"We, you say? Well, if it's important, I suppose I can come with you," he got up with a huff, patting away the dust from his pants. "Come now, let's get a move on."

"As you wish," the man gave a bow, before snapping his finger.

*Snap!*

A crack appeared in the ground, before growing to a size fit for a little girl. Why so, would one use such a phrase to describe it? In fact, he only thought so because the boy had momentarily thought of 'Alice in Wonderland' as he looked at this.

And, as if acting to his thoughts, the crack slowly closed up, until all that was left was a gaping hole in the earth. A sign appeared just beside it, with the words 'Rabbit Hole' on it.

"Huh. Don't tell me you read my mind or something," the boy spoke.

"I'm not sure," he chuckled, though the tone meant otherwise. "In any case, let's be off. And trust me, your legs won't break."

Giving a single nod, the boy took one lone peek inside. Extremely dark, with no ends. No matter. This was a door to some other place, so of course there would be an end.

With that thought in mind, he crouched slightly, before letting an 'Oof' leave his lips as he jumps down the rabbit hole.

In Another World, Untouched By Space and Time

*Thud!*

The boy landed on both feet, huffing slightly. True to the man's words, nothing felt broken. Heck, it didn't even hurt.

Looking around him, he was in a pitch black space, surrounded by floating debris. It would have been beautiful to look at, had he been more focused on looking at the massive dragon that rested somewhere a bit farther, much bigger than anything he's seen in his whole life.

"A pleasure to meet you, milord," the dragon made a slight bow with its head, his draconic lips curved slightly upwards at the tips.

"Uhh, right," the boy nodded back, unsure of what to think about this whole situation. This was definitely not what he had expected. "So, uhh, why am I here again? I forgot."

"To discuss of something quite important with you that would certainly be of much help to you in the future," the man from earlier had warped into this dimension once more, sitting on a cracking throne. "You do have the time, do you not?"

"I'm more worried about whether or not my friends are going to start freaking or not when they realise I'm nowhere to be found…" He returned the question with a sweat-drop, able to imagine the scene in his head.

"Worry not. As you are in our humble abode," the man gestured to the space. Though dark and incredibly not all that fancy, it was still home. "Time has been frozen so to avoid suspicion. No one will even notice that you were gone at all. In fact, it would have just been like… Like you had been there all that time, so to speak."

"Huh. Well, if you say so, I suppose," the boy sat down, not minding the dust on the ground.

"Please, milord, if you wish for a seat, you only need to say," the dragon chuckled, chanting some incoherent language, causing a chair to appear out of nowhere. Nier was lifted into the air, yelping out of surprise a bit, before being placed on the chair. "Comfortable?"

"Quite, yes. Thank you," the boy nodded.

"It is my pleasure," the dragon grinned.

"In any case, milord, I would like to ask you how the «Monado» feels in your hands all this while," the man asked, friendly as ever.

"Quite. Though I haven't the chance to use this against a boss just yet. It will certainly be fun," the boy chuckled. How would everyone else besides his guild react to him wielding such a weapon? Now that's something to think about.

"Hmm. If I may," the dragon got everyone else's attention. With a simple flick of his claws in the air, a tome appeared in the air, before it floated right onto Nier's lap. "When you return to the game world, I recommend that you take a look at that book. It is a compilation of… what's to say, thoughts from another man before you."

"Before me?" The boy blinked, not fully understanding what he just heard.

"Another lived here before you. But he was fated for absolute destruction. A pity, I must say, that his journey ended in a strange, unfitting way," a sigh from both the powerful beings was the only thing that ended the melancholic tension, now replaced with casualness as the man managed a simple smile yet again. "Never mind all that, I truly recommend you to take a look through it in your free time. It holds much information that will certainly help."

"Sure…" The topic of this being certainly was of interest, but he made due not to ask any further. Seemed pretty sensitive for these two. "So, now what?"

"We take you back. This was all there was that we truly wanted to tell you, to be honest, so forgive us for making it sound much longer," the dragon laughed, tearing a rift in space with one claw. "You may go back through here."

"Right," Nier got off the chair, making his way towards the rift. "Oh, and thanks again."

Both the powerful beings watched as the young gamer enter the rift, body disappearing into the shifting pixels of grey, white and black. Once he was fully gone, the rift closed up, empty as it once was before.

And that left the two beings alone once more, in each other's company.

"Not that we'd have it any other way, right?" The man chuckled.

"Of course. I'm more than happy to just be here with you, old friend," the dragon joined in the laughter. "Besides, our duty is not done."

"No kidding. We have much work to do," he voiced his assent as well.

"Huh?" For what felt the second time in his life, he felt himself jolt from something. Like a disconnection from this virtual reality, only returned into his digital avatar after what could have easily felt like hours. "Wait, what?"

Quickly snapping his head to the side, looking around him, he noticed nothing to be out of the ordinary. Grass was still green, albeit darker than their usual shade of green since it was nighttime, trees were standing just as rigid as ever, and the lake was a shimmering beauty as ever.

The world around him had not changed at all. And yet, he couldn't help but feel different.

He made quick dismissal to his suspicion of the supposedly world's change, instead directing his attention to the book that was sitting on his lap.

A thick tome with a slightly torn leather cover, without words to give a simple dictation of the contents of the book. The pages smelled like his home's storeroom, of collective dust and many other things.

Tilting his head in confusion, not remembering when he actually got this book, he made a move to turn it open, until a wary feeling took over him.

'A trap? No… Perhaps—Never mind. Might as well take a shot at it,' with a gulp, he took the cover and pulled, opening the tome.

And, without much to say, it was, practically…

It was…

Horrendous.

"What in the world?" Nier could feel his head starting to spin, trying to comprehend the messy strings of words and text littered everywhere on the book. Fully black inked words jotted everywhere, making it a challenge for anyone to comprehend it.

He had tilted his head every now and then, doing his best to make sense of the lines of words that were written from every angle.

Seriously though, even a kindergartner would have the logic to write his or her notes in a neatly way. Whoever this was, even if whatever was written certainly possessed a vocabulary better than most, clearly did not possess this sort of mindset.

"Still…" He hummed, thinking about the book. "Maybe something good is—"

While he would have loved to continue, the yawn that left his lips was more than enough to change his mind, and by muscle memory alone—in that short span of three seconds—he was in his cabin, in his room, sitting on his bed.

'Well, that was quick,' he was certainly impressed at just how good memory alone can help, especially with trivial things such as this.

"Oh, Nier? You're back?" Yui's voice resonated from outside his room. A moment later, the door to the room creaked open, and she was coming in, wearing the same white dress she now always wear to sleep. "How was the night?"

"Pretty nice. It's cold, but pleasant," he nodded, a tired smile on his face. "And you?"

"We've just been waiting for you. Not much to talk about anyways," Tatl appeared from behind the ravenette, her brother floating beside her. "So you needed some time. What's up with that?"

"Just wanted to clear my mind on things, really. In the end, it was more of me being tired, really," even his shrug seemed to say that. Tired.

"Well, get some rest. You've been training a bit too much, as far as I've seen," Tael gave his own words, before settling on a makeshift bed that was placed on Nier's armoire.

Ever since the two of them had made the decision to make residence in his room, he had built them a simple bed, composed of soft cotton he was able to harvest from some stray lambs—not from the religious perspective, but literally in the plains—and good wood he could get with help from Agil.

And, with not much time wasted, he managed to put together this simple bed, which was more than comfortable for them.

"Yeah. As much as I would love to disagree with my brother sometimes," there was a sigh from the black fairy, of which his sister couldn't help but respond with a snicker of her own. "You need to watch out for yourself. Wouldn't do everyone well if you suddenly passed out in the midst of the battle."

"Err, right. I'll make sure to do that," it was funny how she still gave words of advice, even if the situation wasn't all that serious in the first place. Muttering some last words of goodbyes to his little friend, he watched her fly up to the bed, joining her brother in sleep. "So Yui, a question."

"Yes?" She was sitting at the edge of the bed, legs dangling as she kicked the air.

"You're an A.I. Do you know anything about yourself?" As always, he wasn't going to pull his punches. Going straight for the kill, though blunt and painful at times, and unnecessarily intimidating, it was the best way to get down to the root of the situation.

And, even if it did pain him to see her frowning, he needed to be direct.

No matter how much it would suck.

The times clicked away, with silence playing its cards at the moment. Still, he never said that she couldn't take the time to think, so he was willing to give her exactly that if she needed it to collect her thoughts. They had a lot of time, and he didn't want to rush her.

And he was serious about that. If she wasn't ready to talk about this just yet, to speak of her identity, though however simple it was, considering this to be a personal matter… Then he would wait.

Days? Weeks? Months? Hell, years may pass and she may not be ready yet. But he'll wait. He wouldn't dare force her.

No wonder people loved him so much. But really, every man in the real world and in this one still wondered as to how he was surrounded by so many girls and still not realise their infatuation with him.

Just… how?

"…I don't know," she finally spoke, lacking any of her usual cheeriness, now replaced with a short amount of melancholy. Sad, was she, that it reached ever her eyes. "I just… One day, I was in the forest, and the next, I was just… I don't know anymore."

"So you're saying that you were in the forest one day, and your memories are only limited to just that? You don't remember anything besides that? Such as your origins?" His questions were met with a shake of the head from the little girl. "Hmm, I see. Oh well."

"What?" That last part had her surprised, this time. "You're not—"

"Disappointed? Oh, a bit, admittedly," he chuckled, somewhat abashed at saying that. "But I don't really see what's so important to push you if you don't know. You don't know, so I'd rather leave it there if it makes you comfortable."

"O-Oh," such a kind human, she thought. How could he not be mad with her, despite not getting the answers he wanted?

"Just promise me this. Whenever you finally get the answers to the puzzle pieces that you've lost in you, either you share this with me, or anyone that you feel comfortable with. You don't want to bottle it all up forever. Trust me, it's confusing to figure it all out on your own," his words of wisdom were eventually absorbed into her mind, and the sense of him being such a great mind could be debatable when he fell back onto the bed with a huge sigh of relief.

…Well, not really. He's still great even then.

"Hey," he called, patting the spot beside him. A second pillow on this pretty large bed for her. "Get some rest too."

Nodding silently, she joined him on the bed, pulling the comforters over her lithe body. Making contact with her so-soft pillow had her humming in delight, before turning her back to him. Thank goodness, Nier made these.

Oh? Didn't know? Surprisingly enough, Nier had taken to making these, rather than buy them from some odd marketplace. Not that he didn't trust them, mind you, he just wanted to see how good he was at making stuff.

On the armoire, there was no more sounds. The fairies have fallen asleep, apparently.

"How'd you know I was an A.I. to begin with?" She asked, turning to look at him.

"Tael was the one who actually found out first. Told me when I first met them both," he shrugged.

"O-Oh, okay," she quieted down right after.

"So tell me, Yui. How do you debuff the enemy?" Nier asked, mind dredging on that ever since she volunteered to become a «Saboteur».

"It's… like a mental command. I say something in my head, and it happens," she answered, somewhat vague but understandable. Must be a direct command to the system, perhaps? "Anyways, can you promise me something?"

"I don't mind," he nodded, looking at the ceiling.

"Please… don't tell anyone else about me. Not yet," there was a slight pleading tone to her voice, as if afraid. "I'm not ready…"

"Fine," his head bobbed up and down once more. "As I said, when you're ready. Wait, did I even say that? Actually, I… Hmm."

"Hihi, you're funny when you're not even trying," the girl giggled, smiling widely. He could feel the way the corners of his lips tugged upwards at that.

"That's better. Now let's get some sleep," he pulled the comforter tighter onto the both of them, settling comfortably on his spot. Right as he was ready to get some shut eye, he felt a soft tug on his sleeve. "Hmm?"

"S-Sorry. I, uhh… Have an itsy bitsy thing to ask…" She was speaking as her eyes looked away, nervous. The flush on her face was visible, but he wasn't sure what made her so flustered in the first place. "The girls told me something, and…"

"And?" An eyebrow raised.

"They said, that, maybe you're… like a big teddy bear," she wanted to scream, embarrassed beyond words. Why she was telling him this was so hard to understand.

"So you want to cuddle," he sighed, not understanding why she made this sound so hard.

In his opinion, it was just a way to show affection, was it not? If not, then there a multitude of other reasons why one should cuddle with someone else.

For one, it was a way to stay warm whenever the place was extremely cold. The close contact allowed two people to share their body heat, thus allowing them to stay resilient to the low temperature for an extended amount of time.

Another was that it helped with one's ability to fall asleep. It was plausible in this instance, since they were about to go to sleep, and she may have difficulties doing so. Promoting feelings of safety and security, which in turn lowers cortisol in oneself, and most importantly, boosts your relationship happiness.

It was no wonder he enjoyed sleeping with his parents back when he was a child. Maybe there wasn't a Boogeyman underneath their dresser—he didn't believe in the supernatural that much—but sleeping with the two of them helped him sleep more soundly.

It made sense in his mind, so why was she so afraid?

Worried that he would have said 'no' just because he thought it was weird? While most men would think so, Yui was like a little sister to him, so he had nothing to be worried about. In fact, they've been doing it since she's moved in.

Well, sleeping together, that is. She's kept her distance away from him in their sleep though.

"I don't mind. So here," he lifted his left arm, directly perpendicular from the bed, making a gesture to his side. "I'm not going to bite, you know. I'm not a dog."

"N-No! That's not, what…" She was still fidgeting on her spot, which made him sigh.

Without further ado, he took a sitting position and got both of his hands on her shoulders, which made her yelp. Still insistent on this, he dragged her towards him before laying down, not letting go of the squealing girl.

"Just relax," he let out a breath through his nostrils, shutting his eyes.

Though she remained stubborn, he didn't let go, no matter how much she tried to struggle—really, though, it was very easy. She didn't possess the strength that he did. Comparing her to anything wouldn't be fair, though, so he decided not to think about it.

A moment later, she finally piped down, panting in tire.

"See? You exhausted yourself from trying to run. Jeez, Yui, take a hint," he rolled his eyes. "Just go to sleep. If anyone walks in, I'll explain."

"T-T-That's worst!" The ravenette's face turned full scarlet at his words. He responded, in turn, with a scoff.

"Please, there's far worse things than being seen hugging a boy in bed at night, in your sleep. I'll just say that you didn't feel comfortable, so I did this," he laid his head on his pillow, closing his eyes. "Just go to sleep…"

And in not even a minute later, he was asleep.

Yui sweat-dropped. For such an amazing person, which she and everyone in the world could agree on, he was certainly good at sleeping.

Sighing, she decided to just give up, knowing that he was going to keep this ironclad hold over her without remorse. Even then, couldn't he at least lessen his hold on her?

As if reading her thoughts, he slightly loosened up with his embrace, giving her enough room to just twist and turn if need be, but not so she could get away.

Knowing there was nothing more she could do, she fell backwards, trying to get used to this new feeling. This feeling of going to sleep with a pair of arms around her.

But time was a medicine, and sooner than later, she found herself actually enjoying this.

It was instinct, really. She snuggled even closer to him, keeping her head at the crook of his neck, smiling warmly.

This was nice.

The Next Day

Sun rose to its throne, and dipped its light past the curtains of the 'Protagonist's' room, and accurately on the eyelids of the boy.

Unable to maintain the battle against the rays, ultimately forfeiting, he slowly peeked his eyes open, squinting to let his eyes adjust to the new brightness. Only after a minute or two was he able to get both eyes to open now.

He made a move to stand, until he noticed something was beside him. Looking down, he smiled.

'Yui,' still asleep, it seems, with her black hair splayed everywhere. Little sounds of her snoring, eyes shut, not yet ready to face the day. 'Well, can't stay like this forever. I've got things to do.'

And as such, he tried to manoeuvre over her, until he realised something.

The posture of which they were in was quite simple. With him lying down, she had her head on his neck, and her arms were genuinely wrapping over his body. It seemed that his arms had lost their grip over time.

But the true complication behind the situation was that she had adjusted her body so to maintain this posture, unable to be broken no how much effort he put into escaping. Trying to get out of it was equivalent to one trying to get out of a pitfall trap.

Well, this is what he got in the end, huh?

"You've got to be kidding me…" He grunted as he tried to move her arms away, but they were stubborn, refusing to bulge from their spot. "Ahh, man…"

"You seem to be in a pleasant mood," Tael appeared from his bed, laughing. "My sister's still asleep."

"I see. And, yes, while this is nice," the boy saw no reason to be nervous about admitting this. "I have work to do. Outside."

"Ahh… A problem there. Her hold looks pretty unbreakable, even from here," the fairy commented as he watched from the side.

"Yeah, no kidding," the boy sighed. "It's just, I don't want to wake her up. That would be rude."

"What? There's nothing wrong with that. In fact, I don't think she would mind at all," the black fairy chuckled, sitting directly on the black and white hair of his friend, who didn't mind it at all. He didn't weigh more than a kilo, at best.

"Well, sure, but extra sleep is heaven, don't you understand?" He responded.

"Hmm… Let's take a few steps back. Where do you intend to go?" His friend didn't specify his designated location, so that was the first question that went out of his mouth.

"Back to the first floor," he answered. "I'm meeting up with Sasha."

"The lady at the church? Don't tell me… you intend to flirt with her?" He feigned a shocked expression, which wasn't taken heavily. All the response he got was a roll of the eyes.

"Please, she probably has someone else on her mind. And no doubt, romance is going to be the last thing she would ever prioritize, what with her duty to the children first," the boy waved off the matter, dispelling any initial—and utterly stupendous—thoughts. "Agil, Argo and I are planning to send some stuff to the Church. Food, clothes, anything."

"Haha. How kind can you be?" The fairy chuckled. "Even now, you're thinking about them, aren't you?"

"It's not like the other players are going to do that. They're either too busy looking to the front lines or just trying to make a living," he sighed.

And he wasn't all that wrong.

The obvious division between the players was already so clear ever since he entered the game, since the very beginning. It was just that people were too focused on their own objectives to even care.

The first ones were those that had entirely given up on their hopes of seeing their families again. Instead, they turn to a live of solitude, making a living out of the floors here. They find a home, get a job, and try to live as best as they could. They were those that had given up.

The second ones were what he was amongst; those that wanted to chase freedom and free those below. 'Those below' referring to the players who weren't gifted in the sense of strength and wisdom, so they tasked themselves with risking their lives at the front lines, combating mobs and bosses to make it to the next floor, and ultimately reach the hundredth.

And the third one was the one he was most afraid of, and hated.

The ones who give up.

They lose their light, their will to fight or live. Instead, they take the easiest and most foolish path, to be free of all this pain.

He had seen quite a few jump off the boundaries of the town, and down into the infinite abyss.

Players nowadays were beginning to give up, but he wasn't planning to. He still had a duty, both to himself and everyone else. If he gave up now, then everything that he had done up until now would have been for naught.

If he didn't care about himself, then there were others that needed priority. They had a family to go back to, just as much as he did. If he would fail, then he would fail to ensure that everyone else be free.

So slow steps, Nier, slow steps. Keep the morale up in all the floors, for both young and old, and it'll motivate him to keep going forwards. A simple, yet effective equation.

"So, what will you be bringing down there?" His friend asked once more.

"Mmm, food's not going to be too hard to get. We've already too much in our inventories, so parting with a few is going to barely do a dent on us," he began. "Argo already got enough to make clothes. Surprisingly enough, she's a good tailor."

"As good as that woman on the forty-eighth floor?" He asked again.

"Oh, no, I highly doubt it. Ashley's already maxed out her tailoring skills, and Argo's only reached half. There's a big difference there," he smiled. "And that's it, I guess. Just looking out for them."

"I wanna'… Hwhooaa..!" Both player and fairy turned to the source of the voice, which came from the little black-haired A.I., who had just woken up.

"Morning," he greeted. "And you want to come?"

"Yes…" She made a very slow nod, still tired but wanting to go.

"Fine. Just make sure to get yourself equipped and ready," she reacted with a sleepy 'Yes', before dropping back on her pillow, scrubbing her eyes. "And you, Tael? Do you want to come with us?"

"I'm fine, thank you. As much as I would like to come with you, my sister needs someone to watch over her, just in case," the fairy shook his head.

"Alright. Then we'll see each other in a bit," he nodded.

Floor 1: Starting Town

Taking the 'Teleportation Gate', he blinked away the intense blue light that had swallowed both him and his friends, who stood at his back, carrying a number of items. He himself had quite the amount on him.

The attention from the people was somewhat pressuring, but not to the point that it couldn't be handled. But still, did they have to eye him like a peace of meat each time he passed their way?

He was wearing a simple white coat, with black outlining along the edges. There were slight gold detailing, an added curtesy from Ashley. The end of the coat diverged slightly into two parts, looking like tails. Underneath it was a simple white tee, knitted by the boy himself, with dark grey pants fancied with light greaves. On his left shoulder was a single shoulder guard, with vambraces around both arms.

It was definitely fancy, to put it simply. No matter how much he argued for a simple dress shirt and some random pants, the «Master Tailor»—as everyone had started calling her—wouldn't have it.

And now, he was the subject to almost everyone's attention, also on the receiving end of everyone's praise and cheers.

"Alright, everyone, the Church is… That way," Yui pointed to a direction, walking ahead as the older three trail behind her.

"Wow, this place changed," Argo noted, seeing banners of a man's face everywhere. He had wavy brownish-grey hair and brown eyes, complete with a blue trenchcoat and yellow buttons. Underneath his figure was the words 'Leader of The Army'.

"That must be Thinker. A kind fellow, I would say. And I'm definitely glad that he became leader of the «Aincrad Liberation Squad»," the boy pointed out.

"Why? Was there something wrong?" Yui turned, still walking backwards, looking at him with eyes of curiosity.

"The previous leader of the first group, «Aincrad Liberation Squad», was lead by a man named Kibaou. On the twenty-fifth floor, he had foolishly brought only forty men with him to the boss room. His actions ultimately lead to the deaths of more than half of the guild. Disappointed, they left for the first floor, conjoining with Thinker's «MMO Today», and became the «ALF» we know now," he gestured to the picture of the man.

"Well, don't you know the history of your fellow guilds?" His large friend chuckled, before his expression turned slightly serious. "But I feel you. The twenty-fifth floor was way harder than anything we expected. To think that he did all that… unbelievable."

"Thinker was too trusting of a man, allowing Kibaou to remain as the 'Sub-leader' of the group. Fortunately enough, with enough time, I managed to get Yulier, a friend of Thinker's, to get to that stage, and throw Kibaou off," he nodded in satisfaction.

"Wait, what did you do?" Agil stared at him.

"Let's just say… it's a secret," Argo piped in with a wink, earning a sigh from the gigantic man. "Don't worry, it's harmless. I was with him the whole time."

"Plus, all we did was slip a few things into his drink. Not like we killed him," the boy shrugged, and that got a wide-eyed look from his friends—besides Argo, that is. "Oh, don't worry. We just had a serious talking-to to change his mind. If I'm not wrong, he's put behind bars for now."

"Ahh… Okay," he certainly knew that his friend was a genius, but to question his methods would be a challenge all on its own.

"Ah! We're here!" Yui suddenly shouted, earning all their attention. She pointed in front of her, and all their gazes dropped on the beautiful church before them.

"Welp, let's get all these things delivered now, shall we?" Sparing a single glance to his friends, he was met with nods of assent.

"Nier-nii! Teach me how to fight!"
"Onii-chan! Show us how you make a meatloaf!"
"Ori wants to see you play the flute!"
"D-Do not!"

"Guys, please, settle down. I'll do what you say, but one thing at a time," even if he was being swarmed by thirty children or so, there was no helping the fact that this was extremely fun, so he was laughing quite a bit.

"Man, the kids really like him. How the heck does that even happen?" Argo scratched his head, wondering.

"He's come here long before you and I joined his guild. And from what Klein and Yuna's said, he's done it even without them noticing him gone," Argo answered, looking on with amusement.

"The children really miss him when he goes. It's hard to keep their minds off of him, if nothing gets their attention," Sasha appeared from behind the mess hall, smiling kindly. "Also, thank you for all the things you've given us. They will be of much help in the future."

"Thank Nier. It was his idea in the first place," Agil raised a hand, ending any possible arguments.

"Well, if you say so," she chuckled, just in time to see the «Blank» activate his «Monado», doing a showcase for the children, who all gasped in awe and amazement at the sight of the weapon. "It's strange, really. Most people would find children bothersome to deal with."

"He said he understands how to deal with them because he's still one. The nerve…" The merchant was unable to laugh at the thought. How could such a genius and fighter as he still see himself no older than a teenager?

"Well, it makes sense, but is he really a child? How old is he?" The brunette asked.

"Nier's fifteen this year, just like me. His birthday's the ninth of April," Argo answered.

"Ooh! It's just around the corner then!" The youngest member of the «Blank» suddenly shouted, gaining everyone's attention. "Today's twenty-sixth March! His birthday's coming fourteen days from now then!"

"What? Really?!" A boy with a flimsy figure looked at his idol in surprise. "Then we've got to—"

"Celebrate it? Oh, no need to trouble yourself with that. It's far too much effort for just one person," he chuckled, more than happy not to.

"What are you talking about? Birthdays are important!" A little girl cried out, trying to reassure him. Even the other children seemed to share the same thought, nodding as she ended her words.

"If I'm not mistaken, Eiji's birthday's one day before yours. So we can do two birthdays in one single instance then, if it's too much trouble!" He didn't like the look in the 'Rat's' eyes. It was one that spelled out mischief and trouble.

"Well, that settles it. We're going out to fight three days from now. If we get out of here alive, let's make that our next objective," Agil crossed his arms, already agreeing with the auburn-haired girl. For as much as he was serious and calm at times, he could be quite a devil at times.

"Uurgh…" And of course, he was in the middle of everything.

Three Days Later—Floor 60: Eryth

They had arrived much too early, just as usual. No other guilds were here, so it made sense why it was pretty quiet.

The floor was composed of a sea-like theme, with floating islands connected together via small bridges. In the centre was the 'Teleportation Gate', connected to the other islands with bridges as well. The place was extremely beautiful, home to a multitude of plant life that could glow and move. Corals and mushrooms of all types seemed to have grown on the islands, with some of them being consumable. The sea itself was traversable even by body, but the sheer size of this entire floor would render it an incredibly difficult task.

But what interested everyone the most was the floating prison-like island in the air, somewhere north of the floor. There were large bird-like creatures that flew around it, as if guarding it from any trespassers.

The entrance to the boss room was to the east of the floor, located on a beach that joined up with mountains to create a platform of sorts. Once a player came here, they would have to take the bridge to get to another island.

"What is this floor called?" Nier asked, enthralled with the sights. It would be even prettier at night, no doubt.

"«Eryth»," Asuna answered for him, also looking on with amazement. She's seen pretty floors, but this place was something.

Their home was beautiful, but this was on a whole new level. No words could describe whatever they were looking at. The team behind «SAO» really put their all into making this, despite this being turned into a death game.

In fact, had none of this turned into the whole terrorist situation it is now, they would have spent the time enjoying the sights. But such a time would only come once they get out of this game.

"So Nier, planning to use «Monado» in this battle?" Asuna asked, just as hopeful as the others were.

"Ehh, sure, why not? I mean, I'm always using «Binary», so I may as well switch up my play style," the boy gave a shrug. "Plus, I've no doubt that everyone would be curious to see."

"Right! We've only seen you use it once during our training, after all," Silica pointed out, with everyone giving hums of agreement.

"Okay, okay. I'll use it in our battle against whatever's coming against us right after this," he sighed, knowing just how persistent the girls could be. 'Hold up. Am I forgetting something?'

He pondered on his sudden thought, trying to think up whatever the problem was. It then came to him; the book from yesterday.

Pulling it out, he wondered just what was so important about this book. Does it hold the secrets behind this game? An answer to their escape? A means of combating the enemies?

Heavens, no. All that was written here were a bunch of dreams from some strange person who regarded himself as 'Garden'. Whoever this was, he was certainly someone with an imaginative mind, talking about things that seemed impossible yet wondrous.

Maybe this person was constantly hit with a spark of inspiration at every turn? He'd make a good author if he so wanted to.

"Well, won't hurt to do a bit of reading in the meantime," he found a crate nearby to sit on, deciding to whittle the time away with a bit of studying—if he could call it studying.

And as such, he peeled the first page open, determined to make as much sense of this incoherent book, no matter what.

"Man, Nier's seriously going to read a book while we wait? Talk about diligence," Klein whistled, amazed with his young friend. "But that aside, where'd he got the book from?"

"Not sure. When Nier came back that night, he already had it with him," Tatl, if he had shoulders, would have shrugged. Too bad he didn't. "Well, probably found it or bought it. His book in the end."

"Well, let him read if he wishes. There's still plenty of time before the other guilds get here," Asuna nodded.

"And while he's reading, we," Argo sneaked up on the rapier-wielder, catching her by the shoulders, producing a loud yelp from the lass. "Will be taking our leave."

"W-Wait, what? Where are we—Argo!" She didn't even know what was happening anymore. Being dragged off somewhere, and Klein could very well see the gathering of all the girls in their guild, he couldn't help but worry.

"Certainly spells trouble with Argo around," Agil literally read the samurai's mind, coming up from behind him.

"Y-Yeah! You know that, whenever it comes to her, just about anything goes! Especially something incredibly horrible!" He was bobbing his head up and down quicker than a treadmill.

"Let it go, Klein. For all it's worth, they're not going to do anything against Nier's wishes," Nautilus showed up next, chuckling. "Think about it. If he asked them for so much of a favour, they'll take it like an order."

"Yeah. The loyalty they have towards him is both frightening and awe-inspiring," the large man, while never one to falter under such pressure, couldn't help but shudder.

Women. Scary things, they are.

"How does he do it..?" Klein cried, unable to understand just how good of a luck with the women his young friend has.

Such was the boy who was reading on the box, tuning everything out.

And, unbeknownst to him, two other things were happening.

Meanwhile

"So you're saying that we should just create a program to allow her to dive into the game, and fight alongside her brother?" Layla asked as she tilted her head, quite confused.

"Well, no doubt Shiro would love it. And we both know just how good she'll be in a matter of minutes," her husband laughed, drinking cold soda.

"Adam, I don't think it's possible. I mean, yes, she's managed to break through the firewall and directly manipulate the game, but it's not like she'll be able to dive into it. The system's set a limit to keep only ten thousand players in the game, and would dispose of any excess entries," she sighed.

It had been tested a few times, to be honest. That way, the players would get extra help so they could break out of the game much faster.

Even so, research had been slow, and progress even much more. They were making little to no understanding over the way the system functioned.

Never underestimate Kayaba Akihiko.

"Mama, papa," they turned to their young white-haired daughter, who was sitting in front of the television. "The girls are talking about nii."

"Hmm?" Curious about what his daughter just said, Adam took a closer look at what the «SAO Incident Victims Rescue Force» was broadcasting this time.

The group was established by Shouzou, Asuna's father, in hopes of helping the ten thousand players trapped in the virtual game. Volunteers pooled in from all around Japan, giving their full efforts to help out.

The players were brought to local hospitals, with Nur being in one himself. Each person was designated to a room with different types of sign over the rooms, indicating their quote unquote 'safety' levels.

Doors that had green tags attached to them housed the green players, those of whom were completely innocent. And the ones with a red tag was a sort of lockup for the self-deemed red players, murderers in the game.

Layla would be blunt, she absolutely hated PoH. To think that such a man such as himself had sprouted such a mindset in everyone's heads was absolutely unacceptable, no matter how much one tried to twist the fact.

So when the monitor for a red player suddenly beeped flat, she wasn't going to mourn for them. She would acknowledge their deaths, yes, but to Hell with them for all she cared.

The only people she ever puts on her mind was Nier and his guild. They were the most important people right now.

Truly, Shouzou had done so much to help both the victims and their families. They had the chance to visit them during hospital hours, and watch them with help from the broadcasting.

Speaking of broadcasting…

"Is that Asuna?" Adam spoke.

*PMD Explorers of Sky—Guildmaster Wigglytuff (Play Song)*

"Argo, what did you bring us all here for?" Silica asked, sitting on the ground, cross-legged with Pina on her lap. The little «Feathered Dragon» was snoring quietly, asleep.

"Oh, nothing really. Just for a short time of discussion of something… interesting," she snickered, not missing the wary looks she was receiving from everyone else. Understandable. "Girls, please. It's not anything serious. Like I said, what, or who we're about to talk about is definitely going to get your attention."

"Please, like there's anyone that'll—"
"Nier."

Lisbeth had practically adored Nier at first glance, but not to the point where it overstepped purely respect. But every other girl who's got to spend the time with him certainly stayed silent all of a sudden, looking at the 'Rat' with eyes of surprise.

She was cackling, proud that she's caught them all in her trap.

"Argo, there is nothing to discuss about him," Asuna sighed, messaging her temples.

Not that she didn't like the claw-wielding assassin. She was just so mischievous, so full of surprises that it was hard to get a clear cut reading on her.

"Oh, but someone does," she shook her head as she crossed her arms. "Someone that's stayed the night with him."

"A-Ahh…" Yui averted her gaze to the ground, fidgeting on her spot with a small blush on her cheeks.

"What about it, Yui? What did the both of you do at night, hmm?" Her sly grin actually intensified the blush, and everyone else were watching with their own blushes slowly growing.

"W-We didn't do anything… We just slept together…" In the ears of many, it would be taken as a way of saying 'We had sex'. But to the girl, it was just that. "I shared the bed with him as always. N-Nothing more."

"Sure," she drawled, dangerous as ever. "You didn't, I don't know… Add a bit of spice to your night together?"

"Y-Yui… What did you do with him?" Lux asked, nervous about this. She was curious, yes, but she didn't want to push her too hard.

"I… hugged him..?" She said it so softly that it sounded like a squeak, but it reached the girls' ears perfectly well.

*Gasp!*

"No! Seriously?" Sachi was both amazed and jealous with the little girl. She herself had the chance to sleep so close with him, but never had she actually did something like that with him.

"I-I couldn't really sleep…" Unable to handle all the attention, the youngest member had her gaze focused on the ground, nervously shifting in her spot the entire time. Sure, anyone would probably like attention, but this was too much!

"So… Anything you noticed about him that time?" Argo herself would not deny the fact that she was flustered with what she heard, but she, if not able to handle such situations, would never earn herself the title 'The Rat'.

*Skraa..!*

Even Pina had woken up, taken apparent interest in this whole conversation. Her master, on the other hand, was looking on with slight embarrassment.

Not that anyone could blame her, of course. The previous air of professionalism had all but been thrown out of the metaphorical window the moment their conversation shifted to their perfect leader, who, still oblivious to their conversation, was busy reading that thick book of his.

Wait, he wasn't reading anymore. His eyebrows furrowed, attention at its highest. Was he translating a piece of text this time?

"H-He was kind. Very kind," Yui began, everyone beginning to look at her once again. "And very forceful when he wants to be."

"F-Forceful..?" Asuna actually felt her face grow even warmer at the younger girl's brief explanation.

"N-N-Not in whatever way you're thinking!" She squeaked, everyone still not believing her. "I-It's just… It's actually… I said I hugged him, but… it was… actually…"

He was forceful. She was trying to say something. Possibly that her hugging him was actually not the case.

Ahh, so that's it.

"He hugged you?" Liz had a shocked expression, not believing her ears at all.

The conclusion was easy to come to when the keywords were offered to her, and the fact that the girl seemed to be looking away from the boy—it was hard not to notice this at all—then everything made sense.

"Hold on here a moment. You said so earlier that you were the one who engaged him first, but now you're saying that he was the one who started it?" Rosalia, at this point, was more confused than anything. Yes, all the girl talk had made her feel awkward at first, but right now she just wanted the answers more than anything else.

"W-Well… He was the one who started it, because I wanted to, but didn't…" She shyly answered, not daring to meet anyone else's gaze.

"I think I can see the big picture here…" Their 'Vice Commander' sighed, wondering how such a cute topic got so confusing so fast, until all was cleared with help from their red-headed friend. "So he forced you to hug him, just because you didn't want to?"

"Y-Yeah," she nodded, with sighs being shot from here and there.

Still, it didn't mean that they were fine with the knowledge. In fact, all of them were jealous of the young girl, but knew her intentions were pure, unlike any of them. Argo especially was dangerous.

All of them were now unsure of what to talk about anymore. The only topic that certainly got all of them interested was their leader, who was at the last pages of the tome, close to reaching the finish line.

"So, what do we do now?" Liz asked, with everyone looking up to the sky, as if the answer was there.

Ahh, young love.

*PMD Explorers of Sky—Guildmaster Wigglytuff (End Song)*

An Hour Later

Soon enough, the guilds pooled in, and the space of the entrance to the boss room was almost cramped. Taking this into account, Nier and his guild decided to wait it out at an island, and he was surprised by the sheer amount of people there were.

And by who appeared.

"Klein!" A masculine voice called out to his teammate, and the next thing he knew, the samurai was hugging some bearded man.

And then more men came, pulling the samurai into a huge, manly embrace.

Wait a minute.

'It's cool. My friends should be fine without me. I mean, they're strong, and I've no doubt that they're going to be alright!'

The people he was now talking to, laughing with… They must have been his friends.

'Good to know that they're still alive,' the black and white-haired boy smiled, watching as Klein get smacked multiple times by the head, much to his amusement.

«Fuurinkazan», the guild of which Klein was supposed to be leader to, until he decided to join Nier on the very first day. It was funny, how they, despite their quaint—or odd, for a better lack of a word—differences, could come together. And no doubt, the one who took 'weirdest' by the cake is definitely their supposed leader, Klein.

The members were Dale, the big guy, Dymamm, a pirate-looking fighter, Harry One, who looked more than ready for winter, Issin the skinny guy, and Kunimittz, who had a green cloth over his chest.

'Move as swift as wind, [be] as orderly as [the] forest, [be] as fierce as [the] fire, [and be] as unshakeable as [the] mountain,' just as Sun Tzu's quote from the 'Art of War'.

"Impressively done," he chuckled, happy that they haven't forgotten their history lessons just yet. His attention then shifted to Heathcliff, ever present in his red and white battle regalia, blade and shield at the ready. 'Now then, let's get this battle on the way.'

Time went on, and soon enough, all the guilds were present, ready to make their next move. Heathcliff stood at the front of the entrance, delivering a powerful speech about freedom, motivating the players to win this next battle, for their sakes and for everyone else's.

Nier smiled, knowing that it would be right to place their faith in the «Unbeatable». He was a natural leader, able to rally up anyone in just a matter of seconds. The fact still stood strong, that the «Knights of Blood» became the strongest guild—though there have been debates about whether that or the «Blank» was better—there is in «SAO».

Then he wondered. Just how good was he? People have constantly spread the rumours that his health had never traveled further down than half. That had him curious. Was his «Special Skill» just that invincible? If so, then Kayaba had nothing against them.

"As such, let us defeat this boss, and make our way to the hundredth floor, together!" The man shouted, with everyone letting their own battle cries fill the area as well.

"Okay, «Blank». Let's do this," Nier made his way to the entrance, his guild following right behind him. 'Time we show this world who's at the top of the food chain.'

Once there, the great knight pushed open the gigantic doors, revealing a large space made up of red walls and ground. It almost resembled a cave, had there been the absence of stalactites and other cave-related things.

They stepped inside, all holding swords and shields and whatever they weld.

Nier activated «Libra», scanning the room. There was no sign of the boss in sight, so this meant that it hadn't been spawned yet.

And then something caught his attention.

'Footprints..?' He noticed the faint outlining of what was clearly footsteps, trailing from the centre of the room to the wall. There was nothing there. 'Don't tell me it could warp or something.'

That would certainly be too much trouble.

"Tatl, Tael…" He whispered, making sure no one else heard him. The fairies didn't want their existence to be known by the other players. "Where is it..?"

"We're not sure…" Tatl sighed, making sure to remain concealed as she looked around. "Man… I'm the best navigator, not an animal searcher..!"

It was true. This whole time, they had relied on the white fairy's help, rather than placing their faith on their in-game map. And, surprisingly enough, she managed to give them even better directions than they would have with the map.

As such, they had delegated her to navigating for the guild, which she herself was appreciative of.

Tael, on the other hand, was a dependable source of information, possessing bountiful amounts of knowledge. He had helped solve just about any problem, and came to take over the commands and roles delegations whenever Nier was just too focused on the enemy.

The two were extremely helpful, and Nier was indeed thankful that he had brought them along. With shelter, food and protection, they in turn gave the assistance they were able to provide.

"Nier," Asuna was at his side now, a look of uncertainty on her face. "Do you think the boss got killed..?"

"Doubt it. If so, then all of would have been notified as such," he shook his head. "No. It's here, but we just don't see it."

"How can you tell?" She asked.

"It's a… gut feeling, call it what you will," he shrugged, stopping short. "Wait…"

He tuned out everything. Shut away his thoughts, the breathings, the heart beat of his, and applied all his senses to focus on his surroundings. To detect even the most minute changes in sounds, movements and other things.

He could feel the earth rattle. Focus even more and he could hear the distant breaths of a monster. If he intensified his focus even more, he would feel its piercing gaze on him.

And soon enough, the beast entered the fray.

"Get back!" He was quick enough to push his friend to the side—

*Shing!*

"Ghuh..!" Nier felt a powerful set of claws rip into his newly-forged armour—curtesy of Lisbeth—tossing him back into the wall, the blow more than enough to cut down a piece of his health bar.

*Rrhaa!*

*God Eater—A Shadow Covering the Town (Play Song)*

"Well, how do you do..?" The boy got up, hand clenching «Binary».

The beast before him was ginormous. It wasn't a typical «Blood Wolf», nor was it a leader of the pack, but much more ferocious in build and strength, with two rows of claws stacked up on each other, with a blood-red scaled body. The tail was indeed stacked with multiple layers of hard skin,

The name «Odogaron, The Fanged Wyvern» rested on four health bars.

*Rghaa!*

"Crud!" Not wasting the time, he leapt to the side, making his way to the rest of the group.

"All men! Charge the beast!" Heathcliff shouted, with the players from both his guild and everyone else rushing into the fray, brandishing weapons, screaming their determination and ready to slay the beast.

"Nier, what's our plan?" Klein asked, readying his trusty katana.

"That thing's fast, and hits hard. We need to focus heavily on defense," the boy panted, equipping himself with «Monado». "Asuna, Klein, you guys are with me. Yui, Yuna, go with «Tide Turner». Shift to «Sap and Salve» when the situation calls for it."

"Understood!" Yuna nodded in understanding.

"Everyone, to a team of three and take a «Delta Attack» approach. Retreat when injured, return to the battle when you're good to go," everyone nodded at him. "Good. Let's go!"

"Dear Lord…" Minetaka was no expert in video games, but he was sure that there should have been a limit as to how strong you could make the monsters, especially since this one placed the players' lives on the line.

"They'll make it. Don't worry so much," Adam reassured his friend, but even he couldn't stop the dread from settling inside of him.

This battle was certainly in the boss's favour. Gifted with such speed, allowing it to leap left and right, and with power being its ultimate boon, there was little to no chance for the players to get out of here alive.

Suguha watched in full attention, silently hoping for her idol to win.

Shiro made a quiet prayer to her brother, watching him from their room.

'Nii will win,' she told herself.

*Shing!*

"All shield-wielders, swap with your allies to allow them the chance to attack. Do not stay in position for too long!" Nier yelled, activating a «Monado Art». "«Monado: Shield»!"

*Khh!*

A wave of yellow light swept across the battlefield, wrapping the players with a warm sensation. The beast lunged at them, slamming its clenched fist into them, tearing their healths down to one far too quickly.

This battle was too difficult, judging by how powerful «Odogaron» was. Too unfair that he was thankful «Monado: Shield» acted in a way to prevent players from being killed immediately by a deadly attack, such as the current situation.

Despite their high levels, the beast was basically toying with them. They hadn't even sent the first health bar to a quarter yet!

"«Monado: Speed»!" He shouted, casting green light over himself. "Klein, Asuna! Switch to «Aggression»!"

He made a beeline for the creature, leaping into the air before cutting away at its flesh, producing a realistic sound of tearing. The creature howled, failing to slam its club-like tail into the boy. With «Speed» activated, it purposed to increase his physical agility, allowing him for faster strikes and better chances of evasion.

Nier let loose a battle cry as he brought the sword down in an arc, the plasma blade cutting into the creature once more. He saw its eye gleam red, and, at the perfect timing, he drew the blade and struck against its claw attack, parrying it.

He jumped back, allowing Klein and Asuna to enact their «Sword Skills» upon the creature, bringing its health down to the third bar.

"Heathcliff, you're up!" He shouted, putting some distance away from the creature.

"With pleasure!" The older man responded, charging the beast with any other capable men.

"«Monado: Shield»!" He activated the «Monado Art» once more, ensuring that no one was going to die today. Not on his watch. "Everyone, don't hold back! We need to provide support and keep the combo going!"

"Wasn't planning on running away!" Agil snorted, rushing forwards. The rest of the «Blank» followed suite.

The players didn't give the creature the chance to run, instead putting holes and wedges in its body as much as they could, making sure to block and dodge its powerful attacks.

Agil and Klein brought down their weapons in perfect harmony, slamming the creature's jaws down to the ground as the samurai drew his blade, cutting straight into its torso. The being groaned in pain, jumping back before lashing out at the men.

*Shing!*

"Crud..!" The maroon-haired man was sent flying back, skidding against the ground. He made a move to get up, until his comrade fell onto him, literally. "Gah..! G-Get off me..!"

"Not my fault that thing's powerful… And that club tail thing is a hell of a b*tch..!" Agil cursed, struggling to his feet.

The beast saw the two of them downed and was more than ready to strike them once more, until a group of «Knights of Blood» members blocked its advances, earning a tear through their ranks from it.

"Nautilus, Strea, Lux, defend those two!" Nier commanded, with the group of three making their way to the two downed warriors. "Rosalia, Lisbeth, Silica, I'm getting you an opening. Use whatever you've got!"

"R-Right!" Lisbeth hollered from her spot, not daring to get close to the beast.

"Hrhah!" Jumping at «Odogaron», he slammed all the weight of the blade against the creature, activating the plasma blade to deal an uppercut. When it made a move to strike him, he slashed at it again, successfully parrying it. "Go!"

With shouts of determination, the three girls activated their own «Sword Skills», breaking past the beast's defense and cutting it down even more. Rosalia's spear moved in spiral blurs, Pina was spewing bubble fire—that was how it looked like to him—and Lisbeth dealt repeated blows to its body and head.

*Chsh!* *Grhaa!*

Heathcliff had swung his sword at the beast, carving its flesh with the sharp end of his blade. With a huff, he followed it up with a concussion-inducing blow to the skull with his massive kite shield, knocking it backwards.

"Damn it…" Klein stood back up, feeling energy restored into him. Looking back, it was Yuna, who seemed to have been doing the healing with her voice. "Thanks!"

"It's fine!" She gave a thumbs-up, before switching to her role as a «Synergist», giving buffs to everyone there. "Yui, keep up the debuffs, alright?"

"Got it!" The little girl nodded back, activating mental commands to weaken the creature's physical attack and defense.

"I need an opening!" Nier shouted, parrying an attack before jumping backwards, away from «Odogaron's» jaws before it could crunch down on him, leaping to the side at the last second to avoid another painful strike.

"And we'll get it for you!" Asuna was quick to make her way to the beast, backed up by Lux and Strea. "Girls, don't let up!"

"Got it!" They smiled back, blade and rapier ready for the kill.

Nier watched as the strawberry-blonde zipped past the creature, activating «Linear» in the process, cutting directly past it and a bit of its health. Strea jumped in between the both of them, parrying the creature's swing of the claws before striking hard at its jaws. Lux had leapt into the air, before rocketing down towards the creature. «Aero Penetrator» was both useful as a means of evading as it was for the offensive.

The girls parried the beast's slam of the claws, keeping it immobilised with help from the motion-delay of the game's system.

'Now!' With a mental command, the plasma blade shone bluer than the sea, extending to the point that the tip almost touched the ceiling. Lifting it up over his head, he brought it down with a loud shout, felling the creature with one powerful strike.

*Hrhaa..!*

«Monado: Buster» was a powerful attack, being the single-hit skill that possessed the strength of a typical ten-hit combo skill. And it proved its worth well, erasing the entirety of what remained of the third health bar, leaving it on its last legs now.

«Odogaron», not contempt with losing the fight, allowed one hungry growl to fill the room, paining everyone's eardrums.

'WARNING'

Oh, that was not good.

And true as the message said, regular «Blood Wolves» starting filling up the room, with no ends to their numbers.

As if motivated by the appearance of its fellow mobs, «Odogaron» allowed a powerful howl to leave its lips, before it started charging random players, knocking them everywhere like rag dolls. Its movements were suddenly much faster now, its strength having increased by a large amount and erasing their health bars quicker than possible. Damn, this was not getting any easier.

"Everyone, keep the monsters off of us! Klein, Agil, defend Yui and Yuna! Asuna, with me!" The «Blank» were quick to their positions.

"You ready?" She asked with a smile.

"As ever I can be," he gave a thumbs-up. "Let's go."

"Right," she nodded back.

"Excuse me," a voice spoke up to them from behind, walking to their side. "Ahh, alright then."

"PoH?" The boy was temporarily fazed, but the surprised expression never left him. Now, he was just confused. "What in the world are you doing here?"

"What? I can't join your little raiding party? Pfft, I'm a player too, you know," he sniggered, ignoring his stupefied look. "Let's give em' hell."

"Leader of the «Laughing Coffin». What are you doing here?" Heathcliff walked to the three, a serious look aimed at the murderer. His guild members were busy combatting the boss and its subordinates, which didn't stop spawning into the room.

"What? I've got a little bud here, and just wanted to pay him a visit," to get his message across, he gave Nier a one-armed hug.

"As far as I'm concerned, I don't think you and I are 'buds'," the boy deadpanned. "Our relationship leans more towards acquaintances."

"Hah. They were right. You've got quite the poisonous tongue too, apparently," the man laughed. "Cheer up. I'm actually here to help. Heck, if you want, I'll even show my face."

Before anyone had the chance to say anything about the matter, he pulled back the hood, revealing a surprisingly dashing face, with wavy black hair and a small tattoo on his right brow. His eyes were grey, and it looked as if he had stared death in the eye a lot. He wasn't afraid, he was thirsting for blood.

"There. Happy? Now, whenever I get into trouble, you can at least remember my handsome look," he gloated the last part, unashamed.

"Yeah. A handsome murderer. How great is that," the boy rolled his eyes, stopping himself short from commenting on it any further when he noticed—

*Ching!*

"Liz!" Silica had been downed, a large gash on her knee that debuffed her with «Bleeding», as well as rendering her immobile for the moment. The blacksmith, taking responsibility, was trying to defend her while she heals, but the boss wasn't going to make it any easier.

"D-Damn it! Could really use some help over here!" She shouted to her left, seeing Rosalia pierce three wolves with her spears, still engaging a large group of beastly mobs.

"I'm a little busy over here too!" She yelled back, sneering as she cut wolf after wolf. These guys were persistent, she'll give them that.

"Oh, come on!" The pink-haired warrior was ready to strike the beast with her mace, until it had knocked her to the side with a hefty swing of its tail, slamming her to the ground. "Ghuh..!"

"Oh, crud!" Adrenaline pumping in his veins once more, he made a break for the downed girls. "Silica! Lisbeth! Hang on!"

"W-Wha, huh..?" She looked on, unsure of what just happened, until the hot breath of something blew into her face. Staring up, she gulped, feeling the colour drain from her face.

The red scales that were close to touching her face, that ferocious glare.

*RHhraAHA!*

The powerful shriek it sent, directly at her, would have broken her earbuds had its voice already been damaged already, due to all the attacks it received previously.

"L-Lisbeth!" Silica was still injured, and still far away from her friend. Her final resort, she told herself, she flicked the dagger she had in between her fingers before flinging it at the beast.

*Ching!*

The creature backhanded the steel weapon, now staring directly at the thirteen-year-old, who was now more than ready to scream for help.

With a snarl, it leapt forwards, jaws wide open for the kill.

*Bam!*

"Leave them alone!" Nier shouted as he struck the beast with his «Monado», hard. Directly against its torso, spit flew from «Odogaron's» mouth as the blow forced its insides to wreath painfully against one another. He activated the blade, cutting against its face before willing power into his leg, activating a «Martial Skill» and kicked it in the torso, sending it backwards by a bit.

"N-Nier…" Silica looked on with awe.

"You don't even think about trying to kill my friends, mutt!" The boy snarled, unafraid. "You looking for anyone, he's right in front of you!"

*Grrh...*

The scaled 'Boss', as if accepting his challenge, pawed the earth before breaking into a charge at him, extremely quick. Sensing an incoming attack, he easily backhanded its claw, cleaving into its limb before he tore its guttural area with his sword, activating «Eater» before swiping at the beast.

An emblem of skin being torn, with liquid oozing out of it meant that it was successfully debuffed with «Bleeding».

He leapt into the air, cutting it with his blade once more. Bringing up his sword to block its swipe, he boosted himself with «Speed», sidestepping each of its next consecutive attacks.

With a furious shout, deactivating his weapon, he thrusted the tip of the blade directly into the creature's skull, before another powerful blow connected to the same spot, sending it flying backwards. He gave a short thanks to Heathcliff, rushing to the girls' aides.

"You girls alright?" He asked, kneeling.

"Y-Yeah, but Silica's got «Bleeding» on her…" The blacksmith panted.

"Great… Okay, hold on tight," they looked at him as to what he meant, but the answer came quickly enough.

"W-What?!"
"H-Hey!"

In one swift instance, quicker than even two seconds, he had a blushing Lisbeth wrapped around him in a piggy-back and a sputtering Silica in his arms, in a 'princess carry', before he set off towards Yuna and Yui's location, close to the entrance of the boss room, avoiding danger at every step.

With «Speed», it didn't take too long for him to reach the entrance, much less so unscathed. Setting both the girls down, taking into notice their flushed faces, he turned to Yuna, who was… pouting?

"I need them both healed. Stop the «Bleeding» effect if possible," he told them, before activating «Speed» on himself once more, rushing towards «Odogaron». He spared one last glance at them, saying a few more words before running off. "Stay safe, girls."

Crossing the distance between both him and the boss, he was met with a little resistance that came in the form of its subordinates, all of which defended their alpha leader with as much vigour as they possessed in them.

Hacking away at each «Blood Wolf» in his way, a path behind him was cleared. He didn't waste the time to look behind him, instead focusing on the boss.

Looking to what was keeping it occupied, he saw Asuna teaming up with the leader of the «Knights of Blood» and «Laughing Coffin» respectively.

He spent half a minute at best to put together a solid plan in taking this boss down. And sooner than later, he had a tactic already.

But just as he was about to call out to them, a «Blood Wolf» had lunged at him, timing its strike well. Quickly, he parried the beast.

But then, the leader had seen its subordinate under attack, and, acting as such, averted its attention to him this time, rushing towards him.

Stuck between parrying the wolf, his own motion delayed slightly, he was unable to even escape, let alone activate «Monado: Speed» to avoid a crippling fate. That left him open to the attack, which struck him hard.

*Bam!*

"Hhakh..!" He felt a pair of claws rip into him, before what felt like sharpened daggers bit down on him from both sides, tossing him to one side.

Getting up quickly, the boss of this floor did not relent, and assaulted him the best of which its remaining energy allowed it, cutting his health down faster than his natural «Battle Heal» skill could heal him. Bringing up his still deactivated sword to block the oncoming attacks, he finally stumbled after the seventh strike from its tail.

"Nier!" Asuna actually felt her blood run cold, and in a moment of hesitation, she jumped into the fray, intent on saving her friend.

*Clank!*

Sensing impending danger, the creature smacked her away, watching as the girl make contact with the opposite wall.

"Hkh..!" She grunted as the pain jolted in her body, before she fell back down. Her health wasn't all that bad, but she worried about the boy too much to even think about herself. Her eyes lifted off the ground, and they only grew wide at what she was seeing before her.

Satisfied that one nuisance was now out of the way, helpless, it snapped its head towards Nier, who was still temporarily stunned from the consecutive attacks he had received. With a triumphant howl, it jumped towards its prey.

*Ching!*

"Leave my buddy alone!" Steel met hard fangs in a battle of dominance, before Klein managed to turn the aggro towards himself with a powerful uppercut, joined with a blunt hit to the skull from Agil's mace.

"Eat this!" Argo broke from her formation, more intent at getting back at the boss for hurting her friend. She continued attacking him with her claw weapon, backed by the rest of her guild mates, whom all shared equal amounts of anger.

With its attention taken off the monochromatic-haired boy, Asuna had rushed over to his side, ready to heal him.

"Damn it, kid, don't scare us like that…" PoH clicked his tongue, standing nearby in case something tried anything funny on him.

"C-Come on, Nier..! Not yet..!" She hastily pulled out a health potion, almost dropping it as she tried getting him to sit up. He was smiling at her, even when he was mere moments from death, mind still a blur, before he took the potion. Drinking all of its contents, his health bar was restored up until it reached higher than half.

"T-Thanks…" He groaned, getting up.

"Oh, no. You're not going back in there. You just almost died!" She screamed, worried for him as she held him down by the shoulders. Still, he didn't pry her hands off of him, but instead took them in his, sending a flurry of emotions in her. 'N-Not now..!'

"Can't help it. I got a plan. Let's just get to it…" He managed to stand up now, seeing the old knight fending off the beast with his friends' help. "You got your «Sword Skill» charged?"

"Yeah. It's all good to be used," PoH nodded in conformation.

"Good… We've got one shot. Follow my lead," he blew one last breath out of his nostrils before activating «Monado». "…Hoii!"

The way its neck made a sickening crunch meant that it was hurt beyond healing. Still, that was a good thing, even if it did look worse than it originally was.

*Skraa!*

"Get ready," he told the two that stood to his left, holding his sword up. He made a gesture, with Heathcliff nodding in understanding. "Let's do this…" The red wolf prepared its final strength, ready to use it in this final attack.

It leapt backwards slightly, before entering a sprint towards the boy. Smiling, he readied himself to parry the next blow.

Holding it at his side, he drew the «Monado» to his right, parrying the boss's attack.

"…Now!" He barely managed to yell.

Activating their individual «Sword Skills», the four charged the creature with their attacks.

Asuna pelted blow after blow at the beast, filling each part of its body with holes. «Star Splash» was effective, as she struck at the body, before aiming her next hits at the head, legs and finally giving one powerful stab to the chest.

Heathcliff was giving blows at every edge and spot, his «Divine Sword» skill showing no mercy to the boss. He swung mercilessly, leaving slash marks at every point that he could get a hit on, not giving in to «Odogaron's» painful howls.

PoH's skill did not last as long as everyone else's, but effective nonetheless. He greatly reduced the boss's defense and attack, with a couple of cleaves and strikes, but not nearly as strong as everyone else's though. Still, his attacks were extremely fast, and with precise accuracy no less.

Nier chanted «Buster», allowing his «Monado» to build up the power. When he felt a surge of energy being exerted from the sword, he raised it into the air, before bringing it down in a guillotining action.

*Zzzk!*

Plasma cut into flesh, ending the final light that the fanged beast held onto. With a dying moan—

*Chsh!*

*God Eater—A Shadow Covering the Town (End Song)*

'THE BOSS HAS BEEN DEFEATED!'

"Yeah-ha!" And as ever, Klein was the first one to enter an excited fit of cheering, with every other player joining soon enough.

And Nier, as usual, dropped to the ground, sitting cross-legged as he took the time to regain his breath.

That battle was not as tiring as the ones where he had weld «Binary» and activated «Birth From Bytes». Still, that didn't mean that the whole thing wasn't tiring. This boss, unlike the previous ones, matched the players with its fast speed. Had the battle gone any differently, they would have undoubtedly lost.

Thankfully, the game was still being kind to them players, even if was still a bit difficult.

"Whoo…" He let out a deep sigh, happy that that was over. 'Just forty more, Nier. Forty more…'

*Thud!*

"Oof!" Still stuck in his thoughts, never did he think himself to be tackled into a hug so soon. By Asuna, no less. "Take it easy…"

"Baka!" She shouted, sobbing in his armour. "You were going to die out there..!"

"But I didn't. And I won't. I've still got a lot of fight in me…" He sighed, rubbing her back. Then again, he was so foolish to think that he had this in the bag, probably, so if this was the price to pay? 'Ehh, I can handle this, I guess.'

"Please… Don't ever do that again… I-I…" She trailed off then, opting to just cry in his chest. He sighed once more, pulling her into a hug. Her breath hitched right there.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm sorry about that. I promise I'll rely on all of you more from now on," he placed his chin on her head, trying a nod. It didn't work since he was so tired, so he opted for just humming in her hair. "And… thank you. For looking out for me, even though I was stubborn."

"O-Of course I would… We all would…" She actually laughed, finally calm. Still, her heart was wavering, not willing to just let go. Sniffling once, she pulled away, still teary-eyed. "God… You're so mean, you know that?"

"Says the girl that suddenly tossed herself at a boy a year younger than her," he scoffed in return, using his thumb to wipe away her tears. "Look, I'm just being me, alright? So if I get in trouble, then that's my problem."

"Not just your problem, Nier," the boy looked up, staring into the eyes of Agil, who was smiling back. Behind him was the rest of his friends, their own displays of concern and relief present. "We're not ready to mourn for our leader yet, so don't even think about dying on us."

"Yeah, figured you'd say that…" He stood up, making sure that he didn't fall back down. With shaky legs, he tried to move towards them, only to suddenly fall back into Asuna's arms. "Never mind. I can't move…"

"Not like it would suck. Just means that we get to look after you," Argo snickered, relieved that nothing happened to the boy she loved just yet.

"Oh, joy…" He wanted to believe that everything would be fine, really. But in the midst of all these girls in his guild, who were suddenly looking at each other with eyes of a carnivore, he wasn't so sure anymore.

"Well, what do we have here?" PoH came up, laughing. "Leader of the «Blank» made a guild with his harem? Now isn't that fantastic. Ha ha!"

Every girl there couldn't help but stare away from each other, blushing in embarrassment.

PoH just grinned. So these girls actually liked the kid? Well, a pity if he had killed him long ago. He wouldn't have been able to see this fun sight.

"Hey, the heck are you doing here? I thought you're a red player who has fun killing others," Nier suddenly spoke up, narrowing his eyes at the man.

"I just wanted to see you in action, alright? Heard from a little birdie that you were about to pull out a pretty cool weapon, and looks like they were right," he waved off the younger male's concerns with such a laid-back tone.

"Who told you?" Asune already had her hand at her rapier. 'Calm yourself,' the rapier-wielder told herself. Though he was dangerous, he did help out in the fight.

"Like I said, a little birdie. Jeez, Nier, take better care of your women. They're surprisingly deadly," there was no hint of malice in his words. All purely casual, and with a sense of jest. "We're done here, so I may as well go back."

"To the first floor?" He raised an eyebrow.

"To the first floor," he confirmed with a nod. "Oh. And don't die, ya' hear me? Those girls would surely go on a rampage if that happens. Plus, I'm curious as to how far you'll go."

"Uurgh…" He groaned, knowing that he'll have to meet him in a future time.

Still, the battle against «Odogaron, The Fanged Wyvern» was a success. They were going to make it to the sixty-first floor right after this, and nothing would be there to stop them.

Freedom was just in their grasps, and in a few more floors, it would become a reality.

So who was he to hide his smile?