Watching anime hahaha…

I recently went to the Fate Grand Order sub … and I am currently dying of cuteness help.

UCCMaster: soon. Soon.

reality deviant: Shotacon Rias is another throwaway line in the novel, like Kiba being a closet lecher.

ultima-owner: you'll see

Brawler883: Weeeeeeeb. But seriously, Kuro/Kuroneko is a nice name for cats.

Aegorm: I knew I'd get a reaction like that with how divisive the Fairy Dance anime was. Well, I hope to avoid all those problems.

Here we are with the next chapter.

Obligatory Disclaimer: I do not own SAO or DxD.

*~B~*

Chapter Forty-Six: Start Line

*~Ise~*

We scouted for a while to no luck.

Xenovia called us to the abandoned church and Irina gave us some spare priest outfits to bait out Freed.

I wasn't too keen on meeting that crazy bastard again, but it was our best lead.

We wandered town for a while – me, Koneko-chan and Kiba. We were yet to hear back from Kirito, but then again, he might not have even arrived.

It was only sunset here. We spend any longer out and even if we could actually operate better at night, there was a chance that we'd be ambushed.

Kiba and Koneko suddenly stopped. "Above!" Kiba exclaimed.

He summoned a sword to block a sudden ambush from above us. A boy priest wielding a longsword. White hair and a crazed expression. I sure haven't forgotten you, you bastard.

"Freed!" I shouted.

"Aha?! It's the shitty Devil I forgot to cut down last time! Isn't this a fun reunion?!" Freed exclaimed. "So you wanna die now?! Sure!"

"Yeah, right! Boosted Gear!" I yelled.

[Boost! Boost!]

The fire that shrouded me burned off my priest uniform. The red gauntlets and torso protectors formed. I didn't feel it, but the illusion fell off my eyes.

Koneko-chan also threw off her nun outfit.

"Oho! Well, well, well! You've gotten stronger, haventcha?!" he happily exclaimed.

"Your opponent is me!" Kiba furiously shouted, performing a chain of attacks faster than I could see.

"I've also gotten stronger! You see…"

Freed broke Kiba's swords with a powerful swing.

"… I have an Excalibur now!" Freed said.

"Ghah!" Kiba made a wordless noise out of anger and generated more swords. Freed kept breaking them and he kept making more.

"Kiba! I can transfer power to you!" I shouted.

"I'm fine!" he shouted back. He was completely engrossed in his opponent's sword.

"Ahaha! You're looking at my dear Excalibur very scarily! A grudge?! Do you have a grudge against it?! You know that getting cut by it is going to kill you, right? You'll die! Just die!" Freed said, grinning madly, keeping up with Kiba easily.

[Boost!]

We needed an unexpected move. Koneko-chan and I exchanged a glance. It was like we could read each other's minds. I crouched and let Koneko-chan pick me up. She then threw me straight at Freed.

"Fastball Special!" I roared, throwing a fist into the bastard's face. He was caught off-guard by the move and didn't react in time – or so I thought.

Somehow, even with the surprise, he reacted quickly enough that he blocked the punch with Excalibur. "Not again, you shitty Devil!" he crowed. "You're not touching my pretty face again!"

Won't be me. I stretched my left arm backwards and touched Kiba. "Get him!" I yelled.

[Transfer!]

"… Since I've received it, I have to use it. Sword Birth!"

Swords, countless swords of a myriad of sizes and shapes jutted out from every nearby surface. The ground, and even the nearest utility poles. They popped out and shot towards Freed.

Kiba's silhouette blurred and he threw several swords at Freed from every direction.

"Oho! Not a bad trick!" Freed howled.

The Excalibur he held glowed and then moved with impossible speed. He slashed down the attacks coming from every direction.

"My dear sword is Excalibur Rapidly! It won't lose to a shitty Devil in speed!"

He charged at Kiba with insane speed. Kiba brought up his swords to defend but they completely broke, not slowing Freed down at all.

Shit…! He can't dodge that!

Move!

A black rope shot towards Freed and wrapped him. He was bodily thrown into a nearby wall.

"What the hell?!" he exclaimed. A silhouette raced up to him and tried to smash a flying kick into his groin. He narrowly dodged.

"Don't attack the dick, dammit!" he exclaimed, attempting to retaliate with a wide sweep.

"Mirror Alice!"

A large ornate mirror appeared in front of the attacker. Freed's sword seemed to disappear into the mirror at the point of contact but a moment later, it was whole.

A phantom sword swept out of the mirror, reflecting his attack. Freed barely dodged it with his insane speed.

"Hey, you brought friends! That's cheating!" Freed complained.

Things slowed down for me to see who the new arrivals were. "Gen! Ruruko! Shinra-senpai! … and Reya-san, too?!"

The four of them stood beside us.

"Yo," Gen greeted. "What did you get yourself into this time?"

"Rias-senpai got worried since none of you were responding," Ruruko explained.

"She asked Kaichou to help find you guys," Reya-san added. "I used my Tracking Skill, but for some reason I can't track Kirito-san."

"Saji, don't take your eyes off him," Shinra-senpai warned.

"I have him cornered three different ways," Gen said.

When I looked carefully, the absorbing line was wrapped around Freed, the whip was wrapped around the hand holding the sword, and there was a dart with a gradually growing bulb attached to his shoulder.

"Stay still, or you lose your shoulder," Gen warned.

Freed grinned, and used all his might to strain against the whip and loosen his grip on the sword. "Old man Valper!" he called, kicking the sword away! "I'll be back soon, so just keep that for me, m'kay?"

Kiba ran to grab it, but stopped short as several light spears pierced the ground in front of him.

A guy with four black wings grabbed the sword. Two two-winged guys stood on guard near an eggheaded guy in robes. "Do be careful with these, Freed, they are irreplaceable," he chided.

Kiba's face contorted. "Valper Galilei…!" he spat out.

"Sword Birth, hmm? It's a Sacred Gear limited only by the user's imagination, but it pales in the magnificence of a true sword."

Valper signaled Four-Wings. He nodded, and formed a sphere of light in his hands. I remembered Raynare's last trick. They were trying to get away!

"I won't let you escape!"

Two familiar exorcists dashed past us. Irina was already holding a katana, and she reached them first.

Four-Wings made the sphere of light explode in her face and Excalibur Rapidly zoomed towards her neck.

Excalibur Destruction parried the attack, generating a huge shockwave. The Fallen Angels spread their wings, and rode the shockwave to safety, one Two-Wings carrying Egghead.

Xenovia and Irina nodded to each other. "We're following them," Xenovia said.

"Right." They raced after them.

"I'm following them!" I heard Kiba say.

Koneko-chan tried to stop him. "Yuuto-senpai, wait!" He ignored her, running after the two.

"Yuuto-senpai … I promised," Koneko-chan muttered, downcast. Kiba, the next time I'm seeing you, I'm punching the lights out of you for making her look so sad.

"This is surely a dilemma," Shinra-senpai sighed.

"Hahahaha! You got me for now, but you haven't won yet, you shitty Devils!" Freed crowed. He cackled madly. It was annoying.

I stomped up to him and punched him in the face. His nose broke with a satisfying crack and he went limp. It didn't help my bubbling anger much, though.

"So much for your pretty face," I spat out.

This is a total mess.

*~Kirito~*

I probably broke a dozen speed limits, but it didn't matter one bit.

"Asuna is comatose."

Nothing mattered except getting to her side as soon as possible.

"Shit…" A bit of my frustration leaked out. Dammit, Asuna, why didn't you just ask me to be there?

No. I need to stop. I can't throw my frustrations willy-nilly.

Police sirens blared behind me. Several cars were in pursuit.

Using what little sense I had remaining, I turned up my stealth skills again. I didn't want anyone following me so I'd turned them on once till I was out of Kuou. I managed to weave through impossible turns and gave them the slip.

I've always had uncanny focus, but this was a whole other level altogether. Absolutely nothing mattered except reaching Asuna. To reach her, I could do anything.

Not soon enough, the hospital came into view. It was the same hospital Asuna had said was near her home, the one that she had been in for the entirety of SAO.

I zipped the bike into a parking spot and leapt off, running for the building.

Kyouko-san had told me the room number. Once I was inside, I didn't need to ask reception or anything. And with my stealth still on, nobody stopped me.

Within a minute, I found the room. Three people sat outside.

Lizbeth inhaled sharply the moment she saw me. She stared at me like she'd seen a ghost.

Asuna's parents turned to me at the sound. "Good evening, Kirigaya-kun," Shouzou-san tried to act normal but he was struggling. From close up, I could see that both his eyes and Liz's were red and puffy. "How is she?" I asked.

"She's not waking up," Kyouko-san said. Even her tone was strained. "Authorities are saying that the evidence points to a road accident. But there has to be more to it. I have as many people as possible looking into it."

A stupid car crash turned a Devil comatose? No way was that the case.

"Can I see her?" I asked.

"Of course," Shouzou-san said. "Go ahead."

Immediately I opened the door and walked in.

It had been a whole month and more since I'd last seen her, but even lying in bed she looked as beautiful as ever.

I didn't let my mind wander too much, and scrutinized her several times, looking for something, anything.

Nothing. I wanted to punch the wall in frustration. Instead I sat down on a nearby chair, watching her and thinking.

Who did this? Why did they do it? How did they do it?

Why didn't Asuna call me earlier? Maybe there wasn't anything I could have done, but still! She knew something was up, but didn't want to tell me anything.

Is it because she thought I was still human? Maybe she didn't want to involve me? Maybe she thought it was a problem she could have solved on her own?

"Dammit!" I muttered.

I hated this. I hated feeling powerless.

I don't know how long I sat there, but at some point I heard voices behind the door.

"… there's a visitor in there right now," I heard Shouzou-san say.

"It won't be a problem. I only want to see her … My, her friend is glaring daggers at me." A stranger's voice. Liz was glaring at him? Why?

"Rika, stop that. It won't do any good to lash out at the uninvolved," Kyouko-san said.

The door opened. "Ah," someone wearing glasses said. "You must be Kirigaya-kun."

"Who're you?"

"My name is Sugou Nobuyuki. I am an … associate of Asuna's father."

"Pretty close associate, to be able to come here so quickly."

He laughed lightly. He walked to the other side of the bed and stopped. His hand reached for Asuna's face.

"Don't touch her," I said reflexively.

He stopped, "You're right," he said, drawing back. "After all, I'll have plenty of time to do so later."

The words echoed in my mind. "What does that mean?" I asked lowly.

Sugou smiled and looked at the door. "I do like how hospital rooms are soundproof," he said. He then regarded me. "Kirigaya Kazuto-kun. You hail from a completely ordinary family. There are no special talents among your ancestors. You may have been in SAO with Asuna, but for your own good, I suggest you stay out of this."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Take a look at her neck, if you would."

I looked to see nothing – until a small yellow magic circle appeared.

"That is a spell of my own design," he explained smugly. "It took me over a month of fine-tuning to make it completely undetectable, even by that annoying demigod. Currently, Asuna's consciousness is somewhere only I know and only I can access. Oh, yes, magic exists."

The circle disappeared. I glared at Sugou. "Are you perhaps thinking about telling on me?" Sugou asked. His tone of voice made me want to strangle him. "Who do you expect they'll trust – a boy only their daughter has known within a game world, or a man who has worked with them for much longer?"

I clenched my fists. I so badly wanted to just kill him where he stood. But I didn't know if doing so would save Asuna.

"Do not get any funny ideas, Kirito-kun," Sugou chided. "You are completely powerless before me. After all…"

Black bat-wings shot out of his back. "What can a completely ordinary human do against an agent of chaos like myself?"

… He hadn't noticed. He hadn't realized.

I could use this.

But how?

"What do you want?" I asked.

"Is it not obvious?" His hand reached for Asuna's face again.

"Don't you dare," I growled.

He smirked. "Sorry, I couldn't resist. Will you attack me here and cause a scene?"

Don't make me, you bastard.

"All I want," he said, thankfully refraining from touching her, "is to make dear Asuna mine. You can understand that, I'm sure. I hear you married her in that game?"

I wanted to rip out his spine through his mouth. Give me an excuse, I dare you. I'll do it.

"Stay out of this, Kirigaya-kun," Sugou said, walking around the bed towards the door. "There is nothing you can do. If you behave, I may let you have a taste of her again." He opened the door and immediately put on his mask. "Shouzou-san, Kyouko-san, if you'll excuse me, I have urgent work to tend to. I believe in Asuna. She will no doubt wake up in a short while."

"Nobuyuki, how did you know what happened to Asuna?" Shouzou-san asked.

"Word travels fast at RECT. I must take my leave. Good evening, Shouzou-san, Kyouko-san, Rika-san." I heard his footsteps slowly fading.

After another minute, I left the room. "Kyouko-san, please call me if anything happens," I said, trying to rein in the simmering rage.

"Of course. Won't you stay longer?"

"I really want to, but she'll want her family beside her." I didn't wait for them to respond and walked away. I turned a corner and started running.

A minute later, I was outside at the parking area. I spotted my bike and jogged towards it. I got on, and prepared to go back to Kuou.

Buchou has enough on her plate with Kokabiel and the Excaliburs. But if there was anyone who could give me advice right now, it was her.

A weight fell on the back of the bike, making me turn around. Lizbeth sat there, refusing to look at me.

"Drive," she said.

"What?"

"Just drive!" she snapped.

I asked no more questions and took off.

She didn't say anything until I took a turn. "Stop inside that park," she ordered.

I did as she asked and drove into the park. Once we reached a secluded area, Liz said "Here." I stopped my bike and she got off.

I'd barely propped up the bike when she asked, "Who got you?"

"Huh?"

"Don't play games with me, Kirito, not at a time like this. Who got you, Gremory or Sitri?"

*~B~*

Lizbeth was beyond caring.

All Asuna had wanted was to go on a walk. That was all she'd left the house for.

It was completely unfair that she had gotten attacked somehow by her stalker, and this time she wasn't waking up.

Argo had offered to stay behind and watch the house. With her ability, she was likely to sense any irregularities.

The attack had been disguised as a van crash. Anyone who knew Asuna would know that she wouldn't be even scratched by something like that. It shouldn't have even touched her.

Liz and Asuna's parents had rushed to the nearest hospital, if only to keep up the masquerade. She wasn't showing a single injury. The doctors on that floor were all either Devils or people who knew about Devils.

Lizbeth was worried sick enough. And to top it all off, the cherry on top of the crappy cake, when Kirito had shown up, she had instantly noticed a change in his aura.

The others had somehow not noticed, but it was obvious to her that Kirito had become a Devil.

It was all she could do from ripping Sugou's head off when he had casually walked in. She didn't hear whatever he said to Kirito before leaving, but whatever it was had left Kirito in a state of barely restrained rage.

She was so beyond caring that she followed Kirito, already having made up her mind to confront him.

She expected him to react with surprise. She expected him to demand what Asuna's connection to them was.

Instead, she got resignation. "How'd you know?" he asked. "Not even Asuna's parents knew."

"I'm a demigod," Liz said. "But don't change the subject. Who the hell got you and how?"

"Rias Gremory. And 'how' is a long story. Ish."

"I don't care how long it is. What the hell did she offer you? Tell me you betrayed Asuna and I'll punch your head off."

"Nothing like that."

"Then?"

"I kinda died."

"What?!"

Lizbeth had expected many answers. That wasn't one.

"Look, I'll tell you the details later. The important thing is, I know Asuna's a Devil."

"How do you – you opened the box, didn't you?"

"Only after I started suspecting. And that is not the point! That Sugou bastard is whose behind this."

Lizbeth nodded. "The hell did he do?"

"Showed me a spell marking on her neck. Said he'd worked on it all this time to make it undetectable."

Lizbeth cursed. "He succeeded. Even I didn't detect anything."

"He tried to scare me into backing off," Kirito further explained. "The good thing is, that arrogant dick hasn't realized I'm also a Devil."

"How come nobody but me sensed it anyway?"

"Probably my stealth," he said. "I hadn't turned it off since I got police cars after me."

Lizbeth brought a hand to her face. "You are giving me a full explanation once this is over, or else. Let's fix this first. Why does that stalker want to put Asuna asleep?"

"That's not what it does," Kirito said, shaking his head. "He said he sent her consciousness somewhere only he knows."

Lizbeth paused. "Of course," she muttered. "There's only one place she could be."

"What?"

"Alfheim Online. It's a VR game developed in conjunction with the Norse side."

"Alright. I'm gonna go and buy it immediately."

"Get the game. I'll find out where she is and text you."

Kirito nodded and that short confrontation ended there.

"Okay," Lizbeth muttered. "Operation: Rescue Asuna, begin."

*~B~*

Argo waited near the entrance for anyone to arrive.

She had scoured the entire house to see if her eyes would pick up anything. No such luck with that.

She had even ignored the possible dangers and sneaked around the corner where Asuna had been attacked. Nothing out of the ordinary there either.

Having repeated that routine several times, she was now waiting anxiously.

Finally, the door opened. Argo went to the entrance and saw Liz.

Something was off. She had an expression like she'd just tasted something bitter.

"What happened?"

Liz looked at her. "Kiritard's a Devil now."

"Wait, what?" Argo had not been expecting that. She knew full well of his tendency to get into things over his head, but this was unexpected even from him.

"Asuna is trapped somewhere in Alfheim Online. I need to find out where."

"Do you have the info you need?" Argo asked.

"I dumped all the damn papers in my storage."

Argo smirked. "Give them here."

Lizbeth paused. "You sure you can find out?"

"Liz-chan, I'm an info broker. If there's one thing I can do, it's sorting through a crapload of info to find what I want."

"… It's better if you come in, then. I don't suppose that slimy bastard is watching the house anymore, but it won't hurt to be careful."

Argo grinned. The counterattack had begun. She was confident in her searching ability. "Leave it to me-nya."

*~B~*

Amano Yuuma hummed as she scanned the scribbled list again.

She wasn't humming due to any cheerful mood. She was simply bored.

She'd said as much to them, and she had been forced outside with a shopping list.

Currently, her long black hair was tied back in a ponytail. She was wearing a light brown dress with a long skirt, high grey stockings and black shoes. Above her dress was a white apron, luckily without any frilly nonsense.

Put simply, she was wearing a waitress uniform.

In one arm she was carrying a shopping bag. In the other hand she held a shopping list which she was perusing.

"Stupid hag," she muttered. "What's the damn point of buying these specific brands? Gotta go to multiple stores for all of these."

Yuuma sighed and tucked the list into a pocket. She had had to make the pocket herself. It was simple enough, using what Kalawarner had taught her. Though it annoyed her that none of the uniforms had pockets.

Yuuma started walking.

"Raynare."

She froze. The voice was familiar to her. And it wasn't possible that he'd be here. Most of the Grigori leaders should have made sure that he was locked up.

She made an effort to wipe the surprise from her face and turned around. "Ryel," she greeted.

It was the six-winged fallen rebel who she'd tried to fight herself for his insults towards Azazel. He should have been behind bars. But for some reason he was here, in Kuou.

"I thought you were rotting in the Grigori prisons," she stated.

Ryel smirked. He gave her a once-over. "Blending in well, aren't you?" he asked. "I gotta say, it does suit you."

"I'll take that as a compliment. What are you doing here?"

His smirk dropped and he regarded her seriously. "Kokabiel-sama wants you."

Raynare tried to hold back the sudden panic. "For what, exactly?"

"Ever the delinquent. Always asking questions. If a leader asks something of you, you do it, no questions asked. No wonder Azazel exiled you."

"He also put you behind bars," she noted. "But you're standing here. Kokabiel-sama freed you, I assume?"

"Indeed. And he shared his vision with us, a vision of a future where the Fallen Angels are victorious."

"Victorious?"

"We're going to restart the war," Ryel said. Raynare nearly dropped her bag in shock. "We're going to restart the war we were winning. And we will complete our victory this time."

"And how exactly do you plan to restart the war?" Raynare asked.

"We've stolen three Excaliburs," Ryel said. "They are here in this pathetic town with Kokabiel-sama."

Raynare ignored the part of her that was screaming, Kokabiel-sama is HERE?!

"Why Kuou?" Raynare asked.

"For some strange reason, two Maou's sisters live here. We will slay them and that will be the spark that ignites the flames of war."

"… I see. And why do you want me, exactly?"

"Kokabiel-sama wants your power," he said. He turned away. "You're either with us or against us, Raynare. Choose wisely. We strike at Kuou Academy tonight."

"… I'll be there," she said.

She waited until Ryel was out of sight before she sighed. She scanned the skies for any fallen.

No one's watching … from the skies, at least. I'll have to take the long way back.

She carefully went back. The old hag wouldn't appreciate that the shopping wasn't completed, but she would understand once Yuuma explained.

I said I'll be there, Ryel. I never said which side I'll be on.

*~B~*

When Kirito had finished explaining the situation, Rias wanted to go to an empty lot and vent by throwing destruction orbs everywhere.

It was bad enough that Kokabiel was in Kuou in possession of three Excaliburs. Bad enough that an unknown number of Fallen Angels were with him. Bad enough that Yuuto had gone after them on his own with no backup except maybe from the two exorcists.

But at the same time, Asuna was in big trouble. She had effectively been kidnapped and only Kirito and Lizbeth could do anything to help. And to do so, they had to venture into a Norse realm.

Finally, Rias nodded. "Go," she ordered. "Bring her back."

"I'm coming with you," Koneko spoke up, surprising everyone.

Kirito shook his head. "No. Your strength is needed here."

"Kirito-senpai, I've failed you once. I couldn't stop Yuuto-senpai. I want to go with you."

He shook his head again. "Kiba is not your fault. Everyone here needs you against Kokabiel. Just punch Kiba once for me."

"… Okay."

Kirito turned to Gasper. "I'm gonna need to borrow your NerveGear," he said. "Mine's back in Roppongi and buying an AmuSphere will take too long."

"Sure," Gasper readily agreed. "Good luck, Kirito-senpai."

He nodded and left the clubroom.

"You didn't stop him," Akeno commented.

"Not like I wanted to stop him," Rias retorted. "And besides, you saw his eyes. He would have gone Stray for her sake faster than I could say 'no'."

"Buchou, what do we do?" Ise asked.

Rias sighed. "Prepare for the worst. Is Freed's cell secure?"

"Yep. Bastard isn't going anywhere."

"I – I'll watch him," Gasper offered. "I can stop him with my eyes long enough to raise the alarm. And – and if there's no one else around, there isn't any risk of my powers hurting anyone."

To say Rias was surprised was an understatement. The idea of asking Gasper to watch him had definitely come to her. But for Gasper himself to suggest it and reason for it…

"… If you feel up to it, I should let you do it," Rias acquiesced. "Akeno, any luck getting anything from our guest?"

Akeno shook her head. "That priest just laughs at everything I try. Causing him pain is not even something I can enjoy."

Rias didn't like the idea of torture. She might have been a Devil, but Rias wanted to stay on the good side. And torturing even someone as psychotic as Freed for information did not sit right with her.

It had only been hours since school had ended. Everything was going out of control.

Still, Rias stood firm. It wouldn't do for a Maou's sister to be frightened by a threat like this. She believed she and her Peerage could take Kokabiel.

Although she still wished for good fortune. Whatever happened next, she would need all the luck she could get.

*~Kirito~*

The second I bought the game – thank God the store hadn't closed yet – ow – I dropped it in the back of my bike and raced home. Gasper's NerveGear was also with me.

I broke maybe another three speed limits to get home. Luckily, no patrol cars chased me.

I reached the apartment building, haphazardly parked the bike, and ran upstairs. The NerveGear and the ALO game were with me.

I almost broke down my door and slowed down only once I'd gotten to the bed. I silently regarded the helmet in my hands.

The last and only time I put a helmet like this on, I ended up in a death game. Six months ago, I finally got to take it off after two long years. And now here I was, putting one on again.

I forced away my thoughts. Every second I wasted was a second Asuna was in the hands of that slime.

While I was in the game store, Liz had sent me a message.

[Asuna is most likely around or on top of the World Tree in ALO. Call me when you're close. I think there's something I can do.]

I slid in the game, put the helmet on and laid down on my bed.

Wait for me, Asuna!

"Link Start!"

I skipped as much of the introduction as I could. A character creation menu appeared. I saw the one with the black color scheme and picked that without reading anything else. I typed in 'Kirito' and hit enter.

*~B~*

In a different town, in a certain house, a NerveGear spontaneously activated. Or so it seemed.

The data that was stored in it was transferred elsewhere.

*~B~*

My senses were ripped away. All I could perceive was shifting, fluctuating red.

Where was I? This wasn't supposed to happen, was it?

[OI! Someone's there!]

Vague shapes registered in my vision. Silhouettes … of people? Some sort of castle in the background?

[I think it's him! The B- Sw-an!]

[Kirito?]

The last voice was crystal clear, like a bell. Where have I heard it before?

[K-san, it's Kirito!]

Wait … the voice was moving further away. No, stop. I need to know!

[Kirito-kun, what a surprise,] another familiar voice said. [But it's not time yet. And you shouldn't spend too long here, you'll get detected.]

Wait, who are you? I know you. I feel like I know you damn well.

Something pulled. Something was tugging me away. With it, I regained my sense of urgency. That's right, I'm here for Asuna. Whatever is happening now isn't something that concerns me.

[Kirito, wait,] that bell-like voice said again. [You'll need these.]

Something went into me – or maybe into the NerveGear. I was too confused to tell.

Like a mirage, that illusory world faded.

I fell face-first onto a clearing in a forest.

"Ow," I said reflexively, even though I didn't actually feel any pain. "What was that…?"

"You'll need these," the voice had said. But what did she mean…?

And wasn't I supposed to be in the starting town for Spriggans? Where the hell am I?

I lifted my right hand and swiped it down in a familiar motion. Nothing happened. I repeated the motion with my left hand. This time a window opened.

I gaped at it. My handle 'Kirito', 400HP and 80MP. That was normal.

The skill window contained several skills, some mastered, others close. That was not normal. It wasn't hard for me to recognize them. My SAO skills. But how?

Wasn't that data in my NerveGear back in Roppongi? How did I access it?

You'll need these.

Did whoever it was sense the activation of a NerveGear and somehow take the data from it, just in case it was me? Who was it? Who were those voices?

A thought struck me like lightning. If everything from my NerveGear was transferred here…

I opened the inventory. Lines of gibberish greeted me. Evidently, even though my skills transferred over just fine, the items got corrupted.

I didn't care. As long as that one item was okay, I didn't care.

I quickly scrolled down. There it was, near the bottom. An item labelled MHCP001. The letters were glowing a soft, warm green.

With a shaking hand, I selected the option to materialize it. With a white glow, a small crystal appeared in my hand.

Even though I was a Devil, I prayed. I ignored the pain and prayed that it worked fine. I tapped the crystal twice.

Blinding white light exploded from it. I carefully set it down and retreated a few steps, waiting and hoping.

A silhouette appeared in the light. The shape of a young girl. Wisps of her long black hair were visible. The light died out, revealing her white dress. Her eyes opened and zeroed in on me.

"Yui … it's me. Do – Do you recognize me?" I asked. I looked different from what she remembered. In this world I had ashen skin, pointy ears and spiky hair. But what if she doesn't have any memory, since she was in a different world?

She smiled and all my worries vanished. "Papa? It's Papa, right? Papa!"

She jumped at me and I hugged her tightly. If you're gonna give me small miracles like that, you're okay, God.

Just you wait, Asuna. I'll save you and the three of us can be a family again.

Eventually, I was sitting down, cross-legged. Yui sat happily in my lap.

"So, what's going on?" I asked. Yui looked at me in confusion. "I mean, this isn't SAO, right?"

"Please wait a moment," Yui said, closing her eyes. A second later, she opened them and said, "It seems this world is based on a copy of the SAO server."

"A copy of SAO?" Well, that explained some things and raised more questions.

"Partially, at least," she slowly continued. "This world is a VR game layered over a real world. Players that are part of the other side can interact with that reality under the game world." She paused to look at me. "Papa, you fall in that group. You feel like Mama did."

"Well … basically, I'm a Devil now. Wait, you knew about the supernatural?"

For a moment, Yui quietly stared at me. And then…

"Yui?!"

Tears were rapidly streaming down her face. Yui was silently crying while staring at me.

"Wh-What's wrong? Did I say something?" I hastily asked.

Yui shook her head. She sniffed. "I'm … I'm so happy. I can finally tell you everything."

"Huh?" I uttered in confusion.

Yui wiped away her tears and sniffed again. "Papa, how much do you know about what SAO actually was?"

"Uh … it was made by some sort of Devil AI who needed it to harvest energy from the players. As compensation, Kayaba gave the surviving players some special abilities."

Yui nodded. "Creator only told me he was using that energy to build Aincrad in reality, and that I was to help the players with their mental states. But that's not all."

I filed away the information about a real Aincrad. "What are you talking about?"

Yui stood up facing me and backed away, nervously clasping her hands. "Papa, I am an attempt by the Creator to replicate his own creation. That is the truth of what I am. I am an artificial consciousness created by the artificial consciousness known as Kayaba Akihiko."

It didn't shock me much. "Huh. So that's why you felt like more than just an AI," I mused.

Yui blinked. "Papa, aren't you mad at me?"

"Mad? Why would I be mad?"

"I lied to you and Mama. On Floor Zero, I didn't tell you the whole truth back then. Aren't … aren't you mad at me for that?"

"Oh, come on," I said, closing the distance without hesitation. I put a hand on her head. "How could I be mad at you for anything? Besides, it's not like you were allowed to say more back then."

Yui smiled in relief. "Eheheheh. I'm glad. Papa, could you keep doing that?"

"What, this?"

"You're really good at it."

"Is that why Koneko likes it so much…?"

"Papa, you have a pet kitten now?"

"Well, I do, but Koneko is my junior."

"Hmm … You're not cheating on Mama, right?"

"Well, not to my knowledge. By the way, I'm here to find Asuna."

"Asuna … Mama?! She's here, too?"

"Well…" I hesitated on how to explain. Yui had gotten locked away then lost due to sensing negative emotions. I didn't want to put her through something.

"Papa, it's okay," Yui reassured, smiling. "I'll be fine."

"… You can read minds?"

"I am supposed to be a mental health counselling program, you know?" She smiled cheekily. "You're the only one I can read that well."

"… Where did you hear that?" I asked, looking away to hide my embarrassment.

"Mama told me a lot of stories whenever she was alone with me." So Asuna never felt alone since she had that crystal pendant, huh?

"Well, anyway, Asuna's been captured. She's been brought here."

"That's why you're here? Did you use a NerveGear to log in? Is that why you have your old data?"

"Yeah." I kept the fact that I hadn't used my NerveGear to myself. That strange in-between place wasn't important right now. "Yui, what are you supposed to be in this world?"

"Ah, there seems to be user support AIs called Navigation Pixies. It seems I am classified as such."

Saying that, she made a weird face. Suddenly she burst into white light, sending me into a panic until I noticed the small figure on my knee.

It was ten centimeters in height, with translucent wings and some sort of flower petal dress. The face and hairstyle were undoubtedly Yui.

"This is a Navigation Pixie," she said, flying up to meet my gaze. "It's a shame I don't have the administrative abilities I had in SAO, though…"

"Do you know where the World Tree is?" I asked. "Apparently that's where Asuna is."

"Um … Yggdrasil appears to be in the northeast, about fifty kilometers from here. But Papa, I don't advise you go there alone. This place was made for people on the other side."

"Yeah, Liz did say this game was made with the help of the Norse. We need a guide, don't we?"

Right then a green whirlwind spun into being around me. It happened too fast and too suddenly for me to escape. It condensed into a cage made of several razor-sharp rings of wind, close enough that I couldn't make a step in any direction. The gaps between the rings were narrow enough that even Yui couldn't fly through.

"Don't move, Devil," a voice said.

I looked up at the sky. Hovering there with rapidly beating translucent green wings was a blonde girl. Her long golden hair was in a long ponytail and the hairband or whatever had three petals. She wore some sort of corset that wouldn't look out of place in a fantasy anime. Weird white stockings with a gap above her knees – or was the above part supposed to be pants? Brown boots and a green dress with a skirt open at the front finished her appearance.

"Identify yourself," she said. "And state your purpose here." I should probably be paying more attention to the katana she was pointing at me and thinking less about how much Ise would ogle her.

"Look, Yui. A guide."

"Papa, I don't think that's how it works."

*~B~*

Wtf, so much happened this chapter, how is it so small?

Next two chapters I can guarantee will be pretty big, though.

And so it begins, with some obvious changes to canon. They captured Freed, Kokabiel isn't alone, and Kirito and Leafa's first meeting went differently. There's also Liz and Argo doing what they can from outside. And Raynare is involved.

I had to type out Yui's confession twice. My laptop went buggy and I lost that bit the first time.

But anyways, here's chapter 2 of the Vol3 arc. This is where it all begins. All the players are getting into position.

Characters who will star in the Kokabiel arc: Gasper, three/four members of the Sitri Peerage, Raynare, Kiba, Xenovia and Ise.

Characters who will star in Fairy Dance: Kirito, Yui, Leafa and Lizbeth.

This doesn't mean other characters won't appear. Just the ones who'll do something big are listed.

Also, I went to the wiki and found out there's the whole RECTO/RECT/RCT confusion, and that I've been writing the totally wrong RETCO this entire time. Oh well.

Well, that's that. Now to wait for net to return so that I can upload this.

Punitor567 out.

Stay tuned.