Chapter 4: Dear My Friend
A/N: Chapter title inspired by ED1 of Toaru Kagaku no Railgun (A Certain Scientific Railgun) (same publisher as Sword Art Online with crossovers within the Dengeki game-verse).
For context, Yui (from SAO) shares the same VA as Saten Ruiko [Yuiko] while Yunyun (Konosuba) shares the same VA as Uiharu Kazari [Yunharu] (which is also referenced in the Toaru IF x Konosuba game-verse collab).
Two Hours Ago
Day 4 (Evening)
1st Floor - Town of Beginnings
"I still can't believe that they managed to do all that, Saten– I mean, Yuiko-san," the girl with the Chinese hair-buns repeated for the dozenth time since the news of what happened at the boss-raid spread like wildfire across town. "The Cardinal system is the most sophisticated full-dive engine in existence - they must truly be top-tier hackers to be able to crack the code and break the game to that extent."
"Well, someone here has reality-bending powers too, Yunharu," her raven-haired friend muttered, staring sheepishly at the exposed cleavage between shapely mounds of data, "Not fair that you could keep your crafted avatar when everyone else had to revert to their good old selves. Man, how I wished that the [Hand Mirror] didn't ruin my chance to play as a cool spiky-haired guy for once. But I guess flipping your skirt now no longer triggers the Harassment Code–"
"S-Saten-san!" she exclaimed, turning beet red as she felt the breeze from behind. "Gah, you're distracting me. As I was saying, if we can meet up and join forces with the 'checkers', we may very well find a way out of this game without having to fight through a hundred floors of pain. In fact, we must - I'm sure Shirai-san and Misaka-san are worried sick about us in the hospital as much as we're missing them."
At this, the Level 0 froze, the pleated fabric descending back into place. Silence hung heavy as she closed her eyes, trying her best to forget the shock of nearly losing her friend to an otherwise nameless mob just the day before. The other players - kind strangers who had selflessly sprinted to their aid were not as fortunate, and the sight of their stricken bodies shattering into a thousand blue shards as she batted away desperately with her club would undoubtedly haunt her for years to come.
How the hell did we even end up like this? She bit her lip, turning away to hide the warm moisture that had dampened her cheeks. It was barely a week ago that they had received their NerveGears through the mail, having missed out on the beta, and the three of them - she, Uiharu and her computer club senpai Sachi had decided to dive into the floating castle from the backroom of Judgement's 177th Branch Office. Yet, hours into their virtual adventure, they could only gape in sheer horror as the cloaked reaper made the dreaded announcement, and she and the short-haired lancer had to drag the tech-whiz's unconscious figure through the stampeding crowd as panicked players flooded the streets. That night, her normally shy and reserved senpai had risked her life to earn their party some EXP on the plains, and that was when she had vowed to stop crying, spending all her Col to buy herself the only weapon she could afford - a simple club that she could wield like a baseball bat - to join the older girl on quests and make up for lost time.
Nonetheless, the excruciation surging through their nerves became too much to bear, and when Uiharu finally came to the next day, the girl with the enviable privilege of retaining her custom character design had insisted that they take on a different approach. As much as the changes to the game had made life tougher for the surviving players, it had also triggered her instincts as a hacker, reminding her that there was perhaps another way out of their virtual purgatory that did not involve suffering through years of agony or bloodying their fists on the walls. A shackle was only as strong as its weakest link, and every castle had a backdoor - if she could find a terminal with access to Cardinal, she may in fact be able to make alterations of her own, boosting their stats, giving themselves new skills, and possibly destroying the shared illusion that was their prison and setting everyone free.
That was why she had entrusted the Queen of Urban Legends to lead them on the search for clues, from the fields to the dungeons to the seedy back-alleys, as yet more update patches confirmed her suspicions that something fishy was at play. And that was why, while others raged mindlessly over the fiasco at the first boss raid, she was more than eager to reach out to the sources of infamy, if only to seek an alternative path back to reality.
After all, the feisty skirt-flipper aside, neither she nor her quiet Level 2 senpai would survive the long fight. Even if Academy City may be devising a solution from the outside - if they cared enough about a few subpar espers, that is - at the rate the difficulty curve was rising, they may not be able to last a week, let alone a month. Time was of the essence, and while information on the most-wanted fugitives in Aincrad would likely cost more than what they had, there was no other choice but to haggle with the person who may have such tips to sell in the first place.
Everybody knew who that was, and most would avoid dealing with the yellow-haired broker, but their little party of three had traded the findings from their reconnaissance missions to finance their fill of potions and equipment, the hooded figure being the only one in town who could pay for their wild-goose chase for the Holy Grail.
"Argo-san, Sachi-senpai," she waved at the two who were chatting with a flaxen-haired girl in a blue tunic at the scheduled meeting spot, "and you are?"
"Philia," came the simple but polite reply.
"Phi-chan here is one of my regulars," the broker chuckled as she blushed. "A wannabe treasure hunter just like ya, Yunyun."
"I-It's Yunharu."
"Oh, yer here too, Yui-chan! Whaddya have fer me, info or Col?"
"G-Goodwill?" the raven-haired girl scratched her cheek sheepishly.
"What's that? A free lunch?"
"Heh, just wanted to know where–"
"I don't know," the broker shrugged before she could finish, "Sacchan and Phi-chan have already asked. That guy in the green tracksuit is especially hard to catch. His Sneak level must be so high that I can't touch him with my detection skills."
"A true thief," the treasure hunter beamed in admiration.
"More like a hack–"
"What about the others?" she cut her short, "Like the mage in red?"
"Or the swordsman that earned the Last Attack Bonus?" the lancer piped in.
"Yeah, what about him?" Saten asked, curious, "Come to think of it, he and his chestnut-haired partner seem more normal than the rest. I'm sure you'd have no problem finding–"
"Kii-bou?" the broker grinned, "I guess he'd be glad to hear that so many girls are chasing after his shadow."
"Y-You know him?"
"Aye, from the beta. I don't have a mark on his location though, ping me if you ever bump into him, will ya?"
"Aww," the lancer sighed, "we've hit a dead end, any new leads at all?"
"Well, actually, yes," Argo muttered to her surprise, "I've just received a message about the discovery of a console in the hidden dungeon beneath our feet."
"W-What?"
"Yup, you heard that right, it's in a secret room behind some fake panels," she continued with a hint of seriousness as she dropped her playful tone. "I don't usually give out information for free, nor do I know why the kind stranger 'Albrecht' shared this with me, but it's an unverified rumour, and I can't just sell or dismiss it without someone volunteering to check it out."
Silence ensued as her audience took a good long minute to process what they were hearing. Someone may have found the red pill to the world outside, and as much as it sounded too good to be true, no sane person could just ignore the claim and go back to sleep. They were on the cusp of a revolution, a major turning point in the game, and even if everything about it screamed danger, it was a risk that the dutiful member of Judgement was prepared to take, a responsibility that she would gladly shoulder for the sake of nine-thousand lives struggling to be freed.
"Uiharu, no," Saten was the first to speak as she clenched her fists and bit her lip. Sachi glanced between the two, unsure of which side to pick, as the broker and the treasure hunter stared on with bated breaths.
"Thank you for accompanying me through this journey," the Level 1 bowed in sincere gratitude and apology as she gestured at the broker to forward the directions to her inbox. "I don't like this either, but someone has to go. It's what we've decided when we chose to find another way out. The end may be near, for better or worse, and with more people dying every day, I can't just turn away from the chance of stopping this nightmare for good. Call it guilt or selfishness, madness or greed, but I can't live with the regret of knowing that I could've done something. I'll be sure to give Cardinal a run for its money, so just relax here and be ready for the logout–"
"Uiharu," the lancer interjected. "You don't have to do this."
"I'm a hacker, senpai, it's the only thing I can do. I can't fight like the both of you, I'm a useless coward who spends her life behind a screen and a keyboard while Shirai-san injures herself on the frontlines. What's the worst that could happen? The world loses an esper with the ability to keep her food warm, big deal! Can't make an omelette without breaking a few eggs, I'm just one in ten thousand–"
She certainly did not expect to be cut off by a tight slap across her cheeks.
"So am I, and everyone you're trying to save!" her best friend exploded as tears streamed down her face. "You're my dearest partner, so stop rambling as if you don't matter. I'll be coming with you. Don't you dare push me aside!"
"S-Saten-san," she cried as the Level 0 held her in a loving embrace, never wanting to let go.
"Can't stand idly by while my kouhais are giving their all," the lancer smiled as she readied her weapon, "I want to be strong for you too."
"Count me in," the treasure hunter exclaimed, pulling out her dagger, "If the console is real, it'll truly be the greatest find!"
"Philia-san," she simply could not find the words as the flaxen-haired girl sent her a request to join the party. "And Argo-san as well?"
"D-Don't misunderstand, it's just a temporary measure so I can track your position during the mission," the broker stammered, turning away to hide her embarrassment. "Sorry to disappoint, but I'm more of a backliner, I'll be watching the four of you from here."
"Eh, could it be that you're actually a nice person?"
"Hey, what are you trying to imply! Y-You'll be paying for my services and contributions here in yen when we get back home, okay? And why is this party called the Moonlit Black Cats? I demand that the name be changed to the Moonlit Black Rats with immediate effect!"
At that, the girls burst into a chorus of laughter, indulging in a rare moment of mirth before heading off towards the underground dungeon. It was comforting to be with friends indeed, for even as a chilly breeze greeted them in the dim corridors and desolate halls, the Level 1 swore that she had not felt as calm or confident in the days since they were stuck in the castle.
Saten-san, let's have some hotpot at your apartment when we're done. We'll try to invite Frenda-san again, so make sure you buy more fish for her.
We can do this together, just like old times.
Quietly, they arrived at the designated spot at the end of a dark passage, coming to a halt before what appeared to be a blank wall. Inhaling deeply, the treasure hunter took the lead, reaching out to activate the mechanism as the others looked on in apprehension and anticipation, gripping their blades as tightly as their lives depended on cold steel.
"Ready?" the girl in blue gulped, her throat icy and dry. The air had thickened in a matter of seconds, and every breath echoed loudly in the silence. The hacker shuddered as shivers ran down her spine, and she could not help but wonder if they should turn around while they still had the chance to pull out.
And then what? Live to die another day? Come back at a better time?
You'll never be ready. Not in a million years.
"Yes," she hissed through gritted teeth. The only escape lay ahead, not behind. Between the uncertain path forward and the death of a thousand cuts, there was never really a choice to begin with. To stay was to suffer at the mercy of changing rules, with no guarantee of liberty beyond the empty promises of their crazed captor.
In other words, they could clear a hundred floors in ten years and still die to a microwave beam to the head, if their physical bodies could even last a decade in the real world.
And that was what truly scared her. Aincrad was, after all, not about farming NPC mobs or killing Bosses as Kayaba had wanted them to believe, but a war between ten-thousand prisoners and the God of their reality.
A low rumble shook the ground as the gate slowly opened before her eyes. A pale blue hue emanated from the centre of the room, beckoning them to enter, and on a platform glowing in the colour of ephemeral shards was a console equipped with a keyboard and a monitor. Anxiously, the girls glanced around to check for enemies, only to exhale in relief when they found none hanging from the ceiling or lurking in the corners as the tech-whiz quickly notified the broker of the discovery in the chamber.
You owe me a million yen when we get out of here, came the near-instant reply, as if she had been waiting eagerly for the message.
We'll be celebrating at Saten-san's place, she texted back before hurrying to work on the terminal. There was little time to lose as the backdoor could be sealed at any moment, and she would not allow the slightest sliver of hope to slip away from her grasp when the lives of so many were in her hands. Nevertheless, for the first time since the start of the game, she could almost taste the food at home again, and as the others formed a protective circle around her, she tapped her fingers confidently across the screen, weaving her magic to bend the system to her will.
This is what you're meant to do. This is where your destiny lies.
A familiar noise interrupted her thoughts as she was midway through the first layer, and she looked up to see the exit slamming shut, eliciting startled gasps from her friends. Yet, despite the growing sense of alarm, nobody panicked as they maintained their defensive positions, placing their utmost trust in her abilities, spurring her to do better than her best.
Everyone is counting on me. Everyone is–
She was cut short once more as sounds from the outside world crackled within her, stunning her out of her wits. She froze, unable to recall activating anything of the sort, yet the feed came in loud and clear, reverberating from the microphone on her NerveGear directly into her mind, as if she was the one who had been jacked into by Cardinal and not the other way around.
"Onee-sama, don't you think it's about time we do something?" the unmistakable voice of her Judgement colleague rippled through her brain. "It may be difficult and risky, but the two of them have been lying here for more than half a week, and I have a feeling the higher-ups just don't care."
"I don't know, Kuroko, that cursed device is so complex that I don't even know where to start. It's like trying to defuse a bomb blindfolded, one wrong move and–"
"And what?" the Level 4 was unusually persistent. "I don't know about Saten or Yukinoshiba but I can't see Uiharu fighting through a hundred floors in a death game. A thousand players have already died in the first four days and the longer we hesitate, the greater the danger she'll be in."
"Kuroko, I said–"
"I'm the best teleporter in Academy City and possibly the world, onee-sama, I can't just stand here while they suffer. I should be able to remove their helmets so quickly that the dead-man's switch wouldn't trigger. I-I'll try with Saten first."
Shirai-san, I-I really don't know how to feel about this, I–
She found herself glancing at the Level 0 who smiled back, completely oblivious of the plans. Why was she the only one who had the privilege of hearing her friends? She had never meant to eavesdrop, the system had automatically–
No, wait. Something's wrong.
"On the count of three."
Stop, don't do this.
"Two."
Listen to me, I beg you. Why can't you hear me?
"One."
She could only watch in muted horror as the warm, innocent grin gave way to indescribable anguish. Overwhelmed with excruciation, her best friend could barely let out a whimper before disintegrating, breaking into a thousand shards scattering in the wind.
"Woah, Uiharu!" the lancer congratulated as she turned around just in time to see her raven-haired kouhai disappear in a flash. "You managed to log her out!"
"I knew you could do it, Yunharu-chan!" the treasure hunter cheered, patting her on the back. "Nine thousand more to go!"
Something cracked in her as she fell to her knees, hugging herself, trembling inconsolably in the cold, cruel silence. Her useless piece of code had been utterly crushed by the system, and she had been taken for a ride. Yet, even when she had already lost, they had still chosen to believe in her till the very end.
She absolutely hated this. She did not deserve their faith. For just like the teleporter, she had inadvertently killed her friend, thinking that she ever stood a chance against the madman.
"K-Kuroko, s-she's not breathing, I-I can't feel a pulse–"
The audio refused to turn off, revelling in her grief, even as she rolled over and clutched her ears while the Level 4 shrieked in abject despair at the lifeless corpse in her arms. And as if to mock her sanity, twisting the knife in her wounds, rows of text flooded the screen in ominous crimson:
I can hear their words.
I can sense your thoughts.
That's why I'll always be one step ahead.
What is a monitor?
I am watching.
What is a terminal?
It means the end.
Goodbye, Uiharu Kazari.
Thank you for playing.
You will not survive.
"W-What's this?" the lancer spluttered in confusion and disbelief. "W-What's happening? H-How'd they know your real name? W-Why–"
"S-Saten-san is dead," she stammered, too bereft to care about anything else. "S-She's gone forever."
"W-What are you saying, Uiharu? She was just here with us half a minute ago!"
Yet, before she could answer, as if fate itself had turned against her, a metallic gleam flashed before her eyes, slamming through the lancer as if she were made of paper. In a swift motion, the sharp tip of the scythe pierced effortlessly through her spine as she screamed and writhed like live prey on a skewer, the raw unadulterated pain surging through her nerves the only thing keeping her from dying as her HP gauge plunged to a fraction above zero.
"Sachi!" the treasure hunter screeched as she lunged at the cloaked reaper that had spawned in the chamber, only to be swatted away like a fly, her rousing battle cry reduced to a tortured gasp as her ribs cracked on impact with the opposite wall, her valiant attempt at distraction ending before it could even begin. As she collapsed in a heap, paralysed, the blade came for her hapless form, carving a deep gash across her abdomen that would have cut her open if the game were any more realistic.
Seems like we'll be having that get-together after all, Saten-san, the failure of a hacker thought aloud as the reaper inevitably approached like death.
I'll miss Shirai-san and Misaka-san, but I guess we'll just have to watch over them for a long, long time before they come to see us.
"Unlock!"
"Disarm Trap!"
"Bind!"
A series of commands were shouted in quick succession as a white-haired figure burst into the room and staggered the behemoth, drawing attention away from the Moonlit Black Rats and granting them a brief but precious moment to recover and down their potions. Within seconds, the lancer and the treasure hunter were back to yellow, even if there was no remedy for their pain, but with their spirits renewed and morale restored, they promptly leapt to join their mysterious saviour in confronting the looming phantom.
"Get out of here, I'll handle it!" she snarled, producing a scimitar from her inventory before they could offer their assistance. Roaring, the reaper broke through its restraints and she ducked, not bothering to parry the force of the blade as she charged up a Fell Crescent to deliver a blow of her own, shearing just a quarter off the first of its four health bars. Meanwhile, the duo took the chance to retreat, picking up their despondent teammate along the way, as she readied herself and reached forward in a move reminiscent of the now-infamous scene at the First Boss Raid–
"STEAL!"
With a flash, the scythe appeared in her grasp, and she immediately let go, surprised by its weight. Nonetheless, as the reaper had been successfully disarmed, and the girls were already at the gate, she belted out a Slashing Ray as a final strike before turning around to make her escape.
Thanks, Argo, for letting me know, she whispered as she ran for the exit, since I'm actually a deity in a machine, does that make me a Deus Ex Machina?
Alas, she would quickly learn that breaking the fourth wall and engaging in meta-commentary was tempting reality, and even the goddess of luck herself was not bulletproof in the world that was Aincrad. Amidst her hubris, she must not have expected the cloaked reaper to pull a [Chekhov's Gun] from its sleeve, and in the next moment, she found herself tumbling helplessly to the ground as an explosion of pain gripped her leg and put an end to her getaway.
Unused to the mortal sensations of excruciation, her eyes went wide as a storm of projectiles blasted mercilessly through her body, tearing her apart and eating her alive with every shot that ripped through her flesh and bone. All around her, the tempest raged like a hurricane, endless gunfire reverberating across the chamber as she choked on her own imaginary blood, unsure if there existed a higher power that she could pray to, a god of gods that could save her from her suffering and put her out of her misery.
Sorry, Aqua-senpai, seems like you'll be the only goddess left. Take care of the girls if you can, and don't drink too much when I'm gone.
It's been fun while it lasted, so please don't miss me.
Uiharu watched as her saviour stopped struggling in the chaos, as if resigned to her fate. Somehow, the scene did not sit well with her, reminding her of the kind strangers who had selflessly come to her aid. And for whom had they perished? What had their sacrifices achieved? She had one job, one chance to do it right, yet she had failed so spectacularly that her best friend had been killed, with everyone else pulling through at the expense of the girl who was lying motionless in their place.
And with Cardinal shutting her out for good, tracking her every thought through the NerveGear, she was, and forever would be, useless as a so-called 'hacker'. With one fell swoop, Kayaba had robbed her of her purpose and her meaning, and it would not be wrong to say that she was already dead, having lost the role and the reason of her existence.
Yet, somewhere deep inside, she could feel a fire burning. And no, she was not hungry or desperate for a toilet break, a force had indeed awakened from her soul, the inferno spreading across the parallel worlds as her appearance as a nerdy second-year student in middle school was not the only thing that she had altered in the game.
She had, after all, seen and experienced the power of the espers, especially that of her idol, the Level 5 electromaster from Tokiwadai. And that was why she had programmed her hidden powers in a similar vein, a particular set of skills so advanced that they were virtually indistinguishable from magic, mods that she had not dared to use in the past half a week for fear of being busted by other players or kicked by the servers for cheating, a guaranteed death sentence in the nightmare that was SAO.
But now that the gloves were off, there was no need to keep her abilities under wraps any longer. The system had already marked her out as a threat. There was nothing more to lose. She could LARP as a mage as much as she wanted, when the boss raid had shown that she was far from the only trouble in town.
She may not be able to hack, but she could slash, and she sure as hell could fight.
Ripping off her eyepatch, she proceeded to begin her new life with a signature opening chant.
"Waga na wa Yunyun! Future leader of the Crimson Demon Clan and wielder of the most advanced magic known to man! Behold–"
"Light of Saber!"
A/N: We begin a new arc with the rise of our favourite loner Yunyun [Yunharu], who is accompanied by best girls Takemiya Kotone [Philia] (SAO game-verse) and Yukinoshiba [Sachi] (same VA as Yukinoshita Yukino from Oregairu and Shiba Miyuki from The Irregular at Magic High School - the latter is also published by the same company as SAO with crossovers within the Dengeki game-verse). The trio certainly go well together in a five-girl band with the useful goddess and the info broker, and their paths will surely intersect with that of the main cast in the near future.
Overall, this chapter references Red-Nosed Reindeer (Sachi's arc) and Morning Dew Girl (Yui's arc) and sets the tone for the first arc of this fanfic, which will be slightly darker than the introductory arc. That said, this isn't a Toaru x SAO crossover, so we'll be returning to Kazuma's POV in the next chapter.
On another note, the readership in the past two weeks has been rather low (as with my earlier completed work Reality Offline). I'm not sure if it's because of Konosuba x SAO in general or the writing (hopefully the Toaru side-chapter brought a new element to the plot) but I'm actually considering whether to take a break from this fic and focus on other works instead. Either way, I'm open to suggestions and feedback if I should continue or drop this for now - as always, favs/follows/reviews are highly appreciated.