…sigh, I'm terrible, I know. Fuck, I put my other two SAO fics on hiatus to work on Chains of Fate, I shouldn't be doing this! But my hands won't freaking listen to me…
Anyway, on the plus side, this once again took me just a day to make (The delay is mostly because I had to study for an exam I have tomorrow), so it hasn't really delayed my work on OPG…yet.
But well, let's forget about that for now and leave you all with this stupidly cracky story about Evil and silliness, shall we? Time to get some backstory and explanations!
Also, to those that couldn't bother to read and remember the Dates I write, this chapter starts a few hours before the last scene of the prologue XP Now, enjoy!
Disclaimer: Neither SAO nor Overlord belong to me. I'm just mixing the characters and plots for fun because I'm weird like that.
Chapter 1: The Lord of Evil…kinda!
November 6th, 2022. Japan, Tokigawa. Somewhere deep underground, 17:30…
Within the dark caverns, hanging over a seemingly bottomless pit of darkness and magma, what was probably the biggest stalactite in the world was a buzz of sinister activity, ominous and glowing lights coming from several points of the massive inverted structure. Also, there were a bunch of floating rocks all around, humming with evil power and an obvious dislike for the law of gravity.
This was the Netherworld Tower, once upon a time the bastion and heart of All That was Evil in this World. And after 4 years of hard, sleepless and explosions-filled minion work (Which honestly wasn't all that good), it was finally starting to recover some of its former glory.
Rushing through the twisted corridors, rooms and 'open' areas of the evil fortress, the Browns (The most basic, numerous and arguably stupid tribe of Minions) worked tirelessly, be it by cleaning visible places (And throwing all the trash and dust on the out-of-view corners), moving boxes with important supplies to their proper places (And at least a fifth of them exploding on the way…despite the boxes not containing anything explosive), or throwing their tired brethren off the tower and into the lava, so that new ones that weren't tired could spawn and get to work (Flawless minion logic).
And walking down one of the aforementioned many hallways, a teenager with black-hair and sinister-looking robes hurried his footsteps, as if trying to leave behind the surprisingly nimble old-looking minion that followed him, an ancient-looking 'stick' with a glowing crystal of yellowish light tied on its tip.
"My lord, please, be reasonable." pleaded the aged Hellspawn with a tired tone, as if this wasn't the first time he had that particular argument. "You need to dedicate more time to your training on the Evil Arts and…"
"For the last bloody time, Gnarl, I don't want to spend 12 hours a day 'honing my Evilness'! I don't even want to be Evil, for God's sake!" shouted the now 14-years-old Kirigaya Kazuto as he glared to the Minion Master, never once stopping his walk. "How hard is it to accept that I'm NOT your Overlord?!"
"…master, you can shoot lightning and fire from your hands, call forth the eldritch forces of evil to destroy life and bend weak minds to do your bidding." deadpanned Gnarl while the teen blushed in embarrassment and looked away. "Sure, we helped you learn how to do all those things, but you already had the potential for it in you, which you wouldn't have if you weren't, in fact, a descendant of our previous Overlord."
"…ugh…I can't believe I ever wished to run away from home." lamented the boy as they reached the imposing Throne Room, now much better lit than when he had fallen on it years ago, not to mention cleaner and with minions going around moving things, more than one stopping to bow to him as he passed by, even if that meant dropping whatever they were carrying (And causing an explosion because of it in some cases) "I should have talked it out with mom and dad, or shut myself into gaming, or something! Anything but the stupid decision that led me…here!"
"There is a limit to everything, my lord, and self-denial is no exception. You were destined to come here and wake us from our slumber." continued the Hellspawn as they went past the majestic Evil Throne, ascending the stairs on the back of the room. "It was your destiny to come here and reclaim your lost legacy and become the next Overlord! You were destined for greatness since you were born!"
"Okay, first of all, that sounds like a load of bullshit any randomly evil guy from a Shonen series would say, but then again I have come to expect that." sighed Kazuto as they finally reached the Overlord's Personal Chambers, the black-haired boy immediately discarding his 'evil robe' as he entered, leaving him on the plain black clothes (Which looked pretty normal and common for this day and age) he wore underneath. "Second, you all but kidnapped me! I have been living down here for four fucking years! All that I eat are things the minions steal or hunt from the surface (And it's a miracle among miracles no one has caught them yet) and all that I wear are either these oversized robes or stolen clothes! How do you expect me to feel about all of that?!"
"Technically, you fell down here to us out of your own design, my lord." Pointed out Gnarl while his 'master' headed towards a couch (Stolen from the surface) and grabbed his nearby laptop (Also stolen, in a way messier incident, from the surface) from the sinister stone table beside it. "We simply 'kept' you here so as to you could learn and master everything you need to fulfill your destiny. I calculate that in 8 more years or so your training will be complete…"
"And you still think it's weird that I look forward to being here surfing the internet most of the time?" groaned the Overlord-in-training while resisting the urge to facepalm, quickly opening the PC and bringing up the latest page with News of the country. "I'm only glad that the minions finally managed to bring a dammed connection here after 2 years of trying…even if what remains of my sanity stops me from asking how the fuck they did it."
"It was actually easier than bringing signal for the stolen televisions was, my lord. Or electricity in the first place…On that note, I must urge that you keep denying any request from them to own their own computers. Statistics prove that the rate of randomly stupid deaths grew in a 150% after they started watching TV, and I don't even want to imagine how access to this internet-thing would affect them…"
"Duly noted, Gnarl, though it's not as if I was going to let them any…what?"
"My lord?" muttered the Minion Master in confusion at seeing his eyes widening as he stared at his laptop's screen. "Is something wrong?"
For all answer, Kazuto shot to his feet and reached for his robe, putting it on hurriedly as he headed downstairs once again faster than the Hellspawn had ever seen him doing, prompting him to quickly follow in time to see him all but jumping into his Throne.
Instantly, the eldritch powers of EVIL gathered around the boy, his eyes shining with a sinister golden color as every minion within the Netherworld froze, feeling their master's will flaring over them.
"Put down the big TV in the Throne Room, now!"
Quickly scrambling to follow the order, more than one Brown within the room accidentally crashing with their brethren in the process, the 'television' of the Throne Room, or, more exactly, the abomination mix of magic and science the teenager and his Minion Master had put together using a plasma TV and projection spells, came to life, letting a massive 'holographic' (Technically a magical evil projection, but still) to appear, the boy quickly using his dark magic as a glorified remote control, changing channels until he arrived at one broadcasting an emergency report for all of Japan to hear.
"…10000 people trapped within the game; of which over 200 have already died because of people ignoring Kayaba's warning. At this point, it's unclear what the man's purpose is, but the government is quickly working on transferring all victims into…"
"…by all that is Evil…" muttered Gnarl while the minions watched in muted shock…mostly because a lot of them couldn't properly understand what was being explained, really.
"All that people…God…how…how could he do something like that…?" muttered Kazuto while staring at the screen in shock. "We…we have to stop this!"
If there was another thing besides being separated from his family that he truly regretted of his non-imprisonment within the Netherworld was having missed enjoying of Virtual Reality's revolution thanks to Kayaba Akihiko's Nerve Gear. When Sword Art Online had been announced and he had realized he would never be able to play the thing, he may or may have not accidentally blasted several minions off the tower.
After all, even if he got them to steal a Nerve Gear for him, the internet connection down there was so bad that playing would be a nightmare, but given that he could spend 10 minutes alone without something or someone requiring his attention so that the retarded creatures didn't blow up the whole Netherworld by mistake, so…yeah.
To think that the man would do such madness, dooming all that people and sinking the world into chaos and despair without any care, it was…!
"Indeed, my lord! How dare that man think he can be eviler than you?!" snarled Gnarl with an unusually angry tone, making Kazuto blink and stare dumbly at him. "We can't let this insult go unpunished! No one can be eviler than the Overlord!"
"Uhm…yeah, exactly, we can't let him get away with this!" quickly said the black-haired boy while standing up, gathering all the minions' attention on him as he raised a closed fist. "That's why we're going right now to stop him and free all the people from SAO! To, eh…to show him that no evil plan that isn't mine is allowed to exist!"
For a moment, absolute silence filled the room as the Overlord-to-be started sweating bullets, wondering if he had said the wrong thing…before the minions exploded into evil cheers, more than one starting to slam his head against the ground or wall in 'celebration'.
"You heard the Overlord, you bunch of idiots! Get the weapons we have stolen from the surface ready, prepare a Netherworld Gate to be excavated to the surface and ask the Blues to locate Kayaba Akihiko with their magic!" shouted Gnarl over the cacophony of evil glee, a grin on his face as he turned to look at his master. "Got to say, my lord, I never thought the day I would hear you say such words would come so soon! It feels my dark heart with evil glee to see you finally embracing the cause of Evilness! You will lead your hordes to victory against this puny man!"
"Uhm, of course Gnarl, guess I just needed some…motivation. And now…Minions! Prepare my…ugh." taking a deep breath, almost unable to believe he was saying those words, Kazuto forced himself to adopt his best 'evil' face as he finally gave the order a part of him had been hoping would never be needed. "Prepare my Evil Armor!"
More cheers erupted as the center of the Throne Room shone with bluish power, raw Evil forces coalescing themselves as the black-haired boy walked forward and discarded his robe once again, Minions gathering as floating pieces of jet-black metal floated within the eldritch power, quickly fetching them as their master stretched his arms.
One by one, with surprising ease and precision for their usually stupid and clumsy antics, the minions fastened the armor around their Overlord, a part of him shuddering at how right it felt to wear the thing, how powerful having that mantle draped over his shoulders made him feel, how complete he felt once the sinister helmet hid his face from the world and gave his voice a darker and 'eviler' tone.
Kirigaya Kazuto vanished as the Overlord stood turned around, the Minions cheering while Gnarl gave an approving nod at the new Dark One, even as several Browns came rushing forward, almost tripping and beheading themselves with the dark and diabolical blade they were carrying, finally stopping before their master and falling to their knees as they offered it to him.
As his hand gripped the evil-looking sword, raising it over his head as eldritch energies surrounded it (And him) under the minions' cheers, the boy couldn't help but feel that maybe he had gone way too far. Still, if he wanted any chance of ever escaping this madness, he would need to play along.
And so, as Gnarl called him to follow towards where the Blues were gathering to locate Kayaba through their arcane and evil spells, the 'Dark One' swore that this would be his first and last action as 'The Overlord'.
On Its Throne Above Everything, [FATE] felt the need to chuckle. It quickly ignored it.
Two hours later, the portal of the Throne Room shone with bluish power, Gnarl turning around excitedly to see his master and the Minions come back (Some of them carrying what seemed like very complex pieces of technology), their enemy and now clearly prisoner tied up with ropes as he stared wide-eyed at the surroundings of the underground 'tower'.
"Ah, welcome back, my lord! I see that your first endeavor as Overlord has been a huge success!"
"…we entered that altar-thing and we…teleported 'here' in an instant…" muttered the disturbed-looking man while gaping at everything. "How…?"
"Evil magic, now shut up Kayaba…and yes Gnarl, it was, it was. We only lost 3 minions, and that's because they killed themselves by ramming head-first into some very complex computers." commented the Dark One with a tired tone, very at odds and weird to hear with his dark and deep voice altered by the helmet. "Thankfully, Rubber-band was able to have the rest gather the corpses quickly…also, we looted everything that wasn't bolted down on his cabin and then set it on fire."
"Rubber-band successful in serving the Overlord!" proclaimed the armored minion with the Goku mask that was riding the eager-looking dog, which he proceeded to happily pat. "And Not-Wolfy did great job too carrying me!"
"…I have been meaning to ask, but why is he riding that do…?"
"Stole it from a pet shop last year, has been raising it since then, it's apparently the closest thing to the wolf-rides they used to have. Seriously, Kayaba, shut up." groaned Kazuto before moving towards his Throne and sitting down, suddenly looking extremely tired. "What a day…minions, go put everything we…appropriated on the closest storage room. And Kayaba…actually, let me think about it…"
"Should we throw him into the Dungeon of Despair until you decide, my Overlord?" asked Gnarl with a sinister grin, Kayaba's head snapped in his direction with shocked eyes.
"…yeah, sure, do that. I'm…going to retire to my chambers." muttered the Dark One while the minions took the most wanted man in the country away, ignoring his protests as the boy sighed and took off his helmet, his next words coming out with his normal voice. "I barely did anything, yet I feel so…fucking tired…"
"Well, you're the youngest Overlord ever to go off in an official 'evil deed', not to mention without your training being complete. Even for someone as gifted as you, my lord, I assume it would be difficult." explained the Hellspawn as he followed his master towards his room. "Nevertheless, I believe that same massive potential of yours is what allowed you to fulfill it perfectly!"
"I wouldn't say 'perfectly', but well…better than a catastrophe, I guess." sighed Kazuto as he stopped before his door, turning to look at the Minion Master with a stern expression. "Gnarl, I'm going to be resting for a couple hours at least, if you could be so kind of making sure no one disturbs me and the minions don't kill each other more than usual…?"
"It will be done, my lord. Go and bask in the glorious feeling of your first official act as Overlord, I'm sure it's only the beginning of many evil things to come!"
And as Gnarl laughed sinisterly at his own words, the black-haired boy entered his room, headed straight for his couch and grabbed the thumb drive he had gotten from Kayaba's hideout, connecting it to his computer and sitting down to look what was inside.
Thirty minutes later, a nodding teenager was staring at his screen with a single and clear realization.
"I have no fucking idea of what all of this is."
"Well, I would be more surprised if you did, honestly." came an unexpected voice from behind him, making Kazuto turn around in shock to see Kayaba Akihiko standing on his door, looking at him with a raised eyebrow. "Hello there, Overlord Kirito-kun. Got to say, you look very…normal, out of your armor."
"…didn't the minions throw you into the Dungeon of Despair?"
"They accidentally threw themselves in after I asked them how were they so sure no one could escape from it." deadpanned the scientists while walking into the room, keenly noticing how the boy groaned in annoyance. "They're not very…bright, right?"
"That's the understatement of the millennium." growled the teen before turning once again to his computer, ignoring the criminal standing near him. "Some days I'm scared I will wake up and find the whole place on fire or about to self-destruct."
"Wait, there is a self-dest…? Never mind, forget I asked." quickly stopped Kayaba before looking with a mix of confusion and curiosity to the boy. "You know, you're acting very calmly for someone whose prisoner has escaped and managed to get into his private rooms."
"I can shoot lightning from my fingertips and create fire strong enough to melt throw steel with a hand-gesture. Also, I have been forced through ridiculous and hellish physical training for the last 4 years. Forgive me if the evil father of modern virtual reality doesn't scare me that much." sarcastically answered the young Overlord before simply closing his laptop. "Ugh, this is seriously way above my knowledge…"
"Well, it IS knowledge that even those who worked with me would find difficult and if I'm anyone to judge you have been down here since you were…11? 12? I'm surprised you can use that computer so well at all." commented the scientist while walking slightly away from the couch, the words about that the seemingly normal teenager before him could do clearly having affected him. "…also, I'm not evil."
"Since I was 10, actually, I'm 14 now, but I have been, let's say…home-schooled. The minions may always be jumping between stupidly clever and hopelessly retarded, but they're good at stealing things and taking them back here more or less intact, like books. Also, Gnarl is absurdly smart and a good teacher…if you get past how all his lessons try to indoctrinate you about the greatness of Evil." explained Kazuto with a weirdly fond smile before turning fully towards Kayaba, an eyebrow raised. "As for you 'not being evil', how do you call basically kidnapping 10000 people, threatening their lives, being indirectly responsible for the death of over 200 and causing what's probably the biggest 'terrorist act' in Japan's recent history?"
"I…well, when you put it like that…" mumbling incoherently and clearly unable to find a proper answer, the man sat on one of the sinister stone-chairs with a defeated look. "…it's a long and complicated story."
"Oh, you want to hear a long and complicated story? Here, let me give you one for free!" spoke Kazuto while sitting up and looking at Kayaba straight in the eyes. "Once upon a time, magic, mythical beasts and all that crap from fairy tales were actually real, both the good…and the bad. And the evilest of them all was the Overlord, an actual honest-to-God Evil Ruler of Darkness, powered by Evil itself and leading his demonic armies of Minions to crush everything that stood in his way…and anything that didn't and that was good, too, because it apparently came with the job. Until one day, hundreds of years ago, the last Overlord came all the way to this land…Japan…and bit off more than he could chew. Youkai, Guardian Spirits, Minor Deities, you name it if you know enough about our country's folklore. They all banded together to fight off the Overlord."
"…well, that certainly sounds…good, I guess?" ventured the scientist while trying to wrap his head about such an outrageous tale.
"Not so much. All of those things are dead, they died fighting most of the Overlord's armies and finally him…yeah, bastard was THAT broken." confirmed Kazuto upon seeing the man's stunned expression at the idea of someone being able to take down every single mythological creature of Japan, a lot of which were absurdly powerful, if myths were to be believed. "Their few remaining followers knew they did not have the power to end what remained of the Overlord's forces, so they decided to seal them away in Mt. Raiden! Nice stuff, eh? Too bad, most of the ones who did the sealing dying and the few remaining ones scattered to the winds, in time forgetting everything about this place and the seal. Then, four years ago, a stupid kid found out he was adopted and instead of talking things out with his family he ran away from home, somehow managed to get all the way here out of dumb (Bad) luck and accidentally broke the seal! And now he's stuck into becoming the new Ruler of All that is Evil!"
"…I take it you have needed to get that out of chest for quite some time?" asked Kayaba while recoiling a bit at the angry face and glowing golden eyes, only for him to sigh and fall back into his couch with a tired look. "…still, for YOU of all people to stumble upon this place and accidentally break an ancient magical seal, it sounds a bit…"
"Like a cheap manga plot? Wait for it, it gets better: Apparently, I could that because I'm a fucking descendant of the last Overlord! Seems like the guy had 'family' (Or at least a very loose and evil definition of it), and they ran away when everything went to hell. Most supposedly were killed, if Gnarl is to be believed, but at least one of his mistresses and her child must have managed to go into hidden and, countless generations later, here you have me. Hooray."
"…you are right, it DOES sound like a very convoluted and stupidly convenient manga plot."
"Do you know what Gnarl told me when I told him that exact same thing? 'Evil Always finds a Way, master'." mimicked Kazuto with annoyance before slamming his face on the couch. "God, that's such bullshit…"
"I…take it you didn't really go to stop because I was 'being eviler than you', then?" carefully questioned the scientist while looking at the boy with a strange look.
"Yes, more or less. Try as he might, Gnarl hasn't managed to 'turn me completely evil' yet, even if I'm probably pretty fucked up by normal human standards, so as soon as I saw what was happening and knew I had the power to stop it…I acted." turning to look at the dark ceiling of his room, the young Overlord raised a hand and lazily let the eldritch forces of darkness dance around it like hungry worms, making Kayaba gulp as he watched the scientific impossibility. "But also because I wanted to get the hell out of this shitty underground place once and for all, it has been so long I had almost forgotten what the sun felt like…"
"You have it rough, I see…and I guess the fact that you so 'calmly' swear in most of your sentences probably is because of that too?"
"You try to keep all of your morals intact when the only 'people' you can interact with are the half-retarded devilish servants of Evil and their not-so-stupid, but way eviler, guide. As I said, I AM fucked up…I mean, look!" happily pointed out Kazuto while grinning at the man. "You're one of the biggest criminals in Japan's history, have murdered over 200 people for seemingly no logical reason, don't seem particularly guilty over it…and I don't give a fuck because you're the sanest and most normal person I have talked to in the last years!"
"…SO! Are you really going to, you know, conquer the world?" desperately asked the scientist while trying not to freak out, finally starting to realize how dangerously unstable the teenager before him was. "You know how, no offense, it's all but impossible for you to do so with what you have, right?"
"And you think I haven't noticed by now?" dryly asked the black-haired boy while slamming his face on his hands. "Evil eldritch magic and a nigh-unlimited supply of disposable 'soldiers' can just do so much in a world of advanced technology and weapons of mass destruction."
Even if he managed to become as powerful as the last Overlord had been, which he seriously doubted, Kazuto knew it would all be meaningless the moment someone decided to cut their losses and do something along the lines of dropping a nuke on him and his forces…if he truly did try to conquer the world at least.
"…haven't you considered, you know, running away? Maybe get back to your family?"
"Almost every day since I got here, but I quickly realized how pointless it was." sighed the young Overlord before looking to the side, his gaze suddenly distant and a bittersweet smile on his face. "I ran away because I found out I was adopted and I'm pretty sure I left my PC with the document showing that on the screen, which meant they probably found out right away. Even if I managed to escape and they wanted me back, which I doubt after 4 years of who knows how much misery and pain thinking I'm dead or something, the Minions would find me in minutes. I would only be screwing their lives too, so…yeah, I think I'm going to try and conquer the world, if only because that way at least I will be the only one who ends up fucked when it all comes crashing down."
"I…see…" whispered Kayaba while his mind ran a thousand miles per hour, crazy options and insane plans that, given his current situation, weren't really that crazy, running through his mind. "…want me to help you?"
"…what." flatly stated (Not even able to formulate it as a question) the boy as he stared towards the scientist with blank eyes.
"Well, from where I'm standing, right now I only have a few options, given that you clearly were acting before so that your 'minions' wouldn't kill me: Either I spent who knows how long in your dungeons until I either die or something catastrophic happens, am killed by your minions because you're forced to accept I have no value to you…or I actively try to help you so that your mad quest for World Domination doesn't end catastrophically wrong and as such stay alive."
"Are you…seriously saying you want to help me take over the world?" deadpanned the young Overlord with a raised eyebrow.
"As you yourself so kindly put it, I'm technically a mass murderer and probably worldwide-criminal now, and have no resources left for me after you 'captured' me. Even if I managed to escape from here, lifelong prison is the best I can hope to get back to, so…why the hell not?" summarized Kayaba with a shrug.
Sure, there was also a part of him that wanted to keep an eye on the boy to make sure he didn't accidentally snap and destroyed the country and killed everyone on it or something before being put down, as hypocritical as it was for him, of all people, to be worried about such a thing, but there was no need to mention that out loud.
"…how would you even help me out with this?" questioned Kazuto with an intrigued look.
"Given how you have somehow managed to get electricity and internet connection down here, I believe that in that same way. Tell me, Kirito, what do you know of the Cardinal System?"
"Actually, my name is Kirigaya Kazuto…it's just that it doesn't really sound imposing or evil, so I made up that 'alias'. And yes, I know it's just the first syllables of my surname with the last one of my name, I was ten when I came up with it." clarified him upon the man's deadpanning look. "And about Cardinal, well, only what the internet has and you yourself answered in that interview on TV not long ago…why?"
"Well…"
Almost 20 minutes later, once the explanation was finished, Kazuto had such a massive and disturbing smile on his face that Kayaba almost had second thoughts about his offer. Almost.
"Oh, yes, I see how something like that could be useful in our 'cause', indeed." chuckled the black-haired boy in a way that truly made one wonder if he wasn't really related to the Overlord he denied so much being. "And 'getting it back' wouldn't be nearly as difficult as you think."
"Really…? No, wait, why am I asking? You managed to find me in less than 2 hours when I had calculated the government would take years to do so, this would probably be child's play for you in comparison." shaking his head, the scientist looked back at the young Overlord with a neutral gaze. "So…?"
"Welcome to the side of 'Evil', Kayaba." smiled Kazuto while standing up, and offering his hand to the biggest criminal of the country. "I'm sure that whatever happened from now on, your life will be way more useful as part of my 'army' than as the jailer of 10000 innocent people."
And as he took the young Overlord's hand and diabolical energy enveloped the handshake, making his very soul shiver, Kayaba wondered if in some twisted way the boy could be right about his declaration.
"…also, if you could prevent your minions from destroying the big machine you took from my hideout, it would be great. There is no other prototype nor data for the Deep-Scan Machine anywhere else after you stole all of it, and I'm sure it could be useful for us…somehow."
"What's a Deep-Scan…? Eh, whatever, you can explain it later; right now we have work to do."
"We do…?"
"Of course! After all, if we're going to do THAT, we need a proper distraction in place, don't we? On that note, I hope your expertise in machines translate well to my particularly primitive and blasphemous fusion of magic and technology…"
The following evil laugh made the scientist completely sure that, as much as he denied it, a part of the boy was already totally and irremediably corrupted…
"…I'm home."
As usual, no one answered the soft voice of the 13-years-old girl with a schoolbag and a shinai-bag over her back as she entered the house, the empty hallway seeming unusually depressing and desolated.
Then again, that's how they had felt for the last 4 years, so it wasn't any real surprise for her.
Idly, the black-haired girl walked towards the kitchen, opened the fridge and grabbed a water bottle she had left there earlier, walking back towards her room once she did so.
Just as she went past the living room, though, her traitorous gaze moved towards a small table on the side, where a small portrait with a picture rested.
On it, an old man in a kendo hakama stared sternly at the camera while 2 kids dressed similarly stood at his sides holding small shinai, the little girl looking cheerful while the little boy looked bored.
Kirigaya Suguha blinked, wondering in which moment she had dropped her water bottle, walked to the table and slammed the portrait down, so as the picture wasn't visible anymore. Taking a deep breath, she shook her head, grabbed the bottle and went up to her room without looking back.
If anyone was there to see her room as she dropped her bags and changed out of her school uniform, they would have noticed it hadn't changed that much in the last 4 years.
A couple of cute plushies still adorned her bed. Books about Kendo and fairy tales still rested on the shelves (Even if the latter hadn't been touched in quite some time).
In fact, the only big change that the room had experienced…was the professional-looking computer with 3 screens that sat on a corner of it, a couple of books about its maintenance resting on the side, looking pristine and well-cared. As it had been since it was moved from the empty, silent and now locked room beside hers, almost 4 years ago.
As soon as she was changed, the girl booted the computer up, idly thinking about the reason why she was home even later than usual (It was a bit after 9 in the evening, after all).
Honestly, that whole 'SAO Incident' had been so bizarre and ended so fast that, if it wasn't because of the confirmation about at least 2 hundred people having died, she would have thought it was just some very complicated joke. From what her kendo club's advisor had told them, some victims were still being moved to hospitals when all of them had been released at once, which had almost caused more accidents than their 'virtual imprisonment' itself, given that the great majority of them had been still in denial about their situation or having mental breakdowns when they suddenly found themselves back in the real world.
Checking through the internet a couple times showed her how, indeed, there were still no clues or explanation about what had happened, the criminal behind the act, the game's creator having made no further declarations after his earlier ones about the trapped players, no apparent reason as to why he would suddenly free all his 'hostages' (Though countless speculation had already emerged, from suicidal guilt to aliens being involved, as usually happened on the internet). Kayaba something, though she wasn't sure as she wasn't really into technology, unlike…unlike…
Suguha slapped both her cheeks at the same time as she took another deep breath, barely hearing the emergency broadcast she had found on a specific webpage about the more-or-less resolved SAO incident as she stared at nothing and everything.
She shouldn't be letting herself have these 'episodes' anymore. It had been four years already. She had to concentrate on her exams and to practice extra-hard to try and get into the Kendo nationals next year. She shouldn't be letting her bro…Kazuto's disappearance to affect her like this anymore.
"…then why did I bring the damn computer to my room? Why did I insist mom I didn't need to see a psychologist? Why…?" doing her best to not sob as she teared up, the young kendoka barely repressed the need to hug herself. "Why did you leave us without a word…Onii-chan…?"
"…still no news about Kayaba Akihiko's whereabouts, but the authorities confirm that all the remaining victims are safe and being carefully returned to-I-I-I-I-WE INTERRUPT YOUR HUMAN TRANSMISSION THANKS TO THE POWER OF EVIL!"
"…what?" asked a confused Suguha while raising her gaze, the visage of the man announcing the news having vanished to be replaced by weird static and the grinning form of a hunched creature with a stick tipped by a glowing crystal on his back.
"Don't try and stop it, puny humans, because the Lord of All that is Evil has something to tell you now!" sinisterly informed the creature before the static was replaced by the view of a sinister and dark place, filled with diabolical-looking markings and decorations, a bunch of strange and ugly creatures with yellowish eyes surrounding the area.
What truly drew the attention of every single person in Japan watching this, though, weren't the odd monster, but the dark armored figure with an evil-looking blade that stood tall in the middle of it, besides the beaten and bloody form of Kayaba Akihiko himself.
"Greetings, people of Japan. I'm the Overlord Kirito, Lord of Evil, Master of Darkness and Conqueror of the Night." spoke the Dark One with his sinister and otherworldly voice, sending shivers into the souls of all those watching. "At this point, you may all be wondering why the so-called 'SAO Incident' ended all of a sudden, right? Well, think no more: It was because of me. I have taken Kayaba Akihiko into my custody and ended this 'farce' plan of his."
"…i-is this…some kind of joke…?" gulped the young kendoka with her eyes glued to the screen, unknowingly thinking the same as countless people watching the illegal transmission, countless ones trying to track it down being only met by outrageous results.
"Do not mistake it as an act of pity or mercy towards you, though! My actions today are only because NO ONE in this one is allowed to be eviler than me!" remarked the Overlord while raising his empty hand, eldritch power dancing around it as the minions around cheered and laughed in disturbingly sinister ways. "Today is but the beginning of a New Age! For too long has this world gone without knowing the might of Darkness, forgetting what True Evil is about! Let this be a lesson for you all, humans, there is only one who is fated to bring the Despair to rule It All…"
As he said those words, the black blade was raised over his head, millions of eyes fixed on it.
"N-no way…he's seriously going to…?" whispered Suguha while paling, though unable to look away from the macabre sight.
"…and Evil Always Finds a Way."
With that dark proclamation, the sword descended straight towards Kayaba Akihiko's head.
…and the transmission cut off right that instant, leaving nothing but static in the screens of people all around Japan, who stared with mixes of disbelief, horror, fear, anger and, in some weird cases, 'Hype'.
Back at the Netherworld Tower, though…Kazuto sighed as he let go of his sword, now impaled just beside where Kayaba's head had been a moment before and took off his helmet while some Blues rushed towards the pale man, using their control over Evil Magic to somewhat heal him (Even if the process was quite painful).
"Well, that went well. People will be confused, scared, and/or trying to uncover this 'scam' for several hours now. More than enough time for us to complete our plans."
"It was a magnificent at, my lord!" praised Gnarl while walking beside his master. "To be expected of you, of course! Not only did you manage to bend this human's will to serve you without having to use your powers, you also improvised a devious plan to take advantage of his resources right away!"
"Was it…necessary to let the…Browns actually beat me half to death for it…?" moaned Kayaba while twitching on the ground, trying his best to not scream as he felt the 'Evil Healing Magic' making him feel every single one of his wounds backward as it eliminated them.
"Why, of course! We're Evil, we don't do things half-assed, after all!" proudly declared Gnarl as answer
"…what he said." sighed the young Overlord before turning around, looking all serious once again. "Now get ready and wake up some Reds, also a couple Greens while you're at it. We're about to infiltrate Argus' main building and steal the Main SAO Servers!"
"Wait…we?" groaned Kayaba while finally standing up on wobbly legs, ignoring the amused (And stupid) looks more than one minion gave him.
"Yes, we. This is a very risky operation that will be relying mainly on shock value and the element of surprise to get in, take what we want and get back here, so your firsthand knowledge of the building and codes will be essential." explained the black-haired boy as he sat on his Throne and started doing…'something' that the man couldn't understand with his powers. "We can't afford any complications…because our forces aren't strong enough yet to deal with such, of course."
In other words, he didn't want this to become in a situation where his minions would simply murder everyone within the building whether they stood on their ways to the Servers containing the Cardinal System or not, and he wanted his help to have an easier time doing so.
"…yes, my Overlord, as you command." sighed the scientist while shaking his head, Gnarl giving him an approving nod at his words.
"Okay then, let's get you a 'costume' and move on! We're going to do this perfectly and without troubles, and nothing can possibly go wrong with this plan…"
Hours later, when he stared at the newest unwilling inhabitant of the Netherworld Tower crying her heart out on the floor while the minions surrounding them didn't seem to know how to react (Probably having to do with the half-dead one and the hissing cat beside her) as Kayaba looked at him with a blank stare, Kazuto would learn a valuable lesson.
Never fucking temp Fate.
Author's Notes: Well, that's a lesson all Kiritos in the Multiverse should learn sooner rather than later, don't you think :P?
But yes, some more info being revealed and some craziness being explained all around in this chapter, as well as showing how despite his own wishes and affirmations this Kazuto is a bit…'troubled', let's say XP Also, Kayaba joins the Empire of Evilness! That's going to be fun, eh?
The constant references at convoluted plots and convenient things happening are not fully me trying to make this even more Crack, but actual jokes at how things DO mostly happen in the Overlord games, just that here Kazuto (And now Kayaba too) are there to point them out, then been forced to accept them anyway OwO Also showed a bit of dear Sugu-chan there, but she's, as it's obvious, quite a bit changed from her Canon self…
And well, that's all for now! Hopefully I will be calmed down and ready to get back into OPG:CoF after my exam instead of this, but whenever it may be, don't miss next chapter, when Evil Deeds are done, humanity is exposed to the idiocy of Minions, important Canon plot-devices are stolen and people is accidentally kidnapped! Fun times!
Until next time, this is Saint, signing off!