Surprise Update, everyone!
Being serious, though, after the last extremely fast Update for OPG:CoF, and knowing that I will soon have almost no time to write for at least a couple months (As I mentioned there), I decided I quick Update on this fic was in order, and I effectively could write this chapter on the super-fast time I remembered I'm used to with it. Glad it's still a bundle of crazy fun to write, and I hope it's the same for those of you who read it XP
That aside, are you ready for more EVIL, everyone XD? The epic clash between Good and Evil is here! Who shall stand victorious in the end?!
Also, before I forget, Leafa's mask by inspired by the one worn by Yasha from Asura's Wrath, in case anyone feels like Googling it to see how it is, though obviously with everyone's favorite Sylph's colors, and with Sun motifs :P Oh, and this fic also got a TvTropes page! Check it out and help out with it if you can, I would be very grateful if you did!
Now, without more delay, enjoy this chapter!
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 4: Unwilling Heroine vs. Unwilling Overlord!
August 19th, 2023. Japan, a clearing in the countryside. 17:15…
Kazuto was trying to do his best not to panic and try to understand what the hell was going on.
Of course, when he had accepted (Aka 'been forced by circumstances') the plan of kidnapping that Yuuki bigshot's daughter, he had expected many things to go wrong, like every time he actually had to do something 'Evil'. Given the last time he went out to the surface it ended up in a total clusterfuck, he was more than ready for things to go even more wrong this time, especially because this time they actually were aiming to kidnap someone instead of 'just' stealing machinery that probably cost millions of yens, not to mention causing as much or so in property damage.
When everything had apparently gone smoothly in an extremely easy way, even when the first and arguably most important part of the plan was in charge of the Minions (And technically Yui), he had been pleasantly surprised. In hindsight, THAT should have been his obvious cue to know things were about to go to hell, but…how could he have expected something this crazy?
He had been expecting an entire police squad somehow having followed the Minions, the JSDF having caught them, or maybe that Yuuki Asuna had some super-secret badass bodyguard that wouldn't rest until she was safe, like in some American movies.
A girl in armor and a burning sword of light, radiating with a power and aura that made the darkest part of his own powers feel sick, claiming to be a Hero from a Goddess, though?
He was too young for this shit.
Suguha, for her part, was trying very hard of keeping up the 'Confident Heroic' front she had on the outside so that the panicked and borderline hysteric teen inside didn't become apparent.
This was not how she was planning to spend her evening, not at all. She was ready to relax a bit after the National Finals yesterday, a day just for her to be calm, with no kendo, no 'Hero Training' and nothing else but school. She had even gotten Sanrei to be silent for most of the day!
And then, just as she had gotten home and turned on her bro…her computer to maybe navigate through the web for a bit, she had been bombarded with social network's warnings going crazy about the Overlord having just kidnapped a teenage girl as she walked out of her High School.
Usually, the young kendoka would have dismissed it, if it wasn't for the fact that they were several pictures, some blurry and some more or less decent, of the 'Minions' hauling Yuuki Asuna, daughter of RECT's CEO, into a car while her schoolmates (Who had posted the 'warning' like crazy everywhere for the last 20 minutes) could only watch helplessly.
It was crazy. Stupid. Beyond reckless.
But despite all of that, the moment she had finished reading that, she had been out and about, Sanrei cheering as she let the power of the Sun flare through her and she shot out of her house so fast she was nothing but a blur of sunlight.
When she had become aware of the madness she was going, between shocked and scared for having acted almost without thinking, her 'loyal' Sun Spirit had informed her that it was just another of the side-effects that having been imbued with the 'Power of Good' had caused her.
After all, as cliché and retarded as it sounded in real life, weren't True Heroes famous for their bodies moving on their own and just acting when someone was in danger?
She was about to enter yet another of her by now half-forgotten arguments with her 'body-mate' about what she thought of having basically been brainwashed into the hopeless Paragon of Justice of the modern day when both had frozen upon feeling the Evil flaring in the distance.
The Overlord was there. He had come out for the poor, innocent and, more than likely, terrified girl.
Sure, Suguha felt like that too in more than one way…except that, unlike her, Asuna had not only nothing to do with the whole thing (Even if the younger girl only did so because of stupid and convenient circumstances of her family), but also lacked any powers to defend herself from the Master of Evil.
And so, whether it was because of good conscience or because of what the Power within her had subtly done to her body, the last pure Kirigaya alive had found herself there, saving the heiress of the company most willing to keep spearheading FullDive Technology after SAO's disaster, and face to face with the one Fate had decreed to be her arch-nemesis and, more likely, her end.
Overlord Kirito.
Taking a deep breath, she tightened her grip on the sun-blade she had created out of her raw energy and sank deeper into a stance practiced since childhood, reinforced by the power and vague knowledge of ancient warriors of the Sun Goddess, letting Kirigaya Suguha vanish from the world.
Hero(ine) Leafa was ready now.
"(One last chance, monster. Let me take the girl to safety and you won't have to feel the wrath of my blade.)" declared the Last Hero with a confidence she wasn't really feeling, hoping against hope her enemy would accept.
For his part, Kazuto was conflicted. This went well beyond keeping his 'Evil Overlord' façade. He was pretty sure he could find a way to convince Gnarl that there was no other safe choice for him than to back off right away under such conditions. But…
Something within him screamed at the mere thought. A darkness, a rage, a disgust so great he could have never imagined could exist within him, brought forth from the abyss because of this girl's presence…no, because of the Power she wielded. An ancient grudge inherited from a long-vanquished Evil, from the one who had ruled over the world through Fear and brought Despair into the hearts of all.
The Overlord within him would never accept to run from the pathetic remains of those who had ended the life of his predecessor.
Not without a fight…to the last consequences.
"…I have a better offer." as those words came from within his helmet, eldritch power exploded all around the Overlord, making the 2 remaining Minions look excited all of a sudden, Not-Wolfy howling in empathy. "Stand aside and I won't have to erase all trace of your existence from this world."
"…well, it was worth a shot." nonchalantly commented Sanrei from within the terrified girl's mind. "Ready for this, partner?!"
"You know I'm not!" mentally cried Suguha while she risked looking peripherally towards the young heiress behind her. "(Asuna-san, stay back. I will take care of this.)"
"A-ah…ye-yes…" shakily nodded the chestnut-haired girl. "…be careful."
"(I shall.)" answered the Last Hero while giving her a Hope-inspiring smile (Literally, given her powers), causing Asuna to blush and nod again.
"I disagree." simply declared the young Overlord before raising his arm, raw Darkness exploding from within and consuming Rubber-band and the other nameless brown, making them bulge and grow into tall and muscle-bound abominations with massive grins, which them proceeded to 'pose manly' (Or at least what they thought that was after seeing anime). "Minions…end her."
"For the Overlord!" roared the mutated creatures before they moved faster than a sprinting tiger would, massive arms with deadly claws descending over the, under the mask, wide-eyed heroine in less than 2 seconds.
A massive boom filled the area as a crater was formed from the attack's pressure, the young heiress screaming Leafa's name as the wind blew her hair, and Kirito's cape, all around.
Back the Netherworld Tower, three shocked stares watched the scene before them in disbelief.
"…since when can he do that?" numbly questioned Kayaba while feeling a massive headache and a hint of terror filling his head.
"Si-since never! He just subconsciously awoke even more of his sleeping power…out of the blue!" all but screamed Gnarl in excitement, barely suppressed the need of jumping up and down in joy. "I knew he had a potential beyond belief, but to think it would materialize in ever more than amazing attitude for everything Evil-related…my lord is truly beyond compare!"
"Kirito-sama is really amazing, isn't he?" agreed Keiko with a happy smile. "He totally showed that meddling girl who is boss!"
"…ye-yes, he totally did…" mumbled the scientist while remembering there was a time when the young girl before him wouldn't have seemed so honestly cheerful before the prospect of someone that, for all intents and purposes, was doing the right thing being slaughtered by a pair of monsters. "…why the hell were those two posing anyway?"
"They watched too much of that Jojo series on Tv." explained the Hellspawn as if that was the answer to everything, though for Kayaba (Who wasn't that much of a manga/anime fan) it only brought even more confusion. "I got to say, though, that supposed 'Hero' ended up being very dissa…"
An explosion of Sunlight cut Gnarl's words before they could even finish being uttered, half of a mutated minion flying away even as Rubber-band, now missing an arm, rolled back with shock, his canine partner barking in worry while their Master raised a surprised eyebrow.
From within the cloud of dust, which was promptly dispersed, Leafa stood up, unharmed, not even a speck of blood from the creature she had easily slain staining her immaculate form, an aura worthy of some super powerful shonen character surrounding her as she swiped her blade to the side, raw sunlight disintegrating the lower half of the Super Minion that had been left before her.
"(Is that all?)" questioned the Last Hero. "(My turn, then.)"
With a blur of speed, with the grace one would think only possible in fictional stories exaggerated to sound that much more magnificent or amazing, the Chosen of the Sun moved, her blade singing forward.
Rubber-band had enough time to squeak before seeing the blade descending upon his face, ready to split it in half…before it was brutally halted with a clang of steel against solid light.
Barely suppressing a gasp, Suguha stared from behind her mask into the eyes of the abyss.
Grunting, surprised at the girl's inhuman strength, Kazuto stared back, his gaze a burning golden fire.
Of course, all that the world saw were Overlord Kirito and Hero Leafa, locked in a clash of blades.
"Sorry, but I have lost enough Minions today, and this one is particularly more useful. I don't want to waste resources bringing him back again if it's not strictly necessary." replied the Master of Evil before raising his empty hand, all of the Last Hero's instincts screaming terrible danger in that second, Sanrei doing the same within her head. "Inferno."
Asuna had barely enough time to blink before Hell descended upon the Earth, a massive omnidirectional wave of raging flames consuming the world around him, the heat threatening with roasting her alive in an instant…and then, she was safe, cradled in a presence that brought nothing but safety and Hope into her soul, soaring through the air as the pillar of evil flame grew distant.
Looking up, the chestnut-haired girl saw Leafa's slightly smoking form holding her bridal style, the heroine panting slightly but still offering her a reassuring smile as they landed from her inhuman jump.
"(Asuna-san, are you uninjured?)"
"A-ah! Ye-yes, I am fine, Le-Leafa-sama…" muttered the young heiress while looking away, idly noticing how her uniform and the tips of her hair were smoking slightly, but she otherwise seemed to be okay.
"(Good. Please, try and run away as fast as you can. We may be far away from any road, but it's more than clear that you're not safe here.)" declared the Last Hero while turning around, blade raised. "(I will deal with him.)"
"Bu-but…he's a monster! His power is so massive it seems like something out of a horror story!" all but shouted Asuna while feeling her soul shake at the memory of the Overlord's power. "Ca-can you really beat him?"
"Of course I can't, you idiot! That's why I'm telling you to run the hell away so that I may do so too when he's out of range!" desperately cried Suguha within her mind, only a lifetime of being raised as a kendoka allowing nor to scream it out loud and instead keep up her reassuring façade, helped by the unnatural Divine power she had been granted. "(Of course I can. I'm a Hero, after all.)"
"Brave words, from someone that had to run away from my spell." spoke a cold and unnatural voice that sent a shiver down both girls' backs, their gazes moving as one in time to see the figure of Kirito emerging from the tree line, the burning forest behind him seemingly making his form all the more terrifying, the young heiress expecting ominous Latin chanting to start any second as he calmly strode towards them. "You're no threat to me."
Within Kazuto's mind, however, a very different story was taking place.
"Shi-shit, why was that spell so powerful?! I was even holding back! A-and she still dodged it like it was nothing, I couldn't see her move at all!" screamed the desperate thoughts of the young Overlord as he tried to calm himself down. "O-okay, calm down, Kazuto, you still have got this. The mission is all but failed anyway, so if I can just scare this girl away and get a good measure of her power then it should be enough…yes. It's time to do THAT."
"(You say that, but the way I see it, you're done to no servants and I still have no scratch on me, Overlord!)" taunted Leafa while pointing her blade forward, lamenting that Asuna had seemingly decided no place was safer than right behind her the moment the Evil One showed up. "(As long as you're threatening this girl, I'm not backing down!)"
"Le-Leafa-sama…" whispered the chestnut-haired girl while crossing her hands over her chest.
"…I see. Then you leave me no option…" as he said those words, Kirito's empty hand moved, making both girls tense…and then look confused as it reached for the clasps of his mantle. "But showing you the true difference between our powers."
The moment he finished that declaration, the young Overlord let go of his arguably oversized cape, throwing it aside.
With a thundering sound of earth cracking, it fell down and crashed into the dirt with massive force, leaving a small crater on its way.
Asuna whimpered. Suguha swore mentally, suddenly feeling cold sweat covering her.
Watching from the Netherworld, Keiko gasped. Gnarl looked in awe. Kayaba felt both his eyebrows twitch.
"What." stated the father of FullDive technology, unable to even voice it like a question.
"A-astounding! When my lord asked specifically for a mantle that had been enchanted to weight so much, I was skeptical as to which purpose it could have besides basic training, but now I see! The psychological effect upon his enemies is even more efficient than when shown in modern media!"
"…are you telling me you actually a shonen-like piece of 'stupidly heavy clothes' in the vault…and that he has been wearing it every time he goes out as the Overlord?" fearfully questioned Kayaba, his disbelief at the sheer stupidity of the entire thing being outweighed by a single thought.
That, the entire time during the operation to retrieve the SAO Servers, the teenager, who was barely over 14 at the time, had been wearing the mantle without seemingly any issue.
"…partner, I think we may be even more screwed than we thought." muttered Sanrei as the Overlord cranked his neck to the side, as if getting used to the feeling of not wearing his cape over the armor.
"…you think?" pitifully moaned before her powers and instincts screamed. "Shi-shit!"
"Here I come, Hero of the Sun." shamelessly declared Kirito, quoting a particularly favorite line/scene of him, not caring for the irony of using it in such a situation. "Do you still think you have enough power?"
The world screamed as the Evil One moved. In answer, Leafa roared and did the same.
Blades clashed, ancient evil steel against raw divine sunlight crafted into a sword.
The trees around them cracked. The earth split. Asuna screamed, feeling herself flying back from the force of the clash. The forest fire that had started seemed to shrink back in fear.
And after two seconds of a stalemate…the Last Hero was thrown back like a meteor with an undignified squeak, her sunlight-sword shattering into a million pieces as she went through several trees.
"(Uaaaaaaaaaaah…!)"
"Ho-holy shit! His strength is crazy! Su-Suguha, pull yourself together or we're going to crash!"
"We're going to die, we're going to die, we're going to…!"
"Kyaaaaaaaaah!"
"(Ah! ASUNA-SAN!)" screamed the Last Hero upon hearing the innocent's scream of fear, instincts honed for Justice and Hope taking over as she righted herself in midair, kicking off (And utterly destroying) the next tree she was about to crash against, catching the flying form of Asuna in time to stop her from slamming face-first against a tree. "(Got you! Now I need to get you…)"
"Le-Leafa-sama, behind you!" shouted the young heiress in terror as the dark-armored figure of Evil appeared seemingly out of nowhere.
"(Like hell you're catching me off guard again!)" replied the blonde girl while spinning around, one hand raised over the other girl's shoulder and aiming straight towards the Overlord.
His eyes widened at the last second, even as raw sunlight blossomed outwards in a beam of Good and Salvation.
Panting and doing her best to not fall to her knees, Leafa landed, letting a worried Asuna stand on her own as she turned around towards the cloud of devastation her last attack had caused.
"Di-did you get him…?"
"(Yes, I did.)" grimly nodded the heroine while reforming her sunlight blade. "(Thing is, I'm pretty sure that wasn't enough to…)"
"Useless."
A myriad of darkness' spheres exploded from within the smoke, the Last Hero gritting her teeth and quickly ignored those far enough as she slashed all the ones that would have hit her, the young heiress, or the area around them vanquishing them with inhuman skill.
Stepping out from the destruction, looking no worse for wear, Overlord Kirito strode forward, his gaze never leaving Leafa's tired form.
"(Ugh…I'm not…beaten yet…)"
"Look at yourself, 'Hero'. You can barely stand. Face it, you have lost." darkly declared the Dark One while stabbing the dirt with his blade, pointing towards them with his open hands. "Now, accept your defeat or the next spell will be something truly serious."
"Shi-shit, he hasn't gotten serious yet?! Sanrei, this wasn't a nigh-impossible task, this was a suicide mission since the beginning!"
"Kuh, as I thought…we stand no chance against him without the 3 Treasures! Partner, we have no choice but to run away now! The world can't afford to lose us now, especially not with how strong the Overlord already is!"
"D-do you really think he will just let us go?!" mentally screamed Suguha while trying desperately to think of a way out of her current dilemma.
"Please, surrender…I already went more over the top than I thought I ever would in my life, and I'm starting to get scared of how right it feels when I let my power loose like this." were the thoughts rushing through Kazuto's head, the young Overlord torn between the thrill of using his powers and scared of how absurdly skilled the girl he was facing was. "If it wasn't because I overpower her by an absurdly unfair margin, she would have beaten the shit out of me several times over by now. Damn, if I don't get her to stand down I fear I may end up seriously hurting…"
"S-stop!" shouted the last person anyone was expecting to get in the middle of the Destined Fight, Yuuki Asuna herself walking past the shocked heroine, doing her best to not shake. "I-I will go with you, bu-but please, don't hurt Leafa-sama anymore!"
"(A-Asuna-san, what are you saying?!)" shouted the Last Hero while taking a step towards the young heiress, only to grimace at how heavy her body felt. "(Yo-you can't go with him, he will…!)"
"I know…bu-but, if it means you will get to survive and fight another day, I don't mind." honestly spoke the chestnut-haired girl, given her wannabe savior a grateful smile. "Thanks…for everything. I never thought someone selfless enough to risk everything for someone else out of sheer goodness could exist before today."
"…very well. Come here, and I will let her go. She's not worth wasting my power anymore." conceded the Dark One, barely able to believe such a lucky development had taken place, taking care of adding that last line so that Gnarl or anyone else watching couldn't mistake it for him showing 'mercy'. "This is my victory, Hero Leafa."
"(N-no…)" muttered the blonde girl while Asuna nodded to her one last time and started walking away.
The World seemed to distort in the Last Hero's eyes, watching the back of the innocent sacrificing herself just because she wasn't strong enough.
And, for a moment, the image of Yuuki Asuna walking towards the sinister and diabolical shadow of the Overlord (Distorted monstrously in her vision) was replaced by the innocent and kind one of her missing big brother.
The instant she saw the illusion of Kirigaya Kazuto standing before the Dark One, his evil hands closing over him…something within her EXPLODED.
With a roar of defiance, Kirigaya Suguha shouted forward, something bursting from her back and blossoming with the power of the Rising Sun.
Overlord Kirito's eyes widened in utter shock, barely raising his blade in time to block a slash at sonic speeds.
The black blade of Evil exploded, dark metal crashing everywhere and stabbing into his armor like incandescent shrapnel, even as the new figure shot towards the heavens.
Back in the Netherworld Tower, three voices screamed, two shouting for the name of their master while the last one looked up in shock at the new visage they were witnessing, voicing his shock out loud.
"She can fly?!" came Kayaba's baffled voice, seeing the figure floating in the air with the wide-eyed Yuuki heiress in her arms again, ten beautiful wings made of raw sunlight and sharp like the proverbial rays of the sun.
"She flies?!" repeated Kazuto from where he laid on the ground, staring upwards in shock…and a bit of jealousy.
"We can fly?!" mentally screamed Suguha, unable to believe what she had just done.
"Huh, look at that, we're flying…I honestly wasn't expecting that." confessed Sanrei, apparently as surprised by their new wings as her partner was. "And holy shit, girl…you destroyed his sword!"
"Le…Leafa-sama…?" mumbled Asuna while staring up at her in even more awe than before, the Last Hero now seeming like some sort of Sun Angel in her eyes.
"(Asuna-san…what kind of Hero would I be if I had abandoned you for my own sake?)" rhetorically asked the blonde girl with a relieved smile.
After all, if she had abandoned the girl she hadn't even known 15 minutes ago, how could she ever expect to survive long enough to find her dear brother?
But just as the young heiress seemed about to reply…a world-shattering scream of rage shook everything.
"HEROOOO!" roared Overlord Kirito as he shot through the air, having jumped with enough power to create shockwaves that destroyed the already brutalized forest even more, hand outstretched towards the floating pair. "You shall not…BEST ME!"
Doing what he hoped was his best interpretation of a villain unwilling to lose, the boy-turned-Overlord reached out towards them. As expected, Leafa's wings shot forward, moving herself and Asuna inches away from his grasp at the very last second, their gazes clashing in what he hoped looked enough like some hateful/surprised clash…
…and then raw lighting in the shape of some sort of demonic lightsaber emerged from his outstretched hand, aimed directly at the heroine's skull.
Suguha gasped. Kazuto's mind screamed. Asuna shouted.
With a movement that only being trained since a young age by Kirigaya Kaito allowed her to execute, the last pure Kirigaya almost broke her own neck by cranking it as back as she could in a single move, the Lighting Blade passing an inch before her nose…and cutting straight through her mask.
Split in half, the headgear all but exploded, shooting backward and, by chance, one of its pieces also destroying the Last Hero's hairpin.
Blinking, the blonde girl fell her hair fall down her back like a beautiful cascade of morning sun, her eyes (Now green with the transformation), staring unblocked into the world, shining with the grace of Amaterasu's power, granting her already 'pretty' face, by normal human standards, a beauty beyond that of any normal.
The other two teens present froze at the sight, time itself seeming to stop as three gazes crossed, two fixed on the last and thinking the same thing at the same time, though only the black-haired boy voiced it out loud.
"Beautiful…"
Then, the moment was over and Overlord Kirito kept flying upwards, out of control at lacking any real means to fly, leaving a blinking Leafa to wonder if she had actually heard THAT last part or if her already pounding head had just messed with her further.
The next instant, however, the Last Hero shook her head and, with a resolute expression, spread her wings to their utmost extreme, giving one last glance to the now falling form of her arch-nemesis before shooting the still awe-frozen Asuna an encouraging smile.
"(Hang on, Asuna-san…we're getting out of here!)"
And with a flash of sunlight, they were off, cutting through the air at impossible speeds and vanishing from view just as the Dark One's body hit the ground.
In the Netherworld, everything was a frantic blur of desperate activity and crazy worry, Kayaba quickly coming to the realization that he seemed to be the only one who hadn't lost it when the 'live feed' they were all seeing vanished into static the moment their Master hit the ground and Yui announced with clear worry that his helmet's signal had been lost.
"Overlord gone! Overlord gone!"
"We must find Overlord!"
"I-it can't be…our Master…"
"Ki-Kirito-sama has to be okay! The-there is no way something as si-simple as that could have beaten him!" shouted Keiko while trying to calm down the madness around them, but it was pretty obvious she was at the edge of a panic attack. "W-we need to send a team to find…!"
"Overlord…fine…" spoke a tired and familiar voice, making the entire group freeze and turn towards the center of the room, just in time to see the eldritch light of a teleporting vanish as a tired, back to normal and still armless Rubber-band half-dragged, half-helped Kazuto walk into the room, Not-Wolfy doing his best to also help despite the limitations of being a dog. "He…a bit shaken…though…"
The Minion's words were a bit of stating the obvious, though, as the young Overlord clearly had seen better days. His missing mantle aside, the once imposing armor he wore was filled with indentures and gashes from where his lost blade had exploded all over him, miraculously not having pierced all the way to his flesh. Also, his helmet was gone, revealing the tired face of the black-haired boy as he tried to recover his breath, dirt, and grime staining it a bit as he tried his best to keep standing.
"MY LORD!"
"KIRITO-SAMA!"
"You're alive…" sighed Kayaba with relief even as Gnarl and Keiko all but shot to Kazuto's side, the latter having much better luck helping him stand thanks to both being a human and the unnatural strength she still possessed.
"Minions, get him off the armor!" shouted the Hellspawn while his Master was helped to the throne by his mistress.
"And bring all the Blues available, fast!" ordered the young girl with equal authority, finally letting the black-haired boy sit in his Seat of Evil Power. "Don't worry, Kirito-sama! You will be fine in no time!"
"I-it's okay, Silica, I'm…more stunned than hurt, that's all." mumbled the young Overlord while Keiko cleaned his face with a surprisingly clean towel a Brown had just handed to her. "Note to self…trying to Super Jump to catch a flying enemy isn't a good strategy…also, Gnarl, is flying among my superpowers?"
"I…am afraid it probably isn't, my lord." lamented the Minion Master while looking at his lord with worry, idly approving of how his young mistress handed him a glass of water and put a worried hand on his head. "No previous Overlord has possessed such an ability (Even if I can't remember any of the 'Heroes' of this land doing so either), though a couple rode into battle atop evil flying creatures…all of which are extinct in modern times, I'm afraid."
"Ugh…well, nothing to do about tha…wait, 'the Heroes of this land'? Does that mean you have seen her kind before?" sharply questioned Kazuto as he looked towards his (Arguably) most loyal servant, suddenly seeming all imposing once again.
"Yes, my lord. Hundreds of years ago when we came to this land and fought our final crusade under our previous Overlord." explained Gnarl as several Browns finished helping their master out of the nigh-ruined armor. "Those most trusted by the 3 Major Gods of this country sometimes would receive a 'Spirit' that would grant them immense strength, skill, and power beyond that of any mortal. These so-called 'Heroes' were some of the major threats our armies faced, always leading other humans and all kind of magical beasts of Good, inspiring Hope and giving them strength in the belief that everything would get better Justice would triumph…ugh, it makes me sick just to remember it…"
"…are you telling us Amaterasu, Susanoo, and Tsukuyomi actually granted part of their powers to mortals back then?" asked Kayaba while trying to not grab his head in frustration again. "Okay, sure, why not? You already managed to convince me they actually existed, so this isn't that much of a stretch from that…"
"Putting Heathcliff's worries aside, the fact that you never mentioned this probably means none of them were supposed to be around anymore, right?" demanded the young Overlord with narrowed eyes. "Where did this 'Leafa' come from, then?"
"I'm not sure, my lord. As you said, no Hero should still be around. The Gods are dead, which means all Spirits should have vanished at most days after they perished…even if one was sealed like we were, it shouldn't have enough power to sustain itself…" muttered the Hellspawn while scratching his beard, frowning in deep thought. "Then again, this girl had an immense amount of power and skill, more so than most of those Heroes of old had, and all of them were grown men and woman while this one couldn't have been older than you…"
"So, a total unknown beyond expectations came out of nowhere to frustrate my evil plans and actually managed to get away with it? Ugh, this IS really starting to become some generic fantasy shonen plot." groaned Kazuto while lying back on his throne, sending a grateful look towards Keiko when she offered him his usual robes. "Thanks, Silica."
"No problem, Kirito-sama." smiled the young girl as she stepped aside, letting a couple Blues walk forward and, after being granted permission, healing the minor injuries their master had sustained. "A-and don't worry! That hussy will have no chance against you next time! You were totally winning until she pulled that Deus Ex Machina with the wings!"
"Guess I shouldn't have tempted Fate by going easy on her and showing off my power, then, I was just asking for it." wryly smiled the young Overlord before glancing at the half-destroyed handle he still had on his hands. "I also left my armor a mess and lost my sword…"
"Luckily for you, we still have more than enough spare evil armors for you to don, my Overlord." revealed the Minion Master before giving the ruined blade's remains a grimace. "As for your sword, though…I'm afraid you will have to use another kind of weapon next time. Most of the Overlord's greatest weapons were lost during the final battle, and our blacksmith died during that time too, so unless we get a new one…"
"Fantastic. And all I have trained myself in so far was swords because all the other weapons felt awkward in my grip." mumbled the black-haired boy before sighing again. "And I seriously doubt we're going to conveniently meet some modern-day genius blacksmith willing to work for the Evil Overlord…no, wait a minute. With my luck lately, that could actually happen for real…"
"S-still, such thoughts aside, you should be happy right now, my lord!" quickly assured Gnarl with a serious look. "Sure, the operation may have failed, but you managed to deal and show your superiority to an unexpected and powerful enemy! For your first real battle against someone beyond your average pathetic modern human, you were without a doubt the one to walk away better! And you have seen how she's no threat to you, like Silica-sama said!"
"Thanks, Gnarl, I like to think that way too." replied Kazuto while looking deep in thought. "Still, that Leafa girl…why did she feel so…familiar?"
If anyone had asked the young Overlord if there was any other reason why he was so focused in recalling the visage of the mysterious heroine's beautiful face with her hair down and free of her ponytail, he would have fervently denied so. And as there was no one who could deny his authority down there…
"Well…I'm just glad this madness is over for now." sighed Kayaba while shaking his head. "This isn't something my area of expertise can help us with too much…or at all."
"Actually, Heathcliff-san, that's where you're wrong." revealed Yui as her projected image manifested near the throne, bowing slightly towards her Overlord as she did so. "Cardinal recorded the entire fight through the techno-magical feed we were receiving from Kirito-sama's helmet, and it's now reproducing all the information gathered in a virtual simulation. Analysis and accuracy of this new enemy should allow for it to be easily reproduced with a 96,78% of accuracy."
"That's…great news, actually." muttered the scientist with surprise, shocked about how amazingly useful that would actually be for them, moral implications be damned. "Anything else?"
"Yes, actually. After a striking number of 89 failures…experiment Absolute FullDive was a success." revealed the virtual little girl before moving to the side, showing yet another techno-magical projection, this one of a Brown looking weirdly at the beautiful forest he was in, before angrily starting to punch down the trees, only getting several 'Immortal Object' screens as a reward."
"Wait…are you telling us…?" started Kazuto with clear interest.
"Yes. Cardinal narrowed down all the exact conditions and results of the successful experiment and calibrated the Deep-Scan machine for perfect reproduction." proudly explained the former MHCP, which should have been completely against her programming given the amount of lives lost to achieve such a thing (Though given they were Minions' lives instead of human ones…). "As of right now, we're fully capable of 'virtualizing' living beings."
"Hmm…I'm sure we can find some very interesting uses for such technology." commented Gnarl with a critical eye while staring at the minion uselessly trying to destroy the virtual forest. "Be sure to train and make that idiotic Brown as accustomed to living in your world as you can, Yui."
"As you command, Gnarl-sama." nodded Yui before taking on a thoughtful expression. "Oh, also, you got 3 emails on the Recruitment Page you created, but it was started to get unwanted attention so I took it down and erased all traces of it. Sorry."
"Oh, don't be, young one! This is actually great news! I wasn't honestly expecting more than one person to even answer…"
"Wait, wait, 'Recruitment Page'?" demanded the young Overlord while feeling another headache coming. "Gnarl…what did you do?"
"That's what Gnarl-sensei has been asking me for help with at using the Internet lately, Kirito-sama!" happily revealed Keiko while beaming at her master. "He created a page to recruit people that wish to serve your Evil cause!"
"…what." blandly stated the black-haired boy, unable to believe what he had just heard.
"Indeed, my lord! It's a brilliant plan, if I'm allowed to say so myself!" basted the Hellspawn while turning around, even as another projection appeared. "Behold!"
The 'thing to behold' was nothing but what seemed like the classical annoying announcement you would see in any web page…only this one had a background of the Netherworld Tower hanging over its homely lava pit and of Gnarl at the front of the image, grinning evilly while giving a thumbs up towards the screen. In bold and color-changing characters, the next message could be read just beside the Minion Master's form:
'Bored with your current life? Tired of being a good guy? Then come join the Evil Forces at the service of Overlord Kirito and help us conquer the country! You will get the Power to stand against everything in the World and never fear anything again!'
"…oh my fucking God." summarized Kayaba what his master was thinking, double-facepalming in frustration.
"After that, we created a simple page at which one could send a message with by putting one of those 'email addresses' as contact…and then we protected it Internet's personal form of ultimate evil!" declared Gnarl with a sinister chuckle
"…I'm almost dreading to ask, but…what is that, Gnarl?"
Surprisingly, it was Keiko who answered Kazuto's tired-sounding question.
"Ads, Kirito-sama!"
"…ads?" mumbled the young Overlord with wide eyes while the present creator of SAO sank to his knees.
"Why yes, my Overlord! Ads! All of them annoying, all of them appearing when one less wants them to, most of them being nothing but lies and others even containing damaging viruses for the user's computers or redirecting to sites that have nothing to do with what they had written!" proclaimed the Hellspawn with a tone that almost sounded like admiration. "Truly, the most widespread modern form of Evil on the Internet!"
"Believe it or not, from an objective point of view, Gnarl-sama's statements are actually right." added Yui while showing off several graphics supporting the Minion Master's words.
"Yes! That's why we had cardinal put like a hundred Ads over the page! That way, only those who truly wanted to work with us in your evil cause would get to join, Kirito-sama!" looking proud of her plan in Gnarl's plan, the young mistress finished the explanation with a wide smile.
"…Gnarl, Silica, while I, ehm…appreciate your 'enthusiasm' in trying to find people who sympathize without cause, I don't really think this is going to work…" carefully replied the black-haired boy while trying to sound as neutral as possible.
Mainly to not scream that only crazy desperate, slightly insane or extremely bored people would actually get through such 'ordeal' to fill something they probably thought was nothing but a scam in the first place.
"Well, we did get at least 3 answers, my lord, so I think that counts for something, right?" reminded Gnarl before turning towards the present virtual resident beside them. "Yui, if you would please show those onscreen so that we may see them?"
"Already done, Gnarl-sama." answered Yui before 3 separate bodies of text appeared onscreen.
With a strange mix of dread and anxiety, Kazuto, together with the others in the room that cared, proceeded to read them.
0000
-Man, this sounds like fun! Honestly, I'm so bored with my work lately that I wouldn't mind some crazy excitement in my life for s change…wait, this isn't a scam, right?-
Anonymous 1
0000
-…can you really give me power to overcome any fear?-
Anonymous 2
0000
-Heheheh, why not? I have sometimes fancied myself as some evil 'villain'. It truly sounds like it would be FUN.-
Anonymous 3
0000
Raising an eyebrow, the young Overlord looked at the 3 short messages once again.
The first one sounded like that of someone who really didn't know what to do with their lives. The second from someone either really desperate or willing to do anything to overcome something. And the last one seemed to come from someone with quite the skewed moral code, not to mention the extra-creepiness that the last word being written in English seemed to evoke.
Meaning, for the boy that spent most of his recent life as the heir of Absolute Evil and lived underground with Minions and arguably insane people, they sounded quite alright.
"Hmmm…they sound like they could have potential, but it would be better if we got more info on them first…" muttered Keiko while looking over the messages again.
"…Cardinal? Could you please…?"
"Cardinal already localized and identified the senders through IP hacking and hijacking of a few cameras. Luckily, 2 of them were careless enough to do so from personal computers, while the last one only took a few minutes more to find, Overlord-sama." immediately answered Yui before showing three profiles with endless data, pictures and even links to quite sensitive and private information. "As something worth mentioning, two of them are SAO Survivors, while the other has a…troubled past, so to speak, which could explain the nature of her message and her willingness to at least try and see if the page was actually legitimate."
"…well, look at that." muttered Kazuto while looking over the three profiles. "We may be on to something here…and human help would actually be quite efficient, especially if things are going to keep escalating with that 'Hero' showing up. After all, Minions may be more useful and disposable, but they can't hide in plain sight…"
Also, more sane people around could help him try and keep his every-second-crazier situation under control, especially with recent events having made it even more complicated.
Idly, the young Overlord felt his hand twitch, cursing the fact that he couldn't act Gnarl about why his powers had seemingly acted with their own will and tried to kill Leafa during the end of their fight. Not without revealing he hadn't actually been trying to kill the mysterious heroine, at least, something that probably would raise too many suspicions.
Setting the fact that his Evil Powers may hate those of the beautiful Last Hero, or that the profiles he was seeing didn't exactly paint those 3 as the best examples of average sane people, aside, the black-haired boy decided that it couldn't hurt to give this a try, and so ordered Cardinal to choose a Meeting Place and sent an email to their possible recruits.
After all, what was the worst that could happen?
On Its Throne above Everything…[FATE] didn't even bother looking.
It was just so easy it bored It.
"I don't want excuses, you hear me?! I want my daughter found as fast as possible! I will have words with your superiors if it's not done in the next thirty minutes!"
With that last shout, Yuuki Kyouko ended the call she had been making, cursing the fact that she couldn't really use the cliché 'slam down the phone' to fully express her outrage with a modern mobile.
"…still nothing?" asked the woman's husband while looking out of one of the mansion's windows, grimacing at the sight of the reporters, curious people and other similar ones standing outside their home's walls, his son and most of their bodyguards trying to get them to leave already, threatening to call the police if they didn't.
Vultures, all of them.
"Nothing." growled his wife before letting herself fall on a chair, her hand sinking on her hands. "Shouzou…I'm scared. The pictures, the videos, everything…it was easy to claim it was nothing but a big fraud when it had nothing to do with us, but now…"
"I know, Kyouko. I know." grimly replied the man while sighing and looking down, his fists closed so painfully tight it was a surprise his nails hadn't dug into his flesh already. "Asuna…if this Overlord has done anything to our daughter, then I swear that, real or not, I won't rest until he is…!"
"Kyaaa!"
"Wha-what is that?!"
"Holy…! Are you filming this?!"
The sudden cacophony of shouts and awed exclamations snapped both Yuuki parents out of their dark thoughts, the married couple exchanging a glance before they both sprinted out of their mansion, only to be greeted by an impossible yet amazing sight.
Yuuki Kouichirou, the oldest son of the Yuuki family, blinked several times with his mouth open as he stared upwards, the bodyguards around him with hands on their weapons but unable to draw them as they also stared at the descending angel.
Carrying a safe and sound Yuuki Asuna in her arms, the Hero Leafa, mask and ponytail back on, descended on the grounds of Yuuki Manor with an otherworldly glory, ignoring the press and gaping onlookers behind her as she helped the beaming heiress to her feet, her sunlight wings proudly displayed around both of them as she looked towards the young man before her.
"(Your sister is safe, mister Yuuki.)"
"A…Asuna!" all but shouted Kouichirou while rushing towards his little sister who, after a hesitant look to her savior, did the same, meeting her brother in a hug.
"Nii-sama…I'm home…" softly cried Asuna with a happy smile, before her eyes opened in shock as she felt two more people joining the group-embrace. "Mo-mother? Father?"
"Asuna…thank heavens you're safe…!" muttered Kyouko while forgetting all the people watching or taking pictures, caring for nothing but seeing her daughter safe again.
"This…this is a miracle. We were…we were so scared…" all but sobbed Shouzou before finally letting go of his family, his gaze moving towards the otherworldly winged figure staring at them with a warm smile.
Suguha, for her part, resisted the urge of also crying happily at the sight of the reunited family.
Would she one day also be in a similar situation with her missing adopted brother? The strange heroine seriously hoped so.
"All in a Hero's day of work." boasted Sanrei from within their shared mind.
"(The Overlord tried to take her, but there was no way I could allow such a thing.)" finally spoke the blonde girl, getting everyone's attention fully back on her. "(It wasn't easy, but I'm just glad she's safe and back with her family.)"
"What…who are you, young girl?" asked the patriarch of the Yuuki family with wonder.
"(I'm called Leafa, the Last Hero of this land.)" declared Suguha while raising a hand to the side, all the Divine will of the Sun filling her words and figure with Hope and Justice that inspired all human's hearts watching her. "(And as long as I draw breath, no innocent shall fall victim of the Overlord!)"
"Leafa-sama saved me, mom, dad, Onii-sama!" excitedly revealed Asuna while looking from her family to the Last Hero. "I…I saw him, Overlord Kirito! He was there, he was even more terrifying than I imagined…but, when all seemed lost, she came to my rescue! No matter how outclassed she seemed to be and how horribly powerful he was, she still fought him and saved me!"
"(A-as I already told you, Asuna-san, it was my duty to do so.)" bashfully replied the strange heroine while resisting the urge of scratching the back of her head, not really knowing how to react to the unashamed and completely honest praise.
"You probably saved our daughter's life…" muttered Kyouko while standing tall and looking at the blonde girl's mask straight on. "How…how can we repay…?"
"(No reward is needed, Miss Yuuki. The joy a family reunited again is more than enough for me.)" there was no one in the crowd, or that later saw any of the countless recordings of the scene, that could doubt the sincerity on the Last Hero's lines, no matter how cheesy or cheap-comic-hero they sounded. "(Just…take care of each other, okay? Family is very important and…something that nothing in this world can replace.)"
With those words said, Suguha closed her eyes, lost in happier memories spent with Kazuto during their childhood. A soft smile blossomed on her face as her wings came alive, the heroine's feet leaving the ground slowly as more pictures were taken and awed sounds echoed once more.
"Wa-wait, Leafa-sama!" called out Asuna while leaving her family's side and standing just under where her savior was starting to fly away. "Wi…will I ever see you again?"
"(…who knows? But, always be sure of one thing, Asuna-san.)" as she spoke, Leafa recreated her sunlight blade, dramatically pointing it towards the setting sun while smiling down at the chestnut-haired girl. "(As long as the Sun rises every morning…nor you nor anyone else will have to fear the Overlord! This, I swear!)"
And with that declaration, the heroine vanished in a blur of sunlight, flying away faster than human eyes could follow, seeming in the direction of the sun she had so fondly spoken of.
All the while, Yuuki Asuna kept watching in her direction, a smile and a soft blush on her face as she did so.
"Thanks again…Leafa-sama…"
Less than 10 minutes later…Kirigaya Suguha entered her home through the backdoor, groaning as she collapsed on her living room's couch, her body feeling like one giant bruise even if no wounds were apparent on her person.
"Well…I got to say, that went much better than what we were expecting!" cheerfully commented Sanrei to her annoyed partner, who sent her a mental glare in answer.
"We got the shit beaten out of us, didn't get mortally wounded by miracle AND confirmed that, effectively, we stand no chance against the Overlord." deadpanned the young kendoka while resisting the urge of punching herself to see if she could hurt her annoying Spirit by doing so. "How the hell, pray tell, was any of that good?!"
"Well, given that we were highly expecting to die several times during said battle, that's already something, right? Also, you destroyed the Overlord's blade and saved the damsel in distress! I don't know about you, but I would count that as a massive victory compared to how we thought things were going to be!" explained the Sun Goddess' servant with a somewhat proud tone, a smile appearing on the unwilling heroine's face at remembering the visage of the reunited Yuuki family. "Also, it let me have a grasp of this new Overlord's power and abilities, which let me learn something important!"
"Besides how he overpowers us so much is absurdly unfair, you mean?" grumbled Suguha with a grimacing look on her face.
It had completely been a 'Barely-started Hero vs. Final Villain from Shonen'-situation back there…but in real life. Completely hopeless and one-sided against her.
"Yes, besides that! And is that, while he knows how to fight and use his powers…your own skill totally surpasses his!" revealed the Sun Spirit with apparent determination. "If we manage to close the gap of power between you before he becomes more powerful, you can totally win this!"
"Oh, just that? Man, I'm totally relieved now!" 'happily' answered the young kendoka, the sarcasm in her voice so thick it would have made anyone in the room choke. "And how, pray tell, do you expect me to suddenly become stronger than someone able to move faster than I do with superpowers, apparently stronger than an army of elephants and able to burn a forest down using Hellfire with a wave of his hand?!"
"By drawing all the power of the Three Gods that was embedded within me, of course. So far, you have only been using my own enhanced Sun powers by the 'change' I suffered, nothing more. To draw everything else, I fear that there is no more time to waste in your training…we shall recover the 3 Treasures right away!"
"You know, you have mentioned those 'treasures' many times now, but always refused to clarify on them when I ask you." mumbled the unwilling heroine while sitting up. "What exactly are those anyway?"
"Oh…are you telling me you haven't realized yet? That's a surprise, given they're probably the most iconic items of your country's culture still around…" revealed Sanrei with clear surprise while Suguha blinked, a strange feeling of dread and realization starting to fill her. "Perhaps you would know them better by their other name, though…Do 'The Imperial Regalia of Japan' ring any bells?"
"Wa-wait a minute…are you telling me…all this time you have been talking…about the Three Sacred Treasures of Japan?" muttered the pale kendoka while shaking in place.
"Yup! The legendary sword, Kusanagi no Tsurugi! The peerless shield/mirror, Yata no Kagami! And the most beautiful jewel, Yasakani no Magatama! The treasures which represent the three primary virtues: Valor (The sword), Wisdom (The mirror), and Benevolence (The jewel), gifted to Japan's royalty by the Gods in ancient times!" proudly declared the servant of Amaterasu with apparent joy, even as his partner choked on air. "To defeat the Overlord and save the world, we must stea…ehem, I mean, rightfully recover these relics! Let's do our best, partner!"
That night on Kawagoe, many people could have sworn they heard a young girl crying in absolute frustration.
Author's Notes: And so, a Heroine's Quest to steal the greatest treasures of her country and use them to save the world of the Overlord begins. Joy, eh :P?
I gotta confess, something I had the most fun with while writing this chapter was imagining the mutated minions doing Jojo-poses. I laughed at my own craziness for several minutes XD
And well, the clash happened! Good and Evil now 'know' each other, without realizing they already kind of do…that totally isn't going to end badly OwO And while the Heroine has made herself known and gained an 'admirer', the Overlord is ready to recruit more poor…ehem, I mean, lucky people to join his cause! Did you guess who they are by those emails :3? If not, wait for it, next chapter should be fun as they're dragged into the madness and try to work together with our Evilness :P
That said, hope you all had fun reading this chapter! Next, I'm going back to work on OPG; hopefully I can advance the next chapter somewhat before I'm back to classes and my field practices start XP
Till next time, this is Saint, signing off!