Sword Art Online Alicization Alternative: War of Underworld

by OathkeeperRoxasXNamine09

Slight diverge of the Alicization Arc. Alice and Eugeo, Kirito's comrades have went through a tough battle. Together with the others of the Human Empire, they must protect the world Kirito saved. Follows Episode 23-24 (Vol 14) and War of Underworld Sub arc (Vol 15-18). Kirito x Asuna, Alice S30 x Eugeo. Will switch to M for the remainder of the story

5. Dark Territory

Sword Art Online Alicization Alternative: War of Underworld

Chapter 4: Dark Territory

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Michael: Like episode 3 where we learned how it all came to be the attack, we dive into Gabriel's past so I will like the episode, going back to the beginning of Novel 15 and then back to the present. So forgive me for the shift from the past to the present, this is based on the episode's flow the most.

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What is the human soul? What is the taste of the human soul? The man who was picked for the collection of Alice's fluctlight, her soul. The human soul, mysterious and fragile. Fragile, like the girl he killed in GGO, watching her struggle, his last words to her before choking the life out of her.

"Your soul… will be so sweet…"

He slowly raised his eyelids. It seemed he had fallen asleep unaware. The Feel of Italian sofa he brought in last week was apparently too soft. With his body still engulfed in the supple leather, he glanced at the smartwatch on his left wrist. Morning, two-twelve. Getting up, he gently straightened up his back while walking closer to the glass wall in the south. As its entire surface was switchable glass and presently transparent, it permitted an unbroken view of the waterfront from this executive room on the forty-third floor. The harbor quietly glittered in the illumination from the neighboring skyscrapers. Numerous large ships were moored at the long wharf.

These intimidating silhouettes with their sharp edges were not of luxurious cruisers. They were the warships of the Third Fleet under the United States Pacific Fleet. San Diego, California's second city, had long been its base. The economy circled the gigantic naval base where over twenty-five thousand affiliated to the military resided. However, new industry sectors experienced a boom in recent years. High-tech industries dealing with information, communication, biotechnology, and such.

And there were those corporations who fused military affairs with high technology as well. Primarily entrusted with security services and training by the military, large companies, and other related sectors, these so-called private military companies even deploy manpower to fight directly on the front lines.

Gabriel Miller, the chief technology officer of Glowgen Defense Systems that had its headquarters in Downtown San Diego, gazed down upon the port's night view and revealed an unconscious smile.

The dream he saw in his short nap earlier was invigorating, however slight. A dream of a full-dive game's event that he had participated in days ago in this executive room. Gabriel rarely dreamed, but whenever he did, it would be a detailed recount of some scene in his past. The exhilarating sensations of that light blue-haired sniper's desperate struggle remained in his arms. As if it was no dream, but reality… No, that was off. That battle happened not in reality, but the virtual world.

Full-dive technology was a marvelous invention. Praise to its inventor, Akihiko Kayaba. He would have been headhunted if he was still alive, even if it took millions of dollars. Even if he was the worst criminal of the century, no, precisely because he was such a person. However, while the experiences brought about by the AmuSphere became increasingly lifelike, the inadequacy felt from the realization that they were fake became all that stronger. Like how one's thirst could not be satiated with salt water, no matter how much one drank. As the youngest among Glowgen DS's staff and a major stockholder, Gabriel led his life without worries over his material needs. However, money could not fulfill that craving he held deep in his heart.

"…Your soul will be so sweet…"

He voiced out the words uttered in his dreams once more. He wanted to whisper that in Japanese which he had been studying since three years ago. But they must have thought him American with that US tag on his HP bar and he had to avoid leaving them an impression stronger than necessary. There would be opportunities to speak at length eventually. He would leave his many questions for then. Wiping off the faint smile that emerged on his lips without his notice, Gabriel touched the various touch sensors embedded in the window and increased its opacity. Upon which the darkened glass projected himself. His loose, blonde hair was swept back, with his eyes blue. He's 6 feet, a 1-inch body was covered by a white dress shirt and dark grey slacks. His shoes were cordovan, custom-made. It was almost the very image of the white establishment, embarrassingly enough, but Gabriel saw no more reason for his appearance than a means for others to identify him. At the end of the day, the flesh is nothing more than a hull for the soul.

The soul.

Almost all religions adopted some notion of the soul. Of course, Christianity advocated that the soul would be sent to heaven or hell upon death dependent on one's actions in life. However, it was neither due to Protestantism or Catholicism that Gabriel believed in the existence of the soul and sought it out. It was a fact. One personally witnessed, visually. That cluster of light, beautiful beyond comparison, soaring from the girl's forehead the moment she met her demise in his arms.

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Gabriel Miller was born in the district of Pacific Palisades in the suburbs of Los Angeles, California, in March 1998.

He had no siblings and he grew up engulfed in love from his affluent parents, both emotionally and financially. The mansion he lived in was grand and there was no end to his playgrounds, but what the young Gabriel loved most was his father's collection storage. His father, the owner, and manager of Glowgen Securities, the predecessor of Glowgen Defense Systems, had the hobby of collecting insect specimens and countless glass cases lined the vast storage. Gabriel would seclude himself in there when he found time, viewing the multicolored insects with a magnifying glass in a hand and immersing himself in absentminded fantasies as he sat on the sofa in the middle of the room.

Curious, deep emotions assailed the young Gabriel at times when he was alone in that dim room with its high ceiling, surrounded by tens of thousands of mute insects. Every one of these insects lived up until a certain moment. In the grasslands of Africa, the deserts of the Middle East, the jungles of South America, they energetically made their nests and hunted for food. However, they were caught by a harvester at some point, treated with chemicals, and exchanged hands numerous times through commerce before neatly arranged in these glass cases at the Millers. In other words, while this room was a collection room of insect specimens, it was also a gigantic cemetery filled with tens of thousands of massacred corpses…

Gabriel lowered his eyelids and imagined what would happen if the insects around suddenly came back to life. Their six legs would desperately scrape the air, their haptic perception and wings quivering. The myriad buzzes overlapping and surging towards Gabriel as parched ripples.

Buzz, buzz.

His eyelids flashed open. The legs of the green rhinoceros beetle fixed in the corner of the case before he seemed to move; he leaped off the sofa. He rushed over to the case, absorbed in the sight, but the insect was a lifeless specimen once more by the time he reached. Its carapace, legs with sharp thorns growing over them, and compound eyes that resembled a minuscule mesh were emerald green and as glossy as metal. Gabriel pondered on exactly what once powered that delicate body, granting it mobility. His father told him that insects lacked a brain like that of humans. He asked, how did they think then, and his father showed him a certain video.

It captured praying mantises in the act of mating. The small male had held down the plump female from her back, their reproductive organs joined. The female remained motionless for a moment, but then abruptly grasped the male's upper body with her two scythes, crunched down on his head, and began feeding without any prior warning. The male persisted in his mating even while Gabriel watched on in shock, finally withdrawing his reproductive organ once his head had been utterly devoured. The female then shook her scythes and fled at once, as fast as she could.

Despite the complete lack of its head, the male praying mantis walked along the grass blade, up a branch, and mechanically continued its escape. His father spoke while pointing at the clip. The nerves spread over the entire bodies of insects, including praying mantises, served a purpose similar to a brain. Hence, they could live for some time even after they lost their head which was no more than a sensory organ.

Gabriel spent several days after he watched that video wondering exactly where praying mantises had their souls then. If they could live on even with their heads eaten, losing all of their legs should be of no particular issue. Then perhaps their abdomen? Or their chest? But even with their soft abdomen crushed or their chests pierced through by a pin, insects would continue struggling for a time, their legs squirming vigorously. If they did not die immediately no matter which part of their body they lost, could it be that the praying mantis's soul was faintly spread out through its entire body? Eight or nine years old then, Gabriel concluded so after numerous experiments conducted on the insects he caught around his home.

The soul, that mysterious power that moved these partially mechanical beings known as insects, stubbornly remained within them no matter which part of their body was demolished. But it would consider it a lost cause and surrender after a certain point, deserting its vessel. Gabriel fervently desired to see that fleeing soul and to capture it if possible. However, he couldn't even see that something was slipping out from the insects' bodies, let alone capture it, no matter how hard he stared into the magnifying glass, no matter how carefully he carried out his experiments. His modest wish showed no results even after spending much time and zeal in the secret laboratory he made deep in the dense forest behind his mansion.

The young Gabriel instinctively knew his wish would not be agreeable to his parents. That was why he made no further questions in a similar vein to his father after that one praying mantis incident and made sure to divulge nothing about his experiments. But his desires seemed to heighten with his attempts to keep them under wrap. Gabriel had a friend of the same age with whom he was on extremely good terms back then. The girl was named Alicia Clingerman and the only daughter of the entrepreneurs living in the mansion erected on the adjacent plot of land. They attended the same elementary school and got along well, as did their families. She was shy and obedient, preferring to read books or watch videos at home than to play until muddy outside.

Naturally, Gabriel hid his secret experiments from Alicia and spoke nothing of insects and souls. Nevertheless, he couldn't stop thinking about it. Gabriel's imagination pondered, time after time, where Alicia's soul could be as he quietly peered into her face from the side while she smiled like an angel, absorbed in reading her novels. Insects were different from humans. Humans could not live without their heads. Thus, a human's soul should be in their head… in their brain.

But Gabriel had already learned that brain damage did not lead directly to the loss of life via the internet on his father's computer. There was a construction laborer who survived with a thick iron pipe piercing in from the chin and out the head; there was a doctor who tried to cure mental illness by ablating a portion of a patient's brain. So, was it somewhere in the brain? Gabriel wondered so as he looked at Alicia's brow, fringed by her fluffy blonde hair. Alicia's soul lay hidden beyond that smooth skin, beyond that hard skull, and even those soft brain tissues.

He would definitely end up marrying Alicia, or so Gabriel childishly envisioned. Then he might get the chance to see Alicia's soul with his own eyes one day. Words couldn't possibly describe how beautiful the soul of the angelic Alicia was. Half of Gabriel's wish was granted, sooner than he ever expected. In September 2008, widespread bank failures pulled the trigger to the Global Financial Crisis.

The waves of recession swallowed even Pacific Palisades in the suburbs of Los Angeles. A great number of stately mansions were offered for sale and the number of high-class automobiles driving down the streets visibly fell. It was fortunate Glowgen Securities had solid administration and managed to restrain the effects to a minimum, but the corporation managed by the neighbors, the Klingermans, fell under heavy debt as their investments were in real estate. With their fortunes, including the mansion, gone by April the next year, they decided to depend on their kin who worked in agriculture and move to Kansas City far in the Midwest. It saddened Gabriel. Intelligent beyond his years as a child aged ten, he understood he could not help Alicia as a ten-year-old child and could clearly imagine what severe circumstances she would face from now on.

A mansion guarded by flawless security, a skilled cook to prepare each day's meals, and a school filled with affluent white children; these privileges would vanish from Alicia's life forever, replaced by poverty and manual labor. And what Gabriel couldn't stand most, was how Alicia's soul, which should have been his one day, would be hurt by some unknown person and lose its brilliance.

So, he thought of killing her.

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October 30th, year 380, in the Dark Territory Obsidia Palace. Under the identity of Emperor Vector, Gabriel Miller, dominating the Throne Room, surveyed the artificial Fluctlights prostrated on the ground with a hint of awe. They were all photon information sealed in Light Cubes with each edge two inches long. Even so, in this world, they were true humans with intellect and souls. As expected, however, out of the ten in a line at the very front, half of them were strange-looking monsters.

The ten generals who were called Feudal Lords and the Knights and Sorcerers who trailed behind them, and the garrisoned army of 50,000 outside the city, were all [Units] given to Gabriel. From now on, he must appropriately utilize these pawns to annihilate the defenses of the Human World and capture Alice. But, unlike real-time strategy games in the real world, these Units were not freely controllable with a mouse and keyboard. They must be led and ordered with the presence and spoken word.

Gabriel rose wordlessly from the throne, took a few steps forward, and turned to look into a mirror hung on the wall. What reflected was himself, wearing a look that was in slightly bad taste. Only the shape of his face and his extremely light brown hair were the same as Gabriel's look in the real world. But, a black metal crown encrusted with a crimson crystal rested on his head; on top of a black suede undershirt and pants, he wore a luxurious midnight fur gown. A rapier gleaming with a dreamy phosphorescence hung from his waist, and his boots and gloves were weaved with silver embroidery. On his back, he wore a blood-red long cape.

Turning his eyes to the right, a step below the throne, he saw a Knight with both hands behind his head, frantically looking around. Inside a suit of armor gleaming deep purple like a gemstone was Vassago Cazares, who had logged in at the same time as Gabriel. Although he had already been told not to speak without restraint before the situation was under control, he still resisted expressing his impression with slangs with a difficult expression, clanking around in his shoes. Gabriel shook his head slightly and pulled his eyes back to himself in the mirror.

He was used to tailor-made suits, so this attire felt very uncomfortable anyway. But, in this Underworld, Gabriel was not the CTO of a private military company. He was the emperor who ruled the boundless Dark Territory. Also, he was a god. Gabriel closed his eyes, took a slow, deep breath, and exhaled. Somewhere in his consciousness, the role he was playing was switched from the [Tough Commander] to a [Merciless Emperor] with a click.

Opening his eyes again, as he turned, tossing back his crimson cape, Gabriel — Vector, the God of Darkness, glared at the ten Generals and said with an absolutely inhuman tone that resounded in the Throne Room, "Lift your heads and report your names. You go first."

The kneeling middle-aged man at the left of the frontmost line jerked up with an unexpectedly quick motion and reported his name in fluent Japanese, "Y, y-yes, Your Majesty! I am Lengil Gira Scobo, head of the Commerce and Industry Guild!"

Besides the man who lowered his head and prostrated again, an enormous figure as large as a small mountain began to move. On the body of a Demihuman that stood nearly 12 feet tall, glossy black chains were hung in a cross, with the skins of some wild beast wrapped around its waist. Vigorously raising its face along with its weirdly long nose, the Demihuman introduced itself with a deep voice, so low that it sounded like the ground was shaking, "Elder of the Giants, Sigrosig."

While Gabriel was having difficulty in swallowing the fact that this monster had intelligence and a soul, the third man let out an annoying, hoarse sound, "Leader of the Assassin Guild… Fer Za…"

When compared to the Giant, the figure in a hooded robe was so skinny that it seemed insubstantial; its age cannot be determined, let alone its gender.

Although Gabriel wanted for a split second to order it to raise its head so he could see its face, he considered that Assassins must have some rule that forbids them to expose their appearances, so he put that aside and turned towards the next general. Then, with great effort, he managed to hold back a frown. The existence that was the absolute embodiment of "ugly" sat motionlessly in front of him. It was unable to kneel as its legs were too short. A chubby, rotund stomach filled with fat gave off an oily luster; on a neck that was combined with shoulders dangled skulls of small animals.

The head-on top looked 70% pig and 30% human. With a protruding, flat nose, and a mouth with visible teeth, only its small, beady eyes flashed with human intellect, making this even more disturbing, "Elder of the Orcs, Rilpirin."

Hearing this high and sharp voice, Gabriel immediately wondered whether it was male or female, but instantly abandoned this thought. Since it was an Orc, it would definitely be a low-level Unit in the army. Just something disposable. Then, what could be described as a boy raised his head and energetically saluted. His reddish-golden hair was curled, and he wore only a leather belt on his sun-tanned copper-colored upper body. Putting skintight leather pants and sandals on the lower body, and both hands clad in punching gloves decorated with metallic square nails, "Tenth Generation Champion of the Fighter's Guild, Iskhan!"

Gabriel looked at the youngster who shouted full of energy and thought for a moment. A fist-fighter is a boxer, isn't he? A soldier for empty-handed combat? As he was thinking, there suddenly came the "grrrr" moan of a beast.

The one who suddenly raised its head was a Demihuman who was not as tall and muscular as a giant but possessed a body far from that of a human. Its upper body was nearly completely covered with long hairs. Judging by its completely beast-like head, those hairs weren't clothing, but its own fur. It looked a lot like a wolf. A protruding snout, saw-like teeth, and triangular ears. An incoherent noise leaked from its mouth, from which hung a long tongue, "Gurr… Elder… of the Ogres… Furgur…. Rrr…"

Although Gabriel didn't know whether that was a name or mere mumbling, he nodded slightly and looked towards the next position. Just then came an earsplitting shrill squeak, "I am Hagasi, Elder of the Mountain Goblins! Your Majesty, please grant our brave race the honorable position of the vanguard!"

The owner of the voice was a short Demihuman with a monkey-like bald head with two thin, long, protruding ears. No matter if it was my height or muscle mass, it was far, far off from the Giant, Orc, Ogre, or even Human who had previously reported their names. According to the explanation that Critter had provided before they Dived in, in this Dark Territory, there was only one rule. That was, [power dominates all]. If so, what power did the Goblins have to be promoted to a position comparable to other races while they seemed weak no matter how he looked at it?

No matter what, although it was the lowest-level Unit, lower even than Orcs, Gabriel looked at the Mountain Goblin's face with slight interest, and nodded lightly to himself as a sign of successfully answering his own question: it was because of the extreme, intense lust swirling in the Mountain Goblin's small eyes. Just as the Elder of the Mountain Goblin finished his sentence, the Demihuman besides him who differed only in skin color shrieked in the same way, "That's ridiculous! Compared to those guys, we'll serve Your Majesty ten times more effectively! I am the Elder of the Plains Goblins, Kuberi!"

"What the hell are you saying, you slug-eater? Has your brain swelled up because of the wet mud!?"

"You're the one who dried up your noodles in the sun!"

In front of the two cursings shrilly at each other. Pachi! Blue sparks flew forth as the Goblin leaders jumped out of the way, shrieking, "You two are in the presence of His Majesty the Emperor!" With a flirtatious voice, a young female wrapped in clothing that exposed much of her skin retracted her raised right hand. The sparks faded away as soon as she rubbed her thumb on her index finger, as though igniting a lighter flame. She slowly stood up, bowed as though she was flaunting her full body and coquettish looks, and saluted exaggeratedly. To Gabriel's right, Vassago whistled softly, as if he couldn't help it.

Her mocha-colored skin gleamed as if it had been brushed with oil; her chest and waist were covered only with enamel leather. Her boots were needle-like high-heeled boots. On her back hung a fur mantle shining black and silver. Long platinum blonde hair hung below her waist. Her eye-shadow and lipstick were the color of the water; seductively narrowing her light blue eyes brighter than her makeup, the woman reported her name, "Leader of the Dark Sorcerer Guild, D.I.L. I have 3,000 Sorcerers under my command, and my body and soul all belong to Your Majesty."

To these flirtatious movements and tempting voices, Gabriel, who had never been controlled by sexual desire, merely nodded. The Witch called D blinked a few times, as though she wanted to say something else, but only saluted and kneeled again. A wise decision, Gabriel thought and turned his eyes onto the last general Unit. The silently genuflecting figure here was a Human, but a middle-aged man of surprising size.

His full-body black armor had innumerable scratches on it but still shone with a blurred glow. On the bowed face, there were visible light scars on his forehead and the bridge of his nose as well. Without lifting his face, a slightly rough baritone came out of the bowed man's mouth, "Dark Knight Commander Vixur ul Shasta. Before devoting my sword… I wish to ask Your Majesty," The face that suddenly rose shared the same serious qualities as the few [real soldiers] that Gabriel had seen. Especially, behind those sharp eyes, there was a certain kind of determination that was completely missing from the other nine generals. The Knight called Shasta stared at Gabriel with a gaze that looked almost piercing, and continued in a low voice, "What is Your Majesty looking forward to, returning to the Throne at this moment?"

As expected, These men are not simple programs. I must remind myself of this constantly, Gabriel thought, and with the mask of a [Merciless Emperor], produced an ice-cold response, "Blood and terror. Flames and destruction. Death and screaming." Gabriel announced with his icy cold voice. Gabriel's hard voice that resembled sliced metal resounded in the hall; the expressions of all ten generals tightened immediately. Looking one by one at the ten faces, Gabriel flipped his robe, raised his right hand, and pointed at the western sky. From within his mouth, lines filled with false desire for conquest automatically erupted, "Of the western land loaded with the powers of the gods who exiled me from the heavens, the protective Great Gate will now fall. I have returned… To proclaim my power to all!" From Critter, he had learned the most he could about the Final Stress Test» that was about to commence after a week in internal time. Gabriel added the information to his tirade, continuing in a dramatic tone, "When the Gate falls, the Human World shall fall into the hands of my subjects, the People of Darkness! All I desire is the Priestess of Light that shall appear in that land by then! I shall grant you all the right to do with all other Humans as you wish! The promised time that all People of Darkness awaited — has arrived!"

The air that had become silent once again, Was shattered by shrill, savage screams.

"Giiii! Kill! Kill those white Iiiuuums!"

The one stomping its feet and screaming was the Orc leader, its eyes rolling with anger and desire. Immediately, two Goblins raised their arms and followed suit.

"Hooooou! War! War!"

"Urra—! War, war—!"

The battle cry instantly spread to other generals and the officers behind them. The black robes among the Assassin Guild billowed along with bodies as thin as twigs; the Witches among the Dark Sorcerer Guild released colorful sparks with flirtatious shrieks. In the entire wide hall that was filled with primal howls. Gabriel noticed that only the Knight called Shasta maintained his kneeling position, without a sliver of movement. Was it due to a soldier's self-control, or was it due to certain inner thoughts? It was indiscernible from the statue-like armor.

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"I didn't expect bro to have that kind of talent! Ain't it better for you to become an actor?!" Gabriel snorted at Vassago's wretched grin, who threw a bottle of wine to Gabriel.

"Only when necessary. It'd be better for you to remember the speaking techniques just now. Since your rank is higher than theirs." He popped the cork of the bottle with his finger; holding some of the ruby-colored liquid in his mouth, he wondered whether he should drink during a mission.

Vassago crudely drank the vintage wine as though it was beer; he belched and replied as he wiped his mouth, "Compared with orders or playing the part or whatever, I just wanna kill on the front line. You don't Dive into this powerful VR everyday… This wine, this bottle, everything looks real to me."

"Comparatively, it's going to hurt and bleed if you're cut. The Pain Absorber doesn't work here."Gabriel said.

"Isn't that a good thing?" Vassago smirked and shrugged. Gabriel set his bottle down on the table and stood up from the sofa.

The top floor of Obsidia was the Emperor's private room. It was not inferior at all compared to the lavish decor in the office of GlowGen DS headquarters, and also, the faraway night scenery was visible from an enormous window. Although not as bright and colorful as that of San Diego, it had a different, fantasy look. The ten generals with the statuses of Feudal Lords left the castle to prepare for battle, and torchlights danced non-stop, belonging to the porters moving resources from the storage rooms. The Head of the Commerce and Industry Guild, who had the role of replenishing supplies, had been ordered to delete all stored stocks of food and equipment in the city, so the soldiers should not suffer from cold or hunger. Turning his eyes away from the countless lights, Gabriel walked to a corner of the room, touching the purple crystal plate that was set there — a system console.

He rapidly manipulated the menu and pressed the button to call an external observer. The time acceleration ratio decreased, and with a strange feeling of going back to 1:1, he heard Critter's quick-mouthed voice, "Captain?! I literally just came back to the control room after watching you Dive in!"

"It's already the first night here. Although I understand it, time acceleration is quite fascinating. Anyway, everything is proceeding as planned. The preparation of the Units will be finished in one or two days, and in two days, an attack against the Human Empire is planned."

"Great. Remember, after securing «Alice», please bring her there and use the menu to eject her into the Main Control Room, then Alice's Light Cube will be ours. Also, please tell that idiot Vassago what I said." As though he had heard Critter, Vassago's short curse came from behind, "I can't operate with administrator privileges right now, so reconfiguring account data is impossible. In other words, Captain, if you or Vassago [die] in that world, you can no longer use that super account. You'll only be able to start over with a small soldier!"

"Yeah… I know. I won't go to the front lines for now. Any movement from the JSDF?" Vassago asked.

"None right now. It seems like they haven't noticed you guys Diving in yet." Critter's voice spoke up again.

"Good. Then, I'll cut the connection now. The next time I contact you, it'll be when we're preparing to leave after securing Alice." Gabriel replied.

"Understood, good luck." He closed the communication window, and with a slight sense of incongruity, the world returned to the accelerated ratio.

Vassago was still aside, muttering and cursing while wrestling with a buckle on his armor, and finally threw off all of his outerwear; he stood up in just a leather shirt and pants, "Hey, bro. Why not go have some fun in the city… We can't, can we?" he asked.

"Just resist the temptation for now. After getting the target, I'll give you a night." Gabriel told him.

"Understood. So, no killing no women for today… Then I'll head off to bed like a good boy. The room over there is mine." His joints creaking as he stretched, Vassago disappeared into a neighboring bedroom, and Gabriel took off his crown, exhaling.

He put his gown and robe on the sofa and threw his sword on top. In VR games he had played before, the equipment he took off would return to the item storage, but it seems like there were no such conveniences in this world. After a month of living in this room, it would become extremely messy, but he would be leaving the castle the day after tomorrow, and the next time he came back it would be time to log out. As he unbuttoned his shirt and opened the door across from Vassago's room, Gabriel's eyes narrowed in surprise.

In the frighteningly large bedroom, besides the colossal luxury bed, there was a small silhouette, kneeled on the ground. He should have already ordered everyone, including the servants, not to enter the floor above the Throne Room. There was actually someone who would defy the order of a god; what on earth was this? For a split-second, he wanted to go back and get his sword, but Gabriel entered the bedroom anyway and closed the door.

"Well, this is an unexpected visit," Gabriel said coolly, seeing the woman that was in his bedroom before. He saw her beside Shasta, who bowed her head at him. Like Shasta, she wore a jet-black full body armor, which had scratches in numerous places but was polished thoroughly. He had to admit it, she was beautiful.

"Lipia Zancale. Order of the Dark Knights. I wish to speak to you in private, my lord." she said.

Gabriel looked at her. Something about this scenario, for one it would believe this woman might have something up her sleeves, but nothing so far. Her hands were free of any weapons, a sword not present on her hip. If she was to try to kill him or plan an assassination, it is so easy. Gabriel wasn't to be fooled by any trucks if this by her or Shasta. He'll humor her, if she tries anything… it wouldn't be the last person he kills.

He walked by her, taking his spot to his bed, looking at her. "Alright, what do you want to say?"

"Your plan to go to war with the Human Empire, obtaining the Priestess of Light, allowing more bloodshed. You realize what this means my lord. If you wage war now, the world will fall back a hundred years, no, two hundred years! Why, why should we?" Lipia tone's tone raised, shocking Gabriel.

Would an artificial Fluctlight actually say something like this? Even this lady is still not an incomplete AI? If so, to what extent of completion would the finished Alice have achieved?

"Whose order is this?" he asked, "You would stop a war from happening by words alone?" His tone was very cold.

She replied with the same tone, "It is my own… will. I do not want to fight the Human Empire. The progress we've made, shouldn't be hindered by war."

"Then, to whom do you report?" he asked again. Her words didn't matter to him, but who put her up to this?

"Nobody. I'm doing this for the good of Commander Shasta. That is all." she replied, her tone must be serious.

"Hmph." Gabriel thought like a machine without any sliver of emotion.

RATH wanted to break the boundaries of an artificial Fluctlight, which was their nature to be unable to disobey all rules, laws, and orders from people of a higher priority. Compared to the Human World Fluctlights bound by countless laws, the inhabitants of the Dark Territory seemed able to live more freely, but their nature had not changed. It was only because there was but one rule for the Fluctlights here that they felt free on the surface. That rule was [power dominates all]. This was a dog-eat-dog world in which people with higher power could dominate those under them. If RATH's experiment proceeded as they had planned, the orderly Human World and the chaotic Land of Darkness would clash violently even without Gabriel's intervention and would end in a breakthrough by war. But he did not know why, before the plan had proceeded into that stage, there came a Fluctlight in the Human World that had exceeded the boundaries. The spy within RATH had not sent any information regarding a similar existence in the Land of Darkness.

"Deduction and the Priestess of Light is all I crave. Your plight for peace will be heard from deaf ears. Dark Knight Lipia, you can't stop what's to happen. I'll give you this, you were smart to not do anything foolish.. Even with the hidden knife in your hair." Lipia's eyes widen, moving slightly and Gabriel shows her expression changed. He was correct, this was a direct association. There are others, some most foolish, to want to take his life so easily. In other words, this woman who had plotted to kill the Emperor with a small knife was also a soul bound by absolute law. It proves that this woman, even under the order of Gabriel, an Emperor who was also a god, she prioritized her loyalty to her master. That is, she thought her master [stronger] than the Emperor. In that case, to ensure that the battle goes smoothly, it was necessary to properly display his strength to the general and officer Units, to show them that Gabriel — Emperor Vecta was the strongest in this world. But, he couldn't destroy the valuable general Units. What should he do?

He walked close to her, putting his hand to her chin and lifting it, their eyes meeting, "If I had my way, I would strangle the life right out of you for thinking you could kill me. But we have our roles to play, you just saved your own. But the peace you desire Lipia will never come to be. There must be someone on the other side, you wouldn't hold your sword too, an enemy?

Lipia's eyes flashed to a girl who was much younger than her. Clad in armor, they fought blow to blow, a smile on her face. She was an Integrity Knight who she gave her name to, but she was shockingly kind. Without looking away, she uttered, "Yes."

"And you know trying to kill me directly would only be your own death and your own Commander's?" he asked coldly.

"Yes," Lipia replied.

"Then you know you must do now when peace can not be obtained?" he asked.

Lipis paused but spoke up again, "Yes… Forgive me for my foolish actions…" and without a second glance, Lipia stepped away from Gabriel and took from her hair the hidden knife, "Emperor Vecta, I will take my leave." she bowed and turned from Gabriel and walked out the door.

Gabriel took his spot back to the bed, his expression calm. The woman didn't lead up, her eyes were fiery and determined. What would her soul say? Would it be as sweet… As Alicia's?

---

Lipia walked through the palace, her calm expression lessened. How could she be foolish, directly talking to him? Originally, she was to be his 'company' only to take Vecta's life. Thinking back, it would have been her undoing. She paused, her back against the wall, her breathing heavy, thinking about how she would die. Her eyes looked at Vecta's, those cold eyes looking at her, hands to her throat. He started to hyperventilate thinking about the worst outcome, what could have been her death.

Considering this matter in an instant, Gabriel scrutinized the woman's iron-colored eyes again, "What is your reason for killing me? Were you offered money? Or status?"

He did not need to think about his questions. But the answer he immediately heard was unexpected, "For righteousness!"

"Oh…?"

"If you wage war now, the world will fall back a hundred years, no, two hundred years! I cannot let you return the era to when the weak were trampled upon!"

Again, Gabriel felt a sliver of shock. Was this woman really on the stage before her boundaries were broken? If so, did her master make her say these lines? Gabriel brought his head closer, gazing straight into those gray eyes. Determination. Loyalty. The feeling deep within was. Ah, so it's like that.

If that was the case, then there was no more need for this woman. Gabriel complied with his own decision, and without another word, applied force to his left hand, which grasped the woman's felt bones being crushed. The woman's eyes widened, and her mouth let out a silent scream. Tightly restraining her struggling limbs, mercilessly tightening his grip around her neck, Gabriel felt a surprise unlike what he felt before. His body trembled unconsciously, and his left hand reflexively closed. With a muffled crunch, the cervical vertebrae of the unnamed woman were crushed.

Lipia's eyes widened as she dropped to the ground, her breathing more shallow and shaking. She was going to die, she felt it. She leaned back to the wall more, looking up to the ceiling. It was really like her own death was before her. She felt her neck, the grip from Gabriel felt too real. She wanted to close her eyes, but the thought was still fresh. She wanted to move but her legs felt like iron, she thought to return to Shasta, her Excellency... Her love…

Unknown by her someone was watching her, licking her lips, the subordinate of Shasta might be useful in mind in case she wants to show her loyalty to Emperor Vecta.

"I was going to capture her, but you may be useful in the future, Lipia…"

---

Ordering the ten generals and the core members of each legion to line up neatly again, Gabriel watched them with a satisfied look as they respectfully bowed down. Under his orders, they had completed preparations for the attack in two days. By the looks of it, maybe these Units were even more excellent than the fellows sitting on the floor of directors in GlowGen DS. Really, they should just be classified as [finished products]. The perfect ability to carry out orders, with added loyalty. As AIs piloting robots in war, what else would you need on top of that?

Even so, it should not be forgotten that their loyalty was based on the bug lying in artificial Fluctlights that RATH had been eagerly trying to get rid of. It was only because the general principle [power dominates all] was carved into their souls that these ten people would obey the Emperor, Gabriel, no, Vecta. But at the same time, it could also mean that as soon as Gabriel's power was suspected, anyone could rebel at any moment. This suspicion had already come true. In the night two days ago, a female assassin sneaked into his bedroom. Or they heard. Some say some woman was a company to her, some say it was. No one heard anything but any of the generals wanted to know the truth.

Would it be as simple as killing her? Gabriel thought about it, getting rid of her would be easy. At the same time, he could demonstrate the power of the Emperor to the ten, forever carving the identity of the strongest into their Fluctlights. At this time, Gabriel Miller did not consider at all the probability of any of the ten Units before him catching him off guard, in other words, defeating him in a one-on-one fight. To him, the Underworld was no more than an extension of VR games and was still under the set impression that all Units here were [NPCs]. He gave Lipia her escape, but he will know what that soul hides, was it her order or Shasta?

Dark Knight Commander Vixur Ul Shasta maintained his genuflected position, recalling his mentor's words from twenty years ago, in the Dark Knight headquarters training field.

"My mentor's mentor's head was taken off and he died instantly. My mentor was then cut in the chest and died on the way back to the castle. But even though I lost an arm, I'm alive today. Well, that's nothing to be proud of, though." His mentor said this, sitting on the glossy black floor with his legs folded under his torso, as he showed his right arm stump sharply severed on the elbow to Shasta. The wound that was only bound with medicine and gauze seemed painful just by looking at it. The one who had given him this injury about three days ago, was the eternal enemy of the Dark Knights, or the most powerful swordsman in the world, or the most ferocious monster, Integrity Knight Bercouli Synthesis One.

"Do you know what this means, Vixur?"

Twenty-year-old Vixur could only scratch his head in confusion. His mentor slid a hand under his clothes, closed his eyes, and continued softly, "We're catching up, gradually."

"Catching up to that person?" Young Shasta could not help mixing disbelief into his voice. Just three days ago, Bercouli had demonstrated his crushing swordsmanship. In the instant that his mentor's arm flew high, spurting blood, the piercing feeling that chilled him to the bone like a pillar of ice still lingered today.

"I'll be 50 this year. Even so, I still don't feel like I'm holding my sword in the best way, let alone swinging. I think, in five years to ten years, that won't change even after I die." His mentor said quietly.

"…That way, we short-lived people are unable to achieve what that immortal living for more than 200 years can do. Although it's pretty embarrassing, even in the instant that our swords cross, I still kept it in mind. But after fleeing following a miserable defeat, I realized that this is wrong. All this time, my mentor and all the Knights in the past have endlessly challenged that man, but it wasn't all in vain… Vixur, what is the strongest swordsmanship?"

To this sudden question, Vixur answered reflexively, "A Slash of Thoughtlessness."

"Very good. Through long years of training, you unify with your sword. One strike that you don't think of how to cut, draw, or move would be the ultimate swordsmanship. My mentor taught me this, and I have taught you the same. But… Vixur, that's not it. There's something stronger. I've realized it since I've been cut by that monster." A hint of excitement floated onto his mentor's aged, wrinkled face.

Shasta maintained his leg-folded seating position, leaned forward, and asked, "Something stronger… That is?"

"The opposite of thoughtlessness. Firm confidence. It's the power of will, Vixur." Suddenly, his mentor stood up from the wooden floor, and waved his right arm stump vigorously, "You see. Back then, I sliced down with a right diagonal slash. It was exactly a thoughtless attack; the fastest I have ever swung my sword in my life. At that moment when I drew my sword, I already had the advantage."

"Yes… I thought so as well."

"But… But. Normally, my sword should've bounced off his defense, but he pressed my sword back, and this arm was sliced off… Can you believe it, Vixur; at that moment, his sword didn't even touch mine!" his master exclaimed.

Shasta kept silent, and shook his head dubiously, "H… How could this…"

"It's the truth. It was like… the very path of the sword was completely altered by some unseen force. It's not a spell, nor is it the Armament Full Control Art. We can only explain it like this: my Slash of Thoughtlessness was defeated by his willpower built up with two hundred years of hard training. Because he pictured where he wanted my sword to go so intensely, it became the unchanging truth!" Shasta was unable to immediately believe his mentor's words.

The power of will: something amorphous like that can defeat a real, heavy, rigid sword; no matter what, that can't be real. It looked like that Shasta's mentor expected this reaction. Suddenly regaining the formality in his sitting position, on the glossy black floor, he calmly ordered, "Okay, Vixur. I'll teach you my last sword technique. Cut me."

"What… What are you saying! It's difficult for you to…" Have lived so long; Shasta could only swallow these words. Suddenly, his mentor's eyes flashed with a strong light.

"Since I managed to live on, there is even more necessary for you to cut me. Since I've been defeated by that man in one stroke, I'm no longer the strongest in your heart. As long as I live, you're unable to battle that man on equal footing. Cut, no, kill me, and stand at the same height as him… Bercouli!" His mentor finished and stood, holding his right arm stump as though he was gripping a sword, "Now, stand up! Draw your sword, Vixur!"

Vixur cut his mentor and ended his life. At the same time, he realized with his body the meaning of his mentor's words. The invisible sword that his mentor's severed right handheld, the sword called [will], let out intense sparks as it crossed with Shasta's sword, and marked an eternal wound on his face. His face stained with tears and blood, the young Shasta stood at the zenith that exceeded the Slash of Thoughtlessness, on the border of the Slash of Incarnation.

---

Time passed, Five years ago. Shasta finally challenged the archenemy of the Dark Knights, Integrity Knight Commander Bercouli. He was only 37 years old, but he felt that his sword had achieved the highest.

His mentor had exchanged an arm for his life, but Shasta had no intention of returning defeated. Because Shasta had no apprentice as his successor. He did not want his young apprentice to have the executioner's burden and bear the destiny of having his life sliced away. He decided to put his life on the line, and sever the blood-stained cycle there and then.

The sword called [will] that carried with it all determination and realization, during its first cross with Bercouli's, was not deflected at all. But in that instant, Shasta already predicted his own loss. He did not think that he could reproduce a slash of such power.

But, as they crossed swords, Bercouli laughed roughly, "Your swordsmanship isn't bad. If you only have murderous intent, you will be unable to block my sword. Go back and think long and hard about the meaning behind my words, and return after five years, little boy." Then the Integrity Knight Commander turned and left. But Shasta didn't know why he was unable to swing his sword towards the Knight's back, which looked full of openings.

To understand the meaning behind Bercouli's words, it took a very long time. But he finally understood what happened now, five years later. Then, if Shasta had swung his sword only with hatred and the intent to kill, he would have immediately been defeated. Although it was only one round, he was able to clash with him because he held a realization much heavier than murderous intent. That was gratitude to the mentors who put their life on the line to pass on their knowledge, and a prayer for the young one who will become his successor. Therefore, after receiving news of the Highest Minister's death, Shasta immediately decided to negotiate for peace. He was confident that, if the other party was Bercouli, he would definitely accept.

For the same reason, this Emperor Vecta, who suddenly descended on Obsidia and decided to wage war without saying anything else, must be cut to death by Shasta himself. Even as he kneeled and bowed his head, Shasta was shaping out the [Incarnation] that he must load his killing Slash with. This Emperor that left the Dark World for hundreds of years and suddenly revived was a young man with white skin and golden hair, similar to that of a Human World resident. His figure and looks were not necessarily charismatic. But, only his extraordinarily blue eyes revealed that the Emperor was not an ordinary man. Within those eyes was a [void]. A bottomless abyss sucking in all light. This man concealed a colossal and evil hunger. If his exercised Power of Incarnation was engulfed by the Emperor's void, the blade would be unable to reach him.

If that happened, Dark Knight Shasta would lose his life. But, his will would likely be succeeded by someone after him. Lipia didn't return from her mission, he was worried for her. She might be busy with preparation before the attack, or staying in her important [home]. It was better this way. But her return to him, she was… breathing, shaking, as something happened. Shasta didn't pry farther, if she wanted to tell him, she'll be ready. Shasta slowly inhaled, building up.

With his hand, he quietly touched the sword that was released from his belt and placed it on the floor. He was about 15 Mel from the throne. He only had to take two steps to reach it. He must not let anyone notice. He must be thoughtless in drawing his sword. Purifying and contracting his Power of Incarnation to the limit, he injected it into his sword through his fingers. Then, he emptied his body. His left hand gripped the sword.

Just then. The Emperor spoke nonchalantly with a sound as smooth and rigid as glass, "Just last night, someone infiltrated my bedroom. With a short knife concealed in their hair."

The Generals all gasped, no one not seeing Lipia flinched. She didn't plan to attack Vecta so soon in their conversation, but the word caught on of assassination. Was her name going to be revealed, she even used her own master's name, this put both of them in danger. In the line of the other nine Feudal Lords to Shasta's left, someone softly held their breath, another let out a low moan from the depths of their throat, and another shrank back into their thick robes. A few among the officers in the back made sounds as well. Besides himself, others concluded eliminating the Emperor. Unfortunately, the fact that the Emperor was still alive showed that they had failed, they never attempted but which of the nine people sent out the assassin?

Not the five Demihuman generals. Passing over the Giant, Ogre, and Orc, even the shorter Goblins were unlikely to have dodged the eyes and ears of the guards and infiltrated the top floor. If he considered the four Human generals, he could first exclude the young leader of the Fighters, Iskahn, and the leader of the Commerce and Industry Guild, Lengil. Iskahn was just a straightforward boy who purely aimed at improving his empty-handed combat to the maximum, and Lengil would love to make a lot of money out of the war.

Since the attacker had infiltrated the bedroom, the leader of the Assassin Guild, Fer Za, was the most suspicious, and he actually had a few hints for what that man was thinking, but it was puzzling that a short knife was used. Everyone didn't see Lipia nervousness and fear, why did she have her knife? In the inner depths of dark caves, the Assassin Guild specially researched the third power apart from Dark Sorcery and Martial Arts: [Poison]. The race of Fer Za was an organization formed to survive, by those who were not gifted on Priority when it came to controlling weapons and spells. They had a unique restriction: their only allowed weapons were hidden needles and blow darts coated with poison. Short knives were not included.

In the same reasoning, the leader of the Dark Sorcerers kneeling right beside Shasta, D.I.L., would be out of the consideration. This woman with only desire for status, although she could have considered taking and raising high the Emperor's head, becoming the dominator of the Land of Darkness, the Sorcerers under D would have used spells instead of a short knife. Looking at it like that, the one who sent the assassin was not any one of the nine generals. The one left, could only be himself, the Dark Knight Commander Shasta.

"I'm sorry…" Lipia's voice spoke behind him, "I messed up."

Shasta turned an eye to her. Messed up? If she's still here, why are they summoned, why is she still alive. If she used a knife and not her sword, what happened?

Almost at the same time, Emperor Vector opened his mouth a second time, "I don't want to question right now, regarding the name of the one who sent the assassin. Souls that use their own power in a desire to obtain more power are excellent. If you want my head, cut me whenever my back is turned." And Gabriel finally looked to the Dark Knights' side, it was time to stop following the script and see where their fates will change, "Shasta, was it you?"

All the Generals were shocked, D.I.L holding back a grin. Trying to stop forward, but felt Lipia tug at him. Gabriel kept his cold expression.

"But the young woman didn't attempt to kill me, word travels fast at the idea but never the chance. I can look past it for now, but you have an option." Gabriel stood up from the throne, "Show me your worth that the Life you still have is worth it… or kill your subordinate Lipia to prove yourself."

When Lipia's name was revealed, murmurs were made. The demihumans finding glee these lums would fight each other, the other humans wondering what Lipia did. If she's still alive, she's not, in the worst case, ahead, why's the Emperor Vecta going to give them a second chance? Lipia's fear-stricken face was more apparent, fearing her life. Would Shasta do this, fight the Emperor, the other option… was to die by her lover's hands.

"Please, you don't have to do this, I don't want you to die or take my life for a mistake. I should pay with my life… I should be dead…"

Shasta shook his head. This wasn't Lipia, he wasn't going to let her take the blame or wish her death. Without speaking a word, Shasta stepped forward and faced the Emperor. He wanted to cut the Dark God, but never thought it would be now. At his own strength, he doubted he could strike him down. Show his worth? He had to, for Lipia. He wasn't going to just do this for her sake, but their home. Shasta knew that Dark Knight Lipia Zankehl was secretly running an orphanage. No matter the races, she sheltered and educated children who had lost their parents, siblings, and were about to die on the street. Shasta saw a hopeful future in Lipia's actions.

Therefore, Shasta only told Lipia his own ideals. An endless dream in which the long-term state of war with the Human World would be broken and a mutually supportive world in which there would be no need for constant snatching and seizing would be was going to make that dream happen, for this world, for Lipia. The Dark territory Generals and army watched in silence, seeing this one Dark Knight facing the Emperor, to protect Lipia. It was foolish but brave.

Shasta steeled himself and held his blade, the thoughts of his master, facing Bercouli Synthesis One many years ago… Lipia's smile and love. The Divine Instrument he had inherited from his mentor, the longsword Hazy Mist, but not in its normal form of a gray blade. True to its name, a thick mist like a night haze encircled the long blade, winding into a vortex. His body surged with a red aura, running towards Vecta with the intent to strike. Gabriel took the sword from his belt, his own aura a dark purple, his blade clashing with Vixer's. The whole throne felt like it could shake, feeling the intense pressure from these two.

Vixer looked at Gabriel, seeing his cold expression, wondering if the man had a soul. When it felt like he could overcome, he felt his body engulfed into Gabriel himself. What he felt inside, was emptiness, avoid. This man didn't know feelings or love. He wasn't going to give up. He will surpass his limits, show his worth, to protect Lipia.

'What a bunch of pitiful and happy people.' Gabriel thought, in his clash with Shasta, 'Although they have real souls, their intelligence is limited and can be reproduced as much as one wants even if they are killed and killed again. There will eventually be a day, when the Underworld, its Mainframe, and the Light Cubes are mine, the hunger that has so pained me ever since I was young will be quenched.'

His thoughts return to the battle, feeling Vixur's blade to his. He saw the intent in his eyes, it was strong almost to strike him down. No General could look away, feeling the windows shatter and creak, worried that they would be grabbed into the struggle. Lipia put her hands together, her only wish Shasta survives.

The Ten Feudal Lords that formed the Dark Empire Ten Feudal Lord Meeting were completely different in personality, character, and hidden ambitions, but there was one aspect that they were all the same in. That was their better understanding than anyone else of the one law that [Power dominates all]. It was better to say that this law was carved into them since youth, and through endless diligence, training themselves or eliminating non-conformists, they ultimately mounted the summit of this world that washed the blood away with blood.

Therefore, when the other nine Feudal Lords, who stood in line with Dark General Shasta in the Throne Room, saw before them the Dark General clashing blades with the Dark God, their Emperor. In fact, most understood it as "Oh, you're brave enough to make a move here; you're pretty bold." Even the Elders of the Orcs and Ogres whose language skills and intelligence had deteriorated over three hundred years, though, "Now we can see this Emperor guy's power," flashing their beast-like eyes sharply. Even the young Fist Fighter Leader, who respectfully regarded Shasta as an equal who trained to better his own battle techniques, offered silent words of support, "Show your might, slash the Emperor."

Within them, there were only two who predicted this situation seconds before it happened. One of them was the Dark Sorceress Guild Leader, D.I.L. She harbored intense feelings of enmity towards Shasta; long since planning to kidnap the Dark General's lover, she had known Lipia's appearance for a long time. After seeing her the two nights before, she might be useful after all. Although she wanted to backstab Shasta and do the Emperor a favor to take advantage of him, D eventually chose to watch from the sidelines. If Shasta lost against the Emperor, then all would be well; if Shasta won, he would be deeply wounded, and then she would scorch her enemy and take over the Dark Empire herself. D chuckled silently as she suppressed her excitement by licking her lips.

But everyone felt the pressure growing, Shasta's pressure. If only the intensity of the Incarnation fused into the Slash was measured, it already clearly passed his strike while he crossed blades with Integrity Knight Bercouli. His exclamation was so intense that the Armament Full Control Art, which would ordinarily require a prolix incantation, was immediately evoked. Shasta's longsword «Hazy Mist» was a Divine Instrument-class Object automatically generated two hundred years ago in the Underworld as part of the VRMMO package. Its property was [Water]; now, reflecting Shasta's extremely strong murderous intent, the blade transformed into a mist-like shadow without losing its absolute killing power.

The special quality of the Hazy Mist in the state of Armament Full Control was to completely omit the attacking process of what all swords inherently held, [dealing damage by splitting or running through the target object with a sharp blade]. In the instant that one touched the long stream of mist, damage akin to a normal slash would be dealt with his Life. In other words, other than avoiding it, all forms of defense would be meaningless.

"How, is he able to hold his own to the Emperor?" asked the leader of the Assassins' Guild, Fer Za.

"Could it be [Incarnation]?" asked the leader of the Dark Mages D.I.L. Now she might have a difficult plan with Shasta active and Lipia alive. With no one stopping him, they saw the full potential of a Dark Knight rivaling the Integrity Knights.

Shasta had to keep going, to release everything he got to protect Lipia, protect the orphans in the Dark Territory, but most of all, himself. Shasta's mouth, let out a terrifying roar; at the same time, a gray tornado spun high in the air from the Dark Knight's right hand, his sword becoming the wind. This was Releasing Recollection of a Divine Instrument, only usable by a few within even the Integrity Knights. Shasta's indomitable Incarnation began to directly rewrite the Main Visualizer that stored and calculated all information of the entire Underworld.

The gray tornado already became type-less, pure destructive power that broke down everything it touched. With no time to evade, Fer Za's thick black robe was surrounded by the tornado; with a dry nose, it was reduced to a cloud of dust and dispersed. The stark naked middle-aged man who was thin as a twig threw up his hands to cover his deteriorated face. But, his hands were quickly broken into countless pieces of flesh and blown around, then, his entire body became a thick mist of blood, swirling around in the instant that the strange tornado rose from Shasta, the strongest Dark Sorceress D.I.L. had an extremely bad feeling, and with both hands, generated Wind Elements and flew backward at full speed. But, as she saw that the tornado had touched her right leg and that everything below her knee had vanished without a trace, that chilling feeling became the greatest shock she had ever felt in her life.

Even when D was bathing or sleeping, she was protected by dozens of Defensive Arts. Apart from magical attacks, these Defensive Arts constituted an iron defense that was able to repel all forms of attack, such as projectile weapons, swords, and poisons. Of course, if the equal Priority ten Feudal Lords all attacked with maximum strength, there would be a chance of running through the shield and harming her skin. However, directly slicing away her physical body and life just by touching it as if the shield did not exist, was impossible. Absolutely impossible. But, no matter how she denied it in her head, she still saw the deadly tornado bearing her down faster than her flying retreat, heavily impeding her right foot. A Sorceress like D could completely revive herself with Healing Arts no matter the extent of damage to her physical body, but only under the condition that she was still alive.

'My love, Shasta… go, go!' Lipia thought, seeing the power of her love, not giving up.

"High… AAH….!" Finally, a shrill scream came from D's mouth.

But her voice was immediately drowned out by the shrieks of the two scrambling Goblin Elders. The Mountain Goblin Elder Hagasi and Plains Goblin Elder Kubiri, who had been kneeling at D's left, ran for their lives on their short legs, wanting to escape the tornado. But it was impossible to evade the expansion of the tornado that could even overtake D, who was flying at top speed.

"Kugyaaaaaah!" With a grotesque noise, Hagasi slipped and fell onto the floor. He desperately stuck out his left hand and grabbed Kubiri's ankle with a viselike grip.

"Higyaaah! Leggo! Le—!"

CRUNCH.

The two Goblin leaders were effortlessly melted into a blood mist and dispersed.

CRACK.

D's right leg was blown away at the hip joint without leaving a trace. Her beauty was severely distorted by horror and despair, the Leader of the Dark Sorceresses watched as — the expansion of the tornado miraculously stopped.

Among her extremely chaotic thoughts, with her outstanding reasoning, D deduced the reason that the tornado's expansion stopped. To protect the ten or so higher level Dark Knights. In other words, that tornado was created from Shasta's willpower after all. As though it were proving this theory, the upper half of the tornado slowly changed shape.

Shasta and Gabriel's clash had ended, the man removed his armor from the top, panted heavily, giving his sword tightly. Gabriel was pushed to the throne, he of all people, panting.

'Are you impressed… master, Bercouli?' he asked himself before speaking, still with ragged breath, "Is that enough for you, my lord?" he asked.

Gabriel felt for the first time in years, surprise. He saw in that man's soul and felt it: love, determination, lack of fear. He was powerful, too powerful. At first killing, he was an option, but this man wasn't going to be someone he could deal with so easily. As he saw the woman, Lipia, run to his aide, there was no need to lose composure.

"Dark Knight Vixur ul Shasta… I will look past your subordinate's actions, for now..." he said before surveying the witness was beyond disbelief, but a gray tornado suddenly spun up from the Unit, and the Elder of the Assassin's Guild who was surrounded by it and the two Goblin generals were destroyed in an instant; even Gabriel could not help but halt his thoughts. The General Units were supposed to be of the same level. Then, if they were to fight each other, it would supposedly be the same as duels in real-world VRMMOs: if someone's HP dropped, it would heal back.

But now, how was it possible that three Units were demolished in mere seconds? Could it be that there were systems or theories he himself did not understand in this Underworld? Just as he was thinking, the tornado giant opened its mouth and let out an earth-shaking roar. Under the intense pressure, most of the glass windows decorating the Throne Room shattered in all directions. The giant slowly clenched its frozen right fist. And brought it down crashing down towards Gabriel. A tornado created from his incarnation. He could laugh, how long has an opponent, even in Gun Gale Online, was this strong?

Including the Assassin's Guild Leader Fer Za, the two Goblin Elders, the most bellicose of the Ten Feudal Lords, had already died. It was very regrettable that the Dark Sorceress Leader D had escaped, but it would be impossible to rebirth with a severe injury like that. Shasta had demonstrated his power, he survived to lead the Dark Knights with Lipia. Both decided to bow, they were given a second chance at life, they best not waste it.

The surviving six Feudal Lords — Dark Sorceress Guild Leader D.I.L., Fist Fighter Leader Iskahn, Commerce Guild Leader Langel, Giant Tribal Chief Siglosig, Orc Tribal Chief Lilpin, and Ogre Tribal Chief Filgul, stared stupidly up at Emperor Vector's figure; some with their backs against the wall, some with their behinds on the ground, some tending to other's wounds. All that remained in everyone's heart was fear. Dark General Shasta's terrifying super attack, a ghastly attack that instantly sliced three Generals to pieces and blew away the right foot of D, who was seen as the strongest among the ten Feudal Lords, was able to push the Emperor back to his throne. Power dominates all. Everyone deeply believed that Emperor Vecta possessed power far insurmountable by the six Feudal Lords and the hundred officers awaiting orders behind them, combined. Like a rippling wave, all knelt and submitted themselves before the Emperor. The Dark Knights, whose loyalty to Shasta was strong, merely bowed, to not anger the emperor.

From above their heads, the Emperor's voice reverberated, "Troops who have lost their generals are immediately commanded by the next highest-ranking officer. An hour from now, we shall advance as planned." Words devoid of anger or denunciation towards the betrayal. This further provoked deeper terror within the general's hearts.

D, who had painstakingly stopped the bleeding on her right foot, raised her right hand and fingers high in the air, and shouted, "Long live His Majesty the Emperor!"

Then, Overlapping voices cheering for the Emperor shook the entire city. On Gabriel, a smirk was present. Still, on the throne steps, Shasta bowed but balled his hands. He saw into his soul: emptiness and black. If he had fought with a murderous blade, his Life would end. But that power, that drive, he showed it here. But it didn't matter as long Lipia was beside him.

'I will find out the truth about you Emperor Vecta. Are you really the return of the Dark God, or an imitation. I swear it on my master's sword… I will fight you again, this time to win…'

---

From the northern ends of the Human Empire to the edge of the Eastern region. No matter whether it was Integrity Knight Alice, or Amayori, who was born in the Western Empire, it was the first time that they had stepped into the land with the most mysteries of the four empires, the Eastern Empire Eastabarieth. Even Eugeo who traveled from Rulid to the capital has ever been so far. Holding onto Alice, they have been flying for so long now. Between the rolling mountain peaks, surging rivers as blue as glass connected tortuously. The villages and streets that occasionally appeared at the river banks were different from the familiar stone architecture of the north; these were almost entirely constructed with wood.

The people who gazed up and pointed to the sky at them were all black-haired. Then Alice suddenly remembered that Fanatio, the Integrity Knight Vice Commander who could not get along with her, was born here. Moving her eyes back forward, Alice thought: the Kirito leaning on her back and staring blankly at the sky also had jet-black hair, so could he be born in the east? Would he start to regain his memories if they could land on the streets and let him get in touch with the people here? She soon abandoned this idea, though, as they could not delay, not even a second.

"Eugeo, are you sure Kirito came from somewhere around here?" Alice asked.

"Who knows. I know we were friends, but Kirito found himself in the forest outside Rulid village when I was cutting the Gigas Cedar. I wish we could ask someone but aren't we prohibited from interacting much with others?" Eugeo asked.

Camping in rural areas at night, they had rushed full tilt for three days, living on dried fruit and fish that Amayori caught. Eugeo admitted it, it was like their trips to Zakkaria and Centoria. He got used to it, not used to Alice finding any reason to use his shoulder as a pillow when tired. It was amazing how lax she is to him but stern. It could be a mix of her changing or some of the child-like Alice returning.

In the afternoon of the second day of the eleventh month, the Mountain Range at the Edge that stood as same as its northern section, and a valley as straight as if it had been split by an ax, entered their sight.

"…Can you see it, Kirito?" Alice muttered, gently soothing the neck of her beloved dragon that she forced to fly a long distance with a heavy load. Nowadays, since the magical beasts were virtually extinct, dragons have become the lifeforms with the highest Life and Priority. But, it was definitely not a trifle to carry two people and three Divine Instruments. The strength that Amayori had been accumulating through unrestricted fish consumption had almost been completely depleted.

'When we reach the camp, I'll definitely provide her with fresh lamb to her heart's content.' Alice thought as she shook the reins; Amayori replied with a seemingly restless shriek and vigorously flapped her wings.

The valley that seemed a crack as thin as paper from faraway was definitely not the same up close. It was about a hundred Mel wide: wide enough for an army of Orcs or Ogres if they were to enter it in a row.

In front of the valley that straightly sliced the mountain in half, was a grassy field spread as though it was encircling the entrance. On the field, a large campsite consisted of countless white tents neatly erected in rows. Steam columns from cooking food rose here and there; around were soldiers training information. Alice and Eugeo could almost feel the flashing blades and heavy atmosphere from high up.

Morale was not as low as they had feared, but no matter what, their number was definitely too little. From a rough glance, their total number was less than 3,000. Conversely, the Dark Territory invaders must be at least 50,000. In the Human Empire, the Sacred Task of Soldier and Guard were bestowed upon extremely few; in contrast, everyone in the mountains, regardless of gender or age, was a soldier. In this situation, it would not make much difference for Alice alone to join the battle.

'Just how does Integrity Knight Commander Bercouli plan to protect the world…?' Alice deliberated as she flew over the camp; she guided the dragon towards the slight darkness of the valley. "Sorry Amayori, just a little more." She said; as the dragon responded with a "kururu", the mountain peaks obscured Solus's light.

As soon as they entered the valley, chilly air immediately enveloped their bodies. The rocky cliffs to their left and right were perfectly perpendicular, smooth surfaces that could only be the work of a god. No organisms, not even vegetation, were visible. After slowly gliding for a few minutes/

Through the thick blanket of mist, an unbelievably colossal structure eventually became visible.

"Is this the… Great Eastern Gate?" both asked.

The vertically standing gray door was probably three hundred Mel from top to bottom. Although it was not as tall as the five-hundred-Mel Central Cathedral of the Axiom Church, the gravity of both did not differentiate between heights. The most shocking fact was that the double doors were constructed with one stone slab each, without any gap at all. Existence of this caliber naturally could not have been carved by human hands; even creation by way of Sacred Art processing would be absolutely impossible. The largest structures that the Highest Minister Administrator ever constructed were the «Immortal Walls» that divided Central Capital Centoria into four, but each stone slab that connected to form them was far smaller than this huge door. In other words, this great door was placed here by the hand of a god to divide these two worlds, and, to instigate the tragedy that would come three hundred years later.

"Stop here, Amayori." Having Amayori halted in the middle of the air, Alice looked again up at the great door from a closer distance.

At the altitude of about two hundred Mel, there was Sacred Text inscribed across the pair of doors made out of gray stone slabs.

"Destruct… At… Then, last, stage…" Eugeo read, "Last Stage, what does it mean? Alice?" Although he tried hard to pronounce one line in the middle, he had not an inkling of their meaning. Alice shook her head, reading it aloud as well, she didn't understand it.

Just as they were thinking with their heads tilted, suddenly, a wave of frightening scratching and cracking noises shook the air, stunning Alice, Eugeo, and Amayori. When Alice patted the dragon's neck to comfort her and stared at the scene, she saw a portion of the great door that had been perfectly smooth before, developing a crack that resembled lightning that was extending downward. As the crack stretching tens of Mel long eventually stopped, bits of stone broke off around the crack and disappeared into the deep valley.

Alice raised her head and looked again at the great gate: the cracks and falling stone were not just confined to one area. It would be better to say that the giant door was nearly covered with a mesh of fissures and cracks. Eugeo held Alice tighter, something about the gate's condition made him concerned, concerned it wasn't long before it broke.

Alice gently shook the reins, coaxing Amayori as close to the great door as possible. She gingerly reached out her left hand, rapidly drew the Seal of Stacia in midair, and softly tapped the surface of the door. A purple Window popped out, describing the full Life capacity and the current value of the Great Eastern Gate. The number on the left was the highest Life she had ever seen — more than three million. But the one on the right was less than one-thousandth of that: 2985. While she sat staring at it, stunned, the current value was subtracted by one in front of her eyes.

Sweat beading on her palms, Alice counted the amount of time it took for the number to decrease. She then estimated the time until Life would completely deplete. Even Eugeo was more worried, it was dropping, how long before it reached 0?

"It can't be," In disbelief of her own conclusion, Alice mumbled, "We are out of time…?"

The door that had stood dignified between the two worlds for over three hundred years, would collapse on just a few more days, how was this possible? Selka's bright smile, old man Garitta's tanned, deeply wrinkled face, and her father Gasupht's grave frown passed through Alice's mind. It was only a few days ago that she had repelled the Goblins that had attacked them, and sealed the cave with ice. She had thought that those actions would bring peace to Rulid that could last quite some time.

As soon as the great gate collapses, the Dark Army would swarm in like insects, and if our defensive army was unable to defend, the bloodsucking monsters would gush into the Human Empire like floodwater. This flood would soon reach the northern border, and Rulid would be engulfed.

"We have to… We have to do something about it…" Alice muttered to herself as if in a dream, as she unconsciously pulled the reins. After moving away from the stone slab about to collapse, Amayori slowly rose, and stopped roughly at the height of three hundred Mel, at the top of the door.

Behind the door, the valley continued in the same unbending way, as though splitting the mountain. However, what appeared there was no blue sky and green plains, but the blood-red sky and the desolate, cinder-speckled wilderness of the Dark Territory. The pair did not want to see this unsettling sight, but as Alice narrowed her eyebrows, focusing. On the hazy, great black landscape, a tiny waving light was visible. Urging Amayori higher, she fixed her gaze afar. There was not just one light, but many extending outwards irregularly. Bonfires. A camp. The vanguard of the Dark Army was waiting with their fists held up, for the great door to collapse and the way to the Human Empire to open.

"I thought we had enough time, is it really going down soon?" Alice mumbled softly again.

Immediately, she turned the dragon around and retraced her path towards the valley entrance. If she looked at those countless bonfires for long, she felt that she would be consumed by a massive urge to attack them alone. Even if that really happened, if the opponent were merely Goblin or Orc foot soldiers, she was still confident that she would be able to take the heads of one or two hundred before retreating unharmed. But if there were Ogre crossbow archers or legions of Dark Sorceresses within the enemy, things would not be so easy.

Although it was said that Integrity Knights possessed the strength of a thousand in one, it was only one, after all. If a Knight was confronted with a focused long-range attack from afar where neither their swordsmanship nor their Sacred Arts were able to match, they would definitely suffer injuries. Even if the injuries were light, their Life would eventually drop to zero as injuries build up over time. That was what Knight Commander Bercouli had worried for years, the greatest weakness of the Integrity Knights, also of the Human Empire's defense. With the Administrator, the stickler for gathering power, deceased, the large number of defense weapons buried in the Cathedral were already distributed among the hurriedly assembled guard team. But their remaining time was too little. At least, if they had 10,000 soldiers, and a year of preparation.

"Alice, let's go to the camp and see Commander Bercouli and the others," Eugeo spoke up, letting his voice ease Alice, "We need to be ready when this gate goes down."

"I know, Eugeo. I know." Alice replied.

At the camp set up by the Human Empire Army, Bercouli Synthesis One looked up into the sky for some reason, a grin present on his face. On his waist was his sword and a second sword too. His expression of excitement caught the attention of Edith synthesis Ten, who noticed her Senior Commander's expression of happiness and eagerness.

"Sir, why are you so happy?" Edith asked.

"Heh, so the youngster finally achieved his true potential. I'm impressed." Bercouli said beaming.

"Youngster, you mean someone from the Dark Territory?" Edith asked before looking onwards where the Great Eastern Gate was, smiling as well, "that cute Dark Knight… I wonder how she's doing?"

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Next Time: The Night Before Battle

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Michael: And finished chapter four. Like I said as of when this uploaded, this was back to back as these are very back to back events in the anime of showcasing Gabriel, who he was, the measuring stick of his evil as he killed Lipia and Shasta in the original series. Some might think they were wasted potential, but they served the purpose of showing not all of the Dark Territory is evil and set up the actual hell turn chiefs later. Liliplin and Isakhn do a better job in their change from siding with the dark forces and changing because of their encounters with Leafa and Sheyta respectfully. At the end of it all, what if it is about Eugeo's involvement in the story with Yuuki alive and Shasta and Lipia having an extended role. Anything else like focusing on anything that isn't the main story can just be its own story or an original story. Not saying it's a bad idea but any story that posts the battle with Quinella and gonna involve the war, it should be about that, whether you Kirito or Eugeo are okay, or Quinella turning good. What ifs are about thinking if the writer woke up differently, not just injecting crazy ideas into your story, that's where What ifs fail the most, they don't have the energy of the original story. One thing to remember moving forward: This based on the sub-arc, 3rd and 4th cours, and Volume 15-18 of the Light novel, no crazy OCs, no derailing plot points, no just the focus stops being the sub-arc and what others are doing that isn't about the war or the Human Empire arc. This is a sub-arc where Alice must protect the world Kirito protected and in the second half, others protect the Underworld from the US, Chinese, and Korean players who got wrapped into this. This story is going to stay the course of the sub-arc, even with Eugeo, Shasta, Lipia, and Dakira alive. Sure I have some battle ideas coming and I already set up Shasta going to fight Vecta in the second half of the war, but after that, this is the going to the same arc that ends with the Vol 18 epilogue. It might not interest many but how many Aincrad stories we have, it is as overdone as Fairy Tail fanfiction and 'Lucy' replaced by Lisanna' fics. I get there's a lot who love Aincrad, the merch does too but you have untapped wonders with ALO, GGO is ripe with ideas, and the Underworld has ideas to expand it, hence Rising Steel and Lycoris. But I digress, people can write what they like, as long it's not questioning your mental state. You have the Gameverse with all the characters, so much potential, how many Aincrad stories.

Now chapter five or episode five, there is going to be a lot to do. I'm sure seeing the valets reunite with Eugeo is going to be a great scene and after this chapter and before I even write the chapter, will brainstorm a name for my blade for Eugeo. Also, the next few moments for Eugeo are going to be hard on our boy. You know episode ten with Alice and Asuna, He learns girls are strange creatures than ever.

And you are wondering, how come that tornado stayed from when Shasta tried to strike Gabriel? I guess it was a form of Incarnation that Shasta did as he strikes Gabriel and passed his limits before his death. He took out Fer Za and D.I.L's foot and the Goblin Chief, if he didn't die, he and/or Lipia would be strong opponents. Lipia served under Shasta, I'm certain she was a strong Dark Knight, just a trained military official who has killed many people she couldn't handle. Then again he and the other escapist villain Vassago lose to the one person who isn't after power and death like them.

But enough about that, Chapter 5 might come in June, much of it will be mostly proofreading but after that, updates will be slower with the battles and new stuff, I will do my best to integrate Edith, Eugeo, Dakira post living, Shasta, and Lipia into the war. I mean, this won't be easy so I know there's gonna be a lot of group ups you never thought before. These chapters stay what I always stride was long novel like chapters

So see you next time and stay safe.